Hong Kong: Safeguarding national security a must

Chief Executive John Lee

Today, I join you all in high spirits to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Today also marks the first anniversary of the current-term Government.

On July 1 last year, President Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong and delivered an important speech, in which he made it clear that "one country, two systems" has been tested repeatedly in practice, so there is no reason for us to change such a good policy, and we must adhere to it in the long run.

President Xi also put forward "four musts" and "four proposals", which now serve as the basis of the governance blueprint for me and the Hong Kong SAR Government. With these central ideas in mind, I have built a pragmatic team that adopts a result-oriented approach to unite the community and build a better Hong Kong.

Over the past year, the Hong Kong SAR Government led Hong Kong out of the darkness of the epidemic. We strived to instil confidence and hope during the difficult times and have never backed down along our path of combatting the epidemic. Finally, Hong Kong has fully resumed normal travel with the Mainland and reconnected to the world. We are now driving down the fast lane of recovery at full speed.

I still recall the day of our resumption of normal travel with the Mainland, when family and friends hugged each other in joyful tears. The heart-warming scenes have not only inspired us to treasure more the love between people, but also enabled us to feel the warmth of our home, Hong Kong.

Over the past year, Hong Kong emerged from the shadow of economic contraction and returned to positive economic growth. A growth rate of 2.7% was recorded in the first quarter of this year, reversing the declining trend in the past four consecutive quarters. The median monthly household income for the first quarter also showed an increase of 2.1%.

In the first five months of this year, Hong Kong received more than 10 million visitors. The tourism industry and consumption spur our economic recovery. Despite the sluggish trends in our import and export figures as well as uncertainties in the external environment and geopolitical situations, Hong Kong is still blessed with enormous opportunities bestowed by such national strategies as the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt & Road Initiative. We expect a positive economic growth of around 3.5% to 5.5% this year.

In addition, our policies on competing for talent and enterprises as proposed in my Policy Address are gradually delivering results. Responses to various talent admission schemes have been overwhelming. Nearly 50,000 applications have been approved in just five months. It is likely for us to outperform the annual target of attracting 35,000 talents this year.

The dedicated Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has already met with over 150 enterprises, some of which have established their foothold in Hong Kong. In the first five months of this year, Invest Hong Kong has assisted over 180 Mainland and overseas enterprises in establishing or expanding their operations in Hong Kong, up over 30% from the same time last year.

I always respond actively to aspirations from the people of Hong Kong. I endeavour to help those in need to get on the housing ladder early. The Government is enhancing the speed, quantity and efficiency of housing and land supply. Waiting time for public rental housing has been capped, and has been shortened from 6.1 years to 5.3 years. With the introduction of Light Public Housing, the waiting time can be further shortened to 4.5 years.

Development blueprints for our youth, innovation and technology, primary healthcare and other areas have been announced and are being actively implemented. The Policy Address has set out measures to meet people's needs in the short, medium and long term, covering various areas such as land, infrastructure, education, culture, sports, social inclusiveness, environmental protection and so on. We will spare no effort in taking forward and implementing our work as planned.

Today is the launch day of the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles scheme. The launch of the scheme means that Hong Kong people can drive to the Mainland for sightseeing, visiting families and business in an even more relaxed and free manner, drawing people from both sides closer together.

I have full confidence in Hong Kong, yet we must stay alert. While society is largely stable, we know that we are intentionally targeted and oppressed by some countries which have misjudged the peaceful development of our motherland. Destructive forces using soft resistance means are still lurking in our city. We must stay vigilant and be proactive in safeguarding national security, and should fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems".

In the coming year, my team and I will continue to actively visit the Mainland and overseas, leading strong delegations representing different sectors to tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong and create more opportunities for our city.

Hong Kong will continue to proactively and actively integrate into the overall development of the country by participating in and promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area and the Belt & Road Initiative. We will move full steam ahead with the development of the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands, as well as proactively attracting strategic enterprises to Hong Kong. We will capitalise on the city's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. We will promote high-quality development and contribute to building China into a great modern country and to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Distinguished guests, fellow citizens, there is a Chinese saying that those who work will succeed, and those who walk will arrive at their destination. The Government will continue to stay committed to engaging in pragmatic efforts and delivering results. We will strive to gain trust through action, narrow gaps with results, and build mutual trust through achievements, in a bid to unite all sectors of the community. Together, let us build a better Hong Kong.

This is a translation of Chief Executive John Lees speech delivered at the reception in celebration of the 26th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions establishment on July 1.

This story has been published on: 2023-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China sharing opportunities for global economic recovery

10:04, July 01, 2023 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Photo taken on June 20, 2023 shows high-speed trains in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province. (Photo by Fang Dongxu/People's Daily Online)

The 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, recently opened in north China's Tianjin municipality, where participants jointly discussed the prospects of the world economy and explored the way of recovery.

Participants from all over the world gave high recognition of the global significance of China's economic recovery and development, saying that the country is a huge and crucial market.

According to attendees, China, as the world's second-largest economy, is essential to not only global trade and economic patterns, but also the accelerated recovery of the world economy. They believe that China's economy will achieve higher-level growth driven by innovation.

Over the past few years, the world has been facing drastic changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century. Unilateralism, protectionism and de-globalization are on the rise. Global challenges are escalating, and regional conflicts keep flaring up.

As a result, the world needs more stability and certainty, and the aspiration for win-win cooperation of most countries has become stronger.

This year's Summer Davos was back offline since COVID-19 struck over three years ago. The size and the number of participants in the event have basically recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.

Political dignitaries and entrepreneurs from multiple countries gathered in Tianjin for face-to-face exchanges, sending a positive signal to the world to strengthen international cooperation.

"Where there's more uncertainty, where there's a greater drive towards security and resilience, it can encourage countries to look inwards, but actually, looking outwards is how they are going to solve those problems," said Chris Hipkins, Prime Minister of New Zealand.

The whole world needs to work together to solve global challenges, including climate change, he added.

Klaus Schwab, chairperson of the World Economic Forum, noted that he's always been optimistic about the Chinese economy, saying China has maintained rapid economic growth over the past more than 30 years and still remains one of the important engines driving the global economy today.

His remarks mirrored China's role as a "ballast stone" and source of power for promoting international free trade and stabilizing global economic growth over the years.

In the past decade, China's economic growth averaged 6.2 percent annually, and the country's share of global economic output grew from 11.3 percent in 2012 to around 18 percent in 2022. It has ranked first in the world in terms of trade in goods for six consecutive years, and its average contribution to global economic growth exceeded 30 percent.

China has faithfully fulfilled its WTO accession commitments by opening up its market to the rest of the world and sharing its development opportunities with all. China's development has improved the lives of the Chinese people, and provided other countries with enormous opportunities.

China's climate financing, its new blueprint of building a digital China, and the Belt and Road Initiative were hot topics of this year's Summer Davos. It is widely believed that China will continue injecting important impetus into global development.

China will fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, move faster to create a new pattern of development, and promote high-quality development.

It will introduce more practical and effective measures to expand the potential of domestic demand, stimulate market vitality, promote the coordinated development of urban and rural areas, accelerate the green transition and advance high-standard opening up. This will increase the market size and create cooperation opportunities.

Themed "Entrepreneurship: The Driving Force of the Global Economy," this year's Summer Davos has a strong realistic reference. In the era of uncertainty, entrepreneurs, with their keen grasp of the market, can bring greater certainty to the world with their initiatives and actions.

This year, U.S. carmaker Tesla announced that it will build a new mega factory in Shanghai, which will be dedicated to manufacturing the company's energy-storage product Megapack.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus plans to build its second production line at its site in Tianjin.

Multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca signed a deal to invest $450 million in building a production and supply factory in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province.

While the world is seeing emerging trends of anti-globalization, decoupling and severing supply chains, and "de-risking," a number of foreign-funded enterprises are expanding their investment and building new projects in China, and executives of foreign enterprises have paid frequent visits to China. Such keen vision, relentless pursuit and extraordinary execution exactly demonstrate the true entrepreneurial spirit.

Relevant parties shall actively foster and carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit, get a clear understanding of the trend of global economic development and take concrete actions to deepen cooperation, The world should show firm support for economic globalization, market economy and free trade, so as to steer the world economy toward a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future.

The world economy has developed through globalization. Mutual collaboration and complementarity among countries is an objective requirement of productivity development and an irreversible historical trend.

As a responsible major country, China will keep building platforms for win-win cooperation and constantly creating new opportunities for the rest of the world with its own development, driving economic recovery and growth.

Citizens dance with a robot at the 2023 Global AI Product and Application Expo in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province, June 25, 2023. (Photo by Hua Xuegen/People's Daily)

Photo taken on June 25, 2023 shows super-large container ships at a container terminal of Shanghai Yangshan Deep Water Port in east China's Shanghai. (Photo by Ji Haixin/People's Daily Online)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
The Lagos state House of Assembly ad-hoc on screening of commissioner and special advisers nominees commenced screening of nominees on Thursday attending to eight nominees.

The exercise which continues on Friday is, according to Chairman of the committee, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, expected to end on Saturday.

The eight nominees screened are: Mr. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, Mr. Tunji Bello, Ms. Adenike Ajay-Bembe, Dr. Wale Ahmed, Pro. Akinola Abayomi and Mr. Gbenga Omotoso.

Apart from Ahmed who is secretary of All Progressives Congress in the state and former member of the House of Assembly who was asked to take a bow as former lawmaker, all the remaining nominees were subject to questioning by the committee members.

At the end of the exercise chairman of the committee said he was satisfied with the performance of the nominees saying they are all knowledgeable people but that the committee will report back to the House that will confirm the nominees or otherwise.

Answering questions during screening, immediate past Secretary to Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello said the menace of refuse in the state was because the past administration abandoned a working refuse disposal system under LAWMA to introduce a system that could not cope with the volume of refuse generated in the state.

He said the LAWMA personnel have already been trained and were specialising in different areas of refuse management before been taken out of the system which created a vacuum that the operatives of the newly introduced model could not cope with.

He said the solution to the situation may already be on the way with the introduction of sorting refuse at point of generation and separating same into different refuse bags as been introduced by the current governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Bello who said he worked as the speechwriter of the late Chief MKO Abiola is a journalist, lawyer and former commissioner for the environment in the state advised that the state must intensify efforts on waste management and conversion.

There are a few areas you can set up dumpsite in Lagos State because the state is below the sea level. You cannot set up a dumpsite in Lagos Island, except in places like Agege, Abule Egba and others.

On flooding in Lagos, we have nine main drainages in the state, and while six are developed, three are not developed and flooding is always when there are blockages in the flow of flood to the Lagoon in these drainages.

The Lagos Mainland drainage system is the oldest and it has about six divisions. The tertiary drainages and channels must link up with primary channels, he said.

This was corroborated by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, who stated that everybody was concerned about the environment in the state.

Abiru advised Bello to impress it on the government that the state could not afford not to improve on the environment.

Editor of The Nation, Gbenga Omotoso, said that the freedom of information law in the country is not working, the implementation is not working, he said.

He said when you write to ask for information there is always no response from the authorities concerned and if you go to the code of conduct for assets declaration information of government officials they will not give you.

Adding that even if you want to explore the court option by going to court to press for access to the required information, that is a long process.

Talking about managing perception of Lagos, Omotoso said it is the duty of everybody, although he said it can be done through training of information officers, mobilising the members of the public and dissemination of government actions and policies to all the nook and crannies of the state.

Omotoso said, more importantly, was for everybody to put up a proper behaviour especially people in position of authority for others to emulate.

Perception can be managed through regular interactions with members of the public, letting people know what you are doing right, it is the responsibility of all of us to guard the image of the state, Omotoso said.

He said though technology has a major role to play in dissemination of government policies and activities to the people and enhancing the peoples perception about the government the problem of lack of power especially in the rural areas limits its capacity.

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday returned to Abuja after his two-day visit to South Africa.

Photos of his arrival were shared by his New Media aide, Bashir Ahmed on Twitter.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while in South Africa, the Nigerian leader held bilateral meeting with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The two African leaders also co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the 9th Bi-National Commission at the seat of government, Union Building, Pretoria, on Thursday.

At the meeting, Mr Buhari urged the South African government to open up its economy to allow the influx of more Nigerian businesses.

The Nigerian president also urged the South African government to create a business environment that would guarantee their safety.

While stressing the need for reciprocity in promoting trade and investment between both countries, Mr Buhari said South African companies had enjoyed not only the unfettered access to the Nigerian market, but protection and enabling laws as well.

In his remarks, Mr Ramaphosa said the attacks on foreign nationals by his countrymen was regrettable.

He gave the Nigerian president the assurance that his government would do more to safeguard lives and property.

A State Banquet was also organised for Mr Buhari by the South African government on Thursday night.

While expressing appreciation for what he described as legendary South African hospitality, Mr Buhari invited Mr Ramaphosa to pay a state visit to Nigeria for a return match where we as the Super Eagles will surely revenge against you the Bafana Bafana!

Mr President and dear brother, as I said, you have overwhelmed me and my delegation with your legendary South African hospitality.

Before he left Pretoria, today, the president had met with Nigerians in that country where he advised Nigerians in The Diaspora to always remember their country with skills, resources and talents, and work towards living decent and dignified lives that bring honour to their fatherland.

The president said he was shocked at the outbreak of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

The recent acts of xenophobic attacks on our compatriots and other Africans in South Africa are shocking to me, Nigerians and indeed Africa. It was an embarrassment to the continent. Let me again use this medium to condole with the families of all those who lost their lives over the years in such tragic incidents. May their souls rest in peace, he added.

Mr Buhari also commiserated with those who were injured, praying for their quick recovery, and sympathized with those who lost property and other valuables.

The president condemned in the strongest terms, attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa.

He also condemned the looting of their shops and businesses and burning of their properties.

Mr Buhari, who had since retired to his official residence at the Aso Rock, will on Saturday preside over extraordinary meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

NAN gathered that the meeting would deliberate on a single agenda  the 2020 budget proposal which will be presented to the National Assembly by the president on Tuesday. (NAN)
The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has said that the Supreme Court attack on the coalition substantiated its earlier claim about the sweetheart deal between the executive of the APC government and the judiciary.

The apex court had earlier rubbished CUPPs claim that the executive had handpicked justices that will hear the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakars appeal against the earlier tribunal rulng upholding President Muhammadu Buharis victory at the Feb 23 poll.

But CUPP on Tuesday, through its publicity secretary Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, insisted that there was an ongoing plan to alter the order of appointing Presidential Election Appeal Panel and handpick the members.

The Supreme Court has by that statement successfully descended into the arena, has taken sides and has decided to join issues with the opposition perhaps because the supposed quiet plan and alliance with the APC led Federal Government had been botched, the statement read in part.

The group said what is expected of an apex court in situations like this is to reassure Nigerians of its independence, not to join issues with opposition.

The CUPP and opposition have before now exposed the plan to alter the order of seniority which is used in appointing Supreme Court justices that sit on presidential appeal since 1979. We had insisted that the plan is to truncate the appeal filed by the Coalition consensus candidate and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

It is noteworthy that the attack on CUPP by the highest court in the land came less than 24 hours after the APC issued its own statement in which it threw caution to the wind, fired a childish arrow at the grand opposition alliance and said unprintable things about the opposition while not addressing the issues raised and making claims of Nigeria being an imaginary one-party state.

CUPP stated as a mater of fact that it is not a coincidence that the two separate statements from the ruling party and the apex court came almost the same time. The releases were clearly syndicated.

They have confirmed that they are both reading from the same book and are on the same page. It is expected that those concerned will be coming out of their holes one after the other because the opposition has exposed them.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammed, has, by this statement smelling of malice and hatred for opposition members, removed his mask and through the Supreme Court attempted to attack the integrity of the opposition grand alliance, the CUPP, and twist facts.

The group urged Nigerians to also note that nowhere in the entire statement did the Supreme Court summon the courage to deny the facts so clearly stated by the opposition, knowing the same to be true and correct.

We are therefore assuring those who have made it their new occupation to be attacking the Opposition that they will soon hear from the CUPP on indisputable facts and evidence of abuse of office against them which will put a big question mark to their continued stay in the public space.

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The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has unveiled new measures aimed at Curtailing the spread of COVID-19 across the state.

Governor Abiodun, who was Addressing Journalists at his residence in Iperu,

Said his administration has obtained a mobile laboratory to aid testing potential cases in the state and new packages for health workers in their line of duty.

He commended residents of the state for their cooperation and steadfastness during the stay at home order, he also warned against politicising of the ongoing distribution of the stimulus packages being distributed to the aged and most vulnerable sect of the state.

His statement reads:

This fight against coronavirus is a relentless one and the reality of it stares us at the face every day with the increasing figures in the number of cases and deaths every day.

Today, I have the unpleasant task of announcing two new positive cases here in Ogun State.

This brings the total number to six from the index case that we identified in February, he said.

The governor, while noting that three out of the six cases have been discharged, said one who is currently receiving treatment is on the verge of also being discharged.

Speaking further, Abiodun said although the two new recorded cases may be erroneously considered few, but certainly very significant.

Of the two new confirmed cases, he explained that one is from Obafemi Owode Local Government in Ogun Central Senatorial District, the other is from Yewa South Local Government in Ogun West Senatorial District.

This is significant particularly when we know that these two new cases have no recent history or close contact with any positive case with travel history.

Indeed, one of them is from Mowe, a border town with Lagos State. They have since been moved to one of our isolation centres in the state, he stated.

While describing the virus as invincible and dangerous, Governor Abiodun called on residents of the state to take precautionary measures of protecting themselves.

One of these is to obey all the necessary guidelines and shelve off any carefree attitude that some may have been adopting towards this virus.

COVID-19 is real. It is also here in Ogun State. And I think the point here to note is that there is this erroneous belief that this is only inflicting people in Lagos or the elite

Governor Abiodun added.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Friday said he had considered shutting down the crises-stricken Tai Solarin College of Education, Ijagun over the unending controversies surrounding the payment of salaries being owed by the state government.

Abiodun, speaking at a government function yesterday in Abeokuta, said there is high level of lawlessness among lecturers in the college of education.

The Governor confessed that he got tired of the crises in the institution after making several efforts to resolve it.

Abiodun, who once admitted arresting some staff of the institution, insisted that, some of the lecturers are displaying to be lawless in their agitation by allegedly instigating the students against the school management.

He said, TASCE issue is a different thing entirely. I have tried all efforts to ensure I resolve the crisis, but it seems the some of the lecturers are trying to show they are lawless

After the recommendation of the committee we set up, we have tried to pay some months of salaries and also give fund to the school, but some of the lecturers are still instigating students against the management.

I have never seen where lecturers are not ready to teach even when the students are willing to learn.

I have considered shutting TASCE down over the unresolved crisis.

The governor, however, warned the lecturers not to take his humble position on the crisis for granted, saying, Ogun State will not take it easy with anybody that want to display lawless attitude in our dear State.
Adamu Mohammed Duguri, elder brother of the Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

Mukhtar Gidado, spokesperson of the governor, confirmed this to newsmen, saying that the governors brother was abducted by unknown gunmen at about 7pm around Anguwar jaki area of Bauchi state.

Governor Mohammed is currently in isolation after testing positive for Coronavirus.
BLOOMINGTON  Two men are accused of possessing stolen catalytic converters and a stolen Hyundai vehicle.

Donte L. Gray, 33, of Dolton, and Aaron J. Marshall, 28, of Riverdale, were each charged with aggravated possession of stolen motor vehicle parts and criminal trespass to vehicle.

Gray was also charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, which court documents indicate was a Hyundai motor vehicle.

Assistant State's Attorney Mark Messman said Illinois State Police attempted to pull over the vehicle Thursday at 9:45 a.m. for reckless driving before Gray, who was the driver in the vehicle, drove away.

The ISP trooper called other units ahead instead of chasing the vehicle, and it was followed by Bloomington police officers who saw it exit Interstate 55 onto West Market Street, Messman said.

According to a statement from the Bloomington Police Department, officers were dispatched to the area of Walnut Street and Western Avenue Thursday for a report of suspicious activity.

Both Gray and Marshall were located in the area and as officer conducted search upon consent, a reciprocating saw blade was found in one of their pockets, according to the news release.

While officers were speaking to the pair, other officers located the vehicle  which was stolen  along with multiple reciprocating saw blades, catalytic converters and burglary tools, BPD said.

"This is a great example of good police work leading to the arrest of those responsible for serious crimes in our area. Many Bloomington residents have suffered the ill effects of having their catalytic converters stolen," said Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington. "The investigation into the thefts of catalytic converters will continue."

"I would like to thank the Illinois State Police, the McLean County Sheriff's office, and the Bloomington police officers for their involvement during this incident," Simington added.

This incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact BPD at 309-820-8888.

Anonymous tips can also be left with the Crime and Intelligence Analysis Unit at 309-434-2963 and CIAU@cityblm.org or by texting "Tip" to 847411.

Grey and Marshall's bonds were each set at $100,000 with 10% to apply for release. Their arraignments are set for July 21.

Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones
SPRINGFIELD  The Flanagan-Cornell FFA chapter attended the 95th annual Illinois State FFA Convention from June 13-15 in Springfield.

More than 5,000 other FFA members, advisers and guests also attended the event. This year's theme was "Electrify."

The three-day annual event recognizes achievements of Illinois FFA members, elects the major state officer team and celebrates agriculture.

Kesler Collins was conferred with the State FFA Degree by the Illinois Association for meeting all requirements, including productive financial investments and earnings in a supervised agricultural experience and FFA participation, leadership and academic excellence. This is the highest honor an FFA member can achieve in Illinois, as less than 2% of members statewide can earn the recognition.

Grace Brown, Sam Jones, Hattie Koeller and Wyatt Zehr were recognized for earning the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization. The American FFA Degree will be officially conferred at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in November. The degree honors the most dedicated members in the country who demonstrated excellence with their supervised agricultural experience, provided outstanding leadership and community service, and earned a scholastic achievement through their FFA career.

Trevor Brown and Chastidie Bednaza were named the Growing Leaders National Award section winners. Emerson Weber and Andrew Koeller were named the Strengthening Agriculture National Chapter Award section winners.

Tomi Ross and Darren Howell received the Section Premier Chapter Award. Kesler Collins and Austin Quick received the Premier Chapter Runner-Up Award.

The convention also had a career fair featuring colleges and agribusinesses, and history on Springfield. The sessions featured addresses by National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Gracie Murphy and from each of the retiring major state officers.

Watch now: Who got up early to support local agriculture? Tri-Valley FFA LeRoy FFA Lexington FFA Megan Volk, Christie Rabideau Hans Rasmussen, Phyllis Coulter Rasmussen, Chamber president Charlie Moore Hand drawn placemats Kristin Myers, Katie Buckley Chamber president Charlie Moore, Ag Council Chairman Kevin Birlingmair Chuck Erickson, Brian Basting Jackie Kraft, Don Meyer Kieser Family Emily Griffin, Sean Wells, Jennifer and Andy Killian Jason Perry, McKenna Peart Vivian Doctora, Kim Schoenbein, Annie Swanson Bob and Austin Hawkins Dayna Brown, Dr. Kristen Weikle Brahma Rai, Avani Rai Karen Jones, Kristen Kubsch Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille, Dr. Kristen Weikle Michael Meyer, Jackie Kraft Sammi Kern, Shelly Hanover Cassy Taylor, Erika Reynolds Olympia FFA Normal West FFA Normal FFA David Fulton, Dan Caldwell Vivian Doctora, Tracy Patkunas, David Besler, Trever Kuipers, Kim Schoenbein, Mark Jontry Brian Thede, Scott Miller, Larry Thede
How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region.

100 years ago

July 1, 1923: The sale of fireworks opened here yesterday. There was a lively business at the 21 places that were given permits to sell them. Although an effort is being made throughout the country to discourage the use of fireworks on the Fourth, from the amount sold there will be no lessening of the usual noise in the city.

75 years ago

July 1, 1948: The contest to select a queen and two maids of honor for Normal's September Tomato festival will be open to any McLean County girl over 18, it was decided. The top eight or 10 candidates will be introduced at a band concert in August where final judging will be done.

50 years ago

July 1, 1973: "Allowing a patient to live until he dies ..." That's one goal of music therapy, according to two originators of the local program, Mrs. Bernard Lannie and Mrs. Clifford Edwards. Mrs. Lannie is a registered nurse and Mrs. Edwards is a music therapy volunteer.

25 years ago

July 1, 1998: A power-packed thunderstorm caused what preliminary estimates placed at $900,000 worth of damage in McLean County. Gov. Jim Edgar, visiting Bloomington in the aftermath, said he would consider state disaster assistance. More than 92,000 Central Illinois residents found themselves without power.

101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922 Gerthart's Union Gas and Electric Co. Hoover Dr. J.A. Moore Dentists Moberly & Klenner W.P. Garretson W.H. Roland Pease's Candy Thor 32 Electric Washing Machine The Kaiser's Story of the War Ike Livingston & Sons Gossard Corsets Cat'n Fiddle 'Stolen Moments' Case Model X The Johnson Transfer & Fuel Co. The Pantagraph want ads Franklin Motor Car Co. 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' Calumet Baking Powder Mayer Livingston & Co. Newsmarket 'The Emperor Jones' 'California Fig Syrup'
Children as young as 11 are confined alone to cells the size of parking spaces up to 23 hours a day at a juvenile detention center in Southern Illinois, according to a lawsuit filed by ACLU of Illinois.

Young people at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton must ask staff permission to flush the toilet, and they can go days or weeks without access to schoolwork. Black mold grows on the walls, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, and there are no mental health professionals employed at the facility.

The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the facility to improve conditions immediately, on the basis of deprivation of their rights under the 14th Amendment.

These are not conditions that anybody, let alone any child, should be subjected to, said Kevin Fee, the lead lawyer on the case, describing the situation as inhumane to the level of being unspeakable.

In general, the conditions of juvenile detention centers in the U.S. have been slowly improving in the last few decades thanks to research on the harms of solitary confinement, so this case is especially frightening, said clinical and forensic psychologist Apryl Alexander, who works with detained youth.

Were supposed to be using the juvenile legal system for rehabilitation and not punishment. These are youth who are capable of change  we recognize that developmentally and personally. And so we should be treating them as such, Alexander said.

Fee added that the Franklin detention center is used to hold kids before they have been sentenced or found guilty by a court.

The ACLU of Illinois spoke with more than a dozen youngsters who are either detained currently or have been detained at the facility within the past few weeks about their experiences there, Fee said.

The idea that children would spend any portion of their childhood locked in solitary confinement is an egregious abuse, Fee said.

Solitary confinement is extremely harmful for everybody who is locked up, but particularly for children spending that much time in a brightly lit room, unable to really sleep properly," Fee said.

The practice has been banned for youth held by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice since 2015, and on Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation making it illegal to use on young detainees in detention centers for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm.

The law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Alexander added that the majority of suicides that happen in detention occur when a person is in solitary confinement.

It is also important to consider that many youth in the juvenile legal system experienced trauma before they were detained, so putting them in solitary confinement can also be retraumatizing, Alexander said.

Neither the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center nor the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice immediately responded to a request for comment by The Associated Press.
The Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Limited Company (BOST) Mr Edwin Alfred Provencal was adjudged Africas Most Respected CEO in the Petroleum (Storage and Distribution category) for the year 2022.



The event organized under the auspices of the Business Executive and the Economic Development Board of Mauritius was held at the Intercontinental Resort, Balaclava, Mauritius.



Among the night's big winners included the Managing Director of Air Tanzania Company Limited, Mr. Ladislaus Matindi who emerged as Africas Most Respected CEO 2022 for the Air Transport category.



Africas Most Respected CEOs platform recognizes companies and individual corporate leaders who go the extra mile in enhancing the fortunes of the continent of Africa which is on a forward march towards enhancing the lives of its 1.4 million population.



Speaking in a panel discussion, Mr Ladislaus Matindi opined that, to take Africa to the next level and to make the dream of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area AFCFTA, a reality, corporate leaders in both the public and private sectors of Africa should foremost admit the unique situation of the continent and tailor solutions to the challenges both existing and emergent, to ensure we together create a better future for the people (both present and yet unborn).



In accepting the honour, Mr Provencal proudly dedicated the award to the Board, Management, and Staff of BOST who he said are the pillars behind the massive turnaround of the company in the last couple of years.



He started by thanking the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve and the confidence reposed in him.



This recognition of BOST and its MD comes as the fourteenth (14) over the past ten (10) months reflecting the volume of work done at the company and the massive transformation Mr Provencal is leading at the formidable State-Owned Enterprise.



In the citation, the MD of BOST was praised for reviving the company from ten years of losses into the profit zone and also bringing as much as 97% of the assets of the company to revenue-earning status as against the past years of dilapidation and lack of activity.







"This is the way to go if AFCFTA is to impact the lives of the people of Africa to break the long chains of poverty, ignorance, and disease."



In the opinion of Mr Provencal, for Africa to see massive progress, the public sector must be up and doing and share that positive energy with the private sector.



"Indeed, there are challenges but these should not halt the progress of the continent and its people," he added.



Dr. Claudius Williams-Tucker, the Country Director of Trans-Global Travel and Logistics of Sierra Leone was also celebrated at the event for his beautiful contributions towards the gradual changing of the fortunes of the continent.



In the construction category, Core Construction Limited and its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Frank Lartey of Ghana were also recognized at the event.



Africas Most Respected CEO Awards is targeted at honouring sterling leadership in the private and public sectors of Africa as the continent gears up to take full advantage of the AFCFTA to better people's lives.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo Friday joined the Ghana Bar Association and the Judiciary to mark the 41st anniversary of the remembrance service for three murdered High Court Judges at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra.



Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo and Justice of the Superior and Lower Court witnessed the ceremony.



The three murdered judges are justice Fred Poku Sarkodee, Mrs Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow and Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong.



The three judges and a Retired Army Officer, Major Sam Acquah, were abducted on the night of curfew hours of June 30, 1982, and brutally and savagely murdered at Bundase Range in the Accra Plains.



Preaching the sermon, Very Reverend Father Dr. Ebenezer Akesseh, Parish Priest, Christ the King Parish, said lawyers should see their profession or vocation as a calling, which meant that they were giving themselves away.



Father Akesseh described a martyr as a witness adding, the highest form of a martyr is shedding ones blood.



Yours may not be shedding of your blood but insults and threats and false accusations and may be no promotion. But find comfort in the words of Jesus Christ that blessed are you who are persecuted and falsely accused.



According to Father Akesseh, martyrs of Christianity led to the growth and flourishing of the faith.



He said the suffering of the three judges should also lead lawyers and judges to witness in their profession with integrity and resilience.



We are celebrating martyrs of Justice; it means we acknowledge that they have crusaded for justice and in implementing justice, they lost their lives.



The Parish Priest urged lawyers and judges to hunger and thirst for righteousness and seek wisdom for their work.



He also appealed to the judges and lawyers to pay attention to the dictates of their conscience.





Do not ignore the dictates of your conscience. Keep your conscience clear before man and God. 



Three Justice of the High Court, Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, Justice Akua Sarpomaa Amoah and Justice Kwasi Anokye Gyimah read the biographies of the murdered Judges.



Chief Justice Torkornoo and Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, read the first and second bible readings respectively.



Cantoribus Chorale treated the gathering to melodious songs.









Source: GNA









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1. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to address this August House on the recent flooding incidents in the National Capital and elsewhere in the country. I would, also, like to commend the Minority Chief Whip, Honourable Kwame Agbodza for raising the issue of perennial flooding on the floor of Parliament on 23 June 2023, and his commitment towards building a robust built environment for our socio-economic development.



2. May I, first of all, express the governments and my commiserations to the bereaved families for the loss of their loved ones during the heavy downpour from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd June, 2023, in some parts of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, including my beloved Bantama Constituency where five (5) lives, two of whom were siblings were unfortunately lost.



3. Here in Accra, some lost their livelihoods while several others suffered damages of their properties and other valuables.





4. My sympathies are with these families during this challenging period. Our follow-ups, however, indicate that the rainfall experienced in Accra on Thursday, 22nd June did not, fortunately, result in any loss of life.



5. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Works and Housing is conscious of the increasing risk of flooding across the country, largely due to inadequate drainage infrastructure, improper solid waste disposal, disregard for planning rules and regulations, and rapid urbanization, among others.



6. The adverse effect of climate change has compounded these factors. Consequently, we have in recent times, seen flooding in other urban centres, such as, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Koforidua and Tamale that did not use to experience much flooding. Globally, the dire effects of climate change have left unforgettable footprints in many countries, such as, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, among others, and Ghana is no exception.



7. For this reason, the Ministry has over the years initiated and implemented major drainage projects across the country to mitigate flooding.



8. As a demonstration of our commitment to tackling Ghanas perennial flooding challenge, the Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been implementing a comprehensive flood control and management programme with the following components:



i. The Construction of Drainage Channels and Desilting under the National Flood Control Programme;

ii. Regular Monitoring of Flood Prone Areas to assess our preparedness and educate the public via multiple media channels on flood prevention practices;



iii. Collaboration with Other Ministries, namely; the Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development; and National Security to prevent development in waterways and drainage reservations;



iv. Investment in flood mitigations measures under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project; and



v. Collaboration with other Government Agencies, namely the Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Water Resources Commission and NADMO toward the issuance of early warning notices.





9. Mr. Speaker, in line with our dedication to building resilient communities and decreasing the occurrence of flooding, the Government embarked on the National Flood Control Programme in 2018 and 2020.



10. The aim has been to allocate resources towards enhancing the flood resilience of our vulnerable communities. Since 2018, the Government has committed GHS 450 million to this programme, making it the most substantial investment from Ghanaian government funding sources dedicated to addressing flooding. Under the Programme, 384 desilting projects and 202 drainage channel construction projects were initiated.



11. To date, 370 desilting projects, representing 96% have been completed and 84 drainage channel construction projects representing 42% have been completed, with the remaining 118 at various stages of completion.



12. The effect has been the mitigation of flood hazards in beneficiary communities such as Kuntunse Satellite, Achimota Mile 7, Katamanso, Mamprobi, Abeka-Ayigbe Town, Labadi Olympia, Nungua (United Church Area), Haatso, Madina Firestone, Madina Mayehot, Madina Redco, Madina Oblogo, Dome Crossing, Weija GEICEL, Kasoa Iron City, Kasoa Obom, Nsuoano stream in Ngleshie Amanfrom and Ashaiman.



13. Mr. Speaker, other selected flood hot spots that are benefitting from the 2020 Programme include Kasoa Millennium City, Adenta Sakora, Nsakyi, Ablekuma, Dawhyenya Dome Railway Crossing, New Legon, Adenta, Sango and Naapladjor Drains, Kakum River, Birim River, Leprosarium Drain, Densu River, Korkordjor River, Owabi River, Sefwi Wiaso, Aboabo Drain, to name a few.



14. Mr. Speaker, ahead of the pending rainy season, I embarked on a working visit of some flood prone communities in Accra, with Technical staff of the Ministry, and the Ghana Hydrological Authority to ascertain our level of preparedness and gain first-hand insight into the challenges we face when it comes to mitigating the risks associated with flooding.



15. Mr. Speaker, it became more evident that human activities are severely impeding the government's efforts to tackle the issue of flooding. The observations include:



 Filling of lagoons and wetlands with construction materials for development purposes;

 Building on drainage channels, hence blocking the free flow of stormwater;

 Dumping of solid waste in drains, thereby reducing their capacity to hold stormwater; and

 Gaps in the enforcement of planning laws and building regulations by the MMDAs.



16. Subsequently, Mr. Speaker, Cabinet at its Forty-Seventh (47th) meeting held on Saturday, 25th March, 2023, considered a report on my inspection of the drainage infrastructure in Accra.



Cabinet noted the need to consider flooding in Ghana as a national security issue since effective law enforcement has a major role to play in addressing the challenge. Subsequently, Cabinet constituted a committee to develop a comprehensive plan with appropriate measures to strengthen the enforcement of laws relating to lands and siting of buildings.



17. The Committee comprises the following Ministers:



i. National Security - Chairperson

ii. Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development;

iii. Sanitation and Water Resources;

iv. Works and Housing; and

v. Lands and Natural Resources.





18. Mr. Speaker, while the committee does its work, my Ministry will continue its engagement with the Ministry of National Security in seeking support for the Assemblies to enforce planning laws and building regulations.



19. My Ministry will also continue engagement with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development to strengthen the support provided to the Assemblies in addressing the issue of buildings in waterways and drainage buffers.



20. Mr. Speaker, another important component of the Government's holistic approach to addressing flooding in vulnerable communities is the investment in the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project. Through GARID, the Government is partnering with the World Bank to invest USD 200 million towards reducing flood risks and addressing solid waste management challenges in the Odaw Drainage Basin.





21. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Works and Housing; the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources; and the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development.



22. Ahead of the rainy season, the project has provided financial assistance to 17 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Odaw Catchment for desilting key drainage channels within their respective jurisdictions. These include; Ayawaso Central, North, East, and West, La Nkwantanang, Ga East, Adentan, La Dadekotopon, Ga West, Ga North and Ga Central. This initiative has contributed to the mitigation of floods by improving the capacity of tertiary drains.



23. Mr. Speaker, other interventions under the Project include drainage improvement works at Achimota, Nima, and Kaneshie as well as participatory community upgrades in Alogboshie, Akweteyman and Nima.



24. The procurement process for the dredging of the Odaw Drainage Channel, Drainage Improvement Works at Achimota, Nima and Community Upgrades in Alogboshie and Akweteyman are almost completed. Construction is expected to commence in the third quarter of this year, following the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plan.



25. Another significant measure involves the construction of retention ponds in the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission area. These ponds are designed to hold substantial amounts of water that would otherwise flow directly toward the city centre and contribute to flooding. Our Technical Team is currently working with the design consultant to finalize all outstanding designs.



26. Mr. Speaker, in addition to implementing the structural measures outlined above, we are also actively engaged in implementing non-structural measures, regarding the GARID project.



27. These include the establishment of the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) for the Greater Accra Region, as well the implementation of a Social and Behavioural Change Campaign.



28. Through the Early Warning System, individuals residing in vulnerable communities will receive advanced notifications of potential flooding occurrences, enabling them to take necessary precautions to safeguard their lives, properties and livelihoods.



29. While we have made significant progress, we recognize the pressing need to establish more dependable drainage infrastructure across the country to enhance resilience within our communities. Since assuming office, Mr. Speaker, the Ministry has actively engaged with the Ministry of Finance in order to secure the necessary financial resources required to fulfill this objective.





30. Mr. Speaker, let me highlight that despite the Ministry's extensive efforts, the impact of the Government's investment in mitigating flood risks is seriously undermined by human activities.



31. It is important for citizens to support the Government's endeavours by adhering to the rules and regulations governing settlement planning. Additionally, it is essential for citizens to refrain from engaging in development activities within wetlands, waterways and drainage buffers.



32. Furthermore, it is even more critical for citizens to exercise caution in managing household solid waste and refrain from using drainage channels as dumping grounds for refuse. By so doing, we can collectively work towards reducing the vulnerability to flooding and ensuring the effectiveness of the implemented measures.



33. Mr. Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to urge our revered Traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, civil society groups, and the media to rally behind the Government's efforts in flood control.



34. We can collectively contribute by alerting the appropriate state authorities in instances where construction is taking place on waterways and other prohibited locations to take prompt action.



35. Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Meteorological Agency has indicated that the East Coast of the country starting from Saltpond to Aflao is expected to have above-average rainfall this year. I urge the media to help make this notice current and relevant and raise public awareness about the hazards involved in traversing on foot or by vehicle during flash floods.



36. Mr. Speaker, the scale of the flooding challenge we face is enormous and with the effect of climate change, it will only get worse. In light of that, I wish to take this opportunity to emphasize the need for a dedicated source of funding towards tackling flooding in the country. The Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), which was passed with support from both sides of the House makes provision for the establishment of a Hydrological Fund for that purpose.



37. I, therefore, wish to invite this August House to give serious consideration to committing a proportion of the Road Fund, given the impact of drains on the lifespan of roads; the Sanitation Levy, in view of the effect of the solid waste on drainage capacity; and the Common Fund, recognizing the need for a holistic and efficient drainage system.



38. By doing so, we will clearly showcase our nation's unwavering dedication to addressing this age-long challenge in a comprehensive manner.



39. In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I implore every citizen to unite and rally behind our collective efforts in tackling the devastating issue of floods. Let us join hands, combining our efforts to bring an end to the destructive consequences caused by flooding. Together, we have the power to effect substantial change and establish a safer and more resilient environment for all.



40. I thank you once again for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and may God bless our homeland Ghana.

Page 13 of 15

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Three Contracts for the construction of health facilities under the governments much-touted Agenda 111 project have been terminated.



This was announced by the Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, during a press briefing on the progress of construction works under Agenda 111.



The ambitious project took off in Trede, in the Ashanti Region when President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for work to start.



According to Dr Nsiah Asare at a press conference on Thursday, June 29, 2023, the governments commitment to delivering high-quality healthcare facilities necessitated taking decisive action against contractors who failed to meet the required standards and perform their contractual duties hence, the termination of these contracts.



We have terminated the contracts of three contractors due to non-performance and failure to meet the required standards. As we have indicated, we will not compromise on the standards of these hospitals and the construction timelines which is why we have moved quickly to terminate the contracts of these contractors, said Dr. Nsiah Asare.



While specific details about the terminated contracts and the contractors involved were not disclosed, Dr. Nsiah Asare emphasized that the government took this step to ensure the successful implementation of the Agenda 111 projects.



He said the termination serves as a demonstration of the governments dedication to upholding rigorous standards and holding contractors accountable for their performance.



Providing updates on the projects status so far, Dr. Nsiah Asare revealed that out of the intended 111 projects, 88 are currently underway and making remarkable strides.



He stated that several facilities, including a district hospital and polyclinics in the Western Region, are nearing completion with the expansion and equipping of selected facilities also slated for completion likely by the end of this year.



He said the hospitals being constructed under the programme will offer a range of facilities, including state-of-the-art surgical theatres for maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology, male, female, pediatric, and isolation wards, among others. Further, accommodation will be provided for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel within the hospital premises.



This, Dr Nsiah Asare, reaffirmed the governments commitment to the construction of these hospitals.

He said the government considers Agenda 111 as the most significant investment in healthcare infrastructure in the country since independence and will not relent in the provision of these hospitals.



The Agenda 111 project aims to bridge the healthcare gap in Ghana by providing hospitals to 101 outstanding districts, along with additional regional and specialized hospitals. The facilities being constructed will offer state-of-the-art surgical theatres, wards, and accommodations for healthcare personnel, among other essential features.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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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:

Following a confirmed sighting in 1969, the Victorian grassland earless dragon was only known from drawings and museum collections until the rediscovery. Credit: public domain image by John James Wild via Museums Victoria

A rare lizard has been rediscovered 50 years after it was last seen.

Had it become extinct, the Victorian grassland earless dragon would have been the first known reptile from mainland Australia to have been lost. Its rediscovery gives a second chance to help it avoid this fate.

It's not a myth: this Australian dragon is very much alive.

Having not been seen since 1969, there were concerns that the Victorian grassland earless dragon was extinct. The expansion of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, as well as the spread of invasive predators like foxes and cats, were thought to have wiped the species out.

However, renewed searches of its former habitat have revealed that the dragon is still alive and well. While its exact location is being kept secret, efforts are already underway to work out how best to help the reptile recover.

Ingrid Stitt, the state of Victoria's Minister for the Environment, says, "This is an amazing discovery and offers an opportunity for us to recover a species once thought lost to our state and the world.

"With the help of our partners we will continue to fight the extinction of this Critically Endangered species, ensuring future generations can see and learn about this incredibly unique lizard."

What threats does this lizard face?

Like many native Australian species, the Victorian grassland earless dragon hasn't fared well with the changes to Australia's ecosystems in the past few hundred years.

Some of the most major changes have come about because of the introduction of invasive species. Cats, for instance, were introduced as pets by European settlers in the late 1700s, giving rise to large feral populations that consume around 240 million native Australian animals every year.

Despite living in spider burrows and having rows of spiky scales along its body, the dragon has not been safe from these predators, which have driven its population down.

At the same time, Australia has become increasingly more urban. The growth of cities such as Melbourne means that just 1% of the grassland that the dragon used to call home remains, with those sites in areas that are likely to be developed in the coming years.

Despite these pressures, however, concern over the fate of the species wasn't perhaps as high as it should be. This is because the species was conflated with two close relatives that lived elsewhere, so its population wasn't thought to have been as perilously low as it actually was.

In 2019, a study revealed that the Victorian grassland earless dragon was a species in its own right, more formally known as Tympanocryptis pinguicolla. With surveys at the sites of unconfirmed sightings in 1988 and 1990 having drawn blanks, it highlighted the need for urgent work to better understand these reptiles.

Importantly, it noted that while the species was certainly at risk of extinction, it couldn't be declared extinct until all potential habitats had been checked. Four years later, these surveys have finally resulted in the lizard's rediscovery.

Supporting Australia's threatened wildlife

Rediscovering an extinct Australian species isn't entirely unprecedented. Leadbeater's possum, a mammal found only in Victoria's highlands, was rediscovered in the 1960s after being presumed lost in the early twentieth century.

However, the possum remains Critically Endangered despite over 60 years of efforts to bolster its population. It's hoped that by moving quickly, the Victorian grassland earless dragon will be able to avoid the same issues.

The first step is to find out how many of the reptiles are left, with the Australian government investing just shy of A$100,000 to train sniffer dogs to seek them out.

Tanya Plibersek, Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water, says, "It's such exciting news that the Victorian grassland earless dragon has been rediscovered, and it's a reminder about why it's so important to invest in habitat restoration and the eradication of feral species like cats and foxes."

"To best support the recovery of the Victorian grassland earless dragon, we have to know where they are. Detection dogs are an effective and non-invasive way to find this highly cryptic and critically endangered lizard in the wild."

Meanwhile, Zoos Victoria is set to establish a captive breeding program for the animals in the hope that they can boost the dragon's wild population, amid the development of a wider species recovery plan.

In this, the dragon follows in the footsteps of two other Australian reptiles, the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink and the Christmas Island chained gecko, both of which come from the territory which gives them their name.

Their numbers have risen after being taken into captivity to prevent them going the same way as the Christmas Island whiptail-skink, which was wiped out by invasive species.

By taking proactive action, it's hoped that Australia's unique and fragile biodiversity will be better able to tolerate challenges in the years to come.

This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: OzGrav / Swinburne / Carl Knox

When black holes and other enormously massive, dense objects whirl around one another, they send out ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. These waves are one of the few ways we have to study the enigmatic cosmic giants that create them.

Astronomers have observed the high-frequency "chirps" of colliding black holes, but the ultra-low-frequency rumble of supermassive black holes orbiting one another has proven harder to detect. For decades, we have been observing pulsars, a type of star that pulses like a lighthouse, in search of the faint rippling of these waves.

Today, pulsar research collaborations around the worldincluding ours, the Parkes Pulsar Timing Arrayannounced their strongest evidence yet for the existence of these waves.

What are gravitational waves?

In 1915, German-born physicist Albert Einstein presented a breakthrough insight into the nature of gravity: the general theory of relativity.

The theory describes the universe as a four-dimensional "fabric" called spacetime that can stretch, squeeze, bend and twist. Massive objects distort this fabric to give rise to gravity.

A curious consequence of the theory is that the motion of massive objects should produce ripples in this fabric, called gravitational waves, which spread at the speed of light.

It takes an enormous amount of energy to create the tiniest of these ripples. For this reason, Einstein was convinced gravitational waves would never be directly observed.

A century later, researchers from the LIGO and Virgo collaborations witnessed the collision of two black holes, which sent a burst of gravitational waves chirping throughout the universe.

Now, seven years after this discovery, radio astronomers from Australia, China, Europe, India, and North America have found evidence for ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves.

A slow rumbling of gravitational waves

Unlike the sudden burst of gravitational waves reported in 2016, these ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves take years or even decades to oscillate.

They are expected to be produced by pairs of supermassive black holes, orbiting at the cores of distant galaxies throughout the universe. To find these gravitational waves, scientists would need to construct a detector the size of a galaxy.

Or we can use pulsars, which are already spread across the galaxy, and whose pulses arrive at our telescopes with the regularity of precise clocks.

CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang, has been observing an array of these pulsars for almost two decades. Our Parkes Pulsar Timing Array team is one of several collaborations around the world that have today announced hints of gravitational waves in their latest data sets.

Other collaborations in China (CPTA), Europe and India (EPTA and InPTA), and North America (NANOGrav) see similar signals.

As gravitational waves warp spacetime around Earth, they distort the arrival times of radio waves from distant pulsars. Credit: OzGrav / Swinburne / Carl Knox

The signal we are searching for is a random "ocean" of gravitational waves produced by all the pairs of supermassive black holes in the universe.

Observing these waves is not only another triumph of Einstein's theory, but has important consequences for our understanding of the history of galaxies in the universe. Supermassive black holes are the engines at the heart of galaxies that feed on gas and regulate star formation.

The signal appears as a low-frequency rumble, common to all pulsars in the array. As the gravitational waves wash over Earth, they affect the apparent rotation rates of the pulsars.

The stretching and squeezing of our galaxy by these waves ultimately changes the distances to the pulsars by just tens of meters. That's not much when the pulsars are typically about 1,000 light-years away (that's about 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 meters).

Remarkably, we can observe these shifts in spacetime as nanosecond delays to the pulses, which radio astronomers can track with relative ease because pulsars are such stable natural clocks.

What has been announced?

Because the ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves take years to oscillate, the signal is expected to emerge slowly.

First, radio astronomers observed a common rumble in the pulsars, but its origin was unknown.

Now, the unique fingerprint of gravitational waves is beginning to appear as an attribute of this signal, observed by each of the pulsar timing array collaborations around the world.

This fingerprint describes a particular relationship between the similarity of pulse delays and the separation angle between pulsar pairs on the sky.

The relationship arises because spacetime at Earth is stretched, changing the distances to pulsars in a way that depends on their direction. Pulsars close together in the sky show a more similar signal than pulsars separated at right angles, for example.

The breakthrough has been enabled by improved technology at our observatories. The Parkes Pulsar Timing Array has the longest high-quality data set, thanks to the advanced receiver and signal processing technology installed on Murriyang. This technology has enabled the telescope to discover many of the best pulsars used by collaborations around the globe for the gravitational wave searches.

Earlier results from our collaboration and others showed the signal expected from gravitational waves was missing from pulsar observations.

Now, we seem to be seeing the signal with relative clarity. By segmenting our long data set into shorter "time-slices," we show the signal appears to be growing with time. The underlying cause of this observation is unknown, but it may be that the gravitational waves are behaving unexpectedly.

The new evidence for ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves is exciting for astronomers. To confirm these signatures, the global collaborations will need to combine their data sets, which increases their sensitivity to gravitational waves many-fold.

Efforts to produce this combined data set are now in progress under the International Pulsar Timing Array project, whose members met in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland last week. Future observatories, like the Square Kilometre Array under construction in Australia and South Africa, will turn these studies into a rich source of knowledge about the history of our universe.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: IceCube Collaboration/Science Communication Lab for CRC 1491

Our Milky Way galaxy is an awe-inspiring feature of the night sky, viewable with the naked eye as a hazy band of stars stretching from horizon to horizon.

For the first time, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica has produced an image of the Milky Way using neutrinostiny, ghost-like astronomical messengers.

In research published June 29 in the journal Science, the IceCube Collaborationan international group of more than 350 scientistspresents evidence of high-energy neutrino emission coming from the Milky Way.

We have not yet figured out exactly where in our galaxy these particles are coming from. But today's result brings us closer to finding some of the galaxy's most extreme environments.

Neutrino astronomy

Neutrinos offer a unique view of the cosmos as they can travel directly from places no other radiation or particles can escape from. This makes them very interesting to astronomers, because neutrinos offer a window into the extreme cosmic environments that create another kind of particle called cosmic rays.

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that permeate our universe, but their origins are difficult to pin down. Cosmic rays are electrically charged, which means their path through space is scrambled by magnetic fields, and by the time one arrives at Earth there is no way to tell where it came from.

A portrait of the Milky Way combining visible light and neutrino emissions (in blue). Credit: IceCube Collaboration/US National Science Foundation (Lily Le & Shawn Johnson)/ESO (S. Brunier)

However, the environments that accelerate cosmic rays to extraordinary energies also produce neutrinosand neutrinos have no electric charge, so they travel in nice straight lines. So if we can detect the path of neutrinos arriving at Earth, this will point back to where the neutrinos were created.

But detecting those neutrinos is not so easy.

How to hunt neutrinos

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is not far from the South Pole. It uses more than 5,000 light sensors arrayed throughout a cubic kilometer of pristine Antarctic ice to search for signs of high-energy neutrinos from our galaxy and beyond.

Vast numbers of neutrinos are streaming through Earth all the time, but only a tiny fraction of them bump into anything on their way through.

Each neutrino interaction makes a tiny flash of lightand those tiny flashes are what the IceCube sensors look out for. The direction and energy of the neutrino can be determined from the amount and pattern of light detected.

Credit: IceCube Collaboration

IceCube has previously detected high-energy neutrinos coming from outside the Milky Way. However, it has been more challenging to isolate the lower-energy neutrinos coming from within our galaxy.

This is because some flashes IceCube detected can be traced to cosmic rays hitting Earth's atmosphere, which create neutrinos and other particles called muons. To filter out these flashes, IceCube researchers have developed ways to distinguish particles created in the atmosphere and those from further afield by the shape of the light patterns they create in the ice.

Filtering out the unwanted detections has made IceCube more sensitive to astrophysical neutrinos. The final breakthrough that allowed the creation of a neutrino image of the Milky Way came from machine-learning methods that improve the identification of cascades of light produced by neutrinos, as well as the determination of the neutrino's direction and energy.

Closing in on cosmic rays

The new neutrino lens on our galaxy will help reveal where the most powerful accelerators of galactic cosmic rays are located. We hope to learn how energetic these particles can get, and the inner workings of these high-energy galactic engines.

Five views of the Milky Way: the top two bands show visible light and gamma rays, while the lower three show expected and real neutrino results, plus a measure of the significance of neutrino events detected by IceCube. Credit: IceCube Collaboration

However, we are yet to pinpoint these accelerators within the Milky Way. The new IceCube analysis found evidence for neutrinos coming from broad regions of the galaxy, but was not able to discern individual sources.

Our team, at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and the University of Adelaide in Australia, has a plan to realize that next step.

We are making models to predict the neutrino signal close to likely particle accelerators so we can target our searches for neutrinos.

A timeline of neutrino astronomy. Credit: IceCube Collaboration

Undergraduate student Rhia Hewett and Ph.D. student Ryan Burley are examining pairs of accelerator candidates and molecular dust clouds. They plan to estimate the flux of neutrinos produced by cosmic rays interacting in the clouds, after the neutrinos travel from the accelerators.

They will use their results to enable a focused search of IceCube data for the sources of neutrino emissions. We believe this will provide the key to using IceCube to unlock the secrets of the most energetic processes in the Milky Way.

More information: et al, Observation of high-energy neutrinos from the Galactic plane, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adc9818 Journal information: Science

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Ships transport 90 percent of the world's goods.

The hefty carbon footprint of global shipping networks that crisscross our oceans and keep the world's economy afloat will come under scrutiny next week, as countries wrestle over measures to slash planet-heating pollution.

Nations are under pressure to agree ambitious emission reduction targets and consider a tax on pollution by the sector at a key meeting of the International Maritime Organization. Currently shipping belches out roughly the same level of greenhouse gases as aviation.

The IMO Marine Environment Protection Commission (MEPC) meeting, held in London from Monday to Friday, is likely to pit climate-vulnerable nationsparticularly Pacific islandsand some richer countries against big exporters such as China.

"The climate crisis is an existential threat to Pacific small island developing states, and many other countries, but can be seen as less urgent by countries with superior resources," Michael Prehn, the IMO delegate for the Solomon Islands, told AFP.

"This is why the Pacific has been consistently pressing for the highest possible ambition in climate regulation."

Net-zero

Shipping, which is responsible for around two percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is judged to be off course in the fight against climate change.

Efforts to decarbonize so far center around a 2018 IMO decision that instructed shipping firms to reduce CO 2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050, from 2008 levels.

But that target is considered insufficient given the level of global emissions and compared to other industries, including aviation, which is aiming for net zero by the same mid-century deadline.

Nations in support of more ambitious cuts want the IMO to align its goals with the Paris Agreement's global warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times.

Some 45 countriesincluding the European Union, the United States, Britain, Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Norwaysupport a net zero target for the sector by 2050.

Most also support an intermediate target for 2030.

But emerging market exporters, particularly Brazil and China, have strongly resisted a change, according to observers at talks that started in late June ahead of the decision-making MEPC meeting.

A briefing note circulated by China, seen by AFP, framed the proposals as "unrealistic" and an effort by developed countries to boost their economic competitiveness by increasing shipping costs.

A 'no-brainer'

Ships transport 90 percent of the world's goods, and the sector emits around a billion metric tons of greenhouse gases every year, the equivalent of Germany or Japan.

Nicolas Entrup, director of international relations at marine protection organization OceanCare, said a goal of absolute zero greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by mid-century, with interim targets, would be "the necessary step forward for humankind".

"It should be a no-brainer to bring the IMO targets in line with those of the Paris Agreement," he said. "We simply can't afford any other less ambitious path."

One immediate way to reduce emissions would be to simply slow boats down so they burn less fuel, he added.

Among the proposals coming from different countries, the EU wants net zero by 2050, with emissions reduced 29 percent by 2030 and 83 percent by 2040.

Countries such as the United States, Canada, and climate vulnerable Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, want to go even further, with a 96-percent cut by 2040.

Observers say that while some countries are on the fence, the United Arab Emirateswhich will this year host the UN COP28 climate conferencehas swung in support of the goal of net zero by 2050. That has raised hopes of an agreement on the issue.

Global levy

But a potential deal on another flagship proposalto introduce a global levy on shipping emissionsis going to be a harder sell.

French President Emmanuel Macron threw his support behind the idea at a recent climate finance summit in Paris, but said it would need backing from China, the United States and other European nations to work.

A source following the preliminary IMO negotiations said support had swelled to 70 countries but that major exporters including Brazil, China and Australia were against it. Brazil has argued it would harm food security and penalize developing countries.

There is also disagreement about where any revenues would be spent. There are debates over whether it should be used solely to decarbonize the sector, or whether some of the money should go to help countries cope with climate impacts.

The sums could be significant.

The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, which have been campaigning for a tax for a decade, are proposing a tariff of $100 per metric ton, with money helping vulnerable countries.

According to the World Bank, this could generate over $60 billion a year.

 2023 AFP
CORINTH  A Long Island family vacationing in Corinth found themselves in distress, swept up in the current of the Hudson River Wednesday. That is, until a Saratoga County deputy and a sergeant dived in to save them.

I cant say enough about their actions that day, Saratoga County Sheriff Mike Zurlo said during a press conference held Friday, June 30. This is what these members of law enforcement are trained to do. They were in the right place at the right time.

I consider this day a happy ending day, and its great to see this family standing today, Zurlo said.

The family thanked the police, and higher powers.

I dont know how religious everyone is, but how can you not thank God, you know, Patty Murcia added. He allowed them to be there, allowed us to be OK, so we thank God for His mercy and His love for us.

Wednesday evening, Patty Murcia and her husband Enrique took a pedal boat out onto the river, while two of their three sons joined them on paddle boards.

We didnt know the current, Patty Marcia said. We had been in the house for two days it was always calm.

When one of the boys got swept up in the current, Patty and Enrique paddled out to help him make his way back to shore. The boy left his paddle board and swam perpendicular to the current and made it to a nearby bridge.

Patty and Enrique were not as lucky.

No matter how fast we paddled, no matter what we did  the current was just that strong, she said. Very scary. Very quick.

They drifted to a line of do not cross roped buoys, a warning that the Curtis Station of Palmer Hydroelectric Plant waterfall was about a quarter mile downstream. They held on but water filled the pedal boat.

Patty, who was not wearing a life jacket at the time, said she panicked, and jumped out of the boat. Her husband immediately jumped in after her.

He wouldnt let go of me, he stayed with me and calmed me down, she said.

As they held each other, Patty pulled out her phonemiraculously, it workedand called her oldest son, who had stayed back at their rental house.

So I grab the Jet Ski, I drove over there, the son, Christian Murcia said. But they were already too far gone they were already past the safety line. And I knew that if I went in there, I was only going to make things worse.

About then, off-duty Warren County Sergeant Pasquale Girard, heading to dinner with his wife, noticed Christian Murcia and stopped, but Christian Murcia yelled for help.

At the same time, bystanders in the area told Saratoga County Deputy Nikk Milligan, who was patrolling nearby, that people needed help. The two officers met at the shore.

As Girard swam out to make contact with the Murcias, Milligan removed his Kevlar vest and gun belt, then followed suit.

Milligan said hes had experiences with water rescues from a boat as a volunteer firefighter, but the events from Wednesday were a first.

Girard said he oversees Warren Countys water rescue team, which conducts a lot of its training on the river. The two officers were able to help Patty and Enrique back to shore, where back up responders and EMS technicians had been stationed. Everyone was checked out, and found to be in good health.

I cant stress enough the teamwork that it takes to make something like this successful, Girard said. Just a great joint effort by fire, EMS, civilians, law enforcement to make it work.

Girard said that as summer continues and especially as the July 4th holiday draws near, its vital to put in a little research as to what conditions are like around the water. Always wear a floatation device, use the buddy system. Keep an eye on children. Dont enter the water if youre intoxicated. He also said its important to know what equipment is best suited for the type of water you plan to be on.

A pedal boat like that, thats more designed for lakes and ponds, its not really designed for a river, he said. They saw the hazard, they just couldnt get out of it because they couldnt paddle quick enough.

Patty Murcia agreed: Im so glad that the department has recognized them because what they did is to allow my husband and myself to just spend more time with our children, which mean the world to us.
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CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter supporting the county governments opposition to a planned offshore wind power project, county officials said Friday.

Previously, in public statements and at hearings on the proposal, the local business group raised concerns about the potential impact on tourism and the fishing industry, but was careful not to come down either for or against offshore wind power development, which Gov. Phil Murphy has touted as the start of a huge and lucrative new industry.

Barbara Stafford Jones, president and CEO of the county chamber, said Friday the organization had originally not taken a position on wind power but was swayed by information provided by county officials.

Stafford Jones cited projections that a wind farm could reduce the tourism business by 15%, which she said could mean significant job losses in a county with an economy dependent on summer visitors.

We just came out of COVID, where we lost 20%. We rebounded. We cant take another loss, she said.

For years, Vicki Clark was the face of the county chamber. She retired last year, after 31 years with the organization, 17 of them as president.

Clark had spoken publicly about wind power on several occasions, always carefully threading a needle between raising concerns over potential harm to existing industries and supporting the potential economic benefit.

Emily Paul replaced her as the new chamber president in the spring of 2022. Stafford Jones said she has been the president since March.

New Jersey lawmakers eye tax break for offshore wind developer Orsted New Jersey lawmakers are considering letting Danish offshore wind developer Orsted keep tax credits that it otherwise would have to return to ratepayers. A state Senate panel advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow Orsted to keep federal tax credits to help counter what they termed lingering economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and elevated inflation. The state Ratepayer Advocate says the bill could increase costs for consumers, but Orsted denies that is the case. A final vote on the bill could come on Friday.

But she said the core message of the organization has not changed.

The message has remained the same since 2017, that the offshore wind industry has to work cooperatively with the existing industries, she said Friday. Just because theres been a change in leadership doesnt mean theres been a change in position.

County officials touted the chambers decision Friday in a statement, citing a letter sent in support of a county resolution.

The county Board of Commissioners in May approved a resolution outlining its opposition to the proposals for two large-scale wind power projects, Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2, by the Danish energy company rsted.

The first phase, Ocean Wind 1, is proposed to include 98 huge turbines, which will be visible from the beaches of Cape May County. The Murphy administration has supported the project, and the state Legislature on Friday approved a bill that will allow the project to keep federal tax benefits that were established after New Jersey approved the project. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law.

Cape May Countys governing body, which is entirely Republican, has cited both the potential economic impact of the project and what local officials argue is the environmental cost of offshore wind turbines.

It is important that the leaders of our community stand united in our opposition to the rsted projects as long as so many important questions remain unanswered, said county Commissioner Director Len Desiderio. We have been left with no choice but to take a firm position in defense of our working families, our economy and our environment. Having the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce as a partner in this effort could not be more important. The Chamber has been working since 1916 to promote tourism in Cape May County.

Desiderio also cited the economic impact of the pandemic, which devastated local businesses, although officials say the economy has rebounded since then.

Cape May County to hold info session on offshore wind projects CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Cape May County will hold a virtual public information session on rs

The county statement also cited marine mammal deaths over the winter. Federal officials insist there is no evidence of a connection between the deaths and offshore work done in preparation of the wind projects, but officials in coastal communities remain skeptical.

Any offshore wind project must be done responsibly and in collaboration with local communities, including commercial and recreational fishing stakeholders, Stafford Jones said.

Taken together, Ocean Wind 1 and 2 could mean close to 200 turbines off the coast, visible from the beaches.
Events

Saturday, July 1

AVALON HISTORICAL SOCIETY 12TH ANNUAL CLAMSHELL PITCH: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; horseshoes-like sport, historically played on Avalon's beaches; 30th Street, Avalon. 609-967-7155 or avalonfreelibrary.org.

GARAGE SALE TO BENEFIT UKRAINE: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; hosted by the Sisterhood of Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church; monthly sale to benefit Ukraine; 77 Hogbin Road, Millville. 856-697-2255.

HOLY REDEEMER FOOD PANTRY DONATION DRIVE: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; during the month of July, drop off unexpired and unopened nonperishable food to the bin in the library porch to benefit the Holy Redeemer Food Pantry; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. 609-967-7155 or avalonfreelibrary.org.

ZOO-TO-YOU: CAPE MAY COUNTY ZOO VISIT: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Cape May County Zoo is coming to Ventnor library branch; Ventnor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 6500 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor; registration required. 609-823-4614 or atlanticlibrary.org.

Sunday, July 2

LIGHTHOUSE FULL MOON CLIMB: 8 to 10 p.m.; full moon climb; Cape May Lighthouse, 215 Light House Ave., Cape May; $12. 609-884-5404 or capemaymac.org.

Monday, July 3

BEACHCOMBING THE CREST: 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Aug. 28; wander the shore in search of tideline treasures; Cape May County Library/Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.

ESL CAREER READINESS LAB: 9:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through July 31; learn how to use the Engen Language Upskilling platform, which provides ESL classes and tutorials with a focus on job interview skills, and the food and beverage industry and hospitality industry; Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-345-2269 or acfpl.org.

LINE DANCING - WITH SUSAN PENNYPACKER: noon to 12:45 p.m. Mondays; no meetings Sept. 4, Oct. 9; Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.

MEDITATIVE DRUM CIRCLE: 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays; bring your own instrument or borrow one; no meetings Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Oct. 9, Nov. 6, Dec. 25; Cape May Court House Branch, 30 Mechanic St., Middle Township. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.

MESSY MONDAY CRAFT: 2 to 3 p.m. Mondays, July 3, Aug. 7; monthly crafts for all; start your week off with fun by getting into some glue, glitter or paint; for all ages; Pleasantville Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville; registration required. 609-641-1778 or atlanticlibrary.org.

For kids

Saturday, July 1

DROP-IN LEGO PLAYTIME: 1 to 2 p.m. Saturdays through August; Egg Harbor Township/Atlantic County Library System, 1 Swift Drive, Egg Harbor Township. 609-927-8664 or atlanticlibrary.org.

SATURDAY FAMILY STORYTIME: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays through August; Egg Harbor Township/Atlantic County Library System, 1 Swift Drive, Egg Harbor Township. 609-927-8664 or atlanticlibrary.org.

Monday, July 3

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME - ABSECON: 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays; Absecon branch/Atlantic County Library System, 305 New Jersey Ave., Absecon. 609-646-2228 or atlanticlibrary.org.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME - EGG HARBOR CITY: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Aug. 28; Egg Harbor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 134 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City. 609-804-1063 or atlanticlibrary.org.

Groups

Saturday, July 1

KNIGHTS OF THE SQUARE TABLE CHESS CLUB: 1 to 3 p.m. every other Saturday through Aug. 26; open to all ages; Absecon branch/Atlantic County Library System, 305 New Jersey Ave., Absecon; registration requested. 609-646-2228 or atlanticlibrary.org.

Monday, July 3

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS: 11 a.m. Mondays; for those troubled by someone else's drinking; Egg Harbor City Senior Center, 351 Cincinnati Ave., Egg Harbor City. AL-ANON.org.

LONGPORT NEEDLERS: 10 a.m. to noon Mondays; bring your needle/crochet craft project and join us for a time of crafting and socializing; Longport Public Library, 2305 Atlantic Ave., Longport. 609-487-7403 or LongportPublicLibrary.org.

'MONEY TALKS' ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP: 7 to 8 p.m. first Mondays; monthly online discussion group with thought-provoking topics related to money and wellness; virtual event hosted by the Mental Health Association New Jersey. 609-652-3800 or MHANJ.org.

Health, fitness

Saturday, July 1

MORNING RISE AND SHINE YOGA: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 1, 15, Aug. 5, 19; summer session with certified yoga instructor; Mays Landing Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 40 Farragut Ave., Hamilton; registration required. 609-625-2776 or atlanticlibrary.org.

WILLOW CREEK WINERY VINEYARD VINYASA: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.; open-level 60-minute vinyasa yoga with Tam Turse, RYT-500 from Gemini Movement; bring your own mat and props; Willow Creek Winery & Farm, 168 Stevens St., W. Cape May; $10 suggested donation. 609-770-8782 or willowcreekwinerycapemay.com.

Sunday, July 2

MEDITATION - ONLINE GROUP: 7:15 to 8 p.m. Sundays; offered by The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; staff offer a guided calming meditation or breathing exercise; to receive a link by email and join the group online, email btrendler@mhanj.org. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

Monday, July 3

CHAIR YOGA - WITH LYNNE CATARRO: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays; no class 9/4, 10/9, 12/25; Cape May County Library/Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.

'GOT STRESS?' ONLINE GROUP: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays; online group meets to discuss daily wellness, coping strategies and tools to relieve stress and reduce anxiety; offered by The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; free. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

YOGA WITH SUZANNE KUBIK: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays through Sept. 14; no class July 6, Sept. 4; Cape May County Library/Stone Harbor Branch, 9516 Second Ave., Stone Harbor. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.

Music

Sunday, July 2

ABSECON CONCERTS IN THE PARK: 7 to 9 p.m. July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 4 p.m. Aug. 27; bring your own chair or blanket; Heritage Park, 699 Blenheim Ave., Absecon. 609-641-0663.

Thursday, July 6

TONY MARTS PRESENTS 'ROCKIN' THE POINT' WITH THE BILLY WALTON BAND: 7 to 11 p.m. Thursdays through summer; The Point, 998 Bay Ave., Somers Point. 609-626-4693.
TRENTON  Big money may be heading to New Jerseys boardwalks.

The state Senate on Friday voted yes on a bipartisan bill to use $100 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to create a Boardwalk Preservation Fund, matching local money for projects building, repairing and maintaining boardwalks.

Sponsors were Michael Testa, R, Cumberland and Cape May counties, and Paul A. Sarlo, D, Bergen and Passaic, with Sen. Vincent Polistina, R, Atlantic County, signing on as co-sponsor.

In a statement after the vote, Testa described boardwalks as an economic driver to shore communities, helping to draw millions of tourists annually.

Awarding grants through the Boardwalk Preservation Fund is necessary to support the long-term economic success of the New Jersey Shore and preserve the historical significance of these structures, Testa said. This bill would bolster vital coastal infrastructure and provide a significant return on investment for the state by improving our tourist appeal and opening additional opportunities to generate revenue.

Under the bill, communities in the most economic distress would be eligible for funding without a local match.

There was no debate on the Senate floor. It did not seem like anyone needed convincing as the bill sailed through the chamber. An identical bill in front of the state Assembly on the same day also passed.

Gov. Phil Murphy had proposed creating the fund in this years State of the State address, describing local infrastructure as the backbone of communities.

And in many towns along our Atlantic coast, that backbone is, literally, made of wood, Murphy said. Our boardwalks are more than just places for recreation and exercise. They are more than just the space that connects a parking area to the beach. They are wooden Main Streets which, in so many ways, define their communities and support their economies as much as the sand and surf.

If Murphy signs the bill, it would establish a process for counties and municipalities to apply for matching grants for boardwalk projects, to be administered through the Department of Community Affairs.

Officials in Murphys office said at the time that Atlantic City was top of mind when the funding was proposed. Sections of that Boardwalk are more than 80 years old, and while some $60 million worth of repairs have been completed, estimates are that the structure still needs work worth some $100 million more.

In Wildwood, in recent years, city officials have relied on millions of dollars in state and federal grants to help repair the Boardwalk, which was said to be in immediate need of renovation. The most recent project, undertaken over the winter, saw new deck installed from Maple to 26th avenues.

A third phase is planned to include the blocks from Shellenger Avenue to Spencer Avenue, expected to take place after the summer.
ATLANTIC CITY  Plenty of events and activities, including a torch-lighting ceremony and procession on the Boardwalk on Friday, awaited the 8,000 people in town for the 43rd annual North American Bengali Conference.

It was the third time the city has hosted the cultural conference  deriving from a region bordering India and Bangladesh in South Asia. The conference was first held here in 1981.

But it was the first time the event featured a Celebration of Freedom ceremony.

The ceremony celebrated not only Americas independence during Fourth of July weekend but also colonial Indias independence from the British Empire over 75 years ago, in 1947, said Milton Chowdhury, the regional director of operations for the conference.

The light from the torches signifies the light of freedom, said Chowdhury. It brings hope.

The ceremony started at Bader Field and made its way to the Albany Avenue Boardwalk. After a couple of light Bengali cultural chants, the group made its way down to Kennedy Plaza for a light procession and the finishing of the torch ceremony.

Somali Nendy, of Scotch Plains, Union County, was happy she attended the unique, diverse event.

This has bought people in the community together, not just from New Jersey, but from all over the country, said Nendy, who was accompanied by her husband and two daughters, Iona, 13, and Ava, 5. There are pockets of the community all over, but those different pockets are isolated.

Nendy said local Bengali organizations host community events throughout the year but the most happen during the fall or winter months, like the festival for the Goddess of Power, Maa Durgas celebration in October, or Saraswati Puja beginning in January.

A lot of the time, there are seven to eight different events happening at one time, not just in New Jersey, but all over, so its hard to meet everyone in the community, Nendy added. Its great that this one event is happening at a different time of year than when they usually host them, so it allows us to come together and meet others in the community.

Dozens of women dressed in brightly colored, traditional cotton and silk Bengal sarees sang in harmony while men dressed in customary dhoti pants and punjabi tops clapped in unison.

Biplab Pebeb, the president of Sree Sree Gita Sangha, a Bangladeshi Hindu group that hosted the conference, beat the traditional two-headed dhol drum as people marched in unison. Some people carried artifacts, while others held portraits featuring famous Bengali leaders, such as Sheikh Mubiur Rahman, known as the Father of the Nation.

Nendy said it was also a great way for her two daughters to learn more about their Bengali culture.

I came here from India, and my kids were born here, so they have no other way to know about the culture other than what we teach them, said Nendy, whose older daughter participated in a ceremonial dance.

Shes not only learning the dance, but shes with people from different backgrounds, who range in different ages, and is learning from them. She even tries to learn the language more and watch the older movies. And that makes my job exposing her to the culture easier. Im appreciative of the event for the culture.

PHOTOS Bengali torch procession and ceremony in Atlantic City
TRENTON  New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed a $54.3 billion budget late Friday, boosting spending 7% over last year, making good on promises to boost education funding, fully fund the states public pension and implement a new  though partially funded  property tax relief program for seniors.

Murphy signed the budget alongside Democratic legislative leaders in the recently renovated statehouse rotunda and hailed the spending plan as the fulfillment of a promise at the start of his second term to grapple with affordability.

He said the budgets senior property tax assistance program and increased school aid amounted to tackling one of the single greatest and longest standing affordability challenges our state faces.

The budget is about $1 billion more than Murphy originally proposed earlier this year, and he signed it just hours ahead of a constitutional deadline and amid emphatic protests from Republicans about a lack of transparency.

The budget includes a full public pension payment for a third straight year, a more than $8 billion surplus, increased spending for education and a host of other programs  among them a property tax relief scheme for seniors.

Democrats hailed the legislation as fiscally responsible, living up to promises to pay for the pension, education and delivering millions in property tax assistance in a state with among the highest such levies in the country.

Its also, they say, a departure from the previous GOP administration under Chris Christie  currently a presidential candidate  who saw credit-rating downgrades and whose final state budget was nearly $20 billion under the measure passed Friday. Murphy said Friday that aid to K-12 education is up 30% in his six years, or $2.6 billion.

This is a rare opportunity to have our cake and have some left over, said Democratic Assembly member Raj Mukherji during a debate on the budget.

A handful of Republicans backed the budget, though they didnt speak during debate.

But many were skeptical, pointing to treasury reports indicating falling revenue from taxes for the previous month. They also decried the sharp increase in spending over the past decade, calling on Democrats to cut taxes.

Fifty-four billion dollars? Really? asked Republican Assembly member Christopher DePhillips. No family in the state has increased its spending as sharply as the state has over the last six years, he added.

Some of their strongest objections revolved around how the final budget was introduced  late at night earlier this week and without the minority party getting to view the document or the public getting to weigh in.

Republican Assembly member Brian Bergen called it an egregious insult on transparency.

This budget was ... prepared behind closed doors, he said. And when the budget was finally given at the end nobody had a chance to read it.

Mukherji defended the process as following the rules and the constitution. Democratic Assembly member John McKeon pointed out that there had been a series of 14 public meetings on the budget. Big rush, he said.

Exactly what the increased $1 billion in spending over the governors proposed budget entailed wasnt immediately clear: GOP lawmakers critically cited millions for a marina in Woodbridge and a French arts museum in Jersey City, among other line items.

There are many names in this budget that perhaps if I was the sole architect I would not approve, said Democratic Sen. Paul Sarlo, who chairs the budget committee and authored the spending plan. Lets not disregard the fact that this budget includes investments in law enforcement, infrastructure, hospitals and health care, open space parks and recreation, local school districts and property tax relief.

A major new program in the budget is a property tax assistance program for homeowners 65 and older who make $500,000 or less.

Theyd qualify for up to $6,500 in property tax relief under the plan, and renters would get up to $700. Those benefits wouldnt take effect until 2026  time that Murphy and lawmakers said was needed for the economy to ramp up. Critics say its a gimmick aimed at giving the majority a campaign trail talking point during this years legislative election.

Murphy has said hes committed to implementing the full rebate program, though its set to go into full effect just after he leaves office in 2026.

In the meantime, the spending plan provides for a $250 benefit immediately to senior property taxpayers and renters, Murphy has said.

The budget doesnt directly raise any new taxes, lawmakers said, though Murphy and the Democratic-controlled Legislature increased income taxes on those earning more than $1 million in his first term.

Murphy signed the bill just hours ahead of New Jerseys constitutionally mandated budget deadline of July 1.
Hunter Biden threw his dads name around in a July 2017 WhatsApp message to Chinese businessman Henry Zhao, according to an IRS whistleblower.

I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled, the message began, warning that it must be resolved now, and threatening, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.

The Department of Justice would not allow IRS investigators to look further into that message.

Thats the testimony of IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, a supervisory special agent with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division. Along with a special agent, also with IRS-CI, identified only as Mr. X, Shapley recently came forward to speak to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Hunter Bidens long-running tax and gun scandals went under the rug last week with a sweeping announcement by his lawyers that he will plead guilty to two misdemeanors to dispose of the tax crimes and complete a diversion program to make the gun felony disappear. The plea agreement must be approved by a federal judge, and you wont make any money betting that it wont be. But last week, the House Ways and Means Committee released the transcripts of the whistleblower interviews, in which they describe the outrageous special treatment they witnessed in the Department of Justices handling of the case, after which they suffered retaliation that is probably illegal.

Shapley testified that the IRS was conducting an investigation into a foreign-based amateur online pornography platform when Mr. X developed an investigative lead that resulted in the IRS opening an investigation into Hunter Biden, code name Sportsman. That was November 2018.

In October 2019, the FBI became aware that a repair shop had a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden and that the laptop might contain evidence of a crime. In November 2019, the FBI verified its authenticity by matching the device number against Hunter Bidens Apple iCloud ID. The following month, the FBI took possession of the laptop and notified the IRS that it likely contained evidence of tax crimes.

This was was nearly a year before the New York Post reported on the emails that were found on the laptop showing apparent evidence of Biden family influence peddling. While former U.S. intelligence officials falsely suggested the laptop was Russian disinformation, the FBI knew it was all real.

Shapleys team of experienced IRS investigators met biweekly with the FBI, the Delaware U.S Attorneys Office and the Department of Justice Tax Division. It soon became clear to me this case was being handled differently than any Id seen before, Shapley testified.

By March 2020, the IRS was ready to seek search warrants in California, Arkansas, New York and Washington, D.C., and planned to conduct 15 contemporaneous interviews. On April 1, Special Agent Mr. X drafted an affidavit describing probable cause for the searches. But in early April, former Vice President Joseph Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, and then career DOJ officials dragged their feet on the IRS taking these investigative steps.

Month after month, year after year, career employees of the Department of Justice denied investigative steps, rejected enforcement operations, and even tipped off Hunter Bidens attorneys about developments. Shapley told the House Ways and Means Committee that in September 2020, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf acknowledged that there was probable cause for a physical search of the Bidens Delaware residence, where Hunter had stayed for a time, but said there is no way we will get that approved. He said Wolf stopped investigators from questioning Hunter Bidens associate Rob Walker about the email that said, Ten held by H for the big guy, and wouldnt allow investigators to ask about references to dad.

Shapley said the FBI tried to dictate to the IRS investigators who should be interviewed and would not give the IRS team direct access to the laptop. Later, the IRS would obtain records from an iCloud search that included relevant text messages the FBI had not produced. Further inquiry into them was blocked by the DOJ.

Early in 2022, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wolf supported charging Hunter Biden for tax evasion and false return in 2014, 2018 and 2019, and for failure to file or pay for 2015, 2016 and 2017. Then a new game began. The proper venue for a tax case is where the subject resides or where the return is prepared or filed, Shapley testified.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia had venue over the 2014 and 2015 tax years, but the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, a Biden appointee, personally reviewed the report and did not support it. That meant there was no ability to charge there. The statute of limitations was allowed to expire.

Shapley testified, The years in question included foreign income from Burisma and a scheme to evade his income taxes through a partnership with a convicted felon. There were also potential FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] issues relating to 2014 and 2015. The purposeful exclusion of the 2014 and 2015 years sanitized the most substantive criminal conduct and concealed material facts.

Attorney General Merrick Garland was less than truthful with the Senate when he said the investigation was being run by and supervised by Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware. Weiss couldnt or didnt do anything when Graves refused to file charges in the District of Columbia. And he couldnt or didnt do anything when, for whatever reason, Hunter Bidens 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 tax years were brought to the Central District of California in September 2022, where Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada was newly confirmed.

Thats how the trick was done. The same DOJ and FBI that made a fake Trump-Russia investigation materialize out of thin air made Hunter Bidens shady financial crimes vanish.

The investigation was the cover-up.
A Davenport man accused of a fatal 2021 shooting must serve up to 15 years in an Iowa prison in relation to the killing.

Scott County authorities initially accused Demarco D. Gray, 29, of first-degree murder, alleging he killed Jeremiah Martinez-Brown, 25, on Sept. 5, 2021, in the 2200 block of North Nevada Avenue in Davenport, according to previous reporting. They also accused him of dominion/control of firearm/offensive weapon by felon.

On Wednesday, District Court Judge Joel Barrows sentenced Gray to up to 10 years on a charge of voluntary manslaughter and up to another five years for the count of felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records. The two sentences must be served back to back but Gray will get credit for the time he has spent in jail while the case was resolved.

Gray pleaded guilty to the charges in April, according to Scott County court records. The plea was the result of an agreement with the Scott County Attorneys Office.

Photos: Historic Downtown Davenport
A Scott County judge has sentenced a former Scott County correctional officer to probation in relation to a burglary case.

County authorities accused Kevin Michael Delveau, 33, of Davenport, of breaking into a home early on the morning of Oct. 18, 2022, in the 1100 block of East Columbia Avenue in Davenport. Once inside, he confronted an occupant of the home, police said, adding he was intoxicated at the time.

Delveau initially faced charges of first-degree burglary and domestic abuse assault-first offense, according to Scott County court records. In April, Delveau pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and the domestic abuse charge as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

On Thursday, District Court Judge Joel W. Barrows sentenced Delveau to up to 10 years in prison on the burglary charge, but suspended the sentence, court records state. Delveau instead must complete up to three years of probation.

Delveau received his sentence on the domestic abuse charge on April 10, when he entered his plea. District Court Judge Meghan Corbin sentenced him to 30 days in jail with credit for time served. All but 48 hours of the jail time was suspended.

At the time of the incident in October, Delveau was a county correctional officer, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said. He had been with the county since 2018 but was on administrative leave after the case was opened against him.

Lane said in April that Delveaus county employment had since ended.

Landmark Supreme Court cases and Chief Justices of the time Landmark Supreme Court cases and Chief Justices of the time Marbury v. Madison McCulloch v. Maryland Dred Scott v. Sandford Plessy v. Ferguson Korematsu v. United States Cooper v. Aaron Mapp v. Ohio Engel v. Vitale Gideon v. Wainwright New York Times Company v. Sullivan Miranda v. Arizona Loving v. Virginia Terry v. Ohio Tinker v. Des Moines Roe v. Wade US v. Nixon Goss v. Lopez Regents of the University of California v. Bakke New Jersey v T.L.O. Texas v. Johnson Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health Bush v. Gore Grutter v. Bollinger Lawrence v. Texas Roper v. Simmons District of Columbia v. Heller Citizens United v. FEC National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius Obergefell v. Hodges Department of Commerce v. New York Rucho v. Common Cause Bostock v. Clayton County R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen Kennedy v. Bremerton School District
Father Bud Grant led St. Ambrose University students through Iowas Loess Hills National Scenic Byway.

There you are, fellas. How are you all? he asked as wolves, deer and bison wandered past. Birds flew overhead, and the ground crunched under foot.

Seconds later, the whole class was transported to another part of the state, where they studied the aftermath of a wildfire. Then, by taking off their virtual reality (VR) headsets, they were back in Davenport.

Students in Grants Ecology Ethics class regularly take virtual field trips to study different environments. In the coming years, he hopes to use the technology for his historical theology classes, too, taking students to Florence at the time of the Renaissance, for instance.

Its another thing where you can get up close and personal to great works of art, and its a whole lot cheaper than the $2,500 plane ticket, he said.

Virtual Reality, ChatGPT and other bots are used interchangeably, but they have vastly different purposes. What unites them is the use of artificial intelligence, AI, to create user formats.

Put simply, AI uses data and computer science to solve real-world problems, according to IBM. Hollywood has long popularized AI in the science-fiction genre with films, such as Westworld, The Matrix and Star Trek. In the past few decades, AI has evolved from a fictional concept to one used in real time.

Subfields have expanded from AI to include applications, such as ChatGPT, which is a chatbot that follows a prompt, then writes a response, using data available online. Locally, businesses have been adapting to AI and even profiting off the emerging technology.

Davenport-based VictoryXR was founded by Steve Grubbs in 2016. Through the use of augmented and virtual reality, the company creates virtual learning environments. Initially, the company started with three employees but since has expanded to include more than 25 and has opened a second office in Texas.

AI has been around for a number of years, but the breaking point for the new generation occurred in 2013, Grubbs said.

During the past 10 years, his team has had time to prepare for innovation in AI and, with the launch of ChatGPT in November, developments are moving faster than ever.

Weve been utilizing AI for a couple of years, but now we are able to accelerate it, due to some recent advancements, he said.

Those advancements include allowing professors to create their own virtual reality spaces for education. In the Quad-Cities region, St. Ambrose is emerging as an educational leader in the virtual reality world.

Getting started

In the summer of 2021, Grant said, members of the SAU faculty were asked if they would be interested in becoming certified to teach VR. Along with about 30 others, he took the required courses and became certified, but it wasnt as easy as it sounds.

I will tell you, its the hardest things Ive done since my dissertation, Grant said.

With 28 years of work at St. Ambrose, Grant said, he is nearing the end of his academic career, but technology still is evolving.

I dont want to be left behind, he said. Im afraid this is the future, and I want to understand it and be able to use it.

From an education standpoint, VR offers teachers a safe way to transport students beyond the walls of their classrooms.

Were not going to go stand in the middle of a prairie herd, Grant said. This allows us to go right out in the herd and see their behavior and their physical make-up real close up.

While the technology is new to Grant, its new for the majority of his students, too, he said. In his Environmental Ethics class, only one student had used VR before. Because the students have grown up with evolving technology, they take to it quickly.

This is their world, even if its brand new to them, he said. They have an intuitive grasp on the way everything works.

The biggest advantage Grant sees is helping students who learn through physical activities. In a traditional educational setting, those students can get left behind. By being immersed in the environment, it allows them to expand their horizons and learn in a way that works for them.

I see this as a means of engaging those kinds of kids, he said. On the flip side of that, we have students that are really good at sitting and taking notes, and this sort of learning experience may be uncomfortable for them. But thats OK, too.

Other ways to teach

Every growth period comes with a period of discomfort. To ease that transition, Grubbs and the VictoryXR team are working on a new program to be used in nursing schools. VictoryXR has created 50 conversational AI avatars that will take the place of human actors.

Each avatar will be pre-programmed with a variety of health problems and diseases and will be able to communicate virtually.

That gives us the ability to create a patient who is having chest pain. That patient, the avatar, walks into an emergency room, and there is a nursing student there, Grubbs explained.

The student in turn has a conversation with the patient to advance a diagnosis. Everything in the virtual patients brain was put there by its creator, including family history, symptoms and personality traits.

That allows us to make sure that the school is having the information taught that they want taught, he said.

The benefit to the school, he said, is two-fold. The software comes at a fraction of the cost of hiring human actors, and it allows students the opportunity to practice their skills on a variety of diagnoses.

There are a lot of conditions that a medical professional may only see once a year, he said. We can put patients into our patient lineup that have both common and rare diseases, so that medical professionals get used to seeing all of them.

The program is still under construction, Grubbs said, but clients who have been introduced to it are excited at the prospect. Among the team of experts are a local nurse practitioner, who is acting as the subject-matter expert. Theres also a coder, modeler and curriculum specialist, who ensure the information is presented in a way that works for education.

Another project the VictoryXR team is working on brings historic figures back to life. Developers are in the processes of taking Aristotles writings and uploading them to the AI software. They then will add historical context from when he was alive, including his biography. Students then can step into the time machine and have a full conversation with Aristotle.

We have an entire lineup of historical figures we will use for that, Grubbs said.

Already in use

While some formats still are in the works, one that has been deployed is the use of AI welding. Students at Bettendorf High School find it allows them to experience the trade before committing fully.

Sophomore Alex Reando said that walking into the welding room for the first time gave him sensory overload. By going into the adjacent classroom where four VR welding machines waited, he was able to focus and try welding without the pressure of using real equipment.

The other one, you have more of a risk of it setting on fire, getting hurt, electrocuting yourself, and I was very overwhelmed just getting started, he said.

Classmate Lexi Glenn signed up for welding by accident.

I was trying to do metal working, but then I was like, Oh, welding. My stepdad does that; itll be fine. Little did I know how overwhelming it could get, but thanks to the VR, its not as loud as out there, and its a lot calmer, she said.

She gave traditional welding a try but quickly learned she was not ready for it. After speaking with her instructor, Dan Milburn, he set her up with a virtual station. After a few sessions, she felt confident enough to try the traditional route.

The virtual reality setups are a great stepping stone for students who need to start slowly, Milburn said. But they come at a significant cost: $12,500 each.

For that reason, the practicality of virtual welding loses its luster, he said. With about 168 students taking welding at Bettendorf, getting a virtual set for everyone would not be practical.

Instead, students take turns on the four the school has, and they get the same education they would with a traditional welding machine. That is where he sees the value.

This does have a lot of learning tools that goes along with it, he said. For what we have for introductory courses, it does exactly what we need it to do.

Platforms for business

While VR is still working its way from the classroom to the workplace, AI as a whole is moving quickly. At Northwest Bank & Trust Company, CEO Joe Slavens said, there have been no formal adoptions yet, but those could be in the works soon.

Were sort of at the place now where, depending on the job that someone is doing, they may be using it to assist them in a more informal fashion, he said. A lot of banks, larger banks, are definitely using it for help with chatbots.

Many businesses, not just banks, have an automated chat box that pops up when someone enters their website. The AI bot then communicates with the person, helping them navigate the website. Northwest Bank does not have this feature but is considering how to use it for jobs, such as drafting letters to customers.

Were at a size where were basically looking at it from what our vendors are providing and how could an individual employee use it, Slavens said.

In the construction world, the possibilities are slowly emerging as well. Nate Zigler, a pre-construction manager with Estes Construction, said his company was taking a cautious, optimistic approach to the use of AI.

For now, the use is limited and has been tested for administrative duties. On construction sites, most interactions are person-to-person, which does not currently leave room for AI.

Its so vast that heavy usage in AI, at least in the office sense, is probably a ways away, Zigler said.

In banking, Slavens said, a common use of AI is fraud detection. Northwest uses vendors for its credit and debit cards, and those providers use AI to search for unusual spending patterns and to flag accounts.

Its definitely much more accurate than it is inaccurate, he said.

Slavens views AI from two perspectives: internal uses and external uses. Internal refers to how the bank can apply AI to improve its own processes. External uses would be ways in which the bank could improve upon customer experience.

In terms of the external, its definitely about looking at consumer behavior  in terms of the products they can benefit from most that they dont currently have, he said.

He compared it to data analysis, where the computer will look for circumstances that would suggest a customer could use a new product the bank offers, such overdraft protection or a new home equity line. With AI, they could search for specific customer needs, rather than bulk mailings or robo calls that arent always appreciated.

Its cheaper and more effective, but we all get tired of legitimate sales and marketing efforts that, because were not interested in the product, come off as spam, he said.

From the banks perspective, its a money saver. From the customers standpoint, its a much more satisfactory experience, he said. Internally, the bank is looking at using AI for financial analysis. When customers apply for consumer loans, for instance, staff could use AI to get approvals done faster.

One of the benefits of a smaller organization is that we can do that a little easier, Slavens said.

The bank already does this work in-house, but with AI, staff could navigate the regulations faster. From a compliance standpoint, banking already is the most heavily regulated industry in the country, he said.

We could be educated in a much more concise manner about whats applicable (regulation) and what is not, he said.

Teaching, banking, construction too

Efficiency gains are on Ziglers mind at Estes as well.

One approach the company is looking at is for take off, which is the point at which the company receives the blueprints for a project. Currently, a staffer must manually calculate how much flooring is needed, how many doors have to be ordered, etc.

We basically break down the whole building into its components, so we can apply costs to it, he said.

The process is time consuming, but with AI, it could be done in seconds, he said. He cannot see a world in which AI plays into accounting, but the story is different at the bank.

For Slavens, privacy concerns are at the fore when it comes to emerging technology. AI uses public information to provide its response, but critical, private information is not shared, he said.

We live in a world of maintaining the privacy of peoples financial information, he said. The moment you put data into these public AI systems ... it becomes public data.

Instead, Slavens said, the bank would need to look into a reverse system in which AI is imported, rather than exporting private information.

Instead of pushing your data out, youre pulling the AI in, he said.

Many legacy systems for data already exist, meaning the bank would use vendors only in a secured environment. Ethical disclosure is another key element to the implementation. Anytime AI is being used, it needs to be disclosed to all parties, Slavens said.

Because of its own strengths and weaknesses, whenever its used to develop something ... people ought to be listing their bibliography  not only the sources they used, but what form of AI was used, he said.

The various forms of AI are what Zigler thinks will slow down its integration into the business world. With so many to choose from, it could be a while before a one-size-fits-all format is developed.

The thing with the construction industry and some of the challenges that we face; theres a whole wide range of contractors of different sizes and capabilities, he said. Implementing AI to manage all those differences, that will be a pretty big challenge for the industry.

Launching AI in Q-C manufacturing

One Quad-City company that is using AI is Arconic, a steel-manufacturing plant. At the beginning of May, the company announced that Apollo Global Management, Inc. was buying Arconic for $5.2 billion.

Despite the massive change in power, capital projects still are underway. Erika Fasco, a staff process engineer, said the company was working on an asset/liability solution project.

The goal for this project is to reduce our downtime, and that will allow us to increase our operation and output, she said.

The AI technology will come in the form of sensors that will be placed on equipment, which ultimately would be used to predict equipment failures.

This solution analyzes our process and equipment data that will trigger alarms and display them in order of priority, she said.

Currently, the company uses a reliability team, which must check for failures manually. Because the team is in charge of the entire plant, each piece of equipment is inspected only during its rotation.

Itll be very helpful, just in terms of historical tracking of where the system and equipment (failure) is in order to flag it, she said.

For maintenance purposes, the sensors will automatically file them as high priority and bring attention to the problem quickly. Fasco said right now, this is the only form of AI the company is looking at, but if it works, it may expand the system to other machines in the plant.

I think itll get the right things done at the right time, she said.

How machine learning and new AI technologies could change the cybersecurity landscape How machine learning and new AI technologies could change the cybersecurity landscape Artificial intelligence Machine learning Chatbot technology Virtual reality Cloud computing
CHICAGO  A Winnetka business owner has been federally convicted of price gouging of N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the price up as high as 367% per mask.

According to a news release by the U.S. attorneys office, Krikor Topouzian, 62, of Winnetka was convicted on June 29 in a federal bench trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole for violation of the Defense Production Act. Topouzian is the owner and president of Skokie based Concord Health Supply.

Prosecutors said that from March to April 2020, Topouzian purchased 79,160 respirator masks, including N95 masks, for about $5.08 per mask. The masks were later sold for as much as $19.95 per mask, an approximate markup of 185% to 367% per mask.

The masks had been deemed as scarce materials under the DPA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings of Fact from the court outlined text messages where Topouzian spoke of how much profit he was making off the masks, estimating in a text message he was profiting anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 a day. The document also states that several parties, including law enforcement, warned Topouzian about illegal price gouging to which he replied, Who is going to report me?

In a call from mid March outlined in the Findings of Fact, Topouzian said the amount he was selling the masks for was excessive and he should probably not be selling them for that price.

FBI agents spoke with Topouzian on April 6, 2020, and explained the illegality of purchasing the masks for profit sales. He was told by agents to comply with the law and they werent putting sellers on notice for mask prices over $12 a mask.

Documentation by the court also stated Topouzian asked a relative to have their friends write positive reviews about his company online to offset the negative ones that mentioned price gouging.

Topouzian faces up to one year in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 10.

Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term
Sometimes hope and help comes in the form of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Meade School District notified parents in April that the district didnt qualify for federal summer lunch funding and therefore isnt able to serve free lunches to kids this summer. Churches and community members in Sturgis have stepped up to help fill the void with a Kids Summer Meals program. Nearly 200 free sack lunches are being provided each week to elementary and middle school students.

The Kids Summer Meals program started at Sturgis United Methodist Church, which distributed its first sack lunches on May 31. Free sack lunches will be provided through the month of July.

We started out with the Sturgis Elementary School (which is across the street from the Methodist church). They gave us some buns and turkey and cheese, and we got some little applesauce cups and chips and it helped us get off on the right foot. We figured out how much we needed and we went from there, said Deb Holland, who coordinates Sturgis United Methodist Churchs Kids Summer Meals program.

A local radio station helped spread the word, and volunteers delivered some of the lunches to elementary and middle school students in summer school. The Kids Summer Meals program began with about 40 lunches and grew quickly. By mid-June, Sturgis United Methodist Church volunteers were packing and distributing about 100 lunches once a week. The church, located at 1755 Ballpark Road, will continue offering free sack lunches from 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays, July 5, 12, 19 and 26.

Word is getting out, so people are stopping by and saying, Well take some lunches, Holland said.

We have the bags packed andwe hand them out at the front door of the church, she said. Families come. The first ones were a mom and three kids (who) were really excited they got to carry the lunches back to the car themselves.

The sack lunches typically include a sandwich  either peanut butter and jelly or turkey or ham and cheese  with chips, fruit, juice and a cookie or granola bar. Holland said some kids were giddy to get an entire apple all to themselves in their lunch.

I cant say enough for the volunteers, Holland said, noting the Methodist church averages 10 volunteers a week who pack the lunches. They kept coming and comingIts just a God thing. Its just happening."

Holland notified the Sturgis Alliance of Churches about the Kids Summer Meals Program, and the Alliance spread the word to other churches. In June, First Presbyterian Church of Sturgis joined the effort. The church, located at 1319 Junction Ave., is giving out sack lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Mondays, July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.

We have not done anything like this before. I kind of spearheaded it, said Hillary Hill, the Kids Summer Meals coordinator at First Presbyterian Church. I said hey, if the Methodists are doing this, we should be doing this too. Maybe if we pick a day, maybe other churches will too.

Holland and her volunteers showed Hill their system for packing and distributing the lunches and gave the Presbyterian church some food to help them get started. On their first day distributing lunches, the Presbyterian church gave away 90 sack lunches.

The Presbyterian church has a team of about 10 volunteers who pack the lunches.

That was our goal. We sent an email to the church body and right away we got 10 volunteersAll the people were willing to jump in and make this happen, Hill said. Were doing this through the end of July and after that its tricky because of the motorcycle rally. (Locals) dont go out much in Sturgis during the rally. The traffic is crazy.

A community effort

Funding from the churches and donations are helping to cover the costs of the lunches. During the past school year, Sturgis United Methodist Churchs United Women in Faith group donated money to pay off about $1,000 in debits for families who were behind in paying for their childrens lunches in the Meade School District, Holland said. United Women in Faith donated more funds to assist the Kids Summer Meals program.

This really goes hand in hand with (paying off the lunch debits), Holland said. We thought this was the perfect outlet.

United Women in Faith holds two bazaars each year and a rummage sale to raise money thats put toward projects such as Kids Summer Meals.

First Presbyterian Churchs missions committee donated some funds, and both churches are accepting donations to help buy food for the lunches. Hill said donations of supplies such as paper lunch bags and plastic baggies for sandwiches are welcome as well. Contact the First Presbyterian Church office at 605-347-2395 or Sturgis United Methodist Church at 605-720-5578 to make donations.

Hill and Holland said Grocery Mart and Lynns Dakotamart have partnered with Kids Summer Meals by giving the churches discounts on food purchased for the sack lunches.

Weve also had parishioners donate money, and we got $400 from the Alliance of Churches here in town, and we got $200 from the Rachel Circle at Grace Lutheran Church. Its truly a joint effort of all those in the community seeing theres a need and stepping up to fill it, Holland said.

This is about loving your neighbor and this whole project is heart-warming (to see) everybody in the faith community step up and say, Yeah, we are about loving our neighbors, Holland said.

Apply now for free, reduced cost school lunches

Meade School District Superintendent Wayne Wormstadt said the district is seeing a lower number of applications for free and reduced lunches. Although parents didnt apply for free and reduced lunches during the COVID-19 pandemic, they now have to apply every year.

Rhonda Ramsdell, Meade School District food service director, said applications for free and reduced cost meals open July 1 for the upcoming school year. Families can go to family.titank12.com/Z3D8PQ to apply for the meals.

Typically, the USDAs Food and Nutrition Services summer food service program is limited to areas where 50% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. For a school to qualify, it must have a free-reduced percentage of 50% or be located in a neighborhood thats determined to be need-based on census data.

In 2022, the Meade School District served 2,685 free summer meals through its Summer Food Service Program. The program operated for 32 days in June and July 2022.

Waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed schools to provide free meals to all students, regardless of their family income, but those waivers expired before summer 2022. However, last summer Meade School District was able to provide free meals based on site eligibility data (free and reduced applications collected from families in school year 2017-18), which can be used for up to five years, according to the South Dakota Department of Education.

Applying for the meals helps families on limited budgets and, if the district returns to having 50% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, the district could potentially have funding next summer to provide free meals again.

We encourage as many people as possible to go online and fill out an application for meals during the school year, Wormstadt said. It benefits children and the school district too.

Ramsdell and Wormstadt said to their knowledge, with the exception of the churches' Kids Summer Meals, there are no other free summer meals programs in Sturgis this year.

Im glad the churches are doing it. I think thats wonderful, Ramsdell said.

Where to find free summer meals this summer According to the USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder (fns.usda.gov/meals4kids), Rapid City and Kadoka are the only Black Hills communities providing free summer meals this year. In Rapid City, free meals are served by the YMCA, The Club for Boys, and at Rapid City High School, General Beadle Elementary School, Monroe Head Start sponsored by Youth & Family Services, South Middle School, North Middle School, Knollwood Heights Elementary School, and at mobile sites at 920 Sheridan Lake Road, at Robbinsdale Park and at LaCroix Links. In Kadoka, free meals and afternoon snacks are served at Kadoka Elementary School.

Close Ellen Brown, left, and Bill Atyeo put together bagged lunches on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Ellen Brown places bagged lunches in boxes to be carried out to cars on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Colleen Cooper, left, and Judy Hardwood put together turkey sandwiches on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are made on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are bagged on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Deb Holland poses for a portrait on Wednesday in the Sanctuary Room of Sturgis United Methodist Church. Holland came up with the idea to provide bagged lunches for students every Wednesday after she heard the school district no longer qualified for summer funding. Theyre not gonna have free and reduced meals this summer, Holland said. And Its been weighing on my heart that as their neighbors we need to step up and provide that to the kids. Deb Holland, left, and Myrna Hill bring boxes of bagged lunches to be placed in Hills car on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Myrna Hill carries boxes of bagged lunches out to her car on Wednesday at United Methodist Church in Sturgis. PHOTOS: Sack lunches in Sturgis Ellen Brown, left, and Bill Atyeo put together bagged lunches on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Ellen Brown places bagged lunches in boxes to be carried out to cars on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Colleen Cooper, left, and Judy Hardwood put together turkey sandwiches on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are made on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are bagged on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Deb Holland poses for a portrait on Wednesday in the Sanctuary Room of Sturgis United Methodist Church. Holland came up with the idea to provide bagged lunches for students every Wednesday after she heard the school district no longer qualified for summer funding. Theyre not gonna have free and reduced meals this summer, Holland said. And Its been weighing on my heart that as their neighbors we need to step up and provide that to the kids. Deb Holland, left, and Myrna Hill bring boxes of bagged lunches to be placed in Hills car on Wednesday at Sturgis United Methodist Church. Myrna Hill carries boxes of bagged lunches out to her car on Wednesday at United Methodist Church in Sturgis.
Gov. Greg Gianforte's acknowledgement of the rapid decline in trout populations around southwest Montana came in the form of a letter dated June 19 and addressed to Craig and Wade Felling. It reached its recipients June 21 and subsequently made its way to other interested parties.

But the response fell flat in the eyes of many who demanded it.

"I was disappointed in the Governor's reply," Shaun Jeszenka, outfitter and owner of Frontier Anglers in Dillon, wrote in an email to The Standard. "There obviously was not a lot of thought put into it. The more restrictive fishing regulations are not going to right the ship. We are already the most regulated outfitters in the state of Montana on the Big Hole and Beaverhead."

Wade Felling was not critical.

"I'm encouraged this finally reached the Governor's desk and he shares our concerns, including acknowledging warm temperatures and low flows are a factor," he wrote in an email to The Standard. "We look forward to continuing the dialog with the Governor, his staff, and state agencies."

As hollow as the response was perceived to be by some, it still managed to capture the bewilderment and discombobulation felt by folks throughout southwest Montana and across the state who care about the Big Hole River.

The letter, which can be viewed it its entirety attached to this story, touched on how valuable these "prized waterways" are to the livelihoods of thousands of Montanans.

As FWP Fisheries Administrator Eileen Ryce Ph.D. did in Butte on June 7, Gianforte directly acknowledged that warm water and low flows have been proven to contribute to trout population declines. In his next sentence within the same paragraph, Gianforte abruptly transitions from water problems and points to angling restrictions considered by FWP as a way to reduce stress experienced by trout.

Although it is true that the catch-and-release process severely elevates a trout's stress levels, guides and outfitters noted that only half the equation is being addressed and the delivery of the message has them baffled.

Pat Munday, professor of science and technology studies at Montana Tech and author of "Montana's Last Best River: The Big Hole and Its People," said during a recent conversation with The Standard that feelings of cognitive dissonance and overall confusion are "just the state of things right now."

"How hard can we get regulated before we turn the focus somewhere else?" asked Craig Jones of Great Divide Outfitters, located on Highway 43 in Divide.

Jones posed this question during the Q&A session following Jim Olsen's presentation during the Big Hole Watershed Committee meeting June 21. The outfitting company and fly shop owner went on to point out that the Madison River  which eclipses over 170,000 angler days during a five-month span from May through September  sees substantially more boat traffic but hasn't seen a sharp decline in its trout population like the Big Hole. The Big Hole averages roughly 120,000 angler days over an entire year. "Flows are very steady compared to the Big Hole," Olsen said. "There's no low flow on the Madison. Water is driving the bus."

Olsen then offered some perspective on just how much fishing pressure Big Hole trout face, albeit with far fewer angler days than the Madison. If there are 500 trout per mile in the 74 miles of river from Dickie Bridge to the mouth of the Big Hole, that's 37,000 total fish.

During the roughly 120,000 angler days per year on the Big Hole, if everyone catches an average of four trout a day, those fish are caught and released nearly 13 times a year.

Munday said even though the emergency angling regulations by themselves are an incomplete solution, the restrictions are mostly for the better.

But guides and anglers are befuddled as to why this multi-faceted problem has only been partially addressed  at the state level from a regulatory standpoint  since the brown trout decline came to light in 2021.

"We've had catch and release regulations on brown trout for two years and still the population is in decline," Jeszenka continued in his email. "The tool box is empty for the FWP to rectify the situation from a regulatory standpoint. The Big Hole needs more clean, cold water in late summer and early fall. This is not that complicated. Hopefully, the state will move towards a solution on that front. The framework has already been established with the Future Fisheries (Improvement Program). The money exists to either buy or lease water for instream flows."

Pedro Marques, Big Hole Watershed Committee executive director, told The Standard last Thursday the committee is currently discussing whether emergency provisions to the drought management plan  proposed by FWP for the Big Hole  should be adopted. He also said that while they are aware of the looming possibility of water leasing, it isn't something they discuss because selling water fundamentally contradicts how the committee operates.

Ranchers tend to be more reserved, at least until someone goes after their water. It's reckless to assume the community as a whole would just as soon sit idly by without altering their irrigation practices while the fishery goes belly up. Hypothetically, killing off a trout or grayling population by sucking the river dry could attract unwanted attention from federal agencies who might decide it's time to fudge with their water rights. In fact, the committee was formed to try to voluntarily improve habitat in the upper Big Hole for Arctic grayling.

"At a certain point, you can only ask so much of ranchers to leave water back in the river," Marques said. "And you can only ask so much of the restrictions that we're putting on anglers, for them to make a living."

The Fellins, based in Wise River at The Big Hole Lodge, were among more than 30 fishing outfitters and guides in southwest Montana who recently and publicly pressed Gianforte. In an open letter to the governor, they sought an "all hands on deck" investigation of the causes of dramatic decreases in trout populations in the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Ruby rivers.
COLUMBIA FALLS  When Heather Peacocks high schooler was diagnosed with pediatric cancer in 2017, she started to wonder about the prevalence of the disease among local youth. Peacock and her family live a few miles from the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Superfund site, a 3,000-acre complex where deer forage, bears roam and toxic chemicals leach into the Flathead River.

I think its a valid question for the future of our community, said Peacock. How does this affect our children?

Peacock and other C-Falls residents  of which there are around 5,000  wondered about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys $57 million plan to clean up the old CFAC site during a public meeting this week. The EPA has proposed a solution that includes building a slurry wall around a landfill and a pond filled with hazardous materials, as well as adding a cap over the top of the two problematic areas. Other parts of the plan involve scraping up additional harmful substances that have blackened the ground in the fenced-off portion of the site where they are stored.

But Peacock and her neighbors arent convinced those measures would effectively contain the cyanide and fluoride present on site. Some would like to see the EPA truck the chemicals out of C-Falls entirely.

People in Columbia Falls that I know are not worried about how many truckloads it takes to get this stuff out of Columbia Falls, said former City Councilor Dave Petersen. What they are worried about, however, is the possible failure of the slurry wall.

James Thomasson, an engineer with All West Testing and Engineering, said slurry walls  composed of concrete or cement mixed with other impermeable materials  rarely fail when constructed correctly.

It essentially creates an impermeable layer almost as if you were placing a plastic sheet down to the bottom of the plume, he explained. The hope will be that they contain it in one place and it just doesnt go anywhere and they stop it in its tracks.

The key to a successful slurry wall, he said, is its thickness. The EPA will need to utilize the expertise of an environmental engineer to determine the thickness of the CFAC slurry wall, if the agency decides to go that route. Slurry walls that arent thick enough have the potential to leak.

In C-Falls, meanwhile, residents, including those who used to work at the CFAC plant, arent confident in the EPAs ability to effectively contain the hazards.

Nino Berube, who worked at CFAC for 25 years, criticized the EPAs track record of delisting Superfund sites in Montana. Since the EPA started working in Montana in the 1980s, 17 sites have been listed as National Priorities and so far, none has been delisted.

The question I have is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is not really a great way to go, Berube said. This is the definition of insanity.

The EPA estimates switching from a slurry wall containment strategy to removing the materials from the area would add $100 million to the price tag of the cleanup project. But to many in C-Falls, that amount seems worth it to preserve the human and environmental health of the community.

The frustration with me is just, hell, Ill be dead and gone, said City Councilor Mike Shepard, a former CFAC employee. The question is the decisions: Are they going to be right?

Public comment will be accepted on the EPA plan until July 31 at cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0800392.




Pokhara, Nepal, July 1, 2023: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that incumbent coalition government would continue for a full five years.





Incumbent coalition government would continue for five years, PM Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN Maoist Center, said so during a press meet organized in Pokhara today.





Prime Minister Dahal said so at the time when speculations are riffed that incumbent coalition government would be dissolved to form a new coalition government of the Nepali Congress and the CPN UML.








By Abhaya Raj Joshi





KATHMANDU  A male gharial (Gavialis gungeticus), one of the worlds most endangered crocodilians, was found dead on June 26 in Nepals Chitwan National Park. The animal had a fishing net wrapped around its snout and a hook piercing its abdomen.





The death of the gharial, a fish-eating crocodile with a long, narrow snout, is a major blow to the conservation of the species, which has only a few hundred individuals left in the wild. Male gharials are especially rare and vital for the survival of the population, as they mate with multiple females and fertilize their eggs.





The natural sex ratio in gharials is already heavily skewed towards females with only a handful of males for a hundred females, said conservationist Ashish Basyal. Any unnatural death of a gharial is a serious threat for conservation, but the death of a male can have even severe consequences on the population.





The gharial was discovered on the banks of the Budhi Rapti stream, a tributary of the Rapti river that flows through the park. According to Chitwan National Park officials, it was one of only four or five adult males in the Reu, Rapti and Narayani rivers, which are home to about 219 gharials. A 2019 survey of the Rapti river spotted 99 gharials, but only one was confirmed as an adult male.





The crocodiles were once abundant in the Ganges River and its tributaries that flow through the plains of Nepal and India. Their range is now limited to a handful of rivers, and their survival is threatened by fishing, changes in river flow, and poaching.





Male gharials are easily recognizable by their distinctive ghara, a large growth on their snout that resembles an earthen pot. They use their gharas to vocalize and blow bubbles during mating displays. However, some researchers speculate that their ghara may have also made them more vulnerable to hunting or entanglement in fishing nets.





Another factor that may affect the sex ratio of gharials is temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), a phenomenon in which the incubation temperature of the eggs determines whether they will hatch as males or females. A study at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology? in India found that when gharial eggs were incubated at 32.5C, all the hatchlings were males, but when they were incubated at 33C, only around 60% were males.





There are indications that slight changes to the temperature during incubation could alter the sex of the offspring, said Bashyal. It is possible, although not confirmed, that rising global temperatures could have also tilted the balance in favor of females.





The other problem is that it is impossible to tell the sex of gharials until they become adults and develop the ghara. Even experienced gharial researchers have failed miserably in ascertaining the sex of sub-adult gharials, said Bed Khadka, who worked at the Gharial Breeding Centre in Chitwan for decades. This further adds to the challenge of boosting male population.





To address this challenge posed by scarcity of males, park officials have been using laboratory incubators for the last three years to hatch fertilized eggs at around 32C in the hope that they turn out to be males. On June 7, authorities at the gharial breeding center reported that all of the 20 fertile eggs in their laboratory incubator had hatched.





We are glad that the eggs that we collected have hatched and hope that they turn out to be males, said Ganesh Tiwari, information officer at Chitwan National Park.





However, critics argue that such incubation programs may not be sustainable or effective in the long run. We dont know how the hatchlings will turn out, and what will be their state of health when they grow up, said Khadka.





He also questioned whether park officials had conducted proper surveys to assess how many males are needed in the river system. The sex ratio may have been skewed for a reason, he said. What happens if all the incubated eggs turn out to be males? Officials dont have answers.





Meanwhile in Chitwan, as the monsoon rages on, officials have banned all types of fishing. But some people still risk breaking the law to catch fish in the swollen rivers. Critically endangered gharials pay the price.




Update: The location of the forum "3 Years After George Floyd: A Conversation About Community Policing is moving to The Times-Dispatch Hanover Plant at 8460 Times-Dispatch Blvd. in Mechanicsville.

The event is 6 p.m. on July 27.

We thought it was important to start a dialogue with law enforcement on how to get there, which starts with gaining a better understanding of the obstacles police departments are facing, said Times-Dispatch Opinion Editor and discussion moderator Scott Bass. The hope is the forum will be a positive first step in that direction.

The free event will be held in the Richmond Times-Dispatch auditorium at 300 E. Franklin St. Parking is available on site.

Richmond Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards, Henrico County Police Chief Eric English and Virginia Commonwealth University Police Chief John Venuti will be on hand to discuss policing in a post-Floyd America and how their departments can improve relations between communities and police.

I am looking forward to sharing the steps VCU Police continues to take in order to provide the highest level of public safety at VCU and Richmond, Venuti said. But, even more importantly, I am looking forward to listening to the community members to hear their perspectives and concerns and to find ways we can work together toward a safer community for everyone.

Police chiefs will take part in conversations on how their departments address officer shortages, recruitment, diversity, training and procedures.

The dynamics of policing and communities are continuously evolving, English said. It is important that conversations and collaboration between law enforcement and communities continue to expand in order to address community concerns.

Topics covered will include law enforcement in marginalized communities, community mistrust post-Floyd and the rising incidents of police brutality and shootings.

After Floyd, police reform became a battle cry, Bass added. But we sometimes overlook that we still need effective community policing, especially in our marginalized communities.

Said Edwards: Everyone can contribute to the safety of our city, and this goes beyond seizing illegal weapons and making arrests. Open dialogue is vital so we can move forward with a shared understanding of the issues and identify common solutions to better protect our communities.

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Michael Paul Williams and reporter Em Holter of The Times-Dispatch will serve as panelists along with Brian Williams, associate professor of public policy at the University of Virginia. Questions also can be submitted to sbass@timesdispatch.com.

This panel has the potential to serve as catalyst for positive change, Williams said. But this potential must be realized. This event provides an opportunity to bridge gaps of understanding that can be constructive in solidifying the partnership that is needed for the co-production of public safety and public order.

From the Archives: Richmond tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels
IN THE NEWS

Lawsuit targets voting restrictions put on felons

A lawsuit has been filed against Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state elections officials by those who have been disqualified from voting in Virginia because of their criminal records. The state automatically takes away voting rights for convicted felons unless the governor restores the ability.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the group Protect Democracy on behalf of three Virginia residents with felony convictions and the nonprofit organization Bridging the Gap, which helps formerly incarcerated people. The lawsuit says the state is breaking an 1870 federal law that established the terms of Virginia's readmission to representation in Congress after the Civil War.

DEAD ZONE: Unusually dry weather this spring has reduced the size of the so-called "dead zone" in the Chesapeake Bay. Dead zones, also called hypoxic areas, are spots in bodies of water that dont have enough oxygen to sustain life. Theyre often caused by pollution washed into waterways by storm drainage. This summers dead zone is predicted to be 33% smaller than the average taken between 1985 and 2022.

While the dead zone has been trending down over time, the primary driver behind the prediction of a smaller dead zone this summer is the amount of rainfall from January through May, said Joseph Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundations Virginia senior scientist.

With river flows from rainfall in the watershed at 20% less than the historic average during the spring season, the estuarys summer dead zone is expected to be one of the smallest on record, according to a notice from the Chesapeake Bay program.

BY THE NUMBERS

$1.3 million

Additional revenue made by hotels during April's Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach compared to the 2019 event, according to data company STR Global.

$80,000

Amount that a gun buyback event approved by the Richmond City Council will cost. The city plans to use American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund the program, part of an effort to curb gun violence.

ODDS AND ENDS

WATER: A hazardous chemical also detected in the Roanoke River has been found in Smith Mountain Lake. Tests by the Virginia Department of Health found GenX, a chemical used in the manufacturing of various consumer products, in lake water. Last year, the Western Virginia Water Authority identified ProChem, an industrial water management company, as the source of contamination from its Elliston location on the banks of the Roanoke Rivers south fork.

GRAVES: Keith Edward Norvell, 58, of Amherst, has been indicted on 17 felony counts of obtaining money by false pretenses in connection with his previous employment with the Amherst Cemetery Association. Police said he was arrested in June after the department was notified about "possible fraudulent sales of headstones and burial plots."

THEY SAID IT

"I dont know where we go from here. I have told my conferees to go home. They told their conferees to go home.

 Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, after state budget talks broke down last week.

"The equations describe how the particles move and collide with each other. So we implemented those formulas and assumed that the drones move like those particles."

 Marcela Izquierdo Poza, a math and physics major at Randolph College in Lynchburg, about a study into the usage of drones to deliver goods to customers. The kinetic theory of gases formula was used to calculate potential delivery collisions.

IN THE NEWS

Officer killed is honored at service

About 500 people, including many in uniform, on Monday attended the funeral of Wintergreen police Officer Mark Christopher Chris Wagner II, who was killed while responding to a call June 16.

"So what weve heard this morning is that Chris was a light. He was a bright light. Son to a loving father, whose life was taken far too soon. Every corner of the commonwealth, fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement have come here knowing that it could have been them who we were memorializing today, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said during the service.

Wagner, 31, was responding to an emergency call about a man assaulting two others in a home when he encountered Daniel Barmak, 23, of Towson, Maryland. Barmak grabbed his department firearm and opened fire, police said.

Barmak is charged with capital murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

PLANES: Flights into Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport were diverted Tuesday because of a technical issue, the latest in a series of issues impacting airlines last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly paused operations at Washington, D.C.-area airports Sunday evening due to a problem with the communications system at a major air traffic control facility.

The Charlottesville-bound flights from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta on Tuesday were sent to Richmond.
On an exceptionally clear September night in 1959, Byrd Fields air traffic control phone blinked red as dozens of calls began to come in.

By the start of the next shift change, the call log continued to tally as pilots called to report an unfamiliar object zooming across the sky, leaving behind a trail of green flames before disappearing entirely.

Along roadways, motorists stopped to catch a glimpse of the cigar-shaped anomaly with a brilliantly glowing head. All across the city  and the surrounding area  the curious watched from back decks and front yards.

One East End resident told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the object was a kind of eerie, light-green color ... with a ball about the size of my head ... and a bushy-like stream of fire behind it about 3 feet long.

While authorities were quick to dismiss the sightings as nothing more than a meteor, it did not quell Richmonders suspicions of otherworldly visitors and potential government cover-ups.

It would not be the last time sightings of unidentified flying objects and the possibility of green men from Mars graced the pages of The Times-Dispatch.

According to the National UFO Reporting Center, July marks the month with the most UFO sightings in the country. In the past 10 years, there have been 71 recorded sightings in the city alone  ranging in severity from bright lights to crafts flying over Interstate 95.

Like most, Richmonders have long searched for answers regarding potential life in the cosmos with varying degrees of interest throughout its history.

When the U.S. Air Force released the 1968 Condon Report, the result of years of work by the University of Colorado UFO Project in which it studied UFO activity across the country, newspapers across the nation, including in Richmond, were filled with news of its findings.

The report, which stated it could not definitively find evidence of visitors from outer space, coupled with an ever-growing distrust in the government, launched a spate of new sightings that popped up in print as folks felt emboldened to share their own experiences.

Richmond resident Larry Bryant wrote in to criticize the militarys findings  citing them as a missed opportunity for the government to take its residents seriously.

An attempt to divert criticism from the Air Forces shoddy handling of UFO-sighting reports  the American taxpayer must now look to the efforts of the amateur UFOlogists  those dedicated researchers who use their own funds, for the most part, to track down UFO data and to publish it for all the world to see and judge, Bryant stated.

While much of the late 60s was consumed with the results, The Times-Dispatch had already gotten a head start with reports filing in as early as the 1950s.

In 1959, The Times-Dispatch reported on the disappearance of the Jackson family in Mineral, Virginia.

When the four family members went missing outside of their home, reporters detailed the exhaustive search conducted as well as all of the potential possibilities that could have occurred  including the chance of unidentified flying objects and alien abductions with the lead investigator stating he wont discount any possibility until the Jacksons (were) found.

That same year, The Times-Dispatch reported and advertised a local UFO-watch group that consisted of residents looking to find their own answers 10 years prior to the Condon report.

The tradition continued into the 1960s, when there was seldom a month in which The Times-Dispatch did not include an article regarding UFOs.

According to science reporter Beverly Orndorff, who wrote many of the papers UFO and alien-related articles, 1966 proved to be a year consumed by a wave of UFO sightings that appears to be sweeping the nation and this area of Virginia.

Earlier that summer, a Richmond police officer reported he had chased a large, dirigible-shaped object that was about 300 feet in the air. His story was backed by a Henrico County patrolman who said he saw a similar object in the same area the same night.

In July of that year, a milk deliveryman reported he had seen a flying object near the treetops that made a whistling sound as it bobbed above him while on his Goochland County route. A few nights earlier, a Prince Edward County deputy sheriff reported watching a hovering dome-shaped object before it touched down in Farmville.

The jokes about such sightings are many. But so are the serious questions, Orndorff wrote in the Aug. 22, 1966, edition of The Times-Dispatch.

Reports of sightings typically fall along a bell curve. There will be a few here and there, then a bigger event will take hold and reports flood in before settling back down.

The months following news of the Watergate scandal found numerous local entries of UFO sightings.

In 1973, UFOs were spotted in Sussex, Williamsburg, Front Royal, Hanover, Fauquier and Manassas as well as hovering above Franklin Street in downtown Richmond  negating earlier comments made by a reader in 1971 who asked, Whatever happened to those UFOs?

For a string of several days, the Virginia State Police reported receiving 30 to 40 calls from residents in the Richmond area reporting unidentified flying objects, according to the Oct. 23, 1973, edition of The Times-Dispatch.

By the end of 1975, the curve had begun to descend. Reports came in fewer and fewer before falling into a lull. Then, in 1988, interest sparked again, when dozens of Wythe County residents came forward to report unusual sightings in the sky lasting for days on end.

A town hall meeting was held to determine what to do. Ultimately, officials landed on a marketing campaign, and local businesses joined in.

A Texaco Travel Store and Comfort Inn sign, just off of Interstate 81 in Wytheville and visible to anyone passing through, read Free fill-ups for any UFO craft and free rooms at the motel for aliens.

Another read: One of the reasons you cant hear those UFOs is theyre running on Texaco gas.

T-shirts were sold by the hundreds and the usually sleepy location became a hotbed for tourism with residents either all-in or all-out.

If you get something started in this town, itll spread all over, and theyll make a bunch of gossip out of it, resident James Moore said in the Jan. 3, 1988, edition of The Times-Dispatch. They have been up to the moon, they claim. Theyd have seen something, aint nothing out in space but rocks.

A month prior to the reported sightings, headlines reading of President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachevs medium-range nuclear missiles treaty signing took center stage.

While some hold true to the belief that aliens are out there, urging folks to trust no one, others disregard the matter entirely. It is a debate that has filled the pages of print for decades. Until then, Richmonders, and others alike, will have to resign themselves to the notion that the truth is out there.

About this story "From the Archives" is a series of stories exploring the history of Richmond and the region through the files of the Times-Dispatch. Have a topic you'd like us to check out? Email reporter Em Holter at eholter@timesdispatch.com and visit richmond.com to see more from the archives.

Close In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, waiter James Smith served the first cocktails in the city to Fred Runyan (left) and Paul D. Bailey at the Hotel John Marshalls Captains Grill restaurant. 8/10/2015: This January 1967 image shows the new Bull & Bear Club, located on the 23rd floor of the Fidelity Bankers Life Building at Ninth and Main streets in Richmond. Among other amenities, members enjoyed an intimate lounge area where they could monitor the New York Stock Exchange via a ticker behind the bar. The club, which later moved to the James Center, closed in May 2015. In April 1968, David Long manned the bar at an exhibit at a Virginia Restaurant Association convention, and Barbara Ann Brigel took a spot along the brass rail. That year, the General Assembly allowed whiskey-by-the-drink to become a local option in Virginia. In April 1969, C. Ronald Spindler, the instructor at the Virginia School of Professional Bartending in Richmond, mixed a martini. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond in the previous December, and Spindler (who also was director of beverage services at a Holiday Inn) had quickly taught more than 100 budding bartenders. His courses, which lasted 2 weeks, focused on what he called the 48 basic cocktails  with the martini at the top of the list. In January 1969, Kimberly Farmer mixed a drink at Michaels, a restaurant on Fifth Street in Richmond. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond the month before, and she was among about a half-dozen women who had recently taken local bartending jobs. Farmer previously worked as a bartender in Miami and New Orleans. A lot of people who have read too many paperback novels think of a bartender as a low-class person without morals, but 90 percent of the girls Ive ever worked with at a bar are happily married women with families, she said. 09-03-1981: Bartenders serve drinks at local bar. 06-03-1985: Two women enjoy a drink at the Tobacco Company Bar. 03-15-1985 (cutline): Happy hour drinks served at local bar. 10-16-1968 (cutline): Bartender mixes drink aboard Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 'Food Bar Car' during stop at Richmond's Main Street Station. Virginia's first legal drink of hard liquor in more than 50 years was sold aboard the train at 1:28 p.m. Thursday. 06-13-1978 (cutline): Bartender Bill Guilford waits for customer's approval of fancy cocktail at Richmond bar. 10-16-1958 (cutline): Chinese red bar gives room two faces. Open doors and den is ready for a party. Home bar in Richmond. 04-25-1954: Home bar in Richmond. 05-08-1983: Stonewall Cafe Cafe crew--Owners Kenny Bendheim (from left) and Billy Baker join bartender Jim Rea in welcoming customers to the Stonewall Cafe in the Fan District. From the Archives: A look back at Richmond bars Do you remember any of these local establishments? In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, waiter James Smith served the first cocktails in the city to Fred Runyan (left) and Paul D. Bailey at the Hotel John Marshalls Captains Grill restaurant. 8/10/2015: This January 1967 image shows the new Bull & Bear Club, located on the 23rd floor of the Fidelity Bankers Life Building at Ninth and Main streets in Richmond. Among other amenities, members enjoyed an intimate lounge area where they could monitor the New York Stock Exchange via a ticker behind the bar. The club, which later moved to the James Center, closed in May 2015. In April 1968, David Long manned the bar at an exhibit at a Virginia Restaurant Association convention, and Barbara Ann Brigel took a spot along the brass rail. That year, the General Assembly allowed whiskey-by-the-drink to become a local option in Virginia. In April 1969, C. Ronald Spindler, the instructor at the Virginia School of Professional Bartending in Richmond, mixed a martini. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond in the previous December, and Spindler (who also was director of beverage services at a Holiday Inn) had quickly taught more than 100 budding bartenders. His courses, which lasted 2 weeks, focused on what he called the 48 basic cocktails  with the martini at the top of the list. In January 1969, Kimberly Farmer mixed a drink at Michaels, a restaurant on Fifth Street in Richmond. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond the month before, and she was among about a half-dozen women who had recently taken local bartending jobs. Farmer previously worked as a bartender in Miami and New Orleans. A lot of people who have read too many paperback novels think of a bartender as a low-class person without morals, but 90 percent of the girls Ive ever worked with at a bar are happily married women with families, she said. 09-03-1981: Bartenders serve drinks at local bar. 06-03-1985: Two women enjoy a drink at the Tobacco Company Bar. 03-15-1985 (cutline): Happy hour drinks served at local bar. 10-16-1968 (cutline): Bartender mixes drink aboard Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 'Food Bar Car' during stop at Richmond's Main Street Station. Virginia's first legal drink of hard liquor in more than 50 years was sold aboard the train at 1:28 p.m. Thursday. 06-13-1978 (cutline): Bartender Bill Guilford waits for customer's approval of fancy cocktail at Richmond bar. 10-16-1958 (cutline): Chinese red bar gives room two faces. Open doors and den is ready for a party. Home bar in Richmond. 04-25-1954: Home bar in Richmond. 05-08-1983: Stonewall Cafe Cafe crew--Owners Kenny Bendheim (from left) and Billy Baker join bartender Jim Rea in welcoming customers to the Stonewall Cafe in the Fan District.
Amid ongoing drama within electoral boards and registrar offices in various localities around Virginia, outgoing Lynchburg registrar Christine Gibbons has filed a suit against the citys two electoral board members who did not reappoint her to the position.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, is a First Amendment challenge that alleges the new majority of Lynchburgs electoral board is intent on pressing the partisan falsehood  widely known as the Big Lie  that the defeat of Donald Trump for President in 2020 must have been procured by fraud, and the ancillary supposition that local election administrators who are not part of the Republican faction are not to be trusted.

The legal proceedings follow the boards decision to seek a new person for the position, which is within electoral boards purview to do. Registrars serve four-year terms and are appointed by electoral boards. While its not unusual for a board to choose a new registrar, many localities keep their registrars for several terms.

Its kind of inherent. I had hoped to be reappointed, but I have known for quite some time that there have been accusations of fraud in my office, Gibbons said. I just feel like our office has had senseless attacks on our character and our neutrality repeatedly over and over by Republican-authorized representatives.

Defendants in the suit are board secretary Betty Gibbs and board vice chair Steven Troxel, who were placed on the board in 2022 and 2023. The local circuit court appoints the three members of the electoral board on recommendations of the local political parties. A governors party gets the majority on the board.

Virginia has 133 local electoral boards and general registrars that are supposed to operate in a nonpartisan manner. However, state law requires that two of the three electoral board seats are for people that belong to whichever political party is in control of the governors office.

In response to an inquiry by Del. Kathy Byron, R-Lynchburg, Attorney General Jason Miyares opined on May 15 that electoral boards could choose to not reappoint a registrar if the choice doesnt rest on impermissible grounds, including political motivations.

Gibbons suit alleges that Gibbs and Troxels decision to replace her was motivated by politics  and cites incidents leading up to the 2020 election where Gibbs was allegedly outspoken with suspicion of election administrators, lingering in the office with intent to intimidate during the 2020 election cycle.

The Lynchburg Republican City Committee accused Gibbons of illegally scanning absentee ballots without a Republican representative present, but a judge dismissed the case in late 2020. It was around this time that Gibbs shared on Facebook: When the Electoral Board, Registrar, and Deputy Registrar are removed, things will change. Im glad City Council has been alerted. #DrainTheLynchburgSwamp.

The lawsuit also points to Gibbs attendance at Trumps Jan. 6, 2021, Stop the Steal rally that culminated in a mob storming the U.S. Capitol, resulting in injury and death.

While Gibbs asserted she was not part of the group that charged the Capitol, she was quoted in local media saying: I hope that the number of us sends a message to elected officials that we are not going to sit back and watch this election being stolen.

Neither Gibbs nor Troxel could be reached for comment at the time of this publication.

Its not unusual to see some changing of the guard on electoral boards as the party in charge changes amid gubernatorial elections, but the tensions popping up in a few electoral boards within the last year might be.

Historically, this wasnt the kind of problem that it is right now, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.

For decades, Republican governors, Democratic governors, appointed people more or less got along because everybody believed in the mission.

Gibbons is not the only Virginia registrar to become embroiled in electoral turmoil recently. This spring, Buckingham Countys election staff quit and a combative registrar was recently hired, then fired after a month on the job. (Gibbons suit asserts that the same registrar, Luis Gutierrez, was also among the candidates to be Lynchburgs next registrar.)

Meanwhile, Nottoway Countys registrar, Rodney Reynolds, was reappointed after applying for the job along with several others. Reynolds previous tenure as registrar was met with strife, amid a Republican electoral board member feuding with him. That resulted in the two Democrats on Nottoways electoral board voting to censure the Republican on the board last fall.

Bob Brink, a former Democratic delegate from Arlington County and former chairman of the State Board of Elections, thinks the drama that has ensued in various electoral boards and registrar offices may be canaries in the coal mine  indicative of a growing issue.

Im very concerned that what weve seen, you know, this dysfunction is not an outlier, Brink said.

This past year, Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, carried a resolution that would have prompted the states watchdog agency to study election governance in the state, but it failed to clear the legislature.

If it had, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission would have reviewed the structure and procedures of state and local election officials. It would also have evaluated the potential for partisan pressures and influence in administrative decisions at the state and local level and developed recommendations for objective evaluation of performance of election officials.

We need to study professionalism of the registrar function, and maybe come up with some ideas to protect them from the whims of, you know, people responding to or reacting to whatever political mandate they may perceive, Sickles said.

A look at June's Election Day in photos across Richmond region
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled unanimously to redefine the employers burden of proof when denying an employees request for a reasonable accommodation due to religion.

The case, Groff v. DeJoy, involved U.S. Postal Service employee Gerald Groff, who was denied an accommodation to not work Sundays. The employer claimed it was an undue hardship to grant the accommodation in part due to the strain on other co-workers.

The employer relied on the existing standard from a decades-old Supreme Court opinion. According to the interpretation from that opinion, employers, in contending undue hardship, were required to show only that the requested religious accommodation created more than de minimis cost to the employers . The employer prevailed in the lower court and on appeal after it terminated the employee using this standard when the employee refused to work Sundays because doing so violated his religious beliefs.

Labor Law: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission targets equal pay violations This month marks the 60th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. The law requires that men and wo

On appeal in the Supreme Court, the unanimous court ruled in favor of Groff, holding that the employer must show more than de minimis, or minor, cost.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which applies to employers with 15 or more employees) prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual because of that persons religion. Religion is defined as "all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business."

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations to the law that obligated employers to make reasonable accommodations to the religious needs of employees unless doing so would create undue hardship for the business.

In finding for Groff, the Supreme Court ruled that an employer must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business. The determination will be based on all relevant factors in the case at hand, including the particular accommodations at issue and their practical impact in light of the nature, size and operating cost of an employer.

In other words, its a case-by-case basis that makes clarity on whether accommodations are necessary quite challenging for employers. As guidance, the Supreme Court suggested that undue hardship in the context of Title VII means what it says, and courts should resolve whether a hardship would be substantial in the context of an employers business in the commonsense manner that it would use in applying any such test.

On the issue of the impact to co-workers, the court ruled, Impacts on co-workers are relevant only to the extent those impacts go on to affect the conduct of the business. A court must analyze whether that further logical step is shown. Further, a hardship that is attributable to employee animosity to a particular religion, to religion in general, or to the very notion of accommodating religious practice, cannot be considered undue. Bias or hostility to a religious practice or accommodation cannot supply a defense.

The court further ruled, Title VII requires that an employer reasonably accommodate an employees practice of religion, not merely that it assess the reasonableness of a particular possible accommodation or accommodations. Faced with an accommodation request like Groffs, an employer must do more (than) conclude that forcing other employees to work overtime would constitute an undue hardship. Consideration of other options would also be necessary.

Cases involving religious accommodations are becoming more frequent in recent years, to include conflicts with gender identity/orientation and religious beliefs, religious conflicts with the vaccine mandate and accommodations regarding uniforms and employer dress codes.

Employers cannot simply deny an accommodation because it is inconvenient or because they agree with one party (i.e., gender identity) versus another (i.e., religious beliefs around sexual orientation). Conflict around rights and beliefs must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, using the interactive process to resolve conflicts.

Immediately upon receiving a request for religious accommodation, employers must engage in the interactive process and find all reasonable solutions to make sure that the accommodation is effective.

As a point of reference, any accommodation that negatively impacts safety will likely be an undue hardship even under the new standard, but employers must still conduct the evaluation and make a case-by-case determination.

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AMLO pushes for National Guard to belong to Ministry of National Defense

Mexico City, Mexico  President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador participated in a ceremony to mark the four-year anniversary of the creation of the countrys National Guard where he said they will belong to the Ministry of Defense.

He said that the institution has established itself as one of the most important in the country by guaranteeing security, peace and tranquility among the people of Mexico.

In four years of work, it has the accreditation of Mexicans since 77 percent trust the corporation, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), he said.

That is why the government that I represent will continue to support you so that you have your fair wages, your benefits, all the protection for you and your families () the National Guard is to protect all Mexicans in an authentic democracy, in a government of the people, he said.

As part of the National Public Security Strategy, AMLO mentioned that violence and insecurity are addressed from a vision of social justice.

Keep all this in mind when you are in service and in the line of duty, keep in mind that we are not only facing the problem of insecurity and the scourge of violence with coercive measures, we are facing job opportunities for young people, we are facing scholarships for students from humble families. () We are going to continue advancing and serenading our country, he explained during the ceremony.

Mexicos Guardia Nacional currently consists of 128,000. Photo: AMLO June 30, 2023.

The four-year anniversary ceremony was held at the Marte Military Camp in Mexico City. Mexicos National Guard has 128,000 members with 295 barracks distributed throughout the country through 266 territorial coordinations.

The security forces are not concentrated in the big cities, but rather they are present where they are needed, where the people who need the protection and support of the National Guard live, he said.

AMLO said that next year, the institution will have more than 160,000 elements formed from discipline and professionalism and 657 facilities equipped and enabled for the benefit of its work.

Before members of the institution, the President reiterated his intention to send a new bill to the Legislative Branch to push for the National Guard to belong to the Ministry of National Defense in order to protect it from corruption, as happened with the Federal Police in previous six-year terms.

I want discipline, loyalty, rectitude, and honesty to be maintained, and this can only be guaranteed if the National Guard is part of the Defense Secretariat. () I dont give up the first time, so before the end of my term, when the new congress begins, when the new legislature enters, I am going to send a new reform to the Constitution so that the National Guard continues to be supported, formed, led by the Secretary of National Defense, because that is the best for our people, he reported.
Chetumal taxi drivers take mandatory safety and good practices course

Chetumal, Q.R.  Dozens taxi drivers in the states capital city of Chetumal are being trained in safety and good practices. The drivers are being trained in not only how to provide better service, but also in road and traffic safety.

Julio Cesar Castilla Zapata, the General Secretary of the Sindicato Unico de Choferes de Automoviles de Alquiler (Suchaa), says training for his drivers is a priority and is ongoing.

More than 50 Chetumal Suchaa taxi drivers signed up for the free mandatory course on the first day, which was taught by Transit Police and the Quintana Roo Mobility Institute. Chetumal taxi drivers need to take the course in order to obtain their public service transport drivers license.

In May, a similar course was provided to Chetumal taxi drivers. The May course was provided by in coordination of the Ministry of Tourism (Sedetur) and the Quintana Roo Mobility Institute (ImoveQroo) and was aimed at tourism. The Attention to Tourists course was given to 100 Suchaa taxi operators.
5 Points Music Foundations lead organizer, Tyler Godsey, knows how to put on an outdoor show. Hes filling Roanoke with them this weekend.

Godsey, who recently partnered with The Dog Bowl at Black Dog Salvage, has a double-bill happening at that spot tonight. Litz, a funky electronic rock band from the Northeast, returns to the valley to headline The Dog Bowl, with West Virginia rockers The Kind Thieves opening the show. On Sunday, he is teaming with the city and putting on the music for the annual Freedom Festival & Fireworks Show, at Rivers Edge South. Roanoke-based Grateful Dead tribute act The Dead Reckoning and country-rocking The Jared Stout Band comprise that bill.

Godsey has put on outdoor events at Wasena Park during the pandemic and on the street by the foundations home venue, 5 Points Music Sanctuary. In recent conversations and an email exchange, he has said he sees Roanoke as a great canvas to bring people together through live music.

Over the last few years, 5PTS Musics programming and regional presence has grown in so many ways, Godsey wrote. The opportunities that have presented themselves wouldnt be possible without our broader community of partners, supporters and creative collaborators.

Over the coming weekend, we are really grateful to be able to have the capacity and support necessary to allow us to channel our message and mission beyond the four walls of our home, the Sanctuary. To go from the Sanctuary one night [The Dead Reckoning played there on Friday, as well], on to the Dog Bowl Saturday and finish the very next day at Rivers Edge for the Citys Freedom Festival  celebration validates the commitment that our local governments, businesses and nonprofits have in fostering the creative vibrancy of the Roanoke Valley and surrounding communities.

Performance announcements

Your columnist was away last week, unable to work, but noted that, as usual, promoters were making announcements. Lets play catch-up.

Berglund Center is bringing iconic bluesman Buddy Guy back to town. The venue, which featured him last year at Elmwood Park, has Guy booked for Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on Nov. 11. Vintage Trouble is scheduled to open. Tickets are $130, $90, $70 and $50 ($10 on-site parking) and are on sale now.

Berglunds theater is again hosting the Broadway in Roanoke series. Coming up are Mean Girls (Dec. 3), STOMP (Feb. 4), Johnny Cash: The Official Concert Experience (March 5), The Book of Mormon (May 9) and a recent add-on, Cirque Dreams: Holidaze (Dec. 20). The initial, four-show package starts at $175, according to berglundcenter.live/broadway, where you can get more info.

Check out all the upcoming Berglund Center shows via berglundcenter.live/events.

On to performers of the equine variety. The Budweiser Clydesdales have made the rare appearance in Roanoke, but now they seem to be almost regulars. The big draught horses showed up at 2022s St. Patricks Day Parade and Shamrock Festival, allaying fears that nasty weather would keep them away, as it had two years previous.

Poofy-hoof fans wont have to wait for another chilly March day to see them again. Downtown Roanoke Inc. and P.A. Short Distributing have announced that the Clydesdales will visit Market Square on at 11 a.m. July 8, for a couple hours of horsey time with a loving public  weather permitting.

Since were at it, here are some fun facts about these beasts, according to the DRI and P.A. Short news release:

To qualify for a hitch, a Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, a blaze of white on the face, four white legs, and a black mane and tail.
A Salem tire factory has been cited for violating state air quality standards.

Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia released excessive amounts of particulate matter from two smoke stacks over a 246-day period, according to a consent order issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The company has corrected the problem and agreed to pay a $25,310 fine.

Last September, DEQ evaluated test results submitted by Yokohama and found excessive emissions from two bag houses, which are used to prevent dust and other industrial waste from getting into the atmosphere.

Applicable state regulations allow no more than .63 pounds per hour of particulate matter. Tests showed the level was 1 pound per hour from one bag house and 1.6 pounds per hour from the other, according to an enforcement action recently posted to DEQs website.

The violations occurred from July 26, 2022, to March 28, 2023, when filter bags were replaced, DEQ said.

Calls to the Yokohama plant on Indiana Street were not returned Thursday and Friday.

The particulate matter released from the plant was too small to be seen by the naked eye, according to DEQ spokeswoman Irina Calos.

Generally, smaller-sized particles pose the greatest potential health risks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Exposure can cause respiratory and heart problems, especially among children, older adults and those with heart or lung diseases.

Details about the potential risks from the Yokohama pollution were not available from DEQ or the Virginia Department of Health. But according to Calos, the company is not considered a major source of particulate matter.

About 630 people work at the Salem plant, according to a March news release about the 100 millionth tire produced there.
The Giles County mine where a worker died last year beneath a heap of toxic dust was cited by state regulators last month for five violations connected to the fatal incident.

The effect of the state finding is to add more requirements before work can resume at Lhoist North Americas Kimballton limestone mine.

The vast mine, consisting of more than 50 miles of tunnels located near Ripplemead, has not produced limestone since early 2021, when flooding increased in its lower levels. In June 2022, workers were in the midst of a mine closure project when Stuart Ray Moore, 50, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, was killed.

The Virginia Department of Energy issued a closure order immediately after Moores death, stopping the mine shutdown work. That closure order remains in effect, Tarah Kesterson, the energy departments public relations manager, wrote in an email.

The five notices of violation issued to Lhoist on June 20 contain a number of requirements  including better planning, inspections and communications with workers  that must be met before the mine closure project can resume.

A spokesman at Lhoist North Americas Texas headquarters did not reply to a request for comment on the violation notices.

Lhoist continues to run a processing plant at the site that in October was separately cited for emissions problems by Virginias Air Pollution Control Board.

The processing plant cooks limestone in kilns to produce a product used in steelmaking and other industrial applications. For decades, the processing plant was supplied by the nearby mine. But in recent years, the processing plant has worked with limestone quarried elsewhere.

From the late 1960s until the early 1990s, well before Lhoist acquired the site in 1999, the dust that was a byproduct of kiln operations was packed into the mine. It was stored in upper tunnels where limestone already had been carved out.

Lhoists safety data said that the lime kiln dust was dangerous when inhaled or mixed with water, and could cause severe skin irritations or burns, according to the state energy department report that accompanied the notices of violation.

The former mine shafts are no longer considered a safe disposal site for lime kiln dust, and the dust that was placed there has to be removed as part of the overall closure of the mine.

According to the state report, there were 500,000 to 750,000 tons of lime kiln dust that had to be removed.

The report said that Lhoist was working with two companies to carry out the cleanup, with about 20 people on the site during the day shift and a few less at night. Workers pushed the lime kiln dust into holes that ran between levels of the mine so that it slid from Level 4 to Level 7, a vertical distance of about 234 feet. On Level 7, the dust was loaded onto trucks and driven out of the mine to be dumped in a permitted surface disposal area.

On the afternoon of June 20, 2022, Moore had been working at the Giles County cleanup for nine weeks and four days. He was at the controls of an excavator, using the machines bucket to scoop lime kiln dust onto trucks. Moore had about 15 years experience in surface coal mines and was trained to operate various types of heavy equipment. He had about five years of experience running an excavator, the state report said.

However, Lhoist was unable to provide documentation that Moore was trained on safe loading procedures for the lime kiln dust or was given a required tour of the site where he was working.

Mine officials told state investigators that they told excavator operators to park on elevated pads positioned behind mine pillars, rock columns that would shelter an excavator from slides of dust into the truck-loading area. But the mine officials could not document that this loading plan was written down or communicated to workers, the state report said.

On June 20, 2022, Moore began his shift with a 7 a.m. meeting with other miners, then headed to his excavator. For at least the first hours of his shift, Moore was loading from atop an elevated pad and behind a pillar, according to other workers who were interviewed by investigators.

There was no direct line of sight along the slopes of dust sliding between the mines levels. The lights on the boom of Moores excavator had been out for weeks, another worker told investigators. Several workers reported previous slides of material and sudden eruptions of water in the area where Moore was working.

Just before 3 p.m., water began gushing out of one of the channels between mine levels and Moore radioed workers on Level 4 to stop pushing material down so that he could repair the road surface and a containment berm near his loading area. He used the excavator to fix the roadway, then radioed that he was ready to begin loading again.

But this time, while Moore had his excavator on an elevated pad, it was not behind a pillar but in the center of a window between levels. At about 3 p.m., as a truck backed toward Moore to be loaded, a mass of lime kiln dust slid into the work area and engulfed the excavator, the state report said.

The dust covered the excavators cab and also the back portion of the truck. The trucks driver, Nikko Shamburger, tried to reach Moore on the radio. When that failed, Shamburger called other mine workers for help.

Damien Clark, another truck driver who was nearby, waded through waist-deep mud and water to get to the scene, and he and Shamburger dug through the dust with their hands to try to uncover the excavator cab, the state report said.

But the dust was too soupy and kept falling back in, the state report said. A front-end load and dozer joined the effort but also could not remove the dust.

Two other excavators were brought in. At about 4:35 p.m., they uncovered enough of the cab of Moores machinery to reach him. But no vital signs were detected, the state report said.

It was another two hours before Moores body was brought to the surface and he was officially pronounced dead, the report said.

The five notices of violation included:

Lhoist shift supervisor Jeff Perkins did not conduct an inspection of the Level 7 work area before Moore and other workers began their shift as required by Virginia law. The energy department said Perkins must be retrained in beginning-of-the-shift exam procedures.

Lhoist did not maintain the lights on the excavator that Moore operated or have adequate lighting in the work area. The company is required to submit a lighting plan.

Lhoist did not ensure adequate bank stability when loading the lime kiln dust and must submit a plan to safely access and load the material.

Lhoist provided no record that workers were trained in safe loading procedures. The company must train workers and document the training.

Lhoist did not alert state officials about the incident by the quickest available means. Company officials must be retrained in the reporting procedures required by Virginia law.

In an email, Kesterson wrote that Virginias regulations for mineral mining do not impose fines or civil penalties for violations. By Thursday, nine days after the violation notices were issued, Lhoist had not submitted any of the required plans, Kesterson wrote.

The only current activity allowed in the mine, she wrote, is the maintenance of water pumps.
A Clifton Forge police officer shot and killed a man Friday afternoon while on an emergency call for an ongoing domestic situation, according to Virginia State Police.

State police are investigating the officer-involved shooting at the request of Clifton Forges police chief. The shooting occurred shortly after 2 p.m. at a residence in the 1600 block of Oak Hill Avenue, according to a statement from Corinne Geller, public relations director for the state police.

Clifton Forge police and an Alleghany County sheriffs deputy responded to the emergency call. Once inside, they encountered an adult male who began threatening them and then charged at them. One of the police officers discharged his department-issued handgun and struck the male, Geller wrote. The man died en route to a nearby hospital. No law enforcement officers were injured. The mans body was taken to the state medical examiners office in Roanoke. His identity has not been released.

There were 43 officer involved shootings in Virginia in 2022, including 22 fatalities, according to the state polices Crime in Virginia 2022 report released this month. One of those fatalities was nearby, on March 14, 2022, when Covington Officer Caleb Daniel Ogilvie died in an exchange of gunfire outside a store with Toney S. Poulston Jr., who had just shot and killed a storekeeper inside. State police investigated that incident as well, and the fatal shooting of Poulston later was ruled as justified. Also in 2022, an Alleghany County sheriffs deputy shot and wounded a man who had fired at deputies while trying to flee a traffic stop for speeding on Interstate 64. The June 9, 2022, shooting, also investigated by state police, was later ruled a justified use of force.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week appointed new members to the Radford University and Virginia Tech boards of visitors, to serve four-year terms starting July 1.

At Virginia Tech, Youngkin appointed three members with past board experience: Nancy Dye of Roanoke, William Holtzman of Mount Jackson and John Rocovich of Roanoke.

All three returning members have a long legacy of support for Virginia Tech and have demonstrated their commitment to our mission to serve the commonwealth, said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in a university news release. We look forward to working with them to realize our bold vision for the universitys future.

Rocovich is chair of the Moss & Rocovich law firm in Roanoke, with two prior stints on the Virginia Tech board, first from 1997-2005, then from 2010-2014. He contributed $30,000 to Youngkins gubernatorial campaign in 2021, and a further $41,250 since to Youngkins Spirit of Virginia political action committee, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.

Holtzman is owner of Holtzman Corp., which includes an oil company and divisions in other industries. He has contributed $150,000 to Republican political action committees this year, including $50,000 to Spirit of Virginia, VPAP data shows.

Dye is a retired surgeon who previously served on the board from 2012-2016. As the Republican candidate, she lost a bid to unseat state Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, in 2015. She served on Youngkins transition team after he was elected governor in 2021.

Additionally, Don Horsley of Virginia Beach will join the Virginia Tech board for a one-year term, the university news release said. As president of the board of directors for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services, he becomes an ex officio member.

At Radford University, Youngkin appointed Joann Craig of Radford, Betty Jo Foster of Ringgold, and David Smith of Roanoke.

Smith is sales manager for Altria Group Distribution Co., according to a news release from the governor. Altria is one of the countrys biggest tobacco companies, its website said.

Foster is former interim president at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, and former Vice President of Academic and Student Services at Danville Community College, the governors release said.

Craig is chief financial officer for CMG Leasing, a rental and real estate firm active across the New River Valley.

University boards of visitors are the institutions governing bodies, making decisions on plans, programs, budgets, tuition and more. They usually meet once per quarter.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Next year, a new state agency will be taking over control of Veteran Village, the nursing home on East National Cemetery Road in Florence.

A bill recently passed by the South Carolina legislature and signed by Gov. Henry McMaster splits the Department of Health and Environmental Control into two separate departments, one for health and one for environmental control.

As a part of the bill, control over four of the states five veteran nursing homes will be transferred from the Department of Mental Health, which has managed the nursing homes for decades, to the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs on July 1, 2024. The fifth home, the E. Roy Stone Veterans Pavilion in Columbia, will be transferred to the department in 2025.

Retired Major General Todd McCaffrey, director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, spoke at the Pee Dee Area Veterans Advisory Council on Tuesday and said the change will help the department take care of veterans throughout their life.

The reality is that the care for the veterans in those homes and the support for their families, thats the number one priority. Thats nonnegotiable, McCaffrey said.

The Veteran Village in Florence and the three other homes being transferred to the department in 2024 are run by contractors who will continue to operate the facilities, McCaffrey said. The only thing changing is the oversight of those contracts.

If anything, the change will be good for the homes because the Department of Mental Health has a number of other facilities to look after, while the Department of Veterans Affairs will only have five veteran-focused homes, McCaffrey said.

The South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs will be responsible for assisting veterans from the time they transition out of service; through their employment years, where we seek to support them and link them to employers in South Carolina; to their golden years, if they need assistance at a residential care facility, and then finally, for those veterans that choose to be interred in a state veterans cemetery, well provide perpetual care and honor for their service, he said.

Currently, the state only has one veterans cemetery, but McCaffrey said he hopes to soon have another two, if federal funding comes through for the projects.

While the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide veterans with benefits directly like the federal department does, the state department advocates for veterans benefits to the federal department and helps connect veterans to local services they may need.

To connect with veterans, the department is creating a network of veteran mentors called Palmetto Pathfinders. Veterans in the Pee Dee who want to become pathfinders, the veteran mentors, will be able to attend a three-day training course this October in Florence. The details of the training have not yet been announced.

Pathfinders work with veterans to connect them to the department as well as partner agencies, nonprofits and businesses that serve veterans.

C. B. Anderson, commander of the Pee Dee Area Veterans Advisory Council, said he and others he knows have already signed up for the October pathfinder training.

To learn more about the program, connect to a pathfinder or become a pathfinder, visit the departments website at scdva.sc.gov/palmetto-pathfinder-program

Pee Dee Area Veterans Advisory Council meetings take place at the Florence County Veterans Affairs office on East National Cemetery Road on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Representatives from a number of organizations come to share news, resources and hear from guest speakers like McCaffrey.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 103F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 76F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
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125 Years Ago

Carnival Plans Progress: The executive committee of the Sioux City Business Mens association will hold a meeting this afternoon at the Mondamin hotel to further consider the proposition to give another Carnival this fall. Since the meeting Tuesday afternoon at the office of E. D. Wigton, president of the association, there has been great canvassing of the situation to gauge the desires of the people to have another carnival, and the majority are in favor of it.

Mondamin Hotel c1898 The Mondamin Hotel is shown circa 1898.

Patriotic Sunday Service: The regular Sabbath afternoon services at the Y.M.C.A. will special patriotic services in the nature of the Fourth of July celebration. Secretary Hall is making preparations for a large crowd and a big meeting. Rev. M. W. Darling, Leslie Greenwood, and Mayor J. H. Quick will give addresses, with each speaker covering a different period of the history of the nation.

Y.M.C.A. Building c1898 The old Y.M.C.A. Building is shown circa 1898.

100 Years Ago

Legion Race Meet on Today: Sioux City will take on a Derby day aspect this afternoon when the four-day race meet, under the auspices of the Monahan post, American Legion, opens at the Interstate fairgrounds. It will be the first time a program of running races has ever been offered in Sioux City, and nearly 10,000 people are expected to be on hand this afternoon when the races start. Seven races are on the card this afternoon, including a Stock Yards derby for cow ponies, a harness race, and five running races.

American Legion Races, 1923 The American Legion Races are shown in 1923.

Five Moonshiners Fined $250 Each: Five of six alleged moonshiners arrested near Jefferson, S.D., Thursday in a series of raids staged by state and prohibition officers pleaded guilty to violations of the Volstead act and were fined $250 each. Three stills, 4500 gallons of mash and 50 gallons of the finished liquor were seized by the raiders. The five to enter guilty pleas gave the names Cyril Trudeau, F.C. Malloy, Arthur and Fred Bernard, and Ed Flynn.

50 Years Ago

Theyre Swiftest on River: A. J. Herrold of Garland, Neb., and Todd Halle of Seward, Neb., won the third annual Missouri River Raft Regatta, sharing the prize of $300. More than $2,000 of prize money went to the teams who finished in the first 20 positions. The race was 70 miles from Yankton, S.D., to South Sioux City in unmodified, inflatable rafts and was sponsored by the Sioux City Jaycees.

Raft Regatta The Missouri River Raft Regatta is shown in the 1970s.

Iowa Ends Dry Sundays Today: Several establishments in the Iowa Great Lakes area will be among the first in the state to serve liquor on Sunday under the new Iowa liquor law which goes into effect today. Darlow Olson of Okoboji flew the applications to Des Moines on Saturday so that the area establishments could take advantage of the new law. The city council of Okoboji has voted unanimously to permit the Sunday sale of liquor, and the city council of Arnolds Park voted three to two in favor of the measure. Club able to serve liquor today are the Mocombo Club, Martys Lounge, Del Lounge, and the Outrigger in Arnolds Park; and the New Inn, Holiday Inn, and Harolds Fishermans Wharf in Okoboji.

25 Years Ago

Russian Troupe Will Perform Romeo, Juliet: Siouxlanders will have a rare opportunity tonight to see an unusual Russian theater production of Romeo and Juliet at the Sioux City Community Theater at 7 p.m. It came about when John Sullivan, the Community Theater executive director, befriended some members of the Russian company after their performance at the 1998 International Theater Festival last week in Benton Harbor, Mich. While the play maintains Shakespeares themes of love and tragedy, it also takes place in two different time periods, one in Renaissance times and one contemporary in a war-torn city.

Star-Spangled Spectacular Marks Storm Lake Birthday: As the citys premier summer event, Storm Lakes 20th annual July 4 Star-Spangled Spectacular, and additional festivities are planned for Sunday when Storm Lake will celebrate its 125th birthday. The holiday weekend festivities will include an Ice Cream and Cake Social, a parade, and patriotic ceremony, fireworks, a craft fair, and an original one-act musical play titled The Legend of Storm Lake.
This holiday weekend, a piece of history returns to the Cornhusker State.

Just in time for the Fourth of July, an artifact more than 80 years old is making its way to Nebraska: a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) boat, or the Higgins Boat,  a 36-feet-long, military craft used during World War II.

The historic relic, arriving in Seward, Nebraska, on Sunday, will be parked in front of the Nebraska National Guard Museum on July 4 and dedicated in a ceremony at 9 a.m.

On July 5, it will travel to Columbus, Nebraska, the birthplace of American businessman and boatbuilder Andrew Jackson Higgins  the designer and namesake of the boat  and be parked in front of his national memorial before returning to the museum.

The boat, one of only 16 left in the world, was discovered 18 months ago at the bottom of Lake Shasta, a reservoir in Northern California.

How it ended up there, remains a mystery.

Theres many stories about how it got there, said Gerald Meyer, historian at the Nebraska National Guard Museum.

With the marking PA31-17 on its stern, the boat was assigned to the USS Monrovia, a flagship used during the invasion of Sicily, which also was Gen. George S. Pattons flagship during the war.

At its highest, production of the boats peaked at more than 20,000 during the 1940s and 1950s  a record, according to the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial.

They became so popular that Dwight Eisenhower, then supreme commander of the Allies, praised Higgins, calling him the man who won the war for us.

With a speed of up to 12 knots, the wooden-made boats were used in landings at Normandy, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and many other World War II battles, and were able to land a platoon of 36 men.

But they were not supposed to survive the war, Meyer said, and when it ended, they were sold for surplus.

Our ships that came from the Pacific (Ocean) were built in Oregon, California and Washington, he said. They would take off all the Higgins Boats and all the stuff they could sell for surplus, and they sold them to people for $400, $500.

Subsequently, they were used for all sorts of purposes.

At Lake Shasta, they would use them to transport material  to haul cattle, they used them to haul trash out, they used them for everything, Meyer said.

In total, 23,000 Higgins Boats were manufactured during the war  which means other companies built them too. Still, the one found at the lake has a distinctive trait linking it to Higgins.

Higgins was the only one during the war who built landing craft with a rounded stern, Meyer said. Its his trademark.

Dr. Van and Becky Cattle Vahle spearheaded the campaign and contributed money, along with the Cattle Bank in Seward, to bring the boat back to Nebraska.

Becky Cattle Vahle's father, Maj. John Cattle, rode a Higgins Boat to the shores of North Africa, Sicily and Normandy during World War II. Their donations were in honor of Cattle, Higgins and the greatest generation of World War II.

Theres not hardly any money outside of them thats been invested in this boat  they took this thing completely, Meyer said.
This is part of Debt Nation, a series of interviews with people about how student loans have shaped their lives. Read the rest here.

Education: Bachelors in political science, masters in public administration

Current job: Colorado government employee

Household income: $130,000

Relationship status: Married with one daughter, age 9

Peak student debt: About $50,000 in 2006

Current student debt: $22,900

It is definitely sobering when youre looking at your choices and you realize you dont really have much of a choice.

Ive worked for state government since 2006. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives a portion of student debt for public service workers, is pretty much a disaster. I could find literally no information on the program for the five years after it was enacted in 2007. The first time I got any sort of detailed communication or found anything on the student loan services site was probably not until 2012.

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I was in the top 10 percent of my high school, so that gave me automatic admission to a state school. I got accepted to the University of Texas at Austin, which was pretty affordable back then, especially for in-state people. [Editors note: When Schneider graduated, it was around $3,700 a year; now its more than $10,000.] For graduate school, I considered one private school and one state school, and the cost differential was pretty staggering. So I ended up going to the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas. I think it worked out, but it is definitely sobering when youre looking at your choices and you realize you dont really have much of a choice.

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I joined the Peace Corps after I graduated from college in 2001. I was not really making any money then so I deferred my loans. In 2006, I consolidated everything. After all the interest, I think my student debt was up to about $50,000. That was from three years of undergrad and two years of a masters program. I had a federal consolidated loan that wasnt the direct federal consolidated loan, which is a requirement of the PSLF program. I didnt realize that it didnt qualify. So I consolidated into the right type of loan but had the wrong repayment plan. And that cost me a couple years. It definitely made my wife mad when she found out.

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In the end, maybe Ill have $3,000 or $5,000 forgiven. Id almost not rather have it forgiven just out of the principle of it. But I work with people who have hundreds of thousands in debt from law school and they work at the state agency because its eligible for loan forgiveness. And thats actually a big retention piece for us. If they werent able to get loan forgiveness, I think it would be pretty traumatic for them.

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The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives a portion of student debt for public service workers, is pretty much a disaster.

When I was just starting out in my career, having to pay $300 a month was a drag. And as I progressed, because I was on the income-based repayment plan, that payment keeps going up as youre earning more. So I was like, Oh hey, I just got a raise. Oh my payment just went up. For a while, we didnt really have a lot of child care expenses, since my wife was at home with the kid. Having one kid also was kind of a conscious decision just because child care is so expensive. My wife is from a different country, and so her income potential was slightly limited with non-native English and whatnot. But eventually she went back to work. Then I got a pretty big promotion and my student loan went from around $300 a month to $600 a month. I was like, OK, well thats definitely noticeable.

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Im working from home now, which is lucky, but my wifes job went away. She was working in a medical office and I think they wanted to limit staff. But with the $600 a week, shes actually making more than she did working. I have federal consolidated loans and so theyve been put on hold for now due to the pandemic. Thats actually probably the nicest thing to come with this, for us. Its kind of funny though that they did it so quickly and easily. It shows how arbitrary federally subsidized student debt is as far as the rules and repayments and all that. Its like they just snapped their fingers and made six months of debt payments go away. My daughters in fourth grade now, so shes 9. So she has a little bit under 10 years for the federal government to get their shit together. But Im not really holding my breath.

Bob Schneider is a pseudonym.
(Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court ruled that Biden's initial proposal to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans exceeded his authority under the 2003 HEROES Act.





President Joe Biden announced new measures to provide student loan relief to Americans and criticized the US Supreme Court for blocking a popular plan to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.

Biden told reporters that his administration would pursue student loan relief via a different route, the Higher Education Act, due to the court's conservative leanings.

Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness

The Education Department initiated a "rulemaking" process that is anticipated to last several months. The Supreme Court blocked Biden's proposal to expunge $430 billion in student loan debt in a 6-3 decision Friday morning.

The ruling, which Republicans applauded, threatened to derail a portion of the Democratic president's policy agenda. Per Reuters, Biden stated that his administration would pursue a distinct strategy to reach its objective.

The historic judgment on the final day of the Supreme Court's term comes 24 hours after the justices ruled that colleges could no longer use race as a factor in admissions, a decision that prompted criticism from Vice President Biden.

The proposal would have eliminated $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

However, it was challenged by six Republican states and two borrowers, who argued that Biden should have obtained congressional approval before committing significant taxpayer funds.

Read Also: Joe Biden Bribery Claims: GOP Allegedly Had Evidence Disproving Accusations

Biden Announces 'New Path'

Chief Justice John Roberts concurred, stating in the majority opinion that a move "requires Congress to speak plainly before a Department (of Education) Secretary can unilaterally alter substantial portions of the American economy."

In a statement released hours after the verdict, President Biden described the decision as "disappointing and incorrect" and pledged to fight back.

According to Roberts, the Biden administration cited the HEROES Act as justification for the plan actually providing "no authorization for the Secretary's plan," so there was no explicit congressional authorization.

Due to a COVID-19 pandemic moratorium, millions of Americans have not had to repay their loans for the past three and a half years. October will mark the resumption of payments, and September will mark the recurrence of interest.

Biden's loan forgiveness has been a pillar of his presidency, and the verdict will be a significant setback for an administration that has fought against the accumulating debt.

Friday evening, the president is anticipated to address the nation regarding the verdict. Biden's plan for student loans has been at the center of a legal dispute with six Republican-controlled states and two borrowers for months. Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina argued that he lacked the legal authority to implement the plan without first receiving approval from Congress.

Biden used the post-9/11 HEROES Act of 2003 to justify the program. It stipulates that the Department of Education may forgive student debt in the event of a national emergency. However, the chief justice's majority opinion stated that the HEROES Act was not a valid premise for the plan, according to Daily Mail.

Related Article: US Approves $5.62 Billion Sale of F-35 Stealth Fighter as Biggest Arms Buyers Look for Next Generation Fighter Jets

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slates coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We consider this piece so essential that were making it free for all readers. Sign up for the pop-up newsletter to receive our latest updates, and support our groundbreaking work when you join Slate Plus.

The First Amendment was once an indispensable tool for protecting the rights of the marginalized. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, subversive artists and anti-war dissidents invoked it to neutralize state efforts to muzzle their voices. Civil rights groups and unions used it to invalidate laws enacted to criminalize protest and intimidate activists. Its no exaggeration to say that, without the shield the First Amendment provided, many progressive legislative endeavors would have been strangled in the cradle.

The Roberts Court, however, has turned that shield into a wrecking ball, using the First Amendment to take aim at the very laws that were enacted to protect the vulnerable.

303 Creative v. Elanis is but the latest swing of the wrecking ball. In that case, a 6-3 majority held that a Colorado anti-discrimination law that required a conservative Christian website designer to sell a wedding website to a gay couple violated the First Amendment prohibition against compelled speech. Per the majority: selling such a website expresses an implicit endorsement of same-sex marriage, and a state may never force someone who provides her own expressive services to abandon her conscience and speak [the states] preferred message instead.

The decision represents a sea change in First Amendment jurisprudence. As Justice Sotomayor wrote in a heated dissent, with this decision, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.

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To be clear, the argument that anti-discrimination laws impermissibly compel speech is not new. Private schools resisted desegregation mandates on the grounds that such commands forced them to promote the belief that racial segregation is desirable. The Supreme Court rejected those arguments. Companies in the 1970s challenged laws requiring the equal admission and treatment of women on the grounds they altered the organizations character and message. The Supreme Court rejected those arguments as well. To paraphrase Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famous utterance, just as my right to swing my fist ends where your nose beings, a bigots right to express their views used to end when it bumped up against the rights of minorities to enjoy equal access to education, employment, and the marketplace. That principle has now been upended.

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Yet, the outcome of 303 Creative was also entirely predictable for those who have followed the Roberts Courts multi-decade hijacking of the First Amendment to further the conservative movements agenda.

Among the first victims of this courts First Amendment jurisprudence was campaign finance laws. In its 2010 decision, Citizens United, the Supreme Court held, for the first time, that corporations have the same rights to engage in political speech as individuals and nullified key limits on corporate spending, thereby ushering in the era of Super-PACs and dark money in politics. The court then shredded regulations designed to stop the mega-rich from buying elections. Among the laws it struck down were the so-called Millionaires Amendment that raised contributions caps for candidates who faced opponents rich enough to self-finance their campaign; a program that provided public matching funds to candidates who, after agreeing to abide by campaign limits, were outspent by opponents who raked in unlimited private money; and a Watergate-era law limiting the total amount of money an individual could contribute in an election cycle.

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The idea that unlimited money might distort the political process, encourage corruption, or allow the rich to drown out the voices of the less well-off was dismissed as speculative, quaint, or irrelevant. Spending is speech, the court explainedand these laws unfairly penalized the rich for robustly exercising their First Amendment right to speak through their ample bank accounts.

Related from Slate Mark Joseph Stern The Supreme Courts Blessing of Anti-LGBTQ+ Discrimination Will Haunt Gay Couples Read More

Then the court came for medical privacy, siding with data-miners and pharmaceutical marketers who challenged a Vermont law that prohibited the sale of prescribing data to those groups without the prescribers consent. The law was supported by a voluminous legislative record showing that unregulated data-mining helped marketers manipulate doctors into prescribing unnecessary drugs and drove up health care costs. Nonetheless, the court held that, because the prohibition on data selling singled out data-miners and marketers, it engaged in improper viewpoint discrimination.

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To be clear: the viewpoint being discriminated against was, buy my drugs. Reading the majority opinionwhich proclaimed that allowing the plaintiffs speech was a necessary cost of freedom youd be excused for thinking that the suppressed speech was high-brow political discourse, not a baldly transactional plea for business.

In 2018, the court used the First Amendment to strike down a law that public unions relied on to fund their activities and maintain membership levels. The law in question required non-union members who enjoyed the benefits of union representation to pay fair share fees to reimburse the union for its services. The Supreme Court had upheld that precise scheme four decades prior. But in Janus v. AFSCME, the court upended that precedentand the laws of half the statesby holding that the law compelled employees to subsidize private speech by unions, in violation of the First Amendment. With hyperbolic flare, Justice Samuel Alito quoted Thomas Jefferson: to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.

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The Janus litigation was cooked up by conservative, anti-labor thinktanks to encourage free-ridingthe logic of the suit being: if all public employees get the main benefits of union membership, but only actual members have to pay fees, few will bother joining at all. And the strategy has worked: according to most recent estimates, Janus has resulted in a 20 percent drop in public union membership.

In the same term, in NIFLA v. Becerra, the court invoked the First Amendment to keep women in the dark about the availability of state-provisioned reproductive care. At the center of the dispute was a California law designed to protect women from being manipulated or misled by pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. Multiple investigations had shown that these centers used deceptive practices to dissuade women from getting abortions: unlicensed facilities posed as medical centers, and their staffdressed in white lab coatsscared unsuspecting women by claiming (falsely) that abortions increased the risk of breast cancer. In response, California passed a law requiring all centers to post a notice stating that California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion for eligible women. If the center was unlicensed, it would also have to post a notice stating that it was not licensed as a medical facility by the State of California and has no licensed medical provider who provides or directly supervises the provision of services.

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These notices did not express opinions; they expressed facts. They did not announce a view about abortions advisability, only on its availability. Still, the court found that the law ran afoul of the compelled speech doctrine. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas held that by requiring the centers to give information about abortionthe very practice that petitioners are devoted to opposing the notice alter[ed] the content of the centers speech. The majority was equally unforgiving of the unlicensed notice provision, deeming it unduly burdensome and wholly disconnected from Californias informational interestnever mind the extensive legislative record attesting to the need for the precise information contained in the notice.

303 Creative is the logical continuation of this trend. It ignores the contextthe tragic history and continuing discriminationthat necessitated Colorados law in the first place. And it adopts an absolutist, almost fetishistic view of First Amendment that turns free speech into a trump card, real-world consequences be damned.

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The court dresses these rulings in lofty admonitions about the evils of viewpoint discrimination and the sinful and tyrannical nature of compelled speech. But what the court is really doing is constitutionalizing its own, hyper-conservative viewpointone which sympathizes with the rich who robustly exercise their First Amendment right to speak through their wallets, even ifor perhaps becausesuch untrammeled expression effectively silences those with lesser means. It is a First Amendment jurisprudence which shows exquisite sensitivity to the psychic distress of the pro-life activists forced to inform vulnerable women about their reproductive options and the Christian website designer made to serve gay clientele, but a total disregard for the injuries suffered by women deprived of medical care or the stigma and humiliations felt by those who are refused service based on their sexual orientation.

A constitutional guarantee meant to constrain the state from trampling on the vulnerable is, before our eyes, being turned into a tool to entrench powerful interests and upend state laws enacted to protect the marginalized. As Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her Janus dissent, The First Amendment was meant for better things.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230630/us-lawmaker-files-amendments-to-ban-kiev-bound-shipments-of-f16s-long-range-missiles-1111591634.html

US Lawmaker Files Amendments to Ban Kiev-Bound Shipments of F16s, Long-Range Missiles

US Lawmaker Files Amendments to Ban Kiev-Bound Shipments of F16s, Long-Range Missiles

US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed bills to the defense budget that would forbid the US from giving Ukraine F-16 jets and long-range missiles and cut off all funding to Kiev until a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

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mark milley

kiev

ukraine

army tactical missile system (atacms)

f16

us defense budget

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"We should be pushing for peace, not funding war. I filed amendments to the NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] that strip out all funding for Ukraine and prohibit providing them with F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles," Greene said in a tweet on Friday. Earlier in the day, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said he is not aware of any decisions with respect to sending the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine, but noted that it is a "continuous, ongoing process." Citing officials with knowledge of the developments, American media reported on Thursday that the United States is close to agreeing to send ATACMS to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top aide earlier this week said Kiev still hoped to receive the first supply of F-16 fighter jets in aid from Western countries by the end of 2023. Last week, US media reported, citing Western officials, that Ukraine could receive its first F-16 fighter jets from Western sponsors in early 2024. A former Pentagon official told outlets that the Netherlands and Denmark could be among the first suppliers, but no final decision had been made yet. Russia has slammed the possible delivery of F-16 fighters to Ukraine, warning that the jets will become a legitimate military target for Russian forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine will be a further escalation because the jets have a modification that makes them nuclear-capable.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230521/russia-would-ruin-f-16s-reputation-by-destroying-jets-sent-to-kiev-1110506754.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/austria-to-join-european-air-defense-system---chancellor-1111608453.html

Austria to Join European Air Defense System - Chancellor

Austria to Join European Air Defense System - Chancellor

Germany and 13 NATO member countries signed a declaration on the creation of a more advanced European air defense system in October. The chancellor added that participation in the project will not affect Austria's neutrality.

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"Austria will join the European Sky Shield air defense initiative," Nehammer said on Twitter. Nehammer noted that the Ukraine conflict and the increased "threat situation" were the main reasons for the country's joining the initiative. He also added that negotiations to enter the initiative are already underway, but participation in Sky Shield will not affect the neutrality of Austria. In October, Germany and 13 NATO member countries signed a declaration on the creation of a more advanced European air defense system.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/austrian-govt-delusional-for-shifting-away-from-russian-gas---eu-lawmaker-1111596648.html

Austrian Gov't 'Delusional' for Shifting Away From Russian Gas - EU Lawmaker

Austrian Gov't 'Delusional' for Shifting Away From Russian Gas - EU Lawmaker

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler, who has called on domestic suppliers to speed up the process of decoupling from Russian... 01.07.2023, Sputnik International

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gas

energy crisis

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Gewessler called on domestic suppliers to speed up the process of decoupling from Russian gas at a meeting with energy companies on Monday. When reminded of an agreement signed by the Austrian government with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the supply of LNG, the lawmaker ridiculed the deal, stressing that it would cover only about 1% of the country's total gas consumption. Haider also highlighted that since November 2022, the country's share of Russian production, on the contrary, has started to increase, exceeding 70% in December. The EU ban on the transportation of Russian oil by sea to third countries came into force in December for crude oil, and in February  for fuel. "People are tired of these stupid games. Prices are on the increase, people cannot afford a normal live. So they don't care where the gas comes from, as long as the prices go back to lower levels," the politician concluded.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/authorities-tightening-security-measures-across-france-due-to-unrest-1111606811.html

Authorities Tightening Security Measures Across France Due to Unrest

Authorities Tightening Security Measures Across France Due to Unrest

PARIS (Sputnik) - The authorities of a number of large French cities, including Strasbourg, Marseille and Lyon, continue to tighten security measures amid... 01.07.2023, Sputnik International

2023-07-01T18:01+0000

2023-07-01T18:01+0000

2023-07-01T18:01+0000

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The authorities of the Bas-Rhin department, in which Strasbourg is located, announced the suspension of the operation of public transport in the city. In addition, they extended until Monday the ban on retail sales and transportation of fireworks, acids, chemicals, explosives and flammable substances, as well as the possession and transportation of weapons or items that could potentially be used as weapons.In Marseille, public transport will stop operating after 16:00 GMT and demonstrations will be prohibited until Sunday morning, police of the Bouches-du-Rhone department said. In addition, the city authorities urged residents not to take out the trash on Saturday night due to the risk of violence.The Sytral company, which coordinates public transport in Lyon, said that the movement of buses and trams would also be stopped after 17:00 GMT. The city administration also announced the cancellation of a number of events.Many Twitter users in France say they have faced problems while accessing the platform. Twitter accounts of media outlets such as Mediavenir and Cerfia also report problems with the social network.On the same day, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said that French prosecutors should ask internet operators for the IP addresses of young people calling for riots on the Snapchat app.On Tuesday, Nahel M. was shot dead in Nanterre after he had refused to comply with police orders during a traffic stop. The officer who pulled the trigger on the teenager has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and is in custody. The fatal police shooting sparked riots across the country.Violent protests have continued throughout the week, with injures and detentions reported every day. French media said on Saturday, citing the interior ministry, that 1,311 were detained over the past night, including 406 in greater Paris. In addition, 1,350 cars and 234 buildings were set on fire, according to reports.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/macron-postpones-visit-to-germany-amid-unrest-in-france-1111605837.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/doomed-titan-submersible-reportedly-contained-discount-parts-past-shelf-life-1111595085.html

Doomed Titan Submersible Reportedly Contained 'Discount Parts 'Past Shelf Life'

Doomed Titan Submersible Reportedly Contained 'Discount Parts 'Past Shelf Life'

The imploded Titan submersible contained parts 'past their shelf life', according to a journalist who had been selected to join the deep-sea mission but failed to go.

2023-07-01T06:26+0000

2023-07-01T06:26+0000

2023-07-01T06:26+0000

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The imploded Titan submersible contained parts 'past their shelf life', according to a journalist who had been selected to join the deep-sea mission but failed to go.Stockton Rush, CEO of Oceangate, the company that owned the sub, and one of the five passengers who was on it, revealed that he had acquired carbon fiber for it at a big discount from Boeing, according to Arnie Weissmann. Rush reportedly told him the cut price was due to material being "past its shelf life for use in airplanes, Weissmann wrote in Travel Weekly.While a scheduling conflict had prevented Weissmann from joining the ill-fated dive in June, he had earlier joined an OceanGate Expeditions mission to the wreck of the iconic Titanic in May. However, that dive was cancelled due to bad weather. The conversation between him and Rush reportedly took place as they smoked cigars on the stern of the Titan submersibles mother ship, Canadian research ship Polar Prince.The journalist claims that when he asked Rush if he had "any concerns about" the condition of the material, the CEO answered dismissively: "No, its perfectly fine. Having all these certifications for airplanes is one thing, but the carbon fiber was perfectly sound."According to Weissmann's interview with a US media report, the founder of OceanGate Expeditions also touted the innovative lighter carbon fiber as compared to the more expensive titanium. Rush purportedly added that his company had worked with Boeing and even NASA in the design and testing of the Titan, to ensure that the vessel was safe for the passengers.In response to the journalist's revelations, Boeing has since issued a statement saying that, "Boeing was not a partner on the Titan and did not design or build it. Boeing has found no record of any sale of composite material to OceanGate or its CEO."Previous US media reports have cited concerns of maritime regulation experts about the carbon fiber and the shape of the Titan. The tragedy had "renewed criticisms of OceanGates approach to safety from employees and other industry leaders", given the fact that the deep-sea submersible "relied on decidedly low-tech parts."Those on board the doomed sub, which was on a mission to chronicle the deterioration of the Titanic and the ecosystem around it, were Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, British billionaire Hamish Harding, the owner of Action Aviation, French dive expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, as well as prominent Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.The US Coast Guard (USCG) has since asked the countrys National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist in its investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible. The USCG spokesperson Capt. Jason Neubauer said the probe will include an examination of accountability aspects." The probe may result in recommendations to the proper authorities to pursue civil or criminal sanctions, as necessary..Canadas Transportation Safety Board announced its own investigation, as Titan's support vessel was the Canadian-flagged Polar Prince.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230626/lawyer-up-jurisdiction-debates-will-complicate-lawsuits-expected-over-titan-implosion-1111479638.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/eus-borrell-hints-at-very-important-events-related-to-ukraine-to-be-revealed-soon--1111600360.html

EU's Borrell Hints at 'Very Important Events' Related to Ukraine to Be Revealed Soon

EU's Borrell Hints at 'Very Important Events' Related to Ukraine to Be Revealed Soon

"Very important events" related to Ukraine will be revealed soon, Josep Borrell has hinted in an interview with Spanish TVE.

2023-07-01T12:38+0000

2023-07-01T12:38+0000

2023-07-01T12:38+0000

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ukraine

european union (eu)

spain

dmitry peskov

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svetlana zhurova

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"Very important events" related to Ukraine will be revealed soon, Josep Borrell has hinted in an interview with Spain's TVE.The developments can be expected during Spain's six-month presidency of the European Union, the EU foreign policy chief underscored. He went on to clarify that these important things are going to happen both on the battlefield and in connection with the more or less closed-door negotiations on ending the Ukraine conflagration.Elsewhere in the interview, Borrell noted that peace talks between Kiev and Moscow might hinge on events expected in the coming days, adding that the number of initiatives aimed at stopping the conflict was increasing.When questioned regarding commitment from the European Union regarding the EU accession process that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has persistently been demanding, Borrell expressed the belief that Spain would "surely promote it," as the Spanish government had "always supported Ukraine's candidacy."Borrell pointed out that Spain's President Pedro Sanchez has visited Kiev, and would be keen to promote the accession process both from a political dimension, and its technical part.Josep Borrell conceded that it has sometimes been hard to achieve unity within the 27-member bloc on aid to Ukraine. He added that currently, the EU needs to face the fact that a decision to provide 500 million euros ($546 million) for more ammunition for Ukraine has been blocked because of "one country that says no." Reference here was made to the Hungarian government, which has doubled down on its stance preventing the European Union from approving a package of military aid for the Kiev regime. At the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, Hungary reaffirmed the veto.Josep Borrell's "hints" come amid a great many Western media reports surfacing of late speculating that negotiations on the situation in Ukraine may begin in July. German TV channel ARD carried such a report on June 26, citing sources. At the same time, the outlet did not specify whether Russia would be invited to participate in such negotiations. A US report also mentioned a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William Burns in June, during which Ukrainian officials purportedly revealed a strategy to launch ceasefire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, according to unnamed officials. Furthermore, despite Ukraine's stuttering counteroffensive and Western-supplied weaponry being destroyed by Russia's military, Ukrainian officials ostensibly told Burns they sought to move artillery and missile systems near the boundary line of Crimea, push further into eastern Ukraine by the fall, and open negotiations with Moscow "from a strong position."The CIA refused to comment when asked about Burns' assessment of Kiev's plans, the report said.Any peace talks on the terms pushed forward by Kiev and its sponsors in Washington is unacceptable for Moscow, said Svetlana Zhurova, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Zhurova speculated that a desire to gain quicker access to the EU might prompt Kiev to "start to bargain." "If this happens, maybe they will agree to something faster, she concluded.Moscow has continuously underscored that the lack of openness to negotiations on Kiev's part is a combination of three factors, including its unwillingness, unpreparedness, and not being allowed to by its Western sponsors.The Kremlin has previously stated that it appreciates the efforts of all the countries that have been trying to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution, but so far this has been impossible, with Russia currently achieving its goals through its military operation.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230611/russia-seeing-no-foundation-for-peace-talks-with-ukraine-1111058959.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/report-cia-chief-made-secret-trip-to-ukraine-to-discuss-battle-plans-ceasefire-talks-1111592249.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/french-minister-says-45000-police-officers-to-be-deployed-on-saturday-night-due-to-unrest-1111608565.html

French Minister Says 45,000 Police Officers to Be Deployed on Saturday Night Due to Unrest

French Minister Says 45,000 Police Officers to Be Deployed on Saturday Night Due to Unrest

Around 45,000 police were deployed in Marseille and Lyon to address the riots there which were sparked by the death of a person in Nanterre who was shot by an officer during a traffic stop.

2023-07-01T22:07+0000

2023-07-01T22:07+0000

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"The plan remains unchanged on the national territory: 45,000 police officers and gendarmes, gendarmerie helicopters, BRI, Raid and GIGN units are deployed. In Marseille and Lyon, we have significantly strengthened the forces, as we are sending five units of the mobile forces to Marseille and five units of the mobile forces to Lyon, as well as to Grenoble, so that we can fully restore public order," Darmanin told French broadcaster BFMTV. On Friday, the riots were less intense, with the exception of Marseille and Lyon, the minister added. He also noted that the average age of 2,000 people detained in France in connection with the riots was 17 years. Earlier in the day, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said that about 30% of the 2,400 rioters detained by the police were minors. He recalled that parents whose children aged 13 and 14 participate in riots will face two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros ($32,764). On Tuesday, Nahel M. was shot dead in Nanterre after he had refused to comply with police orders during a traffic stop. The officer who pulled the trigger on the teenager has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and is in custody. The fatal police shooting sparked riots across the country. Violent protests have continued throughout the week, with injuries and detentions reported every day. French media said on Saturday, citing the interior ministry, that 1,311 were detained over the past night, including 406 in greater Paris. In addition, 1,350 cars and 234 buildings were set on fire, according to reports.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/hackers-get-access-to-personal-data-of-barts-health-nhs-trust---reports-1111594611.html

Hackers Get Access to Personal Data of Barts Health NHS Trust - Reports

Hackers Get Access to Personal Data of Barts Health NHS Trust - Reports

A trust of the United Kingdoms National Health Service (NHS) has been targeted by a cyber attack, resulting in a potential leak of personal data, according to media reports.

2023-07-01T04:56+0000

2023-07-01T04:56+0000

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The Barts Health NHS Trust with 2.5 million patients said on Friday that it was "urgently investigating" claims of a potential cyber attack, the newspaper said. Ransomware gang BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, has claimed to have gained access to employees personal data and financial information, as well as peoples confidential documents, The Telegraph said. The hackers reportedly gave Monday as the deadline before they start publishing sensitive information. The Barts Health NHS Trust includes six hospitals and ten clinics in East London. The Telegraph said that the United Kingdoms National Cyber Security Centre is investigating the cyber attack.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221115/nhs-trusts-brace-for-tough-winter-amid-concerns-over-waiting-lists-cancer-targets--poll-1104145387.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/head-of-us-space-command-comments-on-russia-china-hypersonic-weapons--1111597282.html

Head of US Space Command Comments on Russia, China Hypersonic Weapons

Head of US Space Command Comments on Russia, China Hypersonic Weapons

General James Dickinson, head of the US Space Command, addressed the issue of hypersonic weapons from Russia and China in an interview with British media.

2023-07-01T09:15+0000

2023-07-01T09:15+0000

2023-07-01T09:15+0000

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General James Dickinson, head of the US Space Command, addressed the issue of hypersonic weapons from Russia and China in an interview with British media. Dickinson reportedly said that the Pentagon remains confident in its capabilities amid concerns that the US is falling behind China in the space race. The head of Britain's Space Command, Air Commodore Paul Godfrey, for his part, told the media outlet that China could begin mining the moon and asteroids in the next few decades. He added that China and Russia are investing "billions" in space exploration and building space weapons.China's lunar probe program, named Chang'e after the heroine of ancient Chinese myths, consists of three stages: a flight around an artificial Earth satellite, a landing on the Moon, and a return from the Moon to Earth. The first lunar satellite, Chang'e-1, was launched in 2007 and was operating until 2009. The data it collected allowed Chinese scientists to create the first thermal map of the Moon.In 2019, China launched the next phase of its lunar program, the first-ever landing on the dark side of the Moon. The landing platform and Yutu-2 lunar rover have successfully operated in uncharted territory for several months, and continue to explore the Moon. Yutu-2 discovered two types of lunar mantle rocks on the Moon the existence of which scientists had doubted. On 24 November 2020, China launched the Chang'e-5 re-entry vehicle; on 1 December, it landed in a designated area on the visible side of the Moon; over the next two days, a drilling device and a manipulator with a bucket attached to the lander collected lunar soil, which was placed in a special compartment for take-off. The whole mission lasted 23 days. The Chang'e 5 spacecraft delivered 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth. It was the first lunar soil probe in 44 years. China was the third country to carry out such a mission, after the United States and the Soviet Union.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230418/artemis-ii-astronaut-russia-china-moon-cooperation-possible-but-will-take-leadership-1109639421.html

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A social media influencer, 30-year-old Katie Sorensen, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail after falsely claiming that a Latino couple tried to kidnap her children in 2020.

A judge sentenced a social media influencer, 30-year-old Katie Sorensen, to 9 days in jail after accusing a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her kids at a crafts store in Northern California in 2020.

The Sonoma County district attorney's office said the influencer could serve 60 days out of the 90-day conviction on a work-release program. Authorities convicted Sorensen in April for knowingly making a false report of a crime related to the 2020 incident.

Social Media Influencer Jailed Over False Kidnapping Report

Prosecutors argued that on Dec. 7, 2020, the social media influencer called the Petaluma Police Department claimed that a Latino couple tried to kidnap her two young children at a Michaels craft store. A week after the report, Sorensen posted a video on Instagram detailing the incident, which went viral.

The news put Sorensen in the spotlight and got her to talk at a local news program, where she repeated her claims. Prosecutors said that the influencer's report had been determined to have been false and resoundingly contradicting statements from the accused and video footage from the store authorities obtained, as per CBS News.

Reports noted that she enjoyed a modest following on her @motherhoodessentials Instagram account before Sorensen was charged. Videos she uploaded to her profile regarding the alleged kidnapping were viewed more than 4 million times, resulting in her gaining tens of thousands of new followers.

The Latino couple accused of kidnapping were Eddie Martinez and Sadie Vega-Martinez, who said she was happy about Sorensen's conviction. Sadie argued that the social media influencer avoided accountability for the incident for several years.

The judge responsible for the case also ordered Sorensen to 12 months of probation on top of the prison time. During that time, the influencer was ordered not to have any social media presence, submit to warrantless search and seizure, including her electronic devices, and complete a four-hour implicit bias training and various fines and fees.

Read Also: Sweden Under Fire After Man Burns Quran During Protest

Accusing a Latino Couple of Kidnapping

In Sorensen's initial videos, she sat inside her vehicle as she relayed her claims about Eddie and Sadie's alleged kidnapping attempt on her children. According to the Daily Mail, the social media influencer allegedly made the video to show her followers what signs to look out for to protect children from alleged kidnappers.

The social media influencer claimed that she heard the Latino couple talking about her children's ages and fair complexions when they were near the store's spray-paint aisle, then followed them out of the establishment.

Sorensen said that the couple held hands and walked about halfway around her car several times before Eddie tried to snatch her kid's stroller. She said she was grateful that an elderly man parked nearby noticed the situation, which caused the couple to flee inside their car.

Authorities closed the investigation into the Latino couple on Dec. 17, 2020, after finding "no evidence or witnesses corroborating" the social media influencer's account. A day after, Petaluma's police chief released a press statement that the report was false, clearing Eddie and Sadie's names, said Elle.

Related Article: Parkland Shooting Sheriff's Deputy Found Not Guilty on All Counts

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/hungarys-orban-weak-nations-will-perish-strong-will-survive-1111602762.html

Hungary's Orban: 'Weak Nations Will Perish, Strong Will Survive'

Hungary's Orban: 'Weak Nations Will Perish, Strong Will Survive'

Hungary must strengthen its own defense capabilities, as the time will come when weak nations will perish, and only the strong ones will remain, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday.

2023-07-01T13:18+0000

2023-07-01T13:18+0000

2023-07-01T13:18+0000

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Hungary must strengthen its own defense capabilities and law enforcement agencies, as the time will come when weak nations will perish, and only the strong ones will remain, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday.166 students of the Faculty of Law Enforcement were taking their oath of office at the event attended by Orban, Minister of the Interior Sandor Pinter, and Minister of National Defense Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky.The prime minister warned that the world is experiencing tremendous upheavals, and "strong people are greatly needed, because the truth is worth little without strength." Orban emphasized that Hungary must face up to the challenge that thousands of migrants from the south are "besieging our borders." In June, Viktor Orban had slammed the European Union's newly-adopted quotas for the equitable resettlement of migrants from the Middle East and across the Mediterranean Sea in EU member states.Addressing graduates on Saturday, the Hungarian PM emphasized that crime levels had gone down in the country, and today, "Hungary is one of the safest countries in Europe, or perhaps the safest," and we are all proud of that.As far back as in 2019, Viktor Orban has been urging the need for Hungary to beef up its military to defend itself.Orban also advocated for Europeans to be able to address security threats without US assistance. In 2022, the PM said that Hungary will speed up its defense development program to "radically increase our defense capabilities." He also emphasized that his country would not only refrain from supplying weapons to its neighbor, Ukraine, after the conflict there escalated, but would not permit such deliveries to transit through Hungarian territory. This was a matter of national security, Peter Szijjarto, minister of foreign affairs, underscored.On May 2-23, Hungary blocked the European Union from allocating its eighth 500 million aid package from the so-called European Peace Fund to pay for military assistance to the Kiev regime. Orban has insisted that the ongoing hostilities stem from a "failure of diplomacy." The politician has also offered especially harsh criticism of the European Unions aggressively anti-Russian policies. Rather than pursuing a strategy of further ramping up tensions, the veteran Hungarian leader urged an immediate end to escalation by the West.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230618/hungarian-pm-orban-slams-eus-newly-adopted-migrant-reception-quotas-1111266954.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230616/hungarys-orban-claims-only-trump-can-stop-ukraine-conflict-1111213248.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/israelis-protest-against-judicial-reform-in-tel-aviv-1111595691.html

Israelis Protest Against Judicial Reform in Tel Aviv

Israelis Protest Against Judicial Reform in Tel Aviv

Sputnik is live from Tel Aviv as protesters rally across the country for the 26th consecutive week against the governments plan to reform the judicial system.

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Sputnik is live from Tel Aviv as protesters rally across the country for the 26th consecutive week against the governments plan to reform the judicial system. Last week, during the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the opposition hadn't been negotiating in good faith and that his government would move ahead cautiously with the overhaul. Demonstrators continue to take to the streets, fearing that the reform will undermine democracy in Israel and bring the country to the brink of a social and constitutional crisis.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

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Mass protest in Tel Aviv against govt's judicial reforms Mass protest in Tel Aviv against govt's judicial reforms 2023-07-01T17:01+0000 true PT113M47S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/nearly-1000-people-detained-over-230-buildings-damaged-in-france-amid-unrest---reports-1111599059.html

Nearly 1,000 People Detained, Over 230 Buildings Damaged in France Amid Unrest - Reports

Nearly 1,000 People Detained, Over 230 Buildings Damaged in France Amid Unrest - Reports

Nearly 1,000 people have been detained in France overnight, around 1,350 cars and 234 buildings were set on fire during the continuing unrest in the country, French broadcaster reported on Saturday, citing the country's interior ministry.

2023-07-01T08:06+0000

2023-07-01T08:06+0000

2023-07-01T08:06+0000

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The report said that 994 people had been apprehended and that the protesters caused material damage by starting 2,560 fires in public places. The unrest also affected 31 police departments, 16 offices of the municipal police and 11 gendarmerie barracks, the broadcaster reported. Additionally, the preliminary data showed that 79 police officers and gendarmes had been wounded during the protests, according to the French Interior Ministry. On Tuesday, Nahel M. was shot dead in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after he had refused to comply with police orders during a traffic stop. The officer who pulled the trigger on the teenager has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and is in custody. The fatal police shooting sparked riots across the country. Violent protesters have clashed with police and set fire to public buildings and vehicles.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/over-45000-police-officers-mobilized-in-france-amid-unrest---interior-minister-1111591912.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/new-gop-kingmaker-moms-for-liberty-courted-by-republican-2024-hopefuls-1111597113.html

New GOP Kingmaker? Moms For Liberty Courted by Republican 2024 Hopefuls

New GOP Kingmaker? Moms For Liberty Courted by Republican 2024 Hopefuls

Moms for Liberty conservative social welfare non-profit, which actively opposes "woke" cancel culture, is emerging as a force to be rekoned with ahead of the 2024 US Presidential elections.

2023-07-01T09:17+0000

2023-07-01T09:17+0000

2023-07-01T09:32+0000

americas

us

2024 us presidential election

donald trump

ron desantis

nikki haley

philadelphia

republican

gop

southern poverty law center

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Moms for Liberty, a conservative social welfare non-profit, which actively opposes "woke" cancel culture and the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools, is emerging as a force to be reckoned with ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. Dubbed "culture warriors" by fans and decried as an "extremist organization" by critics, Moms for Liberty opened its four-day convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a critical swing state, on Thursday. The roster of speakers included a line-up of GOP presidential candidates comprising Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and political activist Vivek Ramaswamy.Culture WarriorsEstablished in January 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by three Florida women - all current and former school board members - Tina Descovich, Tiffany Justice, and Bridget Ziegler - Moms for Liberty currently boasts 285 chapters in 45 states, with around 120,000 members. The group has specifically underscored that it does not plan to endorse a presidential candidate. However, Moms for Liberty spearheads an agenda that has the power to rally electors - parents of school-age children, particularly suburban women. These are the voters who are increasingly concerned about attempts to "redefine morals and values that are in opposition to what the families are teaching in their homes," according to Descovich. Accordingly, Republican hopefuls have been increasingly courting Moms for Liberty, which bills itself as a group of joyful warriors out to restore parental rights in education.The GOP speaker lineup at the activist group's summit shows candidates have recognized that the number one domestic policy right now is the concern over the threat to parental rights and the failure of public education, said co-founder Tina Descovich.Co-founder Tiffany Justice added that, It means that, no matter who the nominee is, parents and students will be winning.For its struggle to grant increasingly more parental input over what schools teach, with less "indoctrination" about issues such as gender, race, and sexuality, Moms for Liberty was slammed as a "threat to free speech," and proclaimed an anti-government extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.Nikki Haley, the only woman currently running in the GOP field, told the convention, "When they mentioned this was a terrorist organization, I said, Well then count me a mom for liberty! One Republican state education official from Oklahoma was heard saying that the gathering was the most important conference to happen in Philadelphia since 1776, in a reference to the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.Among the keynote speakers was Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been actively engaging with the group. Pointing to the protests that the convention triggered in heavily Democratic Philadelphia, DeSantis quipped: That is a sign that we are winning this fight.DeSantis, running the closest to Trump in the crowded GOP field for nomination, denounced woke ideology, and the teaching of critical race theory in schools, touting some of the laws his state had adopted earlier. When he was reelected in the wake of Novembers midterms in the US last year, DeSantis endorsed 30 candidates for school boards, often able to exert influence on policy and curriculum, saying at the time that, Florida is where woke goes to die.Incidentally, Moms for Liberty, which rails against the over-the-top focus on a pro-LGBTQ agenda, and shared toilets and locker rooms for girls and boys in schools, threw its weight behind more than 270 school board candidates nationwide in 2022. In Florida, at least 61 of the 67 candidates supported by the "Moms" won, leaving the group "thrilled.""Nationwide, over 50 percent of our candidates won, after the organization shifted its focus solely on school board elections, school board races and what was happening in education," Tina Descovich, co-founder of the Moms for Liberty, told Sputnik in 2022.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221127/moms-for-liberty-ride-wave-of-support-for-non-woke-agenda-vow-to-unify-educate--empower-1104752952.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/oman-interested-in-welcoming-russian-companies-to-energy-market---business-council-1111596546.html

Oman Interested in Welcoming Russian Companies to Energy Market - Business Council

Oman Interested in Welcoming Russian Companies to Energy Market - Business Council

Oman is interested in the entry of Russian companies into the countrys energy market, and has suggested that the entities participate in tenders for minerals exploration and extraction, Vladimir Dergachev, Executive Director of the Russian-Oman Business Council, told Sputnik.

2023-07-01T06:10+0000

2023-07-01T06:10+0000

2023-07-01T06:10+0000

economy

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oman

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"During the last meeting in the spring of this year held at the Omani Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the new minister announced Oman's willingness to see Russian companies on the sultanates market. This statement was followed by a proposal to provide for the participation of our companies in tenders for the oil exploration and mining areas, after which we received the corresponding maps containing distinct areas of the subsoil plots with delineated borders," Dergachev told Sputnik. The business councils director said that the data had been handed over to Russian energy company Zarubezhneft and geological holding RosGeo, adding that the Omani side was awaiting their decision. Russia and Oman have been cooperating within the OPEC+ organization, which also includes Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Gabon. In April, the OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee announced that an additional voluntary reduction in the countries' oil production would amount to 1.66 million barrels per day by the end of 2023.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/over-45000-police-officers-mobilized-in-france-amid-unrest---interior-minister-1111591912.html

Over 45,000 Police Officers Mobilized in France Amid Unrest

Over 45,000 Police Officers Mobilized in France Amid Unrest

More than 45,000 law enforcement officers, including special units, are involved in the fight against riots in France, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

2023-07-01T00:45+0000

2023-07-01T00:45+0000

2023-07-01T04:33+0000

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Over 300 police officers and gendarmes were wounded in the first three days of unrest in France, Darmanin told French media on Friday. On Friday night, more than 45,000 police officers and gendarmes were mobilized across France, the interior minister said, adding that armored personnel carriers were deployed in the Paris region. French media reported citing a government source on Saturday that French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had urged all cabinet ministers to return to Paris and stay there amid ongoing unrest in the country. A Sputnik correspondent reported late Friday that police in Paris were detaining young people in the city streets amid expected protests. In Marseille, protesters were looting luxury shops on Friday night and at least 38 people were detained, reports detailed. Darmanin has asked Paris authorities to impose a temporary ban on the sale and transportation of fireworks, petrol canisters and other chemical and highly flammable substances from 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) until the riots subside. On Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the French government to "seriously address the deep problems of racism and discrimination in law enforcement" after a 17-year-old was killed by police in France.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230630/french-cabinet-orders-deployment-of-gendarmerie-armored-vehicles---reports-1111588306.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/poles-chide-warsaw-for-cozying-up-with-kiev-as-wwii-massacre-anniversary-nears-1111606616.html

Poles Chide Warsaw for Cozying Up With Kiev as WWII Massacre Anniversary Nears

Poles Chide Warsaw for Cozying Up With Kiev as WWII Massacre Anniversary Nears

Warsaw has been at the forefront of supporting the Wests efforts to integrate Ukraine into NATO and the European Union after the 2014 coup in Kiev.

2023-07-01T18:31+0000

2023-07-01T18:31+0000

2023-07-01T18:33+0000

world

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volodymyr zelensky

leszek miller

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Polish President Andrzej Dudas choice of words in comments about the need to avoid stirring up a painful historical spat with Ukraine have sparked outrage in Poland."We are conducting a peaceful policy, not a policy of running with pitchforks. A policy of calmly seeking agreement on historically difficult matters which are many decades old, very complicated, and extremely painful for many of our compatriots," Duda said in interview on Friday after visiting Kiev earlier in the week to meet with President Zelensky.The remarks were met with a sharp rebuke from prominent Poles, including former prime minister Leszek Miller, who suggested that Duda "does not want to remember the Ukrainians who ran with pitchforks and used them to murder Poles, especially women and children."Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, a well-known Polish-Armenian Roman Catholic priest who has spent much of his life seeking justice for Volhynia's victims, including his family members, called Duda's comments "shameful," saying the president "promised the families of the victims of genocide a decent burial and did nothing for eight years."The UPAs brutality has been well documented, with militia members known to have traveled from village to village to eliminate undesirables, burning down entire settlements and using knives and axes against victims to save bullets.In an interview with Polish media on Friday, Isakowicz-Zaleski accused President Duda "and his dear friend Zelensky" of waiting for the generation of Poles who remember the Volhynia massacres to die out and for people to forget about it.President Duda called out Isakowicz-Zaleski over his criticism of Polish government policy on the issue, saying he would prefer for the priest "not to deal with politics, but do what a priest should do."Between 100,000 and 400,000 Ukrainians are estimated to have fought in the UPA's ranks during WWII, a drop in the bucket compared to the six million who served in the Red Army and hundreds of thousands engaged in anti-fascist partisan operations in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. In contemporary Ukraine, the UPA has been lionized as heroes, with monuments to their leaders erected in some cities, streets renamed in their honor, textbooks whitewashing their crimes, and a march commemorating UPA leader Stepan Banderas birth carried out in Kiev every year.Ultranationalists inspired by the UPA played a major role in the February 2014 coup, and volunteered en masse to join Kiev's operations to try to crush Donbass peoples militias formed in the spring of that year to resist the new authorities' anti-Russian crackdown.* Recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia since 2014

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230614/polish-repair-hub-for-kievs-leopards-amplifies-national-security-risks-1111153876.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230617/german-mp-blasts-bandera-baerbocks-and-volodymyr-habecks-over-ukraine-aid-1111252611.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/report-cia-chief-made-secret-trip-to-ukraine-to-discuss-battle-plans-ceasefire-talks-1111592249.html

Report: CIA Chief Made Secret Trip to Ukraine to Discuss Battle Plans, Ceasefire Talks

Report: CIA Chief Made Secret Trip to Ukraine to Discuss Battle Plans, Ceasefire Talks

The head of the CIA in a secret trip to Ukraine reportedly held talks with officials on an ambitious strategy to retake territory from Russia and open ceasefire talks with Moscow by year-end.

2023-07-01T01:29+0000

2023-07-01T01:29+0000

2023-07-01T05:00+0000

world

volodymyr zelensky

joe biden

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bill burns

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Citing officials familiar with the visit, US media reported that CIA Director William Burns during the trip in June met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraines top intelligence officials. The purpose of the visit was to reaffirm the Biden administrations commitment to sharing intelligence designed to help Ukraine in the conflict. Ukraine officials told Burns they aim to move artillery and missile systems near the boundary line of Crimea and push further into eastern Ukraine by the fall. Then Kiev intends to open negotiations with Moscow for the first time since they broke down in March of last year, the report said, citing people involved with the planning. Officials reportedly later said they hope by agreeing not to take Crimea, Russia would accept whatever security guarantees Kiev can secure from the West.One Ukrainian official told the outlet "the US agrees that Ukraine should enter the negotiations from a strong position." The CIA refused to comment when asked about Burns' assessment of Kiev's plans, the report said. Burns trip occurred just before Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin's aborted mutiny. The report said the US intelligence community had detected in mid-June that Prigozhin was plotting something, but that those findings were not relayed to Ukrainian officials. According to the report, Kiev is under extraordinary pressure from Western allies that provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weaponry ahead of the counteroffensive. Earlier Friday, US media reported that Burns recently called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin, to inform him that the United States had no involvement in Prigozhin's aborted mutiny.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230627/whole-logic-of-west-us-eu-want-to-weaken-russia-through-ukraine-1111488047.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/russia-unveils-all-season-uniform-for-soldiers-fighting-in-special-op-zone-1111596779.html

Russia Unveils All-Season Uniform For Soldiers Fighting in Special Op Zone

Russia Unveils All-Season Uniform For Soldiers Fighting in Special Op Zone

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage of the new uniforms for servicemen fighting in special military operation.

2023-07-01T08:00+0000

2023-07-01T08:00+0000

2023-07-01T08:00+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

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Russia's Defense Ministry has released video footage of the new uniforms for servicemen fighting in the special military operation. Uniforms are made from ultra-modern combined materials, which protect vulnerable parts of the body such as the joints, and prevent a soldier from freezing or sweating. The set consists of a jacket, pants and a combat shirt, as well as a wind and waterproof suit.Russian fighters have also received new boots which have a nubuck exterior, mesh on the sides, and a membrane which prevents servicemen from sweating.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/russian-forces-repel-another-ukrainian-counteroffensive-attempt-near-bakhmut---source-1111607481.html

Russian Forces Repel Another Ukrainian Counteroffensive Attempt Near Bakhmut - Source

Russian Forces Repel Another Ukrainian Counteroffensive Attempt Near Bakhmut - Source

The Ukrainian military unsuccessfully attempted to conduct an offensive near the village of Berkhovka in the Artemovsk (Bakhmut) district of the Donetsk People's Republic on Saturday

2023-07-01T19:04+0000

2023-07-01T19:04+0000

2023-07-01T19:04+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

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ukraine

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In total, over 300 soldiers, six tanks and 10 armored combat vehicles took part in the offensive, the source added. Ukraine has touted its coming offensive since late 2022. It was first scheduled for the spring, then rescheduled to the summer. The Ukrainian government said the postponement was due to a shortage of weapons, all while pushing its Western donors to supply progressively heavier arms, including tanks, drones and fighter jets. Ukrainian troops launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the South Donetsk direction on June 4 but failed to achieve their goals, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Since then, the Ukrainian military has been trying to break through the defense lines of the Russian armed forces in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions, but their attempts have been unsuccessful and Ukraine has suffered heavy losses in armored equipment and manpower.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/what-types-of-tanks-does-ukraine-have-and-how-many-are-left-1111604127.html

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North Korea responds to reports of Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-Eun's entry request into the country.

North Korea's foreign ministry says the country has no intention to "examine" the Hyundai Group chief's bid to visit the North.

North Korea Responds to Hyundai Chief's Visit Requests

As per a report by Reuters, the North has finally responded to the reports spreading in the South that Hyundai Chair Jeong-eun has been requesting to visit North Korea this August. She has reportedly sent her applications to the unification Ministry of the South.

The North says in its statement that it has no idea about any South Korean person's bid to visit the country. It notes that it has "neither been informed about any [South] Korean personage's willingness for visit nor known about it."

On top of that, North Korea stresses that if the Hyundai Chief requested to enter the country, they have "no intention to examine."

The North explains that the "unchangeable" rules prevent any South Korean from entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK. It states, "It is the policy of the DPRK government that entry by any personage of South Korea into its territory cannot be allowed." Furthermore, the government reiterated that they plan to continue the practice.

Meanwhile, The Star Malaysia reports that there have been some changes in the unification ministry's leadership. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed a staunch critic of North Korea's human rights records as the new unification minister responsible for handling diplomatic relations with the North.

Read Also: North Korea Fakes SoKor's Naver Website! NIS Now Accusing Pyongyang Of Data Theft

Hyundai Chief's Bid to Visit Mount Kumgang

As The Korea Times reports, an unnamed South Korean unification ministry official disclosed on Friday that Hyundai Group's Chair has been seeking to drop by North Korea's Mount Kumgang.

Jeong-eun reportedly plans to visit the North this August. She previously held her late husband, former chairman Chung Mong-hun's memorial service in the North Korean mountain in 2018. She also hosted various sightseeing programs at Mount Kumgang.

It is noteworthy that Hyundai's late founder Chung Ju-Yun's birthplace is North Korea. And August 4 marks the 20th death anniversary of the late former chairman, Mong-hun.

The unnamed official disclosed that the Korea Times says that Hyundai Group officials have already submitted the necessary documents for its chairwoman's visit to the unification ministry. Meanwhile, the ministry is reportedly looking into the documents the Korean conglomerate sent.

Related Article: North Korea Allegedly Fires Ballistic Missiles Into Japan's Sea; PM Kishida Calls It 'Voilent Action'

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/scott-ritter-ukraines-growing-addiction-to-foreign-mercenaries-1111597466.html

Scott Ritter: Ukraines Growing Addiction to Foreign Mercenaries

Scott Ritter: Ukraines Growing Addiction to Foreign Mercenaries

A Russian missile strike on a popular restaurant in the city of Kramatorsk has set off a wave of discussion over the presence of foreign military personnel in Ukraine.

2023-07-01T12:00+0000

2023-07-01T12:00+0000

2023-07-01T12:00+0000

ukraine

kramatorsk

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The Russian Ministry of Defense has described the target as a gathering place for the command and officers of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian army and claims to have killed scores of Ukrainian soldiersand foreign mercenaries.While the Ukrainian government has not made any mention of the presence of foreign volunteers/mercenaries at the Del Rio Pizzeria, video from the scene of the attack shows numerous personnel in uniform, many of whom are obviously foreigners, congregated at the scene, providing first aid, and helping rescue victims. The presence of military vehicles near the destroyed restaurant reinforces the Russian contention that there was a congregation of military personnel at the time of the attack. This would appear to lay to rest any question about the legality of the Russian strikeit conformed with the accepted precepts set forth under the laws of war.The legal status of the foreign personnel working alongside the Ukrainian army is not so certain. The fact that many are dressed in camouflage uniforms and engage in social media activity which advertises the military/paramilitary aspects of the work they are engaged in only reinforces the reality that not only are they legitimate targets under the laws of war, but also the fact that they themselves most likely lack any protections under international humanitarian law when it comes to being treated as lawful combatants.The lack of legal status, however, does not appear to serve as a deterrent for the scores of foreign soldiers of fortune that had congregated at the Del Rio Pizzeria, or the thousands of others who, like them, had travelled to Ukraine to participate in a war with Russia that is entering its sixteenth month, and which has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom are combatants fighting on the side of Ukraine. The presence of these foreigners in such numbers under such conditions is suggestive of two unescapable realties: that there is a high demand for their services, and that foreign governments are actively facilitating the availability of personnel possessing skill sets attractive to the Ukrainian military.An examination of the 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade might provide better insight into both the role played by the foreigners that had been congregated in Kramatorsk, and the scope and scale of their involvement. When the Special Military Operation began, the 56th Brigade was stationed in Mariupol, and was in the process of transitioning into a naval infantry (Marine) unit. The brigade was largely destroyed in the subsequent fighting for the city, and the surviving remnants reconstituted using mobilized personnel from the territorial forces. Most recently, the 56th Brigade was operating in the vicinity of the city of Bakhmut, where once again it suffered heavy casualties.The 56th Brigade was withdrawn to the vicinity of Kramatorsk, where it was scheduled to be reinforced, refitted, and re-trained, before returning to the front lines. The Ukrainian army is currently beset with many problems, among which include a chronic shortage of manpower, and the unavailability of time to adequately train replacements being sent to the frontlines. This is where the foreign fighters enter the mix. Many of the foreigners self-described themselves as being involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers. As such, it makes sense that they would congregate in the vicinity of Ukrainian forces being prepared for combat duty and, as such, in need of specialized training, including medical and basic weapons handling.Other foreigners have taken a more hands-on approach, volunteering to serve as combatants with the Ukrainian army. As casualties mount among the Ukrainian soldiers, so, too, does the demand for fighters to replace the fallen, a demand which is becoming more difficult to meet with Ukrainians. As a result, more and more foreigners are being integrated, either as individual replacements or through their incorporation in groups of varying size, into the combat and combat support formations of the Ukrainian army.Foreigners have been dying in the service of Ukraine in increasing numbers, an indication of their growing presence on the battlefield. As the presence of foreign mercenaries in Kramatorsk shows, these casualties have not served to deter others from following in their footsteps. As the SMO continues down its bloody path, the demand for qualified personnel to man the Ukrainian army will only increase, which means that the demand for foreign personnel to meet these manning requirements will likewise grow.While it is difficult to put an exact percentage on the foreign participation in relationship to the strength of the Ukrainian army, it is safe to say that it is steadily growing. As such, it is not a far stretch to conclude that foreign personnel play a vital role in sustaining the ability of the Ukrainian army to continue to wage war against Russia. This large number of foreigners in service to Ukraine cannot happen in a political vacuum, and as such is reflective of the growing willingness of nations supportive of Ukraines war effort to tolerate the presence of their citizens at the front lines. However, this presence does not come without risk or cost, as the events in Kramatorsk tragically underscored.The SMO isnt going to end anytime soon. And if more foreign soldiers of fortune continue to arrive in Ukraine to fight in this conflict, one thing is for certain: many of them will be going home in a body bag.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230629/two-ukrainian-generals-20-foreign-mercenaries-destroyed-in-strike-on-kramatorsk---russian-mod-1111545242.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230629/fact-check-what-was-real-spot-of-russias-strike-in-kramatorsk-1111542792.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/scotus-rules-on-student-debt-france-protests-palestinian-land-1111592596.html

SCOTUS Rules on Student Debt, France Protests, Palestinian Land

SCOTUS Rules on Student Debt, France Protests, Palestinian Land

European governments cajole companies to bring down prices and Hunter Biden takes an unusual child support settlement.

2023-07-01T04:04+0000

2023-07-01T04:04+0000

2023-07-01T09:56+0000

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SCOTUS Rules on Student Debt, France Protests, Palestinian Land European governments cajole companies to bring down prices and Hunter Biden takes an unusual child support settlement.

Constitutional scholar and former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Fein discusses this weeks Supreme Court rulings, President Joe Bidens student debt forgiveness plan, and university admission standards. He also discusses whether the court even requires an injured party to hear a case, historical examples of justices criticizing each other, and how the court could pressure Congress to resume its job of governing.Organizer for the Palestinian Youth Movement Zaid Khatib discusses a new report detailing the lengths a "liberal" Israel government went to to dispossess Palestinians of their land in the 1970s, how the Israeli government uses settlers to achieve their land grabs, an appropriate response by the international community to illegal settlements, and the case of Palestinian political prisoner Walid Daqqah.Political analyst and professor of English literature and Orientalism Mohamed Marandi discusses the suspension of US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley, ongoing backdoor negotiations between Iran and the United States, Washingtons push for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, how relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are developing, and the US role in peace negotiations in Yemen.Co-host of the Final Countdown on Radio Sputnik political cartoonist, and author Ted Rall discusses the anti-police protests spreading across France, the fascist historical roots behind the National Police forces, and how the Left in France would have a chance at governing.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/scotus-strikes-down-biden-loan-forgiveness-and-more-biden-crime-family-bribery-details-1111591126.html

SCOTUS Strikes Down Biden Loan Forgiveness and More Biden Crime Family Bribery Details

SCOTUS Strikes Down Biden Loan Forgiveness and More Biden Crime Family Bribery Details

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Poland seeking US nuclear weapons, and Malaria found in Florida mosquitoes.

2023-07-01T04:24+0000

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2023-07-01T10:12+0000

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SCOTUS Strikes Down Biden Loan Forgiveness and More Biden Crime Family Bribery Details On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Poland seeking US nuclear weapons, and Malaria found in Florida mosquitoes.

Andrii Telizhenko - Ukrainian Whistleblower | Ukraine is the Opposite of a Democracy, Soros Involvement in Ukraine, and Victor PinchukTyler Nixon - Attorney, Media Relations Specialist | The Most Ignored Issue in America, Tucker is the Biggest Media Name in America, and SCOTUS Makes the Right Decisions In the first hour, Lee spoke with Andrii Telizhenko about the Biden crime family involvement in Ukraine, Blue Star Strategies, and the public relations groups that helped the 2014 Maidan in Ukraine. Andrii discussed why Joe Biden pushed for the firing of the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine and how Ukrainian people felt after Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma. Andrii detailed the years of corruption within Ukraine and how the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) was used as an FBI operation.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tyler Nixon about the unbelievable level of corruption in the federal government, Fox News has lost large portions of viewers, and the lack of cohesion in modern America. Tyler talked about the way China operates in the geopolitical sphere and how the Biden's have threatened Chinese nationals. Tyler commented on the recent decisions by the Supreme Court and the problems with judicial activism.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/spacex-falcon-9-launches-esas-dark-universe-mission--1111595271.html

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission

Sputnik is live as the European Space Agency (ESA) launches its Euclid spacecraft, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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2023-07-01T14:34+0000

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Sputnik comes live as the European Space Agency (ESA) launches its Euclid spacecraft, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on Saturday, 1 July. The mission is in partnership with NASA, which provided critical hardware for the crafts instruments, as well as funding and data processing. The mission will use a whole panoply of instruments to study the properties of dark matter and dark energy, as well as their interaction with normal matter.The scientific community expects to be able to use this valuable information to confront what the project manager of Euclid, Giuseppe Racca, describes as a "cosmic embarrassment": the fact that a staggering 95 percent of the universe remains shrouded in mystery to mankind. Approximately 70 percent of the universe is believed to consist of dark energy, a force responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe. Dark matter - which is believed to make up approximately 80 percent of the universe's mass - is estimated to account for 25 percent of it and is thought to play a crucial role in maintaining the cohesion of the universe.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission 2023-07-01T14:33+0000 true PT113M05S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/state-department-review-blames-biden-for-afghan-withdrawal-debacle-1111607595.html

State Department Review Blames Biden for Afghan Withdrawal Debacle

State Department Review Blames Biden for Afghan Withdrawal Debacle

Taliban fighters overran all the Afghan provinces in August 2021, catching evacuating US and allied forces off-guard, and leading the Kabul government to crumble in their wake.

2023-07-01T19:11+0000

2023-07-01T19:11+0000

2023-07-01T19:15+0000

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President Biden, his administration and predecessor Donald Trump bear responsibility for the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, a State Department report has concluded.The report indicated that the Biden administrations nod on accelerating the evacuation of Afghans who had assisted US and NATO forces over the course of the 20-year occupation of the country helped trigger a domino effect which ultimately led to the Western-backed governments disintegration.The accelerated withdrawal of US troops which began in April 2021, after Biden gave the go-ahead to proceed with Trumps promised exit, had "serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security," the report said, noting that "during both administrations there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow."The State Department also rapped the Biden White House over its decision in the spring of 2021 to hand the strategic Bagram Air Base to the Afghan government, thus ensuring that the smaller Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul became "the only avenue for a possible noncombatant evacuation operation."Additionally, the report said, organizational issues hindered the State Departments operational planning of the evacuation and it "was unclear who in the Department had the lead in the process. The lack of guidance from senior Biden administration officials on which Afghans were to be counted as at-risk "added significantly to the challenges the Department and [the military] faced during the evacuation."The Biden administration has faced significant flak over the speedy collapse of the NATO-backed Afghan government within months of the presidents announcement that Washington would be exiting the country after 20 years of occupation and $2 trillion spent fighting the Taliban. The Afghan withdrawal debacle has been compared in scale to the humiliating US withdrawal from Saigon in 1975.Former President Trump, who got the ball rolling on the US exit from Afghanistan in 2020 and committed to withdraw US forces by the spring of 2021 in exchange for a halt to attacks on American troops, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government on a negotiated settlement, criticized his successor repeatedly over the manner through which the withdrawal took place. Trump has not elaborated much on what he would do differently, except to say that he would not hand over Bagram Air Base under any circumstances, including after US forces were gone from the rest of the country.* Under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230606/secret-cable-debunks-biden-claim-of-being-caught-off-guard-by-kabuls-sudden-2021-collapse-1110964377.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230428/thousands-of-afghans-entitled-to-uk-asylum-left-behind-after-pullout-1109913160.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/ukraine-orders-monks-to-leave-kiev-pechersk-lavra-by-july-4-1111606386.html

Ukraine Orders Monks to Leave Kiev-Pechersk Lavra by July 4

Ukraine Orders Monks to Leave Kiev-Pechersk Lavra by July 4

The Ukrainian Culture Ministry has created a commission for sealing the premises of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and urged the monks of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to vacate the monastery before July 4

2023-07-01T17:27+0000

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2023-07-01T18:47+0000

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The UOC said that the demand to vacate the monastery was illegal and arbitrary.The UOC Legal Department urged the reserve and members of the commission not to violate the law and to wait for the legal decision of the court.Tensions between the Kiev regime and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church escalated after the start of Russian special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities started a crackdown on the Orthodox community, accusing believers of having ties with Russia.Kiev has ordered UOC monks to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, claiming they allegedly violated the terms of the lease. The Lavras jurisdiction was divided between the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve and the UOC itself.Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said then the monks could stay in the Lavra if they join the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), created by Ukrainian authorities to put the Christians across the country under the government's control. The monks refused and slammed the eviction order as illegal because it was not supported by a court decision.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230611/kiev-pechersk-lavra-blocked-by-police-and-armed-forces--reports-1111066481.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230410/ukrainian-orthodox-church-parishioners-defend-alexander-nevsky-cathedral-from-kievs-henchmen-1109322411.html

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Russia has criticized the implementation of the agreement, saying the majority of the exports were ending up in the countries of the collective West and only a small amount in the third world. In addition, Russia has complained the agreement was not implemented fully since the Western sanctions against Russia were not removed for exports of Russian grain and fertilizer.

On May 18, 2023, Russia extended the agreement for an additional 60 days, until July 17. However, Moscow has repeatedly warned it will not extend the agreement if not implemented in full.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/weekly-news-wrap-up-russian-missile-strike-hits-ukrainian-command-center-will-us-attack-cuba-1111591506.html

Weekly News Wrap Up; Russian Missile Strike Hits Ukrainian Command Center; Will US Attack Cuba?

Weekly News Wrap Up; Russian Missile Strike Hits Ukrainian Command Center; Will US Attack Cuba?

A meeting of Ukrainian military officers and foreign mercenaries was hit by a Russian missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk.

2023-07-01T04:14+0000

2023-07-01T04:14+0000

2023-07-01T10:01+0000

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Weekly News Wrap Up; Russian missile Strike Hits Ukrainian Command Center; Will US Attack Cuba? A meeting of Ukrainian military officers and foreign mercenaries was hit by a Russian missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk.

Caleb Maupin, journalist, and political analyst, joins us to discuss this week's important news stories. A meeting of Ukrainian military officers and foreign mercenaries was hit by a Russian missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk. Also, President Biden seems to be dealing with a cognitive impairment and the EU will not decouple from China.Darryl Jones, attorney, and voting rights activist, joins us to discuss this week's important news stories. The Supreme Court has issued rulings on affirmative action and is expected to rule on student loan forgiveness soon.Laith Marouf, broadcaster, and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss this week's important news stories. Israel is putting forth a program for a massive expansion of settlements. Also, the US is angry at Israel for leaking information regarding Iran talks.Ajamu Baraka, 2016 US vice presidential candidate for the Green Party, and Dr. Margaret Flowers, activist, and editor of "PopularResistance.org," come together to discuss this week's important news stories. The Democratic party can't be trusted to lead a revolution. Also, Donald Trump bragged about his regime change operations in Venezuela.Jim Kavanagh, whose work can be found at Jim Kavanagh's Substack, thepolemicist.net, and Counterpunch, and Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, come together to discuss this week's important news stories. The 2024 presidential race is heating up, and President Biden faces harsh criticism of his neocon foreign policy. Also, Matt Gaetz wanted to attack Cuba, and the Ukrainian offensive had no chance.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 critical hour, kramatorsk strike, who's winning in ukraine, affirmative action, student loan forgiveness, matt gaetz, us-cuba relations
The first Triple Crown jewels went to Yonkers Trot champion Up Your Deo and Messenger Stakes winner Captain Batboy during Friday night stakes action at MGM Yonkers Raceway.

Up Your Deo, fresh off a track record win in his elimination a week ago, kicked off this year's Trotting Triple Crown with a 1:53.3 triumph for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt in the $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot for three-year-old colts and geldings.

Starting from post two, Up Your Deo, who miscued briefly past the start in his elimination score, got away cleanly this time and settled in third behind Chapercraz (Yannick Gingras) and Ari Ferrari J (Dexter Dunn). Chapercraz posted opening-half fractions of :28 and :57.2, with Svanstedt waiting until early on the third turn to move out first-over. Unfortunately for Svanstedt, his other horse in the race, Kierkegaard K (Mark MacDonald) went off-stride as he was flushing out Up Your Deo to follow, spoiling his chances of success.

Chapercraz quickened once Up Your Deo pulled and maintained command at the three-quarters in 1:25.3, but Up Your Deo had advanced in second on the outside at that point. They continued to race in that order around the final bend and into the stretch. Chapercraz was game as he tried to fend off his rival, but Up Your Deo sailed by halfway through the drive on his way to the win by three-quarters of a length. Chapercraz was the runner-up, with Ari Ferrari J, Devilish Hill (Andy McCarthy) and Tillios Action (Jordan Stratton) finishing third through fifth.

"I had to ask him a little. He answered immediately, then it was an easy win," remarked Svanstedt. "I don't know the schedule right now, but I hope [he's a Hambletonian horse]. We're going for that."

Bred by co-owner Deo Volente Farms, the victorious Walner colt is also co-owned by Svanstedt, Suleyman Yuksel Stables Inc. and Van Camp Trotting Corp. Up Your Deo now has three wins, three seconds and two thirds from 12 efforts and has earned $281,487.

He returned $3.40 to win as the 3-5 favourite. The exacta was worth $21.20 and the trifecta kicked back $70.

"The horse has come along really extremely well. He had bad luck as a two-year-old," said Mike Gulotta of Deo Volente Farms. "We were very lucky to own a piece of this horse. I actually went to congratulate Sarah Svanstedt for buying the horse. He was a $100,000 Walner and she said, 'Well, I have 20 per cent left, do you want it?' and I said, 'Absolutely.'"

"Mike Gulotta is like my brother. I invested in Deo Volente Farms and when I started watching the horse, I said this horse has talent," remarked Tom Pontone, another partner in Deo Volente. "The best part about it is we still own the mare and we still have a foal on the ground. She's pregnant now, so we hope for great things to come in years to come."

Gulotta added that Up Your Deo is heavily staked for the remainder of his sophomore campaign.

The companion filly race to the MGM Yonkers Trot, the $100,000 New York New York Mile, went to 8-1 shot Secret Volo, driven by Brian Sears.

She shot to the early lead from post seven but ended up third past the :27.1 opening quarter as first Walner Payton (Dexter Dunn) and then heavy favourite Sadie Hanover (Scott Zeron) moved by her. Sadie Hanover clicked off the half in :56.1 and the three-quarters in 1:25.1, with Sears tipping and rolling Secret Volo first-over passing the latter station. Secret Volo advanced to battle with Sadie Hanover, but it was a quick duel as Secret Volo took the top spot on the rim midway through the final bend, and after Sears kicked out the earplugs coming off the turn, Secret Volo widened on her rivals to prevail by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:00.4 for the mile and a sixteenth distance. Walner Payton, Sadie Hanover, Warrawee Yes (George Brennan) and Tipsy Moni (Jim Marohn Jr.) completed the top five.

"She's a great filly," said winning trainer Marcus Melander. "She was second behind Special Way last time. The eight-hole didn't bother that much to be honest because she was going around there very good. It was exciting, of course. She's proven herself before that she can race against the best ones. She's been very unlucky in these big races because she draws bad every time. I don't want to blame that, but she really does. She's racing good every week.

"She's probably got the Delvin Miller in two weeks at the Meadowlands," he added.

A daughter of Walner bred by Jorgen Jahre and Kentuckiana Farms and owned by Heights Stable, Rick Wahlstedt and Kenneth Kjellgren, Secret Volo made her third appearance in the winner's circle and has now banked $307,255.

She paid $19.60 to win and keyed a $72.50 exacta and a $164.50 trifecta.

Captain Batboy and driver Jordan Stratton made every call a winning one, capturing the $250,000 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, the first jewel of Pacing's Triple Crown, in a sparkling 1:57.4 clocking for the mile and one-sixteenth distance.

A son of Captainreacherous, Captain Batboy, a winner of just $107,078 entering the race, more than doubled his earnings for owner Joseph Smith and trainer Tom Fanning.

With 10 horses in the field, the Messenger was turned into an added-distance affair, in an attempt to balance out the odds for the trailers. The action was hot and heavy with the longer run into the first turn as Strengthfromabove (Yannick Gingras) jetted to the front followed by American Fling (Jason Bartlett). American Fling had the lead early, but Captain Batboy and Stratton used most of the quarter before clearing in a wicked opening fraction of 26 seconds.

The 7-5 favoured Seven Colors pulled early on the second turn for Tim Tetrick, hoping to fish out cover and he was followed by Its A Me Mario (Brian Sears) and Bamboozler (Dexter Dunn), with the latter two racing parked out from the outset. Annapolis Hanover and driver Hunter Myers saw Tetrick coming and pulled late on the second turn to challenge for the front. With all the jostling for position behind him, Stratton was able to stall the second quarter to get to the half in just :54.3, and that was too slow for some, including Strengthfromabove and Gingras, who was parallel to the ground while trying to keep his horse safely in the three-hole. Tyler Buter had even more trouble following fourth along the pylons with Thunder Hunter Joe and briefly veered off following the half but did not interfere with Its A Me Mario, with Sears steering around the potential incident and losing no ground.

The outer flow stalled as Stratton kept the motor running on Captain Batboy as he passed three-quarters in 1:22.4 and fought off pressure from Annapolis Hanover. Seven Colors came wide, as did Bamboozler, but neither was able to fire, leaving the top three along the pylons with freedom to pace as hard as necessary. Gingras angled Strengthfromabove to the outside late on the final turn and made a race of it, but after passing the mile marker in 1:50.4, Captain Batboy still had a final sixteenth of seven seconds to his credit and held his rival at bay for the biggest win of his young career. Strengthfromabove was a clear second, with Thunder Hunter Joe pacing home well for third. American Fling, the early leader, faded to fourth, with Joemikiyoursofine (Scott Zeron) never leaving the pylons and gaining the fifth cheque.

"He races best on the front-end," said Stratton following the victory. "He was really sharp qualifying last week at the Meadowlands and was as good tonight."

As the 2-1 second choice, Captain Batboy returned $6 to win. The exacta was worth $40.60 and the trifecta paid $377.50. A 10-cent superfecta returned a healthy $113.65 with the favourite out of the money.

In the companion $115,000 Park MGM Pace for the fillies, Earthwindfire, the odds-on favourite, was able to clear to the point early on from post five for Tim Tetrick, posted fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:24.2, and held on through the stretch to the wire, defeating pocket-sitter Ucandoit Blue Chip (Scott Zeron) by a nose in 1:53. Turn On The Charm (Marcus Miller) rallied from second-over to be third, followed by Treacherous Penny (Andy McCarthy) and True Blue Hanover (Jason Bartlett).

"It was a good effort," said winning trainer Brett Pelling. "She's a better chaser, but she's had a couple weeks now where she's been in front. She has great speed and I guess when they have speed, the drivers utilize it. She was good.

"I think her next race will be at Tioga, which is like two and a half weeks from now," he added.

Pelling trains Earthwindfire, a daughter of American Ideal bred by Stephen Dey III, for owners Mel Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Tulip Racing. Earthwindfire has a record of 9-4-0 from 14 starts and pushed her earnings to $436,250.

She paid $3.30 to win and was atop an $8.40 exacta and a $25.20 trifecta.

(With files from Yonkers Raceway; Photos clockwise from top left: Up Your Deo, Captain Batboy, Earthwindfire and Secret Volo)
Four divisions each of three-year-old colt pacers and trotters will wrap up the third leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series on Sunday and Monday (July 2 & 3) at MGM Northfield Park.

Each of the four $20,000 divisions of sophomore pacers will feature at least one previous winner in the series.

In the first division, Gettingyoursealegs is the morning line favourite. The Downbytheseaside gelding has hit the board in six of seven this year, winning two for trainer Ron Burke.



Brian Brown will send the favourite, Surfside Beach, to the gate in the second division. Also a son of Downbytheseaside, Surfside Beach has one win in three starts.

The third division is packed with four previous winners. Donttouchmytruck and Quick Trick are the top two choices, both are by Racing Hill. Both Donttouchmytruck, trained by Judy Roegner, and the Jeff Conger-trained Quick Trick have won three of eight starts this year.

The other two winners are by Fear The Dragon. Calvin Hollars Dragon Candy will look for his fifth win of the year, while Jessica McCowns Boundtobefearless will try to score for the fourth time this season.



Boardwalk Jack will look for his second win in the series in the final division. The Burke trainee is by Downbytheseaside and has three wins this year.

Three other leg winners, Liteningonthebeach, Primary Driver, and Seafire will race in the third leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes on Saturday (July 1) at Eldorado Scioto Downs, while Under Your Scars a winner in the first leg will sit out the third leg of both the Buckeye Stallion Series and the Ohio Sires Stakes.

Each of the four $20,000 divisions for three-year-old trotters will have a past series winner in the field.

In the first division, Vondell Kemp will look for his third win of the year. The son of What The Hill is trained by Tyler Bates.

Chris Beaver trainee Domovy is the favourite in the second division. The Triumphant Caviar gelding has hit the board in five of eight starts, winning two.

The third division features Fiesty Sam, who has also won two of eight starts this year. The son of Victory Sam is trained by Matthew Brown.

Long Tom Jess, the favourite in the fourth division, will look for his second win of the year. He has hit the board in six of nine starts for trainer Rosy Weaver.

Two-time Stallion Series winner Burtons Hill is scheduled to race in the third leg of the Ohio Sires Stakes on Tuesday (July 4) at Eldorado Scioto Downs

First race post time for both cards at MGM Northfield Park is 6 p.m.

(Ohio Harness Horsemens Association)
(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A Jan. 6 rioter was arrested near former United States President Barack Obama's Washington, D.C., home and authorities discovered firearms and 400 rounds of ammunition inside his van.

Authorities arrested a Jan. 6, 2021, rioter near former United States President Obama's Washington, DC, home and found that he had guns and 400 rounds of ammunition.

On Friday, a federal prosecutor said in court that the man, identified as 37-year-old Taylor Taranto, who was first noted by online sleuths in August 2021, also had a machete inside his van, which he appeared to be living in, where officials discovered the firearms.

Jan. 6 Rioter Arrested Near Barack Obama's Residence

The suspect's van was parked near the DC jail in the last few weeks, and he was seen at various protests that supported other Jan. 6 defendants, as shown by social media footage. A federal prosecutor also said that Taranto had "nowhere to go," referencing how he lived inside his van.

Authorities have charged the Jan. 6 rioter with four misdemeanor counts concerning the Capitol Hill incident. The prosecutor in charge of the case said that the suspect has been in Washington to take Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy up on his offer that would have allowed Jan. 6 defendants to review security footage of the unprecedented siege, as per NBC News.

The defendant had also posted recordings of phone calls he made trying to access the footage on his social media. Taranto acknowledged that he entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 in social media posts. He questioned why authorities did not arrest him for what he did.

Authorities said that the Jan. 6 rioter showed up at Obama's residence on Thursday after former United States President Donald Trump posted screenshots on his Truth Social platform that showed an alleged address for his predecessor's Washington home.

In a Telegram post shared yesterday, Taranto said they "got these losers surrounded!" and "See you in hell, Podesta's and Obama's!" Authorities will hold the Jan. 6 rioter in custody until a detention hearing scheduled on Wednesday. Federal Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey expressed concern about Taranto's mental stability on Friday.

Taranto's Telegram account was found to have hosted extremist ideas and various conspiracy theories. According to People, the suspect's alleged last post on the platform was from the morning of his arrest, where he showed a link to a website that touted conspiracy theories about Obama's home.

Read Also: Parkland Shooting Sheriff's Deputy Found Not Guilty on All Counts

Conspiracy Theories About Obama

Some reports noted the suspect drew the attention of law enforcement before his arrest after he allegedly made threats during his recent live streams on social media. The Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement, saying that Taranto has been charged with "Fugitive from Justice, under an arrest warrant."

Law enforcement sources said that authorities were concerned about Taranto coming to the area, adding that he had a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) order for his arrest. On top of the firearms and ammunition, officials discovered enough material to make one Molotov cocktail inside the suspect's van.

Taranto did not directly threaten Obama, mention the former president by name, or suggest that he had weapons during his comments on his live streams. Capitol Police also assisted in the investigation "due to a concern for public safety" and the possibility of violence against members of Congress said ABC News.

Related Article: Influencer Jailed After Claiming Latino Couple Tried To Kidnap Her Children

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Both established stars and emerging rookies impressed during the Saturday (July 1) session of Breakfast With The Babies (plus older performers) at The Meadowlands.

Sponsored by Jules Siegels Fashion Farms, Breakfast With The Babies, got underway on Saturday morning under near perfect conditions. Temperatures were in the low 70s under smoggy skies with virtually no wind.

Before the babies got underway, Voukefalas (Jordan Stratton) tuned up for next weeks Meadowlands Pace eliminations by zooming around the oval in 1:50.4, :25.3 for the final quarter with remarkable ease in a qualifier. He is ready.

Tony Alagna had a big day at the races, winning four paces and one trot on the day while Tim Tetrick scored with four impressive filly trotters.

Tonys top winner on the day was the Captaintreacherous filly Sundaykindoflove, who drew some wows from the tiny legion of attendees still in attendance when she pulled Andy McCarthy around the oval in 1:53.4, home in :26.2 under restraint in Race 14. She is a Riverview (Myron & Stephanie Bell) and trainer Alagna, as Alagna Racing and Visionary Breeders homebred.

Tetrick started early with the highest priced yearling sold at auction in 2022, Epoch. The costly filly (pictured above) flashed speed and talent this morning, trotting home in :27.1 while converting a pocket trip into a 1:58 win. Epoch was content to follow Green Fee (Yannick Gingras) through reasonable fractions then responded to a bit of coaxing from the driver to edge slowly by that rival to get up by a neck.

The price was $725,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for the eponymous Epoch Stable to halter the Chapter Seven filly. The Epoch Stable consists of breeders Ben Schmuckers Maumee River Stables, John & Martin Schmucker and includes Diamond Creek Racing. Marcus Melander is her trainer.

Tetrick and Melander came right back with Dreaming Of Sydney, a $200,000 Walner filly also sold at Lexington. The trip was much like the previous race, following the leader then brushing by the leader to win in 2:03. AMG Stable, Kenneth Kjellgren, Heights Stable and Mantorp, LLC own the winner, bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Eddie Gran.

Tetrick and Lucas Wallin combined on a sharp looking Muscle Hill filly named Dolce Amara who impressed the crowd this morning with a :27.1 rally to win in 1:56.3 over Walla (Dexter Dunn). A Kjell Magne Anderson homebred, Dolce Amara seemed to get lower and longer as she accelerated when asked through the stretch.

Tap Dance (Tetrick & Wallin), a Greenshoe half-sister to Chapter Seven, was a 1:59.2 winner, trotting home determinedly with a :27.2 final quarter to track down Graceful Design (Andy McCarthy) near the wire. Louis Baudron owns Tap Dance as Follow Me Stable; he gave $110,000 in Lexington to buy her from Steve Jones.

Bohemian Hanover (Dunn) was a winner at first asking for trainer Chris Ryder. Dunn released a rival past the quarter and sat behind slow numbers before a stretch move that propelled the Walner filly to victory in 2:01.1, home in :28 seconds over Mimi (Lucas Wallin). Frederick Schwartz, Joe Sbrocco, Joe Barbera and Steve Wienick & John Foderas In The Gym paid $160,000 for the Hanover-bred in Lexington.

Last weeks leading tandem of baby racers, Yannick Gingras and Nancy Takter combined for a winner when Magic Hill pounced out of the pocket and edged by the nimble Reggianito (Dave Miller) in a snappy 1:56.4, home in :27.2. A $100,000 Lexington yearling bred by Mel Hartman and Herb Liverman, the Muscle Hill colt is owned by John Fielding and Morrison Racing.

Trainer Tony Alagna had his first of the day when he sent out the Canadian import Twin B Showboat to a front stepping 1:59.4, home in :28 for Dexter Dunn this morning. The Tactical Landing gelding went along comfortably and sprinted away from his rivals when asked. Longfellow S was trotting well under careful Brian Sears handling in the stretch to nab second. The winner is a Twinbrook Limited homebred.

Scott Zeron directed Custom Fit to a nice 1:59.2 score over Implacable (Dunn) in wire-to-wire fashion in the ninth. The Muscle Hill colt, trained by Mark Harder for his interest along with Jean Dions Racing Team Of America and Deena Frost was bred by Fred Hertrich and went through the Harrisburg sale for $42,000.

When the pacers began it was Captain Albano flying by four rivals through the stretch to win in 1:54.3 for Todd McCarthy. Sitting last throughout, the Captaintreacherous colt got rolling wide and paced a :26.2 last quarter on his own to sweep by the field. Noel Daley trains the winner Patricia Stable, Lawrence Thomases, LA Express Stable & Sjoblom Racing who paid $150,000 for the colt at Harrisburg. Fred Hertrich is the breeder.

Alagna and Twin B teamed up again with the Sweet Lou homebred colt Twin B Loudacris (Dunn) who rallied from a few lengths back in the pocket to track down a gritty Bonesaw (Tetrick) through a 26.3 end to a mile in 1:53.3. One Point Six Racing, Inc is a partner on the colt.

First crop sire Bettors Wish had a winner today in Tony Alagnas homebred colt from his own Thatsoveryverynice, Better Is Nice (A. McCarthy). The lead changed between the winner and Gem Quality (Dunn) near the 1:01 half, then the third quarter was on idle before Better Is Nice fanned out and engaged Gem Quality and the pacing began. The pair eyeballed each right to the wire and it took a :25.4 final quarter for Better Is Nice to get the win in 1:56.3. Seth Rosenfelds Birman Woods Farm and Pryde Stable are Alagna's partners on the winner.



Alagna harnessed his last winner of the day, only because the two-year-old races ended, when Watching You got clear on the inside of Reachingforthemoon to win in 1:53.3. The Hes Watching filly is a Brittany Farms homebred.

Live harness racing features eight Grand Circuit stakes that include the Reynolds three-year-old trotting stakes and four Free For All events featuring the finest older horses currently racing. The fun begins tonight at 6:20.

(Meadowlands)
You can find patriotic-colored packs of Bazooka Bubble Gum sitting next to the Lucky Lights candy cigarettes.

The bright pink boxes of Bottle Caps are grouped with other tart treats, such as Cherry Sours or Zotz hard candies.

And if youre in the mood for chocolate, nearby is a full case of truffles, buckeyes and bark.

People can find these favorites at Norfolks latest confectionery: 4th St. Sweets. The shop is nearing its one-year anniversary in July after its owners, Stephanie and Brian Fleming, moved from Colorado to Norfolk.

Were really excited about being retro and kind of vintage, so that when you walk in, you feel like youre in an old-time candy shop, like something that your grandma and grandpa would have owned, Stephanie said.

The Flemings source the nostalgic candies from a distributor in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that offers dozens of brands no longer found in stores. Other sweets are made in-house with the popular Guittard chocolate.

Stephanie relies on recipes she created herself or used from her own grandparents. Some sought-after creations include Bumble bark, made with peanut butter, white chocolate and crispy rice cereal; buckeyes, which are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate; and chocolate-covered cheesecake slices.

Stephanie got her start in the candy business through a job at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Colorado. After she married Brian, who is originally from Wayne, the two decided to move to Nebraska to run their own sweet shop.

Brian, who used to work in the sales industry, said his younger self never would have guessed a candy store was in his future.

The idea was stirring for a long time in Colorado, he said. When we left Colorado, we were like, lets do it. 

The journey to opening 4th St. Sweets was definitely a learning curve. At first, any chocolate Stephanie made would turn out cloudy and not shiny. After some research, she realized it was because of the increase of humidity in Nebraska. The store then got its own dehumidifier.

The shop also ran out of chocolates the initial three days of its grand opening. But now they have the hang of their candy schedule: Fudge is made Tuesday or Wednesday, while caramel apples are made on Thursdays. Then Stephanie and Brian have to brainstorm how they will stock their store on Saturdays, which is the shops busiest day of the week.

Stephanie said more people have been visiting the shop since it landed a spot on the 2023 Nebraskas Passport tourism program, which features 70 businesses or locations around the state. Store owners have to apply and then be accepted into the program after writing an essay and submitting photos of their businesses.

I was super excited to apply and even more flattered that we got chosen. Weve had probably more than 1,000 guests already  just in May, Stephanie said. So its been really awesome to meet people from all over Nebraska.

4th St. Sweets also offers gift packages and can cater desserts for events. People can even request a candy from their childhood and Stephanie will see whether its possible to order it.

The shop has been mixing retro candies with modern treats. The latest product includes freeze-dried candy shipped in from Crunchy Bits in Auburn, Nebraska, another Passport stop.

Its cool when people come in and they havent seen (a candy) for 40 years and they get all excited and their eyes just light up, Brian said. Thats one of my favorite parts. And of course, when kids come in. The kids just go crazy.
A Statesville man will serve a minimum of seven years in prison after a jury convicted him of voluntary manslaughter Friday.

George Charles Henry White III was charged with the 2020 shooting death of 55-year-old Alan Bruce Alexander.

White was convicted in Iredell County Superior Court of manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The verdict came after a jury trial that began on June 19, said District Attorney Sarah Kirkman.

Assistant District Attorney Regina Mahoney represented the state and attorney Patricia Riddick represented White.

Following the verdict, Judge Lynn Gullett sentenced White to 84-113 months in prison for the voluntary manslaughter conviction, followed by 17-30 months in prison for the firearm charge.

The shooting occurred on Aug. 18, 2020, near a homeless camp off Taylorsville Highway. Statesville police responded to a shots fire call and found Alexanders body.

The District Attorneys Office thanked the SPD for its assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
A former teacher at Hungary Creek Middle School has been indicted on charges of sexual acts between an adult and a teen.

Henrico authorities charged Megan Pauline Jordan, 25, of Chesterfield, with eight counts of carnal knowledge/statutory rape and two counts of indecent liberties.

Henrico County police in a statement said they were made aware in early June of potentially inappropriate acts between an adult and student. The incidents are believed to have occurred during the 2022-23 school year, police said.

Police collaborated with the Henrico County Commonwealths Attorneys Office and gathered enough information to seek indictments against Jordan, officials said.

Jordan appeared in court Friday and remains in the custody of the Henrico County Sheriff's Office without bond. Police say no additional details will be made available as the investigation remains active.

Messages left with the school principal and district superintendent were not immediately returned Friday.

Henrico Police are asking anyone who may have been affected or has additional information to contact Det. Grant at (804) 501-7700 or make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
Kaylee Seaman, of Kelso, was named to the University of Alabama deans list for spring semester 2023. To be named to the deans list, students must have an academic record of 3.5 or above.

Jayla Clark, of Longview, was named to the spring 2023 deans list at Georgia State University. To be eligible for the list, students must have earned a GPA of at least 3.5 for a minimum of nine semester hours of academic credit.

Madeline Gallaher, of Kelso, was named to the deans list at George Fox University for the spring 2023 semester. Undergraduate students must earn a 3.5 grade point average or above on 12 or more hours of graded work to earn a spot on the deans list.

Shelby Briggs, of Longview, was named to the University of Mississippis spring 2023 honor roll list. Students named to the list must earn a semester GPA of 3.50-3.74. Briggs is majoring in pharmaceutical sciences.

Amanda McCann, of Rainier, has earned part-time academic honors at SUNY Canton College for the spring 2023 semester. The college created this award to recognize students who earned at least a 3.25 GPA in 6 to 11 credit hours of coursework. McCann is a health care management major.

Kayley Judd, of Woodland, was named to the deans list at Rochester Institute of Technology for the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Students are eligible for deans list if their term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.4.

Brennen Elshaug, of Saint Helens, has been named to the University of Hartfords presidents honors list for the spring 2023 semester. To be eligible, students who earned a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in the semester.
Local governments in June signed on to a regional oversight council as part of the states settlements with companies sued for their roles in the opioid crisis.

The Cowlitz County commissioners on June 20 approved resolutions authorizing Chair Rick Dahl to sign off on the opioid abatement council agreements when they are ready. The Longview City Council approved them two days later.

Kelso City Council was set to consider the agreements on June 20, but the meeting was canceled due to lack of a quorum. The council held a special meeting Friday to consider the agreements.

As part of the opioid settlement agreements, the counties and cities receiving funds are required to set up a joint opioid abatement council within their state Accountable Community of Health region. Cowlitz is included in the Cascade Pacific Action Alliance region with Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Thurston and Wahkiakum counties and their eligible cities.

During workshop discussions earlier this spring, the Cowlitz County commissioners told staff they want to have autonomy when it comes to oversight and to keep the administrative costs low.

We want to be in charge of our destiny as much as possible, said Commissioner Arne Mortensen on March 27.

The county, Longview and Kelso will likely form a subcommittee with Wahkiakum, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties and possibly Aberdeen. Some jurisdictions are still confirming which other local governments they want to join with for the council, said Gena James, Cowlitz County Health and Human Services deputy director.

Local governments were asked to approve the agreements by the end of June.

The oversight group will not dictate how the money is spent but will make sure its used for approved purposes, according to the agreement. The council will also hear any complaints.

Under the regional agreement, Cowlitz County will compile or link all participating governments opioid fund allocation information on a single webpage. The county will also develop and maintain a centralized public dashboard of expenditure data on the Cowlitz County website and update it at least annually.

In general, the settlement funds can be used to improve or expand treatment, support those in treatment and recovery, prevent opioid misuse and support first responders, according to the agreement. The agreement reserves 10% of settlement funds for the councils administrative costs.

As part of the states settlement agreement with CVS, Walgreens, Allergan and Teva, Cowlitz County will receive $6.9 million, Longview $2.47 million and Kelso $533,655. That doesnt include money from a settlement with Walmart.

In December, local governments began receiving the first distribution from the states earlier settlement with three large opioid distributers  McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp.  for a total $518 million payable over 17 years.
Cowlitz County coroners office is on track to perform double the amount of autopsies on county residents this year than in 2022 because of rising drug overdoses and decedents with a lack of medical history, according to the coroner.

Other counties statewide are experiencing a similar trend amid a shortage of forensic pathologists available to perform the work, Coroner Dana Tucker told the Cowlitz County commissioners earlier this week.

Seven Washington counties have appointed medical examiners, forensic pathologists who perform autopsies and lead their offices, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington. Most counties  including Cowlitz  have elected coroners and contract with traveling forensic pathologists to perform autopsies.

Cowlitz County is unique and fortunate to contract with forensic pathologist Clifford Nelson to provide autopsy services full time, Tucker said.

On Tuesday, the commissioners approved an agreement with traveling forensic pathologist Emmanuel Lacsina to provide autopsy services on an as-needed basis through the end of 2023. The county will call on Lacsina when Nelson is unavailable because of illness or vacation, Tucker said.

A backup pathologist will help the county comply with the state law requiring coroners offices to perform an autopsy or other postmortem within five days, Tucker said.

A lot of other counties are struggling and are taking way longer to get a pathologist to do an autopsy, even on homicides, she said. So were very lucky to have somebody thats willing to step up and to cover the county.

The county will pay Lacsina $2,100 for a full forensic autopsy, $4,200 for a homicide autopsy, $1,500 for a partial autopsy and $1,200 for an external examination, according to the agreement. Nelson is paid $90,000 annually to perform 48 autopsies, but he could perform more for a fee for service, she said.

Washington state reimburses counties up to 40% of the cost of contracting with a pathologist to perform an autopsy or 100% for autopsies of children under 3 years old. So far this year, the Cowlitz County has paid $78,715 for autopsies, with the state set to reimburse about $31,485, Tucker said.

Overall, Cowlitz County has recorded 543 deaths so far this year, with about 90%, or 487, from natural causes, Tucker said. About one-third, 161, fell under the coroners office jurisdiction and 45 of those  or 28%  included an autopsy, she said.

Coroners have jurisdiction over certain sudden deaths; suspicious deaths; those indicating an unnatural or unlawful cause; and deaths with other circumstances outlined in state law. Autopsies are not performed for all coroner cases and are authorized to determine the cause and manner of death when other means are inconclusive, Tucker said.

So far this year, the Cowlitz County coroners office has performed 45 autopsies for county residents, on track for about 90 by the end of 2023 if the trend continues, Tucker said. The office performed 44 autopsies for Cowlitz County residents in 2022.

The office has performed 56 autopsies total this year, including seven for Pacific County, three for Lewis County and one for Wahkiakum County. Last year, the office performed 63 total autopsies, including for other counties, 38 in 2021 and 32 in 2020, Tucker told the commissioners on Monday.

Drug overdoses are driving up the number of autopsies performed statewide, including in Cowlitz County, Tucker said. The county recorded 38 drug overdose deaths in 2022 and 19 so far this year, she said. Thats up from 33 in 2021, 29 in 2020 and double the 19 recorded in 2019, according to coroners office data.

The office is also seeing more decedents with no medical history, which makes it more difficult to determine what their cause of death is without an autopsy, Tucker said.

For example, an autopsy showed one woman, whose death was considered a possible drug overdose, died of a pulmonary embolism, Tucker said. The toxicology report revealed the woman had methamphetamine in her system but not enough to kill her, the coroner said.

Were having a lot of younger people coming in with no medical history and suspicion of drug, use, Tucker said. We cant bypass doing an autopsy on somebody (whom) we do not know what they died from.

Cowlitz County autopsies The total number of autopsies performed under the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office  which includes exams for other counties  is increasing. 2023, so far: 56 2022: 63 2021: 38 2020: 32 Source: Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker

The county commissioners supported the idea of having a backup pathologist, but questioned what the increased number of autopsies would mean for the budget.

Tucker said she is working with finance department staff on the coroners office budget she inherited in January. At the end of this year, Tucker will have a better idea of how many autopsies to budget for next year, she said.

Quote "Were having a lot of younger people coming in with no medical history and suspicion of drug (use.) We can't bypass doing an autopsy on somebody (whom) we do not know what they died from."  Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker
Now Washington County Circuit Judge Erik Bucher must decide whos right and whether to move Gores case into adult court, where he would face a longer sentence and harsher treatment compared with the juvenile justice system.
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This photo provided by Pelagic Resources Services shows Pelagic Resources Services demobilizing from the Horizon Arctic in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, following the Titan recovery mission. The company used a remote operated vehicle to retrieve wreckage from the Titan, which imploded on its way to attempt to view the Titanic site. Credit: Ed Cassano/Pelagic Research Services via AP

When Edward Cassano and his colleagues arrived in the remote stretch of ocean where the Titan submersible had gone missing, they quickly learned that they would have to do what other deep-sea experts had already tried unsuccessfully: to find the lost sub in some of the most forbidding depths of the North Atlantic.

They set to work deploying their own remotely operated vehicle, the Odysseus, from a ship with a giant "umbilical cord," then lowered the behemoth to the ocean floor, a process that took about an hour and a half, Cassano said Friday at a news conference held at the suburban Buffalo headquarters of his company, Pelagic Research Services.

Just moments after Odysseus arrived on the seafloor, its high-definition cameras sent back images of debris that were undoubtedly what remained of the Titan. Their hopes for a rescue of the submersible's crew of five had faded.

"I have to apologize," Cassano said, his voice cracking as he described the moment the debris was found. He said he and his crew were still experiencing "a lot of emotion."

The Canadian ship Horizon Arctic brought Odysseus to the search area that had been established for the Titan, and the underwater robot was offloaded into the ocean on June 22. The ship returned to port Wednesday with mangled chunks of the submersible.

Investigating the debris is a crucial part of a multiagency investigation into why the Titan imploded on its way to view wreckage of the Titanic, killing five. The Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation, said it had retrieved what are likely human remains from the debris.

This photo provided by Pelagic Resources Services shows Pelagic Resources Services demobilizing from the Horizon Arctic in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, following the Titan recovery mission. The company used a remote operated vehicle to retrieve wreckage from the Titan, which imploded on its way to attempt to view the Titanic site. Credit: Ed Cassano/Pelagic Research Services via AP

"It's a very complex operation and fraught with danger," Cassano said of the process to locate, then retrieve the debris. "... Sadly, our rescue turned into a recovery."

He said when his team arrived at the site in the North Atlantic where the Titan had descended, there was already a fleet of 10 ships and aircraft. One of the ships was Deep Energy, which normally lays pipes and cables in deep water.

Cassano said Deep Energy deployed a submersible but it was only able to reach a depth of 2,700 meters (8,858 feet). The Titan's debris was located on the seafloor about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater.

Pelagic's team conducted 24-hour operations with Odysseus even after finding the wreckage, Cassano said. While tethered to its mother ship, the robot used heavy lifting capabilities to retrieve the heavy debris from the ocean floor, he said.

This photo provided by Pelagic Resources Services shows Pelagic Resources Services demobilizing from the Horizon Arctic in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, following the Titan recovery mission. The company used a remote operated vehicle to retrieve wreckage from the Titan, which imploded on its way to attempt to view the Titanic site. Credit: Ed Cassano/Pelagic Research Services via AP

Asked what he thought of the Titan's voyage, Cassano said that, based on his own experience with a company that focuses on deep-sea research, he believes the crew was motivated by "a passion and a joy for exploration."

Pelagic has locations outside Buffalo and in Massachusetts. Odysseus was built by MPH Engineering of Largo, Florida, and became operational in 2016. Its primary use is deep-sea science, but Pelagic Research "always knew that we'd be called at some point, and so we prepared the system for" rescue and recovery, Cassano said.

There are hundreds of remote-operated vehicles, or ROVs, operating around the world, using robotic arms, lights and cameras to work in parts of the deep ocean that would be dangerous or impossible for humans to access.

ROVs were first developed in the 1960s and have been used for military, scientific and industrial uses, such as underwater safety inspections of platforms and pipelines, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An ROV named Jason Jr. developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was used to explore the Titanic in 1986, the year after explorers discovered the iconic ocean liner's wreckage.

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Even after years of ROV use in science and industry, removing items from the ocean floor remains painstaking and difficult, said Andy Bowen, a principal engineer at Woods Hole who specializes in remotely operated submersibles.

"Once that's been accomplished, of course, then it has to be brought on board and done so carefully so that there's no damage done or evidence lost," Bowen said.

After the Titan was reported missing on June 18, the Navy analyzed acoustic data and found an "anomaly" consistent with an implosion or explosion in area where the vessel was when communications were lost, according to a senior U.S. Navy official.

Debris from the Titan, which is believed to have imploded that day as it made its descent, was located roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor.

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

A U.S. Coast Guard ship arrives in the harbor of St. John's, Newfoundland, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, following the arrival of the ship Horizon Arctic carrying debris from the Titan submersible. The submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions imploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Credit: Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP

Stockton Rush, the Titan's pilot and CEO of OceanGate, the company that owned and operated the submersible, was killed in the implosion along with two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

The company charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage. The Coast Guard hopes its investigation will result in measures to improve the safety of submersibles. Other government agencies in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the investigation.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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People travel through Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, June 30, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week got a welcome respite from the headaches Saturday, despite concerns about possible disruptions caused by new wireless 5G systems rolling out near major airports.

The number of flight delays and cancellations declined from the spikes recorded earlier in the week, according to data compiled by tracking service FlightAware. As of 10 p.m. EST, there had been at least 850 flight cancellations and more than 28,000 delayed flights Saturday. During the June 28-30 period, an average of 1,751 flights were canceled and more then 32,600 flights delayed, according to the FlightAware data.

The cancellation rate worked out to about 1% in the U.S. as of Saturday afternoon, according to Flightradar24, another tracking service. Flightradar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik described Saturday's conditions as "smooth sailing" in an email to The Associated Press, while adding inclement weather could cause problems at East Coast airports later in the day.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also advised travelers that bad weather conditions on the East Coast could affect flights later Saturday.

Heading into Saturday, one of the biggest concerns had been whether 5G signals would interfere with aircraft equipment, especially devices using radio waves to measure distance above the ground that are critical when planes land in low visibility.

People travel through Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, June 30, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Predictions that interference would cause massive flight groundings failed to come true last year, when telecom companies began rolling out the new service. They then agreed to limit the power of the signals around busy airports, giving airlines an extra year to upgrade their planes.

The leader of the nation's largest pilots' union said crews will be able to handle the impact of 5G, but he criticized the way the wireless licenses were granted, saying it had added unnecessary risk to aviation.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently told airlines that flights could be disrupted because a small portion of the nation's fleet has not been upgraded to protect against radio interference.

But the worst fears about 5G hadn't cropped up by mid-afternoon Saturday, prompting Transportation Department spokesperson Kerry Arndt to describe flight travel as being at "near-normal" levels. But Arrndt also stressed that the Federal Aviation Administration is "working very closely with airlines to monitor summer pop-up storms, wildfire smoke, and any 5G issues."

People travel through Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, June 30, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Most of the major U.S. airlines had made the changes needed to adapt to 5G. American, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier and United say all of their planes have height-measuring devices, called radio altimeters, that are protected against 5G interference.

The big exception is Delta Air Lines. Delta says it has 190 planes, including most of its smaller ones, that still lack upgraded altimeters because its supplier has been unable to provide them fast enough.

The airline does not expect to cancel any flights because of the issue, Delta said Friday. The airline plans to route the 190 planes carefully to limit the risk of canceling flights or forcing planes to divert away from airports where visibility is low because of fog or low clouds. FlightAware listed nine Delta flight cancellations Saturday. None of them were tied to 5G issues, according to the airline.

The Delta planes that have not been retrofitted include several models of Airbus jets: all of its A220s, most of its A319s and A320s and some of its A321s. The airline's Boeing jets have upgraded altimeters, as do all Delta Connection planes, which are operated by Endeavor Air, Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines, according to the airline.

Travelers walk through crowds after arriving at the Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, June 30, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

JetBlue did not respond to requests for comment but told The Wall Street Journal it expected to retrofit 17 smaller Airbus jets by October, with possible "limited impact" some days in Boston.

Wireless carriers including Verizon and AT&T use a part of the radio spectrum called C-Band, which is close to frequencies used by radio altimeters, for their new 5G service. The Federal Communications Commission granted them licenses for the C-Band spectrum and dismissed any risk of interference, saying there was ample buffer between C-Band and altimeter frequencies.

When the Federal Aviation Administration sided with airlines and objected, the wireless companies pushed back the rollout of their new service. In a compromise brokered by the Biden administration, the wireless carriers then agreed not to power up 5G signals near about 50 busy airports. That postponement ends Saturday.

AT&T declined to comment. Verizon did not immediately respond to a question about its plans.

Travelers walk through crowds after arriving at the Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, June 30, 2023, in Salt Lake City. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

A Delta Air Lines jet prepares to land at Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Airline passengers dealing with weather delays could be facing a new source of disruptions this weekend. Wireless providers plan to power up new 5G systems near major airports on Saturday, July 1, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Buttigieg reminded the head of trade group Airlines for America about the deadline in a letter last week, warning that only planes with retrofitted altimeters would be allowed to land under low-visibility conditions. He said more than 80% of the U.S. fleet had been retrofitted, but a significant number of planes, including many operated by foreign airlines, have not been upgraded.

"This means on bad-weather, low-visibility days in particular, there could be increased delays and cancellations," Buttigieg wrote. He said airlines with planes awaiting retrofitting should adjust their schedules to avoid stranding passengers.

Airlines say the FAA was slow to approve standards for upgrading the radio altimeters and supply-chain problems have made it difficult for manufacturers to produce enough of the devices. Nicholas Calio, head of the Airlines for America, complained about a rush to modify planes "amid pressure from the telecommunications companies."

Jason Ambrosi, a Delta pilot and president of the Air Line Pilots Association, accused the FCC of granting 5G licenses without consulting aviation interests, which he said "has left the safest aviation system in the world at increased risk." But, he said, "Ultimately, we will be able to address the impacts of 5G."

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Xi sends congratulatory letter to Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum

10:21, July 01, 2023 By Liu Ge, Wang Yinxin, Bai Ziwei ( People's Daily

Guests attending a symposium of the Kuliang Friends plant trees in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, June 28, 2023. (Photo by Bai Ziwei/People's Daily)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 28 sent a congratulatory letter to a forum on people-to-people friendship between China and the United States.

The event, titled "Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum," is being held in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province.

In the letter, Xi said that back in 1992, he invited Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to Kuliang, helping her fulfill the wish of her late husband to return to his childhood home. In the following 30 years and more, members of the Kuliang Friends and people from various sectors of both countries have delved deep into the history of this town, actively spread its culture, and worked tirelessly to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

Kuliang is where a touching story of China-U.S. friendship happened.

In 1901, Milton Gardner, born in the United States, came to live in Fuzhou with his parents when he was still in his infancy, and his whole family moved back to the United States in 1911. Gardner had been longing for revisiting his childhood home, but had never been able to make his wish fulfilled.

Gardner's story was told by an article published on People's Daily on April 1992. In 2012, when visiting the United States as China's vice president, Xi shared the Kuliang story with the audience at a welcome luncheon held by American friendly groups, drawing warm response from all sectors in the two countries.

Amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of its growth, Xi said. "I hope that you will continue to write the Kuliang story and carry forward the special bonds, so that the friendship between our two peoples can stay forever strong and robust like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang."

Lee Gardner is a grandnephew of Milton Gardner. Though the man, in his seventies, is physically challenged, he still came to China to join the forum this time. It marked his fourth time returning to Kuliang.

Lee Gardner's grandfather and father were all born in Fuzhou. This time, he returned to Kuliang wearing a tie in "Chinese red."

Opening an album of his family, Lee Gardner told People's Daily that his entire family is grateful to Xi, and the Chinese President's efforts to help an American senior fulfill his wish have touched many people in the United States.

Elyn Maclnnis, is the Lead Researcher of the Kuliang Tourism and Culture Research Association. Her husband Peter MacInnis was born in China, and her father-in-law Donald MacInnis was once a member of the Flying Tigers, a formidable group of volunteer fighter pilots who helped China fight the Japanese invasion.

After hearing the letter from Xi at the forum, Elyn Maclnnis noted that the three generations of her family all have a bond with China and love the country very much.

In 2015, the woman started studying the history and culture of Kuliang through conversations with the members of Kuliang Friends. In her point of view, the Kuliang story mirrors the peace and friendship carried by this piece of land.

"Thanks to the efforts of President Xi, the Kuliang story of China-U.S. friendship is known to the world. The article was published on April 8, 1992, and me and Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner arrived in Fuzhou on August 21. This was organized by President Xi. He is as easy-going as family," said Liu Zhonghan, author of the 1992 People's Daily article.

He said that the forum, which was joined by many from the United States, reflected the people-to-people friendship between the two countries.

Currently, the international community is generally concerned about today's U.S.-China relations, and it's more important than ever for the two countries to inherit their friendship, transcend disputes, find common value and establish a heart-to-heart bond, said Luca Barone, who received Xi when the latter visited Iowa in 1985 as the party secretary of Zhengding county in China's northern province of Hebei.

Barone noted that the Kuliang story is inspiring and shows what true friendship is.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told People's Daily that non-governmental friendship is a foundation on which different countries enhance mutual understanding, expand consensus and strengthen friendliness.

Xi's congratulatory letter is of vital significance for the United States and China to get rid of the difficulties in their relations and restart communication in all fields, Kuhn said, adding that it demonstrates China's sincerity in developing China-U.S. relations and commitment to cooperation.

Kuhn hopes that the people-to-people friendship between the United States and China can be passed down from generation to generation and help the two countries improve their relations.

This photo shows a symposium of the Kuliang Friends in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, June 28, 2023. (Photo by Bai Ziwei/People's Daily)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
(Photo : Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hunter Biden agreed to build a relationship with the daughter whose paternity he had denied until a DNA test proved otherwise.

Hunter Biden has resolved his ongoing child custody dispute with baby mother Lunden Roberts by reaching an odd compromise.

As requested by Lunden, the beleaguered First Son will not give his love-child Navy Roberts his last name. However, the amateur artist will give her one of his works of art.

Hunter Biden Child Support Case

A peculiar provision in the settlement requires Hunter Biden to provide Navy, 4, with the proceeds from an unspecified number of his early works for an unspecified period of time.

Navy is permitted to retain one of his abstract compositions for her personal collection or in a "gallery designated by Lunden Roberts." The NY Post reported last week that a source close to the first son said Roberts had consented to a monthly payment reduction from $20,000 to $5,000.

The renowned New York divorce attorney Raoul Felder called the artistic arrangement "absurd." He told The Post,

"But I've never heard anything like giving a child a painting for child support. Child support is not supposed to be based on making the child an art collector. Mothers need support. You can't pay for milk with a painting. The landlord doesn't want your paintings."

Jeffrey S. Stephens, an attorney and author who co-wrote the divorce guide 'The Road to Splitsville,' was also stunned. Stephens, who is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, has supervised divorcing celebrity clients who reached innovative settlements regarding the future of their children, but none with abstractions.

Kelly Chang Rickert, a California family law attorney, notes that the law requires divorcing parents to pay child support and that there is a formula in the state of California. She stated that they can always pay more than the minimum, but never less.

Chang Rickert stated that clients have devised "interesting or creative" negotiation strategies. In one case where the children were teenagers, the payor paid for college expenses instead of child support, which would have been approximately $500.

Additionally, she has represented a client with a young infant whose father paid the mother's mortgage instead of child support.

Read Also: Putin's Goons Interrogate 'General Armageddon,' Russia President Reportedly Fears Firing 'Dangerous' Defense Minister

Hunter Biden Agrees to Build Relationship Estranged Daughter

DailyMail.com can exclusively disclose that Hunter Biden's baby mama resolved their bitter child support suit after he promised to meet their out-of-wedlock daughter and play a role in her life.

According to sources, Hunter informed Roberts in private conversations that he desired to halt hostilities and "build a relationship" with the adorable four-year-old. The agreement also paves the way for Navy Joan to meet the rest of the Biden family for the first time, including President Joe and First Lady Jill.

The shocking settlement eases Hunter's legal burden, as he was able to avoid prison time last week as a result of a plea agreement that concluded a years-long federal investigation into his tax affairs and firearms ownership.

As previously reported by DailyMail.com, the breakthrough occurred when Arkansas native Roberts took the unusual action of attending Hunter's deposition on June 16 in Little Rock.

Prior to that, the single mother petitioned a magistrate in Independence County to incarcerate the Biden scion for neglecting to disclose his finances. Hunter has never met Navy Joan, nor has his 80-year-old grandfather Joe, despite lavishing praise and attention on his other grandchildren.

The baby daughter with blonde hair was conceived in December 2017 while Hunter was still dating Hallie, the widow of his sibling Beau. Initially, it was believed that the couple met while Roberts was working as a pole dancer at Hunter's preferred Washington, DC strip club.

However, messages recovered from his abandoned laptop demonstrated that his investment firm, Rosemont Seneca, employed her. According to DailyMail.com, Hunter initially promised to provide Roberts emotional, physical, and pecuniary support.

Instead, he mercilessly "ghosted" her, disregarding her texts and phone calls and refusing to acknowledge Navy Joan was his until Roberts sued for child support in 2019 and a court-ordered DNA test confirmed her claims.

Related Article: New Disturbing Hunter Biden Text Messages Prove Family's Corruption Scandal

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Fox News is paying $12 million to settle former Tucker Carlson producer's lawsuit accusing the conservative news network of rampant workplace sexism.

Abby Grossberg filed a lawsuit against Fox News last March, wherein she alleges a hostile work environment in the network.

Fox News Settles Ex-Tucker Carlson Producer's Lawsuit

According to The Washington Post, the conservative news channel agreed to settle the lawsuit filed by the former Tucker Carlson producer for roughly $12 million.

Grossberg says she continues to stand by her "publicly filed claims and allegations" against Fox News." But she had withdrawn these claims since Fox settled the lawsuit.

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed that the network is finalizing its settlement in the lawsuit. The network says, "We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation."

The Washington Post notes that the latest settlement lets Fox News avoid another legal battle that seeks to look into the work culture inside the network.

As per NPR, Grossbeg issued her statement via her lawyer Tanvir Rahman. She says that she "is hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace."

The New York Times reports that Grossberg's lawyers have already requested the United States District Court for the South District of New York to dismiss the lawsuit filed against Fox News as they agree to a settlement.

Read Also: Fox News Host Howard Kurtz Slams Network's Biden 'Wannabe Dictator' Chyron

Lawsuit vs. Fox News

Grossberg used to be the chief booker of the guests on Carlson's now-defunct evening show on Fox News. Grossberg accused the network of a hostile work environment filled with rampant sexism, as well as antisemitism.

Grossberg recalled an instance wherein images of the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were decorated around the office, showing a photo of her wearing a bikini. On top of that, she alleged that the former boss of the 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' show, Justin Wells, admitted to her that her pay is lower than her male equivalents.

Besides these allegations, she also took a swipe at the show's host, saying that the former Fox News anchor, Carlson, "made my life a living hell." Yet, he says that he "never met her."

According to a report by CNN, Fox News previously dismissed the alarming allegations of the former Tucker Carlson producer. The network claims that the lawsuit itself was "riddled with false allegations."

Related Article: Fox News Dubs Joe Biden as 'Wannabe Dictator' Amid Donald Trump's Post-Arraignment Speech

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Recent years filled with political polarization, deadly pandemics and low pay have left many Texas teachers looking to leave the education profession  causing a statewide shortage.

As a result, Texas school districts have struggled to retain teachers in recent years on top of tight budgets and school safety concerns. The statewide teacher shortage, a trend that started in 2019, was made worse by the COVID pandemic as teachers were left scrambling to adjust their curriculum for online-based learning. Although school districts have returned to in-person learning, many teachers still chose to leave their districts or career altogether.

The College Station school district had a turnover rate of 14.2% for teachers, according to the districts 2021-22 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR)  a nearly 22% increase from 2020-21. Deputy Superintendent Molley Perry said the district has not been immune to the shortage.

We have certainly faced greater challenges in filling our teacher vacancies than ever before, she said. However, when we look at many of our peer districts across the state, were still relatively well positioned in terms of what those vacancies are looking like and we are working diligently to recruit and retain the very best staff for our students.

A lack of current and prospective employees has the school district trying unique recruitment techniques, said Josh Symank, human resource director.

We are doing anything and everything that we can do, he said. We will talk to anybody; were reaching out to anyone. We encourage our teachers to reach out to their friends. We have a lot of people that worked through kids club with us  which is mainly college students  and we certainly worked with them to try to encourage them to become care professionals in the district [and] consider switching their degrees to education. Anything and everything we can do to try to increase the number of applicants that we have in the system.

Finding educators in general to join the district is a struggle, but finding special education professionals is even harder, Symank said. The districts special education teachers make up 9.8% of the districts staff, compared to the state average of 9.4%, according to TAPR. Additionally, the district had 1,903 special education students enrolled in the 2021-22 school year, which increased by 127 from the previous year, according to TAPR.

There is a lot of paperwork that goes with special education, Symank said. Theres a lot of legality that follows with special education teachers. Just the number of special education students that are qualifying year in and year out has increased significantly over the last few years. And also, I mean, this is certainly that way across the state. Were currently looking for around 14, 15 special education teachers.

As a result of the shortage, Gov. Greg Abbott formed the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, which recommended increased pay, improved preparation and assisting teachers in spending less time working during their off hours. Many educators looked to the 2023-24 Texas legislative session for help in achieving these solutions. If passed, Senate Bill 9 and House Bill 11 would have provided higher salaries, more funds for training and mentorship programs and required the Texas Education Agency to research why teachers spend so much time working during off hours, but neither bill reached Abbotts desk.

College Station ISD budget  85% of it goes toward teacher and staff salary, Symank said. Just by sheer numbers, absolutely any additional revenue that would have come to College Station ISD through legislation would have, most likely, almost probably in its entirety, been passed along to teachers and staff.

Teacher shortages dont affect every school district the same, said Dan Bowen, an associate professor at Texas A&M Universitys School of Education and Human Development.

Typically, rural areas tend to get hit harder, said Bowen, who teaches educational administration and human resource development, because it is often harder for them to recruit and retain teachers than it is for large urban areas.

In addition to finding special education teachers, recruiting teachers for middle and high school positions poses a challenge for school districts, Bowen said.

Its usually much more stable than some of the other ones are in the sense that the number of individuals who go into the teaching profession specifically in the elementary area has been one that has not been impacted to the same extent as some of the other areas, he said.

When a school districts teaching staff is spread thin, Bowen said teachers may be forced to fill positions in which they arent experienced.

Schools often have to resort to either moving teachers around or hiring teachers who are potentially not certified in subjects, he said. Some people would often refer to this as maybe being an unqualified teacher because theyre teaching outside of their expertise. Of course, that can potentially have negative consequences on student achievement.

As a professor, Bowen works closely with individuals who are aspiring principals and superintendents. In recent years, he has noticed a shift in how students are preparing for their future roles.

Its becoming much more common that the types of projects that theyre developing are much more focused on the notion of recruiting and retaining effective teachers, he said.

Despite being placed on the backburner of legislative focus, Bowen said teachers play a unique and important role in equipping members of society for their future roles.

Education, in particular, that is where we cultivate future citizens, he said. Thats where we prepare and develop the next generation. Its been shown time and time again, that the most critical, the most valuable school provided input when it comes to promoting student achievement  showing that teachers are the most critical input when it comes to promoting gains on all these different outcomes that we care about in education. Ensuring that we have the best people possible in the K-12 teaching profession is absolutely critical to ensuring our success as a state.

Similar to College Station, the Bryan school district is implementing creative solutions for the teacher shortage, Superintendent Ginger Carrabine said. The districts TAPR shows an 18.9% turnover rate for the 2021-22 school year, an almost 32% increase from the previous year. Despite these numbers, Carrabine said there were no hiring gaps.

We were able to staff all of our positions last year, she said. We were very fortunate for our board of trustees, approving our request to make sure that we could adequately staff our classrooms.  The jury is out to see if we will be fully staffed [this year].  Im hopeful that we will be fully staffed. But I do believe if the legislators can make a decision to dedicate a funding source for compensation, that that would certainly help attract top talent and help retain our teaching workforce.

New teachers made up 8.1% of the Bryan school district in 2021-22 and 8.2% the previous year. Additionally, a majority of teachers in the district have less than five years experience.

Kathy Beckworth, a recently retired Bryan school district teacher, said providing support for new teachers is the most important thing a school district can do.

For the new teachers that were coming in, I made sure I wrapped my arms around all of the first-year and second-year teachers to encourage them to stay on, she said. Stay on because the reward when you see the children progressing, when you see how their lives will change.  For the young teachers that are coming in, thats what I really tried to emphasize to them, its for the children. There are so many benefits of staying in education and being an educator, the reward is great, your heart will be rewarded, and this community definitely will be rewarded.

Beckworth said Bryan incorporates mentor teachers to provide support and encouragement for young teachers.

I really, really am thankful for Bryan ISD for doing that, she said. Because that is a really good program that they have to support the young teachers because they need it. Not just first-year teachers, but teachers that have been teaching for a couple of years, they still need that support, because we really need them to stay in education.

Without additional funding from legislators, teachers most likely wont see an increase in salary, but Beckworth said teachers dont do their job only for the pay  they care more about the impact they have on children.

Its not going to be the big dollar signs, but your heart will grow bigger in love and in reward of knowing that you have helped so many children and given them the foundation that they need, she said. Thats what I wanted those young teachers to see that it is there and to know that is worth it , very much worth it.

Although teachers may be on the frontlines, Beckworth said it takes every district employee to support children.

It takes all of us, she said. The bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the custodians, maintenance, everybody  we all are in this together. We all are. We all need this support. I know thats a big heavy load to carry but it can be done. It can definitely can be done.

To recruit more staff, the College Station school district is hosting an auxiliary job fair July 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. The fair, held in the school districts training room, will allow attendees to speak with department directors about positions and complete applications and interviews.

Its everybody involved in education, trying to recruit people, Symank said. Its becoming increasingly more difficult to get applicants into our pools because theres less and less people entering into the world of education.
Texas high school students STAAR results have mostly eclipsed pre-pandemic levels, a sign of growth celebrated by state education officials.

The Texas Education Agency released Friday statewide results of end-of-course exams, which showed students making progress in all five tested subjects.

In Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History, pass rates exceeded those in 2019  the last year before COVID-19 upended students high school experiences. Algebra I scores remain below 2019 levels but still improved over last year.

We celebrate these results, and also recognize they provide objective information for parents and educators for the year to come, education commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement.

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests are a measure of students academic performance. End-of-course tests typically are needed for Texas high schoolers to graduate. To pass the tests, students must score at a level that approaches grade-level.

This latest round marked the first year that redesigned tests were administered almost exclusively online, with some exceptions for students requiring accommodations.

The state has not yet released scores for elementary and middle schoolers. Those will come Aug. 16.

These scores will not only be used to help families assess how their child is doing academically, but will be a major factor in how well schools and districts score in the states school accountability system. Schools grades on the A-F scale will be released in September.

Amid widespread learning loss for students following school closures, math scores proved to be particularly hard-hit.

In Algebra I, 78% of test takers passed, falling six percentage points below the 2019 threshold. Less than a quarter of students mastered the skills on the test and 45% met grade-level standards.

But Texas saw better news in Biology: Students had the largest year-over-year gain in this category. The 7% gain brought 89% of students to passing.

Just over seven in 10 students passed the English I test, while 74% passed in English II. But English also saw the lowest percentages of students excelling on the test; 14% scored as masters in English I, while 9% did so in English II.

The highest success rate came in U.S. History, with 95% passing, up from 89% last year.

In Dallas, passing rates were generally below the statewide average. Dallas ISD serves a larger percentage of students from low-income families  and children who are learning English  than Texas as a whole.

Like the rest of the state, DISD students struggled most to pass their English exams: 59% passed the English I test, while 63% passed English II.

Dallas high schoolers saw more success in Biology, where 83% passed, and history, where 92% did so.

The STAAR scores continue to show gaps between high schoolers from different student groups.

For example, 36% of students from low-income families met grade level in Algebra I, compared to 61% of teenagers from wealthier families. Only 14% of students in special education did so.

Emergent bilingual students saw a 5 percentage point increase in grade-level proficiency on their English tests, moving from 21% to 26%.
Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NBB  Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,500 shares, a growth of 282.4% from the May 31st total of 5,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 73,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NBB. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new position in Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $227,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund in the first quarter worth about $487,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $245,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund in the 2nd quarter worth about $188,000.

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Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:NBB traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $15.69. The companys stock had a trading volume of 38,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 74,101. Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund has a 12 month low of $14.52 and a 12 month high of $18.86. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $15.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.04.

Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund Announces Dividend

Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund Company Profile

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.068 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th.

(Free Report)

Nuveen Taxable 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 the United States. The fund also invests some portion of its portfolio in derivative instruments.

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Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU  Free Report) (TSE:SU) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 48,730,000 shares, a decrease of 54.2% from the May 31st total of 106,410,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 10.5 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Suncor Energy Price Performance

Shares of SU stock traded up $0.15 on Friday, reaching $29.32. 3,512,710 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,608,353. The company has a market cap of $38.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.11. Suncor Energy has a 1 year low of $26.42 and a 1 year high of $37.23.

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Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU  Free Report) (TSE:SU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.08. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 14.25% and a return on equity of 26.90%. The company had revenue of $9.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.87 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Suncor Energy will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 5th were paid a $0.384 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.24%. Suncor Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.85%.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SU. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Suncor Energy in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $54.57.

Institutional Trading of Suncor Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new position in shares of Suncor Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $217,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 18,131 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Suncor Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,289 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Suncor Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $855,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.82% of the companys stock.

About Suncor Energy

(Free Report)

Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products. This segment also engages in syncrude oil sands mining and upgrading operations; and marketing, supply, transportation, and risk management of crude oil, natural gas, power, and byproducts.

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Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Co. (NYSE:TYG  Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,500 shares, a decline of 72.1% from the May 31st total of 19,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tortoise Energy Infrastructure

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TYG. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Tortoise Energy Infrastructure by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 103,857 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,589,000 after purchasing an additional 10,567 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Tortoise Energy Infrastructure in the 1st quarter worth $210,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tortoise Energy Infrastructure in the 1st quarter worth $1,037,000. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Tortoise Energy Infrastructure by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 38,629 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Tortoise Energy Infrastructure by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,642 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. 35.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Price Performance

TYG traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.05. 23,935 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,636. The companys fifty day moving average price is $28.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.39. Tortoise Energy Infrastructure has a 52-week low of $26.72 and a 52-week high of $36.39.

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Dividend Announcement

About Tortoise Energy Infrastructure

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 24th were paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.78%.

(Free Report)

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corporation is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Tortoise Capital Advisors LLC The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating in the energy infrastructure sector, with an emphasis on those companies that are engaged in transporting, processing, storing, distributing or marketing natural gas, natural gas liquids (primarily propane), coal, crude oil or refined petroleum products, or exploring, developing, managing or producing such commodities.

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(Photo : DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images)

The highest elections court in Brazil voted to bar Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years.

On Friday, Brazilian election officials barred former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030, removing a leading candidate from the next presidential election and handing a major setback to the country's far-right movement.

Less than three months before last year's election, Bolsonaro called diplomats to the presidential palace and made unfounded claims that the nation's voting systems were likely to be manipulated against him, according to Brazil's electoral court.

Brazil Court Bars Bolsonaro From Politics

Five of the court's seven justices ruled that Bolsonaro committed an abuse of power when he convened the meeting with diplomats and aired it on state television.

Per NY Times, the decision represents a swift and severe rebuke of Bolsonaro and his attempt to undermine Brazil's elections. Bolsonaro was president of one of the world's largest democracies only six months ago. Now, his political career is in jeopardy.

Bolsonaro, 68, will be eligible to run for president again in 2030 when he will be 75 years old. The next presidential election is expected to take place in 2026.

Bolsonaro stated on Friday that he was not startled by the decision of 5 to 2 because the court had always ruled against him. Bolsonaro appeared to embrace his destiny by announcing on Friday that he would focus on campaigning for other candidates on the right.

Nonetheless, he is anticipated to appeal the ruling to Brazil's Supreme Court, despite the fact that this court acted aggressively during his presidency to limit his authority

He has criticized the Supreme Court harshly for years, labeling some justices "terrorists" and accusing them of attempting to influence the vote against him.

Read Also: Hunter Biden Mocked for Art-for-Child-Support Deal; President's Son Agrees To Build Relationship with Daughter

Brazil's Electoral System

The case stems from a meeting Bolsonaro held with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, during which he disseminated fraudulent information about Brazil's electoral system and questioned its credibility in advance of the contentious election last year. According to CNN, the meeting was livestreamed on YouTube and official television channels.

YouTube removed the livestream of the event because it violated its policy on false news. The judge who presided over the court, Alexandre de Moraes, voted last. After voting in favor of the guilty verdict, he stated, "Let us renew our faith in our democracy and the rule of law."

Moraes added that with the vote, Brazilian authorities would demonstrate that they do not tolerate "criminal extremism challenging the powers of the state, false news, and disinformation aimed at misleading voters."

Bolsonaro has refuted any improper conduct. On Friday, Bolsonaro told the Brazilian radio station Itatiaia that he intends to appeal the court's decision.

Current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the election by the narrowest margin in decades over the far-right candidate. After weeks of protests over the election results, pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators broke into government buildings in Brasilia during riots on January 8.

The case before the Superior Electoral Court began with a lawsuit filed by Brazil's Democratic Labor Party against Bolsonaro and his running companion in the 2022 elections, Walter Braga Netto. The plurality of justices voted to exonerate Braga Netto.

According to a report by Judge Benno Goncalves, during the meeting with ambassadors, the former president allegedly stated that the 2022 elections could be compromised due to deception.

Bolsonaro is also alleged to have claimed that in 2018, voting machines altered voters' choices in favor of his opponent, that Brazilian voting machines cannot be audited, and that electoral and judicial authorities were safeguarding "terrorists," according to the report.

All of these allegations of defects in the electoral system have been refuted by the Brazilian electoral authorities. This case is one of several pending against the former president before the Superior Electoral Court.

Related Article: Joe Biden Bribery Claims: GOP Allegedly Had Evidence Disproving Accusations

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PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM  Free Report) has earned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $70.79.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn reiterated a buy rating on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $68.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of PulteGroup in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $95.00 price target for the company.

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PulteGroup Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PHM opened at $77.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a PE ratio of 6.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. PulteGroup has a twelve month low of $35.99 and a twelve month high of $79.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.30.

PulteGroup Announces Dividend

PulteGroup ( NYSE:PHM Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The construction company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.27 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 16.22% and a return on equity of 31.03%. The companys revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that PulteGroup will post 9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 16th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. PulteGroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

PulteGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 25th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 6.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at PulteGroup

In related news, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.95, for a total value of $1,004,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,886 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,741,567.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Robert Oshaughnessy sold 115,102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.90, for a total value of $7,700,323.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 177,564 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,879,031.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian P. Anderson sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.95, for a total transaction of $1,004,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 55,886 shares in the company, valued at $3,741,567.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,102 shares of company stock valued at $15,101,034. Insiders own 0.83% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arlington Partners LLC purchased a new position in PulteGroup in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 90.9% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 441 shares of the construction companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 222.9% during the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 565 shares of the construction companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. 90.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About PulteGroup

(Free Report

PulteGroup, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West, and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods brand names.

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Irish Residential Properties REIT (OTCMKTS:RSHPF  Free Report) and American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH  Free Report) are both real estate companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

83.4% of American Homes 4 Rent shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.3% of American Homes 4 Rent shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Profitability

This table compares Irish Residential Properties REIT and American Homes 4 Rents net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Irish Residential Properties REIT N/A N/A N/A American Homes 4 Rent 21.69% 4.62% 2.74%

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Irish Residential Properties REIT 0 0 1 0 3.00 American Homes 4 Rent 0 7 9 0 2.56

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Irish Residential Properties REIT and American Homes 4 Rent, as reported by MarketBeat.

Irish Residential Properties REIT presently has a consensus target price of $1.45, suggesting a potential upside of 37.44%. American Homes 4 Rent has a consensus target price of $36.30, suggesting a potential upside of 2.40%. Given Irish Residential Properties REITs stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Irish Residential Properties REIT is more favorable than American Homes 4 Rent.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Irish Residential Properties REIT and American Homes 4 Rents revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Irish Residential Properties REIT N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A American Homes 4 Rent $1.49 billion 8.60 $273.14 million $0.87 40.75

American Homes 4 Rent has higher revenue and earnings than Irish Residential Properties REIT.

Summary

American Homes 4 Rent beats Irish Residential Properties REIT on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Irish Residential Properties REIT

(Free Report)

Irish Residential Properties REIT plc (together with IRES Residential Properties Limited & IRES Fund Management Limited, the "Group") is a growth oriented Real Estate Investment Trust that is focused on acquiring, holding, managing and developing investments primarily focused on private residential rental accommodations in Ireland. The Group currently owns 3,915 apartments and houses for private rental in Dublin and Cork with an additional 91 units due for delivery before the end of H1 2022 under pre-purchase contracts and a further 44 units in 2023. The Company has a further 61 units currently under construction directly on owned sites due in H1 2022 and has planning approval to develop an additional 543 residential units on its existing sites. The Company's shares are listed on Euronext Dublin.

About American Homes 4 Rent

(Free Report)

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH), which does business as AMH, is a leading single-family property owner, leasing operator and build-to-rent developer. We're an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing and managing homes as rental properties. Our goal is to simplify the experience of leasing a home and deliver peace of mind to households across the country. In recent years, we've been named one of Fortune's 2022 Best Workplaces in Real Estate, a 2023 Great Place to Work, a 2022 Top U.S. Homebuilder by Builder100, one of America's Most Responsible Companies 2023 and America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 by Newsweek and Statista Inc., and a Top ESG Regional Performer by Sustainalytics. As of March 31, 2023, we owned nearly 59,000 single-family properties in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and Mountain West regions of the United States.

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Babcock International Group PLC (LON:BAB  Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 413.40 ($5.26).

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Shore Capital restated a hold rating on shares of Babcock International Group in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and set a GBX 460 ($5.85) target price on shares of Babcock International Group in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th.

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Babcock International Group Price Performance

BAB stock opened at GBX 282.60 ($3.59) on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 309.82 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 306.16. The stock has a market cap of 1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 967.80, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.41. Babcock International Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 262.20 ($3.33) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 367.40 ($4.67). The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 331.94.

Babcock International Group Company Profile

Babcock International Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides value-add services for aerospace, defense, and security in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Africa, North America, Australasia, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Marine, Nuclear, Land, and Aviation.

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Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP  Free Report) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 22,253 shares of the railroad operators stock after buying an additional 50 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoises holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,477,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,349,188 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $10,588,308,000 after acquiring an additional 511,696 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $2,836,353,000 after acquiring an additional 13,682,419 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,940,938 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $2,261,886,000 after acquiring an additional 78,511 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Union Pacific by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $1,860,303,000 after acquiring an additional 883,963 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,276,498,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.04% of the companys stock.

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Union Pacific Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE UNP traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $204.62. 2,298,746 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,570,974. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.65. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $183.69 and a 1-year high of $242.35. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $198.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.73.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The railroad operator reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.03 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 57.75% and a net margin of 27.91%. The businesss revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. Union Pacifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $221.00 to $220.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $241.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $191.00 to $184.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $217.41.

Union Pacific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, and other agricultural users; petroleum, and liquid petroleum gases; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.

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Shares of Barclays PLC (LON:BARC  Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the eight research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 239.75 ($3.05).

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BARC shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Barclays from GBX 300 ($3.81) to GBX 320 ($4.07) and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Barclays from GBX 210 ($2.67) to GBX 180 ($2.29) and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 26th. UBS Group set a GBX 238 ($3.03) target price on Barclays in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, April 27th.

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Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BARC opened at GBX 153.38 ($1.95) on Friday. The firm has a market cap of 23.85 billion, a PE ratio of 479.31, a PEG ratio of -1.09 and a beta of 1.36. Barclays has a twelve month low of GBX 128.12 ($1.63) and a twelve month high of GBX 198.86 ($2.53). The firms 50 day moving average price is GBX 154.61 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 161.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Barclays

Barclays Company Profile

In other news, insider Anna Cross sold 68,659 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 154 ($1.96), for a total transaction of 105,734.86 ($134,437.20). Insiders own 0.34% of the companys stock.

(Free Report

Barclays PLC provides various financial services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through two segments, Barclays UK and Barclays International divisions. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services.

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Blossom Wealth Management boosted its holdings in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF  Free Report) by 15.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,960 shares of the insurance providers stock after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Blossom Wealth Managements holdings in First American Financial were worth $332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Leeward Investments LLC MA purchased a new position in First American Financial in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $13,989,000. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 122,120 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $6,797,000 after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 32,388 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,803,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 57.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,461 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $4,590,000 after purchasing an additional 29,931 shares in the last quarter. 85.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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First American Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $57.02 on Friday. First American Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $43.54 and a 52-week high of $64.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $56.42 and a 200 day moving average of $56.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a PE ratio of 28.65 and a beta of 1.26.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

First American Financial ( NYSE:FAF Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The insurance provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 12.16%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First American Financial Co. will post 4.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 8th were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 7th. First American Financials dividend payout ratio is presently 104.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. TheStreet lowered shares of First American Financial from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $68.40.

First American Financial Profile

(Free Report)

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Specialty Insurance segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services.

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BQE Water Inc. (CVE:BQE  Free Report) shares dropped 0.2% on Friday . The company traded as low as C$27.00 and last traded at C$27.00. Approximately 100 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 327 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$27.06.

BQE Water Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.00, a quick ratio of 3.70 and a current ratio of 3.49. The company has a market capitalization of C$33.75 million, a P/E ratio of 54.00 and a beta of 1.09. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$29.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$30.06.

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BQE Water (CVE:BQE  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported C($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$3.47 million during the quarter. BQE Water had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 5.32%.

About BQE Water

BQE Water Inc, a water treatment company, provides wastewater management and treatment solutions to the mining and metallurgical industry in Canada, the United States, Latin America, China, and internationally. It offers water treatment solutions for mine drainage, run-off, waste rock seepage, tailings water, groundwater, and lime plant influent and/or effluent streams for treating metals, sulphate, selenium, nitrate, ammonia, and cyanide in the mining sector; smelting and refining services for treating metals and sulphate; and hydrometallurgy services for the treatment of metals, cyanide, and acids.

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Whitecap Resources Inc. (TSE:WCP  Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Buy from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$14.89.

WCP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$14.00 to C$13.00 in a research report on Friday. ATB Capital cut their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$16.00 to C$15.00 in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.00 to C$14.50 in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Finally, National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.50 to C$16.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th.

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Whitecap Resources Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of WCP stock opened at C$9.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of C$5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.39, a PEG ratio of -0.33 and a beta of 2.90. Whitecap Resources has a one year low of C$7.70 and a one year high of C$11.52. The companys fifty day moving average price is C$9.77 and its 200-day moving average price is C$10.26. 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 Announces Dividend

Whitecap Resources ( TSE:WCP Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported C$0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.33 by C$0.10. The firm had revenue of C$952.60 million for the quarter. Whitecap Resources had a net margin of 33.46% and a return on equity of 26.68%. Sell-side analysts expect that Whitecap Resources will post 1.212938 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a $0.048 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.21%. Whitecap Resourcess payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vineeta Maguire bought 10,683 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$9.36 per share, for a total transaction of C$99,992.88. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the companys stock.

About Whitecap Resources

(Free Report

Whitecap Resources Inc, an oil and gas company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and gas assets in Western Canada. The company's primary areas of focus of its development programs are in Northern Alberta and British Columbia, Central Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Whitecap Resources Inc is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Cameco (NYSE:CCJ  Free Report) (TSE:CCO) had its price target lowered by Scotiabank from C$50.00 to C$49.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on CCJ. Raymond James lifted their target price on Cameco to C$50.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Cameco from C$50.00 to C$51.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cameco from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, June 16th.

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Cameco Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:CCJ opened at $31.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 6.64 and a current ratio of 7.75. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.76. Cameco has a one year low of $20.35 and a one year high of $33.00. The firm has a market cap of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 108.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.95.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cameco

Cameco ( NYSE:CCJ Free Report ) (TSE:CCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.20. The company had revenue of $508.09 million during the quarter. Cameco had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 4.26%. Equities analysts anticipate that Cameco will post 0.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CCJ. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cameco by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,068,688 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $497,555,000 after purchasing an additional 4,644,453 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Cameco by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 454,418 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $13,223,000 after acquiring an additional 9,757 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Cameco by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 25,154 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 1,414 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cameco by 10.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 554,571 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $16,138,000 after purchasing an additional 52,341 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in Cameco in the first quarter valued at approximately $819,000. 63.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cameco

(Free Report)

Cameco Corporation provides uranium for the generation of electricity. It operates through two segments, Uranium and Fuel Services. The Uranium segment is involved in the exploration for, mining, and milling, purchase, and sale of uranium concentrate. The Fuel Services segment engages in the refining, conversion, and fabrication of uranium concentrate, as well as the purchase and sale of conversion services.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Free Report) (TSE:CM) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Thursday.

CM has been the topic of several other research reports. CIBC upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $70.40.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:CM opened at $42.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a fifty-two week low of $39.40 and a fifty-two week high of $53.36. The stocks 50-day moving average is $42.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.84. The stock has a market cap of $39.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.01.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ( NYSE:CM Free Report ) (TSE:CM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 25th. The bank reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.15 billion. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 11.14%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 5.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CM. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc grew its stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 41,655 shares of the banks stock worth $2,281,444,000 after buying an additional 2,041 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,644,399 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,384,759,000 after buying an additional 1,107,934 shares during the period. Lantz Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce during the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce during the 4th quarter valued at $110,000. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 90,566 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,661,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.70% of the companys stock.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Company Profile

(Free Report)

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S.

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(Photo : OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia has reduced its presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility, planning a "terrorist attack" on the site.

Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine have begun to evacuate the facility partially, heightening sabotage concerns.

According to statements attributed to the head of Ukraine's military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, Putin's soldiers concealed explosives in four of the plant's six power units and cooling systems in the past.

Russian Troops Start Distancing From Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The claims were supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned this week that Russia was planning a "terrorist attack" on a nuclear power plant that has been under Moscow's control since March of last year.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, dismissed Ukrainian claims that the Kremlin was planning some form of "provocation" involving the contested nuclear facility as "pure falsehoods"

The facility is located near the Russian-controlled town of Enerhodar in the south of the nation. The GUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency, reported that representatives of the Russian state nuclear firm Rosatom, which has been in control of the facility since its occupation, advised Ukrainian personnel to depart by Wednesday.

Moshe Azman, the chief rabbi of Ukraine, urged the international community to do everything possible to prevent the potential nuclear calamity, which would be the second on Ukrainian soil since Chernobyl in 1986.

According to Daily Mail, Lavrov added that Russia would emerge stronger from the unsuccessful insurrection of Wagner Group mercenaries.

Read Also: Brazil Court Bans Jair Bolsonaro From Running for Office for 8 Years

Ukraine Conducts Drill for Potential Radiation Spill

On Thursday, Ukrainian emergency workers participated in an exercise to prepare for the possibility of a radiation release from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. They wore white and yellow protective garments and were equipped with radiation detection devices.

Dozens of civilians participated in the exercise on the outskirts of Zaporizhia, approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Europe's largest nuclear power facility.

In a tent set up to provide first aid, emergency personnel rehearsed washing people with detergent and administering treatment to individuals who acted as victims from potentially radiation-affected areas.

In the early phases of the conflict, Russia occupied the facility. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of bombarding the facility in the past year, making it a focal point of concern.

The emergency services stated that if something were to occur at the plant, people would be transported from radiation-contaminated areas to a location where they would receive medical and psychological assistance.

The following halt would be a temporary center where individuals would be cleansed to remove surface radiation before being transported to evacuation points. When the possibility of a disaster at the plant first arose a year ago, Ukraine established a crisis response headquarters. Thursday's exercise was not the first time that drills were conducted.

According to emergency services, approximately 300,000 people would be evacuated from the surrounding areas in the event of a nuclear catastrophe at the plant. This encompasses Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Mykolaiv. Evacuation would be required.

Individuals will be allowed to bring their canines along. Buses, railroads, and private vehicles would be utilized to evacuate the affected area. Depending on the direction of the wind and the radiation's spread, individuals would be relocated to safer areas within Ukraine, Washington Times reported.

Related Article: Putin's Goons Interrogate 'General Armageddon,' Russia President Reportedly Fears Firing 'Dangerous' Defense Minister

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Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 36.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 258,816 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 69,245 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $13,557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new position in Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth $30,000. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 704.2% in the first quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab in the first quarter valued at $32,000. 82.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Charles Schwab

In related news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,093,761,349.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SCHW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Bank of America increased their price target on Charles Schwab from $46.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on Charles Schwab from $62.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Charles Schwab from $61.00 to $56.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $66.68.

NYSE:SCHW opened at $56.68 on Friday. The Charles Schwab Co. has a twelve month low of $45.00 and a twelve month high of $86.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $52.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.69.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 27.83% and a net margin of 34.82%. The companys revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is currently 27.32%.

Charles Schwab Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Hovde Group upgraded shares of Community Bank System (NYSE:CBU  Free Report) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report published on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

CBU has been the topic of a number of other reports. TheStreet downgraded shares of Community Bank System from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Raymond James raised shares of Community Bank System from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Community Bank System from $54.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Community Bank System in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating for the company. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Community Bank System in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. They issued a buy rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $59.00.

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Community Bank System Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CBU opened at $46.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.61. The firms fifty day moving average is $49.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.65. Community Bank System has a 52-week low of $44.26 and a 52-week high of $72.86.

Community Bank System Announces Dividend

Community Bank System ( NYSE:CBU Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The bank reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $124.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.75 million. Community Bank System had a net margin of 21.64% and a return on equity of 12.33%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Community Bank System will post 3.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.76%. Community Bank Systems dividend payout ratio is presently 64.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community Bank System

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CBU. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Community Bank System by 159.2% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 547 shares of the banks stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Community Bank System by 80.4% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the banks stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Community Bank System during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Community Bank System during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Community Bank System by 82.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 585 shares of the banks stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 71.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Community Bank System

(Free Report)

Community Bank System, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as interest and noninterest -bearing checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits.

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Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:DHY  Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 115,900 shares, a decrease of 47.2% from the May 31st total of 219,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 263,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:DHY traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $1.89. The stock had a trading volume of 949,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,590. Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund has a one year low of $1.65 and a one year high of $2.07.

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Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 16th were issued a $0.0155 dividend. This represents a $0.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 15th.

Institutional Trading of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund

About Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Matisse Capital purchased a new position in shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 15.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

(Free Report)

Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It invests in the securities of companies across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in below-investment-grade corporate bonds with an average credit quality lower than BBB by Standard & Poor's and an average duration of 5.07 years.

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Cormark upgraded shares of Denison Mines (NYSEAMERICAN:DNN  Free Report) (TSE:DML) to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Denison Mines to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday.

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Denison Mines Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN DNN opened at $1.25 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1.20. Denison Mines has a 52 week low of $0.91 and a 52 week high of $1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.67 and a beta of 1.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Denison Mines

Denison Mines Company Profile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Denison Mines by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 292,869 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 8,335 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Denison Mines by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 342,449 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $391,000 after acquiring an additional 9,267 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Denison Mines by 24.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 55,640 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Denison Mines by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,366,694 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,572,000 after acquiring an additional 12,536 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Suisse AG boosted its holdings in Denison Mines by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 570,023 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 13,038 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.88% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Denison Mines Corp. operates as a uranium exploration and development company in Canada. Its flagship project is the 95% interest owned Wheeler River uranium project covering an area of approximately 300,000 hectares located in the Athabasca Basin region in northern Saskatchewan. The company was formerly known as International Uranium Corporation and changed its name to Denison Mines Corp.

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The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of First Horizon (NYSE:FHN  Free Report) in a research note released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating on the financial services providers stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. SpectralCast reiterated a downgrade rating on shares of First Horizon in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of First Horizon from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, March 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of First Horizon from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Saturday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of First Horizon in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. They set a neutral rating and a $13.00 price target for the company. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of First Horizon from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $19.13.

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First Horizon Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of First Horizon stock opened at $11.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.51. The company has a market cap of $6.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.89. First Horizon has a fifty-two week low of $8.99 and a fifty-two week high of $24.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.94.

First Horizon Announces Dividend

First Horizon ( NYSE:FHN Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $863.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $871.36 million. First Horizon had a return on equity of 13.53% and a net margin of 24.76%. The companys revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Horizon will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.32%. First Horizons payout ratio is 37.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Horizon

In other First Horizon news, Director Colin V. Reed acquired 25,138 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.96 per share, for a total transaction of $250,374.48. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 187,027 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,788.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Colin V. Reed purchased 25,138 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.96 per share, with a total value of $250,374.48. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 187,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,788.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director William H. Fenstermaker purchased 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.62 per share, with a total value of $116,200.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 256,312 shares in the company, valued at $2,978,345.44. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 42,036 shares of company stock worth $436,725. Insiders own 1.55% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of First Horizon

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Horizon in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BOKF NA purchased a new position in shares of First Horizon during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Horizon during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Horizon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Horizon during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.79% of the companys stock.

First Horizon Company Profile

(Free Report)

First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments.

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General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) had its price target upped by Wolfe Research from $107.00 to $125.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on General Electric from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Citigroup raised their price objective on General Electric from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on General Electric in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on General Electric from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, March 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on General Electric from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $105.19.

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General Electric Trading Up 2.0 %

GE opened at $109.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $119.62 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 7.54 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business has a 50 day moving average of $103.09 and a 200-day moving average of $91.64. General Electric has a 52 week low of $46.55 and a 52 week high of $110.26.

General Electric Announces Dividend

General Electric ( NYSE:GE Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $14.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.46 billion. General Electric had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 11.85%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.24 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that General Electric will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 11th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 10th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.29%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.17%.

Insider Transactions at General Electric

In other news, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 58,292 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.68, for a total value of $6,102,006.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 70,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,383,813.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Thomas S. Timko sold 7,254 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.82, for a total transaction of $731,348.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,953 shares in the company, valued at $2,112,481.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michael J. Holston sold 58,292 shares of General Electric stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.68, for a total value of $6,102,006.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 70,537 shares in the company, valued at $7,383,813.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 239,419 shares of company stock worth $24,144,151 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.67% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On General Electric

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Psagot Value Holdings Ltd. Israel purchased a new position in General Electric during the first quarter valued at $270,000. Lumbard & Kellner LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Electric in the first quarter valued at about $219,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of General Electric in the first quarter valued at about $4,628,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 7.3% in the first quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 66,180 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $6,327,000 after acquiring an additional 4,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Searle & CO. lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 6.4% in the first quarter. Searle & CO. now owns 4,149 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. 74.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

General Electric Company Profile

(Free Report)

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.

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Farmers and Merchants Bancshares (OTCMKTS:FMFG  Free Report) is one of 274 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare Farmers and Merchants Bancshares to similar companies based on the strength of its earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Farmers and Merchants Bancshares and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Farmers and Merchants Bancshares 0 0 0 0 N/A Farmers and Merchants Bancshares Competitors 1054 2961 2883 7 2.27

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 339.06%. Given Farmers and Merchants Bancshares rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Farmers and Merchants Bancshares has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Farmers and Merchants Bancshares N/A N/A 19.02 Farmers and Merchants Bancshares Competitors $2.45 billion $676.46 million 268.16

This table compares Farmers and Merchants Bancshares and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Farmers and Merchants Bancshares. Farmers and Merchants Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.47 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Farmers and Merchants Bancshares pays out 41.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 13.3% and pay out 18.7% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Farmers and Merchants Bancshares lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Profitability

This table compares Farmers and Merchants Bancshares and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Farmers and Merchants Bancshares N/A N/A N/A Farmers and Merchants Bancshares Competitors 35.66% 9.66% 0.89%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.2% of Farmers and Merchants Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.3% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 15.8% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held 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.

Summary

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares rivals beat Farmers and Merchants Bancshares on 10 of the 10 factors compared.

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares Company Profile

(Free Report)

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc., through its subsidiary, Farmers and Merchants Bank, provides commercial and retail banking services to individuals and businesses in Baltimore and Carroll counties in Maryland, and surrounding areas of northern Maryland. It offers checking, savings, money market, individual retirement, and sweep accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, remote check deposits, and repurchase agreements. The company also provides credit for residential mortgages, including federal housing administration and veterans affairs loans; construction loans; home equity lines; personal installment loans; and other consumer financing, as well as finances commerce and industry by providing credit and deposit services for small to medium size businesses and the agricultural community. In addition, it offers commercial lending, which includes commercial mortgages, land acquisition and development loans, lines of credit, accounts receivable financing, and term loans for fixed asset purchases, as well as loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture. Further, the company provides automated teller machine, internet, mobile banking, and automated telephone services, as well as debit and credit cards. It serves customers through its office located in Upperco, Maryland; branches located in Hampstead, Greenmount, Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Eldersburg, and Westminster, Maryland; and a satellite branch located in Westminster, Maryland. Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Hampstead, Maryland.

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Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE:HUBB  Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $327.42 and last traded at $327.27, with a volume of 258856 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $321.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on HUBB shares. Mizuho upped their price target on Hubbell from $252.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hubbell from $225.00 to $221.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Hubbell from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $237.33.

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Hubbell Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $291.33 and a 200 day moving average of $256.20.

Hubbell Announces Dividend

Hubbell ( NYSE:HUBB Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $3.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.46 by $1.15. The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Hubbell had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 11.15%. Hubbells revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hubbell Incorporated will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. Hubbells payout ratio is currently 42.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hubbell

In other Hubbell news, Director Carlos M. Cardoso sold 560 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.16, for a total transaction of $152,969.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,711 shares in the company, valued at $467,376.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hubbell

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its position in shares of Hubbell by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 61,284 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $14,382,000 after purchasing an additional 3,110 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Hubbell by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,198 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. FDx Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Hubbell by 311.2% during the 4th quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. now owns 5,678 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 4,297 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in shares of Hubbell by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 35,207 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $8,191,000 after purchasing an additional 4,719 shares during the period. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Hubbell during the 4th quarter worth approximately $770,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.67% of the companys stock.

Hubbell Company Profile

(Free Report)

Hubbell Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and utility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Electrical Solutions and Utility Solutions. The Electrical Solution segment offers standard and special application wiring device products, rough-in electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures, and other electrical equipment for use in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities by electrical contractors, maintenance personnel, electricians, utilities, and telecommunications companies, as well as components and assemblies.

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Shore Capital restated their house stock rating on shares of Jacobs Engineering Group (LON:J  Free Report) in a report published on Tuesday, LSE.Co.UK reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Jacobs Engineering Group from GBX 230 ($2.92) to GBX 270 ($3.43) and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Jacobs Engineering Group to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the stock from GBX 320 ($4.07) to GBX 295 ($3.75) in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Jacobs Engineering Group from GBX 219 ($2.78) to GBX 209 ($2.66) and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. Finally, Barclays restated an overweight rating on shares of Jacobs Engineering Group in a report on Monday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of GBX 246.80 ($3.14).

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Jacobs Engineering Group Stock Performance

About Jacobs Engineering Group

(Free Report)

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Jacobs Engineering Group Inc is challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the worlds most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

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John Hancock Preferred Income Fund (NYSE:HPI  Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,100 shares, a drop of 66.1% from the May 31st total of 32,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 58,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of HPI stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $15.23. The stock had a trading volume of 97,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,574. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund has a 12-month low of $14.02 and a 12-month high of $19.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.80.

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John Hancock Preferred Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 12th were given a dividend of $0.1235 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 9th.

Institutional Trading of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund Company Profile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund by 549.4% during the 1st quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund in the 1st quarter worth about $103,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,432 shares of the companys stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the last quarter.

(Free Report)

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund is a closed ended balanced mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. The fund invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Warner Bros studios in California suffered from an electrical fire.

The incident happened as Hollywood writers are protesting for better salaries. Thanks to the efforts of the Burbank fire department, the fire was put out immediately.

Firefighters also managed to contain the blaze in the area, preventing the incident from affecting other establishments.

Warner Bros Studios Suffers From Electrical Fire

According to The Guardian's latest report, the fire happened on June 30.

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At 1:38 p.m., the Burbank fire department dispatched its team to Warner Brothers Studios in the 4300 block of W Olive Ave, Burbank, California.

"After arriving on scene, crews determined that an electrical transformer was on fire," said the fire department officials. "Fire crews quickly attacked the fire and knockdown occurred at 2.03 pm," they added.

Luckily, no civilians or firefighters were injured during the incident. As of writing, the electrical fire accident is still under investigation.

The Daily Mail UK reported that the fire incident happened as Hollywood writers are protesting for better wages.

However, it is unclear if the electrical fire incident is connected to the protests.

Other Details of Warner Bros Studios Fire Incident

Numerous videos showing the electrical fire incident at the Warner Bros Studios circulated on Twitter. One of the Twitter users who posted a video claimed that they heard a large sound before the power flickered in the area.

After that, the sky was filled with eerie smoke. Meanwhile, other individuals said that they saw lights flickering blocks away from the Warner Brothers Studios.

Then, a single firetruck was seen going to the Warner Bros establishment. Before the blaze was put out, reports stated that black smoke was coming from an upper floor.

Although the electrical fire incident is quite alarming, many people still criticized Warner Bros because of the happening protests.

Some individuals even believe that the fire happened on purpose so that the company can get insurance money.

"Insurance money printer goes burrr," said one of the Twitter users.

Of course, these will still remain speculations until California's authorities completed their investigation. Remember, California and other U.S. states are still experiencing heat waves.

If you want to learn more about their statements and the actual video of the Warner Bros studios fire incident, you can watch the Twitter post below.

BREAKING! There is a HUGE fire reported at Warner Bros Studios in Los Angeles, CA.  pic.twitter.com/sDm1uoCKuJ  The Patriot Voice (@TPV_John) June 30, 2023

Related Article: US Heat Waves Could Worsen; Scientists Claim Fatalities Will Increase

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC decreased its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Free Report) by 5.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,925 shares of the companys stock after selling 243 shares during the quarter. Johnson Bixby & Associates LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of USMV. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.8% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,253 shares of the companys stock worth $646,000 after buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.7% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 95,612 shares of the companys stock worth $7,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,612 shares during the period. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.4% in the first quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,348,690 shares of the companys stock worth $104,618,000 after acquiring an additional 57,434 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 27.0% in the first quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 88,779 shares of the companys stock worth $6,887,000 after acquiring an additional 18,853 shares during the period. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 6.1% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 12,575 shares of the companys stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares during the period.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Up 1.0 %

BATS USMV opened at $74.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $29.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $72.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.50. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a twelve month low of $47.44 and a twelve month high of $55.45.

About iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Leeward Investments LLC MA raised its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE  Free Report) by 18.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,265 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 17,599 shares during the quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MAs holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities were worth $14,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ARE. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 107.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 94.8% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 298 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. lifted its position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 400 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 85.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $155.00 to $144.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $180.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Alexandria Real Estate Equities from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $198.00 to $166.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alexandria Real Estate Equities has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $167.43.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Performance

Shares of ARE stock opened at $113.49 on Friday. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.81 and a 12 month high of $172.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.93. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $117.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.46.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($1.71). Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 3.77% and a net margin of 28.01%. The company had revenue of $700.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.05 earnings per share. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. will post 8.96 EPS for the current year.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. This is an increase from Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.21. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 109.49%.

Insider Transactions at Alexandria Real Estate Equities

In other news, Chairman Joel S. Marcus sold 7,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.20, for a total transaction of $916,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 351,354 shares in the company, valued at $42,935,458.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Company Profile

(Free Report)

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since its founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ARE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE  Free Report).

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Loblaw Companies (OTCMKTS:LBLCF  Free Report) is one of 63 public companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Loblaw Companies to similar companies based on the strength of its dividends, risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Loblaw Companies and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Loblaw Companies N/A N/A -414.44 Loblaw Companies Competitors $27.71 billion $591.29 million 183.79

Loblaw Companies competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Loblaw Companies. Loblaw Companies is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Loblaw Companies 0 1 0 0 2.00 Loblaw Companies Competitors 1123 2766 3026 114 2.30

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Loblaw Companies and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Loblaw Companies currently has a consensus target price of $137.75, suggesting a potential upside of 50.22%. As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 100.94%. Given Loblaw Companies competitors stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Loblaw Companies has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Profitability

This table compares Loblaw Companies and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Loblaw Companies N/A N/A N/A Loblaw Companies Competitors 1.95% 14.09% 4.58%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

70.9% of Loblaw Companies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.4% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by institutional investors. 22.1% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Loblaw Companies pays an annual dividend of $0.97 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Loblaw Companies pays out -438.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Grocery Stores companies pay a dividend yield of 4.1% and pay out 62.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

Loblaw Companies competitors beat Loblaw Companies on 11 of the 13 factors compared.

About Loblaw Companies

(Free Report)

Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, engages in the grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services businesses in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores. This segment also includes in-store pharmacies, other health and beauty product stores, apparel stores, and other general merchandise stores. The Financial Services segment provides credit card and banking services, the PC Optimum program, insurance brokerage services, and telecommunication services. It also offers PC Health app. The company provides its products and services under various brands. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada. Loblaw Companies Limited is a subsidiary of George Weston Limited.

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Madison County Financial, Inc. (OTCMKTS:MCBK  Free Report)s stock price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $28.33 and traded as low as $27.00. Madison County Financial shares last traded at $27.00, with a volume of 250 shares changing hands.

Madison County Financial Trading Down 11.0 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

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Madison County Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 3rd were issued a $0.72 dividend. This is an increase from Madison County Financials previous dividend of $0.69. This represents a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 2nd.

Madison County Financial Company Profile

Madison County Financial, Inc operates as the holding company for Madison County Bank that provides banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers deposits, such as checking, money market savings, savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; credit and debit cards; home loans; and consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, second mortgage, home improvement, recreational vehicle, personal, and overdraft protection loans, as well as loans for automobiles, trucks, and vans.

Further Reading

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in Linde plc (NYSE:LIN  Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,115 shares of the basic materials companys stock after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in Linde were worth $13,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. HighTower Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in Linde by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 16,214 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $5,289,000 after buying an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in Linde by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 17,669 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $5,763,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its position in Linde by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 162 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management boosted its position in Linde by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,250 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,386,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.44% of the companys stock.

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Linde Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LIN traded up $1.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $381.08. 1,642,800 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,497,374. Linde plc has a 12 month low of $262.47 and a 12 month high of $383.58. The firm has a market cap of $186.86 billion, a PE ratio of 42.30, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $366.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $347.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Linde Announces Dividend

Linde ( NYSE:LIN Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The basic materials company reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.30. Linde had a return on equity of 15.71% and a net margin of 13.46%. The company had revenue of $8.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.93 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Linde plc will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd were paid a $1.275 dividend. This represents a $5.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st. Lindes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.60%.

Insider Activity at Linde

In other Linde news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,194 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $371.02, for a total transaction of $814,017.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 23,939 shares in the company, valued at $8,881,847.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 14,648 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $371.55, for a total transaction of $5,442,464.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 27,161 shares in the company, valued at $10,091,669.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,194 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.02, for a total transaction of $814,017.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 23,939 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,881,847.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 64,117 shares of company stock worth $23,861,511. Company insiders own 0.70% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on Linde from $375.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Linde from $385.00 to $415.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Linde from $370.00 to $382.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Linde from $355.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Linde from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $383.13.

Linde Profile

(Free Report)

Linde plc operates as an industrial gas company in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 168,612 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $11,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 115,695 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $8,021,000 after purchasing an additional 8,635 shares during the period. WT Wealth Management bought a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $376,000. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 119,805 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $8,304,000 after acquiring an additional 10,255 shares in the last quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 58,727 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,070,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KG&L Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 87.2% during the 1st quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 22,882 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 10,660 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.57% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance

BMY traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $63.95. 8,397,821 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,728,477. The stock has a market capitalization of $134.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 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 companys fifty day moving average price is $66.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.29. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52-week low of $62.88 and a 52-week high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $11.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.07 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is presently 66.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on BMY. Barclays cut their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. 51job reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. Finally, Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $78.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the companys 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NAC  Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 36,400 shares, a growth of 104.5% from the May 31st total of 17,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 333,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Institutional Trading of Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bartlett & Co. LLC grew its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 55,550 shares of the companys stock valued at $614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 152,007 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 56,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,585 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 113,683 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 158,878 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,710 shares during the last quarter.

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Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Stock Performance

NYSE:NAC traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $10.92. 216,732 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 321,255. The firms fifty day moving average is $10.72 and its 200-day moving average is $10.96. Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund has a 12-month low of $10.14 and a 12-month high of $13.02.

Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund Announces Dividend

About Nuveen California Quality Municipal Income Fund

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.036 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%.

(Free Report)

Nuveen California 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 California, United States. The fund invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments that are exempt from regular federal and California income taxes.

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MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL  Free Report) by 3,738.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 181,925 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after purchasing an additional 177,185 shares during the quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbHs holdings in Oracle were worth $16,904,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clear Investment Research LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 43.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on Oracle from $72.00 to $82.50 in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Oracle from $85.00 to $115.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Oracle from $95.00 to $110.00 in a report on Monday, June 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Oracle from $113.00 to $126.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, 92 Resources reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $118.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

Oracle Trading Up 1.1 %

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 1,837,101 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.86, for a total transaction of $172,430,299.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at $104,991,045.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 1,837,101 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.86, for a total transaction of $172,430,299.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $104,991,045.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . Also, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 90,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.83, for a total value of $10,694,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 87,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,416.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,052,544 shares of company stock valued at $686,725,797. Company insiders own 43.70% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $1.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $119.09. The companys stock had a trading volume of 13,703,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,364,954. The firm has a market cap of $323.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.54. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $60.78 and a 1 year high of $127.54. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.18.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 12th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.09. Oracle had a negative return on equity of 470.73% and a net margin of 17.02%. The firm had revenue of $13.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 12th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 11th. Oracles dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.29%.

About Oracle

(Free Report)

Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing.

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William Blair began coverage on shares of Paycom Software (NYSE:PAYC  Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm issued an outperform rating on the software makers stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on PAYC. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Paycom Software from $289.00 to $302.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Paycom Software from $350.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on Paycom Software from $430.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Paycom Software from $400.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Paycom Software from $417.00 to $399.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $368.53.

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Paycom Software Price Performance

Shares of PAYC opened at $321.20 on Wednesday. Paycom Software has a 12-month low of $262.11 and a 12-month high of $402.78. The businesss fifty day moving average is $294.13 and its 200 day moving average is $299.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market cap of $19.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.42.

Paycom Software Announces Dividend

Paycom Software ( NYSE:PAYC Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The software maker reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.06. Paycom Software had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 20.96%. The company had revenue of $451.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $444.23 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Paycom Software will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 26th. Paycom Softwares dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jason D. Clark sold 430 shares of Paycom Software stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.99, for a total value of $119,965.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,100 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,422,849. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Paycom Software by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,672,472 shares of the software makers stock worth $1,871,858,000 after purchasing an additional 61,819 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Paycom Software by 2.4% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,911,316 shares of the software makers stock worth $581,056,000 after purchasing an additional 43,991 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Paycom Software by 73.4% during the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,629,628 shares of the software makers stock worth $495,423,000 after purchasing an additional 689,600 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Paycom Software by 8.7% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,359,073 shares of the software makers stock worth $470,756,000 after purchasing an additional 108,505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Paycom Software by 0.8% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,100,950 shares of the software makers stock worth $333,990,000 after purchasing an additional 8,975 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.73% of the companys stock.

About Paycom Software

(Free Report)

Paycom Software, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solution delivered as software-as-a-service for small to mid-sized companies in the United States. It offers functionality and data analytics that businesses need to manage the employment life cycle from recruitment to retirement.

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PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk (OTCMKTS:PPERY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 15,000 shares, a decline of 66.0% from the May 31st total of 44,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 110,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days.

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.90. The companys stock had a trading volume of 14,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,226. PT Bank Mandiri has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $15.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.32.

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PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk Company Profile

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Further Reading

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk provides various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Timor Leste, Shanghai, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the Cayman Islands. It offers savings and current accounts, time deposits, demand deposits, and foreign currency savings and current accounts; motorcycle loans, mortgage loan, and housing loans, as well as loans for various purposes, such as education, home renovation, marriage, health, and other needs for individuals; and working capital loans, investment loans, people's business loans, syndicated loans, and micro business loans for businesses.

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AI firms are accused by Elon Musk of stealing sensitive Twitter user data.

Because of this, the billionaire decided to temporarily require users to sign in before they can read the platform's tweets.

Although some Twitter content requires users to have accounts before they can access them, the social media giant has been allowing consumers to see public tweets even without having an account.

But, because of the information theft accusations against AI companies, Elon Musk decided to change this.

AI Firms Allegedly Steal Twitter User Data, Claims Elon Musk

According to Business Insider's latest report, the temporary sign-in requirement on Twitter is among the drastic efforts made by Elon Musk to prevent AI companies from stealing user data.

Read Also: YouTube Tests New Ad Blocker Crackdown: Video Player To Be Blocked After 3 Strikes?

This was confirmed by the tech executive on Friday, June 30. "Any social media companies that allow unauthenticated access will become bot-strewn hellscapes as soon as they become relevant," said the billionaire via his official Twitter post.

Any social media companies that allow unauthenticated access will become bot-strewn hellscapes as soon as they become relevant  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023

Because of this, the social media giant decided to prevent unregistered users from viewing tweets.

Aside from this, Twitter also restricted post previews when links are shared on Facebook Messenger and other apps.

Hundreds of AI Companies Scrap Twitter Data

In a reply to Tim Sweeney's Twitter post about Twitter's new restriction, Elon Musk explained that it was conducted because hundreds of AI companies are scraping Twitter data.

The billionaire stated that these firms are stealing sensitive information aggressively to the point where real users' experiences are negatively impacted.

Although Sweeney seemingly criticized Twitter's action, Elon Musk still said that he is open to new ideas on how to protect user data.

Tim suggested using infosec engineering and taking legal action against companies commercially exploiting the platform.

However, the billionaire explained why Sweeney's suggestions are not valid. Here are the three reasons he provided:

Scraping is already disallowed by T&C. The scraping orgs dgaf & mask their IPs through proxy servers or through orgs that appear legit. For example, a recent massive scraping operation originating from Oracle IP addresses was just using their servers as a laundromat. We absolutely will take legal action against those who stole our data & look forward to seeing them in court, which is (optimistically) 2 to 3 years from now.

Related Article: AI Stable Diffusion Now Used by Pedophiles to Target Children!

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE:HUBB  Free Report) by 83.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,173 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,712 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Managements holdings in Hubbell were worth $1,989,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hubbell during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. First Manhattan Co. acquired a new position in Hubbell during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Hubbell during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hubbell during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hubbell during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 89.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on HUBB. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Hubbell from $252.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hubbell from $225.00 to $221.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hubbell from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $237.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

Hubbell Price Performance

In related news, Director Carlos M. Cardoso sold 560 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.16, for a total transaction of $152,969.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,711 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $467,376.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NYSE HUBB opened at $331.56 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.20. Hubbell Incorporated has a 52-week low of $177.22 and a 52-week high of $332.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.99.

Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $3.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.46 by $1.15. Hubbell had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 11.15%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. Hubbells revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Hubbell Incorporated will post 13.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hubbell Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Hubbells payout ratio is 42.79%.

About Hubbell

(Free Report)

Hubbell Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and utility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Electrical Solutions and Utility Solutions. The Electrical Solution segment offers standard and special application wiring device products, rough-in electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures, and other electrical equipment for use in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities by electrical contractors, maintenance personnel, electricians, utilities, and telecommunications companies, as well as components and assemblies.

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Ritholtz Wealth Management lowered its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 61.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,560 shares of the companys stock after selling 30,964 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Managements holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, My Personal CFO LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.43% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the company from $109.00 to $116.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $109.00 to $117.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $111.40.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $97.62 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.85 and a 1 year high of $105.62. The stock has a market cap of $151.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.48 and a 200 day moving average of $97.99.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. The business 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 businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 23rd will be issued a $1.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 22nd. This represents a $5.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.20%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.88%.

Philip Morris International Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products that are sold in markets outside the United States.

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Shares of Sensata Technologies Holding plc (NYSE:ST  Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $52.50.

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Sensata Technologies in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company.

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Sensata Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:ST opened at $44.99 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $42.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.56. The firm has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.32. Sensata Technologies has a 52-week low of $36.64 and a 52-week high of $54.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Sensata Technologies Increases Dividend

Sensata Technologies ( NYSE:ST Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $998.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $984.76 million. Sensata Technologies had a return on equity of 17.67% and a net margin of 9.25%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sensata Technologies will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th were issued a $0.12 dividend. This is an increase from Sensata Technologiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 9th. Sensata Technologiess dividend payout ratio is 19.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martha N. Sullivan sold 11,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.27, for a total transaction of $482,859.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 201,268 shares in the company, valued at $8,306,330.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ST. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Sensata Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ellevest Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 78.3% during the 4th quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 927 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. Group One Trading L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Sensata Technologies by 239.2% during the 4th quarter. Group One Trading L.P. now owns 987 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Sensata Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new position in Sensata Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $56,000. 95.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sensata Technologies Company Profile

(Free Report

Sensata Technologies Holding plc develops, manufactures, and sells sensors and sensor-rich solutions, electrical protection components and systems, and other products used in mission-critical systems and applications. It operates in two segments, Performance Sensing and Sensing Solutions. The Performance Sensing segment develops and manufactures sensors, high-voltage solutions, and other solutions used in mission-critical systems and applications, such as tire pressure monitoring, thermal management, electrical protection, regenerative braking, powertrain (engine/transmission), exhaust management, and operator controls for automobiles, on-road trucks, and off-road equipment customers.

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Decibel Cannabis Company Inc. (OTCMKTS:DBCCF  Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a decline of 69.0% from the May 31st total of 5,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 36,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Decibel Cannabis Price Performance

DBCCF stock traded up $0.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $0.10. 175 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 38,361. Decibel Cannabis has a 12-month low of $0.05 and a 12-month high of $0.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $0.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $0.10.

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About Decibel Cannabis

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Decibel Cannabis Company Inc, an integrated cannabis company, engages in the cannabis cultivation, processing, and sale of cannabis flower products in Canada. It is also involved in the extraction, processing, and manufacturing vape cartridges and glass tube packaging for pre-rolls. In addition, the company engages in the cannabis retail business through operating operational retail locations in Saskatchewan, as well as an e-commerce cannabis platform throughout the Province of Saskatchewan; and operational retail locations in Alberta.

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Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (OTCMKTS:IMPUY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,900 shares, a drop of 66.9% from the May 31st total of 11,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 194,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Impala Platinum Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of OTCMKTS IMPUY traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $6.85. The company had a trading volume of 271,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 96,802. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.06. Impala Platinum has a 12 month low of $6.50 and a 12 month high of $14.06.

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About Impala Platinum

(Free Report)

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Impala Platinum Holdings Limited engages in the mining, processing, refining, and marketing platinum group metals (PGMs). The company produces platinum, palladium, rhodium, nickel, and by-products. It has operations on the PGM-bearing ore bodies, including the Bushveld Complex located in South Africa; and the Great Dyke situated in Zimbabwe.

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Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:KSPHF  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,800 shares, a growth of 81.7% from the May 31st total of 10,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently  days.

Kissei Pharmaceutical Price Performance

Shares of KSPHF stock remained flat at $18.81 during trading hours on Friday. 1 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 983. The business has a 50 day moving average of $18.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.86. Kissei Pharmaceutical has a 52-week low of $17.71 and a 52-week high of $19.90.

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About Kissei Pharmaceutical

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Kissei Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd. researches, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceutical products primarily in Japan. The company offers Urief and Urief OD tablets for the treatment of dysuria; Glufast, Glubes, and Marizev tablets for type 2 diabetes; Darbepoetin Alfa BS and Epoetin Alfa BS injections for the treatment of renal anemia; Beova tablets for overactive bladder treatment; P-TOL chewable tablets for treating hyperphosphatemia; and Minirin Melt OD tablets for nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria in males, central diabetes insipidus, and nocturnal enuresis resulted from decrease of urine osmolality.

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Shufro Rose & Co. LLC cut its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Free Report) by 11.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,527 shares of the companys stock after selling 4,767 shares during the period. Shufro Rose & Co. LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $2,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,673,112 shares of the companys stock worth $1,130,031,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,338 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,988,250 shares of the companys stock valued at $858,523,000 after buying an additional 1,917,457 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 140,054.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,961,456 shares of the companys stock valued at $790,321,000 after buying an additional 10,953,635 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,460,644 shares of the companys stock valued at $393,713,000 after buying an additional 542,516 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,147,273 shares of the companys stock valued at $371,118,000 after buying an additional 359,978 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Price Performance

Shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF stock opened at $74.31 on Friday. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a one year low of $47.44 and a one year high of $55.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.50.

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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SimpliFi Inc. lessened its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA  Free Report) by 8.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,651 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,207 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF accounts for about 0.4% of SimpliFi Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. SimpliFi Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFA. VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 172.9% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 464 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Field & Main Bank boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 189.7% during the 4th quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 504 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.99% of the companys stock.

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iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Price Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA:EFA opened at $72.50 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $72.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.75. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a 12 month low of $54.61 and a 12 month high of $74.05.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance.

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Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL  Free Report) had its price target lifted by Susquehanna from $45.00 to $54.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on DAL. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Delta Air Lines in a research note on Wednesday. They set a top pick rating on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of Delta Air Lines from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and boosted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $48.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Delta Air Lines presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $52.32.

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Delta Air Lines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $47.53 on Wednesday. Delta Air Lines has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $47.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.72 and a 200-day moving average of $36.61. The company has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.47.

Delta Air Lines Cuts Dividend

Delta Air Lines ( NYSE:DAL Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 13th. The transportation company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.04). Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 56.49%. The company had revenue of $12.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.23) EPS. Delta Air Liness revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Delta Air Lines will post 6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 14th. Delta Air Liness payout ratio is 13.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 7,513 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total transaction of $277,229.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 107,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,977,155.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 7,513 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total transaction of $277,229.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 107,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,977,155.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David S. Taylor purchased 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $32.83 per share, with a total value of $164,150.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 25,360 shares of the companys stock, valued at $832,568.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 15,000 shares of company stock worth $503,250 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.89% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at about $318,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 11.5% in the first quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,901 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,895,000 after buying an additional 8,577 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 53.4% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 131,815 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $4,603,000 after buying an additional 45,890 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the first quarter valued at about $264,000. Finally, Toroso Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 57.1% in the first quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 42,578 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,487,000 after buying an additional 15,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.35% of the companys stock.

About Delta Air Lines

(Free Report)

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon.

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LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) by 22.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,950 shares of the medical research companys stock after selling 2,350 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for 2.0% of LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.s holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $4,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 873 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 5,529 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $3,045,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,024 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 614 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.33% of the companys stock.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE TMO opened at $521.75 on Friday. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a 1 year low of $475.77 and a 1 year high of $611.06. The stock has a market cap of $201.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $528.28 and a 200 day moving average of $551.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Dividend Announcement

Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $5.03. The company had revenue of $10.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.67 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 19.16%. Thermo Fisher Scientifics revenue was down 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. Thermo Fisher Scientifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TMO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $610.00 to $590.00 in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $693.00 to $670.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $710.00 to $640.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine 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 $629.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total value of $855,712.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,586,110.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.22, for a total transaction of $5,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $77,055,942.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total transaction of $855,712.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,586,110.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the companys stock.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Profile

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

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State legislation in Georgia that bans most sex reassignment procedures and hormone replacement therapy for anybody under the age of 18 has been challenged in court by the parents of four transgender youngsters.

In a report by Fox News, the Republican-controlled General Assembly enacted the measure earlier this year before Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed it into law. Georgia now joins at least 20 other states with similar limits or prohibitions. There are legal issues in most of those states as well.

Concerned that the legislation's implementation might have detrimental repercussions on trans youth, a federal lawsuit was filed Thursday night, June 29, asking a court to permanently forbid the law from taking effect. But proponents of the measure countered that it protects minors from making reckless decisions.

On Wednesday, July 5, US District Judge Sarah Geraghty will consider a request to halt the implementation of the statute until the outcome of the pending legal challenge.

Minors who are currently on hormone therapy may continue doing so, and physicians are allowed to prescribe drugs to delay puberty under the law.

Lawsuit Challenging the Restriction

In accordance with the legislation, kids who are currently taking puberty inhibitors will not be eligible for hormone treatment. The lawsuit claims that this forces the plaintiffs to choose between subjecting themselves to the risks associated with continuing to take the medication or withdrawing from it so they can go through puberty and develop characteristics consistent with their biological sex.

According to the complaint, permitting minors to take puberty blockers until they become 18 violates the acceptable standards of care, hence the legislation discourages physicians from providing them.

The complaint was brought by TransParent, a group that provides resources and advocacy for families with transgender children, and the parents of four trans children. Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed the complaint on their behalf.

The lawsuit alleges that the law violates parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children and equal protection by denying transgender youth lifesaving medical care based on their sex and transgender status.

In this case, the defendants include state health authorities.

See Also: Kansas Attorney General Wants to Prevent Trans People From Legally Modifying Birth Certificates

In Other Republican-Run States

Similar challenges to the limitations on sex reassignment procedures for minors in other Republican-run states have led to the current case against Georgia's statute.

The restriction in Arkansas was ruled unlawful by a federal court, and similar bans in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee have been temporarily suspended by federal judges. Oklahoma has agreed to delay enforcing its ban while its opponents seek a preliminary injunction. In Florida, three minors who filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state's prohibition are now protected from its enforcement.

States including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, South Dakota, and West Virginia have passed legislation that limits or outright bans sex reassignment treatment for children.

See Also: Indiana: Federal Judge Blocks Ban on Trans Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

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Value Exchange International, Inc. (OTCMKTS:VEII  Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 600 shares, a decline of 76.9% from the May 31st total of 2,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Value Exchange International Stock Performance

Shares of Value Exchange International stock opened at $0.10 on Friday. Value Exchange International has a 52-week low of $0.04 and a 52-week high of $0.35. The companys 50 day moving average price is $0.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.10.

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Value Exchange International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Further Reading

Value Exchange International, Inc provides customer-centric technology solutions to the retail industries in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The company offers credit and debit card processing services to multinational retailers. It also provides systems maintenance and related services, including software patches and software code revisions; installing, testing, and implementing of software; training of customer personnel for the use of software; and technical support for software systems.

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Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Unity Software (NYSE:U  Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock.

U has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Unity Software from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 27th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Unity Software from $32.00 to $31.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Unity Software from $27.50 to $28.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Unity Software in a report on Friday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unity Software presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $40.82.

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Unity Software Price Performance

U stock opened at $43.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.44 billion, a PE ratio of -14.38 and a beta of 2.15. The companys 50-day moving average is $32.67 and its 200-day moving average is $31.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 2.39. Unity Software has a 1 year low of $21.22 and a 1 year high of $58.63.

Insider Transactions at Unity Software

Unity Software ( NYSE:U Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.12. The company had revenue of $500.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $477.42 million. Unity Software had a negative net margin of 63.42% and a negative return on equity of 23.63%. Equities research analysts expect that Unity Software will post -1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other news, CMO Carol W. Carpenter sold 8,810 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.72, for a total transaction of $244,213.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 391,928 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,864,244.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CMO Carol W. Carpenter sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.09, for a total value of $58,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 389,928 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,343,005.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Carol W. Carpenter sold 8,810 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.72, for a total transaction of $244,213.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 391,928 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,864,244.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 421,671 shares of company stock worth $14,783,224 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.00% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of U. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 232,479 shares of the companys stock worth $7,542,000 after acquiring an additional 7,440 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 47.5% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 82,964 shares of the companys stock worth $2,691,000 after acquiring an additional 26,725 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 86.3% during the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 26,450 shares of the companys stock worth $858,000 after acquiring an additional 12,253 shares during the last quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Unity Software by 33.3% during the 1st quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 200,000 shares of the companys stock worth $6,488,000 after acquiring an additional 49,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unity Software during the 1st quarter worth $62,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unity Software Company Profile

(Free Report)

Unity Software Inc operates a real-time 3D development platform. Its platform provides software solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company offers its solutions directly through its online store and field sales operations in North America, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as indirectly through independent distributors and resellers worldwide.

Further Reading

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The annual Fourth of July fireworks show will definitely return to Grand Island Tuesday night, marking the culmination of the citys 150th anniversary.

Organizers say the celebration will mark the return of a cherished tradition, adding that the show promises to be breathtaking.

The free fireworks display will begin at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at Fonner Park, painting the night sky with a dazzling spectacle of colors, lights and sounds, a news release says. Prepare to be captivated as the skies above Grand Island come alive with breathtaking pyrotechnics, creating a mesmerizing experience for spectators of all ages.

A local committee raised the funds to put on Tuesday nights display.

This years fireworks show holds special significance, as it represents a return to free public fireworks for the community of Grand Island after several years without a show, the news release says. The initiative to revive this beloved tradition stemmed from the efforts to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Grand Island. The journey began with the July 4 celebrations at Stuhr Museum on July 4, 2022, paying tribute to the first settlers who arrived on this auspicious date in 1857.

What better way to conclude a year of celebrations honoring our citys founding than a return to free community fireworks, Don Deitemeyer, one of the members of the community fireworks committee, said in a statement.

Other Grand Island sesquicentennial observances included an open house at Stolley House, the Craft Brew and Sausage Fest at the Grand Island Liederkranz, the Harvest of Harmony Parade in Railside, historic bus tours, and many events at the Grand Island Library and Burlington Station.

To enhance Tuesday nights show, a synchronized music broadcast will accompany the fireworks display, starting at 9:45 p.m.

Tune in to the radio broadcast on KRGI 1430 AM and 105.5 FM and immerse yourself in the harmonious fusion of music and fireworks, adding an extra layer of magic to the evening, says the news release from the city.

People are invited to park free of charge in the Fonner Park north parking lot, ensuring convenient access to the event. Please note that in the interest of safety, the use of retail fireworks and the consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited on the premises.

While the ad-hoc committee of fireworks organizers has met their $50,000 goal for this years fireworks display show, further community sponsors are sought to continue to help underwrite this rejuvenation of a community fireworks display, the release says.

The hope is to establish a nonprofit organization that will ensure Grand Island has a free community fireworks show in perpetuity. Businesses and other community organizations are sought to commit to assigning (a) representative to the committee, or (a) rotation of representatives, to ensure community involvement, representation and avoid burnout.

Anyone interested in supporting the effort should contact Dana Jelinek at Grand Island Tourism. Sponsorship levels are available at intervals of $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000.

Sponsors will receive increasing levels of recognition, acknowledging their generous contributions to this grand celebration, the release says.

Five Points Bank, Fonner Park, Grand Island Casino Resort, Island Heating & Air, The Hall County Historical Society, GI Family Radio, and Ryder Rosacker McCue & Huston Insurance Services have led the pack of nearly a dozen sponsors in support of the effort to bring back fireworks to the public in Grand Island.

Hornady Manufacturing, The Nebraska State Fair, ONeill Transportation, Overhead Door, and Schuster & Anderson Wealth Advisors have also stepped up to support the effort to help Grand Island celebrate the countrys Independence Day.
The theme of this weekends Jehovahs Witnesses regional convention in Lincoln is Exercise Patience.

The big gathering, which runs today through Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena, is open to the public.

Joshua Fischer, who lives in Lincoln, says everyone would benefit from paying attention to the theme.

Its fair to say, as a society, that we are less patient than we used to be, Fischer said.

The lack of patience has affected the quality of our life in many ways, Fischer said. Just think about driving to work, at work, shopping. Even at home, the lack of patience can cause anxiety, strained relationships, even tragedy. So really, patience is a fitting theme for todays world.

When you think about the qualities of patience and joy, Theyre really inextricably linked, Fischer said. When we lose patience, we often lose joy, he noted.

About 5,200 people are expected to attend the Jehovahs Witnesses convention, designed for residents of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri. Those people represent 58 congregations.

This weekend will be the first in-person convention for the five-state area since 2019.

Actually, as Jehovahs Witnesses weve kind of had to exercise patience ourselves over the last three years, and waited for the opportunity to meet again at these large conventions, Fischer said.

Since 2019, the members of the faith have communicated electronically.

And really considering that were one of the largest convention organizations in the world, this was really a historic pause for us as we went virtual, Fischer said.

Jason and Sara Fiedler are among the people looking forward to this weekend. They will attend the convention with their three daughters, all of whom live near Phillips.

Born into the faith, Jason has been to many Jehovahs Witnesses conventions. He was born in 1976, and attended his first one in 1977, when he was less than a year old.

Jason was born in Grand Island. After living in Idaho for a while, he returned to Nebraska when he was 12.

He said this weekend will be very exciting, because he hasnt seen many of his fellow Jehovahs Witnesses for three years.

His family is looking forward to seeing old friends that we havent seen in a while and meeting new friends. Itll be a great time, he said. Therell be a lot of hugs and handshakes, he said.

A Jehovahs Witnesses convention is a happy, relaxing and encouraging time, he said.

He enjoys thinking about the biblical principles discussed, and how he can use them to try to make myself a better husband, a better father, a better friend. Theres always something that can benefit us.

His kids, he said, sit right there with us, pay attention and take some notes.

Video threads are presented in many of the talks.

When Jason was a kid, conventions included live dramatic presentations, acted out by performers in costume.

Now, those tales are told in high-quality films, he said. Part of the film will be shown Saturday, with the completion on Sunday.

Kassie, the familys youngest daughter, says she enjoys the films.

Sara Fiedler, a Broken Bow native, has been attending Jehovahs Witnesses conventions since she was about 5. Her parents were baptized into the faith when she was 6 or 7.

The family attends the Kingdom Hall in Grand Island, which has two English congregations and one Spanish congregation.

Everyone is invited to the convention, which has no admission charge. No collections will be taken.

The programs, Fischer noted, move quickly.

Many of the sessions are 10 to 15 minutes, often with a video incorporated. So its very fast-moving, very engaging and very enjoyable, Fischer said.

The time really goes by quick, Fiedler said.
Chinas Great Wall Motor wheels into Vietnam market

By Tri Duc Sat, July 1, 2023 | 3:19 pm GTM+7

Great Wall Motor (GWM), a major private automobile manufacturer in China, said Friday that it plans to officially enter the Vietnamese market in August.

Reviewing a meeting in Beijing on June 28 with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, GWM said the first model to be launched in Vietnam would be the HAVAL H6 HEV, a hybrid electric vehicle.

By the end of the year, GWM aims to deploy eight sales networks in Vietnam, the firm had said at the meeting on the sidelines of the China-Vietnam Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, held during PM Chinhs China visit during June 25-28.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and GWM vice president Parker Shi meet in Beijing, China on June 28, 2023. Photo courtesy of GWM.

Initially, the automobile maker will import completely-built vehicles from its factory in Thailand to Vietnam. It will establish a plant in Vietnam in 2025 to assemble new energy vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).

The company pledged to stimulate supporting industries with development of local parts and components.

With this move, GWM expands its presence in Southeast Asia, adding to normal operations in Thailand, Laos, Brunei, the Philippines and Cambodia. Apart from Vietnam, it is eying market forays into Singapore and Indonesia this year.

GWM emphasized that Vietnam was an important step in its ASEAN strategy, happening as it did amidst the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

PM Chinh had urged GWM to bring a series of industry-leading new energy technologies and models as also produce autos in Vietnam. He hoped that the company would continuously deepen investment and cooperation in Vietnam, deepen China-Vietnam automobile industry cooperation, and promote development of Vietnam's new energy automobile industry.

More and more Chinese cars

Chinese automobile businesses have been flocking to Vietnam of late.

In May, Vietnams TMT Motors debuted its first mini electric vehicle (EV) under Chinese brand Wuling HongGuang. The vehicle was manufactured at the companys factory in Hung Yen province in the north. The factory is designed for an ]annual capacity of 30,000 units in the first phase and 60,000 in the second.

Wuling HongGuang MiniEV was the best-selling mini electric vehicle in the world in 2020-2022, according to London-headquartered automotive market researcher Jato Dynamics.

Also in May, BYD, dubbed Chinas Tesla, said it would expand its investment in Vietnam by manufacturing EVs in the country for the domestic market and other Southeast Asian countries. BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu announced the expansion plan in a meeting with Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha.

The planned business expansion would include establishing a supply chain in Vietnam, focusing on support industries for EV production to diversify its supply chain network, Wang said.

In February, Chinese automobile firm Haima signed an agreement with local sales platform Carvivu to distribute gasoline vehicles Haima SUV 8S and Haima MPV 7X as well as electric vehicle Haima 7X-E in Vietnam. Haima had previously sold its Haima2, Haima3, Haima7 and Haima Preema vehicles in Vietnam in 2011, but withdrew later after a weak performance.
Japan precision casting maker Castem invests $19 mln in Quang Ninh

By Tri Duc Sat, July 1, 2023 | 10:50 am GTM+7

Castem Vietnam, part of Japanese precision casting manufacturer Castem, will invest $19 million to build a factory in Vietnams northern coastal province of Quang Ninh.

The firm disclosed the information while signing a land use right sublease agreement on Friday, in a move to lease two hectares of land in Song Khoai Industrial Park for the two-phase project.

The first phase is set to enter operation in December 2024, with the second scheduled for July 2027. In total, the factorys capacity will be 6.4 million products a year.

Representatives of Amata and Castem sign a land lease agreement in Quang Ninh province, northern Vietnam, on June 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh newspaper.

It is the first project by a Japanese investor in Song Khoai Industrial Park. The facility expects Castems investment to attract more Japanese investors.

Song Khoai IP, invested by Thailands biggest industrial developer Amata, is looking to attract $1 billion in 12 projects this year, raising the total investments in the park to $2.6 billion.

Vietnams economy expanded by 4.14% in the second quarter from a year ago, despite slowing global demand for imports, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on Thursday. In the first half of 2023, the economy expanded by 3.72% year-on-year, the GSO added.

Quang Ninh province outperformed the countrys overall figure with GDP growth of 9.46% in the first half of this year, up 0.24 percentage points year-on-year, provincial authorities reported on Friday.

The business environment in Quang Ninh is among the best in Vietnam. The province topped the annual Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in 2022 for the sixth consecutive year with a score of 72.95 out of 100. The PCI 2022, released by the VCCI and USAID in April, is the 18th edition of the ranking based on the business environment and improvements to administrative procedures in the country.

Registered foreign direct investment capital in Vietnam declined 7.3% year-on-year to nearly $10.86 billion in the first five months of the year, while disbursed capital dropped 0.8% to $7.56 billion, the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) said. Of which, Quang Ninhs total figure was $422.11 million, the 12th highest in the country in the five-month period.
Prudential, MB Ageas, Sun Life, BIDV Metlife guilty of bancassurance violations

By Tri Duc Sat, July 1, 2023 | 11:10 am GTM+7

Life insurers Prudential, MB Ageas, Sun Life, and BIDV Metlife have been found guilty of bancassurance violations and will have to pay administrative fines to fix their wrongdoings, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

Vietnam's Ministry of Finance has uncovered violations of bancassurance activities at four life insurers including Sun Life. Photo courtesy of Sun Life.

The ministry said that sales of insurance policies via banks had many irregularities, especially involving banking staff. Major mistakes included misleading information, and not strictly following the ministrys insurance premium guidelines.

The finance ministry has imposed administrative fines as a warning to businesses and to ensure a safe market, and asked the four insurers to enhance their management of bancassurance activities.

Insurance businesses have been instructed to develop monitoring processes related to law compliance, proactively detect and handle violations, and minimize impacts on customers. They have also been asked to improve training and monitoring, control relevant fees in line with the law, and boost risk management.

Regarding the scandal at Canada-backed Manulifes bancassurance services via Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB), the Ministry of Public Security said it had received 6,060 complaints as of May. At the public security ministrys press conference on Friday, Major General Nguyen Van Thanh, vice chief of the police for smuggling, economic, and corruption crimes, said the force is investigating the case.

Major General Nguyen Van Thanh speaks at the Ministry of Public Security's press conference on June 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of Labor newspaper.

Regarding accusations that claim deposit contracts were switched to insurance policies, Thanh said the documents had been signed by customers, so the investigation will focus on if bankers tricked them into doing so.

Manulife has refunded VND800 billion ($33.9 million) for 3,553 contracts and is processing the remaining 2,507, he added.

Vietnams insurance market recorded total premiums of VND117 trillion ($4.96 billion) in the first six months of this year, down 1.62% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. The figure included VND81.4 trillion ($3.45 billion) for life insurance and VND35.6 trillion ($1.51 billion) for non-life insurance. The sector paid VND35.3 trillion ($1.5 billion) in indemnification, up 23.8%, and re-invested VND725.4 trillion ($30.76 billion) into the economy, up 15.4%.

This year, the Ministry of Finance plans to continue updating the legal framework for the insurance sector and inspect the bancassurance activities of ten insurers with connections to foreign bank branches in Vietnam.
Vietnam police investigate cryptocurrency fraud

By Tri Duc Sat, July 1, 2023 | 10:43 am GTM+7

Vietnams Ministry of Public Security is investigating a case of possible fraud related to the trading of the Pi cryptocurrency, said Major General Le Xuan Minh, vice head of the ministrys department of cybersecurity and anti-high-tech crime.

Major General Le Xuan Minh, vice head of the Ministry of Public Security's department of cybersecurity and anti-high-tech crime. Photo courtesy of Laborer newspaper.

Minh made the statement at the ministrys Friday press conference held to review the first six months of this year. He said Pi's operations were complicated and unregulated, and the level of profitability for an internet-based business was not possible. There were signs that Pi's operations in Vietnam were essentially a multi-level marketing model with a high risk of losses, the officer stressed.

Pi debuted in 2019 and has been highly popular in Vietnam since 2021. The item is not valued yet, however, it appears many people have traded Pi with real money after reaching deals. Trading cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, is currently not permitted and is a violation in Vietnam.

The officer made the statement a few days after a scandal related to Pi in Vietnam. On June 25, a major event for Pi owners took place in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Although Pi is not valued yet, many people at the event valued the cryptocurrency themselves at thousands of USD per coin, but no trades were made.

Meanwhile, participants had to pay exorbitant fees for uniforms and entrance fees to take part in the event.
Vietnam property market to recover in 2024: Cushman & Wakefield

By Nguyen Tuong Sat, July 1, 2023 | 11:36 am GTM+7

The ailing Vietnamese real estate market is expected to pick up next year and rally in 2025 as it becomes a more institutional investor market, prominent property services firm Cushman & Wakefield said.

Foreign institutional investors are still keeping a close eye on the market, and weve received lots of inquiries from them, Trang Bui, country manager of Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam, told a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday.

The credibility of foreign investors in the market still exists, she said, noting the fact that Vietnam is growing into a new global manufacturing hub with the presence of leading multinational corporations.

Trang Bui, country director of Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam, makes her points at a press briefing on Vietnam's property market in Ho Chi Minh City on June 30, 2023. Photo by The Investor / Van Minh

A real estate market normally develops via four stages namely recovery, growth, fever, and recession, according to market experts.

In the past few months, Vietnams property market is in a quiet period. This stage can be seen as the time for the market to undergo a detoxing period to become more sustainable and healthier, Trang said.

Cushman & Wakefield forecasts that banks in the country will continue to tighten lending for the market to minimize capital risk.

We do think a stricter and more prudent lending environment will create a safe and long-term investment environment that will support macroeconomic stability.

Therefore, we believe that when the market overcomes the depression and recovers, there will be the participation of many large global investment organizations in the Vietnam real estate market in the period 2024 - 2026. This is also the time when the market is expected to grow, said Trang.

Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam has recorded some good signals in the licensing process for a number of projects but acknowledged that there are still many projects delayed in the legal approval process.

For more real estate investment activities to take place in the market, Vietnam needs to achieve a higher level of transparency, better urban planning as well as a stronger legal framework to attract foreign investors, according to the company.

Once the regulatory review is completed, we expect supply growth to be able to meet demand, and the market will be more transparent and efficient for both domestic and foreign investors, Trang said.

She added market reports by Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam are read by construction and real estate officials in the country for reference.

District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, southern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Vietnam's Construction magazine.

Cushman & Wakefields Asia Pacific CEO Matthew Bouw paid a working visit to Vietnam this May to offer updates on global market developments. Industrial and logistics properties in Vietnam are the preferred asset choice for foreign investors while the office segment is also in demand, he said.

Cushman & Wakefield held a large client event in Singapore just before that, welcoming 80 world-leading investors, with a number of them operating in Asia. During the event, the firm asked them to rank their preferred real estate investment markets and the responses were often Japan, Australia, and Vietnam.

The positive sentiment around Vietnam is due to a number of factors, including the fast-growing manufacturing sector, and the growth dynamics of Vietnam more broadly, Bouw said while visiting this market.

The fast-growing manufacturing sector was also stressed by VinaCapitals chief economist Michael Kokalari while he was explaining in June why investors should pay close attention to various opportunities in Vietnams logistics industry.

Vietnams manufacturing sector currently accounts for just over 20% of the countrys economy but this figure reached above 30% for other Asian Tiger economies, and that continued FDI investment inflows  which have helped fund the build-out of Vietnams industrial base for  are essentially ensured for years to come, partly because Vietnam is a beneficiary of the nascent friendshoring phenomenon, he wrote.
In a recent survey of 1,000 Way.com customers across the US, we found that Democrats and Republicans were definitely not aligned regarding the value of EVs.

When asked if they thought EV's were worth the cost, only 14% of Republicans said yes, while 40% of Democrats said absolutely. Over 85% of Republicans felt they were too expensive, and 59% of Democrats echoed the sentiment.

57% of Republicans said their personal preference was the gas-powered vehicle (versus 9% for EV and 34% for hybrid), while Democrats are partial to hybrids, with 49% making that their first choice over EV (16%) or gas (35%) options.

Regardless of political affiliation, there is no denying the increasing popularity of electric cars. The percentage of electric cars hit a new high in early 2022. During the first quarter of 2022, EV registrations increased by a whopping 60%. But what makes this special was the EV segment grew despite the overall market crumbling. Due to the lasting effects of the pandemic, the number of cars sold in 2021 saw a huge drop.

During the initial nine months of 2022, 530,577 electric cars were sold in the US. These numbers are only for BEVs. The figures do not include plug-in HEV and Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Almost 65% of these percentage of electric cars were Tesla. The new EVs on the road mean there are nearly 1.7 million of them out on American roads compared to 2018.

During the different quarters of 2022, EV car sales consistently improved. The percentage of electric cars sold in the US is now 6%. A market share of 6% means of all cars sold in 2022; 6% were electric vehicles of different segments. Throughout the last five years, the EV market share has steadily grown in the US. This is a good trend and a stepping stone for achieving 50% market share by 2030.

This story was produced by Way and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
Russia allegedly purchases Chinese drones since 2022. This was revealed by newly acquired Russian customs records.

Ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, China continued to deny providing military equipment to Moscow. Chinese officials claimed that they never sold weapons to the Russian government for use in the invasion. But, it looks like China is really selling militarized drones to the Russian government.

Russia Allegedly Importing Chinese Drones Since 2022

According to Nikkei Asia's investigation, they acquired some Russian customs records, which were provided by anonymous sources.

Read Also: Chinese Spy Balloons Over Asia? Japan Confirms Spy Balloons Have Flown Over Its Airspace

Based on these documents, Russian companies have been purchasing drones from China between December 2022 and Apr. 2023.

At least 37 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) of China were purchased by Moscow during the said period.

The customs records stated that these drones cost a total of $103,000. The documents added that the Chinese drones were bought by the Russian government for special military operations.

If this is true, then the statement made by China in April could be considered a lie. "China calls on all relevant parties to work together to strengthen controls, and prevent all types of drones from being used on battlefields in conflict areas," said China Ministry of Commerce's spokesperson.

Even DJI Drones are Used by Russia

Aside from militarized drones, the Russian government is also believed to be using hobbyist Chinese drones for its military activities in Ukraine.

This is specifically the commercial drones manufactured by DJI; a Chinese drone company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong.

NPR reported that before the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, DJI drones were only used for experimental purposes and playtime.

However, when the invasion started, Russians and Ukrainians decided to modify DJI drones for their military missions.

Faine Greenwood, a Boston-based researcher, even claimed that Russian and Ukrainian troops are using modified DJI drones to drop explosives.

Of course, DJI denies they allow their drones to be modified for harmful activities.

"We have a longstanding prohibition on selling our products for combat use," said the tech company.

If you want to learn more about how DJI drones are used by Russia and Ukraine for military purposes, you can click this link.

Related Article: TikTok Stores US User Data in China Servers, New Investigation Claims

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Orangeburg County

Sheriffs Office

Two men are facing charges in a June 13 shooting incident in Santee.

Laquze Fogle, 21, of 824 Antioch Road, Santee, and Daniel Clayton Martin, 19, of 7107 Old Number Six Highway, Elloree, are both charged with attempted murder.

Fogle is also facing one count each of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and malicious injury to personal property valued more than $2,000 but less than $10,000.

The charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred just before 9 p.m. at the intersection of Bonner Avenue and Avocada Drive.

A woman was holding her 2-year-old daughter in her lap inside of her vehicle when she allegedly saw Martin driving a car beside hers, according to an incident report.

She claims Fogle was in the front passenger seat and pointed a big black gun and then opened fired.

Bullets damaged the exterior and interior of her car. No one was physically injured.

Fogle and Martin were charged on Thursday. Warrants allege Fogle was the gunman.

If Fogle and Martin are convicted, they each face up to 30 years in prison.

In an unrelated report, Richard Robert Dantzler, 38, of 788 Calhoun Road, St. Matthews is charged with first-offense failure to stop for blue lights and unlawful carrying of a pistol.

At 11:17 p.m. Thursday, a deputy noticed a 2005 Mercury allegedly traveling on wrong side of Muller Street before turning right onto Belleville Road/Old Cameron Road.

The deputy activated his blue lights and sirens in an attempt to get the car to stop.

The car sped away, according to the incident report.

After several turns, the car allegedly merged onto Interstate 26 into oncoming traffic, but came to a stop at mile marker 149.

At that point, the driver exited the car and ran into the woods, the report said.

The passenger got out with his hands up and stood by the car. Deputies detained him, but then released him.

Deputies caught up with Dantzler in the woods.

During a search of the Mercury, deputies claim they found a dollar bill with a white powdery residue and a green CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 pistol. The pistol was in the backseat.

Dantzler was also cited for alleged first-offense driving under suspension, license not suspended for DUI and expired vehicle license.

If convicted, Dantzler faces up to five years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Orangeburg

Department

of Public Safety

An Orangeburg woman is accused of breaking into a hotel room and stealing a kitten.

Bianca Acacia Winkler, 34, of Pinehurst Drive, is charged with first-degree burglary.

She allegedly broke into a guests hotel room on Thursday at The American Inn, located at 610 John C. Calhoun Drive.

The guest returned from work that morning and discovered her covers, kitten and kittens food were missing.

Hotel management let her review surveillance video. She recognized a woman going into the hotel room at 3:30 a.m. An unknown man was with the woman.

The value of the stolen items is $150.

If convicted, Winkler faces up to life in prison.
Excitement filled the early morning air at the S.A.F.E. 10th annual Girl Empowerment Day event, held June 24 at the Orangeburg County Conference Center.

As young ladies entered through the double doors, cheers rang out from greeters on either side of the corridor to celebrate their arrival. After passing under a rainbow tunnel of colorful, pastel balloons, the young ladies were directed into a large, brightly lit, welcoming atmosphere of tables with a variety of interactive games and lots of smiling faces.

As you all know, S.A.F.E. stands for self-esteem, advocacy, faith and education and today we are so happy to welcome all of you to our annual Girl Empowerment Day, Jeannette Brown said. Shes one of the board members of the S.A.F.E. Organization.

Brown encouraged everyone to take advantage of the opportunities before them, make new friends and just have fun.

Were excited. Our organization is a safe haven for our communitys children. Its life-changing. Its world-changing, Jennifer Murph said. Shes a board member of S.A.F.E. who has served Orangeburg County Schools as a speech-language pathologist for more than three decades.

We provide mentorship and education workshops for the youth of Orangeburg and surrounding areas, added S.A.F.E founder, Shanika Aiken, who believes that everyones purpose on Earth is to make a difference.

When you know that you have touched one persons life, thats the best reward that you can have. The most important thing is to see the children succeed. When they have gone from the program and they do well in life  that makes us feel good, Aiken said.

Isabella Alewine, Kaylee Newsome and Jhordan Becker, three young ladies from Orangeburg, said they came out to the event to learn, play games and meet others like themselves.

Its important for me to walk alongside these young folks and let them know: You can do this, Aiken said. She had her own struggles as a young person growing up and feels that if she did OK, its her mission to make sure others know they can overcome and lead positive, successful lives, too.

Aiken applauded every member of her team of volunteers and board members.

We have a desire to give back to our community, so one of the things we do is provide scholarships for our young ladies that are in the program. We want to acknowledge our youth advisory council for the amazing work that they have done, Aiken said while presenting a $500 check to both Aaliyah Nimmons and Jalyn Lawrence. They plan to attend Aikens alma mater, Claflin University, in the fall.

One of the motivational speakers for the day, Candace R. Fuller, aka Candy Renee, a five-time cancer survivor, spoke with the group about how she had to find strength from within to face her struggles.

She counseled the audience through a series of techniques to help relieve stress and enhance personal focus. Through guided stretching and breathing exercises, Fuller sought to equip each person with proven strategies to assist in calming, centering and redirecting any negativity into positive energy, especially when they are alone or feel alone.

Youre going to go through things and youll feel that others just dont understand. Sometimes, you just have to spend some time with yourself, Fuller said.

Sometimes you have to sit with those emotions, feel those emotions and learn that you dont have to stay there. You can keep going regardless of what it is, she said as she led the group into a routine of body motions, stretching and breathing movements targeted at bringing inner peace and focused thinking.

Everybody has a purpose. Take some time to love and appreciate yourself. Always look for the goodness in your emotions, Fuller said.

In addition to wellness activities and interactive educational games, several speakers were invited to share their experiences and expertise in different career fields. The first presenter, Shauna R. Cooper, a resident of Orangeburg, serves as executive director of the Benedict College Womens Business Center.

Cooper works to create impactful programming, partnerships and resources for minority women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in South Carolina.

She shared ideas and facts from the wonderfully diverse world of STEM careers.

When I was a little girl, I had a dream of becoming a physician. I was acutely aware of service, due to the work of my parents, in giving back to my community, Cooper said.

She recounted a story of someone discouraging her.

I allowed a teacher to talk me out of continuing my study of French, she said, a simple decision that had a major impact on her life. She did pursue a degree in public health, but allowed her desire to minor in a world language to fade.

She moved to Washington, D.C. and had incredible opportunities to work with government agencies and different people from all over the world.

She had an interest in working with Africans who speak French. Although she applied for some positions, she was not hired because she lacked specific credentials.

The moral of this story is: If there is something that you are passionate about, that you truly believe in, do not let anyone  I dont care if it is a teacher  talk you out of what it is that you want to do, she directed.

As part of her career journey, Cooper entertained an entrepreneurial interest in developing websites. Although it proved to be somewhat fun and paid well, she realized that it did not fit her passion.

So, I came up with an idea to provide an opportunity for young people to learn how to code and to develop websites for small businesses. How you start may not be how you finish, she said.

Your purpose is always going to be great. I dont know what it is that you are going to do in life, or what it is that you are going to become, but I want to be one of the first to say Congratulations! Job well done, Cooper said.

Sponsors and partners for this event include Blue Cross Blue Shield - Healthy Blue, Molina Health Care, HopeHealth, Walmart, Hardees, the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office, the State Credit Union and Farlow-Moyd Law Firm.
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate  we cannot consecrate  we cannot hallow  this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or to detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have so far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us  that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
It is all too easy these days to complain about our elected officials. Instead, I want to commend our congressional delegation for their work towards federal permitting reform. These bipartisan efforts must succeed for Wyoming to reach its full potential in feeding, powering and defending our nation.

In Wyoming we are all too familiar with the challenges of living with such a large federal presence. Even under the best of circumstances it is akin to having important parts of our economy wait in line at the DMV. At its worst, public lands in Wyoming are abused by activists in both private organizations and politically appointed positions in D.C. to destroy our livelihoods.

A perfect example of this dysfunction is the Converse County Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This process took seven years and will reduce the regulatory burden for the oil and gas industry which drives our economy and provides vital revenue to the state. In that timeframe, I and many other elected officials had to fight for common sense decisions to streamline this vital work and minimize the impact on our environment.

Sometimes it is a challenge to rectify the two worlds I live in as a citizen legislator. The battles weve won in the federal permitting process have required a significant amount of effort as an elected official. But when I go to work as a rancher alongside oil and gas workers in the Powder River Basin, I cant tell the difference between a well that was permitted under one regulatory regime or another. The effects on the ground of all the paperwork and political effort are indeterminable; all that seems to change is the number of trees killed in the permitting process.

Of course, this prolonged process makes important parts of our economy vulnerable to extremist groups such as the Powder River Basin Resource Council. Even now the State of Wyoming is working with the oil and gas industry, ranchers, school districts and local citizens to defend the Converse County EIS in a D.C. courtroom. If we fail, the most active oil and gas basin in the state will be shut down for an interminable amount of time as this case winds its way through the federal court system.

Wyomings traditional energy projects are not alone in facing significant bureaucratic delays. Wind energy projects rely on transmission capacity to deliver electricity. The lengthy permitting process faced by electric transmission infrastructure all over the state has been the primary hold up in getting projects like the Cedar Springs Wind Project north of Douglas in operation. This project was constructed at the beginning of the pandemic when the oil field was shut down, providing a vital source of local employment. Now that it is operational, this wind farm provides more revenue to state and local government than it requires in government servicesone of the few industries in Wyoming that does so.

Further, this ineffective system has a negative impact on our national defense. I served for six years in the Air Force as a nuclear missile crew commander. The missile we operated, while still over 99% effective, was also several decades past its expected operational life. Even as a young airman it was clear to my peers and me that the system needed to be replaced. The greatest obstacle, in our eyes? The permitting requirements to put a new missile and supporting infrastructure in place.

I am glad the Air Force is moving forward with deploying the new Sentinel missile. However, I am still concerned that the EIS for this project took longer than the time required for communist China to build the infrastructure for three brand new nuclear missile fields. How will we compete in a deadly serious showdown with a communist regime intent on world domination with one arm tied behind our back?

We are a state made up of productive, action-oriented people. I commend our federal delegations efforts which reflect these values. Vital projects to maintain our economy and national defense must not be held hostage by experts who have precious little real-life experience. Perhaps there was a time when we could afford such largess. With emboldened adversaries and increasing questions about our nations ability to show leadership around the world, this is not one of those times.
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With concerns rising that more than 100 Venezuelan migrants who were held at a bar in St Jam
Russia was referenced in several of this week's top headlines. According to reports, the officials try to hide President Vladimir Putin's greatest daily air force losses throughout the conflict and that they have given the go-ahead to explode the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

Meanwhile, in the US-related piece, disturbing new texts from Hunter Biden further demonstrate the corruption crisis plaguing his family.

The highlights from this week's news articles are presented here.

US President Joe Biden has denied having been aware of his son Hunter Biden's business connections in China.

After reports surfaced that Hunter Biden's texts implied the president was there during their discussions, a reporter asked President Joe Biden about it. To which he said, "No, I wasn't."

This denial concerns a text message sent by Hunter Biden to the CEO of Harvest Fund Management, Henry Zhao, in which Hunter asserts that he was there with his father to coerce Zhao into fulfilling his commitment.

Nearly a year, after President Joe Biden's reported voicemail to Hunter discussing his son's foreign business activities emerged, a whistleblower testified about the Hunter Biden inquiry.

Hunter reportedly agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of willful failure to pay federal income tax earlier this month to avoid prison time.

Allegedly, Russia has given the green light to detonate a nuclear power facility.

As far as a Ukrainian military intelligence directorate (GUR) is concerned, Russian involvement in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) is diminishing.

It was reported that some Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station workers have moved to Crimea. Several Rosatom officials departed the nuclear power station.

The military intelligence said Ukrainian personnel who signed contracts with the Russian state nuclear energy organization and remained at Zaporizhzhia had to leave by Monday, July 3.

The explosion is scary, but former senior engineer Oleksiy Kovynyev believes it would only cause a partial nuclear meltdown. Therefore, it will not be like 1986's Chornobyl catastrophe. The ZNPP explosion will resemble the 1979 Pennsylvania Three Mile Island disaster instead.

This means that the nuclear power plant would absorb most of the explosion's radiation.

Russia reportedly covered up President Vladimir Putin's greatest daily air force losses during the conflict.

After the Wagner Group attempted a military coup, several Russian pilots and other soldiers were slain. Russian mercenaries claimed they shot down Russian helicopters during the fatal raid.

Videos depicting massive black clouds of smoke were shared online. Three Russian helicopters were shot down by the Wagner private military company (PMC), confirming the attack.

There were reports that the Russian military attempted to cover up the Wagner strike. The news of the Wagner attack prompted the airing of a previously recorded interview with Putin.

In his interview, Putin discussed Ukraine. "We feel confident, and, of course, we are in a position to implement all the plans and tasks ahead of us," Putin stated.

"This also applies to the country's defense, it applies to the special military operation, it applies to the economy as a whole and its individual areas," he said.

Even though his interview was broadcast, many people still managed to learn details about the Wagner Group's assault on the Russian forces.

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Honourable Minister, the announcement that migrant children will be allowed into schools in September is excellent news for all who believe in social justice and the human rights of the child. As we welcome migrant pupils into our schools, we are presented with an opportunity to turn around our countrys education system to account for and correct the psychologically violent colonial inheritance of a raceand colour-based hierarchy.
Question: What should I know about flying the American flag at home?

Answer: Flying an American flag is not as simple as just sending it up a flagpole.

Per the U.S. Flag Code:

Its best to display the U.S. flag only from sunrise to sunset outside. It can be on view 24 hours a day. Per the Flag Code, the flag must be illuminated. Add a solar light with a kit for flag poles.

In rain or snow, a flag can still be flown if it is made of all-weather material. Take it down before a storm to prevent the flag from blowing out of its bracket.

A soiled flag can be washed or dry-cleaned. When it gets too tattered to display, it should be destroyed properly, preferably by burning. American Legion posts and other groups sometimes dispose of damaged flags in special ceremonies. Stars for Our Troops (starsforourtroops.org) will take worn American flags with embroidered stars.

Q: What are the respectful ways I can fly the American flag at home, and how do I do it?

A: First, check with your HOA or complex. They may have specific requirements.

To fly a flag from the eave, install a bracket to hang the flag on a short pole. Position the bracket where you want it. Make the screw holes with a pencil. Then drill the holes using the right bit for a power drill depending on whether your home is masonry or stucco.

If you live in an apartment or condominium, hang it from a wall or window so the stripes are displayed vertically or horizontally. The blue field with the stars should be at the top on your left as you stand outside the house or building and view the flag.

First, you need to understand the components:

Finial: A decorative ornament mounted on top of the flagpole, above the truck.

Truck: This is the pulley assembly that mounts at the top of the flagpole. Stationary trucks are mounted over the top of the flagpole and are secured with setscrews while revolving trucks screw into the flagpoles top with a standard 1 inch national pipe thread spindle. Revolving trucks are mounted with bearings that allow them to turn along with prevailing winds.

Snaphook: Also referred to as a flag snap, this metal or vinyl hook with a spring closure attaches the flag to the halyard. Snaphooks are similar to closures found on a dogs leash.

Halyard channel: Usually several feet long, it extends upward from the cleat, covering the external halyard and helping protect against theft or vandalism.

Halyard: The rope that is used to raise or lower the flag. Can be located internally or on the outside of the pole. It runs through the pulley system in the flagpoles truck and is secured with the cleat at the base of the pole.

Cleat: A T-shaped metal device that holds the hoisted flag in place by wrapping the halyard around the cleat multiple times. The cleat is typically mounted to the pole about five feet above ground level.

Butt: The larger, lower end of the flagpole shaft.

Flash collar: A cover that goes around the base of the pole at ground level, usually the same color and material as the flagpole. A flash collar gives the pole a clean, finished look and helps protect the flagpole and foundation from the elements.

Foundation tube: A steel or PVC tube placed in the ground to support and hold the shaft securely in place.

Now that you know the terminology, decide where the pole will be placed. Assemble a mock-up with PVC pipe and couplers. Have someone hold up the pole in various spots so you can judge the effect from afar. Consider the height of the house or building when selecting the poles height: 18 to 25 feet for a single-story building, 25 to 30 feet for two stories, and 30 to 40 feet for three stories.

Types of poles

Wood: Historically authentic and the most expensive option. Like the wood on the exterior of your house, it must withstand the elements for a long time and therefore requires regular maintenance.

Standard aluminum: Light, easy to install and available with internal rigging. Some painted aluminum poles chip, leaving uncoated spots that may stain. Select a durable finish with a clear-coated brushed metal.

Fiberglass: Look for a UV-resistant finish constructed with the fibers running vertically.

Telescoping aluminum: Has retracting buttons and joints and is easily portable. Putting them up and taking them down takes just a few minutes.

Tools and materials

Post hole digger

Wheelbarrow

Shovel

Level

Sawhorses

Drill/driver

Drill bit

Ratchet wrench and sockets

Work gloves

Installation

1. Dig a foundation for the anchor

The day before installation, dig a foundation hole 30 inches deep and 24 inches in diameter, using a post-hole digger and shovel. This will hold the painted steel anchor, which supports the pole and prevents ground moisture from wicking up and rotting the wood.

For soil that doesnt drain well, add 6 inches of gravel or crushed rock to the bottom of the hole you dug.

Following the instructions on the bag, mix a batch of Redi-Mix cement. It will take several bags. Fill in around the base of the pole (roughly 6 inches of concrete). Let it set per the mixs instructions, then drop in the anchor.

Allow the concrete to set for at least two days (one week is better) before using the pole.

Check the anchors alignment using an 18-inch bubble level or laser level, then fill the hole with concrete and trowel it until it is smooth.

2. Drill holes for the pivot bolt

After the concrete has set for 24 hours, rest the pole on two padded sawhorses.

Center the cleat on the poles halyard side by measuring 42 inches from the bottom.

Using an 11/16-inch bit, drill holes for two -inch bolts.

3. Attach the finial

To affix the truck, set the double sheave into a notch on the top of the pole.

Before screwing the truck on, coat the inside and edges with silicone caulking for a watertight seal.

Fit the finial into a -inch threaded hole in the center of the truck.

4. Install the pole

Set the pole into the anchor and insert the pivot bolt. Adjust the pole until it is plumb, checking how it looks from afar.

Holding the preferred position, mark the pole at the predrilled holes on the anchor. Remove the pole, rest it on the padded sawhorses, and drill holes for the locking bolt.

Insert the pole into the anchor and install the pivot bolt.

Install the locking bolt and finger-tighten it. Check to make sure the pole is plumb.

5. Attach the flag

Thank you to This Old House and Carrot-Top Industries for this information.

You may find it helpful to read the laws about flying the American flag, including Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag in Section 9 of the Flag Code at tucne.ws/1nqf.
On Nov. 16, 1958, three Boy Scouts from Tucson vanished in a freak blizzard in the Santa Rita Mountains, triggering one of the largest and most famous searches in Southern Arizona history.

Charles Butch Farabee was a 16-year-old Eagle Scout when he joined the search for the three boys, one of them a classmate of his at Tucson High School. He hiked up steep draws in waist-deep snow and slept on the floor of a lodge in Madera Canyon, before being replaced by better equipped, more experienced searchers.

Farabee would go on to a career with the National Park Service, where he took part in more than a thousand other rescue operations for the missing and the injured.

Now the retired park ranger turned historian has documented 100 years of search and rescue work across the region.

Its his sixth book  seventh if you count his masters thesis  but Southern Arizona Search and Rescue History: 1901-2000 is unlike any of his previous works. For one thing, the exhaustive, 600-page volume only exists electronically, and its completely free to download online.

Farabee said its meant to be a tribute to all search-and-rescue workers, as well as a catalog of their history in the region.

I would like to have people understand the sacrifice that these people make, he said, during a recent interview at the Sabino Canyon headquarters of the nonprofit, all-volunteer Southern Arizona Rescue Association, or SARA, the areas largest and oldest search and rescue organization.

They dont ask for anything, not even recognition. They just go out and do it, rain or shine, Farabee said. Id like the public to know that they exist.

The book chronicles many of Tucsons major news events from the 20th century, because search and rescue personnel were inevitably called in to help: The 1934 kidnapping of 6-year-old June Cecilia Robles, who was found alive after 19 days, shackled in a buried cage in the desert east of Tucson; an Air Force fighter jet that crashed into a Food Giant grocery store at 29th Street and Alvernon Way in 1967; deadly tornadoes a decade apart that struck near San Xavier Mission in 1964 and 1974; massive flooding from Tropical Storm Octave in the early fall of 1983 that left 13 people dead across Southern Arizona; the frantic search for 8-year-old Vicki Lynne Hoskinson after she was abducted from her Flowing Wells neighborhood and murdered in 1984.

Its more than just search and rescue history. There is so much history of events  catastrophes, floods, tornadoes, all that jazz  that mostly is forgotten, Farabee said. Maybe it should be forgotten, I dont know. But as a historian, that bothers me.

By the numbers

The book took four years to research, write and assemble.

Farabee said he originally planned to focus only on the history of SARA, but the project quickly grew beyond that one organization.

The end result is a heavily indexed encyclopedia charting important advances in search and rescue practices and the history of individual rescue groups in the area.

Farabee also used local newspaper archives and first-person accounts to write short narratives about more than 800 rescues, tragedies and mysteries from the past century in Southern Arizona.

He collaborated on the book with renowned British theoretical physicist and retired University of Arizona professor David Lovelock, who first became involved in search and rescue through his participation as a volunteer with the REACT CB-radio emergency communication system.

In 1979, Lovelock became a supporting member of SARA, thanks to his work in radio communications and with fellow UA mathematician John Bownds, of a computer-aided, search-planning program that calculates the probability of lost subjects being found in certain areas.

Bownds initially ran the numbers on his Texas Instruments programmable calculator. Since then, Lovelock has written multiple versions of the program, first for the Commodore 64 computer, then for use on DOS and Windows operating systems. Hes also helped write numerous manuals for both the program and search and rescue operations in general.

What the software does is to get you to estimate how well you searched the area. Then the software goes through and recalculates all the different probabilities of (the subject) being in different areas, so you can reassign (searchers) depending on where the hot area is, said the mathematician known in the world of theoretical physics for Lovelocks theorem and Lovelocks theory of gravity.

Lovelock is the reason the new book is free. That was one of his conditions before he would agree to help with the project.

He has never charged any money for the software he has written to aid with search and rescue operations  something he said came to be known around the UA math department as the Lovelock principle. He simply refuses to profit off of someone elses misery, he said.

Bownds ended up sacrificing his life for search and rescue work.

The long-time SARA volunteer died in 1993 at age 51, after a long illness possibly caused by Valley fever he contracted from dust he breathed during one of his more than 200 rescue operations.

Bownds, whose name appears in the new book some 43 times, has since been listed alongside other Southern Arizona search and rescue workers who died in the line of duty.

Also on that list is John. D. Anderson, an investigator for the Pima County Sheriffs Department, who fell to his death while rescuing a 15-year-old boy in upper Sabino Canyon in 1948.

Andersons fatal fall was caught on camera by an Arizona Daily Star photographer who later became a household name in Tucson for entirely different reasons: Sam Levitz.

Search history

Mykle Raymond is also mentioned in the book dozens of times, and why not? He has participated in more than 2,500 emergency calls in the 50 years hes been volunteering with SARA.

He also serves as archivist for Search and Rescue Council, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that coordinates the work of SARA and four other all-volunteer search and rescue groups serving Southern Arizona, none of which charge for their services.

Search and rescue is free. A lot of people dont know that, Raymond said. We insist that it be free, so that people will call sooner rather than later.

Its a lot harder to get to them later, he added.

On average, SARA responds to about two calls a week, but earlier this month, they were called out four times in a single day, which is highly unusual, Raymond said.

When a call comes in, volunteers have to drop everything to respond, so they need the support of understanding spouses, children and employers, said SARA president Jason Schlueter.

Raymond seems to enjoy being sent on unscheduled hikes in the mountains at a moments notice. He said he regularly tells the people he is rescuing, Thank you for inviting us out today.

He isnt being snide. Hes being sincere.

The most recent time I said it was yesterday: Pulled an exhausted hiker from Chicago who got caught in the heat up on the peak, served him refreshments, walked him out and said, Thank you for inviting us out today, Raymond said. Its a lovely day for a hike.

Farabee and Lovelock are already working on a second edition of the book, mostly to clean up a handful of mistakes they have found or had pointed out to them in the first edition.

Lovelock, 85, joked that he and Farabee, 80, decided not to expand the work to include the first 23 years of the current century because they were worried about living long enough to finish documenting the previous one.

You can trace the development of Southern Arizona itself through the kinds of search and rescue operations covered in the book.

Where to find the book Southern Arizona Search and Rescue History: 1901-2000 is not being sold in stores -- or anywhere else for that matter. It can be downloaded for free from author Charles "Butch" Farabee's website at butchfarabee.com/download.html. The book also contains an extensive list of search and rescue organizations, many of them local, non-profit and all-volunteer, and ways to support those groups.

In the early 1900s, most incidents involved flash floods or mine accidents. Then during World War II, searchers responded to a rash of bomber crashes throughout Southern Arizona, as servicemen trained furiously to join the fight overseas.

As Tucson grew after the war, reports of lost or injured hunters in the mountains around the city gradually gave way to missing hikers or people injured while playing in water-filled canyons in the Rincons or the Catalinas.

Farabee said Tanque Verde Falls has easily seen the most incidents  and fatalities  over the years.

SARA responds to so many calls there that the group has proactively made safety improvements to the trail leading into the canyon and installed permanent gear in the rocks above to aid in hoisting out injured people, Raymond said.

Risk and reward

Though the book mainly focuses on Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, some stories from elsewhere are included, so long as there is some connection to Southern Arizona or the rescue organizations based here.

One of the most memorable  and infuriating  incidents Farabee writes about unfolded over 12 hours in June of 1994 in a canyon known as Hells Hole northeast of Roosevelt Lake, where one helicopter rescue of an injured hiker turned into multiple calls to pluck rescuers from the gorge.

When it was over, a Blackhawk from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base had crashed in Hells Hole, badly injuring two members of its crew, and resulting in a flurry of additional, dangerous helicopter rescues.

Miraculously, no one was killed, Farabee said, but he is convinced it all could have been avoided if a few tired but otherwise healthy people had simply hiked back out of the canyon instead of calling for extraction.

Every time that you have a helicopter involved, and every time youve got people going over cliffs, needlessly, it just endangers the rescuers, which basically pisses me off, he said.

Then there was the case of the three Boy Scouts lost in the snowy Santa Ritas in 1958.

That was my first search, Farabee said. In todays climate, my parents would be arrested for child endangerment or something, because I was going out there in Levis and sweatshirts and stuff.

He remembers it as a chaotic scene, with several hundred people showing up to join the operation, including soldiers and airmen, law enforcement officers and local ranchers on horseback.

After 19 days of searching through the snow and steep terrain, the bodies of Mike Early, 15, David Greenberg, 12, and Michael La Noue, 13, were found on the south side of Josephine Saddle, in the shadow of Mount Wrightson.

In his introduction to the book, Farabee writes that search and rescue was still in its awkward infancy back then. In the decades since, advances in technology, training and tactics have dramatically improved the way such operations are conducted.

But despite the advent of helicopters, satellites, smartphones and drones, the core of the work is exactly what it has always been: People on the ground, who lace up their boots and march into the wilderness in search of strangers in need of help.
She wont use the word decriminalization.

But Attorney General Kris Mayes made it clear in an extensive interview with Capitol Media Services that under her watch, no doctor or medical professional will be prosecuted in Arizona for performing an abortion.

A new executive order by Gov. Katie Hobbs gives Mayes total say over enforcement of all criminal laws that govern the procedure. County attorneys are stripped of their authority to decide whether to bring charges.

Mayes and Hobbs, both Democrats, were elected in November to four-year terms.

In signing the executive order June 23, Hobbs said she wanted to be sure there is consistent enforcement among the 15 counties amid legal wrangling over which of two competing state laws restricting abortion would be enforced: One banning all abortions except to save the life of the mother and the other allowing them through the 15th week of pregnancy.

That dispute is playing out at the Arizona Supreme Court.

But Mayes confirmed she is taking all prosecutorial power over abortion laws away from the 15 county attorneys over those two laws, as well as all other abortion laws, including one that makes it a crime to terminate a pregnancy because of the race or gender of the fetus. Another criminalizes abortions in cases where the sole reason a woman seeks to terminate a pregnancy is because of a genetic defect.

Late-term abortions, those after viability of the fetus, have always been illegal under Arizona law, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973 that women had a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. The high court overturned that ruling last year.

Asked specifically whether she would pursue prosecutions in late-term abortions, Mayes responded, I think the premise of your question is a red herring.

Youre talking about a hypothetical that almost never happens, she said. And when it happens it is almost always a medical emergency, for which she said terminating the pregnancy is allowed under the disputed law permitting abortions through the 15th week of pregnancy.

Not a place for govt intervention

A 2011 state law makes it a felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison, for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy knowing that the abortion is sought based solely on the sex or race of the child or the race of the parent of that child.

A federal judge dismissed a challenge to it, saying he would not consider it until there was an actual woman who was denied an abortion under the law. To date there is no record of such a case.

More recently, a different federal judge declined to block enforcement of a 2021 Arizona law that carries a one-year prison term for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy if the woman is seeking the procedure because of a fetal genetic defect. That law also allows the father of an unborn child who is married to the mother to file suit on behalf of that child for violations of the law, or for the parent of an unmarried minor to take such legal action.

While that challenge is pending, Mayes has declined to defend the law. The federal judge has since allowed Republican legislative leaders to step in in her place to mount a defense.

You understand what my position on abortion is, which is this is not a place for government intervention, Mayes told Capitol Media Services. You also understand that I believe that prosecutorial resources should not be spent on trying to put doctors in jail.

Hobbs, in issuing the executive order, shares those positions, Mayes said.

Still, Mayes declined to call it decriminalization of abortion laws.

I dont know that I accept your terminology, she said. But I have been clear that we are not going to prosecute doctors and women in the state of Arizona for abortion, period.

The part about prosecuting women, however, is a red herring of its own: State lawmakers voted two years ago to repeal statutes that made women who sought or obtained an abortion criminally liable.

Says order is legal, has precedent

Mayes says the governors order is legal, citing a statute that gives the attorney general supervisory powers over county attorneys.

More specifically, Mayes is relying on a state law that says the attorney general, at the direction of the governor, can prosecute in any proceeding in state count in which the state is a party or has an interest.

There is nothing in that provision that at the same time removes the prosecutorial authority of elected county attorneys, but Mayes said thats inherent.

County attorneys would be prosecuting under state law, she said. And so this is essentially the governor and I centralizing the prosecution of state law where it belongs, in this matter, under the Attorney Generals Office.

She sidestepped the question of whether that allows her, at the direction of the governor, to wrest control from county attorneys the prosecution of any law based on a claim of ensuring equal enforcement among all counties.

What I would say to that is, this is not something that the governor and I took lightly, she said. And it is also something that I think should be rarely utilized. And I think this was one of those instances where it was very appropriate and necessary to invoke this statute and for these potential prosecutions to be centralized under one roof.

Mayes also said there is a precedent for Hobbs action.

It goes back nearly half a century, to charges brought against John Harvey Adamson, who lured Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles to a hotel in 1976 with the promise of a news tip. A bomb exploded under the reporters car and he died 11 days later.

Raul Castro, who was governor at the time, directed Attorney General Bruce Babbitt to take over the prosecution from Maricopa County Attorney Don Harris.

Critic: Unilateral control is concerning

But Rachel Mitchell, the Republican current Maricopa County attorney, said whats missing from Mayes precedent is context.

A judge had declared a mistrial in the first bid to prosecute Adamson, an action Mitchell said was caused by public statements made by Harris.

Only then did the attorney general ask the governor to allow the Attorney Generals Office to prosecute the case, Mitchell said.

Babbitt, in an interview with Capitol Media Services, confirmed the events, including the concerns about undermining the possibility of a conviction if Harris was left in charge of the prosecution.

Under Babbitts office, Adamson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though his sentence was reduced after he agreed to testify against others. He eventually served 20 years and was released in 1996.

Whats different here, Mitchell said, is that Hobbs, by executive order, removed not just one case but an entire category of potential offenses  there is currently no one accused of violating any abortion laws  from the purview of locally elected county attorneys. Mitchell said thats why she and other county attorneys are looking at possible litigation.

She also said that while this order is about abortion, the precedent Hobbs and Mayes are setting would allow a future governor to take unilateral control over entire categories of cases to decide which will be pursued, regardless of whether state law has been changed.

Mitchell said that could lead, on one extreme, to deciding to target police officers for prosecution; to, on the other extreme, making a policy decision not to bring charges against people accused of retail theft.

Mayes brushed aside the question, saying this should be seen only in the context of abortion laws. She also the action by Hobbs and herself should not be a surprise to anyone who was paying attention during the 2022 campaign in which both were elected.
PHOENIX  Public schools across Arizona will be inspected regularly to make sure they meet minimum standards to educate students under a new executive order issued by Gov. Katie Hobbs.

And in a separate order, Hobbs formed a committee to update the minimum standards to 2023 levels to, among other goals, ensure the schools have the necessary security to protect students during a campus shooting.

The state was already required to do those things after losing a series of lawsuits a couple of decades ago.

Until now, however, compliance has been spotty at best. That meant projects ranging from roof repairs to upgrading security with fences and doors that lock from the inside got done only in school districts with the resources.

Hobbs said that was unacceptable. The overall minimum standards were drafted more than 20 years ago and school inspections have been irregular, she said.

A childs ability to attend a safe and secure school should not depend on their zip code, she said in a written statement.

Attorney: Not enough to end lawsuit

An attorney representing school districts and education advocates said these two orders, alone, wont end the lawsuit they filed against the state in 2017 for failing to comply with a series of Arizona Supreme Court rulings that it is up to the state to provide a general and uniform school system.

What that will take, said Danny Adelman of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, is getting the Republican-controlled Legislature to allocate what he said are hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to fund both existing standards and the new ones to be crafted by the Hobbs-ordered committee.

Getting that funding is likely to take a court order as lawmakers have, for years, fought all efforts to have a court tell them what are their constitutional obligations.

Last year, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Martin rejected claims that he has no right to rule on the legality of the formula legislators decide to use to finance the funding of new schools and repairs for existing ones. Martin said it clearly is within the purview of the courts to determine if the state is complying with the Arizona Constitution.

The case is now set for trial next year.

A question hanging in the balance is: What is the legally required minimum to keep students in Arizona not only safe but in conditions suitable for learning?

Lax safety cited

Some of whats at issue is basic, such as ensuring schools have the money to fix minor problems like leaky roofs before they become expensive major repairs. But Adelman said some standards that were considered acceptable 20 years ago are now outdated.

Exhibit No. 1 is the safety and security guidelines.

After Sandy Hook, the state studied reasonable things that schools should implement to keep their kids safe, he said, referring to the 2012 shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 children and six adults dead before the assailant took his own life.

Its things like single point of entry, decent fencing, cameras in some instances, a door that prevents people from outside the campus getting directly to children without having to get buzzed through, Adelman said.

Only thing is, Adelman said, state officials didnt put any of these in the guidelines and so, the state never funded them.

He said districts with the financial capacity to borrow money through bonds with voter approval and tax local residents did implement some of these things.

But others lack the resources. Weve got pictures of them like having to loop a chain around a door, Adelman said.

They didnt even implement things like you could lock the door from the inside so a teacher doesnt have to open her door in an active shooter situation to lock it.

History of litigation

The issue of the states role dates back to 1994.

Under the system in place at that time, school districts raised and borrowed money for all new construction and repairs through local property taxes.

That year the high court said the system created illegal disparities between rich districts and poor ones.

Some districts have schoolhouses that are unsafe, unhealthy and in violation of building, fire and safety codes, wrote Justice Frederick Martone for the high court. There are schools without libraries, science laboratories, computer rooms, art programs, gymnasiums and auditoriums.

At the same time, Martone said, there are schools with indoor swimming pools, a domed stadium, science laboratories, television studios, well-stocked libraries, satellite dishes and expensive computer systems.

The justices declared the funding system illegal and told lawmakers to come up with a fix.

In 1996, the Legislature agreed to put $100 million into a special fund that could be tapped by poor districts for construction needs. Lawmakers also agreed to provide another $30 million a year for nine more years.

The Supreme Court found that plan flawed, too, saying it did not meet the constitutional requirement for a general and uniform school system.

A 1997 alteration provided more cash. But here, too, the justices said that was not enough, saying the state still wasnt meeting its constitutional obligations.

Underfunded school needs

Lawmakers eventually created the School Facilities Board, which was supposed to pick up every districts construction and repair needs.

But legislators never came up with a new source of revenue to fund the potential $300 million annual price tag, instead absorbing the cost into state governments general fund.

That worked only when the economy was good and revenues were increasing. When the Great Recession hit and state tax collections tanked, one of the casualties was money for the board.

The result has been that districts needing schools or major repairs that cant wait for a state grant once again have to turn to their local voters for bond approval. That brings the funding system back to what the Supreme Court previously found illegal.

That led to the 2017 lawsuit. Even with that pending, Adelman said, lawmakers this year provided only $200 million of the $350 million in needs identified by the School Facilities Board.

He said while safety and security are crucial issues, theyre not all that schools need.

In modern classrooms its just different than when everybody had a little desk and the textbooks were all in the desk, Adelman said. That means different space requirements.

And not all of it is related to the physical layout.

The last time a committee met to look at whats needed, he said, one of the findings was there should be a computer for each student. The problem is, they didnt provide any funding along with that, Adelman said.

He said that while some schools were able to use federal COVID relief dollars, none of that is permanent.

Lack of regular maintenance

Then theres the issue of the buildings themselves.

The current system essentially requires schools to apply for grants to fix major problems. Aside from the fact that there hasnt been enough money allocated to fulfill all those requests, Adelman said it is a short-sighted approach.

He said whats needed  and what lawmakers originally promised more than two decades ago  are regular payments to districts to use for basic maintenance on things like roofs and air conditioning systems.

If you let school districts have some money they could use to keep their schools in good shape  then you can address things before its an emergency, Adelman said. Instead, there isnt funding for regular maintenance, meaning that what started out as small problems become big ones.

Because of the system that exists right now, we are spending at the worst possible time at the highest possible cost, he said.

He gave as an example the repainting of schools on a regular basis to keep them watertight.
Arizonas water director is looking at proposals to allow some development to use groundwater in fast-growing fringes of the Phoenix area  just a month after halting new growth relying on the aquifer there.

At a meeting Tuesday of a new state committee, Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke outlined two possible changes in state rules that could allow some growth to go forward on groundwater under certain conditions.

One idea would be for a developer to comingle a significant amount of renewable water supplies, that dont come from the aquifer, with groundwater.

Another would be for a developer or builder to provide assurances that some form of water infrastructure will be built to bring in another water supply that unlike groundwater is renewable.

The department also signaled it might be open to considering changes in the computerized groundwater model for the Phoenix water management area that it released June 1. The model projected the total amount of groundwater available in the Phoenix area over the next 100 years would likely fall about 4% short of expected demand. But it drew a lot of questions and unfavorable comments from water interest groups when it was unveiled.

Buschatzke also made it clear he wants tougher requirements for assured water supplies for unregulated wildcat subdivisions. He sees that as a way to insure that the recent saga of Rio Verde Foothills, an unregulated Scottsdale-area subdivision that has been without water since Jan. 1, wont be repeated.

He made these and other comments at the June 27 initial meeting of a state committee called to review state rules and laws governing assured, 100-year water supplies for new development.

On June 1, ADWR and Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that from now on, no new subdivision developments will be certified as having an assured water supply. That was due to a finding that the state is already oversubscribed for groundwater demands over the next 100 years compared to available supplies.

The decision doesnt affect major Phoenix-area cities and suburbs that have their own formal state designations of an assured supply. It affects cities and private water companies operating mainly on the urban periphery that dont have such designations. in those cases, subdivision developers must get their own state certifications of assured supply.

At Tuesdays committee meeting, ADWR officials offered no formal proposals, but said they expect to have proposals and get others from committee members by early to mid-July. Formal proposals will need to be adopted by the committee by mid-December for consideration by the governor, state agencies like ADWR and the Legislature.

At this time, we cannot say whether any proposals that come out of this committee and others coming from the parent Governors Water Policy Council will affect just one or all of the states five water Active Management Areas, including one governing the Tucson area, said Shauna Evans, an ADWR spokeswoman.

In an ADWR slide presentation at the meeting, officials said the assured water supply program, approved as part of the 1980 groundwater law, has enabled responsible development in an arid environment. The program has also driven innovation, collaboration, creativity and success in water resource management, one ADWR slide said.

But at Tuesdays meeting, Spencer Kamps, a committee member and a top Phoenix-area homebuilders official, warned the new ADWR decision limiting groundwater pumping is aggravating an already major crisis for the regions pinched housing stock, and causing economic dislocation in the development industry.

Developers have left behind $1 billion in infrastructure improvements such as roads, sewer lines and water piping for homes that now may not be built in the Hassayampa Sub-Basin in and around Buckeye west of Phoenix, said Kamps, the Home Builders Association of Central Arizonas deputy director.

That is one of the prime development areas for which the state has now found insufficient groundwater exists for the next 100 years.

I dont think we do that to any industry in this state, telling them Come to Arizona and well change the rules in midstream,  Kamps said at the meeting. When you are in the process of selling homes to customers, and then this home will be shut down, the impacts will be substantial. People will lose money. And the demand for housing is not going away.

Overall, what I heard in this presentation today that is weve got to go to renewable sources, Kamps said. I need to tell my members what the future holds for them. If were going to go to renewable sources, there are none.

Need to be thinking a long time ahead

But at the same meeting, Kathleen Ferris, another committee member, a former ADWR director and now a water researcher and crusader for protecting the states dwindling groundwater supplies, warned that state officials arent addressing some major concerns about groundwater pumping even now.

Shes concerned about ADWR projections that, despite the new state limits on groundwater pumping for new homes, the overdraft of groundwater in the Phoenix area is expected to grow from 23,000 an acre-foot yearly from 2000 through 2021 to 387,000 acre-feet yearly by 2121.

We are not going to reach safe yield. We are way far way from safe yield, Ferris said, using a term to describe the balancing of groundwater pumping with recharge of the aquifer.

One criteria the state uses to issue findings that developers have an assured water supply is that the developments water use is in line with the states management goal for that area, which is safe yield, she said.

This assured water supply program is inextricably linked with the management goal. Its really hard for me to look at them separately, especially ... when my math shows the overdraft will be 16 times greater than its been for the last 20 years, Ferris said. We are on a trajectory that is not sustainable.

Also unsustainable. she said, is the states current rule, allowing groundwater to be depleted by up to 1,000 feet in the Phoenix and Tucson areas and 1,100 feet in Pinal County if the aquifer is replenished by renewable supplies elsewhere.

If we want to have a civilization here in 100 years, we need to be thinking for a long time ahead, Ferris said.

But it was clear from Buschatzkes comments at the meeting that right now, hes more interested in dealing with shorter-term issues that can be fixed with rule changes than with longer-term issues.

Kamps, for instance, said, We need a very, very short-term offramp to keep these projects afloat and deal with a housing demand crisis.

Since developers of subdivisions, unlike developers of all other projects, are required to replenish the aquifer with the amount of water that they pump, Why are we the only projects stopped? Why can we not continue to grow on groundwater? he asked.

Buschatzke told him, I would ask you to draft a proposal that captures the concepts you just talked about for our consideration. Lets move on.

But when Ferris and committee member state Sen. Priya Sundareshan brought up other issues requiring longer-term solutions, Buschatzke said those may well have to wait.

Sundareshan, a Tucson Democrat, asked, for instance, why the state doesnt require all forms of development, not just subdivisions, to prove they have a 100-year assured water supply.

She also criticized a common practice by many subdivision developers of pumping groundwater near their projects but replenishing the aquifer elsewhere, saying, That has not necessarily been looked at as the best idea.

Buschatzke told her, Those are very broad issues, getting at the basic underpinnings of the groundwater code  the deal that was made back then in 1980, when Arizonas Groundwater Management Act was enacted.

Im not saying they arent important to address. (But) hopefully, were wanting to focus between now and December, some flexibilities, focusing on allowing development to come forward, new subdivisions to move forward, under the new assured water supply limits the state has just instituted, he said.

If progress is made on some of the immediate issues by December, that will help officials shift to the additional issues that Ferris and Sundareshan have brought up at least at the start of the next calendar year, Buschatzke said.

Wildcat subdivisions a problem

The Assured Water Supply Committee is part of the new State Water Policy Council that Gov. Katie Hobbs established upon taking office in January. The committees task is to identify ways to strengthen the Assured Water Supply program and allow for growth based on other water supplies besides groundwater, ADWR has said.

The first challenge Buschatzke wants to tackle is the problems of wildcat developments of five or fewer homes that, because they arent legal subdivisions, dont have to prove they have an assured, 100-year water supply.

Rio Verde Foothills, an unregulated subdivision outside Scottsdale thats gone without water since Jan. 1, apparently will be getting water again soon under a compromise bill that Hobbs signed into law about two weeks ago. It will create a new kind of government entity to deliver water to the unincorporated community.

But just the presence of such subdivisions that lack guarantees of water exacerbates groundwater mining, puts homeowners at risks and feeds a negative perception about Arizonas ability to manage its water supplies, Buschatzke said.

He wants a requirement that any new community of one or more detached units cant get building permits without obtaining a state assured water supply certificate. Such a requirement would also apply to build to rent subdivisions that build homes only for rental purposes as a way of escaping the states assured water supply rules for for-sale housing subdivisions.

Changes being weighed

The comingling proposal being floated by ADWR seeks to get around existing state law that limits a subdividers ability to deliver renewable supplies to a local water system if that system also uses groundwater.

As the law stands, a development that would use renewable supplies such as Central Arizona Project water from the Colorado River cant proceed unless it can show it also has enough groundwater to last for 100 years.

Buschazkes proposal, still in its early stages, would allow comingling of groundwater and renewable supplies if a developer brings in at least as much renewable supply as he would serve to customers with groundwater, plus a lot more.

Besides CAP, other water supplies that could be comingled with local native groundwater might include treated sewage effluent, desalinated water, non-CAP Colorado River water transferred to the Phoenix area, and groundwater imported from the Harquahala Valley in Western Maricopa County.

The third proposal, regarding infrastructure, follows up on a practice that the state encouraged during the 1980s and 1990s as the 336-mile-long CAP canal system was gradually built from the Colorado River to Phoenix and Tucson. While that construction proceeded, a new development whose owner had a CAP allocation or a water contract would be assumed to have an assured water supply even while using groundwater, until the $4 billion project was finished.

The new proposal would allow development to proceed on groundwater while the developer was pursuing an alternative, renewable water supply. The developer would have to meet requirements for things like a five-year construction plan for the renewable water system, financial assurances and the like.

The water system would have to meet a series of legal milestones for completing such tasks. Its assured water supply certificate from the state would expire if the development didnt meet those milestones.

We all could probably agree that the nature of those supplies for cities with CAP allocations has worked really well, Buschatzke said at the meeting. The development has occurred. We havent seen the infrastructure not be built.

Doug Dunham, water resources manager for a major private water company thats active in Phoenix, Epcor, told the meeting that he appreciates some of the proposals put forward by Buschtzke. His company has CAP water supplies and effluent it could put to use for new developments if the comingling roadblock were eased, he said. Dunham is also a member of the new Assured Water Supply Committee.

The infrastructure proposal could also be useful for his companys water system because it employs a similar system today for securing approval of new supplies to meet Arizona Corporation Commission requirements for private water companies, he said.

Thank you for coming forward with these proposals, said another committee member, Cheryl Lombard, president and CEO of Valley Partnership, a Phoenix group that promotes what it calls responsible development.

The infrastructure proposal is especially encouraging and very important to our members, Lombard said.

Skeptic calls out abrupt change

Former ADWR director Ferris is skeptical of both proposals.

She noted that when former Gov. Doug Ducey had a water advisory council in 2021, a bunch of people in Pinal County were saying that you have to get rid of this rule against comingling. ADWR said then, that doing that would erode the consumer protection provisions of the assured water supply requirement.

Now the DWR has a proposal thats quite unclear to me. It looks like they will support this (comingling) as long as the developer or whoever brings in the extra source, brings double the amount of what the subdivision needs. Im not sure why the department now thinks this idea is OK when before they didnt.

As for the infrastructure proposal, Ferris noted that when a similar system was in place for the CAP back in the 1980s and 1990s, that project had already been federally authorized and money appropriated every year for its construction.

Now, under the new proposal, until some certainty exists that all these pieces are falling into place for a new water project, whats going to happen to a new development counting on water from an unbuilt project, she asked.

Is the ADWR going to be issuing certificates of assured supply that will just sit idle, based on future construction of infrastructure? Or will ADWR issue certificates that allow groundwater to be pumped in the interim?
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

As pressure has grown over the past decade to address the rising income and wealth gaps in this country, public- and private-sector leaders have looked increasingly to the role that Americas 1,100 community and technical colleges might play in providing low-income young people and adults with the skills and credentials needed to put them on a path to economic advancement.

Because of their affordability and open admissions policies, they are the most racially and economically diverse institutions in American higher education. At their best, community colleges are also the most nimble, flexible, market-oriented institutions in our higher education system, working closely with employers to meet regional labor market demands.

What do great community colleges look like that prioritize their workforce mission across the institution, focus on providing economic advancement and mobility for their students, and situate themselves as major players in their regional economic development ecosystem?

Eighteen months ago, I set out with colleagues at the Harvard Project on Workforce to answer this question. We identified five community colleges in different regions of the country, each serving a diverse set of learners and industries, and then developed detailed case studies documenting the internal policies and practices of these colleges that enabled them to serve both students and employers so effectively. Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the five exemplary institutions we profiled. We found it an extraordinary turnaround story.

When Lee Lambert was recruited from Shoreline Community College in Washington to become Chancellor in 2013, Pima was in trouble. The regional accrediting association had placed it on probation for a variety of compliance and governance issues. Shortly afterward, a combination of reductions in state funding and enrollment declines led to a fiscal crisis demanding radical action. Lambert quickly learned from his initial conversations with business leaders that they found it difficult to collaborate with the College.

Lambert introduced sweeping administrative reforms. He closed one of the Colleges six campuses and sold off its buildings, hired a single point of contact for employers and, in close collaboration with industry leaders, developed Centers of Excellence tied to workforce demand in areas such as Applied Technology, IT/Cybersecurity, Health Professions and Hospitality and Tourism. While these moves generated some initial pushback and resistance, today, Pima is a very different institution.

The Centers of Excellence integrate workforce development across credit and non-credit programs, including industry certifications. They offer cutting-edge facilities and technology to enable experiential learning and provide a focal point for collaboration across sectors. These Centers are designed to meet both industry needs and provide great learning opportunities for students.

At Pima, like many colleges, the workforce division was expected to raise its own revenue by generating short-term training contracts with companies to upgrade the skills of incumbent workers. Lambert decided that workforce development needed to permeate the College and not be siloed into a separate self-supporting division. Today, PCCs workforce division employs over 100 staff members fully supported by the College, working internally to connect faculty to emerging industry partnership opportunities and working externally to build and sustain relationships with regional economic development organizations, industry associations, and government leaders. As one industry leader told our case writer, Pima is everywhere.

With Chancellor Lambert leaving the College to take a similar position at the Foothill-De Anza Community College District near Silicon Valley, California, we join Arizona business leaders in urging Pima and all Arizona community colleges to continue to partner with local businesses and industries to ensure a steady pipeline of workers trained in 21st Century skills. Doing so will keep Arizona businesses competitive in a fast-changing global marketplace and, equally as important, drive economic mobility and shared prosperity for workers and our communities.
AI, not so new

In recent weeks there have been many news articles and reports about Artificial Intelligence, its benefits and its dangers. When you think about it, AI is not really that new, and I can site a few examples. Just think of all our political leaders that we have sent to Washington in the past 50 years and you have a prime example. They have exhibited the most profound example of artificial intelligence. Have they solved immigration, affordable education and housing, a balanced budget, infrastructure improvements, you get the idea. AI, we have had it for a long time.

Fred DiNoto

Northwest side

UA water waste

Re: the June 8 article Tucson bans turf for some new developments.

I ride my bike on the UA campus at least three times a week. For the past month, the roadway on the north side of the Mall has had water from the sprinkler system running from Campbell to Cherry. Ive stopped and talked with workers on the Mall and have been assured that they would let the people in charge know that the sprinkler heads need to be adjusted. A month has gone by; nothing has changed. Thankfully, the emitters are working well on the south side. A teaching university on this beautiful campus would do well to teach by example.

John Blackwell

Midtown

Trump vs George Washington

Re: the June 16 letter Trump is unique.

The writer compares him to Washington because they are our only citizen presidents, thus we should ignore Trumps lawbreaking because he didnt come up through the ranks. May I point out first that Trump was warned repeatedly by his own chosen advisors that his planned actions were illegal and ill advised. And second may I mention that Washington brought the country together during very difficult times rather than tearing it to pieces, he chose not to run for a second term even though requested to do so by his colleagues and the country at large, and he went peacefully and happily back to a quiet life as a citizen after he stepped down.

Please dont make an attempt to compare these two presidents!

Delores Keahey

East side

Governor Hobbs

Thank you Gov. Katie Hobbs for keeping the crazies in the legislature in check. Very proud of the job you are doing.

Gilbert Martinez

Foothills

Voting Republican

Re: the online article Lawmakers halt hearings for Arizona governors nominees due to abortion issue.

This is exactly why, even though most of my down ticket was Republican, I felt that I had to vote for Hobbs, Mayes and Fontes, to protect women from the misogynistic Legislature until we can get a Kansas style initiative on the ballot in 2024.

Do I like Governor Hobbs? Emphatically not. Some of her vetoes disgust me, some of them hurting her own constituency just to spite the legislature.

I just figure she will not have time to destroy the state before we do not need her anymore.

Donald Hartman

Northwest side

Donnie again

He is at it again! Donnie is filing another frivolous lawsuit. This extraordinarily frivolous lawsuit is against E. Jean Carroll for defamation character. Donnie already lost to her in court once. This disgraced and vindictive president has no character to defame. He is the most dishonorable president the U.S.A. has ever had in the highest office of our country.

Toni Kane

Oro Valley

Developers should pay for desalination

Re: the June 26 article AZs water future depends on new supplies.

In his opinion piece, Sean Hood declares that new water supplies must be a major feature of our water future and Some of the most promising involve desalination.

The key issue Arizonans must keep focused on is that the powerful real estate development interests that control Arizonas legislature are trying to implement laws to require all current Arizona citizens to pay for massive new water infrastructure, such as desalination, that will allow land speculators and developers to profit from future growth.

More efficient use of Arizonas existing water supplies can be achieved by water conservation and adjusting the fractions of Arizonas water that go to agricultural versus municipal uses. But if new water infrastructure is required for future growth, Arizonans must insist that it be paid for by the land speculators and developers who will profit from it.

Brooks Keenan

Oro Valley

Name calling is the weapon of the weak

Re: the June 28 article Its YIMBY vs. NIMBY in Ward 1.

A recent column trots out the tiresome name calling but provides no useful information. If the author really wants to initiate a meaningful discussion, he should investigate the following:

Why do our politicians:

Speak of equity but pass overlay zones that count rooftop terraces as open space? Only the wealthy get to enjoy that open space.

Systematically reduce zoning code protections for older neighborhoods while enjoying the protections of their private deed restriction codes?

Push for greater density to reduce sprawl but then approve the massive 2000-plus acre Atterbury Trails development plan that is sprawl on steroids? The whole time, they ignore the heat island effects of density and how it will increase the energy demands for cooling.

Name calling is a diversionary tactic, and its sole purpose is to shut down meaningful discussions. We deserve better than this.

Colette Altaffer

Midtown

Hunter Biden  the Role Model

Donald Trump is still up to his ears in trouble with the Justice Department over his handling of government documents (many of which were highly classified). The reason for the troubles are entirely of his own making. Most people know the details and the grim prospects for Trumps future, but there was  and perhaps still is  an off ramp for the former president.

The Hunter Biden Role Model. Hunter confessed to his misdeeds and to responsibility for them. What a breath of fresh air  responsibility. Punishment is yet to be determined. However, Trumps going down swinging, an I hope he gets every pound of justice he promised for others when he was in office. Thanks Hunter, now please just go away.

Ted Morrison

Midtown

Ciscomani and Kolbe

Rep. Juan Ciscomani should be commended for his support for renaming a post office in honor of former Rep. Jim Kolbe. Its interesting that Ciscomani overcame his staunch opposition to gay rights to support this honor. I suspect Ciscomani didnt support Kolbe in life.

Ron Bechky

SaddleBrooke

Helping the common man

We must spend money to make money.

Over the last century the Ds were more interested in funding projects that helped the common man.

The Rs helped, when it benefited them, but generally did not want to spend for the common man.

Some projects were before the 1930s but most were started with the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) in the 1930s.

1. 1906 RFD mail Rural free delivery Delivering mail to outlying areas

2. 1936 WPA put people back to work by building schools, libraries, roads and even paid for artwork and theater

3. 1935 SS social security now paid to 69.5 million people

4. 1936 REA Rural Electrification Administration Brings electric power to outlying areas via co-ops.

5. 1956 Building our interstate road system (D.D.Eisenhower (R))

6. 2023 internet expansion as did REA in 1936. (see 4)

7. 2022 FTA infrastructure especially transportation.

8. 2000 start of clean energy projects from solar panels and turbines to charging stations.

Donald Plummer
A Skiatook woman was critically injured in a car accident near Collinsville on Friday.

The incident occurred around 10:45 a.m. at Oklahoma 20 and Lewis Avenue, about three miles east of Skiatook, according to the report.

It states that Debbie Fohey, 59, of Skiatook, was riding as a passenger in a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta eastbound on OK-20 when the vehicle allegedly collided with a 2002 Dodge Caravan that was traveling southbound on Lewis.

Fohey was transported to a local hospital and admitted in critical condition with head, abdomen and leg injuries, the report states. Her driver, a 17-year-old male, was treated and released.

The Caravan was carrying a 65-year-old Skiatook woman and a 23-year-old Collinsville woman, who were also treated and released, according to the report.

The Jetta departed the roadway and the Caravan rolled an unknown number of times, landing on its top.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.
Threat actors often exploit vulnerabilities they find which result in sensitive data being stolen. In this instance, a ransomware group found the opportunity in the MOVEit file transfer tool's security flaw and has continued to do so with estimated millions affected by it.

Clop Ransomware Continues

Several sectors have already been affected by the exploitation of the security vulnerability from MOVEit, with approximately 140 victims and counting. Of the estimated number of impacted organizations, only ten disclosed the number of affected users.

Even with just ten organizations providing the numbers, the chain of cyber attacks has already affected more than 15.5 million people. These include US-based universities and public sector organizations, as mentioned in Tech Crunch, which combined reaches 23 organizations.

With the biggest number of victims, around 3.5 million Oregon driver's license holder has had their data stolen, followed by estimated 2.7 million Genworth Finance clients. Six million of Louisiana's residents also add to the number of impacted people.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System also disclosed that around 770,000 of its users were among those that had their data stolen, along with 1.5 million more customers from Wilton Reassurance, an insurance provider.

According to ransomware expert Brett Callow, the biggest threat yet is the cyber attack on National Student Clearinghouse. The US educational nonprofit works with 22,000 high schools and 3,600 colleges, all of which have thousands of students.

The US Department of Health and Human Resources is also part of the list. The organization's officials have already alerted Congress that over 100,000 people have had their data stolen. Even Siemens Energy confirmed that they were among the companies affected by the incident.

The Clop ransomware group has since leaked data, presumably after the victims failed to pay for ransom. Reports say that it has already added ten victims to its leak site this week, which includes banks, legal companies, and energy companies.

Read Also: City of Toronto Suffers Cyber Attack from Clop Ransomware Group

Clop Ransomware Group

The high-targeting ransomware group has been active for a couple of years now. Despite the arrest of six of its members, their operation is evidently still active. The hacker group has already extorted an estimation of $500 million by November 2021.

With the recent chain of attacks, that amount could have already increased significantly. According to Trend Micro, Clop is a variant of the CryptoMix ransomware family. The group is said to be operated by a Russian-speaking group.

It works as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation. Its first victim was a pharmaceutical company back in April 2020, where it posted sensitive data on its leak site after the company failed to pay for ransom.

It has since grown into a bigger hacker group that targets bigger organizations and companies such as SolarWinds and a maritime services giant in Singapore, which had its IT systems breached resulting in stolen classified proprietary commercial information and employee data.

As shown in recent reports, the Clop ransomware group has conducted its biggest cyber attack yet, with a chain of breaches after exploiting a vulnerability in a file transfer tool. More victims are added to its numbers with no sign of the hacker group stopping.

Related: Data of 45,000 NYC Students Stolen in Ransomware Attack
A center that will serve as a hub for research and development on unmanned aircraft systems was officially launched Friday at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, with OSU officials also using the occasion to renew their long relationship with NASA.

OSU officials were joined by state and national leaders for the event, which included the dedication of the LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility, located in OSU-Tulsas Helmerich Research Center.

More than 200 guests were in attendance as OSU signed an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, continuing its 60-year STEM partnership with the space agency.

OSU President Kayse Shrum said: Last year, Oklahoma State University set out a bold strategy to become the nations preeminent land grant university. And one of the key pillars of the strategy is to be the nations leader in aerospace innovation and research, and as todays events are demonstrating, we are well on our way to achieving this vision.

Joining Shrum and OSU leaders were several elected officials, including U.S. Sen. James Lankford, U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern and Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.

The Osage Nation is one of OSUs partners on the center, along with Tulsa Innovation Labs.

Guests also included some 30 faculty members from OSU and representatives of over 30 aerospace companies.

The LaunchPad Center is one of four projects included in the new Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility Cluster, which received $38.2 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administrations Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

Jamey Jacob, OSU professor and executive director of OSUs Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education, said: Aviation is entering its third golden age, and the LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility is on the cusp of translating research into significant industry advancements.

The federal challenge grant also helped create the Skyway Range, a flight test facility that connects the Osage Nations Skyway36 Droneport in Tulsa, OSUs Unmanned Aircraft Flight Station near Stillwater and two additional sites in the region.

Skyway Range is located just five miles north of the LaunchPad Center, Jacob said.

With the Skyway Range test flight facility, we have the capacity to test capabilities in the real world, eventually in both urban and suburban settings, he said.

The Skyway36 Droneport, a working airport where OSU research is underway, is now fully dedicated to advanced air mobility applications, officials said. It offers immediate access to manufacturing space while allowing researchers to work hand-in-hand with industry.

LaunchPads first industry partner, WindShape, will create an environmental test facility in the Helmerich Research Center. The facility will allow drones to be tested in wind, rain, ice and wildfire conditions while in a controlled laboratory environment, officials said.

Also attending Friday were representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, Tinker Air Force Base, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Lankford said: I was excited to be part of this because this is something that does affect all of us. It is a challenging problem that is unresolved on how were going to handle the next generation of aerospace. We look at the drones that are up in the air and look at the aerial systems  but there are so many unanswered questions.

Jennifer Hankins, Tulsa Innovation Labs deputy managing director, said: Today we are signaling to the nation that the Tulsa region and the state as a whole are on the rise and now more than ever positioned and destined for greatness.

Under its Space Act Agreement with NASA, OSU will work with the agency on joint research, technology transfer, technology development, and educational and outreach initiatives, officials said.

The arrangement will also benefit LaunchPad Center researchers and companies, allowing them to collaborate with NASA on advanced air mobility efforts.



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OKLAHOMA CITY  State Superintendent Ryan Walters told a national audience that the U.S. Department of Education should be eliminated because he thinks the federal government is bullying school districts and pushing socialism in classrooms.

In speaking at Moms for Libertys national summit in Philadelphia, Walters criticized the federal governments involvement in education, endorsed the idea of moving Oklahomas school board elections and railed against teachers unions.

The fast-growing parents rights organization founded by conservative mothers in Florida has been labeled an anti-government extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC said Moms for Liberty fights inclusion in schools and compared the group to parents who pushed to resegregate schools during the civil rights movement.

Walters praised Moms for Liberty and compared the group to the nations founding fathers.

You are the most patriotic, pro-American group in the country right now, he said Friday.

Walters spoke at the summit as part of a 40-minute panel discussion on the future of education. A spokesman for Walters did not respond to a question about whether the superintendent used taxpayer funds to cover the costs of his travel and lodging for the trip.

Walters received the greatest applause when he took the federal government to task. He said the U.S. Department of Education, which is led by an appointee of President Joe Biden, will do anything to bully and intimidate schools while pushing a socialist agenda.

The federal government comes up with a new initiative every few years, Walters said. They give you some money and they think they can control states and schools. It is absurd. It is ridiculous.

Each year, Oklahoma receives hundreds of millions of dollars in federal education funding that helps with day-to-day school operations. Walters has been critical of federal funding opportunities that come with strings attached and directed the State Department of Education to pass on grant opportunities that dont align with Oklahoma values.

Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, said Walters comments left him stunned.

Just when I think he couldnt possibly be more foolish, he goes and does something like this, Dollens tweeted.

Walters did not address a scathing audit released this week that indicated that millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds earmarked for education were misspent when he was serving as the states secretary of education.

At the summit, Walters also said he supports changing the dates of Oklahomas school board elections to increase voter turnout.

GOP state lawmakers have unsuccessfully tried in recent years to move to November the general elections for school board seats. Four years ago, lawmakers moved school board elections so they would occur at the same time as municipal elections, meaning primary elections occur in February and general elections are held in April.

We are going to make school board elections great again, Walters said. We are bringing a lot of attention to the school board races. We are working on moving the election dates so that theyre more prominent.

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association has opposed legislation to move the election dates yet again, saying party politics could creep into nonpartisan school board races if the elections coincide with partisan general elections in November.

Moms for Liberty has made a concerted effort to increase the number of conservatives running for school board seats. The group also made a name for itself by challenging COVID-19 precautions in schools, speaking out against critical race theory, and targeting school materials referencing race and gender identity.

Moms for Liberty has Oklahoma chapters in Tulsa, Garfield and Canadian counties.

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More than 100 Indian entrepreneurs have participated in a trade and tourism promotion conference in Kien Giang Province, located in Vietnams Mekong Delta region, to grasp cooperation and investment opportunities.

The Kien Giang administration organized the trade  tourism  investment promotion conference on Friday morning.

These participating Indian investors expected to partner with Vietnamese firms to tap various fields, mainly education, tourism, and footwear.

Kien Giang boasts charming beaches and unspoiled tourist sites, while high-end resorts on its popular Phu Quoc Island satisfy tourists, said Kamal Kathiat, director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

We come here [Kien Giang] to seek tourism cooperation opportunities and strengthen business partnership between Vietnamese and Indian entrepreneurs, Kathiat stressed.

Speaking at the conference, Madan Mohan Sethi, Consul General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Pune in India have much potential for investment in multiple fields.

Sethi hoped that through the conference, the firms of the two nations would foster their exchange and cooperation to ramp up two-way trade between Vietnam and India.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan, vice-chairman of the Kien Giang Peoples Committee, said that the province had opened numerous air routes to many nations, including India.

Furthermore, the province is calling on local and foreign firms to invest in five main sectors, namely hi-tech agriculture; renewable and clean energy; tourism; service-education-health; and sea-based economy.

The Phu Quoc international airport receives 40-50 domestic flights daily, said the representative of the Kien Giang administration.

Kien Giang Province has welcomed 12 delegations of Indian enterprises over the past few months. In 2022, Phu Quoc Island off the province served over 12,700 Indian tourist arrivals, Nhan said.

He affirmed that Kien Giang always creates favorable conditions for Indian investors and international firms to do business in the province.

At the conference, the Indian Importers Chambers of Commerce and Industries signed four memoranda of understanding with Vietnamese partners in Kien Giang Province to develop footwear, tourism, education, and seafood projects.

Indian investors take a look at Vietnamese products on display at the conference. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

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Police in Dak Lak Province, located in Vietnams Central Highlands region, on Saturday morning issued wanted posters for five suspects who are allegedly involved in deadly armed attacks in the province in the early hours of June 11.

The five are wanted by the police for committing acts of terrorism to oppose the authorities.

These five fugitives are all natives in Dak Lak, namely Y Khing Lieng, 31; Y Ju Nie, 55; Nay Tam, 49; Nay Duong, 53; and Nay Yen, 53.

Police decisions to hunt for five suspects in the fatal terrorist attacks. Photo: Tr.Tan / Tuoi Tre

Any person has the right to arrest the wanted suspects and hand them over to the nearest police station, Peoples Procuracy office, or Peoples Committee headquarters, according to the wanted posters.

Those arresting or receiving the wanted suspects handed over by others must immediately report to the provincial investigators via the following address at 58 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Tu An Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak Province or via the phone number 0694389133.

On June 11, two groups of people armed with guns and home-made weapons attacked the headquarters of the People's Committees of Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur Communes in Cu Kuin District, Dak Lak and local people.

The attackers claimed the lives of nine people, injured two others, and took three residents hostage.

They also vandalized many facilities at the two headquarters.

As of now, police officers have pressed charges against 84 people for their alleged involvement in the fatal armed attacks and are expanding the probe to apprehend other related individuals.

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The Australian government has made another investment of over US$11 million in a program launched five years ago to support the development of innovation ecosystems in Vietnam.

The additional funding of AU$17 million (US$11.3 million) for the program, Aus4Innovation, were announced at the Australia-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Day, held in Hanoi on Friday by the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

The event was among the activities organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Launched in 2018 with an initial fund of AU$16.5 million ($11), Aus4Innovation is a development assistance program that aims to strengthen Vietnams innovation system, prepare for and embrace opportunities associated with Industry 4.0, and help shape the Vietnamese innovation agenda in science and technology.

Now with the additional investment, the total budget for the program, scheduled to run for 10 years until 2028, has increased to $22.3 million.

Aus4Innovation has been operated through a tripartite partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australias Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), and Vietnams MOST.

The program has explored emerging areas of technology and digital transformation, trialed new models for partnerships between public and private sector institutions, and strengthened Vietnamese capability in digital foresight, scenario planning, science commercialization, and innovation policy.

While Australia and Vietnam are at different stages of development, we share an ambition to base our future growth on science and technology, and the potential for increased international cooperation around innovation for global and regional solutions, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski was quoted by CSIRO as saying.

The ambassador stressed that the innovation cooperation between Australia and Vietnam is substantial, efficient, and full of trust, while happening at all levels  individual, institution, and government.

As our two countries are working toward upgrading our relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, we will continue to deepen our cooperation in trade and investment, defense and security, and knowledge and innovation, he affirmed.

Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat is seen speaking at the Australia-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Day held in Hanoi on June 30, 2023. Photo: AUS4INNOVATION

Huynh Thanh Dat, Minister of Science and Technology, was cited by CSIRO as praising that the Aus4Innovation program has delivered tangible, significant results that are having substantial positive impact on the lives of the Vietnamese people."

The minister said the Vietnamese government has affirmed the pivotal role of STI in addressing emerging economic, societal, and institutional challenges through its introduction of the Strategy for the Development of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in Vietnam until 2030.

Our ministry is working hard to meet the goals set by the strategy, Dat stated.

Jonathan Law, CSIROs executive director of growth, told the event that the Aus4Innovation program will enter the next phase based on the solid foundations already established.

I am deeply encouraged that the Australian government, through DFAT, decided to continue to support this program for another five years, broadening our opportunities to pursue our endeavor to bring technology and innovation to life, Law said.

Over the next five years, the program will put a stronger focus on areas of Vietnams priorities, such as resilient agriculture and food, as well as introducing appropriate interventions for the digital era, including responsible artificial intelligence, he elaborated.

Achievements after five years of operation in Vietnam

After five years in operation across 37 provinces in Vietnam, Aus4Innovation has established a pool of 875 trainers and experts through capacity building activities, and laid the foundation for 82 partnerships between Australian and Vietnamese universities, research agencies, high-tech businesses, and policymakers, according to CSIRO.

The program also developed eight platforms to enable collaboration in innovation across research institutes and businesses, and demonstrated 12 innovative solutions to exemplify how innovation and technology can solve socioeconomic challenges.

In addition, it has contributed to national policies on science, technology, and innovation, as well as developed practical tools for innovation policy development to help contribute to a more enabling environment.

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Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Business

-- Vietnam exported US$24.56 billion worth of agro-forestry-fishery products in the first half of this year, up 12 percent against the same period last year, according to statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

-- The transport authority of Ho Chi Minh City has proposed a project to build two intersections linking the under-construction Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway, which connects Dong Nai Province with Long An Province, with roads in the city.

-- The One Commune One Product program of Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 will feature products in six more sectors, such as food and beverages, herbs, fabrics and apparel, souvenirs-furniture-decoration, and community tourism services and tourist attractions, said a municipal official on Friday.

-- Fishing boats of less than 12 meters in length in southern Kien Giang Province are banned from catching several types of clams such as blood clams, silk clams, and basket clams in local coastal areas from Saturday to the end of the year, as part of the provinces ongoing efforts to protect and develop aquatic resources.

Politics

 A Ho Chi Minh City high-ranking delegation led by the municipal Party chief Nguyen Van Nen attended a ceremony held in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Friday to inaugurate the statue of Vietnam's late President Ho Chi Minh.

Society

-- Phan Minh Tan, former director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology and lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, has been indicted for violating regulations on the management and use of public investment capital, causing serious consequences.

-- A downpour on Friday afternoon left many inner-city streets in Bien Hoa City of southern Dong Nai Province heavily flooded, worsening traffic gridlock and forcing local household businesses located along submerged streets to shut down.

World News

-- France deployed 45,000 police officers and some armored vehicles on the streets on Saturday as riots rocked French cities for a fourth night over a teenager's fatal shooting by an officer during a traffic stop, Reuters reported.

-- Half of the U.S. population was urged on Friday to take precautions when they are outdoors, either due to a relentless heat wave or poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires ahead of the long Fourth of July weekend, according to Reuters.

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Surgeons at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics recently performed an emergency operation on a 39-year-old man whose left hand was crushed by an ice-cutting machine.

The man, named L.D.C, a native of neighboring Dong Nai Province, was admitted to the hospital with his severely-injured left hand, said Vo Hoa Khanh, head of the hospitals Quality Management Department, on Saturday.

On an unspecified evening, when he was working with the ice-cutting machine, his left arm got accidentally stuck in the machine.

Some people around immediately turned off the machine and managed to pull out his arm, which was severely injured.

He was rushed to Dong Nai General Hospital before being sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics on the same night for intensive treatment.

The severe injury put him at risk of having one-third of the left arm amputated.

Therefore, the surgeons performed an emergency operation the same night to save him from the risk of disability.

Nguyen Quang Vinh, who directly performed the operation, said his team managed to rejoin the patients injured hand in a two-hour surgery.

One day after the surgery, he could move his fingers on the affected hand, the doctor said, adding that the patient needs to strictly follow medical instructions and maintain physical therapy practice in order to recover.

Vinh advised people to wear protective gear and fully comply with work safety regulations to avoid similar accidents.

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Trash and fish covered the surface of a Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe Canal section in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Friday morning following a heavy rain on Thursday night.

The garbage and dead fish in the canal gave off an awful smell.

Many local residents voiced their concerns over the emergence of fish, mainly tilapia, and carp.

Schools of fish emerged along a section from the first to third bridges spanning the canal.

The phenomenon often occurs after rains. During the rains, poisonous waste may flow from sewers from the canal, causing fish to find it hard to breathe, a local resident said.

A large volume of fish emerge to the surface of Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe Canal in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The administration in Ho Chi Minh City launched the first phase of a project to clean Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe Canal in 2012. However, a wastewater treatment plant in Thanh My Loi Ward, Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City has yet to be developed, so wastewater in the area flows to Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe Canal, thus polluting it.

A large volume of trash blankets a canal surface section.

Schools of fish often emerge to the water surface after rains. At noon, more fish swim to the water surface to breathe.

Garbage and dead fish cover an area of the canal.

A sanitation worker picks trash from the canal, June 30, 2023.

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A Pacific Airlines flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang City encountered a situation where 44 passengers declined to proceed with the journey due to the excessive heat inside the plane on Thursday evening.

The airport security at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City reported the incident at 9:28 pm on the day.

As per the report, the A320 aircraft operating as flight BL 6068 was initially planned to depart for Da Nang City at 6:20 pm on that day, with a total of 185 passengers on board.

As a result of the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) malfunction, which supplies power to the aircrafts air conditioning system while parked, the A320 aircraft experienced a lack of cold air circulation.

Despite the crew successfully boarding 185 passengers, the absence of sufficient cooling equipment led to uncomfortably high temperatures inside the plane.

Consequently, 44 of the passengers found the conditions unbearable and opted to disembark onto the apron area.

In order to maintain order, the apron security, in collaboration with Pacific Airlines, arranged a shuttle bus for the aforementioned passengers.

The remaining passengers consented to proceed with their travel plan, resulting in flight BL 6068 departing for Da Nang at 11:00 pm on Thursday, after a delay of four hours and 30 minutes from the original schedule.

Pacific Airlines made arrangements for 38 of the 44 passengers who declined to board flight BL 6068 to be accommodated on the subsequent flight BL 6070 bound for Da Nang.

As for the remaining six passengers, they were transferred to a Vietnam Airlines flight scheduled for Friday morning to reach the central Vietnamese city.

Relevant authorities on duty at the time documented the incident for future reference and requested Pacific Airlines to provide their own report, detailing the cause of the aforementioned flight incident, to the Southern Airport Authority and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in compliance with regulations.

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Vietnam had TikTok sign an admission of wrongdoing and undertake specific corrective actions, authorities said at a conference held on Friday.

Speaking at the event, Le Quang Tu Do, head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said that the rate of prevention and eradication of malicious content in cyberspace, encompassing companies like Meta's Facebook, Google's YouTube, and TikTok, achieved its highest level in the first half of 2023.

In January-June, Facebook took down 2,549 posts, deactivated 12 accounts, and eliminated 54 advertising pages at the request of Vietnamese authorities.

YouTube removed 6,101 videos and terminated seven channels, while TikTok eliminated 415 links and banned 149 accounts over offensive content.

In addition, Facebook took down 484 pages that advertised gambling games, along with 72 other accounts and pages promoting weapons and explosives.

The platform also removed 2,444 links advertising illicit services.

YouTube removed 632 videos that promoted the sale and hunting of wild animals and provided instructions on weapon-making.

It also eliminated over 2,000 drug and supplement advertisements, as well as advertising content using automatic algorithms.

Moreover, it disabled monetization features on 49 Facebook pages and accounts and 50 YouTube channels, along with 158 websites that violated advertising guidelines.

The three platforms response rate to authorities requests exceeded 90 percent while the content removal was at record levels.

Furthermore, there has been a notable improvement in the speed and efficiency of handling harmful and toxic content, with a processing time of under 12 hours, Do said.

Increased manpower has been mobilized, utilizing a combination of manual efforts and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, to scan, block, and promptly remove unlawful content.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and multiple ministries and agencies last month undertook a comprehensive inspection of TikToks local operations and preliminary results showed various violations by the short-video platform.

The case marks the first time Vietnam has an international social media platform sign an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and implement specific corrective actions which await an official announcement later this month.

After addressing the TikTok case, Dos agency is making efforts to develop strategies to handle similar issues in other cross-border platforms.

The agency is also planning to explore collaborations with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to launch an awareness campaign against online disinformation.

Vietnam in recent years has issued several regulations together with a cybersecurity law that target foreign social media platforms in a bid to battle disinformation in news.

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Third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in Changsha

10:29, July 01, 2023 By Yang Xun, Yan Ke, Shen Zhilin ( People's Daily

Fifty trucks manufactured by Hunan Jinsong Automobile are about to be shipped to Tanzania from Jiahe county, Chenzhou, central China's Hunan province, May 17, 2022. (Photo by Huang Chuntao/People's Daily Online)

The 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo kicked off in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province on June 29.

The four-day event, themed "Common Development for a Shared Future," is expected to draw wide participation and build new momentums for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

At the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, the main venue of the event, a number of featured commodities from Africa such as wine, coffee and handicrafts, as well as China's engineering machinery, medical equipment, consumer goods and agricultural equipment, were exhibited. The exhibition area expanded by 30,000 square meters from the last session to 100,000 square meters.

The sub-venue of the event is at Changsha's China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, Promotion, and Innovation Demonstration Park. It gathers more exhibitors, purchasers and exhibits, and aims at building a permanent venue for China-Africa Economic and Trade.

Wasion Holdings Limited has been engaged in the African market for more than 20 years, during which it delivered over 5 million electric meters to African consumers. Last year, its revenue in Africa jumped 28.4 percent year on year.

This time, the company brought to the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo a series of products and solutions that help improve the basic livelihood of African consumers, as well as its latest energy-storage system, said Lv Xinwei, vice president of the company.

"We set up an exhibition area of 200 square meters, and we are presenting two 'star products' developed for mining in Africa," said Zhu Jianxin, vice general manager of Sunward, one of the leading underground engineering equipment enterprises in China.

According to him, Sunward invited its clients from West Africa and South Africa to Changsha for communication and contract signing, hoping to further reinforce its cooperation with African partners.

An exhibition section for African enterprises and commodities is joined by 300 African enterprises and numerous products from Africa, including essential oil from Madagascar, gems from Zambia, wood carvings from Zimbabwe and flowers from Kenya.

A Kenyan exhibitor named Anna told People's Daily that she brought to the event Kenya's tea products and wood carvings, which drew a number of potential customers. She believes that she will receive many orders this time.

To expand the imports of quality commodities from Africa, Hunan province launched an "African product brand bank" activity, which introduced 106 types of African products to the province's markets.

Relying on the Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market, the province is expanding its imports of coffee, nuts, dried chili, sesames, peanuts, and wood products, and facilitating the exports of small-sized agricultural machines, small-sized hardware, prepackaged food and consumer goods. It has completed the first transaction of prepackaged food under mart procurement.

Besides, Hunan province has also set up a China-Africa incubation center for livestream commerce, which is also known as Mango Live Stream. The incubation center hosts livestream activities to promote African products, and has reported total revenue of over 100 million yuan ($13.79 million).

On June 29, the China-Africa Trade Index was officially unveiled by the General Administration of Customs at the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Taking the year of 2000 as the base period with a value of 100, the index has hit 990.55 in 2022 and keeps rising.

During the same period, China's trade with Africa surged more than 20 times from less than 100 billion yuan to 1.88 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth of 17.7 percent. China has maintained the largest trading partner of Africa for 14 consecutive years. In the first five months this year, China's trade with Africa stood at 822.32 billion yuan, up 16.4 percent.

Jiang Wei, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said China-Africa trade features high complementarity, adding that it offers strong support for the two sides' economic and social development and benefits both Chinese and African people.

As an important mechanism of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and an important window for sub-regional economic and trade cooperation, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is of vital significance for Hunan to promote high-level opening up and build a new development paradigm, Jiang remarked.

Apart from focusing on economy and trade, the expo also launched forums and seminars on traditional Chinese medicine cooperation and infrastructure. It for the first time held a trade negotiation over featured light industrial products and textile, an achievements exhibition of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and an achievements exhibition of innovations made by Chinese and African women. Eight guest countries of honor have set up stand-alone exhibitions to demonstrate their own features.

President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera, who attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said that the expo has significantly strengthened Africa-China cooperation and brought more prosperity to relevant regions, and will bring Africa-China cooperation onto a new level.

Vehicles are about to be exported to Africa from Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Zhang Jingang/People's Daily Online)

Photo taken on June 26, 2023 shows the International Convention and Exhibition New Town of Changsha, central China's Hunan province. (Photo by Li Jian/People's Daily Online)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
It's undeniable that AI is becoming a huge part of the tech world. Several companies have already adopted artificial intelligence into their systems, and some would argue that the innovation was boosted by the release of ChatGPT. However, the chatbot's creator, OpenAI, has been accused of inappropriate data use.

Class-Action Lawsuit Against OpenAI

The lawsuit was filed by persons who choose to remain anonymous to avoid backlash from the move. It states that OpenAI stole private and personal information without consent along with 300 billion words from the internet, effectively violating privacy laws.

Filed by Clarkson Law Firm in a San Francisco federal court, the lawsuit is said to be 157 pages long, which claims that the artificial intelligence company tapped content from books, articles, websites, and posts, which include personal information from individuals.

The people behind the lawsuit mentioned that "despite established protocols for the purchase and use of personal information, defendants took a different approach," which they indicated as theft, as mentioned in Interesting Engineering.

The lawsuit is quite extensive as it accuses OpenAI of larceny, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act as well. This resulted in the company being demanded to pay $3 billion in potential damages.

It was claimed that the company does not only steal data through scraping the internet for training data, but it was also accessing private information from the interaction that users have with products that have ChatGPT integration.

The accusation also contradicts OpenAI's mission to create a safe AGI that benefits all of humanity, considering that if the allegations are correct, the company is actually stealing from humanity, all for the sake of profiting from a trained AI model.

Read Also: Lawyers Fined $5,000 After Using ChatGPT to Cite Cases

This Isn't the First Case

AI tools don't just suddenly have knowledge about the inquiries their users make. It has to learn from already existing data. Companies claim that the data they use are free to use and that they stray from licensed content. However, there have been signs that's not the case.

That's where the role of the law gets complicated. There was an instance where artists formed a class-action suit against generative AI platforms, accusing them of using their original work without a license to train their AI models to copy their art styles.

Image source giants like Getty Images filed a lawsuit against Stable Diffusion claiming that the generative AI tool improperly used its photos. As mentioned in Harvard Business Review, it violates copyright and trademark rights.

This also goes for texts as well. When asking an AI tool to generate an essay, there is a possibility that it would pull information from copyrighted material, resulting in a derivative outcome that could be grounds for copyright infringement.

Chatbots also tend to fabricate content with a mix of real information. For instance, a lawyer used ChatGPT to generate citings for a legal briefing. The citation turned out to be made up, but the chatbot ended up using the name of real judges, resulting in the lawyer being fined.

Related: Disney Uses AI for 'Secret Invasion' Opening Credits Amidst Writers' Strike
Chef Guillaume Gomez is now 45 years old, but he has served cuisines from around the world to Frances presidents for 25 years.

The Elysee Palaces Chef and Frances Culinary Ambassador, Guillaume Gomez, returned from a business trip to Vietnam, where he served as a judge in a baguette-making contest in May.

Two important rules

There are two rules when cooking for the presidents.

"You cant imagine how important you are to the image of France," former French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Gomez before leaving the palace.

In May 2012, Chef Gomez was presented with the National Order of Merit (Ordre national du Merite) by Sarkozy.

Gomez began working at the Elysee Palace in 1997 and, at the age of 25, was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France medal, a prestigious honor given every four years to craftsmen, including chefs and bakers.

He was the youngest person ever to win the title in the culinary category.

Guillaume Gomez and the four French presidents he has served. Photo: Twitter

In 2013, Gomez succeeded Bernard Vaussion to become the 'chef de cuisine' of the Elysee.

He worked at the Elysee Palace for 25 years before leaving in 2021, having served as the 'chef de cuisine' for four French presidents, from Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy to Francois Hollande and Emmanuel Macron.

Cooking for heads of state comes with specific tensions and pressures, requiring the chef to master the skills of time and pressure management.

"I think the things that differentiate a restaurant chef from a president's chef are managing pressure and reacting quickly," Gomez told Tuoi Tre News in Ho Chi Minh City.

Everything must be ready by the time the president sits at his dinner table, and the chef has no excuse if something is left undone.

This is the most important rule.

A journalist once asked the wife of late French President Jacques Chirac about his favorite food, and she answered "calf head."

"Since then, wherever Chirac goes, they will serve him this dish, after the meal or at coffee time, even when he did not ask for it," Gomez said.

This leads to the second rule: not to reveal too much about the presidents preferences. Strictly following these rules explains Gomez's successful career.

Influence of Vietnamese-French cuisine

Over the centuries, French cuisine has evolved and been influenced by other cultures. For example, tomatoes, noodles, corn, and potatoes are not indigenous to France but they have been a part of French cuisine for a long time.

It is fair to say that French cuisine is inspired and enriched by exotic ingredients and seasonal produce from various regions, including Vietnam.

"French chefs in Vietnam told me that the two cuisines have a lot in common, in terms of technique and seasoning," Gomez said.

Guillaume Gomez is seen in the kitchen at the Elysee Palace. Photo: LE PARISIEN

We do not claim they are identical, but there is a cross between them.

Gomez gave an example of Chiracs love for Asian cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian.

This openness to other cuisines beyond his own also helps chefs in the Elysee's kitchen.

Gomez started his role as the French food ambassador in 2021, traveling around the world to share the values of French cuisine.

In May this year, Gomez visited Vietnam as a judge for a baguette-making contest organized by the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City to honor the French-Vietnamese friendship and celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.

The winner was a young Vietnamese woman.

After serving as a judge, Gomez and French Consul General Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser visited Andros Asia's fruit processing line factory in the Mekong Delta's Tien Giang Province and had a meeting with students majoring in French at Marie Curie High School in Ho Chi Minh City.

Gomez also actively works with the French non-governmental organization Vision du Monde, aiming to protect children's rights, promote education, and improve lives worldwide.

In Vietnam, Vision du Monde has implemented many projects, including opening schools, digging wells, and providing basic life skills.

Inspiration from the ordinary

Gomez loves his 'seasonal' job, which means he has to change the dishes based on the place and season.

When he talks to food producers such as farmers or fishermen, they share the process of production and information about their products.

From these conversations, Gomez finds inspiration and new approaches for his own creations.

For example, he prepares Landes poultry with asparagus differently for Chirac compared to Sarkozy, Hollande, or Macron.

Seasonally, the Elysee's kitchen may have a new provider of chicken or asparagus, or they may try a new way of cooking or experimenting with sauce recipes.

The inspirations for cooking come from these changes, which are part of the ordinary's daily lives.

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Neighbours executive producer Jason Herbison is hoping the next chapter of Neighbours will satisfy long-term fans but also look to a new future.

Speaking with the TV Gold podcast he said, I do want to say we really have appreciated the love for the show. Im very mindful of that in how Im bringing the show back.

I want all of those viewers that felt that love, that watched that finale, maybe shed a tear, I want them all to feel as though theyve got their show back. The next chapter of the show is going to be in keeping with the last, but obviously a wonderful new progression as well, he said.

Herbison, who also spoke at length about his current Riptide drama, was asked if Neighbours production slate picked up at Episode #8904 or restart at Episode #1, he indicated a continuation but added, Prepare to have your mind blown.

Neighbours is returning to Network 10 in September and follows a week later on Prime Video in Australia.

Riptide continues 8:40pm Wednesday on 10.
Russia will emerge stronger after mutiny so no need to fret - foreign minister

Russia will emerge stronger after mutiny so no need to fret - foreign minister Russian Wagner fighters pull out of Rostov-on-Don

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia will emerge stronger after a failed mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries so the West need not worry about stability in the world's biggest nuclear power, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

President Vladimir Putin this week thanked the army and security forces for averting what he said could have been a civil war, and has compared the mutiny led by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to the chaos that plunged Russia into revolution in 1917.

Asked by Reuters if Russia was stable and if he could give assurances to the world that Russia was not slipping into turmoil, Lavrov said Moscow was not obliged to explain anything or give any assurances to anyone.

"If anyone in the West has any doubts, then that's your problem," Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow. "Thank you for your concerns about our national interests, but there is no need."

"Russia has always emerged more resilient and stronger after any difficulties - and it is hard to call it anything more than difficulties," he added. "Moreover, we already feel that the process has started."

The foreign minister also said Moscow had doubts about the adequacy of many Western leaders.

Since a deal was struck on Saturday to end the mutiny, the Kremlin has sought to project calm, with the 70-year-old Putin discussing tourism development, meeting crowds in Dagestan, and discussing ideas for economic development.

Many questions remain though. Wagner's Prigozhin has not been seen in public since Saturday evening. Two senior Russian generals involved in the war in Ukraine have not been seen for days either.

NUCLEAR RISK

Asked about the prospects for peace in Ukraine, Lavrov said he felt the West wanted to temporarily freeze the conflict to allow it to build up Ukraine's military.

"It is a schizophrenic situation: they say everything will end with talks but first Russia must be defeated," he said.

Lavrov, who is 73 and has served as Putin's foreign minister since 2004, dismissed Ukrainian statements that Russia was planning some sort of "provocation" involving the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russian-forces control, as "pure lies."

"They say that we will blow ourselves up at a nuclear facility - well, is it necessary to comment on it: it's just pure lies," Lavrov said, adding that Ukraine had confected other such "tragedies" and was "playing with fire".

Lavrov said he had repeatedly reminded United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about establishing the facts about what happened at Bucha, where Ukraine says Russia committed large-scale atrocities last year.

Russian forces, he said, had left Bucha three days before the bodies were found on Bucha's main street. Russia wants the names of those found dead, he said.

Lavrov casts the war in Ukraine as a watershed moment which marks the decline of the West's post-Soviet dominance over world affairs just as China rises.

"A majority of the world does not want to live according to Western rules," Lavrov said.

He added that the West should stop trying to pressure African and Latin American countries over cutting ties with Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

Lavrov called for reform of the U.N. Security Council where he said the West was over-represented to give more representation to Asian, African and Latin American countries.

(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn and Angus MacSwan)
Kim Jong-un speaks in Pyongyang, North Korea, (AP)

North Koreas Kim Jong-un held a key political conference after the United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korea on Friday.

State media reported the leader discussed reviewing defence strategies in the face of growing tensions with rivals and improving its struggling economy.

It came a day after North Korea resumed missile tests which it has ramped up to a record pace in recent months.

During Kim Jong-uns first day of meetings on Friday, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency said party officials reviewed the countrys economic campaigns for the first half of 2023, and discussed foreign policy and defence strategies to cope with the changed international situation.

The KCNA didnt specify what was discussed or mention any comments made by Kim. It said the meeting will continue for at least another day.

The USS Michigans arrival in South Korea, the first of its kind in six years, is part of a recent bilateral agreement on enhancing regular visibility of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in response to North Koreas advancing nuclear program, according to South Korean officials.

In a statement, they said with the deployment navies of the US and South Korea are to conduct drills on boosting their special operation capabilities and joint ability to cope with growing North Korean aggression.

It said the US submarine arrived at the southeastern port city of Busan but didnt say how long it would stay in South Korean waters.

Michigan is one of the biggest submarines in the world.

The Ohio-class guided-missile submarines Tomahawk missiles have a range of about 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) and are capable of launching special forces missions, according to the South Korean statement.

The South and Americas militaries have been expanding their exercises in reaction to North Koreas provocative run of missile tests since last year.

North Korea has argued it was forced to ramp up testing activities to deal with its rivals expanded military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal, but experts say the North ultimately aims to modernise its arsenal and increase its leverage in eventual diplomacy.

USS Michigan arrives at a port in Busan, South Korea (REUTERS)

After their meeting in Washington earlier this year, President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed that the United States would enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.

Biden also stated that any North Korean nuclear attack on the US or its allies would result in the end of whatever regime took such action.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slammed the Biden-Yoon summit agreements, saying they revealed the two countries most hostile and aggressive will of action against the North. She threatened to further bolster her countrys nuclear forces.

On Thursday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

They were the Norths first weapons launches since it tried to put its first spy satellite into orbit in late May.

The launch failed as the rocket carrying the spy satellite crashed into the waters off the Korean Peninsulas west coast.

South Koreas Defence Ministry said on Friday that military search crews have salvaged what it believes is part of the crashed North Korean rocket. The ministry released photos of the white, metal cylinder, which some experts said would have been the rockets fuel tank.
By Le Viet Dung

HA NOI  Viet Nam is ready to enlist as an ally in the EU's fight against deforestation to showcase its dedication to environmental responsibility.

That was the remark made by Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), at a conference regarding deforestation-free coffee production and supply in compliance with EU regulations on Thursday.

He said the landmark EU deforestation regulation (EUDR), formally adopted on May 16, would pose new challenges to Vietnamese smallholder farmers in regard to due diligence procedures.

However, the ministry will reiterate the urgent need for a change in agricultural practices and assist them in every step to comply with the new regulations. A plan of action has been submitted to the Prime Minister to that end.

"Green growth is not a slogan but a moral obligation. It's time to take environmental responsibilities seriously," Hoan said.

At the end of his speech, the minister called for the EU's financial support and knowledge-sharing programmes to help the Vietnamese agricultural sector come up to scratch regarding EU standards.

Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission, said the vital functions that forests provide could be lost forever if human beings fail to properly protect against deforestation.

The major aims of EUDR, accordingly, are to foster forest-friendly supply chains across the globe and to boost the demand for sustainably-produced products. Any company that places its products on the European market has an obligation to ensure its products did not cause deforestation in their production.

"I'm really happy to see that Viet Nam shares this high ambition on biodiversity and climate," Florika Fink-Hooijer said.

As supply chains are complex for certain commodities, the EU would like to fit countries embarking on the sustainable approach with technology, risk information, and guidance. Sustainable production, she said, would be a triple-win for businesses, consumers, and the planet.

Helge Elisabeth Zeitler, Deputy Head of the Unit DG Environment, in the European Commission, said the EUDR would become applicable as of December 31, 2024, but there would be additional six months for small-sized enterprises.

About 2.3 billion of Vietnamese exports would fall under its scope, with coffee, timber, and rubber being the staples. Producers having doubts about whether their products are within its purview could look at its annex to check whether their codes are covered by the section.

"We start with seven commodities and a list of products in the annex. We will look at them again regularly to make sure they can be adapted to the latest trends in deforestation," Helge Elisabeth Zeitler said.

She also said there would be a benchmarking system assigning risk levels to countries or regions according to their risk of deforestation. All countries would begin with standard levels by default, and be assigned lower or higher based on data gathered.

It is important to keep in mind that a high-risk status will not result in any higher due diligence obligation. It just means that the EU authorities will keep a closer watch on it and conduct some more inspections.

Tran Quynh Chi, Regional Director, Asian Landscapes, IDH, called for Viet Nam to have a say in the development of the EU's benchmarking system to avoid any discrepancy in their risk assessment reports.

"Different approaches yield different results. The deforestation risk linked to Vietnamese coffee when assessed by a global heavyweight was only half that when assessed by the Global Forest Watch," Chi said.

The director also called for the development of a forestry database being built on satellite imagery and reports prepared by companies. The database would provide a digital ground for mapping forest structural parameters and the delineation of natural forests, production forests, and agricultural farms.

She suggested two models for the control of traceability: the mass balance model for coffee sourced from low- and standard-risk areas and the segregation model for high-risk areas. The landscape approach was also brought up to ensure no farmers be left behind.

Nguyen o Anh Tuan, Director of the International Cooperation Department, MARD, put forward a five-pillar action plan to help the Vietnamese agricultural sector comply with the regulation.

The five pillars are the public-private partnership (PPP), communication, technical solutions, dialogues, and resource mobilisation.

"PPP will play a vital role in the country's effort to fight deforestation, given the predominance of smallholders in the sector," Tuan said.

Under the new regulation, deforestation-free products are defined as those produced on land that was not subject to deforestation after December 31, 2020.

VICOFA President Nguyen Nam Hai told Viet Nam News that the area of land reclaimed before the cut-off date for coffee production was about 680,000ha, whereas almost no land was deforested after the date for coffee growing.

"VICOFA is calling on stakeholders to support coffee companies in covering the costs associated with traceability requirements," Hai said.  VNS
HA NOI  The first part of the Japanese historical manga Anio Princess has been introduced to history buffs.

Presented in both Vietnamese and Japanese, the launch of the manga is part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan.

Manga is a popular Japanese comic book that is popular among adults and children in Viet Nam and Japan. The Anio Princess manga aims to help Vietnamese and Japanese people learn about the history, cultural similarities, and close connections between the two countries.

Adapted from an opera of the same name, the comic is based on historical facts and has been illustrated by manga artist Higashimura Akiko.

The story follows the 17th-century love affair between Araki Sotaro, a merchant from Nagasaki in Japan, and Princess Ngoc Hoa of the Nguyen Dynasty in Viet Nam. Princess Ngoc Hoa was the daughter of Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, who reigned from 1613 to 1635.

Araki goes to Hoi An in Viet Nam to trade and meets the princess. They fall in love and get married.

In 1620, he takes her to Nagasaki, where locals liked her due to her beautiful appearance and gentle character.

Today, locals still stage a palanquin procession ceremony to welcome Princess Anio at Nagasaki Kunchi Festival in Nagasaki.

The second part of the manga Anio Princess will be released on July 7 on the website japanvietnam50.org, while the opera of the same name will be premiered in September at the Opera House in Ha Noi. This will be followed by the Japanese premier in the beginning of November.

The printed version of the manga will also be available. The Japanese-language version will be handled by a Japanese company, while the Vietnamese-language version will be distributed by Kim ong Publishing House.

The manga books wont be published for commercial purposes - they'll be freely distributed to schools in Japan and Viet Nam.

Manga artist Akiko was born in Miyazaki prefecture in Japan in 1975. She's known for her debut in the comic Bouquet Deluxe in 1999. She won a prize in 2010 for her manga series Kuragehime (Princess Jellyfish).

In 2015, she was awarded the Manga Taisho prize for her Kakukaku Shikajika (Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey)  an autobiography detailing her life. The book has been listed in the Top 20 Manga for Female Readers four years in a row, from 2013 to 2016.

Some of her best-selling works such as Tokyo Tarareba Musume (Tokyo Tarareba Girls), Bishoku Tantei Akechi Gorou (Gourmet Detective), and Hyper Midi Nakajima Haruko (Nakajima Haruko  Classy Lady) have been adapted for TV and movies in Japan.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) proposes that the provinces of Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, and Lao Cai investigate and verify the situation of illegal exploitation and trading of large quantities of rare earth minerals.

According to Tran Quy Kien, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the media has reported that some individuals have organised illegal exploitation, mining, extraction, and trading of rare earth minerals in the area of Ban Hon commune, Tam uong district, Lai Chau, as well as the area of Tan Huong commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai, involving a large volume of ore.

The illegal mineral exploitation activities were reported to have originated from unauthorised excavation and land clearance with individuals acting as guarantors.

"These are complex activities with a large value of mineral reserves. Therefore, MONRE requests the provinces to promptly direct relevant forces to investigate and verify the information and strictly handle violations according to the law," Kien proposed.

At the same time, the Lao Cai People's Committee will review, inspect, and handle violations related to the exploitation, mining, and consumption of rare earth ores, and further strengthen the supervision and protection of untapped mineral resources in the area.

The five mentioned localities are required to submit the results of their inspections and reviews to MONRE before July 29.

Rare earth elements have long been considered key modern industries as they are essential components in the production of various devices in IT, healthcare, transportation, oil refining, metallurgy, defence, and many other fields.

Extracting rare earth elements from raw ore is difficult and costly, as they aren't generally concentrated in one place or with sufficiently high content to make mining economically viable.

Moreover, the process of mining and processing rare earth elements causes significant environmental damage, which is why Western countries restrict domestic mining permits. This is also the reason for the term "rare earth."

Viet Nam has a reserve of approximately 22 million tons of rare earth elements, ranking second in the world after China, with 44 million tons. However, the extraction and export of rare earth elements face many difficulties. The two licensed rare earth mines in Lai Chau and Yen Bai have remained inactive for years.

South Korea and Viet Nam recently signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a supply chain centre for rare earth and core mineral resources.  VNS
WASHINGTON  The World Bank Board of Directors on Thursday (local time) approved a US$263.9-million International Development Association credit for Viet Nam aimed at bolstering the countrys efforts to achieve an inclusive, green, and digitally-driven economic recovery with reforms to support households, businesses, and expansion of renewable energy.

This credit marks the second and final instalment in a Development Policy Financing (DPF) series of two operations, following a US$221.5 million operation approved in 2021.

While the impact of this operation is expected to fully materialise by 2024, the DPF series has already recorded significant achievements. More than 140,000 businesses received tax support through a tax relief package in 2021. More than 85,000 children have received subsidised childcare, which has promoted gender equality in the workplace. Government services available online have doubled.

Going forward, the institutional and policy reforms supported by this operation will facilitate business recovery by enhancing the tax environment, supporting the financial inclusion of vulnerable households, and increasing access to quality childcare services.

To spur green and digital development, the reforms supported by the DPF focus on procurement, digitising public administration, scaling up renewable energy, and bolstering the financial sustainability of the power sector.

Moreover, reforms supported by this operation are expected to further improve public service delivery to households and businesses.

Reforms supported by this credit will strengthen Viet Nams ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent commodity price shocks, while paving the way for more inclusive, greener, and digital-friendly development, said Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Viet Nam.

We look forward to working with the government to implement these reforms and support Viet Nam to achieve its development goals.  VNS
HA NOI  President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas expressed his wish that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Viet Nam and European Free Trade Association States (including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) will soon be signed, during his talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Friday in Ha Noi.

He said that Switzerland will continue to give priority to Viet Nam in terms of development assistance and cooperation in human resources training.

During the talks, PM Chinh suggested that the two sides continue to promote the exchange of delegations and work closely at multilateral forums, contributing to peace, prosperity and stability in the region and the world.

Noting the slowdown in the global economy and a number of challenges including geostrategic competition and protectionism, he said developing countries are hardest hit but have limited capacity to adapt to and withstand external shocks.

He said it is necessary to call for international solidarity and promote multilateralism and that Viet Nam and Switzerland need to cooperate more closely.

Stressing that economic and trade cooperation is an important pillar in the bilateral relationship, he suggested Switzerland promote, support and encourage its businesses to invest and do business in Viet Nam, especially in such areas as finance and banking, insurance, manufacturing and industry, pharmaceuticals, agricultural product processing, renewable energy, and tourism services.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese government welcomes and commits to creating favourable conditions for Swiss businesses to expand their investment and long-term business in the country.

He also asked Switzerland to strengthen support for Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises in technology, expertise, capacity building.

Noting that Switzerland has an important voice in the EFTA, he said the country should continue promoting the early conclusion of negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Viet Nam and European Free Trade Association States (including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein).

Viet Nam is always ready to coordinate with Switzerland as well as other EFTA member countries to soon close the gap on the remaining issues between the two sides, PM Chinh said.

Thanking Switzerland for providing ODA for Viet Nam, the PM suggested the two sides work closely and effectively implement the cooperation programme of Viet Nam and Switzerland for 2021-2024 (worth nearly US$76 million).

President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas affirmed that Viet Nam has a strategic role in Switzerland's relations with Southeast Asia.

He affirmed that Switzerland will continue to give priority to Viet Nam in terms of development assistance and cooperation in human resources training with the country.

He said Switzerland wishes the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association States will soon to be signed.

Also at the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

PM Chinh said he highly appreciated Switzerland's active contributions to preserving peace, security and development in the world. The Swiss leader affirmed that Switzerland supports the stances of Viet Nam and ASEAN on ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), and settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and to soon achieve a substantive and effective Code of Conduct (COC) for the East Sea.  VNS
HA NOI  As a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of the international community, Viet Nam wishes to enhance cooperation with Switzerland in all areas, President Vo Van Thuong told President of the National Council of Switzerland Martin Candinas during a reception in Ha Noi on Friday.

President Thuong suggested Candinas back the strengthening of bilateral ties across the board, especially in politics-diplomacy, economy, trade and investment and at global and regional forums.

Viet Nam is making strong efforts to improve investment environment, thus creating more favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from Switzerland, he said.

According to him, Switzerland is strong in finance, banking, manufacturing and renewable energy, which are also fields of Viet Nam's demand. He wished that with its role and position, Switzerland would urge other member states to soon conclude negotiations and sign the Viet Nam-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Free Trade Agreement to step up the pillar of investment and trade cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.

He thanked the Swiss Government for actively assisting Viet Nam in ODA supply, and hailed effective bilateral collaboration in tertiary education and wished that the two countries would further push forward people-to-people exchange, laying a solid foundation for bilateral ties in the future.

Candinas, for his part, said Switzerland always considers Viet Nam a priority country in developing cooperative relations.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese Presidents proposals, he said Swiss firms wish to expand long-term operations in Viet Nam.

About the Viet Nam-EFTA free trade agreement, he said relevant agencies are actively completing talks to soon sign the document.

Switzerland will further step up coordination with Viet Nam in the field of education, especially vocational training, he said, adding that with its strengths in automation and robotics, Switzerland is ready to partner with Viet Nam in industrial production, contributing to deepening bilateral partnership in the time to come.  VNS
HCM CITY  Experts have emphasised the need for robust measures and enhanced authentication systems to effectively combat the increasing cyberthreats at the 2023 VNNIC Internet Conference held in HCM City on Friday.

Nguyen Hong Thang, director of the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC), proposed the concept of an Internet of Trust, which emphasises robust measures and enhanced authentication systems to ensure cybersecurity.

As technology continues to advance, the protection of personal data and defence against online threats are of utmost importance, he said.

To achieve this, it is vital to enhance collaboration between governments, organisations and individuals to establish a secure digital ecosystem, he said.

Ho Trong at, deputy director of the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group-owned Information Security Center, said the digital platform acts as an immune system safeguarding the vital information security of governments and people, helping preserve trust and integrity in society.

Duong Anh uc, vice chairman of the city Peoples Committee, said the internet has revolutionised communications, learning and business processes and connected people globally, fostering ideas and driving economic growth.

The city prioritises cyber resilience and would establish principles and strategies for Internet Governance in the Smart Era to ensure transparent governance structures, he promised.

Recommendations

Experts recommended integrating advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning into defence mechanisms.

By staying ahead of threats and adapting constantly, individuals could establish a strong line of defence against cyberattacks, they pointed out.

Besides robust cybersecurity, awareness and education to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information is also important to ensure a resilient and secure cyberspace for all, they said.

Vinton G. Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google, spoke about the need for responsible internet usage in the smart era and the importance of building a safe and secure digital eco-system.

Innovative strategies rooted in transparency and innovation are crucial to overcoming cyberthreats.

Hoang Long, head of Viettel Group's information technology division, said empowering users with knowledge and tools to protect themselves is imperative.

He highlighted the importance of strong passwords, regular software updates and responsible online behaviour.

By equipping individuals with the necessary skills, a robust network of informed and vigilant digital citizens could be created, he said.

Jia-Rong Low, vice president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), highlighted the role of global internet governance in ensuring an inclusive and secure digital world.

Global internet governance acts as a compass guiding an interconnected world, ensuring innovation, security and inclusivity as the world move towards a digital future that benefits all.

According to statistics from VNNIC, Viet Nams internet penetration stands at 79.1 per cent and its IPv6 usage (the newest version of internet protocol) at 57.3 per cent, the 10th highest globally.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), the Australian Embassy in Viet Nam and Australia's national science agency  CSIRO  on Friday organised a Viet Nam-Australia Innovation Partnership Day in Ha Noi.

The event showcases achievements that Viet Nam and Australia have made thanks to their cooperation in the innovation field.

Since 2018, the Australian Government has helped Viet Nam develop an innovation ecosystem through its flagship Aus4Innovation programme. Australia recently announced that the Aus4Innovation programme will be extended to 2028, making it a 10-year commitment with a total budget of AUD 33.5 million (US$22.17 million).

Speaking at the event, Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam Andrew Goledzinowski said the two countries innovation cooperation is substantial, efficient, and full of trust. It happens at all levels  individual, institution, and government, and proves to be enduring.

As our two countries are working towards upgrading our relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, we will continue to deepen our cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security, and knowledge and innovation, he said.

Huynh Thanh at, Minister of Science and Technology said that the partnership with Australia, through the Aus4Innovation programme, has delivered tangible, significant results that are having substantial positive impact on the lives of the Vietnamese people.

With the introduction of the strategy for the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) in Viet Nam until 2030, the country affirms the pivotal role of STI in addressing emerging economic, societal and institutional challenges.

at said that MoST is working hard to meet the goals set by the strategy; and knowing that in that process, it will have the support of a trusted partner like Australia to achieve much more in the next five years, and beyond.

CSIROs Executive Director of Growth Jonathan Law said that the next phase of the Aus4Innovation programme will build upon the solid foundations already established.

Over the next five years, the programme will put a stronger focus on areas of Viet Nams priorities, such as resilient agriculture and food, as well as introducing appropriate interventions for the digital era, including responsible artificial intelligence, he said.

After five years in operation across 37 provinces in Viet Nam, the Aus4Innovation programme has laid the foundation for 82 partnerships between Australian and Vietnamese universities, research agencies, high-tech businesses, and policy makers; established a pool of 875 trainers and experts through capacity building activities; and contributed to national policies on science, technology and innovation, as well as developed practical tools for innovation policy development to help contribute to a more enabling environment.  VNS
HA NOI  The first auction for car licence plates is scheduled to take place from August 15 to 20, according to the Ministry of Public Security in their press meeting.

Speaking to the media at the Ministrys press meeting on Friday, Major General Le Xuan uc, deputy head of the transport police department, said the list of plates to be auctioned will be posted on the national auction portal at dgts.moj.gov.vn, the public security ministrys portal at bocongan.gov.vn, and the website of the transport police department www.csgt.vn from July 15 to 20.

Public security officers have been trained with auction and supervision skills as well as prepared the necessary infrastructure for the coming auctions, uc said.

Clarifying illegal activities

Also at the briefing, the Ministry of Public Security ordered relevant agencies and localities to clarify reports on fraudulence and asset appropriation of a group named NLG Energy Source.

If there is any sign of violation, the ministry will investigate and impose sanctions, said Colonel inh Viet Dung, deputy head of the Department of Homeland Security at the press conference.

The ministry has been informed about the activities of the group which was founded by Le Van Phuc in the US.

Phuc claimed to harness energy from space, which he then asserts he can put into the body to upgrade its frequency, activate stem cells and perfect the body and mind.

Phuc spread spiritual beliefs, including the conception of an invisible world parallel to each person's life.

He expanded the groups activities in Viet Nam, spreading the belief that the original energy can cure all diseases.

He also took advantage of the teachings of some religions to spread out superstitious claims and attract a large number of Vietnamese people to participate.

The Ministry of Public Security has coordinated with local police to verify and impose administrative penalties on a number of people who lured others to join illegal activities, at the same time, calling on people not to believe in superstitious activities.

The Department of Homeland Security has also warned public about the return of the religious movement called World Mission Society Church of God, saying that people need to be alert to avoid being taken advantage of, causing consequences to themselves, their families and society.

The public security ministry has issued a warning over the World Mission Society Church of God many times, Colonel inh Viet Dung said.

The faith group has not received organisation recognition in Viet Nam. Its teachings are heretical, and superstitious, and take advantage of the teachings for personal gain, contrary to the traditional culture and customs of the country, said Dung.

The group has been cracked down on with many followers leaving. However, the World Mission Society Church of God has come back in some localities with leaders using more tricks to evade police investigation.

In the first half of this year, 12 gatherings and 85 followers have been discovered and received fines for causing public disorder.

The public security ministry has requested the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to issue a notice asking the World Mission Society Church of God to discontinue operations in Viet Nam for activities contrary to Vietnamese culture and traditions, and for violating the country's laws.

Local authorities have been asked to curb the groups illegal activities and call on the public to leave or not join the group.

Warning over cryptocurrency

Regarding a cryptocurrency called Pi, Le Xuan Minh, deputy head of the Department of Cyber Security and High Technology Crime Prevention, said the cryptocurrency links to cross-border virtual currency credit activities.

He affirmed that the department is coordinating with local police to clarify activities related to transactions and payment methods of the cryptocurrency.

There is no business that brings such high profits with such little value. Multi-level marketing and related activities pose a lot of risks to cryptocurrency investors," Minh said.

Slow VNEID implementation

Responding to public feedback on the slow speed of the e-identification app VNEID, a representative of the Department on Administrative Management of Social Order, said the recent number of registrations and logins is extremely high, especially during the peak hours from 7pm to 10pm. The speed also depends on the Internet connection or the user's phone.

The department is strengthening coordination with network operators, transmission line managers and centres to increase speed to meet public demand, he said.  VNS
At last week's launch ceremony for research on Features of Vietnams petroleum market and impact on household welfare conducted by the Vietnam Alliance for Tax Justice and Vietnam Centre for Economic and Strategic Studies (VESS), experts said that all sectors in the economy were greatly affected by petrol prices.

According to the research by VESS, taxation on petroleum directly affects the living and spending of households. Currently, each litre of petrol and oil is subject to taxes and fees such as VAT at 10 per cent, import tax 10 per cent, special consumption tax 10 per cent) and environmental protection tax at 8.3-16.7 US cents.

In two months, prices increased six times continuously, exceeding $1.33 per litre, and surpassing the historical peak in July 2014 of $1.10.

In fact, petroleum tax is currently contributing an important part of the state budget revenue. The tax reduction will lead to a significant loss, affecting other economic activities.

"The detailed and strict regulations in Decree No.95/2021/ND-CP and Decree No.83/2014/ND-CP may point out the interest groups that want to maintain their market position," said Nguyen Duc Thanh, VESS founding president.

Regarding the current base price calculation method, VESS' report also sees many weaknesses that make the base petrol price not reflect the actual petrol price and not keep up with the international market's changes in petrol prices.

For example, an excise tax aims to reduce petrol consumption and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, so an environmental protection tax is not necessary, it claims.

"The current method of calculating taxes entirely based on the ratio (per cent) can drop the budget revenue if world prices go down sharply, or amplify domestic prices if world prices go up sharply and suddenly," Thanh said. "The current tax policy may no longer be suitable to the current volatile petrol price context.

Moreover, the weighted average import tax calculation method is indirectly reducing the diversification of the petroleum import market because importers often buy petroleum from countries that have signed trade agreements and a lower tax rate than the average import tax rate, such as South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, Thanh pointed out.

Therefore, some experts say that the government and relevant agencies need to correctly and fully calculate the base petrol price, ensuring a harmonious balance of interests of all parties.

VESS experts recommend changing the application of both the environmental protection and special consumption tax in the same direction as other countries, which is to combine the two types into one, as well as using an amount instead of a percentage ratio. For example, excise tax could be VND2,000 (8.3 US cents) per litre.

Nguyen Thi Bich Huong, chairwoman of the petroleum branch under the Vietnam Association of Small- and- Medium- sized Enterprises, said current policies on petroleum business had many shortcomings.

Since 2022, the government has been asked to amend Decree No.83/2014/ND-CP and Decree No.95/2021/ND-CP, but so far, this have not been approved, Huong said. Enterprises want to quickly amend the decrees to overcome the inadequacies and make the petroleum market more stable.

"We should not compare petroleum prices of Vietnam and other countries because the government has to consider many factors to stabilise production and business activities," Huong said. When Vietnam's petrol prices are high, there is smuggling of petrol from abroad through unofficial channels in the West. When Vietnam's petrol prices are low, there is smuggling of domestic petrol overseas."

For example, the transport sector suffers the most if petrol increases. The rise of transport costs will lead to a rise in other goods' prices, causing numerous challenges to businesses and consumers.

To increase competition in the petroleum trading market, VESS researchers have proposed to remove the regulation on minimum distance (of the Ministry of Construction) to increase competition for the market, and amend related policies such as regulations on market operation, discounting, and allowing petroleum retailers to import from various suppliers.

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Pham Duc Long, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, said that the sectors total revenue fell 8.66 per cent on-year and meeting 39.6 per cent of the yearly target. Its state budget collection is estimated at VND45.4 trillion ($1.9 billion) during the period, down 8.8 per cent from the same period last year and meeting 43.66 per cent of the same period last year.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung discussed with delegates at the first-half review meeting on June 30

The sector contributed VND389.8 trillion ($16.5 billion) to the countrys GDP, down 7.2 per cent on-year and meeting 41.24 per cent of the yearly target.

Between January and June, the ministry also focused on the legal works. Specifically, the draft Law on E-transactions was adopted at the fifth session of the National Assembly, creating a foundation for future growth.

The amended Law on Telecommunications was discussed at the fifth session of the National Assembly. The MIC is now working on the documents seeking for the amendment to the Law on Press 2026 and is expected to complete them by December.

The deputy minister also reviewed the performance in the industries and key tasks for the remaining months of the year.

The post industry

Revenue from post services is estimated at VND27.47 trillion ($1.19 billion), up 5.48 per cent from the same period last year and meeting 43.78 per cent of the yearly target.

The industrys state budget collection was estimated at VND2.97 trillion ($129.13 million), up 4.2 per cent on-year and meeting 50.34 per cent of the yearly target.

Its total volume reached over 1.09 billion items, up 20 per cent on-year and fulfilling 45.74 per cent of yearly target.

However, slower economic growth in Vietnam and globally in the first half of year led to slower growth of the industry. Moreover, local Vietnamese post service providers face challenges when competing with foreign-invested ones.

Telecommunications

Revenue from telecoms services is estimated at VND74.47 trillion ($3.23 billion), up 7.9 per cent from the same period last year and meeting 53 per cent of the yearly target.

The industrys state budget collection was estimated at VND19.34 trillion ($840.97 million), down 18.56 per cent on-year and meeting 39.47 per cent of the yearly target.

The number of households using optic cables rose to 77.1 per cent, up 5.7 per cent on-year and meeting 91.8 per cent of the yearly target.

The number of Internet users reached 78.59 per cent, surpassing the yearly target (76 per cent). And the threshold of fixed broadband subscribers reached 22.14 million, up 8 per cent on-year and fulfilling 88.6 per cent of the yearly target. And that of mobile broadband subscribers rose 5.67 per cent on-year to 85.7 million and fulfilling 95.2 per cent of the yearly target.

The rate of using IPv6 on the Internet in Vietnam reached 57.6 per cent, up 7.6 per cent on-year, some 1.6 times higher than the global average and 1.7 times higher than the ASEAN average.

National digital transformation

The accumulation of transactions made through the integrated national data sharing platform as of June 18 reached nearly 1.4 billion.

All ministries, agencies, and localities have issued and updated e-government architecture 2.0. All cities and provinces issued their resolution on digital transformation. And authorities at all levels issued a plan about digital transformation.

There are, however, some challenges. Some national databases have been unfinished, while some others are finished but not yet connected, shared, or operated effectively.

Moreover, the implementation of national digital platforms chaired by central ministries and agencies is still slow. It is necessary to be more drastic in leading and directing the implementation of national digital platforms.

The tasks for the industry in the second half of the year include completing a decree on the list of national databases; urging ministries and agencies and localities to announce the list and build the roadmap of connecting and sharing their database; taking measures to develop national digital platforms; and guiding relevant authorities in building digital a transformation plan in 2024 and others.

Digital government

The rate of fully qualified online public services reached 90.66 per cent of the yearly plan in 2023 (the 2023 target is 100 per cent). Currently, 80 out of 83 ministries and provinces have issued a list fully or partly online public services in line with Decree No.42/2022/ND-CP (Hanoi, Nam Dinh, and Dak Nong have not been issued).

However, the provision of online public services of state agencies is still not convenient. There is no policy to encourage people to access and use online public services. Therefore, the rate of administrative procedure documents submitted online remains low.

The sharing and opening of data by state agencies is still limited. National databases, specialised databases, and information systems from central to local levels have been slow to be deployed and put into operation on a national scale.

Information security

In the first six months of 2023, the Authority of Information Security recorded and handled 6,362 network attacks, down 4.2 per cent compared to the first six months of 2022.

It also dealt with 1,530 websites violating the law, and protected more than 2.7 million people from accessing fraudulent websites.

However, although specialised information security units of ministries, agencies and localities have advised, and guided regularly, many agencies, and organisations assigned to manage and operate the systems have not paid due attention to ensuring information security.

The key tasks for the upcoming months include crafting a directive on compliance with regulations and strengthening the assurance of information system security by level; cooperating with the International Telecommunication Union to provide information; evaluating the Global Cybersecurity Index in order to maintain Vietnam's international ranking of 25th; and implementing training programmes to improve knowledge and skills to ensure basic information security nationwide.

Digital economy

The number of small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) approaching and participating in the SME programme is 849,291, reaching 106.1 per cent of the plan in 2023.

The number of SMEs using platforms related to the programme is over 135,300 enterprises, reaching 112.7 per cent of the plan.

The biggest difficulty for the management and acceleration of the digital economy and digital society is data scattered in many agencies and localities with high cost of collecting, high data latency, and data duplication.

Its key tasks in the second half are to promote the digital economy and digital society in a number of locations such as Haiphong, Nam Dinh, and Binh Dinh to learn from experience before doing it nationwide.

It will also build a database to monitor the development of the digital economy and digital society; build a forum to connect experts and scientists with individuals and organisations to combine the power of knowledge; organise the first National Forum for Digital Economy and Digital Society Development; and implement the programme to promote digital transformation of large enterprises and state corporations.

ICT industry

Revenue of the ICT industry is estimated at $62.82 billion, down 10.35 per cent on-year and meeting 38.87 per cent of the yearly plan. Hardware and electronics export turnover is estimated at $51.51 billion, down 9.56 per cent on-year and reaching 37.88 per cent of the yearly plan.

The number of digital technology enterprises is estimated at 72,000 enterprises, an increase of 6.7 per cent over the same period in 2022.

The ratio of Vietnam value/revenue in the ICT Industry sector is estimated at 29.68 per cent, up 1.78 per cent on-year and reaching 45.6 per cent of the yearly plan.

However, the ICT industry still faces legal challenges. After more than 15 years of implementation, the legal documents on the industry have revealed a number of limitations and fail to keep up with the development trends.

In the upcoming months, it will study, develop, and submit a proposal for building of the Law on Digital Technology Industry; a strategy for the digital tech industry to 2025, vision to 2030; and a strategy for the semiconductor chip industry to 2030 with a vision to 2035.

It will also seek approval to build dynamic zones for the IT industry, attracting investment in the production of electrical products, electronics, and AI in the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

There will also be the hosting of a National Forum on Developing Vietnamese Digital Technology Enterprises, which will take place in the south of the country later this year.

Enhanced customer experience with AI-powered tech With hyper-personalised digital banking apps, cashless transactions are becoming the new norm. We are seeing the emergence of digital financial advisors that are entirely capable of providing financial planning advice through automated algorithms. The rapid pace of digital transformation in the finance industry cannot be stopped.

Data security  A top priority for digital economy development Businesses, policymakers, and experts gathered at the Vietnam Security Summit 2023 on June 2 to discuss the importance of information security and how to effectively utilise it in the context of digital transformation and global uncertainties.

Vietnam opens a centre for digital transformation in the press Vietnam has debuted a centre to support the press to effectively implement the digital transformation goals as stated in the Strategy on Digital Transformation of the Press by 2025.

Smart and steady with relocation to Vietnam More foreign corporations are relocating production to Vietnam to diversify their sup-ply chains, spurring the trend of digital transformation and smart manufacturing in Vietnam. Ryohei Oda, managing director of ABeam Consulting Vietnam, shared with Thanh Van his insight into this trend.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Assemblymember Robert Rivas was sworn in Friday as the next speaker of California's state Assembly, becoming the first lawmaker from a rural district to hold the powerful office in the state's modern history.

Rivas, a 43-year-old Democrat representing the agricultural Central Coast area, replaces former Speaker Anthony Rendon after a monthslong power struggle last year. Rendon, the second-longest serving speaker in state history, terms out at the end of 2024 after serving as the California lower house's leader the last seven years.

Rivas, who had a quick rise to power, pledged to lead with urgency and unity." At his inaugural ceremony in the Capitol, he said his priorities are to tackle the state's housing and homelessness crisis, improve public services and infrastructure and combat climate change. Democrats hold more than three-quarters of the Assembly's 80 seats.

"California is still the greatest state in the union, Rivas said Friday. But if we in this room do not act and do not act with greater urgency, it will get more and more difficult to build a good life here. I feel, and I know that you all do, too, a great sense of responsibility because we are the ones who can keep the door open for the next generation.

His inaugural ceremony drew a wide-ranging crowd of political bigwigs, from U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Labor Federation Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher.

Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher said he appreciates Rivas' background and understanding of agricultural issues.

His words today about unity and respecting everybodys differing viewpoints give me hope that we can work together to restore the California dream," he said.

At the ceremony Friday, Rivas honored his 90-year-old grandmother, his mother, civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and nearly two dozen farmworkers from his district, saying they were his inspiration to become a lawmaker. Rivas extended family, along with dozens of family friends from his hometown, Hollister, were also in attendance Friday, teeming with pride and emotion.

The second-term lawmaker was largely unknown until he successfully mounted a leadership challenge to Rendon last November. Rendon, who is still unhappy about how things unfolded, refused to step down when Rivas first made a play for the top leadership post earlier last year. The intraparty fighting dragged on for six months until Rivas and his allies forced a vote among Assembly Democrats, who chose him as the next leader.

Inspired by his grandfather, a Mexican immigrant who organized for fellow farmworkers alongside Huerta with United Farm Workers, Rivas has spent his political career championing farmworker protections. In 2019, as a freshman lawmaker, Rivas successfully led a landmark bill to streamline farmworker housing permits.

That helped propel him to be appointed to chair the Assembly Agriculture Committee, overseeing the state's $50 billion agriculture industry. As chair, Rivas embarked on a statewide agricultural tour, an effort that committee members continue to praise.

Prior to his time at the Capitol, Rivas served as a county supervisor in San Benito for eight years, where he made his name by standing in opposition of the oil industry and supporting local measures against hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Robert Rivas is the embodiment of the California Dream, Huerta said in a statement. Rising from farmworker housing to becoming Speaker of the California Assembly, Robert is an ally to workers and underserved communities and will continue to be a champion for all Californians.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Dolores Huerta's name.
A Waco man pleaded guilty Thursday to dragging a police officer who was caught in the mans car window as he attempted to flee arrest in November 2020.

Deontre Lamar Thomas, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday in Wacos 54th State District Court to a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault of a public servant, without the benefit of a negotiated plea agreement.

Judge Susan Kelly accepted the plea and ordered a presentencing investigation, with a punishment hearing to be scheduled later this summer. First-degree felonies in Texas are punishable by 5 to 99 in years in prison.

Waco officers responded at about 9:30 p.m. Nov. 20, 2020, to a suspicious vehicle call at an apartment complex in the 3600 block of West Waco Drive, Thomas arrest affidavit says. The first officer to arrive, wearing a his full uniform and driving a marked patrol vehicle, saw Thomas in car matching the description in the call, according to the affidavit.

As the officer approached the car, Thomas rolled down his window and the officer told him to turn off the vehicle, the affidavit says. Instead, Thomas accelerated the car and turned it toward the officer, the affidavit says.

(The officer) grabbed the door pillar to keep from getting run over and grabbed the drivers side window, the affidavit says.

The window fell into its track, and the officers torso fell into the vehicle while Thomas continued to drive into the courtyard of the apartment complex, dragging the officers legs behind, the affidavit says. The officer received visible, painful injuries, the affidavit says.

While being dragged the officer drew his service pistol and also reached into the car attempting to switch off the ignition or put the car out of gear, the affidavit says. After a struggle with Thomas, the officer was able to take control of the vehicle and arrest Thomas, the affidavit says.

The affidavit indicates Thomas has a prior third-degree felony conviction for evading arrest in a vehicle in February 2019.
WAVERLY  Even as recent storms showered eastern Nebraska in the past week, the effects of drought remain.

Neighboring municipalities like Lincoln, Ashland, Ceresco and Eagle have enacted voluntary water restrictions to preserve water in the Dakota Aquifer that serves the northern half of Lancaster County and much of Saunders County.

Others  like the Lancaster Rural Water District  have taken measures one step further, issuing mandatory water restrictions in recent weeks. With its own wells dropping to concerning levels, Waverly may soon take similar action.

At the June 27 Waverly City Council meeting  moved from the city offices to the Waverly Community Foundation Building to accommodate a larger crowd  citizens turned out to voice their thoughts about an ordinance on the evenings agenda that would charge residences an extra $5 per 1,000 gallons of water used after reaching 10,000 gallons for the month.

The ordinance would be the next step after the voluntary restrictions Mayor Bill Gerdes announced on June 3, asking residents to water lawns only three days per week.

At that point, Waverlys daily water usage and well levels already met the criteria to warrant a water emergency. But in the past month, Waverlys water usage has continued to rise, while well water levels have dropped.

In a brief presentation, Waverly Public Works Director Tracey Whyman painted a bleak picture of the citys and Lancaster Countys water situation. From January to the end of May, the Lincoln Airport reported 4.34 inches of precipitation, the least of any of the previous 14 years. Last year, the figure was 10.59, 11.84 in 2021 and 9.06 in 2020.

Whyman then presented graphs detailing the citys well levels, which have continued on a downward trajectory since precipitation became scarce last August. A number of the citys 11 wells  some of which reach 150 feet into the earth  are within five feet of bottoming out.

Meanwhile, Waverlys water usage has climbed as weather has turned warmer and sprinklers have kicked on. In the first 23 days of June, the city pumped just under 25 million gallons, Whyman said. That was more than all of May and nearly triple the 9.5 million gallons used in April.

Gerdes enacted the voluntary water restrictions after a weeklong stretch in late May when the city was pumping more than one million gallons per day. Whyman said that wouldnt be a problem if rain was coming down to replenish the aquifer.

We could have 50 wells in the ground right now, but (the ones we have) are running to the end of their screen, Whyman said. Were going to start pumping air soon if the aquifer continues to drop. Thats the problem. We dont have gas in the tank.

Waverly resident Andrea Zeigler asked Whyman why the city didnt take preventative action sooner to avoid a water shortage.

We were hoping that we would see our usual May and June normal rainfall, Whyman said. Now, weve come to the point where we did not get our June normal rainfall, so were at where were at.

Several residents spoke out against the ordinance and the additional fee imposed beyond 10,000 gallons used. Former city councilman Joe Dalton called the $5 charge arbitrary and capricious. Samantha Binder argued that the 10,000-gallon threshold would be restrictive to families with more than three people, assuming each person used 3,000 gallons of water per month. Doug Busch said the fee would have a harmful, duplicative impact on water bills.

The mayor stood pat that the ordinance is intended to curb water usage, which he noted continued to rise in June despite the voluntary restrictions in place.

Its basically a deterrent fee, he said. Is it arbitrary and capricious? Maybe. But somethings got to be done.

Council member Abbey Pascoe said she would not support the $5 charge included in the ordinance because of its potential impact on families.

I understand that were almost out of water, I get 100% that we have to do something, Pascoe said. But the last thing that I want to do or have my name attached to is putting any families in financial hardship because they cant give water to their children.

Other members of the public echoed critiques on social media of the city for recently filling the new Waverly Aquatic Center, which council member Aaron Hummel said holds 252,000 gallons of water.

If this was thought of on June 3, why did we fill a second pool, knowing that this may become an issue? Binder asked.

Gerdes said that if the city had not filled the pool, it would be impossible for the city to utilize its warranty with the pools contractor.

Council member David Jespersen said he knows the timing of filling the pool was terrible. But he said that concern needs to be put aside.

If we dont fill it and there are cracks, theres something faulty, and in three months weve got water and we fill it up and its leaking, we have to pay for things as opposed to figuring it out now, he said. The optics arent great there, and we are aware of that. But I think we have to move that off to the side.

Hummel and Jespersen agreed that the ordinances water rate increase could eventually become necessary, but neither liked it as their first choice. Hummel noted that municipal ordinances generally take three votes to pass. By the time a third vote would take place at the July 25 council meeting, the citys situation could be improved.

Or, in the case that water usage continues to increase and drought conditions persist, Jespersen suggested the council could waive the ordinances final reading at the July 11 meeting and implement the new rate. Jespersen said two weeks could be enough time to communicate to citizens that water cutbacks are needed.

I think the idea of buying us at least two weeks to get the education out and see if we can make a blip is worth it, Jespersen said.

Hummel said he wants people to know that he would like to avoid raising rates, but that he wants people to do their part.

If we continue to use water at the rate were using, I think its evident that well have zero water, Hummel said. None of us want to get to that point, so what sacrifices are we willing to make right now?

Hummel and Jespersen voted to move the ordinance forward to a second reading, while Pascoe voted against the motion. The motion carried with a 2-1 vote. Council member Dave Nielson was absent.

Another criticism leveled against the council at the meeting was the effectiveness of its communication to the public about the need for water conservation. Some suggested the city pass out flyers at the upcoming Fourth of July parade, while others recommended email blasts. City Administrator Stephanie Fisher said she would be open to any ideas.

If you have a great way to connect to a lot of people, I would be interested in hearing that, she said.
As most readers will remember, Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 44-83718 (N900RW) has been undergoing restoration within a hangar at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon since its arrival some three years ago. This aircraft, which flew for many years as Thunderbird with the Lone Star Flight Museum, now belongs to the Mid America Flight Museum. Following the latter museums acquisition of Thunderbird in December, 2020, they ferried it to Madras for inspection and repairs  a lengthy endeavor which remains in progress. AeroVintages publisher, Scott A. Thompson, recently paid a visit to Madras, and passed along the following information and images regarding the Forts return to flight.

B-17G 44-85718 has been disassembled into major components. It will be at least another year before the Fortress becomes operational again. Note the painted-over Thunderbird name and nose art. (photo by Connor Bond)by Scott A. Thompson of Aero Vintage

I had the occasion to visit the Erickson Aircraft Collection museum at Madras, Oregon, recently, and took a close look at the B-17. At this point, in June 2023, the airframe remains in disassembled storage awaiting the arrival of some new wing parts. The inner wing panels are in custom jigs with their trailing edges removed. Once the new wing parts arrive (expected later this year) the wing panels will receive some extensive rework to incorporate the new components. As part of this endeavor, the recently-issued FAA Airworthiness Directive which addresses issues with the joint between the spar chord tubes and the wing attach terminal fittings will also be satisfied. The airframe, having already undergone a thorough inspection, will then undergo reassembly for its return to flying condition. That being said, the timeline for its first post-restoration flight remains fuzzy as the latter process will require significant effort. The B-17 will most likely receive a new livery as well, although details on which aircraft the new paint scheme will represent remain closely held at present.

Once the bomber is flying again, it will return to its home at the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas. According to the museum, they presently have no intention of participating in an FAA Living History Flight Experience program, so will not be selling rides nor touring with the aircraft. It will simply operate as part of the museums extensive fleet of airworthy historic aircraft, making flights and participating in events of their choosing.

A short history of 44-85718: Lockheed delivered this B-17 to the U.S. Army Air Forces on May 8th, 1945. With the war in Europe over, the Fort went directly into storage, winding up in a surplus in Altus, Oklahoma. In 1947, Frances Institut Geographique National (IGN) bought the airframe, along with three other new B-17Gs. The IGN registered 44-85718 as F-BEEC on the French civil registry, one of fourteen examples the organization modified and flew as part of their world-ranging aerial survey operations over the next four decades. F-BEEC finally retired from IGN service in 1984, moving to new owners in the UK before the Lone Star Flight Museum acquired it in 1987. Over the intervening decades, the B-17 regained its military guise, but it still retains a few external vestiges of its French survey modifications  these being the windows installed in the lower nose section just aft of the plexiglass nose, and the plexiglass nose piece itself. The Mid America Flight Museum presently has no plans to return the nose section to a standard B-17G configuration, so the indicator of the aircrafts prior use will remain intact for now. For those wishing to learn more about this fascinating aircraft, the book Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors has a lengthy chapter dedicated its history, complete with numerous images from its past.

Many thanks indeed to Scott A. Thompson (and Connor Bond) for allowing us to reproduce this article describing Thunderbirds present condition his book, Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors as well as other titles are the gold standard when it comes to the airframe history it describes!
The long-neglected LB-30 Liberator project (RAF serial AL557) which sat outside in Colorado for more than 20 years has finally been brought in from the cold and will undergo restoration to flying condition. Eric Miller and Project Warbird of Anderson, South Carolina, have acquired the Liberator and already hauled the majority of the bomber home. Ray Moores Hangar Thirteen in Asheville, North Carolina is now preparing to build a jig for restoration of the forward fuselage. Once the nose section is in its jig, Project Warbird will move it to their facility where the actual rebuild will commence.

Of the 18,482 Liberators built, there are now just two in flying condition (the CAFs Diamond Lil and Collings Foundations Witchcraft), fourteen complete examples (depending upon how one counts them), plus seven nose sections and a number of other substantial pieces. AL557 was the 55th Liberator to roll off the assembly line and is presently the breeds second oldest known survivor.

Liberator enthusiasts should be familiar with James D. Oughtons 2007 book The Liberator in RAF and Commonwealth Service, published by Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. In the book, Oughton provides a detailed history of AL557. An abbreviated, amended history from Oughtons book follows below:

Oct. 10, 1941  Taken on charge with RAF at Dorval (Montreal, Quebec)

Nov. 22, 1941  Flown from Gander, Newfoundland to Prestwick, Scotland

Nov. 23, 1941  Delivered to Scottish Aviation, Ltd. (SAL)

Dec. 14, 1941  SAL to 22 Maintenance Unit; later returned to SAL for further modifications

Mar. 14, 1942  Flown from SAL to No.120 Squadron (RAF Coastal Command)

July 10, 1943  To India, posted to No.159 Squadron, general duties with South East Asia Command

Feb. 22, 1945  Departed India and delivered to the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces the following day

April 6, 1945  Arrived SAL for passenger conversion, registered G-AGZI to Scottish Aviation Ltd., for Icelandic charters

Feb. 24, 1948  Sold to the Greek carrier Hellenic Airways, registered SX-DAA Maid of Athens

Nov. 23, 1951  registration canceled, sold to Morrison-Knudsen, Inc., reregistered N9981F

December 1951  Morrison-Knudsen, Inc., changed registration to N68735

June 1, 1953  Damaged upon landing when it slid into a ditch at Wales, Alaska; repaired and reregistered N92MK

1958  Landed short at Kalikat Creek, 30 miles south of Galena, Alaska. Aircraft stripped and pushed to one side of the airport

1990  Aircraft acquired by the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Dismantled and flown in two loads by C-133 to Anchorage, Alaska

1996  Ownership passes to the Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas; stored at Vintage Aircraft Ltd., Fort Collins, Colorado

2001  Acquired by Don Whittington and Worldjet, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

A number of interested parties tried to buy the bomber project from Don Whittington over the years but none were unsuccessful. Around 2021, Harold Jansen purchased the project, and transported it to the Houston area where it was again placed in storage. Eric Miller and Project Warbird acquired the bomber in Spring 2023.

Now that the bomber is in South Carolina, Millers Project Warbird is beginning the task of acquiring technical manuals, drawings, as well as any and all parts needed to return the plane to fly. If you have B-24 parts in your barn, hangar, or garage, please reach out through Project Warbirds website.

Project Warbird is offering its P-63A (42-70190) and its BT-13 projects for sale to help fund the acquisition and beginning stages of the restoration. Please visit their website for more information, www.projectwarbird.com.

For further reading, please check out RAF Liberators Over Burma by the late Bill Kirkness, DFM and Matt Poole. The book details the WWII operations of RAF No.159 Squadron, in which AL557 served for a time
The KF Centre for Excellence has purchased a former Royal Canadian Air Forces CF-104 Starfighter and it will be displayed at Kelowna airport. KF Centre for Excellence found the Starfighter in the hands of a private owner in Mesa, Arizona, and, through Platinum Fighter Sales brokerage, bought it for an undisclosed amount in 2022. Recently, it made the trip from Arizona to the Okanagan, but not by flying it, although it is considered in near-airworthy condition.

Lockheed built this specific aircraft at their factory in Palmdale, California in 1961. She was the third of 38 such two-seat trainer variants which Lockheed delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), who assigned her the serial number 12633. The RCAF trained their initial cadre of Starfighter pilots in this and a handful of other such variants at Palmdale before formally accepting the airframe in March, 1962 and assigning it to No.6 (Saint/R) Operational Training Unit at RCAF Station Cold Lake, which sits about halfway up Albertas eastern border with the neighboring province of Saskatchewan. Here the aircraft took part in pilot training and flight test duties. When the RCAF lost its independence with the merger of Canadas military branches into the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in May, 1970, the remaining aircraft within the air arm underwent serial number changes; 12633 becoming 104633.

We published the complete story of this airplane HERE.T

The main fuselage was put on one flatbed truck and the wings were taken off the plane and put on another flatbed to make the journey. KFs renovation of the plane here in Kelowna might or might not mean it will fly again, according to Abrey.

The KF Centre for Excellence, located at 5800 Lapointe Drive, is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 am to 5 pm, for people to check out the aircraft exhibited, including the Starfighter. KF Centre for Excellence is the museum, showroom and special event space of KF Aerospace (formerly Kelowna Flightcraft), the citys largest private-sector employer that does aircraft retrofitting and maintenance for a roster of domestic and international airline and military clients from WestJet to Icelandair. For more information, visit www.kfcentre.ca
Recent research from a variety of sources highlights a number of important health disparities between American males and females. Here are some examples:

Men and boys continue to die in greater numbers from 12 of the 15 leading causes of death, including COVID-19, heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes, kidney and liver diseases, and accidents. Women lead in stroke, hypertension and Alzheimers disease.

The single biggest predictor of poor health and premature death in the U.S. is being male, says Dr. Sal Giorgianni, co-founder of Healthy Men Inc. This is due to many factors, including the glaring lack of a national strategy or an adequately funded and staffed federal office of mens health to address the continuing decline in male health and wellness, the inherent unfriendliness of the health care system to males, insufficient funding for male health issues and a disturbing lack of male-focused outreach, advertising and education about health and wellness.

How unfriendly is the health care system to males? According to a recent survey conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, it's so unappealing that 72% of men surveyed said they would rather clean the bathroom or mow the lawn than go to a medical visit.

From 2001 to 2020, cancer death rates decreased more among males than females, but more males than females are still dying of cancer (170.3 deaths per 100,000 population for men versus 124.5 deaths per 100,000 for women, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In 2020, men died in greater numbers from the top three fatal cancers: lung, colorectal and pancreatic.

Again, part of the problem is a lack of funding  particularly at the federal level  for male-specific health issues. For example, while the National Institutes of Healths annual budget includes a line item for womens health research, which is appropriate and important, there is no such line item for mens health. And while there are currently at least five fully funded and staffed offices of womens health within the federal government, the only one for mens health  the Office of Indian Mens Health  was created in 2010 but to this day remains unstaffed and has a budget of $0.

According to CDC data, the suicide rate for males was three to 4  times the rate for females from 2001 to 2021, and suicide is the ninth-leading cause of death for males. Males were also less likely than females to have received mental health services or a diagnosis before killing themselves, according to research published in Frontiers in Public Health in 2021.

The tragic disparity in suicide rates for men is the direct result of poor male-focused mental health screening tools, says Giorgianni. In addition, few if any clinicians and community leaders are receiving adequate training to identify, interrupt, triage and manage mental health issues in boys and men.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States among men. One in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. In 2019, 224,733 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 31,636 men died from it.

The obesity rate in men and young boys has also increased over the years. The CDC now estimates that 34.1% of American males are obese versus 27.5% of U.S. women. Unhealthy body weight is strongly associated with many other health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction and bone health.

Dr. Jean Bonhomme, founder of the National Black Mens Health Network, noted that mens health isnt only about men. It has a profound impact on their partners, families and loved ones as well as on our communities and our nation.

Bonhomme notes that while male and female health disparities hold true across all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, the overall poor health and wellness of boys and men of color is generally lower than in the population at large. Much of this relates to the general distrust they have in the health care system but also to the lack of socio-culturally appropriate health communications, service components and support programs.

I genuinely hope that this new data from the CDC will put the topic of men's health onto the front burner in any discussions of health care, whether in Congress, among presidential hopefuls or in the media. If we can do that, well not only save the lives of thousands of men and boys who are dying prematurely but also improve the lives of those who love them.
WATERLOO  Veridian Credit Union has awarded $14,000 in scholarships to seven students across Iowa for the 2023-24 academic year.

Two scholarships for $2,000 were awarded to Veridian members in each of three categories, including incoming freshmen, undergraduates and technical/trade students. An additional $2,000 was awarded in conjunction with the credit unions ArtShare program for members who are high school seniors enrolling in an educational program that leads to a career in the arts.

The credit union updated its scholarship program last year to increase the number of recipients from four students to seven and add a category for technical and trade students. The change increased overall scholarship funding from $8,000 to $14,000 annually.

Applicants submitted a 500-word essay about educating themselves on personal finance and money management. Essays from ArtShare Scholarship applicants detailed plans for their future in the arts. A panel of Veridian employees reviewed the applications and selected the following recipients:

Incoming freshman Levi Manning, Waukee, attending Iowa State University.

Incoming freshman Nicholas Barber, Waverly, attending Iowa State University.

Undergraduate Emily Ball, Des Moines, attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Undergraduate Avery Forde, Denver, attending University of Iowa.

Technical/trade student Ryan Carolus, Vinton, attending Hawkeye Community College.

Technical/trade student Ryan Reifenstahl, Dysart, attending Hawkeye Community College.

ArtShare student Olivia Eckerman, Waverly, attending Iowa State University.

Veridian member and Cedar Falls resident Sophia Woods also received $3,000 from the Iowa Credit Union Foundations 2023 Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship. Details about Veridian scholarships, including the next funding cycle, are available at veridiancu.org/scholarships.

Photos: 2023 Sturgis Falls Parade Sturgis Falls 1 Sturgis Falls 2 Sturgis Falls 3 Sturgis Falls 4 Sturgis Falls 5 Sturgis Falls 6 Sturgis Falls 7 Sturgis Falls 8 Sturgis Falls 9 Sturgis Falls 10 Sturgis Falls 11 Sturgis Falls 12 Sturgis Falls 13 Sturgis Falls 14 Sturgis Falls 15 Sturgis Falls 16 Sturgis Falls 17 Sturgis Falls 18 Sturgis Falls 19 Sturgis Falls 20 Sturgis Falls 21 Sturgis Falls 22 Sturgis Falls 23 Sturgis Falls 24 Sturgis Falls 25 Sturgis Falls 26 Sturgis Falls 27 Sturgis Falls 28 Sturgis Falls 29 Sturgis Falls 30 Sturgis Falls 31 Sturgis Falls 32 Sturgis Falls 33
WATERLOO  The next step to connect Waterloo residents to the citys new fiber optic network is underway after a bid was awarded.

The City Council held a special session on Thursday to award a bid of $77.86 million to ITG Communications, LLC, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, for the fiber-to-the-premise and backbone network project. Councilmembers Dave Boesen, Ray Feuss, Jonathan Grieder and Rob Nichols were present and all voted for the bid.

ITGs bid for the fiber-to-the-premise portion was $21.24 million. The bid for the backbone portion was $16.45 million. The alternate, $40.17 million, was one of four provided. The alternate options are different ways the company could construct the layout.

There were three other proposals submitted for the project from Quanta Telecom Solutions of Loganville, Ga.; MP of Maple Lake, Minn.; and Michels Power of Neenah, Wis. Bids with their alternates ranged from $66.6 million to $106.9 million. The lowest bids were also submitted by ITG.

Funding for the projects comes from various sources. In a September referendum, more than 84% of residents voted for a $20 million general obligation bond for municipal broadband.

There is also money from the federal American Rescue Plan and a federal grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The city has also applied for other grants that it is waiting to hear back on.

City departments, such as Waterloo Water Works and other utilities, will also be used to fund portions of the project.

The build-out will begin as soon as possible. The first customers are projected to be connected by the end of 2023. The entire project is expected to take three years.

The fiber optic network consists of two total projects. The first is the fiber backbone, which supports the citys operations like utilities, traffic, public safety and smart city initiatives. The second project is the build-out and delivery of the fiber-to-the-premise services, which connects internet access to every home and business in the city.

Courier Male High School Athlete of the Year Finalists Jack Miller McCrae Hagarty Asa Newsom Mack Ortner Nick Reinicke Carson Hartz
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates  The baby sea turtle flapped its flippers as it was lowered into the ocean, only to be pushed back ashore by the strong tide. It tried again, and this time it made it, swimming fast and deep into Persian Gulf waters lapping at a string of beachfront tourist resorts.

Scientists hope the turtle will thrive back in its natural habitat, joining about 500 sea turtles that have been rescued, rehabilitated and released since Abu Dhabi's Environment Agency launched a program three years ago to aid turtles distressed by climate change and other issues.

In the latest release in early June, about 80 turtles were carried to the water's edge by members of the agency's Wildlife Rescue Program, joined by members of the community. Many were outfitted with satellite tracking gear to help scientists better understand migration patterns and the success of rehabilitation methods.

Turtles have historically been hunted for their meat and eggs, with their shells used in jewelry. But plenty of manmade factors figure into a decline in all seven sea turtle species.

"We see issues such as plastic pollution causing harm, vessel strikes, nets causing them to be entangled in them, and coastal development, which reduces the amount of nesting habitat they have available, says Hind al-Ameri, assistant scientist at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.

Climate change is a big contributor, researchers say.

Warming oceans harm coral reefs, which turtles need to survive, and shift currents to expose turtles to new predators. Rising sea levels diminish the beaches where the turtles nest and lay their eggs.

Abu Dhabi's isn't the only agency in the Emirates focused on aiding sea turtles. Emirates Nature-WWF launched a pair of marine conservation initiatives more than a decade ago, studying the behavior of the hawksbill and green turtles in the region.

And the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project has been helping sick and injured sea turtles for nearly two decades, rehabilitating and returning more than 2,000 turtles to the Persian Gulf in that time.

Scientists say they see evidence that the sea turtles are adapting to climate change.

Turtle gender is influenced by the temperature in which eggs develop, with warmer temperatures producing a higher ratio of female turtles. Al-Ameri said conditions in the United Arab Emirates have become so warm that the male population should be devastated  but it is healthy and reproducing.

So its driving us to understand why our species are adapting the way they are and what it would mean in terms of climate change and would turtles be able to adapt to climate change in the future or not, she said.

How the planet can limit global warming, and its damaging effects on sea turtles and the rest of the world, will be discussed at length in November when Dubai hosts the next United Nations summit on climate change.

Photos: How one country is working to protect vulnerable sea turtles
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby apologized Friday for hopping on a private plane to get out of the New York area earlier this week while thousands of United passengers were stranded because the airline canceled so many flights.

Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home, Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline. I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days  often through severe weather  to take care of our customers.

Kirby concluded by promising "to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.

Kirby caught the private flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver on Wednesday, when United canceled 750 flights  one-fourth of its schedule for the day. That figure does not include flights on United Express.

United has canceled nearly 3,000 flights this week, with the largest number at its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New Jersey, which was hit by thunderstorms for much of the week.

Kirby blamed disruptions in Newark last weekend on a shortage of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. He said in a note to employees that the FAA frankly failed us by reducing the rate at which planes could arrive and depart the airport, where United is the dominant carrier.

Canceled flights left United planes and crews out of position, hobbling the airline when bad weather hit on Sunday, Kirby said.

As United continued to struggle throughout this week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes the FAA, said on Twitter that airlines had recovered from the storms with the exception of United. He drove home the point by including a bar graph that compared Uniteds cancellation rate with the rest of the industry.

United's operation has improved since midweek. The percentage of canceled flights fell from 26% on Wednesday to 18% Thursday and 8% through Friday evening, according to tracking service FlightAware. However, even on Friday, United was on pace to lead all U.S. carriers in canceled flights for a seventh straight day.

United vowed to fix its operation in time for the July 4 holiday weekend, which promises to be a hectic one at the nations airports. More than 2.7 million people were screened Thursday at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, and Friday was expected to bring similar crowds  possibly bigger.

United passengers have taken to social media and talked to reporters about long airport lines and sleeping in airports after flights were canceled.

Unions representing the airline's pilots and flight attendants have joined in the criticism, accusing United management of poor planning, a lack of crew schedulers, and operating too many flights.

Chicago-based United said it did not pay for the CEOs flight on Wednesday. The airline declined to say whether Kirby frequently takes private planes.

10 of the world's longest flightsand what to do if you're on one 10 of the world's longest flightsand what to do if you're on one How the 10 flights stack up What to do if you're on one of the world's longest flights
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards blocked a package of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation from becoming law Friday, including the state's version of what critics call Florida's Don't Say Gay bill and a ban on gender-affirming medical care for young transgender people.

The effort by Republicans to enact the legislation into Louisiana law is likely far from over. Multiple GOP state lawmakers say they anticipate convening for a veto session mid-July in an attempt to override the governor's decision.

Louisianas culture divide over LGBTQ+-related legislation echoes what has been seen in GOP-led statehouses across the country. Bills targeting transgender people have topped conservative agendas, and LGBTQ+ advocates say a dangerous and blatant attack is happening on their community. This year alone, more than 525 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 41 states, according to data collected by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization.

Edwards  who is in his final six months of office, unable to seek reelection this year due to consecutive term limits  has repeatedly described the bills as wrong, divisive and targeting a vulnerable group of people.

State lawmakers will soon decide by majority vote whether they will return to the Capitol for a veto session, which would begin July 18. Although Louisiana has only held two such sessions since 1974, it seems increasingly realistic that one will occur this year. Multiple GOP lawmakers from both chambers have said they anticipate the gathering.

Once in special session, a two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate is needed to override the governors decision. Republicans currently hold a two-thirds majority in both chambers. Additionally, during the regular session, all three bills passed with more than a two-thirds vote  largely along party lines.

Marked by misinformation, religious arguments and hours of emotional testimony from the LGBTQ+ community, one of the most discussed bills was the ban on gender-affirming care  something that has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations. At one point, the bill was presumed dead after a veteran Republican lawmaker cast a tie-breaking vote to kill the bill. However, amid mounting pressure from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who is a GOP gubernatorial frontrunner, and the Republican Party of Louisiana, the bill was resurrected and passed.

At least 20 states, including all three bordering Louisiana, have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Most of those states face lawsuits.

A federal judge struck down Arkansas ban as unconstitutional, and federal judges have temporarily blocked bans in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Oklahoma has agreed to not enforce its ban while opponents seek a temporary court order blocking it. A federal judge has blocked Florida from enforcing its ban on three children who have challenged the law.

The Louisiana legislature also passed a bill broadly banning K-12 public school employees in Louisiana from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. It is similar to a law enacted in Florida last year that critics dubbed Dont Say Gay. So far, three other states  Alabama, Arkansas and Iowa  have enacted similar laws, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Additionally, lawmakers passed legislation requiring Louisiana public school teachers to use the pronouns and name that align what students were assigned at birth. Under the bill, a parent can give written consent for pronouns not consistent with the students sex assigned at birth to be used. A teacher can override the parents request if doing so would violate the employees sincerely held religious beliefs.

Republicans maintain that they are trying to protect children with these bills. Opponents argue it would do the opposite, leading to heightened risks of stress, depression and suicidal thoughts among an already vulnerable group.
Interest among Iowa families for a new taxpayer-funded private school financial assistance program continues to grow  as does the potential cost to the state and the funding implications for public schools.

With just hours left to apply, 25,500 Iowa students had signed up for the state's new education savings account program as of noon Friday.

The state began accepting applications May 31, and families had until 11:59 p.m. Friday to apply for roughly $7,600 per year in public funding to put toward private school tuition or other private school expenses.

The Iowa Legislature allocated $107.4 million to fund the program, which would provide assistance for roughly 14,000 students  the same number the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency predicted would enroll in the program in its first year. That total included an estimated 4,841 students who would transfer from a public school to a non-public school.

Assuming all 25,576 applications submitted receive funding, that would cost the state roughly $195.3 million.

The Department of Education did not say how many applications had been approved, denied or were pending review, or how many children are represented on the applications. Details will be reported as they are available, state officials said.

Some applications may be pending approval for up to 30 days after June 30.

The final number of education savings account, or ESA, program participants will not be available until certified school enrollment numbers are finalized later this fall, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds office said.

In addition to applying for an ESA, families apply to the accredited non-public school of their choice and, if accepted, will later update their ESA account indicating the school their child plans to attend.

The school then sends an invoice for tuition and fees to the ESA account. Once parents approve the payment, funds are transferred from the account to the school and the student is considered enrolled, according to the governors office.

ESA funds are in the states possession until the point when the parent or guardian approves an invoice from the accredited non-public school for payment of tuition and fees.

If a students ESA has been funded, but they do not attend an accredited non-public school by Sept. 30, the ESA will be closed and the funds will be retained by the state. ESA funds must be returned by the school for the semester in which the student did not attend, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

NO FUNDING CEILING

While lawmakers set aside more than $107 million for the program in its first year, the appropriation  as with public school funding  is a standing unlimited appropriation, meaning all approved educations savings accounts will be funded, said Heather Doe, communications director for the Iowa Department of Education.

State Rep. John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake who floor managed the bill (House File 68) in the Iowa House, said there is plenty of money in the states rainy day fund to pay for additional scholarships beyond what lawmakers had budgeted.

By the end of the new fiscal year on June 30, 2024, Iowa is projected to have a $2 billion general fund budget surplus and nearly $962 million in cash reserves.

Wills said more money also could be budgeted if needed by lawmakers when the next regular legislative session begins in January.

What that tells me is maybe we misunderstood or underestimated the number of people that would want to leave public school for private school, or the number of private school students who fall under the income threshold, Wills said.

We wont really know until the application window closes, all applications are processed and the Department of Education crunches the numbers, he said.

But, I do think it demonstrates a pent-up up need in the state of Iowa for this program, and its good to see the people who wanted this option are taking advantage of it, Wills said.

All incoming kindergartners and all K-12 students currently attending a public school who choose to enroll in an accredited non-public school for the 2023-24 school year are eligible for the ESA program, regardless of income. Also eligible are students who attended an accredited non-public school this past school year, if their household income is at or below 300 percent of the 2023 federal poverty level. That equates to $90,000 for a family of four.

By the third year, education savings accounts would become available to all K-12 students statewide with no income limits.

The new law is expected to cost the state $345 million annually by 2027, when fully implemented. In total, over the course of four years, the program would cost the state an estimated $879 million, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

TWO VIEWS

Supporters said the program will provide greater choice for families in their childs education.

Opponents say the new law will pull critical resources from public schools, which serve more than 90 percent of Iowa students, and will disproportionately benefit higher-income families.

The law provides $1,205 in state money to public schools for every private school student receiving an education savings account within the public school district's boundaries. The district, though, would lose the $7,600 in per-pupil funding from the state for every student who switches from public to private school.

We cannot support this sort of commitment to private schools when we are underfunding our public schools already," State Rep. Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City and ranking member of the House Education Committee told The Gazette.

Steckman taught in public schools for about 30 years.

It ends up bankrupting our reserves, she said. This is not good budgeting practice at all for our state.  Taxpayers expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely, and I do not believe this is what this is doing.

Steckman said public schools have always been the great equalizer.

Everyone is welcome and gets the same education, and everyone can progress at their own level, she said. I think private schools serve a great purpose, but that is your choice and you should pay for it.

Additionally, not all Iowans have access to a private school.

Iowa has about 200 non-public schools, but only 58 of Iowas 99 counties have an accredited private school, according to the Legislative Services Agency.

Most of the areas without private schools are in rural areas. And several private schools are near or at capacity.

In Cedar Rapids, some private schools have wait lists for certain grades and are turning families away, while others say theyre nowhere near capacity.

Private schools also do not have to admit every student and are allowed to turn away children with special needs, learning disabilities or behavioral issues, and can deny admission to gay and lesbian students.

Such policies are allowed under Iowa's Civil Rights Act, which says religious institutions can impose qualifications based on religion, sexuality orientation or gender identity.

Reynolds and supporters have said the new law empowers parents.

Wills, the Spirit Lake Republican lawmaker, said the number of applications received demonstrates parents want to be in charge of their kids education and are taking charge right now.

We dont fund institutions here in Iowa. We fund the student. We fund the child, Wills said. The funding is going where the parent wants that funding to go and is most desirable for their student.

Schools should compete for those kids, and theyve now got a year to win those kids back.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated how applications were counted. 25,500 Iowa students have applied. This version has been corrected.
In the bitterly divided, highly partisan world of Washington, D.C., few institutions are more divided and more partisan than todays Supreme Court.

The court showcased that split again on May 25 when it significantly narrowed the federal governments authority to protect wetlands under the 51-year-old Clean Water Act in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The 5-4 decision was as groundbreaking as it will be water-polluting, say environmental advocates.

The facts of the case are clear: In 2007, an Idaho couple, the Sacketts, planned to build a home near a lake. As construction began, EPA ordered it halted because their lot contain(ed) wetlands protected by the CWA, which bars the discharge of pollutants, including rocks and sand, into navigable waters, explained the independent, peer-reviewed SCOTUSblog.

The Sacketts didnt file suit over the fact that a wetland was on their property; everyone agreed that there was. Instead, the fight ensued over whether the wetland drained into a navigable water as defined under the Clean Water Act.

EPA ruled it did; the Sacketts disagreed, noting that the wetland first drained into an unnavigable creek before it drained into the indisputably navigable lake. Despite court loss after court loss, the couple pursued the case until it rose, appeal after appeal, to the high court.

The court, unsurprisingly, accepted the case because previous Supreme Court rulings in Clean Water Act cases seemed to muddy the complicated law as property owners and the federal government wrestled with how far to extend its protections against polluting the navigable waters of the country, Roll Call recently explained.

Farm and ranch groups joined the Sacketts in the fight. After decades of tiptoeing through legal and legislative fights over what constitutes a navigable water, everyone - even environmental groups  wanted someone, be it Congress, the courts, or the White House, to arrive at a clear, workable clean water rule.

Previous attempts centered around WOTUS, or the broadly interpreted, EPA-empowering Waters of the United States rule.

To most farmers, WOTUS was a I-cant-tell-you-what-it-is-until-I-see-it EPA trap that had not kept up with agricultures rapid industrialization under the aging Clean Water Act. The courts agreed and, as such, WOTUS went through several updates and revisions under succeeding administrations.

The May 25 Sackett decision, however, ended that bitter, decades-long fight by starting another bitter, probably decades-long fight.

Justice Samuel Alito (he of recent Alaskan water fame) wrote that the Sacketts had been right from the get-go: In sum, we hold that the CWA extends to only those wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are waters of the United States in their own right.

In fact, Alito added, they are indistinguishable from those waters.

The decision, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Justice Neil Gorsuch, significantly shrank the reach of the federal clean water protections, dealing a major blow to President Joe Bidens efforts to restore protections to millions of acres of wetlands and delivering a victory to multiple powerful industries, reported Politico.

Thats an understatement; most land developers, farmers, and ranchers were elated after the razor-thin decision was handed down.

Also understated are the rulings long-term consequences, notes DemocracyNow, a left-leaning news organization. The courts action ends protections for about half of all wetlands in the contiguous United States, jeopardizing access to safe drinking water for millions.

In a curious twist, the courts other four justices agreed that the Sacketts had been right from the start but strongly disagreed with their colleagues solution: knee-capping the Clean Water Act by appointing themselves as the national decision-maker on environmental policy. That was Congresss job and, in fact, it had done that job when it drafted the CWA.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh went further in his dissent. Writing for his three colleagues, Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, noted that the courts new [WOTUS] test is sufficiently novel and vague and that it will create precisely the kind of regulatory uncertainty that the majority criticized.

In short, the split decision only further muddies the law and rural Americas increasingly dirty waters  navigable or unnavigable.
The writing is clear, even if the USA is illiterate

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1293406.shtml

Chinas military power is primarily used for strategic deterrence against the US, making it so that although the US has military advantages, it dares not resort to military blackmail against China. In addition, our military power is used to defend core interests, especially when it comes to the resolution of the Taiwan question, we must have the final say. We adopt a defensive military strategy, but in the Taiwan Straits region, we have gradually formed a local absolute military advantage. We will not engage in military confrontation with the US in regions far away from Chinas core interests. However, if the US military comes to Chinas nearby waters, especially if it intervenes militarily in the Taiwan Straits and assists the Taiwanese military in a possible future Taiwan Straits war, the Peoples Liberation Army will not hesitate to beat the crap out of those US troops. We will always make our determination clear to the US.
EU now says while falling back to a recent G7 meeting, says China has special responsibility in upholding rules-based UN Charter, calls on Beijing to press Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

Hmm, interesting that the EU Sites UN regulations about China and Russia all the time and is so worthless in all aspects to do with USA and its own real and in our face breaking of the UN charter rules

Rules for you, but not for me

Hmm, by UN standards what Russia is doing is actually legal and what the west is doing is illegal

That is how the regulations read to me.

WtR
Christopher Cornellier really likes the Alpha King. The 32-year-old also really likes the Zombie House finale cakes. If you light both at the same time it gives you a professional grade finale that anyone can do.

Cornellier is a general manager for Cornellier Fireworks. Its been a Cornellier family business for over 50 years.

Ive always wanted to be in the business, he said. It has always been a goal of mine to keep climbing the ladder of this industry and carry on the family legacy.

The family legacy started in the early 1970s. It was then that Larry Cornellier Sr. was traveling through Poynette one day. He came upon a fireworks wholesaler and asked about selling fireworks. He liked the answers he was given. He did a little research, borrowed a little money, $200, from a friend and opened a small fireworks stand in his hometown of Beloit. Things went well. His business immediately got brighter than any Roman candle or bottle rocket.

There are now five Cornellier Fireworks locations in Wisconsin. One is in Poynette. Another, the companys largest, is in Windsor. Theres a location in South Beloit and there are two in Beloit, including the Cornellier Superstore. It is a place that sells not only fireworks but also T-shirts, cheese, beer, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears paraphernalia, sandwiches and more.

The company sells about 300 different kinds of fireworks between all the stores, ranging from large aerial ones you would see at a towns Independence Day extravaganza, down to sparklers children might hold, delight in their eyes at the sizzling light in their tight hands.

Christopher Cornellier has been in the business since he was a child himself. Its always been a part of his life and his main career.

I started working when I was about 10 years old during our seasonal tents in the summer, he said.

Starting in 2016, he worked for three years at the Cornellier Superstore in Beloit. He is now the general manager at the Windsor location.

Its exciting for him.

Everyone that comes in our doors is looking for something fun, so it feels great to help them with that, Cornellier said.

In Poynette, that means customers coming in looking for things like Wild Child, an 80 shot ripper complete with strobing mines, green spider glitter, and color-changing comets. Or things like Redneck Riviera  25 shots of red, blue, and green pillars followed by red, green, and blue stars with white glitter. Or things like Badger Balls artillery shells.

Fireworks, Cornellier said, bring extra joy when we spend time with our families and friends.

That could mean looking skyward at Shogun Rocket Candles, or on the ground at fountains, Black Cats, and Beast Crackers.

Cornelliers favorite memories include going with his family to Pyrotechnics Guild International conventions. This years PGI convention takes place in Oshkosh from Aug. 12 through Aug. 18.

One year, at a PGI convention, he watched teams of people spend days making a giant firecracker string called The Superstring. The string was so big it had to be hoisted up by a crane. When they finally shot it off, Cornellier said, the whole ground shook and you could not hear anything at all.

Whether its a Blue Mine booming in Beloit, a whistling Saturn missile in Windsor or majestic palms pluming over Poynette, Cornellier is pleased to have a hand in giving local families some fun.

Its a great business, he said. Its great to keep working within a community.

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For April Scheel, the journey is as much physical as it is mental.

I just put one foot in front of the other.

The 48-year-old native of Madison has cerebral palsy.

The hiking provides me clarity, she said. It is my church.

Shes sure to find sanctuary with her new goal. The two-time Special Olympics medalist has set out to walk the entirety of the Ice Age Trail, the famed National Scenic Trail that stretches 1,200 miles from one side of Wisconsin to the other.

She recently completed a segment of the trail at Devils Lake State Park, climbing up into the Baraboo Range. It is one of the most strenuous and difficult stretches of the entire trail.

Everyone struggles with something, Scheel said. Its the path you choose to go down that makes all the difference.

The path she chooses, though hard, is one of optimism and positivity.

There is so much negativity that exists, she said, wanting to inspire others with her coming efforts. Everyone can do something they didnt think they could do.

Had to figure it out

For Scheel, shes done things no one thought she could do, herself included.

She grew up on a dairy farm. Her disability made it difficult to do the work, but she was treated no differently as a child than anyone else. If the cows had to be fed, she fed the cows. If the hay wagon needed to be unloaded, she unloaded the hay wagon.

I had to figure it out, she said. I had to have work ethic.

School was hard. It was brutal, she said. When she went to school she, along with a boy with spina bifida, were the only two children in the school with disabilities. Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture. There is no cure for cerebral palsy.

She was made fun of, bullied, talked down to, chastised, taunted. She had to use a walker.

Children thought I had cooties, she said.

They ignored her; were scared of her; were bothered by her.

It took me a long time to get past all that, she said. It took me a long time to find the strength within myself. That I am worthy. That I can contribute. That I do contribute just by being who I am. That everyone contributes by just being who they are.

And so she hikes.

If I can do this, maybe theres someone out there with their own goals who now thinks they can do it. They can.

Trail walking

It was during COVID when Scheel got the idea of walking the whole Ice Age Trail. She would be walking in the neighborhood and take note that they were empty, devoid of people and pep. There was no liveliness, just loneliness. It was boring and so she started walking county park trails. She liked it. She started walking state park trails. It made her feel good. She kept asking herself, Where does that path go? It was then that she decided that she could do the Ice Age Trail. And where does that path go?

It leads to an inspired hike that inspires others.

Its an absolute privilege to work alongside April in this endeavor, said Will Meissner, a real estate investor in Wisconsin Dells who leads an ad hoc committee to help Scheel raise funds for the journey. Shes absolutely on fire and her energy is an inspiration to others.

I am a vessel, she said. I am a vessel for anothers imagination. If theres a will, theres a way.

That way is, oftentimes, through the varied landscapes of Wisconsin.

One of her favorite memories on a trail was recently on a segment of the Ice Age Trail. It wasnt supposed to be raining that day. She was on a bridge crossing and it started to drizzle. Then it started to rain. Then it became a deluge.

She wasnt upset about it. She wasnt angry. She was scared a little. But then she wasnt. She realized, peacefully, that she was the only one out on that trail. It was just her and the elements.

It felt like I was the elements, she said. The rain, she thought, was carrying her through.

I was floating. I was being hugged. The universe told me to use my power.

She did.

There is so much beauty protecting us, Scheel said.

There will be plenty of beauty for Scheel to find on the trail. There is no timeline for her to complete her goal. Shell do segment after segment over time until theyve been done. Shes recently started in Sauk County.

Helping her make her dreams come true is a dream come true, Meissner said.

Scheel has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the journey.

I need items to support my daily life and make the trail more accessible and safe for me, the page reads. She hopes the funds raised will help toward the purchase of a Subaru Forester, hiking equipment, and other costs associated with the hike.

Of course, she knows, the hike is bigger than the car.

Its the awareness of being myself, she said. Of sharing camaraderie with others. Of sharing the love of the trail.

That trail is sometimes steep, like at Devils Lake. Sometimes its soaked through with rain. Sometimes its tall grass or along a lake, or pond, or river. Sometimes its in the woods or in farmland. Shes moving, one step in front of the other, to something much bigger than her. Shes moving, though, rooted in existence of who I am, she said. I am the trees. I am the flowers.

That bloom is illuminating her life and the lives of others.

To learn more about Scheel, and contribute to her hike, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/aprils-50000-mile-journey.

GALLERY: Dodge County Send-off for Special Olympics USA Games' athletes
Mayville man

sentenced for

sexual assault of

10-year-old girlJUNEAU  A 33-year-old Mayville man was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl multiple times at his home following surgery the girl had.

Nicholas Selerski was found guilty in April of repeated sexual assault of the same child. Selerski appeared before Dodge County Circuit Judge Brian Pfitzinger who also placed Selerski on five years of extended supervision. As conditions of his supervision, Selerski may not have contact with anyone under the age of 18 without prior agent approval and must register with the state sex offender registry.

According to a criminal complaint, a mother contacted Mayville police last June after her daughter had become upset at the idea of visiting Selerskis home and explained to her mother that he had touched her at night. The girl said it had happened after she stayed home alone with Selerski following surgery she had. He had her watch pornographic videos and would cover cameras he had in his home with blankets or towels during the assaults.

The girl talked with a detective at the Dodge County Sheriffs Office the same day about the abuse and told of a black Samsung cellphone that Selerski used to show her inappropriate videos. The girl said that the assaults occurred multiple times. She said he allowed her to play games on his phone after being assaulted and that he told her no one could know.

A search warrant was granted for Selerskis home. Police seized a black Samsung cell phone, a DVR storage media for the security system and an AT&T router/modem that was attached to the DVR.

According to the complaint, Selerski said he would rub the girls back and eventually admitted she could have accidentally touched him through his pajama pants one night. He eventually admitted that it had occurred more than once, and that he had inappropriately touched the girl as well.
The Columbia County Sheriffs Office has a new K-9 fund that will be used to help with the cost of training and acquiring police dogs.

An anonymous Lodi couple made the $10,000 donation earlier this month to the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin. The Columbia County K-9 unit has six dogs, but one is approaching retirement and another is injured, meaning the unit will need to add more dogs in the future.

It typically costs about $15,000 to purchase and train a new police dog. The K-9 unit is privately funded by donations, rather than taxpayer dollars.

The police dogs go through monthly training in drug detention, tracking, handler protection, criminal apprehension and building searches. Using police dogs enables officers to conduct searches with minimal time and personnel, and increases their personal safety, according to Columbia County Sheriffs Lt. Jordan Haueter.

Haueter and his police dog, K-9 Mattis, have been working together since 2018.

Hes my closest backup in the field, I just press a button on my belt to open the door and hes there, Haueter said.

Mattis and the five other dogs that make up the K-9 unit are German shepherds that came to Columbia County from the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic. The dogs live with their handler and serve for anywhere between five and 10 years before retiring.

The dogs and their handlers form a life-long bond. Haueter said he was recently promoted and is spending more time in the office and less time in the field with Mattis.

I feel like Im leaving a part of me at home, Haueter said.

Since Mattis will likely retire within the next year or so, Haueter said the K-9 unit is especially grateful to the couple that donated to begin the new fund.

Robin Whyte, the executive director of the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin, said the Lodi couple was motivated to donate when they learned the K-9 unit was in need.

We continue to be amazed and inspired by the generosity of the community, Whyte said.

Photos: Scenes from the 2023 Westminster dog show
A Wisconsin Dells High School family and consumer sciences teacher who previously taught in Baraboo received recognition for her work on June 24.

Susan Strutz was named a Teacher of the Year Merit Finalist by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for her food source curriculum titled Food Stories: Where Food Comes From. Strutz was announced as one of the recipients in May and received her award in Baltimore at a conference from June 23 to 26.

A day after receiving her award, Strutz presented the food source curriculum at a showcase and participated in a panel of applicants for Teacher of the Year just before leaving Baltimore.

The AAFCS Teacher of the Year award was established in 1974 to recognize exemplary teachers who utilize cutting-edge methods, techniques and activities to provide stimulus and visibility to family and consumer sciences in elementary and secondary education.

Last year, Strutz earned similar honors at the state level, winning the Wisconsin Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year Award. She has taught in Wisconsin Dells since 2018 and spent 20 years in Baraboo before that.

Students in Strutzs courses have learned about the importance of local food production and sourcing and have used items grown by the WDHS agricultural science department to make dishes such as rhubarb muffins and salsa.

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Riot police stand near a burning car in the La Meinau neighborhood of Strasbourg, eastern France, on Friday, June 30, 2023. Young rioters clashed with police and looted stores Friday in a fourth day of violence triggered by the deadly police shooting of a teen, piling more pressure on President Emmanuel Macron after he appealed to parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fueling unrest. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, June 30, 2023, in Washington. The Biden administration is moving forward on a new student debt relief plan after the Supreme Court struck down his original initiative to provide relief to 43 million borrowers. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Celebrating the success of 72-hour mission, the Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier gushes that 'this historic flight' is 'ushering in a new era of repeatable and reliable access to space for private passengers and researchers.'

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sir Richard Branson has successfully launched his first commercial space flight. The businessman's Virgin Galactic company started commercial operations on Thursday, June 29, with a flight on the rocket plane Unity which launched from New Mexico taking three Italians into orbit to conduct scientific experiments, marking the company's first paid for service after a number of previous test flights.

Speaking after the mission, which lasted 72 minutes and was live-streamed around the world, Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said, "This historic flight was our first commercial flight and our first dedicated commercial research mission - ushering in a new era of repeatable and reliable access to space for private passengers and researchers."

The mission, dubbed Galactic 01, was commissioned by the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Research Council to take Col. Walter Villadei, Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi and engineer Pantaleone Carlucci into space to conduct a number of experiments in zero gravity conditions. They were accompanied by the company's astronaut instructor Colin Bennett and pilots Mike Masucci and Nicola Pecile.

Branson founded Virgin Galactic back in 2004 with a dream to be able to take paying passengers into space and it's taken 20 years to get to the point of launching the first paid-for service. The company suffered a huge setback in 2014 when tragedy struck the first prototype vehicle, Enterprise, which broke up during a test flight killing the two pilots who were onboard.

However, the company continued and the next rocket plane - Unity - successfully made it to a distance of 80 kilometres above Earth which is regarded by some as the altitude required to be considered outer space. Branson himself took a seat on Unity for a test flight in 2021, beating rival billionaire Jeff Bezos to space by a week. The next mission, Galactic 02, will fly ticketed passengers and is scheduled for August with prices said to be as high as 350,000 per person.

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Kris, Khloe and others made a stop at In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles after their girls' trip to Las Vegas was canceled due to bad weather and turbulence.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kris Jenner has no idea how much fast food is. "The Kardashians" matriarch found herself being roasted by her daughter Khloe Kardashian after trying to give her $300 for In-N-Out Burger.

In the Thursday, June 29 episode of "The Kardashians", Kris, Khloe and others took a girls' trip to Las Vegas to surprise Kim Kardashian's 42nd birthday. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan due to bad weather and turbulence.

As an alternative, the group went to In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles, where the ladies ordered several meals. The 67-year-old momager then handed a few hundred dollar bills to pay for their food.

Stunned by her mom's action, Khloe told her, "I don't know how the f**k you have never been to a fast food restaurant." The Good American founder added, "We don't need hundreds of dollars."

Not stopping there, Khloe continued teasing her mom by telling the camera, "My mom gave me $100 [to pay for cheeseburgers]." The 39-year-old then noted, "She tried to give me $300 - I don't think she realized how much fast food restaurants are."

This is not the first time the family made headlines with viral food moments. In an October 2022 episode, Kim found it tricky to order a meal at a Milan restaurant. "What is tortellini?" she asked before the waiter compared the pasta to a ravioli. "Maybe I'll get that. Do you have anything that's not spaghetti? Like, a penne or anything else? I'll have penne."

In a confessional, the mom of four declared that she ate whatever she wanted. "Tonight, I have no restrictions for eating. I'm not sure if I've ever clarified this, but I'm what I think they call a flexitarian, which is, like, vegan sometimes and just not other times," she explained. "So YOLO."

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The 78-year-old Hollywood star, who acted alongside Alan on the Netflix sitcom 'The Kominsky Method', honors his late co-star by sharing a photo of the two on Instagram.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Michael Douglas has sadly lost one of his co-stars, Alan Arkin. Upon learning of Alan's death on Friday, June 30, the "Fatal Attraction" actor paid a touching tribute to his "wonderful" friend on social media.

The 78-year-old, who acted with Alan on the Netflix sitcom "The Kominsky Method", honored his late pal by sharing a photo of the two on Instagram. "Today we lost a wonderful actor whose intelligence, sense of comedy and consummate professionalism over the past 70 years has left an indelible mark on our industry," he began his caption.

"My experience of working with Alan were some of my most memorable. He will be deeply missed," the husband of Catherine Zeta-Jones continued. "Sincere condolences to his wife, Suzanne, and his family."

Alan passed away at the age of 89. Confirming his death were his sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony, who shared a statement to PEOPLE, "Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed."

Michael won Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 2019 Golden Globes for his work on the "The Kominsky Method". As for Alan, who starred as Norman Newlander, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy. The two actors also scored nominations at the 2019 and 2020 Emmy Awards for their work on the series.

Aside from the accolades, Alan won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor thanks to his work in "Little Miss Sunshine". The late star played Edwin Hoover, the grandfather of the dysfunctional family, in the 2006 flick.

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Prosecutor Christine Agnew kicks off the trial by detailing the numerous allegations stacked against the actor, describing him as 'a man who does not respect personal boundaries or space.'

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kevin Spacey was branded a "sexual bully" who preys on men as his trial got underway. The "Baby Driver" actor appeared at London's Southwark Crown Court on Friday, June 30, for the first proper day of his sexual assault trial, which began with the evidence being presented to the jurors.

The 63-year-old actor, who had already appeared in court on Wednesday, June 28, as the jury was sworn in, was charged in 2022 in London with four counts of sexual assault, allegedly committed between 2005 and 2013. Spacey pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Prosecutor Christine Agnew kicked off the trial by detailing the numerous allegations stacked against Spacey. Agnew told the court, "He is an extremely famous actor who has won a number of awards. He is also, the prosecution allege, a man who sexually assaults other men. A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable, a sexual bully."

She told the court it was important not to get "starstruck" or "overwhelmed" by Spacey. The four male complainants whose cases will be heard over the next month or so have the right to anonymity.

The first plaintiff claimed they were inappropriately touched by Spacey and that the contact got "more intense," leading to him being grabbed and groped aggressively. And Agnew told the court the Hollywood actor got a "sexual thrill out of this type of sexual aggression."

The second complainant alleged that the movie star "laughed" as he tried to get away from being grabbed "with such force it was painful" at work in 2005. Spacey held the role of director at The Old Vic theatre in London between 2004 and 2015.

The third plaintiff, who reported the actor first, allegedly woke up to Spacey performing a sex act on him after spending the night at his flat following an evening at the pub. The male claims Spacey offered to mentor him.

And he said he "sat and cried" at a bus stop at 5 A.M. after the alleged assault took place. In 2013, a fourth male met Spacey at the Oxfordshire pub he worked at and later met with him at another drinking establishment he suggested they meet at.

According to the complainant, Spacey touched his leg and told him to "be cool" when he kissed his neck. The prosecutor then told the court that Spacey grabbed the male's crotch.

Agnew said Spacey thought he could get away with doing "what and who he wanted, when he wanted." Patrick Gibbs, Spacey's barrister, argued that the allegations made against his client had been "reimagined with a sinister spin" and "deliberately exaggerated."

He went on to ask the jury to consider what the male complainants wanted to gain from Spacey and whether they were after his money or using him to enter the acting industry. Gibbs added, "What did they want from his wealth and from his influence and what do they still want do you think?"

The barrister then accused the complainants of spreading "damned lies" about the actor. He concluded, "You will soon hear I suggest some truths, you will soon hear some half-truths, you will also hear I suggest...some deliberate exaggerations and you will hear many damned lies."

The "House of Cards" actor's trial reconvenes next week.

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The 'Barbie World' raptress helps celebrate the pregnant star's new milestone as the 'Umbrella' hitmaker brags about breaking Spotify record without having a new album.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj is showing some love to Rihanna. In a rare display of public support to her fellow female artist, the Trinidadian-born rap star has sung praises for the Barbadian beauty with a freestyle on Instagram.

Nicki dropped some new bars in the comments section of Rih's Instagram post to help celebrate the latter's new milestone. On Friday, June 30, the Fenty Beauty founder boasted about breaking a Spotify record despite not having released a new album in seven years.

The currently pregnant star shared the news that she has become the first female artist to have ten songs with 1 billion streams each on Spotify on the photo sharing platform. She added in the caption, "Bad Gal billi  wit no new album lemme talk my s**t."

Nicki quickly hopped in the comments section to congratulate Rih on her record-breaking achievement in her own style. She wrote, "Not bad gal billi poppin s**t like a wheelie. I mean Poppin like a pilly. Like really. Man down cuz she making a Killy!!! SILLY! Bout to be pushin out a new kid like Gillie. Caribbean girls run it & AWWLLL these btchs know da dilly," and ended it with, "Okay bars."

Fans were loving how creative Nicki was with her comment. "wow I can't believe this a real comment," someone reacted to the "Anaconda" raptress' bars. Another was equally in awe as saying, "not you making song of the year in the comments."

Some others, meanwhile, expected more from the two stars' latest social media interaction. "this better hint to a collab!" one of them commented, while another begged, "We need both of you in a new song. I know you're girls gonna kill it for sure."

Nicki and Rihanna previously teamed up in "Raining Men" (2010) off Rih's fifth studio album "Loud" and "Fly" (2011), which was lifted off the rapper's debut studio album "Pink Friday".

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Shortly after the 'Straight to the Bank' rapper branded his dramatic entrance 'stupid,' the 'Livin' It Up' spitter calls his rival an 'obsessed side b***h' on social media.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Ja Rule has called out 50 Cent. After being trolled by his rival over his onstage stretcher stunt at Nelly's Hot in Herre Festival, the "Livin' It Up" rapper voiced his belief that the "Straight to the Bank" spitter is "obsessed" with the latter.

On Friday, June 30, Ja Rule hit back at Fif by writing in a tweet, "@50cent You're like an obsessed side b***h [rolling on the floor laughing emoji] do me a favor and TAKE MY D**K OUT YOUR MOUTH!!! Pause #ICONN #Vibes #Rosevine #Redrose." Near the end of the tweet, he added a slew of emojis including a clown face emoji.

Ja Rule hit back at 50 Cent after commenting on his onstage stretcher stunt.

Ja Rule's Twitter diss was quickly flooded with responses. In the replies section of the tweet, one suggested, "@jarule @50cent Why don't you both just make up and do something together, you would break the internet if you come together? Ngl 50 cent seems like a nice person." Another proposed, "Ja, u getting 75 likes on a diss tweet. Let it go dog it's over, you just gonna have to take a L everytime someone decides you need one."

A third, in the meantime, supported Ja Rule by writing, "@50cent is obsessed with Ja from 1999. It's like he's mad cuz he never be part of the big Def Jam 99 Area, he went after every big Name from Jay-Z to [Lil Nas X]. And now he constantly try to Mock Ja rule and MurderInc. For Me the only reason why he can't get over it, it's FEAR."

Ja Rule and Fif were also being compared to one another in a tweet that read, "Ja rule's Prime was longer than 50's, his impact on music is bigger. 50 cent have an obsession with Ja, he can't rewrite History, back in the days, he was begging for attention calling names on mixtapes and disses, Ja didn't need this to became successful, and that's what hurt 50."

Ja Rule sent out his dissing tweet in response to Fif's comment about his dramatic entrance to Nelly's Hot in Herre Festival. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Fif let out a screenshot of an article about Ja Rule's stretcher stunt and its criticism. "Lol WTF," he wrote alongside a crying face emoji. "I ain't gotta say s**t stupid."

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The former Bravo personality is hit with a lawsuit just days after news broke that her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, is being sued for $52,000 debt to a casino.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kim Zolciak has found herself entangled in legal trouble. If a new report is to be believed, the former star of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is being sued by Target for "refusing" to pay a credit card bill.

In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, June 28, Target National Bank alleged that the reality star "failed, neglected and refused" to make payments on a principal amount of $2,482.24 in credit card fees. According to the complaint, the last time she made a payment was on September 17, 2022, after opening the card on December 10, 2007.

The retail giant is now seeking the entire unpaid balance and interest. Kim, meanwhile, has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

Just days prior, it was unveiled that Kim's estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, was also slapped with a lawsuit over a debt. He has been accused of owing over $52k to a Baha Mar Casino in the Bahamas.

According to court documents, the company Sky Warrior is suing Kroy over an unpaid line of credit provided to him when he visited the casino. The suit stated that the ex-NFL star obtained a $100k line of credit during a November 2021 trip.

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The Prince of Wales and his younger brother, Duke of Sussex, didn't make any effort to acknowledge each other as they pay homage to their late mother at a recent event.

Jul 1, 2023

AceShowbiz - Princes William and Harry have paid tribute to their late mum Princess Diana in separate messages in which they didn't acknowledge each other. The royals, rumored to have been locked in a feud since Harry, 38, announced in 2020 he was leaving Britain for America, posted videos played at the 2023 Diana Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 30.

Appearing at the start of the event, William, 41, was introduced by former Diana Legacy Award winner Hannah Hodgson, who met him two years earlier.

He praised Hannah and others for the "challenges they have overcome" and said, "What unites them is their courage, compassion and a relentless dedication to improving the lives of others."

William went on, "Today, we recognise the power of all young people - the power to challenge the status quo, to confront injustice and to inspire meaningful change."

Harry's clip was played toward the middle of the 43-minute virtual ceremony, and he said, "As we come together, I am reminded of the profound belief my mother held in the transformative power of young people."

"She recognised their unique ability to challenge the status quo and push for a more inclusive and compassionate society. Her legacy continues to inspire and serve as an example of how to navigate the complexities of our world today. So many of the numerous challenges that we face disproportionately affect young people and, of course, their futures."

The Diana Awards were set up to celebrate young people who are making positive changes in the world.

Harry's memoir "Spare", released in January, is said to have fuelled his feud with William as Harry claimed in the book his older brother pushed him on the floor during a fight about his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, 41.

Harry added William had called the former "Suits" actress "rude" and "abrasive." Harry also accused William of being jealous over his idea for the Invictus Games and claimed the dad-of-three encouraged him to wear his infamous Nazi costume to a party in 2005.

The brothers reportedly did not speak to each other when Harry travelled to London in May for their 74-year-old dad King Charles' coronation at Westminster Abbey alongside his wife Queen Camilla, 75, whom he married in 2005, eight years after his first with Diana died aged 36 in a Paris car smash.

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Burgundy Private, Axis Banks private banking business, and the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre - announce a multi-year collaboration, forging a powerful alliance with the aim of creating a deep impact on India's cultural landscape. This will enable Burgundy Private to offer its premium customers an exceptional range of exclusive privileges and experiences, in addition to its bouquet of banking and wealth management services. Through this, customers will enjoy a host of unique benefits, including early ticket access, curated events and many more experiences at the Centre.

Envisioned by Mrs. Nita Ambani, the Cultural Centre is home to the arts, artists, and the audience. It aims to make art accessible to all and promote Indias rich cultural heritage, which aligns perfectly with Axis Banks mission of championing India-centric arts and culture.

Arjun Chowdhry, Group Executive - Affluent Banking, NRI, Cards & Payments at Axis Bank, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "With our recent acquisition, our highly affluent wealth customers have grown, strengthening the Burgundy Private franchise even further. Since its establishment in 2019, Burgundy Private has remained dedicated to creating unique experiences for our discerning HNI clientele across India. As a significant step on that journey, we are delighted to partner with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, a true embodiment of India's vibrant cultural heritage

Devendra Bharma, CEO of Jio World Centre said, We are happy to embark on this collaboration with Axis Bank  an institution that reflects our Founders vision of bringing the best of India to the world and the best of the world to India. Taking this vision ahead, we look forward to offering access to shows, exhibitions, and unique, immersive & unforgettable artistic experiences to a wide and evolving group of patrons.

The strategic partnership between Axis Bank and Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre is another step towards making an indelible impact on the cultural landscape of India.
The Piro Space Metaverse hosted the Pride Unleashed: Empowering Diversity and Safeguarding Advancement event on June 29, 2023, which was a momentous occasion of unity, celebration, and progress for the LGBTQ+ community. The event was organised by a collective of visionary leaders and advocates who aimed to promote inclusivity, embrace diversity, and protect the advancements made by LGBTQ+ individuals in the virtual realm.

The event brought together a diverse audience of participants who immersed themselves in an atmosphere of liberation, empowerment, and inclusivity. Attendees were treated to a line-up of inspiring speakers, who shared their valuable insights and experiences on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and the importance of becoming better allies.

Kapil Jain, Co-founder of the Piro Space Metaverse, expressed his gratitude for being part of an event that celebrated LGBTQ+ pride and emphasised on the importance of diversity and inclusivity. Jain acknowledged that Piro Space was honoured to be Indias first Metaverse platform to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in a meaningful way. The event aimed to promote inclusivity, embrace diversity, and protect the advancements made by LGBTQ+ individuals in the virtual realm, he added. Jain believes in the power of the virtual realm to empower marginalised communities and safeguard their advancements.

The event also provided an interactive platform for attendees to actively participate and engage with the speakers. Questions and inquiries regarding the Metaverses role in promoting inclusivity were posed by participants, and the speakers, with enthusiasm and expertise, provided insightful answers and perspectives. It was a testament to the power of unity, acceptance, and the tireless efforts put forth by individuals and organisations dedicated to creating a more equitable world.

Piro Space Metaverse is a virtual world that aims to be a safe and supportive space for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Committed to fostering inclusivity and advocating for diversity, Piro Space Metaverse strives to create platforms that empower marginalised communities and promote equality for all.
This July, MX Player seeks to immerse its viewers into the world of compelling stories with a captivating MX VDesi line-up. The platform has been offering content in multiple languages and across varied genres.

Heres a look at the mix of engaging and entertaining slate for July 2023:

5th July 2023 - Legend of Fuyao

Legend of Fuyao is a Chinese fantasy drama about Meng Fuyao (Yang Mi), a young woman born from a divine lotus petal. At 16, she masters an invincible fighting technique and embarks on a journey to collect the secret talisman from five kingdoms that will gain her entry into a sacred land called the Firmament. On her journey, Fuyao falls in love with Crown Prince Zhangsun Wuji (Ethan Juan), who helps her to fight the powerful political forces along the way. With the support of her friends, can Fuyao unravel the dangerous conspiracy originating from the heavens and restore peace to the land? Witness this adventure and unravel the story Legend of Fuyao streaming on MX Player in Hindi from 5th July 2023.

19th July 2023 - Ice Fantasy

Ice Fantasy is a Chinese fantasy drama. Hundred years after the war between the Ice Tribe and the Fire Tribe, the only two remaining royal heirs of the Ice Tribe struggle for power. Prince Ka Suo (Feng Shao Feng) and his younger half-brother, Yong Kong Shi (Ma Tian Yu), are the only pureblood illusionists and royal heirs left in the Ice Tribe. Ka Suo reluctantly battles his brother for the throne, but he wants nothing more than the freedom to be with his lover Li Luo. Kong Shi does everything he can to take the throne away from Ka Suo, while Yan Da (Zhang Meng), the only daughter of the Fire Tribe royal family, is willing to give up everything for Kong Shi. When both Kong Shi and Li Luo suddenly go missing, can Ka Suo protect his kingdom alone when another war breaks out? Watch Ice Fantasy' streaming on MX Player in Hindi from 19th July 2023.

22ndJuly 2023 - The Return (Kikyo)

The Return is a captivating Japanese samurai drama that follows the journey of a sickly outlaw who, after three decades of wandering, comes back to his birthplace. Upon his return, he decides to save a girl in dire straits. With his hardened skills and a sense of duty rekindled, he embarks on a mission to protect the girl and confront the injustices that plague his hometown. As the story unfolds, the ailing outlaws path becomes intertwined with the villages fate, leading to a gripping tale of redemption, honour, and sacrifice. Watch The Return streaming on MX Player in Hindi from 22nd July 2023.
Netflix's recent crackdown on password sharing is causing concern among its UK subscribers, with a significant portion considering canceling their subscriptions or downgrading their packages. Broadband Genie, a comparison site, reports that 27 percent of UK subscribers are contemplating leaving the streaming service or switching to a more affordable membership tier. Approximately 2.5 million subscribers are eyeing the exit door since the controversial change was announced, while 1.5 million are considering downgrading their plans.

A quarter of Netflix viewers in the UK, who were previously using someone else's account, feel betrayed by the company's decision. Among them, the younger demographic, particularly those aged 16-24 who are the most active Netflix users, express the highest level of disappointment at 30 percent.

Moreover, 27 percent of Netflix viewers who were accessing the platform for free claim they cannot afford to pay for their own subscription. Nearly 39 percent of them admit they will attempt to find ways to bypass the ban, including using virtual private networks (VPNs) to impersonate other account holders or resorting to pirate websites.

Netflix should be concerned as more than half of UK users state that the new restrictions on password sharing will directly impact their plans. This comes at a time when the streaming platform is engaged in fierce competition with rivals like Disney+ and Amazon Prime. Additionally, 27 percent of British consumers perceive cost as the main disadvantage of subscribing to multiple streaming services, posing a further challenge for Netflix.

Despite the challenging outlook, Netflix has observed a surge in new subscriptions in the United States after tightening its rules. In the UK, 35 percent of non-account holders express a likelihood of paying for a Netflix subscription, equating to approximately 1.3 million potential new customers. This could generate an annual revenue increase of 140 million for the company. However, the company's cheapest package in the UK (6.99 per month) may be at risk, as Netflix recently eliminated its Basic subscription tier in Canada.

Additionally, 15 percent of current subscribers claim they are willing to pay an extra 4.99 charge to continue sharing their account with others, contributing another 134 million to Netflix's revenue.

The proposed government regulations aimed at protecting consumers from subscription traps will also impact streaming platforms. Netflix and similar services may be required to notify account holders every six months about ongoing subscriptions and offer a two-week cooling-off period for canceling new streaming packages.

Broadband Genie advises all consumers to conduct a "streaming stocktake" of their subscriptions, explore opportunities for customization based on their usage, take advantage of free trials, and bundle streaming services with other pay-TV options to save costs.

Alex Tofts, a broadband expert at Broadband Genie, suggests that Netflix has taken a calculated risk with its long-term future by targeting viewers who have been streaming its content for free. Converting a significant portion of this group into paying customers would bolster the company's financial performance, but the strategy has also unsettled valuable customers. Spain has already witnessed a decline in subscriber numbers following similar rule changes, while the United States has experienced an increase. Competitors in the streaming industry will be closely observing Netflix's approach, as demonstrated by Disney+'s recent announcement of an ad-supported tier.

To Netflix viewers who have lost access to a friend or family member's account, Tofts recommends trying free trials of alternative services like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+ while considering viewing options.

For subscribers of any streaming package, conducting a stocktake to avoid overpaying for content or subscribing to unused platforms is advised. Bundling streaming services with broadband, TV, and mobile packages may also provide cost savings compared to separate subscriptions.
At least 26 passengers were charred to death after the bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a divider following a tyre burst on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtras Buldhana district in the wee hours of Saturday, police said.

The private bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider around 1.30 am at Pimpalkhuta village near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana, around 134 km from here, they said.

Eight others, including the bus driver and its cleaner, survived the tragedy as they managed to come out of the burning vehicle through broken windows, the police said, adding that the driver was being interrogated and the process of arresting him was underway.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a probe into the accident and announced ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the families of each deceased.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the bodies of the deceased were charred beyond recognition and if the identity of the victims is not established, then DNA testing will be conducted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders expressed grief over the loss of lives.

Talking to PTI, Buldhana Superintendent of Police Sunil Kadasne said, There were 33 passengers in the bus, of whom 25 were charred to death. The other eight passengers were taken to a nearby hospital and are safe. As per the preliminary information, a tyre of the bus burst and the vehicle hit a pole before colliding with a divider and catching fire, he said.

The bus belonging to Vidarbha Travels had left Nagpur for Pune at 4 pm on Friday. It stopped at Karanja in Yavatmal district for dinner but met with the accident some time after it resumed the journey, the police said.

After hitting the divider, the bus fell on its right side with the entry/exit door of the bus facing the sky. Within minutes, the vehicle caught fire. Some of the passengers were able to come out of the broken windows from the rear side, a senior police official from Buldhana said. One of the survivors of the ill-fated bus said he and a few others managed to come out of the burning vehicle by breaking its rear window. A tyre of the bus burst and the vehicle caught fire immediately. The blaze spread in no time. A passenger sitting next to me and I managed to escape by breaking the rear window, he said.

A local resident, who rushed to the site, said the people who could come out of the bus later told him that they sought help from other vehicles on the highway, but nobody stopped.

CM Shinde spoke to Buldhana district collector and SP and took stock of the situation, a statement issued by the chief ministers office said.

A medical team and the fire brigade personnel stationed on the expressway reached the spot and started the rescue work. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, it said.

Shinde termed the accident as unfortunate and stressed the need for drivers on the expressway to exercise caution while driving. In a tweet, PM Modi said, Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected. Home Minister Shah described the accident as heartbreaking. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident, he tweeted in Hindi.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari said in a tweet that the death of passengers in the accident was very unfortunate, painful and tragic. Deputy CM Fadnavis condoled the death of passengers and said the injured ones are out of danger. As per preliminary information given by the Buldhana SP, the bus belonging to Vidarbha travels hit a pole and then the diesel tank burst, then it caught fire, Fadnavis said.

Talking to reporters, he said a smart system is being installed on the Samruddhi Expressway to prevent accidents. The system will check the speed of vehicles and alert them. But it will take some time. Till then, we will have to create awareness among drivers at the toll booths on what precautions need to be taken to prevent accidents at night, he said. The bodies of the accident victims are charred beyond recognition. They would be handed over to the families after the identity is established. But in case the identity is not established by any other means, then a DNA test will have to be done, he said. Brushing aside criticism about the poor quality of construction of the expressway, he said, Only vehicle error and human error have been noticed in the accidents that occurred on the expressway so far, he said.

PM Modi had inaugurated the 520-km-long Phase-1 of the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg in December last year. Officially named as Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, it is a pet project of Fadnavis.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar expressed grief over the tragedy and said the government needs to take steps to curb the speed limit of private vehicles.

The government should take immediate steps to prevent accidents, he said, adding he had expressed concern over the number of accidents on the expressway just last week.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar said with the bus accident, the issue of security of vehicles and passengers has once again come to the fore.

The government needs to work on emergency measures to prevent such accidents. The spate of accidents on the expressway continues due to the bad quality of the expressway and human errors, he said.
Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper reported, raising concerns over the citys shrinking press freedoms.

The Japan Times, a prominent English-language newspaper, reported Friday that a freelance journalist was taken by officials to a room after arriving at the citys airport Thursday evening. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in the financial hub, was later interviewed for around an hour, it said.

Ogawa said officials only told him that he could not be granted permission to stay in the city and he was sent back to Tokyo on Friday, the report said. It truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before, Ogawa was quoted as saying in the report.

In an email reply to the Associated Press, the Immigration Department in Hong Kong did not confirm the events and refused to comment on individual cases. It added the department acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case. The entry denial has raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kongs press freedom, which was once a hallmark of the former British colony.

Hong Kong returned to Chinas rule in 1997 and was promised the right to retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover, but its press scene drastically shrank after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020. The law was introduced after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has prosecuted many leading Hong Kong activists, including Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, and other top management staffers at the newspaper. The Japan Times said Ogawa has been closely following Hong Kong issues since 2014 and covered the 2019 movement but he did not plan to write anything about the city during his trip.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders tweeted Friday it was appalled at Ogawas ordeal. Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May. The watchdog said the city has experienced an unprecedented setback since 2020, when the security law was introduced.

In January, the Hong Kong Journalists Association reported that Japan-based photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to the city in late 2022. The association said she had covered the 2019 protests and was grilled by authorities about her exhibition in Japan.
Our friends at This is Alabama asked readers a simple question that invites complex conversation: What is the most underrated restaurant in Alabama?

I aint telling nobody then it wouldnt be a secret anymore, one reader astutely answered. Indeed, why would we let anyone in on the secrets of our favorite places? We dont want to stand in long lines or opt for an alternative eatery when our spot gets too crowded. But sharing is caring, and its obviously good for business, so thanks to those of you who clued us in on some of the best, if less-heralded, restaurants in our state.

But we must ask: How do you define underrated? Does it imply that something is automatically lesser-than what people widely consider the best? These joints have passionate customer bases who properly rate them. But since you dont spot them on enough best of lists, readers are here to help.

It inspired nearly 700 spirited responses. Weve selected a handful to spotlight some restaurants even their biggest fans consider underrated. So lets bring them into the conversation, give them the love they deserve and make some weekend plans on where to eat. Read every answer, and see the picks we loved below.

READ: 10 underrated restaurants in Tuscaloosa

Sandi Meador Robertson I dont think its underrated because if youve been there, you know its great, but its well off the beaten path: Ezells in Lavaca.

404 3rd Ave NW, Aliceville

Reader Julie Statum Burchfield cited the FANTASTIC burgers, ribs, chicken, and fish! Formerly Gates Restaurant, the name change altered nothing about the food. The menu is whatever the dry-erase whiteboard says including baked barbecue chicken, barbecue ribs or pulled pork, chicken fingers, buffalo bites and the double cheeseburger, not to mention pies like apple, key lime and chocolate fudge (all with ice cream).

417 N Broadway St, Ashford

Pasta, wings, calzones and, yes, pizza. But Yazmin Garcia Villarreal says we should try the authentic tacos.

Promiseland B.B.Q. (Woodstock)

20482 US-11, Woodstock

Recommended by Kyndall Reynolds Whatley, the large menu includes barbecue staples like pulled pork, chicken, beef, ribs, pork chops and more, but you can also grab a chili cheese dog, Polish sausage, pig ear, Philly cheesesteak and catfish. Desserts include banana pudding, Oreo ice cream cake and pies.

2080 Valleydale Road , Hoover

This full-service bar and restaurant has beers, wines and mixed drinks, plus awesome pub food, pizzas, seafood and steak entrees. No reservations necessary and casual attire is expected! their website says.

The restaurants website credits some guy with calling it the best lunch in Alabama. Who are we to disagree. With locations in Centreville, Foley, Greenville and Monroeville, its hard to miss it. Originally opened in 2017, this locally-owned business has handcrafted potatoes and sandwiches made with fresh ingredients. Everything is Big there, including the baked potatos, the sandwiches, the salads and even the desserts (like cheesecake on a stick).

The orange rolls at the All Steak Restaurant in Cullman, Ala., are featured on the Alabama Tourism Department's list of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)

323 3rd Ave SE, Cullman

The history of the All Steak Restaurant goes back to the mid-1930s, when Millard Buchmann opened a restaurant in Pulaski, Tenn., and later moved home to Cullman, Ala., to open the All Steak. Now, 81 years later, two more Cullman boys, Dyron Powell and Zac Wood, have stepped in to take over one of Alabamas oldest restaurants in hopes of keeping the All Steak tradition alive for generations to come. The orange rolls at the All Steak Restaurant in Cullman, Ala., are featured on the Alabama Tourism Departments list of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.

READ: Reviving an Alabama classic at the All Steak Restaurant in Cullman

4833 Broad St, Pine Hill

Put a little South in your mouth, the catchphrase reads. The menu changes day to day, including Southern food favorites like fried chicken, fried catfish and fried pork bites and other entrees like Cajun baked chicken, cheesy Cajun sausage pasta and chicken spaghetti.

Cardinal Drive In (Winfield)

364 Bankhead Hwy, Winfield

Open since 1987, they specialize in chicken sandwiches, burgers and grilled chicken, shrip and catfish dinners. And try their breakfast menu.

8789 Grand Bay Wilmer Rd S, Grand Bay

Readers included it in their picks for Alabamas best burger, so its on the cusp of transcending underrated status. Watch out for Sams Super Secret Menu picks like the Bird Dog, grilled fish with lemon pepper and the Andes Mint Sham Shakes.

4277 AL-117, Mentone (Hatter); 6007 AL-117, Mentone (Wildflower)

Jodi Dunkling offered two Mentone spots. The Hatter Cafe in Mentone dubs itself a place to simply enjoy life, specializing in Southern comfort food for breakfast and lunch. Inside The Wildflower Cafe, the 120-year-old house offers chicken salad, spinach quiche, strawberry crepes, hormone-free burgers and their famous tomato pie.

READ: The story behind Mentones Wildflower Cafe and the woman who keeps it funky

4004 US-431, Anniston

Another whiteboard special with entrees including beef liver and onions or cube steak, plus sides like mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, turnip greens and more. Then have some dessert like the brownie supreme, pecan pie or red velvet cake.

The Frosty Mug (Jasper)

8340 Hwy 78, Jasper

This old school food stand has hamburgers, chicken fingers, barbecue, shrimp and sides like fries, potato salad, baked beans and slaw. Grab an ice cream cone, milkshake or root beer float while youre at it.

14560 AL-22, Orrville

Fresh air, fresh food, fresh market is what they brag on at this place that serves Southern fried chicken daily, along with other meat-and-three favorites like fried pork chops, chicken and dumplings, homemade meatloaf and catfish (on Fridays).

770 Main St E (Rainesville); 1497 County Park Rd (Scottsboro)

Comfort food, casual dining. Visit the Scottsboro location or Taters #2 in Rainesville. Youll find specialties like Cuban sandwiches, jalapeno burgers, mesquite chicken salad and pumpkin cheesecake.

8341 Al Hwy 22, Maplesville

The chopped pork and beef brisket sandwiches look utterly mouthwatering. Check out the beef Polish dogs or chicken chicharrons.

617 Shady St, Montgomery

Enjoy the best seafood in the city while overlooking Downtown Montgomery and the Alabama River, their website says. Its the best kept secret in this town. If true, that qualifies as underrated, doesnt it? Live music, great view, and bread pudding is back on the menu.

3330 McClellan Blvd (Anniston); 1606 Rainbow Drive (Gadsden); 7004 Val Monte Dr (Guntersville)

They have locations in Anniston, Gadsden, Guntersville and Michie, Tennessee. The original Anniston location of the independent, family-owned restaurant opened in 1982. They provide the finest catfish and seafood in the area since 1982. They specialize in farm-raised, grain-fed catfish delivered twice a week to ensure freshness.

3443 Lorna Rd, Hoover

Authentic Greek and Italian dining with a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. Homemade goodness, passionately prepared and generously sized so that a dinner out can easily turn into next-day leftovers that youll actually want to eat, the website says.

More reader picks:

Alabamas best burger: Readers cant believe we missed these

Alabamas best ice cream: Readers give us the scoop on shops we forgot

Alabamas best pizza: Readers tell us what we got wrong

Alabamas best barbecue: Reader picks

Alabama care package: 10 items readers say belong in every single one
The Miss Alabama competition is nearing its conclusion, with three nights of preliminaries completed before Saturdays finale.

A total of 42 women are vying for the state title, along with scholarship money and the chance to move on to the Miss America pageant.

READ MORE: Miss Alabama 2023: Meet 42 women competing for this years crown

Preliminary events held this week, Wednesday through Friday at Samford Universitys Wright Center, have given each contestant a chance to strut her stuff in talent, evening gown, health and fitness and on-stage interview segments. The contestants also chatted with the judges this week during off-stage interviews and showcased their community service initiatives.

Preliminaries also help to determine the semi-finalists wholl compete on Saturday in the pageant finale. Lindsay Gaines Fincher, Miss Alabama 2022, will crown her successor that evening.

Fridays preliminary winners were:

Brianna Burrell, Miss Baldwin County , earned the top score in the talent competition. Burrell, 25, sang Alabaster Box, a gospel song recorded by CeCe Winans. Burrell, from Mobile, is a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she majored in political science. Her community service initiative is SAVE-A-STEM, which encourages engagement in science, technology, engineering and math for students of color and underfunded schools.

Hannah Adams, Miss Birmingham, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Adams, 19, is from Birmingham and attends the University of Alabama, majoring in political science/public relations. Her community service is Hannahs Hope: Finding a Cure for Pediatric Cancer.

Thursdays preliminary winners were:

Abbie Stockard, Miss Trussville , earned the top score in the talent competition. Stockard, 20, performed a contemporary dance routine to You Say. Shes from Birmingham and a student at Auburn University, majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is Be the Change -- Find a Cure: Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.

Emma Terry, Miss UAB, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Terry, 20, is from Leeds and attends the University of Alabama at Birmingham, majoring in accounting. Her community service initiative is Stomping Out ALS One Step at a Time. It aims to raise awareness of ALS, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and increase funding for research.

Wednesdays preliminary winners were:

Abby Sosa, Miss Southern Hospitality , earned the top score in the talent competition. Sosa, 19, performed a dance routine to Stone Cold. Shes from Cullman and a student at the University of Alabama, majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is Bridging the Gap, which encourages collaborations between nonprofit organizations and Latino and Hispanic people.

Brianna Burrell, Miss Baldwin County, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Burrell, 25, is from Mobile. Shes a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she majored in political science. Her community service initiative is SAVE-A-STEM, which encourages engagement in science, technology, engineering and math for students of color and underfunded schools.

Fridays preliminary event included performances by Lindsay Fincher, Shannon Camper Chandler (Miss Alabama 2004) and Elaina Burt (Miss Alabamas Teen 2023). Amie Beth Dickinson Shaver, Miss Alabama 1994, was the emcee for Fridays event.

New this year is a Peoples Choice Contest that allowed the pubic to vote online for their favorite contestants in advance of the Miss Alabama finals. Each vote costs $1. The contestant with the most votes will earn a spot among the top 13 finalists on Saturday. Voting ran through Friday at 10 p.m. CT, according to the PageantPlanet.com.

Judges for this year are McNeil Chestnut, Morgan Smith, Chika Kaba Maatunde, Nanette Pearson Swenson and Chuck Steelman.

RELATED: Miss Alabama: Photos of every winner since 1950

IF YOU GO:

The Miss Alabama 2023 competition is set for June 28-July 1 at the Samford Universitys Wright Center, 872 Montague Drive in Birmingham. Preliminary competitions were set for Wednesday through Friday, June 28-30, at 7 p.m. The finals are scheduled for Saturday, July 1, at 7 p.m.

Single tickets are $45-$55 Wednesday through Friday, $63-$75 on Saturday. Season tickets (for all four nights) are $105-$145. Visit the Miss Alabama website or call 205-871-6276 for more info.
Attorneys for twin brothers charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl in Fairfield on Memorial Day claim their clients fired in self-defense.

KeAndre Fuller and KeAutay Fuller, both 20, are charged in the May 29 slaying of Tatyanna Sherese Hannah.

The deadly shooting happened while Hannah was in a vehicle with friends that Monday afternoon at the intersection of Overlook Place and Hillside Drive.

The Fullers are also charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle and three counts each of attempted murder.

The brothers appeared in a Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff courtroom Friday morning for a preliminary hearing.

New information revealed publicly for the first time during the hearing included the existence of a gas station video that showed someone in an SUV firing a shot at KeAndre Fuller just eight minutes before the shooting that left Hannah dead.

It was also revealed that a teen girl in that SUV is charged with attempted murder without provocation for shooting at KeAndre Fuller in that earlier shooting.

That same teen girl was in a different car minutes later  as well as Hannah  when Hannah was shot and killed.

A Jefferson County sheriffs detective also testified that projectiles were found in the car that Hannah was in when she was killed. The detective testified he couldnt say if those were from someone shooting at KeAndre Fuller first, if they were from return fire or if they had been fired at some time in the past.

KeAndre Fuller is represented by Emory Anthony and Rolando Ranking. KeAutay Fuller is represented by Hiram Griffin and Christopher Davis.

Assistant District Attorneys Shawnte Lee and Adrienne Belcher are prosecuting.

Twin brothers Ke'Autay Fuller, left, and Ke'Andre Fuller, right, are charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl in Fairfield. (Jefferson County Jail)

The hearing, before District Judge Thomas Thrash, lasted nearly two hours. The courtroom was packed with family members of the victim and also the Fullers.

Roughly a dozen armed law enforcement officers were brought in for extra security.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Anthony and Griffin asked that the charges be dismissed, saying they believe the shooting was in self-defense.

Additionally, the defense attorneys were clearly upset that they had not been told by prosecutors that someone had shot at KeAndre Fuller and that someone had been charged.

First, lets talk about this detective and the state of Alabamas legal responsibility. Exculpatory material was withheld from us that this young man was shot at by the car that the car this victim was in, Anthony said. They didnt give that to us. Thats exculpatory. Theyre required to.

How do we know its exculpatory? Anthony said. He charged the lady with shooting at my client.

My client went back to where his girlfriend was, Anthony said. They changed cars, got into another car with the same victim that was in the first car that shot at my client and two shell casings are in the new car. My client was defending himself.

Defense attorney Griffin echoed Anthony.

The state of Alabama has failed to show probable cause that this happened without self-defense. The co-defendant was shot at minutes before  two shots at least came out of the car at my client, Griffin said. My client acted in self-defense. Additionally, we did not receive the evidence and did not know (the juvenile girl) had been arrested.

Lee said prosecutors were not withholding evidence from the attorneys and said they had proven probable cause.

Judge Thrash did find there was probable cause to send the case to a grand jury, saying: I do not believe this is the proper time to weigh in on whether it was self-defense. Im going to leave that to trial if it makes it that far.

But I would say this, (defense) council makes an interesting argument in that they have asked for certain things and have not been told certain things, the judge said. I dont know but it sounds like they were not told a shooting had occurred involving the same people.

Emory told the court that he doesnt think a jury will convict the brothers and said they should at least be given a reasonable bond under the circumstances.

The prosecutors disagreed.

These defendants are a danger to the community, Lee said. These are very violent cases. They were waiting for these people to come up and they shot and killed Tatyanna Hannah.

Thrash took the issue of bond under advisement.

The Fullers are the older brothers of a 15-year-old charged with murder in the June 27 shooting death of his girlfriend  Jani Cupcake Barker - two days prior to Hannahs slaying.

Janis sister, Syna Barker, was in the vehicle with Hannah when the 17-year-old was killed.

Jefferson County sheriffs Det. Jeremy Reed was the lone witness during Fridays hearing.

Reed said patrol deputies told him they found a blue sedan that had crashed into a tree and come under gunfire.

Two victims were found shot multiple times - Hannah in the back seat, and Syna Barkers boyfriend, Noah Mack, who had been driving the vehicle.

Reed said a neighbor had recorded part of the aftermath of the shooting through her window on her cell phone. He spoke with that neighbor, as well as Barker and another juvenile female who was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

Barker told investigators the group was running errands but were headed back to Barkers home after being summoned there by her mother.

They observed two individuals standing with firearms on the sidewalk, Reed said. Those two men with guns were later identified as the Fuller brothers, and the detective said one was holding a pistol and the other was holding a short-barreled AR rifle.

Barker said they tried to leave, made a U-turn but instead struck a tree. At which point the gunmen opened fire on their vehicle, Reed said.

Reed said the other juvenile female in the car provided the same account of what happened.

Reed said he also spoke at some point with KeAndre Fuller but said KeAutay Fuller would not speak with him.

Tatyanna Hannah (Contributed)

Reed said he interviewed Barker on three separate occasions. It was in one of the later interviews, and only when asked, that Barker said she had been in a different vehicle  a black crossover SUV - minutes earlier when her friend  the other juvenile female  had used a pistol to fire a shot a KeAndre Fuller.

The two shootings took place roughly eight minutes apart.

In the first vehicle  the black SUV  was Barker, Hannah, Barkers female cousin, the driver and the juvenile female. They were initially going to run errands but they went home to get Barkers wallet.

As they were driving, they spotted KeAndre Fuller, and at that point the juvenile fired one round through an open window at Fuller.

In the third interview with Barker, Reed testified, she was asked if she knew if the juvenile female still had a gun once they had gotten out of the SUV and into the blue sedan. She stated she believed she was but was not sure, Reed said.

The shot fired at KeAndre Fuller was captured on store surveillance footage at a nearby Citgo on Valley Road.

Reed said the video showed the SUV pass the gas station and KeAndre Fuller walking through an alley and onto the parking lot.

He suddenly appears to dive for cover behind a vehicle there, and several other people seem to look around as if something unexpected occurred, he said, adding that his training led him to believe it was a gunshot.

KeAndre Fuller is then seen running, as if hes pursuing the vehicle, Reed said.

He said another vehicle then showed up, a man got out and ran up the alley. He said the two met in the alley and then walked back toward Avenue C together.

He said after the shooting at the blue sedan, he said the brothers were seen running, both armed, toward the Citgo gas station.

Reed said Barkers mother and her uncle heard multiple shots shortly after she had called Barker and told her to come home. The mother and uncle went to the scene.

Theyd had another family member killed just days before (15-year-old Jani Barker) and they were worried that this may be possibly related to something that happened that day, Reed said.

As they exited their vehicle, Barkers uncle told Reed that he was approached by the two gunmen and told them he didnt want any trouble, he was just checking on the occupants of the sedan.

Reed said when he himself got to the scene, he found multiple spent shell casings, and the sedan had multiple bullet holes.

Several projectiles were also recovered from the back floorboard of the sedan, as well as several shell casings.

Reed said the juvenile girl  who was in both the SUV and blue sedan  was charged with attempted murder of KeAndre Fuller in connection with the shot fired out of the SUV.

He said they did not recover any weapons in connection with the deadly shooting.

After the shooting, the brothers ran back to Citgo .KeAndre got into a truck and left. KeAutray ran somewhere else.

Both were taken into custody about a week later.

Anthony asked the detective when he first received the Citgo video of someone shooting at his client. Reed said that video was received several weeks later but couldnt give Anthony an exact date.

This started out with these people shooting at my client, correct? Anthony said.

Reed replied, Some people shooting at your client.

The detective acknowledged under questioning that they did not have the Citgo video of KeAndre Fuller being shot at when they obtained the capital murder warrants against the twins, but said he did later make the district attorneys office aware of that.

Anthony questioned why Barker, Hannah and friends were just 20 yards from where Fuller lived when they were shot. Defense attorneys also asked the detective if they had seen a video of someone taking a gun out of the blue sedan after the deadly shooting.

I have not seen such a video, Reed said, but if you have such a video, Id love to see it.

Anthony also asked the detective if KeAndre Fuller had told him he fired in self-defense. He stated several things, one that he was shooting in self-defense, Reed said.

Griffin also asked the detective about the video of someone taking a gun out of the car before deputies arrived on the scene.

Attorneys asked the detective if they asked Barker whether someone had fired a gun from their vehicle, and Reed said he told them everything happened so quickly.

Only the people involved really know what happened out there, Reed said.
Two members of news leadership and two staffers at Michigans WOOD TV8 have been fired after a leaked newsroom memo directed a scale back of LGBTQ Pride month event coverage to cow to unhappy viewers, according to reports.

According to media news outlet The Desk, WOOD TV News Director Stanton Tang and Assistant News Director Amy Fox were fired this week for their role in drafting and sending out the memo to staff earlier this month.

Two executive producers, Luke Stier and Madeline Odle, were also fired after Nexstar Media Group, the corporate parent of WOOD TV, accused the pair of leaking the memo to news media, according to The Desk.

Tang could not immediately be reached for comment. On social media, he posted that he left his position.

Nexstar corporate communications did not return calls for comment. Odle declined to comment.

Stier and Odle on social media Friday, June 30, confirmed they were no longer at WOOD TV. In a joint statement, the pair said they have been told their non-compete clauses remain in effect, potentially barring them from working at other newsrooms in the area.

The memo, which The Desk reported was ordered by Tang and written and released to staff by Fox, stated the station had already done a number of valuable stories on Pride month-related events but that we have also started to hear pushback from viewers who are not happy to see those Pride-related stories.

Related: Staff push back after Michigan TV station seeks to scale back LGBTQ Pride coverage

We know that West Michigan is a conservative area in many ways, the memo, obtained by MLive/The Grand Rapids Press, stated. We need to recognize that some stories related to LGBTQ issues are going to be controversial and polarizing in our community. While you personally may not agree with a certain position, people are entitled to their opinions and they are our viewers.

The memo went on to say that if theres a news reason for a story, reporters should do it. But if its just more coverage of another Pride event, that may not be a good enough reason to do the story.

For Pride events that are covered, the memo asked staff to present both sides of the issue. The memo didnt outline what the opposing side of a Pride event is.

We should not cover every Pride event that we learn about, the memo from the assistant news director stated. We need to do some work to discern the newsworthy-ness of the event.

If we are covering pride events we need to consider how to make the story balanced and get both sides of the issues.

The memo was met with pushback from WOOD TV staff, a number of whom took to social media to publicly criticize it and voice their concerns.

State Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids, in a tweet Friday, June 30, applauded Nexstar for firing Tang and Fox but called on the company to reinstate Stier and Odle.

However, Nexstar Medias decision to fire the courageous whistleblowers  Luke Stier and Madeline Odle  is wrong, Skaggs said. The termination of journalists, simply because they wanted to inform us about the diverse human interests of our community cannot stand.

Nexstar previously issued an apology following the leak of the memo, saying it wasnt consistent with the companys values and that they would be taking appropriate action as necessary to address the situation.
Elevation Church has shed its decades-long affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention nearly two weeks after the convention upheld earlier decisions to expel churches with women pastors.

A letter from the North Carolina-based church this week, sent to the convention Monday, does not directly state its reasons for leaving the band of more than 50,000 churches affiliated the convention  58 of which are in the Charlotte-area.

It does, however, state that our Statement of Beliefs on our website is very much in line with the Baptist Faith and Message  we have no intention of changing those core beliefs.

Pastor Steven and Holly Furtick founded Elevation Church in 2006, and Holly occasional takes the stage to preach at the churches, according to Hollys website.

The two live in Charlotte with their three children and lead the churchs 11 North Carolina locations, along with one three in South Carolina, one in Virginia, two in Florida and two in Canada, according to its website.

Its locations drew an average of 26,000 worshipers per week in 2022, seventh most among Protestant churches and one behind Saddleback Church, according to the Outreach 100, an annual survey by Outreach magazine.

California-based Saddleback Church and Kentucky-based Fern Creek Baptist Church were both ousted from the convention for allowing women pastors  a violation of its statement of faith.

We have no plans to make a public announcement on this decision  we have too much to do in reaching a world that needs the love of Jesus, Elevation Church said in its letter to the convention. Should your Credentials Committee decide to make this decision by Elevation public, we will only respond with a copy of this letter in anyone inquiring about the notification.

2023 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Repeatedly poking and prodding a death row inmate to find a vein for a lethal injection does not violate the Constitution, Alabama argued Friday in asking a federal court to dismiss death row inmate James Barbers lawsuit to stop his July execution.

Barbers legal team has asked a federal court in Montgomery to prohibit the state from killing him using lethal injection, arguing he should be put to death only using nitrogen gas. He said he was likely to suffer pain if killed via lethal injection and calling the 2022 controversial execution of Joe Nathan James Jr., and the called-off executions of Alan Miller and Kenneth Smith in the fall of 2022, botched.

But in Fridays motion to U.S. District Chief Judge Emily C. Marks the Alabama Attorney Generals Office states that Barbers claim is wholly founded on a hypothetical and speculative claim: that his execution will follow the allegedly flawed course of the preparations for one recent execution and the unsuccessful preparations for two subsequent executions, despite the many successful executions that Alabama has carried out and the recent improvements to Alabamas lethal injection protocol.

Also, citing court rulings, the Attorney Generals Office argues that starting the intravenous line for the lethal injection by poking and prodding him with needles does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Barber alleges that he will endure pain if subjected to lethal injection in the future. But being repeatedly prick[ed]  with a needle is not cruel and unusual punishment and this claim is due to be dismissed.

The Eighth Amendment also does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death, the motion states, citing a previous 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.

Barber is also too late to challenge his method of execution, the Attorney Generals Office argues.

An attorney representing Barber had not responded to a request for comment about the Attorney Generals motion to dismiss as of Friday evening.

Barbers lawsuit calls nitrogen hypoxia a readily available alternative. The nitrogen hypoxia method of execution, however, has never been tried before by any state. That method was approved by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018.

In June, the Alabama Attorney Generals Office claimed Barbers July execution could be carried out using the new method, where an inmate would theoretically die by breathing in pure nitrogen without any source of oxygen and suffocating. But soon after the agency made their claim, the Alabama Department of Corrections told AL.com they were not ready to start nitrogen executions.

The protocol for carrying out executions by this method is not yet complete, an ADOC spokesperson said June 26.

Barber is set to die at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore sometime between midnight July 20 and 6 a.m. on July 21, rather than a specific date and time, under a new 30-hour-window protocol set by the state.

Barber, 64, was convicted in Madison County for the 2001 slaying of 75-year-old Dorothy Epps. Epps was beaten to death with Barbers fists and a claw hammer in her Harvest home, according to court records. She suffered multiple skull fractures, head lacerations, brain bleeding, and rib fractures.

AL.com reporter Ivana Hrynkiw contributed to this report
Pelham police are warning against impaired driving after a series of crashes left several people, including a Pelham police officer, seriously injured over the holiday weekend.

Pelham Police Chief Brent Sugg said officer Elizabeth Minter was directing traffic around a crash at Mile Marker 242 on Interstate 65 southbound shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday when she was knocked out of her boots by a speeding vehicle.

The driver had ignored traffic control vests and emergency lights and was going about 80 mph, Sugg said during a news conference Saturday. The driver was taken into custody shortly after the crash, though details about charges were still pending an investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Minter was quickly attended to by local officers and firefighters and transported to UAB Hospital. She was conscious and alert, in stable condition awaiting surgery Saturday afternoon, Sugg said. She has multiple injuries and likely faces a long road to recovery, he said.

She is struggling right now. Her family is struggling. Our department is struggling, because this young officer was just simply doing her job, Sugg said.

Sugg said Pelham has been dealing with a significant number of impaired driving incidents over the holiday weekend, including at least two other crashes that likely involved drugs and alcohol.

Before she was struck, Minter and two other officers were at the scene of a three-vehicle wreck caused by a driver going the wrong way on the interstate at a high speed.

Occupants were injured and transferred to a local hospital, but authorities did not provide any additional information. Both collisions are being investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Friday at the same location, I-65 southbound around Mile Marker 242, Pelham police received many reports of a vehicle driving into center wall multiple times. When officers got to the vehicle, Sugg said, they found the driver and passenger  a father and son  had overdosed on fentanyl.

Officers administered multiple doses of Narcan, the chief said, and the men were revived, taken to a hospital then later to the jail. The charges in that case were also not available.

This series of events deserves a response from all first responders reminding people to enjoy an excellent weekend celebrating the independence of this great nation, but we need to do so responsibly, Sugg said. Put your phone down, be responsible with your use of alcohol, avoid any illegal substances, use rideshare services and slow down.

All of these events had one thing in common and that was drugs and alcohol, he added. Today it was our family that was impacted. Tomorrow it may be your family. You need to hold yourself and others accountable, so law enforcement will not have to hold you accountable.

The Minter family has set up a GoFundMe page, and the Pelham Police Department is also accepting donations to go toward the officers recovery.
Chinese Mines across Zimbabwe have been labeled as death traps due to the number of fatalities that are recorded at the mines across the country.

This came out during the Hwange Kamandama Disaster commemorations held in Manicaland recently where unions and other stakeholders in the mining sector said there was need for action to address the challenge.

The Chinese control a number of gold, diamond, lithium extraction in Zimbabwe as well as other minerals.

Following shocking deaths and freaky accident rates at Chinese lithium and gold mines across Zimbabwe, the latest being the death of two miners at Arcadia Mine, a Chinese owned lithium located in the depths of Goromonzi Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) revealed shocking statistics that have been termed by the umbrella body as depressing and incorrect.

Our efforts as trade unions to contain workplace accidents are being frustrated by capital particularly employers in mining and metal fabrication industries where the Chinese are dominating. We are seized with depressing statistics of workplace accidents. The period from January to April 2023 have 1454 recorded serious injuries and 24 fatalities, read a statement by ZCTU.

Further inquiry by this publication indicates that 4800 accidents and 75 fatalities were booked in the year 2022 while the previous year recorded 5641 accidents and 42 fatalities.

Reports from reliable sources revealed that Chinese run mines subject workers to inadequate protective clothing. Some even go the extent of failing to supply PPE which is mandatory when operating in an extractive industry as stipulated by Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

However, we are aware that these are not the actual statistics, a lot of accidents go unreported owing to carefree attitude of the foreign crop of employers we are battling with. These trends are worrisome, added the statement.

TellZim News got in touch with a former worker at AN-JIN mine located in Marange who spoke on condition of anonymity who the Chinese were only concerned by profit ahead of workers welfare.

Chinese are profit driven; they will do anything to extract minerals even if it means ignoring the proper safety standards. At times they ignore our labor law and SHE regulations. All they care about is money, said the worker

Center for Research Development (CRD) Director James Mupfumi said Chinese mining companies like AN-JIN were enemies of the environment, livestock and lives of locals in Manicaland.

All villages where AN-JIN operated in Marange are now malaria infested because no rehabilitation that took place. People and livestock have died from drowning in unprotected slime Damiani open pits. AN-JIN has not been involved in government efforts to combat malaria in Marange, said Mupfumi.

National Mine Workers of Zimbabwe (NMWZ) Legal Officer Kevin Mawoyo said that disaster preparedness in mines has nothing to admire.

When it comes to disaster preparedness in our mines leaves a lot to be desired given the lack of commitment in the issues of occupational health and safety. Chinese are more concerned with profit making than healthy and safety or well-being of employees,

The issue of offering protective clothing is not well articulated by foreign mine owners who are dominating the sector. The rate at which accidents are taking place is alarming as result of non-compliance with safety standards, said Mawoyo

Initiations between unions and relevant stakeholder groups have exposed the safety shenanigans marauding Chinese own mines of late. Chief among the cases is the bipartite effort between National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and unions in exposing Sunny Yi FENG, Manhidze Steel Plant and Bikita Minerals. TellZimNews
The two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination courted conservative women at the Moms for Liberty conference in Philadelphia on Friday, elevating a group that has gained substantial influence within the GOP with its fierce opposition to instruction related to race and gender identity in the nations classrooms.

Both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared eager to out-flank the other as they labeled gender-affirming care mutilation and talked up their efforts to eliminate critical race theory. DeSantis vowed to fight the woke, while Trump blasted what he called the toxic poison of gender ideology and sick creed of woke communism.

While the graphic rhetoric resonates with the most active part of the GOP base, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception both received, it could turn off more moderate voters in a general election.

The group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics. But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an extremist organization for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference, being held at a downtown hotel, nonetheless drew a handful of leading Republican presidential candidates.

Trump accused the radical left of slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.

But Moms for Liberty is no hate group, he said. You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. Youre not a threat to America.

Trump told them that if he wins a second term he would sign an executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children. He called for the direct election  and firing  of school principals by parents.

Trump tells Moms for Liberty that as President he will allow parents to elect the Principals of schools every year, so if they dont like a school Principal they can vote them out of the job. pic.twitter.com/QEdpMYqR3E  Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 30, 2023

I will fight for the direct election of school principals by parents so that if you have a lousy principal, and you got some beauties out, but if you have a bad principal who is not getting the job done the parents will under the Trump administration be allowed to vote to fire that principal, Trump said.

DeSantis praised the group for coming under attack by the left, saying it was a sign that we are winning this fight. He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to fight the woke as president.

I think what weve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And theyre ready to roll, he said, predicting moms would be the key political force for this 2024 cycle.

2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the country finally fight back, he said.

After his speech, Trump made a stop at Pats King of Steaks, a local Philadelphia institution, where he posed for photos and signed autographs for fans.

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major political player. The group says it doesnt plan to endorse any presidential candidate in 2024.

Moms for Liberty has transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states. Along the way, it has found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a liberty sword at the groups first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that it supported.

Though Moms for Liberty says it is nonpartisan, it has overwhelmingly drawn conservative support. The group also has fought to elect conservative candidates to school boards around the country.

While the groups status as a 501(c)4 nonprofit means it doesnt have to disclose its funders, its public donors include conservative powerhouses such as the Heritage Foundation and the Leadership Institute, a national political training organization.

Mom for Libertys Florida-based PAC also has received a $50,000 donation from Julie Fancelli, a Republican donor whose family owns Publix grocery stores and who helped fund Trumps Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, according to House Jan. 6 committee findings. Fancelli didnt respond to a request for comment.
The University of Alabama received a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to combat the shortage of nursing educators in Alabama.

The BAMA DIstance project (DI stands for diversity and inclusion) will work with historically Black colleges and universities and community colleges to add up to 80 nursing students who want to pursue masters and doctorate degrees over the next several years. The grant provides tuition assistance for nursing students and expands employer partnerships to provide paid internships.

Dr. Susan Welch, associate professor at the Capstone College of Nursing, secured the funding because of the lack of diverse nursing faculty. She said only about 10% of nursing educators in Alabama are from underrepresented communities.

Ive been in nursing education a long time and heard a lot of conversation about the need to diversify nurse educators, Welch said. She decided it was time for action and to be bold about that need.

A lack of nursing faculty is a direct cause of the overall nursing shortage. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 91,938 qualified applications were turned away in 2021 from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs because of insufficient faculty, clinical sites, and classroom space.

The schools UA will work with include Tuskegee University, Reid State Technical College, Lawson State Community College, Jefferson State Community College, Bevill State Community College, and Coastal Alabama Community College. The grant program will also expand nursing student wellness and leadership opportunities.

(We) need to diversify our nurse educators in the state, so that we can have culturally competent health care in the state and break down barriers for any inequality with our health care access, Welch said.

Recruitment has already begun, and the deadline is October 15. Interested applicants should contact Vickie Samuel, coordinator for graduate student services.
Indiana Jones is back in theaters  and while he isnt stealing the Vulcans torch, there is an Alabama connection in his newest adventure.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opened Friday in theaters, with Harrison Ford reprising his role as the whip-cracking, globe-trotting archeologist Dr. Henry Indiana Jones Jr. Phoebe Waller-Bridge co-stars as Jones goddaughter, Helena, with Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas also starring.

If youre trying to avoid spoilers, you might stop here.

Alabama comes in once we encounter the villain  Jurgen Voller, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen. The character is later identified as Professor Schmidt, who teaches at Alabama University.

Voller first encounters Indiana Jones in Germany in 1944 in the movies first third, only later to reappear as Professor Schmidt in New York City in 1969 on the day that the Apollo 11 astronauts are given a ticker-tape parade through the streets of Manhattan. Thats also the day that Dr. Jones retires from teaching at Hunter College.

Why is Schmidt at the parade? Because he was supposedly instrumental in bringing the moon landing to a successful conclusion.

Later, as Vollers ominous plan takes shape and he is taken by the CIA, he says, Im not going back to Alabama!

See also: Is Indiana Jones 5s villain based on a historical Alabama icon?

Voller was partially inspired by Wernher von Braun, the pioneering and revered late director of NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center. A handsome, charismatic face of rocketry and science, von Braun guided Americas Apollo 11 spaceflight mission to the moon.

In the process Huntsville became The Rocket City.

But von Brauns legacy is complicated. Earlier in his life, hed been a member of the Nazi party and during World War II developed the V2 rocket, which killed tens of thousands of people. He was taken into custody after the war by the U.S. military in a highly classified program that spirited other German scientists to America and out of the reach of the Soviet Union.

A bio on NASAs website reads, Von Braun was a member of the Nazi Party and an SS officer, yet was also arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 for careless remarks he made about the war and the rocket. His responsibility for the crimes connected to rocket production is controversial.

And von Braun was instrumental in the transformation of one Alabama university  University of Alabama in Hunstville. In 1961, von Braun asked the Alabama Legislature to provide funding for a research institute with advanced engineering and science programs, the UAH Research Institute.

Its not the first time von Braun has inspired pop culture. He was a key plot point in the Amazon series Hunters, which depicts a band of vigilante Nazi assassins.
Fred has been in Jayden Cannons backyard in Ross Bridge for eight years without a complaint.

Until Wednesday, when Jayden, a 17-year-old rising senior at Hoover High School, was warned by the Ross Bridge Homeowners Association that Fred needs to leave the community, the teen told AL.com.

Fred hasnt been late on HOA dues or causing fights with neighbors or making excessive noise.

Fred is being served with an eviction notice because he is a Sulcata tortoise -- a reptile among the list of unacceptable pets at Ross Bridge, according to Jayden and his family.

Efforts to reach the Ross Bridge HOA were unsuccessful.

Jayden said he and his family, who have lived in Ross Bridge for 13 years, have no idea who made the complaint, but we think they just saw him in the neighborhood, and someone reported it.

The teen became interested in the idea of a pet tortoise when his brother showed him a video of the reptile in action.

On Christmas 2015, Jayden asked his parents for a tortoise. Fred has been a loyal friend since then.

Hes ok with me touching him. But anyone else, hes shy, Jayden said.

The tortoise has even saved the teen from having to mow the backyard due to his snacking habits.

I havent had to cut the grass in three years, said Jayden.

Funds are being raised to help Jayden fight the Ross Bridge HOA.

He said he believes he has a strong case because he got Fred before the HOA banned tortoises, adding that other Ross Bridge residents have unapproved pets like ferrets and snakes.

We should be grandfathered in, he said. I think well work it out with the HOA.

Jayden Cannon with Fred the tortoise

An Instagram page  save_fredthetortoise  has been created to rally supporters, and $1,200 has been raised for legal fees through pre-sales of Save Fred t-shirts, Jayden said.

Any leftover funds will be used for a party for Ross Bridge residents to meet Fred.

Residents from Hoover and beyond have rallied around Jayden.

A mild, meek, super sweet pet tortoise named Fred has been with a family for 8 years. He stays in his backyard, and is a superstar with the neighborhood children (& parents). Because tortoise is not on the approved pets list, The Home Owners Association (aka HOA) has asked Freds family to get rid of him!! posted Hoover resident Lynn Lindsey on Facebook.

She called the eviction notice a travesty.

Mountain Brook resident Rob Conrad, who showed off his own pet tortoise, Miss Dickey, also displayed his support for Jayden.

Its an outrage that the Ross Bridge HOA wants Fred the Tortoise evicted. Help save Fred and keep him with his family, Miss Dickie is going to help Fred by spreading the word, he wrote on Facebook.

Jayden said he is optimistic the event wont be a sendoff for Fred, who would stay with Jaydens father in Helena if the HOA evicts the tortoise.

Whatever the result, Jayden said the outpouring of support has been heartwarming.

I think its awesome, he said. I think its really, really cool.
Since the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Democrats and their media lackeys have crafted a narrative that they, and only they, are defenders of democracy against encroaching fascism, authoritarianism, and institutional racism. They have also complained about the anti-institutionalism of MAGA Republicans who supposedly threaten Americas institutions and rule of law. Of course, this is a big lie considering the constant demeaning of the Supreme Court as illegitimate and not normal.

To Democrats, democracy means getting everything they want and making sure conservatives, Republicans, and especially Christians never get anything they want. Democracy is simply a magical abracadabra word, having now taken on sacred and mystical feeling, to be utilized as a bludgeoning force of bloviated rhetoric to legitimize their totalitarian impulses and policies. They want to strongarm the Court with threats to rule in their favor. If the Court does so, no problem.

The hypocrisy of Democrats is nothing new. But it cannot ever be set aside. In the war for our democracys future it is not the Democrats but the Republicans who, if they should be courageous and not cowardly like Paul Ryan, are standing up for a free, prosperous, and individualistic future. Reading some Alexis de Tocqueville is illustrative on this point.

In the 1830s, the French aristocrat who came to America to report on the prison system ended up writing his most famous work about his travels across Americas political and cultural landscape. Democracy in America was an instant success and has since become a classic text that analyzes the uniqueness of America in comparison to Europe.

For Tocqueville, democracy meant the individual was free to improve his life -- morally, economically, and spiritually -- without the fear of state coercion or even collective coercion from the masses. Democracy existed within the republican framework of laws and institutions. In fact, it was precisely this reality of free individuals existing within a republican legal framework with which Tocqueville was most enamored and considered the pillar of American democracy:

Nothing is more striking to a European traveler in the United States than the absence of what we term the Government, or Administration. Written laws exist in America and one sees that they are daily executed; but although everything is in motion, the hand which gives the impulse to the social machine can nowhere be discovered.

The Supreme Court, with its 6-3 majority that was established because of the Trump Presidency, has been ruling in accord with the best democratic principles and ideals that inspired the world from Tocqueville to today. The Court is restoring free individuals under the Constitution to live in liberty without the coercive collectivism of the Government or Administration, the managerial bureaucracy (social machine, per Tocquevilles language) erected from the New Deal and Great Society agendas of FDR and LBJ, imposing its singular vision over life.

By upholding religious freedom from government coercion per the First Amendment, by upholding the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and by returning critical issues to the states per the 10th Amendment, the Supreme Court is ensuring democratic freedom for individuals instead of the subjugated collectivism of the social machine which is the current woke bureaucracy and their mass of lawyers, teachers, and activists who dominate American cultural and institutional life.

Because a conservative Supreme Court is defending democracy and ensuring American liberty instead of the collective totalitarianism of woke progressivism, which totalitarian Democrats call democracy and freedom to obscure their true purposes, Democrats and their sycophants in the media (and especially social media) are in a rageful hysteria demeaning the Court, attacking Clarence Thomas, and constantly asserting the Courts rulings make it illegitimate. So much for defending democracy and democratic institutions! We cannot let their narrative campaign win.

Since the failure of the totalitarian revolutions of the 20th century which captured the hearts and minds of most intellectuals -- as Czesaw Miosz explained -- the new totalitarians who dream of utopia have had to make public peace with democratic capitalism. But this is just a mere facade, a veil, to hide their continuing totalitarian desires. Deep down, they still desire to control you, destroy your family, and eliminate as many individual rights and freedoms as possible.

In order to save democracy, screw your freedom! In order to save democracy we must end religious freedom, or what totalitarians call religious discrimination and Christian nationalism. In order to save democracy we must end economic freedom. In order to save democracy, we must become a totalitarian uniparty state where that uniparty knows what is best for everyone!

Democrats have been fomenting rage against America, American institutions, and American law for decades. They have been slowly destroying American democracy from the inside by claiming it is racist, sexist, and patriarchal. And then they lie about being the saviors of democracy.

Standing up for the legitimacy of the Court is imperative. If the totalitarians succeed in indoctrinating people into thinking the Court is illegitimate, then the last bastion of the rule of law, democratic freedom, and the Constitution which protects us from government collectivism, will be overthrown in a soft coup detat. This, however, is the intention of Democrat totalitarians and their enablers. Thank God the Supreme Court, because of Trumps appointees, is standing against them.

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: Library of Congress
Most Americans and other observers around the world are still trying to figure out what happened last week in Russia and what it portends for the future. Why did the Russian mercenary force known as the Wagner Group march almost all the way to Moscow, then suddenly stop to avoid bloodshed and make a deal? What does it mean for Putin and Russias future? Why was the head of the Wagner Group, former criminal Yevgeny Prigozhin, allowed to go into exile in neighboring Belarus? While there is a lot that is still murky, a more complete picture is starting to emerge. Even though official charges against Prigozhin have reportedly been dropped, many already speculate that his days are numbered, and that may very well be true: over the years, Putin has destroyed many other potential rivals or threats to his regime for far less. But events in a mafia-state often proceed along a different pathway than what most Westerners might expect.

Prigozhin has emphasized that his goal with this little rebellion was to make a point and to appeal to Putin -- not to oppose him. And make a point he did! While Russians and the rest of the world were shocked at his lightning advance from Rostov-on-Don to the outskirts of the capital, his life-or-death gamble was entirely in character for a brutal but respected thug who has a flair for the dramatic. The man who was once known as Putins chef developing exotic dishes for Russian elites is also known for executing deserters from his prisoner-for-hire group with a sledgehammer.

There are still many moving parts to what is now happening in Russia, but the bottom line is that Putins power and authority are now much diminished prior to what they were before Prigozhins non-insurrection insurrection. If Putin were working from a position of strength, he certainly would not have denounced Wagner soldiers as traitors and betrayers one day and then worked out a deal with them the next. If Russian military forces right now were in good shape, Prigozhin and much of the Wagner leadership would probably have been lined up and shot and the rest sent back to prison (which is where many of them came from originally). But the Russian military is not good shape -- it is under great stress, which is one of the reasons Prigozhin rebelled (along with the fact that some of his forces then in Ukraine were purportedly fired upon with missile attacks from the regular Russian military -- which, if true, would be deliberate fratricide). Meanwhile, we have senior Russian generals disappearing and rumors of a purge -- not exactly a vote of confidence in the leadership of the military.

The reality is that Russia still has uses for the Wagner Group, both at home and abroad, although it has clearly become more trouble than it is worth as presently constituted. Putins people clearly cant control it anymore, which is why the deal with Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to take Prigozhin and the Wagnerites in makes so much sense. It was a deal that may have been struck by Aleksey Dyumin, a former Putin bodyguard and current governor of Tula Oblast -- the area through which Prigozhins forces were moving as they approached Moscow. Dyumin knows all the players.

Wagnerites have been offered the opportunity to either: join Prigozhin in Belarus, go back to their homes in Russia, or sign contracts and officially join the Russian military. I dont think many will choose the latter. Without Prigozhins protection, most will have no desire to become cannon fodder in Ukraine or to be viewed as dangerous and untrustworthy by their fellow soldiers and commanders -- marked men, in other words. Signing a military contract is probably a non-starter for most of them, unless theyre desperate.

Many probably have no home to go to back in Russia. A great number of them were recruited by Prigozhin right out of prison. Most remain fiercely loyal to Prigozhin personally. The most dedicated will likely try to join him in Belarus. Perhaps some will sign on with other smaller mercenary groups or disappear into crime gangs or other organizations within Russia as experienced guns-for-hire.

Sending the Wagner Group to Belarus without destroying it entirely solves several problems.

Lukashenko, according to press reporting, is already saying that the Wagner Group will, at a minimum, advise and consult the Belarusian military. Such a move preserves battled-hardened veterans that Russia might later want to call on again in its war in Ukraine. It solves the military command and control problem that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) had with Prigozhin. It strengthens Belarusian military expertise at little or no cost to Russia. Both sides -- Russia and Belarus -- are in each others debt for the deal. But how will all of this impact the war in Ukraine?

In the short run, Russian military strength in Russian-occupied areas in the south of Ukraine where there is current fighting has been diminished by the withdrawal of Wagner forces. Hopefully, Ukraines counteroffensive will soon make great gains during this time of uncertainty. Will Russia be able to hold onto Crimea? I believe that Crimea is now in play in this horrible war, which to this day cannot legally be called a war within Russia itself.

Putin desperately needs some sort of victory to strengthen his grip on power. This is where Belarus and the Wagner Group come in. The Wagner Groups time spent in southern Ukraine -- they reportedly sustained enormous casualties against Ukrainian fighters in the fighting around Bakhmut -- had already run its course. Prigozhin himself was clearly sick to death of Russian MOD excuses and failures to adequately support his forces. By removing Wagner forces to Belarus, Russia could potentially later open up a new strategic front against Ukraine. The biggest prize of the war, of course, remains Ukraines capital, Kiev (Kyiv). It seems unlikely at this point that Russia could mount a successful offensive to take the city, but having substantial Wagner forces in Belarus (if that does occur) could alter the calculus of war somewhat and push Ukraine to divert additional forces to protect the capital. Ironically, Kiev is just about the same distance from the Belarusian border as Wagner Group forces were from entering Moscow when Prigozhin halted their advance!

The Prigozhin-Wagner episode has revealed many fault lines in the current power structure in Russia. Putins power will likely continue to diminish without a major victory in Ukraine, which seems increasingly unlikely. He will likely become even more repressive within Russia as he feels his power slipping away. We could be witnessing the early stages of what will eventually emerge as the post-Putin era.

A.J. Melnick is a former Pentagon Soviet/Russian affairs analyst.

Image: Noorullah21
Much is being said about Trump's handling of classified information. But what about Obama's?

Remember Obama's leaks?

On October 14, 2020, Arutz 7 reported:

On June 4, 2012, Arutz 7 reported:

U.S. senator John McCain on the weekend accused President Barack Obama's administration of leaking the report of Obama's approval of cyber-attacks against Iran in a bid for pre-election glory. AFP quoted McCain as having told reporters in Singapore, where he was attending a conference on Asian security, "Again we see these leaks to the media about ongoing operations, which is incredibly disturbing. Doesn't this give some benefit to our adversaries?"

McCain also pointed to previous leaks that revealed details of last year's U.S. raid that led to the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. He was responding to a New York Times report from Friday which said that Obama ordered the Stuxnet virus attack on Iran in 2010, as part of a wave of cyber sabotage and espionage against the would-be nuclear power.

The report was based on a new book, citing senior Washington sources, which chronicles secret wars under the Obama administration. The book, "Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power", was written by David Sanger. The Stuxnet virus, aimed at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was designed to damage centrifuges by making covert adjustments to the machines controlling them. It was part of a "wave" of digital attacks on Iran, codenamed "Olympic Games" and was created with the assistance of a secret Israeli intelligence unit, the book says.

McCain, who is the most senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in response to the report, "We know the leaks have to come from the administration. And so we're at the point where perhaps we need an investigation. So this is kind of a pattern in order to hype the national security credentials of the president, and every administration does it. But I think this administration has taken it to a new level." While he admitted that the president has the authority to carry out such operations, McCain said most presidents would discuss them with a "select few leaders of Congress." He added that the White House did not brief U.S. lawmakers about the cyber-attacks.

The report on Obama's role in the Stuxnet attack came several days after Iranian security experts reported that Flame, a virus far more dangerous than the Stuxnet worm, struck the country's computer systems. The virus, described by the Kaspersky Internet security firm as the "most sophisticated cyber-weapon yet unleashed", struck at least 600 specific computersystems in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority. Iran later admitted that its oil industry was briefly affected by Flame, but claimed that Iranian experts had detected and defeated the virus.
Over the past few years, BlackRock CEO and chairman Larry Fink has been an unapologetic champion of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, also known as "stakeholder capitalism."

BlackRock states that it incorporates "financially material environmental, social, and/or governance information into investment research and decision-making, based on the conviction that sustainability-integrated portfolios can provide better risk-adjusted returns to investors."

Fink has also mentioned that ESG/stakeholder capitalism is a primary element of BlackRock's long-term investment strategy in every single one of his annual letters to CEOs since 2018.

Yet, in recent days, Fink has changed his tune when it comes to ESG, saying, "I'm not going to use the word ESG because it's been misused by the far left and the far right." He added that ESG has been "weaponized" and that he is "ashamed" to be part of the ESG debate.

However, he quickly backtracked, claiming, "I never said I was ashamed. I'm not ashamed. I do believe in conscientious capitalism."

In effect, Fink is trying to blur the lines by playing semantic word games.

For all intents and purposes, ESG, stakeholder capitalism, and conscientious capitalism are synonyms for what Fink describes as the "power to shape society and act as a powerful catalyst for change."

Make no mistake: with more than $9 trillion in assets under management, including more than a 7-percent share in 95 percent of S&P 500 companies, BlackRock certainly has the wherewithal to "shape society" and enact "change."

In fact, under the guise of ESG/stakeholder capitalism, BlackRock (along with State Street and Vanguard) has already "shaped society" and produced wide-ranging "change" throughout the U.S. economy.

For example, BlackRock has flexed its muscle by forcing oil and gas companies to reduce fossil fuel production.

According to its website, "BlackRock believes that collaboration between investors, companies, regulators, and others is essential to improving the management of sustainability questions. We are a founding member of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and a signatory to the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment. BlackRock recently joined Climate Action 100+, and prior to joining, BlackRock was a member of the group's five sponsoring organizations. Climate Action 100+ is a group of investors that engages with companies to improve climate disclosure and align business strategy with the goals of the Paris Agreement."

BlackRock also uses its outsized financial clout, in collusion with Vanguard and State Street, to force major corporations to pursue "diversity audits" among many other types of non-pecuniary interests, under the banner of ESG/stakeholder capitalism.

The good news is that it seems as if BlackRock's ESG/stakeholder capitalism/conscientious capitalism jig is up. Over the past few years, several states have made it crystal-clear that they want nothing to do with ESG, or whatever else BlackRock may call it.

To date, states like Florida, Texas, and many more have pulled tens of billions of dollars from BlackRock due to its misguided ESG investment strategy.

As Gov. Ron DeSantis put it, "Florida will continue to lead the nation against big banks and corporate activists who've colluded to inject woke ideology into the global marketplace, regardless of the financial interests of beneficiaries."

It also should be noted that most Americans who are aware of ESG investing do not support it as a factor in investment decisions. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Americans, especially those who own stocks, want "only financial factors" to be considered when investment decisions are made.

Perhaps the concerted backlash against ESG is driving Fink to run away from the term. Nevertheless, whether he calls it "conscientious capitalism," "stakeholder capitalism," "sustainable investing," or anything else, it all is one and the same.

In my opinion, the most accurate term to describe all this nonsense is simple: "crony capitalism."

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.

Image: Christopher Michel.
JUDICIAL officials were this week said to be investigating the manner in which the four criminal charges levelled against former cabinet minister and presidential aspirant Saviour Kasukuwere were handled nearly four years ago.

The investigation is being conducted by the Judicial Service Commission, National Prosecuting Authority and Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

Kasukuwere fled the country after the army fired into his Borrowdale house on the night of the military coup in 2017.

He returned briefly in 2018, only to be arrested and brought before the courts on four charges of criminal abuse of office.

Kasukuwere was accused of instructing officials at the Ministry of Local Government to withdraw eight Good Hope offer letters, arguing that the government had other pressing needs for that land.

The state alleged that he later gave the land to other people.

Kasukuwere, a powerful figure in Zimbabwean politics during the late former president Robert Mugabe adminstration, was also accused of instructing officials to issue out an offer letter in the name of an unregistered companyallocating 20 hectares land allegedly unprocedurally.

Government also accused Kasukuwere of directing officials in the Local Government ministry to find land for Shuvai Gumbochuma in Masvingoshowing favour to the individual.

Another allegation levelled against the former Zanu PF political commissar was presiding over the selection of Brainworks Capital to offer services to government without going to tender.

Retired magistrate, Hosea Mujaya issued the first warrant of arrest on January 18 2019, after Kasukuwere defaulted court..

The second warrant was issued after Kasukuwere was given back his passport by the courts but failed to submit it back within the period stipulated.

The issue of the warrants of arrest resurfaced when Kasukuwere announced that he would be contesting in the presidential election on August 23 as an independent candidate.

His supporters say the warrants have been dusted off to block him from contesting in the elections.

This week, judicial sources said issues have been raised over the manner in which the cases were handled.

Questions are being asked about why the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided not to appeal against the ruling by the High Court and what happened thereafter, a source close to the developments said.

There is also an issue being raised querying how the High Court went on to hear a case on someone who had an existing warrant. There are a lot of questions being asked.

Another source said authorities kept the warrant alive to use it against him if ever he returned.

High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi dismissed four criminal abuse of office charges against Kasukuwere in August 2019.

In his ruling, Chitapi criticised lower courts for attempting to prosecute Kasukuwere without enough evidence to incriminate him.

With due respect to the first respondent (Mujaya), the ruling (Mujayas) does not show that he applied his mind to the legal issues raised in exception, the judge said.

Under the circumstances, adding that if fresh charges were to be made against the former minister, a different court ought to deal with the matter.

The charge sheet is accordingly quashed in respect of all four counts.

In the event that the (then) Prosecutor-General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi decides to prosecute the applicant on any amended charges, the fresh proceedings ought to be commenced before a different magistrate, Justice Chitapi added

Kasukuweres latest political moves, which have unsettled his former allies in Zanu PF, appeared to have triggered authorities to act.

The warrant was kept alive for administrative purposes and no magistrate signed it, one senior judicial official said.

This is a purely technical case because the warrant is still alive and Kasukuwere can be arrested despite the ruling by the High Court.

The state was smart on this issue because they knew the warrant would work in their favour if Kasukuwere wanted to come back.

Most people approached for comment on or off the record were not keen to discuss the matter.

Kasukuweres spokesperson Walter Mzembi, also a member of the G40 group that skipped the country after the coup, said at a press conference in South Africa that there was no warrant of arrest against his political ally.

Mzembi accused Virginia Mabhiza, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, of attempting to revive old arrest warrants for political gain.

A source in the judiciary told the Independent that: Those charges he claims were quashed were reformulated to deal with the defects that had led to the quashing in the first place.

The quashing did not acquit him at all. Those were technical objections that were dealt with before he was asked to plead.

He shouldnt give the impression that he was acquitted by the courts. That never happened. These legal problems are real.

Acting PG Nelson Mutsonziwa referred questions to acting deputy PG Michael Reza, who directed the Independent to Justin Uladi, who at the time was also acting deputy PG.

When contacted, Uladi told the Independent to speak to NPA spokesperson Angeline Munyeriwa, who said: I believe that those cases at Court are of public record.

It would be most helpful if you access them at the courts and read them so that you get the most appropriate picture and context as well as the background for the story you want to write.

Everything is in the records. We will be happy to clarify anything for you once you have read the documents filed of record at the courts, she added.

In an interview with State media, Mabhiza said Kasukuwere should submit himself before the laws of Zimbabwe.

When someone is issued with a warrant of arrest, they should submit it before the law. What he should do is submit himself before the law and seek cancellation of the warrants. He has his lawyers, so they should advise him on what he should do. His submission to the law is standard procedure, she said. Zimbabwe Independent
Under the news radar, two ugly power grabs from a pair of would-be Marxist dictators were announced yesterday from South America.

From socialist Venezuela:

CARACAS (Reuters) -Maria Corina Machado, one of the favorites to win the Venezuelan opposition's nomination for president in an October primary, has been barred from holding public office for 15 years, the country's controller general said in a letter. Machado, a 55-year-old industrial engineer and former lawmaker, is leading polling for the 13-candidate primary, convened to select a unity candidate to face socialist President Nicolas Maduro in a 2024 election. A previous ban placed on her has been expanded because Machado supported sanctions by the United States on the Maduro government and backed former opposition leader Juan Guaido, the letter said.

From socialist Brazil:

Brazil's far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro vowed Friday to appeal a court ruling barring him from public office for eight years over unfounded attacks he had made against the country's voting system. The ruling renders the 68-year-old ineligible to stand in the next presidential election in 2026 -- opening the contest for a new leader for Brazil's political right. Bolsonaro was tried by the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) over claims he made in a televised meeting with foreign diplomats in July 2022, during which he claimed electronic voting machines in use since 1996 compromised election transparency.

Sound like any place you might know?

It's like a Club of Three, given that the third person up for barring is President Trump.

He's in very good company with these top leaders, and vice versa.

What we have here is the entrenched left seeking to knock out its potential opposition after falling in the polls as election time beckons. The backdrop is years of economic and political mismanagement from the incumbents and the aim has been to achieve total, permanent power. If that can't be accomplished through elections, then the next step has been to shut the opposition down.

The grounds for the barrings in these South American incidents aren't accusations of taking, say, $30 million in bribe money. These were speech crimes, process crimes, flimsy pretexts never before seen back when these countries were functioning democracies. The political aims have been obvious to all. And it's no surprise that with these same incumbents in power, there also have been credible accusations of election fraud or suspected election fraud.

In the past, the U.S. would have spoken up about it, and called for fair elections, more civil society watchdogs, and stronger democratic institutions.

Today? Not so much, or rather, not from Joe Biden's White House.

Rigging has existed in both places, but the one thing that's different here is that these countries to our south have gotten pretty bold and brazen about barring opponents, not even trying to cover up the flimsy politicized pretexts for these ultimate power grabs.

That might just coincide with what's going on in the U.S., where the left has demonstrated that it will do anything -- anything -- to bar President Trump from re-running for office.

They like flimsy pretexts, too.

And while these countries are perfectly capable of commiting fraud on their own, one can't help but think maybe the Democrat adoption of these banana republic ways of keeping the oppositiion from power, might just be influencing their actions.

It's sad stuff, more of the ugly foreign policy influence of Joe Biden, who, as Bob Gates has said, has been wrong on just about every foreign policy issue.

Biden and his Democrats have opened the gates to these emboldened tyrannies to bar their opposition leaders on ridiculous grounds. The path to this sorry state of affairs, was paved by Democrats, who are still hammering away at their grand mastertask of barring President Trump from ever running for office, and barring American voters, from choosing the candidate that they want.

Image: Screen shot from AFP video on YouTube
Like a flamethrower, or maybe a broken greenie wind turbine, France's riots aren't really an issue of minority outrage against the police  they are spinning out of control.

Sure, the trigger was a police shooting of a North Africanorigin youth, which caught the elites off guard with their collective-guilt complex, but the sentiment here was never a call "change," or "justice," or however the press had it. It's about power, and burning it all down.

Some images:

BREAKING:



The riots have spread from France to Belgium.



The police have announced that more than 100 rioters were arrested after unrest in Brussels and Liege yesterday pic.twitter.com/JYjpNHCDTq  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) July 1, 2023

French police station under RPG attack. Chaos in France. Where is the useless president Macron? RPG means Rocket Propelled Grenade.pic.twitter.com/zo0s9C8Kkv  Fernando Amandi Sr. (@FernandoAmandi) July 1, 2023

Rioters in France setting an elementary school on fire with the help of a gasoline canister .



The damages from these riots will be in the billions of euros. pic.twitter.com/tO9xr8Xhgo  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) July 1, 2023

France's lawless immigrant population is burning down everything in its path.



The actions have nothing to do with justice and everything to do with their seething hatred for the country in general.pic.twitter.com/U8ZxK0gyGj  Xeriland (@Xeriland) July 1, 2023

Savages in France desecrate the Holocaust Memorial. Where is Macron? Tragicpic.twitter.com/3M4BNF4EWi  Fernando Amandi Sr. (@FernandoAmandi) July 1, 2023

A woman in France does a shopping haul style video on Snapchat showing off the goods she looted during the countrywide civil unrest in France. pic.twitter.com/U61NUlJoVk  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) July 1, 2023

Drivers dragged out of vehicles and beaten in dystopian France. The French do not have a 2nd Amendmentpic.twitter.com/v3yLnV6G9x  Fernando Amandi Sr. (@FernandoAmandi) July 1, 2023

A video of 41 petrified Chinese tourists stuck in the riots in Marseille last night is going viral in China.



Their bus repeatedly came under attack.



Many people on Chinese social media write that they will never travel to France after seeing this. pic.twitter.com/7JpuYbkLXs  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) July 1, 2023

Last night, the French protesters decided to free the animals in the zoo the whole city was filled with lions, goats and zebrasThis is horrifying the animals from zoo are in the whole city they can dangerous for all the people in the France #quranburning #FranceHasFallen #Paris pic.twitter.com/WdlPFLtrGK  Yash Barapatre (@YashBarapatre6) July 1, 2023

UPDATE: The tweet that had been in this place has been deleted as it depicted a movie scene unrelated to the riots.

Animals from zoos released by the rioters in France. Zebras, elephants and lions were seen in the streets.#FranceHasFallen pic.twitter.com/mALaYgMwCo  randy marvin (@ranpoool) July 1, 2023

How are French protesters getting their hands on heavy firearms? pic.twitter.com/k9nqO6bFfy  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 1, 2023

What possible "justice" could be obtained by burning down schools and libraries and letting zoo animals out of their enclosures?

Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum ridiculously claimed that Russia had slid into civil war during the tempest-in-a-teapot Prigozhin mutiny. This is much closer to an actual civil war, given that there are scattered reports of French people fighting back.

Obviously, this isn't about police misconduct. This is about a power struggle, fueled by the rage of unchecked immigration, and rage-filled migrants who haven't found the streets of Paris paved with gold, or at least any they think they're entitled to. That it's spreading to other countries suggests that this is a European Unionwide problem. It certainly could spread to more of them, particularly with the weak response seen from French authorities.

France's President Emmanuel Macron has "apologized" to the migrants for what appears to be police misconduct, even though there's been no formal investigative conclusion about what happened yet, signaling to the cops that the fix is in.

Rather interestingly as a result, the 40,000 cops sent to the scene of the lootings and burnings have been remarkably ineffective, as Beege Welborn on HotAir notes here.

In Paris itself, Parisians are seriously concerned at the growing conflagration, the seeming lack of Macron's conciliatory gestures to tamp it down, and law enforcement's inability to get handle on it. [1:08 min in]...Now, here in the Paris area...the violence was previously limited to the blue-collar, mainly immigrant suburbs of Paris, where you get rows and rows of tower blocks. They're not at all what we think of as suburbs in the U.K. But, last night, there were worrying signs that, for Parisians, that the violence was beginning to move into the heart of the city, where we saw shops vandalized on the Rue De Rivoli, just a few minutes' walk from the Louvre Museum. There have been 875 people arrested so far during this 3 days of violence, and an astonishing number of vehicles carbequed. This absolutely blows my mind  in three nights  and it seems like they're not even warmed up yet. 1:15pm: 875 people arrested during overnight protests in France, interior ministry says A total of 875 people were arrested on Thursday night during the third night of violent protests in France, the interior ministry has said. A total of 492 buildings were damaged, 2,000 vehicles were burned and 3,880 fires were started, according to figures given by President Emmanuel Macron at the start of a crisis meeting on Friday.

That's a pretty paltry record, given the scope of the damage, and given that the riots are far from over.

Cops don't stick their necks out when politicians don't have their backs. Macron signaled that right away, which was read by the rioters as a green light to commence the looting and burning.

They are armed, having raided police stations for arms and taken them. They are obviously led by armed gangs, and now they seem to be challenging the French state, which is so guilt-wracked over the police incident that it has no will to fight armed marauders from foreign countries.

Putin quelled his rebellion with a firm hand and significant potential for making things worse for non-cooperators. As a result, he's got peace in his country, however imperfect that may be. Macron doesn't have a firm hand; he's got an outstretched dog paw that's being crushed by armed thugs.

Now the damage is unlike any seen before in France, including in 2005, when a similar incident happened from the enraged migrants in the country  and there are many more of them now.

One wonders just how long it will take for these migrant riots brought on by unchecked illegal immigration to reach U.S. cities. There are five million new illegal aliens who have been let into the states by Joe Biden, and none fears deportation. That may just be a green light for the lunacy in France to catch fire here, too.

Image: Twitter screen shot.
The president of the Jordan Coalition for Change, Abedalelah Amaala, tweeted on June 29 (translated from Arabic)

Abdullah II, Rania, his son Hussein, his hope, his prime minister and his entire government are outside Jordan in a tourist resort. Jordan is on the brink of collapse

What this may mean is that King Abdullah II is abdicating along with his government.



King Abdullah II of Jordan.

The Jordan Option called for his abdication in 2017 and the change of Jordan into a republic lead by Mudar Zahran. This is great news for Israel, as Zahran wants to cooperate with Israel, not confront her. He intends to reaffirm the Jordanian citizenship of all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Thus, Israel will be able to annex most of the land without the need to give a path to citizenship for the local Arabs. Furthermore, Zahran will effectively replace the Palestinian Authority, and UNRWA will be done away with.

The next day, the secretary general of the Jordan Opposition Coalition, Mudar Zahran, tweeted:

For those with selective amnesia:

This is the map of Palestine as recognized by the League of Nations in 1917, starting from the sea of Jaffa and ending at the Iraqi borders. Churchill established the principality of Transjordan as an experimental Palestinian "autonomy" on the pic.twitter.com/UZeCpMCqeu  Mudar Adnan Zahran   (@Mudar_Zahran) June 28, 2023

A day earlier, he had tweeted (translated from Arabic):

The remembrance benefits the believers;

One people, not two peoples, in spite of the crow of the clear..

The map of Palestine approved by the League of Nations in 1917, starting from the Jaffa Sea and ending at the Iraqi Trebil borders.

Churchill established the Principality of Transjordan as an experimental Palestinian "autonomy", and the residents of eastern Palestine used the Palestinian passport until 1948, and the Palestinian pound until 1952, as there was no Jordanian dinar before this date[.] ... The future is a new arrangement of peace and fair prosperity for the inhabitants of historic Palestine in both its Arab parts (Jordan and the areas of the West Bank) and Jewish Palestine (Israel). The overthrow of the marginals and their henchmen, the Eliasin Sarsour, is one of the inevitabilities of the coming future as a first step for the stability and prosperity of the entire planet[.]

This actualization was set in motion at a conference on the Jordan Option held in the Begin Center on Oct 17, 2017. (Here are Ted Belman's remarks at Jordan Option Conference in 2017.)

One year later, I wrote "Trump's Deal of the Century, AKA The Jordan Option."

According to a very well-informed source (and reiterated in 2022) , the administration of the A areas, will pass from the PA to Jordan. These areas include, Tulkarn, Qalkilya, Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jericho. The B areas will be absorbed into the C area in order to remove the Swiss cheese effect. Hebron, on the other hand will be administered by a joint local council made up of Israelis and Palestinians. This is the Confederation that Abbas rejected a few weeks ago. My source also tells me that the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip will be given the option of being in a confederation either with Jordan or Egypt. Either way, negotiating a Gaza truce is part of the deal. This means that the PA will be done away with because its primary function is to wage war against Israel's legitimacy. All Palestinians living west of the River will be seen as both Jordanian citizens and foreign residents. There will be no need to give them Israeli citizenship.

Then, on Aug. 28, 2022, I wrote "The Genesis of the Jordan Option and 'Confederation with Jordan.'" It is self-explanatory.

I explained "How the Jordan Option will impact Israel" and "Who is Mudar Zahran and why is he important?"

It is not clear to me what is meant by "confederation." I hope it does not mean that Jordan will be the sovereign of the "areas of the West Bank." I have suggested many times to Mudar Zahran that Israel should be the sovereign and that said lands could be leased to Jordan for a long time.

We will all have to see how that plays out.

Photo credit: Chatham House, CC BY 2.0 license.
It's time to find ways and means to end the unequal treatment (persecution) of a former president.

Behold the opening paragraphs of a June 29 Politico story on a decision by a federal judge in Manhattan that would effectively deny that Donald J. Trump was ever president  which, more likely than not, would suit this jurist's political mindset.

NEW YORK  A federal judge on Thursday sharply rejected Donald Trump's claim of "presidential immunity" to fend off a defamation lawsuit from the writer E. Jean Carroll, ruling that Trump's disparaging comments about Carroll in 2019 had no legitimate connection to his duties as president. The 46-page opinion all but ensures that Carroll's second lawsuit against the former president will go to trial. And it's the latest setback in Trump's repeated bid to use the muscular protections of the presidency to shield him from civil litigation.

What this Politico piece refuses to recognize is that the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 conflicts with the knee-jerk principle raised by the anti-Trump crowd  no person is above the law  by creating a class that has special protections and benefits, the class of former presidents. And thus, the appropriate figure of speech for former presidents should be: no former president is to be made vulnerable to vicious hounding by local, state, or federal political hacks. To codify the principle of equal treatment for former presidents, the following proposal comes to mind.

House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan should propose amending the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 to put a stop to the current practice of political prosecutors and judges hounding a former president. To end the current spectacle of what could be an indefinite series of civil and criminal lawsuits to bring Donald J. Trump to his knees  and prevent his 2024 presidential candidacy  the Supreme Court of the United States should be empowered to have original jurisdiction of any action in law or equity brought against a former president of the United States.

Such an amendment to the Former Presidents Protection of 2012 would be an appropriate reply to jurists whose partisanship would deny, in effect, that Mr. Trump ever was president, as well an apt rebuke to local district attorneys and state prosecutors, and special counsel of the opposing party, who would weaponize the "legal" process in the best traditions of banana republics.

Or is post-presidential hounding of former presidents to become standard procedure by application of the sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander principle of political retribution? In such a case, one can imagine Republicans looking forward to the afternoon of January 20, 2025, when they can start to file complaints and indictments against former president Biden and family, from venues across the homeland  while the media shout "unfair, unfair." Rabid Democrats, do you think this will not happen? The year 2025 is closer than you think, and to cite another saw, what goes around comes around. Far better to add to the "muscular protections" set forth in the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 as here suggested.

Photo credit: Rawpixel, public domain.
Two years ago, Joe Biden declared that his son, Hunter, never did anything wrong in his life, and everyone who "attacks" Hunter's "stellar reputation" is probably Putin's stooge.

When Hunter's less than stellar activities came into public view, Joe said he "didn't know anything about them."

Recently, when the IRS whistleblower's allegations turned up corruption, the White House changed the story again: "Joe might've heard about Hunter's 'business,' but he was not participating in it."

Last week, another "smoking gun" directly implicating Joe Biden in his son's bribery scheme appeared in the form of Hunter's WhatsApp message to a "foreign business associate":

I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight... I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.

But even Hunter's own admission did not stir the media curiosity about the older Biden's culpability in his son's improprieties. Here comes the new narrative: even if Joe Biden was involved in Hunter's shady activities, he wasn't doing it as "an official in any capacity," so what's the problem?

Obviously this was in 2017. ... And Joe Biden was not an official in any capacity as vice president or president.

As the proverbial goalpost regarding a U.S. president's involvement in his son's shady activities keeps moving, members of the ever-protective media found a foolproof way to absolve Joe Biden of any responsibility: all is fair when done out of "unconditional love."

Let's hear from the chief Biden apologist at the New York Times, Nicholas Kristoff:

The real meaning of the Hunter Biden saga, as I see it, isn't about presidential corruption, but is about how widespread addiction is  and about how a determined parent with unconditional love can sometimes reel a child back.

Here is the situation as Nick Kristoff understands it: a 53-year-old man using his father's political position to enrich himself, skipping on tax payments, and breaking multiple laws is just "a child" in need of "unconditional love" from his dad.

And Joe Biden is happy to oblige  because, according to Sunny Hostin of The View, being a president of the United States is not about governing effectively, or upholding the law, or even about being an honest public official. "The Hunter Biden story, the scandal, the this or that, is also the story of a father's love."

The media have now declared that "loving" Hunter Biden, and "saving him" from his drug addiction, is the most important task this country could ever face. Of course, a record number of American children are dying of drug-related causes because deadly drugs flow freely through Biden's open border. But these children are a lot less important than a middle-aged derelict and career criminal named Hunter. Joe Biden's first duty is to protect his family  not yours.

Hunter's life is in such grave danger that Joe needs to keep an eye on him all the time. And that's why, according to NBC, Joe Biden considers it essential that Hunter attend every taxpayer-funded event, because "we just don't know what Hunter might do when Joe is not watching":

For Biden, keeping his son  a recovering drug addict  close means keeping him safe, people close to the president say. Behind the Hunter Biden photo-ops and the state dinner invitations, they say, is an existential concern that weighs on the president daily: If he loosens his grip on his son, who or what will replace it  and to what end?

Saving Hunter's life requires that he attend lavish dinners with world leaders. Hunter's safety demands that he accompany his dad on overseas trips (courtesy of American taxpayers). And, as Hunter flew on Air Force Two with his then-V.P. dad to shake down CCP officials, Joe thought of it as the government-paid rehab.

It is abundantly clear that the media are not interested in investigating Joe Biden's family corruption. Because the Democrat party has no viable replacement for 2024, Joe Biden is the only choice  if he manages to stay upright and out of prison. That's why the media should drop the pretense of "excuses" a blind man can see through and join the hosts of The View in saying the quiet part out loud: "Shut the hell up and get with the program. Because [Trump] is what's on the other side."

Tanya Berlaga is a freelance writer, a translator, and a publisher. She is a former contributor to Right Wire Report, The Liberty Loft, and The Free Speech Movement. Her essays can be found at https://theberlagaperspective.substack.com, completely free.

Image via Raw Pixel.
As part of the Democrats plan to turn Americas existing population into a minority and replace it, instead, with compliant foreigners who dont speak English, are often illiterate in their own tongue, know nothing of American values, and are used to oppressive, dysfunctional government, Biden has erased Americas southern border. He can do that because Democrats control the DOJ, and Congress is controlled by Democrats and Vichy Republicans. A video of border patrol agents releasing illegal aliens into the country triggered an email response from the border agents union highlighting the bind in which the border patrol agents, who are conservatives, find themselves.

This cycle started with footage that someone sent Bill Melugin showing federal border patrol agents cutting razor wire on private property to let into America a group of illegal aliens.

NEW: Video from source in Eagle Pass shows Border Patrol cutting through razor wire placed by the state of TX to allow migrants to enter & be processed after crossing illegally. @TxDPS tells me this is the first time they know of this happening, and that its being looked into pic.twitter.com/jESPbzj9sw  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 30, 2023

The official position from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is that the illegal aliens were subject to U.S. immigration laws because they were on American soil:

CBP RESPONDS: A CBP official tells me a Border Patrol boat encountered a group of migrants with several small children, and that in order to quickly apprehend them and get them out of the heat, a BP agent cut the razor wire to access the area consistent w/ federal law.

CBP pic.twitter.com/ZNfRSA7Ajj  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 30, 2023

In other words, once they make it to America, well process them so they can vanish into America, never to be seen again until its time to use them to achieve Democrats political goals. The agencys mealy-mouthed justification for illegal conduct is what weve come to expect from the current lawless, corrupt administration. What was more interesting was the response from the Border Patrol agents themselves, speaking via their union. First, they were angered at being called out. They explained that children were caught in the wire, leaving them with no recourse other than to behave in a humanitarian way. Whats more interesting is their openly expressed hostility to Bidens illegal conduct: Biden created this nightmare Direct your ire toward the people responsible for this in the Biden Administration. In other words, were trying to do our job and retain our humanity amid a deliberate system breakdown.

Here's the rest of the story. https://t.co/mdjyC7Zixx pic.twitter.com/ijeDD5gpOb  Border Patrol Union - Del Rio (@NBPC2366DelRio) July 1, 2023

That message reveals the handcuffs of government pensions that require a certain time on the job before vesting. Its fine to tell these agents to speak up or quit, but its not just the job theyre leaving. They can get other jobs. The real deal is that they're leaving their pensions behind. Since thats a substantial part of their compensation, walking away from that is incredibly difficult for people scrabbling to maintain a minimal middle-class lifestyle. So they struggle along, complicit in the largest act of lawbreaking in American history. (Note: I consider them different from those FBI agents who are actively perverting the law or have first-hand knowledge about those who are. There's nothing secretive about what the border patrol agents are doing out in the open. Unlike DOJ employees, have no additional insights to offer about the crime going on behind closed doors. Additionally, unlike the DOJ/FBI employees, they're not aiding active election interference, which goes to the heart of our constitutional republic.)

Whats interesting is to follow the money. The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) is a small PAC that donates 100% of its money to Republicans. However, its an affiliate of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which has consistently donated the bulk of its money (94.66%) to Democrats. The AFGE, in turn, is a member of the AFL-CIO, which donates millions of dollars to Democrats. In other words, if NBPC dollars are finding their way up the chain to the AFGE or AFL-CIO, as I assume they are, the irony of all this is that the beleaguered agents are some of the people responsible for the Biden Administration.

Oh, and about those children caught in the wire. The real cruelty is a government policy that entices their parents to subject them to these dangers. If people trying to get into the country illegally knew theyd be turned away at the border to wait their turn, they wouldnt expose their children to these risks. (Or sell them to smugglers or sex traffickers, either.) Biden has created the equivalent of an attractive nuisance, equivalent to an unfenced swimming pool in a neighborhood swarming with children or a candy house owned by a witch with a big oven.

Image: Twitter screen grab.
Artificial economics is almost entirely a political phenomenon, rather than a technologic one like artificial intelligence. In The Myth of the Robber Barons, Burton W. Folsom, Jr. coined the term "political entrepreneur" in order to describe someone who profits significantly from a public policy agenda. In today's world, Elon Musk comes to mind. Designing, producing, and marketing products that enjoy tax-funded purchase subsidies has profited him to a great degree. He is both brilliant and ambitious. And Milton Friedman once famously said that if someone offers you free money without any strings attached, you're a fool if you don't take it.

Folsom pointed out that the transcontinental railroad was an early example of political entrepreneurship. Generous land grants helped pave the way for connecting the East to the West. Meanwhile, the Burlington-Northern railroad was privately funded and enjoyed much greater reliability with less maintenance. Go figure.

Lurking behind this practice is the desire of "activist" politicians to (ahem) influence the behavior of the unwashed masses they govern. Beyond "influence," we are often burdened with being controlled. And rail transportation fits that situation to a "T." Amtrak is the epitome of artificial economics: taxpayer-subsidized trains running over tracks already provided by privately owned railroads. The profit-making railroads are in the lucrative business of shipping freight  that doesn't need to be fed or go to the bathroom. Since the Panama Canal is too narrow to accommodate modern container ships, a plethora of sea-going containers are being shipped by rail across our continent instead.

Meanwhile, the adherents of artificial economics cling to the myth that rail transport of humans is beneficial due to its assumed efficiency and the pre-determined nature of its destinations. Automobiles with steering wheels imparted an uncomfortable amount of freedom to the masses.

Half a century ago, the San Francisco Bay Area inaugurated its Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART). Rather than adopt established technologies, BART reinvented mass transit from scratch. Standard rail gauges weren't good enough  so BART trains had to be custom-made to fit on the new tracks, at significantly greater expense. Also, the entire system was to be run by a computer. Train operators were just there to enjoy the view and welcome the passengers on board. A pesky consequence was that, on occasion, trains would stop under the Bay in the middle of the Tube, and the doors would open for a while. It was eventually discovered that the software that ran the system required a specific minimum distance between stations  and the distance covered by the Transbay Tube violated this requirement. Eventually, a bunch of software engineers came to the rescue.

Public transit, in general, relies on artificial economics. Seldom, if ever, has any system (including BART) recovered to pre-pandemic ridership levels. Two factors have contributed to this situation: telecommuting and internet enabled efficient ride-sharing (e.g., Uber and Lyft). Even prior to the pandemic, the S.F. Chronicle declared that BART ridership was declining because Uber and Lyft were both cheaper and more convenient. Again, go figure.

Without real-world competition, public mass transit might be able to hold onto its client base. But this is still the real world, and all kinds of folks are trying to invent better mousetraps.

Now, get this: in order to compensate for declining ridership, BART is increasing its fares and reducing its hours of service. That'll put more butts in the seats. Right? Such is a consequence of the artificial economics that comes from working within the vacuum of a monopoly.

Further evidence of this phenomenon is the quest for reparations. As this is being written, the California reparations commission is presenting its final proposal. Not only are vast sums to be given to people who were born free because of the immense sacrifices made by young men of European extraction, over 150 years ago. But no funding source is likely to be identified for such largesse. Nonetheless, now, with the judicial damage just done to affirmative action, reparations is at least an oblique means of sustaining institutionalized racism.

The government monopoly of "free" K12 education is yet another example of authoritarian folly within the vacuum. School choice is now one of the hottest trends in domestic American politics. Our obviously corrupt political establishment has never exhibited any particular knack for educating young people; it only has the power to tax and thus fund yet another corrupt monopoly. The choice movement leaves in place the taxing authority  it just allows all schools to compete for that money.

Government schools actually used to do a fairly good job  myself being an example. But then something happened. Devoted, knowledgeable schoolteachers morphed into self-serving union thugs. The political establishment was elated because the teachers' unions became deep reservoirs of campaign contributions that were not previously available. And the artificially concocted justification for this catastrophe is that nameless, faceless, and unaccountable bureaucrats are much better suited to place minor children in "factories of destiny" than are their actual parents. I rest my case.

Image: Simon 1234567 via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
In the 18th century, the American colonies got their notion of liberty from Great Britain. To quash the colonies, Parliament officially abandoned its ideas of liberty, a decision that, over the centuries, has slowly turned England from a free country into a totalitarian one. We need to pay attention to whats happening there because the Democrats again view totalitarian England as a role modeland they really like how Englands institutions are using gender identity and race to silence the people.

Report No. 1 comes from the financial sector:

An Anglican vicar has slammed Yorkshire Building Society for closing his account after he accused them of promoting gender ideology. Rev Richard Fothergill, a longstanding customer with the building society, wrote to them in June to complain about their public messaging during Pride month. The 62-year-old says within four days, he received a reply telling him his internet savings account would be closed, The Times reports. Rev Fothergill, of Windermere, Cumbria, has since accused the banking giant of bullying and said: I wasnt even aware that our relationship had a problem. They are a financial house  they are not there to do social engineering. I think they should concentrate their efforts on managing money, instead of promoting LGBT ideology. I know cancel culture exists and this is my first first-hand experience of it. I wouldnt want this bullying to happen to anyone else. The retired vicar insists his observations were a polite rebuttal of transgenderism, in response to material on YBSs website. But the building society wrote it has a zero tolerance approach to discrimination and their relationship with the customer had irrevocably broken down.

Image: British flag (edited) by natanaelginting.

Report No. 2 is more serious because it comes from the militaryand you can bet your bottom dollar that Americas military leadership is chafing to do the same:

An experienced British Army doctor with two Afghanistan tours under his belt has been forced out, it is claimed, after he made a social media post saying men cannot be women. Dr Kelvin Wright, formerly an Army Reserve officer who had commanded the 306 Hospital Support Regiment and flew in combat evacuation helicopters in Afghanistan in addition to his civilian role as a NHS trauma consultant is being supported by the Free Speech Union after he was allegedly pushed out of the army by an investigation into his social media usage. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Wright had posted a meme citing the words of feminist Helen Joyce that If women cannot stand in a public place and say men cannot be women, when we do not have womens rights at all. This is said to have triggered an internal Army investigation into his substandard behaviour, leaving the experienced doctor to resign his commission, which will severely impact his army pension. The paper cites Dr Wright as saying of the events: This attack on my honour made my position completely untenable. I could no longer remain in an Army which treated its officers with such disrespect.

The same Breitbart article reports that the Royal Air Force (in which my father proudly served during WWII) discriminated against qualified white males to advance women and minorities.

What happens in England doesnt stay in England. Just as was the case 250 years ago, England is providing the template for our societal values. While we once were wise to embrace their notions of liberty, we would be insane to continue down the same modern path as theirs, complete with their abandonment of liberty and embrace their open racism and gender delusions. Scarily, though, with a corrupt president in the White House, were only a few months behind them at most.
U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Biden administration's student loan debt relief plan

Xinhua) 13:22, July 01, 2023

The White House responded in a press release that "the court's decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong" and "this fight is not over."

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down the Biden administration's plan to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers.

In a 6-to-3 decision along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration's arguments that the plan was lawful under a 2003 law called the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act (HEROES Act).

The text of the HEROES Act does not authorize the secretary of education's loan forgiveness program, said the court, adding that the secretary's power under the act to "modify" does not permit "basic and fundamental changes in the scheme" designed by the U.S. Congress.

The Biden administration announced a plan last year to cancel up to 20,000 U.S. dollars for federal student loan borrowers who received a Pell Grant, a form of federal financial aid issued to lower-income students that does not have to be repaid, and up to 10,000 dollars for those who did not receive a Pell Grant. Borrowers are eligible for the relief if they earn less than 125,000 dollars per year individually, or less than 250,000 dollars per year as a family.

The plan will cancel about 430 billion dollars in debt principal and affect nearly all borrowers. Six Republican-led states challenged the plan as exceeding the secretary of education's statutory authority.

"The secretary asserts that the HEROES Act grants him the authority to cancel 430 billion dollars of student loan principal. It does not," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the majority opinion.

U.S. President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, March 9, 2023.(Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Members of the Republican Party praised the court's rejection of the Biden administration's plan, while Democrats slammed the decision.

The White House responded in a press release that "the court's decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong" and "this fight is not over."

Biden said in the press release that his administration's student debt relief plan would have been "the lifeline tens of millions of hardworking Americans needed as they try to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic."

"I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families. My administration will continue to work to bring the promise of higher education to every American."

"President Biden's student loan giveaway is ruled UNLAWFUL. The 87 percent of Americans without student loans are no longer forced to pay for the 13 percent who do," U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, wrote in a tweet, adding that "the president must follow the law."

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the press after a meeting with President Joe Biden on debt ceiling in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 22, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

The U.S. Supreme Court decisions made headlines for a second day in a row across the country. The court on Thursday ruled that race-conscious admissions policies used by colleges and universities are unconstitutional, in a pair of cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Washington Post described Friday's decision as "the latest blow from a Supreme Court that has been dismissive of this administration's bold claims of power."

Another major U.S. news outlet, CNN, said the decision is "a stinging defeat" for Biden.

"Conservatives -- despite their limited federal elected power -- have racked up more huge wins in the great political battles of the early 21st century," CNN commented in a news analysis.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
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A local Cambridgeshire council is seeking a meeting with ministers after being ordered to end its experiment with a four-day week.

South Cambridgeshire District Council had announced plans to extend its trial until next April but ministers have ordered officials to end it now.

It was first local authority in the UK to undertake such a trial.

In her letter to local government minister Lee Rowley, Liberal Democrat council leader Bridget Smith defended the scheme and said it had helped address its reliance on expensive agency staff.

Mr Rowley wrote to Ms Smith to ask that you end your experiment immediately and say he had concerns about the value for money for local taxpayers.

Ms Smith, in a reply to the minister on Saturday, said she was surprised to receive the letter and asked for a meeting with ministers to discuss this matter.

There has been growing interest in four-day week experiments in the UK and globally, with some businesses praising the shift to a shorter working week.

A recent UK trial saw 61 companies reduce their working hours for all staff by 20% for six months, with a majority deciding to maintain the shorter week.

But Mr Rowley, in a letter dated June 30, said such a model is inappropriate for local authorities.

As I am sure you are aware, all councils are expected to ensure that finite and valuable taxpayers money is used in a way which demonstrates value for money  something which paying employees for an extra day of work that is not carried out is unlikely to demonstrate, he wrote.

I strongly believe in the ability of councils to innovate and find new ways to discharge their responsibilities  yet removing up to 20% of the capacity to do those activities is not something which should be acceptable for a council seeking to demonstrate value for money for its taxpayers and residents.

Whilst some private sector organisations may choose to experiment with their own capital and capacity regarding four-day working weeks, local government should not do the same.

He said such an approach could breach the councils legal duties under the Local Government Act.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will shortly be issuing clear guidance on the matter, Mr Rowley added.

I look forward to your confirmation that South Cambridgeshire will be returning to established norms around local government workforce capacity in the coming weeks ahead, he said.

In a statement, the council leader said: I was surprised to receive Mr Rowleys letter and we have written to him to request a meeting with ministers to discuss this matter.

This is a trial, but we have already seen strong independently assessed evidence which showed that performance was maintained, and in some cases improved, in the first three months.

At the start of our trial we were carrying a 2 million annual agency bill. During the first three months of the trial, we filled four permanent posts that had previously been impossible to fill.

This has reduced our annual bill by 300,000.

As time goes on it is becoming increasingly clear that recruitment has been positively affected, both in terms of the quality and number of applicants, and the consequent success in filling vacant posts.

Campaigners for a four-day week have criticised the move.

Joe Ryle, director of the 4-Day Week campaign group, said: This move by the Government flies in the face of all the evidence, which shows the four-day week has been a huge success at the council.

The four-day week with no loss of pay is already being rolled out across the private sector so its only fair the public sector are included too.

There is no good reason to end this trial, which is already bringing many benefits to council workers, local residents and saving the council money.

Labour leader of Bassetlaw District Council in Nottinghamshire, James Naish, hit out at the lack of foresight and said his local authority was also looking at a four-day model as a way to innovate and ensure vital services are protected, not stopped.

Jo Maugham, director of The Good Law project, labelled it bar-stool lawyering par excellence.

If Lee Rowley really wants to improve the quality of work funded by the taxpayer, Id suggest in the future he gets proper independent legal advice before he opines on the law.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities strongly believe in principles of local democracy and local councils can and should continuously look for ways to improve their services, a spokesman said.

Asked about a potential meeting, the spokesman said: Councils also need to ensure they are giving local taxpayers the best value for money and pressing ahead with the choice to remove up to a fifth of their capacity would need to be backed by clear evidence.
Ministers have ordered a local council to end its experiment with a four-day week.

South Cambridgeshire District Council had announced plans to extend its trial until next April but ministers have ordered officials to end it now.

It was first local authority in the UK to undertake such a trial.

Local government minister Lee Rowley wrote to Liberal Democrat council leader Bridget Smith to ask that you end your experiment immediately and say he had concerns about the value for money for local taxpayers.

There has been growing interest in four-day week experiments in the UK and globally, with some businesses praising the shift to a shorter working week.

But Mr Rowley, in a letter dated June 30, said such a model is inappropriate for local authorities.

As I am sure you are aware, all councils are expected to ensure that finite and valuable taxpayers money is used in a way which demonstrates value for money  something which paying employees for an extra day of work that is not carried out is unlikely to demonstrate, he wrote.

I strongly believe in the ability of councils to innovate and find new ways to discharge their responsibilities  yet removing up to 20% of the capacity to do those activities is not something which should be acceptable for a council seeking to demonstrate value for money for its taxpayers and residents.

Whilst some private sector organisations may choose to experiment with their own capital and capacity regarding four-day working weeks, local government should not do the same.

He said such an approach could breach the councils legal duties under the Local Government Act.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities will shortly be issuing clear guidance on the matter, Mr Rowley added.

I look forward to your confirmation that South Cambridgeshire will be returning to established norms around local government workforce capacity in the coming weeks ahead, he said.

Joe Ryle, director of the 4-Day Week campaign group, said: This move by the Government flies in the face of all the evidence, which shows the four-day week has been a huge success at the council.

The four-day week with no loss of pay is already being being rolled out across the private sector so its only fair the public sector are included too.

There is no good reason to end this trial, which is already bringing many benefits to council workers, local residents and saving the council money.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has been contacted for comment.

Ms Smith recently told the BBC the move came after years of relying on agency staff to fill the gaps left by vacancies.

On average we only fill about 80% and we have some vacancies that we have been carrying for years, particularly in planning, she told the broadcaster.

We had to do something. We have already managed to deliver a third of a million pounds in savings, largely because weve now filled some of those really difficult to fill roles within planning.

It means were delivering a much better planning service to our residents.
A European space telescope is to embark on a million-mile journey to uncover the mysteries of the dark universe.

Named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, the two-tonne probe will be heading towards an area in space known as the second Lagrange point, where the gravitational forces of Earth and the sun are roughly equal  creating a stable location for the spacecraft.

The UK has contributed 37 million towards the 850 million mission, with scientists playing key roles in designing and building the probe and leading on one of the two scientific instruments on board.

The aim of the mission is to shed light on two of the universes greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter.

 Set your alarm clocks for the #ESAEuclid launch tomorrow!  16:3018:10 #ESAWebTV programme 17:11 Lift off 17:53 Separation 17:57 Earliest time to acquire Euclids signal All CEST.  More info on how to follow the launch  https://t.co/lI1ogWZfbn  ESA's Euclid mission (@ESA_Euclid) June 30, 2023

Caroline Harper, head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, said: We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighbouring planets, stars and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95% of the universe remain largely a mystery.

Euclid will give us new insights into both, helping us to build a clearer picture of the origin and evolution of the universe and the way it is expanding.

The UK Space Agencys 37 million investment into the mission over more than a decade has supported world-class science in universities around the country from Edinburgh to Portsmouth.

UK scientists and engineers have led the development of one of the two science instruments on board, and we are also making a significant contribution to the ground-based data processing capability that will convert the raw data into science-ready data, for researchers to use to tell us more about dark matter and dark energy.

Im incredibly excited to follow its discoveries over the next six years.

Euclids six-year mission aims to scrutinise the dark universe to better understand why is it rapidly expanding.

It will make use of a cosmic phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, where matter acts like a magnifying glass, bending and distorting light from galaxies and clusters behind it, to capture high-quality images.

Euclids VIS instrument being inspected during vibration testing at Centre Spatial de Liege, Belgium (CEA/ESA/PA)

These images will help astronomers gain insights into the elusive dark matter, particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light.

Dark matter cannot be seen directly, but scientists know it exists because of the effect it has on objects that can be observed directly.

They believe it binds together galaxies creating the environment for stars, planets and life.

The mission will also explore dark energy, which is thought to push galaxies apart, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate.

Scheduled for launch on July 1 at 4:11pm UK time from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Euclid will take a month to reach its destination.

Scientists from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory have led the development of the optical camera known as VIS, a science instrument that will take images of the distant universe.

Euclid being secured on SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket (ESA/SpaceX/PA)

Professor Mark Cropper, leader of the VIS camera team, said: The VIS instrument will image a large swathe of the distant universe with almost the fine resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope, observing more of the universe in one day than Hubble did in 25 years.

The data will allow us to infer the distribution of dark matter across the universe more precisely than ever before.

The probe also carries an infrared light instrument, called NISP, which is being led by scientists in France and aims measure the distance to galaxies, which will shed light on fast the universe is expanding.

Rebecca Bowler, a research fellow at the University of Manchester, who is leading the efforts to find the most distant galaxies with Euclid, added: Euclid will revolutionise our understanding of how the very first galaxies and super-massive black holes are formed.

 The infrared light instrument, NISP, will measure the distance to galaxies NISP has the largest field of view for an infrared instrument ever flown in space. pic.twitter.com/aD7dMFXdW9  ESA's Euclid mission (@ESA_Euclid) June 23, 2023

More than 2,000 scientists across Europe have been involved in the mission, from its design to its construction and analysis.

Professor Tom Kitching, of UCLs Mullard Space Science Laboratory, one of four science co-ordinators for Euclid, said: The puzzles we hope to address are fundamental.

Are our models of the universe correct? What is dark energy? Is it vacuum energy  the energy of virtual particles popping in and out of existence in empty space?

Is it a new particle field that we didnt expect? Or it may be Einsteins theory of gravity that is wrong.

Whatever the answer, a revolution in physics is almost guaranteed.
A European space telescope has blasted off on a million-mile journey to uncover the mysteries of the dark universe.

Euclid was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 4.12pm UK time on Saturday and should take a month to reach its destination.

Named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, the two-tonne probe is travelling towards an area in space known as the second Lagrange point, where the gravitational forces of Earth and the sun are roughly equal  creating a stable location for the spacecraft.

The UK has contributed 37 million towards the 850 million mission, with scientists playing key roles in designing and building the probe and leading on one of the two scientific instruments on board.

The aim of the mission is to shed light on two of the universes greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter.

Reflecting on the successful take-off, European Space Agency (ESA) director general Josef Aschbacher said: I can tell you the mood is amazing, we have a mission.

I really would like to thank everyone who has made this possible.

This is really a team work of so many people: it is the member states of ESA, of course, who have funded the mission who have approved the mission; its the science community who have defined the framework for this mission; it is the industry who have done a marvellous job with more than 100 companies across Europe; but also our partners in the United States, who have put this mission together in about 10 years time.

Im so thrilled, Im so excited to see now this mission up in space, knowing it is on its way to Lagrange point two and (a) really fascinating moment.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the European Space Agency Euclid space telescope, lifts off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida (AP)

Its such a happy moment to see this mission now flying to its destination and then of course taking all these measurements of dark energy and dark matter which fascinate us, where we have so many questions that are being answered by this data.

Amazing and very happy and very thrilled.

Euclids six-year mission aims to scrutinise the dark universe to better understand why it is rapidly expanding.

It will make use of a cosmic phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, where matter acts like a magnifying glass, bending and distorting light from galaxies and clusters behind it, to capture high-quality images.

These images will help astronomers gain insights into the elusive dark matter, particles that do not absorb, reflect or emit light.

Dark matter cannot be seen directly, but scientists know it exists because of the effect it has on objects that can be observed directly.

They believe it binds together galaxies creating the environment for stars, planets and life.

Euclid being secured on SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket (ESA/SpaceX/PA)

The mission will also explore dark energy, which is thought to push galaxies apart, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate.

More than 2,000 scientists across Europe have been involved in the mission, from its design to its construction and analysis.

Caroline Harper, head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, previously said: We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighbouring planets, stars and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95% of the universe remain largely a mystery.

Euclid will give us new insights into both, helping us to build a clearer picture of the origin and evolution of the universe and the way it is expanding.

The UK Space Agencys 37 million investment into the mission over more than a decade has supported world-class science in universities around the country from Edinburgh to Portsmouth.

UK scientists and engineers have led the development of one of the two science instruments on board, and we are also making a significant contribution to the ground-based data processing capability that will convert the raw data into science-ready data, for researchers to use to tell us more about dark matter and dark energy.

Im incredibly excited to follow its discoveries over the next six years.
Gok Wan has reflected on DJing at Glastonbury and his hopes that Pride offers the chance for us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality.

With July 1 marking Pride in London, fashion consultant and TV presenter Wan told the PA news agency: Pride is as important as when it first started because there are still injustices and lack of equalities around the world which need to be fought for.

He added that Pride allows our wonderful community to come together and be seen.

Its a time for us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality, he said.

Its one hell of a party, but its also an opportunity for us to show our international friends that we stand with them and continue the fight for change.

Gok Wan DJed at Glastonbury, adding that the musical festival was epic (Yui Mok/PA)

Wan has already gotten into the party spirit, as he attended a fabulous pre-Pride party at SOUND London at The Cumberland Hotel on June 26.

Drinks were flowing, as was the music, which only enhanced the anticipation for the London Pride event this weekend, he said.

Wan meanwhile described the energy at Glastonbury, where he DJed, as electric.

This years Glastonbury felt as epic and as large as it looked on TV and on  what felt like  the nations social media! he said.

The energy is always electric at Glastonbury, and for any of you that havent experienced it, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Gok Wan is to DJ in August at Manchester Pride, adding that the event holds a special place in my heart (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Wan is also set to DJ at Manchester Pride in August, which he said holds a special place in my heart.

I love all Pride events for their solidarity, unity, and of course visibility, and Manchester holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my first pride events that I DJd at many years ago, Wan said.

The atmosphere is always filled with excitement, and that is exactly what any DJ could dream of when playing out to a big crowd!

He added that he is to also take part in numerous other Pride events, including DJing at Brighton Pride and generally being with my queer siblings enjoying a summer of fun and togetherness.

Ru Pauls Copper Topp is hosting a Pride Extravaganza at SOUND Cafe in The Cumberland this Saturday, and tickets can be booked online.
Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips has been accused of racist and bullying behaviour after getting into a row on social media with high-profile headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh.

Ms Birbalsingh, former chairwoman of the Social Mobility Commission and who was once dubbed Britains strictest headteacher, accused the Birmingham Yardley MP of seeking to whip up a social media mob against her on Twitter.

It came after the Ms Birbalsingh, head of high-achieving Michaela Community School in Brent, said she inadvertently tweeted a picture of Tina Turner alongside her abusive former husband Ike Turner amid tributes to the late star.

Below is my open letter to Sir Keir Starmer @Keir_Starmer regarding the behaviour of his Shadow Minister Jess Phillips. pic.twitter.com/vNMvceO5lr  Katharine Birbalsingh (@Miss_Snuffy) July 1, 2023

In a four-page, open letter to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Birbalsingh wrote: She inspired a vicious mob attack against me on Twitter on the evening of May 24 2023, and called into question my schools safeguarding policies in a deliberative attempt to challenge my competence as a Headteacher.

She also said that she would be reporting Ms Phillips to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

She wrote: Ms Phillips does not know me. She has never met me. She has never visited my school. The school is not in her constituency. In her Shadow Ministerial role, she has not previously publicly accused any other school headteachers in this way.

My view is that Ms Phillips extreme and unprompted hostility towards me is motivated by my race. By this I do not mean that she hates all people of colour.

Katharine Birbalsingh (PA)

Her behaviour is a clear example of unconscious bias. I mean that she hates me, despite not knowing me, because she subscribes to the idea that Black and Asian individuals in public life owe a duty to voice opinions that match with a left-wing view of the world, or they are worthy of her contempt.

Ms Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, is one of Labours most high-profile MPs and a regular user of Twitter.

Ms Birbalsingh, who recently spoke at the National Conservatism conference in London, said she was a floating voter and was not a member of the Conservative party.

But she claimed that her attendance at the right-wing event helped explain Ms Phillips anger towards her.

She said that Ms Phillips had brought Labour into disrepute and called on Sir Keir to take action.

I would like assurances that regardless of what views are held by any member of your Shadow team or party, baseless and unfounded abuse will not be directed towards my school and me. This is entirely unacceptable, she told the Labour leader.

Labour has not commented on the matter. Ms Phillips has been contacted for a response.
Humza Yousaf said he is confident the SNP can hold the constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West but admitted his party would face a tough challenge if a by-election is held there.

With a recall petition currently under way after Margaret Ferrier, the MP for the area, was suspended from the House of Commons for 30 for breaches of Covid rules, voters could force a by-election to oust her from the seat.

Mr Yousaf said: It will be a tough by-election, theres no getting away from that.

MP Margaret Ferrier could face a by-election if more than 10% of voters in her Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency sign a recall petition (Toger Harris/UK Parliament/PA)

Labour having been campaigning hard in the seat, hoping to capitalise on a fall in support for the SNP in polls, which has come as the party faces a high-profile police investigation into its finances.

There was also public outcry after it emerged Ms Ferrier, who was elected as an SNP MP but now sits as an independent, took a train from Scotland to London and spoke in the House of Commons while she should have been isolating while waiting for the results of a Covid test.

The MP, who travelled back to Scotland by train after being confirmed as positive with the virus, has appealed for people not to sing the recall petition.

Mr Yousaf, who was campaigning in Blantyre in the constituency on Saturday with SNP candidate Katy Loudon, however insisted that support for his party was rock solid.

The Scottish First Minister and SNP leader told PA Media: Ive been speaking to residents, doing a lot of canvassing. Support for the SNP is very strong here.

Im hopeful, I am confident that we will hold on to the seat here for the SNP. Our support is absolutely rock solid from the doors I have knocked over the past few weeks and indeed here today.



But were not complacent, we know it will be a tough by-election, theres no getting away from that.



For all the circumstances that surround it this byelection will be a tough one, thats why we dont take a single vote for granted, that is why I am out here personally working hard to secure as much support as we can for the SNP.

Ms Ferrier has urged locals in the constituency not to sign the recall petition, saying her constituents are her top priority.

She stated: I made a mistake for which I continue to apologise and have faced severe punishment.

It has not deterred me from doing right by constituents and continuing to

fight on their behalf.

I hope that my constituents will recognise this.

Under parliamentary rules, MPs who are suspended for 10 sitting days or more are liable to face a by-election but only if 10% of their constituents sign a recall petition.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after a young man and a teenage boy were stabbed to death in north London.

The 46-year-old man was arrested on Saturday afternoon and was in custody at a north London police station.

Police were called at 11.33pm on Thursday to reports of a stabbing in Elthorne Road, Islington.

Leonardo Reid, 15, who along with a 23-year-old man was stabbed to death in Islington (Met Police/PA)

A 15-year-old from Islington had been stabbed and died at the scene, just after midnight.

The Metropolitan Police Service has now named him as Leonardo Reid.

A 23-year-old man was also stabbed and was rushed to hospital where he later died, while a third person, a man aged 28, suffered a stab wound which was not thought to be life-threatening.

Officers have informed the victims next of kin, who are being supported by specially trained officers.

Post-mortem examinations will be conducted in due course.

Chief Superintendent Andy Carter previously said: My thoughts are with the families of the two victims who have suffered such an unimaginable loss in this shocking and unacceptable incident.

Anyone who has information that could help police should call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting reference CAD 9383/29Jun.
An adventurer who was rescued from the remote Atlantic outcrop of Rockall feared another night on the tiny islet would have killed him.

Chris Cam Camerons attempt to break the record for living on Rockall was cut short at the end of June as a fearsome storm battered his shelter.

The 54-year-old former soldier was nearly swept away and much of his equipment was lost, forcing him to tether himself directly onto the rock.

The uninhabited islet is 230 miles west of North Uist and is a mere 30m (101ft) wide and 21m (68ft) long.

Speaking to STV, Mr Cameron said the weather left him with no option except to call the coastguard for help.

Roackall is 30 miles west of Uist (Crown copyright)

With his voice choked by emotion, he told the broadcaster: I felt that I was not going to survive another night.

Had it not been for the weather I could have seen the other 14 days out but I didnt think I was going to get to see my family again.

The former Gordon Highlander spent 32 days on Rockall.

Nick Hancock set the world record at 45 days in 2014.

Mr Cameron took on the Rockall challenge to raise money for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

Mr Cameron lost much of his equipment in the storm (Rockall Expedition)

As waves beat against the rock, the water began damaging the small land pod which was the only structure on the island.

He said: I could hear the sonic boom of the waves smashing against the rock.

And then, as it receded it would pull open the door, it would suck the door open.

I had to grab the door and physically hold it shut to avoid the water from smashing in and potentially drowning me.

At that point, I decided I cannot stay on the land pod any more, its too dangerous, so I scrambled out onto the rock, tied myself on, and then the next five, six hours I was just being smashed by constant waves.

The adventurer said he was hypothermic at this point, with all but the very top of Rockall being hit by the waves.

The expedition was to raise money for veterans (Rockall Expedition)

In the morning, he issued a mayday call and his rescue was coordinated by the coastguard at Stornoway.

Earlier, he had told the PA news agency how he was not looking forward to the looming storm, but he still felt he was in the final stretch of his challenge.

He said: Ive got a separate safety tether that goes from my climbing harness out through the land pod on to a bolt which is completely independent of the land pod, so if everything gets washed away Ill still be on the rock.

Ive got a dry suit, emergency position-indicating radio beacon, life jackets, VHF radio, torches, rations in a grab bag ready to go in case I lose everything.

A documentary about Mr Camerons challenge, named Rockall, The Edge Of Existence, is currently being produced.

Donations can still be made via: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rockallexped

Information on the documentary can be found at: www.rockalldoc.com.
Changes have been made to the way the SNP records donations after auditors raised an issue, Humza Yousaf said.

The party leader and Scottish First Minister spoke about the changes after it emerged it would be submitting qualified accounts to the Electoral Commission.

With the SNP required to submit accounts to the watchdog by July 7, the SNP confirmed on Friday it was on track to meet this  but there would be a qualification relating to one stream of income due to administrative processes.

It added that this had resulted in a limitation in scope of the audit.

Speaking about the situation, Mr Yousaf told PA Media: The qualification the auditors refer to is really in relation to ensuring that donations that are under 250, that we keep hard copy documentation of those donations.

We do keep an online record of them but the auditors say there should be a hard copy of those donations kept as well.

He added: As soon as the auditors raised that issue with us the treasurer Stuart McDonald made sure the party immediately took steps to keep hard copy records.

Mr Yousaf confirmed: As soon as it was flagged to the treasurer that particular issue, the treasurer ensured there was steps taken that any donation that comes in below 250 that a hard copy record is kept.

Its important to say an online record was kept, but the auditors have flagged that a hard copy should also be kept.

When Mr Yousaf succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scottish First Minister in March he was informed the partys auditors had quit several months prior to that.

AMS Accountants Group was later appointed to take on the job, with Mr Yousaf saying at the time there had been a significant amount of doubt as to whether we would get those accounts submitted on time.

He said he was very pleased we have been able to meet the various deadlines we have had to, both in terms of the Westminster accounts and the partys accounts.

Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is one of three high profile members of the SNP to have been arrested by police probing they partys finances  with all three being released without charge (Jane Barlow/PA)

As well as issues with the partys accounts, Mr Yousafs early days as SNP leader saw the arrest and questioning of former chief executive Peter Murrell and the then treasurer Colin Beattie by police probing SNP finances.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is married to Mr Murrell, was later arrested, with all three being released without charge pending further investigation.

Mr Yousaf, who succeeded Ms Sturgeon in March, insisted he would absolutely still have put himself forward for the role, even if he had known about these events at the time.

Speaking ahead of marking 100 days in the job next week, the SNP leader said: There can be no greater honour than being the leader of your country, being able to serve your country as First Minister of Scotland, I wouldnt change that for the world.

Theres no getting away again from how challenging the last few months have been, Im not going to pretend otherwise.

But equally I get up out of bed in the morning knowing I am able to make a difference to peoples lives every single day.

So I wouldnt change it for a minute, for a second.
Three teenagers have been charged with murder after a 17-year-old boy was found dead in a canal in west London.

Victor Lee, from Ealing, was found in the water under Scrubs Lane, near Willesden Junction, at around 5.45pm last Sunday.

He was pulled from the canal but, despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead at the scene at 6.09pm.

UPDATE | Detectives investigating the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Victor Lee have this evening charged three teenagers with his murder Read more here: https://t.co/liLMPFmel2  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 1, 2023

A post-mortem examination on Wednesday concluded he died from stab injuries.

Three boys  aged 14, 15 and 17  were charged on Saturday with murder and robbery.

They will appear in custody at Highbury Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police have renewed appeals for information and witnesses to the killing.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC, quoting CAD5828/25June, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on the above number.
Twitter has begun limiting the number of tweets people can read, Elon Musk has announced.

Mr Musk, who took over Twitter in October after buying it for 44 billion dollars (35.5 billion), declared on Saturday that verified accounts are being limited to reading 6,000 posts a day.

Unverified accounts can only read 600 posts a day, with new unverified accounts limited to just 300 per day, he said  though he later added: Rate limits increasing soon to 8,000 for verified, 800 for unverified & 400 for new unverified.

Elon Musk at the Dublin web summit (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said Twitter had imposed the temporary limit to address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation.

But the move sparked a scathing response from many users, including Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, who told the PA news agency: Never have I seen a social network try so hard to put people off using a platform and to completely curtail any potential future for its business.

And Adam Leon Smith, of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT  the UKs professional body for IT, said it is very odd to start rate-limiting the reading of a social network, as limiting users scroll time will affect advertising revenue.

Mr Musk has not said when exactly the limits will increase, or how long the restrictions will be in place for.

To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, weve applied the following temporary limits:  Verified accounts are limited to reading 6000 posts/day Unverified accounts to 600 posts/day New unverified accounts to 300/day  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023

In the UK, thousands of people complained of problems accessing the site from 12pm onwards on Saturday.

#Twitterdown and RIP Twitter began trending as frustrated users were faced with a message saying Rate limit exceeded. Please wait a few moments then try again.

On Friday, people trying to access Twitter were told they would need to log in to an account to view tweets, in what Mr Musk called a temporary emergency measure.

It comes after another outage in February, when many users were not able to tweet, follow accounts or access their direct messages as the platform was plagued by widespread technical problems.

Mr Navarra, who previously worked as a digital communications adviser for the UK Government, said the move was yet another crazy decision by Elon Musk in showing how to burn 44 billion dollars in a year.

I think that its going to punish the users it needs the most which is its power users, its heavy users, which is clearly a perverse way of operating, I would say, he said.

He said people are ready to get off this sinking ship as soon as possible because every week comes another bonkers business decision at Twitter.

He added: I am surprised and shocked at this latest policy decision or platform change that hes made, I struggle to see how this is going to do anything to help recover this business into being a profitable and highly-used platform.

He said it quite shocking that hes also rate-limiting people that have already paid to be on the platform, adding that the even lower limit for unverified users is going to be swallowed up in no time and it will soon become quite frustrating and annoying for its most addicted and heavy users to find that they are rate limited.

After taking over Twitter, Mr Musk laid off some 80% of its 8,000 global staff  and admitted it resulted in the platform losing a large amount of its functionality.

He also oversaw the scrapping of legacy blue ticks, which verified a users identity and were replaced by a paid-for subscription called Twitter Blue.

High-profile figures and celebrities said the move leaves the platform open to imposters and disinformation.

Users who pay 9.60 a month, or 115.20 annually, receive the blue tick and can make longer tweets up to 10,000 characters.

Other select features available only to subscribers include non-fungible token (NFT) profile pictures, making changes to published tweets and seeing around 50% fewer ads.

On the latest changes to Twitter, Mr Smith added: While data scraping may be part of the reason, there are very to be likely underlying technical problems.

The alleged data scraping could well be caused by Twitter now charging exorbitant fees for API access, which may have led to a secondary market for tweet data.

In December, just weeks after the takeover, Mr Musk tweeted: I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job.

The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a poll Mr Musk created and promised to abide by.

In May, Mr Musk confirmed that advertising executive Linda Yaccarino was joining from NBCUniversal to become Twitters chief executive.
Guns N Roses brought their LA attitude to Hyde Park as they rocked the capital with a three-hour British-tinged set.

The US 80s rock band, fresh from their headline slot at Glastonbury Festival, rolled back the years to light up a dreary Friday night in London.

Kicking-off proceedings with a bang, they opened with the roar of Its So Easy, one of many numbers scattered through the 27-song set that was taken from their seminal 1987 record Appetite For Destruction.

Not even a quick tumble on stage during second song Bad Obsession, off their Use Your Illusion double album, could upset proceedings for frontman Axl Rose.

Making light of his fall at the British Summer Time (BST) gig, the 61-year-old said: I dont want to jinx it but hopefully Ive got all the slip and sliding out of the way.

In a possible sign that his week-long stay in the UK had rubbed off on him, the American later told the thronging crowd he was having a bloody good time.

Frontman Axl Rose wore a Ukraine t-shirt during the bands song Civil War (PA Wire/PA Images/PA)

In a nod to the groups lengthy fallout following their mid-1990s bust-up, the Californians played Slither early on, a hit by Velvet Revolver, the band guitar player Slash and bassist Duff McKagan were in during their exile from Guns, which ended seven years ago.

The band  with the three original members padded out to a seven-piece via newer additions  offered a British-tinged set, rustling up covers of Live And Let Die by Paul McCartneys Wings and Down On The Farm by punk-outfit U.K. Subs.

Six songs in, Guns put the show into fifth gear with a colossal rendition of Welcome To The Jungle, sending the 60,000-strong crowd into overdrive.

Axl alluded to Slashs British roots as he introduced the Englishman  the 57-year-old, who appeared to relish improvising with The Jimi Hendrix Experiences Voodoo Child riff mid-set, was born in Hampstead, north London  ahead of a captivating solo piece.

The jean shirt-clad axemans fretwork proved a hypnotic build-up to the unmistakable opening chords of wedding dancefloor-favourite Sweet Child O Mine.

Slash was born in Hampstead, north London (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The June drizzle proved the perfect backdrop to the nine-minute ballad November Rain, with Axl donning a sparkling leopard-print jacket for his stint at the piano  one of his many outfit changes during the evening.

Following a slight lull in proceedings after an amped-up rendition of Bob Dylans Knocking On Heavens Door, the audiences patience was rewarded with one of the most pulsating songs in rock music.

Finale Paradise City sparked a sea of flailing bodies as the crowd joined in with every word that Axl, who appeared to have gone native with his Union-branded hat, belted out.

As guitar-shredding maestro Slash waved off the exiting crowd, even showing off to his country of birth with a farewell handstand, the hordes left the Royal Park sated on the sounds of West Coast hard rock.

Guns N Roses were supported by The Pretenders, The Darkness and Larkin Poe.

Manchester-formed group Take That are due to play at BST on Saturday, with crowd-drawing K-pop outfit Blackpink headlining on Sunday.
A teenager who died after being found in a canal with stab wounds has been named by police.

Victor Lee, 17, from Ealing, was found in the water by Ladbroke Grove in West London on Sunday.

He was pulled from the canal but, despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination on Wednesday concluded he died from his stab injuries.

Although formal identification has yet to take place, the Metropolitan Police said they are able to name Victor as the victim.

His family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers, the force said.

Three boys aged 14, 15 and 17 were arrested on Friday and remain in police custody.

Police have renewed appeals for information and witnesses to the killing, which is understood to have happened on the Grand Union towpath under Scrubs Lane.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie from the Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation and said: We are continuing to provide Victors family with support during this traumatic time and our thoughts remain with them.

We made three arrests as part of our investigation into Victors murder.

However I still need to hear from anyone who has information about what happened last Sunday.

Were you in the area of the Grand Union Canal towpath near the Scrubs Lane bridge, or travelling on Scrubs Lane, between 5.15pm and 6.15pm?

Did you see a fight or hear anything that may assist with the investigation?

If you were driving in the area and have a dash cam, please review your footage and contact us or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

My team will be in the vicinity of Scrubs Lane tomorrow, Sunday July 2, as part of a proactive appeal for information.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC, quoting CAD5828/25June, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on the above number.
The worlds largest airliner is returning to Birmingham airport as Gulf carriers ramp up capacity.

Emirates will resume using its 615-seater Airbus A380s from Saturday for one of its two daily return flights between the West Midlands airport and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The vast majority of A380s around the world were put into storage at the height of the virus crisis, sparking speculation they would never return due to the existence of more fuel-efficient aircraft.

But the models ability to carry more passengers than other commercial planes means they are making a recovery.

Meanwhile, airline Saudia will start serving Birmingham airport from Sunday with three return fights per week to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Airways will return to the airport on July 6 following a three-year absence due to the virus crisis, with daily return flights to Doha, Qatar.

Birmingham airport is hoping the moves mean more passengers will view it as an alternative to London terminals.

It expects to serve around 12.5 million passengers during the current financial year and plans to increase the annual figure to more than 18 million within a decade.

The airports chief executive, Nick Barton, said: Direct connectivity with the Middle East has never been better for our business and leisure customers.

Emirates, Qatar and Saudia are all major global players connecting Birmingham airport directly to their hub airports, each with impressive onward networks variously serving Australasia, Africa and the Far East.

Mr Barton cited Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Accenture and HSBC as some of the global brands which have recently established headquarters in Birmingham.

He went on: Emirates, Qatar and Saudia see Birmingham and the West Midlands as a British region home to six million people, with an economy the size of Hungarys, on a strong trajectory of growth, and with future economic potential not yet fully realised.

The draw of the West Midlands strengthens further still when one considers the opportunities offered by the new HS2 railway, which, once operational in the early 2030s, will connect London directly to the Birmingham airport terminal in a barely conceivable 32 minutes.

Thats a game-changer.

Emirates UK divisional vice president Richard Jewsbury said: Were excited to be bringing back our iconic A380 aircraft back to Birmingham.

The return will make it easier to connect more passengers to popular long-haul destinations including Thailand, Australia and of course the vibrant city of Dubai for summer and beyond.

As well as meeting increased customer demand, businesses across the region will be able to take full advantage of the cargo capacity.

Were extremely proud of our partnership with Birmingham airport and our ongoing commitments to the wider Midlands region.
Republican presidential candidate and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd said that the Supreme Courts ruling on Friday that a Christian website designer cannot be required to provide wedding websites to same-sex couples was uncomfortable but the right call.

This is a decision that makes me uncomfortable, but I think it was the right call, partly because we should protect expression and speech even if it makes us uncomfortable and we disagree with it, Hurd said in an interview with MSNBC.

I personally disagree with the anti-LGBTQ sentiments that were expressed in this case, the moderate Republican candidate added.

While in Congress, Hurd was one of a handful of Republicans to vote in favor of legislation to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ Americans.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that Colorados anti-discrimination law violated evangelical Christian web designer Lorie Smiths free speech rights by requiring her to create wedding websites for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples, contrary to her religious beliefs.

But, as this Court has long held, the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion.

Of course, abiding the Constitutions commitment to the freedom of speech means all of us will encounter ideas we consider unattractive, he added.

However, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned in a biting dissent that the ruling could open the door to discrimination against other groups, suggesting that a website designer could refuse to create a wedding website for an interracial couple.

How quickly we forget that opposition to interracial marriage was often because Almighty God . . . did not intend for the races to mix, she said, quoting the courts landmark decision in Loving v. Virginia that overturned state bans on interracial marriage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments, including the final scene, in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, currently playing in theaters.

When Lucasfilm announced in 2016 that Steven Spielberg was making a fifth Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, fans naturally wondered how much of a role Karen Allens Marion Ravenwood  Indys spitfire equal from 1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark and the love of his life  would play in the new film. The last time audiences saw Marion, she was getting married to Indy at the end of 2008s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, after she revealed to Indy that theyd had a child together, who Indy meets as teenage greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). So any follow-up movie would at the very least need to address the fact that Indy is married with a (grown) kid.

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Thats certainly what Allen was thinking, at least. I dont know that I thought wed pick up from where we left off, but I did always imagine that it would be a story with Indy and Marion going forward, Allen tells Variety.

Thats not quite how things turned out. After three years of development, Spielberg decided to turn over directing duties to James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari), who overhauled the script with screenwriters Jez and John-Henry Butterworth for what became Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. According to Allen, Marion was largely cut out of the movie; instead, the couple had separated after Mutt was killed in the Vietnam War. Its only at the end of the film, following Indys time-bending adventures with his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), that Indy and Marion have a tender reunion in Indys New York City apartment  and, according to Ford, draws the curtain on Indiana Jones.

But perhaps not on Marion. Allen talked with Variety about the characters possible future, how her relationship with the role has evolved since Raiders of the Lost Ark, and what it was like to film Marions final scene with Indy.

Lucasfilm first announced they were making a fifth Indiana Jones movie in 2016. Did you have a sense that you would be coming back at that point?

I think because the last time you see Indy and Marion, theyve gotten married  I dont know that I thought wed pick up from where we left off, but I did always imagine that it would be a story with Indy and Marion going forward. When Steven was going to direct the film, I think the scripts were more focused on an Indy/Marion story. But when Steven stepped aside and James came in, he started fresh with new writers and they just went in the direction they went in. They were going to tell a different story. Thats not to say that I had ever read a script that Steven was working on, because I hadnt. But I just knew from conversations that wed had that the ongoing story had involved Marion in a much bigger way than the story that they ended up with.

So when you learned that that the new script had Indy and Marion separated, very much on the way to divorce, and also that Mutt had been killed in Vietnam, what was your reaction?

Well, I was disappointed, of course. I knew that there had been talk that they did not want to go forward with Shia, so I knew that something in the story had to create the potential for him to not be there in a way that made sense. I didnt know that he was going to die in Vietnam until I read the script, oh gosh, maybe just it was maybe six months before they were going to start shooting. I was deeply happy that Marion came back at least the end of their story. If this is indeed truly the last film of this particular group of films  if this is the last story with Harrison as Indy and me as Marion  I was profoundly happy that it didnt end without them coming back together. That meant a lot to me, to feel like they were going to ride off in the sunset together.

How many days did you shoot for?

I think I was [shooting] for two days. But they wanted me to come out early and have plenty of time to play with the costume designer. We had decided to put me in a gray wig that had been built for me, but James and I hadnt seen it. So I came out about two weeks early. It was nice, because I hung out on the set a bit and got to watch them shooting and got to meet everyone. You know, Phoebe was there, and John Rhys-Davies, and Harrison, and that lovely young man, Ethann [Isidore]. It just gave me a chance to move back into that world a little bit without just jumping onto the set to shoot.

How did it feel to step back into the character and her relationship with Indy that youd started 40 years earlier?

It was pretty great, I have to say. I think Harrison was very, very happy that we were going to do this scene. We just kind of jumped into it. I had watched James Mangold working with the actors for quite a few days when I went to the set, and I just had a wonderful feeling about him as a director. Very clear, very straightforward, you know, full of energy and fun. I had a sense that I would work with him well. For me, it was a wonderful day. Everybody came up to me afterwards and said, Oh my God, that was just my favorite. I just loved seeing the two of you come back together. So it had a kind of sweetness to it.

I was particularly fond of the callback to the scene from Raiders, when Indy asks Marion to kiss all the parts of his body that dont hurt, only this time, hes kissing her in the same way.

It was great. Its such a brief little scene and I think there is this sense of trying to put so much into it somehow. But it was lovely that they were able to bring the grief that Marion had been through with the loss of her son and just little moments like that all into that one little moment in the film.

How did you think about what was going on with Marion and what shed been through off screen? Is that something you think about?

I always do that. Im a very rigorous actor in that way. I love to just delve into what their history was. I wasnt given a lot of information in the script. We know Mutt has been killed; we know it drove a wedge between them. But we dont know much else. So I usually sit down and write a little bit of history and think it through. It was just a sense that they had not seen each other for a while and that there was a real sense of them grieving in very different ways, as I know people do when they lose a child. I liked the thought of coming into that room without really knowing what I was gonna find or whether it was the right thing to do. But I think Marion at that point maybe has come to some decisions herself about whether or not she wants this to be the end of the relationship.

How has your relationship to the character of Marion  and to the whole idea of the Indiana Jones franchise  changed over time?

Its changed a lot, I think. I was a young actor when I did Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think I had done three films. You dont really know what its like to be so identified with a character until you are. Sometimes as an actor, it can feel like a bit of a straitjacket. You want to walk into a room to meet people for a film or a play or whatever it is that you might be interested in doing, and you dont necessarily want a character that youve played to precede you into the room. You want to be wide open.

On the other hand, the fact that youve been in a very, very successful film often is the thing that got you into the room. So its a little bit of a double edged sword. There was a period in which it was uncomfortable for me. I think I felt a little too identified  not personally, necessarily, but like the world was a little too identified with me as that character. I didnt do another film for a couple of years. I went back and worked in the theater. Everybody thought I was nuts, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

But it sounds like things changed for you?

I think I just had to get it out of my system. I had to play some other very different types of characters, because another thing that also happens is, you do a film like that and then the next 10 things you get offered are very similar types of roles and very similar types of films. For me, I didnt necessarily feel like, oh, yeah, I want to go right back into another film and play another character [like that]. Marion Ravenwood is such a special character. I mean, its one of the most wonderful introductions to a character I think you could offer someone to play in a film. We meet her in that bar, and shes drinking men under the table to make money, and Indy walks in and she smacks him in the jaw. Most of the other things that would be at all similar are going to pale by comparison. So the the really interesting thing to do, it seemed to me, was to go off in a completely different direction. I mean, the next character I played was deaf and blind [in the 1982 Broadway production of Monday After the Miracle.]

Finally, Harrison has been very clear that this is his last go around as Indiana Jones. Would you however, be interested in playing Marion again, if that opportunity were to come up?

Absolutely. I dont necessarily think that that is something thats going to happen, but it would be delightful to play her again. I mean, I feel like I didnt really have the opportunity in this film to take her into this later part of her of her life. It would be incredible to be able to explore who she is and who shes become. I dont know. Theyre so interwoven with each other, I cant imagine someone creating a film that revolved around Marion without Indy, but never say never. It could always happen!

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Louisiana Gov. Jon Bel Edwards (D) vetoed three bills targeting the LGBTQ community on Friday.

HB 648 would have banned gender-affirming care for minors  barring puberty-blockers, hormone treatment and surgeries. In a 6-page veto message sent to state House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, Edwards argued that the bill is part of a targeted assault on children.

This bill is entitled the Stop Harming Our Kids Act, which is ironic because that is precisely what it does, the governor wrote. This bill denies healthcare to a very small, unique, and vulnerable group of children.

And, without doubt, it is part of a targeted assault on children that the bill itself deems not normal,' he later added.

Another bill that experts dubbed as the states version of Floridas Dont Say Gay Bill   HB 466  would prevent teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in public school classrooms. In his veto message, Edwards said the bill places vulnerable children on the front lines of a vicious culture war.

The bill is also unduly harsh as it allows students, teachers, and others serving students to totally disregard a students autonomy by forcing the student to answer to pronouns that they do not wish to use, he said, adding This forced rejection of self-identity is particularly cruel to a child and this cruelty may adversely affect the child in their formative years.

Edwards also vetoed another bill  HB 81  that would require public school teachers to use the pronouns and names that the students had at birth.

The GOP controlled state legislature is likely not done trying to make the measures law. Multiple GOP lawmakers told the Associated Press they likely will convene a veto season to attempt to overturn the governors decision.

Louisiana would have become just the latest state with a GOP controlled legislature to pass bills targeting the LGBTQ community.

As of June, 20 states have passed a bill banning gender-affirming care, according to the Human Rights Campaign  including Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma. In addition, eight other states are considering a law banning gender-affirming care.

More than 525 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed in 41 states just this year, according to data by the HRC.

The Hills Steff Danielle Thomas contributed reporting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(AP)

More than a dozen states have enacted policies banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender people, as Republicans nationwide have made limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ people a central part of their platform.

However, in US prisons, hardly known for vigorously protecting civil liberties, an unlikely revolution is underway, moving things ever so slowly in the opposite direction. Thanks to a group of pioneering inmates, in the last seven months, the federal prison system provided the first and second ever recorded cases of gender-affirming surgery for its prisoners.

The procedures were a culmination of decades of activism, perseverance, and lawsuits from transgender people in the carcercal system, who fought for legal recognition and dignity at the same time they were fighting for survival, with trans people behind bars facing staggering amounts of violence and sexual abuse.

Nonetheless, despite these milestones, incarcerated people and legal experts say the prison system still barely recognises the basic humanity of trans people, and puts up numerous hurdles to them getting the medical which they need  and which they are entitled to under the US Constitution.

There are an estimated 1,200 transgender people in the US prisons, less than one per cent of the total population behind bars. They may be a small population, but trans people face a disproportionate share of the violence and abuse that plagues the American prison system at large.

Being trans in prison exponentially increases the risk of being sexually abused and physically abused, Julie Abbate, national advocacy director at Just Detention International, a human rights organisation which seeks to end sexual abuse in prisons, told The Independent.

More than one third of trans people in prisons and jails experience sexual violence, the highest reported level of any group, according to a 2018 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Many struggle to access basic services from prisons, like being housed in the wing matching their gender or getting hormone treatments.

Donna Langan, who is housed at a federal prison in Texas, was one of those who fought against this onslaught of mistreatment.

Langan, 65, has been serving a life sentence without parole since 1996, after robbing two banks and assaulting federal officials while being part of a neo-Nazi group.

According to Langan, the violent persona was a mask for someone who was struggling for decades with their gender identity, and she has since disavowed her hateful views.

Ashley Diamond successfully challenged Georgias policy of limiting hormone access to trans people in prison (Ashley Diamond)

She once wrote her entire life has been shaped by the agonizing tension between the immutability of her gender identity and the often life-or-death danger of publicly living her truth.

Not long after entering the system, Langan began reckoning more directly with her gender, and started seeking hormone treatments, but it would take until 2012 to get hormone replacement therapy and take another four years to get moved to a womens facility.

In that long interval, she faced harassment from fellow inmates, and continued to plead with prison authorities for gender-confirming surgery.

I had to constantly think every day about different survival strategies, she told The Intercept in 2018. Youre like, Im not trying to be a victim, yet if youre too aggressive in defending yourself, you can get in trouble.

On paper, the process shouldnt have been that complicated. Prisons are required to provide inmates with necessary medical care, and under the standards of care from organisations like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the American Medical Association, gender-affirming surgery is a key tool in fighting the medical condition of gender dysphoria. Joe Biden had campaigned on a promise to ensure all transgender inmates in federal correctional facilities have access to appropriate doctors and medical care. And the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) even has a dedicated group, the Transgender Executive Council, which meets to work through issues and requests related to trans inmates.

Nonetheless, repeated requests from Langan went denied or simply unanswered. Finally, in 2020, she sued in federal court, claiming prison officials were violating her constitutional rights of equal protection under the law and breaking the 8th Amendment, which prevents cruel and unusual punishment.

Langan continued to experience debilitating anguish as a result of severe and inadequately treated gender dysphoria her complaint against the BOP in 2021 read. With a lawsuit looming, the agencys years of delay vanished, and Langan was fast-tracked for surgery, receiving the procedure at the end of 2022.

I hope that many others who need gender confirmation can get it too, Langan said in a statement after getting the surgery.

Her story  suffering in prison, seemingly arbitrary delays, a lawsuit forcing action  is hardly unique.

Cristina Nichole Iglesias has been in since 1994, almost always housed in mens facilities even though she is a transgender woman. The Florida inmate has been subject to vicious sexual and physical abuse as a result.

In 2016, she first began seeking gender-affirming surgery, after enduring years of mistreatment.

There were pretty regular thoughts about self-harm and self-castration. It was just almost debilitating for her, Li Nowlin-Sohl of the American Civil Liberties Union, which worked with Iglesias to challenge her treatment, told The Independent. Its extremely dysphoric to be in that situation. Its also very unsafe to be a woman, a transgender woman in her case, in her case someone who is on hormones and has breasts, to be in a male facility. There have been times when shes been forced to bathe within view of either male guards or male inmates. Shes received threats.

By 2019, the BOP still hadnt budged on Iglesiass surgery requests, with the agency claiming she needed to have been housed in a womens ward for a year before getting the treatment, even though petitioning for such transfers is nearly impossible in the federal prison system for all but a tiny group of inmates. That same year, she filed a lawsuit.

Another three years later, and the government eventually approved her request for surgery in summer of 2022, though it still took months for the surgery to be complete.

They just kind of kept not making a decision, even after the court ordered them to make a decision, Ms Nowlin-Sohl added. To us, it was potentially an intentional bureaucratic slowing down of the process.

Finally, in March of 2023, Iglesias got her surgery, and the BOP agreed in a settlement to set out timelines for gender-affirming treatments, and to commit to regarding permanent hair removal and gender-affirming care as medically necessary, even though medical officials have held this view for years.

I feel so relieved, Iglesias said in a statement after the surgery. I fought for so long to get the healthcare I need, but wasnt sure this day would ever come. Now, the federal government has finally agreed to provide me with gender-affirming surgery. This will change my life and allow me to live as the woman I am. Gender-affirming care is necessary, lifesaving, and for me and so many others  long overdue.

The victory was deep, but it may only be temporary. This year, as part of a suite of extreme restrictions on LGBTQ+ and in particular trans people, Florida governor Ron DeSantis passed a law that would forbid public funds from going to any hospital, city, or county, which provides gender-affirming care, potentially imperiling the ability of other Florida inmates like Iglesias to get the kind of care they are legally guaranteed.

Prisons, even ones that have approved gender-affirming treatments, often delay access for years (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The advances at the federal level followed activism from people in state justice systems.

In 2020, after fighting the Idaho prison system for years Adree Edmo became the second incarcerated person in the country to ever receive gender-affirming care, following a 2017 case in California prison.

Despite a 2012 diagnosis by prison doctors of gender dysphoria, it took a multi-year legal battle, including taking her case to the Supreme Court, before Edmos surgery was approved. Amy Whelan, senior staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, helped litigate Edmos case.

Some of [the prison systems] arguments were that this is a controversial aspect of medicine, which it is not. The medical community has known for decades how to treat gender dysphoria. Its very well established that those treatments are safe and effective and part of the standard of care, she said.

They also argued prisoners in particular do not get to choose the specific form of medical care that they can receive and that because Idaho had provided Ms Edmo with hormones and with other treatments like access to mental health care, that surgery was not required for her, she added. That was very contrary to the evidence in the case and the expert testimonyThe other treatments were so inadequate that she attempted self surgery in order to treat herself.

The herculean, multi-year battles in court to achieve these surgeries are at odds with the basic facts of the law: courts, including the US Supreme Court, have long held that its a violation of the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment for prisons to deny prisoners vital medical care.

The one thing that government officials cant ignore is the constitution, Beth Littrell, senior supervising attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Centers prograame on LGBTQ+ rights, told The Independent.

Still, prisons have considerable discretion and power in interpreting what medically necessary care means.

The prison officials will say, in our opinion, this persons gender dysphoria is adequately treated, and then youve got to get in front of a court and prove theyre wrong and prove why this sort of treatment is inadequate. Its having the burden of proof in every case which of course for incarcerated people is no easy task, she added. On top of that, the thing were seeing is wholly unqualified healthcare providers who dont know anything about gender dysphoria, have never treated it before, or in fact are transphobic, and theyre the people who decide whether or not a trans person who is incarcerated needs gender confirming surgery.

Even to those who advocate on behalf of trans people in court, the rationale of when the BOPs Transgender Executive Council provides certain care and when it doesnt can be hard to parse.

Its not totally clear to people what their process is, Ms Whelan of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said. The BOP has this subcommittee that is made up of people, who they dont really disclose publicly, who considers issues related to transgender prisoners. They have private meetings about those people. Its not clear what standards theyre providing.

And what standards do make it from behind the curtain seem to fly in the face of basic medical ethics at times, including requirements that trans prisoners avoid disciplinary infractions before accessing certain kinds of care.

Republican states like Florida that penalise institutions for offering gender-affirming care could make access more difficult for trans prisoners (Getty)

They dont condition any other kind of medical care on disciplinary records, she added. That part of their policy is just blatantly unconstitutional. They would never say in any other context, for instance, well Im going to withhold insulin from this person or Im not going to fix their broken arm because they have this disciplinary history.

Even accessing less intensive treatments like hormones can be difficult, compounding the other structural disadvantages that put trans people in a vulnerable position well before they arrive in prison.

Ashley Diamond was born in 1978 to a strict Southern Baptist family in Rome, Georgia. She told her family at a young age she was a woman, and was kicked out of the house by the time she was a teenager, though she managed to find a doctor who prescribed hormone treatments and recommended living in her true gender.

In 2012, she was incarcerated after unknowingly pawning a stolen saw for her boyfriend, the beginning of a hellish journey through the Georgia prison system, out to freedom, then back again.

When she arrived in prison, Ms Diamond said she felt like a deer in the headlights, about to be housed in a mens prison after decades of living as a woman.

Back then, I was literally told, the state of Georgia literally told me, theyre going to make a man out of me. That was literally what I was told when I got there, she told The Independent. Im wearing Hannah Montana pajamas, I have long hair, with breasts, and Im in a mens prison.

Once inside the maximum security Valdosta State Prison, she asked a guard if there was a safe place for people like her. He asked if she could make a fist and fight. Get ready, he said, youre going to do a bunch of that.*

Not only was Ms Diamond housed with men, and sexually assaulted multiple times in prison, but she also lost access to her hormones, causing devastating and lifelong health impacts.

I was vomiting all the time. My breasts started shrinking up. My hips started shrinking up. My hair was not growing, she said. Like I was dying right in front of my eyes. I felt like a wilting flower.

Eventually, even though she says she thought victory had a snowballs chance of surviving in hell, she sued the state of Georgia, arguing their freeze frame policy, requiring proof of previous accces to hormones, was violating the 8th Amendment. The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the case, and in 2016, she settled with Georgia, which put her out on parole and dropped its hormone policy. That wasnt the end.

Back in Rome, she was suddenly a celebrity, with people thinking she became rich from her settlement. Members of her family still shunned her. The Ku Klux Klan burnt a cross on her lawn.

I became very very depressed, she said. I needed help and I needed help from people who understood what I was going through.

In 2019, she was arrested for failing to appear at a court hearing and violating the terms of her parole because she crossed state lines to access a gender-affirming medical care centre in Florida.

Suddenly, she was back where she started, held in a mens facility, and besieged with violence once again, all while delays in prescriptions meant she functionally still didnt have access to her hormones. She filed a second lawsuit challenging her conditions in 2020, and in 2022, upon receiving parole, decided to drop the case.

Now, she shes in Rome once again, exhausted, but planning to get the hell out of Georgia and move to Los Angeles, where she hopes to pursue her interest in singing and finish making a record. She already works as a Whitney Houston impersonator and wants to move on from the psychological damage her battle with the state of Georgia caused. Family members recently ransacked her house.

Im still not where I need to be, she told The Independent. Im resilient. Ill be ok.

However, to move she still needs permission from the state of Georgia, the same institution that twice nearly killed her by putting her in mens prisons. Otherwise, moving away, and moving on with her life, could constitute another parole violation.

All of these people are descendants, in a legal sense, from Dee Farmer, a transgender inmate in Indiana who was the first trans person to bring a case to the US Supreme Court.

She alleged prison officials knowingly put her in danger, after she was sexually assaulted during her time in a mens prison ward. The high court agreed, finding that prison officials could be shown to be negligent for not protecting trans people. The decision has been cited numerous times and helped inspire the landmark 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Her story illustrates both how much has changed, and how little has advanced, when it comes to the life of transgender people inside of prisons.

Like many transgender people now, Ms Farmer struggled as a young person with harsh bullying from her peers and living on her own. She dropped out of high school and soon racked up of a series of credit card-related infractions, which occurred when she was a teenager and young woman and didnt really understand what she was doing, other than using shopping as an escape.

On the outside, she couldnt get access to medical treatment.

I was already taking female hormones on the black market. I was getting them from some of the people I was hanging out with, some of them were trying to transition, she told The Independent.

In the system, officials lashed out at every turn. In court during her 1986 conviction, a judge demanded she stop dressing as a woman. After she was found guilty, a prison official made inappropriate remarks when she arrived in prison, saying, If I was locked up, you would be my wife.

She was housed with men and cut off from her hormones.

I never really even had considered that they would place me in a womans facility because you know back then it was never even heard of, she said. The term transgender wasnt even heard of. I didnt learn about gender dysphoria and all that stuff until I went to prison. The people out in the community that I lived in, even though there were many trans people in that community, they really didnt know about their conditions and their rights and stuff.

After being raped, she was put in segregation, a form of solitary confinement, with prison officials saying it was for her protection. To this day, many trans people, forced to endure the risks of living in a prison of the opposite gender, are housed in solitary in this manner, even though many human rights experts consider such solitude a kind of torture.

From behind her bars, Ms Farmer watched as her fellow brutalised LGBTQ+ inmates arrived in protective custody.

I just felt so horrible for them, she said. It was almost like weve all endured this.

Some people, faced with choosing life in segregation or violence in the general population, chose the latter after a few weeks of near-total isolation.

One of the only places Ms Farmer was allowed to go was the law library, where she read all day and helped her fellow inmates file legal challenges.

She only got hormone treatment towards the end of her time in prison, many years and numerous lawsuits later.

Ms Farmer, who is now a speaker and legal consultant, is amazed that people in US prisons are now getting gender-affirming surgeries.

Its amazing to me, she said. Since Ive been released, Ive had my own gender-affirming surgery. I tell people that I never envisioned the day that this would almost become the norm, that it would be acceptable and respected and its just really a good feeling. It just inspires me to want to do more and more and to open up as many doors as I can.

It is both vexing, and a potential glimmer of hope, that the treatments transgender people are seeking are legally protected and medically backed. That means, according to Julie Abbate of Just Detention, the main thing that needs to change in US prisons is not any particular policy, but rather the much fuzzier target of the culture within prisons at large.

People can do the right thing under most existing policies, she said. I think the change has to really be on a more basic level, on the level of dignity and respect and understanding. These changes are free. They cost no money.

And yet, as the stories of Donna Langan, Cristina Nichole Iglesias, Adree Edmo, Ashley Diamond, and Dee Farmer make clear, the fight for these basic tenants of human understanding can be the toughest battle of all in America.
Five-year-old Penelope Sapia was diagnosed with a rare disease at birth. Ever since then, her mother, Gillian Sapia, has had to become well-versed in the complex world of Medicaid enrollment -- the only way the family affords the constant brain scans, kidney tests and seizure medications that Penelope needs to treat her classic galactosemia, a genetic metabolic disorder.

That's why Gillian Sapia, a former nurse turned full-time caretaker for her daughter, was stunned when she received a text from Penelope's occupational therapist in May. Penelope no longer had Medicaid, the therapist texted, and she wouldn't be able to get treatment again until she did.

"I was crying all day," said Sapia, who wasn't sure if she'd made a mistake renewing her daughter's Medicaid or if there had been a mistake in the system. "It was just so overwhelming and so defeating because I really do -- my whole life is taking care of her. I'm her caretaker. And I felt like a bad mom."

Sapia knew that their home state of Florida, along with a handful of other states, had begun combing through Medicaid rolls to make sure everyone was still eligible -- as required with the end this year of the federal government's public health emergency for COVID-19.

Nonetheless, Sapia had expected to remain enrolled because, she said, she applied for renewal and hadn't heard otherwise from the state Medicaid office.

Instead, Sapia said that text from her daughter's occupational therapist kicked off a three-week period of daily calls, often with hourslong hold times, to reach agents with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). When she couldn't get answers there, she turned to health advocates and lawyers who took up her case.

In that time, the Sapias said, they spent about $1,000 a week to keep up with Penelope's health care needs as they struggled to find out why she lost her Medicaid coverage -- and how to get it back.

MORE: Millions will lose health insurance starting Saturday. But they might not know it.

Three weeks later, after working with lawyers and a health advocacy group called the Florida Health Justice Project, Sapia said she got a call carrying good news: Penelope was back on Medicaid.

But the Sapias say they still don't have a clear answer for why they were suddenly removed in the first place.

DCF declined to comment to ABC News on Penelope's case, citing privacy concerns, and a spokesperson did not respond to a detailed list of questions for this story. But the spokesperson maintained that "everyone that is removed from Medicaid receives a final notice informing them of the reason for termination."

Sapia said that wasn't her experience.

"They didn't even tell me that I was dropped. And I went through all of my letters to see where I was dropped, and there was absolutely not a single letter in my profile online," she said. "No answers whatsoever."

PHOTO: As their 5-year-old daughter battles a rare genetic disorder, Gillian and Rocky Sapia, struggled to get to get their child back on Medicaid after she was removed from the rolls in Florida. (ABC News)

In May, the same month the Sapias were removed from Medicaid, Florida removed around 250,000 other enrollees -- and nationwide, more than 1.5 million Americans have lost coverage in the last four months, according to an analysis of available data from at least 25 states by the nonpartisan health policy center KFF.

Why Medicaid is undergoing a huge review

The massive shift in health care coverage -- potentially the biggest since the country implemented the Affordable Care Act 10 years ago, experts have said -- started in the spring, when the country officially moved out of the pandemic's emergency phase, first declared by the federal government in 2020.

States had been given additional federal funding for the last three years to provide continuous Medicaid coverage, ensuring no one lost health care amid the throes of COVID-19.

The end of the emergency, in May, also meant the end of the federal money and states could once again begin reviewing their Medicaid rolls, asking people to renew their coverage and prove they're still eligible for government-funded health care. Florida began redetermining Medicaid eligibility on May 1 and will be updating the coverage rolls each month through March 2024.

MORE: What do the changes in COVID data sharing mean for the US?

In Arkansas, where at least 110,000 people have lost coverage so far, according to KFF, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has pledged to carry out the process in half the time the federal government called for states to use. Huckabee has called the Medicaid rollbacks "necessary" to help get the program "back to normal."

"We're simply removing ineligible participants from the program to reserve resources for those who need them and follow the law," she wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in May.

Nearly all states will have begun their redetermination processes by July, and about half the country already has.

In all, 15 million people could get removed from the Medicaid rolls during the redetermination process, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates.

PHOTO: Penelope Sapia, is a 5 year old Florida patient battling galactosemia, a rare genetic disorder. Her Parents, Gillian and Rocky to struggled to get her back on Medicaid after getting kicked off the roster. (ABC News)

Up to 7M Americans may lose coverage unnecessarily

The concern of health advocates, though, is for people like the Sapias, who seemingly slip through the cracks of bureaucracy.

With such a big undertaking after three years, Medicaid officials estimate that there could be roughly 7 million people who are still eligible but lose their coverage anyway.

"That is of paramount concern to us," Dan Tsai, who oversees federal Medicaid efforts for CMS, told ABC News in an interview.

The estimate comes from historical data, Tsai said, which shows that before the pandemic, people struggled to keep up with regular reapplications for Medicaid coverage. Procedural errors, missed notices and confusion are known factors in part to blame for eligible recipients losing coverage, he said.

"Because of the Medicaid renewal process, which is often very paper-based, you have individuals in the program -- kids, families, parents -- losing coverage for a period of time and often not knowing it until they show back up at the doctor's office," he said.

Referring to the 15 million expected to lose Medicaid coverage with the end of COVID-19 funding, Tsai said, "We know and have estimated that roughly half of that ... will be people that are still eligible and lose coverage. Not because their income has changed but because of red tape, of not getting a piece of paper in the mail or knowing that they were up for renewal and needing to submit and return a form to the state."

MORE: COVID fraud victims are still struggling to clear their names

In Florida, for example, 82% of those removed from the Medicaid rolls in May lost coverage because of "procedural reasons," according to a KFF analysis of the Florida redetermination data from May. That meant people didn't fill out a form correctly or submit it in time, or perhaps moved homes and missed a letter notifying them of the change in the mail.

By contrast, 18% of the 250,000 people in Florida were removed in May because they were ineligible, KFF found, usually meaning they'd found employer-sponsored health care or they now made too much money to qualify for the low-income program and were transferred over to coverage through the ACA, also known as "Obamacare."

DCF did not respond to ABC News' multiple requests for comment regarding KFF's findings.

While it's still unclear why Penelope Sapia was temporarily removed from Medicaid coverage, experts who reviewed her case pointed out that Florida's plan pledges to keep children with medically complex conditions enrolled until the end of the redetermination process.

Because of that, the Sapias expect her to have coverage until they go through the renewal again in March 2024 -- but her story raises concern about the state's process, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University.

PHOTO: Rachel sits down with Daniel Tsai, the Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services who acknowledges the potential harmful impact Medicaid redetermination could have on millions of Americans. (ABC News)

Across the country, Alker said, it will be a challenge to navigate such a far-reaching process without dropping people from coverage unnecessarily.

"This is a really heavy lift. We see mistakes are made. Families don't get the letter, they don't understand the letter, they have a hard time getting help," she said.

While the DCF wouldn't comment on Penelope Sapia, the department's deputy chief of staff, Mallory McManus said they are "utilizing an aggressive text and email effort in addition to traditional mail."

"If all of those efforts are unsuccessful, we are calling recipients to inform them that their redetermination is past due and to encourage them to respond to the Department," McManus told ABC News.

Tsai, at CMS, said his department has been working for two years to get states to streamline their processes in order to lessen the blow when redeterminations inevitably began again.

"So much of the work and the strategies we put on the table, the all-hands-on-deck moment now, is to help make sure that everybody eligible is aware of what's happening, has a chance to update their contact information with the state and really is able to return the renewal form to keep their coverage," he said.

"There's more to do," he acknowledged. "And indeed, some states have taken us up on every option and strategy that we've put on the table. Some states have taken up fewer of those."

But the "bottom line" is this, he said. "We're really encouraging and urging our state partners and others to really adopt, take up, do everything in your power, to do everything to keep people covered."

ABC News' Eric Fayeulle and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Millions may soon lose Medicaid when they don't have to -- as one Florida family has already learned originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
ROGGEN, Colo.  A person was killed after the car they were driving was swept away by floodwaters in Colorado.

The Weld County Sheriffs Office responded about 9 a.m. Friday to county roads 73 and 16 after a car was found floating in the water with a driver inside the car.

"The occupant of the car drove past the roadblocks that are there to prevent vehicles from entering the dangerous floodwaters in the area," sheriff's office spokeswoman Melissa Chesmore said in a release.

DERECHO WITH 100-MPH WINDS RIPS ACROSS MIDWEST LEAVING BEHIND WIDESPREAD DAMAGE

The occupant of the car was pulled out of the water by witnesses on the scene. Life-saving measures were administered, but the person did not survive. The Weld County coroner said they would release the victim's identity at a later time.

Neighboring officers in Keenesburg responded as well to assist deputies with the dangerous floodwaters. One of their patrol vehicles was also washed away by the rushing waters. The officer was able to get out of the vehicle and was uninjured.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they said they were unable to man the road barricades due to rescuing drivers going around the barricades and into the floodwaters.

In total, there were six vehicles submerged into floodwaters, six human rescues, and five police dog rescues performed by deputies on Friday.

"Drivers have been disregarding these barricades and going around them because although the road appears to be clear just beyond the barricades, within a mile after the barricades the road is washed out, and as a result vehicles have got swept away by the river," Chesmore said.

STORMS TRIGGER FLASH FLOODING, WATER RESCUES AROUND DENVER METRO

A deputy is currently stationed in a vehicle just past the barricade to help slow drivers down and prevent them from going into the water.

A request to have Colorado Department of Transportation install hard barriers at the location has been requested to prevent drivers from going around them.
By Daria Sito-Sucic

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's international peace overseer, Christian Schmidt, on Saturday annulled two laws that Bosnian Serb parliament had adopted defying the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended the Balkan country's war in the 1990s.

Schmidt, who as international High Representative in Bosnia has powers to impose laws and sack obstructive officials, also amended a law so that those seen as attacking the state institutions can be criminally prosecuted.

"Recent decisions by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska directly violate the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Dayton peace agreement," Schmidt told a news conference in Sarajevo.

Schmidt was referring to lawmakers in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic voting to suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court and stopping publishing the peace envoy's decrees and laws in the official gazette.

The Dayton peace accords ended nearly four years of war, in which about 100,000 died, by splitting Bosnia into two autonomous regions, the Serb-dominated Serb Republic and the Federation shared by Bosniaks and Croats, linked by a weak central government.

The region's separatist pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik, who has long criticised the court for having foreign judges on board, initiated the vote after the court last week decided to change the rules to be able to convene sessions and make decisions without Serb judges.

The Serbs say they do not recognise Schmidt, who was appointed in 2021, as the high representative because the U.N. Security Council did not endorse his appointment.

"Republika Srpska will not accept a single decision of the fake high representative," Dodik, who was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption and obstructing the peace, said on Saturday.

Schmidt said that his decisions are effective immediately.

The U.S. embassy welcomed Schmidt's decisions, agreeing that he was defending the Dayton peace deal and the constitution upholding the rule of law in Bosnia.

"The United States supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to hold individuals engaged in anti-Dayton behaviour responsible for their actions," the embassy tweeted.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Louise Heavens)
CHICAGO (AP)  Children as young as 11 are confined alone to cells the size of parking spaces up to 23 hours a day at a juvenile detention center in Southern Illinois, according to a lawsuit filed by ACLU of Illinois.

Young people at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton must ask staff permission to flush the toilet, and they can go days or weeks without access to schoolwork. Black mold grows on the walls, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, and there are no mental health professionals employed at the facility.

The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the facility to improve conditions immediately, on the basis of deprivation of their rights under the 14th Amendment.

These are not conditions that anybody, let alone any child, should be subjected to, said Kevin Fee, the lead lawyer on the case, describing the situation as inhumane to the level of being unspeakable.

In general, the conditions of juvenile detention centers in the U.S. have been slowly improving in the last few decades thanks to research on the harms of solitary confinement, so this case is especially frightening, said clinical and forensic psychologist Apryl Alexander, who works with detained youth.

Were supposed to be using the juvenile legal system for rehabilitation and not punishment. These are youth who are capable of change  we recognize that developmentally and personally. And so we should be treating them as such, Alexander said.

Fee added that the Franklin detention center is used to hold kids before they have been sentenced or found guilty by a court.

The ACLU of Illinois spoke with more than a dozen youngsters who are either detained currently or have been detained at the facility within the past few weeks about their experiences there, Fee said.

The idea that children would spend any portion of their childhood locked in solitary confinement is an egregious abuse, Fee said.

Solitary confinement is extremely harmful for everybody who is locked up, but particularly for children spending that much time in a brightly lit room, unable to really sleep properly," Fee said.

The practice has been banned for youth held by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice since 2015, and on Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation making it illegal to use on young detainees in detention centers for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm.

The law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Alexander added that the majority of suicides that happen in detention occur when a person is in solitary confinement.

It is also important to consider that many youth in the juvenile legal system experienced trauma before they were detained, so putting them in solitary confinement can also be retraumatizing, Alexander said.

Neither the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center nor the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice immediately responded to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

___

Savage 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.
DENVER (AP)  A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday could refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her.

The request in dispute, from a person identified as Stewart, wasnt the basis for the federal lawsuit filed preemptively seven years ago by web designer Lorie Smith, before she started making wedding websites. But as the case advanced, it was referenced by her attorneys when lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed Smith on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue.

The revelation distracts from Smiths victory at a time when she might have been basking in her win, which is widely considered a setback for gay rights.

Smith named Stewart  and included a website service request from him, listing his phone number and email address in 2017 court documents. But Stewart told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didnt know his name was invoked in the lawsuit until he was contacted this week by a reporter from The New Republic, which first reported his denial.

I was incredibly surprised given the fact that Ive been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years, said Stewart, who declined to give his last name for fear of harassment and threats. His contact information, but not his last name, were listed in court documents.

He added that he was a designer and could design my own website if I need to  and was concerned no one had checked into the validity of the request cited by Smith until recently.

Smiths lawyer, Kristen Waggoner, said at a Friday news conference that the wedding request naming Stewart was submitted through Smiths website and denied it was fabricated.

She suggested it could have been a troll making the request, something that's happened with other clients she has represented. In 2018 her client Colorado baker Jack Phillips won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing to make a gay couples wedding cake, citing his Christian faith.

Its undisputed that the request was received," Waggoner said. Whether that was a troll and not a genuine request, or it was someone who was looking for that, is really irrelevant to the case.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Friday called the lawsuit a made up case because Smith wasn't offering wedding website services when the suit was filed.

Weiser didnt know the specifics of Stewarts denial, but said the nations high court should not have addressed the lawsuits merits without any basis in reality.

About a month after the case was filed in federal court challenging an anti-discrimination law in Colorado, lawyers for the state said Smith had not been harmed by the law as they moved to dismiss the case.

Her lawyers maintained Smith did not have to be punished for violating the law before challenging it. In February 2017 they said even though she did not need a request in order to pursue the case, she had received one.

Any claim that Lorie will never receive a request to create a custom website celebrating a same-sex ceremony is no longer legitimate because Lorie has received such a request, they said.

Smiths Supreme Court filings briefly mentioned she received at least one request to create a website celebrating the wedding of a same-sex couple. There did not appear to be any reference to the issue in the courts decision.

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report from New York.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Daniel Hudson made his long-awaited return to the big leagues and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, ending an odyssey for the veteran right-hander that began with torn ligaments in his left knee and included several setbacks in his recovery.

Hudson officially rejoined the club about 30 minutes before first pitch in the opener of a three-game series in Kansas City, then allowed one hit in a scoreless relief appearance that left him smiling afterward.

It just felt good to be back out there with them, Hudson said. I felt really good out there.

The 36-year-old Hudson hurt his ACL just over a year ago in the eighth inning of a win over Atlanta. Hudson got a groundout to start the inning before Ronald Acuna Jr. sent a grounder down the third-base line, and Hudson tried to reverse direction after his delivery had carried him toward first base. His knee locked up and Hudson went to the ground in pain.

The Dodgers hoped that Hudson would recover in time for opening day, but lingering pain in the knee combined with tendinitis in his right ankle kept him on the bench. He received a cortisone injection and restarted the build-up near the end of May.

The timing is perfect, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. We'll give him three months to go hard and pick us up.

To clear roster space, the Dodgers optioned Nick Robertson to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated fellow right-hander Ricky Vanasco for assignment. Robertson had a 7.04 ERA in six games while Vanasco was acquired from Texas earlier this month.

The Dodgers, who began the day two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, already have a dominant closer in Evan Phillips, who is 1-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 11 saves in 12 chances across 32 innings. So while Hudson did have a 2.22 ERA with five saves in 24 1/3 innings last season, the veteran reliever could be headed for a setup role out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

He also could be headed for a leadership role there. Hudson has made 479 appearances with seven clubs over 13 seasons.

Hes just another adult in the pen," Roberts said. "Hes been battle-tested. He has a good heart rate. He gets righties and lefties out. Hes got the respect of everyone in the pen and on the club. Hes certainly a huge addition.

In other news, three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw did not throw a bullpen session but instead plans to play catch Saturday with the expectation that he makes his next scheduled start Monday against Pittsburgh.

Kershaw, who is 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before leaving his start Tuesday in Colorado after 79 pitches. He only allowed one hit in the eventual 5-0 win, but Kershaw said afterward that he was feeling some tenderness in his shoulder, and he ultimately had a shot Wednesday to relieve inflammation.

Regardless of the last couple of days, he was going to pitch on Monday, Roberts said. That's the plan as it stands right now.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The fifth and final instalment in Harrison Fords Indiana Jones saga is finally out in cinemas.

Warning  spoilers ahead for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny stars Ford as the titular archeologist-cum-adventurer, Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter Helena Shaw and Mads Mikkelsen as the dastardly ex-Nazi Jurgen Voller.

After the events of the fourth Indiana Jones movie, 2008s beleaguered Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, fans assumed that Karen Allens Marian Ravenwood would return to the franchise once more.

Indys main love interest was first introduced in 1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Marian married Indy and revealed that Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) was their son.

However, the fourth instalment was panned by critics and LaBeouf himself criticised the production, leading screenwriter David Koepp to reveal in 2017 that the Even Stevens star would not be reprising his role.

In Dial of Destiny, the events of which take place 12 years after those of Crystal Skull, its explained that Mutt died in the Vietnam War and that Indy and Marian have divorced.

Karen Allen attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on June 14, 2023. (Getty Images for Disney)

Nevertheless, Allen, 71, makes a surprise cameo right at the end of the movie to reconcile with Indy. In a touching throwback to their first meeting, Indy kisses Marian on the parts of her body that dont hurt  a reversal of what happens in the 1981 film.

I was profoundly happy that it didnt end without them coming back together, Allen told Variety of her and Fords characters. That meant a lot to me, to feel like they were going to ride off in the sunset together.

Allen revealed that Marian was largely cut out of the movie after James Mangold (Logan) took over directing duties from Steven Spielberg in 2020 and rewrote the script.

I was disappointed, of course, she admitted. I knew that there had been talk that they did not want to go forward with Shia, so I knew that something in the story had to create the potential for him to not be there in a way that made sense. I didnt know that he was going to die in Vietnam until I read the script, oh gosh, maybe just it was maybe six months before they were going to start shooting.

Of her and Fords kissing throwback, Allen added: Its such a brief little scene and I think there is this sense of trying to put so much into it somehow. But it was lovely that they were able to bring the grief that Marion had been through with the loss of her son and just little moments like that all into that one little moment in the film.

Mangold explained LaBeoufs absence in a recent interview, saying theres only so many people you can edge into a picture.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out now in cinemas.

You can read The Independents three-star review here.
HONG KONG (AP)  A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper said, raising concerns over the city's shrinking press freedoms.

The Japan Times, a prominent English-language newspaper, reported Friday that a freelance journalist was taken by officials to a room after arriving at the city's airport Thursday evening. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in the financial hub, was later interviewed for around an hour, it said.

Ogawa said officials only told him that he could not be granted permission to stay in the city and he was sent back to Tokyo on Friday, the report said.

It "truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before, Ogawa was quoted as saying in the report.

In an email reply to the Associated Press, the Immigration Department in Hong Kong did not confirm the events and refused to comment on individual cases. It added the department acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case.

The entry denial has raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's press freedom, which was once a hallmark of the former British colony.

Hong Kong returned to China's rule in 1997 and was promised the right to retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover, but its press scene drastically shrank after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.

The law was introduced after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has prosecuted many leading Hong Kong activists, including Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, and other top management staffers at the newspaper.

The Japan Times said Ogawa has been closely following Hong Kong issues since 2014 and covered the 2019 movement but he did not plan to write anything about the city during his trip.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders tweeted Friday it was appalled at Ogawa's ordeal.

Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May. The watchdog said the city has experienced an unprecedented setback since 2020, when the security law was introduced.

In January, the Hong Kong Journalists Association reported that Japan-based photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to the city in late 2022. The association said she had covered the 2019 protests and was grilled by authorities about her exhibition in Japan.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Sixteen Mexican state security ministry employees were freed on Friday after being kidnapped earlier this week in the southern state of Chiapas, authorities said, following a three-day search.

"All of them are OK," a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The employees, all men, were kidnapped Tuesday by an armed group on a highway near the state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez after leaving work, authorities said.

More than 1,000 federal and state agents joined the search, and two people were detained earlier this week.

Local news outlets showed images of families gathered at the ministry's offices, breaking into tears as they reunited with the kidnap victims. One woman was shown sobbing, yelling out, "Thank you Lord!"

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Chiapas' security ministry told Reuters that the employees were not police officers but administration workers, adding, "Nothing like this has ever happened."

The kidnapped employees were recorded in a video shortly after going missing, eyes cast to the ground, standing together, as one gave a message that they would be freed in exchange for resignations from ministry higher-ups.

The ministry confirmed that those in the video were the captives.

The conditions of their release remain unclear.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Sarah Morland and Leslie Adler)
By John Kruzel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In its decision permitting an evangelical Christian web designer to refuse service for same-sex weddings, the U.S. Supreme Court again embraced an expansive view of religious interests at the expense of protections for LGBT people.

In a 6-3 ruling on Friday powered by its conservative majority, the court backed Lorie Smith, who owns a Denver-area web design business called 303 Creative. She sued Colorado's civil rights commission in 2016 because she said she feared being punished for refusing to serve gay weddings under a state law that bars businesses open to the public from denying goods or services to people because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and certain other characteristics.

The ruling, citing the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech, stated that Colorado cannot force Smith to create speech she opposes.

Although presented to the court as a free speech claim, Smith's case shares features with other recent clashes between religiously motivated activity and civil rights laws.

"We've seen a dramatic expansion of rights for conservative religious communities that has had a detrimental impact on equality rights, certainly for LGBTQ people," said Elizabeth Platt, director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Columbia Law School.

Colorado is one of 22 U.S. states with measures explicitly barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations.

Smith, who said she opposes gay marriage based on her Christian beliefs, was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious rights group.

"The court reiterated that it's unconstitutional for the state to eliminate from the public square ideas it dislikes, including the belief that marriage is the union of husband and wife," said Kristen Waggoner, the group's president who argued the case before the court.

"Disagreement isn't discrimination, and the government can't mislabel speech as discrimination to censor it," Waggoner added.

Alliance Defending Freedom has represented other high-profile litigants before the justices including Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused based on his Christian beliefs to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

In its 7-2 ruling in 2018 in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court decided that the commission had shown impermissible hostility toward religion when it found that Phillips violated the state anti-discrimination law by rebuffing two men who were getting married.

The justices in that case stopped short of issuing a definitive ruling on the circumstances under which people can seek exemptions from anti-discrimination laws based on religion. Still, the ruling illustrated a disparity in how the court views protections for LGBT people in contrast to the competing conservative Christian interests, Platt said.

"The court treated Jack Phillips' claim of discrimination with extreme deference and sensitivity, while entirely glossing over the discrimination against the same-sex couples in that case," Platt said.

FOSTER CARE RULING

The court in 2021 decided another dispute involving tensions between equality protections and religious freedom.

In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the court in a 9-0 ruling embraced religious rights over LGBT rights, siding with a Catholic Church-affiliated agency that sued after Philadelphia refused to place children for foster care with the organization because it barred same-sex couples from applying to become foster parents.

The court's composition shifted with the 2018 retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was succeeded by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of Republican former President Trump's three conservative appointees, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch - the author of Friday's ruling - and Amy Coney Barrett.

Kennedy was the swing vote on what then was a 5-4 conservative-majority court. He stood out among conservatives in his espousal of sympathy both for conservative Christian causes and for what is sometimes called the "dignity interests" of marginalized groups including LGBT people.

Kennedy's emphasized the dignity of gay couples in his landmark 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

Platt said that "if Obergefell had been litigated under this Supreme Court, I don't think it would come out the same way."

The court underwent another dramatic change to its ideological composition in 2020 when Trump named Barrett to succeed the late liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett's addition gave it a 6-3 conservative margin and recalibrated how it weighed conservative Christian causes against the dignity interests of people protected by civil rights laws.

"This court continues to advance the agenda of religious extremists who are trying to force all of us to live by their narrow beliefs," said Rachel Laser, president of the secular group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Following Friday's ruling, Smith said, "I hope that, regardless of what people think of me or my beliefs, everyone will celebrate that the court upheld the right for each of us to speak freely."

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham)
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has no intention to "examine" South Korea's Hyundai Group chief's plan to visit the North's Mount Kumgang, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun has been seeking to visit North Korea in August and submitted applications to South Korea's unification ministry, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, citing an unnamed official at the ministry. Hyundai's late founder, Chung Ju-Yung, was born in North Korea.

In response to the South's media reports, the North said it has "neither been informed about any south Korean personage's willingness for visit nor known about it and that we have no intention to examine it."

"It is the policy of the DPRK government that entry by any personage of south Korea into its territory cannot be allowed," North Korea said in a statement, adding that its policy is unchangeable and will be maintained in the future.

South Korea's unification ministry in a statement expressed deep regret over what it called the North's unilateral refusal, adding that Hyundai's application has been reviewed by relevant ministries and that it would handle the matter taking into account the North's announcement.

Mount Kumgang is on North Koreas east coast near the demilitarised zone separating the two countries. Development there, along with the Kaesong industrial zone, had been the major economic projects of, and a token of rapprochement between, the governments on the peninsula split by the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday picked a conservative scholar and an outspoken critic of North Korea's human rights record as South Korea's unification minister handling relations with Pyongyang.

The nomination is likely to add strain to ties between the two Koreas. North Korea has long rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Sandra Maler and William Mallard)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world's most lucrative oil and natural gas basins.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1.

Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There have also been conservation agreements, but some groups have criticized them for not doing enough to protect the lizard's habitat.

The Center for Biological Diversity sued in 2022, accusing the agency of stalling on issuing a decision. The Fish and Wildlife Service, as part of a court-approved agreement, faced a June 29 deadline for making a determination on whether listing was warranted.

The dunes sagebrush lizard is marvelously adapted for life in extreme environments but it needs our help to survive the oil and gas industrys destruction, Michael Robinson, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. The Service needs to move quickly to implement these long-overdue protections.

Robinson said the 2.5-inch (6.4-centimeter) long lizard has the second smallest range of any lizard in North America.

Biologists arent able to say how many lizards might exist because there are so few of them and theyre hard to detect, making precise counts very difficult. However, they note there are fewer lizards detected in areas where there are more oil and gas wells or areas where habitat has been disturbed.

Light brown and spiny, the lizard lives in sand dunes and among shinnery oak, where it feeds on insects and spiders and burrows into the sand for protection from extreme temperatures.

Much of the lizard's remaining habitat has been fragmented, preventing the species from finding mates beyond those already living close by, according to biologists.

Oil and gas operators and ranchers in the Permian Basin have strongly opposed listing the reptile as an endangered species, saying doing so could disrupt businesses and add extra costs. They have argued that oil and gas companies already have spent millions of dollars on conservation efforts, including through voluntary agreements reached with wildlife managers.

Environmentalists first petitioned for the lizards protection in 2002, resulting in a 2010 finding by federal officials that the species warranted protection. That prompted an outcry from some members of Congress and communities in both states that rely on oil and gas development for jobs and tax revenue.

Several GOP congressional members sent a letter to officials in the Obama administration asking to delay a final decision.

In 2012, federal officials decided not to bestow protections on the reptile. Then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at the time that the much-anticipated decision over the lizard was based on the best available science and because of voluntary conservation agreements in place in New Mexico and Texas.

In New Mexico and Texas, federal officials said around 100 ranchers and 100 oil and gas companies have enrolled in voluntary conservation agreements. The enrollments cover nearly 85% of the lizards range within New Mexico.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday that the current determination that a listing was warranted came after a rigorous review of the best available scientific and commercial information.

The agency also said it would be prudent to set aside habitat for the lizard but did not comment further.
By Harold Isaac

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, visiting Haiti's capital on Saturday, said international aid has not met the impoverished country's growing humanitarian needs, and urged more support for the Haitian police to fight gangs.

The visit was meant to spotlight the crises facing the Caribbean country as it struggles to combat violent gangs that have largely overrun the capital Port-au-Prince, and Guterres made a plea for solidarity.

The U.N. chief nine months ago proposed that one or more nations send a "rapid action force" to support Haiti's security services. No such force has yet been deployed as no country has stepped up to take the lead.

"On the humanitarian front, the needs are increasing, but the international response is not," Guterres told a news conference after meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

The two discussed the importance of a security force to curb gang activity so Haiti can distribute humanitarian aid, expand the economy and develop stronger political processes, he added.

"We are in full agreement about the need for the international community, the (U.N.) Security Council and member countries to provide the necessary forces for the international community to come and support the Haitian police," Guterres said.

Elections also were a topic of discussion, he said. "We also discussed different steps that are being taken ... for credible elections to be able to take place."

Henry, who took power in 2021 days after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, has repeatedly postponed elections, citing first an August 2021 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people, and then gang violence.

He has pledged to leave office by Feb. 7, 2024.

Guterres in April said the insecurity in Port-au-Prince was comparable to that in countries in armed conflict, and that Haitians were facing one of the worst human rights crises in decades.

Last September, gangs worsened the humanitarian situation by blocking a fuel terminal for six weeks, halting most economic activity. The U.N. Security Council in October sanctioned Haiti's most powerful gangster, who was accused of leading the blockade to protest government fuel subsidies cuts.

The United States and Canada have also imposed sanctions on Haitian political figures and business people.

While there has been broad support for Guterres' proposal to create a rapid action force, with several countries expressing interest in contributing, none has volunteered to lead a deployment, diplomats say.

Countries have been wary of supporting the unelected administration under Henry, who has said fair elections cannot be held under the current insecurity.

NO COMMUNITY SPARED FROM VIOLENCE

Guterres told the Security Council in April that gangs have been tightening their grip around metropolitan Port-au-Prince, "where no commune is now spared from gang-related turf wars."

"In many violence-affected areas, economic activity remains completely paralyzed. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people leaving Haiti, both by sea and across the land border to the Dominican Republic," he said.

The U.N. refugee agency said some 73,500 people fled Haiti last year. The United Nations says 5.2 million - nearly half Haiti's population  need humanitarian assistance in 2023. It has appealed for $720 million to deliver aid this year, but so far it is only 23% funded.

Guterres has said the Haitian police estimate there are seven major gang coalitions and around 200 affiliated groups. They have ambushed and attacked the security forces, while "other gang tactics include spreading terror by indiscriminately shooting at passengers on public transport and rape."

Any foreign-led military rapid action force would not deploy as a U.N. mission, but would likely receive U.N. Security Council backing. The U.S. has said it would seek a council resolution to show support for such an operation, but diplomats said that would only happen once a force was formed.

A U.N. political mission is currently deployed in Haiti.

U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to Haiti in 2004 after a rebellion led to the ouster and exile of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Peacekeeping troops left in 2017 and were replaced by U.N. police, who departed in 2019.

Haitians are wary of an armed U.N. presence. The country was free of cholera until 2010, when U.N. peacekeepers dumped infected sewage into a river. More than 9,000 people died of the disease, and some 800,000 fell ill.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac in Port-Au-Prince and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Jonathan Oatis)
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Federal land managers have called off plans to spray pesticides near the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico as part of an effort to eradicate invasive grasshoppers.

The decision announced Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management followed an outcry by environmentalists and others who worried that dispersing 670 gallons (2,536 liters) of carbaryl  a potent neurotoxin  would also kill bees, monarch butterflies and other insects vital to the areas ecosystem.

Although the U.S. Agriculture Department conducted an environmental assessment earlier this year, the Bureau of Land Management said additional analysis and outreach was needed.

"Due to the time needed to carry out additional analysis, the project cannot be achieved this season and will no longer take place. We will continue to work on this important issue in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said Pamela Mathis, the BLMs Taos field manager.

The plan called for spraying the pesticide across 39 square miles (101 square kilometers) in Rio Arriba County. The U.S. Agriculture Department had concluded that grasshoppers had proliferated to the level deemed a severe outbreak and would not only consume grasses essential to grazing cattle but also would pose a threat to the ecosystem.

Recent surveys in the area tallied 35 grasshoppers per square yard, or more than quadruple the eight per yard considered an outbreak and a threat to rangeland ecosystems, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

The Xerces Society and other environmental groups argued that the pesticide could inflict widespread collateral damage for the ecosystem. Some critics also noted that the chemical has been found to be carcinogenic to humans.

Aimee Code, Xerces pesticide program director, acknowledged that the agencies initial action was centered on helping ranchers.

Now weve taken a step back and said lets figure out whats the right solution for the ranchers, for the recreationalists, for the tribes and the pueblos, for the many people that use this area and the wildlife that are there.' Code said.

Federal officials had planned to set up no-spray buffers 500 feet (152 meters) from water bodies and a quarter-mile from riparian areas such as the Chama, Nutrias and Cebolla rivers. But critics were concerned that the pesticide would drift into other locations.

Terry Sloan, director of Albuquerque-based Southwest Native Cultures, said he feared that any contamination of the Rio Chama could flow downstream to the Rio Grande and ultimately farms and tribal lands along the two waterways.

Mother Earth and her inhabitants win, Sloan said in a statement. ... More work ahead, with public and tribal consultation, as we figure out a natural and or Indigenous way to address the grasshopper problem.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A federal appeals courts ruling last month about the admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia may provide a vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to flesh out the intended scope of its ruling Thursday banning affirmative action in college admissions.

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, outside the nation's capital, routinely ranks as one of the best public schools in America; admission is highly competitive.

A coalition of parents, backed by a conservative legal foundation, filed a lawsuit in 2021 challenging the admissions policy at TJ, and the foundation is asking the Supreme Court to take up the case. The suit raises similar but not identical issues to those addressed by the high court's ruling rejecting admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina as unconstitutional.

The colleges' admissions rules took an applicant's race into account as one of many factors to be considered. In the TJ case, though, all sides agree the admissions polices are race-neutral on their face.

But the coalition that filed the lawsuit says the admissions criteria amount to race-based proxies implemented to achieve racial balancing. They say the policy discriminates against Asian Americans, who had constituted 70% of the student body.

The coalition also cites the debate among Fairfax County School Board members when they implemented their new policy in 2020. Board members and administrators expressed frustration that Black and Hispanic students had been woefully underrepresented at TJ for decades. The coalition argues the new policies are intended to boost Black and Hispanic representation at the expense of Asians.

The first freshman class admitted under the new rules saw a significantly different racial makeup. Black students increased from 1% to 7%; Hispanic representation increased from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%.

The new policies replaced a standardized test with a process that allocates a percentage of seats on a geographic basis and takes a student's experience factors into account, like whether they come from a low-income household or speak English as a second language.

Last year, a federal judge found the admissions policy unconstitutional, saying "the discussion of admissions changes was infected with talk of racial balancing from its inception.

But in May, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond reversed that ruling. In a 2-1 decision, the judges said the school board had a legitimate interest in increasing diversity and that labeling those efforts as discrimination against Asian Americans simply runs counter to common sense.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the parents claiming anti-Asian discrimination, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case.

We think it presents a really strong vehicle and the time is right. And were certainly hopeful the court will take it up, said Joshua Thompson, a senior attorney at the foundation.

Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor at George Mason University, said there will be years of follow-up cases to Thursday's ruling, as is typical with major Supreme Court cases, as colleges drag their feet and look for ways to salvage policies to which they are ideologically committed.

He was less certain, though, that the TJ case will be significant. He said the debate over the constitutionality of TJ's policies will be fact-intensive and center on what can be proved about the school board's motivations in implementing the policy.

More likely, he said, is debate over how colleges use essay questions on topics like diversity to achieve the same results as the now-banned affirmative action programs.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion left a little bit of wiggle room on that front when he wrote that colleges can consider an individual's application essay and how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.

But Roberts also noted that colleges may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.

Kontorovich said colleges will ask essay questions about topics like diversity that will give them the latitude to quietly take race into consideration in ways that will be more subtle. Ultimately, though, he thinks the court, at least as it's currently constituted, will reject those sorts of end-around attempts.

Fairfax County Public Schools said Friday it is reviewing the Supreme Court ruling.

Thompson said Pacific Legal expects to formally submit its petition to the Supreme Court in August and will likely know by the end of the year whether the case will be heard.
The Wagner Group rebellion is expected to have a harmful ripple effect across Russias armed forces as the Kremlin works to weed out supporters of the attempted insurrection, with internal divisions and strife likely to weaken fighting capabilities.

Shake-ups in Russias military command could further impact the leadership overseeing the war in Ukraine, analysts say, while Russian soldiers already struggling with a morale issue are now exposed to political infighting and questions about loyalty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to adopt the hardline position on fighting the war in Ukraine backed by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his supporters, which would include a more aggressive push on the battlefield and committing more resources. Putins crackdown across the military is demanding loyalty and suppressing dissent as the Russian leader seeks to repair his image.

But Putins aggressive reshaping of the military could alienate and divide his troops, as its unclear how much support Prigozhin had across the ranks.

The short-lived uprising last weekend saw Prigozhin lead thousands of Wagner fighters to take a city with a major military base in Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhin was seen conversing with military leaders. Wagner forces then marched on Moscow with little resistance before a deal was reached to scuttle the rebellion and provide safety guarantees to the mercenary chief.

With questions mounting over which generals may have supported Prigozhin, Putin has mobilized investigative agents to interview hundreds of Russian soldiers from the top down in what appears to be a test of loyalty.

Amid the scramble, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, who has historically close ties to Prigozhin, was reportedly detained by Russian authorities. Surovikin heads Russias aerospace forces, a crucial part of Moscows war machine.

Alexander Downes, the co-director at the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at George Washington University, said Putin is paranoid and not sure how many people are involved in the mutiny, which he indicated is a good sign for Ukraine.

Anytime your opponent starts to rip itself apart from the inside, thats a good thing for you, Downes said. Because its less effort that they can spend on fighting you.

Whether Surovikin is ousted from power or not, Downes expects Putin to start removing capable officers from the command structure, which he said would have a trickle-down effect in the military.

Its certainly not going to be good to have chaos in your high command, he added.

After the uprising, expectations that Ukraine could quickly capitalize on the chaos turned out to be false hopes. The Wagner rebellion has not had an immediate impact on the battlefield, where Ukraine is strenuously pushing ahead with its counteroffensive launched in June.

Ukrainians are making slow progress as forces look for weak spots in the heavily fortified Russian defenses; there has been no significant breakthrough. Wagner fighters had retreated from the frontline before last weekend, and the rebellion did not force the withdrawal of any conventional Russian troops on the frontline.

Yet its clear that in the aftermath of the rebellion, how Ukraines counteroffensive unfolds in the coming months will have a profound impact on Russias longer-term strategy and combat effectiveness.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, tweeted that the success or failure of Ukraines counteroffensive could be a very significant factor for Russias military.

If the Russian military holds, I think it will bolster Shoigu and Gerasimovs position, Lee wrote in a thread this week, referring to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russias General Staff who is overseeing the war in Ukraine. If Ukraine achieves significant gains and the Russian military performs poorly, it could strengthen Prigozhins position (Wagner would be more vital), and exacerbate internal tensions.

Prigozhin is exiled in Belarus, and his fighters may be integrated into the regular armed forces or broken up into other private military companies. The Wagner chief is likely to lose his power and influence.

But Prigozhins frequent criticisms of Russian command  namely Shoigu and Gerasimov  created friction between supporters of his messaging and those more loyal to the Kremlin.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder declined to speak on specific outcomes of the internal situation in Russia, but said the facts were there for all of us to see.

This is an issue that Russia obviously needs to address internally, Ryder said at a Tuesday briefing.

For now, the internal strife is rippling across the political and information space in Russia rather than taking a direct and immediate toll across Russian units on the battlefield, according to Karolina Hird, a Russia analyst with the Institute for the Study of War.

Hird emphasized the ease with which Prigozhins troops marched through Russia, and she said she was watching more closely for the possibility of a pro-Wagner faction and an anti-Wagner faction crystallizing within the security forces tasked with defending Russia.

It really exposed cracks and shortcomings in the vaunted internal security apparatus, which is directly questioning the stability of what is meant to be protecting the Kremlin, protecting Putins regime, she said.

In the wake of the rebellion, troop morale will face yet another test  already one of the biggest challenges for Russias combat command.

Russia mobilized 300,000 reservists last year and ordered up another semi-annual round of about 147,000 conscripts this spring. Moscow also passed a new law cracking down on Russians fleeing drafts by sending out electronic notifications to supplement mail orders.

Western analysts say morale continues to be a pressing issue for Moscow, as some soldiers question why they are in Ukraine. Prigozhin likely intensified that issue.

Ahead of his resistance, the mercenary leader released a video that accused Moscow of lying about the war in Ukraine, calling into question the Kremlins justifications.

When asked if support for the war was slipping in Russia, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the mobilization decree last year and Prigozhins highly public criticisms presented some evidence of declining support.

There are some indicators, Milley said at the National Press Club Friday, but I wouldnt say they are definitive or conclusive or its going to result in some outcome or another.

Peter Dickinson, the editor of the Atlantic Councils UkraineAlert service, said Prigozhins statements will inevitably undermine fighting spirit among Russian troops and cause many to question exactly what they are fighting for in Ukraine.

This has long been an issue for the Russian authorities, who have struggled to articulate their war aims, he wrote in an opinion piece. The short-lived Wagner mutiny has also exposed deep divides within Russias military and security establishment that indicate remarkably low levels of loyalty to the Putin regime.

Its still possible that Putin rights the ship and gets the military and security forces to fall back in line.

Russian military bloggers, many of whom had echoed Prigozhins constant criticisms of failures in the war and his stance to be more aggressive in Ukraine, have largely aligned against the Wagner chief and condemned him following the rebellion, according to their posts.

Yannis Stivachtis, the director of Virginia Techs Center for European Union, Transatlantic and Trans-European Space Studies, also dismissed the chatter of Putins regime collapsing or the military crumbling, at least because of Prigozhin.

Stivachtis said the Russian leader remains strongly entrenched in power and that, generally, Russians strive to be loyal to the nation.

In Russia, you have to do something for the motherland, he told The Hill. The Russians never fight for politics [and] they will never sacrifice their military strategy for politics.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
While about a dozen major Republican candidates are fighting for the 2024 nomination, a more under-the-radar quadrennial competition is starting: the race to be the still-unnamed nominee's running mate.

The 2024 "veepstakes" -- still in its infancy -- is mostly fuel for speculation, but squinting can reveal early jockeying for a potential spot on the ticket depending on who heads it.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds are viewed as well-positioned to be vice presidential picks by sources who know them and outside GOP strategists, and current presidential candidates like former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are constantly beating back conjecture that they're actually seeking to set up camp at the Naval Observatory instead of at the White House.

"Everybody says they don't want it, but then ultimately everybody does want it, right? And I don't think that that excludes [Noem] or any of the other potential leading candidates," said a person familiar with Noem's thinking.

Noem was speculated to be considering a White House run of her own, though that appears less likely now.

MORE: Trump weighs in on recording of him showing off 'secret' government info: 'It's bravado'

However, she's ramping up advertising and is expected to travel more outside South Dakota. South Dakota this month launched a nationwide ad campaign aimed at workforce recruitment. The effort's two ads prominently feature Noem and are set to run through the summer. The source familiar with Noem's thinking also teased more travel by the governor and said her attendance at next month's Family Leadership Summit in the critical early voting state of Iowa is a "lock."

In an interview with a local news outlet Tuesday, Noem stopped short of endorsing former President Donald Trump's comeback bid but did say "I dont see a path to victory for anybody else with him in the race and the situation as it sits today" -- boosting the candidate who is widely considered the primary favorite.

"These ads are really getting a lot of attention. She did 'Fox & Friends' on it. She did Kilmeade. She did 'Hannity.' All of this is designed to demonstrate to people across the country what she's doing in the state," said the source familiar with Noem's thinking, referencing the ad campaign. "Number one, it brings people to South Dakota. Number two, it's a really, really, really smart marketing opportunity if you don't want to file for president to keep your name top of mind."

"Just think of that, and then we'll see what her travel schedule looks like over the coming weeks and months," the person teased.

PHOTO: In this Oct. 1, 2022, file photo, Iowa Governor speaks at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. | South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at a hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2023. (The Des Moines Register via USA Today Network | SOPA Images via Shutterstock)

Should Noem ultimately be tapped, allies say she can boast a strong fundraising base, tap into ties to congressional leaders after eight years in the House before becoming governor and highlight her claims that South Dakota did not experience lengthy shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. And with mostly men leading the primary field, Noem would also offer an opportunity to bring gender diversity to the ticket.

"She's definitely had a national profile and worked to maintain that. And that's had some benefits to South Dakota, but it's also meant that she has horizons beyond just being governor of South Dakota," said one South Dakota GOP official. "I think there's a broad assumption that that's something she'd be interested in."

Just to the east, Reynolds is also making waves. As the governor of Iowa, Reynolds has appeared at events with several presidential contenders eager to gin up support for the state's caucuses -- a ubiquity that sparked a Wall Street Journal profile.

Reynolds also highlighted her foreign policy chops by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday and gained plaudits in 2022 for her response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address -- a role typically reserved for a party up-and-comer.

"I think she would definitely consider it, and I think she would see it as an honor for all of Iowa and for Iowans to be considered. And if she thought she could elevate Iowa values, Iowa common sense to the country, I think she then would welcome that invitation," said Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical activist in Iowa who speaks with Reynolds.

Like Noem, Reynolds would offer a presidential nominee a rising star and deeply conservative record, including a laser focus on how race and sexuality are taught in public schools -- another issue popular with the GOP base.

"I think she does her job so well that it would compel someone to consider [her]. She's been an incredibly effective governor. She's passing her agenda, which is popular in the state of Iowa," said David Kochel, a GOP strategist who worked on both of Reynolds' gubernatorial campaigns. "If I were the Republican nominee, it'd be a pretty short list of people I would look at, and she is right at the top of it."

Beyond Noem and Reynolds, operatives who spoke with ABC News also mentioned people like Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn as potential picks.

However, a source familiar with Sanders' thinking told ABC News she intends to serve as governor for eight years, though "she's certainly aware that her name has been mentioned," and a spokesperson for Blackburn insisted she's running for reelection in 2024.

Sources who spoke to ABC News also repeatedly mentioned Haley and Scott, both of whom are polling in the low single digits and have thus far struggled to expand their bases -- sparking whispers that they may be using presidential bids to increase their name recognition and then become vice president or score a spot in a GOP administration. Scott himself years ago even expressed openness to being a vice president.

PHOTO: In this Oct. 26, 2022, file photo, Nikki Haley greets supporters at an event in Harrisburg, Pa. | In this May 22, 2023, file photo, Sen. Tim Scott speaks at an event in North Charleston, S.C. (Mark Makela/Getty Images | Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Both of their campaigns have continually denounced the speculation, calling it offensive and insisting their candidates are in the race for the long haul.

Yet if there is a hidden scheme in their campaigns, strategists cast doubts on whether a presidential campaign could turn into a spot as the party's No. 2.

"If you think you can become vice president by running for president, that's not always the best strategy because if you run a poor campaign for president, then why should you be vice president? And if you run a great campaign for president, then in all likelihood you've attacked the eventual nominee on the way," said Alex Conant, a GOP strategist who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio's, R-Fla., 2016 presidential bid.

MORE: RNC won't present loyalty pledge to candidates until after they qualify for debate: Sources

Bob Heckman, a GOP strategist and veteran of several presidential campaigns, suggested "the best way to set yourself up is [to] pick the winning horse and be supportive."

"I don't think that in the Republican Party, there has been a tendency to try to find someone who ran against you or supported those people who ran against you and make that person a vice presidential nominee," he said.

If that's true, that could potentially indicate Noem's positive comments about Trump are part of a larger play -- and put any possible vice presidential ambitions of Scott and Haley, who has been sharply critical of Trump, in peril. Reynolds, meanwhile, has said she'll remain neutral at least through the Iowa caucuses.

The last Republican presidential nominee to select a primary opponent as his running mate was Ronald Reagan, who brought on George H.W. Bush as his running mate in the 1980 general election after he defeated him in the Republican primaries earlier that year.

Still, all would-be vice presidential candidates could have a tightrope to walk, lest they appear too eager for the role.

"Being seen as campaigning for it," Conant warned, "is probably the quickest way to get yourself off the list."

Noem? Reynolds? A very early look at the Republican 'veepstakes' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com


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YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia Dr. Nariman Al Mulla has highlighted the strong relations between the two countries, which are witnessing a new historic era, underscoring the keenness of both countries to enhance their historical cooperation for the benefit of both countries and peoples, WAM reports.

Ambassador Dr. Al Mulla told WAM on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Armenia, that both countries look forward to strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the economic, commercial, and investment fields.

Dr. Al Mulla highlighted that under the directives of the leaderships of the UAE and Armenia, mutual economic partnerships are experiencing continuous growth, creating more opportunities for the business community and the private sector in the markets of both countries.

The Ambassador added that there are promising prospects between the UAE and Armenia in several sectors, which will positively affect the two nations. These sectors include healthcare, pharmaceutical manufacturing, real estate development, infrastructure and logistics, telecommunications, and agriculture and others.

Ambassador Dr. Al Mulla affirmed the Embassy's keenness to facilitate economic and trade links and provide all necessary assistance to companies and businesspeople, to diversify current partnerships and to assist emerging businesses to expand in sectors of common interest, including trade, technology, agriculture, food security, tourism & travel, renewables, transport, as well as other new economic sectors, especially technological industries, space, and the circular economy.

Ambassador Dr. Al Mulla also called for businesses to benefit from the advantages and incentives provided by the national economy to achieve further growth and expansion in the markets of the UAE and the Middle East and Africa.

The Ambassador reiterated the importance of the COP28 climate conference, which will be hosted in the UAE at Expo City Dubai this November to enhance global climate action, and welcomed Armenia's participation in this key international conference.
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the occasion of Canada Day.

The letter reads as follows:

"Honorable Mr. Prime Minister,

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and myself, I warmly congratulate you on Canada Day.

The friendly relations of our two countries have always been based on common values and mutual respect. In recent years, they have experienced greater development as a result of Canada's commitment and efforts to support Armenia's developing democracy. The best manifestation of the growing ties is the upcoming opening of the Canadian Embassy in Yerevan, which will surely be a new impetus for the deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

Cooperation between Armenia and Canada on multilateral platforms is also effectively going on. Canada, as a supporter of the strengthening of international law and legal order, also invests its efforts in the direction of strengthening stability and security in the South Caucasus.

Once again, I congratulate you and the friendly people of Canada on the occasion of National Day and on this festive occasion wish you prosperity and continued progress."
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

When the debris is examined by submarine experts, we shall probably know how the disaster occurred

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland (AP)

O Bachchoo why do we believe

That God wants to be flattered.

I thought such vanity only mattered

To fools who demand and receive

Meaningless titles like King and Lord.

The creator of all is surely above

This vainglorious need. Yes, give him love

With hymns hes probably just bored

From The Lota Rota, by Bachchoo

Photographs of the salvaged wreckage of the submersible vessel Titan, in which five people died when it imploded, are all over the worlds media. We are now told that the passengers, all billionaires, were warned very specifically that the vessel was untested in the depths where the wreck of the Titanic lay. It could be disastrous.

When the debris is examined by submarine experts, we shall probably know how the disaster occurred.

Gentle reader  I am sure youve read all this and seen the pictures. The reason I recall the events here is that a related but possibly irrelevant and embarrassing fact has come to my attention. The London Times newspaper reported that on the day the Titan started on its journey down and lost all contact, Pembroke College, Cambridge, was celebrating their annual May Ball with a theme entitled Nautilus into the Depths.

The theme was specifically inspired by the fact that one of the victims of the tragedy was Hamish Harding, a billionaire businessman who graduated from Pembroke College in 1987. As an undergraduate he studied Natural Sciences, the Cambridge title for physics, chemistry, crystallography, biology, etc.

The reason I repeat the fact here is that 20 years before Mr Harding, I graduated from Pembroke College, Cambridge, and like him, I read (the Oxbridge word for studied) Natural Sciences. Unlike him, I didnt go on to become a billionaire.

And yes, in my time there, I attended the May Balls which, for some obscure reason, take place in June.

For these balls, the colleges hire bands, charge exorbitant sums from their undergraduates to attend and specify formal dress, which for me meant hiring a dinner jacket for the night.

The university drinks and dances from 8 pm to 5 am. My memory of the final years May Ball is vivid as its aftermath began, by sheer luck, my paid writing career.

The tradition at the time, which probably persists to this day, was that friends from different colleges met after the 5 am conclusion and hired punts and boated down to Grantchester.

Our gang in that year consisted of perhaps 15 people and we hired three punts and were poling our way under the bridges across the narrow river Cam when we spotted a young man on one of the bridges photographing the boats as they passed. One of the girls in our punt, as high on champagne as the rest of us, stood up, bared her breasts as we approached the bridge with this young photographer and shouted to him that if he wanted more, hed have to pay.

Someone from our punt asked him what he was doing as the punt hesitated in front of the bridge. He said he was doing an article on Cambridge madness. We said hed found the right crowd, and someone asked him if it was a photographic article. He said he was looking for a writer who could write the accompanying prose but hadnt found one. Someone in our punt said he just had and pointed to me. We invited the young man to breakfast that morning after the punting and he turned up and hired me to write for the agency he worked at.

I dont think the May Ball that year was themed. This one in June 2023 must have been planned and its props of submarines and underwater wonders, with a replica of some vessel overgrown with glowing deep-sea flora, suggestive of the wrecked Titanic, were commissioned and constructed months before. Alas, the organising committee heard of the Titans fate that morning. The search for it had immediately begun. The searchers said that at that depth and expanse there was only one per cent chance of finding the Titan whole and saving its passengers.

What was the student committee to do? Could they cancel the ball? Could they strip the college of all the nautical paraphernalia they had commissioned to commemorate the achievements of one of the lost souls?

There was a lot of soul searching but in the end the May Ball committee concluded that cancellation or stripping the courts and hall of its nautical decorations and paraphernalia of diving to view the wreck of the Titanic wouldnt save the Titan or its passengers. The billionaires toy may be in precarious waters or doomed -- but the revels of the college would go on.

Obviously, the media each day report on tragedies all around our world. The world is what it is and hundreds die in wars, in train crashes, in small boats crossing the Mediterranean or the English Channel in desperation. The five explorers regrettably died while indulging the ambition of billionaires like Elon Musk and others who feel their pastimes, destinies or, in fact, toys are the conquest of space or exploring the depths of the oceans -- quests that were hitherto left to the agencies of the State.

Their expeditions are not what Nasa or Yuri Gagarins space flight set out to achieve. They are the indulgences of the super-rich, but their fates are no less tragic for that.
by Stefano Caprio

Card Zuppi insisted on a key concept to explain his mission to the faithful in the Catholic cathedral of the Russian capital, namely that "unity is not achieved through power, but through service". Echoing Havel, he showed the truth of a Church without power, without weapons, nor plans and projects to solve conflicts and overthrow regimes.

Card Matteo Maria Zuppis peace mission to Moscow sought to inspire feelings of peace and brotherhood in Russia and the entire world in conflict, despite appearing to be ineffective from the point of view of strategies and negotiations to solve the situation.

The fact that the trip was acknowledged, despite the "march of justice" by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group, suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself might have benefitted from a cardinal's touch, in order to appear less accursed and isolated than he is as a result of the impact on international relations of his mad war.

Instead, the Kremlins strongman chose a walkabout, happy and smiling among his people" crowding around their tsar, dispensing hugs and kisses to children and teens in Dagestan, North Caucasus.

The place chosen to show popular support for the president is a bit mystifying. Traditionally, Putin preferred packed Moscow stadiums wearing fancy clothes over a bulletproof vest.

Why the Caucasus, without protection? Amid irrepressible and uncontrollable enthusiasm? In some ways, it was a response to Prigozhin, the treasonous boss of faithless mercenaries, a way to show the intrepid Dagestani (and their Chechen relatives) as the true servants of the great Russia.

Perhaps it was also meant to reassure Russians that there would be no uprisings among Russias many peoples and regions, as some might have thought and hoped for, because only Russians know how to interpret and satisfy the other groups desires, as well as those of the Ukrainians and other "traditional" peoples of the empire.

During his visit, Card Matteo Maria Zuppi ended up in an unproductive meeting with a lowly Kremlin official. He also met with Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, to discuss the 20,000 children abducted and deported from Ukraine; odd, since Ms Lvova-Belova has been accused of aiding the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The most solemn and significant meeting took place in the fancy residence of Patriarch Kirill, where the Italian cardinal was accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio to Russia, Archbishop Giovanni D'Aniello, and one of Italys leading Russia specialists, Prof Adriano Roccucci.

If nothing else, the cardinal was able to show the relevance of the Catholic Church, the only one that can interact with Putins great religious ideologue, who is now avoided by everyone like he had the plague.

Still, Kirill too showed neither contrition nor reassurance about possible peace breakthroughs; at best, there was a commitment to "avoid a conflict of even greater proportions" (Kirill must have a limited opinion of the ongoing one, still hoping in a metaphysical, Trinitarian, and otherworldly victory).

The cardinal was consoled by Our Lady of Vladimir, the Russian Mona Lisa, who inspired many an ancient victory. Zuppi knelt before her in the chapel of the Tretyakov Gallery, the one from where Kirill snatched Rublev's icon of the Holy Trinity and put it in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour, from which the cardinal wisely kept away.

Instead, he visited the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the main church of Russian Catholics, to concelebrate with clergy and worshippers a Mass of true hope and witness of peace.

Here the papal envoy was finally able to engage in serious reflections, explaining the real reason for his visit in the homily read in Russian by the young Auxiliary Bishop Nikolay Dubinin, who is the face of the future of the Church in this country.

Zuppi stressed one key point, namely that "unity is not achieved through power, but through service". Russias war and Kirills preaching are inspired by the idea of the unity of peoples, the sobornost of Slavophile theology, the Russian version of "catholicity. The word "catholic" has in fact been replaced with "sobornaya" in the Creed to define the Church as one, holy, sobornaya and apostolic.

Sobor is the synod and the cathedral, sobirat is the verb that indicates the act of reunifying, so that the first grand prince of the Third Rome, Ivan III the Great, was nicknamed the sobiratel because he had extolled Muscovy as the new Rus', the new Kiev (Kyiv), the new Rome, subjugating all the other cities and regions, if necessary destroying them, like Novgorod, too liberal and western for his taste.

Putin aspires to the same title, through incorporating all of Russias neighbouring peoples into the old "unitary state" or sobornic of Soviet memory, as he did with Belarus and the Wagner Group, including, hopefully, pro-China Kazakhstan. Kirill also hopes to get the equivalent ecclesiastical title, making the Russian Church the new Catholic Church-sobornaya, perhaps appointing the Pope as his cardinal vicar.

By contrast, for Zuppi, real power is that of the "powerless" best exemplified by the Czech anti-communist dissident, Vaclav Havel. The future president of Czechoslovakia explained that this powerlessness runs up against the "powerlessness of the powerful" who can repress, but do not generate anything, and are unable to create a new world.

This is the most appropriate way to describe Putin's 20 years in power; during this period, all attempts to build a new Russia after the Soviet dictatorship came to naught. This also applies to the three decades of Kirills all-encompassing rule, first as metropolitan then as patriarch, a time when one of the most spectacular religious revivals in human history was emptied of all meaning.

As Havel put it, the power of the powerless arises from life in truth, echoing what another great dissident, Russias Alexander Solzhenitsyn, said: Live not by lies.

Zuppi showed the truth of a Church without power, without weapons, nor plans and projects to solve conflicts and overthrow regimes, a Church that has long refused to cosy up to the powerful and act an altar boy for rulers.

Kirill's Church has polluted Russias revival of the faith with nostalgia for power, be it the "Byzantine symphony", the "tsarist sobornost" or the simple Soviet servitude, to which his patriarchate now appears reduced.

Card Zuppi  the Roman-born archbishop of Bologna and parish priest of Italy close to the poor, open to dialogue with everyone without ever fearing criticism and intrigue  is the Catholic response, the true spiritual sobornost, to which many Russian priests and faithful really turn to in their hearts and prayers.

Havel did not only criticise the communist regime, but also prophesied the lies of post-totalitarianism, stating that, Between the aims of the post-totalitarian system and the aims of life there is a yawning abyss: while life, in its essence, moves toward plurality, diversity, independent self-constitution, and self-organization, in short, toward the fulfillment of its own freedom, the post-totalitarian system demands conformity, uniformity, and discipline.

The warning does not only apply to Russians, Americans, Chinese or Turks or all those who aspire to rebuild empires; it is an accurate description of the whole globalised world, of minds increasingly clouded by mass conformism.

This applies to tsars and patriarchs, but also to those who do not deal in politics or religion, money or weapons; It applies to influencers and the influenced, automatons of a world that loses its soul through artificial intelligence.

The patriarchal sobornost was also the inspiration of the Wagner Group, today dissolved in metaphysical Belarus. It is no coincidence that its founders turned to the great German composer who died 140 years ago.

Richard Wagner wanted to transform musical thought through his idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, total artwork, a synthesis of poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts.

The prophet of post-modernity, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, considered the music of his friend Richard as the renaissance of tragic art in Europe, the greatest example of the Dionysian spirit in the history of music itself, only to change his mind, and define it as an expression of a decadent civilisation.

Indeed, the last painting of the Ring of the Nibelung is entitled The Twilight of the Gods. The brothers plot the murder of Siegfried, who put the ring on his finger. Despite being invulnerable thanks to magic, he can be struck in the back, where Hagen pierces him with the spear, starting the final tragedy.

The Rhine overflows, carrying the ring away, like the Kakhovka dam that flooded someones war plans. Walhalla populated by the gods burns in a fire that destroys it, which could happen to the Kremlin, except that Wagnerian tragedies are nowadays reduced to comedies about the powerlessness of the powerful.
by Melani Manel Perera

Animal rights groups welcomed the decision, fearing toque macaques would end up in restaurants and labs rather than zoos. This type of monkey cannot survive long outside its natural environment. Some 30 groups turned to the courts to stop any deal.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Sri Lanka has dropped a plan to sell 100,000 toque macaque to China. The Attorney General's Office informed the Court of Appeal of the governments decision; the latter is set to hear a petition to stop the plan.

Environmental and animal rights groups, who oppose the sale, welcomed the announcement. They had warned that the animals could be used in zoos and labs without consideration for their needs and health.

Acting on behalf of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Deputy Solicitor General Manohara Jayasinghe, made the announcement after the Court of Appeal received a petition challenging the capture and export of macaques to China.

I am very happy to hear this, said Sanjeeva Jayawardena, the President's Counsel, acting for animal rights groups; otherwise, these monkeys will end up in Chinese restaurants.

A two-judge bench  Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and M.A.R. Marikkar  have been chosen to hear the petition on 7 July to formally confirm the governments undertaking.

In April, activist groups held a protest against the plan put forward by a private Chinese company to ship 100,000 monkeys found only in Sri Lanka to be displayed in Chinese zoos.

When the Sri Lankan cabinet received the proposal, it took it under consideration and set up a committee to evaluate it, this according to Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana,

Environmentalist and animal rights groups reacted immediately warning that the animals were more likely to end in labs for biomedical experiments than in Chinese zoos.

Using animals, they say, for economic gain and repay part of Sri Lankas debt is not right, nor admissible, this despite the countrys deep economic crisis.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also intervened, thanking the Sri Lankan government for rejecting the proposal and not merchandising animals.

These monkeys do not belong in captivity. It is almost certain that, once in China, they would be funnelled into biomedical experiments and [be] dead within months, said Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, the PETA senior science advisor.

The animal rights group had previously written to the authorities to ban the sale, certain that they would end up in labs, subjected to experiments, torture and certain death.

Following a statement by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera regarding the export of toque macaque monkeys to China, some 30 animal rights groups (including the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka) turned to the courts to stop the government.
Shilan Oraminejad, Razieh (Maral) Kohzady and Zahra (Yalda) Heidary were arrested on 9 May at home. Their first court hearing is tomorrow, but the charges remain unknown. Taken to an unknown location, they were later moved to Evin prison. So far, they have been denied legal counsel.

Tehran (AsiaNews)  Three Iranian women converts to Christianity will appear in court tomorrow on unknown charges, this according to Article 18, an NGO dedicated to religious freedom in Iran and advocating on behalf of its religious minorities, especially Christians.

Arrested last month, the three women were held incommunicado in Tehrans Evin prison for 40 days. Indicting people without formal charges is not unusual in Iran, nor is taking Christians into custody only for meeting in private homes to pray.

Officers with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence arrested Shilan Oraminejad, Razieh (Maral) Kohzady and Zahra (Yalda) Heidary at their respective homes in the early morning on 9 May.

Claiming to have search warrants, agents seized personal effects, including mobile phones, laptops, books and pamphlets "without giving any explanation, Mehr Ministries report.

The three Christian women were taken to an unknown location. After 40 days incommunicado, they were able to call their families to tell them that they were in Evin prison, but were denied, again without explanation, legal counsel.

After meeting the women, relatives said that "they were not in a good physical condition, Hamid Hatami, president of Mehr Ministries, told Voice of America Farsi. Since then, Shilan and Zahra have been released on bail pending trial, while Maral remains in custody, he added.

From the latest information, the first hearing, in which all three are set to appear, is tomorrow, 2 July, at the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

This story confirms the "sharp regression" of religious freedom in Iran, along with harsh crackdown following protests that broke out in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police.

This trend is reflected in the 2023 report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, published in May, which calls for the reclassification of the Islamic Republic as a "nation of particular concern (CPC)" for its "systematic and egregious violations.
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The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, reiterated his commitment to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and "regardless of the price to be paid" in a speech to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral parliament.

"Today, 1 July, Spain assumes the great responsibility of taking on the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months," said Sanchez, who travelled to Kiev on Saturday, where he will later meet with President Volodymir Zelenski.

"I wanted to tell you that we are with you and we will be with you for as long as it takes. I wanted to tell you that we will support Ukraine no matter what the cost," he said, before announcing a new aid package of 55 million for Ukraine.

Ucrania va a ganar la guerra porque ya ha ganado la batalla de las ideas al elegir a Europa.



La UE se levanto para evitar guerras. Decidimos unirnos en nuestra diversidad, y eso nos hizo mas fuertes.



Europa esta con vosotros. pic.twitter.com/6r370BcjlU  Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2023

This will comprise, he said, 51 million funded through the World Bank group to support Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as four million through the UN development programme to provide green energy systems for schools.

Sanchez noted that "things have changed" since his first speech to the Rada in February, the anniversary of the invasion, as Ukraine is now in the midst of a counter-offensive against an enemy "that is showing signs of weakness".

"We have all seen the events of the past week. They speak for themselves," he said, referring to the failed mutiny led by Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Ya en Kyiv.



He querido que el primer acto de la Presidencia espanola del Consejo de la UE, sea en Ucrania junto a @ZelenskyyUa.



Trasladare a su Gobierno y al Parlamento toda la solidaridad europea.



Mantendremos el apoyo al pueblo ucraniano hasta que la paz regrese a Europa. pic.twitter.com/bPcvnYxNZZ  Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2023

Sanchez expressed the conviction that Ukraine emerged victorious from the struggle and praised Ukraine's "determination" in its fight for independence, even if the price to be paid was "enormous".

He also reiterated his condemnation of Russian attacks on civilians and referred to the one that hit Kramatorsk (east) this week, where the writer Victoria Amelina, who was accompanying a Colombian delegation, was seriously wounded.

"Victoria was close to the frontline because she wanted to document the tragedy. She wanted to collect the memory of the infamy. The lost legacy. The broken lives. The crimes committed," she said, stressing that "we need women like her to write history".

With regard to Ukraine's European aspirations, Sanchez said that "no one deserves candidate status more than Ukraine", but noted that "it is not an easy process, especially with an ongoing war".

In this respect, he stressed the importance of reforms, a process that "has value in itself", by improving the economy, attracting investment and strengthening international confidence.

"In due course, you will be granted access to our Union", he said, and affirmed that Spain will eagerly await the European Commission's report in September, which "will lay the foundations for the future".

The Prime Minister also referred to the forthcoming NATO summit in Vilnius on 11 and 12 July, in an environment in which it has become clear "that the promises of the Cold War can no longer be trusted" and in which it is necessary to "rethink the security framework".

In this context, Spain is in favour of creating a NATO-Ukraine Council, as a way to increase Kiev's political participation in the alliance, which would thus cease to be "a guest".

"We are also in favour of increasing practical cooperation, to continue adapting your defence sector to NATO standards," he said, without commenting on potential NATO membership once the war is over.

He stressed, however, that Spain would also continue to "do its part" by supplying more Leopard battle tanks, armoured transport vehicles and a field hospital, a statement that was greeted with applause by the Ukrainian parliamentarians.
Federal Motos history is rather intricate to say the least. The bike-modding firm started out in Canada under the leadership of Shaun Brandt, to then open a U.S. outpost in Chicago, and eventually make the latter their only base of operations. Brothers Mike and Peter Muller have been running things down in Illinois ever since Federal Moto (FM) came to the States, and they were later joined by Shaun along the way.

Photo: Daniel Peter

Photo: Daniel Peter

Now, the bike youre looking at here acted as somewhat of a catalyst for their collaboration. Sir Brandt moved to Florida around 2015 in search of a longer riding season, and thats where he met Mike. At the time, the latter worked at a shop called Powder Monkees, while Shaun needed a new custom motorcycle suitable for both Miamis streets and fun beach rides on weekends. Enter the Sunshine State of Mind.Just as they had done with the reworked XR650L known as Lil Kim , FMs specialists seem to have taken a bit of inspiration from hip-hop when naming this thing. The sobriquet they chose sounds like a wordplay on N.Y. State of Mind  the legendary track from Nas 1994 debut album, Illmatic. Nomenclature and rap history aside, let's go ahead and take a closer look at this scrambled one-off.The chosen donor was an early Yamaha SR500 from the model-year 1978, and it came in surprisingly good condition for its age. While performing a customary teardown, Mike decided that each and every piece of stock bodywork had to go, as none were suitable for what he and Shaun had in mind. He swapped the original fuel tank with the slimmer and slightly boxier module of a TT500, which keeps proportions nice and tight in the center.At the front end, we now find a Honda TL250s headlamp held in place via bespoke brackets, but the work performed out back is even more interesting. A handmade looped subframe replaces the factory unit, with tiny LED turn signals and a Bates-style taillight attached to the tubing. Up top, theres a flat bench seat wrapped in a mixture of standard and perforated black leather, while a subtle electronics tray can be found underneath.It encases an m-Unit control module from Motogadget, and all this equipment sits on a Triumph Street Triples monoshock. As you can imagine, converting the SR500 from twin shocks to a single unit was no walk in the park, but Mike certainly didnt mind taking on a challenge. For a good bit of extra grunt in the powertrain sector, he installed a Mikuni VM38MM carburetor that breathes through a mesh-covered velocity stack.Moreover, theres also a premium crankcase breather filter from K&N, as well as a MotoLanna compression release setup. On the exhaust side of things, Mike installed a TT500s high-mounted header, plentiful heat protection, and an aftermarket reverse megaphone muffler. Unsprung territory is still occupied by the OEM wheels, but their rims are now cloaked in Metzeler Karoo 3 knobbies for ample grip on dirt and tarmac alike.Although it may not be their most practical decision, Shaun and Mike chose to refrain from adding a front or rear fender. This keeps the motorcycles aesthetic bare-bones and free of any visual clutter, so the cosmetic benefits may just outweigh the drawbacks related to everyday usability. Well leave that up to you to decide, because there are still a few important mods for us to talk about before we wrap this up.Over in the cockpit area, the Sunshine State of Mind carries a single retro-looking dial and a Renthal handlebar, which is in turn equipped with Posh switches and Oury grips. Finally, theres the stunning color scheme executed by a Bolivian artist named Nicolas Lama. The frame and swingarm got wrapped in an off-white finish that looks nothing short of sublime, while the hoops were painted black for contrast.Its the fuel tank livery that really captures our attention, though, combining a dark grey base with yellow, white, and black details. With everything coming together, the finishing touches consisted of motocross-style foot pegs and Motogadget m-Blaze turn signals. The pricing aspect of this project hasnt been made public, but whats clear is that the Sunshine State of Mind spawned a very fruitful collaboration between Shaun and the Muller brothers from 2016 onwards.Not long after, Mike and Peter came up with their first build under the Federal Moto umbrella, one which weve also covered on autoevolution in case you want to have a look. Its a snazzy BMW R100 nicknamed The Five , with visual cues taken from the iconic Lotus 77 race car (and John Player Special livery) driven by Mario Andretti in Formula One. Sure enough, that could hardly be any further from the SR500 scrambler weve just inspected, yet youll probably find it equally enticing, nonetheless.
kW

By the time it was recovered, it was already too beaten up to be worth saving hence the non-repairable title in Texas. But if you feel you can make a quick buck off the remaining components and you're not afraid of a little elbow grease, you should know it's for sale.Several parts can be sold for cash, and that includes its heart and soul, which is that powerful supercharged 6.2-liter V8. When it left the factory floor some eight years ago, it produced 707 horsepower (717 ps/527) and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of torque. In perfect conditions, the 2015 Charger SRT Hellcat needed 3.4 seconds to sprint to 60 mph (97 kph) and had a top speed of 204 mph (328 kph). Thus, supercars such as the Lamborghini Huracan were no match for it, assuming the driver could handle that much thrust available via the right pedal.The HEMI V8 is the most expensive part that can be sold, and such mills usually fetch around $20,000 in today's market, more or less depending on their overall state and how many miles the cars they once powered clocked over the years. And besides the engine, the future owner of this potent four-door Dodge can also sell the suspension, brakes, most body panels bar those at the front, and a good chunk of the interior, including the dashboard, gauges, and steering wheel. The seats are missing, so they probably already found new homes during the time the car was AWOL, and in the end, the empty shell might bring in additional Benjamins to its future owner.The value of this Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is estimated at nearly $55,000 in the ad on iaai, though that's more likely for an example that doesn't require any amount of work before it can hit the road again. That said, depending on how much interest it sparks when it goes under the gavel at a yet-undisclosed date online, it should fetch far less than that. The car, or what's left of it, can be found in Dallas, Texas, and if you're in the neighborhood, you should take a closer look at it in person to know what to expect. Who knows, maybe you'll spot something that no one else does to boost your confidence that you can make a decent amount of money if you buy it and sell it for parts. But how much would you spend on it if you were in this business?
Electric vehicles are  by design  heavier than their internal combustion-powered equivalents. The sheer weight of the ID. Buzz is more than obvious in the moose test.

ICE

MQB

kWh

AWD

But strangely enough, the combustion-engined Multivan couldn't do better than 69 kilometers per hour, converting to 43 miles per hour. The ID. Buzz topped 71 kilometers per hour (44 miles per hour) without hitting a single cone, albeit there's way more intervention from the ESC than in the Multivan.Part of the reason the ID. Buzz in the first clip below did better is tire choice. More specifically, Continental EcoContact rubber measuring 265/45 by 20 inches compared to Bridgestone Turanza tires measuring 235/50 by 18 inches. In terms of tire width, make that 10.4 inches versus 9.3 inches for theminivan.It's also worth remembering that internal combustion and electric minivans feature different weight distributions and different centers of gravity. With the battery integrated into the ID. Buzz's floor, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it did better in the moose test. Can the T7 redeem itself in the slalom?The answer is  unfortunately for ICE loyalists  negative. As opposed to 25.7 seconds for the ID. Buzz, the plug-in hybrid Multivan in the second video below needed 26.5 seconds to complete the slalom test.In production since 2021, the T7 Multivan is based on Volkswagen'sarchitecture. It's a five-out-of-five-star vehicle in terms of safety according to Euro NCAP, yet Volkswagen doesn't sell this fellow stateside.On the upside, you'll soon be able to purchase an ID. Buzz in the United States of America. Scheduled to arrive in dealer showrooms in 2024, the electric people carrier is rocking a long wheelbase by default. Over in Europe, only the ID. Buzz SWB is currently in production. Come 2024, the LWB will join it at commercial vehicles assembly plant in Hanover. Volkswagen intended to manufacture the long-wheelbase version in the United States as well, over in Tennessee at the Chattanooga assembly plant. But alas, the plan was nipped in the bud once Volkswagen realized there wouldn't be enough demand in the US and Canada to warrant production in North America.Heavily inspired by the Microbus we all know and love, the ID. Buzz can be had as a panel van or as a passenger van in Europe. For the United States and Canada, a three-row passenger version will have to suffice due to the aforementioned lack of consumer demand.Revealed on June 2, the ID. Buzz LWB comes with a rear-mounted electric motor and a 91-battery. Capable of no more than 99 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), the ID. Buzz LWB will be offered with a dual-motor setup as well. Don't look forward to a big difference in power, though. Theversion cranks out 330 ponies compared to 282 for RWD.
1 July 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Distance in fact, makes no matter in hostility and biased politics. Sometimes, when you expect evil deeds from a bad neighbor, you see it coming from an unexpected side. The French state, which is located about five thousand kilometers from Azerbaijan, can be attributed to the category of forces that are recognized as opposing enemies. While France behaved quietly and discreetly during the 30-year occupation period, after November 10, 2020, it completely changed its political vector. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan always tried to maintain relations with France, both during the period of occupation and after it.

So, Azerbaijan did not object to France to become a member of the Minsk Group and signed a contract with French company Total Energy over the extraction of natural gas in the Caspian Sea. However, the Second Karabakh War ended in a humiliating defeat for Armenia, also revealed the suppressed Armenian emotion of France. Since that time, France has been constantly making statements that demonstrate its hatred against Azerbaijan and may even disrupt diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan. The last such statement was made during France's demonstrative expression of hatred against Azerbaijan at the Chisinau meeting. France was actually making the biggest mistake in history. Although the Azerbaijani authorities did not take Macron's policy very seriously, it was an extremely big political mistake for France, which demonstrates itself as an influential force in Europe.

According to the official website of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Macron, in particular, stated that he entreated in a meeting with the Armenian lobby that he puts more pressure on Azerbaijans President than Pashinyan and he is the only one who has a clear position on the Karabakh issue. It goes without saying that the state of Azerbaijan will not remain silent about this and has never remained silent...over this statement, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry summoned French Ambassadress to Azerbaijan for further clarification of the issue.

French-Azerbaijani diplomatic relations are currently facing a big dilemma: either France, which is ready to sacrifice everything for Armenia, or France, which follows the right policy and abandons the wrong principles regarding Karabakh.

In a comment on the above issues for Azernews, political analyst, head of Azerbaijan-based think tank Samir Hummabatov noted that there are 2 reasons behind Frances being so active in the Karabakh issue: first of all, it is related to some internal factors; as is known, the Armenian lobby is strong in France and has the power to influence the French government. Secondly, it is a matter of France's traditional foreign policy of colonialism.

France wants to form the influence which it lost in Africa, in the South Caucasus. It should be taken into account that after the Second Karabakh War, with the collapse of the Minsk Group, France completely disappeared here. I should also mention that in October 2020, the French parliament's desire to recognize the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan as a so-called republic also completely deprived it of stepping in these territories. France's appetite for the South Caucasus has reawakened and it is trying to return here with every effort. Because, Karabakh is one of the most optimal options for it, Humabatov said.

Responding to the question of why France aims to damage its relationship with the strongest country of the region in terms of its economy and military capacity, the expert stressed that in fact, France is trying to strengthen its position through Armenia.

For 23 years, France tried to establish a tough position in the region as the co-chairman of the Minsk Group of the OSCE. However, the Second Karabakh War took away all the chances from its hands. In such a case, France saw that Azerbaijan was expelling it from the region. And as a second solution, it began to take another policy of manipulation, creating political sabotage in the region via Armenia. The result is obvious. Due to Armenia, France is one of the states that damaged its relation with Azerbaijan, he said.

As for possible damage to the economic relationship between France and Azerbaijan, he pointed out that despite there being certain intersections between economics and politics, they are completely separate from each other. The political analyst emphasized that France knows very well that another way to stay in the region is to continue its economic maneuvers.

Therefore, today French company Total Energy performs projects in the country. However, the presence of Total in Azerbaijan also gives us some leverage. It should also be taken into account that France is one of the influential countries in the EU. In other words, it is one of the locomotives of the EU. On the other hand, together with Iran, Russia and Armenia, France forms a strange quartet. Although there are certain differences in French policy, it maintains relations via Total - maximum is trying not to spoil the economic relations with Azerbaijan. The fact that Total is also interested in green energy indicates that France may need this energy in the future. As is known, France has already lost its uranium deposits in Africa and is trying to replace it with something else, he said.

Samir Humbatov noted that Total is a multinational company and the company performs projects all over the world. Moreover, Azerbaijan does not mingle policy with the economy. Azerbaijan conducts politics in a normal, lawful manner. Of course, the removal of Total company from here is within the powers of the state of Azerbaijan. If France continues its non-constructive position by taking very provocative steps, it may reconsider its activity here.

I don't think that France can influence Azerbaijan in any way. This is not a small issue. It is a big issue. Also, France has neither an army nor any military infrastructure in the region. Therefore, France has no possibility to influence Azerbaijan in any way. It is possible that France can help Armenia with any military equipment. I do not rule it out. However, I do not think that France will have an army that will face Azerbaijan here. No matter how strong the French army is, it is not in a position to face Azerbaijan in terms of military performance and military combat. Therefore, I think that France will not do anything other than simply irritating and psychologically influencing from the outside, he added.

---

Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
1 July 2023 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Bayram Elshadov, Day.az

We often write that the Lachin border checkpoint is crossed by ethnic Armenians. In the time that we have been following the situation, news about this has become standard. Perhaps many readers are even used to it and consider this news part of a regular day. However, we must remember that each person who has made the transition is not just another number in the statistics. This is life, with its hopes, dreams and suffering.

And if you look closely at the faces of people passing through the border checkpoint, you can see that a significant percentage of these people are upset. The faces of these people are clouded with anxiety, the causes of which are exorbitant ambitions and unjustified goals of the people who brewed this whole separate party. Entrepreneurial businessmen who decided to call themselves politicians doomed people to torment. They did not give economic development, progress. But they did not offer anything in return except for ephemeral promises and unjustified hatred towards Azerbaijan.

It all ended with the fact that ethnic Armenians faced the horror of war, because of those people who called themselves "leaders". These "leaders" themselves started the war, which they lost. But as always, ordinary people suffer.

And today, people passing through the Lachin BCP are disappointed that their choice is very limited. Or take the citizenship of Azerbaijan, try to live like everyone else in this country. Or leave the places they call home.

And for all this it is worth thanking the leaders of the gangster separatist regime, who put people in front of such a choice. And if you think about it, maybe you can see anger in the faces of some people. For the fact that this game of separatists and "independence" has become the cause of the broken hopes of an ordinary person.

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2 July 2023 02:00 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

Azerbaijan police is celebrating the 105th anniversary of its honorable activity. According to the decree signed by national leader Heydar Aliyev in 1998, July 2 every year is marked a professional holiday of law enforcement officers performing police duties. The work of the police in the protection of security in Azerbaijan is irreplaceable. However, regarding this, we also wanted to learn the views of experts.

Political analyst Tural Aliyev, who commented on the issue for Azernews, noted that the quality of police services in Azerbaijan is developing rapidly.

"In general, in every country, law enforcement agencies play a major role in protecting the society, the state, general security and public order. Currently, the function of the police and law enforcement agencies in Azerbaijan consists of this. It's hard to say, because the police reforms currently underway in the system are constantly being renewed and further developed."

The expert spoke about the dedication of the police during important events in Azerbaijan.

"There are special and important events in every country. For example, if we look at the period of the pandemic or the Patriotic War in Azerbaijan, we can say that at those times, law enforcement officers and representatives of other power structures of the state were more prominent. There were sufficient number of police officers among those who lost their lives during the period of either Pandemic or the Second Karabak War," he said.

Tural Aliyev also emphasized the special professionalism shown by the Azerbaijani police in regulating mutual relations with citizens at a time when martial law was declared in the country during the Patriotic War.

"While every citizen has a responsibility to the state, law enforcement agencies also have a number of mutual obligations to the citizen. Each obligation is regulated by laws. If there is a violation of the law from any side, it is prevented within the system and legally assessed. Finally, mutual relations is regulated. In this regard, our policemen made a great effort to follow the rules and regulations applied during the Patriotic War in Baku and other districts," the expert stressed.

The political analyst also said that visitors to Azerbaijan have very high impressions of the police. He noted that this is not just a word, but also an opinion based on statistical data.

"Today, guests or tourists coming to Azerbaijan from abroad pay special attention to the stability in the country. Because the opinion from outside is also important to evaluate the work of special security agencies. In other developed countries, it is very dangerous to walk in the city at different times of the day, mainly at midnight. It is not just a word, it is possible to see if we look at the world statistics. However, since law and order is maintained at a high level in Azerbaijan, it is possible to go for a walk very comfortably from night to morning, even in a densely crowded areas of our country," the expert noted.

He also added that there is great progress in the training of police personnel in Azerbaijan. A patient, discreet and extremely polite police officer today attracts attention with his exemplary behavior in resolving any dispute. This creates an incentive for the positive development of relations between ordinary citizens and the police.

"If there is any tension between the police and citizens, it is not correct to blame it on the system in general. If 20 years ago there was a tangible problem, now such cases are no longer visible. Even the incidents that occur are eliminated very calmly and systematically, and most importantly it is solved administratively and legally. Because what is important for Azerbaijan is the health and safety of its citizens," the expert concluded.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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1 July 2023 12:33 (UTC+04:00)

The results of the preliminary study on the project for laying an underwater power transmission line in the Black Sea, which aims to deliver green energy from Azerbaijan to Europe, will be known in September, Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced, while speaking at the Parliament, Azernews reports.

"This project has full support from the European Union, major financial institutions, and we expect it to be one of the most significant historical projects completed in the last 30 years," said Garibashvili.

He noted that the project is currently in the study phase, with active work being carried out.

"We expect that the research results will be available in September, and after that, we will move on to the second phase," said the PM.

Recall that Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, and Romania signed an agreement in Bucharest on December 17, 2022 to build an underwater electric cable under the Black Sea. The project could become a new power source for the European Union. The 1,100-kilometer cable from Azerbaijan to Romania will provide Azerbaijani energy for the rest of the continent. The project could be completed within three to four years.

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1 July 2023 02:55 (UTC+04:00)

Today we have a real opportunity to finally put an end to the confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Elchin Amirbeyov, assistant to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said this in an interview for Polish TV's Ezhedelnik, Azernews reports, citing Trend.

"In 1992, part of Azerbaijan was under Armenian occupation. And no one reacted to this injustice. Perhaps if international organizations had reacted in the early 1990s immediately after the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, and if this reaction had been noticeable, the scale and consequences this tragic conflict would have been different. And other similar conflicts in the world would not have flared up, including in our neighborhood. However, I want to note that today we have a real opportunity to put an end to this long conflict," he said.

Amirbekov stressed that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declares Armenia's full readiness to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.

"After the termination of the negotiation process by Armenia since December last year, the negotiations were resumed in May of this year. The Armenian side probably understands that it is difficult to achieve peace without negotiations with Azerbaijan. We have already had several new meetings, some progress has been made. We are convinced that the next rounds will allow us to reduce the differences between us," he said.

The assistant to the First Vice President also noted that the citizens of Armenia themselves are beginning to understand that without peace with Azerbaijan there will be no full-fledged economic development of their country.

"It is necessary to think pragmatically. The end of the conflict will lead to the opening of borders, as well as new economic and other opportunities for the entire region. For 30 years, Armenia has not become a more economically successful state, including due to the lack of oil and gas resources. They see the state of their economy and the fact that they cannot develop - and the reason is that for 30 years they have been focused on occupying part of our territory. We offer peace to Armenia, and, in our opinion, this is a win-win situation for all parties. We want a lasting peace, which will cover the entire South Caucasus. We do not want our countries to see each other as enemies. We want them to consider themselves at least neighbors, and perhaps even friends," the official added.

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1 July 2023 13:16 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan has handed over to Armenia the bodies of two servicemen killed during a Revenge military operation, carried out by the Azerbaijani army in response to the provocations of the Armenian side, Azernews reports.

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1 July 2023 21:11 (UTC+04:00)

More than 1,300 people were arrested in France during a fourth night of rioting and President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a trip to Germany on Saturday as the funeral took place of teenager Nahel M, whose shooting by police sparked nationwide unrest.

Macron's government deployed 45,000 police officers as well as armoured vehicles overnight to tackle the worst crisis to face his leadership since the "Yellow Vest" protests which brought much of France to a standstill in late 2018, Azernews reports.

The interior ministry said that 1,311 people had been arrested overnight, compared with 875 the previous night, although described the violence as "lower in intensity".

Finance minister Bruno Le Maire said more than 700 shops supermarkets, restaurants and bank branches had been "ransacked, looted and sometimes even burnt to the ground since Tuesday".

Local authorities all over the country announced bans on demonstrations and ordered public transport to stop running in the evening.

Several hundred people lined up to enter Nanterre's grand mosque, which was guarded by volunteers in yellow vests, while a few dozen bystanders watched the funeral from across the street.

Some of the mourners, their arms crossed, said "God is Greatest" in Arabic, as they spanned the boulevard in prayer.

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1 July 2023 15:07 (UTC+04:00)

Turkiyes Ambassador in Portugal, Murat Karagoz, died after a heart attack in Mugla province on Friday.

Karagoz had a heart attack as he was swimming at the Faralya beach in the Oludeniz district.

He was unconscious when he was pulled from the sea and was immediately hospitalized at the Fethiye State Hospital, but could not be saved despite medical interventions, Azernews reports with reference to Anadolu Agency.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry offered condolences and commemorated Karagoz.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said he is deeply saddened by the loss of Ambassador Karagoz, as he offered condolences to his family and loved ones.

Former Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is currently serving as a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from the Antalya province, extended his condolences for the late ambassador.

We will remember him as a gracious, hardworking and devoted person, he said in a message he posted on Twitter to commemorate Karagoz.

Vice President Cevdet Ylmaz also commemorated Murat Karagoz.

We are saddened by the loss of an esteemed diplomat, he said, as he offered his condolences.

Murat Karagoz, who was serving as director of the Information Technology department, was appointed as ambassador to Lisbon in February.

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1 July 2023 18:52 (UTC+04:00)

Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed over phone with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud a range of issues, including the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden this week, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, Azernews reports.

The ministry in a statement said the two talked about preparations for the extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's executive committee to discuss the consequences of the desecration. The meeting will be held in Jeddah on Sunday.

The ministers also touched upon the need to combat Islamophobia, and issues of regional cooperation.

There has been widespread outrage and condemnation in the Islamic world since a person identified as Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Muslim holy book under police protection in front of a Stockholm mosque on Wednesday.

The act was timed to coincide with Eid al-Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

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Marisa Kendall reports for CalMatters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization with a focus on stories that examine, explain and explore solutions to Californias quality-of-life issues while holding state government accountable. For more, visit calmatters.org.
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In the month since oncologists at New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health began using iNav  an artificial intelligence-enabled diagnostic tool developed in-house  people with pancreatic cancer have been getting "connected to care, days, if not weeks, earlier in their care trajectory" than ever before, Daniel King, MD, PhD, assistant professor at the Institute of Cancer Research at Northwells Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., told Becker's.

Dr. King and two of his Northwell colleagues  Sandeep Nadella, MD, a gastroenterologist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and Tiffany Zavadsky, NP, RN  developed the iNav technology, which won Northwell's 2023 Innovation Challenge.

iNav is able to analyze high volumes of CT and MRI scan reports  more than 10,000 abdominal scans per week  to find any indication of a mass or lesion on a patient's pancreas. It is able to weed out mentions of "no apparent mass," as well.

Notable records are then referred by iNav to a coordinator who confirms the existence of a pancreatic mass that needs to be biopsied.

The healthcare system is investing $500,000 in the iNav program, which Dr. King said will expedite diagnoses and treatment of pancreatic cancers that, without the AI technology, would have been found at a much later stage of progression.

In fact, it's already doing just that.

Most often, patients seek medical care for conditions that cause pain or other symptoms; pancreatic cancer usually goes undetected until it is in the later stages, Dr. King said. However, the scans patients get for those other conditions sometimes reveal pancreatic masses that went unaddressed.

Dr. King described a particular case that underscores the importance and validity of iNav. A patient received a CT scan to confirm a kidney cyst after being seen by a urologist. The scan revealed the kidney cyst was benign, "which means the patient normally would have waited two weeks or more for a follow-up appointment with their physician," Dr. King said.

However, this particular scan report noted something else: a 4-centimeter mass in the patient's pancreas.

iNav was able to find that note in the patient's medical record and, after verifying the existence of the mass, the coordinator was able to refer the patient to Dr. King's team. Next steps, he said, are biopsy and continued care if necessary.

Northwell Health has a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to treating pancreatic cancer where patients are able to see a surgeon, medical oncologist, gastroenterologist and social worker. By bringing all of these services together, patients are connected to care faster.

The earlier the disease is detected, "the more likely we'll catch it at a time that it can be removed and potentially cured," Dr. King said.

Northwell Health is planning to sell the iNav technology to other healthcare systems, Richard Mulry, president and CEO of Northwell Holdings & Ventures, told Becker's.

iNav could also bring Northwell a multimillion-dollar return on its $500,000 investment due to increased follow-up appointments made by pancreatic cancer patients.
Older adults with Alzheimers disease and related dementia are twice as likely to die within a month or during the year following discharge from an intensive care unit compared to patients discharged from the ICU who do not have ADRD, according to a study published July 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care.

The research shows that ADRD patients often experience an acute reduction in cognitive function after an ICU admission, study co-author Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami, PHD, RN, told Becker's. She recently left North Andover, Mass.-based Merrimack College's School of Nursing and Health Sciences and is transitioning to Michigan State University College of Nursing in East Lansing, where she will be a professor and associate dean of academic affairs.

The study compared patients with ADRD to those without it and found that people with dementia are 60 percent less likely to be discharged home. In this group, there was a 54 percent higher risk of dying in the same month as discharged and a 95 percent greater risk of dying within 12 months.

Patients with both Medicare and Medicaid showed a greater risk of dying in the same month of discharge and an even greater risk of dying within 12 months of discharge compared with non-dual eligible patients, Dr. Davis-Ajami said.

"Goals of care, the patient's disease burden and comorbidity status should all be considered when determining whether to admit, and where to admit the ADRD patient," she said, noting these patients "have a limited life expectancy, which can be further shortened after an ICU admission or other acute event."

Therefore, she added, the study's findings suggest the need to develop proactive strategies to decrease the likelihood of an ADRD patient being admitted to the ICU.

"Our research team hopes to further explore whether incorporating palliative care planning in the emergency department or during ICU hospitalization would reduce some of the burden associated with ADRD care," Dr. Davis-Ajami said.
Author Tim Foley has released a biography on one of the most iconic figures in Irish history, adventurer Tom Crean

Imagine turning on your TV news channel to discover that a man had vaulted from one ice floe to another in the below freezing climes of Antarctica to bring about the rescue of two colleagues.

He negotiates his way across the floes whilst avoiding the jaws of a group of killer whales who could pose a threat if he makes a mistake. The man then scales ice cliffs to reach a point where he can make faster progress across the most inhospitable terrain on our planet to reach colleagues who help perform safe rescue of the two stranded men.

Almost a year later we tune in to hear that this same man had marched alone 35 miles across the harshest, coldest terrain on the planet where, to throw a mug of hot water into the air, will transform it to a shower of ice before it hits the ground.

The clothes he wears are totally unsuitable by today's standards. They do little to help protect a person from the coldest bitterest winds that relentlessly slam into the body and hamper progress.

British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13

It's a progress that's critical because in this case, it's not a journey to achieve glory or to record a world's first, it's a journey to save a person's life.

The man once again reaches his colleagues to bring about a safe rescue. He did it in 18 hours on a meagre ration of two biscuits and a stick of chocolate Astonishingly, despite his energy-sapping, death-defying trek he asked to accompany the rescue party.

Four years roll by and you turn on the television and gasp at the following report.

The crew of a small lifeboat had somehow navigated their way across 750 nautical miles of the most ferocious seas on our planet where huge waves can rip a boat apart in seconds. A part of the world where one small navigational error can leave a vessel adrift with no possibility of reaching land and at the mercy of the unforgiving waters that can transform a boat to nothing more than a floating coffin.

Its difficult to imagine the hardships they endured as they frantically bailed out an endless intake of water and hacked away at continually forming ice mounds that threatened to sink their craft. For over two weeks the six-man crew survived in the cramped, waterlogged underbelly of the boat. To relieve themselves meant having to position themselves over the boats side with no let up from the vicious storms.

Remarkably they reach the shores of an almost desolated island where the barriers now in place are a perilous, uncharted icy, mountainous landscape where civilisation and relative safety happens to be over 30 miles on the opposite side.

Three of the men take up the challenge and again it's a challenge born out of necessity, not glory.

Tom Crean with pups

After becoming the first humans on the planet to complete a traverse of the mountains of South Georgia, their successful mission ultimately brings about the safe rescue of, 22 colleagues they'd left behind before their epic journey commenced.

You recognise one of the names as being the same person you'd heard of in the two previous tales of rescue and in today's world that name would be on everyone's lips. It would be spread across front page headlines the world over and his face would be among the most recognisable on earth.

This man, remarkably undertook these feats over a century ago yet still his story remains largely in the shadows.

As we now live in a world where cyberspace has no borders, its a good time to remind people that such a man existed. Back in his day, society ruled that headline space was given over to those perceived to be from a more important class so mention of his feats were reduced to titbits where often he was referred to as an anonymous other.

His name was Tom Crean and the truth is that his story is more epic than the leaders he served under. The lack of a spotlight suited Creans unassuming nature and he shied away from publicity, never once providing an interview and reluctant to speak with visitors wanting to parlez with the man whod served so bravely under Antarctic expeditions led by the more recognisable names of Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton.

A campaign for his country to honour him that was started in 2010, reached its goal 10 years later with the naming of a scientific research vessel in his name.

The RV Tom Crean, provides this understated Kerryman with long-awaited national recognition. No doubt if he were still around hed baulk at any notion that he should have been honoured with a: Yerra, I did what anyone else would do yet this humble hero has long-deserved all the plaudits that will come his way.

I received a reply to a post I made about my new biography of Crean. It sums up an ambition far greater than those inscribed on a statue or in an historical museum. He wrote: Im purposely educating my kids about Crean as I cant think of any better role model. Courageous, determined, good-humoured and uncommonly loyal even in the face of death.

This is the ultimate legacy that will ensure Tom Creans amazing story is not lost to future generations.

Crean: The Extraordinary Life of an Irish Hero by Tim Foley (Merrion Press, 16.99) is out now.
Causeway representative Peter McCully targeted in security alert weeks after election

Police at the scene of a road closure at Hopefield Avenue near where a suspicious object has been found. (Credit: Geoffrey Moffett/ECCAG)

Controlled explosions have been carried out on two suspicious devices by ammunition technical officers in Portrush as a day long security alert ended.

On Thursday evening, a suspicious device was discovered in the Hopefield Grove area of the town, with a second device discovered earlier today.

Both devices were wrapped in Pride flags.

A PSNI spokesperson said a full public safety operation was implemented and controlled explosions were carried out by ATO. The alerts ended at approximately 4.30pm.

Detective Chief Inspector Hamilton said: The hoax devices have now been recovered and will be forensically examined. The placement of these devices has caused untold disruption to the lives of local people, many of whom have had to leave their homes while we made sure the area was safe for them.

Those responsible care nothing for the impact they have on communities nor do they care about the fear and uncertainty their actions cause.

Such attempts to intimidate and threaten are completely unacceptable. Detectives are now robustly investigating and would ask anyone with information, or anyone who may have captured footage in the area of Hopefield Avenue, to please get in touch by calling 101 and quoting incident number 1829 of 29/06/23.

It came as a councillor whose home was targeted in a hoax security alert said he will not be deterred from his work.

Peter McCully, who was only elected to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council last month, was targeted in the incident in Portrush.

A suspicious item was wrapped in a Pride flag. It was later declared a hoax. Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

The Alliance Party condemned the incident as reckless violence.

Mr McCully said it was a shocking and very disruptive event for his family and a second party colleague, who was also targeted.

On Friday homes in the Portrush area were evacuated following the discovery of a second suspicious object. Police ATO vehicles are also understood to be at the scene.

Mr McCully told the BBCs Talkback: Portrush is a welcoming and inclusive place and to have this type of incident occurring on our doorstep is obviously tarnishing the reputation of the town."

Mr McCully said he did not want to speculate about the presence of a Pride flag with the hoax device.

However, he said a "toxic culture" had emerged around LGBT issues in recent weeks.

"I feel this is almost an escalation of that, he added. We have seen a number of incidents recently and it does have the impact of almost normalising these types of actions.

"It's clear that we are facing a rising tide in prejudice of LGBT people and we need to come out strongly and condemn that.

Mr McCully said it represented an attack on democracy.

He added: "I have only recently been elected  I was elected back in the local government election a number of weeks ago.

"From talking to my local colleagues and also my wider party colleagues, the safety of candidates was very much a concern of people going forward, so it does have a chilling effect.

"I obviously have a mandate from the people of Causeway DEA (district electoral area) to be their representative and this type of action will not put me off, it will not deter me from speaking out on the matters that matter to them, and also representing Alliance values in Causeway DEA and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

It is understood the hoax device was left close to where prominent LGBT activist Mark Ashton lived in Portrush and comes a month ahead of the Causeway Pride event due to take place in the town on August 5.

Alliance said the hoax alerts were appalling.

"Alliance can confirm these security alerts involved a hoax device at the home of Councillor Peter McCully and another alert at the home of a former party councillor, said a spokesperson.

"We utterly condemn those behind these appalling attacks and call on all other parties to do likewise. Nobody should face this kind of threat when simply doing their job.

"In addition, local residents have been left facing huge disruption due to their irresponsible actions of a few who represent nobody other than themselves.

"This has echoes of both the dark days of our troubled past and more recent times, when homes and offices of Alliance elected representatives were targeted for once again simply doing our job. The addition of a Pride flag adds an extra sinister edge.

"It is clear some are still not getting the message this reckless violence is not welcome in Northern Ireland. We urge anyone with information on these incidents to contact police with it immediately."

Scott Cuthbertson, Director of LGBTQIA+ advocacy group The Rainbow Project said: "We are deeply concerned to hear the reports of a security incident in Portrush last night where two suspicious objects were allegedly wrapped in a pride flag. Our thoughts are with all those caught up in this incident.

We understand the alarm this incident will cause to LGBTQIA+ communities in Northern Ireland, and will be working to understand what has happened by liaising with the relevant authorities.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said he had spoken to Mr McCully following the incident.

"Those behind the targeting of Peter McCully do not represent people in Portrush. This attempted intimidation must be condemned, he said.

"Earlier this morning, I visited the scene and sought to speak with Peter and assure him of my thoughts at this difficult time not only for him but those close to him.

"The scene remained sealed off so I relayed my support to police at the security cordon.

"There was never any place for this type of bully tactics in democratic politics and trust those behind this act will be brought to justice.

East Londonderry MLA Caoimhe Archibald said those responsible for the incident showed total disregard for the community.

"This is senseless behaviour that has served only to cause chaos for residents and demonstrates a total disregard for the community," she said.

Those responsible for these incidents have absolutely nothing to offer our society, it needs to stop now. I understand the police are now treating this incident as a hate crime."

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said: I totally condemn this act of hate and bigotry. We need to root out this type of hatred from Portrush and everywhere.

Belfast SDLP councillor Seamas de Faoite said it was deeply disappointed to see LGBT+ representatives targeted.

"This is a despicable attack on the LGBT+ community and an elected representative, he said.

"This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and I send my full solidarity to Peter McCully and an Alliance colleague who was also targeted.

He added: These fascists need to realise that they are in a tiny minority and allow people to live in peace.
The funeral of a man who tragically died on Cavehill will take place on Monday.

Joseph (Joe) Haggarty (28) passed away last month.

His heartbroken family described him as a compassionate and caring person.

They are encouraging as many old friends as possible to attend the service of thanksgiving.

Mr Haggarty was the second youngest of five siblings.

He died at Cavehill Country Park on June 22.

Late that evening police said they had concerns for the safety of someone in the park and a search operation was launched involving officers, ambulance crew, firefighters and a Coastguard helicopter from Scotland.

Sadly, Mr Haggarty died at the scene. The death is not being treated as suspicious

His sister Christina told the Belfast Telegraph: Growing up Joe was always a smiley young boy, albeit the quieter and more sensitive of the five rowdy children.

There is no doubt that he was his mums best baby, toddler, child and teenager  he went with the flow from the minute he was born.

Joe went to Belfast Boys Model School, surrounded by a close group of friends. He was an intelligent, deep thinker, compassionate and extremely caring to all those around him.

She added her brother loved history, art and poetry. However, his life had become more difficult in recent times.

Unfortunately, as Joe made his way into adulthood, along with this transition came many struggles with his own mind, Christina said.

His gentle soul was too pure for the world around him. Joe battled for the past 10 years, holding on for glimmers of hope.

We can only hope that his soul is at peace.

We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken at Joes passing.

There is a massive hole in our hearts and he will forever be missed and cherished.

The service of thanksgiving will take place in The Ark Church, Cliftonpark Avenue, at 12.30pm, followed by committal in Roselawn Crematorium at 2pm.

His family has asked that donations in lieu of flowers be sent to Lighthouse or Action Mental Health.

The funeral notice described Mr Haggarty as the beloved son of Lorraine and Mark and devoted brother of Stephanie, Christina, David and the late Marley. He was a loving uncle to Gary, Jessica, Christine and George.

The notice added: Joe, may your gentle soul rest peacefully.

You will be forever missed by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting you. Until we meet again my friend.

A fundraising page has been set up by a family friend to help with funeral costs and can be accessed at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/inmemoryofjoehaggarty
One of the posters erected in Cookstown.

A DUP MLA has said politics and democratic processes are the only way to resolve the protocol dispute after a poster threatening violence over the sea border appeared in a Co Tyrone town.

The image of a masked gunman was placed on lamp posts in Cookstowns main street.

The PSNI confirmed it has received a report of posters erected in the area.

Those who erected the posters appear to take issue with the NI Protocol as it states our forefathers fought for our freedom and rights  no border in the sea or we continue the fight.

SDLP councillor for Moyola Denise Johnston shared an image of the poster saying it is not acceptable.

She tagged PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne, adding that it needs to be taken down immediately. I have contacted the PSNI Mid Ulster in relation to this poster on lampposts in Cookstown.

Ms Johnston also included unionist councillors in the post urging them to use any influence they may have for the good.

Im well used to seeing the vast array of flags adorning lampposts especially at this time of the year but this on another level, one we cannot allow ourselves to sink to, she added:

"That these have been up for weeks is all the more shocking, this generation should not be allowed to think this is our normal. Im sure all right thinking people from both our communities will condemn this but its not enough.

"I cannot see any reason why the PSNI would not remove these. Allowing them to remain sends out a message that only encourages those who would drag us back. Threats must be met with firm action.

Mid Ulster DUP MLA Keith Buchanan said politics and democratic processes are the only way the challenges of the protocol will be overcome.

Violence and/or the threat of it is never acceptable and the DUP always advocates the democratic route as opposed to arguing that there was no alternative to violence as some have recently said, he added.

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning power-sharing government since February 2022, when the DUP withdrew from the Executive due to its protest over the protocol.

The DUP continues to boycott Stormont over post-Brexit trading arrangements, despite changes being made via the Windsor Framework aimed at significantly reducing the number of checks required on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Last week the Democratic Unionists submitted a paper to the UK government with proposals on how to address key issues with the Windsor Framework.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he wanted to give time for the government to respond and respect the integrity of the process.

He was addressing a Westminster committee hearing as part of an inquiry by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

The inquiry will consider changes to make the Stormont institutions work better.

It will examine how effective institutions such as the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive have been in enabling cross-community, stable and effective government.

The UUP has been contacted for comment.

Police said enquiries are currently ongoing and appealed to anyone with information about the posters to call them on 101.

You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/
1st July 2023 Presseye.com Deputy Lord Mayor leads Somme commemoration Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Aine Groogan lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remembrance at Belfast City Hall to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Councillor Groogan led the observance marking the anniversary of the battle in which many men from the 36th (Ulster) division and the 16th (Irish) division lost their lives. Photo by -Stephen Hamilton/Presseye

1st July 2023 Presseye.com Deputy Lord Mayor leads Somme commemoration Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Aine Groogan lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remembrance at Belfast City Hall to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Councillor Groogan led the observance marking the anniversary of the battle in which many men from the 36th (Ulster) division and the 16th (Irish) division lost their lives. Photo by -Stephen Hamilton/Presseye

The Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Belfast has laid a wreath in memory of those who died in the Battle of the Somme.

Ryan Murphy paid his respects as events took place across Northern Ireland to mark the 107th anniversary of one of the deadliest battles of the First World War.

At Stormont DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson joined party colleagues to honour those who died.

A total of 19,240 British troops were killed within the first 24 hours of battle - the highest toll in the Armys history. Another 60,000 were wounded or missing.

Almost a tenth of those who died on the first day were from the 36th (Ulster) Division.

Soldiers from the 16th (Irish) Division also died at the Somme.

Parades and services take place across Northern Ireland on July 1 each year to mark the anniversary.

Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill paid her respects.

She said: Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, a hugely significant event in our shared history as an island.

We remember all those who lost their lives, and in particular pay our respects to the thousands of people from across this island who died.

Her party colleague, Ryan Murphy, laid a wreath at the war memorial at Belfast City Hall.

In a post on Twitter, he said: Today I paid my respects to those who lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme, a hugely significant event in our shared history as an island.

I am committed to being a mayor for all identities and traditions in our society, irrespective of background.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, meanwhile, joined DUP colleagues in the grounds of the Stormont estate at a memorial to the 36th (Ulster) Division.

He said: We remembered those brave young souls who jumped up out of their trenches and crossed No Mans Land and were cut down by their enemies, and who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

In France, Alliance councillor Sharon Lowry was part of a delegation from Lisburn and Castlereagh council attending a commemorative event.

Her great, great uncle, Corporal Edward Louden Barnes of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, was killed in action at the Somme on September 28 1918 at the age of 22. He was awarded the Military Medal.

Ms Lowry said: It is vital that we continue to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those thousands of young men from both the 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish) divisions, and do so in a way thats as respectful and inclusive as possible.

With my familys personal connection to the battle, I felt even prouder to have attended this event in honour of their memory.

Those who are not aware of their history are doomed to repeat it.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie paid tribute on Twitter with a well-known quote from an unknown German soldier.

He posted: The tragedy of the Somme battle was that the best soldiers, the stoutest-hearted men were lost; their numbers were replaceable, their spiritual worth never could be.

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said: Today we remember all those who selflessly gave their lives for our freedom during the First World War.

"The Battle of the Somme, in particular, has an enduring link with Northern Ireland given the bravery and sacrifice of the 36th (Ulster) Division and 16th (Irish) Division.

It is important to recognise the immense debt of gratitude we owe those brave personnel who served with such distinction.

"We salute the heroism of all those who fought to defend the freedoms we enjoy today. We will always remember them.

NIO Minister Steve Baker represented the UK Government at the Royal British Legion service at Thiepval and the Somme Association service at the Ulster Tower.

Dominic Wilson, Director General and acting permanent secretary at the NIO, also paid his respects at the City Hall event.

Mr Baker said: "It was a great privilege to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at the annual remembrance ceremonies in France."

The Battle of the Somme ultimately lasted five months as the British and French armies fought the Germans on a 15-mile front in northern France.

At the end of hostilities, the British had advanced just seven miles and failed to break the German defence.

In total, more than a million were dead and wounded on all sides, including 420,000 British, about 200,000 from France and an estimated 465,000 from Germany.
Sinn Fein MP John Finucane insisted the right to commemorate the dead must apply to every section of society as he addressed a controversial IRA memorial event in Co Armagh (PA)

Amendments to the Troubles legacy bill could block former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams and others from obtaining compensation over internment without trial in the 1970s.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane has blasted the move saying it tears up the law and makes a mockery of justice, preventing hundreds of people from seeking redress.

BBC NI reported that new clauses will be moved at the bill's third reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday.

The plan had previously been mooted by Northern Ireland Office minister Lord Caine.

Mr Adams is currently pursuing a damages claim.

It is linked to a long-running case over his attempted escapes from Long Kesh internment camp, later known as Maze prison, in 1973 and 1974.

He was convicted in 1975 of two attempts to escape lawful custody.

In 2020, the supreme court in London quashed both convictions on a technicality. It deemed the custody order for his initial detention invalid because the then secretary of state, Willie Whitelaw, had not personally authorised it.

It had been signed off by a more junior official.

The ruling paved the way for similar claims being lodged by up to 400 others.

Lord Caine's amendments have now been published.

In a statement Mr Finucane condemned what he described as the latest attempt by the British government in its infamous Legacy Bill to close down access to the courts and legal remedies for hundreds of people illegally and unlawfully detained by the state.

The North Belfast MP added: Last night the British government announced its intention to bolt on yet another amendment to its already fatally flawed Legacy Bill which would prevent hundreds of people illegally and unlawfully interned from seeking legal redress for wrongful imprisonment.

This latest addition to the British governments infamous Legacy Bill, which will prevent victims of the conflict and their families from accessing criminal courts, inquests, human rights compliant investigations and civil proceedings, makes an absolute mockery of justice and claims that this Bill can promote reconciliation.

Interning people without trial in the first place was shameful and it was used initially to target only one section of the community.

The British Supreme Court has ruled that the British government broke the law in illegally and unlawfully detaining hundreds of people during the early 1970s.

When the state has broken the law there is an onus on that state both morally and legally to provide redress to those people who were unlawfully detained.

Instead of righting this wrong, facing up to its legal responsibilities and accepting the judgment of its highest court, this British government is effectively tearing up the law, closing access to the courts while relentlessly pursuing amnesty for the actions of its forces in Ireland.

He continued: The Legacy Bill is a travesty of justice, it should be scrapped. It has been rejected by victims and families, human rights experts, the UN, all the political parties on this island, as well as officials in the US and EU.

The British government should scrap this legislation and get on with implementing the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House by the two governments and political parties in 2014 in a human rights' compliant manner.

If adopted and the bill goes on to be passed, it would prohibit civil proceedings and payment of compensation for miscarriages of justice based on custody orders made by junior ministers.

The government has said it intends to pass the Legacy Bill before Parliament breaks for the summer recess.

The bill is opposed by all Northern Ireland political parties, as well as groups representing bereaved families and victims of the Troubles.
District master Nigel Dawson saying they were disappointed but not surprised by the latest determination from the Parades Commission

Orange Order leaders are marking their controversial Drumcree parade in Portadown in a very different way.

It is 25 years since the local brethren were banned from marching down the route.

Now an exhibition, organised in conjunction with Portadown Heritage Tours, urges a reflection on the quarter of a century since members were able to complete their Sunday walk from their church service.

The exhibition hall is draped with massive banners, including portraits of the late District Master Harold Gracey and Drumcree church itself on banners from Derryneskin and Kilmagamish lodges. There is a detailed model of the Hill outside the church where security forces used to confront marchers and their supporters across a muddy trench and coiled barbed wire.

But most of the room is made up of displays of press cuttings and photographs from over the years.

They include a telephone poll from the Belfast Telegraph on January 29, 1997, in which 52,393 callers said the Orange lodge should be allowed to march, 11,296 that they should not be allowed and 10, 296 who said the Order and the Garvaghy Road residents coalition should reach a compromise.

Yet there is not much sign of that now, with district master Nigel Dawson saying they were disappointed but not surprised by the latest determination from the Parades Commission on Thursday.

It concluded that the march still has the potential to damage community relations in the town and further afield.

Mr Dawson said: We decided to hold the exhibition because there are young people now who do not even remember the history of the parade, which goes back at least 150 years before it was stopped in 1998.

Guests at the unveiling included the Rev John Pickering, who was Rector of Drumcree Church of Ireland at the height of the protest and county Grand Master, the former MLA Denis Watson.

The Portadown lodge has held recent talks, in separate meetings with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Ulster Unionist chief Doug Beattie, and aims to get the Drumcree issue back on the political agenda.

Protests which were held after morning service every Sunday were suspended several times during the pandemic and the mourning period following the death of Queen Elizabeth II but returned and at one stage were expanded to twice a week.

It remains a very real issue in our town, said Mr Dawson, who also argues it should be given the same level of attention by politicians as the current cost-of-living crisis.

No doubt the political inbox is full of important issues, but the rights of citizens, shared space and the parity of esteem seem to have slipped and need to be brought back to the fore.

The Parades Commission has said it continues to encourage all parties to this parading dispute to enter dialogue to achieve an accommodation which reflects the needs of the local communities.

The Commission does not have the statutory power to force parties into dialogue or mediation, it added.

The exhibition, which is at Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre, is open to the public from today for a week.
Strike action by NHS workers who carry out key diagnostic tests and deliver some cancer care would have a major impact on the health service, the Society of Radiographers has said (PA)

Strike action by NHS workers who carry out key diagnostic tests and deliver some cancer care would have a major impact on the health service, the Society of Radiographers has said.

Radiographers are preparing to strike in some parts of England.

Staff at 43 NHS trusts have a mandate to stage walk outs, the union said after balloting 20,000 of its members.

Trusts affected include major cancer hubs and the hospital in health minister Will Quinces constituency.

The Society called on the Government to enter talks to discuss urgent improvements to pay and conditions.

Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy for the Society of Radiographers, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Nine out of 10 people see a radiographer in their treatment.

We are absolutely on the front of the frontline.

We absolutely know how serious and what an impact our members could have.

Government are ignoring that fact and ignoring that reality.

Patients are suffering every day now and this is a cry for help from the profession as much for the patients as it is for themselves.

He said action has been building up for a very long time amid pressure on the workforce and demand outstripping investment.

Its still not too late to divert the strikes. We believe there are things that could happen and could be done if the minister sits down with us and talks to us seriously about addressing some of the concerns of our members, he added.

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Radiography workers are responsible for carrying out X-rays, MRI and CT scans, ultrasounds and breast screening, as well as radiotherapy for cancer patients.

Members in trusts including the Royal Marsden, University College London Hospitals, Liverpool University Hospitals, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston and East Suffolk and North Essex have a mandate to strike.

The Society of Radiographers said it is consulting with its members about the next steps, including where and when members will take strike action.

The first strike will likely take place in July, it said.

The NHS is already bracing itself for the biggest walk out of doctors in July.

Junior doctors will stage a five-day walk out in the middle of the month while consultants  the most senior hospital doctors  will stage industrial action two days later.
An Cailin Ciuin was the first Irish language film to be nominated for an Oscar

Last month Pariss Irish Cultural Centre held a number of events to celebrate the Irish language. It was part of the centres festival of ideas. The centres director Nora Hickey MSichili told news channel France 24 that the event was to enable our public to engage with contemporary Ireland and to discover current preoccupations, such as the renaissance of the Irish language.
Emotional founder appeals for help after devastating blow

Some of the people the project has helped

One of the volunteers in Malawi

More than 10,000 items inside the shop were destroyed

A huge blaze has destroyed a charity shop run by a voluntary group set up by healthcare workers.

Volunteers at The Malawi Project stood in tears as the full extent of the damage was revealed on the morning of June 21.

The group had been operating its shop from a massive chicken shed on a farm in Annaghmore, using the income to fund vital projects for impoverished communities in Africa.

The fire, which gutted the building and destroyed around 100,000 items inside, was spotted by a farmer.

Despite the best efforts of the fire service, the shop could not be saved from the blaze.

The cause of the fire has yet to be established, but the loss to the organisation is colossal.

Founder Brian Smyth, a retired healthcare manager from Lurgan, said: When you see the pictures of the fire, it affects you. I was surprised at the emotional impact of how it felt to see the ruins.

I just thought of all the people whose livelihoods will be gone as they rely on us.

The group has been heartened by the response from members of the local community who rallied round to do what they could.

Donations and sponsors are urgently needed to cover the more than 3,000 the shop raised every month to fund education, medical services and farming projects in Malawi.

The organisation was launched in 2016 when a group of health workers from the Southern Trust raised 15,000 to build a school in the country, in what was intended to be a one-off scheme.

However, seven years on, their important work is still transforming the lives of people living in poverty.

The shop before the fire

When we went out to help build the school, our hearts were captured. The deprivation and the poverty were like nothing wed ever seen, Mr Smyth said.

These people had nothing  no food, no access to clean water, no homes... they didnt even have clothes.

We never intended to continue to help beyond funding the school, but we couldnt walk away.

We visited an orphanage with 34 young women in it who all had a very bleak outlook on life. We fell in love with them all and knew that we had to help.

The shop after the fire

Volunteers gave up their weekends for a couple of years to drive to car boot sales all over Northern Ireland, selling donated items to raise funds.

The Southern Trust later offered them the use of a building by the Southern Trust in the grounds of St Lukes Hospital in Armagh.

They operated from there for a number of years before moving to Annaghmore.

After building the school in Malawi, they went on to buy a farm and helped to establish a medical team.

The school we built has grown from having 50 children to having 450, Mr Smyth explained.

We recently had a pupil graduate from university who will be able to bring her skills back to her community. We also fund a literacy worker to teach parents to read and write so that they can help their children with their homework.

The difference in the community since we started is incredible, but the people are doing it themselves with a little help from locals here in Northern Ireland.

We desperately need new premises, hopefully in and around Lurgan, where most of our volunteers live.

In the meantime, well be relying on donations.

One of the volunteers in Malawi

The group has set up a GoFundMe appeal, and the local community has also been digging deep to make donations direct to members.

We have been blown away by the response in the past week, which has been astronomical, added Mr Smyth.

Weve had donations from 20 to 1,000 and local businesses offering to hold fundraising events.

We have a few monthly sponsors. We would love to increase the number of those and we also need donations of stock for a new shop.

Our volunteers plan to start doing car boot sales again until we get new premises, and we just hope enough money comes in to meet our commitments to the community in Malawi.

If you would like to support the good work of the group, search for Fundraiser by Dawn Emerson: A Fire Will Not Stop Us on Gofundme.com
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Baptism is an apparent declaration of an inward conversion. In other words, baptism is an act that happens after a person accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Baptisms are typically performed in the presence of the church body as a public declaration of faith. So what are the origins of baptism, and who was the first person in the Bible to be baptized?

The origins of baptism.

Christian theologians believe that, although baptism was used by John the Baptist, baptism didnt start with Christians or with John the Baptist. Jews practiced baptism as an act of purification and the initiation of converts to Judaism before the Messiahs return. The beginnings of baptism can be found in the book of Leviticus, where the Levite priests were instructed to perform a symbolic cleansing in water after their priestly duties.

Leviticus 16:4 describes the sacred garments one must wear before getting baptized, saying that you must wear a holy linen tunic, linen undergarments, a linen sash, and a linen turban. One must bathe themselves with water or get baptized before putting them on. The Bible also says in Leviticus 16:23-24 that Aaron had to go into the Tent of Meeting and remove his linen garments before entering the Most Holy Place, and he should leave them there. Then, he should bathe himself with water in a holy place and wear his regular garments. Afterward, hell come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and for the people to atone for himself and the people.

Although the actions described in the Old Testament passages werent explicitly called baptism, it does emphasize how essential and holy ceremonial cleansing is to God. Johns baptism of repentance came after this theory of cleansing, even though the final purification of sin is available through Jesus, and Johns baptism foreshadowed this. The significance of baptism in the New Testament is that, as believers of Christ, were baptized through His death and raised to walk in lifes newness. God taught the significance of baptism to the extent that He was baptized by John the Baptist at the beginning of His ministry.

Who was the first person to be baptized in the Bible?

Many believe that John the Baptist was the first person in the Bible to be baptized, but that may not be true. In Matthew 3:4-6, we read that John wore clothes made of camels hair with a belt around his waist. People from Jerusalem, Judea and the whole region of the Jordan came to him, confessing their sins, and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. As far as who baptized John the Baptist, the Bible has no record of who baptized him or if he was baptized at all.

The Bible says that John the Baptist was appointed as Jesus forerunner. The prophet Malachi and Isaiah predicted that a voice would precede the coming Messiah, and their prophecies were fulfilled with John the Baptist. God sent John the Baptist as a runner to prepare the way in the minds and hearts of the people of Israel for the coming of their Messiah, as detailed in John 1:6-8. He used baptism as how people repent their sins. They had to recognize their sin and needed a Savior to be receptive to Him when He came. Its possible that John didnt need to be baptized in his role as baptizer.

John lived in the wilderness before his public ministry in Israel, as explained in Luke 1:80. He wore rough clothing made of camel skins and ate wild honey and locusts. The people of Jerusalem flocked in droves to hear this man preach a message of repentance for the forgiveness of their sins. He baptized those who responded to his call for repentance in the Jordan River. The Pharisees and the Sadducees didnt see a need for repentance, so they refused to be baptized by John. Unapologetically, John called them out for their hypocrisy. He also warned tax collectors against blackmail and rebuked King Herod for his unlawful and ungodly marriage to his niece Herodias.

John the Baptist paved the path for repentance.

The Bible doesnt say who baptized John the Baptist, but we know he baptized Jesus. When the Lord came to John to be baptized, John tried to talk Him out of it, insisting that Jesus baptize him. This statement suggests that John hadnt been baptized, and Jesus insisted that John baptize Him to fulfill all righteousness, as explained in Matthew 5:15. For a while after Jesus baptism, John continued to point people to Him, and his ministry continued to succeed. After Jesus took center stage, the crowds following him faded, and he was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod.

Today, Christian baptism symbolizes cleansing, repentance, and commitment, but Jesus had a different idea. Christian baptism marks your identification with Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. It represents a complete cleansing and commitment thats a natural response of one whos been made new. Jesus sacrifice on the cross thoroughly washes away our sins, and were given new life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

With Johns baptism, people repented their sins and were ready to place their faith in Jesus. Like the Old Testament sacrificial system, Johns baptism foretold Jesus accomplishments. John made way for Jesus by calling people to recognize their sins and need for salvation. His baptism was a purification ceremony to prepare peoples hearts to receive their Messiah. John may not have been the first person in the Bible to be baptized, but he paved the way for others salvation.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
Turkish party leader describes China's modernization as miracle

Xinhua) 13:31, July 01, 2023

Dogu Perincek (on the screen), chairman of the Patriotic Party of Turkiye receives an online interview on the sidelines of an online briefing on the development of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Feb. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

"The entire humanity admires the success of China and calls it the Chinese miracle," said Perincek.

ISTANBUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China has risen from an economically backward country to the world's second-largest economy, and its progress in modernization is undoubtedly a miracle, said a Turkish political party leader in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Dogu Perincek, chairman of the Patriotic Party of Turkiye, said China, once one of the most impoverished countries in the world, ushered in a new era with the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

"The entire humanity admires the success of China and calls it the Chinese miracle," said Perincek.

This aerial photo taken on May 25, 2023 shows a night market in Zhanjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Perincek has visited China 14 times since 1978 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He particularly admired the modernization and emancipation of Chinese women during his visits.

"And these modern women, the emancipated women, play a big role in the modernization of China. That impressed me a lot," he said.

The chairman also witnessed how laborers have been liberated and started to play an essential role in the country's development.

"I have explored many industrial, agricultural, and cultural areas in China. I have visited numerous factories and villages," he said, adding that what excited him the most was "the Chinese laborers taking leading and managerial positions."

The chairman said though China has one of the world's most ancient civilizations, it is also a young nation.

"The (Chinese) revolution opened up great horizons for China and rejuvenated the Chinese people," he said. "Generations have grown up with ideas, hopes, and optimism of the Chinese revolution, and become the insurance for the future of China and the world."

A visitor walks toward the exhibition center of the China International Digital Economy Expo 2021 in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Xiao)

Perincek also believed that China's modernization is a peaceful process based on a win-win understanding of the rest of the world.

"It is not a modernization based on the exploitation of the rest of the world, as is the case with modernization in the capitalist sense," he said, noting that "China's modernization, however, was achieved hand in hand and heart to heart with the rest of the world. Therefore, it is a peaceful modernization, shedding light on the future of humanity."

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming rare malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas recently were caused by a disease-control initiative backed by Bill Gates that involved releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the U.S.
The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming there are 130,000 glaciers on Earth today, the same number as when former Vice President Al Gore was born.
Prosecutors in Rep. George Santos' case say they have given his defense over 80K pages of material

Prosecutors in U.S. Rep. George Santos' case say theyve turned over more than 80,000 pages of materials to his lawyers in the federal criminal case against him
The operators of the underwater robot that located the missing submersible Titan quickly learned that it was up to them to find the vessel after other deep-sea experts had tried unsuccessfully
We still have muck to clean from yards, huge piles of debris along the road front waiting to be carted away. The day lilies are flattened but still displaying their beautiful blooms. One of our tomato plants rode the base on which it was sitting like a raft and was found completely unscathed behind the house.
NORTH ADAMS  March 28, 2014, at 6:10 p.m. Its a moment in history etched in Martha Rodriguezs mind, when she and her colleagues walked out of North Adams Regional Hospital after it abruptly closed.

The memory still makes Rodriguez choke up, nearly a decade later. Now, after Berkshire Health Systems announced that it plans to reopen the citys hospital, the tears are flowing again, but this time they are tears of joy.

Even after all these years its still so raw, said Rodriguez, 56. She was a nurse at the hospital when it closed and was later hired back on by BMC North, where she still works today.

Its kind of like getting your house back after its been repossessed, she said. I mean no disrespect at all to Berkshire Health Systems. I am so grateful that theyve done what theyve done for our community. ... Im so hopeful that this is going to piece our community back together because theres services that are in need.

As the news that BHS would reopen the hospital and bring back 25 inpatient beds on a medical-surgical floor continued to reverberate around the county on Friday, there was a sense of optimism in the air in the health care community. Challenges, like staffing a rural facility and clearing some state and federal hurdles, remain but people like Rodriguez were just happy that residents of North County and southern Vermont would have access to better health care in their backyard.

I said I didnt see that happening. I mean, this is an unbelievable thing that BMC is doing for the community, Rodriguezs husband, Oscar Rodriguez, 67, said of the reopening of the hospital. He is an emergency room doctor with BMC North and has worked as a doctor in the Berkshires since 1987.

Jennifer Dowling, an emergency room nurse at BMC North, was on vacation when the reopening was announced Thursday, but her friends from work texted her about it.

It may have been 7:30 in the morning but I was jumping up and down. Its pretty emotional to tell you the truth, she said, choking up. It was a huge loss for the community. We put our heart and souls into that place.

Before it closed, Dowling, now 59, worked at the regional hospital for decades. She now lives in Stamford, Vt., but when she lived in North Adams, she walked to the hospital for work and her own care. I walked there to deliver my babies, she said.

After the regional hospital closed, Dowling was laid off for months until she got a job at BMCs emergency room in Pittsfield. She remembers efforts to save the regional hospital.

We kept rallying to get critical access. We had meeting after meeting. We tried to get the [state] reps to hear our plea. It just wasnt going to happen, she said.

Dowling was surprised to hear the news on Thursday. Though building up medical staff can be challenging in rural areas, Dowling has hope. We did it before we can do it again.

Staffing is an issue that Oscar Rodriguez is wondering about too. As you probably know, you call for first consult around here it takes you six eight months to get into one. Its ridiculous, he said. To get into dermatology, a year  by then youre probably dead or your skin fell off.

In a statement, BHS said it is already thinking about staffing.

We already have many of the staff needed for an inpatient medical-surgical unit working on-site at our North Adams facility, said Jennifer Vrabel, executive director of advancement at BHS. The remaining positions created by the changing designation will be filled on a rolling basis, and we will scale up the number of open beds as recruitment progresses.

Despite staffing challenges, nurse union leaders in the Berkshires expressed excitement at the reopening news.

The announced beds will help restore some of what our communities lost in 2014, though nothing can replace the years of diminished access to care, nurses Alex Neary and Gerri Jakacky, co-chairs for the union at Berkshire Medical Center, and North Adams Campus nurse and union representative Ruth OHearn, said in a statement from the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

The abrupt and unnecessary closure of North Adams Regional Hospital forced tens of thousands of people to find care further away from their communities, making it harder for them to recover from injury and illness and placing their lives at risk. There was no moral justification for the closure.

Dick Alcombright, who was mayor of North Adams when the hospital closed leaving hundreds of people without jobs, recalled that dark time in an interview with The Eagle.

You dont have a folder in your desk that says this is what you do when your hospital closes, he said. You hear they are going to close on Friday and [in] your mind youre thinking thats not going to happen  somebodys going to step in. And at the end of the day, nobody stepped in and it closed.

For some, it was like deja vu of institutions like Sprague Electric leaving the city. Mills close and you hope to find other work, he said. A hospital closes [and] our ability to get medical services was gone in the blink of an eye.

Alcombright felt near euphoria when he heard about plans to reopen North Adams Regional Hospital, news he had been privy to for awhile as a Berkshire Health Systems Board of Directors member.

Its a great day for North Adams and the Northern Berkshires as far Im concerned.
White supremacist banners and signs from Patriot Front appear up and down Berkshire County Patriot Front is the most prominent white supremacist group in the country, said Morgan Moon, an investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League. Moon said this group is encouraged by the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the outsize volume of their posts on social media.

Last week, The Eagle reported on a rash of signs across the Berkshires promoting the so-called Patriot Front, an extremist organization founded in 2017 that advocates for fascism and a white ethnostate. In a seemingly collective and countywide effort, handmade signs dotted roadsides in multiple towns including Becket and Lee, while two flyers were pasted onto a pole outside the Colonial Theatre in downtown Pittsfield.

Then there were the two banners, one hung from a Massachusetts Turnpike overpass and another placed on a fence near an elementary school in North Adams. Both banners proclaimed with perverse pride: Victory or death, Patriot Front US. Perhaps the only thing nearly as chilling as a grassroots extremist campaign openly threatening violence is pondering what victory means to minds so warped by vitriol.

Some might wonder how such unabashed bigotry and inflamed extremism could fester and emerge here in the ostensibly progressive bastion of Western Massachusetts. The harsh lesson of history is that, yes, it can happen here. What should be a shock to the system of anyone decent will hopefully jolt us awake to an alarming increase in hate incidents across the commonwealth. In recent years, according to the Anti-Defamation League, Massachusetts has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents and white supremacist events. For instance, Massachusetts, which ranks second in the nation in extremist propaganda, saw a 71 percent increase in white supremacist propaganda distribution from 2021 to 2022.

The ADL tags three groups as primarily responsible for that uptick, including Patriot Front, due to their level of commitment and organization. Patriot Front, for example, divides itself into regional groups across the nation, including one encompassing New England.

These displays and their authors anonymous menacing are the height of cowardice, but faceless cowardice is hard to fight. They force us to ask hard questions: Where in our backyard have these roots of hate taken hold? Was this smattering of shameful displays a troubling but isolated incident in the Berkshire community, or is this the tip of a terrible iceberg looming larger as our national political climate grows colder and more callous?

Whether we want to admit it, the backdrop of politics is a factor; one cant ignore that some of these signs advertising racism and fascism featured a motto  America First  championed by the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.

But the path promoted by Patriot Front and other extremists does not put America first. It shamefully undermines our progress, seeking to chain our future to the darkest elements of our past in a regressive lurch toward the good old days that never were. And, critically, it simply threatens our fellow Americans  at least all those who arent white or wont go along with the slippery slope toward a toxic nightmare of authoritarianism.

There is another path we can chart. It must aim to pull us out of this poisonous polarization and demonstrate that unity, not division, is the only way to be patriotic. If the hateful are organized and committed, then the forces of decency and inclusivity must be more organized and more committed  not just in condemning these manifestations of hate but in sealing the cracks where its seeds take root.

It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Let this be a test for the soul of our community to ensure we are willing to pay our portion of that price for the pursuit and maintenance of a more perfect union. If you see something, say something. Look out for each other. Let our neighbors targeted and intimidated by such hateful rhetoric know that they embody our Berkshire community more than the lost souls poisoned by rage and resentment.
 Talking Points Memo: The failure of the Biden administration is only getting more and more obvious by the day. Heres three major agencies that are falling apart.

 President Biden snaps at reporter for asking about Hunters text messages.

 SCOTUS rules on states control over elections and agrees to hear case on wealth tax.

 Bill renews calls for investigation into Zuckerbergs efforts into the 2020 presidential election.

 Former Prosecutor Cully Stimson on his new book Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers are Destroying Americas Communities.

 Reuters releases report that says all living US Presidents descended from slaveholders  all expect Donald Trump.

 Smart Life: pickleball injuries

 This Day in History: International Body Piercing Day

 Final Thought: Leaving money to kids, charities & friends

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by KANEKOATHEGREAT

In a groundbreaking revelation, it has come to light that Dr. Peter Hotez, an esteemed vaccine researcher, has been entangled in a web of funding, collaboration, and research with Chinese military scientists potentially involved in the development of COVID-19. The intricate tale weaves together key Chinese military virologists and culminates in the smoking gun evidence surrounding COVID-19s notorious furin cleavage site.

At the center of this narrative lies Dr. Hotez, a distinguished professor at Baylor College of Medicine, who secured a substantial research grant (R01AI098775) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) led by Dr. Anthony Fauci. This grant, amounting to over $1 million per year, supports Dr. Hotez's project titled "RBD Recombinant Protein-Based SARS Vaccine for Biodefense," with Dr. Shibo Jiang listed as a Principal Investigator.

Dr. Shibo Jiang, a professor at Fudan University, boasts an impressive academic background. After completing his Master's degree from the Peoples Liberation Army's Guangzhou First Military Medical University () and his Medical Doctor degree from Xi'an Fourth Military Medical University (), he pursued postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University in New York from 1987 to 1990.

Subsequently, he held various positions at the New York Blood Center's Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute until 2010, including Head of the Viral Immunology Laboratory. Since then, he has served as a professor at Fudan University's Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology in Shanghai, China.

During his time in the United States, Dr. Shibo Jiang also acted as a visiting professor at several prestigious People's Liberation Army (PLA) universities, including the First and Fourth Military Medical University, the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), and Southern Medical University (formerly known as the First Military Medical University). Despite his collaboration with the Chinese military, he received research grants totaling over $20 million from NIAID under Dr. Fauci's leadership between 1997 and 2016.

Professor Jiang, a member of China's renowned Thousand Talents Plan, actively collaborated with PLA scientists on numerous scientific papers supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the First Military Medical University, and the AMMS. However, concerns have been raised regarding the nature of these collaborations, as a 2020 FBI report indicates that such talent recruitment plans usually involve undisclosed and illegal transfers of information, technology, or intellectual property detrimental to U.S. institutions.

Professor Shibo Jiang obtained his Masters and Medical Doctor degrees from the Peoples Liberation Army's Guangzhou First Military Medical University () and the Xi'an Fourth Military Medical University ().

Together with Dr. Zhou Yusen, a distinguished PLA virologist and fellow AMMS alumnus, Professor Jiang co-invented multiple U.S. patents and published numerous scientific papers on SARS and MERS coronaviruses, often with the support of NIAID funds. Dr. Yusen, the former director of the PLA's AMMS Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity at the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, filed the world's first patent application for a COVID-19 vaccine in China on February 24, 2020, just a month after the country acknowledged human-to-human transmission.

This discovery raises suspicions that the Chinese military may have been working on a vaccine even before officially notifying the World Health Organization about the outbreak.

Dr. Zhou Yusen, a Peoples Liberation Army officer, filed the worlds first patent application for a COVID-19 vaccine in China on February 24, 2020. The patent application listed Dr. Yusen as the lead inventor and was submitted by the PLAs Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

The archived website of the Peoples Liberation Armys Academy of Military Medical Sciences which was taken offline in 2017. Source: PLAs AMMS via Internet Archive

Interestingly, concerns surrounding the origins of the COVID-19 virus intensify when examining the furin cleavage site. Dr. Richard Ebright, a respected molecular biologist, and laboratory director, highlights the unique nature of the furin cleavage, stating that:

SARS-CoV-2 is the only member of the SARS-related betacoronavirus group that contains a furin cleavage site. The SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site exhibits unusual codon usage, and the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site is located at a position that previously has been used to engineer coronaviruses having enhanced infectivity.

Further compounding the intrigue, Dr. David Baltimore, a renowned US virologist and co-discoverer of reverse transcriptase, expresses his belief that the furin cleavage indicates a laboratory origin for the virus, stating, When I first saw the furin cleavage site in the viral sequence, with its arginine codons, I said to my wife it was the smoking gun for the origin of the virus.

With an esteemed career, a Nobel Prize, and extensive scientific expertise, Dr. Baltimore's observations carry significant weight. Of additional concern is Professor Jiang's expertise in inserting furin cleavage sites into coronaviruses.

Phylogenetic tree of coronavirus spike protein sequences. A) Noting genera of coronavirus. B) Subtree of Betacoronavirus, noting subgenera. Sarbecovirus (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV), Merbecovirus (e.g., MERS-CoV), Embecovirus (e.g., human coronavirus OC43 and human coronavirus HKU1, both causing common cold), and two small subgenera Hibecovirus and Nobecovirus. Source: Journal of Stem Cell Research

The furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 in the region of the S1/S2 junction is unique among sarbecoviruses. Source: National Academy of Sciences

Moreover, Professor Jiang and Dr. Lanying Du, another prominent Chinese virologist funded by Dr. Fauci and Dr. Hotezs R01AI098775 grant, have collaborated on various scientific papers with the PLAs AMMS and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The untimely death of Dr. Yusen, who fell from the roof of the Wuhan Institute of Virology within three months of filing the patent, further fuels suspicions surrounding the origins of COVID-19.

Dr. Du, the widow of Dr. Yusen, published at the PLAs AMMS before migrating to the United States, where she joined Professor Jiang at the New York Blood Centers Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute. Remarkably, a U.S. Senate report reveals that the data referenced in Dr. Yusen's patent could not have been generated as quickly as claimed, suggesting that he and his team may have started developing a COVID vaccine as early as November 2019.

Furthermore, at least five publications funded by Dr. Fauci and Dr. Hotez's grant list Dr. Zhou Yusen, a Peoples Liberation Army officer central to the COVID-19 origin controversy at the Wuhan lab, as a co-author. These findings raise concerns about the connections between Dr. Fauci, Dr. Hotez, Dr. Jiang, Dr. Du, Dr. Yusen, and the Chinese military scientists potentially involved in the origin of COVID-19.

Additionally, both Professor Jiang and Dr. Du have published scientific research for the AMMS, which was added to the U.S. governments Foreign Entity Blacklist in 2021 due to its use of biotechnology processes to support Chinese military end uses. Dr. Hotez's involvement in this complex situation becomes evident when examining his subcontracted funding for these scientists connected to the People's Liberation Army and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, particularly in the field of artificially inserting furin cleavage sites into coronaviruses.

During a February 2021 interview, Dr. Hotez discussed their collaboration, stating, "About ten years ago, we got approached by a group at the New York Blood Center led by Shibo Jiang and Lanying Du that had a pretty good idea for coronavirus vaccines."

Notably, in 2013, Professor Jiang and Dr. Du, along with their Chinese military colleagues, demonstrated the artificial insertion of a furin cleavage site similar to the one found in the COVID-19 virus. This study was funded by the Chinese government and a private Chinese biotech company, while Professor Jiang and Dr. Lanying also received funding from Dr. Fauci and Dr. Hotez.

A study published by Dr. Shibo Jiang, Dr. Lanying Du, Dr. Shi Zhengli, and Dr. Ralph Baric, an American scientist considered a pioneer in gain-of-function research on coronaviruses, demonstrated the introduction of a human protease cleavage site into the spike protein of coronaviruses, enabling cross-species transmission to humans. Notably, this aligns precisely with the furin cleavage site found in the S1/S2 junction of SARS-CoV-2.

While Dr. Hotez criticizes congressional hearings on the origins of COVID-19, stating that they are inviting fringe elements to testify and promote outlandish conspiracy theories, even warning that investigation will undermine the fabric of science in America, it is crucial to examine the mounting connections between Dr. Hotez, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Jiang, Dr. Du, and Dr. Yusen with Chinese military scientists, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the suspicious furin cleavage site. This evidence demands a thorough investigation to uncover the truth about the origins of the COVID-19 virus, a truth that holds profound implications for people worldwide.

All the usual suspects like NIH, NIAID, Rockefeller, CCP, BigPharma, et al. are once again implicated along with sociopathic eugenicist Dr. Hotez in all things PSYOP-19.

The irrefutable proof that the virus was created, and then intentionally released in order to justify the foisting of the slow kill bioweapon DEATHVAX on humanity is contained in this quote from the above:

During a February 2021 interview, Dr. Hotez discussed their collaboration, stating, "About ten years ago, we got approached by a group at the New York Blood Center led by Shibo Jiang and Lanying Du that had a pretty good idea for coronavirus vaccines."

This depopulation injection was planned for well over a decade, with the Rockefeller, Gates, CIA and Pentagons pandemic simulation Event 201 quite literally table topped concurrent with their PSYOP-19 rollout.

Hotez is a criminal that must be indicted along with Fauci, Baric, BigPharma, and their coconspirators at the various Federal government agencies. And anyone with ties to the WEF, WHO, UN, CFR and other One World Government entities must also be brought to justice.
The media is silent about the crazy riots going on in France. pic.twitter.com/mBlMKFHVWO  1776 (@TheWakeninq) July 1, 2023



Update: Social Unrest Spreading In Third Night

Via: ZeroHedge:

French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, said overnight chaos has resulted in 2,000 cars burned, 500 buildings damaged, hundreds of businesses looted, and violent clashes with police. He said over 800 people were arrested, with nearly 250 officers injured.



Via: Summit News:
Last December, we attended and reported on oral argument before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a case in which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) argued that TSA checkpoint staff have absolute immunity from lawsuits for assault, even sexual assault or rape, committed against travelers they are screening.

Were pleased to report that today the 9th Circuit panel of judges rejected the TSAs claim of impunity. The three judges found unanimously that the Federal Tort Clams Act (FTCA) allows lawsuits against the TSA for damages caused by checkpoint staff who assault travelers. The 9th Circuit thus joins every other Circuit Court of Appeals (the 3rd, 4th, and 8th) to have addressed this issue in a published opinion.

The case decided today by the 9th Circuit will now return to the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas for much-belated consideration of the claim against the TSA and its officers. The precedent set by todays decision will apply throughout the 9th Circuit, the largest of the Federal judicial circuits, including all of the states on the West Coast.

Kudos to Jonathan Corbett, Esq., who has represented the plaintiffs in each of these cases. Coals for Christmas to the TSA for continuing to argue for impunity for its staff to one Circuit Court after another, despite the growing weight of precedent against the agency and, perhaps more importantly, the moral repugnance of arguing that any agents of the government should be entitled to assault or rape members of the public with impunity.
LGBTQ "drag marchers" in New York City chanting "We're here, we're queer, we're coming for your children" is nothing to be alarmed about, NBC News reports.





The coming for your children chant has been used for years at Pride events, according to longtime march attendees and gay rights activists, who said its one of many provocative expressions used to regain control of slurs against LGBTQ people. https://t.co/vrcbuxCEkf  NBC News (@NBCNews) June 28, 2023

NYC Drag Marchers chant were here, were queer, were coming for your children https://t.co/ucK1qM4fv5 pic.twitter.com/OhBguhWwZY  Timcast News (@TimcastNews) June 24, 2023



From NBC News, "'We're Coming For Your Children' chant at NYC Drag March elicits outrage, but activists say it's taken out of context":

Over the weekend, a short video circulated widely on social media of an unidentified person at a New York City march during Pride festivities saying, "We're coming for your children."



In the 21-second clip, circulated by a right-wing web streamer channel, dozens of people march in the streets and are clearly heard chanting, "We're here, we're queer, we're not going shopping." But one voice that is louder than the crowd -- it's not clear whose, or whether the speaker was a member of the LGBTQ community -- is heard saying at least twice, "We're here, we're queer, we're coming for your children."



To conservative pundits, activists and lawmakers, the video confirmed the allegations they've levied in recent years that the LGBTQ community is "grooming" children.



But to Brian Griffin, the original organizer of the NYC Drag March, if that's the worst they heard, it's only because he wasn't there this year.



Griffin said he chanted obscene things in the past, like "Kill, kill, kill, we're coming to kill the mayor," and joked about pubic hair and sex toys during marches. People at the Drag March regularly sing "God is a lesbian."



"It's all just words," Griffin said. "It's all presented to fulfill their worst stereotypes of us."

People who marched in Charlottesville are being charged over 5 years after the fact for allegedly carrying Tiki torches with an "intent to intimidate" but "LGBTQ Pride" marchers are allowed to flash their genitals at children and threaten to kill politicians.



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Elon Musk has announced that Twitter is temporarily limiting the number of tweets people can read in a day, as thousands of users reported problems accessing the site.

Mr Musk, who took over Twitter in October after buying it for $44 billion (40 billion), announced on Saturday that verified accounts are being limited to reading 6,000 posts a day.

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Unverified accounts can only read 600 posts a day, with new unverified accounts limited to just 300 per day, he said.

To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, weve applied the following temporary limits:



- Verified accounts are limited to reading 6000 posts/day

- Unverified accounts to 600 posts/day

- New unverified accounts to 300/day  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023 Advertisement

The Tesla and SpaceX boss said Twitter had imposed the temporary limit to address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation.

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In the UK, a peak of 5,126 people complained of problems accessing the site at 4.12pm on Saturday, according to the website Downdetector  which tracks online outages.

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In the US, some 7,461 people complained of issues as of 4.15pm Irish time, the site notes.

#Twitterdown and RIP Twitter began trending as frustrated users were faced with a message saying Rate limit exceeded. Please wait a few moments then try again.

After taking over Twitter, Mr Musk laid off some 80% of its 8,000 global staff  and admitted it resulted in the platform losing a large amount of its functionality.

He also oversaw the scrapping of legacy blue ticks, which verified a users identity and were replaced by a paid-for subscription called Twitter Blue.

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High-profile figures and celebrities said the move leaves the platform open to imposters and disinformation.

Users who pay 11 a month, or 132 annually, receive the blue tick and can make longer tweets up to 10,000 characters.

Other select features available only to subscribers include non-fungible token (NFT) profile pictures, making changes to published tweets and seeing around 50 per cent fewer ads.

Twitter has said that the service elevates quality conversations.

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Excited to announce that Ive hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!



My role will transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops. Advertisement  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2023

Entrepreneur Mr Musk, prior to buying the platform, revealed plans to turn it into X, the everything app.

In December, just weeks after the takeover, Mr Musk tweeted: I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job.

The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a poll Mr Musk created and promised to abide by.

In May, Mr Musk confirmed that advertising executive Linda Yaccarino, formerly of NBCUniversal, was replacing him as Twitters chief executive.
Sierra Leones main opposition party has demanded a re-run of last weekends presidential election after incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner and swiftly sworn in for a second term in the West African nation.

The opposition All Peoples Congress party (APC) accused Sierra Leones electoral commission of conspiring with Mr Bios party to rig the results.

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In a statement, the party also called for the resignation of electoral commission chairman Mohamed Konneh and his entire team among others.

What culminated in the rogue announcement of fraudulent election results on June 25 was not just a naked theft of the votes of the suffering masses who needed change  it represents the biggest threat to our democracy, unity and survival as a nation, the party said.

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A man cast his ballot in Freetown (AP)

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According to official results, Mr Bio received 56.17% of the vote, enough to beat his main challenger Samura Kamara while avoiding run-off.

Electoral officials said Mr Kamara had received 41.16% of ballots cast.

Mr Bio, who already was sworn into his second term several days after the vote, tweeted for all Sierra Leoneans to be peaceful and law-abiding.

This is a collective victory for every citizen and we must come together now that elections are over for the pursuit of a common goal, which is the development of our dear country, Mr Bio tweeted.

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There have been concerns that Sierra Leoneans who dispute the elections outcome could take to the streets.

Already the West African nation has seen demonstrators protest over the state of the economy in recent months.



Mr Bio speaks to reporters after casting his ballot in the poll last week (AP)

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Nearly 60% of Sierra Leones population of more than seven million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment levels being among the highest in West Africa.

The APCs statement comes as pressure mounts on the electoral commission to open up its conduct of the tabulation process of the elections results.

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While regional observers like the African Union and ECOWAS declared the elections free and fair, other Western observers have stressed that the counting and tabulation process lacked transparency.

The European Union, the UK, US and France in particular have pressured the electoral commission to display results from each polling station.

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Eating outComing soon Lune croissants are landing in Sydney this week, and heres where you can find them The cult Melbourne croissanterie has teamed up with Koko Black to create a limited-edition Belgian truffle croissant ahead of opening two Sydney stores next year. Bianca Hrovat July 1, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Cult Melbourne croissanterie Lune is touching down in Sydney on Friday, July 7, celebrating World Chocolate Day with a decadent, limited-edition Belgian truffle croissant. It is the first time Lune croissants, dubbed the worlds best by The New York Times, will be sold in Sydney. Early next year, the brand plans to open two Sydney stores, one in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, and the second on Castlereagh Street in Martin Place. The Lune x Koko Black Belgian truffle croissant, made especially for World Chocolate Day on July 7. The Belgian truffle croissant has been created as part of a collaboration with Australian chocolatier Koko Black. It will be the first time theyve teamed up since 2019, when their limited-edition pistachio praline croissant sold out within 15 minutes. Im excited about the fact that Sydneysiders will actually be able to walk into a store and buy a Lune croissant for the first time, Lune founder and pastry chef Kate Reid tells Good Food.

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Its pretty special  a nice early entrance to Sydney. Inside the Lune x Koko Black Belgian truffle croissant. The one-off creation, available at select Koko Black stores and a Lune pop-up store at the Queen Victoria Building in George Street, Sydney, until July 9, took about five months to develop and is inspired by Koko Blacks smooth, creamy Belgian truffles. The twice-baked croissant is filled with Koko Black cocoa frangipane and 70 per cent Guanaja fondant, and topped with mascarpone chantilly cream, tempered chocolate shards, salted cookie crumb and Belgian truffles. Its amazing - rich, yet delicate, says Koko Black chocolatier Remco Brigou, who describes World Chocolate Day as Superbowl for chocolate lovers.

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When you look at our Belgian truffles, they are rich in chocolate, for sure, but theyre also smooth and creamy  we wanted all of those elements and textures to be part of the Belgian truffle croissant. Dont share: youll need to have a whole one to yourself. The croissant is topped with mascarpone chantilly cream, tempered chocolate shards, salted cookie crumb and Belgian truffles. Reid reveals there were two croissants that reached the final stages of development for the collab. The close runner-up featured chocolate, orange and almond. It may yet make a future appearance. The pastry chef, who once worked as a Formula 1 racing engineer, says the collaboration with Koko Black helped to cement Lunes official product philosophy, which has been in development for the past year.

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Master of the Luniverse: A day in the life of Kate Reid, owner of Lune Croissanterie Weve been putting a lot of consideration into it, and first and foremost, anything we create must hero the croissant pastry, Reid says. Anything that overrides the flavour and texture of the pastry, or doesnt let it shine, wont work. When I first saw the Belgian truffle croissant, I assumed it was going to be too rich because of all the cream on top, but somehow it magically balances the richness of the chocolate to make a perfect package.
A humpback whale has died after it washed ashore at a Lennox Head beach, about 10 kilometres north of Ballina, on Saturday.

The six-metre humpback, which was beached at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach, died despite maritime rescuers spending much of the day scrambling to get the 30-tonne creature back into the water.

Rescue workers spent all day Saturday trying to save the whale. Credit: Brent Wells/Live 4 Adventure

Authorities had hoped an evening high tide would help take the animal back out to sea as they used incoming waves to attempt to move it, but the whale died just before 7pm.

Teams from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, SeaWorld and Ballina Shire Council spent much of Saturday at the scene, providing first aid for the whale in the form of shade, posture and pain relief.
Most of us are dual income earners. We cant get another job to pay these bills, Edgar said. Loading The Victorian governments energy compare website estimated gas costs for a household of four with seven rooms using gas heating and instantaneous hot water at $3640 a year in Marong. In suburban Melbourne, a similar household annual bill in the south-east, for example, would be about $1600. Edgar, whose home also has solar panels, now expects her winter bills to reach at least $1000 for June compared with just over $570 for the same month last year, even though her family was trying to consume less gas. Fellow Marong resident Alicia Foley received a gas bill of more than $800 for May.

It wasnt even winter yet, she said. Loading Foley, who also expects her winter gas bills to exceed $1000, said her family could not cut back on heating because her 16-month-old son is susceptible to the viral infection croup. Im worried about what my bills will look like in winter, she said. We need our heating to make sure our son doesnt fall ill. Foley said she had not seen major increases in gas bills until this year. She has negotiated a payment plan with Tas Gas to pay her bill.

A spokesman for Tas Gas said the company was raising prices for Marong households because of significant increases in wholesale gas prices and fixed operating costs. We understand that the price increases are very difficult to absorb, he said. Marong is identified as a growth area in Bendigo, and has a population of about 2000 that is forecast to hit 8000 in the coming 25 years. Tas Gas confirmed it began operating in Marong in 2017 and had just under 200 customers there, among about 1000 across regional Victoria.

The company spokesman said regional towns the company supplied were not connected to the Victorian gas transmission network, which meant there were higher costs associated with the transport of gas by trucks. Tas Gas will undertake its next pricing review at the end of the year. However, the spokesman said the companys operations in regional Victoria were unsustainable unless it increased prices. Marong residents are bracing for gas bills of up to $1000 a month over winter. Credit: Joe Armao Although Tas Gas supplies compressed natural gas to other regional Victorian towns, including Lakes Entrance, Orbost and Maldon, it appears some have been spared the bill shock. Lakes Entrance Action and Development Association chairperson Alison Brewer said her most recent bill came in at $156, even though she relied on gas heating.

Its been cold, so weve had the heating on all night, she said. Loading A spokesman for the government said it removed the requirement for new developments to be connected to reticulated gas last year and was working to help more Victorians transition away from the fossil fuel. Big gas companies are only here to line their own pockets, she said. Smart Energy Council chief executive John Grimes said the war in Ukraine had sent global gas prices soaring and had pushed up prices in Australia.

It does mean the big gas companies are making out like bandits, he said. Loading Grimes said converting to electrical appliances may come with a high upfront cost, but there would be long-term savings if households were generating rooftop solar power. He said people should try to replace gas hot water, cook tops and heating with electrical versions whenever they could. Many people arent in a position to do everything in one hit, he said.
To that end, she said, Colorados laws would violate her First Amendment rights because the state could effectively force her to design wedding websites for same-sex couples, despite her opposition to same-sex marriage. Loading In a 6-3 vote along ideological lines (as many of the votes at the court tend to follow these days) conservative judges agreed. The First Amendment protects an individuals right to speak his mind regardless of whether the government considers his speech sensible and well-intentioned or deeply misguided, and likely to cause anguish or incalculable grief, said Trump-appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion. Equally, the First Amendment protects acts of expressive association. Generally, too, the government may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages.

Smith was naturally thrilled, and told reporters in Washington after the ruling that the court affirmed today that Colorado cant force me or anyone to say something we dont believe. But where does it end? Protesters outside the Supreme Court in Washington on Friday. Credit: AP The US currently has about 28 states (plus the District of Columbia) that protect LGBTQ rights through laws similar to those in Colorado. Could the Supreme Courts ruling allow other business owners to evade punishment in the same way? Has it now opened the door to people in all forms of creative work having the right to refuse goods or services because their beliefs do not align with their prospective clients?

Could a DJ, for example, refuse to play at a gay wedding? Could the same rule apply to interracial couples if a service provider does not subscribe to interracial marriages? Loading And is the institution of same-sex marriage under threat in any way? While this would seem highly unlikely, it was only last year, when abortion rights were overturned, that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas argued the court should reconsider its past rulings codifying rights to same-sex relationships and contraception. What is clear is that this is a court emboldened by its conservative majority; sometimes willing to abandon years of precedent; and unafraid to reach assertively into every facet of American life, from gun rights, to voting access, to reproductive freedom. The courts decision to repeal Roe v Wade last June was the most high-profile case in point. Twelve months later, at least 13 states have near-total bans on abortion  with no exceptions for incest or rape  and countless women now have to travel to states where abortions remain legal if they want treatment.

But this weeks decisions are also consequential. In the case of affirmative action, a decades-old policy designed to make elite universities more equitable to black people and Latinos (but one which Asian-Americans say discriminated against them) has now been reversed. Critics fear this could make it harder for certain students to pursue their dreams and embolden right-wing efforts to roll back diversity programs in government and corporate institutions more broadly. Right-wing activists react outside of the Supreme Court in Washington this week. Credit: AP As to Bidens student loan scheme, which the court decided went too far partly by failing to get congressional approval, tens of millions of borrowers are now in limbo as the administration works out a new path to give relief to people struggling with educational debt. Educational debt runs to $US1.8 trillion ($2.7 trillion) in the US. The student loan plan will likely further dent consumer spending at a time when parts of the economy are already struggling.

And in the Colorado ruling, Biden acknowledged: Im deeply concerned that the decision could invite more discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans. When one groups dignity and equality are threatened, the promise of our democracy is threatened and we all suffer. Officers stand guard outside the Supreme Court. Credit: AP For conservatives, the courts latest decisions have been a victory for fairness, free speech and religious freedom, and a rebuke of government overreach. Theyre also a credit to Trump, whose nominees  Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  now dominate the bench alongside Chief Justice John Roberts, Thomas and Samuel Alito. But for others, these are dark days in the history of the 234-year-old court, so much so that some progressives are again calling for Biden to expand the bench (in the hope that this will get more liberal justices appointed) or set term limits for judges (who are appointed for life).
Honda Cars India on Saturday said its domestic wholesales declined by 35 per cent to 5,080 units in June.

The automaker sold 7,834 units in the domestic market in June 2022.

Exports declined to 2,112 units last month from 2,502 units in June last year.

"Our sales in June are in line with our projections and met our planned targets," Honda Cars India Director (Marketing and Sales) Yuichi Murata said in a statement.

The company will soon commence the pre-launch booking for Elevate, and it will be launched during the festive season, he added.

Also Read Honda Cars to launch first EV in India within three years: CEO Tsumura Honda Motor announces top management changes its Indian two-wheeler arm Honda Elevate SUV set to make debut in India on June 6, full details here Maruti eyes doubling SUV sales in FY24; aims top position with 25% share Honda names its upcoming SUV 'Elevate', to launch in India next month Royal Enfield total sales increases by 26% to 77,109 units in June Aim is to create one HDFC Bank in every four years: CEO Sashi Jagdishan NTPC's captive coal mines production nearly doubles to 8.48 MMT in Apr-Jun Nokia renews patent license agreement with Apple, covering 5G, other tech Sundaram-Clayton picks up additional stake in Emerald Haven Realty Ltd
State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Saturday said it has partnered with Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMFL), better known as Amul, to offer financial services to federation's supply network pan-India under the MUDRA scheme.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed between PNB and GCMMFL (Amul) on July 1, the bank said in a statement.

Through small ticket financing under MUDRA, the bank will be financing Amul's retailers, wholesale dealers/area milk distributors and exclusive Amul preferred outlets-milk parlours, it said.

Other services will include integrating various digital channels like QR codes, POS (point of sale), UPI (Unified Payment Interface), etc., supply chain finance and EMI collection digitally, and providing working capital limits, among others, it said.

By the association, both the partners are aiming to provide support to more than 11 lakh retailers, wholesale dealers and others, it added.

Also Read Milky way: Beyond Amul vs Nandini, dairy brands that dominate their states Sweating over milk: India stares at supply crunch as summer sets in World Milk Day 2023: Date, Theme, History, Everything you need to Know Amul hikes milk prices by Rs 2 per litre for all markets except Gujarat RS Sodhi steps down as Amul MD; Jayen Mehta given interim charge Honda Cars' domestic wholesales declines by 35% to 5,080 units in June Royal Enfield total sales increases by 26% to 77,109 units in June Aim is to create one HDFC Bank in every four years: CEO Sashi Jagdishan NTPC's captive coal mines production nearly doubles to 8.48 MMT in Apr-Jun Nokia renews patent license agreement with Apple, covering 5G, other tech
Story of the week

Also Read TCS Q4 review: Near-term growth to moderate, demand levers intact: Analysts Byju's lenders say lawsuit is meritless, designed to dodge obligations TCS Q4 Preview: Revenue may rise up to 18% YoY; EBIT margin seen at 25% Byju's yet to pay provident fund for several months to many ex-employees How does outgoing TCS CEO Gopinathan's salary compare to other IT execs? HDFC-HDFC Bank merger: On global stage today, $180 bn banking giant TCS: Forex dealers, tour package sellers to collect remittance undertakings Deepak Parekh passes the baton to 'Sashi' with 'hope and anticipation' Sebi imposes Rs 7 lakh penalty on Reliance Strategic Investments Ltd HDFC posts 9% year-on-year growth in managed assets till June-end

Rare is the abbreviation that applies to two distinct newsworthy topics. Rarer still is the week in which both the topics trend.Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in the times of TCS and TCS.Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Indias largest software services firm, has been having a tumultuous time. It had an unexpectedwhose inside story might one day become a Netflix series, assuming there is an inside story there. Itshas been dynamic. Itshas been chaotic.N Chandrasekaran was emphatic on Thursday. The TCS Chairman, addressing shareholders, said there will beagainst employees who violated the ethical code of conduct.The other TCS  tax collected at source  delivered its own. In the end, it got so exciting we asked A K Bhattacharya (@AshokAkaybee on Twitter), who munches macroeconomic numbers for breakfast, what on earth was going on.This, it emerged, is what the government said on Wednesday: Overseas spends on international credit cards by an Indian individual will be outside the ambit of the Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Such transactions will not attract TCS provisions. Credit card spends within the country entailing expenditure in foreign exchange below Rs 7 lakh a year for an individual will be exempt from TCS. Foreign exchange remittance abroad below Rs 7 lakh in a year by an individual will be exempt from TCS. Foreign exchange remittance above Rs 7 lakh in a year to meet educational expenditure financed through an educational loan will attract TCS at 0.5%. All other remittances above Rs 7 lakh will attract 20% TCS from October 1. All credit card spends in foreign exchange above Rs 7 lakh after October 1 will attract 20% TCS.If you need clarity, come to Weekend Bites. We might be without a clue, but we know where to find the clues. In other words, mere paas Akaybee hai.Housing Finance Development Corporation Ltd, popularly known as HDFC, which pioneered retail home loans in India almost half a century ago, has found a new home. In a, it has merged with HDFC Bank, in which it had a 19 per cent stake as promoter. Following the amalgamation, HDFC Bank will be the fourth-largest bank in the world with a market capitalisation of Rs 14.73 trillion, or nearly $180 billion.The output of eight key infrastructure industries  also known as the core sector , amid high base effect and positive growth in five out of the eight sectors. In May last year, the core sector had grown 19.3 per cent.Sebi, the stock markets regulator, on Wednesdayfor foreign portfolio investors in an effort to get a better handle on them and prevent circumvention of minimum public shareholding and takeover norms.certain dealings in the shares of at least three Gautam Adani-led companies  Adani Power, Adani Green Energy and Ambuja Cements  for suspected insider trading.during this poll season. Governments as well as political parties are wooing them.Can electric two-wheelers thrive without government support? This episode of the The Morning Show came last week. But, given the crash in e2W sales this month, the question is staring us harder in the face. Dive into itIt has been at least a headline a day for a while, at times more, from Byjus. This week was no different. On Thursday, Byju Raveendran addressed a town hall in which he told the employees that the past few months had been a struggle, but that the company would soon be out of the woods.Earlier in the week, he addressed shareholders on the sudden resignation of the companys auditors and some board members. He sought to reassure his investors by saying: Byjus is not my work; it is my life.How cool that sounds! But is that the right way to run a business?Your newsletter writer sought to delve deeper into the issue. And it ended up being a letter addressed to Byjus eponymous founder.If you are not awfully particular about finding evolved intellect in a newspaper column  self-promotion alert  you could consider reading this:This is Suveen signing off. Please send comments, news, or views about anything  about TCS or about TCS or about self-promoting newsletter writers  to suveen.sinha@bsmail.in (Suveen Sinha is Chief Content Editor at Business Standard)
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday asked public sector banks (PSBs) to adhere to the regulatory norms and focus on robust asset liability and risk management elements.

"Banks should integrate corporate governance policies and ensure prudent liquidity management," Sitharaman added while inaugurating the corporate office of Punjab & Sind Bank in New Delhi.

She suggested banks frequently run drills for digital safety and ensure adequate firewalls around their systems.

Finance Minister said that the Indian economy moved away from the twin-balance sheet problem of banks and corporates to the twin-balance sheet advantage because of the concerted efforts of the Modi government.

Profit of public sector banks increased to Rs 1.04 trillion in 2022-23, tripling from what it was in 2014, she said.

There was an improvement in all critical parameters like return on asset, net interest margin, and provisioning coverage ratio, she added.

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Sitharaman said that the 4R strategy followed by the Modi government to revitalise the state-owned banks yielded results.

The 4R strategy refers to recognising the problem of non-performing assets, recapitalising the banks, resolving their problems, and reforming them.

Sitharaman said the banks should endeavour to adopt a proactive approach in reaching out to people to achieve optimum utilisation of financial inclusion schemes.

There should be a focus on credit outreach in states where the credit offtake is lower than the national average, particularly in the northeast and eastern parts of the country, she said, adding that they must aim to increase brick-and-mortar banking presence in border areas, particularly in the those covered in the Vibrant Village Programme.

In the last meeting with chiefs of PSBs, the finance ministry expressed confidence about the resilience of PSBs as they have a liquidity position well above regulatory requirements, diversified deposits, an asset base, and a robust regulatory framework.

Strap:
Eleven unexploded shells were defused by the army's bomb disposal squad in a forward village in Kargil district of Ladakh, officials said on Saturday.

The unit led by the Sappers of Forever in Operations division detected the ordnance during a sanitising drive in Kurbathang area, officials said.

The drive was conducted in close coordination with Tehsildar, Kargil, and Sarpanch, Pashkum, and the unexploded ordnance was safely defused by the bomb disposal squad, they said.

Earlier in April, the Sappers of Forever in Operations division had destroyed seven explosives found near the new astro turf ground following the death of a 13-year-old boy in a landmine explosion. Two more boys were injured in the same incident.

Lt governor, Ladakh, Brig (Retd) B D Mishra had then gave his assurance to the people that the littered shells, which pose a threat to the their lives, would be cleared from Kargil villages gradually.

Mishra's remarks had come after the public decried the presence of a large number of unexploded shells from the army firing range and the 1999 Kargil war in Kurbathang and other areas.

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"The whole area will be sanitised. An operation will be launched immediately to look for the blinds and other dangerous ordnance which will be cleared in a time-bound manner," the Lt Governor had told reporters at a Kargil hospital where he had gone to inquire about the condition of two boys injured in the blast.
At least 13 more bodies of the June 2 Balasore train accident kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar were handed over to their family members on Saturday, official sources said.

Of the 29 bodies identified using DNA sampling, six were handed over to their families on Friday and 13 on Saturday, a railway official said.

On the basis of DNA test results and with coordination with AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, 13 bodies of the Bahanaga train accident victims have been handed over to the kin of the deceased on Saturday, the railway official said.

Of the 13 bodies, four have been sent to Bihar, eight to West Bengal and one to Jharkhand, he said.

An ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each have been paid to the kin of the family members as announced by the railways, the official said.

Stating that the process of handing over of the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said as many as 62 bodies still remain unidentified and preserved in the containers in AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

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Of the 293 persons killed in the accident involving Shalimar-Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train, 287 had died on the spot or brought dead to hospital while six succumbed to injuries in hospitals.

The accident took place near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district on June 2 evening.
Delhi Power Minister Atishi on Friday wrote to newly appointed DERC Chairman Justice (Retd) Umesh Kumar and requested him to take oath of office on July 3 or 4, sources said.

Justice Kumar was appointed chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) on June 21.

Lt Governor VK Saxena had earlier this week written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, flagging the "unnecessary delay" in administering the oath of office to Justice Kumar and said it should be done without further delay.

Sources said Kejriwal forwarded the letter to Atishi the same day and asked her to administer the oath "as early as possible".

In her communication to Justice Kumar, Atishi blamed the Power department for the confusion.

Justice Kumar, a former Allahabad High Court judge, in a letter to the department, had said it was only after he was communicated that the minister would not be available in the national capital after June 29 that he came to Delhi.

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He said he had made himself available to take the oath of office between June 26 and June 28 since Atishi was available on those days.

"Unfortunately, Hon'ble Minister, Power, GNCTD, could not find time for the oath in these three days. I am constrained to note that the entire event could have been managed more professionally which would have led to an avoidable to-and-fro travel to Delhi from my base location," he had said.

Replying to Kumar's mail, Atishi said she has asked the Power department to take disciplinary action against the official involved in the miscommunication.

"This unfortunate situation has arisen because the Power department wrote to you, asking for time for taking of oath without my instructions or without checking my availability. If in fact, the Power department had sought my availability before approaching you, then this unfortunate situation would not have arisen.

"It is extremely shocking that the Power department would write to you without even asking whether I am available on those dates. It is because of this shockingly lax and unprofessional behaviour that someone as senior as you has had to undergo this inconvenience. Putting such a senior functionary at such an inconvenience is completely unacceptable. I have directed the Power department to take disciplinary action against the officer who is responsible for this," she said.

Atishi had written to Saxena, calling Justice Kumar's appointment "patently illegal and unconstitutional".

However, to avoid "constitutional brinkmanship", she will be administering the oath office to him, the minister had said.

The AAP dispensation had recommended the name of former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice (Retd) RK Srivastava for the position. However, Justice Srivastava expressed his inability to take charge due to "family commitments and requirements".

Later, the city government obtained the consent of Justice (Retd) Sangeet Raj Lodha of Rajasthan High Court on June 21. The central government, however, notified the name of Justice Kumar that evening.
In light of the deadly bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway that claimed the lives of 25 people, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday suspended its "Aakrosh Andolan" to protest against the alleged corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Taking to Twitter, the BJP's Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar expressed grief at the loss of lives in the expressway accident.

We have decided to suspend the BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI protest against those who looted Mumbai for 25 years. However, we will continue to ask them questions, Shelar tweeted in an apparent reference to the Thackerays.

The BJP-Shiv Sena "Akrsoh Andolan" was being viewed as a counter protest against a march organised by the Shiv Sena (UBT) to protest against corruption in the city civic body.

The Shiv Sena controlled the BMC for 25 consecutive years from 1997-2002.

Twenty-five passengers were charred to death after the bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a divider following a tyre burst on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana district in the wee hours of Saturday.

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The private bus carrying 33 passengers was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider around 1.30 am at Pimpalkhuta village near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana, around 134 km from here.
Delhi Metro commuters landing in Uttar Pradesh's Noida with sealed liquor bottles may land in trouble, cautioned excise officials here on Saturday.

The word of caution comes a day after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced permitting commuters to carry up to two sealed bottles of liquor on its network.

Besides Delhi, DMRC's metro rail network expands to nearby cities like Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, the excise rules ban the import of liquor from outside the state, citing loss to the state government's revenue.

Officials said the current rule permits import of only one unsealed bottle from adjoining Delhi or Haryana, whether by metro or road.

"Although the Delhi Metro has allowed commuters to carry two sealed bottles of liquor, but rules of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Department will apply in UP's territories, irrespective of any changes in Delhi," Noida District Excise Officer Subodh Srivastava told PTI.

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The officer added that the excise department will step up vigilance at metro stations and take legal action against those caught with sealed liquor bottles brought from outside UP.

"We will also try to raise awareness among people about the excise rules in UP to avoid inconvenience to the commuters," Srivastava said.

Liquor is usually cheaper in Haryana and Delhi as compared to Uttar Pradesh. On several occasions in the past, people bringing sealed liquor bottles from Delhi to Noida via road have been arrested.

An official said in such a situation, action against an offender is taken under Section 63 of the Excise Act (penalty for unlawful import, export, transport, manufacture, possession, sale) which is a non-bailable offence.

Carrying of alcohol was banned in the Delhi Metro until recently except on the Airport Express Line and allowing it across the network is a part of the policy to bring in uniformity, the DMRC said on Friday.

According to the Delhi Metro, a committee comprising officials from the CISF and the DMRC reviewed the list of items allowed to be carried in trains.

However, the metro operator has requested passengers to maintain proper decorum while travelling and warned that any commuter found behaving in an indecent manner under the influence of alcohol, will face suitable action as per law.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that during the tenure of the UPA government, priority in lending was given to "not-so-worthy" customers in an unprofessional manner resulting in Non-performing assets (NPA).

"Before our government came to power in 2014, difficulty in the Indian banking system actually started because of irrational 'Phone Banking' which happened during the tenure of the UPA government. Back then, the priority in lending was given to not-so-worthy customers in an unprofessional manner; as a result, they became NPAs," Finance Minister said while addressing the inauguration of the new Corporate Office of Punjab and Sindh Bank in New Delhi on Saturday.

She said that the Modi government followed a comprehensive approach to make sure that the Indian banking sector improved its performance and comes out of the difficulty. She said that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) was introduced in 2016 to recover bad loans speedily.

"To protect the deposit of customers, Deposit Insurance cover was raised to Rs 5 lakh by the Modi Govt. National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) was formed for asset reconstruction and recovery," Sitharaman added.

"As soon as we came to power under PM Modi's leadership in 2014, we realised that the banks were going through a crisis. Hence, we came up with a 4R formula. The 4 'R's are Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalisation, Reforms. Because of these '4Rs' and other reforms, banks are stable and posting good profits," Finance Minister said.

But she also advised that the banks should not sit back and revel in success. They should follow best corporate governance practices, adhere to regulatory norms, ensure prudent liquidity management and continue to focus on having robust asset-liability and risk management.

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Banks should endeavour to adopt a proactive approach in reaching out to people in order to achieve optimum utilisation of financial inclusion schemes. There should be a focus on credit outreach in states where the credit offtake is lower than the national average, particularly in the NorthEast and eastern parts of the country, she advised further.

"Banks must aim to increase brick and mortar banking presence in border areas, particularly in those covered in the Vibrant Village Programme. Bank should also promote the Mahila Samman Bachat Patra announced in the Budget 2023-24 through special drives and campaigns. They must ensure that the entire Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target is met and not transferred to Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)," she added.

"India's once troubled banks are now generating huge profits," she said quoting an international magazine. "Similarly, S & P has raised ratings of Indian Banks due to the improved performance of our banks," she added.

Net profits of the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have almost tripled, increasing from Rs 36,270 crore in FY2014 to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in FY 2022-23, she informed.

"In 2014 when we came to power, we inherited the 'Twin-Balance Sheet Problem'. Under the Twin balance sheet, we talk about the balance sheet of the Banks and of the Corporates and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). When all these balance sheets are in trouble, the economy suffers which is what happened back then," she added.

She further added, "However, due to various reform measures adopted by the Govt, we're now having a 'Twin Balance Sheet Advantage'. Banks are now making good profits, their net worth has risen and they are also expanding their businesses. This benefits the economy."

"The Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of the Indian banks is estimated to reduce further to a decadal low of 3.8 per cent by the end of FY 2023-24, Credit rating agency Crisil has stated," she added.

Nirmala Sitharaman was addressing the inauguration event of the new corporate office of the Punjab and Sindh Bank in New Delhi on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government is annually spending over Rs 6.5 lakh crore for the agriculture sector and farmers and asserted that the Centre is delivering rather than just talking about promises, in an apparent dig at the Congress party over poll guarantees.

Addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress here, the prime minister asked cooperatives to become carriers of social and national policy instead of politics. He asked them to become a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, and adopt digital tools in a big way.

Modi called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing production of oilseeds and pulses, and help the country become self-reliant in cooking oils.

Speaking at the event, the prime minister highlighted achievements of his government in the last nine years in the field of agriculture and related sectors.

Modi said the government has ensured supply of fertilisers at cheaper rates compared to other countries, bought large quantities of grains at minimum support price (MSP) and paid huge amount directly into bank accounts of farmers under PM-KISAN scheme.

"On an average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore yearly on agriculture and farmers," Modi said.

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"The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means, under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms," he asserted.

"Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon," the prime minister said.

Elaborating, Modi said more than Rs 15 lakh crore have been given to farmers in the last nine years through procurement of their produce at MSP.

The government has spent Rs 10 lakh crore towards fertilizer subsidy in the last nine years to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at reasonable price despite rise in global rates, he said, and quipped "isse badi guarantee kya hoti hai, bhai".

Modi highlighted that farmers are getting a bag of urea at around Rs 270, which is much lower than Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and more than Rs 3,000 in America.

"This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of farmers," he said.

In the last 4 years, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been sent directly to bank accounts of farmers under PM KISAN scheme. Under PM-KISAN, farmers get Rs 6,000 annually.

"You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore," Modi said.

He also informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7 lakh crore for the fertiliser sector as well as increase in fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal.

Modi highlighted contributions of dairy cooperatives in making India the world's leading milk producer and the role of cooperatives in making India one of the top sugar-producing countries in the world.

He underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country.

Modi said the government has decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation.

He highlighted that it was the first time that a separate ministry was formed and a budget was allocated for cooperatives.

Now, Modi said, cooperatives are being presented with a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector.

The prime minister talked about the measures to strengthen cooperative societies and mentioned the reduction in tax rates. He highlighted the measures taken to strengthen cooperative banks.

Modi noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government increased transparency and ensured benefits for the beneficiaries.

"Today, the poorest of the poor believe that corruption and nepotism have been eliminated in the upper echelons," he added.

Modi stressed that the cooperative sector should become a "model of transparency and corruption-free governance". For this, digital systems should be promoted in the cooperative sector.

"India is known in the world for its digital transactions, the Prime Minister remarked as he urged cooperative societies and banks to stay ahead when it comes to digital transactions. He said it will increase transparency and efficiency in the market while also enabling better competition.

Underlining that the main cooperative societies of the primary level or PACS will become a model for transparency, Modi said that the computerization of more than 60,000 PACS has already taken place.

He stressed that cooperatives should make full use of the technology available to them and that the nation will hugely benefit from the acceptance of core banking and digital transactions by cooperative societies.

Referring to the ever-increasing record exports, the prime minister asked cooperatives to also contribute in this regard.

He elaborated on the measures taken to meet the challenges of sugarcane farmers. Sugar mills were given a package of Rs 20,000 crore for clearing farmers' dues.

Ethanol blending of petrol was prioritized and ethanol worth Rs 70,000 crore was purchased from sugar mills in the last nine years, he said.

The prime minister noted that that food security should not be limited to wheat and rice and pointed out that India spends roughly Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore on import of edible oil, pulses, fish feed and processed food etc.

He urged farmers and cooperatives to work in this direction and make the nation Atmanirbhar in production of edible oil.

Modi exuded confidence that cooperatives will become a powerful medium of the country's economic source in the new India.

He emphasised the need to build villages that will become self-sufficient by following the cooperative model.

Modi suggested improving cooperation among cooperatives and said that cooperatives should become the carrier of social policy and national policy instead of politics.
The Gujarat High Court on Saturday rejected the regular bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvad's bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail.

As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately, the court said in its order.

Setalvad and co-accused and former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar were taken into custody by Gujarat police on June 25 last year and a court sent them in judicial custody on July 2 after their police remand ended.

She walked out of jail in September 2022 after being granted relief by the apex court.

The Ahmedabad crime branch registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Setalvad, Sreekumar and jailed former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a special investigation team to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

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Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt were accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence and frame innocent people for an offence punishable with capital punishment.

While dismissing the petition filed by Zakia Jafri whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots, the SC had observed that it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge.

All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceed in accordance with law, the supreme court had said.

Setalvad and other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).
Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his grief over the tragic bus accident that took place on Saturday in Maharashtra's Buldhana and said quick treatment is being provided to the injured.

At least 25 passengers were charred to death after the a bus caught fire on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district early Saturday morning.

"The road accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana district is heartbreaking. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.

"Quick treatment is being provided to the injured by the administration. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted in Hindi.

The private bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into the divider around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja and caught fire, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Indian values like democracy, equality and mutual respect are becoming human values and noted that India's rich education system had contributed to India's prosperity.

Addressing the valedictory ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Delhi University, the Prime Minister referred to the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) with the US and said that it will create new opportunities for the country's youth in various sectors ranging from Artificial intelligence to semiconductors.

He said that it will enable access to technologies which were once beyond the reach of the youth and enhance skill development. The Prime Minister said that companies like Micron, Google, Applied Materials have decided to invest in India and it provides a glimpse of the bright future for the youth.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the building for the Faculty of Technology, Computer Centre and Academic Block, to be built in the North Campus of the University.

He released Commemorative Centenary Volume - Compilation of Centenary Celebrations; Logo Book - Logo of Delhi University and its colleges; and Aura - 100 Years of the University of Delhi.

The Prime Minister took a metro ride to reach the University of Delhi. He also interacted with the students during the journey.

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Upon arrival, the Prime Minister took a walkthrough of the exhibition - Journey of 100 Years. He also witnessed Saraswati Vandana and 'University Kulgeet' presented by the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts.

He remarked that Delhi University is not just a university but a movement and congratulated every student, teacher and those associated with varsity on the centenary celebrations.

The Prime Minister said coming to the university was like a homecoming. Referring to the short movie played before the address, the Prime Minister said that the contributions of the personalities which have emerged out of the University give a glimpse of the life of Delhi University.

Noting the gathering of old and new alumni, the Prime Minister said that it was an occasion to catch up. "If during these hundred years, DU has kept its emotions alive, it has kept its values vibrant too".

Underscoring the importance of knowledge, the Prime Minister noted that when India had vibrant universities like Nalanda and Takshila, it was at the peak of prosperity. "India's rich education system is the carrier of India's prosperity", he said, underlining the high Indian share in the global GDP of that time. Continuous attacks during the period of foreign rule destroyed these institutions leading to obstruction of the intellectual flow of India and bringing the growth to standstill, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that the centenary celebrations of the University of Delhi are taking place at a time when India is celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav after completing 75 years of its Independence.

"The universities and educational institutions of any nation present a reflection of its achievements," the Prime Minister said.

He said after Independence, universities played a crucial role in giving concrete shape to the emotional swell of post-independence India by creating a strong generation of talented youngsters.

Delhi University too played a major part in that, he said. This understanding of the past gives shape to our existence, shape to our ideals and expansion to the vision of the future, he said.

"When the resolve of an individual or an institution is towards the country, then its achievements are equated with the achievements of the nation," the Prime Minister remarked.

He pointed out that there were only 3 colleges under Delhi University when it began but today there are more than 90 colleges affiliated to the university.

He also underlined that India which was once considered a fragile economy has now become one of the top five economies in the world. Noting that the number of women studying at DU is more than men, the Prime Minister pointed out that the gender ratio has significantly improved in the country.

He emphasized the importance of an interconnection between the resolutions of a university and a nation and said that the deeper the roots of the educational institutions, the higher the progress of the country.

The Prime Minister noted that the goal of Delhi University was India's independence when it first began. The institution will complete 125 years when India reaches 100 years of independence and the goal of Delhi University should be to make India a developed country, he said.

"The third decade of the last century gave new momentum to the struggle for India's independence, now the third decade of the new century will give impetus to the development journey of India", the Prime Minister said. Referring to upcoming universities, colleges, IITs, IIMs and AIIMS, he said "all these institutes are becoming the building blocks of new India".

The Prime Minister emphasized that education is not merely a process of teaching but also a way of learning. He pointed out that after a long time, the focus is shifting to what a student wants to learn and talked about the flexibility in the new National Education Policy for selecting subjects.

Talking about the improvement of the quality and infusion of competitiveness among the institutions, the Prime Minister mentioned the National Institutional Ranking Framework which is motivating the institutions. He also pointed out the effort to link the autonomy of the institutions with the quality of education.

The Prime Minister said that due to the futuristic educational policies and decisions, recognition of Indian universities is increasing. He informed that while in 2014, in the QS world ranking there were only 12 Indian universities, today this number has reached 45. He credited India's youth force as the guiding force for this transformation. The Prime Minister hailed today's youth for transcending the concept of education being limited to placement and degrees.

He said that they want to blaze their own trail and presented more than one lakh startups, 40 per cent more patent filing as compared to 2014-15 and a rise in the Global Innovation Index as proof of this thinking.

"The Industry 4.0 Revolution is knocking on India's doors", the Prime Minister remarked as he noted that technologies like AI, AR and VR which could only be witnessed in the movies have now become a part of our real lives. He noted that robotics has become the new normal from driving to surgery and said that all these sectors are creating new avenues for the young generation of India. In the past years, the Prime Minister said, India has opened its space and defence sector and made huge changes in the policies related to drones which have provided a chance to move forward for the youth.

The Prime Minister said that Indian values like democracy, equality and mutual respect are becoming human values, creating new opportunities for Indian youth in areas like government and diplomacy.

He explained the impact of the growing profile of India on the students. He said now people wish to know about India. He mentioned India's help to the world during the coronavirus period. This created a curiosity in the world to know more about India that delivers even during the crisis.

He said growing recognition through events like the G20 presidency is creating new avenues for students such as Yoga, Science, culture, festivals, literature, history, heritage and cuisine. "The demand of Indian youth is increasing, who can tell the world about India and can take our things to the world."

He noted that the focus on history, culture and heritage is also creating new opportunities for the youth.

He gave the example of tribal museums being set up in different states and the development journey of independent India being presented through the PM Museum.

He also expressed delight that the world's largest heritage museum - 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat' is also going to be built in Delhi.

The Prime Minister also recognized the growing recognition of Indian teachers and mentioned how world leaders have often told him about their Indian teachers. "This soft power of India is becoming a success story of the Indian youth," he said.

He asked the universities to prepare a roadmap and said Delhi University celebrates 125 years, it should figure among the top-ranking universities in the world.

"Innovations should be done here, the world's best ideas and leaders should emerge from here, for this you will have to work continuously," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister urged students to prepare their minds and hearts for their goals.

"Our new generation should be future-ready, have the temperament to accept and face challenges, this is possible only through the vision and mission of educational institution," the Prime Minister concluded.

The University of Delhi was established on May 1, 1922. In the last hundred years, the University has grown and expanded immensely and now has 86 departments, 90 colleges and more than 6 lakh students and has contributed immensely towards nation-building.
Relatives of two persons who died in an explosion at a pharma company in Anakapalli district are demanding compensation from the employer.

The duo succumbed to chemical burns they suffered in the blast at Sahiti Pharma company, while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Visakhapatnam on Friday evening.

"Around 30 relatives of the deceased persons are at the company now. They are demanding compensation from the company side," a police official said on Saturday.

The government has announced ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh lakh each for the deceased persons.

Meanwhile, four injured persons were shifted from KGH Hospital to Indus Hospital for better treatment, said Anakapalli district superintendent of police K. V. Murali Krishna, adding that one person continues to undergoing ICU treatment at KGH Hospital.

The company officials are in touch with the family members of the injured persons to provide support for their treatment.

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Further, he said the company has insured its employees and there are hopes of receiving some compensation through insurance as well.

There were 35 people in the plant when the explosion occurred and most of them escaped unhurt.

The blast occurred while loading solvents into the solvent recovery plant of the pharma company at Atchutapuram special economic zone (SEZ) around 11.45 AM on Friday.
Discussions regarding the formation of new districts announced in the Rajasthan budget 2023-24 were held in a cabinet meeting here on Friday evening.

Decisions on recitation of Preamble and fundamental duties of the Constitution in schools, first increment in the interest of the employees in six months, more opportunities to the youth of the state in government service were also taken in the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

The cabinet discussed the report presented by the Ramlubhaya Committee, which was formed to look into the demands of new districts, as well as memorandums received from different areas after the announcements of new districts.

Discussions regarding the administrative boundaries of the new districts and on suggestions from people were held in the meeting.

Gehlot had announced to form 19 new districts in the state budget this year. However, people in some areas have expressed unhappiness over the announcement. Protests have been held in some areas against the new district while people in some other areas have expressed resentment for not making their area a new district.

In the cabinet meeting, memorandums received regarding the formation of new districts were discussed.

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"Keeping in mind the memorandums received from different areas and public sentiments, discussions were held in relation to demarcation after assessment by the cabinet," an official release said.

The cabinet passed a proposal regarding recitation of Preamble of the Constitution and fundamental duties in all schools.

"This will further strengthen the faith and pride of the young generation in the Constitution, democracy and nationalism," the release said.

The recitation will be done every Saturday (no bag day) in the schools.

The Preamble and fundamental duties of the Constitution will also feature in the newly published textbooks.

The cabinet also approved the proposal for amendment to the Rajasthan Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules 2017. With this, two increment dates (January 1 and July 1) have now been fixed instead of one increment date at present. Due to this, the personnel will get the first increment in six months.

The cabinet also approved the draft of 'The Rajasthan ILD Skills University, Jaipur (Change of Name and Amendment) Bill 2023' to rename Rajasthan ILD Skills University as 'The Vishwakarma Skills University'.
A march led by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray to protest against "corruption" in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the last one year began in south Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.

The 'morcha', which began from Metro Cinema, will culminate outside the civic body's headquarters.

Top leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party including MLAs and MPs are part of the morcha.

MLA Sunil Prabhu said there has been an "outburst" of corruption in the BMC.

The BMC was controlled by the then undivided Shiv Sena from 1997-2022.

The term of its General Body ended in March 2022. As fresh elections have not taken place, the civic body is now controlled by an administrator appointed by the Maharashtra government headed by Eknath Shinde.

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Shinde became chief minister on June 30, 2022, after splitting the Shiv Sena and toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
HDFC-HDFC Bank merger: On global stage today, $180 bn banking giant



The boards of directors of HDFC and HDFC Bank have approved the merger of the two with effect from July 1, 2023, both companies informed the stock exchanges late on Friday. Following the amalgamation, HDFC Bank would be the fourth-largest bank in the world with a market capitalisation of Rs 14.73 trillion, or nearly $180 billion. Read more...

Vijay Sales to Rasna: Summer sales of beverages, white goods a damp squib



Sales of consumer durables and beverages got impacted this summer due to unseasonal rains, especially in the northern region of the country. While some consumer durables makers and retailers saw growth, it was well short of their expectations, industry executives said. Read more...

Indian OMCs confident of retaining discounts on Russian crude oil



Indian Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are confident that they would be able to secure discounts in the short-term for Russian crude, officials at several OMCs told Business Standard. The price of Russian Urals-grade crude is trading close to the $60-limit, beyond which, sanctions will take hold. Since April, the majority of Russian oil sold to India has been on the Dubai benchmark, with an average discount level of $8-10 per barrel. Read more...

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Tejas fighter completes seven years of service in Indian Air Force



Indias homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) on Friday completed seven years of service in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Christened Tejas in 2003 by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the fighter aircraft is a multi-role platform that is steadily making a name as one of the worlds premier light fighters. Read more...

Recipe for Keki Mistry's secret sauce: Growth seasoned with governance


In a setback to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, his close aide Rahul Kanal on Saturday joined the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and demanded a detailed probe into the Disha Salian death case.

Kanal, who was raided by the Income Tax department last year, was part of the core committee of Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena.

He joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Shinde, his son and MP Shrikant Shinde, and party MLAs.

Interestingly, Kanal's crossover to Sena came on a day Aaditya Thackeray led a morcha against alleged scams and corruption in the Mumbai civic body.

Tomorrow if people say that I have joined you because of (actor) Sushant Singh Rajput or (his ex-manager) Disha Salian case....so I want to tell you with folded hands that please investigate it," Kanal said.

If my name crops up then you can whip me with your shoes. There is a need for a detailed investigation and I can go anywhere for this, he added.

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Kanal said, according to people, he got a lot from the party (Shiv Sena-UBT).

Yes, it is 100 per cent right. But I have returned 1,000 per cent, he added.

Reacting to Kanal switching sides, Aaditya Thackeray, in a veiled barb at BJP, said those who want to jump into a "washing machine" can do that.

Notably, on June 13, Kanal wrote a birthday message for Aaditya Thackeray, saying, It does not matter how many are against you. Those who are with you are wonderful.

The focus on Disha Salian's death returned after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said police were still recording statements and the case has not been closed.

Salian (28), former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building in Malad area of Mumbai on June 8, 2020, a few days before Rajput's alleged suicide.
The Congress would sound the poll bugle in Telangana on Sunday with party leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meeting at Khammam.

Congress State Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka's 'padayatra' would also conclude at the rally.

Gandhi would felicitate Vikramarka, who began his foot march near Adilabad, covering 1,360 km in 108 days as on Saturday, party sources said.

At the meeting, former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy would join Congress.

Srinivas Reddy and ex-minister Jupally Krishna Rao have recently announced their decision to join the party.

The victory of Congress in recent Karnataka elections gave a boost to the party unit in neighbouring Telangana.

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Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and MP A Revanth Reddy has said the party would end the BRS rule in state with the rally in Khammam.

Reddy, who inspected the arrangements on Friday for the public meeting, said Congress would sound the bugle for elections with the Khammam rally and expressed confidence that the meeting would be attended by more people compared to the public meeting organised earlier by ruling BRS in the town.

Aiming to win the Assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year in Telangana, Congress is making elaborate arrangements to make the rally being attended by Gandhi, a huge success.

The party is also seeking to ward off the challenge from BJP which is making efforts to emerge as the alternative to ruling BRS.

BJP had won two assembly bypolls and came up with good performance in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections during the last couple of years posing a threat of occupying the main opposition space held by Congress.

Congress has been the major opposition party in Telangana since state formation in 2014.
Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary has written a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and sought time to discuss the issue of hike in power tariff in the national capital.

"A delegation of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee would like to meet you to apprise you of the concerns of Delhiites, who are troubled by the increase in electricity bills by your government in Delhi," the letter read.

"We hope that considering the seriousness of the situation, you will meet the delegation of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (on Sunday or Monday)," it added.

Earlier, the Delhi Congress had also staged a demonstration against the AAP government in Delhi over a hike in power tariffs.

The monthly electricity bills of the majority of domestic consumers in Delhi who use more than 200 and up to 600 units will be hiked by up to Rs 265 due to an increase in the power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) levied by discoms, officials said earlier.

The hike in the PPAC surcharge by the discoms was allowed by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, the officials said.

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In the run-up to the 2024 general elections, Delhi Congress will focus on door-to-door interactions with the masses and re-energise its grass-roots level workers in the national capital, an official said on Saturday.

The decision was taken in a meeting of party workers, leaders and office-bearers called by newly-appointed AICC in-charge of Delhi Congress Deepak Babaria, who also passed two resolutions political and organisational after the meeting.

"Congress will spread Rahul Gandhi's message of love as his fight against the politics of hatred has resonated across the country. We will focus on door-to-door interaction with people and further energise the grass-roots level workers in the national capital," Babaria said while addressing the party workers.

Babaria, a Gujarat Congress leader, formally took charge as in-charge of Delhi Congress at Rajiv Bhawan here on Saturday.

Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party, Babaria said despite AAP securing a 13 per cent vote share in the Gujarat Assembly elections, Kejriwal has not visited the state in the past six months.

He further alleged that AAP and BJP were "two sides of the same coin".

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"Congress workers pledge to fight unitedly, with all its might, against the corrupt BJP-ruled Central Government and AAP in the 2024 Parliamentary elections," read the resolution passed after the meeting.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday slammed the Eknath Shinde government, which completed one year in power on June 30, for its "incapability" to maintain law and order in Maharashtra.

Shinde became chief minister on June 30 last year after a successful rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of which Pawar's NCP was a part along with the Congress.

Queried about the first anniversary of the Ekanth Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, Pawar said, "There is a serious question of law and order in the state. Attacks on women, gangs with koytas (sharp edged weapon) are serious issues. The state government is incapable of maintaining law and order."



The opposition has been attacking the Shinde government over communal flare-ups in several places over posters of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and 18th century Mysore rule Tipu Sultan, as well as crimes against women, including some in which the accused used 'koytas' (type of machete) to hack the victims to death.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis holds the home portfolio in the Shinde government.

On his recent statement that the hurried swearing-in of Fadnavis as chief minister in November 2019 post the Assembly polls was a "googly" bowled by him to expose the BJP's lust for power, Pawar said the saffron party failed to understand his delivery.

"They (BJP/Fadnavis) never understood my 'googly'. They lost their wicket. They will not know it because only the bowler knows the technique of 'googly'."



Further mocking the BJP, Pawar asked why the party went in for an oath-ceremony after two days (in November despite knowing the NCP had dropped plans to form a government with the BJP).

Also Read Ajit Pawar's future bright with NCP, he will not join BJP, says Sanjay Raut Won't be in govt if Pawar joins BJP with NCP group: Shiv Sena spokesperson Fadnavis-Ajit alliance in 2019 was to teach lesson to Uddhav: Maha BJP Congress accuses BJP of fuelling speculation on Pawar's next political move Telangana CM KCR trying to gain foothold in Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar Will write to PM, leadership regarding K'taka poll defeat: BJP leader Implementation of GST has brought in economic revolution: Puducherry LG Sharad Pawar taunts Fadnavis with 'devendrawasi' jibe over bus accidents PDP chief Mehbooba requests CJI for early hearing on Article 370 in SC Right time to bring UCC, Oppn should refrain from communal politics: Naqvi

The government of Fadnavis with NCP's Ajit Pawar as his deputy last for just 80 hours.
Pledging to usher in panchayats "purged of thieves" in the coming rural poll in West Bengal in the event of a win by BJP, the party Saturday expressed apprehensions that there will be attempts at largescale rigging and violence by the ruling TMC on the voting day.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar releasing the BJP's manifesto said the role of the State Election Commission (SEC), which conducts the rural polls, is not above suspicion as it was not found to be vigilant enough to curb incidents of violence in the run up to the July 8 election.

BJP, he said, will gift a 'chor mukto panchayat' system (panchayats purged of thieves) which will stop "siphoning off" of cut money in the implementation of central projects like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the PM's project for farmers and MGNREGS and usher in a transparent administration.

"Wherever BJP is strong, our workers will play the role of central forces," he said referring to reports that the SEC will not deploy central paramilitary forces in different polling booths where there is possibility of violence during votes.

He claimed that contrary to opinion polls telecast by some TV news channels, BJP will get the majority in higher number of zilla parishads, panchayats in both south and north Bengal if there was free and fair poll.

Asked to comment on BJP entering into a poll understanding with other opposition parties like the Congress and CPI(M), Majumdar said there is no formal alliance at the state level "though all of them are at the receiving end of TMC atrocities and terror".

Also Read BJP hires goons from outside state to orchestrate communal riots: Mamata Mamata Banerjee scared of losing popular support: BJP state President BJP MLAs injured in Rishra violence write to HM Shah seeking intervention TMC, BJP exchange barbs over Odisha's Balasore triple train accident BJP on Mission South, eyes bigger share of 130 LS seats in southern states New Leader of Oppn in K'taka Assembly will be known by Sunday: BJP Leader You are leading the largest opposition party: Derek O'Brien to PM Sonelal Patel birth anniversary: Shah, Yadav to attend separate events On what issues does he want uniformity: Kapil Sibal on PM's pitch for UCC Every farmer getting benefit of Rs 50k; that's Modi's guarantee: PM

"We are ideologically apart from the Congress and CPI-M. No alliance has been formally announced but there can be some local level understandings in some pockets to defeat the TMC," he said.

Elaborating on the manifesto, Majumdar said BJP will set up skill centers in different zilla parishad areas to train people so that they do not have to migrate to other states in search of jobs and set up krishi kalyan kendras in different blocks for the uplift of farmers.

"By one estimate, there are 45 lakh migrant workers in West Bengal as the state government failed to give them employment. The TMC has done nothing to improve their lot. BJP will impart skill training to them at the macro level if it wins in the panchayat polls," Majumdar said.

When contacted, TMC deputy chief whip Tapas Roy told PTI that BJP's manifesto for the rural poll bears little significance as the party stands no chance of winning.

BJP will lose in most of the panchayat and zilla parishad seats as it does not enjoy the people's support, he claimed.

Asked about apprehensions voiced by opposition parties, including BJP about non deployment of central forces during panchayat voting, Roy, who is also the state minister for planning and statistics, said "Why don't they move the court?



"They have also the governor to turn to," he quipped.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday visited the violence-hit areas of Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and met the family members of a man who was killed on June 27. He also visited a hospital in Cooch Behar where the injured in clashes are undergoing treatment.

Bose, who is on a trip to the northern districts of the state, also met the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik in Cooch Behar and talked to panchayat election candidates and leaders of CPI(M), the Congress and BJP, who voiced their concern over the alleged incidents of violence in the district ahead of the rural poll.
Amid the row over the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing the minority welfare budget by 40 per cent and claimed that Muslim upper caste (UC) people are poorer than people belonging to Hindu Other Backward Class (OBC) in India.

"PM Narendra Modi said that a "group" among Muslims doesn't let Pasmanda Muslims progress. But the truth is that ALL Muslims are poor and UC Muslims are poorer than OBC Hindus. He's the PM of all Indians, then why has he cut Minority Welfare budget by 40%?" Owaisi tweeted.

Owaisi further questioned PM Modi about the government's opposition to the Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation for Dalit Muslims.

"Why is his govt opposed to SC reservations for Dalit Muslims? Why is BJP opposed to reservations for backward Muslims? Will he blame this social injustice also on lack of UCC?" he said.

He also asked Congress and other parties whether or not Muslims would get social justice.

"Congress & other "social justice" parties should also tell us: will we get our fair share or should we be happy that your leader wore a skull cap at an iftar party?" said the AIMIM chief.

Also Read 90% UCC draft complete, panel to submit proposal by June 30: Uttarakhand CM Framing UCC for U'khand will strengthen social fabric, says ex-SC judge Law Commission considering to work on UCC issue: Ex-Justice Ranjana Desai AIMIM President Owaisi alleges attack on Delhi residence by miscreants Uniform Civil Code: Third prong in BJP's three-point core agenda Kharge meets Congress workers from across country, takes feedback Dismiss Manipur govt to end violence, says Cong; submits memorandum to Guv India progressed in all fields under PM's leadership: Union Minister Balyan Uniform Civil Code will soon be implemented in Uttarakhand: CM Dhami Manipur CM Biren Singh backtracks on resignation after high-voltage drama

Owaisi's reaction came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at Opposition parties for "vote bank politics" and their "policy of appeasement" and said that those who are supporting triple talaq are doing grave injustice to Muslim women.

The Prime Minister said that people are being instigated in the name of the Uniform Civil Code.

"The Muslim brothers and sisters of India have to understand which political parties are taking political advantage of them by provoking them. We are seeing that work is being done to incite such people in the name of UCC," he further said.

He said that appeasement politics had left many people behind, including the Pasmanda Muslims.

"Pasmanda Muslims have become a victim of politics. Some people are using the politics of appeasement to break the country. The BJP cadre should go and explain this to the Muslims and educate them so that they do not fall victim to such politics," PM Modi said.

"If they were really supportive of Muslims the Muslim brothers would not be poor or deprived...Supreme Court has also asked for the implementation of the UCC. But these people are hungry only for vote bank," Modi said accusing the Opposition in the country of employing vote-bank politics of appeasement.
Karnataka BJP leader and former MLA M P Renukacharya, who has been served a notice by the party for "anti-party" remarks, on Saturday said he will not fear such things and will write a letter to the national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the defeat in the Assembly polls and those responsible for it.

The former Minister who met veteran party leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said abiding by the latter's instructions, he will not make public statements regarding party before the media.

His meeting with Yediyurappa came a day after he skipped the meeting called by the party's state leadership, with 11 leaders who had either indulged in anti-party activities or were making public statements, which had caused embarrassment to the BJP.

"They issued notice to Renukacharya, will I fear for notice? No....we got to know about the existence of the disciplinary committee after I was served the notice. The State President said eleven people have been served notice. You make public about serving notice to Renukacharya by releasing it to the media, but what about notice to the other ten," Renukacharya said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "I will write letters to Delhi leaders like Prime Minister, Amit Shah (Home Minister)and J P Nadda (BJP national president) regarding the situation in Karnataka. If I get an opportunity I will meet the party national President and tell him the reasons for BJP's defeat in Karnataka and who are all responsible for it."



The Karnataka BJP on Thursday had issued notice to Renukacharya for his "anti-party" remarks. He has been given one week's time to give a written reply to the show-cause notice issued by the state disciplinary committee of the party.

The party had officially released the notice served to Renukacharya, the former Honnali MLA.

Also Read BJP CEC meeting today to finalise candidates for Karnataka Assembly polls Yediyurappa holds roadshow as son Vijayendra set to file nomination BJP will come back with absolute majority in Karnataka: Yediyurappa Karnataka BJP has not done injustice to Muslims, says Yediyurappa High-voltage campaigning for Karnataka elections to end today at 5 pm Implementation of GST has brought in economic revolution: Puducherry LG Sharad Pawar taunts Fadnavis with 'devendrawasi' jibe over bus accidents PDP chief Mehbooba requests CJI for early hearing on Article 370 in SC Right time to bring UCC, Oppn should refrain from communal politics: Naqvi CPI(M) has become a Muslim party: Kerala BJP chief hits out at CM Vijayan

Renukacharya had said on Thursday that the party's state president Nalin Kumar Kateel should have resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for the Assembly poll debacle.

Targeting party leaders without taking any names, he had alleged that the BJP office has been turned into a "corporate office", and urged them to introspect and work towards strengthening the party and boosting the morale of the workers for the Lok Sabha elections and the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, among others.

Alleging that false news is being spread that he will be joining the Congress, Renukacharya said he will stay in the party and abide by Yediyurappa's directions.

"But, there is no change in my stand...several false decisions by the party and its governemnt, not putting efforts for developing a caste combination, not having senior leaders in preparing manifesto, neglecting seniors in the party like Yediyurappa -- led to defeat in the Assembly polls. I will continue to say it. But will not make public statements before the media respecting Yediyurappa's instructions," he added.

Noting that he cannot remain silent if Yediyurappa is "humiliated", the former Minister said they said as Yediyurappa is aged so he had to step down from the CM post, but they needed the same person to travel across the state to campaign and organise the party.
Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the country's east and south on Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine's fight to dislodge invading Russian forces.

In an address to Ukraine's parliament that received several standing ovations, Snchez said, We'll be with you as long as it takes.

I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine, he said on the day that Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.

At a later news conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sanchez announced Spain would deliver more heavy weaponry to Ukraine including four Leopard tanks and armoured personnel carriers, as well as a portable field hospital.

He also said Spain will provide an additional 55 million euros to help with reconstruction needs.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, regional officials reported that at least three civilians were killed and 17 wounded by Russian shelling on Friday and overnight in the front-line eastern Donetsk region, where fierce battles are raging, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Also Read Ukraine needs more than a $30 billion arsenal for counterstrike on Russia Putin admits Russia's shortcomings as Ukraine presses counteroffensive Russia wants to solve conflict with Ukraine peacefully: Vladimir Putin Russia probably does not want military conflict with US, NATO: US intel War in Ukraine: How one year of conflict changed geopolitics and economics US: 2 Indian-origin men charged with insider trading with Pfizer Covid meds Sri Lanka gets parliamentary nod for domestic debt restructuring plan Joe Biden to host Sweden's PM as Nordic nation seeks to join NATO Covid-related worrying impacts daydreams' more than night-dreams: Research 308 Indians including 42 civilians, 266 fishermen in Pakistan prison

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that fierce clashes continued in three areas in Donetsk where it said Russia has massed troops and attempted to advance. It named the outskirts of three cities Bakhmut, Lyman and Marinka as front-line hot spots.

Five people including a child were wounded on Friday and overnight in the Kherson region in the south, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Prokudin said that Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket attacks on the province, which is cut in two by a stretch of the 1,500-kilometer (930 mile) front line and still reeling from flooding unleashed by the collapse earlier this month of a major Dnipro river dam.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian shelling over the previous day wounded a 57-year-old civilian man, said Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. In the Sumy region farther west, a teenage boy was hurt in a strike from across the Russian border, the local military administration reported.

Referring to possible peace talks, Sanchez said that only Ukraine can set the terms and times for peace negotiations. Other countries and regions are proposing peace plans. Their involvement is much appreciated, but, at the same time, we can't accept them entirely.

This is a war of aggression, with an aggressor and a victim. They cannot be treated equally and ignoring the rules should in no way be rewarded. That is why that is why we support President Zelenskyy's peace formula, Snchez added.

Zelenskyy at the news conference expressed frustration about the lack of clarity over Western training for Ukrainian fighter pilots. He said Western allies have not yet set a timetable to train pilots on U.S.-made F-16s despite their expressions of readiness. "I think that some partners are delaying this process, why they do this I have no idea, he said.

He also renewed Ukraine's claim that Russia is prepared to cause a potential nuclear catastrophe at the Moscow-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as Ukraine continues to make steady advances along the front line.

Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station that could cause an emission of dangerous substances in the air. We are clearly communicating, we discussed the need with our partners so everyone understands why Russia is doing this, he said.

The introduction of F-16s to the war could give Ukraine a much needed edge over Russia, which currently enjoys air superiority.
France's Interior Ministry said Saturday that 1,311 people were arrested around the country during a fourth night of riots triggered by the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old by police.

The government deployed 45,000 police around the country to try to quell violence. Overnight young protesters clashed with police, set some 2,500 fires and ransacked stores.

The funeral ceremony for Nahel, who was killed by police in the suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, began Saturday with a visitation, to be followed by a mosque ceremony and burial in a cemetery there.
President Joe Biden will host Sweden's prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation's entry into NATO, a bid stalled by objections from two members of the Western military alliance.

Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson plan to review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible, the White House said a statement Saturday. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and China.

Sweden and neighbour Finland dropped their long-standing military neutrality after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organisation's security umbrella.

Finland, which shares an 832-mile (1,340 kilometre) border with Russia, joined NATO in April. Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkiye and Hungary; NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand.

NATO had hoped the road to Sweden's membership would be smoothed out before the alliance's summit July 11-12 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Sweden's entry would be a highly symbolic moment and the latest indication of how Russia's war is driving countries to join the alliance.

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But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted, with his government accusing Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish organisations and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt in Turkiye.

This past week, he condemned Sweden over a Quran-burning protest. Swedish police allowed the protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm, citing freedom of speech after a court overturned a ban on a similar Quran-burning.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would gather senior officials from Turkiye, Sweden and Finland this coming Thursday to try to overcome Turkiye's objections.

Hungary also has yet to ratify Sweden's bid. Hungarian lawmakers said a long-delayed parliamentary vote on that would not would not happen until the autumn legislative session.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has alleged that Swedish politicians have told blatant lies about the condition of his country's democracy. High-ranking Hungarian officials have said they support Sweden's membership bid while also making vague demands from Stockholm as conditions for approval.
Bank of Ireland has announced the relaunch of its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Landing Space in Stephens Green, following refurbishment during the pandemic.

The FDI Landing Space provides companies arriving into Ireland with co-working office space, meeting rooms and event space above the Stephens Green branch in Dublin city centre.

International Companies

Its team has supported over 600 international companies to set up in the Irish market over the past decade. The facility provides hot desks, meeting rooms and boardrooms, with companies from the US, UK, EU, China, Australia, Japan and Canada availing of the space in the past.

'Strength To Strength'

Speaking at the launch, Head of Global FDI at Bank of Ireland, Kevin Elliott said, "As the leading bank in Ireland for international companies, Bank of Ireland is delighted to provide our FDI Landing Space to support companies who may be considering Ireland as a base or starting to develop operations here."

He added, "It has been fantastic to see FDI companies who have directly benefited from our Stephens Green facility going from strength to strength and announcing significant growth plans within the Irish market over the years."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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It's been 59 days since violence erupted in Manipur (on 3 May), and blood continues to flow in the troubled state. Even worse, there is little prospect that Manipur will experience lasting peace anytime soon. For the time being, the Northeastern state appears doomed to suffer.

There are numerous and intricate causes behind this. The most important among them are:

The divide between Meitei and Kuki has become too wide

A significant, and possibly permanent, rift has developed between the two communities as a result of the never-ending rounds of violence committed by militants, militias, and miscreants from both populations. Meiteis and Kukis have developed a strong enmity as a result of the assaults, cruel killings, destruction of homes and places of worship, and other acts of violence.

There seems to be little chance of reconciliation. For reconciliation to take place any time soon, too much blood has been shed, too much suffering has been inflicted upon one another by the two communities, and too many hateful comments have been shouted against one another.

Deep polarisation Pervades All Meiteis And Kukis Sectors

The division between Meiteis and Kukis has spread over every aspect of the two communities and has grown to be quite entrenched. The "hate bug" has also infected members of civil society, intellectuals, academics, and well-known figures from the two communities. Typically, civil society, academia, and intellectuals play a significant role in promoting reconciliation in ethnic or communal disputes.

In fact, through a process of reconciliation, various segments of society play a critical role in bringing about peace and harmony. However, there are few, if any, who can intercede and bring the warring parties together because all aspects of Meitei and Kuki societies are so diametrically opposed to one another. Sadly, the few sensible voices in the two communities have been silenced, pushed to the margins, or rendered irrelevant.

Arms are Easily Accessible

While the Kuki militants have guns, including Chinese-made rifles and ammunition smuggled in from Chin rebel groups in Myanmar, a number of Kukis also have licenced and unlicenced (country-made) weapons. Meitei militants now possess sophisticated weapons that they stole from the arsenals of the state police.

Nearly 4,000 rifles (INSAS, AK-47s, and M16; the AK and M16 rifles were those confiscated from or surrendered by various militant groups and kept at police armouries), lakhs of rounds of ammunition, and hundreds of explosive devices were stolen from police armouries, according to Army and Assam Rifles sources. Meitei militias frequently employ these explosives and weaponry against Kukis. Security forces' attempts to take their guns have not been very successful.

Many claim that the cops did nothing more than let Meitei mobs in through the armies' doors. The fact that no police officers or personnel have been disciplined for permitting this unprecedented weapon looting is significant.

Lack of Trust in Police and State Institutions

People have a negative impression of the Manipur Police as being unruly and biassed (in favour of Meiteis and against Kukis). Both the police and the state government are despised by the Kukis. The Kukis still feel betrayed by the expulsion of high-ranking Kuki police officials, especially the expelled Kuki former police head P Doungel.

Kuldiep Singh, a former CRPF chief, was chosen by the union government to serve as the Manipur government's security advisor not long after violence broke out in the state. In essence, Singh was given control over the whole police force.

Additionally, Ashutosh Kumar Sinha, a second director general of police (intelligence), was appointed the overall operational commander of the force, replacing DGP P Doungel.

Rajiv Singh, an IPS officer from the Tripura Cadre who was the IG of the Border Security Force (BSF), was appointed the Manipur DGP earlier this month in place of Doungel, who was transferred to the unrelated position of officer on special duty (OSD) to the home department.

The Manipur Police's upper echelons were discouraged by these reforms. And after another retired IPS officer (Kuldiep Singh) was given control of the state security apparatus, the appointment of an IPS officer from outside the state as the DGP stoked discontent not just among the top brass of the Manipur police but also among the general public. Because of what they claim is the state apparatus' failure to defend them against Kuki attacks, the Meiteis have also lost faith in the state government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Furthermore, the Meiteis claim that the security agencies, particularly the Assam Rifles, support the Kukis. Although unfounded and regrettable, this charge has complicated the situation and negatively impacted the security forces' ability to perform their jobs.

Inability Of Federal Security Forces To Operate Freely

The military Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which provided the military forces with a cloak to conduct counterinsurgency operations with effectiveness, was lifted from the Imphal Valley a year ago.

The Army and the Assam Rifles have not been able to fully engage Meitei militias, who have been attacking Kukis in the outskirts of Imphal Valley, without this protective cover. Without AFSPA's protective cover, the Army is forced to exercise care and is essentially operating with one hand tied behind its back.

Additionally, the Army, Assam Rifles, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are made ineffectual since they must work in "close cooperation" with the Manipur Police in order to conduct operations to apprehend miscreants, criminals, and militias in the Imphal Valley. As previously indicated, the Manipur Police is frequently accused of favouring Meiteis and will therefore oppose disarming and neutralising all Meitei miscreants and militias.

Powerful Vested Interests are opposed to Peace and Reconciliation

Peace to return and a reconciliation with Meiteis are opposed by prominent Kuki vested interests, including Kuki drug lords and a significant portion of the political and civil society establishment. These vested interests want to keep things heated up until the Meitei-Kuki rift is irreconcilable and complete. That will support the argument that Kukis and Meiteis cannot coexist under a single administrative system and that a separate state for Kukis is therefore unavoidably required.

The establishment of a Kuki state is in the best interests of the Kuki drug lords, some Kuki politicians and prominent groups, as well as some segments of the Kuki civil society. Additionally, influential groups and individuals in nearby Mizoram are supporting the proposal (for a separate Kuki state).

The 'mission' of 'punishing' the Kukis and driving them from the entire Imphal Valley (including its peripheries) as well as many places in the surrounding hills is not yet finished, according to some powerful Meitei organisations, hence peace cannot return until it is.

These Meitei associations aim to rid the hills surrounding Imphal Valley of Kukis in several Kuki-populated locations. In addition to attempting to repel the Meitei assault, Kuki vigilante organisations and members of Kuki militant groups are also launching counterattacks against Meitei communities. Armed Meitei miscreants and militias, like the Arambai Tenggol and the Meitei Leepun, are attacking Kukis with this goal in mind.

The ethnic conflict is becoming worse as a result.

Opposition Parties Casting a Line in the Dark

A few opposition parties are casting their lines amid choppy waters. The BJP governments in the state and at the federal level are being attacked by these parties, and they want to keep things heated. According to rumours, a small group of influential leaders are encouraging the Kukis and Meiteis to continue going on the attack against one another.

Meitei groups have reportedly attacked the homes of BJP MLAs and Ministers, including Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, as a result of some opposition leaders' provocations. All of these complex variables contribute to the continued absence of peace in Manipur. It will take time and effort to resolve these problems, which calls for statesmanship, foresight, and composure. Additionally, all parties must rise above their limited self-interests. But in Manipur at the moment, that is a difficult task.
Chandigarh University Ranked No. 1 Private University in India in the QS World University Ranking 2024

Chandigarh University (CU) has achieved a significant milestone by securing the first rank among India's private universities in the latest edition of the coveted Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking released on Wednesday (June 28).

As per QS WUR-2024, in which 2963 institutions were evaluated, Chandigarh University - keeping continuing its success streak - has secured an overall rank of 771-780, which is higher than its 801-1001 rank in the previous edition of the ranking released last year. The university's overall score in this year's ranking is 15.2. As many as 45 Indian universities have featured in the 20th edition of the QS rankings and the all-India rank of Chandigarh University is 20 - among all public and private institutes. The university also stood at 233rd spot in Asia.

While Chandigarh University (CU) climbed up the ladder as India's number one ranked private University, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has emerged as the number one ranked Indian public institute, in this year's coveted QS World University Rankings 2024. This comes after the university also made a stellar debut in QS World University Subject Rankings in 2023 released earlier this year, in which it ranked 1st in India in the field of Hospitality Management, 11th in India in the field of Engineering and Technology, Computer Science and Information Systems, ranked 12th in the field of Mechanical Engineering, and 16th in India in the field of Business and Management Studies. The university also attained 27th rank in India's top universities in the recently released NIRF Rankings 2023. Last year, Chandigarh University became the Youngest University to feature in the Top 200 QS Asia University Rankings 2023. Ranking by indicators Remarkably, while CU is the second-best Indian university in the parameters of international students and international faculty, the varsity has been ranked 6th in India in employer reputation.

The employer reputation indicator considers the important component of employability and the institution's reputation amongst employers. CU is at the 16th spot in India in academic reputation and it stands at the 13th spot in India in faculty-student ratio, as per the QS ranking. Notably, among the country's private universities, Chandigarh University stands at the number one spot in employer reputation and has been ranked second in academic reputation. In sustainability, CU is ranked sixth. Score on various indicators The university has improved its score on most of the parameters given in the rankings. Its score on employer reputation has increased to 43.4 this year compared to 31.8 in the previous edition of the ranking. While its score on the international faculty ratio has increased to 34.1, the score on the faculty-student ratio has also increased to 21.1, compared to last year's score of 24.6 and 18.7 on these parameters respectively.

The varsity's score on academic reputation has also jumped to 11.5 this year compared to 8.6 last year. Similarly, the international student ratio score has increased to 15.1 this year compared to 11.2 last year. Terming it the achievement of a new milestone, CU Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu, said that the consistent improvement in various national and international rankings showcases CU's commitment towards excellence in academia and research led by its faculty and students. "These rankings enthrall and fill us with more commitment towards imparting quality education to young minds and set new benchmarks in the field of higher education. The university's vision and mission are to nurture young minds and provide them with a comprehensive set of skills, attitudes, and values to equip and prepare them for the future and lead the country in various fields," said Satnam Singh Sandhu. Satnam Singh Sandhu further said, "The University has performed very well on various parameters such as employer reputation, faculty-teacher ratio, and academic reputation. This is because of the continuous efforts of our students and faculty who give us the strength to excel in every field. We are committed to advancing the momentum and performing even better in the coming years."

Name of Institution Place QS World Rank (2024) QS Rank Asia (2024) All India Rank (2024) University Type AIR (Private) (2024) Chandigarh University Mohali 771-780 233 20 P 1 OP Jindal Global University Sonepat 951-1000 308 30 P 7 Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala 951-1000 310 31 P 8 Panjab University Chandigarh 1001-1200 360 36 G Chitkara University Rajpura 1201-1400

394 38 P 12 IIT Delhi Delhi 197 40 2 G University of Delhi New Delhi 407 104 9 G Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi 601-610 172 14 G Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi 951-1000 302 28 G Amity University Noida 1001-1200 324 33 P 9 Jamia Hamdard New Delhi 1201-1400 412 39 G

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University New Delhi 1401+ 471 44 G

This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honored with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2145020/Satnam_Singh_Sandhu.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)
Dreamworks is riding high after the successes of last years The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The studio will be hoping for similar results with its latest film, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, which releases in theaters today.

The film is a coming-of-age story about an awkward 16-year-old who just wants to fit in at Oceanside High. There, she tutors her skater-boy crush, who barely seems to recognize her. At home, she has to deal with an over-protective mother, who has forbidden Ruby from ever getting in the water. When Ruby does what teenagers do and disobeys, she learns that shes a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and will one day inherit the throne from her incredibly powerful grandmother.

The Kraken are, unlike their historic reputation suggests, actually protectors of the seas and constantly facing off against power-hungry mermaids who seek to replace them at the top of the ocean hierarchy. Imagine Rubys dismay then, when she learns that Chelsea, the most popular girl in school, is actually a mermaid.

Reviews for Ruby Gillman arent bad, but they dont come close to the high bar set by last years Dreamworks releases. Most reviews are giving the film the equivalent of a three-star rating and comparing it to two recent Pixar films that are extremely similar narratively, Luca and Turning Red. Again, thats setting a very high bar that Ruby hasnt managed to reach.

Heres what the reviews are saying about Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken.

Among the reviews we read, Ellen E Jones at The Guardian summed up the critical consensus best, writing:

Pixars Turning Red certainly had a neater metaphor for pubertys metamorphoses, but in lieu of originality, this movie boasts some attractively tactile animation  the Gillmans slimy seaweed breakfast looks good enough to eat  and an excellent voice cast.

Kate Erbland at Indiewire was enthusiastic about the heart of Ruby Gillman, although expressed a desire for a bit more in the execution:

This may all seem familiar, and thats both comforting and disappointing. Kids are always in need of gracious tales about the power of being yourself in a world not necessarily built to embrace differences (of all sizes, of all kinds) and stories like Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken can do that, with fun to spare. But why not get more splashy, why not take more risks, why not get bigger and weirder, when thats also the aim of the very story youre telling? Audiences of all ages deserve those leaps, the more giant, the better.

In her review for The Washington Post, Kristen Page-Kirby lamented a lack of originality in the films narrative, but says she enjoyed the film nonetheless:

On the whole, Ruby Gillman is not all that dissimilar from last years Turning Red in that its a story of a girl coming to terms with her familial and personal history, told through an engaging, endearing, shape-shifting protagonist. While it breaks no new ground and doesnt soar to great heights, its a perfectly fine way to pass the time. And sometimes thats just what you need.

Alonso Duraldes review for The Film Verdict was one of the most damning that we saw, and ranked Dreamworks latest well behind its Pixar predecessors:

Its no wonder that the Writers Guild of America feels concerned about the threat of AI  the latest from DreamWorks Animation, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, plays like the result of feeding the screenplays of recent Pixar titles Luca and Turning Red into Chat GPT and then animating the results. Unfortunately, this new coming-of-age tale doesnt come anywhere near the depth or delight of its predecessors.

Finishing on a positive note, Nell Minow at RogerEbert.com thought the film was sufficiently original and rated Ruby as one of the years best family movies:
China reports progress on IP development in 2022

Xinhua) 14:05, July 01, 2023

IP licensed products are seen at the Trade in Services Exhibition Area of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China's intellectual property (IP) development has gained momentum over the past year, with more patents, efficient protection measures and an improved institutional system, according to a white paper published by the country's top IP regulator.

In 2022, the number of IP examinations, approvals and registrations continued to grow, while the quality and efficiency of IP examination were steadily improved, the National Intellectual Property Administration said at a press conference.

By the end of 2022, the total number of valid invention patents in China had reached 4.21 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.1 percent, according to the data published in the white paper. The number of valid utility model patents totaled 10.84 million, up 17.2 percent year on year, while the number of valid registered trademarks in China was 42.67 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.6 percent, the paper revealed.

Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2021 shows China's first ski wax truck with independent intellectual property in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The Chinese government achieved remarkable results in the intensity, scope and efficiency of IP protection in 2022.

China continuously strengthened IP protection in key areas such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, Olympic symbols, new plant species and anti-unfair competition, as well as crucial links such as customs and online markets.

It also intensified efforts to crack down on irregular patent applications and malicious trademark registration, and developed the establishment of mechanisms for dealing with overseas IP disputes.

Last year, Chinese courts received 526,165 new IP cases. Among them, the number of patent cases and technology contract disputes continued to rise, with first-instance patent civil cases and first-instance technology contract cases up 23.25 percent and 5.55 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to Ding Guangyu, an official with China's Supreme People's Court.

Chinese courts have fully safeguarded the legitimate rights of patentees and inventors in accordance with the law, strictly protected the trade secrets of enterprises, and vigorously promoted innovation in key areas, core technologies and emerging industries, Ding said, adding that the role of IP judicial services in high-quality development has become more prominent.

China effectively improved the IP institutional system last year. Three laws and regulations related to IP were revised and implemented, two judicial interpretations of IP protection were issued, and more than 20 normative documents and policy documents about IP protection were introduced and implemented, the white paper said. Positive progress was also made in local comprehensive legislation on IP protection.

In 2022, China also deepened exchanges and cooperation with international organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and IP institutions in various countries and regions, participated deeply in global IP governance, and actively advocated for the strengthening of IP protection through joint efforts.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The I AM Foundation of Chattanooga, a leading LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization, vehemently opposes the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. We firmly believe that no individual should be denied basic services or experience discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In response to this disheartening ruling, the I AM Foundation calls upon LGBTQ+ businesses and allies of the community to unite and establish an LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.

We believe that by coming together and showing our economic power, we can ensure the creation of safe spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can access services without fear of discrimination.

The LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce will serve as a unified platform for businesses that are committed to inclusivity, equality, and respect for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This Chamber will provide a strong voice to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, offer support and resources to member businesses, and foster a thriving economic ecosystem within the LGBTQ+ community.

To further promote inclusivity and enable individuals to make informed decisions about where to spend their dollars, the I AM Foundation is launching the Rainbow Book - a ground-breaking travel guide that will highlight businesses known for their acceptance and commitment to serving the LGBTQ+ community. The Rainbow Book will serve as a valuable resource for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, enabling them to identify businesses that embrace diversity and provide safe environments.

The recent Supreme Court ruling is a setback in the fight for equality, but it only strengthens our resolve to create a world where no one faces discrimination based on who they are or whom they love. By establishing the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and launching the Rainbow Book, we are taking proactive steps to protect our community and ensure that everyone has access to inclusive and affirming spaces.

The I AM Foundation invites all LGBTQ+ businesses, allies, and individuals who share our vision to join us in this endeavor. Together, we can wield the power of our collective voice and purchasing influence to create lasting change.

Sean Nix

* * *

In his June 30 letter to the editor, Sean Nix decries in catastrophic terms the recent U.S Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that not even a business owner can be forced to express opinions he or she finds offensive.

But then Mr. Nix states, "We believe that by coming together and showing our economic power, we can ensure the creation of safe spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can access services without fear of discrimination."

Exactly. You don't need the force of law and coercive power of government to obtain the goods and services you desire. Voluntary action and cooperation can achieve that.

Relax. Not only is the Court's decision not catastrophic or even discriminatory, it is an expansion of personal freedom and liberty. We should celebrate it.

Andy Walker

Signal Mountain

* * *

I wholeheartedly support the I AM Foundation's stand against the recent Supreme Court ruling that says it is ok to discriminate against LGBTQ+ citizens based on select religious beliefs. That said, I find it incredibly sad and alarming that the proposed LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and Rainbow Book is necessary in what we consider the modern age.

When I read about this ruling I first thought "who cares what a small minded website developer does or does not do". But, further consideration forces one to imagine what else this ruling might allow and condone. It is not a leap to say people could be denied the right and ability to conduct vital business.

Anyone who fails to see parallels between this situation and what was done to the Jewish community and other minorities, including people of color, homosexuals and handicapped people, in 1930s Germany, does not know history. It was a gradual, but determined exclusion of a segment of the population from business and public life before they were systematically made illegal and lined up for cattle cars.

The LGBTQ+ community seems to be an acceptable target for the moment and large religious political organizations are spending a great deal of money to influence policy and the judiciary. It is time those organizations were exposed to bright light and their agendas known. It is also time their revenue sources were widely exposed. The idea that some would utilize what can only be called fascist ideology to enforce personal belief systems on others is confounding. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for whom?





Darlene Kilgore

* * *

I support LGB, etc. when they tell the truth. But the lie that this foundation is spreading is blatantly false.

The Supreme Court decision in no way allows discrimination against anyone. That is the point.
While enroute to a non-priority call, police observed a white Ford Crown Victoria drive past him. The vehicle had sticker residue which still stated "Chattanooga" on the side and the rear still stated "Police," along with a PL number. Police followed the vehicle to the Weigel's Gas Station. Police asked the driver, once he stopped at the gas pumps and stepped out, if he was willing to talk and informed him this was not a traffic stop. During conversation, police informed the driver he was given a disservice by whoever sold him the vehicle, due to the old police decals not being properly removed. The driver informed police he had plans to get the vehicle painted the next day.



* * *

A woman on Latimore Street told police she came home at approximately 6:30 p.m. Once at home, she observed metal shavings by the outside of the deadbolt lock on her front door. She was able to clear away the shavings and found that the lock was undamaged and functioning. Police did not observe any metal shavings in or around the lock. The woman said she has an ongoing issue with her neighbor and believes that the neighbor may have attempted to tamper with the lock.

* * *

An employee at the Chattanooga Rescue Mission, 1512 S Holtzclaw Ave., told police a man had left the mission and then attempted to come back. He said he told the man he could not come back in. The man got upset and started yelling and causing "a scene." The employee said he was able to calm the man down. The man told police they had his stuff. Police asked the employee to retrieve it, and he did. Police gave the man his stuff and transported him to St. Matthews Emergency Shelter, 700 Pine St. Nothing further.

* * *

A man told police that while his truck was parked at 1700 Broad St. sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., the window was broken and a pair of RayBan sunglasses was taken. Police observed the rear passenger window had been smashed and the front passenger window was damaged. The man valued the sunglasses at $300 and the damage to the truck at $500. No suspect information is known.

* * *

An employee at the Speedway, 1330 E 3rd St., told police a white male was causing a disorder after acting strange and being told to leave. Police located the man at E. 3rd Street and N. Holly Street, and identified him. Police transported the man back to the Speedway. The employee said he wanted the man formally trespassed. Police told the man of the employee's intentions. The man agreed not to come back to the premise.

* * *

A woman on Jersey Pike told police a Camaro would not let her over and swerved and "rammed" her car, causing her to hit a curb. Her vehicle, however, didn't show evidence of vehicle contact on the left side. There was white dust that police rubbed off, but no dent or scuff. It appears that in efforts to avoid the other vehicle the woman's vehicle ended with a flat tire.

* * *

A man on N. Howell Avenue told police that his Hyundai Santa Fe (TN tag) was broken into sometime between 3-6 a.m. He said the vehicle was locked prior to him going to bed. Police noticed that the steering column was damaged where a person attempted to pry it apart. The man had already been through his vehicle prior to police arrival. Police checked the outside of the vehicle, which was covered in wet dew and printing was not an option. Police checked the inside of the vehicle, but no prints were obtained. The man does have a RING camera, but nothing was caught.

* * *

An employee at the CVS, 5120 Hwy. 153, told police a white female with blonde hair in a pony tail was going back and forth inside and outside the business. Police found a woman matching the description parked by the front door and getting into her car. Police conducted a traffic stop. The woman said she was fine and had just misplaced her wallet, so had gone to her car looking for it. Police did not observe any signs of intoxication while speaking with her. She said she was fine and going home.
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Have you ever accidentally dated a member of the mafia? It doesnt seem like a very common occurrence, but it did happen to one woman when she was 21-years-old.

TikToker Sarah Galyean (@sarahgalyean) went on a date with a guy in college who claimed he was in the mafia.

So Sarahs friend had set her up on this date and warned her that he was super nice but a little weird. Sarah kept an open mind about it since she thought she was also a little weird herself.

They ended up going out on about three dates in total. She discovered that he was one of those guys who liked to make sure he and his date were on the same page.

For instance, he drilled Sarah about her core values right away and explained that he was very family-oriented.

Whenever they hung out, he always made a big deal about excusing himself to take a business call with his father. Sarah found it odd that he had a business since they were still in college.

Eventually, she questioned him about the business, asking if he planned to go into business with his father after graduation.

He told her that they already ran a business together. Sarah asked what kind of business they had. He was being evasive about it, but she could tell that he wanted her to keep questioning him about the business because he was really enjoying talking about it.

Finally, he broke down and told her he was in a mafia. Sarah did not have much knowledge about what it was like to be in a mafia.

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The US Supreme Court delivered a First Amendment victory Friday to a Christian designer who objects to creating custom websites for same-sex weddings.

The high court ruled in a 63 opinion the state of Colorado would violate the free-speech rights of Lorie Smith by requiring her to design a website for a ceremony that conflicts with her conscience. The decision provided an important legal win for the rights of Christians and other faith adherents in a series of cases involving the intersection of religious freedom and same-sex marriage.

In the majority opinion, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch said the state seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance.

As the Supreme Court has long held, the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong, he wrote. The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands.

The high courts decision broke along ideological/political lines. Nominees by Republican presidents made up the majority, while justices nominated by Democrats were in dissent. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined Gorsuch in the majority. Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

The head of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) applauded the justices action.

If the government can compel an individual to speak a certain way or create certain things, thats not freedomits subjugation, ERLC president Brent Leatherwood said in a news release. And that is precisely what the state of Colorado wanted.

Thankfully, the court has stepped in to say that individual rights may not be paved over by a zealous government. Colorados scheme of compulsion and coercion against creators has failed once more.

Leatherwood said the opinions implications extend throughout the nation: People are free to speak, create, and operate in ways that are consistent with their deepest-held beliefseven when those beliefs are deemed culturally unpopular.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented Smith in the case, praised the decision as a win for all Americans.

The high court rightly reaffirmed that the government cant force Americans to say things they dont believe, said ADF President Kristen Waggoner, who argued before the justices in December on behalf of Smith. The court reiterated that its unconstitutional for the state to eliminate from the public square ideas it dislikes, including the belief that marriage is the union of husband and wife.

Disagreement isnt discrimination, and the government cant mislabel speech as discrimination to censor it, she said in written comments.

Smith expressed gratitude for the ruling.

For me, its always about what message is requested, never the person requesting, Smith said in an ADF release. I hope that, regardless of what people think of me or my beliefs, everyone will celebrate that the court upheld the right for each of us to speak freely.

Supporters of LGBT rights decried the decision.

The opinion is a dangerous step backward, giving some businesses the power to discriminate against people simply because of who we are, said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBT organization. The LGBT community will not permit the government to erase uswe will fight back, Robinson said in a written release.

Smith, owner of 303 Creative in the Denver area, designs websites for a variety of causes and clients, however, including people who identify as LGBT. She will not create websites for same-sex weddings, however, because of her belief as a Christian that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

She challenged a public accommodation lawthe Colorado Anti-discrimination Act (CADA)out of concern the state would seek to compel her to design websites for same-sex ceremonies if she expanded her business to include wedding services. The CADA includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes. A federal judge and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in favor of the state.

In a 72 opinion in 2018, the Supreme Court decided in favor of Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips in a similar case under the CADA. Phillips had declined to design and decorate a cake for the wedding of two men.

The high courts decision in that case, however, was not an expansive victory for religious freedom. The justices found the Colorado Civil Rights Commission demonstrated religious hostility toward Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, but said similar facts in different contexts may produce different rulings.

In Fridays opinion, Gorsuch said previous Supreme Court rulings have illustrated the First Amendment protects an individuals right to speak his mind regardless of whether the government considers his speech sensible and well intentioned or deeply misguided, quoting a specific case.

Generally, too, the government may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages, Gorsuch wrote.

As surely as Ms. Smith seeks to engage in protected First Amendment speech, Colorado seeks to compel speech Ms. Smith does not wish to provide.

Colorados logic would allow the government to force all manner of artists, speechwriters, and others whose services involve speech to speak what they do not believe on pain of penalty, Gorsuch wrote.

Quoting from a lower-court dissent in the case, he wrote, The government could require an unwilling Muslim movie director to make a film with a Zionist message, or an atheist muralist to accept a commission celebrating Evangelical zeal, so long as they would make films or murals for other members of the public with different messages.

The high court acknowledges the important role public accommodations laws play in protecting against discrimination, but it has also recognized that no public accommodations law is immune from the demands of the Constitution, he wrote.

In a dissent longer than the majority opinion, Sotomayor said the high court for the first time gave a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.

The Colorado law targets conduct, not speech, for regulation, and the act of discrimination has never constituted protected expression under the First Amendment, she wrote.

The opinion came in 303 Creative v. Elenis.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders says shes not removing kids sidewalk chalk cross at governor's mansion

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is standing her ground by refusing to remove a chalk-drawn cross from the entrance to the governors mansion after Americans United for the Separation of Church and State demanded its removal, claiming it violates the U.S. Constitution.

The uproar began on Monday after Sanders shared a photograph of her three children standing behind a large image of a cross and stained glass they colored with sidewalk chalk. Captioning the image New artwork to welcome people into the Governors Mansion, she posted it on her Facebook page.

The post provoked a response from the secular Americans United, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. The group wrote a letter to the governor, arguing that the chalk artwork conveys an impermissible message that those who do not share the favored faith are unwelcome and will be treated differently.

Americans United wrote on Twitter, When fighting to defend church-state separation, we must always reject Christian nationalism. Two days ago, Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted a photo of a Latin cross at the entrance of the Arkansas Governors Mansion. We sent her a letter to explain why this is a problem.

Citing multiple U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning the appropriateness of religious symbols on government property, the letter from Americans United highlighted that Sanders would be allowed to display the cross in private areas of her residence. However, a religious symbol at the mansions entrance was seen as crossing the constitutional line.

The religious display at the entrance to the Arkansas Governors Mansion violates the Establishment Clause because it sends a message that the Governors officeand by extension, the state of Arkansasfavors one religion over others. Such favoritism is unconstitutional, the organization claimed in its letter. It added, We therefore ask that you remove this display.

However, Sanders, a Christian, stood firm in her position.

Responding on Twitter, she said, Dear @americansunited, I have received your letter and my answer is no. I will not erase the beautiful cross my kids drew in chalk on the driveway of the Governors Mansion or remove my post on social media, and I will not now or ever hide that I am a Christian.

I will not now or ever hide that I am a Christian, saved by Christ, Sanders wrote in a letter to American United. In Arkansas, we stand up to bullying liberals. We wont let you power-wash our kids chalk drawings off our front steps. We wont let you tear down Christmas decorations and stomp our tradition into the dirt. We dont live our lives in fear of strongly worded letters coming down from Washington.

As of now, the chalk cross remains intact, but so does the debate about religious expression and the separation of church and state in the public sphere.
Texas-based Christian ministry provides clean water to residents living near polluted river in Kenya

Amid the endless rows of tightly packed shanties lining the outskirts of Athi River, a city with an ancient lineage situated about 20 miles from Nairobi, the U.S.-based Christian nonprofit organization The Bucket Ministry is bringing the gift of clean, safe drinking water to residents who have long struggled with unsafe water sources.

The Texas-based ministry has announced its plans to distribute water filters to a quarter of Athi Rivers population, specifically targeting the citys four slums: Bondeni-Jua Kali, Kanani, Slaughter and Sophia. The initiative is focused on combatting the rampant waterborne diseases afflicting these communities, where municipal plumbing is absent and sewage management is non-existent.

Christopher Beth, founder and director of the Bucket Ministry, said that of the total cases reported at local clinics, 40 out of every 100 are water-related illnesses. Beth believes this figure can be substantially reduced by providing simple and easy-to-maintain water filters. The ministry plans to distribute Sawyer PointONE filters, connected to buckets, that promises up to 20-plus years of clean, safe, drinking water.

This effort, the ministry says, follows the success of its previous work in Kibera, Nairobis informal settlement and Africas largest slum. In this settlement, the ministry managed to equip half the households with filters, drastically reducing self-reported diarrhea rates from 52.7% to 2.2% within roughly 70 days.

But these life-changing efforts come amid tensions with the Kenyan government. The Bucket Ministry told The Christian Post that despite the governments claim of intending to solve the water crisis, it has actually sought to tax the organization for providing the filters.

A widespread issue in the region, water pollution is worsened by local industries accused by environmentalists of discharging raw sewage and pollutants into the Athi River, further contaminating the already compromised water sources, The Associated Press reported earlier. Kenyas National Environment Management Authority, responsible for the rivers water quality standards, has also been accused of negligence in controlling industrial discharge into the river.

Athi River, home to a diverse range of economic classes, witnesses the plight of its lower-class residents predominantly dwelling in slums. Recent census data revealed that the majority of families in the largest slum, Slaughter, survive on less than $1 a day.

To further their outreach, The Bucket Ministry conducts three in-home follow-up visits after each filter distribution. These visits are tracked using their proprietary Mission Mapping system and offers an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus while ensuring proper maintenance of the water filters.

With financial support from The Stoller Foundation, The Bucket Ministry has initiated its distribution in Athi River and is seeking additional funds to extend its water filter delivery to all households in the slums.

Since its inception in 2012, The Bucket Ministry has worked in over 20 countries, with the vision of reaching all regions in need of clean water and the message of the Gospel. As Beth puts it, they are as much concerned about the earthly existence of those they serve as they are about their heavenly lives.
Member of blasphemous drag troupe blames 'bigoted Christians' after Google backs off event 'Theyre using drag queens and trans people as scapegoats,' performer tells audience

A California man who performs under a blasphemous stage name while wearing womens clothing and makeup says he's disappointed after Christians at Google accused the search giant of religious discrimination over a scheduled company pride event.

Joshua Grannell, a self-described filmmaker and cult leader who performs under the stage name Peaches Christ 666, criticized Googles decision to distance itself from an event at a San Francisco LGBT bar after hundreds of employees reportedly complained via an internal petition.

According to CNBC, the show at San Franciscos Beaux was part of Googles annual slate of pride events, but after a few hundred employees signed the petition, Google removed the show from an internal list of company events.

The petition reportedly accused Google of religious discrimination, claiming the performance sexualizes and disrespects Christian co-workers, citing Grannells provocative and inflammatory artistry as a direct affront to the religion, beliefs and sensitivities of Christians.

Google told the outlet the performance was no longer a company-recognized diversity, equity and inclusion event and encouraged employees to attend a separate event at Googles offices.

Following the companys decision, Grannell shared a video on social media which he captioned: The situation with Google and our Pride Show this year was really disappointing. My hope is [that] their queer employees continue to push for the company not to cave in to bigoted christians in the future.

The video also included the hashtags "#googlepride #sfpride #pride #bigotry #fakechristian."

In the video taken at a local drag event, Grannell told the crowd, I dont usually talk about this sort of thing. Folks who work at Google put this together and we did this last year, and it was fabulous and it was fun and we had a good time.

And this year, a group of Christians at Google signed a petition  at which point the crowd is heard booing and hissing  to take this event from their employees because they thought it was upsetting, offensive, controversial, he continued.

Later in the video, Grannell admonished Google for its supposed support for pride events while failing to take a stand against anti-queer sentiment even in the name of religion and said Googles decision reflects a huge groundswell of hatred across the country.

Theyre using drag queens and trans people as scapegoats, and theyre hiding behind us to distract the world from their own bull, Grannell told the crowd.

In addition to the reference to the satanic number of the beast from the book of Revelation in Grannells stage name, Peaches Christ is an obvious mockery of the name and title of Jesus. His performer website shows him in makeup and womens clothing, holding a large ax.

Grannell is also named as a saint by the blasphemous drag troupe Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), granting him the title Saint Fierce Femme Fatale, Mistress of the Most Holy Mass.

Last Easter, he also made an appearance at the groups 43rd Easter Celebration at Mission Dolores Park, which featured an egg hunt for children followed by a variety show featuring men in drag and performances from several local acts.

In recent years, Google has been known for its extensive support for LGBT pride, with a microsite that allows businesses to identify as LGBT-friendly and highlighting such businesses on Google Maps and Search.
Pastor Jack Hibbs sounds alarm on the Church abandoning scriptural truths for 'woke' culture

ORLANDO  Jack Hibbs has outlined how Christians can discern if a church is abandoning biblical principles and succumbing to woke ideology as many abandon scriptural truths to appease an increasingly secularized culture.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California, expressed concern about the current state of the Church in America.

I see the Church today, predominantly the Church in America, on its heels, it's on its back, it's against the ropes because the Church doesn't seem to know its Scriptures or its place, the pastor said during a sit-down interview at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention.

It's as though it's a ship at sea without an anchor. Pastors today dont know what they should say, Can I get away with this? rather than just speaking the truth in love, he said.

To combat this, Hibbs encouraged believers to immerse themselves in the Scriptures, whether by reading or listening to the audio version. The Bible, he said, provides discernment and enables people to identify falsehoods, such as the subtle nuances of woke culture.

Woke now is kind of trying to refine itself; it's more subtle than it was when it first came out, he said. How am I going to know about these nuances in this woke-ism world we're in? The Bible. The Bible calls for discernment, and God gives that. We don't have it. God, the Holy Spirit will give us discernment from the Bible to tell us when somethings off.

Ask God, Lord, show me what's what here. Is there something goofy that I need to know about? And He's always faithful.

While not all churches are the same and may adhere to different theologies regarding secondary issues like the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a true, biblically sound church will not waver on the authority of Scripture, the deity of Jesus and other major tenants, he said.

God will lead you to a church that is a biblical worldview church, he said. When it's a biblical worldview church based upon biblical truth, then, Jesus said, Be salt and light. Go into the world around you. And that's where you engage the culture.

Hibbs recently unveiled the Real Life Network, a new platform designed to provide a space for truth and Christian content without the fear of censorship or cancellation. The network, which launched on May 28, offers a subscription-based model similar to popular streaming services like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The pastor explained that the Real Life Network was created in response to the current atmosphere where speaking up for truth often leads to backlash and cancellation. He noted that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his ministry faced the risk of being silenced.

Hibbs is no stranger to wading into hot-button issues, addressing topics including COVID-19 and the Antichrist from the pulpit. In November 2022, he made headlines after urging his congregation to oppose a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in Californias Constitution.

I think the Church today needs to stand firm, preach what it believes, and if it doesn't believe it, the pastor needs to go on a cruise, figure himself out, or get a new job, he said.

And to pastors who are hesitant to speak the truth on controversial topics, Hibbs reminded them of their biblical command to please an audience of One.

If you're called, then you can take any heat, he said. You can take any criticism because when you lay your head down at night, you're free. You get your assessment every day when you shut down, as it were, with Jesus: Lord, tell me how I might have misrepresented You today, or, Tell me what things, God, you want to build upon today. I'm telling you, I wouldn't know how to live if that weren't true.

A seasoned pastor, Hibbs acknowledged the reality of pastor burnout. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing family time, self-care and true accountability.

I think accountability best works when it's done out of love, he said. If we love each other, we're going to tell each other about what's wrong and what's right  men don't have to be enslaved anymore to Satan's tricks. The Gospel is more powerful than that.

Addressing those who have experienced church hurt or abuse, Hibbs lamented the reality that people, even with good intentions, can let others down. He emphasized that regardless of what people do, Jesus remains constant and should be the ultimate focus.

Please hear this everybody: Get your eyes on Jesus, he said. I want to ask you this question: What did He ever do to you? The world has done evil to us, people have let us down, and even in the name of Christianity, we've been offended. But when I look and read what He has said and what He's done in the Bible, now my perspective is right. And my eyes are on Him.

It would take a lot for somebody to disappoint me because I'm not expecting anything from them, he added. I expect it to come from the Lord.
Muslim, Christian parents protest school district requiring students to participate in LGBT lessons

Hundreds of parents from various faith traditions, including Christian and Muslim parents, demonstrated Tuesday, demanding that the largest school district in Maryland allow them to opt their kids out of LGBT lessons and books they believe contradict their religious beliefs.

Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Maryland, told The Christian Post on Thursday that concerned parents in Montgomery County are not calling for the banning of LGBT books but to have the right to decide if their child should be exposed to certain materials.

"They personally just want to have a right to say when and how their children are exposed to content that conflicts with their beliefs," Chaudry told CP. "The school system has unilaterally made this decision."

"They're forcing children as young as pre-K to be part of these discussions, not just book readings, but classroom discussions that teach values, that teach ideas about lifestyles and aspects of different communities that conflict with the basic fundamental principles in many different faith traditions," she continued.

See the diversity in the anti-woke intersectional coalition that wants to opt out kids from age-inappropriate sexual content. Watch the white woke activist shimmy for my camera until shes warned to stop. Then hear the innocent chant of parents and kids from immigrant families. pic.twitter.com/hFbOJKviIP  Asra Nomani  Defeating the #WokeArmy (@AsraNomani) June 28, 2023

Muslim parents began contacting CAIR last fall after the school district introduced LGBT-themed books. Parents wanted the right to opt their children out of reading books with LGBT themes.

As WMAR 2 reported Thursday, some of the books parents object to include titles like Pride Puppy and Uncle Bobby's Wedding. The crowd consisted mostly of Muslim and Ethiopian Orthodox parents who believe the school district is violating their First Amendment rights. According to a tweet from author and former Georgetown University professor Asra Nomani, who attended the rally, the protesters also included Peruvian Catholics.

In addition to introducing the LGBT books, Chaudry said there are additional discussions and classroom activities on the topic happening from the pre-K grade level through 12th grade.

The organization provided parents who contacted them for support with a template letter. Families typically use template letters to request reasonable accommodations due to curriculum content or if a child must be excused for a religious holiday.

While MCPS initially honored their request, according to Chaudry, the school district began requiring all students to participate in the LGBT-inclusive lessons, with no option to opt out, in March.

"It's deeply troubling on many levels because it sets a very dangerous precedent when it comes to religious freedom for all communities," Chaudry said. "This is not a Muslim issue; this is not a Jewish issue or a Christian issue."

"This is an issue for any student of any faith who chooses to be opted out of content that conflicts with their religious beliefs," she continued. "This sets a very dangerous precedent for that, and it's actually fuel for more bigotry in some cases because, unfortunately, people feel that the school system is not receptive to their voices."

Chaudry voiced similar concerns during a news conference this week, calling for MCPS to restore its opt-out option for parents. The CAIR director emphasized the diversity of the concerned parents, highlighting the members of Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities present at the event.

The Montgomery County Public School System did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

As Fox News reported Tuesday, MCPS announced the LGBT reading list last year. The list is part of the district's English language arts curriculum. Despite multiple requests from parents to opt their children out of these lessons, the school board said that the students are required to "engage" with these materials.

Under a new policy set to be implemented during the 2023'24 academic year, parents will not be allowed to opt their children out of any instructional materials, with the exception of Family Life and Human Sexuality Unit of Instruction. Teachers also will not send home notices to parents informing them when LGBT-themed books are being read.

In response to Tuesday's demonstrations, MCPS implemented additional safety measures during its Board of Education meeting that day. Attendees at the meeting were limited to "scheduled speakers, invited attendees and other guests to the capacity of the room."
Supreme Court vacates ruling against Christian bakers punished for not making lesbian wedding cake

The United States Supreme Court has again vacated a lower court decision against a Christian couple in Oregon who were punished for not making a cake for a same-sex wedding.

In an orders list released Friday, the Supreme Court vacated the decision against Aaron and Melissa Klein in their ongoing litigation with the Oregon Bureau of Labor.

The high court sent the case back to the Court of Appeals of Oregon to be further considered in light of Friday's ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis released Friday morning.

In that case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Colorado cannot force Lorie Smith of 303 Creative to design websites that celebrate same-sex marriage, which she was opposed to doing on religious grounds.

Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the court's opinion, concluding that "no public accommodations law is immune from the demands of the Constitution" and that the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong.

The First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Kleins, released a statement via email in which they celebrated the vacating of the earlier ruling against the Christian couple.

Its a win when the Supreme Court vacates a bad lower court decision like it did for Aaron and Melissa today, but the case is not over, said First Liberty President Kelley Shackleford, as quoted in the statement.

The Kleins have been fighting for the First Amendment for over a decade and we will stand with them no matter how long it takes to get the victory they deserve.

The owners of Sweetcakes by Melissa, in 2013 the Kleins refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, citing their religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.

In response, the same-sex couple filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, in which the government entity concluded that the Kleins had violated the states accommodations law.

Because of the BOLI ruling against them, the Kleins were fined $135,000 in damages and were forced to close their bakery.

The Christian couple appealed the BOLI ruling in 2016, with the Oregon Court of Appeals upholding the order in a 2018 ruling. This prompted them to first appeal to the Supreme Court in 2018.

In January 2019, the Supreme Court vacated the 2018 ruling against the Kleins and sent the case back down to the state appeals court in light of the then-newly issued Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision.

The Supreme Court had ruled 7-2 in Masterpiece that Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed an unconstitutional anti-religious animus toward Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop when it punished him for refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding.

In January of last year, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon maintained that the Kleins unlawfully discriminated against the lesbian couple back in 2013.

However, the appeals court panel also decided to reverse the order requiring the couple to pay $135,000 in damages and remanded the case for further proceedings.

Last September, First Liberty again filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, asking the justices to review another decision against the Kleins given by the Oregon Court of Appeals.

First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub said in a statement last year that she believed the Kleins have never received a fair hearing before an unbiased tribunal during the litigation.

We hope the Court will hear the Kleins case and clarify that all Americans have a constitutional right to due process, free speech, and religious liberty, stated Taub at the time.

After nearly a decade, its past time for the Supreme Court to put an end to the state of Oregons hostility toward Aaron and Melissa.
Christian web designer cannot be forced to create same-sex wedding websites

(CP) The United States Supreme Court has ruled that Colorado cannot force a Christian website designer to create websites celebrating same-sex marriage.

In a decision released Friday morning in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the high court ruled 6-3 that Lorie Smith of 303 Creative could not be compelled by state civil rights law to make websites that go against her sincerely-held religious beliefs.

Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the opinion of the court, being joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Gorsuch wrote that "no public accommodations law is immune from the demands of the Constitution" and expressed concern over the state's attempt to control Smith's speech.

"Under Colorado's logic, the government may compel anyone who speaks for pay on a given topic to accept all commissions on that same topicno matter the underlying messageif the topic somehow implicates a customer's statutorily protected trait," wrote Gorsuch.

"Equally, the government could force a male website designer married to another man to design websites for an organization that advocates against same-sex marriage ... As our precedents recognize, the First Amendment tolerates none of that."

Gorsuch went on to note that "commitment to speech for only some messages and some persons is no commitment at all" and that "the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion, being joined by Justices Elana Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, claiming that the majority "grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class."

"The business argues, and a majority of the Court agrees, that because the business offers services that are customized and expressive, the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment shields the business from a generally applicable law that prohibits discrimination in the sale of publicly available goods and services. That is wrong. Profoundly wrong," Sotomayor wrote.

"[Colorado's law] targets conduct, not speech, for regulation, and the act of discrimination has never constituted protected expression under the First Amendment. Our Constitution contains no right to refuse service to a disfavored group."

In 2016, Lorie Smith of 303 Creative filed a pre-enforcement challenge to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, arguing that the law would force her to offer services that violated her sincerely held belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled against Smith in July 2021, with the two-judge majority concluding that "Colorado has a compelling interest in protecting both the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups and their material interests in accessing the commercial marketplace."

"When regulating commercial entities, like Appellants, public accommodations laws help ensure a free and open economy," said Circuit Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, a Clinton appointee, in the majority opinion.

"Thus, although the commercial nature of Appellants' business does not diminish their speech interest, it does provide Colorado with a state interest absent when regulating noncommercial activity."

Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote the dissent, saying that the U.S. Constitution "protects Ms. Smith from the government telling her what to say or do."

"But the majority takes the remarkable  and novel  stance that the government may force Ms. Smith to produce messages that violate her conscience," Tymkovich wrote.

"In doing so, the majority concludes not only that Colorado has a compelling interest in forcing Ms. Smith to speak a government-approved message against her religious beliefs, but also that its public-accommodation law is the least restrictive means of accomplishing this goal. No case has ever gone so far."

In an opinion column published by Real Clear Religion a few months after the panel decision, Smith argued that the ruling against her showed that "the courts are even more open than many of us realized to letting officials punish religious freedom and silence free speech."

"Incredibly, the majority even decided that  as a person of unique, distinctive creative skills  I constitute a monopoly. And, as a monopoly, I have no legal right to retain my artistic freedom," Smith added. "The more unique my speech becomes, the more power the government has to regulate it."

"Imagine telling Taylor Swift that she has to warble whatever lyrics the government directs her to sing because no one writes songs quite like she does."

Smith appealed her case to the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments last December.

 The Christian Post
Political mobilisation within the black Church: a work in progress

The National Church Leaders Forum (NCLF) launched their second manifesto for action earlier this year. The manifesto addresses issues faced by the African and Caribbean communities and makes recommendations to increase social and political engagement.

Christian Today spoke with Rev Ade Omooba, Chair of the NCLF, to hear his thoughts on the political engagement of black churches and the impact the manifesto is having on minority communities.

The NCLF wants the manifesto to act as a 'catalyst' for more black Christians to vote. How successful do you think this will be?

AO: The manifesto serves indeed as a catalyst and a proactive effort to ourselves, congregants, communities and other stakeholders within our nation, to be intentional in making policymakers understand and be aware of our realities.

Policies need to reflect our realities to effect progressive transformation. Hence, we're not asking what can be done for us but what we are doing, must do, and will do to be the change agents within our communities and nation at large.

What do you hope for the manifesto to achieve?

AO: We want the NCLF and this manifesto to be one voice for the black Church - a focus for collective action aimed at progressive transformation as it were. And we want our churches to fully engage with the wider sociopolitical issues and to better understand the times, so that through that we can be salt and light in our communities.

To achieve all we aspire and hope for, as detailed within the manifesto, voting and political mobilisation is key and there is a section dedicated to this within the manifesto with recommendations and live online forums to ensure we're engaging our own and empowering them to utilise the power of their vote.

The NCLF seeks to bring greater cohesion and unity to African and Caribbean Christians, and to represent and give greater visibility and voice to the mission of the black church in the UK. Hence, this second edition of the manifesto.

CT: One of the goals of the manifesto is to encourage more African and Caribbean people to register to vote and engage with the democratic process. Why do you think so few African and Caribbean people in the UK are registered to vote?

AO: I must first give credit to the many people, organisations, groups and parts of the Church that work tirelessly to inform, educate and encourage African and Caribbean people to register to vote and then actually vote in the elections. Their efforts have real impact but the numbers registered to vote need to improve significantly.

Mindsets play a major role as to why fewer people from the African Caribbean community register to vote. In my view, your vote is your right, it's your authority, it's your influence, so use it well.

Voting is not something we do just one time on a single day, just making an appearance on election day. It takes days, weeks, months and years of preparing yourself to make the right choices and not leave it to chance.

What we also want though is for those who are registered already to encourage and mobilise others within their sphere to do the same.

CT: Do you feel the black churches in the UK could speak out more against injustice?

AO: We are doing a lot but we can always do more across various spheres of society. In so many areas the voice from the church is mute while the noise in the city is louder. A true leader becomes a voice for the people they serve, and the church over decades and centuries has gained the right and responsibility to speak as an authoritative and prophetic voice through its stewardship, which is what authenticates leadership.

Injustice for me anywhere is injustice everywhere and while presidents and prime ministers will say they have a duty to speak and act on such matters, they aren't the only ones primed to minister or preside over such matters. The Church is equally primed to minister and preside over such matters with courage, conviction, clarity and compassion. The Church has a duty of care to be an authoritative and prophetic voice on matters of injustice as biblically inspired and instructed.

Have you seen any positive change come about as a result of the manifesto?

AO: We've seen greater cohesion and unity amongst African and Caribbean Christians, and an improvement in representation, visibility and voice to the mission of the black Church in the UK.

But the African and Caribbean community needs to be more cohesive and coherent in responding to the opportunities and challenges within our communities.

The Church is often deemed to be one of the most stable institutions in our communities and the NCLF as a forum of leaders wants to lead by example to encourage greater cohesion, visibility and voice to all those in our communities who have incredible potential. For me, that's plausible improvement and development.

What is required for effective mobilisation of the black Church?

AO: I would encourage all black Christians in the UK to get involved with the NCLF and this manifesto and let it be our one voice - collective action for progressive transformation.

Let's together create greater cohesion and unity amongst African and Caribbean Christians, and improve our representation, visibility and voice of the mission of the black Church in the UK.

It's about cohesion and unity at every level, in word, deed and prayers - different faces, different spaces, different places, but the same message. Change is difficult but it is possible.
Supreme Court vacates ruling against Christian bakers punished for not making lesbian wedding cake

(CP) The United States Supreme Court has again vacated a lower court decision against a Christian couple in Oregon who were punished for not making a cake for a same-sex wedding.

In an orders list released Friday, the Supreme Court vacated the decision against Aaron and Melissa Klein in their ongoing litigation with the Oregon Bureau of Labor.

The high court sent the case back to the Court of Appeals of Oregon to be further considered in light of Friday's ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis released Friday morning.

In that case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Colorado cannot force Lorie Smith of 303 Creative to design websites that celebrate same-sex marriage, which she was opposed to doing on religious grounds.

Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the court's opinion, concluding that "no public accommodations law is immune from the demands of the Constitution" and that "the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong."

The First Liberty Institute, which is representing the Kleins, released a statement via email in which they celebrated the vacating of the earlier ruling against the Christian couple.

"It's a win when the Supreme Court vacates a bad lower court decision like it did for Aaron and Melissa today, but the case is not over," said First Liberty President Kelley Shackleford, as quoted in the statement.

"The Kleins have been fighting for the First Amendment for over a decade and we will stand with them no matter how long it takes to get the victory they deserve."

In 2013 the Kleins, who own Sweetcakes by Melissa, refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, citing their religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.

In response, the same-sex couple filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), in which the government entity concluded that the Kleins had violated the state's accommodations law.

Because of the BOLI ruling against them, the Kleins were fined $135,000 in damages and were forced to close their bakery.

The Christian couple appealed the BOLI ruling in 2016, with the Oregon Court of Appeals upholding the order in a 2018 ruling. This prompted them to first appeal to the Supreme Court in 2018.

In January 2019, the Supreme Court vacated the 2018 ruling against the Kleins and sent the case back down to the state appeals court in light of the then-newly issued Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision.

The Supreme Court had ruled 7-2 in Masterpiece that Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed an unconstitutional anti-religious animus toward Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop when it punished him for refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding.

In January of last year, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon maintained that the Kleins unlawfully discriminated against the lesbian couple back in 2013.

However, the appeals court panel also decided to reverse the order requiring the couple to pay $135,000 in damages and remanded the case for further proceedings.

Last September, First Liberty again filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, asking the justices to review another decision against the Kleins given by the Oregon Court of Appeals.

First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub said in a statement last year that she believed the Kleins have never received "a fair hearing before an unbiased tribunal" during the litigation.

"We hope the Court will hear the Kleins' case and clarify that all Americans have a constitutional right to due process, free speech, and religious liberty," stated Taub at the time.

"After nearly a decade, it's past time for the Supreme Court to put an end to the state of Oregon's hostility toward Aaron and Melissa."

 The Christian Post
Iran and Russia are becoming closer allies. This includes Russian plans to provide Iran with S400 air defense systems and cooperating with Iran in Syria, where Israeli air strikes have prevented Iran from launching attacks into Israel. At the same time Israel is improving its relationship with Ukraine. This is influenced by its worsening relationship with Russia because of Russias closer relationship with Iran. Israel has been sending economic aid to Ukraine but not weapons. So far.

Russia is obsessed with conquering Ukraine and losing. At the same time, Iran remains obsessed with destroying Israel and losing too. Irans presence in Syria is Israels chief threat, so Israeli efforts to make a peace deal with the Syrian Assad government depend on convincing the Assads that with Israeli help they can survive declaring their independence from Iranian domination. Israel has long recognized this opportunity and in mid-2022 sent Basher Assad an ultimatum that, if he did not cease cooperating with the Iranians (especially the movement and storage of Iranian missiles to Syria), Israeli airstrikes would go after Assad and family members by bombing the many luxury residences (palaces'') used by the Syrian family in and around Damascus. The Assads had earlier denied this degree of cooperation but this time Israel pointed out it was sharing intel with Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies and that means it is a lot more difficult for Assad to get away with lying to the Israelis. Arab nations and Israel were trying to get the Assads to switch sides and the Assads made a decision to stick with Iran without telling the wealthy Gulf Arab states he was hoping would invest in rebuilding the Syrian economy once the war was finally over. The Israelis did not follow through on their threat and it was believed that the Iranian threat to kill Assad and his family was a more compelling offer. The Assads are survivors and apparently continuing their negotiations with Arab nations and Israel. The Iranians are increasingly preoccupied with problems inside Iran as well as their new military alliance with Russia. This makes Iran a participant in the Ukraine war on the Russian side. That makes Iran even more unpopular internationally. Despite that, Iran is determined to hold onto its current power in Syria.

Israel treats Iran as a major threat, especially because of the Iranian presence in Syria though Irans nuclear program is starting to rival that. Israel has been at war with Iran in Syria for nearly a decade, during which Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes and a few commando operations against Iranian operations in Syria. This cost Iran a lot of lives and money, and is one of the things restive Iranians want to halt by pulling Iranian forces out of Syria and Lebanon. But first the Iranians have to shut down the Iranian religious dictatorship, which, as expected, resists efforts to shut down operations in Syria.

Iran controls irregular forces in Syria along with the more organized Hezbollah in Lebanon and the inept Hamas in Gaza. Iran also has short-range ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and keeps trying to smuggle guided rockets and short-range ballistic missiles into Syria and Lebanon. Hundreds of Israeli air strikes have prevented the guided weapons buildup and formidable Israeli BMD (ballistic missiles defense) systems neutralize the use of missiles launched from Iran. So far the defenses have worked. Israel has now offered to sell its BMD systems to their new Arab allies, and help them use whatever BMD systems they do obtain to keep the Iranian missiles out.

March 7, 2023: In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers raided a house where a suspected Hamas terrorist lived. The suspect was believed responsible for two Israelis last month. The suspect opened fire and was killed in a brief battle, along with five other Palestinians who attacked the soldiers. Another twelve Palestinians were wounded as well as three Israeli soldiers. Palestinian leaders complained about the high Palestinian casualties that occurred when Palestinians in the area attacked the soldiers. As expected, the Palestinians in the south (Gaza) later launched a rocket towards southern Israel. Israeli radar detected the launch but the rocket malfunctioned and landed inside Gaza.

In northern Syria (Aleppo) an Israeli airstrike put the Aleppo airport out of service. This was apparently part of the effort to disrupt shipments of weapons to Syria and Lebanon.

March 5, 2023: In the north (Lebanese border) an Israeli army patrol crossed the border and was confronted by Lebanese troops who physically attacked the Israelis. Before this could escalate, UN peacekeepers arrived and resolved the situation.

March 4, 2023: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Britain called on Israel to curb the activities and presence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. For a decade now the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has been increasing. This is partly in reaction to the Israel does not exist strategy of the Palestinians. This backfired by 2013 when an opinion survey showed that 83 percent of Israelis did not believe that returning to the 1967 borders (in a peace deal with the Palestinians) would end the Palestinian terrorism. This is a big shift from 2000, when Israel offered the Palestinians a peace deal that most Palestinians would accept in 2013. But back then the Palestinian leader (Yasser Arafat), facing pressure from Palestinian leaders instead launched a terror campaign against Israel. This was defeated by the Israelis by 2005 but is still sputtering along. After 2005 the Palestinians split into Fatah (more corrupt, less Islamic) and Hamas (less corrupt, more Islamic) factions. Both groups continue to spew death to the Jews messages via their media outlets (with a more moderate tone in non-Arabic pronouncements). In response to the death threats from the Palestinians, many Israelis have backed Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Originally these were efforts by extremist groups to begin the process of annexing the West Bank to Israel. The most extreme of these groups want the Arabs expelled from this territory which, thousands of years ago was part of ancient Israel. The Israeli government has never backed the expulsion idea, but does support the settlements, if only because it makes the West Bank less of a threat to Israel. Israelis are well aware of these Palestinian media messages and have given up hope of making a real and lasting peace deal with the Palestinians. The Israeli goes through the motions to placate foreign allies who disregard Palestinian attitudes towards Israel and insist on a peace deal. Palestinian attitudes since 2013 have been consistently anti- peace. Arafats widow later confirmed that her husband deliberately began the 2000 terror campaign in order to coerce Israel into sweetening the peace deal. Israel would not submit to coercion and fought back. Arafat had long claimed that the 2000 terror campaign was a spontaneous Palestinian response to the Israeli peace offer. At the time, most Palestinians were willing to accept it. But the Palestinian radicals wanted Israel destroyed and nothing less would do. As long as the Palestinians insist that Israel must be destroyed, most Israelis support the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

March 3, 2023: The Israeli domestic intelligence service (Shin Bet, similar to the British MI5) revealed that it had arrested four members if a Hamas terrorist cell (group) that had received training in Syria and Turkey before returning to the West Bank, where they were arrested.

March 2, 2023: In the West Bank one Palestinian was killed and another wounded during an attack on Israeli soldiers. Since these attacks often involve fire bombs or large rocks, If Israeli troops feel their lives are in danger, they can fire at their attackers and not just into the air.

March 1, 2023: In the north, across the Syrian border in Quneitra and Daraa provinces, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets warning Syrians to not cooperate with Hezbollah members who operate intelligence networks and seek to recruit Syrians to work with Hezbollah to network of pro-Iran operatives who would help Iran establish a military presence on the border and attack Israel. The leaflets pointed out that Israeli air and artillery strikes often hit Hezbollah operations near the border. For several years Israel has been increasingly active in attacking their hostile operatives near the border. Since the 1980s the Lebanese Hezbollah Shia militia has been supported financially and with weapons by Iran. That led to the Iranian 2011 order that sent Hezbollah forces into Syria to protect the Shia Assad government and later to take control of the Syrian side of the Israeli border and work with Iranian troops to launch attacks on Israel. Israeli efforts to prevent Iranian forces from operating close to the Israeli border or gaining support from the border population in the border provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda have increased. Total population of these provinces in 2011 was 1.4 million but only about 20 percent of that was on or near the border. After the 2011 Civil War began much of the Sunni population fled. How much remains on the border is unclear but is apparently at least 100,000. Only Quentera and Daraa border Israel. Israel has occupied most of Quentera province since the 1967 War and the Israeli controlled area is mostly the Golan Heights. This is the high ground overlooking northern Israel and the Syrians made a major and ultimately failed effort in the 1973 War to retake Golan. Control of the Daraa border with Israel was sought by Iranian forces but Russian and Syrian troops blocked many of the Iranian efforts and are now pushing away Iranian-backed forces already there.

February 27, 2023: The IAEA reports that they found traces of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent, just short of the 90 percent required for nuclear weapons. These samples were found at the Fordow procession facility where uranium is only supposed to be enriched to 60 percent.. This comes at the same time information about an agreement between Russia and Iran for Russia to pay for weapons by supplying highly enriched uranium.

February 26, 2023: In the West Bank two Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen. One of the dead held dual Israeli-American citizenship.

February 25, 2023: In the West Bank a Palestinian man was shot dead when he tried to attack an Israeli civilian with a knife. This sort of attack on Israelis, usually with knives or vehicles, usually takes place in the West Bank. This began in 2015 when Palestinian leaders called for suicidal knife terrorism attacks. These attacks soon lost their popularity despite Fatah continuing to encourage these attacks energetically in all the Palestinian media. This can be seen in the number of Palestinian terror attacks disrupted each year. It was 217 in 2014, 187 in 2013, 112 in 2012 and 88 in 2011. In the last decade knife attacks are less common and almost always occur in the West Bank or Jerusalem. Since 1948 some 2,600 Israelis have died from terror attacks inside Israel. Nearly five percent of those dead were foreigners. Palestinian terrorism efforts have never recovered from the defeat they suffered, when Israel adopted new tactics that largely shut down the terror campaign the Palestinians began in 2000. Fatah and Hamas have been trying to revive that effort ever since and have largely failed. The 2022 Israeli deaths are hailed as a great victory while the 70 Palestinians killed during these attacks, especially the many that failed. These attacks are often described by Palestinians as Israeli oppression of peaceful Palestinians.

February 23, 2023: In the south (Gaza) five rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, where they were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Later in the day, Israeli air strikes destroyed a Hamas weapons manufacturing facility as well as a weapons storage warehouse.

February 22, 2023: In the West Bank, soldiers sought to arrest three terrorism suspects but the three refused to surrender and opened fire and were killed by return fire. Hundreds of Palestinians then attacked the soldiers and tried to block their withdrawal. More soldiers arrived and nine more Palestinians were killed and over a hundred wounded.

February 20, 2023: Turkish interference in Libyan internal affairs is making the formation of a Libyan national government even more difficult. The UN agrees that the Turkish demands are illegal but refuses to do much about it. That is actually normal for the UN. The United States and European governments are demanding that the UN act but the UN refuses without admitting that it is simply impossible for the UN to obtain enough international support to pressure the Turks to get out of Libya. UN efforts in Libya to help establish a national government have failed and are now seen as part of the problem. The UN still considers its efforts as a positive force in Libya. While most Libyans are ready to form a national government, the UN and Turkey remain the primary obstacles to achieving that. There are other obstacles, like Egypt, which has long been a major factor in Eastern Libya politics because the Egyptians want to look after the many Egyptians who work in Libya as well as keeping Islamic terrorists in Libya from getting into Egypt or smuggling weapons into Egypt.

February 19, 2023: In southern Syria (Damascus) an Israeli airstrike at night damaged a ten-story building in a residential neighborhood that was being used as the headquarters for Iranian and Hezbollah operations in Syria. Iran believed that a building in a residential area would discourage Israel from carrying out an air strike. The upscale residential area is where a lot of senior government officials and their families live. Israeli aircraft used at least two air-to-surface guided missiles for the attack. The building was not completely destroyed, but much rubble fell into surrounding streets and windows in some adjacent buildings were broken. The airstrike took place after midnight when February temperatures are near freezing and not many people are on the streets in residential neighborhoods. Iran tried to use civilians as human shields by placing this headquarters in a residential area and it is unclear if the Syrian government agreed with this policy or were forced to go along. In Gaza the Hamas government regularly puts key military facilities in residential areas and Israel attacks them, usually after first hacking the telephone system to call all the civilians who might be and danger and warning them to leave their building. This reduces civilian casualties and annoys Hamas. The situation is different in Syria where Iranians are an unwelcome guest the Assad government cannot refuse.

February 15, 2023: Iran is converting a container ship to an aircraft carrier. This is complicated by the fact that the superstructure (crew quarters, work spaces and offices) stretches across the ship and is over a hundred meters from the rear of the ship. Using a container ship as a carrier means building an odd shaped flight deck. Reconstruction of the container ship Perarin began about nine months ago and recent satellite photos show an angled flight deck that partially overhangs the hull. The area behind the superstructure is apparently being used as a helicopter landing pad with anti-aircraft guns mounted at the rear of the ship. The new carrier will carry and operate several types of UAVs, including the Shahed 129A. Iran has about three dozen of these and while they look like an American Predator, they are smaller (less than half a ton) and the tech was obtained from reverse engineering an Israeli Hermes 450 that crashed largely intact in a place the Iranians could recover it. The 129A entered service in 2013 and is not used as a cruise missile, like the smaller (less than a quarter ton) Shahed 136 used in Ukraine as a cruise missile. The 129a can carry four Sadid guided bombs. Each of these weighs 34 kg (75 pounds) and has a max range of six kilometers. Accuracy is (at several meters) not as precise as missiles like Hellfire which can hit within a meter of the target, Sadid was proved effective when used in Syria. Operating relatively large UAVs like the 129A from a carrier deck may lead to a few accidents and possible loss of some 129As. This is less of a problem with the smaller UAVs used as cruise missiles on one-way missions. Most of the UAVs carried by the new carrier will be these smaller models. They are built in large quantities and Iran assisted the Russians in building a factory in Russia to produce several types of Iranian UAVs. The larger UAVs are often built in smaller quantities, often no more than 30 or 40. The exceptions are particularly successful models, like the more than 200 Mohajer-6s built since 2018. Irans UAV carrier can carry over a hundred UAVs if most of them are the smaller models used as cruise missiles. The larger UAVs are essential for reconnaissance and surveillance and training operations can be monitored because they have to be held at sea under realistic (windy with rough waters) to be effective. Some Western navies operate large UAVs off carrier decks. Turkey has built an amphibious assault ship with a carrier deck designed for operating large, jet powered, UAVs. The only problem with the Iranian carriers is that they are easy to spot and track by nations (like Israeli) with their own surveillance satellites and warplanes carrying long-range air-to-surface missiles that can be used against ships. Israel also has submarines operating in the region. Iran appears to be converting a second ship (a tanker) into a carrier and apparently has ambitious plans for these new ships. Iran lives in a dangerous neighborhood, made so largely by the mischief Iran creates, and the neighbors, especially the wealthy Arab oil states are heavily armed and well trained to handle whatever Iran aims at them.

February 6, 2023: A massive earthquake registering 7.8, on a scale where anything over six is considered major, devastated the Turkish-Syrian border in northeast Syria. Iran ordered its Islamic terrorists support units (Quds Force) in the area to provide any quake relief they are capable of. Some other Islamic terrorist groups did the same. This has long been a major combat zone on the Syrian side of the border. Most of the earthquake damage took place on the Turkish side. Total deaths are expected to exceed 50,000 and the total won't be known until the massive numbers of collapsed structures, especially in residential areas, are searched. The quake brought a halt to combat in Syria and Turkish military operations in the area as well as the food and other aid for the many civilians trapped in the Syrian Idlib province combat zone. This disrupts the operations of Islamic terror groups in the area. Islamic terrorists in other parts of Syria, particularly near the Israeli and Iraqi borders, reduced or suspended operations because of fears they would be subject to more attacks as a result of the temporary neutralization of Islamic terrorist operations in northern Syria. Israel and Iraq have both sent rescue and relief aid to Turkey.

January 30, 2023: : Israel has developed another, the fifth, version of its Merkava tank. The Merkava 5 was quietly developed, built, tested and deployed in small numbers during late 2022. This was ahead of schedule because the original delivery date was supposed to be early 2023. Like the earlier Merkava models, Merkava 5 is an improved version of the previous model. The 65-ton Merkava 4 entered service in 2005, with an upgraded version appearing in 2011. Further upgrades of Merkava 4 turned out to be so extensive that this version was designated Merkava 5, which weighs the same as Merkava 4. Several hundred Merkava 4 tank deliveries will instead incorporate the Merkava 5 features and enter service as Merkava 5s. This means there will be 360 Merkava 4s and 300 Merkava 5s. The price per tank will also increase from $4.5 million for each Merkava 4 and about $5 million for each Merkava 5. Improvements in the Merkava 5 include a more effective engine along with upgrades to the Iron Vision system that provides the commander a view of what is happening outside the tank. The new version provides a more realistic day/night view of what is outside as well as indications of where enemy fire (bullets or projectiles) hitting the tank is coming from and how best Merkava can respond. This was the result of upgrading the fire-control system. The Trophy APS (Active Protection System) has also been updated to be more effective and incorporate some of the lessons of the war in Ukraine. Israel is the smallest nation in the world to design and build its own tanks. This was the result of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, which took Israel by surprise and inflicted heavy losses before Israel counter-attacked and defeated Egypt and Syria and their larger number of modern Russian tanks. Israel carefully analyzes the results of each war it fights and makes changes to deal with problems encountered. The 1973 war prompted Israel to start designing and building its own tanks.

January 29, 2023: In eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) unidentified armed UAVs attacked a convoy of trucks that had just left Iraq and were moving towards a nearby base used by Iran-backed militias. Many of these militiamen are from Iraq or Lebanon (Hezbollah). Sometimes the UAVs are American but sometimes they are Israeli, which has UAVs capable of doing this and intelligence assets (photo satellites and local informants) to detect and track such Iranian supply convoys. Iraq doesnt care who does it as long as the attacks take place on the Syrian side of the border.

January 27, 2023: In the north (Golan Heights) a Hezbollah agent trying to sneak into Israel from Syria was caught by an Israeli army patrol. The Hezbollah agent was seeking to meet with an Israeli Arab he had recruited to observe and report on Israeli military operations in the Golan Heights. The Hezbollah agent entered Israel twice a month to meet with Israeli Arab operatives to pay him and receive new data they had collected. There were originally two Arab Israelis doing this for Hezbollah but the other operative was killed in May 2022 and Hezbollah continued to pay his widow. While Arab Israelis prosper in Israel compared to Arabs in neighboring states, they do not take advantage of educational opportunities to the extent that Jewish Israelis did. As a result, Arab Israeli income is now about 60 percent that of Jewish Israelis. Arab Israelis are still better off in terms of income and security compared to Arabs in Arab majority nations. Despite that, there has been a growing problem with the loyalty of Israeli Arabs since the 2006 war with Hezbollah. At least fifty Israeli Arabs are known to have joined ISIL and most appear to have died there or otherwise disappeared from view (or at least contact with their families back in Israel). A 2007 opinion survey of Arab Israelis revealed some scary attitudes. For example, 48 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel in 2006 were justified, even though Israeli Arabs suffered a disproportionate number of the Israeli casualties because most Israeli Arabs live in the north. Moreover, half saw the Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, which triggered the 2006 war, as justified, and 89 percent considered the Israeli attack on Lebanon a war crime while 44 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attack was a war crime. A third of Arab Israeli high school and college graduates don't believe that six million Jews were killed during World War II, compared to 28 percent of all Israeli Arabs. Arab Israelis also have fears, like the possibility of mass expulsions from Israel (60 percent), or transfer of their communities to a new Palestinian state (62 percent). In fact, 68 percent would prefer to live in Israel even if there were a peace deal that led to the creation of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, 63 percent of Israel Jews avoid entering Arab towns or neighborhoods, and 68 percent fear civil unrest among Israeli Arabs. Since 2007 these anti-Israel attitudes among Arab Israelis has gotten worse and Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIL try to take advantage of it. ISIL has been the most successful, mainly because it is the most radical Islamic terrorist group and that appeals to the young (especially teenage) Moslem males who are most attracted to Islamic terrorism. In 2020 another Arab-Israeli was arrested and charged with working as a spy for Iran. Police have observed the suspect meeting with Iranian intel personnel and then seeking to recruit other Arab-Israelis to work for Iran and help destroy Israel. Since 2014, and the appearance of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), there has been a sharp increase in Arab-Israelis actively working to destroy Israel. Police estimate that over 50 Arab-Israelis have actually made it to Syria and joined ISIL and about as many were detected in Israel or in Turkey before they got to Syria. Not many Palestinians (about a hundred) have actually gone to Syria. At least seven Israeli citizens (all Arabs) have died fighting for ISIL, which considers the destruction of Israel very important and called on Arab-Israelis to join the fight. Many of those who did not want to fight in Syria were receptive to Iranian efforts, via Hezbollah, to recruit Arab-Israelis to serve as spies. In most cases Iran simply wanted a reliable source of basic information any Israeli citizen could pick up by driving around the country or consulting local media. Iran also found that recruiting Arab-Israelis to assist in carrying out attacks inside Israel often worked. These attacks are carried out by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs but organized by Iranian agents in Gaza or Iranian-trained Palestinians in the West Bank. These Arab-Israeli terrorists are the great-grandchildren of the Arabs who decided to remain in Israel in 1948.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Five defendants pleaded guilty and will pay nearly $37,000 in restitution for stealing fish meant for a Sandusky charity, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.

The defendants  four people and the Sandusky-based Lake Fish Co.  also must pay a combined $24,120 to the Victory Soup Kitchen and a combined $13,000 in restitution to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, according to court records and the natural resources department.

Lake Fish Co.s wholesale fish license will be suspended for 30 days. The company is a commercial fish processor.

An investigation by the natural resources department found that 112 walleyes, one steelhead, one yellow perch and three whitefish were stolen. The defendants pleaded guilty in Erie County Common Pleas Court to several charges, including 13 misdemeanor counts of petty theft, one count of fifth-degree felony theft, two misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property and nine misdemeanor commercial fish violations.

In addition to the fish company, the defendants were: Craig Carr, 55, of Oak Harbor; Dale Trent, 59, of Port Clinton; Thelma Towner, 69, of Sandusky; and Stanley Swain, 55, of Milan. Court records list Trent as the president of Lake Fish. It is unclear from the states news release and documents whether the others work at the business.

The business, Trent and Carr originally were charged with racketeering, but Erie County prosecutors dismissed the charges in plea agreements, according to court records.

Lake Fish Co., Carr and Trent are expected to be sentenced in November. Towner is scheduled to go before Judge Tygh Tone later this month. Tone ordered Swain last month to pay $1,350 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, according to court records.

In 2021, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife began investigating the business after receiving a report that fish meant for charity were stolen by the company and its employees, the agency said.

Many Lake Erie walleye tournaments donate fish caught during the events to local charities, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said. The Ohio Division of Wildlife also donates walleye it catches in regular sampling surveys, and fish seized as evidence, to charities.

A commercial fish processor is paid to clean donated fish and return the ready-to-cook fillets to the charities.

The agencys initial investigation into Lake Fish Co. revealed evidence of theft, the state natural resources department said. In November 2021, video surveillance, fish processing records, fish packages and carcasses were seized from the company.

Victory Soup Kitchen was meant to receive the donated fish in 2021. Erie County sheriffs deputies assisted state officials with the investigation.
During an election year, politicians, specifically elected Parliament representatives, are known for grandstanding. They look at every issue with a hawks eye in order to strategically engage their target audience. With the country going through a medical drugs shortage crisis, one would have expected the same strategy, but there has been none. Not even reports to the effect that patients have had to leave their sick beds to join a nurses protest action in demand of drugs and medical supplies have triggered Members of Parliament(MPs) into action.

The House of Assembly Portfolio Committee on Health should have been at the forefront of this grandstanding. It is not a crime to grandstand. Instead, it helps address issues and it makes the politician doing it to look good. An August 2022 study by Ju Yeon Park on Electoral rewards for political grandstanding found that not all grandstanding statements are cheap talk. Political messages typically conveyed in grandstanding statements tend to contain elements resembling electoral campaign messages such as position taking, advertising and credit claiming.

In many representative democracies, legislators sometimes focus on making political points rather than making policy. Previous studies assumed or argued that they do so in an expectation of gaining more votes in the following election, but this claim has not been studied systematically. By looking at data on legislators statements, Parks paper demonstrates that US House representatives who made statements conveying political messages more intensely in any given two-year term tended to gain higher vote shares in the following election. This suggests that legislators grandstanding remarks, often regarded as cheap talk, can be an effective electoral strategy.

Additional findings suggest that donors respond differently to members grandstanding behaviour. Parks paper presents one primary argument: The political messages that legislators communicate publicly are likely to have electoral consequences. For politicians to stay in office and be reelected, winning the hearts and minds of voters is key.

Every year, Eswatini has to go through shortages of medical drugs and there seems to be no end in sight to this challenge, despite huge amounts of money being allocated towards solving this unending crisis. This time it has gotten worse just leading up to the all-important national general election. Milking it for what its worth would benefit both the politician and the voter. The politician would get the matter addressed and win the voter at the same time. This is a desperate situation and it calls for desperate measures.

Everyone and anyone cares about the countrys health system because it affects all of us. The Executive will always take advantage of the situation and present their own grandstanding, just like it has happened, by going on national radio to put a political spin on the drugs shortage. The Auditor General (AG), Timothy Matsebula, in his report on the Audit of Acquisition, Distribution, and Management of Pharmaceuticals stated that the Government Accounting System showed that the Ministry of Health spent over E1 billion on medical drugs in the financial year ended March 31, 2021.

He was explicit in stating that there was then a need to ascertain why there were shortages of medicines when government spent these amounts.

Although he noted that medicine shortage is a global occurrence in the health fraternity, with Eswatini not being spared from such, he emphasised on the need to find solutions to this. Yes, there is an ongoing forensic investigation to try and get to the bottom of the causes and hold accountable those responsible for the mess, it is worth revisiting Matsebulas findings of the audit that have rise to the forensic investigation.



His findings tell a gory story of the countrys medical drugs supply. You wonder how and why the situation has been allowed to reach these levels. Here is part of what Matsebula said: Medicine shortage is affecting low, middle, and high-income countries. Eswatini has developed various strategies to overcome the problem, while the problem is accelerating, affecting the whole country. There were efforts by government to try and minimise the problem. Nonetheless, despite the intervention of the Ministry of Health, the problem persists. Of concern is that the shortage of pharmaceuticals mostly affects public health facilities and this results to patients being referred to private pharmacies, who then provide the service at a higher cost than they could have paid in the public health facility.

The question then lingers, what causes the public health facilities to run short of the medicines? Medicines and medical supplies among other things by nature are complex, attractive, therefore, need stringent controls. How did we get here, really? Just look at the below findings and ask yourself how and why the situation has been allowed to continue unabated:

1. Out of stock medicines in the health facilities

The stock verification revealed that there were medicines that were out of stock and had been out of stock for a long period, in the 29 health facilities visited. However, there was an increase in the expenditure of E345 146 948 92 (50percent), from E690 000 160 51 in 2021 to E1 035 147 109.43 in 2022. Further, there was also obsolete stock of medicine worth E18 291 701.96 for the financial years 31st March 2019 to 2021.

2. Unaccounted-for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies

There was missing stock of medicines and/or unaccounted-for pharmaceuticals amounting to E18 793 823.99 in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2021 and 2022.

The audit unveiled that there was missing stock of medical drugs amounting to E5977 042.11: E5 848 589.89 in the fiscal year ended March 31st 2022 and E128452.22 in the fiscal year March 31st 2021, as reported in the trading account. The financial statement disclosed the missing stock as a difference between physical count by the Central Medical Stores and Government Accounting System.Pharmaceuticals amounting E12 12 281.28 which were acquired during the financial years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 were not accounted-for. They were either: not recorded in stock record cards; no stock cards to record the medicines; stock card balances and physical count balances were not tallying; and shortages in stock received. When projected to the population of public health facilities, the total of missing and unaccounted-for pharmaceuticals amounting to E151.6 million.

3. Lack of proper system to account for medication issued to patients:

The audit revealed that there is no way to trace and account for the medicines issued by dispensary to patients. It is difficult to ascertain if the medicines reached the patients. This is seen as the most critical part of the process where the question can be answered if the acquired medicines were all issued to patients based on the prescription. The developed Client Management Information System (CMIS) does not interface with the Electronic Logistics Management Information Systems (ELMIS) to at least give reports on accountability of medicines.

4. No automated data system for the quantification, procurement, management, and distribution of pharmaceuticals:

There is no automated data system for quantification, procurement management and distribution of pharmaceuticals. There is no data system that provides quantities of medicines needed (what to order) and available in the health facilities.

5. CMS supplying already expired medicine to health facilities

It was discovered that the CMS supplied already expired medicines to the health facilities, which contributes to the obsolete stock at the facility. It was also noted that the expired stock in the facilities is not disposed of timeously.

6. High volume of expired medicine/obsolete stock:

It was noted that there were high volumes of expired medicines (pharmaceuticals) without records. Due to the unavailability of records and the manner the obsolete stock was stored the audit team could not quantify it (both at CMS and facility level). The obsolete stock, had been in the warehouse for +/-10 years without being disposed. These are just a few of the findings but they represent a situation that is already disastrous. Why then is the portfolio committee not making noise about such findings? Mduduzi Small Joe Dlamini, the Chairperson of the committee should have woken himself up and got his team screaming at what the AG found.

But the sun is now setting on the current legislators term of office and we will have to wait for the next Parliament for any hope of action.

The outgoing committee has not done justice to the medical drugs shortage issue. They have just missed a great opportunity for valuable grandstanding.






CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Birdwatchers flocked to Euclid Beach Park early Saturday afternoon to catch a rare glimpse of a Pacific-based gull not known to frequent Clevelands freshwater coast.

About two dozen keen observers seemed to be searching for the Heermanns gull along the Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation on the shores of Lake Erie.

Armed with a camera and what appeared to be heavy-duty binoculars, one birdwatching duo said they had traveled from Columbus in hopes of spotting the gull, defined by its distinctive red bill, white head and dark-gray plumage.

Dozens of sightings have been reported on ebird.orgs Cuyahoga County Rare Bird Alert page since June 24. The sightings were along the waterfront at Euclid Beach Park and Villa Angela Beach in Clevelands North Collinwood neighborhood. Six sightings were reported during the first half of Saturday alone, according to the website.

The bird is a shockingly rare find for Northeast Ohio and much of the United States, the Columbus birdwatcher said. But it isnt the gulls only recent appearance on Lake Erie.

The Heermanns gull drew attention in Lorain back in late April. Sightings were reported at the Lorain Impoundment and Lorain Hot Waters, according to The Chronicle Telegram, which said it was perhaps only the second time one has been seen in Ohio.

Heermanns gulls breed in Mexicos Gulf of California and usually migrate northward to spend late summer and fall along the Pacific Coast, according to allaboutbirds.org.


 
Business: Clear Channel Outdoor is an out-of-home advertising company that offers a variety of advertising services, including through billboards, street furniture displays, transit displays and airport displays. It also sells street furniture equipment, provides cleaning and maintenance services and operates public bike programs. Clear Channel is broken into the following segments, which account for the following percentage of revenue: America (45%); Airports (10%, in the U.S. and Caribbean); Europe-North (23%); Europe-South (19%); and Other (3%, includes Latin America).

Activist Commentary: Legion is an activist investor whose managing directors are Chris Kiper, previously of Shamrock Activist Value Fund, and Ted White, previously of European activist fund Knight Vinke. Legion prefers to do its activist work behind the scenes, resorting to a proxy fight if amicable discussions do not go well. The firm has significant experience with consumer retail companies.

Legion sent a letter to Clear Channel's board, expressing concern with the scope and pace of the company's current strategic review process. The firm also argued that the board needed to consider a broader strategic review process, including potential divestitures of other non-core assets and select U.S. assets, or a sale of the entire company.

CCO is one of the largest and highest quality out-of-home ("OOH") advertising companies. The OOH business has long-term growth prospects and a strong business moat, especially among billboard assets. Clear Channel effectively has two business lines  Americas and Europe, each with very different business models and valuations. The European business works on fixed limited-term contracts with municipalities, which are rebid at maturity. Because of this, the European business trades at around a multiple of 8 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Most of the U.S. business is billboards, which the company owns, and accordingly trades closer to 13 times to 15 times EBITDA. Moreover, these billboards are in the process of being converted to digital, which will allow each billboard to generate approximately four times more revenue and six to 10 times more EBITDA. However, this conversion requires the approval of each municipality and will not be a quick process.

Despite its market leading position, Clear Channel's shares have seriously underperformed since its separation from iHeartMedia in May 2019. CCO is currently trading 79% below the pre-deal share price and 65% below its peers since the separation. CCO's underperformance has been linked to several factors, but is largely driven by the company's high leverage, which amplifies volatility, and the sub-optimized conglomerate structure, which increases complexity. This has led to a misunderstanding by the market of the intrinsic value of the underlying assets, which should be significantly higher than what is implied by the current stock price. Legion Partners conducted a sum-of-the-parts analysis based on 2024 adjusted EBITDA estimates which implies an upside of 230% (implied valuation of $3.57 compared to $1.08 as of May 12). The firm thinks this could be unlocked as the company transitions to a U.S. pure play and reduces its leverage. Legion highlighted that while multiples for publicly traded OOH peers have compressed recently given potential macroeconomic slowdown concerns, it has seen that private market multiples for OOH assets are robust. Legion thinks that given quick synergies, industry consolidation is an accretive pursuit for any OOH player.

Legion has been actively engaged with the company for the past two years and most recently, had a meeting with management on May 12, where Legion expressed its concerns with the pace and scope of the company's strategic review process. Specifically, Clear Channel has been prioritizing the sale of assets within Europe-South, even though the significantly larger part of the business is Europe-North. Moreover, since this strategic review of Europe began in December 2021, Clear Channel has announced the sales of businesses in Italy, Spain and Switzerland. This is concerning since as a fixed-contract business, the value goes down the closer the contracts get to maturity. Accordingly, Legion is pushing for an accelerated pursuit of a sale of the Europe business.

Legion sees two potential paths to value creation here. First, the company could sell off its European and Latin American businesses and become a U.S. pure play. While there is little value to Europe-South and Latin America, Legion believes that the Europe-North business could fetch $500 million to $600 million in a sale, which could be used to de-lever the company. Additionally, while selling Europe-South and Latin America would not yield significant proceeds, it would get rid of a distraction and allow management to focus on its crown jewel U.S. asset. As a sale of the European business would not be enough to optimally de-lever the balance sheet, Clear Channel could also consider selling select U.S. assets. Legion would like to see management pursue this plan while also exploring a potential sale of the entire company. Such a sale would be more complex and possibly less lucrative than the other plan, but it would have the benefit of certainty.

CCO first announced its strategic review of the European business in December 2021 and very little has come to fruition. It is unclear why this is and what the logjam is, but if it continues, Legion will want to be inside the boardroom to get a better look. Legion has shown in the past that it has no hesitancy in soliciting proxies if it feels that is necessary. We have no doubt that if the firm is met with reluctance by the board to commence one of the two outlined paths, Legion will seek board seats. But the firm has plenty of time to make that decision as the nomination window does not open until Jan. 4, 2024.

Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments.
A screen grab captured from a video shows Ukrainian soldiers as Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar (not seen) claims that Ukrainian forces have retaken control of the village of Storozheve in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on June 12, 2023, a major hotspot in the war between Moscow and Kyiv. Mihail Ostrogradski 35th Brigade | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukraine has been publicly cautious in counting gains in a counteroffensive it launched this month to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces, and on Friday its president and a U.S. general acknowledged that progress is measured in blood. The top U.S. military officer, Army General Mark Milley, told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington that the counteroffensive was "advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields ... 500 meters a day, 1,000 meters a day, 2,000 meters a day, that kind of thing." He said he was unsurprised progress was slower than some people and computers might have predicted. "War on paper and real war are different. In real war, real people die. Real people are on those front lines and real people are in those vehicles. Real bodies are being shredded by high explosives." He added, "What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, 10 weeks, it's going to be very difficult. It's going to be very long, and it's going to be very, very bloody. And no one should have any illusions about any of that."

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Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the counteroffensive was "slower than desired", without getting too specific. Ukraine says it has recaptured a cluster of villages in operations that liberated 130 square km (50 square miles) in the south, but this is a small percentage of the total territory held by Russia. On Friday, Zelenskiy said his forces advanced "in all directions of our active operations," while Hanna Maliar, deputy defense minister, said the military assessed progress as "going according to plan," and that the counteroffensive should be evaluated by "a lot of different military tasks." Reuters was unable to verify the situation on the battlefield. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022 has not acknowledged the Ukrainian gains and has said Ukraine's forces are suffering heavy casualties.

Slowing down to save lives

Zelenskiy was quoted as saying Ukraine wanted to show results before a July 11 NATO gathering in Lithuania, at which Kyiv is hoping for an invitation to begin the process of joining the U.S.-led military alliance - but not at any cost. "Before the summit we have to show results," Spanish national broadcaster RTVE quoted him as telling Spanish media in Kyiv, based on a translation of his remarks. "But every kilometer costs lives." Zelenskiy acknowledged plans for the counteroffensive had slowed in recent months. "We stopped because we could not advance," he said. "Advancing meant losing people and we had no artillery."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. Alina Smutko | Reuters
Planes are seen on the tarmac as people wait for their flight reschedule inside of the Newark International Airport on June 27, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.

United Airlines ' CEO Scott Kirby said that without more gates the airline will have to reduce or change schedules to handle frequent gridlock at its Newark, New Jersey, hub, a message that came after mass flight delays marred July Fourth holiday weekend travel. The carrier gave 30,000 frequent flyer miles to customers who were most affected by the chaos.

"This has been one of the most operationally challenging weeks I've experienced in my entire career," Kirby said in a note to staff Saturday.

He said that the airline needs more gates at Newark Liberty International Airport because of frequent aircraft backups there. "We are going to have to further change/reduce our schedule to give ourselves even more spare gates and buffer  especially during thunderstorm season," he added. United didn't provide more detail on the schedule reductions.

A day earlier, Kirby apologized for taking a private jet out of New Jersey's Teterboro Airport while thousands of passengers were stranded, CNBC first reported Friday.

Problems began with a series of thunderstorms in some of the country's most congested airspace along the East Coast last weekend, cutting off routes for aircraft. While most airlines recovered, United's problems continued during the week, angering both customers and crews. United and JetBlue Airways executives said air traffic control problems worsened the disruptions.

The difficult week was also among the busiest. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened a record of nearly 2.89 million people on July 1 alone, topping a previous high on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019.

Kirby laid out the weeklong troubles and said long-term changes were needed. He said that extensively delayed departures, which piled up at its hub at Newark since last weekend, hurt its operation. Takeoffs were reduced by as much as 75% for longer than eight hours in some cases from Sunday through Tuesday.

"Airlines, including United, simply aren't designed to have their largest hub have its capacity severely limited for four straight days and still operate successfully," he wrote.

Aircraft and crews were then left out of position, something that happens often during severe weather and can spark a cascade of disruptions for customers.

Unions complained about hours-long waits for crew members to get assignments and get hotels, forcing them to stay at airports longer.

Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents the company's cabin crews, said in a note to members on Friday that the airline is short on crew schedulers. He said that problems became so severe over the past week that schedulers weren't clear on which city some crews were in.

Kirby said that United must improve the platforms so crews can get assignments and accommodation more easily on its app, saying what happened over the past week isn't acceptable.

Kirby called for more investment in the FAA and air traffic control to avoid delays and staffing shortages, some of which occurred after hiring and training paused early in the Covid pandemic.

United sent the 30,000 miles to customers who were delayed overnight or didn't get to their destination at all, a spokeswoman said. She declined to say how many customers received the email.

The sum is enough to redeem for a domestic roundtrip ticket to many destinations, though the miles required vary based on demand for that flight or route.

More than 63,000 U.S. flights arrived late from June 24 through Sunday, and more than 9,000 were canceled  or more than 4% of airlines' schedules  a rate nearly three times the average so far this year, according to flight-tracker FlightAware. United fared worse than competitors with 47% of its mainline schedule arriving late and 15% canceled over that period, FlightAware data show.

On Sunday, 7,650 U.S. flights were delayed and more than 630 canceled  driven in large part by thunderstorms on the East Coast. Nearly 900 United flights were delayed, or a third of its operation, while close to 1,000 American Airlines flights were delayed and more than 300 JetBlue Airways flights were late. New York City-area airports, led by Newark, were the hardest hit.

Thunderstorms are one of airlines' biggest challenges because they can pop up suddenly and are harder to predict compared with hurricanes or winter storms, when airlines can cancel flights ahead of time to avoid stranding passengers and crews.
"Vanderpump Rules" star Ariana Madix is turning her infamous breakup into one lucrative business after another.

The 38-year-old reality star and her boyfriend of nine years, Tom Sandoval, broke up after it became public that he cheated on her with friend and castmate Rachel "Raquel" Leviss.

During the three-part "Vanderpump Rules" season 10 reunion, which aired in May and June, Madix and fellow castmate Katie Maloney shared that they made about $200,000 after launching merchandise for their upcoming West Hollywood, California sandwich shop, Something About Her.

Madix says they launched the collection because fans kept reaching out to ask how they could support her during this difficult time.

"It's really incredible that so many supportive people showed up to help us," Maloney said.

After filming the reunion, Madix and Maloney decided to once again capitalize on interest in the breakup thanks to something that Sandoval said during the taping.

During the reunion, host Andy Cohen asked Sandoval about his relationship with Madix and he made a comment on their sex life, that went viral on social media.

"Yeah, she kept her T-shirt on; it was really hot," he said.
A union representing port workers in Western Canada officially began striking, an action that could have ripple effects reaching beyond the U.S.'s northern neighbor.

The International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada's Longshore Division announced its labor strike began in a Saturday Facebook post signed by union president Rob Ashton. More than 99% of members of the union, who support West Coast ports such as Vancouver and Prince Rupert, voted to approve the strike last month. Notice of the strike came Wednesday.

"The ILWU Canada Longshore Division has not taken this decision lightly, but for the future of our workforce we had to take this step," Ashton said in the post. "We are still hopeful a settlement will be reached through FREE Collective Bargaining!"

The union has been open to bargaining since February with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, which represents port owners, and remains ready to continue working on a contract, Ashton added.

The employers association, known as the BCMEA, said in a statement it has worked to "advance proposals and positions in good faith, with the objective of achieving a fair deal at the table." It noted the role of federal mediators and said it was open to "any" solution that can get the parties to a balanced agreement, including a mediated arbitration process.

Cruises remain able to sail and bulk grain is moving, but containerized grain is not. Canadian labor minister Seamus O'Regan Jr. tweeted seemingly in support of continued negotiations between the two groups, noting that "the best deals for both parties are reached at the table."

The two parties are at odds over issues including automation, the use of contract work and the cost of living for workers. Two mediators appointed by the Canadian government oversaw discussions that ran through the end of May. Those discussions were followed by a so-called cooling-off period between the two groups.

A strike in the western ports occurring around holidays in both the U.S. and Canada could result in impacts on the American economy, industry followers say. The Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert are popular destinations for U.S. trade because these ports are among the major ports of call for goods arriving from Asia. Some logistics managers have told CNBC that rail service out of those ports is a lot faster than going through the port of Seattle or Tacoma.

The International Longshoremen's Association said it won't take diverted cargo from ports with striking workers, while the head of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents West Coast port workers in the U.S., made a statement of solidarity with the Canadian union but did not mention any specific action.

The strike could lead to congestion in these ports with longshoremen unable to unload vessels. Congestion can turn into backlogs and lead to delayed pickups from terminals, which can then lead to late fees that are often passed on to consumers  a situation similar to what occurred during the pandemic.

"With the Canadian holiday and July Fourth holidays, the volume of containers moving are lighter than normal but now vessels are not being worked because of the strike," said Paul Brashier, vice president of drayage and intermodal at ITS Logistics. "If this strike continues into the middle of next week, it will impact congestion in the coming weeks at Chicago and Detroit rail terminals because of the amount of containers that would have built up and eventually moved to those rail terminals."

The Canadian ports handle nearly $225 billion in cargo each year, according to estimates, with items spanning industries such as home goods, electronics and apparel transported by rail. Approximately 15% of consumer trade going through the Port of Vancouver is headed to or coming from the U.S., according to port authority data. Around two-thirds of containerized import volume going to the Port of Prince Rupert are headed to the U.S., port data shows.

Three Class 1 railways operate at these ports: CN, Canadian Pacific and BNSF, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway . In an email to CNBC, BNSF said it had no comment on a strike impact. CN could not be immediately reached for comment.

In a CPKC customer advisory issued Wednesday, the railway said: "The work stoppage related to this notice could impact port operations in British Columbia. At this time, we do not anticipate any significant service interruptions to result from this work stoppage and, as such, CPKC has not initiated embargoes related to a potential service interruption but we are closely monitoring developments to evaluate any impact to shipments on CPKC's network. We will provide updates as necessary."

Steve Lamar, CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, told CNBC that the "fragile and recovering supply chains cannot tolerate a strike," while urging the Canadian government to help keep parties at the table.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 1)  The country's foreign policy had seen an apparent reset during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s first year in power, as he strengthened Philippine-US ties which his predecessor had weakened.

Whereas the pro-Beijing former President Rodrigo Duterte said it was time to say goodbye to Washington a mere months into assuming office, Marcos said it is only natural for the Philippines to look to the US  its long-standing defense ally  in the face of growing tensions in the disputed areas in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region.

In a highly contentious move, the president also granted America wider access to Philippine military bases earlier this year, against the backdrop of US' deepening geopolitical conflict with Beijing.

Despite such recalibrations, the president had stressed that his administration is not siding with either of the two rival powers.

In a speech in January, Marcos maintained that his foreign policy is only guided by national interest. In his own words: I dont work for Beijing, I dont work for Washington, D.C. I work for the Philippines.

According to political analyst Dennis Coronacion, this attempt at neutrality and balance could be Marcos bid to make up for what the previous president had lost during his administration.

Observers noted that while moving away from the US, Duterte adopted an appeasement policy with Beijing to boost investment and trade opportunities despite Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). By the end of his administration, however, the economic rewards reaped by Manila were ultimately underwhelming, they said.

Rekindling, expanding alliances

The similarities between Marcos and Dutertes foreign policy were seen shortly after his election victory, as he called Beijing the strongest partner of Manila and declared his intention to bring Philippine-China relations to a higher gear.

However, Marcos distinguished himself from his predecessor by also reviving the countrys defense alliance with the US while maintaining close economic ties with China.

There were already indications in the final year of Dutertes term that Manila was again gradually bolstering cooperation with Washington after what was largely seen as a failed economic strategy of currying favor with China. But this revival of the alliance with the US became more pronounced when Marcos assumed office.

In Marcos first year, the two nations staged their largest-ever joint military exercises, the US pledged to help modernize the Philippine armed forces, and US President Joe Biden said he cant think of any better partner to have than his Philippine counterpart.

But perhaps most striking was Marcos decision to expand the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), effectively helping the US scale up its military footprint in the country.

The agreement saw the identification of four more EDCA sites in the country, in addition to five existing ones, that could temporarily host US military logistics and personnel on a rotational basis.

Defense analysts see the move as part of efforts to deter Beijings expansionist claims in the South China Sea, as well as its actions against self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. China condemned the EDCA expansion and warned that this will seriously endanger regional peace and stability and drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife.

The Marcos administration, however, stated that strengthening US military presence in the country is just meant to boost the Philippines own defense capabilities, relief operations, and disaster response.

Should there be such an attempt to use the EDCA sites for offensive action, then that would be outside the parameters of what we have discussed and what the EDCA sites are for, Marcos had said. But to be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that the United States will use the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive action.

Meanwhile, the Marcos administration has also been trying to boost security ties with like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia.

For international studies professor Renato de Castro, the Philippines needs to do this since it does not yet have the military capability to confront China.

So, we have to leverage on our treaty alliance with the United States and, of course, our security partnerships with like-minded countries, De Castro told a forum.

Alliance provides you deterrence. It would basically force China to think twice or thrice to use force against the Philippine Coast Guard, against the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Air Force, he said.

Weighty promises

Since winning the polls, Marcos has made pronouncements that raised expectations for a more hardline approach towards hostile behavior by China in the WPS, something critics said his predecessor failed to do.

In his maiden State of the Nation Address, the countrys chief diplomat vowed not to abandon even one square inch of Philippine territory to any foreign power. Before that, Marcos committed to talk to China consistently with a firm voice regarding the WPS dispute, and to assert the 2016 landmark Hague ruling which recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

His word was put to the test when in February a Chinese Coast Guard vessel aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard ship, temporarily blinding crew members. The incident happened near Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Philippines EEZ.

This prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest, while the president summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian to Malacanang to express his serious concern over the increasing frequency and intensity of actions by China against the Philippines.

READ: DFA: Chinese harassment in West PH Sea a daily occurrence

Despite recognizing the aggressive actions by the Chinese, however, Marcos has made clear that he shares Beijings view that the territorial dispute is not the sum of the two countries relations. He maintained warm relations with the Asian power, which his administration continues to see as an important ingredient in the countrys post-pandemic economic recovery.

This did not sit well with critics, including progressive groups which slammed Marcos willingness to resume negotiations with China on joint oil and gas exploration in the area. It is enraging, fisherfolk group Pamalakaya said, that Marcos can comprehend entering a joint venture with a country that illegally occupies and plunders our territorial waters.

In the groups assessment of the chief executives first year, Pamalakaya vice chairperson Ronnel Arambulo said: Walang mapagpasyang hakbang ang administrasyong Marcos para itaguyod ang ating karapatan sa karagatan, sa kabila ng matibay nating batayan tulad ng 2016 arbitral ruling. [Translation: The Marcos administration had no definitive step to uphold our rights in the waters despite having a strong basis like the 2016 arbitral ruling].

Next steps?

There have been calls for the government to bring the issue of Chinas bullying to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and to have the international body sponsor a resolution calling on Beijing to respect Manilas arbitral victory.

One of the moves proponents, Senator Risa Hontiveros, said that while UNGA resolutions are not legally binding, they carry significant political weight.

According to National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director Jonathan Malaya, the council and the DFA are now discussing the idea.

I cannot speak on the record on this...This is a very sensitive matter, no? But we are in discussions, he said on CNN Philippines special program Pangulong Marcos: Ang Unang Taon [President Marcos: The First Year]. Siguro [Perhaps] thats what I can say, because this is something that has been raised repeatedly.

Political analysts Coronacion and De Castro both said they believe it is high time for the government to raise the issue before the UNGA.

Long overdue na nga yan eh [Its long overdue], Coronacion said. It shouldve been raised during the time of former President Duterte. But of course, we all know that he had a different foreign policy stance. So, sa tingin ko nararapat sa panahon ngayon. [But I think now is the right time.] We should explore all our options in terms of protecting our maritime territory.

Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has also pushed for the move, expressing confidence that the country will win there.

I think it's time to bring this issue, because we have a ruling that's binding, legal, and final already. We have the support of the G7, we have the support of the EU (European Union), we have the support of many coastal states, and we have to bring up the issue to the entire world, he said in a virtual forum.

We need world opinion on our side, because China has to feel the pressure that it is isolated. Because if China thinks that nobody cares about whats happening in the South China Sea, then China will use force. So, its time, Carpio added.

In the meantime, De Castro said the government also has to prepare its armed forces and continue to boost alliances should the Philippines find itself caught in the crossfire between the US and China.

We have a mutual defense treaty with the United States, so we cannot simply declare we're neutral. Because an alliance is a two-way street. We expect assistance from the United States and of course, the United States expects assistance from the Philippines, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 1)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made his first marching order to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to identify "problematic" communities and engage with different government agencies to fully address the needs of Filipino indigents.

"'Yung mga ibang lugar na talagang hindi makabangon dahil wala, walang tulong, walang ano, walang kalsada, walang facilities, walang infrastructure, identify natin 'yun para puntahan natin kung ano man 'yung kailangan nila," Marcos said during the meeting on Friday, which coincided with the 25th founding anniversary of the NAPC.

[Translation: We should identify areas that could not recover because of lack of support or without access to roads, facilities, and infrastructure and we will go to them and address their needs.]

He also asked the NAPC to determine areas without farm-to-market roads, internet, and reliable electricity and water supply, among other needs.

"So, those are the things, I think, that the NAPC should be doing," said Marcos. "Hanapin natin kung saan talaga 'yung problematic na area and then engage natin lahat ng ibang departamento para the other departments can come in."

[Translation: Let's find out where are the problematic areas and engage all departments so that they can also come in.]

Marcos also urged the NAPC to engage with other departments to consolidate and differentiate the work of the commission.

Present in the commission's first en banc meeting at Malacanang were Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu, and Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr.

Larry Gadon, the newly appointed presidential adviser on poverty alleviation, was missing. He has yet to take his oath.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, NAPC lead convenor Lope Santos III told Marcos that the commission has already consulted with its members, the leagues of local government units, national government agencies, and basic sectors to set urgent tasks that are anchored in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

The development plan aims to reduce poverty from 18.1% to 8.8% to 9%.

Santos said the NAPC eyes to complete the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda, also known as N3A, by September, and adopt and formulate the National Poverty Reduction Plan by October.

The NAPC lead convenor said the body will integrate all inputs to create the N3A which will have programs to address multidimensional poverty concerns, social, economic, ecological, and governance, and present the draft for approval in the next en banc.

"And we also plan to roll this out  the adoption and formulation of the Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan starting 2024 to be mainstreamed in all provincial development and fiscal framework plans and comprehensive development plans of our local government units, including in the respective annual investment plans," he said.
SIKHUPHE - His Majesty King Mswati III is in Zambia on an official State visit and he is expected to be the guest in the official opening of the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2023.

The King, who is accompanied by Inkhosikati LaMagongo, left the country through King Mswati III International Airport yesterday afternoon, just after 2pm. His State visit follows that of the Zambian president, who was also in the country for a three-day official visit in June 2023. After the talks with the Zambian president, the King is expected to be one of the guests in the official opening of the ZITF 2023 at Ndola, where the Kingdom of Eswatini will also be participating.

Biggest

According to https://www.zitf.org.zm, ZITF is the biggest trade and commercial exhibition in Zambia, which hosts both local and foreign exhibitors from all sectors of the economy with a view of enhancing global trade. Its vision is to be the leading and most preferred international exhibition house in Zambia and the Sub-region by 2021. The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Newman Ntshangase also revealed that during the Kings State visit to Zambia, the country would sign about the 13 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

Exception

He said some of the agreements, especially those from parastatals, would be signed remotely with the exception of Eswatini Investments and Promotion Authority (EIPA), which would be represented by its chief executive officer (CEO). One of the agreements to be signed will be for the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security between the government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and that of Zambia. Others include an MoU on Agricultural Cooperation between the two governments and another between the Zambia Development Agency and the EIPA.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 1)  The local government of Taguig City asked Makati City for a "coordinated and orderly transition" of affected villages in the Bonifacio Military Reservation (BMR) following the Supreme Court's decision over their territorial dispute.

The high court denied Makati's second motion for reconsideration to challenge the court's 2021 ruling which affirmed the BMR to be part of Taguig. Both cities claimed rights to exercise jurisdiction over the area.

Taguig acknowledged the sentiments of affected residents from the 10 barangays, saying: "[W]e understand your fears that Taguig would be unable to give the social benefits you have been enjoying."

While it said there will be challenges, the Taguig local government assured residents that the city is "prepared to take on the responsibility of governing your communities with the same commitment and solicitude it has done with its 28 barangays."

"We are not focused merely on social benefits," the city said. "Our vision includes making our citizens active participants in our City's progress, by creating opportunities for businesses to grow and for jobs to flourish."

"In this light, we extend our hand to Makati for a coordinated and orderly transition," Taguig said. "Our differences in this legal case should not deter us from cooperating for our mutual benefit. We also call on all government agencies to initiate taking steps for a speedy and full transition."

Makati's legal officer, Don Camina, earlier said that the court decision will have "far-reaching consequences" on the stability of businesses in affected areas.

He added that it "could also prejudice the right to vote and the access to vital services of both Makati and Taguig residents."
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)  A 57-year-old Thai woman had to have her leg amputated after she got caught up in a moving walkway at an international airport in Bangkok on Thursday in a freak accident that has yet to be fully explained by authorities.

Don Mueang International Airports director Karant Thanakuljeerapat said the incident took place at around 8:27 a.m. local time (7:27 p.m. ET) in the southern corridor of the domestic passenger terminal.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Karant said the woman, who was traveling to the southern city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, had a severe accident at the end of a moving walkway after her left leg became caught in the end of the walkway.

Medics responded quickly and the woman was transferred to the nearest hospital, though the severity of her injuries led to the amputation of her leg up to the kneecap, Karant said.

She has since been transferred to Bumrungrad International Hospital, one of the countrys top medical facilities, the director added.

I would like to convey our deepest sorrow, Karant told reporters.

The womans son, Krit Kittirattana, released a statement on Facebook in which he described the accident as heartbreaking.

He said his mother has had an operation but still faces risks of potential complications and that doctors were keeping a close watch for any signs of infection.

My mother has continued to express her strength through her face and voice. But deep down we know that her heart is broken since she suddenly lost her leg, he wrote.

He added that the family has requested surveillance camera footage of the accident.

Karant, the airport director, said Airports Of Thailand (AOT), the state-owned company that operates airports across the country, would take care of all medical expenses and provide compensation.

All of the airports moving walkways have had their service suspended while the cause of the incident is investigated and engineers do safety checks, he added.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation to find the facts. We might need to set up a fact-finding committee with outsiders to join in order to achieve impartiality and transparency, he said.

He said closed-circuit television footage available was taken from afar, thereby taking his staff more time to investigate.

He refrained from making any preliminary conclusion at this stage.

The director, however, defended the airports routine maintenance and checkups.

One of the two international airports in Bangkok, Don Mueang is located in the northern part of the capital. It was previously the citys main airport until the newer and larger Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2006.

Thailand is a hugely popular tourist destination for those seeking warm weather and palm fringed beaches.

The country has also been pushing hard for its health tourism with an abundance of private hospitals.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic tourism accounted for some 12% of the countrys economy with nearly 40 million arrivals in 2019.

Arrival numbers were decimated during the pandemic but have begun recovering in recent months. Thailand beat its tourist target in the first quarter of 2023, logging 6.15 million arrivals between January and March.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Womans leg amputated after becoming trapped in Thai airport moving walkway"
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MBABANE  From working as a Studio Engineer, setting up equipment for smooth running of live television, 21 years later, Mlamuli Mtshengiswa Dlamini is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Eswatini Television Authority (ESTVA).

ESTVA is a broadcaster that was established in 1983 through an Act of Parliament. It was officially opened by King Sobhuza II and was then called Swaziland Broadcasting Corporation. ESTVA also operates Eswatini TV and is 100 per owned by the government. The new CEO was introduced yesterday during a press briefing by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, Phesheya Dube. Mlamuli once worked for the same TV station in 2001, where he was a Studio Engineer.

Mlamuli, who had been based in the USA was appointed by the Minister of ICT Princess Sikhanyiso. Mlamulis appointment came after many other names had been mentioned in the media as possible CEOs for the much sought after position in the countrys television broadcaster.

Some of the names which are said to have been interviewed for the position were Nozipho Mamba, Zacharia Mthethwa, Mncedisi Mayisela, Phesheya Dube and Kenneth Maziya.

Recommended

In 2022, Cabinet was reported to have recommended Andreas Dlamini as the CEO. Andreas was to replace the late Bongani Austin Sgcokosiyancinca Dlamini, who retired on January 31, 2021. Andreas had previously served as a board member. It was also reported that his name had been endorsed by the Ministry and that he would be the next CEO. Later in August 2022, it was reported that Andreas had been appointed as the Acting CEO. This was after Maziya had acted in the position for over year.

Earlier in the same year, April 10, to be precise, the Times Sunday published an article titled, Cabinet Committee Rejects Sikhanyisos ESTVA CEO.

At the time, it was reported that the Ministry of ICT had requested the Standing Committee on Public Enterprise (SCOPE) to appoint a person who had not sat for the ESTVA CEO position interview. SCOPE had reportedly rejected the request by the inister of ICT Princess Sikhanyiso. Mlamuli was reportedly not interviewed at the time by KQ Consultancy and SAMKO. In response, the ministry responded that Mlamuli was the only person who was qualified for the job, but that the board considered the minimum qualification for the job and sidelined him. Then PS Maxwell Masuku was quoted as saying that the recruitment process had not been fair.
So far, youve managed to avoid getting caught for your crimes. In time, however, your luck will run out. They will arrest you, they will try you and they will convict you. Your offense (lollygagging) will earn you the official punishment outlined by law: death. The day of your execution will come, and that will be the end for you.

Or will it? Some people up for execution, against all probability, have managed to survive the ordeal. Consider, for example...

5 The Case of the Reversed Organs In 1978, a woman named Ginggaew Lorsoungnern worked as babysitter for a kid in Thailand. Then she got fired. Like all people in her situation, she resented her rich ex-employers, and along with a gang of conspirators, she put together a plan to get some money out of them. Shed kidnap the kid, using her knowledge of his regular routine, and then ransom him. charlesdeluvio/Unsplash Sounds like a wacky movie! Which ends with the kid dead. The parents didnt fulfill the ransom demands. Apparently, they tried, but they couldnt figure out the gangs instructions. So, the gang made good on their threats and murdered the kid  which was a terrible move, not just morally but strategically. Without the kid in their hands, even if they got away with their crime, they stood no chance at a payday. As it was, they never got paid and they all got caught. Lorsoungnern was sentenced to death. Thailand at the time used a unique variant of the firing squad. Rather than a group of gunmen targeting the general vicinity of the body, a single mounted gun aimed directly at the heart of a prisoner, who was tightly bound in place. Lorsoungnern went before this gun, it fired and she went limp. via ExecutedToday.com A labor-saving invention, for sure Later, authorities discovered she had survived the shooting (according to one fanciful account, she sat up once shed reached the morgue). Doctors examined her and credited her survival to an unusual condition she had  situs inversus. Her internal organs were a mirror image of the usual human layout, so the bullets had failed to tear through her heart. Advertisement The heart is located pretty much right in the center of the chest, but due to the way one part of it beats on the left, its convention to say its located on the left side. When this beat-y part is on the right side, thats known as dextrocardia, and it seems this made Lorsoungnern dodge that bullet. It did the first time she was executed, anyway. Thailand then sent her before the gun again, and this time, she didnt survive.

4 Cheated the Hangman, Again and Again In John Babbacombe Lee, we have another apparent case of a servant lashing out against his employer. Lee worked at a house in Devon, and his employer, Emma Keyse, was murdered in November 1884. Lee was arrested and convicted. No one really had strong evidence against him, however. It seems he was convicted because he was the only man in the house, and that still left the possibility of the other servants doing it, or of an outsider doing it. He also had an unexplained cut on his arm, and Keyse had been knifed to death, but the cut didnt prove Lee did the stabbing. via Wiki Commons Maybe he cut himself shaving his hairy forearms, you ever thought of that? Advertisement Advertisement A good lawyer should have been able to dismiss any of this supposed evidence as circumstantial. We have to assume his lawyer, Reginald Templar, was not a good lawyer then. Not only was Lee held for the crime  he was sentenced to die. On February 23, 1885, the hangman put the noose around his neck as scheduled. But when he hit the lever, the trapdoor beneath Lee didnt open. This hangman, James Berry, now tried opening the trapdoor without Lee standing on it, and it opened just fine. Lee returned to the spot, they tried again, and the door again failed to open. They went through the process yet again, and yet again, the trapdoor stayed shut. At this point, people figured Lee needed a break. Then, on consideration, the Home Secretary commuted the sentence, reasoning that those seconds of thinking youre about to die are more than you can expect anyone to suffer through multiple times. Lee now received a sentence of plain old penal servitude. After 22 years of that, he was freed, and he went on to live another 40 years as a free man. Buckingham Books And as an immortal man  till he died at the age of 80. Advertisement In witnessing that trapdoor stay shut, despite all examinations saying it was mechanically sound, people imagined divine intervention stepping in to save Lee. Perhaps Lee wasnt so guilty after all, they figured. And in fact there was one more suspect in this case who never went on trial: Reginald Templar, Lees lawyer. Templar knew Keyse and visited the house often. That alone made it odd that he represented Lee. Not to mention, hed actively reached out to Lee asking to represent him. Whats more, he reached out to Lee the very day after the murder, so early on that it was unclear how hed even heard about it. We said Lee was the only man in the house at the time of the murder because that was put forward in court, unchallenged, but at times, Lee claimed another man was in the house that night  Reginald Templar. via murderresearch.com Templar should have confessed and got his client off. Then Lee could have confessed and got Templar off. Advertisement Advertisement Not long after representing Lee, Templar went insane and died. And of course, lets not understate the most damning piece of evidence against him. His name was Reginald Templar. Thats a villains name, no two ways about it.

3 A Taliban Prisoner Survived a Bullet to the Head Next, lets turn to someone who was never even accused of the offense for which they were being executed. The offense was the U.S. military killing a Taliban leader in a drone strike, and the people who received the punishment were hikers on a Pakistani mountain. It made roughly as much sense as most retaliatory killings. In return for killing this terrorist whos threatening to one-up 9/11, who has a $600,000 bounty within Pakistan itself and apparently killed another Taliban leader to achieve his rank, well kill a dozen unrelated people, all of whom are citizens of countries other than America! Lahore Times Call this a hot take, but were going to say the terrorists are wrong. Advertisement The hikers were climbing the mountain Nanga Parbat in 2013. They settled into the base camp at night, and then in stormed 16 armed men, who first appeared to be local security forces, based on their uniforms. They took the groups money, passports, phones and laptops, suggesting they werent police, they were robbers. Next, the men systematically broke all the laptops and phones and had the climbers kneel with blindfolds on, suggesting they were something slightly worse than robbers. The Taliban dudes then started shooting all the climbers. They killed 11 of them. One other of the 12 was Zhang Jingchuan from China, and the bullet that hit his head knocked him unconscious. It didnt kill him, however, and when he awoke, he broke out of his bonds and fled, zigzagging to make it harder for any bullets to successfully hit him. He dove into the nearest ravine and hid there, waiting an hour till his pursuers gave up looking for him and took off. He eventually slipped back into the basecamp, found one satellite phone that was still intact and called for help. Muhammad Ashar Surprise. This whole story was just an ad for the the Iridium 9555 handset. Advertisement Advertisement Nanga Parbat already had a dangerous reputation. More than 100 climbers had died there over the years, giving it the nickname Killer Mountain. In fairness, these had all been deaths from normal climbing-related risks, not Taliban executions. Now, following this attack, Pakistan took steps to respond. They moved to stamp out the Killer Mountain nickname, for fear that it was discouraging interested foreigners from visiting the country.

2 The Man with the Elusive Veins Between the rapes, the kidnappings and the aggravated murder charge, the case against Romell Broom was so big that he offered to plead guilty in exchange for a possible life sentence. Prosecutors werent having it. The case went to trial, and he was sentenced to death in 1985. In September 2009, he went in to receive lethal injection (these long delays, and decades of appeals, are typical in American death penalty cases). Only problem was, the executioners couldnt find his vein. Equal Justice Initiative Nurses could do this job better, but theyre in the health business, not the death business. Advertisement The way lethal injection usually works is, executioners stick a couple IVs in you so they can pump in a selection of drugs. These drugs paralyze you and kill you. Interestingly, too, they might even block the pain and knock you out, but no ones really bothered to check whether that second half is true. With Broom, they spent two hours trying to find a suitable blood vessel, but this search was in vain, or rather not in vein. They stuck him 18 different times without finding anything suitable. They hit bone. He started crying, at which point we imagine everyone pointed at him and started laughing. Advertisement Afterward, with his execution being rescheduled, Broom filed a new appeal, saying that executing him again would count as double jeopardy. Courts turned this down, saying no, thats not what double jeopardy means. His lawyer also now argued that executing him again would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. To which the court more or less said, well, it might be if the exact same painful fruitless routine happens again, but we cant count on that. If we allowed for that possibility, maybe every single execution would be cruel and unusual punishment, and how could that ever be true. Wesley Tingey/Unsplash Actually, lets just switch to the Thai gun. That never fails. Advertisement Issues similar to Brooms surrounded a handful of other U.S. executions, but in most cases, the inmate did end up being executed. Not Broom. Though Brooms next execution was scheduled for 2022, he died from COVID before that. Within the first year of the pandemic, COVID killed at least 17 death-row inmates. That was actually more than the total number of death-row inmates executed during that same time period.
Even when vicious online trolls are out to take you down, its nice to know someone has your back. In the case of comedian Pete Davidson, he used to have an online Twitter champion named @JoeSmith1355. If Joe Smith sounds like a generic name, your bullshit-sniffing nose definitely works because @JoeSmith1355 was actually a burner account for an even bigger Davidson defender  his mom, Amy.

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It was like my second or third year (on Saturday Night Live), and it was a lot of not-useful, typical Twitter comments, Davidson explained on the Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers podcast. My mom made a fucking fake Twitter account under the name @JoeSmith1355 and would respond to everyone.

The problem? Joes answers were a little too detailed, implying that this was not some generic Davidson superfan but rather someone who knew him pretty darn well. It was so specific, Davidson admitted. Like, Actually, I heard hes working on himself and does that quite often.

As it turns out, it didnt take a BS-sniffing nose to figure out the burner accounts real identity. This was the kicker, Davidson continued. Everyone found out it was my mom, not through detective work. They found out because her username was @JoeSmith1355, but her profile name was Amy Davidson and the profile picture was Amy Davidson. Doh! Dead giveaway.

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Amy Davidson had her sons back, and apparently, he has hers as well. Davidson has cast some of Hollywoods most prominent actresses  namely, Marisa Tomei and Edie Falco  to portray her in King of Staten Island and Bupkis. My moms a Staten Island Tri-State mom, he told the Meyers boys. Just imagine getting that phone call (with the casting news). It means a lot to her, its really cool.

Seth Meyers (we think it was Seth? He and podcast partner Josh Meyers sound a lot alike!) tried to come up with another real-life person who has been portrayed by actors of that caliber. After some deliberation, he concluded, I think its your mom and Queen Elizabeth.
MBABANE  Sionary Investment has come out to speak on the ongoing mix-up of voters names in the general elections voter register.

Sionary Investment is the company that was enlisted by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to upgrade the elections management system (EMS) that was developed by Slomoes Corporation for the 2018 General Elections.

After reports of registered voters names appearing in wrong constituencies, the official 2023 General Elections vendor claims to have foreseen the possible mix-up and advised EBC against releasing the register. Responding to questions from this publication, company Director Nonjabuliso Dlamini said the commission printed the voter register before the system had fluidly sorted out the names according to the stations where the entrants were made.

She mentioned that the process was important because there were a number of pop-up registration stations and therefore a need for the cleaning process first before the validation. A raw roll was printed and nothing had been done to clean it. The commission was aware that the roll was still raw and we advised them against it but due to pressure and timelines they continued. However, we are grateful that the mix-up has been attended to and I can assure that as of next week, the register will have less issues and they will not be that significant, she said.

Specified

A voters register is a compilation that lists all persons entitled to vote for elections at a particular constituency in a specified election period. The list is usually broken into polling stations under the constituencies, and is primarily prepared to assist election officials and voters at the polling stations during the process. It is also used to verify and validate if registrants were registered at correct constituencies or not. EBC Communication Officer Mbonisi Bhembe said the commission was working around the clock in resolving the issues that were identified within the period of inspecting the voters register. The commission will not withdraw the voters register, however updated versions would be circulated until the final voters register is issued, said Bhembe.

A brief history on the progression of the general election system reflects that EBC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), commissioned an assessment evaluation of the system after the 2013 election process. The assessment included the hardware and the software of the system, their functionality and performance. Based on the specifications of the EMS and scope of the projects connectivity, a team of experts from the Ministry of ICT and EBC technicians were also given the mandate to assess the status and strength of the countrys network. Generally, the assessment indicated that network coverage was above 90 per cent and it varied from 2G to 4G with the latter being prevalent only in urban or industrial areas.

Consideration

After careful consideration of the assessment report, it was gathered that the 2013 system and some components were obsolete and could not be re-used for the 2018 General Elections. The commission, therefore, had to engage a new vendor to supply the EMS. Due to limited funds however, a decision was taken to rent a system that would enrol voters, process and produce the required election reports using new customised software.

A procurement process was conducted and Slomoes Corporation was awarded to supply the EMS on a rent-to-buy agreement. Slomoes developed and monitored the system on behalf of EBC in the 2018 election process. The system was eventually handed over to EBC after the intricacies of the rent-to-buy deal were completed.

EBC, ahead of the 2023 General Elections, then decided to upgrade the system and resolved to engage a private vendor through an open government tender process. According to EBC, the EMS had modules and functionalities that needed to be developed by a reputable private service provider.

These modules included, but not limited to, the automatic biometric identification system (ABIS) and a need for the system to be configured to work in an online mode for real-time updates. The commission also requested the provision of IT Specialists from the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) to assist in the tender evaluation process.

Support

The specialists were to also assist in the planning, provision of first-line support and execution of activities that were related to the EMS. Sionary Investments was awarded the over E27.9 million tender for the system upgrade, to be used in the general elections. The company won the tender ahead of about 15 other contestants in the tendering process. Section 22 of the Elections Act No. 6, 2013 explains the process leading to the release of the voters register by the commission.

Section 22

1. The voters register, or the division of the voters register that is to be used for an election, are those that exist on the day the election is proclaimed.

2. By not later than a date to be specified by the Commission, the commission shall certify the voters register or the segments of the voters register to be used in that election.

3. The Commission shall publish the register to be used in the election and make it available for inspection at the following venues 

l at the head office of the commission, the segments of the register for all Tinkhundla in which the election will take place;

l in each inkhundla, the segments for all polling stations in which the election will take place; and

l in urban or industrial centres, the segments for all polling stations in which the election will take place.
New Delhi, July 1 (UNI) As Indias presidency of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) comes to an end after the July 4 summit, Uzbekistan has given a big thumbs-up to it.

Identifying the chairmanship as a term of historical significance for both India and the SCO, Uzbekistan Ambassador to India Dilshod Akhatov listed Indias remarkable achievements.

India assumed the rotating chairmanship of SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16, 2022. Under Indias first-ever Chairmanship, the 23rd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in the virtual format on July 4, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to Akhatov, despite it being the first presidency of the SCO for India, the country has organised over 100 important events covering all facets of cooperation that are on the

Organisation's agenda.



India, during its presidency, focused on building partnerships and trust among member countries. The international events during their chairmanship covered crucial aspects like the economy, tourism, education, science, medicine, and culture. Notable events include the SCO Film Festival, SCO Cultural Showcase at the Surajkund Mela, the International Fusion Music Festival, Conferences of young scientists, and specialists in traditional medicine, discussion of start-up projects and much more. We fully support Indias initiatives proposed during these events, the Ambassador said in a statement on Saturday.



He recalled the last SCO summit in Samarkand where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called upon the member countries to provide transit access to each other emphasising the need for expanding cooperation to ensure the sustainability of supply chains for the region.



Akhatov said Indias presidency has showcased the transformation of the SCO into a platform for cultural-humanitarian and transport-economic cooperation.

This approach has undoubtedly served to bring the SCO member states closer together, reinforced mutual trust and respect with partner countries, and eased tensions while building good neighbourly relations with countries with conflicting interests. This approach is expected to remain on the foreign policy agenda of the SCO member states shortly, he said.



The Ambassador said, "The SCO serves as a key platform for India's interaction with Central Asia. The interconnectedness and connectivity between countries play a special role in promoting economic integration and fostering regional cooperation. With eight member states, the SCO recognises the significance of connectivity in achieving its goals of regional stability, economic development, and people-to-people exchanges."



India's impactful presidency of the SCO has laid a strong foundation for future endeavours and the continued growth of the organization as a platform for cultural, humanitarian, and economic cooperation. This approach undoubtedly serves to bring the SCO Member States closer together, reinforce mutual trust and respect with partner countries, ease tensions and build good neighbourly relations between countries with which they have clashes of interest. This approach will remain on the foreign policy agenda of the SCO Member States in the near future, said Akhatov.



He also highlighted that President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev fully supports the development of the North-South international corridor, which is one of the leading transport arteries in the Eurasian region that is also promoted by India.

During Uzbekistan's presidency last year, more than 80 major international events were successfully organized at various levels, demonstrating our commitment to the SCO's goals and enhancing cooperation among member nations. Now the National Coordinators and other responsible structures are carrying out the last preparatory work for the July 4 SCO virtual summit which will be a major event and will sum up India's successful presidency in the Organisation, said Akhatov.

UNI DS BM
There's a reason it was normal practice in poor communities for a young bride, as a wedding present, to have all her teeth extracted and replaced with dentures. Often the groom would do the same.

It was preferable to the alternative. Until the late 18th Century, dentistry was an amateur profession practised by barbers, blacksmiths and backstreet quacks.

The only real treatment for tooth decay was extraction, without anaesthetic. It is estimated that in 1665, the year of the Great Plague, one in ten deaths was directly related to poor oral health.

In the modern world, so much of the focus on teeth is around appearance: how straight they are, how white. But the truth is dental health is vitally important. Having a mouth full of rot can seriously affect our health. An undetected abscess can lead to bone erosion; bacteria from infected gums can cross to the bloodstream and infect the heart, with fatal consequences.

That is why dentistry is an important pillar of public health. It's also why it was such a scandal that dentistry was all but shut down during Covid, leading to desperate patients pulling their own teeth or attempting other DIY treatments.

British dentists could be forced to work for the NHS for years after finishing their studies under radical plans being considered by Government. Rishi Sunak unveiled the proposal yesterday (pictured)

In 1948, with the foundation of the NHS  which turns 75 on Wednesday, July 5  thousands suddenly had access to safe, affordable dentistry. In the first nine months, four million cavities were filled. Seven decades on, you'd think we might be free of the tyranny of poor teeth, yet if anything we seem to have been plunged back into the Dark Ages.

Finding an NHS dentist has become virtually impossible. Last year a survey of 7,000 NHS dental practices found 90 per cent were not accepting new patients, even children. Those who do get on a list are waiting years for treatment.

Unless they can afford hundreds, more likely thousands, of pounds, patients are shut out. In a cost-of-living crisis, they put off that filling, cancel that 60 hygiene appointment. Rot sets in and fixing it gets more painful and costly.

As ever, no one accepts responsibility. The Government blames dentists for being too greedy and drawn to lucrative private practice; dentists blame the Government for unattractive NHS contracts. Either way, the patients suffer.

Last week, when Rishi Sunak dared to suggest graduate dentists  whose training is subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds  might like to repay the favour by putting in a few NHS shifts before moving into the private sector, there was uproar from dentist groups.

The chair of the British Dental Association, Eddie Crouch, accused the Prime Minister of 'handcuffing the next generation [of dentists] to a sinking ship', adding it was 'an exercise in futility training more dentists who don't want to work in the NHS'.

Is it any surprise, when that is what dentists are told by the head of their professional body, that they want nothing to do with it? That they prefer to stick to the deep pile carpets of Harley Street and leave the mouths of the masses to rot?

But this is a problem that is endemic throughout the whole health service, where medics across all faculties are increasingly abandoning the NHS. Like dentists, more and more GPs are leaving public practice to set up lucrative private ones.

This is a problem that is endemic throughout the whole health service, where medics across all faculties are increasingly abandoning the NHS, writes Sarah Vine (pictured)

Nurses learning about human anatomy in 1948 - the year that the National Health Service was founded

According to NHS Digital data, London recorded the lowest percentage of adults who have seen and NHS dentist in two years. The North East and Yorkshire recorded the highest rate at 41.8 per cent

It's a clever business model. Every NHS doctor who leaves creates more demand in the private sector: a captive market. Financially, the NHS can't compete. So the pool of civic-minded souls who stick with it through conscience gets ever smaller and frazzled.

What to do? Sunak's specific plan on dentistry, to oblige newly qualified dentists to give a certain number of hours to the NHS in return for their heavily taxpayer-subsidised training, might seem perfectly reasonable to you or I  but it won't solve this problem.

For a start, even though medical graduates pay for only a fraction of the cost of their training, they still leave university with a nasty chunk of student debt  which most of them deeply resent. They are not like the previous generations, who were trained for free and felt a moral obligation towards the NHS.

I suppose the Government could try to rectify this by making medical degrees  across all specialties  free. But that would be costly and it probably wouldn't achieve the desired effect, since so many in these specialities are now so highly politicised on the Left.

The last thing they want to do is help a Conservative Government solve the crisis in the NHS. If anything, they would prefer for things to get worse, regardless of the suffering of patients, in order to usher in a Labour Government which they know will fill their pockets with even more taxpayer money.

Sunak can't win this one. If I were him, I would stop trying and turn to something that should have been done a long time ago, but which no politician has ever had the guts to do: call time on the NHS in its current form. The truth is, Nye Bevan's dream has been slowly dying for a long time. Perhaps it's time the Government accepted it has reached the end of its natural life.

Last week, an international study by The King's Fund ranked the NHS as one of the world's worst healthcare systems for patient outcomes, with only the US worse.

London recorded the lowest rate of children having seen a NHS dentist in England of 40.6 per cent. The rate was highest in the North West with nearly half of children (49.8 per cent) having seen a dentist at least once in 12 months

We must face the facts: the NHS cannot continue to provide high quality care for all free at the point of delivery. It doesn't have the resources  we, as a country, don't have the resources.

What worked for a relatively young and fit population of around 50 million during a time of post-war economic growth can't cope with an ageing, obese 70-odd million in a time of austerity.

We should have long ago moved to an insurance-based system  not one as extreme as America's but one along the lines of what works in France and Italy, where patients pay a proportion of their care according to income and ability.

If the core of the NHS was there purely for emergencies and to serve the non-urgent needs of those on no or low incomes  children, pensioners and so on  and the rest was part-funded by government in conjunction with an insurance-based system, it would benefit all, rich and poor. We could afford to pay medical professionals properly  and attract and keep the best.

Sunak can't win this one. If I were him, I would stop trying and turn to something that should have been done a long time ago, but which no politician has ever had the guts to do: call time on the NHS in its current form, writes Sarah Vine

Since Covid, the number taking out private health insurance has rocketed  500,000 more, according to the latest figures. They do it to beat huge waiting lists and because they are  rightly  worried that if they get sick they won't have the care they need.

All that money goes straight to private health providers and their shareholders  the NHS, and by extension the taxpayer, doesn't see a penny, even though it's their consultants, people they've trained, who provide the care. What kind of a screwed-up mess is that?

If I were Sunak, I would see this as an opportunity to perform radical surgery. The Conservatives have nothing to lose. At the rate they're going, all Keir Starmer will have to do is show up and not dribble on his own tie and he'll win the next election.

A bold, reforming agenda for the NHS is not only the medicine the service needs, but could also prove a shot in the arm for a party that many feel has totally lost its way.

If Sunak could just show some teeth on the issue, be seen to be doing something hard but necessary on the NHS, who knows: the Conservatives might just win back the respect of the electorate. And with it maybe even some votes.
For almost three decades, Geri Horner has seemingly been unable to resist the pull of the British Royal Family, so much so that we should perhaps start calling her 'Royal Spice'.

Just the other day, the former Spice Girl, 50, joined Prince William, 41, during the third stop of his whirlwind UK tour to launch his initiative aimed at ending homelessness.

Having already visited Lambeth and Bournemouth, the Prince of Wales travelled to Newport, Wales, where he was joined by Geri at Maindee Primary School as they learnt about how, by intervening in young lives as early as possible, educational facilities can help support children and their families to prevent homelessness.

Prince William was greeted with a very friendly hug from Geri, who appeared to ignore his initial offer of just a handshake.

But it's not the first time the former pop star has been more forward with the royals; in 1997, the Spice Girls met King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary Of The Prince's Trust charity - and were very cheeky.

In 1997, the Spice Girls met King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary Of The Prince's Trust charity (pictured) - and were very cheeky

Mel B asked Charles out for dinner and broke royal protocol by giving him a kiss on the cheek - but Geri went one step further and told him 'you're very sexy' and gave him a big red lipstick kiss on the cheek and a 'pat' on the bum.

The Spice Girls star spoke about her flirty behaviour with the royal years later. 'I didn't pinch Prince Charles's bum, as was reported. I patted it,' she said.

'Patting him on the bottom was against royal protocol but we're all human. There was a lot of nervous energy, young women, happy antics.'

The pair became good friends with Charles even writing to Geri when she announced her departure from the Spice Girls.

He wrote: 'The group will not be the same without you. What will I do without your wonderfully friendly greeting?

'Really wanted you to know how deeply I've appreciated your great generosity to my Prince's Trust and how much I wish you well for whatever the future holds.'

Then for her first solo performance after leaving the Spice Girls, Geri performed for the then Prince of Wales for his 50th birthday celebrations in 1998 at the the Lyceum Theatre in London's West End.

Wearing a blue 50s-ispired ballgown by designer Kenny Ho, Geri performed her own version of Happy Birthday and blew Prince Charles a kiss.

Just the other day, the former Spice Girl, 50, joined Prince William, 41, during the third stop of his whirlwind UK tour to launch his initiative aimed at ending homelessness

But it's not only the current monarch who Geri is fond of, with the former pop star having previously dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I for her 2020 YouTube series Rainbow Woman

Geri left viewers cringing after a 'forced' Party at the Palace message to Queen Elizabeth II during the star-studded Platinum Jubilee concert (pictured)

Over twenty years later and she has since appeared with the monarch at numerous charity events.

Just last month, Geri and the King looked happy to see one another again as they shared a hug at the star-studded Trust Awards.

Geri even gave Charles an encouraging pep talk, telling him 'you're a very modern king' after kissing him on both cheeks.

Speaking to Hello in 2019 at the annual Prince's Trust Invest in Futures event, Geri admitted that her long-standing relationship with the King made her consider him an honorary member of the Spice Girls.

'I feel like Prince Charles, his royal highness, is part of the landscape of the Spice Girls' journey,' Geri said.

But it's not only the current monarch who Geri is fond of, with the former pop star having previously dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I for her 2020 YouTube series Rainbow Woman.

Geri first became acquainted with the Royal Family after meeting Prince Charles with her fellow Spice Girls at the Manchester Opera House for a Royal Gala performance to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Prince's Trust Charity in May 1997

The former popstar shook hands with the late Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Command Performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre on December 1, 1997

Just a few days after meeting the Queen, Geri was met with Prince Charles once again at the premier of the film 'Spiceworld - The Movie' in aid of The Prince's Trust at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London, on December 15, 1997

Prince Charles greeted Geri Halliwell with a kiss on the cheek backstage at '95.8 Capital FM's Party In The Park' for the Prince's Trust' on July 11, 2004 at Hyde Park, London

Charles and Geri appeared to be laughing up a storm as they greeted one another at the Prince's Trust Celebrate Success Awards at London Palladium on March 7, 2016

The Spice Girls hitmaker, 48, was worlds away from her usual looks as she donned an illustrious red gown and wig to play the fierce monarch in the first episode of her children's series.

Her crimson and gold outfit featured puff sleeves, a velvet corset and intricate embellishment as she marched down a castle corridor in a dramatic clip from the show.

She was also seen clutching opulent rosary beads and walking hastily towards a church steeple.

Geri's iconic ginger locks were perched beneath a delicate beaded headband, and she wore a pale make-up look, reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth I.

The first episode of Rainbow Woman, titled Queen Speaks, saw Geri honour Queen Elizabeth I by visiting Ashridge House in full costume, where the late monarch resided as a Princess until she was arrested by her sister Mary in 1558.

Queen Elizabeth I - known for her signature red hair and refusal to find a husband - ruled over England throughout the Tudor period, succeeding her sister Mary I on the throne from 1558 to 1603.

But Elizabeth I is not the only Queen that Geri has paid tribute to - although, admittedly, her toe-curling message to the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022 didn't go down quite so well with viewers at the time.

Geri looked perfectly at home as she posed elegantly during a reception for winners of the Queen's Commonwealth essay competition at Buckingham Palace on October 31, 2019

Later in the day, Queen Camilla met with Geri on behalf of the late Queen. The royal seemed to be fond of the former pop star as they chatted away happily

Camilla and Geri could easily have been mistaken for long-time friends as the pair appeared equally happy to see one another at a reception for winners of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay competition in 2021 hosted by the then Duchess of Cornwall at St James's Palace

Just a year later, the women were just as pleased to be reunited for a reception for the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2022 winners at Buckingham Palace

Camilla and the former Spice Girl shared a friendly embrace as they greeted each other

Geri left viewers cringing after a 'forced' Party at the Palace message to Queen Elizabeth II during the star-studded Platinum Jubilee concert.

The Spice Girl - best known as Ginger Spice - was one of many famous faces who sent a video tribute to mark the late monarch's 70 years on the throne.

Geri started her short speech with: 'Our Queen, kind, loving, strong, serving our country, the Commonwealth, uniting us all together.

The star - who didn't appear to show much emotion on her face - added: 'Always putting others before yourself, you're truly inspirational, inside and out, we thank you...we love you.'

Viewers were quick to share their negative opinions to Twitter, as one wrote: 'Geri Horner has gone from ginger spice to cringer spice.'

A second said: 'Watching Geri Horner doing a tribute!!! What an embarrassment. Didn't seem sincere, more forced and written for her.'

Meanwhile, Geri was announced as one of the inaugural Ambassador for the Royal Commonwealth Society in 2020 and has since assisted the running of the Commonwealth Essay Competition alongside Queen Camilla.

Geri even brought her daughter Bluebell Halliwell along to the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020 in London

Having been friends with the Prince for years, Geri flashed Harry a smile as they spoke ahead of the qualifiers for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on in 2014

Prince Harry, Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell appeared to be catching up as old friends during a dinner at the Ghantoot Polo Club on November 20, 2014 in Abu Dhabi

Geri offered Princess Eugenie a close embrace as the women posed for a photo together at the 50th anniversary of The Beatles SGT Pepper Album at Abbey Road Studios on May 31, 2017

At the time, she revealed how she was 'delighted' to be chosen as one of the Society's first-ever Ambassadors, joining comedian David Walliams, X Factor star Alexandra Burke and writer Gyles Brandreth.

The network, which was founded in 1868, spans the Commonwealth's 54 nations and champions literacy, equality and inclusion, and environmental causes.

Showing how a love for the royals runs in the Horner family, Geri looked chic in a monochrome ensemble as she stepped out to the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey with her daughter Bluebell in March 2020.

The pop star even struck an unlikely bond with Prince Harry, having nurtured a friendship after the pair met following a Spice Girls concert in Africa for Nelson Mandela back in 1997.

Although Harry was then aged just 13 - and Geri was 25 - the young prince felt a 'real connection', according to his tell-all memoir Spare.

Since their first encounter, Harry shared a laugh with his long-time friend, who was attending the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi in 2014 with her then fiance, F1 Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

Harry and Geri also caught up over dinner following the Sentebale Polo Cup for his charity just two days prior.

But not only has the former Spice Girl dined with Princes, but she has also partied with Princesses.

Geri and Princess Eugenie were spotted looking friendly with one another at the 50th anniversary of The Beatles SGT Pepper Album at Abbey Road Studios back in 2017.
A cosmetic surgeon nestled under the Long Island expressway that takes New York socialites to the Hamptons has described how he uses liposuction to give men fake six packs.

Dr. Scott Blyer - aka Dr. BFixin - runs a practice that traditionally caters to women, but says in the last six months he has experienced soaring numbers of men coming to him for 'abdominal etching'.

The surgery involves an initial liposuction procedure, priced at around $5,000, and then the etching for an additional $4,500.

'We basically use high definition liposuction to create a six pack. It's traditional liposuction but you etch lines between the muscles,' he told DailyMail.com, explaining the surgery.

'Liposuction has been around forever but this is more sculpted and guys definitely seem to have a renewed interest in this stuff,' he said. 'And we get a big Hampton crowd, you can't get there without crossing our place.'

Dr. Scott Blyer - aka Dr. BFixin - operates a Long Island clinic from which he give men fake six packs. He says recently he has had a soaring male clientele seeking fake six packs

The surgery carried out by Blyer involved traditional liposuction to remove fat, but then an additional step referred to as 'abdominal etching' to accentuate elements. Pictured is a photo of somebody before and after the surgery

Whereas traditional laser liposuction involves the basic extraction of fat by suction, Blyer uses VASER liposuction to 'come close to the skin' and chisel away the fat around 'the muscle'.

VASER liposuction uses vibration in addition to break up fat with additional precision.

Blyer, who is a social media personality as well as a doctor, has an online following of more than 750,000 on TikTok and around a third of that on Instagram, where he posts short comic videos, advertising cosmetic surgery and plugging his clinic.

He said that he has been offering the six pack procedure for 17 years but noted that only within the last year has it really begun taking off.

He attributes the rising popularity of the operation to shifting trends in appearances that affect men and women across the board and suggested the ongoing mania around the weight loss drug Ozempic is part of the same phenomenon.

'It goes hand in hand with Ozempic, the first days we said we were offering [Ozempic] we had over a 100 phones calls,' he said. 'Everyone just wants that look now.'

'The last few years had been relatively thick, now the Kardashians have changed their looks, their butts are getting smaller, they're getting leaner,' Blyer said. 'The Kardashians set the market, this is the year.'

A man's torso is pictured before and after receiving a fake six-pack from Dr. BFixin

Blyer suggested it's is not crucial to be especially fit to begin with - a BMI of 27 or less is a reasonable starting point. Pictured is a patient before (left) and after (right) the surgery

A price list offered from Blyer's website. Basic liposuction is a prerequisite for the high-definition VASER operation

Blyer is not the archetypal doctor and nor does he aspire to be. 'Traditional medicine has taught doctors to wear this white coat, use fancy words,' he said in a YouTube video addressing prospective customers.

'I'm a husband, a brother, a friend, who just happens to be a doctor that makes lit ass booties.'

But he makes sick packs too and, he says, business has never been better.

He says the device can also be used to provide tonality to the back and the types of men eligible for the procedure vary enormously.

'If your BMI is 27 or less that generally is a good candidate - there cant be a hard and fast rule,' he said. 'It's all types of guys, the machismo guy who works out all day and a lot of gay guys,' he said of his clientele.

He also performs the surgery on women, but uses a lighter touch and accentuates less the individual muscles.

Blyer performs a host of other surgeries, including breast implants, tummy tucks and butt lifts, as well as a number of surgeries to the face.

He said the six-pack surgery can take between two and four hours and after that a week or so of recovery.

Blyer pictured with his family

He said that although the medical industry as a whole appears disinterested in his line of work, there are still advancements in how cosmetics surgeries are practiced and that many of them are developed in South America.

But he warned that although it would be cheaper there would also be drawbacks.

'If you do have a problem and you're up here most doctors won't want to help you. The medical community has been hesitant to embrace post operative care, but we pick up these teachings from South American people. They do a lot of it, they do it for cheap, it's less litigious down there.'

He said it was rare for patients to be unhappy with the modification and claimed it was 'very rare' that somebody would come back in the hopes of undoing it.
The first thing you notice about Chatsworth Bakehouse, the fashionable micro-bakery in Crystal Palace, South London, is the queue  a long line of people and well-behaved dogs spilling out across the pavement, over the railway bridge and south towards Anerley station.

The second thing is how friendly everyone in the queue is; having made their pilgrimage from across London, or even further (a recent punter came from New York), people stand patiently waiting their turn.

The third thing is the yeasty, hot bread smell.

Finally, youll reach the doorway to be handed your prize  a brown paper bag containing the best sandwich in London.

Or one of the best sandwiches in London, because they are having a moment. Were talking cult concoctions, with extra-large fillings, enormous followings on social media and often ironic names.

Forget about a couple of slices of flaccid brown stuff coated with a slimy smear of margarine, a couple of measly prawns and a ribbon of limp iceberg lettuce slipped between them.

These are the big, hunky, grip-em-with-both-hands kind, crammed with thrilling, contrasting and, as one chef puts it, important ingredients.

Pistachio mortadella, sweet and sour aubergine caponata and almond aioli, for example, carefully layered with creamy burrata and rocket, held together by fresh focaccia. The Sicilian Job was my first sandwich from Chatsworth Bakehouse.

I can measure out my life in sandwiches. Small white quarters of cheese and Marmite, wrapped in clingfilm, made by my mum when I was small. Egg mayonnaise fingers every Monday at school.

While at uni in London, hungover friends and I schlepped to Fuzzys Grub in St Jamess, which served full roast lunches encased in bread.

Include hot, cold, sweet, sour, soft and crunchy layers'

I ate Prets egg mayo in my 20s because it was the cheapest they sold. When I moved to the Gulf it was falafel wraps.

While working at Tatler I ordered a banh mi baguette  stuffed with pate and crisp beansprouts  from a Vietnamese in Soho.

Now, its the 10.50 stacked sandwiches made by Chatsworth Bakehouse. Or, at least when I can get one, because you have to preorder via Instagram and theyre such a phenomenon they sell out in under a minute.

This sandwich madness was sparked nine years ago by Max Halley who worked in restaurants before opening Maxs Sandwich Shop in North London.

He has developed an Einsteinian theory, so every sandwich he makes contains these six elements: Hot, cold, sweet, sour, crunchy, soft, he intones, like a martyr at the cross.

Take his famous Ham, Egg n Chips sandwich  theres slow-cooked ham hock (hot), a fried egg (soft), shoestring fries (crunchy), piccalilli (sweet), malt vinegar (sour) and mustard mayo (cold).

I believe that, for your brain to perceive things as delicious, what it really looks for is contrast, Halley explains.

Any chef worth their salt thinks of those things when composing a plate, but the chef has no control over how it is eaten.

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'Whereas when you layer up a sandwich like I do, and every bite contains all six of those elements, arguably it becomes more delicious and gastronomic, he says.

Where he led, others followed. Max came up with the equation, says Jack Macrae, one of the new generation of young, sarnie-slinging chefs popping up across the country.

He co-runs Mondo Sando, which sells from two pubs in Camberwell and Peckham.

Its weighty sarnies include the Mondo Has A Little Lamb which contains shredded lamb shoulder, tahini cream, harissa oil, fennel, pickled red onions, pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Does Macrae worry about the calories in his sandwiches? Theyre not something we think about but we create everything from scratch and make an effort to have at least half of the menu vegan.

No ultra-processed nonsense allowed, and Macrae sources ingredients like a painter looking for the perfect hue.

The day we speak, hed visited a Colombian deli in Elephant and Castle to hunt down a specific yellow chilli paste.

Like Chatsworth Bakehouse, Mondo Sando started during the pandemic. We were all stuck at home thinking about food, Macrae says, and various people decided to start businesses even though they hadnt gone to any fancy chef school. 

And do you know whats really easy to make without any training? A sandwich.

Because the ingredients are carefully sourced and more exotic than, say, a flabby bit of bacon, and the places doling them out have been hit by soaring energy costs, these sandwiches are not cheap: most combos cost around a tenner.

But a baguette from Pret can cost 6.50, so its not bad value. And given the growth of the 30 main course, spending 10 on a fat, posh, weighty and lovingly made sandwich doesnt feel that bad.

Sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food, arent they? They can be the highlight of your day.

Simple is often just as delicious: smoked chicken and mayo, or ham and cheese (Quo Vadis chef Jeremy Lees smoked eel sandwich is a classic example  hunks of eel, slathered in mustard and horseradish cream, between fried sourdough).

However you take it, the sandwich offers a moment of joy at a time when we need all the joy we can get.

I understand this more than ever right now because, once a week, I make sandwiches in a volunteer cafe at a cancer hospital.

Im costing the NHS a fortune because I double up the ingredients: two tranches of ham instead of one; multiple slices of cheese; gargantuan spoons of egg mayo; generous sprinklings of salt.

Nobody in that hospital is having a good time; a generous sandwich is the least they deserve.

The nurse told me to come and get some air, a customer said recently, explaining that his wife was having treatment downstairs.

Quite right, I replied, handing him a ham and cucumber sandwich.

He took it gratefully, lowered himself into a seat and I had to look away as he balanced the paper plate on his knees because it was a sight of such vulnerability: an elderly gentleman taking a brief break from his wifes cancer treatment, trying to restore his flagging spirits with a quick bite.

Yet a mere sandwich, in such moments, can provide the delicious, convenient and reassuring escapism that we need.
Fed up of having to wait weeks for a plumber, UK writer Katie Glass decides to learn the trade herself

Im about to call the 50 millionth plumber for help, when the solution suddenly dawns on me  I just need to become a plumber.

Since I, along with half of London, moved to the countryside during lockdown, water-flow issues have become the bane of my cottage life.

I write this to the drip of the outside tap; downstairs a radiator has broken, and water is pooling on my bathroom floor, emerging from god-only-knows-where.

A perfect storm of Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine has left Britain some 250,000 construction workers down.

A recent report by property groups claims the UK needs to find another 100,000 new plumbers, electricians and carpenters a year for the next three decades to keep up with demand.

At Trades Training School in Edinburgh, students come from all over the world; often, like Katie, keen to equip themselves with the skills to tackle work on their own houses

According to the Office for National Statistics, in May there were 37,000 vacancies in the construction industry, down from 49,000 last October, which was the highest in decades.

And yet plumbers can make 60,000-plus a year, which doesnt surprise me given how busy they are. The ones I contact tell me theyre not free for six weeks or book me in and then ghost me. Ive had better luck on Tinder.

I endured the freezing winter waiting for a plumber to fix my central heating and had to stop using the toilet last month when the cistern leaked. (Taking mad dashes to the local cafe was not fun.)

Enough! I decide to enrol myself on an intensive five-day plumbing course at Trades Training School in Edinburgh.

In a warehouse on an industrial estate overlooking Arthurs Seat, Taylor Swift is playing. Tilers, plasterers and plumbers are learning their trade in a warren of classrooms, to a medley of radio pop.

I make my way to the plumbing classroom, where students cubicles are laid out like mini bathrooms: wash basins, toilets and showers all waiting to be plumbed in.

Antony ONeil, 45, an ex-marine who runs the centre with his wife Gillian Martin, 44, tells me students come from all over the world; often, like me, keen to equip themselves with the skills to tackle work on their own house.

He says if he had to generalise, plasterers are the roughest, plumbers the poshest.

On my course are Eddie (a school caretaker) and retired child psychologist Steve. Our teacher is Iain. He may be only 43 but he has perfected his grumpy old plumber routine.

He says things like: Theres a special place in hell for people who tile around a basin or Who paints copper pipes white?!

Soldering on: Katie gets to grips with copper piping during the five-day intensive plumbing course at Trades Training School in Edinburgh

I think of my own bathroom and blush.

We start with the basics, which is a relief. Until now, the only thing Ive known about plumbing is lefty loosey, righty tighty. We talk through pipe sizes, materials and fittings.

In the first five minutes I learn enough to know that all the things Ive bought to try to tackle my outside tap are wrong.

We learn about pipe cutters, sink wrenches, how to tell elbow joints from shoulders, and why washers  which until now I could take or leave  are essential.

Then we start on our first task: following a plan in order to assemble a small pipe system by joining up plastic pipes with push-fit connectors.

I try following Iains instructions for measuring and cutting pipes (dont forget about the depth of fittings) and quickly remember how bad I am at maths.

None of my pipes is the right length so my circuit, which should be a rectangle, looks more oblong-esque. Iain makes me do it again. Finally, when we water-test our systems, miraculously mine works without one leak.

Next, we take this knowledge into plumbing in a wash basin, learning how to connect taps, run pipes, add a waste.

When my toilet works, Ive never been so happy to hear the sound of a flush

Iain gives jargon-free instruction  When it looks squished in enough, stop  plus straightforward (if a touch sarcastic) explanations as to why, say, the waste pipes have to run in a certain direction: Because of gravity.

The room fills with grunts and swearing as we tighten bolts and screw in taps.

Every time more instructions are needed, Eddie, Steve and I perch on toilet seat to take notes. As I run pipes, the radio plays 2 Become 1 by the Spice Girls.

I discover that I have the same problem plumbing in a wash basin as I did with my pipe circuit: I find planning boring and measuring dull.

Instead, I take more of an intuitive approach to estimating pipe lengths, cutting as I go and finding myself going off at the odd tangent when my pipes dont run as Id hoped.

Perhaps, I muse from my position lying under the sink, if I ever have my own plumbing company Ill call it Go With The Flow.

We plumb in a toilet, learning about close-coupled and concealed, high-level, mid-level and wall-hung systems, siphon flushes and flapper flushes.

Mostly the lav has my undivided attention, although I do have to periodically check over my shoulder for Iain in case he catches me taking selfies with my spanner.

When my toilet works, I am filled with intense pride. Ive never been so happy to hear the sound of a flush.

In a week we absorb a huge amount of knowledge. We learn why the hot pipe should always run over the cold pipe, about building regulations for WC pipe gradients and how often you have to use pipe clips and I realise all the things that are wrong in my house.

Parlez-vous plumber? What they say to customers  and what they really mean Youve got a problem with your nipples, love Im sorry to tell you that the short lengths of pipe between these couplings are not fulfilling the purpose for which they were installed Didnt you notice the pilot had gone out? Are you irredeemably stupid? You dont know where the shut-off valve is? As above Call that a floor flange? I am surprised by the way that your toilet has been connected to the sewer pipes Im off to the van for a joint I have erroneously left a length of pipe in my vehicle Im off to the van for some dope These threaded connectors need an industry-approved lubricant in order to seal them efficiently Advertisement

We find out what to do when the flush breaks or wastes leak and I think of the number of times Ive paid plumbers 100 to do jobs that take five minutes, and that I can now do myself.

We learn how to bend and solder copper pipes; how to hang and drain radiators, flush central heating systems, change valves, add thermostats.

For those of us who might work as plumbers, we learn tricks of the trade, such as if you dont know something say to the customer, I just have to get something from the van  then go and google it.

We learn how vented and unvented central heating systems work, and how to solve common problems with them  which certainly would have saved me last winter when my boiler broke down and I couldnt get a plumber to look at it for a month.

Suddenly all the things plumbers have told me about my cottage fall into place, like finally hearing all the notes of a song.

I realise how my whole house fits together, which is really the bare minimum a homeowner should know.

It strikes me that many of my male friends already know this stuff  perhaps theyre taught by their dads?

What surprises me most is how much I enjoy learning about plumbing.

I leave at the end of the week with Taylor Swifts Shake It Off ringing in my ears, a fine layer of plaster dust over me, a sense of empowerment and big plans for the outside tap.

When my friend Martin calls me that night complaining his hot waters coming on but not his central heating, I advise him to check his diverter valve.

He is gobsmacked. I feel pleased with myself. I have finally become someones dad.
About a decade ago, Selina Mills had to ask for an overdraft. She went to the bank and made her request to the manager.

Unfortunately for Mills, halfway through her speech, her false Perspex eye fell out of its socket and rolled across the bank floor.

Her bank manager said gravely: You will have to keep a better eye on your finances, Miss Mills. She hastily popped her eye back in and he granted her the overdraft.

Mills is blind. She was born unable to see in her right eye and with poor, deteriorating vision in her left.

When she was in her 30s she was diagnosed with a post-anterior cataract, which could not be operated on and would inexorably worsen her sight.

Selina Mills, 52, was born unable to see in her right eye and with poor, deteriorating vision in her left. At 42, she was told she was 'legally blind' and now she has only 15% of her sight left. But Mills refuses to see her blindness as a tragedy. We all have something, and my something is blindness,' says Selina

When she turned 42, her doctors told her she was legally blind. In other words, her vision was 20/200; a legally blind person can see at 20 feet what a person with 20/20 vision can see at 200 feet.

Even though it was inevitable, I felt a sad resignation, says Mills. I think denial has been a constant companion. But, she adds, maybe thats OK. Her husband  a philosophy don at Oxford University  has a quote for it:

A little bit of self-deception does you good.

Now, aged 52, Mills only has 15 per cent of her sight left. This month, shes publishing her first book: Life Unseen. Its part memoir and part a history of blindness.

Despite there being 40 million people in the world who are blind, society doesnt understand very much about vision loss.

The most common confusion is that blindness means existing in total darkness. But thats not quite right.

In her book, Mills describes her left eye as seeing misty fog and shadows of vision, as if there is a layer of Vaseline smeared over it; meanwhile, her right eye does not see black or dark, it simply does not see.

Today, she walks with a cane. There are, it turns out, different sorts of canes for different occasions: thin, pencil-tipped ones, for making light contact with the ground; fatter marshmallow-tipped options, if you need more feeling; and roller marshmallow-tips, which let the user glide their cane across surfaces, rather than tapping them.

The most common confusion is that blindness means existing in total darkness. But Mills says her right eye does not see black or dark, it simply does not see.

Mills doesnt have a guide dog  partly because she doesnt want to have to pick up after it.

Because she has some vision, people often accuse Mills of faking blindness. Once, a train ticket inspector, after seeing her walk down the platform unassisted, questioned why she had a disabled travel card.

Mills explained her situation but the guard wouldnt let up. Eventually, she plucked her false eye out from the socket and thrust it in his face as proof.

Shes had a Perspex false eye, which fits over her bad eye like a contact lens, since she was ten.

Its a painful creation process; a mould is taken of the eye by filling it with a blue goo; it takes around 20 minutes for this to set, and it stings.

If you cry the mould is ruined and the procedure starts again. After the mould has set, its hand-painted to match the other eye.

Mills has three false eyes: one for the daytime, with smaller pupils; one for the night time, when the pupils dilate; and a spare in case she loses one, which she does  often.

On a holiday in Rome, she was sitting with a friend near a river when she sneezed and her eye fell out.

We couldnt find it anywhere. We were like, Oh my god. One day, someones going to find this and think its part of Roman history.

On another occasion in Scotland, I was having a snog in some heather and I rolled down the hill and my eye fell out because I was rolling so fast.

These sorts of stories  unexpected, a little outrageous, very funny  are typical of Mills. Shes excellent company.

Over breakfast bacon sandwiches she tells me, loudly, that its nonsense to suggest blind people have better sex because they have heightened senses. You know, [sex] depends on the operator!

Going blind wasnt a tragedy. I cant change it but objectively it is just a state of being

Her book is often very funny, too. But Mills doesnt want it to be flippant. I hide behind humour, she says.

Those lost Perspex eyes we were giggling about are essential to her daily life.

At a certain point in our conversation Mills tells me that she realised her blindness was becoming a problem when she kept accidentally typing 1 billion in articles rather than 1 million (she was a business journalist for The Daily Telegraph).

I laugh but, not long after, Mills reveals that, while shes employed, 73 per cent of blind people arent; she might dress up serious things with jokes, but they do ultimately remain serious.

When Mills learned that she was losing her vision, everyone kept telling her it was difficult and desperate and miserable.

And it was indeed hard, she says, but it wasnt like this tragedy. Its happening to me, and I cant change it, but objectively its just a state of being.

Most stories about blindness tend to be either really gloomy or really inspirational. Were obsessed with building narrative arcs for people, says Mills.

But life is rarely so straightforward. Instead, she would like blind people to just be.

I hope in 100 years we dont think of blindness as any different from anything else. Its just, you know, one aspect of being human  deafness, blindness, mobility  rather than this objectified, separate, stigmatised thing.

After all, she says, We all have something; its OK that we all have something. And for me, that something is blindness. Mills looks down at her now empty plate. And a complete obsession with bacon sandwiches!
Xi to attend SCO summit via video link

Xinhua) 15:00, July 01, 2023

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video conference from Beijing on July 4 and deliver important remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Friday.

"Xi will map out the future development of the SCO with the leaders of other countries attending the summit. With joint efforts, the SCO will surely achieve greater development and contribute to the development and prosperity of regional countries," Mao Ning, another Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a regular news briefing.

Since its founding, the SCO has always followed the "Shanghai Spirit," continuously consolidated good-neighborly friendship and political mutual trust among member states, deepened cooperation in various fields, and played an important and constructive role in international and regional affairs, Mao said.

The world today is experiencing turmoil and changes, with a marked increase in destabilizing, uncertain and unpredictable factors, and the international community and regional countries expect the SCO to contribute more to safeguarding regional security and promoting common development, Mao added.

"As a founding member, China has always taken the SCO as a diplomatic priority. China is ready to work with other member states to actively implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative to promote the building of a closer

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
A woman who opened up about being bullied for the shape of her nose as a child has been trolled after getting it reshaped as well as getting a Brazilian Bum Lift.

Hayley Webb, 20, from Howlong, New South Wales, Australia, grew up with the nickname Pinocchio because of her nose, so she decided to fix her insecurity - and bag herself the flat stomach and bum she'd always dreamed of - at the age of 19.

Suffering with her mental health, Hayley forked out just over 22,000 from her TikTok and OnlyFans earnings for the cosmetic surgeries - with the Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL) seeing fat from her stomach transferred to her behind.

But she's now being trolled for her new look, with cruel social media commentators claiming that she 'looks worse'.

'My whole life I've been called names for my nose, such as Pinocchio, or told I have a witch's nose,' she said. 'I was constantly asked how many fingers I could fit up my nose.

A woman who opened up about being bullied for the shape of her nose as a child has been trolled after getting it reshaped as well as getting a Brazilian Bum Lift. Pictured, Hayley Webb before, pictured left, and after, pictured right, the procedure

'I always told myself I would save for a nose job and get it done before I turned 40 because I thought I could never afford it. I lost my full-time job and animal traineeship because of Covid.

'I was also broken up with, and I fell into a deep depression as a result. I was diagnosed with three mental disorders, and I was so broke.

'I lost 10kg and never left my bed. I didn't work for eight months and was making constant trips to the hospital for my mental health. The one and only time I have ever seen my dad cry was because he hated seeing me in the state I was in,' revealed Hayley.

She started OnlyFans 'for a couple of extra bucks' but that soon turned into thousands, which has now turned into a couple of hundred thousands - meaning she could finally afford the procedures.

Hayley said: 'I would fix what I hated about myself over a new car or a house any day. So when I was 18, I researched BBLs and nose jobs and other surgeries and cosmetics.

'I saw a TikTok about BBLs. I had never looked into it before, but I got a quote for it and realised I could easily afford it, so I booked in the next day. I didn't even think about it, because I just wanted my stubborn fat gone.

Hayley Webb (pictured before her nose job), 20, from Howlong, New South Wales, Australia, grew up with the nickname Pinocchio because of her nose, so she decided to fix her insecurity - and bag herself the flat stomach and bum she'd always dreamed of - at the age of 19

Hayley pictured before, pictured left, and after, pictured right, her nose job

Suffering with her mental health, Hayley forked out just over 22,000 from her TikTok and OnlyFans earnings for the cosmetic surgeries - with the Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL) seeing fat from her stomach transferred to her behind

'I got three rounds of filler then booked in my nose and BBL on the same day. After I turned 19, I travelled interstate for my BBL to get rid of my insecurity about not having a flat stomach and an hourglass figure.

'The wait for surgery was roughly three months for both of them. My doctor said no more surgeries for six weeks afterwards. As soon as that six-week mark hit, I had my nose job.'

Posting her post-op results online, with a newfound love for her body image, a lot of people were quick to voice their cruel remarks to Hayley, who despite this, is still thrilled with her new look.

She added: 'I posted the results online because I love my outcome. I am so confident in myself and couldn't be happier. Every time I post something, I gain more followers and make more money on my site, even though I always get hate too.

'It doesn't affect me. The world is cruel, and the only opinion that matters is mine. I'm finally confident in myself. I don't care about what people that live thousands of miles away from me think.

But she's now being trolled for her new look (pictured), with cruel social media commentators claiming that she 'looks worse'

'My whole life I've been called names for my nose, such as Pinocchio, or told I have a witch's nose,' Hayley (pictured after her nose job) said. 'I was constantly asked how many fingers I could fit up my nose'

Hayley (pictured before her nose job and BBL, left, and after, right) started OnlyFans 'for a couple of extra bucks' but that soon turned into thousands, which has now turned into a couple of hundred thousands - meaning she could finally afford the procedures

Hayley (pictured following her BBL) said: 'I would fix what I hated about myself over a new car or a house any day. So when I was 18, I researched BBLs and nose jobs and other surgeries and cosmetics.

Posting her post-op results online, with a newfound love for her body image, a lot of people were quick to voice their cruel remarks to Hayley (pictured before her procedures), who despite this, is still thrilled with her new look

'All the comments I got about my surgeries were "looks the same", "get a refund" or "looks worse", but I don't care. I just think, "They didn't know me before and photos can never do justice for how someone looks in-person."

'My surgeon specifically told me, "There's only so much you can do to a nose - you will always have a larger nose than most."

'Something I will never forget my surgeon saying was, "We want to make your nose looks normal so that it's not an insecurity someone can pick you on for" and that's exactly what he did.

'If you met me and I didn't mention that I've had a nose job, you wouldn't comment on it, because you wouldn't notice anything wrong.

'But if you met me pre-nose job, you would instantly think, "Gosh, her nose is huge," so, to me, it's now perfect.

'My parents say they don't even recognise me, but they are glad I'm happy and they made me promise to get no more surgery at such a young age.

'My friends supported me the whole way through as I documented the good and the bad on my Instagram highlights. They now wish they had the money to get cosmetic surgery too.'
Today is the fifth day of the six-day Henley Royal Regatta in Oxfordshire

Glamorous guests donned colourful floral frocks and traditional blazers as they attended the fifth day of the Henley Royal Regatta today.

The rowing event, which was established in 1839, takes place every year and sees teams compete in more than 300 races along the River Thames in Oxfordshire.

Spectators were dressed to impress for the fifth day of the six-day event, in floral midi dresses, classic blazers and pastel ensembles.

Some rowing fans opted to pair their summer dresses and even their suits with casual trainers or sandals.

In 2021 it was announced that women would be allowed to wear trousers to the Henley Royal Regatta for the first time since it was established.

Looking oar-some! A host of chic revellers showed off their fashion prowess as they attended the fifth day of the Henley Royal Regatta

The long-standing sartorial rules - which asked for over-the-knee skirts and no trousers, and a blazer or smart jacket - crumbled under pressure from campaigners who branded the former dress code 'symbolic of an era when women couldn't compete and were just there to look pretty.'

There was a sea of brightly-coloured blazers making their way to the Henley Royal Regatta today, as well as vibrant midi dresses teamed with statement hats.

The regatta will see national clubs from up and down the country vying for glory on the River Thames in a number of races.

The popular sporting event - which was first staged in 1839 and has been held annually every year since, except during the two World Wars and 2020 due to Covid-19 - comes hand-in-hand with a day of picnics and drinking.

Teams compete in over 300 races of an international standard on the Thames, which can include Olympic rowers as well as crews new to the event.

Gorgeous in green! These two guests opted for statement emerald dresses when appearing at today's event

Hat's the spirit! This rowing fan turned heads in her statement headpiece which she teamed with a white frock

Dream team: This group of friends all opted for flattering shades of white and pink as they attended the occasion together

Dressed to impress: Regatta goers were dressed to the nines for the rowing event with many turning up in floral frocks

Thrice as nice! Bright colours were popular for the event with many opting for shades of pink or light blues

No raining on their (fashion) parade! These revellers still opted for bright, colourful dresses and smart suits despite the rainy weather at points during the day

Seeing double! These two guests appeared to stick to the same colour scheme when picking out their outfits for today

Working it! This stylish duo posed up a storm at the event in Oxfordshire today

Radiant: One glamourous guest (left) opted for a fashionable ombre dress to ensure she stood out from the crowd

Double trouble: Spectators were dressed to impress for the fifth day of the six-day event, in floral midi dresses, classic blazers and pastel ensembles

The rowing event, which was established in 1839, takes place every year and sees teams compete in more than 300 races along the River Thames in Oxfordshire

This year, the six-day regatta will for the first time allow international entrants to the junior men's eights, as well as teams from British private and state schools.

Sir Steve Redgrave, chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, said one major British private school feared opening up the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup to international teams would mean students competing against 'superclubs'.

Sir Steve said he attended a meeting of 55 schools where one private school, which he didn't name, wanted the cup to remain closed to international competitors.

But he added it was going to happen 'sooner or later' and it was the 'right thing to do'.

In a podcast this month, Sir Steve was asked whether schools, including Eton College, St Paul's School and St Edward's School, should be concerned about the rise of 'big US clubs coming over to race  they are very fast'.

There was a sea of brightly-coloured blazers making their way to the Henley Royal Regatta today, as well as vibrant midi dresses teamed with statement hats

Strike a pose: This duo looked elegant in their fashionable ensembles for today's event

Blooming lovely! Despite the rainy weather at times, these guests opted for lovely floral dresses

The regatta will see national clubs from up and down the country vying for glory on the River Thames in a number of races

Teams compete in over 300 races of an international standard on the Thames, which can include Olympic rowers as well as crews new to the event

He said: 'One of those top schools didn't want it. But it was going to happen sooner or later. We can't stop this, in fact it's the right thing to do.'

Sir Steve explained that rowing cities in the United States were 'huge' and clubs were state-wide and not school-oriented like in Britain.

He said this meant their rowing clubs were a 'little bit bigger' because they draw upon rowers from more schools.

The chairman added: 'What we don't want is any country to be able to put a crew together, which is almost a national eight [team].

'It's not an event for national eights  it's for the top juniors from their rowing establishments.'

The regatta near Henley-on-Thames was established in 1839. The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup began in 1946, but only allowed entrants from public schools.
Two brothers turned their family business around from a struggling furniture company to a thriving home empire that is making $22million a year.

Casey and his younger brother Taylor McPhail have a split share in the furniture business their late father started in Wangaratta, Victoria, more than 50 years ago.

The business was ticking along but then Covid hit and revenue plummeted so drastically the brothers found themselves in 'so much debt' and were forced to consider shutting McPhail's down.

Thankfully, Casey and Taylor, who have a 17-year age gap, inherited their parents Keith and Bev's strong work ethic and reinvented McPhail's to the point it is now bringing in between $20,000 and $100,000 a day.

'When [Casey] was 23, he would say, "Dad, I'm working so hard, I'm getting home at 11 at night," and his first response was, "Someone else is working harder,"' Taylor told FEMAIL.

'And that's what our mum's like, too. A tough woman. If she's giving you sympathy, you're probably doing something wrong.'

Taylor and Casey McPhail (pictured) saved the furniture business McPhail's, which their father started in 1969, from ruin and are now bringing in $22million a year in revenue

In 1969, Casey and Taylor's father Keith started his own removalists company in Wangaratta, which eventually evolved into a furniture sales business.

'Dad used to do removalist work. A lot of people couldn't fit their furniture in their new house so he'd take it, warehouse it and auction it off,' Casey explained.

'He realised there was a lot more money in that than what he was doing.'

Keith bought properties around the close-knit country town of Wangaratta, less than 70km south-west of AlburyWodonga, on the Victoria-New South Wales border, to store the furniture.

McPhail's took many forms over the years, going from second-hand furniture to imported to new items, before Casey jumped on board at the age of 22.

However, two years later, Keith died of cancer at the age of 50, when younger brother Taylor was only six years old.

'A lot of people say I'm the exact same as my dad in mannerisms - older people in town who knew him and worked with him [say that], which is kind of funny because I was six so I never picked it up off him,' said the soon-to-be father of two.

Casey said losing his dad was not only devastating for the family, but 'threw a real spanner in the works' for McPhail's.

Casey and Taylor inherited their parents Keith and Bev's (pictured) strong work ethic and reinvented McPhail's to the point it is bringing in between $20,000 and $100,000 every day

In 1969, Casey and Taylor's father Keith started his own removalists company in Wangaratta, which eventually evolved into a furniture sales business

His eldest brother came into the business to help, and the company was occasionally pulling in a decent $7million a year.

They took a hit in 2008 in the Global Financial Crisis when Taylor said McPhail's started 'deteriorating'.

'When I came in about 2014, it was at one and a half million [dollars a year in revenue], then it got down to about $900,000. I worked there as an employee you could see it was going south,' he said.

Yearly revenue continued to decline and the oldest brother split from the business in 2016, but Taylor and Casey persevered.

'We were left with McPhail's. We got to the keep the brand and the original company and the Wangaratta store,' Taylor said.

'We had to do something with that and that's when I found the Facebook marketing side.'

Yearly revenue continued to decline but Taylor and Casey pursued. Taylor started advertising furniture on Facebook Marketplace and made thousands of dollars in sales

After getting a large shipment of leather lounges, Taylor thought he'd try and shift the stock on Facebook Marketplace.

He invested $1,000 into boosting McPhail's listings and ended up selling around $50,000 worth of furniture in just a couple of weeks.

'Facebook is like our catalogue and because it's so interactive, we use it a lot. We write back to the customers personally and there's no bots or anything,' Taylor said.

'You can have a lot of banter at eight to ten at night when you're sitting on the couch with a glass of red and the customer's on the couch doing the same.'

Advertising on Facebook, which McPhail's still does today, along with putting money into their stores, saw an increase in sales, but it still wasn't enough.

'The sales per month weren't covering the cost of the business,' Casey said.

'Things did start to pick up a little in December [2019] before the pandemic, so we thought we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then when Covid hit we didn't know what to do.'

'When the Covid stuff happened everyone was saying, "You're going to close down and no one's allowed out,"' Taylor added.

'It was crazy back then. That's when we were like, "We're done, throw in the towel," because it was so hard to get to where we were.'

Covid brought about many logistical complications; shipping was not only extortionately expensive but constantly delayed.

Taylor remembered how effective his efforts on Facebook had been prior to Covid, and hit the platform hard to sell what they had.

The pandemic did bring some advantages: with everyone confined to their homes they were more willing to splash some cash on the spaces they were forced to spend so much time in.

Before the pandemic, the brothers thought they would have to 'throw in the towel' - but online marketing and a strong demand for furniture during lockdown saw things start to look up

'We just went out and spent money like crazy and tried to sell it  everything would sell straight away. Whatever you would put up, it would sell,' he said.

'Everyone was at home [and] they were just buying. We had customers we never had before.'

In April 2020, they picked up to $700,000 in a month and were up to $1million by July. By the end of the year, they were pulling in $2million.

Casey and Taylor also came up with the idea to introduce a flat $59 delivery fee for anyone in Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT as well as south-eastern regions of Queensland and South Australia, which they believe also contributed to their success.

'The perfect thing was that in Covid you could only drop to the door. Previously, you would have to send two guys to unwrap everything [and] put it away, and you'd only get four deliveries done in the day,' Taylor explained.

'Whereas for $59, you'd do 15 in a day with one person.'

Their business grew to the point they were able to renovate their stores and design their own furniture.

After: Their business grew to the point they were able to renovate their store, which went from a scattered warehouse-like shop to a sophisticated showroom filled with stylish furniture

Before: Looking back at their old store Taylor laughed, 'To think that's how we used to retail and we wondered why we were going broke!'

McPhail's Wangaratta store went from a scattered warehouse-like shop to a sophisticated showroom filled with stylish designer furniture.

Looking back at their old store, Taylor laughed: 'To think that's how we used to retail and we wondered why we were going broke!'

They have a wide range of styles and lines named after, and inspired by, different Australian destinations, including Flinders, Bright and Griffith.

McPhail's is very particular about the stock they deliver. Any tiny scuff on a box means the furniture has to be thoroughly inspected to ensure no one is receiving damaged goods.

Anything that is slightly damaged gets sold on Facebook for less.

Despite having a strong online presence, Casey and Taylor have made McPhail's a household name across the south and eastern states.

They often have shoppers travel thousands of kilometres just to visit their Wangaratta store to handpick furniture themselves.

'Often you'll be in the store and there'll be someone from Dubbo and their neighbours are here, too. That would happen three or four times a month,' Taylor said.

Taylor said he and Casey, whom he considers a 'father figure', were able to pick McPhail's off the ground and continue to work well together because they 'understand each other's strengths'

Throughout their business ventures, the brothers found time to get married and start families - all while staying involved in the local community.

Taylor married a woman named Tayla, who is pregnant with their second child, while coincidentally Casey has a wife named Kasey, with whom he has three children, as well as a daughter from a previous marriage.

Now that they have worked hard and achieved financial security, Taylor says the all-work, no-play mentality his parents lived by will stop with them.

Taylor said he and Casey, whom he considers a 'father figure', were able to pick McPhail's off the ground and continue to work well together because they 'have an understanding of each other's strengths'.

'I do what I want and if I have an issue, I ask him and he advises. He kept the business alive when I wasn't here so there was something here to take,' Taylor said.

'I've grown it with his help, but when he's on the floor he's the best salesman by a mile.'

After 30 years selling furniture, Casey is an expert in the trade and shared his one piece of advice for couples styling their own homes.

'Listen to your wife. The wives are right about this stuff every time,' he said.
Marnie Wills was two months into her dream nursing degree before her world was turned upside down.

The 'fit and healthy' student, from Melbourne, was just 19 when she was diagnosed with stage-three cancer in April 2020.

Now 21, Marnie told FEMAIL she had been a dancer her whole life, trained three times a week and felt the healthiest she had ever been.

'I had itchy skin for years with no sign of a rash and saw different skin specialists who all thought it was dermatitis. Six to eight months prior to the diagnosis, I had been experiencing night sweats but didn't think anything of it,' Marnie said.

Little did she know the two 'vague' symptoms were signs of tumours growing unnoticed in her chest and abdomen. They were later found to be nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma (NSHL), the most common type of the disease.

At university she required a blood test before a placement, which thankfully led to the diagnosis.

'Doctors said if I didn't have a blood test when I did, there would've been a chance that within 12 months I would be gone,' she said.

Marnie Wills was diagnosed with stage-three nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma in April 2020. At the time, she was 19 and had just started university (pictured before her diagnosis)

At university she required a blood test before a placement, which serendipitously led to the diagnosis. 'Doctors said if I didn't have a blood test when I did, there would've been a chance that within 12 months I would be gone,' she said

Two days after having the blood test, the GP called Marnie to say the results were 'unusual' and she was sent to the emergency department.

'They thought I was having a heart attack based off the results. Then they did a chest X-ray and a heart scan, and I lit up like a Christmas tree.'

The scans detected small tumours across Marnie's body, particularly in her chest and abdomen. At that point, doctors weren't sure if any were cancerous or not, so she was sent to a surgeon for a biopsy at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre.

The results later confirmed she had Hodgkin's lymphoma.

What is Hodgkin's lymphoma? Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare form of cancer that starts in a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes. The disease begins in a lymph node, usually in the neck, then spreads through the lymphatic system from one group of lymph nodes to another. Hodgkin lymphoma represents roughly 0.5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in Australia. About 11 percent of all lymphomas are types of Hodgkin lymphoma, while the remainder are non-Hodgkin. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma may arise in lymph nodes anywhere in the body, whereas Hodgkin lymphoma typically begins in the upper body, such as the neck, chest or armpits. Hodgkin lymphoma is often diagnosed at an early stage and is therefore considered one of the most treatable cancers. Approximately 600 people in Australia are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma every year, most commonly younger people aged 15  29 and older people over the age of 65. It is more common in men than women. Source: Lymphoma Australia Advertisement

'It was just luck that I was diagnosed because we never really thought anything of my symptoms. I should've gone to the doctor sooner but being so young I never thought it would be anything serious,' she said.

The tumours growing in Marnie's chest and abdomen are visible in this X-ray

Because it was a known type of the disease, doctors reassured Marnie it was treatable.

However, being stage three, the cancer was serious and if left any longer it possibly would have grown elsewhere in the body.

Surprisingly, despite where the tumours were, Marnie didn't experience any pain.

She also has no family history of cancer and says her case was just a matter of 'bad luck' as the cause is unknown.

'I had finished school and just started uni then it all went downhill pretty fast. I hadn't heard of the type of cancer before either,' Marnie said.

'As soon as I heard the word "cancer" my brain switched off. Everything went in one ear and out the other. I went into a frozen-like state. I didn't know how to feel or what to think.'

'It was just luck that I was diagnosed because we never really thought anything of my symptoms. I should've gone to the doctor sooner, but being so young I never thought it would be anything serious,' said Marnie (pictured with her fiance Bailey before her diagnosis)

In a swift turnaround, Marnie started treatment within three days and had her first round of chemotherapy on a Thursday.

'I was definitely the youngest person in the chemo ward. Everyone else looked over 65. It was so strange being there and I never saw another young person come in,' she said.

She required treatment for nine months and during the process she lost her hair, got shingles from an infection, had mouth ulcers that became so bad she couldn't drink water. She also felt nauseous all the time.

Surgeons couldn't physically remove the large tumour in her chest because it was too close in proximity to her heart and lungs.

Thankfully, the treatment worked exceptionally well at decreasing the tumours, and now she only has one remaining.

After she received the life-changing news, she first deferred from her nursing degree then dropped out.

Today, Marnie works in administration and doesn't plan to return to her studies because she doesn't want to work in a hospital.

In a swift turnaround, she started her first round of chemotherapy three days after being diagnosed at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre. Upon reflection, Marnie said the hardest aspect of the whole experience was watching her friends go on with their lives while she remained in hospital for months

She has now been in remission for two years, but has annual check-ups to ensure the cancer hasn't returned (pictured recently)

Marnie said the hardest aspect of the whole experience was watching her friends go on with their lives while she remained in hospital for months.

'Scrolling through social media and seeing others living normal lives... I guess you just have to try hard not to compare,' she said.

'It was hard seeing how much it was impacting my family, too. I'm very close with my immediate family. It was Covid times, so I wasn't allowed any visitors in the hospital and couldn't bring anyone along.'

From this she found an unknown inner strength she didn't know she had, and made it through the terrifying ordeal with a positive mindset.

'It all happened so fast that it didn't actually sink in until after I finished treatment,' she said, adding: 'I think I went into fight-or-flight mode and did what I had to do. Plus, I had to be strong for everyone else.

'With every treatment I thought I'm one step closer to the finish line.'

Now she has a newfound appreciation for life and doesn't take anything for granted. She also has annual check-ups to ensure the cancer doesn't return.

For more information on Hodgkin's lymphoma and other types of blood cancer, please visit Lymphoma Australia or the Australian Cancer Council.
People blighted by the itchy skin disease psoriasis will soon be granted some relief after a new drug was approved by the NHS.

The pill, called deucravacitinib, is set to be offered to patients with moderate to severe forms of the disease who have failed to respond to other treatments.

Psoriasis causes red, flaky and itchy patches of skin, and at its most extreme can cover almost all of the body, with many sufferers scratching to the point of bleeding.

Deucravacitinib has been shown in clinical trials to remove about three-quarters of psoriasis rashes from the body. It was also found to cause far fewer side effects than other psoriasis drugs.

In recent years, a number of medicines capable of tackling psoriasis by reducing inflammation, collectively known as JAK inhibitors, have been developed. But last year, researchers discovered that these powerful treatments, also used to treat types of the joint condition arthritis, raise the risk of heart problems, blood clots and even cancer.

Supermodel Cara Delevingne, 30, has been open about her struggle with psoriasis

Psoriasis causes red, flaky and itchy patches of skin, and at its most extreme can cover almost all of the body

JAK inhibitors were never rolled out for NHS psoriasis patients, meaning deucravacitinib is the first oral treatment to be approved for the condition in nearly a decade. Researchers found it is both safer than JAK inhibitors and more effective than current oral treatments offered on the NHS.

Experts say deucravacitinib will improve the lives of thousands of people in the UK.

'This is a really effective drug which is simple to take and requires very little monitoring,' says Professor Laura Coates, a rheumatologist at the University of Oxford. 'It is good news for patients who have persistent psoriasis but don't want take powerful drugs which can have a high rate of side effects.'

THE condition affects more than one million people in the UK, including British supermodel Cara Delevingne, and typically develops in early adulthood.

While the cause is not fully understood, it occurs when the body over-produces skin cells and is thought to be due to problems with the immune system. Many manage their symptoms with creams containing anti-inflammatory steroids, but it currently cannot be cured and will keep returning.

The itchy patches, which are often described as scales, typically form on the arms and legs, but for those with severe psoriasis they can cover up to 90 per cent of the body.

There are a number of treatments available on the NHS, including steroid creams and phototherapy  exposing the skin to ultraviolet light to reduce inflammation and slow the production of skin cells.

If these options don't work then patients will then typically be offered an pill, called apremilast, which dampens inflammation, helping alleviate symptoms. But studies show the daily tablet is only effective in around a third of patients.

There are a number of treatments available on the NHS, including steroid creams and phototherapy  exposing the skin to ultraviolet light to reduce inflammation and slow the production of skin cells

More potent drugs, called biologics, are also offered  but these require frequent injections and can weaken the immune system.

What's the difference... between addiction and compulsion? Addiction is the process by which someone becomes dependent on a particular substance or behaviour. It is commonly associated with gambling, drugs, alcohol and smoking, and driven by the pleasure of a mental high. Sufferers develop a need to replicate this high and have withdrawal symptoms if they cannot do so. Treatment involves therapy or medication. A compulsion is an intense urge to do something. Patients with obsessive compulsive disorder may, for example, excessively wash their hands, which does not bring them any pleasure but relieves them of anxiety. It is treated with therapy and antidepressants. Advertisement

'We've used apremilast for some time now and it works, but it could be much better,' says Prof Coates. 'Often, if apremilast isn't doing the job, you don't want to bump someone straight up to a biologic drug because these are pretty strong and mean patients have to go into hospital for check-ups quite a bit.'

Deucravacitinib, developed by UK drug manufacturer Bristol Myers Squibb, is a new breed of drug called tyrosine kinase two inhibitors. It targets specific immune system proteins that are linked to psoriasis. Researchers on the clinical trial concluded that it was significantly more effective than apremilast and even worked as well as several of the highly potent biologic drugs, but with fewer side effects.

Experts say that trial patients in the UK who have taken the drug have seen life-changing results.

'These patients had at least a tenth of their body covered in psoriasis patches, which really negatively impacts their lives,' says Chris Griffiths, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester.

'Not only are the patches uncomfortable and itchy but people feel very self-conscious of their bodies as they worry people will think they have a contagious condition.

'Many who took deucravacitinib saw a huge difference. Within weeks the scales would stop itching, and a few weeks after that they'd recede.

'A few months later, patients had clear skin  you couldn't tell they ever had psoriasis. Skin diseases like this can be very stigmatising, so it's great to have such an effective treatment.'
In articles published on 11 and 13 March reporting on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States, Dailymail.com wrongly described Jay Ersapah as the Chief Risk Officer and the head of risk for the bank in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The coverage, which was also promoted via Dailymail.coms Twitter platform, included social media comments which suggested Ms Ersapah was the Head of Financial Risk and Model Risk Management at the US bank and was on the US bank board of directors. In fact, Ms Ersapah was the Head of Financial Risk Management and Model Risk for Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited, which was a stand-alone entity, and she had no responsibilities for the US bank which collapsed. We are happy to clarify that she was not on the board of directors and she has also asked us to make clear that she was not an executive of either the UK or US bank. We apologise to Ms Ersapah for the errors.

To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@mailonline.co.uk. To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.mailonline.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form. You can also write to Readers' Editor, MailOnline, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.uk
Drivers are being warned over simple mistake that cost a Mini owner thousands of pounds after she saw a flashing light on her dashboard.

The motorist went to her local garage to top up her windscreen washer fluid, after spotting the levels were running low.

Without help from the mechanics, she popped the bonnet and emptied the soapy liquid into a nosel... moments later her car was smoking and emitting a blue cloud from the engine.

And, on top of all that, the windshield washer light was still flashing.

Can you guess her mistake?

The woman poured washer liquid where motor oil should go and caused a total wreckage which began with a cloud of blue smoke

The woman soon discovered that instead of resolving the issue, she had caused irreversible damage to her Mini.

When an employee from the garage went out to inspect the vehicle, he discovered that the woman had poured washer fluid where the motor oil should go.

And, as a result, the engine became covered by a monstrous foamy sludge.

The Mini's engine was covered in a thick foamy sludge and the driver had to pay around 3,500 to replace the destroyed part

In what turned out to be a very expensive mistake, the driver had to replace the engine at a cost of around 3,500

The expensive mistake was posted on a Facebook motorist club - many users have expressed their sympathy for the woman

The post was uploaded by Club BMW Voiture Allemande Region centre in France and has had more than 25,000 comments and 37,000 likes.

A member of the community page shared their encounter with the woman at the garage.

The post read: 'I checked and she has put 5 litres of windscreen washer in the spot where the oil is supposed to be.'

Users were left in shock at the state of the sludge, and were quick to give their opinions.

One person commented: 'It's funny, but this can happen to all of us.'

Some users hopped to the woman's defence, one person said: 'You could have taken one minute of your time to fill up her windscreen washer!!!'

Another said: 'As a professional, you have to ask people if they know where to put the windshield washer... not everyone knows everything.'

Another user agreed: 'Why should we know how to do everything.'

Others were angry with the service provided by the garage, one woman commented: 'How come BMW sells windscreen washer without offering the customer to refill it? It's not professional, especially at the price they sell the can.'
Concerns: Actor and car collector Rowan Atkinson has told of his disappointment in electric cars

Electric cars have taken a real kicking in recent months.

After a spell of booming sales post-Covid, consumer appetite for electric vehicles has started to lose its spark.

Higher energy prices, inflated new car prices, a lack of charging infrastructure and unreliable devices, range anxiety and a general lack of desire to ditch petrol and diesel models as fuel prices have come down has seen public interest in EVs dwindle.

One of the most recent critics of switching to EVs is actor and supercar nut, Rowan Atkinson...

The Blackadder and Mr Bean star claimed that he felt 'a little duped' by electric cars and has been urging friends not to get them.

But not everyone agrees, including Fiona Howarth.

Fiona - chief executive at Octopus Electric Vehicles - says there's plenty of evidence to suggest the British public's love affair with battery-powered cars will continue.

Below, she gives her opinion on the electric car debate - and her views on Mr Atkinson's take on EVs...

Fiona Howarth is an electric car expert and the CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles - the EV-leasing arm of the green energy provider

As Mr Bean, Rowan Atkinson reduced millions of people to helpless laughter with his slapstick antics. Me included.

A few weeks ago, Atkinson reduced drivers of electric cars to incredulous laughter  but this time it was with his slapdash facts.

He wrote an anti-electric vehicle (EV) opinion piece in which he claimed to be 'feeling a little duped' by electric cars.

The article was quickly and widely debunked. The Guardian ran it, then five days later published a thorough fact check painstakingly explaining why it was wrong.

Dr Simon Evans dismantled the claim that EVs produced more emissions in their whole life cycle than petrol or diesel cars.

But I was more interested in one of Atkinson's other main arguments. He spoke of the development of hydrogen-fuelled cars and painted a picture of drivers filling their cars from hydrogen pumps.

I'll leave others to point out how insanely expensive and inefficient it is to fuel cars with hydrogen  not to mention how much worse they are for the environment compared to EVs given how hydrogen is currently produced. (To paraphrase another of Atkinson's brilliant comic creations, Blackadder: perhaps not such a cunning plan?)

What I want to ask is this: why would you want a hydrogen car when you can drive electric?

I started my low carbon car journey with hydrogen cars. Fresh from university I joined the BMW hydrogen car team, traveling around the world to see if hydrogen cars could be a reality.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was even trying to build a Hydrogen Highway in California, but everywhere I went there were challenges - from the tech to the simple lack of access to clean hydrogen filling stations.

READ MORE: VW to cut EV production in Germany due to slump in consumer demand Has the electric car spark gone? Volkswagen will cut production of EVs at one of its biggest factories in Germany due to a lack of consumer demand

Since then, electric cars have come of age. Whatever you think of Elon Musk, with Tesla he's done to cars what Apple did to the phone in your pocket - making brilliant tech on wheels, that's also fun to drive.

And over 30 manufacturers have followed suit - from MG to Audi, Polestar to Porsche; even Toyota and BMW. And the experience just gets better and better.

Far from being 'a bit soulless' (as Atkinson branded them), I hear all the time from effusive drivers recounting the thrill they get when their foot goes down in a VW ID3 or a Tesla Model Y.

Electric cars are great to drive, they're better for the planet and you can save 1,000 a year on fuel.

More than nine in ten electric car drivers wouldn't consider going back to petrol or diesel, a survey from Zap-Map found last year.

Some newspapers have even reported that EV drivers were 'sexier' after a Tinder experiment found that they were more likely to land a match than their petrol-driving counterparts.

If you work for a company with an EV salary sacrifice scheme, they're an incredible bargain too. Drivers can save up to 40 per cent a month while driving a brand new electric car.

It's no surprise then that sales of EVs have gone stratospheric. They rocketed by 60 per cent in the year to April and now make up one in six of new cars bought.

Despite what some high profile media doubters have claimed, the facts show that the British public's honeymoon with electric cars has only just begun.

And investors have noticed. Octopus Electric Vehicles, the EV leasing business I run, has just received 150 million of funding from private capital asset manager Pollen Street Capital. Electric cars not only make sense for drivers, but for investors backing the market too.

We'll use it to finance our brilliant salary sacrifice scheme which comes with not only a new EV, but also a charger installation and a discounted energy tariff.

EV smart tariffs aren't talked about enough - they pair with a car or charger to ensure it always smart charges at a super cheap rate when the grid is at its greenest.

When was the last time a petrol driver could go to a pump and take advantage of cheap prices thanks to a half hourly drop in demand for it? When will a hydrogen driver ever be able to do that?

The Pollen Street injection takes our total funding raised in just two years to the best part of two thirds of a billion quid.

That means we can stock up on more of the incredible range of cars that we're already offering through salary sacrifice - helping drivers to make the switch to electric in the most cost effective way possible.

Electric cars are vital in helping us reach our Net Zero targets. They're fantastic to drive. They're a steal to lease on a salary sacrifice scheme. They're cheap to run because of innovative tariffs.

No one's being duped. Don't be like Bean. Embrace the EV revolution!
For most passengers, airport security is a nightmare. Is toothpaste a liquid? What if a 200ml bottle is half-filled with sun cream? Do laptops have to be removed from their cases? And why is one member of the travelling party invariably held up because something in their rucksack looks suspicious?

Boring at best, nerve-racking at worse, the whole farrago has been a feature of air transport since 9/11 turned travelling on its head.

Now, finally, things are changing, as highly sophisticated scanners are able to discern whether objects are dangerous even if they remain in passengers' luggage.

Watching brief: For most passengers, airport security is a nightmare

Already in use in many US airports, the equipment is expected to be rolled out across Europe soon, easing air travel for millions, and helping airports shift many more passengers along the way.

Guildford-based DiscoverIE makes a crucial component of these scanners and business is brisk. The company last month reported an 18 per cent surge in sales to 449 million for the year to March 31, 2023, with profits rising 23 per cent to 46 million and the dividend up 6 per cent to 11.45p.

Chief executive Nick Jefferies also said that the new financial year had started well, with orders running above expectations.

Jefferies has run DiscoverIE since 2009. Formerly called Acal, the business was primarily known for distributing other firms' goods.

Today, DiscoverIE designs and makes everything it sells, focusing on complex electronic components in four areas  renewable energy, transport, medical devices and automated industrial equipment. End products range from components for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to sensors on train doors.

In each case DiscoverIE works with manufacturers, designing products for their specific needs.

That means its parts are integral to each piece of equipment and contracts tend to last many years.

Jefferies believes the future looks bright for DiscoverIE. He is keen on acquisitions too and a number of deals are in the pipeline, which should boost prospects further.

Analysts are upbeat about the business as well, forecasting further growth this year and beyond, with the dividend rising to 12.1p next year and almost 13p in 2025.

Midas verdict: Midas recommended DiscoverIE in 2014, when the shares were 2.32. It tipped them again in 2021 at 6.72, saying they should continue to gain ground. The price has since risen to 8.40 and supporters believe they should exceed 10 within the next year or two. Existing shareholders should keep the faith. Investors looking for a strong British business with a rosy long-term future could also snap up some stock.

Traded on: Main market Ticker: DSCV Contact: disoverieplc.com or 01483 544 500
Marks & Spencer is at the centre of a row this weekend after telling its shareholders they should not attend its annual meeting because it has gone digital.

The retailer's AGMs were once famous for lavish hospitality and for small shareholders challenging the bosses on subjects ranging from the dividend to knicker elastic.

But this year the company has said any investors who arrive at the venue on Tuesday will not be able to talk to board members face-to-face and will not be offered refreshments.

Instead, they will be told to join the meeting 'electronically' on their phones or laptops  despite being there in person. The move follows a drive launched this spring by M&S chairman Archie Norman to modernise popular capitalism.

Small shareholder lobby groups who came out in support of his drive now say they are 'disappointed' and 'embarrassed'. They called upon the retailer to offer shareholders a 'hybrid' meeting where they can choose to attend in person as well as digitally.

Under fire: M&S chairman Archie Norman claims some investors have a 'misty-eyed' view of AGMs

In a letter to investors, M&S said: 'Shareholders are advised not to travel to the venue on the day as the meeting will be fully digitally enabled.'

Norman's Share Your Voice campaign advocates 'digital communication by default' and making it easier for private investors to have a say in how firms are run.

He won the endorsement of leading lobby groups for small investors including the UK Shareholders' Association and ShareSoc, as well as the Quoted Companies Alliance.

But these groups are upset at the hardline approach taken by M&S and want firms to have 'hybrid' meetings where investors are still welcome if they wish to attend in person. Mark Northway, of ShareSoc, said his organisation was 'surprised by the language used in the communication to shareholders'. He added that it still supports the overall aims of Share Your Voice but said: 'The M&S approach to this AGM has embarrassed us.'

He said he is 'disappointed' M&S wants a digital meeting and added ShareSoc has a 'strong preference for hybrid.' Shareholders could in theory still attend in person.

However, an M&S spokesman said 'it wouldn't be a very nice experience,' because it will be streamed from a small studio at its HQ in Paddington, central London, which will be hot and cramped. Lib Dem peer Lord Lee of Trafford, the patron of ShareSoc, has tabled a question to Government, asking whether ministers are considering obliging companies to hold 'hybrid' meetings.

He said: 'It is outrageously arrogant to exclude shareholders from attending the annual meeting physically and to say that the board is not prepared to meet them afterwards.' The UK Shareholders' Association said its board is 'firmly in favour of a hybrid approach and doesn't support virtual-only meetings'.

James Ashton, chief executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance, said firms are weighed down with costs and must be allowed to make better use of technology to reach more shareholders through cheaper means.

But he added: 'Those that see digital-first as a way of dodging difficult questions run the risk of depleting their shareholder base.'

Norman said: 'A lot of older shareholders have a misty-eyed view of AGMs and remember fondly the days when hundreds of shareholders would take the day off to attend town hall meetings.

'But the reality of contemporary life is very different now and many of the physical assemblies are ill attended. Because they require time off in the day, they exclude most working age people and people who live away from London.

'We have proven that with digital access and a digital friendly approach we can treble attendance and give access to many who would otherwise be shut out.

'We have dedicated space for any shareholder who chooses to still attend in person and we're not against hybrid AGMs, far from it. M&S has more private shareholder engagement than almost any other company.'

M&S has been holding hybrid meetings since the pandemic. In 2019 its old-style gathering was attended by 561 people, compared with 1,700 shareholders who logged on to its digital meeting last year.
Andrew Tate has been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women in Romania.

Furthermore, his brother Tristan and two associates are facing charges.

All of the Tate brothers have denied the allegations made against them.

The disgraced influencer, 36, has been under house arrest in Bucharest since March, along with his brother Tristan, 34, and two associates, aged 32 and 28, after being charged on suspicion of human trafficking - but officials recently upped the charges to the more serious crime of "human trafficking in continued form".

Prosecutors also added one more victim to the six women already involved in the case. The brothers and their associates were informed about the changes to the human trafficking charges on June 12, when they were summoned to the headquarters of Romania's organised crime unit.

They were first arrested at their Bucharest home in December.

A trial is a way off yet and could take years.

In response to the charges, the Tate brothers' spokesperson said: "While this news is undoubtedly predictable, we embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation."

They said that the indictment "allows us to present a comprehensive body of evidence, diligently collected and prepared over time, which will undoubtedly substantiate the brothers' claims of innocence."

They are also facing other charges for money laundering and trafficking of minors.

Andrew Tate recently gave an interview to the BBC in which he denied allegations of rape and exploitation and called himself a "force for good".

The former 'Big Brother' star told the outlet: "I genuinely am a force for good in the world. You may not understand that yet, but you will eventually. And I genuinely believe I am acting under the instruction of God to do good things, and I want to make the world a better place.
Britain's biggest defence contractor has slammed the hike in UK corporation tax and said it was hampering UK growth.

Brad Greve, finance director at BAE Systems, is the latest executive to lash out at the tax, which was raised from 19 per cent to 25 per cent earlier this year despite a chorus of opposition from business.

'Our corporation tax doesn't help to encourage growth because it limits what we can do on the really critical capital investments that we want to do into the economy,' Greve told The Mail on Sunday.

Business leaders from ITV boss Carolyn McCall to Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin voiced their opposition at the time the tax rose.

Drugs giant AstraZeneca revealed that rather than build a 320 million factory in England, it had decided it would do so in Ireland because of its low-tax environment.

Unhappy: Brad Greve is the latest executive to lash out at the tax, which was raised from 19 per cent to 25 per cent

Greve said BAE, which employs nearly 40,000 people in the UK and builds naval ships, fighter jets and submarines, appreciated the 'strong support' it had received from the Government's national security and defence policies.

But he added: 'We of course, like most companies, appreciate the carrot aspect of taxation as opposed to the stick.

'We think incentives are helpful in growing an economy, so we of course think lower corporate tax rates are healthy for growth.'

Greve was speaking as BAE published research from Oxford Economics showing the company contributed 11 billion to the UK economy last year, equivalent to 0.4 per cent of GDP.

The figure includes 770 million paid directly to the Treasury through national insurance and corporation tax.

More broadly, the report said, it also funds world-leading research and supports 49,000 jobs throughout its supply chain, plus thousands more in the communities where it operates, including its aerospace hub in Lancashire, submarine plant in Cumbria and shipyard in Glasgow. The company's own workforce has grown by more than 10 per cent since 2020.

Altogether, the report estimates, the company supports 132,000 jobs nationwide.

'If it's all done right, it means that everything grows, but the problem comes when you get a little bit too tilted towards one end of the taxation spectrum,' Greve said.

'What we'd like to see more of is incentives to invest in things that the Government cares about, like net zero.'

'If there were more incentives, I think that would just accelerate investment in these critical areas of technology to bring the economy to net zero faster.'
During our blazing June, Britons headed to the coast in record numbers. But how shattering to find that from Sheerness to Bognor Regis warning signs to steer clear had gone up on more than a dozen beaches because of sewage discharges.

When ownership of troubled Southern Water, which collects and treats waste water, was transferred for 1 billion to Australian investment bank Macquarie two years ago its new owner pledged 'a zero-tolerance mindset to environmental pollution' and to improve outcomes for one of the 'worst performers' in the water sector.

Admittedly, turning around problem utility firms can take time, but one might have hoped that by this summer it would have rendered the beaches in the resorts on the nation's south-eastern rim fit for bathers.

The mystery is why underwhelming water regulator Ofwat ever imagined the bank and infrastructure firm, which has earned the nickname of the 'Vampire Kangaroo', should ever have been allowed to take control of a privatised UK water company again. The history of Macquarie as a custodian of UK water assets has been a fiasco.

Stewardship by Macquarie of South East Water, which supplies water in much of the same area, was short-lived but profitable for investors. However, it demonstrated a liking for complex financial structures. This ought to have been a huge red flag.

Twisted: The history of Macquarie as a custodian of UK water assets has been a fiasco

Between 2003 and 2006 it turned its 386 million purchase into a 665 million sale value, extracting 60 million in dividends and loading the balance sheet with 458 million of debt. In spite of this, Macquarie was allowed to get its hands on the 15 million customers of Thames Water and more recently Southern Water. The Macquarie blueprint of financial engineering at South East Water proved to be its rehearsal for the plundering of Thames Water, which now has a 14 billion debt pile threatening its independent, free market future.

One of the great paradoxes about Macquarie is that in a world dominated by US financial behemoths it is a great non-American survivor with roots dating back to merchant banking in the City of London.

It started as the Aussie offshoot of City stalwart Hill Samuel, founded in 1832, which crashed in the 1970s after over-extending its commercial property investment including the Brighton Marina.

The name Macquarie derives from the British army officer responsible for turning the penal colony of New South Wales into a settlement. The Australian infant has since grown into the world's biggest infrastructure investor with almost half a trillion pounds of assets under its belt.

Under the stewardship of its British-born chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake the enterprise has taken on a green tint. Its rebirth as a climate change warrior was sparked in 2017 when the Tories decided to dismantle the Green Investment Bank, a LibDem coalition project. It was sold to Macquarie for 2.3 billion after a bitterly contested takeover battle.

The deal was a prelude to Macquarie becoming a global investor in wind farms and solar energy. As Macquarie has spread its wings becoming a major player in volatile commodity markets annual income soared to 3.1 billion and executives filled their boots. Commodities boss Nick O'Kane collected a pay cheque of 30.4 million  outpacing Wikramanayake, who had to make do with 17.2 million.

But no amount of greenwashing is ever going to make up for the vandalism of Macquarie at Thames Water. Private equity has done enormous amounts of harm to Britain from the defenestration of the historic department store chain Debenhams to the exploitation of care home residents by Blackstone at Southern Cross. But no deal has done more harm than Macquarie's purchase of Thames Water for 5.1 billion from German utility owner RWE in 2006.

At the time of the deal, as City Editor of the Daily Mail, I warned that Macquarie's reputation for financial engineering and its grasping stewardship of South East Water made it an unsuitable owner.

British-born: Macquarie chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake

This earned me an invitation to meet one of the firm's brash, young Aussie executives at offices in the City, where he proceeded to dress me down for not recognising the genius of the enterprise.

The Macquarie ownership set the scene for the destruction of Thames Water's reputation. It was under its ownership that London's streets became impassable as Victorian-era pipes sprung leaks. Most alarmingly, discharges on the Thames meant Cambridge and Oxford crews preparing for the Boat Race found themselves navigating around pools of raw sewage.

The worst of the damage was financial. The adoption of an extreme debt model, organised around the Cayman Island tax haven, saw the start of the build-up to the 14 billion debt mountain.

Macquarie did spend 11 billion, ladled on to customer bills, starting to modernise Victorian pipes. But under its ownership 2.7 billion was removed in dividends and a further 2 billion in loans. The pension fund deficit soared and the debt pile swelled from 3.4 billion on acquisition to 10.8 billion when it sold its final stake a decade later.

Successive Tory governments, pre- and post-Brexit, have bought into the thesis that the UK must always be open to inward investment from wherever it comes. Macquarie has exploited this prejudice ruthlessly and become the buyer of last resort for assets such as Thames Water, the Green Investment Bank and Southern Water.

Britain is now paying a heavy price for the failings in Whitehall, Westminster and among regulators to properly understand the risks.
City veteran Gerry Murphy has been lined up to replace John Allan as the chairman of Tesco, according to reports.

Murphy, 67, already chairs luxury fashion house Burberry and sweetener maker Tate & Lyle.

It comes after Allan left the group in May following a series of anonymous allegations of personal misconduct, including that he 'grabbed' an employee at an event in 2019. Allan has said this was 'simply untrue'.

Tesco's own investigation did not find any evidence of wrongdoing but it said that the claims of inappropriate behaviour risked becoming a distraction to the business.

Murphy has a long and experienced career in the retail industry.

New face: Gerry Murphy will step down from his role at Tate & Lyle on September 1 to make sure he has 'sufficient capacity' to act as chair of Tesco

He previously ran B&Q-owner Kingfisher and has sat on the boards of Dettol-maker Reckitt Benckiser and British American Tobacco and chaired the European arm of private equity titan Blackstone.

Murphy will step down from his role at Tate & Lyle on September 1 to make sure he has 'sufficient capacity' to act as chair of Tesco.

He will be joining the 17.7 billion supermarket at a time when the industry has been accused of profiteering and been under close scrutiny for posting huge profits during the cost-of-living crisis.

Last week, Tesco's commercial director Gordon Gafa defended the group in front of a committee of MPs, saying it was spending 560 million to keep prices low for shoppers. Allan was at the helm of Tesco for eight years. He arrived as the company was cutting thousands of jobs under plans laid out by then-chief executive Sir Dave Lewis.
Amazon has opened the doors to its colourful Australian headquarters where dogs are considered colleagues.

Head of Workplace Experience Georgia Mitchell took Daily Mail Australia on a tour of the Amazon workspace in Sydney's CBD on Tuesday.

Ms Mitchell said the office is designed to be 'fun and collaborative' but believes one feature sets it apart from other Aussie offices: employees can bring their dogs.

The dogs must meet several criteria to be allowed inside the office, including being up-to-date on their vaccinations, well-behaved and agreed to by nearby co-workers.

Approved pups are given a 'Woof Pack' to welcome them to the team, which features a bowl, collar pendant, map of friendly spaces and access to regularly refilled snacks.

The Amazon office in Sydney lets employees bring their dogs to work. (Pictured: Amazon worker Becca Watts and her dog Ralphy)

Well-behaved pups are allowed to sit by their owners throughout the work day

Workers say the dogs 'boost the mood' and help to form connections between different teams in the office. (Left: Clara Kim and her dog Pommy; right: Angela Buchanan and her dog Tess)

The pups have become an essential part of the office, with workers joking they often remember the dogs' names instead of each other's.

Employee Clara Kim said her pup Pommy has been coming into the office for more than six months.

'I started bringing him in as soon as the program started,' she said.

'It's nice in the middle of a busy day to look over and see your dog; it's calming.

'Even when Pommy isn't here, there's other dogs walking past and it boosts your mood.'

Annette Ambrosi said the chance to work alongside her dog Harry drew her to Amazon.

'Harry loves being around people so he's much happier here than he would be at a doggy daycare,' she said.

'There's lots of space but I always sit at the same desk so Harry knows the area. He has a bed by my feet.

'Dogs in the office is quite unique in Australia.'

Angela Buchanan believes having her dog nearby helps her keep active while in the office.

'I've been bringing Tess in once a week for about a month and a half,' she said.

'It's a nice reason to go outside during the day for a quick walk.

'It's also nice having the company when you're at your desk with a lot of work.'

The office is designed so employees can choose an area that suits their 'work style'. (Pictured: a worker in the Amazon office's gaming hub)

The Sydney office features quiet, collaborative and outdoor areas for employees to work in

Head of Workplace Experience Georgia Mitchell said the dogs improve workplace culture and collaboration by adding an 'awesome buzz' to the office

The online retailer's workforce doubled over the Covid pandemic - part of a hiring surge across the entire tech sector - but the company has since said it overhired during this period.

In May, Amazon employees at the Seattle headquarters vowed to walk off the job after mass layoffs and orders to return to the office.

The e-commerce giant also cut 27,000 jobs this year and employees were ordered to be on site at least three days per week.

But things are looking much brighter for Amazon's local operations: sales soared by almost 50 per cent in Australia last year even as Covid spending slowed down.

A spokeswoman told AFR in February that since launching Down Under in 2017, the company had invested in expanding its reach.

'In the last year alone, we doubled our operational footprint to enable faster delivery and launched free one-day delivery on eligible items for Prime members in the majority of postcodes in Sydney and Melbourne,' she said.

The number and variety of items on sale in Australia has also expanded considerably over the last six years.

The office features a barbeque area, three large kitchens (one seen above) and dining rooms, a gaming room, quiet areas and collaboration spaces

Sydney employees are free to work wherever they would like in the office. (Pictured: artwork on display in the Amazon office; each level features colorful artwork by different artists)

The dogs must meet several criteria to be allowed inside the office, including being up-to-date on their vaccinations. (Pictured left to right: Angela Buchanan and her dog Tess, Becca Watts and her dog Ralphy, Anette Ambrosi and her dog Harry, and Clara Kim and her dog Pommy)

Ms Mitchell said a key part of designing the Sydney office was listening to employee feedback to ensure a positive environment.

Sydney employees are free to work wherever they would like in the office - which features a barbeque area, three large kitchens and dining rooms, a gaming room, quiet areas and collaboration spaces.

Staff can also choose to get their Amazon parcels delivered to the Amazon in-office locker so they don't need to stress about collecting mail from the post office.

'We started agile working before the pandemic as employees said they wanted more than a desk - they wanted spaces to work in,' Ms Mitchell said.

'There's a variety of places for people to work from, so they can choose a space that's suited to their working style.

'I love watching people's reaction when they come into the office; it's more fun than people would expect.

'People love to get photos in front of our selfie wall. The place is full of photo ops.'

Ms Mitchell believes the dogs have also helped create a great workplace culture.

'It helps build organic collaboration between different teams,' she said.

'People working in different areas will often chat about the dogs with people they've never met.

'We hold themed days, like Howl-loween and dog fashion parades, where workers who don't have dogs can join in the fun.

'It just adds an awesome buzz to the space.'

Ms Mitchell said a key part of designing the Sydney office was listening to employee feedback to ensure a positive environment. (Pictured: a feature wall in the office)

The office features colourful artwork by a different artist on each floor
A rogue Utah doctor was jailed for just five years for blinding two patients by plunging a scalpel into their eyes, triggering fury from his victim's lawyers.

Paul Wade Wyatt was handed the sentence in March, after targeting patients for eye surgery even after being barred from performing such operations.

One of his victims - Robert Arias - was left blind in his right eye and disfigured, with doctors warning Arias the eye will likely have to be removed.

Arias is represented by two lawyers. Asked whether she thought five years was an appropriate sentence, Ysabel Lonazco said: 'I have so many opinions about this sentence. It was unfortunate that the loss of sight, the targeting of an immigrant only got a slap on the wrist.

And the victim's personal lawyer Dustin Lance told DailyMail.com: 'Any sentence Wyatt would have received would be light based on the large number of victims, the former doctor's prior criminal record, his multiple chances with multiple state's licensing boards, his blatant disregard for the restrictions placed on his license and his history of targeting a vulnerable population.'

Arias was left blind and disfigured after Wyatt plunged a scalpel into his right eye during what was supposed to be routine cataract surgery.

Wyatt, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree unlawful/professional conduct and two counts of third-degree aggravated assault committed with force and in March was sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Robert Arias (pictured) was left blind in one eye after going under the knife by unlicensed doctor Paul Wade Wyatt, in 2018 at a free clinic in Utah

Paul Wade Wyatt, 55, was sentenced to five years in prison after performing a series of botched surgeries on patients

Wyatt's license to practice ophthalmology had been suspended since October 2016, but he went on to perform surgeries on at least seven patients in 2018.

Licensing officers found he had engaged in 'unprofessional and unlawful conduct' and put him on probation for five years, the records state, according to KUTV. Further details of that misconduct have not been shared.

All seven patients were injured from the doctor slicing their eyeballs with a scalpel, according to court documents.

At least two of the patients - including Arias - were left blinded and the others suffered severe vision loss, according to Utah immigration attorney Ysabel Lonazco.

Lonazco also said several of the patients in the criminal case were undocumented immigrants, but had been afraid to come forward for fear of deportation.

Wyatt performed surgery on Arias at the Maliheh Free Clinic in 2018, which provides medical care to low income and uninsured people.

Arias had faced a one-year wait for cataract surgery, but Wyatt offered to do the surgery at a low cost at the clinic, despite state-imposed restrictions which barred him from any surgical procedures, according to the lawsuit.

When Arias began having pain and infection in his right eye shortly after the surgery, he claimed that Wyatt told him not to seek medical treatment at an emergency room.

'By the time [Arias] obtained treatment from a qualified ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon, [Arias] was totally blind in the right eye and the vision was not recoverable.

'Worse yet, the right eye is permanently disfigured and will likely need to be completely removed because of the extensive damage caused by Dr. Wyatt's illegal, reckless and shoddy treatment.'

Wyatt's license to practice ophthalmology had been suspended since October 2016, but he went on to perform surgeries on at least seven patients in 2018

Arias' lawyer Dustin Lance said any sentence would have been light based on the 'large number of victims and his history of targeting a vulnerable population'

The lawsuit claimed that Wyatt was furious with Arias for seeking medical treatment elsewhere and reportedly sent him text messages stating that the emergency room would not help.

'Robert, the emergency room is not going to help you. They are not trained for it. You and your wife need to trust me and follow my instructions exactly,' a text message reportedly from Wyatt's cell phone reads.

'If you seek treatment elsewhere they will recommend exactly the same as I have, but they will charge you thousands of dollars. You have already put your vision at more risk by waiting this long.'

Lance previously told KUTV that he believes Wyatt targeted undocumented community for treatment and that there could be more victims. As Arias' story unfolded over the years, more victims eventually came forward.

In the lawsuit, prosecutors detailed the cases of three other patients who underwent botched surgeries.

On January 17, 2019, it was alleged that Wyatt performed surgery on a woman that 'resulted in extreme pain and bleeding ... that lasted days; even nine months later, her eyes were red, teary, sensitive, and easily irritated.'

On January 4, 2019, Wyatt performed surgery on a man that required the use of a scalpel on his right eye.

'The surgery resulted immediately in extreme pain in the eye that continued through subsequent follow-up appointments with the defendant over the course of weeks; during that time period, (the man) lost the vision in his right eye.'

Before that, on November 21 and 29, in 2018, Wyatt performed surgery on a man that resulted 'in an incorrectly positioned intraocular lens that caused inflammation of the eye, high eye pressure, and bleeding in the anterior chamber of the eye.'

The man had to undergo two surgeries by another ophthalmologist to fix the problem.

Between May 2018 and June 2018, another one of Wyatt's victims suffered a black spot in their vision and had to have a cornea transplant done their left eye after going through his surgery.

In May 2018, another patient suffered from white and blurry vision in their right eye, according to the lawsuit.

On January 10, 2023, Wyatt pleaded pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree unlawful/professional conduct and two counts of third-degree aggravated assault committed with force. Ten other of his charges were dismissed without prejudice.

In March, the former doctor was sentenced to up to five years in the Utah State Prison for each of the charges he pleaded guilty to. All four sentences are set to run concurrently.
Officials have slammed many of the 'rude' tourists as 'cretins' and 'imbeciles'

Italians have been left furious by tourists desecrating their ancient landmarks

Making waves on electric hydrofoils down Venice's historic canals, stealing from the volcanic remains of Pompeii, and tourists stripping and posing for photos in the Trevi Fountain. And now if Italians weren't already infuriated enough with tourists: couples carving their names into the wall of Rome's ancient Colosseum.

There has been a long history of tourists behaving badly while on holiday visiting the historic and beautiful destinations of Italy.

And with tourism now back to pre-pandemic levels, the havoc appears to be in full flow again with even more chance for tourists to cause chaos around the ancient landmarks.

Whether it's defacing and desecrating ancient relics, or causing a public nuisance, many have even faced fines for their antics and have faced the wrath of the Italian authorities.

After the identity of the culprit who was caught carving 'Ivan + Hayley' into the Colosseum's wall was revealed, MailOnline looks back at some of the tourists who were caught vandalising and disrespecting Italy's treasured sites.

A bystander filmed Mr Dimitrov, a fitness instructor from Bristol, as he carved the names into the stone walls of the 1,937-year-old building using a set of keys, June 23

The video of Ivan was shared on Reddit with the caption: 'A******e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome'

Speeding down Venice's Grand Canal on electric hydrofoils

Perhaps one of the most dangerous instances of tourists disrespecting Italy's treasured sites saw two Australians whizzing along Venice's Grand Canal on 20,000 electric hydrofoils.

The two men were filmed making waves through the main thoroughfare of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in August last year, infuriating both tourists and locals alike.

One of the hooligans on the hydrofoils - a kind of foil board often fitted with electric-powered propellers - was seen on his phone as he chopped through the canal waters.

A pair of 'overbearing imbeciles' have sparked fury in Venice by speeding down the city's famous Grand Canal on 20,000 electric hydrofoils

The duo zoomed past the city's famous monuments lining the canal as shocked locals watched on

Even Venice's mayor took aim at the pair of Australians, calling for them to be punished and offering a free dinner to anyone who could help identify them.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said: 'Here are two overbearing imbeciles who make a mockery of the City.

'I ask everyone to help us identify them to punish them even if our weapons are really blunt... the Mayors urgently need more powers in terms of public safety!

'To whoever identifies them, I offer a dinner!'

It didn't take long for the two to be tracked down. The mayor announced their boards had been confiscated and the men were reprimanded for endangering the safety of navigation along the canal.

Local reports claimed they were also fined 3,000 for their antics and were expelled from the city.

Surfing, paddle boarding and canoeing are all banned on the iconic Grand Canal, which instead offers its tourists much calmer gondola rides as well as tourists boats and water taxis.

Plunging from 30ft into Venice's canals

One tourist also caught the fury of Venice's mayor in March after he belly-flopped 30ft into the city's iconic canals.

The tourist was dubbed a 'cretin' who should be 'kicked up the backside' after the video was filmed and put on social media.

In only his boxer shorts, the man plunged down from the ledge of a palazzo and smacked into the water below.

Locals screamed in Italian begging him not to jump into the canal, but the man ignored their concerns.

The man appeared to be undisturbed by the relatively brutal belly flop, calmly emerging from the water soon after.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, slammed the man's behaviour: 'We should give a certificate of stupidity and a good number of kicks up the backside to this individual.

'We are trying to identify and charge him, along with his friend who took a video of the cretin for social media.

'These people are risking their necks just for a few likes.

'They have no regard for the danger they pose... imagine if a boat had passed beneath.'

Local media reported that the man was lucky not the be seriously injured as the canals had been drained in recent weeks.

Colosseum vandals

The now notorious Ivan Dimitrov of 'Ivan + Hayley' fame isn't the only one to have been caught red-handed making a mark on Rome's 2,000-year-old Colosseum.

In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint.

The name 'Balto' and the word 'Morte' (death) were sprayed onto the pillar overnight.

Francesco Prosperetti, special superintendent for the Colosseum, said: 'We worry that this could become a game and people could start competing over it.'

A similar incident happened in 2014 when a Russian tourist was fined a staggering 20,000 (1,700) for engraving a giant letter 'K' onto the historic wall.

The unnamed tourist, then aged 42, was caught by a guard as he used a sharp-edged stone to carve the 10-inch-tall letter.

The Russian man was given a fine and a suspended four-month prison sentence, reported news agency ANSA at the time.

The head of the administration of the Colosseum, Mariarosaria Barbera, said the man had 'caused significant damage' and had 'ruined the covering part of the amphitheatre'.

An Irish tourist even got himself arrested in 2020 for defacing the Colosseum with his initials after carving his initials into its walls.

The then-32-year-old man was caught by the Colosseum's private security and immediately reported to police officers.

In January 2017, the Colosseum was vandalised with black spray paint

The man's two initials, about 6 centimeters (2 inches) high, were said to have been carved with a metal point on a pillar of the first floor.

Archaeologist Federica Rinaldi, responsible for the ancient Roman amphitheater, said people who carve their initials into the monument want to 'appropriate' it.

He added: 'The Colosseum, like any monument that represents the history of all of us, must be preserved and handed over to future generations.'

Tourists caught swimming in Venice's Grand Canal

If the coronavirus pandemic had at least given the Venetian locals some respite from tourists for a year or two, the holiday-makers returned with a splash as soon as they were allowed to return.

On the day tourists were welcomed back after lockdown in June 2020, two German men were fined 400 each for taking a dip in the Grand Canal. Both were filmed splashing their way through the water and swimming under the Rialto Bridge.

Other than the water being rather dirty and unpleasant, swimming in it is also illegal.

Two German tourists were filmed taking a dip in the Grand Canal in Venice yesterday

Augusto Maurandi captured the men swimming in the canal and shared the video on social media

Both of the men got out the canal and waved at the cameraman before being fined 400 each when they were caught by army officers

Augusto Maurandi, who captured the moment and shared the video on social media, passes by the two men while on his boat.

Augusto says hello to the first man, with the second bobbing up and down just behind. They both climb a set of steps to get out of the water and wave back.

Local reports said the two men were caught barefoot in their swimming shorts by officers monitoring the city and were abruptly told to get dressed. The tourists were also fined for their stunt.

One angry social media user responded to the video: 'Shame on you! Venice is not Disneyland! Respect others the way you want to be respected.'

Tourists strip down to their bikinis to frolic in Rome's fountains

Back in 2016, three bikini-clad tourists caused a stir when they stripped off to cool down in a 400-year-old fountain to escape the summer heat.

The scantily-clad women caused uproar on social media after they enjoyed a summer splash in the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola in Rome, with locals on social media furiously brandishing them as 'rude'.

In the pictures taken by a witness, the girls, who all have brown hair and appear to be in their twenties, were seen frolicking under one of the fountain's jets and laughing as they cool off.

Romans said at the time that their antics showed a lack of respect for the 17th-century monument after they were snapped in the act.

The tourists left Romans furious when they decided to take a dip in the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

Locals were less than impressed with the girls' summer splash about and called the act disrespectful on social media

And while pondering on their nationality, locals decided that only the English or Germans would behave in such a 'rude' manner.

Online magazine Trastevere vented its outrage about the act on Twitter at the time, posting: 'It is very hot but the fountain of the Janiculum can not become a pool x tourists Rome deserves more respect!'

Another tweet said: 'You should go and do something similar in England or Germany. I'm going to tomorrow in my boxer shorts and swimming cap.'

The women were not arrested or reprimanded despite the outrage.

Skinny dipping in the Trevi Fountain

A couple of British tourists also had a similar idea, but this time to get their kit off and jump in Rome's Trevi fountain.

One of the men removed his underwear and they both frolicked about in the water and posed for photos under the fountain in August 2018.

The man also pushed his genitals between his legs to pose naked for photos, while onlookers filmed, some finding the antics amusing and others instead shocked and bemused.

But others also found the desecration of a monument to those killed in war disrespectful. The fountain was originally built in honour of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.

Two British tourists stripped and posed for photos in a fountain next to one of Rome's most famous monuments

One of the men can be seen removing his underwear as they frolicked in the water near Altare della Patria in the Italian capital

Police said the tourists' behaviour was unacceptable and that it 'seriously offended the national feeling and the memory of the fallen to whom the monument is dedicated.'

It is not known if police ever tracked the men down, but they were set to face fines of 400.

It also angered Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, then-minster of the interior: 'I would know how to 'educate' these idiots if they get caught, Italy is not their bathroom!'

The two tourist's frolicking was considered so egregious by officials that it helped enforce a 24/7 guard around a number of monuments - including the iconic Trevi Fountain - until the end of the 2018 summer.

Vice Mayor Luca Bergamo told local media at the time: 'I can confirm for our citizens that local police have already taken 24-hour control of numerous famous sites.'

He added: 'This offended every one of us including our country and the dead who are honoured by the monument.

'We were faced with behaviour that demonstrated stupidity and ignorance as well as a lack of respect for the history of Rome and Italy.'

Driving down Rome's 18th-century Spanish steps

In June last year, an American tourist caused upwards of 25,000 (22,500) worth of damage after hurling an e-scooter down Rome's historic Spanish Steps.

The incident was filmed by a passerby, with the footage subsequently going viral after being published by several Italian news sites.

The footage shows the unidentified woman, who Italian authorities said was a US tourist aged 28, hurling the rented e-scooter down the steps in a fit of apparent frustration.

Cops eventually caught up with the 28-year-old, as well as an also unidentified male companion - also an American - who is seen in the footage recklessly wheeling his own scooter down the storied stairs that featured in the Audrey Hepburn-led 1953 classic Roman Holiday.

Surveillance footage showed the unidentified woman and a male friend descending the Spanish Steps in Rome with their rental scooters

The woman caused the damage after hurling an e-scooter down the historic marble stairwell, causing several steps to crack

The woman and her male companion were fined by police after footage showed her deciding to launch the rented vehicle down the 18th century Unesco World Heritage Site

The pair were reportedly then fined 400 (350) by police who viewed further security footage of the incident, which saw the woman inexplicably launch the rented vehicle down the steps.

Due to the woman intentionally pushing her scooter down the stairs, a more formal complaint was filed against her for damaging the sacred stairwell - an offense punishable by up to one year in jail and a hefty fine.

The Spanish Steps serve as one of the most guarded tourist sites in the Italian capital, with police prohibiting people from sitting on them back in 2018.

Authorities said the scooter cracked the monument's 16th and 29th steps, while also chipping other sections of the storied staircase.

Stealing ancient Roman artefacts from Pompeii

While some tourists have been reprimanded for their unacceptable behaviour around Italy's monuments, others have plainly stolen.

In 2018, a French tourist was fined 200 (170) and handed a suspended sentence after he was caught red-handed leading Pompeii with ancient Roman artefacts stuffed in his backpack.

Pierre Luc Giglio, then aged 52, was caught by security guards when they saw him acting suspiciously.

They then found 13 fragments of terracotta and a piece of marble that was believed to be taken from the site's House of Loreius Tiburtinus.

He told officers that they just 'wanted to take home a souvenir', local news site Metropolis reported, and that the antics were down to 'bravado'.

A total of 13 fragments of terracotta and a piece of marble that was believed to be taken from the site's House of Loreius Tiburtinus were found in his backpack

A French tourist was fined 200 (170) and handed a suspended sentence after he was caught red-handed leading Pompeii with ancient Roman artefacts (pictured) stuffed in his backpack

In 2019, a British tourist was also arrested after she allegedly cut tiles from a mosaic in Pompeii and trying to take them as a souvenir.

The unnamed 20-year-old woman - who was on holiday with her father and sister - was caught stealing three tiles from the House Of The Anchor by a caretaker after she climbed over a rail around the mosaic, according to police.

The caretaker alerted Italian police who arrested the woman before she could leave the site of the 79AD Mount Vesuvius eruption with the fragments.

It was estimated that she had caused thousands of euros worth of damage to the UNESCO world heritage site.

One woman who stole artefacts from Pompeii in 2005 eventually regretted her actions after she returned to the city 15 years later claiming it had given her 15 years of bad luck.

The woman, known only as Nicole, 36, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, a piece of ceramics and parts of an amphora to a travel agent in the southern Italian city.

In 2019, a British tourist was arrested after she allegedly cut tiles from a mosaic in Pompeii, similar to one seen here at the the archeological excavation site

One of the women was arrested before she could leave the site of the 79AD Mount Vesuvius eruption

She also wrote a letter of confession in which she detailed her theft and her subsequent run of misfortune, including two cases of breast cancer and financial hardship.

She said she took the artefacts because she wanted to own a piece of history that no one else had, but they had 'so much negative energy... linked to that land of destruction'.

Nicole added that she had learned her lesson asked for forgiveness from God.

She said: 'I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice. The last time ending in a double mastectomy.

'My family and I also had financial problems. We're good people and I don't want to pass this curse on to my family or children.'
It comes as Canada has aggressively expanded its MAiD program in recent years, including recommendations to offer assisted dying to children

The health body seemingly pushed patients towards medical suicide, including noting it can 'promote a sense of control'

One of Canada's top healthcare providers allegedly sent a slideshow to patients last week advising about assisted suicide

A Canadian healthcare provider sparked outrage after emailing out a slideshow to a group of healthy patients offering advice on medically assisted suicide.

A disturbing PowerPoint presentation obtained by DailyMail.com saw Fraser Health Care, one of the largest in British Columbia, allegedly promote assisted suicide programs to those simply receiving information on their pension packages.

The slideshow included advice on 'expressions of wanting to die', noting that it can be used to 'promote a sense of control'. Terminally ill patients are also seemingly offered the chance to die within 'a day'.

It was send amid criticisms that the country's escalation of the practice is 'reckless' and 'disgusting'. Last month Canadian officials moved forward with plans to broaden its euthanasia program to include children.

The slideshow opened with advice on 'expressions of wanting to die', including noting that it can be used to 'promote a sense of control'

Canada legalized euthanasia, also known as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), in 2016. It has since been aggressively expanded, and the nation saw over 10,000 assisted suicides in 2021.

In British Columbia, where the slideshow was sent out, an alarming 24 percent rise in euthanasia deaths last year raised further concerns, with over 500 more people choosing to end their life under the program in the province than the year before.

The nation's healthcare system has since come under fire for the practice, in particular following the March 2021 decision to amend the law to permit euthanasia in circumstances where it is not medically necessary.

This was detailed in the slideshow allegedly sent by Fraser last week, which revealed its 'track system' included two options for when death is either 'reasonably foreseeable' or 'not reasonably foreseeable'.

For those whose death is 'not reasonably foreseeable', the healthcare provider said patients go through just 90 days of assessments. While symptoms that fall under the option were named as chronic pain and fibromyalgia, the Canadian government has announced plans to allow people to die under the practice solely due to mental illness by March 2024.

Terminally-ill patients are also seemingly offered the means to die in as little as one day, once they have filed a request and undergone two assessments.

For terminal patients, it claims there is no waiting period, and a separate slide indicated the process to suicide 'can be a day'.

Patients were allegedly sent the slideshow offering assisted suicide services as part of receiving their pension packages in the region of British Columbia.

Fraser Health has been contacted for comment by DailyMail.com.

Canada's healthcare system offers the service even to people whose death is 'not reasonably foreseeable'. Pictured: The two track system allegedly used by Fraser, as noted in the slideshow

Some 2,515 people received Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in BC last year, Ministry of Health figures show

One slide shockingly notes that the process to providing MAiD can take 'a day'

Poll Should doctor-assisted suicide be available where you live? Yes No Not sure Should doctor-assisted suicide be available where you live? Yes 4255 votes

No 3301 votes

Not sure 569 votes Now share your opinion





The disturbing slideshow was sent out as Canadian officials have opened the door to including children in their assisted dying services.

Last month, the Canadian Government's Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying released a highly criticized report recommending that 'mature minors' whose deaths were 'reasonably foreseeable' could access assisted suicide, even without parental consent.

The report and its 23 recommendations will be discussed in the House of Commons in the coming months and could prompt revisions of Canada's assisted dying laws as soon as this year.

The move was slammed by campaigners who say the program disrespects sick patients under the assumption their lives aren't worth living.

'I think it's horrible,' said Amy Hasbrouck, who campaigns against MAiD for the group Not Dead Yet.

'Teenagers are not in a good position to judge whether to commit suicide or not. Any teenagers with a disability, who's constantly told their life is useless and pitiful, will be depressed, and of course they're going to want to die.'

The practice also sparked a police investigation last year in Abbotsford, British Columbia, after the daughters of Donna Duncan, 61, claimed she was mistakenly approved for assisted suicide because of her mental health troubles.

Duncan's daughters Alicia and Christie requested the probe, saying their mom was suffering from depression linked to a concussion sustained in a car crash when she applied for MAiD.

Doctors should have focused on treating her pain and mental health problems rather than greenlighting her euthanasia request, they said. The procedure was carried out in October 2021.

Police last year launched an investigation into the euthanasia death of Donna Duncan, 61, a nurse and mom

Duncan's daughters Christie and Alicia Duncan say doctors should have treated their mum's mental health and pain problems rather than greenlighting her for an assisted suicide

There were more than 10,000 deaths by euthanasia in 2021, an increase of about a third from the previous year

Gauthier competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games and Prince Harry's 2016 Invictus Games (above) where she took gold in indoor rowing and heavyweight powerlifting

The practice of medically assisted dying has also particularly come under scrutiny after it was offered to combat veterans in Canada.

In December, this was thrust into the spotlight when retired Army Corporal Christine Gauthier, a former Paralympian, was offered euthanasia by the Canadian government when she complained about delays to having a wheelchair lift installed in her home.

After years of frustrating delays in getting the home lift, Gauthier says a caseworker told her: 'Madam, if you are really so desperate, we can give you medical assistance in dying now.'

The worker who made the offer hasn't been named, but they are feared to have offered three other veterans who contacted VAC with problems the same 'solution', Global News reported.

Kelsi Sheren, a former combat veteran and MAiD activist, criticized the practice as 'beyond disrespectful' in an interview with DailyMail.com.

'When you take people who were willing to put their lives on the line for you, for your safety, then you have the audacity to tell them its better if you just die... it is one of the most disgusting things,' she said.

'It's unacceptable, and it is one of the most infuriating things to come down from the Canadian administration in the last decade.'
In 2021, a U.S. recovery agency searched the remote site where Ernie's plane was shot down, and they discovered a bone. A year later, DNA confirmed it was his

For over half a century, a California woman has wondered what happened to her U.S. Air Force pilot fighter husband who went missing in action during the Vietnam War.

Now, she knows.

Joyce De Soto, 90, of Burlingame, had no idea if her husband of 12 years U.S. Air Force Col. Ernest 'Ernie' Leo De Soto had been captured at the time, if he was tortured or if he was even alive.

But the devout Christian had come to accept that she wouldn't get those answers in this lifetime and that she wouldn't truly know what happened to him until she saw him in heaven.

At 90 years old, Joyce now has closure.

It turns out the aircraft commander had crashed into a mountain ridge during a Vietnam War mission in 1969, the POW Network revealed. He was killed, with a piece of bone discovered in 2021 later identified as Ernie's thanks to mitochondrial DNA technology.

Ernie De Soto's remains were identified in March and on June 29, he will return home in full uniform for a military burial at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno.

Joyce De Soto, 90, of California, wondered for years what happened to husband U.S. Air Force Col. Ernest Leo De Soto (pictured) who went missing during the Vietnam War. Now she knows

Joyce and Ernie were married 12 years and had three children together before he went missing in Vietnam in 1969. His remains were identified in March and on June 29, he will return home in full uniform for a military burial at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno

The couple was married for 12 years and had three children together before he went missing

The De Soto family told local news outlets they finally feel like they have closure.

'It's closure,' his wife Joyce said. 'He's here, he didn't suffer. He was killed in the airplane, which I have never known.'

Joyce and Ernie, who were high school sweethearts in San Francisco, were married for 12 years and had three children together before he went missing in Vietnam.

Their youngest son Craig was eight years-old at the time, and says he can still remember the anguish of his father's disappearance.

'He had the most beautiful smile, and he was really sweet and really smart,' Joyce said, remembering her husband. She said he was 'extremely intelligent' and would take multiple math classes at one time.

In the months and years following his disappearance, Joyce did all she could to find her husband. She joined other women whose husbands were also missing in action or prisoners of war to press the government for answers.

'We would meet secretly because we were told to be quiet, not to say anything, because the war was not popular,' Joyce told the Daily Journal.

But the years slipped by and there was no word about her husband.

'I thought I'd have to wait until I die and go to heaven and say, 'What happened?'' Joyce recalled.

That was until March 2022, when she got the call that her husband's remains had been found at a remote crash site where his plane had crashed after being shot down in 1969.

In 2021, a U.S. recovery agency working with a team in Vietnam was searching the area of the crash when they discovered a bone. Mitochondrial DNA confirmed the bone to belong to Ernie

The news was such a shock to Joyce, she called the Air Force to make sure it was true. Joyce had thought the Air Force had long given up the search for her husband

Joyce had no idea if her husband of 12 years U.S. Air Force Col. Ernest 'Ernie' Leo De Soto had been captured at the time, if he was tortured or if he was even alive

The news was such a shock to Joyce, she called the Air Force to make sure it was true. Joyce had thought the Air Force had long given up the search for her husband.

The crash site had been identified in 1995, but the rough terrain and weather conditions made it difficult for helicopters to reach the area. Bombs on board the plane that had not been detonated had to be defused, so it took years before rescuers could get anywhere near the site.

Ernie's oldest son Brad De Soto told the Daily Journal that rescue crews had to use machetes to make their way to the remote crash site.

In 2021, a U.S. recovery agency working with a team in Vietnam was searching the area of the crash when they discovered a bone and a zipper from Ernie's flight suit.

With the help of mitochondrial DNA that tracks down possible relatives, the bone was confirmed to belong to Ernie.

According to the POW Network, the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons reported finding Col. Ernest De Soto's remains, life support equipment and other materials associated with the missing aircraft. The remains were sent to a laboratory where his identity was later confirmed.

Col. Ernest De Soto will return in full uniform in a casket from Pearl Harbor to the San Francisco International Airport June 29, the press release from the POW Network stated.

'It's bittersweet because you held him alive for a long time,' his wife said.

Joyce and Ernie were high school sweethearts who met at Balboa High School in San Francisco

The De Soto family will be escorted by military personnel to the tarmac to meet with the casket. The following day, June 30, a memorial service will be held at Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame.

'It is opening all the old wounds and we have been going through the pictures together and you sit there crying,' his son Brad De Soto said.

Brad was just 10 years old when his dad when missing, but said it took years for him to talk about it.

He said his father taught him how to play chess and that he loved to play Monopoly and bridge. The family man had also talked about getting out of the military and becoming a college professor.

Joyce points out her family who now finally have answers about their dad after all these years

The couple's daughter Denise said the news of her father's remains gives her closure and peace of mind.

'It means a lot, it really means a lot. He can be put to rest, and we feel better knowing that he was not being tortured and other awfulness,' Denise said.

The plane Ernie was on when it crashed was sent on a combat mission on April 12, 1969 from Da Nang, South Vietnam, air base for a bombing mission in an unstated area, according to the POW network.

The plane was flying through a cloud-covered mountain ridge when it and three other US aircraft were met with heavy gun fire on the other side.

That forced them to abort the mission and turn around. But Ernie's plane crashed into the mountain before he and his team could make it to safety, according to Brad De Soto.

An aerial search was launched, but and a search and rescue airborne mission were deployed but hostile activity in the area prevented a ground investigation of the site.

A number of investigation and recovery efforts took place between 1998-2020, before De Soto's remains were found in 2021.
Life has never been so cheap in Sydney's gangland war - and as the body count climbs, the prices on offer to the killers are coming down.

The fee for gunning down convicted crime boss Alen Moradian on Tuesday may have been as little as $50,000, according to an underworld figure.

The bungled job was left incomplete when the Porsche Macan used to flee the scene was found only partially burnt on a nearby street rather than fully incinerated, allowing the recovery of a mobile phone and gun left inside.

Until recently, the cost of a hit was in the six and sometimes seven figures, but an underworld source told Daily Mail Australia that nowadays 'young Lebanese "soldiers" accept a hit for a lot less - about $50K'.

'They're willing to kill anyone to move up the ranks quickly and gain the respect of the bosses,' the insider added.

'Leaving behind evidence makes you suspect the hit was done by an amateur.'

Undertakers arrive at the crime scene after the slaying of Alen Moradian in Bondi Junction

There are rumours underworld rivals were planning a $2million hit on 'Little Crazy' (pictured) the minute he left jail

Moradian, the 48-year-old target likened by his own wife to fictional mafia boss Tony Soprano, was gunned down in a hail of bullets in a car park in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction, having himself been linked to at least four other gangland murders in recent years.

The drug kingpin was still on parole over a 40kg cocaine importation when he approached authorities last August, fearing he was going to be whacked and that a price had been placed on his head.

The brazen shooting is the latest in a string of hits that has rocked Sydney in the past three years.

Some of the violence stems from rivalries within and between family-based crime 'clans', but predominantly it is a ruthless fight for control of the burgeoning supply of drugs within defined but contested territories.

Other motives are money alone, silencing a witness, and simple revenge.

Former Comanchero boss Mick Hawi (pictured in 2014) was gunned down in broad daylight

Lametta Fadlallah (pictured) was known to police and had 'past relationships with other known identities' in the underworld

'The Lebs will pay big if the hits are done properly - they sort the weapons, the getaway cars and provide an alibi,' the underworld source explained.

Some contract killers have been known to ask for upwards of a million dollars to 'knock someone off' as the opposing criminal networks become more desperate.

Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy, of the notorious Hamzy clan and a former member of the Brothers 4 Life gang, was given a special escort as he left Macquarie Correctional Centre two weeks ago, amid rumours underworld rivals were planning a $2million hit on him the minute he stepped outside.

The 2018 execution of Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi, who was shot dead outside a gym in Rockdale, is said to have cost anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000 - reflecting the months of careful planning and expertise.

Last August, mother Lametta Fadlallah was caught up in the gangland war.

The 48-year-old was gunned down in her car with her hairdresser friend Amy Hazouri in Sydney's south-west.

Carl Williams (pictured) suffered serious head injuries after he was struck several times with the stem of an exercise bike

Supermax prisoner Matthew 'the General' Johnson brutally bashed Williams inside a Barwon Prison ward in Victoria

Reports suggested her 'hit' cost $500,000, likely carried out by four people - each netting themselves $100,000, $25,000 per gun and then the cars.

The attack was understood to be connected to Ms Fadlallah being forced into speaking with authorities to protect a loved one.

While Lebanese gangs have dominated headlines in recent years, the infamous Triads from Hong Kong - predominantly linked to the heroin trade - cut costs when outsourcing a contract killer.

'The Triads pay f**k-all for a hit,' the underworld source explained.

'They fly someone out from Hong Kong, give them $5K spending money, sort a gun and a getaway car and they walk away with $10K - providing they complete the job.'

Sydney's gangland war among the Lebanese community has been predominant in recent years, but Melbourne had its own share of bloodshed in the late 1990s and early 2000s among Italian and Anglo crime figures.

A series of 'tit-for-tat' murders sparking a lengthy underworld war known as the Melbourne gangland killings.

It got underway in earnest with the shooting of Alphonse Gangitano in 1998, and raged past the 2006 killing of Mario Condello.

Over a period of 12 years, 36 crime figures were slain. During the most intense period, 13 men were shot dead in just over two years.

The notorious crimes spread terror throughout Melbourne and inspired the Underbelly book and TV series.

Four members of the infamous Moran family were gunned down.

Drug trafficker Carl Williams was believed to have paid one of his lieutenants $100,000 to carry out five of the murders.

CONTRACT KILLING PRICING Asian Triads: '$10,000' Mick Hawi: $300,000 - $500,000 Lametta Fadlallah: $500,000 Alen Moradian: $50,000+ Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy: $2million Moran family: $100,000 Carl Williams: $50,000 - $1million Advertisement

Notorious loan shark Mario Condello, of the Carlton crew, offered a police informer $500,000 to kill three underworld figures, Carl Williams, his father George and a bodyguard.

The payment would be $150,000 each plus a bonus $50,000.

Others in Melbourne at the time were offered far less.

In the early 2000s, Lewis Moran was offering $50,000 for the contract killing of Carl Williams.

It is now more than 10 years since Williams was brutally slain in prison by a fellow inmate.

Matthew 'The General' Johnson was found guilty of murdering Williams in 2011 and sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison, after committing the cold-blooded murder with full knowledge that the entire attack would be captured on CCTV footage.

Williams is likely to have had a large hit on his head, upwards of $1million.

However Johnson's motive was thought to be less about the money and more with punishing Williams for cooperating with police.

In prison, being a police informant or a 'dog' immediately qualifies you for merciless attacks from the mainstream prison population.
An expert psychiatrist has broken down the psychological impulses behind the world's greatest-ever court escapes.

Impulsiveness, opportunism, and cold hard calculations all contribute to the split-second decisions made by those who make daring attempts to break out of court.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das' work sees him psychoanalyse criminals as they make their way through criminal justice systems around the world.

The expert doctor cut his teeth working in the UK's courts, prison, and secure psychiatric units - including the infamous Broadmoor Hospital which houses some of Britain's most notorious criminals.

His career sees him work with murderers, rapists, thieves, and arsonists, in acting as an expert witness in court and helping to treat and rehabilitate dangerous and violent offenders.

Now, Das has offered his insights into those who seek to avoid serving time by making a break for it - and the psychological impulses that drive them to do it.

As well as background factors, such as poverty and growing up in criminality, elements of an individual's character, such as a lack of empathy, can lead to them seeking a big break.

But in some cases it is simply an impulsive and risk-taking nature that seeks them break free.

Here, MailOnline explores some of the greatest court escapes in history - as well as the impetus behind them.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das has psychoanalysed criminals' greatest escapes from court

Gerald Hyde II

Gerald Hyde II made an extraordinary escape in 2015 that saw him sneak out the courtroom, slide out of his jail clothes, and slip out of the courthouse doors.

The handcuffed criminal, then aged 24, made a daring escape that saw him evade an armed guard while his back was turned.

A video shows him flee the court in Benton County, Washington by taking off his shoes and removing his prison issue shirt before using it to hide his handcuffs.

He is then shown making a dash out of the courthouse before simply fleeing out of the courthouse doors after being convicted of possessing methamphetamine.

Police tracked Mr Hyde II to an apartment block just three miles away before sending him back to jail less than two hours later.

Afterwards, the court reviewed its security measures and concluded Hyde had managed to escape through a 'blind spot'.

In his analysis Dr Sohom Das said: 'I think actually some criminals are quite impulsive and they're risk takers as well.

'I think that's relevant because that's what we're seeing here with these people that are trying to get out of court. It's a reflection of their natural personality.'

Gerald Hyde made an extraordinary escape from a court in Benton County, Washington in 2015

The handcuffed criminal, then aged 24, made a daring escape that saw him evade an armed guard while his back was turned

He made a break for it before running shoeless through the court corridors - however he was brought back just two hours later

Kodey Howard and Tanner Jacobson

Kodey Howard, then 28, and Tanner Jacobson, 22, saw their opportunity to make a run for it

Two inmates attempted to escape from Lewis County Courthouse in Washington - apparently on nothing more than an impulse to get away.

Kodey Howard and Tanner Jacobson saw an opportunity to make a run for it.

However, judge RW Buzzard took matters into his own hands as he shed his black robe and chased after them.

Courthouse security footage showed the judge grabbing Howard at the exit door while deputies grabbed Jacobson a few blocks away.

Jacobson, then 22, of Onalaska and Howard, then 28, of Winlock were each hit with a felony charge of second-degree escape.

It is not clear what charges the duo were in court for initially.

Cameras around the building captured the drama of the attempted escape.

Stairwell surveillance footage show Jacobson took the lead, rapidly descending down the four flights of stairs to the bottom floor sometimes jumping down several steps at a time.

Inmates Kodey Howard and Tanner Jacobonson bolted from the courtroom for the exit

Dr Das concluded: 'Another element of some criminals is opportunism. So, they don't necessarily go out and plan to offend. But if they see something there, like a potential burglary, they'll jump at that chance.

'What we're seeing here is just opportunistic possibilities of just being able to run and escape the law.

'They'll know that there's a potential for a further charge to be added for escaping custody.'

Judge R.W. Buzzard was close behind after taking off his robes and giving chase

Jacobson said after the incident: 'We were sitting there on the benches together, and he's like "I'm gonna run."'

Howard explained his thought process during the escape, saying: 'I said "What am I doing? What did I just do? I gotta go with it now. There's nothing - I can't stop right here.

'There's nothing I can do now. I'm screwed."'

Jacobson added: 'I don't even know why I did it. Like, I would be out of here if I wouldn't of ran.'

Dr Sohom continued: 'I'm sure in all of their heads there's like this cost-risk balance that they're calculating, perhaps even subconsciously.

'To me, it would depend on the length of their sentence. If somebody's on a fairly small charge, it's not really worth it because you could get caught and you could serve more jail time as opposed to someone who's on a murder charge.

'Plus another element would be how likely it is that they can evade the police in the long term. So somebody who has connections to the criminal underworld, who has peers that are going to help them, might succeed.

'But somebody who doesn't have that and doesn't have anywhere to go - they're going to get caught sooner rather than later.'
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks at a press conference following the close of the 2023 legislative session on June 8, 2023. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have phased out the corporate franchise tax but also wouldve cost the state millions in revenue.

Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, would have gradually eliminated Louisianas corporate franchise tax, which is essentially a privilege tax corporations pay to do business in the state.

The phase-out would have left a $631 million hole in state revenues, so Allain tied the legislation to a second measure, Senate Bill 6, that wouldve offset some of the loss by slashing the Quality Jobs tax credit program for employers.

Combined, both bills would have still resulted in a five-year net loss of roughly $140 million for the state, according to the legislations final fiscal note.

In his veto letter, Edwards noted the franchise tax is antiquated and should be structurally reformed or repealed, but that Allains timing for such a big change is off.

The Louisiana Legislature made sweeping changes to the states individual and corporate income tax structures just two years ago, and the state wont see the effects of those changes until the end of this year or early next year.

With many moving and intertwined pieces, it is unwise to create a second franchise tax reduction trigger at this time, Edwards wrote. He added that lawmakers still have yet to address the approaching sunset of a 0.45-cent sales tax in midyear 2025, the return of previously suspended sales tax exemptions, and tax dedications to the Transportation Trust Fund and Revenue Stabilization Fund.

Although he commended Allains efforts in pushing what he called necessary tax reforms, Edwards is leaving the states finances in far better shape than his predecessor, former Gov. Bobby Jindal, and is cognizant of how that will color his reputation.

This legacy allows my successor to continue our progress with a new perspective and fresh start and affords a unique opportunity to propel Louisiana forward, he wrote in his veto message.

Allain said he was disappointed in the governors decision to veto the bill. The franchise tax is disincentivizing investment in the state, he said.

You can come up with a thousand reasons not to reform the tax code, but the right reason [to do so] is that its just a bad tax, Allain said. Until we start making changes to the tax code, were going to continue to trail the nation in attracting business and industry.

Senate Bill 6 can still go into effect if Edwards approves it, resulting in a revenue increase for Louisiana and fewer benefits for corporations.

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The post Gov. Edwards rejects phase-out of Louisianas corporate franchise tax appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
A mom who killed herself after being accused by a Florida hospital of child abuse 'wrote fraudulent prescriptions and was facing criminal charges,' it has been claimed.

Beata Kowalski had been giving her daughter Maya illegal infusions of ketamine after she was diagnosed with Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) - with prosecutors on the verge of bringing charges, a lawyer for Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH) in St Petersburg, Florida, alleges.

Beata and Maya's story was the subject of the new Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya, the family's legal counsel has slammed the allegations calling them 'absolutely false.'

Beata killed herself in January 2017, 87 days after Maya was taken into care by social workers after child abuse pediatrician Dr Sally Smith accused the mom of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy (MSP) - harming her daughter for attention.

At the time, it was claimed that Smith was removing children from their homes at one of the highest rates of Florida's counties, according to the documentary.

The documentary also portrayed hospital bosses as having blood on their hands over the tragedy, which saw an investigation into Beata subsequently dropped.

JHACH has produced what it insists is compelling evidence showing that they were right to be concerned.

Beata Kowalski (R) who killed herself after being accused by a Florida hospital of child abuse toward her daughter Maya (L) 'wrote fraudulent prescriptions and was facing criminal charges,' the attorney for the health care facility claims

Beata and Maya's story was the subject of the new Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya. But JHACH has produced what it insists is evidence showing that they were right to be concerned

JHACH attorney Ethen Shapiro told DailyMail.com that the court has 'already determined' that the hospital had 'reasonable cause to suspect Maya Kowalski's mother was abusing her.'

In Shapiro's response he cited partial depositions and transcripts provided to DailyMail.com from the 3,000 plus court filings connected to the case - which heads back to the courtroom for trial in September.

'There are hundreds of publicly available court documents that completely contradict the Netflix narrative,' said Shapiro.

Shapiro claims that it was 'DCF (Florida's Department of Children and Families) - not Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital - that investigated this situation and made the ultimate decision that it was in the best interest of the child to be sheltered at JHACH.'

In a partial deposition, with some terms redacted for Maya's privacy, Carl Barr, a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine who the Kowalski's saw for treatment was questioned about administering ketamine to pediatric patients.

He was also questioned about prescriptions which had his name on them but he didn't recall filling out.

Shapiro has suggested Beata had forged his name to obtain the drug herself.

'Did you ever prescribe [redacted] to Maya Kowalski,' Barr is questioned.

'No I did not,' he responded.

'Were you aware that Maya Kowalski was being administered [redacted]?'

'I was, and I was asked if I would do that and I told mom (Beata) that that was outside of my area of expertise,' Barr explained.

'Dr. Barr, do you have any evidence in your electronic medical record of prescribing injectable [redacted] to Maya Kowalski?'

'I do not have any evidence and nor do I have any recollection of ever writing [redacted],' said Barr.

When questioned about the redacted medication, Barr explained that it would require a prescription for narcotic and controlled substances so he would have an electronic copy of that.

'You did you order some home infusion medications for the Kowalskis, correct?'

'Yes, Correct,' responded Barr.

'But you deny [redacted] and [redacted] prescriptions?

'Yes, I have no record or recollection of prescribing either of those medications,' said Barr.

Shapiro cited the filing and claimed: 'Beata had been fraudulently filling prescriptions for medications under the physician's name, prescriptions he neither wrote nor authorized.'

Beata killed herself in January 2017, 87 days after Maya was taken into care by social workers after child abuse pediatrician Dr Sally Smith (pictured) accused the mom of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy (MSP) - harming her daughter for attention

Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions for her illness

'Carl Barr D.O. who testified that he never prescribed certain medications for Maya and does not know where Mrs. Kowalski would have gotten them or why they are filed under his name.'

The Kowalski's legal counsel filed a motion in limine  a request that certain testimony be excluded  to the Sarasota County court on Wednesday, providing details to DailyMail.com on Saturday.

The Kowalski's seek to 'prohibit the defendants from arguing before the jury any form that Beata Kowalski, or anyone in the Kowalski family, committed prescription fraud.'

A decision on the motion is yet to be made.

Jennifer Anderson, one of the Kowalski's attorneys said the claims being made by the defendants is 'absolutely false' claiming Aetna a medical insurance provider is responsible for the wrong name on the prescription.

'Aetna logged the wrong prescribing Doctor name in its records. The actual prescriptions show the truth,' she said.

In the motion in limine filed by her husband Greg, the Kowalski's claim 'defendants do not have any competent evidence to support this inflammatory claim.'

'Rather as evidence, defendants cite the January 22, 2021 deposition of Dr Carl Barr,' it reads.

Carl Barr was a treating neurologist involved in hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment of Maya.

During his deposition to counsel two claims for prescription reimbursements made by Aetna were reviewed.

'Based on the table produced by Aetna for these two claims, which misaligned and appears to attribute two controlled prescriptions from Dr Barr, defense counsel asked questions of Dr Barr of which he had no knowledge,' the motion reads.

'The table make it appear as though Dr Barr prescribed ketamine on both August 1 2016 and September 15 2016.'

Naturally Barr having not known about the prescriptions, testified he never prescribed the drugs, the motion reads.

'Based on the defendants prior statements to the media and statements in other depositions in the case, plaintiffs reasonably believe that the defendants will attempt to build a theory of prescription fraud.

'Plaintiffs move this Honorable Court to enter an Order prohibiting the defense from making argument or raiding by innuendo or inference any wrongdoing on the part of Beata Kowalski in regarding alleged prescription fraud.'

The documentary portrayed hospital bosses as having blood on their hands over the tragedy, which saw an investigation into Beata subsequently dropped - her death rocked Maya, her father Jack and brother Kyle

DailyMail.com has contacted the Kowalski family and their legal representation for comment

DailyMail.com is working to obtain the full, unredacted deposition for further context.

Meanwhile, a separate deposition into Maya's case suggested charges were being brought against Beata before her suicide.

Detective Stephanie Graham, of Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, reportedly told investigators that multiple reports about the Kowalskis had been made to social services.

She said these were separate to the allegations made by Smith, the child abuse pediatrician who first accused Beata after her investigation.

And hinting at what was to follow, Graham added: 'I'm conducting an investigation. It doesn't include beyond a reasonable doubt. That's for a courtroom.'

'I was an investigator and based on Dr Smith's information, based on information we were receiving from DCF following the family case, this appeared to moving towards a criminal case.'

Graham goes on to say that the investigation and 'criminal case' she was building came to a sharp stop when Beata took her own life on June 8.

The Kowalski family's legal counsel told DailyMail.com that a pending criminal case is 'false.'

'She took one interview of Jack Kowalski which she recorded without his knowledge and threatened imprisonment,' Jennifer said.

'Beata never faced criminal charges,' she added, her husband Greg claiming no charge sheets ever existed.

When DailyMail.com reached out to Shapiro about the Kowalski's strong denial of the claims he said 'everything I sent you was factual and I am not retracting statements.'

'All of the information was from the court file and based on the publicly available information,' he said.

'The reason I am restricted from providing you information other than what is publicly available is because of strict patient confidentiality statutes.'

Shapiro referred to, in part, the HIPAA statutes in which protects sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.

'If you want to see the statements and corroboration of my position, I can show you that within the medical records and with the unredacted court file,' he said.

'But the Kowalski's and their attorneys refuse to waive their HIPAA privileges.'

AndersonGlenn LLP has since launched a lawsuit against JHACH and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages

The ordeal started when Maya was nine, and she began suffering from excruciating headaches, asthma attacks and painful lesions that formed on her arms and legs, as well as cramping and curling sensations in her feet

AndersonGlenn LLP has since launched a lawsuit against JHACH and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages.

Anderson, who founded the firm in 1990 and focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, admiralty and personal injury law said the incidents of late 2016/early 2017 have had an 'irreparable' affect on Maya, her father Jack and her brother Kyle.

'The horrific events from the October 7, 2016 admission through Maya's release on January 14, 2017 have been well-documented,' Anderson told DailyMail.com exclusively.

'These events amount to an abduction, incarceration and abuse of a 10 year old girl. Her parents were irreparably defamed and damaged.

'Beata took her own life to free her daughter from 'care' by Johns Hopkins. The resulting litigation has been the worst I've seen.'

He said the incident took place in the fall of 2016. Maya was released and the Kowalskis exonerated Jan 14 2017 - after Beata took her own life Jan 8.

'We were retained in the fall of 2017 and sent our first demand letters for information in December. We filed suit in 2018 - that was five years ago, five years of brutal litigation,' he said.

'The Kowalskis have incurred millions in legal fees and costs. Maya, Jack and Kyle will need medical care and therapy for the rest of their lives.'

The ordeal started when Maya was nine, and she began suffering from excruciating headaches, asthma attacks and painful lesions that formed on her arms and legs, as well as cramping and curling sensations in her feet.

When doctors at a local hospital were baffled with her medical condition Maya's parents started doing research on their own.

Maya's mom, a registered nurse, discovered that her daughter may have the condition complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS) and after visiting a specialist, this was confirmed.

Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions.

He then recommended a more aggressive treatment, described as a 'ketamine coma' - where the patient receives five days of treatment to essentially 'reset' the nervous system.

The procedure, still experimental, had not yet been approved by the FDA so Maya and her family traveled to Mexico in 2015 - despite knowing the risks involved.

The teenager said she felt 'amazing' after the procedure and continued to receive ketamine infusions to manage flare ups as the specialist said there was no cure for the disorder.

Less than a year after the experimental treatment, Maya was rushed to the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida with excruciating stomach pain.

Maya's parents told the medical team treating her that she had CRPS and needed high doses of ketamine - which they believed was the only way to help alleviate their daughter's crippling pain.

When DailyMail.com reached out to JHACH, Danielle Caci, a hospital spokesperson, said they are 'extremely limited in the amount of information we can release'

Hospital staff reportedly alerted protective services who later accused Beata of child abuse due to MSP.

'One of the most startling injuries which will come out at trial is the exacerbation of Maya's CRPS as a result of Johns Hopkin's malpractice in misdiagnosing CRPS as Munchausen by proxy (MSP),' Anderson said.

'Maya was fortunate to finally locate experts who put her in the care she needed, specifically Ketamine therapy and more gentle forms of physical therapy involving warm water exercises.

'CRPS caught early and treated using the most advanced therapies need not be a death sentence or destroy someone's life.'

Netflix trailer for documentary film 'Take Care of Maya'

Anderson said that when Maya relapsed she could have 'very successfully' recovered but Johns Hopkins 'removed all proven therapies and treated her as a psychiatric patient.'

'As a consequence, her CRPS is now a threat to her life and will manifest over her '30's-early '50's with more frequent, longer duration and more severe and painful events,' he said.

Smith, who has since retired, was regarded as some what of a 'doyenne in her field' and was formally asked to investigate Maya's case after Beata was deemed to have 'mental issues.'

Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who first diagnosed Maya with CRPS, confirmed her diagnosis to Smith in her initial investigation.

He also formally warned that a child abuse case would cause 'needless and permanent harm to the child and family,' according to The Cut.

However, Smith filed the case without including Kirkpatrick's warnings, according to the documentary.

After Maya's symptoms did not improve her Munchausen's by proxy diagnosis was withdrawn. Smith and other doctors began to believe she was entirely fabricating her symptoms.

Beata was also formally evaluated and diagnosed with a depressive mood and adjustment disorder upon being separated from her daughter.

Smith retired in July this year telling the outlet that she's not a 'horrible person whose goal in life is to disrupt families.'

'I have spent my adult life attempting to serve children in my community to ameliorate conditions of abuse and neglect,' she said.

'I wish our society did more to help struggling families to provide safe, nurturing homes to their children.

'I'm not a big proponent of punitive approaches for such families contrary to media portrayals about me.'

In December 2021 Smith and the Suncoast Center settled their portion of the lawsuit with the Kowalski family.

When DailyMail.com reached out to JHACH, Danielle Caci, a hospital spokesperson, said they are 'extremely limited in the amount of information we can release.'
Over 25 years ago, the small community of Lonoke, Arkansas was struck by tragedy.

Heath Stocks, a 20-year-old former Boy Scout, murdered his parents and sister in cold blood in a crime that left the nation wondering - why did he do it?

As investigations continued, it became apparent that Stocks himself was the victim of a horrific crime. For years, he had been sexually and psychologically abused by one of the worst pedophiles in the state's history, Jack Walls, who served as his Scout Master.

Stocks is currently serving a life sentence for the brutal killings, but the saga that landed him behind bars was one that uncovered a damning scandal at the heart of the Boy Scout organization.

The killings are the subject of new documentary 'Scout Master: One of the largest sex abuse scandals in US history', which has left viewers distraught at the unfathomable cruelty on display.

Heath Stocks (right) murdered his family in 1997 after being subjected to years of abuse at the hands of his Boy Scouts leader Jack Walls (not pictured)

Stocks was one of countless boys who were preyed upon in the Boy Scouts

Stocks was one of countless boys who were targeted and abused by notorious predator Jack Walls during his three-decade reign of terror as a Boy Scout leader.

He was said to target vulnerable boys with learning difficulties or with unhappy home lives. Walls would then befriend the parents of his victims, earning their confidence while warning the boys to keep quiet.

In a story detailed in the documentary, the deviant was almost caught five years before the Stocks family murders, when he preyed upon another Boy Scout in 1992.

He was acquitted in trial, and while the Boy Scouts of America initially booted Walls from the organization, he was back leading the troupe soon after amid allegations the organization protected the pedophile to save face.

Stocks says he was abused by the pedophile hundreds of times, beginning when he was aged just nine or 10. Walls manipulated the boy and pitted him against his abusive father, Joe, driving a wedge between them so he could fill the void and gain his trust.

'The part of me that craved the attention that my father denied needed what Jack gave me emotionally,' Heath said in the documentary. 'He became a safe place... and in the midst of that, he started doing what he did.'

Walls, who is now serving a life sentence for his heinous crimes, was able to carry on the abuse because he was able to hide it behind a facade as a respected member of the community.

Walls was even named Lonoke's 'man of the year' for his work with the Scouts, all while habitually molesting the boys he was trusted to help. His exact number of victims is unknown, but is feared be over 100.

Nine days before he killed his his father Joe, his mother Barbara, and his sister Heather, the abuse Stocks was subjected to was finally recognized when Barbara accidentally witnessed it in his bedroom.

When his mother only told a pastor and no action was taken, Heath confessed to Walls that he had revealed the truth to his family, which he says was fueled by a fear that he could lose the only father figure in his life.

But the pedophile Scout Master reacted with fury, using his position of power over the boy to manipulate him into believing he had 'betrayed' his mentor. Knowing he had a strained relationship with his father, Walls coerced Heath and instructed him to 'kill the problem' he created.

Jack Walls (pictured) was one of the worst pedophiles in Arkansas state history, and his heinous crimes were blamed for the Stocks family murders

What happened next is the subject of debate. Just over a week after the truth came to light, Stocks said he returned home one day to find his empty home had been ransacked.

Heath maintains to this day that his abuser had staged the home to look like a robbery-gone-wrong, telling him he could either participate in killing his family or die with them.

According to conflicting reports, it is alleged that Stocks was planning on killing himself with a .45 handgun he found in his home, before changing his mind and killing his family when they came home instead.

Heath alleged that Walls was sitting on the couch while his family returned home, and when his abusive father became enraged by the situation, he says 'I took a step back and shot him.'

Heath Stocks pictured behind bars in a more recent, but undated image. He is serving three consecutive life sentences for the murders of his family

By the end of the night, Joe, Barbara and Heather were all dead, and Heath was on the run. While Heath pleaded guilty to all three murders, he now alleges that another former Boy Scout abused by Walls pulled the trigger on Heather.

Authorities launched a statewide manhunt, and Heath was swiftly taken into custody by 6am the next day when he was captured in a friend's apartment.

While he took a guilty plea and admitted to the murders, it has been frequently posited in the years since that Walls' manipulation and coercion drove him to do it.

Sat behind bars with no chance of parole, Heath spent the next 25 plus years hoping for an early release due to the harrowing circumstances that led him to murder.

In a harrowing interview with KARK in 2020, a 43-year-old Stocks lamented the saga that landed him behind bars.

'It's hard not to think about it every day,' he said. 'I'm surrounded by the outcome of the events that led me to be here.

'He was probably the worst pedophile in Arkansas history to use the Boy Scouts to groom and prey on kids,' Stocks says. 'I was arrested for crimes that happened solely because I had tried to end my abuse.'

Stocks said the harrowing abuse from Walls began when he was just nine or 10-years-old

The disturbing story is the focus of the latest documentary from Al Jazeera's production company Fault Lines.

Some viewers have reacted with repulsion to the upsetting content and details of Walls' depraved crimes.

'What happened to those boys and every other victim of sexual abuse that has ever been over looked or swept under the rug by a larger institution is extremely unfair,' said one commenter.

'This is simply terrible. Jack Walls deserves a lot more punishment than what he got,' added another.
Yes campaigners will not be putting celebrities at the front and centre of their campaign in an extraordinary backflip.

In April, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intended to recruit Indigenous superstars, but the campaign has since shifted its focus to ordinary Australians.

A source in the campaign said fears were raised using celebrities would backfire and the shift was made because Australians don't like being told what to do.

Indigenous sporting superstars such as Cathy Freeman, footballers Adam Goodes and Johnathan Thurston and tennis legends Evonne Goolagong-Cawley and Ash Barty were hand-selected earlier in the year to promote the Yes campaign.

The stars will still endorse the Voice, however they will not play a prominent role in the campaign.

Prominent Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo with a volunteer during a campaign event, above. Guides handed to Yes campaigners to win over No and undecided voters have been revealed

The shift comes after it was revealed activists have been given an official script on how to make an 'emotional connection' with voters to win over their support.

A nine-page Yes23 'how-to' guide, obtained by Daily Mail Australia, offers 14 scenarios for tough conversations with voters and the best way to handle them in order to win their votes.

The common concerns campaigners are expected to run into include criticisms it won't make a practical difference in the lives of Aboriginal people, that 'no one will explain how it will work' and fears that it won't address real issues for Indigenous people.

The scripted Yes campaign answers are focused on promoting the idea that the Voice is a 'stepping stone on the path to justice', will be above the 'usual partisan politics' and is an 'important practical step'.

A referendum will be held between October and December, asking the Australian public whether a Voice to Parliament - an Indigenous advisory body - should be constitutionally enshrined.

Olympian athlete Cathy Freeman has been one of the Indigenous stars used to promote the Yes campaign

Mr Albanese has described this as a 'modest request from the heart' and an 'offer' he hopes all Australians will embrace.

Yes23 volunteers are told to emphasise creating an emotional connection with voters.

They are instructed to have 'belief in your own support' - rather than focusing on having all the answers or engaging in an 'intellectual debate'.

Volunteers have been given a three-pronged approach to swaying friends and family.

They are told to ask open questions, empathise with others' positions and loop the conversation back to pro-Yes arguments.

Open-ended questions suggested in the guide include: 'Have you heard much about the Voice to Parliament? What do you think about it?'

The Yes campaign are shelving Indigenous celebrities such as former AFL star Adam Goodes (pictured)

Campaigners are encouraged to 'Explore the other person's thoughts, without offering your own. Like: That's interesting. Where did you hear that? How did you feel when you heard that?

'The aim here is to take what you've heard, and 'equalised' and connect those things with your reasons to vote yes.

'We're redirecting the positivity we've built in the conversation towards our conclusion, messages and values.'

For questions about what practical difference the Voice could make, the campaign provided an example answer which states: 'The issues that a Voice body will advise on are issues like education, health, employment and land management.

'In the past, First Nations people haven't had opportunities to have input into policies. Policies where politicians have made decisions on behalf of First Nations people have failed. Our children and grandchildren will have better services and opportunities if they get a seat at the table when policies are being developed.'

A nine-page 'how-to' guide has been published offering 14 scenarios and the best ways to handle them in an attempt to equip Yes voters with all the information they need to sway votes. Pictured: Question and answer samples in the guide

Some of the key tips Yes voters have been provided are:

To be open and welcoming of discussion because 'many people are awkward'

Speak from the heart: emotional connection over intellectual debate

Belief in your own support is more important than knowing every single detail

If in doubt, keep it simple

New Yes ads will include messages such as: 'We have always lobbied and tried to empower our people to take responsibility for their actions but sometimes the system lets us down'.

Another will state: 'Those people in Canberra, they hardly know anything. Theyre good at ticking boxes  they dont come to community to see the struggles we face'.

There has been fierce criticism over the government and Yes campaign's unwillingness to provide extensive detail for a proposal which will permanently change the Australian constitution.

Yes23 states it 'doesn't make sense' to conduct a detailed, thorough consultation about the ins and outs of the advisory body until receiving a mandate from the people to do so.

Instead, campaigners are being urged to consider the unifying message behind the proposal - closing the health and literacy gap, improving the quality of life for the nation's most disadvantaged and bringing the nation together.

The Liberal Party oppose the constitutional element of the proposal, but have insisted several times they are in favour of legislative change to help First Nations people.

Yes voters have been encouraged to 'use simple language and avoid jargon' when engaging with No voters. Pictured: Pointers in the how-to guide

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described this as a 'modest' request from the heart and an 'offer' he hopes all Australians will embrace

Ahead of the referendum, both sides of the debate are firing up their arguments and beginning an intense period of campaigning. Pamphlets have started to be circulated in the community and politicians are making their positions known.

Support is sitting at about 43 per cent according to the latest Newspoll, and just two states are tracking to vote yes. A referendum needs a mandate from the majority of people in the majority of states to pass.

As campaigning for both sides heats up, Yes voters have been encouraged to 'use simple language and avoid jargon' when engaging with No voters.

But the Yes23 campaign said 'people you know - whether friends or family, people at work, your church, your local sporting club  will be far more influenced by a conversation with you about this than anything they see or hear from a third party.

'These kinds of conversations can sometimes be confronting, but they can also be surprising, respectful and affirming.'

The script encourages Yes voters to use 'simple, everyday language' and to 'take a moment before conversations to remind yourself of your intentions'.

'Many people don't have a strong understanding of how the constitution operates or is different from laws and policies of the government.

'Rather than assuming the people you're having a conversation with know how it all works, we have to use simple, everyday language.'

The Yes23 campaign said 'people you know - whether friends or family, people at work, your church, your local sporting club  will be far more influenced by a conversation with you about this than anything they see or hear from a third party

Support is sitting at about 43 per cent according to the latest Newspoll, and just two states are tracking to vote yes. A referendum needs a mandate from the majority of people in the majority of states to pass

'Most of the conversations we have day-to-day are not the most effective for persuading someone to reconsider their position.

'People are unlikely to change their perspective just because someone has 'corrected' them - regardless of how much they like or respect that person.'

Pictured: some of the pointers in the guide

And to those who worry the referendum debate is taking focus off securing 'other real commitments', the campaign group says: 'First Nations people have been calling for meaningful change for many years. This referendum is a step in the right direction.

'This is a stepping stone on the path to justice. After the vote, it will be up to our communities across the country to shape what the Voice to Parliament looks like.

'There will be a long consultation process to make sure the model effectively shapes government policy and secures better outcomes for all of us.'

Campaigners are provided this example if they're confronted by friends and family who don't think it will do anything to actually help disadvantaged communities: 'There's no denying that if a majority of Australians voted YES it would be a powerful unifying moment in Australian history, and a big forwards step towards reconciliation.

'A constitutionally enshrined Voice will be above the usual partisan politics  representatives will be solely focused on the issues and will be directly accountable to Indigenous people on the ground.

'Having constitutional recognition enshrined in the constitution through a Voice to Parliament is not the only thing that needs to be done, but it's an important practical step towards getting things right in the future.'

Pictured: Prominent Voice campaigner and architect of the referendum question Thomas Mayo, pictured with Minister for Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney
Former President Donald Trump heads to the tiny city of Pickens, South Carolina, for its Independence Day festival on Saturday where his aides say supporters can expect 'retail politics on steroids.'

He will join up with a choir that made headlines when it was stopped from singing the national anthem at the U.S. capitol.

It will be Trump's first rally since being charged with mishandling classified documents (charges he denies) but insiders say it will differ from his trademark mass performances as his campaign experiments with different types of events.

And it brings the former president to one of the early state's most pro-Trump counties, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The tiny city of Pickens has a population of barely 3,000 people.

Donald Trump heads to the tiny city of Pickens, South Carolina, for its Independence Day festival on Saturday where his aides say supporters can expect 'retail politics on steroids'

Trump has invited the Rushingbrook Children's Choir, from nearby Greenville, to perform after they were prevented from signing the national anthem at the U.S. Capitol

It will also give him the chance to show off his support in a state that two of his rivals for the Republican nominations  former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott  call home.

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the festival setting would give Trump a chance to meet people up close. 'Retail politics on steroids,' he called it.

'We'll still have rallies,' he said.

'We're trying to we're trying to do a lot of different things, and a lot of non-traditional things. This is one of them.'

Trump's event is part of the city's 'Independence Day Spectacular,' which includes a fireworks display at dusk. City-center roads will be closed to hold the crowds.

The city of Pickens had been planning the event for eight months. Then Sen. Lindsey Graham called a few weeks ago to ask if Trump could speak, according to Bryan Owens, the city's marketing director.

'The reason they chose Pickens is because its quaint, historic and beautiful,' he told WSPA, the local CBS affiliate.

'We want to be able to showcase that to the world. Just like anybody else, we welcome anybody who wants to come to Pickens and see the beauty we have to offer.'

Trump was forced to cancel a rally in Iowa last month as a storm closed in. Workers are pictured dismantling structures at the site after it was postponed

But the V.I.P. guest created a headache, forcing officials to work out how they could fit the expected crowds into the city-center.

Trump has invited the Rushingbrook Children's Choir, from nearby Greenville, to perform.

The choir went viral with a video showing them singing the national anthem in the U.S. Capitol only for them to be stopped by police.

Officers initially said they were preventing a 'demonstration' only for them to backtrack and claim there had been a miscommunication.

Now they will be a star turn at the Trump event where local police said they expect as many as 30,000 people could turn out.

He will be on friendly territory. The county voted 74 percent in his favor at the 2020 election, and attendees are expected to come from its near neighbors of North Carolina and Georgia.

Rallies are a key part of Trump's strategy, like this one he held in Waco, Texas, in March

Trump's last rally was planned for Des Moines, Iowa, in May but had to be abandoned amid tornado warnings.

Trump is the clear frontrunner for the G.O.P. nomination and is frequently polling about 50 percent among Republicans when asked for their primary pick.

On Friday evening, he addressed the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia.

He welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to end President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

'Today, the Supreme Court also ruled that President Biden is not allowed to wipe out trillions of dollars in student loan debt, which would have been very unfair to the millions of people who have paid their debt through hard work and diligence,' he said.
Madeleine McCann disappeared from her familys holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 - just a few days before her fourth birthday.

Despite several sightings, no trace of her has ever been found.

Detectives believe she was spirited away in a vehicle while her parents dined just yards away.

Convicted child sex attacker Christian Brueckner has become the prime suspect.

Here, MailOnline answers the key questions surrounding suspect Brueckner in relation to Madeleine's disappearance.

MailOnline answers the key questions surrounding suspect Brueckner in relation to Madeleine's disappearance

1. Did prime suspect Brueckner have access to any transport?

Brueckner was known to have a distinctive yellow and white VW campervan and it was seen close to the apartment where Madeleine vanished from.

It was also spotted close to an isolate dam searched at the end of May and where he was regularly seen calling it his little paradise.

Brueckner was known to have a distinctive yellow and white VW campervan (pictured) and it was seen close to the apartment where Madeleine vanished from

2. How did the abductor get into the apartment where Madeleine was staying?

Brueckner lived locally and although publicly was known as an odd job man he made his money from breaking and entering hotel rooms and holiday lets, stealing cameras and other valuables.

Friends of his dubbed him The Climber because he could easily reach first and second floor rooms by climbing up drainpipes.

Pictured are the holiday apartments in Praya da Luz, Algarve, where Madeleien McCann went missing in 2007

3. Does Christian Brueckner have any previous convictions?

German born Brueckner was first jailed for child sex offences in 1993 when he was just 17 years old.

He abused a six-year-old child in a playground and just days before the trial was caught with his trousers around his ankles performing a sex act in front of a nine-year-old girl.

German born Brueckner was first jailed for child sex offences in 1993 when he was just 17 years old

4. What happened after that?

Brueckner drifted across Europe for several years criss-crossing the continent before finally settling in Portugal on the Algarve coast.

This is where he carried on his life of crime as a petty thief stealing diesel, solar panels, drug dealing and house breaking.

This undated handout image supplied by the Carabinieri Milano shows a police mug shot of Christian Brueckner, a suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann

5. Anything more serious?

In 2005 he raped an elderly American woman in her home at Praia da Luz but he was not convicted until 2019 after DNA evidence found at the scene was linked to him and he was jailed for seven years after a trial in Germany.

Prosecutors are convinced he was also responsible for a string of other sex attacks on women and children in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017.

He is suspected of raping Irish tour guide Hazel Behan in 2004 and she has told police she recalls her attacker having distinctive birthmarks.

Then just a month before Madeleine vanished, police suspect him of performing a sex act in front of a 10-year-old German girl on a beach five miles from Praia da Luz.

He is suspected of raping Irish tour guide Hazel Behan (pictured) in 2004 and she has told police she recalls her attacker having distinctive birthmarks

6. Apart from the VW is there anything else the police are looking at?

In 2010 detectives seized a burgundy Allegro Bay Winnebago that Brueckner used to travel between Portugal and Germany.

Detectives also found a girls swimming costume and other childrens clothes inside.

He had once told friends the RV was an ideal place to hide children and drugs.

In 2010 detectives seized a burgundy Allegro Bay Winnebago that Brueckner used to travel between Portugal and Germany

7. Wasnt there another car linked to him?

Police also seized a Jaguar car with German plates that Brueckner would regularly be seen in cruising through Praia da Luz.

Intriguingly, the day after Madeleine disappeared, he contacted vehicle licensing officials in Germany and had it re-registered in the name of a friend who lived on the outskirts of Munich.

Police also seized a Jaguar car (pictured) with German plates that Brueckner would regularly be seen in cruising through Praia da Luz

8. Is there anything else linking him to Praia da Luz?

In May 2020, after painstaking work between German BKA officers and the Metropolitan Police, phone records put Brueckner close to the holiday complex where Madeleine was staying.

They show that at 7.32pm he received a 30-minute call and then an hour later Madeleine vanished.

In May 2020, after painstaking work between German BKA officers and the Metropolitan Police, phone records put Brueckner close to the holiday complex where Madeleine was staying

9. What about any witnesses?

Several former friends of Brueckner have come forward and given statements to police.

This includes one who said that on the 10th anniversary of Madeleines disappearance while in a bar he told drinkers he knew what had happened to the then three-year-old.

While the same year another pal Helge Busching told police that he had met Brueckner in Spain a year after the abduction and he had told him it was strange she didnt scream.

Key witness Helge Busching (pictured) explained how he came to know about Brueckner's shady past by discovering harrowing sexual abuse videos, and how his former acquaintance appeared to incriminate himself in Madeleine's disappearance

10. Have police found anything else in Germany ?

Other evidence police have gathered as they build up a picture of the twisted paedophile is a huge collection of child abuse images loaded onto several USB sticks and buried under Brueckners dead dog in an isolated warehouse.

The sickening collection was found in a dilapidated building at Neuwegersleben, 65 miles south-east of Hannover in what he told friends was his secret lair.

He denies any invovlement in Maddie's disappearance.
The crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers received an anonymous tip-off in January 2016. A detective in one of Scotland Yard's elite 'Sapphire' units, which investigates rapes and serious sexual offences, had had 'inappropriate' relationships with sex victims.

The report referred to two women  and further alleged the officer was dating another vulnerable woman whom he'd met during his latest job attached to a Metropolitan Police Community Safety Unit (CSU), which probes domestic abuse and hate crime.

The intelligence was referred to the force's 'Line Of Duty' anti-corruption squad, and the officer identified as a recently promoted detective inspector in his mid-40s, Warren Arter.

Ironically enough, several years earlier, the accused officer had been commended for his team's 'outstanding' work in achieving the best detection rate in the Met for serious sexual offences.

A covert operation was set up to probe the claims. Several months later, senior figures in the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) decided there was sufficient evidence to arrest Arter on suspicion of alleged misconduct in public office.

The intelligence was referred to the force's 'Line Of Duty' anti-corruption squad, and the officer identified as a recently promoted detective inspector in his mid-40s, Warren Arter

So it was that one cold, foggy Tuesday morning in December 2016, Arter's colleagues were waiting to take him into custody when he returned from a holiday in Las Vegas and Jamaica.

Neighbours recall a police van being parked around the corner at 6.30am and sniffer dogs being deployed at his semi-detached house in a quiet suburban street in South-East London. They watched as the newly married Arter was taken away to be quizzed.

What police discovered during the subsequent search of his property would send shockwaves through the DPS.

It soon transpired that Arter had had 'inappropriate' contact with other victims of crime. He was also a regular cocaine user, had possibly supplied the substance to others and had attended drug and sex parties where he turned a blind eye to wrongdoing.

His phone and its protective case tested positive for traces of cocaine, but police were initially thwarted in their attempts to examine his electronic devices after London-born Arter provided them with false PIN codes.

His arrest should have marked the swift end to his career in the Met, which he had joined in 1996. But, in an indictment of the police disciplinary process, it would take a further seven years  during which time Arter was suspended on full pay at a total cost of around 400,000  for him to be sacked.

It soon transpired that Arter had had 'inappropriate' contact with other victims of crime. He was also a regular cocaine user, had possibly supplied the substance to others and had attended drug and sex parties where he turned a blind eye to wrongdoing

In May, after he was finally dismissed for gross misconduct, Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, of the Met, said: 'Being a warranted officer is a privilege, one that DI Arter has abused . . . It is right that he has been held to account for his actions and will now no longer be a police officer.'

But why did it take so long for justice to catch up with Arter, now 53, the tattoo-clad detective who posed bare-chested in a selfie obtained by the Mail?

And why, despite what appears to be clear evidence of criminal conduct, including pictures of drugs paraphernalia and texts to a suspected cocaine dealer found on his phone, was he not prosecuted in court?

By escaping criminal charges, the 60,000-a-year disgraced officer will one day be eligible to claim a significant portion of his police pension.

The Mail has spent weeks investigating the latest scandal to engulf Sir Mark Rowley's Metropolitan Police following the jailing of disgraced former officers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick for murder and serial rape respectively. Today, we reveal the astonishing story of how another officer descended into serial drug abuse, sordid sex and lawlessness.

Police further discovered he had taken and stored a number of seemingly incriminating photographs on his mobile phone

With exclusive access to confidential police documents, statements, pictures of drugs parties and other evidence  including text messages seized from Arter's phone  our revelations raise serious questions about the supervision, or lack of it, of the playboy detective as he worked on sensitive squads. It also exposes the woeful inadequacies of the protracted police disciplinary process.

Pictures of his drug-ravaged appearance obtained by this newspaper are in sharp contrast to his clean-cut image on his police warrant card and in a local newspaper article from his time in the Sapphire unit, when his team were praised for their detection rates.

A former colleague in the Met's Sapphire team in Bexley, South-East London, said: 'I only found out about Warren [his crimes] from the force website about five or six weeks ago . . . I was completely shocked when someone told me what he'd done.'

So where did it all go wrong?

In February 2015, Arter  whose father was recently honoured by the King for outstanding public service  was promoted to detective inspector following his successful spell in the Met's rape command.

But by December the following year, his life was in ruins after he was arrested  accused of 'abusing his position for a sexual purpose' (APSP) with victims of sexual offences between 2006 and 2013.

A number of electronic devices were retrieved from his home. Mysteriously, his personal phone had been returned to factory settings before it was downloaded by detectives. It was not possible to identify when exactly it was wiped, how, where or by whom.

In February 2015, Arter  whose father was recently honoured by the King for outstanding public service  was promoted to detective inspector following his successful spell in the Met's rape command

He also provided the incorrect Pin for his iPad via his representatives. The Met eventually accessed it and discovered he may have been using class A drugs and may also have offered to supply to a woman.

Police looked at his phone records and inquiries established he had been at a property where regular drug parties took place.

A few weeks before his arrest, Arter exchanged the following messages with a woman whom the Mail is not naming:

Arter: 'We have four lines of coke left I will bring them up x.'

Woman: 'Mmmn you little **** xx.'

Arter: 'You love it.'

Woman: 'I do.'

One of the photos recovered from the phone of the disgraced Met Police detective

READ MORE: Met Police crackdown to root out rogue officers: Dozens moved from tackling terrorism and organised crime to clean up the force following series of scandals - as it's revealed Scotland Yard has 161 serving officers with criminal convictions in its ranks Sir Mark Rowley told the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London that the Met has 161 officers with criminal convictions in its ranks Advertisement

Between November 18 and December 5, 2016, he was abroad, first in Las Vegas then in Jamaica.

According to a police document, on arrival in the U.S. he searched on his iPad 'for the best place to buy drugs in Vegas' and looked at two web pages relating to buying cocaine.

While in Jamaica on December 3, 2016, he used his iPad to search for 'purple anchor e pill' and 'purple anchor ecstasy'.

Like a plot from the BBC's Line Of Duty detective drama series, the more anti-corruption officers delved, the more disturbing evidence they uncovered. Did his colleagues previously turn a blind eye to any suspicious behaviour?

As his career came under closer scrutiny, it emerged that in late 2007 and early 2008, Arter was involved in investigating a fraud in which he was the victim.

According to a police document, he accessed and made changes to the investigation crime report, left supervisory reviews and gave instructions to the investigating officers.

An allegation was also made that Arter used derogatory and inappropriate language about victims in front of his team. His behaviour apparently got worse while he was suspended on full pay following his arrest.

By 2018, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was involved in the case, prompting a further arrest of the suspended detective for two criminal offences: supplying or offering to supply controlled drugs to others, and corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges. He declined to answer any questions and didn't provide a written response later.

It soon became clear he had not cleaned up his lifestyle. As he was not working but still on full pay, taxpayers appear to have been feeding his cocaine habit. Among the items seized from his home was a 'grip seal' plastic bag containing powder residue, found in a chest of drawers in his bedroom, which tested positive for cocaine and MDMA.

Another bag, found in his dressing gown, contained powder residue and tested positive for cocaine.

Also discovered was a set of digital scales with white powder residue (cocaine) near his television console.

Police further discovered he had taken and stored a number of seemingly incriminating photographs on his mobile phone, including one of a mirror with three lines of white powder, a card and white straw on it, resting on the coffee table in his living room.

A series of photos were recovered from the phone of Warren and used in evidence during the misconduct tribunal

It follows the jailing of disgraced former officers Wayne Couzens (left) and David Carrick (right) for murder and serial rape respectively

He was tested for heroin and cocaine, and came back positive for the latter.

He disputed the results and was tested again for cocaine, which again came back positive.

Line Of Duty detectives also discovered he had exchanged sordid text messages referring to unprotected sex and orgies. Some of those he had contact with used a notorious website for swingers, sources say. A search of his phone showed he exchanged a series of messages on Kik messenger, an instant-messaging and social-networking app, with an individual calling themselves 'ariel2110 T D'. Arter had the username 'wozup69'.

One exchange involving the officer shortly before his arrest was particularly distasteful:

Wozup69: Naughtier the better.

Wozup69: As long as none (sic) gets hurt I'm up for any thing.

Ariel: Drunk sex is the filthiest sex with me lol.

Wozup69: Mmmmm I ****ing love a pissed up **** x.

Wozup69: Naught (sic) situations do it for me . . . if it's bad it's good x.

Ariel: Lol I have to be careful because of work.

Wozup69: Same.

Wozup69: Discretion is a must.

Wozup69: I like a few lines . . . party atmosphere . . . good banter . . . Drink . . . Filth . . . party . . . More filth

Ariel: I don't do drugs ever.

Wozup69: I don't need them and I respect your preference so I won't when with you.

He also exchanged messages in October 2018 about his liking for drugs with a person calling herself 'Bunnygirl1964 Te Amo'.

But it got worse. The Met discovered that since his arrest in 2016, Arter had been present at gatherings where he witnessed people possess and consume controlled drugs including cocaine and GHB/GLH. At no stage did he report any of these individuals for drugs offences.

On August 6, 2018, he exchanged emails with a mystery man known on his phone as 'Oz', whom police believe was his cocaine supplier.

Arter: 'Hey Oz, Woz here . . . hope you are well . . . Mate when are you seeing that guy again as want to buy the same again from him . . . 110. Can you let me know buddy.'

In total, he was alleged to have been in possession of and/or consumed controlled drugs on 21 stated occasions.

In March 2020, more than three years after his first arrest, Arter was served with a further and final notice of investigation outlining scores of drugs allegations.

He was also formally notified about the evidence relating to his alleged pestering of female victims of crime.

One IOPC document, seen by the Mail, said: 'There is an indication that from 2006 onwards, during his time working as a police officer on the Sapphire and CSU units, he engaged in inappropriate contact and developed inappropriate relationships with a number of vulnerable women.

The Mail has spent weeks investigating the latest scandal to engulf Sir Mark Rowley's Metropolitan Police

'In a number of instances, he was the case supervisor or OIC [officer in charge] of the investigation into the women's allegations.

'There is an indication he failed to ensure the allegations made by all of these women were properly investigated.

'It has been alleged by multiple witnesses that while he worked in the Sapphire rape command, on occasions between 2009 and 2014 he engaged in inappropriate conversations and used inappropriate and derogatory language when referring to victims of serious sexual offences, in front of other police officers.'

For reasons that remain unclear, it would be a further three years before Arter was thrown out of the Met. At the three-day misconduct tribunal in May, he watched the first day of the proceedings remotely and snubbed the rest of the hearing.

The files seen by the Mail appear to show compelling evidence of criminality yet prosecutors declined to take him to court, where, if convicted, he would have lost much of his police pension. Citing 'personal information', the Met declined to say when Arter will be able to claim his pension. 'We can offer no reportable information on such matters about specific officers,' it said.

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'We received a file of evidence from the IOPC in June 2020 following an investigation into allegations of drug offences. In September 2020, following a careful review, we concluded the case did not pass the evidential test to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

Citing 'personal information', the Met declined to say when Arter will be able to claim his pension

'It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments of the evidence in accordance with our legal test.'

The Met is still considering whether Arter should face a misconduct board over his 'inappropriate' contact with victims and vulnerable women. Given that he has already been sacked, senior officers might decide it is not in the public interest to take further action.

An IOPC spokesperson said: 'This was a complex investigation, involving historic allegations, over several years, and multiple victims. In August 2020 we concluded our investigation and determined that DI Arter had a case to answer for gross misconduct and sent a referral to the CPS for a charging decision for misconduct in public office; the CPS decided not to charge.'

Many former colleagues believe he has got off lightly.

Former Met chief superintendent Phil Flower, who once worked in the DPS, is scathing of how long it took to bring Arter to justice. He demands: 'Why were his managers not aware of his conduct? There appears to have been a failure of supervision at every level. It should not have been allowed to get to this stage.'

A senior Scotland Yard source, who has detailed knowledge of the Arter case, was even more furious.

The source said: 'This man's behaviour has been disgusting and reprehensible. The fact that he was allowed to perform duty dealing with such vulnerable people, and go undetected so long, shames the Met. Without doubt he should've faced criminal trial and the dubious quality of the IOPC investigation means once again the public suffer.'
On a bright April day in 2020, a rubber dinghy crammed with migrants floundered in peril in the sea off Hastings. Overloaded with men, women and children, many of them screaming for help, the craft had been blown off course towards the East Sussex town after launching from a beach 40 miles away in France. It was hopelessly lost.

Britain had been in lockdown for nearly three weeks as Covid swept the country. In northern France, the pandemic was wreaking havoc in shanty camps where charity workers claimed migrants were sniffling and coughing with high temperatures as they waited for traffickers to dispatch them across the Channel.

It was in this atmosphere of fear and alarm about Covid that a lifeboat was sent from Hastings by the British Coastguard to rescue those frightened souls lost in their boat off the South Coast. The migrants were found in the flimsy craft a mile off shore. 'They were in a bad state, they looked very sickly,' the Mail has been told. 'They had lost their way crossing the Channel to Dover. It was a real emergency.'

What happened next is the subject of much conjecture at Hastings lifeboat station  as well as within our most famous seafaring charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

It is also crucial to a growing controversy that is rocking the RNLI.

A group rescued from the Channel is brought in to Dungeness, Kent, by volunteers of the RNLI

More than 45,000 migrants came illegally across the Channel last year, collectively paying trafficking gangs millions of pounds

As the Mail revealed this week, Hastings's lifeboatmen have been labelled racist, sexist, bullying 'alpha males' who object to female volunteers going on sea missions, and  according to an internal report  openly resent young blood joining their ranks, and make such newcomers feel unwelcome.

They have been ordered to attend a diversity course, while the station is to undergo a full-scale 'cultural review' to stamp out 'grave concern over the treatment of female crew'.

In response, whistleblowers among the lifeboatmen have told the Mail that the RNLI has gone 'woke', and is in the clutches of Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ lobby organisation, from which it started taking 'diversity advice' in 2017. They are also disenchanted because so much of their time is today spent rescuing migrants.

They claim this combination of factors has led to an 'easing out' of experienced, capable boatmen and fishermen from the charity workforce in favour of 'hipsters who have moved to the coast from Hackney'.

Worse, they say, the charity prioritises diversity courses over sea training while punishing the 'old crew' who question if rescuing migrants 'plays into the hands' of criminal trafficking gangs.

Whatever the truth about claim and counterclaim, this brings us back to that day three years ago when the Hastings lifeboat duly went out to rescue the migrants marooned in their dinghy and at the mercy of the elements.

When it reached them, we are told, the lifeboatmen noticed many looked unwell. And against the RNLI rules for migrant casualties, the crew decided not to board them on deck, fearing they had Covid.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness beach by the Dungeness lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel

Instead, in a skilled manoeuvre, they put ten of the men in a life-raft to alleviate overcrowding on the rubber dinghy. The lifeboat then towed both the migrants' boat and the life-raft in to shore where Border Force officials waited on the beach to give them Covid tests and check their identities.

Said one of several RNLI whistle-blowers who approached us this week: 'A fine coxswain with 15 years' experience was in command. He was worried the migrants might be infectious. Their own rubber dinghy was too overloaded to tow into the beach, so ten were put on the life-raft.

'Some of the younger crew at the lifeboat station have put it about that he was somehow racist for not bringing migrants in on the lifeboat deck as usual.'

Another whistleblower who knows what happened, though was not on board, added: 'This lifeboatman was protecting his crew at the height of the pandemic. He was worried about them and that they might carry the disease back to partners, families, and young children.

'For that sensible decision  which saved migrants' lives  there were rumours put about that he was racist. It was gossipy stuff, but we think his card was marked by the RNLI. Now this husband and father who has given hours of his time to the charity has been stood down as a volunteer.'

He is not the only one to have gone. The Mail has discovered that heads have rolled at other stations along the South Coast that bring in migrants. Another long-serving Hastings volunteer has been 'stood down', and two coxswains at Dover, Kent, have left in the past year after what our sources call a 'cultural reset over sexism and other issues' at the station, which answers distress calls from scores each week who cross the Channel in small boats.

This week a coxswain left his post at Eastbourne, East Sussex, where there was a row last year about loading 104 migrants on to a lifeboat designed to take 96.

An internal memo from the RNLI at the time, later published in the Guardian, said exceeding boat limits is 'something we cannot allow to continue because it will put . . . crew and casualties at risk'.

Should the crew have let eight of them drown? The pressure on RNLI crews caused by the surge in migrant rescues on the South Coast was explained at the time by Simon Ling, the charity's head of lifeboats.

'Our crews in South-East England are engaged in an increasing level of humanitarian work because more men, women and children are crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes using unseaworthy boats. They have responded in a humbling way to the increase in demand.'

Yet his heartfelt thankyou has not stopped the rumblings that all is not well at the RNLI. An article by the Mail about the Hastings 'alpha males' row earlier this week resulted in a number of seasoned lifeboatmen coming forward to us with their views.

Some defied a warning issued to lifeboat crews along the South-East Coast that they must not speak to the Press. Others are recently retired lifeboatmen from all over Britain who feel strongly that the charity they love has 'fallen into the wrong hands'.

The lives of 108 migrants attempting to make the 'perilous' crossing of the English Channel were saved by RNLI lifeboat crews last year

Since its foundation, almost two centuries ago, the RNLI has remained one of Britain's most cherished charities, raising millions annually in donations, legacies and subscriptions. It is good at marketing itself as a sea-rescue service for ordinary people. On its website, readers can currently enjoy the heart-warming story of 'Frankie' who, with her friend, was saved by a call to the RNLI after being blown out to sea while paddle-boarding near Penarth, Wales.

Appealing for funds alongside the story, the RNLI says: 'There will be many more calls like Frankie's. Anyone can get into difficulty at the coast. That's why the lifeboat volunteers need your help. As they prepare for summer, their busiest season, they're relying on you to keep them ready to launch to the rescue. Your donation will make you a life saver.'

Yet, in recent years, much of the charity's work has taken a very different form. It has been called out hundreds of times to rescue migrants in the Channel. Just five years ago, only a handful of these small boats landed on the coasts of Kent and East Sussex. Now the number is out of control.

More than 45,000 migrants came illegally across the Channel last year, collectively paying trafficking gangs millions of pounds. The total will be even higher by the end of 2023. The RNLI's role in dealing with this horrifying criminal trade has risen in tandem.

READ MORE: More than 1,200 migrants arrive to Britain on small boats in just three days as the Home Office confirms 545 reached the UK on Monday with crossings at their highest levels since November Advertisement

Some have accused it of running a 'taxi service' for the newcomers, with a volunteer on the Kent coast saying last month that lifeboats at Dover and along the Kent coast can be called out four times a day to rescue migrants.

Little wonder that the 'old crew' of lifeboatmen  as the RNLI Hastings report describes them  are disgruntled. Facing accusations that they 'roll their eyes', make 'intimidating gestures such as staring or watching' and use racist language against newcomers, they are also branded fiercely hostile to women going to sea.

In the series of messages this week, one writer who is still an RNLI volunteer on the South Coast said: 'I remember when the charity was all fishermen. You knew your boat, you knew your patch, you knew the sea. If somebody needed help, we'd go to help them. That's how it was. I believe Hastings is caught up in a woke storm at the RNLI.'

Another said: 'The newer volunteers think joining the RNLI is as safe as rattling a charity bucket in the town square on a Saturday afternoon. In real life, it means going to sea, whatever the weather, and putting your back into it.

'If the ocean is blowing a hooley out there, you need someone strong enough to hold on to the back of your lifejacket to stop you falling off.'

A third added: 'Things are very tense at the RNLI. A lot have left either by choice or stood down against their wishes. It is a perfect storm of woke attitudes and 'girl power' when it comes to female volunteers. We are told they must have their 'turn at sea'. If they are refused a place on a rescue mission because they are not ready, they use the Stonewall bible to complain to the charity that it is 'sexism' or 'not inclusive'.'

The messages came in to us by phone, email and text. One said: 'Lifeboating is dangerous. We take risks. If you are not OK with that, you shouldn't get on the boat.

'They are making us do inclusion and diversity courses which seem to take priority over sea training with a boat. There are no 'safe spaces' at sea, that's why you need a lifeboat.

'I feel this agenda from the Stonewall bible is being used as an excuse to kick out crew who worry migrant rescues are now part of the RNLI woke mindset.'

The RNLI, of course, disagrees. It made a statement to us after our revelations on its report when we highlighted the alleged 'alpha male' behaviour at Hastings and their treatment of female crew.

The charity said: 'We aim to be truly inclusive, valuing diversity, and appreciating everyone for their individual contribution to saving lives at sea. To help us achieve this we are members of Stonewall Diversity Champion programme, an advisory service based on the Equality Act, to embed LGBTQ+ inclusion across their organisation.'

To a lifeboatman of the old school, a sea dog with sometimes three generations of his family giving service to the RNLI, this is a mantra that may divide rather than heal.

In peril at sea just a few minutes away from drowning, you want the best person possible to save your life, whether an alpha-male boatman or a Hackney hipster.
Millions of Australians are now able to lodge their tax return with the opportunity to claim money back on several work expenses.

The consensus on making full use of the tax season including deductibles for working from home, clothing and transport is to keep records to back up your claim.

It comes as accountants warned Aussies working from home will be $1,300 worse off while low to middle income earners will see the end of their $1,500 tax break which finished today.

But despite this there are still ways millions can get the most out of their tax returns, including WFH expenses.

Financial planner from Acumen Cameron McLean said people can claim back costs like electricity when working from home as long as they have the proof

WORKING FROM HOME

Financial planner from Acumen Cameron McLean said people can claim back costs like electricity when working from home as long as they have the proof.

'The Australian Tax Office needs you to be pretty specific,' McLean told Nine News.

'They need you to know specifically how many days you're working, what part of the house gets used.

He added people should keep track of these throughout the year for the next tax return.

The ATO said tax payers can get deductions for stationery, energy and office equipment used in the home.

The agency said people wanting to make a claim need to work from home to fulfil employment duties and not be just carrying out minimal tasks like occasionally checking emails or taking calls.

Additional running expenses may include electricity or gas bills for heating, cooling and lighting as well as home and mobile internet expenses and mobile or home phone costs.

In limited circumstances where someone has a dedicated home office, you may also be able to claim for rent or mortgage costs and cleaning expenses.

WORKING FROM HOME RULE CHANGES

The Australian Taxation Office quietly changed the rules late last year so phone, internet, electricity and stationery costs will no longer be claimable as deductions on top of the approved shortcut method.

That shortcut method allowed people to claim 80 cents an hour for all the time they worked from home - without having to produce phone, internet and electricity payment receipts - but that method ended on June 30 last year.

But it wasn't until November that the tax office announced a new 67-cent-an-hour rate would be introduced and backdated to July 1, 2022.

Under this new rule, those who use this shortcut when doing their tax returns for the 2022-23 financial year will not be able to also manually claim phone, internet, electricity and stationery costs - and must choose one method or the other.

The new 67-cent-an-hour rule has replaced both the flat 80-cent-an-hour rate and the lower 52-cent-an-hour rate for those who wanted to manually add up their phone and energy bills.

H&R Block director of tax communications Mark Chapman said the new 67-cent-an- hour fixed rate would stop professionals from being able to manually claim mobile and home landline phone costs, internet connection, stationery, and electricity and gas bills.

'For the first time, phone usage and internet expenses are included in the fixed rate method,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

H&R Block calculated that someone working from home for a year, under the old 80-cent rule, typically received a deduction of $1,536

'Note that under the new rules, if you use your mobile phone for work purposes when you are out and about, as well as at home, you can no longer claim a separate deduction for this use and still use the fixed-rate method.

H&R Block calculated that someone working from home for a year, under the old 80-cent rule, typically received a deduction of $1,536.

This increased to $2,618 under the axed 52-cent rule, because someone could claim mobile phone, internet and stationery on top.

But under the new 67-cent-an-hour rule, that fell back to $1,286.40, as these items would not be claimable anymore.

That equates to a difference of more than $1,300 a year.

Those working from home will also be required to keep a diary of every day worked from home since March 1, 2023.

The tax office will accept a four-week summary covering July 1 to February 28.

CLOTHING

Mr Mclean said Aussies can claim for clothes used for specific occupations.

A chef can claim for laundry expenses for their checkered pants for example as long as they have the receipts handy in case the ATO asks for them.

The ATO said workers who buy, repair or launder occupation-specific or protective clothing or distinctive uniforms can claim back.

But it said 'conventional' attire like black pants worn by office workers or waiters cannot be claimed back at tax time.

This includes business suits, a swimming instructor's swimwear and jeans or drill shirts worn by tradespeople.

But it said 'conventional' attire like black pants worn by office workers or waiters cannot be claimed back at tax time

GIFTS

Tax payers can claim deductibles for the gifts and donations they offer to charities, as long as the organisation is registered.

Donations to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe cannot be claimed but registered charities like World Vision Australia could be.

The amount you can claim as a deduction depends on the type of gift, for example with gifts of money  you can claim the amount of the gift if it is more than $2.

In some circumstances, you can claim a deduction for gifts and donations to registered political parties or independent candidates.

The most you can claim in an income year is $1,500, the ATO said.

TRANSPORT

You can claim for the costs you incur when you travel between work places, to conferences or client meetings.

For motor vehicle expenses it helps if people keep a log book over a three-month period that gives an idea of how much they spend during the year.

You can also claim expenses for the same journeys when using public transport and ride-shares, short-term hire of a car, road and bridge tolls and parking fees.

For motor vehicle expenses it helps if people keep a log book over a three-month period, Mr McLean said

Aussies can get deductibles for courses if it relates to their current job

EDUCATION

Aussies can get deductibles for courses if it relates to their current job but cannot claim if its to gain fresh qualifications for another occupation.

The ATO said parents cannot get money back for child care or school fees.

WHAT AUSSIES CAN'T CLAIM

The ATO said items like tools and computers used for private purposes can not be claimed.

Mr McLean said he has come across some strange items people try and claim for like socks, jocks and breast enhancement surgery.

A man even attempted to get money back for his daughter's wedding telling him it's for 'all the tax he's paid in his life'.

A comprehensive list on what cannot be claimed is available on the ATO website.

'DON'T LEAVE IT TO THE LAST MINUTE'

Mr McLean said Australians should start preparing now for the next tax return so they don't miss out on future tax benefits.

He urged tax payers to not leave it to the last minute and advised on having an accountant or financial advisor.

A financial advisor can have a look at someone's super to see how much they can get back leading up to the new financial year.

The Low and Middle Income Tax Offset expired on June 30 last year which means nothing for those earning up to $126,000

LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME TAX OFFSET

Meanwhile, the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset expired on June 30 last year which means nothing for those earning up to $126,000.

Those earning $48,000 to $90,000 won't get back $1,500 like they did last year.

That previously included the $1,080 and the one-off $420 cost-of-living bonus.

'Many taxpayers won't cotton on to that fact until they come to lodge this year's tax return and they notice that the size of their refund has dramatically shrunk,' Mr Chapman said.
Stanford University students have been forced to undergo 'free speech training' after their woke dean and law grads heckled a Trump appointed judge.

Judge Kyle Duncan was ambushed by associate dean Tirien Steinbach during a discussion in March as woke students clicked their fingers in support.

The Washington Free Beacon reported earlier this week that as part of the efforts of the University to turn over a new leaf they had students take part in a freedom of speech training session.

The online training is said to have required little to no time at all, with students able to skip the modules completely.

One student told the Free Beacon: 'On the day the training was due, I went to the attestation link provided by the university, checked a box confirming I watched the videos, and that was the end of the matter. Whole process took 10 seconds.'

Judge Kyle Duncan (left) was ambushed by the associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Stanford Law School, Tirien Steinbach (right)

Judge Duncan was heckled and ambushed by students and staff after being asked to appear at the event in March of this year

The Free Beacon reported that students had been given six weeks to watch five prerecorded videos, most about an hour long, then asked to sign a form attesting that they had done so.

The videos could be played on mute, and the form could be accessed without opening the training letting students tune out the modules or skip them entirely.

On March 22, Stanford Law Dean Jenny Martinez issued a memorandum responding to the incident earlier that month,

Martinez wrote: 'Enforcement of university policies against disruption of speakers is necessary to ensure the expression of a wide range of viewpoints.

'Lawyers in training must learn to confront injustice or views they dont agree with and respond as attorneys.'

Judge Duncan had been ambushed by Steinbach who went on a six minute rant, which she had written down, condemning his life's work.

Woke students clicked their fingers in support - after progressive colleges warned handclapping can cause offense - and cried 'Yes' in agreement.

Duncan, a 51-year-old Louisiana-born lawyer, known for challenging LGBTQ+ rights, was appointed a federal judge in 2018 by then-President Trump.

Stanford Law Dean Jenny Martinez, pictured here, issued a memo saying that lawyers in training must learn to confront views they don't believe in

Duncan was invited by the Stanford chapter of the Federalist Society to speak at the university

The 51-year-old Louisiana-born lawyer found himself laughing at the absurdity of the situation

Duncan stood and shook his head in amazement while Steinbach also voiced her support for free speech.

He was tasked with discussing laws related to guns, COVID mandates, guns and Twitter.

'So, you've invited me to speak here, and I've been heckled non-stop,' said Duncan.

When Duncan tried to reply to remarks made by Steinbach, students screamed: 'Let her finish!'

They remained hushed and polite while the woke dean espoused her beliefs, but offered Duncan no such courtesy.

Following the incident, the president of the school promised to 'safeguard' free speech after the protest.

Marc Tessier-Lavigne (pictured) - who previously published a public apology to Judge Kyle Duncan - also promised 'new initiatives to safeguard and strengthen' campus freedom of speech

Marc Tessier-Lavigne - who also published a public apology to Judge Duncan - also promised 'new initiatives to safeguard and strengthen' campus freedom of speech.

Tessier-Lavigne cited the talk - which now has federal judges promising not to hire Stanford Law students as clerks - as a 'deeply disappointing event' and believed that the school must 'reject such corrosive conduct.'

He also promised that freshman students would be given workshops that would teach them how to discuss contentious issues in a constructive manner.
Chilling photos have emerged showing a woman accused of killing a mother, 38, by pushing her off a cliff, posing near the alleged Alabama murder spot.

Loretta Kay Carr, 43, and her daughter Jessie Kelly, 21, were both been charged with murder on Sunday, two years after Mary Elizabeth Isbell, 38, went missing.

Authorities searched far and wide for Isbell's body, but were unable to find any trace of the missing Hartselle, Alabama mother until this week.

Two days after Carr and her daughter were detained, the remains of Isbell were located.

It now emerges that Carr in 2019 shared a photo of herself by the murder spot, posing in January 2019 at Little River Canyon national preserve.

Loretta Kay Carr in January 2019 posted this photo to Facebook of herself by the spot where this week Isbell's body was found

Mary Elizabeth Isbell, 38, was last seen in the fall of 2021. She was officially reported missing in January 2022, and two women were arrested on Sunday on charges of her kidnapping and murder. Isbell's remains were found on Tuesday in an Alabama nature preserve

Loretta Carr (left) and her daughter Jessie Kelly (right) have both been arrested and charged with Isbell's murder

Carr posed at the national preserve with her fiance, Robert Mitcham

'Day trip to Little River Canyon and Falls,' she wrote, posting photos of herself with her fiance Robert Mitcham.

'Was beautiful and only a little ways from the house.'

Carr has been held since Sunday at DeKalb County jail in Fort Payne, Alabama.

She is charged with kidnapping and capital murder, with police saying she pushed Isbell off a cliff - but Carr insists there is no evidence.

Carr's attorneys are arguing the state does not have enough evidence to justify confinement or to send the case to a grand jury, AL.com reported.

Her daughter was arrested in Pennsylvania and is being extradited to Alabama.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for August 21.

Isbell, 38, was living an unsettled life in the run up to her disappearance. Her boyfriend was in prison and then rehab, and she was moving from place to place. She was reported missing in late 2021 by her family after she vanished from her home in Hartselle, Alabama

Carr, 43, of Fort Payne, was charged on Sunday with capital murder and faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted

Her teenage son has since posted a heartbreaking tribute to his mother, sharing a link to Carr's arrest, writing: 'Love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be'

Carr is accused of abducting Beth before pushing her from a cliff on October 18, 2021.

It is unclear how the women knew each other.

DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said: 'We would like to thank the Pennsylvania State Police Corry Barracks, Huntsville Search Dog Unit, State of Alabama Aviation Unit, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Fischer Rescue Squad and all the volunteers who helped during this investigation for all their hard work and dedication.

'Each individual played an important role in bringing Beth home and holding those responsible for this horrific crime accountable.

'We would ask that you pray for Beth's family and give them privacy as they navigate through this difficult time.'

Beth's ex-husband, Steven Isbell, declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com, but had been posting on social media asking for help looking for the mother of his son Skylar

Carr's lawyers are arguing that there is no evidence she murdered Beth (pictured) and claim there is no link between the two women

The timeline of her disappearance remains muddled.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, she was suspected of a theft in DeKalb County.

The sheriff's office said the theft involved an apartment she was living at with her boyfriend, James Allen Wright.

James Wright was arrested by the sheriff's office in September 2021 and released to a Florida rehab facility in November 2021.

The sheriff's office said while he was in jail, Isbell was essentially homeless, moving between friends' houses and 'living where she could in DeKalb County.'

Her mother, Debbie Wood, told a local news channel last year that Isbell became entangled with a 'bad' crowd.

'I think she got mixed up with some wrong people,' she said.

She described Isbell's relationship with Wright as 'new but troubled,' saying they were always getting into fights.

Carr is accused of abducting Isbell and pushing her from a cliff on October 18, 2021.

Yet according to another police report, on November 22, 2021, she visited her mother's home in Hartselle.

She was spotted the next day, November 23, 2021, across the street from her son's school, also in Hartselle.

Isbell's ex-husband, Steven Isbell, said on December 27, 2021 that she was missing.

Isbell had been living with her boyfriend James Allen Wright (right) , in DeKalb County when she vanished from their home in Hartselle

Authorities have previously said Isbell was last seen on November 23, 2021 when she visited her mother in her hometown of Hartselle

News of Carr's arrest for her murder came two days before what would have been her 39th birthday

'I actually hate to put this out here on social media but Facebook covers a wide area,' he wrote.

'[Her son] hasn't heard from his mom since September 6th on his birthday and he's really worried about her because she always at least calls him on the holidays.

'I've talked to her family and no one has heard from her. So we thought about doing a missing person report.'

Harselle PD detectives searched the home where Isbell was staying on the day of Steve Isbell's Facebook post, December 27, 2021.

Physical evidence was recovered from the home and entered into a national database, but no match was found at the time.

Relatives officially reported her missing in January 2022 to the Hartselle Police Department and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, and on January 19, 2022 a missing poster was placed on their website.

The case went quiet until June 20 this year, when DeKalb County investigators received information about Isbell's disappearance and interviewed two people in connection with her killing.

Carr was arrested on June 25.

Officers discovered remains on June 28, with forensics confirming they belonged to Isbell on June 30  what would have been her 39th birthday.

Her teenage son posted a tribute to his mother, sharing a link to Carr's arrest, writing: 'Love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be.'
Gavin Evansi in Aeon:

Thirteen days before the start of the Second World War, a 35-year-old unmarried immigrant woman gave birth slightly prematurely to identical twins at the Memorial Hospital in Piqua, Ohio and immediately put them up for adoption. The boys spent their first month together in a childrens home before Ernest and Sarah Springer adopted one  and would have adopted both had they not been told, incorrectly, that the other twin had died. Two weeks later, Jess and Lucille Lewis adopted the other baby and, when they signed the papers at the local courthouse, calling their boy James, the clerk remarked: Thats what [the Springers] named their son. Until then they hadnt known he was a twin.

The boys grew up 40 miles apart in middle-class Ohioan families. Although James Lewis was six when he learnt hed been adopted, it was only in his late 30s that he began searching for his birth family at the Ohio courthouse. In 1979, the adoption agency wrote to James Springer, who was astonished by the news, because as a teenager hed been told his twin had died at birth. He phoned Lewis and four days later they met  a nervous handshake and then beaming smiles. Reports on their case prompted a Minneapolis-based psychologist, Thomas Bouchard, to contact them, and a series of interviews and tests began. The Jim Twins, as they were known, became Bouchards star turn.

Both Jims, it transpired, had worked as deputy sheriffs, and had done stints at McDonalds and at petrol stations; theyd both taken holidays at Pass-a-Grille beach in Florida, driving there in their light-blue Chevrolets. Each had dogs called Toy and brothers called Larry, and theyd married and divorced women called Linda, then married Bettys. Theyd called their first sons James Alan/Allan. Both were good at maths and bad at spelling, loved carpentry, chewed their nails, chain-smoked Salem and drank Miller Lite beer. Both had haemorrhoids, started experiencing migraines at 18, gained 10 lb in their early 30s, and had similar heart problems and sleep patterns.

More here.
Former President Donald Trump made an impassioned promise to his supporters at the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia on Friday night in which he vowed to 'liberate our children from the Marxist lunatics and perverts who have infested our educational system.'

Trump went on to promise to cut funding for programs that he deemed to be 'pushing critical race theory, transgender, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content' if he were elected again in 2024.

At one point Trump remarked: 'Don't mess with America's moms. Out beloved nation is teetering on the edge of tyranny.'

The ex-president added that would leave education decisions to be made by states because of 'radical left socialism' and that his Department of Justice would investigated violations of his policies.

'Instead of taking their children to church, they believe in taking children to drag shows. Instead of teaching them to say their prayers, they teach them to recite their pronouns,' he said.

Trump later stopped off at Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia after his address at the 'Moms for Liberty' event where according to reports, he signed at least one copy of his bestselling book The Art of the Deal for a police supervisor.

During his remarks, Trump praised Moms for Liberty as 'joyful warriors' as he headlined their annual conference Friday

Trump: "Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three ... and yesterday they ruled to set our country back on a merit-based system of education." pic.twitter.com/N4Pvjd9HSh  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 30, 2023

During his remarks, Trump praised Moms for Liberty as 'joyful warriors' as he headlined their annual conference Friday and criticized what he called an unfair depiction of the group.

'But Moms for Liberty is no hate group,' he said. 'You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. Youre not a threat to America. Youre the best thing thats ever happened to America.'

'Joe Biden and the Democrat communists are the threat to America. And together, we are going to throw them out of office on Election Day of 2024,' the former Apprentice host added.

Trump went on to pledge to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action while also touting his appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during the stump address and bragging about their recent decisions.

'You know, many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three, they are gold! [Democrats] are not happy about that,' Trump said of his justice appointments.

'And maybe we'll three or four more. Let's have seven or eight or maybe even nine.'

It's unclear if Trump - running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 - meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or merely make it so that all of the justices could be appointed by him.

Republicans have often criticized Democrats for trying to expand the court or alter the way in which justices are appointed in the wake of decisions they have derided, including the affirmative action one and others that have ended Roe vs. Wade and set back LGBTQ+ rights.

Trump previously praised the affirmative action decision on Truth Social Thursday.

'This is a great day for America,' he wrote. 'People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded. This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing.'

'It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world. Our greatest minds must be cherished and thats what this wonderful day has brought. Were going back to all merit-based - and thats the way it should be!'

Pat's is one of the two major infamous cheesesteak eateries in the City of Brotherly Love, in an eternal rivalry with nearby Geno's.

Moms for Liberty was founded during the pandemic by Florida mothers concerned about the direction of their children's education.

It has since expanded to numerous chapters across the country, including in Pennsylvania, seen as a key state for Trump to flip back in his column in 2024.

Former President Donald Trump visits Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia

Pat's is one of the two major infamous cheesesteak eateries in the City of Brotherly Love, in an eternal rivalry with nearby Geno's

The two-year-old group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics as an advocate for 'parental rights.'

But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an 'extremist' group for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference, being held at a downtown Philadelphia hotel, has nonetheless drawn leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running second to Trump and kicked off the gathering by casting 2024 as the year that parents 'finally fight back.'

DeSantis praised the group for 'coming under attack by the left,' saying it was 'a sign that we are winning this fight.'

He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to 'fight the woke' as president.

'I think what weve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And theyre ready to roll,' he said, predicting moms would be 'the key political force for this 2024 cycle.'

'2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the country finally fight back,' he said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center added the organization, among others, to their 'Hate Map' as part of the release of their 'Year In Hate and Extremism 2022' report.

It has attracted national media attention for its efforts fighting COVID restrictions in schools and limiting discussions about race, sexuality, and gender in elementary school classrooms.

According to the organization's mission statement, Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 to 'unify, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.'

Trump was touting his appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during the stump address and bragging about their recent decisions, including the one ending affirmative action at American universities, when he said he hoped he could appoint even if he wins in 2024

It's unclear if Trump - running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 - meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or merely make it so that all of the justices could be appointed by him

The conference, being held at a downtown Philadelphia hotel, has nonetheless drawn leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , who is running second to Trump and kicked off the gathering by casting 2024 as the year that parents 'finally fight back'

Despite opposition from groups like the SPLC, Justice said that she and her fellow Moms for Liberty are not discouraged and plan to keep up the energy.

'We are joyful warriors. We're not going to stop. I mean, no one's going to fight for anything like a parent's going to fight for their child. And, you know, we are moms and dads that are concerned about the future of the country,' she said.

The SPLC report said: 'Moms for Liberty activities make it clear that the group's primary goals are to fuel right-wing hysteria and to make the world a less comfortable or safe place for certain students  primarily those who are Black, LGBTQ or who come from LGBTQ families.'

President and CEO of the SPLC and SPLC Action Fund, Margaret Huang, claimed the goal of the report is to take 'the most hateful factions in our country' and ultimately dismantle white supremacy.

We are exposing a concerted effort by hate groups and extremist actors to terrorize communities and gain control of public institutions by any means necessary.

'These groups are descending on Main Street America and disrupting people's daily lives, too often with dire consequences for communities of color, Jewish people, and the LGBTQ+ community.'

Justice and fellow Moms of Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich blasted the decision to label their organization a 'hate group'

'Two-thirds of Americans think the public education system is on the wrong track today. That is why our organization is devoted to empowering parents to be a part of their child's public school education,' they said in a statement to Fox News.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia

Trump accused the 'radical left' of 'slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.'

'That is our fundamental goal, which began just two years ago when teacher's unions locked students out of schools during the pandemic.

'Empowering parents continues to be our mission today and that has fueled our organization's growth - like wildfire to now 45 states in the country.'

'We believe that parental rights do not stop at the classroom door and no amount of hate from groups like this is going to stop that.'

Moms for Liberty joins is one of 11 other right-wing parents rights' groups listed in the annual report.

Trump, too, accused the 'radical left' of 'slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.'

'But Moms for Liberty is no hate group,' he said. 'You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. Youre not a threat to America. Youre the best thing thats ever happened to America.'

'Joe Biden and the Democrat communists are the threat to America. And together, we are going to throw them out of office on Election Day of 2024.'

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024.

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024

President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

The group has said it doesn't plan to endorse any presidential candidate in the primary election.

They have transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states.

Along the way, it has found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a 'liberty sword' at the group's first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that Moms for Liberty supported.

Beyond remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit will feature strategy sessions on such topics as 'protecting kids from gender ideology' and 'comprehensive sex education: sex ed or sexualization.'

Summit attendees said they liked what they were hearing so far.

'I love Moms for Liberty,' said Debbie McGinley, who is running for the school board in Methacton School District outside Philadelphia.

As a parent of three kids who lost her business as a hairdresser during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she appreciated that the group is 'fighting for our kids.'

Lucy Reyna, a treasurer for a local Moms for Liberty chapter in Indiana, said she traveled to the conference to learn more about the national organization.

The self-labeled 'parental rights' summit is bringing school board hopefuls from across the country where attendees will receive training and hear from Republican presidential candidates

Trump discussed his nominations for Supreme Court justices during the speech

'What am I a part of? I need to know those things,' Reyna said, adding that if the group leaned too partisan in one direction, it would make her reconsider her participation.

Outside, roughly 100 parent activists and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered to protest, citing the Southern Poverty Law Centers designation of the group as an 'anti-government extremist' organization.

They chanted, 'Not in our city' and 'Let's say gay' while holding signs that read, 'Hate is not patriotic' and 'Philly is the LGBTQest city.'

Some protesters said specific incidents prompted their activism, including an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter publishing an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter before apologizing and removing it, and a Tennessee chapter complaining about lessons on Black civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

'I think they stand for fear. And that turns into hate very quickly,' said Molly Roses, a Philadelphia resident who joined the protest.

In the days before the conference, several historical associations, state senators, activists and employees at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution had pleaded unsuccessfully with the museum to cancel a welcome event for the conference Thursday night. The event went on as planned.
A quiet residential suburb has been rocked after a house was sprayed with bullets in a late night shooting.

Bullets were fired into a house on Hill Road in Lurnea, south-west Sydney at 11.20pm on Friday.

Police were told that a car was seen driving away from the location immediately after the shooting.

Police are currently looking for evidence in the area where shots were fired on Hill Road in south west Sydney's Lurnea at about 11:20pm on Friday

No injuries were reported to have taken place as a result of the shooting.

A crime scene has since been established, and the area is currently being examined by specialist police.

'Officers have been informed that a car was seen to drive away from the location immediately after the shooting,' NSW Police said in a statement.

Officers were seen on site searching the area for evidence.
A couple who recently moved to the southern state of Louisiana were woken up in the middle of the night after an uninvited alligator crept into their home through a doggie door.

Don and Jan Schultz were woken up after their seven-year-old dog, Panda, began growling at the threatening five-foot long reptile.

Don got out of bed to investigate what was troubling the pet when he saw what appeared to be one of the states most famous inhabitants, in the darkness.

The couple kept their nerve and quickly called the emergency services for them to come and deal with the unwanted lodger.

A couple who recently relocated from Arizona to Louisiana had an unexpected encounter with local wildlife when they discovered an alligator inside their home

Don and Jan Schultz were woken up after their seven-year-old dog, Panda, began growling at the threatening five-foot long reptile.

The five-foot long alligator had made its way into their home through the doggy door

'It was quite an experience. We're getting the full Cajun experience,' said Don, who has only recently moved to the state from Yuma, Arizona.

'Our dog panda growled and woke my wife up and she tapped me and said "I think there's somebody in the house." I got up and saw the shape of an alligator,' Don explained to KATC.

Video shows fish and wildlife experts capturing the hissing gator in the hallway of their home.

The alligator didn't go quietly and could be seen thrashing about as it had a noose put around its snout before being dragged out from the couple's house.

The couple immediately dialed 911, with authorities arriving to deal with the creature

Video shows fish and wildlife experts capturing the hissing gator in the hallway of their home

The alligator didn't go quietly and could be seen thrashing about as it had a noose put around its snout before being dragged out from the couple's house

The gator had both pairs of legs tied down as it was hauled away from the home

The couple's dog, Panda, saved the day by alerting them after growling in the middle of the night

'We're real grateful for the Sheriffs and Fish & Wildlife. We thoroughly dispatched the creature from our home and I guess it's off swimming in the bayou somewhere,' Jan said.

The Schultz's have now changed the type of doggie door on their home to one that only opens to their own pet rather than any creature simple wanting a place to shelter for the night.

'We are taking precautions and locking the doggie door which will now only open with the dogs collar. We dont want another surprise like this in the future.'
A murder investigation is under way after police found a tradie dead in his home with police probing whether his dark past with drugs had anything to do with his death.

Matthew Berry, 37, was found dead with head and upper body injuries in his parents' home in Tolima Drive in Mount Tamborine, west of the Gold Coast, on Thursday.

An ex-partner and mother of his children had made the discovery after not hearing from the girl's father for sometime.

Police who arrived at the scene believe Mr Berry may have been killed up to 24 hours before being found.

The suspected killer remains at large and is now being sought by police as investigations continue.

Mr Berry's identity has been revealed as details of his murky past reemerging with the 37-year-old previously convicted of possessing drugs.

Matthew Berry, 37, was found dead with head and upper body injuries in his home in Tolima Drive in Mount Tamborine, west of the Gold Coast, mid Thursday

Police who arrived at the scene believe Mr Berry may have been killed up to 24 hours before being found

He was due to face court next week on fresh charges of drug-driving with police saying they are investigating possible drug links to his murder.

Mr Berry's house has since been transformed into a crime scene, and officers say that they have already found several lines of inquiry.

'The gentleman who was located was a 37-year-old father of two young children,' Detective Inspector Chris Knight told 9News.

'[His ex-partner] was there to check on his welfare - she hadn't heard from him in a couple of days.

'She is a grieving lady, we feel for her - she spent quite a number of hours yesterday with detectives and she's assisting us greatly.'

Heavy police presence is expected to remain at the property in the coming days as officers begin door knocking neighbouring homes in an attempt to gather evidence.

Police have asked anyone with information on the crime to come forward and assist the investigation.

Officers are most interested in anyone who saw suspicious people come or go from the house in recent days, CCTV or dashcam footage from Wednesday in the area.

Mr Berry, who owned his own construction business, is said to be well known in the tight-knit community.

An ex-partner and mother of his children had made the discovery after not hearing from the girls father

Mr Berry had previously served jail time for drug offences, and detectives have confirmed that they are now investigating his associations in that realm.

Previously he had was sentenced to two-and-half years' jail in Brisbane Supreme Court in 2016 after pleading guilty to two counts of possessing dangerous drugs at Emerald in Central Queensland, the Courier Mail confirmed.

Mr Berry had been set to appear in Southport Magistrates Court next week on new charges of drug-driving and possessing dangerous drugs.

Mr Berry's death comes after he experienced tragedy earlier this year when his brother died in January.

His stepfather Alan Cottle posted a heartbreaking tribute to his loved one.

'A parent's worst nightmare is to say goodbye to a child,' he wrote on Facebook.

Facebook photos depict Mr Berry as a loving father as he was seen caressing his partner Edwina's pregnant stomach in 2018.

Another photo showed the pair with their two children in 2020 while another depicted them walking hand-in-hand after their marriage in 2021.
The Press watchdog has upheld a complaint about Jeremy Clarkson's controversial newspaper column in which he attacked the Duchess of Sussex.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) said a number of references in Clarkson's piece in The Sun, when 'taken together', 'amounted to a pejorative and prejudicial reference' to her sex.

In the article, published last December, the columnist said he was dreaming of the day when Meghan would be paraded naked through the streets of Britain and pelted with 'excrement'.

The column prompted 25,100 complaints and the Press regulator took forward complaints from two representative groups, the Fawcett Society and the WILDE Foundation.

In the article, published last December, the columnist said he was dreaming of the day when Meghan would be paraded naked through the streets of Britain and pelted with 'excrement'

Ipso rejected complaints that the piece was inaccurate, harassed the duchess and included discriminatory references to her on the grounds of race

But Ipso rejected complaints that the piece was inaccurate, harassed the duchess and included discriminatory references to her on the grounds of race.

In a statement, The Sun said it accepts 'that with free expression comes responsibility', pointing out it has a 'proud history of campaigning for women'.

Ipso said it was the first time it has upheld a complaint about discrimination relating to someone's sex.
The Mirror hacking trial finished yesterday with Prince Harry's lawyers saying he should be awarded more than half a million pounds.

The Duke of Sussex and three others are suing the newspaper's publisher, alleging phone hacking and other illegal activity.

At the end of a seven-week trial, the High Court released a summary of how much the claimants were seeking.

In Harry's case, he claims he should be awarded 330,000 for 33 newspaper articles that he says were derived from unlawful means. In addition, the duke wants 15,000 a year for each of 16 years he says his phones and voicemails were being intercepted  taking the total to 570,000.

The Mirror hacking trial finished yesterday with Prince Harry's lawyers saying he should be awarded more than half a million pounds. Pictured: Prince Harry leaving the High Court after giving evidence for the case

Andrew Green (pictured), the publisher's barrister, said the 38-year-old duke's claim his phone had been systematically hacked was 'just hopeless

Andrew Green, the publisher's barrister, said the 38-year-old duke's claim his phone had been systematically hacked was 'just hopeless', adding: 'The 16-year period started in 1996 when, on his own evidence, he didn't have a mobile phone  so it's not a good starting point.'

The KC that argued careful analysis left Harry's claim 'in tatters'. Mirror Group Newspapers denies hacking the prince, and argues he is due no more than 500 for one incident in which it admits it accessed his private information.

Harry's case is being heard alongside similar claims by actor Michael Turner, who is best known for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, actress Nikki Sanderson and comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

Mr Justice Fancourt said he would deliver his ruling in due course. He cautioned that after such a case he had 'a lot to do' and it 'won't be for some time'.
It's the 75th anniversary of the NHS on Wednesday but Newsnight, BBC2's daily dose of Left-wing wackery and fashionable wokery, has already kicked off the celebrations with a characteristic tribute: a children's choir singing 'Happy Birthday NHS'.

It was cringe-worthy enough to have impressed the Dear Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, who would no doubt have approved the state broadcaster's creepy use of kids to parrot propaganda. I'm sure it will soon be on a loop on Pyongyang's Channel One.

In truth, three-quarters of a century after the founding of the world's first ever taxpayer-funded national health service, there is very little to celebrate. Yes, it has stayed true to its founding principles of healthcare free at the point of delivery and available to all regardless of financial means.

But most other advanced health systems embody these principles, too, and they do a much better job of delivering quality healthcare.

A new study of 19 major health services by the King's Fund, a respected London think-tank which is hardly a knee-jerk critic of the NHS, found that our health service came second-last on the crucial yardstick of 'saving lives'. Only America's was worse.

Patients seen being left on trolleys at Aintree University Hospital in Fazakerley, Liverpool, in June 2022

Pictured is an NHS nurse with medication trolley inside a female ward at a London hospital in the 1950s

The NHS has among the worst survival rates for cancer, heart attacks and strokes among advanced health systems, which explains why Britain has the second-lowest life expectancy of rich countries (again, only America is worse). Indeed, life expectancy actually fell in the decade after 2010 while it increased elsewhere.

Yet NHS England still has the temerity to claim on its website that the NHS is the 'envy of the world'. Perhaps it should be prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act.

There was a time when other European countries, still struggling to emerge from the ruins of World War II, looked enviously at the new system of universal healthcare we were building. But when they could eventually afford modern health systems of their own, none was foolish enough to copy us.

The NHS does score well in terms of general access because of its taxpayer-funded, free-at-the-point-of-use structure. But as the King's Fund comes close to saying, this generally means good access to poor care.

It is fitting that Britain and America bring up the rear when it comes to international health outcomes because, in their own ways, they are the worst of health systems.

America's private health insurance model is expensive, cumbersome and bureaucratic: it spends 17 per cent of its GDP on health  far more than any other country  and still manages to leave millions without proper health cover.

Britain's is over-centralised, top-down, managerial, inefficient, in the grip of its own powerful vested interests and dependant on only one source of income: tax.

Today, nobody in their right mind would seek to emulate either the British or American systems of healthcare. But American healthcare has had a baleful effect on efforts to change the NHS.

Whenever British reformers suggest introducing some element of choice and competition into our system, decentralising resources and decisions or allowing new sources of funding to play their part, they are traduced as wanting to privatise the NHS, American-style.

The fact most European systems have nearly all these elements in their better-performing healthcare systems without ever embracing the U.S. model has escaped our politicians.

Mr Waterhouse, from Finchley, north London, who qualified as an emergency technician in 2021, records the conditions inside A&E departments across Watford and Barnet

Patients were seen lying on the floor in pain in the Aintree Hospital Accident and Emergency department

It has always struck me as ridiculous that even the most Europhile of UK politicians of the Left and Right would rather see off NHS reform by demonising American healthcare than learning anything from systems across the Channel.

Of course, the politicians are running scared of the public. They fear reform is political suicide.

Nigel Lawson's quip that the NHS was the closest modern Britain had to a 'national religion' is no less true just because it is oft-quoted. The British hold the NHS in something of a mystical high regard, no matter how often it lets us down, an attitude unknown in any other country, even those with far better health services.

I kind of understand it. I grew up in the 1950s just as the NHS was finding its feet. I remember my working-class parents, who'd known the stress of getting ill and coping with medical bills they could not afford in pre-NHS days, grateful for this new healthcare system that took away that financial worry.

As a kid, the usual traumas of childhood  getting my tonsils out, breaking a leg falling off a hut, various vaccinations  were not financially crippling for a family of very modest means. This was true for ordinary families up and down the land. The NHS improved their quality of life. It made Britain a better place.

Such fondness, even admiration, has been passed down the generations. It is now fraying at the edges.

The current under-performance and inadequacies of the NHS mean that (according to last year's extensive Social Attitudes Survey) less than 30 per cent are now satisfied with the NHS  the lowest rating since this polling was started  while more than 50 per cent were dissatisfied.

It's hardly surprising. The NHS is struggling to cope on almost every front.

Paramedics were pictured being forced to treat paitents at the entrance to A&E at Aintree Hospital

Taken by an undercover emergency medical technician during the busiest days of winter, Channel 4's eye-opening Dispatches documentary captures a series of damning incidents that staff warn have become commonplace

There were 4.2 million people on NHS England waiting lists before the pandemic, which was bad enough. Now there are more than seven million, which means an incredible one in eight of England's population is waiting for NHS treatment  and that's set to rise this year and into 2024. More than three million have been waiting more than 18 weeks and 370,000 for over a year.

Other advanced health systems are astounded by these figures. All have problems of their own in post-pandemic times. But none has a backlog for treatment like the NHS.

That's largely because, as we stood on the pavement and applauded the NHS during the pandemic, the NHS pretty much shut up shop for routine operations.

Of course, the pandemic took priority. But, more than any other comparable health system, the NHS stopped providing other services. Hip and knee replacements plummeted 46 per cent and 68 per cent respectively between 2019 and 2020. In Finland they fell 4 per cent and 3 per cent. Our cataract operations were down 47 per cent; in Germany 3 per cent.

From Germany to Singapore, advanced health systems quickly got back to normal post-pandemic. The NHS still struggles more than any to catch up.

In May more than half a million waited for more than four hours to been seen in A&E. Over 2.5 million are out of work on long-term sickness, many waiting for ages for NHS treatment or procedures, denying the economy workers it needs at a time of acute labour shortages.

Perhaps most scandalous of all, this is no country in which to contract cancer. Some wait months for a diagnosis  last April 22,500 had waited upwards of two months. Record numbers then wait weeks for their first treatment. The anxiety and toll on mental health is immense.

Those of us with family experience of cancer  which probably means most families at some stage  know that delays in diagnosis or treatment can sometimes mean the difference between surviving or dying. Cancer has become a death sentence in Britain in cases which, in other countries, would have been treated in time to prolong life.

There was a time when the ills of the NHS could be blamed on under-funding. No longer. Even during the so-called decade of austerity, NHS funding increased by 20 per cent in real terms between 2009 and 2019.

We used to spend less as a share of GDP on health than other major economies. Now we spend 12 per cent of GDP on health versus an average of 11 per cent in other rich countries.

Long queues of ambulances could be seen outside Aintree Hospital, with patients being treated in the back of vehicles

A Hull mum spent two nights sleeping on chairs at Hull Royal Infirmary and felt she was left with no choice but to head home after witnessing first-hand the immense pressure on the NHS

A long queue of patients line a corridor at Aintree Hospital as hospitals run out of beds to treat them

The 180 billion a year we now spend on health and social care gobbles up 40p of every pound we spend on public services. Only four African countries have bigger GDPs than the NHS has as an annual budget.

Yes, the number of acute and general hospital beds has declined and is now low by European standards.

But that started under the last Labour government and continued under the Tories because it was the consensus of healthcare professionals that we had too many hospital beds, backed by the panjandrums of the World Health Organisation. Perhaps they were wrong.

But in typical British fashion we have sacrificed capital investment in health facilities to pay for current spending. As a result, we have four times fewer CT and MRI scanners than Germany. In the digital age, the NHS is a digital joke. Even patients' records are not properly computerised, despite billions spent on various IT projects.

When the NHS works it is still capable of providing world-class care. Many, many of its patients can testify to that. Amazing nurses, skilled doctors, well-run hospitals and state-of-the-art technology, especially in the big teaching hospitals. But too often it is none of that.

For too many the NHS means interminable waits, thousands of unnecessary deaths, endless strikes, surly staff, incompetent management, and yesterday's treatment and technology.

The NHS will always need more money  in the next 25 years the number aged over 85 will double, adding hugely to healthcare costs  but if extra funds are not simply to disappear down an NHS black hole (as in the past), then extra cash needs to be coupled with major reforms.

But reform, sadly, is not on anybody's agenda. The Tories now have a Corbynista approach to health: bung the NHS as much dosh as they can possibly scrape together and demand next to nothing in return.

One source explained how people were 'lying on the floor in pain' at Aintree Hospital

Footage shows corridors jampacked with patients

Less than two years ago Rishi Sunak, as Chancellor, came up with an extra 13 billion, ring-fenced for Covid catch-up. It simply vanished into the NHS black hole. The promise to get waiting lists below six million by 2025 was abandoned as soon as the money was banked; the pledge to speed up cancer diagnosis forgotten or ignored.

The Tories were at it again yesterday with vainglorious talk of the 'most radical reform of the NHS ever'. It amounted to no more than 2.4 billion over five years for 15,000 extra medical school places by 2031, which in turn would produce 24,000 more nurses and 60,000 more doctors in a decade or so.

There was even talk of 137,000 more nurses by 2037 and of NHS England, currently employing 1.4 million, employing 2.2 million within 15 years. It's a nonsense.

The idea the Tories know the NHS's manpower requirements in a decade and a half, when they barely know what they'll be next year, merely illustrates how they've bought into socialist manpower planning and support an NHS which doesn't change in structure or operation but just grows like Topsy, making it even more unmanageable, unreformable and unresponsive to patient needs.

Labour, prodded by its impressive Blairite Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, seems more reform-minded than the Tories ('The NHS is a service not a shrine', he rightly says). But it has few concrete proposals, much less a blueprint for change. I fear Labour will also scuttle back to the status quo at the first sound of gunfire from the NHS's multitude of anti-reform battalions.

But, one day, there will have to be reform if the NHS is not to slide into irreversible disrepair. It is too soon to discern the details of that reform but it is possible to see its broad shape, for we know what works and what doesn't. The American private insurance model doesn't work. The British tax-funded monolith model doesn't work.

What does work, as we can see from Germany to France, Switzerland to Sweden, is healthcare that is generously funded from the public purse but allows for a fair degree of private provision (which the state can pay for everybody to use) and private spending by people to supplement state spending.

I am realistic enough to understand that the chances of going over to a continental-style social insurance health system are close to zero, despite their better-than-NHS outcomes.

But I also believe that without a more flexible, mixed system of public-private provision the NHS is destined to continue to decline. In that event, come its 100th anniversary, Newsnight won't need another choir. Just a funeral cortege.
Penny Mordaunt's Scottish equivalent better get down to the gym  and fast.

A ceremonial sword created for the King is more than twice the weight of the one famously carried by the Leader of the House of Commons at the Coronation in May.

The nation marvelled at her strength as she carried two swords in Westminster Abbey, the larger weighing 8lb (3.6kg), with much talk of her preparations and exercise regime.

But a brand new sword called The Elizabeth will be presented to the King at a ceremony in Scotland on Wednesday marking his accession to the throne.

Made to replace the existing 16th century Sword of State that is deemed too fragile to handle, it comes in at an astonishing 16.5lb (7.5kg).

Paul Macdonald, custom sword and knife maker holds the Elizabeth sword which will form part of the Honours of Scotland

Lord President of the Council, Penny Mordaunt, holding the Sword of State walking ahead of King Charles III during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6

Sword designer Mark Dennis views The Elizabeth sword which will form part of the Honours of Scotland

Again, a woman is tasked with carrying it in to the cathedral, this time St Giles in Edinburgh, before it is held up for the King, for him to simply touch it.

The good news is the latest sword carrier will be Dame Katherine Grainger, who won a gold medal rowing at the 2012 Olympics.

The 22,000 sword's designer, US-born Mark Dennis, 73, of St Andrews, said he chuckled at the furore over Ms Mordaunt's 'light-weight' sword-bearing.

'But she did a wonderful job,' he added. 'There's a Boadicea fashion with these strapping women carrying large swords.'

He said his 4ft 10in sword  ten inches longer than Ms Mordaunt's  would actually be usable, double-handed, in combat, but as its blades are not sharpened no one risks being cut.
Fresh fears about the gagging of the media have arisen after a man with a 'high public profile' won a High Court bid for anonymity ahead of a planned BBC broadcast.

The 'internationally' known individual won an interim injunction to prevent the broadcaster from identifying him in a news investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.

One media lawyer said the decision to injunct the BBC report at this stage was part of a 'worrying trend' and was expanding the scope of existing precedent.

The BBC investigation had spoken to 'a number of women' who had given 'detailed accounts' about the man's behaviour including what was described in the judgment as the 'commission of serious sexual offences'.

The high-profile figure  known as WFZ in the case  is bringing legal action against the BBC and earlier this month asked for an injunction preventing him from being identified until the full civil trial in his claim.

Fresh fears about the gagging of the media have arisen after a man with a 'high public profile' won a High Court bid for anonymity ahead of a planned BBC broadcast

The BBC investigation had spoken to 'a number of women' who had given 'detailed accounts' about the man's behaviour including what was described in the judgment as the 'commission of serious sexual offences'

The man's bid for the injunction was challenged by the BBC.

He is seeking to permanently injunct the BBC's investigation on the grounds that publishing specified details about the claims would be an invasion of his right to privacy, a contempt of court and would affect his rights to a fair criminal trial. The court in London was told the man is under active criminal investigation concerning allegations of serious criminal offences.

High Court judge, Mrs Justice Collins Rice, granted the injunction, finding that the proposed publication creates a 'substantial risk' that the ongoing criminal proceedings would be 'seriously impeded or prejudiced by it'.

Alex Wilson, of law firm Reynolds, Porter, Chamberlain, said: 'Injuncting at this stage, whether its on privacy or contempt grounds, is a really worrying trend.' He added: 'It is expanding the scope of the existing precedent.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'We are carefully considering our options.'
Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine have started to partially evacuate the site, stoking up fears of sabotage.

According to comments alleged by the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, Putin's troops previously planted explosives at four of the plant's six power units and cooling systems.

The claims were backed by President Zelensky, who this week warned Russia was planning a 'terrorist attack' on the nuclear power station that has been under Moscow's control since March last year.

But the warnings have been branded 'pure lies' by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as he dismissed Ukrainian claims the Kremlin was planning some sort of 'provocation' involving the contested nuclear plant.

Speaking to journalists, the 73-year-old said: 'They say that we will blow ourselves up at a nuclear facility - well, is it necessary to comment on it: it's just pure lies,' before adding Ukraine was 'playing with fire' over its comments.

According to comments alleged by the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, Russian forces earlier planted explosives at four of the plant's six power units and cooling systems

The plant is located near the town of Enerhodar in the south of the country, under Russian control.

The GUR, Ukraine's defence intelligence division, said Ukrainian staff members were advised to leave by Wednesday by representatives for Russian state-owned nuclear firm, Rosatom, which has been in control of the plant since its occupation.

Ukraine's chief rabbi, Moshe Azman called on the world to do everything it can to stop the potential nuclear disaster which would be the second on Ukrainian soil after the Chernobyl in 1986.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Mr Azman wrote: 'The probability of undermining the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant by russian invaders has greatly increased.

'The consequences of this can be unpredictable, I call on the entire world community to do everything in their power to stop the coming catastrophe. I ask everyone to pray that the Almighty will upset their insidious plans!'

As part of a response strategy to a potential nuclear disaster at the planet, Ukrainian civil defence and emergency teams started practising safety drills.

Civilians were given details for gathering points, the issuing of iodine tablets and evacuation routes on social media in case of sabotage, the Times reported.

Specialist teams were also seen to be practising decontamination procedures.

Lavrov also said the country will emerge stronger after a failed mutiny by Wagner Group mercenaries.

He claimed that the West need not worry about stability in the world's biggest nuclear power, on Friday.

Asked by Reuters if Russia was stable and if he could give assurances to the world that Russia was not slipping into turmoil, Lavrov said Moscow was not obliged to explain anything or give any assurances to anyone.

Rescues and police officers attend anti-radiation drills for case of an emergency situation at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Ukrainian emergency response personnel take part in exercises to prepare for the possible attack

'If anyone in the West has any doubts, then that's your problem,' Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow. 'Thank you for your concerns about our national interests, but there is no need.'

'Russia has always emerged more resilient and stronger after any difficulties - and it is hard to call it anything more than difficulties,' he added. 'Moreover, we already feel that the process has started.'

Asked about the prospects for peace in Ukraine, Lavrov said he felt the West wanted to temporarily freeze the conflict to allow it to build up Ukraine's military.

'It is a schizophrenic situation: they say everything will end with talks but first Russia must be defeated,' he said.
Footage has captured the moment teenagers erupted into an expletive-laden tirade before one threw a bag at a customer after they were accused of trying to shoplift.

The two girls had been shopping at Strandbags at Rundle Mall, in Adelaide, when they were confronted by a staff member and shopper.

Video from the heated altercation emerged on Thursday with footage showing one of the girls, dressed in a black Puma hoodie, picking up a bag sitting on a shelf.

The unknown girls were in the middle of a heated argument against everyone else in the Rundle Mall Strandbags store in Adelaide when they were ejected from the store

She is then seen hurling the bag towards the shopper before the footage cuts out.

The two teenage girls were videoed moments earlier walking around the store.

A staff member told the pair they were being recorded prompting one of them to hurl an insult at her.

'Motherf***er,' she said.

The second teenager looks directly at the customer.

'Why is she recording us?' she said. 'Is that a worker?'

The staff member explains the customer is not employed at the store.

'No, she is a private citizen. She can record you,' the staff member said.

The teenager wearing the black Puma hoodie then taunts her.

'Keep recording motherf***er,' she said.

She then hurled the bag at the person recording the footage before it cut out.

Strandbags confirmed an incident had taken place but decline to comment further on the matter when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Daily Mail Australia contacted South Australia Police for comment.
The University of Cincinnati has formally rebuked a gender studies professor who complained about a student using the term 'biological woman', and ordered the professor take a course on free speech.

Melanie Nipper, a 28 year-old adjunct professor of sexuality studies at the University of Cincinnati, took issue with student Olivia Krolczyk's use of the term in an essay about trans women in sport.

Nipper told her 'the terms 'biological women' are exclusionary and are not allowed in this course as they further reinforce heteronormativity.

'Please reassess your topic and edit it to focus on women's rights (not just 'females') and I'll regrade.'

Krolczyk posted a TikTok on May 7 complaining about the incident. The clip has since been viewed more than a million times, and has attracted national media coverage: Krolczyk now has 10,000 Twitter followers and is using her social media accounts to campaign against trans women in sport and take a stance on LGBTQ controversies.

On Thursday, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Nipper had been reprimanded by the university.

Melanie Nipper, a University of Cincinnati adjunct professor, has been punished by the university after a student complained of receiving a zero grade for one of her projects

Olivia Krolczyk said in May she was given a zero for her use of the term 'biological women' in her Women's Gender Studies in Pop Culture class

@oliveourviews Emailed her and was told using the term is transphobic  be for real  original sound - oliveourviews

When a student uses 'outdated terminology,' Nipper added of the zero mark (seen here with an accompanying explanation), she will always take that opportunity to correct those mistakes

She has been ordered to complete training, and submit her syllabi for the coming school year to her department head.

The university document, obtained by the paper, states: 'Please note that this is to be considered a formal reprimand for your actions.

'A copy of this letter will be placed in your permanent records. It is also understood that any other violations of UC policy may be subject to further disciplinary actions up to and including termination.

'You are reminded that as an unrepresented, unclassified 'at will' employee your employment may be terminated with or without cause.'

The letter also demanded that 'you must complete training on the requirements of the Campus Free Speech Policy' and that she 'submit all syllabi' for review and approval 'at least two weeks prior to the beginning of classes.'

Nipper defended her actions to the university.

Nipper remained defiant, insisting that she was correct in her marking of Krolczyk's paper

Krolczyk has now become an activist, campaigning online on LGBTQ issues

She told them that 'my restriction on harmful speech' was 'necessary to ensure a safe learning environment in the course discussions and for the pedagogical purpose of teaching introductory WGSS theory.'

She said she teaches from a 'intersectional, 4th wave, and transnational feminist perspective,' and argued that the student's chosen topic for her project was 'inappropriate as it targeted trans women as a source of oppression for cis women in sports.'

Nipper added: 'I felt it was necessary to educate her regarding inclusive language to ensure a safe learning environment for other students in the course discussion boards.'

Nipper had previously defended her marking to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

She said her support of free speech ends when 'you are, intentionally or unintentionally, participating in a systemic harm of some kind,' - including statements she deems transphobic or racist.

She said her marking of Krolczyk's paper was fair.

'Not a zero for the course, a zero for an assignment,' she explained.
Occurred five hours into a nine hour flight

Three passengers onboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Hawaii to Sydney have been hospitalised after the flight experienced 'severe turbulence'.

Hawaiian Airlines flight HA451 was hit with strong winds around five hours into its nine-hour and forty-five minute flight on Friday.

Emergency services met those onboard as the plane landed just before 8pm at Sydney Airport.

The plane was carrying 163 passengers and 12 crew members.

NSW Ambulance confirmed that 12 people were assessed at the scene before three were rushed to hospital.

Three passengers onboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Hawaii to Sydney have been hospitalised after the flight experienced 'severe turbulence' (stock pictured)

'(The) service from Honolulu to Sydney encountered unexpected severe turbulence,' a spokesperson for the airline told 7NEWS.

'Four passengers and three flight attendants were initially treated by a doctor on board and our crew members, in consultation with physicians on the ground.'

'Two passengers were taken to St George and one passenger was taken to Prince of Wales,' a spokesperson said.

The specific plane is now undergoing a 'thorough inspection', which will impact the departure time of flight HA452 from Sydney to Honolulu.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has opened up about a personal health battle impacting millions of women and how it can make it difficult to conceive a child - after revealing she had a miscarriage.

The Queensland Premier took to the airwaves on Saturday revealing she wished she had known about the help she could have gotten during her painful health battles with endometriosis.

Ms Palaszczuk revealed how the condition could make it difficult for women to conceive.

The topic of conception is particularly personal for the Queensland premier who previously revealed she suffered a miscarriage.

She told Channel Nine's Today on Saturday about the 'incredibly hard' times she struggled to even move or walk while not knowing what was happening to her because of the condition.

'There were days when it was incredibly hard to get out of bed, to even move or walk with such heavy periods, it was hard to walk 20 to 30 metres,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) told Today Extra on Saturday about the 'incredibly hard' days she struggled to even move or walk while not knowing what was happening to her

'I look back now and wish oh my goodness if only I had the information that is out there now ... there is strength in knowing you are not alone in this journey,' Ms Palaszczuk (pictured, with he partner Dr Reza Adib) said

'I did not take one single day off work ... I wish help had been out there when I was experiencing it, I thought it was absolutely normal, but it wasn't normal.'

'I look back now and wish oh my goodness if only I had the information that is out there now ... there is strength in knowing you are not alone in this journey.'

She urged women 'suffering in silence' with 'incredible fatigue, heavy periods and cramping' to go to their GP as there is a lot more understanding out there now.

She also recommended they check out support groups and state-run organisations.

Ms Palaszczuk took issue over families putting 'hurtful' pressure on women and couples to have children when it may be very difficult to conceive.

Ms Palaszczuk said in many of these situations endometriosis can be the cause of it with some women 'through no fault of their own' unable to have a baby.

The premier also said calls for 'period leave' to be included in the Fair Work Act was a federal matter but supported women taking extra time off if they were suffering a recognised condition like endometriosis.

Ms Palaszczuk revealed in June she had suffered from a miscarriage before she went into politics.

A full review has now been ordered into mum Nikkoke Southwell's treatment at the hospital when she lost her child while she was 12 weeks pregnant (pictured, Ms Southwell)

Ms Palaszczuk (pictured) shared her experience of having a miscarriage while fielding questions over the horror incident

Ms Palaszczuk shared her experience of having a miscarriage while fielding questions over the horror incident at Ipswich Hospital (pictured)

'I have also had a miscarriage... I do know exactly what it's like,' she said at the time.

'It is horrific and stays with you for the rest of your life.

'I had it in my house and I went to work, I was completely in shock and then I thought I'd better see my specialist and he said "I don't think you should be at work, you should be at home".'

She shared her story after it was revealed expectant mother Nikkoke Southwell was allegedly made to wait hours while bleeding and clinging to her fetus in a biohazard bag at Ipswich hospital west of Brisbane last April.

The Premier said the miscarriage occurred before she was a politician but knows how traumatic the experience was and says she will take a personal interest in the case.

'Honestly, if the person presents to our hospitals in this condition, people need to recognise it and they need to look after the person and offer her the very best care, so I really feel for this lady,' she said.

Ms Southwell's treatment at the hospital has come under investigation after she lost her child while being 12 weeks pregnant.

The Fernvale woman claimed paramedics placed her fetus into a biohazard bag on the way to Ipswich Hospital and when she arrived had to sit holding the bag with sheets around her waist in the Ipswich Hospital waiting room.

Ms Southwell also claimed she was treated on a hospital bed covered in another patient's blood and alleged staff used her partner's phone torch to examine her before she was discharged.

'I lost my baby and my dignity was taken,' she told The Courier Mail last month.

'I felt like my baby meant nothing while it sat on the top of my handbag in a biohazard bag for all to see.'

The Queensland premier (pictured, left) urged women 'suffering in silence' to go to their GP
A former top detective on the William Tyrrell investigation has slammed police now handling the case after a highly publicised leak to the media.

Gary Jubelin, was the ex-lead detective who investigated the toddler's mysterious disappearance from Benaroon Drive in Kendall on the NSW mid north coast on September 12, 2014.

'Given the number of leaks about this investigation, it is high time the police put up or shut up and present some evidence,' Mr Jubelin told The Saturday Telegraph this week.

The possibility of charges against William's foster mother, who can't legally be named, was widely reported recently after a confidential brief of evidence from NSW Police to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) made its way to the ABC.

The brief recommended the foster mother be charged with perverting the course of justice and interfering with a corpse based on allegations from police that William accidentally fell from a high balcony, fatally hit his head and she concealed the body.

The strike force investigating the case does not believe the foster mother caused his death, the ABC said.

A brief handed to the DPP by NSW Police recommends William Tyrrell's foster mother be charged after he accidentally fell from a balcony and she allegedly covered it up

Former lead detective on the case Gary Jubelin slammed NSW Police after the brief was leaked the ABC

A major basis for the theory is a short drive the foster mother took in her mother's car shortly after William disappeared, which police allege was to hide the body in bushland.

But Mr Jubelin said she had already told police about the drive early on in the investigation and when questioned on multiple occasions claimed to be simply looking for him.

Mr Jubelin said he didn't have an issue with detectives not disclosing their moves to the foster mother as 'confidentiality' was an advantage but questioned why there have been no charges with allegations now leaked.

'Play(ing) out your theories in the media, you forfeit that (advantage). You can't have it both ways.'

'Leaks are happening, people's lives are being destroyed and NSW Police are just standing back and letting it happen.'

NSW Police are yet to publicly make a statement either confirming the brief was submitted to the DPP or addressing the suspected leak.

The foster mother's lawyer, Sharon Ramsden, contacted detectives on Wednesday seeking confirmation that a brief of evidence had been sent to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions for the consideration of criminal proceedings against her client.

'The foster mother and her legal representatives call for disclosure of the evidence which police suggest forms the basis of any criminal proceedings,' the lawyer said.

'The foster mother has always, and (continues to) maintain, she has nothing to do with William's disappearance.'

The woman's lawyer stressed the foster mother had previously been ruled out of any wrongdoing in relation to his disappearance.

'William's foster mother and her legal representatives urge the Director of Public Prosecutions to expeditiously determine whether charges are to be laid,' the statement said.

William Tyrrell vanished from the Kendall home of his foster grandmother in 2014

The woman, aged in her late 50s, was acquitted in 2022 of lying to the NSW Crime Commission about hitting a different child with a wooden spoon.

The charge was unrelated to William's disappearance, which has been the subject of sustained efforts by police to find answers.

The case of the boy who went missing in a spiderman suit has intrigued the nation.

During a court hearing in November over the perversion charge, a senior NSW detective said he believed the woman had knowledge of William's whereabouts.

'I have formed the view (she) knows where William Tyrrell is,' Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan told Downing Centre Local Court.

In December 2020, a highly-publicised month-long search of the Kendall property and surrounding area failed to find any trace of the boy.

A $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of William and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance was announced in 2016.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to comment.

NSW Police said: 'There are no updates on this matter. The investigation is ongoing'.
A Wyoming school district is being sued by the parents of a teenage girl after they allegedly allowed her to self-identify as a boy without their knowledge.

Sean and Ashley Willey, of Rock Springs, are the parents of a teenage daughter who identified as a boy during her freshman year of high school.

The Willey's lawsuit, filed in April, alleges how school district staff used a male name and pronouns for their child without informing them for a period of six months during 2021 and 2022.

The Willeys, who are both teachers, only discovered the school district's actions when Mrs Willey overheard a conversation between two employees.

The Sweetwater County School District No. 1 has since moved to dismiss the Willey's case by downplaying the damage that was done to the parents - namely because they had no idea staff were using different pronouns to refer to their child.

Sean and Ashley Willey, of Rock Springs, are the parents of a teenage daughter who identified as a boy during her freshman year of high school

The Willey's only discovered the school district's had been using male pronouns to address one of their daughters when Mrs Willey overheard a conversation between two school district employees

However, in doing so, a series of documents, including emails between teachers have revealed how discussions took place behind closed doors between educators about the issue.

They show that staff knew full well the parents were being kept in the dark about their own child's decision.

Ashley Willey only learned about her daughter's request to be addressed as a boy following a misunderstanding at a teacher training event in March 2022.

Willey was present because she also works as a junior high school teacher in the same district, according to the Willeys' lawsuit complaint.

While speaking with high school teachers, she tried to find out if they knew her daughter but at first, they did not seem to know of her.

'It goes by (male name),' said one teacher to another, after some confusion.

'No, she goes by (female name),' responded Ashley Willey.

Willey then asked how her daughter had been going by a male name at the school.

She was told that her daughter had been addressed using male pronouns for the entire school year up to that point.

The student attends Butte High School. Principal Bryant Blake is pictured in front of his school. Blake is named in the lawsuit that has been filed

Sean and Ashley Willey of Rock Springs, Wyoming are both teachers. They say that since they sued Sweetwater County School District No. 1 for allegedly gender transitioning their teen behind their backs that other local parents have told them they had similar experiences with the district

Willey was informed that teachers are required to use transgender names and pronouns for students who request it - even if it violates religious and free-speech rights.

Willey was told that as a teacher herself, she would similarly not be able to inform parents about their children's alternate identities at school, even if the parents asked her directly.

The District told Willey she could not let her religious beliefs against using false names and lying to parents get in the way of following their directives.

The lawsuit has been filed against Sweetwater County School District No. 1, superintendent Kelly McGovern, assistant superintendent Nicole Bolton, director of student services Kayci Arnoldi and Black Butte High School principal Bryant Blake.

The School District's motion seeks to dismiss the couple's claim on the notion that they 'lack standing' and 'do not constitute a valid case.'

The district argues that the mother, Ashley Willey, has not been harmed by her daughter being referred to using male pronouns and her request - and is unlikely to be harmed in the future.

'Ms. Willey has never been in a position where she has been required to refer to a student by pronouns she finds objectionable  whether on religious grounds or otherwise,' says the district's motion.

The School District claims that teachers have not been told to lie to parents about the school's procedures but that a student's right to privacy must also be respected

The lawsuit has been filed against Sweetwater County School District No. 1, superintendent Kelly McGovern, left, assistant superintendent Nicole Bolton, center, the director of student services Kayci Arnoldi, right, and Black Butte High School principal Bryant Blake

The School District also claims that teachers have not been told to lie to parents about the school's procedures.

'Ms. Willey alleges throughout her complaint that her civil rights will be violated by being required to lie,' says the motion. 'The district procedure in question does not require or encourage any teacher to lie to anyone.'

The lawsuit has been filed against Sweetwater County School District No. 1, superintendent Kelly McGovern, assistant superintendent Nicole Bolton, director of student services Kayci Arnoldi and Black Butte High School principal Bryant Blake.

The School District's motion seeks to dismiss the couple's claim on the notion that they 'lack standing' and 'do not constitute a valid case.'

The district argues that the mother, Ashley Willey, has not been harmed by her daughter being referred to using male pronouns and her request - and is unlikely to be harmed in the future.

'What about the parents' rights to direct their student's education?' asks another educator.

'There is no state or federal statute or any case law that gives a parent a right to dictate how a school or teacher refers to a student informally, if it is in line with the student's wishes,' came the response.

'What if I personally disagree with calling a student by a preferred name or pronoun?' asks another in a talking-point question & answer session.

'You will honor the student's request  Harassment and discrimination of students will not be tolerated,' are the strict instructions.

The School District states the Willeys, who are the parents of six children, have the right to raise their children as they see fit, noting how the District's procedure to use different pronouns does not restrict their rights in any way

The district gives guidance to teachers on addressing students by their 'preferred names and pronouns' privately - and how that might differ while in the presence of parents - such as at a parent/teacher conference.

One email by School District Superintendent Kelly McGovern to administrators was even more specific in its directions.

'If a student is requesting the use of a transgender name and/or pronoun, we will honor that request. It also is not our obligation to notify the parent of this request and we will not do so.'

Despite the talking points raised in the emails, the District claims that transgender students' preferences are handled on a case-by-case basis.

One added complication is that the school also made accommodations for the Willey's daughter's mental health issues. The parents had taken their daughter to a counselor for years to work out her issues.

The District also maintains that it is following federal law, including interpretations of workplace sexual discrimination and discrimination against gay and transgender individuals.

They argue that the Wyoming Constitution's equal-protection guarantees are even more protective than those of the U.S. Constitution and support their procedure.

The head offices of the Sweetwater County School District No. 1, in Rock Springs, Wyoming

The School District states the Willeys, who are the parents of six children, have the right to raise their child as they see fit, noting how the District's procedure does not restrict their rights in any way.

The District further claims how the Willeys are attempting to conform the School District's procedures to align with their own beliefs and preferences.

The District says it does not believe the Willeys' have a right of familial privacy noting how there is no mention of a right to privacy in the United States Constitution.

They School District also argues students have the right to free expression, which could be harmed by any court action brought by Ashley Willey.

Following her mother's discovery of her using male pronouns, the student then asked to switch back to her original name an pronouns.

The School District say this only adds to the idea the lawsuit should be thrown out given the switching back to her birth gender pronouns.

School board Chairwoman Carol Jelaco claimed at a school board meeting in September that 'whatever the student wants is paramount' when 'there is a fear from the student' regarding parents learning of their gender transition process.

The American Civil Liberties Union believe it to be unconstitutional for public schools to reveal a student's gender identity to others.

'Even if you are 'out' about your sexual orientation or gender identity at school, if you're not 'out' to your parents at home, and you can reasonably expect that they're not going to find out, then school staff can't tell your family that you are LGBTQ without your permission,' the ACLU said in a statement.

'Being open about your sexuality in school doesn't mean you automatically give up your right to privacy outside school.'

The School District is now seeking the dismissal of the Willey's lawsuit maintaining how they followed federal law while also not infringe upon the rights of parents or teachers.

The debate over the ethics of allowing children to change their gender from male to female or vise-versa remains one of the country's most politically divisive topics - especially when it comes to education the school's influence over children while parents are at work.
A California man faces up to 25 years in prison after he admitted to posing as his dead mother for over three decades to claim hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits and rack up credit card debts.

Donald Felix Zampach, 65, began the ruse after his mother died in Japan back in 1990.

For over 30 years, he forged her signature on government benefits applications and federal income tax returns - and maintained her bank accounts to receive her widow's pension.

He was finally found out by the Department of Justice and pled guilty to at least one count each of money laundering and Social Security fraud, according to the Southern District of California US Attorney's Office.

Zampach also admitted to using his mother's identity to fraudulently open credit accounts with at least nine different financial institutions, ringing up over $28,000 in charges.

A California man faces up to 25 years in prison after he admitted to posing as his dead mother for over three decades to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits and credit card charges

He also used the money to pay off the mortgage on his home in the San Diego suburb of Poway, which he transferred to himself before she died, then filing for bankruptcy without disclosing that he owned it.

As part of his criminal forfeiture, he will have to give up that house to the government in order to pay restitution.

Knut Johnson, his court-appointed attorney, told the San Diego Union-Tribune Zampach was 'extremely regretful.'

'He's accepted full responsibility and will do everything in his power to make up for what happened.'

'This crime is believed to be the longest-running and largest fraud of its kind in this district,' U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the news release.

'This defendant didn't just passively collect checks mailed to his deceased mother. This was an elaborate fraud spanning more than three decades that required aggressive action and deceit to maintain the ruse.'

Grossman noted that Zampach attempted to convince investigators that his mother was still alive.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for the money laundering charge.

Donald Felix Zampach, 65, began the ruse after his mother died in Japan back in 1990

Zampach could get an additional five years in prison and another $250,000 fine on the Social Security fraud.

'For more than three decades, Mr. Zampach failed to report the death of his mother to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and used more than $250,000 in benefits for himself,' said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for SSA.

'We will continue to pursue and hold those accountable who defraud SSA.'
A single mother was forced to undergo the amputation of two fingers after a tiny lump on her hand turned out to be a rare form of cancer.

Gold Coast woman Rosie-May Fisher, 32, had to give up her career as a hairdresser after the shock diagnosis last year.

Ms Fisher, who has a three-year-old son, Bobby, said her job was 'all I've ever really worked and dreamed for' and being a single mother was now a challenging task.

'Being his age, dressing him is difficult  even with two hands,' Fisher told 7NEWS.

Gold Coast woman Rosie-May Fisher, 32, lost two fingers after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2022

Ms Fisher had her middle and ring fingers amputated after the shock cancer diagnosis

'I can't carry him or tie up his shoelaces, or my own shoelaces, do the shopping, push a trolley, push a pram'.

Ms Fisher said she first noticed the lump on her left palm in 2010, and it initially appeared as 'soft and painless'.

After not taking much notice of it, Ms Fisher asked a GP about it during an unrelated appointment about two years later.

A subsequent MRI scan determined it to be a non-suspicious and harmless sebaceous cyst.

Ms Fisher said things began to change after the birth of Bobby in 2020.

'The lump started to get bigger and a little bit painful, to a point where if I was holding my brush a particular way it would be quite painful', she said.

Ms Fisher then went back to the GP and ask to have the 'annoying and painful' bump removed.

She had to wait a year to undergo surgery as it was deemed non-urgent and finally it was removed in October 2022.

But then during an appointment to have her bandage redressed a week later, Ms Fisher said the surgeon 'came in with a really serious look on her face'.

'She told me they did a biopsy on the lump after they removed it and the results came back saying it was a rare type of cancer,' Fisher said.

Ms Fisher said the shock announcement left her in 'disbelief'.

The cancer, epithelioid sarcoma, is a rare, slowly growing malignant tumor that usually begins in the superficial tissues of the hand or forearm and for which surgery is the most common form of treatment.

Ms Fisher is still recovering from the life-changing ordeal

Ms Fisher was sent for more scans and after seeing a cancer specialist in Brisbane, she was given the devastating news that the best way to stop the cancer was to amputate the middle and ring fingers on her left hand.

Ms Fisher said she had struggled to accept the prognosis and had been 'beside herself'.

She sought a second opinion from a Sydney-based specialist, who told her: 'you have to do it for your son'.

Ms Fisher was told radiation would not be an effective treatment for the condition so she finally agreed to having her two fingers amputated in December.

She said she is 'still just trying to find my feet again' after the ordeal.

'It's changed my life, physically, mentally and emotionally,' she said.

'I don't have my career. I don't have anywhere near as much strength as I do in my other hand and I hate the way it looks.'

Fisher wants to warn others to seek a second medical opinion and believes having a biopsy done earlier could have prevented the amputation.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ms Fisher.

'Rosie is the kindest hearted human who would do anything for the people she loves,' the GoFundMe organisers wrote on the page.
The CEO of United Airlines has been forced to apologize after taking a private jet from the New York area to Denver on the same day his airlines canceled 750 flights - a quarter of its schedule for the entire day.

Scott Kirby, president of the airline since 2016 and CEO since 2020, said on Friday he realized the Wednesday flight was a bad look.

He caught the private flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver on Wednesday, as nearby Newark Liberty International Airport - United's East Coast hub - was worst affected by cancelations for passengers traveling on his airline.

While several airlines have been struggling with their schedules this week due to the knock-on effect of thunderstorms, United has been by far the worst affected.

'Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,' Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline.

Passengers were unsurprisingly unimpressed, with one tweeting a screenshot of his $10 million salary - significantly more than the CEOs of Delta or American Airlines.

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, has apologized for using a private jet when his own airline was mired in chaos

Kirby pictured with his wife, Kathleen, at the White House in December 2022

'I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days  often through severe weather  to take care of our customers,' Kirby said in his statement.

Kirby concluded by promising 'to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.'

A spokesperson for United told the Wall Street Journal that Kirby chose to fly private because of his inability to get a seat on a commercial flight. He paid for the private jet out of pocket.

Estimations for the cost of that trip go from $30,000 to $50,000.

Online records show that Kirby, who lives in Dallas with his second wife and their children, has an address in Colorado.

In a May 2023 interview with Politico, Kirby described himself as a 'climate change geek' and discussed his plans to make United '100 percent green' by 2025.

By Friday evening, more than half of the 430 flights that had been canceled in the US were United flights. Over 100 of the 130 flights that were canceled out of Denver were United.

Since last Saturday, over half of United's flights have been landed late with an average delay time of 106 minutes.

Jeanette Garretty Reinhard, who was set to fly from San Francisco to Vancouver on United on Thursday, told the Journal that her flight was canceled just as she was boarding.

'When the problem has been playing out for five days, you sort of expect it to get resolved,' she told the newspaper.

A passenger in Denver, Adam Iudiciani, said he's been stuck in the airport since Monday. 'I've used United my whole life and this is the worst I've ever seen it. Lack of service, organization, compassion,' he told CBS Denver.

'(It's a matter of) contingency planning. A billion dollar company you would think has some kind of contingency preparations and it doesn't seem like they have the right people or ... and even higher than just United, not to put it all on them,' he added.

About 43,000 flights were delayed and over 8,000 were canceled between Saturday, June 24, and Friday, June 29, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

Online records show that Kirby, who is based out of Dallas, has an address in Colorado

CHICAGO: United Airlines has been slammed by families who have been stranded at airports across the nation as this week's travel 'flightmare' spilled into Friday

Furious passengers have taken to social media to vent.

'Eh, CEO Scott Kirby, I bet you're eating a nice meal right about now. You can definitely afford it,' one person tweeted.

'Anyway, buddy, when you get a secFIX THIS S*** at Newark

'1000's of people are P***ED and your team is massively understaffed. This is bulls***.'

The union representing United's pilots also condemned Kirby for his move.

'Inc praises @United's CEO Scott Kirby for his leadership masterclass...

'Meanwhile, he finds his own class - 'First in Jetting Out 101', unable to bag a seat on his own airline to Denver.'

They added the hashtag: #IronyAtItsBest.

Kirby, meanwhile, is engaged in a war of words with the Transport Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, over the week's chaos.

Kirby said in a memo to employees this week that the FAA had 'failed' the airline over the weekend because of a lack of adequate staffing at air traffic control centers.

But Buttigieg snapped back in an interview with CNN, saying the airline 'has some internal issues they need to work through.'

'I want to be very clear, air traffic control issues are not the number one issue causing cancellations and delays, he said on Thursday,' he said.

'They're not even the number two issue. All the data, including industry's own data is very clear on that.'

Buttigieg on Thursday singled out United for its delays, saying other airlines were handling the situation better than them.

'With the exception of United, airlines have recovered to a more typical cancellation/delay rate as of this morning, after the severe weather earlier this week,' Buttigieg tweeted.

United Airlines has also been slammed by passengers who have been stranded at airports across the nation as this week's travel 'flightmare' spilled into Friday - ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

More than 4,000 U.S. flights were delayed on Friday and nearly 400 canceled.

It came amid a hectic week for travelers across the country, with nearly 7,000 flight cancelations since Monday.

NEW YORK: More than 800 U.S. flights delayed today as the Fourth of July holiday weekend begins. People travel through JFK Airport Terminal 4 on Friday ahead of the July 4th holidays

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg took aim at the company, singling it out for its delays and cancellations

Moreover, there have been 35,000 delays this week as airports have struggled to manage travelers.

United, the worst affected, expressed hope that the situation would improve on Friday - saying weather could affect flights on the East Coast, but they were ready for the holiday weekend challenge.

'Our reliability continues to improve, with far fewer cancellations today compared to previous days,' United said in a statement to the New York Times.

'We're grateful to our customers for their patience and our employees for working so hard to take care of them through this challenging week.'

TSA advised Americans to 'pack some patience' as they try to get to their holiday destinations.

'As we approach the July 4th holiday travel period, we're expecting record travel volumes, TSA is staffed & ready to handle the increased volumes with technologies & resources for improved security effectiveness, efficiency, & passenger experience at security checkpoints,' TSA administrator David Pekoske said on Thursday.

'I encourage travelers to pack a bag that starts empty to ensure you don't have any prohibited items, arrive early, have your ID out and ready, and pack some patience.'

More than 2.8million people were expected to pass through airport security checkpoints on Friday, which would be a single-day record, according to TSA.

Denver International Airport was the most affected on Friday afternoon, with 48 cancelled flights and 314 delayed ones.

Newark Liberty International airport in New Jersey and Chicago's O'Hare saw the next most disruptions.

Meanwhile, United remains the most affected airline, with 230 cancelled flights, followed by easyJet, with 81, as of Friday afternoon.

Stranded passengers have reported having to sleep at the airport and stand in line for hours as they tried to rebook their flights, with some saying they were forced to wait several days for their checked bags.

ATLANTA: The chaos began over the weekend when storms began walloping the northeast and parts of the Midwest

NEW YORK: United remains the most affected airline, with 192 cancelled flights, followed by easyJet, with 45

NEW YORK: More than 2.8million people are expected to pass through airport security checkpoints on Friday, which would be a single-day record, according to TSA

A 'misery map' shows the severity of flight delates and cancelations across the nation

The chaos began over the weekend when storms began walloping the northeast and parts of the Midwest, causing mass delays and cancellations into and out of New York area airports.

On Thursday, more than 8,000 were delayed across the U.S., with the Denver and Chicago airports seeing the worst chaos.

United Airlines bore the brunt of the disruptions, with about 19 percent of its scheduled flights canceled and about 47 percent delayed.

The Chicago-based carrier said its operations were beginning to see improvement.

While the cancellations on Thursday were fewer than those in previous days in the week, United still scrapped 15 percent of its flights, data from FlightAware showed.

The mass debacle also comes about a week after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of forthcoming travel disruptions due to a July 1 5G service boost that US wireless companies plan to execute.

In a late June interview with the Wall Street journal, Buttigieg cited the 5G boost as a 'real risk' to air travels hoping for seamless experiences.

'This represents one of the biggest - probably the biggest - foreseeable problem affecting performance this summer,' he said.

US planes that are not retrofitted to withstand interference from the new 5G wireless signals may not be permitted to land in low-visibility conditions.

Most but not all US planes have been upgraded to meet the new standards, and while most major carriers will meet the Saturday deadline, JetBlue and an already struggling United Airlines will not be entirely done upgrading their fleets by then.
Footage has captured the rugged terrain where a backpacker disappeared with police seeking help from a bushwalker who might have been in the area.

Police are focusing on a waterfall in northwest Tasmania in their search for Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, 31, after she vanished near a remote walking track on June 17.

Police released drone footage of the area they are searching with video showing cascading falls surrounded by dense greenery.

Rescue teams have been searching for Ms Cremer for almost two weeks battling through the unforgiving terrain and thick bushland.

Ms Cremer was last seen in Waratah, near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania's north west, on June 17 and police are now hoping to speak to a hiker who was in the area at about 2:30pm on June 18.

Police are focusing on a waterfall in northwest Tasmania in their search for Celine Cremer, 31 and a Belgian tourist, who is feared dead after vanishing near a remote walking track

The unforgiving terrain throughout the dense jungle has seen rescue teams throughout the area as they continue their surveying which has stretched beyond a week

This unidentified walker could hold invaluable clues as to the whereabouts of Ms Cremer, Tasmanian Police have claimed.

'This person is not in any trouble we urge you to make contact as you may be able to assist us in establishing Ms Cremer's movements prior to her going missing,' a police spokesperson said.

Crews are battling freezing temperatures, snow, rain and dense bushland in their search.

Recent temperatures have lessened the hope of finding Ms Cremer alive, with the fact that she was lightly equipped at the time of her disappearance.

Steep cliffs and overhanging trees are also making the search extremely difficult by limiting aerial views and spreading the search through multiple levels of the forest.

Officers were on Friday focusing their efforts around Philosopher Falls waterfall, rappelling from a viewing platform to search surrounding bushland and thick vegetation.

Tasmania Police Inspector Anthea Maingay said Ms Cremer was feared dead after police received expert medical advice indicating she could not have survived recent weather conditions if exposed in the wilderness.

Inspector Maingay said initial investigations indicate that Ms Cremer is an 'inexperienced hiker' who was only prepared for 'light day travel'.

'We're continuing our efforts to locate Celine, but as we explained yesterday we have received expert medical advice that indicates the recent weather conditions were not survivable for the length of time that Celine is thought to have been exposed in the wilderness,' Insp Maingay said.

'Our information indicates Celine's car has been in the car park since at least 20 June and we believe she was only equipped for a light day walk,' Insp Maingay said in a statement on Friday.

'Our thoughts remain with Celine's family and we are continuing our efforts to locate her in an attempt for them to have some answers at this tragic time.'

'Our thoughts remain with Celine's family and we are continuing our efforts to locate her in an attempt for them to have some answers at this tragic time.'

She added no new evidence has been found in her disappearance and there is no suggestion of foul play.

Philosopher Falls walking track remains closed as the search continues.

Tasmania Police Inspector Anthea Maingay reiterated Ms Cremer was feared dead after police received expert medical advice indicating she could not have survived recent weather conditions if exposed in the wilderness

Police are now hoping to speak to a walker who was there about 2:30pm on Sunday, June 18 who could hold invaluable clues as to the whereabouts of Ms Cremer

Inspector Darren Hopkins, who heads search and rescue efforts in the state's north, told ABC conditions said rather than doing broad searches, teams focused efforts on where missing hikers were likely to be.

'If it's thick impenetrable scrub, then our search parties have to be way closer together, so we need more people to search the same area, and it becomes very difficult to see through the search area,' he said.

The search effort has been hampered by rough weather due to light snowfall in the area and dense bushland but police are confident that it is a 'search and rescue operation'.

The family have made a desperate plea for help to find Ms Cremer, claiming they have had 'no signs of life' from her since June 16.

'If you have any information on my sister, please contact me directly or my mum Ariane,' Ms Cremer's sister Amelie wrote on Facebook.

'Please share this post widely and help us find her.' 

Night-time temperatures in the area have been dropping to near freezing.

A photo, posted to Facebook on February 22, shows a playful and smiling Ms Cremer standing at wilderness lookout using her hands to make 'devil's horns' on her head.

The photo is captioned 'Un petit diable en Tasmanie' (A little devil in Tasmania).

Police believe when Ms Cremer left Hobart earlier in June she planned to travel to Tasmania's west coast.
Former Democratic New York state Senator Alessandra Biaggi has been slammed after complaining about her student debt, despite owning a $1.14 million home.

Biaggi had taken to social media on Friday to discuss the student loans she amassed during law school.

She tweeted: 'In 2012, I graduated from Fordham Law School with $180,000 is student loan debt.

'Ive been paying loans for 11 years. Even paid two of them off completely. In 2023, my balance is $206,000.'

Her tweet came almost exactly one year after it was reported that her and her husband had purchased a home in ritzy Bedford worth $1.14 million.

Her grandfather is famed New York Democrat Mario Biaggi who represented the Bronx for ten terms, she represented the same area during her tenure in the state senate.

Former Democratic New York state Senator Alessandra Biaggi has been slammed after complaining about her student debt

The former state senator shared her thoughts on students loans after the news of the Supreme Court blocking Biden's forgiveness plan spread

Biaggi moved into the property with her husband Nathaniel Koloc last year in Bedford, New York

Biaggi pictured with her husband, Nathaniel Koloc, the couple were married in 2019 and counted Hillary Clinton among their wedding guests

Mario ended up ion prison in the late 1980s after a wave of corruption scandals which saw him convicted of 15 felonies.

Biaggi tweeted following the decision from the Supreme Court to strike down President Biden's student loan-forgiveness plan.

President Biden had hoped to wipe the student loans of sixteen million people who applied for the program and been approved.

The 36-year-old, and her husband, Nathaniel Koloc, purchased the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the upscale suburban area Bedford in July 2022.

According to an article on the pair's relationship in the New York Times, they were married in 2019 and counted former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton among their guests. The pair both worked on the former New York senator's failed 2016 run.

The New York Post had reported that the house was a significant upgrade on Biaggi's previous residence, a $691,006 condo in Pelham, New York, where she was registered to vote.

On social media, Biaggi was ridiculed for her tweet with users pointing out she should have paid off her loans before buying the home in Bedford, New York.

One person said she should seek out money expert Dave Ramsey, commenting: 'You need Dave Ramsey, not Joe Biden.'

Another posted: 'You signed the loan agreement. Didnt you read it?'

One other said: 'So you made choices and youre dissatisfied with the consequences.

'Okay, but this still isnt anyone elses financial responsibility but your own. You could have gone to a cheaper school. But you made your choices. Dont run away from them.'

In response, Biaggi tweeted: 'It may slightly upset the peanut gallery to learn that I dont even qualify for loan forgiveness & can afford to pay these loans.

'But many arent so privileged. So for those whose who qualify, may your loans be swiftly cancelled!'

Biaggi also told DailyMail.com: 'I dont feed the ignorant trolls who cant comprehend the fact that I dont qualify for loan forgiveness but want it for others.'

Their home in Bedford, New York, is pictured here and features a large piece of land complete with a swimming pool

Social media users were quick to slam Biaggi over her tweet on Friday and her choices

Biaggi attends The Fashion Act Rally held by the Button and Needle Sculpture in Manhattan of New York City in February 2022 to protest climate change

Biaggi and her husband pictured with left-wing Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2016

It comes after the Supreme Court stuck down President Biden's $400 billion student loans forgiveness plan.

The justices ruled 6-3 Biden's controversial plan to wipe out debts for 26 million Americans at taxpayers' expense was unconstitutional and an overreach of his executive power.

The plan would have eradicated $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for those with Pell Grants.

But it was challenged by six Republican states and two borrowers who argued Biden should have sought approval from Congress for a plan using substantial taxpayer funds.

President Biden called the decision 'disappointing' and 'wrong' and vowed to fight back in a statement released hours after the ruling came down.

The President said: 'This fight is not over. I will have more to announce when I address the nation this afternoon.

'My Administrations student debt relief plan would have been the lifeline tens of millions of hardworking Americans needed as they try to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic.'

Biden's loan forgiveness has been a cornerstone of his presidency, and the ruling will be a massive blow to the administration that has fought against the piling debt.

Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office said the plan would have cost taxpayers roughly $400 billion, which has now been saved - in welcome news to those who opposed the program.
A man working full-time has been forced to live out of his van amid the nation's ongoing housing and cost-of-living crisis.

Sydney man Paul Grajewski, 44, was made homeless after a painful back injury left him unable to work as an arborist.

Mr Grajewski now has a full-time job but has run out of savings with the rise in rental prices forcing him to sleep in his van.

Rentals in Sydney for under $400 a week have hit record lows - plunging from 21 per cent of all rentals to just 9 per cent between 2020 and 2023 - according to Real estate research firm Proptrack.

Paul Grajewski, 44, was made homeless after a back injury left him unable to work as an arborist

'I'm just basically living in my van at the moment. That's my living situation,' Mr Grajewski told 7News.

Mr Grajewski was receiving Centrelink benefits but said it was not enough to buy food and cover the rent on his Sydney home.

He said he was getting 'just over $14,00 a month on Centrelink' but was paying over $1,200 a month on rent and bills, and was left with 'about $60 a week to feed myself'.

So Mr Grajewski decided in July last year the best option was to move into his van, which he had renovated during the Covid pandemic in 2020.

'I thought I'd just be using it to go on camping trips and what not,' he said.

Mr Grajewski said his current job as a meter reader might allow him to secure a rental property but the current price of rentals could potentially leave him in more financial difficultly.

He said he would prefer to save money while living in the van in case his injury worsened or his employment situation changed.

'What I fear now is that if I find a place now and start renting, that with the amount of money I'm making now, I wouldn't be able to save anything,' he said.

'I'm just going to be put in a situation where I'm just going to be full of anxiety'.

Mr Grajewski is able to maintain his gym membership, which allows him to access the physiotherapy he needs to treat his spinal injury, and can also use the showers there.

However, Mr Grajewski stressed that living in his van was not easy and the van itself was starting to fall apart.

He also said the solar-powered van battery was not holding much charge, and with his make-shift kitchen fridge out of action has been forced to live off non-perishable items.

Mr Grajewski said is is more financially viable to live out of his van than to rent in the current expensive rental market

There has been a 34 per cent increase in the NSW homeless population in the last year

Mr Grajewski is one of more than 1,623 people sleeping rough in NSW, according to the NSW Street Count, which says there has been a 34 per cent increase in the state's homeless population within the last year.

In the City of Sydney alone, 277 people were found to be sleeping rough  a 23 per cent increase from the previous year.

In addition, there were 294 locations where there was evidence of street homelessness such as makeshift camps, sleeping bags or personal belongings.

Byron Shire accounts for the largest cohort of rough sleepers in NSW, and recorded 300 people sleeping rough - a whopping 117 per cent increase compared to February 2022

The Albanese government is attempting to get a $10billion housing package through parliament but community support organisations are calling for more urgent action.

Trina Jones from Homelessness NSW said there are more than 57,000 households on the waiting list for temporary short term accommodation, which was particularly concerning considering the current cold temperatures across the state.

Mr Grajewski is one of several people who are part of a growing demographic known as the 'working homeless'.

The working homeless refers to people who have stable full-time jobs but can still not afford basic necessities because of price hikes.
One of the most visited sites in the world, Pornhub, has blocked users in Virginia over the state's new age verification law.

The new law taking effect July 1 now require websites with pornographic content being viewed in Virginia to verify that users are at least 18 years old before they can view the site.

The law, proposed by Republican state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (Franklin), sailed through the Virginia General Assembly.

'The safety of our users is one of our biggest concerns. We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification,' Pornhub wrote in a message to those logging on.

'Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Virginia.'

'We've made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your region,' DeVille (above) informed visitors

Instead of finding the usual raunchy options on the X-rated site's landing page Virginians were treated to a video of adult entertainer Cherie DeVille -- fully clothed

Pornhub was pulled from Virginia after they were ordered to verify the ages of users

The new law does not mean a complete ban on pornographic content - adult websites need simply set up a method to verify a user's age such as requiring people to submit digital copies of their identification online or facial scans, but Pornhub does not want to put its user through such trials.

'The governor remains committed to protecting Virginia's children from dangerous material on the internet,' a spokeswoman for Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement.

The Free Speech Coalition recently filed a lawsuit challenging a similar law that went into effect in Utah. It is not clear if the group will do similar in Virginia.

'It's not a matter of if these laws will be ruled unconstitutional but when,' Mike Stabile, Free Speech Coalition's spokesperson, told 8News .

Alison Boden, the Free Speech Coalition's executive director, wrote a letter to Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin urging him to veto Stanley's bill.

Pornhub's parent company MindGeek owns many of the web's most popular porn sites such as RedTube, Digital Playground, and YouPorn

'The governor remains committed to protecting Virginia's children from dangerous material on the internet,' a spokeswoman for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, left, said in a statement. The law was proposed by Republican state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr., right

Globally, the online porn business estimated to be worth $97 billion, with between $10 and $12 billion of that in the U.S. alone

Boden wrote that the group supports efforts to protect 'young people from material that is age-inappropriate or harmful,' but listed issues it had with the bill.

'Adult contenteven material harmful to minors is First Amendment-protected speech and the Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that restrictions on its production and consumption face the highest legal bar: strict scrutiny,' Boden wrote to Youngkin.

Many websites that are owned by companies outside of the U.S. will also be unlikely to follow the new laws.

Aside from Utah and Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi have passed similar laws in a move that supporters say will help protect children from sexually explicit material.
A heritage-listed island in the middle of Sydney Harbour is one step closer to being returned to Aboriginal ownership.

NSW Premier Chris Minns on Saturday shared a photo of him signing a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to Me-Mel, known as Goat Island.

The small island sits in the heart of the harbour, northwest of Barangaroo Reserve, and is only accessible to the public through guided tours.

Mr Minns signed the document alongside the dedicated Me-Mel Transfer Committee, with $43million having already been committed to clean up and restore the island over the next four years.

Goat Island (above), named Me-Mel in Gadigal language, will be transferred back to Aboriginal ownership

'The island will be a symbol of reconciliation in the heart of Sydney Harbour,' the premier said.

'We are listening to the Aboriginal community through this process. That is what the signing of this agreement is all about.

'I thank the previous government and its former premiers for their commitment to this project over many years.

'We are proud to continue this work with the committee.'

NSW Premier Chris Minns on Saturday shared a photo (above) of him signing a Memorandum of Understanding alongside the dedicated Me-Mel Transfer Committee

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Nathan Moran had earlier explained the historical significance of Me-Mel to the Indigenous community, saying the island is the 'centre of the cultural story of Sydney'.

The island was once the home of famous Cammeraygal woman Barangaroo who was influential in early communication between Indigenous communities and white settlers.

Me-Mel was also used as a home for convict work gangs and gunpowder storage during the 1800s, and currently has about 30 buildings.

The island was once the home of famous Cammeraygal woman Barangaroo who was influential in early communication between Indigenous communities and white settlers

Its most famous structure, the Queen's Magazine, was built from sandstone in the 1830s by convicts and used to store explosives.

It was during that decade people from the Wangal, Gadigal, and Cammeraygal clan groups were forced to leave Me-Mel.

The island also features a historic barracks, cooperage and kitchen.

In recent years it has been used as a shipyard, concert venue and film location.
A 17-year-old boy who was pulled from a west London canal with fatal stab wounds has been pictured for the first time.

Victor Lee, from Ealing, was pronounced dead after being removed from the water under Scrubs Lane just after 6pm last Sunday.

Last night, detectives arrested three boys - aged 14, 15 and 17 - on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at south London police stations.

A post-mortem examination held on Wednesday gave Victor's cause of death as a stab wounds.

His family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers, the Met Police said.

Victor Lee, from Ealing, was pronounced dead after being removed from the water under Scrubs Lane just after 6pm last Sunday

Police divers in the canal under Scrubs Lane in west London, following the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Victor Lee

Last night, detectives arrested three boys - aged 14, 15 and 17 - on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at south London police stations

The crime scene at the Grand Union Canal, showing the forensic tent and medical paraphernalia

Police divers and forensic investigators were pictured at the scene earlier this week.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, from the Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We are continuing to provide Victor's family with support during this traumatic time and our thoughts remain with them.

'This morning, we made three arrests as part of our investigation into Victor's murder. However, I still need to hear from anyone who has information about what happened last Sunday.

'Were you in the area of the Grand Union Canal towpath near the Scrubs Lane bridge, or travelling on Scrubs Lane, between 17:15 and 18:15hrs? Did you see a fight, or hear anything that may assist with the investigation?

'If you were driving in the area and have a dash cam, please review your footage and contact us or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

'My team will be in the vicinity of Scrubs Lane tomorrow, Sunday, 2 July as part of a proactive appeal for information.'

Information can be provided to police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5828/25Jun.
This is the terrifying moment that an American XL Bully dog charged at police officers after being unleashed by its owner, whom they were trying to arrest.

The footage shows the officers being forced to dodge the beast as it was let out of a house by a suspect they were trying to apprehend in south Yorkshire.

The dog was barking loudly as it raced out of a property towards the officers and appeared very aggressive.

It comes as police in the region issued a stark warning over the controversial breed, which is not banned in the UK, despite the number of dog attacks in the area having more than doubled in the last five years.

The breed accounts for 25 per cent of all dogs seized in the region since last January.

This is the terrifying moment that an American XL Bully dog charged at police officers after being unleashed by its owner, whom they were trying to arrest in south Yorkshire

In the video released by Yorkshire Police, the officers shouted 'Get out now!' while holding tasers as they stood by a property to make an arrest.

But when the door eventually opened, an American XL Bully dog raced out towards them at speed, charging at the first police officer while barking loudly, causing him to dodge the attack.

It then moved towards the second officer before being called back inside.

Both officers appeared unharmed but out of breath after the frightening ordeal.

In one shocking incident, a woman was mauled to death by one of the two XL Bullies she bought after believing them to be 'gentle giants'.

Joanne Robinson, 43, died after being attacked in her own home in Rotherham last July. Her partner suffered serious injuries in the incident.

Assistant Chief Constable Dan Thorpe, of South Yorkshire Police, said: 'We can't ignore the fact that the XL bully breed is disproportionately represented in the number of dog attacks we attend.

'Eight of the dogs seized since January 2022, by South Yorkshire Police are XL bullies.

In the video released by Yorkshire Police, the officers shouted 'Get out now!' while holding tasers as they stood by a property to make an arrest

When the door eventually opened, an American XL Bully dog raced out towards them at speed, charging at the first police officer while barking loudly

'Last year, 89 dogs had to be destroyed by police in the immediacy of the incident in order to protect public safety.'

Shocking data revealed the breed has been involved in the majority of fatal dog attacks in the UK since 2021.

Earlier this year, a man was mauled to death by an American XL Bully after it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend in Leigh, Gtr Manchester.

Jonathan Hogg, 37, entered the dogs' pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest into his death heard.

The horror attack came after a six-year-old boy in South Yorkshire was scalped by a dog only two weeks after they'd bought it from Facebook.

And it follows a spate of maulings involving the breed, which shares DNA with banned American Pit Bull Terriers.

Six of the ten dog-related deaths in the UK last year were caused by Bully or Bully crosses, sparking calls from campaigners for the breed to be banned.

In March last year, 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch was killed in her family's home in St Helens, Merseyside, just a week after they bought the dog.

The officer was forced to dodge the attack as the dog moved aggressively towards him

Schoolboy Jack Lis, 10, was killed in an attack by an XL Bully in 2021 while playing at a friend's house in Caerphilly, South Wales.

ACC Thorpe added: 'XL Bully dogs seem to have a high propensity for aggression.

'And once they turn, even the most experienced owners have limited ability to do anything about it due to the power and strength of the breed.'

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said a spike in new dog owners during the Covid pandemic could be responsible for a surge in attacks.

He said: 'During the pandemic the number of dogs nationally rose from 9 million to over 12 million, with many people buying dogs for the first time with no prior experience, a lack of socialisation and no access to dog training classes during that time.

'These lockdown puppies have now grown into mature dogs and we are seeing the consequences.

'There are certain breeds that should not be placed in homes with children due to their unpredictability and their predisposed nature to suddenly turn and become aggressive, this becomes more apparent as the dogs reach maturity.'

Dr Billings said he has raised his concerns to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, who are in direct contact with ministers.
A pregnant nurse bled to death at home more than four hours after she called for an ambulance following a series of delays, an inquest has heard.

Stabile Sibanda, 28, called emergency services at 1.11am on July 23 last year and told the call handler she was having abdominal pain and thought she was having an 'ectopic pregnancy'.

South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) was 'very busy' and dealing with high levels of post-Covid staff sickness due to poor mental health, the inquest heard.

SCAS used a private ambulance service called Phoenix, who dispatched a crew - which did not include a trained paramedic - at 2.45am.

Phoenix technicians Kara Mathieson and Lee Brown arrived at Ms Sibanda's road in Ascot, Berkshire, at 3.11am but could not locate her first-floor flat for 27 minutes.

Stabile Sibanda, 28, pictured, called emergency services at 1.11am on July 23 last year and told the call handler she was having abdominal pain and thought she was having an 'ectopic pregnancy'

South Central Ambulance Service used a private ambulance service called Phoenix, who dispatched a crew - which did not include a trained paramedic - at 2.45am. Technicians arrived at Ms Sibanda's road in Ascot, Berkshire, at 3.11am but could not locate her first-floor flat for 27 minutes

The technicians said Ms Sibanda was 'combative and lashing out' on their arrival. Mr Brown said she was being 'obstructive' by throwing herself on the floor as they tried to get her into the ambulance.

They 'very quickly ruled out' the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy and decided Ms Sibanda was on drugs and had been sexually assaulted, the coroner found.

The Phoenix crew called the police at 4.36am for assistance in getting Ms Sibanda into the ambulance but she suffered a haemorrhage and was declared dead at 5.33am.

Ms Mathieson denied knowing Ms Sibanda was having an ectopic pregnancy, telling the inquest Ms Sibanda had stated she last had sexual activity three years ago.

An eptopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb - an event affecting around 11,000 women in the UK every year.

A SCAS call handler had told Ms Mathieson the case was a suspected ectopic pregnancy, but she told the inquest 'she was closing an ambulance door at the time' so did not hear the information.

Mr Brown also told the inquest this week he did not know about the ectopic pregnancy, despite making a statement last year in which he admitted Ms Sibanda had told them she was having one.

The Berkshire Coroner Heidi Connor said she was 'deeply concerned' about the evidence given by the two Phoenix technicians.

Ms Sibanda lived just a 20 minute drive away from the nearest hospital, but she would have needed to be taken into surgery very quickly after reporting her condition, the coroner said

She continued: 'Sometimes we think about events, particularly stressful events and think about what we wish we had done.

'There are, however, stark differences in their statements.

'I find it likely that first crew were told by Ms Sibanda that she was having an ectopic pregnancy. The first crew remained blindsided by her difficult presentation and made assumptions about the likely cause.

'If they had been considering ectopic pregnancy, that would have focussed their minds more on getting her to hospital.'

Mrs Connor said the clinical governance lead at Phoenix had told the inquest there were no significant learning points which arose from Ms Sibanda's death.

She added: 'I was concerned to note the somewhat defensive approach taken.

'Those involved in contracting private providers were in attendance at the inquest and it is for them to consider whether they are sufficiently assured by the approach to learning taken by Phoenix.'

Ms Sibanda lived just a 20 minute drive away from the nearest hospital, but she would have needed to be taken into surgery very quickly after reporting her condition, the coroner said.

Therefore it was not possible to conclude the delays caused or contributed to Ms Sibanda's death and the coroner concluded she died of 'natural causes'.

Ms Sibanda had come to the UK from Zimbabwe only a few weeks before her death to work as a nurse, Reading Coroners Court heard on Friday.
Guy Gibson's goddaughter has become the first relative of the Dambusters heroes to speak out against plans to convert their historic RAF Scampton base into an asylum seeker centre.

Lynne Cox, 79, whose father flew with VC-winner Gibson, says converting the landmark to the 1943 bouncing bomb raid will 'sully its history'.

The Home Office plans to convert the former Lincolnshire RAF station into a camp for up to 2,000 asylum seekers.

Mrs Cox said: 'I do feel for the refugees that need to be housed, but this is not the place for them.'

A High Court battle is already looming over the plans which local council bosses argue will harm plans for a 300 million regeneration of the site.

Lynne Cox, 79, whose father flew with VC-winner Gibson, says converitng the RAF base will 'sully its history'

Heroic Wing Commander Guy Gibson (centre) led 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force on the night of May 16-17 in 1943

Historians have also blasted the government's plans for the site due to its links with the Dambusters squadron.

Fifty-three airmen were killed in the famous mission to attack three German dams on May 16 and 17, 1943.

READ MORE: Civil servants told Suella Braverman 3 months ago to scrap plan turning Dambusters home into asylum seeker centre Advertisement

'It is vital to preserve the memory of those courageous men and women who gave their all for their country and not sully it all with housing refugees,' Mrs Cox said.

'I would like to put my name to the save Scampton plight and, as a goddaughter of Guy Gibson, put some credibility to the campaign.

'I am only doing this in the hope that my connection to the heroes of Scampton will have a small impetus to saving it from destruction.'

Wing Commander Gibson became her godfather in 1944 after befriending her mother Beryl whose first husband was based with Gibson at Scampton.

Beryl, known as Dell, was wed to Francis John Haydon - known commonly as Ian - and Gibson spoke fondly of both in his memoir 'Enemy Coast Ahead'.

Gibson himself was married to Eve, a showgirl with whom he had become infatuated, but the couple never had any children.

Mrs Cox's mother Beryl was married to Francis John Haydon (pictured second left) who stationed with Guy Gibson

During the Second World War, crews from 617 Squadron (pictured in front of a Lancaster bomber) flew from Scampton when they staged the Dambusters raid

A view of RAF Scampton in Lincoln as Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is expected to announce the use of two RAF sites as he tries to reduce the 6.8 million a day the Government says it spends on hotel accommodation

The RAF Scampton (pictured) plans were officially announced in March to house asylum seekers at the RAF base despite talks of a 300 million redevelopment that would see the base used for heritage and leisure activities.

The 26-year-old was killed when his Mosquito plane crashed on its way back from another mission in Germany In 1944.

The Home Office said: 'Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites will provide cheaper and more suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats, while helping reduce the use of costly hotels.

'Not only are these sites more affordable for taxpayers, but they are also more manageable for communities, due to healthcare and catering facilities on site, 24/7 security and the purpose-built, safe and secure accommodation they provide.'

The Administrative Court will consider whether to grant permission for a judicial review at a hearing on 12 and 13 July.
These are the shocking moments of mayhem as British troops destroyed 'billions of pounds' of equipment to stop it falling into enemy hands as Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The footage shows destroyed helicopters and military vehicles, with vast swathes of abandoned kit strewn across Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.

The chaotic military withdrawal from the war-torn nation in 2021 will be revealed through unseen footage in three-part series Evacuation, airing today on Channel 4.

Speaking about the chaotic scene, Gaz McMahon - a sergeant major in the Parachute Regiment - described the huge cost of the necessary destruction.

He said: 'I can't describe how much kit and equipment was lying around everywhere.

The footage shows destroyed helicopters and military vehicles

Vast swathes of abandoned kit can be seen strewn across Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan captal

Troops burn ther manifests to stop the names of people who had left getting into the hands of the Taliban

A military vehicle is destroyed as a soldier whacks its dashboard and controls and abandoned helicopters lie in sheds with their engines open and debris lying around them

Speaking about the chaotic scene, Gaz McMahon (pictured) - a sergeant major in the Parachute Regiment - described the huge cost of the necessary destruction

'HKIA airport was like a cross between Mad Max and 28 Days Later.

'In the back of every military equipment pamphlet there is a page of how to deny that equipment, which nobody ever reads. But we destroyed loads of kit.

'There was sand being put into petrol tanks, engines being run to seize engines up. The Embassy vehicles were being destroyed by diggers.

'Billions of pounds of equipment left there.'

Afghanistan fell back into Taliban hands in 2021 after President Joe Biden made good on a deal struck by Donald Trump to fully withdraw US forces from the country after a 20-year conflict.

It was hoped that government forces which America spent decades training and billions of dollars arming could fight the Islamists to a stalemate, before striking a power-sharing deal.

In the end, Ashraf Ghani's forces capitulated with barely a fight - leaving US forces and allied troops trapped in the Afghan capital as it fell to the Islamists and sparking a hasty and dangerous evacuation mission.

Biden's allies both home and abroad openly accused him of blindsiding them with his rush to exit by August 31 and slammed his handling of the ensuing crisis.

Diana Bird (pictured), a Squadron Leader of the RAF police, took part in the demolition - and photos show her armed with a sledge hammer as she destroys a military vehicle

Photos show her armed with a sledge hammer as she destroys a military vehicle

Taliban fighters pose for photographers with their weapons in 2021 as they patrol the streets of Kabul, amid reports they were hauling away British and American collaborators for 'punishment'

Taliban fighters flying their flag drive through the centre of Kabul in 2021 as they try to maintain security in the capital

Pictured: Women filmed pleading with US troops that the 'Taliban are coming' in footage that appeared to have been taken at Kabul airport

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan was 'the culmination of a mission unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes'.

READ MORE: US troops fire shots into the air and use teargas on desperate crowds as chaos at Kabul airport enters fifth day Advertisement

Diana Bird, a Squadron Leader of the RAF police, took part in the demolition - and photos show her armed with a sledge hammer as she destroys a military vehicle.

She said: 'Taking a bit of the built-up aggression and anger and frustration of the last few weeks out was a really good way to start that decompression process.

'We burnt all of our manifests, because we didnt want the names of the people who had left getting into the hands of the Taliban. So we had a huge bonfire.'

Horrific scenes from the evacuation saw people run over by taxiing jets, stowaways plummeting from the engines of an airborne plane and babies being handed by desperate mothers to departing soldiers.

The video looks on as manic troops react in amazement while they destroy their equipment.

In one scene, a squaddie points to a bag on the floor, shouting: 'Free bag, free bag! Look! Look! Look! Wild! Wild!'

A military vehicle is destroyed as a soldier whacks its dashboard and controls and abandoned helicopters lie in sheds with their engines open and debris lying around them.

In other clips, and embassy Toyota and a Landrover are seen being speared by a forklift

Jeeps are destroyed with sledgehammers and blocks of cement

An Afghan child walks near abandoned military uniforms at Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban took control of the city in 2021

A little girl is thrown over the wall of the airport in 2021 as the Taliban started moving through the city of Kabul. The airport was the last part of the city being defended by US troops

In one scene, a squaddie points to a bag on the floor, shouting: 'Free bag, free bag! Look! Look! Look! Wild! Wild!'

Jeeps are destroyed with sledgehammers and blocks of cement.

In other clips, and embassy Toyota and a Landrover are seen being speared by a forklift.

Ms Bird now lives with PTSD, and talked about the Afghan woman targeted by the Taliban she had to turn away because they were not eligable for transit.

One of the few female leaders in the RAF, she had to quickly assemble a team to take to Kabul.

She continued: 'I was taking nineteen-year-olds. I basically took a sixth-form field trip to Kabul.

'You absolutely feel for each and every one of these people, but we couldnt save everybody.

'Ive got my stone. Yeah, its my my PTSD stone. Its just off a beach down in Cornwall, but its got lots of little rough areas and sort of sharp bits and stuff.

'You have something that helps you get back where you are, reminds you that youre here instead of there.'
A woman and two children have died in the midst of a heartbreaking flat fire that broke out in the early hours of this morning.

More than 30 firefighters rushed to a home in King's Hedges ward, Cambridge at 1.08am today, as smoke engulfed the first two floors of a masionette.

Inside were a young boy, aged four, and girl, eight, who were later rescued and received treatment while emergency services continued to battle the flames.

But, despite the best efforts of paramedics, the pair tragically died once reaching a hospital today.

The woman, who was in her 30s, also died at the scene around the time of the incident.

Just one man managed to escape the blaze but is now fighting for his life in Addenbrooke's Hospital after suffering serious injuries.

More than 30 firefighters rushed to a flat in King's Hedges ward, Cambridge at 1.08am

It is understood that five firefighter crews from the Cambridgeshire area attended this fire and worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames.

According to CambridgshireLive, they left the scene at around 6am today - five hours after emergency services were initially called to the scene.

An investigation is now underway to establish the cause of the incident which will continue over the course of the weekend.

Area Commander Stuart Smith of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said: 'This is a devastating and deeply upsetting incident that will touch many people.

'Our thoughts are with the relatives, friends and neighbours of the family. It's just heartbreaking.

'We know this will have a huge impact on the local community and our fire safety team was in the area visiting residents yesterday to provide fire safety information and reassurance and will be returning next week.

'A fire like this is one of the toughest incidents you can attend as a firefighter and we're looking after the welfare of all those who responded to or supported this incident.'

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman also added: 'Three ambulances, three Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, two ambulance officer vehicles and response cars from the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were called out in the early hours of Friday June 30 to a serious house fire in Sackville Close in Cambridge.

Inside were a young boy, aged 4, and girl, 8, who were later rescued but died in hospital

Firefighters from five separate Cambridgeshire crews attended the tragic incident

'One woman had sadly died at the scene. One man with serious injuries was transported to Addenbrooke's Hospital together with an infant and an older child - both children in serious conditions.

'An infant from an adjoining property was also transported to Addenbrooke's Hospital for further assessment and care.'

'The ambulance service would like to extend its deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragic incident.'

MailOnline has approached the emergency services for further information.
An Emirates flight in Russia was forced to return to the gate after smoke began pouring from its rear just moments before takeoff.

Fire appliances were seen spraying the smoking Boeing 777 ahead of a flight from St Petersburg to Dubai on Friday.

Passengers were ordered to disembark into the terminal at Pulkovo airport shortly before midnight.

'Smoke came from an aircraft engine at St Petersburg Pulkovo airport,' said a Russian emergency services official.

'Flight EK176 from St Petersburg to Dubai on 30 June 2023 returned to the stand due to reports of smoke being detected during pushback for departure,' said an Emirates spokesperson.

An Emirates flight in Russia was forced to return to the gate after smoke began pouring from its rear just moments before takeoff at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg on Friday

'As a precaution, all passengers and crew were disembarked while the aircraft was attended by the local authorities and fire services.'

The cause of the smoke - evidently linked to the plane's rear auxiliary power unit rather than a main engine on the wing - was not disclosed.

A total of 228 passengers and 15 crew were disembarked.

The Boeing 777 eventually took off some five hours late and arrived safely in Dubai at around 11.30am local time following a six and a half hour flight.

The airline spokesperson said: 'Passengers were reboarded after inspections were completed and the aircraft departed with a delay.

'We apologise for the inconvenience.

'The safety of our passengers and cabin crew is of utmost importance and it will not be compromised.'

Emirates has continued to operate flights to and from Russia despite Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, which has seen Western airlines cancel all services to the country.

Western sanctions relating to the aircraft industry have hit Russia's ability to service and repair planes.

Fire appliances were seen spraying the smoking Boeing 777 ahead of a flight from St Petersburg to Dubai

Passengers were ordered to disembark into the terminal at Pulkovo airport shortly before midnight
A teenager dressed up as a Teletubby was stabbed in the back twice while he was walking home from an 18th birthday party.

Ezra Faasolo, 19, and his friend, who was dressed as the Hulk, left an 18-year-old girl's party on East Kurrajong Rd in North Richmond, northwest Sydney, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

By about 12.30am the party had reportedly been overrun by gatecrashers and the girl's parents were forced to send people home before the situation escalated further.

While Mr Faasolo and his friends were walking home from the party, three males confronted the teenagers, punching the 19-year-old in the head and stabbing him twice in his lower back.

Ezra Faasolo (above) was stabbed twice while dressed as a Teletubby after leaving an 18th birthday party in Sydney's northwest on Saturday

Mr Faasolo's friend bundled him into the back of his car and drove about 10 minutes away to a nearby service station.

His friend, still wearing his Hulk costume, ran to the front desk of the store to ask the cashier for the address and about two minutes later paramedics and police officers arrived.

Mr Faasolo was rushed to the Westmead Hospital where he remains in a stable condition with life-threatening injuries.

'I didn't see the wound but it looked really bad,' station worker Suresh Chirumamilla told Nine News.

'He was faint and when they called out he was without clothes.'

Mr Faasolo's friend, dressed as the Hulk (left), drove him to a nearby service station where they called police and paramedics

It is not known why the teens chose to drive so far from the scene to the fuel station but police said it will be considered in their investigation.

Police said the group who confronted the teens fled the scene in a dark car and were last seen travelling north along East Kurrajong Road.

The males have been described as being of Pacific Islander and Maori appearance, aged in their late teens to early 20s, and with heavy builds.

Investigations are continuing and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky has been filmed suggesting to a class that he illegally discriminates against potential hires to boost racial diversity.

Chemerinsky is seen telling students how 'unstated affirmative action' can be achieved when a 'college or university doesn't tell anybody, doesn't make any public statements' about doing so.

'I'll give you an example from our law school, but if ever I'm deposed, I'm going to deny I said this to you,' he continued.

'When we do faculty hiring, we're quite conscious that diversity is important to us, and we say diversity is important, it's fine to say that.'

The video filmed by Chemerinsky during a constitutional law class last spring semester was tweeted by critical race theory opponent Christopher Rufo on Thursday.

And it surfaced in the days following the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action in college admissions.

Affirmative action has been illegal in California - where Berkeley is based - since 1996, and the tablet screen visible on Chemerinsky's desk suggests the clip is a recent one.

Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky has been filmed telling a class he illegally discriminates against potential hires to boost diversity

Three million views and counting  https://t.co/3uyfG9Oawo  Christopher F. Rufo  (@realchrisrufo) June 30, 2023

Chemerinsky said that he is 'very careful when we have a faculty appointments committee meeting, any time somebody says, 'We should really prefer this candidate or this candidate because this person would add diversity' - don't say that!

'You can think it, you can vote it, but our discussions are not privileged, so don't ever articulate that that's what you're doing.'

The law school dean said that is 'easier for faculty hiring' however less so for 'student admissions' because of 'statistical measure.'

Proposition 209 is a California ballot proposition which, upon approval in November 1996, amended the state constitution.

Chemerinsky said that he's 'sad' someone took a video in his class and 'excerpted it in this way, adding 'the Law School strictly complies with Proposition 209 in all of its hiring and admissions decisions'

It prohibits state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting, and public education.

In 2020, the University of California supported a ballot initiative to repeal Prop 209 but state voters rejected the change 57 percent to 43 percent, meaning affirmative action remains illegal there.

Chemerinsky told DailyMail.com that it was 'not the entirety of his remarks.'

'I record my classes for students who are not present,' he said.

'Someone accessed it and excerpted from a class. It was constitutional law and this past spring semester.

'As per existing California law, the Berkeley Law School cannot and does not consider race in any of its hiring and admissions decisions.

'Those who were actually in the room and heard the entirety of my remarks, not one isolated portion, fully understood that.'

Twitter was in a frenzy following the video surfacing some slamming Chemerinsky as 'Shockingly wrong' for admitting he'd break the law for his political views.

'He's not only telling them that he's breaking the law, he's also announcing that he will commit perjury if he's ever deposed on the question,' said one user.

Another said: 'This is such a key point. Schools and businesses should be striving for diversity of perspective and of thought, not solely skin color and sexual preference.'

McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Princeton academic Robert P. George said the video revealed a 'lack of diversity and viewpoint' on faculty.

'What Dean Chemerinsky reveals here in the most glaring way is the lack of diversity--viewpoint diversity--on his faculty,' he wrote.

'He can say to them what he reports saying to them when they are violating the law, *only* because he can count on them to share his ideological commitments.'
Just Stop Oil have stormed London's historic Pride parade, after issuing threats to the LGBTQ+ event earlier this week.

Seven eco-zealots have been arrested after nine blocked the capital's Pride March today amidst calls for the event to condemn new oil, gas and coal.

At around 1:25pm, the group sat down in front of the festival's Coca-Cola float, branding it 'the world's worst plastic polluter, accused of numerous human rights abuses'.

Black and pink paint was also sprayed across the road as the protesters slammed Pride for failing 'to address and take responsibility' for its damaging relationships.

Parade participants and onlookers who have travelled to the capital today were frustrated by the disruption, with some attempting to negotiate with the 'attention-seeking' protesters as they were sat on the tarmac.

It comes as millions cloaked in rainbows and glitter headed to the event to mark 51 years since its first parade for LGBTQ+ rights in 1972.

Nine members of Just Stop Oil stormed London's Pride parade earlier this afternoon

Some of the eco-zealots lay in the road while others sprayed black and pink paint on the tarmac the CocaCola float

After 16 minutes, seven protestors were arrested for public nuisance offences

One of the protesters was carried away by Met police

A spectator pleads with protesters to let the parade continue

A Just Stop Oil spokesman said: 'Pride was born from protest. It speaks to how far we've come as a community, that high polluting industries and the banks that fund them, now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.

'It is queer people, and particularly queer people of colour in the global south, who are suffering first in this accelerating social breakdown.

'What would those who instigated the gay liberation movement, during the Stonewall riots in 1969, make of the corporatised spectacle Pride has now become?'

Protester Ben, 68, a retired librarian from Hebden Bridge, said: 'I'm a lesbian mother and grandmother. I came to my first Pride in 1985, and I remember being spat at in the street for holding hands with my partner, and the fear that our kids would be taken away because lesbians weren't "fit" mothers.'

'Our community got to where we are through civil resistance (I did a bit of spray painting myself) and I think we owe it to young people today, especially this wonderfully diverse LBGTQIA community, to protect their future.

'That's why it's so important to fight to avert the coming climate catastrophe, and I want our Pride to be part of this, not to enable pinkwashing by fossil fuel funders and airlines. It's time to Just Stop Oil!'

After just 16 minutes, it is understood that seven protesters were arrested for public nuisance offences and the parade continued again one minute later.

Video posted online showed officers picking up protesters and carrying them away.

In a tweet, the Metropolitan Police said: 'At 13:30 hours a small number of protestors sat down in the road at Piccadilly junction with Down Street causing the #PrideInLondon Parade to stop.

'At 13:46 hours, seven people were arrested for public nuisance. At 13:47 hours the road was cleared and the Parade has continued.'

In a video posted online by the group, protester Arthur, who was being led away by police, said: 'I'm being arrested for fighting for all queer futures. Queers will be disproportionately affected by the climate crisis just as they are made to suffer by mass corporations.

'Pride is not for corporations, Pride is for queer people.'

One witness said that the activists spoiled the fun for thousands of people.

Neil, 49, from East London, was watching the parade when the protesters ran out in front of him and blocked the Coca-Cola truck.

'There was about eight of them I think,' he said.

'Eight people spoiling fun for thousands of people.

'They want the attention don't they? And until they get the attention they'll sit themselves down,' he said.

The anti-coal campaign has disrupted today's festivities following talks with London Pride earlier this week.

Just Stop Oil issued a letter, in which the organisation called for the LGBTQ+ group to make a statement condemning new oil, gas and coal.

'We also demand that they cease accepting sponsorship money from high polluting industries and stop allowing the inclusion of floats from these organisations in the parade,' the group stressed.

'These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community, at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.

'If London Pride fails to take these basic steps necessary to protect our community, we will have to consider potential escalations which may result in the disruption of Pride.'

Just Stop Oil gave Pride an initial deadline of 4pm on Thursday to respond to its demands, stressing that the LGBTQ+ campaign needed clarify where it sources its money.

A policeman pictured arresting one of the Just Stop Oil protesters

The protesters pictured sitting on the road in front of the CocaCola van

Police officers watch on as they prepare to arrest the Just Stop Oil protesters

Police officers pictured arresting one of the protesters

The group reportedly have slammed Pride for failing 'to address and take responsibility' for its damaging relationships

At around 1:25pm, the group sat down in front of the festival's Coca-Cola float

Nine eco-warriors have blocked the capital's Pride March today while calling for the annual event to condemn new oil, gas and coal

Metropolitan Police officers arrested seven of the nine eco-zealots who had interrupted today's parade

But now, the eco-zealots claim that Pride has 'so far failed to make a commitment to take necessary steps to protect the LGBTQ+ community from the unfolding climate collapse'.

The Just Stop Oil spokesperson continued: 'These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community, at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.

'We call on Pride to remember the spirit in which it was founded and to respect the memory of all those who fought and died to secure the rights we now possess, whilst taking the necessary steps to protect our community long into the future.'

At 1pm LGBTQ+ members of Just Stop Oil set off on their own Pride-themed march from Parliament Square.

Following the mayhem, numerous comments have flooded Twitter, with many suggesting that police showed up at the Coca Cola display at around 2pm.

One person wrote: 'Held up on the Pride march because of a Just Stop Oil protest and had a steward say "don't worry, the police are just arriving".'

Another wrote: 'There's no conceivable way that a truly radical and consistent Just Stop Oil organisation would be against Pride and *not* Glastonbury. Even if they were against them for different reasons.'

MailOnline has approached Pride for comment.

Crowds cloaked in rainbows will flood the nation's capital this weekend for Pride

Members from Gaymers iNC pose during the Pride parade

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for a selfie before the Pride in London parade

L-R: Isabel Cato, Ashleigh Tory, Charley Cook and Matilda Beavers take a selfie at the parade

More than a million will to take to the streets today in celebration of the historic event

The march is set to wind through the city's major spots including Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus before heading towards Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square

But festivities come just a day after eco-warriors at Just Stop Oil warned of hampering the historic event

While a parade will head towards Trafalgar Square, numerous stages are also dotted across the centre of London

Today's Pride parade will see around 600 LGBTQ+ focused groups come together in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgender rights

Pride said: 'All are welcome to attend and mark Pride with the other 1.5 million attendees'

Pride in London is an annual LGBT+ festival and parade held each summer in London

The Pride festival is a celebration of lesbian, gay, transgender, queer and bisexual rights

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan leading the Pride parade amidst celebrations today

Just Stop Oil outlined their demands for Pride in a tweet on Thursday

Today's march was set to wind through the city's major spots including Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus before heading towards Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square.

Around 600 LGBTQ+ focused groups are also due to come together in celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgender rights.

Numerous stages are dotted across the centre of London and will host an array of famous performers including singer Adam Lambert and RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Victoria Scone.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was also spotted celebrating at the parade today, with revellers snapping pictures with him amidst the crowds.

Ahead of the event today, he described Just Stop Oil as a 'really important pressure group' and stressed that he supported the right to protest.

When asked what he thought of their threats to Pride, he said: 'I am somebody who feels quite passionately that we have to tackle the climate emergency.

'And I feel quite passionately about encouraging people to join the movement to tackle the climate emergency.

'In my view, protest should be peaceful, lawful, and safe.'

Sadiq Khan joined in at the event today

Today's Pride parade will see around 600 LGBTQ+ focused groups come together

Crowds clap and cheer as the parade heads through London

Many were pictured cheering on the parade as they marched through London's hotspots

Crowds of people proudly hold rainbow flags as the march winds through the capital city

A woman and her dog watch the Pride in London parade

Participants dressed in bright purple enjoy the parade
Baby Zahraliz Francis Angueira was born weighing just 12.4 ounces in February

A 'miracle' baby born at 22 weeks was the most premature infant to have been born and survived at Saint Francis Hospital in Connecticut.

Zahraliz Francis Angueira arrived at just 22 weeks gestation and after a four month stay left the Hartford hospital on Thursday with much fanfare.

The baby girl weighed just 12.4 ounces when she was born in the early morning of February 22.

After careful attention from her mother and the hospital's NICU staff Zahraliz arrived home in Waterbury three days after her original due date, weighing seven pounds and five ounces.

The hospital staff created a special sendoff for baby Zahraliz complete with live piano music and balloons as they lined the hospital's entrance hall to clap mother and baby out.

Zahraliz Francis Angueira weighed just 12.4 ounces when she was born but left the hospital weighing seven pounds and five ounces

Hospital staff created a special sendoff for baby Zahraliz complete with live piano music and balloons as they lined the hospital's entrance hall to clap mother and baby out

Zahralizs mother, Neyshaliz Angueira, was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 18 with symptoms of preterm labor.

Anguiera was suffering from pneumonia when Zahraliz was born and both were at high risk of complications.

The new mother was willing to share her story to give other NICU families hope, the hospital said.

'I just want to share with everyone how caring the people I met at Saint Francis were,' she told News 8.

'I am so grateful for the kindness and support that was given to us.'

Angueira told NBC Connecticut that she has a special connection with her daughter now as she was also born premature.

'When she gets older, you know, this is a connection,' she said.

'This is a story that we both are going to have that we could share.'

Dr. Jose Arias-Camison, M.D., Saint Francis Hospital NICU director, said of the send off: 'It was very emotional for everybody involved.'

'I love the baby. You know, I love Zahraliz,' he said.

'We try not to get emotional about our patients, but sometimes, you know, we do become emotional.

'It was a good day yesterday for our NICU' he added.

The most premature baby known to have survived in the US was Curtis Zy-Keith Means.

Curtis was born at just 21 weeks gestation on 5 July 2020 at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital in Alabama.
The family of an 'amazing' 22-year-old who is in a coma after suffering from serious head injuries and a broken spine are desperately trying to raise 60,000 to get her on a flight home from Cyprus.

Ellie Horrocks, from Westhoughton, was rushed to hospital after her buggy overturned in the party town of Ayia Napa on Monday.

Her anguished family told how Ellie had hired a buggy to get to a spot to watch the sunset when an oncoming car forced her to swerve out of the way.

She was placed in a medically-induced coma at Nicosia Hospital after suffering from life threatening injuries to her head, spine and collarbone.

Her family are now anxiously trying to get her on a flight back to the UK.

Ellie Horrocks, 22, was rushed to hospital after her buggy overturned in the party town of Ayia Napa on Monday. Her family are desperately trying to raise money to get her home

Ellie was placed in a medically-induced coma at Nicosia Hospital after suffering from life threatening injuries to her head, spine and collarbone

Ellie's aunt Sarah said she had been working on the Mediterranean island as a bar tender since May and was enjoying 'experiencing life'.

'She's young, so she likes going out with her friends, she's got loads and loads of friends, but she's also just a very creative person.

'She's a really, really, well-loved girl,' she said.

Ellie's mother Leanne is currently staying near the hospital in Cyprus but this 'parents' worst nightmare' continues as she can only visit her for an hour a day.

'Her condition is just so unknown at the moment. It is awful - none of us are sleeping,' Sarah added.

On the GoFundMe page, Ellie's mother said: 'We urgently want to get her home to Manchester, to be treated in a specialist neurology hospital where she can heal and hopefully recover close to her family and friends.

'The cost of repatriation from Nicosia Hospital in Cyprus to the UK is significant and not covered by Ellie's insurance and this has meant we have had to reach out for help.'

So far, the page has raised over 40,000. This money will go towards the cost of an air ambulance and the medical fees in Cyprus.

Ellie had been working on the Mediterranean island as a bar tender since May

Sarah said the family wanted to thank everyone who had donated so far, saying the family had been 'overwhelmed by the messages of support, even from strangers'.

'All the donations and the kindness everyone has shown has just been incredible. So we want to thank them all,' she added.
Tiny aphids have arrived alongside a lighter bout of Canadian wildfire smoke with horrified New Yorkers sharing clips of the insects burrowed in their hair.

Videos have been posted online at rapid fire to document the infestation with one man recording the bugs lodged in his beard.

Another frightened woman turned her head around to show how scores of the insects had embedded themselves in her hair.

In other videos commuters walking through the streets or riding bikes can be seen furiously swatting the air around them.

The tiny insects could be green or black but their size has made it difficult to tell with the naked eye as their species is yet to be determined.

Speculations that they could be among the pyrophilous, or 'fire-loving,' species has been floated.

Tiny aphids have arrived alongside a lighter bout of Canadian wildfire smoke with horrified New Yorkers sharing clips of the insects burrowed in their hair

In other videos commuters walking through the streets or riding bikes can be seen furiously swatting the air around them - others just filmed the insects stuck in their hair

The tiny insects could be green or black but their size has made it difficult to tell with the naked eye as their species is yet to be determined

At least 25 families of insects including Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera are considered pyrophilous.

Curator of the division of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History David Grimaldi told NY Daily News a majority of people believed they were gnats, but they are aphids 'enjoying a boom year.'

'Aphids feed on the fluids of plants, such as tree leaves,' Grimaldi said.

'They excrete little droplets of sugary secretions which sustain ants and other insects.

'Given their numbers, these aphids are probably feeding from trees along sidewalks, in Central, Prospect and other parks.'

Aphids multiply quickly but have short life spans explained Grimaldi adding that the mild and humid spring has helped them extend their lives.

'A lot depends on the weather,' he said.

'If temperatures remain mild and humidity and rainfall high, they will survive longer, for a few days to maybe a week or more.'

Aphids are rampant in New York, however predator species typically keep them at normal levels. This year however, the boom has made that more difficult.

'There is absolutely no health concern,' Grimaldi said.

Massi Valdez was at an outdoor music event at Lincoln Center and told the outlet that he 'couldn't breathe, it was so bad.'

'While walking through the pool area it was so bad I had to close my eyes and cover my mouth to walk through because they were getting into my nose and eyes,' he said.

Speculations that they could be among the pyrophilous, or 'fire-loving' species has been floated as the bugs arrived alongside a lighter bout of Canadian wildfire smoke

Curator of the division of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History David Grimaldi said a majority of people believed they were gnats, but they are aphids

'They were all over me and everyone else walking by. It was so uncomfortable. I've never seen anything like that.'

Brooklyn resident Radiyah Chowdhury was walking to a bus stop in Crown Heights when she told the outlet she felt 'attacked.'

'Everyone around me was swatting the bugs away, too,' Chowdhury said.

'It was a futile attempt, though. There were too many of them. I thought it was isolated to that area until I reached my destination and had to speed walk through more of these swarms to reach home.'
The federal prosecutor who brought charges against Hunter Biden has hit back at claims that his investigation was managed out of DC by a Biden appointee who made the final call on charges.

David Weiss, the Trump-appointed US attorney for Delaware, fired back at the claim in a letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan on Friday, reiterating that he had 'ultimate authority' in the case.

'I have been granted ultimate authority in this case, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges and for making decisions necessary to preserve the integrity of the prosecution,' wrote Weiss, reiterating his remarks in a prior June 7 letter to Jordan, an Ohio Republican.

The letter came after IRS agent Gary Shapely testified that Weiss had tried to bring charges against Hunter Biden in Washington DC, but was blocked by DC's top federal prosecutor Matthew Graves, a Biden appointee.

Weiss explained that as US attorney for Delaware, his charging authority is normally 'geographically limited' to that district -- but said that Attorney General Merrick Garland had promised to grant him special attorney status to bring charges anywhere.

David Weiss, the Trump-appointed US attorney for Delaware, has hit back at claims that his investigation was managed out of DC by a Biden appointee

'I have been granted ultimate authority in this case, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges,' wrote Weiss of his probe into Hunter, seen Sunday

'If a venue for my case lies elsewhere, common Departmental practice is to contact the United States Attorney's Office for the district in question and determine whether it wants to partner on the case,' wrote Weiss.

'If not, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General,' he added, saying that he had assurances that he would be granted such status 'in the District of Columbia, the central District of California, or any other district where charges could be brought in this matter.'

The letter comes more than a week after Hunter Biden, 53, reached an agreement with the government to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses.

The plea deal would also avert prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as Biden adheres to conditions agreed to in court.

Weiss in his letter also denied claims that the Justice Department had 'retaliated' against Shapley and another whistleblower who criticized his handling of the Hunter Biden probe in congressional testimony.

As well, Weiss rejected Jordan's sweeping demands for documents and records related to interactions between the DOJ and IRS on the Hunter Biden case.

'I am required to protect confidential law enforcement information and deliberative communications related to the case. Thus, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation at this time,' he wrote.

'At the appropriate time, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these topics with the Committee in more detail, and answer questions related to the whistleblowers' allegations consistent with the law and department policy,' he added.

IRS agent Gary Shapely (above) testified that Weiss had tried to bring charges against Hunter Biden in Washington DC, but was blocked by DC's top federal prosecutor

Weiss' June 30 letter (above) letter comes more than a week after Hunter Biden, 53, reached an agreement with the government to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses

Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee, led by GOP Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, voted to publicly disclose congressional testimony from the two IRS employees.

The testimony from Shapley and another unidentified agent detailed what they called a pattern of 'slow-walking investigative steps' and delaying enforcement actions in the months before the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.

It is unclear whether the conflict they describe amounts to internal disagreement about how to pursue the investigation or a pattern of interference and preferential treatment.

Department policy has long warned prosecutors to take care in charging cases with potential political overtones around the time of an election, to avoid influencing the outcome.

The Justice Department has denied the claims and said Weiss, appointed to his job when Donald Trump was president, had full authority over the case.

In recent press interviews, Shapely reiterated his claims that Graves, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, had oversight over Weiss' investigation into Hunter Biden.

In an interview with Fox News, Shapely described an October 7, 2022, meeting with top IRS and FBI officials on the investigation.

President Joe Biden, son Hunter Biden and grandson Beau Biden Jr. arrive at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC last Sunday

'I was there, and I witnessed this personally,' Shapley said, noting Weiss started by saying 'he's not the deciding person whether or not charges are filed or not.'

Shapley claimed the final decision was made by officials in Washington DC. He noted Weiss meet with Graves, who was appointed by Joe Biden, in March 2022.

'After that occurred, he was no longer looking to charge,' Shapley said.

'So that's earth-shattering news,' Fox News' Bret Baier said. 'It's a Biden-appointed DC US attorney, Matthew Graves, would not allow him to charge in his district?'

'I didn't learn that fact until October 7 of 2022, so looking back to March of 2022. And that's when David Weiss, in October 7, 2022, said that the D.C. U.S. attorney's office will not allow us to charge there,' Shapley responded.

Shapley, who worked for the agency for 14 years, helped oversee the investigation into the president's son . He is raising questions over alleged special treatment throughout the probe and how the charging decisions were made.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has apologised for his country's role in the slave trade.

The monarch, 56, was speaking on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery in the Oosterpark, Amsterdam.

Willem-Alexander's apology - which follows that of Prime Minister Mark Rutte late last year - will pile pressure on Britain's King Charles III to make a similar gesture to his Dutch counterpart on the behalf of the nation.

The Netherlands abolished slavery on July 1, 1863, making Saturday the 150th anniversary. The day is known as Keti Koti, or Emancipation Day.

The king told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: 'Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.'

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has apologised for his country's role in the slave trade in a speech on Saturday

King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during the Dutch Slavery Commemoration at the Oosterpark in Amsterdam

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

'But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity,' he added in his speech, which was broadcast live on television.

Willem-Alexander's voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the country's national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Former lawmaker John Leerdam told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he felt tears running down his cheeks as the king apologized. 'It's a historic moment and we have to realise that,' he said.

Thousands of descendants of slaves from the South American nation of Suriname and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao attended the celebrations in Amsterdam for 'Keti Koti' ('breaking the chains' in Surinamese).

Willem-Alexander was accompanied by his wife Queen Maxima, who looked as classy as ever as she opted for a deep blue dress and matching stiletto heels.

The king's speech follows Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the country's role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Research published last month showed that the king's ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euros (468million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

Royal biographer Richard Fitzwilliams previously told MailOnline that the Dutch King's apology will 'influence the way that others respond in European monarchies where there are former empires involved.'

Fellow commentator Phil Dampier said that Charles 'might think about' an apology and will be put under 'more pressure' if other European royal families opt to apologise.

And former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, a prominent critic of the royal family's finances, said he believes the Dutch decision will increase the pressure on Charles, adding that he 'probably will' apologise.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signaled support for research into the UK monarchy's ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery, but haven't acknowledged the crown's connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to 'the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history.' English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

Willem-Alexander's apology will put pressure on Britain's King Charles III (pictured on Wednesday) to make a similar gesture

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima lay a wreath during the ceremony

Franc Weerwind, Queen Maxima, Linda Nooitmeer, King Willem-Alexander, Vera Bergkamp and Dilan Yesilgoz stand at a performance during the National Remembrance Day of Slavery

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, far right, and his wife Queen Maxima leave after the King apologised at the slavery monument for the royal house's role in slavery

Saturday's commemoration and speech mark the start of a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of the end of slavery, known as Keti Koti, or Emancipation Day

Mr Fitzwilliams continued: 'The fact it has been done in the Netherlands sets a precedent. But it isn't necessarily a precedent which will be followed here.'

He added: 'On an issue which is of such sensitivity you would expect that the King and the Government would act together in whatever approach.'

The Princes of Orange, including William III, who became the King of England, helped to establish a policy of exploitation, slavery and forced labour in Asia and the Caribbean, according to a study commissioned by the Dutch government.

The new Dutch study, titled 'State and Slavery', was presented to MPs in the Netherlands last week.

It found that the House of Orange earned the equivalent of 1billion (853million) in today's money during the Dutch slave trade and the era of colonialism.

When Rutte apologized in December for the Netherlands' historic role in slavery and the slave trade - an apology that also included the royal house - he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million-euro (172million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the issue.

That isn't enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the king's speech Saturday under the banner 'No healing without reparations.'

'A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations,' said Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas.

'Just as we remember our forefathers on this day, we also feel free, we can wear what we want, and we can show the rest of the world that we are free.' said 72-year-old Regina Benescia-van Windt.

The Netherlands' often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s.

Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands aren't alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

The monarch, 56, was speaking on Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery in the Oosterpark, Amsterdam

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during the Dutch Slavery Commemoration

Winti priest Marian Markelo carries out a libation at the slavery monument prior to the speech

President of the House of Representatives Vera Bergkamp (C) and President of the Senate Jan Anthonie Bruijn (R) lay a wreath

People arrive to attend the ceremony where Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivered a speech

The king's speech follows Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying sorry late last year for the country's role in the slave trade and slavery

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century.

King Philippe of Belgium has expressed 'deepest regrets' for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the church's role in slavery.

Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

Whilst Britain banned the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807, slavery itself continued in British colonies until 1833, when it was made illegal by an act of Parliament.

Wealth produced from the slave trade fuelled the Dutch 'golden age' in the 16th and 17th centuries, when trade, science, art and commerce flourished in the country.

Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, then formed the heart of the global economic system.

The Dutch East India Company, formed in 1602, was the world's first multinational corporation and established colonies across the world.

The Netherlands' colonies included the Dutch East Indies in what is now Indonesia, along with the African nation of Suriname and several Caribbean islands.

The Princes of Orange oversaw the Dutch legislature, which was then known as the 'states general' and commanded the army.

They also had key roles in setting up both the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and West India Company, which were the main organisations responsible for slavery.

The Princes of Orange, including William III (above), who became the King of England, helped to establish a policy of exploitation, slavery and forced labour in Asia and the Caribbean, according to a study commissioned by the Dutch government
Andrew Tate was 'constantly trying to impress' girls with flash cars and alcohol when he was a teenager to make up for having no friends in school, a Love Island star claimed today.

Malin Andersson first met the controversial influencer and his brother Tristan - who are both facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania - at an under 18s night in Bedford.

The motivational speaker, 30, revealed how there was always something 'not right' about the pair, who she met more than once on evenings out in her youth.

Ms Andersson, who once competed in the Miss England final, told the Sun: 'They would constantly be trying to buy us drinks and they were really strange, so very unapproachable.

'They were very cocksure. You could tell they had arrogance although Tristan was very sweet at that time. Tristan was always the sweeter brother when he was younger. I think Andrew had quite a big influence on his brother.

Malin Andersson first met the controversial influencer and his brother Tristan at an under 18s night in Bedford

A Romanian court last week extended the house arrest of Tate - who is charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women - by 30 days

'We used to hang out at these bars because they'd always go and bring a different car, a nice car. I remember a Porsche.'

Despite their bravado, the brothers, who were born in America before being brought up in a council estate in Luton, were described as being 'geeks' at school, with few friends.

Ms Andersson also revealed how she and her friend stopped speaking to the Tates when they were 'rude' dropping them home after a night out.

A Romanian court last week extended the house arrest of Tate - who is charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women - by 30 days.

Tate, who has nearly seven million Twitter followers and is known for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, was initially arrested near the capital Bucharest in late December, along with Tristan. Two Romanian women are also charged in the case.

The former professional kickboxer, 36, known to peddle conspiracy theories online to his mostly young male followers, says prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence his views.

Ms Andersson, pictured as a Miss England finalist, also revealed how she and her friend stopped speaking to the Tates when they were 'rude' dropping them home after a night out

The motivational speaker, 30, revealed how there was always something 'not right' about the pair, who she met more than once on evenings out in her youth

Tate was previously banned from several prominent social media platforms for hate speech and misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted.

Several women in Britain are pursuing civil claims to obtain damages from Tate, alleging they were victims of sexual violence.

During the investigations, prosecutors ordered the confiscation of the Tate brothers' assets, including 15 luxury cars, watches and about 2.3 million in cryptocurrency.
The Oregon Department of Human Services has attracted criticism for stating the preferred pronouns, rather than sex, of three missing children.

The brothers Brantley Hinson, 7, Logan Hinson, 4, and River Hinson, two, went missing on June 17 and authorities said they had reason to believe they were at risk, KTVL reported.

The ODHS' Child Welfare Division appealed for public help to find the missing children who they speculated could be in Oregon, Idaho, or Alaska, and provided descriptions of the children.

In the identifying descriptions the division included 'he/him' pronouns alongside other descriptions such as age and hair color, a move that was dubbed 'unbelievable'.

The children were found alongside their their mother Stephanie Lloyd on June 28 and the Child Welfare Division offered their thanks to the community that supported the search.

The brothers Brantley Hinson, 7, Logan Hinson, 4, and River Hinson, 3, went missing on June 17 and authorities said they had reason to believe they were at risk

In the identifying descriptions the ODHS included 'he/him' pronouns alongside other descriptions such as age and hair color

Preferred pronouns are used to signal a person is friendly towards transgender or non-binary people, whose gender may not align with their appearance - or be obvious in the first place.

One social media user said the use of the children's gender identity was 'unbelievable' and normalized gender self-identification.

'These 3 little boys are missing, and instead of listing their gender as part of their description, their preferred pronouns are listed instead. Unbelievable' the user, who goes by the handle @Kriscilicious, wrote on Twitter.

Adding: 'Like people are supposed to be looking for preferred pronouns. No, theyre going to be looking for little boys. Its just another way for them to try and normalize this, but at the expense of helping find these kids.'

Fariborz Pakseresht, Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) whose Child Welfare Division appealed for public help to find the missing children

One social media user said the use of the children's gender identity was 'unbelievable' and normalized gender self-identification

Other users agreed, with one writing under the post 'Pronouns have never helped a detective solve a case. Ridiculous.'

However, others did not take issue with their inclusion, Maggie Ryan commented 'three little boys are missing and you're triggered by paperwork that lists pronouns. That's what's unbelievable here.'

The Oregon Department of Human Services did not immediately respond to request for comment.
If anyone thought Donald Trump's legals woes would eat into his public support in red state America then no one thought to tell the people of Pickens, South Carolina.

Its population of 3,300 was swollen by thousands more who crammed into its main street to see the former president hold his first rally since being being charged with mishandling classified documents.

Supporters behind him waved 'witch hunt' signs as he described how he had been charged under the Espionage Act.

'Me? the espionage act?' he said, describing how it was a an 'act for crimes so heinous' that the death penalty was needed.

'it's one of the most vicious legal theories ever put in a court of law. there's never been anything like this,' he added.

Insiders said the words were not the most important thing. The size of the crowd was what mattered about the day, making it a huge show of support.

Thousands of people crammed into Pickens main street on Saturday despite sweltering temperatures to see former President Donald Trump hold a rally

And it brought the former president to one of the early state's most pro-Trump counties, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The tiny city of Pickens closed its streets for the former president, packing in supporters who had traveled from North Carolina and Georgia, as well as South Carolina.

They stood on Main Street, between the county courthouse and Biven's hardware store.

They heard Trump describe how as president he had 'absolute right' to declassify documents. And he said he was changing up his language because of the way he had been forced to appear in court earlier this month.

'Now the gloves are off from that standpoint, what they've done is so terrible,' he said.

'So I'll speak differently than I would have three weeks ago, because you never heard me use this kind of language. I wouldn't want to out respect for our country and for the office.

'But we really have no choice. These people are sick. They're sick people.'

And he called special counsel Jack Smith a 'thug' for the way he had been pursued.

Trump appeared in 90F degree temperatures in Pickens, South Carolina, where he said he had been unfairly pursued in the documents case

Hundreds of people left early and dozens needed medical help in soaring temperatures

Supporters cheered. They had endured a wait in 90F temperatures for Trump, and hundreds left early in the brutal weather.

But those who stayed lapped it up.

'It's all B.S.,' said Rick Fisher, a retired general contractor, when asked whether the charges would undermine Trump's support. 'They can't beat him any other way. They have to cheat.'

He added that he had come simply to hear and see Trump.

'He just makes you feel better,' he said. 'Knowing what he can do for the economy.'

It showed that the charges had made little difference to Trump's bedrock of support in rural America, said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as she shuttled between TV cameras before the former president arrived.

'It shows Trump is going to win,' she said.

Trump hit his favorite themes, dinging 'crooked Hillary, accusing the Biden family of corruption, promising he would prevent World War Three in Ukraine, promising to 'drain the swamp,' and reheating his claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

He ridiculed Biden's verbal gaffe this week when he muddled Iraq and Ukraine.

'If you look at the leaders of the world, these people are at the top of their game President Xi and Kim Jong-un and I could name almost every country, but we have somebody that's not at all.... he said.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posed for selfies with fans and was one of the speakers who warmed the crowd up before Trump's arrival from Bedminster, New Jersey

Trump invited the Rushingbrook Children's Choir, from nearby Greenville, to perform after they were prevented from signing the national anthem at the U.S. Capitol

Saying twice this week, as an example, that Russia is losing the war to Iraq.'

The rally also gave Trump the chance to show off his support in a state that two of his rivals for the Republican nominations  former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott  call home.

Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the festival setting would give Trump a chance to meet people up close. 'Retail politics on steroids,' he called it.

'We'll still have rallies,' he said.

'We're trying to we're trying to do a lot of different things, and a lot of non-traditional things. This is one of them.'

Trump's event is part of the city's 'Independence Day Spectacular,' which includes a fireworks display at dusk. City-center roads will be closed to hold the crowds.

The city of Pickens had been planning the event for eight months. Then Sen. Lindsey Graham called a few weeks ago to ask if Trump could speak, according to Bryan Owens, the city's marketing director.

'The reason they chose Pickens is because its quaint, historic and beautiful,' he told WSPA, the local CBS affiliate.

'We want to be able to showcase that to the world. Just like anybody else, we welcome anybody who wants to come to Pickens and see the beauty we have to offer.'

Trump was forced to cancel a rally in Iowa last month as a storm closed in. Workers are pictured dismantling structures at the site after it was postponed

But the V.I.P. guest created a headache, forcing officials to work out how they could fit the expected crowds into the city-center.

Trump invited the Rushingbrook Children's Choir, from nearby Greenville, to perform.

The choir went viral with a video showing them singing the national anthem in the U.S. Capitol only for them to be stopped by police.

Officers initially said they were preventing a 'demonstration' only for them to backtrack and claim there had been a miscommunication.

Trump was on friendly territory. The county voted 74 percent in his favor at the 2020 election, and attendees are expected to come from its near neighbors of North Carolina and Georgia.

Rallies are a key part of Trump's strategy, like this one he held in Waco, Texas, in March

Trump's last rally was planned for Des Moines, Iowa, in May but had to be abandoned amid tornado warnings.

Trump is the clear frontrunner for the G.O.P. nomination and is frequently polling about 50 percent among Republicans when asked for their primary pick.

On Friday evening, he addressed the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia.

He welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to end President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

'Today, the Supreme Court also ruled that President Biden is not allowed to wipe out trillions of dollars in student loan debt, which would have been very unfair to the millions of people who have paid their debt through hard work and diligence,' he said.
Eco-zealots are complaining that police cancelled their evening of live music and are now pledging to 'rave against repression'.

Campaigning group Fossil Free London posted on social media that they had organised a music night in Kentish Town with Just Stop Oil.

They had planned for live acoustic sets and a DJ, however the group says that 'the police contacted the venue and put them under pressure, forcing them to cancel our party'.

Fossil Free London then wrote: 'As if threatening disruptive protest wasn't enough, are they trying to make partying illegal now!?

'Activism is not a crime and nor is listening to great music. Obviously! We're not going to take this.

Just Stop Oil posted an identical message to Fossil Free London explaining how the police 'cancelled' their party

The eco-zealots have since said they are going to party 'much bigger and much better' on their new poster

'In response to this utterly bizarre repression of music and dancing we are going to go much bigger and much better. Join us.

READ MORE: Police arrest seven as Just Stop Oil protesters halt Pride parade Advertisement

'Pledge to party against the police state now and we'll be in touch with our new plans for rhythms of resistance and defiant dance just as soon as we've made them. We're going to make this MASSIVE.'

In a poster they have created for their social media account, Fossil Free London and Just Stop Oil wrote 'Rave against repression' and 'pledge to party against the police state'.

They also concluded the poster by saying information about the date and venue are to follow.

Earlier today it was revealed that Just Stop Oil stormed London's historic Pride parade after issuing threats to the LGBTQ+ event earlier this week.

Seven eco-zealots have been arrested after nine blocked the capital's Pride March today amidst calls for the event to condemn new oil, gas and coal.

At around 1:25pm, the group sat down in front of the festival's Coca-Cola float, branding it 'the worlds worst plastic polluter, accused of numerous human rights abuses'.

Black and pink paint was also sprayed across the road as the protestors slammed Pride for failing 'to address and take responsibility' for its damaging relationships.

Nine members of Just Stop Oil stormed London's Pride parade earlier this afternoon

As one eco-zealot lay in the road, others sprayed black and pink paint on the tarmac the CocaCola float

Parade participants and onlookers who have travelled to the capital today were frustrated by the disruption, with some attempting to negotiate with the protesters as they were sat in the road.

It comes as millions cloaked in rainbows and glitter headed to the event to mark 51 years since its first parade for LGBTQ+ rights in 1972.
A judge in Texas has tossed out a Catholic nun's $1 million defamation suit against the bishop who accused her of sexting with a priest, ruling that the court lacks jurisdiction in the dispute.

Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach and the Discalced Carmelite Nuns filed the suit against Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson, who ejected her from the religious order after accusing her of breaking her vow of chastity with a priest.

The priest was identified this week as Father Philip G. Johnson of the Diocese of Raleigh, a Navy veteran and brain cancer survivor who first contacted Gerlach seeking prayers from her nuns.

In a ruling on Friday, Judge Don Cosby of Tarrant County's 67th District Court said that the nuns' suit was 'dismissed for want of subject-matter jurisdiction' after the bishop argued the bitter dispute was purely a religious matter.

Within hours of the ruling, the Arlington Police Department told DailyMail.com that it had also closed its criminal investigation into claims associated with the civil case, after finding no charges were merited.

Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach (second from right) and her Carmelite nuns sued the bishop of Fort Worth for defamation after he accused her of breaking her vow of chastity

Bishop Olson's claims centered on Gerlcah's phone and email communications with Father Philip G. Johnson (above) of the Diocese of Raleigh, a Navy veteran and brain cancer survivor

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Gerlach's attorney Matthew Bobo slammed Cosby's ruling and vowed to appeal.

'We are shocked, extremely disappointed and respectfully disagree with Judge Cosby's decision,' said Bobo, who represents Gerlach and the other Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington.

Bobo argued that the court decision signaled that 'a Catholic Bishop may publicly defame a Catholic to the media multiple times, and Catholic priests may freely manifest Catholics' alleged sins to the entire world without any repercussion, either from the Vatican or the civil justice system.'

For his part, Olson said he was 'grateful' for the court ruling dismissing the case.

The decision vindicates our steadfast belief that this is a private Church matter that does not belong in the courts,' the bishop told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'This matter will continue to proceed through an established canonical process. Bishop Olson again asks the faithful for their continued prayers for the Diocese, Mother Teresa Agnes, and all of the nuns at the monastery,' he added.

In their suit against Olson and the diocese, the nuns alleged the bishop stormed into their convent in April, confiscating phones and interrogating nuns, as he pursued his investigation into

Meanwhile, police in Arlington said that their criminal investigation into events at the monastery 'is now considered closed.'

Cops in the Texas town had opened the investigation in response to a complaint filed by the attorney for the nuns, and a cross-complaint from Olson alleging the use of marijuana at the convent.

Bishop Olson, seen entering court this week, said he was 'grateful' for a judge's ruling tossing out the lawsuit against him, calling the dispute a 'private Church matter'

Gerlach, 43, has severe chronic health issues that require her to use a wheelchair, feeding tube and receive round-the-clock care from a fellow nun

Johnson is currently assigned to the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina, which confirmed in a statement that his priestly powers are being restricted while the matter is under investigation

'The Arlington Police Department has concluded its investigation into allegations concerning the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity here in our city,' the department told DailyMail.com.

'The purpose of this investigation was to gather information and determine whether any criminal offenses had been committed in connection to the ongoing civil matter between the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and the Discalced Carmelite Nuns who live at the Monastery.

'Following a thorough and extensive review by APD detectives, and in consultation with the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, we have determined probable cause does not exist to file criminal charges against any of the individuals involved. The case is now considered closed,' the statement added.

The developments follows months of wild controversy in the saga, in which Olson accused Gerlach of 'sexting' with a priest, before banishing her from the Carmelite order, which she joined soon after graduating from high school 25 years ago.

The controversy has bitterly divided the Catholic community in Fort Worth, and supporters of the Carmelite nuns have launched a petition for Bishop Olson's removal for abuse of power, garnering more than 500 signatures.

Gerlach, 43, has severe chronic health issues that sometimes require her to use a wheelchair. She also uses a feeding tube and receives round-the-clock care from a fellow nun, her attorney has previously told DailyMail.com.

On June 1, Bishop Olson (above) banished Gerlach from her order, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, one day after receiving special powers from the Vatican to pursue his investigation

Olson released in court a recording of his April 24 interview with Gerlach at the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity (above), the convent she ran in Arlington

In an audio recording played in court this week, she appeared to admit to falling in love with a priest over long-distance communications -- but she firmly denies violating her vow of chastity under church laws.

The priest Johnson was only identified this week, and Olson has said he refused to cooperate with the Fort Worth Diocese's investigation into the sexting claims.

On June 1, Olson banished Gerlach from her order, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, one day after receiving special powers from the Vatican to pursue his investigation.

Olson said at the time he had found the nun 'guilty of having violated the sixth commandment of the Decalogue and her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the Diocese of Fort Worth,' but did not name the priest.

In the Catholic Church, the Sixth Commandment is 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' and forbids sex outside of marriage. Catholic priests and nuns are forbidden to marry and take vows of celibate chastity.

No direct evidence of the sexting has emerged in court, but rather the diocese has presented testimony and recordings documenting Gerlach's admissions that she had fallen in love with a priest through long-distance communications.

The priest Johnson is currently assigned to the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina, which confirmed in a statement to DailyMail.com that his priestly powers are being restricted while the matter is under investigation.

He did not respond to multiple interview requests from DailyMail.com this week.
YouTube bodybuilding star Joesthetics has died from an aneurysm aged 30.

German influencer Jo Lindner rose to fame posting fitness videos on social media, and was known to his eight million Instagram followers for the great lengths he would go to to maintain his physique.

Just weeks before his death he said he feared over-training would give him a heart attack due to his rare muscular condition.

His heartbroken girlfriend Nicha, opening up on social media, said that he died in his room while cuddling her after dressing her in a necklace he had made.

The bodybuilder - who spent time in Thailand and Dubai - had felt a pain in his neck three days before, but had not realised what this was.

His heartbroken girlfriend Nicha, opening up on social media, said that he died in his room

She said he had been cuddling her after had just dressed her in a necklace he had made

Joe Lindler - who spent time in Thailand and Dubai - had felt a pain in his neck three days before, but had not realised what this wa

Just weeks before his death he said he feared over-training would give him a heart attack due to his rare muscular condition

He was waiting to go to the gym with bodybuilder friend Noel Deyzel when he unexpectedly died

She continued: 'He was in my arms.. than this is just happening too fast.. 3 days ago he kept said that he pain his neck .. we not really realize it until it too late.

'At this moment I couldnt write anything much. Trust me this man is more than what you ever know.

'If your guys were know him like I do his is the amazing and incredible person in this world.'

An aneurysm occurs when an artery wall weakens, allowing it to widen.

He was waiting to go to the gym with bodybuilder friend Noel Deyzel when he unexpectedly died.

Taking to social media, Noel - who himself has more than four million followers - said: 'I still keep checking my phone waiting for your reply so we can meet at the gym.

'I'm broken bro, you opened your arms up to us, you showed us so much about life and social media. Your generosity towards myself and others will forever stay with me.

'I still don't believe this is true because you still had so much to do and go for.'

German influencer Jo Lindner rose to fame posting fitness videos on social media, and was known to his eight million Instagram followers for the great lengths he would go to to maintain his physique

Speaking on YouTube in June, he opened up about having rippling muscle disease

An aneurysm occurs when an artery wall weakens, allowing it to widen

Alongside bodybuilding his social media showcased his love of fashion - particularly trainers - and his experimental hairstyles

Alongside bodybuilding his social media showcased his love of fashion - particularly trainers - and his experimental hairstyles.

Mr Deyzel continued: 'You made one huge impact in the world bro and you will never be forgotten. The legacy you created will live on forever and people will be inspired for years to come.

'I just don't know what to say anymore. It hurts to know you are gone forever man. I love you bro, rest easy.'

Speaking on YouTube in June, he opened up about having rippling muscle disease - which can make your muscles especially sensitive to movement or pressure.

'The heart is also a muscle, thats my biggest concern that what if I get such a bad cramp that my heart gets a cramp,' he told Bradley Martyn's Raw Talk.
Satellite images show dozens of tents have been erected within past two weeks

Russian rebel warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has built a new base for 8,000 men from his Wagner private army in Belarus, new satellite pictures show.

The Wagner chief has been exiled in Belarus since his mercenary group threatened mutiny by marching to Moscow in an attempted coup - only to pull out at the 11th hour, saving Vladimir Putin's blushes.

Moving to Belarus was part of the deal the Kremlin struck with Prigozhin to end last weekend's rebellion that represented the biggest threat to Putin's authority since he took office more than 20 years ago and led the Russian despot to raise fears of a civil war.

Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said his country could use their experience and expertise and offered the paramilitary group an 'abandoned military unit' to set up camp.

Now just days after their arrival, images provided by Planet Labs PLC show that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at the former military base outside Osipovichi, a Belarusian town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.

Russian rebel warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured) has built a new base for 8,000 men from his Wagner private army in Belarus, new satellite pictures show

 Slide me  A new base for Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner private army has been built in the last two weeks. On June 15, there were no signs of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible today

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. He has now arrived in Belarus

Satellite pictures from June 15 and June 30 are in stark contrast from one another. A fortnight ago, there were no signs of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible today.

READ MORE: Ukraine moves soldiers north to protect its border from a possible invasion by mercenary Wagner troops Advertisement

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, said on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was under way near Osipovichi.

And a spokesman for Ukraine's border force told local media that up to 8,000 fighters from the Wagner revels may be deployed in Belarus.

Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said that Ukraine would strengthen its 674-mile border with Belarus amid threats of a possible Wagner invasion.

Ukraine's move follows a meeting of its top military commanders on Thursday. Afterwards, President Zelensky said on social media: 'The decision is for Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi and Northern commander Serhiy Naev to implement a set of measures to strengthen this direction.'

Lukashenko has previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine.

He has also welcomed a continued Russian armed presence in Belarus, including joint military camps and exercises, as well as the deployment of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons there.

Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured with Putin on June 9)

Ukraine will strengthen its 674-mile border with Belarus amid threats of a possible Wagner invasion

Lukashenko said he told Prigozhin that he would be 'squashed like a bug' if he tried to attack Moscow, and warned that the Kremlin would never fulfil his demand to oust Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, General Valery Gerasimov.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that Prigozhin had planned to kidnap the heads of the Russian military while they were on a visit to the south.

But Russia's FSB security service learned of the plan and Shoigu and Gerasimov changed their travel to avoid capture, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed officials.

Mr Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that as of this week, some 2,000 troops from regular Russian army units remained stationed in Belarus.

At a gala evening on Friday marking the Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said that the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training by Wagner members, and asserted that the mercenaries were 'not a threat' to Belarusians.

He also declared that he was 'sure' Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory, and would not get directly involved in Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Lukashenko said: 'The longer we live, the more we are convinced that (nuclear weapons) should be with us, in Belarus, in a safe place. And I am sure that we will never have to use them while we have them, and the enemy shall never set foot on our soil.'

Lukashenko declared that he was 'sure' Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory, and would not get directly involved in Moscow's war against Ukraine

It contradicts previous statements the dictator has made where he has insisted he would not be afraid to use nuclear weapons sent to Belarus by Russia.

Earlier this year, Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons to Moscow's neighbour and ally in a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military support for Ukraine.

The Russian president has emphasised that Moscow will retain control of them, but Lukashenko's previous statements have contradicted that.

'God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression,' Lukashenko, known for his blustery statements, said last month, according to the state news agency BelTA.

Since Lukashenko welcomed Prigozhin and his men to Belarus, the Wagner chief, formerly nicknamed Putin's Chef, boasted he could capture Ukraine 'in a day' and the border separating the countries in only 125 miles from Kyiv.

Before his arrival, Prigozhin was said to have been holed up in a windowless hotel room in Minsk to avoid assassination after aborting an armed uprising against the Russian defence ministry.

Vladimir Putin is set to increase salaries for military servicemen by 10.5 per cent in a bid to increase support

From October 1, the Russian military will receive a pay rise as Putin looks to get his troops on side. (file image)

In the aftermath of last Saturday's mutiny by Wagner, which saw thousands of heavily armed troops seize the city of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, it appeared the group and its charismatic leader had been marginalised by the Kremlin.

However, it appears there could be more to their relocation to Belarus than moving them out of harm's way - hence Ukraine's decision to counter the move.

Wagner is also continuing to recruit soldiers from cities across Russia for future operations.

So it would seem it is 'business is usual' for the group despite the apparent feud between Prigozhin and Putin - and threats by the Kremlin to disband Wagner.

Amid the fallout of Wagner's mutiny, the mercenary group's logo was today pictured being removed from windows of their former headquarters in St Petersburg - perhaps in a move to eradicate any memory of the threat to power Putin faced.

It follows a desperate attempt by Putin to boost his support, starting with the announcement he will increase salaries for military servicemen by 10.5 per cent.

Wagner's logo was today pictured being removed from windows of their former headquarters in St Petersburg

The PMC Wagner Centre has several logos on the windows, which staff were removing today

Vladimir Putin took part in a rare meet-and-greet that saw him mobbed by a crowd as he posed for selfies with young girls

Russian president Vladimir Putin is seen snapping a selfie with an adoring teen from Dagestan

From October 1 soldiers will see the pay rise, a government decree published on the official web portal showed yesterday.

Putin was also seen attempting to further consolidate support with a rare meet-and-greet that saw the dictator cheered by a crowd as he posed for selfies with young girls.

Footage from Wednesday night's event - a presidential appearance during a trip to the city of Derbent in the Dagestan region of southern Russia - showed how he dived into a nighttime crowd like a Hollywood actor at a red carpet show.

On Thursday, he made another public appearance where he was bizarrely pictured doodling on an interactive whiteboard during a surprise walkabout in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan.
Russian fears over a deadly new bomb attack on a giant 3 billion bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland triggered massive traffic jams today.

Tourists are flocking to the occupied Black Sea peninsula but every vehicle is being scrupulously searched for explosives.

A bomb blast in October on a truck crossing the bridge caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing which has since been repaired.

Yet Russian officials remain paranoid over a new attack on the ten miles crossing built as a vanity project by Vladimir Putin.

The queue stretched back six miles today with seven hour waiting times amid scenes of chaos at the crossing during the war against Ukraine.

Russian fears over a deadly new bomb attack on a giant 3 billion bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland triggered massive traffic jams today (pictured)

Tourists are flocking to the occupied Black Sea peninsula but every vehicle is being scrupulously searched for explosives

A bomb blast in October on a truck crossing the bridge caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing which has since been repaired

The Putin-appointed official in charge of transport in Crimea Nikolai Lukashenko said: 'Staff numbers on the inspection lines have been increased and control over their work has been strengthened.

'We apologise to citizens for the inconvenience.'

'One angry waiting tourist said: 'The situation is a nightmare. We didn't sleep at night.

'We are practically without water, food, and we have two small children.

'The system is completely dysfunctional.'

Another complained: 'We stood for three hours without moving.'

Many Russians cannot travel to Mediterranean destinations this summer because of visa curbs and Western sanctions due to Putin's war against Ukraine.

They are flocking to Crimea instead - even though it is potentially a war target.

Russian officials remain paranoid over a new attack on the ten miles crossing (pictured) built as a vanity project by Vladimir Putin

Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia

The blast ripped through the road and rail bridge which connects Crimea to Russia, killing three people, causing damage and igniting a huge fire. Pictured: The bridge on fire after the explosion on October 8

The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic

The Russian rouble has also plummeted due to Putin's war making foreign travel out of reach for millions, leading them to risk summer vacations in the region.

Crimea is now in range of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, but tourists are still surging to the stunning peninsula.

This is despite many beaches being dug with trenches in case Ukraine mounts a counteroffensive to grab back its territory.

Reports also suggest some beaches have been mined by the Russians in the traditional summer season vacation playground.

The 12-mile road and rail bridge, which was personally opened by Putin in 2018, was bombed on October 8 in an attack Russia said was carried out by Ukraine.

It had become logistically vital to Putin's military campaign, with supplies to Russian troops fighting in south Ukraine channelled through it.

Putin has been warned the Ukrainians could try and destroy it beyond repair.

Knocking the bridge out for six months could make it harder for Putin to cling onto Crimea which he annexed in 2014, he has been warned.

The bridge is important for Moscow, a vital transport link for moving military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Pictured: Workers restore the railway tracks on the Kerch bridge after the explosion

Pictured: Repair works are carried out on the Kerch bridge on November 19

Some 1,214 tonnes of metal structures were assembled to repair the bridge, with 500 workers including divers deployed around the clock.

Ukraine never claimed responsibility for the bombing of the bridge on the morning of Oct. 8, a day after Putin's 70th birthday. Russia's Federal Security Service said the attack was organised by Ukrainian military intelligence.

The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic across the Kerch Strait.

The blast also destroyed several fuel tankers on a train heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula from neighbouring southern Russia.

The bridge opened four years after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, serving as a symbol of Moscow's regional dominance as well as a crucial route for getting military supplies to Ukraine and Russian travellers to a popular vacation destination.
A body has been found in the search for a disabled mother who disappeared on her mobility scooter amid fears she had topped into a nearby river.

Fiona Edson, 51, left her home in Chippenham, Wiltshire, at about 1pm on Sunday afternoon and hasn't been seen since.

An extensive search effort was carried out to find the missing mother.

Wiltshire Police has now confirmed they have found a body in the Calne area, but formal identification had yet to take place.

The force said on Twitter: 'We can confirm that a body has been found in the Calne area in the search for missing Chippenham woman Fiona Edson.

Fiona Edson left her home in Chippenham, Wiltshire, at about 1pm on Sunday afternoon and hasn't been seen since

Police, helicopters, drones and trained dogs have been involved in the search

Police, the fire service and the Wiltshire Search and Rescue (WILSAR) charity have been looking for Fiona in the Monkton Park area since the early hours of Monday

'Although formal identification has not yet taken place, Fiona's family have been updated. We do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances.'

Chippenham Police also posted: 'We can confirm that a body has been found this afternoon (1/7) in the Calne area in the search for missing Chippenham woman Fiona Edson.

'Although formal identification has not yet taken place, Fiona's family have been updated regarding this development and are being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this extremely difficult time.

'Our thoughts remain with Fiona's family and friends. Formal identification will take place in due course.

'Although it is early stages, we do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.'

Fiona uses a mobility scooter and it is feared she could have fallen into the river with it

Emergency services scoured the area around Monkton Park, Chippenham, in the search for the 51-year-old

Fiona's death sent shock waves through the community, who took to social media to express their condolences for her family.

One user said: 'I've been thinking about this lady a lot. I'm so sorry to hear of this outcome. I hope you're at peace now Fiona, thoughts are with your family and friends.'

Another added: 'This is so sad, was hoping on some happier news. Sending love and strength to her family.'

Police, the fire service and the Wiltshire Search and Rescue (WILSAR) charity have been looking for Fiona in the Monkton Park area since the early hours of Monday.

Dozens of specially-trained volunteers have been involved in the hunt, as well as a police helicopter - which circled the town twice on Monday - and drones.

Boats were deployed on the River Avon by WILSAR, but subsequent searches of the water couldn't go ahead due to the boat sustained damage.

The inflatable craft's propeller was taken out of action when it struck a large metal object beneath the surface - thought to be a dumped trolley.

On Thursday, a cadaver dog - also known as a human-remains detection dog - was also deployed alongside the fast-flowing stretch of the river.

The clever dog can sniff out human scent particles emanating from the water - and then indicate the find to its handler.

Police are urging anyone who was around the Monkton Park area to try to cast their minds back to Sunday

A body has been found in the search for Fiona Edson today, July 1

In a plea for help, Detective Inspector Mark Kent, of Wiltshire Police, asked people to 'cast their minds back' to Sunday afternoon and get in touch with any information that could relate to Fiona's disappearance.

Speaking about the damaged boat, WILSAR chairman Adrian Sawyer said: 'Our 4m inflatable is the only powered boat based in Wiltshire.

'Until it is repaired we will be calling in mutual aid from out of county.

'In 2023 alone it has been deployed to nine incidents so far, and used to recover three bodies from rivers, in some very challenging conditions.

'It's a vital tool, and essential to have available for any incident involving water or flooding'.
A British army veteran nicknamed Rambo has returned to the front line in Ukraine just months after he survived getting shot multiple times by Russian troops and was blown up in an artillery blast.

Shareef Amin, 40, who served nine years in Britain's 1st Battalion 'The Rifles' including two tours of Afghanistan, nearly lost his right leg and arm when he and his Ukrainian comrades were relentlessly shelled while on a reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines last October.

Astonishingly, less than nine months after he was left with bullet wounds, punctures to both his lungs and shrapnel embedded in all four limbs, Amin has returned to the bloody war because he 'couldn't turn my back on the people of Ukraine'.

'I originally went to fight for freedom at a time when peace in Europe was being threatened by a crazed dictator,' the British war hero told The Sun.

'That job is not over. Until it is, until Ukraine wins, I will do whatever I can to help.

Shareef Amin, 40, a veteran of 1st Battalion 'The Rifles' who served two tours of Afghanistan, was badly wounded in October while fighting in Ukraine (left)

The British war hero documented his return to Ukraine in a video. Here, he is pictured with a comrade back in Ukraine

'I made a commitment to the people of that country and I intend to honour it until the very last bullet is fired.'

Despite suffering horrific injures, Amin was rescued by his comrades and had surgery to save his arm and leg in a military hospital in Odessa.

After being evacuated home on a private medical jet in December, surgeons in Bristol - where he is from - treated Amin after friends raised money to get him back to his Ukrainian fiancee Helen Vitvickaja and her ten-year-old son Platon.

Amin - nicknamed 'Rambo' by his comrades - first went to Ukraine to provide humanitarian assistance before signing up to fight

Amin, who has been reunited with Kyiv troops in the flood-hit city of Kherson, said that he loves the people of Ukraine and despite suffering life-threatening injuries, he has adapted to managing the pain. He said that while he is still breathing, he will continue in 'fighting the good fight'.

Posting a video of his return to the war, Amin said: 'So guys finally back in Ukraine after several months of rehabilitation. We've just about finished the last stage of getting across the border and round two here we go. Slava Ukraine.'

The British veteran arrives in Kherson just weeks after the Kakhovka dam was blown up - which both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for.

Amin also returns amid Ukraine's counter-offensive and the aftermath of the staggering attempted mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin's private army, Wagner.

Speaking from his hospital bed after the Russian assault, Amin previously told how he had gone to Ukraine almost as soon as the war broke out in February 2022 and initially provided humanitarian support.

But as the fighting ramped up he began using the skills he had learned in the British military to train the Ukrainians, before eventually signing up as a soldier.

Amin and his unit were then attacked by Russian troops while patrolling the frontlines last October.

He described sheltering in a shallow trench alongside a Ukrainian comrade known as 'the Professor' as they were shelled.

He said: '[We were] helmet to helmet, hand in hand, as the artillery rounds just kept coming. The next thing I know I hear this almighty thud.

'It felt like someone had dragged me underground. I just saw red. Professor's body just went limp like a rag doll. He landed on top of me.

Amin pictured with another comrade on the front line after bravely returning to Ukraine. He arrives in Kherson just weeks after the Kakhovka dam was blown up - which both Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for

This screen grab from a video posted on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's Twitter account on June 6, 2023 shows an aerial view of the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station after it was partially destroyed

The Kherson region was devastated by floods after the destruction of Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant

'At that point I knew I'd been hit. I thought, "I'm dead here. This is where I die." So I accepted it. Professor was gone, I couldn't get him off me.'

Amin recalled shouting to another comrade - Oleh Shumov, known as 'Sham' - to say that he was still alive and needed help.

He described how, despite still being under fire, Sham jumped out of his own trench and dragged the Professor's body away.

It was then that Amin was confronted with the horrifying extent of his own injures: His right hand was hanging off at the wrist and a piece of shrapnel 'the size of a tin can' was embedded in his right leg.

Though he didn't know it at the time, shrapnel had also found its way under his body armour and into his back, puncturing both lungs.

'I pushed myself up and felt this almighty agony through my lungs, through my arm,' he recalled.

Amin (pictured) also returns amid Ukraine's counter-offensive and the aftermath of the staggering attempted mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin's private army, Wagner

The British army veteran has returned to Ukraine amid Russia's 16-month long invasion. Pictured: Amin in hospital left and his Ukrainian fiancee Helen Vitvickaja, right

'All I had was my left arm. I had my belt kit around me, my body armour, everything on me. I don't know how I got the strength to pull myself out of that ditch but I did.

'As I did, I sort of rolled myself into a front crawl and could see this huge piece of shrapnel sticking out of my leg. It was like a tin can.

'So I forced myself onto my back, and my commander pulled me away into some sort of cover as the rounds kept coming down.

'It started to rain and I told my commander "you need to get me off these rocks, I'm lying on rocks here and I'm in agony."

'He says "you're not on rocks mate, that's the shrapnel that's gone up through your body armour and into your back."

'He said "don't worry, I don't know how, but I'm going to get you out of here".'

Shareef and Sham were soon rescued by Kozak Warrior armoured personnel vehicles and driven for 20 minutes to waiting ambulances and on to hospital.

Three pieces of shrapnel were removed from his body were sat in a glass jar next to his bedside while he recovered.

At one point, he recalled doctors standing over him and whispering that he wasn't going to make it.

Shareef, who was awarded a Ukrainian bravery medal, said at the time: 'I have no regrets. I couldn't sit by.

'If I sat at home on my laurels, despite having skills that can help, what kind of human being am I?'
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was met with relentless booing from a chorus of thousands as he stumped for former U.S. president Donald Trump at a rally in Pickens.

Cheers quickly turned to jeering as Trump supporters gave Graham a thumbs down as he ascended the stage among the rabble.

Graham has represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2003 and has faced a slew of criticism for a number of issues including the Russia-Ukraine war, the 2020 presidential election and the Jan 6 Capitol riot.

A bystander told DailyMail.com that 'he's like a weather vane in a tornado.'

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (pictured) was met with relentless booing from a chorus of thousands as he stumped for former U.S. president Donald Trump at a rally in Pickens

Cheers quickly turned to jeering as Trump supporters gave Graham a thumbs down as he ascended the stage among the rabble

'He changes direction all the time and only ever does what's best for himself.'

In live coverage of the event Graham spent several minutes trying to settle the crowd.

'Thank y'all for coming. Thank you very much,' Graham said in response to a chorus of boos.

'Just calm down for a second. I think you'll like this,' he added as he desperately tried to make his opening remarks.

Graham, who has been in a vacillated support for Trump over the years, touted the 'common ground' that they'd found on Saturday.

'It took a while to get there folks, but let me tell you what happened,' he said.

'I've come to like President Trump and he likes himself and we got that in common. And I'm gonna help him become president of the United States.

'So let me tell you how you win an election folks  you get people together that don't agree all the time to agree on the most important things.

'My hope is we can bring this party together cause he's gonna be our nominee.'

Graham who at one point called Trump a 'race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot' during the 2016 campaign became one of his fiercest supporters in the Senate during his term.

Graham at one point called Trump a 'race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot' during the 2016 campaign but became one of his fiercest supporters in the Senate during his term

Graham, who spoke for about five minutes, said there was only one candidate able to unite the party - the crowd only erupted into cheers at the mention of Trumps name

Taking the stage a short time after Graham's comments, Trump attempted to rally support for the senator by saying: 'We're gonna love him'

The South Carolina Senator then turned against Trump in the wake of the January 6 2021 storming of the Capitol - but ultimately endorsed his 2024 White House bid.

'There's one person running for president as a Republican that has the ability to change this country, It is Donald J. Trump,' he said.

'He did it once, he can do it again. I'm gonna help him all over this country, and folks, I am from South Carolina,he is gonna win South Carolina.

'This is the pathway to the presidency.'

Graham, who spoke for about five minutes, said there was only one candidate able to unite the party.

'He will be the nominee of the Republican Party, and let me tell you what's at stake: If they win in 2024, they're gonna pack the Supreme Court.

'So we need to get off our butts and make sure Donald Trump wins, if they win in 2024, Puerto Rico and D.C. will be states.

'Four Democrats for the rest of our lifetime, they'll abolish the electoral college, they will turn this nation upside down.'

Taking the stage a short time after Graham's comments, Trump attempted to rally support for the senator by saying: 'We're gonna love him.'

'I know, it's half-and-half. But when I need some of those liberal votes, he's always there to help me get 'em, okay?'

'We got some pretty liberal people, but he's good. We know the good ones. We know the bad ones, too.'

MAGA supporters have often referred to Graham as a RINO (Republican in name only) and in 2021 called him a 'traitor' as he waited to board a flight from the Reagan National Airport

Later in his speech, Trump mentioned Graham again and the crowd began booing again - the Republican candidate said 'I'm going to have to work on these people, he's there when you need him'

Pickens Police Chief Randal Beach said that he estimated there would be up to 30,000 people in the city - with a population of 3,370 - for the Trump rally

Later in his speech, Trump mentioned Graham again and the crowd began booing again.

'I'm going to have to work on these people, he's there when you need him,' Trump told the crowd.

'Do you mind if I come down and campaign a little for you, Lindsey? He was one of my earliest endorsements from the go and I appreciate it, Lindsey.'

MAGA supporters have often referred to Graham as a RINO (Republican in name only) and in 2021 called him a 'traitor' as he waited to board a flight from the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.

At the time, Graham was swarmed by about a dozen people who called him a 'traitor' over his comments about Trump following the 2020 presidential election screaming 'you know it was rigged.'

At about 11 am a secret service agent told media that there are 5,000 inside the gate and approximately 10,000 still in line for the rally.

Pickens Police Chief Randal Beach said that he estimated there would be up to 30,000 people in the city - with a population of 3,370 - for the Trump rally.
The largest hailstone on record for North Texas fell out of the sky during a torrential storm last month.

On the evening of June 15 a severe hailstone storm hit Sanger in Denton County bringing down a 13-ounce iceball measuring almost six inches in diameter.

The hailstone was collected by a local resident and preserved for official verification by the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.

An NWS meteorologist confirmed the stone was a new record for North Texas.

The organization's Twitter account posted: 'Oh HAIL no! We have confirmed a new regional record for largest diameter hailstone.

An NWS meteorologist confirmed the stone was a new record for North Texas

The largest hailstone on record for North Texas fell out of the sky during a torrential storm last month

Reports of damaged cars and cracked windscreens emerged in the storms' aftermath

'A hailstone measuring 5.9 inches across fell in Sanger, TX (Denton Co.) on June 15th.'

However, the stone fell shy of the state record (6.42") which fell in Hondo, in 2021.

The previous record for North Texas was a hailstone that fell near Salado in Bell County in April 2022.

That hailstone was 5.676 inches in diameter and weighed 409 grams.

The storms brought warnings of damaging winds and an isolated tornado.

Reports of damaged cars and cracked windscreens emerged in the storms' aftermath.

Almost 40,000 customers were left without power, according to the Oncor outage map.

According to Dallas-Fire Rescue, crews responded to four high-water calls, one water rescue, 38 downed utility wires and 22 major accidents.
The mother-of-four, from Sacramento, said she felt like 'a rented-out uterus'

Brittney Pearson, 37, told DailyMail.com that she was threatened with legal action by the prospective parents after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis

A California mother has claimed she was told to terminate her surrogate pregnancy at 24 weeks by the child's prospective fathers after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Brittney Pearson, 37, from Sacramento told DailyMail.com that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May at 22 weeks.

She says that after a full body MRI revealed the extent of the disease, the gay couple who were paying her to carry their child used legal threats to pressure her into terminating the pregnancy.

Initially, Pearson claims, doctors at Sutter Health Medical Centre in Sacramento, believed she would be able to have a form of chemotherapy treatment compatible with pregnancy, and would then be induced at 34 weeks gestation.

The prospective fathers, who haven't been named but are from Southern California, were allegedly happy for her to receive treatment and continue with the pregnancy.

Brittney Pearson, 37, from Sacramento told DailyMail.com she was told to terminate her surrogate pregnancy at 24 weeks by the child's prospective fathers after she was diagnosed with breast cancer

Pearson claims the gay couple who were paying her to carry their child used legal threats to pressure her into terminating the pregnancy

However, when medics realized the HER2+ cancer had spread further than expected and that more aggressive chemo would be needed to combat it, relations between Pearson and the prospective parents broke down.

The unnamed gay couple, Pearson claims, wanted the baby 'immediately terminated' and 'erased' as they believed it had no chance at life.

They did not want a baby born before 34 weeks because they allegedly feared the infant would have considerable health problems, it is claimed.

The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, an anti-surrogacy group which first reported on Pearson's case, claims the prospective fathers also sought to bar Pearson from carrying the child to term, then giving it up for adoption.

They're said to have told her that they didn't want their 'DNA out there', being raised by someone else. DailyMail.com has been unable to contact the prospective dads to verify that claim.

Pearson told DailyMail.com of the distress she felt after the prospective fathers allegedly 'threatened everyone they could with a lawsuit' including Pearson, her agency and Sutter Health.

At one point, she claims, her oncology team, after being threatened with legal action, said they were not sure they could give her chemo and would need to consult their own lawyers.

'It was frustrating because I wanted to give them a family' she told DailyMail.com, 'they said they cared but they didnt. I felt betrayed and heartbroken.'

Pearson's sisters, Courtney and Ashley Pearson, set up a Go Fund Me page explaining the circumstances of Brittney's diagnosis

Pearson claims doctors at Sutter Health Medical Centre in Sacramento (pictured) came under legal fire from the prospective parents

Jennifer Lahl, president of The center for Bioethics and Culture Network (pictured: top left) said: 'This case highlights many of the problems with contracted, largely commercial, pregnancy.'

The mother-of-four, who had already successfully completed one round of surrogacy before, said she was left feeling like 'a rented-out uterus'.

'The first thing I thought after I was diagnosed was I want to keep this baby safe and bring it earthside' she said.

'I would have been there, I would have given him every chance of survival , I had people ready to help' she claimed.

Pearson told DailyMail.com she found a hospital that would deliver her baby, but would not elaborate on whether or not the procedure was inducement or termination, and whether or not the fetus was born alive.

She would only confirm that it has since died.

'The baby was born on Fathers Day, my mother got to hold him and take pictures but he did not survive' she explained.

Pearson felt further upset by the prospective parents decision to take the fetus' remains and cremate them.

'I would have done things differently, I didn't understand it since they didn't see him as a baby at all.'

Pearson said she is speaking out about her experience because she 'never wants anyone else to feel like this'.

Despite her harrowing account she has not changed her mind about surrogacy: 'I wouldn't do it again, but I still think surrogacy has a great time and place but [prospective] families need to be screened a little more.'

Pearson said her surrogacy agency, who she did not want to name, were 'very supportive and still are' but that the fathers had not contacted her since she had the baby.

Jennifer Lahl, president of The center for Bioethics and Culture Network said of the case: 'I often say, there are plenty of reasons to get people to see how surrogacy is wrong, is harmful, and is bad for women and for children.

'This case highlights many of the problems with contracted, largely commercial, pregnancy.'

Pearson, who has four of her own children 3, 5, 12 and 13 years-old, is currently unable to work while receiving treatment.

Her sisters Courtney and Ashley Pearson set up a Go Fund Me page to accept donations to see her through this difficult time.

'Britt was recently diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer. Britt and her family need our love and support during this heartbreaking time' the sisters wrote.

Adding: 'She is the main provider for her family of 6 and is unable to work during her cancer treatments. Please help share this so that they wont have any added stress!'

Sutter Health declined to comment when approached by DailyMail.com.

Are you the prospective fathers? Please get in touch at alice.wright@mailonline.com
In the hurly-burly of politics, it is essential that MPs speak their mind and voice their criticisms publicly.

That is the rumbustious tradition of our British democracy.

Yet now we have a sinister attempt by a committee of the House of Commons to gag some of its own MPs.

Indeed, not just MPs but also members of the House of Lords.

In its latest report, the Commons' Privileges Committee seeks to rebuke MPs and peers who have dared to criticise its investigation into Boris Johnson and the so-called Partygate affair.

Sir Bernard Jenkin is the Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, and has been an MP continuously since 9 April 1992

JACOB REES-MOGG: 'Yet now we have a sinister attempt by a committee of the House of Commons to gag some of its own MPs'

I should declare that I am one of the allegedly offending MPs who have thus transgressed but who in all honesty has nothing to apologise about.

My criticisms of the Committee's first report as unfair and unjust stands.

However, the committee's latest report  the one that seeks to silence its critics  is even more preposterous than the first.

It is little more than a whinge-fest.

Even its title is not based on evidence.

It claims a 'co-ordinated' campaign of interference with its work but provides no evidence for this.

MPs are quite capable of operating independently and on my own account.

I know that both the Whips Office and the Downing Street press office would attest that I was quite difficult to coordinate, even as a matter of collective responsibility.

It even claims coordination between two organisations, incorrectly claiming that Conservative Post is the online magazine of the Conservative Democratic Organisation.

It is not.

The criticism of Conservative Post is that it encouraged people to email MPs.

In its latest report, the Commons' Privileges Committee seeks to rebuke MPs and peers who have dared to criticise its investigation into Boris Johnson and the so-called Partygate affair

Harriet Harman ought never to have agreed to chair the committee having tweeted her views of Boris Johnson

The right to petition is one of those listed in the Bill of Rights, it is a protected part of our constitution in a foundational document but the Privileges Committee is frightened of the public and criticises them for commenting.

Yet it is the behaviour of particular Privileges Committee members that makes it worse and damages Parliament more.

Harriet Harman ought never to have agreed to chair the committee having tweeted her views of Boris Johnson.

This is not made any better by claiming but providing no evidence for a secret word with an unspecified member of the Government.

It simply shows that she, herself, knew she was on dodgy ground.

The second report makes it worse, for the committee has decided to act as Judge directly in its own cause.

It is quite wrong for the Privileges Committee, in the midst of a public storm, to seek to protect its own members.

If the House were to wish to do this, it ought to set up a new committee to consider the case impartially, uninfluenced by perceived slights and hurt feelings.

It is not what the House asked for and the committee has extended its remit tendentiously..

Sadly, this is exacerbated by the recent imbroglio of another prominent committee member - Sir Bernard Jenkin.

There is a WhatsApp message, first published by the Mail on Sunday and also reported on GBNews, that clearly invites people to a birthday party for his wife during a lockdown in the Deputy Speaker's room.

It is known that he was there.

This was surely not a business meeting, it was a party.

The invitation says so.

Yet Sir Bernard will not answer questions.

He could be perfectly innocent with reasons similar to Boris's for not realising it was against the rules or for in good faith having made a mistake.

Unwisely, Rishi Sunak saw fit to make it known that he had asked Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, one of the peers criticised in the Privileges Committee second report, to apologise to the committee

This was not the sympathetic attitude he took when criticising the former Prime Minister during his cross-examination before the committee when he modelled himself on a 'minor prophet about to rebuke the sins of the people'.

But the presumption of innocence is important even for those who are unwilling to give it to others.

Unfortunately, while he fails to answer questions, it looks as if he has something to hide.

Silence assumes consent, in this case, consenting that he was at a party.

In which case, he ought never to have sat in judgement of Boris, nor had anything to do with the subsidiary report.

When he realised that he too may have sinned he ought to have excused himself.

His failure to do so damages his standing.

This is important because Sir Bernard is important, he is the chairman of the Liaison Committee, the most senior committee to hold the government to account.

In the interests of the Commons scrutinising the executive, he cannot hold this post while the questions are unanswered.

He will not be taken seriously in this role, while people are chortling at him behind their hand, for his own peccadilloes.

Until this is settled, he ought to stand aside.

Virginia Crosbie, a fellow Conservative MP who was also present at this event, has showed him how to behave.

She has with considerable grace confessed to being there and apologised.

However, Sir Bernard has gone to ground.

So long after these events, I am not in in favour of expensive investigations.

Even the Hallett inquiry is over-complicated and further police action would be excessive.

Indeed, I would prefer all inquiries to stop.

The rules were excessive, and must never be tried again.

Lockdown was a mistake.

Yet Sir Bernard, in his serious and sanctimonious situation, will have to be investigated if he will not tackle the issue personally.

'Judge not that ye be not judged.'

This wise advice from Christ himself was a warning to hypocrites which echoes through the ages.

Sadly, this whole affair has now been compounded by the unnecessary intervention of the Prime Minister.

Unwisely, Rishi Sunak saw fit to make it known that he had asked Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, one of the peers criticised in the Privileges Committee second report, to apologise to the committee.

This is improper.

While the PM is entitled to have such Ministers, as the agent of the Crown he has no right to order a Member of the House of Lords to apologise to a House of Commons' committee.

The two Chambers have what is called 'exclusive cognisance' in which MPs have no jurisdiction at all over members of the Upper House.

This may be an obscure point but it is an essential part of our constitutional balance which the Prime Minister should have known.

* Former Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg is MP for North East Somerset

Partygate accuser should quit key position

By Brendan Carlin

Boris Johnson Partygate inquisitor Sir Bernard Jenkin was challenged to quit a key Commons post last night pending a full investigation into claims that he himself attended a lockdown-busting party.

The senior Tory MP was also accused of having gone to ground over his continued refusal to answer questions over allegations he was at a birthday drinks in December 2020 that broke Covid-19 rules.

Last night, former Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was now time for a full inquiry into the event

Sir Bernard, one of Mr Johnsons chief interrogators on the Privileges Committee inquiry, has remained silent now on the issue for two weeks.

But fellow Tory MP Virigina Crosbie has apologised for being at the gathering  a joint event to mark her birthday and that of Sir Bernards wife Anne  although she said she was there only briefly.

Last night, former Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was now time for a full inquiry into the event.

He told The Mail on Sunday: Sir Bernard will have to be investigated if he will not tackle the issue personally. And he called for Sir Bernard to give up his influential position as chairman of the Liaison Committee, which is made up of the heads of all the Commons select committees.

Sir Jacob said: He [Sir Bernard] cannot hold this post while the questions are unanswered. He will not be taken seriously in this role, while people are chortling at him behind their hand, for his own peccadilloes.

Sir Jacob conceded that his Tory colleague could be perfectly innocent, with reasons similar to Boriss for not realising it was against the rules, or for, in good faith, having made a mistake.

But he added: Unfortunately, while he fails to answer questions, it looks as if he has something to hide.

Silence assumes consent, in this case, consenting that he was at a party.

Sir Bernard did not respond to approach for comment.
A major rescue operation has been launched after a person 'fell overboard' from a Stena Line ferry.

Emergency services responded to reports of a person who fell into the water at 5.30pm today while aboard the Stena Superfast 8 on Loch Ryan, Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland.

The person was recovered from the water by the ferry's fast rescue team and were flown to Ayr Hospital by a Coastguard helicopter.

Pictures taken at the scene show the aircraft hovering over the ferry as it remains stationary in Loch Ryan Port.

The drama is the second incident to have hit Stena and comes just days after a seven-year-old Polish boy and his mother died after plunging from a ferry into the Baltic Sea, according to Swedish authorities.

A major rescue operation has been launched after a person 'fell overboard' from a UK Stena Line ferry (Pictured: stock image of Stena Line ferry)

Speaking of the latest incident in Scotland, a Stena Line spokesperson said: 'Emergency response procedures were initiated, all relevant authorities, including the Coastguard and Police Scotland were informed and a search and rescue operation was launched.'

A Coastguard spokesperson said: 'HM Coastguard was requested to assist the Stena Superfast 8 ferry this evening after a person fell overboard in Loch Ryan.

'The person was recovered from the water by the ferry's fast rescue craft and taken to Ayr Hospital by the Coastguard helicopter. We have no further information at this time.'

A similar incident took place on Thursday when a child plunged 65ft into the Baltic sea from the Stena Spirit ferry.

His mother jumped in after him in an apparent attempt to save her son, early reports suggested, as the ship was midway through its voyage from Sweden to Poland.

Passengers watched as rescue helicopters, including one from a nearby NATO unit, circled over the water for around an hour desperately trying to locate the pair.

The mother was found in the freezing water 59 minutes after the alarm was sounded and her son seven minutes later, according to a Stena Line official, before they were winched by helicopter and rushed to Karlskrona Hospital.

Swedish prosecutors said yesterday they had initiated a preliminary investigation where the criminal charge is murder, while adding no suspect had been identified.
Hundreds of people have gathered outside a hotel in Norwich which has been hosting migrants to counter the demonstrations of a anti-refugee protest, just months after similar riots in Merseyside.

Around 50 members of East Anglian Patriots organised the demonstration against the Best Western Brook Hotel in Barnard to protest the temporary housing of migrants at the hotel.

The rally began in Roys car park, in Bowthorpe, with the aim of marching towards the hotel, where organisers declared to those gathered they were 'not far right' but 'not far wrong', adding they will 'go to every city in the UK to stomp the migrants'.

According to protestors, people, who described themselves as 'patriots' came from as far as Ipswich and Colchester to demonstrate, playing Winston Churchill speeches and singing God Save The King as they marched on the hotel.

But when they arrived, they were greeted by a crowd of more than 200 people who held banners reading 'refugees welcome' and chanted 'say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here'.

Around 50 members of East Anglian Patriots organised the demonstration against the Best Western Brook Hotel in Barnard to protest the temporary housing of migrants at the hotel

A protester against the migrants being housed in hotel accommodation is arrested by police

Images show that at least one person was arrested at the demonstration

: Stand Up To Racism protesters protest outside The Brook Hotel one carries a sign saying 'Refugees Welcome'

According to protestors, people, who described themselves as 'patriots' came from as far as Ipswich and Colchester to demonstrate

Protestors were greeted by a crowd of more than 200 people who held banners reading 'refugees welcome' and chanted 'say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here'

In addition, there was a heavy police presence at the hotel, and images show that some were arrested

READ MORE: Protesters clash with police outside asylum seeker hotel in Merseyside with missiles thrown at officers and 'police van set on fire' as three arrested A police van has been set alight in Merseyside after protests outside a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent Advertisement

In addition, there was a heavy police presence at the hotel, and images show that at least one person was arrested.

Simon Bean MBE, also known as 'The Maverick Veteran', also attended and addressed the protesters.

The hotel was one of two in the area chosen to be a temporary home for people seeking asylum.

It comes just months after a rally was held in Prescot, Knowsley, where people allegedly gathered outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley to protest against refugees being housed in the hotel.

Similarly, people in the area turned out to counter the protests.

Clare Moseley, founder of refugee charity Care 4 Calais, said she was among 100 to 120 people from pro-migrant groups who went to the scene in reaction to the protest to show support for the asylum seekers at the time.

She said: 'Somebody said that one of the protesters had got on top of the police van. And then next thing you know somebody says they've set the police van on fire!

'And you looked and you could see fire coming out of the window of the police van.

'And you think, how on earth could they have got past the police cordon, got to the police van, got on top of it? There was a lot of police there.

'And then next thing the police van just completely exploded and there was a lot of fire, there was clouds of smoke, lots more police started coming down the road.

'You could see there was fighting starting to break and then the police started going down there in full riot gear.

'Groups of police with shields, full head to toe riot gear going down there.

'I'm trying to get in touch with some of the poor men in that hotel, I can only imagine how frightened they are. It was like a war zone.'

Stand Up To Racism protesters trade insults with East Anglian Patriot protesters outside The Brook Hotel

A Stand Up To Racism protester. Holds a sign saying 'Refugees Welcome'

Stand Up To Racism protesters place a placard calling for Home Secretary Suella Braverman to be ousted outside The Brook Hotel

Simon Bean MBE 'The Maverick Veteran' addresses protesters against migrants being housed in hotels

Around 200 people gathered to counter-protest the demonstration at the hotel

Knowsley MP Sir George Howarth said at the time the incident, which saw missiles thrown towards officers and damage to a police vehicle, was triggered by an 'alleged incident posted on social media' and criticised misinformation about refugees being 'feather-bedded' at the hotel.

'The people of Knowsley are not bigots and are welcoming to people escaping from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety', he said.

'Those demonstrating against refugees at this protest tonight do not represent this community. We are not like that and overwhelmingly behave with sympathy and kindness to others regardless of where they come from.'
Alleged call is similar to one Trump made to Georgia's secretary of state

Following his 2020 election defeat in Arizona, then-President Donald Trump called Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and 'pressured' him to overturn the results, according to a new report.

Ducey did not record the call, but later described it to a prominent Republican donor, saying Trump pressed him to overturn his narrow defeat in the Grand Canyon State, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the call.

The call had not been previously reported, though other elements of Trump's efforts to lobby Arizona officials have been made public, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger infamously recorded a call in which Trump told him to 'find 11,780 votes'.

The Georgia call is under investigation by federal special counsel Jack Smith, but Ducey reportedly told the donor that he had not been interviewed by Smith, saying that he was surprised he hadn't been.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Trump spokesperson slammed the latest claims, saying: 'These witch-hunts are designed to interfere and meddle in the 2024 election in an attempt to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House to make this country great again. They will fail and President Trump will be re-elected.'

Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is seen at the certification of the state's 2020 general election results

Following his 2020 election defeat in Arizona, then-President Donald Trump reportedly called Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and 'pressured' him to overturn the results

'As President Trump has consistently stated, the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and stolen,' the spokesperson said.

'Deranged Jack Smith should be investigating the perpetrators of that horrible crime, which has led our country to be in grave danger, instead of continuing to persecute and harass President Trump and his supporters for doing the right thing - working to make sure that all the fraud was investigated and dealt with,' the statement said.

A spokesman for Ducey, a Republican who now heads up a super PAC after he was term-limited from seeking re-election, told the Post: 'This is neither new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years.'

'Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona's 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward,' the spokesperson said.

'None were ever brought forward. The Governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear view mirror.'

Trump's alleged call in Arizona is reminiscent of a similar incident in Georgia, which Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating for two years.

The Democratic district attorney's investigation began shortly after the release of a recording of a January 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (above) infamously recorded a call in which Trump told him to 'find 11,780 votes'

The Georgia call is under investigation by federal special counsel Jack Smith (above), but Ducey reportedly told the donor that he had not been interviewed by Smith

On the call, Trump is heard suggesting that Raffensperger could 'find 11,780 votes' - just enough to overtake Democrat Joe Biden and overturn Trump's narrow loss in the state.

Trump and his allies have denied wrongdoing, and he has repeatedly described his phone call to Raffensperger as 'perfect.'

Willis wrote in a letter to the county sheriff this year that she expects to announce any charging decisions between July 11 and September 1.

In a separate letter to a county Superior Court judge, she suggested that any indictments would likely come in August.

On Wednesday, Raffensperger also met with federal investigators working for special counsel Jack Smith.

Smith, who was appointed last year by Attorney General Merrick Garland, and is overseeing two separate investigations, including the one into Trump's actions following the 2020 election.

Smith filed criminal charges this month in the second investigation, accusing Trump of mishandling national security documents after leaving office and lying to officials who tried to recover them.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the investigation a hoax. He is the first former US president to face criminal charges.
Police officers have been banned from wearing a badge commemorating colleagues killed in the line of duty  in case it offends the LGBT+ community.

Families of fallen officers today reacted angrily to the completely crazy order that Met officers should not wear the Thin Blue Line emblem  a black-and-white Union flag with a thin horizontal blue line  if working at today's Pride celebrations in London.

The badge is intended as a mark of remembrance and respect for those who paid the ultimate price to maintain law and order, but a similar symbol, based on the American Stars and Stripes, has been linked to transphobic far-Right groups in the US.

In an impassioned defence of the British badge, Debbie Adlam, the mother of murdered police constable Andrew Harper, said it was a symbol of her sons dedication to the force.

She told The Mail on Sunday: Since we lost Andrew we have considered the Thin Blue Line image to be a universal memorial to the loss of these officers.

Police officers have been banned from wearing a badge (pictured in centre of officer's chest) commemorating colleagues killed in the line of duty  in case it offends the LGBT+ community

Families of fallen officers today reacted angrily to the completely crazy order that Met officers should not wear the Thin Blue Line emblem (Pictured: PC Andrew Harper who died in the line of duty in 2019)

Politicians, senior officers and campaigners also condemned the decision. One former officer, Henry Miller, said the Met had lost their minds over this.

Mr Miller, who founded the free speech campaign group Fair Cop, added: Nobody in this country says that the Thin Blue Line is political. Its completely crazy. We have seen officers wearing all kinds of insignia associated with political causes, none of which they should do.

But the one thing that police should be able to do is memorialise their own colleagues.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said: This is the result of vested interest groups imposing political correction and false narratives on our hard-working police officers. She added that the badge was a mark of respect in policing of the sacrifices our police officers make for their service and the threats they face, day in, day out.

In a murder that shocked the natiion, PC Harper, 28, was dragged to his death by teenagers in a getaway car after a burglary in Berkshire in 2019.

His mother Debbie said: It concerns me that there are those who want to take [the badge] away. I hope that today is not the start of the end for the Thin Blue Line and all it means to us in the UK.

Yesterday, in the biggest ever celebration of the LGBT+ community in Britain, more than 1.5 million people joined Londons Pride march.

Advice from the Met commander ahead of the celebrations said: No Thin Blue Line badges/patches are to be worn whilst policing this event.

'These have been linked to far-Right and anti-trans groups in the US and this years Pride is focusing very much on the trans community. This is non-negotiable and supervisors are expected to ensure this is adhered to please.

Of the hundreds of officers policing the march, none appeared to be wearing Thin Blue Line badges.

But Paul Deller, general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents more than 30,000 officers, said: We believe this symbol shows pride in our nation and the remembrance of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the public.

And former Detective Chief Inspector Paul Maleary, from Essex, said: There are gay officers, black officers, and officers of every conceivable kind that wear this badge with pride. I have trans friends who wear the Thin Blue Line badge.

Its a badge of honour and is worn to commemorate the fallen within the British police service. It has nothing to do with politics or the United States.

Their comments were echoed by Bryn Hughes, whose daughter Nicola Hughes was killed alongside fellow police officer Fiona Bone in a gun and grenade ambush in Tameside, Greater Manchester, in 2012.

Officer were banned from wearing the black-and-white Union flag with a thin horizontal blue line if working at yesterdays Pride celebrations in London (Pictured: Police at the London Pride March today)

He said: The symbol represents a blue line of police officers, and when you lose someone, like I did, that meaning is important.

I wouldnt view it as far-Right, and the vast majority of officers will be sensitive to those issues.

Miranda Yardley, who was born a man but now describes herself as a post-op transsexual, said: I wouldnt be in the least bit offended by this badge. Everyone knows the police have a difficult job.

The Met leadership needs to sort out its own problems  like all the sexual misconduct cases. In the US, the badge emerged around 2014 as the Blue Lives Matter movement came to prominence.

The movement was a response to Black Lives Matter and followed the deaths of several police officers in the line of duty. Controversy followed when the flag was used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

But in Britain it has been worn by officers since around 2015, and never been politicised.

Last year, the Mayor of Londons spokesman said it is commonly accepted as demonstrating camaraderie among the police family and in support for a number of police charities including those supporting the survivors of officers killed in the line of duty.

However most leave it to the discretion of chief constables and do not include it in written guidance.

Last week the Chief Constable of Essex Police, Ben-Julian Harrington, posted a picture on social media of his tactical vest and his Thin Blue Line badge, saying it showed remembrance of those in policing who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Met Police dress code urges officers not to wear badges advertising causes, beliefs or charities. They distract from our corporate identity and compromise the impartiality of the [Met].

But forces across the UK have emblazoned squad cars with rainbow flags in support of LGBT rights, while officers have taken the knee at Black Lives Matter rallies  both seen as political gestures.

Tory MP Tim Loughton said: The forces of woke are trying to discredit a symbol associated with raising money to help the families of those who have fallen in the line of duty.

'If only those woke warriors in charge of law and order put as much effort into catching criminals as they do in trying to show everyone how PC they are, then crime might be under control.
The award-winning plastic surgeon praised by Sarah Ferguson has also previously been hailed as 'incredible' by Prince William.

Stuart James has an NHS and private practice at The Royal Marsden Hospital, a world-leading cancer centre in Chelsea, South-West London, where the Prince of Wales has been president since 2007  a post formerly held by his mother Diana from 1989 until her death in 1997.

In 2013, William met Mr James when he became the first Royal to view surgery at the centre. Dressed in medical scrubs, Prince William told Mr James: 'It's slightly surreal meeting you in this situation.'

He described the breast reconstruction surgery as 'incredible'. Mr James graduated from Middlesex Medical School in 1994 and has received awards for research into wound healing. He was listed in the Daily Mail's Good Doctors Guide in 2018, where colleagues described him as 'caring, but not touchy-feely'.

They added: 'He is tremendous, technically brilliant and really understands aesthetics  for a man, he really gets it.

The award-winning plastic surgeon Stuart James (left) praised by Sarah Ferguson has also previously been hailed as 'incredible' by Prince William (right)

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, (pictured) underwent an operarion to treat her breast cancer

'He is also a very good communicator and is one of the few plastic surgeons who understands that the person sitting in front of him has a serious illness.'

Christina Choy is a breast specialist who qualified as a doctor in Australia and later trained in Hong Kong and Britain.

She has worked in the private sector since 2003 and has treated high-profile patients including TV entrepreneur Kelly Hoppen, who described her as 'extraordinary in every way'.

Ms Choy is also a trustee for a breast cancer charity and has conducted research into barriers to women accessing early diagnosis for breast cancer, which was presented in Parliament.

Her profile says she is a theatre fan with a preference for musicals and ballet, and a loving owner of two cats, including an exotic Serengeti breed that had its tail removed owing to cancer.
A huge security operation is under way to stop anti-monarchist groups wrecking King Charles's 'second Coronation' in Scotland.

Amid extraordinary pageantry, the King will be presented with the oldest Crown Jewels in the UK  known as the Honours of Scotland  at a glorious ceremony in Edinburgh on Wednesday to mark his Coronation.

The Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving will also be attended by Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.

Police, however, have received intelligence reports suggesting republican protesters will attempt to disrupt the event.

The campaign group Republic has circulated a 22-page document entitled Edinburgh Protest Overview, in which it pinpoints locations for protests and explains the technicalities of the Scottish breach of the peace law.

The guide, emblazoned with the group's slogan 'Not My King', also includes a section on 'what to do if you witness an arrest'.

Amid extraordinary pageantry, the King will be presented with the oldest Crown Jewels in the UK  known as the Honours of Scotland  at a glorious ceremony in Edinburgh on Wednesday to mark his Coronation

READ MORE: Coronation 2.0! Prince Harry will miss out as his father is made Scotland's Head of State in Edinburgh  while William and Kate get a starring role Prince Harry, who jetted in and out of the Coronation on May 6th in just 24 hours is not thought to be attending the ceremony Advertisement

Another group called Our Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, has announced its intention to hold a rally during the event. Its supporters held a demonstration at Edinburgh's Calton Hill during last month's Coronation. 'As Charles claims the honours he feels entitled to, we will be the reminder that Scotland has never been asked to consent to his rule,' the group said.

Police Scotland have stated they will take a 'proactive engagement approach' with protest groups but warned demonstrators to not engage in 'abusive' or 'threatening' behaviour.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: 'Campaigning and demonstration is a legitimate, necessary and vital part of life.

'Abusive, threatening behaviour or activity intended to disrupt the event that risks public safety is not a legitimate protest.'

As well as the threat from anti-monarchists, police were this weekend deploying a string of anti-terror measures.

St Giles' Cathedral, where the service is taking place, will be closed while officials lift the floor to search for devices.

Sections of the Royal Mile, which runs from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse  the monarch's official Scottish residence will be cordoned off, nearby roads closed and drones banned.

The centre-piece of the ceremony on Wednesday will involve the monarch being presented with a magnificent, new sword of state and the ancient Crown of Scotland.

Much of the event will mirror the Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving attended by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on her first visit to Scotland following her Coronation in 1953.

St Giles' Cathedral, where the service is taking place, will be closed while officials lift the floor to search for devices

The centre-piece of the ceremony on Wednesday will involve the monarch being presented with a magnificent, new sword of state and the ancient Crown of Scotland

Naughty mascot pony handed key escort role Corporal Cruachan IVs misdemeanours have been forgiven as the Shetland pony has been granted a key role in the Kings forthcoming Scottish Coronation He took a bite out of the late Queens sweet pea posy on a state visit to Stirling Castle and tried to nibble Prince Harrys fingers during his first official joint visit to Scotland with then fiancee Meghan Markle. But it seems all of Corporal Cruachan IVs misdemeanours have been forgiven as the Shetland pony has been granted a key role in the Kings forthcoming Scottish Coronation. The 14-year-old mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will escort the Peoples Procession from Edinburgh Castle to St Giles Cathedral. At just 11hh (3ft7in) Cruachan IV, or Four as he is known in military circles, makes up for his short stature with his big personality  and impressive social media following (he has almost 3,500 followers on Twitter). When he munched on the late Monarchs flowers, she was seen laughing and hiding them behind her back before telling him to go away. Advertisement

Despite the historic similarities, the new King has added elements that mark his affection for many aspects of Scottish life.

At Charles's insistence, the service will include a psalm sung in Gaelic and passages in the Scots language, including part of the first Scots translation of the New Testament.

The famed Stone of Destiny is to be moved from Edinburgh Castle to the cathedral for the service, too.

The King has also turned to his old school for help celebrating the event, with three young pipers from Gordonstoun, in Moray, due to star at the ceremony.

Hamish Martindale, 16, Patrick Blair, 18, and Elspeth Spencer Jones, 18, will pipe when the Scottish Honours arrive at St Giles'.

They will play Scotland The Brave and then Bonnie Lass O Fyvie, after the school was informed that the piece, about a thwarted romance between a soldier and a girl, is a favourite of King Charles.

Thousands of well-wishers are expected to throng Edinburgh's streets to watch the 'People's Procession' ahead of the service.

The parade, between Edinburgh Castle and St Giles' Cathedral, will start at 1.15pm and be led by Corporal Cruachan IV, The Royal Regiment of Scotland's mascot, and supported by cadet musicians.

It will also consist of representatives from charities the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and the Prince's Trust as well as youngsters from Girlguiding, Scouts and the Boys' and Girls' Brigades.

The King will leave Holyroodhouse at 2.05pm as part of a Royal Procession that will head up the Royal Mile. Republic has ordered its campaigners to 'direct their energy at that procession and not the People's Procession'.

The Very Reverend Professor David Fergusson, Dean of His Majesty's Chapel Royal in Scotland, who will conduct the service at St Giles', said: 'It's very much a celebration that will involve people from all around Scotland, a service of thanksgiving for what we hold in common and a service of dedication in which we will dedicate ourselves again to the common good of our country.'
Bosses at the National Trust are being urged to remove Sir Winston Churchill from a controversial list which 'names and shames' individuals linked with the British Empire and the slave trade.

Campaigners want the Trust to follow the lead of St Paul's Cathedral, which last week decided to remove a description from its official website of the wartime Prime Minister as 'an unashamed imperialist and white supremacist'.

Last week there was an international outcry after The Mail on Sunday revealed that the Cathedral  the scene of Sir Winston's state funeral in 1965  had been using the derogatory description for more than a year.

A spokesman for Rishi Sunak said the Prime Minister 'strongly disagreed' with the Cathedral's assessment of a man regularly described as the greatest Briton ever.

Nick Gent, who persuaded St Paul's to drop its offensive descriptions, now wants the National Trust, which has more than five million members, to remove Sir Winston's Chartwell home from a list of properties with links to the British Empire and the slave trade.

Bosses at the National Trust are being urged to remove Sir Winston Churchill (pictured) from a controversial list which 'names and shames' individuals linked with the British Empire and the slave trade

Since 2020, when the list was first published, he has been asking leading figures within the organisation, including director general Hilary McGrady, to reconsider their stance towards Churchill.

To justify the wartime leader's inclusion on the list, the Trust pointed out that his war-time premiership coincided with the Bengal Famine of 1943 and that he personally opposed the granting of limited autonomy to India in 1935.

But now Mr Gent, a member of the campaign group Restore Trust, argues that it's wrong to conflate the British Empire with slavery, and has accused the Trust of using Churchill as a 'scapegoat'.

He argues that far from turning his back on the victims of the famine, Churchill did everything in his power, at the height of the war, to help.

He said: 'The Bengal Famine was caused by a cyclone, not by Churchill. Some have it in for him because of his aristocratic background and use him as a scapegoat.'

He added: 'The reason why he prevaricated was not because he was deliberately callous about lots of Bengalis dying, it's because it was during the Second World War, and it was in the run-up period to D-Day.'

Mr Gent's correspondence with the Trust included a lengthy report about the Tory leader's attitude to India and his efforts in relation to the Bengal Famine.

He urged the Trust to remember that Churchill was born at the height of the British Empire in 1874. He wrote: 'Churchill had colonialism thrust upon him, it was not his 'fault' that he was born into an imperial age.'

Nick Gent wants the National Trust, which has more than five million members, to remove Sir Winston's Chartwell home (pictured) from a list of properties with links to the British Empire and the slave trade

He also urged the organisation to consider that Churchill may have voted against limited autonomy for India in 1935 because his view was coloured by 'a Victorian sense that Empire was a force for good'.

In his submission Mr Gent argued that Sir Winston did what he could to help the victims of the famine, but he was hampered by the ongoing fight against Hitler.

He said relief efforts were hampered by food shortages in the UK, a shortage of ships and complexities in India  the cyclone destroyed much of the railway network needed to transport the food and there was a refusal by some provincial governments with food surpluses to part with their stock.

Mr Gent said: 'In my correspondence I have concentrated on Sir Winston's humanitarian side. You have to look at the big picture.

'If you get to know Winston as a person he was a great humanitarian who was respected by his political adversaries.'

The National Trust said: 'The report is a factual audit of our places that have direct links to colonial history and historic slavery.

'We are proud custodians of Chartwell and in 2020 completed a 7.1 million project to transform the way we present this precious place, one of the many that helps to preserve the memory of Sir Winston Churchill.'
The Defence Secretary pulled out of the race for the top Nato job last month

Joe Biden thwarted Ben Wallace's bid to head Nato partly because he served as a British soldier in Northern Ireland, it was claimed last night.

Allies of the Defence Secretary said they believed it was among the reasons why the pro-Irish US President had not backed Mr Wallace.

One said: 'Biden wears his southern Irish roots on his sleeve and he will be well aware Ben served in the British Army during the Troubles.

'He's hardly particularly pro-British either, so we suspect it was one of the reasons why the President failed to throw his weight behind his candidature.'

The Defence Secretary had mounted a vigorous campaign to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who was due to step down from the role this autumn.

Joe Biden (pictured) thwarted Ben Wallace's bid to head Nato partly because he served as a British soldier in Northern Ireland, it was claimed last night

Mr Wallace completed two operational tours in Northern Ireland with the Scots Guards (pictured)

But Mr Wallace, who was mentioned in dispatches after helping to foil an IRA bomb plot in 1992, pulled out of the race last month.

He is now understood to be considering whether to stand in the next General Election, as his current seat is affected by boundary changes.

Until now, the reasons for Mr Wallace's failure to land the Nato job have been put down to some EU members' insistence that, post-Brexit, only a candidate from the European Union could run Nato. One well-placed Tory MP insisted that this was the principal reason, as President Biden would side with the EU.

However, yesterday, allies of Mr Wallace  who completed two operational tours in Northern Ireland with the Scots Guards  raised the issue of Mr Biden's fiercely pro-Irish views.

On his visit to Ireland in April, Mr Biden was accused of snubbing the UK by not flying the Union Flag on his car while in Northern Ireland but attaching the Irish Republic flag to 'The Beast' when he was in the South.

The Defence Secretary had mounted a vigorous campaign to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who was due to step down from the role this autumn. But Mr Wallace (pictured) pulled out the race last month

Tory MPs have also said Mr Wallace was easily the best qualified for the post, not least as he is credited with persuading Boris Johnson to come out so strongly in support of Ukraine when the Russians invaded last year.

One Tory MP said privately yesterday: 'That was Ben's doing. He made that call and got Boris on side with it.'

A White House spokesman said yesterday that the suggestion that Mr Wallace was blocked because of his Army service in Northern Ireland was '100 per cent false and not accurate'.

Last night, Mr Wallace was unavailable for comment.
The unnamed British civil servant is thought to be of Pakistani heritage

The King has hired a woman of colour to be one of his most trusted advisers.

It is believed to be the first time someone from an ethnic minority has been made an Assistant Private Secretary  one of the most senior roles within the Palace.

The unnamed British civil servant, thought to be of Pakistani heritage, will rank alongside another new recruit  who The Mail on Sunday can reveal to be Nathan Ross.

Dr Ross, formerly of the New Zealand government where he served as Deputy High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, will advise the King on the Commonwealth and sustainability.

A source said: 'This appears to be a conscious effort by the King to look beyond the normal British white male parameters.'

King Charles has hired a woman of colour to be one of his most trusted advisers

In May, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh controversially described Buckingham Palace as 'terribly white' during ITV's live coverage of the Coronation

The new hires will join the Private Secretary's office, which acts as the primary source of advice to the King for constitutional, governmental and political affairs.

A job advert for the positions said the roles required 'a trusted advisor with a good general knowledge of current affairs, both nationally and internationally'.

Buckingham Palace has failed to hit its own target for ten per cent of its staff top be made up of ethnic minorities by the end of last year. Despite this, it has increased its target to 14 per cent by 2025.

A Palace official said: 'We've been working to ensure our culture is inclusive. We are not where we would like to be and are committed to making progress.'

In May, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh controversially described Buckingham Palace as 'terribly white' during ITV's live coverage of the Coronation.
Meghan and Harry believe they have been 'repeatedly unlucky' and blame Covid, economic woes, the death of the Queen and the decline in Price Philip's health for their faltering attempts to launch post-royal careers, sources say.

The Duke and Duchess only have one major deal left since Megxit - the $100million contract signed with streaming giant Netflix - after they were embarrassingly ditched by Spotify last month.

Netflix is also reportedly planning not to renew their deal with the Sussexes when it expires in 2025.

However, the couple are said to be convinced that their apparent downfall has nothing to do with them, and instead feel they have been 'repeatedly unlucky' with other world events.

Attempts to launch themselves as global do-gooders, free to earn money once they had relieved themselves of royal duties, were severely impacted by the Covid pandemic, which followed within months of their Megxit announcement in January 2020.

Meghan and Harry believe they have been 'repeatedly unlucky' and blame Covid, economic woes, the death of the Queen and the decline in Price Philip's health for their faltering attempts to launch post-royal careers, sources say

The Duke and Duchess only have one major deal left since Megxit - the $100million contract signed with streaming giant Netflix - after they were embarrassingly ditched by Spotify last month (pictured, Meghan promoting her podcast)

Meanwhile, their deal with Netflix coincided with a huge and painful 'correction' in the economics of streaming  as was also the case with their agreement with Spotify.

Neither company is reportedly able to splash the kind of money mentioned when those deals were signed any longer.

Further incidents of so-called bad timings that include the launch of Meghan's podcast - publicity for which is said to have been impacted by the death of the Queen in September.

The couple are also said to have felt that their explosive Oprah interview was overshadowed by the failing health of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died soon afterwards.

A source in Los Angeles said: 'The word is that they think they've been really unlucky.'

It comes as it was claimed this week that Harry's next big idea is to return to his 'second home' of Africa - but without Meghan - for a new solo Netflix documentary about his love of the continent, its people and its wildlife.

The Duke of Sussex released his controversial memoir, Spare, earlier this year

The Duke apparently 'puzzled' Spotify executives with some of his podcast ideas including claims he pitched to interview Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump about 'childhood trauma'.

A Netflix insider confirmed to Page Six that a Harry's Africa-type show was one of the more warmly received suggestions from the father-of-two.

Another source said: 'Obviously, Harry has a lot of roots in Africa and he feels at home there.' He has previously called Africa his 'second home'.

The Duke and Duchess' only documentary so far for the streaming service was Meghan & Harry, which was released last year.

Prior to the docuseries, Harry featured solo in an Apple TV series about mental health, titled The Me You Can't See.
Do you think you've seen a ghost? Email: lauren.haughey@mailonline.co.uk

Sleep paralysis and mould are among numerous explanations for ghost sightings

Whether we like to admit it or not, many of us have probably questioned if a bump in the night was actually a ghost at some point or another.

And if you're really unlucky, you might even believe you've see a spirit in the flesh.

But what exactly makes us feel like we are in the presence of something beyond the grave?

Exploding head syndrome, sleep paralysis and even mould can be the source of a chill down your spine or the inkling that someone is watching.

So, brace yourselves, as MailOnline explores five possible scientific explanations behind experiences of paranormal activity.

Exploding head syndrome, sleep paralysis (stock image) and even mould can be the source of a chill down your spine or the inkling that someone is watching

1. Sleep paralysis

In 2015, a woman shared a chilling experience she had when heading to bed one night.

When laying down beside her husband - who was snoring as per usual - the 62-year-old was tapped on the shoulder by someone who whispered: 'I'm cold, can I get in?'

What causes sleep paralysis? Sleep paralysis happens when you cannot move your muscles as you are waking up or falling asleep. This is because you are in sleep mode but your brain is active. It's not clear why sleep paralysis can happen but it has been linked with: insomnia

disrupted sleeping patterns  for example, because of shift work or jet lag

narcolepsy  a long-term condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

generalised anxiety disorder

panic disorder

a family history of sleep paralysis Advertisement

The woman said yes, thinking it was one of her daughters, but when she opened her eyes she saw her seven-year-old son - who was killed some months earlier.

This terrifying phenomenon is known as sleep paralysis and is often cited as an explanation for sightings of paranormal activity.

While doctors are unsure how exactly this takes place, it is generally believed to occur when a person hits a stage of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) - during which you're most likely to have vivid dreams.

Those who suffer from sleep paralysis will often feel awake but may experience sensations of being pushed down or may see hallucinations in their room.

According to Dan Denis, an expert from the University of York, there are three types of hallucination that can be experienced.

Writing for The Conversation, he explained: 'Intruder hallucinations consist of a sense of evil presence in the room, which can also manifest into hyper realistic multisensory hallucinations of an actual intruder.

'Incubus hallucinations often co-occur with intruder hallucinations, and describe a sensation of pressure on the chest and feelings of being suffocated.

'The third category include so-called vestibular-motor hallucinations, which typically don't occur with the other two, and consist of "illusory movement experiences" such as floating above the bed.'

To get rid of sleep paralysis, the NHS recommends getting at least seven to nine hours of sleep a day as the condition can be triggered by insomnia.

Regular exercise can help too, but not in the four hours before heading to bed.

2. Mould

You may be surprised to know that scientists have also drawn the dots between ghost sightings and poor air quality.

As it turns out, toxic mould spores can cause mood swings, irrational anger and even cognitive impairment if you're exposed for too long.

You may be surprised to know that scientists have also drawn the dots between ghost sightings and poor air quality (stock image)

Symptoms of brain inflammation and memory loss have also emerged in recent studies, as well as increased anxiety and fear.

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Researchers claim these traits are strangely similar to those who claim to have experienced paranormal activity and suggest there could be a connection.

Professor Shane Rogers of New York's Clarkson University, previously said: 'Experiences reported in many hauntings are similar to mental or neurological symptoms reported by individuals exposed to toxic moulds.

'Psychoactive effects of some fungi are well-known, whereas the effects of others such as indoor moulds are less researched.

'Although allergy and asthma symptoms and other physiological effects are well established, there has long been controversy over the effects of indoor mould exposure on cognitive and other functioning of the brain.'

3. Exploding head syndrome

Exploding head syndrome may sound like a made-up condition but it's actually a very real and frightening sensory disorder.

According to Goldsmiths University, it is characterised by 'the perception of a loud noise or sense of explosion in the head, usually when transitioning into or out of deep sleep'.

This could be anything from a literal explosion to a gunshot or even a scream.

Two years ago, a study found that 44.4 per cent of sufferers experienced significant fear during these episodes, with a small proportion believing it was caused by something supernatural.

Exploding head syndrome is characterised by 'the perception of a loud noise or sense of explosion in the head'

'Previous research has suggested that a substantial proportion of the population worldwide will experience EHS at least once in their lives,' said Professor Chris French of Goldsmiths.

'So although only a small percentage of our sample opted for unconventional explanations such as 'something supernatural' or the effects of "electronic equipment", this phenomenon is probably explained in such terms by many millions of people around the world.'

Psychologist Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley also told MailOnline: 'These hallucinations can be dream-like and may range from seeing flashing lights, shapes, or people to hearing voices, music, or other sounds.

'The content of these hallucinations can be varied and sometimes bizarre. They can be quite realistic and immersive, making them difficult to distinguish from actual perceptions.'

4. Carbon monoxide

The links between carbon monoxide and paranormal experiences have been considered from as far back as pre World War II.

In 1921, the American Journal of Opthalmology recounted the chilling experience of a woman known only as 'Mrs H'.

After moving into a new house, she and her family began hearing strange voices and even felt as though they were being held down in their beds.

This was accompanied by feeling weak and suffering from headaches, which actually turned out to be the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

This toxic gas (CO) is a tasteless, odorless threat that, even at low concentrations, can cause lasting damage in people who inhale it.

It often stems from burning fuels like gas and propane as well as wood burning fire places and clogged chimneys.

In the case of Mrs H, these emissions had come from a furnace, and as soon as it was repaired, her family's illnesses stopped.

Combustion of any fuel source, from propane and charcoal to gasoline, emits toxic carbon monoxide

More recent research has shown that carbon monoxide poisoning has also induced a state of psychosis in some sufferers.

Over six weeks of carbon monoxide exposure can lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety and even cognitive dysfunction.

Dr Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association, previously told DailyMail.com: 'Since it's odorless, tasteless, it can be very insidious and people don't often equate these kinds of symptoms with carbon monoxide poisoning.

'They might think they have a virus or it's the flu, maybe they just need better-ventilated air, which they do, but then not make a connection that it's carbon monoxide.'

5. Pareidolia

If you've ever done a double take, thinking you've seen a monster in the mirror or a creature among the trees, then you may have experienced pareidolia.

Pareidolia takes place when humans attribute meaning to random visual stimulus, such as seeing faces in the clouds

This phenomenon takes place when humans attribute meaning to random visual stimulus, such as seeing faces in the clouds.

While it is a common trick of optical illusions, research also hints that it could be attributed to more supernatural sightings.

In a Tanta University-led study two years ago, 82 participants were shown images of patterns that looked like television static.

As it turns out, participants who claimed to have experienced something paranormal prior to the experiment were more likely to spot faces in these images.

Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley also believes that 'illusory correlation' can contribute to this, being the tendency to perceive a relationship between two unrelated events or experiences.

She told MailOnline: 'In the context of ghost sightings, someone may associate a particular event or occurrence (such as a strange sound or coincidence) with the presence of a ghost. This perceived correlation can reinforce the belief in seeing a ghost, even though the connection is not based on objective evidence.

'It's very common when individuals are grieving or have experienced significant loss, that they may be more susceptible to experiences that they interpret as communication or visitations from deceased loved ones.

'These experiences may involve seeing or sensing the presence of those lost, leading to beliefs in ghosts or spirits.'
Android users across the UK have been issued with an urgent warning over a security threat that could end up stealing their bank details.

The latest threat was discovered by the security team at ThreatFabric and is using apps uploaded to the Google Play Store to infect phones with fraudulent Anatsa banking trojan.

Once installed on a device, the money-stealing bug can steal credentials which can be used to authorise users whey log into mobile banking.

Hackers can then gain control of someone's account and access credentials, credit card details, bank balance and payment information as well as transfer funds with less likelihood of the card holder noticing.

An existing bug is wreaking havoc for Android users, the dreaded Anatsa posing as Google Play apps can wind up stealing your bank details

ThreatFabric explains: 'Since transactions are initiated from the same device that targeted bank customers regularly use, it has been reported that it is very challenging for banking anti-fraud systems to detect it.'

Anatsa isn't a new issue, the bug has been causing damage since 2020, but this new malware is now targeting Android users in the UK and USA as well as phone owners in Italy, Germany and France.

According to security researchers at the tech company who have been tracking the activity, the bug has over 30,000 installations via this method alone.

In March 2023, the threat actors launched a new campaign that led unaware victims to download Anatsa dropper apps from Google Play.

Threat Fabric says that it saw a total of five new dropper apps crop up on the Play Store in just four months all posing as PDF reader software, according to the Mirror.

Whenever ThreatFabric reported the bug to Google it was removed from the sore, but the malware quickly returned under a new dropper and guise.

One software named PDF Viewer was downloaded over 10,000 times before Android caught on.

All the infected apps have now been removed from the Play Store. However, if you have downloaded any PDF software this year, it may be a good idea to double check if it is from an official source.

A Google spokesperson told BleepingComputer: 'All of these identified malicious apps have been removed from Google Play and the developers have been banned.

'Google Play Protect also protects users by automatically removing apps known to contain this malware on Android devices with Google Play Services.'

Full list of apps banned by Google:
Apple's value has once again topped $3trillion (2.3trillion) cementing its position as the world's richest company.

The tech giant's stock hit a record high of $193 in trading on Wall Street yesterday as it continued an upward march that has seen the share price rise 54 per cent so far this year.

It means it is now worth $3.04trillion, more than the combined value of Google parent company Alphabet and Amazon, which are valued at $1.5trillion and $1.3trillion respectively.

The iPhone maker was the first company in the world to achieve a value of $1trillion back in 2018, then two years later became the first to be worth $2trillion.

In fact, the landmark figure puts Apple's valuation as just short of the UK's GDP ($3.07million).

The tech giant's stock hit a record high of $193 in trading on Wall Street yesterday as it continued an upward march that has seen the share price rise 54 per cent so far this year

But Apple is far from the most valuable company in history, with the record currently held by the Dutch East India Company, which hit a valuation of roughly $9trillion at today's prices in the 1630s.

It was founded as a private merchant company with a 20-year monopoly on spice trading around modern-day Indonesia, employing around 70,000 people worldwide.

The trading company, widely considered to be the world's first multinational corporation, was also the first business to offer shares to the public.

But this did not come without a cost: the Dutch East India Company transported around 50,000 slaves to colonies to prop up its mammoth operation.

Apple hit the $3trillion mark briefly last year until Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent global stock markets tumbling and the firm struggled with lower sales after an outbreak of Covid-19 shut down one of its key factories in China.

But it rebounded strongly this year, helped by large buybacks, a process by which a firm purchases its own shares to reduce the total, boosting the price of the remaining stock.

The company hit the headlines last month when it unveiled its virtual reality headset, known as the Vision Pro, which carries a price tag of $3,499 (2,850).

'We believe Apple's fair valuation could be in the $3.5trillion range with a case for a $4trillion valuation by 2025,' said Dan Ives, managing director of US research firm Wedbush Securities.
Understanding dark energy and dark matter are key goals of the telescope

The UK has contributed 37million to the mission exploring universe mysteries

The Euclid telescope has embarked on a journey to the 'second Lagrange point'

A UK-backed space telescope has embarked on a million-mile journey to uncover the mysteries of the dark universe.

At 4.12pm GMT today (12.12pm EDT), the two-tonne probe blasted off from Florida towards the 'second Lagrange point' of space - an area that is around four times further away from the Earth than the Moon ever reaches.

The European Space Agency hope the telescope - named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid - will shed light on the baffling concepts of dark energy and dark matter.

It was launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX after Russia pulled its Soyuz rockets in response to sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

'We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighbouring planets, stars and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 per cent of the universe remain largely a mystery,' said Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency.

The Euclid telescope has embarked on a journey to the 'Lagrange point' of space

WHAT IS DARK MATTER?

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 85 per cent of the universe. The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists. Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter. The European Space Agency says: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates. 'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist. 'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.' The material is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together. Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren't held together by a large amount of dark matter. Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles. Advertisement

'Euclid will give us new insights into both, helping us to build a clearer picture of the origin and evolution of the universe and the way it is expanding.

'UK scientists and engineers have led the development of one of the two science instruments on board, and we are also making a significant contribution to the ground-based data processing capability that will convert the raw data into 'science-ready' data, for researchers to use to tell us more about dark matter and dark energy.

'I'm incredibly excited to follow its discoveries over the next six years.'

The UK has contributed 37million towards the 850million mission, with scientists playing key roles in designing and building the immense probe.

Scientists aim to use Euclid as a tool to learn more about the dark universe and better understand why it's rapidly expanding.

It will make use of a cosmic phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, where matter acts like a magnifying glass, bending and distorting light from galaxies and clusters behind it, to capture high-quality images.

These images will help astronomers gain insights into the elusive dark matter, particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light.

Dark matter cannot be seen directly, but scientists know it exists because of the effect it has on objects that can be observed directly.

They believe it 'binds together galaxies creating the environment for stars, planets and life'.

The mission will also explore dark energy, which is thought to push galaxies apart, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate.

Following its launch from Cape Canaveral, Euclid will take one month to reach its destination of the second Lagrange point.

Understanding dark energy and dark matter are key goals of the telescope

Euclid's six-year mission aims to scrutinise the dark universe to better understand why is it rapidly expanding

The UK has contributed 37million to the mission exploring mysteries of the universe

The mission will also explore dark energy, which is thought to push galaxies apart

Euclid will take one month to reach its destination of the second Lagrange point

READ MORE: What space launches will take place in 2023? It may have been billed as the world's most powerful launch vehicle, but SpaceX 's highly-anticipated Starship rocket (pictured) is yet to make it into orbit Advertisement

This is an area where the gravitational forces of Earth and the sun are roughly equal - creating a stable location for the spacecraft.

Scientists from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory have led the development of the optical camera known as VIS, a science instrument that will take images of the distant universe.

Professor Mark Cropper, leader of the VIS camera team, said: 'The VIS instrument will image a large swathe of the distant universe with almost the fine resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope, observing more of the universe in one day than Hubble did in 25 years.

'The data will allow us to infer the distribution of dark matter across the universe more precisely than ever before.'

The probe also carries an infrared light instrument, called NISP, which is being led by scientists in France and aims measure the distance to galaxies, which will shed light on fast the universe is expanding.

Rebecca Bowler, a research fellow at the University of Manchester, who is leading the efforts to find the most distant galaxies with Euclid, added: 'Euclid will revolutionise our understanding of how the very first galaxies and super-massive black holes are formed.'

The two-tonne telescope launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 4.12pm GMT today (12.12pm EDT)

The UK-backed telescope is named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid

More than 2,000 scientists across Europe have been involved in the mission, from its design to its construction and analysis.

Professor Tom Kitching, of UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, one of four science co-ordinators for Euclid, said: 'The puzzles we hope to address are fundamental.

'Are our models of the universe correct? What is dark energy? Is it vacuum energy - the energy of virtual particles popping in and out of existence in empty space?

'Is it a new particle field that we didn't expect? Or it may be Einstein's theory of gravity that is wrong.

'Whatever the answer, a revolution in physics is almost guaranteed.'
Relaxing by the poolside is one thing, but wearing a bikini around town could land female holidaymakers with a fine or even jail time when overseas,

TikToker @theycallme.marti explained how tourists can receive a 500 (430) fine by wearing swimwear beyond the beach and in Italian towns.

The rule is true of many places in Italy and last year the southern Italian beachside town of Sorrento brought in a fine of over $800 for those wearing inappropriate bathing suits.

The Melbourne-based woman, Marti said: 'I don't know what it is about Italians, but they do not want tourists going around in their bikinis around the little towns near beaches.

Holidaymakers could face fines in popular destinations if they dare to wear a bikini or go shirtless outside designated areas

To avoid eye-watering fines she suggested: 'If you're planning on going to the beach, just bring an extra T-shirt with you so you can cover up and the old Italian ladies and men will be happy.'

But Italy is just one of many countries where wearing skimpy clothes could land you a hefty fine - or even worse, jail time.

Many tourists will be surprised to discover that two hugely popular destinations, Barcelona and Majorca, have strict rules against wearing bikinis in public.

In 2011 lawmakers in Barcelona prohibited bikinis being worn beyond the beach in an attempt to clean up its image.

Those who are caught wearing one in the town centre could be fined up to 260

Similarly in Majorca, tourists who go topless further than the beach may be hit with 2500 fines, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

Palma's mayor, Antoni Noguera, said at the time: 'We will attack the tourism of excesses head-on. We will have the tools to avoid giving the wrong image of our city. It will help us improve Palma.'

Women wearing bikinis may not want to venture far from the beach or resort while on holiday as they could be slapped with an eye watering fine

The same rule applies for shirtless men venturing into the centre of Barcelona or Majorca

Croatia is another holiday destination gaining the attention of British holidaymakers, but many tourists may not be aware that officials on the island of Hvar can issue fines of 120 for walking around the town in beachwear.

Another country where holiday-goers have run into trouble is the Philippines, in 2019 Lin Tzu Ting was arrested for wearing a skimpy string bikini while on a popular tourist beach.

The 26-year-old was on holiday with her boyfriend when she wore the revealing garment on Boracay island.

Officers slapped the tourist with a 38.30 fine and at the time Natividad Bernardino, head of the Boracay Inter-Agency Management and Rehabilitation group explained: 'Foreign tourists should observe proper decorum as a form of respect for Philippine culture and tradition.'

In Muslim countries many tourists have run into trouble for their choices of swimwear, in the Maldives in 2020 a woman was arrested for 'indecent exposure' and

Dubai also has strict rules on swimwear, while wearing a bikini at the beach is acceptable, in 2010 a woman was arrested for wearing one in a shopping centre.

Like Dubai, Turkey is a Muslim country and follows much stricter indecency laws than the majority of Western countries.

And despite many Brits jetting to their sunny sea resorts, tourists who wear beachwear outside the beach may face arrest.

Travel blogger Vicky Philpott, of VickyFlipFlopTravels, issued some advice to fellow travellers attempting to navigate these rules.

She said: 'Follow what others are doing and be aware of what the norm is around you, don't just expect it to be the same as at home.

'If in doubt, check out the local government website, or just ask the lifeguards at the beach.'
It is the iconic love story which began at a humble railway station.

But letters between Brief Encounter star Dame Celia Johnson and her husband during World War II tell something of a Hollywood romance themselves.

And, in a moving event at Chalke Valley History Festival, sponsored by the Daily Mail, a selection of the couple's letters were read by Dame Celia's daughter, Lucy Fleming, and son-in-law.

Then 32, the actress was already an established West End star when World War II broke out in 1939.

Her husband Peter Fleming, brother of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, was a successful writer.

Letters between Brief Encounter star Dame Celia Johnson (pictured) and her husband during World War II tell something of a Hollywood romance themselves

In a moving event at the Chalke Valley History Festival, sponsored by the Daily Mail, a selection of the couple's letters were read by Dame Celia's (right) daughter, Lucy Fleming (left), and son-in-law Simon Williams

But during the war Mr Fleming worked in intelligence in roles which saw him heading to Norway, Egypt and then Greece.

Meanwhile Dame Celia volunteered with the police, while continuing to look after the couple's son, Nicholas, alongside her work - later filming the 1945 Noel Coward classic for which she is most famous while her husband remained abroad.

In a 1942 letter, Dame Celia details filming Coward's 'In Which We Serve'.

'My second day's filming consists of being made up at 8.30am and not being used until 6.30pm,' Ms Fleming, an actress herself, read.

'It wasn't improved by seeing the rushes in which I look like a soused herring.

Dame Celia then writes: 'Darling, there is really nothing to tell you except that I miss you and feel slightly numb at the prospect of the many months before I see you again.'

In another letter, Mr Fleming offers comfort to his wife following her telling him she had the 'willies'.

'What have you got the willies about my poor darling?' his letter reads.

'Sweet. I love you very much and I hate you being sad.'

In the same note, he adds: 'An awful lot of people I really like are getting killed.

Later on the actress also describes filming Brief Encounter (pictured right). 'You'd think there could be nothing more dreary than spending ten hours on a station platform every night,' Dame Celia writes

Dame Celia wrote: 'But we do everything in the acme of luxury and sit drinking occasional brandies and rushing out now and again to see the expresses roaring through' (pictured: Dame Celia Johnson, left, and Trevor Howard)

'I like my friends very much and also respect them - and I am getting to be so rude in company and so uncommunicative out of it, that I sometimes feel I shan't make any more.'

Tender, touching and humorous anecdotes continue throughout the letters - which were written between the couple's sparse and short times together.

Nicholas, who was not yet one year old when the war broke out, is affectionately referred to as 'the sausage' by his parents.

'I simply love the bits you tell me about the sausage,' Mr Fleming writes later on in the war.

'I'm bound to admit that he sounds jolly nice and I wish I saw more of him.'

Dame Celia also describes her struggles in the kitchen after losing the family cook.

'I could do things like peeling the potatoes and killing the caterpillars in the cabbages with anyone, but actually changing them from raw to cooked is a problem I do not understand,' she writes.

Later on the actress also describes filming Brief Encounter.

Lucy Fleming (pictured), 76, who starred in the BBC's 1970s post-apocalyptic drama 'Survivors', told the Mail she always knew the letters existed but was unable to read them when her mother died in 1982

'You'd think there could be nothing more dreary than spending ten hours on a station platform every night,' Dame Celia writes.

'But we do everything in the acme of luxury and sit drinking occasional brandies and rushing out now and again to see the expresses roaring through.'

Ms Fleming, 76, who starred in the BBC's 1970s post-apocalyptic drama 'Survivors', told the Mail she always knew the letters existed but was unable to read them when her mother died in 1982.

'It was only five years ago that I started reading them,' she said.

Shortly before her husband's return in 1945, Dame Celia delivers exciting news - 'I am sending you a cable to tell you that I am preggers,' she writes.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Fleming is thrilled.

'I had really forgotten that one can be so pleased about anything,' he writes.

'Do look after yourself. I love you very much.'
Senior Chinese diplomat meets Madagascan FM

Xinhua) 15:07, July 01, 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 Yvette Sylla, foreign minister of Madagascar, in Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Yvette Sylla, foreign minister of Madagascar, on Friday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that China and Madagascar have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation, and bilateral relations have maintained a steady development momentum.

China highly appreciates Madagascar's adherence to the one-China principle and firmly supports Madagascar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions, Wang said.

China is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen people-to-people friendships, and open up new prospects for China-Madagascar relations, Wang added.

Sylla said that Madagascar firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and supports and is willing to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and a series of important global initiatives proposed by China.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
Margot Robbie is currently in the middle of a whirlwind publicity tour for her Barbie movie.

And on Saturday, she was spotted leaving Sydney in the early hours of the morning to catch a flight to South Korea.

The 32-year-old looked pretty in pink in a cute designer outfit made up of multiple luxury brands.

She donned a Gucci sweatshirt from the fashion house's collaboration with Adidas, along with a Chanel purse and a pair of Versace platform slides.

Margot stopped to take selfies with a few fans before joining her husband Tom Ackerley in the airport terminal.

Margot Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerley were spotted at Sydney Airport on Friday to catch a flight to South Korea

The 32-year-old looked pretty in pink in a cute designer outfit made up of multiple luxury brands, including Gucci and Chanel

Barbie is 'a fish-out-of-water story about a doll who is ousted from toy society for not being perfect enough.'

Another synopsis on IMDB of the movie reads: 'A doll living in "Barbieland" is expelled for not being perfect enough and sets off on an adventure in the real world. A Live-action feature film based on the popular line of Barbie toys.'

Oscar winner Ryan is starring opposite Margot as he takes on the role of Barbie's boyfriend Ken.

Will Ferrell is said to be playing the CEO of the toy company that may or may not be Mattel.

She donned a Gucci sweatshirt from the fashion house's collaboration with Adidas, along with a Chanel purse and a pair of Versace platform slides

Margot couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she strolled through the terminal

Margot stopped to take selfies with a few fans before joining her husband Tom in the terminal

Little Women and Ladybird filmmaker Greta is directing the project, and wrote the script for the film with her longtime partner Noah Baumbach.

Margot arrived in Sydney on Wednesday with her husband to promote her starring role in Barbie.

The couple were married in 2016 at a secret location in Byron Bay, Australia at an intimae ceremony with about 50 invited guests.

The couple exchanged their vows under a large white teepee-style tent at a luxurious property in Coorabell, in Byron Bay's hinterland.

Margot and Tom met in 2013 on set of World War II drama Suite Francaise in France.
She's long been known for making a statement with her sexy looks.

And Bella Thorne was proudly flaunting her ample bust in a plunging black mini dress as she attended the after party of The Absence Of Eden premiere in Taormina, Italy on Friday.

The former Disney star, 25, showed off her eye-popping curves in the sexy LBD as she posed up a storm at the event.

Bella showed off her ample cleavage in the form-fitting black dress, which she teamed with leopard print trainers.

Teaming her look with a pink metallic leather handbag, Bella flaunted her incredible figure in her tight LBD.

Wow! Bella Thorne flaunted her ample bust in a plunging black mini dress as she attended the after party of The Absence Of Eden premiere in Taormina, Italy on Friday

Sizzling! The former Disney star showed off her eye-popping curves in the sexy LBD as she posed up a storm at the event

Hard to miss! Bella showed off her ample cleavage in the form-fitting black dress, which she teamed with leopard print trainers (pictured with Silvia Damiani)

It comes after Bella and Karrueche Tran looked sensational in their extravagant frocks at the 69th Taormina Film Festival

The actresses' donned vibrant black ensembles as they posed in front of photographers to capture their incredible outfits.

The ex-Disney star hosted the 69th festival as well as premiering her directorial short film debut Paint Her Red which she wrote, directed and also starred in.

Bella wore an animated black ball gown featuring feathered embellishments around her frock.

The auburn-haired beauty posed up a storm in her strapless attire which showcased her incredibly slender physique.

Karrueche put on a glamorous extravaganza as she dressed in a sheer frock revealing her toned torso.

The American actress, 35, looked nothing short of sensational as she posed next to Bella in picture-perfect photos.

Gorgeous! Bella cut a sultry figure in her skintight black dress as she attended the party

Stunner! The actress flashed a smile as she posed for snaps after the premiere of The Absence Of Eden

Stunner! Bella beamed as she attended the party in her busty black dress

Loved-up: Bella was seen with her boyfriend Mark Emms on the night out

Tactile: The couple put on an affectionate display as they walked around Taormina

All in the details: Bella accessorised her outfit with a pink metallic bag

Casual: She opted for comfort in leopard print trainers

Romance: Thorne was first pictured canoodling with Mark in August last year while yachting off the coast of Mykonos

Bella opted for a smokey winged eyeliner to exaggerated her features with a pink lip and wore her ginger locks behind her shoulders, styled in a slight wave.

The pals shared a sweet moment as they pouted their lips for a photo, leaning into each other's cheeks.

Earlier in the evening, the star put on a ghastly performance as she covered herself in special FX make-up.

She put on a terrifying show which saw fake blood cover her hands and dripped from her mouth.

Bella posed during her horror performance for the photographer as she struck straight into a vampire character against the cinematic backdrop.

Bella looked unrecognisable as she dressed up as a bloody vampire character during her performance in Taormina.

She completed her frightening transformation with a black and white hooded cape which shielded her shoulders.

Gorgeous: Bella looked sensational in her extravagant frock at the 69th Taormina Film Festival in Italy on Thursday

Frightening: Bella looked unrecognisable as she dressed up as a bloody vampire character during her performance in Taormina
Celebrity meditation guru Tim Brown has died in Sydney at the age of 49.

The health and wellness expert had worked as a meditation guru since 2001 and boasted a wealth of A-list celebrity clients.

Brown's family took to Instagram earlier this week to share the heartbreaking news.

'On Monday we lost this beautiful soul. Teacher, mentor, guide, friend, son, brother, husband and father,' they began.

'Our hearts are breaking and for now there are no words. We know there are so many of you grieving with us and we feel your immeasurable love and support.

'All of us, need space and time to gather ourselves, and for now that is all you can give. We will, in time, gather to celebrate his remarkable legacy.'

Celebrity meditation guru Tim Brown (pictured) has died in Sydney at the age of 49

The health and wellness expert had worked as a meditation guru since 2001 and boasted a wealth of A List celebrity clients

Tim was known for helping clients with Vedic Meditation, where people learn how to 'transcend' with the aid of a mantra.

His celebrity clients included Luxe Listings Sydney star D'Leanne Lewis and Bondi Rescue's Anthony 'Harries' Carroll.

Many of his famous friends took to social media to post a tribute to the meditation specialist.

His celebrity clients included Luxe Listings Sydney star D'Leanne Lewis (pictured) and Bondi Rescue's Anthony 'Harries' Carroll

Bondi Rescue star Anthony 'Harries' Carroll paid tribute to Brown on social media: ''I will always love you Tim. I just loved seeing you for sunrise Pilates and your humour and support was unmatched.'

'I will always love you Tim. I just loved seeing you for sunrise Pilates and your humour and support was unmatched,' wrote Bondi Rescue star Anthony 'Harries' Carroll.

Meanwhile, D'Leanne Lewis told The Sydney Morning Herald: 'He really helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life.'

Brown is survived by his wife and their three teenage children.

If you or anyone around you is in need of assistance, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Ariana Madix was spotted wearing an all black outfit as she stepped out in Los Angeles on ahead of the weekend.

The 38-year-old Vanderpump Rules personality  who is preparing a new business venture  wore a cropped black hoodie and biker shorts.

The Bravo TV star pulled her frosty blonde hair into a high top knot bun that was secured with a green scrunchie.

Ariana, who was scorned by ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval when he had a months-long affair with their costar Raquel Leviss, added a pair of large, round sunglasses to her look.

The outing comes after news broke on Friday that Leviss is beginning contract negotiations for season 11 of their hit reality television series.

Casual look: Ariana Madix was spotted wearing an all black outfit as she stepped out in Los Angeles on Friday

Athleisure: The 38-year-old Vanderpump Rules personality wore a cropped black hoodie and biker shorts

Madix, who was born in Florida, wore tiny earrings and carried a small, black leather backpack.

The entrepreneur flashed the top of her toned midriff in the high-waisted spandex shorts.

She carried her phone in her hand as she stepped out on the Southern California day.

Her athleisure look was rounded out with a pair of green, black, and white Nike high top sneakers.

As production attempts to capture the fallout from Raquel's affair with Tom, the reality star, 28, is working to arrange her return to the show.

On the heels of the unscripted show's record-breaking finale, which had 4.1 million viewers, a source told TMZ that the former pageant queen only began hammering out the details of her new contract 'just three days ago.'

Bravo has reportedly been hesitant to make a deal with her until she completes her stay at a mental health facility over fears of 'legal peril if she backslides' if they bring her 'back too early.'

Now, production feels it has 'the green light to start the negotiations' as she prepares to leave treatment 'soon.'

Cute: The Bravo TV star pulled her frosty blonde hair into a high top knot bun that was secured with a green scrunchie

The latest: The outing comes after news broke on Friday that Leviss is beginning contract negotiations for season 11 of their hit reality television series

The delayed talks come days after an insider told the outlet that season 11 of Vanderpump Rules was set to go into production on Wednesday.

By that time Leviss had not committed to joining the cast and crew.

Sources said that both Bravo and Leviss' team are 'working hard to get her on the show.'

However, the insiders also noted that her time at the mental health facility remains a priority.

The rest of the cast, including Ariana and Tom, will be making their return to the highly-popular Bravo program.

During season 10's reunion, which aired earlier in June, Raquel was noncommittal about coming back.

Ready to come back? Raquel Leviss has finally begun negotiating her contract for Vanderpump Rules' season 11 amid reports that the Bravo cameras began rolling again on Wednesday; seen in 2022

Cameras rolling: On the heels of the unscripted reality show's record-breaking finale, which earned 4.1 million viewers, marking a series high, a source told TMZ that the former pageant queen only began hammering out the details of her new contracts 'just three days ago'

At the time she told boss Andy Cohen: 'I don't know. It's in question right now. I want to.'

During the three reunion episodes Ariana eviscerated her ex Tom after he betrayed her with Raquel.

An insider told DailyMail.com earlier this month that Raquel began treatment at a mental health facility 'to become a better person.'

The person said: 'Upon the completion of filming the reunion, Raquel entered a voluntary inpatient behavioral health and trauma facility and remains there to date - 68 days and counting.'
Kathie Lee Gifford is a grandma...again! The former Today Show host's daughter Cassidy welcomed a baby boy with her husband Ben Wierda, 32.

'Our whole entire world,' Cassidy, 29, wrote alongside a photo of the baby's tiny foot in her hand.

'Finn Thomas Wierda 6.24.2023. We are so madly in love with you, buddy,' she captioned the post on Friday.

Finn is the retired journalist's, 69, second grandson.

Her son Cody Gifford, 33, and his wife Erika Brown welcomed son Frank, named after his late father Frank Gifford, in June 2022.

Cassidy and Ben got engaged in November 2019 and married in a backyard ceremony in June 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baby boy: Kathie Lee Gifford is a grandma...again! The former Today Show host's daughter Cassidy welcomed a baby boy with her husband Ben Wierda, 32. 'Our whole entire world,' Cassidy, 29, wrote alongside a photo of the baby's tiny foot in her hand. 'Finn Thomas Wierda 6.24.2023. We are so madly in love with you, buddy,' she captioned the post on Friday

Cassidy and Ben have known each other for most of their lives.

'Our moms met through a mutual friend in the Florida Keys, and my family would always go for the holidays. Their kids matched up with ages with my brother and I. You don't always get along with your family friends' kids, but we hit it off,' she told People.

And when the pandemic interrupted their plans for a lavish wedding in Santa Barbara, they winged it and drove across the country to marry in Ben's native Michigan.

'We just decided, 'We're going to do the dang thing anyway and get married,'' Cassidy told the outlet.. 'I got a sundress two days before, we didn't even wear shoes, and we just did it in his backyard.'

And they had a larger wedding in Nashville - where they moved to during the pandemic - with family and friends in November 2021.

'In a weird way, having lived so much life together even before we got married and then having a year and a half under our belt already, it just removed so much pressure,' Cassidy said.

'So we were able to just be there in that moment, just the two of us, and really absorb it and take it all in.'

The actress and model shared the news of her pregnancy last December.

'A whole lot extra to be praising Jesus for this Christmas,' she captioned a photo of a tiny Christmas stocking hanging between two larger stockings.

'Our little peanut arriving June 2023. Jeremiah 1:5.'

The scripture Cassidy refers to in the post reads: 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nation.'

At the time Kathie Lee shared the exciting news in her Instagram feed writing, 'Beyond thrilled for my darling girl @cassidygiff and @letsgetweirda. What a sweet blessing this is for our family.'

First child: Cassidy and Ben got engaged in November 2019 and married in a backyard ceremony in June 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

New mom: Cassidy shared the news of her pregnancy in December

Grandma: Finn is the retired journalist's, 69, second grandson. Her son Cody Gifford, 33, and his wife Erika Brown welcomed son Frank, named after his late father Frank Gifford, in June 2022

Old friends: Cassidy and her husband, Ben Weirda, 32, have been married since 2020, but have known each other most of their lives, becoming friends after meeting up on family vacations

Grandma to two: Kathie Lee is grandma to Cody's son Frank, Cassidy's son Finn and soon will add a third grandchild when Cody's wife Erika Brown gives birth to their second child

Finn won't be Kathie Lee's youngest grandchild for long. Cody and Erika are expecting their second child this coming winter.

The couple announced their upcoming new addition to their family in early June while celebrating Frankie's first birthday.

'Celebrating 1 year of #FrankieFriday s in a BIG way. Thank you so much for all of the love and prayers. It has meant the world,' Erika wrote in her caption.

'Please start sending me names that start with the rest of the days of the week. Baby Gifford #2 coming this winter. Gifford, party of 4!!! #2under2.'
Mama June gave Honey Boo Boo a hug for the 'first time' in about 'five or six years' during a therapy session in a new emotional episode of Mama June: Family Crisis on Friday.

The TV personality, 43, has aimed to patch together her tattered relationship with daughters Alana 'Honey Boo Boo', 17, Lauryn 'Pumpkin', 23, and Jessica 'Chubbs', 26, on a weekend family retreat with therapist, Dr. Ish.

Earlier in the sixth season of the hit WE TV series, which began airing last month in May, June notably crashed her daughters' meet-and-greet with fans, which resulted in a heated confrontation due to her past with drugs.

In the latest episode that premiered on June 30, Mama and her three daughters were gathered inside of a kitchen around a counter, with the therapist kicking off a short session for the family to speak their emotions out loud to develop 'closeness.'

At one point, Alana and her mother held hands, with Mama June telling her youngest, 'I'm glad that we was able to hang out today. And I hope that we can do it really soon. And I love you.'

Heartfelt hug: Mama June,43, gave Honey Boo Boo,17, a hug for the 'first time' in about 'five or six years' during a therapy session in a new emotional episode of Mama June: Family Crisis on Friday

Emotional: After only a brief moment of thought, Honey Boo Boo began to break down in tears, causing June to also become emotional

Honey Boo Boo replied with, 'I love you too,' and then looked towards Dr. Ish to explain, 'It was better because she didn't say it over text message.'

He then asked Alana, 'How much would it have meant to you if you could have held her [Mama June's] hand on the first day of school and she said, "I love you. Go on in there and kick some a** now."'

After only a brief moment of thought, Honey Boo Boo began to break down in tears, causing June to also become emotional. 'I just feel like my mom should be there on graduation. And I feel like she should be there for my prom.'

'And she should be there for them little moments in school, like Honors Day or whatever it may be, just the little senior activities I have,' Alana continued. 'Everybody at school is like "My mom, my mom, my mom" And I always have to say, "my sister." I don't want to have to say that.'

'I want to be like, my mom did this, or my mom does this for me, or I'm going home to my mom today,' she concluded. Dr. Ish then cut in to state, 'See how that works? Your daughters are crying. This is the time to go comfort her, right?'

Mama June then brought Honey Boo Boo into a tight embrace, with her daughter laying her head on her mother's shoulder to continue to cry.

The episode then cut to a confessional where Honey Boo Boo admitted to the viewers that, 'This is the first time Mama's actually really gave me a hug in probably about-I'm not gonna lie- probably about five or six years.'

'And it feels good to get an actual loving hug from your Mama. Like, it really did feel nice. I'm not gonna lie.'

Missing her mother: Alana expressed, 'I just feel like my mom should be there on graduation. And I feel like she should be there for my prom'

Tearful: 'Everybody at school is like "My mom, my mom, my mom" And I always have to say, my sister. I don't want to have to say that,' Honey Boo Boo explained

Comfort: Mama June then brought Honey Boo Boo into a tight embrace, with her daughter laying her head on her mother's shoulder to continue to cry

Revelation: The episode then cut to a confessional where Honey Boo Boo admitted to the viewers that, 'This is the first time Mama's actually really gave me a hug in probably about-I'm not gonna lie- probably about five or six years'

'Loving': 'And it feels good to get an actual loving hug from your Mama. Like, it really did feel nice. I'm not gonna lie,' she stated

Getting close: Mama and her three daughters were gathered inside of a kitchen around a counter, with the therapist kicking off a short session for the family to speak their emotions out loud

The episode then cut back to the emotional session with Dr. Ish urging Mama June to not make excuses for her actions, but to issue an apology for missing out on important moments in Honey Boo Boo's life.

Her daughter Lauryn (Pumpkin) also had the chance to have a mini one-on-one conversation with her mother where she expressed that all she 'needed' was to hear that June was 'proud' of her.

'I'm proud of you for everything that you've accomplished. Like, you are a good mom,' June told Pumpkin, who is mother to four children of her own.

After Mama June was arrested in 2019 and charged with felony possession of drugs and also drug paraphernalia, Lauryn obtained temporary custody of Honey Boo Boo and last year, received full custody of the almost 18-year-old.

'I have laid in bed and cried for hours because, like, I wanted to talk to y'all because I missed y'all 'cause I wanted that family back,' June explained, with Pumpkin expressing that she also has her own family as 'priority.'

Dr. Ish then stated, 'Every child you have needs to know that they're the most important person in your life. And what you're seeing right now is what happens when they don't feel that way.'

Jessica, who has come out as bisexual, also expressed to her mother while holding hands that she wished June had given her 'support' and also had her 'back.'

In a confessional, Jessica could be seen stating, 'It's hard for anyone to come out. And I'm glad Mama finally can see the real me and she understands. Because it's hard to have a relationship with somebody who doesn't know you or let you be who you are.'

Special moment: Mama June comforted her daughter, Honey Boo Boo, during the session as they opened up to each other

Words needed to hear: Her daughter Lauryn (Pumpkin) also had the chance to have a mini one-on-one conversation with her mother where she expressed that all she 'needed' was to hear that June was 'proud' of her

'Proud': 'I'm proud of you for everything that you've accomplished. Like, you are a good mom,' June told Pumpkin, who is mother to four children of her own

Wanting 'support': Jessica, who has come out as bisexual, also expressed to her mother while holding hands that she wished her mother had given her 'support' and also had her 'back'

Listening: In a confessional, Jessica could be seen stating, 'It's hard for anyone to come out. And I'm glad Mama finally can see the real me and she understands...'

Confessional: 'Because it's hard to have a relationship with somebody who doesn't know you or let you be who you are,' Jessica stated during a confessional after opening up to her mother

The therapy weekend session was an opportunity to repair the shattered relationship that Mama June had with her three daughters and to 'get family back together.'

The retreat began with June arriving to a large cabin in Georgia only to be surprised by her sister, Doe Doe, who was waiting for her before her daughters arrived.

The two sat down with Dr. Ish, who dove back to their own difficult upbringing and childhood. They opened up about how their own mother had 'abandoned' them 'in a lot of ways' when they were growing up.

The therapist pointed out that June was repeating actions that her own mother had done, such as putting men before her daughters and having a 'transactional' relationship with them.

Dr. Ish explained that their mother was 'the model, but it wasn't a role model. But it was the only model you knew. And so, subconsciously, we start doing these exact same things in our own life. You see the pattern?'

He continued, 'This weekend is about cycles and breaking the cycles. And a big part of stopping the future cycle is going back and realizing the effect that stuff had on you.'

After Doe Doe left the retreat house, Mama June's three daughters soon arrived and they all gathered in the kitchen around a spacious island to briefly share updates with their lives, such as Honey Boo Boo graduating high school and expressing her dream to be a neonatal nurse.

Pumpkin then brought up the explosive meet-and-greet, with June admitting that she knew her daughters were 'hurt' about what she had said.

A sit down: The retreat began with June arriving to a large cabin in Georgia only to be surprised by her sister, Doe Doe, who was waiting for her before her daughters arrived

In the past: The two sat down with Dr. Ish, who dove back to their own difficult upbringing and childhood and they opened up about how their own mother had 'abandoned' them 'in a lot of ways'

Following a trend: Dr. Ish explained that their mother was 'the model, but it wasn't a role model. But it was the only model you knew. And so, subconsciously, we start doing these exact same things in our own life. You see the pattern?'

'Breaking the cycle': He continued, 'This weekend is about cycles and breaking the cycles. And a big part of stopping the future cycle is going back and realizing the effect that stuff had on you'

Reunited: After Doe Doe left the retreat house, Mama June's three daughters soon arrived and they all gathered in the kitchen around a spacious island to briefly share updates with their lives

A game: The therapist then introduced a game that they would take part in called Apple Picking, where June and her daughters each grabbed an apple and would drop it if they had made another family member feel a certain emotion

Hurt: Alana explained that she felt hurt because Mama June 'just left us' while Pumpkin expressed that she was only 17-years-old when she got custody of Honey Boo Boo

Effort: She then told them she was 'three years clean and sober,' which Dr. Ish applauded, but was adamant that there needed to be 'consistent effort' from everyone for a continuous, and lasting positive change

Releasing anger: Later in the episode, the family was taken to the garage where they had the chance to release stress by stating what made them angry, and then hit a punching bag with a bat

When Dr. Ish questioned what the statement was, Pumpkin revealed that Mama had said, 'I would rather give up my rights than give you any money for Alana,' referencing to June paying child support for Honey Boo Boo.

The therapist then introduced a game that they would take part in called Apple Picking, where June and her daughters each grabbed an apple and would drop it if they had made another family member feel a certain emotion.

Dr. Ish at one point stated to drop an apple if they had made someone feel hurt, and all four dropped their apple. He then asked them to explain why they had been hurt.

Alana explained that she felt hurt because Mama June 'just left us' while Pumpkin expressed that she was only 17-years-old when she got custody of Honey Boo Boo. Jessica admitted that she had been hurt due to their mother being 'absent.'

Mama June revealed that she felt hurt due to her daughters ignoring her text messages and tearfully expressed how much she missed her children.

She then told them she was 'three years clean and sober,' which Dr. Ish applauded, but was adamant that there needed to be 'consistent effort' from everyone for a continuous, and lasting positive change.

Later in the episode, the family was taken to the garage where they had the chance to release stress by stating what made them angry, and then hit a punching bag with a bat.

At the end of the weekend, Dr. Ish brought Mama June and her three daughters into the living room and handed each of them a notebook. Inside, they had to answer the question: 'What does the perfect family look like for you?'

Afterwards, they each had to stand up and read out loud what they had written, with Honey Boo Boo going first. She had wished that, 'Me and Pumpkin could actually be sisters for once. My mama wouldn't miss out on the little things. I said, I wish my Mama would care more about my schooling. And that's all.'

Pumpkin then had her turn and stated, 'Ok, I hope that I could share all of my moments, big and small, with my mom.'

Meaning of family: At the end of the weekend, Dr. Ish brought Mama June and her three daughters into the living room and handed each of them a notebook. Inside, they had to answer the question: 'What does the perfect family look like for you?'

Wishes: Honey Boo Boo wished that, 'Me and Pumpkin could actually be sisters for once. My mama wouldn't miss out on the little things...'

Being the 'glue': 'I wouldn't have to worry if my mom was going to O.D. I wouldn't have to worry if I'm enough. I wouldn't have to just always ask, why me? I wouldn't have to be the glue,' she emotionally concluded

There for each other: Jessica then stood up and expressed to her family, 'As a whole, I want to see everybody truthful and honest and always have each other's backs...'

New beginning: To conclude the emotional episode and therapy retreat, Dr. Ish threw the notebook papers into the lit fireplace to start a new beginning

Happy: Mama June embraced all three of her daughters, who happily returned the action at the very end of the episode

'I wouldn't have to worry if my mom was going to O.D. I wouldn't have to worry if I'm enough. I wouldn't have to just always ask, why me? I wouldn't have to be the glue,' she emotionally concluded.

Jessica then stood up and expressed to her family, 'As a whole, I want to see everybody truthful and honest and always have each other's backs, always having an open mind about everyone's opinions and life, and be there for everything that happens in each of our lives.'

Mama June lastly stated, 'I hope that we can talk every day, see each other more. I thank deep down in my heart that they never gave up on me, because they wouldn't be here this weekend.'

To conclude the emotional episode and therapy retreat, Dr. Ish threw the notebook papers into the lit fireplace to start a new beginning while June embraced all three of her daughters, who happily returned the action.
Millie Bobby Brown and fiance Jake Bongiovi were seen at Taylor Swift's Cincinnati, Ohio tour stop on Friday night.

The 19-year-old Stranger Things sensation and her 21-year-old beau - who recently dined with Brown's parents in NYC - were captured at the event by a fan.

Footage of them at the Eras Tour concert later appeared on social media, with a Twitter fan account writing along with one snap, 'Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi are in attendance at #CincyTSTheErasTour tonight!'

Millie and her future husband were seen standing together under a tent with cushioned wooden seats.

The Netflix star wore a monochrome pink outfit consisting of shorts and a long-sleeved button-up shirt.

Music lovers: Millie Bobby Brown and fiance Jake Bongiovi were seen at Taylor Swift 's Cincinnati, Ohio tour stop on Friday night

Tour stop: Taylor took her Eras Tour to Ohio this week and performed in Cincinnati

Brown, a British actress, took a style cue from the 'Lover' period of Taylor's career as she framed her right eye with a glittery pink heart.

It mimicked the one the Pennsylvania's born songstress modeled on the cover of her 2019 album.

Millie tucked her collared shirt into her high-waisted shorts and left the buttons undone to reveal a lighter pink camisole underneath.

The sleeves of her top boasted fringes from elbow to wrist and she wore dangling pink earrings to match.

The two lovebirds were spotted interacting in the comfort of their VIP tent at the city's Paycor Stadium.

The Damsel star wore her shoulder-length brown locks styled in two small pigtails at the front, with the majority of the strands loose.

For his part, Jake was seen sporting a textured short-sleeved brown button-up shirt.

His face was clean shaven and the handsome actor's hair was neatly slicked back.

Inspo: Brown, a British actress, took a style cue from the 'Lover' period of Taylor's career as she framed her right eye with a glittery pink heart

Millie announced her engagement in early April with a post showing off her glimmering rock.

Using a Taylor Swift lyric for her caption, she wrote: 'I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all.'

Jake also shared the announcement to his own page, simply writing 'forever' along with two snaps of the couple.

Celebrating the joyous news, the smitten pair took part in a beach photoshoot - with Millie dressed in a crochet dress while Jake donned a cream polo shirt.

On the Enola Holmes' star's February 19 birthday, Jake took to social media to post a tribute to his bride-to-be.

He uploaded a host of photos with his then-girlfriend and added a short but heartfelt caption.

'Another year around the sun together happy 19th to the girl of my dreams. I love you more than words can describe,' he gushed.

He then added for his 1.5 million fans to see, 'Everything about you is golden down to the core.'

Big fan: Millie quoted a Swift lyric on Instagram when sharing news of her engagement in April

Millie and Jake connected on social and became friends before their romance was sparked.

Answering the internet's most searched questions about her, Brown shared with fans: 'We met on Instagram. And we were friends for a bit, and then, what can I say?'

She introduced Jake to her 62.7M Instagram followers in June 2021, but it wasn't until she posted a picture of him planting a kiss on her cheek that they were 'Instagram official.'

The actress called Jake her 'partner for life,' in a gushing post in which she shared a series of pictures of the couple back in January 2023.
Nathan Buckley's ex-girlfriend Alex Pike took a staunch stance on how cosmetic surgery fits into feminism on Saturday with a brutally honest message.

The famed cosmetic nurse, 45, shared a reel of images to Instagram from her recent New York trip and nestled her views between a few selfies.

After sharing pictures of her day out, the former WAG posted a graphic which claimed that judging women for getting cosmetic surgery was 'anti-feminist'.

'Getting cosmetic treatments is not anti-feminist. Criticising women who get them is,' the message read.

It comes just a few months after Alex raised eyebrows following a whirlwind trip to New York City to meet with America's top plastic surgeons.

Nathan Buckley's ex-girlfriend Alex Pike, 45, (pictured) took a staunch stance on how cosmetic surgery fits into feminism on Saturday with a brutally honest message

The influencer was pictured meeting with a number of bigwigs in the aesthetics industry, including the 'King of Botox' Dr. Michael Kane.

While some fans assumed Alex was in town to get some enhancements, she was actually there to attend some industry workshops and seminars.

'I am coming home to Australia having learnt many new techniques,' she gushed to her fans on Instagram.

The famed cosmetic nurse shared a reel of images to Instagram from her recent New York trip and nestled her views between a few selfies

After sharing pictures of her day out, the former WAG posted a graphic which claimed that judging women for getting cosmetic surgery was 'anti-feminist'

'I have also recorded two podcasts for my upcoming 10-part series interviewing ten of the best plastic surgeons from around the globe, talking about about their surgical specialties, procedures, cosmetic injections and insights into the world of aesthetics.'

In another post, Alex revealed that she'd attended a human cadaver facial dissection workshop in Dallas, Texas.

The mum-of-three first announced her podcast venture back in March.

Some of the guests on her podcast include Australia's 'King of Boobs' Dr Kourosh Tavakoli and Dr Chia Chi Kao from Los Angeles, who is best known for creating the 'ponytail facelift' procedure.
Taylor Swift will snub all but two of Australia's major cities during The Eras Tour in February, and now sources have revealed why.

The pop idol, 33, is only scheduled for seven shows across Melbourne and Sydney, leaving Swifties over in Perth furious as they fork out thousands to see her.

However, tour sources have revealed the decision to stay in the southeast likely came from the Bad Blood hitmaker herself, reported Perth Now on Saturday.

'With big tours like this, the directive would come from the artist,' an insider told the publication.

'Taylor would have said, "I only have time to do two cities. I don't have time to go around the country." It's a directive that comes from the artist.'

Taylor Swift, 33, (pictured) will snub all but two of Australia's major cities during The Eras Tour in February, and now sources have revealed why

And Perth wasn't the only city to get snubbed, as Brisbane and Adelaide Swifties will also miss out on seeing their idol on home turf.

Harvey Lister, the Chairman of ASM Global Asia Pacific, said Taylor initially planned to play at Brisbane's Lang Park stadium and Adelaide Oval.

However, as global tour dates started to fall into place, Australia was unfortunately 'sandwiched' due to geographical logistics.

The pop idol is only scheduled for seven shows across Melbourne and Sydney, leaving Swifties over in Perth furious as they fork out thousands to see her

Taylor's tour schedule includes a week-long stop in each city.

With Australia's allocation of only two weeks' worth of dates, only two cities could feasibly be incorporated into the itinerary.

Lister explained to ABC Radio Brisbane: 'There just wasn't time to keep leapfrogging from city to city.'

Despite the logistical challenges, the capacity of the stadiums in Brisbane and Adelaide was not an issue.
Jock Zonfrillo's sudden death on April 30 left a huge hole in the MasterChef judging panel, and some say it can't be filled.

As calls have already gone out for contestants on next year's season of the cooking competition, Channel Ten has remained tight lipped about the line up of judges.

However, rumours have spread saying celebrity chef's Melissa Leong and Andy Allen will move forward without a permanent third, reported the Herald Sun on Saturday.

The publications claimed the cooking duo may instead go into the next season alongside a rotating roster of guest judges.

While filming dates for season 16 haven't been set, Channel Ten has asked aspiring chefs to submit their applications before August 16.

Jock Zonfrillo's, 46, (pictured) sudden death on April 30 left a huge hole in the MasterChef judging panel, and some say it can't be filled

Meanwhile, others have suggested Melissa, 41, and Andy, 35, may be planning to quit MasterChef as they continue to grapple with the tragic death of their co-star.

Some fans are convinced the entire hosting panel may be replaced altogether, after Channel 10 refused to confirm Jock's replacement in the recent casting call.

'Has anyone ever thought, "What if Mel and Andy decide not to continue being judges next season?" one Facebook user recently wrote on a MasterChef fan page.

As calls have already gone out for contestants on next year's season of the cooking competition, Channel Ten has remained tight lipped about the line up of judges. Jock is pictured with fellow MasterChef judges Melissa Leong, 41, (left) and Andy Allen, 35, (right)

'That crossed my mind too,' another user wrote.

Jock died in Melbourne on what was supposed to be the premiere date of the latest MasterChef series, which was delayed by a week following his passing.

The 46-year-old Scottish-born chef was found dead on May 1 in his Carlton hotel room.

Police found his body after they were called to his room for a welfare check.
Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding have again sparked rumours that they have secretly married.

The pair have been enjoying a romantic vacation in Italy, which they have been posting extensively to social media.

In one of those posts, made by the Andy this past weekend, the comedian referred to himself as Rebecca's 'husband' three times.

Alongside an image of himself sitting in a changeroom waiting for his love, Andy wrote: 'As I sat in the hundredth chair for the day waiting for Bec to complete some more shopping, I glanced right and saw the glimpse into the future.

'Bec's dad had found the only other chair. Here's to Chair Husbands all over the world. You are seen but never heard (as it should be)' he went on.

Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding have again sparked rumours that they have secretly married. The pair have been enjoying a romantic vacation in Italy, which they have been posting extensively to social media. Pictured in Italy

'Upload your Chair Husband pics as a sign of solidarity. #ChairHusbands'.

His fans were quick to notice the reference, with one commenting under the image: 'Can you be called a chair husband if you haven't proposed?'

''Husband' hey Ando?!' another said, with one more writing, 'BUT..Are you a husband???'

Lee and Harding have battled rumours they have secretly wed for years.

Engagement rumours were sparked in 2020 when Lee posted a photo of Harding hiding her left hand while celebrating her 30th birthday.

In one of those posts, made by the Andy, the comedian was sitting in a changeroom waiting for his love and referred to himself as Rebecca's 'husband' three times in the caption

The pair have been staying at Villa Sant'Andrea in Italy. They have battled rumours they have secretly wed for years

'Is there a ring she's hiding with her left sleeve?' one eagle-eyed follower wrote, keen to see if the pair were about to share exciting news.

They briefly split for six months back in 2016, and Rebecca spoke about their separation on The Lady Brunch.

'I was 24 when I met Andy, so still at uni and it was very different to my previous life. But anyway I got over that and now we are as happy as ever,' she said.

In May, the couple were busy nesting after Andy was given the green light to begin a $5million renovation of the derelict Melbourne mansion he bought two years ago.

He purchased the run-down Hawthorn property, which overlooks the Yarra River, for $8.5million in 2021 with hopes of transforming it into his dream home.

Despite some push-back from locals, Lee and his partner Rebecca have now been granted council approval for the build, reports The Herald Sun.
Netflix have released the first trailer for the second season of Heartstopper - and Nick, Charlie and their pals go to Paris.

The first series adaptation of Alice Oseman's webcomic was a hit last year, telling the story of gay secondary school student Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) who falls in love with his friend Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).

A hit with fans and critics alike, the show - which also follows the lives of Charlie and Nick's friends Tao Xu (William Gao), Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney) and Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan) - has been commissioned for a second and third series.

Just over a year since the show debuted on Netflix, bosses of the streaming service have released the first trailer for the second series ahead of its Thursday 3 August release, with the promo airing on the big screen during Pride in London on Saturday.

The trailer opens with Charlie gently touching Nick's hand as they stand together in the sun in Paris.

New look: Netflix have released the first trailer for the second season of Heartstopper - and Nick, Charlie and their pals go to Paris (Kit Connor seen as Nick, left)

Hit: Alice Oseman's webcomic adaptation tells the story of gay secondary school student Charlie Spring (Joe Locke, right) who falls in love with his friend Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, left)

Animated sparks fly between their fingers as Charlie looks lovingly at Nick before a the Eiffel Tower appears on screen.

The group of friends can then be seen running around the streets, museums and galleries of Paris as they take in the sights as the words 'show the world what love is made of' move across the screen.

Charlie is then heard saying: 'Everything is going to be perfect,' to which Nick whispers: 'Yeah...'

After the group of school friends are seen enjoying themselves at a birthday party, the released date of August 3 is shown on screen, when eight episodes will be available to stream.

The official synopsis for the jam-packed new season reads: 'Nick and Charlie navigate their new relationship; Tara and Darcy face unforeseen challenges and Tao and Elle work out if they can ever be more than just friends.

'With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship.'

Season one saw Charlie develop a crush on his popular classmate Nick at Truham Grammar School for boys.

Although they are just friends at first, their chemistry is undeniable and they grow closer as Nick tries to figure things out.

Abroad: The trailer opens with Charlie and Nick spending time together in Paris, France, where they have gone with their school friends

Pals: The show also follows the lives of Charlie and Nick's friends Tao Xu (William Gao, right) and Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney, left)

Trailer: The friends are seen running around the streets, museums and galleries of Paris as they take in the sights as the words 'show the world what love is made of' move across the screen

Author Alice Oseman previously spoke to Radio Times about season two, revealing: 'This season, Nick wants to come out to the world, but faced with his nasty brother, his mostly absent father, and his laddy mates, soon finds that it's not as easy as he initially thought.'

Previously, Alice revealed that the show would focus on asexuality in season two.

She told Attitude magazine: 'I am both Ace and Aro. Those words mean little-to-no sexual attraction or little-to-no romantic attraction.

'Netflix will hate me for spilling but, yes, asexuality will be discussed in a really big way. I'm excited. I hope it will change the world. It's a complicated thing to understand about yourself. People are asking the wrong questions.'

Joining the cast for the second series are TikTok's Bel Priestley as Naomi, Ash Self as Felix, as well as Thibault de Montalembert as Stephane.

In addition Leila Khan will join as student Sahar Zahid, Jack Barton as Nick's older brother David, Bradley Riches as student James McEwan, and Nima Taleghani as teacher Mr Farouk.

All the leading cast from the first series are also returning, including appearances by Olivia Coleman and Stephen Fry, who featured in a voiceover as the headmaster of Truham Grammar.

First look: Nick and Charlie get romantic on a school trip to Paris in season two of Heartstopper, which will air on Netflix on August 3

Budding romance: Meanwhile Tao and Elle appear to take strides in their relationship as they go on an outing to the cinema

'Unforeseen challenges': Tara and Darcy, who went from strength to strength in season one, may face new tensions in their relationship

Heartthrob: Kit Connor returns as Nick Nelson, a popular but kind character at Truham Grammar

Fresh start: Season one saw Charlie develop a crush on his popular classmate Nick

The eight-part show has already been renewed for two more seasons and the upcoming second series is also expected to focus heavily on Charlie's eating disorder.

Executive producer Patrick Walkers said: 'Continuing the story of Nick, Charlie and the rest of the Heartstopper gang for Season 2 has been an absolute privilege.

'Alice Oseman and I have been able to watch the actors evolve their performances in every way, and this season is so emotional because of their amazing work. Get ready!'

Season two of Heartstopper premieres on Netflix on August 3.
Olivia Wilde appeared in good spirits as she embraces the sunny weather on a solo walk in the sunshine on Saturday.

While enjoying a beautifully warm afternoon in Los Angeles, California, the 39-year-old Booksmart director rocked a plain white t-shirt, light-wash jeans and a pair of yellow Adidas trainers with red stripes on the sides.

She completed her casual look with a pair of black sunglasses, a delicate gold necklace and her light brown hair pulled back in a bun, secured by a claw clip.

Her nails were painted red and she could be seen keeping a tight grip on her iPhone.

The House star kept the rest of her essentials in a large straw tote bag, which hung from the crook of her right arm.

Casual: Olivia Wilde appeared in good spirits as she embraces the sunny weather on a solo walk in the sunshine on Saturday

Out and about: While enjoying a beautifully warm afternoon in Los Angeles, California, the 39-year-old Booksmart director rocked a plain white t-shirt, light-wash jeans and a pair of yellow Adidas trainers with red stripes on the sides

Earlier this week, the mother-of-two showed off the results of all her hard work at the gym with her 4.2 million followers.

While posing for a mirror selfie at home, the actress gave a glimpse of her peek at her toned torso as she rocked a yellow t-shirt and low-waisted orange shorts, which she rolled down.

She captioned the picture, uploaded to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, with: 'I wear this every day and yet will somehow end up dragging 4 checked bags throughout the summer.'

The mother-of-two seemed to be joking about how she over packs when flying to go on holiday.

Wilde is currently undergoing a child custody battle with her ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis, who she split from in November 2020.

The couple are parents to nine-year-old Otis and six-year-old Daisy and currently in a legal battle centered on where the children will live.

Shortly after their relationship ended, she began dating three-time Grammy winner Harry Styles (sometime between September 2020 and January 2021) on the Palm Springs set of her second directorial feature, Don't Worry Darling.

In November, it was claimed that Wilde was 'disappointed' that her romance with the pop star, 29, did not work out.

Gym-honed: Earlier this week, the mother-of-two showed off the results of all her hard work at the gym with a mirror selfie, shared with her 4.2 million Instagram followers

Complicated: Wilde is currently undergoing a child custody battle with her ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis, who she split from in November 2020 (seen in 2018)

A source told People: 'The break has been difficult for Olivia. They have had some issues, but Olivia thought they were gonna work through it all,' the insider explained.

'She is disappointed. It's just a tricky situation, though.'

But there is 'no bad blood' between Olivia and Harry and the decision to part ways was mutual.

'Harry didn't dump Olivia, or vice versa,' an insider told Page Six last year. 'It's impossible to have a relationship when he's in every continent next year and Olivia has her job and her kids.'
Ewan McGregor and his daughter Clara were in good spirits as they arrived at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on Saturday.

The actor, 52, and his eldest daughter, 27, have had a rocky relationship, since she famously branded his second wife Mary a 'piece of trash' called him an 'a***hole'.

But the father and daughter have repaired their relationship over the past five years and recently completed work on their first joint project.

Ewan cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt and jeans while he shielded his eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

He sported a moustache and messy hair as he posed alongside film producer daughter Clara.

Family affair: Ewan McGregor, 52, and his daughter Clara, 27, were in good spirits as they arrived at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on Saturday

Keeping it casual: Scottish actor Ewan cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt and jeans while he shielded his eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses

Stepping out: He sported a moustache and messy hair as he posed alongside film producer daughter Clara

Clara wore a white top with a plunging neckline and a pair of black shorts, while she carried a brown handbag on her shoulder.

She too wore a pair of sunglasses and opted for lashings of make-up for her outing.

The pair were seen smiling as they posed alongside each other after arriving at the event.

Ewan is set to be honoured at the festival in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary which kicked off its 57th edition on Friday.

He and and Swedish actor Alicia Vikander, 34, will receive the Presidents Award, and they will both present their latest films.

The festival opened with Firebrand, in which Alicia plays the leading role of Katherine Parr.

While Ewan will present You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, which he stars in as the character of Father with daughter Clara, who plays the role of Daughter.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs through until next Saturday July 8.

The grand jury will consider 11 films for the top prize, the Crystal Globe. Last month, Ewan was spotted in Halifax, West Yorkshire where he was filming his new television series A Gentleman In Moscow.

In style: Clara wore a white top with a plunging neckline and a pair of black shorts, while she carried a brown handbag on her shoulder

Fashion focus: She too wore a pair of sunglasses and opted for lashings of make-up for her outing

Good spirits: The pair were seen smiling as they posed alongside each other after arriving at the event

TV series, A Gentleman In Moscow, tells the story of a Russian aristocrat who is spared from death and placed on house arrest while the Bolshevik Revolution plays out before him.

Ewan will play Alexander Rostov in the programme alongside his real-life wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who will take on the part of Anna Urbanova.

The Moulin Rouge! actor has a 23-month-old son, Laurie, with second wife Mary, who he tied the knot with in April 2022.

The couple had not revealed they were expecting and their surprise baby news was first shared by Ewan's daughter Clara in June 2021.

She wrote: 'Welcome to the world little brother congratulations to my Dad & Mary - this is the greatest gift.'

His daughter Esther also shared pictures cradling the newborn as she gushed: 'Met my little brother looking like a pirate. I recommend! Welcome to the family little Laurie.'

Ewan was previously married to actress Eve, who met one another on the set of the TV crime drama Kavanagh QC.

Success story: Ewan is set to be honoured at the festival in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary which kicked off its 57th edition on Friday

Prize: He and and Swedish actor Alicia Vikander, 34, will receive the Presidents Award, and they will both present their latest films

Sadly, they split in 2017 after 22 years of marriage and their divorce was finalised in August 2020, blaming 'irreconcilable differences.'

They are parents to daughters Clara, 27, and Esther, 21 and Anouk, 12, Ewan adopted daughter Jamyan, 21, with production designer Eve in 2006
Whoever would have thought that the impeccably posh Phoebe Waller-Bridge  the descendant of two baronets  would have anything in common with punk star Johnny Rotten?

But it appears that they have very similar taste in fashion, with the Fleabag creator being spotted last week in a black outfit with plenty of zips, similar to the sort that the Sex Pistols frontman wore in his wild 1970s heyday.

It's likely that Ms Waller-Bridge's version was a lot more expensive  her all-in-one, called the Bauhaus, was made by Californian fashion designer Rick Owens and is currently available for 1,285.

Zips, along with safety pins and chains, were an essential part of the punk look and Rotten  real name John Lydon  was pictured in a very similar outfit in the 1970s. Clash frontman Joe Strummer also wore a near-identical jacket in photoshoots.

Ms Waller-Bridge wore the outfit as she dined at London celebrity haunt The Ivy with her director partner Martin McDonagh. She teamed her jumpsuit with a pair of burnt orange Adidas Gazelle trainers which cost 100.

It appears that Phoebe Waller-Bridge (left last week) and Johnny Rotten (right) have very similar taste in fashion, with the Fleabag creator being spotted last week in a black outfit with plenty of zips, similar to the sort that the Sex Pistols frontman wore in his wild 1970s heyday

The 37-year-old star opted for more glamorous attire when she walked the red carpet on Monday night for the London premiere of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny in a chic chainmail dress (pictured)

But if her look is punk, the 37-year-old star's musical tastes are a little more mainstream.

She is a big fan of Harry Styles and has spoken of being inspired by Jennifer Lopez.

Ms Waller-Bridge's black jumpsuits have attracted attention in the past.

During the opening episode of the second series of Fleabag, she wore a 50 black halterneck keyhole jumpsuit with wide leg trousers from fashion brand Love, which sold out almost immediately.

The star, who attended the 13,000-a-year St Augustine's Priory school in West London, opted for more glamorous attire when she walked the red carpet on Monday night for the London premiere of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny in a chic chainmail dress.

Ms Waller-Bridge wore the outfit as she dined at London celebrity haunt The Ivy with her director partner Martin McDonagh

Ms Waller-Bridge pictured with Harrison Ford who was also at the Indiana Jones premiere to celebrate his final outing as the archaeologist, at the age of 80

Harrison Ford was also in attendance to celebrate his final outing as the archaeologist, at the age of 80.

Ms Waller-Bridge plays his goddaughter Helena Shaw, with Mads Mikkelsen playing villain Jurgen Voller, an ex-Nazi who now works for Nasa, and Toby Jones as Basil Shaw, an ally of Jones.

She has said her journey from Fleabag, which started as a fringe theatre show, to Hollywood blockbuster has been 'surreal' but said: 'There's room for a slightly clumsier, bruised, limping female action star.'
Deep in the Peruvian jungle, the fedora-wearing explorer looks at a crumbling map amid his search for a lost temple.

When an ally pulls out a gun behind him, Indiana Jones, his moustache almost twitching, swivels to disarm the traitor with his trusty whip.

That is how the archaeologist's first appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark could have looked if Tom Selleck - famed for his bushy lip-warmer in Magnum PI - had not pulled out of the project.

The story of what could have been is just one example of how major films might have been very different, highlighted by MailOnline following the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Harrison Ford's final outing as his on-screen alter ego.

Nicolas Cage had been set to portray Superman in a film directed by Tim Burton, before the project was cancelled in the late 1990s.

And Marty McFly in Back to the Future was originally portrayed by Eric Stoltz, who spent five weeks filming before producers replaced him with Michael J Fox.

Below, MailOnline reveals all the films that could have been, and those that would be very different had the headline stars not pulled out, been replaced or turned the roles down.

Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

 Slide me  How Tom Selleck might have looked as Indiana Jones, compared to a real scene showing Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Harrison Ford's name is synonymous with Indiana Jones. Including this month's release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he has played the buccaneering archaeologist in five films, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 (above)

Harrison Ford's name is synonymous with Indiana Jones.

Including this month's release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he has played the buccaneering archaeologist in five films, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.

But he was actually only cast in the role after his fellow star Tom Selleck - famous for his bushy moustache - dropped out of the role.

In a panel discussion earlier this year, Ford said he was 'grateful' to Selleck.

Tom Selleck (left) was initially cast in the role but then had to turn it down after signing on to do a TV series. Ford then got the job instead. Above: Selleck in 2013; Ford in a scene from the new film

'How I got the job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also incurred an obligation to do a television series and he was unable to get out of that contract,' he said.

'I became the second choice, and I'm very grateful for Tom. Thank you, Tom, man. If youre listening, thank you again.'

Nicolas Cage as Superman

If things had worked out differently, Superman Lives would have been another feather in the cap of prolific star Nick Cage.

The project, which was conceived in the early 1990s, got as far as costume and set development before it was scrapped in 1998.

Photos show a long-haired Cage posing in the muscled costume, which was developed by famed Hollywood designer Colleen Attwood.

If things had worked out differently, Superman Lives would have been another feather in the cap of prolific star Nick Cage. The project, which was conceived in the early 1990s, got as far as costume and set development before it was scrapped in 1998

The suit bore the familiar S logo and long flowing red cape, although the dark blue main colour was a breakaway from the costume worn by Christopher Reeve in his four outings as Superman.

One version of the new suit scrapped the signature red pants entirely.

The film's director was set to be Tim Burton, who had enjoyed success with Batman and its 1992 sequel Batman Returns, both of which starred Michael Keaton.

According to writer Kevin Smith, producer Jon Peters did not want to see Superman fly and insisted that he fight a giant spider at the end of the film.

Villains included Brainiac - familiar to fans of the Superman comics - as well as arch-nemesis Lex Luthor and Doomsday, the monster who kills the superhero.

Photos show a long-haired Cage posing in the muscled costume, which was developed by famed Hollywood designer Colleen Attwood

One version of the new suit scrapped the signature red pants entirely. Above: Cage in his Superman costume

The 2015 documentary The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? tells how sets were also built for the film, at a cost of $20million.

The documentary also reveals footage of Cage laughing and joking while wearing his costume.

Budget estimates for the production ranged from $140million to closer to $300million.

It was the cost that ultimately pushed studio Warner Bros to scrap the project entirely in 1998.

Speaking to Variety about the film earlier this year, Cage said: 'It was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair.

'I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there.'

Dustin Hoffman as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner

When Ridley Scott began working on Blade Runner, the first man he considered for the role was Dustin Hoffman.

Hoffman, at least six inches shorter than his fellow star, would have made a very different Rick Deckard.

However, he left the project after what he said were 'artistic differences' and so Ford's status as a Hollywood megastar was further secured.

When Ridley Scott began working on Blade Runner, the first man he considered for the role was Dustin Hoffman. Above: An AI image of Hoffman as Deckard, using Midjourney

Harrison Ford's portrayal of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner further cemented his status as a Hollywood megastar

Sam Neill as James Bond

It was a job he never actually wanted, but Sam Neill still got as far as auditioning as James Bond.

The Jurassic Park star pitched himself as the replacement for Roger Moore when he left the role in 1985 after seven outings as the famous secret agent.

A short clip from Neill's screen test shows him recreating a scene from Sean Connery's 1963 film From Russia With Love.

Gun in hand, Neill walks into a room wearing an unbuttoned shirt and has a verbal exchange with 'Tatania Romanova' - a character in From Russia With Love - who is lying in a bed.

The scene ends with him saying: 'My friends call me Bond, James Bond.'

In the end, Neill did not convince producers in his audition and the role instead went to Timothy Dalton, who went on to star in The Living Daylights and License to Kill.

Neill has said since that he only auditioned after being urged to by his agent.

'I went along and auditioned for that but that was under great sufferance and I wouldn't have done it anyway,' he said in 2015.

In a separate interview in 2012, he would not have wanted the attention that those who play Bond - such as Pierce Brosnan - get.

'If you walk through London with Pierce people shout at him. Why would you want that?

'That's the worst  losing your anonymity,' he told the Belfast Telegraph.

A short clip from Neill's screen test shows him, gun in hand, walking into a room and telling a half-naked woman lying in a bed: 'My friends call me Bond, James Bond'

James Brolin as James Bond

If Roger Moore had not dropped his retirement thoughts after five outings as Bond, James Brolin would have been the man who replaced him.

In one of two screen tests he did, Brolin is seen being ambushed by an assailant while on the phone.

After fending off his would-be killer, he picks the phone back up and says: 'Are you still there? I had a little trouble with the line.'

If Roger Moore had not dropped his retirement thoughts after five outings as Bond, James Brolin would have been the man who replaced him. Above: Brolin in one of two screen tests he did when being considered as Bond

The other audition showed him again re-creating the encounter with Tatania Romanova in From Russia With Love.

Like Connery, Brolin's Bond is wearing only a bath towel.

His screen tests were sufficiently impressive for him to actually be cast as Bond, but Moore ultimately decided to return to make Octopussy in 1983 and so Brolin was left out in the cold.

Speaking to the Epxress, Brolin said: 'I literally left [producer] Cubby Broccoli in London, came home to get all my stuff to live in England for a year, when Roger Moore said, 'Oh I'll do one more!'

Asked if he was disappointed about missing out, Brolin said: 'Yeah! I was really up for that.

Moore went on to star in Octopussy before reprising his role as Bond for one final time in A View to a Kill.

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly

As most true Back to the Future fans will tell you, Michael J Fox was not the star who was initially cast as Marty McFly in 1985 mega-hit Back to the Future.

That honour fell to Eric Stoltz, who filmed several scenes before director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale decided to sack him.

Speaking in 2010, Zemeckis said of the change: 'He's a magnificent actor, but his comedy sensibilities were very different from what I had written with Bob.

As most true Back to the Future fans will tell you, Michael J Fox (right) was not the star who was initially cast as Marty McFly in 1985 mega-hit Back to the Future. That honour fell to Eric Stoltz (above left), who filmed several scenes before director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale decided to sack him

Fox's performance propelled him to superstardom, whilst Stoltz has had to settle for a less high profile career. Above: Fox as Marty McFly

'And he and I were just never able to make that work.'

Zemeckis said he showed Steven Spielberg - the film's executive producer - the first five weeks of footage and told him they weren't 'getting the laughs I was hoping we would get.'

Zemeckis added: 'So I had to make this horrific decision which was heartbreaking for everybody. Luckily I was able to convince the studio to let me re-shoot five weeks of work.'

Fox's performance propelled him to superstardom, whilst Stoltz has had to settle for a less high profile career.

The available footage of Stoltz's attempt at playing Marty does give fans a glimpse at how the film would have looked had he remained on the production.

The available footage of Stoltz's attempt at playing Marty does give fans a glimpse at how the film would have looked had he remained on the production. Above: Stoltz in the role (left); Fox as Marty (right)

Russell Crowe as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings

Viggo Mortensen's star turn as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was hailed as an acting triumph.

But, if things had turned out differently, Russell Crowe would have portrayed the character.

Viggo Mortensen's star turn as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was hailed as an acting triumph. But, if things had turned out differently, Russell Crowe (right) would have portrayed the character

He is said to have been offered the role, along with 10 per cent of the film's financial return.

However, he told interviewer Howard Stern that he believed director Peter Jackson did not actually want him on the project.

'I think he was forced into talking to me, because there was a moment in time when everybody wanted me in everything ... my instinct was that he had somebody else in mind ... and he should be able to hire the actor that he wants.'

Using AI image generator Midjourney, MailOnline can give fans a glimpse into what might have been.

Crowe is seen in a suit of armour with a sword on his back, though some may notice how he looks suspiciously like his character Maximus Decimus Meridius in 2000 film Gladiator.

Using AI image generator Midjourney, MailOnline can give fans a glimpse into what might have been. Crowe is seen in a suit of armour with a sword on his back, though some may notice how he looks suspiciously like his character Maximus Decimus Meridius in 2000 film Gladiator

Leslie Grace as Batgirl

Batgirl was set to be the next big superhero blockbuster - before studio Warner Bros scrapped the $100million production last summer.

The decision to axe the film came after a series of test screenings in which audiences panned it.

The film starred Leslie Grace in the titular role, while Brendan Fraser was set to portray villain Firefly.

Michael Keaton also reprised his role as Batman - 30 years on from previous portrayal of the caped crusader in 1992 film Batman returns.

Batgirl was set to be the next big superhero blockbuster - before studio Warner Bros scrapped the $100million production last summer. The film starred Leslie Grace in the titular role, while Brendan Fraser was set to portray villain Firefly

Fraser later criticised the decision to show rough cuts of the film to test audiences and said he enjoyed the project.

'I don't know about you, but I don't eat half-baked cake,' the actor said. 'I don't want to see something that's not ready yet...'

Fraser opened up to Stern about the villainous role of Firefly he played: 'It was a story about a guy who had been in the service and his benefits were cut and he was very angry with the system and what else is he going to do but burn it to the ground?'

He added, 'You've got some sympathy to him, you've also got some humanity to him, and on top of that, a screw loose - like all the best bad guys, you kind of like him a little bit.'

Fraser said that he 'relished' the part and described it as 'great fun' despite the disappointing fate of the film.

Opening up about his villainous character, he added: 'It was a story about a guy who had been in the service and his benefits were cut and he was very angry with the system and what else is he going to do but burn it to the ground?'

'You've got some sympathy to him, you've also got some humanity to him, and on top of that, a screw loose - like all the best bad guys, you kind of like him a little bit.'

Fraser said that he 'relished' the part and described it as 'great fun' despite the disappointing fate of the film.

Midnight Rider  abandoned after crew member was run over by freight train

Midnight Rider was supposed to be a biopic about American musician Greg Allman, of Allman Brothers Band fame.

But the production ended in tragedy in 2015 when, during filming on a railway line in the state of Georgia, one member of crew, camera assistant Sarah Elizabeth Jones, was hit and killed by a freight train.

Video showed the crew desperately trying to get themselves and their equipment off the track as the train loomed into view.

William Hurt in a scene from abandoned film Midnight Rider. The railway line in the background is where crew member Sarah Elizabeth Jones was hit and killed by a freight rain

Camera assistant Sarah Jones (pictured)was struck by a freight train while filming scenes on a railroad bridge for the Greg Allman biopic Midnight Rider

The stars in the film, including Kurt Russell's son Wyatt and Academy Award winner William Hurt, were unharmed, but other members of the crew suffered injuries.

Director Randal Miller later received a one-year jail sentence followed by 10 years of probation.

Earlier this year, a court in Georgia denied his request to end his probation early.

The terms of his probation stated he was prohibited from 'serving as director, first assistant director or in any supervisory position' with responsibility 'for the safety for employees in the industry,' according to court documents.

Despite initial attempts to continue making Midnight Rider, production was permanently halted.

Video showed the crew desperately trying to get themselves and their equipment off the track as the train loomed into view
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday confirmed their participation in the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation(SCO)summit in the virtual format on July four hosted by India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the high-profile event.

India holds the rotating Presidency of the organisation this year.

The theme of the summit is Towards a SECURE SCO. The SECURE acronym was coined by Prime Minister Modi at the 2018 SCO summit and it stands for Security; Economy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment. These themes have been highlighted during Indias chairmanship of the SCO. In September, India will host the G20 summit for which it is going to invite Xi and Putin, besides other leaders of the bloc.

Last year, the in-person SCO summit took place in the Uzbek city of Samarkand that was attended by all top leaders of the grouping including Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jingping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. He is expected to attend this years summit also.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next weeks virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India, an official announcement in Beijing said.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi will attend via video conference in Beijing, the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads meeting of the SCO on July 4 and deliver important remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a brief press release. This was the first official announcement about Xis participation in the SCO summit hosted by India.

In a similar statement, Islamabad on Friday said Prime Minister Sharif will participate in a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Incidentally, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had attended in person the SCO Foreign Ministers conclave in Goa in early May.

Pakistans foreign ministry said Sharifs participation in the summit illustrates the high importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO, which is an important forum for regional security and prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) being held in video conference format on 4th July 2023, it said.

The invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the SCO-CHS was extended by the Prime Minister of India in his capacity as the current Chair of the SCO, the statement said. At the summit, the leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues and chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO Member States. This year, the SCO CHS will also welcome Iran as a new member of the organisation, it said.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced in May that India will host the annual summit of the SCO in a virtual format on July 4.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

Ahead of the summit to be held for the first time under Indias Presidency, India on Tuesday inaugurated an exquisitely designed New Delhi Hall at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing.

While the SCOs six founding members, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have their halls highlighting their cultures and unique features, India is the first to add its own.

Virtually inaugurating the hall, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar in his address said the New Delhi Hall, is conceived to be a mini-India showcasing various facets of Indian culture.

To make you visualise the depth of Indias artistic tradition and cultural identity, the Hall has been designed with exquisite patterns and motifs representing the rich architectural craftsmanship found throughout India, he said.
As many as 6 students from India and 5 from other South Asian countries have been chosen for the 16th edition of the Global Citizen Scholarship (GCS), a flagship programme by Global International Indian School (GIIS), that funds two years of education in Singapore for high-school students.

The students were hand-picked from an expansive pool of 14,000 students, who had shown their interest in this prestigious scholarship. Besides the evaluation of the students past academic records, they were put through a rigorous entrance examination and a few rounds of interviews before being finalized.

The selected students will spend the next two years at the GIIS SMART Campus Singapore, a world-class academic premises known for its cutting-edge technology, innovationdriven pedagogy, and a team of highly skillful & adept teaching staff. The scholarship allows students to choose between the CBSE or IBDP curricula for the high school years. The selected students will be provided with lodging and boarding, alongside a monthly stipend, and will have to pay zero tuition fees. The total expense will amount to S$90,000 per student, which will be completely funded by the GCS programme.

Post-completion of the course, students will be counselled about choosing their subsequent academic journey with leading international universities.

Prior to flying to Singapore, the students have been felicitated at a hotel at Aerocity, Gurgaon by the Global Schools Foundation (GSF), of which GIIS is a part.

Addressing the students and their parents, Mr. Ashish Tibdewal, Country Director, Global Schools Foundation, India said I would like to congratulate the students and their parents for being part of the prestigious Global Citizen Scholarship. I am sure that studying at our state-of-the-art Singapore SMART Campus will be a life-changing experience that unlocks new opportunities for their academic and personal growth.
The National Investigation Agency has filed its first supplementary charge sheet against nine people for their alleged involvement in a case related to a conspiracy by the global terror group ISIS to carry out terror attacks across the country.

Five of the accused in the charge sheet have tech backgrounds and had allegedly been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue courses in robotics to pick up skills for carrying out attacks in the future in furtherance of the terror group's agenda for the country, the federal agency said.

It identified the accused charge-sheeted on Friday as Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).

All of them belong to Karnataka and have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, the probe agency said.

Ahmed and Syed Yasin were charge-sheeted in March this year. They have now been charged with other offences, the NIA said, adding they along with Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh, Mazin Abdul Rahman and Nadeem Ahmed KA studied mechanical and electrical engineering.

"They had been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue robotics courses to pick up skills to carry terrorist attacks in the future in furtherance of the IS (Islamic State) agenda for India," the federal probe agency said.

It said the investigations have revealed that Shariq, Muneer and Yasin had hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with IS operatives based abroad to promote terror and violence in the region at the direction of the terrorist group also known as Islamic State.

The trio had actively radicalised and recruited the co-accused with the intention to disturb the security, unity and sovereignty of the country, the NIA said.

It said the online handler had funded the accused through cryptocurrencies.

The case was initially registered by the Shivamogga Rural Police on September 19 last year and later taken over and re-registered by NIA on November 15.
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday targeted the Congress and other opposition parties over the Uniform Civil Code issue and asked them to "listen to their conscience" and refrain from communal politics.

"This is the right time to implement this inclusive reform. It's now or never for this law," he told reporters here and asserted that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will ensure "equality and justice for all".

UCC refers to a common set of laws that are applicable to all the citizens of India and is not based on religion in dealing with marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption among other personal matters.

The mood of the nation is to make Uniform Civil Code free from the "clutches of communal conspirators" who held this hostage for the last seven decades for their narrow-minded self-interests, Naqvi alleged.

Slamming the opposition parties, the BJP leader said, "Listening to conscience is the only befitting reply to communal politics over a progressive law like the Uniform Civil Code which will ensure equality and justice for all."

'The Opposition parties should listen to their conscience to control the Congress' communal confusion and contradiction on UCC," he added.

Naqvi alleged the Congress' "mistake of the moment" in 1985 became "punishment for decades" for the country when the party "misused" its numerical strength in Parliament for "communal assault on inclusive reform" in the Shah Bano case.

"Unfortunately, instead of rectifying, the Congress is repeating its mistakes," he charged.

"Even Congress workers, people's representatives and members of other Opposition parties disagree and are agitated over the party's policy of confusion, commotion and cozenage on UCC," Naqvi claimed.

The debate over a Uniform Civil Code was reignited after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong push for it, asking how can the country function with dual laws that govern personal matters, and accused the Opposition of using the UCC issue to "mislead and provoke" the Muslim community.

UCC has been one of the three key poll planks of the BJP for a long time with the other being the abrogation of Article 370 which had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

A parliamentary standing committee has called representatives of the law commission and the law ministry on July 3 on a recent notice issued by the law panel seeking views of stakeholders on the issue of a uniform civil code.

According to the schedule of the standing committee on law and personnel, it will hear the views of representatives of the law panel and legal affairs and legislative departments of the law ministry "on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on 14th June 2023, inviting views from the various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code, under the subject 'Review of Personal Laws'".
A senior leader of the PML-N on Thursday hinted at the return of former prime minister and party supremo Nawaz Sharif ahead of the general election, saying that the senior Sharif who was earlier eight hours away from Pakistan in London was now only two-and-a-half hours away in Dubai.

Referring to the recent meeting held between Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Dubai to hammer out a consensus on the upcoming poll alliance, senior party leader and federal minister Mian Javed Latif said that "prosperity would return whenever Nawaz returned to the country".

"Nawaz was earlier eight hours away from Pakistan, and now he was only two-and-a-half hours away. He will decide about the PML-N's alliance for the upcoming elections," Latif said while addressing reporters about the meeting between Sharif and Zardari.

Last week Sharif, 73, travelled to the UAE from London, the city where he has been living in self-exile since November 2019 after acquiring a medical bail from jail following his conviction in a series of graft cases.

Nawaz Sharif was issued a diplomatic passport for a period of five years by the government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in November last year. Shehbaz Sharif, 71, is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif.

On Thursday, Latif said that friendly countries were making investments in Pakistan at the request of Nawaz Sharif, as he would become the prime minister of Pakistan "for the fourth time".

During a party meeting last week, Shehbaz Sharif, the president of PML-N, had also hinted at the possible return of his elder brother to lead the party's poll campaign in the general election and become the premier of the nation for a record fourth time.

In a separate press conference on PML-N and PPP meeting in Dubai, PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi said that the shape of any future alliance with the PML-N or other political players depended purely on the outcome of the general election, expected to be held in October.

Insiders said that it was decided that elder Sharif of PML-N and Zardari of PPP, would "talk directly" on these issues instead of allowing a prolonged debate "at the lower level", which would be a waste of time.

Pakistan, currently in the throes of a major political as well as economic crisis, started preparations for the general election with a meeting of the election commission recently. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) led by the PML-N is also fighting the challenge posed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The current National Assembly will complete its five-year term on August 12 and the fresh general election must be conducted within 60 days as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan.
Shares of BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN (NYSEARCA:FNGU  Free Report) traded up 5.3% on Friday . The company traded as high as $191.00 and last traded at $187.21. 2,564,327 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average session volume of 2,633,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.71.

BMO REX MicroSectors FANG Index 3X Leveraged ETN Stock Up 5.3 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $142.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.50.

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Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Flexible Solutions International (NYSE:FSI  Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm set a hold rating on the stock.

Flexible Solutions International Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:FSI opened at $2.67 on Thursday. Flexible Solutions International has a 1 year low of $1.51 and a 1 year high of $3.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.21 million, a PE ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

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Flexible Solutions International (NYSE:FSI  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 31st. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter. Flexible Solutions International had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 18.91%. The firm had revenue of $12.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.41 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Flexible Solutions International will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flexible Solutions International

In other Flexible Solutions International news, CEO Brien Daniel B. O sold 9,399 shares of Flexible Solutions International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.00, for a total value of $28,197.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,429,680 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,289,040. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . In related news, CEO Brien Daniel B. O sold 23,037 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.14, for a total value of $72,336.18. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,416,615 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,868,171.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CEO Brien Daniel B. O sold 9,399 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.00, for a total value of $28,197.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,429,680 shares in the company, valued at $13,289,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,255 shares of company stock valued at $157,946. 37.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSI. Perritt Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International by 60.4% during the 3rd quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc. now owns 218,770 shares of the companys stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 82,344 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Flexible Solutions International by 81.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 274,858 shares of the companys stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 123,600 shares in the last quarter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Flexible Solutions International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. James Investment Research Inc. purchased a new position in Flexible Solutions International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Flexible Solutions International by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 60,122 shares of the companys stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 11,006 shares in the last quarter. 9.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Flexible Solutions International

(Free Report)

Flexible Solutions International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets specialty chemicals that slow the evaporation of water in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Energy and Water Conservation Products, and Biodegradable Polymers.

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Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:GNZUF  Free Report) shares were down 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $0.58 and last traded at $0.58. Approximately 1,852 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 9,833 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.59.

Guangzhou Automobile Group Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $0.65.

Guangzhou Automobile Group Company Profile

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Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of vehicles and motorcycles, and parts and components; and provision of commercial and financial services in Mainland China and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Vehicles and Related Operations, and Others.

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Invesco Bond Fund (NYSE:VBF  Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,400 shares, a decline of 70.7% from the May 31st total of 11,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 24,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Invesco Bond Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Invesco Bond Fund during the 1st quarter worth approximately $198,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Invesco Bond Fund by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 42,975 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $699,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Invesco Bond Fund by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 275,074 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,475,000 after acquiring an additional 22,415 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Invesco Bond Fund during the 4th quarter worth approximately $503,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Invesco Bond Fund by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 163,932 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,570,000 after acquiring an additional 16,365 shares in the last quarter. 29.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Invesco Bond Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VBF traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $14.88. The stock had a trading volume of 68,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 28,439. Invesco Bond Fund has a 1-year low of $13.83 and a 1-year high of $16.96. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $15.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.72.

Invesco Bond Fund Dividend Announcement

About Invesco Bond Fund

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.0635 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th.

(Free Report)

Invesco Bond Fund is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd.

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Kasikornbank Public Company Limited (OTCMKTS:KPCPY  Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 36,300 shares, a growth of 134.2% from the May 31st total of 15,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 20,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Kasikornbank Public Stock Down 0.8 %

OTCMKTS KPCPY traded down $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.49. 6,506 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,445. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $15.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.97. Kasikornbank Public has a 1-year low of $14.14 and a 1-year high of $18.92.

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Kasikornbank Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.3195 per share. This represents a yield of 2.34%. This is an increase from Kasikornbank Publics previous dividend of $0.04. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 14th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

About Kasikornbank Public

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Kasikornbank Public in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. They set a sell rating on the stock.

(Free Report)

Kasikornbank Public Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking products and services in Thailand and internationally. The company's personal banking products and services include savings, current, fixed deposit, and foreign currency accounts; personal, home, and auto loans; debit and credit cards; life and non-life insurance products; investment products, such as mutual funds, stocks, and derivatives/futures exchange; money transfer and bill payment, cheque and draft, and foreign exchange services; and digital banking services.

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Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NAN  Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,600 shares, a decrease of 81.6% from the May 31st total of 68,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 50,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund by 14.3% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 11,465 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,433 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund in the first quarter worth about $186,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund by 7.3% in the first quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 413,547 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,199,000 after acquiring an additional 28,168 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund by 14.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 132,708 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,668,000 after acquiring an additional 17,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund by 3.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 472,410 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,938,000 after acquiring an additional 13,907 shares in the last quarter.

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Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund Stock Performance

NYSE NAN remained flat at $10.75 on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 51,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,389. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.80 and a 200 day moving average of $10.87. Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund has a fifty-two week low of $9.65 and a fifty-two week high of $12.16.

Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund Announces Dividend

About Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.0375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%.

(Free Report)

Nuveen New York 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 New York. The fund invests in municipal bonds, with a rating of Baa or higher.

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Ranger Energy Services, Inc. (NYSE:RNGR  Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 29,500 shares, a decline of 56.1% from the May 31st total of 67,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 146,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP J. Matt Hooker sold 9,735 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $116,917.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,890 shares in the company, valued at $899,428.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.00% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ranger Energy Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ranger Energy Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $182,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Ranger Energy Services by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 83,795 shares of the companys stock valued at $923,000 after buying an additional 5,050 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Ranger Energy Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $149,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Ranger Energy Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $871,000. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ranger Energy Services by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,574,988 shares of the companys stock valued at $15,404,000 after buying an additional 10,868 shares in the last quarter. 37.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Ranger Energy Services Stock Performance

Separately, TheStreet raised Ranger Energy Services from a c rating to a b- rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd.

Shares of NYSE RNGR traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $10.24. The stock had a trading volume of 109,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,966. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.09. The company has a 50 day moving average of $11.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.06. Ranger Energy Services has a twelve month low of $8.50 and a twelve month high of $12.51. The firm has a market cap of $254.77 million, a PE ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 1.24.

Ranger Energy Services (NYSE:RNGR  Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $157.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.00 million. Ranger Energy Services had a net margin of 4.20% and a return on equity of 10.16%. Research analysts predict that Ranger Energy Services will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ranger Energy Services Company Profile

(Free Report)

Ranger Energy Services, Inc provides onshore high specification well service rigs, wireline completion services, and complementary services to exploration and production companies in the United States. It operates through three segments: High Specification Rigs, Wireline Services, and Processing Solutions and Ancillary Services.

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Boyd Group Services (TSE:BYD  Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Raymond James from C$275.00 to C$285.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, BayStreet.CA reports. Raymond James currently has a strong-buy rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on BYD. ATB Capital lifted their price objective on Boyd Group Services from C$255.00 to C$265.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. CIBC reduced their price objective on Boyd Group Services from C$225.00 to C$221.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Boyd Group Services from C$227.00 to C$250.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. National Bankshares upgraded Boyd Group Services from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from C$220.00 to C$250.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Finally, National Bank Financial upgraded Boyd Group Services from a sector perform under weight rating to an outperfrom under weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$242.64.

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Boyd Group Services Stock Performance

TSE BYD opened at C$252.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of C$5.43 billion, a PE ratio of 68.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -56.72 and a beta of 1.04. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is C$240.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$222.12. Boyd Group Services has a 1-year low of C$134.01 and a 1-year high of C$254.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 133.24, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Boyd Group Services Dividend Announcement

Boyd Group Services ( TSE:BYD Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported C$1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$1.23 by C$0.11. The business had revenue of C$966.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$919.26 million. Boyd Group Services had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 2.32%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Boyd Group Services will post 5.8767692 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.147 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $0.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. Boyd Group Servicess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.63%.

About Boyd Group Services

(Free Report)

Boyd Group Services Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates non-franchised collision repair centers in North America. The company operates its locations under the Boyd Autobody & Glass and Assured Automotive names in Canada; and Gerber Collision & Glass name in the United States. It also operates as a retail auto glass operator under the Gerber Collision & Glass, Glass America, Auto Glass Service, Auto Glass Authority, and Autoglassonly.com names in the United States.

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Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE:RCI  Free Report) (TSE:RCI.B)  Investment analysts at National Bank Financial issued their Q2 2023 earnings per share estimates for Rogers Communications in a report issued on Tuesday, June 27th. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine forecasts that the Wireless communications provider will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Rogers Communications current full-year earnings is $3.46 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Rogers Communications FY2024 earnings at $4.58 EPS.

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A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Rogers Communications in a report on Monday, May 8th. They set an overweight rating on the stock. Desjardins cut Rogers Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Rogers Communications from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $74.31.

Rogers Communications Price Performance

Rogers Communications stock opened at $45.64 on Thursday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $46.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.92. The stock has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.52. Rogers Communications has a 12-month low of $36.23 and a 12-month high of $50.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86.

Rogers Communications (NYSE:RCI  Free Report) (TSE:RCI.B) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.71 billion. Rogers Communications had a return on equity of 19.36% and a net margin of 11.49%.

Rogers Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. This is a positive change from Rogers Communicationss previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Rogers Communicationss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rogers Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RCI. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Rogers Communications by 117.4% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,857,386 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $273,931,000 after buying an additional 3,163,142 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Rogers Communications by 550.3% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,700,450 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $65,535,000 after buying an additional 1,438,968 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in Rogers Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $65,671,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Rogers Communications by 70.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,152,353 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $147,656,000 after buying an additional 1,304,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Rogers Communications by 452.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,280,731 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $49,359,000 after buying an additional 1,048,976 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.77% of the companys stock.

Rogers Communications Company Profile

(Free Report)

Rogers Communications Inc operates as a communications and media company in North America. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device financing, device protection, global voice and data roaming, wireless home phone, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device shipping services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands.

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Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBDO  Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,000 shares, a decrease of 57.6% from the May 31st total of 11,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 18,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Banco Bradesco Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE BBDO traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.02. 44,518 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,649. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Banco Bradesco has a fifty-two week low of $2.12 and a fifty-two week high of $3.35. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $2.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.51.

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Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBDO  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The bank reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $9.82 billion during the quarter. Banco Bradesco had a return on equity of 11.66% and a net margin of 9.54%.

Banco Bradesco Increases Dividend

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be paid a $0.0036 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Banco Bradescos previous monthly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 3rd. Banco Bradescos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.35%.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bradesco by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 17,012 shares of the banks stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 5,151 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Banco Bradesco by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 154,868 shares of the banks stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 7,312 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Banco Bradesco by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 154,532 shares of the banks stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 9,051 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Banco Bradesco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Banco Bradesco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. 0.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Banco Bradesco

(Free Report)

Banco Bradesco SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, corporates, and businesses in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Banking and Insurance. It provides current, savings, click, and salary accounts; real estate credit, vehicle financing, payroll loans, mortgage loans, microcredit, leasing, and personal and installment credit; debit and business cards; financial and security services; consortium products; auto, personal accident, dental, travel, and life insurance; investment products; pension products; real estate and vehicle auctions; cash management, and foreign trade and exchange services; capitalization bonds; and internet banking services.

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Primerica (NYSE:PRI  Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

PRI has been the topic of several other research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Primerica from $210.00 to $220.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Primerica in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. They issued a strong-buy rating and a $244.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Primerica has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $205.25.

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Primerica Stock Performance

Shares of PRI traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $197.87. 101,739 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 156,893. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.18. Primerica has a fifty-two week low of $115.03 and a fifty-two week high of $199.82. The stocks 50-day moving average is $186.27 and its 200-day moving average is $170.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Primerica ( NYSE:PRI Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $690.04 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $697.61 million. Primerica had a net margin of 15.33% and a return on equity of 27.48%. The firms revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Primerica will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

In other Primerica news, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.25, for a total transaction of $765,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,902 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,543,757.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.19, for a total transaction of $384,380.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 13,024 shares in the company, valued at $2,503,082.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.25, for a total transaction of $765,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 49,902 shares in the company, valued at $9,543,757.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,200 shares of company stock valued at $2,119,760. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Primerica

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Primerica in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Primerica by 74.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 255 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Primerica in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new position in Primerica in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Primerica in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 91.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Primerica

(Free Report)

Primerica, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in four segments: Term Life Insurance; Investment and Savings Products; Senior Health; and Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Term Life Insurance segment underwrites individual term life insurance products.

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Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund (NYSE:AIO  Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 79,600 shares, a growth of 172.6% from the May 31st total of 29,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 99,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AIO. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 92.0% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,521 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund in the 3rd quarter valued at $180,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $222,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 16,445 shares of the companys stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,653 shares during the period.

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Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AIO traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $18.40. 164,722 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,757. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $17.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.03. Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund has a twelve month low of $14.92 and a twelve month high of $19.11.

Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend

Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Company Profile

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 12th.

(Free Report)

The Fund seeks to generate a stable income stream and growth of capital by focusing on one of the most significant long-term secular growth opportunities in markets today. A multi-asset approach based on fundamental research is employed, dynamically allocating to attractive segments of a companys debt and equity in order to offer an attractive risk/reward profile.

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Wedbush upgraded shares of Beazer Homes USA (NYSE:BZH  Free Report) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Wedbush currently has $31.00 price objective on the construction companys stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Beazer Homes USAs Q1 2024 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $1.32 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.59 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $4.67 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.21 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $5.24 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. B. Riley raised their price target on shares of Beazer Homes USA from $22.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, June 26th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Beazer Homes USA in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

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Beazer Homes USA Stock Up 1.4 %

Beazer Homes USA stock opened at $28.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 16.37. Beazer Homes USA has a 52-week low of $9.47 and a 52-week high of $28.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $21.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.14. The firm has a market cap of $886.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 2.17.

Institutional Trading of Beazer Homes USA

Beazer Homes USA ( NYSE:BZH Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The construction company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.29. Beazer Homes USA had a net margin of 8.54% and a return on equity of 21.32%. The firm had revenue of $543.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $519.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. The companys revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Beazer Homes USA will post 3.95 EPS for the current year.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Beazer Homes USA in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Beazer Homes USA by 60.3% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,618 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in Beazer Homes USA during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Beazer Homes USA during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Beazer Homes USA by 83.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,007 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.62% of the companys stock.

About Beazer Homes USA

(Free Report)

Beazer Homes USA, Inc operates as a homebuilder in the United States. It designs, constructs, and sells single-family and multi-family homes under the Beazer Homes, Gatherings, and Choice Plans names. The company sells its homes through commissioned new home sales counselors and independent brokers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Indiana, Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

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Carr Financial Group Corp reduced its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,470 shares of the companys stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises about 0.7% of Carr Financial Group Corps portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Carr Financial Group Corps holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Western Financial Corp CA raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 3,717 shares of the companys stock worth $1,276,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 88.8% during the 1st quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 6,789 shares of the companys stock worth $2,332,000 after buying an additional 3,194 shares during the last quarter. Field & Main Bank raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 78.7% during the 1st quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 1,749 shares of the companys stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Nadler Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. Nadler Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,015 shares of the companys stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,459 shares of the companys stock worth $1,188,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. 87.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on LLY. StockNews.com lowered shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 12th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $395.00 to $392.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $447.00 to $498.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $440.00 to $500.00 in a research note on Friday, May 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $437.90.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of LLY opened at $468.98 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $296.32 and a 52-week high of $469.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The firms fifty day moving average is $434.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $377.09. The stock has a market cap of $445.19 billion, a PE ratio of 74.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.36.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. The firms revenue was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 71.86%.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 11,760 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.41, for a total value of $5,473,221.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 101,237,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,116,735,440.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 600 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.29, for a total value of $261,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,978 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,602,163.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 11,760 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.41, for a total value of $5,473,221.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 101,237,050 shares of the companys stock, valued at $47,116,735,440.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,086,543 shares of company stock worth $445,911,136 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY  Free Report) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $15.00 to $13.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on KeyCorp from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. DA Davidson cut their target price on KeyCorp from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on KeyCorp from $20.50 to $16.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on KeyCorp from $12.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on KeyCorp from $16.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $14.93.

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KeyCorp Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE KEY opened at $9.24 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $9.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. KeyCorp has a 52 week low of $8.53 and a 52 week high of $20.30. The company has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.25.

KeyCorp Dividend Announcement

KeyCorp ( NYSE:KEY Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.44. KeyCorp had a return on equity of 15.63% and a net margin of 19.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that KeyCorp will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. KeyCorps dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.33%.

Insider Transactions at KeyCorp

In other KeyCorp news, insider Andrew J. Paine III purchased 75,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $9.78 per share, with a total value of $733,500.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 335,414 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,280,348.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Andrew J. Paine III bought 75,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.78 per share, with a total value of $733,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 335,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,280,348.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Amy G. Brady sold 12,388 shares of KeyCorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.11, for a total value of $125,242.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,733 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,079,070.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 85,700 shares of company stock worth $857,507. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KeyCorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KEY. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in shares of KeyCorp by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 26,413 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Glassman Wealth Services raised its position in shares of KeyCorp by 35.4% in the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 2,103 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its position in shares of KeyCorp by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 60,147 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of KeyCorp by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 24,363 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund raised its position in shares of KeyCorp by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund now owns 132,557 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,309,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. 79.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About KeyCorp

(Free Report)

KeyCorp operates as the holding company for KeyBank National Association that provides various retail and commercial banking products and services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer Bank and Commercial Bank. The company offers various deposits, investment products and services; and personal finance and financial wellness, student loan refinancing, mortgage and home equity, lending, credit card, treasury, business advisory, wealth management, asset management, investment, cash management, portfolio management, and trust and related services to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses.

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Truist Financial upgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. The firm currently has $82.00 price objective on the building manufacturing companys stock, up from their previous price objective of $49.00.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, May 11th. TD Securities raised shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the company from $63.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $60.00 to $65.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $69.50.

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Louisiana-Pacific Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE LPX opened at $74.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.42 and a beta of 1.64. Louisiana-Pacific has a 52-week low of $48.20 and a 52-week high of $75.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 3.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

Louisiana-Pacific ( NYSE:LPX Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The building manufacturing company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $584.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $618.23 million. Louisiana-Pacific had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 37.43%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 56.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Louisiana-Pacific will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Louisiana-Pacifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.06%.

Institutional Trading of Louisiana-Pacific

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LPX. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 4.1% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 47,998 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $2,982,000 after acquiring an additional 1,898 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 116.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 28,113 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $1,746,000 after acquiring an additional 15,115 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 50.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 9,505 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 3,179 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 34.1% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 57,184 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $3,552,000 after acquiring an additional 14,544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 33.0% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 38,787 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $2,409,000 after acquiring an additional 9,615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the companys stock.

About Louisiana-Pacific

(Free Report)

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through: Siding, Oriented Strand Board, and South America. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products.

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MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE  Free Report) by 8.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 305,908 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 24,604 shares during the quarter. Sempra comprises about 2.2% of MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbHs holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbHs holdings in Sempra were worth $46,241,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in Sempra by 244.1% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 346,741 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $52,413,000 after acquiring an additional 245,973 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK acquired a new position in Sempra in the 1st quarter valued at about $368,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in Sempra by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 14,614 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,209,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC increased its position in Sempra by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 1,598 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Sempra by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 20,400 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,084,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.45% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. 888 reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Sempra in a research report on Friday, June 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Sempra from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Sempra in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Sempra from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, June 7th. They issued a buy rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $168.63.

Sempra Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Sempra stock traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $145.59. 1,141,651 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 988,860. Sempra has a 52-week low of $136.54 and a 52-week high of $176.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $148.85 and a 200-day moving average of $152.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 14.47%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 71.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra will post 8.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 3rd. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Sempras payout ratio is 61.34%.

Sempra Company Profile

(Free Report)

Sempra operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Gas Company, Sempra Texas Utilities, and Sempra Infrastructure. The San Diego Gas & Electric Company segment provides to San Diego and southern Orange counties; and natural gas service to San Diego County.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of North American Construction Group (NYSE:NOA  Free Report) (TSE:NOA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

North American Construction Group Stock Performance

NYSE NOA opened at $19.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $505.32 million, a P/E ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 1.50. North American Construction Group has a fifty-two week low of $9.20 and a fifty-two week high of $20.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.15.

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North American Construction Group (NYSE:NOA  Free Report) (TSE:NOA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The oil and gas company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $179.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.89 million. North American Construction Group had a return on equity of 25.16% and a net margin of 9.01%. On average, equities analysts forecast that North American Construction Group will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year.

North American Construction Group Cuts Dividend

Hedge Funds Weigh In On North American Construction Group

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 26th will be paid a $0.074 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. North American Construction Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 15.68%.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC purchased a new position in shares of North American Construction Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of North American Construction Group by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,216 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of North American Construction Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department purchased a new position in shares of North American Construction Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of North American Construction Group by 114.5% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,831 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.21% of the companys stock.

About North American Construction Group

(Free Report)

North American Construction Group Ltd. provides equipment maintenance, and mining and heavy construction services in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its Heavy Construction & Mining division offers constructability reviews, budgetary cost estimates, design-build construction, project management, contract mining, pre-stripping/pit pioneering, overburden removal and stockpile, muskeg removal and stockpile, site preparation, air strip construction, site dewatering/perimeter ditching, tailings and process pipelines, haulage and access road construction, tailings dam construction and densification, mechanically stabilized earth walls, dyke construction, and reclamation services; and Equipment Maintenance services.

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Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO  Free Report) had its price objective reduced by Argus from $80.00 to $72.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on RIO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Rio Tinto Group from an underweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Rio Tinto Group from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Rio Tinto Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 5th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Rio Tinto Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Rio Tinto Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $4,360.50.

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Rio Tinto Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:RIO opened at $63.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.69. Rio Tinto Group has a 1-year low of $50.92 and a 1-year high of $80.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rio Tinto Group

About Rio Tinto Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Rio Tinto Group by 9.0% in the first quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,180 shares of the mining companys stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 13,973 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Rio Tinto Group by 6.7% in the first quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 169,911 shares of the mining companys stock worth $11,655,000 after purchasing an additional 10,655 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rio Tinto Group during the first quarter worth $423,000. Finally, Advanced Portfolio Management LLC bought a new position in Rio Tinto Group during the first quarter valued at about $2,744,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.44% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. It offers aluminum, copper, iron ore, diamonds, gold, borates, titanium dioxide, salt, silver, molybdenum, and lithium. The company also owns and operates open pit and underground mines, refineries, smelters, and concentrator facilities, as well as power stations, research, and service facilities.

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Scotiabank downgraded shares of Vale (NYSE:VALE  Free Report) from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The brokerage currently has $16.00 price target on the basic materials companys stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on VALE. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Vale from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their target price for the company from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vale from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Vale from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their target price for the company from $20.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Monday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $16.43.

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Vale Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of VALE stock opened at $13.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.78 and a 200-day moving average of $15.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Vale has a 12-month low of $11.72 and a 12-month high of $19.31. The company has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.87.

Institutional Trading of Vale

Vale ( NYSE:VALE Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.16). Vale had a return on equity of 38.16% and a net margin of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $8.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.09 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vale will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 72,165,728 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,138,775,000 after buying an additional 11,393,498 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 35,578,820 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $603,773,000 after buying an additional 2,305,324 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Vale by 7,636.2% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 34,263,547 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $581,453,000 after purchasing an additional 33,820,650 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Vale by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 31,582,462 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $498,371,000 after purchasing an additional 393,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Vale by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 22,763,893 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $359,214,000 after purchasing an additional 8,334,786 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.82% of the companys stock.

About Vale

(Free Report)

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.

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Yes, France is burning once again as the riots and torched vehicles move from one city to the next. There are multiple variables and factors that cause splits in societies, but many are triggered by undercurrents of animosity caused by religion. The riots are in response to the execution of a North African teen by a policeman. If one looks at the trigger for certain events, the root, the initial spark; we only have to find the underlying cause of indemnity within the fractures of religions. The indigenous French are staunch Roman Catholics and the Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans etc are Muslims.

Different religious groups of course can coexist within a so-called egalitarian society, however in France, the ghettos on the outskirts of cities and towns where the Untermensch are bundled into vast towers is proof that these forgotten disenfranchised people are deemed lesser than real French people. The French are some of the most racist people in the world, and some will admit their racism outwardly without issue, and others will keep the undercurrent simmering underneath the veneer of forced civility.

In reality, when there are vast chasms in disparity in groups then there will be violence, simply because the elastic band of hatred has been pulled too far back. These events are natural cyclical rituals which must be fulfilled to sate the gods of the respective religious and racially diverse groups fighting each other. France has a similar violent reaction as the Americans experience once in a while, yet here in the United Kingdom, not so much, possibly because the police are unarmed and lenient. Much like tectonic plates suddenly and violently snapping together, the earthquake of violence appears over time, only needing a single catalyst to release the pressure.

Humans are beasts that fear and misunderstand each other, these beasts roaming their supposed civilised cities and towns still predominantly believe in archaic myths and nonsensical unscientific tribal religions that only create hatred and animosity within this world. What is an organised religion other than a ball and chain from birth to some sort of tribe that was created by other men to soothe the thought of one day dying and as a supposed societal control system? Yes, you will go to heaven if you are good, and you will go to hell if you are bad  atone for your inherent sins, as you were born a sinner, and some guy who never existed, who could walk on water and turn water into wine will save you. Religions are borne from an almost slave-like praise of an unseen god who demands total control over the human and is watching and judging you all the time. This level of control over something that has no scientific basis in existence is possibly the greatest form of indoctrination ever released on the psyche of humanity.

Another key factor is that France is France, and the original Gauls have in effect been invaded by millions of North and Sub Saharan Africans. It is the colonial disease, and your silly EU Schengen system where free movement across borders means many things  almost all of them negative, and it all adds to the malaise.

The other silent factor is overpopulation. It is the silent elephant in the room subject that no one dares to talk about, but is the underlying explanation for all of humanitys current suffering. With overpopulation there is a marked increase in violence, terrorism, war, pollution, global warming, factory farming, desertification, flooding, societal devastation, ultimately leading to the entire destruction of the human species as all finite resources are used up, and the entire environment is destroyed. Once its gone, its gone, and there is no turning back.

May the fires burn, as Macron dances the night away at Elton John concerts, one can only dream of the swine actually doing something about his bloated fractured country. Instead, he will continue to dance over the charred bones of those who find their pitiful lives intolerable, choosing to die fighting. It is the only way they can express themselves.

It is all a far cry from the good old days, eh
Currently, there are close to 40,000 central force personnel in Manipur. These include the Assam Rifles, the Indian Army, the BSF, the CRPF, the SSB and the ITBP. AFP

Guwahati: Bogged down by challenges of effective management of multiple security agencies in one area, the authorities in trouble-torn Manipur have decided to redeploy the forces by confining one particular force in one specific district or more, depending on the availability of forces.

Pointing out that it has now been decided to give responsibility of certain districts to one single force rather than deploying columns of various forces at different places in a district, security sources at Imphal said that idea of making this arrangement was largely aimed at to improve coordination among various forces and cover the vastness of the topography.

Pointing out that this will strengthen the command and control structure as well as facilitate smooth logistics management, security sources said that if Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts are given to the BSF, it will alone be held responsible for lapses and thus will remain prompt.

Moreover at the same time, it will be easier for the commanders to place and manage the forces on the ground as there will be a single command structure for the entire area, security sources said, adding that in the present structure--- a lot of energy was going in coordinating the forces.

Currently, there are close to 40,000 central force personnel in Manipur. These include the Assam Rifles, the Indian Army, the BSF, the CRPF, the SSB and the ITBP. In any fringe area in a district, currently, a mix of all these forces is deployed. For example, if the Army is manning a fringe area in Moirang, just a few kilometres ahead at Torbung, it is the Assam Rifles. In between both BSF and CRPF deployment can be seen.

About the proposed unified command of security forces for the state, security sources said that it would not only require deployment of more forces, particularly Army but at the same time in absence of Armed Forces (Special Power) Act , there are many operational challenges for the Army to operate in civilian areas.

Security sources said that they are also trying to create some buffer zones in between areas of two communities to check the retaliatory violence. Pointing out that the Hraothel incident where two Meitei civilians died on Thursday happened when Kukis retaliated to a Meitei mob trying to burn their houses, security sources said that the Meitei action was also a result of some Kukis trying to burn Meitei houses in another area.

Regretting that this spiralling cycle of retaliatory arson and violence was the biggest challenge, security sources said that the idea of establishing buffer zones in between the areas of two communities may help security forces in breaking this cycle of retaliatory actions.

Meanwhile state authorities have further extended the ban on internet services in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with tribal leaders at Pakaria village on Saturday. (Image: PTI)

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the public against being deceived by false promises made by Opposition parties. He urged people to be cautious of guarantees given by them, stating that they often come at a cost to the citizens.

"Beware of false guarantees given by the Opposition parties," Modi cautioned. He highlighted that promises of free electricity could lead to increased power tariffs, guarantees of employee pensions might result in irregular salary payments, and assurances of free bus rides could harm the transportation system.

He emphasised the underlying motive behind these guarantees, describing them as "evil intentions and a blow to the poor." Modi criticised family-based political parties, asserting that their primary focus was to promote the interests of dynastic leaders rather than the well-being of the common people.

Meanwhile, Modi inaugurated the National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, with the goal of eradicating sickle cell disease from the country by 2047.

Addressing a large gathering, Prime Minister Modi appealed for the cooperation of the people, particularly the tribal communities, in the government's mission to eliminate sickle cell disease. He emphasised the tremendous suffering endured by patients and their families due to this painful disease.

The mission aims to develop the necessary infrastructure to address the healthcare challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among tribal populations. This includes establishing dedicated blood banks, strengthening bone marrow transplant facilities, and conducting widespread screening to detect the disease in its early stages. These measures will help prevent the disease from being passed on to future generations.

During his speech, Modi highlighted the significance of this pledge to save the lives of 2.5 lakh affected children and their families. He expressed disappointment that little attention had been given to combating the disease in the past seven decades, despite India having a significant number of sickle cell anaemia cases worldwide.

Modi underscored his government's commitment to the welfare of tribal communities, stating that they are not merely an electoral constituency but a matter of deep sensitivity and emotion. He recalled his efforts to uplift tribal communities since his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Further, Modi criticised previous governments for their insensitivity and disrespect towards tribal societies and the poor. He cited examples of the renaming of the Central tribal university and the Patal Pani railway station to honor tribal leaders, contrasting them with the actions of his government.

In addition to launching the mission, Modi distributed over 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana cards digitally. The Ayushman card provides beneficiaries with up to 5 lakh for medical treatment in any hospital. He emphasised that this guarantee of financial assistance for the poor sets his government apart, and so far, five crore people have benefitted from the Ayushman scheme, resulting in savings of 1 lakh crore.

Modi concluded by paying tribute to Rani Durgavati, a 16th-century ruling Gond queen. He announced plans to commemorate her 500th birth anniversary through a film on her life, as well as the release of a silver coin and a postal stamp in her honour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress, in New Delhi, Saturday, July 1, 2023. (PTI)

New Delhi: Highlighting the seriousness of the government towards providing the right price to the farmers for their produce, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the government bought the farmers produce at an increased minimum support price (MSP) and handed out more than Rs 15-lakh crores to the farmers during the last nine years.

"On average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5-lakh crores a year on agriculture and farmers. The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other," said Mr Modi while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress.

Highlighting the farmer welfare approach of the government, Mr Modi informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7-lakh crores for the fertiliser sector as well as the increase in the fair and remunerative price for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal. This will directly benefit 5 lakh sugarcane farmers and people working in sugar mills, the PM added.

The Prime Minister also elaborated on ways of ensuring that farmers are not burdened by increasing global fertiliser prices. He said that a farmer today pays about Rs 270 for a bag of urea, whereas the same bag is priced at Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and Rs 3,000 in the USA.

"This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of the farmers", he said.

The Prime Minister said that in the last nine years, more than Rs 10-lakh crores have been spent on just fertiliser subsidies and asserted that the Centre is delivering rather than just talking about promises, in an apparent dig at the Congress party over poll guarantees.

"The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means that under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms. Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon," the PM said.

The Prime Minister asked the cooperatives to become models of transparency and corruption-free governance and to be carriers of social and national policy instead of politics. He said the cooperatives should adopt digital tools in a big way and called upon them to work towards increasing production of oilseeds and pulses and helping the country become self-reliant in cooking oils.

Mr Modi also highlighted the contributions of dairy cooperatives in making India the world's leading milk producer and the role of cooperatives in making India one of the top sugar-producing countries in the world. He underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country.

The Prime Minister highlighted that it was the first time that a separate ministry was formed and a Budget was allocated for cooperatives. Now, Mr Modi said, cooperatives are being presented with a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector.

The PM talked about the measures to strengthen cooperative societies and mentioned the reduction in tax rates. He highlighted the measures taken to strengthen cooperative banks.

Mr Modi also noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government increased transparency, ensured benefits for the beneficiaries, and stressed that digital systems should be promoted in the cooperative sector.

Underlining that the main cooperative societies at the primary level (PACS) will become a model for transparency, Mr Modi said that the computerization of more than 60,000 PACS has already taken place. He stressed that cooperatives should make full use of the technology available to them and that the nation will hugely benefit from the acceptance of core banking and digital transactions by cooperative societies.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (Image: PTI)

HYDERABAD: Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will on Sunday bring down the curtain on his Haath Se Haath Jodo padayatra in Khammam, where Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting around 5 pm.

In the course of his 109-day yatra, Bhatti Vikramarka walked 1,360 km, passing through 750 villages, covering 36 Assembly constituencies and traversing 17 districts, since the start from Pipri village of Adilabad on March 16.

Sources said that the meeting venue in Khammam would be spread over an area of 100 acres and Congress leaders are expected to mobilise five lakh people for the meeting.

Upon his entry into Khammam on Saturday, Bhatti Vikramarka was accorded a grand welcome by performing troupes amid the din of cracker-bursting, a day ahead of the conclusion of the Peoples March.

Khammam town was a vision in Congress leaders faces, with cut-outs and posters of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Bhatti, among others, adorning every nook and cranny.

Arrangements were also in full swing for the public meeting by the president of the Khammam town unit, Mohd Javed.

The meeting will mark the entry of former BRS MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, a Khammam native, into the Congress, in a move that is expected to boost the partys prospects for 10 Assembly seats in the region.

Sources said that the meeting will end speculation on Srinivas Reddys future course of action, as he was also sought after by the BJP. However, he was swayed towards the Congress based on extensive surveys held with former BRS counterpart from Mahbubnagar, Jupally Krishna Rao.

Rahul Gandhi will arrive at Gannavaram (Vijayawada) at 3.30 pm by a special flight and reach Khammam by helicopter to address the meeting at 5 pm. He will then leave Khammam by road to Gannavaram, from where he will board a flight to New Delhi.

Throughout the yatra, Bhatti has spoken on a wide range of issues like podu lands of tribals, the Dharani land portal issue and alleged manipulation of records by BRS leaders. The Congress also credited Bhattis yatra for forcing K. Chandrashekar Rao to take up the distribution of pattas to tribals. The party also attributes the yatra for fostering togetherness and minimising internal squabbles.

Bhatti Vikramarka repeatedly flayed the BRS over the "dictatorial attitude of CM KCR" during his yatra, attributing the same for forcing him to embark on the march to create public awareness. Braving summer heat, and poor health on two occasions, Bhatti determinedly achieved his goal.
Karnataka's Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil on Friday said that Taiwanese companies have expressed interest to collaborate with the state Karnataka in converting diesel-run BMTC buses to electric buses.

Briefing reporters after a high-level delegation from Taiwan met him here to discuss industrial collaboration, he said: "Converting the diesel-powered Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses to electric buses would enable us to take a step forward towards sustainability".

He said that his department would facilitate further talks with the Transport Department in this regard.

Noting that Taiwan-based companies have the required expertise to transform diesel vehicles into electric vehicles, he added that such a technology is the need of the hour.

Taiwanese companies have also evinced interest to collaborate in machine tools and manufacturing, ESDM, automotive and auto components, clean energy production, and aerospace, Patil said.

As part of the meeting, a visual presentation on the industrial ecosystem of the state, facilitation and incentives provided by the government was made.

Over 50 Taiwanese investors were present at the meeting, facilitated by the TIBA (Taiwan India Business Association), including George Lien who led the visiting delegation.

TECC Director General Richard Chen, Principal Secretary, Industries, S.Selva Kumar, and Commissioner, Industries Gunjan Krishna were also present at the meet.
The US on Friday warned about a new Chinese counter-espionage law, saying American and other foreign companies in the country could face penalties from Chinese authorities for regular business activities.

Chinese lawmakers this year passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing's anti-espionage legislation that goes into effect on July 1, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and broadening the definition of spying.

China this year has also cracked down on US consultancy and due diligence firms, a move business lobbies have said unnerved foreign investors in the world's second largest economy.

The US National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) said in a bulletin that China viewed outbound flow of data as a national security risk, and that the new and existing laws could compel companies' locally employed Chinese nationals to assist in Chinese intelligence efforts.

"These laws provide the PRC (People's Republic of China) government with expanded legal grounds for accessing and controlling data held by US firms in China," the NCSC said.

"US companies and individuals in China could also face penalties for traditional business activities that Beijing deems acts of espionage or for actions that Beijing believes assist foreign sanctions against China," it said.

It said the ambiguities of the law meant that "any documents, data, materials or items" could be deemed relevant to Chinese national security, also putting journalists, academics and researchers at risk.

China's embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has emphasized national security since taking office in 2012. Suspicion in China of the US and its allies has grown as the US-China rivalry has intensified, yet Beijing has insisted it is opening up to overseas investment.

US officials have told Reuters that since the enactment of the Chinese law in April they have received a flood of questions from businesses and other groups about the risks of traveling to China.

The US State Department also updated its travel advisory for China on Friday. The "risk of wrongful detentions" is among its warnings for Americans to reconsider travel to the country.

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns has said Beijing's targeting of US firms was politically motivated and that Washington would push back.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday extended his greetings to doctors on the occasion of Doctors' Day, saying their unwavering commitment to serving humanity has made a whole lot of difference in the world.

He also extended his gratitude to the chartered accountants on the occasion of CA Day "for keeping the wheels of our economy running through all weather".

"On Doctors Day my heartiest greetings to the doctors, who guard our health and wellbeing.

"Their unwavering commitment to serving humanity has made a whole lot of difference in our world and will continue to do so. Salute to the noble healers and lifesavers," Shah tweeted.

On Doctor's Day my heartiest greetings to the doctors, who guard our health and well-being. Their unwavering commitment to serving humanity has made a whole lot of difference in our world and will continue to do so. Salute to the noble healers and lifesavers.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 1, 2023

July 1 is observed as National Doctors' Day to commemorate Bidhan Chandra Roy, a renowned doctor who served as West Bengal's chief minister too from 1948 to 1962, and whose birth and death anniversary fall on this day.

In another tweet, Shah said, "On CA Day, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the brilliant chartered accountants who have with their dedication to transparent corporate governance set shining standards of excellence."

"Gratitude for keeping the wheels of our economy running through all weather".

On CA Day I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the brilliant Chartered Accountants who have with their dedication to transparent corporate governance set shining standards of excellence. Gratitude for keeping the wheels of our economy running through all weather.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 1, 2023

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) was established on July 1 in 1949. ICAI is the country's sole licensing and regulatory authority for the accounting profession and financial auditing.

This year ICAI celebrates its 75th year of existence.
Britains King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented the coveted Elephant Family environmental award to Indian conservationists -- filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves behind Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers and the Real Elephant Collective (TREC) of 70 Adivasi artists -- at a ceremony here.

Gonsalves received the Tara Award, inspired by the sacred bond between elephants and humans to recognise extraordinary achievements in storytelling and advocacy for coexistence.

The debut director of The Elephant Whisperers collected the award, an elephant statuette as a nod to the wildlife conservation charity Elephant Family, from the royals at an Animal Ball at Lancaster House on Wednesday.

Also Read: UK royal family expenses rise in year of 'significant transition'

This powerful film explores the profound connection between humans and elephants through the heartwarming story of Raghu, an orphaned elephant from the same herds depicted in TRECs sculptures. Gonsalves dedicated her award to Mother India and the idea of coexistence, emphasising the importance of respect for indigenous communities and empathy towards all living beings, the Elephant Family said in a statement.

The Elephant Whisperers, which won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film earlier this year, captures the inspiring journey of an indigenous couple as they nurture and care for Raghu, forming an unbreakable bond with the elephant.

The Elephant Family said the globally acclaimed documentary stands as a testament to the beauty of Indias wilderness, the wisdom of tribal communities, and the empathy that exists between people and animals who share the same space.

As Kartiki Gonsalves, a true champion for wildlife and nature, receives this esteemed award, Elephant Family honours her unwavering dedication and unyielding enthusiasm towards the preservation of our natural world, it noted.

Meanwhile, TREC was awarded the Mark Shand Award, named in honour of the late founder of Elephant Family  an international NGO dedicated to protecting the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild.

TREC was conferred the award for their five-year meticulous work in creating the CoExistence Herd of intricate sculptural representations of wild elephants they coexist with.

Led by Shubhra Nayar, a graduate of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, her husband Dr Tarsh Thekaekara, a pioneering conservationist, and Subhash Gautam, a coffee planter, livelihoods expert, and businessman, TRECs extraordinary work has had a profound impact, the Elephant Family said.

The success of TREC has paved the way for the establishment of the CoExistence Consortium, an India-wide group that brings together local experts, ecologists, anthropologists, geographers, and conservationists. Working hand in hand with communities living alongside wildlife, the consortium designs and implements coexistence solutions that prioritise the perspectives and needs of these communities, the wildlife charity said.

Situated in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, an area with the highest human and elephant density in the world, TREC is credited with fostering a unique understanding and coexistence between people and wildlife.

The sculptures, made from the invasive weed lantana camara, provide livelihood opportunities for Adivasi communities while contributing to the removal of this harmful weed from protected areas.

Their efforts have not only benefited the environment but also enhanced the communities values, income, and status without compromising their indigenous way of life, according to the Elephant Family.

"Their collaborative efforts have captured the attention of millions, as over 4 million Londoners visited the CoExistence herd in June and July 2021, and the human-wildlife coexistence message reached over 20 million people through media coverage," it added.

Elephant Family supports a wide range of projects that find ways for humans and animals to live closer together  from securing a network of wildlife corridors which act as bridges between islands of forests, to relocating busy highways that slice through primary forest.

The organisation was founded in 2003 by Camillas late brother Mark Shand, who was deeply passionate about protecting and supporting elephants and Asian wildlife and the Tara Award is named after his elephant.

This years Animal Ball was a celebration of indigenous communities, hosted by the Elephant Family in partnership with the King Charles-founded charity British Asian Trust.
Amid tight security arrangements, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims commenced their journey from Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district to perform darshan at the 3,880 metre high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.

The Yatra was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, Shyambir Singh, along with senior officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and the police at the Baltal base camp.

As the first batch of pilgrims started their journey, Aarti was performed at the shrine. Aarti was performed at Shri Amarnath Cave Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, this morning. The first batch of pilgrims has started its journey towards the cave shrine, officials from Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) posted the video.

Read | Amarnath Yatra: 2nd batch of over 4,400 pilgrims leaves Jammu camp for Kashmir

Baltal, in central Ganderbal district, is one of the twin routes for the annual pilgrimage and another one is Pahalgam in south Kashmirs Anantnag district.

The first batch of the pilgrims had reached the Baltal base camp on Friday evening. The yatra was flagged off from Yatri Niwas, Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday morning.

The local Muslims were seen welcoming the pilgrims at different places enroute to the holy cave shrine. The pilgrims were touched by the warmth shown by the locals.

The 62-day annual pilgrimage, which commenced Saturday, will culminate on August 31 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima.

In preparation for the Yatra, various langar committees started their practice on Wednesday, three days in advance, to cater to the pilgrims. A total of 22 langars have been established this year at various points of the national highway (NHW-44).

The SASB has decided to ban junk and unhealthy food, including halwa puri, samosas, jalebi, gulab jamun, etc. this year. The meals in the permitted menu include cereals, pulses, green vegetables, green salad, fruits and sprouts, rice, jaggery, sambar, idli, uttapam, poha, herbal tea, coffee, low fat curd, sharbat, lemon squash/water, figs, raisins, apricots, and other dry fruits.

With intelligence inputs about possible attack by the militants on the pilgrims, unprecedented security arrangements have been made to ensure the yatra remains incident-free. To ensure only bona fide pilgrims are present at the pilgrimage, authorities have asked all intending pilgrims to carry Aadhaar cards or any other biometric verified document with them.

Thousands of pilgrims each year undertake the Amarnath Yatra to the shrine cave to worship an ice stalagmite called Shivlingum, believed to be the symbol of Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and regeneration.


A robust and dynamic security grid complete with the deployment of snipers, anti-drone systems, bomb disposal and dog squads has been put in place to ensure a safe and secure Amarnath Yatra, the army said here on Saturday.

The yatra began from the twin routes of Baltal and Pahalgam. Baltal is in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and Pahalgam in Anantnag district in south.

"The Indian Army has traditionally been involved in ensuring safe and secure yatra for the pilgrims. This year too, the army has worked with all other stakeholders to put in place a robust and dynamic security grid for the Shri Amarnathji Yatra," the army's 3 Sector Rashtriya Rifles commander Brigadier Atul Rajput told reporters here.

Also read | Amarnath Yatra: 2nd batch of over 4,400 pilgrims leaves Jammu camp for Kashmir

He said the army has ensured multi-tier security arrangements that include domination of the mountains, sanitisation of the yatra route and round-the-clock domination of the area using the latest night vision devices.

The army's Special Forces are keeping a watch over the yatra route from vantage locations, he said. "We have also deployed snipers, anti-drone systems, bomb disposal and dog squads to ensure safe and secure Yatra," the commander said.

The army has augmented a number of yatri camps with adequate tentage facilities to provide additional habitat during, Brigadier Rajput said.

Also read | Amit Shah conveys greetings to Amarnath pilgrims

"We have also made available helipads at multiple locations for medical emergencies and to cater to other airlift requirements for the yatra," he added.

A whole-of-the-nation approach has been followed to synergise efforts, and the army has offered its expertise in mountain rescue to civil agencies and trained Mountain Rescue and Avalanche Rescue teams of various agencies, he said.

"In addition, we have conducted joint exercises and mock drills to ensure seamless and successful rescue operations, if and when required," the army officer said.

He said based on the experiences of the cloudburst during the yatra last year, rescue teams and earth-movers are being placed at the Holy Cave and multiple locations enroute for any emergencies.

Modern equipment are also available for effective response and meet any contingencies, he added.

"We assure you that till the time last yatri is back from his pious visit to Shri Amarnath, we, the Indian Army, is here to ensure your security, safety and well being always and every time, Brigadier Rajput said.
HM Payson & Co. decreased its stake in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET  Free Report) by 59.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,442 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 20,062 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.s holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ET. Country Club Bank GFN grew its position in Energy Transfer by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Country Club Bank GFN now owns 11,337 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Energy Transfer by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 16,213 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in Energy Transfer by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners now owns 20,509 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 802 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Energy Transfer by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 12,562 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Energy Transfer by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 24,754 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 852 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.47% of the companys stock.

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Energy Transfer Trading Down 0.5 %

ET opened at $12.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $39.91 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $12.66 and a 200-day moving average of $12.57. Energy Transfer LP has a 52 week low of $9.15 and a 52 week high of $13.67.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

Energy Transfer ( NYSE:ET Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The pipeline company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.49 billion. Energy Transfer had a net margin of 5.08% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.308 per share. This is a boost from Energy Transfers previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 5th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.70%. Energy Transfers payout ratio is presently 91.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Energy Transfer

In related news, Chairman Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.49 per share, for a total transaction of $12,490,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman now owns 60,078,477 shares of the companys stock, valued at $750,380,177.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Energy Transfer news, Chairman Kelcy L. Warren bought 1,000,000 shares of Energy Transfer stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.49 per share, with a total value of $12,490,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman now owns 60,078,477 shares in the company, valued at $750,380,177.73. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradford D. Whitehurst bought 10,000 shares of Energy Transfer stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.43 per share, with a total value of $124,300.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 1,303,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,196,973.65. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 1,510,000 shares of company stock worth $18,749,300. 3.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ET shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Energy Transfer from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Energy Transfer from $18.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $16.43.

Energy Transfer Profile

(Free Report)

Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates approximately 11,600 miles of natural gas transportation pipeline, and three natural gas storage facilities in Texas and two natural gas storage facilities located in the state of Texas and Oklahoma; and 19,945 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline.

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Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN  Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,580 shares of the construction companys stock after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.s holdings in Lennar were worth $3,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LEN. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Lennar by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 27,918 shares of the construction companys stock worth $2,527,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lennar by 1.3% in the first quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 9,173 shares of the construction companys stock worth $964,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lennar by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,730 shares of the construction companys stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Lennar by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,460 shares of the construction companys stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its position in Lennar by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 34,693 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $3,427,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 82.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Diane J. Bessette sold 10,790 shares of Lennar stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,310,553.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 270,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,861,731.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.53% of the companys stock.

Lennar Stock Up 1.2 %

Lennar Dividend Announcement

NYSE LEN opened at $125.31 on Friday. Lennar Co. has a 52 week low of $69.90 and a 52 week high of $127.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 7.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $36.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.44. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $114.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.59.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. Lennars dividend payout ratio is currently 10.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LEN shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Lennar from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Lennar from $153.00 to $161.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on Lennar from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Lennar in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a sell rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lennar from $127.00 to $150.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lennar presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $121.53.

Lennar Company Profile

(Free Report)

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.

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Archbishop Eamon Martin will join with thousands of pilgrims of all ages in the annual pilgrimage to the summit of Croagh Patrick, Irelands holy mountain, for Reek Sunday 2023.

The Pilgrimage will take place on July 30, 2023.



Father Charlie McDonnell PP, Administrator of the local parish of Westport, Co Mayo, in the Archdiocese Tuam, welcomed the news that Archbishop Martin will celebrate Mass in Westport on 29 July, and on the summit of Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday.

Fr McDonnell also welcomed the fact this years Reek Sunday pilgrimage has been designated as one of the key initiatives to highlight the Year for Vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood, which is taking place across Ireland over 2023 to 2024.



Father McDonnell said, I am delighted that for this Reek Sunday we will be joined by the successor of Saint Patrick, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, who will join us on our pilgrimage and celebrate Mass with Archbishop Francis Duffy in Westport, and also on the summit of Croagh Patrick.



Regarding the dedication of this years Reek Sunday pilgrimage to vocations to the priesthood, Father McDonnell said, our Church needs vocations to the priesthood like never before. No doubt it is a challenging time to minister as a priest, but in my role I find that serving the people of God in todays counter-cultural environment is nothing short of a faith-enriching experience.

"I love being a priest and I draw spiritual strength from the people I meet every day on the journey of life.

"For this Reek Sunday, I invite any man who is discerning a vocation to the priesthood to avail of the opportunity to come to Croagh Patrick and pray, climb and reflect with other priests and members of the faithful.

"To help raise awareness of vocations, a special Year for Vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood stand will be in place on Reek Sunday morning, at the base of Croagh Patrick, to offer information on the priesthood.

In advance of the Pilgrimage, Fr McDonnell appealed to any priest in a position to minister the Sacraments over the Reek weekend, to contact him by email as soon as possible on: frchaz@gmail.com.



Father McDonnell also spoke of the importance of conserving the natural environment of Croagh Patrick for current and for future generations.

He said, Croagh Patrick is an iconic feature of the Mayo landscape and is of significant natural, cultural and spiritual importance. In recent years the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group has achieved monumental success in helping to preserve and safeguard the mountain. However, we cannot do this alone. As the largest annual gathering on the Reek, it is essential that Reek Sunday pilgrims - and indeed all pilgrims - play their responsible part to sustain this holy site for future generations.

"The Church has actively engaged with other stakeholders to undertake the Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration Project to provide a robust path for access, and to restore the eroded parts of the mountain. In this regard we are committed to minimising the impact of the pilgrimage on the drinking water of the mountain streams, on the local community and on other users of the mountain.

"To help us to achieve these aims, we ask of each pilgrim to adhere to the following best practice guidance:if you are traveling by car, car-pool if you can, park responsibly and follow the instructions of stewards on the day; while climbing, stay on the defined path on the mountain (where in place) and do not encroach on the adjoining habitat which may be in the process of restoration; be respectful to the mountain streams which provide drinking water to the local community; support our Leave No Trace principle by not discarding litter on the mountain and by appropriately disposing of any that you might come across; and, as dogs are not permitted on the mountain, please do not bring dogs to Croagh Patrick. I ask all dog owners to respect this requirement.

From 8.00am on Reek Sunday, Mass will be celebrated on the hour outside of the chapel on the summit of Croagh Patrick. The full schedule for the 2023 annual pilgrimage, which takes place from Garland Friday 28 July, to Reek Sunday 30 July, is set out below:



Garland Friday, 28 July  Local Pilgrimage

10.00am Mass celebrated on the summit of Croagh Patrick celebrated by Westport native Father Tod Nolan

7.00pm Mass at Murrisk Community Cafe at the base of Croagh Patrick in the car park



Reek Saturday, 29 July

9.00am Tochar Phadraig pilgrimage begins at Ballintubber Abbey

6.30pm Mass concelebrated for the opening of the pilgrimage in Saint Marys Church, Westport, by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and Archbishop Francis Duffy, Archbishop of Tuam



Reek Sunday, 30 July

7.30am  2.00pm Confessions available for pilgrims on the summit of Croagh Patrick

8.00am First hourly Mass on the summit celebrated by Father John Kenny, Parish Priest of Partry

9.00am Mass celebrated by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford & Lismore

10.00am Aifreann Lan Gaeilge ar barr Cruach Phadraig celebrated by Bishop Fintan Monahan, Bishop of Killaloe

11.00am Mass celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland

Pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick (2,510ft/765m), has been undertaken for over 1500 years.

Croagh Patrick dominates the landscape of southwest Mayo both spiritually and physically. The pilgrimage is associated with Saint Patrick who, in 441, spent forty days and nights fasting on the summit, following the example of Christ and Moses.

The name Reek Sunday comes from Patricks ability to Christianise many pagan customs including the festival of Lughnasa, which previously heralded the start of the harvest festival honouring the ancient pagan god Lugh, whose name is encompassed in the Irish language word for August: Lughnasa. This festivals tradition became absorbed into new Christian beliefs and locally become known as Domhnach na Cruaiche (Reek Sunday).

A virtual tour and additional information on Croagh Patrick can be viewed on tuamarchdiocese.org and on westportparish.ie.

Safety advice for pilgrims

Croagh Patrick is a physically demanding pilgrimage. Intending pilgrims should make themselves aware in advance of health and safety information about the mountain.

Pilgrims should also heed the instructions of stewards, the mountain rescue teams, Order of Malta, and Gardai. While it is a custom for some to make the climb barefoot, pilgrims should come prepared for changeable weather conditions, and are advised to bring suitable warm/waterproof clothing, good footwear, walking stick/staff and water, and to be mindful of the safety of themselves and others.

See mountaineering.ie and mayomountainrescue.ie/index.php/ advice/safety-and-equipment
SEEK Urban Art is poised to welcome another star-studded line up of artists from across the globe.

The festival will take place from today, Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th of July; artists arrived into town in the last few days, and the public are encouraged to visit the new mural locations and watch as the art unfolds over the course of the week.

This years artists and themes have been announced, and excitement is building to see what they will create, and just how they will do it.

The line-up is as follows; Roesia de Verdun by Studio Giftig from the Netherlands; Setanta by South African street artist Mister Copy; Joe Biden / An Irish Emigration Story by French artist Creaero; Railway Heritage Blueprint by Irish artist Cormac Dillon and keep an eye out for a bonus mural by returning artist Arthur 'ONER'.

Town Centre Commercial Manager, Martin McElligott said: Over the past four years we have all witnessed the transformation of Dundalk Town centre and the pivotal role this creative festival has played.

Street artists from here at home, and around the world, have embraced stories from Dundalks rich history and heritage, and they have worked with us and our vision to reawaken these incredible stories.

On Saturday 1st July an array of creative activities, including Spray Painting workshops for children and young people, will take place at Market Square from 11am to 4pm.

These workshops are free, but booking is essential www.seekdundalk.ie

The Creative Spark Mobile FabLab will be there also, and it will be a drop-in event, offering the opportunity for children to design their own street art!

Free guided walking tours will run throughout the festival too allowing visitors to experience the vibrant street art culture in Dundalk and explore the themes behind the artworks. Booking is essential www.seekdundalk.ie

Sarah Daly, Executive Director of Creative Spark, a partner in the SEEK Festival added: We are excited to see what the artists will produce for the fifth year of the festival and delighted that it is extending over a longer timeframe.

We are particularly grateful to Creative Ireland which is a significant supporter of the festival, and for their continued support of programmes for younger people to have the opportunity to meet, and be inspired by these talented artists.

Acting Arts Officer & Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator Moya Hodgers said: The Creative Ireland team in Louth County Council are delighted once again to support the SEEK festival this year.

As part of our Culture and Creativity Strategy for 2023-2027, our actions include 'enhancing urban environments through embedding creativity into the civic spaces and streets' and 'promoting the development and documentation of our cultural heritage by encouraging our communities to participate in its conversation and management'.

Moya continued: The SEEK festival is the perfect mechanism which allows us to achieve these actions, revitalising the streets of Dundalk and engaging the public in our cultural history through the creative process.

I look forward to what the festival brings this year, in particular seeing the work of the new artists that have been commissioned.

Senior Executive Officer, Colette Moss said: Louth County Council are delighted to see how the SEEK festival is evolving and enhancing year on year since it first began, we look forward to seeing how this years murals will enhance the environs of Dundalk while the festival continues to become bigger and better.

Stephen Middleton from Colourtrend said: We are extremely proud to be a supporter of the SEEK Urban Arts Festival in Dundalk since 2019.

Bringing art and colour to the streets and buildings of Dundalk in the form of murals has revitalised and enriched the town in a highly artistic and visual way.

We look forward with anticipation to seeing what new and exciting characters and events from Dundalks rich history will be immortalised in murals in the coming year by local and international artists, creating and delivering a visual extravaganza through the medium of art for everyone in Dundalk and further afield to enjoy.

Martin McElligott explained: The historical aspect of this project has in no doubt helped Dundalk transcend its identity.

It has been an inspirational catalyst for change and has now become an essential creative pillar in our towns brand, promise and destination proposition.

It has been incredible to work with our loyal project partners Creative Spark and Louth County Council, and alongside our longstanding sponsors Colourtrend Paints, we have been on this journey together since 2019.

This years festival is also kindly sponsored by Creative Ireland, The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Failte Ireland, Dundalk Tidy Towns, Zoma, Crowne Plaza Dundalk, Hire Direct and McAteers The Good Food House.
Loughs Agency has appealed to anglers and the general public to remain vigilant and report the presence of any Pacific pink salmon encountered in the Foyle and Carlingford Catchments during the coming months. In 2017, 2019 and 2021 this non-native fish species unexpectedly appeared in unprecedented numbers in multiple river systems on the island of Ireland. A small number of confirmed pink salmon were observed in the Foyle system in 2021.

As pink salmon predominantly have a two-year lifecycle, there is potential for the species to reappear in Irish rivers again this year and every second so called odd year thereafter.

Also known as humpback salmon, pink salmon are a migratory species of salmon, native to river systems in the northern Pacific Ocean and nearby regions of the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. The species also has established populations in rivers in northernmost Norway and in the adjacent far northwest of Russia, originating from stocking programmes undertaken in this part of Russia since the 1950s until 2001. Although a single specimen was first recorded in Ireland in 1973, until 2017 individuals have been rarely encountered on the island of Ireland.

Dr Sarah McLean, Head of Science at Loughs Agency said: There is potential for pink salmon to be observed in rivers in the Foyle and Carlingford Catchments this year. Loughs Agency is asking all anglers and other water users to be on the lookout for pink salmon and report any specimens encountered in the Foyle and Carlingford Catchments to Loughs Agency.

"We are also asking that, if possible, any specimens found are retained for the purposes of verification and advancing understanding on this species. We do not have enough information at this stage to fully evaluate the effect this non-native species will have on our native species but there is significant potential for negative impacts.

Loughs Agency is appealing to anglers to report catches of pink salmon to the organisation 24 hours a day on +44 (0) 2871 342100. As these fish die after spawning, some dead specimens could also be encountered along Irish rivers. Anyone who catches a pink salmon is asked to:

Keep the fish and do not release it back into the water (even in rivers only open for catch and release angling);

Record the date and location of capture, and the length and weight of the fish;

If possible, on rivers where tags are issued and where anglers are in possession of tags, tag the fish and present it to Loughs Agency and a new tag will be issued to replace the tag used;

Take a photograph of the fish.

Loughs Agency will then arrange collection of the fish for further examination. This will help establish the abundance and extent of distribution of the species in our waters.

Pink salmon are blue-green to steel blue on the back, with silver sides and a white underbelly. Pink salmon can be distinguished by a number of unique characteristics which are different to Atlantic salmon, notably:

Large black oval spots on the tail;

11-19 rays on the anal fin;

Very small scales - much smaller than a similarly sized Atlantic salmon;

No dark spots on the gill cover;

Upper jaw typically extending beyond the eye;

Males develop a pronounced humpback on entering freshwater.

Mature male pink salmon with characteristic humpback and spotted tail (photo credit: Eva Thorstad, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research).

The emergence of pink salmon in our waters is an issue of concern across the island. As such, corresponding advice is available for the detection of pink salmon outside of the cross-border Foyle and Carlingford catchments:

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has provided advice on what to do if pink salmon are detected in Irish waters: https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/news/press-releases/ifi-issues-alert-over-pacific-pink-salmon-in-irish-rivers

IFI has also developed an identification guide to help anglers and the general public identify pink salmon which can be viewed at: https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/sites/default/files/migrated/docman/Pink%20Salmon%20Alert%202019.pdf

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Inland Fisheries has also issued advice regarding detection of pink salmon in Northern Irish rivers: Notice to Anglers on Pacific, Pink Salmon | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)
An Tain Arts Centre has been awarded 10,675 in funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Music Capital Scheme, Music Network has today announced.

Established in 2008, the Music Capital Scheme is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and managed by Music Network. The Scheme has enabled many thousands of musicians across Ireland to develop their musical potential and participate in the performance of live music, performing in genres including traditional Irish, classical, folk, jazz, electro-acoustic, rock and pop.

A total of 349,150 in funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has been granted to 76 awardees which will potentially benefit over 5,000 musicians based throughout Ireland.

Commenting on the initiative, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said:

I would like to sincerely thank Music Network for managing the Music Capital Scheme once again.

This funding allows so many deserving organisations and individuals to receive the support they need to purchase musical instruments and, as a former music teacher, that is such a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Prioritisation was established in the previous round of funding for organisations working with older musicians and musicians with disabilities, and I am very happy to see this priority has been retained.

These organisations include resource organisations and music schools offering inclusive music classes, and choral and instrumental groups with a wide age-range among their membership. The Bluestack Special Needs Foundation and Ceolan Community Group are just 2 of the organisations that received prioritisation on this occasion.

Since its inception 15 years ago, this capital scheme is one of my Departments key funding initiatives and I am so happy that we are once again in a position to financially support the scheme.

Good quality musical instruments are so important to individual musicians and to musical groups, and I have no doubt the benefits of the Musical Capital Scheme funding to the 26 non-professional performing groups and 50 individual musicians based throughout Ireland will be felt for many years to come.

Music Networks CEO Sharon Rollston commented:

Since establishing The Music Capital Scheme together with The Arts Council 15 years ago, we have made 544 awards to individual musicians and organisations, providing access to musical instruments for over 51,000 people.

Our mission is to make high quality live music accessible to communities throughout Ireland, and to support professional musicians to excel in the performance and creation of music.

The number and range of instruments provided through the Music Capital Scheme year-on-year continue to make a significant impact on the quality of, and access to, music making and live music performance across Ireland.

Were very grateful for the continued support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in funding this valuable resource for the music sector.

The Scheme provides funding for the purchase of musical instruments across three categories - Award 1 provides funding to non-professional music and community groups, Award 2 is for established professional musicians while Award 3 supports emerging professional musicians.

In Award 1, funding was awarded across the non-professional music sector, providing a range of community and music groups with financial support.

In total 26 concert/marching/pipe bands, orchestras, samba bands and other music organisations were awarded a total of 175,000 for the purchase of musical instruments across a wide range of genres including Irish Traditional, Classical, Rock, Early Music/Baroque, Popular, Musical Theatre, Jazz and Contemporary.
Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy was elected the new Lord Mayor of Cork last week taking up the mantle from his predecessor Fine Gael councillor Deirdre Forde.

In his maiden speech as Lord Mayor, Mr McCarthy said in the ancient ceremony of handing over the chain at the city councils annual general meeting he was cognisant of a strong sense of guardianship.

The chain has been a witness to it all in its over 230-year history; to the creation of the term of Lord Mayor... to the tragedies of office holders such as Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, and then woven into a myriad of personal connections by those who have engaged with office holders, he continued.

One of the official pictures taken on the night Tomas MacCurtain was elected Lord Mayor.

Cork and Dublin are the only local authorities in the country to have a Lord Mayor.

In most local authorities, the chairperson of the council is known by the Irish cathaoirleach, with the exception of Limerick City and County Council, Waterford City and County Council and Galway City Council, where the office holder is known as Mayor.

In Cork, the title of Lord Mayor dates back to 1900 when a charter was issued by Queen Victoria on July 9, conferring the title on Sir Daniel Hegarty and his successors in office.

Throughout the many decades, councillors of all parties and none have served in the role.

In 1920, Tomas MacCurtain would make history as the first Republican Lord Mayor of Cork  a position he would hold for a mere few months as he was assassinated on March 20 of that year by British forces.

MacCurtains Sinn Fein party colleague Terence MacSwiney would take up the mantle before, in August 1920, he was arrested by British forces on charges of sedition.

He died on October 25, 1920, in Brixton Prison, after 74 days on hunger strike.

In 2020, Cork city councillors unanimously agreed to add the names of the two patriot Lords Mayor to the roll of honorary citizens of Cork city.

The roll of honour dates back over the centuries and is of historic significance to the city of Cork.

Another person to make history was Fianna Fail councillor, Jane Dowdall, who became the first female Lord Mayor of Cork in 1959.

A portrait of the trailblazing woman, put up in 2018 to mark 100 years of womens right to vote, hangs in City Hall.

Jane Dowdall was the rst female Lord Mayor of Cork, serving from 1959 to 1960.

Another Fianna Fail member, Micheal Martin, made history in June 2020 by becoming the first former Lord Mayor of Cork to become the head of the Government of Ireland.

Mr Martin was first elected to Cork City Council in 1985, serving as Lord Mayor from 1992 to 1993.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin served as Lord Mayor of Cork in 1992-93.

Addressing a special meeting of Cork City Council in June 2022, the now Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence said:

Whatever offices Ive had the honour of holding, being elected the Lord Mayor of our city remains a highlight for me and for Mary who was a dynamic, innovative Lady Mayoress.

Additionally in the current Dail, Fine Gael TD Colm Burke served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 2003-2004.
CORK City Council, gardai, and the fire services should join forces for an integrated, cross directorate and organisational review of St Johns Eve or Bonna night, according to a local TD.

Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould said there has been huge progress in recent years in ensuring an inclusive, community-focused night across the city.

This year saw a number of really positive, fun-filled community events organised by Cork City Council.

"These events provide an opportunity for communities to come together and celebrate bonfire night in a safe way, he said.

Myself, Deputy Donnchadh OLaoghaire and Cllrs Mick Nugent, Kenneth Collins, Eolan Ryng and Fiona Kerins have discussed these events and feel that further discussions with the council could be really productive ahead of plans for next year.

We believe reviewing the events, with elected representatives, will allow them to grow and expand in coming years, he added.

A spokesperson for the Cork City Fire Brigade told The Echo the morning after Bonna night that they had just under 50 call outs across the evening, considerably less than the 100 or so call outs which were typical years ago.

Mr Gould said: It is important that we bring the council, the fire brigade, the gardai and elected representatives to discuss the positives and negatives of Bonfire night this year and ensure that 2024 is even better.
A motion seeking possible measures to combat illegal dumping in Cork County is to be sent to the Environment Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for further debate and discussion.

A motion was initially brought forward at last Mondays full council meeting by Independent councillor Karen Coakley which called on Cork County Council to initiate a survey of households in parts of Cork where there is a low uptake in household waste collection services.

It was eventually decided that the Environment SPC would take a more detailed look at ways to reduce illegal dumping throughout the county after a motion from Independent councillor Marcia DAlton.

Independent councillor Karen Coakley said she was fed up seeing illegal dumping in Cork.

I am fed up with seeing dumping around our beautiful county and country.

"We have people deliberately dumping their rubbish and there must be consequences for their actions."

"It is a minority of people who are ruining our beautiful countryside.

"Householders not availing of refuse collection services must be questioned as to where they dispose of their rubbish. We are undermining the work of local community and Tidy Towns groups, she said.

Independent councillor Frank Roche said the situation is not acceptable.

It is desperate when you pass country roads and see the black bags, electrical goods and mattresses dumped. It is not acceptable.

Fianna Fail councillor Audrey Buckley wondered could bin charges be included in the property tax like other European countries, while Fine Gael councillor Liam Madden suggested increasing the charges and fines for people convicted of littering.

Cllr DAlton suggested that a more in-depth way of figuring out the best way to counteract illegal dumping could be found at an Environment SPC.

Could I suggest this would be referred to the Environment SPC as it would help us to understand the mechanisms by which we as a council can intervene?

This motion was seconded by Cllr Coakley who said she would be very happy with the motion to go to the Environment SPC.

There are 92,108 households utilising the kerbside household collection in Cork County, said the Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey.

We have a very significant network of civic amenity sites. We have a good environmental team where we actively engage with property owners where we are satisfied there is a challenge and actively engage with multi-accommodation units where we are satisfied there isnt an appropriate collection system in place. Generally, we find this resolves matters.

A survey wont necessarily give us the information that we require."

"An understanding of the annual returns in 2022 if we can get further detail on those plus what comes out of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in terms of occupied dwellings might give us more detailed data and see where we take that from at a SPC level. It needs to be targeted, he added.

The head of environmental services in Cork County Council, Louis Duffy admitted that identifying illegal dumpers is a challenge.

While the number of households not availing of a kerbside household collection service or using civic amenity sites for their waste disposal is very small, with a population of over 350,000; covering an area over 7,000 square kilometres, identifying this small percentage of households within Cork County provides a challenge.

"The approach of Cork County Councils Waste Enforcement Team is to utilise available information to ensure the most effective application of resources. Local knowledge is found to be most effective.
A woman working at the deli counter of a store during Covid told a young man to stand back in accordance with guidelines at the time and he responded by saying, Go away you tramp before I dig the head off ya.

25-year-old Corey OBrien of 42 Rockboro Heights, Carrigaline, County Cork, was sentenced by Judge Olann Kelleher to a three-month suspended sentence for his outburst.

The judge noted that the accused had previous convictions for engaging in threatening behaviour but said he would give him a chance.

It is up to you (to stay out of trouble), the judge said to him.

Sergeant Gearoid Kelleher said, On March 30 2020 Garda Joseph Maher was on duty at 5 p.m. when he responded to a call to attend at the supermarket where a member of staff was threatened by a customer at Supervalu, Carrigaline.

The accused was leaning over the counter while interacting with the Deli staff.

When she asked him could he stand back from the counter he leaned in again and said, Go away you tramp before I dig the head off ya.

He then looked at another customer and said, What the f*** are you looking at?

The judge took into consideration that the incident happened more than three years ago.
When Trans rights are under attack, stand up, fight back, was the repeated chant from those marching in Trans+ Pride Cork, first down Patricks Street, then Maylor Street, Caroline Street, and back along Oliver Plunkett Street to the Grand Parade.

Members of Corks LGBT+ community say they have felt under attack in recent times, and latest garda figures show hate crimes are up 29% in the last 12 months, with LGBT+ people the most targeted after racially motivated incidents.

There had been a rally last year, but this was Corks first Trans+ Pride march, and on Patricks Street it was striking to see so many passers-by smiling and waving at those marching, with young families out showing their support and taxis beeping their good wishes.

Members of the Green Party pictured at the Trans+ Pride Cork march. Picture: Cian O'Regan.

By Father Mathews statue, Ailsa Spindler of the Cork Gay Project told The Echo it was deeply heartening for LGBT+ people to see such support from members of the public.

I think you can see the measure of emotion on peoples faces, this warmth and solidarity really means a lot to people, Ms Spindler said.

There have been so many horrible things said and done, online and in the press - although not in The Echo - so today means a lot.

The march returned to the Grand Parade, not far from the Central Library, a decision described in the Dail this week by Socialist Party TD Mick Barry as a defiant choice of venue, given that it has been the scene of anti-LGBTQ+ protests including the ripping up of books by far right activists this year.

The northside TD had been referring to an ongoing series of incidents at the Central Library involving protesters objecting to the availability of what they term pornographic books related to LGBT+ matters.

During the incidents, many of which have been streamed on social media, library staff have been subjected to intimidation and paedophile slurs.

In one incident in early March, which was subsequently streamed, a copy of Juno Dawsons This Book is Gay was ripped in half by a protester.

There had been some concerns among organisers of Saturdays Trans+ Pride gathering that far right protesters might mount a counter rally, but in the event nothing materialised, and the atmosphere remained friendly and relaxed throughout, with gardai chatting good-naturedly with the people in attendance.

Saoirse Mackin, organiser of the Trans+ Pride Cork march, speaks to those in attendance on Saturday. Picture: Cian O'Regan.

Speaking to The Echo, Saoirse Mackin, co-founder of Trans+ Pride Cork, said she had been really happy with the crowd, which was still several hundred strong by the end of the rally.

There definitely was maybe a thousand people on the street, and we had been hoping for maybe 200, maybe 300 at a push, so we were really delighted to get perhaps triple that, which has been amazing. Ms Mackin said.

We have had people who are Trans, people who are allies, other people in the LGBT community who have all come out, and people who have come down from all over the country, so were really, really happy with everything that has happened today.

Ms Mackin thanked all of the various community groups and political parties which attended the event, noting that the Gay Project and Cork Pride had played a significant role in making the day a success.

Laura Harmon, Labour Party rep for Cork City South West, said she was delighted to see such a great turnout and she was proud to stand with the Trans community.

I think Cork has always been such a great hotbed of LGBT+ activism, and as someone who came out as a gay woman in Cork when I was in college in UCC, Cork people have always been very supportive, and for the Trans community, in many ways, support is about 20 years behind, particularly when it comes to healthcare, mental health and safety, Ms Harmon said.

James Joy, Labour Party local area rep for Cork North West, said it was remarkable that the average LGBT person would say that they felt less safe now than they did a decade ago.

In 2015, with marriage equality, there was a decent year there where you couldnt go into a city like Cork without seeing a man and a man holding hands, or a woman and a woman holding hands, and now all that has fizzled out, Mr Joy said.

I think its very important that we are all here showing our support for our Trans siblings, and as a queer man myself I know its very important to get out on the streets and fight for peoples rights.

Miranda from Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin speaks to those in attendance at the Trans+ Pride Cork march. Picture: Cian O'Regan.

Sinn Fein members of Cork City Council, Kenneth Collins and Mick Nugent, were in attendance at the rally and said they were delighted to see such a warm and enthusiastic crowd supporting Corks Trans community.

Its a fantastic turnout, and its just great that people are here in solidarity, obviously over the years, the main Pride event is always huge in the city, but I think today is important as a show of support for people who are Trans or non-binary, Cllr Nugent said.

I think often people who are Trans or non-binary are vulnerable, but I think today they can take comfort from the hundreds that are here to march through the city centre to support them.

The newest member of Cork City Council, Brian McCarthy of the Socialist Party, said LGBT+ rights were currently under sustained attack in Ireland.

We are seeing an increasing climate of transphobia and homophobia, and its being driven by the far right, its linked to whats been happening in the libraries, whats been happening in bookshops, and weve seen several transphobic and homophobic attacks, and that is a serious worry, Cllr McCarthy said.

Its great that hundreds of people have turned out, not just to support the Trans community, but as a show of defiance against homophobia and transphobia.

The rally ended with a heartfelt version of the Muppets Rainbow Connection, and a promise from Ms Mackin that next years Trans+ Pride Cork would be bigger and better than ever.

At the Central Library, a member of staff stood at the door welcoming visitors. Inside, it was busy as it always is on a Saturday, with an acoustic session by Christina Collins in the main section and a steady stream of people browsing the shelves.

Outside on the Grand Parade, high above the library, the Pride flag flew.
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.

Aerial view of rice growing under solar panels at an agrivoltaic farm in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province of China on Aug. 3, 2022. Cai Kuanyuan / VCG via Getty Images

Chinas central government has set a target of 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale wind and solar capacity by 2030, but a new Global Energy Monitor (GEM) report says the country is set to double its current capacity and meet the goal five years early, a GEM press release said.

Prospective projects that have already been announced or are in construction or pre-construction equal about 371 GW of wind capacity and 379 GW of solar capacity  approximately the same amount as the currently installed operating capacity of China, according to the Global Solar and Wind Power Trackers.

This new data provides unrivaled granularity about Chinas jaw-dropping surge in solar and wind capacity. As we closely monitor the implementation of prospective projects, this detailed information becomes indispensable in navigating the countrys energy landscape, said Dorothy Mei, project manager at GEM, in the press release.

Almost all of the prospective capacity is included in the Chinese governments Five-Year Plan for 2021 to 2025. It is enough to expand large solar installations by more than 85 percent and to increase wind capacity worldwide by almost half.

Chinas prospective wind capacity is about one-fifth of the global total, and its prospective solar capacity is three times that of the United States.

China is rapidly and successfully scaling up its deployment of renewable power and has become the largest investor into renewables globally. This is both a cause and consequence of rapidly falling costs of renewable energy as compared to coal power, Byford Tsang, senior policy adviser at climate think tank E3G, told CNN.

Last year, in response to severe heat waves and its worst drought in 60 years, China increased its coal capacity as rivers dried up, limiting hydropower at the same time as power demand increased.

This month, Chinas hybrid solar-hydro power plant Kela, which can produce enough power for more than 700,000 homes and is the largest in the world, began operations, reported The Guardian.

The Global Solar and Wind Power Trackers showed that large utility-scale solar in China is 228 GW, which is more capacity than the entire rest of the planet.

Chinas offshore wind capacity is currently 31.4 GW, which is about 10 percent of the total wind capacity of the country and more than the total operating offshore wind capacity of Europe, the press release said.

However, with coal still the countrys main energy source, China still has a way to go in its quest to decarbonize the energy sector.

China approved more coal power in the first quarter of this year than in all of 2021, The Guardian reported.

China is making strides, but with coal still holding sway as the dominant power source, the country needs bolder advancements in energy storage and green technologies for a secure energy future, said Martin Weil, researcher at GEM, in the press release.
Tour De France: Mark Cavendish looking to take outright record for stage wins

Mark Cavendish says he's trying not to get too emotional ahead of starting his final Tour de France this morning.



The Manx cyclist's retiring at the end of the season.



Cavendish is looking to take the outright record for stage wins over the next three weeks.

Stage 1 sets off in the Spanish city of Bilbao



It's a record he currently shares with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx, as they're tied on 34 each:

Media

Tour Cav Day 1
Manxman to arrive into home waters tomorrow

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is confirming its new flagship, Manxman, will arrive in Douglas Bay around 9:00am on Sunday.

The vessel, which is registered in Douglas, will leave its current berth at Southampton's Western Docks on Friday evening. Manxman's route to the Isle of Man will see it travel down Southampton Water, out of the Solent, around Land's End and into the Irish Sea.

Manxman's delivery voyage began in May and has seen the vessel cover over 12,000 nautical miles through eight different seas in three different oceans. As the journey has progressed to the west, Manxmans crews have had to adjust their clocks ten times to match local times zones.

The well-travelled ship has made calls at numerous ports along the route, to take on fuel and supplies. As well as some of the Worlds busiest ports such as Hong Kong and Singapore, Manxmans itinerary has taken the vessel to fascinating historical locations including Muscat, Jeddah and Valletta.

Along the way, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's crew have seen many unforgettable sights, including Orcas, flying fish and pods of dolphins.

For the final leg of her homeward journey, Manxman will be under the command of Captain Jonathan Palmer.

Following her arrival in Douglas, Manxman has to undergo inspections by the Isle of Man Ship Registry, including a test deployment of its Marine Evacuation System.

The new vessel will also have to undergo berthing trials in Douglas and Heysham, as well as giving the masters an opportunity to update their Pilot Exemption Certificates for the new flagship.

Alongside that, crew training, staff familiarisation, stocking and all the myriad other items that need to be put in place for the Company to deliver the high-quality passenger experience it strives for need to be completed.

It is anticipated that if all goes to plan, Manxman will begin limited service before the end of July.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Why are so many gray whales dying along the Pacific Coast? The gray whale population on the North American Pacific fell to their lowest this year in more than fifty years.
The British government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda suffered another setback after an appeals court ruled against it. It's a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has made a promise to 'stop the boats' bringing migrants.
The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to LGBTQ rights, ruling in favor of a web designer from Colorado who cited her Christian beliefs as a reason for refusing to make websites for same-sex weddings.
One of the best-performing currencies in 2023, the Canadian Dollar, could be set to extend its current strength in the near-term according to analysts at ING Bank.

"The Canadian dollar has been one of the better G10 performers this year and, like the Mexican peso, is buoyed by a healthy risk-adjusted yield," says Chris Turner, Global Head of Markets at ING Bank.

This robust yield acts as a pillar of support, helping the CAD navigate the choppy waters of currency markets.

Market opinion is divided over the Bank of Canada (BoC) continuing its monetary tightening cycle. With the BoC's policy rate at 4.75%, some question whether the Bank needs to proceed with tightening in July.

"On the subject of yields, the market is split on whether the Bank of Canada needs to push ahead with its tightening cycle in July," he adds.

Despite the historically low unemployment rate in Canada, Turner believes corporates might still have some scope to increase prices or regain profit margins.

He adds, "With Canada's unemployment rate still relatively low by historical standards, corporates may still see opportunities to push on higher prices or restore profit margins."

The CAD's resilience in the face of a potentially stronger US dollar may be tested, but Turner remains confident, expecting the Canadian Dollar to keep up its performance.

Meanwhile, Valentin Marinov, Head of G10 FX Research and Strategy at Credit Agricole, warns of risk to the CAD's strength relating to commodity prices.

Marinov indicates that, despite the recent CAD strength, the Canadian dollar could potentially weaken if commodity prices decline or risk sentiment turns negative.

"The Canadian dollar has outperformed recently thanks to strong crude oil prices and resilient risk sentiment," says Marinov, "But the currency could underperform if commodity prices retreat, or if risk sentiment turns south."

Shaun Osborne, Chief FX Strategist at Scotiabank, underscores the significance of the CAD's recent price action and points to key levels to watch.

"Short-term trends continue to suggest the CAD may weaken in the near term, but longer-term charts suggest any weakness should prove temporary," says Osborne.

He maintains that any CAD depreciation may be short-lived, presenting potential buying opportunities for investors.
The Bering Strait is seen on Aug. 18. 2000, in an image captured by a special camera mounted on NASAs Terra satellite. New measurements, along with better analysis of older measurements, calculated that the strait has become at least 1 meter deeper on the Alaska side, thanks to erosion since the mid-20th century from flowing currents. (Image provided by NASA)

The narrow channel of water that separates Alaska from Russia is a little bigger than it used to be, new analysis shows.

A research project found that the Bering Strait is at least a meter deeper on the Alaska side than previously believed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The project evaluated new and old bathymetric surveys, applying modern technology to the latter to more accurately pinpoint locations.

The change is from erosion that took place between 1950 and 2010 and was likely the result of increasing flows of water through the strait, said a newly published study about the project, which NOAA describes as providing the first detailed analysis of the eastern Bering Straits seafloor.

Its the water, the fast currents, we think, thats causing this erosion, said Mark Zimmerman, a NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist who is the lead author of the study.

The erosion has increased the underwater size of the strait by about 2%, Zimmerman said.

Increased water flow through the Bering Strait is well-documented through a long-term mooring program managed by the University of Washington oceanographer Rebecca Woodgate, a study coauthor. The program deploys instruments that are temporarily anchored to the sea floor, with floats and scientific sensors placed at various levels of the water column to collect data.

Woodgates moorings have been placed in the strait annually since 1990. With them, she and her colleagues have measured a steady increase of water flow northward, a trend likely linked to a longer open-water period without sea ice.

While currents likely caused the erosion, the extra space opened by the erosion could in turn affect currents in the future. The increase in depth might form a positive feedback loop, exacerbating an established trend of treater northward throughflow in recent decades with significant climate change implications, the study concluded.

For Zimmerman, who started the project in 2015 after meeting up with Woodgate and discussing her mooring work, the Bering Straits significance was a revelation.

I was just blown away, he said. Its basically the seam of the whole world here.

He listed some geographic distinctions.

The Russian side, Chukotkas Cape Dezhnev, is the easternmost point of land in Asia; on the Alaska side, Cape Prince of Wales is the westernmost point of landmass in North America. Within the 2.4 miles that separate the two tiny islands in the center of the strait, Russias Big Diomede and Alaskas Little Diomede, lies the International Date Line. On Alaskas Seward Peninsula, which points out to the strait, is the northern tip of the Continental Divide, the mountain spine that runs all the way to the southern tip of South America, and Cape Prince of Wales is at the end of another mountain feature called the Arctic Divide, which separates waters that drain into the Arctic Ocean from those that drain farther south.

The strait is also near the Arctic Circle and very close to the 180-degree longitude point, which is the opposite side of Greenwich, England, the designated 0 longitude site, Zimmerman noted.

The strait is a crucial spot biologically, too. It is the migration route for various species, from deep-swimming whales to long-distance traveling seabirds. Along with being the site for the flow of water and heat in the summer, it is the point where winter freeze-up allows formation of sea ice to spread from the Chukchi Sea to the Bering Sea.

Climate change is affecting that dynamic. Research led by Seth Danielson, a University of Alaska Fairbanks oceanographer, has found that the transfer of heat through the strait increased dramatically in recent years; as a result, the Chukchi Sea has warmed significantly over decades, a change that affects the entire Arctic.

The strait holds an important place in geologic history because it was a land link between continents at various times in past ages. That led to one surprising discovery in Zimmermans study: The identification on the seafloor channel near three larger channels that extend out of Alaskas Norton Sound. Taken together, the channels appear to be the product of paleodrainages, which are the remnants of ancient rivers that are now covered with modern sediments. These paleodrainages would have been formed by a river or rivers that flowed when the strait was part of a land bridge connecting Asia to North America.

The last time the land bridge emerged was about 37,500 years ago, according to recent research, and it became submerged again between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago.

The strait is significant in human history and is currently a spot of geopolitical tension.

Cooperative research about the Russian side of the strait, including any potential work on this project, has been halted by the fallout of Russias war in Ukraine.

In past years, Woodgate maintained moorings on the Russian side, and she also worked at times with Russian colleagues, Zimmerman said.

But that was a while ago, and right now I think were not really in a good situation with sharing things, he said. Were not allowed over there.

In his follow-up work, Zimmerman is mapping the Chukchi Sea and Kotzebue Sound, a region where datasets are sparser than in the Bering Strait.

In general, Alaska needs much more seafloor mapping, he said, but the older datasets can be useful toward that end. In many cases, old data has been digitized incorrectly, and new technology that is more precise about latitude and longitude can be applied to overcome those flaws, he said.

And then it fits, he said. Its like a jigsaw puzzle.

This story was originally produced by the Alaska Beacon which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post Study: Erosion has made the Bering Strait a meter deeper on the Alaska side than it used to be appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Students explore the landscape during a student climate change summit at Joshua Tree National Park in California. In several states, policymakers are considering proposals to require climate change education at all grade levels.(Photo by Joshua Tree National Park/Flickr)

When wildfires and smoke swept through Oregon in 2020, Lyra Johnsons family made plans to evacuate their home near Portland. Johnson, then 14, was told she might have to quickly learn to drive  despite not having a license  in order to get her grandmother to safety.

Thankfully, the danger passed before Johnson was forced to take the wheel, but she came face-to-face with the realities of climate change. Johnson, now 17 and a senior at Lake Oswego High School, was among the student leaders who urged Oregon lawmakers this year to require climate change education across all grade levels in Oregon schools.

Its really important to integrate that when youre young, so you have that knowledge and feel like you can make a difference, rather than having it thrown on you and feel like the worlds ending, she said.

Johnson serves as president of her schools Green Team, a student sustainability group, and helped establish a composting program this year to reduce waste.

It gave me a lot of hope, and its important to let students have that kind of hands-on experience, she said. When youre actually doing something and seeing progress, it can diminish a lot of that anxiety. Kids should be able to have that experience wherever they are.

The Oregon bill did not advance this session, but New Jersey last school year became the first state to incorporate climate change lessons into its education standards for kindergarten through 12th grade. Connecticut will be the second state to do so, starting next month.

Several other states are considering similar measures, while some have provided funding for climate learning opportunities. Most states have adopted standards that include climate change, but education experts say the subject is taught spottily and is usually limited to science classes. Some educators say theres growing recognition that climate change demands a more comprehensive approach.

Todays students are tomorrows consumers, workers and voters, said Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, an Oakland, California-based nonprofit. Increasingly, theyre going to be faced with the need to make decisions about issues related to climate change.

Efforts to require climate change learning have mostly been proposed in progressive-leaning states. Some observers have questioned whether efforts to set learning standards via legislation could clash with the typical multiyear process overseen by state boards of education.

Meanwhile, leaders in some conservative states say mainstream climate science is an attack on the fossil fuel industry, and some are pushing schools to teach both sides.

What I think is controversial is different views that exist out there about the extent of the climate change and the solutions to try to alter climate change, Ohio state Rep. Jerry Cirino, a Republican, told Energy News Network.

The Oregon bill Johnson and others supported would have directed school districts to teach climate change with a focus on local impacts and solutions. Backers said lawmakers were generally supportive but wanted to see a more specific plan with guidance and resources to help schools to meet the new directive. The bill did not get a vote in committee, but supporters hope a new draft will pass in the next legislative session.

Breck Foster, one of Johnsons teachers, serves as a board member for Oregon Green Schools, a nonprofit focused on climate education and sustainability. Shes found ways to incorporate climate learning into her social studies and Spanish classes.

Kids understand the gloom and doom, and theres a lot of fatalism in their comments, but they dont have a lot of the facts, said Foster, who also serves on the steering committee of Oregon Educators for Climate Education, a group that pushed for the bill. It was very enlightening to them to connect it to the idea of policies that are being implemented and goals that are being set.

New Jersey goes first

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy led the push for the states new standards, which were adopted in 2020 by the state Board of Education. She said kids already see the effects of climate change, citing the wildfires in Canada earlier this month that blanketed the Northeast in smoke.

Our children are seeing this as much as we are, she said in an interview with Stateline. To put our heads in the sand and pretend that the sky is not orange  they understand that.

New Jersey requires schools to incorporate climate change lessons into almost all subject areas, not just science class, because students have different ways of learning and every student has a favorite class, Murphy said.

To help schools meet the new guidelines, the state has created lesson plans and professional development for teachers, and is offering millions of dollars in grants to support hands-on learning. The state established those resources in partnership with groups such as Sustainable Jersey, a nonprofit network that certifies municipalities and schools on sustainability standards.

Those tools, said Randall Solomon, Sustainable Jerseys executive director, were just as important as the standards themselves.

You cant just wave a magic wand and expect 150,000 teachers and 2,500 schools to coordinate to teach climate change, he said. To really enable them to do it well requires the development of resources and tools, training and a way to track progress.

Next month, Connecticut schools also will be required to teach climate change to all grade levels, following the enactment of a state law last legislative session.

Every single kid I talk to and work with, this is whats No. 1 on their minds, this is the existential crisis of their lifetimes, said state Rep. Christine Palm, a Democrat who sponsored the measure, which was tucked into a larger budget bill.

Including solutions

Several other states, including California, Massachusetts and New York, are considering bills that would require more climate change learning in public schools.

This is a very important topic, and I want to make sure this is happening throughout the state and not only in some regions, said Massachusetts state Rep. Danillo Sena, a Democrat who has sponsored a bill to include climate change in state learning standards.

Sena said he is hopeful that the bill will receive a hearing this year.

Other states, including Maine and Washington, have provided funding to support professional development and training opportunities for educators on climate issues.

The Center for Green Schools, a project of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council that promotes and certifies sustainable buildings, released a report last week on the importance of climate change education.

Anisa Heming, the centers director, noted that many youth leaders have become powerful advocates on climate change, and many of todays students will need to fill jobs in emerging fields such as clean energy.

Kids have a tendency to disengage if they dont have a sense that there are solutions, that they have some power in the situation and the adults around them are acting, she said. We have to arm them with the solutions, and then we have to act ourselves so they can see that those solutions are serious.

Climate skeptics

Leaders in some states, though, want to push climate change education in another direction. Cirino, the Ohio lawmaker, has proposed a bill that would allow and encourage students to reach their own conclusions on issues like climate change.

Cirino did not respond to a Stateline request for comment.

And in Texas, the state Board of Education directed schools earlier this year to provide textbooks that portray positive aspects of fossil fuels and suggest rising temperatures are caused by natural cycles, Scientific American reported. Board member Patricia Hardy, who drafted the rules, told the publication that fossil fuels help fund Texas schools and said teachers shouldnt just be presenting one side.

Hardy did not respond to a request for comment.

Twenty states follow Next Generation Science Standards developed by a consortium of states and education groups, which do address climate change, most often in science classes. Another 24 states have enacted similar standards of their own. But the six outlier states include Florida and Texas, with massive amounts of students.

Branch, with the science education group, said the standards are taught inconsistently, often because teachers themselves have not had courses on climate change. That leaves most students well short of the comprehensive climate change education now required in New Jersey.

Leaders in New Jersey say their first school year under the new requirements has been a success, though some teachers arent yet totally comfortable. They hope the states standards, along with the resources its drafted to help schools adapt, can provide a template for others.

I am desperate to get other states to join us, said Murphy, New Jerseys first lady. Its great that the next generation of New Jersey students are going to own this space, but were not going to solve climate change on our own.

This story was produced by Stateline which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post This is the existential crisis: A push for climate change education appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Highly pathogenic bird flu has been confirmed in an animal rescue centre specialising in gulls in West Sussex.

Avian influenza H5N1 was confirmed on Frida evening (30 June) at a premises near Angmering, Arun.

A 3km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone have been declared around the premises, Defra said.

The scale of outbreaks across the UK and Europe have been unprecedented, with over 340 cases confirmed across the country since late October 2021.

Between 30,000 and 50,000 wild birds may have died of bird flu on the UK's Farne Islands, according to the National Trust.

It comes after the virus was confirmed last month in two poultry workers after they came into contact with infected birds.

The two people returning positive tests were known to have recently worked on an infected poultry farm in England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had not detected evidence of human-to-human transmission.

It added these detections do not change the level of risk to human health, which remains very low to the general population.
Amanda Bynes has checked out of her psychiatric facility.

Amanda Bynes checks out of psychiatric facility

The 37-year-old actress has left the mental health facility almost two weeks after she was admitted, but has worked with her team to put a plan in place to keep her healthy. TMZ reports.

She'll start outpatient care and will have a medical professional checking in daily, while Amanda will also be monitored to ensure she is taking her medication.

Last month, Amanda was placed on a 5150 hold for the second time this year after apparently calling police for help.

The actress was previously placed on a psychiatric hold in March after she was seen walking around naked in Los Angeles.

An eyewitness told TMZ she flagged down a car and told the driver that she was coming down from a psychiatric episode before calling police.

At the time, sources told the outlet Amanda, who has also struggled with substance abuse, had likely been living on the streets for days before the incident.

The former child stars ex-fiance Paul Michael, also told Page Six she had probably been off her meds.

Amanda was in hospital for three weeks before starting outpatient treatment and her eight-year conservatorship was terminated in March 2022 after the court determined the legal arrangement was no longer required.
Madonna is said by doctors to have looked exhausted and thin in photos taken days before she collapsed with a serious bacterial infection.

Madonna is said by doctors to have looked exhausted and thin in photos taken days before she collapsed with a serious bacterial infection

The Queen of Pop, 64, was reportedly intubated in intensive care on Saturday (24.06.23), and medics who have looked at images of her in the lead-up to her hospitalisation have said her appearance indicates she was seriously run-down as she rehearsed for her now-postponed Celebration Tour.

Images analysed by doctors for Mail Online include a set posted by Madonna last week showing her practising for the shows, and sitting by a piano in one of the snaps.

Dr Thomas Moore, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Kansas, told the outlet about the images: She doesnt look much like the Madonna I am used to seeing.

She looks thin from the photos. She does not look well but it is all relevant.

She is such a dedicated performer that I wonder if she was not feeling well but then pushed herself too far.

Another image looked at showed Madonna at a Karl Lagerfeld exhibition in New York City the day before she was rushed to hospital.

It showed her with her hair tied into plaits and wearing a cap and sunglasses to hide her appearance.

Dr Stuart Fischer, who is also a former emergency care doctor in New York City and has more than 40 years medical experience, said: She looks exhausted. Intense rehearsing and the stress associated with large-scale performances are undoubtedly risks for immunosuppression and unwanted health issues.

Its the responsibility of the physician to point this out. Just because someone is an international celebrity doesnt mean they're invulnerable.

It has not been revealed what serious bacterial infection Madonna suffered, although rumours suggest it could be sepsis  a life-threatening reaction to an infection that sees the immune system attack the body.

Sepsis is triggered when the bacteria gets into the bloodstream and can enter through cuts, wounds and the digestive system, among other areas.

Dr Fischer believes sepsis is the most likely explanation and said that the star should not have been discharged from the hospital so early.

He added: This discharge might put her life in jeopardy. No matter how hard (celebrities) push you, you dont discharge them so quickly.

They may be a celebrity on the outside, but on the inside, everyone is the same and has the same organs.

Mum-of-six Madonna was said to have been back home on Thursday (29.06.23), but TMZ has reported she is bedridden and constantly vomiting as she recovers.
Ezra Miller claims they have been "unjustly and directly targeted".

Ezra Miller claims they have been 'unjustly and directly targeted'

After a temporary harassment order against the 'Flash' actor - which was put in place in June 2022 after Ezra, 30, was accused of behaving inappropriately around a 12-year-old child - expired, they took to Instagram to claim that they have been unfairly accused.

Ezra wrote: "Im encouraged by the outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood by me and sought to ensure this egregious misuses of the protective order system was halted. Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services.

"I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive actions."

Millers attorney, Marissa Elkins, issued her own statement, saying the actor was never alone with the child and never interacted with the child outside of two brief encounters which occurred in the presence of several other adults".

Elkins added: "The original order, pursued by Shannon Guin, on behalf of her minor child, was based on untrue allegations. Frustratingly for Ezra, Guin lodged her false allegations at a time when Ezra was struggling with significant mental health issues, and was unable to come to court to defend themself against the spurious claims made by this individual. Had Ezra been able to appear in court last year and share the truth about their very limited interactions with Ms. Guin, I am confident the original order would have never been issued."

Miller, who goes by they/them pronouns, has previously been hit with allegations of grooming after the parents of Native American activist Tokota Iron Eyes, 18, filed a protection order against the actor.

Miller was also arrested twice in Hawaii in March last year and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.

They were accused of shouting and swearing at customers as they sang karaoke at a bar, as well as grabbing a microphone from a 23-year-old woman.

Miller pleaded no contest to one count of disorderly conduct and paid a $500 fine over the incident.

A married couple also took out a restraining order against them after Miller burst into their bedroom and threatened to kill them then left, stealing her passport and his wallet.

And in April 2022 the star was accused of throwing a chair at a 26-year-old woman and hitting her at a private party.

A video of Miller appearing to choke a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland, also surfaced in April 2020, but did not result in any charges.

Last year, Miller announced that they were seeking treatment for complex mental health issues, saying in a statement: Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment."
Madonna was recording with Katy Perry in the studio just hours before her collapse.

Madonna in studio with Katy Perry before collapse

The 64-year-old star had been keeping up a gruelling schedule of 12-hour days for rehearsals for her 84-date 'Celebration' tour, along with working with Katy on a special project to mark her decades in the business, before she was rushed to hospital last weekend.

A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "Madonna has long admired Katy and they have worked together before but never managed to actually put anything out.

"Madonna has been working around the clock to make sure both her music and her world tour are second to none.

"Obviously everything has been put on hold now but the fact she was in the studio with Katy just hours before being rushed to the ICU shows how determined she was to push ahead despite feeling unwell.

Madonna was reportedly intubated in intensive care after being rushed to hospital with a serious bacterial infection but has now returned home, where she is recovering.

Her 'Celebration' tour was due to kick off in Vancouver, Canada in two weeks time but, according to her manager Guy Oseary, all of her work commitments have now been cancelled.

He added: "Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected."
New mum Naomi Campbell has reportedly signed a huge collaboration with fashion giant PrettyLittleThing.

New mum Naomi Campbell has reportedly signed a huge collaboration with fashion giant PrettyLittleThing

The supermodel, who had a daughter in May 2021 and stunned fans on Thursday (29.06.23) when she revealed she had also welcomed a newborn baby boy, is said to have designed a new collection of statement looks for the brand that she will apparently be launching in New York in September during Fashion Week.

Mail Online reported it was PLTs biggest partnership to date, and said Naomi will be fronting a range that was shot earlier this year in Los Angeles.

A fashion source told the outlet: This is huge  its such a privilege for Naomi to be fronting her own collection with PLT.

It has been discussed for years between Naomi and (former PLT CEO) Umar Kamani, but finally now their ideas have come to fruition and soon the rest of the world will see everything they have been working on.

Naomi is of course a total perfectionist and has designed the range, ensuring every detail has been carefully executed.

Naomi has been friends for years with ex-PLT boss Umar, 35, who stepped down as CEO in April.

Mail Online said despite his departure he has been heavily involved in the top-secret project.

The collaboration is Naomis first major venture since she announced in an Instagram post on Thursday (29.06.23) her second child had been born.

Naomi reportedly had her son by surrogate, with her announcement of her new arrival coming just over a week after she was seen without a baby bump at a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris.

Friends of the model told Mail Online she used a surrogate to have the baby boy last Saturday, four days after she was seen at the French party.

The outlet added it is understood Naomis child was born in Los Angeles.

A source close to her told Mail Online: Naomi has welcomed her newborn son via surrogate, who gave birth on Saturday in Los Angeles.

It came as a surprise to her wider circle after she only told a handful of people that she was becoming a mum for the second time.

Suddenly she postponed a work commitment because she needed to be at her surrogate's side and the next moment, she had a beautiful baby boy. There was a lot of surprise, and of course happiness.

Insiders added she only told a handful of close friends and family about her plans to have another child.

The Daily Mail added Naomi, who had a daughter in May 2021, is raising her two children on her own and is not in a romantic relationship.
Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 winner name: The countdown for the biggest finale on Malayalam television has started. There's no prize for guessing that we are talking about Mohanlal's hit show. The fifth season, which started in March 2023, will end with a blockbuster finale on Sunday (July 2).

BIGG BOSS MALAYALAM 5 ELIMINATION

TV buffs have been eagerly waiting for the grand finale of Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 ever since the makers revealed the top five finalists of the show. Ahead of the finale, a contestant got eliminated from the show. In a shocking development, Cerena Ann Johnson was evicted from the reality show. The Dubai-born model, who won Miss Queen Kerala 2022, finished as the fifth runner-up of Bigg Boss Malayalam 5.

Cerana's journey came to an end two days before the Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 finale, leaving everyone shocked. Although she couldn't win the show, she managed to earn a significant fan following across different groups.

BIGG BOSS MALAYALAM 5 TOP THREE FINALISTS

All eyes are on the finale as the winner's name will be revealed on the finale. In a few hours, the name will be announced in a star-studded finale. The top five finalists will once again lock horns in a special segment that has been shot for the finale.

Akhil Marar, Junaiz VP, Reenesha Rahman, Shiju Abdul Rasheed and Sobha Vishwanath have emerged as the top five finalists. If gossip mills are to be believed, the voting trends for Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 suggest that Akhul, Junaiz and Reenesha will become the top three finalists of the show. The three celebs are said to be leading the voting results of Bigg Boss Malayalam 5.

BIGG BOSS MALAYALAM 5 WINNER NAME LEAKED- PIC

While fans will have to wait for the finale to know the name of Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 winner, speculations are rife that the winner name has been leaked online. Gossip mongers have claimed that Akhil Marar will lift the winner's trophy of Bigg Boss Malayalam season five. The voting lines are still said to be open and anything can happen before the finale.

Viewers should take the news with a pinch of salt.

Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 grand finale will premiere on July 2 at 7pm on Asianet. The reality show will also be available for vieweing on Disney+Hotstar.
Anandraj's Speech About Maamannan: Actor Anand Raj has said in an interview that he also has a caste identity.

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Starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Vadivelu, Keerthy Suresh, Fahdh Faasil and Lal in prominent roles, the movie Maamannan was released on June 29, 2023.

Vadivelu As Maamannan

Apart from the fact that the movie Maamannan is Udhayanidhi Stalin's last film, actor Vadivelu's character design has caught the attention of most moviegoers. Everyone who watched the film are praising Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil's performance in the film irrespective of their difference in opinion about the caste based political content of the film.

In this situation, actor Anand Raj spoke to the media about the film Maamannan. He said "Many directors have expressed various opinions about caste without hurting anyone. But when we say something out of anger or frustration, it spreads across like light and it's better to tone it down. It is my humble opinion.

Speaker Dhanabal

Personally I have a caste identity. I never said that out loud. Language and caste will be given as much importance to everyone as their mother. I have also been with Dhanapal when he was the Speaker. I have campaigned for him twice in his constituency.

This is said to be the story of Speaker Dhanapal. But realizing the depth of the story people have given respect to the film according to the story. If there is an industry without caste, race and language, it is only cinema."

The video of Anandraj's speech about his caste identity and Maamannan is now going viral on social media. Netizens are expressing their opinion about this.
Bigg Boss OTT 2: In a recent episode of Bigg Boss OTT, contestant Manisha Rani, hailing from the small town of Munger in Bihar, faced an unjustified attack from her co-contestant Bebika regarding her educational background. However, Manisha, known for her strong will and determination, not only defended herself but also showcased her pride in her roots.

The incident occurred when Bebika attempted to belittle Manisha by mocking her for studying in a government school. Without hesitation, Manisha fired back, stating that she takes immense pride in her education and the discipline instilled in her by her alma mater. She boldly challenged the notion that expensive private schools automatically guarantee a superior education.

Supporting her sister, Saarika, expressed her disappointment at the narrow-mindedness displayed by Bebika and defended Manisha's educational choices. "Middle-class families strive relentlessly to provide their children with quality education," Saarika stated. "We are proud to have studied in a government school, as it has paved the way for numerous success stories. Bebika cannot even fathom the number of accomplished individuals who hail from government schools."

Manisha's journey from Munger to the grand stage of Bigg Boss OTT is a testament to her hard work and determination. Coming from a humble background, she defied the odds and pursued her dreams relentlessly, proving that one's origin does not define their destiny. Her resilience, talent, and dedication have captured the hearts of millions across Bihar and beyond.

Manisha's rise to fame has become a source of inspiration for countless aspiring artists and individuals from similar backgrounds. She embodies the spirit of a self-made woman who has conquered barriers and challenges with unwavering strength.

As the second season of Bigg Boss OTT progresses, Manisha continues to garner support from her fans, not only from Munger and Bihar but from all corners of the country. Her unwavering determination and belief in herself have made her a symbol of hope and empowerment.

The incident with Bebika serves as a reminder that success does not depend on the label of one's educational institution, but rather on the values instilled and the efforts invested. Manisha's response showcases the importance of embracing one's roots and being proud of one's journey, regardless of societal expectations.

Bihar stands united in its support for Manisha Rani, and her journey on Bigg Boss OTT serves as a beacon of hope, proving that with hard work, dedication, and the strength of character, dreams can indeed become reality.
Anupamaa twist: Rupali Ganguly and Gaurav Khanna's show has been hogging all the limelight as the makers are focusing on MaAn's separation. While the differences between the couple is over, they are parting ways as Anupama is leaving for The United States of America.

ANUPAMAA SPOILER

Malti Devi, who entered the show as Anupama's dance guru, has given her the responsibility to lead the dance academy in the US. She has been strict in her approach, asking Anupama to not her family members affect her career.

Malti Devi (Apara Mehta) has asked Anupama to sign a three-year contract, which will bind her to the dance academy. She cannot return to India and has to stay in America to head the academy and teach the students. While fans have questioned Malti Devi's intentions, they are also hopeful that she will have a change of heart and reunite MaAn when she comes to know about the reality.

Speculations were rife that Rupali Ganguly would go missing for some time as she is enjoying a vacation in Mauritius. Filmibeat was the first portal to debunk the rumours.

A source close to Anupamaa exclusively told Filmibeat, "Rupali Ganguly and her family members have jetted off to Mauritius for a much-needed vacation. Rupali shoots for 25-28 days a month as she is required in most of the scenes. She deserved a break and the makers had no qualms in giving her days off."

"Rupali Ganguly is a thorough professional and she has already shot for her scenes in advance. She has never let anything affect the flow of work. Will Anupama go missing for a while in the show? That's a surprise for the viewers. The upcoming track will keep them hooked on to their television sets," the source added.

MALTI DEVI IS NOT ANUJ'S BIOLOGICAL MOTHER- WHY IS SHE SEPARATING MAAN?

Gossip mills suggested that Malti Devi and Anuj Kapadia had a connection. It was said that Malti Devi is Anuj's biological mother, who left him to focus on her career. However, there's no truth to the rumour.

According to a report in BollywoodLife, Malti Devi is not Anuj's real mom and she wanted to separate MaAn as she wished to take revenge from them. There's no confirmation about the reason behind her motive to separe Anuj and Anupamaa.

On a related note, Chhavi Pandey aka Maya will soon make an exit from the show as she has shot for her last episode.
Haricharan Dies At 33 Photo Credit: Gallery

Budding Actor Harikanth Dies Due To Heart Attack: Young and aspiring actor Harikanth (33), who was seen in a powerful role in the recently released teaser of Keeda Kola, died on July 1. He suffered an untimely severe cardiac arrest. Condolences are pouring in from all corners of Tollywood.

Tharun Bhascker, writer-director-actor, expressed shock over the sudden death of the actor, who worked with him in his upcoming directorial, Keeda Cola. He reacted, "I'm shocked at this news. My heart broke. He was a very passionate actor and had been working with theatres for the last three years. I okayed him at his first shot during auditions for Keeda Cola.

He played a good role in Keeda Cola. Just yesterday, he connected with the movie team and inquired about the post-production work. Life is very unpredictable."

Harikanth was a theatre artist at first, and he gradually ventured into films. He is beginning to get remarkable roles in films of late and is taking up every kind of role, irrespective of screen time, to make himself notable. It is very unfortunate for Haricharan to have died at this age, at his moment of his career and life.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2023 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM)(NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") announces the voting results from its 2023 Annual General Meeting held on June 30, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Meeting").

At the Meeting, a total of 206,154,294 common shares were voted, representing 39% of the votes attached to all outstanding common shares as of the record date. All eight nominees were elected to the Company's Board of Directors. The voting results were as follows:

Director % of Votes For % of Votes Withheld Christian Milau 95.40 4.60 Desmond M. Balakrishnan 57.54 42.46 Isabel Satra 94.68 5.32 Kenneth W. Pickering 95.40 4.60 Robert A. Dickinson 95.67 4.33 Ronald W. Thiessen 95.73 4.27 Siri C. Genik 94.44 5.56 Wayne Kirk 94.19 5.81

Shareholders also re-appointed Deloitte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year.

Detailed voting results for the Meeting are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Company also reports that its 100%-owned U.S.-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership has been informed that the Alaska District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE") requested a third extension of the deadline to communicate the plan on how the District plans to move forward with its reconsideration of the administrative record after remand. The USACE Division Engineer approved the request for extension and the new deadline is July 28, 2023.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 1,840 mineral claims in Southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit, located 200 miles from Anchorage and 125 miles from Bristol Bay. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project.

For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1- 800-667-2114. Review public filings, which include forward-looking information cautionary language and risk factor disclosure regarding the Company and the Pebble Project in Canada at www.sedar.com and the US at www.sec.gov.

Trevor Thomas

Secretary

SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/765088/Northern-Dynasty-Reports-Annual-General-Meeting-Results-and-Army-Corps-Extension-of-Deadline-to-Comment-on-Plans-to-July-28-2023
CHANGSHA, China, July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30th, the Spanish medical skincare brand mesoestetic held an art salon to kick off its 2023 mesoestetic Road Show in China at the Xie Zilong Photography Museum in Changsha, which is one of the internet-famous cities in China. The event was supported by the leading Chinese partner for global beauty brands--S'Young International and was themed "The Element for Skincare Experts." Carles Font Martin, Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, and Arantza Azparren Ardanaz, global training manager, attended the event and gave a further insight into the brand philosophy of mesoestetic.

This was also the first stop on the mesoestetic 2023 Road Show in China. The event successfully extended the passion and artistry spirits of the mesoestetic Road Show by inviting celebrities including famous actress Zhang Yanyan, key Chinese collaborators, and guests for close interaction and an in-depth experience of the brand's high-end salon and Changsha's finest art exhibitions.

The chosen venue, Xie Zilong Photography Museum, was founded by Mr. Xie Zilong, who is also well-known for establishing LBX Pharmacy, a prominent Chinese pharmacy chain. Interestingly, Mr. Xie had similar background with mesoestetic's founder, Juan Carlos Font Mas, who utilized his pharmacological knowledge to create personalized beauty skincare formulas and opened his pharmacy in Barcelona during the early 1980s. Both men share a passion for medicine, art, and antique painting collections. By selecting the Xie Zilong Photography Museum as the venue, mesoestetic aimed to evoke the warmth and artistic flair of Barcelona in Changsha, while also celebrating the harmonious blend of medicine and aesthetics.

At the event, creative non-alcoholic cocktails were introduced, featuring the brand's top health supplement products: the ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir. This art salon presents the main visuals of mesoestetic products through various art installations and was surrounded by a cappella music, providing a harmonious music and artistic experience. Additionally, mesoestetic granted awards and recognized valuable partners. The CO-CEO Carles Font Martin invited all guests to visit Spain and trace the origin of mesoestetic. The mesoestetic management and attendees also delved into insightful conversations about the brand's impressive 38-year history.

mesoestetic now operates in 109 countries and regions worldwide, providing professional beauty solutions for skincare experts. Since its cooperation with S'Young International in 2021, the brand has experienced a remarkable average annual sales growth of over 200%. Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Carles Font Martin, attributed this success to the efforts of the brand's partner in China, "This achievement wouldn't be possible without our China partner S'Young International and the efforts of everyone here. We will continue to achieve high growth this year, and I believe the Chinese market will be our next new era."

mesoestetic currently offers four major product lines: health supplements, home-use products, professional treatments, and aesthetic medicines. The highly sought-after ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir, are two best sellers in mesoestetic's health supplement line. While the Ha Densimatrix, a popular moisturising solution that allows reducing and correcting imperfections caused by aging, stands out from the home-use line. For beauty industry professionals, mesoestetic also offers a range of solutions, such as the age element, a topical antiaging treatment based on epigenetics that combines a professional treatment and a home treatment suited to the needs of each customer.

During the event, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, has also shared the plans to further promote brand awareness and reputation in the region. The brand will be focusing on various efforts, including collaborating with celebrities, obtaining efficacy test results from professional institutions, deepening market penetration by working with over 4,500 influencers, introducing new products to the region, and implementing offline skincare services. By implementing these strategies, mesoestetic aims to further strengthen its presence in Greater China.

About mesoestetic

mesoestetic is dedicated to providing exquisite elements for skincare experts, emphasizing on offering scientific, rigorous, and effective solutions. The brand's customized, professional, and innovative product formulas have gained popularity in the market, positioning it as a trailblazer in Spanish medical beauty.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2145470/Carles_Font_Martin_Co_CEO_mesoestetic.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/spanish-medical-skincare-trailblazer-mesoestetic-kicks-off-2023-road-show-in-china-with-art-and-passion-301868539.html
Die KI-Revolution ist in vollem Gange und vor allem ein Bereich wird stark betroffen sein: Cyber-Security. Die Experten sind sich sicher: Mit steigender Entwicklung von KI-Technologien nehmen auch KI-gestutzte Cyber-Attacken zu. Wir zeigen hier, welche Aktien profitieren konnen.

ESPOO (dpa-AFX) - Nokia Corp (NOK) announced that it has signed a new long-term patent cross-license agreement with Apple Inc. (AAPL). Nokia stated that this deal will replace the current license that is due to expire at the end of 2023. Nokia expects to receive new patent license agreement starting in January 2024. The terms of the agreement remain confidential between the parties. The agreement is consistent with the assumptions Nokia has disclosed in the commentary with respect to Nokia Technologies long-term outlook in its Financial Report for Q1 issued on April 20, 2023. Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said: 'We are delighted to have concluded a long-term patent license agreement with Apple on an amicable basis. The agreement reflects the strength of Nokia's patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies.' Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The Central government is spending Rs 6.5 lakh crore annually for the agriculture sector and farmers welfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said on Saturday while speaking at an event on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives.

PM Modi called upon cooperatives to help in making the country self-reliant in cooking oils.

He also highlighted the work done by his government, like PM Kisan scheme, MSP operations, and fertilizer subsidy since coming to power in 2014.

In the last 9 years, the PM said more than Rs 15 lakh crore have been given to farmers by procuring their produce on the MSP. The government, he said spent Rs 10 lakh crore towards fertilizer subsidy last year.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress, says Today over 25,000 cooperative sectors are working in the fisheries sector. This is improving the lives of our fishermen and improving their earning capacity. Inland fisheries have also seen a pic.twitter.com/YoKGnbRuVc  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023



In other words, the government is spending around Rs 6.5 lakh crore per year on agriculture and farmers, the prime minister said. This means that every year the government is providing an average of Rs 50,000 to every farmer in some form or the other.

That is, in the BJP government, farmers are guaranteed to get Rs 50,000 every year in different ways. This is Modis guarantee, he said, and added that he was only stating what his government has done and not just talking about promises.

In the last 4 years, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been sent directly to bank accounts of farmers under PM KISAN scheme.

You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore, Modi said.He was speaking at the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress.

During the two-day event, the stakeholders will discuss various trends in cooperative movement, showcase best practices being adopted, deliberate challenges being faced and chalk out future policy action for growth of Indias cooperative movement.

Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in May this year said A bag of urea costs a farmer Rs 276, but it costs Rs 791 in Pakistan, Rs 593 in Indonesia, Rs 2,100 in China, Rs 719 in Bangladesh, and Rs 3,060 in the US, the minister said.

He added that a bag of DAP costs a farmer Rs 1,350 in India, but costs Rs 4,177 in Pakistan, Rs 9,700 in Indonesia, Rs 2,400 in China, Rs 719 in Bangladesh, Rs 3,633 in the US, and Rs 4,180 in Brazil.

With inputs from PTI

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The Gujarat High Court on Saturday rejected the regular bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvads bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail.

As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately, the court said in its order.

Setalvad and co-accused and former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar were taken into custody by Gujarat police on June 25 last year and a court sent them in judicial custody on July 2 after their police remand ended.

She walked out of jail in September 2022 after being granted relief by the apex court.

The Ahmedabad crime branch registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Setalvad, Sreekumar and jailed former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a special investigation team to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt were accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence and frame innocent people for an offence punishable with capital punishment.

While dismissing the petition filed by Zakia Jafri whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots, the SC had observed that it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge.

All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceed in accordance with law, the supreme court had said.

Setalvad and other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).

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Indias dominance in digital transactions has become a new identity of the country in the world and it needs to be incorporated into the Cooperative sector as well, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress at International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) in the national capital.

The government has promoted Digital India, enabling direct benefits to reach beneficiaries directly. The aim is also to eliminate the dependency on cash transactions. Indias dominance in digital transactions has become our new identity in the world. This also needs to be incorporated in our Cooperative sector, PM Modi said.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress, says The government has promoted Digital India, enabling direct benefits to reach beneficiaries directly. The aim is also to eliminate the dependency on cash transactions. Indias dominance in Digital pic.twitter.com/xf42vfdUrq  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023



The government has promoted Digital India, enabling direct benefits to reach beneficiaries directly. The aim is also to eliminate the dependency on cash transactions. Indias dominance in digital transactions has become our new identity in the world. This also needs to be incorporated in our Cooperative sector, PM Modi said.

He said that in the last 4 years, a direct transfer of Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been made into farmers bank accounts under the PM-KISAN scheme without any middlemen interference.

Now, crores of small farmers are receiving benefits under the PM-KISAN scheme without any interference from middlemen. In the last 4 years, a direct transfer of Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been made into the bank accounts of farmers under this scheme, Modi added.

The PM further said that the country has moved from less than Rs 90,000 crore spent in five years for the agriculture sector before 2014 to having a single scheme, PM KISAN Samman Nidhi, spending three times the amount.

Milk powder to butter to ghee, our Indian produce is in demand across the world. A new market is being formed for our millets. Our Shree Anna can be a great opportunity to earn for our small farmers, PM said, adding that its only because of the Indian governments initiatives, this year is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets.

The 17th Indian Cooperative Congress is being organised on July 1-2, 2023.Its objective is to discuss various trends in the cooperative movement, showcase best practices being adopted, deliberate challenges being faced and chalk out future policy direction for the growth of Indias cooperative movement.

There will be seven technical sessions on the main theme of Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India.

It will witness the participation of more than 3,600 stakeholders including cooperatives from the primary level to the national level, delegates of International Cooperative Organisations, representatives of International Cooperative Alliance, representatives of Ministries, Universities, and eminent institutions, among others, the PMO release said.

With inputs from ANI

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the bus accident in Buldhana on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway on Saturday.

He has also announced Rs 50,000 to those who were injured in the mishap.

Prime Ministers Office tweeted Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the bus mishap in Buldhana. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured.

Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 1, 2023

Twenty-five people were killed and several others injured after a bus travelling from Maharashtras Yavatmal to Pune caught fire in Buldhana on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway.

25 bodies are extracted from the bus. A total of 32 people were travelling on the bus. 6-8 people are injured. Injured are being shifted to Buldhana Civil Hospital, said Buldhana Police Deputy SP Baburao Mahamuni.

#WATCH | Road construction not the cause of bus accident on Samruddhi highway, says Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/clXMZJocQr  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

The bus turned turtle and caught fire, police said. The incident happened around 2 am on Saturday. Many of the passengers hailed from Nagpur, Wardha and Yavatmal, the official said.

#WATCH | The bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police, says Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan on the Buldhana bus tragedy. pic.twitter.com/EUOJDOHyq7  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

One of the survivors of the ill-fated bus that caught fire and led to the death of 25 passengers in Maharashtras Buldhana district on Saturday, said he and a few others managed to come out of the burning vehicle by breaking its rear window.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Visuals from Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Buldhana where 26 people died and 8 others were injured after a bus travelling from Nagpur to Pune met with an accident. pic.twitter.com/3JTRLzKuZH  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

The accident took place on the Samruddhi Expressway near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana when the private passenger bus going from Nagpur to Pune rammed into a road divider around 1.30 am. Of the 33 passengers in the bus, 25 were charred to death, police said.

#WATCH | We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire: Virendra Darna, owner of the bus that pic.twitter.com/52juNqi8Yb  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

A tyre of the bus burst and the vehicle caught fire immediately. The blaze spread in no time, the survivor said. The passenger seated next to me and I managed to escape by breaking the rear window, he said.

The survivor said that after the accident, teams of police and fire brigade reached the site quickly. A local resident said four to five passengers managed to escape by breaking one window of the bus.

But not everyone could do it, he said. The people who could come out of the bus later told us that they sought help from other vehicles on the highway, but nobody stopped, he added.

Many accidents take place on this route at Pimpalkhuta. We were called for help and when we went there, we saw the horrible situation. The tyres had fallen apart, the local resident said.

People inside were trying to break the windows. We saw people getting burnt aliveThe fire was so intense that we could not do anything. We were in tears, he said.

Had the vehicles passing by the highway stopped for help, more lives could have been saved, he added. Eight survivors of the bus tragedy have been rushed to a nearby hospital and are safe, police said

With inputs from agencies

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The Supreme Court granted interim protection to social activist Teesta Setalvad, whose regular bail was rejected by the Gujarat High Court today in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots. High Court had asked her to surrender immediately.

In a special sitting, a three-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta stayed for seven days the order of the Gujarat High Court which asked her to surrender immediately while rejecting her regular bail plea.

Granting interim protection from arrest for seven days to Setalvad, the bench said, The single judge ought to have granted some time We stay the order of the single bench for a period of one week.

While giving the judgement Supreme Court observed that we are sorry to say the single judge was totally wrong in not granting interim protection even for one week.

When this court has granted interim bail, extending it by a week would have been ideal, observed Supreme Court.

Solicitor General said that its not an ordinary case; somebody takes institutions for a joy ride. The country and state were maligned for decades. She wrote to Geneva, the SG said.

Supreme Court asked Solicitor General, Her conduct may be reprehensible, but today we are considering whether a person should be stripped of liberty even for a day?

Supreme Court further observed that she was on bail for 10 months and asked about the urgency in taking her into custody.

Will the skies fall if interim protection granted We are taken by surprise by what the High Court has done. What is the alarming urgency? asked Supreme Court.

In the evening Supreme Courts two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra differed on granting interim protection to her and referred the matter to Chief Justice of India to constitute a larger bench.

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Social activist Teesta Setalvad moved the Supreme Court on Saturday after the Gujarat High Court rejected her regular bail plea in a case of alleged fabrication of documents by her so as to implicate high government functionaries in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Earlier on Saturday, the Gujarat High Court rejected the regular bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvads bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail.

As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately, the court said in its order.

Setalvad and co-accused and former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar were taken into custody by Gujarat police on June 25 last year and a court sent them in judicial custody on July 2 after their police remand ended.

She walked out of jail in September 2022 after being granted relief by the apex court.

The Ahmedabad crime branch registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Setalvad, Sreekumar and jailed former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a special investigation team to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt were accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence and frame innocent people for an offence punishable with capital punishment.

While dismissing the petition filed by Zakia Jafri whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots, the SC had observed that it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceed in accordance with law, the supreme court had said.

Setalvad and other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).

(With agency inputs)

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While focusing near-exclusively on Prime Minister Narendra Modis very successful maiden state visit to the US, where he also became one of the few visitors to address a joint session of Congress, the Indian media especially seems to have missed a parallel track. Thats about the side-show between the US and China, which India can afford to risk ignoring only at great peril in the future.

From a bilateral perspective, the Modi visit was an unqualified success, even if one were to side-step or squarely criticise former US President Barack Obama, who joined 70 congressional representatives, all Democrats like him, in criticising the visitors human rights record back home. The incumbent administration of US President Joe Biden, who was Obamas veepee while in office, too has made light of the latters criticism of Modi. The congressional members wrote to Biden on the eve of Modis arrival, but nothing has been heard from their side has been heard, post-visit.

Maybe, there is something in it all for them all, too, to muse about and feel satisfied on the overall direction and traction between the two democracies. As social media critics muse, for this kind of a deal, any American President would give his left hand to make it happen. To them all, like incumbent Obama getting the Manmohan Singh government to order a substantial number of Boeing civilian aircraft in his re-election year, the current contract also involves American jobs which Biden and his bipartisan congressional representatives could do with, a year ahead of their re-election bids.

Win-win visit

The Modi visit is noted more for its military content than political formatting. If those that thought out the PMs scheduling in the US had concluded that the nomenclature of a state visit and his congressional address would help keep down the security/military part of bilateral discussions, it was not to be. After all, the US has its own constituency of peaceniks, who also at times double as human rights activists and believers, and a Democrat President seeking re-election next year could not afford to antagonise them. Yet, in the eyes of almost every Indian analyst, it was a win-win visit, only that none of them seems to have explained how.

If optics played a good part in projecting and promoting the visit as a huge success  it has been the case with everything that Modi does or does not do  the finer details are missing. Or, so says critics, most of whom are almost exclusively from the political Opposition. Even their voice is muted, not because they, like Modi, have learnt to love America and Americans. Again, like Modi, post-Galwan, they are unsure of what China, closer to the Indian borders, is really up to. Modi had a taste of real China after the informal summits at Wuhan and Mahabalipuram.

Technical than sensitive

The Modi visit is noticeable for specifics. Apart from his congressional address and joint news conference with President Biden  some reports claimed without evidence that the Indian side did not want it to happen  the real force and focus were on technology-transfer for Americas GE and Indian public sector HAL to jointly manufacture fighter engines in India. The numbers are high and the percentage of tech-transfer/home production is also equally high. However, as the wag points out, in tech-transfer between any two entities, what is left out matters more than what is on offer. Is it metallurgy, where India still faces an insurmountable problem, which has also come in the way of producing a more efficient fighter engine than at present?

Then, there is the agreement for India purchasing Predator drones from the US  rather, the US selling the same to India, which is how Washington would view it, especially in the aftermath of India defying American sanctions to purchase Russian oil through the past year. It is not without reason that bilateral tensions between India and America have peaked before the relations soared even higher. After US-led western sanctions against India, post-Pokhran-II, they began negotiations that later ended up in the unprecedented civilian nuclear deal.

The Vajpayee government that commenced the contours of negotiations on it was not around when the successor Manmohan Singh dispensation, from an opposing political ideology, signed it. In doing so, the Congress leader of the ruling coalition in New Delhi was ready to throw out the communist allies, who were opposed to it, often owing to unfounded suspicions and doubts, flowing from their own ideological adversity with the US than anything real and immediate.

For the US, the civilian nuclear deal proved the existence of an unsaid bipartisan consensus between Indias two leading political parties, namely, the ruling BJP and the rival Congress. Today, the Congress has been near-muted in its criticism of the US on real issues, even while focusing on the optics part of it. The real success of the civilian nuclear deal for India was not in getting it signed, but in reserving for the self, the right to acquire technology of its choice from whoever, whenever  and not just the US. If the Americans were/are stunned by the uncanny Indian adeptness at cutting the deal, they are not talking about it. The question is the current deals have safety clauses against such Indian malfeasance.

If there is however a later-day probe into the current deals, as with the one for Bofors gun of the Congress-led government of slain Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, like the Rafale pact with France, it could be expected to go near-exclusively into the procedural aspects of the deal or even corruption involving the so-called middle-men, and would not want to wade through unchartered territories, like the required technology, cost per piece of equipment purchased and the number of those things that would be adequate for the requirements of the security forces in India. More than being sensitive, they are all highly technical for either the political class or the judiciary  called in often to fix responsibility and accountability  to make sense.

The long and short of it

Otherwise, there was the joint criticism of cross-border terrorism against India, being perpetrated by Islamabad. Pakistan has reacted in ways and words that it could be expected to do. It was there in the joint statement issued by the two leaders. Pakistan has reacted the way it was expected to, and had to. In international politics, as in matters domestic, beggars are not choosers, and given the current state of the nations economy, Pakistan is in no place to do anything more.

At least, the Washington deal-makers do not seem to expect even the so-called rogue-elements in the Pakistani hierarchy to target installations inside India. If anyone would be so tempted or provoked, it could be China, instead.

It is the China angle that India should now be worried about  and not always as understood and taught to be understood. As scheduling coincidence would have it, PM Modis America visit came at a time when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in China, conferring with local interlocutors. It was a meeting that the US had formally postponed without cancelling on previous occasions. At the end of Blinkens China visit, both sides agreed to the stabilise tense relationship of the past months and years.

The long and short of it all was/is that the US cannot stomach Chinas upended growth and the consequent political muscle that it grew at the expense of the West over the previous decades since the advent of Deng Xiaoping. Working backward, the West has concluded that Chinas political strength and military capability to provoke its neighbours especially owed to the economic muscle that they had fed to acquire.

Yet, a day after the Bliken visit, and possibly when he was still flying high back home, President Biden named Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a dictator  and without any immediate provocation. Was it to impress the Indian visitor, whose camp might have displayed nervousness at the hosts playing hide and seek with sworn-adversary China? Or, did they too get the feeling that like strategically-located smaller nations in South Asia, the US too was playing India and China against each other? If they had felt that way, the visitors did not show their concerns in what all followed.

What is even more of the interesting/intriguing part of it was Biden later declaring that his calling Xi dictator was of no consequence to continuing bilateral relations between their two nations (on the lines, Blinken had agreed to in Beijing?). If, so why did Biden say what he said  and when he said. Was it only to please the Indian visitors, and their back-up team back home? Or, was there more to his usage of the term dictator in the context of democracy-deficiency in China (rather the absence of it)? If so, how is he going to match and marry, revived American desire to minimise areas of tension with China, and for all right reasons with his declaration on Xi, the dictator, and thus implying that the original American agenda of targeting non-democratic, undemocratic nations and leaderships was still very much on the agenda?

Bedrock credentials

The immediate question for India is where the twine met or did not meet or would not meet. Yes, India-US relations are built on the bedrock of shared democratic credentials of the two nations, or that is what the Americans often want Indians to believe. But in India, the nominal and normative perceptions are devoid of such ideological moorings that the US and the rest of the West choose to flag at a time of their convenience. Else, India would not have been doing business with Russia now, and the erstwhile Soviet Union in its times  not certainly to this level of mutual trust and support.

That trust suffered a jolt when India signed a defence cooperation pact with the US in 2005, behind the back of Russia, and followed it up with the civilian nuclear deal. It got restored subsequently, both under the Manmohan Singh government that did the earlier two acts and more so now under the Modi regime, especially over the purchase of cheap Russian oil, defying American sanctions and all the western pressures brought upon New Delhi.

The new deals that Modi has signed with Biden has the potential to rock the Russo-Indian boat, but Moscow may not be in a place to complain, especially after it has proved not to be the kind of military power that it was thought to be even at the commencement of the Ukraine War. But nations do have long memories  and that is what foreign policy is all about, keeping them, working on them, or dumping them.

All of it still raises the question: Are India and America on the same page as some, and at times many in India, think, believe or at least desire? Or, is it that the US, as on other occasions, is double-timing India and China, and so very obviously as Biden has done this time? If the former is the truth, more proof is needed. If the latter is the case, then India needs to be alive to and aware of the continuing possibility of becoming the ping-pong ball in unending new-Cold War games of ups and downs, between the American superpower and wannabe China.

The writer is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. Views are personal.

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PM Modis visit to the US from 21 to 24 June 2023 was indeed path breaking from multiple perspectives. He became only the third Indian leader after former President Radhakrishnan and PM Manmohan Singh to be accorded the honour of state visit; highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between two sovereign states. Incidentally, President Biden had hosted just two leaders as state guests before Modi, this indicates the extent of transformation of India-US relations over the last two and half decades.

The visit came at a time when the US is in confrontation with Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war and Beijings disruptive designs has led to heightened tensions both for Washington and Delhi. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communication-National Security Council at the White House clarified that while China was on the agenda during the course of discussions, the visit per se was not about China. As per another White House official, the visit was also not about leveraging India to be counterweight to China but to deepen ties between the two largest democracies of the world.

Highlights: Key takeaways

The PMs visit started in New York with the commemoration of Ninth International Yoga Day on 21 June at UN headquarters, show-casing Indias soft- power, Yoga becoming the most popular cultural export. The following day in Washington DC, Modi was accorded a grand welcome by President Biden at the White House. Later, the two leaders held a historic summit affirming a vision of Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, followed by Modis address to the Joint session of the US Congress for the second time- a rare honour indeed.

Technology has emerged as the Key driver in chartering the future course of bilateral partnership. The Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) framework will facilitate greater technology sharing, co-development, co-production opportunities between business and academic institutions. NASA and ISRO are collaborating in human spaceflight by the end 2023 and mounting joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024. Signing of MOU on semiconductor supply chain comes along with Micron Technology Inc decision to invest $ 825 million to build new semiconductor assembly in India. Alongside, Applied Materials Inc is to establish a collaborative engineering centre with investment of $400 million. For creation of secure telecommunication and digital inclusion, two joint task forces have been launched led by Indias Bharat 6G Alliance and US Next G Alliance. A joint coordination mechanism has been established to progress work in Quantum Information Science and Technology. Agreements have also been signed for collaboration in the fields of AI and atomic energy.

Number of key agreements were signed to power the next generation defence partnership. These include strengthening of defence industrial cooperation, streamlining implementation of foundational agreements, information sharing, strengthening of maritime security and launching of dialogue in space and AI domains. India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) will facilitate joint defence technology and co-production of advance technology.

Signing of MOU between General Electric (GE) and Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) for the manufacture of GE F-414 engines for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK 2 is a landmark agreement, enabling greater transfer of jet engine technology. The General Atomics MQ 9B armed UAV, India plans to procure 31 of these to be assembled in the country, will greatly enhance Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. Indias emergence as a hub for maintenance and repair of forward deployed US Navy assets got further boost with the signing of Master Ship Repair Agreements with local shipyards.

Towards deepening of strategic convergence, both sides affirmed rule based international order, besides respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states. Sharing deep concern over the Ukraine conflict, the two leaders called for greater efforts to mitigate the repercussions. Both sides pressed for comprehensive UN reforms wherein Biden reiterated US support for Indias permanent membership in the UN Security Council (UNSC). Biden and Modi recommitted themselves to Quad, reiterated open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific with concerns over rising tensions in the region. They reaffirmed their commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and condemned ballistic missile launches by Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Standing together to counter global terrorism and violent extremism, the two leaders called out Pakistan to take immediate action to stop cross border terrorism and ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks, besides demanding perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks be brought to justice. They also restated strong support for peaceful and stable Afghanistan as also strengthening of I2U2 (India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, United States) partnership.

To use G20 to deliver shared priorities, both countries recognised the potential of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and strengthened Multilateral Development Banks to address global challenges of the 21st Century. The two leaders also reaffirmed Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) as an important pillar for collective efforts to build resilience supply chains and accelerate progress of the two economies.

Trade and investment partnership is the engine for growth, evident from bilateral trade exceeding $ 191 billion in 2022. Both countries have taken steps to resolve major outstanding disputes and reconvene India-US Trade Policy Forum by the end of the year. The concept of Innovation Handshake is set to connect the dynamic startup ecosystem of two sides. Coming together of Indian talent with US technological advancement guaranteed a bright future, stated Modi.

Towards empowering the future generation, the Joint Task Force of Association of American Universities and leading India educational institutions have been set up. Establishment of Indo-US Global Challenge Institutes will help create more research partnerships and exchanges in semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and emerging technologies. As of 2022, around 211,930 Indian students are studying in the US.

New-era India-US relations: Strategic reset

As evident from the above, the Indo -US ties are set to scale new heights. Geo political rivalry with Beijing is instrumental in rapid deepening of strategic partnership between Delhi and Washington. President Xi Jinping perceives the US to be the sole competitor and impediment in realisation of his China dream, while India is seen as a potential rival. Biden apparently is not confident to take on Xi as a number of the US allies are reluctant to confront China directly. Therefore, the US is counting on India to balance out China and play a significant role to further the Indo-Pacific strategy, the cornerstone of its China policy. India too is cognisant of asymmetry in the Comprehensive National Power (CNP) vis a vis China and realises the need for US support in capacity building as also deterring the dragon from undertaking major misadventures.

Despite the US and West efforts to reduce dependence on China through decoupling and de-risking the supply chain networks, Beijing still remains a major global trading partner. Here, India is seen as an alternative to China as a manufacturing hub. However, for technology firms to relocate to India especially under the iCET framework and INDUS-X scheme, there are challenges by way of infrastructure and conducive ecosystem. Even harnessing dual use technologies for defence has numerous complexities. With regards to the GE F414 engines, the HAL and DRDO will have to gear up to assimilate the technology fast.

Indias increasing dependence on the US in defence and technology while simultaneously weaning away from Russia has obvious ramifications. India already has four foundational defence agreements with the US, besides enjoys special status as a major defence partner and a non-NATO member. Given the fresh agreements and growing ambit of Quad, Indian defence establishments are in for increased presence of US military assets. The India-US relations entering a New Era will merit reset of Indias strategic calculus, entailing both rebalancing and recalibration.

The writer is a war veteran, former Assistant Chief, currently Professor Strategic and International Relations. Views are personal.

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A revised law drastically broadening Chinas definition of espionage came into effect, giving Beijing more power than ever to penalise what it considers risks to national security.

According to the US government, analysts and lawyers the modifications to Beijings anti-espionage law are ambiguous and will allow authorities more latitude in enforcing existing ambiguous national security legislation.

The amendments, which were initially made available for public comment in December 2022, were formally approved by Chinas top legislative body in April.

Chinese law already imposes heavy penalties for people accused of espionage, ranging from life in jail to execution in extreme circumstances.

In May, a 78-year-old US citizen was sentenced to life in prison on spying charges.

China this year has also cracked down on U.S. consultancy and due diligence firms, move business lobbies have said unnerved foreign investors in the worlds second-largest economy.

The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) said in a bulletin that China viewed the outbound flow of data as a national security risk and that the new and existing laws could compel companies locally employed Chinese nationals to assist in Chinese intelligence efforts.

These laws provide the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) government with expanded legal grounds for accessing and controlling data held by U.S. firms in China, the NCSC said.

U.S. companies and individuals in China could also face penalties for traditional business activities that Beijing deems acts of espionage or for actions that Beijing believes assist foreign sanctions against China, it said.

Under the revised law, relying on espionage organisations and their agents as well as the unauthorised obtaining of documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests can constitute a spying offence.

Beijing insists it has the right to safeguard its national security through legislation and says it will uphold the rule of law.

But experts have warned that the changes could sweep up those with even tenuous links to organisations accused of spying.

They come in the face of an already tense environment for foreign businesses in China, following raids on and questioning of staff at due diligence company Mintz Group and consulting giant Bain and Company this year.

The new law embodies a whole-of-society approach to dealing with anything that is a risk to this broad definition of national security, Jeremy Daum, senior research fellow at Yales Paul Tsai China Center, told AFP.

Daum said the law builds on a broader trend of tightening control since 2014, after President Xi Jinping took power.

But its vague definition of espionage and national security gives authorities a wider berth, he added, and will likely have a chilling effect on Chinese citizens who have contact with foreigners and foreign organisations.

The new revisions have ruffled feathers among the business community, with companies fearing even tighter scrutiny.

The changes have raised legitimate concerns about conducting certain routine business activities, which now risk being considered espionage, Craig Allen, President of the US-China Business Council, wrote in a recent blog.

Confidence in Chinas market will suffer further if the law is applied frequently and without a clear, narrow and direct link to activities universally recognized as espionage, wrote Allen.

Diplomatic officials from several countries have also sounded alarm bells ahead of the legal changes, urging citizens in China to be vigilant.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has emphasized national security since taking office in 2012. Suspicion in China of the U.S. and its allies has grown as the U.S.-China rivalry has intensified, yet Beijing has insisted it is opening up to overseas investment.

U.S. officials have told Reuters that since the enactment of the Chinese law in April they have received a flood of questions from businesses and other groups about the risks of travelling to China.

The U.S. State Department also updated its travel advisory for China on Friday, upgrading the risk of wrongful detentions among its warnings for Americans to reconsider travel to the country.

With inputs from agencies

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Is there anything that ChatGPT cannot do? The chatbot, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, has already grabbed attention for its ability to perform various tasks.

From having natural conversations with people to helping users complete assignments, it is being used for a slew of purposes. But to everyones surprise, the artificial intelligence-powered tool was recently used by a US couple in Colorado to officiate their wedding, as per People Magazine.

A Colorado couple, Reece Wiench and Deyton Truitt, got married last week. It is to be noted that their wedding was graced by a poignant welcome speech and closing remarks to the audience by an AI-powered machine.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg spoke out on the burning of the Quran in Sweden, saying that the burning of the Quran was offensive and objectionable, but not illegal. However, the NATO Chief urged for a compromise over Swedens accession to NATO.

The United States on Thursday said it condemned the burning of a Koran outside a mosque in Sweden, but added that issuing the permit for the demonstration supported freedom of expression and was not an endorsement of the action.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday condemned a Quran-burning protest in Sweden, signalling that this would pose another obstacle to the countrys bid for NATO membership.

#BREAKING: NATO chief Stoltenberg calls the burning of the Quran in Sweden freedom of expression and not illegal. pic.twitter.com/GhopKA9Sen  Censored Men (@CensoredMen) June 30, 2023

Speaking to members of his Justice and Development Party, Erdogan equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Swedish police allowed the protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm citing freedom of speech after a court overturned a ban on a similar Quran-burning.

A man tore up and burned a Koran outside Stockholms central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of Muslim Eid al Adha holidays, an action that angered Turkey whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Speaking at a daily press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Washington believes the demonstration created an environment of fear that effectively curbs the ability of Muslims to practice their religion freely. I will say that we do condemn it, Miller said.

We believe the demonstration created an environment of fear that will impact the ability of Muslims and members of other religious minority groups from freely exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in Sweden, he added.

We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstrations actions.

Swedish police had granted permission for the anti-Koran protest to take place. But after the burning, police charged the man who carried it out with agitation against an ethnic or national group.

Sweden sought NATO membership in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine last year. But alliance member Turkey has held up the process, accusing Sweden of harboring people it considers terrorists and demanding their extradition.

Miller declined to say whether the demonstration and its fallout would have an impact on Turkey-Sweden ties and therefore the latters NATO bid, but reiterated Washingtons position that the Nordic country was ready to join the alliance.

It is time to move to full accession to NATO for Sweden, he said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan slammed Sweden over the burning of a Koran in Stockholm and said Turkey would never bow down to a policy of provocation or threat.

With inputs from agencies.

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Japans defence ministry announced late Friday that two Russian Navy ships had been detected in waters near Taiwan and Japans Okinawa islands in the previous four days, following a similar announcement from Taiwan this week.

Taiwans defence ministry announced on Tuesday that it had sighted two Russian frigates off its eastern coast and had dispatched aircraft and ships to keep an eye on them.

Japans government said last month that repeated Russian military activity near Japanese territory, including joint drills with Chinese forces, posed serious concern for Japans national security.

Japan and Taiwan have joined the United States and its allies in imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine last year.

The Japanese ministry said two Steregushchy-class frigates were first spotted 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Japans westernmost island of Yonaguni, in Okinawa prefecture neat Taiwan, on Tuesday morning.

The vessels sailed back and forth through the waters between Yonaguni and Taiwan, moved eastward and were last spotted on Friday in the waters between Miyako and Okinawa islands, it said, adding Japan dispatched two vessels to monitor the Russian ships.

Russias Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday that a detachment of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet had entered the southern parts of the Philippine Sea to perform tasks as part of a long-range sea passage.

With inputs from Reuters

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Today, Google announced the addition of seven new and upcoming features to Google Chat, making it even more enjoyable and effortless to message friends and family. Last year, Hangouts was officially integrated into Google Chat by Google. Here are the new features in Google Chat:

Smart Compose: Craft quick responses

Smart Compose, available in Gmail and Google Docs, offers contextual suggestions to help you respond quickly in Chat. It reduces spelling and grammar errors. Accept a suggestion by pressing the tab key while typing.

Message Editing and Deletion

Now you can edit and delete messages in Google Chat. Edit your previously sent messages to ensure clarity, accuracy, and the right tone. Alternatively, delete a message if its better to start over.

Quoting Messages in Group Chats

Organize conversations by quoting a specific message in your response. This feature allows the group to easily identify the comment youre referring to, without interrupting the main discussion.

Read Receipts in Group Chats

In group chats, see read receipts for messages. When someone reads your message, their avatar will appear below it. For large group chats, hover or tap to view the complete list of recipients.

Direct Linking to Text

Share links to specific text within Chat. Whether its a restaurant menu, sightseeing tour, or a packing list in a document, select the text you want to hyperlink. Use the Insert link icon or the keyboard shortcut /Ctrl + k.

Hiding Inactive Conversations

To declutter your Chat interface, we automatically hide inactive direct messages and spaces that have been inactive for the past seven days if you have more than 10 conversations. You can access the full list by clicking the More button.

Add Apps for Enhanced Functionality

Expand the capabilities of your group chat by adding apps. For instance, when planning a surprise party, you can use Asana to make to-do lists and delegate tasks. Install Zapier for custom notifications and keep everyone updated. And of course, add GIFs from Giphy to liven up your conversations.

Availability

Smart Compose: Smart Compose is now available in multiple languages, including English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese for all Chat web users.

Edit, Delete Messages, and Quote in Group Chats: The features to edit, delete, and quote messages in group chats are now generally available to all Chat users.

Hide Inactive Conversations: It is now generally available to all Chat users.

Check Read Receipts in Group Chats: Read receipts, which were already available for direct messages on mobile and web, will now be rolling out for group messages on mobile and web this month.

Direct Linking to Text: In the coming weeks, you will be able to link text in your messages on web and Android.

Add Apps: The ability to download apps for your personal Chats and spaces will be generally available in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the announcement, Neeraj Mishra, Product Manager, Google Chat, said:
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The First Crusade ended with the conquest of Jerusalem



The First Crusade took place from 1096 to 1099 and was initiated by Christian leaders of western Europe with the aim of reclaiming control of the Holy Land and particularly the pilgrimage destination of the city Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The campaign was endorsed and encouraged by Pope Urban II and came to be known as the "Princes' Crusade" as its main armies were largely raised and led by French noblemen and royalty. Significant support was also provided by numerous other western European nations and the Byzantine Empire.



After three years, the First Crusade came to end on July 15th, 1099, when Jerusalem fell after a month-long siege. An infamous massacre then followed when the forces of the Crusaders slaughtered tens of thousands of the city's largely Muslim and Jewish inhabitants.

2. The White Ship disaster caused a succession crisis for the English monarchy



This disaster occurred on November 25th, 1120, when the White Ship sank near the port of Barfleur in Normandy. The vessel had hit a rock shortly after setting off at night to cross the channel to England and all but one of the approximately 300 passengers on board (many of whom were reported to be drunk) were drowned. Despite many of the victims being high-ranking nobles, this shipwreck may never have been remembered by history if it hadn't been for the fact that one of the passengers was William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England.



William Adelin's death was a direct cause of the subsequent 15 years of civil war in England, known as the Anarchy. The conflict was essentially a protracted battle between Henry's daughter and new heir, the Empress Matilda, and her cousin who had usurped the throne as King Stephen on the death of his uncle. Ironically, Stephen was allegedly also supposed to travel on the White Ship, but had disembarked before it set sail.

3. The death of Mongol leader Genghis Khan



Genghis Khan was the ruler of the Mongols from 1206 until his death in August 1227. He was born around 1162 and known by his birth name of Temujin for the first two-thirds of his life, as he rose from relative obscurity to tribal chieftain, and then eventually to become the leader of all the Mongol tribes - the point at which he took the name Genghis Khan.



He then continued to expand his power base by leading his armies into battle against neighbouring countries and civilisations to create the Mongol Empire. By the time of his death in 1227 the area under his control stretched from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Pacific coast of China in the east. Genghis Khan was the ruler of the Mongols from 1206 until his death in August 1227. He was born around 1162 and known by his birth name of Temujin for the first two-thirds of his life, as he rose from relative obscurity to tribal chieftain, and then eventually to become the leader of all the Mongol tribes - the point at which he took the name Genghis Khan.He then continued to expand his power base by leading his armies into battle against neighbouring countries and civilisations to create the Mongol Empire. By the time of his death in 1227 the area under his control stretched from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Pacific coast of China in the east.

4. The formation of the Kalmar Union of the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden



The Kalmar Union was first founded in 1397 by Queen Margaret of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. She was the youngest daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark and the wife of King Haakon VI of Norway, who was also briefly King of Sweden.



Margaret consolidated power by ensuring her young son Olaf was crowned King of Denmark on the death of her father without a direct male heir in 1375 and assumed the position of regent on his behalf. Her husband died in 1380, leaving Olaf king of both Denmark and Norway and Margaret the regent of both nations. When Olaf died in 1387 aged just 17, his mother was elected as queen regnant of Denmark and Norway in her own right. Margaret then supported the Swedish nobles against the rule of King Albert of Sweden and claimed the throne of that country as well after Albert's forces were defeated in 1389.



Margaret then adopted her great nephew Eric of Pomerania as her heir and he immediately became her co-sovereign of Norway. The declaration of the Kalmar Union marked the beginning of the co-sovereignty of Margaret and Eric over Denmark and Sweden.

5. Ireland's famous Blarney Stone was built into the wall of the keep at Blarney Castle



The medieval keep at Blarney Castle in County Cork in the south of Ireland was completed in 1446, although the site itself had been fortified since the 10th century. A limestone rock, known as the Blarney Stone, was set in a turret below the battlements and has since gained a reputation in folklore for giving the gift of eloquence to anyone who kisses it.



Unfortunately, the process of kissing it requires climbing to the top of the 27 metre (90 feet) tall ancient keep, lying down on the edge, and hanging off backwards while someone holds onto your legs to prevent an unpleasant accident. Luckily, tourists can take the option to forgo eloquence and just take a look at the stone from a safe distance. (I'll leave readers to guess here what option I chose to take when I visited it.)

6. Martin Luther wrote the 'Ninety-five Theses", triggering the Protestant Reformation



'The Ninety-five Theses', otherwise known as a 'Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences was written by German priest and theologian Martin Luther in 1517. It contained various arguments against the Catholic Church's policy of allowing people to buy "indulgences" from the church to offset any sins they may have committed. Luther's text highlighting his disagreement with this practice was shared in a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz on October 31st, 1517 - a date which is now commemorated as Reformation Day and considered to be the birth of the movement that eventually became Protestantism.



While the story of Luther nailing a copy of 'The Ninety-five Theses' to the door of a church in Wittenberg on Reformation Day could be true, there is no direct evidence that this event actually took place.

7. The (Third) Defenestration of Prague



While there have been several historical incidents over the centuries where people have been thrown out of windows in Prague, it is the one that took place in 1618 that is usually referred to simply as the Defenestration of Prague or as the Third Defenestration of Prague. (Some historical dispute over the significance of one of the earlier events, means that it can also be somewhat confusingly called the Second Defenestration as well.)



The (Third) Defenestration of Prague involved two Lords Regent of the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and their secretary who were all found guilty of violating Protestant rights by a council of Protestant Bohemian lords. They were sentenced to being thrown out of the window of the council chamber - an act that was swiftly carried out although all three men survived the 20 metre (70 foot) drop.



The event was a significant point in history as it marked the escalation of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants across the Holy Roman Empire and was one of the triggers for the Thirty Years War.

8. The US state of Kentucky was admitted to the Union



Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union on June 1st, 1792, and was formed from the nine counties that made up the Kentucky District of the state of Virginia. Statehood came less than 20 years after the first permanent settlement of the area by Europeans was founded by James Harrod at Harrodstown (now Harrodsburg) in 1775.



Other early settlements included Logan's Fort (now Stanford) and Boonesborough (which was founded by and named after the famous pioneer Daniel Boone). However, the town of Frankfort, which was first incorporated in 1780, was chosen as the state capital. Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union on June 1st, 1792, and was formed from the nine counties that made up the Kentucky District of the state of Virginia. Statehood came less than 20 years after the first permanent settlement of the area by Europeans was founded by James Harrod at Harrodstown (now Harrodsburg) in 1775.Other early settlements included Logan's Fort (now Stanford) and Boonesborough (which was founded by and named after the famous pioneer Daniel Boone). However, the town of Frankfort, which was first incorporated in 1780, was chosen as the state capital.

9. The "Year Without a Summer" was caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora



Mount Tambora is a volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa that underwent a massive eruption in April 1815. Aside from ejecting large amounts of ash and volcanic matter into the atmosphere, it also emitted significant levels of sulfur dioxide that decreased global temperatures by an estimated 0.5 degrees Celsius (or 0.95 degrees Fahrenheit).



In turn the cooler temperatures prevented crops from growing normally (with frost and snow recorded in June in various areas of the northern hemisphere) and resulted in poor harvests and famine around the world. This unseasonable weather resulted in the year after the eruption being dubbed the "Year Without a Summer", but it actually took two to three years for the impact on the climate to fully dissipate.

10. The first aerial circumnavigation of the globe



The first circumnavigation of the globe by air was successfully undertaken in 1924 by a team from the US Army Air Service, flying Douglas World Carrier (DWC) biplanes. Four aircraft and eight airmen set out on the challenge but only two planes and their four crew members completed the journey. The two successful planes (named Chicago and New Orleans) landed back in the United States 175 days after they first set out, having traveled over 42,000 kilometres (26,000 miles) around the northern hemisphere. Needless to say this was not a non-stop circumnavigation and was only achieved following numerous repairs and even replacement engines and wings.



The airmen who recorded this world first achievement were Leslie P. Arnold, John Harding Jr., Erik H. Nelson, and Lowell H. Smith.

Source: Author Fifiona81 This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.




"Canada Day is celebrated every year on July 1, a day on which the divisions between Upper and Lower Canada, between East and West, ceased to exist and a single country was founded," the Embassy detailed in a Spanish-language press release.





"Just like Peru, Canada is geographically diverse. It is a country with a unique cultural, ethnic, and linguistic mix in the world, multicultural since its origins; a country where a quarter of its population was born abroad," it added.





As part of this celebration, the Canadian summer solstice was reenacted with cherry trees, the beach around Lake Ontario, and popular sugar shacks where people can eat everything based on maple syrup.





An important historic relationship





"This celebration, the first of its kind in the post-pandemic (stage), could not be complete without the perfect Peruvian complement represented by the winter solstice," the Canadian Embassy expressed.





Canada Day in Lima was attended by distinguished guests, business partners, as well as by civil society and government representatives.









In turn, Peruvian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ignacio Higueras underscored the long, broad, and deep relationship of cooperation between both countries.





(END) NDP/MVB

At the international level, Canada is a staunch defender of human rights, democracy, and a rules-based world order, Canadian Ambassador to Peru Louis Marcotte affirmed during Canada Day celebrations held recently in Lima.Publicado: 29/6/2023
amasan1 at 1-07-2023 08:01 AM (2 weeks ago) (m)

In a groundbreaking move, First Bank of Nigeria has unveiled robot representatives at select branches, signaling a shift towards automated customer service.

In a groundbreaking move, First Bank of Nigeria has unveiled robot representatives at select branches, signaling a shift towards automated customer service.

The two-minute video, filmed at a First Bank of Nigeria branch in Abuja, has quickly gained traction online.

It showcases a customer interacting with a robot representative that offers assistance and support.

First Banks introduction of robot representatives marks a notable advancement in the banking sector, aiming to revolutionize customer service by leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence.

The video showcases the customer engaging with the robot representative in a seamless and user-friendly manner.

The viral video has generated a significant buzz on social media platforms, with many users expressing both fascination and curiosity about the use of robotics in customer service.

See below;

First Bank set digital pace in Nigeria, introduces robot representative operation...



The first Bank Plc have begun customer Service Representative Robot operation, leading the way in managing ever increasing customers demand through robot representative. The first of its kind pic.twitter.com/KUaHo1YzZC  SGtv Nigeria (@SGtv_Global) June 19, 2023 The two-minute video, filmed at a First Bank of Nigeria branch in Abuja, has quickly gained traction online.It showcases a customer interacting with a robot representative that offers assistance and support.First Banks introduction of robot representatives marks a notable advancement in the banking sector, aiming to revolutionize customer service by leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence.The video showcases the customer engaging with the robot representative in a seamless and user-friendly manner.The viral video has generated a significant buzz on social media platforms, with many users expressing both fascination and curiosity about the use of robotics in customer service.See below;

Post Reply I am an investigative reporter at Gistmania, I conduct fact-finding investigative journalism. Posted: at 1-07-2023 08:01 AM (2 weeks ago) | Hero
Microsoft announces impressive sale figures for Xbox consoles over the past decade News oi -Carlsen Martin

In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, Microsoft unveiled its sales data for the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles. After staying mute for over a decade, Microsoft finally announced the exact sales figures for its latest Xbox consoles.

As of June 2023, Microsoft has confirmed that the total Xbox Series X and Series S sales have reached an impressive 21 million units globally. The information was disclosed at the recent 2023 Best International Games Festival held in Brazil.

Microsoft Xbox sales in the last decade

The official figures announced by the tech giant align closely with the predictions made by industry experts. Third-party agency estimated that Xbox Series X/S sales would be around 22 million, according to Gizmochina reporting.

Additionally, Microsoft also announced that Xbox One series, which includes the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X, had surpassed 58 million since its launch in November 2013. The figures showcase the popularity of the Xbox One series among console gamers worldwide.

Xbox vs PlayStation Sales

However, the Xbox Series S/X direct competitor, the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition have reportedly sold approximately 38.5 million units as of May 2023. The figure seems to be in line with Microsoft's statement that indicated that Xbox console sales were roughly half of Sony's PlayStation.

As things stands, Microsoft seems to have strengthening is position in the console gaming market with impressive sales figures in the past decade. Moreover, Microsoft also recently released a new version of its Xbox Series S with 1TB of storage. Microsoft also has plans to hike the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscription in India.

In the recent court battle, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently iterated that the tech giant will not make Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC if its take over goes through.

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Meta Meets User Concern About AI Recommendations With Openness, Transparency, And Accountability News oi -Alap Naik Desai

Meta is now trying to be "open, transparent, and accountable" for the way it pushes and recommends content to its millions of daily users. The company has tried to explain the logic and reasoning of the AI systems that power the backend.

Facebook and Instagram users have long wondered, and many-a-times, concerned about the way content surfaces on their walls and in their feeds. Meta appears to be taking a proactive step in addressing commonly asked questions about the algorithms that are responsible for content recommendation and flow.

22 "System Cards" Govern Content In The Feed, Stories, And Reels

Meta published a blog post this week, which is essentially an explainer of the ways Meta-owned social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram recommend content to their users.

Meta's President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg is calling it an info dump on the AI systems behind its algorithms is part of the company's "wider ethos of openness, transparency, and accountability." He outlined what Facebook and Instagram users can do to better control what content they see on the platforms.

"With rapid advances taking place with powerful technologies like generative AI, it's understandable that people are both excited by the possibilities and concerned about the risks. We believe that the best way to respond to those concerns is with openness."

The majority of the mechanisms are governed by 22 "System Cards" that cover the Feed, Stories, Reels, and other ways that people discover and consume content on Meta's social media platforms. Each of these cards provides detailed information about how the AI systems behind these features rank and recommend content.

Instagram Explore, for example, is a feature that shows users photos and reels content from accounts they don't follow. The post explains the three-step process behind the automated AI recommendation engine.

Gather Inventory: the system gathers public Instagram content like photos and reels that abides by the company's quality and integrity rules. Leverage Signals: the AI system then considers how users have engaged with similar content or interests, also known as "input signals." Rank Content: Finally, the system then ranks the content from the previous step, pushing content that it predicts will be of greater interest to the user to a higher position within the Explore tab

Selecting or tapping options such as "Like", "Not Interested", or "Not Personalized" will influence, guide, and steer the algorithms. Meta's predictive AI models, which are the input signals used to direct the algorithms, and how frequently they're used to rank content, are explained in the Transparency Center.

New Content Recommendation Systems And User Actions Coming Soon

Meta is gradually expanding the "Why Am I Seeing This?" feature to Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and Instagram's Explore tab in "the coming weeks." This will allow users to click on an individual reel to find out how their previous activity may have influenced the system to show it to them.

Instagram is also testing a new Reels feature that will allow users to mark AI-recommended reels as "Interested". Needless to say, this will help the content recommendation engine pull similar content in the future.

The ability to mark content as "Not Interested" has been available since 2021, but several users have grumbled that this feature doesn't do much. It is possible that Facebook would improve this significantly in the future.

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Philippines, Other ASEAN Members States Commence Negotiations on ASEAN Community Vision 2045

Republic of the Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs

JAKARTA 27 June 2023 -- Following the successful interface of the ASEAN Leaders with the High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo on 10 May 2023, the HLTF- ACV commenced negotiations on the development of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 at the 8th Meeting of the HLTF-ACV held on 26-27 June 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Philippines is working with other ASEAN Member States in developing a concise and streamlined ASEAN Community Vision 2045, with the view to articulate ASEAN's aspirations for the future based on the Core Elements of the ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision, which was endorsed by the Leaders at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2022.

"We need to be efficient, focused, and use precise language in our ASEAN Vision," Eminent Person of the Philippines Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso said during the Meeting.

The Philippines emphasized the importance of highlighting institutional strengthening of ASEAN in its vision, with the ability to advance ASEAN Community-building and exercise its leadership in the region and coordinate cross-pillar and cross-sectoral issues, and respond to regional and global developments, with the support of a strengthened Secretariat.

The Philippines also urged the HLTF-ACV to begin identifying and including in the discussions relevant ASEAN stakeholders in the development of the Strategic Plans or attendant documents of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 will be endorsed to the ASEAN Coordinating Council during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in September 2023. ASEAN aims to finalize the Vision statement and its Strategic Plans for adoption by ASEAN leaders in 2025. END

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Joint Statement on the 5th India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation

Republic of the Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines (SFA), Mr. Enrique A. Manalo, paid an official visit to India from 27 to 30 June 2023. External Affairs Minister of India (EAM), Dr. S. Jaishankar, and SFA co-chaired the 5th meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on 29 June 2023 at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. SFA also called on the Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar during his visit.

2. Both Ministers noted the expanding scope of India-Philippines ties and agreed to work together to further strengthen the bilateral partnership. They noted the complementarities the two countries share as vibrant, youthful democracies and fast-growing economies in the Indo-Pacific region. In this context, they recalled the guidance from their leaders, President of the Philippines, H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and Prime Minister of India, H.E. Narendra Modi, as expressed during their telephone conversation on 5 August 2022 to forge a wide-ranging partnership spanning developmental sectors such as health, agriculture and the digital economy as well as cooperation in defense and security.

3. Both Ministers committed to develop mutually supportive approaches to regional and international developments.

Political Dialogue

4. Both Ministers expressed satisfaction with the series of high-level engagements between the two countries, including the 4th meeting of the JCBC in virtual mode in November 2020; EAM's visit to the Philippines in February 2022; visit of the then SFA, H.E. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., to India in April 2022; and the bilateral interaction in November 2022 between SFA and EAM on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. They also noted the outcomes of their regular dialogue mechanisms such as the Foreign Office Consultations and Strategic Dialogue last held in Manila in August 2022, among others.

5. EAM and SFA agreed to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024 in a fitting manner.

Defense cooperation

6. On Defense Cooperation, both Ministers expressed keen interest to continue to work together in this sector, including through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defense agencies, opening of the resident Defense Attache office in Manila, consideration of India's offer for concessional Line of Credit to meet Philippines' defense requirements, acquisition of naval assets, and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response, among others.

Maritime Cooperation

7. Acknowledging the growing importance of the maritime sector for both countries, both Ministers welcomed the bilateral Maritime Dialogue and the increased cooperation on hydrography.

8. Both Ministers emphasized the utility of maritime domain awareness, and in this context called for early operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the White Shipping Agreement between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG). They looked forward to the signing of the MoU on Enhanced Maritime Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Philippines Coast Guard (PCG).

Law Enforcement Cooperation

9. EAM and SFA encouraged early negotiations for a bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Criminal Matters and a Treaty on Transfer of Sentenced Persons. It was agreed that the first round of talks would be held in the Philippines in August 2023.

10. Recognizing Terrorism and Transnational Crimes as common security threats, they directed that the 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism meet in the Philippines in 2023 and discuss forging a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Terrorism and Transnational Crime.

Trade and Investment

11. SFA and EAM expressed satisfaction at the growing pace of bilateral trade, which had for the first time crossed the level of USD 3 billion in 2022-23,[1] and agreed to commence negotiations on a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement.



12. EAM highlighted the growing engagement between businesses on both sides, including through nearly thirty business-to-business meetings held over the past three years in different sectors. EAM and SFA agreed to encourage their companies to sustain their engagement, and explore new investment opportunities.

Development Cooperation

13. SFA and EAM positively noted the ratification of the Agreement on Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of Quick Impact Projects (QIP) in the Philippines signed in February 2023, which has added a new facet to bilateral relations. EAM underlined India's commitment to share its digital innovations for the benefit of local communities in the Philippines across sectors such as disaster resilience, health, water, environment protection, education and others.

14. SFA expressed appreciation for India's offer to extend concessional Lines of Credit for infrastructure projects, as well as for any other mutually identified projects.

Health and Pharmaceuticals

15. Both sides noted the health sector as one of the priority sectors for bilateral engagement. They agreed on an early meeting of the bilateral JWG on Health to devise concrete initiatives to expand cooperation.

16. EAM and SFA welcomed the signing of a bilateral MoU for Cooperation in Ayurveda in April 2022. They expressed satisfaction at the substantive outcomes of the visit by a high-level Indian AYUSH Ministry delegation to the Philippines and called for early steps to implement the MOU.

Tourism and Civil Aviation

17. SFA and EAM emphasized the need for expanded connectivity and ease of travel to enable the growth of tourism, trade & investment and people to people exchange between the two countries. EAM and SFA acknowledged the implementation of initiatives by both sides to facilitate travel.

18. SFA and EAM expressed satisfaction at the ratification of the Air Services Agreement signed in September 2021. They noted that this would enable the airlines of both countries to explore direct flight connectivity.

19. They also welcomed their respective departments of tourism to come up with initiatives to further expand tourism flows, along with early scheduling of JWG on Tourism. EAM welcomed the announcement of the Philippines Government to introduce e-visa for Indian nationals and noted that India had already extended e-visa facility to the Philippines.

Agriculture

20. Recalling that food security is an area of primary importance to both countries, EAM conveyed support for sharing of India's knowledge, best practices and experience across the agricultural value chain with the relevant stakeholders in the Philippines.

21. SFA conveyed Philippine interest in expanding collaboration on fisheries and marine culture and called for the convening of the Joint Working Group on Agriculture to discuss additional areas of agricultural cooperation.

Financial Technology

22. Recognizing the significant opportunities provided by digital innovations in Fintech sector, SFA and EAM welcomed the signing of a bilateral MoU in June 2023 for the constitution of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fintech, which would provide the institutional framework for cooperation on digitalization of payments, direct benefit transfer using National ID and financial inclusion.

Science and Technology (S&T) Cooperation

23. Both Ministers expressed satisfaction at the commencement of institutional exchanges between their respective Departments of Science and Technology, with the convening of the first Joint S&T Committee meeting in July 2021. SFA highlighted that India is one of the Philippines' priority foreign partners in science and technology. They noted that a new Programme of Cooperation (POC) on S&T for 2023-2026 has been finalized and recommended continued engagement in this area.

Space Cooperation

24. EAM and SFA welcomed the initiation of bilateral engagement on space through training and exchanges, inter alia, leading to the first round of bilateral dialogue, held virtually, between the Philippine Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organization/Department of Space earlier this month. They encouraged continued deliberations on the proposed MOU on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Cooperation on Consular Matters

25. SFA and EAM agreed to convene the 4th Philippines-India Joint Consular Consultations Meeting (JCCM) in Manila in the last quarter of 2023.

Cultural Exchanges

26. Recognizing the need to expand cultural exchanges which had been affected by the pandemic, EAM and SFA recommended that a new Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) be agreed before the end of 2023.

Education Cooperation

27. SFA and EAM noted the strong people-to-people linkages formed through academic exchanges and agreed to continue discussion on further strengthening cooperation in this field.

Regional and Multilateral Issues

28. EAM and SFA held wide-ranging and substantive discussions on regional and international issues of mutual concern. They underlined that both countries have a shared interest in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in this regard.

29. They recognized the need for developing countries to coordinate their responses to key issues. In this context, EAM welcomed SFA's participation at the Voice of the Global South Summit organized by India in January 2023.

30. They expressed satisfaction at ongoing cooperation between the two countries in ASEAN and at multilateral forums and agreed to continue to work together in the United Nations and other multilateral organizations, especially on issues such as climate change, sustainable development and counter-terrorism. The two countries would also support each other's candidatures to various multilateral organizations to enable both countries to play a more active role in these organizations.

31. Given the urgent need for UN Security Council reforms, both sides agreed to the expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, and reforms of the working methods of the UN Security Council, and agreed to work together at the UN to attain concrete outcomes on UN Security Council reforms as soon as possible.

32. It was agreed to hold the next round of Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation in the Philippines on a mutually convenient date.

END

New Delhi

29 June 2023

_____________________________________________________

[1] Fiscal Year: April 2022 to March 2023

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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council Malik Agar

29 June 2023 18:18

1280-29-06-2023



On June 29, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan Malik Agar, who is in Moscow on a working visit. Malik Agar relayed a verbal message which Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The talks focused on developments in Sudan, where armed confrontation is still going on between the country's regular army units and Rapid Support Forces. The Russian Foreign Minister expressed deep concern over the military and political crisis in Sudan, and its dangerous implications for the country and the entire region, emphasising a strong need for taking steps to put an end to hostilities without delay. He also reaffirmed Russia's principled approach to supporting Sudan's unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and the unacceptability of external interference in the Sudan's domestic affairs.

The two officials also reviewed several practical aspects of the efforts to further strengthen the traditionally friendly relationship between Russia and Sudan, including efforts to maintain regular political dialogue and coordinate the two countries' approaches in the UN and other international agencies, and also to step up the mutually beneficial cooperation in the development and production of mineral resources, as well as in agriculture and the energy sector.

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Joint international statement following recent events in Israel and the West Bank

Global Affairs Canada

Statement

June 30, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the UK today issued the following statement:

"The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the UK are deeply concerned by recent events in Israel and the West Bank which further reduce the prospects for peace.

"We are gravely concerned by the Government of Israel's approval on June 26 of over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank. We are also concerned by the changes to the settlement approval process instituted by the Government of Israel on June 18, which facilitate swifter approval of construction in settlements.

"The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We call on the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions.

"We are also deeply troubled by the continued violence and loss of life in Israel and in the West Bank. We unequivocally condemn all forms of terrorism and violence against civilians, including the terrorist attack on June 20 in Eli targeting Israeli civilians. We also condemn the reprehensible and ongoing settler violence targeting Palestinians. We welcome the joint statement from the heads of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police as well as statements by other Israeli leaders condemning these acts. We call on authorities to ensure accountability for all perpetrators of violence.

"The cycle of violence in Israel and the West Bank must be broken.

"Australia, Canada and the UK stand firmly with the Israeli and Palestinian people in their right to live in peace and security, with dignity, without fear and with their human rights fully respected. We continue to support a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel. This vision can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties."

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June 30, 2023

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

Milley Makes Case for Rules-Based Order, Deterrence in New Era

The international rules-based order and the strategy of deterrence are not esoteric principles, but ideas that undergird peace in our world and are worth defending, Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at the National Press Club today.

Milley spoke at the Newsmakers Lunch and also addressed the latest reports from Ukraine.

"Save the International Rules-Based Order" doesn't have the same cache as "Remember Pearl Harbor." You won't see that on bumper stickers on vehicles in the Pentagon parking lot. But the rules-based order came about for good reason. "A few years ago, I was at Normandy, and I talked to a sergeant from the 82nd Airborne Division; he was in a wheelchair, and he had parachuted into D-Day ahead of the amphibious forces," Milley said. "I leaned over and asked him what his biggest lesson was from World War II. I expected him to give me some sort of tactical advice on maneuver and shooting. But he didn't. He looked up at me and tears welled up in his eyes, and he said, 'General, never let it happen again.'"

The rules-based international order was what that paratrooper's generation put in place to ensure a great powers war would not happen again. Milley noted that between 1914 and 1945  World War I and World War II  approximately 150 million people were killed.

"It was the most violent three decades ever recorded in human history, all in the conduct of great power war," the general said. "Two world wars and 30 years, two continents destroyed, millions killed, more refugees than at any point in history, systemic genocide of an entire ethnic and religious community. And, of course, the dropping of two nuclear weapons. It was a global slaughterhouse by any measure. And the world collectively said in 1945, never again."

The peace established by this framework has lasted almost 80 years. It has proven its worth, but the rules-based international order is under great stress today, Milley said. "In particular, Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine is a direct frontal assault on that rules-based international order," he said. "We are now well over a year into this invasion. The bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people are truly an inspiration to us all."

Nations around the world have rallied to Ukraine's side and have been supplying the capabilities needed to defend the country. "We have said our political leaders have said multiple times that our task is to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs to remain free and independent," the chairman said. "And we're doing that in order to make sure that rules-based international order holds."

Across the world, China is looking to rewrite those rules even though China has perhaps been the greatest beneficiary of those rules. "China's economy has been growing rapidly for the last four decades, as we all know, and is now leveraging its financial power to build up an incredibly powerful military," the general said. "They are well into doing that."

Chinese leaders have stated they want "to be the regional hegemonic in Asia within the next 10 years, and they want to exceed global U.S. military power by midcentury," Milley said. "The geostrategic history of this century will likely be determined by the United States-China relationship and whether it remains in a competition or tips into great power war."

All of this is affected by rapidly advancing technology that is causing the most significant fundamental change in the character of war ever recorded in history, the general said. "The nature of war, [Prussian general and military theorist Carl von] Clausewitz tells us, is not likely to change," he said. "It's a human interaction. It's a political act where one side is trying to impose its political will on the other side through the use of organized violence. It involves fear and friction, confusion and death."

But the character of war does change, Milley said. "The character of war refers to how, where, when and with what weapons you fight," he said. "That changes fundamentally, every so often, and, right now, currently, we are in that midst."

The last time there was such a change was in the 1930s when Nazi Germany combined radios, aircraft, armored wheeled and tracked vehicles and created the Lightning War that overran Europe in only 18 months.

"Today, unlike at any time in history, we are in an age of incredible ability to surveil," Milley said. "We have the ability to see and sense the environment. ... We have the ubiquitous ability to see anywhere on the globe at any moment in time. And we can do that with incredible precision. Think about all the sensors that are in this room, right this minute. Every GPS watch every iPhone, every Fitbit, all of them are sensors."

"Our ability to see and sense the environment is unprecedented, and what you can see, you can shoot and hit with precision munitions, you can hit it great range, and with great accuracy."

Robotics will play an increasing role with unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned maritime vessels and unmanned ground vehicles. These are becoming important components of nearly every military, the general said. "In fact, in the next 10 to 15 years, we're likely to see that at least third of the advanced industrial militaries of the world likely will be robotic," he said. "Think of a pilotless Air Force, or a sailor-less Navy, or crew-less tank. The battlefield of the future will require rapid and constant movement, and the ability to remain small and relatively invisible, just to survive."

Perhaps the biggest change is the rapid onset of artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. "Sun Tzu tells us, 'See yourself and see the enemy, and you win 1,000 battles,'" Milley said. "Artificial intelligence and quantum computing are going to do exactly that. We will be able to see ourselves and see the enemy in much more significant ways than we can now."

Artificial Intelligence will be able to process complex information at speeds that no human mind can match.

"So our task ... is for ... the United States military to maintain our current decisive advantage or lethality or readiness or competence by optimizing these technologies for the conduct of war," he said. "And we do this not to conduct war, but to deter great power war. Great power war is neither imminent nor inevitable. I believe that there's human choice. Our task is to continue to deter large scale war."

The United States military must remain overwhelming, relative to any other country, because "that gets to the very essence of what deterrence is about," Milley said. "If we have that power, and we have the will to use it, and that power is known to an adversary, and you assume their adversary is rational, then the probability, not certainty, but probability is that deterrence will prevail, and the great power peace established in 1945, will be sustained. And then, we will have honored that sergeant at Normandy and made sure that it never happens again."

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Romania - Modernization of TPT F-16s

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 23-21

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2023 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Romania of equipment and services to modernize thirty-two (32) F-16 Mid-Life Update Block 10/15 aircraft to be procured through third-party transfer from Norway. The equipment includes KY-58M and KIV-78 cryptographic devices for an estimated cost of $105 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Romania has requested to buy equipment and services to modernize thirty-two (32) F-16 Mid-Life Update Block 10/15 aircraft to be procured through third-party transfer from Norway. The equipment includes KY-58M and KIV-78 cryptographic devices; AN/PYQ-10C Simple Key Loaders; Joint Mission Planning Systems; Night Vision Device (NVD) aviator vision systems and spare Image Intensifier Tubes; Electronic Warfare database support; Classified/Unclassified Computer Program Identification Number Systems (CPIN) and CPIN Electronic Combat International Security Assistance Program (ECISAP) equipment and support; flight test services; integration and test support and equipment; aircraft support equipment; secure communications equipment, precision navigation, and cryptographic devices; Classified/ Unclassified software delivery and support; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; maintenance and maintenance support; studies/surveys; Classified/Unclassified publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $105 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.

The proposed sale will improve Romania's capability to meet current and future threats by bolstering its operational readiness while enhancing air and defense capabilities with a modernized fleet. Romania has F-16s in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft and equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Fort Worth, TX. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Romania.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

-30-



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European Council conclusions on external relations, Eastern Mediterranean and other items, 30 June 2023

European Council / Council of the European Union

European Council

Press release

30 June 2023

VI. EXTERNAL RELATIONS

38. The European Council discussed preparations for the EU-CELAC Summit. It will be an opportunity to renew and strengthen a partnership based on shared values, history and culture, and to agree on a positive and forward-looking agenda. Regular and structured bi-regional dialogue will ensure the follow-up and implementation of concrete actions in areas of common interest, including trade and investment. The European Council underlines the importance of addressing together the global climate and environmental crises, rising inequalities, the opportunities of digital transformation and the need to diversify supply chains, as well as unprecedented threats to global security and the rules-based order.

39. The European Council held a strategic discussion on the European Union's relations with partners in the Southern Neighbourhood. In this context, the European Council welcomes work done on a mutually beneficial comprehensive partnership package with Tunisia, building on the pillars of economic development, investment and trade, the green energy transition, migration and people-to-people contacts, and supports the resumption of political dialogue in the context of the EU-Tunisia Association Agreement. It underlines the importance of strengthening and developing similar strategic partnerships between the European Union and partners in the region.

40. Recalling the EU-Western Balkans Thessaloniki Summit Declaration of 21 June 2003, the subsequent Sofia, Zagreb, Brdo and Tirana Declarations and its previous conclusions, notably those of 23-24 June 2022, the European Council reiterates its full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans and its support for the acceleration of the merit-based accession process and the related reforms.

41. The European Council condemns the recent violent incidents in the north of Kosovo* and calls for an immediate de-escalation of the situation, based on the key elements already outlined by the European Union on 3 June 2023. The parties should create the conditions for early elections in all four municipalities in the north of Kosovo. Failure to de-escalate the tensions will have negative consequences. It is essential that the EU-facilitated dialogue led by the High Representative and the swift implementation of the Agreement on the path to normalisation and its Implementation Annex continue. This includes the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb Majority Municipalities.

42. In line with commitments on multilateralism made at the European Union-African Union Summit of 17-18 February 2022, the European Council supports the African Union's reinforced presence in international forums, notably in the G20.

VII. EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

43. Recalling its previous conclusions, the European Council remains fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the UN framework, in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded and the acquis. The European Union calls for the speedy resumption of negotiations and is ready to play an active role in supporting all stages of the UN-led process, with all appropriate means at its disposal.

44. Recalling its previous conclusions on the EU's relations with Turkiye, including those of June 2021 and the March 2021 Statement, and in light of the recent elections in Turkiye, the European Council invites the High Representative and the Commission to submit a report to the European Council on the state of play of EU-Turkiye relations, building on the instruments and options identified by the European Council, and with a view to proceeding in a strategic and forward-looking manner.

VIII. OTHER ITEMS

45. The European Council acknowledges the challenges posed by cross-sectoral and cross-border crises and natural and human-made disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change and the evolving security landscape in Europe and globally. It underlines the importance of strengthening resilience in strategic areas through an all-hazards approach to preparedness and response using relevant mechanisms, including the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

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Targets! Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz Installs Range Targets

US Marine Corps News

30 Jun 2023 | Maj. Diann Rosenfeld Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz

DEDEDO, GUAM -- Despite Typhoon Mawar's destruction across the island, the ongoing enhancements at the Mason Live Fire Training Range Complex are in full swing. Throughout May to July, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz is installing static and moving targets on two of its four ranges at the Mason range complex.

As their names suggest, automated, moving targets test the shooter's ability to lead and hit a target moving at different speeds, and static targets hone the basic, essential elements of marksmanship. Using static and automated targets provides better marksmanship feedback to the shooter.

"This really is the next phase before the ranges can be operational," said Robert Ledyard, MCB Camp Blaz range officer. "We're looking forward to getting these ranges open for training which can happen as soon as this summer."

The ranges are unique to Guam; there are no other ranges on this island or in this region that accommodate the Marine Corps training requirements. Additionally, these ranges can be used by local and federal agencies such as the Guam Police Department and the Guam Army National Guard.

"During the construction phase of the ranges, many local units and visiting agencies have shown a lot of interest in what these range capabilities bring to the region," said Ledyard. "We are looking forward to providing the current innovative training capabilities to these units that train on Guam."

'Every Marine a rifleman' is part of the Corps' warrior ethos. Marksmanship gives the Marines the confidence and skills required for more in-depth training, like live-fire exercises and military operations in urban terrain.

"Marksmanship is the foundation of Marine Corps training," said Col. Christopher Bopp, commanding officer of MCB Camp Blaz.

The next phase before opening the ranges is planned for this summer, when qualified marksmen will test the targets to ensure they work properly. Specifically, each automated, moving target is flanked by sensors that relay shot information back to the shooter. The information provided by the sensors lets the shooter know if they need to adjust or maintain their aim.

"We've been working closely with the Guam Army National Guard to identify expert shooters to help us ensure our automated targets and their sensors are calibrated correctly," said Ledyard.

There are only two range complexes in the Marine Corps that have automated technology. Other Marine Corps ranges require Marines to hold and walk with the targets from a secure location to simulate movement, but as the Corps' newest range, the Live Fire Training Range Complex will have automated moving targets.

However, not all the targets are automatic; the static targets will still require Marines to 'pull pits' or manually lower, lift, and mark the shooter's target.

While four of the five ranges are forecasted to be operational this summer, construction for the Multi-purpose Machine Gun Range won't be completed until late 2024.

Live Fire Training Range Complex Environmental Considerations- Limestone Forest

As part of the 2011 Programmatic Agreement for every acre of limestone forest developed for the relocation, the Navy and Marine Corps remain committed to restoring the same acreage of Guam's forests. Forest restoration includes the removal of deer and pigs, protection of threatened and endangered species, and replanting of native trees. The objective is to reintroduce native, healthy trees and plants to help transform the forests back to their original biodiversity.

Specific to the Live Fire Training Range Complex, 89 acres of the 315 acres needed to build the ranges were comprised of a healthy, native limestone forest. The rest of the forest was disturbed by limestone forests and grassland. Additionally, the forests across the Northern Plateau are negatively impacted by invasive deer and pigs that prey on native plant saplings. This predation threatens the propagation of native plants and opens the door for invasive species to thrive.

To date, almost 700 acres of forest have been cleared of pig and deer, more than 900 native trees have been planted or transferred to conservation sites, and more than 40 species of rare, high-value, or federally listed plants have been grown in Camp Blaz's nurseries. Despite Typhoon Mawar's devastation to forests across the island, the environmental team will continue its forest restoration and conservation efforts across Camp Blaz.

Live Fire Training Range Complex Environmental Considerations - Storm Water Runoff

Bullets from training are caught by the berm built up at the end of every range and behind the targets. Each range has its own berm, which looks like a grassy hill, that was specifically built based on the range size and the type of ammunition allowed for that specific range. At the end of a three-year period, each berm will be cleaned, and the bullets will be removed and recycled.

The stormwater runoff system pretreats stormwater flowing from the range. This filtration includes limestone aggregate, geotextile fabric, PVC liner, limestone substrate, and sand. While the entire northern half of the island sits atop the Lens Aquifer, the Live Fire Training Range Complex is outside Guam's Groundwater Protection Zone, with the closest well more than two miles away and located on Andersen Air Force Base.

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Chinese authorities monitor Tibetans to prevent communication with outside world

Anyone who has contacted people abroad is called in for police interrogation.

By Sangyal Kunchok for RFA Tibetan 2023.06.30 -- Chinese authorities in Tibet have intensified monitoring of Tibetans, and continue to interrogate them in the regional capital Lhasa to prevent communication with people outside of Tibet, RFA has learned.

The Chinese government has been intensifying its monitoring of Tibetans and maintained their interrogations of Tibetans living in Lhasa to determine if they have contacted people outside Tibet and stepped up surveillance measures to prevent such communication. Now the Chinese authorities are interrogating Tibetans in Lhasa specifically targeting and warning them to stop communication.

In March, two major anniversaries prompted police to step up surveillance. The month marked the 15th anniversary of a 2008 riot, and the 64th anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese troops that had invaded the region a decade earlier.

But the heightened security from March has continued well into June, and police have continued closely monitoring residents in Lhasa and random searches of their cell phone and online communications to discover whether they had communicated abroad.

The police were particularly concerned that the Lhasa residents might be in contact with journalists or researchers outside of Tibet, a Tibetan resident told RFA's Tibetan Service.

"Tibetans are warned not to contact people outside and those who have, have been summoned and interrogated," the source said. "Their cell phones are confiscated and they are under constant scrutiny."

The source was among those who had contacted people outside of Tibet, and was summoned for interrogation along with some friends.

"They gave us warning to not ever contact people on the outside, especially researchers on Tibet and journalists," said the source. "I also know that so many other Tibetans who contacted people outside Tibet were interrogated by the Chinese authorities too."

Another resident said that people could be summoned even for casual conversations with outsiders.

"I was summoned two times already this year for interrogation and one of my friends had to bribe the authorities to release me the second time around," the second resident said. "My name is now listed amongst those interrogated, therefore I have to get permission from the local police if I need to travel outside Lhasa."

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Eugene Whong.

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 June 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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Has Laos ensnared China in a 'creditor trap?'

China can neither allow Laos to default on huge debts nor let its small neighbor suffer too much.

A commentary by David Hutt 2023.06.30 -- In the Western vernacular there's a warning about tails wagging dogs. And the Buddhist adage dictates that when the sage points at the moon, only the fool looks at his finger. The point of both is not to confuse the object for the subject. For years, we've been warned that Laos has been ensnared in a Chinese "debt trap.' What if Laos has equally caught Beijing in a "creditor trap?"

According to the World Bank's latest estimates, Laos' national debt has probably surpassed 110 percent of GDP, with more than two-fifths of that owed bilaterally to China. (It accounts for around half of Laos' external debt.) Others reckon the percentages are actually much higher. And as things stand, Laos' public debt will remain above the 100-percent-of-GDP mark until 2030, according to a baseline scenario of an IMF report published last month.

China and Laos rarely make these things public, but the IMF reckons known deferrals of debt servicing to China amounted to $220 million in 2020, $450 million in 2021, and $610 million last year. By one estimate, China's short-term debt relief in the form of deferrals accounted for nearly 8 percent of Laos' GDP by the end of 2022. Delaying makes sense. It frees up Vientiane's finances in the short term. Because most of Laos' debt is in U.S .dollars and the Lao kip has depreciated so badly since early 2022, payment now would be far more costly to the state than if China was paid back in a few years time (when the kip would have presumably rallied).

Beijing might remain conservative. "Given the approach China has taken previously, it may offer short term relief, but only that," Mariza Cooray, of the Lowy Institute's Indo-Pacific Development Centre, argued last month. Beijing has moved much quicker to defer debt repayments for Laos compared to for the likes of Sri Lanka and Zambia, Cooray noted. But as with Sri Lanka and Zambia, she added, "China has also so far been unwilling to take a haircut on its debt, despite obvious signs that this will ultimately be necessary and to everyone's benefit."

Speaking recently to several economists, however, most were of the opinion that at some point, perhaps in the next year or two, Beijing will have to take a bolder step. That may not be as simple as write-downs or debt forgiveness, although those aren't beyond doubt. Writing off two or three billion dollars, for instance, would prick China's overseas credit sheets but it would be a godsend to Laos' coffers.

Special case

Other debtor nations might cry foul. But unlike Pakistan, say, Laos has miniscule relations with the West, so slightly freeing Vientiane from this debt burden won't see it suddenly realign with the United States or Western lenders. A majority of Laos' debt is owed bilaterally to China, whereas most of Pakistan's external debt is owed to multilateral institutions. That makes Laos a special case.

More likely, though, Beijing will want some form of quid-pro-quo: a stake in Laos' national assets or a geopolitical favor. It's worth considering that Laos takes on the annually-rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024, and Beijing may lean on its geopolitical client to represent its interests. Vientiane, which isn't overly fussed by how others perceive it, could demand something in return.

In any case, that will once again raise the hackles of those who proclaim Laos is ensnared in a Chinese "debt trap". But Beijing cannot easily walk away from its commitments in Laos, either. Toshiro Nishizawa, who has advised the Lao government in the past, has argued that the scale of Laos' debt may seem like "a default is inevitable" but "geo-economic factors mean that the concerns about Laos defaulting are unrealistic. China is unwilling to stomach the financial and political ramifications of a potential Laotian default."

Laos has also, in a way, trapped China. If Beijing allowed Laos to default, it would send a shock throughout the Global South. Because Beijing cannot afford to let Laos suffer too much, it's compelled to offer Laos more relief than other lenders might have done. Neither does it want Chinese firms invested in Laos to be burdened by non-performing loans or for the local economy to collapse.

Chinese gangsters might run mini-fiefdoms in northern Laos but it's in Beijing's interest for the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) to maintain tight central power. It certainly wouldn't help Beijing's global interests if a political crisis erupts in its southern neighbor over the government's inability to pay civil servants or fund basic services for the people, now increasingly the trend.

Debt is trapping China in Laos

In September 2020, Electricite du Laos (EDL), the state-owned energy company that controls the power grid, partnered with China Southern Power Grid Company to create the Electricite du Laos Transmission Company (EDL-T). The firm, of which China Southern has a controlling share (reportedly 90%), will manage Laos' power grid for the next 25 years, including decisions on buying and selling power locally.

Anjali Bhatt, writing about this topic in the Diplomat, noted that this "means China Southern will effectively control the electricity imports and exports of Laos - the crux of the whole Southeast Asia battery ambition." The direct control of critical infrastructure, she added, "gives China leverage. Though unlikely, Beijing could use the threat of interfering with energy exports as a way to influence Lao policy."

However, that deal also meant that the Lao government was able to palm off to Beijing a state-owned enterprise that was hemorrhaging money. Before the merger, EDL was estimated to have been $8 billion in debt. (Much of Laos' external debt has been taken on to finance its underperforming state-run firms, while a recent spate of bond issuances has gone to fund state-run banks.) How much of that remains on the Lao state's books remains unclear but presumably China Southern may have taken on a proportion of that debt. Granted, it also means less revenue for the state but the Lao government now wants domestic taxation on private firms and individuals to be the main bulk of its revenue.

None of this is to say that the Laotian people benefit from the situation. Laos is a one-party, communist state. If it was a democracy, perhaps ordinary folk would rebel over how the current financial burdens will impact their children. National debt, after all, is a tax on the yet unborn generation. No-one benefits from this. Consider the question: Would Beijing prefer Laos to be a debt-ridden economic mess or to be more like Cambodia, another geopolitical partner but one with relatively low debt (less than 40 percent of GDP), good trade with the wealthy West and public finances to invest in its citizens?

Patron-client relations aren't one-directional and debt is also trapping China in Laos. Something must give. But it's in Beijing's court to decide. If the Belt and Road is China's weltpolitik, a Laotian default on its debt would arguably be the biggest crisis yet to Beijing's image as an honest creditor. Debt deferrals are only possible for a few more years. At some point, Beijing will surely have to offer forgiveness.

David Hutt is a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and the Southeast Asia Columnist at the Diplomat. As a journalist, he has covered Southeast Asian politics since 2014. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of RFA.

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 June 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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The Azadi Briefing: Violence 'Widespread' In Afghanistan, Despite Conflict Subsiding

By Frud Bezhan June 30, 2023

The Key Issue

The Institute for Economics and Peace has named Afghanistan as the least peaceful country in the world for the sixth consecutive year.

In its 2023 Global Peace Index released on June 28, the international think tank said "violence is still widespread throughout the country," although it noted that the "level of conflict has dropped considerably" since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

"Afghanistan recorded the largest reduction in deaths from armed conflict in 2022 with conflict-related deaths falling 90.6 per cent, from almost 43,000 to just over 4,000," the index said.

But the think tank noted that the security situation in Afghanistan remains uncertain and terrorism continues to be a "serious security concern."

The index warned that there was a "strong possibility" that the conflict between the Taliban and the rival Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group could escalate. IS-K remains the biggest threat to the Taliban, carrying out deadly attacks against Taliban officials and the country's religious minorities.

The index also noted that a growing number of local militias have joined the Afghan National Liberation Front and the Afghan National Resistance Front, armed groups that have been waging a low-level resistance to Taliban rule.

The Global Peace Index, which ranks 163 countries, measures the state of peace according to three values: the degree of militarization, the level of security, and the extent of ongoing conflicts.

Why It's Important: Since regaining power, the Taliban has repeatedly claimed that it has eliminated IS-K in Afghanistan and boasted about restoring law and order in the war-wracked country.

But the continuing violence in Afghanistan, as documented by the Global Peace Index as well as the United Nations, has busted the Taliban's narrative that it has established complete security.

The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a June 27 report that it had documented significant civilian casualties in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, despite a sharp reduction compared to previous years.

UNAMA said there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 people killed in violence in the country, between mid-August 2021 and the end of May 2023.

Mohammad Naeem Ghayor, an Afghan security expert, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that although the security situation in Afghanistan has improved, there is not "real peace and stability" in the country.

What's Next: The Taliban is likely to face growing internal resistance to its rule. The militants have rolled back many rights, carried out widespread human rights abuses, and sidelined many of the country's ethnic and religious groups.

The militant Islamist group has also been undermined by widening internal rifts and international isolation.

The Week's Best Story

Muslims across the world celebrated Eid al-Adha this week. But the festivities were muted in Afghanistan, where many people are struggling to survive amid a devastating humanitarian and economic crisis. The Taliban's severe restrictions on women's freedom of movement, including a ban on them going to public parks, also hampered celebrations.

What To Keep An Eye On

Amnesty International called on the Taliban to release Matiullah Wesa, a widely known and respected education rights activist who was beaten and arrested by the Taliban in Kabul on March 27.

"Today marks three months since education rights activist Matiullah Wesa was arbitrarily arrested by the Taliban de-facto authorities," Amnesty said in a tweet on June 27.

"His continued detention is a clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under international human rights law. The Taliban de- facto authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Matiullah Wesa."

His arrest on charges of "anti-regime activities" sparked an international outcry.

In a written message to Radio Azadi, Attaullah Wesa said his brother's arrest was unjustified and demanded that the Taliban release him.

Why It's Important: Wesa's continued detention has served to highlight the Taliban's intensifying crackdown on dissent.

In recent months, the militant group has specifically targeted educators, including Rasul Parsi, a former university professor in the western city of Herat, who had written Facebook posts critical of the Taliban.

In February, the Taliban arrested former university professor Ismail Mashal after he distributed books to women and girls in Kabul to protest the Taliban's ban on women attending university and girls above the sixth grade going to school. Mashal was later released.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azadi-briefing- afghanistan-widespread-violence-taliban-wesa/32483532.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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Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Targets Himself, Others In Criminal Complaint To Challenge Central Authority

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service June 30, 2023

The combative leader of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb-majority entity announced on June 30 that he'd filed a criminal complaint against himself and a handful of other senior officials, including a member of the country's ethnically based presidency, in the secession-minded Serb's latest challenge to central authority in the beleaguered Balkan state.

Milorad Dodik, president of the Republika Srpska entity that makes up half of Bosnia, also said he'd filed a complaint against the speaker of the Bosnian parliament and dozens of lawmakers over legislation governing official powers.

Dodik's move is part of a years-long resistance to Bosnia's central authorities and is part of a showdown over a vote by Republika Srpska's assembly to suspend recognition of rulings by Bosnia's Constitutional Court.

The assembly's vote on June 27 was another in a series of steps orchestrated by Dodik and his Bosnian Serb allies to reject the power-sharing structures established for Bosnia in a peace deal to end a brutal three-year war following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

The so-called Dayton agreements in 1995 divided governmental, administrative, and other functions up along ethnic lines between majority Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats.

The bill backed by the lower house of Republika Srpska's parliament still would require upper-house and entity-level presidential approval.

If it got such support, it could come into effect as soon as August in a serious blow to Bosnia's unified checks on centrifugal impulses.

The international community's high representative in Bosnia, German Christian Schmidt, could also annul the legislation under his UN-backed authority to ensure the functioning of Bosnia's civilian institutions.

The Constitutional Court could also strike it down once it is in force, but Dodik and his allies would almost certainly challenge its authority.

Dodik has led an increasingly inflammatory campaign for years to encourage support for his secessionist hopes from neighboring Serbia and from Russia.

Germany's Foreign Ministry said on June 30 that the Republika Srpska assembly's latest move to ignore Constitutional Court decisions "violated the letter and spirit of the country's constitution and with them the 1995 Dayton peace accords."

Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger warned that the vote was a "further serious step toward detachment from identification with the state as a whole" and said it "threatens the unity and territorial integrity of the country."

He also said it endangered the candidate status that the European Union granted Bosnia in December and "is contrary to the wishes and interests of all citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina."

Dodik has filed legal attacks on himself before to try to deliver broader political messages. Eight years ago, he filed a criminal complaint against himself to mock opposition accusations of corruption against him.

In 2017, his son Igor filed a criminal complaint against himself as an alleged "accomplice" to his father in organizing banned Republika Srpska Day events.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-serbs-dodik- charges-self/32483761.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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U.S. Says Not Consulted Before Kosovo Declared Serbian Groups 'Terrorist'

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service June 30, 2023

The United States says Kosovo's government did not consult Washtington before its decision this week to declare two Serbian groups "terrorist" organizations amid ongoing tensions with minority Serbs in northern Kosovo and with neighboring Serbia.

In a statement to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, the U.S. State Department condemned the recent violence that injured dozens of NATO KFOR peacekeepers in clashes with protesting Serbs and encouraged accountability but said Pristina's move "should have been coordinated."

"This decision should have been coordinated with Kosovo's closest international partners, including those who have a primary responsibility for ensuring Kosovo's stability," the State Department said in response to RFE/RL questions.

"We again urge Kosovo to refrain from unilateral steps as we work with all parties to resolve the current crisis."

Three Kosovar police officers returned home on June 26 after a court in the central Serbian city of Kraljevo ordered their release following their detention by Serbian authorities earlier this month along the border between Serbia and Kosovo.

The officers' detentions marked an escalation weeks after clashes in three Kosovar Serb-majority municipalities in late May.

Pristina announced on June 29 that it had declared two groups -- Civil Protection and the Brigada Sever (Northern Brigade) -- terrorist organizations.

It said their members were behind the unrest in northern Kosovo.

"Based on the assessments of the Kosovo security institutions, the illegal formation Civil Protection and its components, and the Northern Brigade represent a serious and direct threat to the constitutional order and security of Kosovo," Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said.

Without providing evidence, he said those groups carried out actions "with terrorist elements" such as armed attacks on members of the Kosovo Police, the European Union's Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), and KFOR soldiers.

Kosovar Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said the designation "will not affect anyone who had not committed a criminal offense before the declaration of [Civil Protection and Northern Brigade] as terrorist organizations," including previous members.

The State Department statement said, "Those responsible for the attacks [on KFOR peacekeepers] should be held accountable, following due process and with full transparency."

Kosovo and Serbia's Western partners including the United States and the European Union have urged an immediate deescalation of the situation, including through new elections and the withdrawal of police from municipal buildings at the center of a dispute over mayoral seats.

Pristina tried to forcibly install ethnic Albanian mayors in four municipalities with ethnic Serbian majorities after by-elections that were boycotted by local Serbs, resulting in overall turnout of under four pecent.

The mayors' seats had been vacated in protest in November 2022 amid a dispute over cross-border documents.

Serbia does not recognize its former province's 2008 declaration of independence and supports and finances a "parallel system" in many aspects of life for Serbs in northern Kosovo.

Pristina describes that system as illegal and an infringement of Kosovar sovereignty.

The European Union and United States have encouraged talks between Belgrade and Pristina for over a decade aimed at a road map to normalize Serbian-Kosovar relations.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbia-us- terrorist-groups/32483596.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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Poland Wants to Host US Nuclear Weapons - Prime Minister

Sputnik News

20230630

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - Poland wants to host US nuclear weapons in response to deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday.

"In connection with the fact that Russia intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus ... we all appealing to the entire NATO to take part in the Nuclear Sharing program," Morawiecki told reporters after the EU summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 25 that Moscow and Minsk had agreed to station Russia's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which does not breach Russia's commitments on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. On April 2, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said that nuclear weapons in Belarus would be stationed closer to the western borders of the Union State.

The United States and its allies have repeatedly called on Russia to reconsider its decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus. On March 26, the European Union said it was ready to respond with new sanctions if Belarus proceeds with its plan to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons given that they allegedly threaten EU security.

 Sputnik

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Norway to Establish F-35 Support Facility for European Countries

Sputnik News

20230630

Igor Kuznetsov

Despite far-reaching plans to offer maintenance services to F-35 users across Europe, Norway itself has so-far suffered from a severe shortage of mechanics  to the point of needing US hires to plug the personnel gap.

The Norwegian Air Force has jointly with the company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace decided to build a new support facility for F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets.

The facility, to be located at Rygge air base near the capital city Oslo, has been valued at NOK 500 million ($46.5 million) and is expected to provide airframe maintenance and associated solutions for the entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets in the Norwegian Armed Forces, which is one of the prime users of the aircraft that has been troubled by a long history of technical errors and ballooning costs.

Alongside maintenance, the site will offer modifications, upgrades, and related improvements for the F-35s throughout their lifetime.

"Establishing a maintenance depot in Norway helps to retain and develop expertise and capacity to carry out maintenance and upgrades of Norwegian fighter aircraft, in accordance with the needs and priorities of the Norwegian Armed Forces," Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace President Eirik Lie stated. He cited the "know-how" that has been built up over several decades, and claimed the agreement would cement the company's role as a supplier of maintenance services in the defense sector.

According to Lie, the new depot will also be used to conduct maintenance services on "other nations' F-35s," so the list of potential clients includes numerous European nations, ranging from neighboring Denmark and Finland to Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, Italy, and Poland, with the latter three hosting Lockheed Martin facilities of their own.

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is a subsidiary of Kongsberg Group, one of the pillars of the Norwegian industry and a supplier of defense and space-related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems. The new Norwegian facility is expected to enter service after its completion in the second half of 2025.

Norway's Prized F-35 Fleet and Its Challenges

With 52 F-35s ordered, Norway already has an F-35 maintenance center at the air force's main base in Orland. Furthermore, Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services, which supplies maintenance, repair and overhaul services, has already been working with Pratt & Whitney to sustain and upgrade F-35 aircraft and its F135 engines at Rygge air base since 2020.

The plans to expand maintenance services come on the coattails of a recent report by Norway's Defense Commission that highlighted a severe shortage of mechanics within the Nordic country's air force. The problem was said to have only become worse by the closure of the air base at Bodo, with the entire F-35 fleet to be distributed between the air stations Orland and Evenes.

The challenges in recruiting and retaining enough technical personnel for the combat aircraft have been admitted by Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram. So far, Norway has been forced to hire technical personnel abroad (from none other than the US-based manufacturer, Lockheed Martin), but this solution has only been touted as temporary. However, while funds to secure enough local technicians have already been proposed, local air force professionals have warned that the shortages are persistent and cannot be tackled with money infusions alone.

 Sputnik

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Baku, Yerevan Agree on Additional Articles to Draft Peace Deal - Foreign Ministry

Sputnik News

20230630

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, agreed Thursday on additional articles in the draft peace agreement between the countries, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

"The Ministers and their teams continued progress on the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations," the ministry said on the website.

"They reached an agreement on additional articles and achieved mutual understanding on the draft agreement, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues require further work."

Bayramov and Mirzoyan held talks from June 27-29 at the George Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in the US state of Virginia. They also met in Washington with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the statement read.

The foreign ministers expressed their appreciation to Washington for hosting negotiations between Yerevan and Baku and the "commitment to continue their negotiations."

The decadeslong conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh flared up in September 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. Hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral ceasefire declaration signed in November 2020.

The two former Soviet states agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. Since then, there have been occasional clashes along the border.

In 2022, Yerevan and Baku, mediated by Russia, the United States and the European Union, began discussing a future peace treaty. In May 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan was ready to recognize Azerbaijan's 86,600 square kilometers (33,430 square miles) territorial integrity that also includes Nagorno-Karabakh.

If Armenia does not change its position on the issue, Baku and Yerevan may sign a peace treaty in the near future, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

 Sputnik

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Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti Barbara Feinstein On the Secretary's Upcoming Travel to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana

US Department of State

Special Briefing

Barbara Feinstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti

Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

Via Teleconference

June 30, 2023

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us for this call today to preview the Secretary's upcoming travel to Trinidad and Tobago and to Guyana. Our briefer today is Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti Barbara Feinstein. Today's call is on the record and is embargoed until the conclusion of the call.

And now I'll turn this over to Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein for some opening remarks. Please go ahead.

MS FEINSTEIN: Thank you very much, and thank you all for joining us today for this preview of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's travel to Trinidad and Tobago and to Guyana. During this trip, Secretary Blinken will meet with some of our closest partners in the Caribbean to discuss a range of priorities, from food and energy security and climate resilience and finance to regional security and migration management. The Secretary will also attend the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, heads of government meeting and the 50th anniversary of CARICOM celebration in Port of Spain.

The Secretary's trip builds on the Vice President's visit to the Bahamas on June 8th, just two weeks ago, where she engaged leaders from CARICOM and the Dominican Republic and made fresh commitments on issues of mutual concern. These engagements testify to the unprecedented prioritization of the Caribbean region under this administration. President Biden met with leaders of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic in June 2022 at the Summit of the Americas. Vice President Harris has met with them in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and in Nassau. Special Presidential Advisor Dodd, Special Envoy Kerry, USUN Ambassador ThomasGreenfield, and Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols have met with Caribbean leaders in the region more than a dozen times.

Caribbean nations are vital partners, friends, and neighbors. We share an unshakeable commitment to democracy and the rule of law. They are critical allies and thought leaders on a broad range of issues, including security, migration, climate change, finance, food security, and energy. Through our diaspora, we share bonds of culture and history, which is particularly important to mention on this, the last day of Caribbean American Heritage Month.

In short, the Secretary's visit to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana further deepens our diplomatic engagement with 14 steadfast democracies.

On July 5th, in Port of Spain, Secretary Blinken will meet with Trinbagonian Prime Minister Keith Rowley. There, the Secretary will focus on our shared priorities of supporting strong democratic institutions in the region, committing to efforts to enhance energy security and climate resilience, including through the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis, or PACC 2030, and reaffirming the hemisphere's regional and holistic approach to address irregular migration. Secretary Blinken will also discuss efforts to tackle the climate crisis and improve citizen security in Trinidad and Tobago.

Secretary Blinken will also meet with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to discuss the political, security, and humanitarian crises in Haiti. The Secretary will urge Prime Minister Henry to work urgently with Haitian stakeholders to enlarge the political consensus and fashion a political path forward that returns Haiti to democratic order. Secretary Blinken will also engage Caribbean leaders on the multi-dimensional crisis in Haiti and reaffirm the United States' strong support to the Haitian National Police and our support of the Haitian Government's call for the deployment of a multinational force and/or peacekeeping operation.

Additionally, Secretary Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, the incoming chair of CARICOM, to discuss our strong partnership on regional migration, security, and renewable energy.

On July 6th, the Secretary will meet with President Irfaan Ali in Georgetown, Guyana. Secretary Blinken and President Ali will discuss priority bilateral issues, including food and energy security and decarbonization, climate resilience, regional migration, and building local capacity.

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are among our closest partners in the Caribbean. We look forward to engaging with their leaders and partners across the region to discuss a share - a range of shared priorities and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CARICOM. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Great. Thank you, DAS Feinstein, for those opening comments. Rich, if you could please repeat the instructions for asking a question.

OPERATOR: Certainly. Once again, if you'd like to place yourself into the queue to ask a question, please press 1, then 0 on your telephone keypad.

MODERATOR: Great. Thanks very much. Let's first go to the line of Shaun Tandon with AFP.

QUESTION: Hey, there. Thanks for doing this call. Could I follow up on your - on your remarks on Haiti. To what extent do you think these talks will talk about stabilization or some sort of international force for Haiti? Are we looking for a greater role by CARICOM in that and do you see any progress on that soon? Thank you.

MS FEINSTEIN: Thank you for the question. Well, of course, we see CARICOM as a key partner in addressing the challenges in Haiti. In the aftermath of the Vice President's visit to Nassau, we saw an important meeting that CARICOM held in Kingston, Jamaica, that brought together stakeholders, including Prime Minister Henry, representatives of the private sector, civil society, the key political parties and faith groups to talk about the issues that Haitians are facing, the challenges including security, governance, essential reforms to get back to a democratic order. And some progress certainly was made in that meeting, and we see that as a critical step forward for Haiti.

With regards to a multinational force, it remains the United States position that that is critical that we ought to respond as a global community to the Haitian people's call for enhanced security assistance given the untenable situation on the ground. Of course, several Caribbean leaders have spoken up in support of such an effort, and we look forward to a broader conversation with the Secretary and the leaders, including Prime Ministry Henry, to talk about what can be done, including at the UN Security Council, to advance that effort.

MODERATOR: Great, thanks very much. Next let's go to the line of Daphne Psaledakis from Reuters.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you so much for doing this. Trinidad and Tobago has requested the U.S. Government amend the terms of a license authorizing the joint development of a promising offshore gas field with Venezuela. Do you expect that this will come up at the Secretary's meetings, and what changes were requested, and is this something the U.S. is open to? Thank you.

MS FEINSTEIN: Thank you for that question. So as the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has stated publicly, we did issue - OFAC issued a specific license to the government to allow development of the Dragon offshore natural gas field located in Venezuelan maritime territory. We took that step to support the Government of Trinidad and Tobago's ability to access additional natural gas resources and utilize existing onshore infrastructure to meet domestic demand, and to increase regional and global exports of LNG, ammonia, urea, and other gas-derived products, particularly in light of our commitment to assist the Caribbean region writ large with access to additional energy supplies.

And to that end, as a regional leader in LNG production, Trinidad and Tobago has committed to providing solutions to the region as it seeks to boost its production capacity. So we are certainly open to further conversations with Trinidad and Tobago on this issue to see what can be done to improve energy security in the region.

MODERATOR: Great, thank you for that. Let's next go to the line of Iain Marlow from Bloomberg.

QUESTION: Hey there, thanks for doing this. I just wondered how much Venezuela sort of more broadly will come up in these conversations, whether there'll be any conversations between the Secretary, maybe yourself, and other aides about just the ongoing situation there and efforts with the opposition. Is that sort of planned, or is there any sort of separate sessions related to Venezuela?

MS FEINSTEIN: I can confirm that there are no separate sessions specifically scheduled to deal with Venezuela. I would say broadly, as noted at the top of the call, the Secretary does want to talk about shared priorities in the region, including democracy and stability, and certainly Venezuela could come up in that context in terms of our push for free and fair elections there and a peaceful restoration of the democratic process in Venezuela.

MODERATOR: Great, thank you very much. Operator, could you please repeat the instructions for asking a question?

OPERATOR: Certainly. If you'd like to place yourself in the queue, you may press 1 then 0 on your telephone keypad.

MODERATOR: Great. Well, thank you, DAS Feinstein. That's all the time that we have for questions today. Thank you all very much for joining us. As I said at the top, this call was on the record and embargoed until the end of the call, which will be momentarily. Thank you very much.

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Joint international statement following recent events in Israel and the West Bank

The UK, Australia and Canada have expressed deep concern at the approval of new settlement units in the West Bank and ongoing cycle of violence.

30 June 2023

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the UK are deeply concerned by recent events in Israel and the West Bank which further reduce the prospects for peace.

We are gravely concerned by the Government of Israel's approval on June 26 of over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank. We are also concerned by the changes to the settlement approval process instituted by the Government of Israel on June 18, which facilitate swifter approval of construction in settlements.

The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We call on the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions.

We are also deeply troubled by the continued violence and loss of life in Israel and in the West Bank. We unequivocally condemn all forms of terrorism and violence against civilians, including the terrorist attack on June 20 in Eli targeting Israeli civilians. We also condemn the reprehensible and ongoing settler violence targeting Palestinians. We welcome the joint statement from the heads of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police as well as statements by other Israeli leaders condemning these acts. We call on authorities to ensure accountability for all perpetrators of violence.

The cycle of violence in Israel and the West Bank must be broken.

Australia, Canada and the UK stand firmly with the Israeli and Palestinian people in their right to live in peace and security, with dignity, without fear and with their human rights fully respected. We continue to support a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel. This vision can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties.

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The UK regrets the decision to withdraw the UN Mission in Mali: UK statement at the Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Mali.

30 June 2023

President, I join others in thanking France for their work on this file and pay tribute to SRSG Wane and the dedication and service of MINUSMA personnel dan condolences to those who have paid the ultimate price.

As we know the Transitional Government of Mali requested MINUSMA's departure. The United Kingdom would not have chosen to withdraw MINUSMA at this moment, when Mali and the wider Sahel are facing increasing instability and humanitarian needs. We do not believe that partnership with the Wagner Group will deliver long-term stability or security for the Malian people.

We are particularly concerned about the impact MINUSMA's withdrawal could have for the future of the Algiers Agreement. We underline the obligations of all signatory parties to adhere to the agreement. As part of MINUSMA's transition plan, we urge the United Nations to consider establishing an appropriate entity to support ongoing dialogue and implementation.

Nevertheless, the United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of this resolution, which emphasises the need for MINUSMA to withdraw in a safe and orderly manner. We regret, however, that it was not possible to adopt a resolution allowing for a more prudent withdrawal timeline, and a mandate that would have enabled MINUSMA to continue providing support during its drawdown. We are also concerned that the Mission's mandate to protect civilians will be discontinued from October.

This resolution sets an objective of withdrawal by 31 December, but it also requests the Secretary-General to keep the Council informed regularly on progress. We believe the Council should stand ready to revise this timeline if needed, to allow time for a safe and orderly withdrawal.

MINUSMA's withdrawal will be a major logistical undertaking, and it will not be without risk. This resolution underlines Mali's obligation to cooperate with the United Nations during MINUSMA's exit process and to respect the Status of Forces Agreement until its departure. MINUSMA's freedom of movement must be upheld, for the safety and security of its personnel. In this regard we urge Mali to end restrictions on MINUSMA's imports.

The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting the Malian people. We call upon the authorities to deliver on their commitment to the political transition, with free and fair presidential elections in February 2024. We also urge them to fulfil their primary responsibility for the protection of civilians and their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law.

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Joint Statement by the Troika on Sudan and South Sudan

Governments of the United States of America, Norway, and the United Kingdom have issued a statement on the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

30 June 2023

The Department of State hosted special envoys from Norway and the United Kingdom June 21-22 to discuss as members of the Troika the ongoing conflict in Sudan, and the need for coordinated international pressure to stop the fighting, protect civilians, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access.

Troika envoys condemned the widespread human rights violations, conflict-related sexual violence, and targeted ethnic violence in Darfur, mostly attributed to soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias, and reiterated calls for the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces to control their forces, ensure respect for human rights, and hold accountable those responsible for attacks against civilians. The envoys expressed deep concern that increased fighting in Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile and other periphery areas risked further broadening the conflict and urged leaders of armed movements inside Sudan to stay out of the fight and support peace and a negotiated end to the conflict. They reiterated support for the Sudanese people's demands for freedom, peace, and justice.

Troika members also discussed South Sudan and the transitional government's lack of progress toward fulfilling its peace agreement. They agreed on the urgent need for the transitional government to meet its commitments without delay. These include taking all steps necessary to complete the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces, as well as preparation for free, fair, and peaceful elections. Along with the State Department's Sanctions Coordinator, they discussed the transitional government's failure to manage the country's oil revenue transparently with companies and associations operating in or providing services to companies in South Sudan's oil sector. Noting the arrival of more than 130,000 people who have fled conflict in Sudan into South Sudan since April 15, the Troika urges the transitional government to provide and facilitate support for them.

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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

30 June 2023

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Noon Briefing Guest

In a short while, I will be joined by our guest, Bruno Lemarquis, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He will give us an update on the humanitarian situation there.

** Secretary-General's Travel

I have a trip to announce. On Sunday, the Secretary-General will be going to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where he will address the forty-fifth meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, also known as CARICOM.

The Secretary-General will speak at the opening of the conference on Monday and he will underscore that the world needs to match the leadership, energy and commitment of the Caribbean countries on issues such as the restructuring of the international financial system and the climate crisis. He will also reiterate the United Nations' commitment to call for more ambitious action in these two areas.

While in Port of Spain, the Secretary-General will also meet with Prime Minister Keith Rowley and with other leaders on the margins of the conference.

He is expected to be back in New York on Tuesday.

** Black Sea Initiative

We note with concern that no new vessels have been allowed to join the Black Sea Initiative since 26 June despite the submission of 29 applications to the Joint Coordination Centre.

Currently, only 13 ships remain in the Initiative. They are either loading in the Ukrainian ports or on the move to or from Istanbul.

Every day counts. Without new ships entering the Black Sea Initiative, a million or more tons of food will remain stuck between now and the run-up to 17 July.

The parties must ensure that additional vessels are allowed to sail the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, which serves as a global lifeline for food security. The commencement of the harvest season underscores the urgency.

In June, 2 million tons of foodstuffs were exported, well below port capacity and industry demands.

We call on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay.

** Alliance of Civilizations

The High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Moratinos, yesterday expressed his unequivocal condemnation of the burning of pages of the holy Quran on Wednesday in front of a mosque in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. He said that such vile act is disrespectful to Muslims who were celebrating the holy occasion of Eid Al-Adha.

The High Representative reiterated the importance of upholding the freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. At the same time, he stresses that the desecration of sacred books and places of worship as well as religious symbols is unacceptable and can lead to incitement of violence.

The Secretary-General supports the High Representative's views. The full statement is online.

** Malawi

In Malawi, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that relief efforts continue three months after Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

We and our partners have helped more than 620,000 people by providing clean water, food and emergency shelter, among other assistance.

We also have some positive news to share: the cholera outbreak is finally slowing down, thanks to the continued work of the national and international community. The UN and our partners provided more than 1 million people with access to clean water, appropriate sanitation facilities and hygiene supplies.

We will need to sustain these efforts, especially with the upcoming lean season. Our $116 million flash appeal for Malawi is 25 per cent funded.

** Zambia

And following an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Zambia in the last few weeks, with a positivity rate of 7 per cent, our team, led by the Resident Coordinator, Beatrice Mutali, has provided technical and material support to the Government in the response. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is supporting the rehabilitation and servicing of three medical oxygen plants at three main hospitals in three different provinces. In addition, the agency has reactivated the distribution of personal protective equipment, including about 400,000 masks, 1 million gowns, 855,000 gloves, 78,000 goggles, and 42,000 face shields. For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) is restocking laboratories with test kits and monitoring the COVID-19 variants being detected.

** Myanmar

A report published today by the UN Human Rights Office shows that Myanmar's overall humanitarian and human rights situation has deteriorated to alarming levels, worsened by the military's strategy to prevent life-saving humanitarian aid from reaching those who desperately need it, including in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in May.

The report says intentional obstruction or denial of humanitarian assistance may amount to gross violations of international human rights law, and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The full report is online, and High Commissioner Volker Turk will present it to the Human Rights Council next Wednesday, 5 July.

** International Days

Today is the International Day of Parliamentarism. It is a time to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative by including more women and young Members of Parliament, as well as adapting to new technologies.

Today is also International Asteroid Day. This Day aims to raise public awareness about the hazard of asteroid impacts.

And tomorrow, we will mark the International Day of Cooperatives. Cooperatives have been acknowledged as associations and enterprises through which citizens can effectively improve their lives while contributing to the economic, social, cultural and political advancement of their community and nation. This year's theme is "Cooperatives Build a Better World."

** Hybrid Briefing

And you will hear soon from Bruno Lemarquis.

And on Monday, at 1 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing here by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July, and she will discuss the Council's programme of work for the month.

** Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman : And that's it from me. Yes, James?

Question : The Security Council has voted on the withdrawal plan for MINUSMA (United Nations Stabilization Mission) in Mali. One, what is the Secretary-General's reaction? Two, what does he think MINUSMA has achieved in 10 years?

Deputy Spokesman : Yeah. As you may have noticed, I was slightly behind schedule today, and that's because I'm waiting for a statement that still hasn't come out about the views of the Secretary-General. It should come out shortly, but what I can tell you right now is, of course, that we're aware of the decision by the Security Council to terminate the mandate of the UN mission MINUSMA. And, of course, what we want to do at this stage is to make sure that all of the signatory parties to the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali will continue honouring the ceasefire as the Mission withdraws. And we will work with the Government to ensure that we'll have their full cooperation for an orderly and safe withdrawal for the Mission's personnel in the coming months. And beyond that...

Question : What does he think of MINUSMA? It's been there for 10 years. It's the most expensive, the most dangerous UN mission. What does he think it's achieved?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, certainly, we, at this stage, should also pay tribute to the fact that I believe there's something like 309 peacekeepers who gave their lives to the work of MINUSMA over the past decade. And we want to make sure that the cause for which they risk their lives, which is to say preserving the security and stability of the people of Mali, is not in vain. And so that needs to be taken care of, regardless of what happens with the fate of the Mission. We're obviously...

Question : I have the death toll at 174. I'm not going to... just if you could just... because that seems a lot higher than...

Deputy Spokesman : Oh, sorry.

Question : That seems a lot higher than what you were saying. [cross-talk]

Deputy Spokesman : Oh, yeah. No. No. This is the full death toll of [all MINUSMA personnel] during the 10 years, the mission's existence, not simply of Malian peacekeepers.

Question : Final question from me on Mali. Does the Secretary-General think the Government of Mali are making a mistake?

Deputy Spokesman : This is an organization of sovereign nations. Whenever we embark on peacekeeping missions, we do it with the consent of Governments. And whenever we withdraw, that is also with the consent of Governments. Ultimately, we work with Governments to make sure that we can fulfil objectives, but we cannot possibly do more for the people of Mali than their own authorities will permit. At the end of the day, if we're requested to leave, that's what we will do. And if we're unable to carry out the objectives of our mission anymore, then that means it is time for us to withdraw. It's not something we do with any great pleasure. We want to serve the peoples of the world. This is what the UN exists for. But we also are aware of the realities of the circumstances we're in.

Question : That was a very good answer, but I don't think it was the answer to my question. Does the Secretary-General think the Government of Mali is making a mistake?

Deputy Spokesman : I think I've said it in the way that I can say it. Yes?

Question : Thanks, Farhan. I'm going to follow-up on James's questions. In his latest report, the Secretary-General has really said clearly that the role of MINUSMA in Mali is vital for the Malian population and for the region. So how worried is he now for the security of the Malian population and for the risk of insecurity in the region as a whole?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, the Security Council has taken its decision, and we will abide by it. But at the same time, we will continue to have solidarity with the people of Mali, and we intend to continue to engage with the transitional Government of Mali on how best to serve the interests of Mali's people, and that would include cooperation with our country team in Mali, with the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the other partners that we have. So we're going to do what we can with whatever avenues we can pursue.

Yes, Alan?

Question : Thanks so much, Farhan. Yesterday, Russia distributed its official letter in the Security Council and General Assembly calling for the UNSG and the international community to make pressure to Kyiv to make them not to commit any provocations against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. At the same time, Russia said that it's not going to blow up this plant. My question is what the SG is going to do in regard with this call?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, regarding the situation at Zaporizhzhia, we ourselves want to make sure that all parties are aware of the need to avoid any actions that could heighten tensions around the nuclear power plant. But the lead role played by the United Nations system at the power plant is, of course, played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and they're continuing to work out to make sure that conditions at the plant are safe and secure.

Question : A follow-up. Is the SG going to contact directly Ukrainian officials or Government or [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have any context to report at this stage. But, like I said, the lead role in this is played by the IAEA and we'll let them communicate with the parties in terms of pursuing their objectives.

Dezhi?

Question : First, a follow-up on Black Sea Initiative. Just now, you said new vessels being invested or are being inspected or are being registered since 28 June?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, there's only 13 ships that are still inside the Initiative, which are loading at the ports or on the move.

Question : Okay. So as I understand, UN is part of the JCC and you're calling other parties to fulfil their obligations. Who is the party or parties? And what's wrong with the JCC that led to this situation?

Deputy Spokesman : We've been talking at some level about the problems, the slowness of the process. I'll just leave you to what we've said in the past about this and the information that's on the website of the Joint Coordination Centre.

Question : So does that mean after the announcement from Russian Federation, this Black Sea Initiative is dying?

Deputy Spokesman : I'm not offering any interpretations beyond what I've said. The problem is the slowness of the pace right now. And, as I said, right now, time is a key concern, and we want to make sure that we can process more ships.

Question : Okay.

Deputy Spokesman : Yes. And your colleague has a question. Yes. Yes. Yes, please. Grigory?

Question : Thank you very much, Farhan. Just a follow-up. So any scheduled meeting consultation between the UN and Russia on the grain deal, maybe in Geneva or somewhere else?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have any particular appointments to say just yet. I do believe some officials will be meeting in the coming days, and once I can, we'll share that information.

Stefano?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. The Vatican continues its attempt for peace between Ukraine and Russia. And today, Cardinal [Matteo] Zuppi was in Moscow. I asked this question before, if the Secretary-General is in contact with the Vatican to know how this attempt is going on? Well, if he knows exactly the details of what the Pope is trying to do?

Deputy Spokesman : I don't have any details to share about that at this stage. We're aware of the Vatican's initiative and certainly it will be good if they can make any progress with their efforts.

Yes, Dezhi?

Question : Today, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) welcomes US back to this institution. But the Under Secretary of State for Management, Mr. John Bass, said when talking about the reason US returning to UNESCO, said, and I quote, "If we're ready seriously about the digital age competition with China, we can't afford to be absent any longer." Does the Secretary-General worried that the rejoining of the United States to UNESCO would make the UNESCO become another geopolitical battlefield?

Deputy Spokesman : No. Our belief is that the more countries join in UN bodies, the more they can use the venues of the United Nations as places to work out their differences with each other. That's the entire point of the United Nations system. And so it's a good thing if the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is a place where the US and other countries can deal with complex issues, including artificial intelligence.

Question : But sounds it's not the intention of the United States.

Deputy Spokesman : It's up to all of you in the media again to make analysis about what different parties are trying to achieve. From our perspective, the point is if they're working within the United Nations, they can deal with their differences and resolve them in an amicable and negotiated fashion.

Question : And US decided to pay off the 600 million dollars to UNESCO, which actually sparked another question to me, which is how much does the US own to this very institution so far? Did you have a number?

Deputy Spokesman : Well, there's documents that have all the various dues. A lot of dues payments by different countries comes at different stages according to their budget cycles. And we tend to get a lot of payments... [cross-talk]

Question : Yeah, but how much does the US owe?

Deputy Spokesman : From the United States in the fall.

Question : Yeah. How much does the US owe so far? Because I remember there's a number in 2021, which is 2 billion. 1 billion for the regular project, and 1 billion for peacekeeping.

Deputy Spokesman : Well, you can look up the documents about the assessments and they're fairly clear on that.

Question : So should the UN also urge US to pay off their debts?

Deputy Spokesman : We expect all nations to pay up. And indeed, we provide you with a running tally of when they do.

And with that, let me turn to our guest.

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UN Security Council terminates Mali peacekeeping mission

30 June 2023 - The Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in Mali, although it will take six months for the final "blue helmets" to depart.

Security Council members reiterated strong support for the full withdrawal of the decade-old UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the transfer of security responsibilities to the country's transitional Government, which has been in power since a coup in 2021.

Commending the peacekeeping operation and its staff, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the "full cooperation of the transitional Government for an orderly and safe withdrawal of the mission's personnel and assets in the coming months", said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesperson.

The UN chief also urged all the signatory parties to the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali "to continue honouring the ceasefire as MINUSMA withdraws", Mr. Haq said.

However, the UN chief remains concerned by the fact that the level and duration of the financial commitment authority required to facilitate the drawdown process have been significantly reduced during budget negotiations in the General Assembly's Fifth Committee, the deputy spokesperson said, adding that "this increases the complexities and risks of the drawdown operation".

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General will continue to engage with the transitional Government on how best to serve the interests of the people of Mali in cooperation with the UN Country Team in Mali, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and other partners.

Security Council's unanimous support

By the terms of the adopted resolution, MINUSMA will begin drawing down its presence on Saturday and will completely withdraw from Mali by 1 January 2024.

The Council also authorized the mission to respond with force to imminent threats of violence to civilians and contribute to the safe civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance, up to 30 September.

Established by the Council in 2013 following a coup the previous year, the mission's presence, as of February 2023, stands at more than 15,000 personnel, according to MINUSMA.

Media reports have depicted a grim security landscape. Over the past decade, Mali and the Sahel region have seen a surge in clashes and attacks by armed groups and terrorist affiliates, with 303 peacekeepers killed, according to MINUSMA.

Conditions have also worsened due to climate shocks, and rising intercommunal tensions over scarce resources that have become the main drivers of continued violence, mass displacement, instability, and cross-border trafficking.

UN mission's 'crucial role'

Echoing a common message from Council members, Ghana's Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman said the resolution marks a milestone, adding that MINUSMA has played a "crucial role" in securing Mali amid many challenges.

Many Council members agreed that the mission's drawdown does not end the international community's assistance to Mali. Russia's Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said Moscow will continue to provide support, including on a bilateral basis.

Security concerns

Several Council members, including the United Kingdom's Ambassador Barbara Woodward, cautioned that the withdrawal is occurring at a time of fragility in the Sahel region.

Reflecting those concerns, Ambassador for the United States Jeffrey DeLaurentis said all efforts should be made to address such issues as the presence of armed actors, including the Wagner Group, a Russia-based private security contractor that media reports have indicated as being active in Mali.

"Although we regret the decision of the transitional Government to abandon MINUSMA and the fact that this will harm the Malian population, we voted in favour of the resolution since we are satisfied with the withdrawal plan adopted," he said.

Mali: Government pledges full support

While MINUSMA did not achieve all of its goals, Mali's Ambassador Issa Konfourou said the mission has made gains in such areas as human rights.

Ahead of the withdrawal, he said the Malian Government will ensure compliance with the terms of the mission's disengagement within the established timeframe.

In addition, Mali will continue to work tirelessly to protect civilians over all its territory, he said, paying tribute to peacekeepers' contributions.

However, he regretted that the Council continues to consider the current situation in Mali as a "threat to international security", pointing to such gains made as a resumption of constitutional order and the advance of the Algiers Process towards achieving lasting peace.

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United States hands over command of NATO maritime task group to United Kingdom

US Navy

30 June 2023

From Cmdr. Fernando Estrella

TARANTO, Italy (June 30, 2023) - Commodore Paul Stroude of the Royal Navy has assumed command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in Taranto, Italy on June 30, 2023. Commander of Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Mike Utley CB OBE, presided over the handover ceremony.

The ceremony took place on the flight deck of the SNMG2 flagship, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS JAMES E. WILLIAMS (DDG 95). The event marked the end of a one-year rotation under U.S. command, as U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Scott Sciretta was relieved by UK Commodore Paul Stroude.

"Whilst this may mark a change in the leadership of SNMG2, it is also a sign of continuity - a continuity underpinned by the three decades this Task Group has patrolled these waters, as we celebrate the passing of leadership from one NATO Ally to another," said Vice Admiral Utley. "It is a reminder of the promise that exists at the heart of the Alliance: that in our collective strength lies the guarantee of peace and stability for all our nations."

The Mediterranean task group also gets a new UK flagship, Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan.

SNMG2 is one of four standing naval task groups, which comprise NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Maritime).

The U.S. took command of SNMG2 a few months after the task group was activated as a Very-High-Readiness Joint Task Force Maritime Unit (VJTF(M)) for the first time in a deter and defense role in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. was the first country to command the task group under this construct for the entire tour of duty.

"One of the first challenges we solved in the first few months was to determine what would be our operational posture as a VJTF(M)," said Rear Admiral Sciretta. "What I was extremely impressed with then, and continue to be impressed with now is the professionalism, determination, capabilities and regional experience of all the Allied ships and crews we worked with. They made it easier to define our new posture. One of the ways that we changed the structure of the task group was to disaggregate it throughout the Mediterranean to be able to increase our coverage area. This enabled us to multi-task and focus more on vigilant surveillance activities and real-world responses while still maintaining a healthy dose of training and development exercises along with theatre security cooperation engagements."

Throughout the twelve-month deployment, SNMG2 faced internal and external challenges. As they learned how to operate under the new construct, the next challenge was to increase the level of interoperability among Allied ships.

"I think there was a certain level of operational trust that needed to be established when we first started," said Sciretta. "But as we trained and operated through exercises and surveillance activities, we were able to successfully increase that trust and consequently our interoperability. We got to the point where Turkish and Italian helicopters could land on U.S. flight decks, U.S. ships could conduct underway replenishments with Greek oilers, small-boat operations were conducted between Italian and French vessels etc. As the interoperability and communications improved, I felt more confident in disaggregating the task group in order to increase our coverage of the region."

The focus on interoperable activities throughout the deployment was an over-arching theme for almost all of SNMG2's Allied interactions. While patrolling the Mediterranean region, SNMG2's units interchanged amongst Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkiye, the UK and the U.S. Additionally, the task group participated in a myriad of NATO and Allied nation exercises to include Dynamic Mariner/Mavi Bolina, Niriis, Dynamic Manta and Mare Aperto. SNMG2 also worked with different high-value unit groups such as the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, Cavour Carrier Strike Group, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and the Juan Carlos I Amphibious Assault ship.

"To say we increased our interoperable capabilities throughout the year would be an understatement," said Sciretta. "Interoperability and interchangeability have to be the norm going forward in order to sustain military advantage and protect the strategic sea lines of communication in the maritime domain."

UK Commodore Stroude and his multi-national staff have now completed a comprehensive handover of responsibility, with a seamless transition of command from Rear Admiral Sciretta. Seven NATO nations contribute officers to the SNMG2 staff, ensuring a pool of talent and experience. The new flagship, HMS Duncan, is a specialist air-defence vessel, and one of the UK's most advanced and capable warships.

During the next six months, more than twelve major warships from eight contributing NATO nations will participate in the task group, offering a formidable, fully-integrated multi-national force, capable of rapid intervention across a broad spectrum of military operations, and highlighting the strength of the alliance's unity, interoperability and warfighting capabilities.

Following the formal handover ceremony, Cdre Stroude said, "taking command of this NATO task group is a huge privilege but an enormous responsibility, made more so since Russia's illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine last year. When coupled with an ever-present terrorist threat, we are facing some of the gravest security challenges, and global peace and stability cannot be taken for granted. However, nothing illustrates the strength, resolve and capability of the NATO alliance more than task groups such as this. Under my command, this group of first class ships will work tirelessly to deliver reassurance and security to our regional allies and partners, while maintaining the capability to deter any potential adversary. If necessary, we are ready to defend NATO territorial integrity."

Cdre Stroude went on to say, "I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, Admiral Sciretta, who inherited the command of SNMG2 at an incredibly challenging time in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For a full year he has relentlessly delivered on operations to provide security and deter aggression, while doing huge amounts to enhance the readiness, interoperability and tactical flexibility of SNMG2."

SNMG2 is a multinational integrated task group that projects a constant and visible reminder of the Alliance's solidarity and cohesion afloat. This continuous maritime capability performs a wide range of tasks, including exercises and real-world operations in periods of crisis and conflict.

SNMG2 is one of four Standing Naval Forces that operate under NATO Allied Maritime Command, headquartered in Northwood, United Kingdom.

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NATO Struggles to Choose New Leader as Allies Crave Stability Amid Ukraine War

By Henry Ridgwell June 30, 2023

NATO is attempting to choose a new leader, as the term of the current secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, is due to end later this year. However, some member countries want Stoltenberg to stay on, to give the Western alliance stability amid Russia's war on Ukraine.

Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has led NATO for nine years. His tenure has already been extended twice, most recently last year, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Hosting the secretary-general in Washington earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden praised Stoltenberg's record.

"Your leadership in the alliance has been through a really significant period, in terms of dealing with NATO's relationship with Ukraine and, you know, I think you've done an incredible job," Biden said June 13.

Stoltenberg's term is due to expire in September. Traditionally, the secretary-general is European, but NATO allies appear undecided over who should succeed the 64-year-old incumbent, said Joel Hickman, an analyst with the Center for European Policy Analysis, based in Washington.

"They're going to have to be able to navigate lots of different competing national interests that you get in NATO, you get in an alliance of 30-plus countries.

"They're also going to have to be able to garner support among populations within those allied nations, particularly with young people. Polling in recent years has found that young people in the West struggle to understand the purpose or the relevance of NATO," Hickman told VOA.

Denmark's frontrunner

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is seen as a frontrunner. On a recent visit to Washington, she highlighted her country's support for Kyiv.

"We will, of course, continue from our Danish perspective, our very strong, strong support to Ukraine," she said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are also seen as contenders. However, Wallace said this week he does not believe he is a likely candidate for the top job.

Hickman said Russia's invasion of Ukraine will inevitably dominate NATO thinking on choosing Stoltenberg's successor.

"Its important that the NATO secretary-general has both an established and clear voice on Ukraine and can continue to maintain alliance solidarity on Ukraine. But also that they have credibility when it comes to NATO's 2% [of GDP] spending target," he said.

NATO is due to hold its annual summit on July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Some allies want Stoltenberg to extend his term once again, although he hasn't indicated whether he is prepared to do so.

"Right now I think there's a lot of uncertainty in Ukraine. There's also a lot of uncertainty in terms of U.S. politics and who we may have as a president next year - obviously we've heard different positions from some of the Republican candidates. And I think given all of that uncertainty, a large number of allies are looking for that stability," Hickman said.

Daunting Challenges

Analysts say that whoever leads NATO will face numerous challenges: large scale land warfare in Europe; the dangers of nuclear proliferation; an increasingly assertive China; and new theaters of competition in cyber and space technology.

"All across the West, I think advanced societies are on the cusp of profound transformational changes, in particular in emerging and disruptive technologies. And I think NATO really needs to lead that race, particularly with what's going on in Russia, but also with China and elsewhere in the world," Hickman said.

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Sudan: No End in Sight After Nearly 50 Days of Fighting

By Mariama Diallo June 30, 2023

Analysts monitoring Sudan say it might take an internationally supported peacekeeping force to end the ongoing fighting there. That assessment follows multiple failed cease-fire attempts and talks facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Until two weeks ago, Hala Alkarib lived in Khartoum, where she's the regional director for the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. But she and other colleagues had to relocate because of the horrors created by the ongoing war, including looting.

"I would say 75% or more of Khartoum inhabitants have experienced looting," Alkarib said. "Our homes were completely looted, our vehicles, our personal properties, our papers and documents were destroyed and burned."

She said the strategy of the Rapid Support Forces run by General Hamdan Dagalo is not new.

"The presence on the ground inside residential areas being in Khartoum, in Al Fasher, in Nyala or in [El] Geneina, the RSF strategy is to run a war from within and inside civilian residencies," Alkarib said. "The RSF are the extension of the Janjaweed. It's been done for over 20 years in rural Darfur, where villagers were terrorized, and infrastructure was completely destroyed."

Alkarib blames the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for enabling the RSF to flourish.

"SAF unfortunately, they were for years kind of relying on the RSF to do their dirty work and they were complacent and enabled this criminal organization to grow and right now it grew to the point that it actually threatens the existence of overall Sudan as a state."

She said it's unfortunate the international community is not exerting sufficient pressure on countries that could help end the war.

"Seventy-five percent of the causes of this war lies outside of Sudan," Alkarib said. "UAE [United Arab Emirates] and their significant support to the RSF and Egypt and their position - anti- any type of democratic governance in Sudan and that constantly put them in a position where they support SAF as potential rulers."

That sentiment was partly echoed by Dr. Edgar Githua, a lecturer at the United States International University and Strathmore University.

"The African Union and the world in general looking at this situation need to step up and need to call out Russia and tell Russia pull out the Wagner group, get it out," Githua said. "Egypt is an easier group to deal with, the U.S. has a lot of leverage with Egypt. Libya, Khalifa Haftar can be told to back down also, and the UAE can be told to back off."

Some of the countries mentioned offered to mediate the crisis and denied involvement in the war. Githua said the international community must become more directly involved.

"They are coming to the battlefield with renewed vigor and at some point, the world has no choice but there has to be some external intervention and for me it'll be a peacekeeping force that creates a humanitarian corridor to just try to restore normalcy."

The Jeddah talks overseen by the United States and Saudi Arabia were recently suspended and the most recent offer by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, to mediate the crisis also stalled because one of the generals said he didn't want the Kenyan president leading the group that is made up of South Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

And that's a problem, said Macharia Munene, professor of History and International Relations at USIU in Nairobi.

"One of the generals, Burhan, has said he doesn't want anything to do with him, so he's going nowhere," Munene said. "He prefers [South Sudan political figure Salva Kiir. Yes, the team is an IGAD team, and he's supposed to lead the team but if one of the participants, the major player, doesn't want anything to do about him leading the team, there's something wrong."

For now, fighting is showing no signs of letting up.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 30 June 2023 - Day 492

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 in a June 2023 report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) assessed that Russia's military spending budget for 2023 is around 6.6 trillion rubles (USD $85.8bn). This equates to about 4.4 per cent of Russian GDP compared with 3.6 per cent in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's true military expenditure remains uncertain due to a lack of transparency, including the use of classified budget lines, which account for approximately 22 per cent of the Russian Government's total budget.

Although only part of the defence budget is spent on the war in Ukraine, the increase in spending highlights the cost of Russia's activity in Ukraine. In addition, Russia almost certainly faces extra direct budgetary defence costs due to the war, including security expenses in the occupied regions and defensive measures in regions bordering Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day June 30, the Russian occupiers launched another air-missile attack on the territory of Ukraine, using 4x anti-aircraft guided missiles from the S-300 air defense system and 13x Iranian strike UAVs "Shahed-136/131" at military and infrastructure facilities in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 10x out of 13x strike UAVs of the "Shahed-136/131" type.

In general, during the day, Russian forces launched 8x missile and 34x air strikes, launched 40x MLRS attacks from on Ukrainian cities and Defense Forces. Unfortunately, civilians were killed and wounded, more than 20x civilian houses and an educational complex were damaged.

The threat of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.

Russia continues to focus its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Mar'inka axes, so heavy battles continue. During the day, 18x combat clashes took place.

Volyn' and Polissya axes: no significant changes detected. There are no signs of the formation of offensive groupings.

Certain units of the Armed Forces of Belarus perform tasks in the border of Ukraine. On the training grounds of the Republic of belarus, combat training and coordination of units of the armed forces are ongoing before they are sent to the frontlines of Ukraine.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains an enhanced military presence. They shelled with mortars and artillery more than 10x settlements. Among them are Krasni Lozy of Chernihiv Oblast; Baranivka and Svoboda, Sumy Oblast; Udy, Hatishche, Ohirtseve and Dvorichanske of the Kharkiv Oblast.

Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of Novoselivskyi, Luhansk Oblast. They carried out an airstrike in the Kislivka district of the Kharkiv Oblast. Putnykovo, Figolivka, Dvorichna, Masyutivka, Kup'yansk and Kislivka in the Kharkiv Oblast were subjected to Russian artillery and mortar attacks.

Lyman axis: Russian forces carried out airstrikes near Bilogorivka, Luhansk Oblast, and Spirny and Rozdolivka, Donetsk Oblast. More than 10x settlements were shelled by artillery, including Bilogorivka in the Luhansk Oblast and Tors'ke, Dibrova, Verkhn'yokam'ians'ke, Rozdolivka, and Berestov in the Donetsk Oblast.

Bakhmut axis: Russian forces carried out unsuccessful offensives in the vicinities of Bohdanivka and Khromovo of the Donetsk Oblast. Conducted an airstrike at New York in Donetsk Oblast. About 15x settlements, including Chasiv Yar, Kostyantynivka, Klishchiivka, Bila Hora, Diliivka, Pivdenne of the Donetsk Oblast, were shelled by Russian artillery.

Avdiivka axis: with the support of aviation, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations near Avdiivka and Pervomaisky areas. They shelled more than 15x settlements. Among them are Ocheretyne, Keramik, Avdiivka, Severne, Vodyane, Nevels'ke of the Donetsk Oblast.

Mar'inka axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled all Russian attacks in the vicinities of Mar'inka. Russian forces launched an air strike in the area of aforementioned city. Shelled about 10x settlements such as Krasnohorivka, Mar'inka, Georgiivka and Pobyeda of the Donetsk Oblast.

Shakhtars'k axis: Russian forces launched airstrikes in the vicinities of Blagodatne and Zolota Niva of the Donetsk Oblast. They shelled about 15x settlements such as Paraskoviivka, Blagodatne, Vugledar, Novoukrainka, Shakhtars'ke of the Donetsk Oblast.

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russian forces are on the defensive, and concentrate their main efforts on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops. They carried out an airstrike in the Antonivka area of the Kherson Oblast. Russian forces shelled more than 40x settlements. Among them are Novodarivka, Levadne, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipilske, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanilivka, Orihiv, Novoandriivka of the Zaporizhia Oblast and Dudchany, Antonivka, Kherson, Stepanivka, Dniprovs'ke of the Kherson Oblast.

Russian occupation forces continue to kill each other on the battlefield. Thus, in Sergiyivka settlement of Kherson Oblast, after another rotation of positions, from June 15 till present, in one of the units of the 5th Army of the Eastern Military District, up to 10 Russian servicemen were blown up on mines laid by the previous rotation forces.

At the same time, the Russian occupiers continue to loot and use the civilian medical infrastructure of temporarily occupied settlements to provide medical care to their wounded servicemen. In the village of Novopskov, Luhansk Oblast, Russian servicemen loaded the furniture from the maternity hospital onto military vehicles and took it to an unknown destination, while the Russian invaders are converting the territory of the maternity hospital into a field hospital.

Ukrainian Air Force carried out 10x on Russian manpower concentrations and 1x strike on the Russian forces' anti-aircraft missile system.

Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 6x areas of Russian manpower, weapons and military equipment concentrations, 3x ammunition depots, 24x artillery units at firing positions and the Russian occupiers' EW station.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have continued their attempts to conduct offensive operations in Donetsk, Krasny Liman, and South Donetsk directions during the previous 24 hours.

In Donetsk direction, the Yug Group of Forces has successfully repelled five enemy attacks close to Belogorovka, Severnoye, Petrovskoye, and Kamenka (Donetsk People's Republic) during the past 24 hours.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems have eliminated up to 160 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, a German-made Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery system, as well as a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer during the day.

In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, aviation, and artillery repelled enemy attack close to Kuzmino (Lugansk People's Republic).

Furthermore, the AFU units were annihilated in Terny and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Chervonopopovka, Nevskoye, and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic.

Actions of one AFU sabotage and reconnaissance group have been thwarted close to Chervonaya Dibrova.

Over 50 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, two D-30 and one D-20 howitzer, and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit have been eliminated in this direction during the day.

In South Donetsk direction close to Vremevka salient, due to courageous and cohesive actions of the Vostok Group of Forces' units, aviation and artillery strikes, an enemy motorised rifle infantry attack has been repelled near Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

An AFU manpower and hardware cluster has been destroyed near Levadnoye (Zaporozhye region).

In Zaporozhye direction, the Vostok Group of Forces units impeded an attempt of the enemy to conduct reconnaissance-in-force of up to motorised infantry platoon strength, as well as eliminated a sabotage and reconnaissance group.

The enemy's losses in these direction during the day amounted to up to 120 Ukrainian troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, an American-made M777 howitzer, as well as Msta-B and D-20 howitzers.

In Kupyansk direction, units, Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, and artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces repelled two AFU attacks close to Novoselovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic). Moreover, the Zapad Group of Forces inflicted a fire damage on AFU manpower and hardware clusters close to Sinkovka, Kamenka (Kharkov region), and Stelmakhovka (Lugansk People's Republic). In addition, actions of one AFU sabotage and reconnaissance group have been thwarted near Olshana (Kharkov region).

Up to 50 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles were eliminated.

In Kherson direction, the enemy's losses during the day have amounted to up to 45 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS vehicle, two U.S.-made M777 artillery systems, and one Msta-B howitzer.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 86 AFU artillery units at their fire positions, manpower, and military hardware in 108 areas during the day.

Russian air defence forces have intercepted seven HIMARS MLRS shells during the day.

In addition, ten Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed in the areas of Tokmak, Mirnoye, Novoye, Chumatskoye, and Chervonoarmeyskoye (Zaporozhye region), and Golaya Pristan (Kherson region).

In total, 444 airplanes and 240 helicopters, 4,833 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,413 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,134 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,281 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,292 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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Belarus Appears To Be Refurbishing An Abandoned Garrison. For Whom?

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service June 30, 2023



It is "unrealistic" to believe Belarus has already begun building a base for Wagner fighters, a military expert said. It is "unrealistic" to believe Belarus has already begun building a base for Wagner fighters, a military expert said.

Nestled along a serpentine river and surrounded by a sea of leafy birch trees about 90 kilometers southeast of Minsk, the Belarusian village of Tsel seems like an idyllic place to hide from the noise and congestion of city life.

In recent years, residents of Minsk and the district seat, Asipovichy, have snapped up homes in Tsel to use as weekend getaways.

That may soon change.

Rumors have been swirling locally that Belarus is reviving the nearby abandoned military garrison in Tsel. Some residents worry that in the wake of a startling but short-lived mutiny that shook Russia, it could be used to settle fighters from the mercenary group Wagner who have been handed an offer to move to Belarus.

Now satellite images provided by Planet Labs confirm that something very substantial is going on at Tsel. A comparison of images taken on June 17 and June 30 shows the appearance of hundreds of rectangular objects that seem to be field tents. There are also signs of construction work, such as excavated pits. However, there is no military equipment, such as trucks or weapons, visible in the images.



Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the village of Tsel on June 17. Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the village of Tsel on June 17.



Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the village of Tsel on June 27. Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the village of Tsel on June 27.

Local residents told RFE/RL that workers from communal services, water supply, and other agencies have arrived at the abandoned garrison to refurbish it.

The rectangular objects in the images measure 12 meters by 8 meters and are identical to those found at Belarusian bases where Russian mobilized personnel have been training.

Tents of such size can accommodate from 20 to 50 individuals each. RFE/RL counted 303 of the objects, implying as many as 15,000 troops could be settled in Tsel.

Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military expert who examined the satellite images, told RFE/RL he did not think the size was being refurbished for Wagner members given how it has been just a few days since the mutiny and the murky deal that ended it.

"Very little time has passed to start building a camp specifically for the Wagner group. This is unrealistic," Zhdanov said.

Prigozhin, who had harshly criticized the Russian military leadership for months, announced on June 23 that his forces would make a "march of justice" into Russia from Ukraine, where they played a key role and suffered severe casualties in heavy fighting for the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut.

Wagner mercenaries essentially took control of the large southern city of Rostov-on-Don, and a separate contingent headed toward Moscow on a highway. President Vladimir Putin denounced what he called an "armed mutiny" and said the organizers were traitors who would be held responsible.

Late on June 24, Prigozhin abruptly called off the advance, saying that his force was about 200 kilometers from Moscow but that he wanted to avoid bloodshed.

The Kremlin and Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Luksahenka claimed they had struck a deal under which Wagner mercenaries would avoid prosecution and Prigozhin would move to Belarus. On June 26, Putin said Wagner fighters could join the Russian military, go back home, or go to Belarus.

The details of the purported agreement have not been made public. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on June 28 that it appeared that the three sides were still negotiating the terms of the deal.

On June 27, Lukashenka claimed that Prigozhin had arrived in Minsk as part of the agreement. Flight data showed a private jet belonging to Prigozhin landed in Minsk that day but returned to St. Petersburg, where the Wagner leader has normally been based, on June 28.

There has been no confirmed sighting of Prigozhin since he was photographed leaving Rostov-on-Don in the back seat of a white SUV late on June 24. He has not commented on his whereabouts since then, and there have been no firm indications that any Wagner fighters have gone to Belarus.

Lukashenka expressed interest in having Wagner fighters -- who in some cases are more experienced and have fought in Ukraine more effectively than regular Russian forces -- settle in Belarus and train its troops.

"We are not building a camp for them for now. If they want [to settle here], we will find a place for them. We have offered them one of our abandoned garrisons," he said on June 27, without mentioning a specific location.



Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka said the Russian private military company had been offered an abandoned garrison, but it remains unclear whether the construction in Tsel is related. Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka said the Russian private military company had been offered an abandoned garrison, but it remains unclear whether the construction in Tsel is related.

Lukashenka's wording could potentially describe the site at Tsel -- but the refurbishment there began in early June, weeks before Prigozhin's mutiny.

Zhdanov said the apparent construction there could be for Russian soldiers who are not from Wagner and might undergo training in Belarus, as others have since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine -- one of the ways that Lukashenka has supported Moscow's war without openly sending Belarusian troops to fight in it.

Many of the Russian soldiers who have trained in Belarus were called up in a massive mobilization decreed by Putin in September 2022. While the Kremlin claimed it fulfilled its target of up to 300,00 men within weeks of the announcement, the Russian Defense Ministry has continued to draft people amid a manpower shortage.

Some experts have forecast that Russia could announce a second round of large-scale mobilization as it suffers heavy casualties and Ukraine pushes forward with the counteroffensive it launched in early June.



Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the Tsel on June 30, Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in the Tsel on June 30,

Zhdanov noted that Tsel is just 30 kilometers from a base in Asipovichy where Russian soldiers are training for eventual deployment to Ukraine.

He also brought up a political element that may be at work, saying that public statements notwithstanding, he doubted that the Kremlin would be happy to have Lukashenka -- whose ties with Putin and Moscow are tight but tense --hosting forces that tried to topple Russia's military leadership.

Another factor: signs that the Russian state is seeking to gain control over Wagner forces abroad.

George Barros, a military analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told RFE/RL that Belarus has plenty of available space at other bases scattered around the country and could be used to settle Wagner fighters.

"There's no reason why those field facilities cannot house Wagner guys," he said.

He noted that Russia had at its peak as many as 30,000 troops in Belarus in late 2021 and early 2022 prior to the invasion of Ukraine. Barros said Russia may have just 1,000 troops in Belarus at the moment.



Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in Tsel on June 30. Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in Tsel on June 30.

Barros did not exclude that the construction at Tsel could be a "red herring" to distract attention from other developments in Belarus, namely the construction of the hardened facilities where the tactical nuclear weapons will be placed.

Putin and Lukashenka have said they agreed on the transfer of tactical nuclear weapons from Russia to Belarus and that the first batch has already been delivered.

Russian authorities have said that Moscow would retain control of the weapons and potentially deploy troops to Belarus to maintain and oversee them. It is unclear how many personnel Russia might transfer to Belarus for this purpose.

Tsel had most recently been home to a missile brigade, earning it a reputation as "the cradle of the Belarusian missile forces."

At its peak in the 1990s, Tsel hosted 1,500 service members, including personnel relocated from former Warsaw Pact countries following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989.



Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in Tsel on June 30. Probable field camp on the territory of military unit #61732 in Tsel on June 30.

Over the years, as the Belarusian armed forces contracted after the Soviet collapse and the end of the Cold War, the number of military personnel in Tsel dropped to about 200.

In 2018, the remaining soldiers were transferred to another base closer to Asipovichy and the barracks abandoned.

On June 27, Vyorstka, an independent Russian-language media outlet, reported that Belarus was building several camps for a total of up to 8,000 Wagner fighters and that some could be settled near Asipovichy.

Wagner's ranks include many Russian convicts who were promised freedom in exchange for six months of service in the war. Several of the former prisoners have committed violent crimes after returning from Ukraine.

The silence about what is going on in Tsel has locals on edge.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. We are preparing for the worst," a resident whose name was not given told Belarusian news outlet Nasha Niva.

Written by Todd Prince based on reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-garrison-refurbishment- wagner-prigozhin-lukashenka-putin/32483641.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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Brazil's Bolsonaro barred from holding public office until 2030

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 01 July 2023 12:49 AM

Judges in Brazil have barred former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years.

The 7-member Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) on Friday voted 5-2 to convict the far-right, pro-America politician for abuse of power.

He was accused of falsely claiming that the electronic voting machines used in Brazil were vulnerable to hacking and fraud.

Bolsonaro had made claims in a televised meeting with foreign diplomats in July 2022, just three months before his narrow electoral defeat to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the current Brazilian president.

Prosecutors said Bolsonaro's claims contributed to a nationwide movement to overturn the result, which culminated in the invasion of government buildings in January, by thousands of his supporters.

Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing and called the decision a "stab in the back."

He said he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Justice Benedito Goncalves wrote the majority opinion in the trial. He said Bolsonaro used the meeting with ambassadors to "spread doubts and incite conspiracy theories."

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Bolsonaro had spread a "chain of lies and fraudulent news" in his "radical" speech to ambassadors.

Lula's team celebrated the result.

"Some important messages come from the TSE trial: lying is not a legitimate tool for exercising a public function and politics is not governed by the law of the jungle," Justice Minister Flavio Dino tweeted. "Democracy has overcome its toughest stress test in decades."

President Lula was sworn in on January 1, unleashing a barrage of rebuke against Bolsonaro, for what he called his predecessor's egregious mishandling of the country's affairs during his mandate.

Lula said he had received a ruined country, whose former government had depleted all resources and undermined human rights.

He has also accused Bolsonaro's "negationist" administration of committing "genocide" by failing to respond properly to the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed more than 680,000 Brazilians.

Bolsonaro fled to Florida two days before the end of his mandate, reportedly to avoid going through the ceremonial handing over of the presidential sash to Lula.

Ahead of the October 2022 Brazilian runoff election, former US president Donald Trump advised Brazilians to vote for Bolsonaro.

Trump ranted against Lula and hailed Bolsonaro. He called Bolsonaro a "great" leader and urged Brazilians to vote him in for another term.

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Royal Canadian Air Force participates in multinational exercise in Indo-Pacific Region

National Defence

News release

June 30, 2023 - Winnipeg - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Aircraft and personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will participate in Exercise Mobility Guardian 23, a United States Air Force Air Mobility Command-led multinational exercise held in the Indo-Pacific Region, from July 5 to 21, 2023.

The aim of Mobility Guardian is to strengthen allied and partner nation interoperability across airlift, air-to-air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and air mobility operations in contested, degraded and operationally limited environments. This exercise features seven participating countries: Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States operating approximately 70 aircraft across multiple locations with an exercise area spanning more than 4,800 kilometers.

As a Pacific nation, Canada is taking part in the exercise to enhance the RCAF's capabilities while strengthening Canada's collective capacity to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Quotes

"Through combined exercises like Mobility Guardian, we not only showcase the RCAF as a mission-ready and combat-capable force, we also build and strengthen alliances with our partner-nation air forces. These relationships help maintain stability and ensure free access to common domains in the Pacific in accordance with international law." Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny, Commander Royal Canadian Air Force

"Exercise Mobility Guardian is an excellent opportunity to deepen connections with regional allies and partners, while enhancing our awareness and proficiency in this important region in which our members and aircraft are increasingly operating to support the Government of Canada. " Major-General Iain Huddleston, Commander 1 Canadian Air Division

Quick facts

RCAF is contributing key capabilities to Mobility Guardian 23, including CC-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft, CC-150T Polaris air-to-air refueler aircraft along with RCAF Aeromedical Evacuation, RCAF Critical Care Aeromedical evacuation, and RCAF Expeditionary Air Traffic Management teams.

Specifically, two CC-130J Hercules from 436 Transport Squadron, a CC-150T Polaris from 437 Transport Squadron and more than 100 RCAF personnel are participating in this exercise.

Members of the RCAF will be engaged in air mobility and airlift operations, air-to-air refueling and aeromedical evacuation training with allied and partner nations.

The RCAF Expeditionary Air Traffic Management Unit, comprised of RCAF personnel from 8 Air Communications and Control Squadron, 2 Wing Bagotville (operating out of 8 Wing Trenton), will be supporting coalition flying operations in both Guam and Palau.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with President of France Emmanuel Macron

Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau

June 30, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed the current wildfire situation in Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau thanked President Macron for France's support to Canada to help battle these fires. They recognized the need to address the impacts of climate change and, to this end, stressed the importance of collaborative and integrated approaches.

Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged the difficult situation in France due to ongoing protests.

The two leaders discussed the importance of meeting the needs of emerging economies, and expressed their support for efforts undertaken to reform multilateral development banks. They agreed to work together and with international financial institutions, shareholders, and clients to improve access to international financing. Prime Minister Trudeau congratulated President Macron on the success of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact that was held in Paris last week.

The leaders also discussed their unwavering support for Ukraine, both in the short and long term, and emphasized the importance of coordinating efforts to combat insecurity and instability in other parts of the world, particularly in Africa.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed the current crisis in Haiti, noting how important it is that solutions be Haitian-led. In this context, Prime Minister Trudeau stressed the importance of imposing sanctions to break the cycle of corruption in Haiti, putting a stop to the financing of armed gangs, and holding to account those responsible for this crisis.

In addition, the two leaders agreed on the importance of working together and learning from each other's experiences in the area of artificial intelligence.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron agreed to remain in close contact on a range of shared priorities, and looked forward to seeing each other in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit.

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European Council conclusions on China, 30 June 2023

European Council / Council of the European Union

European Council

Press release

30 June 2023

V. CHINA

32. The European Council continued its strategic discussion on the EU's relations with China and reaffirmed the EU's multifaceted policy approach towards China, where it is simultaneously a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. Despite their different political and economic systems, the European Union and China have a shared interest in pursuing constructive and stable relations, anchored in respect for the rules-based international order, balanced engagement and reciprocity.

33. The European Union will continue to engage with China to tackle global challenges and encourages China to take more ambitious action on climate change and biodiversity, health and pandemic preparedness, food security, disaster reduction, debt relief, and humanitarian assistance.

34. The European Union and China continue to be important trade and economic partners. The European Union will seek to ensure a level playing field, so that the trade and economic relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. In line with the Versailles agenda, the European Union will continue to reduce critical dependencies and vulnerabilities, including in its supply chains, and will de-risk and diversify where necessary and appropriate. The European Union does not intend to decouple or to turn inwards.

35. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has a special responsibility in upholding the rules-based international order, the United Nations Charter and international law. Hence, the European Council calls on China to press Russia to stop its war of aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

36. The East and South China Seas are of strategic importance for regional and global prosperity and security. The European Union is concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The European Council opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. It reconfirms the EU's consistent 'One China policy'.

37. The European Union remains firmly committed to the promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The European Council welcomes the resumption of the Human Rights Dialogue with China. It reiterates its concerns regarding forced labour, the treatment of human rights defenders and persons belonging to minorities, the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as the honouring of China's previous commitments related to Hong Kong.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on June 30, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Vice President Han Zheng will attend the opening ceremony of the 11th World Peace Forum and deliver a keynote speech to the forum on July 2. The forum will be held at Tsinghua University with this year's theme being "Stabilizing an Unstable World through Consensus and Cooperation."

CCTV: China has announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the SCO summit. What does China think of the SCO's growth and what's China's expectation for the upcoming summit?a

Mao Ning: Since its establishment, the SCO, guided by the Shanghai Spirit, has continuously consolidated good neighborliness and political mutual trust between member states, deepened cooperation in various sectors, and played an important and constructive role in international and regional affairs. In a world marked by change and disorder and fraught with increasing instability, uncertainties and unpredictable factors, regional countries as well as other members of the international community look to the SCO to play a bigger role in safeguarding regional security and promoting common development. As a founding member, China views the SCO as a priority in its foreign affairs. We stand ready to work with other members to act on the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, build an even closer SCO community with a shared future, and usher in a brighter future for the Eurasian continent.a

President Xi Jinping will deliver important remarks at the meeting and, together with other participating leaders, chart the course for the future growth of the organization. With the concerted efforts of all sides, the SCO will achieve greater progress and boost development and prosperity in regional countries.

Xinhua News Agency: The 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions closed in Tianjin yesterday. Premier Li Qiang's remarks at the opening plenary of the meeting received warm response from various quarters, who expressed their optimism about China's economic prospects and their expectation for new opportunities that China's economy will create for the world. Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Professor Klaus Schwab said the whole world benefits from China's development. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that as an important economy in the world, China has been exemplary in safeguarding the global multilateral trading system. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: The 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions has indeed received world attention. More than 1,500 political and business leaders as well as scholars from close to 100 countries and regions across the world attended the meeting. Premier Li Qiang addressed the opening plenary of the meeting. He stressed that China will firmly support economic globalization, firmly uphold the market economy, and firmly support free trade. It will continue to provide strong dynamism to the world economic recovery and growth, and provide opportunities of win-win cooperation to investors from all countries. Entrepreneurs attending the meeting said that China is the most dynamic market with huge growth potential.

From what we see this year, China's economy shows a clear momentum of rebound and improvement: GDP grew by 4.5 percent in the first quarter year-on-year, and is expected to expand faster in the second quarter than in the first. We are on track to hit the growth target of around five percent set for the whole year. Some international organizations and institutions have revised up their growth forecasts for China this year, demonstrating their confidence in China's development prospects. In the first five months of this year, a total of 18,532 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, up by 38.3 percent year-on-year.

China has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, providing huge markets for the world, especially emerging markets and developing economies. The State Council recently rolled out new steps to pilot high-standard international economic and trade rules in eligible pilot free trade zones, including Shanghai, Guangdong, Tianjin, Fujian and Beijing, and the Hainan Free Trade Port, in an effort to steadily boost institutional opening-up and explore pathways and accumulate experience for higher-standard opening-up.a

China's modernization has made advances in the course of opening-up, and is bound to embrace a brighter future through opening-up. China will further open up, uphold a free, open and stable multilateral trading regime with concrete actions, inject more positive dynamism into the world economy and make sure that the new accomplishments in Chinese modernization will be new opportunities for global development.

Reuters: Two questions on New Zealand. Firstly, how would you characterize the China-New Zealand relationship? And second, New Zealand has on a number of occasions voiced its concerns about the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, democracy protests in Hong Kong and the situation in the Taiwan Strait. How do you feel about the country voicing those views?

Mao Ning: China and New Zealand are each other's important cooperative partners. The sound and steady growth of bilateral relations serves the interests of both countries and is conducive to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

We stand ready to engage in dialogue and exchanges with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual respect, but we oppose interference in internal affairs under the pretext of relevant issues.

Yonhap News Agency: According to reports, the ROK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are planning a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit to be held from July 11 to 12 in Lithuania's capital Vilnius. It is reported that if leaders of the ROK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are going to meet, they will discuss how to respond to China's attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China Seas. What's China's response?

Mao Ning: China's principled position on issues relating to the South China Sea and the East China Sea is consistent and clear. We are committed to defending China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and upholding our core interests and lawful rights and interests. The East China Sea and the South China Sea have been stable overall. We hope relevant countries will bear in mind what is right for the region and do more things that are conducive to maintaining peace and stability and enhancing mutual trust in the region.

The NATO summit needs to look at how it can work constructively for peace and stability in Europe and beyond, rather than make an issue about China.

Reuters: The governor of the central bank of Sri Lanka has asked foreign debt holders to accept a 30-percent cut on any loans they have extended as it seeks to restructure its debts. As Sri Lanka's largest bilateral creditor, is China willing to accept this proposal?

Mao Ning: We have repeatedly made China's position clear on Sri Lanka's debt issue. We support Chinese financial institutions in actively working out the debt treatment with Sri Lanka. We are ready to work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to jointly play a positive role in helping Sri Lanka navigate the situation, ease its debt burden and achieve sustainable development. 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.

AFP: A Pentagon spokesperson said on Thursday that the Chinese balloon drifting over the US in February did not collect intelligence. What is China's response?

Mao Ning: As China has stated on many occasions, the unmanned Chinese civilian airship drifting over the US was an entirely unexpected accident caused by force majeure. To call it a "spy balloon" that collected intelligence is nothing but a false accusation.

Reuters: The US and Dutch governments are planning to implement legislation further restricting the sale of chip manufacturing equipment to China. What is your comment on this?

Mao Ning: China opposes the US's overstretching the national security concept, abusing export control tools, using all sorts of pretexts to cajole or coerce other countries into joining its technological blockade against China. These actions of interfering in normal trade between companies through administrative means seriously undermine market rules and the international trade order, disrupt global industrial and supply chains, and serve no one's interest. We will closely monitor relevant developments and firmly defend our lawful rights and interests.

Reuters: The US State Department has approved the potential sale of ammunition and logistics supply support to Taiwan in two separate deals valued at up to USD 440 million, according to the Pentagon. Do you have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: China is firmly opposed to US's military ties with and arms sales to Taiwan. This position is consistent and unequivocal. The US should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs, stop selling arms to Taiwan, stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and stop posing risks to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

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China to reach renewable power goal 5 years early, report says

Experts say Beijing should still revisit its continued reliance on coal for power.

By Subel Rai Bhandari for RFA 2023.06.30 -- The boom in renewable power projects in China will likely help the country reach its 2030 target five years early, boosting the effort to limit global carbon emissions far faster than expected, a new study said.

China is on track to double its solar and wind power capacity and shatter Beijing's ambitious 2030 target of 1,200 gigawatts (GW) five years ahead of schedule if all prospective projects are successfully built and commissioned, said the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) report, released on Thursday.

Solar panel installations alone are growing at a pace that would increase global capacity by 85% and wind power by nearly 50% by 2025, said GEM, a San Francisco-based non-governmental organization that tracks energy projects worldwide.

China has approximately 379 GW of large utility-scale solar and 371 GW of wind capacity projects that have been announced or are in the pre-construction and construction phases. They will likely be finished by 2025, adding roughly the same amount of currently installed operating capacity.

The report projected that China would likely achieve the provincial targets of approximately 1,371 GW for wind and solar, which is higher than the 1,200 GW President Xi Jinping announced his government would install by 2030.

"This new data provides unrivaled granularity about China's jaw-dropping surge in solar and wind capacity," said Dorothy Mei, project manager at Global Energy Monitor.

"As we closely monitor the implementation of prospective projects, this detailed information becomes indispensable in navigating the country's energy landscape."

Half global renewable capacity in China

China has emerged as the frontrunner in global renewable energy, leveraging a blend of incentives and regulatory policies to host approximately 50% of the world's operational wind and solar capacity.

The report said the ambitious renewable push has been geographically widespread, with every province and most counties developing large-scale solar and wind power.

China's operating scale solar capacity has reached 228 GW, more than the rest of the world combined.



This map shows prospective large utility-scale solar capacity in China. Credit: Global Energy Monitor. This map shows prospective large utility-scale solar capacity in China. Credit: Global Energy Monitor.

According to the report, China's northern and northwest provinces have the largest number of solar projects. Shanxi, Xinjiang, and Hebei are the top three regions with the highest utility-scale solar capacity.

Meanwhile, China's combined onshore and offshore wind capacity has doubled since 2017, surpassing 310 GW, with the highest concentration of projects in the northern and northwestern regions, including Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Xinjiang.

China's offshore wind capacity, which accounts for just 10% of its total wind capacity, is more than Europe's offshore operating capacity.



This map shows prospective wind farm capacity in China. Credit: Global Energy Monitor. This map shows prospective wind farm capacity in China. Credit: Global Energy Monitor.

On Sunday, China successfully commenced operations of the Tibetan plateau's largest hybrid solar-hydro power plant, Kela, which can generate 2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, equivalent to the energy consumption of over 700,000 households.

Currently boasting a capacity of 20 GW, the plant is projected to expand and achieve approximately 50 GW capacity by 2030.

In the past, China has said that its greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2030 before slowing down to reach net zero by 2060.

"Ramping up wind and solar capacity plays an essential role in China's carbon emissions from the power sector," Mei told Radio Free Asia.

"When China reaches its emissions peak will essentially depend on how soon the growth of clean energy can start to outpace the increase in total energy demand, which could happen in the next few years given the current solar and wind boom."

China's reliance on coal continues

Among the top 10 power sector emitters, China led the world by three times more than the U.S., the second-biggest carbon dioxide emitter, with fossil fuel power plants generating two-thirds of China's electricity in 2022.

In April, another energy research organization Ember said in a report that China produced the most CO2 emissions of any power sector in the world in 2022, accounting for 38% of total global emissions from electricity generation.

Mei said that while China had made significant progress in renewable energy deployment, it continued to heavily rely on coal for power generation "due to its reliability and consistent electricity supply."

"The power supply model being adopted at the renewables bases in the northwest deserts still largely relies on new coal power plants to provide a steady, reliable flow of electricity through the long-distance direct current transmission lines to end users," Mei said.

In 2022, China alone accounted for 53% of the world's coal-fired electricity generation, showing a dramatic revival in appetite for new coal power projects.

Recent record heatwaves and drought have also renewed focus on China's energy security concerns, as factories had to be shut down due to power shortages, forcing authorities to increase reliance on coal.

Last year, Beijing approved the highest new coal capacity in eight years. It continues this year, with environmental group Greenpeace saying in April that China had approved at least 20.45 GW of new coal capacity in the first three months of 2023, according to official approval documents.

"As electricity demand during extreme weather events increases, China must resist turning to coal and should instead prioritize more optimal solutions to manage the variability of demand and clean power supply," Mei said.

Edited by Mike Firn.

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 June 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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Expansions to China's Espionage Law Create Anxiety for Foreign Media

By Liam Scott June 30, 2023

Amendments to China's counterespionage law that take effect Saturday could create even more challenges for foreign correspondents reporting inside the country, journalists and media analysts say.

Passed in April, the revisions broaden the definition of espionage and ban the transfer of any information deemed related to national security.

Some foreign journalists based in China say they are anxiously waiting to see how the changes will affect their work, with press freedom analysts predicting the revisions will make news gathering more difficult.

"Quite a few of us are worried about what it is and what it might mean. It's a little bit difficult to tell at the moment because it's not entirely clear what it means or how it's going to be implemented," a foreign correspondent in Beijing told VOA. He requested anonymity over concerns for his safety.

"Any kind of news gathering seems like it could be construed as a violation of this law," the reporter added.

The revisions expand the definition of espionage to constitute accessing "documents, data, materials or items related to national security and interests."

As Cedric Alviani of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), sees it, that means "basically any type of information."

The amendments will also grant authorities the ability to impose exit bans on individuals, regardless of nationality, as well as sweeping power to investigate anyone suspected of spying.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington directed VOA to a statement from Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, who at a recent press conference said, "There is no need to associate the counterespionage law with reporting activities of foreign journalists."

"China always welcomes media outlets and journalists of all countries to conduct interviews and run stories in China in accordance with laws and regulations, and we will provide facilitation and assistance to them," the spokesperson added. "As long as one abides by laws and regulations, there is no need to worry."

'Ambiguity as a weapon'

The defining characteristic of the amendments, according to multiple China analysts, is their vagueness. But that's typical for China, they said, where government transparency has never been the norm.

"What's a state secret has always itself been something of a state secret," the Beijing bureau chief of an American outlet told VOA. In China, "ambiguity as a weapon has been used for a long time."

The bureau chief did not have employer authorization to talk to other reporters about this topic because of its sensitivity and therefore requested anonymity.

Alviani shared a similar view, saying the murky amendments turn the law into "a catch-all regulation that could be used as an excuse to detain and jail any person for any reason."

Still, James Zimmerman, a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm's Beijing office, which counsels foreign companies, doesn't think the revisions will have a major impact on press freedom in China.

"The environment continues to be challenging for journalists with or without the amendments," Zimmerman told VOA. The lawyer said he thinks the amendments will be used more to encourage self-censorship.

But the fact that there is precedent for these revisions doesn't do much to allay the concerns of wary foreign reporters in the country.

"Even if there is precedent, and even if they do tend to use their powers rather sweepingly, the fact that they felt compelled to make this change explicit and codify it in writing is definitely concerning," the Beijing correspondent said. "And it makes us all wonder what's coming."

To Zimmerman, who previously served as chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the revisions reflect that Beijing perceives any challenge to the government's official line as a threat to its legitimacy.

At the same time, he said, Beijing still wants foreign media to write about China's "good stories."

"What the propaganda machine doesn't understand is that harassment is counterproductive to its ultimate goal of promoting the good things about China and only creates a whole new story line, and that is usually negative," Zimmerman said.

China's press freedom environment is poor, with the county ranking 179th out of 180 countries, according to RSF.

Foreign correspondents often face harassment, surveillance and difficulty finding sources willing to talk to reporters.

It can also be hard to find China-based foreign correspondents to talk to. Several foreign journalists in China told VOA they did not want to comment on the counterespionage law, even anonymously, because the topic is so sensitive.

Yaqiu Wang, a China expert at Human Rights Watch, said local Chinese journalists, fixers, translators and others who help foreign media are even more at risk.

"They are usually in the most precarious situation," she said. "We shouldn't forget them."

The fact that China is one of the world's worst jailers of journalists a the majority of whom are Chinese, not foreign a underscores the risks.

Journalists who spoke with VOA said they aren't sure how the revisions will affect them personally and whether the amendments will impact how they report in China. For some, that confusion has given way to apprehension and anxiety.

"To be working with uncertainty about whether what you're doing might be construed as espionage a that's a very chilling thought on top of so many other chilling thoughts that we've been subjected to," the bureau chief said.

As for the correspondent, "everyone's feeling kind of jumpy," he said, "but it's very much 'wait and see' at the moment."

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Defector calls for more sanctions on North Korea over human rights abuses

ROC Central News Agency

06/30/2023 08:51 PM

[Editor's Note: This is part two of a three-part series that shares the views of defectors from North Korea as the country becomes increasingly isolated. The series includes interviews with two defectors and an expert on North Korea, which will be published in the coming days.]

Seoul, June 30 (CNA) North Korean defector Kim Ji Young is calling on the international community to intervene as a matter of urgency to help tackle the dismal human rights situation in North Korea.

Humanitarian aid North Korea has received from the world has gone directly into the pockets of the country's dictatorial leadership, according to Kim, who currently serves as the head of Free North Korea Radio, based in Seoul.

The ruling elites enjoy lavish lifestyles at the expense of the rest of the population, Kim told CNA in an interview, adding that "North Korean people cannot rely on anybody but themselves to survive."

She urged the international community to carry on calling out Pyongyang for its human rights violations and to continue imposing sanctions against the regime, adding that promoting the concept of human rights in the pariah state will be fundamental in forcing political change.

Finding her freedom

After fleeing North Korea along with her mother in 2013, Kim decided to join the radio station run mostly by defectors, out of a desire to be part of a team spreading news, accurate historical information and hope into North Korea.

She explained that although through their work they had managed to reach numerous people up and down the country, but that there were still many completely in the dark about the outside world, because of the authorities' vice-like grip on disseminating information in the country.

She used to be one of those people, she explains, completely unaware of what life was like outside North Korea.

The concepts of human rights and freedom of speech, religion or participating in free elections were not on her radar. All she knew was how to conform to authority.

Kim grew up in a well-off family and both of her parents were loyal members of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. The idea of defection never occurred to her, until her father had died and her mother became a target of the authorities.

Her mother was apparently facing severe punishment, all because she had helped a subordinate at work, an act deemed by the authorities as an attempt to build up a cult of worship around herself.

It was listening to a radio broadcast from a North Korean defector that pushed them over the edge, and convinced them to give escaping a try.

Completely cut off

Defectors know how to reach the souls of those trapped in the country, Kim said, not just because they speak the same Korean dialect, but because their personal stories of hardship and escape resonate closely.

If people on wider scale became aware of how the lives of those who escaped have improved, more people would try to leave, she said.

For those prepared to take the risk, however, the odds are stacked against them. Many have faced the risk of torture, trafficking and even death in their bid to leave. And those who do make it to China are repatriated if they are discovered, left to face the wrath of the North Korean authorities.

A turning point?

Kim explained that younger North Koreans had "much lower loyalty" to the party compared with older generations, because their childhoods had been largely characterized by extreme economic difficulties brought about by food shortages and flooding.

"Socialism didn't bring them any benefits," she said, adding that people had started to become even more unhappy with the government over its draconian - even for its standards - handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a Human Rights Watch report, at that time the North Korean government took steps to further isolate the country under the pretext of helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, by closing its borders, restricting foreign trade, and limiting domestic travel and the distribution of food and other products.

The government also had not demonstrated any interest in supporting people facing severe financial difficulties, but instead chose to continue conducting missile tests, squandering US$30 million on each launch operation, Kim explained.

Adding to public anger was the imposition of a new law in February aimed at cementing state control and discipline, which makes the leaking of vaguely defined "state secrets" punishable by death, she added.

Stop the funds

Although the amount of aid flowing into North Korea has reduced in recent years, she called on the international community to replace any remaining aid going to the country with sanctions.

The aid is "only used to feed the Kim Jong Un family, providing resources to them to develop missiles and nuclear weapons," she said, explaining that it does little to help the general public in North Korea.

Kim is frustrated at the lack of change in her country, but vowed to continue doing whatever she can to persuade North Koreans that the possibility of a better life exists abroad.

(By Ariel Liao and Teng Pei-ju)

Enditem/kb

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Press Statement of Department Director General of DPRK Foreign Ministry

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, July 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Song Il, department director general of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, released the following press statement on July 1:

According to south Korean media, the side of the chairperson of the Hyundai Group submitted to the puppet authorities a plan to visit the area of the DPRK side as regards the issue of Mt. Kumgang tourist area.

We make it clear that we have neither been informed about any south Korean personage's willingness for visit nor known about it and that we have no intention to examine it.

It is the policy of the DPRK government that entry by any personage of south Korea into its territory can not be allowed.

The Mt. Kumgang tourist area is a part of the DPRK's territory and, accordingly, the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee can not exercise any authority over the issue of entry into the DPRK.

Such principle and policy are unchangeable and will be maintained in the future, too. -0-

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Need for military capability development in the emerging warfare landscape, says CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

"Interoperability and integration will grow manifold with theaterisation"

DRDO and Centre for Joint Warfare Studies organize a Seminar & Exhibition on 'Technology Enabled sensor-Decision-Shooter superiority'

Posted On: 30 JUN 2023 7:47PM by PIB Delhi

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, has stressed on the need for military capability development in the emerging warfare landscape. He was speaking as the Guest of Honour in a seminar & exhibition on "Technology Enabled sensor-Decision-Shooter superiority" organised jointly by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi on 30 June 2023.

In his address, Gen Chauhan underscored the achievements of the armed forces in achieving synergy and transparency in numerous sensor and shooter capabilities, including integration of latest communication and artificial intelligence technologies.

The CDS said that OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) cycle needs to be of a higher tempo to be in step with the pace of warfighting made possible with the cutting edge technologies. Gen Chauhan emphasized that Capability Development is being done through a scientific process and mentioned that interoperability and integration will grow manifold with theaterisation.

The CDS stated that baseline understanding of space, cyber and EW technologies is important for all warfighters. He appreciated the efforts of DRDO and CENJOWS for bringing the services, scientists, industry and academia together for brainstorming the subject and mutual understanding of each other's requirements to meet the future battle field challenges.

Secretary, the Department of R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr. Samir V Kamat also attended the function. Dr. Samir V Kamat in his address stated that with the proliferation of sensors, the Network Centric Warfare is a reality in the future battlefield scenario. He highlighted that the security of such networks is paramount and passage of secure information in time is a necessity. He also underscored the salience of AI-driven autonomy.

Director CENJOWS, Lt Gen Sunil Srivastava, AVSM, VSM** (Retd), Senior Military officers from the three services, DRDO Scientists and Industry representatives attended the seminar, which had discussions by various "subject matter experts" on strategic and multi-domain awareness, information sharing: Networks and communications, Analysis, intelligence and Decision Making, Prompt & Multi-Domain Targeting.

The seminar provided opportunities for military leaders, scientists, Think Tanks to brainstorm emerging development on the subject and provide various actionable points for all stakeholders.

*****

ABB/Anand



(Release ID: 1936514)

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MoD signs a contract of Rs. 2725 Cr with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd for Medium Refit with Life Certification of Submarine INS Shankush

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 30 JUN 2023 4:37PM by PIB Delhi

Ministry of Defence has signed a contract on 30th June, 2023 for Medium Refit with Life Certification (MRLC) of Sub-Surface Killer (SSK) Class of Submarine "INS Shankush" with M/S Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai at an overall cost of Rs. 2725 Cr.

Shankush is a SSK Class of Submarine to be re-fitted at MDL, Mumbai. Delivery of Submarine post MRLC will be in 2026. After completion of MRLC, INS Shankush will be combat ready and will join the active fleet of the Indian Navy with upgraded combat capability.

This project is an important step towards development of MDL as Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Hub for supporting the industrial ecosystem of India. The project would involve more than 30 MSMEs and would lead to employment generation of 1200 Mandays per day for the project duration.

The project will be a proud flag bearer of Atmanirbhar Bharat in consonance with the Make-in-India initiative of Government of India

*****

ABB/Anand



(Release ID: 1936402)

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Details of Iran's lawsuit against Canada at ICJ

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jun 30, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Vice President for Legal Affairs Mohammad Dehghan has said that violation of the immunity of the Iranian Government, such as confiscating buildings belonging to Iran and confiscating the Iranian students' money that was in the embassy's account in Canada, are among the reasons for Iran's complaint against Canada at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Dehghan said that since 2012, following the policies of the United States, the government of Canada has violated the immunity of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is contrary to the established rules of customary international law.

He added that in the last 11 years, with political and diplomatic pursuits, Iran has tried to change the behavior of Canada, but unfortunately, Ottawa refused to adhere to the rules of international law.

On June 28, 2023, the legal department of the Iranian president's office lodged a lawsuit against Canada at the ICJ.

6125**

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SCO to approve Iran's full membership next week, Russian FM says

Iran Press TV

Friday, 30 June 2023 2:35 PM

Iran will officially join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full-fledged member at the group's summit next week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has announced.

"At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved," Lavrov said at the opening of an SCO center in Moscow on Friday.

Iran first applied for membership in the alliance 15 years ago, but it took until 2021 for the request to be approved.

The SCO, which has its headquarters in China, is a diplomatic organization with eight members, namely Russia, India, Pakistan, and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Set up in 2001, the organization's members work to tackle joint security issues, cooperate militarily and promote internal trade.

Iran and the organization started a formal process for Tehran's accession to the bloc in March 2022. In September of the same year, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment to join the SCO. A month later, the Iranian parliament approved the country's accession to the organization.

The July 4 summit will take place in New Delhi via video conference.

Back on March 7, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi stressed the role that the SCO could play in creating international convergence and confronting unilateralism.

Speaking with the visiting SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming in Tehran, Raeisi said that the SCO member states have "considerable manpower," "rich resources," and "vast geographical expanse" at their disposal.

"This has created extraordinary capacities for the organization [that it can use] to effectively confront unilateralism and play an effective role in creating regional and international convergence," he added.

For his part, Zhang lauded Tehran's relations with other SCO member states, adding, "We are certain that, given its rich civilizational and historical background, Iran can serve as an active and productive member in expanding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's field of action and strength."

Iran has recently engaged in an active diplomacy drive worldwide, strengthening bonds of friendship with neighboring countries and allies in other regions, notably Latin America.

Tehran has also requested to become a member of another global organization, the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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Iran's SCO membership will generate growing capacity: FM

Iran Press TV

Friday, 30 June 2023 3:36 PM

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says he is confident Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will provide the SCO with a growing capacity.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a Friday phone conversation with the SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming amid reports about the formal approval of Iran's full membership next week.

He said the Iranian parliament and administration, particularly the Foreign Ministry, have made substantial efforts to prepare and approve all the documents pertaining to the country's full membership.

Earlier on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Iran will be formally approved as a member of the SCO. "At the upcoming meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved," Lavrov said.

The top Iranian diplomat hailed efforts and cooperation by the SCO secretary-general to complete the process of the full membership.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran is ready to take part in the SCO's next meeting, which is scheduled to be held virtually.

He said Iran would officially introduce its coordinator to the organization's secretariat in the coming week.

Iran first applied for membership in the alliance 15 years ago, but it took until 2021 for the request to be approved.

The SCO, which has its headquarters in China, is a diplomatic organization with eight members, namely Russia, India, Pakistan, and Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Set up in 2001, the organization's members work to tackle joint security issues, cooperate militarily and promote internal trade.

Iran and the organization started a formal process for Tehran's accession in March 2022. In September of the same year, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment to join the SCO. A month later, the Iranian parliament approved the country's accession. On March 7, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi underscored the role the SCO could play in creating international convergence and confronting unilateralism.

Zhang said on Friday Iran's full-fledged membership at the SCO would be officially announced during the next SCO meeting on July 4. As a full member, the Islamic Republic would then have all the rights as other member countries of the organization, he said. Iran plays a leading role in promoting the SCO objectives, the secretary-general stated.

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Lavrov Says Iran Will Join Shanghai Cooperation Organization As Full-Fledged Member Next Week

By RFE/RL June 30, 2023

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran's full-fledged membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be decided next week.

During an online briefing on June 30, Lavrov said that in addition to Iran's joining the SCO, a memorandum on Belarus's obligations for joining the grouping -- which comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan -- will be signed on July 4.

Iran gained the status of an acceding member of the grouping in September 2021, while Belarus got the status in September 2022.

The SCO was originally called the Shanghai Five and was created in 1996 to foster confidence along the border between China and four former Soviet republics -- Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

The original agreements concerned moving military forces away from the common border area.

Later the group refocused on economic cooperation, which China used to great effect to court better trade ties with the Central Asian states.

In 2001, Uzbekistan joined at a time when Russia was battling Islamic militants in the North Caucasus while Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were fighting Islamic militants in Central Asia.

The SCO was officially formed at the 2001 summit and the group reoriented cooperation to include the battle against terrorism and extremism.

In June 2017, India and Pakistan became full-fledged members of the SCO.

Mongolia was the first country that received observer status in the SCO at its 2004 summit in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.

Afghanistan received observer status in the grouping at the 2012 SCO summit in Beijing, China.

But because the country has been under Taliban's control since August 2021, the future of its membership in the group remains uncertain as no country has officially recognized the Taliban-led government.

Lavrov also called for a widening of the UN Security Council to give more representation to Asian, African, and Latin American countries in order to break what he claimed was the Western domination of the world.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-lavrov- freeze-war/32483638.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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No Change in Approach to Iran While US Envoy on Leave

By VOA Persian Service June 30, 2023

The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, is on leave while his security clearance is under review, but the White House told Voice of America on Friday that there has been no change in the U.S. government's approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications for the White House's National Security Council, addressed the matter in response to a Voice of America Persian Service question.

"I would just tell you, broadly speaking, that nothing's changed about the consistent approach we are taking toward Iran, whether it's their nuclear ambitions, or their support for terrorist networks, or their threats to maritime shipping, or their support to Russia for the war in Ukraine," he said.

"We're going to continue to address this destabilizing behavior in concert with our allies and partners. We're going to continue to put pressure on Iran. We want to see Iran make better decisions," he said. "And we're going to continue to engage appropriately in terms of getting our wrongfully detained Americans out of there. That's not going to change."

Matthew Miller, U.S. State Department spokesman, also responded to published reports about Malley on Thursday, telling the Voice of America reporter that Malley was on leave and that Abraham Pali was currently acting in his place.

Miller did not elaborate.

On Thursday, Malley told U.S. media outlets that his security clearance was under review.

"I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon," he told Reuters, confirming an earlier report to that effect by Axios.

The Associated Press, citing two State Department officials, reported that the agency's Bureau of Diplomatic Security was leading the inquiry, which involved Malley's handling of classified documents. The officials said they learned of Malley's change in status from paid to unpaid leave on Thursday.

About a month ago, The Associated Press noted Malley's absence at a congressional briefing about Iran on May 15. State Department officials said at the time that Malley was on leave for personal reasons.

Malley has been serving as the U.S. special representative for Iran affairs at the U.S. State Department. He assumed the position two years ago following the inauguration of Joe Biden as president. He reached this position while he was involved in the nuclear deal with Iran during the Obama administration. Prior to Malley, Brian Hook held this position in the Trump administration.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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June 30, 2023

Release

Readout of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl's Meeting With Israeli Ministry of Defense Political-Military Bureau Director Dror Shalom

Department of Defense Spokesman Lt. Col. David Herndon provided the following readout:

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl met with Israeli Ministry of Defense Political-Military Director Dror Shalom at the Pentagon, June 28.



Under Secretary Kahl reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Israel, and underscored the U.S. commitment to deepening cooperation to address regional threats. Under Secretary Kahl also expressed support for Israel's continued integration into the region.



The officials discussed a series of ongoing efforts to address Iran's dangerous nuclear advances, and the shared U.S. and Israeli commitment to countering Iran's destabilizing activities across the region and beyond. Under Secretary Kahl shared his perspective on recent developments related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the negative consequences of increased Iranian-Russian military cooperation.

Under Secretary Kahl expressed condolences to Mr. Shalom over recent victims of terrorism. He also expressed deep concern over the recent escalation of violence in the West Bank and reaffirmed the importance of stabilizing the security situation in Israel, the West Bank, and the region.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3446047/

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Imprisoned Former Wife Of Nazarbaev's Nephew Gets Additional Sentence

By Current Time June 30, 2023

A court in the southern Kazakh city of Qyzylorda has sentenced the former wife of a convicted nephew of the Central Asian country's former authoritarian president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, to eight years in prison on charges of embezzlement and the illegal appropriation of shares and assets of several enterprises.

The Qyzylorda regional court, on June 30, also barred Gulmira Satybaldy from occupying CEO posts in commercial organizations for 10 years.

The court also ruled that Satybaldy will serve the term concurrently with a seven-year prison term she was handed in May on charges of abduction and actions aiding the commission of a crime.

Gulmira Satybaldy was arrested along with her ex-husband, Qairat Satybaldy, in March 2022. He was tried separately in September and sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

The cases launched against the couple are part of a series of ongoing investigations targeting relatives and allies of Nazarbaev.

Last month, a court in the capital, Astana, handed former chief of the National Security Committee (KNB), Karim Masimov, known as a close ally of Nazarbaev for years, an 18-year prison term on charges of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.

Masimov's former deputies, Anuar Sadyqulov, Daulet Erghozhin, and Marat Osipov, were sentenced to 16, 15, and three years in prison respectively at the same trial.

Also in May, courts in Almaty sentenced, in two separate trials, the former chief of police of the Almaty region, General Serik Kudebaev, and the former chief of the city's branch of the KNB, Nurlan Mazhilov, to 10 and six years in prison respectively on charges of abuse of power during unprecedented anti-government protests that turned into deadly mass disorder in January 2022.

After the mass protests, the regime began to quietly target Nazarbaev, his family, and other allies -- many of whom held powerful or influential posts in government, security agencies, and profitable energy companies.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-new-sentence- satybaldy/32483662.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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Junta cracks down on town in southern Myanmar, arresting more than 30 locals

The raids came in retaliation for an attack on a military outpost in Tanintharyi region.

By RFA Burmese 2023.06.30 -- Myanmar's junta has been cracking down on residents of a Tanintharyi region town, raiding homes and arresting more than 30 locals this week, Kawthoung residents told RFA.

Residents said that the arrests were made after the Kawthoung People's Defense Force attacked an army outpost and the home of a local leader of the junta-affiliated Pyu Saw Htee militia on June 22.

The following day, the defense force announced that it had killed the leader and second-in-command of the local Pyu Saw Htee.

One local, who didn't want to be named for security reasons, told RFA troops targeted young people.

"The arrests started on the night of the 24th," said the local. "A woman from the Shwe Min Won neighborhood was arrested in her home. She was arrested and phones were confiscated.

"The junta tracked young people from the Aye Mya Kan Thar neighborhood through her.

"That night, 16 people were arrested and junta forces continued capturing people on June 25, 26 and 27.

"I heard that all the young people who were in contact by phones were being chased," he said, adding that all those arrested are being held at Kawthoung's Seven Mile interrogation center.

RFA contacted the junta spokesperson for Tanintharyi region, Yin Htwe, seeking comment on the arrests but hadn't received an answer as of late Friday.

More than 23,600 people have been arrested since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

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 June 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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"Reafirmamos el compromiso del Peru con los ODS teniendo presente la riqueza cultural y natural que son la base de los destinos turisticos????", senalo la Viceministra @MadeleineBurnsV en el panel sobre Retos perspectivas y estrategias de competitividad" pic.twitter.com/T5EjT2z2cT
Analysts: Junta meetings with ethnic groups was just for show

The talks were limited to discussing humanitarian assistance and a possible constitutional amendment.

By RFA Burmese 2023.06.30 -- Myanmar's military rulers held peace talks with five ethnic armed groups in the capital Naypyidaw this week, but the meetings produced no agreement and several analysts criticized the talks as an attempt by the junta to deceive the international community.

ASEAN - Southeast Asia's main regional bloc - has repeatedly urged Myanmar's junta to find a peaceful solution to the crisis that erupted after the military ousted an elected government on Feb. 1, 2021.

The United Nations and human rights groups say the junta's security forces have killed thousands of civilians and the post-coup strife has displaced an estimated 1.5 million people.

The junta announced that regional stability, humanitarian assistance and a proposal to amend the 2008 constitution was discussed during the June 26-28 meeting.

But political analyst Than Soe Naing said the primary aim of the three-day meeting was to gain some kind of political advantage or territorial stability - not peace,

"The military council tries to pretend to be building peace by means of these talks," he said.

Junta officials have previously discussed changing the constitution to address a requirement that elections be held no later than six months from the end of emergency rule. Myanmar's army declared a state of emergency following the 2021 coup.

The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Pao National Liberation League (PNLO), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNLA-PC) met with a delegation led by a Lieutenant General Yar Pyae, a member of the military council.

The five ethnic organizations were among the 10 that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, which was introduced in 2015 in an effort to put an end to many years of fighting over minority rights and self-determination.

But the peace process hit snags in the years that followed, and was all but destroyed by the unpopular junta's 2021 coup.

Pretending to build peace

Although the groups intended to hold an all-inclusive discussion this week, there were no real results, said Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt, secretary general of the KNLA-PC.

When such a dialogue was suggested this week, junta officials did not respond with any encouragement, he said.

"We want these conflicts to end," Saw Kyaw Nyunt said. "What I mean is that we want to create an all-inclusive dialogue where all parties involved can participate. That's our wish."

ASEAN officials and others in the international community have encouraged the junta to engage with Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed head of the deposed National League for Democracy who has been the face of Myanmar's democracy movement for several decades.

Junta officials have met at least twice with her in recent months to enlist her help in peace negotiations with the armed resistance. Radio Free Asia previously reported that she rejected the idea of talks during visits on May 27 and June 4 at Naypyidaw Prison.

National Unity Government presidential spokesman Kyaw Zaw said that for meaningful talks to take place, the junta must first release all political prisoners and cease all acts of violence.

"I want to say that the military council holds these peace talks just for its own interests," he said. "Such discussions cannot have any meaningful results."

RFA attempted to reach junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on Thursday but was unsuccessful.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June 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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Myanmar traders at China border worry about junta's new 'pay-by-bank' system

Traders will be forced to report their income and sell foreign currency to the junta at below market rates.

By RFA Burmese 2023.06.30 -- Merchants at Myanmar's border with China say the junta's trade policy is too unstable and that a new pay-by-bank system announced last week will severely restrict their ability to import goods.

On June 23, the junta's commerce ministry announced that importers at northeastern Myanmar's border with China will have to pay for goods using their local bank accounts beginning on Aug. 1.

Those who have been granted a license will receive a one-month grace period and must complete their imports by Aug. 31 or their license will be invalidated, the announcement said.

The move comes days after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on two junta-controlled banks in connection with the Myanmar military's purchases of arms from foreign sellers, in a bid to restrict foreign currency transactions.

Analysts said the junta hopes that its new pay-by-bank system at the Chinese border will slow the outflow of foreign currency amid the tightening of sanctions.

On Tuesday, the World Bank noted in a report that, over the six months leading up to June, Myanmar has pursued "a further expansion of export and import license requirements, increased regulation of fuel imports, and additional administrative restrictions on outbound financial transfers."

"The authorities have announced that imports will be subject to additional scrutiny, with the intent to promote import substitution with domestically produced goods," the Bank said.

An official from the junta's Department of Economy and Commerce, who declined to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak about the subject to the media, framed the pay-by-bank system as a way to "strengthen trade between the two countries and reduce money laundering."

But Min Thein, the vice president of the Muse Border Rice Association in Shan state, told RFA that the new banking system will "create challenges" for traders, as they will be required to submit proof of purchase via original bank statements and information about the income they generate to the junta's trade department.

Additionally, the Department of Commerce will only grant import licenses based on the total amount of money in an applicant's bank account. Also, 65% of foreign currency income from exports must be sold to the regime at the central bank's currency exchange rate, which is substantially lower than the market rate.

As of Tuesday, the official exchange rate for the U.S. dollar hovered around 2,250 kyats, while the market rate was 3,200 kyats. On Thursday, the official exchange rate for the Chinese yuan was 290 kyats, while the market rate was 435 kyats.

Controlling foreign currency

A trader at the border who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns, told RFA that the junta's directive is aimed at controlling all foreign currency used for trading.

He said requirements on the reporting of income and selling of 65% of foreign currency to the junta at the official exchange rate "won't work for traders," and will likely lead to a trade decline.

A similar pay-by-bank system was put into place by Myanmar's former junta, which ruled the country until 2011, but was later rescinded after traders complained that it forced them to deposit money in advance of their deals, requiring more personal outlay and leading to trade delays.

A trader at the border in Shan state's Chin Shwe Haw township, which is one of Myanmar's five official border trade posts with China, said the junta's frequent changes to the country's trade policy had left importers and exporters scrambling to keep up.

"We don't exactly know which way to go," he said. "The trade system changes too often. When one system was announced not long ago, another new system was ordered to replace it. Importers and exporters are all confused."

Other sources told RFA that if the new system slows trade, those who rely on the exchange of goods will also suffer.

A trucker at the border said that his line of work would also be impacted by the new policy.

"If traders have to pay too much to the government, we truckers will be out of work, too," he said. "We will have to wait and see how it's going to turn out, as the new policy was just announced, but I expect that the flow of goods will definitely be slowed."

Junta officials have pointed to the success of a similar pay-by-bank system implemented along Myanmar's border with Thailand since Nov. 1.

But a trader working along that border told RFA that the success is largely due to the strong banking connections between Thailand and Myanmar, while in some cases there aren't even banks on the Chinese side of the border with Myanmar.

Slowing trade

Trade along Myanmar's 2,200-kilometer (1,370-mile) border with China mostly takes place in the border towns of Lweje and Kanpaikti in Kachin state and in Muse and Chin Shwe Haw in Shan state.

Trade with China was steady prior to 2019, but was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political crisis in the aftermath of Myanmar's Feb. 1, 2021 military coup d'etat.

According to the junta's Department of Commerce and Industry, exports to China from Muse - which sees the heaviest flow of trade across the border - amounted to US$3 billion in the fiscal year from 2019-2020, while imports were worth US$1.8 billion.

As of May for the current fiscal year, exports had reached US$274 million, while imports were valued at US$157 million.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Matt Reed.

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 June 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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Telephone conversation with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi at the latter's initiative.

June 30, 2023

15:45

In connection with the events of June 24, Narendra Modi expressed understanding and support of the resolute actions by the Russian leadership to protect law and order and ensure stability in the country and security of its people.

During the discussion of topical issues of bilateral cooperation, the leaders noted the importance of further consistent implementation of large-scale joint projects in different areas and voiced their satisfaction over a tangible increase in trade in 2022 and the first quarter of the current year.

Special attention was paid to interaction in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the G20, in which India is holding the rotating presidency this year, and in the BRICS format. In addition, Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin about his international contacts, including his recent visit to Washington.

The situation around Ukraine was reviewed as well. The President of Russia gave his assessment of the current state of affairs in the zone of the special military operation. He emphasised Kiev's categorical refusal to take political and diplomatic steps to settle the conflict.

The conversation was substantive and constructive. The leaders confirmed their mutual desire to strengthen the Russia-India specially privileged strategic partnership and planned future contacts.

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All The Kremlin's Men: Russian Officials Drop Out Of Sight, Suggesting Post-Mutiny Purges

By Mike Eckel June 30, 2023

The guessing game in Moscow these days: Where are they?

Days after a mutiny by the mercenary warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, who sent thousands of his fighters racing toward the Russian capital, a growing number of prominent commanders and public figures have disappeared from public view.

Rattled by the biggest challenge he has faced in his 23 years as the country's preeminent political figure, President Vladimir Putin has suggested he would root out those inside and outside the military people who have allied themselves, quietly or overtly, with Prigozhin.

He may also be seeking to sideline those who let it happen or whose conduct of Russia's war in Ukraine has made them liabilities in his eyes.

"The armed insurgency by the Wagner private military company has become a pretext for a massive purge in the ranks of the Russian armed forces," said Rybar,  Telegram channel linked to a former Defense Ministry official.

The scope and scale of the purported purge is unclear, as is the depth and breadth of support for Prigozhin in the Defense Ministry, security agencies, and elsewhere. Some of those who have faded from view may simply be lying low -- under orders or at their own initiative -- in the hope the crisis will blow over.

Tatyana Stanovaya, a longtime Russian political analyst, cautioned that it is unclear whether there will be widespread dismissals and a major reshuffling of Putin's closest advisers or other influential figures.

"What distinguishes the current situation is Putin's progressive loss of initiative in dealing with domestic issues," she said in a post to Twitter. "His heightened emotional state makes him more susceptible to manipulation. We appear to be observing a new phase in Putin's regime, where his entourage is becoming more actively involved in shaping its trajectory."

Here's who's gone missing, and who has entered the limelight.

Sergei Surovikin

Dubbed "General Armageddon" by Russia's tabloids, General Sergei Surovikin is arguably -- after Prigozhin -- the person being most closely watched in the aftermath of the mutiny.

Currently commander of Russia's aerospace forces, Surovikin was appointed Russia's overall commander for the invasion of Ukraine by Putin last October.

At the time, the invasion was faltering; Ukrainian forces had stunned Russian troops with an offensive in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast. Surovikin ordered Russian forces to barrage Ukraine's electricity grid and civilian infrastructure with missiles. Under pressure from advancing Ukrainian troops, he also withdrew Russia's forces from the right bank of Dnieper River in the Kherson region, in the south.

Surovikin's appointment was championed by Prigozhin and other hard-line nationalists who pressed the Kremlin to wage an even more brutal campaign against Ukraine. He was viewed as a ruthless -- and effective -- commander overseeing Russia's intervention in the Syrian conflict in the late 2010s. Syria was where he and Prigozhin likely cemented their working relationship.

"Surovikin [is] a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders," Lawrence Freedman, an emeritus professor of war studies at King's College London, said in a post to Twitter.

But Surovikin only lasted three months as overall commander for the war in Ukraine: He was demoted and replaced in January by General Valery Gerasimov, the longtime chief of the General Staff and a Putin loyalist.

In the initial hours of the mutiny, Surovikin appeared in a video imploring Wagner fighters to stand down. But Surovikin's behavior in the video raised questions about whether it might have been coerced.

Since the video, Surovikin has not been seen or heard from publicly.

The Financial Times, The Moscow Times, and the Associated Press reported that Surovikin was believed to have been detained by authorities investigating the mutiny -- though it was unclear whether, if true, he was being treated as a suspect or as a witness.

Aleksei Venediktov, the well-connected editor in chief of the now-closed radio station Ekho Moskvy, said in a post to Telegram on June 28 that Surovikin had not been in contact with his family for three days.

On June 29, the head of the Moscow Public Monitoring Commission, a state-sanctioned agency that monitors jails and prisons, released a cryptic statement on Telegram that raised as many questions as it answered.

"My response is: He is not in Lefortovo or any other pretrial detention facility," Aleksei Melnikov said, referring to an infamous high-security Moscow prison where treason and espionage suspects are usually held.

Yevgeny Prigozhin

The last time Prigozhin was heard from was in an 11-minute audio message posted to his Telegram channel on the evening of June 26, nearly 48 hours after the purported resolution of the mutiny.

"We started our march because of injustice," he said. "Our goal was not to overthrow the existing regime and the legally elected government, which was said many times. We turned around so as not to shed Russian soldiers' blood."

But the audio message did not indicate where and when the recording was made or reveal Prigozhin's physical whereabouts.

Under the deal announced first by Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Prigozhin was to travel to Belarus, and his Wagner fighters would be allowed to go there as well or sign contracts to serve under the command of the Defense Ministry.

On June 27, Lukashenka claimed Prigozhin had arrived in Minsk, but there was no independent confirmation. Flight trackers showed a private jet registered to his company arriving in the Belarusian capital that day and returning to St. Petersburg on June 28, but it was unclear if he was on the jet for either leg.

Putin's harsh condemnation of the mutineers -- he called the effort a "betrayal" and a "stab in the back" -- suggested Prigozhin and his allies could face retribution: arrest or worse.

Russia's main domestic intelligence agency announced June 27 it was dropping its criminal investigation of the mutineers. However, the Kommersant newspaper, and several state-controlled news agencies, later reported that the investigation remained open.

Sergei Shoigu

One of Putin's closest and longest-serving confidants, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, 68, has been the recipient of lacerating criticism and vaguely racist insults from Prigozhin -- and other hard-line nationalists and military bloggers -- for his overall command of Russia's military during the Ukraine invasion.

Since at least last summer, when the Russian invasion visibly faltered, Prigozhin has repeatedly ripped into him by name, accusing him of depriving Wagner forces of the ammunition needed to fight in the now-obliterated Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Shoigu's distrust of Prigozhin has been less visible. But in May, the Defense Ministry issued an order that would formally bring Wagner fighters under regular command, depriving the group of its quasi-autonomous force.

That was believed to be the last straw for Prigozhin, who resisted losing control of his military force.

In the wake of the mutiny, the Defense Ministry released a video of Shoigu inspecting Russian troops and awarding medals in an undisclosed location. The video appeared to have been recorded prior to the rebellion.

But Prigozhin's mutiny included his forces taking control of Russia's southern military command in the city of Rostov-on-Don, putting his troops in direct confrontation with Defense Ministry officers. Another video that circulated on Telegram early on June 24 showed Prigozhin meeting with a deputy defense minister, Colonel General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and the deputy chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev.

"We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu," Prigozhin said. "Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and moving toward Moscow."

"You believe everything you're doing right now is right. Is that right?" Yevkurov is seen asking Prigozhin in the video. "Absolutely right. We're saving Russia," Prigozhin responds.

That video was seen as a potential embarrassment for the two top military commanders, who have played key roles in the invasion.

Shoigu was shown on June 26 attending a Security Council meeting with Putin. A day later, Shoigu appeared at Kremlin ceremony, where Putin thanked soldiers and guards and those "who stood in the way of the mutineers."

He did not speak, and has given no media interviews since the mutiny.

Valery Gerasimov

Prigozhin's other punching bag has been Gerasimov, who as chief of the General Staff is Russia's top military officer.

Like Shoigu, Gerasimov, 67, is seen as loyal to Putin, a trait the Russian leader is known to value.

Known as a stolid, competent strategist, Gerasimov took a backseat role in the Ukraine operation for nearly all of 2022. But his position at the start of the full-scale invasion that February, and the major failures that Russian forces have experienced, stoked his critics' calls for his sacking.

Gerasimov ended up with the post of supreme Ukraine commander in January, when Putin demoted Surovikin. One Western expert characterized the shuffle as "infighting, power struggles, jealousy."

Gerasimov, who never had a very public media presence, has not been seen or heard from since before the mutiny. Unlike Shoigu, he did not appear at the June 27 Kremlin ceremony.

Viktor Zolotov

In contrast to the commanders and officials who have dropped out of sight in recent days, Viktor Zolotov, Putin's longtime bodyguard, dating back to his time in St. Petersburg, has seen his public presence -- relatively minimal in the past -- grow considerably.

Zolotov's loyalty to Putin earned him the appointment to be the first chief of the newly created National Guard in 2016. Seen as a sort of Praetorian Guard, the National Guard has grown into a 300,000-strong force whose responsibilities of ensuring internal stability within Russia dovetails with other units within the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service, and other agencies.

Mainly a behind-the-scenes player, Zolotov's most visible public presence in recent years came in 2018, when he responded publicly to an investigation by opposition gadfly Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, which charged that nearly $30 million in procurement contracts had been stolen from the National Guard.

"I simply challenge you to a duel, in the ring, on the judo mat, anywhere, and I promise to make mincemeat of you," he said, addressing Navalny.

Zolotov, too, appeared at the Kremlin ceremony where Putin thanked units -- including some from the National Guard -- for their actions during the mutiny.

Unlike Shoigu, however, Zolotov spoke publicly to reporters after the event, where he announced his force would be receiving heavy weaponry, including tanks, to bolster their arsenal.

"We concentrated all our fists and forces precisely on the approaches to Moscow," Zolotov bragged to reporters. "Because if our forces had been scattered [Wagner] would have passed through them like a knife through butter."

"The rebels would not have taken Moscow," he said.

Other Names To Watch

Several other lower-key, non-marquee names are also worth watching for, as an indication where any potential purge might be moving:

Colonel General Andrei Yudin, Surovikin's deputy commander in the aerospace forces, was reported by Russian military bloggers to have been detained earlier this week. However, he later answered his phone when called by a reporter from the Kremlin-friendly news site Ura.ru: "I'm at home, on holiday."

Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev joined Wagner as a deputy commander in early May, days after being sacked as deputy defense minister.

Known as the "Butcher of Mariupol" for his role in the scorched-earth siege of the Ukrainian Azov Sea port city last year, Mizintsev had overseen logistics and supplies at the Defense Ministry, meaning he played an instrumental role in getting ammunition and supplies to Wagner, as well as regular troops.

The two officers who appeared in the early mutiny video alongside Prigozhin -- Yevkurov and Alekseyev -- have also been out of sight since last weekend.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/all-the-kremlins-men-russian- officials-drop-out-of-sight-post-mutiny/32484195.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The Week In Russia: Rebellion, Repression, Weakness, And War

By Steve Gutterman June 30, 2023

In the wake of the Wagner mutiny, President Vladimir Putin looks vulnerable, but the consequences of the short-lived revolt are far less clear than its causes. And while the political landscape may have shifted, Russia's war on Ukraine and repression at home continue unabated.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

Altered Image

The fallout from Wagner mercenary force leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny is far from over, but one effect seems all but certain: Putin has been weakened.

Countless observers have said so, though their assessments differ in degree. Some say that Putin is "over" or "finished." Others say the dramatic events of June 24 may mark "the beginning of the end" for the former KGB officer who has been president or prime minister of Russia for nearly 24 years.

Strictly speaking, none of those is true. Putin remains the Russian president, and at this point the most likely outcome of the election due next March appears to be that he secures a new six-year Kremlin term.

And if one were to try to pinpoint the beginning of the end for Putin, the search would probably go back more than a year, to his launch of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, or more than a decade, to his decision to return to the presidency in 2012 -- if not further.

In terms of accuracy, the headline on a June 27 guest essay in The New York Times by Russian political analyst Andrei Kolesnikov appeared to hit the nail on the head, describing a palpable truth without predicting the future: "Yesterday's Putin is gone," it read.

The disappearance of the Putin of the past seemed to be both a subjective and objective matter.

Objectively, his image was altered, maybe irrevocably, by the mutiny, in which Wagner forces essentially took control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than 1 million, and had advanced to within 200 kilometers of Moscow when Prigozhin abruptly called off the "march for justice."

Putin's "system survived," at least for now, wrote Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.

But "Putin today is not who he was last week," he wrote. Prigozhin "showed Russians a fleeting glimpse of an alternative future and, by doing so, gave more Russians reason to doubt their leadership. Is Mr. Putin really the all-powerful, czarlike figure they thought he was? That is the question most ordinary Russians will now, finally, begin to ask themselves."

'So Shocking'

And not just ordinary Russians. The so-called elites are also seeing a different Putin, Tatyana Stanovaya, a political analyst who studies these groups, suggested.

"This mutiny was so shocking that the regime appeared to many as near to collapse, which significantly undermines Putin's ability to secure control in the eyes of the political class," Stanovaya, head of the consultancy R.Politik and also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, wrote on Twitter on June 29.

Still, a "fleeting glimpse" is all anyone got, in Russia, Ukraine, or anywhere else -- leaving aside the fact that, given who Prigozhin is and what he has done in the past, an "alternative future" that might have unfolded had things gone another way last weekend might not be the kind that millions who hope for change in Russia would welcome.

In the days that have passed since Prigozhin halted the "march for justice," Putin has been busy trying to portray the developments as a win or at least do damage control, suggesting that the Russian military had headed off the challenge from Wagner and that the Russian people had rallied in his support -- two assertions for which there is little or no evidence.

But even if yesterday's Putin is gone, Russia looks a lot like it did yesterday and the day before, for that matter: a place where the state is trying hard to suppress dissent. Those efforts seem unlikely to flag in the foreseeable future -- and they might, on the contrary, grow more intense if Putin senses that he is vulnerable or that widespread tacit support for the war against Ukraine is under threat.

In any case, the clampdown continued apace in the wake of the mutiny. One example: Roman Ushakov, a blogger who said he was tortured with electric shocks following his arrest in December, was sentenced to eight years in prison over anonymous posts that, among other things, referred to the killings of civilians and the destruction of the city of Mariupol by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the multipronged prosecution of Aleksei Navalny also continued. Already serving terms totaling 11 1/2 years following convictions in two cases he has dismissed as politically motivated fabrications, the 47-year-old opposition politician went on trial this month on a raft of new charges including creating an extremist group, and his lawyers say he could face an additional 30 years in prison.

If Prigozhin's mutiny gave Russians a glimpse of an alternative future, Navalny has sought to do that in a strikingly different way: at the ballot box. He tried to challenge Putin for the presidency in 2018 but was barred from running in the election, and the network of campaign offices h established across Russia was later deemed extremist and shut down, as was his Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Who's The Extremist?

In a Twitter thread posted by his associates, Navalny wrote that he had not learned of the mutiny -- or the deal with the Kremlin under which Prigozhin is to escape prosecution -- until a court hearing on June 26, when his lawyers told him about it and showed images of the scenes in Rostov and the advance toward Moscow. The irony was not lost on him.

"I kept expecting someone to suddenly yell, 'You got punk'd,'" he wrote. "But no one did. Instead the prosecutor came in and we continued the trial in which I stand accused of forming an organization to overthrow President Putin by violent means."

Prigozhin's mutiny, of course, is a result of Russia's war on Ukraine -- it came after he had lashed out with growing vehemence against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, over their conduct of the invasion and what he asserted was the military's mistreatment of Wagner forces, who have played a prominent role in the fighting.

It also came after Prigozhin suggested that the February 2022 invasion was unjustified and unprovoked, contesting the claim that Russia faced a threat of attack from Ukraine and NATO. He again laid the blame on Shoigu, but it was a striking statement -- particularly because Putin has increasingly tried to cast the war as a necessary measure to protect Russia from Washington and the West.

Death In Kramatorsk

"On February 24 [2022], there was nothing extraordinary happening," Prigozhin said in a video released on June 23. "Now the Defense Ministry is trying to deceive the public, deceive the president, and tell a story that there was some crazy aggression by Ukraine, that -- together with the whole NATO bloc -- Ukraine was planning to attack us."

For some in Ukraine, the sight of a weakened Putin has raised hopes that an end to the war -- on terms acceptable to Kyiv -- could be closer than it may have seemed. But there are also concerns that Putin could take escalatory action in an attempt to show strength.

For now, amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that began in early June, the deadly Russian attacks also continue, and civilians are frequently the victims.

At least 11 people were killed and dozens wounded after a Russian missile strike hit a packed pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on June 27, Ukrainian authorities said. Among the dead: twin sisters Yulia and Anna Aksenchenko, who would have turned 15 in September.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-wagner- weakness/32483454.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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Statement by Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control Mr.Konstantin Gavrilov at the consultations of the Parties of the Agreement on Maximum Levels For Holdings of Conventional Arms and Equipment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian Republic, the Republic of Poland, Romania and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in Connection with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, June 30, 2023

30 June 2023 22:01

1295-30-06-2023



Agenda item 1: AQuestions relating to the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Budapest Agreement

Mr. Chairperson,

At the outset, allow me to thank the Hungarian side, as Depositary, for convening consultations pursuant to Article VI, paragraph 3, of the Agreement on Maximum Levels For Holdings of Conventional Arms and Equipment, signed in connection with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces (CFE Treaty) in Budapest on 3 November 1990.

Today's meeting provides a good opportunity to recall that European conventional arms control arrangements were established in the specific historical circumstances of the end of the Cold War. Among them was the Budapest Agreement concluded on the wane of the inter-bloc confrontation, when the Warsaw Treaty Organization was about to finish its existence and German reunification had become a fait accompli.

Already in the new geopolitical context, on 15 May 1992, the eight post-Soviet states whose territories fell within the CFE Treaty area of application signed the Tashkent Agreement. Although it never entered into force, throughout the intervening years, the Contracting Parties have largely adhered to its provisions, the key one being the allocation of Soviet maximum levels for holdings of conventional arms and equipment, established by the Budapest Agreement.

In retrospect, we can safely say that arms control does not exist in a vacuum, it is undergoing erosion against the background of deepening dividing lines in Europe. During the Conference on the withdrawal of Russia from the CFE Treaty (Vienna, June 29, 2023), we set out in detail the reasons for this decision, and they are well known to our colleagues. Briefly speaking, it is the extraordinary events related to the subject matter of the Treaty that have jeopardized Russia's security and required the adoption of urgent measures.

As for the Budapest Agreement itself, it is inextricably linked with the CFE Treaty, and only the States Parties to the Treaty can implement it. Therefore, the Agreement shall cease to be in force for Russia precisely in connection with its withdrawal from the CFE Treaty. In other words, today we are not talking about the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Agreement, as it is set out in Article VI, paragraph 2, but about the fact that our country ceases to be a Party to it under paragraph 1 of the mentioned article.

This circumstance obviates the need for Russia to carry out the separate procedures necessary for the withdrawal from the Budapest Agreement, and, in particular, to state in our notification the reasons for withdrawal that are relevant to the contents of this particular document. However, it is obvious to us, that in view of the radical politico-military changes in Europe since the mid-1990s, the Budapest Agreement has become an anachronism. Suffice it to say that almost all states that signed the Treaty in the year 1990, de-facto joined "the group of States Parties that signed or acceded to the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 or the Treaty of Washington of 1949" and continue to be purely formally listed in the "Eastern group".

At the same time, we recognize that other Parties may see in the CFE Treaty and the Budapest Agreement instruments to maintain a mutual politico-military balance. We respect their sovereign choice and wish all other Parties to the Agreement, including the successor states of the USSR, every success in its further implementation. Of course, without Russia.

Let me remind you that the Budapest Agreement was suspended with respect to our country in 2007, this provision will remain in force until 00 o'clock on November 7, 2023. From this moment on, Russia will cease to be a Party to the Budapest Agreement.

Thank you for your attention.

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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's telephone conversation with Malian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdoulaye Diop

30 June 2023 17:27

1292-30-06-2023

On June 30, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali Abdoulaye Diop at the latter's initiative.

The foreign ministers discussed current issues of the further development of traditionally friendly relations between Russia and Mali, including stronger political, trade, economic and other interaction. They agreed to continue constructive cooperation in the UN in resolving global and African problems.

Mr Lavrov confirmed Russia's invariable course of providing Bamako with the necessary support on a bilateral basis, including in overcoming acute socio-economic problems, enhancing the combat capability of its national armed forces and training army and law-enforcement personnel.

The foreign ministers reviewed some issues related to the preparations for the Second Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg in July 2023. A representative Malian delegation led by interim President of Mali Assimi Goita will take part in its work.

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the opening of the SCO National Peoples' Diplomacy Centre, Moscow, June 30, 2023

30 June 2023 15:58

1289-30-06-2023

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

Good afternoon.

I am delighted to attend the opening of the National Peoples' Diplomacy Centre of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Russia, created at the initiative of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly. I would like to use this occasion to express gratitude to the assembly members and its Secretary General, Andrey Belyaninov, for this much needed, interesting and promising initiative.

The operation of the National Centre will undoubtedly help to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the general public of the SCO countries and to promote an objective view of Russia in the SCO space and beyond it. The centre will be fully based on fundamental SCO principles, such as openness, mutual trust, equality, non-directedness against third countries, respect for cultural diversity and a striving for joint constructive development.

The SCO is a pillar of the evolving multipolar world, based on the UN Charter, the philosophy of equal and indivisible security, and the right of nations to choose their future themselves. Our organisation is an excellent example of truly multilateral diplomacy. Countries with different political systems and distinctive values and traditions are effectively collaborating within the framework of the organisation in many areas. There are no drivers or driven among our countries, which take decisions by consensus. We apply in practice a fundamental principle of the UN Charter, namely, the sovereign equality of states.

It is no accident that more countries are willing to develop ties with the SCO. At the upcoming meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council on July 4, we will formalise the full membership of Iran, sign a memorandum of obligations for Belarus and launch the procedure for its full accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

We welcome the new dialogue partners of the SCO. Together with the new members and dialogue partners, the SCO space covers territory from Europe and the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia. We also continue to discuss additional applications from interested countries.

Our current priority is to make use of this powerful and ever-growing potential. A process of comprehensive improvement of the SCO's activities with due regard for the new geopolitical realities has been launched at Russia's initiative. Its goal is to further improve the standards of our cooperation in politics, the economy, security and culture, and to build up the efficiency of permanent SCO bodies. We are prioritising the substance and parameters of cooperation with dialogue partners and other external parties.

The organisation's legal framework and constructive groundwork are sufficient for building up joint efforts against security threats and challenges. The existing policy documents and concepts promote effective trade, economic and investment cooperation. The SCO member states continue working to promote their transport, logistics and infrastructure connectivity, to strengthen their food and energy security, as well as to protect themselves from the effects of the Western countries' illegal unilateral measures.

We are working together to realise our achievements in practical projects in the common SCO format. Another pillar of the SCO is our humanitarian relations. I would like to mention the dynamic development of our ties in culture, healthcare, science, education, tourism and youth affairs. I have no doubt that the SCO's National Peoples' Diplomacy Centre in Russia will make a substantial contribution to the development of our cooperation in these areas.

As far as I know, the successful experience of similar organisations operating in China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was considered during the establishment of this centre in Russia. The Foreign Ministry is willing to provide all-round support and assistance to the development of such a mechanism and centre in Russia. We are ready to work closely with all SCO countries towards strengthening its prestige and promoting the ideals of a fair and democratic multipolar world.

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During Pacific Fleet's drills, destroyer Admiral Tributs staged a duel with a submarine in the Sea of Japan

30.06.2023

The Pacific Fleet's destroyer Admiral Tributs practised searching and elimination of a mock enemy submarine at a firing range in the Sea of Japan.

The drills took place in accordance with the Fleet's training plan. A Project 636.6 diesel submarine Varshavyanka operated as a mock enemy submarine.

During the drills, with practise fires, the destroyer and the submarine staged a duel. The destroyer Admiral Tributs located the submarine, launched torpedoes, and deployed rocket-thrown depth charges. In turn, the submarine delivered a torpedo strike at the destroyer.

Moreover, the destroyer carried out a set of exercises on anti-submarine defence, combat manoeuvring while searching for an enemy submarine and evading anti-submarine weaponry strikes.

Due to skilful and swift actions of the ship's crew, all objectives of the drills were completed.

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Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) - Blanket Order Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement (CLSSA) Foreign Military Sales Order II (FMSO II)

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 23-38

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2023 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States of a Blanket Order Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement (CLSSA) Foreign Military Sales Order II (FMSO II) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $108 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has requested to buy a Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement (CLSSA) Foreign Military Sales Order II (FMSO II) to support the purchase of spare and repair parts for wheeled vehicles, weapons, and other related elements of program support. The estimated total cost is $108 million.

This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region.

The proposed sale will contribute to the sustainment of the recipient's vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems, and logistical support items, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. The proposed sale will contribute to the recipient's goal of maintaining its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States. The recipient will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor(s) will be determined from approved vendors determined by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to provide these parts for the U.S. military. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the recipient.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

-30-

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Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) - 30 mm Ammunition

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 23-44

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2023 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States of 30 mm Ammunition and related equipment for an estimated cost of $332.2 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has requested to buy various unclassified 30 mm ammunition, including 30 mm High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer rounds, 30 mm multi-purpose rounds, and 30 mm training rounds; engineering technical services, including configuration control, production support, ammunition testing, and Load, Assemble, and Pack services; other technical services, including sourcing and acquisition assistance, Navy civilian personnel costs, contract support services, support on technical data requests, responses to Requests for Information, up to two (2) Program Management Reviews per year, and testing and documentation associated with contract procurements; and other related elements of logistic and program support. The estimated total cost is $332.2 million.

This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8.

This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region.

The proposed sale will contribute to the sustainment of the recipient's CM34 Armored Vehicles, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. This ammunition will contribute to the recipient's goal of maintaining its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States. The recipient will have no difficulty absorbing this ammunition into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor for the AB44 ammunition will be Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, MN. The principal contractor for the AB51 and AA90 ammunition will be General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simuni, Marion, IL. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the permanent assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the recipient. Program Office and support representatives will travel to the recipient on a temporary basis.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

-30-

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U.S. approves arms sales of US$440 million to Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

06/30/2023 01:12 PM

Washington, June 29 (CNA) The United States government said Thursday it had approved a total of US$440 million in arms sales to Taiwan, which would include ammunition and spare parts for military wheeled vehicles and weapons.

A package of US$332.2 million was approved for the potential supply to Taiwan of 30mm High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer rounds, 30mm multi-purpose rounds, 30mm training rounds and related equipment, among other items, according to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

A second package of US$108 million will include spare and repair parts for military wheeled vehicles, weapons and other related elements of logical support, the agency said.

The proposed sales are consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, and they serve U.S. national, economic and security interests by modernizing Taiwan's armed forces and maintaining Taiwan's credible defensive capability, the agency said.

It is the second time this year and the 10th time during the administration of President Joe Biden that the U.S. has approved the sale of arms to Taiwan.

(By Stacy Hsu and Evelyn Yang)

Enditem/pc



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11 Chinese warplanes cross median line of Taiwan Strait: MND

ROC Central News Agency

06/30/2023 01:34 PM

Taipei, June 30 (CNA) Eleven Chinese military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning, following an announcement by the United States government the previous day that it had approved the potential sale of US$440 million worth of weapons and spare parts to Taiwan, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taipei.

At around 8 a.m. Friday, 24 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were spotted near Taiwan, and 11 of them crossed the unofficial border line between Taiwan and China, the MND said in a statement.

The 24 PLA aircraft included J-11, J-10, and J-16 fighter jets, as well as Sukhoi Su-30s and H-6 bombers, the MND said.

In response, the ministry said, it scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, and also issued radio warnings, mobilized combat air and naval patrols, and deployed defensive missile systems.

According to the MND, five Chinese naval vessels were also detected near Taiwan on Friday, but it did not give any details of the location or movement of the ships.

The intrusions followed an announcement Thursday by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency that the State Department has approved the potential sale of two arms packages to Taiwan, including a US$332.2 million package for 30 mm ammunition and related equipment.

The other package, under a Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement, will allow the supply of spare and repair parts for military wheeled vehicles, weapons, and other related elements of logistics support to Taiwan, at an estimated cost of US$108, according to the American agency.

The U.S. arms sales were the second round approved this year and the 10th authorized by the President Joe Biden's administration.

(By Matt Yu and Elizabeth Hsu)

Enditem/pc







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US plans to sell $440mn weapons parts, munitions to Chinese Taipei

Iran Press TV

Friday, 30 June 2023 6:58 AM

The US State Department has announced plans to sell military hardware to Chinese Taipei despite Beijing's strong disproval of Washington's relationship with the island.

The State Department said In a notification to Congress on Thursday it would sell $440.2 million worth of weapons' parts and munitions in its latest effort to boost Taiwan's forces as tensions remain high with China.

It said the deal includes $332.2 million in 30mm ammunition and related equipment and $108 million in spare and repair parts for wheeled vehicles and weapons.

The US-supplied military equipment will help Taipei "maintain a credible defensive capability" but "will not alter the basic military balance in the region", the State Department said.

The new equipment "will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region", it said.

US lawmakers, however, it being unlikely, can now lawfully reject the provocative sales of military hardware to Taipei.

In accordance with the internationally accepted "One China" principle, the US is obliged to only recognize Beijing in its diplomatic foreign relations.

Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei said on Friday that in the morning hours, 11 Chinese aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan, which China sees as its own territory, has said that in recent years Chinese aircraft cross the island's airspace, often in the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone on an almost daily basis.

A total of 24 Chinese warplanes including fighter jets and bombers were spotted near Taiwan on Friday morning from around 8 a.m. (00:00 GMT), Taipei's defense ministry said, adding five Chinese battleships also joined a "joint war readiness patrol."

Despite the sales of military hardware and repeated visits to Taipei by US officials and congressional lawmakers, Beijing's top brass says it will keep working for peaceful unification with Taiwan, with the "most sincere and utmost efforts".

"We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and greatest efforts," China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu said on the 1st day of June. "Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and the Taiwan issue is the core of the core interests of China."

However, he did not rule out the chances of seizing the self-governing island, which is separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Strait, by force if circumstances demanded.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a visit to Beijing this month to restore lines of communication between Beijing and Washington that were cut as tensions escalated between the two economic powerhouses. On his return, bilateral ties got worse after US President Joe Biden called his Chinese counterpart a "dictator".

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UK and Netherlands confirm future amphibious relationship

The UK and Netherlands agree to explore opportunities to develop a future littoral strike platform, providing future capability to both nations' Commando Forces

30 June 2023

UK and Netherlands to explore opportunities for a collaborative programme to develop a future littoral strike platform.

Royal Navy celebrates 50 years of the Joint Amphibious Force in Den Helder.

UK and Netherlands confirm future cooperation within Joint Amphibious Force.

Signed by UK Defence Minister James Cartlidge and Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren in Den Helder, on the 50th anniversary of the Joint Amphibious Force, both nations also agreed to further collaboration on amphibious exercises and training in future.

Future UK Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS) will be equipped with a sea to land strike capability, designed to operate in amphibious task groups - known as Littoral Response Groups - helping highly-trained Marines to deploy to crises globally, fully equipped with their vehicles, boats, aircraft, and weaponry.

Today's Statement of Intent will see the partner nations working together to understand respective joint requirements and expected timelines for the UK MRSS and Dutch Landing Platform, to help assess whether a collaborative procurement programme would be mutually beneficial.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, said:

To remain a truly global military, we must procure the right equipment at the right time for our Armed Forces. The future Multi Role Support Ships will ensure the Royal Marines can continue to deploy overseas fully equipped at short notice. We are very proud to be working closely with our Dutch allies on assessing future procurement options, as well as building on the strong foundation of our 50-year partnership to enhance our collective readiness.

The Royal Navy's amphibious flagship, HMS Albion, played host to events around the announcement, which included the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two nations.

In a revitalisation of the original MoU from 1973, the UK and Dutch agreed to grow the relationship between the two navies and marine forces, continuing to work together in an interoperable force at the forefront of NATO's maritime response.

First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, said:

This year is a particularly special one to be in Den Helder alongside our Dutch friends, celebrating both Navy Days and the signing 50 years ago of an agreement that has enabled our amphibious forces to train, exercise and deploy together. It has resulted in our closest and most significant amphibious relationship. I am delighted that our nations have today signed an agreement to deepen this through further exercises and training but most significantly, to pursue the next generation of littoral strike ships, setting the stage for the next 50 years of our cooperation.

UK and Netherlands forces have worked continually together for more than 50 years with the UN, NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force and, in the current global climate, this strong relationship is more relevant than ever.

Recently, both countries announced a partnership with the US and Denmark to deliver high priority air defence equipment to Ukraine, addressing its most urgent air defence requirements as Russia continues its illegal invasion.

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Joint Expeditionary Force completes landmark deployment from UK to Iceland

It is the first time the JEF headquarters has deployed from its permanent headquarters in London to a remote location

30 June 2023

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has completed a month-long redeployment of its permanent headquarters from London to Iceland for the first time, demonstrating its operational capability.

The deployment, named ASGARD 23, saw more than 150 personnel, complete with all their workstations, supporting equipment and facilities moved from the UK's Joint Headquarters in Northwood, Middlesex, to Keflavik Airbase. The move was designed to demonstrate and test the JEF's ability to operate its headquarters from another partner nation, developing the response to and rehearsing for a serious threat to European Security.

During their time in Iceland, military personnel from all ten nations worked on security of infrastructure, intelligence sharing, and crisis protocols as well as how the multinational organisation could respond to a range of scenarios, such as threats to undersea infrastructure and how to support any NATO response to security challenges.

Major General Jim Morris said:

ASGARD was our most ambitious headquarters exercise to date, and we've achieved everything we wanted to achieve. In particular we've taken great steps to develop JEF capabilities, which is a reassuring message to the people of northern Europe, and we've highlighted the key role that Iceland plays in supporting regional security through the JEF.

This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by my headquarters staff, by supporting units and of course by our host nation. We intend to carry out increasingly ambitious deployments and exercises in the future and ASGARD has been an excellent model for that.

The UK's Standing Joint Force Commander, Maj Gen Morris, welcomed dignitaries from all ten JEF Participant Nations, and hosted workshops in Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) security, intelligence-sharing, and refinement of the JEF Response Options (JROs) - the protocols by which JEF can respond in times of crisis.

Leaders and representatives from the JEF participant nations recently gathered in Amsterdam, where in a joint statement, they agreed to reaffirm their commitment to supporting Ukraine and working together to enhance cooperation around protection of offshore critical national infrastructure.

This deployment demonstrates the JEF's evolving capacity and capability to operate in a remote location and reinforces ties with the JEF's newest member, after Iceland joined in 2021.

Iceland is a key proponent of peace and stability in northern Europe, and as a member of both NATO and the JEF, the Icelandic government recognised the value in having a multi-national force present and was an active player in helping JEF Participant Nations further their own understanding of the region.

JEF Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations/Planning, Gp Capt Kev Latchman, said:

Through its opt-in decision-making mechanism, the JEF can respond quickly to an emerging crisis, surging and shaping the ground to support and enhance any NATO response.

The work we've done in Iceland to develop JROs has built consensus in our planning and resulted in stand-alone packages of potential activities which can support Participant Nations and NATO. The work completed on this deployment was the crescendo to many months of work that has laid the doctrinal foundations for a swift, credible and capable response to a raft of threats and challenges in the region.

The deployment, which was supported by units from the Royal Signals, Royal Engineers, and Gibraltar Regiment, also provided further insight into how the JEF can, as a framework, work in tandem with NATO and national defence plans.

The value added by the JEF is a significant contribution to both security and deterrence, giving JEF Participant Nation governments, and NATO, more options in times of crisis.

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EU leaders: We will continue to strongly support Ukraine

Finnish Government

Government Communications Department

30.6.2023 3.54

Press release



The EU Member States condemned in the strongest terms Russia's war against Ukraine and reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it will be needed. The meeting of the European Council, which started in Brussels on Thursday 29 June, held a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"It is important to continue and further increase our support for Ukraine. This also conveys a strong message to President Putin: he cannot win the war. We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

The EU leaders stressed the importance of continuing the military and financial support to Ukraine and of ensuring that Russia is held fully accountable for its illegal war of aggression. The meeting also discussed the current situation in Russia.

The European Council seeks to strengthen the European defence sector by promoting the delivery and joint procurement of ammunition and missiles. The Council calls on the Commission to present a proposal for a European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP).

The EU leaders discussed the security situation in Europe with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Prime Minister Orpo said that Finland strongly supports the efforts to advance EU-NATO cooperation. The Prime Minister also emphasised Finland's strong support for the realisation of Sweden's NATO membership without delay.

The European Council continues on Friday with further discussions, including on migration.

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The appointment of the tribunal for Russia's aggression against Ukraine discussed in Warsaw

Republic of Poland - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

30.06.2023

On 30 June, the 4th meeting of the core group of legal advisors and directors of legal departments at Ministries of Foreign Affairs of 38 states and international organizations took place in Warsaw.

The meeting was dedicated to the establishment of a special tribunal on the Russian aggression on Ukraine. The meeting was inaugurated by Maciej KarasiAski, General Director of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The day before, the core group participated in a cultural event at the Museum of Warsaw and saw "Warsaw 1945-1949: Rising from Rubble" exhibition on the destruction and reconstruction of Warsaw.

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Update 168 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

International Atomic Energy Agency

64/2023

Vienna Austria

30 Jun 2023

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have so far found no visible indications of mines or other explosives currently planted at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), but they still need additional access to carry out further such checks at the site, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

The team of IAEA experts were today able to inspect parts of the plant's cooling system, including some sections of the perimeter of the large cooling pond and the isolation gate of the discharge channel of the nearby Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP). Both this channel and the cooling pond hold reserves of water that remain available for use by the ZNPP despite the destruction of the downstream Kakhovka dam more than three weeks ago.

The IAEA experts have also been conducting regular walkdowns across the six reactor units and other areas around the site. Access to further areas is still expected, including parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system.

As previously indicated, the IAEA is aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the ZNPP, including mines near the cooling pond.

"We take all such reports very seriously and I have instructed our experts at the site to look into this matter and request the access they need for doing their job. Until now they have not observed any mines or other explosives. Further access will still be needed," Director General Grossi said.

As Director General Grossi said last week, no mines were observed at the site during his visit to the ZNPP on 15 June, his third in less than ten months. However, the IAEA has been aware of a previous placement of mines outside the plant perimeter, which the Agency has reported about earlier, and also at particular places inside.

The five basic principles for the protection of Europe's largest nuclear power plant (NPP) that Director General Grossi established on 30 May at the United Nations Security Council state that there should be no attack from or against the plant and that it should not be used as storage or a base for heavy weapons - multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks.

"We need full access to be able to confirm that the five principles have not been violated, and we will continue to request the necessary access to all those areas essential to nuclear safety and security so that we can deliver on this mandate, including that the plant should not be used as storage or base for heavy weapons and munitions," Director General Grossi said, adding that the IAEA team had not reported any shelling or explosions over the past week and that the military presence at the site appears unchanged.

"We are reinforcing our own presence at the plant to monitor compliance with these principles that are of paramount importance for protecting the plant and preventing a major nuclear accident during the war," he said.

Since the Kakhovka dam was breached on 6 June, causing a rapid drop in the reservoir's level, the ZNPP has been relying on separate reserves of water held near or at the site, especially the ZTPP's discharge channel.

Currently, the plant's six reactors continue to be cooled using the essential cooling system, now being replenished with underground water pumped from the site's drainage system, Director General Grossi said. For the site's other water needs, the plant has recently switched from using the ZTPP discharge channel to the large cooling pond next to the site.

As a result, the height of the ZNPP cooling pond is declining by up to 1 centimetre per day due to site usage and evaporation, but water from the drainage system is also being used to replenish this body of water, thereby slowing the reduction rate in the water level. The pond's current water level is just over 16.5 metres.

On 23 June, as indicated in the Director General's Update 167, the ZNPP started the normal circulation pumps to take water from the ZTPP's inlet channel - which used to be directly connected to the reservoir but has since been detached from it - into the same facility's discharge channel but soon had to stop because the water level was too low for operating these pumps. It was the first such attempt since 8 June.

Instead, Director General Grossi said, the plant is preparing to use smaller submersible pumps to access water from this inlet channel and refill the ZTPP discharge channel, whose level had been falling by around 10 centimetres per day until the plant started using the cooling pond. Its height has now stabilized at just under 17 metres, helped also by recent rain and cooler weather.

Pumping additional water into the discharge channel would provide an extra buffer for the ZNPP, whose six reactors are all in shutdown but still need both power and cooling water.

To help preserve these existing but still finite resources the plant has also reduced consumption of water that is not necessary for essential nuclear safety and security functions as much as possible.

"Even though the site currently has sufficient water reserves for some months, the plant needs to act already now to ensure sufficient water for the longer term. The plant is working to address this issue, but it is a complex undertaking, which we witnessed once again last week," he said.

The ZNPP remains dependent on a single operational 750 kilovolt (kV) external power line for the electricity it needs for cooling the reactors and other essential nuclear safety and security functions, compared with four lines before the armed conflict in Ukraine. If this line were to fail again - as has happened repeatedly in recent months - the site currently only has emergency diesel generators available for the electricity it needs to pump the water that cools the reactors and spent fuel ponds.

Five of the ZNPP's six reactors are in cold shutdown. Unit 5 remains in hot shutdown to generate steam required for the site. The IAEA experts visited the Unit 5 main control room yesterday and confirmed the hot shutdown status. The experts have also been informed that the plant is still assessing the need for steam to determine what type of external steam generator could be installed and possibly allow the cold shutdown of Unit 5. The IAEA is also aware that the Ukraine regulator has made changes to the licences of some of the units of ZNPP, including that the operation of Unit 5 be carried out in a cold shutdown state.

The IAEA also has teams of experts permanently present at Ukraine's other NPPs to assist in efforts to maintain nuclear safety and security during the conflict.

On 13 June, a delivery of spare parts for the emergency diesel generators of the South Ukraine NPP took place. These spare parts are essential for the maintenance and functionality of the emergency diesel generators, so their proper functioning is ensured to prevent a nuclear accident due to loss of off-site power. The delivery followed the arrangements agreed on 5 May between the IAEA, France and Ukraine's Energoatom. Additional spare parts foreseen under this agreement will be delivered soon.

Yesterday, the IAEA coordinated its 19th equipment delivery during the conflict, consisting of five decontamination units for Ukraine's State Emergency Services, procured with support from the European Union. Five additional units have been procured with other funds and are awaiting shipment to Ukraine.

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Hong Kong: 403 people recognised in honours list

The Chief Executive has awarded 403 people in this years Honours List in recognition of their significant contributions to Hong Kong.

Five people - Executive Council Non-official Member and lawmaker Jeffrey Lam, Polytechnic University former President Prof Poon Chung-kwong, Timothy Fok, Lam Shuk-yee and Sze Chi-ching - received the Grand Bauhinia Medal.

Ten people received the Gold Bauhinia Star, 28 the Silver Bauhinia Star and 41 the Bronze Bauhinia Star.

Meanwhile, Ho Siu-fai was awarded the Medal for Bravery (Bronze) for courageously confronting the suspect of a murder case at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill on June 2. The Chief Executive also wished to thank four citizens for their unreserved assistance in rescuing the victims immediately at the scene by awarding them the Chief Executive's Commendation for Community Service.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region search and rescue team deployed to carry out seach and rescue operations in Turkiye's earthquake-stricken areas in February have been awarded the Chief Executive's Commendation for Government/Public Service.

The awards presentation ceremony will be held later this year.

Additionally, the Chief Executive has appointed a total of 65 people as Justices of the Peace.

This story has been published on: 2023-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ukraine's NATO aspirations to be discussed after Vilnius summit: Stoltenberg

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 14:16, June 30, 2023

KIEV, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said that Ukraine's aspirations to join the alliance will be discussed after the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

"After the NATO summit, we will discuss Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership. And I am absolutely sure that the allies will send a very strong message of support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg was cited as saying.

All allies agree that NATO's door is open and Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, Stoltenberg said.

He stressed that only Ukraine and NATO will decide when is the right time to extend the full invitation for Ukraine to join.

Stoltenberg noted that the decision of the European Union (EU) to grant Ukraine candidate status has an impact on the discussions that are underway within NATO.

On June 23, 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc.

The Vilnius NATO Summit is slated for July 11-12 in Lithuania.

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Zelenskiy Girds Northern Ukraine As Kyiv Claims New Hold On 'Strategic Initiative'

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service June 30, 2023

Ukraine's president said on June 30 that he ordered his generals to gird the northern border after the leader of an abortive mutiny in Russia was said to have arrived in Belarus, while a senior defense official claimed Ukrainian troops have wrested the "strategic initiative" from Russia in the 15-month full-scale fight.

In Washington, U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Ukrainian counteroffensive is making steady progress, although perhaps not as rapidly as many in the West had anticipated.

"That it's going slower than people had predicted doesn't surprise me," Miley told the National Press. "It is advancing steadily, deliberately, working its way through very difficult minefields, et cetera...Slow advances, very deliberate."

He also said it was "too early" to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin had been weakened by the aborted armed march on Moscow by the Wagner mercenary group last weekend.

"I don't think we have conclusive evidence either way yet," Milley said. "Too early to tell."

General Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said Ukraine is being limited in its counteroffensive by a lack of weapons, including fighter jets, and the slow delivery of promised firepower from the West.

"Without being fully supplied, these [counteroffensive] plans are not feasible at all," he told The Washington Post in an interview published on June 30. "But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants in the show, the observers, would like, but that is their problem."

Milley said the delivery of ATACMS long-range missiles and F-16s fighter jets to Ukraine remains under consideration but that no decisions have been made.

Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar suggested in televised comments that Ukrainian fighters were advancing in all directions around the long-contested city of Bakhmut, in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Speaking hours after the Ukrainian General Staff boasted of "success" in the east and south of the country, Maylar described Kyiv's forces as having "seized the strategic initiative."

Meanwhile, concerns persisted over the possibility of battles threatening catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is located in Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine.

Reports of heavy fighting followed a message of support from EU leaders gathered for a two-day summit in Brussels in which the bloc's 27 members vowed "sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes."

The Ukrainian General Staff said early on June 30 that Russia's "main efforts" continued to focus on the areas around Lyman, Bakhmut, and Mariyinka, where "heavy fighting continues."

Kyiv said "tough battles" were continuing but its troops continued to pressure Russian forces on the flanks of the embattled city of Bakhmut.

It said Ukrainian forces were "having success [and] getting stronger," and "pushing [Russians] out of previously captured positions." It said Russian resistance was continuing, though.

Later reports from Ukraine's military cited "partial success" to the south.

RFE/RL cannot confirm battlefield claims in areas of the heaviest fighting.

Russian drone and missile strikes were reported in a number of areas overnight.

In the afternoon, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had ordered his military commanders to buttress Ukraine's northern military sector following reports that Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had been exiled to Belarus.

Prigozhin's paid soldiers have played a key role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But Prigozhin led thousands of them toward Moscow in an apparent mutiny targeting Russia's military leadership on June 24 in what most regard as the most brazen challenge to President Vladimir Putin's rule in two decades.

Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenka reportedly brokered a deal with Prigozhin at the height of the crisis to end the insurrection and allow Prigozhin and his Wagner troops some kind of haven in Belarus.

Lukashenka has allowed Russian troops to operate the war effort from Belarusian territory since the earliest hours of the invasion.

Zelenskiy said his decision to further fortify the border area near Belarus followed a report from Ukrainian security and intelligence forces on the latest developments in Belarus.

Back in Ukraine, Anatoly Kurtev, secretary of the Zaporizhzhya city council near Europe's largest nuclear plant, and the military said no civilians were injured and there was no major damage from a nighttime Russian attack there.

"The night was restless again, but as of this morning the situation in Zaporizhzhya is stable," Kurtev said via Telegram.

The governor of the Zaporizhzhya region had announced on June 29 that authorities were conducting rapid-response drills in the area around the nuclear plant to hone coordination efforts in the event of an "emergency situation."

Kyiv recently accused Russia of planning a "terrorist" attack at the facility, which it has controlled since early in the invasion.

Russia's UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said on June 29 that he had written to the UN Security Council and to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to assure them that "We do not intend to blow up this NPP [nuclear power plant], we have no intention of doing so."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on June 30 accused the West of acting "schizophrenically" with respect to the conflict, according to Reuters, saying it wanted to freeze the conflict to gain more time to pour more weapons into Ukraine.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia- zaporizhzhya/32483429.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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EU Leaders Vow Ukraine Military Support 'For As Long As It Takes'

By RFE/RL June 30, 2023

A two-day summit of European Union leaders dominated by talk of the Ukraine war and boosting defenses continued overnight on June 29-30 with a statement reiterating commitments "to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes."

The leaders of the bloc's 27 members also said they "stand ready to contribute, together with partners, to future security commitments to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression, and resist destabilization efforts."

A majority of the EU's members are also in NATO, and the transatlantic alliance is expected to seek ways to provide nonmember Ukraine additional security guarantees but stop short of full Ukrainian membership at an upcoming NATO summit on July 11-12.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg joined the EU summit and highlighted perceived weaknesses in Russia's leadership that spilled into the open during the June 24 mutiny by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prighozhin and thousands of his mercenaries.

"The mutiny we saw at the weekend demonstrates that there are cracks and divisions within the Russian system," Stoltenberg said. "At the same time, it is important to underline that these are internal Russian matters."

Speaking by video link to the EU gathering, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the recent failed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia demonstrated the country's "weakness," adding that this will aid Kyiv in its fight against Moscow's brutal 15-month-old invasion.

"We are seeing their weakness, which we so badly need," he said.

"The weaker Russia is, and the more its bosses fear mutinies and uprisings, the more they will fear to irritate us. Russia's weakness will make it safe for others," he added.

The comments come as Kyiv has said it is making gains in "fierce" fighting in the country's east but also as deadly Russian shelling continues to take a toll on the civilian population in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy has pushed both for additional military aid, especially advanced fighter jets, and NATO membership for his country.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters ahead of the summit that "it's important that we consult and say we're ready to hold on for the long term, with financial and humanitarian support that's necessary for Ukraine but also when it comes to weapons."

In a reference to the June 24 Wagner rebellion, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned ahead of the summit that "a weakened Putin is a greater danger," adding that "Now we have to look at Russia as a risk because of internal instability."

Since launching a counteroffensive earlier in June, Ukraine says it has reasserted control over clusters of villages in the southeast.

The claims could not be independently verified.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-eu- military-support/32483294.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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Press release on a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia Hector Arenas Neira at the Russian Foreign Ministry

30 June 2023 14:32

1288-30-06-2023



On June 30, the Colombian Ambassador to the Russian Federation was invited to the Foreign Ministry, where he was given the following explanation in connection with the Colombian leaders' statements about three Colombian citizens who had been injured in Kramatorsk.

The legitimate target for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was a temporary deployment station used by the command personnel of the 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). At the moment of target engagement, the Colombian citizens were in a restaurant located in the same building. According to the available information, they were aware of being in direct vicinity of the line of fire in the special military operation zone and of the risks involved. We wish the Colombian citizens a speedy recovery and return to safety.

We value each human life. In this connection, we reminded the ambassador about thousands of civilians who have been killed or wounded in Donbass since 2014, about the Ukrainian military deploying heavy weapons at civilian facilities and using civilians as human shields, as well as the acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks perpetrated by the AFU in Russia. We expressed regret over the lack of any reaction to these events on the part of the Colombian leadership.

We drew the ambassador's attention to the pressing need to recommend that Colombian citizens refrain from visiting territories in the zone of hostilities.

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US Top General Says Not Surprised Ukrainian Counteroffensive Going Slower Than Predicted

Sputnik News

20230630

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after multiple postponements. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly said that Ukrainian troops are trying to advance in the South Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Zaporozhye directions, but without success.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said on Friday he does not find it surprising that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is going slower than predicted as he personally said before that it will be very long and difficult.

"That it's [the counteroffensive] going slower than people had predicted, doesn't surprise me at all," Milley said during an event hosted by the National Press Club. "What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, ten weeks. It's going to be very difficult, it's going to be very long, it's going to be very, very bloody and no one should have any illusions about it."

Milley also said that in his view time is not particularly on either side of the conflict because the latter continues to be very dynamic.

Addressing the issue of possibility of sending the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine, the top general said he is not aware of any decision.

"It's a continuous, ongoing process to my knowledge and I don't know of a decision yet, but, sure, that's a process," Milley said during an event hosted by the National Press Club.

On Thursday, a American daily reported citing officials that the United States is close to agreeing to send ATACMS to Ukraine.

A Sputnik

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Russian Forces Repel Five Ukrainian Attacks in Donetsk Direction - MoD

Sputnik News

20230630

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have repelled five Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk direction in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, the Ukrainian forces have continued to make attempts to attack in Donetsk, South Donetsk, Krasny Liman and Kupyansk directions.

"During defense operations in the Donetsk direction, units of [Russia's] southern grouping of forces successfully repulsed five enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Belogorovka, Krasnoe, Severnoe, Pervomaiskoe and Kamyanka of the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry said in a statement.

The Ukrainian military lost up to 160 soldiers in the Donetsk direction and up to 120 soldiers in the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the ministry added.

Ukraine's much-touted counteroffensive kicked off after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that progress was "slower than desired." Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, conceded on Wednesday that a military campaign was "not a walk in the park."

A Sputnik

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Russia Sees No Grounds for Grain Deal Extension

Sputnik News

20230630

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the media in Moscow on the situation in Ukraine, including humanitarian issues and the current international agenda.

Russia does not see any real grounds for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"Therefore, I don't see what arguments those who would like to continue this Black Sea initiative have, because, as I said, it has long become commercial in terms of Ukrainian grain," Lavrov told reporters.

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 May 18, 2023, Russia extended the deal, called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, for 60 days, until July 17.

The deal 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 the Russian Agricultural Bank 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.

Addressing the issue of Ukrainian children who are located in Russia the Russian foreign minister saud they can go back to their parents if they show up or make such a requestd.

"We are very concerned about the fate of children who find themselves in conflict zones ... All the children who are now on Russian territory, they are all known, no one hides their names, no one hides the coordinates where they are. And, if these children have parents or direct relatives, they have every right to take these children," Lavrov told a briefing, adding that some children already returned to their relatives.

The Russian minister also said that some 200 Ukrainian children were taken in by families in Russia, but this was not an adoption. In addition, Lavrov said that Ukrainian children have been evacuated to safe regions in Russia.

There is no need for Moscow to maintain the same volume of diplomatic contacts with the West, as it was before it declared war on Russia "by the hands of Ukraine," Sergey Lavrov added.

"To be honest, I do not even see the need in the same amount of diplomatic contacts now as it was in normal times a before the West declared war on us through the hands of the Ukrainian Nazi regime," Lavrov said at a briefing.

A Sputnik

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President of Ukraine strengthens interaction with businesses - Rostyslav Shurma on the results of the meeting of the Head of State with entrepreneurs

President of Ukraine

30 June 2023 - 20:09

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is strengthening interaction with Ukrainian businesses to create favorable conditions for entrepreneurship in our country. This was emphasized by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Rostyslav Shurma at a briefing in the Office of the President of Ukraine.

According to him, at the meeting held yesterday, the Head of State and entrepreneurs focused on the problems that arise in business relations with law enforcement agencies, in particular, with the Tax Service.

"We discussed the anti-corruption tax reform, the 5-7-9 low-interest business lending program, as well as the sale of goods and services to state-owned enterprises," Shurma said.

Based on the results of the meeting, several decisions, aimed at improving business doing conditions, were made. In particular, the Office of the President plans to develop a concept that would consolidate inspection functions in one government body instead of several, as it is now.

"In a month or two, we will develop a concept according to which we will try to consolidate the entire functionality of interaction with businesses in one law enforcement agency, so that three to five agencies do not come to one company," the deputy head of the President's Office said.

At the same time, he said that the possibility of consolidating control functions in the Bureau of Economic Security is being considered as a working option.

Commenting on the initiative to reduce the share of cash in the Ukrainian economy, Shurma said that the introduction of a cashless system does not require a quick, but a systematic, step-by-step and comprehensive approach. After all, the cashless regime is impossible without a significant reduction in taxes in the country, amnesty of capital and the creation of an infrastructure under which the state will guarantee the use of cashless money at any moment and anywhere.

"We are preparing a project, the main goal of which will be one hundred percent coverage of the entire territory of the country with digital banking services. There should be complete accessibility of the entire infrastructure for any citizen of Ukraine under any conditions," he said.

Also, this transition is impossible without reliability and guarantees for citizens. "Ukrainians should be as confident in digital money as they are now in paper money," the deputy head of the President's Office said.

According to him, the phasing out of the use of cash in the future will make it possible to sharply reduce the level of corruption, increase security and create much more comfortable conditions for citizens.

Shurma also spoke about the results of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in London in June.

"We saw that there is very clear support from our partners. Fundamental decisions have been made regarding the receipt of frozen assets by us. Revenues from frozen assets will already be sent to Ukraine's recovery," he said.

The deputy head of the Office of the President gave an example. Thus, EUR 200 billion of frozen Russian assets in the EU countries give EUR 3 billion of interest income per year. At the conference, it was decided that they will be channeled for Ukraine's needs.

Shurma said that the high interest of corporations from all over the world in participation in Ukraine's recovery and investments in our country after the victory distinguished this conference.

However, the deputy head of the President's Office said that to receive substantial investments, Ukraine's victory in the war and the country's accession to NATO are needed.

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Oleksiy Kuleba meets with director of International Republican Institute in Ukraine

President of Ukraine

30 June 2023 - 18:52

On the instructions of the President of Ukraine and the head of the Office of the President, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Oleksiy Kuleba held a meeting with Director of the International Republican Institute in Ukraine Michael Druckman.

The interlocutors discussed further cooperation and the development of communities and regions in the conditions of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

"I am sincerely grateful to foreign partners for their contribution to the development of governance in Ukraine. In the conditions of war, it is important to maintain horizontal control. However, it is worth providing an effective vertical where the security situation requires it," Kuleba said.

Representatives of the International Republican Institute in Ukraine presented a study that proved trust in the Ukrainian government among Ukrainians and support for integration into the EU and NATO. In addition, 84% of the study participants consider Ukraine's future promising.

"Our municipal survey showed that Ukrainians believe in a promising future for their cities and want to participate in determining reconstruction priorities jointly with local authorities. Therefore, for the successful recovery of Ukraine, it is crucial to ensure genuine interaction between citizens, local and central authorities," Druckman said.

The meeting participants also discussed the International Republican Institute's support for the activities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine and Regional Offices for International Cooperation.

In addition, the deputy head of the Office of the President spoke about the action plan for discussing the new doctrine of Ukraine's development.

"We all have a lot of joint work ahead of us to implement the doctrinal plans for Ukraine's transformation, which the President of Ukraine announced to the parliament on the occasion of Constitution Day," Kuleba said.

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On the instructions of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak had a phone call with national security advisors in the Quad format

President of Ukraine

30 June 2023 - 09:34

On the instructions of the President of Ukraine, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Deputy Head of the Office Ihor Zhovkva had a phone call with national security advisors in the Quad format (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany).

As part of the ongoing dialogue with the allies, Andriy Yermak informed the interlocutors about the operational situation at the front and the current needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for various types of weapons.

The topic of the conversation was also the provision of effective security guarantees to Ukraine, in particular the preparation of a relevant multilateral document on this issue.

They also discussed the state of preparation for the NATO Summit in Vilnius and the expected results.

Andriy Yermak once again thanked for the continued support for Ukraine and its people.

The partners agreed to continue regular consultations with Ukraine in the Quad format to further coordinate joint efforts in the field of security and support for our country.

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YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan has published documents debunking the Azerbaijani claims alleging that Armenia has troops in Artsakh.

Armenia does not maintain any military presence in Nagorno Karabakh but Azerbaijan is falsely accusing it of having troops there.

The most recent false accusation happened after the June 28 Azeri attack in Nagorno Karabakh, which left four Nagorno Karabakh troops dead. Azerbaijan falsely claimed that two of the four fallen troops were members of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

Stepanyan published documents proving that the troops were Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army servicemen, and made the following post:

The request of the parents to transport the bodies of Samvel Torosyan and Yervand Tadevosyan, two of the four soldiers who died as a result of Azerbaijan's aggression (n the night of June 27-28, 2023) against Artsakh, to Armenia and bury them in Yerablur, and the circumstances of their transportation by the ICRC are used by the Azerbaijani propaganda machine to claim that Armed Forces of Armenia are allegedly deployed in Artsakh.

With this claim, Azerbaijan is openly preparing an information ground for initiating new attacks against Artsakh, which is already being discussed in the Azerbaijani media

Azerbaijans claims are false and have nothing to do with reality. In order to prove it, with the permission of the relatives of the fallen servicemen, we are publishing the facts collected by the Human rights defender of Artsakh.

Samvel Tigran Torosyan was born in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on December 16, 2003 (Picture 1: Samvel Torosyan's birth certificate).

He attended Stepanakert No. 7 primary school. He continued his education in the secondary vocational educational program (college) of the Shushi Technological University with the qualification of urban cadastre (Picture 2: Samvel Torosyan's diploma).

He was receiving higher education at the Faculty of Economics and Law of Mesrop Mashtots University in Stepanakert, majoring in information systems (Picture 3: Samvel Torosyan's student card).

Samvel Torosyan was a citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, registered in the city of Stepanakert (Picture 4: Samvel Torosyan's passport).

He was drafted into the army from the military commissariat of Stepanakert. The family and relatives permanently live in Stepanakert.

Yervand Hovhannes Tadevosyan was born on May 27, 2003 in the city of Berdzor, Kashatagh region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Picture 5: Yervand Tadevosyan's birth certificate).

He attended secondary school No. 2 named after V. Zatikyan of Berdzor. He completed primary education in 2018 (Picture 6: Yervand Tadevosyan's primary education certificate).

Yervand Tadevosyan was a citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, he was registered in the city of Berdzor (Picture 7: Yervand Tadevosyan's passport).

He was drafted to army from the military commissariat of Kashatagh. After the 2020 war, Yervand Tadevosyan's family, as a forcibly displaced family, found refuge in the Ararat province of the Republic of Armenia, continuing to maintain the citizenship of the Republic of Artsakh.

To prevent possible speculations about the presented documents, we remind that the identity documents of all citizens of the Republic of Artsakh are issued by the Republic of Armenia, with the difference of their registration address. It is a well-known approach, which is used due to the non-recognition of Artsakh, so that Artsakh residents can travel and exercise their rights in other countries as well. This approach is applied to citizens of almost all unrecognized states in the world, taking into account the gaps in international law and international relations with regard to human rights protection.

Samvel Torosyan and Yervand Tadevosyans parents decided to bury their children in the "Yerablur" military memorial-pantheon of the Republic of Armenia in accordance with their rights. It is noteworthy that this is not a new approach, and in previous years, many servicemen of the Artsakh Republic were also buried in Yerablur, taking into account the nationwide importance of that pantheon.

Regarding the false claims of Azerbaijan about the military service of RA citizens (residents) in the ranks of the Artsakh Defense Army, the continuous fact-finding efforts of the Human rights defender prove that since 2021, only citizens and residents of the Republic of Artsakh perform military service in Artsakh. Hence, we draw the attention of the responsible actors of the international community to the fact that the Azerbaijani side, encouraged by the impunity for the blockade of Artsakh and its military aggressions against it, is looking for new justifications to carry out new criminal actions against the people of Artsakh.
The first meeting of the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War took place in Kyiv

President of Ukraine

30 June 2023 - 09:06

The first meeting of the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War took place under the co-chairmanship of Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot WallstrAm.

The meeting was attended by Vice-President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala, President of Ireland in 1990-1997 Mary Robinson, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace, Head of the CMI (The Crisis Management Initiative) Eurasia Program Roxana Cristescu. The meeting was also attended in an online format by EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius, Professor and CEO of the European Climate Foundation Laurence Tubiana, and Member of Parliament of the Aland Islands, member of the Ecocide Alliance Simon HolmstrAm. From the Ukrainian side, the group was joined by Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General, Rustem Umerov, Head of the State Property Fund, and Daria Zarivna and Oleksandr Bevz, Advisors to the Head of the Presidential Office.

Opening the first meeting of the International Working Group, Andriy Yermak thanked its participants for supporting Ukraine in its pursuit of justice and for their willingness to work together to bring Russia to justice for its environmental crimes.

"Today we are launching a very important project. Russia's war against Ukraine is not a local conflict. This aggression creates numerous challenges for all of humanity - from the threat of a nuclear disaster and undermining food security to the intensification of anthropogenic climate change. I am not talking about possible risks - this has already come true. We are facing the consequences of the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant every day: waterlogging, desertification and species extinction," the Head of the Presidential Office said.

According to him, Ukraine has lost almost a third of its forests due to hostilities. The entire ecosystems are either on the verge of extinction or have already been irretrievably lost. During the year of war, greenhouse gas emissions reached hundreds of thousands of tons.

"This is a matter of concern to everyone. Russian aggression has led to ecocide on a scale that is difficult to assess. However, this must be done. Russia must be held accountable for its crimes against the environment. This can only be achieved by combining international efforts," emphasized Andriy Yermak.

He noted that the established International Working Group will focus on three specific areas:

1. Assessment of the consequences of war for the environment.

2. Developing recommendations for finding mechanisms to bring the aggressor to justice for environmental crimes so that Russia pays in full for the destruction it has caused.

3. Environmental restoration.

"We must learn lessons from the tragedy. We must use this opportunity not only to restore the country, but to build it anew - friendly to people and nature. And we would be very grateful for the recommendations of the International Group in this regard," the Head of the Presidential Office said.

He said that the International Working Group aims to develop a comprehensive document covering the above points.

"Along with the Kyiv Security Compact, which should become the basis of security guarantees for Ukraine, the Ukraine Environmental Treaty should create conditions for reliable environmental protection. It is important that the following documents can serve as a model for any country facing the challenges and threats that Ukraine is currently facing," said Andriy Yermak.

The Head of the President's Office noted that the members of the group are facing unprecedented, complex tasks, but expressed confidence that they are able to cope with them.

"So, let's get to work. We need to fight for the preservation of nature, for Ukraine. For the whole world, for ourselves," emphasized Andriy Yermak.

On Thursday, the International Working Group met with representatives of the Ukrainian environmental community. Ukrainian environmental activists informed the guests, among other things, about how Russian aggression is affecting the environmental situation in the country. It was emphasized that the consequences of one of Russia's biggest crimes, the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, affected not only Ukraine and its environment, but also the Black Sea and the maritime space of many countries, and affected African countries, as the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir will reduce crop yields in the Ukrainian region, where agricultural products were traditionally grown.

Separately, activists called for promoting the recognition of ecocide as a crime, insisting on the payment of reparations for the consequences of environmental crimes, and developing mechanisms for rapid response to crimes against the environment.

Following the inaugural meeting, the members of the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War issued a joint statement.

Speaking to the media after the meeting of the International Working Group, Margot WallstrAm thanked the President of Ukraine, the Head of the Presidential Office, ministers, the Prosecutor General and representatives of environmental groups of Ukraine with whom she spoke today for the information provided.

"We were impressed with the work and the amount of work that has already been done to assess the damage. We were impressed by the way you are thinking about your future, and you can already list a lot of the things you need. Our meeting today is an expression of solidarity and support for Ukraine," she said.

Margot WallstrAm emphasized that Russia must certainly be held accountable for its crimes against Ukraine.

The co-chair of the International Working Group called the inaugural meeting fruitful and expressed confidence that all its members would be able to use their contacts to spread information about environmental crimes in Ukraine, develop recommendations, and conduct assessments that could provide a complete picture of the environmental impact and its restoration.

Margot WallstrAm emphasized the importance of involving as many representatives of the expert community as possible in the work of the group, who will be able to provide qualified assistance in solving the tasks of assessing the damage caused to the Ukrainian environment, bringing to justice those responsible for committing environmental crimes and restoring the ecological system of our country.

She also noted that the members of the group would welcome the addition of representatives from Asia, Africa, and South America.

Mary Robinson, for her part, emphasized that her main tasks are to fight impunity and properly assess environmental damage.

She praised the involvement of representatives of the Ukrainian environmental community in the work of the International Group.

Speaking to the media, Heidi Hautala added that overcoming the environmental consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine is one of the points of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. She expressed the opinion that the International Group should ensure its implementation through its activities.

"Ukraine is in the focus of attention, but we are also doing this to show the world that such environmental destruction and the terrible consequences of conflict and war should not go unpunished. There must be accountability," she emphasized and added that she would use all available EU platforms to realize this goal.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, for her part, emphasized: "Ecocide, the destruction of the environment, is a form of warfare. Unfortunately, Ukrainians now understand this very well. Russia deliberately targets its actions against the environment, against the livelihood of people."

"I think we need to connect the dots: the danger, the threat of war, human suffering and ecocide are all connected. None of us should ignore the terrible things that are happening in Ukraine, the crimes that Russia is committing here. I really hope that we will be able to collect assessments of what is happening from central and local authorities and environmental organizations to assess the environmental damage that Ukraine is experiencing. We need to hold Russia accountable for its crimes, and the people who have suffered damage should be able to recover, just as Ukraine should be able to recover in a sustainable way," she added.

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Latest in Ukraine: US Confident About Counteroffensive Despite Slow Going

By Jeff Seldin, Penelope Poulou June 30, 2023

Latest developments:

The United States is confident Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia is making progress despite the lack of any significant break in the Russian lines. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley told an audience in Washington on Friday that the slow pace of Ukraine's advance was "part of the nature of war."

Milley also said the U.S. was openly considering providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and even some of its own F-16 fighter jets. "These things are on the table," he said. "There's no decision at this point."

The U.N. expressed concern Friday that no new ships have been registered since June 26 under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine. "We call on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay," U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Moscow said Modi expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership's decisive actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last Saturday. The call came after the U.S. and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Modi. India has yet to condemn ally Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces hit a school in Serhiivka, Donetsk oblast, on Friday, killing two staff members and injuring six others, the regional prosecutor's office reported.

-----

The failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian troops to make rapid advancements is not causing any panic among top U.S. military officials.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration in recent days, calling on Washington and the West to provide it with more advanced weaponry to help dent Russian defensive positions and allow Ukrainian troops to retake more territory.

But U.S. officials remain confident Ukraine's counteroffensive will make headway, even if it takes six to eight weeks before Ukrainian forces see more substantial gains.

"War on paper and real war are different," the top U.S. military commander, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley, told an audience in Washington on Friday.

"That it's going slower than people predicted doesn't surprise me at all," Milley said at the National Press Club, noting Ukrainian forces were "advancing, steadily, deliberately."

"It's going to be very difficult. It's going to be very long. And it's going to be very, very bloody, and no one should have any illusions about any of that," he said.

Earlier Friday, Ukraine's top general told The Washington Post his forces desperately needed ammunition and other advanced weaponry.

It "pisses me off," said Valery Zaluzhny, commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces. "This is not a show. ... It's not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood."

"Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all," he added, criticizing the West for pushing war plans that rely on air superiority, which neither Ukraine nor Russia has been able to establish.

More weapons sought

Zaluzhny and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on the U.S. and its other allies to provide not just tanks and armored vehicles, but cluster munitions, long-range missiles and modern fighter jets, like F-16s.

So far, the U.S. has been hesitant to provide Kyiv with such systems, although it has said it will allow its allies to provide Ukraine with the U.S.-made jets and is training its pilots to fly them. Washington says the focus has been on giving Ukraine systems and weapons it can immediately deploy to the front lines.

Milley said Kyiv's requests were not being ignored.

"ATACMS, F-16s or anything else is in a constant review process," he said. "These things are on the table. There's no decision at this point."

Milley said the U.S. had also not ruled out providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, despite concerns by some allies about the nature of the bombs.

The munitions, which open up in midair and drop bomblets, are opposed by a number of humanitarian groups, which say they have a high rate of failure and often lead to civilian casualties.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said Kyiv's forces have successfully liberated nine settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, though the main attack is yet to come.

Northern border

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked his senior military leadership to strengthen Ukraine's northern military sector after the arrival in Belarus of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"The decision ... is for Commander in Chief Zaluzhny and 'North' commander [General Serhiy] Naev to implement a set of measures to strengthen this direction," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.

Zelenskyy did not mention Wagner Group boss Prigozhin in the brief post on Telegram.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told VOA the U.S. would "continue to monitor Wagner's activities wherever they are around the world, and we're going to continue to hold them properly accountable for the kinds of egregious violent, deadly and illegal conduct ... that they are still capable of conducting."

After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

Prigozhin flew from Russia into exile in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended his mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday.

Thunberg's involvement

Zelenskyy met Thursday in Kyiv with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and prominent European figures who are forming a working group to assess ecological damage from the 16-month-old Russian invasion. Their talks focused on the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

"Combating ecocide is one of the points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, and we must implement each of its points, all aspects of peace," said Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy also met Thursday with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who made a surprise visit in Kyiv. Zelenskyy thanked Pence for his support. "We appreciate that both major U.S. parties, the Republican and Democratic, remain united in their support for Ukraine," he said, adding that "we feel the strong support of the people of the United States."

Zelenskyy also thanked the U.S. for the recent defense assistance packages worth $2.1 billion and $500 million, allocated on June 6 and June 27, respectively, and he emphasized the unprecedented total amount of support provided, which has reached $43.1 billion since February last year.

Pence was the first Republican U.S. presidential candidate to meet with the Ukrainian president during the campaign.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Latest in Ukraine: CIA Director Held Secret Meetings in Ukraine in June

By Jeff Seldin, Penelope Poulou July 01, 2023

Latest developments:

The United States is confident Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia is making progress despite the lack of any significant break in the Russian lines. Joint Chief of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told an audience in Washington on Friday the slow pace of Ukraine's advance is "part of the nature of war."

Milley also said the U.S. is openly considering providing Ukraine with cluster-munitions, long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and even some of its own F-16 fighter jets. "These things are on the table," he said. "There's no decision at this point."

The U.N. expressed concern Friday that no new ships have been registered since June 26 under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine. "We call on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay," U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Moscow said Modi expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership's decisive actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last Saturday. The call comes after the U.S. and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Modi. India has yet to condemn ally Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces hit a school in Serhiivka, Donetsk oblast, on Friday, killing two members of staff and injuring six others, the regional prosecutor's office reported.



CIA Director William Burns made a secret visit to Ukraine in June. Burns met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and intelligence officials to discuss Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy. Reports of the secret meetings emerged Friday. The clandestine discussions are reported to have occurred before Russian mercenary leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin's thwarted rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian defense establishment.

The failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian troops to make rapid advancements is not causing any panic among top U.S. military officials.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration in recent days, calling on Washington and the West to provide it more advanced weaponry to help dent Russian defensive positions and allow for Ukrainian troops to retake more territory.

However, U.S. officials remain confident Ukraine's counteroffensive will make headway, even if it takes six to eight weeks before Ukrainian forces see more substantial gains.

"War on paper and real war are different," the top U.S. military commander, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, told an audience in Washington on Friday.

"That it's going slower than people predicted doesn't surprise me at all," Milley said during an appearance at the National Press Club, saying Ukrainian forces are "advancing, steadily, deliberately."

"It's going to be very difficult. It's going to be very long. And it's going to be very, very bloody and no one should have any illusions about any of that," he said.

Earlier Friday, Ukraine's top general told The Washington Post his forces are in desperate need of ammunition and other advanced weaponry.

It "pisses me off," said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. "This is not a show ... It's not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood."

"Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all," he added, criticizing the West for pushing war plans that rely on air superiority, which neither Ukraine nor Russia have been able to establish.

Zaluzhny and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on the U.S. and its other allies to provide not just tanks and armored vehicles, but cluster munitions, long-range missiles, and modern fighter jets, such as F-16s.

So far, the U.S. has been hesitant to provide Kyiv with such systems, although it has said it will allow its allies to provide Ukraine with the U.S.-made jets and is training its pilots to fly them. Washington says the focus has been on giving Ukraine systems and weapons it can immediately deploy to the front lines.

Milley said Kyiv's requests were not being ignored.

"ATACMS, F-16s or anything else is in a constant review process," Milley said. "These things are on the table. There's no decision at this point."

Milley said the U.S, has also not ruled out providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, despite concerns by some allies about the nature of the bombs.

The munitions, which open in midair and drop bomblets, are opposed by a number of humanitarian groups, which say they have a high rate of failure and often lead to civilian casualties.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said Kyiv's forces have successfully liberated nine settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, though the main attack is yet to come.

Northern border

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked his senior military leadership to strengthen Ukraine's northern military sector after the arrival in Belarus of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"The decision ... is for Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny and 'North' commander [General Serhiy] Naev to implement a set of measures to strengthen this direction," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.

Zelenskyy did not mention Wagner Group boss Prigozhin in the brief post on Telegram.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told VOA the U.S. will "continue to monitor Wagner's activities wherever they are around the world, and we're going to continue to hold them properly accountable for the kinds of egregious violent, deadly and illegal conduct ... that they are still capable of conducting."

After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

Prigozhin flew from Russia into exile in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended his mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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PARIS, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Tuesday, June 27-28, U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman led the U.S. delegation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments (OECD) Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SMEs) and Entrepreneurship Ministerial Meeting in Paris, France. Administrator Guzman met with official government counterparts and other economic leaders from OECD nations, discussing policy support for startups, the importance of supporting underserved small businesses; how Biden-Harris Administration investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and emerging technologies are driving small business growth; and reaffirming the United States economic leadership and resilience.





During her visit, Administrator Guzman participated in a Plenary Session on fostering the contribution of SMEs and entrepreneurs to green and digital transitions. Administrator Guzman provided opening remarks, highlighting recent actions by the United States to address climate change, along with how small businesses have so far been involved in helping our economy transition to a more climate-friendly future.

Administrator Guzman also held a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts from U.S. allies and economic partners to discuss ways to increase trade opportunities for small businesses and share small business policy best practices, including: Arif Virani, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development of Canada; Olivia Gregoire, the Minister Delegate in charge of Small and Medium Enterprises, Trade, Crafts and Tourism of France; Neale Richmond, the Minister of State for Employment Affairs and Retail Business of Ireland; Ginny Andersen, the Minister for Police, Small Business, Digital Economy and Communications and Seniors of New Zealand; and Kevin Hollinrake, the Minister of Small Business of the United Kingdom.

Additionally, Administrator Guzman moderated a breakout session on rebooting start-up and scale-up policies to create new opportunities for small business owners. She was joined by other leaders in OECD nations to discuss potential policy improvements for start-ups and scale-ups and ways policymakers can strengthen their creation and growth. In the session, they further collaborated on how to identify the most effective policies and how best to select start-ups and scale-ups for support.

For follow-up interview requests for Administrator Guzman, please contact Mila Myles at mila.myles@sba.gov.





Photos of the event are available at Press_Office@sba.gov

###





About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
NEW YORK, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athyrium Capital Management, LP announced that funds managed by it have sold an aggregate of 1,300,000 common shares of HLS Therapeutics (the Corporation) over the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange at an average sale price of C$5.775 per common share, representing approximately $7.5 million in the aggregate. The common shares disposed of represent an aggregate of 4.0% of the issued and outstanding common shares. As a result of the sales, funds managed by Athyrium Capital Management now hold less than 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Corporation.



Prior to the disposition, and taking into account the prior exercise of warrants to purchase common shares on a cashless exercise basis, funds managed by Athyrium Capital Management held an aggregate of 4,351,782 common shares, representing an aggregate of 13.45% of the issued and outstanding common shares. As a result of the dispositions, funds managed by Athyrium Capital Management hold 3,051,782 common shares representing approximately 9.4% of the issued and outstanding common shares.

The common shares and warrants were originally acquired for investment purposes and the fund completed the sales as a result of investment considerations and it may or may not purchase or sell securities of the Corporation in the future on the open market or in private transactions, depending on market conditions and other factors. The fund currently has no other plans or intentions that relate to its investment in the Corporation. Depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, the Corporations business and financial condition and/or other relevant factors, the fund may develop other plans or intentions in the future relating to one or more of the above items.

The head office of the Corporation is located at 10 Carlson Court, Suite 701, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9W 6L2. This news release is issued under the early warning provisions of applicable Canadian securities legislation. A copy of the early warning report filed in connection with the investment will be available on the Corporations profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or may be obtained by contacting Andrew Hyman at (212) 402-6925.
NEW YORK, July 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE: TDS, TDS-PU, TDS-PV) between May 6, 2022 and November 3, 2022, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important July 3, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline.



SO WHAT: If you purchased TDS securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the TDS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=15807 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email 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 July 3, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. 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, TDS and its subsidiary, United States Cellular Corporation (UScellular), made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had no reason to believe UScellulars free upgrade promotional activity, which was tested and trialed during the second quarter of 2022, was effective at reducing the Companys postpaid churn rate as they represented to investors, as opposed to merely adding new postpaid subscribers, when its churn rate was actually increasing or remaining constant over most quarters in the class period; (2) UScellular was not making progress with respect to its churn rate, as it represented to investors; (3) UScellular was not in fact balancing its promotional activity and its profitability; (4) due to extreme competition among postpaid carriers, UScellular did not have the flexibility to offset the costs from widespread, expensive promotions with price increases; and (5) as a result of the Companies decision for UScellular to continue engaging in heavy promotions to address its postpaid subscriber churn rate despite any lack of positive impact on churn rate, UScellulars profitability substantially declined. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the TDS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=15807 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email 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, 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

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cases@rosenlegal.com

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CALGARY, Alberta, July 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pulse Seismic Inc. (TSX:PSD) (OTCQX:PLSDF) (Pulse or the Company) is pleased to announce the signing of a $9.0 million seismic data licensing sales contract.

Revenue of $5.4 million related to the initial delivery of data has been recognized upon the execution of the contract, with the majority of the remaining data to be delivered in 2023, and the final tranche of data to be delivered in 2024. The remaining revenue after the initial delivery of data will be recognized when the data is delivered to the customer.

The sale announced today, with the initial data delivery complete, brings June 30, 2023 year-to-date seismic data library sales revenue to $17.1 million, an 84% increase over 2022 annual data sales revenue.

These second quarter figures are preliminary and have not been audited or reviewed by the auditors. The Company will release second quarter and first half 2023 financial results after approval by the Board of Directors on July 25, 2023.

Pulse operates with a very lean cost structure and has low capital requirements. This data licensing agreement is significant and improves the Companys strong financial position. Pulse is debt-free and has an undrawn revolving credit facility with $25.0 million of borrowing capacity, as well as a current cash balance of approximately $9.6 million. Currently, Pulse pays a regular quarterly dividend, representing an annualized dividend of $0.055 per share which results in an annual distribution of approximately $3.0 million. The Company also has an automatic share purchase plan under its normal course issuer bid and has purchased 92,348 shares to date in 2023.

Significant quarterly and annual fluctuations in data sales are intrinsic to the seismic data library business. The Company remains focused on maintaining a strong balance sheet, a low-cost structure and providing excellent customer care.

CORPORATE PROFILE

Pulse is a market leader in the acquisition, marketing and licensing of 2D and 3D seismic data to the western Canadian energy sector. Pulse owns the largest licensable seismic data library in Canada, currently consisting of approximately 65,310 square kilometres of 3D seismic and 829,207 kilometres of 2D seismic. The library extensively covers the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin where most of Canadas oil and natural gas exploration and development occur.

For further information, please contact:

Neal Coleman, President and CEO

Or

Pamela Wicks, VP Finance and CFO

Tel.: 403-237-5559

Toll-free: 1-877-460-5559

E-mail: info@pulseseismic.com

Please visit our website at www.pulseseismic.com

PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/f575e9d4-45b2-417a-937d-5387e156e031
NEW YORK, July 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. (TriplePoint or the Company) (NYSE: TPVG), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 23-cv-02980, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired TriplePoint securities between March 4, 2020 and May 1, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.



If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise TriplePoint securities during the Class Period, you have until August 15, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]



TriplePoint is a business development company specializing in investments in venture capital-backed companies at the growth stage. It also provides debt financing to venture growth space companies, including growth capital loans, secured and customized loans, equipment financings, revolving loans and direct equity investments.

The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) TriplePoint had overstated the strength of its various portfolio companies and loan book, as well as the viability of its overall investment strategy; (ii) the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on the Companys financial position and/or prospects; and (iii) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On May 2, 2023, the Bear Cave released a report titled Problems at TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC (TPVG) (the Bear Cave Report). The Bear Cave Report highlighted significant issues at TriplePoint, alleging that TriplePoint is encumbered by high fees, weak management, and a weaker loan book saddled by portfolio company bankruptcies and upside-down startups, and asserting that the Bear Cave believes TriplePoints equity may be severely impaired, if it has any value at all.

On this news, TriplePoints stock price fell $1.19 per share, or 9.98%, over the following two trading sessions, to close at $10.73 per share on May 3, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com .
French law enforcement has detained 471 people since disturbances broke out on Friday, the BFMTV channel reported.

July 1, 2023, 10:27 At least 471 people detained in France amid unrest on Friday night

STEPANAKERT, JULY 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: Darmanin arrived in the town of Mantes-la-Jolie about 2:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. Moscow time) to meet with the policemen and gendarmes.

Earlier, he wrote on Twitter that 270 people had been arrested, including more than 80 in Marseille.

Unrest broke out in France on June 27 after police shot dead a 17-year-old driver in the Paris suburb of Nanterre who had failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The riots also spread to many other communities and big cities such as Dijon, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, and Toulouse. On the night of June 29, several dozen police cars were burned and administrative and police buildings suffered damage. The Interior Ministry sent 45,000 law enforcement officers to quell riots on the night of June 30. In some cities, special forces troops are patrolling the streets, using armored vehicles and helicopters. A curfew has been imposed in several communities in the capital city to stabilize the situation.
F1 teams say Bridgestone late to prepare for 2025

It may be too late for Bridgestone to enter Formula 1 for 2025.

Bridestone tyres, Belgian GP 2002

 The Cahier Archive

It may be too late for Bridgestone to enter Formula 1 for 2025.

Although the Japanese manufacturer has been coy about the story, it is believed the FIA has rubber-stamped Bridgestone's technical application to bid for the 2025-2027 official tyre contract.

Commercial negotiations are said to now be taking place so that F1 can choose between Bridgestone or the incumbent Pirelli.

"We have absolutely no issue with Pirelli at the moment," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in Austria. "They're both quality companies."

He said the biggest issue could be the teams "squabbling" over who provides a test car so that Bridgestone can develop its brand new tyres for 2025.

Franz Tost, the Alpha Tauri boss, hopes Bridgestone has already started that process.

"If they haven't started then I think it's quite late," said the Austrian. "To develop tyres for the current Formula 1 is huge challenge and it's not so easy to find the correct way to have also safe tyres."

Haas' Gunther Steiner agrees, recalling Pirelli's "very difficult" first years in Formula 1.

"In the end now, I think Pirelli is doing a good job," he said. "As Franz said, maybe Bridgestone have already started to develop some tyres. Who knows? They know, we don't know.

"But it will not be easy and it will not be pain-free," Steiner added. "I think if they come in it will be difficult but in the end it's up to the FIA to check if they've got the technical capabilities, so we're not going backwards in a way competitive-wise with the tyres."

(GMM)
New sponsor to name Alpha Tauri in 2024

Owner Red Bull could lift the lid on Alpha Tauri's new team name ahead of the forthcoming British GP.

Yuki Tsunoda

 Red Bull

Owner Red Bull could lift the lid on Alpha Tauri's new team name ahead of the forthcoming British GP.

Having disappointed in recent years, the Faenza based team is getting closer to parent outfit Red Bull Racing for 2024 - with Dr Helmut Marko revealing days ago that "a new sponsor and a new name" are on the cards.

A return to Toro Rosso has been ruled out.

"I think there's another possibility to get more money out of it," smiled departing team boss Franz Tost in Austria.

Indeed, it is expected that the new sponsor will take on full naming rights.

"At this period of the year, all the teams negotiate with sponsors," said Tost. "And, of course, we have negotiations and the title sponsor is a very attractive one and we will see what the negotiations will bring in the next months.

"There is big interest in Scuderia Alpha Tauri, but nothing is confirmed, nothing is signed, and this will also not happen in the next few days."

Tost, 67, warned that the signature could take "a few months", but sources at the Red Bull Ring suggested a deal could actually be unveiled within two weeks.

(GMM)
Products of circumstances

Evans Mawunyo Tsikata, BBA,LLB,Med,LLM Opinion Jul - 01 - 2023 , 08:30

Streetism, a phenomenon where children live and work on the streets due to various circumstances, has become a growing concern globally. In developing-world cities, the incidence of streetism poses critical socioeconomic challenges.

Factors such as family disintegration, poverty, lack of education, and exposure to abuse contribute to the rise in street children.

In Africa alone, it is estimated that over 30 million children are living as street children, with Accra witnessing a significant increase from 33,000 in 2011 to approximately 204,000 children living on its streets.

The persistent nature of this problem has elevated it to the realm of national security, as neglected children can become susceptible to negative influences and engage in activities such as drug misuse, armed robbery, and prostitution, undermining societal harmony.

The root causes of streetism are deeply intertwined with poverty, lack of education, family disintegration, and substance abuse.

Addressing these issues requires the implementation of comprehensive social policies and activities aimed at poverty reduction, improving access to education, providing family support services, and tackling substance abuse and domestic violence.

To effectively tackle streetism, a collaborative effort is essential. Increasing social safety nets and raising public awareness can combat stigma and mobilize resources for street children.

The writer

Social initiatives providing financial assistance to low-income families can alleviate economic hardships and prevent children from ending up on the streets.

Additionally, promoting employment, vocational training, and entrepreneurship opportunities for parents and caregivers can contribute to family stability and poverty reduction.

Support services such as counselling, parenting programs, and family reunion activities should be established to help families overcome obstacles and prevent disintegration.

Strengthening institutions, including the Department of Social Welfare and Civil Societies, along with community-based groups, can optimize resource utilization and enable holistic solutions.

Improving educational access and implementing housing and rehabilitation programs for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, are crucial steps.

Creating shelters that offer a safe and caring environment, along with educational assistance, vocational training, and counseling services, can aid in the reintegration of street children into society.

Reviewing and updating child protection legislation to effectively address streetism is essential. Holding abusers accountable and ensuring the rights of street children are protected require the enforcement of existing laws against exploitation, abuse, and abandonment.

Establishing legal structures and processes, safe shelters, and rehabilitation facilities, coupled with proper management by law enforcement and social workers, can safeguard the rights of these vulnerable children.

The fight against streetism is a collective endeavor. By implementing the measures mentioned above and safeguarding children's rights to education, protection, and a safe environment, Ghana can work towards minimizing streetism and providing impoverished children with a brighter future.

It is a challenge that affects society as a whole, and by joining forces, we can make a tangible difference and eliminate the prevalence of streetism.
Celebrating 63 years of Ghana-China Relations

International News Jul - 01 - 2023 , 06:37

This years celebration of the 63rd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and China coincided with the visit of the 43rd Escort Task Group of the Chinese Army Navy at the Tema port in Accra, for a five-day friendly exchange as part of a mission to some selected countries.

July 5, this year, marks the 63rd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ghana and China, an important milestone in the history of the two countries. On this day in 1960, Ghana and China laid the foundation for stable and long-lasting bilateral relations based on a shared vision of future prosperity. Just four days earlier, on July 1, 1960, Ghana had attained republic status, three years after gaining independence from Britain.

Ghanas First President

The same year, Ghanas first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and Chinas Chairman Mao Zedong both launched ambitious plans to transform their agrarian economies into modern, industrial ones, with the state playing a central driving role. However, while Ghanas plan was truncated in 1966 with the overthrow of President Nkrumah, China, on the other hand, followed one of the most successful industrialisation projects in modern history, catapulting the country to an economic powerhouse in less than three decades.

The personal friendship between President Kwame Nkrumah and Chairman Mao Zedong laid the foundation for the relations between the two countries at the time. They were the thought leaders of their generation who stood shoulder to shoulder and became the mouthpiece of the oppressed.

On August 23, 1961, Ghana and China signed a friendship treaty which affirmed the close bilateral ties between the two countries and established the foundation for practical cooperation as well as the emergence of Afro-Asia solidarity.

Evolution of Ties

While their economic experiments diverged on separate paths, Ghana and China maintained strong diplomaticties. However, relations between the two were briefly interrupted in the wake of the 1966 coup but were restored three years later when a change of government took place.

In the international arena, the two countries have been champions of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Inaugurated in 1961 in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, NAM sought to steer a neutral path which was nonaligned to the then superpowers, the United States and the former Soviet Union.

While Ghana was a founding member of NAM, China staunchly championed the cause of the movement from its observer status. Under the umbrella of NAM, China supported African countries in their struggle for independence andagainst Western domination.

A Founding Member

Further, as a founding member of, and a leading voice in, the Organisation of African Unity, Ghana played a pivotal role in Chinas winning a seat at the United Nations Security Council, joining other African countries to vote in favour of China.

Ghanas support was also pivotal in Chinas subsequent acceptance of the World Trade Organisation. Over the past six decades, our relations have been tested but have become more robust and diverse, touching practically all conceivable spheres of development, especially under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu Addo and Chinese President Xi Jinping, notably in trade and investment, agriculture, education, politics and economics, among others.

43rd Escort Task Group

The 43rd Escort Task Group of the Chinese Army Navy made a grand entrance at the port aboard three ships, including the huge Guided- Missile-Destroyer-Nanning-162, which was flying the flags of China and Ghana at its peak while the crew,adorned in striking white uniforms, stood along the deck in a salute posture.

While in Ghana, the group, led by Senior Captain Zhao Lang and Senior Captain Yang Yanhua, Commanders of the Escort Task Force, would hold exchanges with their Ghana counterparts, comprising high-level courses, joint exercises and donations.

The 43rd Chinese naval escort taskforce set sail for the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia from a military port in Zhanjiang City, southeast China's Guangdong province, on January 10, 2023, for the rotation with the 42nd task force.

The 43rd Chinese Naval escort taskforce consists of guided-missile destroyer Nanning, guided-missile frigate Sanya and comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu, as well as two ship-borne helicopters and more than 700 troops. It is the first time for ship Nanning to perform an escort mission.

Detailed emergency plans

During the preparation period, the task force formulated detailed emergency plans and organised targeted training on the actual use of weapons, anti-terrorism and anti-piracy operations, replenishment-at-sea, etc.

As of now, the Chinese PLA Navy has sent 131 warships and more than 32,000 troops in 42 batches to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to carry out escort missions.

Present at the welcoming of the escort at a ceremony at the Tema Port last Tuesday were the Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu; Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Defence Staff and Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, Chief of the Naval Staff.
457 Students benefit from KNUST laptop

Emmanuel Baah Education Jul - 01 - 2023 , 15:30

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has presented a laptop each to 457 brilliant needy students under the universitys Support One Needy Student with One Laptop (SONSOL) project to help less privileged students.

Since the beginning of the initiative in 2021, the university has distributed 1,854 laptops to Ghanaian needy students, including students from the Institute of Distance Learning, Obuasi campus and from all colleges of the university.

The 457 laptops are valued at GH3,199,000.

Eligibility

Only Level 100 to 300 students are eligible to apply for support.

For new students, a maximum of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) aggregate of 18 is required for one to qualify for the project and for continuing students, one needs to attain a minimum Cumulative Weighted Average (CWA) of 55.00 and above.

The selection criteria is watertight to ensure that the laptops are received only by students who are in critical need of them.

Exemptions

All final-year students are not eligible to apply for support just as students already benefitting from any other scholarships or bursary above GH2,000.00.



Examples of such scholarships are those from the Mastercard Foundation scholars programme, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation

(GNPC), TullowMTN Foundation, Vodafone, the GET-Fund, MPs Common Fund, District Assembly Support among others.



The laptops were sponsored by some corporate organisations and individuals, including Ecobank Ghana, KEK Insurance Brokers,Stanbic Bank Ghana PLC, MyTurn, Andysap Furniture, Multinec, Fairgreen Limited, Google Inc and Ultimate Hostel.

The rest are the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG), SRC KNUST, GRASAG KNUST, NUGS KNUST and the Distance Learning Students Association (DLSA).

Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the Great Hall of the KNUST yesterday, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, said it was incumbent on the institution as a university to hook onto the virtual space because the outbreak of COVID-19 had made it obvious that the university could no longer go at its own pace as far as digital transformation was concerned.

Our commitment is in ensuring that none of our students is left behind as we work towards training their hearts and minds to respond to the demands of industry, she stressed.

Commendation

Prof. Mrs Dickson commended the various institutions and individuals for supporting the SONSOL project but added that considering the whopping number of students who applied for the laptops, the limited laptops could not meet the demand.

She, therefore, appealed to all to support and help sustain the initiative and make the project a success.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries were happy to have made the cut from the selection process and expressed gratitude to the university and sponsors for the gesture, saying owning a laptop would greatly support their studies
Officials at Cayuga County-area colleges have expressed disappointment in a recent Supreme Court decision declaring race can no longer be considered in college admissions.

The court ruled Thursday that admission polices at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina that factor in an applicant's race are unconstitutional, effectively ending affirmative action policies in higher education across the United States. Since the announcement, institutions throughout the nation affirmed they will seek new avenues to have diverse student populations.

Cayuga Community College, which boasts campuses in Auburn and Fulton, addressed the edict in a statement Thursday.

Todays Supreme Court decision regarding the use of affirmative action in college admissions is disappointing and a damaging blow to students, families and the higher education system," Dr. Brian Durant, president of CCC, said in the statement. "Like our fellow (State University of New York) institutions, Cayuga prides itself as being a home for all students, one dedicated to creating accessible educational pathways and opportunities for students to achieve the lives and careers they choose. Our promise of equitable access to higher education, and our admiration and respect for students who pursue that path, will not change in light of todays announcement.

Jonathan Gibralter, president of Wells College, a private institution based in Aurora, said in an email Friday the college is "proud of the fact that we have a community that welcomes any student who desires to get an education" and noted that will continue.

"We are a diverse community that welcomes racial, ethnic, gender, social class, and students of all abilities. We are committed to sustaining an inclusive college community because, we are all better people when we have a diverse student body," Gibralter said. "We are and will remain committed to creating a diverse and inclusive atmosphere at Wells College. It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court appears to be so laser-focused on eradicating decades of progress in this country that supports and reflects that diversity and the humanity that it represents to us all.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY board of trustees criticized the court's decision in a statement on the SUNY website.

Race-conscious admissions policies have enriched our institutions and our nation. Yet despite the existence of race-conscious admissions policies, Black and Latino students, along with other groups, are still underrepresented across institutions of higher education as students, faculty members, and administrators. Todays decision threatens to undermine what progress has been made, by throwing up roadblocks and barriers when whats needed are better paths and bridges."
Tap into experiences, expertise of retired staff -Tsatsu Tsikata urges GNPC

Benjamin Xornam Glover Jul - 01 - 2023 , 10:52

Staff of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have been urged to tap into the experiences and expertise of retired professionals to help improve on the fortunes of the establishment.

A former CEO of GNPC, Tsatsu Tsikata, who gave the advice said retired staff of the corporation had the required expertise to help improve on its operations, and that management did not need to rely on foreign consultants to turn things around.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the retired staff association (GReSA) of GNPC in Tema.

Gratitude

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GNPC, Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, expressed gratitude to the former chief executives and retired staff of the organisation who he said had contributed in diverse ways to the establishment and growth of the organisation, including the discovery of hydrocarbons which had put the nation on the world map of oil-producing countries.

Mr Danquah also expressed the hope that the management would continue to count on them for support in the growth of the organisation.

He re-emphasised the need to make use of the vast experience of the retired staff, adding that Sonatrach in Algeria uses retired staff as consultants to build the capacity of its existingemployees and those of other emerging oil countries at its training institute (Sonatrach AIP) considered by African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) as the best on the continent.

Objectives

The President of GReSA, Lawrence Kwaw Sam, said among the aims of the association was to seek the welfare of members and also bring their varied experiences to bear on the oil and gas industry.

He said the association had arguably some of the greatest pool of knowledge and expertise which could be utilised to help for the accelerated development of the industry and the nation in general.

Mr Sam said the association had initiated processes to register a consultancy firm to avail their experiences and expertise to industry players.

The Board Chair of the GNPC, Freddie Blay, said the nation would continue to explore hydrocarbon resources to ensure citizens benefited from it.

Members

Other members of the executive body of GReSA include K.B. Amissah-Arthur, vice-president; Prosper Ahiakonu, financial secretary; Edward Ababio, organiser; Mame Yaa Edusei, executive officer; Edward Ossom, executive officer; Nana Osei Bonsu, executive officer, petrol business, and Ben Asante, executive officer, petro technical.
Assin North by-election - The trivia that made the difference

Shirley Asiedu-Addo Politics Jul - 01 - 2023 , 06:59

Alot of things played out in the recentlyheld Assin North by-election which was won by the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) James Gyakye Quayson.

Some of the communities in the constituency which is largely made up of farmers and traders include Assin Bereku, the constituency's capital, Asempaneye, Endwa, Akonfudi, Aponsie, Gangaa, Assin Kushea and Assin Praso

The development projects that the people enjoyed under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government were the major political campaign messages.

And rightly so, as the 31.2km Assin Praso-Assin Fosu Road recently commissioned by the VicePresident, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, which has 18km of it running through the constituency, as well as other road projects that had been undertaken or are ongoing.

There is also the Agenda 111 hospital project which is near completion, an Astroturf, and other infrastructural projects which the NPP believed, and severally stated, should win them the election.

The NDC on the other hand campaigned largely on the fact that the economic situation in the country had worsened under the NPP government, urging the electorate to tell the government by means of the election that they were not happy about it.

While there are a lot of settler communities in Assin North that vote almost en bloc for the NDC irrespective of the candidates, there are also the trivia of the campaign, which was critical to who won or lost.

The trivia

Gyakye Quayson is said to be from the Assin Bereku royal family.

The Daily Graphic gathered that his mother was once a queenmother at Assin Bereku. His family is known and respectable. For not being a chief, the people of the area could do with him as a Member of Parliament (MP).

The decision to renounce his Canadian citizenship was also another fact that impacted the election.

Some of the electorate were convinced that renouncing a Canadian citizenship could only be done by someone who meant well for the people.

LGBTQ

The issue of the LGBTQ and the anti-LGBTQ bill before Parliament also played out greatly in the election.

First, it was the NDC who used it in their campaign, saying that a vote to elect Charles Opoku would give the NPP an advantage to quash the passing of the anti-LGBTQ bill into law.

It worked for the NDC greatly.

The sensitivities of many in the communities were touched. There was no way their votes in any way would go to enhance the practice of LGBTQ activities in the country.

However, the NPP turned that campaign around to a large extent.

The NPP campaign team said Gyakye Quayson, a Canadian, accepted LGBTQ activities and lived in such a country as Canada even before 2020.

Then the issue of who had built a house at Assin Bereku became another campaign message.

Both candidates of the NDC and NPP hail from Assin Bereku, the constituency's capital that held a lot of the votes.

The NPP told the electorate that Gyakye Quayson was not with them since he did not even have his home at Assin Bereku, the constituency capital, where both Gyakye Quayson and Charles Opoku hail from.

If he sees himself as coming from here why does he not have a house here? they queried at the campaign.

The facts, though, are that Gyakye Quayson has a house at nearby Assin Fosu, which is more cosmopolitan and resides in his mother's house when he visits Bereku.

The NDC would also counter that campaign with the fact that Charles Opoku was not a registered voter in the constituency.

Apparently, Charles Opoku had registered at Tarkwa, where he stays and works.

The NDC queried how a person who did not even vote in the constituency expected to win and represent the constituency in Parliament.

Presidents question

Another blow to the NPP campaign was President Nana Akufo-Addo's query in a last-minute campaign as to whether the people wanted to vote for someone who would go to jail, which did not augur too well for the party.

That, in many communities, did not go down well with the people who saw it as a dare.

"They say they will jail Gyakye Quayson. We want to vote for him and repeat history by creating another Kwame Nkrumah. We will make sure he wins power from prison," one of the residents said.

"The President himself says we should vote for James Gyakye Quayson and that is what I did. God used the President to tell us whom to vote for," another voter said.



An Astro turf at Assin Bereku

Fane fom

The popular danceable song fane fom was the theme song of the NDC's Gyakye Quayson, who was last on the ballot.

It obviously caught on well with the people and contributed to his popularity and his win.

Age was also critical in the campaign.

The NPP campaigned for the electorate to vote for fresh blood, a younger person with fresh ideas to represent them.

"You can't vote for anyone to use parliament as his pension," some of the supporters were heard saying in the days leading to the election.

Money, items sharing

Then there was the money and items sharing, which invariably hurt the incumbent more than the opposition.

While both parties were guilty, it hurt the NPP more because it is the incumbent government.

The electorate saw any money shared from the NPP as the taxpayers money and that from the NDC as something to alleviate their plight and their suffering, which they attributed to the NPP government.

No matter how trivial these issues may seem, they impacted the election and influenced who won it.

The MP-elect for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, said his overwhelming win in the by-election was a rejection of "monecracy."

He said his win was a reminder to politicians that the conscience of the electorate could not be bought with money.



A section of the 31.2 km Assin Praso-Assin Fosu road

Winner

The demeanour of the man whose name arguably has become the most popular was calm even after he was declared the winner.

Quayson won with 17,245 votes, representing 57.56 per cent of the valid votes cast, with the NPP candidate, Charles Opoku, coming second with 12,630 votes, representing 42.15 per cent.

The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) candidate, Sefenu Bernice Enyonam, got 87 votes, representing 0.29 per cent.

A total of 41,168 electorates were expected to cast their votes in 99 polling stations during the by-election.

The Director of Elections at the Electoral Commission, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, said turnout was more than 50 per cent by midday.

The electorates were excited about choosing an MP.

Constituents

A community member of Assin Endwa, who only gave his name as Impraim, said the communities were tired of the negative impact the absence of an MP had had on the development of the area.

In all the interviews, the people who wanted Gyakye Quayson would rather not speak.

It was also apparent that Charles Opoku was a great choice for the NPP, as the people had almost no negative comments to say about him.

Some said they wished he was in a different contest at a different time.

For the people of Assin Bereku, it was more difficult. It was a contest between two sons of the land.

The manner in which all the mighty men in the country's body politic trooped to the constituency to campaign for the votes of the people and the lessons learnt from the election, no matter how trivial, would inform both parties in future elections.
Iveco Group N.V. announced that, following the finalization of the definitive agreements with Nikola Corporation as per the terms sheet described on 9 May 2023, its subsidiary Iveco S.p.A. has acquired the full and sole ownership of the German company resulting from the former joint venture Nikola Iveco Europe, now to be renamed as EVCO (Electric Vehicles COmpany).

Iveco Group is licensed to access freely and continue developing vehicle control software for the jointly developed battery-electric (BEV) and fuel-cell-electric (FCEV) trucks. Nikola is granted the IVECO S-Way technology license for North America and related component supply from Iveco Group, and gains joint ownership of the intellectual property of Generation 1 eAxles, technology developed together with Iveco Groups powertrain brand, FPT Industrial.





The European 4x2 Artic version of the Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV)launched in 2022 at IAAis a zero-emissions battery-electric heavy-duty truck with a range of approximately 500 km and the performance to complete a wide range of regional missions.

Iveco said that the successful completion of this announced step reconfirms the steady commitment of the company in playing a leading role in the zero-emission heavy duty transport segment.

Iveco Group will concentrate on Europe for the further development and commercialization of its own battery-electric and fuel-cell-electric trucks, which includes rolling out its financing business model GATE, and Nikola will focus its operations in North America, with an integrated approach to its customers, offering BEV, FCEV and hydrogen infrastructure via its HYLA brand.
Stellantis N.V. and Australia-based Kuniko Ltd announced the signing of a binding offtake term sheet agreement securing a 35% future production offtake of nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate from Kunikos Norwegian exploration projects for a term of nine years.

Kunikos projects located in Norway are targeting three fundamental metals for electromobility: cobalt, nickel and copper. Its projects in Canada are targeting lithium for electric vehicle batteries.

In addition, Stellantis agreed to purchase 5.0 million (A$8 million) in new equity in Kuniko, giving it a 19.99% shareholding on completion and rights to nominate one director to the Kuniko board.

We are on an aggressive path to securing a holistic portfolio of raw materials needed to meet our Dare Forward 2030 electrification targets. With Kuniko, we are adding another lever to support our European battery needs with a local and environmentally conscious solution from its Norwegian projects. Stellantis Chief Purchasing and Supply Chain Officer Maxime Picat

Funds from the equity purchase will be applied to advance Kunikos brownfield and greenfield battery metals exploration projects in Norway which include nickel, cobalt and copper.

As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. Stellantis is on track to become a carbon net zero corporation, all scopes included, by 2038, with single digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.

Completion of the binding offtake and share subscription agreements are subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Stellantis is assembling a roster of partnerships to ensure a stable supply of key materials for its electrified future. In addition to Kuniko, Stellantis has agreements with Alliance Nickel, McEwen Copper, Terrafame, Vulcan Energy, Element 25 and Controlled Thermal Resources.
The youth is our future, so its essential to train them for the rapidly changing economy and society.

A second cohort of Guams high school students successfully completed the 2023 Workplace and Internship Readiness training last week to prepare them for the summer In-School Youth Employment Program.

The first cohort completed the Workplace and Internship Readiness training in April.

With the two cohorts completed, a total of 76 high school juniors and seniors are now beginning their six weeks of paid employment in hand-picked private sector jobs of the youths interest.

The Department of Labors commitment in preparing the youth was displayed by developing a program that provides the youth with paid work experience as well as training on workplace readiness and occupational skills to help them succeed.

During the Workplace and Internship Readiness training, students participated in a 32-hour course taught by instructors at Pacific Human Resource Services Inc.

Despite some minor setbacks that delayed the start of the In-School Youth Employment Program this summer, the students were eager to learn and work and remained positive, said Guam Department of Labor Director David DellIsola. They all showed such an interest in preparing for todays workforce, like how to apply for a job, put together a resume, workplace ethics, and maintaining employment.

This is a really big stepping stone for all of us, especially as we begin a new chapter in our life, said Simon Sanchez High School senior Limiah Kae G. Padrones. This experience has a really positive impact for us in the workforce to be able to pursue our careers, so we want to say thank you.

The In-School Youth Employment Program is a year-round program open to students enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade and between the ages of 14 to 21. Eligibility criteria must also be met, which includes meeting federal income guidelines and/or possessing barriers to employment.

Interested students are encouraged to apply through any of the following methods:
The role of the Legislature has become even more expansive now in the time of recovery.

Numerous senators started the recovery process out in the field supporting their staff members with debris removal and damage assessments.

A month after the impact of Typhoon Mawar, they have now been able to go back to one of their main roles in discussing new legislation.

Speaker Therese Terlaje initially called for one session on Tuesday, but due to all the recesses and floor amendments, decisions on bills could not be made until the afternoon of Friday.

Senators finally passed all eight bills placed on the third reading file.

Bill Number 20-37 was approved unanimously by the 15 senators, which would allow eligible individuals with felony drug convictions to regain access to federal public assistance on the condition that they are subject to random drug testing for the duration of their eligibility for the benefits. Two consecutive positive drug tests shall automatically disqualify the individual from continuing to receive benefits.

Bill Number 62-37 was approved unanimously as well with the exception of Sen. Joanne Brown who was excused due to her child attending a school that might benefit from the bill.

The bill intended to allow private schools to apply for a conversion into an Academy Charter School as private schools have played a big part in contributing to the education of Guams youth.

Veterans bill passes

Bill Number 82-37, authored by Sen. Dwayne San Nicolas, was also passed unanimously to allow Republic of Korea veterans and Distinguished Flying Cross recipients to qualify for Guam veteran license plates. The bill would also allow more federal military documents to be used for veteran qualifications, which includes the National Guard Bureau 21, Armed Forces Retirement Certificate and the Armed Forces Statement of Personnel Record.

Republic of Korea soldiers are defined as those who fought alongside the US military during the Vietnam War, have acquired U.S. citizenship, and were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

If the governor signs this bill into Guam law, they will finally be able to receive something they should have been entitled to in the first place like veteran license plates, said Sen. San Nicolas.

This is my first bill and I am so excited that it was talked about on the floor and moved through the legislative process, added Sen. San Nicolas. This is what happens when we collectively work together through the good of the community and so I thank both my Republicans and Democratic colleagues for actually seeing the good in this bill.

School improvements

Bill 94-37, authored by Sen. Roy Quinata, was introduced to enact new standards relative to the Ma Kahat Act of 2013.

The legislation incorporated many of the recommended amendments received during the public hearing, and Sen. Quinata extended his appreciation to his co-sponsors and the members of the Legislature who demonstrated their commitment to school-age children by passing the bill.

I am thankful for all those who supported this effort, said Sen. Quinata. This is a victory for our students and a great example of how we can work together in partnership for positive change in our community.

Simon Sanchez High School is one of Guams oldest schools, which has served thousands of students since its conversion to a high school in 1981. The school has gone without any major renovation or upgrade since then, which has made it one of Guams oldest learning facilities still in use. With the passing of the bill, plans can now move forward on renovating and upgrading SSHS so that it meets current educational standards.

The Ma Kahat Act included provisions for modernizing classrooms by providing much needed repairs to existing buildings and infrastructure which have suffered from years of neglect due to limited funding resources. With these improvements in place, SSHS can continue its mission of providing quality education for generations to come.

Speaker Terlaje was the only senator to object to the approval of the bill due to the cost of the project. The bill stated an authorized principal amount of financing of $166,365,000, but the initial intended principal amount was only supposed to be $85,000,000. Over 30 years, this will rise to 480 million dollars spent through financing.

In contrast, Tiyan High School was offered to be financed at 125 million dollars and John F. Kennedy High School at 157 million dollars.

This shows how advanced the new campus plan is for SSHS, which includes an auditorium, a gymnasium, and a JROTC building that is bigger than the cafeteria, according to Terlaje.

Other bills

Bill Numbers 42-37 and 44-37 were all approved unanimously as well by the 15 senators, which would mandate automated external defibrillators at all DOE school campuses and DOE reports on hazardous materials.

Bill Number 73-37 was also approved unanimously in order to create an emergency opioid access bystander program and to allow insurance companies to cover the cost.

Bill Number 101-37, which intended to regulate emission standards for sulfur dioxide, was approved by all the senators except for Sen. Frank Blas.

A couple of bills from the second reading file were not sent to their third reading yet.

Bill Number 36-37 was set aside on June 29 while Bill Number 130-37 remains on the session agenda to be acted upon on Monday, July 3 when the legislative body comes back from recess.
In a time of recovery, its essential for everyone to get together and embrace the inafamaolek spirit that couldnt be stronger than in Guam.

The Mayors Council of Guam has maintained its presence in their respective villages and was able to both provide and receive assistance for those who need it the most.

On June 28, 2023, the MCoG received a generous donation of $100,000 from the Huntsman Foundation, the anchor investor in GTA.

The donation was provided to the mayors to assist with recovery efforts following the devastating impact of Typhoon Mawar.

Demonstrating their unwavering commitment to the island community, the Huntsman Foundation aims to provide essential and truly needed support to the affected areas for rebuilding and restoring our villages.

Paul Huntsman from the Huntsman Foundation and GTA Board Chairman stated, We are proud to be a part of this westernmost frontier of America and will help in any way we can with our 500 local employees to help Guam shine again.

The $100,000 contribution from the Huntsman Foundation will directly benefit the islands mayors, who play a crucial role in coordinating relief efforts and supporting affected communities. Each mayors office was provided with $2,500 worth of credit for gas stations and $2,5000 worth of credit for Benson.

The donation will cover meals for mayors, their staff, and volunteers, ensuring that those tirelessly working to aid in the recovery process are nourished and energized.

Additionally, the funds will be used to provide gas, which can enable mayors and their teams to travel efficiently to impacted areas. It also includes the procurement of essential hardware and supply items needed for the recovery process.

Equipment provided

Further, GTA, in collaboration with the Huntsman Foundation, will provide heavy equipment, machinery, and resources to remove debris along several roads in the villages.

In appreciation of the donation, Piti Mayor and President of Mayors Council of Guam Jesse Alig stated, GTA is our local hometown telecom. They are our partner and recognized the needs of our community and offered to help without hesitation amid coping with their own recovery efforts, stated Alig. With this contribution, my colleagues and our staff will be able to continue the rebuilding our homes and our villages. Partnerships such as these make Guam the best place to call home.

The Huntsman Foundation and GTA have been significant contributors to Guams economic growth and development for several years, fostering job creation, technological advancement, and community engagement. Through their ongoing investments, they have continuously demonstrated their belief in Guams potential and their desire to play a meaningful role in its progress.

Other than the donation to the MCoG, GTA and its employees have continued to assist village residents with their constant recovery efforts on the path to full restoration of communication for all their customers.
Chamber hosts annual Fourth of July parade

The Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Nackard Pepsi, will once again host the annual Fourth of July parade at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4, in the traditional downtown format, according to a press release.

A full field of parade entries and record attendance is expected.

"We are always grateful for the opportunity to host visitors and locals alike for the grandest Fourth of July parade in Arizona," said Chamber President Julie Pastrick. "Our parade is truly an Arizona treasure, as former Gov. (Janet) Napolitano noted many years ago, and as such, brings many groups and organizations together on this annual special occasion to celebrate our nation's birth and our community."

The 2023 parade has an official grand marshal: Stacie Zanzucchi, newly retired principal of Coconino High School.

The Downtown Mile race brought to the community by Run Flagstaff begins at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Other key sponsors include Desert Financial, Great Circle Media, Waste Management, APS and Twin Arrows.

For more information on the parade, please call (928) 774-4505, or visit flagstaffchamber.com.




Haiti - NOTICE Brazil : Extension of undergraduate scholarship applications





The Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs interested parties that Brazilian universities have granted an extension for the submission of applicants for undergraduate scholarships, until July 17, 2023 (initially scheduled for June 17)



REMINDER:



Criteria:

- Be a Haitian citizen;

- Reside in Haiti;

- Hold a valid passport;

- Be between 18 and 23 years old until December 31, 2023.

- Have an overall arithmetic average equal to or greater than 60%;

- Commit to returning to Haiti after obtaining the respective diploma.



Documents required:

- Secondary school leaving certificate or equivalent document;

- Transcripts with the list of all the subjects taken and all the marks obtained during secondary studies;

- Birth certificate of the applicant, his father or his mother or any other identity document officially indicating the nationality;

- Recent medical certificate of physical and mental health;

- Proof of financial support from a family member or institutional sponsor agreeing to cover the student's basic expenses for the duration of their stay in Brazil. Traditionally, the amount of the monthly allowance is set at a minimum of 400 US dollars. Important: Plane tickets, visa fees (Brazilian visa and transit visa) and accommodation will be at their expense.



Files must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs located 5A, Delmas 60 Musseau



For more information write to : maec@diplomatie.ht



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - CARICOM: Antony Blinken and Ariel Henry will discuss in Trinidad and Tobago, about intervention in Haiti





US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean on Wednesday, June 5, where he will meet with Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry on his call for foreign intervention in Haiti, which is going through a serious multifaceted political, humanitarian and security crisis said Friday, June 30 a State Department official.



Blinken will "urge" Henry to work to "broaden the political consensus" and "find a political solution to put Haiti back on the democratic path," said Barbara Feinstein, Chief of the State Department for the Caribbean region.



Let's recall that since October 9, 2022 Ariel Henry has requested that an international force intervene in Haiti against armed gangs that impose violence, to restore security https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37866-icihaiti-request-for-armed-intervention-letter-from-prime-minister-to-the-un-secretary-general.html but no country has yet declared itself ready to take command of this intervention force.



Catherine Russell, the Head of Unicef, said this week that "the situation in Haiti has never been worse..."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39865-haiti-politic-the-pm-back-from-france-confident-of-a-multinational-intervention-in-haiti-to-fight-gangs-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39848-haiti-flash-the-oas-approves-a-resolution-for-the-immediate-restoration-of-security-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39842-haiti-crisis-speech-by-chancellor-geneus-to-the-oas-for-an-urgent-intervention-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39740-haiti-politic-the-pm-reiterates-the-request-for-intervention-of-a-specialized-international-armed-force-in-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-37866-icihaiti-request-for-armed-intervention-letter-from-prime-minister-to-the-un-secretary-general.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2023/06/30

And right when it seemed that this would be a not that great season for Korean cinema, here comes a film that is shockingly good, with Kim Soo-in-II presenting an astonishing drama that boasts an impressive story and an astonishing performance by the main protagonist.

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The film begins by a lake where four high school students, including Yoo-ri, a seemingly model student from a well-to do family, commit suicide after meeting through a suicide web group. The police consider it a suicide, although some suspicions do arise when they realize that one of the four members actually escaped. Yoo-ri's mother, Hye-yeong, however, does not want to hear anything about it and eventually decides to pledge the case for a murder, considering her daughter's homeroom teacher, Gi-beom and her friend, Ye-na, an idol trainee as the ones responsible for Yoo-ri's death. m were the killers. Ye-na is an idol trainee and Gi-beom is a teacher who really cared for Yoo-ri. As the investigation dives into the lives of these people, it spirals out of control due to conflicting statements between the three, but detectives find out that the actions of Hye-yeong started causing cracks in Yoo-ri's heart.

Kim Soo-in-II directs a film that thrives on a number of levels. The first and most obvious one is the way the narrative unfolds, through flashbacks that shed more light to the lives of the protagonists each time they appear in the story, with each one essentially providing a revelation. In that fashion, and with the help of the impressive editing of Lim Sin-mi, Kim presents in the most rewarding way a rather distorted mother-daughter relationship, with the surprises the policemen face essentially mirroring the ones the viewer will also experience.

In that regard, and in one of the most impressive aspects of the movie, Kim holds no punches at all in highlighting how extreme a mother's love can get, to the point that actions that border on torture and illegal surveillance are done under the never-ending "cover" of the 'for your own good' concept. Han does not stop on Yoo-ri's mother actually, but continues with the utter lack of parenting of Ye-na and the intensely offensive of Gi-beom's father. In that fashion, she highlights the majority of the practices that constitute bad parenting, as we have the constantly pressuring one, the utterly neglectful (although there is a good excuse here), and the one who simply cannot love anymore, in one of the most pointed accusations towards parents we have ever seen in a movie. Here, there are no excuses of the 'sometimes kids are bad despite their parents intentions' variety, but instead a rather direct accusation towards people who should never have children.

The way Hye-yeong reacts after her daughter's death, accusing everyone around her daughter, something she actually did also when she was alive, instead of even considering the possibility that she did something wrong essentially showcases an individual that borders on the sociopathic, in a tendency, that is actually not that uncommon, but very rarely depicted on cinema. In the same fashion, the way Gi-beom's father continues to chastise and offend a son who is a kind and caring person and tries his best to help his students any he can also moves towards the same direction. That there is a kind of reciprocation here may appear as an audience-appealing element (in what could even garner applause by the audience in a cinema) but is actually a very welcome release from all the pressure, which is not found in the main arc, which actually gets even worse by the end.

Lastly, the concept of parents 'not knowing their children" finds its apogee here, as the ones in the movie appear not just ignorant, as in the case of Yoo-ri's distant father, but actually so self-centered in having their kids following the path of proper education-proper job-proper marriage-proper appearance overall that they cannot even fathom that something could be wrong with them.

The embodiment of all the aforementioned is Jang Seo-hee who gives an outstanding performance as Hye-yeong, who portrays a mother that is so despicable, that she is actually a truly horrifying villain, through her ignorance, bitterness and hate. Kim gives her some excuses, also having to do with the way she was treated by her own mother and her neglectful husband, but these are definitely not enough to excuse a woman who is literally killing her children. Kang An-na as Yoo-ri highlights her dead-end adolescence in the best fashion while Choi So-yoon is equally convincing as the tough girl Ye-na, who eventually does crumble, though, under pressure.

Not much more to say, "Toxic Parents" is a shockingly good film, and definitely among the best of the year.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

___________

"Toxic Parents" is directed by Kim Soo-in-II, and features Jang Seo-hee, Kang An-na, Choi So-yoon, Oh Tae-kyung. No release date in Korea yet.
A MAN who lets his house out to rowers during Henley Royal Regatta has raised more than 8,000 for charity.

Andrew Buck, who lives off Friday Street, has given up his house for the past two years, moving to his motor-home at Swiss Farm for the period.

He donates the rental money from the rowers to the Thames Hospice in honour of his wife, Tanya, who passed away from breast cancer two years ago and spent her final two weeks at the hospice in Bray.

The couple lived in Bray but used to spend the summer in Henley, attending the regatta and festival.

Mr Buck raised 3,000 last year and this year has made 5,000 after also renting out his home for Henley Womens Regatta earlier this month.

He said: I lost my wife two years ago to breast cancer and she loved Henley. As her wish, I said I would move to Henley following her death.

She spent the last two weeks of her life being looked after by the Thames Hospice and the care was amazing. Now I am in Henley, I thought it would be nice to learn more about the rowing side of things.

My kids have come to the regatta for 25 years or more but I never got involved in the rowing side. We just enjoyed being here.

I was quite astonished last year, for example, when I had nine girls staying who got knocked out by Leander Club on the first day in their first race. I didnt realise how quick it could be. The most Ive had stay at one time is nine, so a whole boatload. I greet the rowers and make sure I have provided breakfast for them.

Its a bit of guesswork but I provide loads of carbs and fruit. I say to them: If you want anything else, leave the receipt and I will reimburse you.

A memorable moment was with the girls who got knocked out. I returned home to find theyd polished off three bottles of Prosecco from my fridge and then they went out on the town.

I was very happy for them to have had it. They could forget and go have some fun.

I am really pleased to have raised so much. I wasnt expecting that amount. The people who book the rowers accommodation send the funds to me and I just ping them across to Thames Hospice.

I stay in my motor home for the period so I get a nice little minibreak out of it too. It has been a bit disruptive but absolutely worth it.
As the Goods and Services Tax (GST) marks sixth anniversary on Saturday, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed critics dubbing it as the Gabbar Singh Tax. Terming the jibe shameful, the minister said GST actually provided relief to the common citizens of the country. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (ANI)

Sitharaman further said that the previous tax system before GST involved multiple taxes leading to a cascading effect, where the same product was taxed multiple times, making it costlier for consumers. She highlighted the positive impact of GST, mentioning that post-GST, the revenue buoyancy of states has increased, the ability to collect greater revenue without changing the tax rate.

On GST Day, Sitaraman traced its journey as "One Nation, One Tax, One Market," and emphasised how GST has nurtured India's economic ecosystem. Today is the 6th Goods and Services Tax #GST Day as GST was launched on 1st July 2017. Lets trace this iconic journey of #OneNation #OneTax #OneMarket and see how GST@6 is nurturing the Economic Ecosystem of India, Sitharaman tweeted. She mentioned that reduced taxes under GST have brought happiness to every home, providing relief on various daily-use consumer goods.

Sitharaman also highlighted that GST implementation has simplified tax compliance for taxpayers, leading to an increase in the number of registered taxpayers from 1.03 crore in April 2018 to 1.36 crore by April 2023.

Gross GST revenue in June

In June, GST collection crossed 1.60 lakh crore mark, according to the finance ministry. This is the fourth time since the inception of GST that the gross collection has exceeded 1.6 lakh crore. Additionally, this is the seventh time that the collection has surpassed 1.50 lakh crore milestone since its introduction. The revenue collected in June 2023 is 12% higher than the GST revenues collected in the same month last year.

When GST was initially introduced in 2017, the monthly GST revenues ranged from 85,000-95,000 crore. However, over time, these revenues have significantly increased and now stand at around 1.5 lakh crore, with a tendency to keep rising. The collection reached an all-time high of 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023.

GST introduced in 2017

A nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on July 1, 2017, replacing 17 local taxes such as excise duty, service tax, and VAT, along with 13 additional charges. Prior to GST, the combination of VAT, excise, and CST, along with their cumulative impact, resulted in an average tax burden of 31 per cent for consumers.

Under GST, a four-tier tax structure was implemented. Essential items are either exempt from tax or subject to a low rate of 5 per cent. Luxury and demerit goods, on the other hand, attract the highest rate of 28 percent. The other tax slabs include 12 per cent and 18 per cent.

In addition, there is a special rate of 3 per cent for gold, jewellery, and precious stones, while cut and polished diamonds are subject to a 1.5 per cent tax. Furthermore, a cess is imposed on goods falling under the highest tax slab of 28 per cent, particularly luxury items, sin products, and demerit goods.

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India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection crossed 1.60 lakh crore mark in June, the finance ministry said in a statement on Saturday. India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection crossed  1.60 lakh crore mark in June, the finance ministry said in a statement on Saturday. (HT File Photo)

According to the finance ministry, it is for the fourth time since inception of GST that the gross collection has crossed the 1.6 lakh crore mark. The collection has breached the 1.50 lakh crore for the seventh time since inception.

The government said out of gross GST revenue of 1,61,497 crore, 31,013 crore is Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST). On the other hand, state goods and services tax (SGST) is 38,292 crore while the integrated goods and services tax (IGST) is 80,292 crore. The ministry said cess is 11,900 crore.

The total revenue of Centre and the States in the month of June 2023 after regular settlement is 67,237 crore for CGST and 68,561 crore for the SGST, the ministry stated.

The revenues for the month of June 2023 are 12% higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, the revenues from domestic transactions (including import of services) are 18% higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year, the government added.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail
Indian two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Friday said it would increase prices of specific models of motorcycles and scooters by around 1.5% from July 3, as it combats price positioning, input costs and business imperatives. Hero MotoCorp is two-wheeler automobile maker.(Representative Image/Hero MotoCorp)

The exact quantum of increase will vary by specific models and markets, the company said in an exchange filing.

Hero previously hiked prices on its select models of motorcycles and scooters by 2% in March, as it grappled with increased costs to meet new emission norms, which came into effect in the following month.

ALSO READ: Hero MotoCorp to scale up presence of VIDA V1 e-scooter to 100 cities this year

The company's total sales increased 6.7% year-on-year to 519,474 units in May 2023, it said in an exchange filing on June 1.

Hero said the onset of monsoon and overall economic indicators bode well for a growth in demand. Industry volumes are also expected to pick up leading into the upcoming festive season, the company added.

The announcement comes two weeks after India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs ordered an investigation to assess Hero's relationship with a third-party vendor in a case related to the alleged diversion of funds, according to a Reuters report.

However, the company said in a statement to Reuters that it had not received any communication from the government and could not comment.

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The National Investigation Agency has filed its first supplementary charge sheet against nine people for their alleged involvement in a case related to a conspiracy by the global terror group ISIS to carry out terror attacks across the country. All of them belong to Karnataka and have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act.

Five of the accused in the charge sheet have tech backgrounds and had allegedly been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue courses in robotics to pick up skills for carrying out attacks in the future in furtherance of the terror group's agenda for the country, the federal agency said.

It identified the accused charge-sheeted on Friday as Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).

Also read | NIA teams up with Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh police to dismantle terrorist-gangster network

All of them belong to Karnataka and have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, the probe agency said.

Ahmed and Syed Yasin were charge-sheeted in March this year. They have now been charged with other offences, the NIA said, adding they along with Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh, Mazin Abdul Rahman and Nadeem Ahmed KA studied mechanical and electrical engineering.

"They had been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue robotics courses to pick up skills to carry terrorist attacks in the future in furtherance of the IS (Islamic State) agenda for India," the federal probe agency said.

It said the investigations have revealed that Shariq, Muneer and Yasin had hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with IS operatives based abroad to promote terror and violence in the region at the direction of the terrorist group also known as Islamic State.

The trio had actively radicalised and recruited the co-accused with the intention to disturb the security, unity and sovereignty of the country, the NIA said.

It said the online handler had funded the accused through cryptocurrencies.

The case was initially registered by the Shivamogga Rural Police on September 19 last year and later taken over and re-registered by NIA on November 15.

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The Mohali police on Saturday rescued a seven-year-old boy, who was kidnapped by a Bihar native, following a dramatic chase through Dera Bassi that lasted 45 minutes. Poodan Kumar was nabbed by Mohali Police and booked under Section 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code at the Dera Bassi police station. (HT Files)

Zipping through traffic snarls, riding on civilians two-wheelers, the cops managed to apprehend the accused, Poodan Kumar. A native of Ghorasahan, Mothihari, Bihar, Poodan currently lives in a rented accommodation in Haibatpur, Dera Bassi.

The search operation started after the mother of the minor boy alerted the police.

Also a Bihar native, Usha Devi, 35, who lives in a room adjacent to the accuseds, told the police that he came to her room around 8 am and started arguing with her over an old monetary dispute.

Usha, who works as a domestic help, alleged that Poodan burnt the right hand of her youngest son, Prakash, with a cigarette butt. After I confronted him, he left my room, but threatened that he will kidnap my son, said the complainant, whose husband works in Mirpur, Bihar.

Usha said she left for work later, but on returning, could not find Prakash.

Neighbours informed her that they saw Poodan taking Prakash away, following which she alerted her employer Rohini Kaushal, who works as a branch manager in a private bank in Dera Bassi.

Rohini sounded the police, who launched a search operation. We traced Poodan with the help of his mobile phone location and launched a chase. The accused was frequently changing vehicles. We pursued him through Kalka Chowk, Patiala Road, but our vehicles got stuck in a traffic jam near McDonalds restaurant, a police officer said.

The team then turned to civilians, who helped them chase the accused on their motorcycles. We eventually spotted the accused with the child in a bus and nabbed him, the officer added.

Police said the accused had some monetary dispute with the family, and kidnapped the child to get money and a mobile phone from them.

He was booked under Section 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code at the Dera Bassi police station. DSP Darpan Kaur Ahluwalia, who led the rescue operation with Dera Bassi SHO Jaskanwal Singh, said police will also add extortion section in the FIR.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nikhil Sharma Nikhil Sharma is a staff reporter who covers Faridkot district in the Mansa region of Punjab. ...view detail
A week after Mohali police arrested two of the three masked shooters who had shot a shopkeeper in the foot in Mohalis Jhampur village on June 9 for not meeting their extortion demands, police have arrested six more members of the Bhuppi Rana and Davinder Bambiha gangs that they say were behind the attack. Those arrested have been identified as Praveen Kumar of Karnal, Manish Saini of Panchkula, Nikhil Kumar of Mohali, Rohit Kumar of Dadumajra, Chandigarh, Dikshat, alias Dikshu, of Panchkula and Gaurav Paswan. (HT Files)

Police have also recovered two .32-bore pistols and five live cartridges, along with a Honda City car and motorcycle used in the crime, from the possession of the gang.

Those arrested have been identified as Praveen Kumar of Karnal, Manish Saini of Panchkula, Nikhil Kumar of Mohali, Rohit Kumar of Dadumajra, Chandigarh, Dikshat, alias Dikshu, of Panchkula and Gaurav Paswan.

Police had earlier arrested Manveer Rana of Barwala and Deepak Kumar, alias Deepu, of Panchkula. The third shooter, Dilbar of Ambala, continues to be on the run.

Police have also nominated two more gang members, currently in Canada, in the case, stating that they were the ones who made threat calls using international numbers to the victim, Rohit Gupta, 40, a resident of Dhanas in Chandigarh.

The duo has been identified as Prince Chauhan of Ropar and Sandeep, alias Kala Rana, of Panchkula.

Mohali SSP Sandeep Garg, while addressing a press conference, said the attack on Gupta, who runs a gift shop in Jhampur village, was executed on the directions of Prince and Sandeep.

Sources added that Bhuppi Rana, currently lodged in Nabha jail, was the mastermind behind the attack and was recently brought here on a production warrant.

Bhuppi Rana is a close associate of fugitive gangster Lucky Patial, who is believed to be in Armenia and operates the Davinder Bambiha gang.

Notably, Bhuppi of Handesra village, Mohali, joined hands with the Bambiha gang after his arch rival, Monu Rana, joined the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Gang also fired gunshots outside Panchkula Club

According to police, the same gang members, including Gaurav, had fired gunshots outside Escape Club in Sector 5, Panchkula, on June 15, to coerce the owner into paying extortion money. Gaurav was driving the motorcycle then.

Nikhil and Rohit conducted recce in the Honda City before the attack on Gupta. Manish provided the three shooters a stolen motorcycle that was used in the crime. Both the vehicles have been recovered. Dikshu was also involved in the planning. During their interrogation, we got to know that the same gang fired gunshots outside the Panchkula club. With their arrests, we have solved two cases, SSP Garg stated.

He added that all accused had criminal history and were involved in numerous cases in Haryana. The accused came in contact while being lodged in different jails in Haryana.

The gang got the weapons from suppliers in Uttar Pradesh.

Four days after being fired upon, Gupta got a personal security officer (PSO) from Chandigarh Police, as he is a resident of the city.

According to sources, the victim, other than running a toy shop in Mohali, also became a real estate developer in the same area, after which he got extortion calls. He had informed the Chandigarh Police nearly a month ago that he was receiving life threats from international numbers bearing photo of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as WhatsApp display picture.

A cop stated that Bhuppi Rana gang members deliberately used Bishnois picture to mislead the police.
Punjab Police on Saturday resorted to lathicharge to disperse protesting teachers at Khurana village, 2km from chief minister Bhagwant Manns rented accommodation in Sangrur, and detained 20 of them. Contractual teachers clashing with police during a protest in Sangrur on Saturday against the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab for failing to regularise their services. (HT Photo)

The teachers were demanding regularisation of their services and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government had recently given them only a marginal increment while claiming in an announcement that it had regularised 14,239 teachers and other employees of the education department.

Also read: Punjab: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi brought to Moga court in 2021 murder bid case

Members of the Education Providers Union, who have been protesting near the chief ministers house for the past 19 days, said that the government did not pay them according to the scale of regular teachers and neither did it offer other benefits that regular employees get.

Union president Manpreet Singh said, We dont want an increment in our salaries. We want regular pay scale and regularisation of our services. Therefore, we have rejected this increment.

Sangrur SSP Surendra Lamba said, The protesters were getting aggressive and we had to use mild force to control the situation. We have detained 20 protesters. The situation is peaceful now.

The chief minister is away to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh for an AAP rally with party leader Arvind Kejriwal.

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A two-day convocation-cum-scientific convention on Strategies for enhancing productivity of dairy animals jointly organized by Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana and National Academy of Veterinary Sciences (India) (NAVS), was inaugurated on Saturday. Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian attending National Academy on Veterinary Science Annual Convocation- cum-Scientific convention on Strategies for Enhancing Productivity at GADVASU in Ludhiana. (HT PHOTO)

The chief guest of the inaugural function was Parshottam Rupala, minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Government of India. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, minister for animal husbandry and dairy development, Punjab,was the guest of honour.

Veterinary Council of India president Umesh Chandra Sharma congratulated the university and academy for organizing this convention. He stressed upon the need of one health concept and creation of a separate Indian council for Veterinary sector for proper funding and growth of the sector.

DVR Prakash Rao, President of NAVS(I) briefed about the role of academia for the growth of the animal husbandry sector, releasing different policy papers in context to different livestock and poultry diseases and emphasized the state of this sector at national and global levels. He emphasized the need for entrepreneurship development in this sector and the need for policy intervention for creation of a separate research council for veterinary and fishery sciences.

Gurmeet Singh Khuddian underlined the contribution of agriculture and animal husbandry wealth of Punjab state in the national economy. He also stressed upon the growing swine farming, presence of breeds of different livestock like Murrah, Nili Ravi and Beetal in the state. He urged the central government for policy interventions to prohibit milk adulteration causing harm to human health.

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The home department of the Delhi government has written to the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), seeking its approval to transfer undertrial prisoners in Delhi jails outside the Capital so that the nexus of criminals in the citys prison system can be broken, officials aware of the development said on Saturday. They said that the move will also make Delhis jails safer. A Delhi government official said that in the past, undertrial prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and other states have been shifted to Delhi. (PTI)

The development comes close on the heels of multiple incidents of violence that have rocked Delhis jails, including the brutal murder of two prisoners gangsters Prince Tewatia and Tillu Tajpuria  in April and May, respectively.

In recent days, there have been multiple incidents of violence inside Delhi's jails.

A proposal has been sent to the MHA for the approval for the transfer of undertrial prisoners from Delhi to different states. It is required to break the nexus of the prisoners lodged in the Capitals jails and break their crime network. The transfer of undertrial prisoners will also end the ongoing gang rivalry within the jails and make the jails more secure, a Delhi government official said, on condition of anonymity.

Currently, undertrial prisoners are transferred to jails in other states only on court orders, or on directions from the central government, and even these are in very few cases  largely due to security reasons, the official said.

A Tihar prison official said the jail authorities had written to the Delhi government on the transfer of undertrials from Delhi to other states. The move was aimed at breaking the nexus of criminals inside the jails, said the official.

A second Delhi government official said that in the past, undertrial prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and other states have been shifted to Delhi.

The gangsters who are a threat to the security inside the prisons and are behind a nexus between inmates will be identified and shifted outside. Their associates may be shifted to separate jails outside to break their nexus, said the official.

HT reached out to the MHA, but officials in the ministry did not respond to queries seeking a comment on the development.

Delhi has 16 jails inside three jail complexes  Tihar, Mandoli, and Rohini  which can accommodate up to 10,026 inmates. The Tihar Prison Complex is one of the largest prison complexes in the world. Mandoli and Rohini jail complexes were constructed to ease overcrowding at Tihar. While Mandoli can accommodate 3,776 inmates Rohini can accommodate 1,050 inmates. The first Delhi government official quoted above said all the jails in the Capital are overcrowded and are currently at almost double their capacity, housing 10,026 inmates.

A Delhi government official said the jails of Delhi have reported various incidents of violence in the past largely because of gang rivalry within the prison complexes. In the three prison complexes, there are members from around 150-160 different gangs including around 20 dreaded criminals, said the official.

The second Delhi government official quoted above said the Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950, has provisions that empower the state government to transfer convicts outside the state with the consent of the government of any other state (receiving state). In the case of Delhi, the lieutenant governors approval is also needed. The transferring state (from where prisoners are sent to other states) needs the approval of the MHA.

The Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950, however, does not have provisions for the transfer of undertrials. A Tihar prison official said the jail authorities had written to the Delhi government on the transfer of undertrials from Delhi to other states. The move was aimed at breaking the nexus of criminals, said the official. After the MHA approval and necessary amendments, undertrials can be moved outside Delhi after due assessment of risks and challenges by the state home department in consultation with the police.

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Justice Mukta Gupta, who retired from the Delhi high court on June 27, ruled on numerous cases pertaining to criminal law, civil law, and commercial law including law related to intellectual property and arbitration, during her tenure of more than a decade. Once the face of the Delhi Police  she was standing counsel for the force in several high-profile cases such as the Jessica Lal murder case, the Naina Sahni murder case (known as Tandoor case), and cases relating to the 2001 attack on the Parliament  justice Gupta was elevated as a judge in 2009, serving a 14-year term in the high court. (HT Photo)

Speaking to Richa Banka, she noted that during her term, only 20-30% judges were women, but with more women joining the legal profession, there is a likelihood that the number of women judges will increase. Edited excerpts:

Do you feel that while handling sensitive cases, judges face pressure?

I think I evolved in handling these (sensitive cases) in the early days of my career I always did my level best; beyond this I could not have done anything. So whatever people said, whether positive or negative, it did not impact me

Three of my cases were reported in the media, and in all the cases, what transpired in the court was not reported and what didnt transpire and the counsel who was not even present in the court was quoted. That was when I took a resolve  to be out of it.

How difficult is it to rise up the ladder as a woman?

It is more difficult for a woman (to be a judge) because she has to ensure that the other commitments dont get out of hand. And so, as a woman, you are always looking to save time for other commitments and balancing between family life and professional life There are many work pressures, but time management is the key

Did you ever feel that the decision of a high-profile case was not adequate, and that you could have changed the outcome?

I think when you give your best in a matter, whether as a lawyer or as a judge, then you dont have regrets. There can be two views on a matter, I dont brood over it.

During your farewell, you spoke about the rehabilitation of women at GB Road  known as the hub of the Capitals sex workers industry  when you were the standing counsel of Delhi Police. What were the challenges you faced?

To get these women to believe that they can have a life beyond this was very difficult because most of them feel that its a fait accompli. To create that belief in them was the most daunting task.

I remember that on one of the last operations, I had made these women get trained to be security guards. That time, there were not many women guards... This step was taken with the idea that you are not the one who needs protection, but you can be given some protection Its survivors to saviours.

In 2021, you pulled up the Uttar Pradesh Police for arresting and taking away two people  the brother and father of a man who married a woman against her familys wishes  and said such illegal acts are not permissible and will not be tolerated. You had remarked, UP mein chalta hoga, yahan nahi

It was nothing but a simple case of habeas corpus. I had granted protection (to the couple), but I saw that they were terrified. I asked them what the problem was, and then they revealed that the (mans) father and brother were in custody To be arrested and kept in illegal custody for one and half months is a serious matter Later, the UP Police accepted that they had exceeded their jurisdiction and had arrested the family members without following proper procedure.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Richa Banka Reports from the Delhi High Court and stories on legal developments in the city. Avid mountain lover, cooking and playing with birds  when not at work ...view detail
Scarsdale High School Student's College Decision Sparks Controversy Among Chinese Parents

Scarsdale, New York - A recent college decision by a high-achieving student at Scarsdale High School has ignited a wave of controversy within the Chinese community. Nancy Wang, a talented and highly regarded student, initially accepted an early admission offer from the University of Chicago but later made a surprising change, opting to attend Harvard University instead. This decision has left many Chinese parents in the community expressing their anger and organizing protests to voice their concerns.

Nancy Wang, an exceptional student at Scarsdale High School, had been widely celebrated for her academic achievements and extracurricular involvement. Her acceptance into the prestigious University of Chicago had seemed like a crowning achievement, solidifying her reputation as a high-achieving student within the community. However, her subsequent decision to switch her commitment to Harvard University has raised eyebrows and caused a significant uproar among Chinese parents.



In the Chinese community, there exists a strong emphasis on academic success and attending top-tier universities. Many Chinese parents hold high expectations for their children to gain admission to Ivy League schools or institutions with comparable prestige. This cultural phenomenon stems from a desire to secure a prosperous future and maintain family honor. Consequently, Nancy Wang's change in college decision has sparked disappointment and anger among parents who see her choice as a betrayal of their collective aspirations.

Outraged Chinese parents have taken to the streets of Scarsdale to voice their discontent over Nancy Wang's decision to switch from the University of Chicago to Harvard. Demonstrators have organized parades, waving banners and signs expressing their dissatisfaction with her actions. The protests highlight the deep-rooted cultural pressure that exists within the Chinese community, where individual choices can be viewed as 
With the retirement of plastic surgeons who were working at the state capitals two government hospitals that share major caseload of burn injury patients, the two medical facilities are now without plastic surgeons. Now surgeons have been assigned duty to look after the burn injury patients at the two hospitals. (For Representation)

One plastic surgeon each, who were working at Civil hospital (which has a 50-bed burn ward) and Balrampur hospital (which has a 12-bed burn ward) superannuated on June 30 (Friday) and none have replaced them so far.

The burn wards at these government hospitals remain full at any given day. Now surgeons have been assigned duty to look after the burn injury patients at these two hospitals.

Experts say plastic surgeons have a definitive role in treatment of patients of burn injuries. A surgeon can well manage a burn patient initially to make them stable but the remaining part of treatment needs a plastic surgeon, said Prof Vijay Kumar, HoD, plastic surgery, at King Georges Medical University.

Dr Narendra Agrawal, director, Civil hospital, said, One of our surgeons has been working in the burn ward since long and he is taking care of all the admitted patients. If we get a plastic surgeon, things will be better, he added. Experts said there are certain treatment related decisions that are best taken by a plastic surgeon.

The decision for debridement, (the process to treat wound in the skin, removing infected, dead tissue, foreign debris and residual material from dressings), skin grafting and amputation is to be taken and processed by a plastic surgeon. Though a surgeon is equally qualified for amputation but the decision whether or not go for amputation is a plastic surgeons job, said Dr Vijay Kumar.

In the government sector, burn wards are running at three government hospitals in Lucknow and another at King Georges Medical University (KGMU) where plastic surgeons are available round-the-clock for its 35-bed burn ward.

The third government hospital that has a burn ward is Rani Laxmibai hospital where a plastic surgeon is working. Also, there are very few plastic surgeons in the government sector in the state. We have surgeons looking after burn patients. For any specific need, we can have consultation with doctors from KGMU or refer patients there, said a senior doctor at Balrampur hospital.

Office bearers of Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA) said the work environment needed to be improved to bring in more specialists in government hospitals. Specialists usually find private sector lucrative. So, they avoid joining government medical services. If work environment and pay scale are made better, we will have more specialists even at community health centres, said Dr Amit Singh, general secretary, PMSA.
As our car turns from the smooth Gujarat highways into Surat we are hit by an incongruity  its traffic management. The city which was hit by the plague epidemic in 1994 sharpened its civic awareness and governance to consistently rank second to Indore in the Swacch Bharat Survekshan since 2020. The blatant disregard for traffic rules by its citizens mars its claim of a well-governed city. Touted as a single building complex larger than the Pentagon, SDB is likely to open in November. (HT Photo)

This dissonance is equally reflected in its latest ambitious project -- the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), even as the diamond trade is facing a sharp downturn, and has hit the diamond workers, the backbone of citys diamond economy.

Last month 55-year-old diamond worker Vinu Moradiya, his 50-year-old wife, 20-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter consumed a pesticide-laden substance and died by suicide near a canal in Sarthana, Surat city. While this was one of the reported suicides by diamond workers, Bhavesh Tank, a former diamond polishing worker who set up Surat Diamond Workers Union, says similar incidents have gone unreported. Questions are being raised whether the impressively built SDB, rivalling Mumbais Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), on the outskirts of Surat city will take off successfully in Diwali this year.

Touted as a single building complex larger than the Pentagon, the bourse, built with a cost of 3500-crore, is tentatively scheduled to open in November this year; and there are plans to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch it.

It recently offered a waive-off of maintenance for one year if diamond traders moved into the bourse by November 21, and also promised to permanently display names of the companies prominently if they moved in soon. This was interpreted as a way to woo Mumbais big diamond companies to operate from Surat.

The genesis of SDB

The markets of Zaveri Bazaar became the traditional hub of diamonds and jewellery business more than 50 years ago. As the sector grew exponentially, diamond traders first moved into Prasad Chambers, and eventually in 1975 into its exclusive building of Pancharatna, a 25-storey landmark in Opera House.

It took 20 years for traders to move into Panchratna. Bharat Diamond Bourses construction was delayed and it took a long time for traders to move in. Then the 2011 Zaveri Bazaar bomb blast made everyone move to BDB, says Naresh Mehta of Neel White Exports Pvt Ltd, who was former secretary of BDB and is presently the secretary of Pancharatna building.

The bourse, set up in a 20-acre high-security complex, houses 2,500 offices in Mumbais central business district of BKC. It has all facilities required by the diamond trade within the complex including seven banks, 19 restaurants, two online trading platforms, three testing labs, five suppliers of precision instruments and equipments, two trading halls, and a customs clearing house.

While BDB handled global trade, Surat emerged as the major centre for cutting and polishing rough diamonds owing to cheap labour costs, and the Kathiawadis, the farming community from Saurashtra moved into the business and eventually became leaders of the craft. They operated in Surats Maidarpura, Varachha and Katargam areas where the factories are located. Mumbais BDB, dominated by the old elite Palanpuri Jain community, remained the essential trading centre where global clients made the deals.

Mathurbhai Savani, a core committee member of SDB dismisses the reported rivalry between Surat and Mumbai, and Palanpuri and Kathiawadi communities, saying, There is no truth in this as we have formed SDB together. On the other hand, the offices in the bourse are pre-booked and there is nothing to sell now. The maintenance-free offer was not meant only for Mumbai traders, but everyone who booked offices with us from Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Antwerp and other cities.

When asked if the diamond industry has the scope to accommodate two bourses, Savani gives the example of Surats textile hub. Earlier, Ahmedabad was the centre of textile business though cloth was manufactured in Surat. In 1975, Morarji Desai convinced Surats industry that if it wished to grow, it had to become the trading hub too. Thats how Surat became a textile manufacturing and a trading hub, he says, speaking to HT at Kiran Hospital, a new multispeciality facility in Surat set up with generous help from the diamond industry for providing affordable healthcare.

It was therefore important for a manufacturing center to transform into a trading hub as well, observes Savani. Out of 100 diamonds manufactured in the global market, 90 are manufactured here in Surat. The idea of the bourse came about when Vallabhbhai Patel of Kiran Exports brought together 30 key members of the industry and first mooted the idea. All 4,200 members collectively decided to set it up. It is a cooperative project. Surat needs to rightfully become a trading hub, says Savani.

Dineshbhai Navadia, chairman of the Surat Diamond Institute, also refuted the perceived rivalry between Palanpuris and Kathiawadis. In the 1980s the Palanpuri community first stepped into Belgium  the finance centre for diamond trade. Now, Kathiawadis too are growing strong. The two communities are inter-dependent. Out of 4,200 members in SDB, close to 2,000 are from Palanpuri community, says Navadia, who also served as the former president of the Surat Diamond Association.

But, the downturn in the diamond trade has alarmed the industry, and moving into a brand new bourse is not exactly on their agenda. A local diamond trader of synthetic diamond manufacturing and trading units in Varaccha and Katargam says, When the market is down, why increase our establishment cost and overheads. We may look to move to SDB once the market stabilises. The market for polished as well as rough diamonds is down by 25 to 30 per cent since March. He adds, given the prices, investors have backed off from expensive natural diamonds, and are opting for the lab grown variety if there is a demand.

Vijaykumar Mangukiya, regional chairman, Gujarat, Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, says the jewellery export has been down 32% and polished diamonds export by 10-12 %, owing to the recession in the US, the global conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and new taxes imposed in Belgium and Dubai. Basically, there is no demand for luxury items like diamonds in the market, he says.

Speaking from Las Vegas where he attended the JCK show, Mehulbhai Shah, vice president, BDB, says, Indian diamond trade is dependent on US and China which accounts for 50% and 20-25% of the diamond and jewellery business respectively. US economy is in recession which is likely to continue at least for a year and the Chinese economy has not fully recovered after Covid.

Mumbai vs Surat

Mumbais diamantaires argue that Surat does not offer the same social capital that Indias financial capital offers to foreign clients. Surat is in a dry state. Even if alcohol is allowed in its two five star hotels, there is a lot of paperwork involved. We can entertain clients in Mumbai well  the city offers multiple five star hotels, good restaurants and is the financial capital of the country. Mumbai is connected to every world capital. Surat is not even connected to Dubai yet, says a Mumbai trader.

Initially, the SDB had proposed to offer the offices at the rate of 3,500 per sq ft; by the time it was built, the rate shot up to 8,500 psf. If I have to indeed operate from there, I can easily work out of somebodys office. Why should I incur such high establishment costs? he says.

Mahesh Gadhvi, CEO, SDB, refutes the criticism that the bourse is located on the outskirts of the city. Surats connectivity is improving. Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai reach here in just 2.5 hours. When the bullet train starts, Surat will be just an hour away. The phase I of the Surat Metro is called the Diamond Route because it connects the hubs to SDB. Surat airport has already started three flights a week to Sharjah and the occupancy is 85%.

But, Mumbais diamond traders are not impressed. Mehul Shah of BDB says constructing a diamond bourse is easier than settling people in. BDB was first proposed in 1990, but it was in 2002 when Anoop Mehta became the president, the project took final shape. After working very hard to make the project, we found that people were reluctant to move from Opera House. So, we went to offices  small or big  and persuaded them to move. We started a free shuttle service from Opera House and suburban local stations to BDB for more than a year, he says.

Shadow under the shine

While shopping malls and luxury apartments priced between 2.5 crore to 3 crore are coming up around the business hub, the downturn in the diamond trade has already hit the estimated 7.5 to 10 lakh workers employed in its more than 5000 cutting and polishing units hard, a majority of them Kathiawadi.

Recently, 54 workers were laid off in a polishing unit of Karp Impex, a large company that exhibited a 50-carat lab-grown diamond in Las Vegas show last month. They lost their jobs as there was no supply of rough diamonds. According to labour laws, if a worker is employed for 240 days, he is entitled to three months severance pay. They were all deprived of that, Tank says. An estimated 10,000 workers have been laid off as a result of the slowdown.

Mehul Shah blames the paucity of supply on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as he says, The Russian roughs are primarily smaller diamonds used in jewellery. With supply affected, the polishing has also suffered, and jewellery orders have also been scaled down. There is a 20-30% impact on employment in Surat.

Tank and the union leaders met Gujarat Labour Minister Balwant Sinh Rajput on May 29 and sought a financial package for diamond workers, who are a hapless lot now. Diamond worker Moradiya, whose family did a suicide pact, was employed in a small factory. He was not fired, but his work hours had been reduced, which caused stress. We hope the government will help, says Tank.
MUMBAI: Under British rule, Indians started out as hapless subjects, and became hapless customers. In the 1860s, the British had commissioned John Forbes Watson, director of the India Museum in London, to compile an exhaustive directory of the handwoven textiles and costumes of Indians. It was to cover the breadth of Indian dress: lungis, dhotis, pyjamas, kurtas, turbans, and cummerbunds, alongside saris, petticoats, cholis and burkhas. The India Museum had thousands of textiles, says textile researcher and curator Savitha Suri. So, Watson shortlisted 700, cut the textiles into working samples and created 20 sets of 18 volumes each. The data mining they did is truly incredible: from the textiles usefulness, to which caste would wear it, on which occasion they would wear it, the weight, the dimensions and the price. Those were given to British textile manufacturers and told, This is what India wears. Make them on the machine and we will sell it back to India at a cheaper rate. Textile curator Savitha Suri says, It takes 17 pairs of hands to make one metre of handloom cloth. So, Indias textiles are a case study in empathetic cooperation and collaboration. (Satish Bate/ HT Photo)

At the time, there was an imbalance of trade between Britain and India: we were exporting cotton, spices, indigo, and coffee, and importing wee textiles and other goods. Watson writes that British bullion was disappearing as if it had been dropped into the ocean. By then, spinning mills had already been set up in India and Manchester. So, our hand-block prints could be screen-printed from a machine, and our brocades and fine ikat mashru could be replicated, says Suri. Because synthetic cloth was cheaper, we started buying those, which led to the decline of the handloom sector: a decline that has only become worse. Were nowhere close to where we were before the British did this to us. Eighteen books, and look at where Indias handloom sector is. That is the power of the pen.

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is the only place in India where all 18 volumes are still intact, stowed safely away in a safe. They will be on public display for the first time from July 5-8 at the librarys Durbar Hall. People can actually look at the samples in the books, and see the wonderful work Asiatic is doing in preserving them, says Suri, as exhibition curator.

In dress rehearsal

Suri meets us in her living room in Borivali, which looks like a crafts emporium. In a silvery bob, a freckle-sized bindi and nose ring, and a block-printed sari in Mahatma Gandhis favourite khadi, she explains, Its from a place called Ponduru in Andhra Pradesh, which is known for its khadi even today.

For the past decade, Suri has been involved with craft education and market revivals for textiles, such as the Udipi sari and the Kunbi sari from Goa. As president of the state handloom council at WICCI, her own journey into handlooms began at home. All the women in my house wore only saris, even to bed. For the longest time, I didnt know people didnt wear handlooms, that it was an option. Her first salary also disappeared in the soft folds of one. It was a huge amount 27 years ago: 2,500 for a white sari. Even today, all my money goes into buying handcrafted textiles. For me, textiles are the unseen canvas on which a community tells its story. We dont talk about it often enough, or with the amount of wonder that it deserves.

There is a sense of wonder even in Watsons clinical summary, especially while describing brocades, hand embroidery, and Dhaka muslin. He writes, The very fine and richly decorated fabrics of India will probably always require the delicate manipulation of human fingers for their production. There may be little hope of Europe ever being able to make these cheaper.

The volumes, which he called portable industrial museums, are divided based on fabric, with swatches and precise sketches, and utility, with photographs and paintings of people in costume. Muslin and calico get an entire volume, says Suri. Kinkhabs and brocades, mashru and himroo, and choli cloths get one each; trouser material, woollens, and silks get two each. Watsons book is the only place where we get to see the famous Thane silk, continues Suri. It was said that the Popes vestments were woven from the silk there. Thats something todays Mumbaikars cannot imagine, that there used to be a silk cluster in Thane. Turbans get a separate volume because the elites wore them. And, what the elites wore would have a trickle-down effect. To me, its spine-chilling and goosebumps-inducing to see the depths to which they thought through this entire enterprise. Theres a tremendous purpose to this whole thing.

Alongside weavers, cotton farmers, too, faced a similar decline. Right from the Indus Valley civilisation, there is evidence of hand-spinning in India, says Suri, for which you need a shorter staple cotton, which is not used in mills. So, the British introduced Bt cotton. Because the initial yield was so high, farmers switched to long staple cotton. At one point we had 21 colours of cotton growing in India. With white, we had brown, pink, green, red, and other shades. Dhaka muslin required cotton that grew only along the banks of the river Padma. But, as soon as Bt cotton came along, khara kapas was discarded. And, we cant grow it anymore because the geological conditions have changed. Our land is filled with chemicals. Genetically-modified plants meant fertilisers and insecticides, which farmers couldnt afford and they entered a debt trap. So, this is the long-term impact those books had.

Another Captain Russell

In the same breath, Suri clarifies, Of course, we would love the British to be the villains, and they are in many senses of the term. But, 75 years later, what have we actually done to undo the damage? If Watson had not cut up those textiles and pasted them, Indians might not have had any samples left. Because in India, we dont document, and we dont even preserve old textiles as a family. We buy, we wear, and when it wears out, we turn it into a pochha. So, Watsons compendium gives us an idea of how brilliant our workmanship was, how fine our hand-spun muslin was. In that sense, the exhibition offers a balanced narrative.

John Forbes Watsons The Textile Manufacturers of India will be on display at the Durbar Hall of Asiatic Society of Mumbai from July 5-8.
At least 25, including three children, and one of the bus drivers were killed, and eight others injured after a luxury bus carrying 33 passengers caught fire on the newly constructed Samruddhi Mahamarg near Pimpalkhute in Maharashtras Buldhana district on early Saturday morning, police said. The accident took place around 1.30am (Twitter Photo)

The accident took place around 1.30am on Saturday, police said. The passengers were travelling from Nagpur, Wardha and Yavatmal, they said.

Soon after the accident, an emergency medical service team was deployed for the highway as well as the fire brigade reached the spot and began the rescue operation, police said.

Also Read: Maharashtra Police suspect human error behind Buldhana crash that killed 25

According to Virendra Dharne, bus owner, the ill-fated bus going from Nagpur to Pune met with the deadly accident after the diesel tank burst and caught fire. This happened due to heavy rainfall in the area, he said.

Preliminary reports suggest that the bus overturned after a tyre burst leading to flames in the bus. Later the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire.

Inspector general of police (IGP) Jayant Naiknavre, Buldhana superintendent of police (SP) Sunil Kadasane, along with additional police personnel reached the spot to review the situation.

There were three children among those who died, said the IG, adding that all the injured were admitted to the government-run civil hospital at Buldhana where two were reported to be critical.

SP Kadasane said a case has been registered and an investigation in this regard has already been launched. The priority at this moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their family members, he added.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and announced an aid of Rs. 5 lakh each from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund to the kin of the deceased.

CM Shinde, along with his deputy and senior cabinet ministers including, Girish Mahajan and Gulabrao Patil and Buldhana Lok Sabha member Prataprao Jadhav, visited the incident spot on Saturday afternoon. They later visited the hospital and met with the injured people and enquired about their health.

Meanwhile, CM Shinde while ordering a probe into the incident said that the state government would seek a report from the experts about the road condition and reasons for the recent series of accidents and would initiate all possible measures to prevent such incidents in coming days.

A group of experts would study the reasons for the recent series of accidents and would initiate all possible measures to prevent such incidents in the coming days, he said.

Also Read: Tripura rath yatra mishap: ISKCON to conduct internal probe

Deputy CM Fadnavis said that the prima facie indicated that the bus caught fire after the explosion in the fuel tank soon after the it hit the divider. Most of the passengers could not escape as the exit door got locked, he said.

The 701-km long Samruddhi Mahamarg or Mumbai-Nagpur expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 11 last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the tragic incident. Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected, the PM wrote on Twitter.

Further, the PM announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs.50,000 to the injured.

The road accident in Maharashtras Buldhana district is heartbreaking. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families. Quick treatment is being provided to the injured by the administration. I pray to God for his speedy recovery. Union home minister Amit Shah wrote on Twitter in Hindi.

Reacting to the incident, National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said that the unfortunate accident at Buldhana has raised serious concerns over the speed limit of private vehicles on the Samruddhi Highway and the state government should take serious note of this and take immediate measures.

According to Sharad, these concern were raised about a week ago and urgent measures were suggested to prevent accidents.

Also Read: At least 49 killed after truck crashes into several vehicles in Kenya

Maharashtra leader of opposition Ajit Pawar, who also took to Twitter to condole deaths of the victims in the Buldhana bus accident, raised questions over the poor construction of the new expressway.

There has been a series of accidents on the Samruddhi Highway since the beginning. Many citizens have lost their lives in this accident. These accidents have been repeatedly proven to be due to faulty construction of the Samruddhi Highway and human error. The demand for urgent measures has been continuously made on behalf of the opposition parties. We demand that the government should consider this demand seriously, Pawar said.

A series of accidents has been witnessed on the newly constructed Samruddhi Mahamarg since it was inaugurated. Highway hypnosis or sleepiness during driving has emerged as the biggest cause of accidents on the Samruddhi Mahamarg, accounting for 98 accidents or 27% of the total 358 accidents reported between the period of its inauguration on December 11, 2022, and April 30 this year, showed data compiled by the state highway police.

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A resident of a village in Greater Noida has alleged that he was abused and assaulted by two policemen on Thursday, after he asked them to wear helmets while riding a two-wheeler in Haldoni village, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. As evidence of his complaint against the two policemen, Vishwakarma attached an audio and video recording. (Representative Image)

The complainant, Ayush Vishwakarma, who resides in Haldoni village, wrote to the Gautam Budh Nagar police commissioner Laxmi Singh on Saturday, seeking justice in the case.

According to Vishwakarma, on June 29, while heading to work in the city, he noticed two policemen riding a bike near a private hospital in the village without helmets. He said, I simply informed them that wearing a helmet is necessary, sir. In response, they slapped and punched me. When I attempted to record the incident, they snatched my mobile phone and instructed me to collect it from the Ecotech-3 police station, said Vishwakarma in his letter.

Subsequently, he went to the Ecotech-3 police station to retrieve his mobile phone, as stated in his letter.

At the police station, the officers handcuffed me and physically assaulted me. One of the officers then instructed his colleague to falsely charge me under Section 151 CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) for preventive action. I was subsequently arrested and placed in judicial custody. My parents obtained a lawyer and secured my release on bail the following day, claimed Vishwakarma.

As evidence of his complaint against the two policemen, Vishwakarma attached an audio and video recording.

Therefore, I request that my false case be dismissed, and appropriate justice be served, appealed Vishwakarma.

In response to the incident, Anil Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida) has initiated an inquiry.

The police arrested the complainant on June 29 for performing stunts with his bike. However, regardless of the complainants allegations, the policemen should not have mistreated or abused him. We are currently verifying the facts and have launched an inquiry into the incident. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings, the DCP said.

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After 48 hours of electrocution of seven people during  Ulto Rath ( return of Lord Jagannaths chariot) at Kumarghat in Tripuras Unakoti district, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Tripura chapter on Friday said that they have started an internal probe to unearth reasons leading to the mishap. 6 people were electrocuted to death during the rath yatra procession in Tripura on Wednesday (PTI Photo)

Seven persons including three women and three children were electrocuted to death and another 16 were injured after crest of a chariot of Lord Jagannath came in contact with high tension power transmission lines during a procession at Kumarghat in Unakoti district on Wednesday.

 Proper permissions were taken from the concerned authorities including Fire and Power departments for the Ulto Rath procession in Agartala. I am not aware of the procedures followed in Kumarghat. We are doing an internal investigation. If anyone is found responsible, they will be given punishment, president of ISKCON, Agartala, Ram Govinda Das told the reporters during his visit to Kumarghat to meet the injured devotees this afternoon.

Das met them at three hospitals in Kumarghat, Kailasahar in the district.

When asked why an iron chariot was used for the Ulto Rath Yatra instead of wooden chariot that was usually built for Jagannath temples including in Puri, Das told that it is not possible to follow the tradition everywhere due to permissions and legal formalities. He added that the metal chariot was used as part of adaptation to technology.

The ISKCON authorities, in a press communique, served today, said that they would provide some financial assistance to the bereaved families and make education free for children of these families till higher secondary level in schools.

Tripura government ordered for a magisterial inquiry and also announced Rs. 4 lakhs compensation for all the deceased persons families and Rs. 2.5 lakhs for those who have sustained over 60 percent burn injuries and Rs. 75,000 to those who suffered 40-60 burn injuries in the incident.

In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs. 2 lakhs for each of the deceaseds family and Rs. 50,000 for the injured ones from the Prime Ministers Relief Fund.

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LUCKNOW Scenes similar to a crime thriller movie were seen outside the Bijnor district jail around 8:30 pm on Friday as a shootout broke out while an inmate was being released on bail. Further investigation is underway. (HT File)

According to police, gangster Vishal Pandit and his accomplice Raunak opened fire on Rajan, who was being released after 17 days of judicial custody. In the process, Raunak accidentally shot Vishal, killing him on the spot. Two other people -- including a jail personnel and a police constable -- also sustained injuries in the incident.

Rajan was lodged in jail for attempt to murder since June 13. As Rajan stepped out of the jail, Vishal Pandit and his accomplice Raunak, who had come to target him, opened indiscriminate firing on the former. Soon after, jail personnel and cops at a nearby jail police outpost turned up to rescue Rajan. While Rajan was running back towards the jail gate, the two assailants were chasing him branding firearms in their hands, said Bijnors Superintendent of Police (SP) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun.

While Rajan remained unhurt in the attack, Vishal Pandit was hit by the bullet fired by his crime partner Raunak and succumbed during treatment at the district hospital. In the shootout, one jail guard Ranjit Singh and police constable Rajiv Kumar suffered bullet wounds and are undergoing treatment at the hospital, said another police officer privy to the development.

The SP further said that Rajan and Raunak have been taken into custody and further investigation is underway after registering an FIR of murder and attempt to murder in the case. He added that the deceased, Vishal Pandit, had five criminal cases against him while the two other accused also have a criminal background.

The cop further said that the trio earlier worked for the Rachit gang involved in multiple cases of loot, murder and attempt but Rajan left them and formed a separate gang after Rachit was shot dead in a gang war around two years ago.

Rajan had enmity with Vishal and Raunak since then. Rajan had even tried to eliminate Harshit Chikara, one of the accomplices of Vishal and Raunak, after which they were in search of an opportunity to target Rajan but were unable to eliminate him as he always used to remain alert and fully armed with weapons, said the second official.

He also said that Rajan was arrested on June 13 when his name surfaced in firing over a security guard outside Maulana Jauhar College under Kiratpur area on June 1. He said Vishal and Raunak decided to target him outside the jail whenever he came out on bail as he would not have any firearms at that instant. He said the duo was tracking his bail application through their contacts in court and had come to target him outside the jail.
The Gujarat high court on Saturday denied the regular bail application of Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad, directing her to surrender without delay. The matter pertains to the fabrication of evidence in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases allegedly by her. Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad (File Photo)

The bench of justice Nirzar Desai gave the order upholding the courts decision to reject Setalvads bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately.

Senior counsel Mihir Thakore made a plea to the court to stay the implementation of the verdict for a duration of 30 days.

Setalvad had been shielded from arrest through interim bail provided by the Supreme Court in September last year. As a result, she was released from judicial custody in the ongoing case.

Setalvad is facing charges related to propagating a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots and allegedly attempting to frame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others.

On June 15, the states prosecution, while opposing Setalvads plea for regular bail in the high court, emphasised that the charges against Setalvad pertain to the alleged fabrication of false evidence.

The prosecution had claimed that she received 30 lakh from late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, with the aim of destabilising the Narendra Modi-led government in Gujarat after the riots in 2002.

The state government, during the court hearing, labeled Setalvad as a tool of a politician with the task of defaming Gujarat.

Setalvad, along with co-accused former IPS R B Sreekumar, was arrested by the Gujarat Police on June 25 last year. The arrest came following a first information report (FIR) filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) regarding alleged conspiracy to falsely implicate innocent individuals in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

After a seven-day police remand, Setalvad was placed in judicial custody on July 2. Her arrest came a day after the Supreme Court dismissed Zakia Jafris plea challenging the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others regarding the conspiracy allegations in the riots.

Public prosecutor Amin had objected to Setalvads bail plea, emphasising that she, along with two police officers, Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt, conspired to propagate the larger conspiracy aspect which was to destabilise the Gujarat government shortly after the tragic Godhra train incident in 2002.

The prosecutor alleged that Setalvad was also being manipulated by a politician belonging to a particular political party.

According to the SIT, they uncovered evidence suggesting that Setalvad had received financial assistance from a prominent leader of a rival political party. Her bail plea was opposed in July last year in the sessions court by the government on similar grounds.

To substantiate these claims, the prosecutor cited witness testimonies, including that of Rais Khan, Setalvads former close aide who later fell out with her in 2008. Khans statement described a meeting between Setalvad and Congress leader Patel at the circuit house in Ahmedabad.

During the meeting, Patel allegedly instructed Setalvad to ensure that certain individuals were punished and sent behind bars.

The prosecutor read out Khans statement, which mentioned the involvement of other IPS officers in their activities. The prosecutor further supported the assertion made in the chargesheet that Setalvad had received 30 lakh from the Congress leader.

He quoted recorded statements of Khan and Narendra Brahmbhatt, who claimed to have made the payment to Setalvad on Patels instructions. Additionally, it was alleged that Setalvads efforts were aimed at tarnishing the image of PM Modi and unsettling the established government.

The prosecution argued that Setalvad initially targeted Vitthalbhai Pandya, the father of former home minister Haren Pandya, but he refused to level allegations against individuals unrelated to the riots, Setalvad shifted her focus to Zakia Jafri, the prosecutor said.

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Two Kendriya Vidyalayas of Prayagraj, one at Air Force Station (AFS),Manauri and another at Phulpur, have been selected to offer pre-school teaching, called Balvatika (kindergarten). Two KVs of Prayagraj to offer pre-school teaching (Pic is for representation)

These two institutions are among 450 additional KVs of the country selected for taking admission for pre-school classes under Balvatika initiative that initially was extended to just 50 KVs of the country.

The decision to extend the initiative to additional schools was taken by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), on the directives of the Union Ministry of Education, said KVS officials.

Among the list of 450 KVs across the country where this initiative has been extended, include nine from KVS Varanasi region (that covers Prayagraj), 17 from KVS Lucknow region and 21 from KVS Agra region of the state of Uttar Pradesh, they added.

Apart from two from Prayagraj, other KVs of Varanasi region selected under the exercise include two from Varanasi (KV-BHU and KV-DLW while the other five are KV-Banda, KV-Cheru (Salempur), KV-Balia, KV-Shaktinagar and KV-Kushinagar.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) had introduced Balvatika (pre-school/kindergarten) classes as a pilot project in 2023-24 session.

The information regarding KV AFS -Manauri being selected for the coveted scheme among 450 KVs of the country was conveyed to the school in a letter dated June 29 sent by joint commissioner (academics) of KVS, NR Murali.

The letter mentions that the decision has been taken to start one section of Balvatika-3 class (for children above five years but who have not attained 6 years as on March 31, 2023) in the identified 450 KVs from the current academic session 2023-24.

Duration of the school timings for these kids would be three hours per day on a five-day week basis and the actual timings would be decided by the respective Vidyalayas. Vacation and breaks shall be as per the existing schedule and no uniform has been prescribed for the Balvatika classes. Moreover, the fee structure shall be like existing Class-1 and the classes for Balvatika-3 will start from July 29, 2023.

The focus of NEP on childrens physical and motor, cognitive, socio-emotional-ethical, cultural/artistic, communication and early language, literacy, and numeracy development skills, is being considered a vital factor in the education policy, said principal, KV-Manauri, Shalini Dikshit.

She added that it was a great honour for her school and thanked the higher ups who had shown trust in her team.
The Landport Authority of India (LPAI) is focusing on trade more and ignoring the other sides, which may cause harm to national security, said Dr CP Meena, deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Border Security Force (BSF), Mizoram Cachar Frontier, Silchar Sector. (File Photo)

His reaction came after a motorcycle-borne biker from Bangladesh on Thursday allegedly crossed the international border on his bike and entered Assams Karimganj district. DIG Meena visited the India-Bangladesh international border on Thursday to review the ground situation.

The CCTV cameras are not working properly, the barricades are not placed in order and the condition of the road is pathetic. There are other issues as well which may harm the national security in the long run, if not take proper care of it, he said following his inspection visit.

A motorcyclist from Bangladesh had allegedly crossed the border on his bike and reached Assams Karimganj district, prompting a search operation by the police. Following the incident, a meeting between the BSF and Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGP) commandant-level flag meeting was held on Thursday.

Meena met some officials of BSF and BGP in which he said that this is the first of its kind incident reported here and they are trying to find out the weak points.

Many important issues were discussed in the meeting and some steps will be taken after this. This kind of incident never happened here in the past. Well make sure that it doesnt happen again, DIG Meena said after the meeting.

According to the officials familiar with the matter, only 21 out of 47 CCTV cameras in the Sutarkandi Land Port area are working while other infrastructures are also weak.

The Karimganj police said that the biker rode around 30 kilometres inside the Indian territory before hiding somewhere in Karimganjs Madan Mohan area. He left his bike in the middle of a road which was later recovered by the police during a search operation.

Superintendent of police (SP), Karimganj district, Partha Pratim Das told HT that for some activities, the BSF opened the gates of the international border on Wednesday evening and the biker took that opportunity to enter.

It happened in the evening and for some reason, he was not shot down by the forces. BSF informed us about it and we immediately launched a search operation, Das said.

A special team of police with bomb defusing squad recovered the bike with a registration number belonging to Bangladeshs Sylhet district. After recovery, the SP said that the details of the bike have been sent to BSF and theyll communicate with their counterparts in Bangladesh.

No explosives or any kind of weapons were found with the bike. We are trying to figure out the motive of the Bangladeshi biker, Das had said.

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The last of six people charged with the kidnapping and beating of a girl on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation has been sentenced to prison.

Patti Jo Annunciata Mail, 23, was given 42 months after admitting in U.S. District Court to helping to assault a 15-year-old girl and abduct her from her home.

This case is every parents worst nightmare. A Native American girl was lured out of her home, beaten, kidnapped, and left for dead in an open field on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Laslovich said in a statement released by the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Our office stands with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womens movement, seeking to ensure that Native women and girls are protected and that perpetrators of crimes like these are held accountable. I would like to personally thank law enforcement and the Fort Peck community for their help and quick actions. Without their efforts, this case easily could have resulted in the senseless death of a child on the reservation.

In September 2021, Mail accompanied five others in driving to the 15-year-old girls home in Wolf Point. Those five included Cheri Cruz Granbois, Dylan Troy Jackson, Elmarie Amelia Weeks, and Kaylee Jade Jackson. Lavanchie Patricia Goodbird was driving.

Granbois offered Kaylee Jade Jackson money to lure the girl out of her house, court documents said. When the girl came outside, members of the group attacked her. When witnesses threatened to call police, Mail helped in forcing the victim into the truck. They drove her to an empty lot in Wolf Point, and continued assaulting her.

The attack and kidnapping spurred an Amber Alert for the girl, who was later found by the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office. The assault left her with serious injuries. An investigation by the sheriffs office, with assistance from the FBI, Fort Peck criminal investigators and Wolf Point Police Department led to federal charges for all six people.

Mail and four of her codefendants were initially charged with kidnapping a person under 18, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a minor, according to court records. Kaylee Jackson faced one count kidnapping a person under 18.

Kayle Jackson, Granbois, Weeks, Mail and Goodbird pleaded not guilty during their arraignments in October. A warrant was issued for Dylan Jackson, who was arrested in late November and pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance in Great Falls soon after.

The six suspects all reached plea agreements with federal prosecutors in which they each admitted to one count of kidnapping an individual under 18 and all were sentenced to time in prison.

Nearly every Indigenous person in the United States has experienced violence during their lifetime, according to data from the National Institute of Justice. Indigenous women are especially vulnerable, with four out of five reporting experiencing violence at some point during their lives.

Patti grew up in a place that offered her few opportunities, wrote Samir Faerevik Aarab, a Great Falls attorney who represented Mail, in a sentencing document filed in court. She is eager to get better and fulfill her potential. She has promise. It is unlikely that that promise will be fulfilled in a lengthy custodial setting.

At Mails sentencing June 27, Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris sentenced her to 42 months followed by five years of federal supervision.
The Meerut police arrested six people, including a district level leader of Bajrang Dal, who assaulted three Muslim brothers on NH 58 near the toll plaza on Friday. The Bajrang Dal leader had accused them of carrying beef in their vehicle. For representation only (HT File Photo)

Jai Singh, who is associated with Bajrang Dal, was arrested on Saturday morning while the others were arrested on Friday night, the police confirmed.

A case of attempt to murder had been registered against seven named and half a dozen other unidentified persons at the Daurala police station on the complaint of Vaseem.

In a swift action police arrested six of the named accused and raids are being conducted to nab the last named accused, Prashant.

Sanjay Sharma, SHO, Daurala police station said that a case was registered and swift action was taken against the accused. The arrested persons were sent to jail, said Sharma, who confirmed that arrested Jai Singh is associated with Bajrang Dal. He said that injured Tehseen and Suhail were admitted to a hospital immediately and their condition is stable.

Vaseem and his two brothers, Tehseen and Suhail, are residents of Ismailnagar in Khatauli area of district of Muzaffarnagar. They were taking a load of goat hydes to Hapur late on Friday night. Their vehicle tyre got punctured near village Mataur and Jai Singh along with his aides arrived there and accused them of carrying beef.

Meanwhile, a police patrol party arrived there and directed Jai Singh and his aides to leave. The trio of brothers headed towards Hapur after the puncture got repaired.

The SHO said that the accused overtook the vehicle near the toll plaza and thrashed them, accusing them of carrying beef. Vaseem managed to escape and informed the police about the incident.

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LUCKNOW State minister for transport, Dayashankar Singh, has directed senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) to prepare for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra. The minister asked corporation officials to ensure safe and regular operations of UPSRTC buses for the yatra, which will begin on July 4 and continue till August 31, read a press note from the corporation. Notably, August 31 marks the end of the Shravan month. Additional buses to be ensured on the Haridwar route. (Representational pic)

Singh also asked all regional officers of the transport corporation to set up control rooms at their respective headquarters, maintain the control room register, and ensure that they remain functional for 24 hours duration the pilgrimage. Additionally, all regional managers, assistant regional managers, and other corporation officials have been told to coordinate with the concerned district administration officials and police forces to maintain decorum and ensure the smooth functioning of the existing and additional buses that have been added to the fleet for the Kanwar Yatra.

He said, A large number of pilgrims travel to Haridwar as the Kanwar Yatra begins. Therefore, the arrangement of additional buses should be ensured on the Haridwar route so that Kanwar passengers do not face any kind of inconvenience while travelling in large numbers from Lucknow, Ayodhya, and Gorakhpur to Varanasi and Prayagraj. Singh added that the routes of Bareilly, Agra, Meerut, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, and Saharanpur will mainly be covered, and alternate travel routes have also been designated for the buses for this purpose.
Sanjay Taksande, director (operations) of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL-Mahavitaran), has issued directives to MSEDCL Pune circle personnel saying that an increase in power outages will not be tolerated. He further added that special efforts should be taken to keep power supply interruptions to a minimum. Sanjay Taksande, director (operations) of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited conducted a meeting in Pune (HT PHOTO)

Wagholi, Kharadi, Viman Nagar, Nigdi, Uruli Kanchan, and Wagholi have recently endured frequent power failures due to technical issues. In addition, throughout the month of April and May, power cuts were reported in central city areas as well.

On that basis, Taksande held the review meeting on Friday during his visit to Pune.

Pointing out the issue of regular power cuts in Pune circle, he said, The local system should be more responsive and vigilant. Power outages should be minimised and alternate arrangements should be made to ensure an uninterrupted supply. Headquarters is carefully reviewing power supply interruptions. Therefore, precautions and necessary measures should be taken to prevent system breakdowns.

He also instructed that senior officials of the main office should conduct a daily review to address customer complaints more efficiently. Therefore, any complaints received from customers should be resolved quickly. Additionally, requests for name changes or corrections on electricity bills should be dealt with immediately.

The head of operations at Mahavitaran further warned that if intentional damage is discovered, appropriate action will be taken.

Taksande also underlined the importance of reducing electricity transmission losses throughout the Pune circle.

Along with achieving 100% monthly bill recovery, it is crucial to meet the target of recovering outstanding amounts set by MSEDCL, he said.

The meeting was attended by regional director Ankush Nale, chief engineer Rajendra Pawar, superintendent engineer Arvind Bulbule, Yuvraj Jarag, Sanjeev Rathod (in-charge), and Dr Suresh Wankhede, as well as executive engineers and senior officers from all departments.

According to one of the senior officials of MSEDCL, Pune Circle, As per standard procedure, we restore power supply in 4 to 6 hours in urban areas and 24 hours in urban areas if there are no major faults. In the first few days of monsoon, there are chances for frequent power outages due to overhead wire cut, tree felling, damage to underground power cables etc.

BOX: Meeting pointers

 System should be more responsive and vigilant

 Reviewing power supply interruptions

 To ensure alternate arrangements for uninterrupted supply

 To prevent system breakdowns

 Promptly address various complaints besides billing

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While Pune is among the few cities in Maharashtra where Marathi theatre is revered, the citys auditoriums are facing multiple issues related to air-conditioning, water leakage, canteen and parking facilities, and mainly cleanliness. Around 15 big auditoriums are managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) however it has been unable to keep them clean. Metro work underway at Balagandharv Rang Mandir premise. Due to this, pipes and other construction debris are scattered in the area inconveniencing citizens. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

Among the PMC-managed auditoriums, the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Balgandharva, Yashwantrao Chavan and Anna Bhau Sathe auditoriums are always booked for various events. With no political representation in the PMC for the past one year, there has been no political pressure to reschedule dramas and cultural programmes to accommodate political events.

Sunil Mahajan, who is associated with various auditoriums, said, Pune is the cultural capital of the state. But all the artistes are blaming Punes auditoriums for issues related to air-conditioning, stinky toilets and overall cleanliness. Some auditoriums are even facing parking issues. Ideally, the PMC should hire professional agencies for cleanliness. If private malls and multiplexes can keep their premises clean, it is not difficult for the civic body to follow the same standards at auditoriums managed by them.

Another problem is that the PMC is not appointing an officer who is really interested in culture. After every few months, cultural officers are being changed. The officers are not aware of the need for artistes, lights, spots etc. If the person has an interest in culture, only then will he/she take care of the needs of auditoriums and citizens, Mahajan said.

Sunil Datar, a theatre enthusiast, said, Nowadays, the tickets of plays cost up to Rs500. If we are paying Rs500 for a three-hour play, we can at least expect clean premises. But at auditoriums like Balgandharva, there are mosquitoes. Even the toilets stink

Vrushali Bhave, a regular at auditoriums, said, Pune is known for its auditoriums and their canteens. Nowadays there are no canteens in the auditoriums. We dont even get fresh batata vada. Those coming to watch two- to three- hour plays want to have fresh snacks at the auditoriums.

Varsha Shinde, who also frequents auditoriums, said, During the summer season, it is difficult to sit inside the Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium as ACs are not functioning properly.

Not only citizens but even artistes are complaining about these issues. So much so that Pune district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil held a review meeting for all auditoriums.

Patil said, I instructed the administration to prepare an action plan for all auditoriums. I directed the administration to take the help of experts in this field and their suggestions while preparing the action plan. I even instructed the administration to hire private agencies for cleanliness issues.

Recently, the PMC appointed Chetna Kerure in charge of the cultural department. Kerure remained unavailable for comment despite several calls.

A junior PMC officer on condition of anonymity said, Following the guardian ministers instructions, the PMC started some work. The Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium will remain closed till the second week of August. The PMC will replace the old air-conditioning system with a new one. Tenders for Balgandharva and other auditoriums will be floated soon.

Another PMC officer said, As Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium is closed, there is a lot of pressure on Balgandharva and Anna Bhau Sathe auditoriums. Taking that into consideration, the PMC needs to do something about it.

PMC-managed auditoriums in Pune

Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Swargate

Balgandharva Auditorium, J M Road

Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium, Kothrud

Lok Shahir Anna Bhau Sathe Smarak, Bibwewadi, Padmavati

Mahatma Phule Smarak, Wanawri

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Smarak, Koregaon Park

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak, Pune station

Balasaheb Thackeray Art Gallery, near Saras Baug

Vijay Tendulkar Auditorium, Shivdarshan, Sahakarnagar

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Art Gallery

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Auditorium, Aundh

Kranti Jyoti Savitribai Phule Auditorium, Mahatma Phule Peth

R K Laxman Art Gallery, Baner

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Former Jharkhand education minister Jagarnath Mahtos wife Baby Devi would be sworn in as member of Hemant Soren cabinet on July 3, people aware of the development said on Saturday. agarnath Mahto (HT file)

Mahto, a senior JMM leader who held the dual charge of education and excise, passed away on April 6 during treatment at a Chennai hospital. He had undergone lungs transplant after contracting Covid-19 in 2021.

Preparations are on. Oath is likely to take place around 12 noon, a senior Raj Bhawan official said.

Once sworn in, Baby would be the second JMM leader after Hafizul Ansari to become a minister in the incumbent government without becoming an MLA. Hafizul was sworn in on Feb 6, 2021, months before he won the Madhupur bypoll.

Bypoll for Dumri assembly seat, which was represented by Jagarnath Mahto, is yet to be announced.

There was no doubt that someone from the family would be chosen as his successor. His wife is being sworn in as his son is still to attain the age of 25 years required to contest election. Appointing her as minister would add weight to her candidature, a senior JMM leader said.

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Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is expected to release ICAI CA Inter, Final Result 2023 in coming week. The result for both intermediate course and final course will likely be out by July 5 or July 6, as per CCM Dhiraj Khandelwal. The results can be checked through the official site of ICAI at icai.org. ICAI CA Result 2023 for Inter, Final courses expected by July 5 or 6: CCM

CCM of ICAI, Dhiraj Khandelwal shared the expected date of declaration of results on his official twitter account. His tweet reads, CA Final & Inter exam result may expected in coming week , I believe it should be 5th or 6th July. Pls wait for ICAI Notification . Happy CA Day once again..

The Inter course examination for Group 1 was conducted on May 3, 6, 8 and 10, 2023 and Group II was conducted on May 12, 14, 16 and 18, 2023. The final course exam for Group 1 was conducted on May 2, 4, 7 and 9, 2023 and Group II was conducted on May 11, 13, 15 and 17, 2023. The intermediate and final course examination was held from 2 pm to 4 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm on different days.

ICAI CA Result 2023 for Inter, Final courses: How to check

To check the results, candidates can follow the steps given below.

Visit the official site of ICAI at icai.org.

Click on ICAI CA Result 2023 for Inter, Final links available on the home page.

Enter the login details and click on submit.

Your result will be displayed on the screen.

Check the result and download the page.

Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.
Arshad Warsi has talked about being replaced by Salman Khan as host in Bigg Boss after he hosted the first season of the reality show. He opened up about being replaced by Akshay Kumar as well in Jolly LLB 2. The actor also confessed that he did not like working on his 2004 film Hulchul. (Also read: Arshad Warsi says Munna Bhai 3 may not happen) Arshad Warsi in a still from Hulchul.

Being replaced by Akshay, Salman

Arshad responded to queries on losing out two successful roles - that of Bigg Boss host and the lead character in Jolly LLB. Both projects proved to be successful but he did not return in his role. Salman Khan replaced Arshad in the reality show and has been hosting it for more than a decade now. Akshay Kumar was roped in for the role of the lawyer in Subhash Kapoor's Jolly LLB 2.

Now Jolly LLB 3 is in the making and you will see Akshay teaming up with me in the film. This was the original plan - I'd feature in the first film, he'll do the second. As for Bigg Boss, I could not do the next season as I had gone to London for a shoot. But I do believe Salman Khan is the best shot the show could have. No one could have done that job better than Salman. The reality show needs a Dabangg' like Salman, Arshad told Amar Ujala.

Arshad wasn't happy with Hulchul

Arshad said he was not even happy with Hulchul. The film was one of his initial comic films that proved to be a successful venture. Directed by Priyadarshan, Hulchul also starred Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, and Suniel Shetty.

Asked if he was chosen for Hulchul after he featured as Circuit in Munnabhai MBBS, Arshad told the Hindi daily, To tell you the truth, I did not enjoy working on Hulchul. It is a weird coincidence. Acting is my profession and I have to do it. But, personally, I was not too happy with the film. I just did my job and walked away. At times, a few things in life end up being not good.

Asur 2

Arshad's latest release Asur 2 is currently streaming on Jio Cinema. He returns as the investigating officer in the web show that talks of spirituality, religion and explores the idea of questioning the concept of God.

Arshad's initial days in films

After making his acting debut with the hit Tere Mere Sapne in 1996, Arshad starred in a supporting role in Munnabhai MBBS in 2003 and became a household name. Soon, he was seen in several comic films. Barring Sehar, Arshad majorly played comic roles in movies in the 2000s. He has also been one of the constant names reappearing in Rohit Shetty's hit comic franchise Golmaal.

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The actor said it is probably his "inherently lovable" personality that reflects in his on screen characters and make them more interesting. "The money one earns is a byproduct, but the main thing one craves for is appreciation. You want people to come up to you and say, 'What a film, what a character and I loved you in it'. That's my award and reward. I personally look for that," Arshad told PTI in a virtual interview.

"I think I'm inherently lovable and that part of me comes in whatever I do. It can be a cop, goon, or anything. I want people to appreciate my work, whether it's positive or negative," he added.

It is important for audiences to like and relate to the protagonist, said Arshad. "If they love the character, no matter what it does, it is appreciated. If they do not like it, it's null and void. I've been fortunate enough that there isn't anyone who hasn't liked my work. When a film or series works, that's a cherry on the cake. There is no better feeling than that," he added.

Arshad in Asur 2

In Asur 2, the 55-year-old returns as forensic expert Dhananjay Rajput along side actors Barun Sobti (Nikhil Nair), Anupriya Goenka (Naina Nair), Ridhi Dogra (Nusrat Saeed) and Amey Wagh (Rasool Shaikh). The second season of the psychological thriller series, which premiered on JioCinema last month, is directed by Oni Sen.

Arshad, who has been receiving acclaim for his performance in the show, said he fell in love with the concept during season one, which premiered in 2020, and coming back was a no brainer. "I absolutely enjoyed season two. I liked the character the first time I heard the script for season one... It is complex, there are so many layers. I enjoyed working on the first season and the second season is even gritter. I had a great time doing this."

Asked whether successful characters also tend to box an actor in a certain image, Arshad said he has navigated that space quite a few times in his career. "Usually, actors are divided in terms of genre -- action, comedy, romance. Very few manage to fit in all of them. I would like to believe I'm one of those," he said.

Arshad on his image of a comedy actor

But it is not easy, he said, adding that he used to get characters similar to Circuit from Munna Bhai films until recently. "I credit the storytellers, the directors who imagined me in a (different) role and had faith in me. When Kabir Kaushik asked me to do Seher, I asked him if he was sure. I had an image of a comedy actor. Subhash (Kapoor) was sure about me playing Jolly. I'm grateful to them for taking a chance with me and I'm happy I could live up to their expectations."

Arshad, who made his cinematic debut with 1996 movie Tere Mere Sapne, said "waiting" is also an integral part of the process of building credibility as a versatile performer. "It's tough, especially for guys like me who are not from the industry. Sadly, I've been here for almost 27 years, and I still can't say that I'm part of the industry. Everytime I give a flop, I've to take a long climb to get back to where I was," he said, adding that one has to be strong enough to say no.

Post Asur 2, the actor said he is flooded with offers for cop roles and he might take up a few. "Every second day I get a story with a cop character. But no regrets. There are some which are fabulous and I'm doing some of them," he said.

Arshad on Ishqiya

Arshad believes he has come a long way in his acting journey and evolved into a confident performer. He credits collaborating with veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah on Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya (2010), for instilling self-belief in him.

"I've improved a lot. Till the time I did Ishqiya, I used to think I was a fluke. I didn't understand why people like me or enjoy my character... But when we finished Ishqiya and I gave a hug to Naseer sahab. He told me, 'Arshad you're a fantastic actor and after many years I was on my toes'. He praised me a lot. And I was like if he is saying I'm a better actor then I must be."

As someone who started his acting career at a time when hero-heroine plotlines were quintessential to Hindi cinema, the actor said the OTT has given artists like him a much-needed performance-oriented platform. "I think so many of us, who did not have a platform, have created a space because of the OTT and are flourishing. That quintessential hero bit is not there anymore. A commercial film still has the same approach. But there is space for everyone now. Guys like me, who don't look like hero types, are finally getting recognised," the actor said.

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Kangana Ranaut is riding high on the success of her latest production Tiku Weds Sheru. The actor recently attended a success party with the cast and crew of her film which released on Amazon Prime on June 23, and has claimed the top spot in recent releases. In a new video from inside the party, Kangana is seen dancing up a storm along with the film's leading lady Avneet Kaur. (Also read: Kangana Ranaut wears stunning dress to Tiku Weds Sheru event after criticising 'American' looks on Indian women) Kangana Ranaut and Avneet Kaur were spotted having a gala time at the Tiku weds Sheru success party.

Kangana and Avneet dance together

In a video that was later posted on Instagram, Kangana was seen dancing with Avneet. Kangana was seen in an off-shoulder saffron dress with golden-coloured heels. Meanwhile, Avneet chose a black outfit and a pair of high heels. The duo were seen shaking their leg on the dance floor all by themselves. They both smiled at each other as they continued to dance and celebrate the success of their film.

Kangana on negative reviews

Earlier, when there were some negative reviews floating on the internet because of the age gap between the two leads of the film- Nawazuddin Siddiqui being 49 opposite Avneet Kaur who is 21, Kangana claimed that these were part of the smear campaign that was orchestrated by the movie mafia. Kangana took to Instagram Stories to write, movie mafia doing everything to harm my film, fake reviews and smear campaigns started even before its release. Anyway it's streaming now please watch it for yourself or only ask your friends or people you know about the reviews of the film if they saw it before you, don't go by paid fake trends or reviews.

Kangana's next projects

Kangana will be next seen in Chandramukhi 2, which will be released on Ganesh Chaturthi. Taking to Instagram, Kangana shared a first-look poster of Raghava Lawrence along with the release announcement. Helmed by P Vasu, Chandramukhi 2 is the sequel to the blockbuster hit Tamil horror comedy film Chandramukhi which starred Rajinikanth and Jyothika in the lead roles.

Kangana also has her solo directorial feature, the period drama film Emergency in the pipeline. The movie revolves around the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and features Kangana in the titular role of the late politician, which will be out in theatres on November 24, 2023.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail
Following the news of Alan Arkin's passing, eminent Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway took to Instagram to pay tribute to the late actor. Alan Arkin, Anne Hathaway. (Image Credit: WARNER BROS./EVERETT)

Hathaway, who worked with Arkin in the 2008 action spy comedy film Get Smart, shared a heartfelt message in honor of their time together.

In her Instagram post, Hathaway described Arkin as a "gem of a person" and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. She shared, Alan Arkin was a gem of a person, and I am so lucky to have gotten to work with him on Get Smart, added, He was kind, soulful, supportive, a pros pro, generous, genuine, wise, inquisitive, and a fantastic example of how to be an artist.

The actress also reminisced about the profound impact Arkin had on her during their collaboration, emphasizing, He left a huge impression on my then twenty-three-year-old self and is at the center of some of my most cherished and fond career memories. Im sending love and sympathy to his family (who are gems themselves).

Accompanying her heartfelt note, Hathaway shared a portrait of Arkin, a photo of the two of them together at a red carpet event, and a still shot from their film Get Smart.

In an exclusive statement given to PEOPLE, Arkin's sons, Adam, Matthew, and Anthony, spoke on behalf of the family, honoring their father's memory.

Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.

Born on March 26, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, Arkin had a remarkable career that spanned film, stage, and television. He made his Broadway debut in 1961 and achieved critical acclaim with a Tony-winning performance in 1963's Enter Laughing.

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The veteran actor received recognition for his work, garnering numerous award nominations, including six Emmy Awards. One of his recent nominations came for his role in The Kominsky Method. Despite leaving the show before its third season in 2021, Arkin reflected on his passion for acting, expressing that while he missed certain aspects of the business, he had reached a point where he no longer needed it.

Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne Newlander, whom he married in 1996, as well as his three sons.
A Wyoming man has admitted he traveled to Montana with the intent to engage in sex with a minor, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Jeremy George Lusk, 38, of Crowley, Wyoming, pleaded guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Lusk faces a maximum of 30 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a minimum of five years to life of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for Oct. 30 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

The government alleged that in January, a Bozeman Police Department officer was working undercover and observed an ad on a social media application asking if anyone wanted to engage in sexual relations with a 38-year-old from Bridger, Montana.

The ad stated the individual was looking for someone between the ages of 18 and 68. The undercover officer responded that she was 14 years old and lived in Bozeman. Lusk told the undercover to contact him when she turned 18, and the undercover responded telling Lusk to contact her if he changed his mind.

Luck re-initiated contact the same day, and the conversation turned sexual. The communications led to Lusk sending a nude photo of himself. On Feb. 22 and through the morning of Feb. 23, Lusk wrote messages indicating his intent to travel to Montana and that he was on his way.

Law enforcement determined Lusk lived and worked in Wyoming. After being directed to a specific location by the undercover officer, police arrested Lusk when he arrived. Lusk admitted to having online sexually explicit discussions with a 14-year-old and had come to Bozeman with the intent to meet her for a sexual encounter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus is prosecuting the case. The Bozeman Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Jonathan Majors' lawyer has strongly criticized a recent report published by Rolling Stone, which contains allegations of physical and mental abuse against the actor made by multiple individuals. Actor Jonathan Majors, who faces assault and harassment charges, leaves the New York State Supreme Court in New York City, U.S., June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid(REUTERS)

The article, released on Thursday, features interviews with over 40 people who claim that Majors, known for his role in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," has a history of abusing romantic partners dating back to his time at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama a decade ago.

Among the allegations are claims from more than a dozen individuals who accuse Majors of physical and emotional abuse within past romantic relationships.

The 33-year-old actor's defamation attorney, Dustin A. Pusch, has issued a statement vehemently denying these accusations on behalf of his client.

Pusch asserts that Majors categorically denies any form of physical, verbal, or emotional abuse towards anyone, including past romantic partners.

Pusch highlighted, These allegations are based entirely on hearsay because neither of the romantic partners referenced were willing to engage with Rolling Stone for the articledemonstrating their outright falsity, he added, also denies any allegations of abuse, violence or intimidation during his time at Yale.

ADDS ATTORNEY PRIYA CHAUDHRY AT CENTER Jonathan Majors, left, and Meagan Good, right, arrive in court for a hearing on his domestic violence case, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in New York. Attorney Priya Chaudhry appears at center. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)(AP)

Rolling Stone reportedly reached out to the two women involved, but they declined to comment on the allegations, with one expressing fear of retaliation.

The lawyer contends that individuals who actually knew and worked with Majors at Yale contradicted Rolling Stone's allegations, affirming that they are false.

Rolling Stones allegations were directly rebutted by those who actually knew and acted with Mr. Majors at Yale Rolling Stone heard first-hand from those who knew Mr. Majors at Yale that these allegations were false.

The attorney states that Rolling Stone was notified of these errors.

We notified Rolling Stone of these errors, and Rolling Stone was provided statements from Mr. Majors actual past romantic partners attesting to his character and the falsity of the charges, but Rolling Stone purposefully ignored those facts and red flags and published the false charges anyways.

According to Rolling Stone, sources also alleged that Majors exhibited aggression on work sets, including during the filming of his upcoming movie "Magazine Dreams." The outlet reports that two production members stated that Majors screamed at and physically intimidated individuals on set, even pushing one person.

The outlets claim that at least one complaint was filed with producers, although another source denied the physical intimidation aspect of the allegations.

Pusch disputes these claims as well, stating, The allegations that Mr. Majors got physical with or physically intimidated anyone on any movie set are downright false. Everyone who has worked with Mr. Majors knows that he employs an immersive method acting style, and while that can be misconstrued as rudeness at times, those who know Mr. Majors and work in the industry have attested to his dedication to his craft as well as his kindness.

Pusch further accuses Rolling Stone of misrepresenting the circumstances under which they obtained written statements from individuals who know Jonathan Majors. He claims that these statements were provided to Rolling Stone off the record and not intended for publication, with the purpose of protecting the privacy of the individuals involved and allowing them to decide whether and how to comment. He asserts that Rolling Stone was encouraged to reach out to individuals directly for clarification.

ALSO READ| Arkin was a gem of a person, Anne Hathaway pays heartfelt tribute to the late Alan Arkin on Instagram

Currently, Majors is scheduled to stand trial in New York City in August following his appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on June 20. The actor faces assault charges stemming from his arrest on March 25, which led to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges.

During his court appearance, Majors filed a domestic violence complaint against the alleged victim in his New York City assault and harassment case, claiming that she caused him physical harm. Majors alleges that the woman has attacked him in previous incidents, although he did not file reports at the time.

Source: PEOPLE
The high-profile trial of eminent American actor Kevin Spacey commenced on Friday, where he faces a dozen charges related to historic sex offenses. Actor Kevin Spacey walks outside the Southwark Crown Court on the day of his trial over charges related to allegations of sex offences, in London, Britain, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY(REUTERS)

The allegations, made by four men in their 20s and 30s, span a period from 2001 to 2013.

Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutor Christine Agnew opened the case at London's Southwark Crown Court, describing Spacey as an extremely famous actor with numerous accolades.

She alleged, He is also, the prosecution alleges, a man who sexually assaults other men, displaying a lack of respect for personal boundaries and a tendency to make others feel powerless and uncomfortable.

Agnew characterized him as a "sexual bully" who aggressively grabs men in the crotch.

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A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable a sexual bully. His preferred method of assault is it appears to grab aggressively other men in the crotch.

Spacey, referred to in court by his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler, was present in the dock, dressed in a grey suit, gold-colored tie, and glasses.

The charges against the veteran US actor include multiple incidents of indecent and sexual assaults, as well as a more serious offense of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

According to Agnew, None of the men wanted to be touched by Kenvi Spacey Fowler in a sexual way but he doesnt seem to have cared very much for their feelingshe did what he wanted to dofor his own personal sexual gratification.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of actor Kevin Spacey, left, in the dock as he listens to Christine Agnew KC, right, at Southwark Crown Court, London, Friday, June 30, 2023. Spacey is going on trial on charges he sexually assaulted four men as long as two decades ago. The double-Oscar winner faces a dozen charges at Southwark Crown Court. Spacey pleads not guilty to all charges. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)(AP)

She detailed one man's allegations, which included repeated instances of grabbing, groping, and forcefully placing the victim's hand on Spacey's genitals.

Agnew also mentioned that Spacey had delivered a hard smack on the victim's backside. She highlighted, It may well be that the defendant got a sexual thrill out of this type of sexual aggression-- it is certainly a consistent feature of three out of the four complaints.

Agnew emphasized that it was up to the jury to determine the credibility of the accusers, some of whom have also filed civil suits against Spacey.

The actor's defense has maintained that some encounters were consensual while implying that others were fabricated.

Addressing the jury, Agnew acknowledged, It is only right that you might feel a little star struck or overwhelmed that you are part of the jury to try such a famous person but. You must keep yourself grounded and true to the oath that you have taken.

ALSO READ| | Kevin Spacey faces trial in London, Accused of sexual offenses. Here's what to know

The trial is expected to last approximately four weeks.

Spacey, once an eminent figure in Hollywood, garnered critical acclaim throughout his career. He received Oscars for Best Actor in "American Beauty" (1999) and Best Supporting Actor in "The Usual Suspects" (1995). Prior to the allegations of sexual misconduct that emerged six years ago, he served as the artistic director of London's Old Vic Theater from 2004 to 2015.
Actor Kevin Spacey has been called a 'sexual bully' who assaults other men during the outset of his sexual assault trial on Friday in a London courtroom. The award winning actor is currently facing 12 charges in a British trial, covering several allegations made by four men in the time period between 2001 to 2013. (Also read: Kevin Spacey faces trial in London, Accused of sexual offenses. Here's what to know) Kevin Spacey has denied al the 12 charges against him, which includes sexual assault and indecent assault.

The trial begins

The American Beauty actor appeared for the hearing on the first day of evidence at London's Southwark Crown Court on Friday. The charges include three incidents of indecent assaults, three of sexual assaults and a more serious offence of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The 63-year-old, who was charged last year, has denied all the allegations made against him.

Kevin Spacey is termed a sexual bully

As per a report made by The Guardian, prosecutor Christine Agnew opened the trial on Friday, which is expected to last for a month. She then added, "He is an extremely famous actor who has won a number of awards. He is also, the prosecution allege, a man who sexually assaults other men. A man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable- a sexual bully. His preferred method of assault is, it appears, to grab aggressively other men in the crotch. On one occasion things went further than that.

Details of the assault

The prosecutor then went on to detail what the complainants, who were all men in the age group 20s and 30s, had alleged happened when they met the actor. She added that these offences took place when Kevin Spacey was living and working in the UK. The trail then went on to detail the count of sexual assault, where Kevin Spacey allegedly hugged the man before placing his head in the young actors crotch. [The complainant] recalls feeling vulnerable and thinking that perhaps this was just how people in the acting world acted. This was his last clear memory before he either fell asleep or passed out. He comments that it was unusual for him to sleep or conk out. He awoke some time later with his belt intact but his button and zip of his trousers were down. Kevin Spacey Fowler was next to him on his knees sucking his penis," said the prosecutor.

Kevin Spacey was seen in Netflix's House of Cards. The actor appeared in five seasons of the show, and was fired in 2017 over allegations of misconduct on and off the set.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail
A person wrote, U think u would have boycotted #Bollywood & their sponsorship for LoveJ would stop? NO!! Solman Bhoi's #BigBossOTT has brought it now to every mobile across country & every teenager! 1st #JadHadid tries to forcefully hold #AkankshaPuri which she us denies! 2nd They r given dare to Smooch for 40 secs on camera."

Devoleena wrote, Its pointless if you try to link every damn thing with lovej or f. Its a reality show. Thats all. Also the dare was given by the housemates not @BiggBoss or channel if i am not wrong. Both are adults and they were well aware what they were doing , though i condemn it strongly. One just cant justify it saying we are actors. As i mentioned already its a REALITY SHOW without any script ,neither Akansha was asked to play any role nor it was an elimination task. It was just a dare and they could have easily avoided it. #BBOTT2.

Jad Hadid and Akanksha Puri started trending on social media after their '30 second' kiss that did on a dare during a task. Many were shocked with the steamiest kiss ever seen on Bigg Boss in its 17 years history.

Recalling their kiss for the task, Jad said, I am kissing her and she was shivering. She wasnt reciprocating. Later, Jad told Jiya Shankar, She asked me to come close and shes been giving me those signals. She is giving me signals that she wants but I am off it. I lost interest completely. That kiss was for a game and meant nothing to me. I wanted it at the beginning. But now I am off it. She was shivering. She had guts.

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A month ago, while researching for an article I came across a curious piece of news. Women lawyers in the Nilgiris district in Ooty, Tamil Nadu had been petitioning for toilets at their workplace for the last 25 years. Imagine. That is a quarter of a century. Gender Equality(HT Photo)

It took years of petitions and much angst to be heard. Finally, on June 26, 2023, the Nilgiris District Bar Association (NDBA) inaugurated a special room for women lawyers at the Combined District Court Complex, which had been completed in June 2022. While boasting of several amenities and facilities, it still had no toilets for women lawyers.

This action of NDBA was a result of a direction by the Supreme Court (SC), after several petitions by the Nilgiris Women Lawyers Association, ignored over years. This year, the lawyers appealed to the National Commission for Women who then urged the Madras high court to take immediate cognisance of this omission. On June 13, 2023, the Women Lawyers Association of Nilgiris informed the SC that they were allotted two rooms and a toilet for their use.

It boggles the mind that the NDBA, with 47 women lawyer members, did not see fit to provide a toilet for them in the new facility, forget the old facility, despite the protests and request from 25 years. But then, this is not surprising.

The world of work and workplaces outside the home has been the domain of men. Even when women entered the workplace in small and large numbers, there was little thought that they might need a toilet. A separate toilet.

This insensitivity to womens health and sanitation needs extends from not recognising or ignoring the fact that women might need, not special treatment, but provisions for their differences. Women need to urinate more often than men, and more so during their menstrual cycles and when they are pregnant. Every adult woman menstruates once a month, except when she is pregnant or menopausal. She needs a bin to dispose of her sanitary napkins tampon during this period. It is often rare to find such disposal bins in workplaces or public toilets.

Lack of access to toilets means women hold their urine for long hours, at times the full day due to lack of toilet facilities. This has several severe consequences on womens kidneys and bladders, bacterial infections in the urinary tract and overall health due to being unable to eliminate waste through urination.

In a land of differences, status matters and in workplaces, toilets are provided for executives, support staff and further support staff, who often do not count at all. The expectation is that staff from lower classes and castes will just have to figure out what to do, and this is, in most cases open urination and defecation. Even if there are public toilets, men often seem to prefer the outdoors. This is something women cannot and do not do.

Lack of attention to proper toilets, for people, has to do with our attitudes to bodily material that is impure and notions of purity versus impurity. Traditionally in India, people urinated and defecated in the open, in forests and jungles, as there was ample greenery, and the population was small. With urbanisation, and migration to the cities and urban areas, toilets, in homes, public and workplaces are an innovative idea. In rural areas too. While there is some residual resistance to having toilets in close proximity to homes, the primary question is: Who will clean the toilets?

The caste system delegates the job of waste removal of any kind to the lowest caste. From birth, Hindus learn about pollution and purification rituals spelt out in the religious texts, passed down generations. In modern India, we need to review if they make sense. Hierarchy and patriarchy then go hand in hand in perpetuating rituals and beliefs that may not be relevant today. Most toilets where they exist, could be better maintained, with separate facilities for women.

If toilets in workplaces are a challenge, the situation is mirrored in homes and public places. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) survey of 2019-21, 19% of households do not use any toilet facility, and 11% of urban households use a shared facility, contrasting with 7% of rural households.

Since 2014 India embarked on the most ambitious national programme, the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission) to eliminate open defecation. By 2019, toilet access was provided at home to over 105 million additional rural households, and technically over 500 million people across 630,000 villages had the opportunity to be pulled out of the practice of open defecation.

Back to workplace toilets: A 2019 survey by Action Aid India found that 9% of young working women reported toilets in their workplaces, but only 67% had access to them; toilets were not separated from the washrooms for men; there were no dustbins or hand washing facilities. The remaining 8% who did not have access to toilets in workplaces, used pay toilets in transit points or had to control their bladder till they reached home.

On August 15, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address on Indias Independence Day, shared his ambitions of India becoming a developed country by 2047 when the country will celebrate 100 years of Independence. While many government programmes for decades focused on sanitation and health, more attention can be paid to what in India we call mindset or how we can change Indian hearts and minds on health and sanitation. Governance is about providing adequate infrastructure for citizens to live healthy and productive lives. Citizen responsibility lies in rethinking beliefs and traditions that may not be relevant in the present. The two must meet.

The 25-year struggle of the Nilgiris women lawyers is an important case study as to how and why despite laws and protocols, it is so difficult to get a facility so basic to womens participation in the workforce and the economy.

This article is authored by Anita Anand, communications and development specialist, New Delhi.

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha has seen a 50% increase jump in human casualties in encounters with wild elephants in the first three months of 2023-24, with 57 deaths compared to 38 deaths in the same period last year. Ranchi: An elephant cools itself with water to beat the heat on a hot summer day, at Birsa Munda Zoological Park on the outskirts of Ranchi, Thursday, April 20, 2023. (PTI Photo)(PTI04_20_2023_000081A) (PTI/ Representational image)

This years April, May and June, when human-elephant encounters are typically at their peak with the pachyderms raiding mango, bael and jackfruit orchards, have been the most lethal in past 10 years. The quarter also saw a 26% rise in the number of human-elephant encounters, which resulted in more injuries than ever before.

Asian elephants are attracted to food crops because they are more palatable, more nutritious and have lower secondary defences than wild plants, wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty said. Crop damage by elephants is the root cause of human-elephant conflicts across states, he added.

An elephant eats around 200 kg of food per day and a single elephant can destroy a hectare of crops in a very short time and a small herd can decimate a farmers livelihood overnight. Often, the people who suffer these attacks are already economically and nutritionally vulnerable, and the loss of crops and livestock can have grave impacts on their income and food consumption, Mohanty said.

The sharp rise in human deaths suggests that elephants are straying out of their habitats more often due to lack of adequate forest fodder and a marked shift towards consumption of farms crops and foodgrain stored inside villages, he said. Another crucial factor is the huge level of disturbance caused by quarries and crushers and night movement of trucks and tractors.

Of the 57 human deaths in the three months, 14 took place in mango orchards, three in cashew plantations, seven when people went out to relieve themselves, seven during village raids, three during crop raids and eight when people ventured into forests to collect firewood, tendu and sal leaves, mahua fruits and mushrooms, official data show.

Dhenkanal district bore the brunt of elephant depredations, where 14 persons were killed, followed by 13 in Angul, eight in Keonjhar, five in Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur districts each. Of the 13 deaths in Angul district, villagers in Bantala Forest range faced the wrath of elephants the most in the three months, recording 12 encounters in which nine were killed and five injured.

Palm fruits, which are a prime source of food of elephants during June and July, have become scarce due to massive felling of palm trees for interstate trade to Tamil Nadu. Dhenkanal, Angul and Deogarh districts have lost thousands of palm trees since the last three years as organized timber traders camp there and decimate the trees, Mohanty said. The sharp rise suggests that this year the number of human deaths could end up significantly more than 146 human deaths of last year.

Odisha holds the dubious record of the maximum number of human deaths among all states despite being home to lower number of elephants compared to Karnataka, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as per the last elephant census carried out in August 2017. Odisha has 1,976 elephants, compared to Karnatakas 6,049, Assams 5,719, Keralas 3,054 and Tamil Nadus 2,761.

Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, 1,579 people were killed in the country by elephants, the environment ministry said in the Lok Sabha last year in response to a question. Odisha topped the list with 322 deaths, followed by Jharkhand (291), West Bengal (240), Assam (229), Chattisgarh (183) and Tamil Nadu (152).

The rise in human deaths due to human-elephant conflict is possibly due to presence of a few elephants in a herd, according to Belinda Wright of Wildlife Protection Society of India. A large percentage of human-elephant conflict involves tuskers. It is possible to prevent these confrontations if tuskers are identified and continuously tracked by expert trackers, she said. The forest department should not sit back and allow people to get killed like this.

The state forest department has taken up several measures, including the introduction of a scheme called Gaja Sathis (elephant friends) in which volunteers trained by forest officials are helping mitigate human-elephant conflict, said SK Popli, chief wildlife warden of Odisha.

More than 5,400 volunteers have been engaged in 1,177 villages. We have also rolled out the Jana Surakhya Gaja Rakshya (Human safety, elephant protection) scheme, under which solar fencing would be done around villages with 90% cost borne by the state, Popli said. We have also increased the ex-gratia amount to 6 lakh from 4 lakh in case of human deaths due to elephant attack.

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Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's office on Saturday reacted to a viral tweet that demanded Yogi Adityanath be sent to France to control the riot situation there within 24 hours. "Whenever extremism fuels riots, chaos engulfs and law & order situation arises in any part of the globe, the World seeks solace and yearns for the transformative "Yogi Model" of Law & Order established by Maharaj Ji in Uttar Pradesh," the verified handle of Yogi Adityanath's office tweeted. Yogi Adityanath's office reacted to a viral tweet on France riot on Saturday.

The demand was raised by a Twitter account going by the name Professor N John Camm identifying himself as a senior interventional cardiologist. However, social media users doubted the identity of the Twitter and claimed that the handle actually belongs to Dr Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav who was once arrested for a cheating case.

France has been witnessing massive riots for the past few days after police shot 17-year-old Nahel on Tuesday.

On Twitter, many users lightly commented that Yogi Adityanath can control the riots in France in 24 hours, but this particular tweet by the handle @njohncamm with a blue tick went viral as the handle was presumed to be of an international personality.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi commented on the response of Yogi Adityanath's office and said they are so hungry for praise from foreigners that they did not even see that the account was fake. "False encounters, illegal bulldozer action and targeting the weak is not a transformative policy, it is the destruction of democracy. We had seen the truth of Yogi Model in Lakhimpur Kheri and Hathras," Owaisi tweeted.

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Belagavi, often referred to as the second capital of Karnataka, has been neglected and side-lined by the successive governments, due to the lack of political interest shown by its elected representatives. While the united efforts of the elected representatives from Hubballi and Dharwad, who transcend party barriers to benefit their region, politicians from Belagavi have been engaged in blaming each other for the loss of crucial government establishments in the district, say residents. Belagavi has been a victim of neglect and side-lining by successive governments due to the lack of political interest, locals said (Agencies)

A recent example of this neglect is the Vande Bharat train, which got its approval from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-elected representatives and now operates up to Hubbali-Dharwad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off two Vande Bharat trains, one of which operates between Bengaluru and Dharwad daily. The trains extension to Belagavi was halted due to technical reasons, according to BJP MPs Mangala Suresh Angadi and Annasaheb Jolley, from Belagavi and Chikkodi constituencies, respectively. However, they did not disclose the specific reasons for the trains exclusion.

But Union minister Pralhad Joshi, after inaugurating the Vande Bharat train to Bengaluru from Dharwad, announced that the service would soon be extended to Belagavi, catching the Belagavi BJP representatives off guard, a Congress leader pointed out.

Mahantesh Patil, a businessman who often travel to commercial cities for his business, criticised the elected representatives describing them as useless. When things come to the development, the politician from Hubballi and Dharwad forget their parties and come together to provide more facilities to people. However, things much differ to our representatives who except in government meeting not face each others. They must learn much from their Hubballi-Dharwad counterparts. Else things go against them in elections to come, Patil said.

The trains between Belagavi and Bengaluru are consistently overcrowded, and commuters would have welcomed the extension of the Vande Bharat train to Belagavi instead of its final stop at Dharwad.

The road distance between Belagavi and Dharwad is 76 km, while the rail route covers 122 km. The travel time by road is approximately 1.15 hours, whereas it takes 3.5 hours by train. The Vande Bharat train completes the journey in 3 hours. The super express train introduced by the late Railway minister of state and Belagavi BJP MP, Suresh Angadi, in 2018, has been running at full capacity even during off-seasons. The Rani Channamma express train departs from Belagavi at 6:40 pm and arrives in Bengaluru at 8 am the next day. In comparison, the super express train departs Belagavi at 9 pm and reaches Bengaluru at 7 am, the following day.

Angadi, during his tenure, attempted to reschedule the arrival time of the Rani Channamma express train to 7 am instead of 8 am. However, he claimed that the time change was avoided because of the objections by elected representatives from Hubbali-Dharwad, who preferred not to return home early in the morning, citing stray dog attacks.

The negligence towards Belagavi also includes the establishment of IIT and IIIT at Dharwad. The district Congress president (rural) Vinay Navalgatti has alleged absence of interest by BJP leaders for the establishment of these institutions away from Belagavi. Congress has established the Visvesvarayya Technological University in Belagavi which could have been boosted if IIT, IIIT were established here. Hubbali-Dharwad BJP leaders are utilising the inefficiency of their Belagavi counterparts, he said.

In contrast, Sanjay Patil, BJP district president, highlighted the inaction of Congress leaders when the Commissionerate offices of primary and secondary education were shifted to Dharwad and the Income Tax Commissionerate was relocated to Hubbali. A college principal from, demanding anonymity, said Belagavi is being termed as second capital just for having Suvarna Vidhan Soudha, while people from the district and other part of northern region have to go to Hubballi and Dharwad for administrative works.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has convened a crucial meeting on Sunday to elect their floor leader, with hopes of reaching a long-awaited consensus on the Leader of the Opposition, said leaders in know of the development on Saturday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has convened a crucial meeting on Sunday to elect the Leader of Opposition (ANI)

The decision comes months after the partys heavy defeat in the Karnataka assembly elections and internal conflicts that have led to disagreements, causing a delay in selecting a Leader of the Opposition, the leaders said.

On May 13, Congress won the Karnataka assembly elections by the biggest vote share and 135seats. The BJP government won only 66 seats.

And while the selection of the LoP is typically made immediately after the election results, disagreements within the BJP caused a delay in reaching a consensus, party leaders said.

Key figures, including state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh, and central Parliamentary board member BS Yediyurappa, will attend the meeting.

According to the party insiders, several names are being considered for the LoP role, such as Basavaraj Bommai, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Ashwathnarayan, V Sunil Kumar, and R Ashok. Additionally, Shreenivas Pujari, Tejaswini Gowda, and Chaluvadi Narayan Swamy are potential candidates for the Legislative Council, the leaders added.

One of the leaders said that the BJP identified 11 leaders responsible for indiscipline within the party and aimed to address the issue and ensure party discipline during Sundays meeting.

In a meeting convened on Friday, senior leaders, including Yediyurappa, Bommai, Kateel, Pralhad Joshi, and CT Ravi, met with six such leaders to discuss the matter.

The 11 leaders singled out by the party for indiscipline and controversial remarks are MP Renukacharya, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Murugesh Nirani, Prabhu Chauhan, Pratap Simha, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Dasarahalli Muniraju, AS Nadahalli, Charanthi Math, Thammesh Gowda, and Ishwar Singh Thakur, said a leader close to the development.

While show-cause notices were issued to the leaders, the party later changed its stance after some assured the leadership that they would work towards resolving the issues and improving the partys unity, the leader added.

The BJPs move comes in response to the embarrassment caused by internal conflicts and mud-slinging among its leaders following the disappointing performance in the Assembly polls.

On June 13, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha said that some leaders of the BJP were involved in adjustment politics with a section of the Congress leaders.

Similarly, former minister Murugesh Nirani, on Wednesday, blamed Bijapur city legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for the partys defeat in seven seats in the district during the assembly elections.F

Former MLA M P Renukacharya, who has been served a notice by the party for anti-party remarks, on Saturday said he will not fear such things and will write a letter to the national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the defeat in the Assembly polls and those responsible for it.

Renukacharya had said on Thursday that the partys state president Nalin Kumar Kateel should have resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for the Assembly poll debacle.

Meanwhile, the ruling Congress in Karnataka has been implementing significant schemes such as free travel for women and free rice for Below Poverty Line (BPL) people and witnessing a surge in registrations for free electricity.

The BJP is eagerly waiting for an opportunity to gain momentum through the ongoing debate on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country, which they see as a potential game-changer in Karnatakas political landscape.

The BJP cadre and leadership see the UCC as a potential game-changer in Karnatakas political landscape, said the leader.

However, the Congress remains optimistic, having shattered the belief in the Modi myth during the recent assembly elections, party leaders said.

A senior Congress leader pointed out that the Karnataka elections have demonstrated that relying solely on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is insufficient to secure victory.

Concerns over hunger, unemployment, and divisive politics have resonated with the electorate. The Congress aims to win more than 20 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and has already initiated preparations at the district level, said a senior Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) official.
Four men were on Saturday arrested for allegedly firing at Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad Raavan in Deoband.



The Ambala unit of Haryana Special Task Force in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four persons near a dhaba in Shahzadpur area of Ambala. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad admitted at SBD Hospital after he was allegedly shot at by armed assailants, in Saharanpur.(ANI file)

The accused were identified as Vikas, Prashant and Lovish, all from UP's Saharanpur. The fourth accused Vikas hails from Haryana's Karnal. Aman Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Ambala STF unit, said the accused were handed over to the UP Police for further probe.

Kumar added it was immediately not clear if they were staying at a hideout in Ambala or not. No weapon was recovered from them.



This comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR and took into custody three suspects for interrogation. The suspects were taken into custody after the vehicle used by attackers were recovered on Wednesday.

The police had registered a case of attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, were registered at Deoband police station.

The Bhim Army chief was travelling in an SUV when unidentified assailants opened fire on his car at Gandhi Colony in Deoband. Aazad sustained injuries and was rushed to SBD hospital for treatment.

He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday. I was fighting for my life but the criminals are still roaming free. This can't be done without the protection of those in power...I believe that this is an acute negligence by the Government. Chief Minister has not said a word, it shows that he is protecting the criminals, Aazad was quoted by ANI.



(With bureau inputs)

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Capital Credit Union promotion

Tom Ternes has been promoted to Bismarck-Mandan market president by Capital Credit Union.

Ternes graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2008 with bachelors degrees in elementary education and mathematics. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mary in 2012 and graduated from the North Dakota Bankers Association's Dakota School of Banking in 2016. He joined Capital Credit Union in March 2022 as a business services vice president.

Insurance agent recognized

Dave Berger, Mandan, has been honored as the Property & Casualty Agent of the Year for 2022 by North Dakota Farmers Union Insurance.

This award is given to the top-performing agent based on property and casualty new production, personal growth, attitude and policyholder service.

Bender recognized

Lawrence Bender, attorney with Fredrikson & Byron in Bismarck, has been named a 2023 Great Plains Super Lawyer for energy and resources.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong pitch for a uniform civil code (UCC) has created confusion not only among the opposition parties but also among the allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party, with Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangama calling it against the idea of India. The National People's Party supremo asserted at a press conference on Friday that diversity is the strength of India and his party feels the UCC in its current form will go against this idea. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma. (File Photo)

UCC refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, among others, of all citizens.

Sangma said the Northeast has got a unique culture and society and will want to remain that way. The NPP chief, however, said it will be difficult to go into the details without seeing the actual content of the UCC draft. Noting that Meghalaya has a matrilineal society and there are different cultures in the Northeast, he asserted, These cannot be changed.

"NPP feels that UCC will go against the idea of India being a diverse nation, with diversity being our strength and identity," he said.

Senior BJP leader and head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, Sushil Modi on Friday said the panel will seek the views of all stakeholders on the issue of the UCC in its meeting on July 3. Modi insisted that the meeting of the committee is non-political as the panel has members from all political parties.

The prime minister's fresh pitch for UCC at a rally in Bhopal evoked criticism from the opposition, which has claimed it was "polarisation" tactics.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said his party will decide its stand on the UCC after the government clarifies certain things. The stand of communities like the Sikhs, Jains and Christians should be ascertained, the NCP chief said, adding that he had learnt that the Sikh community had a different view. "They are not in the mood to support the UCC.....so taking a decision on UCC without the cognizance of the Sikh community (its views) would not be appropriate," Pawar said.

While the AAP extended its "in-principle" support to a UCC, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) asked Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to clarify his stand accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab of trying to "mislead" Punjabis on the most sensitive issue of a UCC.

Describing it as "sheer hypocrisy and political expediency sans any morality", Cheema said, "It is clear that the AAP high command has taken a decision to support the implementation of a UCC in the country without taking its Punjab unit, chief minister or even the Sikh community into confidence."

The Maharashtra Congress has meanwhile set up a committee under former Mumbai University vice chancellor Balchandra Mungekar to study the impact of the proposed UCC. The nine-member committee set up by state unit chief Nana Patole will also include journalist and Rajya Sabha member Kumar Ketkar, senior leaders Vasant Purke, Hussain Dalwai, Anees Ahmed, Kishori Gajbhiye, Amarjit Manhas, Janet D'Souza and Ravi Jadhav.

Appearing to go against the party line, Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Friday extended his full support for a Uniform Civil Code while urging against its politicisation.

On Facebook, the Congress leader said in Hindi, I fully support the Uniform Civil Code which is necessary for Indias unity and integrity, but it should not be politicised.

Singh is the son of Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh. His late father Virbhadra Singh was a six-time chief minister of the state.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the UCC is on the "electoral agenda" of BJP.

"Triggering debates around Uniform Civil Code is an electoral ploy by Sangh Parivar to press their majoritarian agenda for deepening communal divide. Let's oppose any attempts to undermine India's pluralism and support reforms through democratic discussions within communities," Kerala CM tweeted.

Reacting to Pinarayi's tweet, BJP Kerala president K Surendran said that CPI(M) has become a Muslim party as it opposed UCC.

"CPI(M) has become a Muslim party. The latest example of this is Pinarayi Vijayan's stand against the uniform civil code," he said.

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Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh found himself in the middle of another controversy on Saturday after a series of tweets from his official Twitter handle hit out at social media users demanding his resignation. The tweets, which were later deleted, incensed the Opposition and tribal groups as they accused the chief minister of invoking the already inflamed ethnic fault lines in the violence-hit state. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh (ANI)

Also Read |'Wont allow creation of separate administration at any cost, says Manipur CM Biren Singh

The controversial tweets, put out early on Saturday, came a day after Singh seemed to begin the process of resigning as the chief minister of Manipur, a state roiled by ethnic clashes for close to two months now. However, protesters that collected outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Imphal home prevented him from proceeding to the governors residence 200 metres away, following which he clarified he would not demit office.

At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister, he tweeted on Friday after thousands of Meitei women gathered outside his home and tore a sheet of paper that contained his resignation.

A Twitter profile with the name Thang Kuki said the CM should have resigned a long time ago. In a reply to the tweet, Singhs official account posted: Are you from India or Myanmar? with a laughing emoji, insinuating close ties between Kukis from Manipur and the members of the ethnic group residing across the international border.

Since May 3, Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes, triggered by an order by the Manipur high court that recommended to the government that the Meiteis, the dominant community in Manipur forming 53% of the population, be included in the scheduled tribe list. This led to protests by the tribal population,particularly the Kukis, and tensions led to clashes across the state. Since then, sporadic violence has continued, with at least 117 dead, over 300 injured, and nearly 50,000 displaced from their homes.

Also Read | 'World knows: Manipur CM Biren Singh explains deep-rooted cause of unrest

Singh is a member of the dominant Meitei community.

Singh responded to another tweet that appeared to play on the ethnic faultlines. A Twitter profile named Anthony Lunkim said that he was a resident of Zalengam, a village in Chandel district of Manipur. [The name of the village, which translates to Land of Freedom, is also the name of a proposed state by Kukis and a stated goal of a section of Kuki militant group.] Can be in Myanmar, the reply from Singhs handle said.

Another user with the profile name Lal Hkip tweeted to the CM that Myanmar too has a large population of Meiteis, but not all of them are termed as Burmese. Meitei in Myanmar never ask [for] their homeland in Myanmar, the reply from CMs account said.

A fourth post was in reply to a user with the profile name Saral Patel, who asked the CM to fax his resignation to the governor and said there was no need to physically hand it over. Dont bark without knowing the ground realities. Mainland will not understand the complexity of Myanmar border Indian state, the tweet from Singhs account said in a reply.

HT saw the tweets by the CMs official handle before they were deleted hours later.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said the CMs account was managed by a handler. It was not immediately clear whether the handler was part of the CMO, from some government departement, or a third party.

We are not sure about these posts and what exactly happened. Theres a handler who manages the CMs account. We will check at our end, the senior CMO staff said.

Manipur health minister Sapam Ranjan Singh, who is also the government spokesperson, said that he was unaware of the Twitter posts and will respond after checking with the officials concerned. His response was awaited.

Tribal groups said the tweets exposed the chief minister, whom they accused of pushing a communal narrative amid widespread violence.

Chief minister N Biren Singh is still as communal as he used to be. Nothing has changed. He still considers the Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur as illegal immigrants. He still says we all are from Myanmar. There are many Meiteis in Myanmar too, said Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson for the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki groups in Churachanpur district of Manipur.

Congress leaders in Manipur, including state unit president K Meghachandra Singh, did not respond to requests for comment.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times. ...view detail
New Delhi: In a setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation, a Delhi court on Saturday quashed a look out circular against businessman Sanjay Jain, who is accused of duping several banks of over 2,240 crore. In a setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation, a Delhi court on Saturday quashed a look out circular against businessman Sanjay Jain, who is accused of duping several banks of over  2,240 crore. (Representational image)

The court, while giving relief to the former managing director of Surya Vinayak Industries, noted that Jain is not a flight risk.

The federal anti-corruption agency is probing Jain, his brother Rajiv Jain and Surya Vinayak Industries, which deals with farm commodities, since 2014, and has registered over half a dozen cases. The Enforcement Directorate, too, is conducting a parallel money laundering probe against them.

Jains lawyers Vijay Aggarwal and Yash Aggarwal sought the quashing of the circular on Saturday in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate at the Rouse Avenue Courts. Jain is a permanent resident of Delhi and has travelled multiple times abroad since the issuance of LOC against him with the permission of Delhi High Court as well as with permission of magistrate and has duly returned back and complied with all the conditions, they argued.

The issuance of LOC is a serious issue which is violative of fundamental rights of a person. The issuance of LOC should not be normally resorted to as it deals with freedom of an individual to travel which has been recognized as a fundamental right under the constitution, Vijay Aggarwal said.

CBI, however, opposed the quashing, saying there is an apprehension that Jain may leave the country and cited the example of Rajiv Jain, who is a co-accused in the case and has not returned from Dubai.

Aggarwal said the conduct of the co-accused has no bearing on deciding the plea.

The judge noted that the charge sheet has already been filed in the present case. Accused (Sanjay Jain) has travelled abroad previously four times after taking permission from the court as per record. It is not the case of the CBI that accused evaded arrest nor failed to appear before the trial court despite the non bailable warrants nor has any coercive action been taken against him and he has traveled abroad number of times with the permission of the court, which concession he did not misuse.

There appears to be nothing on record to show that Sanjay Jain is flight risk or there is any likelihood of the applicant leaving the country to evade trial or arrest, the court said.
Officials from the excise department in Uttar Pradesh have cautioned Delhi Metro commuters landing in Noida with sealed liquor bottles, stating that they may face legal trouble. This warning comes in response to the recent announcement by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) permitting passengers to carry up to two sealed bottles of liquor on its network. To enforce the regulations, the excise department plans to increase surveillance at metro stations and take legal action against individuals caught with sealed liquor bottles brought from outside Uttar Pradesh.

While the DMRC's metro rail network extends to neighboring cities such as Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the excise rules in Uttar Pradesh prohibit the import of liquor from outside the state to protect the government's revenue.

As per the current rules in Uttar Pradesh, only one unsealed bottle of liquor is allowed to be imported from neighbouring Delhi or Haryana, whether by metro or road.

Also read | Travellers can carry 2 liquor bottles, says Delhi Metro

Speaking to news agency PTI, the Noida district excise officer, Subodh Srivastava, emphasised that the excise rules of Uttar Pradesh would be enforced in the state's territories, regardless of any changes in Delhi.

To enforce the regulations, the excise department plans to increase surveillance at metro stations and take legal action against individuals caught with sealed liquor bottles brought from outside Uttar Pradesh.

"We will also try to raise awareness among people about the excise rules in UP to avoid inconvenience to the commuters," Srivastava said.

The price of liquor is generally lower in Haryana and Delhi compared to Uttar Pradesh, leading some people in the past to transport sealed liquor bottles from Delhi to Noida via road, resulting in arrests. Offenders caught violating the rules face penalties under Section 63 of the Excise Act, which constitutes a non-bailable offence.

The ban on carrying alcohol in the Delhi Metro was recently lifted, except on the Airport Express Line, as part of the policy to establish uniformity. The DMRC stated that a committee comprising officials from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the DMRC reviewed the list of permissible items to be carried on trains.

However, the metro operator has urged passengers to maintain proper decorum while travelling and warned that individuals found behaving indecently under the influence of alcohol would face suitable legal action.

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Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, Chief Minister of West Bengal, and Mr Purushottamdas Tandon, a former Congress President, died today. HT This Day: July 2, 1962 -- Dr B. C. Roy and P. D. Tandon dead

Dr Roy, who was 81 today, collapsed suddenly and died peacefully at 12-03 p.m. after a second heart attack in 10 days. Hundreds who left birthday bouquets in the morning came back later to lay wreaths, shocked and grief-stricken. Dr Roy will be cremated tomorrow morning in south Calcutta. His body was tonight lying in state in the Assembly House.

Mr Tandon, reverentially called Rajrishi, died at Allahabad at 9-56 a.m. suddenly but after protracted illness. He was 80. Mr Tandon, who first took ill here three years ago and underwent treatment for tuberculosis, was reported sinking, in the first week of last month. Though his condition improved, he continued to be weak. Last week, there was again a turn for the worse.

Mr Tandons body was cremated at the holy Sangam-the confluence of the Ganga, the Jumna and the invisible Saraswati-at 9-45 p.m., watched by thousands.

Dr Roy and Mr Tandon were two of the first to be decorated with Bharat Ratna-Indias highest honour. Today, the entire country mourned them. Tributes have been paid to their services to the country by the President and the Prime Minister and many others.

Our special correspondent from Calcutta reports.

Last note

Dr Roys end came suddenly today after he had a heart stroke, the second since Saturday, June 23.

A few hours before his death, Dr Roy wrote a note in Bengali which was pasted outside his residence for the benefit of those who came to felicitate him on his 81th birthday.

It read As advised by doctors I am unable to accept personally the birthday felicitations. I wish well to all those who have come to felicitate me. This was the last note written by him.

It was sad to see persons who had brought bouquets for Dr Roy being told that the veteran leader was no more. They placed the bouquets at his feet and filed past in silence. The principal mourner was one of his nieces, Mrs Renu Chakravarty, MP, who lead the prayers.

A mild stroke

PTI, UNI add: Dr Roy had a mild stroke on June 23 since when he was practically confined to bed by his attending physician, much against his will.

This morning, when innumerable functions were being held in the city and suburbs in connection with his birthday, Dr Roys condition suddenly took a turn for the worse and he passed away quietly at 12-03 p.m.

One of the attending physicians who was present at the time of Dr Roys death told PTI that until 11 a.m. Dr Roy was keeping well. He was examined by a team of physicians including Dr L. M. Banerjee, one of Dr Roys contemporary. At about 11-30 Dr Roy complained of breathing difficulty. An oxygen tent was set up at 11-35 a.m. but five minutes later Dr Roys condition started deteriorating. His, pulse beat grew feeble. Frantic attempts were then made for artificial respiration between 12 noon and 12-03 p.m., but everything was over by that moment.

Dr Roy had been confined to his bed since June 23, and, although visitors were forbidden, he was attending to his official work.

He had held discussions for half an hour yesterday with Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries C. Subramaniam on the Durgapur steel project.

Rest means my death, Dr Roy had told his colleagues on Thursday last when he insisted that a Cabinet meeting be held at his residence. And it was with great difficulty that he persuaded not to attend a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party. He however attended a Cabinet meeting next day.

Thousands gather

Within minutes of Dr Roys death, the President, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, who met the Chief Minister yesterday immediately after his arrival here, and the State Governor, Miss Padmaja Naidu, rushed to Dr Roys residence in the Subodh Mullick Square. Miss Padmaja Naidu telephonically conveyed the news to Prime Minister Nehru.

Others who arrived were Pradesh Congress president Atulya Ghosh, Union Law Minister A. K. Sen and Mr Humayun Kabir. Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs.

As the news spread, thousands congregated outside the residence and the police had a hard time. Dr Roy died in a room on the first floor of the house which, on his last birthday, he had turned into a nursing home for the sick. Dr Roy had built another house in a quieter place on Rowland Road, but had not moved there.

Flags in all Central and State Government offices in the city were flown half-mast. All functions scheduled to be held in connection with the centenary celebrations of the Calcutta High Court and a public meeting to felicitate Dr Roy were cancelled.

The West Bengal Government announced the observance of State mourning for seven days. All trading houses and educational institutions will be closed tomorrow. By 5 p.m., all roads leading to Dr Roys house and the big park in front of it were jammed by men, women and children and the gates of the house were closed. Trees, balconies and house tops in the area were packed. There were several stampedes.

Funeral today

The body of Dr Roy, which was kept in his house till about 6 p.m. was later taken to the Assembly House, where it will be in state for the night. Lakhs of people, who had been waiting patiently outside Dr Roys house to have a last glimpse, followed the bier in silence.

After an all-faiths prayer tomorrow morning, the funeral procession will start from the Assembly House at 6-30 a.m. and will end at Keoratala burning ghat where the funeral will take place.

Defence Minister Krishna Menon was flying here tonight to attend the funeral. He will be accompanied by the Union Cabinet Secretary, Mr S. S. Khera.

Sudden end

PTI reported from Allahabad:

Mr Purshottamdas Das Tandons end came suddenly this morning. He took Horlicks at 8-30 a.m., but immediately after had a bit of cough and felt exhausted. The doctor attending on him was immediately summoned who gave Mr Tandon an injection. It had no effect and Mr Tandon passed away at 9-56 a.m.

Mr Tandon is survived by seven sons, two daughters and his aged wife.

Mr Tandon first took ill at Delhi where he underwent treatment for tuberculosis at the Wellington Hospital. He returned to Allahabad in 1959 and later resigned his membership of the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Tandons three sons, two daughters, his widow, grandsons and grand-daughters were by his bedside at the time of his death. His condition deteriorated in the first week of last month when he became extremely weak. He was unconscious for a few hours on June 10 but later he improved and started taking nutrition. The weakness, however, continued. His condition again started deteriorating last week.

According to Dr R. D. Kapoor, Mr Tandon was conscious till the end. His voice was very feeble.

As the news of his death spread. people of all shades of opinion started pouring in at his residence to pay their last homage. Among the early callers were Mr Muzaffar Hussain, Minister for Co-operation, U.P., and Mr Raj Narain Singh, chairman of the All-India Socialist Party.

Mr Tandon was cremated at the Holy Sangam tonight. Mr Swami Prasad Tandon, his eldest son, performed the last rates amidst the chanting of Vedas. The pyre was lit at 9-45 p.m.

Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri, Union Home Minister, Mr Bishwa Nath Das, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Mr C. B. Gupta, Chief Minister, Mr K. D Malaviya, Union Minister for Mines and Fuel. Mr Raj Bahadur, Minister for Shipping, Mr T. N. Singh, member of the Planning Commission, Mr Kamlapati Tripathy, Finance Minister of U.P. Mr Hukam Singh, Minister of Revenue, were among those present at the cremation.

The Provincial Armed Constabulary fired a salute of three volleys as the pier was lit. The funeral procession which started at 6 p.m. from the Kalyani Devi residence of Mr Tandon reached the Sangam, a distance of about four miles, at 9 p.m. Thousands gathered on either side of the route.

A wreath on behalf of the former President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, was placed on the bier by Mr Kamla Kant Verma, former Chief Judge of Allahabad High Court.

The U.P. Government has ordered that flags on all Government buildings throughout the State will be flown at half-mast today and tomorrow as a mark of respect, to Mr Tandon and Dr B. C. Roy. All Government offices, except treasuries, will remain closed.
Four arrested from Ambala for firing on Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad Four men were on Saturday arrested for allegedly firing at Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad Raavan in Deoband. The Ambala unit of Haryana Special Task Force in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four persons near a dhaba in Shahzadpur area of Ambala. Read Here. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad admitted at SBD Hospital after he was allegedly shot at by armed assailants, in Saharanpur on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

Suicides in Singapore at 22-year high. Concerning data shows

Singapore recorded the highest number of suicide cases in over 20 years, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported citing the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). Last year, a total of 476 suicides were reported, it said, adding that family problems, employment and financial difficulties, as well as romantic relationships were the most frequently presented problems by people who contacted their services. Read Here.

More than 90 million Indians spend catastrophic 10-25% of household expenses on healthcare

Healthcare expenditure of around 90 million Indians has crossed the catastrophic levels  a state of financial condition where health spending exceeds 10% threshold of household consumption, posing a threat to maintain the subsistence needs. Read Here.

'Worst waste of time is arguing with a fool...': Naveen's cryptic post weeks after 'Kohli started the fight' comment

Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been making headlines ever since his appearance for Lucknow Super Giants against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in May this year. He was at the center of a verbal spat between the camps of his Lucknow Super Giants team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and infamously sledged Virat Kohli following the end of the match. The fight eventually spiralled further and Kohli came at loggerheads with LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir as well. Read Here.

July upcoming movies: Mission Impossible, Rocky Aur Rani, Oppenheimer, Tarla to Barbie

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, Tarla, Oppenheimer, and Barbie among several other films will release in theatres and on OTT platforms in July. The audience can look forward to an interesting lineup of films this month. We have made a list of 10 films that will release across different platforms in July. Read Here.

Deepika Padukone in Chic Co-ord For Dinner With Her Mother

Actor Deepika Padukone enjoyed a dinner date with her mother Ujala Padukone on June 30. The mother daughter duo opted for easy breezy coordinated outfits for the occasion. Read Here.

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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue in June this year saw a nearly 12% year-on-year jump at over 1.61 lakh crore, the third highest ever monthly collection, crossing the 1.60 lakh crore benchmark for the fourth time since the inception of the new tax regime on robust business activities and stricter compliance. HT Image

Cumulatively, average monthly GST collection in the first quarter (April-June) of 2023-24 was 1.69 lakh crore on the back of the highest-ever April revenue of 1.87 lakh crore, which indicates that the 1.60 lakh crore monthly revenue would be a new normal in FY24, experts said. The average tax revenue in the first quarter of the previous financial year (FY23) was 1.51 lakh crore.

Although the collection in the previous month ( 1.57 lakh crore in May 2023) fell marginally below the 1.60 lakh crore mark, year-on-year revenue growth in the three months of the first quarter maintained the range between 11.5% and 12%, exhibiting sustained growth momentum on the back of Indias robust economic performance amid global headwinds, experts said.

The Indian economy grew at 7.2% in 2022-23, surpassing the governments own projection of 7%. Chief economic advisor V Anantha Nageswaran last month said the economy is expected to grow in a range of 6.5% to 7% in FY24, which is more optimistic than the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) June 8 estimate of 6.5%.

According to official data released on Saturday, gross GST revenue collected in the month of June this year was 1,61,497 crore, which includes central GST (CGST) of 31,013 crore, state GST (SGST) of 38,292 crore, integrated GST (IGST) of 80,292 crore (including 39,035 crore collected on import of goods) and cess of 11,900 crore.

The government settled 36,224 crore to CGST and 30,269 crore to SGST from IGST. The total revenue of the Centre and states in the month of June after regular settlement was 67,237 crore and 68,561 crore, respectively.

MS Mani, partner at consultancy firm Deloitte India, said, These collections, coming on the sixth anniversary of GST, would give policy makers room for comfort as the collections during Q1 FY24 are 12% higher than Q1 FY23.

They indicate that the extensive focus of the authorities on the compliance and ongoing audits have streamlined the approach of all businesses towards GST. The fact that state-wise collection growth is in the band of 10% to 20% for many of the large states would also indicate that uniformity of the growth and centralised approach to building tax-compliant behaviour, he added.

In June this year, key manufacturing states reported a double-digit y-o-y growth in monthly GST collections. Maharashtra saw 17% growth at 26,098.78 crore, Karnataka 27% ( 11,193.20 crore), Gujarat 10% ( 10,119.71 crore), Tamil Nadu 20% ( 9,600.63 crore), Uttar Pradesh 19% ( 8,104.15 crore) and Haryana 19% ( 7,988.18 crore).

Consistent breach of the 1.5 lakh crore mark is a big cheer for the government and economy; specifically on the date of completion of six years of this historical tax reform, Abhishek Jain, partner & national head - Indirect Taxes at KPMG India, said, adding that with continued focus on anti-evasion measures, the trend of increasing collections is expected to continue.

According to official data, the monthly GST collections crossed 1.40 lakh crore for 16 months in a row and the 1.50 lakh crore mark for the seventh time since the new tax system came into being six years ago on July 1, 2017.

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Several parts of Gujarat witnessed heavy to very heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, which led to overwhelming of low-lying areas in cities and villages and creation of flood-like situation. Commuters wade through a waterlogged road due to incessant heavy rainfall in Nadiad, Gujarat. (ANI)

An official told news agency PTI that several National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were deployed in some of the worst-affected districts including in Kutch, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Navsari.

Several villages and towns in Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Valsad, Navsari, Mehsana and Surat were flooded.

As per officials, many areas in Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat region districts were lashed by extremely heavy rainfall, which led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and villages being submerged.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that the rainfall would begin to reduce in intensity by Saturday and the weather in the state would begin to normalise on Sunday. However IMD said, north and south Gujarat and Saurashtra districts will see heavy rainfall till Sunday morning.

State's capital Gandhinagar was hit by extreme waterlogging issues which led to heavy traffic jams and caused inconvenience to the public. After receiving heavy rainfall, Kutch's Gandhidham railway station was submerged.

State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Visavadar taluka in Junagadh district said that in the last 24 hour period, it received extremely heavy rainfall of 398 mm. Jamnagar, Kaprada in Valsad, Anjar in Kutch and Khergam in Navsari were some of the worst-hit areas, SEOC told PTI.

Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel held an emergency meeting with SEOC on Friday night and also urged them to be focused on focus on evacuation, rescue and relief works.

As per a government release, Patel spoke to collectors of Junagadh and Kutch districts to seek an update on rainfall conditions, waterlogging, evacuation and other relief measure.

As per IMD light to moderate rainfall will continue in the state till Wednesday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanskriti Falor Sanskriti Falor is a Senior Content Producer at the News Desk of HT Digital. Having worked in Digital Media for the past two years, she is interested in covering civic issues and global affairs. ...view detail
Healthcare expenditure of around 90 million Indians has crossed the catastrophic levels  a state of financial condition where health spending exceeds 10% threshold of household consumption, posing a threat to maintain the subsistence needs. The report found that households with more than 10% spends on healthcare have raised from 4.5% to 6.7%. (HT_PRINT)

According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2023, a total of 31 million people living in families spend more that a quarter of their household expenditure on healthcare. The report indicated that the proportion of households spending between 10-25% of their expenditure on healthcare has shot up between 2017-18 and 2022-23.

Out of total 17 SDGs, the third goal aims at providing universal health coverage along with protection from catastrophic spending. This objective can be achieved by securing access to quality healthcare along with safe, affordable vaccines and medicines for everyone.

The report found that households with more than 10% spends on healthcare have raised from 4.5% to 6.7%. Similarly, families spending over 25% of their expenditures on healthcare have gone up from 1.6% to 2.3%.

Among several states, the maximum proportion of healthcare spending has been recorded in Kerala in 2022-23, with around 16% household spent over 10% of their expenditure and 6% of them spent over 25%. Other states that reported such significant increase in healthcare expenditure include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana.

According to NITI Aayog's June 2021 report, nearly 400 million Indians (30% of the population) lack any financial protection for health which leads to high out-of-pocket expenditure. The report also estimated that the actual number is likely to be higher due to uncovered population as a result of the existing coverage gaps in the PMJAY scheme.
India and Pakistan on Saturday exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody, with New Delhi seeking to expedite the repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and four civilians who have completed their prison terms. India and Pakistan flags (Reuters Photo)

Under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, the two sides exchange lists of prisoners in each others custody twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad.

The Indian side also sought the early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats from Pakistans custody, according to a statement issued by the external affairs ministry.

India shared a list of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistanis, the statement said.

Pakistan shared a list of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or believed to be Indians.

In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and four Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence, the statement said.

Pakistan was also asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners in Pakistans custody, who are believed to be Indian.

The Pakistani side was further requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed to be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release.

The statement said India remains committed to addressing on priority all humanitarian matters, including those related to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 62 believed to be Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan, the statement said.

The statement noted that 2,559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This included 398 Indian fishermen and five civilian prisoners repatriated so far this year.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. ...view detail
North Dakota officials are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit from a landowner rights group over laws that relate to property use for carbon storage.

The Northwest Landowners Association argues in a lawsuit filed May 31 that the states legal process for securing land for carbon storage projects is an unconstitutional taking. The lawsuit is against the state, the North Dakota Industrial Commission, and each of the commissions three members, Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

The state denies the laws are unconstitutional and seeks dismissal of the lawsuit, along with reimbursement to the state of legal fees.

Special Assistant Attorney General Zachary Pelham argues in part that the landowner rights group has not suffered any compensable damages and lacks standing to bring the claim.

The lawsuit addresses landowner rights related to pore space, or small cavities below ground where companies are proposing to store climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions. State officials in approving storage areas use a process called amalgamation, which requires pore space owners who did not accept easements to be included in a storage facility.

Under North Dakota law, at least 60% of pore space owners must agree to the use of their pore space before amalgamation can be used. The Northwest Landowners Association argues that amalgamation is a taking of land that requires an eminent domain proceeding, which doesnt occur under the states current practices. Eminent domain refers to the court-ordered seizure of private property use, with compensation.

The landowner rights group also challenges North Dakota law that allows surveyors to access private land prior to it being condemned for public use.

Summit Carbon Solutions, the company proposing a regional CO2 pipeline that would pass north of Bismarck, this week filed a motion to intervene in the case. Summit's Midwest Carbon Express project aims to transport CO2 emissions from ethanol plants in five states through a 2,000-mile pipeline to Oliver County for permanent storage underground.

Summit argues it should be a defendant in the lawsuit because the laws being challenged affect its project. Summit attorney Lawrence Bender said in a court filing that the company anticipates more than 60% of landowners will consent to participate in a proposed CO2 storage area, but the company does not expect to get consent of 100%.

In addition, Summit has surveyed land for the project under North Dakota law that allows a common pipeline carrier access to survey property it is contemplating condemning, Bender said in the filing. Some North Dakota landowners refused survey access, prompting Summit to file lawsuits against the landowners. A May judgment ruled in favor of Summit in several related cases. Those cases are being appealed to the state Supreme Court.

A judge has not ruled on whether to permit Summit to intervene in the landowner lawsuit.

A scheduling conference is set for July 25. The case is filed in state court in Bottineau County.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he has no difference of opinion with external affairs minister S Jaishankar over Jaishankar's reaction to the incident of Khalistanis pulling the Indian Flag down in London. "I regard him (Jaishankar) as a friend and a skilled and able foreign minister," Shashi Tharoor said. Explaining the context of his tweet, Tharoor said he has been informed that his 'cool-off' advice to Jaishankar which he gave earlier has been misconstrued and misinterpreted as Tharoor advised Jaishankar to cool off when the flag incident took place. Shashi Tharoor said he agreed with Jaishankar's outburst when Indian Flag was lowered by Khalistanis in London.

" Friends have forwarded me a message doing the rounds from the usual trolls claiming that my advice to EAM @DrSJaishankar to cool it was over his reaction to the incident of the Khalistanis pulling our flag down outside the Indian Embassy.

It wasnt.

When that incident occurred I expressed outrage even before MEA did, since I was accosted by cameras at the Lok Sabha as soon as it happened. Outrage was indeed the most appropriate response," Tharoor tweeted.

"Its not our style to poke our fingers in the eyes of foreign countries without provocation. The flag incident was a provocation & Indias response was fitting," Tharoor tweeted adding, "Lets keep our foreign policy bipartisan. We are all Indians & all that matters should be our national interest."

Did Tharoor advise Jaishankar to 'cool a little bit'?

In April, Shashi Tharoor made a remark about Jaishankar's statement that the West has a bad habit of commenting on other countries. Tharoor said he thought that Jaishankar was being thin-skinned to be provoked easily. "I have known him for a long time and consider him as a friend but on this issue, I think we need not be so thin-skinned, I think it's very important that as a government we take something in stride," Tharoor said.

Tharoor's advice came after Jaishankar berated the West -- at a gathering in Bengaluru before the Karnataka Assembly Election -- where he said there are two reasons why West comments on India. "It is because the West has a bad habit of commenting on others. They somehow think it is some kind of Gd-given right," Jaishankar said.

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The bus which caught fire charring at least 25 passengers to death on the Samrudhhi-Mahamarg Expressway in Buldhana had no fault and was bought in 2020; the driver too was experienced, owner of the bus Virendra Darna said, First, there was a tyre burst after which the bus hit a road divider and overturned. Then the diesel tank of the bus caught fire. The bus was travelling from Maharashtra's Yavatmal to Pune and met with the fatal accident at around 1.30am when most of the passengers were sleeping. 25 passengers were charred to death after the Yavatmal-Pune bus caught fire on Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Buldhana. (PTI)

Many passengers could not come out and instantly got charred. Some people managed t come out and escape death. Shocking visuals of the bus burning have appeared on social media.

"This is our family bus. We bought it in January 2020. Then the bus was off-road for a year during the lockdown. All documentation of the bus is fine. The driver is also experienced. What we got to know is that there was a tyre burst following which the car hit the divider and the inflammable articles in the bus caught fire," the owner of the bus said.

Advocate Sandip Mehtre, a local from Pimple Khuta Village, where the accident took place said when the local people reached the spot, the situation was terrible; passengers were lying trapped inside, burning alive. The fire was so dangerous that it was not possible for the locals to rescue, the eye witness said.

A total of eight passengers, inlcuding the bus driver and the cleaner, managed to escape the tragegy. Both of them have been taken int custody, Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said.

The Vidarbha Travels bus left Nagpur for Pune at 4pm on Friday. It took a dinner break at Karanja in Yavatmal. The accident took place soon after the bus resumed its journey.

As the bus hit a divider after its tyre burst, it fell on the right side with the gates facing the sky, leaving the passengers at lurch. Soon the vehicle caught fire, police said. Those who escaped the mishap came out of the bus from the rear widows.

(With inputs from Yogesh Joshi)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail
Guwahati: I wont allow Manipur to be divided, chief minister N Biren Singh said on Saturday even as ethnic violence continued to roil the northeastern state for nearly two months with little end in sight. Chief minister N Biren Singh (ANI)

Since May 3, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic clashes, triggered by an order by the Manipur high court that recommended to the government that the Meiteis, the dominant community in Manipur with 53% of the population, be included in the scheduled tribe list. This caused protests among the tribal population, particularly the Kukis, and tensions lead to clashes that soon spread across the state. The violence has since claimed 117 lives, injured over 300 and displaced 50,000. Protesting Kuki MLAs, including those from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and tribal organisations have demanded creation of a separate administration comprising the areas where people from their tribes predominantly reside.

Also Read: Manipur CMs Twitter handle taunts Kukis with jibes invoking Myanmar

I will try to keep Manipurs territorial unity intact without creation of any separate administration. I give my word as a CM and from the BJPs side that I wont allow Manipur to be divided for creation of a separate administration and make all sacrifices for the states unity, Singh, a member of the Meitei community, told news agency ANI in an interview.

Asked about the reason behind the clashes, the CM said: I am confused as to what was the reason behind the clashes. It was an order from the (Manipur) High Court directing the state government to submit recommendations within four weeks on whether Meiteis should be included in scheduled tribe (ST) category.

He added that after the HC order (on March 27), he consulted with MLAs of hill areas, (where people from Kuki and Naga tribes primarily reside) and they asked him to take more time before giving the recommendations.

I also felt that consensus and talks on this issue were needed. I told the MLAs of hill areas that we wont give recommendations soon. Our government didnt recommend anything on the issue. There was still time for it. But in the meantime, all these (the clashes) happened, he said.

The remarks come a day after Singh seemed to have begun the process of resigning from his post, only to be prevented by protesters who gathered outside his Imphal home and prevented him from proceeding to the Governors residence 200 metres away. Singh later clarified that he would not demit office at this crucial juncture.

Also Read: Manipur CM reveals why he decided to resign, and later changed decision

Commenting on his move to resign, Singh said that he took the decision after hearing some abusive comments about him from few people and also seeing effigies of the PM and union home minister being burnt by protesters and attacks on BJP offices.

I wondered that despite whatever we and the Centre have done for the state in the past 5-6 years, did the people lose trust in us? Few days back, some people brought a body of a victim who died in an incident to the main marketplace in Imphal. Five-ten people in that group used abusive language against me. I felt bad and thats why I had taken that decision (to resign), he said.

I felt good that when I came out (to submit my resignation) there was a huge crowd outside. Some of them were crying and expressed their confidence and faith in me. I realized that my feelings about losing the trust of the people were wrong as the public still supported me. They urged me not to resign. I agreed to the peoples decision, he added.

Singh has been a deeply divisive figure during this time, with opposition leaders calling for his resignation for several weeks. Tribal organisations have long called for Singhs resignation, objecting to his inclusion in a peace committee in the middle of June, and refusing to hold talks with Union home minister Amit Shah during his visit to the state, if Singh came with him.

During the interview, the CM also lashed out at opposition parties, particularly the Congress, saying we are eating the poison fruits, seeds of which were sowed by them .

Also Read: BJP state chief appreciates Rahul Gandhi's Manipur visit, says Focus should be on peace'

...Where did these problems come from? These are deep-rooted. They are not todays problems. Those who are levelling allegations, like Congress - we are eating the poison fruits, seeds of which were sowed by them...The entire world knows whose mistake it was...The ethnic clash between Kuki and Meitei continued for two-three years, there were losses and deaths. That is why, the Kuki militants rose at that time...they were given a free run from 2005-2018, for 13 years. That is why this is happening..., he said.

Talking about Union home minister Amit Shahs three-day visit to the state between May 28 and June 1 and other efforts being undertaken to provide relief, he said: The Centre is doing whatever it can to resolve the Manipur issue. The situation is being monitored 24/7 and even our state ministers and MLAs are doing whatever they can as per their capacities to take care of those in relief camps or evacuate those who are stranded.

Making another appeal for peace, the CM said that all 34 tribes of Manipur should live together irrespective of whether some came to the state later or were indigenous residents.

All Meiteis, Kukis, Nagas, Meitei Pangals and others have to live together. But we have to be careful that people from outside dont come here in large numbers and settle because it could hurt the identity of those old ones, there is no demographic imbalance and lead to economic weakness (of the indigenous), Singh said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times. ...view detail
Hours after the high-voltage drama over his resignation, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh responded to social media users who were taking potshots at him, only to delete it later. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, in Imphal, Friday, June 30, 2023.(PTI)

N Biren Singh seemed to begin the process of resigning on Friday afternoon before thousands of demonstrators gathered outside his Imphal home and prevented him from proceeding to the Governors residence 200 metres away. Thousands of Meitei women who had gathered outside his residence raised slogans hailing the BJP leader and tore a sheet of paper that contained the chief minister's resignation.

Following the dramatic scenes, Biren Singh clarified he would not demit office.

At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister, Singh wrote on Twitter, putting an end to the speculations swirling since morning.

As the state continues to roil by ethnic violence for almost two months, Singh, who is a Meitei, has been blamed by Kuki groups for taking sides.

One of the social media users, Thang Kuki, commented on Singh's post, You should have resigned long time ago.

To this, Singh replied: Are you from India or Myanmar?

The chief minister's jibe was aimed at the fact that members of the Kuki community in Manipur have close cultural ties with those living across the border in Myanmar. He made a similar reference in another reply when a user said a huge Meitei population also lived in the neighbouring country.

Singh responded, Meitei in Myanmar never ask their homeland in Myanmar.

One user described himself as a citizen of Zalengam, a proposed separate state by Kukis.

To him, Singh replied: Can be in Myanmar.

A Congress functionary asked Singh to stop the drama and send his resignation letter to the governor via fax.

Singh wrote: Dont bark without knowing the ground realities, mainland will not understand the complexity of Myanmar border Indian state.

On May 3, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between the numerically dominant Meitei community  which forms 53% of the state population  and tribal communities, especially Kukis, who live primarily in the hill districts. Violent clashes broke out after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

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Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Saturday revealed why he had initially decided to step down from his post amid the ongoing violence in the state, before he made up his mind to continue in office.



High drama had unfolded outside the CM's residence and Raj Bhavan after reports of Singh tendering his resignation had erupted. The chief minister was stopped from heading to the Raj Bhavan by his supporters.



When asked why was he contemplating resignation, Singh told ANI," I saw effigies of PM Modi and HM Amit Shah being burnt at a few places in the state, saw attempts of attack on BJP office. What the Centre did for Maipur and we did for Manipur in 5-6 years, I doubted if we have lost the trust of people. Thinking about this made me feel bad...Abusive language was used by a small group against me a few days back at a market. It didn't feel good...So, I decided this." Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.(PTI)

The chief minister's supporters not only urged him to not resign, but even tore his resignation letter in public. After some time, Singh tweeted that he had decided not to resign at this crucial juncture.



A leader can't be a leader without public confidence. I feel good that after I stepped out (of the CM house), there was a huge crowd on the streets. They cried and showed me their trust in me. This proved my thoughts (of doubts) wrong) because the people still stood in my support. They told me not to resign. If they tell me to resign, I will; if they tell me not to, I won't, he said.



ALSO READ: Manipur CM Biren Singh taunts Kuki users with 'Myanmar' tweets. Deleted



Biren Singh is under fire from the opposition over his government's handling of the Manipur violence, which has been going on since past two months. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities which erupted on May 3.

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The entire world knows about those who are responsible for the unrest in Manipur, chief minister N Biren Singh said responding to Opposition's attack at him alleging that he failed to maintain law and order in his state. Taking a jibe at Congress, he said we are eating the poisonous fruits, seeds of which were sowed by them. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh(ANI)

He further laid out the causes from where the unrest took its shape today. "The ethnic clash between Kuki and Meitei (communities) continued for 2-3 years and there were losses and deaths. That is why, the Kuki members rose at that time...they were given a free run from 2005-2018, for 13 years. That is why this is happening," he added.

Terming it a politically well-planned ploy', Singh also alleged that the opposition parties dont try to resolve the issue since the matter was never treated at the right time.

He also said that he will make sacrifices to keep the state integrated and not allow it break into separate administrations.

The chief minister also questioned the timing of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state and analogised that he went to the state with a political agenda. "We can't stop anyone. But the timing - it has been 40 days. Why did he not come earlier? He is a Congress leader but in what capacity was he making the visit? I don't think the timing was right. He seemed to have come with a political agenda. He came & then there was an incident in the market & BJP office was attacked. Did he come for the situation in the state or for political mileage? I don't support the manner in which he came," he said.

Biren Singh-led BJP government in Manipur has been criticised over the handling of the ongoing unrest in the state. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities which erupted on May 3.

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The monsoon session of Parliament will start on July 20 and continue till August 11, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi announced on Saturday. The session could start in the old Parliament building, and moved to the new one later. (ANI)

Monsoon Session, 2023,of Parliament will commence from July 20 and continue till August 11. Urge all parties to contribute towards productive discussions on legislative business and other items during the session, Joshi tweeted.

There are possibilities that this session, too, can turn acrimonious as it comes in the backdrop of the governments push for a uniform civil code, violence in Manipur, and a renewed unity among opposition parties.

The monsoon session could start in the old building but later move to the new building,officials familiar with the matter said. The new Parliament building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

The session will be spread across 23 days and will have 17 sittings, Joshi said in another tweet.

During the session, the governments priority will remain on the bill to replace the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance. The ordinance was promulgated to nullify the Supreme Court judgement that gave the Delhi government greater legislative and administrative control over services matter.

The initial proposal was to start the session from July 17, political functionaries said, declining to be named. The top brass of the government, however, took a call to start the session on July 10.

The previous session, the last full budget session of this government before going to the poll in 2024, was nearly washed out. In the first part of the budget session, the Rajya Sabhas productivity stood at 56.3% but plummeted to 6.4% in the second half. Similarly, the Lok Sabha clocked 83.8% productivity in the first half and 5.23% in the second half.

As on date, 38 draft legislations are pending before Parliament after just one bill was passed in the budget session.

Among the bills pending before Parliament are the Inter-services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022, and the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

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Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi decision to dismiss minister Senthil Balaji from the cabinet and the withdrawal of it within five hours has snowballed into a full-blown Governor versus government war with Stalin on Friday dressing down the Governor in his strict reply. "I reiterate that you have no power to dismiss my Ministers. That is the sole prerogative of an elected Chief Minister. Your unconstitutional communication dismissing my Minister without my advice is void ab initio and non-est in law and hence has been disregarded," Stalin wrote. Stalin gave a dress-down to Governor RN Ravi and said the Governor had no power to sack Senthil Balaji

Congress leader and advocate Manish Tewari who demanded the dismissal of RN Ravi by the President for his 'unconstitutional' action on Saturday said the letter that he wrote explaining why he put the decision of dismissing Senthil on hold was 'more insidious' than the illegal sacking of the minister. As the Governor wrote he would seek the opinion of the Attorney General, Manish Tewari asked why Attorney General and not the Advocate General. Attorney General is the highest law officer in the country and an Advocate General is the highest law officer of the state.

"Article 165 of COI confers Constitutional status on Advocate General akin to Attorney General -Article 76. Why not take legal Advise from Advocate General? Governors cause Constitutional breakdowns," Manish Tewari said.

Stalin vs RN Ravi: Here is what happened

1. On Friday, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sacked minister Senthil Bajaj on charges of corruption. Five hours later, the order was put on hold.

2. "I have been advised by the Hon'ble Union Minister of Home Affairs that it would be prudent to seek the opinion of the Attorney General also," RN Ravi wrote a letter to Stalin.

3. Stalin on Friday held a meeting with state law minister, Tamil Nadu Advocate General R Shunmagasundhram.

4. In the meeting, it was decided that all options will be weighed and the issue will be faced legally and the Governor acted in haste and did not consult the chief minister before ordering the dismissal of Senthil Balaji.

5. It was also decided that Stalin would write a detailed letter to the Governor.

6. In the letter, Stalin made it clear that the government disregarded the Governor's decision.

7. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai issued a statement that the state BJP will reserve its comments on the dismissal of Senthil Balaji. But it would remind Stalin that as an opposition leader, Stalin in 2018 wanted teh Governor to sack a minister.

8. The government made it clear that Senthil Balaji will continue as a minister without portfolio. He was the energy minister.

9. Senthil Balaji was arrested by the ED in early June for the cash-for-job scam.

10. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan supported RN Ravi's actions and said nobody could imagine that a person will continue as a minister after some charge has been made against him.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail
New Delhi: More than 4,300 industry experts and professionals have applied to be professors of practice, a new category of college teachers proposed by the higher education regulator, and at least 140 higher education institutions have expressed interest in engaging these experts, a top official said on Saturday. More than 4,300 industry experts and professionals have applied to be professors of practice, a new category of college teachers proposed by UGC. (HT Photo)

The portal was launched on May 16 by the University Grants Commission to bridge a gap between academia and industry by facilitating the hiring of experienced professionals in different domains. The commission in August last year introduced the professor of practice scheme for higher education institutions as a part of the National Education Policy 2020.

The concept of professors of practice is catching up across the country, UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said. Many universities including colleges are now appointing PoPs. This is an opportune time for experts in different sectors to mentor and train our students in HEIs. PoP can also result in great industry academia collaborations. UGC is proactively promoting the PoP concept by writing to industry bodies, he said.

As on Saturday, 4,346 experts or professionals and 140 universities, colleges and institutions have registered at the portal. Among those who have registered for the teaching positions are experts in the field of engineering, science, technology, entrepreneurship, commerce, social sciences, media and literature.

The commission will now analyse the data to understand what other types of professionals are registering for the positions, Kumar said. We are also checking if all those who have registered have met all the required criteria. Besides, we are also modifying the portal and adding automatic filters, including years of experience, to avoid ineligible people from registering, he added.

Experts with proven expertise of at least 15 years will be eligible for the posts. No formal academic qualification will be taken into consideration if the candidate has exemplary professional practice.

Several institutions have also started advertising vacancies for these posts on the portal. For instance, Government Degree College in Andhra Pradesh has published a vacancy to engage the services of a professor of practice in entrepreneurship, and MVN University in Haryana has posted four vacancies, two each in the fields of public health and legal.

The experts who have registered at the portal can now directly apply to these advertised positions, Kumar said. They dont have to search for the jobs at individual portals of the universities.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail
New Delhi: Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts appear to be the target of Pakistan and terror groups backed by it as Islamabad wants to revive militancy in the region, officials said. (PTI)

Pakistan is changing its strategy to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir by sending highly trained and well-equipped terrorists for guerilla attacks on security convoys, camps and patrols instead of using them in the Kashmir valley to target civilians and minorities, officials familiar with the trend said.

Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts appear to be the target of Pakistan and terror groups backed by it as Islamabad wants to revive militancy in the region, they said, seeking anonymity. Indian security forces are already re- calibrating their response, the officers said.

The attack on 9 Para SF on May 5 in Rajouri (in which five soldiers were killed) and April 20 ambush on an army truck in Poonch (five personnel killed) were the handiwork of such trained men, a counter-terrorism official said. They had sophisticated weapons, sticky bombs and the attacks were well planned. Besides, the terrorists are using guerilla warfare tactics. They attack, go back to the jungle in the Pir Panjal area and regroup for another attack, instead of engaging with the security forces in the very first attack.

There could be at least 30 to 40 highly trained terrorists present in Poonch and Rajouri, security officials reckon. Besides, assessment by security agencies suggests that other than battle-hardened terrorists, there is a possibility that Pakistan army regulars, who usually are part of border action teams, are also being sent to carry out these ambushes.

While the trained terrorists appear to be using the Line of Control (LoC) to enter India and hide inside the forest, their commanders are also trying to establish their bases in Jammu region. In fact, one or two senior commanders of Al-Badr (terror group) may have already come to Jammu either via Nepal or Bangladesh, a second officer said.

Targeting civilians, seen in large numbers in 2021 (41 killed, including migrant labour and Kashmiri Pandits) and 2022 (30), may not completely stop, but by switching its strategy, Pakistan wants to keep itself under the radar of the financial action task force (FATF), which removed it from the grey list in October last year, and avoid a backlash from the local populate over civilian killings in the valley, officer said. On January 1-2, terrorists killed seven civilians in twin attacks in Rajouris Dhangri village.

It (Pakistan) has already created proxies of its trusted terror outfits, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul-Mujahideen and Al-Badr, to deny its involvement in cross-border terrorism, said the first officer.

The security forces have assessed that terrorists are using narco smugglers along with the LoC and up to Punjab to fund their activities and procuring weapons as traditional funding methods such as smuggling in the garb of India-Pakistan barter trade, hawala traders and shell companies have ceased following a crackdown.

The Indian government, intelligence agencies and security forces are monitoring the shift in tactics by Pakistan and its only a matter of time before a security strategy is in place to deal with this new threat, an officer said.

Delhi is taking a lot of interest in increased terror activities in Jammu region. Regular meetings have taken place and we are in the process of re- calibrating our entire security strategy for the area. It wont take long before we have a grip on the situation and a response strategy is in place, said a third counter-terrorism officer posted near the LoC.

To provide adequate security the local border population in vulnerable areas of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch, the Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir police have already imparted weapons training to 948 village defence guards, earlier known as village defence committees, which were revived after the Dhanri twin attacks so that they can defend themselves and maintain vigil along the border.

Besides, the National Investigation Agency has been raiding the cadre and overground workers of newly formed terror groups.

Security forces counter-insurgency operations have put pressure on the terrorists operating in the valley. Moreover, the use of hybrid terrorists for targeted killings has failed to make any impact on the ground situation, said internal security expert Sameer Patil . Therefore, it appears that the Pakistan ISI (spy agency Inter Service Intelligence) and terrorist masterminds have now shifted their focus on the Jammu region by carrying out attacks targeting the security forces.
A man arrested after a five-hour standoff with police at an apartment building in east Bismarck has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in other cases.

Nicholas Wessels, 37, of Bismarck, on Friday pleaded guilty to domestic violence, reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license. He was sentenced in those cases to serve a total of about six months in jail.

Authorities said Wessels drove on Wednesday night with a suspended license and reached speeds of 50-60 mph on residential streets. The domestic violence case arose from a June 20 incident in which his ex-girlfriend asked him to come to her apartment so she could have him served with a protection order, and he struck her face and neck after arriving, according to a police affidavit.

A judge on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Wessels in that case. Police conducted surveillance on Wessels at a residence in the 2400 block of North Fourth Street. Officers watched him leave and drive away in a car, and followed him to an apartment building in the 3200 block of East Thayer Avenue. Witnesses there informed officers that Wessels had kicked in a door to an apartment around 2 p.m.

The apartment was unoccupied, according to police Lt. Luke Gardiner. The West Dakota SWAT team and hostage negotiators were brought to the scene. The rest of the building was cleared of residents. Wessels was arrested around 7 p.m. No injuries were reported. No weapons were found, according to Gardiner. No charges were immediately filed Friday in that incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol on Saturday which aims to eradicate anaemia by 2047. PM Modi also distributed sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries at the event. PM Modi at the launching event in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol. (Twitter/ ANI)

While addressing the gathering, the prime minister said, "Today, the country is taking a big resolution on the land of Shahdol. This resolution is to get rid of the disease of sickle cell anaemia. Our government is committed to the welfare of tribal sisters and brothers. The launch of 'Sickle Cell Anemia Mukti Mission' in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh will bring a significant change in their lives."

What is the mission?

The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, announced in the union budget 2023, aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population. The mission aims to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.

The mission will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 states in India, viz., namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.

The mission entails focus on awareness creation, universal screening of approximately seven crore people in the 0-40 years age group in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

What is sickle cell anaemia?

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is described as a collection of inherited red blood cell conditions that have an impact on haemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body.

When a person has SCA, their haemoglobin becomes defective, which makes the red blood cells hard and sticky, giving them the appearance of the C-shaped farm implement known as a 'sickle.'

According to Forbes, India has the second-highest global prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease. As per a National Health Mission report, MP also ahs the highest burden of sickle cell anaemia.

What are the symptoms?

Red blood cells in the infected person with SCA resemble like sickles. According to a report by India Today, anaemia, in which red blood cells expire within 10 to 20 days while being expected, is one of the indications of this illness. As a result, there is an RBC deficiency, which leads to anaemia. The body is left worn out and exhausted as a result.

Because sickle cells harm the spleen and make people more susceptible to infections, people may have swelling in their hands and feet, the report added.

(With inputs from agencies)
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the opposition parties, saying such unity has no guarantee.



Addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol, the prime minister said,"Their (Congress) guarantee means something is wrong. The opposition parties are now claiming to be united. Social media is filled with their past statements. They have openly criticised each other, which means opposition unity has no guarantee".



Such dynastic parties have only worked in the interest of their families. Those accused of corruption are out on bail. Those serving sentence for scams are sharing the stage and holding meetings with anti-national elements, Modi added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. (Twitter/PTI)

You have to be careful of those giving false guarantees. Those who don't have their own guarantees, are coming up with new schemes. The guarantees of parties like Congress are nothing but evil intentions against the poor, the prime minister told the gathering.

PM Modi's remarks come at a time when several opposition parties have expressed interests of uniting to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha election against him. On June 23, the leaders of 15 opposition parties had met in Patna as part of the efforts to forge a stronger alliance against the BJP. The opposition parties will now meet in Bengaluru on July 13-14.



After the win in Karnataka, the opposition parties including Congress are upbeat and hopeful of repeating the success in the upcoming polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president in Manipur Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi on Saturday expressed her appreciation over senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to the strife-torn state on Thursday. She also suggested against politicising the current state of affairs in Manipur in the wake of ethnic clashes. BJP state chief in Manipur A Sharda Devi.(ANI)

In the current situation, I appreciate Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state. However, the focus should be on solving the situation and bringing back peace. The issue should not be politicised, Devi told news agency ANI.

On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps in Churachandpur district, and at Moirang in Bishnupur district a day after. He also had an interaction with representatives of student bodies, women and intellectuals followed by a meeting with state Governor Anusuiya Uikey.

I came to listen to all my brothers and sisters of Manipur. People of all communities are being very welcoming and loving. Its very unfortunate that the government is stopping me. Manipur needs healing. Peace has to be our only priority, the former Congress chief said on Twitter.

Gandhi's visit drew criticism from BJP as party spokesperson Sambit Patra said he visited the state with stubbornness and that he should have been aware of the ground realities before going there.

In response, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the right-wing party saying that they spoke out of jealousy. They (BJP) always speak with jealousy. If a Congress leader goes there (Manipur) to try and understand the difficulties of the people, they call it a drama. They call the Opposition meeting in Patna, a photo session. They are not of a democratic mindset but of dictatorship, he said while speaking with reporters.

Meanwhile, the BJP state president backed people's move to support chief minister N Biren Singh by stopping him from tendering his resignation.

The people have come out supporting the Chief Minister because they have faith that situation will improve. People believe that if the situation is not controlled this time, it might go out of hand. The current situation in the state is the result of the doings of the previous government. The public has full trust in CM Biren's government, she added.

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A special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau cases in Vijayawada on Friday passed interim orders permitting the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh police to attach the bungalow of Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the Krishna riverfront at Undavalli village in Amaravati, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Justice B Himabindu passed the orders after hearing the arguments over a petition filed by the CID in May, seeking permission to attach the property that was owned by Ramesh. (HT Archives)

The bungalow belongs to businessman and realtor Lingamaneni Ramesh, who leased it out to Naidu to be used as his official residence since 2014, when the latter took over as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Justice B Himabindu passed the orders after hearing the arguments over a petition filed by the CID in May, seeking permission to attach the property that was owned by Ramesh.

Arguing on behalf of the CID, special public prosecutor Y S Vivekananda told the court that Ramesh had given the bungalow to Naidu free of cost as part of a quid pro quo deal for allegedly granting favours to him by changing the alignment of the inner ring road of Amaravati capital region.

In May 2022, the CID registered a case against Naidu, his erstwhile cabinet college P Narayana and Ramesh based on a complaint given by YSR Congress party MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy on the charges that large-scale irregularities took place in Amaravati capital city project and the alignment of the inner ring road.

Reddy alleged that the master plan was designed in such a way that properties of Ramesh and others close to Naidu were not included in the land pooling scheme.

On May 12, the state government issued orders asking the CID to attach Naidus riverfront residence under sections 3 and 10(a) (b) of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944, and other immovable properties belonging to Narayana, who was former state municipal administration minister.

The CID then filed a petition in the special court, seeking permission to attach the properties.

While passing the interim orders, justice Himabindu issued notices to Ramesh not to take up any transactions on the attached properties, nor should he give any third party rights to the properties. She, however, permitted him to file an appeal in a higher court.

With regard to Narayanas properties, the court said the attachment of his bank accounts should be limited to the value of the alleged illegal proceeds of the crime.

TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah alleged that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government was deriving sadistic pleasure by seeking to attach the bungalow of Naidu.

Right from the day one of assuming charge as the chief minister, Jagan has been trying to drive Naidu out of his residence, he said. His government is not even giving permission to Naidu to construct a house at Kuppam assembly constituency.

Ramaiah said that the previous TDP government had given permission without any hassles to Reddy to construct his bungalow at Tadepalli. Even the riverfront bungalow of Ramesh was constructed on obtaining permission from the Congress government headed by Jagans father Y S Rajsekhar Reddy, he said.

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New Delhi: Following a day of dramatic events that involved three benches of constitutional courts, the Supreme Court late on Saturday evening protected activist Teesta Atul Setalvad from arrest for a week, observing heavens wont fall if she remains out on interim bail in connection with charges of falsifying evidence in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. Social activist Teesta Setalvad was arrested on June 25 last year for allegedly fabricating evidence, committing forgery and hatching a criminal conspiracy to frame PM Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 communal riots cases in Gujarat. (PTI)

Setalvad got the reprieve from a specially constituted three-judge bench, which was set up after the two judges on the previous bench had a difference of opinion. At 11am on Saturday, the Gujarat high court dismissed Setalvads regular bail plea, and further rejected her plea for an interim bail for 30 days to enable her to approach the Supreme Court.

The high court order compelled Setalvad to rush to the top court, which allowed her an urgent hearing on a court holiday within hours. The two-judge bench sat at 6.40pm but failed to agree on granting her protection. Thus, the matter was referred to a larger bench of three judges, which sat at 9.15pm and accorded Setalvad interim relief for seven days after a 40-minute hearing.

A person has been on bail since September 2022 under the orders of this Court...10 months have passed. What urgency was that the person should not be given even seven days to challenge the order of denial of bail? Will the skies fall if interim protection was granted? What was the alarming urgency for the high court to pass such an order? lamented a three-judge bench led by justice BR Gavai while staying the Gujarat high court order for a week.

The bench, which also comprised justices AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta, noted that the single judge bench of the high court ought to have granted her some time to enable her challenge the matter before this Court even as it had rejected Setalvads plea for regular bail on Saturday morning.

The single judge was totally wrong in not granting even a weeks protection when this Court had granted her interim protection in September 2022...At this stage, there is only the question of liberty...a judgment coming on Saturday and declining a grant of relief. Whether heavens were going to fall in the next seven or eight days? it asked solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Gujarat government.

Setalvad along with co-accused former IPS officer RB Sreekumar were arrested on June 25 last year for allegedly fabricating evidence, committing forgery and hatching a criminal conspiracy to frame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 communal riots cases in Gujarat. Their arrest by the Gujarat police had come merely a day after the Supreme Courts judgment that reproached Teesta and some others for their intention to keep the pot boiling for an obvious ulterior design, and added that all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law.

However, on September 2, another bench of the Supreme Court granted her interim bail as her regular bail plea was pending before the Gujarat high court. The September order underlined certain circumstances in her favour  the fact that she is a woman and had been in custody for over two months since her arrest.

The Gujarat high court rejected Setalvads regular bail plea on Saturday, asking her to surrender immediately. In its order, the high court noted that she used riots victims and witnesses as ladder for her own benefits and that made active efforts to unsettle the democratically elected government by tarnishing the reputation of then chief minister Modi and the government machinery. It added that grating her bail would deepen and widen the communal polarisation.

On Saturday, Mehta argued before the Supreme Court that Setalvads conduct was abhorrent and that she does not deserve any indulgence since she maligned every institution and committed perjury with the Supreme Court too. But the bench retorted: Her conduct may be reprehensible but today we are considering whether a person is not entitled to liberty even for a day when she has been enjoying it for the last ten months?

Mehta, on his part, tried to persuade the bench by citing the Supreme Courts June 2022 judgment, which had paved the way for criminal investigation against Setalvad for allegedly falsifying the evidence even as the Court gave a clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and several others of being part of a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots.

The bench, however, emphasised that another bench of the Supreme Court had on September 2 gave Setalvad the interim bail in the same case after considering all the relevant factors. One bench of this Court directed that they needed to be in the dock. But another bench of this Court granted her relief later. The other bench which dealt with it later would not have granted her bail if there were not valid reasons...We also wonder about the difference of opinion between judges. When there is a difference of opinion, it has to be in the favour of liberty, it remarked.

The bench then proceeded to record in its order that a previous order of the Supreme Court on September 2 had given Setalvad protection from arrest after noting the special provision favouring women. It stayed the order of the high court for a week and directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India for placing it before a regular bench.

Previously, the two-judge bench that included justices AS Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra failed to arrive at a consensus on protecting Setalvad from arrest for a few days so that her appeal could come up hearing before a regular bench. The Supreme Court reopens on July 3 after a six-week long summer break. For Teesta, senior advocate CU Singh appeared along with advocate Aparna Bhat.

The case against Setalvad was lodged following the June 24 verdict by a three-judge bench of the top court last year which gave a clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and several others of being part of a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots. The larger conspiracy was alleged against 64 persons, including Modi in a complaint filed by Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots. Jafris complaint was supported by Teesta before the Gujarat high court and the top court.

The Supreme Court, which monitored the probe into the riot cases, directed the SIT in 2011 to examine the allegations. In February 2012, the SIT filed the closure report. The petitioners unsuccessfully challenged the report before a trial court and the Gujarat high court before moving the top court in 2018.

The June 24 verdict had commented that the petitioners (Jafri and Teesta) had the audacity to question the integrity of the Special Investigation Team constituted by the Supreme Court to probe the riots cases and every functionary involved in the process with an intention to keep the pot boiling for an obvious ulterior design. It also suggested, All those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law.

It was this observation that gave the handle for the state government to launch action against Setalvad, sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and former DGP RB Sreekumar for forging and fabricating evidence, tutoring witnesses and making them depose on pre-typed affidavits. A day after the judgment, the FIR was lodged and arrests made.

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The three-judge Supreme Court bench has put a stay on Gujarat high court order referring to immediate surrender of Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad's in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots case. She has been given an interim protection from arrest for a week. Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad (File Photo)

During the special hearing, the apex court asked about the urgency over Setalvad's surrender, given that she is already out of judicial custody on an interim bail.

Will the skies fall if interim protection grantedWe are taken by surprise by what the High Court has done. What is the alarming urgency?" it asked.

A two-judge bench comprising Justices AS Oka and PK Mishra had earlier referred the matter to a larger bench observing that Setalvad should have been granted some time by the Gujarat high court before she could surrender. The larger bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta later heard the case.

Following orders from Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the matter will be taken up after a week by a regular bench.

The apex court had earlier granted an interim bail to the activist who was accused of fabricating evidence and tutoring witnesses in the 2002 riots case. She had been shielded from arrest through the interim bail by the top court ever since, leading to her release from judicial custody.

Following this, Setalvad approached the Gujarat high court for a regular bail, which was rejected on Saturday and the court urged her to surrender immediately.

What is the case?

Seetalvad along with co-accused former IPS officer RB Sreekumar had been arrested on June 25 last year for allegedly fabricating evidence along with committing forgery and criminal conspiracy over framing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others. The arrest came following a first information report (FIR) filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) regarding alleged conspiracy to falsely implicate innocent individuals in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

On June 15, the states prosecution, while opposing Setalvads plea for regular bail in the high court, claimed that she received 30 lakh from late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, with the aim of destabilising the Narendra Modi-led government in Gujarat after the riots in 2002.

The state government, during the court hearing, labeled Setalvad as a tool of a politician with the task of defaming Gujarat.
Amidst the political slugfest regarding the dismissal of Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji from the state cabinet by Raj Bhavan, Governor RN Ravi on Saturday said the prime minister has a divine mandate and understands the essence of Bharat. Speaking at a public gathering, the Governor also talked about the importance of spreading the light of Sanatana Dharma to the world. He quoted a Sanskrit shloka by Shukracharya from Shukraniti, which conveys the idea that strength attracts friends while weakness invites enemies. Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi(ANI)

News agency ANI quoted Governor RN Ravi as saying, "If you are weak, you are surrounded by enemies; if you are strong, you have friends. This is the destiny of Bharat. The Prime Minister has set a divine mandate through his appearance, understanding the essence of Bharat and the power of its people. He has set a course called 'Amrit Kaal'."

He further said that within the next 25 years, India should be capable of enlightening the world with the principles of Sanatana Dharma. The Governor also mentioned that those who do not follow this Dharma are still accepted with happiness.

The controversy over RN Ravi's decision to sack arrested minister Senthil Balaji gained national attention, with Congress leader Manish Tewari suggesting that the President should remove the Tamil Nadu Governor, as no lawyer would advise RN Ravi to dismiss a minister until the charges against him are proven. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal issued a statement calling the actions of Governor RN Ravi outrightly unconstitutional. Saket Gokhale, the national spokesperson for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), remarked, "In this case, it is clear that the Governor made the decision unilaterally."

Row over TN Governor dismissing state minister Senthil Balaji from cabinet

The conflict between the Tamil Nadu government and Governor RN Ravi escalated when the Governor dismissed minister Senthil Balaji on Thursday due to criminal charges against him. However, the decision was later put on hold, and the Governor said he has to seek advice from the Attorney General.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin retaliated to the move saying that the Governor does not have the authority to dismiss ministers, citing Supreme Court rulings. He criticised the Governor for being biased and practicing double standards, particularly regarding the government's requests for sanctions to investigate and prosecute former ministers and public servants from the previous AIADMK government.

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The annual Amarnath Yatra with the first batch of pilgrims began on Saturday from the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. In a video posted by news agency ANI, the batch of 3,488 pilgrims can be seen walking with some people riding horses. First batch of Amaranth yatra pilgrims leaves from Baltal base camp to holy cave.( Waseem Andrabi/Hindustan Times)

On Friday night, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha lagged off the pilgrims from the Jammu base camp.

Also read: Religious fervour soars high amid icy winds at Baltal base camp

The annual Amarnath Yatra

The 62-day pilgrimage which began on Saturday will undertake a 12-km journey from the base camp to the holy cave shrine located at an altitude of about 13,000 feet. Over three lakh pilgrims have registered themselves for the yatra, reported news agency PTI. The yatra takes the traditional 45-km Nunwan route in South Kashmirs Pahalgam and the comparatively shorter 16-km Baltal route in Ganderbal.

The pilgrimage will culminate on August 31.

Arrangements for the Yatra

The officials have made several arrangements for the pilgrims including night domination through night-vision devices, snipers, drone systems, bomb disposal squads, dog squads, counter IED equipment and vehicle repair and recovery teams. Several civil rescue teams and avalanche rescue teams have also been deployed on the pilgrimage's route keeping in view the cloudburst during the Amarnath Yatra last year which had killed 15 pilgrims. Along with this, earth movers have been placed at the holy cave and at multiple locations enroute for emergencies.

Jammu and Kashmir deputy commissioner Shyambir told PTI that volunteers and mountain rescue teams have been posted along the track. The yatris can seek their help if neededThe yatra would not be possible without the support of the local people, he said.

Meanwhile on Thursday, LG Sinha and northern army chief lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi visited the base camps to review the arrangements.

(With inputs from agencies)
In the time it takes to read this article, around 10 million photographs will be taken. Most will come from the smartphones of users who are compelled to constantly document their lives. By contrast, award-wining US photojournalist Ron Haviv has mostly taken photos to document conflict. He has photographed more than 25 wars, from the US-led invasion of Iraq to conflicts in Afghanistan, Panama, Haiti, and most recently, Ukraine Pictures shared by Ron Haviv on their Instagram page. (Instagram/@Ron Haviv)

Born in 1965, he is co-founder of the photo agency VII and works with UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross, in addition to numerous publications.

While his thought-provoking images have become a way to raise awareness about the horrors of war and violence, this was not initially by design.

"I wouldn't say that I chose it," he told DW at the Globadetl Media Forum in Bonn in June. "My first foreign assignment was in Central America covering elections in Panama that turned violent."

Then everything changed.

"I took a photograph that became very famous. Seven months after I took the photograph, the United States invaded Panama. And the president of the United States spoke about the photograph as one of the justifications for the invasion," he explained.

'Raising awareness and education'

Haviv soon gained "an understanding at that moment that the photography that I could do, especially around conflict, could play a very serious role in conversation, in raising awareness and education."

This sparked an interest in documenting historical events with his lens, including the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall or Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990.

But it wasn't long before Haviv was dragged back into conflict zones, including the never-ending war in Iraq.

It was a steep learning curve for Haviv, and not just in terms of photography techniques. He also had to discover that "it was imperative that there we're people telling these stories to hold people accountable, not only for their action, but for their inaction," he explained.

Photography 'becomes evidence'

"In my career I have documented three genocides  Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur."

Within some of the cruelest of human acts, taking photos becomes ever more important.

"The photography moves past this idea of just being journalism, it becomes evidence. Photography can't stop a war. Photography can't start a war, but it can play a very important role in the dissemination of information and the way that decisions are made."

In 2015, Turkish journalist Nilufer Demir took an image that was to prompt responses from European leaders regarding a "human catastrophe." The image of Alan Kurdi, the two-year old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea en route to Europe, lying face down in the sand, led many to ask the question of where the moral line should be drawn when photographers take such images.

'The power of photography'

Haviv is in little doubt just how important these photos are. "I believe in the power of photography," he said.

"I'm of the belief that the greater good overrides, that the story is important enough to be seen. Even if somebody's crying or suffering, the photograph needs to be taken to show the world what's happening."

But what about the sensitivities, the intrusion? Haviv is unequivocal. "Having done this for more than 30 years," he said, "I have never gone to a funeral of somebody that's died through politics, war, famine, and been told, 'No, don't take any photographs.'"

People have instead demanded that he document the plight of their loved ones. "I have been physically dragged by a family member and said, 'Photograph my son, photograph my child, show the world.'"

Fending off the threat of AI

But is the whole photography craft under threat from transformational technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI)?

"What you should be expecting from people like myself is authorship of an idea," he said in response to the threat of AI. "This is a story that I'm telling in depth, especially now. There is integrity, that this is not an AI production: This is reality."

He continued: "I'm showing you a true representation of the way that I saw things. And you have to trust me because I am a valued person or I'm doing it with The Economist and you trust The Economist and therefore you believe what you're seeing."

With AI able to easily manipulate images, "we are moving more and more into this place where it will be very difficult to believe what you're seeing," Haviv said.

But there is a chance that such dystopian misrepresentations can be avoided.

"There is no place for AI in my world," the photographer continued. "The goal is to keep AI out and it has to be done in partnership with the publications, in partnership with the camera companies, and most importantly, in partnership with the audience."

He describes a new initiative led by Adobe called Content Authenticity Initiative, whereby photo files will be given a blue check to confirm they have not been manipulated.

Haviv has been in the photojournalism business for over three decades. Though many things have remained the same, technology now threatens the authenticity of the craft, meaning the way we see the world needs to be questioned more than ever.
The Indian adaptation of The Night Manager, whose final lot of episodes goes live this weekend, has changed both the industry and the audiences perception of Aditya Roy Kapur dramatically. The Indian adaptation of The Night Manager stars Aditya Roy Kapur (above), whose performance is being lauded. The role was originally offered to Hrithik Roshan.

Ranbir Kapoor was offered Band Baaja Baaraat before (above) Ranveer Singh.

When Ranveer Singh debuted in Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010, dazzling the audience with his inspired performance as a Saharanpur boy who starts a wedding-planning business with his female friend, most people felt it was a role tailormade for the young actor. But the truth is that writer-director Maneesh Sharma and producer Aditya Chopra intended the film for Ranbir Kapoor, who has admitted he couldnt see himself in the role and hence politely declined. Preity Zintas role in Kal Ho Naa Ho was first offered to Kareena Kapoor.

Sadly, for actors, no crystal ball has been invented yet to help them always pick hits. Its why instinct is generally accorded more importance than talent in the movie business. Its also why actors struggle for weeks and months over the decision to say yes or no. Each wrong choice has far-reaching consequences.
Legislatures across the nation this year were flooded with bills targeting transgender people. Many of the bills were boilerplate measures intended to marginalize the transgender community.

North Dakota was no exception, with roughly a dozen bills focused on transgender people. The bills passed included a ban on transgender athletes in K-12 and college sports, the criminalization of gender-affirming care for minors, and a requirement that transgender students use bathrooms that align with their sex at birth.

A bill that would ban the use of transgender students preferred pronouns was vetoed by Gov. Doug Burgum and sustained by the Legislature.

The Tribune Editorial Board opposed the bills because some focused on issues that werent problems in the state, the medical care targeted wasnt being performed, and many of the decisions should be made at the local level.

The bill on the use of school and university bathrooms by transgender people drew a lot of attention in North Dakota and other states. However, as The Associated Press reported, some states are finding that enforcing the bathroom laws isnt necessarily easy.

The Fargo Public School District attracted the ire of legislators when it supported the superintendents decision not to enforce the law. Some legislators wanted to cut school payments to Fargo, but thats not part of the law.

Other districts in the state announced they would comply with the law. It allows schools to offer separate facilities for students, but thats not required. Theres a fear that the law will result in more bullying, especially in small schools that lack resources for transgender students.

This year at least 10 states passed laws involving transgender people. The bills on the use of bathrooms vary when it comes to enforcement. Some fine schools or educators, while others punish students, allow lawsuits or the filing of complaints.

North Dakota, Alabama, Kansas and Kentucky have no enforcement spelled out in the laws. These states rely on the institutions that fall under the law to voluntarily comply. When a district like Fargo goes public with its refusal, theres only public pressure to force compliance.

The problem with these laws is they can pit legislators, educators, students and parents against each other depending on the circumstances. Transgender students already face difficulties without the state becoming involved.

The laws across the country are the result of misunderstanding or fear.

A quote by Rep. Bill Tveit, R-Hazen, reflects that. He said:

Our whole society is catering to it and encouraging it, and I dont think that thats were at, nor should be.

The Tribune doesnt agree with him. We dont believe society is catering or encouraging. While society may be trying to help, understand or tolerate, theres no widespread effort to recruit or groom.

Its likely the next legislative session in 2025 will try to put teeth in the bathroom law and find more ways to marginalize transgender students. Thats the wrong approach, and hopefully legislators will develop a more understanding attitude.
Actor and fashion icon Sonam Kapoor attended the India Global Forum fireside chat with author Amish Tripathi at the Nehru Centre at South Audley Street in London. Sonam took to Instagram to share pictures of her royal look for the event in a luxurious saree by Pankaj S Heritage, a revivalist brand striving to revive the rich legacy of Indian textile heritage by creating Museum Quality Textiles. Scroll through to see Sonam's pictures from the photoshoot. Sonam Kapoor's India Global Forum saree is work of art. (Instagram)

Sonam Kapoor's luxurious saree for India Global Forum in London

Sonam Kapoor took to Instagram to share pictures of her resplendent saree with the caption, "Went for the India global forum fireside chat with dearest @authoramish at the gorgeous Nehru Centre at South Audley street. Representing in a lovely saree by a talented designer @pankai_s_heritage." Sonam's sister, Rhea Kapoor, styled her for the event. Celebrity stylist Bidipto Das also posted Sonam's images in the regal look and shared all the intricate details which created the star's six yards. Read all the details below.

Real silver and gold wires, 108 colours of Resham

According to Bidipto Das's post, Sonam's gold and bronze Gulkari or Ektaar embroidered saree is called Van Vaibhav or "Splendor of the forest". It is "embroidered using real silver and gold wires along with 108 colours of Resham in Srinagar". Additionally, the base textile is Dhakai Tissue from Murshidabad, Bengal, and the border is real Zari Kora weaved in Varanasi. Read more details in Bidipto's post below.

Sonam Kapoor's saree look decoded

Sonam's gold bronze saree comes embroidered in intricate details reminiscent of a forest scenery with greenery, birds, and animals. She wore it with round-neck blouse details with a similar forest-inspired panorama. An animal print shawl, draped elegantly on her shoulder, completed Sonam's look.

Sonam accessorised the traditional ensemble with emerald drop earrings, statement gold rings, and high heels. A centre-parted sleek bun, smoky eye shadow, kohl-lined eyes, mascara on the lashes, darkened brows, mauve lip shade, blushed cheekbones, contoured face, and beaming highlighter gave the finishing touch.
Celebrities stepped out in Mumbai last night to attend the Grazia Millennial Awards 2023. The event was a star-studded affair, with the guest list including big names like Aditya Roy Kapur, Vijaya Varma, Uorfi Javed, Sunny Leone, Disha Patani, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanya Malhotra, Sobhita Dhulipala, Raja Kumari, Aditi Rao Hydari, Dia Mirza, Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, Tesher, Falguni Peacock and Shane Peacock, Kunal Rawal, Arpita Mehta, and more stars. All the stars chose impeccable looks to walk the red carpet for the awards night. So, we decided to compile a list of the best-dressed celebs. Scroll through to see what the best-dressed celebrities wore for the night out. Uorfi Javed, Vijay Varma, Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani attend awards night in stylish looks. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla)

Best-Dressed Celebrities at the Awards Show: Who wore what

Uorfi Javed

Uorfi Javed never fails to surprise when it comes to her fashionable appearances. Taking inspiration from celebrated designers like Loewe, Tom Ford, YSL, Suneet Varma and more, Uorfi wore a self-designed breastplate to the awards show and served a jaw-dropping style moment. She styled the bronze-gold backless accessory with a teal-blue elegantly-pleated saree, a messy top bun, high heels, and striking makeup.

Vijay Varma

Vijay Varma made a dapper appearance on the red carpet in an all-white ensemble. The Lust Stories 2 actor wore an oversized notch lapel cropped blazer with striking structural details. He wore it with a matching ribbed tank top and straight-fitted pants. A sleek chain, clean-shaven look, and backswept hairdo gave his all-white outfit a finishing touch.

Disha Patani

Disha Patani served a mic drop sartorial moment on the red carpet in a sultry hot pink gown featuring noodle straps, a plunging sweetheart neckline, midriff-baring cut-out on the waist, thigh-high risque slit, a draped skirt, and a floor-sweeping train at the back. She glammed up the gown with centre-parted open wavy locks, matching pink strapped high heels, striking makeup, and minimal jewellery.

Aditya Roy Kapur

Aditya Roy Kapur walks the red carpet in a dapper all-black look. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla)

Aditya Roy Kapoor was one of the best-dressed male celebrities at the awards night. The star chose an all-black ensemble to walk the red carpet. He wore a relaxed-fit blazer, ribbed tank top, and pants. While the jacket features notch lapel collars, full-length sleeves, front button closures, and padded shoulders, the bottoms have a straight-fitted silhouette and a mid-rise waistline. A trimmed beard and a backswept hairdo gave the finishing touch.

Sunny Leone

Sunny Leone with her husband, Daniel Webber, at an awards show. (HT Photo/Varinder Chawla)

Sunny Leone attended the awards show with her husband, Daniel Webber. She made heads turn at the awards night in a shimmering embellished notch-lapel blazer and matching flared pants. She added an oomph factor to the suit with a matching embellished bralette, a choker necklace, a messy updo, dainty earrings, rings, and striking makeup.

Bhumi Pednekar

Bhumi Pednekar chose a black sleeveless faux leather dress for the awards show. It features a halter neckline, a figure-hugging silhouette highlighting her enviable frame, an asymmetric hem, and a patterned design to elevate the ensemble. She accessorised the outfit with embellished strappy sandals, statement rings, and earrings. Centre-parted open locks, nude lip shade, and striking eye makeup gave the finishing touch.

Sanya Malhotra and Sobhita Dhulipala

Sanya Malhotra's monochrome outfit was the star of the night. The Kathal actor wore a stylish white blouse and black pants to the event. While the shirt features exaggerated collars, pearl-embellished front button closures, billowy full-length sleeves, and a snug fitting, the pants have a high-rise waist, pearl embellishments on the side, and a flared silhouette. She completed the look with statement earrings, striking makeup, and a sleek side-parted hairdo.

Meanwhile, Sobhita Dhulipala attended the awards night in a structured denim strapless top and an asymmetrical denim skirt. The Night Manager 2 actor styled the ensemble with a choker necklace, a messy updo, bold eye makeup, nude lip shade, and striking glam.
Australia on Saturday became one of the first countries in the world to allow the use of MDMA and magic mushrooms for medical treatment, in a bid to tackle certain mental health conditions. From July 1, authorised psychiatrists will be able to prescribe the drugs, also known as ecstasy and psilocybin, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and some types of depression. In February, Australia reclassified MDMA and magic mushrooms, after the country's Therapeutic Goods Administration said trials had found the substances to be "relatively safe" when used in a "medically-controlled environment".(Shutterstock [For Representation])

Authorities in Canada and the United States allow the medical use of one or both of the drugs, but only in clinical trials or with special permits. (Also Read | Single dose of magic mushrooms helps treat depression in some, shows trial)

In February, Australia reclassified the drug entirely, after the country's Therapeutic Goods Administration said trials had found the substances to be "relatively safe" when used in a "medically-controlled environment".

Supporters of the move hope the drugs can provide breakthroughs for mental health patients, when other treatments have failed.

Mike Musker, a mental health and suicide prevention researcher at the University of South Australia, told AFP that MDMA would be useful for treating post-traumatic stress, while psilocybin can help with depression.

He explained that MDMA "gives people a feeling of connectedness and it makes it easier for people to connect with a therapist and also talk about some bad personal experiences".

Psilocybin gives patients a "psycho-spiritual effect, which you wouldn't get on traditional drugs", he said, adding that this "might make you feel differently about yourself, and your life... and hopefully, it will make you want to live".

Musker doubts the drugs will be in widespread use among patients until 2024, and said the process would not be a case of "take a pill and go away".

MDMA, for example, would probably involve three treatments over five to eight weeks, with each session lasting about eight hours.

He said therapists would stay with patients while they are receiving the drugs during sessions that could cost in the region of Aus$1,000 (US$660) each.

Lack of options

Doctor David Caldicott, an emergency medicine consultant and clinical drug researcher at the Australian National University, told AFP that the changes put Australia "very much ahead of the pack" in exploring the drugs' medicinal benefits.

But Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Swinburne University said that, while the treatments "have got potential", Australia is "moving ahead five years before it should do".

She told AFP: "When you look at interventions... for any other kind of disease, whether it's cardiovascular disease or cancer, you cannot get a drug to market as quickly as this has been done.

"There are no drugs on the market that don't have phase three and phase four clinical trials -- and that is what we're doing here."

A Health Department spokesperson told AFP that the decision to change the rules "acknowledged that evidence for the use of these substances in treating mental illnesses is not yet well established".

"However, the benefits for some patients... will outweigh the risks, and there is currently a lack of options for patients with specific treatment-resistant mental illnesses."

But patients are being warned not to expect a miracle cure.

"I have read about stories where people have had what you call bad trips or actually they've re-experienced their trauma, and so we've got to take great caution," Musker said.

I think there has to be a warning to the consumer that this is a potential side effect before they take part.

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Pregnant women deal with lots of physical and emotional changes, with sudden mood swings and crazy cravings and the same holds during hot weather as sky-high temperatures can affect expectant women more. According to health experts, moderate exposure to sunlight is necessary during gestation to earn the sufficient levels of vitamin D. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke during pregnancy: Signs and symptoms, prevention tips (Photo by Anna Hecker on Unsplash)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Aruna Kumari, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals in Bangalore's Bellandur, explained, During pregnancy, the metabolic rate  the number of calories a pregnant women burn while her body is at rest  increases 20 percent in the third trimester. Carrying twins adds an extra 10 percent. Pregnant womens body can deploy a few natural defences as the mercury rises. For example, the sweat glands secrete water on the skins surface, and when it evaporates, the temperature of nearby blood vessels decreases.

She elaborated, Sweating helps circulate cooler blood through your body, decreasing your overall temperature. Extreme weather events can also put babies' health at risk  and global warming may increase this health risk going forward. One study from the Journal of the American Heart Association reported that higher temperatures due to climate change may increase the number of congenital heart defects in the US.

Risks of heat exposure during pregnancy

According to Dr Aruna Kumari, here are the four main concerns for pregnant women during a heat wave:

Heat cramps - Of all the heat-related conditions, heat cramps are less dangerous. But these uncomfortable involuntary spasms can come up if you're exercising during hot weather. Lasting longer than the usual nighttime leg cramps, heat cramps may affect the calves, arms and stomach area. It will be worse if there is dehydration or electrolyte deficiency. Dehydration - When the body loses more fluid than it takes in (not drinking enough water in hot weather or working out too intensely), dehydration can develop. Placental perfusion can be hindered if less blood flow due to dehydration. Dehydration can also cause increased uterine activity and up the risk of an early labor or false labour pains so it's extra important to drink enough water when you're pregnant. Heat exhaustion - It occurs during hot weather, high humidity or vigorous physical activity. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which is dangerous and even life-threatening, and it's sometimes tricky to spot as the symptoms are similar to the ones pregnant women deal with regularly, like fatigue, nausea and muscle cramps. Heat stroke - If heat exhaustion is prolonged, heat stroke may occur. This is the most severe type of heat-related illness, and it can happen when the body temperature rises to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Heat stroke is dangerous for both women and their developing babies and may lead to brain, heart, kidney and muscle damage.

Signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke during pregnancy

Dr Aruna Kumari suggested that if you feel weary and thirsty after spending time outside in hot weather, be aware of the following signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke during pregnancy so you can get help:

Fatigue

Dizziness

Fainting

Cool, moist skin with goosebumps

Heavy sweating

Weak or rapid pulse

Muscle cramps

Headache

Nausea

Vomiting

High body temperature (104 degrees Fahrenheit or more)

Confusion

Slurred speech

Racing heart

Fast breathing

Tips to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke during pregnancy

Dr Aruna Kumari advised, Check the forecast during warmer months so you know when to seek out air conditioning and lay low inside. Additional ways to prevent heat-related illnesses during pregnancy are - take extra care when the temperatures soar to keep yourself and your baby safe. Pregnancy and hot weather aren't a good combination, so stay inside during a heat wave, drink lots of water and skip strenuous activity until the temps drop.

Recommending tips to stay healthy and hydrated this summer, she insisted:

Drink up : drinking lots of water and juices is the main key to maintain good hydration in this hot summer. Consuming citrus or fresh fruits also helps in hydration with lots of minerals, Vitamin C in them.

: drinking lots of water and juices is the main key to maintain good hydration in this hot summer. Consuming citrus or fresh fruits also helps in hydration with lots of minerals, Vitamin C in them. Moisturise : As much as the body, your skin needs to stay hydrated too. Pamper your skin by applying moisturiser and always wear sunscreen before stepping out into the sun.

: As much as the body, your skin needs to stay hydrated too. Pamper your skin by applying moisturiser and always wear sunscreen before stepping out into the sun. Relaxation: Give your body a break from the anxiety of pregnancy, and take plenty of rest in a cool and cosy room.

Give your body a break from the anxiety of pregnancy, and take plenty of rest in a cool and cosy room. Frequent showers : Cool down your body temperature by indulging in a couple of showers daily.

: Cool down your body temperature by indulging in a couple of showers daily. Light clothing : Dress in loose fitting and light clothes to allow some room to breathe. Cotton cloths are the best for summer. Layered clothing is a useful method, when not required can be taken off.

: Dress in loose fitting and light clothes to allow some room to breathe. Cotton cloths are the best for summer. Layered clothing is a useful method, when not required can be taken off. Skip midday sun. Stay indoors during the hottest time of the day  from 10 a.m. to 2 pm.

Stay indoors during the hottest time of the day  from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. Check your urine. A dark color indicates you're low on fluids and could signal dehydration.

A dark color indicates you're low on fluids and could signal dehydration. Avoid heavy food : Intake of light meals and plenty of fruits and vegetables can maintain the consumption of nutritional food and keep a stable body temperature level.

: Intake of light meals and plenty of fruits and vegetables can maintain the consumption of nutritional food and keep a stable body temperature level. Workout: As pregnant women are advised to exercise, it is recommended they workout either early morning or after sunset to avoid heat exhaustion.

As pregnant women are advised to exercise, it is recommended they workout either early morning or after sunset to avoid heat exhaustion. Cold- compress: Using a cold- compress on your palms and soles, help in cooling down the body temperature.

Using a cold- compress on your palms and soles, help in cooling down the body temperature. Skip hot tubs and saunas during pregnancy. High temps and humidity aren't the only culprits. Soaking in a hot tub or using a sauna, which aren't recommended in pregnancy, can also lead to dehydration and heat-related illnesses.
Rossiya Airlines, part of Russia's Aeroflot group, on Saturday resumed scheduled flights to Cuba, which had been suspended since Western countries shut Russia out of their airspace in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Aeroflot resumes regular flights to Cuba, first after Ukraine invasion (REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo)

The first flight of what will begin as a twice-weekly service took off for the Cuban resort of Varadero from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Saturday, Aeroflot said.

Russian airlines suspended flights to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on Feb 28 last year, four days after the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

The deputy prime minister for tourism, sport, culture and communications, Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced in May that regular flights to Cuba skirting the airspace of "unfriendly" countries would resume by July.
In a June 21 verdict, the Madras high court ruled in favour of equal sharing of assets built during the duration of a marriage between a man and a woman. The fact that Indian law does not consider assets built during a marriage as belonging to both partners seems to be a little known fact. It is discovered usually in court, mostly by women, who seem to get a grudging settlement, and no assets. This inequity built into the very law  that assets belong to he who pays, and not she who supports the home  results in poor money and asset outcomes for women. Or women staying on in abusive homes due to the fear of being left with nothing to show for years of work during a marriage. For women, whose contribution to the home is often relegated into an endless void, the HC judgment is a giant leap forward.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that women are underfunded for their retirement; what is surprising is that this is not restricted to the poorer and illiterate sections of women, but is all-pervasive. A HelpAge India report Women & Ageing: Invisible or Empowered found that less than half the women surveyed felt financially secure; of the 47% who did feel secure, almost four-fifths depended on their childrens support. Two-thirds of the 7,500 women over 60  from 20 states, two Union Territories and five metros across the mainly non-poor sections of the population  did not own any assets, and three-fourths did not have any savings.

The survey points to the stories in homes across the country playing out every day like a perpetual TV series. The stories are many, but the one I tell here is not of a poor and marginalised woman in a faraway tehsil, but of a Mumbai professional in the digital marketing business. In their late 20s, she and her husband are working hard to make it big in the city of opportunity. Like countless other families, her money runs the house and his builds the assets. A small part of her money goes towards the assets too. He tells her that all assets are in a joint name. A series of circumstances happen that get her to call the agent who buys the mutual funds directly to check why her funds are not showing against her PAN. There is a dark moment of truth when she realises that her name is not on any of the funds. Not only for the ones he buys, but also for the ones her money has bought.

This is not an isolated story, but is repeated in endless homes. Unfortunately, if such a marriage were to break, the woman will be left with no assets. Given that the existing law does not consider a community of marital property  an equal share of the assets built during the tenure of a marriage  the Madras high court judgement is an important step forward. In the words of justice Krishnan Ramasamy, To recognise the contribution made by the wife either directly or indirectly, so far, no legislation has been enacted. However, he continues, the court can certainly recognise the contribution made by the wife towards the assets built by her husband, either directly or indirectly. ...This court is of the considered view that the first defendant/wife has also contributed equally, though not directly but indirectly by way of looking after the home and taking care of the family for more than a decade and managing the household chores, thereby releasing the husband for gainful employment and made his stay comfortable in abroad and also to reduce the expenses and save the money for future benefit of the family including for purchasing of the assets.

As a first-principle argument, this is a big win for women. The court is saying that it does not need an existing law to implement the community of marital property presumption. It can take note of the value of the work a woman does in managing the home and children by recognising that assets must be shared equally and need not depend on ownership through contribution. While this is good news for women who are housewives, it is also great news for qualified women who give up careers to manage the home and children. The asset-sharing judgement suddenly gives money power to the women. It allows her to step out of abusive homes with half the assets built during a marriage.

This case might go to the Supreme Court, but it is up to Parliament to enact a law for all women, and not just Hindu women, to reflect this basic equality in a marriage. Legal experts caution about the second-order impact it might have on issues such as debt and assets of salaried women that might get appropriated, but those should be worked out after a debate. Till that happens, women need to begin to take control of their financial future. Baby steps begin with knowing the household income and expense rhythms. Next are conversations about assets, their ownership and location of documents. Even if women do not understand the complexity of the financial world, it should not stop them from asking for and understanding family assets.

For women, whose contribution to the home is often relegated into an endless void, this judgement is a giant leap forward. As justice Ramasamy says, When the husband and wife are treated as two wheels of a family cart, then the contribution made either by the husband by earning or the wife by serving and looking after the family and children, would be for the welfare of the family and both are entitled equally to whatever they earned by their joint effort.

He has single handedly improved the position of the woman  from a donkey to an equal wheel of the cart called marriage.

Monika Halan is the author of the bestselling book Lets Talk Money. The views expressed are personal.

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Mathematics is the foundation of modern science and technology, and its role in critical areas of national security such as cryptography is even more singular. However, despite a rich historical legacy (Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta and Bhaskara, for instance) as well as renowned mathematicians in the 20th century (such as S Ramanujan, SN Bose, PC reagents Mahanobis and CR Rao), India has fared less well in this critical field in recent years. Despite a rich historical legacy and renowned mathematicians in the 20th century (such as S Ramanujan, SN Bose, PC Mahalanobis and CR Rao), India has fared less well in this critical field in recent years(Wikimedia Commons)

A recent study evaluated the contributions of top mathematicians based on the Discipline H-index or D-index, which tracks each scientists published scholarly papers and citations in their specific discipline.

Among the top 50 mathematicians, only one is of Indian origin; among the top 100, four are of Indian origin. Among the top 500, 15 are of Indian origin, but just one is based in India. Among the top 2,332 mathematicians, just 17 are based in India (less than 1%).

India ranks 19th, lower than tiny countries such as Israel, Austria and Belgium. While there have been two Indian-origin winners of the Fields medal (the Nobel Prize of mathematics)  Akshay Venkatesh and Manjul Bhargava  their parents had emigrated to Australia and Canada, respectively. And while institutions such as the Chennai Institute of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science, Indian Statistical Institute and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, have excellent mathematicians, the pool is thin.

Given Indias size, this is deeply dismaying. There are two reasons why India should be doing much better in mathematics. First, among all Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, the last one is the least capital-intensive. There is relatively less need for capital investments in labs and equipment, which need to be constantly upgraded. Mathematics also does not require large running costs of elaborate support infrastructure such as lab technicians or costly reagents.

Furthermore, if STEM is a ladder of social mobility, mathematics is even more so. Merit is rarely unambiguous, since the nature of standards and the referees that enforce them markedly shape its perception. But some fields of human endeavour have more unambiguous markers of merit.

In mathematics (along with sports, chess, and music), quality cannot be easily gamed. The language of maths is universal  and the standards of merit are unambiguous. The great Indian mathematician, Ramanujan, became a byword in number theory and pure mathematics despite his poverty, weak English language abilities, and being a fish out of water amidst the dons of Cambridge University.

India has failed to produce another Ramanujan despite the language of mathematics being universal (and, hence, English language proficiency mattering much less), a population that has grown five-fold, and is much more educated (at least as measured by the percentage of population finishing high school). This speaks volumes about Indias education system. Indeed, the current system of education is expressly designed to polish the stones and dim the diamonds.

Brilliant mathematicians are well likely to perform weakly or even fail in some subjects that dont interest them. But Indias education prefers well-rounded mediocrity to narrow brilliance.

One of Indias biggest security challenges going forward will be cybersecurity and at the heart of it will be cryptography, for which the country needs hundreds of young talents in pure mathematics. Currently, key national security agencies such as the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) face serious human capital challenges (the largest employer of mathematicians in the US is the National Security Agency or NSA).

But the security challenge for India is much greater. Like all armies, the Indian armed forces are well prepared for the last war. This may matter less under conditions of slow technological change. But when technological change is rapid  and even more when it occurs at the breakneck speed as is the case today  the structures and personnel need a serious rethink.

To take an example, the US set up a new Army Futures Command (AFC) in 2018 (with about 20,000 personnel) to develop the technologies and concepts that will enable its armed forces to stay abreast of the sheer range and speed of unprecedented disruptive technologies that are impacting warfare. AFC is charged with leveraging developments in areas such as robotics, quantum computing, hypersonics, directed energy and Artificial Intelligence pioneered by the private sector. The key personnel are PhDs, who work, unlike the armys usual hierarchical ethos. Knowledge and expertise, not rank and polish, matter. Breaking from the insularity that characterises militaries, it deliberately listens to a range of external civilian advisers, regularly convening meetings with technology experts.

AFC includes coders selected on their coding ability, not rank or academic degree. They not only develop software solutions for the army but regularly deploy with army units around the world to solve their problems on the spot. This matters because of the speed of adaptation to new technologies, everything from drones to electronic warfare to air defences. One example: The US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which initially worked wonders for the Ukrainian army last summer, has seen its effectiveness severely diminished by the Russians jamming its GPS signals. The Ukrainians now have to develop countermeasures to the Russians countermeasures, which require serious cyber and cryptography capabilities.

India will have to do something similar. It cannot compete with China on hardware. But it does have the possibility of harnessing its human capital to both shields itself and disrupt its stronger rival. To do so, it must first develop human capital whose foundations lie in mathematics.

It is therefore imperative that India build its capabilities in mathematics. Looking forward, this will be a much-needed skill. It will also be an essential component in operationalising and deepening the India-US high-tech partnership that was unveiled during Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit. The markers of merit in maths are unambiguous, and systems need to be created to nurture raw talent whose English accents may be poor and who have little social capital.

One pathway would be to build mathematics camps and Olympiads in districts and cities, and then at the state and national level. Annual maths Olympiads would help select the most promising talent who will be fully funded  either by the government or corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds from the private sector  wherever they choose to study, but conditional on their serving for a few years in an area of national priority subsequently. India needs to urgently bolster its capabilities in mathematics to amplify the opportunities for its young population and thereby meet its potential in the world of deep tech that will define the future.

Devesh Kapur is Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

The views expressed are personal
In the fall of 2022, Spanish luxury fashion brand Balenciaga debuted a bag made out of leather that looked like a Lay's potato chip packet. While one packet of chips cost $4 in the US, the leather handbag cost $1800. PREMIUM The business model of fast fashion brands depends on tempting consumers to keep buying clothes endlessly at ultra-cheap prices. (AFP)

The handbag caught the attention of many, months after the fashion house launched a "Trash Pouch" made of calfskin leather in August, and a caution-tape dress and credit card earrings, both worn by Kim Kardashian.

A lot of attention, mostly on social media, also went towards the excesses of these "fashion" accessories: Not only over the use of leather, but also how expensive, and how unusable these items seemed to be.

In recent years, as clothing brands turned from two-year trends to 52 micro seasons a year, fast fashion has emerged as an ugly contributor to climate crisis.

Fast-fashion is termed so because it changes quickly (at the time of writing Zara had 490 new products listed for women on the Indian version of its mobile application, HnM 282), the rate of production is high (India produced 622 million tonnes of textiles in 2022-2023), consumers are quick to make purchasing decisions, and the garments are worn fast (in most cases, just a few times before they are discarded).

The business model of fast fashion brands depends on tempting consumers to keep buying clothes endlessly at ultra-cheap prices. The role of social media and influencer culture is undeniable in this shift.

But apart from the economics and probable human rights violations at the sweat shops, fast fashion comes at a great environmental cost.

The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions, more than both aviation (2%) and maritime industry (2.8%) combined.
US president Joe Biden said that Washington is getting the help from Afghanistan's Taliban to 'end' Al-Qaeda threat, contradicting a UN report released last month that said Taliban maintains "strong and symbiotic" ties with Al-Qaeda, and that the latter "is rebuilding operational capability" on Afghan soil. The US president made the remarks during a press conference following the Supreme Court's decision to block his student debt relief program. US president Joe Biden.(AP)

When a reporter asked if he admitted to mistakes during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Joe Biden said, No, no. All the evidence is coming back, according to a White House transcript.

Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn't be there. I said we'd get help from the Taliban. What's happening now? What's going on? Read your press. I was right," Joe Biden said.

This comes after a US state department report blamed both former US president Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations for chaos that followed during the final weeks of US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Taliban replied to Joe Biden's remarks, saying, "We consider remarks by US President Joe Biden about non-existence of armed groups in Afghanistan as acknowledgement of reality. It refutes the recent report by UN Sanctions Monitoring Team alleging the presence & operation of over twenty armed groups in Afghanistan."

The UN report had said that the link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and symbiotic. A range of terrorist groups have greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities. They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region.

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As Canada looks to deepening economic engagement with India, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng will lead a five-day trade mission to India this October. HT Image

In an announcement, she said that she will lead the Team Canada Trade Mission to India from October 9 to 13, which will be followed by another to Japan in late October.

Join me on these great opportunities to access the fastest-growing region in the world - the Indo-Pacific, she said.

Inviting interest in the mission, the Trade Commissioner Service or TCS said that Mumbai was confirmed as a location for the trip though other cities could potentially be added.

India is a priority market with great potential for growth and success for Canadian companies of all sizes. Building off strong people-to-people ties, the Government of Canada is putting in place the conditions to facilitate greater commercial ties, including through the negotiation of an Early Progress Trade Agreement, a description of the event noted.

The proposed trade mission was originally announced by Ng at an event organised by the Canada-India Business Council in Toronto in May this year. She did so in the presence of Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal who was on a bilateral visit to Canada at the time.

Reacting to the announcement, Winnipeg-based Hemant Shah, trade director of the Overseas Friends of India Canada or OFIC, said, This trade mission will open the doors for many Canadian companies as India is a booming economy. It will show the commitment by the Canadian Government to the Indian Government and Indian industry.

Ng is likely to meet Goyal during her October visit. But before that, Ng will be in India for the G20 Trade Ministers vertical in Jaipur, where a bilateral conversation is expected.

They are expected to continue discussions towards the EPTA on the margins of the multilateral event.

Several sectors have been identified for focus during the mission. These include agriculture and processed foods, arts and cultural industries, clean technologies, industrial machinery, information and communications technologies, infrastructure, and life sciences. We anticipate a high demand for participation in this mission, the notice said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharyya Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. ...view detail
Lets start by laying down the baseline premise: inequality in America has been widening for decades. Were all aware of the fact. Yes, there are some on the right who deny this reality, but serious analysts across the political spectrum take it for granted. I wont run through all the evidence here, except to say that the gap between the 1 percent and the 99 percent is vast when looked at in terms of annual income, and even vaster when looked at in terms of wealththat is, in terms of accumulated capital and other assets. Consider the Walton family: the six heirs to the Walmart empire possess a combined wealth of some $90 billion, which is equivalent to the wealth of the entire bottom 30 percent of U.S. society. (Many at the bottom have zero or negative net worth, especially after the housing debacle.) Warren Buffett put the matter correctly when he said, Theres been class warfare going on for the last 20 years and my class has won.

So, no: theres little debate over the basic fact of widening inequality. The debate is over its meaning. From the right, you sometimes hear the argument made that inequality is basically a good thing: as the rich increasingly benefit, so does everyone else. This argument is false: while the rich have been growing richer, most Americans (and not just those at the bottom) have been unable to maintain their standard of living, let alone to keep pace. A typical full-time male worker receives the same income today he did a third of a century ago.

From the left, meanwhile, the widening inequality often elicits an appeal for simple justice: why should so few have so much when so many have so little? Its not hard to see why, in a market-driven age where justice itself is a commodity to be bought and sold, some would dismiss that argument as the stuff of pious sentiment.

Put sentiment aside. There are good reasons why plutocrats should care about inequality anywayeven if theyre thinking only about themselves. The rich do not exist in a vacuum. They need a functioning society around them to sustain their position. Widely unequal societies do not function efficiently and their economies are neither stable nor sustainable. The evidence from history and from around the modern world is unequivocal: there comes a point when inequality spirals into economic dysfunction for the whole society, and when it does, even the rich pay a steep price.

Let me run through a few reasons why.

The Consumption Problem

When one interest group holds too much power, it succeeds in getting policies that help itself in the short term rather than help society as a whole over the long term. This is what has happened in America when it comes to tax policy, regulatory policy, and public investment. The consequence of channeling gains in income and wealth in one direction only is easy to see when it comes to ordinary household spending, which is one of the engines of the American economy.

It is no accident that the periods in which the broadest cross sections of Americans have reported higher net incomeswhen inequality has been reduced, partly as a result of progressive taxationhave been the periods in which the U.S. economy has grown the fastest. It is likewise no accident that the current recession, like the Great Depression, was preceded by large increases in inequality. When too much money is concentrated at the top of society, spending by the average American is necessarily reducedor at least it will be in the absence of some artificial prop. Moving money from the bottom to the top lowers consumption because higher-income individuals consume, as a fraction of their income, less than lower-income individuals do.

In our imaginations, it doesnt always seem as if this is the case, because spending by the wealthy is so conspicuous. Just look at the color photographs in the back pages of the weekend Wall Street Journal of houses for sale. But the phenomenon makes sense when you do the math. Consider someone like Mitt Romney, whose income in 2010 was $21.7 million. Even if Romney chose to live a much more indulgent lifestyle, he would spend only a fraction of that sum in a typical year to support himself and his wife in their several homes. But take the same amount of money and divide it among 500 peoplesay, in the form of jobs paying $43,400 apieceand youll find that almost all of the money gets spent.

The relationship is straightforward and ironclad: as more money becomes concentrated at the top, aggregate demand goes into a decline. Unless something else happens by way of intervention, total demand in the economy will be less than what the economy is capable of supplyingand that means that there will be growing unemployment, which will dampen demand even further. In the 1990s that something else was the tech bubble. In the first decade of the 21st century, it was the housing bubble. Today, the only recourse, amid deep recession, is government spendingwhich is exactly what those at the top are now hoping to curb.

The Rent Seeking Problem

Here I need to resort to a bit of economic jargon. The word rent was originally used, and still is, to describe what someone received for the use of a piece of his landits the return obtained by virtue of ownership, and not because of anything one actually does or produces. This stands in contrast to wages, for example, which connotes compensation for the labor that workers provide. The term rent was eventually extended to include monopoly profitsthe income that one receives simply from the control of a monopoly. In time, the meaning was expanded still further to include the returns on other kinds of ownership claims. If the government gave a company the exclusive right to import a certain amount of a certain good, such as sugar, then the extra return was called a quota rent. The acquisition of rights to mine or drill produces a form of rent. So does preferential tax treatment for special interests. In a broad sense, rent seeking defines many of the ways by which our current political process helps the rich at the expense of everyone else, including transfers and subsidies from the government, laws that make the marketplace less competitive, laws that allow C.E.O.s to take a disproportionate share of corporate revenue (though Dodd-Frank has made matters better by requiring a non-binding shareholder vote on compensation at least once every three years), and laws that permit corporations to make profits as they degrade the environment.

The magnitude of rent seeking in our economy, while hard to quantify, is clearly enormous. Individuals and corporations that excel at rent seeking are handsomely rewarded. The financial industry, which now largely functions as a market in speculation rather than a tool for promoting true economic productivity, is the rent-seeking sector par excellence. Rent seeking goes beyond speculation. The financial sector also gets rents out of its domination of the means of paymentthe exorbitant credit- and debit-card fees and also the less well-known fees charged to merchants and passed on, eventually, to consumers. The money it siphons from poor and middle-class Americans through predatory lending practices can be thought of as rents. In recent years, the financial sector has accounted for some 40 percent of all corporate profits. This does not mean that its social contribution sneaks into the plus column, or comes even close. The crisis showed how it could wreak havoc on the economy. In a rent-seeking economy such as ours has become, private returns and social returns are badly out of whack.

In their simplest form, rents are nothing more than re-distributions from one part of society to the rent seekers. Much of the inequality in our economy has been the result of rent seeking, because, to a significant degree, rent seeking re-distributes money from those at the bottom to those at the top.

But there is a broader economic consequence: the fight to acquire rents is at best a zero-sum activity. Rent seeking makes nothing grow. Efforts are directed toward getting a larger share of the pie rather than increasing the size of the pie. But its worse than that: rent seeking distorts resource allocations and makes the economy weaker. It is a centripetal force: the rewards of rent seeking become so outsize that more and more energy is directed toward it, at the expense of everything else. Countries rich in natural resources are infamous for rent-seeking activities. Its far easier to get rich in these places by getting access to resources at favorable terms than by producing goods or services that benefit people and increase productivity. Thats why these economies have done so badly, in spite of their seeming wealth. Its easy to scoff and say: Were not Nigeria, were not Congo. But the rent-seeking dynamic is the same.

The Fairness Problem

People are not machines. They have to be motivated to work hard. If they feel that they are being treated unfairly, it can be difficult to motivate them. This is one of the central tenets of modern labor economics, encapsulated in the so-called efficiency-wage theory, which argues that how firms treat their workersincluding how much they pay themaffects productivity. It was, in fact, a theory elaborated nearly a century ago by the great economist Alfred Marshall, who observed that highly paid labour is generally efficient and therefore not dear labour. In truth, its wrong to think of this proposition as just a theory: it has been borne out by countless economic experiments.

While people will always disagree over the precise meaning of what constitutes fair, there is a growing sense in America that the current disparity in income, and the way wealth is allocated in general, is profoundly unfair. Theres no begrudging the wealth accrued by those who have transformed our economythe inventors of the computer, the pioneers of biotechnology. But, for the most part, these are not the people at the top of our economic pyramid. Rather, to a too large extent, its people who have excelled at rent seeking in one form or another. And, to most Americans, that seems unfair.

People were surprised when the financial firm MF Global, headed by Jon Corzine, suddenly collapsed into bankruptcy last year, leaving victims by the thousands as a result of actions that may prove to have been criminal; but given Wall Streets recent history, Im not sure people were all that surprised to learn that several MF Global executives would still be getting their bonuses. When corporate C.E.O.s argue that wages have to be reduced or that there must be layoffs in order for companies to competeand simultaneously increase their own compensationworkers rightly consider what is happening to be unfair. This in turn affects their efforts on the job, their loyalty to the firm, and their willingness to invest in its future. The widespread sense by workers in the Soviet Union that they were being mistreated in exactly this wayexploited by managers who lived high on the hogplayed a major role in the hollowing out of the Soviet economy, and in its ultimate collapse. As the old Soviet joke had it, They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work.

In a society in which inequality is widening, fairness is not just about wages and income, or wealth. Its a far more generalized perception. Do I seem to have a stake in the direction society is going, or not? Do I share in the benefits of collective action, or not? If the answer is a loud no, then brace for a decline in motivation whose repercussions will be felt economically and in all aspects of civic life.

For Americans, one key aspect of fairness is opportunity: everyone should have a fair shot at living the American Dream. Horatio Alger stories remain the mythic ideal, but the statistics paint a very different picture: in America, the chances of someones making it to the top, or even to the middle, from a place near the bottom are lower than in the countries of old Europe or in any other advanced industrial country. Those at the top can take comfort from knowing that their chances of becoming downwardly mobile are lower in America than they are elsewhere.

There are many costs to this lack of opportunity. A large number of Americans are not living up to their potential; were wasting our most valuable asset, our talent. As we slowly grasp whats been happening, there will be an erosion of our sense of identity, in which America is seen as a fair country. This will have direct economic effectsbut also indirect ones, fraying the bonds that hold us together as a nation.

The Mistrust Problem
China's ruling Communist Party has appointed People's Bank of China (PBOC) Deputy Governor Pan Gongsheng as the party secretary for the central bank, the PBOC said on Saturday. People's Bank of China (PBOC) Vice Governor Pan Gongsheng speaks at a news conference in Beijing, China March 3, 2023. (Reuters)

The party's Central Organization Department announced the decision at a meeting on Saturday afternoon, the bank said in a statement on its website.

The Wall Street Journal reported hours earlier that Pan would be appointed governor of the PBOC by the State Council, after first being made party secretary. Appointment to head the central bank would be made by China's government.

The PBOC did not immediately respond to a Reuters fax seeking comment on Saturday.

The appointment of Pan, 60, comes as expectations rise for the authorities to take steps to boost the world's second-largest economy, where slowdown is deepening and spreading as a burst of activity after strict COVID-19 controls fades.

The central bank said on Friday it would implement prudent monetary policy in a "precise and forceful manner" to support economic growth and employment.

Pan has deep experience with Chinese banks and policy. He has been the deputy governor of the PBOC since 2012, according to SAFE's website.
On Tuesday, Colorado police reported that earlier this month, a 16-year-old boy killed his ex-girlfriend in the presence of her little brother because she wanted to break up with him. Lily Silva-Lopez,15, was murders by her ex-boyfriend. (New York Post screenshot/official site)

According to Weld County District Court Division 17, Jovanni Sirio-Cardona is the prime adult suspect and is being tried in association with the shooting incident resulting in the death of Lily Silva-Lopez,15.

Apparently, on 17th June at 3:45 p.m., Sirio-Cardona was caught on camera bolting down the bike path that trails along Lilys trailer park home in Greeley, a suburb of Denver. This incident took place five days before her birthday and prior to his trespassing through her bedroom window.

Lily cried out for her younger brother, 13, to flee for his life seconds before gunshots echoed. He was in the other room watching TV. The boy informed police, as per the arrest affidavit obtained by Denver 7.

Sirio-Cardona presumably fired several shots at his ex-girlfriend in her hallway.

Lilys brother told police he witnessed his sister on the floor and saw Sirio-Cardona holding a black gun and a green scope. The boy further described the murder scene by mentioning that Sirio-Cardona was standing over his sisters dead body with blood trickling from the bridge of his nose.

Police asserted that Lily's brother pleaded desperately for his life; the accused killer took away his iPhone to ensure the boy was unable to seek help.

Sirio-Cardona allegedly asked Lily's brother to assist him in moving Lilys body before doing it himself. The dead body was discovered in her room.

After Sirio-Cardona escaped the scene, the boy sprinted to a neighbours home to call 911.

Police reported that the young teenager quickly pointed out Sirio-Cardona as the killer. As per the records, when his grandmother inquired why police officers went to Sirio-Cardonas home, he informed her he did what he had to do and shot someone.

Lilys mom told police that Sirio-Cardona physically abused her daughter, which hindered their relationship.

Last month when Lily initiated a breakup with Sirio-Cardona, he threatened her by putting a gun into her mouth, telling her that she wasnt going to break up with him and she needed to tell him she loved him. He was also sighted stalking Lily at her house just two days before he presumably killed her, according to the records.

Lily just completed her sophomore year and was an employee at Wing Shack.

Lilys family said, She enjoyed shopping, clothes, makeup and dancing. She loved to eat! Enchiladas were her favorite. She loved animals. She was a loving and caring friend with lots of spice.

Sirio-Cardona was charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, aggravated robbery and possession of a handgun by a juvenile. He will be granted bail for $2 million.

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There has been a lot going on since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles within the royal family and moved to the United States. Now one prince revealed that he feels bad for Prince Harry as he believes he is suffering since stepping back from royal duties. Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy (L) and his wife French actress Clotilde Courau .(Reuters)

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice who is married to French actor Clotilde Courau planned to renounce his title and claim to the throne.

We are in a world where there are a lot of changes, a lot of quick changes, and I really like the approach that today the younger generation can [take on] uncertain matters. I do not want to, lets say, block my daughter until I become very old and perhaps take some wonderful things [away from her] that she could do. She also needs to do her life and her career because we are not a reigning monarchy. She has to work to gain money," he said.

When I feel she is ready, [I would be] very pleased to do a step behind and let her take the role of chief of the royal family in Italy," he continued.

The Prince of Venice admitted that he felt sorry for Duke of Sussex when he attended his fathers coronation alone saying, I felt a bit sad when I saw him at the coronation of King Charles arriving alone  because hes still the son of the king of England. I think private matters should stay private in families. Im sure hes suffering a lot about what is happening  You grew up to be like this. I know what it feels like to be part of a royal family, to have this blood that is in you.

Im the last person to try to judge people because I also did things that were completely out of, lets say, the protocol, I wanted to present myself to the Italian people. So I did television, I accept everyone and the only thing I wish is happiness so that they could be able to [raise] their children in another life. And in the end, well see who was right and who was not. But you know, its [their] choice and God bless them. And I hope they will have a wonderful life," the prince said.

The Italian royal said that he respects King Charles saying, I think hes a wonderful man first than a king. Hes a man that was speaking about [the environment] much more before everyone else was speaking about it  He is an artistic person. And I think all of that combined will make him a fantastic king. And I totally support him. He is already doing an incredible job.

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The scorching conditions are expected to test the resilience of residents and local authorities alike next week of 85 major cities across the US, according to data analysed and reported by The New York Times. A woman jogs with a dog along the Hudson River shortly after sunrise, as haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada hang over the Manhattan skyline, in New York, on June 7. Environment Canada, the government-run weather agency told Reuters that wildfire smoke can harm health even at low concentrations, and people with lung or heart diseases, as well as older adults, children, and pregnant women, were at higher health risk from wildfire smoke,(Mike Segar / Reuters)

In the bustling metropolis of New York, the heatwave tightens its grip. With temperatures rising steadily, Saturday's high reaches a sweltering 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit), intensifying to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) by Wednesday and maintaining the scorching heat through Thursday. The concrete jungle becomes an urban oven as New Yorkers seek respite from the oppressive conditions.

Down in Memphis, Tenn., the situation is no different. The city and its surroundings are immersed in a blanket of heat, starting with a scorching 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday. Although the temperature subsides slightly to 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, the heat remains unrelenting throughout the week. Residents are urged to take caution and protect themselves from the searing temperatures.

Baton Rouge, La., experiences a similar fate, battling with the intense heatwave. With an initial high of 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, temperatures gradually decline but remain dangerously high throughout the week. Baton Rouge residents and visitors must remain vigilant and prioritize their well-being.

In Little Rock, Ark., the mercury soars to a staggering 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday. While there's a brief respite on Wednesday with a high of 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit), the city remains under the oppressive heatwave for the rest of the week. Proper hydration and staying indoors become imperative to combat the scorching conditions.

Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., share the burden of the heatwave as temperatures surge above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The cities experience minor fluctuations in the coming week, but the sweltering conditions persist, posing challenges to residents and prompting them to take necessary precautions.

Olive Branch, Miss., Tupelo, Miss., and Southaven, Miss., face the brunt of the heatwave as well. With temperatures reaching up to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) initially, these cities endure scorching conditions throughout the week. Seeking cool shelter and staying hydrated become crucial for survival.

The heatwave extends its reach to various other cities, including Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans, La., St. Louis, Mo., Birmingham, Ala., and many more. Each city battles its own set of challenges as the temperatures soar and residents strive to adapt.

Local authorities issue heat advisories and warnings, emphasizing the importance of staying hydrated, seeking shade, and limiting outdoor activities during peak heat hours. Community efforts to support vulnerable individuals and ensure their well-being play a vital role in mitigating the impact of this formidable heatwave.

In the face of these scorching conditions, cities unite to provide relief measures such as cooling centres, increased availability of water, and public awareness campaigns. Communities pull together, displaying resilience and compassion to withstand the challenging times brought forth by the heatwave.

As the battle against the relentless sun continues, it is crucial for individuals to stay informed, prioritize their safety, and support one another. By adapting to the changing climate and implementing sustainable practices, cities can work towards mitigating the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather events in the future.

Check the full list here

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail
The federal prosecutor overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden, US Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss, has reiterated his claim of having "ultimate authority" over the Justice Department's probe. FILE PHOTO: 'Ultimate Authority' in Hunter Biden Probe Amid ControversyREUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo(REUTERS)

In response to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan's inquiries, Weiss maintained that he had the power to decide where, when, and whether to file charges against President Biden's son.

The prosecutor also addressed allegations made by IRS whistleblowers, denying any retaliation or cover-up and emphasizing the protection of confidential law enforcement information.

I stand by what I wrote At the outset, I would like to reaffirm the contents of the June 7 letter drafted by my office and reiterate that I am not at liberty to provide the materials you seek.

The US Attorney in a letter to Chairman Jordan wrote, The whistleblowers allegations relate to a criminal investigation that is now being prosecuted in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. AT this juncture, I am required to protect confidential law enforcement information and deliberative communications related to the case. Thus, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation at this time.

ALSO READ| Buckingham Palace to house homeless? Camilla's friend says not good enough'

Chairman Jordan had raised concerns about allegations made by IRS whistleblowers, who claimed that Weiss did not possess ultimate authority and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had retaliated against them for their disclosures to Congress.

Weiss promptly denied these allegations, emphasizing that the DOJ did not engage in any retaliatory actions against the whistleblowers or their investigative team.

The Department of Justice did not retaliate against an Internal Revenue Service Criminal Supervisory Special Agent and whistleblower, as well as his entire investigative team. For making protected disclosures to Congress.

The 67-year-old US Attorney clarified his position, explaining, As the US Attorney for the District of Delaware, my charging authority is geographically limited to my home district If venue for a case lies elsewhere, common Departmental practice is to contact the United States Attorneys Office for the district in question and determine whether it wants to partner on the case. If not, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General pursuant to 28 U.S.C 515.

David Weiss. (Image Credit: Saquan Stimpson/Delaware News Journal/USA Today)(USA Today)

He added, Here, I have been assured that, if necessary after the above process, I would be granted 515 Authority in the District of Columbia, the Central District of California, or any other district where charges could be brought in this matter.

IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, stating that Weiss had attempted to bring federal charges against Hunter Biden in the Central District of California and Washington, D.C.

However, his requests were denied by Biden-appointed US attorneys Martin Estrada and Matthew Graves. Shapley further claimed that Weiss had sought to be appointed as a special counsel for the case on multiple occasions, including as recently as spring 2022, but was rejected by the Biden Justice Department. Another anonymous IRS whistleblower corroborated these assertions during their testimony before the same committee in June.

ALSO READ| Not done fighting yet, Biden to announce new plan to protect student loan borrowers amid SC's ruling

Weiss concluded his letter expressing his willingness to discuss the topics in more detail with the Committee when the appropriate time comes. He stated, At the appropriate time, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these topics with the Committee in more detail, and answer questions related to the whistleblowers allegations consistent with the law and Department policy. It is my understanding that the Office of Legislative Affairs will work with the Committee to discuss appropriate timeline and scope.
Rioting continues in France with cars and buildings set ablaze and stores looted, even as family and friends prepared Saturday to bury the 17-year-old teenager whose killing by police unleashed the unrest. Protesters block a street with garbage cans in Colombes, outside Paris, France. (AP)

Read here: Amid France unrest, Macron's tells parents, social media platforms: Stop

A video of protestors doing warmup to prepare themselves for the protest is doing rounds on social media. HT cannot verify the authenticity of the footage. In the video, a several men can be seen walking and running on the streets to prepare themselves to confront the police force. "Rioters were seen earlier in the evening warming up before engaging in confrontation with the police," reads the caption.

The video has garnered over 24,000 views. "Warm-up is always important," said a user. "That's super funny," commented another.

The French government has deployed over 45,000 police personnel to quell violence. The protesters clashed with police and ransacked stores.

Read here: Violent protests rock France, foreign tourists cancel trip: 8 points

The rioting is the worst France has seen in years and puts enormous pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who appealed to the parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fueling violence.

The funeral ceremony of the teenager Nahel began Saturday with a visitation, to be followed by a mosque ceremony and burial in the cemetery.

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The royal family undertook seven per cent fewer engagements in the first half of this year than last year, it was revealed as the monarchy reduced to 11 people on official duties following King Charles' order. This means that the royal family is doing significantly less work down 31 per cent  than 2019. Royal watchers feared that this would make it harder for the monarchy to win financial support from the charities. King Charles III is seen. (Reuters)

Patricia Treble, a Canadian journalist and royal specialist, said, They have to figure out how to live up to the late Queens maxim, I have to be seen to be believed.

King Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton have collectively reduced their number of engagements by 11 per cent compared to the first half of last year, Patricia Treble noted. In total, they undertook 514 engagements in the first six months of 2023, compared to 578 in the same period last year and 611 in 2019.

There has also been a reduction in overseas tours undertaken in 2023. The aftermath of the Queens death and then the Coronation are certainly big factors," Express UK reported, adding, Charles and his family are missing the late Queen, who still undertook 100 duties in the first half of last year while ill and helped take the 2022 half-year total to 1,373 engagements, compared to 1,277 in the same period this year.

Prince William and Kate Middleton were out on official duties for 65 and 55 days respectively, it was revealed. The senior royals are expected to undertake visits to some of the 14 countries.

All official overseas visits by members of the Royal Family are undertaken at the request of Government. The cost of official royal travel varies from year to year, depending on the number and nature of overseas visits," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

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A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper said, raising concerns over the city's shrinking press freedoms. A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country

The Japan Times, a prominent English-language newspaper, reported Friday that a freelance journalist was taken by officials to a room after arriving at the city's airport Thursday evening. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in the financial hub, was later interviewed for around an hour, it said.

Ogawa said officials only told him that he could not be granted permission to stay in the city and he was sent back to Tokyo on Friday, the report said.

It "truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before, Ogawa was quoted as saying in the report.

In an email reply to the Associated Press, the Immigration Department in Hong Kong did not confirm the events and refused to comment on individual cases. It added the department acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case.

The entry denial has raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's press freedom, which was once a hallmark of the former British colony.

Hong Kong returned to China's rule in 1997 and was promised the right to retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover, but its press scene drastically shrank after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.

The law was introduced after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has prosecuted many leading Hong Kong activists, including Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, and other top management staffers at the newspaper.

The Japan Times said Ogawa has been closely following Hong Kong issues since 2014 and covered the 2019 movement but he did not plan to write anything about the city during his trip.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders tweeted Friday it was appalled at Ogawa's ordeal.

Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May. The watchdog said the city has experienced an unprecedented setback since 2020, when the security law was introduced.

In January, the Hong Kong Journalists Association reported that Japan-based photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to the city in late 2022. The association said she had covered the 2019 protests and was grilled by authorities about her exhibition in Japan.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented the Elephant Family environmental award to Indian conservationists: filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves behind Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers and the Real Elephant Collective (TREC) of 70 Adivasi artists. Filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves accepts the Tara Award from King Charles III and Queen Camilla in London, UK.(PTI)

Kartiki Gonsalves was recognised for extraordinary achievements in storytelling and advocacy for coexistence. This powerful film explores the profound connection between humans and elephants through the heartwarming story of Raghu, an orphaned elephant from the same herds depicted in TRECs sculptures. Gonsalves dedicated her award to Mother India and the idea of coexistence, emphasising the importance of respect for indigenous communities and empathy towards all living beings, the Elephant Family said.

The Elephant Whisperers won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film earlier this year. The Elephant Family said the documentary stands as a testament to the beauty of Indias wilderness, the wisdom of tribal communities, and the empathy that exists between people and animals who share the same space.

As Kartiki Gonsalves, a true champion for wildlife and nature, receives this esteemed award, Elephant Family honours her unwavering dedication and unyielding enthusiasm towards the preservation of our natural world, it added.

The Real Elephant Collective was awarded the Mark Shand Award, named in honour of the late founder of Elephant Family. It is an international NGO dedicated to protecting the Asian elephant.

The success of TREC has paved the way for the establishment of the CoExistence Consortium, an India-wide group that brings together local experts, ecologists, anthropologists, geographers, and conservationists. Working hand in hand with communities living alongside wildlife, the consortium designs and implements coexistence solutions that prioritise the perspectives and needs of these communities, the wildlife charity said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" ...view detail
Myanmars Supreme Court scheduled hearings for this month to consider appeals from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her conviction in cases that saw her receive a total of 33 years in prison, legal officials said Saturday. Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi(AP)

The cases against her are mostly brought by the military that seized power from her elected government in February 2021.

The 78-year-old Suu Kyi was arrested following the military takeover and tried on a variety of charges that supporters and rights groups say were concocted to legitimize the usurpation and discredit her so she could not resume an active role in politics.

She has not been seen or allowed to speak in public since she was arrested and her lawyers have been barred from speaking to the press about her cases since late 2021.

Two legal officials familiar with the cases filed against her said the Supreme Court planned to hear Suu Kyis appeals on July 5 in two cases in which she was convicted of election fraud and breaching the countrys official secrets act. She received a three-year sentence for each case in September last year.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information about Suu Kyis cases.

They said the court was due on July 12 to hear appeals against her conviction on five corruption charges where she was found guilty of abusing her position and causing a loss of state funds by neglecting to heed financial regulations. She received seven years of prison time in total for the five cases, which involved granting permission to Win Myat Aye, a Cabinet member in her former government, to hire, buy and maintain a helicopter.

The court set July 18 for a hearing on whether to accept special appeals for reducing the sentences against her in cases where she was convicted of sedition, illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions, the legal officials said.

Special appeals are usually the final stage of the appeals process in Myanmar.

Initial appeals filed by her lawyers in most of her cases have already been rejected at least once by lower courts. Appeals of her convictions on seven other corruption charges are still being processed, the legal officials said.

Suu Kyis legal team has faced several hurdles, including being unable to meet with her to receive her instructions as they prepared her appeals.

They have applied five times for permission to meet with Suu Kyi since they last saw her in person in December, but have not received any response, the legal officials said.

Prison regulations are supposed to allow every newly convicted prisoner to communicate with any person to arrange appeals. However, prison superintendents are allowed to refuse permission for meetings if they think they would be against the public interest.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the armys 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that the military government suppressed with deadly force, triggering widespread armed resistance that some UN officials characterized as civil war.

At least 19,295 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, were being held in Myanmar as of Friday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group that tracks tallies of arrests and killings by security forces.
Two Johann Sebastian Bach manuscripts in the British Librarys music collections - the autograph manuscript of the second book of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 870-893) and of the cantata Wo soll ich fliehen hin? (BW 5), recently came into the conservation studio. Treatment was undertaken with generous support from the Leche Trust.

This blog post focuses on the work undertaken on the Well-Tempered Clavier manuscript, which we are pleased to say is now complete.

Prelude in C Major (before treatment)

Effects of Iron Gall ink corrosion; Iron gall ink has been used since the middle ages and is found on many of our most treasured manuscripts, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, Beowulf and Magna Carta. The main ingredients of iron gall ink include iron sulphate, tannins from oak galls and water.

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II

Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier (named after a system of tuning  well temperament) is one of those musical works that seems to justify the grand claims made about it. On the face of it, its a simple series of preludes and fugues in every key, major and minor: 24 in all, with two sets of these (giving the series its nickname the 48). But its also a jaw-dropping feat of compositional virtuosity, with Bach using his immense contrapuntal skills to weave together separate musical lines that fit together logically (but never too predictably) and yet also produce inspired music at the same time.

The British Librarys manuscript of the second book of the Well-Tempered Clavier (Add MS 35021 and Add MS 38068) is really a set of individual manuscripts for 21 of the preludes and fugues in the second book (those in C-sharp minor, D major and F minor are unfortunately not preserved here and must have been separated from the others at an earlier date). These were composed between 1739 and 1742.

Each prelude and fugue were mostly written out to (very satisfyingly) fit on a single side of an open folded page, avoiding the need to turn the sheet over  even if this at times means a bit of a squeeze. (No amount of squeezing was going to fit the lengthy prelude and fugue in A-flat major onto one side  this carries on over to the next side). Most of the pieces have been written out by Johann Sebastian Bach himself, apart from four and a bit which are known to be in the hand of his second wife, Anna Magdalena (those in C minor, D minor, E major, G major and the beginning of the prelude in F major).

Prelude in C minor (BWV 871), in the hand of Anna Magdalena Bach (before treatment)





Planning  what were the issues?

Unfortunately, even in optimal storage conditions, chemical and physical processes that pose a risk to manuscripts like these can, over time, still occur. We minimise threats to the collection as much as possible, by controlling factors like temperature and humidity, by using appropriate housing and by limiting access to, and use of, particularly vulnerable materials. However, even with strict environmental monitoring a common problem that is difficult to halt entirely is one of iron gall ink corrosion. Like much music of this period and earlier, these Bach manuscripts are especially at risk from this due to the make-up of the inks that were used  iron sulphate and acidic tannins in particular, which, over time, oxidise and eat away at the paper. Theres an interesting blog post on this here: https://blogs.bl.uk/collectioncare/2021/06/iron-gall-ink-on-paper-saving-the-words-that-eat-themselves.html.

When it came to planning conservation work, there were two main issues to consider. One was the corroding ink, as mentioned above. This is a particular problem where the ink is applied thickly to a small area, as tends to happen when writing expressive music notation. There were various examples of this on the Bach manuscript, ranging from visible holes to less obvious hairline cracks, making it extremely vulnerable.

The other issue was previous methods of preservation in manuscripts past - the manuscript pages had been bound into a single large volume, with each folio mounted into paper windows. This mounting paper had aged poorly, shown in the image below. Over time, its acidic properties have led to it discolouring and becoming brittle  meaning some were no longer secure in the binding. Tension from the acidic border was also causing stress to the centre of each bifolio of the manuscript, increasing the risk of splitting. It was clear that the time had come to give the manuscript a more appropriate long-term home.

Previous binding for Add MS 35021

Manuscript folios mounted in paper inlays inside (before treatment)







Conservation over time

Something that really made an impression in the course of this project was the changing approach to conservation over the years  understandable given evolving knowledge, the emergence of new technologies and shifting emphasis in professional standards. However, while treatment undertaken decades ago might appear questionable now, we are mindful that it was done with the best intentions given the tools and knowledge available at the time.

A good example is in relation to iron gall ink. There are very few ways to fully halt the corrosive effects of the ink and limiting the damage is often the only approach. However, one treatment that emerged in the mid-1990s involves an aqueous treatment, using a calcium phytate solution to neutralise the acidic iron content in the ink.

In recent years, the British Library has established processes for this treatment, but still it is not something to be undertaken lightly. While extensive testing prior to treatment ensures that both the structure of the paper and the ink will remain secure, nonetheless the process has the effect of washing the paper. Therefore, this results in the removal of dirt and accretions but also, potentially valuable but less obvious, evidence of historical use.

The decisions are not easy, as weighed against the potential risk of sometimes losing potential sources of historical evidence, such as staining on the paper, is the risk of the manuscript deteriorating to such an extent that any kind of study becomes impossible.

Decisions

Given the iconic status of this manuscript, many people were involved in the decision-making and the project was a collaboration between curatorial and conservation teams. One objective that was clear was the new housing needed for the folios of the manuscript, which would keep them more secure.

In terms of treatment of the iron gall ink, we decided to take a cautious approach for now, and only apply the calcium phytate treatment to two folios, which suffered from different and more pressing issues from the others. These (which contained the A-flat major prelude and fugue, ff. 13 and 14), had been removed from the bound volume more than a century ago. At different points since then they had received conservation work of differing levels of invasiveness, including a coating of transparent heat set tissue applied to one side of the fugue and repairs along the fold of that page too. The aim in focusing a higher level of treatment on these particular folios was to stabilise the corrosive properties of the ink on one of the most problematic examples among the Well-Tempered Clavier manuscripts, and also to reduce some of the ill effects of previous treatments. This work would also make it possible to safely rehouse these folios in the same way as the others, removing them from their unsuitable temporary storage.

Prelude in A-flat major, f. 13v, showing coating of heat set tissue.

Conservation work begins

All our manuscripts are special and unique of course, and receive due care and attention to ensure their long-term preservation. Often there are particular manuscripts that are so iconic that you find yourself to be quite awestruck in their presence, this was certainly the case here and it was a wonderful moment when the volume containing the manuscripts was unpacked in the conservation studio. We took a moment to listen to the pieces as we looked at the score, we felt humbled in that moment as we contemplated the music that had inspired so many, as the notes on the page seemed to dance before us.

After thorough documentation and testing, treatment began by disbinding the volume and removing the folios from the acidic inlay paper; this was done mechanically using a poultice of sieved gelatine mousse. Whilst removing the old acidic paper mounts we uncovered the edge of the text previously covered by the inlay.

Removing remnants of acidic paper mounts during the calcium phytate bath

Aqueous treatment of the two folios

The treatment of folios 13 and 14 was achieved in three stages: first the documents were washed then treated with calcium phytate and then calcium bicarbonate. This helped stabilise the corrosive properties of the ink and remedy some of the ill effects of the previous treatment.

Prior to immersion, multispectral images of these folios were taken by our imaging scientist, ensuring we have a clear record of the manuscript prior to treatment. Multispectral imaging captures image data within determined wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum. It can be used to examine discolourations and staining, by comparing the "spectral fingerprint" of an accretion to a known chemical substance. It can also reveal things that are only visible on different parts of the spectrum and allow us to capture the true colours of the image to accurately assess any ink changes after treatment.

One of the series of multispectral images

The existing condition of these particular folia made them a priority to treat in this way, but the experience of doing so will allow us to weigh in the balance the benefits or not of undertaking similar treatment on other folios in the future, should the degradation of the corrosive ink progress. For now, fragile inks on the other folios of the manuscript have been supported with a very fine toned Japanese tissue and gelatine using a low moisture technique. This was carried out over a light box to ensure any weakened areas of iron gall ink were spotted.

After Treatment

All the folios have now been housed individually in a more sympathetic, double sided mount. This rigid mount allows each page to be correctly supported and viewed in full and is suitable for both storage and exhibition display, minimising the need for handling or further work. The mounted folios were then stored in several bespoke acid-free phase boxes to offer additional protection on the shelf.

The conserved folios in their new mounts (after treatment)

Prelude in G major (BWV , f. 23r, after treatment)

Conclusion

Thank you to the Leche Trust for their generous support which allowed the items to be conserved and ensured that the manuscripts themselves are now better preserved and protected for posterity.

The British Librarys responsibility as custodian of these iconic examples of Bachs creativity involves finding a balance between protecting the physical manuscripts and finding ways for their appreciation by a wide audience. High-quality digital images are a key tool for providing access, but this conservation treatment will also make it possible for researchers to work with the original material where this is necessary  further enhancing our understanding of Bachs creative practise. It is also now safer to exhibit these iconic collections beyond the reading room, in our gallery spaces, where you can join us and experience the real thing.

Samantha Hare and Chris Scobie
A friend of Queen Camilla spoke against plans to house the homeless in the Buckingham palace, claiming that it isn't good enough. Petronella Wyatt talked to GB News about King Charles' plans for a slimmed down monarchy and whether the royals were worth paying 1.29 million annually. Queen Camilla during a visit to Enniskillen Castle, Co Fermanagh as part of a two day visit to Northern Ireland.(Reuters)

Lets look at it from a business point of view. Lets say the monarchy was a company and you were thinking of buying shares in it. Its 1.29 a person, annual - thats a total annual cost of around 500 million but its been calculated by independent financial institutions and Forbes magazine that the monarchy actually gives back to the economy 2.5 billion a year. Thats a hell of a profit, the best deal ever! So, is it value for money? My goodness it is!, Petronella Wyatt said.

Defending the monarchy, Petronella Wyatt said, Charles is giving Balmoral back! Hell be giving other palaces back. This is a really streamlined monarchy, they have said no slackers welcome here and thats what they are doing.

Talking about Prince William's Homewards campaign to fight homelessness, she said, "I am sorry, but I wouldnt put the homeless in Buckingham Palace because its not good enough for the homeless. The paint is peeling off the walls, there is mould, there is damp, the plumbing doesnt work properly  believe me, because I know!"

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Prince William's wife Kate Middleton is much steelier than she appears, as she has her eye on the crown, a royal correspondent claimed. In his book Valentine Low, a royal correspondent for the Times, said that the Princess of Wales is playing the long game. Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, arrives for the Coronation of King Charles III, in London.(AP)

Kate once said, I am going to be the Queen one day", the royal expert claimed, praising her for being far steelier than she looks. In an extract in the Times, he went on, She is playing the long game. She has always got her eye on, This is my life and my historic path and I am going to be the Queen one day.

Kate played a key role in the fallout after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah, the expert also claimed. She took a strong stance and even suggested revisions to the royal statement that were approved by the late Queen Elizabeth, the expert claimed, making the point that history will judge this after the controversial interview.

Following the allegations of racism made by the Sussexes, Buckingham Palace released a statement acknowledging that while "some recollections may vary", they are being treated with utmost seriousness.

Prince William also wanted to strengthen the statement and Kate Middleton was in full support of his decision, the Times reported. The statement was crafted by Jean-Christophe Gray, who had been serving as Prince William's private secretary for only a few weeks at the time, the report said.

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Kate Middleton had a hilarious response when children asked her age after she met with schoolchildren during the opening of the Young V&A museum in London. During the visit, Prince William's wife interacted with some of the students. The schoolchildren were heard asking the Princess of Wales how old she is. To this, Kate Middleton had the best response. Kate Middleton: Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, is seen. (Reuters)

I'm 41. Shh... don't tell anyone, the princess said.

The Young V&A museum is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum and is aimed at children and has reopened to the public after getting a 13 million revamp. Kate Middleton was seen in a stunning pink dress to mark the occasion as she greeted staff and children at the opening of the museum.

The museum underwent a three-year restoration project and is aimed at aiding the creativity of children. Kate Middleton is a patron of the V&A having graduated with a 2:1 in Art History from the University of St Andrews.

During her tour Kate Middleton was seen moving around the museum with the children, chatting with them and observing how they played. She then moved on to The Arcade, a space designed for teenagers. Kate also saw the Design Gallery, which showcases how innovative pieces are designed .

Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said: "The V&A believes in the transformative power of creativity, and that its critical we work - across all our sites -to support and develop the next creative generation. Young V&A has been designed with and for our youngest audiences  inspired by the way we learn, play and experience the world."

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King Charles is turning down the heating as the monarch attempts to save money and help the environment. This comes as it was revealed that royal spending rocketed to 107.5 million last year. The royal family had to dip into savings- for the second year running- and use 20.7 million to finance the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace. King Charles III is seen. (Reuters)

Accounts showed that the royal household spent 2.7million on gas and electricity over the past year, which is up from 1.4million in the previous 12 months. In Windsor Castle, thermostats are now being turned down to help lower bills, The Sun reported.

Earlier, the outlet had revealed that King Charles had installed a smart meter in Balmoral.

"The new monarch has also demanded that the heating gets turned down on the Buckingham Palace swimming pool. The Palace insisted the move echoes the Kings long-standing eco-credentials which he has reinforced to the Royal Household", the report claimed.

Accounts also showed that payroll costs saw one of the biggest increases in 2022-23, rising 3.4 million to 27.1 million. The 20.7 million overspend is largely due to repair work at Buckingham Palace.

Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the Privy Purse, said the it had been a year of grief, change and celebration, the like of which our nation has not witnessed for seven decades.

Anti-monarchy group in UK Republic also questioned Prince William as his household accounts showed that the private income of the Prince of Wales was almost 6 million pounds this year.

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The royal family meet and greet a lot of people on a daily basis. When most senior members of the royal family are busy with engagements and visits, they have to have a way to end conversations when they are around chatty people. The late Queen Elizabeth II had a discreet way of doing just that using which she told her aides that she was done talking and they should rescue her. Funny, right? King Charles III during a special industry showcase event hosted by the British Fashion Council (BFC) at 180 Studios, London.(Reuters)

But, wait. King Charles also has a gesture to let staffers know its time to rescue him from a conversation. Royal historian Hugo Vickers said that Queen Elizabeth would actually use her handbag to send cues to her aides. So if she wanted out of a conversation with someone she would usually move her purse from one hand to the other.

Body language and behavioral expert Darren Stanton revealed that the monarch also sends a signal to his staffers that he wants he leave a conversation.

Darren Stanton explained: A move Charles tends to make quite a lot is hell scratch his nose. Just like the (late) queen had a signal with her assistants that if she had her handbag in her left hand and then switched it to her right that meant Get me out of here!  Charles tends to reach for his nose when he is ready to move on from a conversation.

King Charles late father, Prince Philip, also had a specific gesture and motion using which he used to get out of conversations. Prince Philip used a sweeping motion when he greeted crowds during walkabouts- swing his hand from left to right to show to staffers that he was done with the meeting.

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Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton have a team of people around them to aid their private and public lives. So how many people work for the couple? For the smooth running of their busy schedules, the Prince and Prince of Wales have 50 different members of staff, monarchy's annual Sovereign Grant Report revealed. Kate Middleton Prince William: Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, in London.(AP)

The report also showed the gender balance between Kate and William's staff- 64 per cent for females and 36 per cent for males. While 16.3 per cent of their staff comes from an ethnic minority background, even though their roles were not stated in the report. The report may also include these members of staff but they would not live at Adelaide Cottage where the couple moved last year.

The royal couple who have three young children- Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis- require secretaries, security and press officers, it was revealed. The Princess of Wales also has a stylist and a hair stylist, one of whom travels with her on a regular basis, it added.

HELLO's royal reporter Emily Nash said that the couple "time their engagements to allow them to take their children to school and to put them to bed, even on tours". The couple also pause as well as alter their schedules during their children's school holidays. They do so in order to spend quality family time with their children, it was reported.

Earlier it was reported that Prince William received $7.5 million in private income this year according to the Duchy of Cornwalls 2023 annual report. As per a report by Page Six, the Duchy recorded net profits of roughly $30.34 million. The amount was split between King Charles and Prince William.

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ordered more security at his country's border with Belarus after the arrival of fighters from the mercenary group Wagner that rebelled against Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The fighters of the group were offered exile in Belarus after their aborted mutiny last week. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky(AFP)

Zelensky said that he had been informed of the situation in Belarus by the Ukrainian intelligence service, foreign intelligence services and border guards, owing to which the decisionn was taken.

"By the decision of the Stavka (chief of staff), Commander-in-Chief (Valery) Zaluzhny and General (Sergey) Nayev were instructed to strengthen the northern direction in order to guarantee peace. There are appropriate deadlines," the Ukraine leader said.

Following the rebellion, Vladimir Putin gave the fighters three options: sign contracts with the Russian defence ministry, return to civilian life or go into exile in Belarus.

Vladimir Putin, in a televised address to the country, said that he would honour his promise to allow Wagner fighters to relocate to Belarus, if they wanted.

I thank those soldiers and commanders of the Wagner Group who made the only right decision - they did not turn to fratricidal bloodshed, they stopped at the last line. Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia by entering into a contract with the Ministry of Defence or other law enforcement agencies or to return to your family and friends. Whoever wants to can go to Belarus. The promise I made will be fulfilled, he said.

Talking about the mercenary fighters, the Russian leader said, We knew and we know that the vast majority of the fighters and commanders of the Wagner Group are also Russian patriots, devoted to their people and state. They proved it with their courage on the battlefield, liberating the Donbas and Novorossiya. They tried to use them in the dark against their brothers-in-arms, with whom they fought together for the sake of the country and its future. Therefore, from the very beginning of the events, on my direct instructions, steps were taken to avoid a lot of bloodshed."

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Russia's military spending budget for 2023 is around 6.6 trillion rubles- approximately $85.8 billion- a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) stated. The budget is almost 4.5 per cent of the country's projected GDP, SIPRI wrote- an increase from 3.6 percent last year when Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia-Ukraine War: Russian president Vladimir Putin is seen. (Reuters)

Moscow's military spending in early 2023 seemed to accelerate beyond the budgeted amount, the Swedish think tank claimed. Although the rate of spending remained similar to that in early 2022 and "does not suggest any unusual surge."

"Russia's lack of transparency means there is uncertainty about the country's true military expenditure. Analysis of Russia's military spending has become increasingly difficult as the government has limited the access to information on budget spending," the report said.

In the spring of 2022, the Ministry of Finance stopped publishing details of budget spending broken down by chapters of the budget and by ministries and other government departments, revealing only the total monthly budget revenue and expenditure. The Federal Treasury also ceased its detailed reporting of budget spending, although with a brief relaxation that was later reversed, it continued.

Moscow is attempting to restrain spending on the war to minimize the domestic impact and enable the pursuit of policy goals set before the invasion, the think tank claimed.

"The Russian economy can afford this level of [military] spending notwithstanding severe sanctions, while leaving open the possibility of increased war-related funding if the government considers it necessary in the future," the report noted.

Senior researcher Dr. Lucie Beraud-Sudreau said that the report "includes the official ministry of defense budget and additional budgetary lines from other ministries," she said, adding SIPRI's report also factored in spending on military pensions as well as payments to paramilitary forces like Russia's national guard and even Wagner Group forces.

"However, this does not include the total costs of Russia's war against Ukraine," he said.

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Russian president Vladimir Putin is using a body double during public engagements in the wake of the Wagner Group armed rebellion, an expert told Newsweek. Following the mercenaries' aborted military rebellion, the Russian leader appeared before crowds in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan. Videos showed the leader shaking hands with the public and meeting a schoolgirl as well as posing for photos. Russian president Vladimir Putin(Reuters)

But Western journalists questioned the behavior displayed in the clips, as did prominent Russian military bloggers like Igor Girkin. The marked departure from Vladimir Putin's patterns is "extraordinary," Matthew Wyman, a senior lecturer at the UK's Keele University said, adding, "There is no question that that was not Vladimir Putin. That was a body double.

It is "totally inconceivable" that the Russian leader would carry out an engagement in person, he said, continuing, You are not going to put yourself in any groups of unfamiliar people at all.

"In all sorts of ways, Putin just does not act like that," he said, adding that his body language did not match up to the past behaviors of a man who does not show emotion publicly.

Putin is "highly, highly cautious about who he lets near him," Matthew Wyman added. Reports have previously claimed that owing to Covid, the Russian leader had put strict quarantine measures in place to protect himself from the risk of infection. A former senior Russian security officer had also said that the Kremlin leader "surrounds himself with an impenetrable barrier of quarantines."

"Putin is not known to let anyone close to him (since the COVID-19 pandemic), and here we see him taking selfies with normal people," he said.

Earlier, Moscow denied that Vladimir Putin uses body doubles as Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports as "yet another lie" in April.

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Student who are facing crippling debt are turning to GoFundMe in hopes of finding some financial relief through crowdfunding as the US Supreme Court effectively struck down Joe Biden's $400 billion student loan forgiveness program, affecting many students. Supporters of student debt forgiveness demonstrate outside the US Supreme Court.(AFP)

"In order for my son to go to college, I'd have to co-sign on his loan because I'm his guardian, which means more debt," Jovanna Rodrigo told Newsweek, adding, "It's a generational cycle of debt for the population that doesn't come from generational wealth."

Education costs have soared in America pushing students into debt crisis as about 43 million Americans have federal student loan debt collectively totalling to $1.757 trillion, data from the US Department of Education showed. t

Last year, Joe Biden announced that his administration would roll out a plan eliminating up to $10,000 in student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 annually. But the top court struck it down.

"When I heard the news, all I could think of was how I was going to manage another living expense like my student debt," elementary school teacher Andrea Reyes said.

I instantly thought about the need to get another job, but I thought back to my current occupation as a teacher and wondered how I was going to work my current job and have a second job while also not having to give up my evenings or weekends, which is the only way I relax and recharge to be the best educator for my students, she added.

Both have launched a GoFundMe page to aid their loan payments.

"I can't even begin to imagine the amount of money we would all save on [interest] if we all paid it forward and helped one another pay off the lingering debt that cripples us from achieving our goals of owning a home, buying a car or taking that much needed vacation," Jovanna Rodrigo wrote on her GoFundMe page.

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Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg sued the network for coercing her to lie under oath in their Dominion Systems lawsuit and also being a horrible, discriminatory place to work. Grossberg worked for Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson, suffering workplace harassment so intense she considered suicide. Fox News has settled with Grossberg for $12 million.

As their audience dwindles, Fox sure is paying out a lot of settlements. At what point do they learn their lesson? The recent appointment of Jesse Watters as chief liar suggests they have not.

CNN:
Singapore recorded the highest number of suicide cases in over 20 years, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported citing the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). Last year, a total of 476 suicides were reported, it said, adding that family problems, employment and financial difficulties, as well as romantic relationships were the most frequently presented problems by people who contacted their services. Singapore: Last year, a total of 476 suicides were reported.(Representational)

In 2022, the number of suicides was a "concerning rise" of 25.9 per cent from the 378 reported in 2021, SOS said.

Of the 476 suicide deaths last year, 317 were men and the remaining 159 were women.

The suicides increase across most age groups but a significant spike was seen among the youth and the elderly. Channel News Asia reported that the youths aged 10 to 29 formed about a third of all suicides. People aged between 70 and 79 registered the biggest increase - 60 per cent - in suicides last year compared to 2021, reported CNA.

The top three issues that elderly people sought help for were medical problems, family difficulties and loneliness, SOS said.

"Globally, male suicide deaths have consistently outnumbered female suicide deaths. Research has shown that there are several potential factors that can contribute to the higher rate, including societal expectations and mental health stigma," SOS added.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" ...view detail
An article in Foreign Policy, a noted US magazine focused on global affairs, has cited the emergence of India as a "major player" in the Middle East as one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in the region in years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Exchange of MOUs/ Strategic Partnership document, at President House, in Cairo on Sunday. (ANI/PIB)

The write-up highlighted New Delhi's deep and growing ties with major countries in the region, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to assert that the evolution of India's place reflects the changing international order and the willingness -- perhaps even eagerness -- of these nations to benefit from the new multipolarity.

There is little that the United States can do about this development and may even in a paradoxical way benefit from it, its author Steven A Cook has argued.

"If the United States' Middle Eastern partners are looking for an alternative to Washington, it is better that New Delhi is among the choices.

"The US may no longer be the undisputed big dog in the region, but as long as India expands its presence in the Middle East, neither Russia nor China can assume that role," he asserted.

The author recalled his visit to India around a decade ago to state what had struck him then that Indians did not want to play a larger role in the Middle East.

In the 10 years since his trip, however, things have changed, he said.

"While US officials and analysts are obsessed with every diplomatic move Beijing makes and eye Chinese investment in the Middle East with suspicion, Washington is overlooking one of the most interesting geopolitical developments in the region in years: the emergence of India as a major player in the Middle East," Cook wrote.

When it comes to the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are aggressively seeking ways to expand relations with India, the article said.

It is a significant shift because both countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, have long aligned with Pakistan, it says, noting that the pivot to India stems in part from a common interest in containing Islamist extremism but much of the pull is economic.

It highlighted the growing economic ties between India and the two countries to make the point.

On India's strong ties with Israel, it said they are perhaps the most well-developed of New Delhi's relations in the region.

These ties have rapidly developed in a variety of fields, notably high tech and defence after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian head of government to visit Israel in 2017 and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu returned the honour a year later.

In the past, India's business community shied away from investing in Israel, given the country's small market and controversial politics (to many in India), Cook says, adding this may be changing.

In 2022, the Adani Group and an Israeli partner won a tender for Haifa Port for USD 1.2 billion, and there are also ongoing negotiations for an India-Israel Free Trade Agreement, it said.

"Of course, the India-Israel relationship is complicated. India remains steadfast in its support for the Palestinians; has friendly ties with Iran, from which New Delhi has purchased significant amounts of oil; and Indian elites tend to see Israel through the prism of their country's own colonial experience," the article added.

Referring to Modi's recent two-day visit to Egypt, it said by all measures, this was an episode in the ongoing Egyptian-Indian love fest, coming about six months after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was the guest of honour at India's 74th Republic Day celebration -- his third visit to New Delhi since assuming power.

Like the Chinese, the Indians regard Egypt as a gateway through which to send their goods to Africa and Europe, the article added.

It is tempting for US policymakers and analysts, the author wrote, to view India's growing role in the region through the prism of great-power competition with China.

An additional counterweight to Beijing in the Middle East would be helpful as the Biden administration shifts from de-emphasizing the region to regarding it as an area of opportunity to contain China, the piece said.

"And Modi's visit to Washington in late June was also a love fest, including a state dinner and address to a joint session of Congress," it said.

Cook argued that for all the positive vibes of the US-India relations, it seems unlikely that New Delhi wants to be the strategic partner that Washington imagines.

When it comes to the Middle East, India diverges sharply from the United States and Israel on Iran, and Washington should temper its expectations about what the expansion of India's economic and security ties to the Middle East means, the article said.

"It is unlikely that India will line up with the United States, but it is also unlikely that New Delhi will undercut Washington as both Beijing and Moscow have done," it said.

It's time to take New Delhi's projection of power in the region seriously, the article added.
Days of violent protests in France after the fatal police shooting of a teenager have plunged President Emmanuel Macron into the gravest crisis of his leadership since the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018. Videos and images on social media show protesters torching vehicles, and buildings and looting stores in several French cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille as well as Paris. A person stands near a burning container as people protest following the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer in Nanterre during a traffic stop.(Reuters)

The riots broke out after Nahel M., a 17-year-old boy of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot by an officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday in the Nanterre suburb. The death was captured on camera, reigniting the longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism. Macron, however, denies there is systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies.

Here are the top updates from protests in France:

An explosion rocked Marseille's old port area and city authorities said they did not believe there were any casualties. Rioters in central Marseille looted a gun store and stole some hunting rifles but no ammunition, police said.

The town hall and administrative complex in the city of Persan in Val-d'Oise department was engulfed in flames after being set on fire by rioters. The fire services were struggling to reach the location due to blocked roads.

A video showed rioters looting a motorcycle store in Lyon, France's third-largest city. The gendarmes police force deployed armoured personnel carriers and a helicopter to quell the unrest in the city.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked local authorities across France to halt bus and tram traffic from 9pm (local time) and said 45,000 officers were being deployed, 5,000 more than on Thursday.

The French president accused social media platforms of playing a "considerable role" in encouraging rioters to copy the acts of violence and said he said he expected a spirit of responsibility from the social media platforms.

The government is reportedly in talks with social media platforms to speed up the process to remove content inciting violence, reported AP.

The ongoing violent protests have started to impact France's tourism sector, with hotels and restaurants facing cancellations while some have also suffered damage in the unrest.

The GHR organisation for independent hotels and restaurants in France said that images being shown by foreign TV networks do not correspond to reality. "Will the violence and riots continue and cause a real wave of cancellations? That's the risk," managing director Franck Trouet told AFP. "Asian tourists, in particular, who are very concerned about security, may not hesitate to postpone or cancel their trip," he warned.

(Compiled with inputs from AFP, Reuters, AP)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail
Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin had to abort the mutiny against Russian president Vladimir Putin, seeking exile in Belarus under a deal with the leader. But his support among the Russian public has not fallen down, as per a poll published by Russia's Levada Center. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. (AP)

The survey was conducted from June 22 to 28 as Prigozhin led his Wagner fighters to briefly occupy the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. While Vladimir Putin described Prigozhin's mutiny attempt as "treason", the threat raised speculation that the Russian leader's position is weaker than what may appear.

Among the Russian public, a significant minority still supports the Wagner chief, it was revealed as Prigozhin had the approval of 58 per cent of the 1,643 respondents two days before the uprising, Levada reported. The polling body said those surveyed saw Prigozhin as a "patriot" and a "victorious general" owing to his fighters' success in Ukraine.

Support for Prigozhin dropped to 31 percent during the mutiny and after it was aborted it remained at 29 percent, Levada reported. If Prigozhin was to run for president of Russia, 9 per cent respondents said that they were willing to vote for him- half of 18 per cent earlier.

While Russian president's approval rose to 82 per cent from 81 per cent before the rebellion. Sixty-seven percent respondents told Levada in May that they believed Russia was moving in the right direction. But this figure fell to 53 per cent during the Wagner mutiny.

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In a historic ruling, the United States Supreme Court on Thursday said that race could no longer be considered a factor in college and university admissions. On the heels of the Supreme Court rolling back affirmative action and LGBTQ rights, fed-up activists and advocates take part in a We The People March at Black Lives Matter Plaza Friday, June 30, 2023 in Washington. (AP)

The landmark ruling has altered decades-old practice by universities of taking affirmative action, which is also known as positive discrimination. Being one of the most significant factors in the US education system, affirmative action has been essential since it made its way through policies in the 1960s and has long been seen as a measure to increase diversity in US colleges.

What is affirmative action?

In terms of higher education, affirmative action is a group of admission policies that are devised and utilised by colleges and universities that are aimed at increasing the number of Black, Hispanic and other minority students on campuses.

The colleges and universities that employ this approach and take race into consideration do so as a part of a holistic application review process that includes analysing grades, examination scores, extracurricular activities along with all other aspects of an application.

Race-conscious admission policies are designed in order to increase student diversity and offer an enhanced educational experience to all students.

While almost all colleges and universities in the US offer several scholarship programmes and recruitment opportunities, the Supreme Courts ruling was specific to only admissions.

What was the Supreme Courts ruling?

The Supreme Court was covering two cases involving admissions at Harvard and University of North Carolina (UNC). The eight-judge bench ruled 6 to 3 against Harvard and 6 to 2 against UNC.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr, speaking for the majority wrote, The Harvard and U.N.C. admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the equal protection clause. Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping and lack meaningful end points.

While the majority opinion noted that the policies were well-intentioned, Roberts said, Many universities have for too long wrongly concluded that the touchstone of an individual's identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned, but the color of their skin.

He further wrote, Harvard's admissions process rests on the pernicious stereotype that 'a black student can usually bring something that a white person cannot offer.

The second black justice in the US and a conservative Justice Clarence Thomas agreeing with the majority said that such programmes were "patently unconstitutional".

He said, Universities' self-proclaimed righteousness does not afford them license to discriminate on the basis of race.

Expressing her dissent, in a rare move to portray disagreement, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, said that affirmative action was significant to counter persistent and systematic racial discrimination.

In a written dissent, she said, The court subverts the constitutional guarantee of equal protection by further entrenching racial inequality in education, the very foundation of our democratic government and pluralistic society.

First black woman appointed to the court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, expressed her dissent stating that the judgement was truly a tragedy for us all.

She said, With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces 'colorblindness for all' by legal fiat.

Students for Fair Admission, a non-profit organisation, had filed both the cases in the Supreme Court. The organisation, founded by legal activist Edward Blum, celebrated the win.

Blum said that is was the beginning of the restoration of the colorblind legal covenant that binds together our multi-racial, multi-ethnic nation. These discriminatory admission practices undermined the integrity of our country's civil rights laws.

What were the two cases?

The case made against Harvard accused the university of discriminating against Asian American students by considering factors like likability, courage and kindness and they stated that the university created a ceiling for them during admissions.

Lawyers appearing for Harvard said that petitioners had relied upon flawed statistical analysis and denied any discrimination conducted by the university against Asian American students. However they stated that the race-conscious policies employed by the university were lawful.

Read Here: Biden slams SC verdict barring race to be considered as factor in college admissions

The case against UNC, which is a public university and hence cannot resort to race based discrimination, stated that the university discriminated against white and Asian applicants while giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American students.

The university stated that it was fostering educational diversity through its admission policies, which were lawfully following Supreme Court precedents.

How did US leaders react to the ruling?

Several democrats including US President Joe Biden said that the ruling was a step backward. Addressing the nation, Biden said that the ruling should not be considered the last word in affirmative action case.

He said, Discrimination still exists in America. Todays decision does not change that.

Former President Barack Obama said that while affirmative action was not perfect, it "allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged."

Former first lady Michelle Obama said that her "heart breaks for any young person out there who's wondering what their future holds".

However, Conservative leaders celebrate the ruling. chairman of the American Conservative Union Matt Schlapp said that the ruling, along with Supreme Courts last years abortion ruling, serve as a triumphant return to restoring our tattered Constitution.

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Christopher Street in New Yorks West Village witnessed the largest Pride Month celebration in the U.S. last weekend. The street still has scattered pieces of rainbow confetti. Whereas, the festive mood was demolished on Friday, when the US supreme court announced a significant setback to LGBTQ+ rights. The Supreme Court's decision in favor of a Colorado civil rights law which necessitates businesses and organizations to regard same-sex couples equally is an infringement of their right to free speech. People raise Bucks County's Pride Flag to kick off Pride Month in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 1, 2023. (REUTERS)

New York post conducted several interviews, featuring members from the LGBTQ+ community. Stasha Wyskiel being one them expressed that her community is being targeted: Its interesting were still calling our parades celebrations and not marches because I think were going to return to making clear how under duress our community is in the United States and in places around the world.

Provided a corresponding, with finesse, perspective of the ruling, which paves the way for businesses to decline service to couples on the basis of their sexuality. Disassembling the institutions of power as well as marriage, was more crucial than the custodian of a marriage website denying to acquire the business of a non-heterosexual couple.

Chris said in an interview conducted by New York Post, indicating towards the legal fight of the Colorado wedding cake shop that embarked upon a legal escalation to the supreme court, I get the importance of this. But in some ways, we gave this woman the power instead of just telling her to fuck off and burn it down. Francis, Chris's partner, further added, I bet the cakes suck and the decor is horrible. They probably need a gay touch.

New York Post also interviewed manager Diana Garcia of Janies Life-Changing Baked Goods, said she would never decline a customer, Were not going to judge  we totally accept, 100%, whoever walks through the door. Its antisocial for a store selling sweet things to be so sour.

Many are apprehensive that the ruling could eventually result in individuals being rejected for employment on the basis of their sexual orientations. The ruling defended the rights of Lorie Smith, who is the owner of a website design company called 303 Creative, to decline to generate wedding websites for gay couples due to her religious faith.

People are trolling the supreme court's decision to side with Lorie Smith.

Today, Joe Biden showed his disapproval of the supreme courts verdict, on Twitter. The president declared, We will accelerate our march towards full equality for every American. President Joe Biden also issued a statement which was published on the White House's official site. He asserted, My administration remains committed to working with our federal enforcement agencies to rigorously enforce federal laws that protect Americans from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Vice President Kamala Harris also took to Twitter to show her concerns regarding the queer communitys rights. The Vice President said, The Supreme Court has paved the way for businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQI+ community, racial and religious minorities, the disability community, and women.

Whereas, there are people who are in support of the supreme courts decision. Franklin Graham, the President of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association tweeted endorsing the judgment, We thank God for the #SCOTUS victory today for graphic designer Lorie Smith! This is a win for all Americans who cherish free speech.
Stonefish are considered the most venomous fish in the world. With an excellent ability to camouflage in rocky or muddy shallow ocean floors, these fish sport 13 defensive venomous spines on their back, each of which is like a hypodermic needle attached to a sac of venom, ready to cause severe harm to those who come into contact with them. Symptoms of a stonefish sting can include intense pain, swelling, tissue necrosis, and in some severe cases, death.

According to an article in Ocean Conservancy, "One victim wrote online (which was later reported by ABC News) that after being stung on the finger, it was like 'having each knuckle, then the wrist, elbow, and shoulder being hit in turn with a sledgehammer over the course of about an hour.'"

Getting stung by a stonefish sounds like a great way for a YouTuber to generate page views. That's exactly what Mark Vins (20.9 million subscribers) did when he went to eastern Australia to intentionally get himself stung by a stonefish.

In the video below, you can watch him look for a wild stonefish in the water, which isn't easy because it looks just like a moss-covered rock. Then he holds a piece of neoprene rubber against a few spines to show the surprisingly beautiful blue venom squirt from the tips. Before he stings himself, he explains that most people who die from stonefish stings do so from the shock of how painful this thing is, and not from the venom itself.

Before he lets the fish sting him, he tells viewers that stonefish venom quickly breaks down in the presence of heat. In his backpack, he has a thermos filled with hot water to pour on the bite in case the pain becomes too intense. He also has an EpiPen.

He then pushes his palm against one of the spines from which he had already extracted most of the venom so that he could give himself a "microdose" of stonefish venom. As soon as his hand touches the spine, he jerks it back involuntarily. Much of the rest of the video shows him wincing, grimacing, and complaining about how bad his hand feels. Even after he applies the hot water, he says the pain spreads all the way up past his shoulder and into his neck. A month later, he is still experiencing numbness in his hand and fingers.
Industry Professionals Celebrate 2023 HITEC Return to Toronto

The Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) celebrated its return to Toronto hosting over 4,500 attendees at the Metro Toronto Convention Center from June 26-29. Produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) for more than 50 years, the event showcases the industry's latest technology innovations from over 325 exhibitors and provides a top-notch education program with dozens of specialty topic and general sessions.

Were proud to say that HITEC once again confirmed its essential role in the hospitality technology community meeting space, said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. Attendees and exhibitors alike will notice a measurable impact on their bottom lines with the insights provided in education sessions and on the sales floor.

Inspirational and insightful Headliner sessions set the tone for the week beginning with the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Mark Heymann, founder of UniFocus and managing partner of Mark Heymann & Associates and Sherry Marek, co-founder of Datavision Technologies and owner of Aiken Street Consulting. Author and strategist Shawn Kanungo rounded off the opening night dialogue with Strategy in a World of Disruption, diving deeper into how disruptive trends will drive change in how hospitality professionals approach work.

The next morning, 2023 HFTP Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) of the Year Samuel Yalley was recognized for his accomplishment before the Tuesday Headliner, International Perspectives  Tech Future-Proofing: Planning For The Global Traveler, which brought together eight esteemed executives from around the world to share their first-hand observations and discuss how to proactively tackle the challenges of how to prepare for the latest incarnation of the global traveler.

Perennial HITEC favorite Entrepreneur 20X, exclusively sponsored for the second consecutive year by PROVision Partners, rounded out the Headliner lineup Wednesday morning. This years start-up pitch competition featured seven start-ups pitching hospitality technology solutions to a panel of six judges. The winners were announced in the same session following the judges deliberation period with PassiveBolt taking home the Judges Choice Award and the Peoples Choice Award, selected by attendee popular vote, awarded to PricingService.ai.

Beyond the Headliner stage, a comprehensive program of concurrent education sessions was presented covering trending topics including environmental, social and governance (ESG), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), ChatGPT/natural language generation systems and many more. Another educational opportunity available on the exhibit hall floor included the popular non-sales-oriented Exhibitor Tutorials.

The sold-out exhibit hall featured hundreds of companies displaying their wide-ranging technology solutions for the hospitality industry. Exhibitors were enthusiastic about this years outcome.

We LOVED the show, said Roger Thomas, CEO of Peak Utilities. Not only do we have strong sales leads to take back with us and work, but we learned how we can be much better at next year's event. We also learned of a few new products and services from other exhibitors that we can sell and service and more about what is trending in the industry.

The power of events like HITEC Toronto is being at the heart of the innovation market, among hundreds of industry solution providers, to create new contacts and strengthen existing ones, said Piercarlo Gramaglia, CEO of VDA Telkonet. We are delighted to be part of it to write the future of the hospitality paradigm.

HITEC is always the perfect venue for Security Validation to connect with our clients in a more relaxed and comfortable format, said David Durko, CEO of Security Validation LLC, an HFTP Corporate Allied Sponsor. Despite any of the perceived challenges, HITEC Toronto has been extremely successful for us. It provided us the platform where our message was clearly delivered to stakeholders and decision makers allowing us to develop many new and exciting client relationships.

HFTP is already getting ready for next year's HITEC Charlotte scheduled for June 24-27, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina USA. Exhibiting space can be selected and purchased by reaching out to the HFTP Sales & Exhibits Department at sales@hftp.org. For more information about HFTP's events, visit www.hftp.org or contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at education@hftp.org.
Tapping into the Value of Guest Reviews: The Key to Effective Destination Online Reputation Management

Discover how guest reviews will help your destination attract more travelers, improve quality standards, and enhance your online reputation.

Feedback - A Powerful Tool in Attracting Travelers

In the highly competitive travel industry, destination reputation management is pivotal in attracting and retaining travelers. Travelers increasingly rely on online platforms to research and plan their trips, and the reputation of a destination heavily influences their decisions.

More than nine out of ten travelers read reviews before booking.

The rise of online review platforms and social media has empowered travelers to share their experiences and opinions with a global audience. Feedback has become a powerful tool in shaping the perception of a destination. It serves as virtual word-of-mouth, allowing potential travelers to gauge the quality and appeal of a destination based on the experiences of others.

Why is Online Reputation Management Important for Destinations?

Online reputation management refers to actively monitoring, influencing, and maintaining the perception and image of a destination in the digital realm. It involves managing and curating online content, reviews, and social media presence to shape the overall reputation among potential visitors.

Nowadays, travelers heavily rely on online information, reviews, and recommendations when planning their trips. They seek authentic experiences and trustworthy insights from those who have already visited the destination. A solid online reputation builds credibility, trust, and confidence among potential visitors.

What Matters Most for the Modern Traveler Researchers First, Buyers Second

The digital era has exposed consumers to countless possibilities for purchasing services or products. With so many choices available, filtering through the noise takes much more time to get the best options possible. Consumers have become researchers first and buyers second.

A recent study from Travelport shows that 69% of consumers look for information at least weekly before making a decision, compared to 53% buying products or services online at the same frequency.

Fast, Relevant, Genuine Content

In the search phase, finding relevant information about the property, attraction, or destination is crucial for potential travelers. Besides relevant content, consumers also look at factors such as the ease of booking and load speed.

The first 1 to 3 seconds are critical for the user experience. Bouncing can increase by 32% if you dont capture your visitors' attention in this timeframe.

A genuine experience is also something that travelers are looking for. Thats where review content plays a huge role - it helps consumers understand through the eyes of others whether the destination and experience match their expectations.

Travelers want to read it all. Our recent research shows that looking at negative feedback is almost as important as looking at positive reviews because it helps them create a closer-to-reality image of what they can expect.

Travelers read, on average, nine reviews before booking. 57% of the feedback they read is positive, and 43% is negative.

Manage Your Destinations Online Reputation Using Insights from Guest Reviews

A travelers journey begins way before arriving at their destination of choice. From booking to post-stay, destinations can implement effective strategies to support their visitors through the entire discovery journey, in this way, increasing satisfaction and the likelihood of attracting more travelers. Here are a few things to consider:

Engage Your Visitors Through Their Entire Discovery Journey Booking Phase

The research and booking stages are critical for potential travelers in deciding their destination. Here are a few ideas to enhance the booking process:

Know Your Travelers

Knowing what makes your destination unique and what visitors like and dislike about it is essential to target your potential visitors.

Looking at feedback is among the best strategies that will help lead potential travelers to your destination. Examine all of the reviews you receive to understand your strengths and weaknesses thoroughly. TrustYou Analytics breaks down the data from your destinations guest reviews into actionable insights. We have over 180 categories you can track: from cleanliness to sustainability; these will give you a clear idea of what you can improve.

Showcase Your Accommodations

If youre managing an integrated booking platform, dealing with multiple properties simultaneously on your website and ensuring each has a fair chance to convert is a real challenge.

Heres where summarized review content will help you focus on highlights while providing travelers with authentic, unbiased insights from other fellow visitors. By leveraging TrustYous feedback solutions, you can easily integrate various review widgets on your website to highlight each accommodations reputation.

TrustYous Meta-Review is an extremely efficient way of summarizing past reviews and displaying the most important categories that interest travelers based on an innovative semantic analysis. Similarly, our TrustScore uses a scale from 1-5 to highlight the average of past review scores and give travelers a quick overview of the quality of the hotels in question.

Meta-Review is among the Review Marketing solutions destinations can use to increase website conversions.

Many destinations also leverage badges, which emphasize the best-performing accommodations in specific categories, such as a top location of a great hotel. These are easily displayed on the company website for visibility.

What might seem like a lot of work is easily automated by the Review Marketing solutions of the TrustYou platform, which incorporates all of the widgets mentioned above.

During the Travel Experience

Ask for Feedback

Learn more about your travelers and how they perceive their experience. With our survey solution, you can ask relevant questions about your destination and receive feedback from your visitors. Whether you want to identify key profiles, their motivations to visit, or their overall experience, a survey will help you get the information you need. Distribute your survey via QR codes in hotels, restaurants, or attractions or/and approach the visitors directly and ask for feedback.

A sample survey you could send during the travel experience.



After the Travel Experience

Get Access to Actionable Insights & Competitive Benchmarking

The best indicator of what does and doesnt work can be found within guest feedback. Your previous guests have the most valuable insights. Not leveraging these honest opinions would be a waste.

Collecting more guest reviews will help you get more actionable data. Encourage your accommodations to ask for feedback in the post-stay phase and manage it actively by replying to positive and negative reviews.

The data from reviews will help you understand which categories should be improved or to increase the scores in the future.

Get access to actionable insights by looking at the guest reviews your destination receives.

You can also benchmark yourself against competitor destinations to identify your strengths and weaknesses and properly position yourself in the market.

All this information is made available through an online platform or for consumption by a BI system through our API.

Best Practices - How Destinations Stay Competitive and Attract More Travelers with Guest Reviews

Having access to all these key insights from guest reviews will undeniably give you a competitive advantage as a destination. Another critical aspect for maximizing results and attracting travelers is what you do with this data. Here are a few examples of how other destinations use guest feedback to improve quality, raise awareness, and stay competitive.

Monitor and Improve Quality Standards for Your Destination

It has become increasingly challenging to maintain an increased level of visitor satisfaction. Continuous improvement is required in a highly competitive travel market to attract more visitors.

Aggregating review data for your destination will help you understand what guests appreciate most and things that might need attention. You can constantly monitor and improve quality standards across all accommodations by monitoring categories that perform best and those that bring more negative reviews.

Attract Travelers Through Tailored Marketing Campaigns

The effectiveness of a marketing campaign depends on whether it resonates with your target audience. Thats why knowing who your travelers are and your unique selling points will help you achieve higher levels of customization when promoting your destination.

Using a survey during the travel experience, you can determine your travelers profile and identify target groups, the best channels, and messaging for your campaigns. Data from guest reviews will help you understand whats unique about your destination and the categories that make you stand out. When advertising to potential travelers, it will give you a competitive advantage and more personalization options.

Tailor your marketing campaigns by identifying your travelers profiles and preferences.



Offer Guidance and Expertise for Your Accommodations

Managing guest reviews can be overwhelming for hoteliers. Create specific guidelines to help your accommodations actively engage with guests during and after their stay. Best practice guides and workshops on managing guest feedback will help them better address occurring issues, respond to both positive and negative feedback, and positively impact the destinations reputation management.

Actively Engage Accommodations to Improve the Travelers Experience

Guest reviews can also serve as a great tool in fostering a culture of excellence and focus on quality among your accommodations. Many destinations using TrustYou are hosting excellence awards based on review data to celebrate the best accommodations.

Since 2015, the region Saxony in Germany has celebrated their best accommodation units. The Guests Favorite competition started with 430 participants. Now it has grown to 725. The destination reports that hospitality providers are more aware of the importance of improving their services based on guest feedback.

Another innovative approach was developed by the region Mato Grosso in Brazil. Using review data provided by TrustYou, they created the Index of Tourism Development (IDTur). Review volume, response rate, and performance scores are among the data integrated into this innovative approach to track quality and guest satisfaction. Each region's destination can access this index, compare it against other municipalities, and improve based on the insights they get.

A table summarizing key tourism performance indicators from TrustYou data and the proprietary IDTur created by Mato Grosso for its municipal destinations.

Guest reviews play a central role in shaping a destination's online reputation. By recognizing their value and actively managing them, destinations can cultivate positive perceptions, attract more visitors, and ultimately thrive in the competitive tourism industry.

Catalina Brinza

Catalina is a social media and data enthusiast. At TrustYou, she's on the mission to bring the most out of travel and hospitality data. One day, she hopes to experience Japan's culture to its fullest.

About TrustYou

TrustYou is on a mission to make guest communication and feedback simpler and more productive. All communication channels, together in one place, is the new way of doing business. Today, customers expect instant responses on their preferred communication channels. As a subset of communication, feedback is the foundation to build better products, services and companies.

TrustYou helps companies win through the power of listening and provides a Guest Experience (GX) Platform that makes listening to customers easy, powerful, and actionable. The platform unlocks the potential of guest feedback and helps to:

Create unlimited opportunities to listen and respond to guests needs.

Understand all reviews across the web and make better business decisions.

Publish hotel reviews on the website and on Google and allow positive feedback to influence bookings.

TrustYou empowers companies to earn trust, make better decisions, and ultimately, win.

Find more information on TrustYou and our GX platform on www.trustyou.com.
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Sofia Francesconi and Christy Rech grew up in firefighter families. Now they're part of the Cheshire Volunteer Fire Department's Junior Program that trains teens on aspects of emergency response. PreviousNext

Cheshire Junior Firefighters Asset to the Department

CHESHIRE, Mass.  Cheshire junior firefighters do more than just learn about firefighting  they're active, needed participants in emergency situations.

"We are in these emergency situations and it is real. In the real world when there is an emergency most people freak out," junior firefighter Christy Rech said. "But we know how to get involved and help the best we can."

Bill Rech, Christy's father and coordinator for the Volunteer Fire Department's Junior Program, said the program was started up last year to address the department's dwindling membership.

"Every department is struggling, and we wanted to get some firefighters in and starting early," he said. "Within weeks, we had six members and they were neck deep in it."

The program is for teens ages 15-18 and is designed to train future firefighters and first responders with the goal of having them join the department when they turn 18.

Participants in the Junior Program shadow firefighters and learn first responder skills safely. Juniors can't storm into burning buildings and Rech said they are often stationed a distance from a fire. He said they take on a more auxiliary role helping the other firefighters do their job.

"Safety is the focus, and they are limited to what they can do on scene and what they can respond to," he said. "... They are going to be down the road from the fire and can help set up hydrants, support the pond, and let us know when we need to refill."

But this does not mean they aren't helpful and Bill noted they are often charged with important tasks that allow firefighters to more thoroughly address an emergency.

"Juniors have been very active within the guidelines and during that big fire a third of our crew were these guys," he said. "They know the trucks front to back, they know exactly where to get the equipment and stage it. And it lets the remaining two-thirds of the crew focus on putting the fire out."

Junior firefighter Sofia Francesconi said juniors are often responsible for pulling lines or setting up air packs. On medical calls, they run equipment back and forth or scribe.

"We learn about using the hoses and everything, trying to get them into the building. We have learned about hydrants and portable pumps," she said. "So we are able to help and pull things aside for the crew."

Christy said to be effective juniors need to be a few steps ahead of the situation and be able to anticipate their next action.

"It is not like we are just standing there watching, waiting for instructions," she said. "And the members do a really good job preparing us so we know what to look for and what to avoid."

Christy said she has never felt unsafe on a call and knows that her actions do make a difference.

"On my first medical call, I just stood there and held the clipboard. It is a small part, but if I wasn't holding that clipboard someone else would have to do it," she said. "They would have been distracted by having to write everything down so I think us just being there ready to help makes a difference."

Hech said the juniors are involved in firefighter training and often shadow full members. He said crew members do a good job breaking down different procedures with context.

"They slow it down; they break it down a little more," Bill said. "We want them to understand why we do things a certain way. Some things may seem silly, but the reason behind it. There is a way to put up a ladder. There is a way to properly prime a pump."

Many of the juniors already have a leg up on firefighting as the bulk of them are sons and daughters of firefighters.

"I think most of these juniors kind of like grew up on fire trucks. I always had a fire truck at my birthday party," Christy said. "I thought they were super cool growing up so it's just been something I've been interested in."

Sofia's father, Thomas Francesconi, is the chief so firefighting has always been close to home.

"I went on a ton of calls with my dad when I was little, and I think it had an impact on what I wanted to do," she said. "Once I saw the Junior Program I knew it was something I wanted to do."

This is not to say that there are no juniors completely new to firefighting. Christy said there are a few members who have taken quite well to the program even though they have no prior experience.

It is one thing growing up in the fire station but it is another actually going on a call. Christy recalled one of her early calls in which the job really settled in.

"It was a really bad three-car accident right by Farnam's [Causeway], and I knew one of the guys who was involved in the accident," she said. "So I was like, 'OK, wow, this is like a real thing.' You have to be level-headed. You have to be. You are responsible for these people."

She said she took note of longtime friends on the department who instantly snapped into duty and addressed the situation.

"Like Freddy B. I work on his farm and know him pretty well. But when I saw him in action, helping people his personality changed like that," she said. "He was very much focused. There was no joking around. He put 100 percent of his effort into what he was doing."

Sofia recalled her own moment when she realized the seriousness of the position: a medical call that really changed her perspective on the program.

"It was one of our more rough medical calls, and I think just going in that house it was just like a whole rush of like this is a real thing," she said. "This is a very serious situation and it was an eye-opener. It was sad and it was my first time seeing it, but it's not going to be my last time seeing this kind of thing."

But it's not all serious, and both juniors said training sessions are often a time for jokes and lightheartedness. Sofia said this camaraderie is important when dealing with high stress situations.

Hech said juniors need to have a good standing in school to participate and that also learn leadership skills. The juniors operate as a single department and each member rotates into a captain's role.

He said, if anything, the program teaches them commitment.

"They are here for the mandatory training, they are here for drill nights, they do extra drill nights," he said. "It is a big commitment."

Both juniors felt the program gave them more confidence and other skills that will help them in school and future endeavors.

"It can help like with your confidence and everything. You can really just have an impact on your life in general by helping other people," Sofia said.

But specifically, the program has provided them with life-saving knowledge. Juniors are CPR-certified, and they can administer nalaxone, among other things.

"Some people can do these things, but it's like more of the background knowledge," Sofia said. "We get more up-to-date background knowledge. We are constantly being trained on these things that change all of the time."

And in general, have learned how to keep a level head when disaster strikes.

"I was like an hour away from home from my friend's house, and there was a car accident and no one was there yet," Christy recalled. "It probably just happened, and I didn't have any of my gear so there wasn't a lot I could do. I'm not just going to go running into the situation, but I could like help traffic there were power lines down so I made sure cars stayed away. If I wasn't a junior I probably would have kept driving."

Hech said the program is a huge benefit to the department. Already one graduate from last year's program, Sofia's sister Mia, has joined the department.

One new member makes a big difference regionally as all the volunteer departments rely on each other for mutual aid.

Also, Hech said having some younger members on the department really helps the department spread its message.

"We were talking to some sixth- and seventh-graders about fire safety, and the juniors had almost had a completely different interaction with them," he said. "Here is the old man telling them stuff but when they have someone who is younger describing things in more modern terms they were way more engaged."

And this sense of safety advocacy and community is an important part of the juniors. A sentiment Christy and Sofia hope to take into their continuing first-responder careers and life in general.

"I think it's just another way to get involved in your community," Christy said. " I feel like once you see what we do and see how dangerous it can be, how much of an adrenaline rush you can get. Yeah, it does drag a lot of attention towards it, and I think the younger generations like us think it is pretty cool."

"It changes how people look at you because we are so young but are showing up and becoming an active part of this community and committing to something," Sofia said. "I think it shows a lot about us."
An unnamed college professor at Montgomery College in Maryland was fired for requiring at least 11 female students to undress to their bras during class under the pretense of a medical assessment. He also made comments about the students' nipples and breast positions and demanded that the students separate their breasts so he could make an accurate assessment, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Education. A letter written to Montgomery College, by the Director of the Philadelphia, office of the Department of Education states that, "After removing their shirts, [redacted content] put on their lab jackets for modesty purposes, but the Professor demanded that they remove their jackets."

The Department of Education found that the college failed to notify all affected students about the conclusion of its investigation, which raised a concern about whether the college ensured the hostile environment no longer persisted for those students.

From The Washington Post:

As part of a resolution agreement, Montgomery College is now required to notify all students in the professor's class in writing. Additionally, the college must share the results of its 2022 Title IX climate survey with the agency's Office of Civil Rights and provide a narrative summary of the steps taken to address concerns raised by the survey. The college does not have further comment on this matter, according to Rosano. "The shameful underlying facts in this investigation  of a college professor subjecting his entire class to sexual harassment as a condition of instruction  are galling and categorically unacceptable under Title IX," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon, who also thanked the college for its swift action in a statement.

I have no idea why they are granting this creeper anonymity, and also why he wasn't arrested and charged with criminal sexual assault. Instead, they gave him a paid leave for three months while they investigated the incidents.
The wonderful journalists over at Defector have launched a new series called "Histories of Transition" that does something simple but profound: it just tells the stories of trans people, who have received the healthcare they needed, and were able to thrive.

That's it. It's great.

This shouldn't be a revolutionary concept. But in a time when popular media outlets are consumed with "debates" around whether trans people deserve the same basic, fundamental, inalienable human rights that everyone else gets to enjoy, it's quite profound. Talking heads and pundits and professional transphobes tend to overlook the fact that trans healthcare, like reproductive healthcare, is still just a form of healthcare. It's medicine. We know how hormones work. Sure, there are plenty of healthcare professionals who are in the dark about the details  but that's a problem with society, and pedagogy, not with the actual treatments, which are just as safe as anything else.

Consider this conversation that one of the Histories of Transition writers, Casey Plett, regales about her first visit to a doctor about going on hormones in 2008:

[The doctor said,] "If you don't smoke and you're generally healthy, most people do pretty well, and then you're just another dumb woman. I recommend you take a baby aspirin every day, helps prevent cancer. We don't really know what hormone therapy can do. You can have health problems. There's a higher risk of cancer, though most patients I've had who got cancer smokedbut we just don't always know what can happen. If you don't smoke and you take a baby aspirin every day, most people do pretty well. And then you'll just be another dumb woman." Again: The higher risk of cancer thing hasn't born out to be true, and we do know what hormone therapy can do. But I guess she was mimicking the lines of the times, like the doctor in New York would a couple years later. What sticks in my mind, though, is what she repeated over and over through the visit. Most people do pretty well. And then you're just another dumb woman. It kind of offended me at the time, like maybe I chalked it up to her having "internalized misogyny" or something. But now, when access to hormone therapy has turned into a sensationalized political battle, it's funny to turn that phrasing over. Like: Most people do do pretty well. I amjust another dumb woman. I tried some drugs to fix a problem, discovered they were good for me, so I kept taking them. And, well, I'm not dead.

Most people do pretty well. And then you're just another woman. Sometimes it really is that simple. You walk into a doctor's office, and they go "Okay cool," they give you some medicine, and you go from there.

Music writer Niko Stratis recently wrote a similar story about her own experiences. Stratis and I are similar ages, and had similar musical upbringings that profoundly shaped our lives  which, among other things, means we both discovered the NOFX song "My Vagina" right around the same time. Back then, I found the song interesting; shocking and edgy and vulgar with an underscoring of humanity, in that way that NOFX often was. For Stratis, however, it opened her eyes to a world of possibility:

NOFX were idealists and ironically detached nihilists struggling against the tide of a system they could not rightly name and so was I, a comrade in their war against normalcy. "My Vagina" felt like a natural progression into a space where all could be deconstructed and rebuilt in whatever perfect image we desired for ourselves. The line and when I wipe my ass, I go from front to back, 'cause I don't want a bladder infection haunted me. I worried that someday I would have to use this information and also worried about forgetting it. I already knew how to properly wipe but when it gets spelled out so bluntly it becomes real and a portent of danger all the same. I feel no mocking and misfortune in here either, I have never once listened to this song in all the years since including the day I had my own surgery and felt like the trans woman created in the world of this song is the center of a joke with all judgment fingers pointed towards her. Rather, she is given life and breath and a chance at something real. Not real in the way that so many rainbow logos in June want to sell you a story but someone that felt real and lived in and raw. A woman with tattoos at a lesbian bar with a clockey voice and a brash sense of humour. A trans woman who has seen some shit and is still here to sing about it. I had not enough information to parse all I was processing but I knew then that the way I felt at odds with myself now made sense, that I could be like Roberta Muldoon and the woman created in the the 2 minutes and 36 seconds of "My Vagina" became something more.

Sometimes, it's just that simple. Like a random TV commercial that tells you to "Ask your doctor to try HRT," followed by a brief list of side effects that, again, aren't all that different than any other form of healthcare.

Histories of Transition [Defector]

Operation, Paid Up Front [Niko Stratis / Anxiety Shark]
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A temporary harassment order issued against The Flash star Ezra Miller in Massachusetts has been lifted following a court hearing on Friday (30 June).

The mother of a 12-year-old had accused Miller of harassing her family and acting inappropriately toward her nonbinary child.

Millers attorney Marissa Elkins said the 30-year-old actor was never alone with the child and never interacted with the child outside of two brief encounters which occurred in the presence of several other adults.

On Friday, the Greenfield District Court judge ruled that the order issued in June 2022 had been lifted.

The original order, pursued by Shannon Guin, on behalf of her minor child, was based on untrue allegations, Elkins said.

Frustratingly for Ezra, Guin lodged her false allegations at a time when Ezra was struggling with significant mental health issues, and was unable to come to court to defend themself against the spurious claims made by this individual. Had Ezra been able to appear in court last year and share the truth about their very limited interactions with Ms. Guin, I am confident the original order would have never been issued.

Miller shared a statement on social media reacting to the judges ruling, calling out the media for recklessly spreading false claims about them.

Ezra Miller (AFP via Getty Images)

Im encouraged by todays outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood beside me and sought to ensure that this egregious misuse of the protective order system was halted, the actor, who uses they/them pronouns, wrote.

Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services.

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I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive action, they continued.

I implore those members of the media who have recklessly spread false claims and failed to accurately report the truth and context of this story, to hold themselves to a higher standard and take the time to find the facts, rather than chasing the clicks, Miller wrote.

Miller recently alluded to his ongoing legal troubles at the premiere of his new DC superhero movie, The Flash.

Miller thanked the DC team  including James Gunn and Peter Safran, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Warner Bros Film Group bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy  for your grace and discernment and care in the context of my life.

The actor has been mired in controversy since at least 2020 when a video surfaced on Twitter that appeared to show the actor choking a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland.

In 2022, he faced a string of criminal charges stretching from Hawaii to Vermont stemming from erratic behaviour.

The actor issued an apology in August 2022, explaining that they had been suffering complex mental health issues.
The company behind the remotely operated vehicle that found the debris from the missing Titan submersible has its operational base tucked away in a brick building that was once a county garage in East Aurora.

Here on Persons Street, one-third of a mile from Main Street, Pelagic Research Services operates within the same building as a law firm. A pet boutique and a repair shop are across the street.

Behind black overhead doors, Pelagic has a work area, a wood workbench and a small office, adorned with a whiteboard and a flat-screen TV.

On this Friday afternoon, reporters crowded inside, standing on the concrete floor where the companys remotely operated vehicle, the Odysseus 6K, would usually sit. That vehicle, which on June 22 descended 3,800 meters to the ocean floor in just 90 minutes and found the debris field not long after, is aboard three trucks and should arrive in East Aurora on Monday, Pelagic CEO Edward Cassano said.

Cassano, in describing an emotional, tiring mission, said his company is designed to support research and science at depth. Pelagics primary market, in fact, is deep sea science, having worked with groups such as Ocean Networks Canada and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But because the company has one of the few vehicles that can dive at depths of up to 6,000 meters  a vehicle that became operational in 2016 and was built by MPH Engineering in Largo, Fla.  Cassano and his team knew that, one day, a rescue call might come.

That call to Pelagic came at 5:45 p.m. June 18 from OceanGate Expeditions.

OceanGate had lost contact with its sub, with five people on board.

Rescue turned

into a recovery

When Pelagic was asked to activate the Odysseus 6K, Cassano said the company assembled its team, with some heading directly to St. Johns, Newfoundland, and others going to East Aurora.

That Monday, June 19, the team began packing and mobilizing Odysseus, with the equipment arriving by late afternoon to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, where two C-17 aircraft were waiting and a third was on the way.

By 4 a.m. June 20, the team began loading the equipment on the three C-17s and soon after departed, arriving in St. Johns in the afternoon.

Within six hours, the Pelagic team and Odysseus were mobilized onto the Horizon Arctic ship for the search-and-rescue mission. During transit, all Odysseus components were assembled and tested so it could get in the water as soon as it arrived at the last known location of Titan.

Upon arrival at the site early in the morning on June 22, Cassano said the Odysseus launched from the back deck and began descending to the seafloor, dropping at a rate of 35 meters a minute  faster than its normal rate of 25 meters a minute.

Our plan of rescue was to immediately upon finding Titan latch onto her as quickly as possible, and begin recovery, Cassano said.

Company with East Aurora presence plays key role in discovery of debris from missing submersible A company with Western New York ties said its remote-operated, deep-sea vehicle discovered the debris field from the missing Titan submersible.

Not long after reaching the sea floor, however, Odysseus made the grim discovery of the debris field. The world soon learned that Titan had imploded, killing the five people on board.

By 12 oclock sadly, a rescue turned into a recovery, Cassano said.

For the next five or six days, Pelagics nine-person crew focused on recovery operations, with Odysseus continuing to operate 24/7 almost flawlessly at 3,800 meters, Pelagic spokesperson Jeff Mahoney said.

Our operational base

Mahoney said Cassano co-founded Pelagic with Jim Sloan in Santa Barbara, Calif. And while Pelagic has a main mailing address of South Wellfleet, Mass. on its website, company officials reiterated several times Friday that East Aurora is its base of operations.

Asked why the company is in East Aurora, Cassano said if he had a $1,000 for every time somebody asked me that question, I might be retired.

But the real reason seems to be that Jesse Doren, Pelagics remotely operated vehicle manager and director of operations, lives in East Aurora, Cassano said. Doren wasnt available for an interview Friday, Mahoney said.

We talked about people and the importance of people, the importance of keeping the equipment in a ready state, so it made total sense for us to be here and for it to be maintained and then operated from there, Cassano said. So this is our operational base.

East Aurora resident Mike Ohlweiler, who bought the former Erie County garage in March 2020, said Pelagic was one of his first tenants, moving in by mid-2020. Ohlweiler said he didnt know Cassano or Doren before then but we hit it off right away.

Theyre great guys, and theyre really dedicated to what they do, Ohlweiler said. Ive been able to see the things that they got going on every day in terms of rebuilding the craft, fixing it, maintaining it, going out on various missions. Its been cool to be part of and watch.

Cassano also mentioned that Pelagic is a mobile system, as just evidenced by the company getting its team and equipment to Newfoundland in less than 30 hours.

Thats why we were successful in getting this system mobilized, to the airport, to St. Johns, onto the ship, onto site, onto the seafloor, Cassano said.
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Xi Jinping has not yet made a decision on whether to order a military unification with Taiwan by 2027, top US military officer, army general Mark Milley said, as Beijing celebrates the 102nd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Addressing an audience at the National Press Club in Washington, General Milley called on the US military to ramp up military modernisation to retain superiority and deter China from invading Taiwan.

The Chinese president has stated publicly that he has challenged the Peoples Liberation Army to develop the military capability to unify Taiwan with China by 2027, he said. So he didnt say, Ive decided to attack and invade.

General Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that there is a very subtle distinction in ordering the general to develop the capabilities and making a firm decision.

You want to make sure that every single day President Xi wakes up and says todays not that day, and that decision never comes, General Milley said.

The faster we move [on military modernisation], the faster we can retain military superiority, then I believe  we are more likely than not to deter war  and if war does happen, we will prevail.

It comes as China marks the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday.

Marking the 100th anniversary in 2021, the leader of China which considered the democratically ruled Taiwan as its territory called for Chinas complete reunification.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley speaks during the Headliners Luncheon at the National Press Club (Getty Images)

Resolving the Taiwan question and realising Chinas complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the Communist Party of China, Mr Xi said in his speech at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC.

Taiwan has rejected Beijings claim on its territory recognising itself as a defacto nation, shoring recognition and formal diplomatic partners on the world stage.

In March, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that an assessment by CIA director William Burns found that China is aiming to prepare itself to invade Taiwan by 2027, a claim rejected by Beijing.

Jing Quan, the No. 3 official at the Chinese embassy in Washington, said we dont want to use force against the island.

Some people are talking about five years, ten years, 2035, 2049 -- I dont think so, he said. We want to get united as soon as possible, but we dont have a timeline.
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A passenger bus in Indias western state of Maharashtra crashed and caught fire, killing at least 25 people and injuring eight people on board.

Police said the incident happened around 1.35am on Saturday morning when the bus was en route from Nagpur to Pune on the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Buldhana district.

The bus was travelling at a high speed when it hit the pole and slammed into a wall on the highway, leading to an explosion in the diesel tank of the bus that set the vehicle ablaze, police said.

There were 33 passengers on board, including two drivers and another staffer. The bus driver survived the crash while another, who was sleeping inside the bus, died.

People were unable to escape the fire. Around eight people were able to survive the incident but unfortunately, 25 people have died, said police official Sunil Kadasane.

These fatalities were caused due to burning rather than the impact of the accident because all the bodies are badly charred.

Police officials said they are investigating the cause of the accident and they are in the process of registering a formal complaint.

The driver of the bus is suspected to have fallen asleep while driving, an official said, according to the Indian Express.

Onlookers stand next to an official collecting samples from the remains of a bus that caught fire along the Samruddhi Expressway (AFP via Getty Images)

Police said most of the passengers were sleeping as it was early in the morning when the accident happened. The bus overturned onto his side where there are doors, blocking the passengers from escaping from doors and windows, they added.

An eyewitness of the tragic bus crash told PTI news agency that he saw people being burnt alive while many made attempts to break the windows as the blaze swept the vehicle in no time.

A local resident who was not named said: People inside were trying to break the windows. We saw people getting burnt alive...The fire was so intense that we could not do anything. We were in tears.

A survivor of the crash said: The passenger seated next to me and I managed to escape by breaking the rear window.

People gather next to the remains of a bus (background) that caught fire along the Samruddhi Expressway (AFP via Getty Images)

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Sindhe expressed deep grief over the horrific accident and visited the site of the crash to take stock of the situation.

The owner of the bus Virendra Darna said the vehicle was bought in 2020 and the driver was experienced.

We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire, he said

Mr Sindhe announced a sum of Rs 500,000 (4,793) to the next of kin of those deceased in the incident.

While giving instructions to provide immediate help to the accident victims, the Chief Minister also directed to provide immediate medical treatment to the injured at government expense, his office said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 200,000 (1,917) to the next of kin of those dead in the crash.

Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected, the prime ministers office said in a tweet.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the bodies of the victims were charred beyond recognition and ordered DNA tests for those whose identities could not be established.

The incident comes almost a month after the worst train accident in the history of Indian railways in almost a decade. Almost 261 people were killed and 1,000 were injured in a crash involving three trains in Odisha state.
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A Japanese journalist was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday and was sent back to Tokyo on Friday without giving him a clear reason for denying him entry.

Freelance Japanese journalist, Yoshiaki Ogawa, 54, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday but officials took him aside at the airport, questioned him for about an hour and then denied him entry.

This is reportedly the first such case for a reporter from Japan, local media claimed.

Mr Ogawa said that he was made to sign a document acknowledging that he could not enter the city and then was sent back to Tokyo on Friday afternoon.

Ive worked to convey things about Hong Kong to Japan, but it was not like I was going to do any (suspicious) activities in the city, Mr Ogawa was quoted as saying by local media.

After arriving in Tokyo, he said: (This incident) has truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before.

Mr Ogawa is also the author of the book titled Chronicles of Hong Kongs Protests which talks about the 2019 pro-democracy protests in the city.

According to a statement by the Japan-Hong Kong Democracy Alliance, Mr Ogawa planned to investigate the situation in the city, as Friday marked three years since a Beijing-imposed national security law took effect.

He wasnt even part of a big news organisation, he was just a freelance journalist I personally think this is a sign that the situation in Hong Kong is becoming more severe, Sam Yip, a former Hong Kong district councillor and spokesperson for the Japan-Hong Kong Democracy Alliance said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May.

In December, photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to Hong Kong and sent back to Japan. Earlier this month, a Japanese street performer who calls himself Mr Wally was also denied entry into the city, according to Japan Times.

Additional reporting with agencies
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The US State Department released its Afghanistan After Action Review report, detailing the failures of both the Trump and Biden administrations during the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

The long-awaited report found that the decision by both administrations had detrimental consequences and laid out the shortcomings of a chaotic and dangerous environment during the pullout after nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan.

The decisions of both President (Donald) Trump and President (Joe) Biden to end the US military mission in Afghanistan had serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security, said the unclassified report.

Those decisions are beyond the scope of this review, but the AAR (After Action Review) team found that during both administrations there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow, it added.

Out of the 85-page After Action Report, the department made only 24 pages public, keeping the remainder classified.

The details emerged more than a year following a 90-day long review of the handling of the evacuation operation and include details of what happened in the final days of US presence in Afghanistan and recommendations to prepare for future events.

The finding of the reports also highlighted the shortcomings of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, without naming him.

It included the state departments failure in expanding its crisis management task force as the Taliban advanced on Kabul in August 2021 and the lack of a senior diplomat to oversee all elements of the crisis response.

A full flight of 265 people supported by members of the UK Armed Forces on board an evacuation flight out of Kabul airport (MoD) (PA Media)

Referring to the State Departments top floor where Mr Blinken and other top diplomats have their office, it said: Naming a 7th floor principal ... would have improved coordination across different lines of effort.

The report stated that senior Biden administration officials had not made clear decisions regarding at-risk Afghans. There were no clear instructions about who would be included in the evacuation operation or about where they would be taken.

That added significantly to the challenges the Department and DoD faced during the evacuation, it said.

People struggle to cross the boundary wall of Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country (EPA)

The State Departments noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) was hindered by the fact that it was unclear who in the Department had the lead, it said.

The review also stated the concerns about signalling and maintaining confidence in the Afghan government hindered crisis preparation and planning. This inhibition ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Afghan government in mid-August 2021.

US Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (via REUTERS)

The report comes as the Biden administration was criticised for its chaotic pullout of US troops and its officials from Kabul after the takeover of the Taliban, toppling president Ashraf Ghanis government.

The unprecedented scenes showed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and other citizens trying to flee Taliban rule and attempting to enter Kabul airport.

Videos showed men clinging onto aircraft as they taxied down runways and others trying to climb the big walls of the airport.

During the evacuations, an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 US servicemembers and more than 150 Afghans outside an airport gate.

According to the report, approximately 125,000 individuals, including nearly 6,000 Americans, were evacuated from Kabul prior to the departure of the last US soldiers from Afghanistan on 20 August.

Defending Mr Bidens handling of evacuations, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the decisions were made to end the war.

He had to make a decision, she told reporters on Friday. The US had poured billions of dollars into a war with no end in sight and that he wanted to stop that, he wanted to end that, she said.

A Trump spokesperson said: Theres only one person responsible for the disastrous pullout of Afghanistan  Joe Biden.

The State Departments critical review was not reflected in the White House report which was released in April.
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Malaysian influencers are receiving flak on social media for renting private air planes for shooting their video content  and not for flying.

The influencers who claim to be financial experts reportedly fake a jet-setting lifestyle but use the plane only for their content, according to local reports.

They allegedly just use the footage from inside the private plane in their TikTok videos and dont fly anywhere in the rented planes.

This was first pointed out by a TikToker who goes by the name of Kaki Komen  which roughly translate to commentator in Malay.

According to Strait Times, Kaki Komen compiled videos of some influencers seen in their own videos boarding an aircraft with strips of yellow and green painted on its side.

The video  which had millions of views at the time of writing this report  showed several influencers inside the luxurious private plane. But local reports, citing TikToker Kaki Komens observations reported that the bunch of Malaysian influencers had rented the same plane to shoot their content and did not use it for flying anywhere.

The TikToker alleged that they were trying to create a fake image of being jet-setters and impress their audience using the footage from the private plane.

Kaki Komen alleged that all these influencers  which included several financial experts, and trader analysts  had all pitched in to rent the plane for their individual video shoots.

Soon social media users pounced upon the influencers for creating a fake illusion.

Another TikToker who goes by the handle @mrturboprop handle  and who claims to be a pilot  said that he used Flight radar navigation data to find out that the private plane  a Bombardier Challenger 601-3R with licence number N888FJ  had not flown since 21 February this year.
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A new study has found that women in the workface face age bias regardless of how old they are.

The study, published by the Harvard Business Review, saw researchers examine how women in leadership roles experience ageism. As noted by the World Health Organization, ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.

As part of the new study, the research team administered an open-ended survey to 914 women in the country who work for industries including higher education, faith-based nonprofits, law, and health care. Results found that women who are 60 or above reported being deemed unworthy of advancement in the workforce because of their age.

These survey participants also expressed that, when compared to co-workers of the opposite sex, theyve been given less opportunities.

While men become wells of wisdom as they age, older women are seen as outdated, harpy, strident, one physician who took the survey said. Our voices are discounted.

Others noted that because of the age discrimination theyve faced at work, theyve considered pursuing careers elsewhere. According to the study, one 60-year-old lawyer indicated: I am tired of proving myself to others and may as well do it in the interests of my own company.

Meanwhile, young surveyors, who were under the age of 40, recalled how theyve been given pet names at work or patted on the head. They also described how inaccurate assumptions were made about them because they looked young, with some noting that theyve been mistaken for interns or students.

Regarding how their appearance has been scrutinised, one physician recalled how, after she gave a scientific presentation, a male co-worker told her she looked like a Barbie doll up there.

In addition, the younger women said they faced situations at work where their statements and credentials are not taken seriously. I am often told that I dont have the experience so I cant know what to do, one 34-year-old woman said in the study.

Along with women in both the younger and older age ranges, the study also looked at those who were middle-aged, which referred to the ages between 40 and 60. Many of these women said they were also subject to ageism, with one college leader claiming that some search committees have decided not to hire women in their late forties, because they have too much family responsibility and impending menopause.

Ultimately, the study concluded that, regardless of what age they are, women are still facing ageism in the workforce.

No matter what age the women were, it was never quite right for leadership, Amy Diehl, chief information officer at Wilson College and co-authored the study, told CBS MoneyWatch. So many young and middle-aged women are being kept from professional advancement.

Leanne Dzubinski, professor at Biola University and co-author of the study, went on to explain that everyone in the workforce is affected by age bias, regardless of if theyre the ones experiencing it or not.

Any time half (or more) of the workforce is limited in their ability to contribute to organisations and society, that loss impacts everyone and the broader economy, Dzubinski said to CBS. When women - young, middle aged, or older - are discriminated against, everyone suffers.

Researchers have continued to examine the existence of ageism in the United States. In a 2022 study, the Journal of the American Medical Association found that, out of 2,035 participants between the ages of 50 to 80, 93.4 per cent said they experienced ageism in their everyday lives.

Along with the study published in the Harvard Business Review, researchers have previously examined the gender bias that women in the workforce face. In a 2022 study conducted by McKinsey & Company, it found that, for every 100 men who are promoted from entry-level roles to manager positions, only 87 women are promoted.
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Colleen Ballinger has denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards her former fans in a bizarre musical video in which she plays the ukelele and sings a song.

The influential YouTuber, who created the popular sketch character Miranda Sings, faced accusations of child grooming. In a video posted to her Colleen Vlogs YouTube channel on Wednesday (28 June), Ballinger called the allegations lies and toxic gossip all while playing the ukulele.

Public allegations against Ballinger date back to April 2020 when Adam McIntyre released a video titled colleen ballinger, stop lying.

But in her video addressing them, Ballinger said: Some people are saying things about me that just arent true. Even though my team has strongly advised me not to say what Im going to say, I realised they never said I couldnt sing about what I want to say.

In McIntyres video, the now-22-year-old claimed Ballinger developed an imbalanced, unhealthy friendship with him when he was as young as 13.

He said in a tweet addressing the YouTubers ukelele song: As much as colleen discredited & made fun of me, im glad her video did ONE thing, show you all EXACTLY the type of evil woman she is, that a lot of us have experienced over the past few years behind the scenes, the mask has slippedeveryone meet the REAL colleen ballinger.

McIntyre reportedly first met Ballinger in 2014 at a tour stop in Dublin during a very professional interaction.

Two years later, they spoke directly during one of Ballingers livestreams in 2016, when one of his comments made McIntyre known to the star. During the livestream, Ballinger reportedly promised she would send some of her ugly and unused clothes to a few of her fans.

McIntyre received a set of her underwear shortly after, he said, during his 25-minute YouTube video posted over three years ago.

McIntyre had also claimed he was part of Colleenys Weenies, a small Twitter group chat with some of her other fans. In a subsequent video posted earlier this month, McIntyre shared screenshots from the private chat, in which Ballinger allegedly asked him what his favourite position was.

In 2016, McIntyre reportedly wrote in the chat that his a** looks good, to which Ballinger allegedly replied: Pics Adam.

Ballinger previously admitted sending McIntyre a bra and underpants in a 2020 apology video. I dont know what part of my brain was missing at the time, she said. But I am not a monster, I am not a groomer, and I shouldnt kill myself.

Ballinger with her ex-husband Joshua Evans (Getty)

People accepted Ballingers apology at the time, with some turning on McIntyre who was reportedly called slurs, threatened and doxxed by Ballingers fans.

Allegations against Ballinger resurfaced earlier this month, after another ex-fan, KodeeRants, corroborated McIntyres claims about the Colleenys Weenies private chat in a since-deleted video.

Now, several former members of the Miranda Sings fan club have shared their own experiences with Ballinger in interviews with HuffPost UK.

McIntyre said Ballinger allegedly claimed her husband Joshua Evans, who was a popular YouTuber at the time, was emotionally abusive towards her on the group chat.

After everyone went silent for a second, McIntyre added: And then were like, Oh, my God, babe, Im so sorry. Im so sorry. Like [before that] we were having a conversation about homework because we were children.

McIntyre said members of the chat group began to defend Ballinger during her then-ongoing divorce from Evans, while attacking her former partner on gossip sites or in the comments sections of YouTube videos  allegedly spurred by Ballinger herself.

Brey, who was 16 when she was part of the private message group, said she felt like Ballingers bodyguard.

Evans denied he was emotionally abusive to Ballinger in an interview with the publication, recalling that he received death threats after the former couple separated.

I was so involved in this womans life that its embarrassing to look back on, McIntyre said, explaining how Ballinger would trauma dump on him. There were some days, on a school night, I would be up until like 4 am trying to calm her down or try to give her advice. ... It was a private thing.

Other people have come forward to highlight other incidents.

In 2019, during a live yoga challenge event, Ballinger called a young fan called Becky onstage and, in character as Miranda Sings, lifted her legs over her head and spread them wide open. A fart sound was played over this moment.

(Getty Images)

Becky, who was wearing a romper or a playsuit at the time, told HuffPost: I looked up to her so much and I just trusted her so much that I did it. I laid down and she just spread my legs wide open for everybody to see.

In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, she added: I was mortified in that position. I was in shock. But I had so many like friends through [the fandom] that I didnt want to necessarily lose.

So for a little bit, I was pretending to be like Yeah, that was really funny. I was worried that I would be called ungrateful because I got to go up on stage.

Social media users have been resharing this incident, calling it an example of Ballinger traumatising a minor.

Some people have also opened up about allegedly problematic behaviour on the part of Ballingers family and friends specifically her brother Trent Ballinger and her best friend Kory Desoto.

Oliver, who is trans and identified as a girl in 2018, said Trent allegedly complimented Olivers looks, asked him for photos and told him to text anytime. Oliver was 13 at the time, while Trent was 33.

In one message, seen by Rolling Stone, Trent reportedly told Oliver: Anything we talk about stays between u and I.

Another message reportedly read: You would look good preg if you ever want children one day.

The Independent has contacted Trents representatives for contact.

Johnny Silvestri, who worked as an assistant on Ballingers tour when he was 22, claimed Desoto screamed at him and verbally belittled him  and that Ballinger witnessed this behaviour and didnt do anything about it.

Silvestri also alleged Evans exploited him for free labour to manage his social media accounts, adding: I found solace and safety in this online group of people. And these grown-a** adults abused it.

Evans apologised to Silvestri on Twitter earlier this month.

Ballinger didnt respond to requests for comment from either publication, making her 2020 video the last time she addressed McIntyres allegations.

The Independent has contacted her representatives for comment, as well as representatives for Desoto and Trent. Ballinger has not responded to The Independents request for comment.
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The wife of Coronation Street actor Sam Aston has opened up about suffering two miscarriages within four months, in the interest of breaking the tabboo.

Aston, who has played the role of Chesney Brown on the hit show since 2003, married trainee midwife Briony in 2019.

On Saturday 1 July, Briony posted a picture on her Instagram account of a pregnancy test kit that had been edited to read: Not pregnant anymore.

She captioned her post: This is a difficult thing to share, but in the interest of breaking the taboo, Im miscarrying again, the second time in four months... its heartbreaking and its unfair, BUT Im not seeking sympathy, I feel well supported and want others to feel supported too.

And thats why I wanted to post this today, because having people you can talk to and receiving comfort from those who have been through something similar makes the world of difference, she wrote.

Briony said hearing from other women about the babies they lost made procesing her own grief easier, adding: I dont feel alone at all.

She continued: In fact I feel the opposite of alone, I feel held and heard and I hope that by continuing these difficult conversations about miscarriage and pregnancy loss we open the door for others who will sadly experience loss too.

Sam and Briony share two children, son Sonny James, two, and daughter Daisy, one.

According to the National Health Service, a miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 23 weeks. It is estimated that one in eight known pregnancies will end in miscarriage.

According to the NHS, recurrent miscarriages, or losing three or more pregnancies in a row, is less common and affects about one in 100 women.

In the past, stars such as Jessie J, Jennifer Lawrence, Cher, and Sharon Stone have spoken about their experiences of miscarrying.

Jessie J  real name Jessica Cornish  welcomed her first child in May, over one year after suffering a miscarriage in November 2021.

At the time, she said the sadness is overwhelming, adding: I also know millions of women all over the world have felt this pain and way worse. I feel connected to those of you I know and those of you I dont.

Stone has previously revealed she lost nine children to miscarriages, responding to a news story about dancer Peta Murgatroyds miscarriage while her husband was in Ukraine.

Commenting under an Instagram post from People, Stone wrote: We, as females, dont have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss. I lost nine children by miscarriage.

It is no small thing, physically nor emotionally yet we are made to feel it is something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure.

The 65-year-old actor added: Instead of receiving the much needed compassion and empathy and healing which we so need. Female health and wellness left to the care of the male ideology has become lax at best, ignorant in fact, and violently oppressive in effort.
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Jennifer Lawrence has shared her reaction to now-husband Cooke Maroneys marriage proposal during an appearance on Amelia Dimoldenbergs interview show Chicken Shop Date.

In the episode, released on Friday 30 June, Dimoldenberg asked the No Hard Feelings star what being proposed to felt like.

Terrifying, but very, very exciting, Lawrence replied. I didnt say what I wanted to. I imagined it a million times, and then I ended up just going, What? What? What? And then going, Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Like a competition winner, the British internet personality quipped, as Lawrence replied: Exactly.

Lawrence and Maroney, an art dealer, met in 2018 after they were reportedly introduced by common friend Laura Simpson.

Maroney proposed to Lawrence in February 2019, and the couple tied the knot in October the same year. Their wedding reception at a luxurious mansion in Newport, Rhode Island was attended by guests including Adele, Amy Schumer, Emma Stone, and Kris Jenner.

They welcomed their first child, son Cy, last February.

In an interview withThe New York Times last November, Lawrence said shes so happy she didnt cancel her wedding with Maroney.

She explained she was having commitment anxiety, like her character in the 2022 film Causeway, that was coming out of my performance in all these different creative ways but I wasnt conscious of it.

Lawrence said the anxiety began to ebb when she went back home to Maroney, adding: Im so happy I stayed. Im so happy I didnt freak out and cancel the wedding and run away and go, Ill never be taken down!

Elsewhere in the interview, she revealed she had a feminist meltdown about changing her name after the wedding.

God, I had such a feminist meltdown about changing my name because its my identity, its the first thing Im given, she explained. In the end, she decided that sharing a different name with her husband and son would allow her to switch between her personal and public lives.

Jennifer Lawrence and husband Cooke Maroney

I was born with the name Jennifer Lawrence, but that got taken from me when I was 21 and I never got it back, she said. So it didnt feel like I was giving up anything. That name already belongs to them.

Lawrence is currently promoting No Hard Feelings, a raunchy comedy in which she plays Maddie, a 32-year-old from Montauk, who agrees to date a wealthy couples 19-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in a bid to save her childhood home.

You can read The Independents three-star review of the film here.

No Hard Feelings is now in cinemas.
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Kevin Costners estranged wife Christine Baumgartner has reportedly said she will move out of their home in California, as long as her ex-husband provides further financial support as determined by the court.

The former couple are locked in a disagreement over Baumgartners continued presence in the beachfront house they shared together in Carpenteria, California, after she filed for divorce in early May.

New court documents reportedly show that Baumgartner, 49, promised to move out of the house on 31 August if Costner, 68, agrees to pay a higher amount in monthly child support, according to TMZ. Earlier this month, she reportedly asked a judge to force the Yellowstone star to pay $248,000 (approximately 196,000) per month in child support for their three teenage children.

Baumgartner is arguing that the figure is less than the amount needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle. She is also requesting that Costner pay 100 per cent of the childrens private school tuition fees, extracurricular activities and healthcare expenses. Both are seeking joint custody of the children.

According to People, the amount Baumgartner is seeking is more than six times the $38,000 (approximately 30,000) a month that Costner offered. He has alleged that his ex-wife is refusing to vacate their home since she filed for divorce, in spite of a clause in their pre-nuptial agreement that requires her to move out within 30 days.

Under the conditions of their pre-nup, Baumgartner is entitled to a settlement of $1.4m. Costners net worth is estimated to be upwards of $250m, with Variety reporting that he was getting paid $1.5m per episode of his hit show Yellowstone, making him the best-paid actor on TV in 2022.

In legal documents, Costner said that Baumgartners agreement to move out was and is unconditional. It also noted that after his divorce from first wife Cindy Silva in 1994, to whom he reportedly paid a $80m settlement, he found himself without a home base He never wanted that to happen again.

Baumgartner cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing and listed their date of separation as 11 April.

Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner at the Oscars in 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

A representative for Costner told Fox News at the time: It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action.

We ask that his, Christines and their childrens privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.

The pair are due for a case management conference on 5 July.

Costner and Baumgartner married in 2004 and share three children, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. The Bodyguard star was previously married to Silva for 16 years before they divorced in 1994, and also share three children together.

Costner also has a son with Bridget Rooney, who was born in 1996.

The Independent has contacted Costners representatives for comment.
CHILDRENS When Giants Burn by Beth Vrabel; Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 238 pages ($17.99) Ages 8 to 12.

...

A scarred sequoia and an ancient aspen are at the heart of this stirring, beautifully written tale of family trauma, friendship and survival, set in Utah during wildfire season.

The narration alternates between Gerty, daughter of parents who became unhinged survivalists after a devastating loss, and Hayes, an angry boy who is struggling to learn to trust his mother again after her release from prison on a felony larceny charge. Gerty and Hayes are both weird new kids at school and get to know each other through regular meetings with the school guidance counselor.

Gertys parents have taught her survival skills but are allowing her to attend school for the first time, believing middle school will be the thing that really solidifies within me a desire to leave the social fabric behind. What Gerty really wants is to join the Civil Air Patrol to fly disaster relief missions but she is certain her survivalist parents will never give their permission. Meanwhile her grandmother has taken her for flying lessons and allowed her to build an ultralight plane in her pole barn. (The grandmother is unaware Gerty is buying the parts for the plane with money stolen from her parents cash reserve buried in the woods.)

When her parents get spooked by an intruder and decide to pick up and leave for Oregon, Gerty and Hayes take off in the ultralight to get a look at the Pando, a 100-acre expanse of quaking aspen that is actually a single living organism. But wildfires are burning in the area, and their adventure quickly turns into a battle for survival.

This marvelous novel offers thrilling suspense, vivid details of wilderness survival and a poignant exploration of children and their parents struggling to heal from family trauma.

YOUNG ADULT

Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 372 pages ($19.99) Ages 12 and up.

... Kelly Loy Gilbert examines the toxic tradeoffs in a family whose affluence depends on constantly polishing, packaging and selling their image to a fickle, often hostile public in this dazzling novel for our times.

White-Chinese 16-year-old Honor Lo narrates the tale. Everyone knows the Lo family from their popular reality show, Lo and Behold, but now that the show is over, the Los are still in the spotlight as influencers, with brand deals, a podcast, a book and speaking engagements. Older siblings Jamison, Wrangell and Skye are on board with this. Jamison is capitalizing on her baby daughter and new mom status as a mom influencer, Wrangell has several lines of menswear while soon-to-be college freshman Skye has secured a lucrative brand partnership with her school, Baylor University.

Although their mother is pressuring them to develop their own public profiles, 16-year-old Atticus wants to be a professional volleyball player, and Honor, his twin, quietly enjoys building miniature clay food art while torturing herself reading the snarky online comments random strangers make about her family.

When their father announces he is leaving their mother and moving to an apartment in Brooklyn, this means more than just a rift in the family: It means serious monetary damage to their brand. Honor makes it her personal mission to bring the family back together even as comments she made about her parents breakup are leaked to a gossip magazine. Although her friends deny leaking the comments, Honor cuts them off and looks with suspicion at the students in her new private school with the exception of Caden, who has trust issues of his own.

Then tragedy strikes her older sister, and the Lo family seems united once again. But all is not as it seems, and the lengths some family members will go to protect their brand may come with a price Honor is not willing to pay.

Gilbert explores in depth the shifting alliances between family members, and Honors realization, after a devastating betrayal, that she will not be able to unite her family but she can find friendship and connections out of the spotlight and beyond her family circle.

 Jean Westmoore
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Kourtney Kardashians strained relationship with Kim Kardashian reared its head during the latest episode of The Kardashians, released on Thursday 29 June.

Their ongoing feud began when Kourtney accused Kim of using her wedding to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker as a business opportunity. She was referring to the Skims founders collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana, months after the couples Portofino nuptials last May.

The luxury fashion brand collaborated with Kourtney and Barker, dressing the couple and their families for the festivities in Italy.

In September 2022, Kim unveiled her own partnership with Dolce & Gabbana, when she walked the runway at Milan Fashion Show to make her debut as a guest curator for the brands Spring/Summer 2023 collection.

During Thursdays episode of The Kardashians, Khloe Kardashian tried convincing Kourtney to smooth things over with Kim.

If she felt bad, dont you think she should reach out and say, Hey, I was thinking about it and I really feel  I dont think that she feels [bad], Kourtney told Khloe. It comes from an old thing of us being 18 months apart and just having a more competitive nature as sisters.

When Khloe said she thought Kim had tried to talk to Kourtney about their fight, the eldest sister replied that was 100 per cent false.

Kourtney, who recently announced that she and Barker were expecting their first child together, also said she finds it intolerable to talk to Kim.

Shes on her phone the whole time, she can hardly look up and is really hard to engage. It makes me want to run the other way. I just thought, What else could you take from me? Could I have anything that is mine? the 44-year-old added.

Elsewhere in the episode, Kourtney reacted to mother-manager Kris Jenner calling Kim the leader of their family.

Jenner raised a toast to Kim at a surprise dinner to mark her 42nd birthday, saying: We all look up to you. Youre a superpower. And you are pretty much now, at this point, the leader of our family.

When asked whether Kourtney sees Kim as the familys new leader, the mom-of-three quipped: I mean if she wants to be, you know. It is not a cult that I am following.

Kim previously shared her views on Kourtneys accusations in a past episode of their reality show.

Im really confused about how this narrative came into her head, she said, during a confessional interview.

She also told Khloe she had been mindful of stepping on Kourtneys toes, telling Dolce & Gabbana: Dont do anything that Kourtney wore to her wedding.

The Kardashians season three available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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Dutch King Willem-Alexander is set to deliver a speech Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery, amid speculation that he could offer an apology on behalf of the royal house.

The kings speech follows Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the countrys role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863, but most of the enslaved laborers were forced to continue working on plantations for a further 10 years. Saturday's commemoration and speech mark the start of a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of July 1, 1873.

Research published last month showed that the kings ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euros ($595 million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Rutte apologized in December for the Netherlands historic role in slavery and the slave trade  an apology that also included the royal house  he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million-euro ($217 million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the issue.

That isn't enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the king's speech Saturday under the banner No healing without reparations.

The apology is an important historical step, but not enough. Descendants of enslaved people have the right to reparations, march organizers said in a statement.

The Netherlands often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands aren't alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed deepest regrets for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the churchs role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signaled support for research into the U.K. monarchys ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery, but havent acknowledged the crowns connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history. English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

___

Mike Corder reported from Ede.
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The worlds largest airliner is returning to Birmingham airport as Gulf carriers ramp up capacity.

Emirates will resume using its 615-seater Airbus A380s from Saturday for one of its two daily return flights between the West Midlands airport and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The vast majority of A380s around the world were put into storage at the height of the virus crisis, sparking speculation they would never return due to the existence of more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Direct connectivity with the Middle East has never been better Nick Barton, Birmingham airport

But the models ability to carry more passengers than other commercial planes means they are making a recovery.

Meanwhile, airline Saudia will start serving Birmingham airport from Sunday with three return fights per week to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Airways will return to the airport on July 6 following a three-year absence due to the virus crisis, with daily return flights to Doha, Qatar.

Birmingham airport is hoping the moves mean more passengers will view it as an alternative to London terminals.

It expects to serve around 12.5 million passengers during the current financial year and plans to increase the annual figure to more than 18 million within a decade.

The airports chief executive, Nick Barton, said: Direct connectivity with the Middle East has never been better for our business and leisure customers.

Emirates, Qatar and Saudia are all major global players connecting Birmingham airport directly to their hub airports, each with impressive onward networks variously serving Australasia, Africa and the Far East.

Mr Barton cited Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Accenture and HSBC as some of the global brands which have recently established headquarters in Birmingham.

He went on: Emirates, Qatar and Saudia see Birmingham and the West Midlands as a British region home to six million people, with an economy the size of Hungarys, on a strong trajectory of growth, and with future economic potential not yet fully realised.

The draw of the West Midlands strengthens further still when one considers the opportunities offered by the new HS2 railway, which, once operational in the early 2030s, will connect London directly to the Birmingham airport terminal in a barely conceivable 32 minutes.

Thats a game-changer.

Emirates UK divisional vice president Richard Jewsbury said: Were excited to be bringing back our iconic A380 aircraft back to Birmingham.

The return will make it easier to connect more passengers to popular long-haul destinations including Thailand, Australia and of course the vibrant city of Dubai for summer and beyond.

As well as meeting increased customer demand, businesses across the region will be able to take full advantage of the cargo capacity.

Were extremely proud of our partnership with Birmingham airport and our ongoing commitments to the wider Midlands region.
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A father from Twickenham has praised childrens intensive care ambulance staff for saving his teenage daughters life as the service celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) transports critically ill children and young people from local hospitals to paediatric intensive care and critical care units across the south Thames region and beyond using specially equipped ambulances.

The retrieval team is made up of clinicians from Evelina Londons paediatric intensive care unit, who are trained in stabilising and transferring seriously ill children.

Isla, 14, was transferred by the service to Evelina Londons paediatric intensive care unit after she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia last December.

Islas father Charlie, 49, said he felt helpless seeing Isla fighting for breath and not being able to do anything to help her but he was reassured by seeing how calm STRS were.

Ive watched great sporting teams in action but this was as good as any of them, he said.

Isla was put on a ventilator for two weeks to help with her breathing and made a great recovery, both physically and mentally, Charlie said.

He said: We have no doubt that Isla wouldnt be here now if it wasnt for the STRS team and that, more than anything else, sums up the amazing job they do.

The PA news agency spoke to two team members inside the back of an ambulance while they were on a trip to move a child from East Surrey Hospital to St Georges Hospital in Wimbledon.

Sarah Hardwic, an advanced nurse practitioner who has been working for STRS for 23 years, said the service helps children who are suffering from a whole range of problems, such as asthma, neurology disorders or physical injury.

Jayne Farrance, senior staff nurse/retrieval nurse for STRS, told the PA news agency that most of the children helped by the service are tiny and that the team uses special equipment suitable for small children.

Speaking inside the ambulance, Ms Farrance said: Weve got everything that we would need, because each childs needs are different depending on their size and their condition.

The service was launched in 1997 and in 2002 STRS became the first retrieval team in the UK that allowed parents to accompany their child during the transfer in specially equipped ambulances.

Advanced nurse practitioner Ms Hardwic said the service has changed massively over the years.

She said: When it first started it would be a senior medic and a senior nurse going out with a bag of equipment and they would take a taxi out to the district general hospitals.

They would help stabilise the child, and then they would call a 999 ambulance to get the child brought back into London.

What we have now is our own purpose-built ambulances, which weve had for a long time, and so weve got two teams on 24/7 available so that when the district general hospitals call us, we can be there giving advice over the phone, helping them make decisions of whether the child needs to be brought to an intensive care and mobilising the teams to actually go out and move the children.

STRS provides advice and care to 2,000 critically ill children and young people in the south Thames region each year.
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Two children and a woman have died in a devastating flat fire in Cambridge.

A man managed to escape the flames which engulfed the maisonette in the early hours of the morning. and is being treated in hospital.

More than 30 firefighters rushed to attend the blaze in Sackville Close, Kings Hedges.

Firefighters rescued two children, a boy and a girl, but despite efforts to save them they both later died in hospital. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said that a woman in her 30s also died at the scene.

Have you been affected by this story? If so email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk

A man in his 30s managed to escape the flat before crews arrived. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, a spokesperson added.

Emergency services were called to reports of a flat fire at 1.08am on Friday morning.

Crews arrived to find smoke billowing from the ground and first floor of a two-storey maisonette.

Firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes.

Area Commander Stuart Smith said: This is a devastating and deeply upsetting incident that will touch many people. Our thoughts are with the relatives, friends and neighbours of the family. Its just heartbreaking.

We know this will have a huge impact on the local community and our fire safety team was in the area visiting residents yesterday to provide fire safety information and reassurance and will be returning next week.

A fire like this is one of the toughest incidents you can attend as a firefighter and were looking after the welfare of all those who responded to or supported this incident.

An investigation to establish the cause of the fire has been launched.
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Pollen levels are set to increase across the UK this weekend, the Met Office has said as it issued a warning to hay fever sufferers.

On Saturday 1 July, pollen levels are set to skyrocket in England and Wales, with the alert level in East Midlands moving from moderate to a rare very high, a warning which will remain in place until Monday.

Elsewhere, South West England, London and South East England, Wales, West Midlands, North West England, Yorkshire and Humber and North East England are all set to increase to high.

The Met Office pollen forecast for Saturday 1 July shows levels skyrocketing across England and Wales (Met Office/screengrab)

The majority were marked moderate on Friday, with the exception of London and South East England, which were already high, and the North West, in the green with a low warning.

On Sunday 2 July, some areas will experience a slight decrease in pollen levels, with Wales, West Midlands and North West England dipping back down to a moderate warning.

Elsewhere, the alert in the East of England will move from moderate on Saturday to high on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Scotland and Northern Ireland is set to experience lower levels, with a moderate alert in place on Saturday across all areas bar Orkney and Shetland, which will stay low.

On Sunday, the northernmost area will creep up ever so slightly to moderate, swapping with Highlands and Eilean Siar as it dips down to the green.

On Sunday 2 July, the pollen alert will remain very high in the East Midlands (Met Office/screengrab)

The UK is currently coming to the end of grass pollen season, which typically lasts from mid-May until July. Hay fever season begins in late March with tree pollen, with the third phase  weed pollen  released at any time, but usually enduring from the end of June until September.

The start of hay fever season and the movement between the three phases can also vary depending on geographical location, with the north of the UK typically enjoying a later start and shorter season. Cities also tend to have lower pollen counts than the countryside, as do coastal areas compared to places inland.

Earlier in June, the Met Office reported that there is a growing consensus that climate change will impact the UKs pollen season, worsening conditions for hay fever sufferers.

Noting that incidences of respiratory allergies are at an all-time high, the new study stated that most of the changes to pollen seasons it identified were caused by climate drivers of increasing temperature and sunshine.

Theres a growing scientific consensus that climate change will impact the pollen season in the UK. It could result in longer pollen seasons, a Met Office spokesperson told The Guardian.
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Climate campaigners Just Stop Oil have threatened to disrupt Londons Pride parade due to the involvement of the events sponsor United Airlines.

In a statement, LGBT+ members of the group also called on organisers to ban floats from those organisations in the parade  and condemn new oil, gas and coal.

In a letter written to a representative of Prides Board of Directors, JSO issued a series of demands ahead of any potential protest.

They called for clarity on where Pride sources its money from, a statement from the body to demand an end to new oil and gas, and for it to set up a meeting about joining in civil resistance to new oil and gas.

Just Stop Oil called the climate crisis the biggest threat to LGBT+ rights and had urged Pride to respond to their demands by 4pm last Thursday.

They said: Beyond this time or not meeting these demands will mean we may or may not take action at this weekends events.

The letter also demanded Pride consider what ethical considerations are taken when deciding who to accept money from.

In a statement made on Twitter after Prides 5pm deadline, Just Stop Oil confirmed that they had been in negotiations with Pride, demanding it returns to its protest roots by empowering queer people to stand in civil resistance against their genocidal government.

The group has said it may disrupt the Pride event (PA Wire)

Just Stop Oil later tweeted: If you know the people that Pride is supposed to be about are marginalised, you should understand the climate crisis impacts marginalised people disproportionately and feel disgusted that Pride celebrations are being used to pinkwash the same polluters causing the crisis.

It comes as the Mayor of London was accused of rainbow-washing by Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski, after failing to criticise Prides decision to make United Airlines their headline sponsor.

Polanski said: Last year, the Mayor agreed with me that Pride should be fossil free. Those who want to take part in Pride need to show leadership on climate.

It comes after Jonny Bairstow of England removed a Just Stop Oil pitch invader during Day One of the Ashes 2nd Test earlier this week (Getty Images)

The 51st Pride event in London is set to begin at 12pm, beginning at Park Lane and ending at Whitehall. Take a look at this years full route here .

Around 1.5 million people are expected to take part in this years London Pride, with organisers saying its set to be bigger and better than before.

Just Stop Oil activists will gather at Parliament Square at 12pm today.

Three Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested over a pitch invasion at the Ashes on Thursday, with English cricket player Jonny Bairstow physically removing one of the protesters after spreading orange powder across the pitch.
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Senior Conservatives are urging Rishi Sunak to use a cabinet reshuffle to restore discipline as the civil war within his party intensifies.

Mr Sunak himself was the subject of a blue-on-blue attack on Friday when a minister sensationally quit slamming the prime ministers record and warning it would cost the party votes at the general election.

Zac Goldsmiths resignation came just a day after eight Tory politicians were accused of a disturbing attack on democracy and attempts to discredit a majority-Conservative parliamentary committee investigating Partygate.

The peer, who had been a Foreign Office minister, quit a day after he was named by a report into interference with the Boris Johnson Partygate inquiry, blaming the prime ministers apathy towards climate change. Sunak responded, saying Lord Goldsmith had resigned after being asked to apologise for his Partygate comments, at which point the peer accused No 10 of misleading briefing.

Tensions over the partys disastrous poll ratings also bubbled over in public when one Tory MP publicly attacked his partys chairman for an embarrassing and silly by-election stunt.

And, as Sunak faces a series of difficult by-elections triggered by Johnson allies, his key pledge to stop the boats was hit with a major blow as the policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was declared unlawful.

One former cabinet minister told The Independent that Sunak should use an anticipated reshuffle to restore discipline in the party. I think he needs a reshuffle now to get some political people to the front line, he said. Government has become very technocratic and he doesnt seem to get a lot of good political advice.

Another senior Conservative described it as a bad week for Tories. They called for a reshuffle before the summer recess, adding: Every ministry should have a senior minister who is the go-to person capable of continually pumping out positive stories and rebutting negative ones. Any legislation which is divisive in the party should be binned and Rishi downwards to do everything they can to unite the party.

No 10 declined to comment.

The Tory party is still reeling from the fallout from Boris Johnsons resignation as an MP and the finding he misled parliament over Partygate.

The by-elections are due to play out against the background of continued mortgage misery for millions.

Rishi Sunak is presiding over a party at war with itself (Reuters)

Many Tory MPs fear party in-fighting will cost them votes they can ill afford to lose, not just in the seats which go to the polls on July 20, but at the general election as well. Another senior Tory said that a reshuffle of Sunaks top team would be a good thing, and urged the PM to reward competence.

There is a bit of a feeling around that it is a unity cabinet, rather than a competence cabinet, designed to bring all the factions together, he said.

A further senior Tory called on the prime minister to demonstrate a true Conservative way forward.

Boris Johnson loomed over the resignation of Lord Zac Goldsmith (PA)

Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to reshuffle his top team soon, as he prepares for the next election. Those criticised in the latest Partygate report include Johnson loyalists Nadine Dorries, Lord Goldsmith and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The findings reignited the partys civil war, as Ms Dorries doubled down telling the cross-party committee if it did not want to be seen as a kangaroo court it should stop hopping.

While on the campaign trail in Yorkshire earlier in the week dozens of Conservative activists met the Labour leader alighting from his train with a cheer of Welcome to Selby, Sir Keir!.

The greeting was broadcast on Twitter by the party chairman Greg Hands, who claimed : North London Leftie lawyer and top flip-flopper Sir Keir is one of the (Conservatives) trump cards in the Selby By-Election!.

But he was attacked by the Tory MP for Swindon, a key battleground, Justin Tomlinson. In response, he tweeted: No this is embarrassing. Elections are won proving your worth, not silly stunts.
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Humza Yousaf said he is confident the SNP can hold the constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West but admitted his party would face a tough challenge if a by-election is held there.

With a recall petition currently under way after Margaret Ferrier, the MP for the area, was suspended from the House of Commons for 30 for breaches of Covid rules, voters could force a by-election to oust her from the seat.

Mr Yousaf said: It will be a tough by-election, theres no getting away from that.

Labour having been campaigning hard in the seat, hoping to capitalise on a fall in support for the SNP in polls, which has come as the party faces a high-profile police investigation into its finances.

There was also public outcry after it emerged Ms Ferrier, who was elected as an SNP MP but now sits as an independent, took a train from Scotland to London and spoke in the House of Commons while she should have been isolating while waiting for the results of a Covid test.

The MP, who travelled back to Scotland by train after being confirmed as positive with the virus, has appealed for people not to sing the recall petition.

Mr Yousaf, who was campaigning in Blantyre in the constituency on Saturday with SNP candidate Katy Loudon, however insisted that support for his party was rock solid.

Were not complacent, we know it will be a tough by-election, theres no getting away from that First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf

The Scottish First Minister and SNP leader told PA Media: Ive been speaking to residents, doing a lot of canvassing. Support for the SNP is very strong here.Im hopeful, I am confident that we will hold on to the seat here for the SNP. Our support is absolutely rock solid from the doors I have knocked over the past few weeks and indeed here today.But were not complacent, we know it will be a tough by-election, theres no getting away from that.For all the circumstances that surround it this byelection will be a tough one, thats why we dont take a single vote for granted, that is why I am out here personally working hard to secure as much support as we can for the SNP.

Ms Ferrier has urged locals in the constituency not to sign the recall petition, saying her constituents are her top priority.

She stated: I made a mistake for which I continue to apologise and have faced severe punishment.

It has not deterred me from doing right by constituents and continuing tofight on their behalf.

I hope that my constituents will recognise this.

Under parliamentary rules, MPs who are suspended for 10 sitting days or more are liable to face a by-election but only if 10% of their constituents sign a recall petition.
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Changes have been made to the way the SNP records donations after auditors raised an issue, Humza Yousaf said.

The party leader and Scottish First Minister spoke about the changes after it emerged it would be submitting qualified accounts to the Electoral Commission.

With the SNP required to submit accounts to the watchdog by July 7, the SNP confirmed on Friday it was on track to meet this  but there would be a qualification relating to one stream of income due to administrative processes.

It added that this had resulted in a limitation in scope of the audit.

When I first came into this role as leader there was a significant amount of doubt as to whether we would get those accounts submitted on time First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf

Speaking about the situation, Mr Yousaf told PA Media: The qualification the auditors refer to is really in relation to ensuring that donations that are under 250, that we keep hard copy documentation of those donations.

We do keep an online record of them but the auditors say there should be a hard copy of those donations kept as well.

He added: As soon as the auditors raised that issue with us the treasurer Stuart McDonald made sure the party immediately took steps to keep hard copy records.

Mr Yousaf confirmed: As soon as it was flagged to the treasurer that particular issue, the treasurer ensured there was steps taken that any donation that comes in below 250 that a hard copy record is kept.

Its important to say an online record was kept, but the auditors have flagged that a hard copy should also be kept.

When Mr Yousaf succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scottish First Minister in March he was informed the partys auditors had quit several months prior to that.

AMS Accountants Group was later appointed to take on the job, with Mr Yousaf saying at the time there had been a significant amount of doubt as to whether we would get those accounts submitted on time.

He said he was very pleased we have been able to meet the various deadlines we have had to, both in terms of the Westminster accounts and the partys accounts.

As well as issues with the partys accounts, Mr Yousafs early days as SNP leader saw the arrest and questioning of former chief executive Peter Murrell and the then treasurer Colin Beattie by police probing SNP finances.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is married to Mr Murrell, was later arrested, with all three being released without charge pending further investigation.

Mr Yousaf, who succeeded Ms Sturgeon in March, insisted he would absolutely still have put himself forward for the role, even if he had known about these events at the time.

Speaking ahead of marking 100 days in the job next week, the SNP leader said: There can be no greater honour than being the leader of your country, being able to serve your country as First Minister of Scotland, I wouldnt change that for the world.

Theres no getting away again from how challenging the last few months have been, Im not going to pretend otherwise.

But equally I get up out of bed in the morning knowing I am able to make a difference to peoples lives every single day.

So I wouldnt change it for a minute, for a second.
An Allegany County man is accused of burning his own dog to death and forcing someone who tried to prevent the act of cruelty to watch it happen.

Jeremy Vankuren was charged with felony counts of kidnapping and aggravated animal cruelty, along with three misdemeanors, New York State Police said Saturday.

Vankuren was at home on county Route 23 in the town of Hume on June 19 when he restrained a 28-year-old male to a chair outside the residence, police said. Investigators said he then took his own red-nosed pit bull, placed it into a burning barrel in front of the man and set the dog ablaze.

The man was restrained for several hours while several others were at the residence, investigators reported.

Troopers who executed a warrant for Vankurens arrest said they found the deceased pit bulls remains and related items at his residence.

Vankuren also was charged with misdemeanor counts of menacing, torturing/injuring and failure to provide sustenance to an animal and obstruction of governmental administration.

He was arraigned Thursday in Hume Town Court and ordered held in the Allegany County Jail on $40,000 bond. He is scheduled to return to court July 13.

State Police said their investigation is continuing with the help of the Allegany County District Attorneys Office and the Allegany County SPCA.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated who owned the pit bull that was burned to death. It was Vankuren, not the man who was restrained.
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An Instagram "mom influencer" in California who falsely claimed a Hispanic couple were trying to kidnap her children has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for making a false report, according to prosecutors.

Katie Sorensen, 30, was convicted in April of a misdemeanour for making a false report, according to the New York Times.

District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said 60 of the 90 days could be served as part of a work-release program.

In addition to jail time, Sorensen was sentenced to 12 months of informal probation during which she is prohibited from appearing on social media. She will also be required to complete a four-hour implicit bias training program as well as paying various fees and fines.

The incident that led to Sorensen's conviction began on 7 December, 2020, when the Instagrammer visited a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, California, around 40 miles north of San Francisco. She went to the store with her four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, according to prosecutors.

She shopped, left the store, returned to her car, and loaded up her children. Then, she called the police.

A few minutes later Ms Sorensen called the Petaluma Police Department and reported that a couple had tried to kidnap her children, prosecutors said.

A week after the report, Sorensen published an Instagram video in which she described the "near abduction of her young children," according to prosecutors.

They said she included "significant details" in the video that she had not given to the Petaluma Police Department.

She says in the now-deleted video that she wanted to raise awareness and "just encourage parents to be more aware of their surroundings".

Social media influencer Katie Sorensen has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for falsely claiming a couple attempted to kidnap her children (KTVU )

Sorensen also described being followed by a couple who she said made comments about kidnapping her children.

The video garnered more than four million views and was featured on local news programs.

Police eventually followed up with Sorensen who identified the couple she claimed were stalking her children from security footage obtained from the retailer.

The individuals she identified were Sadie Vega-Martinez and her husband, Eddie Martinez. Police tracked down the couple, and they "fully cooperated" with the investigation. The couple "denied the allegations," according to the department.

Police ultimately determined the couple were innocent, and charged Sorensen with three misdemeanour counts of making a false report of a crime.

A jury acquitted the first two counts against her but convicted her on the third.

Ms Sorensen has been held accountable for her crime, and we believe the judge handed down a fair sentence, District Attorney Rodriguez said in a statement following the sentencing.

Our hope is that this measure of accountability will help provide some closure to the couple that was falsely accused of having attempted to kidnap two young children.
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A January 6 fugitive had two guns and 400 rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested close to the home of former President Barack Obama this week, federal authorities said.

Taylor Taranto, 37, was arrested on Thursday outside the Obamas Washington DC home hours after he shared a social media post from former president Donald Trump which revealed his predecessors address.

Taranto was arrested on charges stemming from his activities during the Capitol riot two years ago. Law enforcement also discovered materials for a Molotov cocktail in his vehicle.

The matter is being reviewed by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Mr Taranto was detained by the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement, and charged with being a fugitive from justice.

Arresting officers requested MPDs Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to perform a vehicle sweep of the individuals van near the location of the arrest, MPD said in a statement, according to CNN. There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation.

Mr Taranto reposted a Truth Social post by Mr Trump which included an article containing the address of the Obamas as well as a number of other Democrats. Mr Taranto added his own comment: Got them surrounded!

The 2017 article shared by Mr Trump was a piece in The Phyllis Schlafly Report, named after the conservative activist who passed away in 2016. It included the home address of the Obamas.

In a live stream, Mr Taranto told his audience that he also had a detonator, according to Mediaite.

The shocking scene played out in the wealthy neighbourhood of Kalorama on Thursday. Mr Taranto was chased by police and Secret Service while he ran towards the home of the Obamas and warned authorities that he had an explosive device.

CBS News reported that he fled after being spotted by Secret Service, who had apparently been alerted to his intentions after Mr Taranto made threats during recent live streams on social media.

Mr Taranto had an active arrest warrant related to the attack on the Capitol when he was captured near the former presidents home, according to CBS.

DC police confirmed to The Independent that Mr Taranto had been charged with being a fugitive from justice pursuant to another arrest warrant and that officers had conducted an explosives sweep of his vehicle.

This afternoon, MPD and our federal law enforcement partners arrested 37-year-old Taylor Taranto, of no fixed address, in the 2400 block of Kalorama Road, Northwest. He has been charged with Fugitive from Justice, pursuant to an arrest warrant. Arresting officers requested MPDs Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to perform a vehicle sweep of the individuals van near the location of the arrest. There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation, wrote an MPD spokesperson.

It wasnt immediately clear if Mr Obama or any members of his family were home at the time of the incident.

The former president was in DC earlier this week for lunch with his former VP, incumbent President Joe Biden, as the latter begins the long work of running for re-election.
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The body of Mary Elizabeth Isbell was discovered by police at the foot of a cliff in Alabama after she was reported missing in 2021. A mother and daughter have been arrested in connection with her death.

Police arrested Loretta Kay Carr, 45, and her daughter, Jessie Eden Kelly, 21, this week. Both women have been charged with capital murder. Ms Kelly is in custody in Pennsylvania and is awaiting extradition to face felony charges.

According to Dekalb County Sheriffs Office investigator Nick Brown, the department received a tip on Tuesday that the department deemed credible which lead to the womens arrests.

Two days later, law enforcement discovered Ms Isbell's body at the bottom of a cliff, according to Law & Crime.

A chilling photo from 2019 shows Ms Carr standing at the edge of the cliff in the Little River Canyon National Preserve where police allege that she shoved Ms Isbell to her death.

The selfie, taken at a high angle, shows the distance between her and bottom of the cliff.

"Day trip to Little River Canyon and Falls" Ms Carr wrote in the photo's caption. She noted that the nature preserve was "beautiful and only a little ways from the house".

Loretta Kay Carr poses by the cliff in Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama, where she allegedly threw Mary Elizabeth Isbell to her death (Facebook/ Loretta Kay Carr)

Ms Carr is accused of kidnapping Ms Isbell before shoving her from the cliff, according to prosecutors.

Attorneys representing Ms Carr argued that the prosecution does not have enough evidence to hold their client, according to AL.com.

Police said the case broke open recently after the DCSO received new information.

Investigators immediately checked the lead and determined it to be credible, the sheriff's office said in a statement. Shortly after receiving the new information, Ms Carr and her daughter were taken into custody.

This tip, we actually received names that we had been looking at in the beginning, Mr Brown said, accoridng to WHNT.

He said that one of the women was cooperative and allegedly provided police with instructions for finding Ms Isbells remains.

One of the co-defendants was very cooperative and helped us to lead to Marys remains where we recovered them Wednesday, he said.

Human remains were found on 28 June at the nature preserve. They were identified as Ms Isbell's on Friday, which would have been her 39th birthday. She leaves behind a teenage son.

The detective noted the brutality of the alleged killing.

Its very inhuman and brutal what these ladies did to Mary, he said. Its terrible.

It's unclear how, or if, Ms Carr and Ms Kelly knew Ms Isbell before the alleged murder.The events leading up to the alleged abduction are unclear.

Before she disappeared, Ms Isbell was a suspect in a theft that occurred in DeKalb County, according to the Daily Mail.

The theft involved an apartment where she lived with her boyfriend, James Allen Wright. When Mr Wright was arrested in September 2021 and later released to a rehab facility, Ms Isbell reportedly began drifting, moving from friend's house to friend's house throughout DeKalb County, the Daily Mail reported.
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Americans with travel plans this Fourth of July weekend are being warned to check for flight delays and cancellations as extreme weather and airport chaos interrupt a record-breaking number of travellers.

Around 50 million people are expected to travel this weekend surpassing the holidays pre-Covid record of 49 million in 2019, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The spike in travelers has only added to the chaos at the nations airports where hundreds of thousands of people have been stranded for days.

Between Monday and Wednesday, more than 24,000 flights were delayed and 5,600 cancelled due to staffing shortages, wildfire smoke from Canada, severe storms, and a crippling heatwave across the South.

On Thursday, the busiest day of travel since the pandemic, over 8,300 flights were delayed and some 750 flights were cancelled, mostly impacting United Airlines.

On Saturday, 2,120 flights were delayed and over 120 cancelled, according to monitoring site FlightAwares Misery Map.

Most delays and cancellations were at Chicago OHare International Airport as the Illinois region is expected to see severe thunderstorms with possible hail, damaging winds and flooding throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier this week, Chicago experienced among the worst air quality in the world due to smoke from Canadian wildfires blowing over the Midwest.

Thunderstorms have been the bane of air travellers existence across the US this week.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) paused flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey earlier this week due to thunderstorms.

Recommended Canadian wildfire smoke smothers Detroit as air quality alerts issued

Sonia Hendrix, a passenger travelling from Colorado to New York, told The Associated Press that it took her four days to get home. She spent one night in Atlanta and two in Orlando.

This is not all Deltas fault, Ms Hendrix said. Their pilots and flight crews were working very hard. I blame the FAA. I blame Buttigieg for sitting on his hands and not staffing up air traffic control centers sooner.

More storms are expected to hit the Ohio Valley and parts of the Northeast this holiday weekend with airports in those regions facing potential delays and cancellations.

We are closely watching air travel this week, weather has been rough, especially in the last four or five days, caused a lot of cancellations and delays for many passengers around the country, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a video posted to Twitter.

Weve known that summer is going to be a stress test on the system, Mr Buttigieg said while expressing optimism about the FAAs ability to cope.

Travelers are seen ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (AFP via Getty Images)

As parts of the northern US faces downpours and thunderstorms, southern states are in the grip of a three-week long heat wave which is showing few signs of relenting this weekend.

More than 50 million people from Arizona to Louisiana are under an excessive heat warning or a heat advisory.

Southeastern Louisiana was forecast to be dangerously hot on Saturday with the heat index - how temperatures feel in reality - expected to be 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43C)- 115F (46C).

Extreme heat can cause problems for air travel, FAA executive Tim Arel told WTOP. When its hotter, planes can have a harder time getting off the ground.

Aircraft operators then have to make a decision about adding more fuel or less fuel  flying shorter routes with less fuel. It is a real factor during those warmer months and does limit some types of operations at those places, Mr Arel said.

But weather alone hasnt caused the travel chaos.

United CEO Scott Kirby blamed the FAA for the delays which affected nearly 150,000 passengers. Mr Kirby said short staffing meant the FAA was unable to deal with bad weather.

Nearly 50 per cent of Uniteds flights were delayed and 18 per cent were cancelled on the busiest travel day, Thursday.

Passengers wait at the Newark Liberty International Airport as more than 2000 flights were canceled due to the nationwide storm in New Jersey this past week (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Frustrated passengers wondered why the airline was facing such issues knowing this past week and weekend would have a high influx of travellers.

It doesnt really seem like United has a process for mass cancellations, Calvin Guerrero, a passenger travelling from Chicago to Costa Rica on Wednesday, told The Points Guy.

United faced more controversy when it emerged that Mr Kirby took a private jet out of New York City on Wednesday while nearly a quarter of the airlines flights were delayed.

He later apologised for the insensitive and wrong decision and thanked United staff for working around the clock to help with delayed flights.

Yet more delays and cancellations could be in store this coming week due to another factor - wireless providers are expected to launch new 5G systems near major airports beginning on Saturday.

Though 5G has been available for a few years, there are concerns that the signal could interfere with a planes altimeter which is used to measure altitude.

AT&T and Verizon agreed to give airlines an extra year to outfit planes with the most updated equipment before launching 5G around major airport hubs to proactively prevent any 5G interference.

In an email sent to the trade organisation, Airlines for America, last Friday, Secretary Buttigieg said that from Saturday, only planes upgraded for 5G will be allowed to land when visibility is poor.

He said that while more than 80 per cent of domestic fleets reported that they updated their equipment, there are some operators that still have work to do.
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Debris from the Titan was brought ashore by deep-sea robots on Wednesday as the US Coast Guard continues recovery operations following the subs catastrophic implosion.

The Titans wreckage was seen for the first time in pictures after the Coast Guard announced on 22 June that ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles) found its chambers in a sea of debris 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, roughly 12,000ft below the ocean surface.

Pelagic Research Services, the company that operated the ROV that made the previous debris findings, said on Wednesday that its team had successfully completed off-shore operations and was now in the process of demobilisation after 10 days of work. The company said a press conference will be held later in the day.

Photos from the wharf show what appear to be several pieces of the submersible being lifted from the ship, including the nose cone with its distinctive circular window. The pieces were unloaded from the American ships Sycamore and Horizon Arctic at a port in St Johns, Newfoundland.

The US Coast Guard declined to comment on the investigation or the return of debris to shore. Representatives for the National Transportation Safety Board and Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which are both involved in the investigation, also declined to comment.

We are not able to provide any additional information at this time as the investigation is ongoing, said Liam MacDonald, a spokesperson for the TSB said.

The Coast Guard announced just hours later that presumed human remains had been found on the sea floor. They will now be formally analysed.

The CEO of the company that operated the Titan, Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were aboard the Titan when it imploded last week.

The submersible lost contact with its mothership Polar Prince just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the wreck of the Titanic on 18 June, sparking a frantic four-day search. Canadian, American and French marine authorities and experts combed large portions of the ocean hoping to find signs of life, before the tragic developments on 22 June.

Photos shared by the Associated Press showed what appeared to be several pieces covered with white tarps being unloaded from the American ships Sycamore and Horizon Arctic at a port in St Johns, Newfoundland. (AP)

The submersible lost contact with its mothership Polar Prince just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the wreck of the Titanic on 18 June (AP)

(Reuters)

The Coast Guard said last week that the US Navy had detected sounds that matched an implosion or explosion sometime after the sub vanished and before rescue efforts were launched. Rescue efforts continued at the time because the information was not definitive, the Coast Guard said.

An international group of agencies is now investigating what may have caused the submersible to implode, and US maritime officials say theyll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide.

(REUTERS)

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the shore (AP)

An international group of agencies is now investigating what may have caused the submersible to implode (AP)

The Coast Guard said over the weekend that salvage operations were ongoing, but recovery of the bodies will be difficult due to the unforgiving condition on the ocean floor. A final report will be issued by the International maritime Organisation.
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An American couple has shared their extremely stressful situation as they fight to bring their surrogate baby home from Mexico more than two months after he was born.

Sam Kaitz, 37 and Laura Kaitz, 52, the New Jersey couple told Washington Post in an interview that their efforts to unite their family with the newborn baby are being impeded by legal issues and complications related to paperwork, making them feel betrayed and helpless.

The couples son, Simon George Kaitz, was born on 18 April through surrogacy after they hired a reputable surrogacy agency in Mexico through a broker.

What followed later was a series of bureaucratic obstacles, including confusion with paperwork, proof of their relationship with a DNA test and burgeoning expenses.

Mr Kaitz, who is staying with their son Simon in Mexico City in an Airbnb, told the newspaper that: It has been extremely stressful.

His wife, Ms Kaitz wanted to have another child in addition to her two sons from a previous marriage. One of her sons has autism so she has to stay with him, the couple said.

Mr Kaitz said the situation has landed him in a state of limbo as the autistic son told her mother that he doesnt think that I care about him anymore because Im down here and not with him and he feels abandoned, which breaks my heart because that is not true.

Ms Kaitz cries every day over the fact that their family is apar, Mr Kaitz said.

When shes here, she cries because shes away from her [other] two children. When shes there, she cries because shes away from us, he said.

The Kaitz familys situation highlights the challenges of pursuing surrogacy in Mexico, where lower costs attract prospective parents despite the lack of a legal framework for foreigners in this regard.

This is despite the US government warning would-be parents of no legal framework for foreigners in Mexico to pursue surrogacy.

If you decide to pursue parenthood in Mexico via assisted reproductive technology (ART) with a gestational mother, be prepared for long and unexpected delays in documenting your childs citizenship, the US Embassy in Mexico said in a 2021 notification.

Mr Kaitz said they knew about the challenges of having a baby in Mexico but they were assured by their agency that the information was outdated and things were better now.

The couple was told by the agency that both their names would be on the childs birth certificate  a promise that Ms Kaitz was very excited about as it would mean I am his mother and nobody else, Mr Kaitz said.

The surrogacy cost them $65,000 and now an additional $70 per day for lodging expenses in Mexico City besides legal expenses.

Mr Kaitz said he is trying to stay numb to the stressful situation. He said: If I dont I will either break down or start screaming at someone.

And I cannot afford to feel right now. Not when Simon is depending solely on me.

He is now waiting for the DNA test results after the embassy refused to accept their documents and gave a list of documents needed.
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Survivors and families impacted by the Parkland mass school shooting condemned a Florida jurys decision on Friday to acquit Scot Peterson, a former school police officer who was accused of failing to prevent the 2018 massacre, which killed 17 people.

Remember even when there ARE cops on campus doesnt mean they will do a damn thing and when they dont the system does NOTHING, the activist David Hogg, a student at the time of the shooting, wrote on Twitter on Thursday. The cop in Parkland like those in Uvalde wasnt a good guy with a gun, he was a coward with a gun.

He was the only officer on campus with a gun while the defenseless were slaughtered, Max Schachter, father of the slain Alex Schachter, added on Twitter. He knew where the shots were coming from. He couldve gone in to save them but he chose to run and hide. Not only was he a coward, but he instructed other officers to stay 500 feet away and not go in. Even after officers ran into the building he chose not to help or render aid to the victims. He stayed hidden behind a concrete pillar for 40 minutes and never ever went into the building.

Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, told reporters following the verdict that Mr Peterson contributed to the death of my daughter.

His inaction contributed to the pain of our community, he said. We dont understand how this jury looked at the evidence and made this decision.

Peterson was charged with seven counts related to the shooting, including child neglect and cuplable negligence.

Prosecutors said that even though he was the first armed officer to arrive on the scene, the school police officer waited outside the building where the shooting was occurring for roughly 45 minutes and never confronted gunman Nikolas Cruz.

The former officer was dubbed by some as the Coward of Broward.

In his defence, the school deputy claimed he didnt know where the shooting was coming from because of issues with his radio and the echo of gunfire. Testimony from students and law enforcement during the trial offered contrasting accounts, with some claiming the location of the shooter was clear and others saying it was hard to tell.

Mr Peterson wept in court as the not guilty verdict was announced, telling reporters, Ive got my life back, as he exited a Florida courtroom. He also reportedly offered to speak directly with parents about what happened, according to The Washington Post.

Peterson celebrates the not guilty verdicts ( South Florida Sun Sentinel 2023)

If they need to know the truth of what occurred, Im there for them, he said. I know maybe thats not what theyre feeling at this point, but Ill be there for them.

The slow response to the shooting, as with similar law enforcement failures during the Uvalde shooting in Texas, contradicted the often-repeated claim that only armed school police can stop school shootings.

In fact, as The Independent reported, research shows that so-called school resource make no observable difference in stopping the severity of a given shooting, and sometimes make things worse.

Mr Petersons verdict is the latest disappointment for Parkland parents, who were dismayed when Cruz got life in prison rather than the death penalty.

As The Independent has reported, those tied to some of the most infamous mass shootings and terror attacks in the US have a range of views about capital punishment.
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It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, travelling to the ocean floor with a chance to view what few people have  the 111-year-old wreck of the Titanic.

By all accounts the British billionaire explorer, Pakistani-British father and son, French diver and OceanGate Expeditions chief executive boarded the submersible, named the Titan, with a sense of adventure and excitement.

But in a chilling echo of the doomed vessel, the expedition quickly took a tragic turn.

An hour and 45 minutes into the voyage, the submersible lost contact with the surface ship, around 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

For four days a frantic search-and-rescue mission was carried out to determine whether the sub and its five-man crew had survived.

There was a glimmer of hope as Canadian aircraft searching for the missing sub detected intermittent banging noises from the vicinity where it was last located.

The crew heard banging sounds every 30 minutes on 20 June and again four hours later, after additional sonar devices were deployed.

But the rescue mission ended in tragedy: The five crew members had died in a catastrophic implosion, the US Coast Guard announced on 22 June.

On 28 June, officials confirmed that presumed human remains had been recovered from the sea floor.

Five things we know about the missing Titanic submersible

Officials are continuing to investigate the debris site although the bodies of the five may never be recovered. Heres what is known about the tragedy:

What happened?

On 18 June at 9am Atlantic Daytime Time (8am EDT), the Titan, a submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions, set off on its excursion to the Titanics underwater grave with research vessel, the Polar Prince.

The expedition began with a 400 nautical mile journey out into the Atlantic Ocean about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The submersible was released from the Polar Prince and began its descent 13,000 feet below the waters surface to the wreckage.

The Titan was supposed to transmit a signal back to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes but it lost contact around 10.47am EDT, one hour and 45 minutes into the journey.

The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan (PA Media)

Exactly what happened to the sub remains a mystery but the US Coast Guard said that debris consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber had been found.

Rear Admiral John Mauger said there did not appear to be a connection between the underwater noises detected during the search-and-rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor.

The bodies of the five passengers may never be recovered from the ocean, the US Coast Guard said.

This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up, Mauger said.

OceanGate Expeditions alerted the US Coast Guard around 5.40pm EDT after the missing sub failed to surface at the expected time. Immediately, a search effort began.

Where did it go missing?

The US Coast Guard searched 900 miles east of Cape Cod, where the Titanic shipwreck lies.

The Titanic sits approximately 12,500 below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 380 nautical miles south of Newfoundland, Canada and 1,240 nautical miles east of New York City.

The shipwrecks coordinates are 414332N, 495649W.

Rescue teams from several countries spent days searching thousands of square miles of open ocean with planes and ships for any sign of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) Titan.

The US Coast Guard said that it was searching in depths of roughly 13,000 feet.

Rear Admiral Mauger said the area where the submersible went missing was remote, making the search challenging.

He also said it was too early to tell when the vessels failure occurred. The search operation had sonar buoys in the water for more than three days and had not detected any loud explosive noise during the period.

The buoys picked up some sounds which temporarily offered hope that the crew on the Titan were alive and banging on the hull.

But officials said analysis of the sound was inconclusive and that the noises might not have emanated from the Titan at all.

The worlds deepest search-and-rescue mission

Multiple agencies and countries, and both private and public organisations, desperately worked to find and rescue the five people onboard the Titan.

The search became the largest underwater search-and-rescue mission at those depths ever.

Efforts were led by the US Coast Guard in Boston, and also involved the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Armed Forces, and US Navy among others. The UK sent RAF planes.

A US Navy Curv-21, an unmanned submersible vessel that can reach a depth of 20,000 feet, is being used in the search for the missing Titanic wreck vessel (US Navy)

The US Coast Guard deployed two C-130 aircrafts, the New York Air National Guard deployed another C-130, the Canadian Coast Guard deployed one C-130 and one P-8 aircraft.

In addition, several Canadian Coast Guard ships, a French research vessel LAtalante and commercial vessels were used in the search.

The Royal Canadian Navy also deployed HMCS Glace Bay with a medical team specialising in dive medicine. Onboard was a six-person mobile hyperbaric recompression chamber used to treat or prevent decompression sickness.

The Deep Energy rescue ship carried two remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) capable of operating to a depth of 3,000m.

The John Cabot, which has side-scanning sonar capabilities, the Skandi Vinland and the Atlantic Merlin also joined the search on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter.

Despite the multi-agency mission, David Concannon, an attorney and explorer who pulled out of the Titanic expedition at the last minute, claimed that the rescue efforts were hampered by red tape, bureaucracy and a lack of urgency by the US government.

British company Magellan Limited had a deep-sea submersible craft ready to support the mission, with the ability to reach depths of 6,000 metres and experience of visiting the Titanic wreckage.

But the US First Coast Guard District told The Independent it had not requested assistance from the firm as the vessel was too far away.

Banging noises overheard

A Canadian P-8 aircraft reportedly detected intermittent banging noises from the area the submersible disappeared.

The US Coast Guard tweeted that it had detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises.

Internal email updates sent to Department of Homeland Security leadership read: The P-8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard.

On 22 June, Rear Admiral John Mauger said there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises and the location of the debris on the seafloor.

He said: So throughout the search efforts, we reacted to the information that we had available to us and while we continue to send it off for deeper analysis, again really complex operating environment for us to work in, let me check with the experts, but there doesnt appear to be any connection between the noises and the location on the seafloor.

Asked about the timing of the implosion, and whether it happened right at the moment the vessel lost contact, Rear Admiral Mauger said it was too early to tell, but added that the sonar buoys had not picked up any catastrophic events during the last 72 hours they had been in the water.

Who are the five who died?

World-record-holding, British explorer and billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, had travelled on the Challenger Deep to the bottom of the ocean and on Jeff Bezos Blue Origin into space.

Before the trip, he posted on Facebook: I am proud to finally announce that I joined OceanGate Expeditions for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic.

Hamish Harding (Jannicke Mikkelsen via REUTERS)

Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.

The father-of-two was a seasoned explorer and held three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel when in March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench.

Paul Henri Nargeolet (Getty)

In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origins New Shepard rocket.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 and several more, becoming a leading authority on the wreck site.

Mr Nargeolet, described by OceanGate as the Titanics greatest explorer, had done 35 dives in the submersible.

Shahzada and Suleman Dawood (Family handout)

Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, were UK citizens. Shahzada Dawood was vice-chairman of one of Pakistans largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, and Suleman studied at the University of Strathclyde.

OceanGate Expeditions chief executive Stockton Rush, 61, began his career as a pilot, becoming the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world at the age of 19.

Stockton Rush (OceanGate)

He served on the Museum of Flights Board of Trustees, the board of enterprise software company Entomo and as chairman of Remote Control Technology and founded OceanGate in 2009.
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Sierra Leones main opposition party on Saturday demanded a re-run of last weekends presidential election after incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner and swiftly sworn in for a second term in the West African nation.

The opposition All Peoples Congress party, or APC, accused Sierra Leone's electoral commission of conspiring with Bio's party to rig the results. In a statement, the party also called for the resignation of electoral commission chairman Mohamed Konneh and his entire team among others.

What culminated in the rogue announcement of fraudulent election results on June 25 was not just a naked theft of the votes of the suffering masses who needed change, it represents the biggest threat to our democracy, unity and survival as a nation, it said.

According to official results, Bio received 56.17% of the vote, enough to beat his man challenger Kamara while avoiding run-off. Electoral officials said Kamara had received 41.16% of ballots cast.

Bio, who already was sworn into his second term several days after the vote, tweeted for all Sierra Leoneans to be peaceful and law-abiding.

This is a collective victory for every citizen and we must come together now that elections are over for the pursuit of a common goal, which is the development of our dear country, Bio tweeted.

There have been concerns that Sierra Leoneans who dispute the election's outcome could take to the streets. Already the West African nation has seen demonstrators protest the state of the economy in recent months. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leones population of more than 7 million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.

The APCs statement comes as pressure mounts on the electoral commission to open up its conduct of the tabulation process of the elections results.

While regional observers like the African Union and ECOWAS declared the elections free and fair, other Western observers have stressed that the counting and tabulation process lacked transparency. The European Union, the UK, U.S. and France in particular have pressured the electoral commission to display results from each polling station.
A Canadian man who used a helicopter to smuggle marijuana across the border has pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. to importation of marijuana into the country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said Raminderjit Assi, 28, of Hamilton, Ontario, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Oct. 16.

After researching methods of smuggling marijuana into the U.S., including by helicopter, Assi and a co-conspirator obtained a helicopter and helicopter pilot licenses, prosecutors said in a news release.

On April 9, 2019, Assi and his accomplice flew a helicopter from Canada to Beaver Island Park on Grand Island, where they left four red duffle bags. However, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents found the bags before they could be picked up by another collaborator in the scheme. The bags contained 49 kilograms of marijuana, prosecutors said.
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Former President Donald Trump on Saturday marked a return to the large-scale rallies of his previous presidential campaigns, speaking to thousands gathered in the streets of a small South Carolina city on a blazing day ahead of the July 4 holiday.

There's nowhere else I'd rather be to kick off the Fourth of July weekend than right here on Main St., with thousands of hardworking South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country, Trump said to a roaring crowd standing on asphalt as temperatures climbed into the 90s.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people had gathered in the streets of downtown Pickens, a small city in South Carolina's conservative Upstate of around 3,400 residents. Law enforcement officials told some media outlets that around 15,000 people had gathered by 11 a.m., two hours before Trump's remarks.

The heavily Republican area is a popular one for GOP hopefuls as they aim to attract support for South Carolina's first-in-the-South presidential primary. In recent months, other candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have all held events in the Upstate, as well as the two South Carolinians in the race: former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott.

But none drew a crowd like Trump, whose appearance effectively shuttered Pickens' quintessential southern downtown.

Contrasted with his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, which drew thousands to rallies in states across the country, Trump's 2024 effort has been markedly different. Earlier this year, instead of addressing voters in a gymnasium or airplane hangar, Trump held his first South Carolina campaign event inside the Statehouse in Columbia, rolling out his state leadership team at an invitation-only gathering in an ornate lobby between the House and Senate chambers.

In other states, the former president has focused his efforts on smaller events, including a series of speeches before state party organizations, as he works to bolster his standing with delegates and local officials.

This was only Trump's second large rally of the 2024 campaign. In March, he rallied in Waco, Texas, disparaging the prosecutors then investigating him on hush-money charges  on which he was later indicted  and predicting his vindication. A planned outdoor rally in Iowa in May was canceled due to tornado warnings.

The rallies are also expensive to put on, although Trump has continued to bring in millions in fundraising, after both the New York indictment and also federal charges related to his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. Last month, senior Trump aide Chris LaCivita told the conservative Ruthless podcast that the rallies are half a million bucks a pop.

Trump's campaign has also leaned in on unannounced stops at restaurants  such as at a celebrated Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant Friday or Versailles, a famous Cuban eatery in Miami  in a bid to showcase his strong appeal among supporters despite the multiple legal challenges.

In a broad GOP field that has continued to grow, Trump's campaign has pointed to polls showing him with a considerable lead over his rivals, despite a campaign schedule that is far less robust than many of his rivals. He has also given frequent media interviews and appeared at many of the multi-candidate events of the primary season so far, including this past week's Moms for Liberty gathering in Philadelphia.

Still, the chance to see the former president in person drew thousands from across the Southeast for Saturday's rally, with attendees beginning to line up the night before, and coming from as far as Florida. Greg Pressley and his wife, Robin, said they drove more than three hours from their home in eastern Tennessee to see the candidate they've supported since his first run in 2016.

Donald Trump's the best president in history, Greg Pressley said. I love his policies. I love the man. I'm here to support him getting back to where he needs to be, to begin with.

Shelley Fox of Spartanburg, who said she has supported Trump since he entered the 2016 race, said she didn't feel it necessary to even think about any other candidates for next year's election.

I'd write him in, she said, when asked what she would do if forced to consider another hopeful. No question  I'd write him in.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
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Donald Trump set off speculation that he expects to be criminally charged in an election tampering probe in Georgia, ranting on social media about all charges against me in the high-profile case. Thats even though no such charges have been formally announced.

On Friday, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be dropping all charges against me for lack of a case.

The former president has been under investigation in the Georgia county since February 2021, after he was recorded pressuring top Georgia officials to find him enough votes to win the 2020 election.

In his post on Friday, Mr Trump defended the 2 January, 2021, call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, as perfectly legal

I made a PERFECTLY LEGAL PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ABOUT AN ELECTION THAT I STRONGLY FEEL WAS RIGGED AND STOLLEN, Mr Trump wrote. NONE of the MANY LAWYERS on the call minded my words, or even hinted at wrongdoing.

The comments made some speculate Mr Trump had already been charged in Fulton County, or had word he would be charged soon.

This makes me think that he, or his lawyers, were told something, commentator Ron Filipkowski wrote on Twitter. Maybe not, but this seems rather random for him to make this prediction today.

The Independent has contacted Donald Trump and the Fulton County District Attorneys Office for comment.

A charging decision in the Georgia investigation is expected soon.

Key points from Trump's infamous Georgia call

Ms Willis has signaled a decision could be announced in early August.

Emily Kohrs, the foreperson of the grand jury considering evidence against Mr Trump, has hinted that he will be charged.

Youre not going to be shocked. Its not rocket science, Emily Kohrs told the New York Times in January, when the grand jury concluded its work. You wont be too surprised.

The speculation over Mr Trumps fate comes as a former top Trump campaign official has agreed to potential testimony in the federal special counsel investigation into the former presidents alleged election meddling.

Michael Roman, the 2020 Trump campaigns director of Election Day operations, has reportedly reached a proffer agreement with the Justice Department, according to CNN.
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Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards blocked a package of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation from becoming law Friday, including the state's version of what critics call Florida's Don't Say Gay bill and a ban on gender-affirming medical care for young transgender people.

The effort by Republicans to enact the legislation into Louisiana law is likely far from over. Multiple GOP state lawmakers say they anticipate convening for a veto session mid-July in an attempt to override the governor's decision.

Louisianas culture divide over LGBTQ+-related legislation echoes what has been seen in GOP-led statehouses across the country. Bills targeting transgender people have topped conservative agendas, and LGBTQ+ advocates say a dangerous and blatant attack is happening on their community. This year alone, more than 525 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 41 states, according to data collected by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization.

During the waning days of Louisianas legislative session, lawmakers passed a series of controversial bills: a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors that includes puberty-blockers, hormone treatment and surgery; a Dont Say Gay bill that broadly bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in public school classrooms; and a measure requiring public school teachers to use the pronouns and names that align with what students were assigned at birth. Edwards vetoed all three bills.

Edwards  who is in his final six months of office, unable to seek reelection this year due to consecutive term limits  has repeatedly described the bills as wrong, divisive and targeting a vulnerable group of people.

State lawmakers will soon decide by majority vote whether they will return to the Capitol for a veto session, which would begin July 18. Although Louisiana has only held two such sessions since 1974, it seems increasingly realistic that one will occur this year. Multiple GOP lawmakers from both chambers have said they anticipate the gathering.

Once in special session, a two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate is needed to override the governors decision. Republicans currently hold a two-thirds majority in both chambers. Additionally, during the regular session, all three bills passed with more than a two-thirds vote  largely along party lines.

Marked by misinformation, religious arguments and hours of emotional testimony from the LGBTQ+ community, one of the most discussed bills was the ban on gender-affirming care  something that has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations. At one point, the bill was presumed dead after a veteran Republican lawmaker cast a tie-breaking vote to kill the bill. However, amid mounting pressure from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who is a GOP gubernatorial frontrunner, and the Republican Party of Louisiana, the bill was resurrected and passed.

At least 20 states, including all three bordering Louisiana, have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Most of those states face lawsuits.

A federal judge struck down Arkansas ban as unconstitutional, and federal judges have temporarily blocked bans in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Oklahoma has agreed to not enforce its ban while opponents seek a temporary court order blocking it. A federal judge has blocked Florida from enforcing its ban on three children who have challenged the law.

The Louisiana legislature also passed a bill broadly banning K-12 public school employees in Louisiana from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. It is similar to a law enacted in Florida last year that critics dubbed Dont Say Gay. So far, three other states  Alabama, Arkansas and Iowa  have enacted similar laws, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Additionally, lawmakers passed legislation requiring Louisiana public school teachers to use the pronouns and name that align what students were assigned at birth. Under the bill, a parent can give written consent for pronouns not consistent with the students sex assigned at birth to be used. A teacher can override the parents request if doing so would violate the employees sincerely held religious beliefs.

Republicans maintain that they are trying to protect children with these bills. Opponents argue it would do the opposite, leading to heightened risks of stress, depression and suicidal thoughts among an already vulnerable group.
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Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez started Spain's six-month presidency of the European Union with a lightning visit to Kyiv on Saturday to underline the blocs support of Ukraine in the face of the invasion by Russia.

Sanchez arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland.

The Spanish government said he would address Ukraine's parliament at 0830 GMT (4:30 a.m. EDT) and then meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two will give a news conference around 1030 GMT (6:30 a.m. EDT).

Zelenskyy announced the visit Thursday in an address to European leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels. He highlighted the symbolism of the visit and the importance of the next six months for Europe. He added that it was the moment to begin negotiations for Ukraines entry into the EU.

Speaking Friday in Brussels, Sanchez said, The war in Ukraine will be one of the great priorities of our presidency, with the focus being on guaranteeing the unity (on the issue) among all member states.

This was Sanchezs third time in Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Sanchez will return to Madrid by Sunday, when he meets with the European Council President Charles Michel, a day before the arrival of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the college of EU commissioners.

Besides Ukraine, Spain hopes to make progress on several major EU issues during its presidency, which ends on Dec. 31.

Sanchez believes that the EU will finalize a controversial pact on migration despite lingering differences within the 27-nation group with Poland and Hungary still evident on Friday.

Earlier this month, EU countries a breakthrough on asylum law reform, sealing an agreement on a plan to share responsibility for migrants entering Europe without authorization. Only Poland and Hungary voted against.

EU lawmakers have warned that this may be the last chance to solve the issue before EU-wide elections in a years time, when migration is likely to be a hot-button issue once again.

The rotating presidency comes as Spain faces an early general election on July 23, which polls shows could oust Sanchezs leftist coalition government and replace it with a conservative administration, or even a coalition with the extreme right, and follow a trend happening in much of Europe.

Sanchez has said that he wants to focus on rebuilding intra-European supply chains to avoid shortages and guarantee energy sovereignty. This would include establishing European dominance in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital security.

Spain also hopes the EU-Latin America summit set for July 17-18 in Brussels, the first in eight years, will represent a qualitative leap in relations between the two regions and will lead to a powerful investment agenda with Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Spain also wants to make EU progress on the green transition and electricity market reform. Spain has significant experience in the sector as it forges ahead with solar, wind power and green hydrogen installations at an unprecedented rate.
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Donald Trump reportedly tried to push Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to flip the state's 2020 election results in his favour, according to a new report.

The latest allegations against Mr Trump claim the former president wanted Mr Ducey to find enough votes to overturn his loss, according to The Washington Post.

Anonymous sources, "familiar" with the call, toldThe Post that the former president also tasked his vice president Mike Pence with calling Mr Ducey and pushing him to find evidence back Mr Trump's false claims of voter fraud.

Mr Pence reportedly called Mr Ducey several times to discuss the election but did not follow up on Mr Trump's alleged demands.

The Independent has contacted Mr Trump and Governor Ducey for comment.

Mr Ducey is no longer in office, and offered a brief statement toThe Post.

This is neither new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years, Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Mr Ducey, said in a statement. Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizonas 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward. The Governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear view mirror.

A Trump spokesperson claimed toThe Post that the "2020 Presidential election was rigged and stolen," and insisted the former president should be praised for "doing the right thing  working to make sure that all the fraud was investigated and dealt with".

No election fraud claims have ever been substantiated with evidence.

Mr Trumps calls were reportedly made on 30 November 2020, while Mr Ducey was signing documents to certify the 2020 election results during a live-streamed video ceremony.

Those in proximity to Gov. Ducey heard his cellphone play a ringtone-version of "Hail to the Chief," the song traditionally associated with the US President.

Mr Ducey did not take the call during the ceremony.

Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was reportedly pressured by Donald Trump to find votes in order to overturn the states 2020 presidential election results (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A donor who dined with Mr Ducey earlier this year said the former governor was surprised that special counsel Jack Smith did not attempt to reach out to him concerning the phone calls between himself, Mr Trump, and Mr Pence.

Mr Smith is leading the Justice Department's investigation into Mr Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The donor spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear if Mr Smith's office has reached out to Mr Ducey since the diner met with the former governor.

The Washington Post spoke with two individuals familiar with the investigation who said Mr Smith has questioned witnesses about Mr Trump's calls to governors including Mr Ducey.

Mr Trump made similar calls to election officials in Michigan and Georgia. One of those calls was made on 2 January, 2021 to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He reportedly asked Mr Raffensperger to find votes to overturn the state's election result.

The relationship between Mr Ducey and Mr Trump turned icy after the governor certified Arizonas election results which declared Joe Biden as president.

Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now," Mr Trump said in a social media post after Mr Ducey certified the election.

Mr Trump claimed on 5 December that Mr Ducey and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp "fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems".

A week later, he dubbed them both RINOs  Republicans in name only.
 Close Trump shares threatening fan-made video

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Donald Trump could be indicted by a grand jury investigating his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot by Friday.

The Independent learned that a possible indictment could be handed down as soon as this week, charging the former president in his third criminal case.

Mr Trump announced on Tuesday that he had been sent a letter by special prosecutor Jack Smith informing him that he is the target of a grand jury investigation.

The target letter cites three statutes under which he could be charged including conspiracy to commit offence or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law and tampering with a witness, victim or informant, multiple outlets reported.

William Russell, a former White House aide who now works for the Trump presidential campaign and spent much of January 6 with the then-president, is believed to have testified before the grand jury on Thursday.

The former president was given until today to report to the Washington, DC, federal courthouse but with a midnight deadline is not expected to appear.

Instead, he shared a fan video on Truth Social with a threatening mob boss feel using audio featuring an expletive and lifted from comments he made in 2020 on Iran.
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An implosion that killed five crew onboard the Titan submersible is now the focus of investigations by agencies from four countries.

The sub was destroyed less than two hours into a dive to the Titanic shipwreck on 18 June, claiming the lives of OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Secret US Navy listening devices detected an anomaly near the Titanic shipwreck soon after the Titan departed from its support ship the Polar Prince, which is believed to be the moment sub suffered a catastrophic implosion of its carbon fibre hull.

Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here

A desperate search for survivors continued for four days until a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found a debris field that was later identified to be parts of the missing submersible. On 28 June, the US Coast Guard revealed that presumed human remains had been recovered from the sea floor near the debris.

Hopes had been raised when the US Coast Guard revealed that sonar devices had detected banging sounds coming from the search zone, a vast area of the North Atlantic Ocean twice the size of Connecticut.

The source of the banging sounds has not been identified, but experts have put forward several theories about their possible origin.

What were the banging noises?

On Tuesday 20 June, buoys detected tapping sounds coming from the search area, raising slim hopes that survivors could yet be found.

We dont know the source of that noise, but weve shared that information with Navy experts to classify it, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told CBS This Morning.

The sound was detected at 2am local time by a Canadian P-3 aircraft.

It first came every 30 minutes and was heard again four hours later, the internal government memo obtained by CNN states.

The noises were picked up again on Wednesday 21 June.

Officials admitted that the noises were inconclusive and were being analysed by Navy experts as the search and rescue operation was still in full swing.

With respect to the noises specifically, we dont know what they are, to be frank with you, Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District told reporters on Wednesday.

Mystery banging sounds were detected during the search for the Titan sub (OceanGate Expeditions)

On 22 June, Carl Hartsfield, an expert with the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, told CBS News there were many possible explanations for the sounds.

The ocean is a very complex place, obviously  human sounds, nature sounds, and its very difficult to discern what the sources of those noises are at times, he told the news site.

The large number of vessels that were in the area would also emit noises picked up by sensors.

Some experts suggested that the banging sound was the noise of debris  from either the Titanic or the Titan  in the ocean.

Jeff Karson, professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, told Mail Online while the search was underway that the noise could be a complicated echo coming from sounds bouncing around the Titanic debris field.

Its just not bouncing off of one thing. Its bouncing off a bunch of things. And its like, you know, dropping up a marble into a tin can. Its rattling around and that would confuse the location, he told the publication.

He said the suggestion that the banging sounds may have been linked to survivors was wishful thinking.

Is it really banging or just some unidentified sound? I think that is a more accurate description right now, he said last Wednesday.

Stefan Williams, a professor of marine robotics at the University of Sydney, told Insider the sounds may have been created by marine wildlife such as whales.

He said there had been reports of marooned submarine crews banging on the vessels hull to signal their location, and that acoustic noise will travel.

Chris Parry, a former British Royal Navy commander, told TalkTV the sounds could have come from any number of underwater sources.

You get a lot of mechanical noise in the ocean. Trying to differentiate it from tapping noises is a fools errand.
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In the days after OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush and his four-paying crew members went missing on their dive to the wreck of the Titanic, experts had several theories as to their fate.

Perhaps the group had managed to surface and were awaiting rescue amid the Atlantic waves. Perhaps they were trapped underwater within the hull of their broken-down submersible, running out of air.

Or perhaps they had suffered the worst-case scenario: a sudden, catastrophic hull breach, causing their sub to rapidly buckle under the crushing pressure of the water above them.

Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic sub

On 26 June, those worst fears were confirmed when the US Coast Guard announced that it had found pieces of the Titan submersible scattered across the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the bow of the ill-fated ocean liner.

But what exactly caused the Titan to implode? While we dont yet know the truth of what happened, we do know enough to have some idea of what might have sealed the subs fate.

An unusual design for a deadly environment

The Titan set off from its mothership, the Polar Prince, on Sunday 18 June, heading for the remains of the Titanic some 3,800 metres below the surface of the ocean. Communications ceased about an hour and 45 minutes later when the sub was probably close to the bottom of its dive.

At that depth, any object  including a human body  is subject to water pressure more than 300 times stronger than the pressure Earths atmosphere exerts on us every day. On the surface, we only need to withstand 14.7 lbs per square inch (Psi) of pressure, whereas the Titan had to withstand 5,500 Psi.

The Titan was designed to survive this level of pressure, with two strong titanium domes at either end of the hull linked by a five-inch-thick cylinder of carbon fibre. According to reports, it was subjected to rigorous safety checks before every dive to make sure there were no defects or faults in the hull.

Carbon fibre is an unusual material for a deep-sea submersible because it is weaker than the solid steel or titanium of which such vessels are usually made. While widely-used in aircraft, it was largely untested in deep-sea diving.

OceanGates Titan sub (PA Media)

That was a calculated choice by OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, who believed that the material was more viable for such dives than commonly credited.

Unlike metal, carbon fibre is naturally buoyant beyond 2,000 metres, meaning the Titan could be far lighter and cheaper than previous subs.

Youre remembered for the rules you break, Rush told YouTuber Alan Estrada in 2021. Ive broken some rules to make this. I think Ive broken them with logic and good engineering behind me.

To offset this weaker material, the Titan was equipped with a real-time hull health monitoring system that could, in theory, detect any deformations, cracks, or other faults rapidly enough for the crew to attempt an emergency ascent.

Yet such depths offer little margin for error. If even one part of the hull fails and lets in water, the pressure would be so great, and the velocity of the incoming liquid so fast, that the sub and its occupants might be torn apart in mere milliseconds, monitoring system or not.

Indeed, a report in The Wall Street Journal suggests that whatever happened to the Titan, happened very fast.

Despite claims that rescuers had picked up tapping sounds every 30 minutes, suggesting the crew might still be alive and signalling for help, military insiders told WSJ that a top-secret US Navy system for detecting enemy submarines had heard an implosion soon after the Titan lost communications.

So what might have caused the hull to fail? The answers may lie within a lawsuit filed against OceanGate by one of its most senior former employees.

Critical safety concerns about the Titans hull and porthole

Now is the time to properly address items that may pose a safety risk to personnel. Verbal communication of [these problems] has been dismissed on several occasions, so I feel now I must make this report so there is an official record in place.

So wrote OceanGates then director of marine operations David Lochridge on 18 January 2018, according to a complaint filed by his lawyers as part of a court battle against the underseas tourism company.

Lochridge had begun working with OceanGate in 2015 and was allegedly tasked with conducting a final safety review of the Titan. His lawsuit, later settled out of court, claimed that he raised critical safety concerns about the subs experimental and untested design  only to be fired for his troubles.

Issues of quality control with the new submersible were raised, as there were evident flaws throughout the build process, the lawsuit alleged, noting that no carbon fibre submersible had ever achieved its target depth of 4,000 metres.

The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan (PA Media)

It argued that the carbon fibre hull was vulnerable to small defects being widened into large tears by the constant changes of pressure, and claimed that visible flaws were found in samples of the material produced for the Titan.

Indeed, Mr Rush would later admit to GeekWire after test dives in the Bahamas that the Titans hull showed signs of cyclic fatigue, meaning it had been stressed by repeated pressure changes. Trips to theTitanic were delayed while these problems were addressed.

Lochridge was also sceptical about the real-time monitoring system, which he believed would only show when a component was very close to failure  perhaps only milliseconds before an implosion. The lawsuit alleges that he pressed for the hull to be tested more rigorously but was denied.

Worse, the lawsuit claims that the Titans single porthole was only certified to withstand the pressure at 1,300 metres and that OceanGate refused to pay for a porthole certified to 4,000 metres.

Paying passengers would not be aware, and would not be informed, of this experimental design, the lack of non-destructive testing of the hull, or that hazardous flammable materials were being used within the submersible, the lawyers said.

In its response, OceanGate said that Lochridge is not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan. It said he was fired not for raising safety concerns but for refusing to accept assurances from the companys lead engineer that its chosen testing methods were better suited to the situation than he believed.

OceanGate told The Associated Press that the missing Titan vessel was finished in 2020-21 - so not the same as the vessel described in Mr Lochridges lawsuit.

A rule-breaking CEO who refused outside regulation

Mr Lochridge was not the only person concerned about OceanGates methods. In 2018, 38 members of the Marine Technology Societys Manned Underwater Vehicles committee wrote to Stockton Rush expressing unanimous concern about the way Titan had been developed.

According to The New York Times, the committee was alarmed that OceanGate had not subjected Titan to a standard risk assessment by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an international maritime classification body that writes and maintains technical standards for undersea vehicles.

While this may demand additional time and expense, it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants, the letter said.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

OceanGate defended its decision in a 2019 blog post.

When OceanGate was founded the goal was to pursue the highest reasonable level of innovation in the design and operation of manned submersibles. By definition, innovation is outside of an already accepted system... the company wrote.

Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation.

And, because the Polar Prince and the Titan operated in international waters, they were not subject to regulation by any country including a US law requiring passenger submersibles to be registered with the Coast Guard.

In the early days of the Toyota Motor Company, engineers were trained to diagnose a problem by repeating the question Why? five times.

If a car wont start, the first why might establish that there is a problem with the engine, but the fifth why might reveal that the engine was poorly constructed because its builders were badly trained and underpaid.

Therefore asking why the Titan imploded must eventually lead us to examine Stockton Rush, his attitude to safety, and the nature of OceanGate and its goals.

There hasnt been an injury in the commercial sub industry in over 35 years. Its obscenely safe, because they have all these regulations, Mr Rush told Smithsonian Magazine in 2019. But it also hasnt innovated or grown  because they have all these regulations.

Privately, in response to a letter from an OceanGate consultant imploring him to be more cautious, Rush reportedly said he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation.

He declared: We have heard the baseless cries of you are going to kill someone way too often. I take this as a serious personal insult.

The Titan was not a pure research vessel from a government agency or coalition of universities. It was a commercial vehicle, designed to help OceanGate turn regular Titanic voyages  and, eventually, the exploitation of undersea resources  into a profitable business, and its design followed from that reality.

Already many observers are asking the next set of whys, questioning the nature of the adventure industry, the wisdom of the super-rich, and the morality of ferrying paying tourists to perhaps the worlds most famous underwater mass grave.

Im struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, said James Cameron, the director of the 1999 hit film about the ocean liner, who is also an experienced undersea explorer.

Those questions, however, are harder to answer, and may be debated for just as long as the meaning of the Titanic itself.
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A UK-based tourist accused of carving his and his girlfriends names into a wall of the Colosseum in Rome could face trial and up to five years in prison.

Ivan Dimitrov, 27, who is from Bulgaria but lives with his girlfriend in Bristol, is accused of marking Ivan + Hayley 23 with a key into a wall of the historic building.

Footage of the incident was uploaded to YouTube by Californian tourist Ryan Lutz. The video, titled A*****e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome 6-23-23, has received over 300,000 views.

The moment the incident at the ancient Colosseum in Italy was caught on camera (Gennaro Sangiuliano)

Italian police officer Major Roberto Martina explained that he had since spoken to the man after he was tracked down in Bulgaria during his European holiday.

We explained that he could be jailed for between two and five years and be fined up to 15,000 euro, Major Martina told the Mail Online. He [Mr Dimitrov] told us he was very upset by what he had done, and he kept apologising for it. I think he was worried about the consequences of any trial.

A report of the investigation will be sent to Mr Dimitrovs home address in the UK before any potential trial proceeds, the website reported.

We didnt ask him why he did it, that will be for the judge to hear, we just told him that he was a suspect and part of the investigation, Major Martina added.

Fitness trainer Mr Dimitrov and his girlfriend were said to be holidaying in Rome on a three-week European tour when the incident took place.

The Italian culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said the act offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history, and thanked the police for identifying the alleged suspect.

The minister said the government was considering a law that would impose stringent punishment on those found guilty of defacing or damaging the countrys historical and cultural heritage sites.
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The number of mourners was so large, crowds spilled out of the Parisian mosque and stopped traffic as they prayed in the middle of the street.

The killing of 17-year-old Nahel Marzouk by the police has been labelled an execution and has ignited the fury of the nation, sparking a level of unrest not seen in France for over a decade.

At least 2,400 people have been arrested across the country, curfews imposed and public transport curtailed as open street battles raged between protesters and police, and looting became rampant.

In response, President Emmanuel Macron deployed 45,000 officers, including elite anti-terrorism units and armoured vehicles which scour the streets.

But on Saturday, at Nahels funeral at a mosque in Nanterre, the west Paris suburb where he lived and was fatally shot, the most glaring absence was the security forces.

Volunteers from the local community instead curtly policed the streets, which are scrawled with the phrase the country of police impunity.

They reined in the emotions, which ran high when the body was brought out to a hearse escorted by hundreds of people on foot and on scooters.

It is finished, Nahel mother Mounia said bravely, in a cloud of female well-wishers after the coffin was lowered into the earth. He has gone to paradise.

Nahel  a teenager of Moroccan and Algerian origin  was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday: an incident which was caught on mobile phone footage, and showed Nahel driving away from the officers before one fired at him.

Outraged at the murder, and the apparent efforts by the police to paint Nahel as a troubled teenager wanted by the law, thousands have protested across the country.

Protests in Caen, northwestern France (AFP)

Nahels death was the last drop to cause the vase to overflow, family friends repeatedly told The Independent. France exploded.

For four nights the streets of cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille have been ablaze with looters ransacking dozens of shops and torching 2000 vehicles according to the interior ministry.

There have been calls for calm and for President Macron to impose a state of emergency, with more unrest on the horizon.

The United Nations has also weighed in urging the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement.

It has taken a toll on Mr Macrons diplomatic profile. On Saturday Mr Macron was forced to postpone what would have been the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years, citing internal security issues.

A woman pays her respects at the site where Nahel died (Getty)

In the funeral march to the hill-top cemetery friends of the family said they were in deep shock and talked of struggling with racism endemic in the French police force.

Im shaken, we all are, especially as a mother with children living in this neighbourhood, said Theresa, 60, who lived next door to Nahels grandmother and personally knew the teenager, she described as smiley, hardworking and kind.

Thank god there is a video, the police are lying all the time. This might change things, she added.

Mohamed, 60, who is also part of the Algerian community in Nanterre and a friend of Nahels mother Mounia, said they were all treated like second-class citizens.

Nahel was his mothers entire world, and now he is gone. She has lost everything. We simply do not get the same rights.

Nahel was his mothers entire world, and now he is gone. We do not get the same rights Mohamed, friend of the family

His comments were echoed by half-a-dozen other mourners The Independent spoke to throughout the day.

If you are not white, youre not equal. There is a two-tiered nationality system, said Abdelmalek Hamchoui, 62, a local community leader.

Im made to feel like Im only French on paper, added Hadhrami Belhachemi, 35.

And so the incident has thrown a searing spotlight onto Frances judicial and legal system.

Abdelmadjid Benamara, one of the familys lawyers who is also from Nanterre, called Nahels killing an execution and told The Independent it was just the latest in a long line of alarming incidents committed by the French police.

He called for a slew of investigations into police response to the incident and for major reforms to the legal system.

You have to call a spade a spade: this is an execution Abdelmadjid Benamara, Nahels family lawyer

You cant be hypocritical about it. When a policeman kills a young teenager you have to call a spade a spade: this is an execution. You have to open the correct investigation, he added.

While the police officer who fired the shot was taken in custody on charges of voluntary homicide when a video of the incident emerged, the second police officer on the scene has not been charged and is still working, Mr Benamara continued.

The problem is with the legal system as a whole after a 2017 bill relaxed the rules around police officers' rights to use their firearms.

In 2022 there were 13 instances where the French police fired on citizens, in similar circumstances to Nahel Ms killing. Of those only five are being investigated he added.

Policemen walk next to a burned car destroyed during clashes between protesters and riot police in Nanterre (EPA)

The only difference this time is that there is a video of the event.

There is a social contract between the people and the government that has been broken. There is no trust any more, he added.

The unrest has also revived memories of riots in 2005 that rocked France for three weeks and forced then-president Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency.

That wave of violence erupted in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois and spread across the country following the death of two young men who ended up being electrocuted in a power substation as they hid from police.

Many people The Independent spoke to said nothing had changed since then.

Ive been living in this neighbourhood for 27 years, and it has only got more racist every year, Laslah Baghdad, 58, another mourner from Nanterre said back at Nahels funeral.

Police officers walk as they try to disperse protesters with tear gas during a demonstration against police in Marseille, southern France (AFP)

How you fight that I dont know .

The explosion of rage across the country, triggered by the video evidence of Nahels killing that points to homocide, might be the catalyst for a different future, Theresa continued.

We have an expression: 100 years for the thief, a year for the master. This really embodies the situation here, she said.

But now we feel change will happen.
A former Niagara Falls attorney charged with 10 felonies for reportedly making two phony political donations will be back in court later this summer, when his defense attorney says his client may take a plea.

Nicholas D. DAngelo, who was in Niagara County Court on Friday for the second time in a week on his election fraud case, has been charged with making payments to a Falls judicial candidate in 2021 under the name of the husband of a prosecutor in his rape case, for which he is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Police: Lawyer facing rape charges used prosecutors husbands name to make phony campaign donation Attorney Nicholas D. D'Angelo was charged with first-degree attempted tampering with public records, second-degree forgery, first-degree identity theft  all felonies  and a misdemeanor election law violation.

Defense attorney Brian Melber, after several conferences in chambers, asked the judge to adjourn the case three weeks. He said the parties may have a deposition then.

State Supreme Court Justice Debra L. Givens told the parties to return Aug. 25 for motion arguments.

At a court appearance June 23, Melber told the judge there was a plea agreement, but after further discussions in chambers, the parties adjourned in order to attempt to resolve a legal issue, the Niagara Gazette reported.

Nicholas D'Angelo pleads guilty to 8 felonies in rape case Nicholas D. D'Angelo, an attorney from Niagara County, will serve six months in jail and also will be placed on sex offender probation for 10 years upon his release from jail. He will be placed on the state sex offender registry.

DAngelo, 30, was initially charged in March by state police with making one phony payment, and then indicted in April by a Niagara County grand jury, when additional charges were levied for the reported second payment.

He was indicted on 10 felonies  four counts of first-degree identity theft, two counts of second-degree forgery, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, and two counts of first-degree tampering with public records  as well as two counts of making a campaign contribution in the name of a person other than the true contributor.

DAngelo is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in the rape case. He pleaded guilty in April to eight felony sex crimes involving three victims, one of whom was 16. Givens is expected to sentence him to serve six months in jail and 10 years of a special type of probation for sex offenders, terms that were part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

D'Angelo is no longer a licensed attorney.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described D'Angelo as an attorney.
 Close Crimean Bridge badly damaged after multiple blasts in early hours

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Russian president Vladimir Putin is the ultimate apostle of payback and is buying time to strike back against Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prighozin, CIA director William Burns said.

The Wagner mutiny last month was one of the toughest challenges to the Kremlin in decades and exposed some of the significant weaknesses in a system that Putin has built, Mr Burns said.

Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best served cold, he said at the Aspen Security Forum 2023.

In my experience, Putin is the ultimate apostle of payback so I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution.

If I were Prigozhin, I wouldnt fire my food taster.

Meanwhile, the US has hit nearly 120 people and entities with new Russia-related sanctions, designed to block its access to electronics and battlefield supplies.

Russias embassy in Washington denounced the sanctions as part of endless attacks by Joe Bidens administration in the context of the hybrid war unleashed by the West against our country.

Elsewhere, US-supplied cluster munitions are in the Ukrainian militarys hands and are being deployed, John Kirby said.
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France has seen six consecutive nights of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.

Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.

"I lost a child of 17-year-old, they took my baby," the mother said in a TikTok video.

"He was still a child, he needed his mother. This morning he gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me. I told him be careful and I loved him."

According to his mother, they both had left the house together. While he went to get a McDonalds takeout, she left for work.

"And then I am told they shot my son, what can I do," the heartbroken woman said.

"I only had him. I didn't have 10 like him. He was my life, my best friend. He was my son, He was my everything."

LIle-Saint-Denis city hall damaged during the riots in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

Aftermath of clashes between protesters and police in Mons-en-Baroeul northern France (REUTERS)

This photograph taken 29 June 2023 in Brest, western of France shows a Biocoop, an organic supermarket partly burnt, two days after a 17-year-old boy was shot in the chest by police at point-blank range in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

The victim's grandmother, who also remained unidentified said: I will never forgive them. My grandson died, they killed my grandson. We are not happy at all, I am against the government."

They killed my grandson, now I don't care about anyone, they took my grandson from me, I will never forgive them in my life, never, never, never.

A video shared on social media showed two police officers beside a Mercedes AMG car, with one shooting at the teenage driver at close range as he pulled away.

He died shortly afterward from his wounds, the local prosecutor said.

The teenager, who was too young to hold a full license in France, was driving illegally, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

The Nanterre prosecutor said the boy failed on Tuesday to obey the officers orders.

A lawyer for Nahel's family, Yassine Bouzrou, said they want the police officer prosecuted for murder instead of manslaughter.

He said he would file an additional complaint for false testimony over the allegation that the victim had tried to run over the police officer.

President Macron said the killing was inexplicable and inexcusable and called for calm. Nothing justifies the death of a young person, he told reporters in Marseille on Wednesday.
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Twitter has applied temporary reading limits to address extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation, Elon Musk said in a post on the social media platform on Saturday.

Thousands of people complained about being unable to access Twitter on Saturday. It came after Mr Musk declared that verified accounts are now temporarily limited to reading 6,000 posts a day, unverified accounts limited to 600 and new unverified accounts limited to 300.

He then later said that the limits would be increasing soon to 8,000 posts for verified, 800 for unverified and 400 for new unverified.

It comes after Twitter announced on Friday that it will now require users to have an account on the social media platform to view tweets, which Mr Musk described as a temporary emergency measure.

Mr Musk tweeted on Saturday: To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, weve applied the following temporary limits: Verified accounts are limited to reading 6000 posts/day, Unverified accounts to 600 posts/day, New unverified accounts to 300/day.

After Mr Musks announcement, the hashtag "RIP Twitter" was trending as well as Twitter Down and Space Karen.

Elon Musk announced the temporary measures via his Twitter account (Twitter)

Mr Musk later tweeted: Rate limited due to reading all the posts about rate limits.

The issues were first reported around midday on Saturday but there were thousands of reports about the site by 6pm, according to Downdetector. In the UK, a peak of 5,126 people complained of problems accessing Twitter at 4.12pm.

It comes after another outage in February when many users were unable to tweet, follow accounts or access their direct messages after the platform was plagued by widespread technical problems.

The founder and chief engineer of SpaceX previously expressed concern about artificial intelligence firms such as ChatGPT using Twitter's data to train their language models, The Guardian reported.

Mr Musk took over Twitter in October after buying it for 44 billion dollars (35.5 billion).

After taking over, he laid off some 80 per cent of its 8,000 global staff. He later admitted it resulted in the platform losing a large amount of its functionality.

He also oversaw the scrapping of legacy blue ticks, which verified a users identity and were replaced by a paid-for subscription called Twitter Blue.

High-profile figures and celebrities said the move leaves the platform open to imposters and disinformation.

Users who pay 9.60 a month, or 115.20 annually, receive the blue tick and can make longer tweets up to 10,000 characters.

Other select features available only to subscribers include non-fungible token (NFT) profile pictures, making changes to published tweets and seeing around 50 per cent fewer ads.

In December, just weeks after the takeover, Mr Musk tweeted: I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job.

The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a poll Mr Musk created and promised to abide by.

In May, Mr Musk confirmed that advertising executive Linda Yaccarino, formerly of NBCUniversal, was replacing him as Twitters chief executive.
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A tourist filmed carving names into the wall of Romes ancient Colosseum last week has been identified as a fitness trainer living in Britain. The identification was made using photographic comparisons, said Italian police.

They did not identify the suspect, saying only that the man and his girlfriend were a couple who are resident in England.

However, he was named by the Daily Telegraph as Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor and delivery driver who is originally from Bulgaria and lives in Bristol.

He was filmed by an onlooker etching his and his girlfriends name into a wall of the 2,000-year-old monument last Friday. He used a key to write Ivan + Hayley 23.

An angry bystander who filmed the incident asked: Are you serious, man? The video, titled: A*****e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome, was uploaded to YouTube and went viral.

Italian police will send a note to the suspects home in England to inform him that he is under investigation, according to Il Messaggero, though it is unclear what will happen next.

It was reported that the man could face a fine of up to 15,000 (12,850) and a prison sentence of up to five years if convicted of defacing the historical monument.

Romes Colosseum is a Unesco world heritage site where gladiators fought with one another and with wild animals including lions, leopards, bulls and ostriches. Its construction began under the reign of the emperor Vespasian in the first century AD.

Visitors take photos of the ancient Colosseum in Rome (AP)

The Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the alleged suspect of the uncivilised and absurd act committed at the Colosseum.

It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history, he said. Now I hope justice will take its course by rigorously applying the laws.

The minister said that the government was considering a law that would impose stringent punishment on those found guilty of defacing or damaging the countrys historical and cultural heritage sites.

Those who cause damage will pay, he said.

In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined 20,000 (17,000) for engraving a K on a wall at the site, and given a suspended four-year jail sentence.

Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.
PSNI detective John Caldwell has spoken publicly for the first time since surviving a murder attempt by dissident republicans in Co Tyrone in February.

The senior detective was greeted with a standing ovation as he was presented with the Special Recognition gong at the Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards on Friday night (30 June).

Mr Caldwell thanked his fantastic family for their help during his recovery.

I am just sorry that these innocent children, including my own son, were subjected to such a harrowing ordeal, he added.
Rescue workers rushed to a school in Donetsk, Ukraine, to find survivors and clear debris after Russian forces hit the building on Friday (30 June)

The strike hit a primary school in the village of Serhiivka, killing two people including a teacher and injuring six others, according to the Ukrainian general prosecutor's office.

Around 12 people were in the educational facility when it was struck, the general prosecutor said.

One person has been recovered from the rubble, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on Friday afternoon.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Daniel Korski asked for their clients response to these allegations to be included prominently in this article: Mr Korski categorically denies any allegation of inappropriate behaviour towards Ms Goodwin or any other individual.

Ten years ago a man who worked for David Cameron as a special adviser asked me for a meeting in Downing Street and as the meeting ended he deliberately touched my breast.

In 2017 I wrote a piece describing this event without naming the man. It was clear from the messages I received at the time from people close to No 10 that everyone knew who he was. He was named by the Guido Fawkes website, and although he denied it, I felt that the flag had been raised.
Significant reduction in operations a signal of continuing slowdown in online sales

Amazons Prime Air unit is slashing the number of scheduled cargo flights it operates across Europe with Dublin-based ASL Airlines, suggesting a slowdown in online sales following a boom during the pandemic, the Irish Independent has learned.
Global med-tech company BD has confirmed that it plans to reduce the workforce in Drogheda by 60 over the next 15 months.

There are currently 235 people in the Drogheda plant - one of four facilities it has in Ireland.

In a detailed statement from the company, which next year will mark 60 years since it opened in Drogheda, itsaid the pandemic has contributed to the decision.

It said: During the Covid pandemic, the world experienced extreme shifts in demand for certain products. This affected BD in two ways  extremely high demand for products used on Covid patients and lessened demand for products that were not used when non-critical procedures were suspended to increase capacity for Covid patients.

It said the company "is right-sizing manufacturing operations to realign current inventory and future demand.

In addition, the Drogheda site has been manufacturing components for embecta since BD spun off this new, independent, diabetes care company in April 2022. embecta, which has operations in Dun Laoghaire, will be taking responsibility for manufacturing those components. This results in the reduction of a production line in Drogheda.

"These combined factors will result in a targeted reduction of 60 positions in Drogheda over the course of 15 months to right-size its manufacturing operations with todays realities.

It expects that "natural attrition and retirements to reduce the number of employees actually affected. For those who are affected, we are committed to treating each person affected by this decision with compassion and respect.

The statement concluded that the decision was not a reflection on the performance of the Drogheda site but was driven by other business factors.

Ireland and "intends to continue investing in its facilities across the country".

Last month it opened a new 4m research and development facility in Blackrock, Dublin and announced an additional 3m investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Enniscorthy, Wexford, which will create more than 85 new jobs.

Reacting to the news which started to filter through to employees on Friday,one man said: "There are young people working here who are hoping to get mortgages and buy cars and this is a big blow for them. We are all down over it.
Police agencies across the state have stepped up DWI patrols this long Independence Day holiday weekend.

State police and the Niagara and Erie County sheriffs offices are among law enforcement departments who say they will take steps into Wednesday to prevent drunken drivers from raising the risk of motor vehicle crashes and fatalities during what is expected to be several days of celebration and heavier-than-typical traffic.

The Niagara County Sheriffs Office noted that regional efforts are part of steps being taken across the country to combat drunken driving on holiday weekends. They include the July 4th High Visibility Engagement, STOP-DWI, and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns.

Deputies noted that DWI-related deaths and injuries typically climb during holiday weekends.

Despite stiffer costs for those charged with and convicted of driving while intoxicated, 41% of motor vehicle crash fatalities resulted from drunken driving in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

Erie County sheriffs officials suggested residents safeguard their freedom this Independence Day by understanding drinking and driving this weekend will raise the chances of being pulled over.

If you wait until after you been drinking to figure out how to get from one place to the next, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said in a news release, you will already be too impaired to make the right choices.
The Erasure singer talks about the duos longevity, living with HIV, his love of Abba and the upcoming Forever Young Festival, which celebrates the sound of the 1980s

A few days before Andy Bell talks to the Independent via Zoom, Abbas groundbreaking avatar show in London welcomed its millionth punter. Voyage has been a spectacular success and the fans are likely to keep pouring in.

Although he is too modest to admit it, Bell and his Erasure colleague, Vince Clarke, played a significant role in the Swedish supergroups resurgence in the early 1990s. Three months before Abba released their all-conquering Abba Gold, Erasure brought out the four-track Abba-esque EP. It gave the duo their first UK charttoppe, having had two previous singles stall at number two.

I didnt realise at the time what a big deal it was going to be, Bell says. Those songs were in my system and I had to get them out! It came from my absolute love of their music and my love of melody, harmony and language.

Bell says he has been an Abba aficionado for as long as he can remember and says that while the band may have fallen out of favour with the mainstream in the 1980s, they were never abandoned by the gay community. There was a feeling in the early 1990s that they were going to explode again and we got in there just as it was beginning.

But, looking back, he says he has mixed views on Abba-esque now. It almost became our epitaph. People sort of forgot that we were songwriters on our own. We were going to do an albums worth [of Abba songs] but Im so glad now that we didnt.

Bell is speaking from Majorca. He is no stranger to the Balearic Islands. After all, Erasures dancefloor anthems were once omnipresent in the many clubs there. Now, hes after a more sedate stay on the island  its a place he goes to recharge, to fire up the creative juices.

The Cambridgeshire native will be in Ireland in a fortnight to play a special show with his band at the Forever Young 1980s pop festival and is looking forward to hanging out with several of the other acts on the bill, all of whom first enjoyed their first flush of success in the decade most associated with pure pop. From the first chart success of their single Sometimes in 1986, Erasure were rarely off the airwaves.

Although the duo were dismissed by some as purveyors of throwaway pop, their work is ripe for rediscovery. Theres real quality there  not just in all those crowd-pleasing synth-heavy singles, but as the albums too.

Even at their most commercial, theres an underlying message. One of their most defining songs, A Little Respect, alludes to the homophobia that was rampant in Britain and elsewhere in the 1980s. As an outwardly gay man for as long as he has been in the spotlight, Bell copped his fair share of abuse.

Sometimes it happened in places where youd least expect it, he says. I remember we were doing a radio show in the Netherlands, just outside of Amsterdam. It was in front of a live audience. I was singing Sometimes and the crowd were booing the whole way through. And then, when we were in Italy, I wore a basque  as you do  during a performance and the crowd whistled the whole time. Id been inspired by what Madonna had been wearing and thought: Oooh, theyll love this! They didnt.

Erasures chart history demonstrates just how unerring their ability to write mass-market pop hits used to be. Between 1986 and 2007 every one of the 24 singles they released entered the UK Top 40. Its a remarkable achievement, although, in truth, the height of their popularity was in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Fame had been intense and it started to wane after 1995s self-titled eighth album. Erasure was an intriguing departure, the most experimental of their career up to that point. It remains one of Bells proudest achievements, but the record-buying public didnt seem to know what to make of it. The critics liked it, he says, but it didnt sell.

Bell was soon to face a challenging time. In 1998, he was diagnosed with HIV, although he didnt make it public for another six years. It was very frightening, he says, when he first got the news. It happened when I was here, in Majorca.

Living through the late 1980s, early 1990s, youd watched your friends, your clique, getting picked off, one by one. Youd go to Castro in San Francisco [the most celebrated gay-friendly district in any US city] and walk the streets and have this awareness that so many people had died.

When he got the diagnosis, he had already put his body through the wringer. Id done a lot of recreational drugs in the 1990s, so my health was in really bad shape by 1998. But when I started to take the meds [for HIV], my life started to turn around completely. I was so lucky that it happened when it did because those meds kept me alive. If it had been 10 years before His voice trails off.

Bell looks as healthy and happy today as any 59-year-old has any right to. He and his husband of 10 years, Stephen, have homes in Britain and Florida. Royalties from old songs provide a robust income stream. The drive to make music, he says, is as buoyant as ever and Erasure have been in impressive form over the past few years.

First, in 2020, came 18th studio album, The Neon. Bell and Clarke described it as going back to the beginning. Vintage synths were employed to give the songs that mid-1980s feel.

Then, last year, came Day-Glo (Based On A True Story), an album that offered a thorough reconstruction of The Neon. Reworking a previous album might sound underwhelming, but Day-Glo received some of the best reviews of Erasures near-40-year career.

Day-Glo came out of nowhere, in a way. I think its the sound of two people really enjoying themselves, Bell says. Looking back, wed gotten into a bit of a rut from the 1990s and onwards. Maybe we were taking ourselves too seriously, possibly because we were being perceived as a singles band and we always felt wed made good albums too. Now, theres none of that pressure, whether real or imagined. We just want to make the music that feels right for us.

Bells pride in Erasures longevity is matched by his friendship with Clarke, which has been a constant for practically all of his adult life. His bandmate was a founding member of Depeche Mode and enjoyed chart success with Yazoo before Erasure came into being. When Bell met Clarke, after answering a Melody Maker advert, he was a little intimidated having been a fan of his music.

What does he put the success of their friendship down to? I think Im very steadfast and it takes a lot to rile me up and Vince is very cool as well. Hes very grounded. Its very hard to get him to show his feelings. I think we make quite a good couple. Hes always been quite a soft female-man really and maybe when he was with Alison [Moyet, his Yazoo bandmate], she was the alpha-male, female version, and with me it sort of balances out.

He chuckles, knowing such words may be difficult to decipher.

Ultimately, he says, we have a great rapport and a respect for what the other brings to Erasure. Long may it continue!

Andy Bell headlines the Forever Young festival in Palmerstown House Estate, Naas, Co Kildare on Saturday, July 15. The Forever Young Festival is a three-day celebration of the music of the 1980s, and the line-up includes Bananarama, Squeeze, Billy Ocean, Tony Hadley and ABC.
Reviews multi-page feature last month on the 50 best Irish albums ever threw up plenty of intriguing findings, including the fact that of acts that have released albums this century, only one  Fontaines DC  had more than one listed. Their debut album, Dogrel, and third, Skinty Fia, were among those chosen by more than 50 music industry figures. Its a sign of the high regard with which the London-based quintet is held.

Frontman Grian Chatten, understandably, plays a huge part in their success and there is considerable excitement surrounding his debut solo album. Shorn of his bandmates, few will be surprised that Chaos for the Fly sounds so different, although his Dublin accented-singing remains trusty and true.

Chaos for the Fly by Grian Chatten

That Chatten is a wildly talented figure has never been in doubt, but this short, marvellous album confirms it. Over the course of nine songs  many of them apparently inspired by his childhood and early adult life in Skerries, Co Dublin  he delivers low-key ballads, skiffle singalongs, brass-inflected confections and much more. Theres an eclectic feel to the album, yet it never feels disjoined.

Opener The Score begins with the sort of gently picked acoustic guitar one might expect on a Fionn Regan album. Bobs Casino has a lush, sonic backdrop that could have come from a 1960s big band. Season for Pain starts as a spectral, haunting tune before morphing into subdued grunge before shifting into experimental electro folk.

Fontaines regular producer Dan Carey is at the tiller and Chattens fiancee Georgie Jesson provides backing vocals on several songs. Jesson, a music journalist turned musician, is also responsible for the promo video for The Score.

Chatten has long delivered lyrics that are strange and curiously alluring and so it continues here. Kindness is a trick to turn you strange/ Til youre twisted and youre shining like a varicose vein, he sings on The Fairlies, the most obviously commercial song. Its one of the few tracks that you could imagine on a Fontaines album.

Weighing in at a lean 36 minutes, the album does not outstay its welcome. Theres plenty to enthral and its the sort of song collection that unveils its myriad charms over sustained listening.

The title, incidentally, comes via the Addams Family: What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.
Minister Ryan highlighted challenges facing water quality, particularly in the southeast of the country, but maintained that farmers will be the climate heroes of the future. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has issued a warning to Ireland's dairy industry over the implications of greenwashing when it comes to the marketing of products overseas.
Bank of Ireland has apologised for the disruption. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Bank of Ireland (BOI) will open 91 branches nationwide this morning to supports customers impacted by yesterdays online services outage.

Account holders took to social media yesterday morning, complaining that they could not use either the banks app or online services.

BOI said the systems came back online yesterday evening and branches stayed open late to assist affected customers.

The bank said it has also drafted in extra customer service staff to deal phone queries today.

We are extremely sorry that online services were disrupted yesterday. These services returned around 5.30 yesterday and are operating normally, a spokesperson for the Bank said.

"To provide enhanced advice and support to any customers who may need it we have taken a number of additional steps this weekend. We have increased the number of colleagues available to serve customers over the phone and will also open more than 90 of our branches today (Saturday 1 July) from 10am and 2pm. The full list of these branches is on bankofireland.com.

It comes as yesterday some employers reported not being able to pay staff ahead of the weekend.

Some account holders demanded the bank compensates them for being unable to use their app or online banking.

Customers of the bank took to social media to express frustration at the issue, and also complain about the banks communication strategy.

One customer said on Twitter: The Bank of Ireland app has been down all morning and I expect on the last Friday of the month many customers are trying to log in and make transactions.

Another asked: I assume Bank of Ireland will be compensating people who cannot log in to make transactions today? Will BOI be professional about this or the usual amateurs?

One person joked: I have a good mind to move my extensive overdraft to Ulster Bank. Oh God! Oh wait!

In an interview with the Sunday Independent last week Bank of Ireland chief executive Myles OGrady said it was investing heavily in technology.

The bank will invest 1bn in the business over three years, particularly in technology, he said.

Our investments in recent years have been in core systems, in data, robotics, cyber protection, much of which is unseen by customers but which definitely improves the resilience of our technology platform. We also have made very good progress with our customer facing technology.

A failure to solve problems with its technology platforms between 2008 and 2015 led to a 24.5m fine being levied on the bank by the Central Bank in 2021.

The bank announced in March last year that it intends to hire 100 new technology staff.

This was on top of 130 technology hires in 2021.
Gabriel Byrne has paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend the late actor Julian Sands, who he described as having a fierce intelligence and a unquenchable curiosity.

Writing in The Guardian, Byrne said images of Julian have been recurring in my mind, in recent months.

In late June, Sands body was found in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel mountains, in southern California.

Julian Sands' body was found last month following a prolonged search operation. Photo: Reuters

The actor had been missing for several months, after not returning from a hike in January. Multiple searches by local authorities had been unsuccessful, with poor weather conditions hampering efforts since March, and his remains were eventually found by civilian hikers.

Byrne said, Sands was destined  everyone said  to be a Hollywood heartthrob but that was not what Julian wanted and instead, he craved distant fields and mighty rivers.

There was always a mystery about Julian. The heart of a child-man in which scorpions and bluebirds nested. What lay behind those restless eyes? Fiercely listening, then a dreamy drifting off to somewhere beyond, Byrne wrote.

I remember the fierce intelligence, the unquenchable curiosity. The depth of his knowledge and love of literature and paintings and antiques. His passion for life and living. His great sense of humour and gift for storytelling. His brave choices as an actor. The love of family.

Byrne said the mountains beckoned his friend, and Sands once told him they will teach you about life about yourself.

In his final correspondence to Byrne, Sands wrote this: Most mountaineers understand that the true summit is within. The high point on a peak is simply that, but the experience of the approach, the face or the ridge, up and down, is where true fulfilment is found.

As a climber, Julian was fearless, Byrne said, and while he knew the dangers, he sought the freedom the comes with accepting that nothing matters beyond the moment, step by slow step to the summit.

Byrne worked with the English actor on three films  Gothic, Siesta and All Things to All Men.

For Gothic, the pair shared the screen with Liam Neesons late wife Natasha Richardson, who tragically died in 2009.

Recalling their times together on set, Byrne wrote: Julian was like the boy in class who made you laugh, with inky fingers and mischief, with spiders in matchboxes and fart noises in maths class.

The last time the Dubliner saw his friend was in New York, at the Irish rep theatre, where Sands was enthralling the audience with his one-man show about Harold Pinter, directed by his great friend, John Malkovich.

Some years ago a great actor friend of mine, Chris ONeill, died suddenly on a trip to Miami. Hed been writing a script and he told me he couldnt wait to get back to his study to continue.

"Ive been haunted for years by the image of him closing the door  unknowingly for the last time, as one day we all must  on an empty room, Byrne added.

And then Natasha died. And now another door has closed. Another room is empty.
Funeral arrangements for a young student who died tragically in a swimming pool in Greece have been announced, after his remains were repatriated to Ireland in recent days.

Rory Deegan (22) from Oldtown, Cullohill, Co Laois was found in a swimming pool in Zakynthos Greece on June 25.

Rory, a student at the Technological University of the Shannon in Limerick, had travelled to the Greek Island with four other students for work for the summer.

His parents run the popular Deegans Centra shop in the Co Kilkenny village of Urlingford.

In a heartbreaking post on social medi, the family thanked the community for all their support. They said: As many of you may know, the Deegan family and this community have suffered a tragic loss with the passing of Rory Deegan.

"Rory was always ready to greet every stranger or friend he met in the shop with a smile and a laugh and he will forever have a place in everyones heart.

"The support and help weve received from the community just goes to show how highly everyone thought of Rory and how much he will be missed.

"May his gentle soul rest in peace. As a mark of respect our shop will close on Tuesday the 4th of July from 11.30am - 2.30pm.

Rory, who was predeceased by his infant sister Laura, is survived by his parents Joe and Diane, his brothers Conor, Barry, Ross, Jack and sister Rachael.

He will repose on Sunday July 2, and Monday July 3, from 4pm concluding with prayers at 8pm both evenings.

The removal is on Tuesday morning, July 4, to St Tighearnach's Church, Cullohill arriving for Requiem Mass at noon followed by interment in the adjoining cemetery.
The price of other staple products were also reduced in May

Four Irish supermarkets have announced reductions on the retail price of own-brand milk products by up to 10 cent.

This is the second cut to the price of milk which the competing retailers have announced since May.

Aldi said it will reduce the cost all its own-brand milk products by an average of 10 cents, but the date for when cost savings will be passed on shoppers has yet to be confirmed.

Lidl has also confirmed that a 10 cent reduction in the price of its two-litre carton of milk from, 2.19 to 2.09, has been implemented from today.

Meanwhile, Tesco said its own-brand two-litre fresh milk will be priced at 2.09, down 10c, from Monday, July 3.

And Supervalu confirmed it would implement a similar cut from Monday, according to PA.

Lidl said the move will see 3 million in savings passed directly on to its shoppers in Ireland.

Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland JP Scally said the company is very conscious of the cost-of-living challenges facing our customers.

"We have dropped the prices of hundreds of household staple items in recent weeks, and we will continue to drop prices on the items that matter most to our customers.

"We were the first retailer in Ireland to drop the price of milk in May and were proud to be leading the way once again with this latest price cut, he added.

Group Managing Director at Aldi Ireland Niall O'Connor said: "We review the market on a daily basis to ensure we remain the best value retailer. Our real-time focus means we can respond quickly.

Meanwhile, Tesco Ireland Commercial Director Joe Manning said the company will continue to work closely with our suppliers to pass on price cuts to our customers whenever we can.

Independent.ie has contacted Dunnes Stores and Supervalus parent company, the Musgrave Group, for comment.

In May Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Supervalu cut the price of staple products including milk, bread and butter.

At the time, farmers warned that a supermarket price war on milk could be highly damaging for them.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) today said the latest cuts are also worrying.

"IFA would be concerned that a price war on milk could do serious damage to those farm families who specialise in producing fresh milk rather than milk which is converted into products with a longer shelf life, an IFA spokesperson told Independent.ie.

"Farmers have faced huge increases in production costs. However, those who specialise in fresh milk produce all year round, including over the winter months, have even higher costs. If these farmers do not get a return to cover the extra costs involved, they will change to producing milk for manufacturing.

The spokesperson said the number of farmers who are committed to supplying milk all year round has declined significantly and while consumers might see price cuts as a positive development, it risks the medium to long term sustainability of local fresh milk producers.

Last month, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said that a move by Tesco Ireland to reduce prices on 700 items by an average of 10% "could be a significant turning point".

The Government has been put under pressure by opposition parties to take action on ensuring high grocery costs are not fuelling supermarkets' profits, after major retailers announced reductions in the cost of milk, butter and bread in May.

At a meeting of the Retail Forum, Minister of State Neale Richmond said that retailers had committed to reducing costs of products where their input costs had reduced.
Ksenia Samotiy (21) from Lviv moved to Ireland last year. She lives in Dublin city centre

Why are some things news and others not? And why do some things capture the publics imagination while others seem to pass them by? I guess even experienced journalists never fully work it out, but its something Ive been wondering about this week.

As a Ukrainian, Ive been on a nonstop news binge for almost a year and half. Since Russias full-scale invasion, not a day has gone by which hasnt been dominated by news updates. It often feels hopeless and depressing, but it also makes me feel somehow connected. Either way, I keep doing it, day after day, night after night.

Last week, however, I got sucked into a story that was nothing to do with Ukraine. Yes, Im talking about the Titan submersible that took those billionaires to the wreck of the Titanic; the one that was the subject of a massive search and endless commentaries about how many hours of oxygen they had left. Until eventually, it turned out that the Titan had most likely imploded much earlier, killing everyone instantly.

At first, I did my best to let it pass me by. In fact, the first time I heard about it was one of those workplace water-cooler conversations. I overheard a colleague saying that they felt terrible they couldnt help those poor people on board the Titan. I kept my mouth shut, but I have to admit that my self-righteous side kicked in. OK, so you cant help them, I thought, but theres plenty of people who you could actually help. Like the millions of people still in Ukraine, who every day are struggling to survive, often having lost their job, their homes and still facing the risk of bombing nearly every night. You know, the ones Im reading about every single day.

And its not just Ukrainians, of course. What about that ship that sank on its way to Greece, killing hundreds of mostly Pakistani migrants? Or closer to home, even, what about the people in Ireland who need help?

Still, the days went by, and it was nearly impossible to avoid hearing about Titan and its crew. All news resources seemed obsessed with it, with live threads reporting every smallest development. And as much as I thought bitterly about the lack of live updates on the search for survivors and bodies off the cost of Greece  at the time of writing, only 104 of about 750 people are known to have been rescued, making it one of the deadliest tragedies ever in the Mediterranean  I found myself also following the Titan news.

The amount of coverage, the attention, the back stories, the whistleblowers saying Titan wasnt as safe as advertised, the famous people explaining why they turned down a trip it was ugly indeed, but we were all involved. And then of course there were the memes. They werent malicious, but that same self-righteousness was telling me that if they were about any of the other tragedies mentioned above, I would have disapproved.

Why was I doing it? I think Bryony Clarke hit the nail on the head in the Guardian a few days ago when she suggested that the Titan story generated something worse than fear: excitement. Is that it? Were we somehow excited by the tragedy? And why arent we excited, or even interested, about other people who were dying, suffering or in need of help? What does it say about all of us, and what does it say about me that I found myself following it all anyway?

Like most of us, I dont really have an answer. Id like there to be some sort of middle ground between what is most exciting, what actually matters and what we can all do to help others  but Im not sure what that it is. Its almost certainly not something Im going to find on social media. But Ill probably carry on reading them anyway.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish officials attended the EU leaders summit

As thundery rain bucketed down on the conference centres glass roof, the happy midnight rumour buzzing around was that this one could end a day early. Officials travelling with Leo Varadkar had heard the same rumour but sadly could not say it was true.
Slow Roll Buffalos Let Freedom Ride route will spotlight the growing immigrant populations in Riverside and Black Rock.

The free, inclusive ride begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Tow Park Path at the foot of Hertel Avenue, with a post-ride party at 8 p.m. at the starting location.

For those driving to the meetup location, parking is at AcQua Restaurant, at 2192 Niagara St.

The 10-mile ride will stop at the Ukrainian-American Civic Center, at 205 Military Road in Black Rock, for an update on the war refugees whove moved to Buffalo, as well as Lin Asian Market, at 929 Tonawanda St. in Riverside, to learn about immigrants from Southeast Asia.

Slow Roll Buffalo launches 10th season 'connecting people, places and causes' We are an organization that is truly about connecting people, places and causes, and bicycles are the vehicle that we use to do that, said Janelle Brooks, president of the Slow Roll Buffalo Board of Directors.

Slow Roll organizers noted that major streets on the route include Amherst Street, Hertel Avenue, Military Road, Ontario Street, Tonawanda Street and Niagara Street.

The post-race gathering will feature food from Imperial Pizza and Sun Cuisines, drinks from Community Beer Works, Libbys Lemonade and Chateau Buffalo, and music by Buffalo Bully Brass.
In addition to a 350 per cent increase in traffic, up to 40 per cent of the vehicles passing through the village of Tagoat are breaking the speed limit. These were the damning figures brought to the June meeting of the Rosslare Municipal District as Councillor Ger Carthy sought ways to protect the people using amenities in the area.

Having long-since campaigned for bus shelters to be installed in the village to protect schoolchildren from the elements, Cllr Carthy now suggested crash barriers be built on the sides of the road to shield them from the hundreds of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) speeding through Tagoat on a daily basis. Informed that there was no progress from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on the development of shelters at the bus stops, Cllr Carthy said this was indicative of a much wider problem in the area right now.

Theres a 350 per cent increase in the amount of traffic passing through Tagoat, and 40 per cent of those vehicles are breaking the speed limit, he said. I have to give credit to An Garda Siochana because theyve moved into Tagoat in an unmarked car and theyre prosecuting like theres no tomorrow. But they need assistance from ourselves, because they have a big wide open carriageway with trucks going through a village, with a pub to the left and a shop to the right, bus stops on either side, and the occupants of those bus stops are predominately children.

"We either get our act together and get this done or were going to have to put in crash barriers to protect the current pull-in areas until such time we get the money to do a proper job on it and calm the traffic coming down from the Wexford side.

Noting that some genius had decided to increase the speed limit going through Tagoat, Cllr Carthy requested the name of the company entrusted with carrying out an audit on the potential bus shelters and an update on when TII planned to make a decision on whether to install said shelters.

While he wasnt able to provide an update from TII, senior engineer Enda Waters did confirm that driver feedback signs were due to be installed in Tagoat in the coming weeks.

Accepting that the shelters were unlikely to be installed before the start of the new school year, Cllr Carthy received support from Cllr Jim Codd who said the children currently waiting patiently for this project to be delivered may well have retired from employment before the works were completed.

Cllr Lisa McDonald has also been banging the drum about a bus shelter, this one in Drinagh. And she said this is a service which provides a lifeline for many of those living in her local area of Piercestown.

You have a girl there who suffered a brain injury in a car accident and she uses that bus stop every day, its her lifeline and its a lifeline for many people living in that area, said Cllr McDonald. The TII wont improve it because it didnt pass a risk assessment. Were not accepting a no, whatever has to be done needs to be investigated and accelerated because the bus stop is going to stay there.

While the councillors awaited updates from the TII, environmental engineer Gerry Forde offered some hope that alternative funding could be sourced for the shelters.

We are working on a climate action plan, some of those actions will be around encouraging the public to shift from using their own cars to public transport, so well be talking to our colleagues about improving the bus networks, he said.
Ukraines Constitution Day is a public holiday in the country and has been celebrated every year, on June 28, since 1996, when the constitution was adopted.

With over 1,300 Ukrainians in County Wicklow and, in Greystones, just over 100 residing at Tiglins centre in Coolnagreina in the town, where better to celebrate than at the centre, which welcomed Ukrainians only weeks after the Russian invasion, after Tiglin chairman Aubrey McCarthy called the head of the Irish Red Cross, Pat Carey, who then swiftly linked Tiglin with the International Protection Office.

Those living at Coolnagreina are mainly women and children, while most primary school children in Greystones attend St Patricks NS.

And Principal Rachel Harper, who is also a board member of Tiglin, and Whale Theatre founder Ross McParland, were among those who helped to a organise a truly memorable day for the towns Ukrainian nationals, where among the guests were Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko, the Polish Ambassador to Ireland Anna Sochanska and Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Lironne Bar Sadeh.

Jay Bobinac, who is one of Tiglin's centre managers, said that over 150 people turned out on the day where there was a number of performances, including poetry reading, Irish dancing and acts from local theatre groups.

Her Excellency expressed her gratitude to the people of Ireland and Greystones for accepting her countrymen to the town, saying that she was grateful to all the organisers of this wonderful day full of good mood, Ukrainian and Irish songs and pleasant communication that brings Ukrainians and Irish together every day.

"She was so thankful for the approach of the town, where they are integrated into the community, Jay said. Most of the people that live with us have an opportunity to build in the community and find work, and they have been so well supported. The children are going to local schools and those that want to work are working. Some of the pupils from St Patrick's also performed on the day and the ambassador and the guests were so impressed with them and it was a lovely occasion.

"We just have to thank the community for being so supportive and for the Ukrainians it was such a great day for them to get together. The Ukrainian people also prepared Ukrainian food, so they played a big role as well.

Opening the event, Ms Harper told all gathered that our hearts are with our Ukrainian friends, you have become such a huge part of our community.

"You have brought so much to Greystones and we are so grateful and we are all in awe at your strength and courage, she added, remarking at how much the children at St Patricks heave learnt from their new Ukrainian friends.

Addressing the Ukrainians directly, she concluded by telling them that Greystones is your home for as long as you want it to be.
A recent conference designed to explore how Ukraine will recover and rebuild barely mentioned its broken children

Parents Oleh and Olha Aksenchenko sit beside the coffins of their 14-year-old twin daughters, Anna and Yuliia, who were killed in a Russian missile strike on a restaurant in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters/Oleksandr Ratushnia

Vladimir Putins first public appearance after the weekends aborted mutiny was a video address to an International Youth Industrial Forum in Tula. He skipped over mentioning Wagners actions, instead proclaiming young peoples role in building strong Russian industry in the future.
Officers stand guard during riots in Lille, France, following the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a police officer in Nanterre during a traffic stop. Reuters

A young man died on Friday after falling from the roof of a supermarket in the suburbs of the northern French city of Rouen during overnight riots, local authorities said.
For those familiar with the history of Vladimir Putin, his recent imitation of a rockstar with crowds of adoring fans could be described as surprising to say the least.
In a remarkable turn of events, kinnow growers in Punjab now have a reason to celebrate. The fruit they once considered waste is now being eagerly purchased by the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) to be transformed into a delightful citrus gin.

The first batch of this gin, aptly named Oregin, has already hit the shelves in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Priced at Rs 1,800 for a 750 ml bottle, a staggering 25,000 cases of gin have already been distilled, with 13,000 bottles sold exclusively in Goa. Mangal Singh, the Chairman of PAIC, expressed his enthusiasm for the success of this venture.

Kinnow, a crucial horticultural crop in Punjab, as well as neighboring states like Haryana and Rajasthan, has traditionally faced the issue of undersized fruit (C and D grade) being discarded as waste, while only the top-grade fruit is sold to retail customers.

After the initial attempt to extract and market juices from these undersized kinnows, it became clear that the taste did not appeal to consumers due to its slight bitterness, explained a senior PAIC official.

To find an alternative and valuable use for such kinnows, the PAIC sought the expertise of a French sommelier. After two years of refining the recipe, which incorporates kinnow, juniper, and other spices, and conducting extensive tasting sessions, the PAIC decided to proceed with the commercial launch. The manufacturing of the gin is being carried out in collaboration with a craft distillery in Goa, with a patent already filed for the unique blend.

PAIC officials state that the low-grade kinnows will be purchased from farmers at existing market rates, with a minimum base price of Rs 8 per kg. As the brand gains popularity, PAIC anticipates procuring up to 50,000 quintals of kinnow each year to meet the demand for gin production.

Promoting value addition in agricultural produce, Ramandeep Singh Mann, an agricultural expert, emphasized the significance of such initiatives. He noted, Value addition to all horticultural crops is the need of the hour, highlighting that successful endeavors like this could inspire farmers to consider diversification from the conventional wheat-paddy monoculture.

With Punjab Agro Industries Corporations ingenious approach, what was once considered waste has now become a profitable venture, benefitting both farmers and gin enthusiasts alike. This transformative endeavor not only showcases the potential for innovation in the agricultural sector but also paves the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.

(Image and Text Credit: Khalsavox.com)
New Delhi: Automobile major Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (NMIPL) has announced wholesales of 5832 units for the month of June 2023. Domestic wholesales stood at 2552 units, while export wholesales stood at 3280 units.

Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, commented, During Q1 of this fiscal we announced the launch of the Nissan Magnite GEZA Special Edition which marked the 100,000 Magnite rollout milestone. The Magnite Geza Special Edition is the first among many product interventions planned this year, and with the onset of normal monsoons, high single digit GDP growth and positive consumer sentiment, we confident of delivering strong value to our customers."

The Big, Bold and Beautiful, Nissan Magnite recently achieved a significant milestone with the 100000th Magnite produced at the Alliance plant in Chennai.

The best-selling Nissan Magnite is now offered across 16 variants where the base model of Magnite is the XE and the top variant Nissan Magnite is the Turbo CVT XV Premium (O). Nissan Magnites competitive pricing and unmatched value proposition makes it a formidable choice in the BSUV segment.

Nissan recently introduced the Nissan Magnite GEZA Special Edition, at a starting price of INR 7,39,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Magnite GEZA offers a compelling combination of an advanced infotainment system, power packed performance, advanced features and safety enhancements that will redefine journeys for the discerning Indian customer.

The Nissan Magnite has achieved a 4-Star Safety Rating for Adult Occupant Safety from Global NCAP offering the best safety standards within its segment. Nissan has recently enhanced the Magnite by introducing additional safety features across all variants, in addition to transitioning to BS6 Phase 2, increasing its value. These safety features include, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

The Big, Bold and Beautiful Nissan Magnite is exported to 15 global markets, with its most recent launches in Seychelles, Bangladesh, Uganda, and Brunei. In recent years, Nissan India has shifted its primary export market from Europe to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Chennai: Passenger car maker Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) on Saturday announced that it has registered a total sales of 65,601 units in June 2023.

This included domestic sales of 50,001 units and export of 15,600 units.

While domestic sales grew by 2.04 per cent, the export grew by 16.85 per cent. The cumulative sales grew by 5.21 per cent, a HMIL release here said.

In June 2022, HMIL had sold 62,351 units (domestic-49,001, exports, 13,350).

Commenting on the June 2023 sales, HMIL COO Tarun Garg said "We are delighted to announce that the company has achieved a domestic sales volume of 50,000 plus units in June23."

"There is a positive customer traction for all our products and Hyundai VERNA, CRETA, and TUCSON have attained leadership positions in their respective segments in the first half of CY 23", he said.

"The growing excitement amongst our valued customers for our upcoming SUV Hyundai EXTER is truly exhilarating and we look forward to introducing this benchmark SUV in India soon", he added.

(With UNI inputs)
Image Credit: Ajit Pawar Twitter

Mumbai/UNI: Leader of opposition in Maharashtra legislative assembly Ajit Pawar on Saturday expressed shock at the bus accident at Buldhana-Sindkhed Raja on the Samruddhi highway in which 25 bus passengers were killed.

In a tweet message, Pawar stated after the tyre of the bus burst on the Samruddhi highway, the vehicle caught fire after hitting a divider and a pillar. After this terrible accident, the issue of safety of vehicles and passengers on the Samruddhi Highway has again come to the fore,he said.

Pawar pointed out that the state government needs to take immediate measures with the advice of experts.

''I offer my heartfelt condolences to the passengers who lost their lives in today's horrific bus accident.

"There has been a series of accidents on the Samriddhi Highway since the beginning. Many citizens have lost their lives in this accident. These accidents have been repeatedly proven to be due to faulty construction of the Samriddhi Highway and human error,'' he stated.

'' On behalf of the opposition parties, the demand to take urgent measures has been continuously made. We demand that the government should consider this demand seriously, '' tweeted Pawar.

As many as twenty-five bus passengers were charred to death after the vehicle caught fire on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtras Buldhana district on Saturday, a senior police official told UNI.

According to the official, the private travel bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider and its tyre burst and hit a pole and caught fire around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana district.

Total 33 passengers were travelling in the bus, out of which 25 were charred to death, the official said.

The eight passengers who survived were rushed to nearby hospital and they are safe, he said.

Many of the passengers hailed from Nagpur, Wardha and Yavatmal.There are 3 children among those who died, and the rest are adults, he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed his condolences to the families of 25 persons who lost their lives in the tragic accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the relatives of each victim.
Image Credit: UNI

Srinagar/UNI: Amid tight security, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims were flagged off Saturday morning to the Holy Cave simultaneously from both routes  the Pahalgam track in the Anantnag district and Baltal in the Ganderbal district, officials said.

This year, the 62-day-long Yatra will culminate on August 31. Amidst spiritual chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Jai Baba Barfani ', the enthusiastic pilgrims left from Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam and Baltal base camp in Ganderbal in the early hours on Saturday.

The pilgrims were flagged off from Nunwan by Nodal Officer Phalgham axis, Piyush Singla. From Baltal base camp the Yatris were flagged off by Nodal Officer Baltal axis, Raghav Langer. At both flag off ceremonies, respective Deputy Commissioners senior officers were present.

"It has been a nice experience and forces are fully supporting us," said a lady pilgrim from Lucknow.

She said there was no fear among the pilgrims. The Amarnath Cave, deep in the Himalayas, is located at a height of 3,888 metres and is considered as one of the holiest shrines of Lord Shiva. The Amarnath cave can only be reached on foot or by pony.

Officials said an unprecedented multi-layer security cover has been put in place to ensure a peaceful Yatra.

The J&K government has deployed Police, Army, and Central Armed Police Forces to secure the Yatra route.

Apart from security men on ground, technology has been used extensively for the peaceful Yatra.
On the evening of June 2, Justine Link was cooking dinner in the kitchen of her Cheektowaga home when thieves quietly sneaked up her driveway toward her gold 2021 Kia Sportage.

Using a far-too-simple method popularized on TikTok for stealing Kias and Hyundais , they smashed a rear window, broke open the steering column and effortlessly started her SUV before driving away with it.

She called the police, who told her how common such vehicle thefts are these days.

The next day, she decided she was going to find her Kia. She drove around Buffalo in a rental car, asking people along the way where they had noticed abandoned cars. She ended up near Olympic Avenue and Decker Street where she caught a flash of gold out of the corner of her eye. It was her Kia Sportage.

In the heat of the moment, she couldnt stop herself from chasing after her Kia. (She realizes now that wasnt a wise decision.)

The youths inside the car began making sudden turns down side streets. Link said she screamed at them to stop and claimed to have a gun. (She didnt really.) They pulled into a parking lot at the Langfield Homes and bailed out of her car.

She posted about her experience on her personal Facebook page and saw from the comments that she was far from alone.

Then she had an idea: She decided to start a public Facebook group called WNY Stolen Vehicles that would connect people whose Kias, Hyundais and other cars were stolen.

It quickly grew. Within three weeks, she had 1,200 members and her posts were being widely shared throughout Western New York. Shes now joined by two more administrators to help her manage the page  Paula Andrea, a social worker, and Dee Gates, who like Link is a nurse.

I never thought it was going to blow up like this, Link said.

The Kia challenge

The posts to WNY Stolen Vehicles run the gamut.

HELP! Last night my 2019 Silver KIA Sportage was stolen on Niagara Street between Frost Bakery and Mint Mojito Bar.

Black dodge Durango.  left running for the past 5 hours. New 10 day reg on it. Police called. Not reported stolen yet. Left of Altria street in south buffalo.

We should not be having to pay for the kill switch and alarm thing.

The posts have a common thread: Almost all of them involve Kias and Hyundais.

The Buffalo Niagara region, like many cities around the country, has experienced an explosive increase in automobile thefts over the last year fueled by the Kia challenge that went viral on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram that showed how easy it is to steal Kias and Hyundais. All it takes is a screwdriver and a USB drive.

Hundreds of cars are stolen every month in Western New York. In Buffalo alone, the police handled reports of 488 stolen vehicles in May, according to Buffalo police data. The previous high was in January with 365. As of June 26, Buffalo police had taken 400 reports of stolen cars.

Its not limited to the city. Towns and villages are also experiencing a rapid rise in car thefts.

In May, Amherst recorded triple the number of reports of vehicle thefts in the town. There were 27 this May. In May of 2021, they had 10. In May of 2022, there were nine.

Town of Tonawanda police data didnt show a major uptick in car thefts until May, when they had 20, compared to three in 2021 and six in 2022.

The rise of vehicle thefts in Cheektowaga has surged further in recent months, according to data provided by town police. In May, there were 38 reported vehicle thefts, according to Cheektowaga police. Thats up from nine in May 2022 and four in May 2021.

Before June was over, there had been 35 vehicle thefts, according to the department. Thats an increase from six in June 2022 and five the year prior.

Staggering rise in thefts

Vehicle thefts are leading to crashes, other crimes and even deaths. In October, four teenage passengers died in a crash involving a stolen Kia. The driver, who was 16, recently pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Two local police officers have been injured this year after being hit by stolen vehicles, one involving a Kia, the other a Jeep.

In January, Progressive and State Farm both announced that they would refuse to write new policies for certain Kias and Hyundais. Then in May, the automakers settled a $200 million class action suit against the automakers, agreeing to reimburse customers for their repairs and losses and also to install engine immobilizers. Kia has also begun installing a software update that they say makes the vehicles more difficult to steal.

But that doesnt seem to have made a dent in the continuing thefts.

The number of these cars being stolen is staggering, said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. We go over them on a weekly basis. Far and away, the vast majority that are being stolen are Kias and Hyundais.

Stolen cars are up 213% compared to last year, Gramaglia said. While violent crime in the city has dropped by 13%, he said property crimes have increased by 39%. Thats driven mainly by stolen cars, he said.

But Gramaglia said police are limited in what they can do.

In many cases, the culprits are juveniles who steal one car after another through the night.

If we make an arrest, we process the arrest. Theyre issued an appearance ticket to appear in court, Gramaglia said. If they are considered a juvenile their cases are handled at family court and we dont know what happens in those cases.

Also, if the car thieves try to drive away, police are prohibited from chasing after them, unless they are also committing a violent felony. Its not worth the risk to the public at large or our officers, Gramaglia said.

Group aids theft victims

As the WNY Stolen Vehicles group drew more members, Link, Andrea and Gates began adding more functions. They have a tip for people on what to do when their vehicles are lost. They post updated lists of the license plate numbers of vehicles towed to the Buffalo impound lot on Dart Street. Gates takes calls from frustrated car owners who are trying to navigate the system. They recently added a Google form for people to fill out when their vehicle is stolen to help the administrators keep track of whats going on. Andrea weeds out scammers from the comment section and is working on geo-mapping the spots where cars are being stolen and where they are found.

Ultimately, the women want to present everything they gather to local leaders to try to come up with a solution.

Were the City of Good Neighbors. We want to live in a community that we look out for each other, Link said.

They know from their research that those stealing the cars are minors, in their teens and sometimes even younger, and they said they are not advocating locking up children.

Why are these kids in this situation that this is what they do for fun, right? Andrea said. ... So what resources do these families need? Do we need to change the laws? Not just putting them in juvie. Can we offer other resources to rehabilitate? Thats where we are. We want to help the community on all sides.

Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould said there are good reasons for treating minors differently and that laws such as Raise the Age address those. But he likened new criminal justice reforms to the slow and clunky rollout of the states legalization of cannabis. The system wasnt in place to handle it, he said. ... We raised the age but we never figured out what to do with 15- and 16- (year-olds) who are getting into really bad trouble.

Gould thinks efforts like that of the WNY Stolen Vehicles probably help people find their stolen cars faster, but its going to take a communitywide approach to stop the thefts.

I hope that those who have some power to help us are willing to get involved and help us,  Gould said. The police cannot do it alone. We need help from the citizens all the way up to the elected leaders to do a deep dive into the problem.

News staff reporter Aaron Besecker contributed to this article.
Image credit: Twitter/Chandra Sekhar Azad

Saharanpur: Four youths were arrested by a team of Saharanpur police from Ambala in Haryana in connection with the attack on Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, police sources said here on Saturday.

Police sources said that the youths were arrested while they were trying to surrender before a court in Ambala district.

"The youths were brought to the Police Lines in Saharanpur where they are being questioned by the senior police officers," they said.

Sources said that the arrested accused include Lavish, Akash and Popat, all residents of Rankhandi village under Deoband police station.

"The fourth youth is said to be a resident of Gondar village in Karnal district of Haryana," they said.

It may be noted that the cavalcade of Azad Samaj Party president and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was attacked by armed miscreants in Deoband area on June 28.

Chandrashekhar (37), who was sitting on the front seat of the vehicle, had a narrow escape as one bullet only brushed his waist and got lodged in the seat.

Chandrashekhar came to Deoband to express his condolence of the demise of the mother of Ajay Kumar, a resident of Gandhi Colony.

While he was returning, a vehicle closed in near Chandrashekhar's vehicle and its occupants opened fire on Bhim Army chief with two pistols. The miscreants later escaped towards Muzaffarnagar after the attack.

The car used in the attack was recovered from Miragpur village in Deoband on the same day. The police arrested a youth, whose ID was recovered from the car used in the attack, was detained by the police from Ghaziabad.

Sources said that investigation revealed the car used in the attack was registered in Ambala.

"It was revealed that the owner of the car had lodged a theft case. It is being said that one of the accused Lavish attacked a jailer in Uttarakhand and was released on bail a fortnight ago," they said.

(With UNI inputs)
Image: UNI

New Delhi/UNI/IBNS: The Supreme Court on Saturday referred to the CJI for the constitution of a larger (3-judge) bench to hear the plea of activist Teesta Setalvad, after Gujarat HC rejected her bail plea in a case of fabrication of documents related to 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice A S Oka and also comprising Justice P K Mishra, differed on grant of interim bail to Teesta Setalvad in the case relating to the alleged forging of documents in post-Godhra riot cases, in which Gujarat High Court had rejected her bail plea earlier on Saturday and asked her to surrender.

On an interim bail since September, she will face immediate arrest if the Supreme Court does not hear her plea.

The Solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta, senior law officer appearing for the Gujarat government, said Setalvad did not deserve even interim bail as she had forged documents, tutored witnesses and influenced the justice delivery system to make sensational allegations against the state government.

Social activist Teesta immediately moved the SC, after the Gujarat HC rejected her bail plea in the case of fabrication of documents related to 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.

She was earlier granted interim bail by the SC till the HC decided her bail.

During the hearing, Justice Oka was inclined to grant Setlvad the interim bail till Tuesday when SC could have a detailed hearing on her bail plea. However, Justice Mishra appeared reluctant to grant her interim bail.

Thereby now the matter would be heard by a larger three-judge bench.
Wikipedia Commons

In a shooting incident, at least two people were killed at Moldovas main international airport on Friday.

The shootout occurred when a foreign citizen, who was not allowed to enter the country, opened fire at the Chisinau International Airport.

Moldovas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicu Popescu reacted to the incident and tweeted: "Tragic day for Moldova after the incident at Chisinau Intl Airport, resulting in two lives lost."

Tragic day for Moldova after the incident at Chisinau Intl Airport, resulting in two lives lost.



My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We've mobilised all forces to ensure passengers' safety. The attacker is neutralised. Flights will be resumed soon.  Nicu Popescu (@nicupopescu) June 30, 2023

"My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We've mobilised all forces to ensure passengers' safety. The attacker is neutralised. Flights will be resumed soon," he said.

The country's special police force, Fulger, detained the perpetrator after the incident.

He was wounded during the action and received medical care, the Moldpres news agency said, referencing information released by the Interior Ministry.

The suspect is a 43-year-old citizen of Tajikistan, Prime Minister Dorin Recean wrote on social media.

While accompanying him to a special area for being returned, he shot dead a border policeman and an airport security employee, with an arm stolen from an employee of the Border Police, Recean said.

A passenger has been wounded and taken into medical care, he added.

While the immediate danger has been averted at the airport, commercial activity and flights continue to be suspended for the time being, the Border Police said.

(With inputs by UNI/Xinhua)
UN News

New York: Following a third night of riots and protests across France over the police shooting of a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent, the UN rights office (OHCHR) said it was time for the country to reckon with its history of racism in policing.

In a statement released in Geneva on Friday, OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed concern over the death of 17-year-old Nahel M on Tuesday, after he was shot dead driving away from a traffic stop in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre.

According to news reports, at least 875 people were arrested in major cities around the country on Thursday night, after around 40,000 police officers were deployed to quell protests and rioting over the killing.

President Emmanuel Macron has urged parents to keep their children off the streets, while in Paris, shots have been ransacked and cars set alight, despite the heavy police presence.

Voluntary homicide charge

The officer who shot the youth has reportedly apologized to the family and has been officially charged with voluntary homicide.

Shamdasani noted that an investigation has been launched into the alleged voluntary homicide.

This is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement, she said.

Proportional use of force

We also emphasize the importance of peaceful assembly. We call on the authorities to ensure use of force by police to address violent elements in demonstrations always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability.

She called for any allegations of disproportionate use of force by people exercising their rights to protest, to be swiftly investigated.

According to latest figures released by Frances police regulator, there were 37 deaths during police operations recorded in 2021, of whom ten were shot dead.
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Pakistani security forces killed six terrorists during separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Tank and North Waziristan districts of the country, media reports said.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that on the night of June 29/30, a fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists in general area Manzai, Tank district. Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists location. Resultantly, three were sent to hell, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from them, reports Dawn News.

It further said that in another fierce encounter between troops and terrorists in North Waziristans general area of Razmak, three more terrorists were sent to hell.

The ISPR said the slain militants were actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and killing innocent citizens.

It added that sanitisation of the areas was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the vicinity.

Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism, the press release issued by ISPR said.
Image: UNICEF/Salam Al-Janabi

Child's advocacy group KidsRights Foundation has said in its report that Afghanistan, the country currently ruled by Taliban, remains one of the worst countries in the world to be born.

The survey was conducted across 192 countries.

"Under the recent Taliban rule, Afghanistan reintroduced its total ban of girls from access to higher or secondary education in 2022," read the statement.

"Education is a fundamental right of every child. Denying girls access to education raises real concerns not only around their educational prospects but also around their rights to holistic development, information, participation and general safety in all respects," it said.

"There are also strong indications that this ban has already led to higher rates of child marriage and child labour in the country  reversing any positive progress that was made up to now," read the statement.

The KidsRights Index Report has also revealed the devastating impact of climate change on childrens rights in its first experimental analysis of this matter on this area.

The report notes that children living in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam face particularly high exposure to climate hazards, shocks and stresses.

Marc Dullaert, Founder and Chair at KidsRights, is now calling on governments to focus their efforts on investing in children for the betterment of our society and the planet:

This years report is most alarming. Our promising next generation is being disadvantaged at every turn in this post-pandemic state of polycrisis  whether it is about the devastating wars in Ukraine and Sudan, the crippling cost-of-living, tragic environmental disasters, the banning of girls from access to higher education in Afghanistan, or the all-time-low immunisation rates globally. Immediate actions are required on the part of states, humanitarian and other relevant agencies to protect children from this current catastrophe and to pave the way for a more positive and hopeful future.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Massive rallies were taken out in Pakistan's Quetta and Karachi cities where they demanded the recovery of missing Baloch people, media reports said.

The rallies were held in the cities when the country was observing Eid-al-Adha festival.

The protest was organized by Voice of Baloch Missing People (VBMP), and was supported by Baloch organizations like Baloch Student Organization (BSO), Baloch Women Organization (BWO), Baloch Solidarity Committee (BSC), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Human Rights Council of Baluchistan (HRCB), Aurat March Lahore, Islamabad HC Bar Association and Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) among others, reports ANI.

In Quetta, the protest rallies were led by Mama Qadeer, Horan Baloch and Atlat Balach Qadir Baloch, in front of the Quetta Press Club where several people irrespective of political affiliation, student organizations and other schools of thought joined the families of the missing Balochs.

During the rallies, the speakers talked about the families of missing Balochs who are undergoing severe mental trauma due to prolonged forced disappearance of their loved ones. The speakers criticized the government and the judiciary for their apathy towards the agony of the missing peoples families.

The speakers also appealed to the protesters staging rallies in other cities to help find missing peoples by creating more pressure on the insensitive government of Pakistan. The protesters termed the disappearances as extra judicial kidnappings by security agencies like CTD, Frontier Corps and state police in order to plunder and loot the mineral and petroleum rich province, reports ANI.
Image: Unsplash

Members of a non-profit organization, based in the US capital Washington DC, will protest outside the Chinese Embassy in the city to mark Urumqi Massacre.

The protest will be held on July 5.

Campaign for Uyghurs tweeted: "Join us at a protest commemorating the victims of the July 5th, 2009 Urumchi Massacre and raise the voices of #Uyghurs under genocide."

The July 2009 Urumqi riots were a series of violent riots over several days that broke out on 5 July 2009 in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in northwestern China.

The first day's rioting, which involved at least 1,000 Uyghurs, began as a protest, but escalated into violent attacks that mainly targeted Han people.

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. It is now widely publicized that their human rights are crushed by China and they were sent to "re-education camps" by the communist regime in Beijing.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

An American representative at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in 2018 that the committee had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China have been held in "re-education camps" by the Chinese authorities.
During the quarantine months, I was trying to read up on my Buffalo history for my work as a docent and tour guide in Forest Lawn, where we have a lot of famous Buffalonians. My wife, Barbara, was watching television, which was blatting out coronavirus news and how President Trump had totally fumbled the ball, but was again denying everything and telling us he was doing a wonderful job. I just could not figure the guy out. Wondering what would help me understand his mind, I downloaded a biography of Adolf Hitler.

Hitler was a failure in his early life. It was not until the army assigned him to teach classes on the revival of the German nation that he found his calling as a speaker. And what a speaker he was. He could mesmerize his classes with the intensity of his delivery.

He became the top propogandist for the German Workers Party, which in 1921 became the Nazi Party. One of the partys great attractions was how effectively it was able to place blame for all the German post-World War I troubles on the Bolsheviks and, as we know, the Jews.

It was intense reading, so one night I said to Barbara, Lets watch a movie. I found one I had not seen that had received an Academy Award. It was called The Pianist and I thought it would be fun. Early into the movie I realized to my horror that it was the true story of a Jewish piano player who was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II and survived. I knew the ghettos were gruesome, but it is still very difficult to watch the actual treatment the Jews received.

Warsaws Jewish community had a population of about 350,000, the largest in Europe, and they were now confined to a tiny 1.3 square mile area with 9-foot barbed-wire walls. The Nazis initially planned to starve the Jews to death, but the Jewish children were able to wiggle under the gates at night and beg for food. So the Treblinka extermination camp was built.

This whole episode got me to thinking about what causes antisemitism. How could Hitler and his many henchmen feel this way? The 13-minute film on the Holocaust Museum website has a good summary of the prejudice and discrimination throughout history. I knew there was antisemitism in the world, but I did not fully appreciate how my own Christian religion was a prime cause of it.

Now I know why so many persecuted Jews left the European countries for America and Israel. And many Jews have been able to flourish in our country, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Alan Greenspan, Chuck Schumer, Steven Spielberg and many others, including countless doctors, lawyers and professors.

One thing that I appreciate now even more deeply than I did before is that my father gave his life in the Normandy invasion.
In a profoundly concerning revelation, the job interview process for top offices has taken an unsettling turn as female candidates recount being subjected to intrusive and highly inappropriate questions regarding their private lives.

These women have experienced a barrage of sensitive inquiries, delving into explicit details about their sexual histories and personal affairs.

According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, women who applied for positions with Bill Gates's private office were reportedly asked about their sexual history, drug use, and other personal aspects of their lives during the interview process.

The report states that Concentric Advisors, a security consulting firm responsible for conducting background checks and interviewing job candidates for Gates Ventures, asked multiple women about their private lives during the hiring process.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that only female applicants looking for jobs with Gates' private office reported these questions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Concentric Advisors interviewed female candidates who disclosed that they received inappropriate and highly personal questions during the hiring process.

These questions included inquiries about extramarital affairs, possession of nude images on their cellphones, preferences in pornography, and past involvement in activities like dancing for money.

Disturbingly, one candidate was even asked if she had ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease.

In response to these allegations, a spokesperson from Gates Ventures stated that they were unaware of Concentric Advisors asking such questions during background checks.

However, the spokesperson emphasized that this line of questioning would be deemed unacceptable and a violation of Gates Ventures' agreement with the contractor.

"We have never received information from any vendor or interviewee in our 15+ year history that inappropriate questions were asked during the screening process," she said.

"We can confirm that after a comprehensive review of our records, no employment offer has ever been rescinded based on information of this nature."

A spokesperson for Gates Ventures stated that contractors must adhere to pre-employment screening laws and comply with state and federal regulations.

Concentric Advisors' spokesperson denied the allegations of asking such questions during interviews with prospective employees.

Representative Image

Candidates who were asked these questions believed the interviewers were trying to obtain information that could be used for blackmail, considering the close working relationship with Gates.



The Concentric spokesperson mentioned that their security screenings assess a candidate's truthfulness and vulnerability to blackmail, usually based on voluntary statements provided by the candidate and subsequent follow-up questions by company interviewers.

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A consent form seen by the WSJ revealed that the behavioral assessment, conducted to evaluate suitability for employment, covered topics such as drug and alcohol use, medical history, and psychiatric history.



However, re-disclosure of sexually transmitted diseases was prohibited.

In another report, the WSJ mentioned that Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide while facing federal charges, threatened to expose Gates in 2017 for an alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova.

Microsoft investigated Bill Gates regarding a long-term affair with an employee, which came to light in 2019.

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As a result of this investigation, Gates decided to step down from the Microsoft board, expressing his desire to shift his focus toward philanthropic endeavors.



In response to the ongoing background check process, a spokesperson for Gates has firmly denied any insinuation linking his personal history to the current investigation.

They labeled such suggestions as baseless, unfounded, and outright outrageous. The statement refutes any association between Gates's personal affairs and the ongoing scrutiny.

(Indiatimes independently could not verify the veracity of the news)

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This will go down as one of the most important free speech cases in the history of the court, legal scholar Jonathan Turley stated
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has posited as misleading, the claim of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) was enforced on Nigerian universities.

According to the NUC, ASUUs assertion that its conduct amounted to a usurpation of the university Senate was untrue.

The Commission in a statement signed by Noel Biodun Saliu, Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics), noted that in developing the new curriculum, it included both public and private universities as well as subject-matter experts from universities across Nigeria.

It further claimed that the Unions criticism of the university curricula reform had no foundation.

This was disclosed in a statement tagged, The Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in the Nigerian University System: Setting the Record Straight, released to newsmen on Friday.

The NUC insisted that the CCMAS was done strictly in compliance with the mandate conferred on it by the Education (National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions) Act No. E3 L.F.N. 2004.

The statement read that the efforts of the Commission in the development of the CCMAS have been acclaimed by Nigerian Universities, the private sector and, indeed, all stakeholders of university education as well as the international community. We believe that hundreds of professors and other credible academics who have been participating in the ongoing CURRICULUM RE-ENGINEERING exercise are members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

READ ALSO: ASUU Rejects NUCs Designed Curriculum, Says Model An Aberration To Academic Standard

The attention of the National Universities Commission (NUC) has been drawn to the publication of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) with respect to its concerns over the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards. The said publication contains some misinformation that must be corrected in the interest of all.

For the avoidance of doubt, two Acts of the enabling Law under which the NUC operates provide the legal framework for the quality assurance and regulatory mandates of the Commission.

The first of the Acts is the National Universities Commission Act No. N81 Laws of Federation Nigeria (L.F.N.) 2011:

This Act set up the National Universities Commission as a body corporate charged with the responsibility of advising the Federal and State Governments of all aspects of university education and the general development of universities in Nigeria.

The second is the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act No. E3 L.F.N. 2004, which empowers the National Universities Commission to lay down minimum standards for all universities and other institutions of higher learning in the Federation and the accreditation of their degrees and other academic awards in formal consultation with the universities for that purpose, after obtaining prior approval through the Minister, from the President.

Following the enactment of the NUC Act No. E3 L.F.N. 2004, the Commission developed the first set of Minimum Academic Standards (MAS) in 1989 for all the academic programmes existing in the Nigerian University System (NUS) at that time, under the 13 major disciplines of Administration, Agriculture, Arts, Education. Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Law, Medicine and Dentistry, Management Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sciences, Social Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. The MAS served as the reference documents for the first accreditation of programmes conducted in NUS int 1990. In a comprehensive curriculum review in 2004, the MAS was replaced with the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS). These documents were approved for use in Nigerian Universities in 2007. A second attempt at reviewing the BMAS was in 2011, but it was not followed up.

READ ALSO: Convert Students Loan To Grants For Poor Students  ASUU Tells Tinubu

It is instructive to note that in carrying out this very important quality assurance activity of developing minimum standards in the NUS, from 1989 to date, the NUC has always engaged subject area experts across Nigerian Universities. In other words, Nigerian Universities have always been primarily involved in the development and review of the curriculum in the NUS, with the NUC coordinating the process, the statement read in part.

Addressing the issues raised by ASUU, the NUC said: That assertion that there was no official communication from NUC to the Universities on the review of the BMAS is not correct. Vice-Chancellors can attest to the fact that the Commission has been communicating with them on the issue over the last five years. In addition, several virtual and on-site meetings were held to intimate them of the curriculum review, and provide them with updates from time to time (Recordings of these meetings are available)

The claim that there is no evidence to show that the Universities were involved in the true sense of revision of the BMAS development and the subsequent implementation of the CCMAS in the NUS is also far from the truth. The curriculum review process started in 2018 with the subject area experts in Nigerian Universities producing draft documents, which were forwarded to experts in other Nigerian Universities for their comments. Comments received from Universities that responded formed part of the working documents forwarded to the various curriculum review panels. It is important to note that when the initial drafts of the CCMAS were ready, they were also circulated amongst Nigerian academics. A huge number of comments were received, which were synthesised and incorporated into the respective programmes. How else would one get the Universities involved in an exercise of this nature? Needless to say that the practice of getting and incorporating inputs from Nigerian Universities has been the tradition of NUC, from 1989 to date.

It is important to state that the NUC did not engage the services of any consultant(s) to review the curriculum. The Commission has a Strategy Advisory Committee (STRADVCOM) made up of respected Nigerian academics and Professors, representatives of the private sector and some Directors of the NUC. The NUC Management, with its Directorate of Academic Planning, worked with this Committee and Nigerian Universities in producing the review in question.

READ ALSO: Tinubus Students Loan Will Send Many Youths Out Of School- ASUU

On the components of programmes purported to have been left out, the NUC wishes to state categorically that it informed Nigerian Universities from the beginning of the review exercise that the Commission would provide for 70% of the minimum course requirements for graduation in Nigerian universities, while the Universities would make up the remaining 30%. The Commission did not arbitrarily arrive at this ratio. As a matter of fact, the NUC had in previous minimum standards documents made provision for 100% curriculum requirements to Nigerian Universities.

It is instructive to note that in a retreat with Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in 2017, the NUC proposed to the Universities a 50 50 NUC Universities Curriculum Provision. This was rejected as the Universities felt that the action was 100 drastic and that the proposal should be gradually implemented; they proposed 80:20 NUC University contribution to the Curriculum. However, the NUC, during the comprehensive curriculum review, decided to adopt a 70:30 NUC University ratio for the Curriculum contents.

The idea behind the 70:30 NUC: University provision for the curriculum is to eventually place the curriculum in the domain of the Universities where it belongs. It is the belief of the Commission that with the full implementation of the idea, Universities will run the general requirements for their programmes in line with global realities such that they will be able to create a niche for themselves by introducing courses based on their peculiarities. It is important to emphasise that the so-called NUC component of the curriculum was determined by Nigerian academics, with the Commission only coordinating.

Based on the foregoing, even when courses are omitted in the 70% CCMAS, such courses can be introduced by the Universities in the 30% component. Besides, the provision made in the CCMAS is the minimum requirement and the Universities can go beyond the minimum stipulations, provided the students are not overloaded.

The unbundling of programmes has positive bearing on the employability of graduates from such programmes as it makes such programmes more focused to meet their philosophy and objectives. ASUU should conduct more research to get more informed about programme specializations at the postgraduate level vis-a-vis programme offerings at the undergraduate level. University Education is very dynamic and we need to move in line with current realities, especially as obtainable in global best practices.

Contrary to ASUUs claim of the CCMAS unifying university curricula across all Nigerian Universities, the Commissions effort is to de-emphasise uniformity. That, precisely, is what the 70:30 NUC: University curriculum provision does.

READ ALSO: ASUU Reacts As Tinubu Signs Student Loan Bill Into Law

The National Universities Commission wishes to conclude that there is no basis for the attack on the Commissions process of coordinating the review of the Curriculum of Nigerian Universities.

This has been done strictly in compliance with the mandate conferred on it by the Education (National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions) Act No. E3 L.F.N. 2004. Furthermore, the efforts of the Commission in the development of the CCMAS have been acclaimed by Nigerian Universities, the private sector and, indeed, all stakeholders of university education as well as the international community. We believe that hundreds of professors and other credible academics who have been participating in the ongoing CURRICULUM RE-ENGINEERING exercise are members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)!
An Islamic cleric, Abdul-Lateef Adekilekun, has disclosed that individuals who kill other people owing to blasphemous words act based on ignorance.

Recall on Sunday, Usman Buda, a butcher, was killed in Sokoto State over alleged blasphemy.

Buda was brutally stoned to death by an angry mob at the Sokoto abattoir over remarks considered to be an insult to Prophet Muhammad.

This, however, sparked heated reactions on social media, with many religious scholars weighing in.

Adekilekun who condemned the mob action, while speaking in Ede, Osun State on Friday, added that a lack of proper understanding of the Islamic religion caused it.

According to him, Islam does not encourage blasphemy and has laid down procedures for such cases.

I remember, I read a book, and I was taught in the class exactly 61 years ago where they said anyone who accused Prophet Muhammad should be beheaded.

But that book is neither the Quran nor hadith. It is just a book written by a self-styled jurist. Our problem in Nigeria is ignorance.

READ ALSO: Blasphemy: Only Courts Have Powers To Execute Offenders After Being Found Guilty  MURIC Condemns Jungle Justice In Sokoto

Blasphemy in Nigeria is mainly from the northern part of the country, and the cause is ignorance.

You rarely hear of such in the southern part of the country where enlightenment and awareness are more pronounced, he said.

He further urged the government to blend Islamic-oriented studies with the education system through the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies for a proper understanding of the religion.

Before President Muhammadu Buhari left office, he signed a bill seeking to create a commission to cater to Almajiri and out-of-school children. I want to advise the present administration to encourage awareness of this.

Islam is a religion of peace, and it is very rich. In Islam, you can learn history, arithmetic, among others, but for those who lack adequate knowledge of Islam, they always rely on hearsay in making judgments, Adekilekun said.

Adekilekun is the grand Mufassir of Edeland and was also installed as the Waziri of Yorubaland by the League of Imams and Alfas in South-West Nigeria.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to speed up the investigation into the cases involving the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa and the embattled Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

Recall that Emefiele was arrested on June 10 over allegations of terrorism financing, Bawa was quizzed by the secret services over allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

Meanwhile, Falana, during an interview on Channels Television urged the DSS to take Emefiele and Bawa to court if they possess incriminating evidence against them.

He suggested that their ongoing detention does not reflect the proper execution of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

READ MORE: Investigate Emefiele Only For Terrorism Financing, Leave Money Laundering Investigation For EFCC  Falana To DSS

In a bid to prevent legal loopholes from being exploited, the prominent attorney is encouraging the Nigerian government to handle these cases in accordance with the law.

Falana said, Investigations should be speedily conducted, more so where allegations are made. I do not expect any delay in the investigation of the very serious allegation that has been made, he stated.

In the case of Emefiele, the State Security Services last year alleged his involvement in terrorism financing. Please, quickly do something about that. With respect to money laundering and other offences, take them to the appropriate agencies of government.

In the case of Mr Bawa, we havent been told the offences he committed. I cannot speak very confidently with respect to the gentleman except to ask the government or the agencies involved to speed up an investigation and have them arraigned if they are indicted.
Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has debunked social media reports that stated that he has been nominated for ministerial appointment by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration.

Information Nigeria reports that social media reports and rumours alleged the former governor had been nominated for the appointment while several of his political associates and supporters took to their social media handles to congratulate him on Thursday.

However, in a statement issued on Friday in Makurdi by his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom debunked the rumour describing it as false and misleading.

READ ALSO: Gov. Alia Tarnishing My Image, Now Judge Of His Own Case  Ortom

The attention of the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has been drawn to the speculation on social media that he has been nominated for a ministerial appointment.

We urge members of the public to disregard the report as it is false and misleading.

Chief Ortom deeply appreciates those who have taken time to call and verify the information, the statement read.
Overview of Online Betting in Africa

The online betting landscape in Africa has been rapidly evolving in recent years, fueled by improving internet access and the growth of smartphone use. Leading online betting platforms, such as BetWinner, have found a burgeoning market in many African countries, including Gambia. However, the legal landscape surrounding online betting varies across the continent. Here, we delve into the legal intricacies of online betting in Africa, with a spotlight on BetWinner Gambia.

Regulation of Online Betting in Africa

Online betting in Africa is governed by a patchwork of laws that vary from country to country. Some nations have embraced the potential of online betting, providing regulatory frameworks to protect consumers and generate tax revenue. In contrast, others have imposed restrictions due to moral, religious, or social concerns.

Progressive Legislation

Countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria have progressive online betting laws. These countries have established regulatory bodies that oversee online betting operations, ensuring that the operators adhere to the rules and contribute to the national economy via taxes and licensing fees.

Strict Regulations

On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Libya and Somalia strictly prohibit all forms of gambling due to religious beliefs. In these countries, the operation and participation in any form of betting, including online, could lead to severe penalties.

Spotlight on BetWinner Gambia

In Gambia, online betting falls into a grey area. While there are no specific laws governing online betting, it is not expressly illegal. This has allowed platforms like BetWinner Gambia to operate and offer services to Gambian citizens.

Betting Laws in Gambia

Despite the lack of clear legislation, the general consensus is that betting, both offline and online, is permissible as long as the operator does not have a physical presence within the country. As such, Gambians can freely participate in online betting activities offered by international platforms like BetWinner.

The Future of Online Betting in Africa

The future of online betting in Africa will largely depend on legislation. More African countries are expected to follow in the footsteps of nations like South Africa and Nigeria, recognizing the potential tax revenue and economic benefits that a regulated online betting industry can bring.

Potential Benefits

Economic Growth: A regulated online betting industry can contribute to the economy through taxation and employment opportunities.

Consumer Protection: Regulations can also ensure that consumers are protected against unscrupulous practices, providing a safer environment for online betting.

Conclusion

The legal landscape of online betting in Africa is a dynamic one, with different countries taking varying approaches. However, the trend seems to be moving towards more progressive legislation that recognizes the economic potential of the online betting industry. In the meantime, platforms like BetWinner Gambia continue to provide a valuable service for punters in regions where specific laws for online betting are absent or vague. As always, bettors are urged to understand their local laws and bet responsibly.
President Bola Tinubu has been warned not to dwell on the path of late Military Head of State, Sani Abacha and former President Muhammadu Buhari over their stance on self-determination.

Aloy Ejimakor, the Special Counsel to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu said, Tinubu should release the supreme leader of the agitator and not toll the path of Abacha and Buhari.

Ejimakor disclosed this in a series of tweets on Saturday, noting that the legitimacy of Tinubus administration would be called into question if he refuses to enforce a judgement.

READ MORE: Appointments Of Service Chiefs Meaningless Without Nnamdi Kanus Freedom  Ohanaeze Ndigbo

According to Ejimakor: Dear Mr President: It boomerangs when the State (in this case: the President) fails to enforce a Judgment (domestic or foreign) against the State, just because its against the State.

Whenever this happens, the legitimacy of the State is called into question. #FreeMNK, Now. Pursued by Abacha, President Tinubu went into exile in 1994 & in April 1997, he declared I dont believe in #OneNigeria.

In 1998, he returned to Nigeria after Abachas death. Mr President, you once demanded Self Determination. Youre not an Abacha or a Buhari. #FreeMNK.

The detention of Nnamdi Kanu by operative of Department Of State Security, DSS, has triggered controversies within the south eastern part of Nigeria, calling for his release.

Recall that INFORMATION NIGERIA reported that Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, tasked the Federal Government to release the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The group believed that the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu might be meaningless without the freedom of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Former mayoral candidate Sam Katz (left) and Sixers co-owner David Adelman (right) are among the business owners who made investments with Josh Verne (center). Read more

Some of Philadelphias richest business owners, sophisticated finance professionals, and the state-funded Ben Franklin Technology Partnership of Southeastern Pennsylvania fell for an investment scheme that the Securities and Exchange Commission now says was too good to be true.

The identities of the alleged victims, and how they unwittingly helped fool each other, is the untold story behind the SECs June 13 civil fraud complaint against Josh Verne, who resigned from the hometown companies he started and left his Gladwyne home for Florida after investors began getting suspicious.

The suit doesnt identify the investors, but many were simple to find. Vernes former backers on the Main Line, including billionaires and bankers, real estate developers and law firm heads, and a few national financiers, have been buzzing about the governments complaint, and wondering whether criminal charges are next. Two investors told The Inquirer that theyve been contacted by FBI investigators.

Vernes lawyers in Philadelphia and New Jersey declined to comment.

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Its been five years since a Philadelphia start-up called Ownable, based in Urban Outfitters old headquarters near the University of Pennsylvania, began pitching investors what it called in its marketing materials a Billion Dollar Opportunity.

Ownables plan was to rent laptops and smartphones to subprime customers who couldnt afford to buy their own gadgets.

Targeting frustrated shoppers who load electronic shopping carts on Best Buy and other popular retail sites, only to realize they dont qualify for financing, Ownable offered an app to turn non-buyers into renters. Ownable would work like rent-to-own furniture chains, whose customers often end up paying far more than if they could have afforded to purchase outright.

That pitch from Verne, Ownables creator, raised $31 million from investors eager to capitalize on people with bad (subprime) credit. Verne assured investors that this was a rapidly growing population, citing data from consultant McKinsey & Co., according to marketing materials obtained by The Inquirer.

Now the SEC says it was a fraud.

The agency says Verne spent at least $9 million from his investors, family, staffers and friends on personal expenses  such as his kids Main Line private-school tuition and a house for himself in Florida, according to the suit.

The SEC also accuses Verne of hiding Ownables losses through $5 million in Ponzi-like payments to reassure some investors, so he could attract new ones. (For example, developer Bart Blatstein says he got back the $150,000 he invested with Verne.) In other cases, he made promised investments, then sold them, and pocketed shareholders money instead of giving it to them, according to the SEC filing.

While many frauds target unsophisticated investors, Verne raised his cash from many of Philadelphias richest, who helped convince each other to pump in more.

The victims havent been identified by the SEC. But in a dozen interviews, investors and former Ownable staffers  most of whom agreed to provide or confirm details and documents on condition they not be quoted, citing private shame, public embarrassment, or a desire not to seem accusatory among their fellow-investor friends  gave a deep Philly context to the SECs claims.

Who is Josh Verne?

According to the SEC complaint, Verne built investors confidence by lying about his career as dealmaker and start-up whiz. In conversations with The Inquirer, investors described Verne as gregarious, energetic and engaging, the creator of a convincing persona as well as plausible business plans.

A Huntingdon Valley native, Verne began serving as an executive of his familys business, Home Line Furniture Industries Inc. in 2003. The company, founded in 1962 as Chucks Bargain House, according to industry accounts, grew to include factories in Philadelphia, North Carolina and Vietnam, and supplied furniture to the rent-to-own industry.

According to the SEC, Verne later boasted to an investor that he sold Home Line for $80 million. But contemporary accounts show it was forced into bankruptcy by creditors in 2011, liquidating inventory to pay suppliers and lenders.

Verne then helped start Workpays.me LLC, an employee payroll-deduction purchasing program, and in 2018 sold it for $4 million (most of which went to others, not Verne). He also helped launch a King of Prussia firm, FlockU, touted as a website for college students. He renamed it Ownable after refocusing operations on rent-to-own in 2017, according to the SEC.

The SEC says Verne spun that modest record into a false portrait of multi-million-dollar venture capital success. He told Ownable investors that he had sold Workpays.me for between $30 million and $100 million and sold FlockU for as much as $500 million; and that he had used money from his profitable exits to build Ownable, according to the SEC.

In fact, Verne never invested any of his own money in Ownable, according to the SEC. Instead, the agency says, he used investor funds to finance a lifestyle that included a private jet charter, an elaborate Bat Mitzvah for his daughter, and the redesign of his family beach home in Longport. According to the federal documents, he paid for it all by misusing investor proceeds and taking millions of dollars in personal loans from family and friends.

Big-name investors

Early investors in FlockU included Ben Franklin Technology Partnership of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a largely state-funded investment group that announced it had distributed $2.3 million among 16 area start-up companies in early 2017.

The Ben Franklin partnership still lists FlockU under its later name, Ownable, as an ongoing investment (delivering working families access to great brands at affordable prices). Executive director Scott Nissenbaum and other Ben Franklin officials didnt respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

There were plenty of accomplished people on Ownables corporate masthead.

Verne listed Sree Kotay as chief technology officer. He held the same job at Philly-based media giant Comcast and at Gopuff, the citys leading unicorn start-up of the early 2020s and is pictured smiling in a 2020 pitch document distributed to investors and obtained by The Inquirer.

Ownables chief financial officer was Vernes sister-in-law. She has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The SEC says Vernes family, as well as friends and employees, were among Vernes victims.

Board members included two Philadelphians: billionaire college housing developer and FS Investments cofounder David Adelman, currently leading the effort to build a new Sixers arena; and Edmund Garno, a national squash champion who got rich building a Conshohocken-based employee-benefits management business.

It also included national figures: Florida investor Jay N. Levine, who has founded multiple subprime-lending companies; William S. Green, head of Florida-based private investor Crestar; and Kimberly Blackwell, whose Ohio-based ad agency, PMM, helps Nationwide, Walmart and other big companies market to Black customers.

You have very good questions, and its probably not appropriate for me to comment, said Levine, who headed subprime lenders Springleaf and One Main Holdings. He added that he approved of the SECs complaint.

Mostly, Verne attracted Philadelphians. Adelman invested about $3 million, making him the largest single Ownable backer. Adelmans longtime friend Michael Rubin, whose daughter is close friends with one of Vernes children, also invested, even as Rubin warned Adelman and others to beware of what Rubin saw as a risky investment. (Rubin is the founder and chief executive of Fanatics, the sports-paraphernalia maker valued at $31 billion by investors last December.)

Developer Bart Blatstein was also an Ownable investor. So was developer Rob Zuritsky, of the parking-mogul family. So were lawyers William Harvey, of Philadelphias Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP, and Roger Braunfeld, of Royer Cooper Cohen; and investor David Magerman, Main Line restaurant owner and managing partner at New York-based Differential Ventures. The venture drew more than 100 others, according to the SEC and investor lists acquired by The Inquirer.

To provide a false sense of security and continue the lie that he was a wealthy and successful entrepreneur, Verne showed purported bank statements from Goldman Sachs that listed $52 million in a family trust account, the SEC said. The statement was fake, according to the lawsuit.

Sam Katz, the investment banker and past Philadelphia mayoral candidate, said he met Verne at an event attended by supporters of the American Jewish Committee around 2018. Almost everyone was dressed for business, but [Verne] was very casual. He had this idea that you could rent-to-own computer gadgets, and it would not be as [expensive] as at the rent-to-own stores. That was very interesting to me.

So was his familys religious dedication. Their kids went to Jewish day schools. Every Friday night they had people at their house. They created this aura of being a welcoming family. (Katz said he did not attend the Friday gatherings.)

We all felt so stupid.

But even with payments and investments experts in the group, all of whom had credibility  with all the hocus pocus, nobody was paying enough attention, Katz added.

What finally made Vernes fraud obvious to him, Katz said, was an investment Verne arranged in a packaged-alcohol distributor, BeatBox Beverages, a successful Texas company that drew the interest of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban after an appearance on Shark Tank.

As BeatBox gained value, and investors were eager to watch their share values grow, Katz checked records and saw he was credited with fewer shares than what he had paid for. (In the lawsuit, the SEC says Verne used some of the money to repay a loan from an investor.)

Katz and other investors pressed Verne on the missing money, eventually demanding that he resign, which Verne did, in December 2020. We all felt so stupid, Katz said.

Those and other allegations are now part of the SECs case. An SEC lawyer said the agency does not comment on cases in progress.

Editors note: This story has been edited to include a comment from Bart Blatstein and to update the value of Michael Rubins Fanatics brand.
Its a bird  Its a plane  Its David Corenswet!

The actor, who was born in Philadelphia and attended Bryn Mawrs Shipley School, will be donning the famous red cape as Superman in the new DC Studios film, Superman: Legacy. The film launches the first chapter  called Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters  of a new multiplatform DC universe, heralded by DC Studio co-CEOs and cochairmen, Peter Safran and James Gunn, who is the writer and the director of the film. Safran will serve as producer.

Corenswet, 29, cut his teeth as a child actor in Arden Theatre Companys 2002 production of All My Sons and appeared in several productions by Walnut Street Theatre Company and Peoples Light and Theatre Company. He was also a part of Macbeth staged during the 2003 Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival.

David Corenswet is fine as the oddly named Great, wrote Inquirer theater critic Douglas J. Keating in his 2004 review of Peoples Lights production of The Forgiving Harvest.

According to Deadline reports, the Superman casting decision comes after months of auditions and in-person tests, some where Corenswet had to appear in full costume. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan will be playing colead Lois Lane. The production is yet to finalize an actor for Superman villain, Lex Luthor.

Its not an origin story, Safran said of Superman: Legacy, to the Hollywood Reporter in January. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, he added, nodding to Supermans human alter ego Clark Kent, a journalist at the Daily Planet, where he works with Lane.

The role of Clark Kent/Superman (most recently played by British actor Henry Cavill) will be the first major one for Corenswet, who has previously appeared as Jack Castello on the Netflix series Hollywood, the 2022 A24 slasher film Pearl, and the TV series House of Cards. He will be starring in the/ upcoming romantic musical, The Greatest Hits, and the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, which also stars Natalie Portman.

Superman: Legacy is scheduled for a summer 2025 release.
News / International

by Staff reporter

France has been rocked by a wave of protests after a 17-year-old youth was shot by police near Paris on Tuesday, sparking a ban on demonstrations in some cities, travel warnings and reigniting a debate on over-policing in marginalized communities.Scenes emerged of people setting fires to vehicles and climbing onto buildings with smashed windows, while riot police officers fiercely clashed with demonstrators.The unrest prompted a crisis response from French President Emmanuel Macron, who held an emergency meeting with ministers as he attempts to bridge divisions and unite the country in his second term.Here's what we know.A police officer shot dead the teenager, Nahel, who was of Algerian heritage, during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre earlier this week.Footage of the incident captured by a passerby showed two officers standing on the driver's side of the car, one of whom discharged his gun at the driver despite not appearing to face any immediate threat.The officer said he fired his gun because he was scared the boy would run someone over with the car, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said.Prache said that it is believed the officer acted illegally in using his weapon. He is currently facing a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.Protesters have been carrying signs that read "the police kill" and hundreds of government buildings have been damaged as Nahel's death taps into anger over racial bias in the country.Successive nights of violence across France and its overseas territories have in turn prompted French officials to launch a crackdown, with more than 40,000 police officers mobilized to patrol cities across the country. Since Tuesday, more than 2,000 people have been detained and more than 500 police officers and gendarmes have been injured, according to CNN calculations based on numbers released by the Interior Ministry.In Paris alone, 5,000 security personnel were deployed. Officers were given powers to quell riots, make arrests, and "restore republican order," French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said.Overseas French territories have also witnessed violent protests. A man was killed by a "stray bullet" in Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, during riots on Thursday.Police have also detained at least 28 people in riots in Reunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, according to authorities there.Macron gave himself 100 days to heal the country and reset his presidency after weeks of protests against unpopular pension reforms earlier this year. But hopes for a reset are now likely to be hampered by the widespread protests. It has not gone unnoticed that Macron attended an Elton John concert on Wednesday as cars burned and buildings were defaced across the country.The French government is working to avoid a repeat of 2005, when the deaths of two teenage boys hiding from police set off a state of emergency amid three weeks of rioting.Macron did cut short his attendance at a European Council summit in Brussels that had been due to last through Friday. He announced a ban on all "large-scale events" in France, including "celebratory events and numerous gatherings," and urged parents to keep their children at home, saying many of those detained were young.Macron has also called for social media platforms to help damp down the demonstrations, asking TikTok and Snapchat to withdraw the "most sensitive content" and to identify users who employ "social networks to call for disorder or to exacerbate violence."Activists believe Nahel's race was a factor in his killing, unraveling deep-rooted tensions over police discrimination against minoritized communities in France.Secularism  known as "laicite" in French  is a key foundation of French culture, as it seeks to uphold equality for all by erasing markers of difference, including race.But many people of color in France say they are more likely to be victims of police brutality than White people. A 2017 study by the Rights Defenders, an independent human rights watchdog in France, found that young men perceived to be Black or Arab were 20 times more likely to be stopped by police than their peers.Accusations of brutality have long plagued French police. The Council of Europe criticized "excessive use of force by state agents" in a statement earlier this year during protests against Macron's unpopular pension reforms.Rights groups, like Amnesty International, have accused French police of ethnic profiling and have recommended deep, systemic reform to address the discrimination.The UN called on France to address "deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement," in the agency's first comments since the killing.In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged French authorities to "ensure use of force by police to address violent elements in demonstrations always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability."The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs later rebuffed the UN's comments, saying: "France, and its police forces, fight with determination against racism and all forms of discrimination. There can be no doubt about this commitment."The use of force by the national police and gendarmerie is governed by the principles of absolute necessity and proportionality, strictly framed and controlled," the ministry added.As peak travel season gets underway, multiple countries issued warnings to those visiting France, where domestic transport networks have been disrupted.The Interior Ministry announced that public transportation, including buses and tramways, would shut down across the country by 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET), ahead of a fourth night of expected protests.Limited curfews were imposed in Clamart and Neuilly-sur-Marne, while some bus services were disrupted in Paris but the Metro system was operating as normal. The Nanterre-Prefecture train station was closed.In Lille, bus and tramway services were more or less running normally on Friday, with some diversions in place.In the southern city of Marseille, public transport was due to stop services at 7 p.m.There was no disruption to the Eurostar service connecting London, Lille and Paris as a result of the protests. French intercity trains are also not affected.Further afield, the US State Department issued a security alert on June 29 covering France. It suggested monitoring media outlets France24, RFI and The Local for updates.Meanwhile, Britain issued a travel advisory urging tourists to "monitor the media" and "avoid areas where riots are taking place."German authorities also advised its citizens to "find out about the current situation where you are staying at and avoid large-scale places of violent riots."CNN's Dalal Mawad, Niamh Kennedy and Lindsay Isaac contributed reporting.
Beyonce performs "Pure/Honey" in Wales in May as part of her "Renaissance World Tour." The show features prerecorded emceeing by Philly ballroom icon Kevin JZ Prodigy. The tour stops in Philly on July 12. Read more

Beyonces worldwide Renaissance tour, like the 2022 album of the same name, is steeped in Black queer exultation. Perhaps theres no better voice to articulate the mood than that of Kevin JZ Prodigy, a Philly ballroom legend long nicknamed the Voice of Philadelphia. Prodigy emcees the show, chanting, rhyming, purring, cajoling, and commentating throughout.

Youve asked for the visuals. Youve called for the Queen. But a Queen moves at her own pace, b- Prodigy says in the tours intro for Formation, his words lighting up the stage. Decides when she wants to give you a f- taste. So get your fork and your spoon, if you got one.

Then Beyonce's voice fills the stadium.

Prodigy grew up in the Raymond Rosen Housing Projects in North Philadelphia; his mother worked as a crossing guard for the city. As a teenager, he was kicked out of Dobbins and then Northeast High School for fighting back in the face of brutal bullying over his sexuality, he said. He ultimately graduated from Daniel Boone, a former district disciplinary school, which he loved.

He first appeared alongside Beyonce on the Renaissance track Pure/Honey, chanting unmentionable words sampled from the 2009 track Feels Like.

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This spring, Beyonce's team asked him to travel to Los Angeles to record his voice, which is now featured during the Renaissance tours opening introduction, as well as in the tours versions ofFormation, Cozy, and Pure/Honey, a song complete with a mini-ball.

Prodigy has been in the Philly ballroom scene since the late 90s, and began commentating, or emceeing in the ballroom style, around 2005. His full name comes from his ballroom lineage: JZ stands for the House of Jordan/Zion; Prodigy is the House of Prodigy, a 20-year-old Philadelphia House which Kevin calls the mecca of Philadelphia ballroom. His style is rooted in voguing, ballrooms genre of dance.

Nobody had a sound like him  that is like a lion roaring, said Alvernian Prestige DuMure Versailles, the president of the Philadelphia Ballroom Alliance and a pioneer in the Philadelphia ballroom scene, who many refer to as the mayor. Alvernian initially nicknamed Prodigy the voice of Philadelphia.

 READ MORE: Legendary: 30 Years of Philly Ballroom

Prodigys chosen mother, Madelyn Morrison, who used to go by Aamina when she built a legendary career as a voguer, said early on Kevin was met with opposition by people who were skeptical of his style.

As we can see, Kevin has truly transcended what ballroom commentating is, said Morrison. [Kevin] is like a booming, loud lyricist who creates storytelling that invokes the spirit of vogue.

Before the American leg of the Renaissance tour kicks off in Philadelphia on July 12, we spoke with Kevin JZ Prodigy about his rise, his distinct style, and his Philly roots. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into the Philly ballroom scene?

It was actually an accident. My friend Tyrone Banks (God rest his soul) and my friend Amos Bub Little (God rest his soul) were voguing. I was like, what is yall doing? I wanna learn. They took me to a club called Skyline. I was completely captivated by DeeDee Revlon, Niyambi Prodigy, Aamina, and Biscuit Movado.

It was a different type of dance: the grace, the style, the attitude. The conversation of the dance was what captivated me.

How did you get into commentating?

Making music and commentating go hand in hand. Vejai Alston is the reason I started making songs. I was taught how to commentate by Dante Movado. I was taken aback; I wanted to learn, so I watched everything he did. I watched a lot of people. But it was hard to get into it  I had to find my own lane. And my own lane was making music and making songs and chants for my friends. Just for my people.

How would you describe your sound?

Its raw. Its universal. Its in your face. Its a lot of emotions. Its a mood. Its a feeling: happiness, pain, sadness. My voice and my sound and my music come from emotion.

When Im commentating a ball, it feels like a lot of work. But it also feels like a major release, especially when Im into it. Because I see people who feel where Im coming from, who can feel me and I can feel them.

How did you find out that Beyonce was sampling your song?

Because MikeQ [a legendary DJ in the ballroom community who put out the 2009 track Feels Like that Beyonce wanted to sample] told me, and he said, What should I do?

I said, If you dont send her that damn sample and stop playing with me  He had already sent it to her.

Then after that, her people reached out to me for the tour. They said, We need you to come in. And I said, Here I come.

How are you feeling?

I feel amazed. I am overwhelmed. I am shocked. Beyonce is a beautiful person. Very humble. Shes grateful for all of her success. She deserves it.

What did the recording involve?

She said, Do you think you can do this? I said, Yes, give me a piece of paper and a pen. And I wrote it all.

The thing is, Im an artist. So when another artist wants to collaborate, I get straight to it. I wasnt nervous. I was shocked. But I said, You know what, lets get to it. We about to shut it down.

What would you tell other young people coming up in the Philly ballroom scene today?

Dreams do come true.

One of my biggest dreams in my entire life happened. Do you know what that was? I met Madonna. Now I have to meet one more person. I met Beyonce, I met Madonna, I met Rihanna. Now I need Janet.

When is it going to happen?

I dont know. I just cant wait.

Have you seen the show live?

I will soon.

Are you going to be at the Philly one?

I dont know yet.

You dont know, or youre not going to tell me?

I dont know. Honestly, I really dont know. If Im there, youll see it. But Im going to the show. I purchased a ticket, I tell you that much.
Pendle Hill is a 93-year-old retreat center in Delaware County that offers a low-cost, leafy getaway for spiritual pilgrims who align with its famous Quaker mission to be inclusive, respectful, and supportive of all people.

Last week, staffers found themselves hosting a group of evangelical Christians that pushed their limits.

On the surface, the 30-person group with the 24/7 National Strategic Prayer Call came and went without incident. But Pendle Hill executive director Francisco Burgos, who was on a mission trip in Brazil at the time, began hearing concerns from staffers whod grown nervous shortly after the group arrived last week.

The main source of concern was the groups far-right political leanings that it posted on social media each day  daily prayer focuses that railed against homosexuality, falsely claimed Donald Trump was the rightful U.S. president, and advocated for Christian nationalism in American politics.

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Burgos disavowed the groups beliefs and expressed regret for hosting them due to the pressure it put on his staff.

We seek to create an environment of inclusion and belonging that is safe, respectful, and restorative, and we recognize this groups presence has ruptured that environment for our staff and other guests on campus, Burgos said.

Ioan Peia, a pastor who is one of the groups leaders, said interactions with the staff were amicable, and he was shocked to hear that they were agitated.

It was a beautiful place with wonderful people, he said. We did not talk politics at all with people there at the center.

The underlying tensions at Pendle Hill perhaps speak to a political climate in which politics have become entangled in the religious sphere, even as widespread division exists among denominations. Christian nationalism has become an animating force for right-ring politicians, who embrace a message of spiritual warfare over issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion access.

As an openly queer staff member with an understanding of the anti-LBGTQ rhetoric that fuels the far right Christian movement, its nearly impossible to feel safe serving those who have done harm to people like me, said Alison Krieger, who has worked at Pendle Hill since last year.

Even if the group didnt openly discuss its political leanings in Delaware County, there were signposts.

Burgos said members of the group staying on the bucolic Wallingford campus often blew shofars  a Jewish ritual instrument that has been adopted by evangelical Christians who envision themselves locked in a Biblical battle to save the soul of America. The horns were also used by insurrections during Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Group members also flew the yellow, rattlesnake-emblazoned Gadsden flag whose dont tread on me message was made famous by the Tea Party, according to Krieger. (Burgos said the group was asked to keep political signage out of public spaces at the retreat center and the group complied.)

The 24/7 National Strategic Prayer Call hosts an around-the-clock prayer hotline, and undertakes mission trips as part of what it describes as a battle to save America and return the supremacy of Christ into the public sphere.

Peia declined to elaborate on the groups beliefs to The Inquirer, but they are clear in the groups daily prayers posts online.

The posts routinely promoted false claims that Trump is still the president along with prayers for his restoration to his rightful office. A recent post referred to group members as MAGAdonians  a pet name Trump coined for his followers on social media. Another recent prayer focus revolved around why the Department of Justices indictment against Trump was seriously flawed.

Peia is listed as an author on the posts along with coleader Maureen Bravo, who declined to comment. According to her LinkedIn bio, Bravo is affiliated with a prayer network with Liberty Counsel, a group that the Southern Poverty Law Center designated as extremist and says advocates for anti-LGBT discrimination under the guise of religious liberty.

During their stay, the group traveled to Harrisburg and met with state Rep. David Zimmerman (R., Earl) in the Capitol building, according to the groups daily prayer posts. Abby Abildness, an apostle with the New Apostolic Reformation movement, a fundamentalist political network of pastors, was part of the Pendle Hill group, and was seen a photo with Zimmerman posted by a LancasterOnline reporter. Abildness did not return a call for comment.

In Philadelphia, the group visited Penn Treaty Park on the anniversary of the 1683 treaty between the Lenni-Lenape Indians and William Penn  whose affinity they share with the Quakers.

Through William Penn, a different, godly doctrine emerged  one that taught us to deal with indigenous people honorably, the 24/7 group wrote on its website, after its Penn Treaty visit.

That affinity did not override the distress caused by the groups other views. Burgos said Pendle Hill will vet groups more seriously before booking with them in the future.

We dont have a stringent vetting process for guests  we take people at their word, on faith  but sadly, that may need to change, based on this latest experience, Burgos said.

Peia was taken aback by Burgos comments after what he described as a pleasant retreat.

We integrated and we worshiped together, Peia said. We are the land of the free here, we have the right to speak what you believe  but we did not talk politics with those on site.

On Saturday, the group traveled to Manhattan to serve a notice of eviction to Mammon, a biblical term for wealth, and checked out of Pendle Hill on Sunday, according to the groups itinerary.
On March 2, Denise Nixon walked out of the State Correctional Institution at Muncy a free woman. And like nine out of 10 inmates in Pennsylvania prisons, she was headed home. But she was returning to Philadelphia empty-handed.

I didnt have nothing but my prison sweatpants, a shirt, and shower shoes, Nixon recalled.

Nixon would have to figure out how to survive reentry with no money, no job, little support, and a list of parole demands to satisfy or risk going back to Muncy.

According to the American Bar Association, she would also encounter the daunting 45,000 legal restrictions and sanctions that those with criminal records face. In Pennsylvania 64.7% of formerly incarcerated people return to prison within three years of release.

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Nixon did have one critical asset  a place to live at the recently opened Ardellas House, a residential facility for formerly incarcerated women designed to decrease recidivism. And she had the ongoing support of Ardellas Houses founder, Tonie Willis.

Willis started Ardellas House in 2010 as a program to help women like Nixon bridge the gap between leaving prison and reintegrating into society. However, she wanted to do more than refer women to housing. She wanted to provide them a home.

You cant accomplish anything if you dont have a clean place to live, Willis said.

For a decade she encountered one obstacle after another as she tried to raise the funds and deal with contractors to rehab the house.

Sometimes I would feel so depressed I would cry, she said.

But she refused to quit and last October she opened her doors.

I learned about Ardellas House by accident, said Nixon. I kept seeing Tonie Willis name in the reentry book [at Muncy]. Nixon took it as a sign and started a letter-writing campaign to be accepted. Her determination earned her a spot in the house, which has room for only five women.

Located in a newly rehabbed three-story house in North Philadelphia, Willis designed Ardellas House to feel like a home. The women do not share a bedroom, they cook their own food, and it is near Fairmount Park to encourage walks in nature. Whats lacking is anything that would remind the residents of being in a cell.

I want them to want more, and to want more you have to be exposed to certain things, Willis said, sitting in the dining room of the quiet, immaculate house.

I walked in and the first thing I saw was Im home, said Nija Fleming, the first resident of Ardellas House. I felt like I was stepping into my home.

Fleming, 40, has been unhoused since she was 23, when an assault charge not only landed her in prison but resulted in her losing her Philadelphia Housing Authority home. She was raised by her grandmother who died a decade ago but not before outliving all of her children.

I didnt have aunts and uncles and friends, said Fleming, adding, [Homelessness] messes with you mentally.

Nixon, 53, has spent 35 years in and out of prison and county jails.

Since I was 18 years old I had never been home a full year, Nixon said. Usually, she depended on returning to her mothers home. As a hairdresser, she could also count on working in her fathers shop. However, when she left Muncy in March, her father had died, the shop was closed, and her mother was in a nursing home.

Reentry is the period of time between leaving jail or prison and reintegrating into an often unwelcoming, suspicious community. Reentry is hard, said Fleming. I had nothing and I was starting from scratch.

Its a feeling that Willis, 65, understood firsthand.

In her early 20s she, too, was incarcerated for two years. Coming home to West Philadelphia meant rebuilding her life and trying to hide from the stigma she felt about being formerly incarcerated.

But when a friend who was formerly incarcerated needed his documents, like his birth certificate and Social Security card, Willis stepped up to help. He referred someone else to Willis, and told her helping people reintegrate into society was her calling. She agreed and focused on the needs of women.

When I did my research I found there were more programs for men than for women, Willis said. According to the Sentencing Project, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 525% between 1980 and 2021.

Both Fleming and Nixon described many of Philadelphia reentry locations as horrible jail-like institutions surrounded by barbed wire. It makes you feel like you are still in jail, said Nixon.

Ardellas House is part of the Sisterhood Alliance for Freedom & Equality (SAFE) Housing Network whose philosophy is to create safe homes, not institutional shelters, for returning women.

The SAFE Housing Network, which provided about $100,000 to help Willis complete Ardellas House, was founded by Susan Burton, also the founder of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, which creates welcoming and healing spaces for women to rejoin their communities after incarceration.

Burton served six prison sentences and through that experience realized women needed much more reentry support than was being offered.

Willis credits her mother  the houses namesake, Ardella Willis  for teaching her the value of seeing the good in everyone. She gave unconditional love and never saw wrong.

And she credits Burton with mentoring her in building Ardellas House.

I saw Susan Burton walking through the airport one day and ran after her. She told me to apply [to SAFE for the funds to rehab Ardellas House], said Willis who compared Burtons fame in the reentry community to Beyonce.

Willis now wants to establish another 12 houses throughout the city, as well as find a place for a workforce development center.

She is also working on developing a program for girls ages 8 to 18 to help prevent them from entering the system.

I saw a flash mob and at least 40 girls were on the corner. I saw the need to start working with them. I want to reach them before they have to come [to Ardellas House], Willis said.
HARRISBURG  The Pennsylvania Senate approved a $45.5 billion spending plan for Pennsylvanias 2023-24 fiscal year, but budget talks have stalled over a private school voucher program for students attending the states lowest performing schools.

House Democrats, who hold a one-seat majority, said theyd defend public schools and rejected the school voucher bill approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate. Across the state Capitol building, the Senate doubled down on the school voucher program  a top priority for Republican leaders for years  and sent a $45.5 billion spending bill that included $100 million for it.

Lawmakers had not reached a budget deal by Friday nights deadline, and its unclear how long the talks will be stalled as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro navigates his first budget as the states chief executive. He canceled a scheduled appearance in Philadelphia Saturday to address the state teachers union to continue budget negotiations, a spokesperson for the governor said.

Both House Democrats and Senate Republicans have already drawn a line in the sand.

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If the House sends the Senate an amended spending bill without the school vouchers, the whole agreement between Senate Republicans and Shapiro is null and void, said Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland).

This budget that we put together was put together with the governor as an agreement, as a whole package, Ward said. If they pull out our priorities ... youre going to see a very slimmed-down, scaled-back budget, because there were things in this budget that we really didnt want to do.

For example, the Senate GOP spending plan includes $50 million for the Whole Home Repairs program, which Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said his caucus is not entirely supportive of. The program was created last year using onetime federal COVID-19 relief dollars to help residents fix up and stay in their homes.

We gave, and we gave at every request with the hopes that it would help enact one of his top legislative priorities: lifeline scholarships, or as its known now, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success, Pittman added.

But for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery), a private school voucher program is dead on arrival in his caucus.

The voucher issue is over, Bradford said after the Rules Committee rejected the proposal.

House leaders will take the next few days to review the full spending plan and will likely remove the private school funding.

As a House committee prepared to reject the private school funding proposal, Rep. Martina White (R., Philadelphia) rattled off the number of students from each of the Philadelphia representatives districts who attend the states lowest-performing schools.

All of these children in your districts need your help, White said. Those who vote against this legislation today are voting against fixing a broken education system.

Its unclear how many students could access the funds, and there is no academic achievement requirement for a student once they receive one.

Theyre called success scholarships, said Rep. Mike Sturla (D., Lancaster), who has worked on education policy in the state House for more than 30 years. Is there any proof that theyre successful? If [private schools] made a promise theyd make every student graduate at the top quartile, Id say, Take my money. But if they dont do it, I want my money back.

The state Senate adjourned and is not scheduled to return to session until mid-September, unless recalled sooner. A number of omnibus code bills  which outline the policies that control how the state spends and raises its money  have yet to be considered by either chamber.

The House Democrats passed their own spending plan earlier this month, which totaled about $1.3 billion more than the Senate GOP plan passed Friday. Neither spending plan increased taxes.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at a news conference in Kensington in April. Read more

Gov. Josh Shapiro canceled his Saturday appearance before a state teachers union conference in Philadelphia, as he continues to negotiate a budget deal that missed its deadline on Friday.

However, it also comes as Shapiro continues to receive intense backlash from teachers unions and organized labor for his support of a private school voucher program for Pennsylvania students who attend the states lowest-performing public schools.

House Democrats, who control the state House with a one-seat majority, said any budget deal including private school vouchers is a nonstarter in their caucus.

Shapiro was scheduled as a keynote speaker at the biennial convention for the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, according to the convention agenda. He was set to appear alongside AFT national president Randi Weingarten, in Philly to provide a luncheon speech.

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Shapiro pulled out of the AFTs convention on Friday morning due to ongoing budget negotiations, AFT Pennsylvania president Arthur Steinberg said in a statement.

It was our understanding that Gov. Shapiro had every intent to deliver a keynote address at our Biennial Convention luncheon, Steinberg added. While were disappointed that he couldnt address our convention, were heartened that its because hes pushing to fully and fairly fund public education.

Shapiros press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said in a statement that Shapiro stayed in Harrisburg on Saturday to continue working toward a final budget agreement that delivers critically important funding for public education, necessary resources for our schools, and investments in Pennsylvania children and teachers.

Most lawmakers left Harrisburg on Friday night without a budget deal. Senate Republicans passed a $45.5 billion budget that included $100 million for a private school voucher program.

Shapiro said on the campaign trail that he was open to the concept of private school vouchers, and Republicans  who have long sought a voucher program  jumped on the issue as a top priority for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Shapiros spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the Senates spending plan does not represent a final agreement but reflects many of his budget priorities, such as universal free school breakfast and first-time funding for Pennsylvanias public defenders.

The top Senate Republican, President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, said the whole budget package would be null and void if the House sends it back without the vouchers.

The state Senate is not scheduled to return to session until mid-September, unless recalled sooner. A number of omnibus code bills  which outline the policies that control how the state spends and raises its money  have yet to be considered by either chamber.

The House Democrats passed their own spending plan earlier this month, which totaled about $1.3 billion more than the Senate GOP plan passed Friday. Neither spending plan increased taxes.
The WhatsApp message was breathless and concerned a school back home in Derry.

Have you heard about this? it said, and pointed to a forwarded block of text detailing a bizarre and troubling turn of events in class.

Students had started identifying as cats, it said, demanding litter trays, even.

Wow, I said, surprised.

My alarm was not, however, due to me having never heard of such a thing, but because Id heard the exact same tired grift hundreds of times before. You might have, too.

As recently as January, it was reported that Skibbereen Community School had sent a letter to parents who demonstrated concern  gullibility is, after all, an unkind word  when the exact same rumour had descended on West Cork.

As an extremely online person, my familiarity with this meme goes back a little further.

A SCRATCHING POST FOR STUPIDITY?

Ive been hearing of the litter box hoax for years, and my initial feeling was to be quite tickled it had made its way to somewhere I knew in real life, almost starstruck.

It was a bit like going to your local supermarket and seeing the original Grumpy Cat stacking shelves, or thumbing through a rack of clothes in your favourite boutique and finding that dress that looked either gold or blue, depending on how much free time you had in 2015.

Its fake, I said, posting a link to the alarmingly voluminous Wikipedia page for the Litter Boxes In Schools Hoax, assuring my correspondents that this was an extremely well-documented con, with a tediously predictable modus operandi.

They seemed unconvinced. Teachers had seen this, they said. Students too.

These accounts always arrived from some form of remove: a friends daughter who was a student; a colleagues niece who worked there.

Im a firm believer in Hanlons razor, the rule that says one should never attribute to malice anything adequately explained by stupidity  sorry, gullibility  and so, merely counselled caution.

I even sounded a hint of optimism. If this is true, I said, then this will really put Derry on the map  the first place on Earth where this has actually happened after hundreds of fakes!.

I waited a respectful period of a week or two and returned for an update.

Seamas O'Reilly. Picture: Orfhlaith Whelan

Surely, by now, the stench would be overwhelming, the classrooms destroyed from scratching, the education boards budget for balls of yarn and catnip stretched to breaking point. Thankfully not.

I was told that theyd not heard about it again, save for a few teachers expressing confusion and anger that totally unsourced rumours had forced them to answer the stupidest questions theyd ever encountered in long educational careers.

This, dear reader, was four months ago. I hadnt thought about it again until this past week, when the UK press was confronted by the litter box hoax and managed to display less critical faculties than a disinterested WhatsApp group or, for that matter, a moderately well-informed sea sponge.

To give a brief precis of events, the same story made its way to a school in East Sussex, and then several schools thereafter.

Rather than being immediately dismissed out of hand as obvious fiction, it was platformed as real news by real adults with very expensive, non-feline-identifying, educations.

Unlike their Irish equivalents, the British papers eagerly told their readers that the world was, indeed, going mad.

Inside the world of the Furries screamed the Daily Mail.

Why is the number of children claiming theyre cats on the rise  and why are teachers indulging the new subculture to the alarm of parents?

Katharine Birbalsingh, a favourite educational commentator of the right-wing press who bills herself as Britains Strictest Headmistress, really led the charge, tweeting out the same insiders account of children identifying as cats that Id seen on WhatsApp.

Her caption, We are not making this stuff up, was somewhat undercut by the fact that shed failed to spot the template formatting of said message, the sincerity of which might be questioned in lines like my child/children is/are at an independent school in Norfolk.

Luckily, Birbalsingh appears to save her famous strictness for her students, and she refused to be too hard on herself for this lack of common sense  or, indeed, reading comprehension.

Instead, she doubled down, claiming she even knew schools where students identified as gay holograms. Sadly for science, no further detail on that tantalising detail was forthcoming.

The government demanded an investigation into the school at the centre of the controversy.

Opposition leader Keir Starmer said those students should be told to identify as children.

And then, the school released a statement confirming that, obviously, no such student had ever said they identified as a cat whatsoever.

By then, it was too late. Dozens more unfounded stories were printed, detailing a veritable menagerie of different creatures our poor, defenceless children were now embodying.

SPREAD DELIBERATELY AND KNOWINGLY

A full seven days after the first schools statement, GB News declared, Woke madness spreads as pupil now tells teacher they identify as a fox.

The worlds stupidest meme had become fully enmeshed in the nostrils of Britains culture war beast.

So let us speak as adults. The memes origins are in it being spread, deliberately and knowingly, by conservative organisations seeking to block proposed protections for trans students in American public schools, and to dupe gullible parents into thinking that any school that would teach their students that trans people are worthy of respect, would also tolerate  in fact, tacitly encourage  people identifying as animals.

Any clear analysis must avoid viewing this entirely depressing episode as a breakdown in critical faculties on the part of the British press.

Certain elements within the British press understand perfectly well that these things arent happening, but appreciate any cudgel with which to hit their intended targets  innocent trans and gender-nonconforming people, whose existence and dignity they reject out of hand.

So no, we should never attribute to malice anything adequately explained by stupidity.

But we should remember that malicious people are more than happy to use stupidity as their shield.

There is malice, and bigotry, at the core of these cat-child fairy tales, and we should be vigilant against them.
How did you become a literary agent?

I was really, really lucky. I was an intern at Watson Little literary agency, making the tea, running to the post office, and all of that.

Somebody quit while I was doing my internship and they offered me the job of assistant agent.

I started taking on clients after a year, so I have a few clients I've been working with for over a decade, which is really great.

The longer I'm working in books, the more I feel that, as exciting as it is to do a book deal, sustaining a career is a much harder thing.

Then in 2013 I joined up with Ivan Mulcahy, who is also from Dublin.

It's really nice, we like to think of ourselves as an Irish agency in London.

We are both really passionate about Irish writing, and very much focused on bringing Irish writers to an international readership.

What does the role involve?

On the creative side, I am usually the first reader of my authors.

Sometimes, it might be a one-sentence idea, and then I work with them to make it a book.

Sometimes we would do multiple drafts to make sure our manuscript is as strong as it can be before we send it to publishers.

I really love editing. A publishing house will also have fantastic editors but now publishers are really looking for things that are very much almost there.

I also love pitching books  how to get that message across to publishers when selling it to them.

I know Ive done a really good pitch if it ends up on the back of a book, that's really gratifying.

And then on the business side, its contracts, deal negotiations and all the other parts, that might be audio rights or TV and film rights, translation rights.

Strategising with the author, the publisher and give a book the best chance of success.

What do you like most about your job?

I love that mix of the creative and the business.

Its nice having those two different head spaces.

Originally I probably thought I might want to be an editor and solely be on that side of things.

But actually, I find that sometimes I really like contract negotiation, its using a different part of your brain and I find it quite satisfying.

Ultimately though, its all about the people involved.

Books are so driven by passion, that feeling when you read something amazing and you want to press it into somebodys hands.

I have that in my job when I'm so excited about a new author or a new novel.

It is a privilege to work with an author from the very beginning, to be their first reader and to be there at the start of an idea and to see it come to fruition.

What do you like least about the job?

Theres a lot of bad news.

Authors get rejected a lot, but agents get rejected too.

Or sometimes you do the deal and the book comes out and doesnt sell.

The longer Im an agent I think that you never feel full joy because something can be going really great for one client and not another.

The weird unpredictability of books is that sometimes you dont know why something just takes off and does really well, while other people really deserve it and it just doesnt happen.

Any book recommendations?

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan was probably the best book I read last year  it was just exquisite and perfect.

I would recommend some recent books by Irish authors I represent  Service by Sarah Gilmartin and Hearts and Bones by Niamh Mulvey which is a short story collection.

Her novel is coming out next year, and it is amazing.

Also out soon is Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline OMahony, who is originally from Cork.

What three books would you bring to a desert island?

Little Women by Louise May Alcott, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and Ulysses by James Joyce  Im hoping Id actually manage to read it on a desert island.
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News / Local

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Friday published the final list of candidates to take part in general elections on August 23, even as legal challenges continue to the presence of some candidates.In an extraordinary gazette, ZEC listed 11 presidential election candidates including Saviour Kasukuwere, whose approval to stand is being challenged in at least two court applications.ZEC also listed all the candidates for the National Assembly, Senate, Provincial Councils, Local Authorities, National Assembly Youth Quota and National Assembly Women's Quota.The list confirmed that the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has over three dozen double candidates in National Assembly races, which the party is challenging in court, accusing some of the contestants of forging signatures.In one constituency, Harare South, CCC has three candidates listed as standing for the party against Zanu-PF's Trymore Kanupula.Kasukuwere, who lives in exile in South Africa, is listed as duly nominated although he faces two court applications in the High Court and the Electoral Court from Zanu-PF activists who argue that he should be disqualified for being out of the country for over 18 uninterrupted months, and therefore is not "ordinarily resident" in Zimbabwe as required by law. The matters are pending.ZEC is set to proceed and print ballot papers for the elections, unless it is indicted by a court from doing so pending the finalisation of the court applications.Political analysts project that the fight for the presidency will be close between President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leader of Zanu-PF, and opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa of the CCC.
Italys right-wing government is planning to introduce legislation which will jail anyone hoping to have a baby via surrogacy outside the country  a move described as 'disturbing' by an Irish expert. It has also prompted calls for Ireland to speed up the regulation of domestic and overseas surrogacy.

New laws have been proposed by the Brothers of Italy party led by Giorga Meloni, which could see potential fines of up to 1m or two years in jail if intending parents have a surrogate baby abroad.

Carolina Varchi, who is spearheading the proposal in Italy, said surrogacy is a degrading practice that affects women who often face economic difficulties.

It is aimed at destroying, by contract, the idea of motherhood  an idea that resides in the laws of nature.

The proposal comes just weeks after Georgias government announced it was banning international surrogacy from January 1 next year.

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili called a halt to the practices due to a risk that such children might be destined for same-sex parents abroad.

Georgia has been one of the most popular locations for Irish couples hoping to conceive a child through surrogacy.

The proposed ban by the Italian government comes as legislation is making its way through the Oireachtas to regulate domestic and international surrogacy by families in Ireland.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, LGBT Ireland policy and research manager Padraig Rice said: This move by Italy only reinforces the need for regulation in Ireland.

These are pathways for family formation. But safeguards are vital for everyone involved, particularly the child.

We need to see progress; we cant have this delay in our own laws.

In terms of what is happening in Italy and Georgia, the same-sex community has limited pathways. But here in Ireland our community can foster and adopt as the law is there. But they dont always have countries abroad that will accept us.

Canada and the US as well as much of the UK are currently open to same sex couples for surrogacy, however, Mr Rice said the framework here will help regulate the entire area.

An Irish lawyer who specialises in IVF and surrogacy law has described Italys move as concerning.

Annette Hickey told the Irish Examiner The steps Italy is taking would not be something I agree with.

This is why the ongoing engagement at Government level and with surrogacy advocacy groups here shows there is a determination to bring in legislation that will not be overly restrictive to a level that impacts intended parents hoping to pursue surrogacy.

I believe our ethical approach will lead the way in surrogacy. Other countries will be watching us.

In Italy it is a universal ban irrespective of where the intending parents want to pursue surrogacy, thats the view of those politicians.
Gardai are investigating the cause of a fire at one of Limerick's most historic buildings.

The blaze, which broke out around 1am on Saturday morning, destroyed Sailors Home, OCurry St.

Historian and lecturer Mary Immaculate College, Paul OBrien, posted a video of the blaze, stating: The Sailors Home, OCurry Street, #Limerick on fire. Shocking. 1850s built and social history up in flames. Im devastated. Video by Randel Hodkinson. Residents [in] shock.

The Sailors Home, OCurry Street, #Limerick on fire. Shocking. 1850s built and social history up in flames. Im devastated. Video by Randel Hodkinson. Residents on shock. @Limerick_Leader @rtenews pic.twitter.com/i6rKWutSET  Dr Paul O'Brien (@FearStairLmk) July 1, 2023

A statement released by the Shannon Foynes Port Company, which owns the property, said the building was extensively damaged in the fire.

Shannon Foynes Port deeply regrets the fire damage caused to the Sailors' Home on OCurry St, Limerick, the statement read.

"This is a building with rich architectural heritage and part of the DNA of maritime activity in Limerick, dating back hundreds of years.

Our priority now is to make the building safe.

"Once that is achieved, we will assess the extent of the damage. We wish thank the fire services and An Garda Siochana for their response to the fire and their work through the night in getting the blaze under control and making the location safe.

The detached five-bay two-storey stucco-enriched sailor's house, built in 1858, was later used as a military barracks and a constabulary barracks, and then a Garda station.

Fine Gael councillor and former mayor of Limerick Daniel Butler tweeted: Heartbreaking! A wonderful building with a rich history. It has hosted some wonderful exhibitions in recent times & inspired the @Sailors_Home whiskey. A devastating loss to our beautiful built heritage.

Firefighters attached to Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service, Cappamore Fire Service, and Rathkeale Fire Service attended the scene.

A statement from David OBrien, CEO of Limerick Civic Trust, read: The Limerick Civic Trust were saddened to hear of the tragic fire at the Sailors Home on OCurry St last night.

"The Limerick Civic Trust have for many years sought to restore and occupy this beautiful old building. We now wish to work with all parties, the Shannon Foynes Port Authority, their agents, and others to bring this site back to its original glory.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that an examination of the scene was carried out on Saturday morning, that no injuries were reported, and that investigations are ongoing.
The end of an arc of history

For Kieran Rose, the coming legislation that will allow the government to disregard old convictions is like the end of an arc of history, even if it has taken 30 years since decriminalisation for it to happen.

Mr Rose, born in 1953 in Cork, has been instrumental in many LGBT+ rights organisations, co-founding the Quay Co-op health food shop and restaurant in Cork with fellow gay rights activist Arthur Leahy in 1981. In Dublin, where he now lives, he co-founded GLEN (the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) in the 80s and has been deeply involved in campaigning for legal reform ever since.

He also served on the Working Group that advised the Department of Justice on the potential disregard laws last year.

When legislation is passed, men with historic convictions under laws that date to the 1800s will be able to apply for a formal disregard from the State, wiping the slate of their convictions. Families and partners will also be able to apply posthumously to clear the names of loved ones who died with a conviction on their record.

Shame and trauma

Mr Rose says that for men who have carried the secret of a criminal conviction for decades, its going to take time to be ready to share their stories: they live, he says, with a huge amount of shame and trauma as a result of their treatment as criminals.

And he warns that the disregard process that the government plans to use must be trauma-informed from the outset.

Gay rights activist Kieran Rose says many gay men have been left with a huge amount of shame and trauma as a result of their treatment as criminals.

There are men who were convicted of consensual sexual relationships, and then there are the men who were prosecuted but not convicted, but the prosecution was as damaging as a conviction, he says. Then there are those that were arrested, but not prosecuted, which was equally traumatic .

'About bloody time'

About bloody time! is the first response of LGBT+ rights activist and retired dancer Roy Galvin. This is long, long overdue. Many mens lives were utterly destroyed during that period. There was all sorts of involuntary exposure: there was entrapment that led to convictions.

Roy Galvin was Irelands first ever male ballet star. Here seen with dancer Joanne Banks at the launch of his Pas De Deux Dance Company in 1984.

Mr Galvin, Irelands first male ballet dancer, grew up in Limerick and now lives near Mitchelstown with his husband Tom Lysaght. He was an active marriage referendum campaigner in his area and his life story featured on TG4s Finne series last year.

Now 66, his memories of being a young gay man in the seventies and eighties are of a society telling me that I shouldnt exist. I was a criminal up until the age of 37, until Maire Geoghegan-Quinn changed the legislation in 1993.

He came out in 1976, but was never arrested or charged himself under the archaic laws that saw almost 1,000 men prosecuted for consensual sex acts from 1940 onwards.

Driven underground and subject to surveillance

Living in fear of criminal prosecution, and with no openly LGBT+ venues until after Flikkers nightclub opened in Dublin in 1979, Roy says the atmosphere was one of threat, even of surveillance: this grew worse in the era of the infamous and still unsolved Charles Self murder in 1982, when Gardai focused their investigations on findingand frequently outing in the processas many of Dublins gay community as possible.

When I was a young man and I was trying to meet other gay men, I was aware I was being observed, he says.

Roy Galvin in 1984

Im pretty sure that if I could search, there would be a file on me somewhere. I used to go to the Forty Foot, or to Rices pub, which was gay-friendly even though it wasnt spoken about.

Moral panic in mainstream society of the time about seedy hook-ups in public places like parks and toilets, and resulting prosecutions, were the direct result of gay men being driven underground by criminalisation, Mr Galvin believes. From 1940 until 1978, an average of 13 men were being prosecuted each year for consensual sex with other men.

They used to call it cottaging, he says. People would meet for sex in public toilets. But my question is, where the hell else could they meet anybody? The amount of options was zero. So this shaming of people who had toilet sex or sex in public places? Get over it.

For Mr Galvin and men of his generation, who came out before 1993, memories of being regarded as criminal have often remained as a shadow in their lives. But for young people, who have come out into the era of legal same-sex marriage, there are no such memories.

Roy Galvin, right, and his husband Tom Lysaght, left.

And this is how it should be, he believes: I just love that they have no idea what we went through. They have an inkling, but they dont really know. And that is how it ought to be. Because none of us who struggled did it just for ourselves. We did it for those who come after us.

Read More Thousands march through Dublin for Pride parade 40th anniversary
Tuesday was a hectic day in the land of media. With the furore surrounding Ryan Tubridys hidden payments reaching fever pitch ahead of a planned statement from RTE on the matter that afternoon, the scene was set for that most desirable of situations in the corridors of power  a good day to drop bad news.

First, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe announced the results of a review of senior public servant pay, which concluded that departmental secretaries general should be entitled to a years wages upon concluding their terms. Not a headline likely to garner an especially happy response.

Then, three hours later, Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced that she had, via a court order, informed Irelands telecommunications providers they must preserve the mobile phone records of all citizens for a period of 12 months in the interests of the security of the State.

This is no small matter  in one fell swoop the minister had created a de facto mass surveillance system of the entire population and all based upon the need to safeguard the States security.

Ms McEntee said, in announcing the move, that having assessed a threat to that security she had satisfied myself that there exists a serious and genuine, present or foreseeable threat to the security of the State and that such threat is likely to continue for at least the next 12 months.

What that threat is, no one has been told.

To the layperson, the ministers action might seem like a step replete with ramifications, not one to be taken lightly.

In truth, what she has done is a great deal more problematic, because there are issues at a European level with how the new law her action was based on was implemented. And theyre not going to go away.

Ms McEntee said she had satisfied hersself that "there exists a serious and genuine, present or foreseeable threat to the security of the State". Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

To get a feel for why, you have to consider the States relationship with data retention law. Its a long one, and little of it is positive.

Under the 2011 Data Retention Act, which until last Monday was the sole law of the land, mobile telephony data was held by the various phone companies for two years (one year for internet data).

What that meant in practice is that licenced State organisations like the Defence Forces and (especially) An Garda Siochana could access peoples mobile phone history  without having to go to court  as an aid to their investigations.

Probably the most noteworthy conviction achieved via the use of such data was the life sentence handed down in 2015 to infamous murderer Graham Dwyer for the killing of Elaine OHara three years earlier.

That particular case hinged almost entirely on circumstantial mobile phone evidence  such as locations being generally ascertained via pings off mobile network towers  no physical incriminating evidence existed. Dwyers subsequent multi-year appeal attacked the use of such data as unlawful.

He had a genuine case. In 2014, privacy advocates Digital Rights Ireland had challenged the European law under which Irelands 2011 data retention legislation was based at the Court of Justice of the European Union  on the basis it represented indiscriminate mass surveillance without judicial oversight  and won.

Probably the most noteworthy conviction achieved via the use of such data was the life sentence handed down in 2015 to infamous murderer Graham Dwyer for the killing of Elaine OHara three years earlier. Picture: Collins Courts.

From that moment, Irelands law was effectively illegal, given the primacy of EU law over domestic. That same decision was subsequently reiterated on at least two further occasions by the European court, and given that precedent its unlikely the courts opinion will change in the future.

As far back as November 2017 Department of Justice officials had admitted on the Oireachtas record that the law as it stood was unworkable.

A draft replacement Bill was put in place that same year during the tenure of Ms McEntees predecessor Charlie Flanagan. It never passed the Oireachtas.

Three years later in 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) indicated to the Irish Supreme Court, which had referred the data retention segments of Dwyers appeal to Europe for its expert opinion, that any decision it made would likely favour the murderer.

Queried on this, the Department of Justice said at the time that it would await the final decision before deciding what to do, six years after its own law had been deemed invalid.

Thousands of convictions secured under 2011 law

In truth, the Dwyer case was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what was at stake  thousands of convictions had been secured under the 2011 law in terms of historic phone records. While Dwyers appeal ultimately foundered, the door had been left open for a glut of legal challenges to those thousands of convictions secured by the gardai.

An Garda Siochana finally began to take the hint, and the instances of it accessing mobile phone records decreased exponentially at the turn of the decade.

Nevertheless, nothing changed until the summer of 2022, when the Supreme Court here dismissed the States appeal against a ruling in favour of Dwyer, clearing the way for him to appeal his conviction.

Suddenly, it became very important to Ms McEntees department to update its rogue law. In just over a month, the Department of Justice rammed an updated data retention Act through the Oireachtas, with a minimum of democratic oversight, immediately before the Dail recess, a fact which did not go down well with opposition TDs.

And then the law went uncommenced for just under 12 months. In other words, it may as well not have existed, which sort of gave the lie to the urgency in which it had been enacted in the first place.

A further spanner in the works emerged last December when the Irish Examiner revealed that the law had, during its expedited draft stage, never been run through a European Commission (EC) procedure (the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) designed to ensure that any individual EU States laws would have no negative impact on the bloc of countries as a whole.

The fact the department missed the importance of TRIS is perhaps understandable  ordinarily its remit would not extend to telecommunications and their impacts  if not forgivable.

At the time the Department told this paper that it did not believe the law should have been run through Europe, without specifying why.

It then quietly engaged TRIS anyway two weeks later, only to be told by the EC that given the law had already been enacted it could not be considered, and as such was possibly inapplicable and unenforceable.

From there, you might have thought the States options were pretty limited. The law would surely have to be redone and submitted to TRIS, a tacit admission of fault by the department, but better to admit that fault and get things right than drag the whole farrago on indefinitely.

After all, the new bill is generally considered an improvement on its flawed predecessor. Other European nations have introduced similar updated laws.

Gardai now have to go to court to access mobile records, those records are only being retained for a year, and only on the admittedly fuzzy grounds of national security (its not hard to see that data accessed in gangland cases for example).

Instead, the minister had the Act commenced last Monday. On the same day, she went before High Court judge Alexander Owens to invoke the section of the new Act requiring the indiscriminate retention of phone records for 12 months.

Minister McEntee went before High Court judge Alexander Owens to invoke the section of the new Act requiring the indiscriminate retention of phone records for 12 months.

The law as it stands is almost certainly illegitimate, the EC has made that clear.

The overall problem is that no other country has screwed up the implementation of this like we have, privacy solicitor Simon McGarr said.

We stuck with the horrible 2011 Act because we wouldnt admit it was wrong. Then Dwyer flattened it and they rammed a new one through after waiting eight years. But no one told them they had to do TRIS. If you dont follow the proper procedure, if you rush things, you get bad legislation. And this clearly wasnt that urgent given they didnt commence it for another year, he said.

Asked why the Department had commenced the law despite the European Commission saying it may be inapplicable due to it missing the TRIS window, a spokesperson said that given the notification period for TRIS had expired in March without comment or opinion from either the EC or other member states ... accordingly, Ireland was free to commence the 2022 Act.

This would seem to ignore the fact the EC had told the Department of Justice in January that they had applied for TRIS long after the horse had bolted.

The spokesperson also said that the general and indiscriminate retention of communications data in accordance with the High Court order does not equate to mass surveillance.

They said that the data concerned is meta, that is, it does not include the content of communications, and that in the vast majority of cases, nobody will ever access this data. This again misses the point however. If the law is flawed from a European perspective, then surely it is vulnerable to appeal.

This will jeopardise hundreds of convictions, despite countless warnings from legal experts, said Dr TJ McIntyre, professor of law at UCD and chair of Digital Rights Ireland.

No one is forcing them to proceed with a law that has question marks over it, theyre choosing to do this.

The data is stored, and the gardai will be applying for it. And all the while legal challenges will be stored up, totally avoidably, Mr McGarr said.

The Law Library is well aware of what has happened here. You can be sure they will make use of it.
Paul Hydes sentence of two months in prison is a low point for the Cork-born former deputy chair of An Bord Pleanala.

He is still a relatively young man, well plugged into the upper echelons of the construction industry, and should be able to retrieve his career in some manner.

However, his time on the planning board suggests that he was totally unsuited for the role of one of the highest offices in a powerful organisation.

In the latter half of his decade-long tenure in the planning body he was central to a shift in culture that saw the stock of the previously unimpeachable organisation plummet to a shocking low.

Mr Hyde attended Presentation Brothers College in Cork before going on to receive qualifications in architecture and planning at Trinity College and UCC.

From a family involved in Corks sailing fraternity, he became friends with fellow sailor Simon Coveney. For a while, the pair co-owned a yacht.

Hyde worked in a family business, the Hyde Partnership, headed up by his architect father Stephen.

In 2012, Coveney appointed Paul Hyde to the Marine Institute. Then in 2014, he was appointed to the planning board.

Paul Hyde was appointed to the Marine Institute by Simon Coveney in 2012 and in 2014 he was appointed to the planning board. Picture: Dan Linehan

How he was appointed became the focus of much comment last year when the controversies blew up.

Appointments to An Bord Pleanala are through a nomination process in which a range of civic and business bodies nominate names to the minister, who then decides.

Hyde was nominated by the Irish Rural Dwellers Association, a body that advocated strongly for one-off housing. The only

problem is that at the time of Hydes nomination the IRDA had been wound up.

How exactly his name came before the minister of the day, Phil Hogan, to facilitate his nomination has never been fully cleared up.

When he joined An Bord Pleanala, the chair was Mary Kelly, a former head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ms Kelly ran a tight ship, ensuring that An Bord Pleanala maintained the high standing it had at a time when many other institutions had succumbed to one type of scandal or another.

She was a formidable head of the place, a former employee of the board told the Irish Examiner.

Not necessarily the easiest to get along with but she made sure nobody stepped out of line and it was only after she was gone that it became obvious how important that was.

In 2017 Hyde was appointed chair of the sub-group on the board which looked after strategic housing developments. (SHDs).

The SHDs were developments in excess of 100 housing units that applied directly to An Bord Pleanala for planning permission, bypassing the relevant local authority.

The law governing SHDs was implemented following lobbying from the construction industry and the whole concept would go on to cause major headaches for the board. Overseeing the

implementation of the policy conferred huge power on the Cork man.

In 2018, when her tenure was completed, Ms Kelly was replaced by Dave Walsh, who came from the Department of Housing. Sources in An Bord Pleanala have pointed out that he had a different management style.

Nice fella, he got along with people, but at the same time some in there saw an opportunity to do things their own way.

Three months after taking office, Walsh recommended to the minister for housing that Hyde be appointed his deputy chair.

Over the following three years, the previously-tight ship began to creak.

Neglected to declare property interests

Hyde somehow neglected to declare a number of property interests in his annual declarations.

In his position, he was well placed to delegate jobs to fellow board members and choose which ones he would sit in on. Some of his choices were inexplicable.

For instance, in the area of telecoms mast applications, he and just one other board member made decisions in 71 out of 100 cases. This dominance of two individuals in an area completely skewed the concept of independence.

Compounding that was the fact that in the vast majority of those cases, Hyde overturned a recommendation from the planning inspector to deny permission.

Then there were the cases giving rise to possible conflicts of interest. One involved an appeal on planning for an extension in a domestic dwelling in the salubrious enclave of Sandymount in Dublin.

The problem with this was that the house in question was owned by his brother and sister-in-law. Hyde claims he did not know they were the owners when he sat in judgement.

Opened Pandora's box

And then there was the case that eventually opened the Pandoras box.

He was one of the board members to sit in judgement on an application for a strategic housing development in Blackpool in Cork city.

The board turned down the application but Hyde never declared that he had a financial interest in a nearby holding of land which would have been affected if the development went ahead.

In April last year, The Ditch website broke the story about Blackpool. Hyde took leave soon after and eventually resigned from his position last July.

A senior counsel compiled a report on it and other matters for the housing minister, the results of which eventually found their way to the DPP. Last Tuesday, Hyde pleaded guilty to two sample charges, from a full complement of nine, for offences around conflicts of interest.

An Bord Pleanala director of planning Rachel Kenny was never found to have committed wrongdoing but was the focus of an investigation over potential conflicts of interest.

Last Monday, the Irish Examiner reported on the departure of another controversial figure in An Bord Pleanala, director of planning Rachel Kenny.

She was never found to have committed wrongdoing but was the focus of an investigation over potential conflicts of interest.

The chair, Dave Walsh, resigned last November after the Irish Examiner published details of an internal investigation that was highly critical of processes at the board.

The conviction and sentencing to prison of the boards former deputy chair closes another chapter on controversies that engulfed the body over the last 15 months.
To vape or not to vape?

That could be the question of the summer with a public consultation on disposable e-cigarettes ongoing and new laws around all nicotine products coming into play.

The debate playing out may be about health and the environment as with smoking, but unlike dour, mainly white cigarettes, vapes come in bright colours with names like Banoffi Pie or Fantasi Ice Orange.

Aimed initially at those trying to quit smoking, theyre now very popular among teens, even those who never smoked.

By law they contain a lower level of nicotine than cigarettes, and come in rechargeable or (controversially) disposable forms.

This week the HSE issued a recall alert around two types of e-cigarette saying they contained more than the legally permitted level of nicotine. The products pose a serious risk to public safety, it said.

HSE's Tobacco Free Ireland Programme public health medicine lead, Dr Paul Kavanagh, points out that e-cigarettes are consumer products, not medical products.

They are not like using a nicotine-replacement gum or a spray or a lozenge where there are all of the safety systems behind all of that," he said.

He has concerns too about who is producing and selling e-cigarettes.

A lot of the companies who produce e-cigarettes, when you trace them back, are part of larger conglomerates that are owned by the tobacco industry. That is always a bit worrying.

He points to wider problems, There are 100 people dying every week in Ireland from tobacco-related causes and Irish research shows teens who use vapes are more likely to take up smoking.

Widespread availability

I am worried that we have started to lose the tight grip we had on tobacco control in Ireland, he warns.

At a vaping shop in Ennis, Co Clare, owner Joanne OConnell says the focus on teens is obscuring how e-cigarettes can help adults.

Its extremely frustrating, she says. Speaking for my own shop, since we opened our doors we have never sold to anybody under-18. Ive always asked for ID.

Co-founder of the Irish Vape Vendors Association, she argues widespread sales of e-cigarettes outside of dedicated shops is the problem.

Especially nowadays, people are stocking disposables in random shops. We work so hard on it, on setting up this code for vendors that seeing under-18s being able to purchase them is extremely frustrating, she says.

Ms O'Connell describes herself as an ex-smoker who quit using vaping, and says: That definitely gets lost, and its such a shame. These products arent meant for children, theyre meant for people who are smoking as an alternative, a healthier, safer alternative.

Vape shop owner Joanne O'Connell says the focus on teens is obscuring how e-cigarettes can help adults. Picture: LinkedIn

She does not accept the colourful packaging or flavours are only for children: When the industry first started there definitely werent children using these devices, and there were still these flavours around. I have customers who are in their 70s and even 80s who use these flavoured liquids.

In her experience, former smokers want to move away from the smell or taste of tobacco and are unlikely to use tobacco-flavoured vapes.

The Irish Heart Foundation, however, is pushing for even more stringent controls. Advocacy manager for tobacco and environmental health Mark Murphy says their concerns are health and eco-based.

Nicotine can have an effect on the development of the brain in adolescence, he says.

Also there is a huge environmental impact from disposable e-cigarettes. They contain lithium, other metals and people just dispose of them on the street.

He also points out that disposable e-cigarettes are targeted at young people.

Interest in these side-effects seem to be growing, with a petition to ban disposable vapes mainly for environmental reasons reaching 2,700 signatures on Uplift.

Organised by eco-charity Voice, it argues harmful waste materials, such as mercury and cadmium, is being leached into our environment, negatively impacting human health and biodiversity".

So what is happening abroad? in Australia it is illegal to buy, possess or use liquid nicotine for vaping without a prescription, with nicotine classed as a dangerous poison as with arsenic.

Closer to home the Netherlands has banned e-cigarettes with flavours other than tobacco from July 1. Belgium is also clamping down with measures including packaging restrictions and a ban on vending machine sales.

Health Scotland does not ignore vaping in advice around quitting smoking, but says: The effectiveness of e-cigarettes compared with stop-smoking medications is mixed.

University College Cork chemistry professor John Sodeau thinks Ireland could look at the new New Zealand model which includes prescription-only vaping for adults and plans for a smoke-free younger generation.

Professor John Sodeau 'there hasn't been a long enough time span' to know the outcomes of vaping.

An expert in air pollution, he says a key issue is how little is known about the long-terms effects of vaping.

In the 1940s tobacco, believe it or not, was thought to be a health benefit because it would calm the nerves. We have learned a lot since then, he says.

Now its about 20 years for e-cigarettes and vaping, and there hasnt been a long enough time span really to check what the actual outcomes are.

He points to conflicting research on quitting smoking via vaping, and says: In a way we dont need any more research. Its just common sense to say I dont want someone doing the equivalent of sneezing in my face, which is what vaping is.

The new Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill bans the sale of all nicotine-inhaling products to under-18s.

Government consultation on the environmental impact of disposable vapes is open until July 27 and can be accessed online.
Black's of Kinsale, a leading name in the craft beer and spirits industry since 2013, has announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art distillery in the picturesque town.

This monumental expansion marks a significant milestone for Black's on their 10th anniversary, showcasing its commitment to innovation and elevating the craft spirits landscape.

Boasting a fantastic waterside location, with cutting-edge equipment and a meticulous production process, Irelands first co-located brewery and distillery aims to continue its legacy of exceptional beers and spirits that will captivate connoisseurs and redefine the art of distillation.

Key highlights of the new distillery include:

Craft spirits excellence: Black's distillery is equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and an experienced team of distillers and brewers who carefully craft small-batch spirits and beers. From premium whiskeys and gins to Irelands first indigenous rum, the distillery will offer a diverse range of beers and spirits that embody Black's commitment to quality and flavour.

Black's, who produced Ireland's first ever rum in 2018, are making history once again with the country's first co-located brewery and distillery.

Sustainable distillation practices: Environmental sustainability is at the core of Blacks values. The new distillery incorporates eco-friendly practices, including energy efficient systems, waste reduction initiatives, and water conservation measures, ensuring minimal impact on the environment while producing exceptional beers and spirits.

Distillery tours and tastings: Visitors to the new distillery will have the opportunity to embark on guided tours, immersing themselves in the art and science of distillation. From witnessing the brewing and distilling process to exploring the carefully selected ingredients and experiencing the maturation techniques, guests will gain a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship behind their beer and spirits. Tasting sessions will allow guests to savour the unique flavours and nuances of the distillery's creations.

Collaboration and innovation: The new distillery opens up exciting possibilities for collaborations with local artisans, chefs and mixologists, fostering a vibrant community of creative spirits enthusiasts. By pushing the boundaries of traditional distillation techniques and experimenting with unique flavours, Black's Brewery and Distillery aims to create innovative spirits that surprise and delight discerning palates.

Sam Black, founder of Black's of Kinsale, expressed his enthusiasm about opening the new facility, stating, "We are incredibly proud to unveil our new distillery, which is over three times larger than our current home, in the heart of Kinsale. With this expansion, we aim to push the boundaries of craft spirits and beer production, creating exceptional drinks that reflect our passion for innovation and dedication to quality. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our distillery and sharing our remarkable spirits with the world."

Cutting edge sustainability practices are essential to Black's operation.

The opening of the new facility also coincides with the launch of a unique investment opportunity, the Maverick Cask Club. This exclusive club is designed to offer a unique opportunity for members to be part of their whiskey journey from its very inception.

Members of the Maverick Cask Club will enjoy a range of exceptional benefits, including:

Early access to limited edition releases: Club members will be the first to savour and collect limited edition, small-batch whiskeys crafted by Black's Distillery expert distillers. Each release will showcase the brand's commitment to quality and showcase their innovative approaches to whiskey production.

Exclusive tasting events: Members will be invited to an annual gathering at the distillery where they can indulge in the artistry of whiskey-making and gain insights from the distillery team themselves. These gatherings will provide a unique opportunity to explore the nuances of various whiskey expressions and deepen their appreciation for the craft, while also allowing members to meet with other club members from around the world.

Sam and Maudeline plan to continue experimenting with new flavours at the new brewery and distillery.

Personalised whiskey experience: Members will have the opportunity to customise their whiskey journey, with access to personalised tastings, cask selections, and unique maturation processes. Black's Distillery is dedicated to curating a bespoke experience for each member, ensuring their whiskey preferences are honoured and their senses are delighted.

Alternative investment approach: Investment in Irish whiskey is booming as the global demand for premium spirits continues to rise. With its rich heritage and reputation for exceptional quality, Irish whiskey has captured the attention of investors seeking both financial returns and a taste of liquid gold.

Irish whiskey's versatility and appeal to a wide range of consumers make it an attractive investment opportunity. Blacks offer several types of casks depending on your budget and have a built-in Buy Back option that gives over 30% return over the seven-year investment.

As more whiskey lovers discover the distinct flavours and craftsmanship behind Irish whiskey, the investment landscape shines brightly for those who recognise its potential.

The stunning waterside location of the new distillery in picturesque Kinsale means future visitors are in for a treat for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.

Maverick Cask Club members will have the opportunity to embark on a remarkable whiskey journey, indulging in exceptional flavours, and being a part of our brand's evolution, said Sam. We can't wait to create unforgettable experiences for our members."

Membership to the Maverick Cask Club is limited, ensuring an intimate and exclusive community of whiskey enthusiasts. To join or learn more about the club, or about the distillerys upcoming events, visit www.blacksbrewery.com
Dutch King Willem-Alexander has apologised over his countrys role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech at an event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands.

The kings speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruttes apology late last year for the countrys role in the slave trade and slavery.

It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dutch king laid a wreath at the slavery monument after his speech (Pool via AP)

In an emotional speech which was cheered by guests and onlookers, Willem-Alexander referred back to that apology as he told the crowd: Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity, he added.

Willem-Alexanders voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the countrys national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Former legislator John Leerdam told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he felt tears running down his cheeks as the king apologised. Its a historic moment and we have to realise that, he said.

A woman wears a button in her hair referring to the year when slaves were free, ten years after a law was adopted abolishing slavery (Pool via AP)

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1 1863, but most of the enslaved labourers were forced to continue working on plantations for a further 10 years.

The commemoration and speech marks the start of a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of July 1 1873.

Research published last month showed that the kings ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euro (468 million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Mr Rutte apologised in December, he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million euro (172 million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the issue.

Willem-Alexander asked forgiveness in a speech at the slavery monument (Pool via AP)

That is not enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organised a protest march before the kings speech on Saturday under the banner: No healing without reparations.

Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas said: A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough.

An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations.

The Netherlands often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a black man, in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A ground-breaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies.

In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The king called for unity (Pool via AP)

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands are not alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologised to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed deepest regrets for abuses in Congo.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologised for the churchs role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, the King signalled support for research into the UK monarchys ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, have expressed their sorrow over slavery, but have not acknowledged the Crowns connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, the King referred to the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history.

English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

Willem-Alexander acknowledged that not everybody in the Netherlands supports apologies, but called for unity.

Theres no blueprint for the process of healing, reconciliation and recovery, he said. Together, we are in uncharted territory. So lets support and guide each other.
Pope Francis has chosen a bishop who is a trusted theological adviser from his Argentine homeland for one of the Vaticans most powerful positions  head of the watchdog office that ensures doctrinal orthodoxy.

Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernandez, now serving as archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, is tapped to head the Dicastery, or department, for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The new doctrinal prefect, or chief, has been nicknamed the popes theologian since he is widely believed to have helped author some of Francis most important documents.

The office enforces orthodoxy of church teaching and disciplines theologians deemed to have strayed from Catholic doctrine in their lectures or publications.

But the office has taken on considerably more importance in recent decades to rank-and-file faithful as the stain of paedophile priests spread across the globe.

Pope Francis has appointed a fellow Argentine to the role (AP)

Among the departments duties are evaluating and processing sex abuse allegations against clergy.

Msgr Fernandez is widely believed to have been a key author behind some of Francis most consequential documents, notably God is Love, a 2016 exhortation that opened the door to letting divorced Catholics who remarry in civil ceremonies to receive Communion.

Catholic teaching holds that marriage is a sacrament, and that remarried Catholics must live together as brother and sister and abstain from sex as a condition for receiving Communion.

That prospect  long sought by divorced and remarried Catholics who lament being cut off from the Eucharist  would anger conservative hierarchy and rank-and-file faithful if it were to be codified in teaching some day.

The new chief replaces retiring Cardinal Luis Ladaria, a Jesuit like Francis who took over in 2017, after the pontiff abruptly removed conservative German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller after a single term as the doctrinal watchdog.

Cardinal Mueller had been appointed to that post by Pope Benedict XVI, a darling of church conservatives.

Msgr Fernandez, 60, will take up his post in mid-September, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis presides over a mass on St Peter and St Pauls Day last week (AP)

He is a prolific author and biblical expert who has long had support of Francis, who before becoming pontiff in 2013, was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Msgr Fernandez has made clear that while archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio supported his nomination as rector of the Catholic University of Argentina after critics raised concerns about some of his doctrinal positions.

The doctrinal watchdog office has 16th-century roots in a commission established to deal with heresy and schism.

Known originally as the Sacred Roman and Universal Inquisition, the body also scrutinised matters of faith and morals.

In a letter to his new appointee that was made public by the Vatican on Saturday, Francis wrote that the office in its current version has as its central purpose safeguarding church teaching that springs from faith in order to give reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point out and condemn.
Myanmar junta troops raided an Eid celebration in a Muslim ward of Yangon Region on Thursday and seized over 100 animals that were being sacrificed.

The Muslim community in Thingangyun Township collected the livestock ahead of Eid al-Adha or the Holiday of Sacrifice.

About an hour after the sacrifices began on Thursday, more than 10 junta police, troops and administrative staff arrived and stopped the ceremony.

We had already sacrificed seven cattle. They took away all the meat and seized the remaining livestock, said a Muslim man who lost a cow.

The community said 22 cattle  including the seven which had been killed  and 100 goats, which were due to be sacrificed, were seized.

The worshippers dispersed to avoid arrest.

The participants said the junta troops and police treated the livestock with great cruelty as they drove them onto trucks, injuring some of the cattle.

The worshipers had long collected money for Eid, with the livestock valued at more than US$100,000.

A Muslim resident said the community received permission and paid charges for the event.

I was trembling while they beat the cattle to drive them into the trucks. They were armed so we could do nothing, said a young Muslim man.

The livestock were reportedly taken to the Ywar Thar Gyi abattoir in East Dagon Township.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing attends religious ceremonies, including non-Buddhist events, and is often seen with the Catholic archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Bo.

His appearances are seen as an attempt to show religious tolerance while junta troops terrorize religious minorities and many Buddhist communities.

The civilian National Unity Governments acting president, Duwa Lashi La, issued a statement wishing good health, pleasure and safety for Eid al-Adha on Thursday.

Myanmar was added this year to the list of countries of particular concern by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The regimes targeting of religious minorities was reminiscent of the Rohingya Muslim clearances in Rakhine State in 2017, the commission said.

Myanmars regime destroyed more than 100 Buddhist and Christian buildings within 14 months of seizing power in February 2021.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Zanu-PF rally to be addressed by President Mnangagwa at Nyele Primary School in Bulilima District, Matebeleland South Province today is a celebration as it is the rolling out of the ruling party's massive campaign machinery ahead of the national elections on 23 August.It is a celebration in that it coincides with the 24th anniversary of the death of former Vice-President and veteran nationalist Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, described by President Mnangagwa this week as "a doyen of African liberation, a gentle giant and a passionate nation-builder."President Mnangagwa arrived in Bulawayo yesterday ahead of today's rally.Dr Nkomo died on July 1, 1999 at the age of 82 and was buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, receiving arguably the largest send-off at the national shrine.The rally is also a show of force as the revolutionary party flexes its muscles and displays the best organisational skills, putting it ahead of other political parties contesting for power next month.It comes a week after the ruling party launched its election campaign in Chipinge, Manicaland Province where President Mnangagwa addressed thousands of party supporters in what was interpreted as an emphatic statement by Zanu-PF in its quest to retain power.Zanu-PF Matebeleland South provincial chairperson Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu told Saturday Chronicle yesterday that they were ready to receive the President.He said after the rally, a music gala will be held in Matobo District in honour of Dr Nkomo ."It's all systems go, we have organised about 200 buses to bring party members from around the province. We are also organising additional transport as we expect a bumper crowd for the rally," he said."You will know that the day coincides with the anniversary of the death of Dr Joshua Nkomo so the main musical gala will be held in Matobo after the rally while we will have some artistes to entertain crowds at the rally. It is a special day also in that we will be having the President interacting with the people, a leader with so much love and his working so hard for the benefit of the people."Provincial Secretary for Administration Edgar Moyo said the holding of the rally on the anniversary of Dr Nkomo's death was an honour for the province."It is an honour of the legacy of Dr Nkomo and an honour to Matebeleland South as a province. Dr Nkomo was a unifier and the commemoration of his death coming on the eve of the elections should be a reminder that we must not forget the sacrifices of our liberators and what they fought for," said Moyo."Dr Nkomo sacrificed a lot for the freedom of our country and this rally should not only be a reminder but a rejuvenation of the revolutionary spirit of our forbearers. Remember, this is not a rally for a district but for the entire Matebeleland South province."The last PF-Zapu Matebeleland South chairperson, Richard Ndlovu, now a Politburo member in the ruling party, feels the holding of today's rally is a special coincidence."I think the timing is special in that we hold the rally at the home province of Dr Joshua Nkomo right on the day we mark 24 years since his death. It is a special way of honouring him.We have also gone as far as holding the music gala in Maphisa, in Matobo/Kezi the district of his birth so after the rally everyone moves to Matobo for the gala," said Ndlovu a former Bulilima-Mangwe legislator.Besides the celebration of Dr Nkomo's anniversary, Bulilima District produced some of the country's luminaries like the national heroes, George Silundika, Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu, Stanley Gagisa Nleya, the last Deputy Commander of ZPRA, Brigadier-General Tlije Dubhu Nleya who lives in Bulawayo.Matebeleland South as a province also produced steadfast nationalists such as Cdes Sikhwili Khohli Moyo, Simon Khaya Moyo, General Lookout Mafela Masuku, Boysen Mguni, Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, Jason Ziyapapa Moyo and Tafi Moyo. The ruling party's Vice-President Kembo Dugish Mohadi is also a son of Matebeleland South.In his statement to mark the anniversary of Dr Nkomo, President Mnangagwa said the late Vice-President was a selfless, fearless and committed fighter who preached love, unity, peace, hard work and sacrifice."Today, 1st July, 2023, our great nation, including our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, joins the Nkomo family in remembering the late National hero, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo, on the 24th anniversary of his death."Dr Joshua Nkomo served as Vice-President of the Republic of Zimbabwe from 1987 until his untimely demise on 1st July, 1999," said President Mnangagwa."The late former Vice President, affectionately known as "Chibwechitedza", "Umdala Wethu", "Father Zimbabwe", was a trade unionist, a revered nationalist and a Pan-African freedom fighter who committed his entire adult life to the decolonisation and emancipation of the people of Zimbabwe."The memories of this doyen of African liberation, a gentle giant and a passionate nation-builder, shall forever be etched in our hearts."President Mnangagwa said Father Zimbabwe will be remembered as a colossal political figure who, together with his compatriots, gallantly fought and defeated racial injustice, oppression and servitude.The President said despite prolonged political incarceration, Dr Nkomo never compromised on his revolutionary ideals"He belonged to an early crop of trade unionists who spurned subtle politics for a full-fledged armed struggle in seeking to liberate their motherland," he said."Father Zimbabwe left a huge footprint on the Zimbabwean political landscape, an enduring legacy of peace and the lofty values of Unhu/Ubuntu."
Kayah State resistance fighters shot down a Myanmar junta aircraft during an airstrike near Bawlakhe Township on Friday.

A Karenni National Peoples Liberation Front (KNPLF) officer told the media on Saturday that the aircraft was attacking the groups camps before it crashed near Ywar Thit.

He said the group had no anti-aircraft weapons but used heavy weapons and rifles to down the aircraft as it flew low.

The aircraft has not been identified. Approximately 300 junta troops were deployed in the area and around five helicopters arrived after the crash, the officer said.

A resistance source confirmed the reports to The Irrawaddy.

Two units of the KNPLF, which formerly served as the Border Guard Force in Kayah State under Myanmars military for nearly 30 years, turned on junta troops during June 13s attacks on regime outposts and police stations in Maese town.

On Saturday, the group officially announced it had joined the revolution to topple the repressive regime.

The KNPLFs announcement said it is ready to work with the civilian National Unity Government to carry out revolutionary tasks.
Junta tries another card

After playing the religion card but still failing to win public support in a Buddhist majority country, Myanmars military regime is hoping the nationalist card will do the trick. The junta is calling on Myanmar citizens to push for the return of royal jewelry and other heritage items taken from Burma by British colonial rulers.

The same trick has been used by previous military dictators, disguised in the sweet words of genuine patriotic spirit and nationalist fervor.

In 1964-65, the British government returned more than 140 pieces of royal jewelry and other items looted by British colonizers from the Mandalay Palace of King Thibaw following their annexation of Upper Burma in 1885. The items were repatriated at the request of Myanmars first military dictator, General Ne Win, who was on a two-month visit to London at the time.

Current junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is now following in his footsteps with articles published in junta propaganda newspapers on June 27 and 28 demanding the return of more Burmese royal items from Britain.

However, the regime has shown no such respect for heritage at home, having carried out artillery attacks and torched villages in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hanlin. It has done the same in the ancient city of Mrauk-U in western Myanmars Rakhine State, the seat of Arakanese kings from the 15th to the 18th centuries and now awaiting approval as UNESCO World Heritage. Elsewhere, it has bulldozed the internationally recognized Neolithic archaeological site of Taungthaman in Mandalay. So, it is obvious that the junta is merely exploiting the looted royal items for its political advantage.

Cronies splash cash for giant folly

Everyone in Myanmar knows that Min Aung Hlaing is building what is touted as the worlds tallest sitting Buddha statue, Maravijaya, in Naypyitaw in a bid to portray himself as the guardian of Burmese Buddhism. Though the statue is almost complete, the junta boss still needs funds for the Buddhism-themed park and religious buildings that surround it it. So, he invited cronies to the park on Thursday and solicited donations.

Among top-flight cronies donating cash at the event were Kyaw Ne Win, the grandson of late military dictator Ne Win; sons of the Than Shwe regime minister U Aung Thaung; bankers U Zaw Zaw, U Khin Maung Aye and U Zaw Win Shein; and U Tun Myint Naing of Asia World. Min Aung Hlaing addressed them all as Dharma friends.

Min Aung Hlaing received 16.177 billion kyats (US$ 7.6 million) in a single day from his Dharma friends. He then led the cronies on a tour of the eerily treeless Buddha-themed park, telling them that the marble block from which the Buddha statue was carved was handed over to the military by his predecessor, the dictator Than Shwe.

Junta chief hands bauble to Russian ambassador

Ambassador Listopadov is the fourth official from the regimes main arms supplier to be honored since the 2021 coup.

Read more here: Myanmar Junta Chief Rewards Departing Russian Envoy With Title
Saturday, Jul 1st, 2023 (12:01 am) - Score 2,352

The latest biannual summary of UK fixed broadband coverage for H1 2023 has found that full fibre (FTTP) ISP networks have surged to reach 52.77% of premises (up from 45.13% in H2 2022) and 76.22% are within reach of gigabit speeds (up from 72.66%). Read on for details of England, Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland.

At present virtually all of this new gigabit (1000Mbps+ or 1Gbps+) class connectivity is coming from Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based networks via Openreach (BT), Virgin Media, KCOM, Hyperoptic, CityFibre, CommunityFibre, G.Network, Netomnia, Gigaclear and many others (Summary of Full Fibre Builds).

The reason why gigabit coverage is so much higher than full fibre is because the 14.3 million premises covered by Virgin Medias older Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network were upgraded to gigabit-capable DOCSIS 3.1 technology between 2019 and the end of 2021. But gigabit coverage now grows at a slower pace because a lot of urban focused FTTP builds are overbuilding that HFC.

Most of the progress on gigabit-capable coverage during 2023 is still down to commercial investment in FTTP, often with only a little support from the Governments various voucher schemes. But the 5bn Project Gigabit (F20) programme and its subsidised rollout contracts are starting to have a tiny impact on this, which we expect to grow over the next few years.

Meanwhile, those still stuck in sub-10Mbps areas will, for the time being, be left with little option but to either try harnessing the flawed 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO), take a satellite connection (Starlink is good, if you can afford it) or wait for a fixed line upgrade. People taking the USO are being promised speeds of over 10Mbps (often via 4G rather than fibre), but some of those will find that they live in areas where not even the USO can cover the colossal upgrade costs (here and here). The government are still examining support options for remote premises.

Listed below is the latest independent modelling from Thinkbroadband to July 2023 (H1  2023). We should point out that the figure for Under 10Mbps doesnt reflect 4G mobile coverage, which plays a part in the official USO but isnt included in TBBs mapping work. Sadly, its incredibly difficult to do an accurate model for mobile coverage, especially in terms of a specific performance level.

NOTE: The figures in brackets (%) represent the previous H2  2022 result from Jan 2023.

Fixed Broadband Network Availability H1  2023



Area 30Mbps+ Full Fibre Gigabit % Under 10Mbps

England 97.90% (97.78%) 52.11% (44.21%) 77.09% (73.63%) 0.69% (0.71%) UK 97.61% (97.40%) 52.77% (45.13%) 76.22% (72.66%)

0.94% (1.02%)

Wales 96.92% (96.61%) 49.45% (41.54%) 63.21% (57.07%) 1.59% (1.75%) Scotland 95.61% (95.28%) 47.81% (41.75%) 69.77% (66.80%) 2.49% (2.66%) N.Ireland 96.64% (94.37%) 92.27% (88.31%) 93.01% (89.19%) 2.10% (3.65%)

NOTE 1: Much of the gigabit coverage is coming from Virgin Medias existing HFC cable network, although Openreach, Hyperoptic, Gigaclear, Cityfibre and many others all have big full fibre (FTTP) expansion plans. But theres a lot of overbuild between HFC and FTTP, so future progress post-2021 has been slower now that VM have completed their upgrade. NOTE 2: Its very important to remember that Government / political coverage targets, like 85% for gigabit by 2025, reflect a national average, which can of course be better or worse for some areas (e.g. some may achieve higher coverage, while others could be well below that).

Take note that each devolved region (Scotland, Wales etc.) may have its own policy and targets, which all feed into the central UK figure. For example, while Northern Ireland may be behind on superfast speeds, their full fibre coverage is far ahead of other regions  exceeding 90%  and theyll also be one of the first to achieve near universal coverage of gigabit speeds.

We also think its worth highlighting how much of an impact newer alternative networks (AltNets) are having on all this. Excluding coverage by Openreach, KCOM and Virgin Media, rival AltNets alone were found to have covered 23.64% of the UK with FTTP by H1 2023 (up from 18.20% in H2 2022). This breaks down to 25.04% in England (up from 19.29%), 6.81% in Wales (up from 3.79%), 19.85% in Scotland (up from 16.74%) and 23.45% in Northern Ireland (up from 15.74%). But the overall coverage impact will be lower due to overbuild, particularly in urban areas.

As stated earlier, this data is an estimate and should be taken with a pinch of salt, not least because it wont always reflect the very latest real-world position. But its still one of the best and most up-to-date gauges that we have for checking against official claims (official figures tend to be a tiny bit higher than TBBs data due to differences in data modelling etc.).
Saturday, Jul 1st, 2023 (7:21 am) - Score 6,072

The UK Governments 5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme has announced that CityFibre have secured three major build contracts for Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk in England. The combined award is worth 488m (318m state aid and 170m private) and will see the operator extend 10Gbps capable FTTP to 218,000 premises (500k inc. commercial build).

The operator, which is supported by ISPs like Vodafone, TalkTalk, Giganet and more, already covers 2.8 million UK premises (2.4m RFS) with full fibre  mostly in urban areas  and their ambition is to cover up to 8m (funded by c.2.4bn in equity and c.4.9bn debt)  across over 285 cities, towns and villages (c.30% of the UK)  by the end of 2025 (here). But they also previously secured the Project Gigabit contract for Cambridgeshire (here).

NOTE: 76.22% of UK premises can already access a gigabit speeds (53% via just 76.22% of UK premises can already access a gigabit speeds (53% via just FTTP )  detail

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 more than 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 strongly 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 rollout contracts to various operators (see bottom of article for a summary) and todays news adds another three, all of which have gone to CityFibre.

Norfolk contract (Lot 7)

114m Project Gigabit investment

43m CityFibre investment

Connections for 62,200 rural homes and businesses

Locations including Buxton, Castle Acre and Horning will be among those to benefit.

A further 8,000 premises in the north west of the county are being reviewed for inclusion subject to survey in the next six months.

Survey work completed anticipated December 2023

Build commences anticipated January 2024

Build completion anticipated December 2028 Suffolk contract (Lot 2)

100m Project Gigabit investment

74m CityFibre investment

Connections for 79,500 rural homes and businesses

Locations including hamlets, villages and towns such as Icklingham, Mellis and Ringshall will be among those to benefit.

Survey work completed anticipated December 2023

Build commences anticipated January 2024

Build completion anticipated December 2028 Hampshire contract (Lot 27)

104m Project Gigabit investment

54m CityFibre investment

Connections for 75,500 rural homes and businesses

Locations including East Hampshire, Rushmoor and Test Valley will be among those to benefit.

Survey work completed anticipated December 2023

Build commences anticipated January 2024

Build completion anticipated March 2029

The above details only reflect CityFibres publicly funded deployment under the three contracts, but the private investment theyve made alongside will also add another 283,000 premises (over 500,000 in total).

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, said: Access to lightning-speed broadband is key to the governments plans for driving economic growth and levelling up communities. This investment of 318 million in government funding is a significant milestone in achieving that mission. Delivered through our flagship Project Gigabit programme, 218,000 homes and businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk, and Hampshire will benefit from a modern digital infrastructure, helping to power local communities and our plan to boost connectivity all over the UK.

CityFibre CEO, Greg Mesch, said: Securing three further Project Gigabit contracts firmly establishes CityFibre as an integral delivery partner to the Government for rural connectivity. Our growing participation is central to our strategy, optimising our commercial rollout plan alongside the programme to provide our ISP customers with unrivalled network density in regions throughout the country.

Generally, Project Gigabit is intended to focus on tackling the hardest to reach (predominantly rural) premises, although CityFibres contracts do appear to stray into some urban areas too, with the announcement noting that residents and businesses in Portsmouth, Beccles, the Broads and further afield will benefit (Portsmouth is not particularly rural).

However, CityFibres approach to these contracts is intended to be a complementary one, with the public investment only being used to tackle the tougher parts and this in turn will then help the operator to spread their coverage into more lucrative areas (i.e. where their private investment will be used).
Saturday, Jul 1st, 2023 (12:00 am) - Score 1,680

Benchmarking firm Opensignal, which specialises in testing the performance of mobile networks, has published new research that reveals how the UK compares with the rest of the world for 5G based mobile broadband speeds (downloads and uploads) and availability. Suffice to say, we sit at the wrong end of the table.

The new research is based off crowdsourced data gathered from users on millions of devices (Smartphones etc.) between 1st March and 29th May 2023. Overall, the United Kingdom was found to deliver 5G availability (i.e. % of time spent on 5G) of just 10.1%, with average download speeds of 124.4Mbps, average peak download speeds of 501.3Mbps and average uploads of 14.7Mbps.

NOTE: Uploads speeds on 5G networks in the UK will be weaker as theyre still partly dependent upon Uploads speeds on 5G networks in the UK will be weaker as theyre still partly dependent upon 4G services, at least until end-to-end Standalone 5G (SA) networks become more common.

By comparison, South Korea and Puerto Rico lead in worldwide 5G Availability, with 5G users in these markets approaching half of time spent with an active 5G connection on scores of 42.9% and 48.4% respectively. South Korea and Singapore also topped the table for average 5G download speeds, scoring 432.5Mbps and 376.8Mbps respectively.

As for average peak 5G download speeds, Bahrain came top on a staggering 1163.4Mbps, and they were followed by South Korea on 925.6Mbps. Finally, South Korea also came top for average 5G upload speeds on 42Mbps, and they were followed by Guatemala with 42Mbps.

Overall, the UK failed to place higher than the slowest third in any of the tables, which is disappointing given that we were one of the first countries to start rolling the technology out. But the UK Governments decision to ban Huawei after the rollout had begun, which at the time had some of the best kit, did play a role here.

Equally, the regulators in other countries have often made more radio spectrum available to 5G than the UK. For example, Ofcom has yet to release any mmWave bands (e.g. 24-26GHz) for operators to harness, although its admittedly unclear how much demand there might be for this. Such bands are much more expensive to deploy, due in part to the need for a denser network to counteract the coverage limitations.
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.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The outgoing Masvingo City Mayor councilor Collen Maboke who was disqualified during the early stages of the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate selection process officially filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate for Masvingo Urban parliamentary seat.The 41-year-old Maboke will be squaring it off with CCC's Martin Mureri (46), Zanu-PF's Wellington Mahwende (53), Bonface Mazarire of MDC-T (57) and Muneri Muneri Smart (52) of United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA)In 2018 Maboke fell out with CCC leader Nelson Chamisa after he defied the then MDC-Alliance party order to support Godfrey Kurauone as the council mayor. Maboke went on to contest the position and won with seven votes against Kurauone's three.Efforts by Chamisa to force Maboke to step down as mayor were futile as Maboke remained defiant and to add more to the beef between the two, Maboke was not recalled by Douglas Mwonzora's MDC Alliance which resulted in many concluding that he was loyal to Mwonzora not Chamisa.Addressing a press conference at his offices in town hours after filling his nomination papers, Maboke said he did not received any communication concerning his disqualification from the CCC race and had been encouraged by citizens to go sole in the August 23, 2023, harmonized elections."I did not receive any formal communication from the party advising me why I was disqualified and even the way forward. I then had to go back to the people who advised me to stand as an independent candidate and they have promised to stand with me as an independent candidate for Masvingo Urban seat," said Maboke.He also said the decision to go independent came after he had nowhere to appeal his case as the party is structure-less and does not have any constitution."CCC has no structures nor constitution so there was nowhere to appeal my case to, I then had to appeal to people who voted me and nominated me who assured me that they will support me" he said.Maboke was among the few main opposition councilors who survived Douglas Mwonzora's axe during his recalling spree which saw 4 fellow Masvingo urban councillors facing the chop.Clarifying how he survived Mwonzora's recalls, Maboke who has been labeled by some as an MDC-T member said he had a cordial relationship with the MDC-T leader whom he had worked for after he graduated from the law school."After I graduated from University Douglas Mwonzara was my first employer. I worked for him for five years before we parted ways without any problems and started my law firm. We had a good working relationship with him so maybe that is the reason why I was not recalled by him," he said.He however said he never attended any MDC meeting but was in all CCC programmes meaning that his loyalty was with CCC not MDC.Maboke also said he was not rallying behind any presidential candidate and will not tell his supporters which Presidential candidate to vote for."I am not going to campaign for any Presidential candidate; people know their ideal candidate and they are the ones to decide who will lead Zimbabwe in the next five years,"Maboke said he was confident that he will win the election since he did a lot during his tenure as Mayor and said people will not forget his contributions."People know what I did as a mayor and will definitely vote for me so that I further the developments I did at council like the construction of Rujeko Secondary school to mention just a few," said Maboke.Maboke will battle it out with his deputy Wellington Mahwende of Zanu-PF, Boniface Mazarire of MDC-T, Smart Muneri Muneri of UZA.
Opinion / Columnist

#BulawayoNominationCourt: Schelesile Mahlangu says every CCC candidate knew that they were filling their papers in the afternoon as part of their strategy.#Asakhe pic.twitter.com/Azq6iOE8kh  CITE (@citezw) June 21, 2023

CCC candidates are requesting to submit their papers in Bulawayo after they failed to meet the 4pm deadline. The nomination court has closed pic.twitter.com/hWDDE7Riuq  Sunday News (@SundayNewsZimba) June 21, 2023

Much has been said today in attempts to explain or excuse CCC's candidate nomination debacle in Bulawayo, following yesterday's press statement by Patrick Chinamasa, on Zanu-PF's position on the matter.Apart from emotive bare denials and the usual ad hominem insults and crude personal demonisation, neither CCC nor its supporters have presented any facts to support their bare claim that all 12 CCC constituency candidates were present in court and ready to file complete and valid nomination papers by 4 pm, when the Nomination Court in Bulawayo closed on 21 June 2023, the nomination day.Instead of providing any factual evidence establishing the presence and readiness of CCC candidates to file, by the material time, complete and valid nomination papers, CCC and its supporters have been pointing to the proviso [which they have highlighted in Chinamasa's press statement] under section 46(7) of the Electoral Act, as their evidence", when in fact that proviso is only the law, which law must be applied to the facts of the case, which facts of the case CCC and its supporters do not have or are embarrassed to engage, fearing to expose themselves.But even worse, CCC and its supporters are either deliberately misinterpreting the proviso they have highlighted, or they in fact do not understand it.Section 46(7) of the Electoral Act with the proviso at the bottom provides that:(7) No nomination paper shall be received by the nomination officer in terms of subsection (6) after four o'clock in the afternoon of nomination day or, where there is more than one nomination day for the election concerned, the last such nomination day:Provided that, if at that time a candidate or his or her chief election agent is PRESENT in the court and READY to submit a nomination paper in respect of the candidate, the nomination officer shall give him or her an opportunity to do so.I have put 'PRESENT' and 'READY' to highlight the point in question.Section 46(7) is clear that "no nomination paper shall be received by the nomination officer after 4 pm" unless "at that time", meaning at 4 pm, a candidate or his or her chief election agent is PRESENT in the court and is READY to submit a complete and valid nomination paper.This is very clear.It's not enough to be present in court waiting for someone from Harare or wherever to bring correct correct papers or to come and sign fresh nomination papers.It's also not enough to be loitering in the corridors or halls of the Court, making frantic calls to Harare or wherever, to no end. A candidate or their chief election agent has to be present inside the court and must be ready to file complete and a valid nomination paper. That is the law.The fact is that none of the CCC candidates were present inside the Court and ready with complete and valid papers at 4 pm on nomination day, 21 June 2023.None.ZEC adjourned the Nomination Court from 4 pm to 6pm to accommodate CCC candidates who were in fact not READY to submit, for processing, complete and valid nomination papers in terms of the proviso under section 46(7) of the Electoral Act.So the Nomination Court adjourned from 4 pm to 6 pm, then from 6 pm to 8 pm, then from 8 pm to 10 pm, then from 10 pm to midnight, then from midnight to 10 minutes after midnight [22 June 2023] and then went on well into the wee hours of 22 June 2023, a non nomination day!From the attachment below, whose details have not been challenged, it is clear that the only CCC candidate who submitted fresh nomination papers after 4 pm, during the first unlawful adjournment from 4 pm to 6 pm was Sichelesile Mahlangu, who submitted at 5pm.So, where were the rest of CCC's candidates who were allegedly present inside the court at 4 pm and were allegedly ready to submit complete and valid nomination papers?Where were they?At 5 pm, inside the Bulawayo Nomination Court on 21 June 2023, there was only Sichelesile Mahlangu, who herself, earlier at 4 pm, was not inside the Court and ready to file her complete and valid nomination paper, in terms of section 46(7) of the Electoral Act.The bottom line is this:If all the CCC candidates were PRESENT inside the Nomination Court by 4 pm, and if all of them were READY to file complete and valid nomination papers, why did the Nomination Court keep adjourning at two hour intervals from 4 pm to 6 pm to 8 pm to 10 pm to 12 midnight until it adjourned to the wee hours of the next day, 22 June 2023, which was not a nomination day, and which by law is not permissible?Why?That is the question!Here is Sichelesile Mahlangu in her own words talking about CCC candidates who were not ready to submit complete and valid nomination papers at 4 pm, on 21 June 2023, the nomination day.Around 4:04 pm on that day, @citezw posted a video interview with Sichelesile Mahlangu who was not present in court and who was not ready to submit a complete and valid nomination paper at 4 pm, and who instead ended up submitting her nomination paper at 5 pm: #BulawayoNominationCourt : Schelesile Mahlangu says every CCC candidate knew that they were filling their papers in the afternoon as part of their strategy. #Asakhe ."Sichelesile Mahlangu is asked by an interviewer:"Akula ofayile amapapers akhe, kuhamba njani"? [no CCC candidate has filed their nomination paper, what is happening"?]Sichelesile Mahlangu responds by saying that all the candidates know that they were supposed to file their papers together as a group in the afternoon and says there was an internal matter  which she does not disclose  between them which they were yet to finalise: "besilento yethu ekade sisayiqedisisa".In the circumstances, Sichelesile Mahlangu ended up going into the Nomination Court to file her papers alone at 5 pm, well after the 4 pm deadline!After 4 pm, when the Nomination Court had closed, the @SundayNewsZimba interviewed CCC's Gideon Shoko, a senatorial candidate, and posted a tweet with a video of the interview around 4:54 pm on nomination day:"CCC candidates are requesting to submit their papers in Bulawayo after they failed to meet the 4pm deadline. The nomination court has closed".Gideon Shoko leaves no doubt that he was not present inside the Court at 4 pm when it closed but claims to have been in the halls of the Court building. His claim aside, the law says a candidate or his or her chief election agent must be present in the court and be ready to submit complete and valid nomination papers.The facts speak for themselves.There's no need to interpret self-indulgent claims by exposed CCC candidates, who say they were in the halls of the court building at the material time, when they were supposed to be inside the Nomination Court, ready to file their nomination papers!
Engineering Services Exam 2024 https://career.webindia123.com/career/dates_and_events/entrance/upsc/upsc-egineering-services-examination.htm Details of Engineering Services Exam 2024 2023-7-1 2023-9-26 https://career.webindia123.com/career/images/exams.png India India Engineering Services Exam 2024 UPSC

UPSC Engineering Services Examination, 2024 - On 18th February, 2024

Engineering Services Exam 2024 Category : UPSC Recruitment 2023 Published : On July 1, 2023 By Webindia123 Editor

Important Dates

Date of Notification 6th September 2023 Last Date for Receipt of Applications 26 September 2023 Downloading of Admit card - Date of Examination 18th February, 2024

A combined competitive examination will be held by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to the Services/posts of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.

Candidates are required to apply online through online mode.

Eligibility

(a) Age Limits :

(a) The upper age - limit of 30 years will be relaxable upto 35 years in the case of Government servants of the following categories, if they are employed in a Department/ Office under the control of any of the authorities mentioned in column 1 below and apply for admission to the examination for all or any of the Service(s)/Post(s) mentioned in column 2, for which they are otherwise eligible.

(i) A candidate who holds substantively a permanent post in the particular Department/Office concerned. This relaxation will not be admissible to a probationer appointed against a permanent post in the Department/Office during the period of his probation. However, this relaxation will be admissible to a probationer so appointed provided he/she already retains a lien on a permanent post in a Department/Office under the control of any of the authorities mentioned in column 1 below.

(ii) A candidate who has been continuously in a temporary service on a regular basis in the particular Department/Office for at least 3 years.

(b) Educational Qualification :

For admission to the examination, a candidate must have -

obtained a degree in engineering from a University incorporated by ab act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of parliament or declared to be deemed as universities under section 3 of the university grants commission act, 1956; or

passed section A and B of the Institution Examination of the Institution of Engineers (Indian); or

obtained a Degree/ Diploma in Engineering from such foreign University/ Institute/ College and under such conditions as may be recognized by the government for the purpose from time to time, or

passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India); or

passed Association Membership Examination Parts- II & III/ Section A & B of the Aeronautical Society of India; or

passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London Held after November, 1959

How to Apply :

Candidates are required to apply online through the UPSC website www.upsconline.nic.in. Detail instructions for filling online are mentioned in the website.

Examination Centers :

Agartla, Ahmedabad, Aizwal, Aligarh, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bareilly, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharwar, Dispur (Guwahati), Gangtok, Hyderabad, Imphal, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Jorhat, Kochi , Kohima, Kolkata , Lucknow, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Portblair, Raipur, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Udaipur And Vishakhapatnam.

More details can be obtained from the UPSC website.

Contact Details Address : Union Public Service Commission

Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi - 110069 Phone : Fax : 011-23098591 Mobile : E-mail : Website : www.upsc.gov.in

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  After years of failed attempts to convince Missouri's Republican-led Legislature to enact stricter gun laws, St. Louis locals are trying to sidestep lawmakers altogether.

A former judge, state lawmaker and criminologist filed initiative petitions on Wednesday that would amend Missouri's Constitution to allow St. Louis and other local governments to adopt their own gun policies.

The use of guns for hunting in rural Missouri is very different than the use of guns in urban areas, Rick Rosenfeld, a retired University of MissouriSt. Louis criminology professor, said in a statement.

The effort comes after Republican lawmakers rebuffed requests this year from St. Louis' mayor and new police chief to make it harder for minors to carry firearms or to allow urban areas to adopt stricter gun policies compared to the rest of the state.

In February, the GOP-led House voted down a bipartisan proposal to put limits on when and where minors may carry guns, despite pleas from St. Louis lawmakers who told stories about teenagers toting rifles downtown.

St. Louis officials renewed calls for action when one teenager was killed and 10 others were hurt at a downtown party that devolved into a shootout on June 18. Survivors range from ages 15 to 19, and injuries include multiple gunshot wounds and grazings.

St. Louis police said a 17-year-old who had a gun at the party was arrested but was released to a parent because its not illegal for teenagers to carry a firearm in Missouri. Police havent been able to tie the teen to the shooting.

In voting against limits on teenagers carrying firearms, Republican House members argued this year that doing so would be an unneeded infringement on gun rights and would not solve the crime problem facing St. Louis.

While it may be intuitive that a 14-year-old has no legitimate purpose (carrying a firearm), it doesnt actually mean that theyre going to harm someone, Rep. Tony Lovasco, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of OFallon, said during a February House debate.

Two proposals by Sensible Missouri would give St. Louis, St. Louis County, Kansas City and Jackson County the power to impose local gun rules. Another petition would allow any local government to adopt gun regulations if approved by local voters.

Missouri lawmakers passed a law in 2014 preventing cities and counties from enacting any gun policies.

Sensible Missouri would work around that law by restoring local governments' right to act on firearms through the state constitution, which also would make it harder for state lawmakers to undo.

The secretary of state is collecting public comments on the three proposals.
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By Avery Anapol and Mend Mariwany | 

(The Conversation)  Around the world, borders between countries are getting tougher. Governments are making it more difficult to move, especially for certain groups of vulnerable people. This comes with a message, subtle or not: that people are moving to higher-income countries to take advantage of the welfare system, or the jobs of people already living there.

But evidence shows that much of what we think about migration  particularly those of us in Europe, North America and Australia  is wrong. Political narratives, often replicated in the media, shape the conversation and public attitudes toward migration.

As the researchers we speak to in this episode of The Conversation Weekly tell us, these narratives are not the full picture. Our interviewees explain what migration really looks like around the world, what drives people to uproot their lives and move, and how some countries in Africa are welcoming refugees.

Challenging the narrative

Heaven Crawley, a researcher at UN University Centre for Policy Research based in New York, has been interested in migration since the late 1980s. Then, the breakup of the former Yugoslavia caused what was often referred to as a refugee crisis in Europe.

Language like crisis has been a part of the discourse on migration for years. But Crawley thinks of this in a particular way: Its absolutely fair to say that there is a crisis associated with migration. Its normally for the people who are actually moving, because theyre often in situations where there are huge inequalities in the right to move.

Crawley shared that migration, while intrinsic to our economies and the way we function, is not actually the norm. Most people dont migrate, and those who do mostly move within their country of origin.

She explained how, in Europe especially, perceptions of those who do migrate are often clouded by a narrative that people who move, legally, for work are good migrants. Conversely, people who move without visa permission or through clandestine means are viewed as bad migrants.

In reality, people moving for any reason is usually a force for good for the country they move to and the people they encounter, Crawley suggested. People are coming to realise that actually, migration can be very positive in terms of their day-to-day lives, who they mix with, who their family are married to.



Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

When people decide to migrate, whether seeking economic opportunities or to escape violence or persecution, there are a number of factors influencing where they go. Valentina Di Iasio, a research fellow at the University of Southampton in the UK, has researched what makes people choose one country over another.

Di Iasio and her colleague Jackie Wahba wanted to investigate the theory of the welfare magnet, that people choose to migrate to countries where the welfare state is more generous.

But looking specifically at asylum seekers, they found that the strongest pull factor attracting people to particular countries is social networks. In other words, its not about the economy or welfare state, its about having the possibility to rely on a community that is already there and already established.

Di Iasio also noted that many countries have policies preventing asylum seekers from working when they first arrive. But she said these policies often backfire, both for people arriving, and the host countrys overall economy: If you ban asylum seekers from employment, this leads people  to become more dependent on public spending in the short term, and this is not good for anyone.

Migration in the global south

Its impossible to understand the global picture of migration if we only look at specific routes  for example, from India to the UK, or from Mexico to the US. According to Crawley, about one third of global migration happens within the global north (Europe, North America, Australia and parts of Asia), one third happens within the global south (South America, Africa and parts of Asia), and the remaining third is between the two.

With that in mind, we spoke to Christopher Changwe Nshimbi, a researcher at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, about a region with frequent movement across borders. He studies the relationship between migration, development and regional integration (countries forming economic and trade relationships with each other) in Africa.

Nshimbi said that more open borders are beneficial to regional integration in Africa. They allow people to move where their skills are needed, and to send remittances (money) back home to family, often within the same region.

And yet, some countries are tightening their migration policies. Part of this, Nshimbi explained, is even influenced by attitudes in the global north. For example, development funding from the European Union is often tied to efforts to curb migration from Africa to the EU. Nshimbi said that when migrants are seen as a threat to high-income European countries: The tendency seems to be to try and influence the movement  of Africans within the African continent.

But he said this approach is misguided, and that funding development in low-income countries doesnt necessarily translate into people stopping migrating. In some cases, this funding to stop migration has been used in a way that causes instability and violence  and ultimately, more migration.

Looking toward the future

Nshimbi is now researching how the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather patterns, are leading people to migrate. While this will present challenges for governments, Nshimbi said the history of migration on the continent gives him reason to be optimistic.

He said he wonders why European countries talk about refugee crises when countries in Africa regularly host many more refugees. Citing the example of Uganda, he said: There are shining examples on the continent of countries that, though poor, host large numbers of refugees.

Again referencing Uganda, Nshimbi said that some countries are used to hosting refugees, providing them with land and resources so they can participate in local economies until they move elsewhere: A poor country, but they take care of them.

Listen to the full episode of The Conversation Weekly to learn more about migration around the world, what factors drive people to move, and what some countries in Africa are doing to welcome refugees.

This episode was written and produced by Avery Anapol and Mend Mariwany, who is also the executive producer of The Conversation Weekly. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl.

You can find us on Twitter @TC_Audio, on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via email. You can also subscribe to The Conversations free daily email here.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.

Avery Anapol, Commissioning Editor, Politics + Society and Mend Mariwany, Producer, The Conversation Weekly

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Middle East Monitor )  If Israels National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, can find excuses for the hilltop youths colonial violence, how much more is the concept of settler-colonial presence as a form of violence normalised?

During a meeting called by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir described the hilltop youth as sweet boys forced into adulthood through administrative detention. In February this year, the Shin Bets Chief, Ronen Bar, blamed setter violence in the Occupied West Bank on the hilltop youth. The settler community in Judea and Samaria are super normative and law-abiding, Bar had stated, while acknowledging that a very small percentage of hilltop youth that are harming the whole settler enterprise.

Ben-Gvir and Bar may be at odds, but not in terms of promoting impunity for colonial violence. The question is  what is considered as extremism in a settler-colonial framework which is already extremist in its foundations, when considering the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian towns and villages for Israels establishment?

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), for example, was revealed to have been recruiting the hilltop youth into a military unit called Desert Frontier, purportedly to rehabilitate the settlers into soldiers. Yet the IDFs origins can be traced back to the Zionist paramilitary gangs that terrorised and massacred Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba and before. Presumably, the institutionalisation of violence allows the IDF to distinguish between its violence and that of the hilltop youth.

Article continues after bonus IC video

TVC News Nigeria: Israels Ben-GVIR Allegedly Calls For Killings Of Palestinians

While the bickering between Israeli officials continues, the root of settler-colonialism in Palestine remains unchallenged, as does the violence of settler-colonial presence in Palestine. The persistent dissociation between different forms of violence erodes acknowledgement of Israel as an inherently violent settler-colonial enterprise, and facilitates the differentiation between settlers engaging in violent acts and the settlers whose presence in Palestine is a form of violence directly related to the Nakba. The latter is normalised and legitimised for the sake of detracting attention away from settler-colonialism, while the hilltop youth emerge as a violent, extremist entity that are either coveted or demonised by Israel, depending on which narrative best suits the political agenda. Yet neither would exist without the other, as all forms of colonial violence are necessary for Israels survival.

Ben-Gvirs comments escalate impunity for colonial violence, both for the hilltop youth and for the settler-colonial population. Such rhetoric  and Ben-Gvir is no stranger to inciting violence  gives all participants in the settler-colonial enterprise ample opportunity for expanding and normalising violence against Palestinians. So does the IDF, with its talk on integrating the most violent groups of Israels settler-colonial society into its ranks, while moving a step further from the usual state and settler collaboration in attacks against Palestinians on their territory.

There is no justification for the hilltop youth violence, in the same way as there should be no justification for colonial presence in Palestine. Israeli officials swaying the narrative in favour or against the hilltop youth should not provide the premise for narratives of the Palestinian anti-colonial resistance. Settler-colonists are not law-abiding; all are transgressors of the colonised peoples political right to live on their land.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.

Via Middle East Monitor
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( Clean Energy Wire)  Wind, solar and other renewable energy sources covered 52 percent of German electricity consumption in the first six months of 2023, up from 49 percent in the first half of last year, preliminary data by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wuerttemberg (ZSW) and energy industry association BDEW show.

A very sunny month of May, with record monthly solar power input of 8.8 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), made a big contribution, and June could even surpass this record, said the two organisations in a press release. Twenty years ago, hardly anyone would have thought it possible for us to generate more than half of our electricity from renewable sources, said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae.

She warned that a lack of skilled workers could represent a bottleneck for renewables buildout on the path to climate neutrality 2045, as many companies were had difficulties finding suitable employees today. In the coming years, the situation could worsen drastically, she said.

Article continues after bonus IC video

Germany Trade and Investment: Going Green  Germanys Energy Transition

Overall gross electricity production was at 266 billion kWh in the first half of 2023, a decrease of 11 percent compared to the same period last year. Electricity consumption dropped from 281 billion kWh in the first half of 2022 to 263 billion kWh one year later.

High energy prices in the energy crisis have led to reduced energy use already during much of 2022, with households and industry cutting their use in response to market developments and pleas by the government to conserve energy. This trend also persisted in early 2023, energy market research group AGEB said in early June.

Of the total consumption in the first half of 2023, 58 billion kWh came from onshore wind, 33 billion kWh from photovoltaics, 22 billion kWh from biomass, 12 billion kWh from offshore wind, and 10 billion kWh from hydropower.

Germany aims to increase the share of renewables in electricity consumption to 80 percent by 2030 and have a largely emission-free supply by 2035.

Clean Energy Wire

Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0) .
Tuesday, the Bismarck City Council voted unanimously to relocate the city court to St. Francois County Court, addressed nuisance buildings, and discussed the costs of natural gas.

Mayor Seth Radford claims that the move from having city court to sending complaints to the county is aimed at mitigating the financial strain caused by rising wages across the state of Missouri. In light of escalating costs of living and operations, Alderman Dan Smith spoke of expediting the transition, which he estimated to span up to a year. With the transition underway, Bismarck intends to have all court proceedings conducted at the county courthouse in Farmington in the near future.

The city has also undergone a transition in its dealings with local property owners who possess dilapidated or fire-damaged buildings. At the meeting, the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to transfer responsibility for these properties to the Bismarck Building Commission. This shift comes as the city follows protocols to either renovate or demolish these structures. To involve the public in the decision-making process, a Building Commission hearing is tentatively scheduled for the end of July. Radford, on behalf of the city, encouraged concerned citizens to contact city hall if they wish to express their opinions regarding these buildings.

Radford also brought up cost-saving measures related to the city's natural gas consumption. By unanimous decision, the board voted to switch natural gas providers from Symmetry Energy Solutions to Utility Safety & Design. Mayor Radford stated that he expects this change to yield a minimum savings of $10,000 for the city, with the potential for even greater long-term savings as the summer progresses and winter approaches.

Concluding the meeting, the board held a discussion on the number of animals being dropped off in the area. Mayor Radford stated that the local, no-kill animal shelters are currently inundated, particularly with dogs available for adoption. To start the adoption process, interested individuals are urged to contact (573) 734-2125 to schedule an appointment to save stray animals.
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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  The Swedish police permitted the burning of the Muslim scripture, the Quran (Koran) in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, on the grounds that previous attempts to stop such acts have been overruled by the courts on freedom of speech grounds.

Hate acts targeting minorities are not actually free speech, of course.*

The great exponent of mystical Islam, Sayyed Hossein Nasr, argued that if we want to understand the position of the Quran in Muslim societies, we should think of it as the way Christians venerate Christ. It is the very Word of God, which of course is what Christians call Jesus (John 1:1).

Nasr wrote, What corresponds to Christ as the word of God in Christianity is not the Prophet Muhammad but the Koran in Islam.

So burning the Quran is sort of like throwing a big wooden crucifix with the corpus of Christ on a bonfire.

Iraqis in several cities, led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, held demonstrations for the past two days against the desecration of scripture. On Thursday they had tried to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.

Ironically, the man who burned the Quran in Sweden is himself Iraqi, and he had served alongside the Shiite militias in a Chaldean Christian Popular Mobilization Force, fighting ISIL, which targeted Iraqi Christians. A lot of Iraqi Christians are angry about how Muslim fundamentalists in Iraq treated them after the American invasion. Since they are Christian they seem to have been unfairly tagged as somehow related to the American occupiers, but this allegation was untrue. Many Kurds and Shiite Muslims were close to the Americans, though.

It is interesting to me that there are indications in the Quran itself of how believers should respond to ridicule and harassment. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad himself, the Quran says, pagans in the city of Mecca subjected the early believers to a great deal of humiliation.

I wrote about these peace verses in my edited book,



Peace Movements in Islam, edited by Juan Cole. London: IB Tauris, 2021. Click here. .

Enwrapped 73:10-12 speak of how the believers were to respond to hostile comments: Be patient with what they say and take your leave of them graciously. Leave to me the affluent who impugn your integrity, giving them a short reprieve, for we possess shackles and a searing abyss . . .

The notion of leaving vengeance to God can be compared to Pauls Epistle to the Romans, 12:19, Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

The Prophet was so far away from harboring any ill-will toward his opponents that in Ornaments 43:33-35, Muhammad appears to speak in his own voice with these sentiments: If it would not have caused all people to observe a single communal path (an yakun ummatan wahida) we would have bestowed roofs of silver and staircases for their houses on those who reject the All-Merciful, and would have furnished their homes with fine doors and couches on which to recline, and gilded ornaments. But all that is merely for the enjoyment of the life of this world, whereas the hereafter is for the God-fearing.

The Criterion 25:63 says, The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk humbly upon the earth  and when the unruly address them, they reply, Peace!

The word for unruly here literally means ignorant, but it was used in that era to refer to people who lacked self-control. They clearly were low-lifes, taunting the believers, who kept their dignity and replied by praying for peace and security for their tormentors.

The Table 5:45 in the Medina period paraphrases Deuteronomy 19:21. Arberry translates it this way: And therein We prescribed for them: A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds retaliation; but whosoever forgoes it as a freewill offering (tasaddaqa bi), that shall be for him an expiation (kaffara). Whoso judges not according to what God has sent down  they are the evildoers.

So, as in the Gospels it is urged that the faithful go beyond the principle of an eye for an eye to exercise forgivenes, so in the Quran believers are urged to forgo demanding this satisfaction for a wrong against them, and it is implied that exercising restraint in this regard will bring the blessings of divine forgiveness on the believer.

Distinguished 41:33-35 observes, Whose discourse is more beautiful than one who calls others to God and performs good works and proclaims, I am a monotheist? The good deed and the evil deed are not equal. Repel the latter with what is best and behold, it will be as though the one, with whom you have a mutual enmity, is a devoted patron. Yet to none is this granted save the patient (alladhina sabaru), and to none is it granted save the supremely fortunate. This remarkable verse goes beyond counseling gracious withdrawal from and forgiveness of foes to urging doing good toward them and returning their evil deeds with good ones, which over time has the prospect of winning them over and making them patrons rather than enemies.

So thats it. Thats how the Quran advises dealing with unruly and hostile harassers. Return good for evil. Win them over. Wish peace on them. If the harassment becomes too much, withdraw graciously.

It might be objected that there are verses in the Quran authorizing violence. There are, but they are clearly about permission for self-defense when being violently attacked by marauding enemy warriors. They arent talking about how you would behave in peacetime and in civil society. Christian thinkers also made a distinction between war-time ethics and peace-time ones.

The Christian monk Athanasios of Alexandria (d. 373) wrote, For even in the case of the other actions in life we will find that there are differences based upon the circumstances in which they are done. For example, it is not permitted to commit murder, but in wars it is both lawful and praiseworthy to destroy ones enemies, so much so that those who displayed valor in war are deemed worthy of the highest honors, and monuments to them are erected to proclaim their achievements. And so, the same action is not permitted in certain circumstance and at certain times, but is allowed and excused in different circumstances and at the right time.

I also discussed the historical context for these verses in my biography of the Prophet Muhammad:



Juan Cole, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires (NY: Bold Type Books, 2018). Click here.



*An earlier version of this posting linked to an article alleging that Sweden had banned the burning of the Hebrew Bible. Apparently the person threatening to do so actually withdrew the threat before the police could decide on the issue.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2023 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)( OTCQB:NVGLF) (FSE:8NV) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") announces that, effective June 30, 2023, Mr. John Seaberg will resign from his positions as President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of NV Gold to pursue new opportunities.

During his time with the Company, Mr. Seaberg has overseen and been part of many changes. Under his leadership, NV Gold's exploration portfolio has continued to evolve, and a new strategy focusing on the Company's most advanced properties has been launched.

"We are grateful for Mr. Seaberg's efforts on behalf of NV Gold and wish him much success in all his ventures going forward", said John Watson, Chairman and CEO of the Company. "I continue to serve as Chairman of the Board and have been asked to serve as Interim CEO as our Board of Directors begins the process of permanently filling the position."

Mr. Seaberg has agreed to continue as an advisor to the Company to assist with the transition.

About NV Gold Corporation

NV Gold Corporation is a well-organized exploration company with ~89 million sharesissued and no debt. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Reno, Nevada and is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries in Nevada, USA. leveraging its expansive property portfolio, its highly experienced in-house technical team, and its extensive, searchable geological data library

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

John Watson, Chairman

For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact:

Freeform Communications at 604.245.0054

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 press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and statements that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company and include, without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the potential quantity and grade of mineral resources identified in the Exploration Target and the Company's current expectations regarding future exploration and development plans. Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except as may be required in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice regarding forward-looking information and statements.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heliostar Metals Ltd. (TSXV:HSTR) (the Company) is pleased to announce today that it has agreed with Clarus Securities Inc. (Clarus), as lead agent, on behalf of a syndicate of agents including PI Financial Corp. and Roth Canada, Inc. (collectively, the Agents), to increase the size of its previously announced $5,000,000 best efforts private placement offering being made pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption (the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption) under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106  Prospectus Exemptions (NI 45-106). Pursuant to the upsized deal terms, the Agents have agreed to sell, on a best efforts private placement basis, up to 14,324,324 units of the Company (the Units) to be priced at $0.37 per Unit (the Brokered Offering) for gross proceeds of up to $5,300,000, being the maximum amount permissible under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption. Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (Common Share) and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share for a period of 18 months following the Closing Date (as defined below), at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of six months following the Closing Date, after which time the exercise price will increase to $0.70 for the remaining term of the Warrant.

Due to strong investor demand, in addition to the Brokered Offering, the Company intends to complete a concurrent non-brokered private placement to accredited investors under Section 2.3 of NI 45-106 (the Non-Brokered Offering, and together with the Brokered Offering, the Offering) of up to 4,594,594 units of the Company, on the same pricing terms and conditions as the Offering, for additional gross proceeds of up to $1,700,000.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to continue the exploration and development work on its Ana Paula Project in Guerrero, Mexico, as well as general corporate working capital purposes.

The Offering is scheduled to close on or about July 11, 2023, and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with NI 45-106, the Units will be offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada, except Quebec, and/or other jurisdictions agreed to between the Company and Clarus. The Units offered pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption will not be subject to resale restrictions pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws. All other Units issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to the statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

There is an amended offering document dated the date hereof related to the Brokered Offering that can be accessed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.heliostarmetals.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. persons (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Stewart Harris, P.Geo., a Qualified Person, as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein

About Heliostar Metals Ltd.

Heliostar is a junior mining company with a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in Mexico and Alaska.

The Company is focused on developing the 100% owned Ana Paula Project in Guerrero, Mexico. In addition, Heliostar is working with the Mexican government to permit the San Antonio Gold Project in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The Company continues efforts to explore the Unga Gold Project in Alaska.

The Ana Paula Project deposit contains proven and probable mineral reserves of 1,081,000 ounces of gold (630,000 proven and 451,000 probable ounces) at 2.38 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 2,547,000 ounces of silver at 5.61 g/t silver (1,322,000 proven and 1,226,000 probable ounces). The project measured and indicated resources of 1,468,800 ounces of gold (703,800 measured and 765,000 indicated ounces) at 2.16 g/t gold and 3,600,000 ounces of silver (1,637,000 measured and 1,963,000 indicated ounces) at 5.3 g/t silver. The project is permitted for open-pit mining and contains significant existing infrastructure including a portal and a 412-metre-long decline.

For additional information please contact:

Charles Funk

Chief Executive Officer

Heliostar Metals Ltd.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rob Grey

Investor Relations Manager

Heliostar Metals Ltd.

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Cautionary Statement

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On an early June day, five foster children were being housed by SSM Health at hospitals in the St. Louis area not because they were sick, but because there was no other place for them to live. They had each been in the hospital an average of 56 days.

There were 23 adult clients of the Department of Mental Health  people with a developmental disability or behavioral issue  being boarded by SSM. Each had been hospitalized an average of 193 days.

And there were 10 adults over age 65 or considered fragile, also mental health clients, boarded in SSM hospitals for no medical reason, who had been there an average of 403 days each.

SSM is not the only hospital system housing children and adults who have no other place to go after receiving treatment. All of Missouris hospital systems have served this function at one point or another in the last year, and the number of children in limbo has been growing.

Of the 13,183 foster children in the custody of the Missouri Childrens Division at the end of April, 52 were housed in medical facilities and 258 were housed in mental health facilities. At the end of April 2022, there were 72 foster children in medical facilities and 92 in mental health facilities.

The Department of Mental Health also has difficulty finding residential support providers. It has 704 clients who are developmentally disabled waiting for a residential placement, with the more than three dozen housed in hospitals considered among the most critical for placement.

Unfortunately, right now, hospitals are a place where both residential facilities and in some cases, therapeutic foster families  or you know, or families in general  will bring their children because they dont feel adept at caring for the child, said Michelle Schafer, regional vice president for behavioral health at SSM. There are usually significant behavioral components to the situation.

Its happening everywhere

Foster children living in hospitals or other temporary locations for long periods isnt just a Missouri problem. Many states are finding it difficult to recruit foster parents, especially in rural areas, KFF Health News reported this week.

But inappropriate placements are just one of the multiple issues for the struggling Childrens Division in the Department of Social Services. The first step to rollback years of cuts, remedy low pay leading to high turnover and reduce massive caseloads came this year when lawmakers funded a $13.7 million plan to rebuild the division.

For the Department of Mental Health, one of the biggest issues is community providers are struggling with staffing issues.

Many are working to regain staff lost during the COVID-19 pandemic or lured away by rising wages in less demanding jobs.

We lost about 50% of our residential beds, because we had a workforce shortage, which then sort of turned this cycle into a situation where we had a lot of kids, and we had no place for them to go, Schafer said.

During the legislative session that ended in May, lawmakers added a modest amount to the budget for community service providers supporting people with developmental disabilities. The extra money will allow those providers to boost pay by about $1 an hour, to just over $16 an hour.

They also passed legislation, sponsored by Sen. Elaine Gannon, directing the Mental Health and Social Services departments to study and report on the impact of hospitalizing foster children and Department of Mental Health clients without medical justification because appropriate post discharge placement options are unavailable, and how to end it.

The bill also includes a number of other provisions, such as changes to professional licensing and changes to where the mental health department must treat people facing criminal charges who are not competent to stand trial.

Gannon doesnt remember who first convinced her to file a bill addressing foster children being housed in hospitals, she said.

But she remembers thinking it couldnt be true.

This doesnt happen, Gannon recalled thinking. They dont leave somebody in a hospital for six months, a year or even a month because they dont have anywhere to send them. I cant really believe that. Well, let me tell you, its the truth, and it is happening, and its happening everywhere.

On an early June day, five foster children were being housed by SSM Health at hospitals in the St. Louis area, not because they were sick, but because there was no other place for them to live. They had each been in the hospital an average of 56 days.

There were 23 adult clients of the Department of Mental Health  people with a developmental disability or behavioral issue  being boarded by SSM. Each had been hospitalized an average of 193 days.

And there were 10 adults over age 65 or considered fragile, also mental health clients, boarded in SSM hospitals for no medical reason, who had been there an average of 403 days each.

SSM is not the only hospital system housing children and adults who have no other place to go after receiving treatment. All of Missouris hospital systems have served this function at one point or another in the last year, and the number of children in limbo has been growing.

Of the 13,183 foster children in the custody of the Missouri Childrens Division at the end of April, 52 were housed in medical facilities and 258 were housed in mental health facilities. At the end of April 2022, there were 72 foster children in medical facilities and 92 in mental health facilities.

The Department of Mental Health also has difficulty finding residential support providers. It has 704 clients who are developmentally disabled waiting for a residential placement, with the more than three dozen housed in hospitals considered among the most critical for placement.

Unfortunately, right now, hospitals are a place where both residential facilities and in some cases, therapeutic foster families  or you know, or families in general  will bring their children because they dont feel adept at caring for the child, said Michelle Schafer, regional vice president for behavioral health at SSM. There are usually significant behavioral components to the situation.

Its happening everywhere

Foster children living in hospitals or other temporary locations for long periods isnt just a Missouri problem. Many states are finding it difficult to recruit foster parents, especially in rural areas, KFF Health News reported this week.

But inappropriate placements are just one of the multiple issues for the struggling Childrens Division in the Department of Social Services. The first step to rollback years of cuts, remedy low pay leading to high turnover and reduce massive caseloads came this year when lawmakers funded a $13.7 million plan to rebuild the division.

For the Department of Mental Health, one of the biggest issues is community providers are struggling with staffing issues.

Many are working to regain staff lost during the COVID-19 pandemic or lured away by rising wages in less demanding jobs.

We lost about 50% of our residential beds, because we had a workforce shortage, which then sort of turned this cycle into a situation where we had a lot of kids, and we had no place for them to go, Schafer said.

During the legislative session that ended in May, lawmakers added a modest amount to the budget for community service providers supporting people with developmental disabilities. The extra money will allow those providers to boost pay by about $1 an hour, to just over $16 an hour.

They also passed legislation, sponsored by Sen. Elaine Gannon, directing the Mental Health and Social Services departments to study and report on the impact of hospitalizing foster children and Department of Mental Health clients without medical justification because appropriate post discharge placement options are unavailable, and how to end it.

The bill also includes a number of other provisions, such as changes to professional licensing and changes to where the mental health department must treat people facing criminal charges who are not competent to stand trial.

Gannon doesnt remember who first convinced her to file a bill addressing foster children being housed in hospitals, she said.

But she remembers thinking it couldnt be true.

This doesnt happen, Gannon recalled thinking. They dont leave somebody in a hospital for six months, a year or even a month because they dont have anywhere to send them. I cant really believe that. Well, let me tell you, its the truth, and it is happening, and its happening everywhere.

All the top people

If signed by Gov. Mike Parson, the legislation that passed this year would formalize work already being done in consultation with providers, clients, schools and the courts, thanks to a conversation Gannon had with Schafer after a hearing in 2022.

Schafer had followed Gannon back to her office.

She comes in and sits down, and all of a sudden, Im hearing all these issues in the mental health area, and the foster care system, and all the problems theyre having, this patient boarding, everything, Gannon said. And Im just kind of sitting there overwhelmed.

The problem, she recalls thinking, was too important to wait for the legislation.

The biggest complaint was that there was a lack of communication, Gannon said. Nobody wanted anybody else telling them what to do. Or how to do their job. And nothing was getting done.

That is when she decided to bring department and division directors together with hospital representatives, as well as advocates for children and people with developmental disabilities or behavior disorders. And although she has been a legislator since 2013, Gannon wasnt sure exactly who to invite.

But she knew that Schafer did.

I said I want all the top people in this, Gannon said. I dont want the person thats three under the top person or even one under the top person. I want the top people. You know who they are. I do not know who they are. I said You get a list.

And she made Schafer the chair.

The first meeting, in April 2022, brought together Robert Knodell, director of Social Services, Val Huhn, director of the Department of Mental Health, Darrell Missey, director of the Childrens Division, Brian Kinkade, vice president of childrens health and Medicaid advocacy at the Missouri Hospital Association, and about a dozen others.

Given the name Childrens Behavioral Health Committee, also referred to as the Childrens Mental Health Collaborative, it now meets monthly and has at times 30 or more participants. Schafer said the emphasis has been on collaboration and keeping the focus on who is being served rather than finding blame.

What weve decided to do instead is come together in what is truly a crisis and say, You know, were all going to recognize that it is a failed system, that deinstitutionalization is failing right now. And were all going to lean in and be committed to doing our part to make it better, Schafer said.

What a hospital cant provide

Kinkade, director of social services under Gov. Jay Nixon, said finding placements for foster children after treatment, especially for high-needs children, has always been difficult.

At the end of April 2017, about the time Kinkade left the department, there were 33 foster children in medical facilities and 53 in mental health facilities. The numbers were virtually the same in April 2019. The numbers started creeping up a year later, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The pandemic really kicked it into high gear in terms of being a major issue, Kinkade said.

Hospitals are not designed or staffed to provide housing for foster children and adults with developmental disabilities or behavior issues that do not need treatment for acute conditions, Kinkade said.

Equally important, and what we need to remain mindful of, is that thats not a good setting either for the child or the young adult whos in that situation, Kinkade said. They need social supports, they need connections to communities, that a hospital just cant provide.

The majority of children in foster care are removed from their homes because of neglect tied to behavioral health issues, explained Mary Chant, chief executive of Missouri Coalition for Children during a hearing this year on House legislation identical to Gannons bill.

She said in the hearing that the state has lost about half its residential placements for high needs foster children during the past three years.

The reality of the situation is if we look at our entire continuum of care for children and youth, weve got issues and capacity at every point in time, Chant said in an interview with The Independent.

Solutions floated

Children in foster care and adults with behavioral and developmental issues living in hospitals is just a symptom of a bigger issue, Kinkade said, and the solutions have to be bigger as well.

The way this problem presents itself, in the most stark and dramatic fashion, is in these boarding situations, he said. But in many ways, those boarding situations are reflecting kind of a general lack of capacity in the systems of care that treat these folks with developmental disabilities and with emotional or behavioral health problems.

Missouri puts children into foster care at nearly twice the national average rate, according to the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. And part of the process of rebuilding the division is focusing on preventing removal in the first place.

If you put services on the front end to prevent those things from getting to a place where a child had to be removed, thats a much better expenditure of money, Childrens Division Director Darryl Missey said during a January budget hearing.

Each child in foster care costs the state around $25,000 per year. Traditional foster families receive a maintenance stipend of $450 to $630 a month, and the state pays up to $1800 a month for families fostering children with elevated needs.

Gannons legislation directs the committee to make three reports with the first due Dec. 1. The committee would continue working through 2024, with a second interim report in the summer and a final report due at the end of that year.

Whatever solution it offers is almost certain to cost money. And not a small amount.

Increasing the wages of direct care workers in residential programs serving people with developmental disabilities by $1 an hour cost $171 million. That is only a fraction of the $910 million in new funding called for by a market study on workforce needs.

Support for rebuilding the program and recognition that provider rates need to be increased are signs that lawmakers are taking the issues seriously, said Erica Signars, a special assistant professional in the Department of Social Services.

Were in a good place because weve got folks attention, Signers said. Weve got good support by the legislature and others to kind of help us identify some solutions to solve the issues that were seeing today.

The committee is considering statutory and administrative changes to make interagency communication and cooperation  identified as a major factor in some cases  easier. The point, Chant said, is to break down jurisdictional barriers where people disclaim authority, leaving people in limbo.

Those things may be true, but none of those things help us figure anything out, Chant said. Our first question has to be: What is it that the childs family needs? And what do we need to do to get them that?

The committee is also looking at how services are funded, how they are delivered, and how to support better use of residential facilities, Schafer said. It is examining models for delivering residential support services to children with behavioral or developmental needs, and what can be adapted to the current problem, she said.

With everyone at the table agreeing Missouris systems are in crisis, the first step was to get past blame, Schafer said.

Blame has no place in this, she said. It is literally all collaboration and partnership as we are committed to do this work, and up to it including having legislative support.
Notepad, thoughts out loud, learning in public, misunderstandings, mistakes. undiluted opinions. I'm Mike Hadlow, an itinerant developer. I live near Brighton on the south coast of England.

All code is published under an MIT licence. You are free to take it and use it for any purpose without attribution. There is no warranty whatsoever.
This years Wintergreen Music Festival gets an early start this year  this weekend, in fact  by adding music to Wintergreen Resorts busy July Fourth Jubilee schedule.

Festival musicians will be at the resorts Blue Ridge Terrace at 11 a.m. Saturday to present a Family Concert and instrument petting zoo with stringed instruments.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, look for A Salute to the Armed Forces with Brass Quintet, also at Blue Ridge Terrace. Both performances are free.

Another Family Concert is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, also at the Terrace.

Vines & Violins at Veritas, a special event for the festival, will present concerts at noon and 3 p.m. Sunday in the ballroom at Veritas Vineyards & Winery. Performers will include Jeannette Jang and Alison Hall on violin, Johanna Beaver on viola and David Bjella on cello.

The festivals first week will get into full swing after the July 4 holiday, starting with the popular Coffee Talks series for early birds at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Wintergreens Mountain Inn. Topics planned include a season preview with Erin Freeman, Wintergreen Musics artistic director, on Wednesday; a discussion of training the next generation of musicians with Corinne Horvath on Thursday; and a talk about big-band musical stylings with trumpeter Taylor Barnett on Friday.

The first concert in this years Festive Fridays series begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday with big-band music in the spotlight in Dunlop Pavilion, and the first Music Hike will be offered at 2 p.m. Saturday at the resorts Nature Preserve.

Barnett will lead a program of jazz standards and plenty of swing for Wintergreen Swings  Big Band Style The hike will honor the Monacan Tribe, original residents of the Wintergreen area, with a performance of music on Native American flutes and modern flutes. Freeman said the event will help todays music fans visualize how the original inhabitants used nature as inspiration for art.

The MountainTop Masterworks series gets started at 6 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in Dunlop Pavilion with violinist Elisabeth Adkins, concertmaster of Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, as soloist for Samuel Barbers Violin Concerto. Freeman will conduct a program that also includes compositions by Emilie Meyer and the late Ukrainian composer Hanna Havrylets to honor womens contributions to composing and performing dynamic music.

I programmed the whole thing around Elisabeth, Freeman said. She was one of the first female concertmasters of note.

Freeman will offer listening tips and stories in her pre-concert lectures, and the first one will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday in Dunlop Pavilion.

She said that performing in a variety of settings from wineries to nature trails gives the musicians a treasured opportunity to make new friends whenever we go.

Theres this opportunity to hear music in a new way, Freeman said. When we think of classical music, we think of concert halls. It wasnt always this way.

In coming weeks, audience members will hear a variety of works that were suggested by Wintergreen Festival Orchestra members and other participants.

When a musician is really excited about something, it brings a special spark, she said. They come here because they are part of the creation of it.

Freeman shares the musicians excitement, and she savors the process of exploring connections and possibilities. The day before a phone conversation about the festival, she received a text from a musician about an enticing new work, and even while juggling a full festival plate, she couldnt wait to learn all she could about it.

Ill have to figure out a way to program it  if not for this summer, then next summer, Freeman said. Sometimes, these ideas take me down a rabbit hole.

Tickets are available online at wintergreen-music.org, where youll find details about the upcoming events and artists.
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In July 2015, journalist Johann Hari gave a TED Talk that over 20 million people have since viewed. Hari offered convincing evidence that vulnerability to opioid addiction is a consequence of the conditions under which people live  the social determinants of health  rather than simple exposure to opioid pain relievers. This theme is brilliantly elaborated by economist Anne Case and Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton in their book, Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism.

Unfortunately for all of us, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Drug Enforcement Administration have been running away from the evidence ever since.

I offer a short review of information extracted from 15 years of research in published medical literature and mass media. It is time for the Attorney Generals staff to read and understand the science  and for Congress to require changes in U.S. public health policy to reflect science rather than the prevailing anti-opioid hysteria.

First: There is no cause-and-effect relationship between opioid prescribing to pain patients versus either hospitalization for opioid toxicity or mortality involving prescription opioid pain relievers as one contributor. This is true despite the fact that persistent false CDC claims to the contrary. And it has been true for at least the past 12 years.

Second: Some anti-opioid advocates grossly overestimate the risks of opioid prescription to medical patients. In reality, opioid addiction is not a predictable outcome of medical treatment and is rare even in patients with histories believed to be associated with increased risk. Opioid abuse among medical patients is so low, it gets lost in the noise of measurement confounds. For instance, among post-surgical patients treated with opioids for pain, prescribing is continued in fewer than 0.6 percent over the course of the following year. Prescribing varies significantly between types of surgery. The primary drivers of this relatively rare pattern appear to be failed surgeries and the onset of chronic pain, not opioid dependency or misuse.

Third: Again, contrary to the assertions of the CDC, for millions of patients who have severe chronic pain, there are no preferable alternatives to long-term treatment with prescription opioid pain relievers. In an exhaustive review by the Agency for Healthcare Quality of non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatments for chronic pain, only 218 out of nearly 5,000 published trials passed quality review. Among those, medical evidence was assessed as weak in more than 150, and no trials were found that attempted either-or comparisons with opioid therapy. At best, such complimentary therapies assist some patients marginally and temporarily, part of the time. They are not viable replacements for opioid therapy.

Fourth: At least two U.S. courts have found that prescription opioid pain relievers are not a public nuisance or inherently dangerous when used as directed. Drug companies cannot be held liable for abuses of their products by others. Likewise, a June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Ruan vs. the United States) has held that the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knowingly or intentionally acted in an unauthorized manner before a doctor can be convicted of prescribing opioids outside the normal course of medical practice.

It can be compellingly argued that U.S. public policy on the regulation of opioid pain relievers has been turned into a vast Department of Justice overreach that falsely and unfairly criminalizes physicians.

Doctors have had their assets seized before even being charged. Such forfeitures seem calculated to result in plea bargains or civil settlements, given the cases can drag on for years, and the asset seizure leaves the accused with no means to live, much less pay attorneys fees and court costs. This is not legal or ethical prosecution. It is better characterized as malicious persecution.

We hear much discussion these days of steps being taken to ensure fair distribution of multi-billion-dollar financial settlements made by Purdue Pharma, other major drug manufacturing firms and intermediary distributors. There is evidence that some manufacturers and distributors contributed to the easy availability of pharmaceutical-grade opioids through pill mills, aided by the U.S. Congress itself.

However, considering the lack of cause-and-effect summarized above, it is also glaringly obvious that regardless of corporate negligence in over-promoting pain-relieving drugs, the pharmaceutical companys financial settlements were made on expediency, not scientific merit.

Companies like Purdue Pharma correctly calculated that the unlimited power of state and federal governments to spend money on repeated prosecutions would eventually succeed in finding judges and juries sufficiently ignorant of science to gain a verdict against them. Rather than letting themselves be driven out of business, the companies settled on relatively favorable terms. With regard to science, the settlements were and still are bogus as a three-dollar bill.

Meanwhile, medical patients continue being denied treatment for severe chronic pain, with predictable results. Many patients, through no fault of their own, face medical collapse. At least hundreds, if not thousands, overcome by their pain, have committed suicide. Among those who continue to struggle, it is nearly impossible to find a doctor to treat them or a pharmacy to fill their prescriptions.

Almost everybody except CDC and U.S. law enforcement seems to understand that present U.S. public policy on opioids is mired in mythology.

This is lethal madness, and it is time for the Department of Justice and the DEA to stop promoting it. As publicly declared by the American Academy of Family Physicians and five other associations representing over 500,000 clinicians and medical students, it is time to end political interference in the practice of evidence-based medicine. And it is time for the U.S. Department of Justice to get out of Dodge.

We are a nation in pain and will not be silenced!

Richard A. Lawhern is a patient advocate.
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Overfishing continues to impact shark populations

Photo by Andy Mann Caribbean reef sharks, pictured here, are among five main shark species that have declined globally by an average of 63%, according to the scientists with Florida International University. Photo by Andy Mann Grey reef sharks, pictured here, are among five main shark species that live on coral reefs that have declined globally, according to a recently released study.

At time when some Florida fishermen have called on state and federal fishery managers to loosen protection for sharks, a new study shown that overfishing is driving reef sharks toward extinction.

The five main shark species that live on coral reefs  grey reef, blacktip reef, whitetip reef, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks  have declined globally by an average of 63%, according to the scientists of Global FinPrint, a five-year international study supported by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and co-led by researchers at Florida International University (FIU).

The study was recently published in the journal Science and can be found at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4884?cookieSet=1.

These are some of the best estimates of population decline of widespread shark species because of the very large number of reefs and countries sampled, according to Colin Simpfendorfer, lead author of the study and adjunct professor of Marine and Aquaculture Science at James Cook University in Australia. This tells us the problem for sharks on coral reefs is far worse and more widespread than anyone thought.

Results from this latest research, which includes 22,000 hours of video footage from baited underwater video stations across 391 reefs in 67 nations and territories, indicates widespread overfishing is the main culprit driving reef sharks toward extinction and changing how coral reefs function.

People need healthy coral reefs, said Mike Heithaus, co-author of the study and executive dean of FIUs College of Arts, Sciences & Education. We are seeing that when sharks disappear, that causes other changes in these ecosystems. Keeping shark populations healthy, or rebuilding them, is important for maintaining their roles for healthy reefs.

The scientists observed many reefs have become stripped of both shark and ray species or stripped of just shark species, leaving the ecosystem dominated by rays. The exception is Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a defined region designated and managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources.

While overfishing and poor governance is associated with the absence of these species, they are still common in MPAs and places where shark fishing was banned or highly regulated, said Demian Chapman, lead scientist of Global FinPrint and director of the Sharks and Rays Conservation Program at Mote Marine Laboratory. Reef sharks can be important for human livelihoods through dive tourism and if fished carefully. An investment in reef shark conservation can therefore be good for people, too.

Early results from this study were previously used to update the status of four of these species to more threatened categories on the International Union for the Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Red List. They were also presented during the most recent Conference of the Parties of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), helping world governments to make the groundbreaking decision to better regulate trade in these and more than 50 additional species of sharks

This means no trade should come from nations where the take of the species will threaten its survival, Simpfendorfer said. This study can be used to help identify those nations where such catches would be detrimental. We need to act now to stop widespread extinction of shark species in many parts of the world.

More than 150 researchers from more than 120 institutions across the world contributed to the research in the recent Science journal report.

The report comes out anglers have begun to complain that sharks populations have bounced back in recent years and fishery managers need to roll back some regulations on shark fishing. Also, there have been six shark bites in the Florida Keys in the past year, which is an uptick.

However, there are not a lot of indications that shark populations are rebuilding back to historical levels, Heithaus said. However, there are more people diving and boating in the Florida Keys and in Florida than ever before, which could be lead to more interactions with sharks.

The biggest factor in shark bite cases is how many people are in the water, Heithaus said.

The shark fishing in places like Big Pine Key and the Lower Keys was much different than it was today, Heithaus said. You couldnt pull out the number of sharks in a month from there now than they did in one day. ... The trends are going in the right direction, but these animals still need protections. ... The places they are doing well is in places where there is good fisheries management with good compliance.

Areas that have networks of marine protected areas are also places that are seeing solid rebuilding of shark populations, Heithaus said.

If you get rid of the top predator, bad things can happen in ecosystems, Heithaus said. The shark populations are not nearly back to where they used to be.

Heithaus called the gains made in the shark populations are fragile and any rollback of regulations could have serious consequences, he said.

In 2021, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission invited marine scientist and conservationist Guy Harvey, namesake of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University and founder of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and Mote Marine Laboratory scientist Bob Hueter to serve on a panel at a FWC board to educate the board and staff on sharks, as the commissioners hear complaints from anglers about sharks stealing their catch or bait and there now being too many of the apex predators due to more restrictions have been put in place in the past 10 to 15 years.

Harvey and other panelists called the issue one of shifting baselines, and anglers who are now complaining are only measuring their interactions from the past 30 years when shark conservation regulations were in place and the population rebounded.

Harvey called for more research on sharks, arguing that there are many universities in Florida that FWC could partner with on research. He also called for expanding marine parks, no-take zones and protection areas as a comprehensive way to protect all species of fish.

This is not an invasive species, but a species on the rebound, Harvey told The Keys Citizen last month. There are more people than ever diving, boating and fishing, so of course you will have more interactions. We are in their environment.

tohara@keysnews.com
By Monitor Team

Armed thugs Friday night shot a man dead during a raid in which they stole Shs72 million from a mobile money shop in Ugandas capital, police have said.

Jinja Road Police station are currently investigating an incident of aggravated robbery and murder of Richard Ssenyondo that occurred on June 30 at around 9:30pm in Luzira Stage 7 Zone, Nakawa Division, Kampala district, Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said on Saturday.

According to Onyango, owners of the mobile money shop Aggrey Bahati and Annah Nyamukulu were in the process of closing their outlet when two armed thugs approached them. Read more
The organization that has tasked itself with transforming James Madisons historic estate in Orange County into a dynamic cultural institution has named a new president to lead its efforts.

The Montpelier Foundation on Wednesday announced that Eola Lewis Dance will be its new president and CEO.

Dance, an accomplished public historian with more than 20 years of experience with the National Parks Service and nonprofit organizations, will oversee operations at the 2,700-acre historic site that served as the home of the fourth U.S. president and author of the Bill of Rights.

She will replace interim President and CEO Elizabeth Chew, who was appointed in May 2022 after the resignation of Roy Young II and the hard-won establishment of structural parity between the Montpelier Descendants Committee and the foundation.

We are thrilled beyond belief to welcome Eola Dance as our new President and CEO, foundation board Chair Hasan Kwame Jeffries said in a statement. Montpelier is a national treasure, and Eola has the experience, expertise, enthusiasm and vision to lead Montpelier to new and exciting heights.

I am honored to lead the Montpelier team and board as the site continues to make advancements in telling the full history of the Madisons, the African-American experience, and the making of America, Dance said in her own statement. As a country, this time of year, we reflect on the American Revolution and the foundation of American ideals. Montpelier is an ideal place for all to explore this rich history.

Dances previous work includes leadership positions as superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument and, most recently, as executive director of Black Lunch Table, a nonprofit organization that brings together artists and communities at roundtables to discuss issues of race and build a more complete understanding of cultural history.

Dance is currently a doctoral candidate at Howard University, specializing in U.S. history with a minor in African diaspora and public history. She holds a masters degree in historic preservation from Savannah College of Art and Design, a bachelors in history from Southern University and a graduate certificate in environmental policy from George Washington University.

Dances academic research focuses on constructs of race in Colonial America, the evolution of racialized slavery, the legacy of 1619, and opportunities for healing and reconciliation within and across communities, according to a biography provided by the Montpelier Foundation.

Dance told The Orange County Review she was particularly drawn to Montpelier by the commitment that the team as well as the board has had in engaging descendant communities and in talking about difficult topics in American history.

For me, that has been a big part of my work for quite some time, she said. I have been working with historic sites since 2001, and that work has been centered around historic house museums and working with descendants.

Dance said that her immediate goals include working with the team on thinking about the interpretive program and tours of the historic house, and how we can expand those narratives to be as inclusive as possible, as well as continuing to bring in experts from a wide range of fields for programs at Montpeliers Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution.

She also plans to build upon the foundations collaboration with the Montpelier Descendants Committee to create a memorial to the enslaved community at the estate. Ultimately, Dance hopes to build an interconnected network of historic sites throughout Virginia to better tell the stories of the enslaved and connect with descendants.

As far south as Point Comfort, which is located at Fort Monroe in Hampton, or sites like Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, or other presidential homes like Monticello and Mount Vernon, were looking at how we can connect these sites through shared interpretation and collaboration in a network program, she said.

Dance said that Montpeliers work to uncover a more complete history will include researching the unique experiences of the women who were among the more than 300 documented enslaved persons who lived and worked at Montpelier.

In working with our historian and our research team in better understanding what the experience of African-American women would been, there is an opportunity for us to explore what this double burden in American history would have been in being woman and in being of African descent, she said. And so, in thinking about expanding those interpretive programs, thats absolutely the type of topic that we are well positioned to explore with educators, with our university partners and scholars.
Punters descended in their droves for the opening day of the Irish Derby weekend in the Curragh and they were not disappointed.

A horse purchased for a whopping 1.8million made a winning debut at the meeting on Friday evening.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Ylang Ylang was sent off the 8/13 favourite for a seven-furlong fillies maiden and came home two and three-quarter lengths ahead of the rest of the field under Ryan Moore.

The daughter of Frankel was bought for 1.5million guineas as a yearling, which is the equivalent of around 1.8million, and was too good for the 11 unraced rivals she faced at the county Kildare venue as the Irish Derby meeting got under way.

Big price tag. Big reputation. Big talent!



Frankel filly Ylang Ylang coist 1.5 million guineas and is so good that they named her twice! She shone on her debut @curraghrace yesterday @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/CzZxmJ7mST  Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 1, 2023

Ylang Ylang was the second winner for O'Brien and Moore on the evening as they landed a 51/1 treble after an earlier victory for Mountain Bear (4/1) in a six-furlong maiden before The Black Tiger (11/2) landed the final race on the card, a 1m2f maiden.

The pair have a number of fancied runners at the Curragh over Saturday and Sunday, including Auguste Rodin as he aims to do the English-Irish Derby double, a feat last achieved by Dermot Welds Harzand in 2016.
Controversy is swirling in the waters of Lake Monticello.

After residents of the Fluvanna County gated community discovered that a member of the homeowner associations board of directors had been posting bigoted messages in right-wing Facebook groups, there were calls for his resignation or dismissal, a petition with more than 400 signatures calling on him to step down and a unanimous vote to censure him.

But Don Polonis is defiant.

I am a Christian, and I hold traditional Christian views. As a Christian, I believe in God, I believe in Satan and I believe that homosexuality is immoral, Polonis told a crowd of assembled residents at a Tuesday meeting. People disagree with these views, and I disagree with them. I seek to do them no harm though my beliefs may offend others and I stand by my beliefs.

Polonis has refused to leave office or apologize for his online posts calling homosexuals demonic and satanic.

He has, however, offered an apology for sharing the names and addresses of Lake Monticello residents who have condemned him and his homophobic rhetoric.

The complaint against me is for what I did in my personal capacity. I did not violate the established confidentiality policies of this corporation, Polonis said. It was a mistake to publish a persons home address, and I apologize for it, but I apologize because it was imprudent, not because it was illegal. It is not confidential.

But thats been little comfort to the residents who Polonis has targeted.

When Don Polonis published my name, my husbands name and our address in a Facebook group full of gun enthusiasts and called us satanic, I too started feeling afraid for my safety. We have a toddler. We want to feel safe in our community, Kelsey Cowger said at the meeting. We are just as much members of the community as Don Polonis, and he is charged with representing all of us, whether he likes us or not.

It wasnt even a minute into the public comment period of the meeting Tuesday when things became heated.

What you are doing is hate speech. Your words are intended to harm, vilify and express hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community, Sean Johnson told Polonis. You are openly intending to incite hatred and possible violence against the individual and the LGBTQ+ community. You may argue that thats not the case, but as we all know, actions are not without consequences. As we have seen in many, many examples throughout very recent history.

Johnson said he was so outraged at Polonis that he could not look at him when making his remarks.

Polonis time and again defended his words as protected free speech.

I wish to remind the board that I sit on this board as an elected representative, and my qualifications for this post is one of the privileges arising from the sale of the property, Polonis said. This association is not allowed to discriminate against me with respect to that privilege because of my religion under both state and federal law.

But several residents pointed out that there are limits to freedom of speech, especially if that speech incites or prompts violence against targeted individuals.

Residents did not have to look far for examples.

Less than 30 minutes from here, the Ku Klux Klan trespassed on peoples private property to drop homophobic literature in the dead of night because they hoped their words would intimidate, Millie Fife said, referencing recent flyers left on Charlottesville properties calling on straight, White residents to band together against the LGBT community.

Members of the LGBT community were present at the meeting, where they told the board that Polonis posts are more than just words; they have a real impact on the functioning of the board and the community.

Imagine that I, whom Mr. Polonis, associated with Satan without even knowing, had business before this board. How in the world could I expect a fair hearing? asked Matthew Carter.

Carter has been mastering the ancient Greek language of the New Testament and soon will be an ordained minister, and he went on to criticize Polonis interpretation of the Bible.

With what small clerical authority I do possess, I wish to say with respect, but more than a little sass, that Mr. Polonis has not ever read the Bible, Carter said. He has read a translation of the Bible, and with that level of ignorance, humility starts looking like a good idea.

Shannon Redmon echoed that sentiment.

When people demonize a group of people for who they are and how they love, they make it unsafe for that group of people and history shows us that over and over and over, Redmond said. He has made this community unsafe for 700 members. He has made this community unsafe for the LGBT youth and children that are growing up here.

In the face of so much criticism, Polonis evoked the philosophies of local Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Nearly 250 years ago, the voice of our independence, men like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, fought for the right of religious freedom in this state. Religious freedom is the right to disagree on the most fundamental of issues: the matter of God and what he commands us to do, Polonis said. Disagreements are not violence. Disagreements are not hate. Freedom of religion is the right to believe and speak our beliefs, even when we disagree.

In stark contrast to Polonis summation, while Jefferson and Madison were proponents of free speech they were also famously fearful of religious sects gaining a foothold in American politics. Jefferson was the author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, and Madison shepherded the bill through the General Assembly.

The tense meeting on Tuesday underscores just how much things have changed at Lake Monticello since its founding as a retirement community in 1969.

Over the years, and especially during the pandemic, the lakeside community and its lower property values have attracted younger, more diverse residents, many of whom are far from retired and commute to Charlottesville or Richmond.

Lake Monticello is an increasingly young, multicultural community full of people with lots of ties to Charlottesville but cant afford to buy there, Cowger said.

That newer population now appears to be butting heads with an older guard.

However, what happens next is unclear.

Every other member of the seven-person board of directors has called for Polonis resignation and unanimously voted to censure him.

But according to board bylaws, that is pretty much all they can do. There is no way to immediately dismiss a sitting board member.

And many residents and members of the homeowner association found that ironic.

I know that if I had a pink roof, youd find a way to get me out of here, Jay Cole said. So, if you cant find a way to get him off the board, then there is a root failure at the heart of the whole structure of this organization.

Still, board members emphasized they would find a way to boot Polonis from their ranks.

You heard this board unanimously. We dont condone it. Weve asked for resignation. There are rules and processes that unfortunately we have to follow, but that doesnt mean that were not going to find a way, Larry Henson said. This was the action of one board member. The rest of this board does not tolerate it or condone it, so you need to know that we will do whatever we can do to make it right and to make you safe.

Residents, though, do not plan on waiting around for the board to act.

I understand that this is a situation that the board has never been in before. This is new territory, but censure is not acceptable. His removal is the only acceptable solution to this, and we will not go away until he is gone, Jennifer Richardson said. We will come to every meeting, we will talk to the media, we will talk to the Realtors and tell them it is not a safe place to sell to live, we will tell all of the people that fit Polonis description that this is not a welcome place for you because the board cant even defend your safety.

There is also talk of a special election.

But in order for Polonis to get kicked off the board, it will require an unprecedented turnout among residents in said special election. If a vote were to take place, at least half of all Lake Monticello residents would need to vote for the election to even be valid, much less have enough support to fire Polonis.

According to residents, no vote in the communitys recent history has gotten anywhere close to having a turnout of more than 2,000 residents. If they cannot get residents to vote, many think the last resort could be to pursue legal action.
Hundreds of new laws take effect Saturday, ranging from naming the Chincoteague Pony as the states official pony to one saying drivers must move over a lane for disabled vehicles.

After more than two decades of trying, one of the 2023 General Assembly sessions biggest new initiatives, setting minimum staffing ratios for nursing homes, has a delayed effective date: July 1, 2025.

But the July 1 start date for new laws includes several with significant impact on Virginians daily lives.

Here are a few:

Pocketbook bills

A major reform of how Virginia regulates the electricity monopoly Dominion Energy is cutting power bills  by more than $7 off a benchmark 1,000 kilowatt-hour, $137 monthly bill. It does so by ending three surcharges. Down the pike, it clears the way for a program to ease the impact of Dominions pass-through of fuel costs to ratepayers and gives the State Corporation Commission more power to see if the utilitys base rate is justified, a move the legislations advocates say should bring down that rate, which accounts for about two thirds of a monthly bill.

Landlords who rent more than four units must give tenants at least 60 days notice of plans to raise rents when leases have an option to renew or have an automatic renewal provision.

At work

Employers wont be able to pay new employees who have disabilities less than the minimum wage.

Employers cant enforce nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements that conceal details of a sexual harassment claim.

A new state Department of Workforce Development and Advancement aims to boost Virginias job training and job-finding services by consolidating workforce program evaluation and data sharing; the new department also takes charge of apprenticeship programs.

Employers with more than 50 employees have to provide up to 60 days unpaid leave for live organ donations, including bone marrow donations.

People with 85 various occupational and professional licenses from other states will be able to get on a fast track for Virginia licenses.

Health

Licensed midwives may now administer drugs and devices that come within the scope of their practice.

Pharmacists can refill insulin prescriptions in an emergency, using information on the container label if the prescriber cant be reached.

For health insurance plans that will be sold this fall providing coverage for next year, health insurers will have to cover hearing aids for minors for up to $1,500 every 24 months.

Health insurers will no longer be allowed to charge higher premiums for smokers.

Patients can go to telemedicine services to provide continuity of care when their previously established doctor or health care provider is unavailable.

Families

Guardians of incapacitated people must visit the individuals they are responsible for at least three times a year, and at least once in person.

Parents can allow their kids to play or walk home from school or engage in other activity without adult supervision if that play or activity is appropriate for the childs age and abilities. Parents can allow such activities without running the risk of being accused of abuse or neglect unless such lack of supervision is so extreme that it endangers a childs health or safety.

A new state program will promote and support placements of children with relatives in order to avoid foster care.

Spouses wont be liable for medical care if their spouse has died.

Fathers have to share the costs of pregnancy and delivery.

Consumers

All providers of services with automatic renewal provisions or that offer free trials that then automatically kick over into a paid service have to give customers 30 days notice that they can cancel.

Companies that provide service they say can improve a consumers credit or win an extension of credit now must give customers a complete and accurate statement of their right to receive annual free copies of their credit reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies.

Sales tax will no longer be charged on the labor involved in diagnosing motor vehicle repair work and emergency roadside service.

The Joint Commission on Technology and Science is to recommend ways for people to opt out of unwanted telephone solicitation calls and text messages.

The Attorney General can now investigate entities believed to violate state consumer finance law if those entities are not licensed by the State Corporation Commission.

Cannabis product labels now must list all active and inactive ingredients, the total percentage and milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol included in the product and the number of milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol in each serving. They also must have child and safety warnings in a conspicuous font and comply with any requirements imposed by the Board of Pharmacy.

Driving

Motorists must now move over and slow down when passing a stopped car or truck that has flashing hazard lights, or that has set up flares or that has set a warning sign.

Modification of headlights so they look blue is banned.

Housing

Tenants can end a lease and receive a full refund of all deposits and rent paid if, when they move in, the apartment or house is a fire hazard or serious threat to safety and health, including infestation of rodents, lack of heat, running water, electricity or sewage disposal.

Crime

People who make prank emergency calls  swatting  that result in the dispatch of police or other emergency personnel, are now subject to a punishment of one to five years in prison if such a call results in serious bodily injury, and a penalty of one to 10 years if someone is killed as a result. The term swatting is derived from the SWAT teams that often respond as a result of such calls.

It will now be a felony to team up with another person or people to steal from more than one store, even if each theft is small enough to be a misdemeanor ($1,000 or less). Organized retail theft is now subject to a prison term of five to 20 years.

It also will now be a felony to threaten in writing or by electronic message to disseminate, sell or publish nude images of another person, or of another person engaged in a sex act. This is now subject to a prison term of one to 10 years. If the other person is less than 18, the prison term can be up to 20 years.

And it is now against the law to sell or buy a catalytic converter detached from a motor vehicle, except by or from a scrap metal dealers. Judges and juries can now assume that a person with such a detached catalytic converted got it illegally.

Property

Judgment liens on real estate that could otherwise stall or stop a sale or transfer can now be released by a settlement agent if creditors dont respond to notices or cant be found.

Taxes

The state Tax Commissioner will have to offer installment plans so taxpayers can pay for what they owe over a term of up to five years.

Mental health

People whose mental health crisis appears to be result of intoxication can be held under a temporary detention order of a hospital emergency room for treatment (instead of being transported to a mental health hospital or ward and held for 72 hours).

People held under a temporary detention order who are awaiting transport to a mental health facility can be released ahead of the orders 72 hours if they no longer meet the criteria for involuntary commitment.

Foster care

Students at public colleges and universities who have aged out of foster care can now stay in school housing at no cost between school sessions and during vacations, since theyd otherwise have no place to go.

History

New historical site signs are authorized for Green Book locations. These are the hotels, guest houses, service stations, drug stores, taverns, barbershops, and restaurants that were listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book as safe for traveling Black Americans during the Jim Crow era.

Close Gov. Glenn Youngkin listens to George Daniel on Jan. 25 as he tries some Brunswick stew on Brunswick Stew Day at the Capitol. Next to Daniel are, from left, Dylan Pair, stewmaster Kevin Pair and Austin Pair. The yearly event returned to the Capitol for the first time since the pandemic began. Del. Cliff Hayes, D-Chesapeake, takes photos of his colleagues in the Virginia House of Delegates on Jan. 24 at the state Capitol. Lawmakers head to committee meetings Jan. 19. Democratic senators cheer as Clerk of the Senate Susan Clarke Schaar swears in new Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, on Jan. 18 at the state Capitol. Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, is photographed outside the Senate chamber Jan. 18 after he was sworn in at the Virginia state Capitol. Rouse won a special election to succeed Republican Jen Kiggans, who was elected to Congress in November. Rouse's win increased the Democrats' edge in the Senate to 22-18. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, and Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, share a laugh during Tuesday's session. Senate pages, from left, Aaven Dudley, Nataniel Dunster and Connor Wotring are seen in the Senate on Jan. 19. Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (blue) and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (red) fill the floor around Jean-Antoine Houdons marble statue of George Washington. The two groups were among those visiting the state Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 13. Lobbyists listen during a meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Jan. 30 at the Pocahontas Building. Sens. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, left, and Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, react Jan. 26 to the vote tally on a Petersen bill dealing with preservation of trees in the town of Vienna. The Senate passed the bill on a 33-7 vote. A group from Portsmouth listens to a speaker during a rally against gun violence at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square on Lobby Day. Lawmakers head to committee meetings on January 19, 2023. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH Del. Jackie Hope Glass, D-Norfolk, brings style to the House floor Jan. 17 during the General Assembly session at the state Capitol. Gov. Glenn Youngkin attends the Virginia March for Life in Richmond. Senate pages (from left) Aaven Dudley, Nataniel Dunster, and Connor Wotring are seen in the Senate on January 19, 2023. Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, takes a moment during a General Assembly session at the state Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 20. James States Manship of Thornburg came dressed as George Washington to the gun-rights rally at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square on Lobby Day, Jan. 16. PHOTOS: Through Our Lens - Virginia General Assembly Visual Recap first part The first part of the visual recap from 2023 Virginia General Assembly Gov. Glenn Youngkin listens to George Daniel on Jan. 25 as he tries some Brunswick stew on Brunswick Stew Day at the Capitol. Next to Daniel are, from left, Dylan Pair, stewmaster Kevin Pair and Austin Pair. The yearly event returned to the Capitol for the first time since the pandemic began. Del. Cliff Hayes, D-Chesapeake, takes photos of his colleagues in the Virginia House of Delegates on Jan. 24 at the state Capitol. Lawmakers head to committee meetings Jan. 19. Democratic senators cheer as Clerk of the Senate Susan Clarke Schaar swears in new Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, on Jan. 18 at the state Capitol. Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, is photographed outside the Senate chamber Jan. 18 after he was sworn in at the Virginia state Capitol. Rouse won a special election to succeed Republican Jen Kiggans, who was elected to Congress in November. Rouse's win increased the Democrats' edge in the Senate to 22-18. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, and Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, share a laugh during Tuesday's session. Senate pages, from left, Aaven Dudley, Nataniel Dunster and Connor Wotring are seen in the Senate on Jan. 19. Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (blue) and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (red) fill the floor around Jean-Antoine Houdons marble statue of George Washington. The two groups were among those visiting the state Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 13. Lobbyists listen during a meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Jan. 30 at the Pocahontas Building. Sens. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, left, and Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, react Jan. 26 to the vote tally on a Petersen bill dealing with preservation of trees in the town of Vienna. The Senate passed the bill on a 33-7 vote. A group from Portsmouth listens to a speaker during a rally against gun violence at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square on Lobby Day. Lawmakers head to committee meetings on January 19, 2023. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH Del. Jackie Hope Glass, D-Norfolk, brings style to the House floor Jan. 17 during the General Assembly session at the state Capitol. Gov. Glenn Youngkin attends the Virginia March for Life in Richmond. Senate pages (from left) Aaven Dudley, Nataniel Dunster, and Connor Wotring are seen in the Senate on January 19, 2023. Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, takes a moment during a General Assembly session at the state Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 20. James States Manship of Thornburg came dressed as George Washington to the gun-rights rally at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square on Lobby Day, Jan. 16.
Leeward Investments LLC MA acquired a new position in Genpact Limited (NYSE:G  Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 320,276 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $14,803,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Genpact by 0.4% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,312,699 shares of the business services providers stock worth $105,505,000 after purchasing an additional 9,080 shares during the period. Steph & Co. grew its holdings in Genpact by 57.2% in the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 9,287 shares of the business services providers stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 3,380 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Genpact by 71.5% in the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,103 shares of the business services providers stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Genpact by 55.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 25,528 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,180,000 after buying an additional 9,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Genpact by 11.9% during the first quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,728 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.46% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on G shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Genpact from $47.00 to $41.00 in a report on Monday, May 15th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Genpact in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Genpact from $54.00 to $48.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Genpact from $54.00 to $46.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Genpact from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Genpact has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $49.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Genpact Stock Down 0.6 %

In other Genpact news, SVP Piyush Mehta sold 41,062 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.02, for a total value of $1,520,115.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 135,703 shares in the company, valued at $5,023,725.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . In other Genpact news, CEO N. V. Tyagarajan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.87, for a total value of $2,243,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 805,509 shares in the company, valued at $36,143,188.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, SVP Piyush Mehta sold 41,062 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.02, for a total transaction of $1,520,115.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 135,703 shares in the company, valued at $5,023,725.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 358,144 shares of company stock worth $14,904,645. Company insiders own 2.62% of the companys stock.

Shares of Genpact stock opened at $37.57 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.22. The companys 50 day moving average is $38.81 and its 200 day moving average is $43.68. Genpact Limited has a twelve month low of $35.75 and a twelve month high of $48.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Genpact (NYSE:G  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 10th. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Genpact had a net margin of 8.27% and a return on equity of 25.74%. Research analysts anticipate that Genpact Limited will post 2.58 EPS for the current year.

Genpact Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th were given a $0.1375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $0.55 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Genpacts payout ratio is presently 28.35%.

Genpact Company Profile

(Free Report)

Genpact Limited provides business process outsourcing and information technology (IT) services in India, rest of Asia, North and Latin America, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Financial services; Consumer and Healthcare; and High Tech and Manufacturing. The company offers CFO advisory services; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) services, such as data management, carbon accounting, human rights assessment, sustainability diligence, and ESG reporting.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding G? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Genpact Limited (NYSE:G  Free Report).

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Gratus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 957 shares of the credit services providers stock, valued at approximately $348,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Bornite Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $21,442,000. United Bank raised its position in Mastercard by 34.5% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,007 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $2,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in Mastercard by 30.1% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 272,358 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $97,335,000 after acquiring an additional 63,040 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $1,168,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in Mastercard during the first quarter worth $12,926,000. 81.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Mastercard Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of MA stock opened at $393.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $372.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50-day moving average of $377.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $366.88. Mastercard Incorporated has a 1-year low of $276.87 and a 1-year high of $395.17.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

Mastercard ( NYSE:MA Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.64 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 42.33% and a return on equity of 169.12%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.76 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.24 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. Mastercards dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.78%.

Insider Activity at Mastercard

In related news, insider Raghuvir Malhotra sold 11,398 shares of Mastercard 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,465 shares in the company, valued at $3,612,033.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mastercard news, insider Raghuvir Malhotra sold 11,398 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.62, for a total transaction of $4,349,704.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,612,033.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.28, for a total transaction of $48,600,204.48. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 100,437,277 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $38,796,911,359.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 547,243 shares of company stock worth $209,102,122. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MA. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $425.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $410.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $392.00 to $404.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $414.00 to $442.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $417.27.

About Mastercard

(Free Report)

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.

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Raymond James lowered shares of American Equity Investment Life (NYSE:AEL  Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on American Equity Investment Life from $39.00 to $44.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on American Equity Investment Life from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of American Equity Investment Life in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on American Equity Investment Life in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $44.90.

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American Equity Investment Life Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEL opened at $52.12 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.87. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $40.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.53. American Equity Investment Life has a 52 week low of $28.05 and a 52 week high of $53.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Equity Investment Life

American Equity Investment Life ( NYSE:AEL Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 9th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $662.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.02 million. American Equity Investment Life had a return on equity of 12.84% and a net margin of 25.84%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 348.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Equity Investment Life will post 6.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Equity Investment Life by 49.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in American Equity Investment Life by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 14,215 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 1,604 shares during the last quarter. Phase 2 Partners LLC bought a new position in American Equity Investment Life in the 3rd quarter valued at $7,563,000. CTC Capital Management LLC bought a new position in American Equity Investment Life in the 4th quarter valued at $479,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in American Equity Investment Life by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 228,756 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,044,000 after purchasing an additional 3,472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the companys stock.

American Equity Investment Life Company Profile

(Free Report)

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors.

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Berenberg Bank reissued their buy rating on shares of Centamin (LON:CEY  Free Report) in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a GBX 145 ($1.84) price target on the mining companys stock.

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Centamin from GBX 130 ($1.65) to GBX 135 ($1.72) and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th.

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Centamin Price Performance

Shares of Centamin stock opened at GBX 91.15 ($1.16) on Tuesday. Centamin has a 52-week low of GBX 74.18 ($0.94) and a 52-week high of GBX 127.60 ($1.62). The stock has a market capitalization of 1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,823.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -1.53 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 83.17 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 69.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.78.

Insider Activity at Centamin

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other Centamin news, insider Martin Horgan sold 174,976 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 99 ($1.26), for a total value of 173,226.24 ($220,249.51). 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Centamin stock. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new position in Centamin plc (LON:CEY  Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 31,143 shares of the mining companys stock, valued at approximately $579,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC owned approximately 6.23% of Centamin at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.97% of the companys stock.

About Centamin

(Free Report)

Centamin plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, mining, and development of precious metals in Egypt, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Jersey, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It explores for gold deposits. The company principal asset is the Sukari Gold Mine project, which covers an area of approximately 160 square kilometers located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

Further Reading

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As a member of Subcommittee E (Community Education) of the Benton County Talks Trash process that took place over the past year, I learned a great amount regarding Coffin Butte Landfills history and possibilities.

As a person who drives past the landfill multiple times per week and an avid user of the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area, I have been observing developments of the facility for 25 years. Based on these experiences, I would like to clarify three things regarding the specter of expanding the landfill to the south of Coffin Butte Road.

First, no careful neutral analysis would have chosen this place for such a massive landfill. Coffin Butte Landfill began in the 1940s, when Benton County sought to divert people from privately dumping their refuse in the woods and rivers, as was practiced in the early 1900s.

There was no vision that this would be a massive industrial complex that receives over 88% of its nearly 1.1 million tons of refuse from outside the county.

The Benton County Trash Talks history notes that even when it was designated as one of several regional landfills in 1974, Coffin Butte was anticipated to close before 2000.

For contrast, Republic Services notes that its Roosevelt Landfill in Washington was specifically chosen for the low local population, relatively small or distant aquifers, and precipitation of 6 to 9 inches per year.

Second, Coffin Butte Landfill is already scheduled to expand to the west, where a quarry operates right now. The southward expansion is necessary only because the amount of waste going into the facility has nearly doubled in recent years, with nearly all of the increase coming from beyond Benton County, and much from beyond the mid-valley.

According to the Benton County Trash Talks final document, the amount deposited at Coffin Butte has increased from 552,978.53 tons in 2015 to 1,046,066.96 tons in 2021.

I recommend you go to E.E. Wilson sometime during the work week and observe the magnitude of the operation and the number of trucks coming from all over Western Oregon droning up the hill. I am not sure what is in each load, but last Friday I happened to watch a truck at the top of the heap unloading, surrounded by red dust or smoke.

Third, county officials make it sound as though Benton County residents may just have to accept the southward expansion because of previous commitments. This is not true. If Benton County officials all do their best, the expansion can be stopped.

The expansion does not fit the countys existing policy goals, nor is it in sync with the environmental and sustainability goals of many residents; it would significantly affect the livability of surrounding areas.

We should all expect or demand that Benton County officials oppose any southward expansion, and do whatever it takes to make it so. Even if you disagree with this, it seems only reasonable for Benton County to have an approved long-term solid waste policy in place before we allow Republic Services to double in size by expanding to the east side of the landfill.

Whatever goes into that facility stays there forever, unless it leaches into our aquifers, is pumped out to be deposited in local sewage facilities or escapes as greenhouse gases (some of which does generate energy, but according to the BCTT, gas capture is about 57%).

I do not know if my descendants will live in Benton County, but someones will, and we all owe it to them to draw the line now.
Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) in a report published on Wednesday morning, Briefing.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $70.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical companys stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Bank of America raised 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. 51job reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reduced their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $78.00.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BMY opened at $63.94 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $134.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.44. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 1 year low of $62.88 and a 1 year high of $81.43. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.29.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,202,182.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,886,585 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $14,209,937,000 after purchasing an additional 3,058,491 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 175,584,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,169,778,000 after acquiring an additional 2,856,746 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 10.3% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 26,084,266 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,807,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,439,814 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter worth $1,873,696,000. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 114,228.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,469,785 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,544,751,000 after purchasing an additional 21,451,006 shares in the last quarter. 74.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,710 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $22,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LLY. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the first quarter valued at about $107,000. Roundview Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,056 shares of the companys stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter worth about $210,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 9.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 53,052 shares of the companys stock worth $15,193,000 after buying an additional 4,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter worth about $561,000. 87.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

LLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $430.00 to $475.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $440.00 to $500.00 in a research report on Friday, May 26th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $447.00 to $498.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $478.00 to $507.00 in a research note on Monday, May 15th. Finally, 3M restated a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $437.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 11,760 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.41, for a total transaction of $5,473,221.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 101,237,050 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $47,116,735,440.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 11,760 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.41, for a total value of $5,473,221.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 101,237,050 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $47,116,735,440.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . Also, EVP Johna Norton sold 1,647 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $444.29, for a total transaction of $731,745.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,761 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,111,094.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,086,543 shares of company stock valued at $445,911,136. Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock traded up $4.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $468.98. The company had a trading volume of 3,173,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,534,527. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $445.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $434.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $377.09. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $296.32 and a 1-year high of $469.87.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.87 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 61.42%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 71.86%.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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European Assets Trust PLC (LON:EAT  Free Report) announced a dividend on Thursday, June 29th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 6th will be given a dividend of GBX 1.45 ($0.02) per share on Monday, July 31st. This represents a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

European Assets Trust Stock Performance

LON:EAT opened at GBX 88.60 ($1.13) on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.35. European Assets Trust has a 1 year low of GBX 74.60 ($0.95) and a 1 year high of GBX 101.04 ($1.28). The stocks 50 day simple moving average is GBX 91.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 92.35. The company has a market cap of 319.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -184.58 and a beta of 1.06.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stuart Paterson acquired 25,000 shares of European Assets Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 92 ($1.17) per share, with a total value of 23,000 ($29,243.48). In related news, insider Martin Breuer purchased 6,700 shares of European Assets Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 87 ($1.11) per share, with a total value of 5,829 ($7,411.32). Also, insider Stuart Paterson bought 25,000 shares of European Assets Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 92 ($1.17) per share, for a total transaction of 23,000 ($29,243.48). Insiders have bought a total of 41,700 shares of company stock valued at $3,822,900 in the last quarter. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

European Assets Trust Company Profile

European Assets Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by F&C Investment Business Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Europe, excluding the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in stocks of small and mid cap companies with a market capitalization below that of the largest company in the Euromoney Smaller European Companies (ex UK) Index or below Euro 2.5 billion.

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Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV  Free Report) by 12.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 985,152 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 109,775 shares during the quarter. Valvoline makes up approximately 1.6% of Leeward Investments LLC MAs portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Leeward Investments LLC MAs holdings in Valvoline were worth $34,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ellevest Inc. lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 109.6% during the 4th quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 918 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 52.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,230 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 63.4% in the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. 93.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total transaction of $98,377.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,435,823.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total value of $205,260.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,854.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total value of $98,377.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,435,823.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.99% of the companys stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $37.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 3.90 and a current ratio of 3.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 1.36. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.40 and a 52 week high of $39.67.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 10th. The basic materials company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $344.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.12 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 50.51% and a net margin of 79.50%. Equities analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VVV shares. Stephens started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, June 23rd. They issued an overweight rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Monday, June 12th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised Valvoline from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Valvoline from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, June 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $40.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $40.40.

Valvoline Profile

(Free Report)

Valvoline Inc provides automotive services through retail stores in the United States and Canada. It offers cabin air filter, battery replacement, and tire rotation services for various vehicles. As of September 30, 2022, it operated 1,700 system-wide service center stores. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Bank of America upgraded shares of Metso Oyj (OTCMKTS:OUKPY  Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Separately, Citigroup raised Metso Oyj from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Metso Oyj presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $10.40.

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Metso Oyj Stock Performance

OUKPY opened at $5.96 on Tuesday. Metso Oyj has a one year low of $3.02 and a one year high of $6.11. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $5.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.45.

Metso Oyj Increases Dividend

About Metso Oyj

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.0467 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.46%. This is a boost from Metso Oyjs previous dividend of $0.03.

(Free Report)

Metso Oyj provides technologies, end-to-end solutions, and services for aggregates, minerals processing, and metals refining industries in Europe, North and Central America, South America, the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and India. The company operates in three segments: Aggregates, Minerals, and Metals.

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Quinsam Capital Co. (OTCMKTS:QCAAF  Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 115,600 shares, an increase of 282.8% from the May 31st total of 30,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 13.3 days.

Quinsam Capital Stock Performance

QCAAF opened at $0.05 on Friday. Quinsam Capital has a 52-week low of $0.03 and a 52-week high of $0.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $0.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.06.

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About Quinsam Capital

(Free Report)

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Quinsam Capital Corporation operates as a investment and merchant banking firm in Canada. It primarily focuses on investment in technology, healthcare, mining and exploration, e-sports, and cannabis markets. The company's activities include acquisitions, advisory services, lending activities, and portfolio investments.

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SimCorp A/S (OTCMKTS:SICRF  Free Report) is one of 293 public companies in the SoftwareApplication industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its competitors? We will compare SimCorp A/S to similar businesses based on the strength of its earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and profitability.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for SimCorp A/S and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score SimCorp A/S 0 2 0 0 2.00 SimCorp A/S Competitors 373 1496 3370 40 2.58

As a group, SoftwareApplication companies have a potential upside of 29.36%. Given SimCorp A/Ss competitors stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe SimCorp A/S has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets SimCorp A/S N/A N/A N/A SimCorp A/S Competitors -30.12% -245.10% -8.13%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares SimCorp A/S and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This table compares SimCorp A/S and its competitors revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio SimCorp A/S N/A N/A 116.15 SimCorp A/S Competitors $507.49 million -$10.79 million 562.82

SimCorp A/Ss competitors have higher revenue, but lower earnings than SimCorp A/S. SimCorp A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

SimCorp A/S pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. SimCorp A/S pays out 59.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, SoftwareApplication companies pay a dividend yield of 1.8% and pay out 70.7% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

41.9% of SimCorp A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.9% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by institutional investors. 29.6% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held 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.

Summary

SimCorp A/S competitors beat SimCorp A/S on 8 of the 13 factors compared.

About SimCorp A/S

(Free Report)

SimCorp A/S, together with its subsidiaries, provides investment management solutions for asset management, fund management, insurance, life/pension, central banks, asset servicing, treasury, sovereign wealth, and wealth management companies. It provides investment management services, including portfolio management and trading, compliance management, performance and risk management, investment operations, investment accounting, fund administration, multi asset investments, alternative investments, investment book of record, and data warehouse and business intelligence, as well as environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investments. The company also offers data management, corporate actions, ESG data management, market data management, and security master services; and client communications, such as client reporting and sales enablement, and digital engagement platform. It has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Squarespace (NYSE:SQSP  Free Report) in a research report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Squarespace in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. They issued a neutral rating and a $34.00 target price for the company. William Blair reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Squarespace in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Squarespace from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Squarespace from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Squarespace from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Squarespace has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $32.00.

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Squarespace Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of SQSP stock opened at $31.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $29.69 and a 200-day moving average of $26.84. Squarespace has a 12-month low of $16.86 and a 12-month high of $34.38. The company has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 8.78 and a beta of 0.32.

Insider Transactions at Squarespace

Institutional Trading of Squarespace

In other news, CEO Anthony Casalena sold 37,515 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.91, for a total transaction of $1,122,073.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,819,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $144,141,613.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link . In other Squarespace news, insider Paul Gubbay sold 10,124 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.21, for a total value of $305,846.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 25,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $762,470.19. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Also, CEO Anthony Casalena sold 37,515 shares of Squarespace stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.91, for a total transaction of $1,122,073.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,819,178 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $144,141,613.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders sold 134,247 shares of company stock worth $4,211,797. 47.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AlpInvest Partners B.V. raised its position in shares of Squarespace by 147.9% in the 4th quarter. AlpInvest Partners B.V. now owns 347,123 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,696,000 after buying an additional 207,097 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Squarespace by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,625 shares of the companys stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 1,581 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Squarespace in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,035,000. Callan Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Squarespace in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $394,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Squarespace by 86.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,247 shares of the companys stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 7,981 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.38% of the companys stock.

About Squarespace

(Free Report)

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, scheduling, and hospitality services, as well as tools for managing a social media presence.

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Tompkins Financial Corp cut its position in shares of Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D  Free Report) by 33.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,320 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 1,634 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corps holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Dominion Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 168,723 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $14,325,000 after purchasing an additional 12,002 shares during the period. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in Dominion Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,528,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Dominion Energy by 30.0% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,195 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,661 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Dominion Energy by 49.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 394 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Dominion Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $419,000. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Dominion Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Dominion Energy stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $51.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 6,055,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,394,166. The company has a market cap of $43.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.85. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.47 and a 1-year high of $86.28.

Dominion Energy Announces Dividend

Dominion Energy ( NYSE:D Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.46 billion. Dominion Energy had a return on equity of 12.67% and a net margin of 7.05%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd were paid a $0.6675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $2.67 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.16%. Dominion Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 186.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dominion Energy news, COO Diane Leopold sold 6,250 shares of Dominion Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $307,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 100,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,921,653.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on D shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Dominion Energy from $63.00 to $55.00 in a report on Friday, June 9th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Dominion Energy from $60.00 to $57.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. 51job reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Dominion Energy in a report on Friday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Dominion Energy from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Dominion Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $62.55.

Dominion Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Dominion Energy, Inc engages in the production and distribution of energy. It operates through following business segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Contracted Assets, and Corporate and Other. The Corporate and Other segment focuses on corporate, service company, non-controlling interest in Dominion privatization, and non-regulated retail energy marketing operations.

Further Reading

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TOR Minerals International, Inc. (OTCMKTS:TORM  Free Report)s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $2.43 and traded as low as $2.21. TOR Minerals International shares last traded at $2.40, with a volume of 624 shares changing hands.

TOR Minerals International Price Performance

The firms fifty day moving average price is $2.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

TOR Minerals International Company Profile

(Free Report)

TOR Minerals International, Inc produces and sells specialty mineral products in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company offers alumina trihydrate and boehmite halogen-free flame retardant and smoke suppressant fillers for plastics, rubber, and specialty applications; and beige and gray colored titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments for use in paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and various other products.

Further Reading

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As hot weather approaches and forest vegetation continues to dry, Siuslaw National Forest officials are raising the fire danger designation from moderate to high.

There are currently no restrictions in place for campfires, but the public is urged to be extra vigilant on forested lands over the upcoming holiday weekend, according to Forest Service a news release.

The Oregon Coast Range is much drier than average for this time of year, and we dont see any precipitation in the forecast, Chris Donaldson, deputy fire staff officer for Northwest Oregon Interagency Fire Management, said in a statement.

Lots of folks will likely head outside over the holiday weekend. We ask that everyone is mindful to prevent human-caused fire starts and encourage others to do the same.

Local firefighters have detected several small fires already this year, both on and off Forest Service lands. Rapid responses by fire crews have kept acreage burned to a minimum, according to the news release.

Historically, the majority of fires on the Siuslaw National Forest are human-caused.

We want people to enjoy their time outdoors and at recreation sites as they celebrate Independence Day, but to remember that no fireworks are allowed on National Forest lands in Oregon, Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor Rebecca Brooke said in a statement.

Stay up to date on mid-Willamette Valley news, wherever you go Easily access the latest Albany and Linn County news in an app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you.

As fire restrictions change, information will be available on the Siuslaw National Forest website, www.fs.usda.gov/main/siuslaw/fire.
StockNews.com upgraded shares of WPP (NYSE:WPP  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

WPP Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:WPP opened at $52.31 on Tuesday. WPP has a 12-month low of $39.67 and a 12-month high of $64.07. The company has a market capitalization of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50 day moving average of $54.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

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Institutional Trading of WPP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in shares of WPP by 23.6% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,006 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in shares of WPP by 4.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,930 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of WPP by 3.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 6,453 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of WPP by 34.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 977 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of WPP by 3.7% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 7,558 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $450,000 after buying an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WPP Company Profile

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies.

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The Crooked Lake Freedom 5 will host its 10th race on Tuesday. Runners, walkers, family and friends are invited to join in on this community focused event. Megan Thornhills design grabbed the publics attention and won the popular vote. Thornhills design will be featured on shirts, tank tops and beach towels.
The Womens Care Center of Northeast Indiana will conduct a donation drive aimed at collecting most requested Crib Club items to celebrate its 7th anniversary. Pictured in the Crib Club are staff members Heather Hunter, lead counselor and nurse, and Kylee Klepper, counselor and nurse.
Three people were taken to a Fort Wayne hospital following a single-vehicle accident just after 5 p.m. Friday on Interstate 69 near the 326 mile marker, the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office reported.
AAA expects record-breaking travel for the Fourth of July holiday, surpassing the previous record set in 2019.

The agency projects 50.7 million Americans (15.1% of the population), including 587,000 Oregonians, will take a trip, 460,000 by car and 84,000 by air, according to an association news release.

Top destinations in the West are Anaheim, Las Vegas, the Oregon coast (especially Lincoln City and Newport), Central Oregon, Portland, Medford/Ashland, Crater Lake, Pendleton, Boise and Sacramento.

In the Pacific Region (Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska and Hawaii), 7.4 million people (13.9% of the population) are expected to travel, a 4.7% increase compared to 2022.

The Independence Day holiday travel period is defined as Friday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 4.

This year will set records with Americans eager to travel for fireworks and fun this Independence Day, Doreen Loofburrow, senior vice president of Travel at AAA Oregon/Idaho, said in a statement.

Despite some higher prices and limited availability, travel volumes will be higher than ever before. Many took our advice and booked their trips early, another sign of very robust travel this summer.

Plan your trip in advance and expect the unexpected, Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA for Oregon/Idaho, said in the release.

Things can and will change. Flights, accommodations, attractions, rental cars are all in very high demand, and availability is limited. Airlines continue to have issues with flight cancelations and delays, as well as pilot and staff shortages.
MANSFIELD, La.  Melissa Welch was delivering newspapers early on the morning of March 30, 2010 when she saw a man in a green Action Taxi cab 
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
SHREVEPORT, La. - Did your mother remind you to keep hydrated and not stay outside for too long during extreme heat? Well, the same tips apply
Chuck Rozanski has a superhero origin story that puts Peter Parkers to shame.

His began as a child growing up on an Army base in Frankfurt, Germany, where his stepfather was insanely abusive to me, he said, and his mother descended into madness.

This is no fan fiction: In the 1960s, Rozanskis stepfather  who headed the motor pool that directed all U.S. Army operations throughout Europe  worked out of the very same building where the Nazis once produced Zyklon B, its preferred chemical for the mass killing of Jews. Rozanskis mother was from a nearby Bavarian village called Goldbach that not only was bombed to rubble by the end of World War II, it was firebombed, Rozanski said. And they did it in such a way that my mother had to live through the horror of coming up out of the bomb shelter and seeing friends and animals burn alive.

Years later, when Rozanski was 17 and the family was living a world away in Colorado Springs, his mother was institutionalized because she was having hallucinations that she was back in our little village and was being bombed, he said.

Today, Rozanski is president of Denvers Mile High Comics, which says it is the largest retail comics store in the U.S. His 45,000-square-foot Cathedral of Comics boasts 15 million books, magazines, posters, collectibles, toys, games and more in the megastore to end all megastores just east of 46th Avenue and Jason Street in northwest Denver. Rozanski estimates his inventory is worth $100 million.

Hes also been married for 43 years, is the father of four daughters, and, at 68, is living his most authentic life after an ongoing series of fundamental identity transformations not all that different from those Peter Parker and Batman's Bruce Wayne accepted and embraced in their fictional worlds.

People just assume that Rozanski surely must have turned to comics as a boy to escape the nightmarish reality of his daily life.

It wasnt that, Rozanski said. They were an economic escape.

As in, cash money.

By age 6, Rozanski already had what it took to become a successful comics broker.

I was both entrepreneurial  and a hoarder, he said with a laugh.

Early on, he grasped fundamental business tenets, like even though pennies are pennies, some are worth much more than others. He also perfected the art of trading up: Taking an object off one persons hands and exchanging it with someone who ascribes much more value to it.

In 1967, 12-year-old Rozanski discovered there was a small community of comic-book fans living in his same Army housing development in Frankfurt. At 13, he started knocking on neighbors doors hustling for trades.

Say if somebody really wanted Richie Rich, and somebody else really wanted Archie, and then somebody else really loved Stan Lee's early horror comics, he said, well, then, I could play three sides against the middle.

And to give you a sense of how well this system worked, he said, within two years, I had amassed 3,000 comics on my allowance of a buck a month from my mother.

And a love for comics played no part in his success.

I started the business so that I could already be planning how to get the hell out of my house, Rozanski said. Between my stepfather's abuse and my mother's madness, I was just so oppressed. And the mercantile endeavor of buying and selling comics was my way to get out.

When Rozanski was 14, his stepfather moved the family stateside for his final assignment before retirement. He asked for Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, and the Army was kind enough to offer an alternate choice: Either the Pentagon  or Fort Riley, Kansas. He chose Kansas, but moved the family to Colorado Springs and commuted once a month.

Fort Riley was a gut-wrenching, horrible assignment, because this was 1969, and he was a notification officer, Rozanski said. So, his job was to knock on farmhouse doors and tell people their kids had just been killed in Vietnam. Needless to say, whenever he came home to us, he was in a foul temper.

By 17, Rozanski was trading out of City Auditorium in Colorado Springs with a goal not to build wealth but, more important, inventory. If he traded one comic, he wanted two in return. He specifically sought out Roy Rogers artifacts, like cereal bowls that he would then advertise in national fan magazines and trade journals.

At 19, after graduating from Widefield High School in Colorado Springs, Rozanski opened the first Mile High Comics retail store in the rented back room of a Boulder book store. By 21, he owned a chain of four stores. Whatever lingering trauma he may have carried from his childhood, he said, My therapy was buying and selling.

To this point in his life, Rozanski was a survivor, to be sure, but no superhero. His purpose evolved when he made a lucky purchase that changed his life. He scored the so-called "Mile High" collection of Golden Age comics  were talking mint copies of every Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain America from 1938-50. At the time, it was considered the largest and highest-quality collection of old comics ever discovered. Rozanski, not so removed from living off that $1 weekly allowance from his mom, pledged then and there to become a hero for the comic-book form.

I vowed to do everything in my power to help the comic-book industry to prosper, he said.

That industry generated $2 billion in 2022 and grew by an average of 12.6% per year between 2017 and 22, according to researcher IBISWorld.

People are buying comics, he said, for one reason: Because they're fun to read.

But if you think its old-guard like Marvel, DC and Dark Horse Comics fueling sales, Rozanski said, Oh, hell no, girl. The superhero guys in tights comics make up only 30% of the market right now, he said. Meanwhile Manga  a line of comics and youth-oriented graphic novels originating from Japan  are generating $1 billion a year in sales.

This has slid by most people's consciousness, he said.

Rozanski rocked the industry 20 years ago, when it was first grappling with whether consumers would abandon old-fashioned print for the ease of reading comics online. His counterintuitive hunch was that the answer was both. He talked a Marvel exec into providing him with new stories a week ahead of their official release and let anyone read them online before they went on sale.

Youd think that would decrease paper sales, he said, but it was the other way around. We sold out every issue because people who maybe weren't previously interested in a title suddenly said, Hey, I like this, and I don't want to miss the next three. And now they want a physical copy of the comic they read last night while scrolling their computers. And so, we actually created new print consumers by using the internet.

On a recent random Saturday, 13-year-old Brecken Gaede of Fort Collins roamed the aisles of Mile High Comics with his father, while keeping a keen eye out for Neal Adams Batman 243.

I much prefer going to comic-book shops in person, he said, and it really makes me happy that there is still such a big business for it in person that it hasn't all switched online.

Take that, Morgan Spurlock.

Hes the Super Size Me documentarian who, in 2010, turned his attention to geek culture at the San Diego ComicCon and picked Rozanski to be one of his films subject.

At the wrap party, Morgan pulled me aside and called me a dinosaur, Rozanski said. He said I was soon to sink into the ooze of the tar pits and disappear because nobody wanted paper comics anymore. He pointed up to his laptop and said, See here? I can carry all my comics with me on this. And I said, Morgan, that may be true. But I'm an old, funny guy, and I like smelling that dead-tree stuff in the middle of the comic book. So what happens? He gets caught up in the #MeToo movement and sinks into the ooze. And meanwhile, (explicative), I'm still here.

The cannabis connection

Rozanski was operating Mile High Comics out of four retail locations in 2011 when he was evicted from one of his spaces on the north side of I-70. When his real estate agent showed him the massive warehouse that had been vacant for three years in the center of industrial nowhere at 4600 Jason St., I bought it for next to nothing, he said. As in, $1.6 million.

That was an insanely low price for that lot, but kids were breaking in and putting on these gigantic raves at the time, and the liability implications for the owners were becoming severe, he said.

In 2015, a period of stunning market appreciation fueled by the newly legal cannabis industry, Rozanski sold his other warehouse to a local rug company for triple what he paid. He eventually consolidated all of his public retail operations into the Jason Street warehouse, and cleared an easy $1 million doing so.

Timing is everything, he said with a smile.

Today, that Jason Street warehouse is a playground for everyone from nostalgia-seeking seniors to middle-aged nerds to teenagers like Brecken Gaede. The aisles are filled with dozens of life-size figures like Superman, Batman and more contemporary animated movie characters. If you put a tape measure to it, his wall of comic books stretches for two miles start to finish, he said.

Tone Rodriguez, a comic-book author from L.A. who has visited dozens of times, feels like he knows the store like the back of his hand.

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But every time I come here, I always find something new, he said. You can get lost here.

Thats in part because, this place is not real. It doesn't exist.

Wait, what?

To anyone outside of Denver, Mile High Comics is not a physical place in any way, shape or form. Its a place that used to exist in the middle of your old comic books, said Rodriguez, who is best known for producing comic books for The Simpsons and Futurama  and, as an actor, for playing a killer in Dexter.

You'd be reading your Micronauts or your GI Joe or whatever, and when you got to the middle, it was always that yellow, two-page spread that said, Mile High Comics. Every month, we'd sit there and pore through the price guide and be like, Oh, (bleep), theres Hulk 181, and it's only 25 bucks. And youd put that self-stamped envelope together, send it out in the mail and then, like magic, it would arrive at your house. Thats why I say, if youre a kid from California, this is a magical place thats just out there somewhere. And every so often I get to come here and I'm reminded that, Holy (bleep), I'm in the land of Oz.'

And Rozanski, the wizard at the center of it all, he said, is an amazing person. He treats everyone like family. There is absolutely no one else like him.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Reality bites

Peter Parker had his radioactive spider bite that gave him super powers. For Rozanski, it was a mosquito bite on his butt that forever changed the course of his life  and his identity. Eight days later, he found himself at a Feast Day dance in a New Mexico village, where he began having hallucinations of Avanyus. Those are little horned serpent deities from the Pueblo cosmology that represent the energy of the universe.

At first it was really cool and entertaining, said Rozanski, who freely admits that the name Mile High Comics owes at least some of its double meaning to his ROTC stoner days at the University of Colorado Boulder.

But then it started getting weird, like, This is not the way I'm supposed to be.

Turns out he had encephalitis from the mosquito bite, which caused his brain to swell. More specifically, the hypothalamus, which controls automatic bodily functions you don't even think about, like blinking your eyes and breathing.

It was only later that I found out that the hypothalamus is also where you determine your gender, Rozanski said.

At that moment, at age 53, Rozanski discovered what he considers to be his true Two-Spirit identity. Two Spirit is an umbrella term to describe gender variance within Indigenous communities, and can include people who are gay, lesbian or transgender.

I instantly went from being a good old masculine White kind of guy, to all of a sudden discovering that I wasn't just male  that I was actually gender-fluid, Rozanski said.

But while the epiphany was instant, he said, the full transition process would take the better part of the next decade. At 62, he adopted his drag personality, Bettie Pages. Shes inspired by the Queen of Pin-Up, Bettie Page, a model also immortalized in comic books by artist Jim Silke. Bettie Pages has now amassed more than a hundred drag gowns, some valued at more than $1,000.

Rozanski, who considers himself both bisexual and trans, comes from the I don't give a (explicative) school of pronouns. You dont need to ask how his family has adapted to the news. Proof of that is in the greeting card his wife, Nanette Furman  also known as she who must be obeyed, he said  has left on his desk. It shows a tiny turtle floating upward, holding helium balloons to look a tall giraffe pal in the eye. The message: Our relationship is pretty unusual.

I think that in America, there's an incredible amount of variation and diversity amongst families these days, he said. Right now, for example, I'm living in a household with my wife, my oldest daughter, my son-in-law and my grandson, who is trans.

Coming out to his family was one thing. Coming out to his customers was another.

I dont know of any other business entrepreneur out there who puts themselves in the public limelight as being both gender-fluid and trans  so I decided to go full bore, Rozanski said. He announced his Bettie Pages persona in a newsletter that went out to his 118,000 subscribers in 2017.

I knew that I would lose business, he said, and he was right. About 10,000 customers left his mailing list overnight, some leaving pointed, vitriolic parting shots.

But guess what? In short order, I had 10,000 more join, he said.

An open (comic) book

The steps leading into the Mile High Comics warehouse are painted in rainbow colors. The wall of the corridor leading customers into the full store is lined with posters of the Club Q victims. A large sign reads, Transgender rights are human rights.

The big thing I am trying to make abundantly clear to everyone is that this place is a refuge, Rozanski said. "And if somebody is homophobic, I make a real point of making sure that they are offended."

For two years before the pandemic, Rozanski presented a loud and proud monthly all-ages drag show that attracted 15 visits from members of the neo-fascist Proud Boys.

These guys were showing up in helmets and jack boots with shields  and they really wanted to kick my ass, Rozanski said. Ive got saved voice messages from people saying they were going to kill me or burn my building down. But to say that I'm not easily intimidated is kind of an understatement. Because every time those (explicative) would show up, I would put on a full ball gown, and my high heels, and walk out in the middle of the street as Bettie Pages and say, Hi, boys!'

Attitude, Bettie says, goes a long way. When people think you're bat (explicative) crazy, they tend to kind of back away slowly.

The Club Q massacre, however, hit close to home.

They were human beings, and that was my home club, said Rozanski, who last visited eight days before the murders. It really hit me quite hard, and made me incredibly angry and upset.

A black and white future

The neighborhood surrounding Mile High Comics is gentrifying so fast, rapidly escalating land values are almost certain to take the store out with a roundhouse Batman "Whaam! Pow! Kaboom!" punch. And probably sooner than later.

It's still a pretty gritty-looking industrial block but, right now, three surrounding 400-plus-unit apartment buildings are in various stages of construction, with the potential for 700 more. That does not even include plans to finally demolish the long abandoned old Denver Post printing plant at I-70 and I-25.

That ugly eyesore had some Superfund issues, but they are almost ready to build an immense residential complex there with more than 4,000 units in towers 15 to 20 stories tall, Rozanski said. That plan, he added, requires the developer to build a flyover bridge connecting the planned community directly to I-25.

The result of all this surrounding development, Rozanski said, is a massive increase in the value of his property, and the property taxes that go with it. Hes been told to expect another 20% jump next year, which would bring his tax obligation to nearly $180,000 next year.

The truth is, this store does not have any financial reason to exist, Rozanski said. I could lease this building right now for a net $45,000 a month. And Gods honest truth, if we make $5,000 in any given month, were lucky. So, Im giving up $45,000 that I could be putting into my familys pockets every month.

So why is he doing it?

Because Im trying to touch the future, he said. If you look around at the young people who are slithering through the aisles here, this is their happy place. This is a place they can come to with their families and they can have a great time.

But there is an evil scheme to this, as well  OK? he added, sounding for all the world like a character in a graphic novel. I have no great memories of my childhood. But by creating this shared memory, I am making myself eternal. Because I am planting in people this memory of coming to the worlds largest comic book store and sharing that experience with people they love.

This is all quite a metamorphosis from the broke, bullied boy Rozanski was in Bavaria to the fierce defender of human rights he, she and they are today.

But, for Rozanski, being fierce is a way of life.

I get it from being a little kid and having my stepfather beat me every day, he said. I swore to myself that if I could ever get control over my own life that no one would ever beat me again. That I would be out there in the world and that I would be fierce. And so, in a sense, I was born a drag queen  I just didn't know it yet.
BusinessWire India

New Delhi [India], July 1: The experts at the Rare Disease Summit emphasised the need for patient registry for accessible treatment opportunities for rare disease patients while deliberating on the various aspects of rare disease management in the country. The summit was organized by the health think tank, Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council in collaboration with AstraZeneca to create awareness on rare diseases and their effective management.

Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Drunkard Man Assaults Mother for Money, Father Burns Him to Death in Chikkaballapura District.

WHO defines a rare disease as an often debilitating lifelong disease or disorder with a prevalence of 1 or less, per 1000 population. However, different countries have their own definitions to suit their specific requirements and in context of their own population, health care system and resources.

While taking part in the discussion Dr Madhulika Kabra, Professor, Genetics Subdivision of the Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi said that rare diseases and genome sequencing needs to be integrated into medical education for sensitisation and capacity building of peripheral health workers is necessary in this regard.

Also Read | Germany: 209 COVID Vaccine Damage Claims in Courts -- Report.

One-third out of the total cases of rare diseases across the globe, occur in India. Yet, these diseases are hardly given attention in the country as there is not enough data and research to support the numbers. With its resource constraints, India continues to lag in awareness, diagnosis, and drug development relating to such diseases, and there is inadequate medical and scientific research, to support adequate treatment.

Prasanna Kumar Shirol, Ashoka Fellow and Co-founder & Executive Director, Organization for Rare Diseases India, while discussing about the need of enhanced public participation in capacity building and R&D remarked that research is important and government needs to participate actively in it. He further added that patient registry is a critical aspect of rare disease management and patient groups can play an important role in it.

India formulated a National Policy on Rare Diseases (NPRD) in 2017 and its revised version was released in March 2021. Along with recognizing the key factors that, considerably delay the diagnosis for or up to 20 years, the policy also dwells on raising awareness, opening options for financial assistance, and establishing centres of excellence (COE) for enabling access and management of rare diseases.

Diagnosing and managing rare diseases pose unique challenges due to factors such as the limited number of patients, difficulty in diagnosis and detection, reaching dispersed populations, the absence of validated biomarkers and endpoints, and the scarcity of clinical expertise and specialized centres. WHO has already emphasised facilitating collaborations and knowledge sharing by addressing the challenges in rare diseases and investing in infrastructure and expertise.

Discussing about the role of Voluntary Crowdfunding Platforms and donor involvement, Ankita Kumari, Senior Vice President; Operations, ImpactGuru.com observed that regulations and policy support can lead to relevant development, it is important to validate donations for better trust among all stakeholders and partnering with credible organisations is imperative for better outcomes.

The experts concluded that the scarcity of medical expertise for each rare disease highlights the need for research investments to be accompanied by investments in dedicated infrastructure and global networks, such as biobanks, registries, R&D and centres of expertise. The drive towards sustainable development goals cannot be successful if it does not ensure that individuals with rare diseases receive the necessary support, care and treatment required.

(Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)

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Actor Parineeti Chopra and AAP leader Raghav Chadha, who are all set to tie the knot soon, offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday morning. After their sacred visit, the couple took to their respective Instagram handles and shared pictures of themselves seeking blessings at Shri Harmandir Sahib. "My visit this time was even more special; with him by my side. @raghavchadha88," Parineeti captioned the post. Raghav also described the visit to the Golden Temple as "special." Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha Visit Golden Temple Ahead of Wedding, Actress Shares Pic on Insta!.

"Amidst sacred hymns and serenity, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and said a little prayer. With @parineetichopra by my side, it was even more special. Blessed to seek blessings at Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib ji in Amritsar today," he wrote. The duo also performed Sewa by washing the dishes used in Langar. Parineeti wore an ivory-coloured kurta while Raghav was dressed in a kurta-pyjama with a Nehru coat.

Parineeti and Raghav exchanged rings on May 13 at Kapurthala house in New Delhi in the presence of their loved ones. Parineeti and Raghav reportedly knew each other for several years before they began dating. The couple was recently spotted scouting for locations in Udaipur for the wedding, hinting that they will follow in her cousin Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' footsteps in tying the knot in Rajasthan. Parineeti Chopra Reveals How She Realised Raghav Chadha Was 'The One', Shares Unseen Pictures From Engagement.

Check Out Parineet's Instagram Post Here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @parineetichopra

Meanwhile, on the work front, Parineeti will share screen space with Diljit Dosanjh in Chamkila. Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, the film revolves around two famous Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila.
New Delhi, July 1: Two persons died on Saturday after a compressor exploded in an air compressor tank at a plastic moulding factory in northeast Delhi's Gokalpuri area, police said. A PCR call was received at 3.30 pm regarding the blast. It was reported that three persons were injured in the explosion and two of them were shifted to a hospital, they said.

PCR, local police and staff from the fire department immediately reached the spot. They found out that a plastic moulding factory was being run from the house, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said. Delhi Factory Blast: Two Killed, 2 Injured After Explosion of Air Compressor Tank in Plastic Moulding Company in Gokulpuri.

Inquiry revealed that four persons were injured at the site. While three of them had already been taken to GTB hospital, the fourth one was found dead at the spot, he said.

Later, one of the injured died at the hospital, the DCP said. The blast had taken place in the air compressor tank used in the plastic moulding machine. The factory was being operated in a rented accommodation of around 150 square yards, Tirkey said.

Naresh, the owner of the property, had rented the premises to one Yadav, who was running the factory. Efforts are being made to contact both of them. Their mobile phones are switched off. They will be traced soon, the DCP said. China Blast Video: Massive Explosion in Chemical Plant in Jiangxi's Guixi, Clip Shows Flames and Clouds of Smoke.

The deceased persons have been identified as Bablu (38), a resident of Rohini Sector-22, and Ram Karan (60), a resident of Khajuri Khas. Karan was an auto-rickshaw driver, police said. Bablu was a compressor mechanic. He had died on the spot, while Karan lost his life in the hospital during treatment. A case is being registered and further investigation is in progress, police added.

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Patna, July 1: Bihar police on Saturday lathi-charged Central Teachers' Eligibility Test (CTET) aspirants as they protested against the state government in Patna over the ending of the domicile rule. The protesting aspirants are demanding the implementation of a domicile policy in recruitment.

"A case will be registered against the protestors. They are taking to the roads causing traffic jams, stopping school students and causing damage to the property," Nurul Haque, DSP Law and Order Kotwali said. He further said, "They will have to go to jail for this. The police are removing them using lathis to control them." Bihar: 3,500 Suspicious SIM Cards Blocked Following Recommendation From Economic Offence Unit of Police Department.

Bihar Police Lathi-Charge CTET Aspirants in Patna:

#WATCH | Bihar Police lathi-charge CTET aspirants as they protest against the state government in Patna pic.twitter.com/DsSCGbFCTK  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

Earlier on Tuesday, after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the state government announced that eligible candidates from all states can apply for teaching jobs in the state's government-run schools. Bihar Police Recruitment 2023: CSBC Notifies Vacancies For Over 21,000 Constable Posts, Apply Online at csbc.bih.nic.in.

Before implementing this, there was a rule which mandated that applicants with the domicile of Bihar could only apply for teaching jobs in the state's government-run schools.

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Mumbai, Jul 1 (PTI) In light of the deadly bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway that claimed the lives of 25 people, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday suspended its "Aakrosh Andolan" to protest against the alleged corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Taking to Twitter, the BJP's Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar expressed grief at the loss of lives in the expressway accident.

Also Read | Rajasthan Shocker: Widow Stripped, Assaulted by Dozen Women After Being Tied to Tree Over Suspicion of Affair in Udaipur.

We have decided to suspend the BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI protest against those who looted Mumbai for 25 years. However, we will continue to ask them questions, Shelar tweeted in an apparent reference to the Thackerays.

The BJP-Shiv Sena "Akrsoh Andolan" was being viewed as a counter protest against a march organised by the Shiv Sena (UBT) to protest against corruption in the city civic body.

Also Read | Gujarat Rains: Flood-Like Situation in State, Visavadar Taluka in Junagadh Gets 398 mm Rainfall in Last 24 Hours.

The Shiv Sena controlled the BMC for 25 consecutive years from 1997-2002.

Twenty-five passengers were charred to death after the bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a divider following a tyre burst on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana district in the wee hours of Saturday.

The private bus carrying 33 passengers was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider around 1.30 am at Pimpalkhuta village near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana, around 134 km from here.

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Noida, Jul 1 (PTI) Delhi Metro commuters landing in Uttar Pradesh's Noida with sealed liquor bottles may land in trouble, cautioned excise officials here on Saturday.

The word of caution comes a day after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced permitting commuters to carry up to two sealed bottles of liquor on its network.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: El Nino, Positive IOD Set To Impact Indian Weather Patterns, Says IMD.

Besides Delhi, DMRC's metro rail network expands to nearby cities like Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, the excise rules ban the import of liquor from outside the state, citing loss to the state government's revenue.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Interacts With Tribal Community, Self-Help Groups in Madhya Pradesh.

Officials said the current rule permits import of only one unsealed bottle from adjoining Delhi or Haryana, whether by metro or road.

"Although the Delhi Metro has allowed commuters to carry two sealed bottles of liquor, but rules of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Department will apply in UP's territories, irrespective of any changes in Delhi," Noida District Excise Officer Subodh Srivastava told PTI.

The officer added that the excise department will step up vigilance at metro stations and take legal action against those caught with sealed liquor bottles brought from outside UP.

"We will also try to raise awareness among people about the excise rules in UP to avoid inconvenience to the commuters," Srivastava said.

Liquor is usually cheaper in Haryana and Delhi as compared to Uttar Pradesh. On several occasions in the past, people bringing sealed liquor bottles from Delhi to Noida via road have been arrested.

An official said in such a situation, action against an offender is taken under Section 63 of the Excise Act (penalty for unlawful import, export, transport, manufacture, possession, sale) which is a non-bailable offence.

Carrying of alcohol was banned in the Delhi Metro until recently except on the Airport Express Line and allowing it across the network is a part of the policy to bring in uniformity, the DMRC said on Friday.

According to the Delhi Metro, a committee comprising officials from the CISF and the DMRC reviewed the list of items allowed to be carried in trains.

However, the metro operator has requested passengers to maintain proper decorum while travelling and warned that any commuter found behaving in an indecent manner under the influence of alcohol, will face suitable action as per law.

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Pune, July 1: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday slammed the Eknath Shinde government, which completed one year in power on June 30, for its "incapability" to maintain law and order in Maharashtra. Shinde became chief minister on June 30 last year after a successful rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of which Pawar's NCP was a part along with the Congress.

Queried about the first anniversary of the Ekanth Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, Pawar said, "There is a serious question of law and order in the state. Attacks on women, gangs with koytas (sharp edged weapon) are serious issues. The state government is incapable of maintaining law and order." 'Eknath Shinde Does Mujra in Delhi': Sanjay Raut Takes Dig at Maharashtra CM Over His Cabinet Expansion, Says Shinde's High Command Is in Delhi (Watch Video).

The opposition has been attacking the Shinde government over communal flare-ups in several places over posters of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and 18th century Mysore rule Tipu Sultan, as well as crimes against women, including some in which the accused used 'koytas' (type of machete) to hack the victims to death.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis holds the home portfolio in the Shinde government. On his recent statement that the hurried swearing-in of Fadnavis as chief minister in November 2019 post the Assembly polls was a "googly" bowled by him to expose the BJP's lust for power, Pawar said the saffron party failed to understand his delivery. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Takes Stock of Andheri's Milan Subway After Mumbai Rains (Watch Video).

"They (BJP/Fadnavis) never understood my 'googly'. They lost their wicket. They will not know it because only the bowler knows the technique of 'googly'." Further mocking the BJP, Pawar asked why the party went in for an oath-ceremony after two days (in November despite knowing the NCP had dropped plans to form a government with the BJP). The government of Fadnavis with NCP's Ajit Pawar as his deputy last for just 80 hours.

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Mumbai, July 1: A 53-year-old man, working as a driver for a Bollywood actor, was allegedly killed by his 24-year-old son in Mumbai who bore a grudge against the deceased for scolding him, police said on Saturday. Police have arrested the son of the deceased and registered a case under section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Mumbai Shocker: Son Tries To Kill Father, Hits Him With Dumbbell Thrice After Argument Over Being Unemployed in Juhu; Arrested.

The man died during treatment on Saturday at a hospital, three days after he was attacked with an iron rod at his residence in suburban Andheri, the police official said. Mumbai Shocker: Teenager Raped, Threatened With Shraddha Walkar-Like Murder by Boyfriend, Accused Absconding.

Prima facie, the accused was angry with his father who had pulled him up around two months back for not doing any job, the official said. Further investigation is underway, he added.

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New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday paid a courtesy call to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.

During the meeting, CM Dhami requested the Defence Minister to dissolve the Cantonment Boards in Ranikhet and Lansdowne and transfer the areas outside the military stations to the state administration.

Also Read | Uniform Civil Code: No Change in Stand on UCC, Says Congress.

The Chief Minister also requested to transfer 4 acres of NRTO land for the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport. The state government is ready to provide alternative land to NRTO.

He further appealed to the Defence Minister to allow the State Government to use Joshimath and Dharchula Army helipads for operating Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) services.

Also Read | GST Added to Revenue Buoyancy, Helped Bring Down Taxes for Common Man, Says FM Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Chief Minister has given about one acre of B-3 Defense located in the cantonment as an alternative due to the evacuation of the sub-office being operated under a temporary arrangement on the land provided on lease by the Uttarakhand sub-area in Garhi Cantt, Cantonment Complex, Dehradun. It was also requested to consider shifting the sub-panel office on the land.

The Uttarakhand CM is on a three-day Delhi tour. Officials said Dhami's trip to Delhi is significant because the head of the committee on the Uniform Civil Code recently announced that it had prepared a draft of the report on UCC.

"In view of UCC, this visit of the Chief Minister to Delhi is considered very important, because yesterday, retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the chairman of the committee on UCC, said that the draft of the committee on UCC has been prepared," said the officials.

Earlier on June 30, the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand was complete and the report of the expert Committee along with the draft code printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand.

This announcement was made by the Expert Committee, which was appointed last year to work on the Uniform Civil Code.

The report will go to the state Cabinet and it will decide whether to table it in the state legislature, the committee informed.

The five-member committee was formed last year headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to prepare a draft on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Chairman (retired Supreme Court Justice) Ranjana Prakash Desai is a former judge of the Supreme Court. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Jul 1 (AP) The top international official in Bosnia on Saturday said he was revoking a Bosnian Serb law that suspended any decisions by the country's top court, saying it violates the 1995 peace agreement that ended a devastating 1992-95 war in the Balkan nation.

As the high representative for Bosnia, German diplomat Christian Schmidt has the authority to change laws and impose decisions to make sure the country's politicians are working to preserve peace and promote reconciliation following the conflict that killed over 100,000 people.

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The Bosnian Serb parliament passed a law to not recognise or implement any decisions by Bosnia's multi-ethnic Constitutional Court.

Lawmakers said it was a temporary measure adopted in response to the court saying it could make decisions in the absence of the tribunal's Serb judge, who had pulled out of deliberations on orders from Bosnian Serb leadership.

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Bosnia consists of two entities, a Serb-dominated and a Bosniak-Croat one, and has a complex network of joint, multi-ethnic institutions that were designed to keep the three rival ethnic groups together.

The Bosnian Serb parliament also has demanded a new law on the Constitutional Court, reflecting ongoing difficulties in the functioning of the country's joint institutions.

The law approved this month was the latest move by Bosnian Serb officials to push for more independence of Republika Srpska, a Serb-run mini-state in Bosnia that was created as part of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war. The West sees such actions as separatist and a danger to Bosnia's postwar order.

Schmidt said Saturday that entity parliaments do not have the authority to derogate provisions of the Constitutional Court ... and they have not the right to regulate the jurisdiction of key Dayton (peace agreement) institutions such as the Constitutional Court of the state."

This is simple as that, he added.

However, Bosnian Serb officials have said they would not honour any decision by Schmidt, whom they view as illegitimate because the UN Security Council did not confirm his appointment. Western countries involved in Bosnia supported his nomination, but not Russia.

We are ready, Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik said. For us, Republika Srpska is a state. ... We are only here (in Bosnia) because we have to. (can we say because we have to be'?)

Dodik, a pro-Russian politician and a strong advocate of a Bosnian Serb partition from the rest of Bosnia, has faced US and British sanctions for his separatist policies. He recently visited Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin, defying international sanctions imposed against Moscow because of the war in Ukraine.

Schmidt said Saturday that he also was amending Bosnia's criminal code to enable prosecution of politicians who violate the country's constitutional law and order. But similar changes designed to curb genocide denial have yielded no results so far.

The US Embassy in Bosnia described the Bosnian Serb parliament's decisions as unconstitutional and deliberate attacks" on the 1995 peace accord..

This assault on Dayton comes with consequences, the embassy said, adding that the US supported Schmidt's actions.

Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, the war in Bosnia was Europe's worst conflict since World War II. It erupted when Bosnian Serbs launched a rebellion and a land grab to form their own state following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

In 1995, Bosnian Serb troops killed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in the eastern enclave of Srebrenica in what two UN courts declared the only post-WWII genocide in Europe. Bosniaks are members of the country's mostly Muslim minority. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Although it is, until now, an essentially Southeast Asian phenomenon (Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and even China), the television series, movies, literature, and reality shows that, under the name of BL, openly promoting erotic relationships between young men have transcended these regional boundaries and are beginning to have followers and fans by the thousands in other parts of the world, including countries of our language.

BL is the acronym for Boys Love (or Boy's Love), referring specifically to homoerotic experiences among teenagers and young people, especially in the field of high school or university. Although there are obvious sexual scenes, they are usually sidestepped with some modesty. The emphasis is not placed on sexual activity, almost always promiscuous, which stands out in the typical gay-themed films and series that we know in this part of the world, but on love, on the often-sudden discovery of someone whose sexual orientation has occurred, fundamentally, within the heteronormative canons who feels irresistibly attracted to another person of his own sex, with all the conflicts that this, on many occasions, entails.

Over and over again in these series the actors repeat what has already become a wild card: "I don't like men, I like him", emphasizing that this preference does not make the person who experiences it the member of an exclusive party with militancy, slogans and flags, but rather a "normal" individual who happens to have fallen in love with someone sexually similar. This is remarkable.

Barricade homosexuals for whom the world is divided into impassable parcels do not look favorably this approach, to the point of saying that it is a manifestation of masked homophobia and that these fictitious stories help to perpetuate discrimination and subjugation of those who have not managed to overcome stereotypes; that these actors are taking the gay issue to another plane that serves to leave behind silenced minorities with unresolved problems.

Maybe, but I think that approaching homoeroticism from feelings, not from mere sex gymnastics, is a great contribution to this topic; making it clear that love the most noble and exalting impulse of the members of our species is not only above the barriers of race, religion, nationality, language, etc. but also gender.

Origins of a trend

BL literature originates in Japan about half a century ago and typically deals with the erotic relationship between male characters, a subgenre created by women for almost exclusive consumption by women, and is distinct from products aimed at gay men, although it ended up attracting to male audiences and has also been produced by men. Just as lesbian relationships have long been part of the erotic repertoire of heterosexual men; these stories of boys who love each other (almost always, originally, of androgynous beauty) served to exacerbate the eros of Japanese women (mostly heterosexual) in the last decades of the 20th century.

From this century on, the genre began to become independent and acquire greater autonomy, until it manifested itself overwhelmingly in Southeast Asia, although, first of all, as a fundamentally literary experience: cartoon books (which would become popular under the generic name manga), novels, magazines that began to interest other areas of readers, even in the West, and that would later end up becoming the source of countless television series (and some movies), to the point that, in the last ten years, the plots of these novels, already definitively assumed as BL, would be written as mere drafts or scripts of these films.

A general feature is that the titles with which these TV series are marketed are invariably in English and with such names they are promoted even in the very sphere of the countries where they are produced, although the title in its original language also appears on the screen. My Beautiful Man, Mr. Unlucky Has no Choice but to Kiss (Japanese), Gameboys (Philippine, which is already in its second season), Crossing the Line and Make Our Days Count (two Taiwanese series of moving originality, beauty and good acting), To My Star, A Naked Boy (from South Korea), among many other commendable series from these nations.

The pre-eminence of Thailand

However, Thailand's contribution to the BL industry, in diversity and quantity, exceeds that of all other countries in the area, with an extraordinary volume of works and what seems like an inexhaustible pool of strikingly handsome and talented boys, who, in general, are both models and actors, promoters of various products, without having stopped pursuing higher education and acquiring a university degree, inserted in a modern and dynamic society that they represent very well in these series.

It is surprising, however, that since Thailand is not the most liberal state in the world (it is not, for example, Sweden; marriage between same-sex couples is still not legal and there are many homophobic prejudices) these series - which are broadcast on television at peak hours and reach a large audience  in most cases approach the issue of homosexual relationships from a perspective that is not only acceptable and normal, but even noble and commendable.

In this link you can see minibiographies of 30 Thai actors from these series, ranked in order of attractiveness and likeability in 2021. They are the protagonists of many of these works, whose titles are included at the end of each profile.

Couples on camera and off camera

A characteristic of these series is the creation of couples who can star in more than one work, as is the case of Tay Tawan and New Thitipoom in Kiss Me Again and Dark Blue Kiss, or Bright Vachirawit and Win Metawin in Together and Still Together or Krist Perawat and Singto Prachaya in Sotus and Sotus 2, already classics of the genre; but beyond these performances for TV, some of these couples, supported by large fan clubs, participate in interviews for the media and reality shows, which adds resonance and relevance outside the strict scope of stage representation for turning them into authentic icons of a cultural phenomenon that promotes and magnifies homoerotic relationships in the public space, without this necessarily having to mean that these couples are such in real life. In most cases, it is more about heterosexual individuals who, flattering their fans, publicly behave like lovers or "close friends", while extolling same-sex love as an expression of a feeling which is a hymn to the mutual celebration of youth and beauty that is affirmed in the synergistic duplication of one's own image as a challenge to time.

The Kings of BL

In the already quite extensive list of Thai actors involved in this genre, Max Nattapol and Tul Pakorn, pioneers of these series and who have rightly been called the kings of BL, stand out for their grace, beauty and talent. At 28 and 30 years old respectively and more than six years of acting, Max and Tul can be considered veterans even though they don't show the slightest sign of aging. They have starred in four series: Bad Romance, Together with Me (not to be confused with Together), Together with Me the Next Chapter and Manner of Death; and they have taken part in dozens of interviews, theater performances and reality shows, in which they have reaffirmed, repeatedly, the great love and tenderness that unites each other. If something characterizes this couple, it is the constancy of a relationship that exalts homoeroticism, emphasizing the homo, that is, the same, in a relationship of similarity that identifies them as two extraordinary models of masculinity. It is about a love that not only dares to tell its name but exalts it far above conventional stereotypes with an infectious celebratory jubilation.

They have said that they will be together until they go gray and one of their thousands of followers on Instagram has expressed what many of us might be tempted to subscribe to: "I have fallen in love with these two. I truly hope that their friendship never dies and that they love and care for each other until the very end."
A ceremony was organised for the return of Alessandro Turchi's painting to Poland at the Polish embassy in Tokyo (Photo Credit: Polish Cultural Institute in Tokyo)

Tokyo [Japan], July 1 (ANI): A priceless painting that Nazi Germany stole from a Polish aristocrat in 1940 has been found in Japan and returned to Poland, as per the Polish Embassy in Japan and a Tokyo-based art auction house, Kyodo News reported.

The painting, "Madonna with Child" by Italian Baroque-Era painter Alessandro Turchi, was handed over to the Polish Embassy in Tokyo in late May at no expense to Poland. However, it is unclear how the piece ended up in the ownership of its previous Japanese owner.

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The embassy claims that this is the first time a piece of art that was seized from Poland during Nazi rule has been found in the Far East, as per Kyodo News.

Kyodo News is a news agency based in Minato, Tokyo.

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According to Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the painting has been missing since the 1990s, when it was offered for auction in New York.

The painting's former owner requested that it be sold at auction in the autumn of 2021, according to Mainichi Auction Inc. in Tokyo, which uploaded a picture of the painting online and estimated its value at about 3 million yen (USD 21,000).

The Polish ministry approached the corporation in advance of the auction, which was slated to take place in late January 2022. According to the firm, Polish authorities first claimed that some of the painting's elements did not match those on an old photograph of the stolen artwork that was thought to have been shot in 1939 or 1940, according to Kyodo News.

Later, a Polish team of experts travelled to Japan to verify the authenticity of the painting and that it had been stolen during the Nazi occupation. A UV scan revealed that the original had been painted over in several places.

Yoshiaki Onoyama, Mainichi Auction's official who negotiated with the former Japanese owner for the return of the painting said, "Polish citizens, who give the highest acclaim to Madonna with Child, have once again become its owner."

"There was no financial incentive for us, but I think we got the job done," he added, Kyodo News reported. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 1 (ANI): Pakistan's security forces killed six people, whom the officials called 'terrorists', during a gun battle in North Waziristan and Tank City, ARY News reported on Saturday quoting Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).

As per the ISPR, in the gun battle in the Razmak area of the North Waziristan district three 'terrorists' were killed.

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In another gun battle in Tank City, three others were killed and security forces recovered weapons and ammunition from them.

ISPR said that militants remained actively involved in terror activities against security forces and the killing of innocent citizens, reported ARY News.

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"Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism," the military's media said.

A similar incident took place on Wednesday in the tribal districts of Bajaur and Khyber where four people, whom the official termed as terrorists, were killed and three more were left injured during an operation by the Pakistan military, Dawn reported.

The first operation was conducted in the Inayat Kalli area of Bajaur district over suspicion of the presence of a terrorist, named Shafiullah. The accused was wanted in several target killings, suicide attacks and bomb explosions, and carried a bounty worth 2 million Pakistani Rupees (PKR).

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intense exchange of fire took place between the security forces and militants in the Mamond area of the district, and weapons and ammunition were recovered from their possession.

"The terrorists were involved in activities against security forces as well as in the killing of innocent citizens," Dawn quoted the statement.

In another incident in Tirah Valley of Khyber district, one terrorist was killed and three others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with the security forces during the operation.

An ISPR statement said the terrorist was killed during an operation, adding that an intense exchange of fire took place between the security forces and terrorists."Sanitisation of the area is being carried out in order to eliminate other militants," Dawn quoted the statement. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hong Kong, Jul 1 (AP) An unlicensed pro-democracy radio station in Hong Kong has shut down after 18 years on the air. The closure of Citizens' Radio came on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China's rule.

Since its launch in 2005, the station had hosted prominent democracy advocates, including former lawmakers Szeto Wah, Emily Lau, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan. But its founder, Bull Tsang, said it was becoming increasingly difficult to invite guests following the enactment of a Beijing-imposed law that jailed or silenced many activists.

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Coupled with banking problems and limited resources, Tsang said he had no choice but to say goodbye.

"It's hard to let go. It's like my third son," Tsang, 67, told reporters before he hosted his last show on Friday night.

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The closure reflects the collapse of the city's pro-democracy movement under the national security law that followed massive protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

After the law's enactment three years ago, dozens of civic groups disbanded, most of the city's leading activists were charged with alleged national security crimes, and two vocal media outlets shut down as their top management was accused of sedition or collusion.

Large numbers of democracy supporters also left Hong Kong after finding that the promise that the former British colony would retain Western-style freedoms for 50 years after its return to Chinese rule on July 1 in 1997 was becoming increasingly threadbare.

On Saturday, the city will mark its handover anniversary with official celebrations. The annual massive pro-democracy protest held for years every July 1, however, appears to be a thing of the past  even as daily life has largely returned to normal following years of pandemic restrictions.

The League of Social Democrats leader Chan Po-ying told The Associated Press that her political party was pressured to cancel its plan to stage a small-scale protest but that she could not give more details about this.

While Tsang's radio station has not been directly targeted by the security law, the veteran pro-democracy activist said his guests were unclear about whether their words would be in breach of the vaguely-defined red lines.

He added that the station could not pay rent after August since its bank account was recently blocked from receiving donations.

Hang Seng Bank, which handles Tsang's account, said in a reply to a request for comment from the AP that it cannot comment on matters regarding individual accounts.

Tsang said the recent events forced him to end his years of open defiance against the government after officials rejected his request for a broadcasting license in 2006. Over the years, Tsang continued broadcasting in civil disobedience even after he was convicted and fined over unlicensed broadcasting and his radio station was raided by authorities.

Tsang said he might try to sell his creative drawings to raise funds to continue his work in another way. But even so, things will no longer be the same, he said.

"In the future, it is very difficult to have such form of civil disobedience like this in Hong Kong, he said. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, July 1: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next kin of the deceased and free treatment for those injured in the bus accident in Buldhana on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway on Saturday. Shinde has announced the compensation from the Chief Minister's relief fund.

"Expressing condolences to the deceased and their families in this unfortunate incident, the Chief Minister has announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the families of the deceased," an official statement from the CM office said. Maharashtra Bus Accident Video: 25 People Charred to Death As Bus Catches Fire on Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Buldhana.

The Maharashtra CM has also ordered a probe into the accident which claimed many lives. Sating that he was distressed by the horrific accident, the Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident. A total of 26 people, including three children have died in the accident.

"While giving instructions to provide immediate help to the accident victims, the Chief Minister also directed to provide immediate medical treatment to the injured at government expense," the statement further added.

As per the police officials, the driver who survived the accident said that it occurred after a tyre burst leading to flames in the bus. However, the exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained, the police said. The accident took place at around 1:30 am on Saturday on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway. Buldhana Bus Accident: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Announces Rs 5 Lakh Ex Gratia for Kin of Deceased Who Lost Their Lives in Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway Incident.

"The bus was travelling from Nagpur to Pune when it met with an accident at around 1:30 am. The driver said that the accident took place after a tyre burst, leading to flames in the bus. Later the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire. There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. The exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane told the reporters. According to the police officials, a total of 33 people were travelling in the bus which was on its way to Pune.
Dissident Paul Rusesabagina thanked the US for its efforts to release him from prison earlier this year. His made new criticisms of the Rwandan government in a video to mark the 61st anniversary of Rwanda's independence.Rwandan government critic Paul Rusesabagina, who gained recognition after the 2004 US movie "Hotel Rwanda" depicted the role he played in saving lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, described his months long imprisonment as "hell."

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In a Youtube video released Saturday to mark Rwanda's 61st anniversary of independence, Rusesabagina stressed the people of Rwanda were "prisoners in their own country."

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"Rwanda is an authoritarian government that has no rights for its citizens and doesn't tolerate dissent for its citizens," Rusesabagina said.

He was released on March 24, following months in prison after the Rwandan government slammed him with a 25-year sentence on terrorism charges in September 2021.

Rusesabagina spoke about his time in prison. He said he was "tortured, imprisoned and faced false charges that had nothing to do with me."

What did Rusesabagina say about the US?

The Rwandan dissident, speaking from his home in San Antonio, Texas, thanked several players for advocating for his release. He named the European Union, NGOs, human rights groups and the press for keeping "my story alive."

But Rusesabagina particularly singled out the US, for the role it played in securing his early release from prison.

"This is what made the difference. When the US government said that this cannot continue, Rwanda was forced to be realistic," Rusesabagina said.

The government critic was arrested in August 2020, when a plane carrying him to Burundi was diverted to Rwanda. The US said he was "wrongfully detained," while Rusesabagina spoke of his arrest in the Saturday video as a kidnapping.

Who is Rusesabagina?

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, around 800,000 people, most of them from the Tutsi ethnic minority, were killed by the Hutu ethnic majority.

Rusesabagina was the manager of a hotel in the capital, Kigali, at the time the violence broke out. He is credited with helping to save the lives of at least 1,200 people by sheltering them in the hotel.

The Oscar-nominated 2004 movie "Hotel Rwanda," which stars US actor Don Cheadle in the lead role, was inspired by Rusesabagina's story.

However, Rusesabagina said that while it highlighted his role in saving lives, the movie also brought him unwanted attention from the Rwandan authorities.

"The government has attempted to silence me through politics, surveillance and violence since the movie 'Hotel Rwanda' came out in 2004," he said.

Rusesabagina added that the US awarding him a Medal of Freedom in 2005 only further worsened his relations with the Rwandan government.

rmt/wd (AFP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2023 07:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Jaipur, July 1: A widow was beaten and assaulted by a group of women after being tied to a tree in Rajasthan's Udaipur district over suspicion of having an illicit relationship, police said on Saturday. The woman was also stripped and her hair was cut down by the group of about a dozen women. Rajasthan Shocker: Widow Stripped, Assaulted by Dozen Women After Being Tied to Tree Over Suspicion of Affair in Udaipur.

The incident happened in the Devla area of the district falling under the Bekaria police station on June 29, but the matter came to light after a purported video of the incident surfaced on social media, they said.

"We have registered a case under sections of IT Act and other relevant sections of the IPC. Teams have been sent for the arrest of the accused. We will help the victim woman in all possible manner," Udaipur Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhuwan Bhushan Yadav said. Rajasthan Shocker: Woman Branded a Witch, Thrashed, Tortured With Hot Stones, Asphalt and Charcoal by In-Laws in Ajmer, Case Registered.

According to the police, the victim works as a tailor and her husband died a year ago. She also has a five-year-old son.
Apple sued Nokia in 2009 for attempting to copy the iPhone as Nokia sued Apple for copyright violations. They settled in 2011. In 2016, they again filed lawsuits before reaching a deal in 2017 where Apple paid $2 billion to Nokia.
Officers at the scene counted 51 bodies, but more people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, Rift Valley police commander Tom Odera told The Associated Press. The Kenya Red Cross Society said on Saturday 32 people were injured and hospitalised, and asked Kenyans to donate blood.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a nowcast warning at 8:00 am. In its weather forecast, the weather agency has predicted moderate to heavy rain in the city and suburbs. Besides, the IMD also said that there is a possibility of very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar during the next 3 to 4 hours. Mumbai Rains 2023 Photos, Videos and #MumbaiRains Tweets Go Viral After Maximum City Finally Witnesses Pre-Monsoon Downpour!.

IMD Predicts Heavy Rainfall

Nowcast warning issued at 8:00 am | Moderate to heavy rain in the city and suburbs with the possibility of very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar during the next 3-4 hours: IMD Mumbai  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 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.)
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed 55 years ago, on June 19, 1953. But last week, they were back in the headlines when Morton Sobell, the co-defendant in their famous espionage trial, finally admitted that he and his friend, Julius, had both been Soviet agents.

It was a stunning admission; Sobell, now 91 years old, had adamantly maintained his innocence for more than half a century. After his comments were published, even the Rosenbergs children, Robert and Michael Meeropol, were left with little hope to hang on to -- and this week, in comments unlike any theyve made previously, the brothers acknowledged having reached the difficult conclusion that their father was, indeed, a spy. I dont have any reason to doubt Morty, Michael Meeropol told Sam Roberts of the New York Times.

With these latest events, the end has arrived for the legions of the American left wing that have argued relentlessly for more than half a century that the Rosenbergs were victims, framed by a hostile, fear-mongering U.S. government. Since the couples trial, the left has portrayed them as martyrs for civil liberties, righteous dissenters whose chief crime was to express their constitutionally protected political beliefs. In the end, the left has argued, the two communists were put to death not for spying but for their unpopular opinions, at a time when the Truman and Eisenhower administrations were seeking to stem opposition to their anti-Soviet foreign policy during the Cold War.

To this day, this received wisdom permeates our educational system. A recent study by historian Larry Schweikart of the University of Dayton has found that very few college history textbooks say simply that the Rosenbergs were guilty; according to Schweikart, most either state that the couple were innocent or that the trial was controversial, or they excuse what [the Rosenbergs] did by saying, It wasnt that bad. What they provided wasnt important. 

Indeed, Columbia University professor Eric Foner once wrote that the Rosenbergs were prosecuted out of a determined effort to root out dissent, part of a broader pattern of shattered careers and suppressed civil liberties. In other words, it was part of the postwar McCarthyite witch hunt.

But, in fact, Schweikart is right, and Foner is wrong. The Rosenbergs were Soviet spies, and not minor ones either. Not only did they try their best to give the Soviets top atomic secrets from the Manhattan Project, they succeeded in handing over top military data on sonar and on radar that was used by the Russians to shoot down American planes in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Thats long been known, and Sobell confirmed it again last week.

To many Americans, Cold War espionage cases like the Rosenberg and Alger Hiss cases that once riveted the country seem irrelevant today, something out of the distant past. But theyre not irrelevant. Theyre a crucial part of the ongoing dispute between right and left in this country. For the left, it has long been an article of faith that these prosecutions showed the essentially repressive nature of the U.S. government. Even as the guilt of the accused has become more and more clear (especially since the fall of the Soviet Union and the release of reams of historical Cold War documents), these anti anti-communists of the intellectual left have continued to argue that the prosecutions were overzealous, or that the crimes were minor, or that the punishments were disproportionate.

The left has consistently defended spies such as Hiss, the Rosenbergs and Sobell as victims of contrived frame-ups. Because a demagogue like Sen. Joseph McCarthy cast a wide swath with indiscriminate attacks on genuine liberals as reds (and even though McCarthy made some charges that were accurate), the anti anti-communists came to argue that anyone accused by McCarthy or Richard Nixon or J. Edgar Hoover should be assumed to be entirely innocent. People like Hiss (a former State Department official who was accused of spying) cleverly hid their true espionage work by gaining sympathy as just another victim of a smear attack.

But now, with Sobells confession of guilt, that worldview has been demolished.

In the 1990s, when it was more than clear that the Rosenbergs had been real Soviet spies -- not simply a pair of idealistic left-wingers working innocently for peace with the Russians -- one of the Rosenbergs sons, Michael, expressed the view that the reason his parents stayed firm and did not cooperate with the government was because they wanted to keep the government from creating a massive spy show trial, thereby earning the thanks of generations of resisters to government repression.

Today, he and his brother Robert run a fund giving grants to the children of those they deem political prisoners, such as convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. Ironically, if there was any government that staged show trials for political ends, it was the government for which the Rosenbergs gave up their lives, that of the former Soviet Union.

This week, the Meeropols made it clear to the New York Times that they still believe the information their father passed to the Russians was not terribly significant, that the judge and the prosecutors in their parents case were guilty of misconduct, and that neither Julius nor Ethel should have been given the death penalty for their crimes.

On the subject of their mother, the Meeropols have a point. In another development last week, a federal court judge in New York released previously sealed grand jury testimony of key witnesses in the case, including that of Ruth Greenglass, Julius sister-in-law. It turns out that a key part of her testimony for the prosecution -- that Ethel had typed up notes for her husband to hand to the Soviets -- was most likely concocted.

That doesnt mean that Ethel was innocent -- indeed, the preponderance of the evidence suggests she was not. But what is clear is that in seeking to get the defendants to confess to Soviet espionage, the prosecutors overstepped bounds and enhanced testimony to guarantee a conviction. Americans should have no problem acknowledging when such judicial transgressions take place, and in concluding that the execution of Ethel was a miscarriage of justice.

Nevertheless, after Sobells confession of guilt, all other conspiracy theories about the Rosenberg case should come to an end. A pillar of the left-wing culture of grievance has been finally shattered. The Rosenbergs were actual and dangerous Soviet spies. It is time the ranks of the left acknowledge that the United States had (and has) real enemies and that finding and prosecuting them is not evidence of repression.

Ronald Radosh, an emeritus professor of history at City University of New York and an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, is the coauthor of The Rosenberg File.
Maire Tecnimont, a leading Italian contractor in the energy sector, has announced that two of its integrated E&C solutions units - Tecnimont and Tecnimont Arabia - have been awarded two lump-sum turn-key EPC contracts related to a petrochemical expansion at the Satorp Refinery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Satorp petrochemical facility is a joint venture between Saudi oil giant Aramco and French multi-energy company TotalEnergies that will enable conversion of internally produced refinery off-gases and naphtha, as well as ethane and natural gasoline, into higher value chemicals.

The contracts, which are worth $2 billion, relate to the execution of two packages of the complex, namely the Derivatives Units package  which includes a butadiene extraction unit, an olefin extraction unit, a methyl tert-butyl ether unit, a butadiene selective hydrogenation unit, a 2nd stage pygas hydrogenation unit and benzene and toluene extraction unit  and the "High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) & Logistic Area package, which includes two polyethylene units and the relevant product logistic facilities.

The project scope includes complete engineering services, equipment and material supply, construction activities, pre-commissioning, and commissioning and the entire work will be completed in four years.

On the contract win, Maire Group CEO Alessandro Bernini said: "We are extremely proud of having been selected by Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies for this major initiative. It is a further recognition of Tecnimonts world-class capabilities to execute complex projects in complex environments, as well as our undisputed leadership in downstream petrochemicals."

"These awards will provide a significant addition to our already large 8-billion backlog, increasing revenues visibility in the short- and medium-term. It is also for these reasons, and in a context of continued robust demand, that we keep investing in talent, with almost 600 new engineers added year to date," stated Bernini.

With this contract win, the groups year-to-date order intake has risen to over 2.6 billion (including approximately 200 million related to the contract for a fertilizer plant in Egypt, subject to successful execution of the clients financing package).

Considering the important commercial prospects in the coming months, a very strong second half is expected, which will provide a solid driver to the Groups growth this year and beyond, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the most popular of the late Thai kings children, at a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization meeting in Bangkok on Oct. 17, 2016.

They call her Phra Thep  Princess Angel. The most popular of the late Thai kings children, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has built a reputation as a hardworking and down-to-earth royal.

And although Thailands military rulers keep a tight lid on palace politics, many in the country had quietly hoped that she might one day succeed their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Those hopes appeared to have been dashed Tuesday when Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the prime minister and junta leader, said Sirindhorns scandal-plagued older brother could ascend to the throne in as little as two weeks.

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Prayuth surprised the nation last week when he announced that Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, had asked for time to mourn before he became king. Just how long that might be was not spelled out, prompting speculation among some longtime observers about a behind-the-scenes power struggle.

An official installs a new portrait of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at the Thai police headuarters in Bangkok on Oct. 14, 2016. (Borja Sanchez Trillo / Getty Images )

Citizens in Thailand and abroad should not be worried or concerned, Prayuth told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

After at least 15 days of mourning, it will be the appropriate time to enact Section 23 of the constitution, he said, referring to clauses on the succession.

Like her father in his younger years, the 61-year-old Sirindhorn is often spotted, notebook in hand and a camera around her neck, inspecting rural development projects.

Vajiralongkorn, however, has shown little interest in the public duties expected of a monarch. A jet-setter once described by his mother as a little bit of a Don Juan, he has divorced three times and spends much of the year in the German countryside.

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Few dare to complain openly about the prince because of a strictly enforced law that makes it illegal to insult the royal family; offenders can face up to 15 years in jail. But the distaste and bemusement felt by many are evident in coded comments that frequently appear on social media.

Thais were scandalized in 2007 when a leaked video showed Vajiralongkorns third wife, Princess Srirasmi Suwadee, appearing topless at a poolside birthday party. Also in attendance was the princes pet poodle, Foo Foo, who, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks, was promoted to the rank of air chief marshal before his death last year.

Although it was never clear who leaked the video, some speculated that it was spread by opponents of the prince in the hopes that his sister might ascend to the throne in his place. Such hopes were spelled out in another leaked cable that described a conversation between then-U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John and the late Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila in 2010.

Siddhi stated that succession would be a difficult transition time for Thailand, the cable says. According to Palace Law, the Crown Prince would succeed his father, but added after a pause, almost hopefully: if the Crown Prince were to die, anything could happen, and maybe Prathep (Sirindhorn) could succeed.

In recent months, the countrys military leaders have appeared keen to burnish the reputation of Vajiralongkorn. Prayuth joined the crown prince at a nationally televised mass cycle ride in honor of his mothers birthday over the summer.

We know the crown prince has enemies among the Thai establishment, but thats the nature of politics everywhere, said Patrick Jory, who teaches Thai history at the University of Queensland in Australia.

There are powerful forces in the military and the bureaucracy who have an interest in a smooth succession, Jory said. The evidence that we do have strongly suggests that the crown prince is in a strong position.

In a sign of Sirindhorns importance, the princess will oversee Bhumibols funeral ceremony in a years time.

She attended a meeting Monday at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization office in Bangkok, her first public appearance since her fathers death. She was named a special ambassador for zero hunger.

Mourners pray and light candles in memory of Thailands late king outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Oct. 16, 2016. (Paula Bronstein / Getty Images )

Although a change in the Thai Constitution has made it possible for a woman to succeed to the throne, any attempt to get in the way of Vajiralongkorn could be seen as contradicting Bhumibols wishes  a risky move for a junta that has promised to return power to civilians and hold elections in 2017.

Bhumibol, who reigned for seven decades and was venerated as a near-deity, named Vajiralongkorn as heir apparent in 1972.

Since the kings death Thursday at age 88, Thais have lined up by the hundreds of thousands to pay their respects at Bangkoks Grand Palace.

I want to come here to give something for the father, said Nattapsorn Juijuyen, a volunteer who helped distribute food and water to the swelling crowd Monday.

Thousands of Thais lined up outside banks overnight to pick up commemorative currency notes in honor of Bhumibol.

Across Bangkok, shops are running out of black clothing as well as photographs and paintings of the late monarch. Books about him also are in short supply.

We have nothing left, said a staff member at the Kinokuniya bookstore in one of the citys many glossy malls. We only have books about the other kings from the past.

At a time of great uncertainty in the country, which is still reeling from a series of coups and political unrest, authorities and members of the public are on the watch for any dissent  including against the future monarch.

Videos of mobs surrounding people accused of anti-royal sentiments have been circling on social media since the weekend. In one clip, an elderly woman is attacked on a bus in Bangkok.

How could you insult the royal father? a voice is heard saying. You shouldnt have been born.

In another, a bloodied man is forced to apologize before an image of the late king, receiving a kick to the head for his troubles.

In statements to the media Tuesday, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya appeared to endorse such public retribution. There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them, he said.

The government will also be seeking the extradition of any Thai critics who live abroad, the minister said.

Times staff writer Zavis reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Roughneen from Bangkok.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

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Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," has been banned from running for president for eight years. This means he would not be able to run for the presidency until the 2030 presidential elections, and he will be 75 years old around that time already.

Brazilian Supreme Court justices banned him from running after they found that the right-wing politician abused his power when he summoned ambassadors from other countries for a presentation of his baseless claims that the 2022 Brazil elections will be stolen. The meeting happened just a few months before the elections.

Some of the ambassadors who attended the meeting pointed out that Bolsonaro did not present any actual evidence and just talked about the voting machines.

According to NPR, two justices still sided with Bolsonaro, citing freedom of speech, and ruled that he had the right to freely express his opinions. Bolsonaro vowed to appeal the decision, which he called a "stab in the back." He also promised to continue pushing right-wing politics in the country.

His lawyers argued that his opinions had no bearing on the election results. The former president also defended himself by claiming that he only explained how the Brazilian elections work to the ambassadors.

Brazil Supreme Court Rules Jair Bolsonaro Undermined Democracy

The Supreme Court found that Jair Bolsonaro undermined Brazilian democracy with his ambassador summons. Not only is the former Brazilian president not allowed to run until 2030. He is also not allowed to run in municipal elections next year and in 2028.

READ MORE: Brazil: Police Ordered to Question Jair Bolsonaro About January 8 Riot

The reason he cannot run until 2030 on an eight-year ban decided in 2023 is because the ban is backdated to October 2, 2022, according to the BBC. This was when the Brazilian presidential elections took place.

Bolsonaro lost a very narrow election against the eventual winner, Lula, of the Worker's Party. Bolsonaro had been losing in the polls before the elections and had adopted tactics similar to ex-US President Donald Trump. He claimed the elections will be stolen and undermined the legitimacy of the elections. These claims even led to Brazil's own version of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, which is the January 8 riot.

Jair Bolsonaro Downplays Magnitude of January 8 Riot

Before the verdict, Jair Bolsonaro was in Russia and compared the Wagner revolt to January 8. He stated, "Now in Russia, there was an uprising of the Wagner Group. There were tens of thousands of armed men on both sides, with tanks in the streets. In Brazil, the attack was of young ladies with bibles under their arms and of young men with the flag on their backs."

Pro-Bolsonaro supporters stormed various government institutions, including Brazil's Supreme Court and Legislature in Brasilia. They also stormed the presidential palace, and it even prompted Lula and US President Joe Biden to share insurrection stories when the Brazilian president visited the White House earlier this year.

The Planalto Palace suffered R$ 4.3 million worth of damage (USD900,000), according to Merco Press. The Pro-Bolsonaro rioters, who bought into his version of the "Big Lie," still believed he won the election. They were responsible for damaging priceless artifacts, as well as various furniture, utilities, and windows.

READ MORE: Brazil Launches Investigation on Who Was Behind Brazilian Insurrection

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Brazil court imposes Bolsonaro election ban to 2030 - Associated Press
In a setback for President Joe Biden's ambitious student debt relief agenda, the US Supreme Court delivered a 6-3 ruling against his landmark plan on Friday, according to The Guardian.

Undeterred, the president expressed his determination, asserting that the "fight was not over" and outlining his intentions to explore alternative paths to address the mounting burden of student loans.

Disappointed by the court's decision, President Joe Biden addressed the press from the White House, contending that the justices had misinterpreted the Constitution.

He emphasized his commitment to seeking another legal avenue to ease the financial strain an estimated 40 million borrowers face.

The $430 billion plan, rooted in the 2003 Heroes Act, aimed to alleviate the ongoing education costs and had raised hopes among those burdened by student loan debt.

Highlighting the potential benefits of the proposed program, Biden noted that 16 million people had already received approval, anticipating relief ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

He emphasized the positive impact that such assistance could have had, envisioning increased homeownership and the stimulation of new business ventures.

READ NEXT: Joe Biden Reelection Kicks Off

Joe Biden Offers New Student Debt Relief Plan

President Joe Biden's administration has already commenced the process of operating under the authority of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which President Biden considers the most viable remaining path to provide debt relief to as many borrowers as possible, AP noted.

Simultaneously, as the resumption of student loan payments looms in the fall, the White House is diligently working to establish an "on-ramp" to repayment.

Additionally, they are implementing measures to mitigate the threat of default for borrowers who may struggle over the coming year.

President Biden acknowledged that implementing these new programs may take longer than his initial efforts to ease student loan debt.

Nevertheless, he remains committed to finding lasting solutions for those burdened by educational loans.

Speaking at the White House, President Biden blamed the court's decision squarely on Republicans. To maintain a political offensive, he urged frustrated borrowers to hold Republicans accountable.

The president expressed disappointment in what he perceived as the hypocrisy of Republican elected officials, accusing them of disregarding the needs of working-class and middle-class Americans by opposing relief measures.

By highlighting staunch opposition to Joe Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan from Republicans, the president aims to maintain the issue as a source of strength in the short term for his 2024 reelection campaign.

However, this strategy may offer little solace to the approximately 43 million Americans who initially benefited from the program and now must await its replacement.

Senate Leaders React to US Supreme Court Ruling on Joe Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, expressed his disappointment and characterized the ruling as "disappointing and cruel," per NBC News.

He emphasized that the Biden administration still has other legal avenues to explore to achieve widespread student debt cancellation, suggesting that there are remaining options to pursue.

In contrast, Republicans welcomed the Supreme Court's decision. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, representing Kentucky, commented that President Biden's proposed student loan forgiveness plan amounted to "student loan socialism" and would unfairly burden hardworking taxpayers.

McConnell's statement reflects the GOP's perspective on the issue, aligning with their stance against extensive government intervention in student loan matters.

Separately, the repayment process for student loans is scheduled to resume at the end of August, following a pause during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, borrowers will have until October before their first payments become due.

READ MORE: US Heat Wave Forecast

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Joe Biden promises new student loan relief path after US supreme court ruling - From Guardian News
While the northern and central parts of Mexico are experiencing a deadly heatwave, the Pacific Coast is experiencing a hurricane as Tropical Storm Beatriz has now been upgraded to Hurricane Beatriz.

According to the Weather Channel, Hurricane Watch warnings have now been issued for several areas in Western Mexico. This includes Bahia de Banderas, where the popular tourist town of Puerto Vallarta is located. Other areas to the south are also affected, including Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo.

Meteorologists also warned that storm surges might possibly happen in the above-mentioned areas. Heavy rain is expected around southwestern Mexico as Hurricane Beatriz passes through that area. Officials adviced the public to take extra caution, as flash floods might happen in areas near bodies of water, as well as landslides in areas of higher terrain.

The eye of the hurricane is reportedly close to shore and is expected to move over parts of the Pacific Coast. It is expected to affect other areas of Mexico, bringing rain to some areas, including Guerrero state and even as far north as Sinaloa state.

Hurricane Beatriz Rapidly Getting Stronger as It Passes by Mexico

So far, Hurricane Beatriz has been located near Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, which is about 70 miles southeast of Manzanillo. Fox Weather reports that it is getting stronger now as its maximum sustained winds have increased to 85 mph with higher gusts.

The Pacific hurricane is expected to grow in strength, as it previously was a tropical storm when it was first identified by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). It is still a Category 1 hurricane as of writing.

READ NEXT: Puerto Rico: Important Dam Damaged by Hurricane Maria To Be Rebuilt

The storm is currently moving along the Mexican Pacific coast, heading northwest at the moment. It is expected to hit the southern portion of Baja California by early next week. There is some good news though as it is expected to weaken by the time it reaches Baja California Sur.

Weather experts say that hurricane-force winds, which are around 74 mph or stronger, are expected where hurricane watch warnings have been issued. These are expected to happen in those areas through Saturday. Around eight inches of rain is also expected in some places, along with some rough seas and possible rip currents that could make sea travel even harder as Beatriz passes by.

National Hurricane Center Monitoring a Second Pacific Hurricane Called Adrian

There is another Pacific hurricane near Mexico called Hurricane Adrian, It was the first hurricane of the 2023 Eastern Pacific season but it poses no threat of going inland. It was a Category 1 hurricane last Wednesday but was seen moving towards the Pacific where it is expected to weaken due to the colder temperatures.

Hurricane Adrian is expected to continue moving deeper into the Pacific Ocean with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It was last spotted about 410 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the Associated Press.

READ MORE: Colombia: 34 Dead as Bus Gets Caught in a Landslide

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tropical Weather Forecast - June 30, 2023 - Fox 23 Houston
Salma Hayek's daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, has been in the spotlight since she was young. However, who is this billionaire French heiress that keeps on turning heads on the red carpet?

The daughter of actress Salma Hayek and French billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, Valentina Paloma Pinault speaks three languages, namely English, Spanish, and French, and regularly accompanies her celebrity mom at Hollywood parties and the red carpet. She is also known for her vintage purse collection as well.

The "Desperado" actress has not been shy about gushing about her daughter, ever since she was born in 2007. In a 2008 interview, the Latina film star told People Magazine, "I only have one daughter and that has been ... the most incredible experience I have had in my life and I have done a lot." She added, "I am sure that there are plenty of women that say 'God, what a marvelous life, she can do this or that.' But, there is nothing that I have done that is more incredible than to have a child."

She recently gained global attention when she attended the Oscars Vanity Fair after-party with her mother. She was seen with a stunning red dress during the Oscars and had been her mom's plus one in many other occasions.

Salma Hayek Daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault Shows She Is Trilingual

Hello! magazine pointed out that even though she is still a teenager, only about 15 as of writing, her life is far from ordinary as she is often in the public eye.

In fact, Valentina has been doing interviews with various publications since she was young. Her language skills are often on full display in these interviews, as she dazzled many by speaking Spanish very fluently to Spanish language publications while also being fluent in English and her father's native French.

READ MORE: Salma Hayek Net Worth: How Much Is the Latina Icon Worth... Without Her Billionaire Husband's Money?

"When we are with more people, I like it because it is like a secret because nobody speaks Spanish because, with my dad, I speak French," she said in an interview with Vogue Mexico in 2022. Her mother agreed with this, saying, "I think it reinforces unity, the family bond; it strengthens the bond we have."

Her father is Francois-Henri Pinault, whose luxury goods empire has made him one of the richest people. His company not only owns Gucci but also Yves Saint Laurent.

Salma Hayek Daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault Is Already a Fashionista

Because her father already owns all these luxury brands, Valentina has been exposed to the fashion world at a very young age.

Recently, she was spotted with her mother, as well as half-sister Mathilde, at Gucci's Milan Fashion Week show last February. She showed that she can really take over her father's fashion empire as she dazzled with a blue button-down shirt paired with a leather skirt.

Since then, she has been appearing in more and more high-profile events, according to the Daily Mail. However, it seems that she may be following in her mother's footsteps, admitting that she also wants to be an actress.

She loves movies, though her mother admitted that she can be a hard critic and was even afraid to bring her to see her movies, fearing what her daughter might say. Despite this, Valentina remains her mother's biggest fan and has been championing her achievements since she was little.

READ MORE: Salma Hayek Husband: Who Is Francois-Henri Pinault and How Much Is His Net Worth?

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Salma Hayek Reveals What Her Daughter Valentina Snatches from Her Closet - extratv
Katie Sorensen, a California mom influencer, who became famous in 2020 for a viral Instagram video falsely claiming a kidnapping attempt on her children at a crafts store in Northern California, has been sentenced to jail, according to prosecutors.

The Sonoma County district attorney's office announced on Thursday that Sorensen, 30 years old, will serve a 90-day jail sentence, with the possibility of 60 days being served through a work-release program, CBS News noted.

She had previously been convicted in April for knowingly making a false report of a crime.

Before facing charges, Sorensen had a modest following on her @motherhoodessentials Instagram account.

However, her videos regarding the alleged kidnapping attempt garnered significant attention, being viewed over 4 million times and attracting tens of thousands of new followers. However, those videos have since been removed.

READ NEXT: Mom Influencer Wrongfully Accuses Latino Couple of Kidnapping Her Kids

California Mom Influencer's Kidnapping Hoax Video

The Sonoma County District Attorney's office provided details on Katie Sorensen's false kidnapping claims at the craft store.

Sorensen visited the store on December 7, 2020, and subsequently reported an "attempted kidnapping" to the Petaluma Police Department, according to the DA's office.

Approximately one week later, she posted an Instagram video recounting the alleged event, sharing additional details that had not been provided to the police, according to SFGATE.

The investigation conducted by the police department found significant contradictions between Sorensen's report and the evidence obtained from the store's surveillance video as well as statements from the couple accused of the attempted kidnapping, as stated by the district attorney's office.

The accused couple, of Latino descent, believed that Sorensen's accusations were racially motivated, as previously reported by the Press Democrat.

Sadie Martinez, one of the accused shoppers, expressed her disbelief and frustration, highlighting the perception that they were targeted simply because of their ethnicity.

"It's like we're literally guilty of being brown while shopping," she stated during a 2020 news conference.

The prosecutors in Sorensen's case believe that she exploited her influencer platform for financial gain, according to the Press Democrat.

Court documents obtained by the outlet revealed that Sorensen allegedly engaged in QAnon conspiracy theories associated with kidnappers and pedophiles.

During her trial, Sorensen claimed that she had misinterpreted the events of the alleged kidnapping incident.

In addition to the jail sentence following the kidnapping hoax, the California mom influencer will be placed on 12 months of informal probation, which includes specific conditions such as abstaining from any social media presence, consenting to warrantless search and seizure, including her electronic devices, and completing a 4-hour implicit bias training program.

Various fines and fees are also part of the sentence, as stated by the district attorney's office.

Couple Involved in Kidnapping Hoax Speak Up After the Verdict

Following Thursday's hearing, Eddie Martinez, the husband of Sadie Martinez, expressed his belief that justice had been served in Katie Sorensen's case, The Press Democrat reported.

However, he also empathized with Sorensen, acknowledging the difficulties of being separated from one's children for an extended period.

Despite the impact on their lives, Martinez expressed a sense of compassion, stating, "I feel bad."

Martinez further expressed hope that the experience and consequences Sorensen is facing might serve as a lesson, allowing her to gain a broader perspective on life.

He believed that going through this process, hearing the impact of her actions, and experiencing the repercussions might lead her to a realization and ultimately help her change her ways.

Sadie Martinez shared a similar sentiment, expressing her desire for the California mom influencer to feel remorse for her actions.

She emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for one's mistakes and acknowledged that doubling down on false claims had only further harmed Sorensen's situation.

READ MORE: Parkland Shooting Trial

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: California mom found guilty of falsely reporting attempted kidnapping - From NBC News
The two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination courted conservative women at the Moms for Liberty conference in Philadelphia on Friday, elevating a group that has gained substantial influence within the GOP with its fierce opposition to instruction related to race and gender identity in the nations classrooms.

Both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared eager to out-flank the other as they labeled gender-affirming care mutilation and talked up their efforts to eliminate critical race theory. DeSantis vowed to fight the woke, while Trump blasted what he called the toxic poison of gender ideology and sick creed of woke communism.

While the graphic rhetoric resonates with the most active part of the GOP base, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception both received, it could turn off more moderate voters in a general election.

The group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics. But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an extremist organization for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference, being held at a downtown hotel, nonetheless drew a handful of leading Republican presidential candidates.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives to speak at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, Friday, June 30, 2023.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

DeSantis praised the group for coming under attack by the left, saying it was a sign that we are winning this fight. He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to fight the woke as president.

I think what weve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And theyre ready to roll, he said, predicting moms would be the key political force for this 2024 cycle.

2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the country finally fight back, he said.

Trump, too, accused the radical left of slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.

But Moms for Liberty is no hate group, he said. You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. Youre not a threat to America.

Trump told them that if he wins a second term he would sign an executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children. He called for the direct election  and firing  of school principals by parents.

Like DeSantis, he was deeply critical of gender-affirming care. He vowed to sign an executive order instructing federal agencies to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age. He said hospitals and health care providers who provide gender-affirming care for minors should be deemed in violation of federal health and safety standards and lose federal funding, and said he would call on Congress to ban it in all 50 states.

After his speech, Trump made a stop at Pats King of Steaks, a local Philadelphia institution, where he posed for photos and signed autographs for fans.

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major political player. The group says it doesnt plan to endorse any presidential candidate in 2024.

Moms for Liberty has transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states. Along the way, it has found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a liberty sword at the groups first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that it supported.

Beyond remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit features strategy sessions on such topics as protecting kids from gender ideology and comprehensive sex education: sex ed or sexualization.

Summit attendees said they liked what they were hearing so far.

I love Moms for Liberty, said Debbie McGinley, who is running for the school board in Methacton School District outside Philadelphia. As a parent of three kids who lost her business as a hairdresser during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she appreciated that the group is fighting for our kids.

Lucy Reyna, a treasurer for a Moms for Liberty chapter in Indiana, said she traveled to the conference to learn more about the national organization.

What am I a part of? I need to know those things, Reyna said, adding that if the group leaned too partisan in one direction, it would make her reconsider her participation.

Demonstrators gather outside the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, Friday, June 30, 2023.AP Photo/Joe Lamberti

Outside, roughly 200 parent activists and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered to protest, citing the groups extremist designation from the SPLC. They chanted, Not in our city and Lets say gay while holding signs that read, Hate is not patriotic and Philly is the LGBTQest city.

Some protesters said specific incidents prompted their activism, including an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter publishing an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter before apologizing and removing it, and a Tennessee chapter complaining about lessons on Black civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

I think they stand for fear. And that turns into hate very quickly, said Molly Roses, a Philadelphia resident who joined the protest.

In the days before the conference, several historical associations, state senators, activists and employees at Philadelphias Museum of the American Revolution had pleaded unsuccessfully with the museum to cancel a welcome event for the conference Thursday night. The event went on as planned.

The museum told The Associated Press that because fostering understanding within a democratic society is so central to our mission, rejecting visitors on the basis of ideology would in fact be antithetical to our purpose.

In her remarks, Moms for Liberty National Director of Engagement Tia Bess rejected claims that the group is racist.

Do I look like a racist to yall? Bess, who is Black, told an overwhelmingly white audience.

Tiffany Justice, one of the groups co-founders, responded sarcastically to the SPLCs extremist label onstage Friday, referring to herself as the face of domestic terrorism, apparently.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, Friday, June 30, 2023.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, another GOP candidate who appeared Friday, said that, When they mentioned that this was a terrorist organization ... I said well then count me as a Mom for Liberty.

Though Moms for Liberty says it is nonpartisan, it has overwhelmingly drawn conservative support. The group also has fought to elect conservative candidates to school boards around the country.

While the groups status as a 501(c)4 nonprofit means it doesnt have to disclose its funders, its public donors include conservative powerhouses such as the Heritage Foundation and the Leadership Institute, a national political training organization.

Patriot Mobile, a far-right Christian cellphone company that paid to sponsor Trumps remarks at the conference, has a political action committee that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort to take charge of Texas school boards.

Mom for Libertys Florida-based PAC also has received a $50,000 donation from Julie Fancelli, a Republican donor whose family owns Publix grocery stores and who helped fund Trumps Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, according to House Jan. 6 committee findings. Fancelli didnt respond to a request for comment.

By ALI SWENSON and JILL COLVIN

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A Nazareth patriotic tradition continued Saturday with the annual Kazaoo Parade through the boroughs streets.

Mayor Lance Colando led this years edition of the event that rings in Independence Day on the buzzy instruments. Borough Councilman Charles Donello was grand marshal; hes lived in Nazareth most of his life, except when he fought in the Vietnam War, according to organizers with the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce.

The parade stepped off at 10 a.m. from Nazareth Area High School, winding up at Veterans Memorial Square along West Center between South Green and South Church streets.

There, outside the borough meeting chambers, a brief ceremony honored those who have served and continue to serve the country.

The Fourth of July event started in 2005 and was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic before resuming in 2021.

Scroll through the photos above for a look at Saturdays parade.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
The head of the Pennsylvania Game Commission admits Mondays launch of online sales of hunting licenses and antlerless deer tags wasnt perfect but it was instructive.

Bryan Burhans, the commissions executive director, told the House Game & Fisheries Committee on Wednesday that the systems widespread slowness and intermittent errors in both online and in-person sales that had hunters statewide complaining only lasted the first day.
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The church doors are open and all are welcome in the sanctuary of Black Joy Missionary Baptist United Methodist Assembly!

First Lady Starr Dunigan is back from vacation with a sermon about the first time I saw a drag performer dance to a Gospel song at a gay club in Huntsville, Ala. When I heard those Gospel notes pour out of the speaker, my heart leapt out of my chest like itd caught the Holy Ghost. I raised my hands in witness at a beautiful performance that combined the grace of a praise dance with the glitz and glam of drag. While I didnt know the entertainer personally, I thought about the many LGBTQ+ people whove been exiled from the church.

This performance sent a powerful message: that nothing can separate us from the love of God and the church is with us wherever we go.

This week we partnered with Matter of Faith, a newsletter founded by my Reckon sis and longtime colleague Anna Beahm who writes about all things faith, sex and politics. So put on your church clothes and slip this newsletter to your friends and fam with a piece of that strawberry candy and explore the intersection of queerness and Gospel music with us.

Baptize yourself in positive vibes during a Gospel drag brunch

Black Pride Colorado hosted its Gospel Drag Brunch in June.

When Colorado drag entertainer Juiccy Misdemeanor and her friend and fellow entertainer, Venus, were looking for a way to release some stress during the pandemonium of 2020, Juiccy knew Gospel music would do the trick.

As a child, Juiccy was putting in werk at their traditional Southern Baptist church. Im talking choir rehearsals, Sunday school classes and Bible studies on top of Sunday service. She even showed off those leadership skills in the youth ministry. The uplifting and empowering messages in Gospel music stayed with Juiccys soul all the way up to adulthood. As the ballroom community liaison of Black Pride Colorado in Denver, Juiccy thought hosting a Gospel drag brunch would be the medicine people needed during a time when COVID-19 was causing chaos.

I felt like we desperately needed something to be like, Its OK. Were gonna make it through. My immediate connection to that was Gospel music because anytime I listen to Gospel music  whether Im sad, happy or rejoicing  it always hits the note for me. It hits the target, Juiccy said. Its that instant connection of like, I need this song for myself to get through. Thats personally uplifting. So Im like, If that does it for me, I know somebody else is gonna feel it.

And it did! And the Gospel drag brunches have been a hit ever since. Juiccy hosted the latest \brunch earlier this month to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride while still honoring her communitys Black roots. You can catch all the joyful noise Colorado Black Pride made by reading Annas story about the Gospel brunch and Juiccys spiritual journey. Juiccy said the Gospel brunches arent so much about religion as it is about creating a place of refuge and fellowship. So before you baptize yourself in some good energy, heres more about Juiccy.

Starr: What is your favorite Gospel song?

Juiccy: A song I feel like that speaks to being authentic is This Little Light of Mine because even though the song was about sharing your Christian light, I also feel like its about sharing who you are as a person. You can reference it in another way like, This light of mine, Im letting a shine everywhere I go.

But also when I think about Gospel music in general, I grew up with spirituals, but also grew up with what I like to call the New Age Gospel. So the Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary. I love LeShaun Pace and Fred Hammond. Because I watched a lot of Sunday Best on BET, I love Amber Bullock.

But I also liked listening to those spirituals. LeShaun Pace did a version of Theres A Leak In This Old Building, and thats one of my favorite songs because it talks about leaving one place thats torn down for something greater thats going to be given to you from a higher power if you go towards it. And I think thats relatable because I grew up in an inner city St. Louis  in the hood  and I always told myself that I was going to go somewhere and be better than what this was.

Starr: With so much going on with anti-LGBTQ legislation and attacks on drag performances, what would you say to Black LGBTQ+ youth who are navigating their faith right now?

Juiccy: Choose to believe in what you believe in, but I hope that what you believe in is for the betterment of yourself and others not just for a specific grouping of people. If you only serve one group of people, thats going to hurt the masses of people because the world is so eclectic, so different and diverse.

I hear from youth, Well, I dont know if I can be gay and go to church. I was like, OK. Well let me tell you this. If theres a person, energy, spirit, creator, or entity that says you cant do something because of this certain book, words, or person, I want you to look at that book and see how it exiles them from anything else and also how it may stifle their own personal growth.

I had a moment with these people who were crying because they were like, Well, If I do go to church, I still want to be myself. And I was like, And you can. I told them that may mean finding another church. You can go to church in many ways and there are many places that will accept many different people. There are other ways for you to serve and practice your faith. I always say, Yeah, I dont go to church service anymore. No, I dont sing in the choir anymoreBut do I have my own personal practice? Yes, I do. And it works for me. And all I need it to work for is for me.

A holy sound  and queer AF

Graphic of Sister Rosetta Tharpe (left), Nell Carter (middle) and Wilmer "Little Axe" Broadnax.

Black Music Month may be coming to an end, but the legacies reign forever  and a lot of the folks who set the signature sound of the bops we jig and jive to today were queer. Many of them started singing in the choir, which helped them shape the sound of Rock and Roll hits. Check out my story to educate yourself on some Black queer church history.

Whats the perfect song to make your summer sizzle?

Song of the Summer quiz graphic

Summer has arrived! Black Joy editor Minda Honey is making sure you set the right groove for the season with our new quiz. Start your playlist off right as you chill by the pool, hit up the fam at the reunion, ride along with friends or just enjoy your own vibe. I got Put It On The Floor Again by Latto ft. Cardi B. Okurrr!
An octogenarian former Christian Brother who indecently assaulted five schoolboys almost 50 years ago has been jailed for three years and two months.

The 87-year-old Co Waterford man, who can't be named for legal reasons, was found guilty by a jury of 30 counts of indecently assaulting five boys at a Co Kilkenny school on dates between August 1975 and June 1976 following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last month. He was acquitted of one count relating to a sixth boy.

The maximum sentence is two years. He has no previous convictions and does not accept the verdicts of the jury, the court heard.

In a series of victim impact statements which were read out at his sentence hearing in Friday, June 30 the five complainants, now men in their 50s, described how the man's actions shaped their lives, ruined their education and continue to affect them to this day.

The court heard the man regularly called his victims up to the top of the class, where he indecently assaulted them by touching them inappropriately. The offences took place over the course of one academic year when he was teaching fourth class.

One complainant, who read out his victim impact statement to the court, said he was a 10-year-old boy when he was physically, sexually and mentally abused and the fear of God was put in me in school. He said he told the school principal about the abuse and was told not to discuss it and that he was a good boy.

Eventually the abuse stopped for me, the man said. And in my innocence and naivety, I thought it stopped for others. This feeling of guilt eats at my gut every single day.

If only I had been brave enough (to speak out). Then again, I was only 10 years old.

In their victim impact statements which were read out by a local garda, the other four complainants described being let down by the school and by the Christian Brothers, who they said had a duty of care to them. They reported dealing with depression and anxiety and some struggled with alcohol. Most of them kept the abuse a secret for years.

The complainants reported hating school as a result of the abuse and many of them failed to get a good education. One complainant said he was scarred for life in the wake of the abuse.

Sentencing the man, Judge Elma Sheahan said the abuse perpetrated by the man on five young, innocent boys left an indelible mark. She noted the common features of the five victim impact statements and the impact the trial process had on them in terms of them being retraumatised by old memories of the abuse.

Addressing the complainants directly, two of whom were present in court, Judge Sheahan said they should not feel shame but pride of the bravery you have shown in coming to court and detailing what happened to you as a small boy.

She handed down a sentence of three years and two months and declined to suspend any portion of it, given the man's lack of remorse and continued denial of the offences. She noted time in custody will be more difficult for him, given his age and health issues, and she ordered that he receive all appropriate medical treatment while in custody.

In her plea of mitigation, Kathleen Leader SC, defending, said the man has a number of serious health issues, including prostate cancer and secondary bone cancer. He also has heart disease and arthritis. She said that going to prison as an 87-year-old would be especially difficult for him.

The court heard the man entered the Christian Brothers when he was 16 years old and left in the 1990s. He was described by his neighbours as kind and considerate in testimonials handed into court.
A clan rooted in Laois set to gather in July for its annual celebration.

The annual Lalor/ O'Leathlobhair Clan Rally is being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 7,8 and 9 at the Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix.

The organisers welcome clan members to the event.

"If you are a Lalor, Lawler or Lawlor come long and learn the history of your clan which has an ancient lineage and heritage stretching back into the mists of time. Anyone of the name is welcome to join the clan and full details will be available from officers during the event.

"It is a great opportunity to learn the clan history and details of some of the most outstanding members of the clan who have impacted the history of Ireland, America, Australia and Spain just to mention a few," they say.

The organisers say enrolled members can have a vote in the election of the chieftain which takes place every AGM and the incumbent holds the office for 12 months.
Leisure company Center Parcs sponsorship of Ryan Tubridys radio programme has been paused, RTE has said.

It also confirmed that Center Parcs would not be renewing its sponsorship of the hour-long Radio One show.

There has been a sharp focus on governance and finances at the public service broadcaster since it revealed that it had under-reported Tubridys salary since 2017 by amounts totalling 345,000 euro.

Particular criticism has focused on a commitment in 2020 that RTE would underwrite commercial payments due to its highest-earner, worth 75,000 euro over a five-year period.

Tubridy, who had served as the host of RTEs flagship programme The Late Late Show from 2009 until this May, has said the responsibility for the serious errors rests with RTE, but admitted he should have questioned the accuracy of published figures on his salary.

Tubridy has not presented his weekday radio programme since the undeclared payments by RTE were revealed on June 22, with interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch stating that it was not tenable for him to be on air while under media and political focus.

Following reports in The Journal, RTE confirmed on Friday that Center Parcs would not be renewing its sponsorship deal of Tubridys programme.

It also said that the current sponsorship of the radio programme has been paused since last Friday.

Center Parcs confirmed, via their agency Core, on June 20 that they did not wish to renew their sponsorship of The Ryan Tubridy Show, RTE said in a statement to PA.

The current sponsorship has been paused since Friday 23rd June and the current sponsorship contract will expire on August 28.

Satirist Oliver Callan is currently sitting in for Tubridy on his radio programme, and said on Friday he will be back next week.

It is unclear when Tubridy will return to the Radio One slot; the Oireachtas media committee were informed on Wednesday that he is still being paid while off air.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival is undoubtedly the highlight of the flat racing season combining high quality horse racing with family fun, style, music and food.

So far this year the famed Curragh Racecourse has seen an upward surge in attendance figures as the venues management have placed a focus on enhancing the experiential and fun aspect of the world class racing venue, which unveiled a new state of the art grandstand in 2019.

On the hospitality front management have really dialled up on the food offering with a very strong emphasis on sustainability and sourcing fresh Irish produce at all times, where possible.

Looking ahead to its biggest weekend of the year, the Curragh Racecourse and their catering partners Fitzers Catering will be at full capacity.

The venue will welcome 1,500 hospitality clients from at least 50 companies coming from 12 individual countries who will be served by an estimated 25 chefs and 420 hospitality staff.

In order to achieve Climate Net Zero, our catering partners Fitzers Catering are sourcing food that is both local and seasonal, shortening supply chains and both minimising and offsetting their carbon footprint.

They are making conscious changes to the ways they source and serve food - from banning air-freight fruit and vegetables to introducing carbon labelling tool to help customers make sustainable food choices.

The catering demands will be huge and preparation has already started.

1.5 tonnes of potatoes and fresh vegetables have already been ordered and it is expected that 36,000 pints of Guinness, beers and lagers will be drank along with 4,000 bottles of beer, 800 bottles of Moet champagne, 1200 bottles of wine, 150 bottles of vodka, 58 bottles of gin, 8000 soft drinks, at least 4,000 cups of tea and coffee along with 1,500 desserts and about 1,750 burgers over the course of the three day festival.

Dubai Duty Free, one of the worlds leading airport retailers, have been title sponsor of the festival since 2008 and with the great support of their Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin, the event has gone from strength to strength.

The races attract huge international attention boasting extensive coverage across the globe which will be further boasted on Irish Derby Day as it is part of the Tote World Pool, an initiative of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which bring together bettors from all over the world.

Other notable partners of the weekend include: Kildare Village, GAIN Equine Nutrition, Paddy Power, Sherry Fitzgerald Country Homes, Ornella Underwriting, DMG Media, ARM Holding, Airlie Stud, Barronstown Stud and The K Club.

Huge emphasis has been made this year to engage with local businesses and this is very evident on the opening Friday evening with all seven races supported by restaurants and bars located in Kildare Town.

These include the Silken Thomas and Lock 13, The Hartes Group, Kildare House Hotel, Cunninghams, Harp Bar and ODooles Restaurant, while drinks distributor JJ Mahon and Sons will sponsor the feature race for the first time.

The Irish Derby is the highlight of the flat racing season combining high quality horse racing with family fun, style, music and food. Pic supplied.

The festival is recognised for its amazing atmosphere which will be amplified this year with a great line up after racing each day.

Saturday will see young national singing sensation and Kildare native Lea Heart take the stage in the new Festival Quarter.

The festival will come to a close on Derby Day with a live performance from Spring Break playing 80s classics on the Sunday.

As one of Irelands most iconic sporting venues the Curragh Racecourse and Training Grounds brings a massive boost to the local economy with a direct economic impact of almost 100m per year supporting nearly 1,200 jobs in the area including staff from the 55 training yards based on the curragh with around 2,000 horses in training in the immediate surroundings.

The venue also plays a significant charitable role in the community that surrounds it.

It continues to support a wide range of charitable and community events with the objective of benefiting as many people as possible who live and work within the local and racing communities.

These included several non-race day events, most notably the recent hosting of Relay for Life which raised in excess of 100,000 for the Irish Cancer Society, while the Pat Smullen Race Day in aid of Cancer Trials Ireland, which takes place on August 26, will hope to exceed last years fund raising total of 180,000.

The Curragh also hosted the Taste of Kildare Food Fair during their Autumn Racing Festival.

This unique event showcased the best of racing and food over one weekend giving local producers and restaurants the opportunity to promote their offerings and generated considerable local community engagement.

The Curragh offer a free shuttle bus service from Newbridge and Kildare Town, with the addition of a Naas service put in place for the Derby Festival, sponsored by leading security company Manguard Plus.

Expressway offer a direct bus return service from Dublin to The Curragh on race days, tickets must be purchased in advance on Expressway.ie.

You can keep up with the latest news via the Curragh Racecourse social channels.
Rethink Ireland is delighted to announce the election of its new Chair of the Board of Directors  award-winning entrepreneur Aine Kerr  and the appointment of two new board members, Kildare's Professor Michael Shevlin of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities and John Fitzgerald, an expert in People and Organisation. Ground-breaking in their fields of expertise, they join the organisation in leading positive social change through social innovation. Rethink Ireland supports the most innovative non-profit organisations working in Irish communities.

To date, Rethink Ireland has created a 95 million social innovation fund for Ireland, opening 48 social impact focused funds and backing 394 awardee non-profit organisations across five key areas including Health, Education, Equality, Social Enterprise, and Green Transition. These funds have reached 829,425 people in Ireland whilst also supporting 2,700 people into employment.

Deirdre Mortell, CEO of Rethink Ireland said: I am thrilled to welcome the award-winning entrepreneur Aine Kerr as our new chair, and new board members Professor Michael Shevlin, Professor of Inclusive Education at TCD and leader of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, and John Fitzgerald, an expert in People and Organisation. All three are trailblazers in their fields bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organisation as together we lead the way to an equal, just and sustainable Ireland. Over the past six years we have created a 95 million social innovation fund for Ireland. In the run up to 2030, we plan to accelerate funding for positive social impact to meet the diverse and growing needs of communities in Ireland.



She continued: Critically, we support organisations that are thinking differently, finding new ways to solve urgent problems and putting their ideas into practice. We enable philanthropy to effect positive social change through our venture philanthropy model which combines funds with business supports. The success of this model is clearly evident in the great impact of our Funds as directly experienced in communities.



Aine Kerr, new Chair of the Board at Rethink Ireland, said: I am honoured to be elected chair of the board at Rethink Ireland. Social innovation is an exciting growth area thats central to positive change and solving immediate issues in our society. It is a privilege to be part of this movement. Rethink Ireland is now 7 years old and developing its Strategic Plan 2024-26 this year. I look forward to contributing to this and leading the Board through the next stage of growth and impact.

As Rethink Ireland holds its annual event in Cork, the organisation is also highlighting 99 awards of funding to organisations in Munster with 33 of these in Cork. The Munster region has received over 9.76 million in funding through Rethink Ireland awards.



Rethink Ireland provides cash grants and business supports to charities and social enterprises working in Irish communities across the country, partnering with companies, families, individuals, foundations and the Irish Government.
Leitrim artist Aideen Connolly stars in a new series of reflective film shown at 6pm on RTE One each day during The Angelus.



The film features traditional crafts, art and skills, with strongly person-centred themes firmly rooted in nature and the elements, which were shot in many locations across Ireland.



I did not expect so many people to see my work with this new series featured at RTE One. It was a great surprise, says Aideen. In this film, we see the artist sketching and capturing the atmosphere of Ballindoon Abbey, a former Dominican monastery from the early 1500s founded by Thomas O'Farrell.



Aideen says that she felt a strong connection with the former monastery. When invited to join the The Angelus series, the Leitrim artist visited the place and found a beautiful heritage location that rests on the quiet shores of Lough Arrow.

I had a strong connection with the heritage of the place. All the people who passed through the former Dominican monastery with their own stories were really tidy to my work. When I visited the location for the first time, I thought it was quite unique and very unusual with its lovely architecture - absolutely stunning, shares Aideen.



Also known as St Mary's Priory, the Ballindoon Abbey remains consist of a Middle English gothic-style church with a nave, chancel and tower - located on the east end of the north wall of the nave and contains burial memorials dating from the 17th century to today.

The former Dominican monastery is located by Lough Arrow; if you turn the corner, it is possible to see a church by the hill. By crossing the field, there is a cemetery that is still in use. All about Ballindoon Abbey is quite unique, says Aideen.



Ballindoon Abbey fell victim to the Tudor dissolution - known as the first Act of Supremacy from the Parliament of England between 1536-1541.



To Aideen, the former Dominican monastery is not a scene of decay and ruin but a place of beauty and peace, steeped in history and nature.



For The Angelus, to create a picture that captures the place, the Leitrim artist dips her fingers in water in an ancient stone stoup at the site, which, for generations, has been associated with cures and healing.



You cannot help but think of the people who designed and built them into Abbey walls over 500 years ago. St Dominic's Stone can be found to the north of the site, whose water it is said has a cure for skin ailments. I cannot confirm it works, but the stone's view is worth the stroll. The Frazer Family own the farm surrounding the Abbey, and they are featured in the film too, says Aideen.

Light and shade bring the ordinary to life.

Graduated at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Aideen Connolly is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work includes painting, drawing and printmaking.



Originally from Donegal, Aideen now lives with her family in Leitrim, dedicating herself to creating her landscape work. She is a Manorhamilton Print Group member - designed to facilitate, teach, encourage learning from and network with all printmaking creatives.



Aideen is also a member of the Visual Artist Ireland, Sligo County Council Arts Service Artist Panel, Ottawa-Gatineau Printmaking Connective, and a committee member of the Townlands & People Heritage Group - which has secured funding through the Heritage Council to record inscriptions on the headstones in Conwal Graveyard, Glenade, and to train volunteers to survey the Old Cemetery Kinlough.



As a committee member of the Townlands & People Glenade Ballintrillick Tawley, located on the Leitrim / Sligo border, the multi-disciplinary artist is involved with impressive and innovative community heritage initiatives.



The heritage quite inspires me, the marks people leave and form in the landscape. In my work, I strive to capture fleeting moments where light and shade bring the ordinary to life, says Aideen.

Aideen's work is based on the time taken to stop, stand and observe transcendent moments marked by traces of ancient people, paths that were laid down centuries before, and homes and locations that were abandoned to the elements.



There are amazing buildings with unique monuments and architecture, but I am interested in the small things, which all are left by people. I went to a plant for an old monastery that used to make beer, and its architecture is connected to Donegal town - there is so much history, and you can still find in the old plants what other people left and these small things left in those landscapes that I use to create my work, she said.



In recent years, the Leitrim artist's work has become more sustainable with environmentally friendly creation methods. Aideen integrates charcoal, inks and paints using pigments and items grown or foraged in the landscape around her.



For example, the artist created a range of prints using SCOBY, a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, as the plate, where kombucha fermentation was used to create art.



Aideen was invited to sketch the Abbey ruins at Ballindoon on Lough Arrow as part of the series of films for The Angelus in February 2023 - "the location is stunning, as is the building with its beautiful stone masonry, a rare triple vaulted archway on two levels and bell tower. I suppose the location was a good match to document the draw. It was a lovely thing to be asked for, she added.



From a tendering process, the series of films was commissioned by an independent production company based in Maynooth, aiming to produce eight non-verbal films that are conducive to the viewers, a reflection of all faiths or none.



Six new films are available at RTE One, and two more are coming up around Christmas.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he speaks to members of the media upon arrival at the Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 29, 2023. MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP

A Brazilian court on Friday, June 30, barred far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro from holding public office for eight years over making unfounded claims against the country's voting system.

Prosecutors blamed Bolsonaro's statements for a violent invasion of the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in January by supporters angry about his electoral loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In a verdict that stretched over several days, five of the seven judges on Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal voted to censure Bolsonaro for alleged abuses of power, while two found in his favor. The tribunal tried the 68-year-old Bolsonaro, over a televised meeting he held with foreign diplomats in July 2022, three months before his election defeat to Lula.

Bolsonaro spent nearly an hour making his argument to the assembled ambassadors but presented no hard evidence to back his claims that electronic voting machines in use since 1996 compromised election transparency. The TSE ruling means Bolsonaro will be ineligible to stand in the presidential election in 2026, opening the contest for a new leader of Brazil's political right.

Bolsonaro was not present for the ruling in Brasilia, traveling instead to Belo Horizonte in Brazil's southeast, where he was scheduled to have lunch with members of his Liberal Party. On Thursday, he insisted he was innocent, telling reporters: "Wanting to take away my political rights for abuse of political power is inexplicable."

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Alexandre de Moraes, the Brazilian judge on Jair Bolsonaro's trail

'Collective paranoia'

The lead judge on the case, Benedito Goncalves, ruled Tuesday to convict Bolsonaro, saying he had used "violent speech and lies" that "endangered the credibility" of Brazil's electoral system. Goncalves said the 2022 meeting "served to incite a state of collective paranoia" about elections at a time Brazil was deeply polarized.

"He instigated a belief that there was a real threat that the results of the 2022 election would be adulterated," said the judge. "It was extremely harmful to the democratic environment."

On Thursday, Judge Floriano Marques also voted for conviction, saying Bolsonaro had acted with "electoral objectives" to "intentionally convey the idea that Brazilian elections are not clean." Colleague Raul Araujo, however, voted for acquittal, saying a sentence of electoral ineligibility was "extreme."

Nearly half the electorate voted for Bolsonaro in last October's second round, but it was not enough for a win. Bolsonaro's lawyer Tarcisio Vieira has already said he would appeal a guilty verdict to the Supreme Court.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes A downtrodden Bolsonaro ponders his next moves from Florida

'Tropical Trump'

Bolsonaro's unsubstantiated talk of election fraud and the January 8 riots drew comparisons to his political role model, Donald Trump, and his bid to hang onto power after losing the 2020 US presidential election. Thousands of Bolsonaro's far-right supporters stormed the halls of power in Brasilia on January 8, trashing offices, vandalizing artworks and calling for the military to intervene to oust Lula.

Nicknamed the "Tropical Trump," Bolsonaro's presidency was tumultuous: at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that claimed more than 700,000 lives in Brazil, he mocked face masks, social distancing and vaccines, warning the jab could "turn you into an alligator." He also faced an international outcry over the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which surged on his watch.

Bolsonaro spent three months in the United States after his term ended, and has kept an uncharacteristically low profile since returning to Brazil in March to serve as honorary president of his Liberal Party. He faces a raft of other legal woes. Any one of five Supreme Court investigations could send him to jail  including over the January 8 attacks. The police are also investigating claims of a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate and of diamond jewelry snuck into the country from Saudi Arabia.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes In Brazil, the embarrassing affair of Jair Bolsonaro's jewels
Riots have erupted in French Caribbean territories to protest the police shooting death of a teenager, Nahel M., in a Paris suburb earlier this week, with at least one person killed as people set fire to dumpsters and damaged buildings.

The worst violence so far was in French Guiana, where authorities said that police officers came under fire and that a stray bullet from rioters killed a 54-year-old government worker late Thursday, June 29, in the region's capital city Cayenne.

Columns of thick black smoke rose above some neighborhoods in Cayenne, turning streets hazy as police tried to quell protesters in the small territory on the shoulder of South America. Authorities urged calm as the territory braced for another possible night of rioting.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes 'His death could have been theirs': Why some of France's youth identifies with Nahel M.

Officials said Friday that the man who was killed worked in the government's mosquito control office and was on his balcony when he was hit by the bullet.

It was "a level of violence that is difficult to understand," public safety director Philippe Jos told reporters.

French Guiana's prefect, Thierry Queffelec, called it "one death too many," and said businesses and public transportation would shut down early on Friday evening. He also announced a temporary ban on the sale and transportation of gasoline at night. He said some 300 officers would be deployed Friday night along with drones and helicopters.

At least six people had been arrested, including five minors. No one was charged in the killing of the government worker.

Unrest elsewhere

Smaller demonstrations also were reported in the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, where no injuries or deaths were reported.

Residents in the French Caribbean, where racial tensions have long simmered and where some feel oppressed and ignored by France, have identified with those protesting the teen's killing in France, where officials are grappling with rioting across the country.

Unrest also appeared in other French overseas territories, including on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. Since Wednesday, protesters there have set garbage bins ablaze, thrown projectiles at police during clashes, and damaged cars and buildings, regional officials said in a news release.
In Russia, where 1% of the wealthiest population holds 60% of the national wealth, compared with 20% in France, billionaires are not an endangered species. However, the list of these ultra-rich people, which totaled 110 names at the beginning of 2023, is shrinking with the war in Ukraine. The reason lies not only in the stagnation of the Russian economy but also in sanctions and procedures launched by many billionaires to relinquish their Russian nationality.

The sixth and latest billionaire to make the move is, to date, Igor Makarov. With assets valued at $2.2 billion amassed in the oil sector in the late 1990s, he was Russia's 57th richest man. He will now be the fifth-richest citizen of Cyprus, having acquired that nationality in 2020 thanks to a "golden passport" procedure.

Makarov did not elaborate on his motives, but he has lived outside Russia, between Cyprus, Italy, and the United States. This had not prevented him from being sanctioned by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The future of these restrictive measures is still uncertain, but the fate of those who preceded him in this approach does not plead for the effectiveness of the maneuver.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Ukrainian oligarchs' secret escape to the French Riviera

Resentment

An outspoken war opponent, banker Oleg Tinkov gave up on his Russian citizenship at the end of October 2022. He agreed to sell his Russian assets at a discount, which made him a mere millionaire. For the time being, sanctions targeting him have not been lifted.

The West's tenacity is causing resentment among Russia's economic elites, whose members feel unjustly punished given that their influence on decisions taken in the Kremlin is non-existent, with no way out for those ready to defect.

Except for Makarov and Ruben Vardanyan, who gave up his Russian passport to become the short-lived prime minister of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the other former Russian billionaires  Timur Turlov, Yuri Milner, and Nikolay Storonsky  have all declared their opposition to the war.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Boris Rotenberg, a Russian oligarch whose French villas have so far escaped sanctions

'You like the brutal ones'

Other businessmen, such as Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska, have adopted similar positions, while taking care to avoid the Kremlin's wrath. "Nobody in the business world supports this madness," a former member of the Yeltsin and Putin teams to Le Monde a few months ago. "But the risk is too great to speak out, and everyone understands that the sanctions are here to stay."

The trend toward renunciation of nationality is not confined to the very rich. In 2022, according to the Russian foreign ministry, 4,306 Russians gave up their passports, including 40 on Russian soil, significantly complicating the procedure. On Thursday, June 29, economist Andrei Movchan posted a farewell letter on Facebook to his "former homeland": "My dear, my once beloved (...). You tolerated me, but I never was the one you wanted: You like the brutal ones, the simple, the 100% loyal, ready to kiss your hands and kill for you without question, without principles."
BALLYHOURA Development CLG has started their preserving biodiversity project after being one of four groups selected to take part in the category by the Shared Green Deal across the EU.

Their new project Stop, Look and Listen: Preserving the Biodiversity of Ballyhoura, which was launched last month, is set to include field trips, discussion groups, guest speakers and the opportunity to get involved in creative projects which seek to support biodiversity in Ballyhoura.

According to John Scanlan of Ballyhoura Development, there were 84 applicants for the preserving biodiversity category with the Shared Green Deal and they were one of the lucky four to be selected.

The project will take place over the next ten months, until April next year when we have our final event which will be an exhibition of what people have gathered over the year, Mr Scanlan said.

Well take on about 15 to 20 participants and well be doing discussion groups on what people think has changed in biodiversity and what people think they can do and they will be almost champions or ambassadors in their community to spread the word.

People often wonder 'well, what Im doing to help the environment or biodiversity is only small' but it all adds up. Its a very informative programme, he added.

The launch event for the preserving biodiversity project took place in Deerbert House Hotel in Kilmallock on Tuesday evening.

Eanna Ni Lamhna, biologist, radio and television presenter, author and educator, attended the event to launch the new project.

Eanna shared her vast experience and knowledge of Irish biodiversity at the event.

The project also aims to find out what will fit into the Ballyhoura region and find out more about the biodiversity of the region.

We can look at implementing wildflower meadows, or look for areas with bat activity or owl activity, Mr Scanlan mentioned.

If we do stop, look, and listen you realise that there is still an awful lot of biodiversity around the area and if we take heed of whats there we can then protect it.

Mr Scanlan mentioned that there has been an awful lot of movement of open fields with heavy industries moving in for the production of food and other purposes in the Ballyhoura area.

The idea is to go back to the old way of doing things, to protect our roadsides and sticking to the right times of year for harvesting of crops or even sticking to certain times when pulling ivy of the walls.

Protecting and promoting biodiversity is vital to protect the flora and fauna natural to the area. Its not always about being clean and crisp its about sharing your waters with nature as well. We need to create a habitat for biodiversity, Mr Scanlan said.

The Shared Green Deals core goal is to stimulate shared actions on Green Deal initiatives across Europe, by providing social sciences and humanities tools to support the implementation of eight EU Green Deal policy areas, at the local and regional levels.

Research on the green transition has so far focused on changes to either individual experiences (micro-level) or societal organisation (macro-level).

The Shared Green Deal innovatively focuses on middle-range (meso-level) changes to bridge these two levels. With regard to this meso-level, the project will produce applied guidance to facilitate change, and will link societal factors together to foster knowledge transfer and harness their collective experience to then feed back into the macro-level.

The Shared Green Deal stimulates behavioural, social and cultural change across Europe, aligned with EU Green Deal policy priorities.

The project takes a transdisciplinary approach, covering 19 social science and humanities disciplines, and incorporates multi-stakeholder, practice-based and policy-science expertise.

There are eight Green Deal Priorities: Clean Energy, Circular Economy, Efficient Renovations, Sustainable Mobility, Sustainable Food, Preserving Biodiversity, Climate Action, and Zero Pollution.

A total of 24 groups across EU countries were selected to run social experiments under the categories above. Using participatory approaches to involve the community, the experiments will address the social and cultural dimensions of the Green Deal.

For more green' news from Limerick make sure to log see the ecolive section of our website.
FATHER Tim O'Connor decided to retire to Manister in 2017 after 44 years working in England but he is busier than ever.

The Archdiocese of Westminster's loss has been Castletown, Ballyagran, Colmanswell, Rockhill and Brurees gain.

There was standing room only in Church of the Immaculate Conception, Bruree for his golden jubilee Mass exactly 50 years and nine days after his ordination on June 9, 1973.

The large crowd reflected his standing and popularity in the locality.

It was a full house, it was lovely,said Fr O'Connor, who was joined on the altar by parish priest Fr David Gibson and fellow former priest in Westminster, Fr Eamon O'Brien.

Born in Glin, the OConnor family moved to Manister when Tim was 11. It was at that tender age he first felt God's call.

It came to a head when I was 18 and I had to make up my mind what I was going to do. It was a feeling in the gut that this was the life for me, said Fr O'Connor, who attended St Patrick's College in Thurles which specialised in sending priests on English speaking missions.

And he has no regrets. Every day was a bonus, said Fr O'Connor, whose first parish was Our Lady Help of Christians, Kentish Town in the Westminster Archdiocese.

He jokes that there were so many Irish there that he didn't meet an English person for weeks! It may help explain why he didn't come home with a Cockney accent.

One of his proudest days was the official opening of the beautiful Our Lady and Saint Vincent Catholic Church, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, which was constructed under Fr O'Connor's supervision.

He has built bonds back in Limerick too through celebrating weddings, baptism, funerals and weekly Masses. His quiet kindness has touched many. A mark of the man was that he asked for gifts at his golden jubilee Mass to go to charity.

Fr O'Connor chose Trocaire and St Vincent de Paul as the beneficiaries of over 1,200 generously raised by Mass-goers.

A booklet handed out at the special Mass features a photo of Fr O'Connor on his ordination day with sisters Mai, Eileen and Delia. Fifty years on they are pictured together above on his golden jubilee.

Fr O'Connor wishes to thank his family, Diocese of Limerick, Fr Gibson and everybody who organised and attended his golden jubilee Mass, and God.
OWNERS of the historic Sailors' Home in Limerick city have expressed "deep regret" following the devastating fire which caused extensive damage to the building.

In a statement released by Shannon Foynes Port Company, a spokesperson for the organisation said: "Our priority now is to make the building safe. Once that is achieved, we will assess the extent of the damage."

The company acknowledged the response and dedicated efforts of the fire services and An Garda Siochana. They expressed their gratitude for their tireless work throughout the night to bring the blaze under control and securing the area.

Built in 1858, the Shannon Foynes Port Company adds that this is a building with "rich architectural heritage and part of the DNA of maritime activity in Limerick, dating back hundreds of years."

David O'Brien, Chief Executive of Limerick Civic Trust, expressed his aspirations for the future of the building during an interview with Limerick Live.

As a "great advocate for retaining public facades of buildings," Mr O'Brien believes the house "retains the history and grandeur of the community we live in."

He highlighted the Trust's goals for the building, stating, "the future of that building is community-based." With the Trust's involvement in three other buildings in Limerick, including two on King's Island and one in the Georgian Quarter on Pery Square, Mr O'Brien believes that taking charge of the Sailor's Home would provide an opportunity to "highlight and enhance the cultural influence in that part of the city."

In line with the building's maritime heritage, Mr O'Brien envisions transforming it into a "multipurpose hub" that celebrates the Docklands and marine life of the city. He hopes that the restoration process, which he believes to be a "multi-million euro" redevelopment, will involve architectural students from local universities, providing them with a unique chance to work on a historic structure.

Limerick Civic Trust would hope to repurpose the Sailors' Home to host contemporary community events while paying homage to its rich past. Mr O'Brien emphasises the importance of acknowledging history while utilising the building for modern purposes, stating, "I don't think any of us want to live in the past, it is to acknowledge the past and utilise it."

He acknowledged the challenges of restoration posed by limited resources and manpower but stressed the urgency of the situation, saying, "now we need to do something urgent, we can't allow this site to become a car park or a derelict site."
In today's fast-paced world, the well-being of employees has become a top priority for organizations, particularly in large IT companies where long working hours and high-stress levels are common. Recognizing the significance of employee health, Ziqitza Healthcare Limited, has introduced an innovative on-site ambulance service specifically tailored for such organizations. In this article, we will delve into the numerous benefits that large IT companies can reap by having an ambulance stationed on their office premises.

1. Immediate Medical Assistance

Accidents and medical emergencies can occur anywhere, including the workplace. Having an ambulance on-site ensures that professional medical assistance is readily available in case of any mishap. With Ziqitza Healthcare on-site ambulance service, immediate response and timely medical attention can be provided to employees, potentially saving lives in critical situations.

2. Reduced Response Time

Time plays a crucial role in medical emergencies. The presence of an ambulance on the office premises significantly reduces response time, as the medical team is already stationed within the company premises. This rapid response time can be critical in situations such as heart attacks, strokes, or any other life-threatening incidents, where every minute counts.

3. Enhanced Employee Safety

The availability of an on-site ambulance elevates the overall safety standards of a company. Employees can rest assured knowing that in case of any medical emergency, professional medical care is just a few moments away. This not only instils a sense of security among the workforce but also showcases the organization's commitment to employee well-being.

4. Mitigating Transportation Challenges

During emergencies, arranging transportation to a hospital can be a significant challenge, especially in metropolitan cities with heavy traffic congestion. Ziqitza Limited on-site ambulance eliminates this obstacle by providing immediate transportation to nearby healthcare facilities, ensuring that employees receive timely medical attention without any delay caused by traffic or logistical issues similar thoughts where shared by Sweta Mangal of Ziqitza Health Care Limited.

5. Cost-Effective Healthcare Solution

Ziqitza Healthcare's on-site ambulance service offers a cost-effective solution for large IT companies. By outsourcing emergency medical services to a reputable organization like Ziqitza, companies can optimize their healthcare expenditures. The cost of maintaining an on-site ambulance, equipped with advanced medical facilities and staffed by experienced professionals, is often more economical than managing a full-fledged medical facility within the company premises. Similar thoughts were voiced by Ziqitza Rajasthan in the past.

6. Employee Well-being and Productivity

A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. By prioritizing employee well-being, large IT companies can enhance productivity and foster a positive work environment. The provision of an on-site ambulance service shows employees that their health and safety are of utmost importance, leading to increased job satisfaction and loyalty.

In today's corporate landscape, where employee welfare is paramount, Ms. Sweta Mangal Co-Founder- Ziqitza Healthcare Limited's On-Site Ambulance service offers a proactive and pragmatic solution for large IT companies. By providing immediate medical assistance, reducing response time, enhancing employee safety, mitigating transportation challenges, offering a cost-effective healthcare solution, and prioritizing employee well-being, organizations can create a workplace environment that values and protects its most valuable assets.

With Ziqitza Healthcare's expertise and commitment to quality healthcare services, companies can ensure the well-being of their workforce while bolstering their brand reputation in the process. Remember, your employees are your most valuable resource, and investing in their health and safety is an investment that pays dividends in the long run. With Ziqitza Healthcare's on-site ambulance service, you can take a crucial step towards creating a healthier and more secure work environment.

About Ziqitza Healthcare Limited

Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL) has been a prominent player in India's Emergency Medical Services industry since 2005. ZHL Rajasthan and Ziqitza Limited Rajasthan have acknowledged Ziqitza for their provision of private ambulance services. Ziqitza offers a comprehensive "one-stop integrated healthcare solution" for both corporate and government entities, which includes Integrated Emergency Services and Corporate Health Solutions. With a vast network of 3,300 ambulances, state-of-the-art Helpline centres, and medical mobile units, Ziqitza services 2 customers every second in India. The company collaborates with multiple state governments and 75 corporate clients in India and the Gulf. Ziqitza has been recognized with the Global Real Impact Awards and the ET Excellence Leadership Awards.

For further information please contact: visakh.dayanandan@zhl.in

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.
HONG KONGEvidence of Chinas flagging growth continues to roll in, raising questions about whether the government is doing enough to turn things around.

Chinas manufacturing sector contracted for a third straight month in June and the nonmanufacturing sector weakened, with new orders falling for both, the countrys official statistics agency said Friday. Employment declined across both broad sectors, an indication that a nagging jobs shortageparticularly for young peopleis worsening.

The data will likely prompt officials to provide more easing to the economy," said Louise Loo, a China economist at Oxford Economics who is based in Singapore. The trade component of the economy has really deteriorated."

China is facing a host of challenges that economists warn will threaten its long-term growth potential in the absence of drastic reforms. They include a mounting debt burden, stubbornly high youth unemployment, and a short-lived rebound in the beleaguered real-estate market.

Persistent political tensions have prompted more manufacturers to diversify their supply chains, a trend that will likely erode Chinas role as the worlds factory floor.

Fridays figures are the latest evidence that Chinas economic recovery remains on shaky ground months after Beijing abandoned its draconian Covid-19 restrictions. Global demand for goods has cooled amid high inflation elsewhere in the world, while a domestic rebound driven by consumer spending is losing steam.

Chinas official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose slightly to 49 in June from 48.8 in May, not enough to get over the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction, the National Bureau of Statistics said. The result was largely in line with the 49.1 expected by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal.

A subindex on employment shrank to 48.2 in June, in contraction for a fourth straight month, highlighting the continuing stress in the labor market. The unemployment rate among workers aged 16 to 24 rose to a record of 20.8% in May, in part due to evaporating jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Despite policy makers efforts to maintain Chinas lead in global trade by offering tax cuts for exporters and allowing its currency to depreciate, demand from overseas continues to drop. The new export orders component of Junes manufacturing PMI continued to decline to a five-month low of 46.4. The index for new orders overall remained in contraction at 48.6.

Meanwhile, activities in the services sector, a key driver of Chinas postpandemic recovery, softened further in June to 52.8 from 53.8 in May, according to the statistics bureau.

That marks the lowest reading since last December, when Beijing abruptly scrapped Covid-related restrictions that had snarled internal travel and confined large swaths of urban dwellers at home from time to time over the past three years.

An index of nonmanufacturing sector employment came in at 46.8, registering a fourth straight month of contraction. The index for new orders, at 49.5, showed contraction for the second month in a row.

Another subindex tracking construction activities pulled back to 55.7 in June from 58.2 in May, a six-month low, as a short-lived rebound in housing activity continued to fizzle.

Separately, private data released Friday dashed hope of a sustained recovery in the real-estate market.

Home sales for the top 100 Chinese property developers fell 28.1% by value in June from a year earlier, compared with a 6.7% gain in April, according to China Real Estate Information Corp., an industry data provider.

The weakness raises questions about the effectiveness of Beijings recent modest moves to cut interest rates, moves aimed at making it cheaper to borrow but which dont address the demand-sapping stress experienced by many Chinese families.

Economists expect Beijing to remain reluctant to pump large amounts of credit into the economy, in part because demand for loans has been feeble as more households and companies shift to paying down debt instead of spending and making new investments.

China also has refrained so far from launching a big round of government spending, as it did to rescue the economy from the global financial crisis.

Waning fiscal support weighed on construction activity," wrote economists from Capital Economics in a note to clients on Friday, and even services sector growth, a bright spot earlier this year, has now dropped below prepandemic levels."

China is still largely expected to hit its annual growth target of around 5% despite the continuing weakness, reducing the urgency for Beijing to resort to big-ticket spending.

But economists warn that restraint may come at a cost.

Unless concrete support is rolled out soon, the recent downturn in demand risks become self-reinforcing," according to Capital Economics.

Xiao Xiao contributed to this article.

Write to Stella Yifan Xie at stella.xie@wsj.com and Cao Li at li.cao@wsj.com
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecommunication company, Reliance Jio Infocomm is in talks with a clutch of global banks to raise around $1-1.5 billion through an offshore syndicated loan, according to a report by the Economic Times.

The English Daily said Reliance Jio will use the funds to buy 5G network gear from Sweden's Ericsson as it plans to roll out next-gen mobile broadband services by fall this year.

Global lenders such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, HSBC, and the like are set to arrange around 3-5 year loans for Jio which is likely to be priced above the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), the ET reported.

The pricing of the loans could be around 100-150 basis points above the SOFR.

Additionally, European export credit agency Finnvera is likely to issue guarantees to the lenders for extending the offshore loan to Jio.

Ambani's Jio has been rapidly expanding its 5G coverage since last October. The telecom operator has already rolled out 5G services in around 5,700 cities/ towns in the country.

Jio has said that it will make a cumulative 5G investment of $25 billion, of which $11 billion was spent on acquiring the 5G spectrum.

Jio is the only Indian telecom operator which went for the 700 MHz spectrum in India's 5G spectrum auction. Jio is primarily working with European network vendors Ericsson and Nokia for its 5G deployment.

The telecom operator is looking to raise around $1.6 billion to fund the purchase of equipment from Nokia Oyj.

Nokia announced last October that it had clinched an agreement to supply Jio with equipment for its 5G rollout in India. Ambanis Reliance Industries Ltd. was the first out of the starting blocks to offer 5G in India, after investing billions of dollars to acquire the airwaves.

Jio's rival Bharti Airterl's 5G network rollout is lagging in India, according to an analyst report.

Analysts at investment services provider JP Morgan in the report said the measured coverage could prompt a higher capital expenditure over the next 12-18 months by Bharti Airtel, which could face potential market share losses if the coverage gap is not closed.

Equity research firm Jefferies in its analysis of subscriber data released by the telecom regulator Trai for April said that expanding subscriber base was led by Jio's 4.7 million active subscriber additions, while Bharti's active subscriber adds were a touch soft at 0.7 million- the lowest in the last six months.

On 5G availability, the JP Morgan report mentioned that Jio's users are connected to 5G, 37% of the time against just 14% for Bharti Airtel.

5G availability in Bharti's top circles by revenues also lagged Jio by similar levels (36% vs Bharti at 13%).

In terms of 5G reach - which means the average proportion of locations where consumers are connected to a 5G network out of all locations visited  Jio is at 4.2 against Bharti Airtel's 3.4, with the Mukesh Ambani-group company leading in 21 circles, the report said.

"Jio also leads Bharti on 5G download speeds at 323 Mbps vs Bharti at 258 Mbps nationally and in most circles," the report said while attributing data to Opensignal.
Next week, seven public issuesthree mainstream and four for small and medium-sized enterpriseswill be released, creating a flurry of activity in the IPO market. Investors will have the chance to participate in the IPO and gain from the company's sustained growth in the competitive IT sector.

Senco Gold Limited, a renowned pan-India jewelry retailer established in 1994. The company operates under the brand name "Senco Gold & Diamonds" and offers a wide range of jewelry, including gold, diamond, silver, platinum, and precious and semi-precious stones.

Senco Gold IPO

In light of its IPO, Senco Gold plans to issue shares in the price range of 301 to 317 per share, with a lot size of 47 shares. The GMP of the company is 102. GMP or Grey Market Premium adding to issue price gives the estimated listing price of the IPO share. The IPO is scheduled to be open from July 4, 2023, to July 6, 2023, and the listing will take place on the BSE and NSE. The company aims to utilize the funds raised from the IPO for working capital requirements and general corporate purposes.

Senco Gold has demonstrated robust financial performance over the years, showcasing significant growth in its total assets, total revenue, and profit after tax. As of March 2023, the company reported total assets of 2,905.32 crore, total revenue of 4,108.54 crore, and a net profit of 158.48 crore. The company's strong financials and expanding presence in the market make it an attractive prospect for investors considering its IPO.

With its rich heritage, extensive catalog, and strategic expansion plans, Senco Gold Limited is poised to further solidify its position as a leading jewelry retailer in India. The IPO provides an opportunity for investors to participate in the company's growth and capitalize on its success in the industry.

Synoptics Technologies IPO

The second is Synoptics Technologies Limited, a prominent IT services and solutions provider established in 2008, has revealed its plans for an Initial Public Offering (IPO). The company specializes in offering comprehensive IT infrastructure solutions, cloud services, IT security solutions, and data center designs. Synoptics Technologies caters to a wide range of clients, including government organizations, TATA Communications, Blue Dart Express Limited, Shoppers Stop Limited, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), and the Government of Gujarat, among others.

The company recently signed a significant agreement with BSNL to become their authorized nationwide partner for Private LTE/Private 5G services. This collaboration highlights Synoptics Technologies' commitment to expanding its reach and providing cutting-edge technology solutions to a broader customer base.

The IPO details for Synoptics Technologies have been announced, with a fixed price issue and a lot size of 600 shares. The IPO will be open for subscription from June 30, 2023, to July 5, 2023. The company plans to issue a total of 2,280,000 shares, with a face value of 10 per share and a price of 237 per share. The IPO is expected to raise approximately 54.03 crore, with a fresh issue of 35.08 crore and an offer for sale of 18.96 crore. The GMP of the company is 22.

With its expertise in IT services and solutions, established client base, and strategic partnerships, Synoptics Technologies aims to capitalize on the growing demand for digital transformation and technology-driven solutions.

Investing in an IPO is like investing in any other business. So before you plan to invest in an IPO, check the company's fundamentals and prospects. However, for an unproven business, a product or service with great potential is not enough. You need to give extra weightage to the quality of management and founders. You must spend enough time assessing their vision, thought process, and execution abilities. Only once you have a 360-degree view of the business, should you go ahead and invest in one.

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A survivor of the bus incident in Maharashtra's Buldhana district, where 25 passengers lost their lives, has recounted the experience of escaping the burning vehicle.

As reported by PTI, according to the survivor, he and a few others were able to exit the bus by breaking the rear window. The accident occurred on the Samruddhi Expressway near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana, when a private passenger bus travelling from Nagpur to Pune collided with a road divider around 1:30 am.

"A tyre of the bus burst and the vehicle caught fire immediately. The blaze spread in no time," the survivor said. "The passenger seated next to me and I managed to escape by breaking the rear window," he said.

Survivor noted that, following the accident, prompt response teams comprising of police and fire brigade arrived at the scene swiftly. Additionally, a local resident reported that approximately four to five passengers were able to flee by breaking a single window of the bus.

"But not everyone could do it," he said. The people who could come out of the bus later told us that they sought help from other vehicles on the highway, but nobody stopped, he added.

The local resident added that many accidents take place on this route at Pimpalkhuta. "We were called for help and when we went there, we saw the horrible situation. The tyres had fallen apart," the local resident added.

"People inside were trying to break the windows. We saw people getting burnt alive...The fire was so intense that we could not do anything. We were in tears...," he said.

The police noted that had the vehicles passing by the highway stopped for help, more lives could have been saved, he added. Eight survivors of the bus tragedy have been rushed to a nearby hospital and are safe."

The driver said that the accident took place after a tyre burst, leading to flames in the bus. Later the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire. There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. The exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained," Buldhana Police Deputy SP Baburao Mahamuni told ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)
Beleaguered edtech company BYJU'S is now looking to sell part of its state in Aakash Educational Services. The report came alongside indications that the startup and some of its lenders have restarted negotiations to restructure the firm's $1.2 billion term loan. BYJU'S has repeatedly made headlines over the past month due to a slew of issues - from layoffs and the exit of three board members and its auditor to delays in remitting provident funds, ED raid sand more. Recently, Dutch-listed technology investor Prosus NV had also slashed its valuation to $5.1 billion.

According to an update shared by ET Now, Byju's holding company, Think and Learn, is looking to dilute up to 20% of its total 70% equity stake in Aakash Education. There has been no official confirmation with sources telling the channel that talks with prospective investors were currently in a preliminary stage.

Having bought Aakash Education for $950 million in 2021, the company had earlier indicated plans to list it through an IPO by mid-2024.

ALSO READ: Byju's Crisis: 3 board members, auditor resign; cite differences with founder Byju Raveendran

Meanwhile a Bloomberg report quoting sources indicated that the company had restarted negotiations with its lenders to avoid escalation of a legal brawl. The lenders have reportedly delivered a detailed amendment proposal to the company that calls for a debt pay down, coupon boost and better investor protections on the loan. A reply is likely to be delivered early next week.

Byjus and its lenders have been mired in a conflict for several months following rounds of failed negotiations to revamp its loan agreement. The company elected to miss an interest payment on its term loan in June, exacerbating a conflict with lenders that underpins it mounting distress.

The Indian firm is in advanced talks with prospective new shareholders for a $1 billion fundraising round.

(With inputs from agencies)
ENTERPRISE-A first-ever urgent care medical clinic for pets officially opened for business in Enterprise Wednesday.

The family- and veteran-owned Pet Urgent Care of Enterprise LLC was welcomed to its 805 East Lee St. clinic by city and chamber of commerce officials and a bevy of beauty queens during an official ribbon cutting and open house.

Caring hands when you need them, is the motto of the walk-in clinic opened by Michael Jansen, Dr. Kim Ousley and Dr. Troy Jones.

Jansen is the non-medical member of the team with over 20 years of experience in the residential real estate market as a home builder, investor, and landlord. He is currently an executive with a tier-one defense company in Baltimore, Maryland, were he leads a large portfolio of Department of Defense programs. He served in the Air Force as an F-16 combat pilot and developmental test pilot.

There is a growing demand for urgent care walk-in clinics for humans to treat health issues that at arent quite emergency room level but are concerns, Jansen said. This is a first such clinic for small animals in the area. Their vision is to see this as the first in a southeast regional network of pet urgent care clinics.

We are a healthcare provider that allows you to bring your fur-baby in to be seen without an appointment. We understand that your pets are an important part of your family, and we are here to provide top-notch care at affordable prices when your furry loved ones need it the most, Jansen said.

Our team of highly trained veterinary professionals brings a unique level of expertise and compassion to every animal that comes through our doors, he added. We are dedicated to providing personalized care for every patient and creating a welcoming and stress-free environment for you and your pet.

Ousley has been a practicing veterinarian for more than 24 years, most recently at Eastmont Animal Clinic in the Montgomery area.

I became a veterinarian because I deeply respect the human/animal bond, she said. Im still moved by it every time I see it. Its why we work so hard. I always say, Your baby is my baby. The minute you step in here with your fur-baby, we treat them like they are ours.

Ousley worked with military working dogs at Osan Air Base in Korea after graduating from Auburn University cum laude. She served as a contractor with the Navy.

I worked on dolphins, sea lions, and whales out in San Diego, California. She has been a veterinary consultant for 15 years traveling nationwide to small animal hospitals teaching.

Ousley said she met Jones while the two were attending vet school at Auburn and has practiced throughout the years as colleagues in Alabama. His path has not been as exciting as hers, Jones said.

Im just a south Alabama veterinarian. Currently he owns and operates Luverne Veterinary Hospital in Luverne, a mixed veterinary practice with a dual emphasis on small animal medicine and beef cattle production medicine.

Jansen said that the team chose to locate in Enterprise because it is a great central location for the region.

You toil over where you are going to open up a business. You do a lot of research, he said, thanking the city for its support. I will say that its very humbling to see this crowd here today. Its a perfect example of how this community has come together and helped us out.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday expressed his agreement with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over his reaction to the incident of Khalistanis pulling the Indian flag down in London. He called Jaishankar a skilled and able foreign minister.

I have no difference of opinion with the EAM over that. I regard him as a friend & a skilled and able Foreign Minister," Tharoor said in a tweet. A group of Khalistani supporters pulled down the tricolor flying atop the Indian High Commission in London in March this year. Following the incident, India registered its strong protest with the British government over the safety of its diplomatic mission and questioned the lack of sufficient security at the premises. "An explanation was demanded for the complete absence of British security that allowed these elements to enter the High Commission premises. She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention, the MEA had said in an official statement. The senior Congress leader also said, Its not our style to poke our fingers in the eyes of foreign countries without provocation. The flag incident was a provocation & Indias response was fitting."

When that incident occurred I expressed outrage even before MEA did, since I was accosted by cameras at the Lok Sabha as soon as it happened. Outrage was indeed the most appropriate response," Tharoor further tweeted.

He clarified that his comment urging restraint was about his remarks at Cubbon Park, Bangalore, to the BJP Yuva Morcha against the West, which were inevitably picked up by the national and international media and played badly abroad.

Its not our style to poke our fingers in the eyes of foreign countries without provocation," the Congress leader said.

Lets keep our foreign policy bipartisan. We are all Indians & all that matters should be our national interest," he added.
A fatal bus accident happened on Saturday in Buldhana because of tyre burst in which 25 people, including three children, were killed and eight others were injured. According to the police officials, the driver said that the accident took place after a tyre burst, causing the bus to overturn. Later the diesel tank of the bus caught fire.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has announced assistance of 5 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the Maharashtra bus accident. CM Shinde also directed the officials to provide immediate medical help to the injured victims at the government's expense.

According to a tweet by CMO Maharashtra, Shinde was distressed by the terrible accident and has ordered an inquiry. Upon receiving information about the accident, CM Shinde contacted the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Buldhana to get information and give necessary directions to the officials.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office also informed that emergency medical service team and fire brigade reached the accident site to conduct the rescue operation and injured passengers were then removed and admitted to the hospital.

According to news agency PTI, a private travel bus from Nagpur to Pune caught fire on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana district on Saturday after it hit a pole and then rammed into a divider at around 1:30 am. Reportedly, there were 33 passengers on the bus most of them hailing from Nagpur, Wardha and Yavatmal.

The driver said that the accident took place after a tyre burst, leading to flames in the bus. Later the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire. There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. The exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Atleast 26 people including 3 children have lost their lives in the Maharashtra bus accident, as reported by ANI.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also shared their grief over the bus accident in Maharashtra. PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the deceased and 50,000 for the injured.

In a tweet on Monday, Prime Minister's Office wrote, Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected."
In a strongly worded response to Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's correspondence regarding the dismissal of Minister V Senthil Balaji, Chief Minister MK Stalin has criticized the letters, stating that they demonstrate a complete disregard for the Constitution and reflect the governor's hasty actions.

As per media reports, Stalin firmly asserted that the power to dismiss ministers rests solely with the elected chief minister and that the governor does not possess the authority to take such actions.

In his letter to the governor, Chief Minister MK Stalin began with a courteous "vanakkam" and proceeded to criticize the governor for making veiled and unsupported threats. Stalin emphasized that both he and his cabinet have the trust and confidence of the people, who hold the ultimate sovereignty in the state.

"I have received your letters dated 29.06.2023 one at 7.00 pm 'said to be dismissing' Thiru V Senthil Balaji from my Cabinet and the other on the same day at 11.45 pm 'keeping in abeyance' the said letter. Though your letters require only an outright disregard, I am writing to you to clarify both the facts and law on the issue on hand," Stalin's letter states.

Letter further notes, The fact that within a few hours, after you issued such a strongly worded first letter, even alluding to 'breakdown of constitutional machinery', a not so veiled threat, you withdrew it 'to seek the opinion of the Attorney General'. This shows that you had not even taken a legal opinion before such an important decision."

Referring to the Supreme Court ruling in the Lily Thomas v. Union of India (2013) case, Chief Minister MK Stalin highlighted that the Constitutional bench had entrusted the Prime Minister and the chief minister with the discretion to determine the continuation of a person as a minister in their cabinet.

"Therefore, merely because an agency has commenced an investigation against a person, he or she does not become legally incapacitated to continue as a minister," Stalin said, adding, "The above paragraph unambiguously states that disqualification is attracted only after conviction. Thiru V Senthil Balaji, as even your letter notes, has only been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for investigation and not even a charge sheet has been filed against him till now."

Meanwhile, Stalin criticized the governor for taking action against Minister Senthil Balaji while remaining silent for several months regarding his government's appeals for approvals to investigate and prosecute former ministers and public servants involved in offences during the previous AIADMK government.

The chief minister concluded his letter by asserting that the governor's unconstitutional communication dismissing his minister without his advice holds no legal validity and has been disregarded.
A three-judge Supreme Court bench commenced hearing late on Saturday night the plea by social activist Teesta Setalvad seeking interim protection from arrest in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna and Dipankar Datta is hearing the matter in a special sitting after a two-judge vacation bench differed on granting interim protection to Setalvad.

The apex court granted interim protection to activist Teesta Setalvad, whose regular bail was rejected by the Gujarat High Court earlier today in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Senior advocate CU Singh, appearing for Setalvad, told Supreme Court that she was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on September 22 last year and she hasnt violated any bail conditions.

Supreme Court observed that she was on bail for ten months and asked about the urgency in taking her into custody?

Will the skies fall if interim protection granted We are taken by surprise by what the High Court has done. What is the alarming urgency?" asked Supreme Court.

Granting interim protection from arrest for seven days to Setalvad, the bench said, "The single judge ought to have granted some time... We stay the order of the single bench for a period of one week."

While giving the judgement Supreme Court observed that "we are sorry to say the single judge was totally wrong in not granting interim protection even for one week."

When this court has granted interim bail, extending it by a week would have been ideal, observed Supreme Court.

Supreme Court asked Solicitor General(SG) Tushar Mehta, representing Gujarat government, about the urgency that a person should not be granted seven days time to challenge the bail, when the person was out for so long.

SG says, There is something more than what meets the eye. There is something more than the innocuous manner in which the matter has been presented. This is a question of a person who is abusing every forum."

SG says, SIT (on 2002 Godhra riots matter) was constituted by Supreme Court and it has filed periodical reports. The witnesses told the SIT they don't know the contents and they were given the statements by Setalvad and her focus was on particular area which was found to be false. SG says that Setalvad filed false affidavits, tutored witnesses.

Earlier, "after having heard this Special Leave Petition for some time, we are unable to agree while deciding the prayer for interim relief. Therefore, it will be appropriate if, under the orders of the Honble the Chief Justice of India, this petition is placed before the appropriate larger Bench.

"The Registrar (Judicial) is directed to place this order immediately before the Honble the Chief Justice of India," the two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra said earlier in the evening.

Setalvad approached the apex court for relief soon after the Gujarat High Court rejected her regular bail plea.
A UK-based company is planning to set up a semiconductor fabrication unit in the Ganjam district of Odisha, said officials on Saturday, adding that an amount of 30,000 crore will be invested in the first phase, according to the news agency PTI.

The SRAM & MRAM Technologies and Projects India Pvt Limited, the Indian unit of UK-based SRAM & MRAM Group, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government on March 26 to set up the semiconductor unit in the state.

Its Indian company officials headed by its chairman Guruji Kumaran Swami visited some cities near Chhatrapur in the district and then held a meeting with the district administration at Chhatrapur on Thursday.

Ganjam Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida has assured the investors of all facilities for setting up the unit. The company requires around 500 to 800 acres of land to establish the unit.

Debadutt Singhdeo, project director of the firm said, We have visited some sites, including the industrial park of Tata and some private lands for the establishment of the proposed semiconductor unit. A technical team of the company will visit the district to finalize the site."

The company officials also visited some other districts in Odisha as well, but they preferred the site near Chhatrapur due to its proximity to Gopalpur port, a dedicated industrial corridor, an airstrip, and a national highway, besides the availability of clean water and energy  the basic requirement of the fabrication unit, PTI reported, citing sources.

Singhdeo said that the company aims to establish the unit within two years and to provide direct employment to 5,000 people. It has also planned to expand the unit in subsequent phases by investing around 2 lakh crore by 2027.

The semiconductor unit will produce memory chips, used in mobile phones, television sets, laptops, air conditioners and ATMs. Since the country is not self-reliant on the manufacture of semiconductors, it imports around 3 lakh crore semiconductors annually from different countries.

(With PTI inputs)
In another clampdown, North Korea announces severe consequences for individuals caught using jargon or vocabulary that suggests any association with South Korea. Under the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act, the punishment for using South Korean vocabulary may include hard labour in prison or death, according to South China Morning Post.

Since Kim Jong Un has made using South Korean slang and vocabulary punishable, now North Korean women have been restricted against using words such as jagiya" which means honey". In North Korea, the women have to use dongji" which means comrade" to address their husbands.

Merely using such words shows that they have watched South Korean movies, the report mentioned.

A report has mentioned that saying I love you" is also an indication that the North Koreans are watching South Korean movies. These restrictions have been imposed to wipe out the rotten language of capitalism", the report added.

The North Koreans would also have to avoid words such as paesyeon (fashion), heeoseutail (hairstyle) and waipeu (wife).

Last year in December, two teenagers were reportedly executed for watching South Korean and American movies  something which is strictly prohibited in North Korea  with the government terming it as evil". A report in the Mirror said the two teenagers, who met in school, were executed in front of the locals.

During the mourning period for Kim Jong Un's father Kim Jong Il, the country had allegedly banned laughing, shopping and drinking.
A British prosecutor on Friday alleged that actor Kevin Spacey is a sexual bully and a man who sexually assaults other men. The remarks came at the beginning of the court trial in which Kevin Spacey is charged with 12 offenses against four men.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor entered a not-guilty plea to a dozen sexual assault accusations during a London courtroom trial, according to a report published by CNN.

At London's Southwark Crown Court, prosecutor Christine Agnew told jurors, The 'House of Cards' star Kevin Spacey is a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable, a sexual bully."

Spacey is accused of 12 offenses, including three counts of indecent assault, seven counts of sexual assault, one count of coercing someone into having intercourse without their consent, and one count of coercing someone into having penetrative sex without their consent, ANI reported.

Kevin Spacey was charged last year, however, he denied the allegations against him. The accusations concern claimed events that allegedly occurred in and around London between the early 2000s and the early 2010s, during the 12-year tenure of Spacey as creative director of London's Old Vic theatre.

According to London's Metropolitan Police, the two males accused of being engaged in the 2008 and 2013 attacks are now in their 30s. The alleged victim of the 2005 incidents is currently in his 40s.

Two Academy Awards have been given to Spacey for his performances in 'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty.' After quitting 'House of Cards,' he just resumed acting. The actor played the lead role in the Netflix series for five seasons until being let go in 2017 amid claims of inappropriate behavior both on and off the set.

In response to accusations that he pulled up actor Anthony Rapp and laid on top of him at a party in 1986, a New York jury ruled him not guilty of violence last year.
Canadians observe their national day on July 1 every year.This time, Google celebrated 'Canada Day' by depicting the countrys diverse communities and majestic landscapes. Canada also has an incredible range of terrains, from fertile prairies to barren Arctic tundra to lush rainforests filled with vibrant wildlife and everything in between.

Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of the countrys confederation. July 1st is a great opportunity to spend time with family, spend time outdoors, and to explore the country's enchanting natural wonders. Canoeing, picnics, bike riding, nature strolls - just a few of the picturesque activities highlighted in todays Doodle to give you some inspiration about how you might want to spend the long weekend.

Did you know this country has more lakes than any other nation in the world? In fact, there are over 560 lakes in Canada that are greater than 100 square kilometres in size. To put that into perspective: the entire city of Vancouver is just over 114 square kilometres

View Full Image Canada Day Google Doodle

Its also important to note that while today marks the 156th anniversary of Canadas Confederation, this nation is situated on lands and waterways that have been habited for thousands of years. Many people spend Canada Day reflecting on how the country was built on Indigenous territories and the path towards reconciliation. The Inuit, First Nations, and Metis people have been stewards of the land and landscapes depicted in todays Doodle  and Indigenous peoples continue to protect and preserve our lands.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc is considering exiting its partnership with Apple Inc, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal. It served as a relationship that helped vault the iPhone maker into the finance world.

Currently, the bank is in talks with American Express Co to take over the Apple credit card and other services that the companies offer together, the WSJ report said, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.

They also said that Apple is completely aware of the ongoing conversation which has been taking place for months now. The tech company would have to agree to a transfer.

Apples push into financial offerings with Goldman Sachs help is part of a broader effort to generate more revenue from services. The tech giant got about 20% of its sales from that category last year, up from less than 10% a decade ago, WSJ reported.

Recently, Apple and Goldman Sachs also introduced a long-promised high-yield savings account. However, the tech giant has been laying the groundwork to rely less on partners for its financial services.

Goldman Sachs also has discussed transferring its card partnership with General Motors Co. to American Express or another issuer, as per the Journal reports. But a deal with American Express isnt imminent or assured yet.

American Express shares gained 1.1% in after-hours trading, while those of Goldman Sachs and Apple were little changed.

It is pertinent to note that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has lost its ranking as the worlds top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) adviser for the first time in five years.

Goldman fell to the second spot, with a role on $237 billion of transactions giving it an 18.8 per cent market share. The last time Goldman ranked second for any half-year period was in the first half of 2018.
Fresh lychee from Vietnam sold in a supermarket in Texas. Photo courtesy of LNS International Corporation

The first batch of fresh lychee has arrived in the U.S., opening up big opportunities for the specialty and other Vietnamese fruits to conquer the demanding market.

Thanks to coordination between importer LNS International Corporation and the distributor L&V Food Supply Company in Houston, Texas, fresh lychee grown in the northern province of Bac Giang  dubbed Vietnams kingdom of the fruit, has been available on the shelves of many supermarkets and the largest Asian market in Houston.

Chinh Nguyen, CEO of L&V Food Supply, said her group and LNS International Corporation are working on a plan to import big shipments of Vietnamese food and fruits to the U.S. this year.

"After three shipments of fresh lychees (approximately 9 tonnes) to the U.S. in June, we plan to import frozen lychee (about 2 containers per month, equivalent to about 30 tonnes)," she said.

"If Vietnamese suppliers can ensure enough standard products, we will import an additional three shipments (80-90 tonnes) this year."

The success demonstrates the efforts by Vietnamese ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in trade promotion to deliver Vietnamese agricultural products to demanding markets such as the U.S. and the European Union.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, among Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products, the U.S. has purchased cashew nuts, aquatic products, wood and fruits most.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast that the US will import up to $199 billion worth of agricultural products this year, $5 billion higher than last years figure, which offers an opportunity for Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery exports.

Last year, the U.S.'s fruit-vegetable import reached a record high of over $31 billion, including $19.3 billion= of fresh and frozen fruits, an increase of 10% compared to 2021. The majority of these imports came from Canada, Mexico, and some countries in Central and South America.

Apart from Vietnam, the U.S. also imported lychee from China, India and Thailand. Vietnams Bac Giang lychee has been favoured by local consumers for its quality.

Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in the U.S. Do Ngoc Hung pointed out that there is ample room for Vietnamese fruits in the U.S. market.

However, Vietnamese agricultural products and lychee still encounter obstacles in accessing the market due to the far geographical distance, and high irradiation and transportation costs.

The Vietnamese trade office in Houston suggested relevant associations and businesses of Vietnam and the US exchange information and work together to support export-import activities.

In particular, businesses should make long-term commitments to ensuring good coordination among exporters, importers, and distributors for large shipments, exchange market information and share responsibility and risks with partners, thus creating a healthy competitive environment, Hung said.

He also suggested intensifying product promotion to introduce Vietnamese fruits to other communities in the US apart from Asian consumers.
The mother of a 17-year-old boy, killed by a French Police officer has blamed only that one cop who shot her son, sparking riots across France.

17-year-old Nahel was shot dead during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Some bystanders filmed the incident that showed two cops standing on the driver's side of the car, one of whom fired his gun on Nahel despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger.

Whereas the officer said that he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car.

Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officers use of his weapon wasnt legally justified.

Prache said officers tried to pull Nahel over because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane. He allegedly ran a red light to avoid being stopped and then got stuck in traffic.

The officer said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Nahel's mother Mounia told television station France 5 in an on-camera interview, " I don't blame the police, I blame only one person, the one who took my son's life".

He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life," she said, adding that justice should be very firm."

The officer who shot the teen is currently facing a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

Since the death of the teen, young rioters have continued to clash with the police, blazed cars, and looted stores.

France President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fueling violence.

Singling out Snapchat and TikTok, he said they were being used to organize unrest and served as conduits for copycat violence.

Macron said his government would work with technology companies to establish procedures for the removal of the most sensitive content," adding that he expected a spirit of responsibility" from them.

Snapchat spokesperson Rachel Racusen said the company has increased its moderation since Tuesday to detect and act on content related to the rioting.

While the situation appeared to be somewhat calmer compared to previous nights, turmoil gripped several cities across the country.

Firefighters in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where the shooting occurred Tuesday, extinguished the blazes set by protesters that left scorched remains of cars strewn across the streets.

In the southern Mediterranean port city of Marseille, officers arrested nearly 90 people as groups of protesters lit cars on fire and broke store windows to take what was inside.

Nahels burial is scheduled for Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry.

The violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are due to host 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the Summer Olympic Games. Organizers said they are closely monitoring the situation as preparations for the Olympics continue.

Deadly use of firearms is less common in France than in the United States, although 13 people who didnt comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, another three people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted an additional charge sheet against nine individuals, accusing them of participating in a plot orchestrated by the international terrorist organization ISIS to execute terrorist acts throughout the nation.

As reported by PTI, the federal agency said that five of the accused in the charge sheet have tech backgrounds and had allegedly been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue courses in robotics to pick up skills for carrying out attacks in the future in furtherance of the terror group's agenda for the country.

It identified the accused charge-sheeted on Friday as Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).

The individuals from Karnataka have been accused under multiple laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code, and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, according to the NIA. Ahmed and Syed Yasin, who was charged earlier this year, are now facing additional charges along with Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh, Mazin Abdul Rahman, and Nadeem Ahmed KA. The NIA noted that all of them have backgrounds in mechanical and electrical engineering.

"They had been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue robotics courses to pick up skills to carry terrorist attacks in the future in furtherance of the IS (Islamic State) agenda for India," the federal probe agency said.

According to the NIA, the investigations have uncovered that Shariq, Muneer, and Yasin conspired with IS operatives abroad to promote terrorism and violence in the region under the direction of the Islamic State. The trio actively engaged in the radicalization and recruitment of the co-accused individuals with the aim of destabilizing the security, unity, and sovereignty of the country, as stated by the NIA.

According to the NIA, the online handler provided funding to the accused individuals using cryptocurrencies. The case was first registered by the Shivamogga Rural Police on September 19 of the previous year and subsequently transferred to the NIA, who re-registered it on November 15.

(With insights from PTI)
A new study has revealed a link between a 1-degree Celsius rise in the yearly average temperature and a 4.5 percent increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) in a research of almost 1,95,000 ever-partnered women across three South Asian countries including India.

Ever-partnered women are defined as those who have had sex, been married or been in a romantic relationship, according to PTI reports.

Researchers have predicted a 21 percent increase in family violence in the region by the end of the 21st century. According to the report, India is estimated to experience the highest increase of 23.5 percent among the three countries, the other two being Nepal and Pakistan.

The study -- 'Association of Ambient Temperature With the Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among Partnered Women in Low and Middle-Income South Asian Countries' -- has been published in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry.

In an email, the corresponding author of the study Renjie Chen, Fudan University, China said, Given the higher prevalence of IPV in South Asia compared to the global level, and the region's recent history of more frequent and intense heatwaves."

We conducted this study to evaluate the association of ambient temperature with IPV prevalence, including its types -- physical, sexual, and emotional -- among partnered women," Chen told PTI.

The study included ever-partnered women in the 15-49 age group from India, Nepal, and Pakistan and used self-reported data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Programme, collected from October 1, 2010, to April 30, 2018.

The study found physical violence to be the most prevalent at 23 percent, followed by emotional at 12.5 percent and sexual at 9.5 percent.

Further, the study projects increases in physical and sexual violence stemming from hotter temperatures to 28.3 percent and 26.1 percent, respectively, far greater than the projected rise in emotional violence at 8.9 percent, by modeling changes in IPV prevalence under various future climate change scenarios through the 2090s, PTI reported.

It is estimated that in the 2090s, India will experience the highest IPV prevalence increase at 23.5 percent, followed by 14.8 percent in Nepal, and 5.9 percent in Pakistan under an unlimited carbon emissions scenario, the study said.

Chen said the heat-aggression hypothesis is likely to be behind such violence stemming from hot temperatures.

(With PTI inputs)
Widespread delays hit US airports this week, raising concerns for the upcoming July 4 holiday. Thunderstorms in the Northeast caused delays of several hours, posing a significant test for airlines grappling with surging passenger numbers.

Samrat Ghosh, who is visiting India with his family after almost five years, had the most harrowing time this week and could reach their home country after travelling for about 96 hours.

Ghosh says, Our journey began with a 20-minute delay in boarding the American Airlines flight from Charlotte to New York (JFK) due to thunderstorms. The flight itself took off 40 minutes late, and upon reaching JFK, we faced another hour's delay in landing due to bad weather and low visibility. This delay became a cause for concern as we had a connecting flight to Doha in just 30 minutes."

Despite the worries, they managed to reach the gate in time, only to discover that they hadn't been checked in properly at Charlotte, and their seats had been sold to other passengers

Frustrated, we were directed to American guest services, where we had to go back and forth between counters, eventually finding out that the next available flight to Doha was in two days. We reluctantly booked a hotel in New York and made the most of our unexpected stay, exploring the city. Finally, on Sunday night, we departed for Doha, with further delays and challenges along the way."

Travel woes are likely to continue

More than 24 million passengers are expected to fly from US airports over the holiday period from June 29 through July 5, according to booking app Hopper.com, as cited by Bloomberg. On Friday alone, about 3.7 million passengers are expected to pack planes for the second straight day. However, due to storm forecast, travel woes are likely to continue.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called the summer travel season a "stress test" for airline operations. "Nobody can control the weather, but it is important for airlines to create enough cushion in resilience in the system," Buttigieg told CNN.

However, United CEO Scott Kirby has blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for making the situation worse. In a staff memo, he said over 150,000 United customers were affected last weekend because of FAA staffing issues and its impact on managing traffic.

Between June 24 and June 29, approximately 43,000 flights faced delays, and over 7,700 were canceled, as reported by FlightAware. United Airlines was hit hardest, with about 19% of its flights canceled and around 47% delayed. While there was some improvement on Thursday compared to previous days, United still had to cancel 18% of its flights.

Still, the airline has said it would be "on track" to restore operations for the holiday weekend when it expects 5 million people to fly with it. Its bookings are up about 12% from last year and have nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

(With agency inputs)
Social media platforms operating across borders have been instructed by Vietnam to implement artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms capable of automatically identifying and eliminating "toxic" content, according to reports from state media on Friday. This requirement adds to the already strict regulations imposed by Vietnam on social media companies.

Vietnam has made multiple requests to Meta's Facebook, Google's YouTube, and TikTok, urging them to collaborate with authorities in order to eradicate content that is considered "toxic." This includes offensive material, false information, and content that opposes the state.

During the mid-year review event hosted by the information ministry, which was only open to selected newspapers, Vietnam Television (VTV), a state-run broadcaster, reported that this is the first instance where Vietnam has publicly issued such an order.

The report did not provide specific information regarding the timeline and implementation process for cross-border platforms to comply with the new requirement.

In a statement, the information ministry revealed that during the first half of the year, Facebook removed 2,549 posts in response to government requests. Additionally, YouTube removed 6,101 videos, and TikTok took down 415 links, as stated by the information ministry.

According to a Reuters report, this announcement coincides with the efforts of Southeast Asian nations to develop governance and ethics guidelines for AI. These guidelines aim to establish regulations and boundaries for the rapidly advancing technology.

In recent years, Vietnam has introduced various regulations, including a cybersecurity law, specifically targeting foreign social media platforms. The purpose of these regulations is to combat the spread of disinformation in news and compel foreign tech companies to establish representative offices within Vietnam and store data locally.

According to the information ministry, Vietnam conducted a thorough examination of TikTok's local operations last month, and initial findings revealed several violations on the platform.

During the event on Friday, Vietnam Television (VTV) reported that the information ministry stated Netflix, the American streaming giant, has submitted the necessary documents to establish a local office in Vietnam.

(With inputs from Reuters)
HCMC lengthens promotion season to three months to spur consumption

A customer shops at a supermarket in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha

Ho Chi Minh City has extended its annual Shopping Season campaign from one to three months to stimulate demand for consumer goods amid the difficult economic situation.

Its Department of Industry and Trade said the promotion, which began on June 15, would be extended to September 15, with 3,000 companies offering discounts.

There are promotions on a variety of products, including in the luxury segment, it added.

Some shops offer "buy 1 get 1 free" promotions.

Hoa of Go Vap District said while shopping in a supermarket two-thirds of her cart are discounted.

"Products either get a discount or are sold with gifts."

Another shopper, Hoang Anh, said the discounts are genuine and not on marked-up prices, and so she gets 30% more for the same money than before.

Major retail chains such as Satra, Go!, Co.opmart, WinCommerce, MM Mega Market all have discount on a variety of products. Some products carry discounts of 49%.

A spokesperson for Central Retail said with people tightening their purse strings, this year the supermarket chain has spent its biggest ever amount on discounts.

Saigon Co.op has increased its spending on discounts by 15-25%, and has seen customers spend 30% more.

At traditional markets, food, clothes and footwear are sold at up to 50% discounts.

Some food producers are also offering discounts.

Noodles maker Acecook Vietnam has cut the prices of two of its best-selling products by 6% and 11%.

Vissan, which sells fresh meats and processed foods, is offering 10-20% discounts.
To support his family, a GoFundMe was started by fellow officer Chris Mullinix to take off the initial financial burden.
A new Tennessee Law punishes BUIs the same as DUIs, and choosing to drive this way can be deadly. If you boat under the influence, it could lead to fines, jail, and loss of boating or even driving privileges.
The Fort Oglethorpe Police Department is requesting the public's assistance to identify the person shown in connection to the armed robbery Friday morning at Cloud Springs Rd. and Scruggs Road.
Leisure company Center Parcs sponsorship of Ryan Tubridys radio programme has been paused, RTE has said.

It also confirmed that Center Parcs Longford Forest would not be renewing its sponsorship of the hour-long Radio One show.

There has been a sharp focus on governance and finances at the public service broadcaster since it revealed that it had under-reported Tubridys salary since 2017 by amounts totalling 345,000 euro.

Particular criticism has focused on a commitment in 2020 that RTE would underwrite commercial payments due to its highest-earner, worth 75,000 euro over a five-year period.

Longford Senator says households 'cancelling' TV licence fee payments in wake of RTE controversy Government bosses fear households across the country will en masse veto against paying the States 160 TV licence fee in the midst of the RTE payments crisis.

Tubridy, who had served as the host of RTEs flagship programme The Late Late Show from 2009 until this May, has said the responsibility for the serious errors rests with RTE, but admitted he should have questioned the accuracy of published figures on his salary.

Tubridy has not presented his weekday radio programme since the undeclared payments by RTE were revealed on June 22, with interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch stating that it was not tenable for him to be on air while under media and political focus.

Following reports in The Journal, RTE confirmed on Friday that Center Parcs would not be renewing its sponsorship deal of Tubridys programme.

It also said that the current sponsorship of the radio programme has been paused since last Friday.

Center Parcs confirmed, via their agency Core, on June 20 that they did not wish to renew their sponsorship of The Ryan Tubridy Show, RTE said in a statement to PA.

The current sponsorship has been paused since Friday 23rd June and the current sponsorship contract will expire on August 28.

Satirist Oliver Callan is currently sitting in for Tubridy on his radio programme, and said on Friday he will be back next week.

It is unclear when Tubridy will return to the Radio One slot; the Oireachtas media committee were informed on Wednesday that he is still being paid while off air.
Masan Group achieved two categories in the Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards (CSA) for its ESG performance.

At the awards held on June 29 by Nhip Cau Dau Tu Magazine, Masan Group was honored with prestigious recognition for two categories: sustainable resource management and outstanding risk management platform.

Masan Group, along with its subsidiary companies, holds a prominent position as a multi-industry corporation, spearheading sectors that include retail, FMCG, chilled meat and branded processed meats, F&B chains, financial services, telecommunications, and high-tech industrial materials.

Masan Group's representative and other nominees at CSA on June 29, 2023. Photo courtesy of Masan

Recognizing its role and responsibility to the community and society, Masan remains dedicated to continually raising the bar for sustainable development standards.

In line with this, the retail sector comprises a network of over 3,500 supermarkets, including WinMart and WinMart+ stores.

This effectively serves as a bridge, fostering collaborations between domestic manufacturers and businesses to offer a wider array of high-quality products that align with the Vietnamese people's preference for locally made goods.

Moreover, this supermarket chain actively contributes to environmental preservation efforts by promoting the adoption of biodegradable bags as a substitute for plastic usage. They also strive to minimize or replace single-use plastic materials with eco-friendly alternatives.

Furthermore, the implementation of customer incentive programs encourages the habit of reusable bag usage, promoting greener consumption practices during shopping activities.

Masan consistently introduces innovative products in the consumer goods and branded meat sectors, ensuring they adhere to stringent hygiene, safety, and health standards.

The MEATDeli meat processing complexes are accredited with the BRC - Global Standard for Food Safety, which holds significant international value within the food industry and serves as a crucial document for food exporters.

Additionally, Masan Consumer's consumer goods processing plants have made investments in constructing state-of-the-art wastewater treatment systems in collaboration with a Dutch partner. These advanced systems are implemented across their factories nationwide.

The quality testing of all discharged wastewater consistently meets the highest standard in Vietnam, classified as Class A.

Another member of the group, Masan High-Tech Materials, has been actively involved in reforestation efforts since 2016 by planting trees on previously barren land after mining activities.

To date, the company has greened approximately 58 hectares throughout its operational area.

In addition to prioritizing environmental protection initiatives, Masan Group and its subsidiary companies are committed to implementing corporate social responsibility programs.

As one of the leading contributors to local tax revenues, the group operates factories and production facilities that generate employment opportunities and improve the livelihoods of local communities.

Across the country, Masan actively engages in various social security activities.

These include supporting individuals affected by storms and floods in Nghe An, assisting soldiers in safeguarding Vietnam's borders, seas, and islands through the "For the National Sea and Islands - For the Fatherland Frontline" fund, and aiding impoverished households.

The WinEco hi-tech farms provide clean fruits and vegetables to consumers through the WinMart and Winmart+ systems. Photo courtesy of Masan

Masan's integration of ESG principles into its strategic plan enhances its risk management practices. The emphasis on the G (Governance) factor is particularly valuable as it ensures the objective evaluation of governance processes and maintains independence in internal controls.

The company consistently updates its set of corporate governance regulations to safeguard shareholder interests and establish operational standards for the Board of Directors and Management Board.

By doing so, Masan guarantees objectivity in decision-making processes.

Masan places great emphasis on social development, environmental protection, and corporate governance as key pillars alongside its business activities.

In recent times, Masan has consistently gained recognition in esteemed rankings. It has been listed among the Top 50 best-performing companies in Vietnam for the year 2023 by Forbes Vietnam.

Additionally, Masan has secured a position in the top 10 prestigious public companies published by Vietnam Report in 2023.
President Joe Biden claimed that Al Qaeda is not in Afghanistan and the U.S. has received help from the Taliban in eliminating the terror groups presence in the country. However, a recent report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team says that Al Qaeda has safe haven in Afghanistan and the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda remained close and symbiotic.

Remember what I said about Afghanistan?, Biden said at a press conference on June 30. I said Al Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldnt be there. I said wed get help from the Taliban. Whats happening now? Whats going on? Read your press. I was right.

However a cursory reading of the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, which was released on June 9, shows that Biden is in fact wrong.

Claim: I said Al Qaeda would not be there.

Fact: Al Qaedas presence in Afghanistan is undeniable. Any illusion that Al Qaeda was no longer operating in Afghanistan following the Talibans takeover of the country on Aug. 15, 2021 should have melted away in July 2022, when the U.S killed Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri in a drone strike in Kabul. Not only was Zawahiri sheltering in the Afghan capital, he was living in a posh safe house run by a lieutenant of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Talibans Minister of Interior who also serves as one of the groups two deputy emirs.

The UN report went even further in documenting Al Qaedas presence in Afghanistan. According to the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, Al Qaeda is currently operating training camps in six Afghan provinces: Helmand, Zabul, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Badghis, and Kunar, where Al Qaeda is training members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Al Qaeda is also running safe houses in Farah, Helmand, Herat and Kabul provinces, as well as a media operations center in Herat.

The UN estimates that there are at least 400 Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, reaching

2,000 with family members and supporters included.

Claim: I said wed get help from the Taliban.

Al Qaeda isnt able to establish infrastructure in Afghanistan without the express approval and support of the Taliban, which dominates the security sphere. It isnt the U.S. that is getting help from the Taliban, but Al Qaeda.

Three members of Al Qaeda, who are also leaders within the Taliban, serve as members of the Talibans government. Qari Ehsanullah Baryal and Hafiz Muhammad Agha Hakeem are governors of Kapisa and Nuristan provinces. Taj Mir Jawad was identified the Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Intelligence.

All three are well-known jihadists who have served both the Taliban and Al Qaeda well. Baryal and Jawad were key leaders of what used to be known as the Kabul Attack Network, the alliance of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and a host of terror groups that organized and directed high-profile attacks in and around the Afghan capital up until the fall of the previous Afghan government. Hakeem is a key associate of Qari Zakir, the Haqqani Networks former chief of suicide operations. Zakir is thought to have been killed alongside Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden and a rising star in Al Qaeda, in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistans Kurram tribal agency in September 2019.

The UN also noted that other Al Qaeda members have received appointments and advisory roles in the Taliban security and administrative structures, including an unnamed training director of the de facto Ministry of Defense 

Not only are key Al Qaeda leaders serving in the Talibans government, but the Taliban is issuing passport and Afghan identification paperwork to members of Al Qaeda and their families. The Talibans Ministry of Defense is using Al Qaeda training manuals are part of its curriculum.

Claim: Whats happening now? Whats going on? Read your press. I was right.

It is unclear what press President Biden is reading, but it is beyond clear that what is happening in Afghanistan is anything but positive. Al Qaeda has established training camps, safe houses, and a media center in multiple provinces throughout Afghanistan. Al Qaeda leaders are ensconced within the Taliban government, while the Taliban is issuing passports to Al Qaeda members. Biden is anything but right.

For more information on the UN report on Afghanistan, see the following LWJ reports and Generation Jihad podcast:

Generation Jihad Ep. 94  Al Qaeda has key roles in Talibans Afghanistan

Al Qaeda actively operating training camps in 5 Afghan provinces

Al Qaeda leaders are prominently serving in Taliban government

Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda aiding Pakistani Talibans insurgency

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday assured the public of improved transportation systems across the country.

The President made the assurance during the ceremonial signing of loan agreement for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP).

The Chief Executive stressed the much-needed modernization of the transport system in the country alluding to the administrations whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach in addressing the persistent problems on mass transportation.

We need to work together to pursue the much-needed modernization of our transport system in vital parts of the country, whether through better roads, highways, and even railways, Marcos said.

LOAN AGREEMENTS. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (second row, third from left) witnesses the signing of three loan agreements by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno (front row, left) and Asian Development Bank country director for the Philippines Pavit Ramachandran for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project on July 1, 2023 at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City. The project, supported by the ADB loan, aims to deliver a modern, high priority public transport system to provide an attractive, efficient and affordable mode of transport in Davao City.

The modernization of the transport system in Davao City will create an integrated network of 29 routes that will connect major commercial centers in metropolitan Davao.

The government looked at the DPTMP with an eye on building socio-economic opportunities for local residents in the region.

As it opens its doors to visitors and investors, the city will be rewarded with increased business opportunities. Evidently, increased commercial activities necessarily bring more people which means more vehicles on the streets, busier roads, and hence, heavier traffic, Marcos said.

Marcos also assured residents and families that might be displaced by development of financial and non-monetary assistance.

Lest we forget, coupled with this grand vision of building an efficient mode of transportation are the unavoidable issues that also need our immediate attention, such as the families who will be displaced by the implementation of the program, the President said.

He also thanked the Asian Development Bank for supporting the project.

The ADB has been part of the modernization project as early as 2010 when it was envisioned.

On May 23, Marcos and ADB president Masatsugu Asakawa met at ADB headquarters in Pasig City as the Philippines received $4 billion worth of funding from the bank as part of the administrations socio-economic and infrastructure development plans for 2023.

The projects covered by the funding were the DPTMP, Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project, and the Integrated Floor Resilience and Adaptation Project.

From 2010 to 2022, ADBs annual loan financing for the Philippines averaged at $1.4 billion.

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JETOUR Auto Philippines, Inc. (JAPI) focuses on ensuring a fulfilling aftersales experience for its customers.

JAPI sees the aftersales experience as essential to car ownership. This is why JAPI invested in comprehensive training for its after-sales management team, which will then cascade the technical processes and servicing standards to the brands 16 dealerships.

From May 31 to June 8, 2023, JAPI technical delegates, led by Aftersales Director Eryx Guiang, underwent in-depth training and brand inculcation activities at the JETOUR head office in Wuhu, China.

The JAPI Aftersales team went through seven days of intensive technical training courses and practical exercises in China. JETOUR International hosted the training covering air conditioning and transmission systems and engine and electronic management systems for JETOUR models sold in the Philippines.

They were also trained in the Battery Electric Vehicle technologies and systems used in the Ice Cream EV. JETOUR International also gave the technical team a tour of the advanced manufacturing facilities of JETOUR and the Chery Auto Plant.

The delegates were also introduced to the parts ordering and inventory systems that Jetusese of in its global operations. At Wuhu, the team also did a walkthrough of the dealership and training center operations standards which they will implement in all JETOUR dealerships and service centers in the Philippines.

By applying JETOURs technical standards and systems in its Philippine operations, JAPI aligns itself with global procedures and practices. JETOUR utilizes in more than 30 countries and regions across the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Asia-Pacific, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

JETOUR Auto Philippines may be new in the market. Still, the combined automotive industry experience of the men and women behind the brand is an assurance that owning a JETOUR will be a gratifying experience allowing JETOUR owners to create more meaningful memories from every journey.

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Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara was involved in a car crash Friday in which her 7-year-old son was injured, officials said.

The car crashed Friday afternoon near the Monument in Jamaica Plain, according to a statement from Lee Nave Jr., Laras chief of staff. He was referring to the Civil War Monument located at the intersection of Centre and South Streets.

Laras son, Zaire, was admitted to Boston Childrens Hospital, where he received several stitches, Nave noted in the statement.

The Councilor thanks the responding officer from Boston Police substation E13, Boston EMS, Boston Fire, and the attending team in the Childrens Hospital emergency room for their care, the statement said. She also thanks the neighbors and bystanders who came to their aid on the scene.

It was a scary situation for everyone involved but thankfully Councilor Lara and Zaire are expected to make a full recovery. She asks for privacy at this time, Nave added.

Lara herself suffered some cuts and will probably require some stitches, The Boston Globe reported, citing Nave.

Read more: Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo fined for conflict of interest

In the moments leading up to the accident, The Globe reported, Lara was driving her car, a sedan, when she swerved to avoid a another crash, went through a fence and yard and hit a house. Her vehicle was totally wrecked, according to the newspaper.
The man accused of killing a 32-year-old Sharon woman in February was arrested in Boston on Friday, according to police.

Members of the Boston Police Department Fugitive Unit arrested 20-year-old Stepheon Wells of South Boston shortly after 8 a.m. Friday in the area of 26 Hemenway St. He was wanted for the fatal shooting of Diva Ayuso on Feb. 18, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest out of Dorchester District Court for murder and firearm-related charges, the department said in a statement.

On the night of Feb. 18, officers went to 15 Fermoy Heights in the Dorchester neighborhood of the city around 8:45 p.m. after a ShotSpotter gunfire sensor was triggered. When police arrived, they found Ayuso suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the departments statement.

Earlier this month, the department announced homicide detectives were seeking the publics help in locating Wells in connection with the killing of Ayuso. Police described him at the time as 20 years old, roughly 5 feet 3 inches tall and 125 pounds in weight.

The South Boston man is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court, the department said.

To those who find themselves in need of emotional support or simply needing to talk to someone about distressing events in our community, the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team (NTT) provides free, private support 24/7 at (617) 431-0125, the department noted.
One man was killed and another was injured in a shooting in Boston early Saturday, according to police.

Officers assigned to District B-2 in Roxbury went to 27 McGreevey Way in response to a report of a person shot shortly after 12:10 a.m. When they arrived, police found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds, the Boston Police Department said in a statement.

Both men were taken to nearby hospitals, where one was pronounced dead. The other has injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to the departments statement.

The department said it is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the shooting. The agency urged anyone with information to contact Boston police homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470. Community members who wish to assist the investigation anonymously can do so by calling the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).

Those who need emotional support or to talk with someone about distressing events in their community can call the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team  which provides free, private support at all hours  at (617) 431-0125.
A fire that erupted at a church on Cape Cod on Friday originated in solar panels on the buildings roof, according to authorities.

Orleans firefighters were sent to the St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church shortly after 4 p.m. Friday after a person passing by spotted flames coming from the roof of the building and called 911, according to a statement from the towns fire department.

When they arrived, firefighters saw smoke and flames coming from the roof of the church. A fire engine and ladder truck were initially sent to the scene, but more first responders and vehicles were soon called from neighboring towns to help out. There were 38 firefighters in total at the scene, the department noted in its statement.

Read more: Maine woman bit by black bear after punching it in the face to save her dog

Due to the large size of the building, firefighters worked to contain the flames to the area of origin, the statement said. It was determined that the fire started on the roof of the church in solar panels and extended into an attic space above the main floor.

A fire that erupted at the St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Orleans on Cape Cod on Friday, June 30, 2023 originated in solar panels on the buildings roof, according to authorities. (Orleans Fire Rescue)

The main area of the fire was extinguished in around 10 minutes. Firefighters remained at the scene for another hour and a half to clear smoke and check for hotspots, according to the department.

Nobody was injured as a result of the fire, and damage to the interior of the church was limited. The building should be open for regular services this weekend, the department noted.

This fire was able to be contained and extinguished quickly due to the actions of a passerby who called 911 right away and the efforts of the firefighters on scene, Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering said in the departments statement. This response and the corresponding limit of damage is a direct result of having on duty staffing ready to respond.

Thank you to Eastham, Brewster, Harwich, Chatham, Yarmouth, Dennis, and Hyannis Fire Departments, as well as the Orleans Police and the Communications Center at the Barnstable County Sheriffs Office, he added.
SPRINGFIELD  Norman Roldan resigned from the Springfield Board of Police Commissioners because he is running for City Council. His resignation was effective Friday.

He had served as the chairman of the five-member board.

Reached Friday, Roldan said he is avoiding any conflict of interest. He is one of 21 candidates running in the September preliminary election for just five at-large seats on the 13-person City Council.

A former member of the citys school committee, Roldan was appointed to the board in March 2022 for a two-year term that would have expired April 1, 2024.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is accepting letters of interest from city residents to fill Roldans seat, according to the city website. The new appointee will finish out his term, and the deadline to submit a letter is July 10.

Roldan said the board is doing a good job working with both the city Law Department and the U.S. Justice Department when it comes to overseeing the Springfield Police Department.

Sarno appoints all five members of the Police commissioner board, but he fought for years against its reinstatement, preferring to retain power over the force in the mayors office. He lost a lawsuit brought by the City Council in 2021, and the commission came back.

Theres been an argument over whether the Police Commission needs its own budget and office space.

The budget passed last week without that dedicated funding.

In April 2022, the U.S. Justice Department entered into a consent decree with the city, giving the federal government oversight of the department and requiring that city police revise and update use-of-force procedures. The decree stems from a 28-page report portraying the police departments former Narcotics Unit as too violent during arrests, among other problems.
The white sharks of Cape Cod will be spotlighted in National Geographics television special premiering Sunday, July 2, called Return of the White Shark, featuring information researchers have learned in recent years on the animals.

The special will premiere on Disney Plus on July 2 and on the National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m. on July 3. Viewers looking to watch the special can do so by using FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Sling and Disney+. Both FuboTV and DirecTV offer free trials and Sling offers 50% off your first month. Disney+ plans start at $9.99 a month.

Greg Skomal, the senior fisheries scientist at Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said the researchers work every few years with different production companies to help build on and spread knowledge about white sharks in Cape Cod waters.

The special will feature conversations on how white sharks behave in Cape Cod waters, Skomal said, such as their predation on seals due to the preys rebounded population, and the researchers work installing receivers throughout the water to collect data from tagging the sharks.

It highlights the research were doing and it highlights public safety; and it highlights the behavior and biology of this species, Skomal said.

Additionally, Skomal teased a unique video of Cape Cod sharks. Its got some really remarkable footage of white sharks eating a seal and white shark behavior, Skomal shared.

I think its a fun story, and its very informative. I think its going to be entertaining as well, Skomal added.

Researchers, including Atlantic White Shark Conservancy staff scientist Megan Winton, now believe between 800 and 900 individual sharks have been in the Cape Cod waters over the past five years, according to the Hartford Courant.

Which is absolutely incredible, the outlet reported Winton as saying.

There was never a population estimate for white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic, Winton said during the special, the outlet said. Its one of the most mysterious populations of white sharks on the planet.

The number of sharks in Cape Cod waters is expected to increase in July as Skomal returns to the field for research, he said, and will peak in August through October.
SPRINGFIELD  On Thursday afternoon, the Springfield Police Departments murder board tally rose by one, capping a startlingly violent June.

A drive-by shooting on Ashmun Street in the citys South End that day brought the years homicide count to 15, with seven deaths last month alone. The victim, Elian Arroyo, was 23.

Only halfway through the year, the city has reached its annual average of homicides. High-crime neighborhoods have become rife with assault-style weapons and ghost guns assembled from parts purchased on the internet that lack serial numbers and are untraceable, according to investigators.

Many of those firearms are landing in younger hands, Springfield police statistics show.

The board is a grim centerpiece in the detective bureau, posted on a wall beside the desks of investigators with the murder unit, and close to the murder room, where the bloody clothing of victims often hang to be preserved as evidence. Turn a corner and the room includes long shelves of neatly stacked binders with open cases marked with labels dating back to the late 1980s.

A surge in gun violence has sent Springfield and state officials sprinting to podiums at press conferences to reassure residents they are pouring resources into law enforcement. Theyve pleaded for cooperation from the public in criminal investigations and denounced the judiciary for being lenient on bail with defendants facing weapons charges.

Amid the increase in deadly shootings, Springfield police are taking steps to improve a sophisticated system that provides real-time video images of dangerous places. They are working with the local FBI office to identify root causes of crime. And they are getting help from human service agencies and citizens groups that work with young people whose circumstances leave them prone to violence.

While the uptick is obvious, law enforcement struggles with the question of why.

I dont have a good answer to that. It doesnt have anything to do with the weather. Ive been out to murder scenes in blizzards. The most recent ones do not appear to have any connection to one another, said Police Capt.Trent Duda, rubbing his eyes Thursday and admitting he hadnt gotten a good nights sleep in a week.

Some appear to be over drugs and turf. Some involve guys with guns coming to protect their women. Some are merely a result of rivals taunting one another on Facebook, he said. These people often live their entire lives on social media. Sometimes theyll put out a message that says Here I am. Come get me. And sometimes their enemies will.

Capt. Trent Duda speaks during a press conference called by Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and Mayor Domenic Sarno to express outrage over recent arrests involving firearms and individuals being released pre-trial. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Whatever the cause, the violence is linked to a greater availability of guns on the street, police say.

Its easy to pull a trigger. There is no value to life. And jail is no longer a deterrent because most dont stay there for long, Duda said.

Deputy Chief Steven Kent agreed with Duda. A lot of these guys think, Id rather get caught with a gun by police than caught without a gun by someone else, Kent said.

Both said that when they came on the job in the 1990s, a shooting was a big deal and drew in many members of the detective bureau.

Now, we have three or four a week, Duda said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood have decried the legal status of Hiram Martinez, 38, accused of fatally shooting James L. Brown on June 24 on School Street  a hotbed of open air drug sales and gun violence.

Martinez was out on bail in connection with aggravated rape and gun charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint in 2022. Police say he murdered Brown and was arrested the following day while selling crack cocaine and heroin in the same neighborhood. Duda says Martinez is a suspect in more than one case they are investigating.

During a press briefing at police headquarters Thursday, Clapprood begged the judiciary to be more mindful of the mayhem a small number of alleged criminals can create.

Hold them accountable. A small percentage of real bad actors are doing a large percentage of crime, she said.

More guns than law enforcement can keep up with

Ryan Walsh, the police department spokesman, said that as of June 20, police had seized 173 illegal firearms this year. Of those, 83 were large-capacity firearms  weapons that can fire more than 10 rounds; 22 were ghost guns. And while the average age of gun possession defendants was 29, 20 guns were seized from 13- to 17-year-olds.

This years numbers continue a trend. In 2022, Springfield police seized 314 illegal firearms, with 122 considered large-capacity guns. Thirty-five were ghost guns. The average age of gun defendants was 28, but 17 of the firearms seized were recovered from defendants 13 to 17 years old.

In 2021, police seized 255 illegal firearms. Of those 127 were large capacity and 26 were ghost guns, according to their statistics. The average age of illegal gun defendants was 27 but investigators recovered 20 from juveniles. Of those, half were large capacity weapons.

Clapprood said she believes outreach and education to counter gun violence must reach younger people. We need to go beyond talking to high school students. We need to expand our reach into grade schools, at this point, she said.

The police department converted what once was the narcotics unit to a firearms investigations unit  in part because of a consent decree imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice. But the change also sharpened the focus on the influx of illegal guns.

In 2022, the unit seized more illegal firearms than 2017 to 2018 combined.

This targeted enforcement is also in line with federal efforts to reduce violent crime, which recognizes that law enforcement resources are most effective when focusing on the most significant drivers of gun violence and violent crime, Walsh said.

Law enforcement partnerships

While the grittiest aspects of street violence mostly fall into the laps of city police, they partner with other agencies at the state, county and federal levels to fight crime.

The FBI in Springfield has long run the Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, which folds in members of law enforcement from the regions largest cities, employees of the Hampden County Sheriffs Department, Massachusetts State Police and other agencies.

Matthew Fontaine, supervisory special agent of Springfields FBI office, said the bureau shares intelligence with partner agencies. Its agents monitor the people and trends that are making the region a more dangerous place. The FBIs keywords are disrupt and dismantle when it comes to combating drug and gun violence.

Our goal is to not just put people in handcuffs for a few days, but to build cases that cut these violent criminal enterprises off at the source  putting the worst of the worst behind bars for a long time, Fontaine said. So how do we do it? We focus on targeting the overall leadership of gangs and criminal enterprises that are driving the violence in Western Massachusetts.

Crime Analysis Unit supervisor Alex Sanginario at his workstation in the Springfield police department's Real Time Analysis Center. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Fontaine said illegal guns and the illicit drug trade go hand-in-hand. The FBI also has its eye on the proliferation of untraceable guns.

Guns and drugs take far too many lives in our communities. Were seeing more privately manufactured firearms, more commonly known as ghost guns, on our streets, he said. Theyre easily accessible, they can be lethal, and we are working hard to battle that tide.

Same game, new rules and risks

In addition to law enforcement, community outreach and youth workers do what they can to quell violence and to address the root causes of violence and crime. Among the diversion programs set up to get high-risk youth on better paths, perhaps the most visible is ROCA.

The program, named after the Spanish word for rock, offers programming and counseling for vulnerable teens. Its staff knocks on doors daily to keep young clients on track and away from the seduction of the streets.

One of five youth workers in the ROCA Springfield office is TrueLove Allah, formerly known as Johnny B. Lendon, who served 15 years in state prison as a participant in the murder conspiracy that killed Joseph Wilson in a drive-by Springfield shooting in 1991.

Once a member of the Rifle Street gang, named after a run-down housing complex where he grew up, he said the motivation for killing Wilson was not terribly complex. It was the same kind of violent beef that young men fall into today; he was 18 at the time.

It was a neighborhood rivalry, Allah said. Like others, he graduated from fistfights as a child and teen to buying his first gun on the streets.

TrueLove Allah is a youth worker for ROCA Springfield. ROCA is located at 29 School St. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

During the early 80s, most men fought with their hands or carried knives. He and a handful of other teens around the city were known to have guns  and this made them seem more sinister and fearless to rivals.

By 1989 though, he was brandishing firearms and pulling the trigger. He declines to get into some of the details. That year was close to the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. Allah was reaping the rewards of skyrocketing addiction as a broker. He began selling marijuana when he was 12 because he wanted things he and his family could not afford and graduated to more lucrative drugs as he grew older.

The teens and young men with whom he works today have similar backgrounds. They have similar desires, he said, that make the lure of hawking illicit drugs hard to resist. But there are differences between then and now.

When I was a kid, we had some influences that glamorized gangsters like The Godfather or Miami Vice, but with these children, those influences are everywhere. Ev-ery-where for this community of people. All the time, Allah said.

Social media, movies and music promote gangsterism all day, every day. He vividly recalls working at an afterschool program after he won parole in 2006. Allah picked up second- and third-graders to bring them to the program from schools across the city.

There was some popular rap music playing on the radio, and these little children were bopping and dancing and singing along to every single lyric. That memory is burned in my brain forever, Allah said.

And there are more guns. He says a very small number of members of street gangs had guns when he came up. Today, he says most of his clients have guns, or had guns or want them. Allah estimates that perhaps 15% want them for street credibility. But most inner city teens and young men he encounters buy them because they feel they need them to survive.

Allah believes ROCA does meaningful work but needs more local and state resources to extend its reach. The Springfield office is located at 29 School St., in one of the citys most dangerous neighborhoods  and where the lions share of June homicides happened.

Allah sees many police patrols rolling through the area, but doesnt believe that show of force is felt. Police cruisers dont seem to deter the brazen criminal activity that goes on there, he believes. Clapprood has shared the same belief.

Advancing technology to fight crime

Four years ago, Bill Schwarz was tasked by former Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri to launch the Crime Analysis and Real Time Analysis Center. A former Hartford, Connecticut, police officer, Schwarz arrived in a large room that had little else to offer.

When I came here, there were two wooden desks, he told a visitor, gesturing around a room filled with computers and large-screen monitors. This is where his staff constantly monitors surveillance cameras around the city and conducts thorough and immediate analysis to share with officers on the street.

Success stories? There are too many to share. There is a success story on every shift, he said.

9 1 / 9 Inside the Springfield Police Real Time Analysis Center

Along with Schwarz, the team includes a civilian staff of around a half-dozen. Given the recent spate in gun violence, Sarno and Clapprood said they are committed to expanding the unit to a 24/7 operation.

Schwarz calls his staff the guardian angels of police on the street. They mobilize technology that provides both sweeping aerial views of the city and its highways and the ability to zoom in to a single street, a single car or a single license plate, if necessary.

In addition to sophisticated visual intel, technicians within the unit can instantly share critical information with officers: The direction of a particular car officers are searching for. The criminal history and tendencies of a suspect. The precise location of a person actively shooting on city streets.

Sometimes we are so fast, we can catch the actual gunshots, Schwarz says.

In this climate, that is a valuable tool for police.

At times, the team provides analysis and footage for other agencies, including in the case of the federal prosecution of Dushko Vulchev, 44, of Houlton, Maine. Vulchev was initially charged in state court for a tire-slashing spree in the Berkshires and in Springfield. The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church burned nearly to the ground three days after Christmas that year.

William Schwarz is director of the Springfield Police Crime Analysis Unit and Real Time Analysis Center. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Vulchev was later charged with setting a predominantly Black church in Springfield on fire multiple times in 2020, allegedly driven by racial animus.

He now stands charged with hate crimes in U.S. District Court.

Everyone wants to believe the FBI solved that case. That case was solved right here at this desk, Schwarz says, pointing to one right beside him, as a technician brought up footage and still photos of Vulchev they captured throughout the city in late 2020.

Walsh says the city is going to relocate some of hundreds of cameras around the city to address the recent wave of gun violence. They may add more cameras in the near future.

Where? Theyre not saying.
A South Carolina company has recalled more than 75,000 pounds of chicken corn dog products that could cause serious illness according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Services. The Mini-Corn Dogs were shipped nationwide.

House of Raeforts Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs, with bite-sized chicken franks dipped in batter honey crunchy flavor, printed on the package, and carrying lot codes 123114 and 223114, and with a best-used-by date of 4/23/24. The product was shipped in a 1.83-pound resealable bag and may be spoiled.

The product carries the establishment number P-9136 printed on the package.

The company is concerned that packages of the corn dogs may have been frozen for later use. Anyone who has purchased the products are cautioned not to consume them. They should either be thrown away or returned to the point of purchase.

The problem was discovered when consumers contacted the company to complain that the product had a foul odor, appeared different and had an unpleasant taste. House of Raefort then contacted the USDA.

There have been no reports of illness due to possible spoilage.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact the House of Raefort directly at 910-282-7179.
In protest against the firing of an employee at the Hadley Trader Joes store  the first store in the companys history to unionize  staff walked out during their shift on Saturday afternoon. Joining the staff were other off-duty Trader Joes employees and local unions holding signs and chanting.

The union claims the grocery store violated federal labor law, firing employee Stephen Andrade on June 8 for his support of the union.

We want to show Trader Joes that we are unified in our support of Steve (Andrade) and also that were willing to take pretty strong action to protest their union busting and a walkout is an action that does have an impact on the store, said Maeg Yosef, a Hadley Trader Joes employee and the union spokesperson. So I think that thats a really strong message.

Yosef said some customers decided not to cross the picket line while they were protesting.

Trader Joes did not respond to a request for comment.

The goal of the walkout is to have management reinstate Andrade. Yosef said management has yet to respond to their concerns.

Were trying to give them a chance to do the right thing, Yosef said.

Trader Joes United filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board the day after Andrades firing.

Trader Joes management said they fired Andrade, a Trader Joes employee of 18 years who worked at the Hadley store on Route 9 for the past decade, related to a safety violation.

The violation, according to management, was in regard to a power saw that a store manager told Andrade to remove from the back of the store which is used to help staff create signs, product labels and decorations.

He was told to remove the saw in October but failed to do so, stating the saw wasnt his and it was packed away safely in the back.

Andrade called his firing a retaliatory measure, speculating it was related to his support of the union and his disagreements with some Trader Joes managers.

Since Andrade was fired, more than 8,000 individuals have signed a petition to reinstate him and 20,000 letters from the community were emailed to Trader Joes management, according to Yosef.

The union, which formed last July, passed with a vote of 45-31. Other stores in Minneapolis, Louisville and Oakland have also attempted to create unions.

The Hadley stores union began bargaining a contract with Trader Joes in November and is still negotiating.
Aerial view of the Tam Giang Lagoon in Thua Thien-Hue Province in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

A bridge over a lagoon in central Thua Thien-Hue Province will be built at a cost of over VND1 trillion ($42.4 million), as approved by the provincial People's Council.

The bridge, which will connect Phu Da Town and Vinh Xuan Commune in Phu Vang District, will span around 3 km. The project includes a bridge built over the Tam Giang Lagoon, spanning 1.4 km, and two roads leading onto the bridge, spanning 1.6 km.

The project is expected to begin construction in 2024 and be completed after four years. It would contribute to the main traffic network in the region, creating incentives for socioeconomic growth in Phu Vang District and coastal communes, the provincial Peoples Committee said.

People traveling to coastal communes of Phu Vang District from Hue City and Phu Da Town now need to do so through provincial roads and a highway. But both routes are small and cut through highly populated areas.

The current traffic connectivity between the east side and the west side of the Tam Giang Lagoon is not ideal, affecting regional socioeconomic development, especially tourism. A trip from coastal communes like Vinh Xuan and Phu Dien to the Phu Vang District Peoples Committee normally spans 15 km, but a direct path through the Tam Giang Lagoon is around 3 km.

The Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon system covers around 68 km, running though Hue City, Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Phu Vang and Phu Loc districts. It is the largest brackish water lagoon system in Southeast Asia, with a rich ecosystem.

There are five bridges over the Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon in Thua Thien-Hue: Tam Giang, Thuan An, Truong Ha, Dai Loc and Tu Hien.
CHICOPEE  Chicopee police detectives are investigating an early morning shooting Friday that injured two people.

Officer Travis Odiorne, police department spokesman, said officers responded to the intersection of Grattan and Meadow streets at about 1:30 a.m. after police received a telephone report of possible shots fired in the area.

Officers located two people who had suffered gunshot wounds and provided first aid until ambulances arrived to take the two to the Baystate Medical Center.
The Western Massachusetts celebration of the 88th birth anniversary of the 14th Dalai Lama began Saturday with a series of sponsored free meals for those in need at various locations and culminates with a special reception for the Ocean of Wisdom at the Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley at 10 a.m., July 6, his actual birthday.

Tsultrem Kunsang, president of the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts, said the first of the celebration meals was served Saturday at noon at the Not Bread Alone community meal program at 163 Main St. in Amherst.

The charitable work dedicated to the Dalai Lama continues on Sunday with a noon meal at the Most Holy Redeemer Church at 120 Russell St. in Hadley followed by an evening meal at the Cathedral in the Night, held at 4:45 p.m. at the First Churches on Main Street in Northampton. The final meal of the celebration will be held on the Dalai Lamas birthday, July 6, at 12:45 p.m. at the Amherst Survival Center, at 163 Main St. in Amherst.

Finally, on his birthday the association will host a public reception for area political and civic leaders at 10 a.m. at the Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley. Among the invited guests are Gov. Maura T. Healey, U.S. Rep. James McGovern and the Tibetan parliamentarian, Thondup Tsering.

The worldwide celebration honors the man born in a small Tibetan village in 1935. Then known as Tenzin Gyatso, he was chosen to lead the Tibetan people when at just two years old he was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama by a committee of Buddhist scholars.

Kunsang said the Dalai Lama is revered by not only the citizens of Tibet but the Tibetan diaspora across the globe as well as millions of followers in the Himalayan region who recognize him as their spiritual leader.

But, while the rest of the world celebrates, Tibetans in their Chinese-occupied home country cannot take part.

Today in Tibet any celebration of the Dalai Lama is completely banned, he said. Every year just before July 6, the Chinese have special meetings with the people (to tell them) not to engage in any kind of spiritual or celebratory kind of program, especially on the day of the Dalai Lamas birthday.

But Tibetans still celebrate secretly, Kunsang said.

The title Dalia Lama was conferred on the third such leader by the then-king of Mongolia. The title means Ocean of Wisdom in Mongolian.

Once the political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, in 2011 the current Dalai Lama formally relinquished the political power the title conferred on him to concentrate on the spiritual teaching and leadership of the worlds Buddhists.
Another attempt by the former Brockton police chief to dismiss his negligent driving charge that stems from a May 2021 crash was denied by the judge presiding over his case earlier this month, news outlets reported.

Emanuel Gomes sought to dismiss his criminal case, claiming there was no probable cause to charge him with negligent driving following the crash two years ago that resulted in multiple cars being totaled and several people being injured, according to a memorandum and judges order NBC Boston obtained and posted online. However, on June 14, Worcester District Court Judge Steven D. Power rejected the former police chiefs efforts.

Power denied Gomess motion to dismiss, noting the evidence submitted to the court during a July 2022 hearing, including testimony from multiple witnesses, was clearly sufficient to establish probable cause. The judge wrote [m]ost notable was testimony from Massachusetts State Police Lt. Kyle Duarte, who was at the scene of the crash in May 2021 and whose description of what occurred justified the issuance of the [c]omplaint.

According to the memo and order NBC Boston posted, Duarte testified he had a brief conversation with Gomes after the crash and asked the former police chief what had happened.

He essentially didnt know what happened, and I pointed out what had happened, that he came off the ramp, that he rear ended a vehicle in the breakdown lane, and he went out into the highway and collided with another SUV. So I pointed it out to him, the transcript of Duartes testimony reads, according to the court documents NBC Boston posted.

In the part of the transcript included in the court documents NBC Boston posted, Duarte described the crash, detailing how Gomes veered off the on-ramp from Interstate 495 north to Route 24, hit a vehicle that was stationary in the breakdown lane, went into the middle of the highway and collided with an SUV, causing it to roll over.

The court documents state Gomess vehicle, his police cruiser, traveled across three lanes of travel, totaling three cars, including his own, and injuring five people. Three adults and a toddler were hospitalized after the crash, according to NBC Boston.

This is not the first time Gomes has tried to get the negligent driving charge against him dismissed. In a previous motion to dismiss, which was eventually denied by the court in November 2022, his attorneys argued he was not given a citation at the time and place of the violation and the citation was not filed in a timely manner with the clerks office.

The former police chief was not initially charged for his alleged role in the crash, and the case went unreported for months until an investigation by NBC Boston.

It was a private citizen, one who was not a witness to crash, who filed the application for the criminal complaint against Gomes and got the ball rolling on the case. State Police did not cite him.

In the complaint, the citizen alleged Gomes endangered the public with his actions and claimed there was no explanation in the police narrative or from the former police chief himself for why he originally veered off the road.

It seems on review that the Police Chief had absolutely no control of the vehicle at any time during the crash, the citizen alleged. The only plausible reason is that the Police Chief was, literally, asleep at the wheel. This is supported by the Chiefs own statement it all happened so fast. I do not know what happened.

MassLive reporter Kiernan Dunlop contributed to this report.
A Worcester Superior Court judge denied a request from an attorney for the Diocese of Worcester and its leaders to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought against them by Nicole Bell, who accused former diocese food program director William Billy Riley of sexual misconduct in 2022.

Judge Valerie Yarashus denied the motion to dismiss in a decision Thursday, but stated that many of the claims may be appropriate for resolution at the summary judgement phase.






Life was great. Summer sun was in the sky, a trip to Tayto Park with friends was planned and many adventures lay ahead. Vanessa Matczak was 14, full to the brim with youthful promise and looking forward to the long, lazy days of school holidays. Her Junior Cert year was due to begin at Ballinrobe Community School in a few weeks time.

Then, fate came calling in a cruel and immediate manner.

I was a relatively good athlete and loved running. I was always positive and happy, but in May last year I started to feel different. I lacked motivation and became more and more tired. Bruises started to show on my legs. At first, I thought I had bumped into something, but then more and more appeared.

On the morning of August 12 my mother took me to our local clinic to get a blood test done, and after that we spent the rest of the day at the beach out towards Connemara. That evening we got a call saying we needed to go to hospital in Galway immediately, and that was a bit worrying, but I wasnt too worried at that stage, Vanessa told The Mayo News.

When the Matczaks got to the hospital they were told the tests had shown that Vanessa was anaemic, but more blood tests were taken because there was possibly something else there too. The results arrived the next morning.

At exactly 9 oclock, the doctor arrived and called my mom out of the room. When she came back, she tried to hide it but I knew she had been crying. The doctor then took my hand and told me I had leukaemia. My life broke into a million pieces at that moment, and so much of my happiness melted away.

Of course, at that stage there were a million things going through my head, and one of those things was the possibility of dying. I couldnt believe it. I was 14 and was only starting to live my life. I was stunned and frightened, and it took time to accept that it was all really happening and that I needed to be strong for my family and get back on track, Vanessa explained.

Long road

The next few days and weeks were a blur. Vanessa would have her first chemotherapy session in Dublin within days, and this was followed by periods of isolation, surgeries, hair loss, infections, sepsis, an induced coma, having a nose tube inserted, a bone marrow transplant, learning to walk again, learning what true friendship meant and learning about the huge power lurking inside herself.

I learned so much about so many things. I learned about good hospitals and poor hospitals. I had a severe infection at one stage and was told in one hospital that I should drink warm salty water. Thankfully, another doctor took heed of me and saved my life.

I learned that Im very strong mentally, because there were many times when I could have given up but refused to do so.

I learned about true friendship. Many of my previous friends drifted away during my illness. Maybe they didnt understand what was happening, and maybe they just got bored with it all, but I now know who my true friends are.

At one stage I had to learn to walk again and that made me value things so much. I could only take one step and then two steps before I became exhausted, so to be able to walk and run now is fantastic.

Along the way Vanessa has also encountered some regrettable contact which hurt and required a response. I was walking along one day when a lad shouted Cancer girl at me. I told him to cop on and later my dad and I went round to his house. He eventually admitted doing it and said it was a mistake, but apologised to my dad instead of me, which I didnt like but Im learning more and more about people every day.

Its the simple things

The primary learning from Vanessas battle for life has been the need for people to sign up for organ donation. When the Ballinrobe girl needed a bone marrow transplant that golden gift was given to her by an American woman who will never fully comprehend the gift she bestowed on the teenager in South Mayo.

She gave me life again. She has given me the chance to do all the things I want to do. I dont know who she is or where exactly shes from, but I will be forever in her debt.

Vanessa hopes to return to Ballinrobe Community School at the end of summer to begin Transition Year and is already greedily embracing all the gifts life has to offer.

I now love the simple things in life  the things I never took any notice of before. I love time with my wonderful parents (Lukasz and Gosia) and my brother (Nathan) who have been so good to me. I love time with my real friends. I love the thought of visiting my family in Poland in the summer and I absolutely love the thought of going back to school in September.

Vanesa can hardly wait to be a part of the Ballinrobe CS musical. She has a massive interest in acting and dance and is counting the days until preparations begin for the 2023/24 extravaganza.

It will be brilliant. Im so looking forward to it. There were days in hospital when I wondered would I ever get back to Ballinrobe, never mind get back to school and all the opportunities of TY, she added.

Supporting others

These days Vanessa is taking absolutely nothing for granted. Shes still in recovery, she has a five-month-old immunity system since her transplant and every day is to be cherished. She is passionate about helping children and teenagers who are facing into their own cancer battles and wants to use her own experience in the most positive of ways.

I know exactly what it feels like. I know exactly the fears and the unknowns and I know how difficult it is to talk about it all when theres nobody around that actually experienced it themselves, she said.

Its so hard to understand for those who havent experienced it themselves, therefore I want to help young people and give them any support I can, because theres not enough awareness about the topic in a real sense.
It has been announced this weekend that on July 30 next, Archbishop Eamon Martin will join with thousands of pilgrims of all ages in the annual pilgrimage to the summit of Croagh Patrick, Irelands holy mountain, for Reek Sunday 2023.

Fr Charlie McDonnell, ADM in Westport, welcomed the news that Archbishop Martin will celebrate Mass in Westport on July 29, and on the summit of Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday, and also that this years Reek Sunday pilgrimage has been designated as one of the key initiatives to highlight the Year for Vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood, which is taking place across Ireland over 2023 - 2024.

Fr McDonnell said: I am delighted that for this Reek Sunday we will be joined by the successor of Saint Patrick, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, who will join us on our pilgrimage and celebrate Mass with Archbishop Francis Duffy in Westport, and also on the summit of Croagh Patrick.

Regarding the dedication of this years Reek Sunday pilgrimage to vocations to the priesthood, Father McDonnell said: Our Church needs vocations to the priesthood like never before. No doubt it is a challenging time to minister as a priest, but in my role I find that serving the people of God in todays counter-cultural environment is nothing short of a faith-enriching experience. I love being a priest and I draw spiritual strength from the people I meet every day on the journey of life. For this Reek Sunday, I invite any man who is discerning a vocation to the priesthood to avail of the opportunity to come to Croagh Patrick and pray, climb and reflect with other priests and members of the faithful. To help raise awareness of vocations, a special Year for Vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood stand will be in place on Reek Sunday morning, at the base of Croagh Patrick, to offer information on the priesthood.



Help needed

Fr McDonnell continued: In advance of the pilgrimage, I appeal to any priest in a position to minister the Sacraments over the Reek weekend, to contact me by email as soon as possible on frchaz@gmail.com.

Father McDonnell also spoke of the importance of conserving the natural environment of Croagh Patrick for current and for future generations. He said: Croagh Patrick is an iconic feature of the Mayo landscape and is of significant natural, cultural and spiritual importance. In recent years the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group has achieved monumental success in helping to preserve and safeguard the mountain. However, we cannot do this alone. As the largest annual gathering on the Reek, it is essential that Reek Sunday pilgrims - and indeed all pilgrims - play their responsible part to sustain this holy site for future generations. The Church has actively engaged with other stakeholders to undertake the Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration Project to provide a robust path for access, and to restore the eroded parts of the mountain. In this regard we are committed to minimising the impact of the pilgrimage on the drinking water of the mountain streams, on the local community and on other users of the mountain. To help us to achieve these aims, we ask of each pilgrim to adhere to the following best practice guidance:

if you are traveling by car, car-pool if you can, park responsibly and follow the instructions of stewards on the day;

while climbing, stay on the defined path on the mountain (where in place) and do not encroach on the adjoining habitat which may be in the process of restoration;

be respectful to the mountain streams which provide drinking water to the local community;

support our Leave No Trace principle by not discarding litter on the mountain and by appropriately disposing of any that you might come across; and,

as dogs are not permitted on the mountain, please do not bring dogs to Croagh Patrick. I ask all dog owners to respect this requirement.



From 8am on Reek Sunday, Mass will be celebrated on the hour outside of the chapel on the summit of Croagh Patrick. The full schedule for the 2023 annual pilgrimage, which takes place from Garland Friday, July 28, to Reek Sunday 30 July, is set out below:



Garland Friday, July 28  Local Pilgrimage

10am - Mass celebrated on the summit of Croagh Patrick celebrated by Westport native Father Tod Nolan

7pm - Mass at Murrisk Community Cafe at the base of Croagh Patrick in the car park

Reek Saturday, July 29

9am - Tochar Phadraig pilgrimage begins at Ballintubber Abbey

6.30pm - Mass concelebrated for the opening of the pilgrimage in Saint Marys Church, Westport, by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and Archbishop Francis Duffy, Archbishop of Tuam

Reek Sunday, July 30

7.30am  2pm - Confessions available for pilgrims on the summit of Croagh Patrick

8am - First hourly Mass on the summit celebrated by Father John Kenny, Parish Priest of Partry

9am - Mass celebrated by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford & Lismore

10am - Aifreann Lan Gaeilge ar barr Cruach Phadraig celebrated by Bishop Fintan Monahan, Bishop of Killaloe

11am - Mass celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
A police officer talks with tourists in front of the Bali Bomb Monument in Indonesia in 2016. Photo by Reuters

Indonesia's popular tourist island Bali is fully booked until August as the government reassured its tourism industry has not been affected by the revocation of visa-free entry.

"So far, we have not witnessed any problems that have hindered Bali's tourism numbers," Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said, as cited by Antara news agency.

Bali is experiencing an increase in international tourist visits, he added.

A total of 16,246 tourists visited the island in the first week of June. He added that the number continued to increase by 4% each day until June 22.

Indonesia from June 7 stopped visa-free entry for citizens of 159 countries and territories amid concerns about disruption of public order and potential transmission of diseases.

Since 2016, Indonesia had waived visa requirements for travelers from 169 countries, including all 10 ASEAN members.

Only nationals of those ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, still remain exempt from the visa requirement.
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Warming Climate Increases the Need for Insect Information

First record of Culex modestus in Finland - (https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/10.52004/JEMCA2023.0003)

Culex modestus is known to spread West Nile virus , a flavivirus , in southern Europe, between birds and humans or birds and horses. In most human cases West Nile virus causes a mild infection with symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle pain. In some cases the virus may cause neurological disease. For now, West Nile virus has not been discovered in Finland."Finns shouldn't be concerned about this mosquito discovery at this point. To date, no infections acquired in Finland have been discovered in humans or horses, but this finding is a reminder that we should be aware of which mosquito species are here. Knowing potential mosquito-borne diseases that these species are linked to elsewhere in the world helps us to better investigate how likely it would be for these infections to occur in the future," says Culverwell.Several mosquitoes in genus Culex maintain West Nile virus in bird populations, including Culex pipiens and Culex modestus. For transmission to humans to occur, usually a mosquito would first have to bite a bird carrying the virus, wait several days for the virus to enter their saliva, and then bite a human when they are infected. Sometimes the virus is inherited from female mosquitoes via their eggs."At present it is very unlikely for transmission of the virus to humans or horses as several species are required for a disease transmission cycle to occur. Firstly, there would need to be West Nile virus already present in the local or migratory birds in Finland. No virus has so far been reported, despite small scale screening of birds at some sites in Finland. Secondly, only one specimen of Culex modestus is so far known from one location in Finland. For transmission to occur, larger numbers of mosquitoes would be needed for the possibility of some of them to meet any infected birds, and then survive to bite any humans or horses several days afterwards," says Culverwell.Culverwell has collected more than 111,000 mosquito samples in Finland since 2012. According to her, it is uncertain how long Culex modestus has potentially occurred in Finland. It is also still unknown whether the area of discovery has a more established population of Culex modestus mosquitoes.According to Culverwell, further research is now required on both bird and mosquito populations to assess both the short-term and long-term impacts of the discovery."Some may die out, but the chance of species from further south invading Finland will increase if the climate warms and winters become milder. Several species from southern Europe are able to transmit other disease-causing pathogens which are not yet found in Finland, so research should be kept up to maintain an understanding of which pathogens are found where, and whether they are a real or potential risk to human or animal health."Source: Eurekalert
It is extremely rare and till date the condition has been identified in 1000 families (comprising many generations in each) worldwide. Inquiries on the LFS association website have received responses from about 172 countries so far.

Li Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a type of inherited cancer syndrome. In this condition, the increased risk for developing certain types of cancers runs in families. The cancers tend to occur at a younger age compared to the general population.

LFS was first described in 1969 by Drs. Frederick Li and Joseph Fraumeni, Jr., while working on childhood and familial cancers at the National Cancer Institute. They described four families having a history of several early-onset cancers in childhood and teens. In 1982, scientists in the UK were the first to term the condition Li-Fraumeni syndrome in a publication where they described two families with multiple forms of cancer in young individuals.

In a major /peakthrough in 1990, inherited (or germline, see below for explanation) mutations of TP53 tumor suppressor gene were discovered as the primary cause of LFS. This finding provided a unique opportunity for genetic testing that allowed early detection, treatment and prevention of tumors in persons with LFS. The recognition of LFS fuelled several research projects into TP53 gene, to try and understand its function better.

Interestingly non-inherited or somatic cell (non-reproductive cells which are not passed to offspring) mutations of the TP53 gene have been found to be associated with sporadic (in the general population, not hereditary) cancers as well.

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The cause for Li Fraumeni syndrome is due to a germline (related to gametes/reproductive cells) mutation of the TP53 gene. This means that the TP53 gene mutation occurs in the reproductive cells (egg or sperm). Consequently, the mutation is transmitted via the reproductive cells to the offspring.

Thus, the Li Fraumeni syndrome is an example of a hereditary (inherited) cancer syndrome associated with an increased risk of getting certain cancers, particularly at a young age, in affected families.

(inherited) associated with an increased risk of getting certain cancers, particularly at a young age, in affected families. Nearly 70% of Li-Fraumeni syndrome families and 40% of Li-Fraumenilike families have germline mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene.

in the tumor suppressor gene. About 767 types of germ line mutations have been identified.

of germ line mutations have been identified. Li Fraumeni syndrome is inherited as an autosomal dominant condition which means that having one copy of the defective gene (out of 2 copies, namely one from each parent) is sufficient for the person to develop the disease.

condition which means that having one copy of the defective gene (out of 2 copies, namely one from each parent) is sufficient for the person to develop the disease. Most individuals with LFS have a germline TP53 gene mutation, but rarely, LFS is due to a spontaneous (de novo) genetic mutation in the egg or sperm cell. In this situation, the syndrome is not inherited from the parents.

gene mutation, but in the egg or sperm cell. In this situation, the syndrome is not inherited from the parents. Individuals with LFS have an increased risk of developing cancers associated with certain lifestyle or environmental exposures , such as radiation exposure, sunlight or tobacco smoking, and should take adequate preventive measures to reduce these exposures.

, such as radiation exposure, sunlight or tobacco smoking, and should take adequate preventive measures to reduce these exposures. A variant of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (although disputed) can be caused by mutations in another tumor suppressor gene called CHEK2, which normally prevents cells with DNA damage from multiplying.

LFS should be considered if someone has a personal or family history of cancers known to occur in LFS. History of multiple childhood cancers in a patient or his family members should alert the physician about possible LFS. Additionally, there are certain rare cancers such as adrenocortical and choroid plexus carcinoma that are characteristic of the syndrome that should raise the clinical suspicion to a possible diagnosis of LFS.

Cancers most commonly associated (core cancers) with LFS include -

Soft tissue sarcoma

Osteosarcoma

/peast cancer

/pain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors (glioma, choroid plexus carcinoma, sonic hedgehog subtype medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma)

Acute leukemia

Adrenocortical carcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma

Melanoma (skin cancer)

Gastrointestinal cancers (such as colon, pancreas)

Renal cancer

Thyroid

Gonadal germ cells (such as ovarian, testicular, and prostate)

Persons with LFS have a roughly 50% of developing cancer by 40 years, and nearly 90% percent chance by 60 years. Females have nearly a 100% risk of getting cancer in their lifetime due to their significantly increased risk of /peast cancer. Many individuals with LFS in fact develop two or more primary cancers during their life.

Diagnosis of Li-Fraumeni syndrome is based on clinical criteria and/or genetic testing for the mutation in the TP53 gene. Genetic testing is typically considered when a combination of the criteria outlined below are satisfied.

Diagnosis of Classic LFS (all 3 criteria to be present)  proposed by Li et al 1988

Sarcoma diagnosed before 45 years

First-degree relative, i.e. a parent, sibling or child, diagnosed with any cancer before 45 years

First-degree relative or second-degree relative (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, or grandchild) with a diagnosis of any cancer before 45 years or a sarcoma at any age

Chompret Criteria for Clinical Diagnosis of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (updated in 2015) (Bougeard et al., 2015)

These are a recently described set of criteria proposed to identify families not falling under the Classic criteria listed above. A diagnosis of LFS and performing TP53 gene testing is considered in anyone with a personal and family history of any 1 of the following 3 criteria.

Criterion 1  Familial Presentation

Person with tumor belonging to the LFS spectrum, before 46 years including soft-tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma, lung cancer, leukemia, pre-menopausal /peast cancer, /pain tumor, adrenal cortical carcinoma and

At least one first or second-degree relative with LFS tumor (except /peast cancer if patient has /peast cancer) before 56 years or with multiple cancers

Criterion 2  Multiple Primary Tumors

Person with multiple tumors (except multiple /peast cancers), at least two of which belong to LFS tumor panel and first cancer occurring before 46 years

Criterion 3 - Rare tumors

Patient with specific rare cancers such as adrenocortical carcinoma, rhabdomyosarcoma em/pyonal anaplastic subtype or choroid plexus tumor irrespective of family history

/peast cancer before 31 years

Li Fraumeni like Syndrome (LFL)

A diagnosis of Li Fraumeni like syndrome is considered in persons who do not meet the above defined criteria

LFL Definition 1, called the Birch definition (all 3 to be present)

Person diagnosed with any childhood cancer, sarcoma, /pain tumor, or adrenocortical malignancy before 45 years and

First-degree or second-degree relative diagnosed with any LFS spectrum cancer, such as sarcoma, /peast cancer, leukemia, /pain cancer, adrenal cortical tumor, at any age and

First-degree or second-degree relative diagnosed with any cancer before 60 years

Two first-degree or second-degree relatives diagnosed with a typical LFS malignancy, such as sarcoma, adrenocortical cancer, /peast cancer, /pain cancer, or leukemia, at any age.

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STANDARD MANAGEMENT

Treatment of Diagnosed Cancers

Currently there is no standard treatment or cure for LFS. Most people with LFS who develop cancers are treated in the same manner as for cancers in other patients, but research is ongoing on how to best manage cancers related to LFS.

Surveillance and Imaging  for early detection and treatment of new cancers

Early diagnosis is key to better patient outcome. According to suggested guidelines and recommendations by an expert panel of LFS researchers, oncologists, and genetic counselors, once a diagnosis of LFS is established, these individuals should be under surveillance and undergo periodic preventive screening by whole body MRI scan to detect and treat cancers early. The recommendations for children and adults are as follows -

Children (birth to age 18 years) Adults General assessment Detailed physical exam every 3-4 months Urgent referral to primary care physician for any unusual symptoms or concerns

Detailed physical exam every 3-4 months Urgent referral to primary care physician for any unusual symptoms or concerns Adrenocortical carcinoma Ultrasound abdomen and pelvis every 3-4 months If ultrasound is not satisfactory, blood tests every 3-4 months

Ultrasound abdomen and pelvis every 3-4 months If ultrasound is not satisfactory, blood tests every 3-4 months /pain tumor Yearly /pain MRI (first MRI with contrast  thereafter without contrast if previous MRI normal and no fresh abnormalities have developed)

Yearly /pain MRI (first MRI with contrast  thereafter without contrast if previous MRI normal and no fresh abnormalities have developed) Soft tissue and bone sarcoma Yearly whole body MRI General assessment Detailed physical examination six monthly Urgent referral to primary care physician for any unusual symptoms or concerns

/peast cancer /peast awareness (age 18 years and forward) Clinical /peast examination twice yearly (20 years onwards) Yearly /peast MRI scan (20-75 years)  ideally, alternating with yearly whole body MRI (one scan every six months) Consider bilateral mastectomy to reduce risk

/peast awareness (age 18 years and forward) Consider bilateral mastectomy to reduce risk /pain tumor (age 18 years and above) Yearly /pain MRI (first MRI with contrast, subsequent scans without contrast if previous MRI has no abnormality)

(age 18 years and above) Yearly /pain MRI (first MRI with contrast, subsequent scans without contrast if previous MRI has no abnormality) Soft tissue and bone sarcoma (18 years and above) Yearly whole body MRI Ultrasound abdomen and pelvis annually

(18 years and above) Yearly whole body MRI Ultrasound abdomen and pelvis annually Gastrointestinal cancer (25 years and above) Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and colonoscopy every 2-5 years

(25 years and above) Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and colonoscopy every 2-5 years Melanoma (18 years and above) Annual dermatologic examination

Note - For families where breast cancer has already occurred when they are about 20 years of age, awareness and screening can be considered 5 to 10 years before the earliest recorded age of onset. The same is recommended for gastrointestinal cancers i.e. consider screening 5 years before the earliest record of onset of a gastrointestinal cancer in a family. member.

Precautions to avoid certain exposures

Radiation treatment of cancers in LFS should be usually avoided since radiation exposure in these persons increases their risk for other cancers. However, if the benefits outweigh the risks it should be given with caution. Other exposures to avoid include tobacco and sunlight.

INVESTIGATIONAL TREATMENTS

Several studies exploring the use of agents that reactivate or modify dysfunctional TP53 protein are being actively pursued, but none have reached the stage of clinical trials in LFS patients.
About

The term Health Insurance is used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. It is used more broadly to include insurance that covers disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. In simple words, if you are covered under Health Insurance, you pay some amount of premium every year to an insurance company and if you have an accident or if you have to undergo an operation or a surgery, the insurance company will pay for the medical expenses.

It takes just one visit to a hospital to make us realize how vulnerable we are. It is a tough ordeal if you are diagnosed with an illness and need to be hospitalized, no matter if you are rich or poor, male or female, young or old. The list of lifestyle diseases like heart problems, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, some cancers just seems to get longer and more common these days. Thankfully there are more specialty hospitals and specialist doctors  but all that comes at a cost. The super rich can afford such costs, but what about an average middle class person? For an illness that requires hospitalization / surgery, costs can easily run into 5 figures. A Health Insurance Policy can cover such expenses to a large extent.

Types of Health Insurance:

There are mainly 3 types of Health Insurance covers which are as follows.
About

Hives are allergic skin reactions that appear suddenly in clusters or single bumps or blotches (swelling) on the skin surface and can be itchy. Hives is medically known as Urticaria (pronounces as ur-tuh-kar-ee-uh). These occur due to allergy to food substances (e.g strawberry, shellfish, prawn, milk, nuts and choclates) or drugs (e.g sulpha or penicillin) or sometimes due to no known cause.

Hives may be small in size like a button and may at first look like mosquito bites. Alternatively, the large blotches maybe several centimeters in diameter. Very often the smaller ones join together and form a large raised red patch and this is then called a plaque. The rash can be itchy or the involved area can cause a constant burning or stinging sensation.

These rashes are mostly red or pink in color with a pale center and circular in shape and usually are commonly seen to occur on the arms, trunk and legs. If the welts or the swelling occurs around the face particularly in the eyes, lips and (sometimes) throat, it is called angioedema.
Ichthyosis is a skin disorder in which the individual has thickened, scaly, dry skin. The condition is generally passed on from parents, but it may also develop suddenly in some individuals. In cases where the condition is inherited the symptoms tend to become apparent within the first year of life, sometimes being noticeable at birth. No matter how early the onset is observed, the condition will persist and affect the individual throughout his or her life. Unfortunately, there is no cure from the condition and patients can only turn to treatment and skincare plans to manage and cope with the symptoms of ichthyosis.

Like other inherited conditions, ichthyosis is passed on to offspring through a mutated gene. This specific gene regulates the rate of skin regeneration, which includes the shedding of old skin cells and production of new ones. Because of a mutation in the gene this cycle of shedding and new skin growth goes awry, with old and dead skin cells being shed too slowly or new skin cells being produced too rapidly so the shedding of dead skin cannot keep pace. The result is the dry, scaly and rough skin. Although rare, in some instances the condition may arise on account of certain medical problems like inflammatory, hormonal or malignant disorders. From all of the types of inherited ichthyosis, ichthyosis vulgaris is the most common, affecting around 1 in 250 individuals.

Ichthyosis can show variation in symptoms but almost all types of ichthyosis affect just the skin. In some types the symptoms and extent of area affected may be a lot more severe, but there are also types of ichthyosis in which internal organs are also affected. Inherited ichthyosis is generally categorized based on the gene that is responsible for the condition, but when classified according to the clinical appearance of symptoms there are five categories. These include:

Ichthyosis Vulgaris - Patients experience dryness of the skin and mild scaling.

Patients experience dryness of the skin and mild scaling. Epidermolytic Ichthyosis or Epidermolytic Hyperkeratisis - Patients afflicted with Epidermolytic ichthyosis will find spiny dark thick scales forming on the skin and the skin may also be prone to blistering under almost any kind of impact or trauma.

Patients afflicted with Epidermolytic ichthyosis will find spiny dark thick scales forming on the skin and the skin may also be prone to blistering under almost any kind of impact or trauma. Lamellar Ichthyosis - Thickening of the skin is again present in this variation of ichthyosis, but one would also observe the formation of large, platelike scales.

Thickening of the skin is again present in this variation of ichthyosis, but one would also observe the formation of large, platelike scales. Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma. In addition to scaly, dry skin, redness and inflammation are also observed.

In addition to scaly, dry skin, redness and inflammation are also observed. Localized Ichthyosis - In this type of ichthyosis the thickening and scaly appearance of the skin is not present across the entire body, but is restricted to specific regions such as the foot soles or palms of the hand.

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Ichthyosis is almost always inherited and is passed on through mutated genes that may be present in one or both parents. There is also a possibility that the parents may not suffer from ichthyosis, but one of them could still be silently carrying the genetic mutation,. In the rare cases where the condition is not inherited it could develop as a result of a spontaneous mutation in the gene at the time of conception or shortly after. There are over 40 known genes that could cause inherited ichthyosis if they undergo mutation, with the general rule being that any clinical type of ichthyosis can develop if more than a single gene is mutated.

Although the different types of ichthyosis show variation in symptoms, patients who suffer from any type of ichthyosis are likely to experience some of these symptoms:

Severe dryness of the skin

Formation of scaly skin

Thickening of the skin

Some amount of itchiness of the skin

Severe scaling on the legs, but it could also affect the torso and arms.

Formation of lines along the palms.

Flaking of skin from the scalp, as in the case of dandruff.

Increased sensitivity of the skin.

Formation of deep cracks on the skin that may be painful.

In the case of ichthyosis vulgaris, symptoms are usually quite mild, but this is not always the case and at times they could be severe. The severity of these symptoms can also vary greatly among family members, so it is not necessary that the symptoms will be as severe in offspring afflicted with the condition, even though they might be severe in the parent.

The symptoms are a lot more pronounced during winter and in cold dry climatic conditions and will usually resolve to some extent when the weather turns warm and humid.

In severe cases, patients may also experience problems such as:

The patients ability to sweat may be impaired, causing overheating.

Range of movement may be affected as it becomes difficult and painful to go through certain movements if the skin is affected in that area.

There is a risk of secondary infections developing because of cracks or splitting of the skin.

The thickening and buildup of skin around the eyes and ears can even impair audiovisual senses.

To arrive at a diagnosis your health care provider will need to ask you about your family history of disease and your medical history as well. A physical examination is essential and very often doctors will be able to diagnose the condition based solely on such an examination. To confirm a diagnosis of ichthyosis your doctor may request a blood test or skin biopsy. In some cases, patients may also be advised to undergo genetic testing, although the value in such testing is often questionable because the results do not necessarily direct any specific treatment. Diagnostic tests can help to rule out other conditions that could cause dryness and thickening of the skin.

Ichthyosis is not curable but treatment with an appropriate skin care routine can offer relief from the symptoms. A customized skin care routine for ichthyosis should include regular moisturizing and exfoliating of the skin. In most cases, a dermatologist will make specific recommendations or prescribe certain ointments, creams and lotions or bathing oils. When applying emollient to the skin keep in mind:

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Try to apply an emollient soon after having a bath or shower as this well help to retain moisture.

Use a pumice stone to get rid of some of the thickened dead skin, by rubbing it gently against the skin when wet.

To get rid of flakes of skin present on the scalp, brush your hair gently after it has been washed.

It may also help to use other exfoliating or moisturizing products. Lanolin creams and other ointments or creams that contain alpha hydroxy acids, urea, and lactic acid are worth considering.

Patients may also be advised to use ointments and creams containing salicylic acid for an exfoliating effect on the skin. Salicylic acid containing creams may cause irritation in sensitive skin however.

While mild cases may just require some amount of additional skin care, things are quite different when dealing with severe cases of ichthyosis. With severe icthyosis, symptoms can surface at any time and patients need to spend several hours a day just taking care of their skin.

Depending on the severity of symptoms and risk of other complications, doctors may also recommend treatment with antiseptics or antibiotics to prevent or treat any skin infection. Retinoid tablets are prescribed in many cases to reduce the growth and thickening of scaly skin. This does not help to bring about any reduction in inflammation or redness however.

While ichthyosis is a purely physical affliction, the symptoms can be so severe and have such a profound impact on ones appearance that there can also be psychological fallout. In almost all cases the condition is disfiguring to some extent and to make matters worse patients often face some amount of social stigma. Social attitudes stem from a lack of knowledge about the condition and a natural fear that is associated with such unknown conditions. As a consequence patients tend to suffer from isolation, low self-esteem, depression and social anxiety disorders.

In cases where the skin condition causes itching, patients may involuntarily scratch at the surface and there is a risk of bacterial infections developing.
Travelers arrive at Taoyuan International airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, March 18, 2020. Photo by Reuters

Taiwan has extended its visa-free entry policy for tourists from Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei for another year to boost tourism revival.

Visitors from the three Southeast Asian countries would be allowed 14-day visa-free entry until July 31, 2024, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

They only need to furnish proof of hotel booking and sufficient funds and contact information.

Taiwan first waived visas for nationals of these countries in 2016, and has been extending it every year since.

It targets six million arrivals this year.

According to Tourism Bureau statistics, the island received around 900,000 visitors last year.
Whiplash is a common term used to describe neck sprain or neck strain, which is a type of injury affecting the soft tissues of the neck, such as the muscles ligaments and tendons.

Whiplash is caused by an unusual force that brings about sudden forward-backward movement of the neck, beyond the normal range of motion. It occurs when the head moves forward or backward in a jerking motion and this causes a strain in the muscles and ligaments of the neck, resulting in whiplash.

Whiplash most commonly occurs in those who have suffered a motor vehicle accident. The speed of the vehicle is not a deciding factor as a speed of even 15 miles /hour can cause whiplash in the occupants. Other causes include accidental falls, assault or mishaps during sporting activities. Repetitive stress to the neck, as caused by holding the telephone to the ear for too long or child abuse involving shaking a child are also reasons to bring about symptoms of whiplash in a person.

Each year, in the USA alone, 5,000 whiplash injuries result in quadriplegia, that is, paralysis of all four limbs. However, after a year of the injury only 1 in 5 patients remain symptomatic.

Symptoms

Whiplash symptoms may not manifest themselves in some people until 24 hours after the trauma was initiated. In most individuals, the symptoms manifest within the first few days of the accident or assault.

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Common symptoms include-

Neck stiffness/swelling/pain

Shoulder pain

Headache

Difficulty in chewing

Dizziness /fatigue

Difficulty in focusing

Lower back ache

Muscle spasm in the front and back of the neck

Numbness /pain in the arm

Sleep disturbances

Tinnitus /nerve irritation

Whiplash-associated disorders sometimes include damage to the brain too.

Diagnosis

As an emergency treatment, a collar may be placed around the patients neck to restrict movement in order to control pain and further injuries.

Once the doctor examines the patient, an X-ray may be advised. If it is normal, then the patient may not need to wear the collar any more. But if the x-ray shows abnormality, then an imaging study such as CT scan or MRI, may be advised as x-rays are inadequate to reveal soft tissue injuries.

Treatment

If you suspect whiplash injuries, consult your GP who will carry out primary exams on you and, if the need be, direct you to a specialist.

If it is a soft tissue injury directed at the muscles, tendons or ligaments, then the symptoms may not be of a serious nature. In such cases, home care may be carried out, which involves methods that are mostly aimed at alleviating pain. Application of ice or cold packs to the affected area for 15-20 min is likely to reduce pain and swelling. This needs to be repeated every hour for the first two to three days. Along with this, pain medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and muscle relaxants, as prescribed by the doctor, may be taken.

Whiplash treatment in the past included wearing a collar. This trend, which has since been discontinued, has been replaced by ice treatment for the initial 24 hours, followed by gentle movement of the neck.

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If the symptoms are more severe, then doctors might prescribe a range of medications including narcotic pain relaxants, NSAIDS, muscle relaxants and benzodiazepine medications, involving valium. Neck injuries linked to bone or spinal cord damage may demand surgical intervention. Physical therapy with range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening or electrical stimulation may also be advised by the doctor, depending upon the severity.

It is important for the patient to take care not to indulge in stressful activities and to limit head motion until pain and the muscle tightness go away.

Follow-up care may be required depending upon the severity of the injuries. This may include, home exercises, physical therapy or a visit to your specialist.
Military Times revisits the bizarre WWII invention of Burrhus Frederic Skinner.

Behavioural analyst, author, innovator, poet, social philosopher, and Harvard professor of psychology, Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) was certainly a highly influential jack-of-all-trades. He invented the operant conditioning chamber, the cumulative recorder, the teaching machine, and pioneered his own scientific philosophy, Radical Behaviorism. What he is perhaps less revered for, is his development of a rather unique and potentially calamitous missile guidance system during WWII.

The US Navy was in need of a weapon capable of countering the formidable German Bismarck class battleships. Missile technology did already exist; the problem was that the guidance systems were too large and too primitive for the missiles to be considered effective. While the military desperately worked on these rudimentary electronic guidance systems, Skinner, keen to be of service, sought government funding for a top secret project to overcome the problem. His idea sounded simple: he would train pigeons to guide the missiles, tapping a target on a screen with their beaks to control the direction.

The nose cone of the missile would be split into three compartments, with a lens projecting an image of the intended target onto a screen at the front. A pigeon in each compartment, trained by operant conditioning to recognise the target, would peck at it continually. Pecks to the centre of the screen caused the missile to fly straight, whilst off- centre pecks tilted the screen which would alter the missiles course.

At first, and to Skinners frustration, government funding for the project did not come flooding in. However, after a shaky start, the National Defense Research Committee overcame initial scepticism to contribute $25,000 to the cause. This seemed to pay off. Test runs were successful; the pigeons pecked reliably, holding the missiles on course even when falling at a rapid pace, undaunted by the terrifying noise of war. Project Pigeon seemed to be taking off. In fact the pigeons were so compliant in his experiments and so rapid in their general behaviour that Skinner vowed never again to work with rats.

Yet despite this early success, Skinner could not get his project to be regarded with the respect he felt it deserved by the necessary authorities. And so, on 8 October 1944, the programme was discontinued. The military were of the opinion that further prosecution of this project would seriously delay others which in the minds of the Division have more immediate promise of combat application. Namely (although unbeknownst to Skinner), Radar.

Skinner was bitter. Our problem was no one would take us seriously, he complained. One of the arguments against his project was that perhaps, as a professor and student of human behaviour, he should have second-guessed: few people would feel confident in the knowledge that, guiding their 1,742kg weapons of mass destruction was not a highly complex electronics system, but three brainwashed pigeons frantically pecking at a rudimentary screen.

Pigeon-Guided Missiles and 49 Other Ideas That Never Took Off is the new book by James Moore and Paul Nero, published by The History Press on 26 September. It is available on Amazon, ISBN: 978-0752459905
New Zealand has every reason to believe that the successes arising from properly-handled New Zealand-China diplomatic relationships can be an excellent model for Pacific nations to adopt, Mike Dawson, president of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand China Friendship Society, said on Tuesday.

Dawson made the remarks in an interview with China News Network during New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkinss visit to China.

He expressed his expectations for further strengthening the bilateral relations between New Zealand and China. The prime minister's visit would further strengthen the diplomatic relations, the friendship, understanding and goodwill which the two countries have enjoyed for the past 50 plus years, Dawson said.

Meanwhile, he expected that agreements can be reached in areas where New Zealand and China have already been exploring cooperation, including climate change, clean energy, electric vehicles, emerging technologies, resilient infrastructure, and healthcare.

These issues are impacting the entire world. We would like China, and if possible New Zealand, to be world leaders in all of these fields, said Dawson. We trust that good practical and aspirational agreements will come out of these discussions.

Except for the substantial trade with China in dairy, meat, wood, and grain products, he suggested bilateral trade can be further expanded to more types of products.

When referring to bilateral cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Dawson gave positive comments.

RCEP is a strategy opportunity for multilateralism, he said.

Economic, trade and practical cooperation under the RCEP framework has already brought high-quality products and services to the peoples of New Zealand and China, and have created substantial increases in income, tax revenue and job opportunities, he said.

He stressed that the RCEP is set to improve access to BRI funds, thus further enhancing gains from greater market access by strengthening transport, energy, and communication links.

RCEPs Rules of Origin will also attract foreign investment, he said.

Official data shows that Chinas outbound foreign investment in BRI countries has reached 164 billion U.S. dollars. Combined with the opportunities created by the RCEP, such as greater access to funds and markets, these achievements will multiply exponentially over time, Dawson said.

New Zealand is confident that opportunities brought by the cooperation under the BRI framework will benefit the countrys enterprises as well as its people, he added.
It was 1966 when Paul White, then an 18-year-old from Texas, said officers visited the young men in his high school class and told them during an assembly they had been drafted to fight in Vietnam.

"You didn't know what it's like; you don't know what you got to do," White, now a 76-year-old Army veteran living in Kansas, recalled to Military.com in a phone interview. "All you can do is hope they train you right."

Saturday, July 1, marks the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force in the American military when officials did away with the draft, lotteries and conscripting young men into the service. And some Vietnam veterans, such as White, remember the uncertainty and shock that came with having your number called on television or receiving a letter in the mail.

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According to data from the Selective Service System, more than 16 million Americans have been inducted, another term for drafted, into service for World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

"The last man inducted entered the U.S. Army on June 30, 1973 during the last draft conducted," the Selective Service System said on its website.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Friday that the transition from conscription to volunteerism was a bold step, one that no other military of similar capabilities had ever taken on.

"Over the past five decades, our military has recruited and retained patriotic and talented personnel from all walks of American life, resulting in a more professional and effective Joint Force," Austin said in a statement. "Today, America's All-Volunteer Force is the strongest military in human history, and it sets the global standard for military professionalism."

On Friday morning, first lady Jill Biden appeared at a graduation ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, where she commemorated the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force and praised the young Marines for their choice to serve.

"The choice to be part of this community will shape you in so many ways, will forge and form the path of your life," Biden said. "And that choice is the foundation of our national security, the heart of our strength in times of war and peace."

But fewer and fewer Americans have been making the choice to serve over the last 50 years, and the anniversary of all-volunteer forces comes amid the toughest military recruiting environment in decades, where the services are struggling to connect with younger generations and convince them to pursue a life in the service.

The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines all missed or barely scraped by to meet their recruiting goals last year.

Officials have pointed to numerous factors that have contributed to the shortfalls, including that the U.S. has seen some of its lowest unemployment rates in more than 50 years. Additionally, the Pentagon has released studies showing that only 23% of American youth are eligible to serve due to being overweight, using drugs or having mental and physical health problems.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall spoke with the Center for a New American Security, a nonprofit thank tank focused on the military, on June 22 during an event about the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force. He recalled being in the Army after graduating from West Point in 1971, where he overlapped with the final contracts of some drafted service members.

"Generally speaking, there were people who didn't want to be there and were putting up with it while they had to and couldn't wait to get out," Kendall recalled. "It was an impact on morale ... Fast-forward 50 years and we have an incredibly professional force, very dedicated force, people who all want to be there."

White said he was assigned to the 25th Medical Infantry and was stationed in Vietnam for a year. Thinking back on what he saw and what he experienced, he told Military.com that the country is likely better off without the draft.

"I probably wouldn't have went to Vietnam," White said when asked if he would have volunteered if the draft didn't exist back in the 1960s. "They don't want to go in the jungle and fight for their life."

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Military Draft
WASHINGTON  The United States is considering providing cluster munitions to Ukraine, the top American military officer said Friday.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. has been thinking about providing the munitions for a long time. He noted that Russian troops are using them on the battlefield in Ukraine and that Ukrainian forces have received cluster bombs from other allies and have deployed the arms.

Milley said at the National Press Club that discussions are continuing. The Ukrainians have asked for it, other European countries have provided some of that, the Russians are using it, Milley said. Theres a decision making process ongoing.

He also dismissed concerns that Ukraine's counteroffensive is going too slowly. Milley said he thought the initial campaign would take six weeks to 10 weeks. Its going to be very difficult. Its going to be very long, Milley said. No one should have any illusions about any of that.

Cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or bomblets, that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once. The bombs can be delivered by planes, artillery and missiles, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The "bomblets'' have a high rate of failure to explode, up to 40% in some recent conflicts, according to the ICRC.

Proponents of banning cluster bombs say they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians long after their use. Groups have raised alarms about Russia's use of the munitions in Ukraine.

It is not clear how America's NATO allies would view the U.S. providing cluster bombs to Ukraine and whether the issue might prove divisive for their largely united support of Kyiv. More than two-thirds of the 30 countries in the alliance are signatories of a 2010 convention on cluster munitions banning their use, production or stockpiling.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to the cluster bomb ban.

Last week, Laura Cooper, a deputy assistant secretary of defense focusing on Russia and Ukraine, testified to Congress that the Pentagon has assessed that such munitions would help Kyiv press through Russia's dug-in positions.

The deliberations on whether to provide Ukraine cluster munitions come as some U.S. officials are concerned about the slow pace of that long-anticipated counteroffensive.

While most Western officials will not publicly say Ukraines counteroffensive is moving too slowly, there is growing sentiment that Ukraine needs to seize on the weather, conditions on the ground and any impact that last weekends revolt may have on Russian military cohesion to bolster their advance.

The Russian military will now have to absorb Wagner forces into its ranks and make command changes if Russian President Vladimir Putin pursues officials who may have been sympathetic to the mercenary group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Even before Prigozhins revolt the Russia military was grappling with logistics and morale challenges.

While the U.S. has emphasized that the timing and place of Ukraines efforts are solely its decision to make, there are concerns that Ukraine has not moved faster. For months the U.S. and Western allies have trained and equipped Ukrainian forces for the anticipated fight, yet many of those forces are not yet engaged in combat.

Ukraines advance has been slowed by dense minefields and other obstacles defending Russian lines, according to a U.S. official, but the Biden administration has provided equipment to help overcome that.

___

Baldor reported from Parris Island, South Carolina. Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.
The U.S. Coast Guard apologized Friday for not taking appropriate action years ago when it failed to adequately handle cases of sexual assault and harassment at the services Connecticut academy. The service also acknowledged it did not widely disclose its six-year internal investigation into dozens of cases from 1988 to 2006.

Two U.S. senators on Friday said in a statement that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has oversight of the Coast Guard, was not informed of the probe until a recent informal briefing with Senate staff. Known as Operation Fouled Anchor, it was conducted from 2014 to 2020.

This information is disturbing, Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin wrote in a joint letter dated Friday to Admiral Linda L. Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. They demanded documents and records related to the investigation, which identified 62 substantiated incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurred at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, or by academy cadets.

The internal Coast Guard investigation was first reported by CNN.

The Democratic senators said they're seeking additional information to determine if the Coast Guard complied with the law and to inform potential legislative actions." Besides documents, they want answers to questions including whether any individuals with substantiated claims are now employed by the Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast Guard, and whether they have security clearances.

Cantwell and Baldwin said the committee staff were told that 42 individuals may have had substantiated claims made against them, yet it does not appear that the Coast Guard appropriately investigated at the time the incidents were reported" and that some of the accused may have been allowed to rise up in the ranks.

The Coast Guard, in a written statement provided by a spokesperson, acknowledged Friday it may have further traumatized the victims and prevented some cases from being referred to the military justice system for appropriate accountability by not having taken appropriate action at the time of the sexual assaults.

The Coast Guard owns this failure and apologizes to each of the victims and their loved ones, the statement said.

The Coast Guard also acknowledged the internal investigation was not disclosed widely at the time when it was completed in 2020 and the service recognizes transparency is critical to building the trust not only of victims, but all cadets and personnel at the Academy."

The Coast Guard Investigative Service, according to the statement, became aware in 2014 of a sexual assault allegation that occurred years earlier and the matter had been mishandled. The service then conducted a broad investigation that followed up on all leads related to sexual assaults that were alleged to have occurred between 1988 and 2006," a period before changes were made to the academy's sexual assault and harassment policies.

The Coast Guard said it ultimately took action to hold accountable those known perpetrators who remained within CGISs jurisdiction," but did not say how many. The statement also said Coast Guard officials reached out to all known victims and invited them to individual, in-person meetings to provide each of them with information on their specific cases and access to support services.

The senators noted that two officers accused of misconduct were allowed to retire as commanders and currently have pension and veteran's benefits. Both people, the senators said, were confirmed for promotion by the Senate at least once during the course of the investigation.

The Committee was not notified that the officers were under investigation when the Coast Guard provided the promotion lists to the Senate resulting in their confirmation, they wrote. It is unclear how many other officers had substantiated claims against them, were not disciplined, and remained in positions of leadership or management.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat whose eastern Connecticut district includes the academy, said the lack of action by the Coast Guard left dozens of survivors with no pathway to justice or recovery while assailants have been afforded unchecked opportunity to advance their careers" and ultimately prevented Congress from correcting policy gaps.

He noted the lack of disclosure came as the academy was being scrutinized for its handling of racial discrimination cases, saying the lack of transparency and accountability here is deeply disappointing.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the Coast Guard's failure to protect cadets a shameful legacy for the service, while U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy accused the Coast Guard's leadership of hiding the report, saying that anyone involved in this cover-up should be terminated. Its that simple. Both Connecticut senators are Democrats.

Federal officials are aware that unwanted sexual contact has been an issue at the elite academy. A 2019 Pentagon survey found almost half of female cadets said they were sexually harassed and about one in eight women reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact. Almost 20% of male cadets reported experiencing sexual harassment.

__

Associated Press Writers Dave Collins and Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut contributed to this report.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

Taren Dillon Sylvester is a researcher at the Center for a New American Security.

Despite 50 years of an All-Volunteer Force, fear of conscription remains just below the surface as Americans consider the role of the U.S. military and their relationship to it. Today, whispers of conscription ripple across social media whenever it seems that the United States might be drawn into a conflict -- after the 9/11 terrorist attacks; when Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani was assassinated; and following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Google searches for the "draft" spike following these events like clockwork.

However, despite what Americans experienced in the 20th century, the United States does not have a long tradition of conscription. In fact, conscription goes against the deeply held values of individual liberty and equality prized by Americans across the political spectrum.

A better understanding of what modern conscription looks like in practice and what it would take to implement the draft in America today would increase Americans' trust in the military as a whole and contribute to healthier civil-military relations at all levels of society.

How militaries are staffed looks different across the world. Broadly, military recruitment models can be categorized in one of three ways: voluntary, limited conscription or full conscription.

A voluntary recruitment model is centered on a small, professionalized force composed of individuals who serve willingly. Many nations rely entirely on volunteers, including two of the world's largest military forces: the United States and India. However, most countries with volunteer armies at one point relied on conscription. The decision to transition to an all-volunteer force tends to coincide with a military drawdown at the end of a conflict, as was the case in the U.K. following World War II, the United States after the Vietnam War and Belgium following the end of the Cold War. For others, defense budget constraints were the driver. For example, Germany only did away with its mandatory service in 2011 due to economic pressures.

In contrast, countries that conduct limited conscription require all eligible citizens of an age group (usually 18) to register for conscription, but then only draft a small subset of that population into service. This model is often used by states that struggle to meet force readiness quotas. Others use conscription as a means of strengthening equity and civic engagement through the random selection of draftees across all strata of society. Mexico, for example, has historically used randomly drawn colored balls to determine conscription status (black for deferred, white for conscripted and blue for naval service). The draft in the United States in the 20th century was likewise a limited conscription system. Service was determined by randomly drawn birthdates. Norway is unique in that while every man is required to register for the draft, only the most fit and qualified are selected for conscription.

The final military recruitment model is full conscription. In nations with full conscription systems, every man is required to both register and serve in the armed forces by a certain age. Citizens also often remain in the nation's reserve forces after their initial service period expires. In some countries, like Switzerland, military conscription acts as universal military training lasting anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Many of these kinds of militaries can be characterized as professional volunteer forces that, in theory, can rapidly scale up to face emerging threats, if necessary. For others, conscripts serve for more than a year and are placed into units within the nation's formal military. Countries like South Korea and Finland, for example, have made headlines in recent years by recalling internationally famous musicians and athletes to return home to complete their military service.

There are pros and cons for each staffing approach. One considerable advantage that conscription offers is better integration of the military and the general public. Close ties between civilians and the military foster trust in the institution by linking the fate of the military with that of the country at large. Drawing on all sectors of society to serve together helps to prevent a military elite from rising to power, independent of the will of the people. Healthy civil-military relations increase civic participation and help stabilize societies.

But at the same time, military conscription is not always applied fairly across a given society. For example, before the transition to a volunteer force, conscription in Germany pulled heavily from the former Soviet-aligned eastern states. Similarly, in Russia and China, conscription is still more heavily enforced in rural areas, compared to urban. In the United States, inequality among those who received deferments and conscientious objector status was a key driver of resistance to the draft during the Vietnam War and ultimately heralded the transition to an all-volunteer force. In all these nations, the bulk of military recruits today are still pulled from geographic locations that historically produced many draftees.

Another issue with conscription systems is the expense and the bureaucratic burden required. To enable an effective conscripted force, a nation must be able to train and equip draftees. In 2021, the United States had 30 million people aged 18-24. However, Department of Defense 2022 recruitment goals for both active and reserve components across the services targeted 104,540 new troops, an order of magnitude smaller than the total population. Even granting increasing numbers of enlistment waivers, they struggled to recruit, train and equip those forces.

The cost in both dollars and hours needed to train an entire birth year of citizens is enormous. Some nations attempt to balance these costs by making conscription service unpaid or severely underpaid. Overcoming both pay inequality between draftees and civilians and the loss of career opportunities that conscripts endure is a major challenge for an all-volunteer force..

Given the major drawbacks of conscription as a military recruitment model, an all-volunteer force is the only option Americans will tolerate, except in the event of an existential threat to the U.S. homeland. While some countries must resort to conscription because they feel that they live in the shadow of such a threat, the United States is fortunate in its physical security, flanked by two oceans and friendly neighbors that possess neither the desire nor capacity for invasion. U.S. citizens' choice to participate in military service is protected not only by the nation's values, but also by the confidence afforded by its global leadership position.

Choice and self-determination are fundamental to the great American democratic experiment. But confusion surrounding the relationship between U.S. national security and individual liberty or choice has left many Americans out of touch with what the military is, does, can do and should do.

The solution to this widening divide between the civilian and military worlds is not, as some argue, forced conscription in a misguided attempt at equal service. Rather, the Department of Defense must work to reestablish young Americans' trust in the military as an institution by showing the value of service members to the country and value of the military to local communities. The first step in building trust is reckoning with the personnel failures that disenfranchise current and former service members, like poor quality of life in barracks, the sexual assault crisis and rising extremism in the ranks.
Free agent reliever Nabil Crismatt has signed with the Diamondbacks, he announced on Instagram. According to the transactions log at MLB.com, its a minor league pact. Hell join their Triple-A club in Reno.

Crismatt spent less than a week on the open market. The right-hander was outrighted by the Padres last weekend. Hed only made seven MLB appearances this season, allowing 12 runs over 11 innings. Crismatt missed a few weeks with a strained left hip and averaged a career-low 88.8 MPH on his fastball.

Frustrating as this season has been, the Colombian-born hurler is only a year removed from being a productive middle innings arm for San Diego. Crismatt soaked up 67 1/3 frames of 2.94 ERA ball last season. Hed posted a 3.76 ERA through 81 1/3 innings the year prior. He doesnt miss many bats, but hes a quality strike-thrower and has induced grounders on roughly half the batted balls hes allowed as a big leaguer.

The Diamondbacks bullpen is improved relative to the past few years, roughly an average unit. Arizona relievers entered play Friday 19th in MLB with a 4.04 ERA and 16th with a 24.2% strikeout percentage. Crismatt will try to pitch his way into that group, though hell first report to a very hitter-friendly environment in Reno. He has exhausted his minor league option years, so if the D-Backs promote him at any point, theyd have to keep him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment themselves.
The Rockies announced they have designated catcher Jorge Alfaro for assignment. The move clears a spot on the active and 40-man rosters for left-hander Ty Blach, who was selected onto the MLB club. Colorado also placed reliever Matt Carasiti on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder and reinstated Kris Bryant from the 10-day IL.

Alfaro spent a little over two weeks on the Colorado roster. The Rockies signed the veteran backstop to a minor league deal on June 10 and selected his contract five days later. Colorado has run a three-catcher system since then, keeping Austin Wynns and Alfaro on the bench behind Elias Diaz. Alfaro picked up 32 plate appearances, slumping to a .161/.188/.387 line with 12 strikeouts and zero walks.

Colorado will stick with Diaz and Wynns as the MLB tandem. Brian Serven is also on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado will trade Alfaro or put him on waivers within the next week. If he clears waivers, hell have the ability to head back to free agency based on his MLB service time.

That seems the likeliest outcome. Alfaro hasnt had much major league success of late, hitting .239/.279/.360 with a 34.2% strikeout rate through 717 plate appearances since the start of 2020. The Colombian-born backstop has had an excellent season in Triple-A, though, putting up a .323/.366/.524 line between the Red Soxs and Rockies top affiliates.

Bryant returns to the MLB roster, which the club had suggested yesterday. The former MVP is hitting second and back in right field tonight against Detroit righty Michael Lorenzen. He missed a month with a left heel contusion, the second straight season hes been bothered by a foot issue. Bryant is hitting .263/.346/.374 in his second season in Denver.

Blach returns to the big leagues two months after clearing waivers. The 32-year-old made six relief appearances in April, allowing 13 runs in 11 innings. He has pitched reasonably well in Albuquerque, working to a 4.40 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in an extraordinarily tough environment for pitchers. Blach doesnt throw hard or miss many bats; hes a control specialist who induced grounders at a quality 54.6% clip for the Isotopes this season. Hell offer skipper Bud Black a long relief option for the middle innings.
The Marlins designated right-hander Archie Bradley for assignment, and recalled righty George Soriano from Triple-A Jacksonville. Bradley pitched in Miamis 16-4 loss to the Braves yesterday, allowing seven runs over 2 1/3 innings of work.

All told, Bradley has a 12.27 ERA over 7 1/3 total innings since the Marlins selected his contract from Triple-A in mid-June. Bradleys stint in free agency extended into the regular season, as he didnt sign his minor league deal with Miami until almost two weeks into April. Missing Spring Training has surely contributed to Bradleys lack of form, though he did pitch pretty well in Jacksonville, posting a 2.95 ERA in 18 1/3 Triple-A innings.

Bradley was a solid-to-very good reliever with the Diamondbacks, Reds, and Phillies from 2017-21, highlighted by a stint as Arizonas closer and even a 20th-place finish in NL MVP voting in 2017 as a nod to a dominant relief campaign. However, things started to go south for Bradley during an injury-plagued 2022 season with the Angels, as he was limited to 18 2/3 innings due to multiple injuries, most prominently an elbow fracture. He also had a forearm strain right at the end of September, which set back his offseason prep work.

The Marlins have seen enough to move on from the 30-year-old, but it seems likely that Bradleys past track record and pedigree will earn him a look with another team. While Bradley may not be quite ready to face Major League batters yet, another extended stint in Triple-A might help him get on track and get fully ramped up after his unusual offseason. Miami could also keep him in the organization if Bradley clears waivers and accepts an outright assignment to Triple-A, though Bradley has enough big league service time to elect free agency rather than agree to an outright.
A former high-ranking labor official in Michigan is now facing charges after a woman accused him of sexual assault.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel this week charged Jonathan Byrd, 40, of Battle Creek with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Byrd had previously been prominent in Michigan politics and lobbying on behalf of the Michigan Laborers District Council of the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA).

In the state of Michigan we will hold sexual predators accountable no matter how well-connected they are and irrespective of whatever prominence they enjoy in the dealings of our government, Nessel said in a June 29 statement.

Byrd is accused of sexually assaulting a woman during an April 2022 fundraising event for Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo. The woman accused Byrd of making lewd comments toward her, touching parts of her body and later putting her hand on his clothed erection, according to news reports. She later filed a report with Kalamazoo police.

Related: Republicans demand removal of House labor chair amid AFL-CIO sex assault allegations

Some state Republicans have pushed for Rep. Jim Haadsma to be removed as the head of the House Labor Committee due to his relationship with Byrd. They claim Haadsma, D-Battle Creek, knew about the situation when he allowed Byrd to testify before his committee on repealing the states right-to-work laws.

In March, Byrd resigned as the director of external affairs for the Michigan Laborers District Council of LiUNA and as president of the South-Central Michigan Area Labor Council of the Michigan AFL-CIO.

A court date for Byrd has not been scheduled yet.

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ANN ARBOR, MI - June saw a rash of violent crime in Ann Arbor and near University of Michigans campus.

A murder of 24-year-old Dorrell Canda and a suspected murder of 56-year-old Jason Strickland. A shooting that ended with a car crash. A South University Avenue shooting, plus another on North Campus. A serial groper.

The incidents are just a portion of the rise in violent crime in the city after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Ann Arbor and university police show a particular rise in aggravated assaults, prompting heightened awareness for officers to curb these issues.

Ann Arbor Police Department stats cover violent crime in the downtown district (map here) from 2018 to May 2023. Violent crime is defined as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson, according to police spokesman Chris Page.

Ann Arbor did not see a murder in downtown between 2018 and 2021, data shows. One occurred in 2022, while the Jude Walton murder has been the only one reported this year through May 31, data shows.

Read more: Man, 54, charged with murder in strangulation death of Ann Arbor woman

The two June murders are outside the downtown district, one north of the universitys North Campus and one off Pauline Boulevard near Allmendinger Park. The South University Avenue shooting falls within the downtown district boundary.

The uptick in gun violence is a troubling development, said Ann Arbor Police Department Deputy Chief Jason Forsberg.

Whats of most concern to us right now is the injuries related to the weapons that are being used, he said.

Aggravated assault in downtown Ann Arbor has seen the biggest rise since 39 were reported in 2018. The height of the pandemic in 2020 saw 43 of these assaults, followed by 48 the next year and 67 the year after that.

Through May, there have been 26 aggravated assaults reported, which extrapolated out for the rest of the year nearly equals the 2022 totals.

The number of aggravated assaults is the one area that has continued to increase past pre-pandemic levels, Forsberg said. Officers have been instructed to walk downtown streets more to have a visible presence to deter crime, particularly in the summer months when crime typically increases, he added.

During the summer, there are events downtown that draw people and some events involve alcohol, he said, so we definitely see a rise in assaultive behavior...the crime just comes outside.

Aggravated assaults have also surpassed pre-pandemic levels at the university, per data from the campus Division of Public Safety and Security. There have been 10 assaults so far through May this year, data shows, compared to 10 in all of 2020 and just two in 2019.

Eight of this years assaults occurred at Michigan Medicine facilities and surrounding parking lots, said Deputy Chief Melissa Overton.

Violence prevention in healthcare is a nationwide issue, she said. Per OSHA, 75% of all workplace violence occurs in healthcare settings. At Michigan Medicine, DPSS is part of a multidisciplinary Workplace Violence Prevention team that includes clinicians, nursing leadership, and behavioral health experts.

Sexual assault is the other major incident reported at the university. There have been eight to 11 reported each year since 2019, including 10 through May of this year, data shows.

Solving crimes through arrests is a way to deter criminal activity by holding offenders accountable, Forsberg said. Ann Arbor police had a 54% clearance rate in 2019 according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data, while university police had a 76% rate.

In the last few years, weve enhanced our partnerships and work more collaboratively with community mental health with the Delonis Center and with some of the other partners in the community to try to get people help, whether its mental health crisis help or otherwise substance abuse health to try to prevent these types of crimes from happening, he said.

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As the sun sets over eastern Uganda, a newly constructed road is illuminated by two rows of white solar lampposts, warmly welcoming drivers, pedestrians and villagers on leisurely strolls.

The 73-km road linking Kapchorwa and Suam is undergoing an upgrade. Located at an average altitude of over 2,000 meters with complex geology, the project is described by local officials as one of the most difficult large-scale infrastructure projects in the history of Uganda.

To complete the project within this year, the Chinese contractor brought forth advanced machinery, extensive expertise in constructing roads in mountainous regions in China, and an inventory of 1,960 solar lights.

"When we first arrived, we saw the local areas did not have electricity, but boast plentiful sunlight. So we decided to erect the solar lights," said Lu Zhong, a project manager with the Chinese company. "Now the lights have made it safer for nearby residents to go out at night."

Local students walk home from school along a section of the road upgraded by a Chinese company in Kapchorwa District, Uganda, on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

At the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which opened in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday, many such stories exemplify the evolving China-Africa cooperation, which is becoming increasingly smarter, greener and advanced, drawing strength from China's modernization drive.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and high-quality development, and will make the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides deeper and more solid.

Visitors walk past the exhibition hall of the China-Africa Achievement Exhibition on High-Level Building of the Belt and Road Initiative during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO DIGITALIZATION

As Africa's largest trading partner and its fourth-biggest source of investment, China has prioritized high-quality development on its path toward modernization, which requires the country to cultivate new growth engines such as next-generation information technology, new energy and green industry, and promote high-standard opening up.

According to experts, this dedication to high-quality development has injected renewed vitality into the implementation of the nine programs announced in 2021 to strengthen China-Africa cooperation. These programs encompass a wide range of areas, such as digital innovation and green development.

Over the years, cooperation between the two sides has extended from trade and construction to emerging areas like digital infrastructure, green development, aviation, and space exploration, according to Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei.

During the expo, Chinese firms that traditionally focused on hydropower facilities said they were working to deliver a more diversified portfolio of new energy projects to help Africa tackle the perennial power crunch.

China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CEEC), a power infrastructure heavyweight, said it has implemented 42 clean energy projects in Africa, including hydro, solar and wind power stations, with a total installed capacity of 14.11 gigawatts.

One such project under construction is the Biovea biomass power plant in Cote d'Ivoire. Poised to become the largest biomass power plant in West Africa, it will utilize locally abundant palm leaf residues as fuel to generate electricity for 1.7 million people.

The project will also increase the income of 12,000 palm growers by 20 percent and reduce 4.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, said Zhu Honggang, CEO of CEEC Northwestern Africa Regional HQ.

Zhu added that China has developed a mature industrial chain in infrastructure and energy sectors, from project design to manufacturing of photovoltaic panels, allowing Chinese companies to bring new energy projects to Africa at a relatively low cost.

This photo shows an outdoor exhibition area at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

Digital infrastructure is another rising star in China-Africa cooperation, which is drawing strength from China's newly acquired forte in this area.

According to China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd (Genertec), it has increased participation in the construction of Africa's information and communication infrastructure in recent years.

In Ghana, the company is installing more than 2,000 communication towers to provide stable communication services for rural residents and support the West African nation's endeavor to bridge the digital divide.

"China-Africa cooperation is expanding from conventional infrastructure to digitalization, from visible roads to virtual networks," said Luo Di, a company representative who was present at the expo.

"We are leveraging China's experience in urbanization to help accelerate Africa's development. It will no longer take decades, as it did in the past. We may see remarkable outcomes within just a few years," Luo said.

An exhibitor presents Ethiopian coffee during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

WELCOME, MADE IN AFRICA!

The import of African agricultural and food products is another focus at the expo, with traders marketing a myriad of specialty products ranging from South African wine to Nigerian dried ginger.

China has become the second-largest destination country for African agricultural exports. In the first five months of this year, China imported 16.15 billion yuan (about 2.24 billion U.S. dollars) of African agricultural and food products, up 26.5 percent year on year.

Behind the rapidly growing imports is a range of favorable policies and customs cooperation that have enabled an expanded variety of African farm products to reach the shelves of Chinese stores, including coffee from Ethiopia, cashew nuts from Tanzania, cocoa from Cote d'Ivoire and avocados from Kenya.

Days before the expo, Kenya flagged off the first consignment of anchovies destined for the Chinese market. Salim Mvurya, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, termed the inaugural shipment of anchovies to the Chinese market as "a historic moment for the country."

During the expo, a slew of measures on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) cooperation, including the establishment of a liaison mechanism, were announced to facilitate African exports of agricultural and food products to China.

A staff member introduces wild anchovy products to visitors at the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

As a trailblazer in China-Africa cooperation, the province of Hunan has also promised heightened efforts to standardize the inspection and quarantine of African agricultural products that have entered into deals at the expo, helping them gain market access in China.

Chi Yuwen, the founder of Chebango EPZ Tea Company Ltd., attests to the positive impact generated by the deepening China-Africa cooperation on agricultural and food trade.

His Kenya-based factory imports Chinese tea-making equipment free of tariffs and their tea products enjoy duty-free entry into China.

"By combining the excellent quality of Kenyan tea and Chinese tea-making techniques, we are confident about gaining a foothold in China's vast and competitive tea market," Chi said.
FLINT, MI  While Flint might be known for its Coney dogs, award-winning burgers can be found downtown at The Torch Bar and Grill.

The Torch is located in the middle of downtown Flint, tucked away and up a flight of stairs at 522 Buckham Alley.

The Torch has been around for over a half-century, and even though the area is business-heavy, people from all walks of life come through its doors.

RELATED: The Torch Bar & Grill in Flint named on Americas best burgers list

Ron Sims, owner of the popular downtown business, purchased The Torch Bar in 2006 after spending over a decade in the bar industry.

Were known for our burgers, Sims said.

Better yet, a Torch Burger is what its known as, which is a full half-pound burger of fresh ground beef that is hand-made each morning. It is cooked to order with the toppings of your choice  mustard, ketchup, pickle and onions  or a Torch Burger with cheese deluxe  lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

Christopher Reynolds, general manager of The Torch, said for people looking for a good dive bar, The Torch is the place to go.

The Torch is your classic dive bar, Reynolds said. A dive bar is built on friends and customers and having a bond with them. Thats what we have here.

Reynolds has returned to The Torch after nearly 10 years away. He was previously a regional sales manager for Latitude 42 Brewing Co. in Kalamazoo and is growing the beer choices, offering 21 taps.

I dont necessarily focus on Michigan-only beer; I try to focus on what no one else has, Reynolds said. I spend most of my time researching different types of beers.

The Torch offers a variety of sandwiches, including the club sandwich, made with turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato and two kinds of cheese piled high on three slices of lightly toasted wheat bread.

They also offer up a number of deep-fried appetizers including mozzarella sticks, tater tots, onion rings, wedge-cut fries and jalapeno poppers.

Inside the bar, customers can view Big Bar in the Sky, a portrait series featuring regulars from years past featured prominently throughout the bar.

RELATED: The Torch Bar & Grills famous photo lineup may make room for the next generation

I love to see the faces of the regulars that come in, Reynolds said. People like coming in and finding a picture of their dad or uncle. Its a unique experience.

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.

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IONIA COUNTY, MI -- A Saranac man has pleaded guilty to a workplace violation after a 17-year-old worker lost a hand in a meat grinder, state officials said.

The accident happened in November 2019.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel said Darin Wilbur, 55, owned US Guys Processing in Ionia County.

When the accident happened, the teen was operating a meat grinder. His right hand was pulled into the grinder and amputated.

A subsequent investigation by the Michigan Wage and Hour Division showed the teen was not properly employed under the Youth Employment Standards Act, which says anyone under 18 cannot be employed in an occupation considered potentially hazardous.

In addition, Wilbur did not ensure the teen had a state work permit, Nessels staff said. A permit is required for employees younger than 18.

Wilbur pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for what Nessels office said was employing a minor in a dangerous profession.

A judge is expected to sentence Wilbur at a later date.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  While most of lower Michigan has been keeping close tabs on air quality alerts all week, some communities in the state are historically more likely to be plagued with poor air quality than others. According to nonprofit Just Air, people of color are nearly four times more likely than white people to live in a community with unhealthy air.

To address this disparity, several dozen community members gathered at the Center for Community Transformation on Thursday night to discuss the air quality in the 49507 zip code, which has a majority Black population in the Grand Rapids area.

In a partnership among nonprofit group Just Air, NAACP Grand Rapids, Scales Consulting and the Community Collaboration on Climate Change, community members from the 49507 zip code were invited to learn how to hone information on the air quality in their neighborhoods.

Founded by Darren Riley two years ago in Grand Rapids, Just Air is looking to provide awareness to health disparities in Grand Rapids and Detroit through simply the air that is breathed in Black communities.

Riley lives in Detroit now, but grew up in the 49507 zip code. Growing up, Riley watched his dad spend time in the ICU dealing with pulmonary disease and Riley himself developed asthma in the last five years. He was recently a guest on CNN to speak about air quality issues.

Riley said the trigger to begin the nonprofit was in 2020 when there were emerging studies on COVID-19 and mortality rates in Black communities, then reflecting it on his own experience.

Being in tech and being in entrepreneurship was really telling me that I got this limited time here on earth, Riley said. Let me see what I can do to move the needle on this issue so that I can make a difference.

Skip to 2023, Just Air has installed 13 air quality monitors across the city in areas like Lake Michigan Drive and Monroe Avenue. Six of them are located in the 49507 zip code and the nonprofit is adding another in the next week.

Air pollution can trigger harmful symptoms of cancer and heart disease. Riley placed the air quality monitors on these neighborhood streets to give the data directly to the residents, helping families know if they can send their kids to the park.

At the last Just Air workshop just months before, Riley gave community members a map and let them circle where they wanted to see the air quality monitors deployed, giving them the power to choose where they gathered most.

The data is available on Just Airs new app, the dashboard allowing residents access the air quality information from every monitor.

With more data, you literally can save lives and save years on peoples lives, Riley said. Like today, we should have folks wearing KN95 masks. These are the sorts of things that we can do to limit our exposure to improve and have a longer life.

Community member Odessa Yonkers manages South East Market, partnering with minority-owned vendors in her business and works with local farmers. Those farmers livelihoods are based on environmental factors like air quality.

I think its important just because I think in the 49507 a lot of us are not educated on air quality, Yonkers said. There are so many other things that people in 49507 are faced with like having access to food and having access to medical care, so I think that air quality just has not been high on the list.

Just Air and other nonprofits are trying to work on other issues in the 49507 area. Greater Grand Rapids NAACP President Cle Jackson partnered with Riley for this workshop, sharing information as to why Black communities have these health disparities such as their communities living near highways with high pollutants.

Riley pointed out that the 49507 community is placed near the US-131 highways highest traffic areas.

I think awareness is the first step to a level of healing and change in lifestyles, Jackson said. If you dont know a problem exists, you dont know, and so youre not armed to do anything about it. Its just critically important and it just makes sense for us for our community to be made aware of the things that are negatively impacting us.

Riley said the overarching vision of Just Air is for everyone to have access to clean air. While he admits this is an ambitious goal, he believes looking at the data in a critical way can be converted into a change in policy on air quality.

Were bringing awareness to these issues, so were bringing solutions to combat those issues and we can measure those solutions and show whats the most effective, Riley said.

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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GRAND RAPIDS, MI The second annual Foodie Fest, ready to share the best of local eats and artists with Calder Plaza, started Friday, with double its vendors from last year and a lineup of music.

While humidity and rain have been on this weekends weather roster, founder and director of the Foodie Fest Amanda Hadd said it hasnt turned away visitors yet.

Everyone was dripping sweat with the sun coming out, but towards the evening, it cooled down a little bit, Hadd said. All of the vendors were pretty steady, so it wasnt too hot or too busy with super long lines. Everyones been maintaining really well.

As a sudden downpour hit the festival on Saturday afternoon, visitors didnt stop eating, but instead retreated to a tent to listen to music and go right on with enjoying the food trucks.

Community member Meg Rinehart said the rain would absolutely not stop her from exploring the festival.

I think it makes it better and really cools it down, Rinehart said. Its been so hot. I prefer a little bit of rain to the 90 degrees and terrible.

Hadd said they are expecting more people Saturday after the rain, and advised the foodies to bring an umbrella and keep enjoying the festival.

Rinehart also praised the culinary talent here in West Michigan.

I think food trucks are one of the best things Ive seen, Rinehart said. The ingenuity in food is just superior to anything you can get from commercial places around town or anything corporate. It really brings up individual talents and people around town.

As community members picked up birria tacos, made with a meat stew, and Mexican corn, which seemed to be a crowd favorite, Holley Ong waited in line in the rain with her sister to get their favorite food and show support to the local eateries.

Small businesses always have it hard, so its always good to kind of see whats out there, Ong said. Theres always places that failed because they didnt have enough of a customer base, so its always good to have some local support.

Amid the humidity, customers also lined up for sweet, frozen treats to beat the heat at Semifreddo, where owner Emily Shirk was passing out samples of ice cream homemade from local dairy products.

Owner Emily Shirk helps serve customers at the Foodie Fest 2023.

Shirk said its not unusual to see this support from the Grand Rapids community.

We love doing the Grand Rapids events in general, Shirk said. We just get to meet so many cool people. Everyones so supportive of local businesses, and everyone just loves people out here that are trying to chase their dreams.

Shirk said this event is perfect to get exposure for businesses like hers who are starting with food trucks, but want to move into a brick and mortar establishment at some point.

Hadd said that is why she founded the festival, to help local vendors thrive and serve the best local food to the public.

I do it for yall, Hadd said. I do it for everybody to have this experience. Im just proud.

As the rain slowed down over the afternoon, people ventured out of the tent for seconds, not letting the day rain on their parade.

The festival will continue on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Calder Plaza.

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.

Read more on MLive:

Air quality is worse in minority neighborhoods. This Michigan nonprofit is doing something about it.

Grand Rapids Foodie Fest returns this weekend

Fourth of July fireworks show in downtown Grand Rapids happening Saturday
Jackson County will pay $1.65 million to settle a lawsuit brought by former sheriffs office Lt. Tommy Schuette, who alleged Jackson County Sheriff Steven Rand mocked him for his hearing loss and created a hostile work environment with bigoted, racist and sexist comments.

The confidential agreement obtained by MLive was reached about a month before the case was set to go to trial on June 27.

In 2018, Schuette sued Jackson County and Rand in federal court on claims of civil rights violations. The lawsuit claimed Rand, a multifaceted bigot, harassed Schuette for his hearing loss and made disparaging comments about peoples gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disabilities and weight.

It also alleged the county failed to protect Schuette from a hostile work environment and retaliated when the lieutenant reported Rand. Schuette says he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the sheriffs behavior.

Related: Jackson sheriff is multifaceted bigot targeting women, blacks, the disabled, lawsuit states

In late 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis dismissed the case against Rand while allowing the lawsuit against the county to continue. Davis said the portion of the lawsuit against Rand was dismissed because federal and state disability laws do not allow individuals to be held liable  only organizations.

Under the agreement, Jackson County admits no wrongdoing saying the case was settled to avoid significant costs and the uncertainty of continued litigation. The agreement is a compromise of zealously disputed facts and claims and does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

Jackson County Administrator Michael Overton and lawyers representing the county did not immediately respond to messages left Saturday.

From the agreement, Schuette will receive $986,475 in damages plus a disability pension worth more than $330,000, according to his attorney Jim Fett. This brings the total settlement to nearly $2 million. About $663,000 will be paid to Fetts law firm Fett & Fields.

In January 2018, Schuette played recordings and detailed his experiences to Overton and Human Resources Director Richard Martonchik, according to the lawsuit.

Rand was accused of calling a former Black deputy the n-word, addressing two command officers as fat, using homophobic slurs and referring to Schuette as deaf and dumb or retarded.

Schuette recorded some of the comments. Many of them disparaged and demeaned women.

In one, Rand is heard calling Chief Circuit Judge Susan Jordan a derogatory term and discussing the creation of a pornographic film of a murder involving a female court employee.

Related: Lawyer releases obscene audio he claims proves Jackson sheriff is bigot

Schuette said the county failed to investigate Rand and retaliated against him by filing a report with Michigan State Police alleging Schuette tried to extort money from the county. In response, Schuette passed a polygraph test saying he never made the demands or threats.

In 2019, three current and three former colleagues of the sheriff all signed statements to support Schuettes claims saying they overheard Rand make bigoted, disparaging, racist or sexist remarks.

The audio recordings would have been allowed at the trial if it moved forward.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declined three times to remove Rand from office and a recall effort failed. Rand, who has previously apologized for his statements, left the sheriffs office after not seeking reelection in 2020.

An effort Saturday to reach Rands legal representation was not immediately successful.

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Colleagues go on record about Jackson County Sheriff Rands alleged inappropriate behavior

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JACKSON COUNTY, MI  KeniKakes & More strives to make its kitchen like the one in your home, so its daily menu is always changing.

The restaurant, owned by Shakanna Blake, moved into a brick-and-mortar location in February. Since then, Blake has been busy getting to know the Vandercook Lake community and putting together some new items for people to try, she said.

Related: KeniKakes & More is moving in to new brick-and-mortar shop

(We) just like to bring some different stuff to the community; things they are not going to get at a chain restaurant, Blake said.

Each day, Blake serves a range of regular items, such as a pulled pork macaroni and cheese, sloppy Joes, sweets and other home-cooked meals.

She mixes that up with different daily specials, including a handful of salad options she calls a Salad Extravaganza.

I just figured its summertime, its hot, so lets hit them with some salads, Blake said.

One of the newest items is a chicken and shrimp salad that comes with lettuce, tomato, cheese, peppers, cucumbers, eggs, carrots, tortilla strips and is served with ranch dressing.

Another salad is the blackened catfish salad, which comes with the same items served on the chicken and shrimp salad, except it has catfish.

Its been going really well, Blake said. Everyone is coming in to get salads.

Other daily specials are chicken alfredo and barbecue pork chops. Specials are announced throughout the week on KeniKakes & Mores Facebook page.

KeniKakes & More also offers catering. Blake has been expanding on this as well, with the most popular request being a grazing table, she said.

(Its) just like an expanded charcuterie board, and it has everything from sandwiches, cheese, crackers, fruit and vegetables, Blake said.

KeniKakes & More, 107 Hague Ave. at Vandercook Lake, is drive thru-only and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, unless it is catering an event.

More information and updates can be found on KeniKakes & Mores Facebook page and 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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Michigans Best Local Eats: Youll find a deep-fried Philly cheesesteak inside a Jackson convenience store

Michigans Best Local Eats: The Tavern Burger at The Roadhouse has everything you want on it

Michigans Best Local Eats: Tots smothered in meat and mac and cheese are hits at The Band Wagon Catering

Michigans Best Local Eats: The banana split is as good as ever at Frosty Boy in Jackson

Michigans Best Local Eats: The Drunken Noodles are a hit at Sakura in Jackson County

Michigans Best Local Eats: The smoked pork chop is a full-plate meal at Kens M60 Grill

Michigans Best Local Eats: The Trash Can is a sundae filled with candy at Spads Twisters

Michigans Best Local Eats: Smothered in cheese, the OG is a prime rib sandwich to try at Rollin Hoagies

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A recently-arrested Michigan man faces several felony and misdemeanor charges  including assaulting a police officer with a flagpole  stemming from his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots on Capitol Hill.

Jeremy Rodgers, 28, of Midland is charged with assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and an act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Rodgers is also charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, an act of physical violence in a Capitol building or on Capitol grounds and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, officials said in a news release.

Rodgers was arrested in Orlando, Florida and made his first court appearance Friday, June 30 in the Middle District of Florida, officials said.

Authorities identified Rodgers in video and surveillance footage assaulting a law enforcement officer with a flagpole during the Capitol riot, officials said. Footage shows Rodgers  carrying a blue flag attached to a wooden flagpole  approaching a line of officers guarding the entrance to the Capitols East Rotunda and using the flagpole to hit a United States Capitol Police officer three times on the helmet, officials said.

Rodgers is also believed to have attempted to use the flagpole to prevent officers from closing the East Rotunda door and removed a railing blocking the path of the crowd behind him, officials said.

Rodgers then joined a crowd of rioters that pushed through a police line guarding the entrance to the House of Representatives chambers and spent several minutes outside the entrance to the House chamber, officials said. He was allegedly involved in another scuffle with police before he exited the building.

Rodgers case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section.

Assistance in this case was provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Middle District of Florida and the FBIs Tampa Field Office, officials said. The case is being investigated by the FBIs Detroit and Washington field offices.

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French President Emmanuel Macron asked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday to "respect the sovereign choice" of Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

He was hoping to avoid Ankara vetoing their requests to join the transatlantic defence pact.

Turkey warned this week that the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland would not move forward unless they addressed Ankara's "security concerns"  a reference to the northern European countries' supposed sympathy toward Kurdish militant groups.

"The president underscored the need to respect the sovereign choice of these two countries, which emerged from a democratic process and in reaction to the changes in their security environment," Macron's office said after a telephone call with Erdogan.

Reversing decades of military non-alignment, Stockholm and Helsinki submitted their bids to join NATO in May 2022, after support for membership soared following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland formally entered the alliance on 4 April this year.

Membership of the alliance must be unanimously approved by all members. But Turkey, also a NATO member, is blocking Sweden's accession.

Ankara accuses Stockholm of providing a haven for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

Turkey's objections

On 6 July, NATO will hold a meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland to try to overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military alliance.

The meeting is a last-ditch effort to tackle the final obstacles to Sweden's membership before a major summit the following week.

In order to appease Turkey, Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism legislation last July, making it easier to prosecute financing activities for terrorist organisations.

Earlier this month, this resulted in a Turkish citizen appearing in a Swedish court accused of "attempted terrorist financing" of the PKK.

Turkey's patience was further tested when a man set fire to pages of the Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque earlier this week.

Swedish police had granted a permit for the protest, which was carried out by an Iraqi man who fled to Sweden several years ago, and who had asked police for permission to burn the holy book "to express my opinion about the Koran".

Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan condemned the action as "vile" and "despicable".

Hungary hesitates

But even if Turkey decides to favour Sweden's NATO membership, it is not likely that the matter will be wrapped up by the summit in July.

Another NATO member, Hungary, has not yet decided how to vote. Hungary's parliament this week postponed ratifying Sweden's NATO accession bid to its autumn session.

The postponement, the latest in a long succession of delays that have gone on for a year, all but guarantees that Sweden will not join the military alliance ahead of, or during, the upcoming NATO summit.

Sweden's membership, if and when it finally comes, would be a highly symbolic moment, and another indication that Russia's war in Ukraine is driving countries to join the Western alliance.

(with wires)
1st July 2023 - Today marks the 63rd anniversary of Ghana's Republican status. The Social Justice Movement of Ghana (SJMG) marks the day with mixed feelings. There is massive poverty throughout the country compounded bythe extremely high cost of living. There is also the destruction of our environment, especially the water bodies through reckless methods adopted in artisanal gold mining. These are just a few of the reasons which make the celebration of Republic Day as envisaged by Nkrumah a difficult one. Ghana is far from being a master of its own destiny.

Despite all the odds and the counterfeit democracy being demonstrated by the ruling class over the years with the support of Imperialism; it is this day that gives Ghana the sense of identity and hope. The Republic Day was the day that Ghana formally broke the chain making the country subservient to her Majestys Government the British. It was a memorable day full of hope and aspiration. It also marked the beginning of a new economic path aimed at winning economic independence for Ghana through carefully curated industrialisation strategies under the democratically elected Convention People's Party( CPP) government led by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

However, the treacherous and ill-conceived coup detat of 24th February 1966, organised by the ultra-right-wing elites with the full backing of the imperialists, truncated Ghana's path towards economic independence and self-reliance. Once again, the coup detat aborted Ghana's attempts to delink herself from colonial domination. The forces of imperialism were too powerful for the nascent nation Ghana at the time.

During the Nkrumah era, bold steps including the setting up import/export substitution industries, free and compulsory basic education, expansion of social and health care facilitiesamong others were meticulously implemented with the sole purpose of bringing relief to Ghanaians. If Nkrumah's government and policies were allowed to continue, Ghana would have been transformed into an industrialised nation comparable to Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, and Brazil. That could have provided Ghanaians with the needed goods and services including solving the hydra-headed employment conundrum facing the country today. The industrialisation process was a well thought out attempt to gain fair and needed control over not only the economy, the mineral resources but also over the health and education sectors for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

What is the situation in Ghana today?

The entire economic fabric of the country is currently for sale to the highest bidder willing to pay kickbacks. Tema Oil Refinery is almost gone under a shady deal by those entrusted with power. Ghana's natural resources have been literally sold out cheaply to foreign capitalists and with the state owning almost insignificant shares. That accounts for the lack of viable state-owned industries and enterprises that could have offered job opportunities to the teeming able-bodied and able-minded youth. The deplorable state of Ghana's health care system and its much-touted free National Health Insurance Scheme are nothing but a mockery. The government health facilities across the country lack modern equipment rendering them death traps and ultimately routes to graveyards.

The least said about the education system the better. Public school education is at its all-time low compelling the private-owned schools to fill in the gap. However, the private school education comes with unimaginable cost with only a few people with deep pockets able to afford. This also is a contributing factor to the incremental financial inequality gap between the rich and the poor. This brings to mind the recent mass failure in the licensure exams written by the graduates from the various teacher training institutions who are looking forward to being recruited as professional teachers. This mass failure can easily be attributed to several factors:

the not well thought through Free Senior High School education policy,

the lack of adequate funding for basic school education over the years,

minimal provision of relevant teaching and learning materials to schools across the country,

ill-fitted classroom facilities,

poor renumerations for teachers and,

non-existence of accommodation for teachers.

Since the education system remains colonial in outlook, it makes it difficult to prepare the students adequately for the competitive job market. As a result of that, majority of the youth are unemployed and many are equally underemployed, and some are also into hard drugs as coping mechanism.

The current high cost of living is another challenge facing the majority of Ghanaians. Whilst everything is blamed on Covid-19 and the Ukraine-Russian war (and Ghanas own declared war against the credit rating agencies), the country is left to slide backwards. Meanwhile, the political space has been hijacked by those who have the money to spend. The two dominant political parties are controlled and influenced by those with the money to buy votes. The struggle for Ghana's democracy that displaced many people and even took the lives of many others has been sold on a silver platter to political investors. As if nature has not finished putting obstacles on Ghana's way, the political establishment and their cronies live in luxury and keep displaying their offensive opulence whilst the taxpayers live in humiliating and avoidable poverty. When they feed fat on the sweat of the working class and they get sick, they go on medical tourism to the European countries or to the US for treatment. Ghana has become a place where they can die and be buried at high-end cemeteries sometimes accompanied by obscene state burials. It is no longer headline news that the children of the ruling class receive their education in the most expensive top-class universities abroad. After graduating, they stay there and work as well.

The few jobs that are available are either shared among those who are highly connected to the corridor of power or sold to people who are willing to pay an arm and a leg (alleged to be around GHs20,000 per person). How can such people work for the benefit of the country? How productive can they be? This is an open secret that no one wants to talk about!

Due to the extreme hardship facing Ghana, the ruling class, with cup in hand, continue to run to the Bretton Woods Institutions especially the International Monetary Fund(IMF) for bailouts. The media and the ruling class think that the IMF is the only way out despite that it is the seventeenth (17th ) time that Ghana had gone to the IMF for a bailout. The political class and their cohorts have failed to recognise that the IMF was not set up to develop Ghana but to ensure that the United States and Western countries plunder Ghana's resources with the aid of their local accomplices in power.

As matter of urgency, on this Republic Day, the leadership of the Social Justice Moment Ghana(SJMG) is calling on the good people of Ghana not to despair but be resolute. There is no better time than now to organise, provide an alternative means of political struggle and challenge the stranglehold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) over Ghanas politics and power. The SJMG is working with like-minded people, who are also progressives,to develop robust political strategies to wrestle power from the NPP and NDC. And the political party to rescue Ghana is the Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG). PAG is calling on all people across the country to join it. PAG is not for moneybags. It is for everyone. Organise yourselves wherever you are into a branch of the party. Elect yourselves to represent the party, spread this important news immediately everywhere. PAG is against the use of money to buy political power. That is one of the banes of Ghana's democracy today.

Together we shall win.

Happy Republic Day.

FORWARD TOGETHER.

Phanuel Yao Ayawli 0208850004, Hillary Adongo 0209381802

Nyeya Yen 0542026869 & Richard Asueme 0202228991
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy by decree put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) on strengthening criminal liability for corruption in the field of justice.

Corresponding decree No. 359 was published on the website of the head of state.

"In accordance with Article 107 of the Constitution of Ukraine, I decree to introduce the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated June 23, 2023 On accelerating judicial reform and overcoming corruption in the justice system (attached)," the text of the decree says.

It is noted that control over the execution of the decision is entrusted to Secretary of the NSDC Oleksiy Danilov.

The decree comes into force from the date of its publication.

The decision states that the NSDC decided to appeal to the subjects of the right of legislative initiative on the need to consider the issue of making the following changes:

- to the Criminal Code of Ukraine in terms of strengthening criminal liability for corruption criminal offenses in the field of justice, providing for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a period of 10 to 15 years with confiscation of property;

- to the Criminal Procedure Code in terms of strengthening the role of the institution of trial by jury and expanding the cases of its application;

- to the laws of Ukraine "On the judicial system and the status of judges" and "On the Supreme Council of Justice".

It is also noted that the NSDC recommends the Verkhovna Rada to accelerate the adoption of a draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the resumption of consideration of cases on disciplinary responsibility of judges and ensuring the work of the Service of Disciplinary Inspectors of the Supreme Council of Justice (register No. 9261).

In addition, the NSDC calls on the Rada to adopt a bill on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on clarifying the provisions on the competitive selection of candidates for the post of judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (No. 9322).

In turn, the Cabinet of Ministers should prepare a concept for further reform of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

It should also consider and resolve the issue of the formation of a court in Ukraine with competence to protect the rights of investors and investments, as indicated in the text of the decision.
A search is underway in central France for the remains of 47 German soldiers and one French woman who were shot dead by members of the French Resistance during World War II in a mass execution that went largely unknown for nearly 80 years.

French and German authorities this week began looking for signs of a mass grave in the small town of Meymac, around 500 kilometres south of Paris in the department of Correze.

The soldiers and local woman, who was accused of collaborating with the Nazis, were killed there in June 1944. But their deaths only became common knowledge last month, when a former Resistance fighter told the media what he witnessed.

Edmond Reveil, aged 18 at the time and 98 today, said that he wanted to speak out so that the bodies could be returned to their families.

"It had to be made known; it's a historical fact," Reveil told the regional France 3 TV station. "I'm glad it's no longer a secret today."

Under occupation

Codenamed "Papillon" (Butterfly), Reveil was a member of the local branch of the FTP ("Francs-Tireurs et Partisans") armed group that resisted the Nazi forces occupying France during World War II.

In early June 1944, shortly after the Allies' D-Day landings in northern France, he and other Resistance fighters attacked German soldiers in the central town of Tulle, killing several of them and taking around 50 prisoner.

Nazi forces retaliated by publicly hanging 99 men and sending 149 to a concentration camp, where most died. A few days later, the same SS division would massacre 643 people around 100 kilometres away in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, the worst mass killing of civilians in France in all of World War II.

Reveil's group was responsible for marching the prisoners east. But there was nowhere to keep them, no supplies to feed them and German troops still controlled most of the surrounding area, he recalls.

After four days on the move, Reveil says, 47 Nazi prisoners remained  one having been shot while trying to escape and others who came from Poland and Czechoslovakia having been transferred to another Resistance group.

There was also a French woman of around 20 years old. Reveil did not know her name, but she was accused of being a collaborator.

The partisans received orders from the overall commander of the French Resistance forces, Marie-Pierre Knig, to execute the prisoners, according to Reveil.

He remembers the head of his division, who came from the border region of Alsace and spoke German, crying as he told the prisoners one by one.

Decades of silence

On 12 June 1944, the soldiers were made to dig their own graves in the woods near Meymac. Then the 30 or so Resistance fighters shot them  with the exception of Reveil and a couple of others who refused, he says. No one wanted to kill the woman, so the men drew lots.

The bodies were covered with quicklime, says Reveil, who recalls the summer heat and the smell of blood.

"We never spoke of it again," he told France 3. "It remained a secret."

The partisans knew they didn't have the right to execute prisoners, he says, which led to a collective silence that lasted almost 80 years. He first spoke about the episode in 2019 at a meeting of local veterans, but it wasn't until he went to the media in May that it got wider attention.

"He was the last witness. It was a burden to him," the mayor of Meymac, Philippe Brugere, told the BBC. "He knew that if he didn't speak out, no one would ever know."

An open secret

But historian Nathalie Sage-Pranchere, the daughter of another Resistance fighter from the same region, disputes that version of events.

She points to an account given by the commander of Reveil's division in the 1970s in which he described offering the Nazi prisoners a choice between fighting for the Resistance or being shot.

"It was a local decision," Sage-Pranchere said in an interview with France 3, adding that presenting the story out of context risked sullying the memory of the Resistance.

Meanwhile local residents told the channel the executions have been an open secret around Meymac for decades.

Local authorities in fact first searched for the remains in 1967, though without announcing it publicly or keeping official records. Eleven bodies were found and subsequently reburied in the German military cemetery established the same year in Berneuil, western France.

'History is not fixed'

The latest investigation was launched earlier this year, with France's national veterans office working with the German War Graves Commission to lead the search.

"The goal is to help the families of these soldiers find them and learn what happened to them," said Xavier Kompa of the Correze branch of the veterans office, who is hopeful that the remains can be identified from dog tags, uniforms and DNA.

Using ground-penetrating radar, specialists spent four days this week scanning the area where witnesses indicated the prisoners were buried.

The results will be analysed in Germany and used to identify where to begin digging. Further searches are expected to be carried out over the summer, including the possible exhumation of any remains found.

If the bodies are retrieved, Germany's War Graves Commission will decide where they should be reburied.

France is obliged by law to return the remains of war victims, Kompa said. There is also a bigger reason to uncover the story, he added: "History is not fixed. This work will help to shed light on certain events that are little known or unknown altogether."
Professor Smart Sarpong, a Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University has congratulated the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its victory in the Assin North by-election.

The professor commended the party for their improved performance and called for more improvement in the collation of results towards future elections particularly the upcoming 2024 general elections.

Speaking on the "Kokrokoo" morning show on Peace FM, Professor Smart Sarpong commended the NDC for their improved performance in the by-election than the 2020 general elections.

He praised the party for implementing a well-planned collation process, which contributed to the victory in the Assin North by-election.

Professor Sarpong urged the NDC to replicate their effective collation process in the forthcoming 2024 general elections, stating, They should improve on the collation process.

We plead with them that, for 2024, they should be able to complete their collation. It shouldn't be that they could do 5 Regions and their system crashed. No!"

The Assin North by-election, held on June 27 2023, was regarded as a crucial contest that would determine the control of the country's legislature.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) aimed to widen its majority in Parliament.

However, its candidate, Charles Opoku was defeated. He scored 42.15% of the votes, while James Gyakye Quayson, the NDC's candidate, emerged victorious with 57.56% of the votes.
01.07.2023 LISTEN

But for the political antagonists, who wish nothing good for this country, today would have been a public holiday to celebrate one of the achievements of the founder and first president of Ghana. However, we, who appreciate the toils, commitment, and patriotism of the only clairvoyant and results-oriented leader, Nkrumah, will forever hold everything he suffered for to his recognition. Nkrumah, the founder and first president of Ghana, we salute you, and we adore you wherever you are.

Now, let's take a look at the historical damage that has been visited on us by some unpatriotic political scavengers in the name of saving Ghana. As I read somewhere, this is what was said "A Republic Day is an annual public holiday in Ghana celebrated on July 1st. It marks the day in 1960 when Ghana declared its independence from British rule. The day is celebrated with parades, flag-hoisting ceremonies, and other patriotic events. The day is a time to celebrate the nation's history and progress" Isn't this brilliant! It means this would have been going on throughout the country today but others see this as an advantage to glorify their enemy so, they maliciously and deliberately truncated this beautiful would-have-been event.

This would have been a national event just like all the other national events and assets that were put in place by the founder and first president of the Republic of Ghana, which they viciously stopped and abandoned for their parochial interest. That reminds me, do you know that, Ghana, after gaining the status of a Republicanism would have been called " The Republic of Ghana? Yet, those nation wreckers will come back and tell us how much they love you and me and wish to develop the country they have destroyed already. What an irony!

Those who claim Nkrumah alone never founded Ghana must explain to us who else did. What it means to say a country is a Republican State is stated here "a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch". Now tell me, under whose supervision did Ghana become a republican state?

Aside from taking over the rather lazy manner of demanding our liberation from the colonists, which was led by some selected egocentric group of people who dined and wined at the expense of our freedom fight, Nkrumah's initiative birthed for us this phenomenal achievement in our history. Therefore, no amount of renaming institutions or events can ever deplete the substantial historical narratives in this country or anywhere in the world.

Today, the progenies of that egocentrism are at full display in the affairs of our country, and the bitter fruits are hardships in every sector of our economy, yet they pride themselves in arrogance coupled with sheer ignorance and blame every misfortune on others. Those who sought the assistance of the CIA to oust the flourishing CPP government which was well-planned with a vision for industrialization must be blamed for all the woes the country is faced with today.

Nkrumah wasn't a Saint and he would have rejected that recognition. He had his negatives but the positives outweighed them all. Hence, the industries, factories, roads, schools, hospitals, etc. we had in his time as the founder and first president of Ghana. It's infamy some people have the temerity to compare their developmental projects with what the CPP under Nkrumah achieved for this nation. They have rather deprived the country of its developmental vision.

Various governments have attempted to implement developmental projects but to no avail. It's pathetic to know that most of the industries and factories which were established by the CPP government under Nkrumah are either sold to greedy political thieves or left to rot. Yet we hear others talking of 1D1F as if what they intend to bring on can surpass those the CPP established. We can put all the quasi-industries and factories they claimed they have established so far, but all together can't measure up to what we had before which they looted and sold themselves or left to rot.

We can all attest to the fact that our country is gradually going back into colonialism as a humongous amount of public debt is hanging on its neck. What Nkrumah fought for is being lost recklessly and with impunity. Every government borrows but what the funds are used for is the question that begs for answers at this material moment.

Finally, I hold the strongest conviction that the CPP still has what it takes to turn around the fortunes of this wobbling economic situation we find ourselves in. Don't say Nkrumah died with his ideas, otherwise, I will advise we don't rely on the theories that were propounded by those who have since died. The work of research serves as a guide and can never to said to be not workable because the person who worked on it is no more. It can always be revamped to fit into modern society. Therefore, the developmental plan of Nkrumah is still valid and useful and can only be used by the CPP to rescue this country.

The historical context and content of our country can't be erased from our minds and we still believe today is a Republic Day here in Ghana. Happy Republic Day to all faithful, loyal, and patriotic citizens of this country.

Long live Mother Ghana

Long live all patriotic citizens

Long live CPP
Poland and Hungary's refusal to go along with a widely agreed EU revision of asylum rules soured a summit of the bloc's leaders that wrapped up Friday  detracting from unity on other issues including on Ukraine  citing racial unrest in France as an example of unsuccessful migrant integration.

Warsaw and Budapest baulked at a summit declaration that would have enshrined the general EU agreement for member states to share out the hosting of asylum-seekers  or pay those that do.

That forced the summit's chair, European President Charles Michel, to issue a statement in his own name saying that "work will be stepped up" on migration issues, but noting Poland and Hungary's dissent.

Meanwhile, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the preliminary 8 June agreement revising asylum rules that was adopted by a large majority of EU countries was a "watershed", and she expected it to be made into legislation before the end of this year.

Unity on Ukraine

Von der Leyen, Michel and other leaders  including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz  insisted that the main message from the summit was unity on Ukraine.

The EU leaders jointly endorsed reinforced support for Ukraine, and to lay the ground for a "Global Peace Summit" that would discuss post-war peace for the country "within its internationally recognised borders".

They also agreed to look at "future security commitments" for Ukraine, suggested by France.

Diplomats said they would likely take the form of bilateral guarantees, rather than ones involving the whole bloc, as Ireland and Austria maintain military neutrality.

French President Emmanuel Macron did not expound on the initiative to media, because he cut his summit presence short to return to France to address widespread rioting there triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager of North African origin.

The idea of imposing a "windfall tax" on interest raised from Russian central bank assets frozen under EU sanctions to go to Ukraine was also raised at the summit  but to varied reception.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said "we are working" on the topic, which could raise three billion euros annually for Ukraine's reconstruction.

But Scholz  concerned that such a step could harm the euro's reputation  was more cautious.

He called the idea "terribly complicated" adding that "nobody knows at the moment what is possible".

Migration dispute

The dispute on migration generated the most drama at the summit, but Poland and Hungary's stance looked unlikely to derail the EU agreement to share the burden when it comes to asylum-seekers.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he did not want "forced relocations" of migrants to be in the summit text  and drew a link between the issue of migration and the violence erupting in France.

"Put these two images together: that of Paris suburbs today, with big riots, the looting of stores, broken windows, cars on fire," against "calm Polish towns .. The image that we are defending is probably obvious: Poland has chosen security, peace and public order," he said.

Greek tragedy

The EU disagreement was played out in the shadow of a 14 June sinking of an overcrowded migrant boat off Greece in which at least 82 people drowned.

A Dutch-based rights group, Lighthouse Reports, accused Greek authorities of tampering with survivors' testimony to avoid allegations  made by some survivors  that the tragedy occurred because the Greek coast guard tied a rope to the vessel and powered away, causing it to capsize.

Survivors alledge they were pressured by Greek authorities to not speak to media, and to not attribute responsibility for the capsizing to the Greek coast guard.
Previously, people would only consider men as criminals, but as the world has changed, it is now known that women are just as likely as men to commit significant crimes. Despite the significance of the functions and social roles that women play in society, the problem of female criminality has persisted for a very long time, which is reasonable considering the mistreatment, neglect, and discrimination of women in society.

Women are occasionally capable of the most terrible crimes done with particular cruelty and cold blood, despite always being seen as the protectors of the family heart, examples of virtue, kindness, and compassion. The individual living circumstances of women themselves determine the criminological traits of female criminality, whether in industrialized or developing nations, as well as their characteristics. Poor living conditions, for instance, drive some women to commit crimes in Africa.



Ghanaians should stay away from young girls asking for rides on highways while carrying backpacks.

Even in industrialized countries, where living conditions are often better than in underdeveloped ones, women who are in dangerous situations, such as abusive homes or drug addiction, end up becoming criminals and even committing murder. The crimes committed by women vary, as do the reasons behind them. Women discover a variety of ways to live, including cyber and computer fraud, as society works hard to fight the crimes.

Young women asking for rides on Ghanaian highways are preparing for a nasty crime that many people don't think much about. These young women, carrying backpacks, scan the horizon for expensive automobiles that pull over at key intersections to buy food, petrol, or water. It appears that they are also adept at identifying foreigners. They are typically in groups of two, will approach you as you exit or enter your car and ask you if you can drive them to Takoradi or Accra.



Being kind is generally a good thing, but being too friendly could get you into danger because these young girls have plans to rob you while they are riding. Many guys offer them rides to Accra or Takoradi without knowing their motives, but they are well aware of when they must use their phones while the car is moving. They then make the necessary calls to the gangs they are collaborating with to rob you of your money, phone, computer, or vehicle as they pass you along on the highway.

You risk losing your life if caution is not exercised because individuals responsible for such crimes on the highways are armed. I have read numerous articles on these young girls, but I never imagined that I would ever be asked that question. I stopped at Mankessim, in Ghana's central region, on the way from Takoradi to Accra to get some fresh, flavorful roasted red plantains. As soon as I got inside my car, two young females with backpacks behind them approached me at the front passenger window and asked whether I was going to Accra. I had no idea where they had come from. I answered favorably.

They requested permission to join me. I am a compassionate person who enjoys helping others because it makes me happy, but when I saw the girls; my instincts told me to decline their offer. Even though I was on my way to Accra, I apologized to them and claimed it would be difficult for me to take them along. So I fetched my wallet and gave them 50 GHC to pay for transportation to their destination without saying anything about how risky it was to do that or why I didn't trust them.



Even though commercial buses were begging for passengers, the young girls refused to board any of them after I gave them the money. I kept a tight eye on them as they turned in another direction and continued to an unidentified location, making it clear they weren't going to Accra as they let me know. Did my intuition lead me in the correct direction? Yes, I made the proper choice; nevertheless, the fact that they didn't board any of the commercial vehicles after I handed them the money suggests that they have a nefarious scheme.

What's in their backpacks, exactly? Do they own secret weapons? Although it's difficult to tell, I know that when I'm dissatisfied about anything, my instincts are usually correct. For instance, I was prepared to board the public transportation to Accra when I arrived at the Cape Coast station about twenty years ago. I was asked to sit in the back seat of the Toyota Hiace bus because it wasn't completely packed. My instincts told me to say "no," therefore I did not. After a while, there was nowhere to sit on the bus, so the driver asked me to sit in the front seat with him.

The bus somersaulted on the way to Accra, and when it finally came to rest on its side in the bush, individuals were trapped in agony, some screaming in pain from various injuries. I wasn't hurt because I was sitting on the driver's side of the car. People were transported to the closest hospital, including one of the passengers I knew who broke his neck. What I still can't understand is how, when the somersaulted bus eventually came motionless, I found myself with my forehead touching the ground, like Muslims used to do when they prayed. I got up and leaped outside.



Life is lovely, but it also comes with many cautions, and in my opinion, if you are a nice person, youll always have an invisible angel watching over you. Please resist the temptation and avoid going in the wrong direction. Always have the instinct to refuse something that may help you avoid being a victim of terrible things.
01.07.2023 LISTEN

Joseph: "Can you see the woman over there that dumps refuge into the corner around her house?"

Maria: "Oh yes, I can see it. And over there, someone has done his Sunday washing. I can see the washing powder running into the open gutter. In the end, it is shocked by plants and plastic."

Joseph: "Our fisher folks harvest half of the cat plastic, the rest only small fish. Not worth going out to fish."

Maria: "The plastics come from far, but mostly we dump them into our water bodies, and so we destroy the maritime life. And we seem not to care."

Joseph:" People die because of this nonsense, and nobody cares. The ones that cry most are the same people that dump the most."

Maria: "That for good 65 years of independence, we still destroy our own environment, build open gutters instead of underground pipes, lay cables on posts instead of underground, mismanage our natural resources, don't put white people in place ahead of corruption attempts, stop voting for lesser corrupt parties but to vote for a party with a track record of not being corrupt at all is only to blame on us not to white man. We are not of mature minds."

Joseph: " My good friend Alberta like so many of us, invited her old father to stay with her for a few weeks in Germany. Now even in her family, envy has broken out to fight both of them, father and daughter. Pastors fight over the copyright and who is responsible for the success. And as we speak, the matter has been taken to the witchcraft master. I mean, in the white society, no pastors and no JuJu man get involved in such a situation."

Maria: "There is jealousy in any society for sure, but in our black society, we top it all. These spirits make our countries not progress, and it is only us being responsible for it. When we stop it, we can truly progress."

Joseph: "We do not have litter boxes in public spaces. This is not rocket science but brain work. Sponsors from afar and within would gladly sponsor it with their names on it. But here we say our own people would destroy them right away. Accra, by the words of our current president, was by now supposed to be the cleanest city in Africa. Look around Accra today, and you will see he is lying and smiling when meeting white presidents abroad."

Maria: "We as a people are not honest and truthful with ourselves. We like to joke about our future."

Joseph: "This we can not blame on the white man, only on ourselves. But now I see dark clouds coming over us, very symbolic of our situation here. And now we run for shelter just like we run to the IMF and World Bank. Something is seriously wrong with us. So before we get soaking wet, let's cover for shelter, my love. I guess we will stay there forever to hide..."

Maria: "Truth is always painful, but the sun is the reward for the process."
1. In 2010, Sarkodie was 22 and Yvonne was 25. Sark had the biggest hit songs in the country. In that year, Sark won 5 awards at the VGMA. He won the "Discovery of the Year", "Rapper of the Year", "Hiplife/Hippop Artist of the Year", "Album of the Year" and the ultimate prize "Artiste of the Year", among several awards. Sarkodie in 2010 was like Black Sherif in 2023. Sarkodie had his car (according to the book). Therefore, anyone who comes to you with the story that Sarkodie suggested an abortion because he lived with the mum and was poor is not telling you the complete truth. He may not have been super-rich, but not so poor to take care of a child. Yvonne herself was not poor either. At the time, she had bought her own house and owned her second car (Toyota RAV4). Sarkodie's reason for the abortion (that Yvonne wanted to complete school first) makes more sense than Yvonne's reason (that Sarkodie was poor).

2. Here is the deal; Yvonne and Sarkodie were NOT dating in 2010. They only had sex. Yvonne describes it as "we got closer" and Sark says "We had a thing". Technically, they were "just friends" who had sex. This is quite characteristic of "street life". That's why Sark describes Yvonne as "for the streets". Some people find this "street" description of Yvonne as insulting and offensive. If you find someone with 'churchy' behavior, you call them "church girl/boy". Similarly, if you find someone with 'street life', you call them a "street boy/girl". Same for the child of the rich "Dada-bee". We don't just give descriptions, it is people's lifestyles that merit the descriptions we give them. So if Sark calls Yvonne a "street girl", it's because Yvonne behaved in 'a street manner. How else should he have described her to please you? But wait oo, they are fighting, were you expecting him to praise her or circumvent?

3. Remember, Sarkodie has always referred to himself as "coming from the streets" (though he looks more refined for a street boy)- part of the reason the abortion story has become explosive. Imagine it was Shatta Wale- no news! Some time into their sex friendship, Sarkodie says he was hinted that he was not the only dude knacking her. They were plenty. Well, for a girl who can open her legs for a random friend, this revelation is not unbelievable. Sark says he decided to withdraw from Yvonne. It was around this withdrawal period that Yvonne called that she was pregnant for him. This was Sark's first reason to suspect a foul play.

4. Sark accepted the pregnancy but had his doubts even to date (he says that in the song). Of course, the pregnancy could be for any of the plenty guys or him. Sark then suggested they go to see his doctor. Yvonne declined. This intensified Sark's suspicion. Yvonne rather suggested she sees her friend's doctor. Sark, amid all the suspicion, still accepted the responsibility or played along, at least.

5. Now, this is the point of divergence. Yvonne claims that Sark initiated the abortion move because he was not ready for a child. She claims Sark lived with the mum and almost suggests Sark was poor then, with future success not guaranteed. Conversely, Sark also claims Yvonne mooted the abortion idea claiming that she was in school and would love to complete it. Between the two, Yvonne's claim that Sark was poor looks hard to believe (refer to Fact 1).

6. However, Sarkodie's claim that Yvonne initiated the abortion idea because she wanted to complete school first adds up. Because, in Yvonne's book, she writes, "       .         .     .             ." This statement from Yvonne herself corroborates Sark's claim that Yvonne herself did not want the pregnancy.

7. Sarkodie calls Yvonne a street girl who wasn't searching for true love. Yvonne consolidates this description of her in her book.

In the book, there are, at least, two guys who appeared real and true. Duncan Williams' son, Joel, and some guy in the UK (I've forgotten the name). With these two guys, Yvonne mounted some funny justification for leaving them. She left one because he asked them to seek prayers and another because of a TV remote. Some weird justifications bi. This is typical of a street girl. Eat and Go. No sentiments.

8. For Yvonne to pin her pregnancy on Sarkodie (when plenty of other guys were probable) even indicates that she found Sarkodie to be a responsible guy. Generally, when a playgirl gets pregnant, she inspects her list and selects the guy who looks responsible, and pins it on him. Looks like that's exactly what Yvonne did with Sark, at least, that's how the musician perceived the entire drama.

9. For now, it's Yvonne's word against Sark's. I'm not sure who you should believe but Sark's narration looks more consistent than Yvonne's. A lot of the descriptions Sark gave to Yvonne in the song, including referring to her as a "street girl", opting for the abortion herself, not looking for true love, etc are consistent with some inferences and explicit descriptions in Yvonne's book. The truth is, about 70% of what Sark said about Yvonne can be inferred from Yvonne's book.

10. Sark says he received a call from Yvonne just a few weeks ago. Yvonne was complaining she was still struggling from the debris of the abortion (13-year-old abortion oo). Sarkodie knew she was up to some drama so he suggested they meet at an open public space (Skybar restaurant). Yvonne declined. She wanted Sarkodie to go to her house (and discuss the abortion pain, after 13 years). She was coming to release an explosive book and needed some videos (and other evidence) to destroy Sark. The musician knew the antics and declined that "home" meeting. Indeed, there are several instances in the book where Yvonne videotaped people without their knowledge or consent, so Sark's suspicion was not far-fetched.

Away from Sarkodie.

11. Yvonne has opened up her mother to a very unnecessary public disgrace, ridicule, and insult. Apart from not showing Yvonne her father, this woman has made every reasonable effort, as a single mother, to give her daughter a good foundation. Her weakness of not being able to direct Yvonne to her father cannot be a reason to expose such a mother to a huge public disgrace. Even the role this woman played when Yvonne was pregnant with her current child deserved a complete chapter of praise-singing. But, Yvonne is only interested in the negative. If you've not read the book, you'd think the mother is some old witch destroying the destiny of her daughter.

12. Yvonne is overly dramatic about this "I'm looking for my father" thing. Without a father, you have become a Yvonne Nelson. You're 38. If you see your father today, then what? People have come from broken homes, single parenthood, and orphanages, and are fine. Some of them are not even successful. They are still on the streets hustling. You have come from a single parent and become a successful celebrity, business girl, educated to the Master's degree level (and can even go further), why all this fuss about a father? What will he do if he comes into your space now? What if he's dead?

13. Clearly, Sark's appearance and explicit mention in the book is more commercial than reasonable. Yvonne could have carried the message so perfectly, and made a good impact without Sark's name, like she did with the several other characters in the book. Sark's mention looks like a fragile attempt to get back at a responsible guy she never had. More like "If Sark is having a good home with all the finesse, lemme inject some negative vibe in there for him". Reading the book, I saw many positive events that were only mentioned in passing. I thought some of these positive things, events, and persons deserved chapters and paragraphs.

14. Ghanaians should allow, and in fact, encourage Sarkodie to speak up. No one should gag him. Men have been silent for too long. We were in this country when Funny Face nearly died because of a woman.

This prospective young man sadly had to end up in Psychiatry. I won't remind you of what Odartey Lamptey went through at the hands of a woman. Yvonne is clearly on an attack mission. In the book, Yvonne made references to abortion about 5 times, even in contexts that were not relatable. She had to keep repeating and emphasizing the abortion to drive home a message. How can she be suffering abortion pains after 13 good years when she has even given birth in between? The labor ward was not painful or memorable enough? You'd admit that even if they had not been aborted, Sark would have still needed a DNA report before he accepts the child (given the circumstance). So Yvonne's narration alone, without any evidence, cannot be taken hook, line, and sinker. Unless you're not objective.

15. This is NOT a battle against womanhood. Sarkodie is not fighting the women of Ghana. He is defending himself against Yvonne Nelson, a woman who seems bent on putting his brand, family, and source of livelihood on the line. Sark puts food on the table from his brand, and this is what Yvonne has attacked. Sarkodie has a daughter, one wife, and a mother who he's responsible for. He cannot be described as not respecting womanhood. I have told you before, of all the things around you, if someone decides to attack your family or source of income, that's a DEMON. Attack back with every fury in you- whether a man or woman or an animal. Never sit aloof and watch someone attack, destroy and take your name, joy, or source of livelihood to the gutters. Life is too short to allow your fellow human to destroy you. Sark understands this philosophy pretty well.

16. This is advice for Yvonne. See, when you write a book and release it to the public, you don't follow the public to impose an interpretation on them.

Once you release your material to the public, everybody has the right to make their meanings from it. If Ama Ata Aidoo, Kofi Anyidoho, Kofi Awoonor, Peggy Oppong, Shakespeare, and all the writers are to follow us and be imposing their works (and their meaning) on us, they'll kill the essence of Literature.

Your autobiography is a literary piece, whether you like it or not. Allow the public to make their judgments from your book. It adds beauty to the craft. Sarkodie read the book and felt a character in the book resembles him so he should release a song on the character.

Be happy that your book has caused someone to enter the studio.

That's the power of Literature. Your book has caused me to write this article. It has sparked debates in many ghettos, in classrooms, in the media, etc.

These are all allowed in Literature. Stop tweeting and talking plenty about your book. It affects the quality. You're the author, you've done your job by writing. Allow the readers to also do their job by critiquing.

Thank you

Counsellor Daniel Fenyi
Several workers at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital in Mampong Akuapem, Eastern Region, are expressing their discontent with the lack of basic medical supplies, such as gloves and gauges.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of victimization , some nurses and other health workers shared their concerns with Myoriginalonline.com. They highlighted that despite the hospital undergoing significant renovations, they continue to face shortages of essential items needed to care for patients.

Our safety is being compromised. Its unimaginable to work without gloves, especially during a time when there are many communicable diseases, revealed one nurse.

Another healthcare worker stated, Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital is a vital facility in this area, yet we lack fundamental resources like syringes and gloves. The facilitys management needs to take immediate action. Just look at the governments expenditure on renovating the facility, but we still cannot obtain basic necessities for our work.

We are afraid to speak to the media about the situation here. From the outside, everything may appear fine due to the renovated facility, but things are far from well. The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, needs to be made aware that the facility is on the verge of collapse, emphasized another worker.

Attempts to reach the hospitals management for comment were unsuccessful.

Source: Richard Obeng Bediako
The UN Security Council has voted not to maintain MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping force in Mali, as the mission ends on this day.

The United Nations Security Council voted on Friday to end the decade-long peacekeeping mission in Mali MINUSMA.

The 15-member council adopted a French-drafted resolution that called for MINUSMA to start "the cessation of its operations, transfer of its tasks, as well as the orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel, with the objective of completing this process by December 31, 2023."

The resolution came into effect this Saturday.

Mali's ruling military junta requested the departure of the 13,000-strong force "without delay," earlier in June.

Following the announcement made by Mali's foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, the US State Department expressed its concern about the effects the withdrawal will have on the security and humanitarian situation in the country.

However, such concerns from Washington did not influence the UN's decision.

Uncertain transition

Although the UN has been granted a six-month period to allow for a peaceful departure of its forces, Mali's junta could request a speedier withdrawal.

However, many political analysts worry a rapid disengagement will only leave Mali more vulnerable.

But for Mali's military rulers, the UN and western presence is seen as unwelcome.

One analyst told RFI English, "The junta accuses MINUSMA of being an instrument of France, to help the French to come back to Mali."

"Especially as French soldiers are still in neighbouring Niger. And the army is getting the attention of Malians every time they blame France, because of the deep bitterness Malians feel toward the colonial past. This isn't helping."

Like many experts on Malian politics, he wished to remain anonymous for fear of a backlash from the junta.

But if the force leaves too soon, he believes the risks for national and regional security sill increase significantly.

Regional security issues

Friday's decision from the UN comes as the country continues to fight an Islamist insurgency that emerged following an uprising in 2012.

The insurgency then spread to the whole Sahel region, in Niger, Burkina Faso, western Niger and  even more recently  to the north of Cote d'Ivoire.

MINUSMA was deployed by the UN Security Council in 2013 to support local and foreign efforts to restore stability.

Frustration over the growing insecurity spurred two coups in 2020 and 2021.

Mali's junto then teamed up with Russia's Wagner mercenary group in 2021.

On Friday, the international Crisis Group declared that the withdrawal of UN forces "is likely to worsen an already precarious security landscape."
01.07.2023 LISTEN

The u.s Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action on university enrolment is rejuvenating my interest to push for worldwide mandatory education for up to age twenty. Affirmative action for blacks enrolment in colleges is outdated, ineffective or at least exaggerated by mainly Democrats and educated non-thinking black leaders. Many U.S Republicans want us to believe in 'trickle down' theory in the world of finance, and their democratic counterparts want us to believe in 'trickle up theory ' of hope in the world of education access and government positions ? Both theory carry fractional facts, but largely illusory in effects. We need systems that accommodates for at least the average, preferably everyone. Diversity can be obtained through merits or very reasonable quotas that still encourage merits can be employed.

The pros and cons of every system or choice should be honestly gauged, and new systems be employed where need be. If over fifty or xyz percent of black students in universities are there by merit of education, ten or xyz percent of blacks by merits of sports, then ten or xyz of blacks may be there by 'affirmative action'. Claiming the black child seeing few more blacks in university through affirmative action will motivate them must be answered through honest guessing by percentage. How many decades of affirmative actions will lead to ninety-nine percent black high school graduate and at least seventy five percent college entry? Well, mandatory education for up to age twenty can do such and be a reasonable law than drafting in Ukraine, Israel, South Korea, and even u.s against next Vietnam or xyz? Up to age thirteen, it is super easy enforcement; once it is law, at least fifty percent will happily comply, so we may only have about five or xyz percent of teenagers who will be forced into special 'concentration camps' for how many years? The present status quo of 'luck and freedom' tempt many teenagers to quit school prematurely. This law is not about denying teenagers the right to part time work , pursue musical career, or xyz; it is simply to tell every teenager you must verifiably dedicate thirty or xyz hours a week in school until you are twenty years of age or suffer lot more through our educative camps up to age twenty two , twenty five, or different penalties. With AI, Robots, and many things in our heartless capitalist leaning nations and world, we seriously need such laws worldwide. Although any country can start it, the u.s is a country that many emulate, so pushing for it there can quickly see it around the world.

If a small good like 'affirmative action' have opponents, then indeed expect all kinds of silly excuses to oppose a much needed law and system for our generation, to help millions, way beyond blacks. The worst whites+ denied education through law, the best of humans should raise the standard of mandatory education through law. I have long said: Freedom without knowledge is dangerous. The human being is not much different from animals, except in our capabilities and willingness to enhance our minds. Although formal education is a fraction of learning, it is the aspect of learning we can voluntarily opt for and even imposed. We certainly imposed it on children or who never saw a child resist going to school. I rather be forced to go to school as teenager than be forced to fight for a so called country that will forward excuses on how to afford such, but can build prisons as traps, even over 'self hurting'.

The so called high end universities have professors that can be recorded and shared with anyone who is ready to learn. Curriculums can be shared, but building enough universities and broadening online courses are vital aspects for mass uplifting. Name propaganda will change if we shift even ten percent of the defence and offence budget towards research materials for universities in an information age of ours. The library bragging rights of Harvard or Duke University thirty years ago can be on few gigabytes in a university in the Gambia or xyz. Although I appreciate peace corps, I think having enough exchange students between u.s and every country is over due for diversity and higher level of globalisation beyond trade. Beside exchange students, exchange or join professors class sessions may help and boost morale. I suspect they are waiting for slow African leaders to propose it, beg for it, go to Moscow or Ukraine to have few students educate us how to work hard enough for enough grain or hemp bread, or keep on crying? Although Barrack Obama's father was said to be an exchange student that racist regretted, I do not know of one single Gambian exchange student in the USA, Canada, or UK... I also mean I do not see your students here because you think our universities are poor, so you rather have such with China or xyz until when? This part does not have to be mandatory, but encouraged as one to two years as teenager in a foreign country may greatly help. With culture of cameras and others, not only will the children of the over hundred thousand Gambians in u.s come with their white , Asian, or xyz classmates to adore our winters if they live in cold states, but imagine the other forms of learning before the sexual 'crimes'? Well, everything has pros and cons, so another Chinese 'Obama' may be born in Kenya or Senegal , but how many inventions may also occur in Africa+? No, this is too dangerous, the racists will have to fight it, censor even the article or private universities may try it with futuristic sponsoring companies.

Anytime the media airs some stupid Asians claiming 'affirmative action ' discriminate against American Asians they are vaguely claiming they are lower than whites and higher than blacks? They are saying ten or xyz of blacks are taking positions that could have been Asians until millions of black teens are forced to stay in school. Once the black+ teenager understands learn or go to concentration camps, s/he will rather learn and party on weekends than being where learning and little fun exist.

To those who prefer affirmative action in the name of diversity. Let seventy five percent of students be taken strictly on merits, then check if each race, tribe, or gender has at least five or xyz percent of their proportionate population in, then you may apply quota based affirmative action in the minimal and bounce back to merit based to fill the rest. If I own a private university or big company, this is how I may do it and doubt if any supreme Court or person dare sue me.

One can focus on the good affirmative action did or is still doing, but the harm it is doing through fractional facts seem much more. The naive Asian or xyz may think every black in university got there through affirmative action, and may discriminate against blacks somewhere due to such. Is it worth it to have few thousands of blacks accessing universities to cause millions of Asians+ against millions of blacks through unnecessary fights? I once told my Canadian white co-worker 'affirmative action is like a small wrong to rectify a bigger wrong'; but I truly believe some affirmative actions are counter productive and we must look for ways to uplift all, not few blacks. I am largely controversial in the minds of some, because I believe laws should see people as children, teenagers, and adults. So taking away 'freedom' from eighteen year old, or demanding responsibility on fifteen year old on consensual Pornography as example' may seem strange to some. Teenagers are honestly neither children nor adults, so we truly need laws concerning them, in and beyond education. May God bless us through Showlove Trinity: Let's learn, let's work, let's have fun.

By Jarga Kebba Gigo

An Activist and Transformer.

Optional note:

The u.s has this beautiful system of being able to enter and even graduate university as teenager. Once this becomes a law, it will mean more focus from teenagers and no financial barrier on education as teenager. This will prompt enormous focus from multiple directions and encourage positive competition, which can be as vital as diversity. It will force teenagers to minimise focus on money and raise the entry levels to college before you have a choice. The best minds will complete four year college by age twenty, to continue for masters or take a break. The average minds will at least start college before having a choice, so a chunk will optionally continue and a chunk may pause and continue later.

Of course there is this financial cost on government if it becomes law, but I think even poor countries should see it as needed investment like climate change urgency and thus demands this worldwide calling. Parents have been long indoctrinated to divorce responsibilities at age eighteen, but again what percentage of parents will resist, how to educate some and force some or loan the teenager rent+ are compromises and sacrifices we should take on.

Singapore is known to attract investment due to its highly educated populace, but too many Gambians or Africans still think High School education is still enough and blame the partially guilty politicians forever. Time changes and we truly do not have to wait for the u.s to enact such laws and enforce them. Having a big youth population is a specious asset they sold to you. Unless they are educated enough, ready to work enough, pointed to think, use conscience, etc they may be of limited good or a dangerous burden instead.

Similarly, the black child in the ghettos of America seeing one from the neighbourhood did it through merit, one or three through affirmative action through TV claims, but seeing what else in the hood or on TV as means to financial success is tempting forms of fractional realities. Some will choose drug selling because the laws may be dangerously lenient to adolescents, but no law to pressure him or her towards education. Some will overwork , but age of full time work need to change in our rapidly changing world. That teenager needs to understand there is a age range that says, learning is your primary task at so and so age, so how much time and efforts you employ in learning during that age will affect even the type of work or fun you may get for the rest of your life.

Children and teenagers belong to society and if we generously help all, then we can see higher responsibility. So the irresponsible parent may not properly support even a fifteen year old can be the focus against my calling, that I am encouraging bad parents, but that bad parent may not have been helped even to high school. By helping all teenagers with free education, we build a new form of parenting. Since I am known to be 'hard' on teenagers, if you get pregnant, we add years to your mandatory education. Teenagers should not be having children in our age, but there is a limit to what we can force on any, then tactically react towards each taking responsibility, not just so called rights. A teenager who consensually gambles a child Is not a victim, but a co-culprit, sometimes an under-educated one and encouraged by law and one sided media narratives.

Optional note 2:

A honest study of history shows : big devils deny you fun, bigger devils deny you work, and biggest devils deny you learning opportunities, up to law level. This can be seen in u.s slavery laws against teaching slaves and now in Afghanistan against women whose religious book have 'learning' as first commandment. The truth is the worst of people cannot hate explicitly much more. So there have to be tactical denying of learning and working opportunities, that victims and others may buy the excuses and harm even the adults. You can raise the cost of education or limit the universities to build to deny people access. You can make silly laws like using marijuana bars you from college or even working as bagger in a supermarket. Bad or illusory Joe Biden+ may want thousands of Blacks to have affirmative action, but does he want millions of black teens to have minimal hours of mandatory learning? Didn't he and how many people indirectly deny millions of blacks+ working opportunities over cannabis usage , while Asian Americans and whites drink alcohol? It is vital to be honest and be as precise as possible across the board, not cherry pick examples. A developed country like the u.s should be able to tell us precisely how many thousands of blacks benefited from affirmative action and reasonably estimate how many millions of blacks+ will benefit through mandatory education of eighteen or twenty. I prefer millions over thousands if positive impact is in question. Let the states try it, if the federal is slow or reluctant. If your state supreme Court limits you to eighteen, still try it , see the benefits, and change the constitution for more results.
Ukraine imposes sanctions on more than 190 individuals, 291 legal entities, incl against Georgian Airways, its owner

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy by his decree put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of July 1, 2023 "On the application and amendment of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)."

Decree No. 364/2023 was published on the website of the head of the Ukrainian state on Saturday.

"The President has imposed new sanctions against more than 190 individuals and 291 legal entities, mainly Russians, their factories and companies, as well as the Georgian airline Georgian Airways, which resumed flights to Russia, and its owner Tamaz Gaiashvili," said head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak on the Telegram channel.
Edmp Inc. grew its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 1.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,604 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,473 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for approximately 4.0% of Edmp Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Edmp Inc.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 24.6% during the first quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 48,832 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,179,000 after acquiring an additional 9,634 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 232.0% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 174,012 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,764,000 after acquiring an additional 121,599 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% during the first quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 12,288 shares of the companys stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 16.7% during the first quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,831 shares of the companys stock valued at $929,000 after acquiring an additional 2,984 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $45.86.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $45.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $51.57. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $45.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.69.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 22.44% and a negative return on equity of 245.43%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 120.90%.

About Altria Group

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $610.00 to $590.00 in a research report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $675.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 25th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $670.00 to $620.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $693.00 to $670.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $710.00 to $640.00 in a report on Thursday, May 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $629.77.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Performance

Thermo Fisher Scientific stock opened at $521.38 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $528.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $551.22. The company has a market capitalization of $201.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.99, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.79. Thermo Fisher Scientific has a fifty-two week low of $475.77 and a fifty-two week high of $611.06.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Dividend

Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $5.03 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $5.03. The company had revenue of $10.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.67 billion. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a return on equity of 19.16% and a net margin of 13.75%. Thermo Fisher Scientifics revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.25 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific will post 23.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. Thermo Fisher Scientifics dividend payout ratio is currently 9.13%.

Insider Activity at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total transaction of $855,712.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,586,110.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.22, for a total transaction of $5,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $77,055,942.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total value of $855,712.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,586,110.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Thermo Fisher Scientific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific during the first quarter worth approximately $30,464,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 14.0% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 62,780 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $36,185,000 after buying an additional 7,697 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the first quarter worth approximately $2,087,000. Verity Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 83.4% in the first quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc. now owns 820 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the period. Finally, Old North State Trust LLC lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 2,157.8% in the first quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 5,193 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,963 shares during the period. 96.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

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BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust (NYSE:BBN  Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,200 shares, a decline of 70.3% from the May 31st total of 81,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 173,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BBN traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 236,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 181,453. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.42. BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust has a fifty-two week low of $15.76 and a fifty-two week high of $20.32.

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BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.0929 dividend. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust Company Profile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. M&R Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Cambridge Trust Co. acquired a new position in BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000.

(Free Report)

BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It primarily invests in taxable municipal securities, which include Build America Bonds.

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UBS Group cut shares of BT Group (OTCMKTS:BTGOF  Free Report) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on BTGOF. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on BT Group from GBX 150 ($1.91) to GBX 145 ($1.84) in a research report on Tuesday, June 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on BT Group from GBX 275 ($3.50) to GBX 280 ($3.56) in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on shares of BT Group from GBX 160 ($2.03) to GBX 150 ($1.91) in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of BT Group from GBX 240 ($3.05) to GBX 225 ($2.86) in a research note on Friday, May 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $176.25.

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BT Group Stock Performance

Shares of BT Group stock opened at $1.58 on Tuesday. BT Group has a 1 year low of $1.25 and a 1 year high of $2.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.70.

About BT Group

BT Group plc provides communications products and services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through Consumer, Enterprise, Global, and Openreach segments. The Consumer segment offers landline, mobile, broadband, and TV services under the BT, EE, and Plusnet brands.

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China Literature Limited (OTCMKTS:CHLLF  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,124,300 shares, a drop of 56.5% from the May 31st total of 2,583,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 11,243.0 days.

China Literature Price Performance

Shares of CHLLF remained flat at $4.63 during trading on Friday. China Literature has a 1 year low of $4.50 and a 1 year high of $5.43. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $5.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.21.

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China Literature Company Profile

(Free Report)

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China Literature Limited, an investment holding company, operates an online literature platform in the People's Republic of China. The company promotes intellectual properties primarily through its online literature platforms, such as QQ Reading and Qidian; and New Classics Media, a film and TV drama series production house.

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Yokogawa Electric (OTCMKTS:YOKEY  Free Report) is one of 145 public companies in the Specialty Industrial Machinery industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare Yokogawa Electric to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, dividends, risk, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Yokogawa Electric and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Yokogawa Electric N/A N/A N/A Yokogawa Electric Competitors -17.23% 1.48% 0.31%

Dividends

Yokogawa Electric pays an annual dividend of $22.93 per share and has a dividend yield of 58.8%. Yokogawa Electric pays out 21.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Specialty Industrial Machinery companies pay a dividend yield of 3.4% and pay out 28.3% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Yokogawa Electric is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Yokogawa Electric 0 0 0 0 N/A Yokogawa Electric Competitors 930 3258 4300 43 2.41

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Yokogawa Electric and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

As a group, Specialty Industrial Machinery companies have a potential upside of 15.25%. Given Yokogawa Electrics rivals higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Yokogawa Electric has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Yokogawa Electric and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Yokogawa Electric N/A N/A 0.37 Yokogawa Electric Competitors $4.01 billion $311.69 million 661.87

Yokogawa Electrics rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Yokogawa Electric. Yokogawa Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.0% of Yokogawa Electric shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 33.3% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies are owned by institutional investors. 28.1% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies 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.

Summary

Yokogawa Electric rivals beat Yokogawa Electric on 7 of the 10 factors compared.

About Yokogawa Electric

(Free Report)

Yokogawa Electric Corporation provides industrial automation, and test and measurement solutions in Japan, Southeast Asia, Far East, China, India, Russia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Middle and South America. It operates through three segments: Industrial Automation, Measuring Instruments, and Aviation and Other Businesses. The Industrial Automation and Control Business segment offers field instruments, such as flow meters, differential pressure/pressure transmitters, and process analyzers; control systems and programmable controllers; and various software products and services. The Measuring Instruments segment provides waveform and optical communications measuring instruments, and signal generators; electric voltage, current, and power measuring instruments. The Aviation and Other Businesses segment offers instruments for aviation industry. The company serves oil and gas, oil, and gas downstream, LNG supply chain, chemical, power, renewable energy, water and wastewater, mining and metal, pharmaceutical, battery, pulp and paper, iron and steel, and food and beverage industries. Yokogawa Electric Corporation was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Musashino, Japan.

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Shares of Deutsche Telekom AG (ETR:DTE  Free Report) fell 0.5% on Friday . The stock traded as low as 19.84 ($21.57) and last traded at 19.93 ($21.66). 4,255,420 shares were traded during trading, The stock had previously closed at 20.03 ($21.77).

Deutsche Telekom Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 152.84. The stock has a market cap of $99.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of 20.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of 20.73.

Deutsche Telekom Company Profile

(Free Report)

Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers.

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Dominos Pizza Enterprises Limited (OTCMKTS:DMZPY  Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 200 shares, a decline of 60.0% from the May 31st total of 500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, UBS Group downgraded shares of Dominos Pizza Enterprises from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th.

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Dominos Pizza Enterprises Stock Performance

Shares of DMZPY stock remained flat at $14.85 on Friday. 53 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 341. The companys fifty day moving average price is $16.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.05. Dominos Pizza Enterprises has a 12-month low of $14.35 and a 12-month high of $25.85.

Dominos Pizza Enterprises Company Profile

Domino's Pizza Enterprises Limited operates retail food outlets. The company holds franchise rights for the Domino's brand in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, and Taiwan. It operates a network of 3,396 stores. Domino's Pizza Enterprises Limited was founded in 1983 and is based in Brisbane, Australia.

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) had its price target increased by Barclays from $420.00 to $500.00 in a report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on LLY. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $432.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $478.00 to $507.00 in a research note on Monday, May 15th. 3M reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, April 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $447.00 to $498.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $437.90.

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Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $468.98 on Tuesday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $434.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $377.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $296.32 and a 1-year high of $469.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $445.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.56, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.36.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.78 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is 71.86%.

Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 225,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $398.48, for a total value of $89,658,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 101,908,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $40,608,622,608.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 225,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $398.48, for a total value of $89,658,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 101,908,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,608,622,608.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total value of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,086,543 shares of company stock valued at $445,911,136 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gries Financial LLC raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 689 shares of the companys stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 49.0% during the 1st quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 228 shares of the companys stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Mark J. raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Bradley Mark J. now owns 19,040 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,539,000 after buying an additional 1,435 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $638,000. Finally, Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,374,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock.

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Hang Seng Bank Limited (OTCMKTS:HSNGY  Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,600 shares, a decline of 75.0% from the May 31st total of 38,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 144,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Hang Seng Bank Price Performance

Hang Seng Bank stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $14.25. The stock had a trading volume of 35,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,476. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $14.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.23. Hang Seng Bank has a one year low of $13.28 and a one year high of $17.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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Hang Seng Bank Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th were given a $0.1233 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 12th.

About Hang Seng Bank

Hang Seng Bank Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking and related financial services to individual, corporate, commercial, small and medium-sized enterprises, and institutional customers in Hong Kong, the Mainland of China, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, Global Banking, Global Markets, and Other.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke at a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Saturday, said Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of the Holos faction.

"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke in the Parliament today [on July 1]," the MP wrote on the Telegram channel.

Zhelezniak recalled that this is the second visit and speech of Sanchez in the Ukrainian parliament: "Last time he was with us on February 23 of this year."

At the same time, Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the European Solidarity faction, clarified that the Spanish Prime Minister began his speech on Saturday with the words: "Ukraine will win this war!"

"It is important, as I have already written, that Madrid begins its six-month presidency of the EU today. And it is with a visit to Ukraine that it begins. This is a powerful signal of support. Spain will support us until Ukraine regains sovereignty and peace comes to our country," the parliamentarian added.
Hitachi, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:HTHIY  Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,400 shares, an increase of 132.7% from the May 31st total of 4,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 77,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Hitachi Price Performance

HTHIY stock traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $124.47. The companys stock had a trading volume of 16,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,269. The stock has a market cap of $58.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Hitachi has a fifty-two week low of $83.49 and a fifty-two week high of $128.48. The companys 50 day moving average is $119.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.75.

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Hitachi (OTCMKTS:HTHIY  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The conglomerate reported $5.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.46 by $0.25. Hitachi had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 12.42%. The business had revenue of $20.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $17.98 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Hitachi will post 8.05 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

About Hitachi

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hitachi in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a conviction-buy rating for the company.

(Free Report)

Hitachi, Ltd. provides information technology, energy, industry, mobility, and smart life solutions in Japan and internationally. The company offers information and telecommunication services, such as internet of things, storage systems, servers, software, ATMs, and scanners for manufacturing, communication, finance, healthcare and life science, energy and transportation, and distribution industries, as well as government and urban sectors; drone platform and unmanned aerial system traffic management solutions; infrastructure information systems; and consulting and system integration services.

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Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (OTCMKTS:IDEXY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 57,500 shares, a growth of 248.5% from the May 31st total of 16,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 476,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Industria de Diseno Textil in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. They set an outperform rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $22.33.

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Industria de Diseno Textil Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS IDEXY traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $19.43. The stock had a trading volume of 124,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 285,018. The companys 50 day moving average price is $17.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.99. Industria de Diseno Textil has a twelve month low of $9.97 and a twelve month high of $19.45. The firm has a market cap of $121.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.08.

Industria de Diseno Textil Increases Dividend

About Industria de Diseno Textil

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 28th were given a dividend of $0.2358 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 27th. This represents a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Industria de Diseno Textils previous dividend of $0.16. Industria de Diseno Textils dividend payout ratio is 70.15%.

(Free Report)

Industria de Diseno Textil, SA engages in the retail and online distribution of clothing, footwear, accessories, and household textile products through various retail concepts. The company sells its products under the Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, and Zara Home brands.

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Invesco (NYSE:IVZ  Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. TheStreet downgraded Invesco from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th. Credit Suisse Group raised Invesco from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and increased their price target for the stock from $14.50 to $15.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Citigroup began coverage on Invesco in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a neutral rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Invesco from $18.00 to $18.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Invesco from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $17.50.

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Invesco Stock Performance

IVZ stock opened at $16.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 4.88, a quick ratio of 4.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.35. Invesco has a 12-month low of $13.20 and a 12-month high of $20.56. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $15.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.13.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Invesco ( NYSE:IVZ Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The asset manager reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Invesco had a return on equity of 7.86% and a net margin of 14.87%. The businesss revenue was down 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Invesco will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IVZ. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Invesco during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Invesco by 150.1% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 1,688 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Invesco by 125.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,844 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company acquired a new stake in Invesco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Invesco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 65.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Invesco

(Free Report)

Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds.

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Navalign LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IVE  Free Report) by 21.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,381 shares of the companys stock after selling 902 shares during the period. Navalign LLCs holdings in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF were worth $513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 6.5% during the first quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the companys stock worth $557,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. StrategIQ Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $326,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 104,543 shares of the companys stock worth $15,865,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares during the period. TIAA FSB boosted its stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. TIAA FSB now owns 17,328 shares of the companys stock worth $2,630,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Connecticut Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,897 shares of the companys stock worth $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the period.

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iShares S&P 500 Value ETF Stock Performance

iShares S&P 500 Value ETF stock opened at $161.16 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $154.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.77. iShares S&P 500 Value ETF has a 52 week low of $127.33 and a 52 week high of $161.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.94.

About iShares S&P 500 Value ETF

iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P 500 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 S&P 500 Value Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market and consists of those stocks in the S&P 500 exhibiting the strongest value characteristics.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IVE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IVE  Free Report).

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iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (TSE:XIU  Free Report) shares were up 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$30.37 and last traded at C$30.37. Approximately 1,538,287 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 2,546,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$30.21.

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$30.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$30.68.

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iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were issued a dividend of $0.257 per share. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th.

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF Company Profile

iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P/TSX 60 Index through investments in the constituent issuers of such index, net of expenses. The Index is comprised of 60 of the largest (by market capitalization) and liquid securities listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), selected by Standard & Poors (S&P) using its industrial classifications and guidelines for evaluating issuer capitalization, liquidity and fundamentals.

Further Reading

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Jeronimo Martins, SGPS, S.A. (OTCMKTS:JRONY  Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,900 shares, an increase of 280.0% from the May 31st total of 500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JRONY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America upgraded Jeronimo Martins, SGPS from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Jeronimo Martins, SGPS from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $23.40.

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Jeronimo Martins, SGPS Stock Up 0.7 %

JRONY stock traded up $0.40 during trading on Friday, reaching $55.24. 1,643 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,640. Jeronimo Martins, SGPS has a 12 month low of $35.06 and a 12 month high of $56.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.40. The company has a market capitalization of $17.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.56.

Jeronimo Martins, SGPS Cuts Dividend

About Jeronimo Martins, SGPS

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.8547 per share. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 15th. Jeronimo Martins, SGPSs payout ratio is currently 43.08%.

(Free Report)

Jeronimo Martins, SGPS, SA operates in the food distribution and specialized retail sectors in Portugal, Poland, and Colombia. The company operates through Portugal Retail; Portugal Cash & Carry; Poland Retail; Colombia Retail; and Others, Eliminations and Adjustments segments. It operates food stores under the Biedronka name; and a chain of health and beauty stores under the Hebe banner in Poland, as well as food stores under the Ara name in Colombia.

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Kesko Oyj (OTCMKTS:KKOYY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,200 shares, a decline of 91.1% from the May 31st total of 13,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 24,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Kesko Oyj Stock Performance

OTCMKTS KKOYY traded down $0.00 on Friday, reaching $9.43. 3,296 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,171. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $9.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.66. Kesko Oyj has a fifty-two week low of $8.51 and a fifty-two week high of $12.82.

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Kesko Oyj Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 20th. This represents a yield of 3.13%. This is a positive change from Kesko Oyjs previous dividend of $0.08. Kesko Oyjs payout ratio is 56.00%.

Kesko Oyj Company Profile

Kesko Oyj engages in chain operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It operates through three divisions: Grocery Trade, Building and Technical Trade, and Car Trade. The Grocery Trade segment comprises wholesale and B2B trade of groceries, and retail of home and specialty goods under the K-retailer brand; and operates store retail chains under the K-Citymarket, K-Supermarket, K-Market, and Neste K grocery brand.

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LGT Group Foundation trimmed its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 556,128 shares of the companys stock after selling 24,221 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises about 1.0% of LGT Group Foundations holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. LGT Group Foundations holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $34,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Salem Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,359 shares of the companys stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 23,188 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,448,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 2,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 16,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,056,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.2% during the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 14,369 shares of the companys stock worth $891,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 68.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total transaction of $9,649,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $28,468,984.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 150,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total value of $9,649,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at $28,468,984.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Henrique Braun sold 16,950 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $1,085,308.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,272 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,682,196.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 420,786 shares of company stock valued at $26,886,224. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $71.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Barclays upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $67.67.

KO opened at $60.22 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $61.92 and its 200-day moving average is $61.60. The stock has a market cap of $260.43 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $54.01 and a twelve month high of $65.47.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.96% and a net margin of 22.69%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. Coca-Colas payout ratio is currently 80.70%.

About Coca-Cola

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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Maltin Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,333 shares of the asset managers stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BX. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackstone by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,196 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackstone by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,825 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 1st quarter valued at about $235,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Blackstone by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 9,998 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV lifted its position in Blackstone by 200.5% in the first quarter. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 22,483 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $1,975,000 after buying an additional 15,001 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.65% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Multi-Asset Direct Blackstone sold 3,000,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.50, for a total transaction of $25,500,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Multi-Asset Direct Blackstone sold 3,000,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.50, for a total transaction of $25,500,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Holdings L.P. Blackstone III sold 34,000 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Monday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.15, for a total transaction of $1,025,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,808,228 shares in the company, valued at $295,718,074.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 117,282 shares of company stock valued at $646,274 and have sold 3,430,100 shares valued at $43,380,183. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Blackstone Stock Up 0.2 %

BX stock opened at $92.97 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $86.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. Blackstone Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.72 and a fifty-two week high of $110.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 113.38, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.50.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The asset manager reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.97. Blackstone had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 18.51%. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 73.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Blackstone Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. Blackstones payout ratio is currently 400.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on BX shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. TheStreet cut shares of Blackstone from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $100.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Blackstone from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Blackstone from $111.00 to $106.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $102.70.

Blackstone Company Profile

(Free Report)

Blackstone Inc is an alternative asset management firm specializing in real estate, private equity, hedge fund solutions, credit, secondary funds of funds, public debt and equity and multi-asset class strategies. The firm typically invests in early-stage companies. It also provide capital markets services.

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its stake in shares of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE:WTRG  Free Report) by 246.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 262,691 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 186,776 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned 0.10% of Essential Utilities worth $11,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 27,626,496 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,143,183,000 after acquiring an additional 535,454 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,324,563 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,089,311,000 after acquiring an additional 633,910 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Essential Utilities by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,295,529 shares of the companys stock valued at $550,169,000 after acquiring an additional 149,565 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in Essential Utilities by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,020,228 shares of the companys stock valued at $289,318,000 after buying an additional 516,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Essential Utilities in the 4th quarter valued at $206,493,000. Institutional investors own 70.17% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essential Utilities news, President Colleen Arnold sold 1,244 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.84, for a total value of $52,048.96. Following the transaction, the president now owns 7,796 shares of the companys stock, valued at $326,184.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the companys stock.

Essential Utilities Price Performance

Shares of WTRG traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $39.91. 954,293 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,002,262. The company has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.79. Essential Utilities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.50 and a fifty-two week high of $52.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firms fifty day moving average is $41.39 and its 200 day moving average is $43.99.

Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.02). Essential Utilities had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 19.75%. The business had revenue of $726.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $682.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. Essential Utilitiess quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Essential Utilities, Inc. will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WTRG. StockNews.com lowered Essential Utilities from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, June 26th. Northcoast Research lowered Essential Utilities from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, May 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $54.00 price objective on shares of Essential Utilities in a report on Thursday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Utilities has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $52.38.

About Essential Utilities

(Free Report)

Essential Utilities, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, or natural gas services in the United States. The company operates through Regulated Water and Regulated Natural Gas segments. It offers water services through operating and maintenance contract with municipal authorities and other parties.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law on providing military personnel with the opportunity to drive cars with the right steering during martial law and within 90 days after its cancellation.

As noted in the card of relevant bill No. 9238 posted on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the document was returned to parliament with the signature of the head of state on June 30.

As reported, on June 28, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Bill No. 9238.

As the explanatory note says, the bill is aimed at increasing the ability of the Defense Forces of Ukraine to properly and effectively perform the functions assigned to them by providing units with the necessary amount of automotive equipment, including at the expense of right-hand drive vehicles.

The document provides for the introduction of appropriate amendments to Article 29 of the law "On Road Traffic" by stating its fifth part in a new version: "During the period of martial law and within 90 days after its cancellation, participation in road traffic of vehicles with the right steering wheel position received by military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations as charitable assistance, international technical assistance, and the management of which is carried out by military personnel in the performance of their official duties."
Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:PAC  Free Report) by 302.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,546 shares of the transportation companys stock after buying an additional 38,001 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico were worth $9,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico by 12.7% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico by 7.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,769 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,091,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico during the first quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico by 64.4% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,274 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico by 2.3% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 12,494 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,969,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 12.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

PAC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. HSBC upgraded shares of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $150.50.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Trading Up 0.8 %

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Cuts Dividend

Shares of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico stock traded up $1.36 on Friday, hitting $178.72. The stock had a trading volume of 42,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,365. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. has a one year low of $126.01 and a one year high of $200.85. The stock has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.29. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $180.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.70.

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th were issued a $2.0894 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 16th. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacificos dividend payout ratio is 58.22%.

About Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico

(Free Report)

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, SAB. de C.V., together with its subsidiaries, manages, operates, and develops airports primarily in Mexico's Pacific region. The company operates 12 airports in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Tijuana, San Jose del Cabo, Guanajuato (Bajio), Hermosillo, Mexicali, Los Mochis, La Paz, Manzanillo, Morelia, and Aguascalientes.

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Mister Car Wash, Inc. (NYSE:MCW  Free Report) CFO Jedidiah Marc Gold sold 4,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.46, for a total transaction of $34,508.34. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,588 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $199,554.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Mister Car Wash Price Performance

Mister Car Wash stock opened at $9.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.02. Mister Car Wash, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.80 and a 52-week high of $12.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The companys 50 day moving average is $8.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.05.

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Mister Car Wash (NYSE:MCW  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.02). Mister Car Wash had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 13.15%. The firm had revenue of $225.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $231.61 million. On average, research analysts expect that Mister Car Wash, Inc. will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mister Car Wash

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MCW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Mister Car Wash by 25.7% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,357 shares of the companys stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Mister Car Wash by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 184,107 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,723,000 after purchasing an additional 25,960 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Mister Car Wash by 19.9% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 15,536 shares of the companys stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 2,583 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in Mister Car Wash during the 1st quarter worth $165,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Mister Car Wash during the 1st quarter worth $63,000.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MCW shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Mister Car Wash from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Mister Car Wash from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Mister Car Wash from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Mister Car Wash in a research report on Thursday. They set a buy rating and a $11.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mister Car Wash currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $10.13.

About Mister Car Wash

(Free Report)

Mister Car Wash, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides conveyorized car wash services in the United States. It offers express exterior and interior cleaning services. The company was formerly known as Hotshine Holdings, Inc and changed its name to Mister Car Wash, Inc in March 2021. Mister Car Wash, Inc was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

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Mitsubishi Shokuhin Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:MSHXF  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 500 shares, a decline of 54.5% from the May 31st total of 1,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently  days.

Mitsubishi Shokuhin Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:MSHXF remained flat at C$25.06 during mid-day trading on Friday. Mitsubishi Shokuhin has a 52 week low of C$22.31 and a 52 week high of C$27.70. The company has a 50 day moving average price of C$25.06 and a 200 day moving average price of C$24.51.

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Mitsubishi Shokuhin Company Profile

(Free Report)

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Mitsubishi Shokuhin Co, Ltd. engages in the wholesale of processed foods, frozen and chilled foods, alcoholic beverages, and confectioneries in Japan and internationally. It is also involved in other business activities, including distribution and other services. The company was formerly known as Ryoshoku Ltd.

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Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL  Free Report) in a research note released on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued a top pick rating on the transportation companys stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Delta Air Lines from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Delta Air Lines from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Delta Air Lines from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $52.32.

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Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

NYSE:DAL opened at $47.53 on Wednesday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $37.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.17. The company has a market cap of $30.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.24. Delta Air Lines has a twelve month low of $27.20 and a twelve month high of $47.73.

Delta Air Lines Cuts Dividend

Delta Air Lines ( NYSE:DAL Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 13th. The transportation company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.04). Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 56.49% and a net margin of 3.51%. The firm had revenue of $12.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.23) earnings per share. Delta Air Liness revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 7th. Investors of record on Monday, July 17th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 14th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Delta Air Liness dividend payout ratio is currently 13.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David S. Taylor purchased 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.56 per share, for a total transaction of $167,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 15,360 shares of the companys stock, valued at $515,481.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director David S. Taylor acquired 5,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $33.56 per share, for a total transaction of $167,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,360 shares of the companys stock, valued at $515,481.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joanne D. Smith sold 7,513 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total transaction of $277,229.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 107,782 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,977,155.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders bought 15,000 shares of company stock worth $503,250 over the last 90 days. 0.89% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Delta Air Lines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,779,351 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $516,095,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445,953 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Delta Air Lines in the 4th quarter valued at $60,640,000. GMT Capital Corp raised its position in Delta Air Lines by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. GMT Capital Corp now owns 5,399,600 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $177,431,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584,000 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,396,524 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $129,679,000 after buying an additional 1,504,544 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 211.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,127,687 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $73,661,000 after buying an additional 1,443,810 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.35% of the companys stock.

About Delta Air Lines

(Free Report)

Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Seoul-Incheon.

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Rogers Communications (TSE:RCI.B  Free Report) (NYSE:RCI) had its price objective boosted by National Bankshares from C$76.00 to C$79.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on RCI.B. CIBC upped their price objective on shares of Rogers Communications from C$75.00 to C$76.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Rogers Communications from C$70.00 to C$72.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Rogers Communications from C$75.75 to C$72.75 in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Rogers Communications from C$74.00 to C$90.00 in a report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Rogers Communications from C$68.00 to C$70.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Rogers Communications has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$75.98.

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Rogers Communications Stock Down 0.2 %

Rogers Communications stock opened at C$60.44 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of C$62.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$63.28. The firm has a market capitalization of C$25.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 364.52, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.91. Rogers Communications has a one year low of C$50.53 and a one year high of C$67.67.

Rogers Communications Company Profile

Rogers Communications Inc operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The Wireless segment offers wireless voice and data communication services to individual consumers, businesses, governments, and other telecommunications service providers; postpaid and prepaid wireless services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands; and wireless devices, services, and applications to consumers and businesses.

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Investment analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:NBY  Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday. The brokerage set a hold rating on the stock.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

About NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

(Free Report)

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops and sells eyecare, skincare, and wound care products in the United States and internationally. It offers Avenova Spray, a solution for removing foreign materials, including microorganisms and debris from skin around the eye, such as the eyelid; and wound care products, which are used for cleansing and irrigation as part of surgical procedures, as well as treating certain wounds, burns, ulcers, and other injuries under the NeutroPhase and PhaseOne brands.

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Nuveen Global High Income Fund (NYSE:JGH  Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 500 shares, a decrease of 94.9% from the May 31st total of 9,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 44,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Nuveen Global High Income Fund Price Performance

Shares of JGH stock traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $11.14. 42,918 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 47,040. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.97 and a 200-day moving average of $11.37. Nuveen Global High Income Fund has a one year low of $10.44 and a one year high of $13.10.

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Nuveen Global High Income Fund Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a $0.1035 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen Global High Income Fund

Nuveen Global High Income Fund Company Profile

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hollencrest Capital Management purchased a new stake in Nuveen Global High Income Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Nuveen Global High Income Fund by 161.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,342 shares of the companys stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 5,156 shares during the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. purchased a new stake in Nuveen Global High Income Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $126,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen Global High Income Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $130,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new stake in Nuveen Global High Income Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $131,000.

(Free Report)

Nuveen Global High 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 fixed income markets across the globe. The fund primarily invests in U.S. high-yield bonds, non-U.S.

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PEDEVCO Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:PED  Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,200 shares, an increase of 248.0% from the May 31st total of 17,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 172,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PED has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised PEDEVCO from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. EF Hutton Acquisition Co. I reissued a buy rating and issued a $2.40 price objective on shares of PEDEVCO in a report on Thursday, March 30th.

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PEDEVCO Price Performance

Shares of PED stock remained flat at $0.92 on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 39,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,954. The stock has a market cap of $79.64 million, a PE ratio of 30.51 and a beta of 1.17. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $1.01. PEDEVCO has a fifty-two week low of $0.80 and a fifty-two week high of $1.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at PEDEVCO

PEDEVCO ( NYSEAMERICAN:PED Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 16th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $8.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.12 million. PEDEVCO had a return on equity of 3.34% and a net margin of 10.50%. Research analysts forecast that PEDEVCO will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

In other news, CEO Simon G. Kukes purchased 130,453 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $0.89 per share, for a total transaction of $116,103.17. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 7,021,950 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,535.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 68.50% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PEDEVCO

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in PEDEVCO by 44.7% in the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 52,091 shares of the companys stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 16,083 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in PEDEVCO by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 945,769 shares of the companys stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 19,300 shares in the last quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in PEDEVCO during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in PEDEVCO during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in PEDEVCO by 44.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 79,800 shares of the companys stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 24,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.02% of the companys stock.

PEDEVCO Company Profile

(Free Report)

PEDEVCO Corp., an oil and gas company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and natural gas assets in the United States. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas. PEDEVCO Corp. is a subsidiary of SK Energy LLC.

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HSBC lowered shares of Raia Drogasil (OTCMKTS:RADLY  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports.

Raia Drogasil Stock Performance

Shares of RADLY opened at $5.61 on Wednesday. Raia Drogasil has a 12 month low of $3.50 and a 12 month high of $31.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.07.

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Raia Drogasil Company Profile

(Free Report)

Further Reading

Raia Drogasil SA engages in the retail sale of medicines, perfumery, personal care and beauty products, cosmetics, dermocosmetics, and specialty medicines in Brazil. It also markets its goods through telesales and call centers in the states of Sao Paulo, Tocantins, and Pernambuco. The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Retirement Planning Group trimmed its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Free Report) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,157 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,456 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Groups holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $2,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in USMV. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 140,054.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,961,456 shares of the companys stock valued at $790,321,000 after buying an additional 10,953,635 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $308,588,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 844.3% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,858,878 shares of the companys stock valued at $255,072,000 after acquiring an additional 3,450,227 shares during the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $234,835,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,988,250 shares of the companys stock valued at $858,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917,457 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Performance

BATS USMV opened at $74.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a one year low of $47.44 and a one year high of $55.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $72.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.50.

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

Further Reading

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a possible incident at the Zaporizhia NPP can be used by Russia to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

"There is a serious threat, because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to an outburst. We are discussing all this with our partners so that everyone understands why Russia is doing this, because we need to find logic. Besides the fact that they are terrorists, there is also logic in these actions," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday after talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

"Why? In order to show that this war is dangerous for the world. To provoke it in such a way as if they did not do it. For the information space, so that people are afraid of this, so that later partners who are skeptics will start to stop Ukraine politically, stop our counter-offensive actions," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, that's why we talked so much with our partners that the station should come under the full control of the Ukrainian authorities.

"And it is also important that at the time of the transfer of control of the station from Russia to Ukraine, everything was checked. Because there may be remote clearance. To say then: That's when everything was under the control of the occupier, everything was fine, and now, have a look, there is a radioactive emission. An important point," Zelenskyy said.
Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 10.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,630 shares of the companys stock after selling 690 shares during the period. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 404,894 shares of the companys stock valued at $21,248,000 after buying an additional 6,324 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.2% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,647 shares of the companys stock valued at $974,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,711,773 shares of the companys stock worth $141,690,000 after acquiring an additional 89,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $45.86.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $45.30 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $80.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The stocks 50-day moving average is $45.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.69. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $51.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.30%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 120.90%.

About Altria Group

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report).

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Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW  Free Report) CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.27, for a total value of $676,673.85. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,795,260.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

EW traded up $2.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $94.33. 4,475,337 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,123,730. The companys fifty day moving average price is $87.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 3.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 52-week low of $67.13 and a 52-week high of $107.92.

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Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.39 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 25.81% and a net margin of 27.07%. The companys revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edwards Lifesciences

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Castleview Partners LLC bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Core Alternative Capital raised its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 96.1% in the 1st quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 353 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 708.0% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 404 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 79.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $78.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $75.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $80.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. TheStreet raised Edwards Lifesciences from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $85.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Edwards Lifesciences has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $90.00.

Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile

(Free Report)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease, and critical care and surgical monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of heart valves; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases.

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Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,778 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $6,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 2,933 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,866 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,671,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Platform Technology Partners lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 4,218 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,449,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $701,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 76.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 24,819,473 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.61, for a total value of $536,348,811.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 110,337 shares in the company, valued at $2,384,382.57. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.66, for a total transaction of $1,012,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,052 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,082,458.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 24,819,473 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.61, for a total transaction of $536,348,811.53. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,337 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,384,382.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,833,500 shares of company stock worth $646,620,506. Insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Several brokerages have weighed in on GS. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $429.00 to $414.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $384.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 9th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $440.00 to $437.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $495.00 to $437.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $389.17.

GS opened at $322.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The companys 50-day moving average is $328.36 and its 200 day moving average is $339.69. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $277.84 and a fifty-two week high of $389.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.41.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The investment management company reported $8.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $8.14 by $0.65. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 13.23% and a return on equity of 9.84%. The company had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $10.76 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 31.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $10.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.60%.

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements.

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Shufro Rose & Co. LLC trimmed its stake in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J  Free Report) by 5.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,928 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,200 shares during the period. Shufro Rose & Co. LLCs holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $2,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,503 shares of the companys stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Vahanian & Associates Financial Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Vahanian & Associates Financial Planning Inc. now owns 1,770 shares of the companys stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Toroso Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 2,381 shares of the companys stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 9,967 shares of the companys stock worth $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Clarius Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 2,657 shares of the companys stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 85.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Jacobs Solutions Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:J opened at $118.89 on Friday. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 52 week low of $106.78 and a 52 week high of $138.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $115.43 and a 200 day moving average of $118.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.84.

Jacobs Solutions Dividend Announcement

Jacobs Solutions ( NYSE:J Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.03. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 4.96% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Jacobs Solutionss revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 7.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 26th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Jacobs Solutionss payout ratio is 17.25%.

Insider Activity at Jacobs Solutions

In other Jacobs Solutions news, insider Steven J. Demetriou sold 6,666 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.10, for a total transaction of $767,256.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 594,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,441,222.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Jacobs Solutions news, CFO Kevin C. Berryman sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.25, for a total transaction of $171,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 252,132 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,806,081. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Steven J. Demetriou sold 6,666 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.10, for a total transaction of $767,256.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 594,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,441,222.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,474,745 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on J shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $165.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Jacobs Solutions currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $149.00.

Jacobs Solutions Company Profile

(Free Report)

Jacobs Solutions Inc provides consulting, technical, scientific, and project delivery services for the government and private sectors in the United States, Europe, Canada, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Mexico, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three segments: Critical Mission Solutions, People & Places Solutions, and PA Consulting.

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SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge (OTCMKTS:SPXXF  Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 17,600 shares, a decline of 62.4% from the May 31st total of 46,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently  days.

SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge Price Performance

Shares of SPXXF stock remained flat at $8.00 during trading on Friday. SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge has a 52 week low of $8.00 and a 52 week high of $8.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.00.

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SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge Company Profile

(Free Report)

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SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge provides banking services in Northern Norway. It operates through Retail Market, Corporate Market, Leasing, and Markets segments. The company offers mortgage, car, vehicle, and other loan related services. It also offers vehicle, home, travel, personal, and pet insurance services.

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The Swiss Helvetia Fund Inc. (NYSE:SWZ  Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,200 shares, an increase of 108.8% from the May 31st total of 6,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 23,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

The Swiss Helvetia Fund Stock Up 0.7 %

SWZ stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $8.22. The company had a trading volume of 25,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,613. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.00. The Swiss Helvetia Fund has a twelve month low of $6.56 and a twelve month high of $8.44.

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The Swiss Helvetia Fund Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 21st were paid a $0.1229 dividend. This represents a $0.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 20th.

Institutional Trading of The Swiss Helvetia Fund

About The Swiss Helvetia Fund

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in The Swiss Helvetia Fund by 45.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 52,719 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 16,351 shares during the period. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC lifted its stake in The Swiss Helvetia Fund by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC now owns 258,159 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $2,047,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Shaker Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in The Swiss Helvetia Fund by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 285,163 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 55,669 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in The Swiss Helvetia Fund by 128.4% during the 1st quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 26,126 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 14,688 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in The Swiss Helvetia Fund by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,527,643 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $12,114,000 after acquiring an additional 149,701 shares during the period. 36.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(Free Report)

The Swiss Helvetia Fund Inc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Schroder Investment Management North America Inc The fund invests in public equity markets of Switzerland. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in value stocks of companies across all market capitalizations.

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UBS ETRACS 2xLeveraged Long Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN (NYSEARCA:BDCL  Free Report) crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $2.44 and traded as high as $2.44. UBS ETRACS 2xLeveraged Long Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN shares last traded at $2.44, with a volume of 173,800 shares.

UBS ETRACS 2xLeveraged Long Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Trading Down 0.4 %

The firms fifty day simple moving average is $2.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.44.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ur-Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:URG  Free Report) (TSE:URE) to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Alliance Global Partners cut their price target on Ur-Energy from $2.75 to $2.25 in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Ur-Energy in a report on Friday, April 14th. HC Wainwright cut their price target on Ur-Energy from $3.00 to $2.80 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, TheStreet raised Ur-Energy from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th.

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Ur-Energy Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:URG opened at $1.05 on Wednesday. Ur-Energy has a 1 year low of $0.82 and a 1 year high of $1.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 8.92, a current ratio of 9.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.97 million, a P/E ratio of -21.00 and a beta of 1.46.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

About Ur-Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Ur-Energy by 45.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 618,839 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 193,783 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ur-Energy by 57.0% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 118,272 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 42,939 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Ur-Energy by 187.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 432,499 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $692,000 after purchasing an additional 282,194 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Ur-Energy by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,332,258 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $14,932,000 after purchasing an additional 249,648 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. purchased a new position in Ur-Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $95,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.31% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Ur-Energy Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of uranium mineral properties. The company holds interests in 12 projects located in the United States. Its flagship property is the Lost Creek project comprising a total of approximately 1,800 unpatented mining claims and three Wyoming mineral leases covering an area of approximately 35,400 acres located in the Great Divide Basin, Wyoming.

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StockNews.com began coverage on shares of WidePoint (NYSE:WYY  Free Report) in a report released on Saturday. The firm set a sell rating on the stock.

WidePoint Price Performance

WidePoint Company Profile

(Free Report)

WidePoint Corporation provides technology management as a service (TMaaS) to the government and business enterprises in North America and Europe. The company offers TMaaS solutions through a secure federal government certified proprietary portal and secure enterprise portal that provides ability to manage, analyze, and protect communications assets, as well as deploy identity management solutions that provide secured virtual and physical access to restricted environments.

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Spain allocates a new aid package for Ukraine in the amount of EUR 55 million, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

"Spain has decided to allocate an additional EUR 55 million. In particular, EUR 51 million through the World Bank Group is for financing small and mediumsized enterprises in Ukraine, as well as EUR 4 million through the UN Development Program to provide schools in Ukraine with environmentally friendly and sustainable energy systems," he said, speaking at a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Saturday.

Sanchez also stressed that Spain seeks to accompany Ukraine in the recovery process, which "will require time and investment in many sectors."

"There are some areas, for example, railway infrastructure, in which our companies have certain know-how that can change the situation for the better. The Spanish government supports financing the necessary investments for the adaptation and modernization of Ukrainian infrastructure and manufacturing industries," the head of the Spanish government said.
Vinay Jaising - MD, Portfolio Management Services at JM Financial Services



The Indian Capex cycle is gearing up to take off. The Indian government in the Budget 2023 announced an increased impetus towards capex. Based on our estimates the capex spends by the government including the Public Sector Companies in FY2024 should increase from 4.1 percent of GDP to 4.9 percent. The overall Government share in capex is expected to grow from Rs 11.3 trillion in FY2023 to Rs 14.9 trillion in FY2024. (Source: Union Budget)



The Indian corporate too have slowly and steadily de-levered their balance sheets; and the capacity utilisation of the country is almost 74 percent (Source: RBI). Most companies have been using the route of buying sick companies or merging with smaller weaker companies and increasing their capacity and hence we have not seen a trend of increased capex for the corporate world as a whole, though we have seen great pockets of growth as well.



Over the last couple of years, steel players have acquired many companies under IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) process. For example, Tata Steel acquired BSL, JSW acquired BPSL and Monnet Ispat, Vedanta acquired Electro steel and Arcelor Mittal acquired Essar Steel. Similarly, the Cement sector has witnessed consolidation and market share gains by the six largest cement companies. The market share of the top-6 companies has increased by ~10 percent in the past 10 years (FY11-21) to 55.5 percent (Source: JM Financial).



Five sectors where we can witness the capex cycle playing off are a) Defence; b) Power; c) Railways; d) Water treatment and e) PLI-led Manufacturing.



Source: Union Budget



Source: RBI



Defence



In the Defence sector the Indian government is following the Atmanirbhar Bharat or Make in Indian theme. We have witnessed a surge in defence localisation orders. Historically, the defence sector depended a lot on imports from Russia, France and China for their requirement. In the case of aircraft, we believe Indian-made aircraft share will increase from ~18 percent (from existing fleets, which are dominated by these countries) to +40 percent of new orders over the next 1-2 decades. (Source: JM Financial)



Power



The peak demand in April-May 2023 was ~220GW against 245GW of effective capacity available. There has been underinvestment in the power sector in the past. However, the government has increased its focus on adding capacity in the power sector in both thermal and renewable to meet the demand that can grow by at least 7-8 percent. (Source: Ministry of Power, JM view)



Railway



Capital outlay of Rs 2.4 trillion for the Indian Railways in the Union Budget 2023-24 which is 9 times the outlay made in 2013-14. This will be spent across segments that include line additions, gauge conversion, signaling and other rail infrastructures. (Source: Union Budget)



Water



Water opportunities are significant across segments with the government focus on Jal Jeevan Mission, Namami Gange, Water treatment, irrigation, amongst others. One of the company under our coverage has a stellar Book-to-bill of 4.6x. (Source: Company, JM Financial)



Electronics Manufacturing Services



Manufacturing undergoing a policy-driven structural shift. Organic Policy Initiatives like PLIs, Competitive taxation regimes for new manufacturing facilities (15 percent) and China+1 have been the key drivers of growth momentum in electronics manufacturing. While business opportunities are large as just the demand from import substitution can drive 25 percent+ Revenue growth, the key challenge is to manage growth constraints to scale up. The industry is expected to grow at 25 percent+ CAGR for the next 3-5 years. For e.g industry estimates suggest, the Indian non-consumer, industrial electronics have a market size of ~Rs 800 billion, but Indian companies make only ~Rs 100 billion. India has the advantage of low labour cost for the next 10-15 years. (Source: Company, Industry Estimates)



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The government is giving Rs 6.5 lakh crore to the agriculture sector every year with each farmer getting a benefit of Rs 50,000 annually in one form or the other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while asserting it's "Modi's guarantee" and not just a promise.



In what was seen as a veiled dig at the poll promises made by Congress and other opposition parties in recent times, Modi listed benefits provided to farmers mainly in form of fertiliser subsidy, foodgrains procurement and PM-KISAN and said: "This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of farmers". "The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means, under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms," he said while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress in New Delhi.



"Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon (This is Modi's guarantee. I am only talking about what I have done and not the promises)," the prime minister said. "On an average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore yearly on agriculture and farmers," Modi said.



In the last nine years, Modi said the government has ensured supply of fertilisers at cheaper rates compared to other countries, bought large quantities of grains at minimum support price (MSP) and paid huge amount directly into bank accounts of farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, thus eliminating middlemen. Elaborating, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been transferred in the last four years directly into bank accounts of farmers under the PM KISAN scheme. Under PM-KISAN, farmers get Rs 6,000 annually.



"You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore," Modi said. The government has also ensured that the impact of rise in global prices of fertilisers does not affect farmers, he said and added that this 'Modi guarantee' has been provided by the BJP-ruled central government.



Modi further highlighted that farmers are getting a bag (45 kg) of urea at around Rs 270, which is much lower than Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and more than Rs 3,000 in America. The government has spent over Rs 10 lakh crore towards the fertilizer subsidy in the last nine years to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at a reasonable price, he said, and quipped "isse badi guarantee kya hoti hai? (can there be bigger guarantee than this)?"



Stating that the Centre has been serious about ensuring remunerative price for farmers' produce since 2014, Modi said the government has increased the MSP and also provided more than Rs 15 lakh crore to farmers in the last nine years through procurement of foodgrains at MSP. He also informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7 lakh crore for the fertiliser sector as well as increase in fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal.



The prime minister also talked about the role of cooperatives in making India self-reliant and a developed country by 2047. He asked cooperatives to become carriers of social and national policy instead of politics.



Modi stressed that cooperatives should become a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, and urged them to adopt digital tools in a big way. He called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing production of oilseeds and pulses, and help the country become self-reliant in cooking oils.



Modi underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country and hence the government has decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. As a result, a separate ministry has been created with a separate budget allocation. Cooperatives are also being given a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector. Several measures have also been taken to strengthen cooperative societies and cooperative banks, including reduction in tax rates, he said.



Modi noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government has increased transparency and ensured benefits for the beneficiaries. "Today, the poorest of the poor believe that corruption and nepotism have been eliminated in the upper echelons." He also stressed that the cooperative sector should become a "model of transparency and corruption-free governance" by promoting digital systems in the sector as this will increase transparency and efficiency in the market besides enabling better competition.



While more than 60,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) have been computerised, they now need to make full use of technology. They also need to contribute in exports and reduce import dependency in pulses and edible oils, he added. Stating that food security should not be limited to self-sufficiency in wheat, rice and sugar, Modi said India spends roughly Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore on import of edible oil, pulses, fish feed and processed food, etc. Cooperatives can contribute in making India self-reliant in these commodities.



The government has focused on reducing cane-arrears by promoting ethanol in the sugar sector. Ethanol worth Rs 70,000 crore was purchased from sugar mills in the last nine years, he said, adding that sugar mills were also given a package of Rs 20,000 crore for clearing farmers' dues. Modi exuded confidence that cooperatives will become a powerful medium of the country's economic source in the new India. He emphasised the need to build villages that will become self-sufficient by following the cooperative model.
India on Saturday called on Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and four civilian prisoners who have completed their jail term.



Islamabad has also been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners who have been in Pakistan's custody and are believed to be Indian, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.



India made the request in the context of the exchange of the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen by both countries as part of a practice to do so on January 1 and July 1 every calendar year under the framework of a 2008 pact.



The MEA said Pakistan was asked for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats.



India has shared lists of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed to be Indian, the MEA said.



"The government has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody," it said in a statement.



"In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and four Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence," the MEA said.



It added, "Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners in Pakistan's custody, who are believed to be Indian." The MEA said Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indians and believed to be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India.



It said India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. "In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 62 believed to be Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan," the MEA said.



"As a result of sustained efforts by the government, 2,559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014," it said.



This includes 398 Indian fishermen and five Indian civilian prisoners who were repatriated from Pakistan this year, the MEA said.




Soon after being denied regular bail by Gujarat High Court, social activist Teesta Setalvad moved the Supreme Court on Saturday but the judges differed on granting interim protection to her in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.



A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra, which heard the matter in a special hearing, urged the Chief Justice of India to assign the matter to a larger bench.



"There is a disagreement between us on the question of grant of bail. So we request the Chief Justice to assign this matter to a larger bench," it said.



Earlier in the day, the Gujarat High Court had rejected Setalvad's regular bail plea. Justice Nirzar Desai directed her to surrender immediately as she is out of jail after securing interim bail from the apex court in September last year.



"As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately," the court said in its order.



Enlarging her on bail will send a false signal that everything in a democratic country is so lenient that "even if a person goes to the extent of making efforts to unseat the then establishment and disrepute the image of the then chief minister to see that he is sent to jail", the person can be released on bail, the high court said.



This will 'encourage others also to act in a similar manner', it said.



Setalvad instituted litigations without any basis and made witnesses file false affidavits before various forums including the Supreme Court with the intention to implicate innocent persons and to unsettle the government and with an intention to tarnish the image of the then Hon'ble Chief Minister and thereby to send him to jail and compel him to resign, the high court said.



Showing her any leniency will encourage people to openly help an entity fulfil its agenda in an illegal and unlawful manner by playing with the sentiments of the community and changing the mindset of people in order to see to it that a particular political party gets sufficient swing in their favour, it said.



"Prima facie, this court is of the view that, today, if the applicant like this is enlarged on bail, that will deepen and widen the communal polarisation," the high court observed.



The court is also of prima facie view that Setalvad - a very influential person - can go to any extent to achieve her agenda as she did in the past by influencing the witnesses and by aggressively propagating against government and its machinery as well as the then chief minister", the HC said.



The accused also showed courage in the past to threaten the witnesses, tamper with the evidence and influence the people, it said.



Setalvad was taken into custody on June 25 last year along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a case registered by Ahmedabad crime branch police for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame innocent people in the post-Godhra riots cases.



An Ahmedabad sessions court had on July 30, 2022, rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and Sreekumar in the case, saying their release will send a message to wrongdoers that a person can level allegations with impunity and get away with it.



The High Court had on August 3, 2022, issued a notice to the state government on the bail plea of Setalvad and fixed the matter for hearing on September 19.



Meanwhile, she moved the Supreme Court (SC) for interim bail after the high court refused to consider her plea.



The apex court, on September 2 last year, granted her interim bail and asked her to surrender her passport with the trial court till the time the Gujarat High Court decided her regular bail plea.



The top court also asked her to cooperate with the probe agency in the investigation of the case.



Setalvad walked out of jail on September 3.
The founders of the Progressive Artists Group held only two exhibitions of their works in their entire lifetime. The last was in July 1949, two years after the formation of the group to seek a new vision for art in India when the country was on the cusp of independence. They mounted their works, which were completely different from each other in style and approach, on the walls of the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai in an epoch-making exhibition inaugurated by the famed writer Mulk Raj Anand. The artists never showed their works again together.







Seventy-five years later, the works of the six original members (none of them is alive today) of the Progressive Art Group are back on the walls again in an assertive show of their objective to practice art in a free and secular India that respected the plurality of the nation. Titled Luminous Legacy, the exhibition (June 30-July 10) which opened at the Triveni Kala Sangam in the national capital on June 30, has over 50 works, including paintings and rare drawings.



The Progressive Artist Group was founded by Francis Newton Souza, Syed Haider Raza, Krishnaji Howlaji Ara, Sadanand K Bakre, Hari Ambadas Gade and Maqbool Fida Husain in 1947. "Today we paint with absolute freedom for content and technique," wrote Souza in the group's manifesto that spelt out its purpose. The artists chose Baroda (now Vadodara), the cultural capital of Gujarat, for their first exhibition in 1947.



"In 1947, the Progressive Artists Group was founded by six artists. Two of them were Muslims, one was a Christian and the three others were Hindus. India was soon going to be free and a bloody partition was imminent. The country was in the grip of a huge communal tension. By coming together in the middle of all this, these six artists were reasserting the Indian plurality," says poet Ashok Vajpeyi, the executive trustee of the Raza Foundation, one of the partners of "Luminous Legacy". "Three years later, India was going to frame its Constitution that would formalise the plurality of the country."



Interestingly, there was no common artistic temper or approach that distinguished the group of six artists. Each had a distinct style though they were all deeply rooted and at the same time open to the world. "It was a kind of confident Indian rootedness that opened itself to the world," adds Vajpeyi. "No other group before or after them could produce eight globally renowned masters." The eight masters were Souza, Raza and Husain  the three original members of the Progressive Artists Group  and Akbar Padamsee, VS Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar and Tyeb Mehta, the five others who were later associated with the Progressives.







The Progressive Artists Group had a short life, disbanding soon after their show in Mumbai, as Raza left for Paris and Souza and Bakre for London. However, they remained friends, companions and mutual critics for life, exchanging letters from far. An original letter Gade wrote in 1955 to Raza promising him to refund Rs 69 and one from Husain to Raza chastising him for missing a meeting in India are part of the exhibition. "Vacationing in countryside comforts is a bourgeois habit. Come out of it. Look at your Indian compatriots sweating and working in Delhi's months of inferno," jokes Husain in the handwritten letter.







Among the works are Husain's Mehndi, a 1962 oil on canvas, and Toy series from the 1950s, Souza's Hampstead Terraces (1964), Raza's watercolours from the 1940s, Gol Gummad and In Forest and Ara's Foliage, Gade and Ara's works from the '50s and '60s. "Each of these artists were distinctly different," says art historian Geeti Sen, who has conceptualised the show. "Their aim was to produce art in the spirit of India, in a new climate of thought and a secular and free vision."







While different in individual styles, the works, all of which are from the collection of the Progressive Art Gallery (founded in Delhi 25 years ago by city art connoisseur RN Singh borrowing from a name suggested by Souza himself), also reflect the shared ideals of freedom and artistic integrity of the six founders of the Progressive Artists Group. Ara (1914-85) was never trained as an artist and continued to wash cars like he did before. Raza (1922-2016) grew up in a mud hutment inside a forest in Madhya Pradesh and returned to India from France where he spent more than 50 years. Souza (1924-2002) was a rebel, who was expelled from Mumbai's JJ School of Art. Husain (1915-2011) painted cinema hoardings in Mumbai before bursting onto the art stage and lived in self-exile in Dubai and London until his death. Gade (1917-2001), a mathematics graduate, taught in a university even after he became an artist. Bakre (1920-2007), a sculptor, returned to live in a remote village on the Konkan coast in his last decades of life.

"From Souzas brutal and occasionally poignant images to Husains expansive vision cutting across castes and community, from the rhythm of Aras raw, intuitive and unrestrained figures to Gades controlled abstractions, from Bakres experiments with texture to Razas metaphors of the bindu, we travel great distances in painting," says Sen, the author of Bindu: Space and Time in Raza's Vision (1997) and Image and Imagination: Five Contemporary Artists in India (1996). "Immense differences existed in the explorations by these artists. Yet by coming together to form the Bombay Progressives, they created a modern language in art."







"I do not remember any other group, of thinkers, philosophers, musicians or writers, who proposed a vision of Indian modernity like the Progressives did," says Vajpeyi as Sen adds, "Their ideas continue to inspire artists today."
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Friday said it supports Balasaheb Thackeray's vision of one nation, one law and appealed to the Centre to hold a discussion on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Parliament's monsoon session.



It targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, asking if a UCC would affect Hindus or just the Gandhis. The Thackeray-led Shiv Sena was split last year after Shinde revolted against the party leadership and joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister.



Addressing a press conference on the first anniversary of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader and Lok Sabha MP from south central Mumbai, Rahul Shewale, declared his party's complete support to the proposed UCC. He was accompanied by MPs Hemant Patil and Krupal Tumane.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for UCC and said Muslims are being instigated over the sensitive issue. UCC relates to a common law pertaining to marriage, divorce, inheritance, maintenance and succession of property for all citizens.



Shewale urged CM Shinde to get a resolution passed in support of UCC in the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature and send it to the Centre to let it know Maharashtra's stand on the issue.



We also request PM Narendra Modi to hold a discussion on UCC in Parliament's monsoon session, and a whip will be issued to all Sena MPs to support it, Shewale said.



The MP said UCC was one of the three dreams that Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had for the country.



Balasaheb had three dreams setting up a grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, scrapping Article 370 (which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir), and implementing a Uniform Civil Code in the country. PM Modi has fulfilled two of his dreams and the last dream of having a UCC will be completed soon, Shewale said.



He said that Balasaheb supported UCC because it is in the interest of every citizen, especially women who need equal status under the law.



Shewale also launched an attack on Uddhav Thackeray over his meeting with the members of the All India Muslim Personal Board.



His father openly supported the UCC. Yet today, he is wary of it and even spreading misinformation about Hindus being affected by it. The leaders of the Muslim personal board went to meet Uddhav Thackeray because they know he will oppose it. His real face has been exposed and the people of Maharashtra are watching it, Shewale.



The proposed law is not against any community, said the Sena MP.



Uddhav Thackeray said that the law will affect Hindus, it will not affect Hindus, it will only affect the Gandhis (of Congress) and that is why he is opposing it, Shewale said.



After he snapped ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) post the 2019 Assembly polls over the CM's post, Thackeray has been a part of the three-party alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) that also comprises the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.



Shewale said that former President of India Dr Abdul Kalam had supported UCC in 2003 and claimed that the Supreme Court also emphasised the need for a UCC.



Shewale further said that the Shinde-led Shiv Sena is treading on the ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray and has already declared his support for the proposed law.



The Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde is committed to Balasaheb's vision of one nation, one law. Even Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was in favour of the UCC, but it was the Congress that did not allow it to be implemented in the country for 75 years, Shewale said.
A Domino's Pizza delivery guy in Uttar Pradesh was sacked after a woman customer posted on social media that he had proposed to her. The incident took place after the man, identified as Kabir, texted the woman after making the delivery. Reportedly, he wrote, "Sorry, my name is Kabir, yesterday I came to give you pizza, I am the same, I liked you."



The messages left the customer, identified as Kanishka, unhappy and she took to Twitter to narrate the incident and tagged Domino's in her post.



I want to ask if this is ethical to send a delivery guy so that he could get anyone's number and address.

Even if he liked me, this is not the way to confess. It means he has misused the number given to the company for delivery purposes.@dominos@dominos_india



 kanishka (@KanishkaDadhich) June 30, 2023

Domino's replied to her tweets and stated that appropriate action would be taken against the man would be taken.



"Dont worry, emergency help is reaching shortly Appropriate action will be taken," they wrote.



The firm released a more detailed statement later to News18, where they condemned the incident and revealed that the company had started the process to terminate him.



"We are deeply concerned to hear about this incident. As a responsible corporate entity, Dominos India maintains an unequivocal commitment to a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of misconduct or harassment. Upon being apprised of the incident, we immediately delved into the matter.



Guided by pertinent laws and our companys policies, we have initiated the process to terminate the employment of the individual involved. We will provide our full cooperation with the concerned authorities in the investigation," the statement said.



After the tweet went viral, the local police intervened since the woman felt dissatisfied by the response from Domino's.



Also read: Man claims he found glass shards in Domino's pizza, shares pics; company responds
Netflixs second installment of Lust Stories is musty  kind of goes with the current Mumbai monsoons. Except, the rains unfailingly give us some joy  at least, when its advent is later-than-usual, and for a few days.



Three out of four films in Lust Stories 2 are such exasperating drudgery that lust, a primal impulse, is neither fun nor provocative to watch. The films by Sujoy Ghosh and Amit Ravindernath Sharma go beyond plain dullness to another plane overused in the worst of Bollywood  gratuitous show of male predatory instincts and the obsession with womens breasts. But the vacuity of these stories arent as much in the cleavage close-ups (a male character in Sujoy Ghoshs film even peers into the label of a red any bra, while the camera zooms in to the 36 DD written on it), as it is in their witless and imbecilic narratives.







A grandmothers excessive concern over her granddaughters sexual compatibility with her to-be husband is an unintentionally hilarious spectacle in R Balkis story which begins the anthology. Neena Gupta, wasted and conveniently placed in her liberated-after-midlife pigeonhole; Mrunal Thakur as granddaughter and her fiance (Angad Bedi), moronic post-millennial stereotypes  together they drive a story that turns lust and sex into a set of prescriptions for a long-lasting marriage  You will, at least, come back to each other if the sex is good. Which century was this script mid-wived in? The grandmother here, I am assuming, is supposed to be suffering not from a cognitive disorder, but from a case of being so progressive that she is a motormouth and Mahinder Watsas as-yet undiscovered twin.







Ghoshs story  a pulpy crime thriller kind of nightmare tale about a sexual encounter with the past  has actor Vijay Varma in yet another misogynistic psychopaths role, and Tamannaah Bhatia trying her best to fit into the films breast-obsessed narrative.



In Sharmas story set in a feudal time capsule of Uttar Pradesh, Kajol plays the abused and brutalised wife of an alcoholic sex fiend and Kumud Mishra, in the husbands role, plays it like Shakti Kapoor with subtle grins. Here too, the camera over-enthusiastically pries down a womans blouse over and over again.



In the anthologys only assured and crafty story, Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash play house-owner and house-help/cook who inadvertently become sexual allies without being involved with each other sexually or romantically. The story, directed by Konkona Sen Sharma (and written by her and Pooja Tolani), portrays sex as sensual desire as well as a function of class, politics, identity and social roles.







This is the second time Sen Sharmas invested in a character so distressingly yet eloquently balanced in the interstices of sexuality and class. The first was as an actor in her luminous portrayal of Bharti Mandal in a story, Geeli Pucchi, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan in Netflixs thematic anthology Ajeeb Daastaans (2021). Bharti was a gamechanger as far as sexual diversity goes in the Indian OTT universe.







The world has othered Bharti, a Bengali Dalit queer factory worker somewhere in Uttar Pradesh. The overwhelmingly male work force at the factory resents her; the managerial job she covets eludes her. With an imploding anger, self-bulldozing her way to survive, Bharti is attracted to women and explores her sexuality without trepidation or shame. Ghaywan places Bharti, and her sexual and caste identity in Indias historical fault-lines  a rarity even in shows coming out of countries where sexual openness has existed for much longer than in our society. Sen Sharmas directorial in Lust Stories 2 is lust through the prism of the personal as well as social  a classic tight narrative leading up to a moment of high-drama, unfolding in a very Indian context.







Sex is also the current Hollywood appetite. The rom-com is lame, and the sex comedy as post-millennial and Gen-Z women see it, is the bent. In No Hard Feelings, which released in Indian theatres on June 23, Jennifer Lawrence plays a financially strapped Uber driver who agrees, for a fee, to seduce the awkward teenage son of a wealthy New York couple. Asian American women created Joyride, releasing in the US on July 7, in which Everything Everywhere All at Once star Stephanie Hsu lead a loose foursome to China on a journey of friendship and self-discovery, breaking several dozen rules about drug use and sex along the way. Bottoms (in American theatres on August 25) has been described as a queer Gen-Z twist on the classic high school virginity tale. Two teenage lesbians start a fight club to woo the cheerleaders of their dreams. Intentional libidinous goof with political undertones is a Hollywood trend this summer.



In the OTT world, the sex is taken for granted. Given the cornucopia, Lust Stories 2 is an antiquated outlier  Bollywood style. In course of the last decade, streaming has shattered and redefined our taste for sex positivity. Not only are teenagers and adults both having lots of sex on our TV screens, often sex in OTT shows is transactional and utilitarian playing into the woke obsession with work-family balance,  less fun, less raw, lee unpredictable, but lots of it, from Masters of Sex on Amazon Prime to documentaries like Love, Sex and Goop on Netflix. The Gen-Z teenager and new adult, say many studies from the past few years, is having far less sex than earlier generations. They have more caution than most generations in the last five decades. But in India, things are a bit different.







MediAngels.com, a Mumbai-based e-healthcare company funded by the Union government, concluded in a study conducted this year on the sex life of Indian teenagers that the new average age of first sexual encounter in India is 13 years for boys and 14 years for girls. Since the beginning of the 2000s, several studies and real-life experience prove that the teen sexual revolution is reaching its peak in India. A show like Lust Stories 2 is blatantly off-kilter on the pulse. Ashim Ahluwalias Class on Netflix, an adaptation of the Spanish series Elite, streaming on Netflix since February this year, had something to say about this revolution. But otherwise we are still a filmmaking culture that needs an anthology dedicated to lust and sex to regurgitate old ways of looking at sexual desire. The first Lust Stories released on Netflix exactly five years age was a cautious foray into the world of stories about sexual desire. The second anthology, barring the saving force by Sen Sharma, Shome and Subhash, is far worse in both storytelling and theme.



So far, in the Indian OTT world, a truly liberated sexual being or a sexual relationship is rare. The bisexual Punjabi woman having a behind-doors relationship with a movie star in Four More Shots 2 was an aberration. Granular, authentic exploration of the flights and dangers of sexual desire is uncharted territory in Bollywood, which overwhelmingly feeds every major OTT. Making a film that delves into the complexities of a romantic-sexual adult equation are also hard to sell to OTTs unless there is a star attached to a project. And Indian stars dont do much sex. Himanshu Malik, producer, writer and director of Chitrakut, a film about two adult relationships that released in theatres in 2022 and is now on JioCinema, says that having grown up on the happy-ever-afters of Yash Chopra and Bollywood in general, Malik wanted stay true to the idea he started his script with: Relationships are not happy-ever-after. But theres something true and transformative about every relationship. He has been trying to sell a script which hinges around obsessive love and sex between two consenting adults called Noble Savage for many years now.







Homegrown soft-porn channels make sex a selling point in shoddily-produced, low budget dramas, some of which touch on age-old prejudices about sex in India. Mastram in MX Player ran for a long haul only to be nixed after a tussle between its producer and the platform MX Player. Fuh se Fantasy on Voot is again cheaply-filmed sexual experimentation. Virgin Bhaskar on Zee5 is about a 26-year-old virgin who has authored several erotic novels but is struggling to find a partner for his own unfulfilled fantasies. Apps like Ullu create content that replicate the women-with-big-breasts-titillate-us blueprint with shows that have the same old gaze on heterosexual desire.



Lust Stories 2 is close to an Ullufication for Netflix. And it wont go down well, at least, among urban Indians, for whom back-to-back catch-up of a great OTT show produced anywhere in the world is like an erotic longing all by itself. Weve seen a lot of great sex and great love, dont give us sexism and lectures.
By Sarah Percy, The University of Queensland



On the Swedish island of Bjorko lie the remains of Birka, a significant Viking trading post. Birka is studded with burial chambers, stuffed with clues about their occupants  amber, textiles, gold, silver and many other treasures. One particular chamber caught the eye of 19th-century archaeologists, who labelled the grave Bj.581. This grave contained weapons: a sword, an axe, a spear, a battle knife, two shields and 25 arrows, and the remains of two horses.



Clearly, this was the grave of a warrior. No one really looked closely at the skeleton in this grave to confirm it was male but for 100 years, the record held that the warrior in Bj.581 was a man.



An 1889 sketch of the archaeological grave labelled Bj581.

Wikimedia Commons



In the early 1970s, bone analysis suggested the skeleton was female. DNA analysis published in 2018 confirmed the bones were those of a woman, with two X chromosomes.The team conducting the DNA analysis also examined the relationship between the skeleton and the contents of the grave, drawing the same conclusion as all previous investigations: the person in Bj.581 was buried in a grave full of functional weapons and war-gear [] outside the gate of a fortress. If it looks like a warrior, and is armed like a warrior, it must be a warrior.



Critics were unconvinced. Had the authors of the study got the wrong skeleton? Had another skeleton been mixed up in the grave? (No, the evidence is firm on both points.) In spite of these sceptics, the story of this skeleton took off around the world, precisely because it challenged so many assumptions about women, combat and the history of war.



Women have long fought in wars, but their contribution is often erased. The military historian John Keegan famously wrote in 1993 that



warfare is [] the one human activity from which women, with the most insignificant exceptions, have always and everywhere stood apart [] Women [] do not fight. They rarely fight among themselves and they never, in any military sense, fight men. If warfare is as old as history and as universal as mankind, we must now enter the supremely important limitation that it is an entirely masculine activity.



But it turns out history is full of examples of women on the frontlines: women who fought in their own right, women who dressed as men in order to fight, and women who faced great danger supporting male troops in the teeth of battle. Women have survived and even thrived as part of the machine of war  but are rarely part of military history. Why have their stories been forgotten?





An engraving depicting Gesche Meiburg, one of the women who helped to defend besieged Braunschweig in 1615. Courtesy of Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel.





A convenient amnesia



The amnesia about women in combat is a convenient, if not deliberate, forgetting. When Western governments were forced by the 1970s feminist movement to consider the question of whether women should be allowed to fight, they often pointed to the all-male battlefields of the past, even if this history was inaccurate.



Decision-makers refused to see a history in which so-called women camp followers were following so closely they were actually on the battlefield, providing food and drink and supporting artillery fire.



They didnt see women in the thick of battle, fighting alongside men  most often disguised as men, occasionally in their own right, and sometimes (but rarely) even leading those men.



Women were a commonplace feature on battlefields. They also fought in sieges, which for long periods of time were far more common than pitched battles. In the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin), from the late 18th century, an all-female regiment of crack troops existed for 100 years.





Dahomey women soldiers photographed around 1890.

Wikimedia Commons





Suppressing this history helped perpetuate the exclusion of women from combat. This, in turn, stopped them taking on military leadership roles, which required combat experience  and these roles have been a crucial route to political and societal leadership. But perhaps more importantly, excluding women from combat served as a potent reminder that despite what the feminist movement told the world, women were not equal.



Women, it was long argued, were simply too fragile to fight. They would be uniquely and horrifyingly susceptible to violence on the battlefield. And men would be too distracted by their presence to fight properly; women would disrupt the essential bond between men, between brothers, that allowed for battlefield excellence.



The exclusion of women soldiers from combat was only overturned in Australia in 2011 and in the United States in 2013. In the United Kingdom, all combat roles were finally opened to women in 2018. The exclusion of women from combat for so long was justified by a dominant view of history that presented women as having rarely demonstrated an aptitude or interest in fighting. But that history is wrong.





A female American soldier tackles an obstacle course while training in 2015.

Robin Trimarchi/AP





A very good-looking corporal in our regiment



One of the most common, and intriguing, ways for women to enter combat was in male disguise. Women who dressed as men to become soldiers are known to have fought in the armies and navies of Russia, England, the Netherlands, France, various German states, and both sides of the American Civil War.



Around 119 cross-dressing women are documented as having served in Holland between 1550 and 1840; around 40 in ancien regime France; between 30 and 70 in Revolutionary France; 22 in the Prussian army during the wars against Napoleon in the early 19th century; and more than 60 in Britain between 1660 and 1832.





Ann Mills served on board the Royal Navys Maidstone frigate dressed as a man. Wellcome Collection





While these women were motivated to fight for many reasons  including safety, as life in the military was often more safe for a woman than life outside it  one of their primary motives was patriotism.



During the American Civil War, (186165), between 250 and 1,000 women fought. (The reason for the variation in all these numbers is that it is impossible to know how many disguised women fought  by definition we only know about the ones who were uncovered, not those whose masquerade was never challenged). There are multiple accounts of soldiers finding womens bodies among the dead on both sides of the conflict.



One Union Soldier remarked of a Confederate soldier,



Ive picked up a great many wounded rebs [rebels ] among these were found a female dressed in mens clothes & a cartridge box on her side [] she was shot in the breast & through the thy and was still alive &; as gritty as any reb I ever saw".



Part of the reason for the large number of disguised women during the Civil War is that all traditional forms of service for women (such as nursing or laundry) were reserved for men. The only way for a woman to join the war effort was to fight. More than 2 million men served in the Union Army and between 750,000 and a million men were in the Confederate forces over the course of the war.



Both sides were fighting a bitterly contested war with an almost insatiable need for manpower. This seems to have reduced the need for physical checks of soldiers, and as fighters were drawn from the general population, experience and skill were not the prerequisites they might otherwise have been.



One Union soldier described a new recruit encountered on a long march:



we enlisted a new recruit on the way to Eastport. The boys all took a notion to him. On examination, he proved to have a Cunt so he was discharged.





Illinois soldier Frances Hook also known as Private Frank Miller, Frank Henderson and Frank Fuller, pictured circa 1861 and 1865.

Wikimedia Commons





At least eight disguised women fought at the Battle of Antietam, where on the bloodiest day of the conflict, 30,000 were killed; this number may have been more, because investigations of a grave site near another battle found a female skeleton among the men. Her identity remains unknown.



Of the eight fighters at Antiteam, one woman had an arm amputated; one was shot in the neck. Another survived that battle, and the Battle of Fredericksburg, where she was promoted to sergeant only to give birth a month later.



There are confirmed accounts of five women fighting at Gettysburg. One lost her leg and two marched in the famous Confederate Army infantry assault called Picketts Charge. One of these anonymous women could be heard screaming in agony from her wounds on the battlefield. She would not have been alone. The Confederate Army lost more than half of the soldiers who fought that day to injury or death: 6,555 men.



Pregnancy of officers should have been a giveaway that there were disguised women in the ranks. And yet, one memo read,



The general commanding directs me to call your attention to a flagrant outrage committed in your command [] an orderly sergeant [] was to-day delivered of a baby  which is in violation of all military law and the army regulations. No such case has been known since the days of Jupiter.



Another soldier wrote to his wife, regaling her with the story of the very good looking corporal in our regiment who had fallen ill, before this same good looking corporal had been relieved of a very nice little boy and that the corporal and the boy was doing first rate.



His wife wrote back:



I think it was quite a grand thing about that corporal what a woman she must have been [] she must have been more than the common run of woman or she could never stood soldiering especially in her condition.





Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Lyons Wakeman.

Wikimedia Commons





Women recorded their own experiences in letters home, and some were unafraid of a soldiers life. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (Private Lyons Wakeman) wrote to her parents about fighting and marching with a typical soldiers bravado. I dont fear the rebel bullets and I dont fear the cannon



After a battle, she explained, I had to face the enemy bullets with my regiment. I was under fire about four hours and laid on the field of battle all night.



Women soldiers in the Civil War, despite extensive documentation (and photographs), were not officially recognised by Americans later on. In fact, their existence was totally denied. In 1909, the investigative journalist Ida Tarbell wrote to the adjutant general of the US Army asking whether his department had a record of the number of women who enlisted and served in the Civil War.



Tarbell received the following reply:



I have the honour to inform you that no official record has been found in the War Department showing specifically that any woman was ever enlisted in the military service of the United States [] during the period of the civil war. It is possible, however, that there may have been a few instances of women having served as soldiers for a short time without their sex having been detected, but no record of such cases is known to exist in the official files.



The office of the adjutant-general was either lying or lazy: they did have records of womens military service, including discharge records and pension records.





Frances Clayton enlisted in the Union Army under the name Jack Williams.

Wikimedia Commons





The playbook of patriarchy

Suppressing the memory of womens combat wasnt limited to the period after the American Civil War. The many examples of female combat during the 20th century included 800,000 to a million women who fought for the Red Army during World War II.





A Russian civil war poster, circa 1917-1921.

Wikimedia Commons





Yet officialdom chose to believe that women may have fought when their countries were desperate, as the Soviets were, or in rare exceptions cross-dressed as men, but as they were exceptional, their experiences were simply discounted.



In essence, keeping women out of combat became part of the of the playbook of patriarchy  at a time when the feminist movement was breaking down all the barriers to female employment in every other imaginable category. (The US had female astronauts in training 30 years before it allowed women in combat).





Roza Shanina, a graduate of the Soviet Unions Central Womens Sniper Training School, during WWII.

Wikimedia Commons





The contribution of women to warfare isnt just important in historical terms. There is a strong link between authoritarianism and the suppression of gender equality. The right to engage in combat is no different from any other right.



Before his 2016 election, it was widely reported Donald Trump was opposed to women in combat. One study showed the two strongest factors associated with opposing the deployment of a co-ed unit into combat were support for Trump and support for the Republican Party.



Moreover, womens demonstrated capacity in combat serves as a profound reminder of their overall social equality; it is harder to take away womens rights if they are equal on every level with men.



Ukraine today



Today, we are sitting at the crest of a major change, whereby generations of women will move through the military with no ceiling on their progression and no rules telling them what they cannot do. The consequences of this change are already visible in places like Ukraine.



The first Russian invasion in 2014 caused Ukraine to reassess its use of women in the military. In 2018, all positions were opened to women. By 2021, there were 57,000 women in the Ukrainian military, about 22.8% (vastly exceeding most other countries). Ukrainian women were ready to fight when Russia invaded last year, and there has not been much fuss about it.



They have taken on all roles, including leadership positions. They are fighting an enemy that has resolutely kept women out of combat, despite significant recruitment issues (and a long, if now ignored, history of female combat). Ukraine is far from a perfect place for gender equality in wider society. But as it becomes normal for women to fight, and as they become heroes of the war, things may change.



The conflict between Ukraine and Russia also underlines the argument that authoritarian governments, whatever their diversity, have one thing in common: they suppress womens rights. Russian President Vladimir Putins hyper-masculine style has relied on traditional views about gender. Domestic violence was decriminalised in Russia in 2017, and now is only punishable as a crime when the abuse is so severe it requires hospitalisation. Russian women are still barred from a list of 100 professions.



Unsurprisingly, the Russian military facing off against Ukraine has no combatant women in it  even when Putin had to forcibly conscript men to fight in 2022, he did not mobilise women. Indeed, the list of nations that admit women into combat roles remains almost exclusively a list of democracies with high levels of gender equality. Allowing women in combat roles is a key measure of gender equality.



As time goes on, in these countries at least, women will get more and more chances to demonstrate their leadership in the crucible of combat  and to bring back that leadership into society.



Sarah Percy is the author of Forgotten Warriors: a History of Women on the Front Line, published by Hachette.



Sarah Percy, Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on July 1 granted social activist Teesta Setalvad one week of protection from being arrested by the Gujarat police. This decision relates to a case involving the alleged fabrication of evidence to falsely implicate innocent individuals in the post-Godhra riots cases of 2002.



The court has stayed the order of the Gujarat High Court, which had denied Setalvad regular bail and ordered her to surrender. This stay will remain in effect for one week. The three-judge bench has also directed that the case be brought before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud so that a regular bench can be assigned to hear the case.



Earlier in the evening, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court referred the case to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud after they disagreed on whether interim protection should be granted to Setalvad.



The hearing took place late on a Saturday evening following the Gujarat High Court's rejection of Setalvad's regular bail plea. Justice Nirzar Desai directed her to surrender immediately, as she had been out of jail on interim bail granted by the apex court in September of the previous year.



Setalvad, along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, was taken into custody on June 25 of the previous year in a case registered by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch Police. The case accused them of fabricating evidence to frame innocent people in the post-Godhra riots cases.



An Ahmedabad sessions court had rejected the bail applications of Setalvad and Sreekumar on July 30, 2022, stating that their release would send a message that individuals could make allegations without consequences.



On August 3, 2022, the High Court issued a notice to the state government regarding Setalvad's bail plea and scheduled the hearing for September 19.



Meanwhile, Setalvad approached the Supreme Court for interim bail after the High Court refused to consider her plea.



On September 2, 2022, the apex court granted her interim bail and required her to surrender her passport to the trial court until the Gujarat High Court made a decision on her regular bail plea.



Setalvad was released from jail on September 3.
Spain supports the strengthening of NATO's partnership with Ukraine, in particular through the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council, according to the joint declaration adopted in Kyiv on Saturday during the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spain supports strengthening NATO's partnership with Ukraine, including through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council as a venue to further increase and expand the ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraines path towards the Euro-Atlantic family consistent with the Bucharest Declaration, the text of the Declaration reads.

Spain reiterates its support to NATOs Open Door Policy in accordance with the 2022 NATO Strategic Concept as well as the Madrid NATO Summit Declaration. Ukraine and Spain look forward to addressing these issues at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023, it also says.

During the talks, the President of Ukraine and the President of the Government of Spain reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of Russias ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, which undermines the rules-based international order and the United Nations Charter.

Spain supports Ukraines initiative for a just and sustainable peace in line with International Law and the UN Charter and based on Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, as stipulated in President Zelenkyy's Peace Formula, the Declaration also says.

According to its text, Ukraine and Spain reiterate their support for the investigations of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and have taken note of the courts arrest warrants.

Ukraine and Spain will continue to work together with others to develop mechanisms to provide compensation for losses, injuries and damages caused by the Russian aggression. To this end, they welcome the international register of damage presented at the Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe on 16-17 May 2023, the text says.

Ukraine considers Spain and Spanish companies primary partners in reconstruction, in particular in the infrastructure, energy, transportation, capital goods, health and digital sectors  Spain reiterates its support to the candidacy of Ukraine to join the EU, which will be among the priorities of its Presidency, the Declaration says.
Experiential getaways close to Bengaluru can range from dining within a farm, 4 am biryani, vineyards and wine rooms to mountain biking, trails through an ancient temple complex and coffee estates under old silver oak trees.



Food: Dining within a farm at FarmLore



Set on 37-acre farmland, this idyllic 18-table restaurant opens in the evening, is booked in advance, and serves a 10-course tasting menu. The talented team of young chefs led by Chef Johnson Ebenezer ethically sources seafood and meat, harvests vegetables and fruits on the farm, forages wild greens, and milks Gir and Halikar cows. The food is cooked in wood-fired ovens and pits, and the fire is generated from pruned mango wood.



The harvest-driven menu changes every day. In the past, FarmLore has served duck with a kokum sauce and potato dumplings, Bannur Lamb with a horse gram millet sauce, mushrooms cooked over mango wood, Barramundi in haldi sauce, and a crab and cheese pate served with anchovy garum (fish sauce).



Seasons decide what goes into your dish, and ingredients can be as varied as jackfruit, jamun, quail, Gongura, Mangalore prawns, corn, Bannur lamb, moringa, ragi, and Hallikar cow milk, duck, Kollam rice, huli soppu, Malabar oysters, Giriraja eggs, Teja chillies, Joni bella, Mandya butter, Coorg chocolate and Sanikatta salt!



At an hour's drive from the core of Bangalore city.



Food: 4 am Biryani at Mani Dum Biryani



Who leaves home at 3.30 am to eat biryani at 4 am, right? Well, some Bangaloreans in the know do. At about 10 km from the city centre (Central Business District around Vidhan Soudha), towards Hoskote, is a destination that attracts biryani enthusiasts. It also serves chicken fry and what is locally known as oil kebab, but it is the flavourful, juicy, meaty Donne Biryani (biryani served in donne or palm or papaya leaf cups) that motivates even the sanest of people to drive down before dawn.



Mani Dum Biryani began life in response to the needs of the fuel tanker and lorry drivers, and went on to feed the hungry employees of the IT-BPO sector who streamed out, blurry-eyed and hungry at 4 am, after night-long work. Word about the succulent pieces of meat cooked in flavourful rice spread quickly, and now, it attracts an audience beyond the people it was intended for.



Mani Dum Biryani is open three days of the week Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, as many Bangaloreans are vegetarian on other days of the week. Homemade masalas and a secret spice are used in a biryani made from a unique blend of Kesar Kali Kolum rice, India Gate basmati, and kuri or sheep meat sourced from local villages. About 220kg of mutton, 190kg of rice and 8ltrs of Nandini Ghee are cooked in each deghchi or vessel, and on weekends and public holidays, enthusiasts and biryani lovers can finish up to five to six deghchis in a matter of three to four hours.



At an hour's drive from Bangalore city



Farmer for a day: Kamadhenu Organic Farm



Just 45 minutes from Bangalore citys core, in the rural district of Janthagondanahalli, stands a farm with sprawling agricultural land interspersed by colourful homes. The organic farm once used to grow only one type of crop  carrots. It now grows over 40 varieties of vegetables on nearly two hectares. Take a walk around the farm, learn the basics of farming, pick your vegetables, and if you so desire, choose a plot within which you can tend on weekends.



At a 45-minute drive from Whitefield.



Vineyard and Wine Room Experience: Grover Zampa Vineyard and Wine Room



The Grover Zampa Vineyard and wine room is more than just a vineyard experience. It is also a lesson in history. Grover are one of the oldest winemakers in India, and the vineyard tour, besides taking you across acres of land covered with grape vines, will introduce you to how India began making wines and a brand like Grover (before it became Grover Zampa) began exporting it. Within the winery, you will stumble across a few clay amphorae or qvevris from Georgia, which are used to mature wines. The ancient world matured wines in amphoras and not barrels, and Grover is attempting to bring this tradition back.



The glass-fronted wine room with a view of the vineyards is equally impressive. End the day with a glass or more from the premium La Reserve collection of oak-matured Shiraz reds and Cabernet Sauvignon, and watch native birds that have made the grounds their home fly across blue skies.



At 1 hour and 12 minute drive from Bangalore.



Adventure: Trek or mountain bike up Skandagiri Hills



This one is special. You need permission from Karnatakas forest department and pre-book the trek dates on their official website since the hills lie deep within a sanctuary. Only 150 passes are allowed per day.



Skandagiri and Nandi are part of the same chain of mountains with a landscape of misty hills, a sea of clouds, dense forests and a summit point that rises 1400 feet above sea level. Skandagiri is home to the ruins of Tipu Sultans fort, demolished during British rule, and Samadhi caves carved out by Buddhist monks.



At a two-hour drive from Bangalore.







Heritage: Avani Betta



On the highest summit of the rocky mountain of Avani Betta stands a historical temple dedicated to just Goddess Sita. Local myth states that this is where Luv and Kush, the two sons of Lord Ram and Sita, were born. At the foot of the hillock is an ASI-protected Ramalingeshwara temple complex, home to almost 1,000-year-old pocket-sized shrines, a rare sight in a state where temples are a few storeys high.



Within the temple complex is another 13th-century Sita temple, a Lakshmanalingeshwara temple dedicated to the worship of Laxman, and a Bharateshwara temple which puts Bharat at the core. Across the shrines is a wealth of inscriptions, commissioned by royals such as Nolambas, Cholas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagara kings. Within the basement is a greater wealth of art and unusual sculptures: Mythical beasts, lions and elephants playfully cavorting, jauntily pulling each others tails, snarling and teasing, much like little puppies, while they march joyfully across the stone columns and walls.



At a two-hour drive from Bangalore.



On a coffee trail: Ratnagiri Estate



Those who obsess about coffee will love Ratnagiri Estate, a sustainable coffee plantation on the edges of the Western Ghats. Here, coffee is grown under the shade of luxuriant silver oak trees. Several coffee brands such as Blue Tokai and roasters such as KC Roasters are said to source their beans, and roasts, from Ratnagiris owner Ashok Patres pearly fields (Ratnagiri translates to Pearl Mountains). The estate uses advanced machinery such as stainless-steel tanks instead of concrete vats and a state-of-the-art dry mill to dry and roast the beans. The sustainably grown green coffee is then packed in vacuum-sealed grain-pro bags.



The estate offers tours that let you explore it on foot, learn how coffee is roasted, enjoy an afternoon siesta under silver oak canopies, and end the day with a cup of medium-dark roast coffee (creamy body, mild acidity and notes of brown sugar and milk chocolate), with strawberry jam and cocoa butter cream.



At a 35-minute drive from Bangalores city centre.
A 320-year-old Vienna-based newspaper named "Wiener Zeitung" printed their final edition on Friday. The key reason behind the discontinuation of the print edition was the financial difficulties faced due to falling revenues. In their final front page, released on Friday, the newspaper paid tribute to their legacy. The front page of the newspaper read, "116,840 days, 3,839 months, 320 years, 12 presidents, 10 Kaisers, 2 republics, 1 newspaper." The oldest newspaper in the world - the Wiener Zeitung - has been printed for the last time. This is the final front page pic.twitter.com/M28gHihw7W  James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) June 30, 2023 The newspaper was founded on August 8, 1703 with the objective to provide news in a straightforward manner, without using poetic language. Initially known as "Wiennerisches Diarium", the newspaper earned respect for publishing an extensive range of articles across domestic and foreign news, culture and business news. However, the newspaper started to face financial difficulties because of a recent law change, which removed the need for firms to publish changes to the commercial registry in their print edition. The newspaper was also forced to let go off 63 employees and downsized their editorial staff to 20 members. The news of "Wiener Zeitung" discontinuing their print edition left many on Twitter dejected. "Damn. I'm in Vienna today, June 30th, I'm gonna find this, frame & preserve it," one user wrote. One user tagged Tesla CEO Elon Musk and asked if he could buy the newspaper. "@elonmusk can you buy the oldest newspaper?," the user wrote. "Thats really sad but hope its online then," a third user wrote on Twitter.

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July 01, 2023

Ukraine Open Thread 2023-155

Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Posted by b on July 1, 2023 at 15:37 UTC | Permalink

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Armenia continues ecological terror against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

Ecological crimes with irreversible consequences were committed in the territories of Azerbaijan during Armenian occupation, and those crimes are still on the go on the border with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, in a form of a construction of a metallurgical plant in Arazdayan village.

The annual production capacity of the plant is expected to exceed 180,000 tons, meaning quite a lot of emissions and toxic gases.

The construction of this big plant means gross violation of internationally recognized standards and principles, especially those articulated in the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.

International organizations, and non-government bodies abroad should also not remain indifferent to this large-scale environmental attack of Armenia.

Commenting on the issue, Stephen Anguva Shikoli, an expert from Network of TB Champions Kenya said that the international community should take measures to prevent the plant's construction.

"I am strongly opposing the construction of this factory, because those chemicals that are going to come out from the production process at this facility will pollute the environment not only around it, but also in a wider region. The air we breathe, our climate - it is all interconnected. So, this disastrous construction will eventually branch out to air even in far Africa," he said.

According to the expert, the operation of this plant will hugely affect the wildlife in Kenya, for instance.

"We have already witnessed fatal outcomes of such facilities to the nature. All this money disbursed on the construction of this metallurgical plant could have been used to build new hospitals, or schools. So, I call upon the global civil society to oppose the construction of this factory," he added.

Human Rights activist from India, an official volunteer at Human Rights Commission HQ, Switzerland Mohmad Husain said that he construction of the metallurgical plant in Arazdayan village can create a serious public health crisis for the region.

The construction of such a factory poses a threat to human health, the environment and hampers sustainability. The potential repercussions of the metallurgical plant's toxic chemical waste on the local ecosystem are significant. This environmental impact will definitely affect human health and safety, flora, fauna, soil, air and water structures, he noted.

The expert also pointed out that the alarming possibility of this waste being discharged into the Araz river raises concerns for the wildlife inhabiting the river and the large farms relying on Araz water for irrigation.

Damage to drinking water supply is the damage to human health and water safety which can lead to spread of infectious diseases in border villages. We oppose this type of environmental contamination and crisis which can deeply affect human beings, fauna, flora, soil, fresh water supply and support Azerbaijan in its environmental campaign, he said.

According to Husain, the relevant international organizations, such as the UN and the WHO, should be called upon to respond to this situation and put an end to Armenia's ongoing environmental transgressions.

"We urge civil society organizations in Armenia, particularly those actively involved in public health to take immediate action and protest against the establishment of this plant. This construction will undoubtedly have a profoundly negative impact on Armenia's own environmental situation, too. I am absolutely against the decision regarding the construction of this plant, and I hope they will revoke this decision," the expert concluded.

Toxic waste from the plant could cause an ecological disaster in the region, and in particular, undermining the Araz river. There are two ways to resolve this issue: either the relevant international structures should immediately respond to this problem and make efforts to eliminate it, or Azerbaijan itself should take the necessary steps to prevent this catastrophe.

Unfortunately, the first option is still inactive, and international organizations continue to silently observe from the outside the next act of environmental terror and arbitrariness on the part of Yerevan.
Millions of Illinois residents get their drinking water from municipal and private wells contaminated with toxic forever chemicals
President Joe Biden, right, is joined by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as he announces new actions to protect borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down his student loan forgiveness plan in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Friday, June 30, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)
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Supporters of President Joe Biden's plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt react outside the U.S. Supreme Court, after the court ruled against Biden in a 6-3 decision favoring six conservative-leaning states that objected to the policy, in Washington, D.C. June 30, 2023.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Conditions were created for handing over the bodies of two Armenian servicemen, Yervand Tadevosyan and Samvel Torosyan, killed during 'Revenge-2' military operation, carried out in Azerbaijan's Karabakh by the Azerbaijani army on June 28 in response to the provocations of the Armenian armed forces, to Armenia, Trend reports.

The bodies of the killed servicemen of the Armenian armed forces [which remained in Karabakh contrary to the trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020 by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders] killed in Karabakh were accompanied by their relatives. The bodies were taken to Armenia through the Lachin border checkpoint.

The handover process has been held on 1 July through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

To note, five members of the illegal Armenian armed formations, including two servicemen of the Armenian armed forces, were killed during Azerbaijani military-led Revenge-2' operation.
Japanese journalist barred from entering Hong Kong without clear reason, newspaper says View Photo

HONG KONG (AP)  A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper said, raising concerns over the citys shrinking press freedoms.

The Japan Times, a prominent English-language newspaper, reported Friday that a freelance journalist was taken by officials to a room after arriving at the citys airport Thursday evening. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in the financial hub, was later interviewed for around an hour, it said.

Ogawa said officials only told him that he could not be granted permission to stay in the city and he was sent back to Tokyo on Friday, the report said.

It truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before, Ogawa was quoted as saying in the report.

In an email reply to the Associated Press, the Immigration Department in Hong Kong did not confirm the events and refused to comment on individual cases. It added the department acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case.

The entry denial has raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kongs press freedom, which was once a hallmark of the former British colony.

Hong Kong returned to Chinas rule in 1997 and was promised the right to retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover, but its press scene drastically shrank after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.

The law was introduced after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has prosecuted many leading Hong Kong activists, including Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, and other top management staffers at the newspaper.

The Japan Times said Ogawa has been closely following Hong Kong issues since 2014 and covered the 2019 movement but he did not plan to write anything about the city during his trip.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders tweeted Friday it was appalled at Ogawas ordeal.

Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May. The watchdog said the city has experienced an unprecedented setback since 2020, when the security law was introduced.

In January, the Hong Kong Journalists Association reported that Japan-based photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to the city in late 2022. The association said she had covered the 2019 protests and was grilled by authorities about her exhibition in Japan.

By KANIS LEUNG

Associated Press
Man who fatally shot 2 at Moldova airport is wanted for a kidnapping in Tajikistan

Man who fatally shot 2 at Moldova airport is wanted for a kidnapping in Tajikistan View Photo

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP)  A Tajikistan national who fatally shot two security officers at Moldovas main international airport is wanted in his native country in relation to the kidnapping of a Tajik bank official, authorities said.

The General Prosecutors Office of Tajikistan named the assailant as Rustam Ashurov and alleged he was a member of an organized criminal group that kidnapped the deputy chairman of a bank in Dushanbe, the Central Asian countrys capital, on June 23.

The prosecutors office said Ashurov, 43, a resident of Dushanbe, fled to Moldova via Turkey after a criminal investigation was launched with the aim of going into hiding in EU countries.

After arriving at Chisinau International Airport on Friday, he was denied entry into the country and grabbed a guards weapon as he was being escorted away by officials, according to authorities. He fatally shot two security officers. One traveler was also wounded in the attack.

Ashurov sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized after special forces intervened to subdue him, Moldovas acting prosecutor general, Ion Munteanu, said after the incident. He told reporters Saturday that his office filed a criminal case for murder with aggravating circumstances and said, no case (has been) initiated for terrorism.

The reason for the detention at the border was that the person could not clearly explain the reason for arrival and the purpose of being in the territory of the Republic of Moldova, Munteanu said, adding that the General Prosecutors Office is in continuous discussions with authorities in Tajikistan.

Moldovas president, Maia Sandu, identified the people killed Friday as a border police officer and an airport security employee.

The head of Moldovas police, Viorel Cernauteanu, told reporters Saturday that police exchanged fire with the attacker during the incident, which unfolded at 5:13 p.m. local time

Asked Friday if Ashurov had connections to Russian mercenary group Wagner, Cernauteanu said there was no evidence that the suspect has relationships with military or paramilitary structures and he was not listed in any international search system.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, neighboring Moldova  a country with a population of about 2.6 million people, and a European Union candidate since June 2022  has faced a long list of crises.

They included an acute winter energy crisis after Russia dramatically reduced gas supplies and recurring anti-government protests organized by a now-outlawed Russia-friendly political party against the ruling pro-Western administration.

Moldovas leaders have also repeatedly accused Moscow of conducting campaigns to try to destabilize the country, which, like Tajikistan, was a Soviet republic until 1991.
Riots erupt in French Caribbean territories in reaction to unrest in France over teens death

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Riots have erupted in French Caribbean territories to protest the police shooting death of a teenager in a Paris suburb, with at least one person killed as people set fire to dumpsters and damaged buildings.

The worst violence so far was in French Guiana, where authorities said that police officers came under fire and that a stray bullet killed a 54-year-old government worker late Thursday in the capital, Cayenne.

Columns of thick black smoke rose above some neighborhoods in Cayenne, turning streets hazy as police tried to quell protesters in the small territory on the shoulder of South America. Authorities urged calm as the territory braced for another possible night of rioting.

Officials said Friday that the man who was killed worked in the governments mosquito control office and was on his balcony when he was hit by the bullet.

(Its) a level of violence that is difficult to understand, Public Safety Director Philippe Jos told reporters.

French Guianas prefect, Thierry Queffelec, said businesses and public transportation would shut down early on Friday evening, and he announced a temporary ban on the sale and transportation of gasoline at night. He also said some 300 officers would be deployed Friday night along with drones and helicopters.

At least six people had been arrested, including five minors. No one was charged in the killing of the government worker.

Smaller demonstrations also were reported in the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, where no injuries or deaths were reported.

Residents in the French Caribbean, where racial tensions have long simmered and where some feel oppressed and ignored by France, have identified with those protesting the teens killing in France, where officials are grappling with rioting across the country.

Unrest also appeared in other French overseas territories, including on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion. Since Wednesday, protesters there have set garbage bins ablaze, thrown projectiles at police during clashes and damaged cars and buildings, regional officials said in a news release.

___

Associated Press writer Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

By DANICA COTO

Associated Press
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Taking into account the riots taking place in France as a result of the brutal killing of an Algerian teenager by the police, the mass violence committed by the police, civil disobedience, the lack of ability to take adequate measures by the authorities, and further exacerbating racist tendencies, the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan are advised to refrain from visiting the Republic of France unless necessary, and exercise caution by those who are visiting, Trend reports citing the press service of Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan.

"Citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan currently in France are requested to observe safety and security regulations," said the Ministry.

For consular and other questions, our citizens in France are requested to contact the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in France as following:

ADDRESS: 78, avenue d'Iena Paris 75116

TEL: +33 (0) 1 44 18 60 20

FAX: +33 (0) 1 44 18 60 25

E-MAIL: [email protected]

[email protected]
Jill Biden hosts military chefs crowned Chopped champs for guest stint in White House Navy Mess View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  An Air Force chef and a Marine Corps chef, both crowned Chopped champions during Jill Biden s appearance on a military-themed episode of the Food Network show, spent Friday whipping up lemon-herb scallops and osso buco in the White House Navy Mess.

Air Force chef Opal Poullard, 37, and Marine Corps chef Dustin Lewis, 34, accepted the mission from the first lady, who made a surprise appearance in a May episode of Chopped, as part of her White House initiative to support active-duty and retired service members, their families and caregivers.

A panel of judges ruled that the four-person team of military chefs, which included an Army and a Navy cook, had defeated a team of four Food Network celebrity chefs. The first lady congratulated the winners, gave them White House aprons signed by herself and President Joe Biden and invited them to the executive mansion to help cook for the Fourth of July on Tuesday.

The guest chef stint at the White House came as Jill Biden on Friday visited the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina, to help mark the 50th anniversary of the nations all-volunteer military, which she and the president will also celebrate on Tuesday.

After returning to the White House, the first lady visited Lewis and Poullard and sampled the food, her office said. She also met with the Navy Mess staff.

Poullard is a Los Angeles native based at Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia, where she is an advanced culinary instructor. Lewis, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, and is stationed in North Carolina, most recently was executive chef to the Marine Corps commandant. He previously served as the executive chef to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Lewis signature dish was lemon-herb scallops with wild mushroom parmesan risotto and roasted asparagus with white truffle herb oil and charred focaccia. Poullards, inspired by her travels to Rome, was braised osso buco, or veal shanks, served with polenta, shaved parmesan, crispy fennel and shallots.

The Navy Mess, located on the lower level of the West Wing of the White House, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for staff. The U.S. Navys Presidential Food Service operates the mess executive dining rooms and provides carryout and catering services.

-

Superville reported from Kissimmee, Florida.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and COLLEEN LONG

Associated Press
Virginia high school admissions case could be legal follow-up to affirmative action ruling View Photo

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A federal appeals courts ruling last month about the admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia may provide a vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to flesh out the intended scope of its ruling Thursday banning affirmative action in college admissions.

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, outside the nations capital, routinely ranks as one of the best public schools in America; admission is highly competitive.

A coalition of parents, backed by a conservative legal foundation, filed a lawsuit in 2021 challenging the admissions policy at TJ, and the foundation is asking the Supreme Court to take up the case. The suit raises similar but not identical issues to those addressed by the high courts ruling rejecting admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina as unconstitutional.

The colleges admissions rules took an applicants race into account as one of many factors to be considered. In the TJ case, though, all sides agree the admissions polices are race-neutral on their face.

But the coalition that filed the lawsuit says the admissions criteria amount to race-based proxies implemented to achieve racial balancing. They say the policy discriminates against Asian Americans, who had constituted 70% of the student body.

The coalition also cites the debate among Fairfax County School Board members when they implemented their new policy in 2020. Board members and administrators expressed frustration that Black and Hispanic students had been woefully underrepresented at TJ for decades. The coalition argues the new policies are intended to boost Black and Hispanic representation at the expense of Asians.

The first freshman class admitted under the new rules saw a significantly different racial makeup. Black students increased from 1% to 7%; Hispanic representation increased from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%.

The new policies replaced a standardized test with a process that allocates a percentage of seats on a geographic basis and takes a students experience factors into account, like whether they come from a low-income household or speak English as a second language.

Last year, a federal judge found the admissions policy unconstitutional, saying the discussion of admissions changes was infected with talk of racial balancing from its inception.

But in May, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond reversed that ruling. In a 2-1 decision, the judges said the school board had a legitimate interest in increasing diversity and that labeling those efforts as discrimination against Asian Americans simply runs counter to common sense.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the parents claiming anti-Asian discrimination, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case.

We think it presents a really strong vehicle and the time is right. And were certainly hopeful the court will take it up, said Joshua Thompson, a senior attorney at the foundation.

Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor at George Mason University, said there will be years of follow-up cases to Thursdays ruling, as is typical with major Supreme Court cases, as colleges drag their feet and look for ways to salvage policies to which they are ideologically committed.

He was less certain, though, that the TJ case will be significant. He said the debate over the constitutionality of TJs policies will be fact-intensive and center on what can be proved about the school boards motivations in implementing the policy.

More likely, he said, is debate over how colleges use essay questions on topics like diversity to achieve the same results as the now-banned affirmative action programs.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts majority opinion left a little bit of wiggle room on that front when he wrote that colleges can consider an individuals application essay and how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.

But Roberts also noted that colleges may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.

Kontorovich said colleges will ask essay questions about topics like diversity that will give them the latitude to quietly take race into consideration in ways that will be more subtle. Ultimately, though, he thinks the court, at least as its currently constituted, will reject those sorts of end-around attempts.

Fairfax County Public Schools said Friday it is reviewing the Supreme Court ruling.

Thompson said Pacific Legal expects to formally submit its petition to the Supreme Court in August and will likely know by the end of the year whether the case will be heard.

By MATTHEW BARAKAT

Associated Press
Web designer in Supreme Court gay rights ruling cited client who denies making wedding site request View Photo

DENVER (AP)  A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday could refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her.

The request in dispute, from a person identified as Stewart, wasnt the basis for the federal lawsuit filed preemptively seven years ago by web designer Lorie Smith, before she started making wedding websites. But as the case advanced, it was referenced by her attorneys when lawyers for the state of Colorado pressed Smith on whether she had sufficient grounds to sue.

The revelation distracts from Smiths victory at a time when she might have been basking in her win, which is widely considered a setback for gay rights.

Smith named Stewart  and included a website service request from him, listing his phone number and email address in 2017 court documents. But Stewart told The Associated Press he never submitted the request and didnt know his name was invoked in the lawsuit until he was contacted this week by a reporter from The New Republic, which first reported his denial.

I was incredibly surprised given the fact that Ive been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years, said Stewart, who declined to give his last name for fear of harassment and threats. His contact information, but not his last name, were listed in court documents.

He added that he was a designer and could design my own website if I need to  and was concerned no one had checked into the validity of the request cited by Smith until recently.

Smiths lawyer, Kristen Waggoner, said at a Friday news conference that the wedding request naming Stewart was submitted through Smiths website and denied it was fabricated.

She suggested it could have been a troll making the request, something thats happened with other clients she has represented. In 2018 her client Colorado baker Jack Phillips won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing to make a gay couples wedding cake, citing his Christian faith.

Its undisputed that the request was received, Waggoner said. Whether that was a troll and not a genuine request, or it was someone who was looking for that, is really irrelevant to the case.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Friday called the lawsuit a made up case because Smith wasnt offering wedding website services when the suit was filed.

Weiser didnt know the specifics of Stewarts denial, but said the nations high court should not have addressed the lawsuits merits without any basis in reality.

About a month after the case was filed in federal court challenging an anti-discrimination law in Colorado, lawyers for the state said Smith had not been harmed by the law as they moved to dismiss the case.

Her lawyers maintained Smith did not have to be punished for violating the law before challenging it. In February 2017 they said even though she did not need a request in order to pursue the case, she had received one.

Any claim that Lorie will never receive a request to create a custom website celebrating a same-sex ceremony is no longer legitimate because Lorie has received such a request, they said.

Smiths Supreme Court filings briefly mentioned she received at least one request to create a website celebrating the wedding of a same-sex couple. There did not appear to be any reference to the issue in the courts decision.

___

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report from New York.

By COLLEEN SLEVIN, JESSE BEDAYN and MATTHEW BROWN

Associated Press
WALLINGFORD  Driving down Center Street in downtown Wallingford one day, Favio Pillacela caught sight of an empty storefront for sale and knew instantly it would be a great place to open his next restaurant. He called his realtor and made an offer.

Now, with work underway refurbishing the inside of what will become Favios Trattoria at 80 Center St., owner and chef Pillacela looks forward to opening his fourth restaurant. He already runs Serafinos Restaurant & Bar in Wallingford, Vespuccis Restaurant in Cheshire, and Lidos Restaurant & Pizzeria in Meriden.

The trattoria is going to be more of a neighborhood restaurant with seasonal, contemporary dishes, Pillacela said. There will be some high end wines. The food, like with all my restaurants, will be high quality with fresh ingredients, seasonal when possible.

Pillacela, who has lived in Wallingford since moving from Ecuador in 1994, studied culinary arts at Gateway Community College in New Haven and then at the French Culinary Institute in New York. His restaurants feature Italian cuisine and aim to provide an upscale dining experience.

I was born with food, Pillacela said. I started working in a restaurant when I was 14 in my home country of Ecuador. Then I came here when I was 16. I knew what I liked doing.Food brings me joy. If you want to do something, its all on you. You just have to work for it and desire it.

The goal, according to Pillacela, is to own and operate a total of 10 restaurants. To get there, he hopes to acquire a new one every year. First, though, he has to finish work on the trattoria, where everything inside must be remodeled.

We started work around a month and a half or two months ago, but I didnt expect there would be so much to do, Pillacela said. We have to do everything from the floors, the walls, the plumbing, and the lighting. Were doing everything, 100%.

The trattoria will likely open towards the end of August, according to Pillacela, who said he does not want to rush the process and prefers to make sure the space fits his vision.

The location used to house Knuckleheads, a restaurant which moved to 9 N. Main St. in 2022. Now, with Favios opening on Center Street, Town Council Chairman Vincent Cervoni anticipates the trattoria will bring new life to the area.

We seem to do better at North Main Street than we do at the bottom of Center Street, so this is terrific and it will encourage more foot traffic and bring vitality to that part of Center Street, Cervoni said. [This area] has been struggling for a few years, whether due to COVID-19 or otherwise. Its terrific for downtown Wallingford.

Lifelong Wallingford resident and Town Council Vice Chairman Thomas Laffin added that he hopes the new trattoria will foster positive downtown nighttime energy.

Im excited because that location has been a restaurant for as long as I can remember, Laffin said. Im excited it will stay a restaurant, and it looks like it will be great.

Wallingford Center Inc. Executive Director Liz Davis said the trattoria will offer new variety to the downtown eating options.

Were excited because then well have another place for Italian food, and it brings in a good, different eatery in this area, Davis said.

While work continues on the restaurant space, Pillacela has a busy summer ahead of him.

Operating three restaurants and opening a fourth leaves him little time for himself.

However, he credits his staff and his family, with whom he works, in making this endeavor possible.

Im trying to train and get staff to know the work and help keep the business running  theyre very important, Pillacela said. And I like working with my family. Theyre on the same page as me. We have the same mindset about where we want to go and what we want to do.

Looking to the future of the trattoria and his other establishments, Pillacela hopes to one day bring Serafinos to downtown Wallingford or even a larger place like New Haven or Hartford, in addition to opening new locations.

My goal is to have a big restaurant downtown, Pillacela said. But just to be here in Wallingford, which I consider my hometown, is a great thing. The trattoria is going to be small but its going to be good.

rwachman@record-journal.com
Yves here. This post uses black patients as a case study in how doctors who have biased reactions and incorporate them into medical notes can then harm care, particularly when the doctor depicts the patient as non-compliant.

This is hardly the only example of doctor prejudice having the potential to lead to ignoring patient issues and otherwise undermining care. Bias against women is well documented. Women are often seen as exaggerating the severity of their symptoms, which can lead to ignoring conditions in early stages when they are easier to treat. IM Doc has reported that his former students who wind up working in the Deep South have told him of a widespread dismissiveness towards female patients.

By Sara Novak, a science journalist based in South Carolina. Shes a contributing writer to Discover Magazine. Her work also appears in Scientific American, Popular Science, Sierra Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, and many more. Originally published at Undark

In the mid-1990s, when Somnath Saha was a medical resident at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, he came across a cluster of studies showing that Black people with cardiovascular disease were treated less aggressively compared to White people. The findings were appalling to the young physician who describes himself as a Brown kid from suburban St. Louis, Missouri.

Saha had experienced racism growing up, but was surprised to see such clear signs of inequity within the field of medicine. There was an injustice happening in my own backyard, he said.

Indeed, bias towards Black patients can be challenging because many doctors either dont realize their biases or wont admit to them. Saha, now a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, likens implicit bias  unconscious judgments that can affect behavior  to an invisible force.

While numerous studies have found evidence of racial discrimination in medicine through patient reports, less is known about how implicit bias shows up in medical records, and how stigmatizing language in patient notes can affect the care that Black patients receive.

Thats part of the reason why, about seven years ago, Saha began poring through medical records. For him, they offered a window into doctors feelings about their patients.

As part of his latest research, Sahas team examined the records of nearly 19,000 patients, paying particular attention to negative descriptions that may influence a clinicians decision-making. The data, which was recently presented at the 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, isnt yet published, but it suggests what researchers have long speculated: Doctors are more likely to use negative language when describing a Black patient than they are a White patient. The notes provide, at times, a surprisingly candid view of how patients are perceived by doctors, and how their race may affect treatment.

The study adds to a concerning body of literature that explores how racial bias manifests in health care. Researchers like Saha are interested in how such prejudice leaves a paper trail, which can then reinforce negative stereotypes. Because medical notes get passed between physicians, Sahas research suggests they can affect the health of Black patients down the line.

The medical record is like a rap sheet, it stays with you, Saha said, adding that these things that we say about patients get eternalized.

Research has long shown that Black patients experience worse health outcomes compared to White patients, in part due to biased medical care. Black women, for example, are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications compared to White women. And Black patients often report feeling like physicians dont listen to their needs or dont believe their concerns.

Studies appear to back that up. Last year, researchers at the University of Washington found that non-Hispanic White children who went to the emergency room for migraines were more likely to receive pain medications compared to children of color  even though the two groups reported similar pain scores. Other studies echo similar results for adults as well.

While Michael Sun, a resident physician at the University of Chicago, knew about such health disparities, by his own admission, he was naive about the biases in medical records. At that time, Sun had no experience in the medical record, in documentation, or in physician language and culture, he said.

But in his first year of medical school, his professor shared the story of a longtime patient, whom she had referred to an outside specialist. In Suns recollection, the professor regarded her patient in kind terms, having worked with her for some time to treat a chronic illness. But when she got the specialists notes back, she was confused by the description of her patient: Terms like really difficult, non-compliant, and uninterested in their health. This was not the patient she remembered.

This, as a first-year medical student, really shocked me because I had taken at face value that any words used in notes were true, were valid, or rightfully used, said Sun. I realized all the ways that bias, untold stories, and unknown context may change the way that we view our patients.

Like Saha, Sun became interested in how bias influenced the relationship between doctor and patient, and how these interactions were memorialized in the medical record. In a study published last year, he and his colleagues looked at more than 40,000 medical notes from 18,459 patients. Researchers first manually combed through the notes, then used this information to teach a machine learning algorithm to interpret the connotations of words. Compared to White patients, Black patients were about 2.5 times more likely to be described negatively, with terms like challenging, angry, and noncompliant.

Saha has used similar methodology  and found similar results  in his own research. For the study presented at the AAAS meeting, his team first read through more than 100,000 medical notes to identify language their team considered to be disparaging  which they chose based on a list of words and phrases from prior research. They then used machine learning to find those terms in medical notes, taking care to ensure context was considered. For example, if the word aggressive was used to describe a treatment plan, it was excluded from their analysis. But if aggressive was used to describe the patient, it was included.

Saha pointed to three categories of stigmatizing language that were the most pronounced: expressing doubt or disbelief in what the patient said, such as reporting they claimed to experience pain; insinuating that the patient was confrontational, using words like belligerent or combative; and suggesting a patient was not cooperating with a doctors orders by saying they refused medical advice.

Weve known for some time that in health care we sometimes use language that can be confusing or even insulting, Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado, wrote in an email to Undark. But he noted that research such as Sahas has drawn attention to a previously overlooked issue. Describing a patient as non-compliant with medications, he said, makes it sound like the patient is intentionally refusing to follow advice when, in fact, there are many reasons why people might not be able to follow our advice and intentional refusal isnt even a very common one.

Saha noted that if a patient isnt taking their medication, its important that doctors note that, so that the next physician doesnt overprescribe them. But the concern, he said, is whether doctors are using these terms appropriately and for the right reasons because of the implications they have on patients.

If a doctor portrays their patient negatively, Saha said, it can trigger the next clinician to read them and formulate a potentially negative opinion about that patient before theyve even had a chance to interact.

Still, stigmatizing language is only one small piece of the puzzle. What also matters, Saha said, is how those words can have an impact on care. In prior work, Saha has shown how implicit and, in some cases, explicit bias, affects a patients treatment recommendations.

In a 2018 study, Saha, along with his wife, Mary Catherine Beach  also a professor at Johns Hopkins University  combed through reports of patients with sickle cell anemia. Their team focused on that particular population since sickle cell patients are some of the most stigmatized in the health care system: Most patients are Black and many require regular doses of opioids for pain management.

In the notes, they found numerous examples of details that were irrelevant to patients health concerns: phrases like girlfriend requests bus token, cursing at nurse, girlfriend on bed with shoes on, and narcotic dependent.

Saha and Beach wanted to see how these remarks might influence a physicians treatment recommendations, so they used vignettes they had found in the medical records of sickle cell patients. They showed either a vignette which had described patients negatively, or one that was edited with neutral language. Then they asked medical students and residents about the dose of pain medication they would hypothetically recommend. Beach said that the purpose was to see how what she called dog whistles about social class or race or something that would make the person seem less educated would impact treatment recommendations.

The study found that medical notes with stigmatizing language were associated with less aggressive management of the patients pain. Doctors who read the stigmatizing language chart notes prescribed less pain medication to patients even in cases when they commented that their pain was a 10 out of 10.

The fact that we were able to show that this bias transmits to the next doctor has been the thing that I think motivates doctors to take it seriously, said Beach.

Pain management has become a focal point for researchers because many of the most glaring racial tropes about patient care have revolved around pain. In 2016, a study conducted at the University of Virginia found that half of the 418 medical students and residents surveyed endorsed false beliefs about Black patients. For example, that Blacks nerve endings are less sensitive than whites and Blacks skin is thicker than whites. Whats more, those who endorsed these false beliefs also rated Black patients pain as lower than White patients.

Antoinette M. Schoenthaler, a professor of population health and medicine at New York Universitys Grossman School of Medicine and associate director of research at the schools Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, said that disparities in pain management are pervasive and widespread across the medical profession. They seep into treatments for sickle cell anemia, but also prenatal care. As a result, she said, Black patients across the board are often fearful of attending appointments.

Patients of color go into an appointment with feelings of heightened anxiety because theyre expecting mistreatment, said Schoenthaler. Weve seen minoritized patients have higher blood pressure in the context of a clinical visit because of these expectations of anxiety and fear, and disappointment.

Disparities in health care between Black and White patients is a complex issue  one which cant be solved by addressing medical records alone. But, for researchers like Saha, Beach, and Sun, they can offer a roadmap that outlines where differences in care begin. The words a clinician uses sets the path for how a patient may be treated in the future.

One way to combat implicit bias, Saha suggested, is to use an algorithm that identifies stigmatizing language to give hospital departments or clinicians report cards on how much of this language that theyre using. By benchmarking averages against one another, clinicians could know if theyre using stigmatizing language at an above average rate. This is something he is considering for future research.

When clinicians are made aware of their biases  when the unconscious becomes conscious  Saha told Undark that hes optimistic theyll work to change them: Were using language that weve used forever without realizing the potential impact that it has on patient care.
Biden admin giving Indian non-profit almost $50K to push gender identity policies

The Biden administration is set to give a grant of almost $50,000 to an Indian non-profit for its efforts to push gender policies.

The Daily Wire disclosed in a June 28 report that the Biden administration's Department of State has set aside $49,813 for the YR Gaitonde Medical, Educational and Research Foundation (YRGMERF). The foundation is based in the city of Chennai in India's southernmost Tamil Nadu state. Aside from this amount, the State Department is slated to provide YRGMERF with another $42,125 in "non-federal funding"  the origin of which is unlisted.

The Chennai-based nonprofit reportedly received the grant on May 30, with May 31, 2024 listed as its end date. The grant seeks to support "the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests and enhance national security by informing and influencing foreign publics." In particular, YRGMERF aims to "sensitize employees of corporate entities in Hyderabad and Chennai toward transgender persons in their workforce, adopt inclusive policies and create a safe and nurturing environment."

According to the Daily Wire, the State Department previously announced a grant of up to $50,000 to a pro-transgender organization in India. The agency was specifically seeking a program that would "lead to the setting up of Pride/Rainbow groups within corporations that actively create awareness about [transgender] persons and their rights." Moreover, the grant was seeking a "concrete objective" of influencing Indian firms to "develop active transgender employee recruitment plans."

"The long-term intention is that these corporations and businesses increase their hiring of members of the transgender community and help their employees and the general public be more accepting."

A spokesperson for the State Department told the Daily Wire: "Indigenous persons, religious and ethnic minorities, women, LGBT persons and persons with disabilities, among others, live with disproportionate violence that requires targeted support." (Related: Depopulation agenda: Biden pressuring other nations to affirm LGBT ideology, stop conversion therapy.)

Biden admin adamant in pushing the GAY AGENDA

The State Department's May 30 grant awarded to the YRGMERF came as Indian officials and activists push for more policies surrounding transgenderism. In 2020, the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata helped open India's first transgender medical clinic in Eastern India. It likewise celebrated the opening of another clinic the year after.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai  located in the same city where YRGMERF is located  has also held Pride events. One such event was a virtual panel titled "Recognizing Pride in American Literature."

The Biden administration's promotion of the LGBT agenda, often using American tax money, is not limited to India. According to a Breitbart report, the State Department earlier pledged $30,000 to a pro-transgender organization in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan.

The agency awarded the grant to a group called Kyrgyz Indigo, which prides itself on being the "largest LGBT human rights and advocacy organization in Central Asia." The grant sought to "prevent gender-based violence against the transgender community and increase acceptance through sensitivity and advocacy trainings, and media campaigns."

Kyrgyz Indigo aims to enable "unfettered access to unemployment insurance [to] all LGBT people and sex workers." It has also set its sights on the education system in the Muslim-majority nation.

"Due to widespread homophobia and transphobia, many children at school cannot express their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics," the organization claimed. Thus, it suggested that schools "implement training programs for teachers and counselors on how to deal with LGBT students, schoolchildren who experience discrimination or ask questions about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity."

Visit GayMafia.news for more stories about the LGBT agenda being pushed in other countries, often with the help of the U.S. State Department.

Watch this video explaining why the gay agenda is destroying the world.

This video is from the EARTH SHAKING NEWS channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Clown show: Biden 'national security' spokesman John Kirby claims 'LGBTQ' rights a 'core element' of American foreign policy.

Kamala Harris put in charge of "Ministry of Gender Truth" to harass anyone who doesn't bow down to LGBT insanity.

The merger of TRANS and STATE: Here's how the federal government is using YOUR tax dollars to fund LGBT PRIDE.

Biden regime trying to STARVE school children to force them into LGBT grooming.

Sources include:

ThePostMillennial.com

DailyWire.com

Breitbart.com

Brighteon.com
MYSLENICE, Poland, July 1. Azerbaijani kickboxer Farid Aghamoghlanov (63.5 kg) has reached the final of the III European Games held in Poland, Trend reports.

In the semi-final, he defeated Norway's Milton Americo Barrios Galarreta with a score of 3-0.

The final will take place on July 2.

About 7,000 athletes from 48 countries take part in the third European Games, which will last until July 2.

Azerbaijan is represented at the tournament by 86 athletes in 13 sports.

In total, Azerbaijani national team has won nine medals (two gold, one silver, and six bronze) at the III European Games.

The first ever European Games were held in 2015 in Baku and the second in 2019 in Minsk. The Azerbaijani national team took second place at Baku-2015 and 10th at Minsk-2019, winning a total of 84 medals: 26 gold, 25 silver, and 33 bronze.
Nudists at largest Pride parade in Canada exposed themselves to children in the audience

Bubbles flew everywhere as rainbow flags were waved during Canada's largest Pride parade on June 25 in Toronto, joined by nudists who held glaring signs saying, "Life is short: play naked," and "Good things happen when you are naked."

Another sign that said, "Proudly celebrating my diversity! Is getting NAKED therapeutic?" was held high above the head of a parade participant so that the crowd could read it better. It was highly noticeable that several adult male participants can be seen exposing themselves to the audience, which included children.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh were seen during the event.

Moreover, gay people walking in puppy play and furry costume fetish gear were also present at the Pride march. Observers saw them walk by, waving the puppy pride flag and making barking noises to the cheers of the crowd. A drag queen with oversized fake breasts was recorded on the back of a truck during the parade.

Pride Toronto, whose mission says, "Pride Toronto supports our communities in the pursuit of our unequivocal rights to be known, heard, understood, accepted, respected and to celebrate the beauty of who we are" organized this year's event. The parade featured at least 250 participating groups and cost twice as much money as it did in 2022.

Pride parade participant Kjerstin Karlsson said it's been almost 12 years since he transitioned when he was 54 years old. He expressed confidence in the community's strength to withstand prejudice and prevail.

"I think I'm here for the younger generation," said Karlsson. "I've already been through all the stuff that they've been through, so it's important to show them that there is hope."

The organizer also staged three different "family-friendly" Drag Queen Storytimes and a "Body Pride: Clothing-optional" event on June 10 that was for all ages as per the "Pride Guide" it published.

Bud Light continues to sponsor Pride parades

Bud Light was one of the major sponsors of the march and even had a float in it with a crowd of parade participants walking behind, clad in t-shirts representing the beer brand.

The move continued to anger conservatives, who have been criticizing the beer brand for its "wokeism." It has been facing backlash and boycotts for almost three months now. (Related: They never learn: Bud Light donates $200K to LGBT-run businesses amid fallout of botched Dylan Mulvaney campaign.)

On its company website, the beer brand claimed that collaborating with this event is at this point a longstanding tradition. "Bud Light Canada has been a proud partner of Pride Toronto for the last 10 years. This year, we're commemorating this milestone with Pride Toronto by featuring them on our can design, as well as continuing as the official beer sponsor of the festival," it said.

Drag queens and scantily clad dancers dressed in leather and fishnet clothing were seen performing on the Bud Light stage. Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis shared on Twitter footage of the performance originally posted by the Post Millennial. She wrote: "Bud Light has a stage at Toronto Pride. This is one of the acts. They deserve to go completely broke."

The viral video got over 2.3 million views on Twitter, with thousands of people sharing their anger via comments and retweets.

Find more stories like this at GenderConfused.com.

Watch the video below that shows the band Slash Need's performance during the Toronto Pride event.

This video is from the Red Voice Media channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

TOPLESS and SHAMELESS! MTF trans model exposes BARE CHEST during White House Pride event.

IT'S A FARCE: Air Force now saluting LGBT community's rainbow flag in celebration of Pride month.

Pledge of GAY-legiance: White House under fire for replacing Old Glory with Pride flag during LGBT event.

Everyone's a TARGET: Internal email reveals Target execs are "asking" employees to engage in LGBT pride activities.

Sources include:

ThePostMillenial.com

CBC.ca

PrideToronto.com

Newsweek.com

Twitter.com

Brighteon.com
Georgetown University names mass murderer Anthony Fauci a distinguished professor

In honor of his contributions to the tens of millions of serious injuries and deaths caused by his lockdown, face mask, and later "vaccine" push during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "pandemic," former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Tony Fauci has been named as a "distinguished professor" at Georgetown University

The school's Divisions of Infectious Diseases and McCourt School of Public Policy awarded Fauci the university's highest professional honor, which means Fauci will "participate in medical and graduate education and engage with students," an official announcement indicated.

"After dedicating 54 years of his life to public service, Dr. Anthony Fauci has chosen Georgetown University to play a major role in the next phase of his career," is how the school worded Fauci's appointment, as if he picked it of his own accord.

"Starting July 1, Fauci will serve as a Distinguished University Professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, an academic division that provides clinical care, conducts research and trains future physicians in infectious diseases. He will also hold an additional appointment in the university's McCourt School of Public Policy."

"The rank of University Professor is Georgetown's highest professional honor that recognizes extraordinary achievement in scholarship, teaching and service."

(Related: Did you know that mass murderer Tony Fauci is directly responsible for unleashing the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s?)

All we can say about Fauci's appointment to a top teaching position at Georgetown is YIKES

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia celebrated Fauci's appointment to one of the top positions at the university, claiming that Fauci deserves it for all of his "expertise" in handling public health crises  which we now know Fauci was often directly responsible for unleashing in the first place.

"We are deeply honored to welcome Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a dedicated public servant, humanitarian and visionary global health leader, to Georgetown," DeGioia said.

"Dr. Fauci has embodied the Jesuit value of being in service to others throughout his career, and we are grateful to have his expertise, strong leadership and commitment to guiding the next generation of leaders to meet the pressing issues of our time."

It must be noted and reiterated that one of the first Wuhan researchers to become sick with COVID in the fall of 2019 was Ben Hu, who was reportedly receiving U.S. financial support from Fauci and others to perform high-risk, illegal-in-the-United-States gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Documents obtained by the White Coat Waste Project via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show that upwards of $41 million with Hu's name attached to the funding grants was shelled out by not just the NIAID, which Fauci headed up at the time, but also from USAID and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In other words, American taxpayer dollars were being funneled into communist China by Fauci and others so Chinese researchers could tamper with bat coronaviruses. The end result of this, as we now know, was the unleashing of a global "pandemic," though the SARS-CoV-2 "virus" in question has still never been isolated and proven to exist.

Responding to his appointment at Georgetown, Fauci opined about what he should be doing with himself "at this stage in my life."

"And I think, sure, I could do more experiments in the lab and have my lab going, but given what I've been through, what I have to offer is experience and inspiration to the younger generation of students," Fauci said.

"If I accomplish that, I think I'll make a major contribution to Georgetown."

The latest news about Fauci and other COVID criminals can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

Georgetown.edu

Newstarget.com

TheIntercept.com
High-level government officials covering up evidence of Biden family corruption

High-level government officials are covering up evidence showing the corruption of the Biden family, according to "TruNews" podcast host Rick Wiles.

Wiles discussed with co-host Dr. Raymond Burkhart the pair of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who have told Congressional investigators that high-level government officials deliberately stalled or blocked an investigation into the alleged crimes committed by President Joe Biden's son Hunter.

The "TruNews" host said the revelations came days after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the younger Biden had accepted a plea deal in which he will avoid prosecution for misdemeanor charges and a felony charge of possessing a gun while using drugs.

"One of the whistleblowers, a criminal supervisory special agent, has sought whistleblower protection in order to reveal what he says is evidence of a failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the investigation," Wiles said. "He has told lawmakers that he faced roadblocks since the beginning of this probe, including being prevented from interviewing witnesses, and repeatedly stopped from obtaining search warrants. He also says he was denied access to the Biden laptop, which he said contained evidence of tax violations."

The other whistleblower, an anonymous IRS employee who worked on the Biden case for a year and a half, said she was impeded by similar hurdles.

The female whistleblower disclosed that her superiors at the time were aware of a possible conflict of interest involving the Biden family but did nothing to address it. She added that she was being blocked from pursuing the case because her bosses wanted it to die.

"Both whistleblowers have provided detailed testimony that outlines a steady campaign of unequal treatment in enforcing the law, government interference in the investigation of Biden's actions and retaliation against those employees who raise concerns. They say their whistleblower protection applications were rebuffed at every stage of the process," Burkhart said.

Wiles mentioned an attorney for the unnamed supervisory agent has written to lawmakers requesting they exercise their constitutional oversight function and provide Congress information regarding the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation. According to Wiles, the story has been out for several years and the mainstream media is now forced to report it because of the overwhelming evidence.

He pointed out that people can't continue to say it is a hoax, Russian disinformation or MAGA conspiracy theory since there is hard evidence that the Bidens accepted massive amounts of money as bribe. (Related: Hunter Biden, other members of Biden family received MILLIONS from business associate linked to CCP.)

Government agencies trying to stop whistleblowers from exposing the truth

The whistleblowers have told members of Congress that people from the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), IRS and intelligence agencies are trying to stop them from exposing the truth. Also, according to reports, U.S. federal prosecutor for Delaware David Weiss was blocked from bringing charges against Hunter Biden.

Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, recently told the press the three key findings from the whistleblowers' testimony: the federal government not treating taxpayers equally when enforcing tax laws; the Biden DOJ intervening and overstepping when it comes to the investigation of Hunter Biden; and whistleblowers facing immediate retaliation.

Wiles commented that Smith's statement was enough to send the Bidens to jail for 50 years.

"If this were what we used to call normal, Biden would have already resigned. The uproar would be so great. He would already be the former president. The attorney general would resign. It would be a wipeout because there are so many people implicated in the scandal," Wiles said.

"You're talking about two senior IRS investigators going on record under oath, saying we were blocked from investigating Hunter Biden. So, who were the people that blocked the investigators? They were blocked from interviewing witnesses. They were blocked from accessing the laptop every step of the way. They were hindered. They were blocked. They were told you can't do this."

Follow BidenCrimeFamily.news for more news about the Biden crime family.

Watch the video below to know more about the cover-up of the Biden family's corruption.

This video is from the TruNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Hunter Biden evidence wrongly labeled disinformation by FBI: Whistleblower.

New whistleblower: Joe Biden is DIRECTLY INVOLVED in Hunters criminal dealings.

Trump exposes Hunter Biden plea deal, says it is a massive COVER-UP to hide other major crimes.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

WashingtonExaminer.com
Sen. Marco Rubio: Senior government officials have first-hand knowledge of secret UFO programs

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has claimed that multiple senior government officials, including high-security officials of the Pentagon, are aware of a

secret UFO craft crash retrieval program

operated by the United States.

Rubio made these claims during an interview with NewsNation on June 26, following Air Force veteran and former intelligence officer David Grusch's allegations that the Pentagon had discovered dead alien bodies from crashed spacecraft.

Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that several individuals had come forward over the past few years to share information with the committee regarding the alleged extraterrestrial retrieval program. He emphasized the need to protect these whistleblowers, revealing that some of them hold high positions within the government and possess high-level security clearances.

"We're trying to gather as much of that information as we can. Some of these people still work in the government," Rubio disclosed. He acknowledged their fears of losing their jobs and clearances, or facing harm, which is why they have been hesitant to come forward until now.

Rubio's statements coincide with an ongoing investigation led by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) into the purported secret military UFO program. The committee plans to hold a hearing on the matter soon.

Pentagon denies David Grusch's claim about recent extraterrestrial discoveries

David Grusch, who previously served in the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office and was a member of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force from 2019 to 2021, claimed that he had provided classified information to Congress and the Intelligence Community inspector general.

Grusch emphasized that this classified information confirms the existence of secret UAP programs where the government has been retrieving partial and intact remains of nonhuman origin aircraft and their occupants for decades. He claimed that crashed nonhuman origin technical vehicles akin to spacecraft have been recovered, leading to encounters with deceased extraterrestrial pilots.

Although Grusch has yet to present concrete evidence to support his claims, he alleged that numerous current and former senior officers have provided him with evidence and documents over the years.

In response to Grusch's statements, the Pentagon promptly denied the existence of any such UFO program. The Defense Department stated that there is no verifiable information to prove claims of possessing extraterrestrial materials, either in the past or present. (Related: Navy: Releasing more classified UFO/UAP videos will harm national security.)

When asked about his belief in Grusch's and others' claims, Rubio said he neither finds them credible nor dismisses them outright because they are beyond the realm of what he and others have previously encountered. He stressed the importance of approaching the information with maturity, listening and assembling all the pieces before reaching conclusions.

Rubio's comments followed the advancement of the Senate Intelligence Committee bill that proposes suspending funding for government activities related to unidentified anomalous phenomena unless they are explicitly described, explained and justified to the appropriate congressional committees.

The legislation also discourages funding for recovering unidentified anomalous phenomena craft or their components. Moreover, the bill grants protection to individuals under contract with the federal government, ensuring they will not face criminal or civil repercussions for disclosing information related to such activities.

Follow UFOs.news for more news about UFOs and UAPs.

Watch the video analyzing the claim of David Grush about recent UFO discoveries.

This video is from the Brian Ruhe channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UFO expert: Extraterrestrial contact will happen soon and from water rather than air.

UFOs come from alien bases deep within our oceans, British ex-cop claims.

Pentagon expands office aimed at detecting, identifying aerial anomalies as more UFOs detected near U.S. military assets.

CIA declassifies documents featuring mysterious UFO sightings.

Japan opens UFO lab in Fukushima following numerous sightings.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Brighteon.com
WHO: Artemisinin is a powerful remedy against malaria

Last November, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a Question & Answer page about artemisinin providing partial protection against malaria infections.

Artemisinin, a natural constituent derived from the Artemisia annua plant, also known as sweet wormwood, as well as its derivatives, are described by the WHO as "powerful medicines known for their ability to swiftly reduce the number of Plasmodium parasites in the blood of patients with malaria."

In order to effectively control malaria once it starts spreading, powerful anti-malarial medicines are necessary, of which artemisinin and its various derivatives are included. Known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the WHO recommends these as first- and second-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and chloroquine-resistant P. vivax malaria.

Right now, the latter version is said to have infected four people in Sarasota, Fla. Transmission there was local, meaning the infected caught it locally rather than overseas  which has not happened there since the 1950s, according to health officials.

While there is not yet a conceivable "outbreak," so to speak, since transmission is low, it is still a good idea to keep in mind which remedies work best for treating malaria. And one of the most powerful is artemisinin and its derivatives, which include artesunate, artemether, and dihydroartemisinin.

The WHO recommends pairing these derivatives with a partner drug to help reduce the number of malaria parasites, known as parasite biomass, during the first three days of treatment. The partner drug, meanwhile, eliminates the rest of the remaining parasites, rendering it the "cure."

Currently, the WHO recommends six different ACTs. Two of them are injectable  one with artesunate and the other with artemether  and these are recommended for cases of severe malaria. After getting these injections, patients are advised to follow up with an oral ACT regimen, just so long as they are able to tolerate it.

"Increased access to ACTs in malaria-endemic countries has been integral to the remarkable success in reducing the global malaria burden over the last 15 years," the WHO claims.

"Almost 3.8 billion treatment courses of ACT were sold globally by manufacturers over the period 20102021. An estimated 68% of these procurements were reported to have been distributed to the public sector in malaria endemic countries."

(Related: Around the same time the WHO released its artemisinin report about malaria, it was reported that the pharmaceutical industry was unleashing genetically engineered [GMO] mosquitos designed to mass-"vaccinate" the public for malaria without consent.)

Nature Communications study confirms artemisinin KILLS malaria parasites

In 2018, the journal Nature Communications published a study explaining how artemisinin and its ART derivatives work to reduce the parasite burden in P. falciparum malaria infections.

At the time, it was becoming recognized that ARTs alone are not necessarily enough to rid a person's body of malaria due to decreased sensitivity to the treatment. Thus, researchers revealed that they must be paired together with combination therapies, or the ACTs that the WHO says are necessary to keep malaria at bay.

The Nature study looked specifically at dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a clinically relevant ART that kills malaria parasites in two unique ways: one by causing protein damage, and the other by compromising the proteasome function of malaria parasites.

"The consequent accumulation of proteasome substrates, i.e., unfolded / damaged and polyubiquitinated proteins, activates the ER stress response and underpins DHA-mediated killing," the study explains.

"Specific inhibitors of the proteasome cause a similar build-up of polyubiquitinated proteins, leading to parasite killing. Blocking protein synthesis with a translation inhibitor or inhibiting the ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, reduces the level of damaged, polyubiquitinated proteins, alleviates the stress response, and dramatically antagonizes DHA activity."

In areas of the world where decreased sensitivity to ARTs is being observed, including all throughout South East Asia, up to 50 percent treatment failure is occurring. This resistance puts added pressure on ART partner drugs to get the job done in lieu of their waning efficacy.

Still to this day, despite all this, artemisinin and its derivatives are the number-one most widely-used malaria remedy in the world. Despite growing resistance to some of its derivatives, artemisinin as a whole still possesses a complex mode of action  probably due to it being a natural compound rather than an isolated drug  against malaria that makes it the go-to remedy for this scourge of a disease.

In the late 1990s, British researchers published a study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews confirming that artemisinin and its derivatives may work better than quinoline drugs against severe malaria because "they are fast acting and effective against quinine resistant malaria parasites."

Hydroxychloroquine, by the way, which came on the radar during the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) "pandemic" as a powerful remedy against coronaviruses, is a member of the quinine drug family.

"The evidence suggests that artemisinin drugs are no worse than quinine in preventing death in severe or complicated malaria," this study found. "No artemisinin derivative appears to be better than the others."

Earlier this year, Phys.org published an article about a Communications Biology study looking at the growing drug resistance to malaria in certain geographical regions of the world.

The P. falciparum strain of malaria parasite has mutated, perhaps on purpose due to bioweapons tampering, to outsmart some of artemisinin's derivatives. The types of resistance occurring vary from region to region and involve different derivatives working less powerfully than they used to, which is prompting some national governments to alter their malaria treatment guidelines.

The latest news about the spread of malaria can be found at Plague.info.

Sources for this article include:

WHO.int

Newstarget.com

Nature.com

Pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phys.org
YouTube BANS Ruth Institute for warning public about abortion-breast cancer link

The Google-owned YouTube video platform has temporarily suspended the Ruth Institute account for sharing the truth about how getting an abortion increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

The pro-life organization once again faces backlash from YouTube for posting a clip of an interview in which Ruth Institute President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse spoke with biologist Dr. Joel Brind about the matter, which YouTube decided violates its "medical misinformation policy."

"YouTube doesn't want the public to know about the abortion-breast cancer link, so it shuts down any discussion of the matter under the guise of protecting the public from 'misinformation,'" Dr. Morse said. "How convenient."

The Ruth Institute, which operates internationally on behalf of families and traditional family values, said it did not receive a strike against its channel because YouTube indicated that "we know you may not have realized this was a violation of our policies."

In the video, Brind, a retired biology and endocrinology professor and medical researcher, unpacked the nearly 30 years' worth of research he has compiled connecting abortion to breast cancer. He indicated that for nearly 70 years, there has been some link well-known to most scientists, one being that a woman's sex hormones change during pregnancy.

The clip was only about three minutes long and is still available for viewing at the Ruth Institute website.

"YouTube does not allow content about abortion that contradicts expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO) and poses a serious risk of bodily harm or death," the platform wrote in a message accompanying a notice about the video's removal.

(Related: Did you know that babies who drink breast milk from "fully vaccinated" mothers are dying in droves?)

Ruth Institute warns LGBT groomers are calling state-level restrictions on trans mutilation a "health crisis"

Another issue the Ruth Institute has been dealing with is the transgender craze, which LGBTs insist is just people and children "being themselves." Some states are banning transgender mutilation procedures in response, which has prompted outcry from proponents of such procedures.

To pro-trans extremists, it is a "health crisis" for states to ban such things, even though doing so protects children from being groomed into transforming their bodies into an abomination that they will likely later regret.

"Some state legislatures and health boards have enacted restrictions on procedures that are arguably the mutilation of minor children," Dr. Morse said.

"Dr. Ehrenfeld calls these restrictions interference with 'evidenced based care,'" she added, referring to Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, the new president of the American Medical Association (AMA) who described these new restrictions on transgender mutilation as a "health care system in crisis."

"So inquiring minds want to know, where's the evidence?"

The truth, of course, is that there is no evidence that transgender mutilation is good for the people who opt for it. In fact, all available evidence seems to point to the opposite being true.

Earlier this year, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration examined all evidence it could find about the current treatments available for gender dysphoria. It determined that all of them range in the benefits they offer from "weak" to "very weak."

"Florida declined to spend its Medicaid dollars on so-called trans treatments, because the Agency found the evidence to be so weak," Dr. Morse noted about the research. "Is this the 'health care crisis' Dr. Ehrenfeld is referring to?"

Keep in mind that Ehrenfeld is the AMA's first "openly gay" president, which has caused Dr. Morse to ask: "Whose interests does he put first? Patients or the movement with which he is affiliated?"

Want to learn more about the deep state's love affair with abortion? Visit Abortions.news.

Sources for this article include:

Stream.org

RuthInstitute.org

Newstarget.com
Renewable energy is said to be the next stage for human advancement in terms of using clean energy instead of hazardous coal and gas plants. Amid increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, scientists have called for the mitigation and halt of fossil fuel burning and other related emissions that accelerate the greenhouse effect, climate change, and global warming.

Several industrialized countries and developing nations engaged in such emissions. The United States is one of the leading emitters of carbon dioxide, methane, and other climate-damaging gases coming from the said human activities. For a long time, coal production in the U.S. has dominated the energy sector. Now, a recent report shows that wind and solar power generation has surpassed it for the first time.

The latest development in the sector comes after some coal facilities closed in the U.S. to pave the way for renewable energy and natural gas energy. Unlike harmful emissions, clean energy is known for its neutral yet beneficial impact to the environment. Yet, the transition into full-blown renewable energy is not an easy task, even for the U.S., according to previous reports.

The use of renewable energy has long been proposed by some scientists and environmentalists. Opposed to conventional energy sectors since the Industrial Revolution of 1750, activists propose the reduction or halt of harmful emissions. In the past decades, scientific evidence shows that coal production and other related emissions have environmental repercussions.

Coal Production Surpassed

Last week, reports showed that solar power from solar plants and wind energy from wind turbines produced more electricity than coal facilities for the first time, during the first five months of 2023, according to CBS News. Details about solar and wind power surpassing coal production was according to preliminary data released by the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report does not include hydroelectric power, meaning renewable energy overwhelmingly outperforms coal-based fossil fuel burning since October 2022 if it is included, according to the EIA, as cited by the U.S. media outlet.

Also Read: 10 Ways to Promote Renewable Energy on Your Campus

What is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy is a form of energy that comes from natural sources like sunlight from the Sun and wind produced by the rotation of the Earth. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy can be replenished at a faster rate than it is consumed and it can be found all around us, according to the United Nations.

In the case of fossil fuels such as coil, oil, and gas, they are considered non-renewable resources since they take hundreds of millions of years to form. These non-renewable resources come from the fossilized remains of prehistoric animals and plants buried underneath the Earth. Offshore drilling is some of the methods to extract fossil fuels.

According to the UN, renewable energy production emits significantly lower greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels. In addition, the renewable energy industry is cheaper in most countries and offers more work than those in the fossil fuel industry.

Related Article: Is Renewable Energy Really Green?
A celebrity goose was kicked to death by a woman at a tourist site in China, according to a report by local sources. The bird has thousands of online fans and was known to be gentle.

However, this is reportedly not the case for the woman, who claimed the animal 'scared her daughter.' The goose sustained a broken neck from the kick and succumbed to its injuries.

The apparent perpetrator received backlash online from both the celebrity goose's online fans and sympathizers to its death. The incident occurred even if the owner of the wild goose was present at the site.

A verbal exchange occurred between the owner and the attacker. It is still unclear at this time if charges will or have been filed against the woman.

Woman Kicks Goose to Death

The tragic story occurred at a tourist spot in Shijiazhuang, located in China's northern province of Hebei. The celebrity bird died from the injuries it sustained from the violent kick. The goose's owner also claimed the woman's response was excessive even if she was only protecting her child, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Thursday, June 29.

It is also still uncertain if whether the goose posed a threat to the woman's child and the public at the time of the incident. However, the animal is beloved by many, especially in mainland China.

The killed goose named "Da Bao" has an online following of more than 40,000 likes on its social media account called "Bar-headed goose Da Bao," which was also being administered by its owner. Like other popular animals on social media, Da Bao's account involved posting of its regular activities and updates.

Also Read: Avian Flu Strikes in Many States, Killing 4 Wild Birds in North Carolina

Social Media Backlash

Details about the celebrity goose's death were revealed by its owner who posted about the incident on mainland China's unnamed social media platform.

SCMP also reported that the tourist attraction sent a video of the incident to the police. Amid the social media backlash, online users discussed whether bar-headed geese are nationally protected species in China or whether the offender should receive severe punishment.

China Geese Population

Although wild geese are not an endangered species, China's geese population is dwindling for one peculiar reason; they are too well-behaved, according to The Verge. Instead of sneaking out from their habitat in the wetlands to nearby farmlands where food is abundant, the geese population in the country remains in their habitat, the U.S. news website said.

Regardless, the East Asian country's geese are still relevant not only to the ecosystem but also to humans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government deployed around 500 geese along the Chongzuo Prefecture to implement its coronavirus restrictions to prevent illegal immigration to China from Vietnam, according to the National Geographic.

The report said the geese were ready to honk or bite in case someone enters illegally.

Related Article: "Stop Releasing Game Birds," Warn Conservationists to Lessen Chances of Bird Flu Outbreak
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Europe's expenditure on Azerbaijani gas imports in April 2023 have reached nearly 490 million euros, Trend learned from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

In April 2023, Azerbaijan supplied 1.047 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, resulting in export revenues of 488,241,329 euros.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijans energy ministry reports that from January to April 2023, the country exported a total of 3.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, indicating a 10.5 percent year-on-year increase in gas exports.

During this period, Azerbaijan also exported 3.4 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkiye and 1.1 billion cubic meters to Georgia. Notably, 1.9 billion cubic meters were transported to Turkiye via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which is part of the Southern Gas Corridor.

Commencing gas supplies to Europe on December 31, 2020, through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the corridor has a capacity to transport 10 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with the potential for expansion to 20 billion cubic meters.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 1. The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria was a turning point, as it provided access to the LNG terminal, as well as to the Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies natural gas from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria, said the countrys Deputy Minister of Energy Iva Petrova, Trend reports.

She pointed out that another significant undertaking is the Alexandroupolis terminal, in which Bulgartransgaz, a Bulgarian company, holds a stake.

Our objective is to ensure its full functionality by year-end. Bulgargaz has already secured a capacity of 1 billion cubic meters at the terminal. Additionally, we are actively engaged in establishing gas connections with Serbia and North Macedonia, while also focusing on expanding the storage capacity in Chiren, noted Petrova during a meeting of the ministry team at the US embassy in Bulgaria.

Moreover, the deputy minister said that her country actively participates in the European Commission's platform for common gas supplies.

These endeavors have yielded positive outcomes, providing enhanced supply security and diversification for both Bulgaria and the wider Southeast Europe region, she noted.

Bulgaria started importing gas from Azerbaijan via the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) which was put into operation on October 1, 2022. The contracted volume of gas supplies via this interconnector is 1 billion cubic meters per year. The total capacity of IGB is 3 billion cubic meters, expandable to 5 billion cubic meters per year.

Azerbaijan exports gas to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. The initial capacity of TAP is 10 billion cubic meters expandable to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the public sector banks' profit in the last nine years has tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore due to initiatives taken by the government and underlined the need for continuing the momentum to fuel the economy.

The net profit of public sector banks (PSBs) has almost tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in FY23 from Rs 36,270 crore in FY2014.

Inaugurating the corporate office of Punjab and Sind Bank here, the minister said that banks need to "build on laurels" by following the best corporate governance principles.

"Banks should not sit back and revel in success. They should follow best corporate governance practices, adhere to regulatory norms, ensure prudent liquidity management, and continue to focus on having robust asset-liability and risk management," she said, stressing that the Indian economy has moved away from the 'twin balance sheet problem' to 'twin balance sheet advantage'.

The finance minister said that there was a time when the Indian economy faced the problem of twin balance sheets -- stress on the balance sheets of banks and corporate at the same time.

Before the Modi government came to power in 2014, difficulty in the Indian banking system actually started because of irrational 'Phone Banking', which happened during the tenure of the UPA government, she said.

Back then, Sitharaman said, the priority in lending was given to not-so-worthy customers in an unprofessional manner.

As a result, they became NPAs (non-performing assets).

"As a result (of various initiatives of the government), I am glad to say the problems of twin balance sheets have gone away," she said, adding that as per the Reserve Bank of India, it is a twin balance sheet advantage that is benefiting the Indian economy. Observing that combined profits of the public sector banks tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in 2022-23 against Rs 36,270 crore in FY14, Sitharaman said the banks "need to build on laurels".

"At this stage, it is our duty towards the people of India to ensure that the banks can build on the strength and not lose this momentum that we have achieved," the minister noted.

She said that the performance of the public sector banks has improved on account of various initiatives taken by the Modi government since 2014.

There was an improvement in all critical parameters like return on asset, net interest margin and provisioning coverage ratio, she added.

The 4R strategy followed by the Modi government to revitalise the state-owned banks has yielded results, she said.

The 4R strategy refers to recognising the problem of non-performing assets, recapitalising the banks, resolving their problems, and reforming them.

Further, Sitharaman said the banks should endeavour to adopt a proactive approach in reaching out to people to achieve optimum utilisation of financial inclusion schemes.

There should be a focus on credit outreach in states where the credit offtake is lower than the national average, particularly in the northeast and eastern parts of the country, she said, adding they must aim to increase brick-and-mortar banking presence in border areas, particularly in those covered in the Vibrant Village programme.

The bank should also promote the Mahila Samman Bachat Patra announced in the Budget 2023-24 through special drives and campaigns, she said.

They must ensure that the entire Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target is met and not transferred to RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund), she added.

She urged banks to focus on improving digital infrastructure with a focus on artificial intelligence and use this to the maximum so that efficiency increases.

However, she cautioned that banks should ensure digital safety and there should be enough firewalls.

The minister also recalled the story of the Punjab and Sind Bank, which had suffered due to partition in 1947.

Only two of the ten branches remained in India, while the rest went to Pakistan.

Starting from just two branches in 1947, the Punjab and Sind Bank has 1,553 branches, and the 1,554th at Karimganj in Assam was inaugurated remotely by the minister on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad also appreciated the bank for its various initiatives to transfer the bank to a future-ready Techno Savvy Bank and how the bank over the years has transformed itself gradually with the latest products and services.

He also expressed satisfaction with the role played by public sector banks in making the Indian Financial System reliant and robust.

Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial Services MP Tangirala also highlighted how Punjab and Sind Bank as a PSB is contributing to the overall development of the Indian Economy through its network of branches, ATMs and business correspondents.

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the public sector banks' profit in the last nine years has tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore due to initiatives taken by the government and underlined the need for continuing the momentum to fuel the economy. The net profit of public sector banks (PSBs) has almost tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in FY23 from Rs 36,270 crore in FY2014. Inaugurating the corporate office of Punjab and Sind Bank here, the minister said that banks need to "build on laurels" by following the best corporate governance principles.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Banks should not sit back and revel in success. They should follow best corporate governance practices, adhere to regulatory norms, ensure prudent liquidity management, and continue to focus on having robust asset-liability and risk management," she said, stressing that the Indian economy has moved away from the 'twin balance sheet problem' to 'twin balance sheet advantage'. The finance minister said that there was a time when the Indian economy faced the problem of twin balance sheets -- stress on the balance sheets of banks and corporate at the same time. Before the Modi government came to power in 2014, difficulty in the Indian banking system actually started because of irrational 'Phone Banking', which happened during the tenure of the UPA government, she said. Back then, Sitharaman said, the priority in lending was given to not-so-worthy customers in an unprofessional manner. As a result, they became NPAs (non-performing assets). "As a result (of various initiatives of the government), I am glad to say the problems of twin balance sheets have gone away," she said, adding that as per the Reserve Bank of India, it is a twin balance sheet advantage that is benefiting the Indian economy. Observing that combined profits of the public sector banks tripled to Rs 1.04 lakh crore in 2022-23 against Rs 36,270 crore in FY14, Sitharaman said the banks "need to build on laurels". "At this stage, it is our duty towards the people of India to ensure that the banks can build on the strength and not lose this momentum that we have achieved," the minister noted. She said that the performance of the public sector banks has improved on account of various initiatives taken by the Modi government since 2014. There was an improvement in all critical parameters like return on asset, net interest margin and provisioning coverage ratio, she added. The 4R strategy followed by the Modi government to revitalise the state-owned banks has yielded results, she said. The 4R strategy refers to recognising the problem of non-performing assets, recapitalising the banks, resolving their problems, and reforming them. Further, Sitharaman said the banks should endeavour to adopt a proactive approach in reaching out to people to achieve optimum utilisation of financial inclusion schemes. There should be a focus on credit outreach in states where the credit offtake is lower than the national average, particularly in the northeast and eastern parts of the country, she said, adding they must aim to increase brick-and-mortar banking presence in border areas, particularly in those covered in the Vibrant Village programme. The bank should also promote the Mahila Samman Bachat Patra announced in the Budget 2023-24 through special drives and campaigns, she said. They must ensure that the entire Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target is met and not transferred to RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund), she added. She urged banks to focus on improving digital infrastructure with a focus on artificial intelligence and use this to the maximum so that efficiency increases. However, she cautioned that banks should ensure digital safety and there should be enough firewalls. The minister also recalled the story of the Punjab and Sind Bank, which had suffered due to partition in 1947. Only two of the ten branches remained in India, while the rest went to Pakistan. Starting from just two branches in 1947, the Punjab and Sind Bank has 1,553 branches, and the 1,554th at Karimganj in Assam was inaugurated remotely by the minister on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad also appreciated the bank for its various initiatives to transfer the bank to a future-ready Techno Savvy Bank and how the bank over the years has transformed itself gradually with the latest products and services. He also expressed satisfaction with the role played by public sector banks in making the Indian Financial System reliant and robust. Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial Services MP Tangirala also highlighted how Punjab and Sind Bank as a PSB is contributing to the overall development of the Indian Economy through its network of branches, ATMs and business correspondents.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: At least 25 people, including three children, were charred to death and eight others injured after the vehicle they were travelling in caught fire in the wee hours of Saturday, police said.

The private travel bus carrying 33 passengers was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana district, police said.

Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasne told PTI that as per preliminary information, a bus tyre burst and the vehicle hit a pole, collided with a divider and caught fire. " The passengers were all sleeping at the time of the accident ", the official said adding that the driver survived the crash.

Eight others, including the bus driver and its cleaner, survived the tragedy as they managed to come out of the burning vehicle through broken windows, the police said, adding that the driver was being interrogated and the process of arresting him was underway.

Rescue staff move remains of passengers after twenty five bus passengers were charred to death on the Samruddhi Expressway. (Photo | PTI)

Of the 33 passengers on the bus, 25 were charred to death, the official said. The remaining eight passengers have been rushed to Buldhana civic hospital and are safe, he added. Further investigations are underway.

PTI reported that the bus belonging to Vidarbha Travels had left Nagpur for Pune at 4 pm on Friday. It stopped at Karanja in Yavatmal district for dinner but met with the accident sometime after it resumed the journey, the police said.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs5lakh to the family of the deceased who died in major private bus mishap at Sindhkhedraja on Samruddhi Mahamarg. In this mishap, total 26 passengers died. CM also announced inquiry in this accident. @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/vd4y66Q19j  Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) July 1, 2023

Following the accident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 5lakh to the family of the deceased who died in the major mishap.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the bodies of the deceased were charred beyond recognition and if the identity of the victims is not established, then DNA testing will be conducted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders expressed grief over the loss of lives.

The PM has also announced Rs 50,000 to those who were injured in the mishap.

"Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the bus mishap in Buldhana. Rs 50,000 would be given to the injured," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting PM Modi

Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 1, 2023

" Home Minister Shah described the accident as heartbreaking. "In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident," he tweeted in Hindi.

                                                    Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 1, 2023

NCP chief Sharad Pawar expressed grief over the tragedy and said the government needs to take steps to curb the speed limit of private vehicles.

"The government should take immediate steps to prevent accidents," he said, adding he had expressed concern over the number of accidents on the expressway just last week.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar said with the bus accident, the issue of security of vehicles and passengers has once again come to the fore. The government needs to work on emergency measures to prevent such accidents.

The spate of accidents on the expressway continues due to the bad quality of the expressway and human errors, he said.

(With the inputs from PTI)

MUMBAI: At least 25 people, including three children, were charred to death and eight others injured after the vehicle they were travelling in caught fire in the wee hours of Saturday, police said. The private travel bus carrying 33 passengers was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into a divider around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana district, police said. Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasne told PTI that as per preliminary information, a bus tyre burst and the vehicle hit a pole, collided with a divider and caught fire. " The passengers were all sleeping at the time of the accident ", the official said adding that the driver survived the crash. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Eight others, including the bus driver and its cleaner, survived the tragedy as they managed to come out of the burning vehicle through broken windows, the police said, adding that the driver was being interrogated and the process of arresting him was underway. Rescue staff move remains of passengers after twenty five bus passengers were charred to death on the Samruddhi Expressway. (Photo | PTI) Of the 33 passengers on the bus, 25 were charred to death, the official said. The remaining eight passengers have been rushed to Buldhana civic hospital and are safe, he added. Further investigations are underway. PTI reported that the bus belonging to Vidarbha Travels had left Nagpur for Pune at 4 pm on Friday. It stopped at Karanja in Yavatmal district for dinner but met with the accident sometime after it resumed the journey, the police said. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs5lakh to the family of the deceased who died in major private bus mishap at Sindhkhedraja on Samruddhi Mahamarg. In this mishap, total 26 passengers died. CM also announced inquiry in this accident. @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/vd4y66Q19j  Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) July 1, 2023 Following the accident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 5lakh to the family of the deceased who died in the major mishap. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the bodies of the deceased were charred beyond recognition and if the identity of the victims is not established, then DNA testing will be conducted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders expressed grief over the loss of lives. The PM has also announced Rs 50,000 to those who were injured in the mishap. "Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister's National Relief Fund) would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the bus mishap in Buldhana. Rs 50,000 would be given to the injured," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting PM Modi Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 1, 2023 " Home Minister Shah described the accident as heartbreaking. "In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident," he tweeted in Hindi.                                                     Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 1, 2023 NCP chief Sharad Pawar expressed grief over the tragedy and said the government needs to take steps to curb the speed limit of private vehicles. "The government should take immediate steps to prevent accidents," he said, adding he had expressed concern over the number of accidents on the expressway just last week. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar said with the bus accident, the issue of security of vehicles and passengers has once again come to the fore. The government needs to work on emergency measures to prevent such accidents. The spate of accidents on the expressway continues due to the bad quality of the expressway and human errors, he said. (With the inputs from PTI)
By PTI

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has directed the makers of the controversial movie "Adipurush" to appear before it on July 27 and the central government to form a committee to give its views on the film.

A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh was hearing separate petitions of Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan seeking a ban on the movie.

The court has ordered director Om Raut, producer Bhushan Kumar, and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir to appear before it on July 27.

It has also directed the central government to constitute a five-member committee to give its view on the film as to whether it had hurt the feelings of the public.

In a separate order, it also directed the government to review the decision of granting of certificate to the movie.

The order was uploaded on the high court's website late on Friday.

The bench has said the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will file their personal affidavits apprising it as to whether the guidelines for certification of the film for public exhibition has been followed in letter and spirit.

The court said in case the requisite affidavits are not filed by the next date, any Class-1 officer, not below the rank of deputy secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as any responsible officer of the CBFC will appear in person along with records.

It has also directed the director, the producer and the dialogue writer to file their personal affidavits explaining their bona fide by the next date.

The court said it was restraining itself from passing any interim order or any coercive action against them before having their response on affidavits.

It had last heard the matter on June 28.

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has directed the makers of the controversial movie "Adipurush" to appear before it on July 27 and the central government to form a committee to give its views on the film. A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh was hearing separate petitions of Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan seeking a ban on the movie. The court has ordered director Om Raut, producer Bhushan Kumar, and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir to appear before it on July 27.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It has also directed the central government to constitute a five-member committee to give its view on the film as to whether it had hurt the feelings of the public. In a separate order, it also directed the government to review the decision of granting of certificate to the movie. The order was uploaded on the high court's website late on Friday. The bench has said the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will file their personal affidavits apprising it as to whether the guidelines for certification of the film for public exhibition has been followed in letter and spirit. The court said in case the requisite affidavits are not filed by the next date, any Class-1 officer, not below the rank of deputy secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as well as any responsible officer of the CBFC will appear in person along with records. It has also directed the director, the producer and the dialogue writer to file their personal affidavits explaining their bona fide by the next date. The court said it was restraining itself from passing any interim order or any coercive action against them before having their response on affidavits. It had last heard the matter on June 28.
By Express News Service

RC Bhargava, former CEO and current chairman of Maruti Suzuki, takes questions on a range of issues, from how the carmaker stayed on top and how he looks at future challenges. Excerpts from 6th edition of Delhi Dialogue, The New Indian Express

The Indian automotive industry has operated without any formal planning or inclusion in government policies such as five-year plans. It is difficult to believe that a government organisation could handle the pressure of VIP demands and vehicle registrations.

Shahid Faridi: Maruti started as a joint venture and it became a private company. How and when did it happen?

The government started with the intentions that the foreign company should take 40% equity. At that time, no foreign manufacturer wanted to actually put cash into the company. The other people who were offered to partner with Maruti wanted only to give second-hand equipment, but nobody wanted to invest.

Suzuki, on its own, agreed to take 25% stake. Later they agreed to take 26% when they understood 26% gives them more rights.

Then there was a revision in the contract within five years, and Suzuki was given an option of increasing its stake to 40%. So, they went up to 40% within five years.

Then came 1991 liberalisation and we wanted foreign investments. The PMO told us to persuade Suzuki to increase its equity into Maruti and see if we could get any other foreign investment in the company.

We talked to Suzuki and it was decided that they will become equal partners with the government. In 1995, trouble started between the government and Suzuki. When they had become 50-50 partners, they said that the managing director would be the nominee from the partners, alternatively retiring in 1997.

There was a big difference of opinion on who should be the one. Ultimately, the issue went into an international arbitration. The government changed and Sikander Bakht became the Industries Minister. He realised that there is no way a government could run a car company. There were talks that we wanted Suzuki out but then Bakth negotiated and the court case was settled. He said the government would make money selling the shares. The government first gave Suzuki some shares so that it became the majority partner and the government took a premium of Rs 1,000 crore for giving Suzuki the control that time.

Maruti got listed in 2003 and the government totally sold its shares after 2003-2007.

Dipak Mondal: What are the steps the government should take to increase manufacturing sectors contribution in the GDP?

Fundamentally, the government cant do much. However, one thing the government must do is to understand the value of time. You know the most costly thing for a big project is time. We are doing this project in Kharkhoda. Our people calculated that each days delay would cost us something like Rs 40 crore. In most government places, people are not willing to take decisions. Any project you want to do, you have to take so many approvals. It is one of the most frustrating things.

Dipak Mondal: Are you saying not much has changed on the ground?

State governments decide on clearances. If something is not happening, we blame the Central government. However, all clearances, such as on electricity, water, sewerage, afforestation and the environment, are taken by state governments.

Monika Yadav: What is your assessment of the rural consumption pattern? Do you think India can overtake US and China as a manufacturer in the automobile sector?

I dont think we can overtake China, probably not even the US. A major factor that we have to consider is the number of people in India is so large that if I want to get to the US standards, where they have more cars per thousand people, we would have 150 crore cars in India, which makes it impossible in terms of resources.

China is way ahead of us, especially in terms of infrastructure. Politically in India, it is impossible to do what China does in rebuilding rural infrastructure.

Over the last 10-15 years, we have seen that the focus of growth has shifted from big cities. Given the infrastructure of cities like Delhi, its impossible for many more cars to fit into this place. A lot of people in rural areas are buying cars. We had recognised this trend about 10-15 years ago. Over 40% of our total sales come from rural markets, including small towns.

Monika Yadav: About artificial intelligence, do you think driverless cars are the future?

There are two aspects of it in India. One, it doesnt make sense because we have so much unemployment, and drivers are a major source of employment. If you are selling 4 million cars, you are probably generating 7-8 lakh driver jobs every year. The other is a purely technical reason. For AI to grow, some degree of predictability is needed with some data. I dont think any technologist today can predict the Indian behaviour.

Rakesh Kumar: What is your view on the semiconductor ecosystem in India?

The situation is improving. From what one is reading, following the PMs recent visit to the US, is that theres going to be more movement in that area in India. I think the chipmakers are recognising that the future growth market is India.

Neha Periwal: Why Japanese, why not Germans?

Germans, to some extent, are similar in a sense that they have a much higher involvement of employees in their companies. However, they havent managed to do what the Japanese have. And the cost is much higher. When we went for a partnership at that time, Volkswagen was interested. They even offered us a car, not the kind of a small car that Japan was using. Europe wasnt using small cars. But then, they changed their mind. They thought India wasnt a good market. Why Suzuki agreed to enter India, I have no idea.

Amit Mukherjee: Do you think Maruti is late in entering the EV market?

I dont think that we are late in this (EV segment) market.

We had developed an electric car a few years ago. WagonR was converted, but the cost was too high. The Indian market is a much more price sensitive. Our Per Capita GDP is $2000 or so; Europes is $45,000. The cost of electric cars was not low at that time; the battery cost was quite high. The other big issue is that the major component of the car is the battery. Nobody is making batteries in India. And there was a lot of talk about battery technology.

Even now, nobody is sure whether lithium ion batteries will be able to continue for five years from now. Who is going to invest in battery manufacturing? Then there is uncertainty behind the technology of batteries. You invest in a factory, the battery gets obsolete; you are stuck.

Prabhu Chawla: You are shifting to EVs because of environmental concerns. Similar to the scrappage policy of petrol and diesel cars, would the EVs also be scrapped after 10 years?

We are introducing EVs correctly to improve the environment, and get nearer to carbon neutrality. The question is until we change the composition from predominantly coal-fired to renewable clean energy sources, are we really reducing the carbon footprint?

A car should be scrapped if it fails to meet the environmental and safety standards.

This means there has to be periodical checking of fitness. We dont have the infrastructure to do it.

Jitendra Choubey: Is there a dilemma in the industry whether we should go for EV or hydrogen?

The use of hydrogen on a commercial scale is not possible. You need big infrastructure and safety measures. In India, we have other options  created by a large agricultural, human and cattle waste  which offer you the possibility of compressed biogas and ethanol.

We look at hydrogen and electricity because the West is doing it. The West doesnt have these options of cattle dung and agricultural waste.

Ketan Tanna: What is the future of affordable cars?

It is a tricky issue. We do need to provide cars that meet the best safety standards. But safety standards mean cost. Small cars become less affordable than big cars because the percentage increase in the price of the car is much higher, when the car itself is low-cost. Airbags in small cars and airbags for a big car dont make much difference. However, if you put an airbag in a car costing Rs 50 lakh and you put it in a car costing five lakh, theres a big difference in the impact. Thus, small cars have become less affordable. Therefore, their sales have more or less stagnated.

What is the answer? One is that you reduce taxes on small cars. Ive been saying that taxes on cars in India are the highest in the world. Europe has a VAT maximum of 19%, Japan has about 10% and the US has something similar to that. Our small cars go at about 29-30% and the big cars at 45%.

Arshad Khan: Carmakers are leaving India.

How many carmakers are there in the US, how many in Japan? How many do we have in India? How do you make them all viable? How can they all be profitable? The simple thing is India has partnered with carmakers. Many of them just didnt make the cut. They have to fall out. We cant support so many carmakers.

Arshad Khan: On Tesla

Tesla is welcome as long as they work on the same basis of all other carmakers. People should have freedom to exit, and enter. Tesla has asked for some tax concessions earlier. They had said that they should be allowed to import cars at lower duties to test the market. So why should they be allowed to import cars at lower duty when nobody else is allowed to import? Now theyre not asking for that.

Neha Periwal: What is the best advice youve got and an advice you want to offer?

Something that always made an impression on me happened in school. One of our teachers, a British, had once said that the purpose of education is not to teach you the subjects and make you very good at them. The purpose of education is to instill in you the inquisitive Greek spirit, which means you should keep questioning everything. On the way of life, there is something to learn from the Gita. Dont let yourself be stressed by events you cant control and change. Learn to accept them and do your best.

RC Bhargava, former CEO and current chairman of Maruti Suzuki, takes questions on a range of issues, from how the carmaker stayed on top and how he looks at future challenges. Excerpts from 6th edition of Delhi Dialogue, The New Indian Express

RC Bhargava, former CEO and current chairman of Maruti Suzuki, takes questions on a range of issues, from how the carmaker stayed on top and how he looks at future challenges. Excerpts from 6th edition of Delhi Dialogue, The New Indian Express The Indian automotive industry has operated without any formal planning or inclusion in government policies such as five-year plans. It is difficult to believe that a government organisation could handle the pressure of VIP demands and vehicle registrations. Shahid Faridi: Maruti started as a joint venture and it became a private company. How and when did it happen? The government started with the intentions that the foreign company should take 40% equity. At that time, no foreign manufacturer wanted to actually put cash into the company. The other people who were offered to partner with Maruti wanted only to give second-hand equipment, but nobody wanted to invest.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Suzuki, on its own, agreed to take 25% stake. Later they agreed to take 26% when they understood 26% gives them more rights. Then there was a revision in the contract within five years, and Suzuki was given an option of increasing its stake to 40%. So, they went up to 40% within five years. Then came 1991 liberalisation and we wanted foreign investments. The PMO told us to persuade Suzuki to increase its equity into Maruti and see if we could get any other foreign investment in the company. We talked to Suzuki and it was decided that they will become equal partners with the government. In 1995, trouble started between the government and Suzuki. When they had become 50-50 partners, they said that the managing director would be the nominee from the partners, alternatively retiring in 1997. There was a big difference of opinion on who should be the one. Ultimately, the issue went into an international arbitration. The government changed and Sikander Bakht became the Industries Minister. He realised that there is no way a government could run a car company. There were talks that we wanted Suzuki out but then Bakth negotiated and the court case was settled. He said the government would make money selling the shares. The government first gave Suzuki some shares so that it became the majority partner and the government took a premium of Rs 1,000 crore for giving Suzuki the control that time. Maruti got listed in 2003 and the government totally sold its shares after 2003-2007. Dipak Mondal: What are the steps the government should take to increase manufacturing sectors contribution in the GDP? Fundamentally, the government cant do much. However, one thing the government must do is to understand the value of time. You know the most costly thing for a big project is time. We are doing this project in Kharkhoda. Our people calculated that each days delay would cost us something like Rs 40 crore. In most government places, people are not willing to take decisions. Any project you want to do, you have to take so many approvals. It is one of the most frustrating things. Dipak Mondal: Are you saying not much has changed on the ground? State governments decide on clearances. If something is not happening, we blame the Central government. However, all clearances, such as on electricity, water, sewerage, afforestation and the environment, are taken by state governments. Monika Yadav: What is your assessment of the rural consumption pattern? Do you think India can overtake US and China as a manufacturer in the automobile sector? I dont think we can overtake China, probably not even the US. A major factor that we have to consider is the number of people in India is so large that if I want to get to the US standards, where they have more cars per thousand people, we would have 150 crore cars in India, which makes it impossible in terms of resources. China is way ahead of us, especially in terms of infrastructure. Politically in India, it is impossible to do what China does in rebuilding rural infrastructure. Over the last 10-15 years, we have seen that the focus of growth has shifted from big cities. Given the infrastructure of cities like Delhi, its impossible for many more cars to fit into this place. A lot of people in rural areas are buying cars. We had recognised this trend about 10-15 years ago. Over 40% of our total sales come from rural markets, including small towns. Monika Yadav: About artificial intelligence, do you think driverless cars are the future? There are two aspects of it in India. One, it doesnt make sense because we have so much unemployment, and drivers are a major source of employment. If you are selling 4 million cars, you are probably generating 7-8 lakh driver jobs every year. The other is a purely technical reason. For AI to grow, some degree of predictability is needed with some data. I dont think any technologist today can predict the Indian behaviour. Rakesh Kumar: What is your view on the semiconductor ecosystem in India? The situation is improving. From what one is reading, following the PMs recent visit to the US, is that theres going to be more movement in that area in India. I think the chipmakers are recognising that the future growth market is India. Neha Periwal: Why Japanese, why not Germans? Germans, to some extent, are similar in a sense that they have a much higher involvement of employees in their companies. However, they havent managed to do what the Japanese have. And the cost is much higher. When we went for a partnership at that time, Volkswagen was interested. They even offered us a car, not the kind of a small car that Japan was using. Europe wasnt using small cars. But then, they changed their mind. They thought India wasnt a good market. Why Suzuki agreed to enter India, I have no idea. Amit Mukherjee: Do you think Maruti is late in entering the EV market? I dont think that we are late in this (EV segment) market. We had developed an electric car a few years ago. WagonR was converted, but the cost was too high. The Indian market is a much more price sensitive. Our Per Capita GDP is $2000 or so; Europes is $45,000. The cost of electric cars was not low at that time; the battery cost was quite high. The other big issue is that the major component of the car is the battery. Nobody is making batteries in India. And there was a lot of talk about battery technology. Even now, nobody is sure whether lithium ion batteries will be able to continue for five years from now. Who is going to invest in battery manufacturing? Then there is uncertainty behind the technology of batteries. You invest in a factory, the battery gets obsolete; you are stuck. Prabhu Chawla: You are shifting to EVs because of environmental concerns. Similar to the scrappage policy of petrol and diesel cars, would the EVs also be scrapped after 10 years? We are introducing EVs correctly to improve the environment, and get nearer to carbon neutrality. The question is until we change the composition from predominantly coal-fired to renewable clean energy sources, are we really reducing the carbon footprint? A car should be scrapped if it fails to meet the environmental and safety standards. This means there has to be periodical checking of fitness. We dont have the infrastructure to do it. Jitendra Choubey: Is there a dilemma in the industry whether we should go for EV or hydrogen? The use of hydrogen on a commercial scale is not possible. You need big infrastructure and safety measures. In India, we have other options  created by a large agricultural, human and cattle waste  which offer you the possibility of compressed biogas and ethanol. We look at hydrogen and electricity because the West is doing it. The West doesnt have these options of cattle dung and agricultural waste. Ketan Tanna: What is the future of affordable cars? It is a tricky issue. We do need to provide cars that meet the best safety standards. But safety standards mean cost. Small cars become less affordable than big cars because the percentage increase in the price of the car is much higher, when the car itself is low-cost. Airbags in small cars and airbags for a big car dont make much difference. However, if you put an airbag in a car costing Rs 50 lakh and you put it in a car costing five lakh, theres a big difference in the impact. Thus, small cars have become less affordable. Therefore, their sales have more or less stagnated. What is the answer? One is that you reduce taxes on small cars. Ive been saying that taxes on cars in India are the highest in the world. Europe has a VAT maximum of 19%, Japan has about 10% and the US has something similar to that. Our small cars go at about 29-30% and the big cars at 45%. Arshad Khan: Carmakers are leaving India. How many carmakers are there in the US, how many in Japan? How many do we have in India? How do you make them all viable? How can they all be profitable? The simple thing is India has partnered with carmakers. Many of them just didnt make the cut. They have to fall out. We cant support so many carmakers. Arshad Khan: On Tesla Tesla is welcome as long as they work on the same basis of all other carmakers. People should have freedom to exit, and enter. Tesla has asked for some tax concessions earlier. They had said that they should be allowed to import cars at lower duties to test the market. So why should they be allowed to import cars at lower duty when nobody else is allowed to import? Now theyre not asking for that. Neha Periwal: What is the best advice youve got and an advice you want to offer? Something that always made an impression on me happened in school. One of our teachers, a British, had once said that the purpose of education is not to teach you the subjects and make you very good at them. The purpose of education is to instill in you the inquisitive Greek spirit, which means you should keep questioning everything. On the way of life, there is something to learn from the Gita. Dont let yourself be stressed by events you cant control and change. Learn to accept them and do your best. RC Bhargava, former CEO and current chairman of Maruti Suzuki, takes questions on a range of issues, from how the carmaker stayed on top and how he looks at future challenges. Excerpts from 6th edition of Delhi Dialogue, The New Indian Express
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Yeh kah-kah kar ham dil ko bahla rahe hain, woh ab chal chuke hain, woh ab aa rahe hain (Saying he has just started, he is coming now, we are trying to console out heart). A loaded couplet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned it to attack the Opposition while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the Presidents address on February 8 this year in the Lok Sabha.

Such witty and satirical comments of Parliamentarians have for the first time found space on the Parliament website. Place your cursor on the Business tab of the Lok Sabha site that has been soft launched. It will open a drop-down menu on Debates under which you will find the Wit and Humour section.

To being with, couplets and poems in various languages, including Tamil, besides Sanskrit shlokas of 20 members of the Lok Sabha have tabulated and uploaded. As for the revamped Rajya Sabha website, populating its Wit and Humour section is work in progress.

During the same speech, Modi had recited another couplet as he tore into the Opposition for creating pandemonium. Tumhare pav ke niche koi jamin nahi, Kamal yeh hai ki fir bhi tumhe yakin nahi (There is no ground under your feet, the wonder is you dont believe it yet), Modi said to taunt Congress members amid thumping of desks from the Treasury benches.

Another couplet that figures on the list is by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Translated from Hindi, it reads, We are asked to extinguish fire with fire, accept wound after wound. To show we are loyal, we are asked to behead ourselves. He said it in his fiery speech against the Modi government while participating in the same Motion of Thanks debate.

A Kural in Tamil quoted by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Idippaarai Illaadha Emaraa Mannan Keduppaa Rilaanung Kedum (A king without an honest and critical counsel needs no enemies to come to ruin.), too, gives ample food for thought.

NEW DELHI: Yeh kah-kah kar ham dil ko bahla rahe hain, woh ab chal chuke hain, woh ab aa rahe hain (Saying he has just started, he is coming now, we are trying to console out heart). A loaded couplet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned it to attack the Opposition while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the Presidents address on February 8 this year in the Lok Sabha. Such witty and satirical comments of Parliamentarians have for the first time found space on the Parliament website. Place your cursor on the Business tab of the Lok Sabha site that has been soft launched. It will open a drop-down menu on Debates under which you will find the Wit and Humour section. To being with, couplets and poems in various languages, including Tamil, besides Sanskrit shlokas of 20 members of the Lok Sabha have tabulated and uploaded. As for the revamped Rajya Sabha website, populating its Wit and Humour section is work in progress.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); During the same speech, Modi had recited another couplet as he tore into the Opposition for creating pandemonium. Tumhare pav ke niche koi jamin nahi, Kamal yeh hai ki fir bhi tumhe yakin nahi (There is no ground under your feet, the wonder is you dont believe it yet), Modi said to taunt Congress members amid thumping of desks from the Treasury benches. Another couplet that figures on the list is by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Translated from Hindi, it reads, We are asked to extinguish fire with fire, accept wound after wound. To show we are loyal, we are asked to behead ourselves. He said it in his fiery speech against the Modi government while participating in the same Motion of Thanks debate. A Kural in Tamil quoted by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Idippaarai Illaadha Emaraa Mannan Keduppaa Rilaanung Kedum (A king without an honest and critical counsel needs no enemies to come to ruin.), too, gives ample food for thought.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. The results of the preliminary study on the project for laying an underwater power transmission line in the Black Sea, which aims to deliver green energy from Azerbaijan to Europe, will be known in September, Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced, while speaking at the Parliament, Trend reports.

"This project has full support from the European Union, major financial institutions, and we expect it to be one of the most significant historical projects completed in the last 30 years," said Garibashvili.

He noted that the project is currently in the study phase, with active work being carried out.

"We expect that the research results will be available in September, and after that, we will move on to the second phase," said the PM.

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, and Romania signed an agreement in Bucharest on December 17, 2022 to build an underwater electric cable under the Black Sea. The project could become a new power source for the European Union. The 1,100-kilometer cable from Azerbaijan to Romania will provide Azerbaijani energy for the rest of the continent. The project could be completed within three to four years.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The government is giving Rs 6.5 lakh crore to the agriculture sector every year with each farmer getting a benefit of Rs 50,000 annually in one form or the other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while asserting it's "Modi's guarantee" and not just a promise.

In what was seen as a veiled dig at the poll promises made by Congress and other opposition parties in recent times, Modi listed benefits provided to farmers mainly in the form of fertiliser subsidy, foodgrains procurement and PM-KISAN and said: "This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of farmers".

"The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means, under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms," he said while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress here.

"Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon (This is Modi's guarantee. I am only talking about what I have done and not the promises)," the prime minister said.

"On average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore yearly on agriculture and farmers," Modi said.

In the last nine years, Modi said the government has ensured the supply of fertilisers at cheaper rates compared to other countries, bought large quantities of grains at minimum support price (MSP) and paid huge amounts directly into the bank accounts of farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, thus eliminating middlemen.

Elaborating, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been transferred in the last four years directly into the bank accounts of farmers under the PM KISAN scheme.

Under PM-KISAN, farmers get Rs 6,000 annually.

"You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore," Modi said.

The government has also ensured that the impact of the rise in global prices of fertilisers does not affect farmers, he said and added that this 'Modi guarantee' has been provided by the BJP-ruled central government.

Modi further highlighted that farmers are getting a bag (45 kg) of urea at around Rs 270, which is much lower than Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and more than Rs 3,000 in America.

The government has spent over Rs 10 lakh crore towards the fertilizer subsidy in the last nine years to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at a reasonable price, he said, and quipped "Isse badi guarantee kya hoti hai? (can there be a bigger guarantee than this)?

Stating that the Centre has been serious about ensuring remunerative prices for farmers' produce since 2014, Modi said the government has increased the MSP and also provided more than Rs 15 lakh crore to farmers in the last nine years through procurement of foodgrains at MSP.

He also informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7 lakh crore for the fertiliser sector as well as an increase in fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal. The prime minister also talked about the role of cooperatives in making India self-reliant and a developed country by 2047.

He asked cooperatives to become carriers of social and national policy instead of politics.

Modi stressed that cooperatives should become a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, and urged them to adopt digital tools in a big way. He called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing the production of oilseeds and pulses and help the country become self-reliant in cooking oils.

Modi underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country and hence the government has decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

As a result, a separate ministry has been created with a separate budget allocation.

Cooperatives are also being given a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector.

Several measures have also been taken to strengthen cooperative societies and cooperative banks, including a reduction in tax rates, he said.

Modi noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government has increased transparency and ensured benefits for the beneficiaries.

"Today, the poorest of the poor believe that corruption and nepotism have been eliminated in the upper echelons."

He also stressed that the cooperative sector should become a "model of transparency and corruption-free governance" by promoting digital systems in the sector as this will increase transparency and efficiency in the market besides enabling better competition.

While more than 60,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) have been computerised, they now need to make full use of technology. They also need to contribute to exports and reduce import dependency on pulses and edible oils, he added.

Stating that food security should not be limited to self-sufficiency in wheat, rice and sugar, Modi said India spends roughly Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore on the import of edible oil, pulses, fish feed and processed food, etc.

Cooperatives can contribute to making India self-reliant in these commodities.

The government has focused on reducing cane-arrears by promoting ethanol in the sugar sector.

Ethanol worth Rs 70,000 crore was purchased from sugar mills in the last nine years, he said, adding that sugar mills were also given a package of Rs 20,000 crore for clearing farmers' dues.

Modi exuded confidence that cooperatives will become a powerful medium of the country's economic source in the new India.

He emphasised the need to build villages that will become self-sufficient by following the cooperative model.

NEW DELHI: The government is giving Rs 6.5 lakh crore to the agriculture sector every year with each farmer getting a benefit of Rs 50,000 annually in one form or the other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while asserting it's "Modi's guarantee" and not just a promise. In what was seen as a veiled dig at the poll promises made by Congress and other opposition parties in recent times, Modi listed benefits provided to farmers mainly in the form of fertiliser subsidy, foodgrains procurement and PM-KISAN and said: "This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of farmers". "The government is making sure that every farmer in the country receives around Rs 50,000 every year in some way or the other. This means, under the BJP government at the Centre, there is a guarantee that every farmer gets Rs 50,000 in various forms," he said while addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress here.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Ye Modi ki guarantee hai. Aur maine jo kiya hai, woh bata raha hoon, vaade nahi bata raha hoon (This is Modi's guarantee. I am only talking about what I have done and not the promises)," the prime minister said. "On average, the government is spending more than Rs 6.5 lakh crore yearly on agriculture and farmers," Modi said. In the last nine years, Modi said the government has ensured the supply of fertilisers at cheaper rates compared to other countries, bought large quantities of grains at minimum support price (MSP) and paid huge amounts directly into the bank accounts of farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, thus eliminating middlemen.    ,  ,     pic.twitter.com/fwl3aSu5Bk  PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 1, 2023 Elaborating, the prime minister said Rs 2.5 lakh crore have been transferred in the last four years directly into the bank accounts of farmers under the PM KISAN scheme. Under PM-KISAN, farmers get Rs 6,000 annually. "You can guess how big this amount is from the fact that the total agricultural budget for the five years before 2014 was less than Rs 90,000 crore," Modi said. The government has also ensured that the impact of the rise in global prices of fertilisers does not affect farmers, he said and added that this 'Modi guarantee' has been provided by the BJP-ruled central government. Modi further highlighted that farmers are getting a bag (45 kg) of urea at around Rs 270, which is much lower than Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2,100 in China and more than Rs 3,000 in America. The government has spent over Rs 10 lakh crore towards the fertilizer subsidy in the last nine years to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at a reasonable price, he said, and quipped "Isse badi guarantee kya hoti hai? (can there be a bigger guarantee than this)? Stating that the Centre has been serious about ensuring remunerative prices for farmers' produce since 2014, Modi said the government has increased the MSP and also provided more than Rs 15 lakh crore to farmers in the last nine years through procurement of foodgrains at MSP. He also informed about the recent package of Rs 3.7 lakh crore for the fertiliser sector as well as an increase in fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane farmers at Rs 315 per quintal. The prime minister also talked about the role of cooperatives in making India self-reliant and a developed country by 2047. He asked cooperatives to become carriers of social and national policy instead of politics. Modi stressed that cooperatives should become a model of transparency and corruption-free governance, and urged them to adopt digital tools in a big way. He called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing the production of oilseeds and pulses and help the country become self-reliant in cooking oils. Modi underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country and hence the government has decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. As a result, a separate ministry has been created with a separate budget allocation. Cooperatives are also being given a platform exactly like that of the corporate sector. Several measures have also been taken to strengthen cooperative societies and cooperative banks, including a reduction in tax rates, he said. Modi noted that through the Digital India campaign, the government has increased transparency and ensured benefits for the beneficiaries. "Today, the poorest of the poor believe that corruption and nepotism have been eliminated in the upper echelons." He also stressed that the cooperative sector should become a "model of transparency and corruption-free governance" by promoting digital systems in the sector as this will increase transparency and efficiency in the market besides enabling better competition. While more than 60,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) have been computerised, they now need to make full use of technology. They also need to contribute to exports and reduce import dependency on pulses and edible oils, he added. Stating that food security should not be limited to self-sufficiency in wheat, rice and sugar, Modi said India spends roughly Rs 2-2.5 lakh crore on the import of edible oil, pulses, fish feed and processed food, etc. Cooperatives can contribute to making India self-reliant in these commodities. The government has focused on reducing cane-arrears by promoting ethanol in the sugar sector. Ethanol worth Rs 70,000 crore was purchased from sugar mills in the last nine years, he said, adding that sugar mills were also given a package of Rs 20,000 crore for clearing farmers' dues. Modi exuded confidence that cooperatives will become a powerful medium of the country's economic source in the new India. He emphasised the need to build villages that will become self-sufficient by following the cooperative model.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane paid an official visit to Myanmar from June 30, 2023 to July 01, 2023.

He called on Chairman, State Administrative Council (SAC) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in the country's Capital city Nay Pyi Taw, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.

Giridhar Aramane also called on the Defence Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo and held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy Admiral Moe Aung and Chief of Defence Industries Lt Gen Khan Myint Than.

The 11-member SAC under Senior General Hlaing is governing Myanmar currently.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, The visit provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to Indias security with senior leadership of Myanmar. During the meetings, the two sides discussed issues related to maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other, MoD added.

India shares an approximately 1,700-km-long border with Myanmar. Any developments in that country have a direct impact on Indias bordering regions. Peace and stability in Myanmar and the well-being of its people, therefore, remain of utmost importance to India. The Indian state of Manipur, sharing around 390 km long borders with Myanmar, is facing violence at present.

NEW DELHI: Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane paid an official visit to Myanmar from June 30, 2023 to July 01, 2023. He called on Chairman, State Administrative Council (SAC) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in the country's Capital city Nay Pyi Taw, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday. Giridhar Aramane also called on the Defence Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo and held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy Admiral Moe Aung and Chief of Defence Industries Lt Gen Khan Myint Than.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The 11-member SAC under Senior General Hlaing is governing Myanmar currently. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, The visit provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to Indias security with senior leadership of Myanmar. During the meetings, the two sides discussed issues related to maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other, MoD added. India shares an approximately 1,700-km-long border with Myanmar. Any developments in that country have a direct impact on Indias bordering regions. Peace and stability in Myanmar and the well-being of its people, therefore, remain of utmost importance to India. The Indian state of Manipur, sharing around 390 km long borders with Myanmar, is facing violence at present.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: This year, the AAP-led Punjab government is unlikely to offer Rs 1,000 per quintal compensation to farmers who are selling their early sown moong dal (green gram) crop much below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 7,755 per quintal in the market.

Most of the harvest is going to private players as the government is hardly procuring it. Last year, for the first time, the government encouraged farmers to grow this crop as part of diversification. It also compensated farmers who sold their crops below the MSP in the market.

This year so far, 17,000 metric tonnes (MT) have been procured. Of this, only 400 MT is procured by the

state government. When the early sown green gram crop arrived in the grain markets of the state, the farmers received rates between Rs 5,800 and Rs 6,500 per quintal, which are almost Rs 1,955 to Rs 1,255 below the declared MSP of Rs 7,755 per quintal. Initially, the farmers sold the crop at Rs 8,500 per quintal, but then the rates fell to Rs 7,182 for a short period.

Sources said that this year, from June 1 to June 28, a total of 17,000 MT was procured by both the government and private players. Of this, only 400 MT was procured from the state-owned Markfed on an MSP of Rs 7,755 per quintal under the price support scheme of the Union government.

Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khundian said, The Markfed is the procurement agency for moong dal and it is procuring the crop this year too. The farmers have met me and I have spoken to

the CM. As far as offering Rs 1,000 per quintal compensation is concerned, I have no idea about it.

Last year, over 85% of the crop was sold below the MSP of Rs 7,275 a quintal and the state government had to pay the difference of Rs 1,000 per quintal, ending up paying more than Rs 42 crore to the farmers.

CHANDIGARH: This year, the AAP-led Punjab government is unlikely to offer Rs 1,000 per quintal compensation to farmers who are selling their early sown moong dal (green gram) crop much below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 7,755 per quintal in the market. Most of the harvest is going to private players as the government is hardly procuring it. Last year, for the first time, the government encouraged farmers to grow this crop as part of diversification. It also compensated farmers who sold their crops below the MSP in the market. This year so far, 17,000 metric tonnes (MT) have been procured. Of this, only 400 MT is procured by the state government. When the early sown green gram crop arrived in the grain markets of the state, the farmers received rates between Rs 5,800 and Rs 6,500 per quintal, which are almost Rs 1,955 to Rs 1,255 below the declared MSP of Rs 7,755 per quintal. Initially, the farmers sold the crop at Rs 8,500 per quintal, but then the rates fell to Rs 7,182 for a short period.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sources said that this year, from June 1 to June 28, a total of 17,000 MT was procured by both the government and private players. Of this, only 400 MT was procured from the state-owned Markfed on an MSP of Rs 7,755 per quintal under the price support scheme of the Union government. Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khundian said, The Markfed is the procurement agency for moong dal and it is procuring the crop this year too. The farmers have met me and I have spoken to the CM. As far as offering Rs 1,000 per quintal compensation is concerned, I have no idea about it. Last year, over 85% of the crop was sold below the MSP of Rs 7,275 a quintal and the state government had to pay the difference of Rs 1,000 per quintal, ending up paying more than Rs 42 crore to the farmers.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya By

Express News Service

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Saturday rejected the regular bail plea of Mumbai-based social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

So far, Setalvad has been protected from arrest by an interim bail issued by the Supreme Court in September 2022.

Setalvad's lawyer, Mihir Thakore, requested that Justice Nirzar Desai stay the execution of the verdict 30 days so that she might appeal to the Supreme Court, as she has been out on interim bail for nearly a year. However, Justice Desai denied the request.

Attorney of Teesta Setalvad Mihir Thakore told TNIE that "We applied for regular bail today, but the court denied our request."

On June 24 2022, the Supreme Court denied a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, whose husband, former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, was killed during the riots, challenging the SIT's clean chit awarded to then-chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 Godhra riots cases,

While dismissing the petition the Supreme Court stated, "It appears to us that a concerted effort of disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat, together with others, was to create a sensation by making revelations that were false to their own knowledge."

Soon after the Supreme Court verdict, Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) filed an FIR against Activist Teesta Setalvad, former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar, and Former IPS Sanjeev Bhatt for plotting to falsely implicate innocent persons in the Gujarat riots of 2002.

Setalvad and co-accused R B Sreekumar were taken into custody by Gujarat police on June 25, 2022, She was kept in police remand for seven days and was sent to judicial custody on July 2. Setlvad was granted bail in September 2022.

Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Sanjiv Bhatt were accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence and frame innocent people for an offence punishable by capital punishment.

Sanjiv Bhatt is currently lodged in jail after being convicted of life imprisonment in a custodial death case. While R B Sreekumar is out on bail, on June 19, 2023, the Ahmedabad sessions court Rejected Sreekumars plea seeking his discharge in a case registered against him.

She walked out of jail in September 2022 after being granted relief by the apex court.

Setalvad and the other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offense), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy)

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvad's bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail.

READ MORE: 'I felt fear and loneliness', activist Teesta Setalvad recounts time spent in jail

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Saturday rejected the regular bail plea of Mumbai-based social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately in a case pertaining to the alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases. So far, Setalvad has been protected from arrest by an interim bail issued by the Supreme Court in September 2022. Setalvad's lawyer, Mihir Thakore, requested that Justice Nirzar Desai stay the execution of the verdict 30 days so that she might appeal to the Supreme Court, as she has been out on interim bail for nearly a year. However, Justice Desai denied the request.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Attorney of Teesta Setalvad Mihir Thakore told TNIE that "We applied for regular bail today, but the court denied our request." On June 24 2022, the Supreme Court denied a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, whose husband, former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, was killed during the riots, challenging the SIT's clean chit awarded to then-chief minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 Godhra riots cases, While dismissing the petition the Supreme Court stated, "It appears to us that a concerted effort of disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat, together with others, was to create a sensation by making revelations that were false to their own knowledge." Soon after the Supreme Court verdict, Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) filed an FIR against Activist Teesta Setalvad, former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar, and Former IPS Sanjeev Bhatt for plotting to falsely implicate innocent persons in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Setalvad and co-accused R B Sreekumar were taken into custody by Gujarat police on June 25, 2022, She was kept in police remand for seven days and was sent to judicial custody on July 2. Setlvad was granted bail in September 2022. Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Sanjiv Bhatt were accused of abusing the process of law by conspiring to fabricate evidence and frame innocent people for an offence punishable by capital punishment. Sanjiv Bhatt is currently lodged in jail after being convicted of life imprisonment in a custodial death case. While R B Sreekumar is out on bail, on June 19, 2023, the Ahmedabad sessions court Rejected Sreekumars plea seeking his discharge in a case registered against him. She walked out of jail in September 2022 after being granted relief by the apex court. Setalvad and the other two were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offense), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) The court of Justice Nirzar Desai rejected Setalvad's bail plea and directed her to surrender immediately as she is already out of jail after securing interim bail. READ MORE: 'I felt fear and loneliness', activist Teesta Setalvad recounts time spent in jail
By Associated Press

BANPUR, India: Siren blaring, Sunil Kumar Naiks ambulance tore across a dry and rocky countryside blasted by dangerous midday heat, rushing to check on a vomiting and dizzy 30-year-old man with possible heat stroke. As soon as they reached the mans village, Naiks paramedic partner guided the stricken man into the ambulance, then checked his pulse and oxygen levels as Naik sped back to the public hospital.

With barely a moment to drink some water and splash their faces, the men were dispatched again, this time to pick up a pregnant woman who had gone into labor as the temperature soared to 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit). And so went another furious 12-hour shift in Indias increasingly deadly summer, when Naik and paramedic Jitendra Kumar sometimes find themselves hurrying to as many as twice the usual number of calls.

Extreme heat is fast becoming a public health crisis in India, with more than 150 people dying during the latest brutal heat wave in June. Prolonged heat waves, sometimes classified as a slow-onset disaster, are one of the deadliest consequences of global warming that India faces. The government estimates nearly 11,000 people have died during heat waves this century, yet experts say such figures are likely a vast undercount.

Banpur, a village of about 13,000, lies in the mostly poor Bundelkhand region deep in Indias interior. Its arid and stony, with little tree cover to protect people in one of the nations hottest regions. Naik and Kumar make up one of two ambulance crews that cover the village and surrounding area, carrying patients to the government-run public health center. The state and federal governments help fund the not-for-profit ambulance service, making it a free lifeline for patients.

I consider every patient my family member. I dont care if it is hot or if I am hungry, I go on a mission to get the patient out and transport them to the hospital, said Naik, whose only protection from the heat and dry, hot winds is a white cotton towel wrapped around his head. It is difficult for me driving the vehicle in extreme heat, but it is nothing compared to the hardships of a patient in a medical emergency.

Health experts say the heat can kill slowly  and quickly. The quick way could be through simple heat stroke, while a slower death may result when people who already have serious health conditions suffer through extended heat, said Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar.

Mavalankar was instrumental in developing Indias first heat action plan, for the city of Ahmedabad in 2013, three years after more than 1,300 people died during a heat wave there. The plan set out guidelines that included issuing a heat alert when temperatures rose past 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit), educating people such as outdoor laborers, farmers and others exposed to heat about the risks they face, and providing resources to local health centers and hospitals to deal with heat-related illnesses.

When a cyclone happens, everyone is on alert, and they act immediately but there is little awareness or action to deal with extreme heat, Mavalankar said. There needs to be a media blitzkrieg, local governments should warn people to stay indoors and make their hospitals ready to deal with heat-related cases, he said.

Aditya Valiathan Pillai of the Centre for Policy Research, a New Delhi think tank, recently studied Indias readiness to respond to extremely hot weather. He said such plans  which include cooling centers and health care assistance - are essential to saving lives.

Climate experts say that heat waves are here to stay, and India needs to prepare better to deal with their consequences. A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that examines the source of extreme heat, found that a searing heat wave in April that struck parts of South Asia was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change.

Yet poorer regions like Uttar Pradesh, where Banpur lies, may have a plan on paper but not the ability to carry it out.

The afflicted population is vulnerable because it lacks resources and has insufficient infrastructure to handle severe temperatures, said Anjal Prakash, a research director at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and author of several U.N. climate reports. The construction of efficient early warning systems, public awareness campaigns about heat-related hazards, the provision of adequate healthcare facilities, and targeted assistance to vulnerable populations are only a few steps that need to be taken immediately.

In Banpur, the paramedic Kumar shares lodging in guest quarters at the hospital with several others. With only an old fan for cooling, hes frequently sweating before his work day begins. The ambulance has air conditioning, but it is no match for the temperature outside, Kumar said.

ALSO READ | Stay summer-safe

He and Naik skip lunches most days. When they find time, they eat under whatever shade they can find. They earn a little more than $150 a month, hardly enough to support their families given rising costs. Naik has three young children and Kumar sends most of his income to his wife and parents, who live 350 kilometers away.

Despite the hardships, they make the best of what they say is a difficult job.

I feel proud of my work, Kumar said. The more critical the patient, the more challenging it becomes for us to save their life. I feel happy that I can save lives and help people.



BANPUR, India: Siren blaring, Sunil Kumar Naiks ambulance tore across a dry and rocky countryside blasted by dangerous midday heat, rushing to check on a vomiting and dizzy 30-year-old man with possible heat stroke. As soon as they reached the mans village, Naiks paramedic partner guided the stricken man into the ambulance, then checked his pulse and oxygen levels as Naik sped back to the public hospital. With barely a moment to drink some water and splash their faces, the men were dispatched again, this time to pick up a pregnant woman who had gone into labor as the temperature soared to 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit). And so went another furious 12-hour shift in Indias increasingly deadly summer, when Naik and paramedic Jitendra Kumar sometimes find themselves hurrying to as many as twice the usual number of calls. Extreme heat is fast becoming a public health crisis in India, with more than 150 people dying during the latest brutal heat wave in June. Prolonged heat waves, sometimes classified as a slow-onset disaster, are one of the deadliest consequences of global warming that India faces. The government estimates nearly 11,000 people have died during heat waves this century, yet experts say such figures are likely a vast undercount.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Banpur, a village of about 13,000, lies in the mostly poor Bundelkhand region deep in Indias interior. Its arid and stony, with little tree cover to protect people in one of the nations hottest regions. Naik and Kumar make up one of two ambulance crews that cover the village and surrounding area, carrying patients to the government-run public health center. The state and federal governments help fund the not-for-profit ambulance service, making it a free lifeline for patients. I consider every patient my family member. I dont care if it is hot or if I am hungry, I go on a mission to get the patient out and transport them to the hospital, said Naik, whose only protection from the heat and dry, hot winds is a white cotton towel wrapped around his head. It is difficult for me driving the vehicle in extreme heat, but it is nothing compared to the hardships of a patient in a medical emergency. Health experts say the heat can kill slowly  and quickly. The quick way could be through simple heat stroke, while a slower death may result when people who already have serious health conditions suffer through extended heat, said Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar. Mavalankar was instrumental in developing Indias first heat action plan, for the city of Ahmedabad in 2013, three years after more than 1,300 people died during a heat wave there. The plan set out guidelines that included issuing a heat alert when temperatures rose past 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit), educating people such as outdoor laborers, farmers and others exposed to heat about the risks they face, and providing resources to local health centers and hospitals to deal with heat-related illnesses. When a cyclone happens, everyone is on alert, and they act immediately but there is little awareness or action to deal with extreme heat, Mavalankar said. There needs to be a media blitzkrieg, local governments should warn people to stay indoors and make their hospitals ready to deal with heat-related cases, he said. Aditya Valiathan Pillai of the Centre for Policy Research, a New Delhi think tank, recently studied Indias readiness to respond to extremely hot weather. He said such plans  which include cooling centers and health care assistance - are essential to saving lives. Climate experts say that heat waves are here to stay, and India needs to prepare better to deal with their consequences. A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that examines the source of extreme heat, found that a searing heat wave in April that struck parts of South Asia was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change. Yet poorer regions like Uttar Pradesh, where Banpur lies, may have a plan on paper but not the ability to carry it out. The afflicted population is vulnerable because it lacks resources and has insufficient infrastructure to handle severe temperatures, said Anjal Prakash, a research director at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and author of several U.N. climate reports. The construction of efficient early warning systems, public awareness campaigns about heat-related hazards, the provision of adequate healthcare facilities, and targeted assistance to vulnerable populations are only a few steps that need to be taken immediately. In Banpur, the paramedic Kumar shares lodging in guest quarters at the hospital with several others. With only an old fan for cooling, hes frequently sweating before his work day begins. The ambulance has air conditioning, but it is no match for the temperature outside, Kumar said. ALSO READ | Stay summer-safe He and Naik skip lunches most days. When they find time, they eat under whatever shade they can find. They earn a little more than $150 a month, hardly enough to support their families given rising costs. Naik has three young children and Kumar sends most of his income to his wife and parents, who live 350 kilometers away. Despite the hardships, they make the best of what they say is a difficult job. I feel proud of my work, Kumar said. The more critical the patient, the more challenging it becomes for us to save their life. I feel happy that I can save lives and help people.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the central government, to consider reducing the age of consent from 18 years to 16 years under Section 375 IPC (which deals with rape) for redressing the injustice being caused to adolescent boys.

While quashing a 2020 rape case filed against a 20-year-old youth by a 17-year-old girl, the single judge bench of the HC in Gwalior, headed by Justice Deepak Kumar Agarwal observed on June 27, This court would like to share its experience as a judge that before amendments in IPC under Section 375 of IPC regarding age of prosecutrix for the purpose of consent that was 16 years and subsequently enhanced by amendment up to 18 years due to this amendment, fabric of society has been disturbed. Nowadays, every male or female near the age of 14 years due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity is getting puberty in early age.

The HC further pointed out that owing to it, female and male children are getting attracted to each other and these attractions are resulting in physical relationships with consent. In these cases, males are not at all criminals. It is only a matter of age when they come into contact with females and develop physical relationships. Only due to this reason, lawmakers in IPC, when it came into force, put the age of female as 16 years since they were well aware of the aforesaid facts.

Generally, girls and boys of adolescent age develop friendship and thereafter, due to attraction make a physical relationship. But, due to this rider boys are treated like criminals in society. Today, in most criminal cases in which the prosecutrix is under 18 years of age, due to the aforementioned anomaly, injustice is going on with adolescent boys. Thus, I request the government to think over the matter for reducing the age of the prosecutrix, the bench observed.

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the central government, to consider reducing the age of consent from 18 years to 16 years under Section 375 IPC (which deals with rape) for redressing the injustice being caused to adolescent boys. While quashing a 2020 rape case filed against a 20-year-old youth by a 17-year-old girl, the single judge bench of the HC in Gwalior, headed by Justice Deepak Kumar Agarwal observed on June 27, This court would like to share its experience as a judge that before amendments in IPC under Section 375 of IPC regarding age of prosecutrix for the purpose of consent that was 16 years and subsequently enhanced by amendment up to 18 years due to this amendment, fabric of society has been disturbed. Nowadays, every male or female near the age of 14 years due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity is getting puberty in early age. The HC further pointed out that owing to it, female and male children are getting attracted to each other and these attractions are resulting in physical relationships with consent. In these cases, males are not at all criminals. It is only a matter of age when they come into contact with females and develop physical relationships. Only due to this reason, lawmakers in IPC, when it came into force, put the age of female as 16 years since they were well aware of the aforesaid facts.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Generally, girls and boys of adolescent age develop friendship and thereafter, due to attraction make a physical relationship. But, due to this rider boys are treated like criminals in society. Today, in most criminal cases in which the prosecutrix is under 18 years of age, due to the aforementioned anomaly, injustice is going on with adolescent boys. Thus, I request the government to think over the matter for reducing the age of the prosecutrix, the bench observed.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to tribal dominated Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, BJP national president JP Nadda was in another tribal part of the same assembly poll-bound state on Friday.

Nadda held a roadshow and addressed a rally in tribal-dominated Khargone district of southwestern MP. At the same event, the BJP rendered a jolt to the Congress, as former MP minister and fifth-time sitting MLA from Maheshwar-SC seat Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadhos sister Pramila Sadho joined the saffron party.

Addressing the rally, the BJP president attacked the erstwhile 15-month-long Kamal Nath-led Congress regime, terming it as a corrupt government. Nadda alleged, Do you know how patriotic that regime was? It removed Kargils chapter from the educational syllabus in MP. It was a huge insult to our defence forces. But they (Cong) demanded evidence of the surgical strikes carried out on terror camps across the LoC by the Modi government.

NEW DELHI: Just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to tribal dominated Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, BJP national president JP Nadda was in another tribal part of the same assembly poll-bound state on Friday. Nadda held a roadshow and addressed a rally in tribal-dominated Khargone district of southwestern MP. At the same event, the BJP rendered a jolt to the Congress, as former MP minister and fifth-time sitting MLA from Maheshwar-SC seat Dr Vijaylaxmi Sadhos sister Pramila Sadho joined the saffron party. Addressing the rally, the BJP president attacked the erstwhile 15-month-long Kamal Nath-led Congress regime, terming it as a corrupt government. Nadda alleged, Do you know how patriotic that regime was? It removed Kargils chapter from the educational syllabus in MP. It was a huge insult to our defence forces. But they (Cong) demanded evidence of the surgical strikes carried out on terror camps across the LoC by the Modi government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); });
Amit Mukherjee By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency in collaboration with the police forces of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, on Friday announced the establishment of a collective institutionalised mechanism for real-time as well as regular information sharing and coordinated action & operations against the gangster eco-system in the northern region.

According to NIA sources, they also decided to set up a Joint Listing Committee, with representative officers from the NIA and the three police forces, to list out and map the entire network of the various criminal syndicates active in the northern states and UT. It was further decided to hold monthly meetings of all the stakeholders to address the issue of organised crimes and criminals in these areas.

These decisions were taken at a high-level inter-state coordination meeting held in Panchkula, Haryana, under the chairmanship of NIA Director General, Dinkar Gupta, an NIA spokesperson said. The meeting discussed the activities of leaders and members of organized criminal syndicate groups operating in the northern states, and also the ongoing investigations in the various criminal cases connected with them. This was the second such meeting steered by the NIA DG for tackling the menace of organised criminal terror syndicates. The DG had initiated these meetings to collectively deal with such syndicates through sharing of findings and inputs among the various police agencies and forces.

Underscoring the need for collaborative action in combating organised crime, the NIA DG called for enhanced cooperation and information sharing among the NIA, Punjab Police, Chandigarh Police, and Haryana Police to effectively address the growing threat posed by these criminal syndicates, particularly in the northern region.NIA, which is investigating three such cases against criminal terror syndicates, shared its findings and observations on the methodology adopted by the syndicates operating from jails.

It emphasised the need for fast-tracking of trials against these gangsters as an effective tool to tackle the problem, along with the need for a witness protection plan, the NIA spokesperson said. Besides Gupta, others who attended the meeting included Haryana Director General of Police PK Agrawal, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and DGP Chandigarh Praveer Ranjan. Other senior police officials from state intel and law and order wings of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were also present.

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency in collaboration with the police forces of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, on Friday announced the establishment of a collective institutionalised mechanism for real-time as well as regular information sharing and coordinated action & operations against the gangster eco-system in the northern region. According to NIA sources, they also decided to set up a Joint Listing Committee, with representative officers from the NIA and the three police forces, to list out and map the entire network of the various criminal syndicates active in the northern states and UT. It was further decided to hold monthly meetings of all the stakeholders to address the issue of organised crimes and criminals in these areas. These decisions were taken at a high-level inter-state coordination meeting held in Panchkula, Haryana, under the chairmanship of NIA Director General, Dinkar Gupta, an NIA spokesperson said. The meeting discussed the activities of leaders and members of organized criminal syndicate groups operating in the northern states, and also the ongoing investigations in the various criminal cases connected with them. This was the second such meeting steered by the NIA DG for tackling the menace of organised criminal terror syndicates. The DG had initiated these meetings to collectively deal with such syndicates through sharing of findings and inputs among the various police agencies and forces.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Underscoring the need for collaborative action in combating organised crime, the NIA DG called for enhanced cooperation and information sharing among the NIA, Punjab Police, Chandigarh Police, and Haryana Police to effectively address the growing threat posed by these criminal syndicates, particularly in the northern region.NIA, which is investigating three such cases against criminal terror syndicates, shared its findings and observations on the methodology adopted by the syndicates operating from jails. It emphasised the need for fast-tracking of trials against these gangsters as an effective tool to tackle the problem, along with the need for a witness protection plan, the NIA spokesperson said. Besides Gupta, others who attended the meeting included Haryana Director General of Police PK Agrawal, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and DGP Chandigarh Praveer Ranjan. Other senior police officials from state intel and law and order wings of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were also present.
By Express News Service

PATNA: Preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are slowly picking up pace in Bihar as state chief minister and JD (U) supremo Nitish Kumar has started meeting with his party MLAs and MLCs, taking feedback from them about various issues, including the partys organisational capabilities.

Nitish had earlier not ruled out the possibility of the Lok Sabha election being held before its scheduled time and asked his party legislators to be prepared for early polls. Recently, he also directed the officials to complete ongoing projects within the stipulated period.

Instead of holding meetings with his partys legislators collectively, Nitish held one-on-one meetings with his party MLAs at his residence in the state capital. It is expected that Nitish would hold such meetings with his party leaders in future too.

During his meetings with his MLAs, Nitish asked them to prepare for the Lok Sabha election and told them that poll dates could be advanced too. Apni puri taiyari rakhiye (be prepared fully), a senior JD(U) MLA quoted Nitish as saying at a one-to-one meeting.

CM took feedback from MLAs about problems being faced by their respective constituencies and also at what level there was a need to strengthen the partys organisation. He asked them to directly contact him if they had any important work related to organisation or development work in their constituencies.

After his meeting with Nitish, JD (U) MLA Ramvilas Kamat said on Friday that CM discussed problems being faced by his constituency and also asked him to remain always prepared for its development. CM also advised me to talk to him if I have any problem, he added.

PATNA: Preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are slowly picking up pace in Bihar as state chief minister and JD (U) supremo Nitish Kumar has started meeting with his party MLAs and MLCs, taking feedback from them about various issues, including the partys organisational capabilities. Nitish had earlier not ruled out the possibility of the Lok Sabha election being held before its scheduled time and asked his party legislators to be prepared for early polls. Recently, he also directed the officials to complete ongoing projects within the stipulated period. Instead of holding meetings with his partys legislators collectively, Nitish held one-on-one meetings with his party MLAs at his residence in the state capital. It is expected that Nitish would hold such meetings with his party leaders in future too.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); During his meetings with his MLAs, Nitish asked them to prepare for the Lok Sabha election and told them that poll dates could be advanced too. Apni puri taiyari rakhiye (be prepared fully), a senior JD(U) MLA quoted Nitish as saying at a one-to-one meeting. CM took feedback from MLAs about problems being faced by their respective constituencies and also at what level there was a need to strengthen the partys organisation. He asked them to directly contact him if they had any important work related to organisation or development work in their constituencies. After his meeting with Nitish, JD (U) MLA Ramvilas Kamat said on Friday that CM discussed problems being faced by his constituency and also asked him to remain always prepared for its development. CM also advised me to talk to him if I have any problem, he added.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya By

Express News Service

AHMEDABAD: Despite Central governments efforts to expand organic farming across India, such a technique has not found any favour with Gujarat. Land under organic farming has not expanded even by an inch in six years, data reveals.

Every year, the government announces the budget for organic farming but fails to motivate the state farmers. In Gujarat, around 960,000 hectares are cultivated, with just 32,092.51 hectares being organically cultivated.

According to official data, organic farming covered 30,092 hectares in 2014-2015, and it expanded by 2,000 hectares in 2015-2016. Following that, from 2016 to 2022, organic farming land did not rise at all.

The Central government launched the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) to promote organic farming. Gujarat has already developed its own organic farming strategy, which appears to have failed to attract farmers to organic farming.

There are 10,27,865 organic agricultural farmers in the country under PKVY, with Gujarats farmers name missing. As per a Lok sabha answer on March 21, 2023, the Centre has not released any funds for Gujarat in 2021-22 under the PMKY scheme following slow progress in utilizing PMKY funds.

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthiv Raj Kathwadia said according to the Lok Sabha reply, Rs 8184.81 crore were released in the country under PKVY during the year 2021-2022, but Gujarat received nil funds in 2021-22. Not even a single paisa has been spent by the Gujarat government to attract or encourage farmers, he said.

The Gujarat Natural Farming and Organic Agricultural University were established six years ago by the state government to guide and divert farmers in Gujarat to organic farming. According to the vice-chancellor of this university, farmers in Gujarat have shifted to natural farming rather than organic.

AHMEDABAD: Despite Central governments efforts to expand organic farming across India, such a technique has not found any favour with Gujarat. Land under organic farming has not expanded even by an inch in six years, data reveals. Every year, the government announces the budget for organic farming but fails to motivate the state farmers. In Gujarat, around 960,000 hectares are cultivated, with just 32,092.51 hectares being organically cultivated. According to official data, organic farming covered 30,092 hectares in 2014-2015, and it expanded by 2,000 hectares in 2015-2016. Following that, from 2016 to 2022, organic farming land did not rise at all. The Central government launched the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) to promote organic farming. Gujarat has already developed its own organic farming strategy, which appears to have failed to attract farmers to organic farming.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); There are 10,27,865 organic agricultural farmers in the country under PKVY, with Gujarats farmers name missing. As per a Lok sabha answer on March 21, 2023, the Centre has not released any funds for Gujarat in 2021-22 under the PMKY scheme following slow progress in utilizing PMKY funds. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthiv Raj Kathwadia said according to the Lok Sabha reply, Rs 8184.81 crore were released in the country under PKVY during the year 2021-2022, but Gujarat received nil funds in 2021-22. Not even a single paisa has been spent by the Gujarat government to attract or encourage farmers, he said. The Gujarat Natural Farming and Organic Agricultural University were established six years ago by the state government to guide and divert farmers in Gujarat to organic farming. According to the vice-chancellor of this university, farmers in Gujarat have shifted to natural farming rather than organic.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 1. The construction of a new gas processing plant with a capacity of 900 million cubic meters in Kazakhstan's Zhanaozen will begin in the autumn, Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said, Trend reports.

He made the remark while speaking about the key projects aimed at addressing the development of the gas industry in the country at the meeting of the AMANAT party.

"To address the challenges in the gas industry in the medium term, the following projects have been planned. Construction of a gas processing plant with a total capacity of over 1 bcm is underway at the Kashagan field. The construction of another gas processing plant with a capacity of 4 bcm at Kashagan is also being explored," the PM said.

A decision has been made to construct a gas processing plant with a capacity of 4 bcm at the Karachaganak field as well, he noted.

Additional exploration works with a total estimated gas resource of 640 bcm will also be carried out in the regions of the country, Smailov added.
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: The opposition BJP in Rajasthan is making all-out efforts to wrest power from the Congress in the Assembly polls due later this year. Two days after back-to-back rallies in different parts of the state by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah landed in the tribal-dominated Mewar region on Friday where he hit out at Oppositions unity efforts, saying that their target is the future of their own children.

Addressing a well-attended gathering, Shah said that 21 parties that gathered in Patna last week want to make Rahul baba the Prime Minister to indulge in corruption. He said the target of 21 parties is the future of their children. Sonia Gandhi aims to make Rahul the prime minister, Lalu Prasad aims to make his son Tejashwi the CM, Mamata Banerjee wants to make her nephew Abhishek the CM and Ashok Gehlot aims to make his son Vaibhav the CM.

Shah prominently cited the Kanhaiyalal murder case. He argued that if the case had been heard in a special court, the perpetrators would have been hanged by now. He also criticised Gehlots alleged inaction and politicisation of the murder case and the Jaipur blast case. Shah questioned the lack of security provided to Kanhaiyalal and pointed out the alleged corruption within the Rajasthan Secretariat.

Kanhaiyalal, a tailor who was murdered on June 28 last year by two cleaver-wielding men, who accused him of insulting Islam on social media. It drew a sharp counter from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who accused Shah of lying.

Taking to Twitter, Gehlot said: Kanhaiyalals killers were caught by the state police within 4 hours.

The Mewar region comprises Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur, and Chittorgarh. Tribals have been a loyal vote bank for the Congress, but now the Bharatiya Tribal Party is also gaining ground, causing concerns for the BJP.

JAIPUR: The opposition BJP in Rajasthan is making all-out efforts to wrest power from the Congress in the Assembly polls due later this year. Two days after back-to-back rallies in different parts of the state by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah landed in the tribal-dominated Mewar region on Friday where he hit out at Oppositions unity efforts, saying that their target is the future of their own children. Addressing a well-attended gathering, Shah said that 21 parties that gathered in Patna last week want to make Rahul baba the Prime Minister to indulge in corruption. He said the target of 21 parties is the future of their children. Sonia Gandhi aims to make Rahul the prime minister, Lalu Prasad aims to make his son Tejashwi the CM, Mamata Banerjee wants to make her nephew Abhishek the CM and Ashok Gehlot aims to make his son Vaibhav the CM. Shah prominently cited the Kanhaiyalal murder case. He argued that if the case had been heard in a special court, the perpetrators would have been hanged by now. He also criticised Gehlots alleged inaction and politicisation of the murder case and the Jaipur blast case. Shah questioned the lack of security provided to Kanhaiyalal and pointed out the alleged corruption within the Rajasthan Secretariat.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Kanhaiyalal, a tailor who was murdered on June 28 last year by two cleaver-wielding men, who accused him of insulting Islam on social media. It drew a sharp counter from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who accused Shah of lying. Taking to Twitter, Gehlot said: Kanhaiyalals killers were caught by the state police within 4 hours. The Mewar region comprises Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur, and Chittorgarh. Tribals have been a loyal vote bank for the Congress, but now the Bharatiya Tribal Party is also gaining ground, causing concerns for the BJP.
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit that India will host virtually on July 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a meaningful and constructive telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the Kremlin said.

PM Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict in Ukraine while President Putin spoke about the recent developments in Russia, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The dramatic coup attempt by mercenaries in Russia and its fallout also figured in the conversation. Both leaders agreed to remain in touch and continue to make efforts to strengthen their special and privileged strategic partnership.

The conversation came a day after bilateral talks National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. Though Putin was ready to attend the SCO Summit in person in Delhi, the decision to hold it virtually was announced on May 30. Chinese President Xi Jingping and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, too, confirmed their participation in the meeting.

For the upcoming SCO Summit, under Indias ongoing chairmanship, we had earlier agreed upon some mutually agreeable dates and had planned the trip of President Putin to attend it in person in Delhi. However, the Indian side decided to make it virtual and we confirmed participation for that too as we attach priority to SCO, said Kremlins Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov.

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit that India will host virtually on July 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a meaningful and constructive telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the Kremlin said. PM Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict in Ukraine while President Putin spoke about the recent developments in Russia, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The dramatic coup attempt by mercenaries in Russia and its fallout also figured in the conversation. Both leaders agreed to remain in touch and continue to make efforts to strengthen their special and privileged strategic partnership. The conversation came a day after bilateral talks National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. Though Putin was ready to attend the SCO Summit in person in Delhi, the decision to hold it virtually was announced on May 30. Chinese President Xi Jingping and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, too, confirmed their participation in the meeting.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); For the upcoming SCO Summit, under Indias ongoing chairmanship, we had earlier agreed upon some mutually agreeable dates and had planned the trip of President Putin to attend it in person in Delhi. However, the Indian side decided to make it virtual and we confirmed participation for that too as we attach priority to SCO, said Kremlins Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov.
Shruti Kakkar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was told by the Gujarat High Court to surrender immediately in a criminal case related to the 2002 Gujarat riots, breathed a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court in a special Saturday night hearing stayed HCs order for one week.

A three-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta stayed the Gujarat HC order opining that the single judge (Justice Nirzar S Desai) should have granted her some "breathing time" to surrender.

"We are not going into the merits of the matter. We are only concerned with that part of the order which rejected the petitioner's request for a stay. In ordinary circumstances, we would not have interfered. After the petitioner was arrested, this Court considered her request for interim bail...One of the factors which weighed with this Court in granting interim bail was that the petitioner was a lady and was entitled to special protection under Section 437 CrPC. Taking into consideration this fact, the learned single judge ought to have granted some time...We stay the order of the single bench for a period of one week," the court said in its order.

Justice BR Gavai, the presiding judge of the bench during the hearing questioned the "alarming urgency" adopted by the HC in asking her to surrender.

The judge said, "A person is on bail from September 2, 2022 and 10 months have passed. What is so urgency that she is not even given 7 days? Elaborate reasons were given for interim protection. We fail to under the approach of the HC. What is the alarming urgency that HC asks her to surrender immediately? We have seen in this country that after an order of house custody is passed, a full bench is constituted within hours. You are aware of the case. Even an ordinary criminal is entitled to challenge the order. When 3 judges of this court found appropriate to grant her interim protection, what would happen within 8 days?"

Additionally, Justice Dipankar Datta also a part of the bench said, "If earlier 3 judge bench has said that she should be in the dock and proceeded further, then the 3 judge bench in September would not have granted her bail. A judgement coming on a Saturday. Two judges differing on the grant of relief. If there is a difference of opinion, it should be in favour of liberty."

Earlier around 7.00 PM, the two-judge bench of Justices AS Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra had differed on granting her "interim protection." Justice AS Oka expressed his intention to grant her protection by asking the state to place on record that no coercive action would be taken against her. However, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra appeared reluctant. The judges then referred the matter to CJI DY Chandrachud, asking for constituting a three-judge bench to hear her plea.

Justice Oka was of the view that the HC should have "given some breathing time for her to surrender and for the matter to be placed before the top court. The SC granted Teesta interim bail on September 2, 2022. Justice Oka said, The court could have granted at least breathing time so that it could have been considered by the higher court. Heavens are not going to fall if you say that you will not take any action until Tuesday. We all are handicapped. The books have been given to us now. For 9 months she was on bail and what will happen within 72 hours? Well have to hear the matter fully."

Appearing for the Gujarat government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that Teesta was not even entitled to interim protection since she took the entire system for a ride. Mehta said, "I am opposing the plea with all my might," he also said.

Earlier in the day, the Gujarat HCs single bench of Justice Nirzar S Desai rejected her regular bail application and also turned down her request for staying the operation of its order for 30 days. Teesta was arrested on June 25 by Gujarats Anti Terrorism Squad, hours after the top court dismissed the plea of Zakia Jafri for a probe into the larger conspiracy case behind the riots.

NEW DELHI: Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was told by the Gujarat High Court to surrender immediately in a criminal case related to the 2002 Gujarat riots, breathed a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court in a special Saturday night hearing stayed HCs order for one week. A three-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta stayed the Gujarat HC order opining that the single judge (Justice Nirzar S Desai) should have granted her some "breathing time" to surrender. "We are not going into the merits of the matter. We are only concerned with that part of the order which rejected the petitioner's request for a stay. In ordinary circumstances, we would not have interfered. After the petitioner was arrested, this Court considered her request for interim bail...One of the factors which weighed with this Court in granting interim bail was that the petitioner was a lady and was entitled to special protection under Section 437 CrPC. Taking into consideration this fact, the learned single judge ought to have granted some time...We stay the order of the single bench for a period of one week," the court said in its order.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Justice BR Gavai, the presiding judge of the bench during the hearing questioned the "alarming urgency" adopted by the HC in asking her to surrender. The judge said, "A person is on bail from September 2, 2022 and 10 months have passed. What is so urgency that she is not even given 7 days? Elaborate reasons were given for interim protection. We fail to under the approach of the HC. What is the alarming urgency that HC asks her to surrender immediately? We have seen in this country that after an order of house custody is passed, a full bench is constituted within hours. You are aware of the case. Even an ordinary criminal is entitled to challenge the order. When 3 judges of this court found appropriate to grant her interim protection, what would happen within 8 days?" Additionally, Justice Dipankar Datta also a part of the bench said, "If earlier 3 judge bench has said that she should be in the dock and proceeded further, then the 3 judge bench in September would not have granted her bail. A judgement coming on a Saturday. Two judges differing on the grant of relief. If there is a difference of opinion, it should be in favour of liberty." Earlier around 7.00 PM, the two-judge bench of Justices AS Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra had differed on granting her "interim protection." Justice AS Oka expressed his intention to grant her protection by asking the state to place on record that no coercive action would be taken against her. However, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra appeared reluctant. The judges then referred the matter to CJI DY Chandrachud, asking for constituting a three-judge bench to hear her plea. Justice Oka was of the view that the HC should have "given some breathing time for her to surrender and for the matter to be placed before the top court. The SC granted Teesta interim bail on September 2, 2022. Justice Oka said, The court could have granted at least breathing time so that it could have been considered by the higher court. Heavens are not going to fall if you say that you will not take any action until Tuesday. We all are handicapped. The books have been given to us now. For 9 months she was on bail and what will happen within 72 hours? Well have to hear the matter fully." Appearing for the Gujarat government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that Teesta was not even entitled to interim protection since she took the entire system for a ride. Mehta said, "I am opposing the plea with all my might," he also said. Earlier in the day, the Gujarat HCs single bench of Justice Nirzar S Desai rejected her regular bail application and also turned down her request for staying the operation of its order for 30 days. Teesta was arrested on June 25 by Gujarats Anti Terrorism Squad, hours after the top court dismissed the plea of Zakia Jafri for a probe into the larger conspiracy case behind the riots.
By Express News Service

NOIDA: Three policemen have been suspended over charges of vandalising a small eatery here allegedly due to a delay in service, officials said on Friday.

Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh took note of the incident after a purported clip of the damage caused to the eatery surfaced on social media, and ordered a departmental inquiry into the episode, they said.

The incident is alleged to have taken place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday at the Sector 76 market, under the Sector 113 Police Station, police said.

The information about an egg shop being vandalised by a police outpost in-charge, a sub-inspector and a constable came to light through a social media post, a police statement said.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the police commissioner has directed DCP Noida Zone that outpost in-charge Sorkha sub-inspectors Omprakash Singh and Avesh Malik, and constable Manvendra Kumar be suspended and action taken against them after departmental inquiry, the statement said.

Police said they have received a complaint from the eatery and an inquiry is underway. We have spoken to the victim over the phone. Further inquiry in the case is underway, ACP (Noida 3) Saumya Singh, who is handling the inquiry, said. Earlier this week, four police officials posted in Greater Noida were booked for allegedly assaulting a 33-year-old engineer, who also claimed to be a cancer patient, as well as holding him hostage.

NOIDA: Three policemen have been suspended over charges of vandalising a small eatery here allegedly due to a delay in service, officials said on Friday. Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh took note of the incident after a purported clip of the damage caused to the eatery surfaced on social media, and ordered a departmental inquiry into the episode, they said. The incident is alleged to have taken place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday at the Sector 76 market, under the Sector 113 Police Station, police said. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The information about an egg shop being vandalised by a police outpost in-charge, a sub-inspector and a constable came to light through a social media post, a police statement said. Taking cognisance of the matter, the police commissioner has directed DCP Noida Zone that outpost in-charge Sorkha sub-inspectors Omprakash Singh and Avesh Malik, and constable Manvendra Kumar be suspended and action taken against them after departmental inquiry, the statement said. Police said they have received a complaint from the eatery and an inquiry is underway. We have spoken to the victim over the phone. Further inquiry in the case is underway, ACP (Noida 3) Saumya Singh, who is handling the inquiry, said. Earlier this week, four police officials posted in Greater Noida were booked for allegedly assaulting a 33-year-old engineer, who also claimed to be a cancer patient, as well as holding him hostage.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath handed over keys of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Urban) to 76 beneficiaries of the low-income group (LIG) in Lukarganj area of Prayagraj on Friday.

The houses are built on land freed from the illegal possession of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad. Atiq, along with his brother Ashraf, was shot dead from point-blank range by three assailants posing as journalists in Prayagraj on April 15.

Addressing the gathering, Yogi slammed the previous regimes allegedly for patronizing the mafia when it came to free the land from their illegal possession. Six years ago, not a single person got a house under this scheme. The poor did not get houses because the state government, at that time, did not think about them. The poor were forced to erect huts here and there, he added.

The CM informed that his government had built housing at a cost of `6.6 crore. He claimed that 54 lakh poor people in the state were allotted houses under PMAY in the last six years and 10 lakh more houses would be ready.

LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath handed over keys of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Urban) to 76 beneficiaries of the low-income group (LIG) in Lukarganj area of Prayagraj on Friday. The houses are built on land freed from the illegal possession of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad. Atiq, along with his brother Ashraf, was shot dead from point-blank range by three assailants posing as journalists in Prayagraj on April 15. Addressing the gathering, Yogi slammed the previous regimes allegedly for patronizing the mafia when it came to free the land from their illegal possession. Six years ago, not a single person got a house under this scheme. The poor did not get houses because the state government, at that time, did not think about them. The poor were forced to erect huts here and there, he added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The CM informed that his government had built housing at a cost of `6.6 crore. He claimed that 54 lakh poor people in the state were allotted houses under PMAY in the last six years and 10 lakh more houses would be ready.
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid growing buzz that the Centre may table a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during the Monsoon session of Parliament in July, the Uttarakhand UCC panel announced on Friday that it has completed work on the draft UCC for the state and will soon submit it to the government.

This development comes a day after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice invited representatives of the Law Commission and the law ministry on July 3 to seek views of stakeholders on the issue of UCC.

Addressing the media in the capital, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, who heads the expert committee set up by the state government last year, stated that the panel has drafted the code by taking into account all shades of opinions and considering various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary panels call for consultations on UCC has sparked speculation that the government is considering tabling the bill on UCC during the Monsoon session of Parliament, which will begin in the second week of July. This paper previously reported that during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in April, he expressed his keenness to introduce the bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament in July. The meeting was attended by former Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, top officials from various departments, BJP President J P Nadda, and RSS Joint General Secretary Arun Kumar, among others.

According to the schedule of the standing committee led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi, representatives of the law panel and legal affairs and legislative departments of the law ministry will be heard on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on 14th June 2023, inviting views from the various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code, under the subject Review of Personal Laws.

Sushil Modi, speaking to this paper, said that the committee has shared a consultation paper issued by the 21st Law Commission in August 2028 with all its members. He stated, The committee will deliberate on the previous Law Commission report and will seek views from members on various issues involved. Congress MP Manickam Tagore, who is a member of the Standing Committee, said that he will present his views on issues involving the proposed UCC in the Monday meeting. Tagore mentioned that the BJP government is bringing up UCC to divert attention from other pressing issues. He said, In the standing committee meeting, we will be discussing the 2018 consultation paper prepared by the previous commission. We will present our views.

After PM Modi made a strong pitch in favor of uniform laws for people across communities earlier this week, several opposition parties, womens groups, Muslim bodies, and tribal outfits have come out in opposition to UCC, alleging that the BJP is resorting to divisive politics ahead of the 2024 elections. Modi emphasized that the country cannot be run with two laws when the Constitution talks about equality for all. The UCC, which falls under Article 44 of the Constitution of India, calls for a common set of laws for all religious communities.

NEW DELHI: Amid growing buzz that the Centre may table a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during the Monsoon session of Parliament in July, the Uttarakhand UCC panel announced on Friday that it has completed work on the draft UCC for the state and will soon submit it to the government. This development comes a day after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice invited representatives of the Law Commission and the law ministry on July 3 to seek views of stakeholders on the issue of UCC. Addressing the media in the capital, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, who heads the expert committee set up by the state government last year, stated that the panel has drafted the code by taking into account all shades of opinions and considering various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Meanwhile, the Parliamentary panels call for consultations on UCC has sparked speculation that the government is considering tabling the bill on UCC during the Monsoon session of Parliament, which will begin in the second week of July. This paper previously reported that during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in April, he expressed his keenness to introduce the bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament in July. The meeting was attended by former Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, top officials from various departments, BJP President J P Nadda, and RSS Joint General Secretary Arun Kumar, among others. According to the schedule of the standing committee led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi, representatives of the law panel and legal affairs and legislative departments of the law ministry will be heard on public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on 14th June 2023, inviting views from the various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code, under the subject Review of Personal Laws. Sushil Modi, speaking to this paper, said that the committee has shared a consultation paper issued by the 21st Law Commission in August 2028 with all its members. He stated, The committee will deliberate on the previous Law Commission report and will seek views from members on various issues involved. Congress MP Manickam Tagore, who is a member of the Standing Committee, said that he will present his views on issues involving the proposed UCC in the Monday meeting. Tagore mentioned that the BJP government is bringing up UCC to divert attention from other pressing issues. He said, In the standing committee meeting, we will be discussing the 2018 consultation paper prepared by the previous commission. We will present our views. After PM Modi made a strong pitch in favor of uniform laws for people across communities earlier this week, several opposition parties, womens groups, Muslim bodies, and tribal outfits have come out in opposition to UCC, alleging that the BJP is resorting to divisive politics ahead of the 2024 elections. Modi emphasized that the country cannot be run with two laws when the Constitution talks about equality for all. The UCC, which falls under Article 44 of the Constitution of India, calls for a common set of laws for all religious communities.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed the situation in strife-torn Manipur is returning to normalcy and it will improve further in the next week or so.

The situation in Manipur is improving day by day. I am of the view that there will be more improvement in the next week or 10 days, Sarma told reporters.

I can tell you with the guarantee that there is much improvement in the situation than what it was a month back, he added.

The Assam CM added that the Manipur government and the Union home ministry were working round the clock for restoring normalcy.

The last incident of violence in the state occurred on Thursday morning leaving two dead and many others injured in a gunfight.

ALSO READ | Schools in Manipur to remain closed till July 8

We are in constant touch with the stakeholders. Even yesterday (Friday), there was a meeting in Assam and another in Delhi. Then, two days ago, there was a meeting in Imphal. A whole lot of discussions are going on with various stakeholders, Sarma said.

He was confident there will be further improvement in the overall situation because of the ongoing efforts of the Manipur government and Union home minister Amit Shah.

Sarma, who is also the convenor of a non-Congress conglomerate of political parties North East Democratic Alliance, was hopeful that a time would come when there would be reconciliation between the Meiteis and the Kukis  the two communities locked in the conflict.

He criticised the Congress for crying over Manipur when the state is now relatively peaceful.

ALSO READ | Manipur CM takes U-turn on resignation after hundreds of women block road, ask him not to quit

The Congress should have cried when the situation was volatile. At that point in time, they did neither go to Manipur nor comment on the state. Manipur has now almost limped back to normalcy and they are crying after noticing that the situation has improved, Sarma said.

Earlier, he visited Manipur and held separate meetings with BJP legislators, state BJP leaders and some civil society organisations. He also held a meeting with the leaders of some Kuki rebel groups, which signed the suspension of operation agreement, in Guwahati.

Meanwhile, Manipur remained incident-free on Saturday. Curfew, albeit with relaxation, remained in force while the ban on the internet continued.

The violence, which broke out on May 3, has so far left around 120 people dead and over 50,000 others displaced.

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed the situation in strife-torn Manipur is returning to normalcy and it will improve further in the next week or so. The situation in Manipur is improving day by day. I am of the view that there will be more improvement in the next week or 10 days, Sarma told reporters. I can tell you with the guarantee that there is much improvement in the situation than what it was a month back, he added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Assam CM added that the Manipur government and the Union home ministry were working round the clock for restoring normalcy. The last incident of violence in the state occurred on Thursday morning leaving two dead and many others injured in a gunfight. ALSO READ | Schools in Manipur to remain closed till July 8 We are in constant touch with the stakeholders. Even yesterday (Friday), there was a meeting in Assam and another in Delhi. Then, two days ago, there was a meeting in Imphal. A whole lot of discussions are going on with various stakeholders, Sarma said. He was confident there will be further improvement in the overall situation because of the ongoing efforts of the Manipur government and Union home minister Amit Shah. Sarma, who is also the convenor of a non-Congress conglomerate of political parties North East Democratic Alliance, was hopeful that a time would come when there would be reconciliation between the Meiteis and the Kukis  the two communities locked in the conflict. He criticised the Congress for crying over Manipur when the state is now relatively peaceful. ALSO READ | Manipur CM takes U-turn on resignation after hundreds of women block road, ask him not to quit The Congress should have cried when the situation was volatile. At that point in time, they did neither go to Manipur nor comment on the state. Manipur has now almost limped back to normalcy and they are crying after noticing that the situation has improved, Sarma said. Earlier, he visited Manipur and held separate meetings with BJP legislators, state BJP leaders and some civil society organisations. He also held a meeting with the leaders of some Kuki rebel groups, which signed the suspension of operation agreement, in Guwahati. Meanwhile, Manipur remained incident-free on Saturday. Curfew, albeit with relaxation, remained in force while the ban on the internet continued. The violence, which broke out on May 3, has so far left around 120 people dead and over 50,000 others displaced.
By PTI

BHUBANESWAR: At least 13 more bodies of the June 2 Balasore train accident kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar were handed over to their family members on Saturday, official sources said.

Of the 29 bodies identified using DNA sampling, six were handed over to their families on Friday and 13 on Saturday, a railway official said.

"On the basis of DNA test results and with coordination with AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, 13 bodies of the Bahanaga train accident victims have been handed over to the kin of the deceased on Saturday," the railway official said.

Of the 13 bodies, four have been sent to Bihar, eight to West Bengal and one to Jharkhand, he said.

An ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each have been paid to the kin of the family members as announced by the railways, the official said.

Stating that the process of handing over of the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said as many as 62 bodies still remain unidentified and preserved in the containers in AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Of the 293 persons killed in the accident involving Shalimar-Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train, 287 had died on the spot or brought dead to hospital while six succumbed to injuries in hospitals.

The accident took place near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district on June 2 evening.

BHUBANESWAR: At least 13 more bodies of the June 2 Balasore train accident kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar were handed over to their family members on Saturday, official sources said. Of the 29 bodies identified using DNA sampling, six were handed over to their families on Friday and 13 on Saturday, a railway official said. "On the basis of DNA test results and with coordination with AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, 13 bodies of the Bahanaga train accident victims have been handed over to the kin of the deceased on Saturday," the railway official said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Of the 13 bodies, four have been sent to Bihar, eight to West Bengal and one to Jharkhand, he said. An ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each have been paid to the kin of the family members as announced by the railways, the official said. Stating that the process of handing over of the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said as many as 62 bodies still remain unidentified and preserved in the containers in AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Of the 293 persons killed in the accident involving Shalimar-Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train, 287 had died on the spot or brought dead to hospital while six succumbed to injuries in hospitals. The accident took place near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district on June 2 evening.
Sunitha Natti By

It's July, and the GST regime is flashing a seven up.

As Goods and Services Tax revenue has slingshotted to Rs 1.4-1.6 lakh crore a month in the last year from just around Rs 85,000 crore in 2017, the historic tax reform has earned itself a top spot in the list of economic achievements ahead of the 2024 general elections, prompting none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to term it a game changer for Indias economy.

The new tax regime also stands as a first-of-its-kind exercise in fiscal federalism for the country as states with diverging views and needs were persuaded to give up their fiscal sovereignty to levy taxes in lieu of a larger economic goal. As GST enters its seventh year, The New Indian Express chronicles its arduous journey.

Many a false starts

It took 17 years, three Prime Ministers and four Union Finance Ministers to transform the proposal on GST first laid out way back in 1999 into an act. To achieve this, the Indian parliament and 31 state legislatures approved five laws, namely, the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, State Goods and Services Tax Acts, Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act, and the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Act. This involved 200 pieces of delegated legislation and laws written in 16 languages. In fact, to give a final legislative shape to the reform, it took no less than 18 meetings over 10 months between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and state finance ministers and others.

EDITORIAL | Rocky road for GST as dissent grows louder

It was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who first proposed the idea of GST in a meeting with his Economic Advisory Group comprising three former RBI governors, namely IG Patel, Bimal Jalan, and C Rangarajan. In 2000, he set up an Empowered Committee headed by state finance minister of West Bengal Asim Dasgupta to design a GST model. In 2003, the then finance minister Jaswant Singh initiated the amendment in the service tax provision and laws to include GST in some form. His team even presented a detailed report on GST implementation in other countries. Subsequently, the Vijay L Kelkar-led Task Force on the implementation of the FRBM Act of 2003 suggested a pan-India GST rollout to widen the tax net and improve revenue collections. Services, which account for more than 50% of the GDP, were not properly taxed during pre-GST era, which consequently had a low indirect tax-to-GDP ratio in addition to other inefficiencies.

First mention in the budget

But it was only three years later in 2006 that GST found a mention in the budget speech for the first time with Finance Minister P Chidambaram setting 2010 as the deadline for rolling out the new indirect tax regime. An Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers presented the first discussion paper on GST in November 2009. But it was not to be, and the proposal lay gathering dust until 2011, when the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee decided to give it another shot. However, the Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2011 too failed as it could not get the states on board on contentious issues such as compensation to the states, the inclusion of petroleum and alcohol, and entry tax subsumption. As a result, the GST regime, once again, remained more of an aspiration than a reality.

It finally took Finance Minister Arun Jaitley under the NDA government to move the mountain to integrate 17 central and state taxes and create a single interface for taxpayers. The new law eliminated tax on tax, and is credited with making the country's exports more competitive. While Jaitley and team can be lauded for their dogged efforts and getting the states on board, the implementation was far from smooth. In fact, the introduction of the new regime was so chaotic that critics likened the rollout to deskilling oneself by accident.

'Never a right moment to implement GST'

But, as former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian noted, there's never a right moment to implement something as vast and as complicated as GST. By his own admission, preparation could have been better in some respects, but, he pointed out, what's more important is not whether youre well prepared or not, but whether you have systems that can respond to the problems. If technical glitches spoiled the show on one side, it was the rate structure that complicated matters on the other. India's GST is unique compared to its international peers, which largely adopted a unified GST system where a single-rate applies across the country, with the exception of a few that follow a dual rate. For instance, China introduced GST way back in 1994, while Japan was much ahead of China, having rolled out a consumption tax rate of 3% in 1989. If it's any comfort, Malaysia did take longer than India for the planning stage, taking no less than 26 years to debate, discuss and deliver its version of GST. Still it implemented the scheme ahead of us, in 2015, and with a single rate of 6%. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Austria, Sweden and Pakistan are others that have implemented single-rate GST schemes. Others like Canada and Brazil follow a dual structure, ensuring that both the Centre and the states have an equal stake in intra-state products and services.

The Indian system is relatively more complicated, involving a Central GST (CGST), State GST (SGST), and an Integrated GST (IGST). As for tax rates, goods and services are classified into different tax slabs, comprising 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with some goods attracting additional cess.

Tax evasion remains an issue

Six years after its rollout, monthly collections have remained above the Rs 1.4 lakh crore mark for 15 months in a row. However, tax evasion continues to be an issue with some estimates suggesting that the exchequer has lost as much as Rs 3.08 lakh crore to fraudsters since GST's rollout. That said, the number of GST registered taxpayers more than doubled from 67.83 lakh in July, 2017 to 1.40 crore, as on June, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration. But as the Comptroller and Auditor General observed last year, there have been several inconsistencies on this front, and the reliability of GSTN data needs a complete makeover. While improving the technological interface and efficiency is one aspect, two other elements that need immediate attention are rate rationalization and the inclusion of items such as petroleum products, alcohol and electricity within the ambit of GST framework.

Given the forthcoming assembly and general elections, none expect the GST Council to act in haste as far as these topics are concerned. However, even as a consensus on including passenger fuel does not look like an immediate possibility, nothing stops the Council from including aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and natural gas into GST's fold. Indeed, such a move could be a good finisher for the Council's milestone 50th meeting this month.

It's July, and the GST regime is flashing a seven up. As Goods and Services Tax revenue has slingshotted to Rs 1.4-1.6 lakh crore a month in the last year from just around Rs 85,000 crore in 2017, the historic tax reform has earned itself a top spot in the list of economic achievements ahead of the 2024 general elections, prompting none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to term it a game changer for Indias economy. The new tax regime also stands as a first-of-its-kind exercise in fiscal federalism for the country as states with diverging views and needs were persuaded to give up their fiscal sovereignty to levy taxes in lieu of a larger economic goal. As GST enters its seventh year, The New Indian Express chronicles its arduous journey.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Many a false starts It took 17 years, three Prime Ministers and four Union Finance Ministers to transform the proposal on GST first laid out way back in 1999 into an act. To achieve this, the Indian parliament and 31 state legislatures approved five laws, namely, the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, State Goods and Services Tax Acts, Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Act, and the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Act. This involved 200 pieces of delegated legislation and laws written in 16 languages. In fact, to give a final legislative shape to the reform, it took no less than 18 meetings over 10 months between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and state finance ministers and others. EDITORIAL | Rocky road for GST as dissent grows louder It was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who first proposed the idea of GST in a meeting with his Economic Advisory Group comprising three former RBI governors, namely IG Patel, Bimal Jalan, and C Rangarajan. In 2000, he set up an Empowered Committee headed by state finance minister of West Bengal Asim Dasgupta to design a GST model. In 2003, the then finance minister Jaswant Singh initiated the amendment in the service tax provision and laws to include GST in some form. His team even presented a detailed report on GST implementation in other countries. Subsequently, the Vijay L Kelkar-led Task Force on the implementation of the FRBM Act of 2003 suggested a pan-India GST rollout to widen the tax net and improve revenue collections. Services, which account for more than 50% of the GDP, were not properly taxed during pre-GST era, which consequently had a low indirect tax-to-GDP ratio in addition to other inefficiencies. First mention in the budget But it was only three years later in 2006 that GST found a mention in the budget speech for the first time with Finance Minister P Chidambaram setting 2010 as the deadline for rolling out the new indirect tax regime. An Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers presented the first discussion paper on GST in November 2009. But it was not to be, and the proposal lay gathering dust until 2011, when the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee decided to give it another shot. However, the Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2011 too failed as it could not get the states on board on contentious issues such as compensation to the states, the inclusion of petroleum and alcohol, and entry tax subsumption. As a result, the GST regime, once again, remained more of an aspiration than a reality. It finally took Finance Minister Arun Jaitley under the NDA government to move the mountain to integrate 17 central and state taxes and create a single interface for taxpayers. The new law eliminated tax on tax, and is credited with making the country's exports more competitive. While Jaitley and team can be lauded for their dogged efforts and getting the states on board, the implementation was far from smooth. In fact, the introduction of the new regime was so chaotic that critics likened the rollout to deskilling oneself by accident. 'Never a right moment to implement GST' But, as former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian noted, there's never a right moment to implement something as vast and as complicated as GST. By his own admission, preparation could have been better in some respects, but, he pointed out, what's more important is not whether youre well prepared or not, but whether you have systems that can respond to the problems. If technical glitches spoiled the show on one side, it was the rate structure that complicated matters on the other. India's GST is unique compared to its international peers, which largely adopted a unified GST system where a single-rate applies across the country, with the exception of a few that follow a dual rate. For instance, China introduced GST way back in 1994, while Japan was much ahead of China, having rolled out a consumption tax rate of 3% in 1989. If it's any comfort, Malaysia did take longer than India for the planning stage, taking no less than 26 years to debate, discuss and deliver its version of GST. Still it implemented the scheme ahead of us, in 2015, and with a single rate of 6%. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Austria, Sweden and Pakistan are others that have implemented single-rate GST schemes. Others like Canada and Brazil follow a dual structure, ensuring that both the Centre and the states have an equal stake in intra-state products and services. The Indian system is relatively more complicated, involving a Central GST (CGST), State GST (SGST), and an Integrated GST (IGST). As for tax rates, goods and services are classified into different tax slabs, comprising 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with some goods attracting additional cess. Tax evasion remains an issue Six years after its rollout, monthly collections have remained above the Rs 1.4 lakh crore mark for 15 months in a row. However, tax evasion continues to be an issue with some estimates suggesting that the exchequer has lost as much as Rs 3.08 lakh crore to fraudsters since GST's rollout. That said, the number of GST registered taxpayers more than doubled from 67.83 lakh in July, 2017 to 1.40 crore, as on June, 2023. Meanwhile, the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration. But as the Comptroller and Auditor General observed last year, there have been several inconsistencies on this front, and the reliability of GSTN data needs a complete makeover. While improving the technological interface and efficiency is one aspect, two other elements that need immediate attention are rate rationalization and the inclusion of items such as petroleum products, alcohol and electricity within the ambit of GST framework. Given the forthcoming assembly and general elections, none expect the GST Council to act in haste as far as these topics are concerned. However, even as a consensus on including passenger fuel does not look like an immediate possibility, nothing stops the Council from including aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and natural gas into GST's fold. Indeed, such a move could be a good finisher for the Council's milestone 50th meeting this month.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, July 1. Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambri Abdul Qadir will pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan on July 2-3, Trend reports.

The visit will take place at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev.

During the visit, meetings are planned at the highest and high levels. The meetings will discuss issues of enhancing the entire spectrum of Kyrgyz-Malaysian relations, in particular in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.
M Eramani Surya and Divya Shree By

Online Desk

'Refugee' came directly from the French word 'refugie' with a very specific meaning: it referred to Protestants who fled France following the revocation in 1685 of the Edict of Nantes, Merriam-Webster.com informs us.

The Edict of Nantes (French: edit de Nantes) was signed on April 13, 1598, by King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic.

Centuries since, displaced by man-made wars and catastrophes, people burdened by their losses, dreams, and baggage have been journeying in search of countries where they can rest their burdens and think about building a future from scratch.

Jump cut to the present.

Chennai, June 24, 2023.

We run into R Nickson, a Sri-Lankan Tamil, who is put up at the rehabilitation camp at Thumbalahalli dam in Dharmapuri district at Semmozhi Poonga in Chennai, the venue of a food festival organized to coincide with the World Refugee Day. The amiable young man with sharp eyes, hair combed back and in casuals had a flicker of disagreement with the prefix 'Refugees' propelling the Food Festival.

"Why can't it be simply 'Food Festival, instead of Refugee Food Festival?'" he asks.

Nickson was standing among Sri Lankan stalls where the traditional Sri Lankan Sothi (Coconut milk dish) and other dishes were being sold. He quickly sought to recall his past.

"My parents arrived here in a boat from war-torn Sri Lanka in 1991," he said. His mother was carrying him at the time. Although, away from his homeland, he was born on Tamil soil.

"I've lived in India since then," he added.

Today, Nickson has a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. He also has a Master's degree in Sociology. He works with an NGO.

"We, people from Sri Lanka, do travel to our homeland where our past lies devastated. We can't stay there for a long time. We find ourselves as refugees there as well. We go and quickly return," he noted.

Where he and others return to is a rehabilitation camp in Dharmapuri that shelters over 200 families. Basic amenities are sorely lacking here.

"For the over 200 families we have only 15 public toilets. Many of the toilets are defunct. As a result, men were forced to defecate in the open," Nickson said.

Drinking water for the families is supplied by a non-governmental organisation. A can of water costs Rs 5. It's difficult for most families to make ends meet.

Nickson's contract with the NGO ends this month end. "I'll be jobless and will have to find a new job after this month."

That said, Nickson is pleased with the initiatives the Tamil Nadu government has taken to improve the lives of Sri Lankan Tamils living in rehabilitation camps. Tamil Nadu has over 100 rehabilitation camps housing over 64,000 such people.

"First and foremost, we've at least been allotted houses to live in," Nickson said.

61-year-old Manivel Pillai Antony, also a Sri Lankan Tamil from Jaffna, agrees with Nickson.

"I'm thankful to India and its people for receiving us with warm hearts," he said. "This land ensured my children a good education. They lead a decent life now. We live in a 10x10 ft house allotted by the government. We also have ration cards and an Aadhaar card. A minor complaint is that we don't have a voter ID because we are still not considered Indian citizens."

Vasanthi, 32 laments that "in 1990, we were exiled from Sri Lanka, as the civil war intensified. India gave us a safe place to start a new life. Here we have a roof over our heads and food to sustain us but we have other issues like finding a job. Moreover, we're not given citizenship. We wish to get back to our motherland, someday. To live in a country as a refugee for 30 years is agonizing."

SC Chandrahasan, founder, Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation, said that there are 106 rehabilitation camps in Tamil Nadu. The government pays the head of a refugee family Rs 1,500 per month, his partner gets Rs 1,000 and each children Rs 750.

ALSO READ | The plight of Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka

The children usually go to government schools. The parents are keen that their children should get a decent education, though they do menial jobs for survival.

The refugees are permitted to go out of the camp at 6 am. They were expected to be back by 6 pm. They are shown some leniency since some of the contractual work will not end at 6 pm and are allowed to stretch their return till 9 pm.

"It's true the houses in which the refugees live are too old. The government is constructing new houses for them after demolishing the old ones," he said.

The organisation was launched in 1984. Chandrahasan said all the members of the outfit are cent percent literate.

'Refugee' came directly from the French word 'refugie' with a very specific meaning: it referred to Protestants who fled France following the revocation in 1685 of the Edict of Nantes, Merriam-Webster.com informs us. The Edict of Nantes (French: edit de Nantes) was signed on April 13, 1598, by King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic. Centuries since, displaced by man-made wars and catastrophes, people burdened by their losses, dreams, and baggage have been journeying in search of countries where they can rest their burdens and think about building a future from scratch.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Jump cut to the present. Chennai, June 24, 2023. We run into R Nickson, a Sri-Lankan Tamil, who is put up at the rehabilitation camp at Thumbalahalli dam in Dharmapuri district at Semmozhi Poonga in Chennai, the venue of a food festival organized to coincide with the World Refugee Day. The amiable young man with sharp eyes, hair combed back and in casuals had a flicker of disagreement with the prefix 'Refugees' propelling the Food Festival. "Why can't it be simply 'Food Festival, instead of Refugee Food Festival?'" he asks. Nickson was standing among Sri Lankan stalls where the traditional Sri Lankan Sothi (Coconut milk dish) and other dishes were being sold. He quickly sought to recall his past. "My parents arrived here in a boat from war-torn Sri Lanka in 1991," he said. His mother was carrying him at the time. Although, away from his homeland, he was born on Tamil soil. "I've lived in India since then," he added. Today, Nickson has a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. He also has a Master's degree in Sociology. He works with an NGO. "We, people from Sri Lanka, do travel to our homeland where our past lies devastated. We can't stay there for a long time. We find ourselves as refugees there as well. We go and quickly return," he noted. Where he and others return to is a rehabilitation camp in Dharmapuri that shelters over 200 families. Basic amenities are sorely lacking here. "For the over 200 families we have only 15 public toilets. Many of the toilets are defunct. As a result, men were forced to defecate in the open," Nickson said. Drinking water for the families is supplied by a non-governmental organisation. A can of water costs Rs 5. It's difficult for most families to make ends meet. Nickson's contract with the NGO ends this month end. "I'll be jobless and will have to find a new job after this month." That said, Nickson is pleased with the initiatives the Tamil Nadu government has taken to improve the lives of Sri Lankan Tamils living in rehabilitation camps. Tamil Nadu has over 100 rehabilitation camps housing over 64,000 such people. "First and foremost, we've at least been allotted houses to live in," Nickson said. 61-year-old Manivel Pillai Antony, also a Sri Lankan Tamil from Jaffna, agrees with Nickson. "I'm thankful to India and its people for receiving us with warm hearts," he said. "This land ensured my children a good education. They lead a decent life now. We live in a 10x10 ft house allotted by the government. We also have ration cards and an Aadhaar card. A minor complaint is that we don't have a voter ID because we are still not considered Indian citizens." Vasanthi, 32 laments that "in 1990, we were exiled from Sri Lanka, as the civil war intensified. India gave us a safe place to start a new life. Here we have a roof over our heads and food to sustain us but we have other issues like finding a job. Moreover, we're not given citizenship. We wish to get back to our motherland, someday. To live in a country as a refugee for 30 years is agonizing." SC Chandrahasan, founder, Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation, said that there are 106 rehabilitation camps in Tamil Nadu. The government pays the head of a refugee family Rs 1,500 per month, his partner gets Rs 1,000 and each children Rs 750. ALSO READ | The plight of Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka The children usually go to government schools. The parents are keen that their children should get a decent education, though they do menial jobs for survival. The refugees are permitted to go out of the camp at 6 am. They were expected to be back by 6 pm. They are shown some leniency since some of the contractual work will not end at 6 pm and are allowed to stretch their return till 9 pm. "It's true the houses in which the refugees live are too old. The government is constructing new houses for them after demolishing the old ones," he said. The organisation was launched in 1984. Chandrahasan said all the members of the outfit are cent percent literate.
Very online Gen Z, millennials most vulnerable to fake news

London, June 29: Researchers have found that the very online Gen Z and millennials are most vulnerable to fake news by performing the first misinformation susceptibility test, a new study has shown.

'Very online' Gen Z, millennials most vulnerable to fake news

Psychologists from the UK-based University of Cambridge have developed the first validated misinformation susceptibility test -- a short quiz that indicates whether you are susceptible to being duped by fabricated news flooding the internet.The researchers performed a series of experiments involving over 8,000 participants taking place over two years.The survey used the 20-point test by researchers and developed using an early version of ChatGPT, and has found that -- on average -- adult US citizens correctly classified two-thirds of headlines they were shown as either real or fake.However, younger adults were worse than older adults at identifying false headlines, and the more time someone spent online recreationally, the less likely they were to be able to tell real news from misinformation, the study said.According to researchers, this contradicts popular perceptions of online misinformation spread, which hold that older, less digitally savvy boomers are more likely to be duped by fake news.Misinformation is one of the biggest challenges facing democracies in the digital age, said Prof Sander van der Linden, senior author of the MIST study, and head of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.We are seeing how online falsehoods create polarised belief systems in major nations, and the consequences, such as the attempted Capitol Hill insurrection, he added.In another survey by the market research company YouGov, about 1,516 adult US citizens took the MIST in April 2023 and also responded to questions covering demographics, politics and online behaviour.When it came to age, only 11 per cent of 18-29-year-olds got a high score , while 36 per cent got a low score .In contrast, 36 per cent of those 65 or older got a high score, while just 9 per cent of older adults got a low score, the study mentioned.The survey also analysed channels through which respondents receive their news in which the legacy media came out top. The news audiences most susceptible to misinformation were on social media. About 53 per cent of those who received news from Snapchat received low scores, while only 4 per cent received high scores. Truth Social came in second place, followed by WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram, according to the study.Younger people increasingly turn to social media to find out about the world, but these channels are awash with misinformation. Approaches to media literacy, as well as algorithms and platform design, require an urgent rethink, said Dr Rakoen Maertens, MIST lead author.IANS30 June 2023

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Taiwan tracks 9 Chinese military aircraft across country

Taipei, June 30: Taiwan tracked nine Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships around Taiwan between 6 am on June 29 (Thursday) and 6 am on June 30 (Friday), reported the country's Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Taiwan tracks 9 Chinese military aircraft across country

"9 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities," Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in a tweet."9 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. 1 of the detected aircraft had entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities," the ministry said in a statement.Earlier, from June 27-28, Taiwan said 11 Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line.Out of 11 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three were tracked in Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), including one BZK-005 reconnaissance drone that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest corner of the zone, according to the Taiwan News citing the country's Ministry of National Defense (MND).One WZ-7 reconnaissance drone and one Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter were also tracked in the southwest sector of the ADIZ, according to Taiwan News.In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and used land-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.This month, Beijing has sent 318 military aircraft and 142 naval ships around Taiwan. Moreover, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics since September 2020, by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force," as per Taiwan News.Recently, Taiwan tracked 24 Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships between June 11 and June 12.Ten of the 24 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including four Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, four Shenyang J-16 combat jets, and two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes, entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the MND.ANI30 June 2023

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Heres what these Indian-Americans opine on US top courts decision to ban race-based university admissions

Washington DC, June 30: United States (US) Supreme Court ruling is a step towards equality and all applicants will be under the same umbrella, said an Indian-American while reacting to the Court's decision to nullify race-based admission programs.

Here's what these Indian-Americans opine on US top court's decision to ban race-based university admissions

On Thursday, the US Supreme Court struck down race-based admission programs at the University of Harvard and the University of North Carolina, reported The Washington Post.Avant Kothari, an Indian-American from New Jersey supported the Supreme Court's verdict. "Everyone works hard to attend a school where they can thrive regardless of race. All students go into college with their dreams and aspirations. If certain schools, especially the highly-competitive ones, have quotas and different standards for certain races, it makes the entire process of college admissions unfair. I believe that college admissions should be based on the experience, the character/personality a person brings to a school, and the drive to succeed," he said.Avant further said that it is a step towards justice. He added, "I am not saying race should be neglected but solely using race for college admissions is unjust. Many people argue that this Supreme Court ruling is a roadblock toward racial justice, but I strongly believe it is a step towards equality. Now, all applicants will be under the same umbrella where bias will not exist.""This ruling affects the corporate world," Avant said adding, "I believe, if colleges are required to adopt a new system as such, corporate America won't take long to follow and implement the same."Another Indian-American who is a senior at Stanton College Prep High School from Jacksonville, Florida, expressed relief and said that colleges can no longer discriminate against me and millions of other Indians and Asians for their race. "We will simply be admitted based on our merit and abilities and what we can provide for the college. Now the playing field has been levelled. This is one of the best things that has happened for equality in modern American history."The decision came amid reports of the university's policies discriminating against White and Asian applicants by giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American ones.With respect to the verdict, Former President and 2024 contender Donald Trump backed the SC ruling, calling it a "great day" for the nation, adding that it will "keep us competitive with the rest of the world".Meanwhile, some of the Indian-Americans were against the US Supreme Court's decision for overturning race-based college admissions.Ashita Datta, a graduate of the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action."It opened my eyes to worldwide innovation, where students from different backgrounds bring unique ideas and perspectives to create better future classes, such as international human rights, wealth and poverty," she said.Datta further said that it would be unjust to discount rates and simultaneously reward privilege. "Wealthy, privileged, and legacy students benefit from multiple resources, allowing them to score higher on standardized exams and present more enticing resumes."Adding to that, she suggested that as affirmative action continues to be in dispute, we should focus on increasing diversity within the admissions team.In a self-recorded video, Dhananjay Goyal, another Indian-American who just finished his Master's in Business Administration at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, said that he would be personally in support of any solution which helps us move towards greater forms of justice as a society, helps compensate for past wrongdoings, as well as brings in elements into the classroom which help us, as students learn better.One of the primary purposes of schools and universities and colleges is to build or help us build more just societies. "Any actions that help build more just societies more equitable, equal societies, are the actions that we should aspire to take," he added.He shared his opinion on the verdict and said, "It offers a compensatory solution towards past injustices, a corrective solution for differences in educational backgrounds, as well as a diversity-based solution in which even I have benefited tremendously from my classmates and peers who bring their own diversity and a plethora of their background to the classroom."Dhananjay further said that he supports what Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have said that we must work towards being race-conscious, as well as focus more towards building classrooms which benefit from this diversity.Moreover, US President Joe Biden strongly disagreed with the US Supreme Court decision and mentioned, "The Court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions. And I strongly, strongly disagree with the Court's decision."Adding to that, US Vice President Kamala Harris also stood against the Supreme Court's decision. She said that the decision to end "affirmative action" in college admissions is "a denial of opportunity". "It is being blind to history, blind to empirical evidence about disparities, and blind to the strength that diversity brings to classrooms, to boardrooms."ANI30 June 2023

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Institutions like IIT, IIM...are building blocks of New India: PM Modi on Centenary celebrations of Delhi University

New Delhi, June 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the increasing numbers of educational institutions in the country and said that these institutions like IIT, IIM, NIT, and AIIMS are the building blocks of New India.

Institutions like IIT, IIM...are building blocks of New India: PM Modi on Centenary celebrations of Delhi University

PM Modi was addressing a Valedictory Ceremony of the Centenary celebrations of Delhi University here in the national capital on Friday.During his address, he said, "Today, across the country, universities and colleges are being built. In the last few years, the number of educational institutions like IIT, IIM, NIT, AIIMS are continuously increasing. These institutions are the building blocks of New India."Appreciating Delhi University on 100 years of its establishment, PM Modi said that DU is not just a university, it's a movement and it has brought life to every movement."Delhi University has completed 100 years when the nation celebrates 75 years of independence. Delhi University is not just a university, but a movement. This university has lived every movement and has brought life to every movement", he said.Highlighting the improved gender ratio in the country, PM said that today the number of girls studying at Delhi University is more than boys."DU used to have only three colleges, and now there are more than 90 colleges that are part of the university. Today, more girls study at DU than boys. Similarly, in India, the gender ratio has improved a lot. It means the deeper the roots of academic institutions in the country, the higher the branches of the country that touch the sky," he said."There was a time when India used to come under the list of fragile economies and today it is among the top five economies in the world," he added.Mentioning the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking in which 45 Indian institutions got ranked for the first time, the Prime Minister said that the global recognition of Indian Universities is increasing.The Prime Minister said, "The global recognition of Indian Universities is increasing today. In 2014, only 12 Indian universities were there in QS World University Rankings, now it has risen to 45. To improve the quality of educational institutes, we are working continuously. There were around 100 startups in India before 2014, today the number has crossed 1 lakh".He also noted the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) deal, done between India and US and said that this agreement will create new opportunities for the youth of the country."Between India and US, the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology i.e. iCET deal has been done. This one agreement will create new opportunities from land to space and semiconductor to AI for the youth of the country," he added.On the Valedictory Ceremony of the Centenary celebrations of Delhi University, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated the university for implementing National Education Policy (NEP)."On completion of 100 years of DU, our responsibility has increased. National Education Policy (NEP) was implemented under the Prime Minister's leadership. I congratulate DU for implementing NEP fully in the last 3 years," he said."India is the oldest democracy. It is the mother of democracy. Parliament's new building has been made. Prime Minister says one thing every time, 'Yahi Samay, Sahi Samay', 'Today's moment is India's moment'. We should live this moment and fulfil our responsibilities," Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan added.PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the Delhi University Computer Centre and the building of the Faculty of Technology and the academic block which will be built in the North Campus of the University.Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also attended the Centenary celebrations of Delhi University with PM Modi.ANI30 June 2023

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World Bank issues USD 1.5 billion loan to Ukraine

Washington, June 30: The World Bank's press service said on Friday that the board of directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a USD 1.5 billion loan to Ukraine, reported the Russian News Agency TASS.

World Bank issues USD 1.5 billion loan to Ukraine

Moreover, according to the statement, the funds "will help provide relief to households and mitigate the impacts" of Russia's special military operation, TASS reported.The loan is guaranteed by the government of Japan as part of the Advancing Needed Credit Enhancement for Ukraine Trust Fund (ADVANCE Ukraine) initiative.Earlier this week, at least four people, including a child, were killed and several others were injured on Tuesday evening when a Russian missile struck a bustling location in the middle of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, reported CNN citing local authorities.Soon after the strikes, emergency services were at the scene helping the injured.Last year, the World Bank on Monday approved a USD 723 million package of loans and grants for Ukraine, providing government budget support.The international lender approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine - or FREE Ukraine - for USD 489 million, the bank said in a statement.The bank also informed that the initial World Bank support was increased with guarantees from the Netherlands for 80 million euros (USD 89 million equivalent) and Sweden for USD 50 million.By now, the global organization has mobilized over USD 37.5 billion to help Ukraine meet its basic needs.ANI30 June 2023

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EU continues to help Ukraine financially, militarily for as long as it takes

Brussels, June 30: The European Union, on Thursday, said that they will continue to provide assistance in support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes, according to the official statement released after the first day of the EU Summit.

EU continues to help Ukraine financially, militarily for as long as it takes

"The European Union will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes," the statement released on Friday.In the statement, the European Council also reconfirms the readiness to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, notably through the EU Military Assistance Mission and the European Peace Facility."It took stock of the progress in the delivery and joint procurement of one million rounds of artillery ammunition and missiles for Ukraine. It underlines the importance of Member States' continued efforts to help meet Ukraine's pressing military and defence needs, without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States, and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States," the statement read.The European Union, in a statement, stated that the union and Member States stand ready to contribute, together with partners, to future security commitments to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and resist destabilisation efforts. In this regard, they will swiftly consider the modalities of such contribution. These commitments will be taken in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States. The European Council will remain seized of the matter.The European Council condemns in the strongest terms the deliberate destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, which has devastating humanitarian, ecological, agricultural and economic repercussions and puts at risk the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant."The European Council underlines the need to ensure, together with partners, stable, predictable and sustainable financial support for Ukraine for the years to come. The European Council reiterates its call for the European Investment Bank, in close cooperation with the Commission and International Financial Institutions, to step up its support for Ukraine's most urgent infrastructure needs. The European Union alsoremains committed to supporting Ukraine's repair, recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners, including in the areas of psychological and psychosocial rehabilitation and demining assistance. Moreover, the European Council took stock of the work done regarding Russia's immobilised assets and invites the Council, the High Representative and the Commission to take work forward, in accordance with EU and international law, and in coordination with partners," according to the statement."The European Union remains firmly committed to ensuring that Russia is held fully accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine. The European Council welcomes the fact that the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) is ready to start its support operations," the statement added.ANI30 June 2023

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Aaliya on Bigg Boss OTT: If I go back as wild card entry, Ill settle all scores

Mumbai, June 30: Nawazuddin Siddiqui's ex-wife Aaliya Siddiqui has been evicted from 'Bigg Boss OTT' Season 2, and she says that if she gets a wild card entry, she will settle her scores with everyone.

Aaliya on 'Bigg Boss OTT': If I go back as wild card entry, I'll settle all scores

Aaliya was interacting with the media after her eviction from 'Bigg Boss OTT' Season 2, hosted by Salman Khan.When asked about the possibility of a wild card entry, Aaliya said If I get one, I don't think I will let anything slide this time. They attacked my personal life, Bebika even said something about my daughter. If I go back, I think I'll settle score with everyone.Aaliya is still unsure about why she was let go but found happiness from the positive feedback she got from the audience.She said I don't know the reason for my eviction, I seriously don't know, and I don't feel good about it. But when I came out, and I saw the audience reactions, and the way I was appreciated, I liked it.People were talking positively about me, writing positive things about me. That is a big achievement for me. I am happy about the way the audience supported me.Aaliya also revealed that Falak Naaz, TV actor Cezanne Khan's sister, was being two faced, targeting her for not opening up and conspiring behind her back.IANS30 June 2023

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Trade turnover between Tajikistan and Turkiye amounted to $39.7 million in April 2023, which is 15 percent more than $34.5 million in the same month of 2022, Trend reports.

Exports from Turkiye to Tajikistan in April this year amounted to $24.7 million, as reported by the Turkish Statistical Institute. This figure increased 22.5 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2022, when exports stood at $20.2 million.

During the period under review, imports by Turkiye from Tajikistan totaled $14.9 million, increasing 5 percent over $14.2 million in April 2022.

During the period from January through April 2023, the total trade turnover between the countries amounted to $178.9 million, indicating a significant increase of 32.4 percent compared to the same timeframe in 2022, which recorded $135.1 million.

Out of this, Turkiye's exports to Tajikistan accounted for $123.5 million, while imports from Tajikistan amounted to $55.3 million.
Snapchat+ crosses 4 mn paid subscribers

San Francisco, June 30: Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has announced that the subscription service 'Snapchat+' has crossed 4 million subscribers in its first year since launching.

Snapchat+ crosses 4 mn paid subscribers

The Snapchat+ subscription offers access to exclusive, experimental and pre-release features, the company said in a blogpost on Thursday.Snapchat+ subscribers love the frequent feature drops that enhance communication with their closest friends, favourite creators, and allow them to customise the look and feel of their app.Currently, paid users have access to more than 20 features, including custom app themes, unique app icons and the ability to pin their #1 BFF.The company announced two new upcoming features for Snapchat+ subscribers -- Expressive Chat Messages and Custom Chat Colours.With the 'Expressive Chat Messages' feature, users will be able to express themselves with big reactions or share a small note.Users can make their messages match their mood with expressive font sizes.On the other hand, with the 'Custom Chat Colours' feature, users will be able to pick a hue that feels like them for their messages to friends, the company said.At the company's Investor Day in February, it was announced that in just six months since launch, the subscription service reached more than 2.5 million subscribers and an annual revenue run rate of over $100 million.IANS30 June 2023

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The 1000-point journey for Sensex jump took 144 sessions

New Delhi, June 30:A The latest 1000-point milestone journey for the BSE Sensex occurred in about 144 sessions or 7.1 months, said Sriram BKR, Senior Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

The 1000-point journey for Sensex jump took 144 sessions

Sensex crossed and closed above 64,000 points for the first time on Friday. The latest 5,000-point milestone took place in 443 sessions or 21.7 months, Sriram said.Sensex CAGR as measured by Price Return Index for the past 20 years stood at 15.5 per cent and by Total Return Index at 17.2 per cent.Sensex Total Return Index, which includes the dividends as well, stood 1.52 times the price index, which was 1.06 times in 1999 and 1.41 times when Sensex crossed 30,000.In terms of investment's growth, Rs100,000 invested in June 2003 would be worth around Rs 24 lakh as of Jun 30, 2023 in TRI terms .It took 31.3 years for the index to climb the 30,000 points milestone, in April 2017. The next 30,000 points got added over the next 4.4 years , Sriram said.BSE's total market capitalisation climbed to an all-time high of Rs 296.5 lakh crore, up by Rs 8 lakh crore, in the latest 1,000-point rally.Sensex average EPS computed by the trailing 12M PE for Jun '23 stood at around Rs 2,706, a 10 per cent growth YoY, 29 per cent CAGR over two years and 20 per cent CAGR in 3 years.Buoyancy in global markets and the advance of the monsoon lifted Indian stock markets to new highs with the BSE Sensex surging by more than 800 points on Friday.Domestic equities continued their northbound journey after a day's break, supported by positive global data, healthy FII buying and strong progress in monsoon.Nifty opened gap up and strengthened throughout the day to close near the day's high with gains of 213 points at 19,186 levels. The broader market too participated in the rally with the Nifty midcap 100 at a fresh record high. All sectors ended in the green, except metals, said Siddhartha Khemka, Head-Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.Auto, IT, PSU bank and pharma were the front-runners. Indian indices are on a record-breaking spree, ending the month of June with gains of 3.5 per cent on the back of strong FIIs flow of Rs 20,900 crore MTD and the advance of the southwest monsoon that boosted investor sentiments.We expect the uptrend in Indian equities to continue in the near term, Khemka added.Next week, the market will take cues from economic data to be released locally as well as globally. Investors would also watch out for FOMC minutes to get insights into the US Central Bank's future course of direction. The auto sector is expected to be in the limelight, as companies would release monthly sales data.IANS30 June 2023

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Metropolis Healthcare Limited launches Metrobot on National Doctors Day in India

SRV Media, New Delhi, June 30: On the eve of National Doctor's Day, India's leading diagnostic service provider, celebrates this special occasion by introducing Metrobot, a unique chatbot designed exclusively for doctors.

Metropolis Healthcare Limited launches Metrobot on National Doctor's Day in India

Metrobot, which is designed to revolutionize doctor-provider communication, eliminates the need for traditional call centres by providing doctors with a seamless WhatsApp-based chat platform. Doctors can use Metrobot to access essential medical information such as test availability, methodology, sample transport guidelines, turnaround time, sensitivity, specificity and cost, enhancing their decision-making process and providing patients with instant information and service.The development of new 'Metrobot' involved extensive research and insights from more than 1000 doctors of various clinical specialties, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness. Beyond information sharing, Metrobot includes Continuing Medical Education (CME) modules, enabling doctors to stay updated with the latest advancements in their respective fields. Doctors can conveniently upload patient prescriptions, receiving prompt guidance from Metropolis for testing processes. This streamlined approach saves time and assures comprehensive care.Metropolis Healthcare aims to engage with more than 1 lakh doctors in the debut year itself and an even larger number in the future. Metrobot provides customization options, allowing doctors to receive messages at their preferred times and formats. Leveraging WhatsApp, the platform offers quick access to essential service links. Metrobot caters to diverse medical specialties. Metropolis Healthcare remains committed to refining and expanding the platform based on continuous feedback, meeting the unique needs of nephrologists, neurologists, oncologists , gynaecologists and various clinical specialties., Chief Executive Officer, Metropolis Healthcare Limited said "We are delighted to introduce Metrobot on the occasion of Doctors Day, as we celebrate and express our gratitude to the remarkable doctors who play an instrumental role in safeguarding the health of our communities. The launch of Metrobot illustrates our continuous commitment to providing our doctors with a user-friendly platform that delivers relevant information, quick solutions, and personalised experiences. As we continue to expand our network in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, this new platform will aid will us in serving a larger number of doctors around the country. We are excited to continue on this journey and look forward to further improving the healthcare landscape by collaborating with our esteemed medical professionals.", Chief Scientific Officer, Metropolis Healthcare Limited said "As a doctor and a member of the Metropolis Healthcare family, I am thrilled to introduce Metrobot on the occasion of Doctors Day. Metrobot is a game-changer in doctor-provider communication, offering a revolutionary platform. Through extensive research and collaboration with doctors, we have developed a tool that provides instant access to critical information, enables efficient patient management, and facilitates continuous learning through CME modules."Metropolis Healthcare has always been committed to harnessing technology, and the addition of Metrobot is a huge step forward in ensuring comprehensive care and empowering doctors to make informed decisions.Metrobot is available from today to doctors on WhatsApp Chatbot number (+91 93212 72717).Established in 1981, Metropolis Healthcare Limited is a leading diagnostics company in India with a widespread presence in 20 states and 220 cities. Internationally, the company has presence in South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Metropolis touches millions of lives each year by providing actionable health insights to patients and doctors. Metropolis offers a comprehensive range of 4,000 plus tests and profiles that include advanced tests in diagnosis of cancer, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, and an array of genetic abnormalities. The company is empowered with a robust network of over 175 labs, 3675 collection centres and 10000+ touch points. Metropolis' commitment to quality and accuracy in each test is reinforced by its consistent CAP proficiency score of more than 98% over the past decade, which places it amongst the top 1% laboratories worldwide for quality assurance. Metropolis philosophy rests on the pillars of technological superiority, a warm patient centric approach and reliable diagnostic reports. For more information, please visit or follow us on , , or .(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI30 June 2023

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Development agencies should build houses for underprivileged on land freed from mafia: CM Yogi

Prayagraj, June 30: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stated that all the development authorities of the state should build houses for the poor on the land freed from the mafia. He mentioned that this is in line with the spirit of good governance. CM also said that prior to 2017, not a single poor person could get a house in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana while after the formation of the double-engine government in UP, more than 54 lakh poor people have got a house of their own.

Development agencies should build houses for underprivileged on land freed from mafia: CM Yogi

"All the development authorities of the state should build houses for the poor on the land freed from the mafia. He mentioned that this is in line with the spirit of good governance, which was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi nine years ago," CM Yogi said while handing over the keys of houses to as many as 76 low-income group persons under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) in the Lukarganj area of Sangam Nagri in the presence of public representatives."Honorable Prime Minister Mr.@narendramodi The keys of 76 houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) on the land freed from the mafia in Prayagraj district were distributed to the beneficiaries today under the guidance and inspiration of ji. On this occasion, 226 development projects worth Rs 768 crore were also given to the people of the district. Hearty congratulations to all the beneficiaries and residents of the district," CM Yogi wrote on Twitter."Earlier governments used to stand with the mafia because of which Uttar Pradesh was not able to develop. The poor were forced to erect huts here and there to earn their living. And today, the state government is standing with the poor, providing them houses," CM said.CM Yogi informed that the government has built housing for the poor at a cost of Rs 6.6548 crore on the land freed from the mafia's possession.CM Yogi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 226 development projects worth Rs 768 crore during the programme.Emphasizing the Prayagraj being the city of pilgrimage since ancient times, the Chief Minister said, "It is the land of religion, spirituality and culture. Prayagraj is the mother of education and justice. The double-engine government is taking forward the programs of development and good governance in the state at double speed. The BJP government is committed to development for you."CM Yogi said that today there is a rule of law in the state."For, had there still been mafias operating in the state, it would not have been possible for us to attract investment proposals worth 36,000 crores to the state during the Global Investor Summit held in February this year, " he remarked.CM Yogi said Kumbh 2025 of Prayagraj will be "grand and divine"."We have to be mentally prepared for this from now onwards. We must elect a government led by PM Modi in 2024 once again to establish India as the biggest power in the world. If the Indian economy continues to grow at the current pace, it will surely become the third largest economy of the world by 2027 and will emerge as a great power globally," he added.During the key distribution programme, the Chief Minister took stock of the houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and met the scheme's beneficiaries. He also distributed chocolates and biscuits to the small children.Apart from this, CM Yogi also planted trees at the colony. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi', Prayagraj MP Professor Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Phulpur MP Kesari Devi Patel and Former Minister Siddharth Nath Singh were present in the programme.The houses handed over to the people of Lukerganj were built on land freed from the illegal possession of mafias. When the keys were handed over to them, they were delighted and thanked the Chief Minister wholeheartedly. It is worth mentioning here that there were some voices of protest against the bulldozer action at that time, but things fell in line as time passed.Zahida Fatima, a resident of Prayagraj, Daryabad, said, "My father Shakeel Abbas drives an e-rickshaw. We have faced many difficulties in our lives while living in a rented house. Today his dream has come true. I cannot believe that we have got a roof of our own over our heads. My mother had a dream of having her own house, but she passed away 6 years back. We are very thankful to CM Yogi for the happiness he has given us today. May he continue to help all of us in the future as well."Ranju Devi, who is earning her living by selling tea in the slum, said that they used to live by putting foil on the roof."The roof used to leak in the rain but now we are thankful to the Chief Minister that because of him we have got the house", she added.Another beneficiary Gudiya, a housemaid, said that she used to live in a rented house. She added, "We are very happy that Maharaj ji thought of us and provided us with a roof. We never thought in life that someone would manage the house for us. We have got a house in 'Yogiraj'. I thank him a lot for this."ANI01 July 2023

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Epoch Elder Cares First Research Paper Published in the International Journal of Science and Research

India PR Distribution, New Delhi, June 30: Epoch Elder Care, an expert in assisted living and dementia care services in India has recently achieved a milestone with the publication of its first research study in the International Journal of Science and Research.

Epoch Elder Care's First Research Paper Published in the International Journal of Science and Research

The research study, titled "Dementia Management Knowledge, Medicine Attitude and Practice of Nurses, Executive Staff and Management from Three Homes of Epoch," sheds light on critical aspects of dementia care.The research paper, authored by Dr. Prem Narasimhan, Chief Consultant Geriatric Medicine at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, and research intern Aditi Sharma - Epoch Elder Care, delves into the knowledge, attitude, and practice pertaining to professional caregiving and specific needs of the elderly dealing with dementia at Epoch by nurses, care attendants, and management across three Epoch homes, who completed a minimum period of six months in Epoch Elder Care.The study explores the role of training of caregivers as a key contributor to dementia management and aims to enhance understanding to improve the quality of care provided to elders living with dementia.The research study encompassed a detailed survey questionnaire, consisting of both open-ended and close-ended questions around the three domains - Knowledge, attitude, and practice. By examining these key factors, the research aimed to elucidate on the holistic and professional approach of caregiving at Epoch. This attainment of Epoch's research paper publishing underscores the organization's expertise and commitment to advancing the field of elder care."Dementia is not a homogenous condition, which means elders with the same diagnosis may have varying symptoms and different disease trajectories. The role of training, orientation and creating awareness about the condition plays a significant role in the prognosis and care management strategies on ground. Through the study we wanted to validate the above hypothesis and also understand which areas of training we need to improve on." said Neha Sinha, Co-founder and CEO, Epoch Elder Care.Dr. Prem Narasimhan, Chief Consultant of Geriatric Medicine at JASLOK HOSPITAL and RESEARCH CENTRE added, "Dementia is a very challenging condition for both the patient and the caregiver. Taking care of an older adult with dementia needs knowledge and specific skills .These skills need to be imparted by training professional caretakers for an enhanced level of care for these older adults.Training has to be done periodically as updating skills forms a strong pillar of dementia care."Epoch Elder Care was founded in 2012, which specializes in providing dementia care services and premium assisted living for elders with more than 10 years of relevant experience, having served over 400+ seniors through its elder care homes in Delhi NCR and Pune. Epoch aims to provide holistic care that enables elders to have the highest quality and dignity at the end of life. Owing to its person-centered philosophy of care and believes in focusing on the person's emotional well-being as much as the medical condition.For a more in-depth look at a one-of-its-kind research paper, visit and to know more about Epoch Elder Care visit(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI01 July 2023

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Airfares in India declined substantially in June; Delhi-Mumbai route saw biggest dip

New Delhi, June 30: Airfares on key routes declined, though by varying degrees, which was as high as 70 per cent for the busy Delhi-Mumbai route, according to data available with regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Airfares in India declined substantially in June; Delhi-Mumbai route saw biggest dip

Delhi-Mumbai airfare is hovering around Rs 6,000, which was reported early this month to be about Rs 20,000. Similarly, data showed fares on other key routes too declined in the range of 5-74 per cent.The drop in airfares follows the recent statements made by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, where he emphasised the need to make air travel more affordable for the general public."With the collective efforts of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry, airfares have been reduced. Airfares for flights connecting from Delhi to Pune and Mumbai has been reduced by 70 per cent and 74 per cent. Whereas, airfares for flights from Delhi to Ahmedabad have been reduced by 66 per cent," a senior aviation ministry official told ANI.On June 5, Minister Scindia chaired a meeting with the Airlines Consultative Group to discuss airfares, where he urged the airlines to "self-regulate" airfares and maintain a reasonable price level."Private airline companies also have their own social responsibility and there should be a limit to increasing fares across sectors," the minister had said in the meeting.There were several other reasons behind the high airfares in late May and June. India's low-cost carrier Go First suspended all its flight operations in early June for operational reasons - it submitted for voluntary insolvency in early May."The absence of GoAir, the Balasore train accident, and the summer vacation rush propelled airfares skyward. Airlines, taking advantage of the demand-supply gap, escalated prices strategically. However, MOCA and DGCA intervened, urging airlines to rationalise fares. This intervention aimed to strike a balance between passenger affordability and industry sustainability, fostering a fairer and transparent pricing system," Michael Jain, CEO at Belair Travel, an accredited travel company, told ANI.ANI01 July 2023

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Yogi Govt issues guidelines for safety of electricity workers in monsoon

Lucknow, June 30: With an aim to prevent electricity-related accidents during monsoon, the Yogi government has issued a set of guidelines for the department officials, which include rectifying faults occurring during rainfall and adhering to prescribed standards in maintenance work.

Yogi Govt issues guidelines for safety of electricity workers in monsoon

M Devraj, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), has issued directives to prevent accidents, involving especially outsourced workers of the Electricity department during the monsoon season and has directed officials to ensure strict compliance with the directives.The Chairman has stated that the training of outsourced workers should be organized as soon as possible by scheduling it in each distribution area and at the divisional level through the Discoms.As per the predictions of the Meteorological Department, Uttar Pradesh is likely to face heavy rainfall in the coming days.As the occurrence of local faults increases during rainfall, posing a risk of accidents, the Government has instructed electrical workers involved in distribution to exercise caution and follow specific precautions to prevent accidents. The Government has also warned of strict action as per the rules in case of negligence on the part of an official that leads to an accident.The guidelines include an arrangement of safety equipment as per the prescribed safety standards for outsourced personnel deployed through the outsourced agency at each 33/11 KV sub-stations, including helmets, gloves, pliers, safety belts, earth chains, safety shoes, ensuring that each gang has the necessary safety equipment during line work.In accordance with the directives, it has been stated that the chief engineer, superintending engineer, executive engineer, assistant engineer, and junior engineer of the distribution area will be responsible for inspecting the safety equipment on residential premises and ensuring its availability as well as provision to the workers by the outsourcing agency.The respective chief engineer will be responsible for informing the corporation headquarters about this through their discom. If the outsourcing agency fails to provide the safety equipment, the respective superintendent engineer will be held responsible, the release stated.The concerned officials will also ensure that the outsourced workers use safety equipment, it stated.UPPCL Chairman M Devraj has also warned of strict action as per the rules if negligence is found to be the reason behind an accident.He further directed that wherever such accidents occur, necessary arrangements should be made for the complete care and treatment of the injured employees, and timely payment of the entitled compensation should also be ensured in accordance with the rules.ANI01 July 2023

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Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan visits Japan, meets Liberal Democratic Party leaders

Tokyo, June 30: Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan visited Japan this week to hold a meeting with Japanese lawmakers, Nikkei Asia reported. During his visit, Cheng Wen-tsan on Wednesday met Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.

Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan visits Japan, meets Liberal Democratic Party leaders

Cheng Wen-tsan is Taiwan's first sitting Vice Premier to travel to Japan in 29 years, Nikkei Asia reported citing Taiwanese media. His visit to Japan appears to indicate Tokyo's hope for deeper ties with Taipei. Japan severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1972 when it normalized relations with China.During the talks on Wednesday, Cheng Wen-tsan said that Japan and Taiwan had a very close economic and trade relationship. He noted that the two nations faced shared geopolitical challenges. He also spoke about a chip plant being made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture, Nikkei Asia reported.Cheng Wen-tsan said that Taiwan, Japan and the US are constructing a semiconductor ecosystem that could help create more advanced technology. Meanwhile, Toshimitsu Motegi called Taiwan an "extremely important partner" and "friend to Japan with shared values like freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."Motegi expressed hope that the ties between Japan and Taiwan will "continue to develop further." On Monday, Cheng Wen-tsan held a meeting with LDP Vice President Taro Aso and Japanese lawmaker Keisuke Suzuki, who leads the LDP project team on Taiwan's policy.Taking to his Facebook, Taiwan's Vice Premier noted that they held in-depth discussions on economic exchanges, trade, industrial cooperation and other efforts to strengthen the ties between the two nations, according to Nikkei Asia report. Taiwanese officials have also called on Taro Aso about making a possible visit to Taiwan in August.Earlier in December, LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda visited Taiwan. Hagiuda became the first member of the party's leadership to do so in 19 years. Furthermore, a group of lawmakers from Japan and Taiwan plan to meet in Okinawa's Yonaguni Island on July 4, Nikkei Asia reported.As per the news report, Taiwan intends to set up regular ferry services between Yilan County and Yonaguni, which is the westernmost island of Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese leaders from the opposition have also announced plans to travel to Taiwan in July.ANI01 July 2023

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TCO1: Revolutionizing Education in India through Virtual Learning

NewsVoir, Noida, June 30: Education has always been a fundamental pillar of society's development.

TCO1: Revolutionizing Education in India through Virtual Learning

However, ensuring quality education for all has been a formidable challenge in a vast and diverse country like India. The traditional brick-and-mortar model of education often fails to reach remote areas, leaving students devoid of proper learning opportunities. However, with the advent of online education, a revolutionary change is sweeping across the nation, and The Class of One (TCO1) has been a key player in the segment.TCO1 is an online-only school that has emerged as a prominent development in the field of education. It harnesses the power of technology to connect students from various regions of India, providing them with equal access to quality education. This innovative approach has proved a boon, particularly in remote areas where proper educational institutes are yet to be developed.One of the key advantages of TCO1 is its ability to bridge the educational divide that has developed due to the scarcity of resources. By utilising virtual platforms, students from different corners of the country can interact with each other, creating a rich and diverse learning environment. This broadens their perspectives and helps them understand the cultural diversity that defines India. It also fosters a sense of unity among students, transcending geographical barriers and forging lifelong connections.Along with academic learning, TCO1 offers multiple other growth aspects for the students' holistic growth. The school organises multiple seminars, workshops, and celebrations, aiming for the all-rounded development of its students. These events provide a platform for students to enhance their skills, explore their interests, and cultivate a holistic approach to learning. The virtual mode of education enables renowned experts and educators from various fields to conduct interactive sessions, thereby enriching the learning experience.The impact of TCO1 on the education landscape in India is remarkable. Students who previously had limited access to educational resources now have an equal opportunity to excel. The school's curriculum has been designed in accordance with the National Education Policy, ensuring that students receive a comprehensive education. The platform allows for personalised attention, enabling teachers to tailor their teaching methods to the needs of individual students. This personalised approach fosters a supportive and engaging learning environment, empowering students to reach their full potential.It has also been a catalyst for educational innovation as the school has introduced new teaching methodologies and approaches with the use of technology. Using multimedia resources, interactive quizzes, and real-time assessments has revolutionised the learning process, making it more engaging and effective. TCO1's emphasis on embracing technology equips students with essential digital skills, preparing them for the challenges of the modern world.(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI01 July 2023

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PM Modi reiterates his call for dialogue, diplomacy on Ukraine during phone conversation with President Putin

New Delhi, June 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy on the situation in Ukraine over a telephonic conversation today with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

PM Modi reiterates his call for dialogue, diplomacy on Ukraine during phone conversation with President Putin

"They reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. President Putin informed PM about the recent developments in Russia," the PMO release said.While discussing the situation in Ukraine, PM Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy.According to Kremlin, "The situation around Ukraine was touched upon. The President of Russia assessed the current state of affairs in the special military operation zone, emphasizing Kyiv's categorical refusal to take political and diplomatic steps to resolve the conflict."In connection with the events of June 24 (Wagner's march to Moscow), Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed understanding and support for the decisive actions of the Russian leadership to protect law and order and ensure stability in the country and the security of its citizens, Kremlin stated.The conversation was informative and constructive, and the leaders decided to keep in touch and reiterated their shared desire to enhance the unique strategic alliance between Russia and India.Earlier in September 2022, during the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement 'Not an era of war' to Russia's President Vladimir Putin made headlines."I know that today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan, adding that it is democracy, diplomacy and dialogue that keeps the world together.In response, Putin said, "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its abandonment of the negotiation process and declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, as they say, 'on the battlefield. Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there," Putin said in response to Modi, asserting that he understood the Prime Minister's concerns, according to a statement issued by the Kremlin.ANI01 July 2023

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Iran's continuing enrichment activities raise concerns, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said, Trend reports.



"Despite Irans rapport with the agency limits its activities, allowing us largely monitor capacities, our deal with them for further verification isn't working to the level and pace I would like to see," he said.

Referring to the agreement reached with Iran in March, 2023, Grossi said that the IAEA has been able to partially confide in the provisions set forth in the agreement which incentive Iran to continue its enrichment activities.

Despite Grossis last visit to Iran three months ago where he had announced the signing of new agreements with the regime, yet, Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium has increased by more than a quarter.

Although Iran states that its nuclear-related programs serve for peaceful purposes, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has increased the amount of highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently, the country's enriched uranium reserves reach up to 4,745 kilograms. This is 15 times more than the amount of uranium allowed for Iran in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Earlier in June, Iran emphasized that it had reinstalled 10 cameras of the UN nuclear watchdog in one of its installations that were removed last year when the UN watchdogs board of governors in June 2022 censured Tehran for its lack of cooperation with the agency.

Grossi also welcomed unconfirmed reports that US President Joe Bidens administration seems to favor an informal and unwritten agreement with Tehran following the collapse of Vienna talks to restore the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal .

I am aware of the bilateral contacts between Iran and the US. If there are any alternative agreements, I hope that we will be invited to verify that the commitments made are real and not just a piece of paper, he added.

Lately, Iran and the US have been indirectly negotiating with the mediation of Oman relating to a number of confidence-building issues, including the exchange of prisoners in the two countries. Moreover, Iran is in ongoing talks with 3 European countries (the UK, France and Germany) pertaining to Iran's nuclear program.

In the discussions, Iran is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen abroad, and the abolition of the restriction on the export of crude oil. In return, the US and Western countries want Iran not to acquire an atomic bomb, to keep its nuclear program under control, and to reduce the level of uranium enrichment

Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, it is required to provide facts and guarantees to prove it at the international level.

On January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed.

On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.

Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on Sept.5. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it has taken the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA.

On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany), and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.

Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, ranging from above 700 banks, companies, to individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.
Karnataka: Minister MB Patil attends Taiwan, India Business Association

Bengaluru, June 30: Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil attended the Taiwan India Business Association on Friday and said that the Taiwan companies have expressed interest to collaborate with Karnataka in converting diesel-run BMTC buses to electric buses.

Karnataka: Minister MB Patil attends Taiwan, India Business Association

On Friday, a high-level delegation from Taiwan met Minister MB Patil to discuss industrial collaborations.One of the topics discussed during the meeting was converting diesel-powered Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses to electric buses."Attended and spoke at the 'Taiwan India Business Association - #TIBA ' conference held in Bangalore today. Karnataka's industry-friendly environment is encouraging for Taiwanese companies, making the state suitable for investment. Taiwan is a global leader in various products. The relationship between Taiwan and Karnataka will help in better utilization of skilled human resources and employment generation. Mr. Richard Chen, Director General-TECC-Chennai, Leader of the delegation from Taiwan, Mr. George Lean, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Dr. Selvakumar, Commissioner Mrs. Gunjan Krishna etc. were present in the meeting," Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil wrote on Twitter."Converting diesel-powered BMTC buses to electric buses would enable us to take a step forward towards sustainability and stated that the department would facilitate further talks with the transport department in this regard," the Minister said.Minister MB Patil further said, "Taiwan-based companies have the required expertise to transform diesel vehicles into electric vehicles," he said stating that such a technology is the need of the hour.Minister also informed that the Taiwanese companies have also shown interest in collaborating with machine tools and manufacturing, Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM), automotive and auto components, clean energy production, and aerospace.As part of the meeting, a visual presentation on the industrial ecosystem of the state, facilitation and incentives provided by the government was made.Over 50 Taiwanese investors were present at the meeting which was facilitated by Taiwan India Business Association (TIBA) including George Lien who led the visiting delegation.Richard Chen, Director General, TECC, Chennai, S.Selva Kumar, principal secretary, and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner Department of Industries were present.ANI01 July 2023

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Constitutional rights of all communities to be protected: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, June 30: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the constitutional rights of all communities in the state, including Christians, will be protected.

Constitutional rights of all communities to be protected: CM Siddaramaiah

He made the remark during a meeting with a delegation of Christian pastors and leaders of Christian organisations at his home office, Krishna.The delegation on behalf of the Indian Christian Forum held discussions on a range of issues.The deliberations mostly centred on the problems being faced by members of the Christian community and the delegation also handed over a petition to the chief minister, listing their demands.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the CM informed that his government has decided to withdraw the "unconstitutional amendment" to the Prohibition of Conversion Act during the previous BJP-ruled government.He added further that "false cases" registered against the pastors under the Prohibition of Conversion Act will be reviewed.He also promised more grants to the state's Christian community in the next budget.The CM's political secretaries -- Govindaraju, and Naseer Ahmed -- and representatives of 14 denominations of Christians were also present at the meeting.Earlier this month, the Siddharamiah government decided to repeal the contentious anti-conversion law that was enacted and enforced during the previous regime.Defending the move to roll back the anti-conversion law brought in by the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said the earlier regime brought certain amendments to provisions of existing laws that were in violation of the tenets of the Constitution."What we are doing now is repealing those provisions...We will repeal it by amending those provisions," he told reporters in Bengaluru earlier."...The previous government (BJP) brought an amendment to that effect, which is against the Constitution," Parameshwara said.ANI01 July 2023

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Yogi Govt to focus on education, skill development to achieve USD 1 trillion economy

Lucknow, June 30: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh is striving to become a powerhouse economy, targeting a one trillion dollar milestone within the next five years. With a strong emphasis on education, labour, and skill development, the government aims to transform the state into a superpower within the country.

Yogi Govt to focus on education, skill development to achieve USD 1 trillion economy

Having already established the law and order model, the Yogi government recognizes the importance of connectivity and infrastructure development, which has garnered attention nationwide.Notably, the government has achieved success in the tourism sector. However, the upcoming years will witness a mission-mode approach towards education, labour, and skill development.In a move towards bolstering the education system, the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh is set to create a minimum of five special education zones across the state. During a recent presentation on achieving the One Trillion Dollar Economy goal, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged action to strengthen the educational system by establishing dedicated educational zones.One such proposal includes a 500-acre special education zone in Gorakhpur, with plans for additional zones in various cities currently under consideration.At the same time, the government is committed to developing 5000 model schools in the state in the next five years. Apart from this, work will also be done to encourage private universities in the state. To this end, an education conclave for private universities was organized in February 2023.Following the UP Global Investors Summit 2023, where investment proposals worth Rs 36 lakh crore were received, Uttar Pradesh is set to witness a surge in demand for skilled workers across various sectors. Anticipating this demand, the state government has undertaken a plan to upgrade the skills of two crore youth in the next five years, preparing them as competent workforce for the industrial units within the state.To achieve this target, the government plans to transform 305 government ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) into state-of-the-art facilities through public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements.With these initiatives, the Yogi government is promoting skill development as a vital component of its economic agenda.ANI01 July 2023

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Bihu dance frees itself from Assams four walls, goes global

New Delhi, June 30: As a dance form, Bihu has freed itself from the proverbial 'four walls' and has transcended beyond Assam, even making its way into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Bihu dance frees itself from Assam's 'four walls', goes global

Bihu etched itself in the Guinness Book after more than 11,000 artistes performed the popular local dance form, which lends to Assam its identity and cultural ethos, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a single venue in the state capital Guwahati back in April, this year.The event not grabbed eyeballs not just across the country but also overseas.A folk dance, known for its fast-paced vocals accompanied by local traditional instruments and rendered more eye-catching and dazzling by the vibrant attire and jewellery of the participants, Bihu has generated curiosity among people far beyond the four corners of Assam.Increasingly, people are showing an interest in learning more about the nitty-gritty of Bihu.Tanvi Sharma, a danseuse who moved to Delhi-NCR from Assam about a decade ago and runs an academy, organised a week-long dance workshop where she taught some basics about Bihu, among other Indian dance forms, to participants. Over a dozen school-going students, aged from as low as 4 to 13-14 and having no roots in Assam, enrolled themselves to learn this particular dance form."I have been running the academy for a few years now. But, this is the second summer that I am organizing such a dance workshop. In the coming years, I intend to make it much bigger," Tanvi, who runs Dancebuzz, said on the final day of the workshop."These days, there are many schools (even in Delhi-NCR) that impart lessons in one or the other form of folk dance as part of their extra-curricular activities. Bihu, too, is being taught in some," she said.Besides being taught the intricate moves of Bihu, the participants were made familiar with the folk instruments and traditional jewellery (Gohona) used by Bihu dancers (Bihuwati) while performing.The participants not only tried to groove to the Bihu beats but also learned to play one of the instruments -- Gogona.Gogona is a tiny stick-like organ made of bamboo and is played only by women. It is played by placing it between the teeth and twanging it with fingers.Some of the other instruments used in Bihu are Bihu dhol (a special drum used on the occasion), pepa (buffalo hornpipes) and taal (bell-metal cymbals), hutuli (clad-made mouth organ), toka (bamboo-made instrument).One of the participants, Harshita Goyal, aged about 9, shared her experience saying, "I love Bihu dance because of the colourful attire of the performers."Harshita's mother, who accompanied her to the workshop, said, "She loves Bihu, and for that matter, any dance form. So we encourage her to pursue such activities."Shwetangee Thakur, mother of another participant, said she was aware of the Bihu performance that made the Guinness Book, which is what prompted her to send her daughter, Vedanshi Parashar, to the workshop.Sanwika Singh, another participant who could not take part in the dance performance as she was not wearing the proper attire, however, voiced her willingness to learn it some other time."Next year I will try to participate (in Bihu dance)," she said, smiling.ANI01 July 2023

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Programmes for minorities to be resumed: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, July 1: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday promised to resume all the programmes designed for minorities.

Programmes for minorities to be resumed: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

A delegation of the Central Council of the Minority Muslim Thinkers, Chavadi, of Karnataka State met him on Friday and discussed various issues, said the government.The Chief Minister said that five guarantees are already being implemented as announced by the government, and more grants will be allotted to minorities starting next year, said the CM office.Chavadi has been identified with pro-people movements in Karnataka for over a decade. It has been a part of the literary field, the development of Kalyan Karnataka, student and Dalit movements, and other pro-people struggles. Chavadi has emphasised the educational, social, and economic development of the Muslim community. It is also against communalism, as the forum explained, stated the CM office.For the past five years, the community has been deprived of government schemes, and hence the delegation appealed to the CM to increase grants to the Minority Department and Corporations, hostels, and the establishment of a Minority Polytechnic College in the district, said the government.ANI01 July 2023

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Broadway drops vaccine mandate, COVID-19 testing requirements

Los Angeles, July 1: Broadway has dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for actors and workers.

Broadway drops vaccine mandate, COVID-19 testing requirements

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Broadway has moved to a more lenient testing model, which allows individual productions not to test cast and crew members on a weekly basis or to test as often as they want."The move away from COVID-specific protocols to flexible, long-term guidance on responding to infectious disease fosters continued collaboration between employers and Equity, and responsiveness to old and new workplace threats as they arise," said Actors' Equity Association Assistant Executive Director Andrea Hoeschen.The decision to let the vaccine mandate expire, which had been set by Broadway producers in July 2021, came as part of a periodic review of COVID-19 protocols by the Broadway League, the trade association for producers and general managers, according to a spokesperson. The language now reads "Employees are encouraged to stay up to date on COVID-19 immunizations."Hollywood dropped its vaccine mandate on new film and television productions starting after May 12 and now may only require testing in certain cases involving scenes of intimacy.This comes after US President Joe Biden signed a congressional resolution on April 11, 2023 that brought an end to the COVID-19 national emergency. The federal public health emergency ended May 11, The Hollywood Reporter reported.Broadway had already dropped its vaccination requirement for audience members starting on April 30, 2022. Wearing a mask became optional for audience members starting that July (though some productions have required audience members to wear a mask for select performances or seating locations).The vaccine mandate for cast and crew members was put in place by theatrical unions and Broadway producers ahead of the industry's reopening in the fall of 2021. There was a possible exemption if allowed by the employer, in place for individuals who are not vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious belief.ANI01 July 2023

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Sherlyn Chopra has a blend of seduction, strength, regality in her new look for Paurashpur 2

Mumbai, July 1: Joining the cast of the historical fiction drama 'Paurashpur' for Season 2, actress Sherlyn Chopra will play the enchanting character of Maharani Snehlata. In her new look, the actress dons an aesthetic that mixes seduction, allure, strength and regality all in one.

Sherlyn Chopra has a blend of seduction, strength, regality in her new look for 'Paurashpur 2'

In her first look of 'Paurashpur 2', Sherlyn Chopra's transformation into Maharani Snehlata speaks of boldness and elegance as she dresses up in grand opulence in royal attire, exuding grandeur and embodying the very essence of royalty.Expressing her excitement about taking on the challenging role, Sherlyn said Playing Maharani Snehlata has been a transformative experience for me. The character's depth and complexity pushed me to explore new facets of my acting abilities. It is an honour to be part of a series that celebrates strong and empowered women, and I am eagerly looking forward to the audience's reaction.Maharani Snehlata is touted as a woman of immense strength and intelligence, she defies the conventional norms of her time, challenging the norms of the patriarchal society she inhabits.Navigating the intricate web of power dynamics the character is also said to grapple with her own desires and vulnerabilities, making her one of the most interesting characters of the show.IANS01 July 2023

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Hema Malini shares special post on National Doctors Day

Mumbai, July 1: On National Doctor's Day, veteran actor Hema Malini thanked bravehearts, who risked their lives to serve and treat people during difficult times.

Hema Malini shares special post on National Doctor's Day

Taking to Instagram, the actor shared a picture of herself with folded hands along with a message for all the doctors.The post read, "Happy Doctors Day! For all the behind-the-scenes bravehearts who risked their lives to serve us during the Pandemic and who are always there for us - we owe you a debt of gratitude for helping us cope during difficult times. Thank you all."Shilpa Shetty also shared a special post to mark this day.She wrote, "Take the time today to appreciate all the doctors who spend their lives serving and treating us...doing their best to make our lives better.#DOCTORSDAY."Every year, on July 1, India observes National Doctor's Day. It is a day set aside to commemorate physicians' achievements and devotion to society's well-being and healthcare. People celebrate this day by thanking physicians for their tremendous work, compassion, and devotion to saving lives and the well-being of all.National Doctor's Day marks the birth anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, a prominent physician and statesman who served as West Bengal's second Chief Minister.Dr. Roy was born on July 1, 1882, and was instrumental in the advancement of medical education and healthcare services in India.He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in the country for his pioneering work in the field of medicine.ANI02 July 2023

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Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez expresses unequivocal support to Ukraines EU candidacy

Kyiv [Ukraine], July 1: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday reaffirmed European Union's unequivocal commitment to Ukraine's bid to join the 27-nation bloc.

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez expresses unequivocal support to Ukraine's EU candidacy

He arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Spain's first day of EU presidency.Ukraine applied for EU membership just five days after Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, and received candidacy status several months later on June 23 in a strong signal of support from Brussels."Speaking of the European Union's perspective on Ukraine's EU accession, my being here on the first day of the six-month presidency...demonstrates a clear and unequivocal political commitment on the part of the community institutions in this respect," he said in a joint news conference with Zelensky, France 24 reported.Ukrainian President also thanked the Spanish PM for visiting Kyiv and also pressed for the NATO bid citing "wider space of peace in Europe"."During our meeting with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez @sanchezcastejon, we managed to discuss several issues. First of all, it is protection against Russian aggression. I thank Spain for supporting Ukraine on the way to joining the European Union. We discussed the approaching start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union," Zelenskyy said on Twitter.He added, "The approaching accession to the European Union motivates our defenders a lot because it convinces that Europe sees at what cost our people protect exactly the same values already protected for every country in the European Union. I am also grateful for the support of our movement in NATO. It is now the obvious fact - the wider NATO is in Europe, the wider the space of peace is in Europe".Earlier, the European Union said that they will continue to provide assistance in support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes."The European Union will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes," the statement released on Friday.In the statement, the European Council also reconfirmed the readiness to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, notably through the EU Military Assistance Mission and the European Peace Facility.ANI02 July 2023

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In a speech at the Chatham House think tank, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reiterated the UK government's commitment to reforming the United Nations (UN) and expressed support for India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the powerful Security Council.

Cleverly emphasized the need for a modernized and inclusive multilateral system that reflects the current global landscape. He highlighted the shifting economic center of gravity from the Euro-Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific and underscored the importance of adapting multilateral institutions to these changes.

The Foreign Secretary outlined five transnational priorities, with UN Security Council reform topping the list. He advocated for permanent African representation and proposed extending membership to India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan. Cleverly acknowledged that this reform would be a bold step but asserted that it would bring the Security Council into the 2020s.

Cleverly also emphasized the need for reforming international financial institutions, addressing climate finance and poverty reduction. He praised India's leadership in advocating for representation of poorer nations within the G20, expressing support for granting the African Union permanent membership in the group.

Additionally, the Foreign Secretary highlighted the importance of updating trade policies to reflect the digital economy, emphasizing the World Trade Organization's (WTO) need for new rules that ensure fair, open, and unmanipulated trade. He further underscored the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, planning to chair the UN Security Council's first-ever meeting on this issue and announcing an AI summit to be hosted by the UK Prime Minister later in the year.
India and Israel joined forces in 2006 to establish the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP) with the goal of enhancing crop diversity, increasing productivity, and optimizing water usage in India's agriculture sector. This collaboration is considered Israel's largest agricultural project in India.

Under the IIAP, Centers of Excellence (CoEs) have been established in various Indian states. These centers serve as platforms for sharing Israel's expertise and knowledge in agriculture and related technologies, tailored to the specific conditions of each state, including soil, weather, and local crops.

The IIAP involves multiple stakeholders, including MASHAV (Israel's agency for international development cooperation), the Government of India, and state governments. MASHAV provides non-monetary support, including training for CoE personnel in both India and Israel, research knowledge tailored to local conditions, and the transfer of agricultural technologies.

The CoEs, which currently number 31 in 13 states, play a crucial role in supporting nearby villages known as "Villages of Excellence." These villages benefit from the technologies demonstrated at the CoEs, empowering local farmers to adopt new and improved farming methods.

The initiative has resulted in significant contributions from Israel to Indian farming techniques. Initially, components such as drip irrigation systems and agricultural technology were imported from Israel, but now many of these components are being locally produced in India.
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Well tell you about a mowed-down patch of prairie in Urbana  security at our local trauma center  wholl get to park at the new south-campus parking deck  and why its so hard to keep litter out of the Second Street basin in Champaign. Oh, and you know those turquoise-colored rental bikes that seemed to be everywhere in C-U last summer? Theyre ba-a-a-ack ...
Data from a new study published in NEJM Evidence shows promise for personalized use of short term ADT in men with predominantly intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The study involved ArteraAI, a developer of multimodal artificial intelligence-based predictive and prognostic cancer tests, and other researchers including those from University Hospitals (UH) Seidman Cancer Center. The information validates the first-ever predictive AI biomarker of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) benefit in prostate cancer.

This is truly a milestone in the treatment for prostate cancer. With the first-ever predictive biomarker of ADT benefit in prostate cancer, created with AI, we are able to further realize the ability to create a personalized approach for the treatment of cancer. It is an honor to lead this work in collaboration with NRG Oncology, Artera AI, and dozens of co-investigators. We are fortunate to already be offering this test here at UH Seidman Cancer Center to our patients from Northeast Ohio, our nation and around the world." Daniel Spratt, MD, first author on the study

Dr. Spratt is the Vincent K. Smith Chair in Radiation Oncology and Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UH Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University. He is also a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

The study used novel deep learning methodology and histopathology image data from more than 5,000 patients across five Phase 3 randomized trials, with long-term follow-up. Patients in these trials were enrolled from over 100 centers across the US and Canada. The predictive AI biomarker was developed using datasets comprising about 20% African American patients. In past U.S.-based clinical trials, African American men have made up only 10.8% of prostate cancer trial participants.

Daniel I. Simon, MD, University Hospitals President, Academic & External Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer, and Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Healthcare Leadership said, "We are committed to impactful research that affects patient outcomes in a positive way and this research exemplifies the UH vision of the science of health and the art of compassion that our doctors strive for every day."

Theodoros Teknos, MD, President, and Scientific Director, UH Seidman Cancer Center and the Jane and Lee Seidman Chair in Cancer Innovation echoes those thoughts, "This AI enabled discovery perfectly illustrates UH-Seidman Cancer Center's national leadership in both scientific excellence and innovation. We applaud this important contribution to treatment of prostate cancer."

In patients with localized prostate cancer, ADT can be added to radiotherapy if improved patient outcomes are anticipated. However, ADT is also known to have negative side effects ranging from loss of sexual function to potentially detrimental effects on cardiac and brain health. Some studies suggest many men do not need ADT as part of their treatment plan, and that radiotherapy alone is effective. If given the opportunity to leverage the biomarker, most intermediate-risk patients could potentially avoid the morbidity and financial burden associated with ADT.

Gary Schwartz, MD, Director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center said, "The Case Comprehensive Case Center (Case CCC) applauds the leadership provided by Dr. Spratt on conducting this seminal study on using AI technology to predict which population of men with localized prostate cancer will most benefit from the addition of ADT therapy to radiotherapy. This discovery will become practice changing and it will greatly impact the way we approach the treatment of this disease. This work illustrates the leadership that members of the Case CCC provide in the treatment and the advancement of cancer medicine in the United States. The fact that this study includes a high percentage of African Americans, a patient population at very high risk for prostate cancer, also indicates the impact these results will have on an under-represented minority population in the United States."
The summit is a good place to be.

Jon Anderson hiking Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles, December 2022. Photo courtesy of Jon Anderson.

Staying active on the hiking trails around the southern highlands of Australia, where he retired earlier this year after a career in film marketing, Jon Anderson is feeling theres little he cant conquer.

And he gives credit for that to the Smidt Heart Institute team at Cedars-Sinai and his surgeons, Joanna Chikwe, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, and Dominic Emerson, MD, associate professor and director of Robotic Cardiac Surgery.

During a routine physical last year in Los Angeles, where Anderson was then living, his physician noted that a referral to a cardiologist was in order. Test results had shown that his cholesterol was very high, despite taking medicine to lower it. A stress test and angiogram--a heart scan--at the cardiology appointment revealed heart disease and a 70% blockage in his left main artery.

Anderson was shocked--he felt fine. No pain. No fatigue. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Theres that classic story about the person who thought they were healthy and then just dropped dead on a hike," Anderson said. "I could have been one of those people. That was shocking and worrying."

When the cardiologist advised surgery, Anderson was intent on having it done at Cedars-Sinai. The Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute is known for innovation and expertise in robotic and minimally invasive heart surgery to treat all forms of heart disease. The Smidt Heart Institute also is ranked #1 in California and #3 in the nation for Cardiology and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Reports "Best Hospitals 2022-2023."

Chikwe, the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery, is widely recognized for her skill in robotic and minimally invasive surgical techniques. When Anderson met with Chikwe to discuss surgical options that were right for him, he was quickly put at ease.

"She validated the enormity of what I was going through--heart surgery is extremely overwhelming--but she made me feel that I shouldnt worry about it," he said. "As she explained the various approaches to surgery, I started to cry. She took my hand and said, I know this is a big deal, but you are going to be fine."

Chikwes confidence is due to the Smidt Heart Institutes multidisciplinary care team.

We can treat patients using minimally invasive methods, including robotic procedures, or traditional open-heart surgery, depending on things like age, other heart conditions and overall health. Jon was eligible for robotic coronary artery bypass surgery." Joanna Chikwe, MD, Professor and Chair of Department of Cardiac Surgery, Cedars-Sinai

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery, also called bypass surgery, is the most common type of heart surgery. More than 300,000 people have successful bypass surgery in the U.S. each year.

Robotic surgeries may be less invasive than traditional open-heart surgeries and offer faster recovery times and less discomfort during healing, among other benefits.

Just as Chikwe had assured Anderson, he was fine after surgery on June 30, 2022. He did so well that he walked out of the Intensive Care Unit to a regular hospital room the very next day. On July 3, just three days after surgery, Anderson was able to go home, with only minimal discomfort and a few small incision marks.

"I can truly say that I received my freedom in time for Independence Day," he said. "I had such a great experience that I get emotional talking about it."

Anderson was back at work about a week after surgery. He was careful not to overexert himself, per doctors orders, but slowly he made his way back outside for flat, easy walks.

This October, Anderson will hike Perus famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu on a five-day trek spanning 26 miles across steep mountain ranges. Hes been training with uphill hikes and stair climbs multiple times each week, plus swimming and lifting weights.

Neither the Inca Trail nor the preparation are for the faint of heart. And heart is what its all about.

"Im not the least bit worried and have complete confidence in my health and my heart," he said. "That feels very liberating."

Freedom, just in time for his one-year anniversary post-surgery.

"Dr. Chikwe and her team helped me to reach a summit with my health," he said. "And now, after their help, I can reach the summit of Machu Picchu on my own."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Turkiye's embassy in Paris warned Turkish nationals planning to visit France to be cautious amid the ongoing violent protests in the country, Trend reports.

"Widespread protest demonstrations have been taking place throughout the country. These protests have resulted in disruptions in various transportation and public services, and acts of violence causing damage to public buildings, private property, and infrastructure. In light of these events, it is advised that our citizens residing in France, especially in Paris, or those planning to travel to France, exercise maximum caution, avoid potential protest areas and their vicinity, and regularly monitor the development of possible incidents through the announcements of local authorities, the Embassy of Turkiye in Paris, and the Consulate General," the embassy said in a statement.

The protests began after the murder of a 17-year-old teenager who disobeyed an order of the traffic police in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre in the province of Ile-de-France.
Commerce secretary-level officers of all the 164 WTO member countries will meet on October 23-24 in Geneva to discuss issues which can be deliberated in the ministerial conference in February next year, a government official said. The Indian side will be represented by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and Additional Secretary in the ministry Peeyush Kumar.

Issues which India is expected to raise include fisheries subsidy agreement, reforms in WTOs dispute settlement body, moratorium on e-commerce, agriculture-related matters, among others, the official said. Before the ministerial conference in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, this time for a change a vice-ministers meeting is happening in Geneva on October 23-24. Secretary-level officers from all the 164-member countries will be there for the deliberations," the official said.

Ministerial conference (MC) is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. The Geneva-based multi-lateral body deals with global exports and import-related norms and adjudicates trade disputes between the members. The World Trade Organization (WTO) members on June 17, 2022, secured a Geneva Package which included agreements on curbing harmful fishing subsidies and temporary patent waiver for the production of COVID-19 vaccines.

The fisheries subsidies pact is limited to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing only and the full agreement would come up for discussions, the official added. In the 2022 MC, it was also agreed to find a final solution to the issue of continuation of a moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmission of goods by the next MC.

India strongly opposes the continuation of this moratorium as it adversely impacts developing countries. New Delhi is expected to again oppose any further extension in the MC in Abu Dhabi.

In the agri segment, India has called for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes. As part of a permanent solution, India has demanded amendments in the formula to calculate the food subsidy cap and inclusion of programmes implemented after 2013 under the ambit of Peace Clause, among others.

Besides, India has asked for SSM (special safeguard mechanism), which aims at protecting poor and marginal farmers from any surge in imports or a steep decline in prices. WTOs agriculture negotiations encompass various topics, including domestic support, market access, export competition, export restrictions, cotton, public stockholding for food security purposes, special safeguard mechanism, and the cross-cutting issue of transparency.

The 13th MC will take place in the week of February 26, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
GST DAY 2023: India commemorates Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day on July 1 to honour the successful implementation of the GST regime in the country. GST, a comprehensive indirect tax, revolutionised Indias taxation system by replacing multiple complex levies imposed by both the central and state governments. With its destination-based approach, GST simplified the tax structure, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Union Finance Minister Smt.@nsitharaman will be the Chief Guest at GST Day, 2023 event at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi tomorrow. Union MoS (F) Sh. Pankaj Chaudhary will be the Guest of Honour.Watch Live YouTube  https://t.co/V7oqK2LMbK Facebook  https://t.co/UL3GGEs12D pic.twitter.com/MqSEczI6PC  CBIC (@cbic_india) June 30, 2023

GST DAY: History

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) idea was first proposed in India in the early 2000s to simplify the complex tax system. The Kelkar Task Force, a dedicated team, suggested a comprehensive indirect tax system as a replacement for the existing structure that was impeding the economic growth of the country. After discussions and negotiations, the Parliament passed the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act in August 2016, giving the central government the power to levy and collect GST.

To oversee the implementation, the government formed the GST Council, comprising Finance Ministers from both central and state governments. The council held meetings to determine GST rates, exemptions, and address concerns. Finally, on July 1, 2017, GST was implemented across India, creating a unified market for seamless trade between states.

GST DAY: Significance

GST Day is of utmost significance to Indias taxation system as it serves as a momentous occasion to celebrate the successful implementation of the GST regime. GST has brought about important changes in the Indian economy by simplifying the tax structure and creating a unified market for seamless trade between states.

The introduction of GST has replaced multiple indirect taxes, such as excise duty, service tax, and value-added tax (VAT), levied by both the central and state governments. This has made the tax system simpler and more transparent.

Another noteworthy impact of GST is the removal of barriers to inter-state trade. GST has levelled the playing field for businesses, regardless of their location within India.

GST DAY: Interesting facts about GST

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is known as the father of GST. The brand ambassador for GST is Amitabh Bachchan. France implemented the GST system first. GST exempts certain items like fresh fruits, vegetables, and unbranded flour from taxes. GST revenue is shared between the Central and State governments in India. GST was proposed in India in 2000 but took over 17 years to be implemented. The GST system in India has tax slabs of 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%. GST eliminates the need for separate state-level tax registrations, easing business processes. The Canadian GST system served as the foundation for the GST system in India. The GST Council was established by the-then President Pranab Mukherjee in September 2016.

GST DAY: Quotes:
The boards of directors of HDFC Bank and HDFC have cleared the proposal of their merger. After the reverse merger, the 44-year-old institution HDFC Ltd would cease to exist from July 1 onwards. Heres the combined companys size, profit, employee count, and weightage on stock indices:

HDFC Bank-HDFC Merger: Market Valuation

The merger of HDFC Bank and HDFC creates a lender that ranks fourth in terms of equity market capitalisation in the world, behind JP Morgan Chase & Co., Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) and Bank of America Corp, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its valued at about $172 billion.

HDFC Bank-HDFC Merger: Total Business

The total business of the merged entity stood at Rs 41 lakh crore at the end of March 2023. With the merger, the net worth of the entity would be over Rs 4.14 lakh crore. The proposed entity will also have a combined asset base of around Rs 18 lakh crore.

HDFC Bank said the larger net worth would allow a greater flow of credit into the economy. It will also enable the underwriting of larger ticket loans, including infrastructure loans and contribute further to nation-building and employment generation.

HDFC Bank-HDFC Merger: Total Profit

The combined profit of both entities was to the tune of about Rs 60,000 crore at the end of March 2023.

HDFC Bank-HDFC Merger: Weightage On Stock Indices

The combined shares of the HDFC twins will have the highest weighting on the indices at close to 14 per cent, much higher than the present index heavyweight Reliance Industries with a 10.4 per cent weightage.

HDFC Bank-HDFC Merger: Total Customers, Branches, Employees

All employees of HDFC Ltd become HDFC Bank employees. The new entity will also have around 120 million customers, which is greater than the population of Germany. It will also increase its branch network to over 8,300 and boast of total headcount of over 1,77,000 employees.

Saturday, July 1, 2023, to be the Effective Date of the composite scheme of amalgamation, on which date the certified order of the NCLT sanctioning the Scheme will be filed by HDFC Investments, HDFC Holdings, HDFC Limited and HDFC Bank with the RoC," HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

The board of directors of HDFC Bank in consultation with the board of directors of HDFC Limited has fixed July 13, 2023, for determining the shareholders of HDFC Ltd who would be issued and allotted the shares of HDFC Bank, it added.

Besides, July 13 has been fixed for the continuation of warrants of HDFC Limited in the name of HDFC Bank.

The board has fixed July 12, 2023, for the transfer of non-convertible debentures while July 7 for the transfer of commercial papers of HDFC Ltd in the name of HDFC Bank.

Termed as the biggest transaction in the history of India Inc, HDFC Bank on April 4, 2022, agreed to take over its parent, which is the largest pure-play mortgage lender, in a USD 40-billion all-stock deal, creating a financial services titan with a combined asset of over Rs 18 lakh crore.

With the deal getting effective, HDFC Bank will be 100 per cent owned by public shareholders, and existing shareholders of HDFC will own 41 per cent of the bank. Every HDFC shareholder will get 42 shares of HDFC Bank for every 25 shares they hold.

HDFC Bank CEO & MD Sashi Jagdishan said the combined strength will enable to create a holistic ecosystem of financial services.

Were truly happy to welcome the talented team of HDFC Ltd into the HDFC Bank family. I believe our journey will be defined by agility, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As we navigate the path ahead, we will embrace challenges as opportunities, learn from our experiences, and strive to be the benchmark of success and integrity in the financial services industry," he said.

HDFC Bank said it also marks the transformation of the bank into a financial services conglomerate that offers a full suite of financial services, from banking to insurance, and mutual funds through its subsidiaries. So far, the bank was a distributor for these products.

Post-merger, the key HDFC Bank subsidiaries include HDFC Securities Ltd, HDB Financial Services Ltd, HDFC Asset Management Co Ltd, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co Ltd, HDFC Capital Advisors Ltd and HDFC Life Insurance Co Ltd.

(With Inputs From Agencies)
NATIONAL CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS DAY: National Chartered Accountants Day, CA Day, is observed on July 1. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) celebrates the anniversary of the formation of this Institute. The day recognises the contribution of Indias oldest and most professional financial and accounting organisation - the ICAI. This year ICAI celebrates its 75th year of existence.

On this momentous Occasion of ICAI entering the Glorious 75th Year of its Existence on #CADay2023, CA. Aniket S. Talati, President-ICAI is sharing his thoughts & Vision for the entire ICAI Fraternity & the Nation#ICAIat75 @AniketTalati pic.twitter.com/3DzGJJ0f81 Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI (@theicai) June 30, 2023

The ICAI is Indias exclusive licensing and regulatory authority for the accounting profession and financial auditing. Every accounting and finance organisation, including the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), is required to adopt the accounting standards guidelines issued by them.

National Chartered Accountants Day 2023: History

Prior to the formation of the ICAI, the British Government in India kept accounts under the Companies Act. Following that, the British Government developed an accountancy diploma programme for auditors. People who completed this course qualified to serve as auditors throughout India.

On July 1, 1949, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) was established.

National Chartered Accountants Day 2023: Significance

CAs play a critical role in our countrys growth. The National Chartered Accountants Day recognises the remarkable contribution of chartered accountants. Their untiring dedication and expertise make them vital pillars of the financial world.

National CA Day 2023 Wishes
In a significant move, children attending state-run schools in Uttar Pradesh will soon have Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number, included in their curriculum. Starting from the next academic year, the Department of Basic Education in Uttar Pradesh has agreed in-principle with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Lucknow to introduce a chapter on Aadhaar in school textbooks.

During a recent meeting with UIDAI officials, the Director General of School Education, Vijay Kiran Anand, expressed the need for a formal proposal to incorporate Aadhaar and related information into the curriculum, awaiting government approval. Anand emphasised the importance of children being aware of general information about Aadhaar, including its benefits and applications. As a result, Aadhaar-related details will be included in textbooks, beginning with the upcoming academic year.

Drawing inspiration from Punjab, where a similar practice exists, the Aadhaar chapter will cover various aspects, such as the enrollment procedure, cost, distinguishing characteristics, and authentication. To facilitate learning, the UIDAI has even compiled a document titled Mera Aadhaar, Meri Pehchaan (My Aadhaar, My Identity), which includes a dialogue between two students highlighting the necessity and benefits of Aadhaar.

Speaking on the initiative, Lieutenant Colonel Prashant Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General of UIDAI Lucknow, stressed the importance of making children aware of the process of Aadhaar enrollment, particularly as it differs for children compared to adults. By incorporating a dedicated chapter in textbooks, the aim is to familiarize students with Aadhaar, its usage, and features. This knowledge is critical since children frequently benefit from numerous government programmes, such as free uniforms and mid-day lunches, by providing Aadhaar information.

Singh clarified that biometrics, including fingerprints and iris scans, are not captured during Aadhaar enrollment for children under the age of five. Consequently, this biometric data is not included in a childs Aadhaar database. However, once a child turns five years old, it becomes mandatory to update their biometrics in the Aadhaar system.

To ensure accessibility, the UIDAI team has also proposed the option of printing Aadhaar details on the inside cover pages of school textbooks and notebooks, in case a comprehensive chapter cannot be included. Officials further highlighted that Punjab follows a similar pattern, with the Aadhaar chapter in textbooks covering the enrollment process, cost, salient features, and authentication.
Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) is set to release the JKBOSE Class 11 result soon. Once the JKBOSE Class 11 results are declared, students can check their scorecards on the official website- atjkbose.nic.in. Students will need to enter their hall ticket number and date of birth on the login window to access their results.

JKBOSE Class 11 Result: How to Check

Step 1: Navigate tojkbose.nic.in, the official website of JKBOSE.

Step 2: Locate and click on JKBOSE Class 11 Result option that will be available on the homepage.

Step 3: A login window will appear. Click on submit after entering your roll number and date of birth.

Step 4: Your JKBOSE Class 11 result will be displayed on your screen.

Step 5: Check all the details twice and if required, download your scorecard.

Students will need to score a minimum of 33 per cent to pass the exam. The JKBOSE Class 11 scorecard will contain important details like candidate name, roll number, date of birth, name of the exam, subjects in total, minimum marks required, marks obtained, and total marks secured.

If students are not satisfied with their marks or answer sheets, they can proceed with the re-evaluation process. They can do so by filling out an online application form that will be released by the official board. Students will also have to pay a specific fee to participate in the re-evaluation process.

After the declaration of the JKBOSE Class 11 result, students who were unable to pass the exam will have to appear for supplementary exams. The official board will release the dates of supplementary exams soon after the declaration of JKBOSE Class 11 result.

JKBOSE Class 12 result was announced on June 10. The overall pass percentage stood 65 per cent. On the other hand, JKBOSE released the results for Class 10 on June 19. The overall pass percentage for Class 10 was 79.89 per cent, wherein girls did better with 81.68 per cent, followed by boys with 78.23 per cent.
Since the tense situation in Manipur continues, the state government has ordered to extend the resumption of normal classes at all schools in Manipur. As per the official order issued by the state government, all schools will remain closed till July 8 or until further notice. The resumption of normal classes for all schools in the state, as issued vide order of even no. dated 19-06-2023, stands deferred till 08-07-2023 or until further order, whichever is earlier," reads the notice.

The notice further stated that all the officers under the Department of Education-Schools, Manipur are advised to take necessary steps accordingly, All Zonal Education officers under the Department of Education-Schools, Manipur are hereby directed to inform all concerned and take up necessary actions accordingly.

Manipur has a total of 4,617 schools and out of these, relief camps for the displaced persons and accommodation for the central forces were set up in around 100 schools. On Friday, the state police reported that there are areas where the situation is still tense, and there have been occasional instances of gunfire in the past 24 hours.

According to news agency ANI, officials have reported that the situation in Manipurs districts is largely stable and back to normal. The previous incident on May 3 involved clashes during a protest rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU). The demonstration was in opposition to the request for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

A few weeks ago, the Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh, announced free admission to government schools for students affected by the violence.

As per the official notification, the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) is supposed to assign a Nodal Officer for each relief camp that is responsible for facilitating the admission process of affected students to the nearest feasible school in their vicinity. This step removes the admission barriers, enabling the affected students to switch schools with an ease. The government has also waived the fees associated with updating registration with BOSEM/COHSEM, especially applicable in cases of school transfers.
Six Agniveer recruitment rallies of the Indian Army will be held in Uttar Pradesh from July 20 till January 16 next year, state Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra said here on Friday.

Chairing a meeting with district officials, Mishra said the recruitment rallies will be held in Fatehgarh, Baraut, Lucknow, Agra, Amethi, and Gorakhpur, an official statement issued here said.

The first rally will be held at Fatehgarh on July 20, the statement said.

Mishra asked officials to ensure that the recruitment venues have all necessary arrangements for the candidates, such as accommodation, food, shelter, electricity, drinking water and clean toilets, the statement added.
The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) is set to release a notification soon for the recruitment of UP Police Constables. Aspiring candidates must have completed their 12th grade from a recognised school in India. Before applying, it is crucial for candidates to thoroughly review the age limit for the positions, as it varies depending on the category. The UP Police Constable Age Limit has been revised, with the maximum age limit lowered for candidates from the reserved category.

For males in the unreserved category, the age limit is set between 18 and 22 years, while for females, it is between 18 and 25 years. On the other hand, the age limit for OBC/SC/ST (Male) candidates is 18 to 28 years, while for females from the same category, it is 18 to 31 years. It is important to note that additional age relaxation is provided, with 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates. Candidates with Uttar Pradesh residency can avail themselves of reservation privileges during the appointment process, following the policies of the State Personnel Department.

Certain reservation quotas are also applicable. The dependents of freedom fighters will receive a reservation of 2%, while home service guards and ex-servicemen will enjoy a reservation of 5%. Additionally, there is a 20% reservation for women in the Civil Police Department.

The selection process for the UP Police Constable Recruitment consists of three stages. Firstly, candidates will undergo a computer-based written test. Those who pass the examination will then proceed to the Physical Efficiency Test. The final stages involve a physical examination and document verification.

Upon successfully passing the computer-based test and achieving the minimum passing score, candidates will advance to the second round of selection. After clearing the Physical Efficiency and Standard Test, candidates will be eligible for Document Verification. The results of the first and second rounds of testing will ultimately be used to create the final selection list for the positions of fireman and police officer.

Candidates need to ensure they have the necessary documents for the UP Police Constable post, including 10th/12th mark sheets and certificates, a Birth Certificate, a Residential Certificate of Uttar Pradesh, a Caste Certificate (if applicable), a Valid Photo ID Certificate, and any other relevant documents.

By adhering to the recruitment guidelines and preparing diligently for each stage of the selection process, candidates can increase their chances of securing a position as a UP Police Constable.
The Bigg Boss OTT 2 house witnessed intense moments this week. From Jad Hadid and Akanksha Puri sharing a 30-second kiss during a task to Jads controversial act of lowering his shorts, revealing his buttocks and making an inappropriate remark to Bebika. Salman Khan began the episode with an apology, expressing his regret for any objectionable content shown. He said that despite being on OTT, the show is intended for family viewership, saying, Mera choice alag hain (My choice is different). Kabhi mere filmo mein aisa dekh hai? (Have you seen such scenes in my films?)"

In the recent episode of Bigg Boss OTT 2, popular contestants Akanksha Puri and Jad Hadid shared a 30-second long lip kiss. It all started after Avinash Sachdev said, I would want Jad to kiss Akanksha" as part of a dare. In the video that is now going viral on social media, Akanksha and Jad can be seen sharing a steamy lock as other housemates cheer for them. Salman called out Avinash for laughing when Jad said Akanksha is a bad kisser. You were laughing, werent you? Kya yeh dare humare sabhyata ko leke tha? Did you give this challenge because you thought they wont do it?"

Jads shameful act of lowering his pants and making disrespectful comments towards Bebika shocked everyone in the house this week. Pooja Bhatt engaged in a heated argument with him, Falaq Naaz broke down and Bebika demanded Jads eviction from the house. The incident triggered strong reactions and escalated tensions among the contestants.

Schooling Jad, salman, on Weekend Ka Vaar, said, Do you know what would have happened if you had done it in the GCC belt? You can do what you want on other shows but people are watching me on this show and I dont want to judge any of you guys. Your personality is coming out. Can you try this is Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia? This is a very conservative country. India is also a very forgiving country. We have been forgiven a million times for many things. They loved you even if they didnt understand your language, till this very incidence. People here are very simple. They will forget this as well."

After Jad apologised to the country and mentioned that he is divorced and has a 4-year-old daughter, Salman looked shell-shocked and said, For your daughter, you shouldnt have done this."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Turkish and Saudi Foreign Ministers Hakan Fidan and Faisal bin Farhan have held a phone talk, Trend reports.

During a telephone conversation, the ministers discussed preparations for the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will be held in Jeddah on July 2, Turkish MFA reported.

The parties also discussed issues of combating Islamophobia and cooperation in regional issues.
Palak Purswani was recently locked into the Bigg Boss OTT season 2 house. She entered the house with the dark past of her a partner allegedly cheating on her and a close friend who ghosted her. Palak, when she came to the BB house as a contestant, not only had to face the other participants and her past, but she also had to fight a two-handed war with her internal and external flow of sentiments. She was eliminated last week.

Bigg Boss OTT season 2 is at its peak, and in just 2 weeks, it has already seen fights, controversies, betrayal between housemates who are currently locked in the house.

This week, two of the popular contestants, Akanksha Puri and Jad Hadid, became hot topics when they both broke into a kiss, as part of a task. This steamy moment was part of a challenge given by Avinash Sachdev. However, things did not sit well with Akanksha. In the recent episode of Bigg Boss OTT2, Akanksha opened up about this sudden kiss with Jad and expressed her discomfort. She said, I wanted Jad to understand that as an Indian female artist, the kiss made me feel awkward". The actress added, I expected him to come and speak with me, to clear out my headspace about the whole situation. Communication is important, and I needed that reassurance."

Palak, meanwhile blasted Akanksha and tweeted, I AM CONFUSED! I dont know what is happening. I remember #AkankshaPuri asking me How comfortable are you with someone who touches you Because I am the kind of person who is very uncomfortable with someone touching me."

I AM CONFUSED!I don't know what is happening. I remember #AkankshaPuri asking me "How comfortable are you with someone who touches you because I am the kind of person who is very uncomfortable with someone touching me". #BiggBossOTT2 #BBOTT2onJioCinema https://t.co/KMlx75ay1b  Palak Purswani (@ImPalakPurswani) June 30, 2023

This is not the first time Akanksha has voiced her displeasure about Jads actions. The Middle Eastern model came under fire when fans called him out when he was seen touching the actress inappropriately. He was seen pulling Akanksha closer by her waist, but she pushed him away and warned him for his behaviour. Jad Hadid, the Dubai-based model, is popular for his flirtatious nature and charms. Both Akanksha and he had hit it off in the Bigg Boss house. He even confessed his feelings to her and said that she was like the female version of him.
The Bigg Boss OTT 2 Shaniwar Ka Waar was a bag of mixed intense emotions displayed by the contestants inside as well as the host of show Salman Khan outside. Some of the instances over the week have sparked massive controversies. Whether it was Jad Hadids passionate kiss with Akanksha Puri or Jads spat with Bebika post which he flashed his buttocks at her, the reality show was a hot topic across the country. The episode kickstarted with Salman Khan apologising on everyones behalf to the public that might have been offended considering its a family program.

After schooling Jad for his behaviour inside the house, Salman Khan turned to Akanksha Puri and confronted her for sharing a 30-second kiss with Jad Hadid, Ye aapne kiya hai," enquired Salman. Akanksha promptly said, Haan maine abhi apni web series shoot mein Kiya hai."

To this, Salman Khan replied, Inhone bhi kiya hai toh inhe bhi koi problem nahi hai. Toh ek kaam karo, ye Jo hai na isse thoda control kar lo. Jab iss show se nikaloge, toh jitni marzi aap log ye karlo. Ye show hai personalities ka aur aap dono ne apni real personalities dikha di. Ye scripted nahi hai. Toh ye aap dono ne jo kia hai ye aap dono ne apni marzi se Kiya hai. Toh Jad ko ek aisa cassanova, India aaya hai, all the women are hugging and everyone is there. Ye aake kiss karta hai sabko and everyone is okay with that.

Insinuating that the women in the house have given Jad the leeway to be touchy-feely, he continued, Toh aap logo ne Jad ko Ko kya impression diya hai? Cant you see that women in the house are very comfortable with Jad. So if everyone is okay with that, iske dimag mein yahi chalega ki ye content main bahar kar chuka hu toh yaha par bhi same hi hai. Tumlog ko ye sab karna hai toh kahi aur jaake Karo. Dont mess my work."

In the recent episode of Bigg Boss OTT 2, popular contestants Akanksha Puri and Jad Hadid shared a 30-second long lip kiss. It all started after Avinash Sachdev said, I would want Jad to kiss Akanksha" as part of a dare. In the video that is now going viral on social media, Akanksha and Jad can be seen sharing a steamy lock as other housemates cheer for them. Salman called out Avinash for laughing when Jad said Akanksha is a bad kisser. You were laughing, werent you? Kya yeh dare humare sabhyata ko leke tha? Did you give this challenge because you thought they wont do it?"

Schooling Jad, salman, on Weekend Ka Vaar, said, Do you know what would have happened if you had done it in the GCC belt? You can do what you want on other shows but people are watching me on this show and I dont want to judge any of you guys. Your personality is coming out. Can you try this is Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia? This is a very conservative country. India is also a very forgiving country. We have been forgiven a million times for many things. They loved you even if they didnt understand your language, till this very incidence. People here are very simple. They will forget this as well."

After Jad apologised to the country and mentioned that he is divorced and has a 4-year-old daughter, Salman looked shell-shocked and said, For your daughter, you shouldnt have done this."

Post the kiss, Akanksha had opened up about it and spoken at length of her discomfort. She had told a co-contenstant, I wanted Jad to understand that as an Indian female artist, the kiss made me feel awkward". The actress added, I expected him to come and speak with me, to clear out my headspace about the whole situation. Communication is important, and I needed that reassurance."
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested a Benin national last week from Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for smuggling 43 capsules containing heroin worth Rs 5 crore.

The accused was produced before the Honble CMM who ordered his medical examination and recovery of contraband, if any from his body. During his medical examination he was suspected to have ingested 43 capsules, apparently containing NDPS substance," said a senior officer from DRI.

The accused has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.

Sources said that the accused had swallowed 43 capsules containing a narcotic substance. White-coloured powder/granules were recovered from inside his body.

He was admitted to JJ Hospital where, after appropriate treatment, he purged 43 capsules over a span of 10 days.

A total of 43 capsules were recovered from his body. Upon examination, the substance in the capsules tested positive for Heroin. Total 504 grams of light brown sticky substance (valued at approx. 5 Crore IMV has been recovered and seized under the NDPS Act, 1985," said the officer.

The suspected heroin capsules were seized under Section 43(a) of the NDPS Act.

During the investigation, the accused admitted that he tried to smuggle narcotics substance.

Considering the above, it became clear that he had violated the provisions of Section 8 of the NDPS Act and committed offences punishable under Sections 21, 23, and 29 of the NDPS Act. Consequently, he was placed under arrest under Section 43(b) of the NDPS Act," the official added.

Body packing is a common way to traffic illicit drugs. Drug mules usually swallow or insert drugs within the gastrointestinal tract or other orifices of their bodies. Detection of such drug packets has become increasingly difficult because of the constantly improving packaging techniques and the sophistication used by traffickers.

A delayed diagnosis and inappropriate action may carry disastrous physical consequences for the body packers and in extreme situations it can be fatal for the body packers.
The month of June ended on a rainy note for Mumbaikars with the Santacruz area recording 90.2mm rainfall and Colaba recording 26mm on June 30, Friday. The city may experience moderate to heavy rainfall on July 1, Saturday.

The delayed monsoon that arrived in Mumbai on June 25 has helped meet the citys average rainfall for the month of June. Till June 30, average rainfall recorded in Colaba stood at 93.9%, while in Santacruz it was 96.7%. However, the overall situation in the state remains grim as 50% deficit has been recorded in the average rainfall for the month of June this year as compared to last year.

According to IMD data, Colaba recorded 542.3mm rainfall in June and Santacruz recorded 537.1mm. Till the June 21 week, Mumbai City recorded 98% deficit in rainfall and Mumbai suburban area recorded 96% deficit. But from June 25, Mumbai experienced heavy showers. In just six days till June 30, Colaba recorded 401mm rainfall and 519.6mm rainfall was recorded in Santacruz. Data shows Colaba recorded deficit rainfall of 117.8mm, while Santacruz recorded 12.5mm excess rain compared to June 2022.

According to the BMC, the rainfall in catchment areas helped increase the water stock of seven dams that serve Mumbai City. The water stock has increased by 5.59% due to the rain received in the last three days. Dams that supply water to Mumbai have stocked up for 18 days. The water stock in the dams was recorded at 12% on June 28 and rose to 18.87% by June 30.

The situation in the other parts of Maharashtra, however, remains bleak. The Konkan region, which usually receives decent rainfall during monsoon, has recorded a deficit this year as compared to the last year. Ragad district recorded 220% rainfall, while Ratnagiri recorded 49%. Palghar district recorded 28% deficit.

Surprisingly, Bhandara and Gondiya districts in Vidarbha recorded met the average rainfall mark, but Hingoli district recorded 96% deficit, the highest in the state. Districts like Nanded and Sangli have recorded 81% and 80% deficit, respectively. Solapur, Buldana, Kolhapur and Jalgaon recorded 73%, 75%, 59% and 66% deficit, respectively.
Hours after Gujarat High Court dismissed activist Teesta Setalvads bail plea in the case of fabricating evidence to implicate innocent people in the 2002 post-Godhra riots, the Supreme Court on Saturday granted her interim protection and stayed the HC order for a week.

A SC bench comprising of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had earlier held an urgent hearing of plea by Setalvad challenging the orders of the Gujarat High Court and decided that the matter will be placed before a higher bench for further consideration. We request the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to constitute a larger bench for the case," the apex court said.

During the proceedings, the SC said a breathing time should have been given in the case."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Gujarat Government, argued that delaying the case would not erase the crime" committed. He further said that he had thoroughly examined the accuseds record, which spanned across many cases.

Mehta referred to a 127-page order and quoted a part of the judgment that mentioned Teestas alleged involvement in a conspiracy. He questioned whether someone with such involvement should be granted relief, asserted significance on upholding the rule of law and respecting the courts authority.

Urgent hearing at 9:15 pm

A few hours after the hearing, a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Gawai and comprising of Justice AS Bopana and Justice Dipankar Datta held another urgent hearing of Setalvads plea late at night.

The apex court granted the activist interim protection and stayed Gujarat High Court order that had asked her to immediately surrender for one week. We are not going into the merits of the matter. We are only considering the part of the order that requires immediate surrender," the SC said in its latest order.

Senior Advocate CU Singh read the SC order granting interim bail to Setalvad in 2022 and informed the bench of the conditions imposed by the trial court. The chargesheet has been filed, and 10 months have passed since the interim bail was granted, with no violation of any condition."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the Court to treat Setalvad like any ordinary person."

The SC asked, What were the alarming circumstances that the HC didnt grant 7 days?" Mehta replied, Its not a question of one individual. She is misusing every forum. She is an ordinary criminal, despite thinking otherwise." Mehta said, The SIT selected and functioned under your Lordships found that Teesta Setalvad tutored witnesses. The entire nation and state were maligned. Its not a question of an individual."

Justice Gavai responded, stating, We are sorry to say that the single judge was totally wrong in not granting interim protection even for one week. When this Court has granted interim bail, extending it by a week would have been ideal."

Mehta responded, stating, Kindly see what kind of litigant she is. This isnt an ordinary case. She takes every institution for a joyride."

Somebody who writes to international organizations in Geneva, maligning the country."

Gujarat High Court Judgement

In the morning, Gujarat High Court rejected Setalvads plea and directed her to surrender immediately. The court observed that she had made attempts to unsettle a democratically elected government, sully the image of the then chief minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tried to send him to jail.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai had directed Setalvad, who is currently out on interim bail, to surrender immediately and rejected her lawyers request to give her 30 days to surrender.

In June last year, Setalvad, former Gujarat Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, were arrested in connection with a case registered by the Ahmedabad crime branch police. The case alleged the fabrication of evidence to falsely implicate innocent individuals in the post-Godhra riots cases.

The three accused were arrested after an FIR was registered against them under Indian Penal Code sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 194 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offences).

A trial court rejected Sreekumars plea for discharge in the case last month. Sreekumar is also out on interim bail in the case granted by Gujarat HC. Bhatt, the third accused in the case, has not applied for bail. Bhatt was already in jail for another criminal matter when he was arrested in this case.

The case against Setalvad and the two others was registered after the June 24 verdict of the apex court in the Zakia Jafri case. Dismissing the petition filed by Zakia Jafri whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots, the SC had observed that it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge".

On September 2, 2022, the Supreme Court had granted Setalvad interim bail.

The Gujarat high court judgement stated that prima facie, it appears that Setalvad used her close associates and riot victims to submit false and fabricated affidavits before the Supreme Court in a bid to allegedly to undermine the establishment and tarnish the image of the then Chief Minister (Modi).

If today some political party allegedly gave her the task to unsettle the (then) government, tomorrow some outside force may utilise and convince a person to make efforts in a similar line causing danger to the nation or to a particular state by adopting the same modalities," it said.

According to judgement document accessed by CNN-News18, Setalvad is funded freely by political parties".

Setalvads efforts have been focused on influencing witnesses according to her own agenda. It should be noted that the present applicant has received unrestricted funding from a political party and has been promised additional funds if needed, which shows her influence.

Furthermore, it should be considered the present applicant has not only has close associations with political leaders but also has strong connections with individuals in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Delhi across various fields and professions, it said. Noting the seriousness of the offense and other parameters based on principles established by various judgments of the Honble Supreme Court, if she is released on bail, who is accused of being involved in a larger conspiracy to unsettle the then establishment and discredit the former Chief Minister, there is a significant risk that she may tamper with the witnesses.
Authorities investigating the incident in which 25 passengers were charred to death, while only eight managed to survive after the bus they were travelling in caught fire after colliding with a pole and divider on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtras Buldhana district on Saturday said more passengers were unable to escape as the exit doors were inaccessible and the vehicle was was engulfed in flames within a matter of minutes.

At least 33 people were on board the bus belonging to Vidarbha Travels, which had departed from Nagpur for Pune at 4 pm on Friday. The bus made a stop at Karanja in Yavatmal district for dinner but met with the accident shortly thereafter.

Eight people, including the driver and cleaner, managed to survive the incident, while the injured were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The authorities have decided to conduct DNA testing on the charred bodies of the victims in order to identify them before handing them over to their relatives.

Driver Danish Sheikh Ismail Sheikh was detained following the incident.

Officials revealed that the vehicle erupted in flames within minutes and the passengers could have had a better chance of survival if there were more accessible exit points. After hitting the pole and divider, the bus overturned and fell on its right side with its entry/exit door of facing the sky. Within minutes, the vehicle caught fire. Some of the passengers were able to come out of the broken windows from the rear side," a senior police official from Buldhana told PTI.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a probe into the accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the families of each deceased.

Human Error

The Amravati Regional Transport Office (RTO) who conducted a probe into the incident said the tyre burst claim made by the driver could not have caused the accident as there were no pieces of rubber or tyre markings at the scene.

According to information shared by one of the survivors, the bus collided with a steel pole on the right side of the road, resulting in the driver losing control of the vehicle. Subsequently, the bus struck the divider, as stated in the report. The police have raised suspicions that human error" may have been the cause of the accident.

Sheikh was arrested and taken into custody in the morning after it was determined that the accident was a result of reckless and negligent driving. The driver has been charged under IPC Section 304, along with sections 134, 184, and 279 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

CM Shinde termed the accident as unfortunate" and stressed the need for drivers on the expressway to exercise caution while driving. Speaking to reporters at the accident site, he said measures would be taken to prevent accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway.

So far, most of the accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway have occurred due to human errors. But the government has taken this accident seriously and steps will be taken to ensure that accidents and errors dont happen," he said.

Experts would be consulted before putting in place measures to prevent accidents, he added. The death of 25 persons in todays accident is unfortunate. They could not be saved as the door of the bus was locked. Eight people could come out.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed in Kutch, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Navsari after heavy rains inundated low-lying areas in cities and villages and created a flood-like situation in several parts of Gujarat on Saturday.

Extremely heavy showers have been lashing the state for over 24 hours with Visavadar taluka in Junagadh district one of the worst hit after receiving an alarming 398 mm of rainfall, followed by Jamnagar taluka of Jamnagar district (269 mm), Kaprada in Valsad (247 mm), Anjar in Kutch (239 mm) and Khergam in Navsari (222 mm), according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data.

The Vanthali Ozat Viar Dam in Junagarh also overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the region.

#WATCH | Gujarat: Vanthali Ozat Viar Dam in Junagarh overflows due to heavy rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/KftxEcM07R ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

Rains have hit 144 talukas in the state of which, Dharampur taluka in Valsad district has recorded the highest rainfall, measuring 7 inches, according to government statement. Visavadar taluka in Junagadh received a significant downpour of 6.6 inches, while Bhesan taluka also experienced heavy rain with 6 inches recorded. Khergam taluka in Navsari witnessed 5.3 inches of rainfall.

According to officials, areas in many districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat regions received extremely heavy rainfall, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas and leaving villages submerged.

Gandhidham railway station in Kutch was inundated as the district received very heavy rain, while several villages and towns were flooded in Junagadh, Jamnagar, Kutch, Valsad, Navsari, Mehsana and Surat, officials said.

Visuals from Jamnagar showed houses and fields in the surrounding areas flooded due to heavy rainfall. In Ghed Panthak, some villages experienced water levels rising as high as 3-4 feet, inundating both fields and residential areas, according to News18 Gujarat.

A video footage shows houses and vehicles surrounded by water, with even a parked bus being stuck in the middle of the flooded area. Farmers in Ghed Panthak are deeply concerned about the waterlogging as it poses a significant threat to their crops, potentially resulting in heavy losses. Additionally, parts of Mangrol and Keshod are also facing severe waterlogging.

Normal life was thrown out of gear at several places in Ahmedabad city too as waterlogging led to heavy traffic jams and inconvenienced commuters.

Nine Rain-related Deaths

The heavy rains have claimed at least nine lives in the last three days, the SEOC release stated in a release on Friday. Four children were killed in Panchmahal district and two in Anand in incidents of wall collapse on Thursday, it said. Moreover, two men drowned in Jamnagar and Arvalli districts on Thursday, while a woman drowned in flood waters in Lathi taluka of Amreli district on Friday, the report said.

CM Holds Emergency Meeting

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel convened an emergency meeting with officials at the SEOC in Gandhinagar on Friday night and instructed them to prioritise rescue and relief efforts, particularly the evacuation of individuals residing in low-lying areas.

Patel spoke to collectors of Junagadh and Kutch districts, who briefed him about the rain situation, including waterlogging in villages in Visavadar taluka and evacuation of people along with other relief measures, a government release stated.

IMD Forecasts More Showers

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the intensity of rainfall is expected to decrease in the state on Saturday, and the situation is anticipated to gradually return to normal by Sunday.

However, the department cautioned that isolated areas in the districts of north and south Gujarat, as well as Saurashtra, may still experience heavy rainfall until Sunday morning. The IMD further stated that light to moderate rainfall will persist in various parts of the state until Wednesday morning.

The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for heavy rain in Junagadh and Amreli while Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath have been placed under an orange alert. Rajkot, Botad and Porbandar have been issued a yellow alert.

Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Meteorology at Skymet had on Friday said, The June month is likely to end with 10 per cent deficit (in rain). However, the rain activity is likely to pick up in the next 7 days. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, maximum parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, eastern Rajasthan and coastal areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka are likely to receive heavy rains in the coming days. The impact of El-Nino may be witnessed in the second half of July."
India and Pakistan exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody on Saturday through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad.

Such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1 under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access

Indias list consists of the names of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared a list of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen in its custody.

The Indian government has called for an early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats.

In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and 04 Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentences.

In addition, Pakistan was also asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners in Pakistans custody, who are believed to be Indian.

Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India.

India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those about prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 62 believed to be Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan.

As a result of sustained efforts by the Government, 2559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 398 Indian fishermen and 05 Indian civilian prisoners who were repatriated from Pakistan this year, so far.
In this special series around the Uniform Civil Code, we present to you an in-depth dive into the subject. This ten-part series will do a threadbare analysis of various aspects of the UCCa dream of the founders of the Indian constitution that has remained elusive and a victim to the politics of vote bank and fear-mongering

A lot has been said about the Uniform Civil Code ever since the Prime Minister raised the issue while addressing a rally in the poll-bound state of Madhya Pradesh. Uniform Civil Code is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 44 of the Indian constitution. Article 44 binds the state to make endeavours for the eventual implementation of a Uniform Civil Code in India. But the mere mention of the word sends the world of politics into a tizzy. There is fearmongering, misinformation, and political distortion. Some political parties went to the extent of saying that Hindu law would now be applied to Muslims. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Diversity and freedom to practise ones religion are cited as the key grounds against the idea of a Uniform Civil Code. Both these facets of Indias democracy are protected broadly under fundamental rights that make the idea of a UCC tricky to implement but are not the ultimate roadblocks to it.

1. Uniform Civil Code is not about how you pray, eat, or dress: Many politicians will have you believe otherwise. But Uniform Civil Code will not infringe on the right of any community or individuals as to how they pray, eat, or dress. These matters are guarded under the right to privacy by the pronouncement of the Supreme Court under a constitution bench judgement. No law or code can prescribe a dress code for individuals in public life, or what one chooses to eat or the religion any citizen chooses to follow. The Uniform Civil Code is not about any of these facets. The common civil code will not touch upon any of these aspects.

2. Uniform Civil Code will adversely affect cultural diversity is a myth: India is vastly diverse in languages, food, customs, festivals, clothes, and much more. Uniform Civil Code will not affect the celebration or observance of any festivals. It will not adversely affect any food tradition or the vast expanse of cultural diversity in India. Languages, food, clothes, local festivals, and customary celebrations are not regulated in any manner or form by the Uniform Civil Code. Cultural diversity is an aspect of religious diversity in India. But divergent cultural practices are seen in the same religion, for example, Hindu practices and customs in Gujarat are polar opposite to Bengali beliefs and customs. Diversity has survived in the Hindu religion despite rationalisation of personal laws and their codification.

3. There is no Hindu law that can be imposed on any community: There is no law of Manusmriti, Mitakshara, or Dayabhaga that can be imposed on any community or individual. The Hindu Personal Law has been the subject of various reforms and amendments. Even the inheritance laws for Hindus have been overhauled to give women a fair share in ancestral property. No facets of the Hindu Code Bill can be applied to Muslims or any other community. The Indian constitution guards against any such imposition. The Hindu Marriage Act is applicable only to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains. It cannot be extended to any other community. Any individual or group preaching that the Uniform Civil Code shall implement the law of the majority on the minority communities is spreading misinformation and falsehoods.

4. A Nikah, Saat Phere, or a Church wedding will not be dislodged by the Uniform Civil Code: In Western democracies, where there are no personal laws, a common civil code governs all citizens. Customary practices or religious methods of conducting a wedding have not ceased to exist. These methods just do not have a legal sanction. So while you can have a Nikah ceremony in London, you would mandatorily have to register your marriage for it to be legally recognised. The presence of a civil code is not the antithesis of religious ceremonies or customs. Despite the civil code, you can have the ceremony but the law will prescribe a method under which it shall be legally recognised. The religious practice is not forbidden or barred. It just doesnt enjoy the legal sanction without the process of registration, in cases of marriage especially.

5. A secular country cannot have a civil code: Most secular democracies have a common civil code that governs their country. No democratic country across the world has a parallel verse of personal laws as it exists in India. A Muslim or a Hindu continue to be true adherents of their religion while they live in any other part of the democratic world. Sharia is not legally protected or enforced in any part of the democratic world. Any kind of attempt to create a parallel legal system is rightly frowned upon in modern democracies. All modern democracies are secular in nature.
A 52-year-old teacher, who was returning after dropping off his son who had enrolled in a law course in Nagpur, was killed along with his wife and daughter in Saturdays Buldhana bus tragedy.

The three Pune residents were among the 25 passengers who were killed when a private bus met with an accident and burst into flames in the early hours of the day on the Samruddhi Expressway in Sindkhedraja, some 400 kilometres from here, their kin said.

Kalias Gangawane, an English teacher in a school, his wife Kanchan and their daughter Rutuja were returning to their native Nirgudsar village in Ambegaon tehsil here after dropping off their son Aditya, who had got admission to a law course in Nagpur, he said.

The four had gone to Nagpur on Wednesday. We came to know about the accident at 5:30 am. One of our relatives, who is a policeman, informed me that the charred bodies of the three were found embracing each other," said Rupesh Gangawane, a cousin of Kailas.

Kailas said he and his kin were in Buldhana for further formalities to claim the bodies. The family is originally from Shirur tehsil in Pune. They settled in Nirgudsar after Kailas got a teaching job," he said.

Kanchan Gangawanes brother Amar Kale said the bodies of the bus victims are charred beyond recognition and DNA tests would have to be carried out to identify them.

Arun Gorde, a teacher and Kailas neighbour said the latter was teaching in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru School in Nirgudsar since 1996 and had also worked as a moderator with the Maharashtra State Board for Class 12 for a decade.

We have been neighbours since. It is a horrific tragedy. Kailas was a polite man with a very good command of English. Rutuja was in the third year of BHMS in Pune and Aditya had recently passed class 12 and had secured admission for a law course in Nagpur," he said.

Gorde said Kailas was a kind-hearted man who had raised his niece and nephew after their parents died.

Years ago, he ensured his nephew and niece never felt the pain of losing their parents at such a young age. Unfortunately, his son Aditya has now been orphaned," he said.
The recent power outages in the country were caused by increased consumption triggered by the ongoing intense heatwave, said Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday, in an answer to complaints from citizens about why the lights went out last week.
Heavy rains continued to lash the national and financial capitals of India disrupting traffic due to waterlogging. While train services and road traffic were hit by the incessant downpours in Mumbai and its suburbs, waterlogging and traffic snarls due to heavy rain brought Delhi to a halt.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), monsoon rainfall over the country in July is expected to be normal" unlike in June when it was below normal" with a 10% deficit.

Monthly rainfall over the country as a whole during July 2023 is likely to be normal (94 to 106 %) of Long Period Average (LPA)) and possibly within the positive side of normal," the weather office said.

Latest Weather Updates

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall for parts of Goa till July 4.

Kalwa River overflowed amid heavy rainfall in Gujarats Junagarh.

#WATCH | Kalwa river overflows amid heavy rainfall in Gujarats Junagarh, normal life affected pic.twitter.com/zIwn3uiMgb ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

The weather office has predicted a generally cloudy sky with light rain in Delhi today. The national capital received 27 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday.

According to a PTI report, a 12-year-old boy died after the shed of a house collapsed on him following heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradeshs Kaushambi.

According to the latest forecast, moderate to heavy rain is likely in Mumbai and its suburbs today with the possibility of very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places.

According to the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi received 26.9 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Friday.

Delhi reported a rain-related death on Friday as an autorickshaw driver fell into a ditch due to waterlogging and later succumbed to his injuries. Quoting police, a PTI report said a 51-year-old autorickshaw driver, Ajit Sharma of Nand Nagri, died after he fell into a ditch on a waterlogged road in northeast Delhis Harsh Vihar.

Officials said Mumbai received moderate rainfall in a 12-hour period ending at 8 pm on Friday. The intensity of downpours, however, was greater in the suburbs than in the city.

IMD has predicted an average monsoon rainfall over the country in July with exceptions to parts of northeast and northwest India.

Normal to above normal rainfall very likely over central India and most parts of south peninsular and east India and some parts of northeast and northwest India," the IMD said in a tweet.

The weather department also predicted below-normal rainfall over many areas of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India.

The local met office has predicted heavy rain in some parts of Gujarat on July 1. The rainfall is likely to reduce from July 2, said Manorama Mohanty, MET Director.

It is raining continuously in Gujarat. On July 1, there is a possibility of heavy rain in some areas of the state. Rainfall is likely to reduce in Saurashtra Kutch from July 1. Rain is likely to reduce from July 2. Light rain may occur in Ahmedabad," Mohanty said.

#WATCH | Gujarat: It is raining continuously in Gujarat. On July 1, there is a possibility of heavy rain in some areas of the state. Rainfall is likely to reduce in Saurashtra Kutch from July 1. Rain is likely to reduce from July 2. Light rain may occur in Ahmedabad: Manorama pic.twitter.com/D2EvFonTKP ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023
In a bizarre incident, Rajasthan police in investigating a case where a man in Jodhpur, who survived a snakebite once, died a week later when he was once again bitten by a snake. On both occasions, forty-four-year-old Jasab Khan was reportedly bitten by a snake called bandi, which is a sub-species of viper usually found in the desert areas of Rajasthan.

Khan was first bitten by a snake on his ankle on June 20, He survived the incident after receiving treatment at a hospital in Pokhran for four days, according to a report by India Today.

However, Khan, a resident of Mehrangarh village in Jodhpur, was once again bitten by a snake, on the other leg, on June 26, a day after he returned home from the hospital. Sadly, this time, he died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Jodhpur, according to the report.

As per the report, the tragic incident is now being investigated by the Bhaniyana Police.

However, Khans family members have reportedly killed the snake responsible for his death.

Khan could not survive the snake venom for the second time as his body was still recovering from the first snakebite. He is survived by his mother, wife, four daughters and a 5-year-old son.
Gujarat High Court on Saturday asked social activist Teesta Setalvad to surrender immediately after rejecting her bail plea. Setalvad is accused of fabricating evidence linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

As the applicant is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, she is directed to surrender immediately, the court said while pronouncing the order.

A Single bench of Justice Nirzar S Desai turned down Setalvads lawyers request for an interim stay on the order enabling her to move to Supreme Court. Senior advocate Mihir Thakore requested the court to stay the operation of the verdict for a period of 30 days but the request was denied by Justice Desai.

Setalvad was protected from arrest due to an interim bail granted by Supreme Court in September 2022.

Gujarat police arrested Setalvad and co-accused and former Director General of Police R B Sreekumar in June 2022 on the basis of an FIR filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB). She was accused of conspiring to fabricate evidence and falsely implicate innocent people in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Setalvad and the co-accused were subsequently booked under Indian Penal Code sections 468, 471 (forgery), 194 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 211 (institute criminal proceedings to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).
Four people, including a techie, have been arrested in Telangana after a 28-year-old was attacked with a sharp object in broad daylight in Suryapet on Thursday. The man was attacked brutally on a busy street in full public view.

According to India Today, victim C Santosh was attacked by two men with a sharp-edged weapon and boulders and the video of the incident was captured on CCTV and went viral on social media.

In the video, three men can be seen attacking the victim as one of the accused stabs Santosh repeatedly as passersby looked.

Watch the video here!

Santosh was brutally attacked by Krishna & his two henchmen in broad day light in Suryapet, #Telangana with a knife inflicting severe bleeding injuries. Rivalry led to attack, Santosh undergoing treatment & out of danger. Case booked, probe on. Trigger : Blood pic.twitter.com/W0gTqcH7Kf Azmath Jaffery (@JafferyAzmath) June 29, 2023

The accused was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was being treated. He survived the assault and his condition was said to be stable.

Police said that the preliminary probe indicated that the reason behind the fight is a long stand rivalry between the accused and the victim.

The accused have been identified as V Krishna, Manideep, P Mahesh, and Prem Naidu and were monitoring Santoshs movements. They took advantage of the opportunity to assault him when he arrived at the location, India Today reported.

The attack took place on Thursday at noon near a Muthoot finance office and is said to be the result of some longstanding personal animosity.

The police have registered a case against the four accused under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and the Arms Act.
As the debate over the possibility of a Uniform Civil Code in India rages one year before Lok Sabha elections, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in Delhi has issued a fatwa to all Muslim groups to keep mum on the issue. The Shahi Imam was reportedly abroad when he issued the fatwa on Eid.

The Muslim Personal Law Board, meanwhile, issued a statement and criticised the governments position on Uniform Civil Code. In a statement, it said the privilege has existed since Independence and interference clearly indicates that the government wants to abolish the Board.

Contending that the existing situation is not harming anyone, it accused the government of trying to disrupt and peace and harmony in the society.

News18 had earlier this week reported that Muslim leaders and organisations have taken the strategic view of not opposing the proposed Uniform Civil Code publicly, speculating it could benefit the ruling BJP in upcoming Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will seek the views of all stakeholders on the issue in its meeting on July 3.

According to the schedule of the Standing Committee, the panel will hear the views of representatives of the law panel and legal affairs and legislative departments of the Law Ministry on a public notice issued by the Law Commission of India on June 14, 2023, inviting views from the various stakeholders on the Uniform Civil Code under the subject Review of Personal Laws.

Till Tuesday evening, the law panel had received nearly 8.5 lakh responses on its public notice, a PTI report said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday made a fresh pitch for UCC at a rally in Bhopal, evoking criticism from the opposition, which has claimed it was polarisation" tactics.

UCC refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, among others, of all citizens. It has been one of the three key poll planks of the BJP for a long time with the other being the abrogation of Article 370 that had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir and construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The much-awaited Vande Bharat Express train between Lucknow and Gorakhpur is all set to be launched as its trial run started on Saturday. While details of the route are yet to be announced, it is likely that the train may connect Ayodhya as well. It is likely to be inaugurated on July 7.

This will be the first major train for Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, which is not connected with any Shatabdi or Rajdhani train so far. A number of other trains connect Gorakhpur and Lucknow, among them Gorakhdham Express and Bihar Sampark Kranti Express are the fastest that complete the journey in four hours and 45 minutes.

Further, while Ayodhya is well connected with Lucknow, the train connectivity from Ayodhya to Gorakhpur is limited. Another route through Gonda and Basti offers faster connectivity for trains between Lucknow and Gorakhpur.

A railway official told News18 that the trial run was conducted on the Basti route. But the ministry has not ruled out the possibility of the train running on the Ayodhya route.

An empty rake of Vande Bharat train reached Lucknow on Saturday and later in the day left for Gorakhpur, the official said, on being asked about the route selected for the trial run. The official said the train took the Basti route for Gorakhpur from Lucknow.

Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be inaugurated in the new year. If the train connects Ayodhya, it will ease the rush for the temple. The train will be the first Vande Bharat for the North Eastern Railway Zone, and is likely to be inaugurated on July 7. Further, it will be the fifth Vande Bharat for the northern zone.

This will be the second dedicated Vande Bharat for Uttar Pradesh after the one operational between Delhi and Varanasi. However, two more Vande Bharats  Delhi-Dehradun and Delhi-Bhopal  have stops in Uttar Pradesh.

Another senior official told News18 that this month, three Vande Bharats will be launched. These will be between Lucknow and Gorakhpur, Chennai and Tirupati as well as Jodhpur and Ahmedabad.

The prime minister will be visiting Gorakhpur on July 7. It is likely that he may inaugurate these trains from there. However, these are only tentative plans and, as and when, details are finalised, it will be informed, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Another ministry official said the plan will be announced in the coming week. We are working on these details. By Tuesday or Wednesday, the plan will be announced. It is likely that the prime minister will inaugurate the Vande Bharat for Lucknow from Gorakhpur and the other two through video conference, the official added.

Last week, at least five pairs of Vande Bharat were inaugurated on the same day. With these trains, the total count of Vande Bharat has reached 23 or 46 services. All electrified states have been connected with these semi-high speed trains.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COOPERATIVES 2023: Prepare yourself to join hands and commemorate the profound strength of cooperation on the International Day of Cooperatives 2023. This special occasion brings individuals, communities, and organisations from all corners of the world together to celebrate the remarkable impact of cooperative enterprises. Together, we will pay tribute to the spirit of cooperation that has transformed countless lives and shape communities on a global scale.

International Day Of Cooperatives 2023 Date

International Day Of Cooperatives is observed on July 1. It is celebratedon the first Saturday of July.

International Day Of Cooperatives 2023 Theme

The theme for International Day of Cooperatives 2023 is Cooperatives for Sustainable Development." With this theme, Gilbert F. Houngbo, the Director of the International Labour Organisation, invites us to recognize the vital role that cooperatives play in achieving sustainable development goals. Its a call to action, urging us to harness the power of cooperation to address pressing global challenges.

International Day Of Cooperatives History

The roots of the International Day of Cooperatives can be traced back to the early 20th century when the cooperative movement gained momentum across the globe. In 1923, the International Cooperative Alliance established the first International Cooperative Day to commemorate the ideals and principles of cooperation.

International Day Of Cooperatives Significance

The International Day of Cooperatives celebrates the transformative power of cooperation in our societies. Cooperatives play a crucial role in fostering economic and social development, promoting equality, empowering marginalized communities, and creating sustainable livelihoods. They embody the values of solidarity, self-help, and democratic decision-making, ensuring that no one is left behind.

International Day Of Cooperatives 2023 Wishes and quotes:
In the noble pursuit of healing and saving lives, doctors selflessly dedicate themselves to the well-being of others. They work tirelessly, often under immense pressure, to provide the best possible care to their patients. However, in this journey of compassion and service, we must pause to ask a vital question: Who will be the doctor for the doctors? In India, according to a report, more than 1.2 million doctors are registered with the Indian Medical Council in 2020 which was only 5,77,000 back in 2001. On the other hand, the population of India remains to be the largest one in the entire world. Despite the gap in the standard ratio of doctors and patients, they fearlessly managed the havoc that the pandemic wreaked on the country.

Behind the white coats and stethoscopes, doctors face a range of occupational stressors that put their physical and mental health at risk. On this National Doctors Day, Nitin Dewan, Director, Primus Super Speciality Hospital feels it is essential to shed light on the challenges faced by our medical professionals and the urgent need for their own care and well-being.

Hidden Struggles of Doctors

Within the demanding realm of medicine, doctors find themselves exposed to numerous occupational hazards that significantly impact their well-being. The toll of their profession extends beyond the physical and mental demands, as they face heightened risks of occupational stress, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), addictions, direct or indirect aggression, and infections. The relentless nature of their work, coupled with the pressure to make critical decisions and provide optimal care, creates a breeding ground for stress-related conditions. The weight of responsibility and witnessing traumatic events can contribute to the development of PTSD among doctors, affecting their own mental health. Moreover, constant exposure to high-stress situations and emotional exhaustion may lead some doctors to seek solace in unhealthy coping mechanisms, potentially leading to addictions. As doctors grapple with the challenges of their profession, they are also susceptible to being exposed to various infectious diseases in the course of their work, putting them at a higher risk of infections. This highlights the pressing need for comprehensive support systems and measures to address these challenges, adds Dewan.

Improving Neglected Self-Care

The combination of long working hours, constant patient care, and administrative responsibilities leaves little room for their personal healthcare needs. As a result, doctors unintentionally place their own well-being on the back burner, jeopardizing their ability to provide optimal care in the long run. Dewan states, It is crucial to recognize the importance of self-care and ensure that doctors have access to the healthcare services they require to maintain their own health and well-being. By promoting a culture of self-care and providing resources that facilitate effective access to routine healthcare, we can support doctors in caring for themselves while caring for others.

Building Resilience Through Dedicated Programs

Recognizing the immense challenges and pressures that doctors face in their profession, it becomes essential to focus on enhancing their resilience through educational methods and practice-based interventions. By providing doctors with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively cope with stress and adversity, they can be empowered to navigate the demanding landscape of medicine while safeguarding their well-being, believes Dewan. Educational methods like resilience training programs can equip doctors with strategies to manage stress, enhance emotional intelligence, and promote self-care. These programs can help them develop a deeper understanding of their own mental and physical health needs, fostering a proactive approach towards well-being. Additionally, practice-based interventions, such as debriefing sessions and mentorship programs, create opportunities for reflection, support, and guidance. By fostering a supportive network and encouraging continuous learning, doctors can build resilience and enhance their ability to effectively cope with the challenges they encounter.

Organizational Support is Essential

Beyond individual efforts, organizations must proactively provide the support systems that doctors need. Attention must be given to flexible resources for healthcare and workload management, aimed at preventing or minimizing the psychological consequences faced by doctors. Cultivating a culture that promotes work-life balance, reducing administrative burdens, and fostering a supportive environment are essential steps in nurturing the well-being of our medical professionals, opines Dewan.

A Confidential Platform Where Doctors Can Confide In

In addition to organizational support, dedicated confidential services should be established, offering doctors a safe and confidential space to seek assistance without fear of judgment or repercussions. These services not only provide an avenue for doctors to disclose their struggles but also play a vital role in reducing the loss of valuable professionals from the workforce and mitigating potential risks to patient care. By creating an environment that encourages open dialogue and destigmatizes seeking help, we can foster a stronger and more resilient medical community, adds Dewan.

It is incumbent upon all stakeholders in the healthcare system to recognize and prioritize the well-being of medical professionals. By addressing the challenges, they face and providing the necessary support, it can be ensured that the doctors remain resilient, healthy, and capable of delivering the highest standard of care. Let us celebrate our doctors by committing to be the ones who will stand beside them with empathy, understanding, and genuine care.
JULY 1, 2023 EVENTS: Celebrate a series of special occasions on July 1! Show your appreciation for the noble profession of medicine on National Doctors Day, honouring the tireless efforts of physicians worldwide. Recognize the financial expertise of chartered accountants on National CA Day, acknowledging their contributions to the financial sector.

Indulge your taste buds on National Gingersnap Day, savoring the delightful flavors of these spicy cookies. And finally, lighten the mood with International Joke Day, spreading laughter and joy through humorous tales and clever jests. Join in these festivities, honouring professionals, enjoying culinary delights, and sharing laughter with others.

10 International, National Events on July 1

National Doctors Day National Chartered Accountants GST Day National Postal Worker Day National Gingersnap Day International Joke Day Canada Day Hong Kong Handover Rwandas Independence Day Republic Day Of Ghana

NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY

National Doctors Day is observed in several countries, including the United States and India, to honour and appreciate the contributions of physicians and doctors. It is a day to recognize their dedication, expertise, and commitment to providing medical care and saving lives.

NATIONAL CA DAY

National CA Day is celebrated in India on July 1 to commemorate the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The day recognizes the important role of chartered accountants in the countrys financial sector and their contributions to the economy.

GST DAY

GST Day is observed in India on July 1 to mark the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST is a unified indirect tax system that replaced multiple taxes across various sectors, aiming to streamline the taxation structure and promote economic integration.

NATIONAL POSTAL WORKER DAY

National Postal Worker Day is dedicated to acknowledging the hard work and dedication of postal workers who play a vital role in delivering mail and packages. It is a day to appreciate their efforts and recognize the importance of their service in maintaining communication networks.

NATIONAL GINGERSNAP DAY

National Gingersnap Day celebrates the delicious gingersnap cookie. Gingersnaps are baked treats made with ginger, molasses, and spices, known for their distinctive flavor and crunchy texture. This day provides an opportunity to indulge in and savor these tasty cookies.

INTERNATIONAL JOKE DAY

International Joke Day is a lighthearted observance dedicated to humour and laughter. It encourages people to share jokes and engage in humor to spread joy and laughter worldwide. On this day, people often share funny jokes, puns, and humorous stories to bring smiles to others.

CANADA DAY

July 1 is celebrated as Canada Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867, which united the three separate colonies of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into a single Dominion within the British Empire. It is a national holiday in Canada, marked by various festivities, parades, fireworks, and cultural events.

HONG KONG HANDOVER

On July 1, 1997, the sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to China. This event marked the end of British colonial rule in Hong Kong and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as a part of China under the principle of one country, two systems."

RWANDAS INDEPENDENCE DAY

July 1 is celebrated as Rwandas Independence Day. On this day in 1962, Rwanda gained independence from Belgium after years of colonial rule. It is a national holiday in Rwanda, observed with ceremonies, cultural events, and patriotic celebrations.

REPUBLIC DAY OF GHANA

July 1 is also celebrated as Republic Day in Ghana. It commemorates the day in 1960 when Ghana officially became a republic and severed its ties with the British monarchy. The countrys first President, Kwame Nkrumah, declared Ghana as a republic and assumed the position of President.
NATIONAL POSTAL WORKER DAY 2023: National Postal Worker Day is celebrated on July 1 to honour and appreciate the hard work and dedication of postal workers. These unsung heroes play an important role in ensuring that the mail reaches its intended destinations, connecting people and communities in the process. From delivering letters and packages to providing essential services, postal workers have been an integral part of our society for several decades. Lets delve into the significance, history, and quotes that highlight the importance of National Postal Worker Day.

History of National Postal Worker Day

In 1997, a postal carrier in US Seattle designated July 1 as National Postal Worker Day to show appreciation for fellow postal workers. Since then, this day has been celebrated annually.

Significance of National Postal Worker Day

National Postal Worker Day is a special occasion to recognize the exceptional contributions made by postal workers. They brave various weather conditions, gruelling schedules, and challenging circumstances to deliver mail to homes and businesses, keeping the communication channels open and operational.

Even though technology has become widespread, postal services remain crucial for communication, especially in rural areas and small towns. Postal workers do more than just sell stamps and assist with packages; they also sort mail and ensure it reaches the right addresses.

Quotes to Celebrate National Postal Worker Day
France's president was to lead a crisis meeting of ministers on Friday after a third night of protests over a policeman's killing of a teen saw cars torched, shops ransacked and hundreds arrested.

Related France arrests dozens in unrest after police kill teenager

Police sources said that rather than pitched battles between protesters and police, the night was marked by pillaging of shops, reportedly including flagship branches of Nike and Zara in Paris.

Public buildings were also targeted, with a police station in the Pyrenees city of Pau hit with a Molotov cocktail, according to regional authorities, and an elementary school and a district office set on fire in Lille.

The unrest has come in response to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel, whose death has revived longstanding grievances about policing and racial profiling in France's low-income and multiethnic suburbs.

The Elysee announced Macron would cut short a trip to Brussels, where he was attending a European Union summit, to chair a crisis meeting on the violence -- the second such emergency talks in as many days.

Around 40,000 police and gendarmes -- along with elite Raid and GIGN units -- were deployed in several cities overnight, with curfews issued in municipalities around Paris and bans on public gatherings in Lille and Tourcoing in the country's north.

Despite the massive security deployment, violence and damage were reported in multiple areas.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 667 people had been arrested in what he described as a night of violence, while 249 police officers were injured, none of them seriously.

Macron under pressure

France has been rocked by successive nights of protests since Nahel was shot point-blank on Tuesday during a traffic stop captured on video.

In her first media interview since the shooting, Nahel's mother, Mounia, told the France 5 channel: "I don't blame the police, I blame one person: the one who took the life of my son."

She said the 38-year-old officer responsible, who was detained and charged with voluntary manslaughter on Thursday, "saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life".

The memorial march for Nahel, led by Mounia, ended with riot police firing tear gas as several cars were set alight in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager lived and was killed.

Heightened security appeared to do little to deter unrest Thursday night.

In the city centre of Marseille, a library was vandalised, according to local officials, and scuffles broke out nearby when police used tear gas to disperse a group of 100 to 150 people who allegedly tried to set up barricades.

Multiple public buildings were also targeted in Seine-Saint-Denis, in the Paris metro area, according to a police source.

In the suburb of Drancy, rioters used a truck to force open the entrance to a shopping centre, which was then partly looted and burned, a police source said.

Firefighters in the northern municipality of Roubaix, meanwhile, dashed from blaze to blaze throughout the night, with a hotel near the train station also catching fire, sending its dozen or so residents fleeing into the streets.

In Nanterre, the epicentre of the unrest, tensions rose around midnight, with fireworks and explosives set off in the Pablo Picasso district, where Nahel had lived, according to an AFP journalist.

The government is desperate to avoid a repeat of 2005 urban riots, sparked by the death of two boys of African origin in a police chase, during which 6,000 people were arrested.

Macron has called for calm and said the protest violence was "unjustifiable".

The riots are a fresh challenge for the president, who had been looking to move past some of the biggest demonstrations in a generation sparked by a controversial rise in the retirement age.

'Bullet in the head'

Nahel was killed as he pulled away from police who were trying to stop him for a traffic infraction.

A video, authenticated by AFP, showed two police officers standing by the side of the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver.

A voice is heard saying: "You are going to get a bullet in the head."

The police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off.

Clashes first erupted as the video emerged, contradicting police accounts that the teenager was driving at the officer.

The officer's lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, told BFMTV late Thursday that his client had apologised as he was taken into custody.

"The first words he pronounced were to say sorry, and the last words he said were to say sorry to the family," Lienard said.

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GURU PURNIMA 2023: Guru Purnima, also known as Vyasa Purnima, marks the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata. This auspicious Hindu festival is dedicated to honoring and expressing gratitude to teachers. It is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June-July). This year, Guru Purnima falls on June 3. In Hinduism, notable gurus include Adi Shankara, Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Madhvacharya.

Guru Purnima 2023: Timings

The auspicious timings for Guru Purnima vary depending on the lunar calendar and the specific location. Devotees generally wake up early in the morning to perform their rituals and seek blessings. According to Drik Panchang, the Purnima Tithi is likely to begin at 8:21 PM on July 2 while it is likely to end at 5:08 PM on July 3. The puja and festivities continue throughout the day, with devotees participating in special ceremonies.

Guru Purnima 2023: Rituals

Guru Purnima is a day of reverence and gratitude towards gurus. Here are some common rituals observed during this auspicious festival:

Paying Homage to Gurus

Devotees visit temples, spiritual centers, or the homes of their gurus to seek blessings. They offer flowers, fruits, incense, and other symbolic items as a mark of respect and gratitude. Guru Puja

Special puja (ritual worship) ceremonies are performed on Guru Purnima. Devotees participate in these rituals to invoke the blessings of their gurus and seek guidance. Chanting and Bhajans

Devotional songs and hymns are sung in praise of gurus. Chanting of sacred texts and scriptures, such as Guru Gita, is also a common practice on this day. Discourse and Teachings

Many spiritual leaders and scholars deliver discourses on the significance of Guru Purnima, emphasizing the role of teachers in shaping the lives of their disciples. Seva (Service)

As an act of gratitude, devotees engage in seva (selfless service) at temples or other charitable institutions. Serving the community is seen as an expression of respect for ones gurus.

Guru Purnima 2023: Significance

Guru Purnima holds immense significance in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. It is a day to acknowledge the importance of gurus in ones spiritual journey. In Hinduism, it is a day to honor Lord Shiva, who is considered the first guru, or Adi Guru. According to ancient scriptures, Lord Shiva imparted the knowledge of yoga and spiritual wisdom to his disciples on this day.
Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi marked their 5th wedding anniversary this year. The couple met at a friends gathering, and over time, their friendship blossomed into a deep connection. Surprising their fans, they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a Gurudwara in 2018. A few months later, in November 2018, their daughter Mehr was born, followed by the birth of their baby boy in October 2021. The duo often win over the internet with their adorable social media posts from time to time. Maintaining that trajectory, Neha and Angad created their own fleeting and romantic version of the viral song Tum Kya Mile from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani in the latest reel.

Taking to her Instagram handle on Saturday, Neha Dhupia shared a video in which we can see her romancing beau Angad Bedi. She wore a bedazzling maroon saree that went well with Angad Bedis suave black shirt and jeans ensemble. Throughout the clip, we see the two actors striking dramatic poses while holding each other and looking into each others eyes. At one point, Angad even goes on his knees and holds Neha Dhupias hands in a romantic gesture.

Giving a shoutout to Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and others in the caption, Neha penned, Our very own #mumbai 52 version of our current most favourite track #tumkyamile .@karanjohar hope you approve  Love you guys and your craft @aliaabhatt @ranveersingh". Watch the video here:

Giving his seal of approval, Karan Johar wrote, Love it love love it ". Ranveer Singh commented, Levelzzz!" Harshdeep Kaur wrote, Too good  you both are love !" Saba Pataudi and Stebin Ben reacted with heart emojis. A fan wrote, Better chemistry than Alia and ranveer." Another one said, So much more chemistry than the actual ones in the song..! !"

On the work front, the duo will soon be seen together in a comedy-drama written by Chetan Bhagat. The filming for the movie has started, with the first schedule being shot in Mumbai. Angad will portray the character of Raghavan Rao, while Neha will take on the role of his wife, Savi. The storyline revolves around a married couple navigating the challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown.
After the huge success of Pushpa: The Rise, the makers have decided to release the second instalment of the series in the summer of next year. The Pushpa 2: The Rule shooting has started in full flow and it is believed that the team is filming some grand party song at a resort in Hyderabad. As per the media reports, it is also believed that Disha Patani will be a part of this song. Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil will be reprising their roles from the prequel from Telugu superstar Allu Arjun.

Pushpa 2 is one of the most anticipated films of the stylish star of Telugu cinema. A glimpse of the movie was released by the makers on the birthday of Allu Arjun titled  Where is Pushpa, earlier this year. The glimpse of the movie got a huge response and has now made it more difficult for fans to wait for the release of the upcoming movie. Amid all this, the frequent updates about the movie keep the fans excited.

It is expected that Ranveer Singh will be playing a cameo in the movie. If the media reports are to be believed, then it is said that the Bollywood actor will play the role of a police officer and will introduce the character of Bunny. He will be making an entry at a crucial time during the movie.

After looking at the tremendous success of Pushpa 1, the makers decided to end this series in 3 parts. The third part of the movie is expected to release in 2025, where the rule of Pushpa will be shown with an international twist. There is still no confirmation about the movie till now, as per the latest reports.

After this, Allu Arjun will be doing two more movies of which one with Trivikram Srinivas and another with Sandeep Reddy. As per the reports, another star actor will join Allu Arjun for the Srinivas-directed film. Later, the stylish actor will be seen in the Vanga movie.

After the current schedule, the team will depart for Bangkok to shoot another sequence of the movie. The movie will complete 40 per cent of the shoot on this trip. The film will also comprise a thrilling fight between Allu Arjun and a lion. Sai Pallavi will also be playing a pivotal role in the movie.
Sonam Kapoor welcomed a baby boy Vayu last year with her husband Ahuja. Time and again, the proud parents often share glimpses of their little one, the latest being on Fathers Day. However, this time, her sister Rhea Kapoor greeted everyone with some adorable snaps of Sonam and her beau from their London vacation. Needless to say netizens couldnt stop themselves from gushing.

Posting a photo album on her Instagram handle, Rhea Kapoor perfectly captured their outing at Notting Hill. The first snap in the carousel is of Sonam Kapoor holding baby Vayu in her arms. While we cant see either Vayus face or Anand Ahujas face since he seems to be talking to his son, we do see a beaming Sonam Kapoor in her chic black outfit and black sunglasses looking towards the camera. Another picture showed Anand Ahuja carrying Vayu on his shoulders. She captioned her post, Walking with Vayu (heart emoji)".

Arjun Kapoors sister Anshula was among the first celebs to react. She wrote, Best way to spend 4pm . Anand Ahuja promptly replied to her, Today we snuck him out at 11 also! Such a nice day. He had a mini picnic outside for his lunch." Mother Sunita Kapoor spammed the comment section with heart emojis. One of the fans commented, Awe such an adorable pic". Another one wrote, Soooo cute . Someone else said, Oh that baby boi is so spoiled!!!

Love it!!! .

On June 9, 2023, Sonam Kapoor turned 38 years old, and Maheep Kapoor shared an unseen picture of Sonam from the hospital room after she had delivered her baby boy, Vayu. Sonam is seen decked up in a floral kaftan and was lying on the hospital bed.

On the work front, Sonam will be soon seen in a film titled Blind. Directed by Shome Makhija, the film also stars Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, and Lillete Dubey in important roles. The first look has been shared by the makers already. The actress shot the film during the pandemic in the UK.
Marathi actor Sameer Chowgule is now a household name in Maharashtra, thanks to the popular comedy show Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra. Sameer is associated as a writer with the renowned show and has won accolades for his work. Sameer celebrated his birthday on June 29. His wife Kavita Chowgule has also received admiration from fans. But, you are mistaken if you feel that Kavita has won accolades for acting like Sameer.

Followers appreciate Kavita for her simple way of living. A cursory glance at Sameers Instagram shows how Kavita loves dressing up in sarees and suits. She ticks all the boxes right with her sartorial choices. Have a look at this picture in which Kavita wore a green saree which she paired with a red blouse.

Sameer wished his wife on her birthday and thanked her for staying with him through all the difficulties of life. Sameer wrote that Kavita has always stood beside him in his struggle as an artist. The Chandramukhi actor added that she has always supported him to fulfil his dreams since college.

Actors Suyash Tilak, Spruha Joshi, Rujuta Deshmukh, Rasika Vengurlekar, and Manjiri Oak (director Prasad Oaks wife) praised the photo and wished Kavita her birthday. Actor Sandeep Pathak also wished her on the birthday.

Sameer also shared a slew of pictures on March 13, 2022, when he had gone to Dubai with Kavita. Long awaited short vacation @dubai Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , Sameer wrote in the caption. He wrote the rest of the caption in Marathi which roughly translates to that they enjoyed four days here doing shopping.

Besides these interesting glimpses from his personal life, Sameer also remains the talk of the tinsel town with his acting stints in other projects. He last acted in Jaggu Ani Juliet directed by Mahesh Limaye which was released on February 10. A fun-filled romantic film, Jaggu Ani Juliet was successful in striking a chord with the audiences. Amey Wagh, Vaidehi Parshurami, Manoj Joshi, Avinash Narkar, Pravin Tarde, Upendra Limaye, and others also acted in it. Popular music duo Ajay-Atul has scored the music for this film backed by Punit Balan Studios.
Indias emergence as a global leader under the supervision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have agitated a particular section of the Western world. This is especially when India is being governed by a party that has placed the interest of the country in the forefront and is proud of its civilisational/cultural past.

The popular vote of the country is with the regime that has promised the countrymen abrogation of Article 370, reconstruction of Ram Mandir, and introduction of a Uniform Civil Code to establish peace and harmony in the country, considering these three are the root causes of unrest, violence and insurgency in the country. Prime Minister Modi and his government has worked with prejudice to push the welfare of all in India, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Yes, during the recent US visit, an unnecessary controversy was created regarding the condition of Muslims in India  first by former US President Barack Obama and then by an American journalist, Sabrina Siddiqui.

Sabrina Siddiqui is a known anti-Modi journalist. She is a Pakistani-origin Muslim, engaged with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) covering the White House and the Joe Biden administration. But if you go through her social media timeline, she seems to be more engaged in creating a false narrative against India and PM Modi. She has posted or retweeted several tweets about so-called atrocities against Muslims in India, the Covid failure of the Modi government, Indias high-handedness during the farmers protests, etc, but the fate of minorities in Pakistan, where they are living in hellfire, has never evoked the same sense of anger and outrage.

With each passing day, there has been a rising number of cases in Pakistan where Hindu, Christian and Ahmadi girls are being raped and converted to Islam. But in India, the fact of the matter is that Muslims are the most favoured beneficiary under the current Modi-led regime. All the measures and decisions taken by the BJP government have benefited the Muslim community.

Article 370 was kept as a live wire to create an anti-India sentiment among the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir. With its abrogation, the sentiment is gone. The contention of Ram Janmabhoomi was unnecessarily carried on for 72 years by respective governments, hence becoming a communal issue and disturbing some or other parts of the country every now and then. The one remaining promise of this regime is the Uniform Civil Code, to establish equal human rights and citizen rights to each citizen irrespective of gender, caste, creed or religious leaning.

Currently, Muslims have Muslim Personal Law, which forbids women from many rights, and this is clearly undemocratic and illiberal. The abolition of nikah-halala and triple talaq has empowered Muslim women in India. The patriarchal elements in Muslim society are all out against these ameliorations, as they see empowered women as a danger to their atrocious rights, hence are against the ruling BJP.

If we look at the West, especially the US, we find an entrenched Islamic lobby that is vehemently against the rise of India. This group has become especially hyperactive after Modi came to power in New Delhi in 2014, and even more vehemently after 2019. It is this group that had a field day after Siddiqui questioned Prime Minister Modi on the Muslim state of affairs in India. On India and Modi, there seems to be some sort of common cause between Siddiqui and these groups operating in the US.

Sabrina Siddiqui, thus, seems to be part of the ecosystem that:

Advocates freedom for those indulging in anti-India, anti-Hindu activities Calls Hindu genocide in Kashmir a myth and non-communal but the incident initiated after torching 58 Hindu lives inside a train in Godhra as a state-sponsored pogrom Seeks freedom to wear hijab in schools and colleges Opposes the proposed Uniform Civil Code for all citizens of India Advocates cow slaughter, even when it hurts the religious sentiments of the majority Hindu community Calls for civil rights for illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar but opposes refuge to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians from neighbouring Muslim countries

One can see that the arguments raised above are biased and ludicrous for a civil society. Siddiqui, wittingly or unwittingly, is part of that larger group which wants to destabilise democratic structures across the world, including in India.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the US weeks before PM Modis June visit. His visit was organised by those affiliated with George Soros and connected to other groups such as MCNJ, ICNA, IAMC, and IMANA. These interrelated entities share the goal of harming Indias foreign interests.

The June 4 event in New York was coordinated by a number of people, including Tanzeem Ansari, the Amir of the Muslim Community of New Jerseys (MCNJ) outreach committee. Imam Jawad Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan and is the project director of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), leads the MCNJ.

It is worth mentioning that the ICNA has been linked to Pakistans Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and has been known to support their views on India, notably on Kashmir. Some people claim that the ICNA has ties to extremist and terrorist organisations. Furthermore, they have voiced support for people such as Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, lauding his fight for Kashmirs independence from India.

Another event coordinator, Mohammad Aslam, is a member of the Muslim Centre of Greater Princeton (MCGP), which is affiliated with the ICNA. It is worth mentioning that the ICNA includes the founder of the outlawed Indian extremist organisation SIMI. Minhaj Khan, the events self-appointed coordinator, has ties to IAMC, which has been characterised as an anti-India lobbying organisation that criticises India while claiming to be concerned with human rights and religious freedom.

The IMANA, another host to Rahul, has been accused of contact with Pakistani terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, raising worries about its affiliations. The Canada Revenue Agency charged ISNA Canada in 2017 with supporting Hizbul Mujahideens charitable branch.

During his visit to the US, Gandhi was also seen with Sunita Vishwanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, a Hindu rights organisation that is considered an extension of organisations such as the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organisation for Minorities of India (OFMI).

This anti-India bandwagon has now been joined by Khalistan terror outfits operating out of Canada and the US. Last years farmers unrest was sponsored by Khalistan organisations as well as Islamic radicals.

India is a secular democracy by virtue of its majority Hindu community. A Hindu, after all, is secular by nature. India does not need to have a secular, liberal certificate from those people and countries whose own credentials are dubious.

Gopal Goswami is a Surat-based researcher and columnist. He tweets @igopalgoswami. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
This paper examines the likely trajectory of the Ukraine war moving forward. I will address two main questions.

First, is a meaningful peace agreement possible? My answer is no. We are now in a war where both sides  Ukraine and the West on one side and Russia on the other  see each other as an existential threat that must be defeated. Given maximalist objectives all around, it is almost impossible to reach a workable peace treaty. Moreover, the two sides have irreconcilable differences regarding territory and Ukraines relationship with the West. The best possible outcome is a frozen conflict that could easily turn back into a hot war. The worst possible outcome is a nuclear war, which is unlikely but cannot be ruled out.

Second, which side is likely to win the war? Russia will ultimately win the war, although it will not decisively defeat Ukraine. In other words, it is not going to conquer all of Ukraine, which is necessary to achieve three of Moscows goals: overthrowing the regime, demilitarising the country, and severing Kyivs security ties with the West. But it will end up annexing a large swath of Ukrainian territory, while turning Ukraine into a dysfunctional rump state. In other words, Russia will win an ugly victory.

Before I directly address these issues, three preliminary points are in order. For starters, I am attempting to predict the future, which is not easy to do, given that we live in an uncertain world. Thus, I am not arguing that I have the truth; in fact, some of my claims may be proved wrong. Furthermore, I am not saying what I would like to see happen. I am not rooting for one side or the other. I am simply telling you what I think will happen as the war moves forward. Finally, I am not justifying Russian behaviour or the actions of any of the states involved in the conflict. I am just explaining their actions.

Now, let me turn to substance.

Where We Are Today

To understand where the Ukraine war is headed, it is necessary to first assess the present situation. It is important to know how the three main actors  Russia, Ukraine, and the West  think about their threat environment and conceive their goals. When we talk about the West, however, we are talking mainly about the United States, since its European allies take their marching orders from Washington when it comes to Ukraine. It is also essential to understand the present situation on the battlefield. Let me start with Russias threat environment and its goals.

Russias Threat Environment

It has been clear since April 2008 that Russian leaders across the board view the Wests efforts to bring Ukraine into NATO and make it a Western bulwark on Russias borders as an existential threat. Indeed, President Putin and his lieutenants repeatedly made this point in the months before the Russian invasion, when it was becoming clear to them that Ukraine was almost a de facto member of NATO. Since the war began on 24 February 2022, the West has added another layer to that existential threat by adopting a new set of goals that Russian leaders cannot help but view as extremely threatening. I will say more about Western goals below but suffice it to say here that the West is determined to defeat Russia and knock it out of the ranks of the great powers, if not cause regime change or even trigger Russia to break apart like the Soviet Union did in 1991.

In a major address, Putin delivered this past February (2023), he stressed that the West is a mortal threat to Russia.

During the years that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, he said, the West never stopped trying to set the post-Soviet states on fire and, most importantly, finish off Russia as the largest surviving portion of the historical reaches of our state. They encouraged international terrorists to assault us, provoked regional conflicts along the perimeter of our borders, ignored our interests, and tried to contain and suppress our economy. He further emphasised that The Western elite make no secret of their goal, which is, I quote, Russias strategic defeat. What does this mean to us? This means they plan to finish us once and for all. Putin went on to say: This represents an existential threat to our country. Russian leaders also see the regime in Kyiv as a threat to Russia, not just because it is closely allied with the West, but also because they see it as the offspring of the fascist Ukrainian forces that fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union in World War II.

Russias Goals

Russia must win this war, given that it believes that it is facing a threat to its survival. But what does victory look like? The ideal outcome before the war began in February 2022 was to turn Ukraine into a neutral state and settle the civil war in the Donbass that pitted the Ukrainian government against ethnic Russians and Russian speakers who wanted greater autonomy if not independence for their region. It appears that those goals were still realistic during the first month of the war and were in fact the basis of the negotiations in Istanbul between Kyiv and Moscow in March 2022. If the Russians had achieved those goals back then, the present war would either have been prevented or ended quickly.

But a deal that satisfies Russias goals is no longer in the cards. Ukraine and NATO are joined at the hip for the foreseeable future, and neither is willing to accept Ukrainian neutrality. Furthermore, the regime in Kyiv is anathema to Russian leaders, who want it gone. They not only talk about de-Nazifying Ukraine, but also demilitarising it, two goals that would presumably call for conquering all of Ukraine, compelling its military forces to surrender, and installing a friendly regime in Kyiv.

A decisive victory of that sort is not likely to happen for a variety of reasons. The Russian army is not large enough for such a task, which would probably require at least two million men. Indeed, the existing Russian army is having difficulty conquering all of the Donbass. Moreover, the West would go to enormous lengths to prevent Russia from overrunning all of Ukraine. Finally, the Russians would end up occupying huge amounts of territory that is heavily populated with ethnic Ukrainians who loathe the Russians and would fiercely resist the occupation. Trying to conquer all of Ukraine and bend it to Moscows will, would surely end in disaster.

Rhetoric about de-Nazifying and demilitarising Ukraine aside, Russias concrete goals involve conquering and annexing a large portion of Ukrainian territory, while simultaneously turning Ukraine into a dysfunctional rump state. As such, Ukraines ability to wage war against Russia would be greatly reduced and it would be unlikely to qualify for membership in either the EU or NATO. Moreover, a broken Ukraine would be especially vulnerable to Russian interference in its domestic politics. In short, Ukraine would not be a Western bastion on Russias border.

What would that dysfunctional rump state look like? Moscow has officially annexed Crimea and four other Ukrainian oblasts  Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia  which together represent about 23 percent of Ukraines total territory before the crisis broke out in February 2014. Russian leaders have emphasised that they have no intention of surrendering that territory, some of which Russia does not yet control. In fact, there is reason to think Russia will annex additional Ukrainian territory if it has the military capability to do so at a reasonable cost. It is difficult, however, to say how much additional Ukrainian territory Moscow will seek to annex, as Putin himself makes clear.

Russian thinking is likely to be influenced by three calculations. Moscow has a powerful incentive to conquer and permanently annex Ukrainian territory that is heavily populated with ethnic Russians and Russian speakers. It will want to protect them from the Ukrainian government  which has become hostile to all things Russian  and make sure there is no civil war anywhere in Ukraine like the one that took place in the Donbass between February 2014 and February 2022. At the same time, Russia will want to avoid controlling territory largely populated by hostile ethnic Ukrainians, which places significant limits on further Russian expansion. Finally, turning Ukraine into a dysfunctional rump state will require Moscow to take substantial amounts of Ukrainian territory so it is well-positioned to do significant damage to its economy. Controlling all of Ukraines coastline along the Black Sea, for example, would give Moscow significant economic leverage over Kyiv.

Those three calculations suggest that Russia is likely to attempt to annex the four oblasts  Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Odessa  that are immediately to the west of the four oblasts it has already annexed  Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. If that were to happen, Russia would control approximately 43 percent of Ukraines pre-2014 territory. Dmitri Trenin, a leading Russian strategist estimates that Russian leaders would seek to take even more Ukrainian territory  pushing westward in northern Ukraine to the Dnieper River and taking the part of Kyiv that sits on the east bank of that river. He writes that A logical next step after taking all of Ukraine from Kharkiv to Odessa would be to expand Russian control to all of Ukraine east of the Dnieper River, including the part of Kyiv that lies on that rivers eastern bank. If that were to happen, the Ukrainian state would shrink to include only the central and western regions of the country.

The Wests Threat Environment

It might seem hard to believe now, but before the Ukraine crisis broke out in February 2014, Western leaders did not view Russia as a security threat. NATO leaders, for example, were talking with Russias president about a new stage of cooperation towards a true strategic partnership at the alliances 2010 Summit in Lisbon. Unsurprisingly, NATO expansion before 2014 was not justified in terms of containing a dangerous Russia. In fact, it was Russian weakness that allowed the West to shove the first two tranches of NATO expansion in 1999 and 2004 down Moscows throat and then allowed the George W. Bush administration to think in 2008 that Russia could be forced to accept Georgia and Ukraine joining the alliance. But that assumption proved wrong and when the Ukraine crisis broke out in 2014, the West suddenly began portraying Russia as a dangerous foe that had to be contained if not weakened.

Since the war started in February 2022, the Wests perception of Russia has steadily escalated to the point where Moscow now appears to be seen as an existential threat. The United States and its NATO allies are deeply involved in Ukraines war against Russia. Indeed, they are doing everything but pulling the triggers and pushing the buttons. Moreover, they have made clear their unequivocal commitment to winning the war and maintaining Ukraines sovereignty. Thus, losing the war would have hugely negative consequences for Washington and for NATO. Americas reputation for competence and reliability would be badly damaged, which would affect how its allies as well as its adversaries  especially China  deal with the United States. Furthermore, virtually every European country in NATO believes that the alliance is an irreplaceable security umbrella. Thus, the possibility that NATO might be badly damaged  maybe even wrecked  if Russia wins in Ukraine is cause for profound concern among its members.

In addition, Western leaders frequently portray the Ukraine war as an integral part of a larger global struggle between autocracy and democracy that is Manichean at its core. On top of that, the future of the sacrosanct rules-based international order is said to depend on prevailing against Russia. As King Charles said this past March (2023), The security of Europe as well as our democratic values are under threat. Similarly, a resolution introduced in the U.S. Congress in April declares: United States interests, European security, and the cause of international peace depend on  Ukrainian victory. A recent article in The Washington Post captures how the West treats Russia as an existential threat: Leaders of the more than 50 other countries backing Ukraine have couched their support as part of an apocalyptic battle for the future of democracy and the international rule of law against autocracy and aggression that the West cannot afford to lose.

The Wests Goals

As should be clear, the West is staunchly committed to defeating Russia. President Biden has repeatedly said that the United States is in this war to win. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. It must end in strategic failure. Washington, he emphasises, will stay in the fight for as long as it takes. Specifically, the aim is to defeat Russias army in Ukraine  erasing its territorial gains  and cripple its economy with lethal sanctions. If successful, Russia would be knocked out of the ranks of the great powers, weakening it to the point where it could not threaten to invade Ukraine again. Western leaders have additional goals, which include regime change in Moscow, putting Putin on trial as a war criminal, and possibly breaking up Russia into smaller states.

At the same time, the West remains committed to bringing Ukraine into NATO, although there is disagreement within the alliance about when and how that will happen. Jens Stoltenberg, the alliances secretary general told a news conference in Kyiv in April (2023) that NATOs position remains unchanged and that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance." At the same time, he emphasised that The first step toward any membership of Ukraine to NATO is to ensure that Ukraine prevails, and that is why the U.S. and its partners have provided unprecedented support for Ukraine." Given these goals, it is clear why Russia views the West as an existential threat.

Ukraines Threat Environment and Goals

There is no doubt that Ukraine faces an existential threat, given that Russia is bent on dismembering it and making sure that the surviving rump state is not only economically weak, but is neither a de facto nor a de jure member of NATO. There is also no question that Kyiv shares the Wests goal of defeating and seriously weakening Russia, so that it can regain its lost territory and keep it under Ukrainian control forever. As President Zelensky recently told President Xi Jinping, There can be no peace that is based on territorial compromises. Ukrainian leaders naturally remain steadfastly committed to joining the EU and NATO and making Ukraine an integral part of the West.

In sum, the three key actors in the Ukraine war all believe they face an existential threat, which means each of them thinks it must win the war or else suffer terrible consequences.

The Battlefield Today

Turning to events on the battlefield, the war has evolved into a war of attrition where each side is principally concerned with bleeding the other side white, causing it to surrender. Of course, both sides are also concerned with capturing territory, but that goal is of secondary importance to wearing down the other side.

The Ukrainian military had the upper hand in the latter half of 2022, which allowed it to take back territory from Russia in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. But Russia responded to those defeats by mobilising 300,000 additional troops, reorganising its army, shortening its front lines, and learning from its mistakes. The locus of the fighting in 2023 has been in eastern Ukraine, mainly in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Russians have had the upper hand this year, mainly because they have a substantial advantage in artillery, which is the most important weapon in attrition warfare.

Moscows advantage was evident in the battle for Bakhmut, which ended when the Russians captured that city in late May (2023). Although it took Russian forces ten months to take control of Bakhmut they inflicted huge casualties on Ukrainian forces with their artillery. Shortly thereafter on 4 June, Ukraine launched its long-awaited counter-offensive at different locations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The aim is to penetrate Russias front lines of defence, deliver a staggering blow to Russian forces, and take back a substantial amount of Ukrainian territory that is now under Russian control. In essence, the aim is to duplicate Ukraines successes in Kharkiv and Kherson in 2022.

Ukraines army has made little progress so far in achieving those goals and instead is bogged down in deadly attrition battles with Russian forces. In 2022, Ukraine was successful in the Kharkiv and Kherson campaigns because its army was fighting against outnumbered and overextended Russian forces. That is not the case today: Ukraine is attacking in the face of well-prepared lines of Russian defence. But even if Ukrainian forces break through those defensive lines, Russian troops will quickly stabilise the front and the attrition battles will continue. The Ukrainians are at a disadvantage in these encounters because the Russians have a significant firepower advantage.

Where We Are Headed

Let me switch gears and move away from the present and talk about the future, starting with how events on the battlefield are likely to play out moving forward. As noted, I believe Russia will win the war, which means it will end up conquering and annexing substantial Ukrainian territory, leaving Ukraine as a dysfunctional rump state. If I am correct, this will be a grievous defeat for Ukraine and the West.

There is a silver lining in this outcome, however: a Russian victory markedly reduces the threat of nuclear war, as nuclear escalation is most likely to occur if Ukrainian forces are winning victories on the battlefield and threatening to take back all or most of the territories Kyiv has lost to Moscow. Russian leaders would surely think seriously about using nuclear weapons to rescue the situation. Of course, if I am wrong about where the war is headed and the Ukrainian military gains the upper hand and begins pushing Russian forces eastward, the likelihood of nuclear use would increase significantly, which is not to say it would be a certainty.

What is the basis of my claim that the Russians are likely to win the war?

The Ukraine war, as emphasised, is a war of attrition in which capturing and holding territory is of secondary importance. The aim of attrition warfare is to wear down the other sides forces to the point where it either quits the fight or is so weakened that it can no longer defend contested territory. Who wins an attrition war is largely a function of three factors: the balance of resolve between the two sides; the population balance between them; and the casualty-exchange ratio. The Russians have a decisive advantage in population size and a marked advantage in the casualty-exchange ratio; the two sides are evenly matched in terms of resolve.

Consider the balance of resolve. As noted, both Russia and Ukraine believe they are facing an existential threat, and naturally, both sides are fully committed to winning the war. Thus, it is hard to see any meaningful difference in their resolve. Regarding population size, Russia had approximately a 3.5:1 advantage before the war began in February 2022. Since then, the ratio has shifted noticeably in Russias favour. About eight million Ukrainians have fled the country, subtracting from Ukraines population. Roughly three million of those emigrants have gone to Russia, adding to its population. In addition, there are probably about four million other Ukrainian citizens living in the territories that Russia now controls, further shifting the population imbalance in Russias favour. Putting those numbers together gives Russia approximately a 5:1 advantage in population size.

Finally, there is the casualty-exchange ratio, which has been a controversial issue since the war started in February 2022. The conventional wisdom in Ukraine and the West is that the casualty levels on both sides are either roughly equal or that the Russians have suffered greater casualties than the Ukrainians. The head of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, goes so far as to argue that the Russians lost 7.5 soldiers for every Ukrainian soldier in the battle for Bakhmut. These claims are wrong. Ukrainian forces have surely suffered much greater casualties than their Russian opponents for one reason: Russia has much more artillery than Ukraine.

In attrition warfare, artillery is the most important weapon on the battlefield. In the U.S. Army, artillery is widely known as the king of battle, because it is principally responsible for killing and wounding the soldiers doing the fighting. Thus, the balance of artillery matters enormously in a war of attrition. By almost every account, the Russians have somewhere between a 5:1 and a 10:1 advantage in artillery, which puts the Ukrainian army at a significant disadvantage on the battlefield. Ceteris paribus, one would expect the casualty-exchange ratio to approximate the balance of artillery. Ergo, a casualty-exchange ratio on the order of 2:1 in Russias favour is a conservative estimate.

One possible challenge to my analysis is to argue that Russia is the aggressor in this war, and the offender invariably suffers much higher casualty levels than the defender, especially if the attacking forces are engaged in broad frontal assaults, which is often said to be the Russian militarys modus operandi. After all, the offender is out in the open and on the move, while the defender is mainly fighting from fixed positions that provide substantial cover. This logic underpins the famous 3:1 rule of thumb, which says that an attacking force needs at least three times as many soldiers as the defender to win a battle. But there are problems with this line of argument when it is applied to the Ukraine war.

First, it is not just the Russians who have initiated offensive campaigns over the course of the war. Indeed, the Ukrainians launched two major offensives last year that led to widely heralded victories: the Kharkiv offensive in September 2022 and the Kherson offensive between August and November 2022. Although the Ukrainians made substantial territorial gains in both campaigns, Russian artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking forces. The Ukrainians just began another major offensive on 4 June against Russian forces that are more numerous and far better prepared than those the Ukrainians fought against in Kharkiv and Kherson.

Second, the distinction between offenders and defenders in a major battle is usually not black and white. When one army attacks another army, the defender invariably launches counterattacks. In other words, the defender transitions to the offence and the offender transitions to the defence. Over the course of a protracted battle, each side is likely to end up doing much attacking and counter-attacking as well as defending fixed positions. This back and forth explains why the casualty-exchange ratios in US Civil War battles and WWI battles are often roughly equal, not favourable to the army that started out on the defensive. In fact, the army that strikes the first blow occasionally suffers fewer casualties than the target army. In short, defence usually involves a lot of offence.

It is clear from Ukrainian and Western news accounts that Ukrainian forces frequently launch counter-attacks against Russian forces. Consider this account in The Washington Post of the fighting earlier this year in Bakhmut: There is this fluid motion going on, said a Ukrainian first lieutenant  Russian attacks along the front allow their forces to advance a few hundred metres before being pushed back hours later. Its hard to distinguish exactly where the front line is because it moves like Jell-O, he said. Given Russias massive artillery advantage, it seems reasonable to assume that the casualty-exchange ratio in these Ukrainian counterattacks favours the Russians  probably in a lopsided way.

Third, the Russians are not employing  at least not often  large-scale frontal assaults that aim to rapidly move forward and capture territory, but which would expose the attacking forces to withering fire from Ukrainian defenders. As General Sergey Surovikin explained in October 2022, when he was commanding the Russian forces in Ukraine, We have a different strategy We spare each soldier and are persistently grinding down the advancing enemy. In effect, Russian troops have adopted clever tactics that reduce their casualty levels. Their favoured tactic is to launch probing attacks against fixed Ukrainian positions with small infantry units, which causes Ukrainian forces to attack them with mortars and artillery. That response allows the Russians to determine where the Ukrainian defenders and their artillery are located. The Russians then use their great advantage in artillery to pound their adversaries. Afterwards, packets of Russian infantry move forward again; and when they meet serious Ukrainian resistance, they repeat the process. These tactics help explain why Russia is making slow progress in capturing Ukrainian-held territory.

One might think the West can go a long way toward evening out the casualty-exchange ratio by supplying Ukraine with many more artillery tubes and shells, thus eliminating Russias significant advantage with this critically important weapon. That is not going to happen anytime soon, however, simply because neither the United States nor its allies have the industrial capacity necessary to mass produce artillery tubes and shells for Ukraine. Nor can they rapidly build that capacity. The best the West can do  at least for the next year or so  is to maintain the existing imbalance of artillery between Russia and Ukraine, but even that will be a difficult task.

Ukraine can do little to help remedy the problem, because its ability to manufacture weapons is limited. It is almost completely dependent on the West, not only for artillery, but for every type of major weapons system. Russia, on the other hand, had a formidable capability to manufacture weaponry going into the war, which has been ramped up since the fighting started. Putin recently said: Our defence industry is gaining momentum every day. We have increased military production by 2.7 times during the last year. Our production of the most critical weapons has gone up ten times and keeps increasing. Plants are working in two or three shifts, and some are busy around the clock. In short, given the sad state of Ukraines industrial base, it is in no position to wage a war of attrition by itself. It can only do so with Western backing. But even then, it is doomed to lose.

There has been a recent development that further increases Russias firepower advantage over Ukraine. For the first year of the war, Russian airpower had little influence on what happened in the ground war, mainly because Ukraines air defences were effective enough to keep Russian aircraft far away from most battlefields. But the Russians have seriously weakened Ukraines air defences, which now allows the Russian air force to strike Ukrainian ground forces on or directly behind the front lines. In addition, Russia has developed the capability to equip its huge arsenal of 500 kg iron bombs with guidance kits that make them especially lethal.

In sum, the casualty-exchange ratio will continue to favour the Russians for the foreseeable future, which matters enormously in a war of attrition. In addition, Russia is much better positioned to wage attrition warfare because its population is far larger than Ukraines. Kyivs only hope for winning the war is for Moscows resolve to collapse, but that is unlikely given that Russian leaders view the West as an existential danger.

Prospects for A Negotiated Peace Agreement

There is a growing chorus of voices around the world calling for all sides in the Ukrainian war to embrace diplomacy and negotiate a lasting peace agreement. This is not going to happen, however. There are too many formidable obstacles to ending the war anytime soon, much less fashioning a deal that produces a durable peace. The best possible outcome is a frozen conflict, where both sides continue looking for opportunities to weaken the other side and where there is an ever-present danger of renewed fighting.

At the most general level, peace is not possible because each side views the other as a mortal threat that must be defeated on the battlefield. There is hardly any room for compromise with the other side in these circumstances. There are also two specific points of dispute between the warring parties that are unsolvable. One involves territory while the other concerns Ukrainian neutrality. Almost all Ukrainians are deeply committed to getting back all their lost territory  including Crimea. Who can blame them? But Russia has officially annexed Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia, and is firmly committed to keeping that territory. In fact, there is reason to think Moscow will annex more Ukrainian territory if it can.

The other Gordian knot concerns Ukraines relationship with the West. For understandable reasons, Ukraine wants a security guarantee once the war ends, which only the West can provide. That means either de facto or de jure membership in NATO, since no other countries can protect Ukraine. Virtually all Russian leaders, however, demand a neutral Ukraine, which means no military ties with the West and thus no security umbrella for Kyiv. There is no way to square this circle.

There are two other obstacles to peace: nationalism, which has now morphed into hypernationalism, and the complete lack of trust on the Russian side.

Nationalism has been a powerful force in Ukraine for well over a century, and antagonism toward Russia has long been one of its core elements. The outbreak of the present conflict on 22 February 2014 fueled that hostility, prompting the Ukrainian parliament to pass a bill the following day that restricted the use of Russian and other minority languages, a move that helped precipitate the civil war in the Donbass. Russias annexation of Crimea shortly thereafter made a bad situation worse. Contrary to the conventional wisdom in the West, Putin understood that Ukraine was a separate nation from Russia and that the conflict between the ethnic Russians and Russian speakers living in the Donbass and the Ukrainian government was all about the national question.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which directly pits the two countries against each other in a protracted and bloody war has turned that nationalism into hypernationalism on both sides. Contempt and hatred of the other suffuses Russian and Ukrainian society, which creates powerful incentives to eliminate that threat  with violence if necessary. Examples abound. A prominent Kyiv weekly maintains that famous Russian authors like Mikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Boris Pasternak are killers, looters, ignoramuses. Russian culture, says a prominent Ukrainian writer, represents barbarism, murder, and destruction . Such is the fate of the culture of the enemy.

Predictably, the Ukrainian government is engaged in de-Russification or decolonization, which involves purging libraries of books by Russian authors, renaming streets that have names with links to Russia, pulling down statues of figures like Catherine the Great, banning Russian music produced after 1991, breaking ties between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, and minimising use of the Russian language. Perhaps Ukraines attitude toward Russia is best summed up by Zelenskys terse comment: We will not forgive. We will not forget.

Turning to the Russian side of the hill, Anatol Lieven reports that every day on Russian TV you can see hate-filled ethnic insults directed at Ukrainians. Unsurprisingly, the Russians are working to Russify and erase Ukrainian culture in the areas that Moscow has annexed. These measures include issuing Russian passports, changing the curricula in schools, replacing the Ukrainian hryvnia with the Russian ruble, targeting libraries and museums, and renaming towns and cities. Bakhmut, for example, is now Artemovsk and the Ukrainian language is no longer taught in schools in the Donetsk region. Apparently, the Russians too will neither forgive nor forget.

The rise of hypernationalism is predictable in wartime, not only because governments rely heavily on nationalism to motivate their people to back their country to the hilt, but also because the death and destruction that come with war  especially protracted wars  push each side to dehumanise and hate the other. In the Ukraine case, the bitter conflict over national identity adds fuel to the fire.

Hypernationalism naturally makes it harder for each side to cooperate with the other and gives Russia a reason to seize territory that is filled with ethnic Russians and Russian speakers. Presumably, many of them would prefer living under Russian control, given the animosity of the Ukrainian government toward all things Russian. In the process of annexing these lands, the Russians are likely to expel large numbers of ethnic Ukrainians, mainly because of fear that they will rebel against Russian rule if they remain. These developments will further fuel hatred between Russians and Ukrainians, making compromise over territory practically impossible.

There is a final reason why a lasting peace agreement is not doable. Russian leaders do not trust either Ukraine or the West to negotiate in good faith, which is not to imply that Ukrainian and Western leaders trust their Russian counterparts. Lack of trust is evident on all sides, but it is especially acute on Moscows part because of a recent set of revelations.

The source of the problem is what happened in the negotiations over the 2015 Minsk II Agreement, which was a framework for shutting down the conflict in the Donbass. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel played the central role in designing that framework, although they consulted extensively with both Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Those four individuals were also the key players in the subsequent negotiations. There is little doubt that Putin was committed to making Minsk work. But Hollande, Merkel, and Poroshenko  as well as Zelensky  have all made it clear that they were not interested in implementing Minsk, but instead saw it as an opportunity to buy time for Ukraine to build up its military so that it could deal with the insurrection in the Donbass. As Merkel told Die Zeit, it was an attempt to give Ukraine time  to become stronger. Similarly, Poroshenko said, Our goal was to, first, stop the threat, or at least to delay the war  to secure eight years to restore economic growth and create powerful armed forces.

Shortly after Merkels Die Zeit interview in December 2022, Putin told a press conference: I thought the other participants of this agreement were at least honest, but no, it turns out they were also lying to us and only wanted to pump Ukraine with weapons and get it prepared for a military conflict. He went on to say that getting bamboozled by the West had caused him to pass up an opportunity to solve the Ukraine problem in more favourable circumstances for Russia: Apparently, we got our bearings too late, to be honest. Maybe we should have started all this [the military operation] earlier, but we just hoped that we would be able to solve it within the framework of the Minsk agreements. He then made it clear that the Wests duplicity would complicate future negotiations: Trust is already almost at zero, but after such statements, how can we possibly negotiate? About what? Can we make any agreements with anybody and where are the guarantees?

The author is a leading international relations expert and political scientist. Views expressed are personal.
Gita Press, a renowned publishing house, has been honoured with the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for 2023. This remarkable achievement has become the centre of attention, sparking various discussions and debates across India.

However, amidst the accolades and recognition, there have been some contrasting views expressed by opposition MP Jairam Ramesh, who drew an analogy between the conferment of the award and bestowing it upon Nathuram Godse. The comparison made by Ramesh has generated significant controversy, stirring emotions and fueling heated discussions among political circles and the public alike. Such a comparison raises deep concerns and has led to a polarisation of opinions within the nation.

While it is essential to acknowledge and respect differing viewpoints, it is equally important to engage in a thoughtful and nuanced discussion about the impact and legacy of Gita Press. The organisation has been instrumental in promoting spiritual and philosophical teachings, not only within India but across the globe.

Jaydayal Goyandka (also spelt Goendka at times), the founder of Gita Press, was a Marwari businessman and his business spread into the areas of the modern-day Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal, and he was renowned for giving sahi tol (right weight) and sahi bhaw (right price). He was a spiritual man and after business hours he would sit with his friends and have discussions on the Gita.

During his extensive travels over the years, he forged deep connections with the communities residing in different towns. These connections primarily comprised fellow businessmen who shared his fervour for spiritual enlightenment. Together, they formed intimate groups that eagerly participated in satsangs, fostering an atmosphere of spiritual congregation and collective devotion.

As time went by, these groups steadily grew in size and influence so they rented a place in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and named it Gobind Bhawan in 1922. Even with all these arrangements done, he and his fellow satsangis were missing something, and that was an authentic translation and commentary on the Gita.

The group tried to arrange copies of the Gita from presses like Vanika Press, but it was unsatisfactory for them. They decided to set up a press of their own. Jaydayal Goyandkas friends, Ghanshyam Das Jalan and Mahavir Prasad Poddar, took the responsibility of setting up a press in Gorakhpur in modern-day Uttar Pradesh.

In 1923, Gita Press was established as a subsidiary of Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya, and was officially registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860, which is now recognised as the West Bengal Societies Act, 1960. At first, a small house was rented, a handmade press was bought, and within 1923 itself it was ready to print its first translation of the Gita with a commentary.

Soon, the handmade press was replaced by a treadle machine and then by a cylinder machine. Although Gita Press was prospering, it was not until 1926 that it actually started to dominate the printing of spiritual texts. So, what happened in 1926?

Well, the monthly journal Kalyan was launched in that year, which was edited by Hanuman Prasad Poddar, who took the march forward. Both Kalyan and Gita Press were under the aegis of Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya. It is important to note that there were other printing presses, which were printing spiritual texts, and some were doing it before Gita Press. So where did Gita Press excel?

It excelled because of two reasons: one was the growing popularity of Hindi language, and another was that although it was a Marwari venture, it had a different ethos attached to it. That ethos was to keep profit-making in the back seat and give philanthropy the front seat. Providing affordable yet good-quality printing made it successful.

Though it feared closure at many phases during its run, it never accepted any advertisements. It continued its work and was not limited to printing. It launched ventures of different kinds like Gita Examination in the 1920s and Gita Societies in the 1930s.

Gita Press also promoted indigenous artists and gave a place to their art in their publications. Some of the artwork still honours the walls of Leela Chitra Mandir of Gita Press.

People associated with Gita Press had their political leanings, but the publication never openly favoured any political party or figure. Politicians from all corners of the arena wrote for Kalyan, ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to MS Golwalkar, from Dr Rajendra Prasad to Lal Bahadur Shastri, and from Sampurnanand to S Radhakrishnan.

Kalyan, due to the contacts of Hanuman Poddar, was able to receive contributions ranging from spiritual leaders like Shankaracharya to writers like Munshi Premchand. Gita Press and Kalyan became household names, and the fame was not limited to India.

An incident is often cited in which the English journal of Gita Press, Kalyana Kalpataru, was suspended in 1942 due to shortage of newsprint. A subscriber named Louise Wilding, upon getting the news, wrote that the English-speaking section of its readers would experience a loss by the stopping of the publication. Louise said it was important that Kalyana Kalpataru should start again.

Gita Press continued its journey, and the printing of spiritual texts played a pivotal role in its substantial growth and consolidation. It is to be noted that by 1983, Gita Press had sold nearly 57 lakh million copies of the Ramcharitmanas, and it continues to be the leading press to be publishing spiritual texts.

In its 100 years of existence, it has printed a total of 41.7 crore books, according to the data on its website. Of the 41.7 crore books that Gita Press has sold so far, 16.21 crore copies are of the Bhagavad Gita; 11.73 crore books are of Goswami Tulsidas; and it has published nearly 11 crore books for children. It publishes in 14 languages and now also sells online.

To anyone who has travelled by train, it is hard to ignore Gita Press shops, and its books are still an important part of homes, especially in North India.

The Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, recognises individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions towards peace, social harmony, and non-violence. Gita Presss recognition with this prestigious award is an acknowledgment of its efforts to promote peace and disseminate spiritual wisdom, which aligns with the core principles advocated by Mahatma Gandhi himself.

The accessibility to Gita Press bookstores at numerous Indian railway stations and their publication of books in a variety of native tongues have expanded their audience. It is an institution that will continue to be a perpetual source of religious consciousness for countless generations to come. Making it stand in the dock as a form of political apathy is, therefore, strongly condemnable.

(Shivendra Shandilya is a PhD research scholar at Central University of Jammu. Nishant Kumar Hota is a student of masters in sociology from IGNOU. Views expressed are personal)
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray protested at BMC headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday against alleged corruption and illegal practices" in the civic body. The demonstrations began from the Metro Cinema Junction of the Dhobitalaw area of South Mumbai and saw large-scale participation from former Shiv Sena mayors, corporators and party workers.

Its been over a year since the BMC house was dissolved and the BMC commissioner was appointed administrator.

In his speech, Thackeray held Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde responsible for various scams in the BMC after Shinde formed his government with the support of BJP.

Thackeray also criticised the current administrator of the BMC for neglecting the needs of the common Mumbaikars. He stated, We have a track record of 25 years where we relentlessly worked for the people. In 1992, we transformed the BMCs budget from deficit to surplus, along with its savings. But for the past year, there have been no peoples representatives at the BMC. Common Mumbaikars are not valued at the BMC, and officers are not fulfilling their responsibilities towards them. Instead, the BMC seems to extend a red carpet invitation to builders and big contractors."

He further questioned the Shinde Fadnavis Governments decision to form an SIT to investigate corruption allegations in the state civic body. But what about the Thane, Nasik, Nagpur and Pune corporations? Why hasnt an SIT been formed to investigate irregularities in these corporations during the same period?" he asked.

In his 35-minute speech, Thackeray explained what he believes are the four scams that took place under the Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis. Specifically targeting Shinde for awarding a road contract worth Rs 6,080 crore to five contractors who are allegedly close to him, Thackeray explained to the crowd how the current government ensured that these contractors would receive over 50 percent benefit over the contract cost.

When I initially raised this issue, they gave me vague answers. But later I exposed their plan to make an advance payment of Rs 600 crore to these contractors. Thats when this government and their leaders started making personal allegations against me. In the history of BMC, it has never happened that the corporation made an advance payment before the completion of the work. It was only stopped because of us," Thackeray said, taking credit for preventing the alleged looting of BMC funds.

He also claimed the state govt artificially created gravel shortage just to benefit one private company whos owners are said to be close to the current govt. With the help of revenue department they forced the gravel making small companies to stop the production and sell their products to one company only. This they did so that existing infrastructure works of BMC will get affected.

He also spoke about the alleged street furniture scam of BMC in which the corporation had ordered 40,000 street bench and 10,000 flowerpots for the city.

BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha raised this issue and indicated in his letter that there may be a possible scam in the procurement of these items. However, he was asked to go slow. Later, MLA Rais Shaikh and I asked similar questions on this issue, but we received very different answers. This shows how the BMC is functioning without peoples representatives to keep a check," Thackeray said.

Thackeray also reacted to the recent incident in which the BMC demolished the Shiv Sena Shakha (Unit office) in the Bandra area. He held CM Shinde responsible for the move and said, All of you have seen how hammers were used to break the photo frames of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray during the demolition of the Shiv Sena UBT Office. Let me tell them that when we form our government in the state again, we will use bulldozers against them. We will not spare those BMC officials who are looting the money of Mumbaikars."
Bihar Education Minister and senior RJD leader Chandra Shekhars elder brother Ram Chandra Prasad Yadav has joined the BJP, asserting that the Lalu Prasads party did nothing" for the upliftment of Dalits and marginalised people.

Yadav joined the saffron camp in the presence of senior party leaders at its state unit headquarters in Patna on Friday. If the BJP gives him a ticket from the Madhepura assembly seat, currently represented by his younger brother, he will definitely contest against the RJD from there, Yadav told reporters after switching over to the saffron party.

The RJD did nothing for the upliftment of Dalits and those belonging to the marginalised sections of the society, while Prime Minister Narender Modi did a lot for them," he claimed. Chandra Shekhar is a three-term MLA from Madhepura.
Fakhr Al-Qanah floating dry dock crossed the Suez Canal with a 35,000-ton Payload, successfully reaching Port Said Naval Base from South Korea, the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie announced on Saturday.

During the crossing, the floating dock was towed by POSH Hawk tugboat, which escorted it from SANG SANGIN shipyard in South Korea  where it was built  to Egypt.

The crossing of the floating dry dock took about 24 hours. It required some preliminary measures to ensure direct passage without stopping in the waiting area on the Great Lakes and without affecting the movement of ship traffic in the canal.

A group of canal pilots, assisted by three tugs belonging to the Authority, supervised the operation.

Rabie affirmed that the Pride of the Canal adds new capabilities in ship repair and maintenance for large ships and naval units transiting the canal, including those belonging to the Authority (such as giant dredges) whose dimensions correspond to those of the new floating dry dock.

He added that the new dry dock also accords with the Authoritys strategy to diversify sources of income by providing additional services to transiting vessels, developing the external repair system, and utilizing the location of the shipyard in the northern entrance of the canal.

Furthermore, the chairman of the SCA pointed out that the new floating dry dock is the latest addition to the Port Said Naval Base, which includes three other floating docks used for the maintenance and repair of ships and naval units belonging to the Authority, with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 tons.

The installation process of the dock at Port Said shipyard involves careful planning to ensure the floating dock is securely positioned, allowing for efficient ship repair and maintenance operations, Rabie noted.

The expertise and knowledge of the team, accompanied by the support of the Korean shipyard experts, will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful integration of the floating dry dock into the Port Said Naval Base, he explained.

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In what could escalate the tension between two states, the Himachal Pradesh government has constituted a cabinet sub-committee to look into its share in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government claimed that it was seeking its legitimate due of 7.19 per cent as per Punjab Reorganization Act 1966.

As per notification issued by Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena the committee will be headed by Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and will look into the claims of Himachal both in BBMB projects and in Chandigarh as envisaged under the Act and other inter-state agreements.

The other Members of the committee include Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and Secretary, Power will be the Member Secretary of the cabinet sub-committee.

Sukhu has been demanding what he claims are Himachals legitimate rights, including the States share in Chandigarh.

Despite opposition by Punjab and Haryana, he has also gone ahead with the imposition of water Cess on all 175 hydro-projects located in the State, which has been challenged by some independent power producers in the High Court.

The CM has been very categorical in his demand that the royalty in the form of free power that Himachal is getting in various power projects at the rate of 12 per cent must be enhanced once the project becomes debt free. He has been demanding royalty in the form of free power at the rate of 30 per cent in case of projects where construction cost has been recovered.

The cash strapped Congress regime is desperately trying to generate revenue from all possible resources, with hydel power being an important one.

The constitution of the committee has sparked strong reaction from the AAP in Punjab. Terming the claim as absurd and baseless the partys Punjab Chief Spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that only Punjab has all the rights on Chandigarh, which is built by depopulating the villages of Punjab.

But unfortunately, during the sixties, the Congress government at the Centre cheated Punjab by giving parts of Chandigarh to Haryana, said Kang in a statement.

Kang further questioned the in-charge of Himachal Congress and the leader of the opposition in Punjab, Pratap Singh Bajwa, whether he is also involved in these schemes being carried out by the Himachal Congress government. Will Partap Bajwa clarify his stand on this issue? he asked

Attacking the BJP and the Congress, Kang alleged that the two parties have always tried to `rob Punjab of its rights. But the Mann government will not allow anyone to attack Punjabs rights. We assure the Punjabis that the Aam Aadmi Party and the Mann government will always guard the interests of Punjab, he added.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has divided both the Opposition and the Congress itself, just ahead of the parliamentary committee on law and justice meeting on July 3 to discuss UCC and Law Commission inputs on the same.

A copy of the agenda and the consultation paper of August 31, 2018, issued by the 21st Law Commission, is also being circulated for the members and has been accessed by News18. But the fissures within the Opposition and even more in the Congress stand exposed. Politically, this helps the BJP.

Congress leader Manish Tewari, for example, has been open about UCC, saying its not in sync with the idea of One India and the countrys diversity. On the other hand, in an embarrassment for the party, Vikramaditya Singh  PWD minister in the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh government  supported UCC but questioned the timing, accusing the BJP of polarising.

WHAT WILL THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE DECIDE ON?

The 21st Law Commissions proposal paper of 2018, which has been circulated among the members of the committee, is the base on which the discussion is likely to take place. And herein lies the controversy as many contentious points make it difficult for Congress to make up its mind.

Officially, Congress has said it will take the call when the final bill comes. But when the Law Commission issued a notification for opinion, party leader Jairam Ramesh said: No reasons are given for why the subject has been revisited except for the vague references to the importance of the subject and also to various court orders.

The Grand Old Party has questioned the timing of the move. It has also referred to the same 21st Law Commission paper which had then said that UCC was neither necessary nor desirable at this stage.

A DIVIDED, CONFUSED CONGRESS

It is no secret that Congress has been peddling soft Hindutva post 2019. In fact, when it lost and fared poorly, the internal report said one of the main reasons was because it was seen as a minority appeasement party while the BJP had captured the Hindu narrative. Hence began the temple runs and Congress ensuring it doesnt look like supporting the minority Muslims at the cost of Hindus  an example being the partys vocal support to Ram Mandir.

But now, as some Muslim bodies express their opposition to UCC, the Congress is caught in a fix. Sources say some leaders like Digvijaya Singh are in a dilemma. Since he has positioned himself as the Hindutva face of the party post the Narmada Yatra, any strong opposition to the bill will be construed as pro-Muslim. On the other hand, Shashi Tharoor told News18: This was an idea from Jawaharlal Nehrus time. Maybe there are valid points in it but one must accept that not all of it can be applied in a diverse country like India.

PM SETS CAT AMONG PIGEONS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Madhya Pradesh speech supporting the UCC, has put the Congress in a quandary. If the party opposes UCC, it runs the risk of being accused by the BJP of being anti-women empowerment. The fact is Triple Talaq had earned the BJP some goodwill among Muslim women which was reflected in the UP state results. BJP will then attack the pro-women slant of Congress campaign in the upcoming state elections over this.

The Congress opposition will also be construed by BJP as the party being anti-Hindu. The fact that many of its leaders are caught in a dilemma due to their constituency gives that handle to the BJP. For the BJP, its a chance to expose the Congress duplicity on the soft Hindutva narrative it wants to push.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, adding that a committee formed by the state government has a draft ready regarding it.

Speaking with News18, Dhami said that the UCC Committee has taken inputs from several people including religion leaders, all stakeholders and over 2 lakh citizens.

As soon as we get the report from the committee, we will start our process of implementing it," Dhami told us.

Before elections of 2022 we had promised to people of Uttarakhand that we will implement UCC and people gave us a majority," he added.

There should be same law for everyone," Dhami highlighed.

He also requested all states to implement UCC as it will give strength to women and everyone.

Before this, the chief minister took to Twitter and said, As per the promise made to the people of the state, today on June 30, the committee formed to prepare the draft of the Uniform Civil Code has completed its work. Soon Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand."

This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong push for a UCC, asking how can the country function with dual laws that govern personal matters. The Law Commission had on June 14 invited views from all stakeholders, including people and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.

WHAT IS THE UNIFORM CIVIL CODE?

The UCC refers to a single set of laws that would be applicable to all religious communities in India regarding matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance, and others. Currently, India has a uniform criminal code that applies to all its citizens, but it does not have a uniform civil law.

The provision for a Uniform Civil Code is mentioned in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which is part of the directive principles of state policy. Article 44 states that the state shall strive to establish a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens throughout the territory of India.

The need for a Uniform Civil Code was highlighted in the well-known Shah Bano case in 1985. The Supreme Court of India stated that Article 44 remained a dead letter," emphasizing the importance of implementing a uniform civil code in the country.
The Centres nodal agency Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued new guidelines for all government entities to ensure that cyberspace is secure while there is a growing threat to the critical digital infrastructure of the country.

This announcement came after the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested two individuals who allegedly leaked the personal data of Indians from the CoWIN portal. Before this incident, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was hit by a ransomware attack in 2022 and hackers encrypted about 1TB of hospital data after taking control of the servers.

The risk

In this digitally connected world, the cybersecurity landscape in the country has changed significantly over the last few years. Experts and cybersecurity agencies have highlighted several times that along with companies, government institutions have become typical targets for hackers.

As per government data, approximately 14 lakh cybersecurity incidents were reported in 2022. Considering the growing cyber threat in digital India, where over 80 crore Indians actively use the internet and cyber domain, CERT-In introduced new guidelines to make sure that the citizens have access to a safe and trusted online space.

These guidelines apply to all ministries, departments, secretariats, and offices listed in the First Schedule to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, as well as their attached and subordinate offices. They also include all government institutions, public sector enterprises, and other government agencies under their administrative purview.

The new CERT-In guidelines have been issued under the authority granted by clause (e) of sub-section (4) of section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000).

What the guidelines say

The guidelines aim to provide security measures for government entities to protect their information systems from cyberattacks. They include a wide range of topics including, information security policies and procedures, risk assessment on a regular basis, security of network infrastructure, application and data protection, and security of end-user devices.

The guidelines also include a list of recommended security controls that government entities should implement. These include nominating a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for IT Security and providing the details of this CISO to CERT-In.

The guidelines also say: Endpoint security solutions should be deployed for continuously monitoring end-user devices to detect and respond to cyber threats like ransomware, malware and unauthorised accesses. It should record all activities and security events taking place on all office endpoints, which should be continuously monitored by the IT Infra/expert team.

In terms of usage of personal devices, they say: Use of personal devices must be authorised by concerned Network Administrator of the organisation and in accordance with cyber security policy. Security checks of the systems like open ports, installed firewall, antivirus, latest system patches must be done.

The guidelines also include other measures that the authorities need to create and follow to protect against malware, ransomware, phishing, data breach, etc. It asked organisations to conduct an internal and external audit of the entire ICT infrastructure and deploy appropriate security controls based on the audit outcome.

Separately, it talks about formulating a password policy, data backup policy, ensuring a user account has Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), as well as timely updates of firmware, operating systems, and other software.

In terms of social media security, they say: Official social media platform accounts access should be restricted and limited to the designated officials and systems only. Do not use a personal email account for operating official social media account. Disable Geolocation (GPS) access feature for official social media platforms."

The guidelines also specify a number of security controls that government entities should implement, such as patching software vulnerabilities, risk assessment, and encryption of sensitive data.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics & IT, said: The government has taken several initiatives to ensure a safe and trusted and secure cyberspace. We are expanding and accelerating on cybersecurity  with focus on capabilities, system, human resources, and awareness.
Vietnam has told cross-border social platforms to use artificial intelligence (AI) models that can detect and remove toxic content automatically, the latest requirement in its stringent regime for social media firms, state media reported on Friday.

Vietnam has repeatedly asked companies like Metas Facebook, Googles YouTube and TikTok to coordinate with authorities to stamp out content deemed toxic, such as offensive, false and anti-state content.

This is the first time Vietnam has announced such an order, state-run broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) reported from the information ministrys mid-year review event, which was opened to selected newspaper.

The report did not give details on when and how cross-border platforms had to abide by the new requirement.

During the first half of this year, in accordance with government requests, Facebook removed 2,549 posts, the ministry said in a statement. YouTube removed 6,101 videos while TikTok took down 415 links, the info ministry said in a statement.

The announcement came as Southeast Asian countries are drawing up governance and ethics guidelines for AI that will impose guardrails on the booming technology, Reuters reported this month.

Vietnam in recent years has issued several regulations together with a cybersecurity law that target foreign social media platforms in a bid to battle disinformation in news and force foreign tech firms to establish representative offices in Vietnam and store data in the country.

The country last month undertook a comprehensive inspection on short videos platform TikToks local operations and preliminary results showed various TikTok violations, the info ministry has said.

VTV reported the info ministry saying at Fridays event that U.S streaming giant Netflix had submitted documents needed to open a local office in Vietnam.
In a recent incident involving a delivery guy associated with Dominos chain in Uttar Pradesh, concerns were raised after he misused a customers contact information. The incident came to light when a Twitter user, @KanishkaDadhich, shared her WhatsApp chat with the delivery executive named Kabir, who confessed his feelings for her. This interaction left her feeling unsafe, prompting her to express her concerns on social media. Following the viral tweet, the UP police intervened as the user had reported a lack of satisfactory response from Dominos.

The Twitter thread revealed the exact chats exchanged, where the delivery guy wrote, Sorry, my name is Kabir, yesterday I came to give you pizza, I am the same, I liked you." This unethical conduct prompted Kanishka to raise her worries about her personal information being mishandled.

Also Read: Sick Society: Delivery Guy Being Asked Not to Share Lift With Residents Sparks Outrage

She expressed her concerns, saying, I want to ask if this is ethical to send a delivery guy so that he could get anyones number and address. Even if he liked me, this is not the way to confess. It means he has misused the number given to the company for delivery purposes."

Yeaterday, I ordered pizzas from @dominos. The delivery guy named Kabir called me & asked me the location, I politely told him to come at this location. He dropped the pizzas at my home.Then @ 11:37pm, he messaged me directly! To which I replied him on Friday morning (today). pic.twitter.com/Nv2EJKvQ4m  kanishka  (@KanishkaDadhich) June 30, 2023

This guy, Kabir has my contact number & address which I shared with @dominosIf something happens to me & with my family after this post, Mr. Kabir & @dominos @dominos_india will be responsible. CC - @Uppolice @dgpup  kanishka  (@KanishkaDadhich) June 30, 2023

The subsequent tweets also included another screenshot, highlighting the lack of response from Dominos. She also raised alarm about the reliability of the delivery boys identity, as it varied between online and in-store. She tweeted, In chat - Kabir, In store - Mannu," and pointed out that his email address identified him as Kabir Bablu." She added, Hope! You understand, what was he doing."

1. In Chat - Kabir2. In Store - Mannu3. E-mail - kabirbablu@.Hope! You understand, what was he doing!  kanishka  (@KanishkaDadhich) June 30, 2023

In response to her distress, the police helpline number 112 assured her, saying, Dont worry, emergency help is reaching shortly Appropriate action will be taken."

Also Read: Delivery Man Accidentally Breaks Customers Flower Pot; Replaces It Along With Handwritten Note

Kanishka shared a screenshot of her conversation with the officials and expressed her gratitude, writing, Thank you."

Meanwhile, in a recent update, she revealed that Dominos refused to share information about their delivery executive, escalating the matter and leading her to pursue legal action by approaching the Consumer Court.

Finally @dominos_india denied to share the information about Mannu alias Kabir alias Bablu.They have leaked my contact number & details to their delivery boy. No Shame!! Nothing.!! Moving to the Consumer Court against DOMINOS!  kanishka  (@KanishkaDadhich) June 30, 2023

The incident ignited a wave of outrage on social media, with numerous online users expressing their disappointment and anger towards Dominos in response to the incident.

However, a PR personnel associated with Dominos reached out to News18 to provide the official statement regarding the incident.

The company spokesperson was quoted saying, We are deeply concerned to hear about this incident. As a responsible corporate entity, Dominos India maintains an unequivocal commitment to a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of misconduct or harassment. Upon being apprised of the incident, we immediately delved into the matter. Guided by pertinent laws and our companys policies, we have initiated the process to terminate the employment of the individual involved. We will provide our full cooperation with the concerned authorities in the investigation."
In the aftermath of the Supreme Courts decision to strike down US President Joe Bidens student debt forgiveness plan, the New York Times published an article highlighting various alternative options for individuals seeking relief from their student loan burden.

The article stated, There are still plenty of ways to get your student debt wiped away. What follows is a list of ways to eliminate your federal student loan balance aside from paying in full."

Among the strategies suggested by the Times were making use of income-driven repayment plans, appealing for public service loan forgiveness, and exploring the possibilities of bankruptcy and disability discharges. However, one unexpected and perhaps shocking subheading emerged, which simply read death.

This is not something that most people would choose as a solution to their debt burden," the article noted, before going on to explain that student loans are indeed cancelled when the borrower dies. The article further stated that loans taken out by parents or relatives to support a dependent childs education are also forgiven in the unfortunate event of their death.

Also Read: Surgeon Slams Newspaper Ad Seeking MBBS Doctors For 11K

Following the publication of this information, social media platforms became a breeding ground for backlash as users began calling out the content. Writer Parker Molloy expressed her concern by tweeting, Thats a little dark, NYT." Another user sarcastically commented, NYTs useful life hack on how to escape student debt," accompanied by a screenshot of the article.

Thats a little dark, NYT pic.twitter.com/jJwr68c8x9 Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 30, 2023

New York Times to Everyone Who Would Have Qualified For Student Loan Relief:Drop dead. Seriously. Screw you. Do us all a solid and die." https://t.co/jYA2hoUPUi  Craig Ranapia (@CMRanapia) July 1, 2023

NYTs useful life hack on how to escape student debt pic.twitter.com/eHlgsfPAOK Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 30, 2023

I dont know about you but the NYT suggesting suicide to discharge student loan debt right after SCOTUS eliminated student loan forgiveness is incredibly bleak and dystopia, read one more comment.

I dont know about you but the NYT suggesting suicide to discharge student loan debt right after SCOTUS eliminated student loan forgiveness is incredibly bleak and dystopia. pic.twitter.com/mkkR1yfWXQ Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) June 30, 2023

According to reports, a spokesperson for the New York Times declined to provide any comment but mentioned that there would be a slight update to the article in question.

Following the initial publication, the NYT made revisions to the original article. The headline was modified by removing the word six," and the subheading related to Death" was reframed as Debt Wont Carry On."

Also Read: 300-year-old Newspaper Wiener Zeitung Ends Daily Print Edition, Internet Dejected

In a significant 6-3 ruling, the SC determined that the Biden administration had exceeded its authority in enacting a comprehensive $400 billion plan for student debt relief. As a result of this decision, an estimated 43 million Americans will be required to resume their student loan repayments later this year.
A recent incident at Pune Railway Station has stirred up strong emotions and sparked widespread condemnation on social media platforms. The footage captured at the station shows a police officer using a bottle of water to wake up individuals who were sleeping on the platform floor. The incident sparked a significant public debate and raised concerns about the perceived behaviour of the cop, suggesting a lack of empathy and understanding.

The footage shared on Twitter shows the officer, presumably a Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel, pouring water on a group of individuals, including a Swiggy delivery agent, an elderly man, and other passengers, who were all sleeping in a row on the platform. Both the Swiggy agent and the elderly man can be seen waking up in the video. The tweet shared by a user Rupesh Chowdhury has quickly gained viral attention across the internet.

Also Read: Mumbai Man Risks Life To Board Overcrowded Local Train; Internet In Shock

The video has garnered over 3.5 million views on Twitter, with many users condemning the officer for his perceived inhumane and unkind treatment of the sleeping passengers. The poster of the video summed up the sentiment with a poignant statement, writing, RIP Humanity." Another commenter expressed deep concern, questioning, Indias Railways Police pouring water on people who have been taking rest inside the Train Station waiting for their train! What has happened to the head and heart of the country?"

RIP HumanityPune Railway Station pic.twitter.com/M9VwSNH0zn  Rupen Chowdhury (@rupen_chowdhury) June 30, 2023

Indias Railways Police pouring water on people who have been taking rest inside the Train Station waiting for their train! What has happened to the head and heart of the country? pic.twitter.com/1dqOxZGpAa Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) June 30, 2023

One user emphasised, No level of frustration can excuse a police officers actions like this. The anger and disappointment in the eyes of the person wearing the Swiggy t-shirt is truly heartbreaking. Nobody deserves to be treated with such disrespect."

There is no justification to this behaviour. Kitni bhi frustration ye nahi kara sakti kisi police wale se.The anger & disappointment in the eyes of the guy in Swiggy tshirt is so heartbreaking No one deserves such disrespect. @AshwiniVaishnaw @IndianRailMedia https://t.co/nCLbdOLS5V Shruti Chaturvedi (@adhicutting) June 30, 2023

Following the viral video, the incident caught the attention of senior railway officials, including Punes Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Indu Dubey, who expressed deep regret over the incident. In response to the issue, DRM Dubey stated, Sleeping on the platform causes inconvenience to others; however, the way it was handled is not a suitable way of counseling passengers."

Sleeping on the Platform causes inconvenience to others however the way it was handled is not a suitable way of counseling passengers. Concerned staff has been suitably advised to deal with passengers with dignity, politeness & decency. This incident is deeply regretted. Smt. Indu Dubey (@drmpune) June 30, 2023

Also Read: No Space To Walk On Train Floor, Man Crawls His Way To Toilet

She further added, Concerned staff has been suitably advised to deal with passengers with dignity, politeness & decency. This incident is deeply regretted."
Retirement is an emotional moment in ones life. Especially after dedicating many years to the same company. When you have spent a significant time of your career in one place, the bonds created with colleagues become special. A video capturing the retirement of a teacher is making rounds on the internet. This heartwarming video showcases a fifth-grade teacher retiring after 35 years of service. Naturally, the farewell given by both students and colleagues has struck a chord with viewers across the internet. The video displays how students and co-workers are lined in the hallway, cheering and applauding for the retiring teacher as he leaves the school for the last time.

The teacher, overwhelmed with emotion, tried to control his tears while waving to everyone. Although the exact location of the school wasnt mentioned. However, a user claimed it was from Brazil. The video is the perfect example of what profound impact a teacher can have on the lives of those theyve touched throughout their career. According to the Instagram page Good News Movement, the teacher stated, I grabbed my bag and when I stepped out the door I saw that boy. There, a whole movie played in my head, of the 35 years I spent in the classroom, said the emotional teacher. The videos caption read, After 35 years of teaching, this 5th-grade teacher retires and receives a beautiful tribute from students and co-workers.

Since being posted, the video has received more than 795k views and counting. Instagram users loved the video and could not help but feel emotional about the love the teacher had received. Many remarked on how teachers can have a huge impact on peoples lives. A user wrote, The outpouring of love to this teacher is heartwarming to watch. Teachers can make the biggest impact.

Another user shared a personal anecdote and commented, Great teachers are instrumental in a persons life. One of my grade 12 teachers has had one of the biggest influences on my life, still talk to him to this day.

And I am crying at 9:30. Teachers are super heros that dont get enough praise, commented a user.

While many users continued to praise the video, some users also highlighted the dedication and hard work involved in the teaching profession. Teachers diligently mould the minds of countless students, constructing a better world for future generations.
Talk to someone who rode on the Titan submersible, and theyre likely to mention a technological glitch: the propulsion system failed or communications with people on the surface cut out. Maybe there were problems balancing weights on board.

They are also likely to mention Stockton Rush, the OceanGate Expeditions CEO who died on the fatal trip this week. He has been described by past passengers as both a meticulous planner and an overconfident pioneer.

In the wake of the Titans fatal implosion near the Titanic shipwreck on Sunday, some people who embarked on the companys deep-sea expeditions described experiences that foreshadowed the tragedy and look back on their decision to dive as a bit naive.

But others expressed confidence and said that they felt they were in good hands nearly 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) below the oceans surface.

LIKE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE

I 100% knew this was going to happen, said Brian Weed, a camera operator for the Discovery Channels Expedition Unknown show, who has felt sick to his stomach since the subs disappearance Sunday.

Weed went on a Titan test dive in May 2021 in Washington states Puget Sound as it prepared for its first expeditions to the sunken Titanic. Weed and his colleagues were preparing to join OceanGate Expeditions to film the famous shipwreck later that summer.

They quickly encountered problems: The propulsion system stopped working. The computers failed to respond. Communications shut down.

Rush, the OceanGate CEO, tried rebooting and troubleshooting the vessel on its touch screens.

You could tell that he was flustered and not really happy with the performance, Weed said. But he was trying to make light of it, trying to make excuses.

They were barely 100 feet (30 meters) deep in calm water, which begged the question: How is this thing going to go to 12,500 feet  and do we want to be on board? Weed said.

Following the aborted trip, the production company hired a consultant with the U.S. Navy to vet the Titan.

He provided a mostly favorable report, but warned that there wasnt enough research on the Titans carbon-fiber hull, Weed said. There also was an engineering concern that the hull would not maintain its effectiveness over the course of multiple dives.

Weed said Rush was a charismatic salesman who really believed in the submersibles technology  and was willing to put his life on the line for it.

It was looking more and more like we werent going to be the first guys down to film the Titanic  we were going to be maybe the 10th, Weed said of the possible Titan expedition. I felt like every time (the vessel) goes down, its going to get weaker and weaker. And thats a little bit like playing Russian roulette.

For work projects, Weed has swum with sharks, rappelled into remote caves and snowshoed through Siberia. But he and his colleagues pulled out of the dive to the Titanic.

I didnt have a good feeling about it, he said. It was a really hard choice to make.

I ALWAYS FELT I WAS IN GOOD HANDS

Mike Reiss, a writer for The Simpsons television show, said he had positive experiences on the dives he made with OceanGate, including to the Titanic wreck site.

When my wife first came to me with this (idea), I said to her, Well, this sounds like a fun way to get killed, Reiss said. I knew (the risks) going in there. I always felt I was in good hands.

Reiss said he went on three trips with OceanGate in waters near New York City  and that the company took safety seriously.

Mostly it was just breathtaking how well it all went, Reiss said of his 2022 dive to the Titanic. Its a 10-hour trip. And I went from sea level to two and a half miles down, and then back to sea level. And at no time did the pressure change in my ears. I didnt get the same feeling I get in the New York elevator. To me thats a remarkable achievement.

Reiss said he was in a different state of mind on the expedition because he was so engaged.

Youre never hungry. Youre never thirsty. They have a bathroom on board. It has never been used, he said. You just become a different kind of person. You even know you could die and it doesnt bother you.

Reiss said he did notice some issues with the Titan, although he wasnt sure everything was a glitch.

For instance, the communications didnt always work, like a cellphone losing service. The Titans compass also started acting frantically when they got to the ocean floor near the sunken Titanic.

I dont know if thats an equipment failure or because magnetism is different two and a half miles down, he said.

THE FATAL FLAW IS WHAT HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR

Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly, never rode in the Titan despite spending a week aboard its support ship in late May, waiting for the weather to clear. He briefly climbed into the submersible, but the dive was ultimately canceled.

Wind, fog and waves were the stated reasons, but Weissmann wondered whether the submersibles readiness was also a factor.

Over cigars one night, Rush told Weissmann that he got the carbon fiber for the Titans hull at a big discount because it was past its shelf-life for use in airplanes, Weissmann said. But Rush reassured him it was safe.

I really felt there were two Stockton Rushes, Weissman said. There was the one who was a good team leader and efficient and getting the work done. And there was this cocky, self-assured, others be damned, Im going to do it my way sort of guy. And thats the one I saw when we went out the back of the boat and had our cigars.

But he also was a strong leader, said Weissmann, who recalled Rush leading lengthy planning meetings and urging anyone who was interested to read a book called The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right that he left in the ships lounge. If a repair was complex, Weissmann said Rush would tell those assigned to it to pause for five minutes after completing it to make sure it was done correctly.

Looking back, Weissmann believes Rush had a fatal flaw: overconfidence in his engineering skills and the perception that he was a pioneer in an area that others werent because they were sticking to the rules.

But in the end, for sure, the fatal flaw is what he will be remembered for  even though he was a three-dimensional human being like everybody else, Weissmann said.

I WAS A BIT NAIVE

Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany, was among OceanGates first customers to dive to the sunken ocean liner.

You have to be a little bit crazy to do this sort of thing, he said.

His submersible mates included Rush, French diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and two passengers from England.

Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You cant stand. You cant kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other, Loibl said. You cant be claustrophobic.

During the 2.5-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick.

The dive was repeatedly delayed to fix a problem with the battery and the balancing weights. In total, the voyage took 10.5 hours.

He described Rush as a tinkerer who tried to make do with what was available to carry out the dives, but in hindsight, he said, it was a bit dubious.

I was a bit naive, looking back now, Loibl said.
Militants have killed at least 11 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said on Saturday, in the latest attack to hit the turbulent region.

The attack occurred on Friday in the village of Mutuey, and the surrounding area, in Ituri province's Irumu territory, according to village chief Adidas Mupitapilipo.

Militants from the Islamist-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed 13 people, he said, adding that only 11 bodies could be recovered.

AFP was unable to independently confirm the details of the attack.

A security official in the area, who asked not to be named, also said that ADF fighters had killed 11 people in Mutuey.

A local Red Cross official likewise said the ADF had killed 11 people.

The Islamic State group claims the ADF as its central African affiliate. It is one of the deadliest militias in eastern Congo, accused of slaughtering thousands of civilians.

Congolese army spokesman for military operations in Ituri, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, confirmed that an ADF attack had occurred in the area but said he had no information about the number of people killed.

Armed groups have plagued mineral-rich eastern DRC for three decades, a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.

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The warnings are coming from all angles: artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity and must be shackled before it is too late. But what are these disaster scenarios and how are machines supposed to wipe out humanity?

Paperclips of doom

Most disaster scenarios start in the same place: machines will outstrip human capacities, escape human control and refuse to be switched off.

Once we have machines that have a self-preservation goal, we are in trouble," AI academic Yoshua Bengio told an event this month.

But because these machines do not yet exist, imagining how they could doom humanity is often left to philosophy and science fiction.

Philosopher Nick Bostrom has written about an intelligence explosion" he says will happen when superintelligent machines begin designing machines of their own.

He illustrated the idea with the story of a superintelligent AI at a paperclip factory.

The AI is given the ultimate goal of maximising paperclip output and so proceeds by converting first the Earth and then increasingly large chunks of the observable universe into paperclips".

Bostroms ideas have been dismissed by many as science fiction, not least because he has separately argued that humanity is a computer simulation and supported theories close to eugenics.

He also recently apologised after a racist message he sent in the 1990s was unearthed.

Yet his thoughts on AI have been hugely influential, inspiring both Elon Musk and Professor Stephen Hawking.

The Terminator

If superintelligent machines are to destroy humanity, they surely need a physical form.

Arnold Schwarzeneggers red-eyed cyborg, sent from the future to end human resistance by an AI in the movie The Terminator", has proved a seductive image, particularly for the media.

But experts have rubbished the idea.

This science fiction concept is unlikely to become a reality in the coming decades if ever at all," the Stop Killer Robots campaign group wrote in a 2021 report.

However, the group has warned that giving machines the power to make decisions on life and death is an existential risk.

Robot expert Kerstin Dautenhahn, from Waterloo University in Canada, played down those fears.

She told AFP that AI was unlikely to give machines higher reasoning capabilities or imbue them with a desire to kill all humans.

Robots are not evil," she said, although she conceded programmers could make them do evil things.

Deadlier chemicals

A less overtly sci-fi scenario sees bad actors" using AI to create toxins or new viruses and unleashing them on the world.

Large language models like GPT-3, which was used to create ChatGPT, it turns out are extremely good at inventing horrific new chemical agents.

A group of scientists who were using AI to help discover new drugs ran an experiment where they tweaked their AI to search for harmful molecules instead.

They managed to generate 40,000 potentially poisonous agents in less than six hours, as reported in the Nature Machine Intelligence journal.

AI expert Joanna Bryson from the Hertie School in Berlin said she could imagine someone working out a way of spreading a poison like anthrax more quickly.

But its not an existential threat," she told AFP. Its just a horrible, awful weapon."

Species overtaken

The rules of Hollywood dictate that epochal disasters must be sudden, immense and dramatic  but what if humanitys end was slow, quiet and not definitive?

At the bleakest end our species might come to an end with no successor," philosopher Huw Price says in a promotional video for Cambridge Universitys Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

But he said there were less bleak possibilities" where humans augmented by advanced technology could survive.

The purely biological species eventually comes to an end, in that there are no humans around who dont have access to this enabling technology," he said.

The imagined apocalypse is often framed in evolutionary terms.

Stephen Hawking argued in 2014 that ultimately our species will no longer be able to compete with AI machines, telling the BBC it could spell the end of the human race".

Geoffrey Hinton, who spent his career building machines that resemble the human brain, latterly for Google, talks in similar terms of superintelligences" simply overtaking humans.

He told US broadcaster PBS recently that it was possible humanity is just a passing phase in the evolution of intelligence".
In a straight out of a Disney movie incident, a 33-year-old English teacher in Italy decided to swap her classroom for the world of mermaids. It all started with a chance encounter and a longing for a new hobby during the pandemic. Moss Green, an educator originally hailing from Torquay, Devon moved to Sicily in 2016 to teach English, but little did she know that her life was about to take a whimsical turn. As she sought a pastime that would remind her of home during those lockdown days, something extraordinary caught her eye. On a nearby beach, Moss witnessed a magical merman emerging from the water, and mermaiding became her sought after passion, as reported by METRO.

Moss claims to feel an indescribable connection with nature and the sea, and thats when the idea of becoming a professional mermaid first took hold of her adventurous spirit. Describing her first experience as exhilarating and exciting, Moss felt more alive and in tune with the elements when she swam while wearing a mermaid tail. Fast forward two years, and her passion turned into a full-fledged career when she received an Instagram offer for a mermaid role in the nearby town of Lampedusa.

Moss had to learn the art of holding her breath underwater, perfect her diving skills and even master some dazzling tricks. Sure, her paycheck may be lower than before, but she insists that shes never been happier.

During the summer months, Moss immerses herself in her mermaid occupation. She spends around 12 hours a day hosting boat trips and teaching people how to swim with the grace of those mythical sea creatures we all adore. Moss also takes it upon herself to educate others about the incredible marine life in the area and the importance of keeping our seas and beaches clean.

The water was freezing when she first gave mermaiding a try in Scotland, Moss told the news outlet. She claimed that she was so caught up in the excitement that she hardly noticed the cold. She worked hard to improve her skills, holding her breath, diving to specific depths, spinning gracefully underwater, and swimming while facing the sky.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaros political career was dealt a blow by a Brazilian court on Friday (June 30) after he was barred from public office for eight years.

The majority of federal electoral court (TSE) justices voted to bar him from public office until 2030 for his conduct during last years fraught election.

Four out of seven justices voted to convict Bolsonaro for abuse of power and misuse of the media last year, when he summoned ambassadors to vent unfounded claims about Brazils electronic voting system.

Two more justices are still to vote. While those who previously voted could still change their minds, Bolsonaros fate appears sealed.

A former army captain who narrowly lost Octobers election to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro is accused of creating a nationwide movement to overturn the result, which culminated in the Jan. 8 invasion of government buildings in Brasilia by thousands of his supporters.

Terming the ruling a stab in the back, Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing. He has already said he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Sixteen police employees who had been kidnapped in Mexicos southern state of Chiapas have been freed after three days of captivity, Governor Rutilio Escandon said Friday.

I want to tell the people of Chiapas and Mexico that the 16 kidnapped colleagues from the (Security Secretariat) have been released this afternoon," the governor said on Twitter, while TV stations aired live footage of the abductees reuniting with their families.

The relatives had been staging a sit-in at the Chiapas Security Secretariat, demanding the safe release of their loved ones.

As the newly freed police workers approached on foot, the surprised family members raced to embrace them amid screams and tears, news footage from Foro TV and Milenio showed.

More than 1,000 members of state and federal security forces were involved in the search for the workers, who are administrative employees of the police force.

They had been kidnapped Tuesday while traveling on a stretch of highway that connects the town of Ocozocoautla and the state capital Tuxtla Gutierrez, some 700 kilometers (435 miles) southwest of Mexico City.
Israels spy agency, Mossad, has announced that it has thwarted an Iranian plot to attack Israeli business people in Cyprus with a detailed probe hinting at Pakistans involvement in the assassination bid.

In a counter-terrorist operation on Iranian soil, the Mossad apprehended the head of the cell, Yusef Shahabazi Abbasalilu, who gave his investigators a detailed confession bringing about the dismantling of the attack cell in Cyprus.

Abbasalilu received detailed instructions and weapons from senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards personnel in Iran. During questioning, parts of which were shared with the media, he admitted to his involvement in an attempted attack and described how he tried to carry it out.

In the wake of the information that he gave to the Mossad investigators, the cell was dismantled in an operation by the Cypriot security services, the announcement said.

In the video footage released by the spy agency, the Iranian also reveals Pakistani spy agency ISIs involvement in the plot to kill Jews and Israelis. Pakistani nationals have been caught recently in several other such plots targeting Israelis.

Abbasalilo names his handler as Hassan Shoushtari Zadeh, a known senior figure in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Foreign Intelligence Branch, who he said trusted Pakistanis" who had carried out very important activity for me".

In the video, Abbasalilo said Shoushtari Zadeh discussed with me what he was planning to do in Cyprus. He told me you need to enter northern Cyprus, where we have certain people who can send you from there to southern Cyprus".

He told me himself, I trust [The Pakistanis] and their group, they have carried out very important activity for me'", Abbasalilo says in the released video.

I replied: If it is possible, I will carry out this mission immediately. He replied: Wait, it is not possible yet, as there are policemen searching for you'", the English translation of his confession in Persian released says.

Abbasalilo said that he buried the weapon he had received from his handlers under a bush, and eventually I received my target via a WhatsApp interface that I received from the IRGC Intelligence Organisation".

I received a photo from Shoushtari and the GPS route to the house where he lives", he said.

Abbasalilo then began following his target from afar, taking photographs and otherwise preparing for the assassination.

My plan was that if the man was there - I mean after I found out that he was there and where he was going - if it was a quiet and empty road, I would kill him with the weapon", he confessed.

But his handlers found out that the police were after me and ordered me to hide the weapon, get rid of all the equipment, and return [to Iran]." The released video also shows his boarding pass back to Iran.

It was not clear as to what became of Abbasalilo after his interrogation by Mossad operatives.

This is a direct testimony of an Iranian operative of the direct involvement of the IRGC in organizing a terrorist act on European soil. The IRGC is a terrorist organization and needs to be dealt with accordingly https://t.co/zsZjOSOgXQ Joshua L. Zarka (@yzarka) June 29, 2023

Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in Cyprus, Turkey, Georgia and Greece have been recently thwarted, and they have invariably had a Pakistani hand in it too.

Mossad in its statement said that it would continue to act decisively to prevent harm to Jews and Israelis around the world".

In April, Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks on behalf of Iran against Israeli and Jewish targets in Greece.

In October 2021, Israel had said that an Iranian plot against Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus had been foiled.

According to reports, the hired killer was of Azeri origin and had arrived in Cyprus on a flight from Russia, using a Russian passport.

Cyprus charged six people in the plot, including the main suspect and three Pakistani nationals.

In another such attempt in Georgia recently, local media reports said that the Georgian security officials foiled an attempt by a Pakistani citizen to murder an Israeli in that country on orders from an Iranian operative.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a decades-long shadow war across the Middle-East and beyond.

The Jewish state considers the Islamic Republics nuclear programme an existential threat and has vowed to foil it using all options on the table".

Iran says that its nuclear programme is for peaceful means.
Murder suspect Donald Santini, 65, who appeared thrice on Americas Most Wanted, served as the president of a local water board in California, volunteered with the Rotary Club, owned a Thai restaurant and ran an apartment block while he was on the run for 13 years, was finally arrested this week.

A report by the BBC said that he used 13 aliases to evade arrest since 1984 to avoid being arrested for the 1984 murder of a 33-year-old Florida woman.

EXTRADITEDAt 3:03 a.m. on June 28, 2023, Donald Santini, 65, arrived at the Orient Road Jail after being arrested and extradited from San Diego, CA. Santini was wanted for the 1984 murder of Cynthia Wood, a then 25-year-old going through a divorce with her husband. Many pic.twitter.com/djVQNqrwLW  HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) June 28, 2023

When he was arrested he was serving as the president of a local water board in California. He was extradited to Florida where he faces a charge of murder.

Santini was wanted for the murder of Cynthia Wood, who was 33 years old at the time of her killing. Before detectives discovered her dead body in a canal on June 6, 1984, she was last seen with Santini. She was strangled to death.

The arrest of Donald Santini brings closure to a long-standing cold case and provides justice for the victim and her family after nearly four decades of waiting, Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, Florida, said in a statement accessed by the BBC.

The authorities said that he was identified as a suspect shortly after the murder and he fled Hillsborough County immediately.

Meanwhile, Santini appeared on television show Americas Most Wanted in 1990 and later reappeared in 2005 and 2013.

Law enforcement, including the FBI, kept working on this cold case for years. Investigators went to Texas, California and even Thailand but with no luck.

This year a tip from the Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force led US Marshals to San Diego County.

Santini was charged with first degree murder in San Diego before being extradited to Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa, Florida. At the time of his arrest he was living under the alias Wellman Simmonds and was living in Campo - a small suburb of San Diego.

He also appeared regularly at public board meetings as a president of the local water board, local officials told the BBC.

Santini also penned a letter to a local San Diego news station in which he said he was able to be on the run for so long because he wanted to live a loving, respectful life.

Santini was jailed earlier for raping a woman while stationed in Germany. He was also charged with aggravated robbery for robbing a convenience store in Texas.
Long time, no speak: NASA has re-established contact with the intrepid Ingenuity Mars Helicopter after more than two months of radio silence, the space agency said Friday.

The mini rotorcraft, which hitched a ride to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover in early 2021, has already survived well beyond its initial 30-day mission to prove the feasibility of its technology in five test flights.

Since then, it has been deployed dozens of times, acting as an aerial scout to assist its wheeled companion in searching for signs of ancient microbial life from billions of years ago, when Mars was much wetter and warmer than today.

Ingenuitys 52nd flight launched on April 26, but mission controllers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California lost contact as it descended to the surface following its two minute, 1,191-foot (363-meter) hop.

Are you there, Earth? Its the #MarsHelicopter. Ingenuity has reestablished contact with @NASAPersevere following two months of radio silence.  https://t.co/eQylNmtaaW pic.twitter.com/zcdeiuyBwQ  NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) June 30, 2023

The loss of communications was expected, because a hill stood between Ingenuity and Perseverance, which acts as a relay between the drone and Earth.

Nonetheless, this has been the longest weve gone without hearing from Ingenuity so far in the mission," Joshua Anderson, Ingenuity team lead at JPL, told AFP.

Ingenuity is designed to take care of itself when communication gaps like this occur, but we all still had a sense of relief finally hearing back."

Data so far indicates that the heli is in good shape. If further health checks also come back normal, Ingenuity will be all set for its next flight, westward toward a rocky outcrop the Perseverance team is interested in exploring.

Its not the first time Ingenuity has experienced downed communications. The heli was scouring an ancient river delta when it went missing for around six days in April, an agonizingly long time," chief engineer Travis Brown wrote in a blog post.
At least three houses belonging to members of the Ahmadiyya community were raided by police in Faisalabad city of Pakistans Punjab province on Eid-al-Adha, June 29, for the law there prohibits the Ahmadiyyas from calling themselves Muslim and observing Islamic festivals.

Police were acting on complaints by workers of an extremist group, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and confiscated sacrificial animals meant for the ceremonial qurbani from the houses. Some news reports said the police arrested one man from Faisalabad, while three others were arrested, among the 10 booked in all, across different towns in the province.

The community, also called Qadiani after their sects original headquarters in Qadian town of Indian Punjab, has regularly faced persecution as it does not conform to the majority belief within Islam that Prophet Mohammed was the last-ever prophet.

Those arrested in Faisalabad (once called Lyallpur) and elsewhere face up to three years in jail if charged under laws that specifically target the sect, which was established in the late 19th century.

There were similar arrests last year too, and several times before that over decades now.

The number of Ahmadiyya in Pakistan has been estimated to be up to 2 percent of the population. According to a Pew Research Center report, only 7 percent of Pakistanis consider the Ahmadiyya to be Muslims. There are tiny populations of the sect members in India and other countries.

Warnings issued by cops, others

Ahead of Eid, the top brass of police in Pakistan Punjab had issued directives to area cops to stop the Ahmadiyyas from performing qurbani as this would be offensive to Muslims and could trigger tensions and allow extremist elements to benefit, News18 had learnt.

Sources further told News18 that in the Faisalabad case, neighbours of an Ahmadiyya family approached the TLP, and men from the group first reached the houses, at which the families tried to hide the goats. Police came soon after.

In another similar event on Eid day, Ghulam Raza, a sub-inspector in Gujrat, a district headquarters in Pak Punjab, publicly announced that no Ahmadiyya was allowed to celebrate Eid since they are not Muslims. He said if they were found doing so, they would be arrested and charged.

Even the Lahore and Islamabad bar associations wrote to the provinces home secretary and inspector general of police, on June 22 and 24, seeking preemptive and preventive action to stop the Ahmadiyyas from performing the ritual sacrifice.

What the Pakistan law says on Qadiani sect

Section 298C of the Pakistan Penal Code, brought in by the military dictator General Zia ul-Haq in 1984 as part of a broader hardline Islamisation of the country, states that any person of the Qadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves Ahmadis or by any other name), who, directly or indirectly, poses himself as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith shall be punished with imprisonment

But there are even stricter provisions against blasphemy in general in Pakistan that provide for the death penalty as well.
In a bizarre incident, rescuers amputated the leg of a woman who got stuck in a travelator in Bangkoks Don Mueang airport earlier this week. The womans family told the BBC that they are shocked and worried about the womans mental health following the horrific accident.

The womans surgery was carried out on Thursday evening. The 57-year-old ladys leg got stuck in the travelator after she tripped over her suitcase as she was on her way to board a flight, the BBC said, citing local media.

My mothers morale is quite concerning. We got to speak to her a bit before and after the operation Even though she showed her strength through facial expression and tone of voice, we knew that deep down she was broken because she suddenly lost a leg, Kit Kittirattana wrote in a Facebook post.

Our family knows very well that we can neither make her leg work like before, nor can we bring back the same life she had lived, Kittirattana further added.

The womans name remains unknown but images online showed her left leg wedged underneath the travelator. The yellow-coloured comb plates which are found at the end of travelators were broken off and the pink suitcase lying next to her lost two wheels.

Don Mueang airport management said they were saddened by the incident and would compensate her for the partial loss of her left leg and also bear her medical expenses.

Karant Thanakuljeerapat, Don Mueang airport director, said a probe has been launched to find out the cause of the incident. He said airport authorities will now speed up the process of replacing several old travelators which they were planning to do within 2025.

Local media outlets reported that the travelator that caused the accident was operating for at least 27 years i.e. since 1996.

The death of 31-year-old Xiang Liujuan in Chinas Jingzhou in 2015 in similar circumstances also shocked the world. Xiang got stuck in the elevator of the upscale AZG Mall in central China and died after she pushed her young child to safety.
Social media companies are once again under scrutiny, this time in France as the countrys president blames TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms for helping fuel widespread riots over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron accused social media of playing a considerable role in encouraging copycat acts of violence as the country tries to tamp down protests that surfaced long-simmering tensions between police and young people in the country.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said police made 917 arrests on Thursday alone. More than 300 police officers have also been injured attempting to quell the rioting over the death of the teenager, who is of north African descent and has only has been identified by his first name, Nahel.

Macron, who in tandem castigated video games for the rioting, said the French government would work with social media sites to take down the most sensitive content and identify users who call for disorder or exacerbate the violence.

WHY IS THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT CONCERNED?

A French official, speaking anonymously in line with the presidencys customary practices, cited an example of the name and address of the police officer who shot at Nahel being published on social media. A prison officer also has seen his professional card going online, the official said, suggesting it could put the persons life and family at risk.

During his speech on Friday, Macron did not specify what type of content he viewed as sensitive, but he said he expected a spirit of responsibility from the social media platforms.

Talks between the government and social media platform, including Snapchat and Twitter, have started with the aim to speed up the process to remove content inciting to violence, the official said. The French government is also pushing for identifying people who launch calls for violence but its still at the discussion stage.

Darmanin said that in a meeting with social networks, hed delivered a warning that they cant allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence.

They were very cooperative, he said. Well see tonight if they really are."

Darmanin said on Friday that French authorities will provide social media companies with as much information as possible so that, in return, they get identities of people who incite violence, adding that authorities will pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts.

He also said that the country will take all necessary measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, dont respect the law.

WHAT DOES FRENCH LAW SAY?

France has a law against cyber harassment. Online threats of crimes, like rape and murder, as well as online insults can be prosecuted.

But in reality, its very rare.

In 2020, the countrys parliament approved a bill that would compel platforms and search engines to remove prohibited content within 24 hours. A year later, a French court convicted 11 of 13 people charged with harassing and threatening a teenager who harshly criticized Islam in online post. But the people charged were only those who could be tracked down.

WHAT ARE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES SAYING?

Rachel Racusen, spokesperson for Snapchat, one of the social media platforms Macron blamed for contributing to the upheaval, said that since Tuesday, it has increased its moderation to detect and act on content related to the riots in France.

Violence has devastating consequences and we have zero tolerance for content that promotes or incites hatred or violent behavior on any part of Snapchat, Racusen said. We proactively moderate this type of content and when we find it, we remove it and take appropriate action. We do allow content that is factually reporting on the situation.

But many of the others are keeping mum. TikTok as well as Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not immediately reply for comment on Friday. Twitter answered only with an automated reply of a poop emoji, as it has done for months under Elon Musks tenure.

HOW DO SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TYPICALLY RESPOND?

Social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter often police people calling for violence because it can go against their policies.

But they also remove material posted on their platforms in order to comply with local laws and government requests, some of which can be controversial. A recent example was Twitters decision in May to censor speech at the behest of Turkeys government in the leadup of the countrys presidential elections.

Snapchat says on its website that it cooperates with law enforcement and government agencies to fulfill valid requests for information that can help during investigations.

The company receives many requests year-round. Its latest transparency report for the second half of 2022 showed it received the most requests from the U.S. government, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. Officials in France put in 100 emergency requests for user information that includes some identifiers for accounts, such as email address and phone number. The company said it produced some data in 54% of those requests.

During the same period, TikToks transparency report showed it got far less requests  under 20  from the French government. It removed or restricted content  or accounts  for 86% of those requests.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley who stepped down in January from TikToks U.S. content advisory council, said if a government asks for a specific piece of content to be taken down because it violates local law, most platforms will comply.

But he said the feasibility of requests also depends on the platform, as well as the breadth and rationale for the request. If a government asks for a broad takedown of tens of thousands of pieces of content, then this may be met with more resistance, Farid said.

Emma Llanso, director of the Center for Democracy & Technologys Free Expression Project, says that although its appropriate for online services to remove speech that legitimately incites violence, they should tread carefully, especially on requests that can be sweeping and overly broad.

During passionate political debate and public outcry, Llanso said people might use very heated language or use allusions to violence without having any intent to actually incite or commit violent acts.

What the young people in France are doing right now is protesting against state violence, which is a crucial kind of political activity, Llanso said. And so, how social media companies respond in this moment is really influential over people being able to find their political voice. Its an incredibly difficult line to walk.
Palestine on Saturday called on the international community to pressure Israel to dismantle armed settler militias in the occupied West Bank, a statement released by the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs said.

"We have repeatedly warned against the occupying Israeli state forming pockets of armed terror settler militias in the West Bank, and against the influence and dangers of these militias expanding their attacks on defenseless Palestinian civilians, their homes and properties," the ministry statement said.

The ministry called on the international community to include all settler organizations in terror lists.

Additionally, the Ministry said it was "surprised" at Israeli media reports that armed settler militias are being formed in the occupied West Bank, especially since these militias already exist and operate with the support and backing of the Israeli occupation army and ministers in the far-right Netanyahu government.

"Settler terrorism is a direct result of state terrorism, which is being diversified and generalized through all the arms of the occupying [Israeli] state," the statement added.

On Saturday, extremist Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers while they were working in their own lands in the town of Kafr Al-Dik, in the occupied West Bank province of Salfit.

Abdullah Al-Dik, a local Palestinian resident, told the Palestinian news agency, WAFA, that armed Israeli settlers brutally assaulted his father and uncle after raiding their agricultural lands on the outskirts of the town.

He said an Israeli army force later arrived at the scene, and instead of arresting the attacking settlers, they opened fire in the air and arrested his father, Ahmad Al-Dik, and assaulted his uncle, Mahmoud.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians is commonplace across the occupied West Bank, and is supported and encouraged by the far-right Israeli government.

In June, approximately 200 Israeli settlers, some armed and under the protection of the Israeli army, carried out a brutal attack on the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank, murdering one Palestinian and wounding dozens of others. They also burned 30 houses, 60 cars and dozens of olive trees.

On Thursday, illegal Israeli settlers set up a colonial settlement outpost on a Palestinian-owned lands in the village of Al-Mughayir, to the northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources, reported by WAFA.

This is the seventh outpost illegally established by Israeli settlers in the West Bank over the last 10 days.

All kinds of Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal by the international community.

UN estimates indicate that about 700,000 illegal settlers are living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied Palestinians territories.

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The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia on Friday called on the Israeli government to reverse recently approved plans for more settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Britain, Australia and Canada said they were gravely concerned by Israel's decision to advance plans for some 5,700 new houses for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, part of the more than 13,000 settlement homes that have been advanced through a pair of major planning stages so far in 2023.

The three countries condemned Israels continued expansion of settlements which they described as an obstacle to peace and a move that negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution.

We are gravely concerned by the Government of Israels approval on June 26 of over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank. We are also concerned by the changes to the settlement approval process instituted by the Government of Israel on June 18, which facilitate swifter approval of construction in settlements, said James Cleverly, Hon Penny Wong, and Melanie Joly, the foreign minister of the UK, Australia, and Canada, respectively.

We call on the government of Israel to reverse these decisions, they stressed.

The international community, along with the Palestinians, considers settlement construction illegal or illegitimate and an obstacle to peace.

Over 700,000 Israelis settlers now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for a future state.

All kinds of Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal by the international community.

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Seven years ago, New Zealand passed a law declaring that it aimed to eradicate rats by the year 2050, with the idea of saving its native birds. With 27 years to go until the deadline, the BBC checks in on how things are going, and it sounds a little exhausting, frankly. Regional groups have sprung up around the country, making use of government funds to arm volunteers with poison, traps, and outdoor cams. Others have set up fenced sanctuary zones in the wild (possums also are targeted for elimination) to put a particular focus on those areas. While some areas have seen successthe peninsula of Miramar near Wellington, for example, has seen its population of native birds bounce back as rats have been hunted downbut the phrase "constant vigilance" is the theme. The rats can rebound in a hurry.
A truck rammed into several other vehicles and market traders in western Kenya, killing dozens, police said. The Friday evening accident occurred at a location known for vehicle crashes near the Rift Valley town of Londiani, which is about 125 miles northwest of the capital, Nairobi. Officers at the scene counted 51 bodies, but more people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, Rift Valley police commander Tom Odero tells the AP . On Saturday, the Kenya Red Cross Society asked Kenyans to donate blood, noting that 32 people were injured and hospitalized.

It also said heavy rainfall interrupted rescue efforts and that people were still trapped in wrecked vehicles. Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen visited the scene on Saturday morning and said the government would relocate markets away from the highways to prevent such future accidents. President William Ruto tweeted a condolence message to bereaved families, describing the accident as "distressing" and urging motorists to be "extra cautious."

Witnesses quoted by local media said the truck veered off the major highway and hit several vehicles before slamming into pedestrians and traders. Witnesses shared photos of the wreckage of vehicles mangled beyond recognition. Police had said on Friday that rescue operations would continue into the night. The Kenyan Red Cross Society said it has set up stations at hospitals where people can report loved ones still missing, and that it's providing psychological support to those affected.

(Read more Kenya stories.)
The Supreme Court wrapped up its latest term this week with high-profile rulings involving affirmative action , LGBTQ+ and religious rights , and student loan debt , and now it's looking ahead to its next roster of cases, including one that's sure to draw the attention of both gun safety and gun rights groups. The high court on Friday agreed to review a 1994 federal law that bans individuals who are subject to domestic violence orders from having firearms, reports the New York Times . The case comes a year after a Supreme Court ruling last year that greatly expanded gun rights around the country.

That 6-3 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which struck down a New York state law restricting who can carry concealed weapons, set the stage for a federal appeals court in March to similarly strike down a law barring people subject to domestic violence orders from possessing guns. That case, United States v. Rahimi, involves Zackey Rahimi, a Texas drug dealer with a history of armed violence who was prohibited from having guns after a 2019 altercation with his girlfriend. He violated the order and was sentenced to six-plus years in prison, a sentence the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit initially confirmed. Then, after the Bruen case, the appeals court withdrew its original ruling based on the new standard.

Gun safety and anti-domestic violence groups, as well as the Biden administration, subsequently asked the Supreme Court to step in, per CNN. "Prohibiting domestic violence abusers from accessing firearms is common sense, lifesaving, and constitutional," Douglas Letter of the nonprofit gun-control group Brady, says in a statement. The Times notes that the Supreme Court "has decided very few Second Amendment cases"only two major ones since 2008. In the court's new term, which begins in October, it will also hear cases related to immigration, job discrimination, and criminal defendants' rights, per the Washington Post. (Read more US Supreme Court stories.)
Sierra Leone's main opposition party on Saturday demanded a rerun of last weekend's presidential election after President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner and swiftly sworn in for a second term in the West African nation. The opposition All People's Congress party accused the nation's electoral commission of conspiring with Bio's party to rig the results, the AP reports. In a statement, the party called for the resignation of electoral commission Chairman Mohamed Konneh and his team, among others. "What culminated in the rogue announcement of fraudulent election results on June 25 was not just a naked theft of the votes of the suffering masses who needed change, it represents the biggest threat to our democracy, unity and survival as a nation," it said.

According to official results, Bio received 56.17% of the vote, enough to beat his main challenger Kamara while avoiding a runoff. Electoral officials said Kamara had received 41.16% of ballots cast. Bio, who was sworn in for his second term several days after the vote, tweeted for Sierra Leoneans to remain peaceful. "This is a collective victory for every citizen and we must come together now that elections are over for the pursuit of a common goal, which is the development of our dear country," Bio tweeted. There have been concerns that election protesters could take to the streets, per the AP. The West African nation has seen demonstrators protest the state of the economy in recent months.

Pressure is mounting on the electoral commission to open up its conduct of the voting tabulation process. While regional observers like the African Union and ECOWAS declared the elections free and fair, other Western observers have stressed that the counting and tabulation process lacked transparency. The European Union, the UK, the US, and France in particular have pressured the electoral commission to display results from each polling station. EU observers reported inconsistencies between the first and second round of presidential results, per Reuters, including discrepancies "in the number of average valid votes per polling state."

(Read more Sierra Leone stories.)
Army JROTC Cadets competing in the 2023 Army JROTC Leadership Bowl found time to explore the National Mall and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. on June 20. A highlight for many of the Cadets was watching Tomb Guard Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessing the Changing of the Guard. Four Army JROTC Cadets were also chosen to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb. (Photo by Sarah Windmueller)
The 10-episode third season of the American cryptocurrency drama Paper Empire will be filmed in Saudi Arabias AlUla.

The news was announced by the Saudi Arabian film agency, Film AlUla, last week. The announcement reflects the countrys efforts to attract international filmmakers to locations within the Kingdom.

The star-studded TV series follows Laurence Fintch (Robert Davi) who wants to be the planet's financial saviour. His digital technology has been unleashed. His attempt to corner the world banks spirals out of control, bringing forth a global Financial Armageddon, reads the series synopsis.

Penned and directed by Robert Gillings, the action drama also stars Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammer, Helena Mattsson, Anne Archer, and Robert Knepper, among others.

According to Film AlUla promotional material, the filming is part of the AlUla Creates initiative, which aims to "nurture future generations of Saudi Arabian talent in the field of films, arts and fashion."

Film AlUla also offers pristine locations alongside numerous incentives.

On its Twitter account, Film AlUla promotes itself as providing sweeping vistas [that] are the perfect backdrop for a wide genre of audiovisual content.

Since its launch in 2020, Film AlUla has hosted more than 700 productions, including films such as Kandahar, directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler; Cherry, starring Tom Holland and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, in addition to many TV productions such as the British series Expedition with Steve Backshall, Nat Geo documentaries, and other Saudi productions, short films, commercials, and photo shoots.

The AlUla region is part of the Hijaz area of Saudi Arabia, lying on the ancient caravan routes from Mecca and Medina and up through what is now Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

It is an area of rocky desert interspersed with oases fed from run-off and underground aquifers.

The area became a vibrant cultural spot for many activities in Saudi Arabia. Among the highlight of AlUla's cultural life is the Maraya Hall, the largest award-winning mirrored building ever constructed, which features concerts by big names from the Arab region and the world.

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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Outdoor workers in Bahrain are prohibited from working in open spaces between noon and 4 p.m., the hottest hours of the day, starting today and until August 31. This arrangement helps minimise exposure to extreme temperatures and enables workers to carry out their duties in a safer environment.

The move also means whoever violates the ban will attract stringent penalties, including hefty fines and jail terms. Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan has assured a "zero-tolerance" policy with strict monitoring and enforcement measures.

The violators will face jail terms not exceeding three months, a fine between BD500 and BD1,000, or both. The decision, as stated by Humaidan, reflects the commitment of Bahrain to protect the rights of workers and provide a safe work environment in line with international labour standards.

The ban is already in force in other GCC nations that experience extremely high temperatures, though the timing may vary slightly.

In Bahrain, the move is as per Resolution No. 3 of 2013 to protect the well-being of workers and prevent heat-related illnesses and accidents caused by prolonged exposure to extreme heat that often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

During these two months, outdoor activities such as construction, maintenance work, and other labour-intensive tasks are prohibited to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and other heat-related health issues.

Humaidan stressed the importance of ensuring occupational safety measures to ensure a productive and safe working environment for labourers working outdoors. The ministrys occupational safety inspection teams will conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance and impose penalties on companies that violate the ban or fail to provide adequate protections for their workers during the hot summer months.

They will ensure that establishments are committed to the decision, the minister said, urging employers to abide by the decision for the safety of their workers. The minister also called on companies and private institutions to reschedule working hoursearly in the morning and commencing later in the daywithout affecting the progress of the work.

Humaidan had earlier said that existing projects would not be affected by the ban and would be completed as scheduled.

Saudi, UAE

In other GCC nations, Saudi Arabia extended the noon work ban for three months, starting on June 15 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The UAE has also implemented the ban in mid-June, effective between 12:30 pm and 3 pm, with violators receiving fines between AED 5,000 (around BD513) per worker up to a maximum of AED 50,000 (BD5132).

Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman

Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman started implementing a three-month ban on June 1.
AFP | Paris

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The United States on Friday rejoined UNESCO, which it had quit during the Trump administration, despite opposition from Russia and China.

Former president Donald Trump announced in 2017 that he was pulling the United States out of UNESCO, accusing the body of bias against Israel. The decision took effect in 2018.

An extraordinary session of the UN body's General Assembly on Friday voted overwhelmingly for the return of the United States. A total of 132 members voted in favour, 10 against while 15 abstained.

"It is so important for us to rejoin, to be part of this very very important multilateral organisation," Denise Bauer, the US ambassador to France told AFP.

"We are just incredibly grateful for the leadership that was shown by key members," she added.

Dissenting voices included Iran, Syria, China, North Korea and Russia, whose delegates appeared to be trying to delay the vote through several statements on procedure and amendments.

The United States, a founding member of UNESCO, was a major contributor to its budget until 2011, when the body admitted Palestine as a member state.

That triggered an end to the contributions under US law, leading up to the formal withdrawal announcement six years later.

- 'Actually matter' -

Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture minister who has headed UNESCO since 2017, made it a priority of her term to bring the US back.

"This is a great day for UNESCO and for multilateralism," Azoulay said on Friday.

"Thanks to the momentum it has recovered these past years, our organisation is again moving towards universalism with the return of the United States," she said.

Several member states also expressed satisfaction with the result. Until the suspension of its contributions in 2011 -- the US paid about 22 percent of UNESCO's budget, or $75 million.

But the US Congress, then fully controlled by the Democratic Party of current President Joe Biden, in December paved the way for the United States to restore funding, setting aside $150 million in the budget.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in March that the US absence from UNESCO was letting China write rules on artificial intelligence.

"I very much believe we should be back in UNESCO -- again, not as a gift to UNESCO, but because things that are happening at UNESCO actually matter," Blinken told a Senate committee when he presented the budget.

"They are working on rules, norms and standards for artificial intelligence. We want to be there," he said.

- Not the first time -

The US had already withdrawn from UNESCO in 1984 -- under president Ronald Reagan -- and rejoined the organisation after almost 20 years in October 2003.

"The United States has already withdrawn twice. We're not sure how many more times we're expected to welcome them back," a North Korean diplomat told AFP, asking not to be identified by name.

The US is in membership arrears amounting to $619 million, owed for the period of 2011 and 2018 -- more than the agency's annual budget estimated at $534 million.

Washington will make payments over coming years to UNESCO to cover its debt, the organisation said.

Paris-based UNESCO is the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural organisation.

Its work includes compiling a list of world heritage sites, defending press freedom, promoting sustainable development and running education programmes.

In addition to renewing its regular payments to the organisation, the US has pledged to make voluntary contributions towards education initiatives in Africa, programmes promoting the memory of the Holocaust and the protection of journalists, Azoulay said Friday.
Five-star hotels in Busan and on Jeju Island are 80-90 percent booked as many tourists make their way down to enjoy spring or their honeymoon.

Hotels in resort areas are starting to recover thanks to domestic tourism, but elsewhere they languish in coronavirus-induced misery.

Top chains are going ahead with plans to open new hotels in the south despite the epidemic. Hotel Shilla opens a Shilla Stay, its "boutique" business hotel brand, in a new international township in western Busan. It is the second Shilla Stay in the southern port city after the one in Haeundae, the city's most famous tourist area.

Josun Hotels & Resorts also recently opened boutique Grand Josun hotels in Busan and Jeju, with more suites for honeymooners.

Lotte Hotel Jeju is offering a honeymoon package with champagne and cakes, and its booking rate for April has more than doubled on-year.

An industry source said, "Hotels in Seoul are struggling to stay afloat as nearly no foreign visitors, their main customer base, come to travel due to the pandemic, but in popular tourist cities, business is reviving."
AFP | Kuwait City

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kuwaiti foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned Sweden's ambassador to protest against a Quran burning outside a Stockholm mosque that sparked a diplomatic backlash across the Muslim world.

Under a heavy police presence on Wednesday, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi who fled to Sweden several years ago, stomped on the Quran before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm's largest mosque.

Swedish police had granted him a permit in line with free speech protections, but authorities later said they had opened an investigation over "agitation".

On Friday, Kuwait summoned Sweden's envoy, based in the United Arab Emirates, over the incident, after the UAE, Morocco and Iraq also called in the country's diplomatic representatives.

"The deputy minister of foreign affairs handed the Swedish ambassador an official protest note containing the condemnation and denunciation of the State of Kuwait for the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran by an extremist," the foreign ministry said.

The note also denounced Sweden for repeatedly permitting Quran burnings, the foreign ministry said, after a Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist also burned a copy of the Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January.

The latest incident, coinciding with the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday and the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, sparked anger across the Muslim world.
East Asia Forum - Jul 19

Despite its low birth rates, Japan is struggling with a shortage of teachers. In Japan, a 'teacher shortage' is a situation in which the number of teachers assigned to schools does not meet local quotas. Vacancies occur because it is not possible to secure teachers, even temporarily assigned teachers.
Most Europeans see Russia as an adversary following its invasion of Ukraine, according to a survey of over 16,000 people across 11 European Union member states.

Europeans tend to have a more favorable opinion of China, with a plurality seeing Beijing as a necessary partner.

 Russian 'Adversary'

Two-thirds of Europeans now see Russia as an adversary since its invasion of Ukraine, according to the poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations, or ECFR, which was conducted in April. That's double the figure from 2021, the last time the survey was taken.

"In particular, majorities in Denmark [74 percent] Poland [71 percent], Sweden [70 percent], the Netherlands [66 percent], Germany [62 percent] and Spain [55 percent], think of Russia as an 'adversary' of Europe -- while only 37 percent in Italy and 17 percent in Bulgaria do," the ECFR report said.

 Future Relations

The respondents also were asked about Europe's future relationship with Moscow. "Around half of those surveyed [48 percent] believe their country's relationship with Russia, in the event of a negotiated peace settlement in Ukraine, should be 'limited,'" the report said.

"The only country where a majority [51 percent] of citizens expressed the view that it should be 'fully cooperative' was Bulgaria. Many in Austria [36 percent] and Hungary [32 percent] also supported this view," it added.
A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) says it will mobilise Nigerians for a protest if petroleum marketers jerk up the pump price of petrol to N700 per litre.

Mike Osatuyi, national controller of operations, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), had said the price of petrol could rise above N700 per litre in parts of the north from July.

What I am seeing is around N600 and above, depending on the exchange rate, the current crude price at the international market and the landing cost, Osatuyi told PUNCH.

In a statement on Friday, Basil Yelwa Musa, Haruna Maigida, and Ayo Temi Adebayo, the CSOs convener and co-conveners, said the proposed price increase by IPMAN is not acceptable.

As a coalition of civil society organisations, we are monitoring events and the proposed fuel pump hike to N700 per litre by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) is unacceptable, the statement reads.

If the government derelicts in cautioning the IPMAN, we see it as a deliberate collusion to drive Nigerians into unmitigated difficulties and as CSOs, we will not sit and watch that happen.

We will mobilise Nigerians to a street protest and that should be taken from us.

We watch the removal of fuel subsidy regime by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, and we take the dare consequences as part of sacrifice awaiting when the government would have settled to come up with ameliorative measures for the citizens, but, IPMANs plan to adjust fuel pump price will stoke protests because it isnt in the interest of Nigerians.




President of Guinea- Buissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo says the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) supports President Bola Tinubus efforts to reposition the giant of Africa.





President Umaro, the Chairman Authority ECOWAS Head of State and Government, said this during a private visit to Tinubu on Saturday in Lagos.





He said the economic steps so far taken would not only be for the good of Nigeria but the entire West Africa.





Addressing newsmen after the visit, Mr Dele Alake, Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy to the President, said the visit was strictly private.





It was a meeting between two African brother presidents, and it was very cordial. Of course, the visiting president appreciated the steps taken by President Bola Tinubu within the last one month.





He said he is ready to cooperate with Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu at all times, just as the rest of the world have commended him over his recent policies.





They also spoke of the ECOWAS head of government meeting which is imminently coming up and also spoke on other areas of cooperation, he said.





The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and Alake, among others.





The Guinea-Bissau leader left after the over three hours private meeting.
The police have arrested nearly 1,000 people in France following a protest that erupted ahead of the funeral of a teenager killed by an officer during a traffic stop.

On June 27, Nael, a 17-year-old boy, was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a French town.

The police officer who killed Nael has reportedly been placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, as the government raced to quell the riot that has continued to the fourth day.

Pascal Prache, the state prosecutor, had said a bullet penetrated Naels arm and chest, resulting in his death.

According to him, the officer who shot the teenager said he was scared the boy would run someone over with the car and was motivated by fear of being hit by the vehicle when it started up again, or of seeing his colleague further inside the vehicle injured by the cars movement.

Speaking on the development on Saturday, Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said 994 arrests were made nationwide overnight on Friday, adding that 79 injuries were recorded among the police.

He confirmed that despite the deployment of 45,000 officers to the streets of France, looting and vandalisation of private properties continue.

Meanwhile, Darmanin added that the violence had lessened compared to previous nights, adding that Friday nights violence had been of less intensity.
Abdul-Lateef Adekilekun, an Islamic cleric, says those who kill other people because of blasphemy are acting based on ignorance.

NAN reports that Adekilekun spoke in Ede, Osun state, on Friday.

On Sunday, Usman Buda, a butcher, was killed over alleged blasphemy in Sokoto.

Buda was reportedly stoned to death by an angry mob at the Sokoto abattoir over remarks considered to be an insult to Prophet Muhammad.

The development sparked a heated debate on social media, and many religious scholars weighed in.

Speaking on the incident, Adekilekun condemned the mob action, adding that a lack of proper understanding of the Islamic religion caused it.

He added that although Islam does not encourage blasphemy, the religion has laid down procedures for such cases.

I remember, I read a book, and I was taught in the class exactly 61 years ago where they said anyone who accused Prophet Muhammad should be beheaded, he said.

But that book is neither the Quran nor hadith. It is just a book written by a self-styled jurist. Our problem in Nigeria is ignorance.

Blasphemy in Nigeria is mainly from the northern part of the country, and the cause is ignorance.

You rarely hear of such in the southern part of the country where enlightenment and awareness are more pronounced.

Adekilekun urged the government to blend Islamic-oriented studies with the education system through the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies for a proper understanding of the religion.

Before President Muhammadu Buhari left office, he signed a bill seeking to create a commission to cater to Almajiri and out-of-school children. I want to advise the present administration to encourage awareness of this, the cleric said.

Islam is a religion of peace, and it is very rich. In Islam, you can learn history, arithmetic, among others, but for those who lack adequate knowledge of Islam, they always rely on hearsay in making judgments, he said.

Adekilekun is the grand Mufassir of Edeland and was also installed as the Waziri of Yorubaland by the League of Imams and Alfas in south-west Nigeria.
Critic, Reno Omokri has attacked former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili over his attack on Lagos State Government for demolishing defective structures at Alaba International Market.

Omokri said the same Ezekwesili had remained silent over Fridays protest by hundreds of traders in Anambra against the governments ongoing demolition of their shops.

He said Ezekwesili, who hails from Anambra, has remained quiet, very quiet indeed. Even where those affected included widows.

But when the Lagos State Government was to demolish a few structurally defective buildings, whose owners refused to correct them despite warnings from the Government since 2017, Oby accused LASG of targeting Igbos and asked the Governor to publish a list of the ethnic nationalities of all those whose properties have ever been demolished by the LASG.

Why is Oby silent when things happen in the Southeast and loud when it happens elsewhere? This is the same Oby that has also not condemned the killing of US embassy personnel by unknown gunmen in her state and close to her local government on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

Does that mean she approves of the killings? Would Oby have been silent if this happened in Kano or Bauchi?

According to Omokri, this is the same Oby that danced naked in the streets when Deborah Samuel was burnt to death in Sokoto, but had remained silent till today after a pregnant Northerner from Adamawa, Harira Jubril, was killed in her home state of Anambra by unknown gunmen in broad daylight, with her four underaged daughters, Fatima, 9; Khadijah, 7; Hadiza, 5; and Zaituna, 2.

The same Oby Ezekwesili that rolled on the floor of Aso Rock over #BringBackOurGirls. Yet, Oby never condemned the killing of Ahmed Gulak on May 31, 2021.

Oby will always cover anything that happens in the Southeast and blow out of proportion things that occur elsewhere, he said.

Omokri warned Ezekwesili to just focus on her career as an IPOB apologist and stop gaslighting Lagosians.
The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has debunked reports making the rounds that President Bola Tinubu nominated him for a ministerial appointment.

Netizens have been peddling a report purporting that the former governor was part of those who made the awaited ministerial list.

But the governor, in a statement issued by his media aide, Terver Akase, described the report as fake and misleading, asking members of the public to disregard it.

The statement reads, The attention of the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has been drawn to the speculation on social media that he has been nominated for a ministerial appointment.

We urge members of the public to disregard the report as it is false and misleading.

Chief Ortom deeply appreciates those who have taken time to call and verify the information.




Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February election, has expressed shock over the death of 15 members of Salvation Army Ministry in an auto crash.





Obi disclosed this through his official Twitter handle on Saturday.





Recall that on Thursday, Salvation Army Ministry members died from an accident along the Benin-Lagos expressway.





It was learnt that the unfortunate incident occurred at a bridge across the Ovia River, close to Benin City, the Edo State capital.





Consequently, 12 pastors, a baby and the driver died while others were hospitalized.





Reacting to the accident, Obi commiserated with the bereaved families and the Salvation Army Ministry.





I received with shock the heartwrenching report of a fatal road accident involving members of the Salvation Army. I pray for the quick recovery of the injured. May God grant eternal rest to the dead, he wrote.





Similarly, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, and Akwa Ibom state Governor, Umo Eno condoled with the families of those who died and the Salvation Army Ministry.
Australia on Saturday will become one of the first countries to recognize psychedelic drugs as medicines. In February, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia's medical regulator, sanctioned use of psychedelics for some mental health conditions. Experts agree that psychedelic-assisted therapies in Australia are in their infancy.

Starting Saturday, authorized psychiatrists in Australia will be able to prescribe methylenedioxy methamphetamine -- MDMA, the active ingredient in such party drugs as ecstasy or molly -- to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

They will also be allowed to prescribe psilocybin, a compound found in psychotropic "magic" mushrooms, to treat depression that has not responded to other therapies.

Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Swinburne University in Melbourne, is conducting one of Australia's biggest clinical trials of psilocybin. Preliminary results show significant improvements in some patients' mental health while others have shown no signs of getting better.

Rossell told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that psychedelic therapies research is still in its early stages.

"We have been stuck for very many years in terms of mental health treatments for people with treatment-resistant conditions," she said. "So, the fact that psychedelic medicines do seem to be working for a number of people is fantastic. However, they are not working for some people as well, and that is where I would note a great deal of caution in this field at the moment."
Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says the final report of the European Union (EU) election observation mission in Nigeria on the 2023 polls cannot be relied upon.

Speaking on Friday in an interview on Channels Television, Falana said it smacks of colonial mentality for Nigerians to start celebrating or debating the EU mission report on the elections.

On Tuesday, the EU mission presented its report on the general election in Abuja.

Barry Andrews, the chief observer, said the report was based on the analysis of compliance with Nigerias regional and international commitments for democratic elections.

The observation team said the elections exposed enduring systemic weaknesses that needed to be corrected.

Reacting to the development, the human rights lawyer said the reports by local media regarding the elections were more credible than what the EU election observers presented.

Im very reluctant to speak about the report of the EU observers team because it smacks of colonial mentality for us in this age and time to be celebrating the report of the EU observers, Falana said.

I have found reports in the local media much more credible than the report of the EU. We should not waste our time debating what the EU observers found.

For instance, they were saying that about 97 people were killed. The local media have reported about 137 deaths and that has been confirmed by the human rights community.

I can count other areas that one cannot rely upon.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged the Department of State Services to hasten the investigation into the cases involving the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, and the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.





Emefiele was arrested on June 10 by officials of the DSS over charges surrounding terrorism financing, while Bawa was arrested over allegations of abuse of office.





Falana made the call while featuring on Channels TVs Politics Today programme on Friday night





He said, Under the administration of Criminal Justice Act if youre going to detain a Nigerian beyond 24 hours in places where there are no courts within a radius of 40km{like Lagos and Abuja), youre required to approach a Magistrate court to ask for a remand order to allow for investigation.





Falana said that even if the DSS has obtained a court order to detain Emefiele and Bawa, the order cannot last for long.





The Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged the Nigerian government to handle the cases in line with the provisions of the law to avoid a situation whereby loopholes are exploited.





As far as Im concerned, investigations should be speedily conducted, more so where allegations are made. I do not expect any delay in the investigation of the very serious allegation that has been made, he mentioned.





In the case of Emefiele, the State Security Services last year alleged his involvement in terrorism financing. Please, quickly do something about that. With respect to money laundering and other offences, take them to the appropriate agencies of the government.





In the case of Mr Bawa, we havent been told the offences he committed. I cannot speak very confidently with respect to the gentleman except to ask the government or the agencies involved to speed up an investigation and have them arraigned if they are indicted.





The SAN stressed that if the appropriate legal procedures arent met to keep them in detention, the duo should be granted bail.
President Bola Tinubus Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, on Saturday in Lagos, said President Bola Tinubu is ready to provide leadership on the local and foreign scenes.

Alake said the rest of Africa looks up to Nigeria for leadership.

Everybody is looking up to Nigeria, especially in Africa and the ECOWAS region and President Tinubu is ready to take up the gauntlet, Alake told State House correspondents when President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau visited President Tinubu at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos.

The Director of Information, State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, revealed this in a statement he signed on Saturday titled African Issues: President Tinubu ready to take up gauntlet, says Dele Alake.

Alake said Tinubu recognises that other African nations are taking cues from Nigeria in terms of leadership. Therefore, he is prepared to step up to the challenge of providing a befitting example.

He noted that although both men met privately, President Embalo used the opportunity to express his solidarity and willingness to cooperate with Nigeria under the leadership of Tinubu.

Saturdays visit also allowed Embalo, who is currently the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to reinforce the fraternal relations between the two countries, Alake revealed.

President Embalo commended the laudable policy initiatives of President Tinubu in the last one month and added that everyone in the international community has been commending the giant strides of the Nigerian leader.

He came to pay his solidarity and bond with a brother African head of State, in the first instance, and in particular as a brother Head of State in West Africa, said the Presidential spokesman.

Alake described the engagement as a commendable sign of things to come in the entire West African region.

He said the show of support stems from President Tinubus giant steps in the last one month which, he said, has created a suitable atmosphere and need for Nigeria to take its rightful place in African affairs.

Everybody is looking up to Nigeria, especially in Africa and the ECOWAS region and President Tinubu is ready to take up the gauntlet, Alake added.

On the entourage of the visiting Bissau Guinean leader were his Special Adviser Caramo Camara; Chief of Staff, Califa Soares; Diplomatic Advisor, Alfredo Cabral and Image Operator, Bonifacio Correia.

Those who joined President Tinubu to receive the Guinea-Bissau President included Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila and Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy to the President; Mr. Dele Alake.

President Embalo was earlier received at the Presidential Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, by Governor Sanwo-Olu.T

The visit is part of President Tinubus engagements since arriving in Nigeria from his one-week trips to Paris and London last Tuesday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and his counterpart from Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, have met over the demolition of the Alaba International market.

The meeting which also had the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu in attendance, was held in Lagos yesterday.

Speaking after the meeting, Sanwo-Olu said the meeting was a successful one, adding that issues of common interest were discussed.

The Lagos governor said, The meeting had gone on very successfully, where we discussed issues around a common interest, and especially issues around the demolition of Alaba market.

There has been a lot of wrong information and communication. Our conversation this afternoon has cleared the air and we have seen the need for further collaboration and where wrongs have been expressed we corrected.

A few weeks ago, the Lagos State Government began the process of demolishing distressed buildings in the Alaba International Market in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.

The enforcement team of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, and the Lagos State Task Force embarked on the joint exercise.

The demolition had drawn condemnations from the affected traders and some Igbo groups, who alleged they were being targeted due to the intrigues of the 2023 presidential election.
Santa Claus has come early for Hudson County with over $100 million in funds placed under the tree in the state legislatures budget.

As the legislature finalizes its budget Friday, the county will see millions come its way for projects that include CarePoint Health hospitals, a Jersey City art museum and Hudson County Jails.

The state is designating $24 million to the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority for an art museum, which could mean more state funding for the Centre Pompidou x Jersey City, a vital project for the city in its revitalization of Journal Square. This doubles down on the $12 million the governor originally set aside in his proposed budget in February but also its initial $24 million investment made in the 2022 state budget.

Money for the art museum is the most significant amount put aside for the county and Jersey City. Millions of dollars are expected to be invested in the satellite location for the world-renowned Parisian museum, including up to $30 million in renovations to the Pathside Building, a roughly 110-year-old Journal Square structure the city purchased for $9 million in 2009.

City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione could not be reached for comment.

Some of the other items set aside for Hudson County include:
Here they come on four wheels, or on one or two, converging on towns popping wheelies with dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles. The terrain? The streets of Jersey City, Newark, Atlantic City and other urban centers.

Theyre not supposed to be here, officials say. But here they are  in numbers.

Stunting and stopping traffic, theyre also sparking disputes between local and state authorities over what police can do to stop them.

They seem to especially enjoy taunting local police officers who are limited by directives to deal with these bad actors and do their stated job: keeping residents safe, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said earlier this week.

Citing growing concern, the states top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Matthew Platkin, issued new guidance for police in May for dealing with the local scourge. The guidelines note riders who run afoul of these rules can face fines between $250 and $1,000. It also reminds police they have the authority to impound vehicles.

But, first they have to catch them.

Melham and other mayors complain separate attorney general rules on police vehicle chases have hobbled local cops in their efforts to stop the swarms of off-road vehicles on their city streets. Melham shared a video from a security camera showing about 50 dirt bikes and ATVS cruising down Washington Avenue in Belleville in the middle of the day.

Police, he said, were powerless to stop them.

In 2020, state authorities strictly limited when New Jersey police officers could engage in car chases, citing alarming statistics showing they seldom resulted in arrests and too often caused crashes that injured cops or bystanders. Facing pushback from local officials that the policy was too restrictive and under pressure to curb auto thefts, the attorney general eased those restrictions last year, allowing cops to engage in car chases in more circumstances, though still fewer than pre-2020.

But local officials say the policy is neutering police officers and local departments, who want to perform their constitutional duties. Thats from the text of a resolution passed by the Belleville council this week calling for more changes to the state vehicle pursuit policy.

A spokesman for Platkin declined to comment on the resolution Friday, instead citing the May guidance. But that document makes no mention of vehicle pursuits.

Off-road vehicles are illegal on public roadways except in limited circumstances, and some cities have taken extra measures to discourage their use. Last year, Atlantic City made it illegal for gas stations to fuel ATVs that pull up to the pumps. Jersey City soon followed. Newark recently passed a resolution doing the same and allowing police to destroy vehicles after they confiscate them.

Melham says state intervention is now needed. In personal terms, the Belleville mayor called for Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy to take action.

If dangerous ATVs and dirt bikes were roaring by the governors mansion in Middletown, day and night, you can bet this would be a top issue for the Attorney General, rather than directing our police departments to just blindly stand down, Melham said.

So, because (of) the ongoing issue in Belleville, along with many other suburban and urban communities, I must ask Governor Murphy: Whats the difference?

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S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @spsullivan.
Local officials in Gov. Phil Murphys hometown received a stern rebuke from an obscure but powerful board that hears constitutional challenges to state laws after they sought to have New Jerseys bail reforms declared an unfunded mandate.

Middletown had asked the Council on Local Mandates to toss the 2017 changes to the states bail system, which replaced cash bail with a set-up where judges guided by an assessment algorithm determine whether to lock up someone pending trial.

It declined in a June 27 ruling, calling the townships complaint fundamentally a press release rather than a pleading. The ruling marked the second time the council upheld the constitutionality of the criminal justice reform act that set up the new system.
Rutgers University officials are moving forward with a long-debated proposal to merge its medical schools in Newark and New Brunswick to create one larger school, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Under the plan, expected to go before the universitys Board of Governors on July 10, New Jersey Medical School in Newark and Robert Woods Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick would be combined to become the Rutgers School of Medicine.
Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we prove it every week. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican serving as a senior advisor to Chris Christies presidential campaign, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the weeks events with editorial page editor Tom Moran.

Q. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a legal theory that would give state Legislatures unlimited power to set federal election rules as they see fit, leaving them beyond the reach of even their own state courts. How dangerous was the bullet we just dodged?

Julie: The fact that the court had to weigh in on this legal theory at all is frightening. Can you imagine a world where state Legislatures do not have to answer to any judicial review at all? State Legislatures favoring one presidential candidate over another could rig the election to nullify the will of the voters, and no court could stop them. Had the court ruled a different way, this would have been the end of our democratic system.

Mike: The Court clearly got this right, and it shouldnt be a surprise. I cant imagine any court eliminating the roll of the court in our system of checks and balances. On a bigger point, many thought this Supreme Court would rubber stamp anything brought by GOP Legislatures, and its not doing that. This is just one of several cases where the Court has rejected suits brought by conservatives.

Q. One year after the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, most analysts believe that Democrats have gained a big advantage on the reproductive rights issue. Do you agree? Has the decision drained passion from the pro-life movement?

Julie: It has certainly shaken the complacency from those of us who are pro-choice. Its one thing to hear stories about pregnant women dying a hundred years ago. Its another to see it happening to your own neighbors and know that it can be you, your wife, sister or friend next. The big irony is that Mitch McConnell went out of his way to stack the court with anti-choice justices and that decision may now relegate McConnell to minority status well beyond next year.

Mike: I dont think the passion has waned from the pro-life movement. It has just been finally matched by a pro-choice movement that was complacent and outmaneuvered for decades. On the politics, the election results dont lie. Republicans were on track to winning big in 2022 until the Dobbs decision. And then the pro-choice side won elections in red states like Kansas and purple states like Wisconsin since the decision.

New from @dcoxpolls and me @FiveThirtyEight:



Abortion has been associated w/ white evangelicals for years. They vote on it, organize around it, etc. But post-Dobbs, there are signs that religiously unaffiliated Americans are the new "abortion voters." https://t.co/rnyN3p6Jsy pic.twitter.com/4H9w8SKK7r  Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux (@ameliatd) June 29, 2023

Q. Gov. Phil Murphy hired Randy Mastro, the attorney whose $11 million investigation of the Bridgegate scandal was widely criticized as an expensive whitewash, to represent New Jerseys interests in the congestion pricing debate. Why would the governor do that? Any political impact?

Julie: Were there really no other lawyers in all of New York City the governor could find? There has been endless ink spilled on what a whitewash the Mastro Report was, but there has been much less attention paid to how absolutely sexist its findings were towards Bridget Kelly, the only woman caught up in the Bridgegate scandal. Mastro called her inexperienced compared to the man whom he termed Kellys benefactor, despite the fact that when they both joined the Christie administration, she had two decades of government experience and he had zero.

The same Randy Mastro who spent over $10 million in taxpayer money slut shaming @BridgetAKelly and painting her as an unhinged woman scorned without providing one shred of evidence? That guy? https://t.co/xhoa67m2As  Julie Roginsky (@julieroginsky) June 26, 2023

Julie: But what is most offensive is that Mastro, without citing a shred of evidence or interviewing Kelly or her alleged ex-boyfriend, psychoanalyzed Kellys state of mind and concluded that she, an accomplished professional and a mother of four in her forties, might have shut down the worlds busiest bridge because she was dumped. There was no breathless speculation about any of her co-defendants sex lives, perhaps because men dont tend to stereotype other men as hysterical or emotional.

@MattFriedmanNJ @ryrivard Promoting men who make a living destroying women is unacceptable, especially in a leader of this state. It is disgusting that @PhilMurphy has given Randy Mastro another taxpayer-funded multi million-dollar contract but it is not surprising. 1/3  Bridget Kelly (@BridgetAKelly) June 26, 2023

Julie: Shame on Randy Mastro for producing this sexist taxpayer-funded Harlequin Romance, and shame on Phil Murphy for validating his sexism by throwing more taxpayer money his way. I would have hoped that Gov. Murphy would have learned his lesson about hiring misogynists by now, but he appears to be constitutionally attracted to men who mistreat women like a moth to a flame.

Mike: Randy Mastro was hired because he is tough as nails and knows New York City. He was Deputy Mayor under Rudy Giuliani and is thought of as one of the best lawyers in New York. One doesnt want to be on the other side of Randy Mastro in a legal fight.

Congestion pricing getting spicy as Murphy hires Randy Mastro.The fact that Mastro put my mental state at the center of his report is just inexcusable. Women are still being maligned, still being cast as emotional. None of that was said about any male, https://t.co/66Bs6XvJfx  Tracey Tully (@traceytully) June 28, 2023

Q. The Legislature voted to slash funding for First Lady Tammy Murphys maternal health initiative by more than 90%, from $23.2 million to $2.2 million. The governors office says its enough to get started, but a $20 million endowment to support operating costs was eliminated, and the proposed operating costs were cut by about 30%. What gives?

Julie: Gov. Murphy is a lame duck, and the legislature is intent on letting him know that.

Mike: Two observations. The states been around for 230 years, and the budget increased 50% in just the last six. Thats gross. No wonder voters were mad last election. Secondly, state taxpayers should not be endowing programs no matter how worthy. We are not running a charity here. Lets not give away millions to sit idly in a trust. Good job by the Legislature pulling this.

Tori Bowie's death is a shock to the systema system failing our Black moms & babies.



While we await her official cause of death, we know Black women are at greater risk of the leading preventable cause of death known as pre-eclampsia.



Enough is enough.https://t.co/pzzMiWGnPA  Tammy Murphy (@FirstLadyNJ) June 13, 2023

Q. Turning to the revolt in Russia by the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin: Should we be glad that a tyrant was challenged, and the chaos might help Ukraine? Or terrified at the instability of a country that has more nukes even than we do?

Julie: Prigozhin is a genocidal mass murderer, so rooting for him or Putin was like rooting for the winner of the Iran-Iraq War forty years ago. My fear is that Putin has been humiliated on the world stage and will have no choice but to double down on atrocious behavior towards Ukraine or the West to save face and show that he is still in charge. Regardless, the end for Putin has been clear since he failed to take Kyiv in a week: When a Russian head of state (whether a Tsar like Nicholas II, or a Soviet leader like Mikhail Gorbachev) suffers a humiliating defeat in a war that was promised to be a cakewalk, he does not hold on to power long. The only question is what comes after Putin and whether that alternative is better or worse.

Mike: Julie is the expert on Russia, as you can see. I would only add the instability in a world power is always disconcerting, and this would have been a terrible replacement for Putin. We hope change will come and improve Russias relationship with the rest of the world.

Q. Finally, New Jersey this week became the only state that will not allow drivers pump gas, as Oregon finally jumped ship. Please tell me New Jersey will hold out forever, allowing me to sit on my butt and chill without having to even consider getting out and spilling gas on my hands.

Julie: I have been known to drive on an empty tank of gas like Cosmo Kramer in order to hit the New Jersey border so someone else can fill up my car. Never change, New Jersey.

Mike: I was in Oregon a few weeks ago on a business trip and to my dismay found myself pumping my own gas. Oregon was once the only other oasis of sanity in the gas-pumping world, but I can confirm that it is no longer. Another sad day in the decline of civilization.

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Try not to get self-righteous about a reporter pointing out you're being paid by a billionaire to advocate for development of a state park when you've never disclosed it yourself. https://t.co/1L0MSw4Iac pic.twitter.com/G0gFB7bZkv  Matt Friedman (@MattFriedmanNJ) June 28, 2023

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A note to readers: Mike and Julie are deeply engaged in politics and commercial advocacy in New Jersey, so both have connections to many players discussed in this column. DuHaime, the founder of MAD Global, has worked for Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and President George W. Bush, and Gov. Christie. Roginsky, a principal of Comprehensive Communications Group, has served as senior advisor to campaigns of Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg, and Phil Murphy. We will disclose specific connections only when readers might otherwise be misled.
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The southern port city of Busan is being discovered by foreign tourists thanks to its beaches, pleasant climate and slower pace of life as well as its associations with super boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS.

Credit card spending by foreign tourists there now outstrips Seoul and Jeju Island as individual foreign travelers are guided by Instagram rather than the efforts of the Korea Tourism Organization, which tends to focus on shopping hotspots.

BC Card analyzed credit card spending by foreign tourists from January to May and found that the transaction amount in Busan surged 11.9 times compared to a year ago. Even allowing for the surge since lockdown was lifted, the increase is remarkable among Korean destinations.

Spending by foreigners surged about eight times in Seoul and four times on Jeju Island, while the average increase nationwide was seven times.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low around 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low around 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Anthony Licciardi grew up working at T Leblancs Creole Kitchen, his familys restaurant in Slidell, but he didnt think hed stay in the restaurant business. After serving in the Navy and working in other fields, he decided to give restaurants another try, and worked at Donald Links Butcher. There he learned how to make a variety of Cajun and Italian sausages. Eventually he started making them for his familys restaurant, and now hes gone from starting his Salsiccia pop-up to taking over the kitchen space at Faubourg Brewery. Hell open Parish Third in late July. For more information, visit his Instagrams, @salsiccianola or @parishthirdnola.

Gambit: How did you get into the restaurant business?

Anthony Licciardi: Both of my parents grew up here, and I grew up on the Northshore. They own a restaurant theyve had in Slidell since 1996. Me and my little brother and five sisters worked there while growing up. Its T LeBlancs Creole Kitchen. Its your basic Creole restaurant that caters to the old style of cooking  things like shrimp Creole, muffulettas, po-boys and fried seafood. Theyd do like five specials each day, like stuffed mirliton, barbecue shrimp. Grandma food.

When we were kids, my parents decided to home school us. They pulled me out of school in third grade. We did our school in the morning, and I had to learn to cook and work in the restaurant during the day. At first it was just pot stuff, gumbo, soups, jambalaya and stuff like that.

I spent my entire life saying I would never go into the restaurant business. I did so many different things to try to escape it. I was in the Navy. After that I worked for Starbucks for five years as an operations manager. I worked in film for a while to see if that was for me. It was not. Then I was at Butcher for a while, where I was dipping my toe back in.

Gambit: How did you learn to make sausage?

Licciardi: At Butcher, we did mainly boudin and obviously andouille  we went through a lot of that. I learned a lot about sausage making and stuff.

I didnt really intend to do anything with it when I left. But my mom really wanted me to make some Italian sausage that she could have for the restaurant. I had some extra one day, so I vacuum sealed it and put it in the case (at the restaurant). It sold really quickly.

My mom was like, I know you dont want to, but youre going to have to keep doing this for me for a while. The restaurant is part of the family, so you have to help. I did that and I came up with my own recipe. It went really well.

At Butcher, they had an Italian sausage recipe there, but theyre not Italian. My mom is, so I was like, well have to play with that recipe. I spent months on it, adding stuff, making it a little more St. Bernard. The basic Italian sausage has Italian seasonings and red and black crushed pepper. But you can make it more Sicilian. You add fennel, anise, fresh garlic and a little chili powder.

Gambit: How did you start the pop-up?

Licciardi: I started the pop-up to feature the sausage sandwich. I got such good feedback, I was like I guess I have to do something with this.

The first pop-up was at Petes Out in the Cold. The owner and manager are good friends of mine. I did one at Henrys Uptown Bar, and one at Bid Rips. I was doing once a week at Petes, but with the new restaurant project, I have done my last one.

I was only doing pop-ups to promote the sausage. So I really only did the Italian sausage sandwich. Id cook it in red gravy. Id get Dong Phong French bread loaves, which are fabulous. Id top it with provolone cheese, and I came up with this garlic-Parmesan grinder slaw. I think it sold people more than the sausage itself. People came back and asked if they could buy just the slaw.

I was doing that one item and garlic bread. I wanted to sell the sausage raw at farmers markets.

Then I did a pop-up at Faubourg Brewery, and they have a restaurant space. They asked me if I wanted to take over that space. So I am going to do that at the end of July.

Ill continue to sell Italian sausage, but the concept at Faubourg is going to be a bit different  like my parents place with Creole and Cajun food. But Ill make my own andouille and smoke it there. I plan on playing around with that.

I have been making sausage out of my parents restaurant kitchen. Once I move in at Faubourg, Ill do it there.

Its a pretty nice space. Its going to have to be a big setup. I think Ill have a team of four.

The brewery attracts natives, but it also attracts tourists. So Ill have some things people from out of town want to see, but Ill also have the standards. Its hard to find our dishes in an authentic form here in the city. You have to go to the outer parishes.

At first itll be a limited menu. Ill do a roast beef po-boy and a couple of fried seafood items, muffuletta, gumbo, red beans and rice. Ill throw in some interesting Creole-Italian things you dont see anymore, like stuffed eggplant. Of course, Ill have to do some bar food. Loaded fries, cheese fries, something like that. Well see how it goes.
Simon Baker, the director of the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris, tells of a time that he was looking through a Noyuyoshi Araki catalog with the photographer, when he came across an image of his wife. At that point, the artist exclaimed something to the effect of: In all the time I spent with her, I thought I was photographing love, which was the subject of my work, but now when I look at these photographs of Yoko, I think that love is missing, that somehow I didnt know how to capture it. That demystifying statement by the creator of Sentimental Journey, a visual diary that traces the 19 years in which he obsessively photographed his beloved and for which he has been recognized as one of the earliest and most influential works of autobiographical photography, serves as the introduction to the Love Songs: Photography and Intimacy exhibition catalog. The exhibit is as romantic as it is raw; it invites the viewer to evaluate the potential of photographywhich is inexorably associated with the realfor showing love, which is as invisible and elusive as it is complex and subjective in its definition.

An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins Siena, 1979, by Herve Guibert. Collection MEP, Paris. Christine Guibert / Cortesia Les Douches la Galerie; Paris. An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins Sentimental Journey, 1971, by Nobuyoshi Araki. Collection MEP, Paris. Gift Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. Nobuyoshi Araki / Cortesia de Taka Ishii Gallery. An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins Personal Letters, 2000, by Rong Rong&inri. RongRong&inr An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins From the series Another Love Story, 2022, by Karla Hiraldo Voleau. Karla Hiraldo Voleau The Eye of Love, 1952, by Rene Groebl. Collection MEP, Paris. Rene Groebli / Cortesia Galerie Esther Woerdehof. Angel Zinovieff (Posing not hiding), 2022, by Collier Schorr. Collier Schorr/ Cortesia 303 Gallery; Nueva York. Handbook of the Spontaneous Other (Yellow 5), 2019, by Aikaterini Gegisian. Aikaterini Gegisian Lovers in a Field, 2019, by Clifford Prince King. Clifford Prince King / Cortesia STARS; Los Angeles. Semaphore, 2003, by Sally Mann. Sally Mann / Cortesia Gagosian. An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins

The exhibit showcases 16 artists from different parts of the world who offer different visions of love and desire, all from a personal perspective. The pieces date from 1952 to the present and are structured like a visual playlist, similar to those homemade mixtapes of music that were often exchanged with friends, family and lovers years ago (do some of you remember cassette tapes?). Side A has photographs dating from 1950 to 1990, while side B includes images from 2000 to the present day. The exhibition is a new version of the one staged at the MEP last year. Under the curatorship of Sara Razi, the initiative has been expanded to include the work of five new artists.

The starting point for this exhibit is Nan Goldins observation when her powerful The Ballad of Sexual Dependency was included in a group exhibition exploring voyeurism. The author posited the impossibility of being a voyeur of ones own life. If so, what space do these photographic series offer the viewer for making sense of the intimacies [the artists] share with us? Baker asks. Do the creators invite us to identify with them?

The exhibition offers a wide repertoire of pieces on love and desire, from Rene Groeblis tender and melancholic account of his honeymoon in Paris in Loeil de lamour (1952) to Clifford Prince Kings intimate 2019 photographs, which serve as a paean to freedom through queer Black love in stagings inspired by both real and imaginary moments. Other pieces focus on experiencing love during times of war, as in On War and Love (2006), in which Fouad Elkoury reveals the wounds the war in Lebanon inflicted on his love life and his environment through photographic montages and annotations. Other photographers examine love in times of AIDS, as reflected through the passionate and literary relationship of Herve Guibert with Thierry Juno, who lends his name to the series Thierry (1976-1991).

An image from Caroline Tompkins book Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins

The artists hand can be seen in Aikaterini Gegisians collages that gave shape to her book entitled Handbook of the Spontaneous; it was produced with materials from pornographic magazines and tourist travel catalogs, subverting the mercantilist and fetishist notions with which Western capitalist culture represents pleasure. Collier Schorr casts his eye on performance in the project Angel Z (2020-2021); the camera acts as a third presence, serving as a witness for exploring the figure of the muse. What do you see when I look at you? asks Angel Zinovieff, the photographers partner and collaborator.

Vulnerability is palpable in Motoyuki Daifus Lovesody (2008), which features a young pregnant mother of a two-year-old child who disrupts the photographers mind for six months. Meanwhile, in Proud Flesh (2003-2009), Sally Manns incisive and raw but tender gaze delves into the ravages of disease in love, documenting the progression of her husband Larrys muscular dystrophy in a work that alludes to the dignity and acceptance of old age.

From Karla Hiraldo Voleaus series Another Love Story, 2022. Karla Hiraldo Voleau

This exhibition could not leave out disaffection and revenge. Leigh Ledare asked his ex-wife to allow him to photograph her over four days in a cabin, only to ask her again to repeat the experience later, this time photographed by her new partner, fellow photographer Adam Fedderly. Using this material, Ledare created Double Bind (2010), which poses the comparison of the same situation as seen through two completely different circumstances: a relationship condemned to impossibility, and another one full of promise. Betrayal and deception come to the surface in the autobiographical fiction presented by Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Another Love Story (2021). After discovering that her partner was leading a double life, she hired a model who bore a resemblance to her ex-lover to stage past moments. In this story of lies and things [left] to be said, the notion of the double is central, the artist writes, dispossessed from her own story.

Between fear and desire

When Caroline Tompkins was studying photography in New York, she began dating a college classmate. He regularly photographed her nude and then uploaded her photos to the internet on a Reddit profile, where he pretended to be her without her knowledge. This was the first in a long series of bad experiences that shaped the authors perception of relationships and laid the foundation for Bedfellow, a photobook that probes the relationship between pleasure and danger. It expresses vulnerability through bucolic shots of the American landscape and leeches sliding over a young mans naked torso. Dreaming of leeches means understanding that something is sapping your strength, she confesses in a text sprinkled with humor. [JK1] It helped me to take control of the situation and feel more powerful, to regain control and dignity. When exposing my intimacy, I needed to use humor to feel safe, the photographer explains in a videoconference.

The Eye of Love, 1952, by Rene Groebl. Collection MEP, Paris. Rene Groebli / Cortesia Galerie Esther Woerdehof.

I set out to do a piece on sex and lust in my relationships. Right away, I realized that a lot of the images were pretty scary. Very unsensual. An erect penis might look anything but sexy. I think what fascinates me most are the extremes; on the one hand, sex and love, and on the other, fear and anxiety, says Tompkins. Women carry a lot of contradictions inside us, and something as liberating as loving a man can also mean feeling like his prisoner[JK2] . Even the act of sex itself can be complicated and violent. The two sides of the same coin are expressed when you go on a date and make sure you tell your friend where you are going. With dating in modern life, theres the implication of fear and violencethat changes the meaning of desire.

The publication greets the reader with the first photo, in which the author reinterprets Stephen Shores famous image Michael and Sandy Marsh. In the original, a man looks attentively at the camera while embracing a woman on a sofa; Tompkins inverts it, replacing the man with a young woman, whose expression contains more uncertainties than certainties. I wanted to refer to the anxiety that both men and women can experience. Not all women and men feel the same way, she says. At the same time, she acknowledges that the male gaze still owns objectification. When we see a photo of a man posing like a sexy woman might, we often read it as homoerotic, we dont associate it with a womans desire. Why do sexy photos of men taken by women look different? At least in my experience, sexy photos of men take into account fear, violence, power differences, something that gives them added nuance.

Love Songs: Photography and Intimacy. International Center of Photography. New York. Through September 11.

Bedfellow. Caroline Tompkins. Palm* Studios. 128 pages. 52.

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When Luis Nava and his friend and business partner Leo Vazquez decided to open their own restaurant, La Tia Cantina in Metairie, they knew what they didnt want: a Tex-Mex menu.

Thats not our heritage, Nava says.

Instead, Nava, a self-trained chef with a Ph.D. in economics, wanted the menu to reflect the partners shared connection to the authentic Mexican table and several of its regional cuisines. Nava is from Colima, south of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco on the Pacific coast, while Vazquez hails from the capital, Mexico City, an increasingly popular destination for American tourists.

La Tia Cantina & Taqueria Where 4517 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, (504) 354-8570; latiacantina.com When Lunch and dinner daily How Dine-in Check it out Taqueria favorites and Mexican regional specialties

Unafraid to introduce unfamiliar flavors and ingredients to customers who may have dropped in looking for an enchilada combo, the duos intent is clear. We hope to redefine what Mexican food is in New Orleans, Nava says.

The pair are celebrating their restaurants first anniversary in July. They worked together for eight years, both in New Orleans and on the Northshore, before venturing out on their own. They named their place to honor Navas late wife, who was affectionately known as Tia.

La Tia stands alone in the sea of taquerias that have sprung up locally in the past five years. Although it has outstanding versions of crowd-pleasing dishes like fajitas and quesadillas, a curious diner can look beyond to dishes less familiar to Americans.

One showstopper is the Jalisco-style brontosaurus-sized short rib, a bone-in, 24-ounce monster that is braised for 12 hours. Chip away at the salted crust to get to tender strands of meat, paired with a smoky tomato and guajillo chili sauce, served with spring greens, Brussels sprouts tossed in morita pepper vinaigrette and warm corn tortillas. At $44, its the menus big-ticket item, but it is easily shareable for two and worth every penny.

Another stand out is chamorro, a rustic, Mexican-style osso buco that lassoes the hearty flavors of achiote and other chili peppers and spices with stellar results. It is served on top of black bean puree with roasted potato wedges. A sauce based on the cooking jus is poured tableside.

For fans of Oaxacan food, this is an ideal place to get your mole on. The complex, smoky slow-simmered sauce embellishes savory chicken enchiladas crusted with Mexican cheeses and a drizzle of crema.

The slow-grilled fish dish pescado zarandeado is made with local redfish, smothered in chili, fried garlic and adobo, and presented with smashed pan-fried potatoes and salad.

Familiar dishes like tamales and flautas are uncommonly good. The deconstructed pork belly tamal layers chopped spinach and cheese with bites of confit belly, dressed with mole sauce, micro greens and pickled radishes. Flautas are filled with confit brisket and topped with house-made salsa verde and Cotija cheese.

Anthony Licciardi's Parish Third will offer Creole and Italian dishes at Faubourg Brewery Anthony Licciardi told Gambit about getting into the restaurant business, learning to make sausage, and starting his Salsiccia pop-up.

The taco plates are offered with fillings such as suedero (beef brisket), dynamite slow-roasted queso birria with dipping jus, pit-grilled pork pastor, tempura-fried cauliflower, carne asada and lengua, which is thinly sliced marinated beef tongue. Many of the same fillings are available in tortas  Mexican sandwiches on ciabatta bread, topped with vegetables, avocado and pickled radishes.

House-made wontons are filled with carnitas, fried and served on a pool of mole with pickled onions and micro greens. For an appetizer, queso bubbles with three Mexican cheeses, best enjoyed with the addition of house-made chorizo. Aguachile Mazatlan cures fresh shrimp in a tangy green chili and citrus marinade, elegantly presented with dots of avocado crema.

We cook traditional, the way that grandma did, but with fine culinary technique, Nava says.

Ulysses Campos, a trained chef, matches the kitchen with his command of the bar and attention to fresh ingredients, innovation and details. He left California to join the team, creating a cocktail menu that channels myriad Mexican flavors and ingredients.

His inventive list, inspired by the Mexican card game La Loteria, includes El Corazon, a brilliant mezcal and chili liqueur blend made with fresh hibiscus and pineapple. El Soldado combines tequila, Cointreau, fresh cucumber, lime and mint. Campos makes all the syrups and tinctures himself.

We want to please our customers always, Vazquez says. But we want to surprise them too.
The national organization conducting the search for the New Orleans Police Departments next chief declined an invitation Friday from two city council members to provide a public update on the search at a July council meeting.

In a response to Council President JP Morrell and Council Member Oliver Thomas, Carl Maupin of the International Association of Chiefs of Police said appearing at a council meeting could make it seem like the council is trying to influence the search process.

Although the Councils invitation is understandable, nonetheless, IACP is concerned that its appearance before the Council before the entire project is complete and finished could be construed or misunderstood as an unacceptable intrusion into the process or interference in the process, and IACP respectfully is determined to avoid such an outcome, Maupin wrote.

Instead, the group did provide some demographic information on the 33 candidates that applied for the position. It is unclear why that number is more than the 27 people Cantrell said applied for the job in a statement Thursday, as the application window closed June 23.

According to IACP, the vast majority (28) of the applicants were male, with only five women applying. All but seven were from out of state, with only four of the applications from within NOPD. More than half (19) had a masters degree, while three had law degrees and two had PhDs. One did not have a college degree, and the rest had a bachelors degree.

An assessment center for qualified candidates will be held within the next few weeks, Maupin said.

In a response letter, Morrell expressed disappointment that IACP has refused to regularly update the council and the public on the search, saying that the desire for updates was rooted in transparency and accountability.

Unfortunately, what has unfolded so far is a process shrouded in secrecy, he said.

So far, IACP has only been reporting to Mayor LaToya Cantrells office. Cantrell ultimately will get to choose her nominee to be the citys new police chief, but under a new city rule, the council will ultimately have to approve that selection.

It is regrettable that IACP has determined it only needs to report to the executive branch, and not to the city as a whole, or to its residents who are most impacted by their work, Morrell said.
A man accused of executing a couple as they sat in a truck parked in a Marrero driveway pleaded not guilty in the case Thursday.

Michael Harris, 34, of Terrytown, was indicted June 22 on two counts of first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, Jefferson Parish court records said.

Authorities allege Harris shot and killed his acquaintance, David Sumera, 36, and Sumera's girlfriend, Alexxis Eymard, 26. Investigators used DNA, surveillance video and cell phone evidence to link Harris to the killing, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Writer and screenwriter Maria Duenas in a recent photo. CARLOS RUIZ

Almost 15 years have elapsed since Maria Duenas, 59, became a literary star, one of those rare and infrequent stories of sudden and phenomenal publishing success that today can be counted on the fingers of one hand. After four successful novels, the late-blooming writer has now taken an uncommon leap: Duenas has become a creator of original content for television, as well as an executive producer. On July 7, the Miami-based, Spanish-language streaming platform ViX will premiere her first original series, The Artists: First Strokes.

From her summer home in Cartagena, in southeastern Spain, where she has gone to relax after an intense season, Duenas attends to the global media in a long day of video interviews. She has just a few minutes to enthusiastically explain this new project that, she says, was offered to her by the Isla Audiovisual production company and which she did not hesitate to accept.

The plot of The Artists: First Strokes is fluid, simple, agile and entertaining. Its first episode lays the foundation for what will happen in the other nine. Cata, a specialist in Mexican art who is fed up with her job as a low-paid waitress in Madrid, teams up with Yago, a mischievous and seductive client looking to make easy money by passing off simple paintings as great works of art to the new rich. The stars are Ximena Romo and Maxi Iglesias, a handsome couple with a lot of onscreen chemistry. They are joined by the veteran actor Francesc Garrido, who plays an inspector specialized in counterfeit art who will make life difficult for the duo. As often happens with Duenas characters, however ambiguous they may be, the viewer comes to hope that things will turn out well for them.

Ximena Romo and Maxi Iglesias on the set of The Artists: First Strokes. ViX

The series brings the Spanish tradition of the picaresque novel to the 21st century, with much more humor than the author uses in her novels. She wanted, she says, a lighter feel. She also wanted the action to take place between Spain and the Americas. As she explains, both she and her partners started from the initial idea of making a production from Spain with Hispanic ambition. The scenes were shot in Madrid, Marbella, Toledo and Miami and feature a Mexican character. I have an enormous fondness for Mexico. It is a landscape that I know well, that I visit very often, where I also have many readers. It hasnt been strange to me at all.

The idea of basing the story on the world of counterfeit artworks and commerce was present from the start. When we started to put it together, to articulate it, ViX stepped up. They liked the idea from the beginning, says Duenas, who explains that this project is part of a larger agreement by virtue of which the platform has first pick of the works that Duenas plans specifically for audiovisual creations. In the case of books, rights are managed differently. This is an open agreement for a few years. I am generating ideas and they are watching. The truth is that for me it is a very different adventure, very gratifying, and I am delighted with the trust that they are placing in me.

In other words, Duenas now has two jobs, or three if you add that of producer. For her, though, they are like two different lanes where she tests her way of thinking, writing and managing her time. It is gratifying for those of us who work alone a lot, because in the end you are with yourself 24 hours a day, sometimes for months. With this line of work it is the opposite, youre always working as a team, always with people and everyone is rowing in one direction, but each one is contributing their views. And thats why its very rewarding.

Duenas, who has a PhD in English Philology and is a professor at the University of Murcia (she was tenured shortly before publishing her first novel, the immensely successful The Time In Between), has a strict method. As a writer I am very structured, methodical. I come from the world of academia, I worked for a long time with a curricular design, with planning, and I took that with me to the world of literature, of course. To write each of my novels, I have to be clear from the beginning about where I am going to go with it, what is going to happen, always with a margin of flexibility to play with. But lets say that the backbone is very well drawn from the beginning. I brought a bit of that baggage from the literary world. It fits quite well with my procedures.

Ximena Roma in her role as Cata in The Artists: First Strokes during the filming of the series in Miami. ViX

In addition, the writer acknowledges, collaborating on the adaptations of her novels for Spanish television (Antena 3 turned The Time in Between into a successful series in 2013; Temperance had 10 episodes on Amazon Prime in 2021) gave her a leg up in the process. She came to understand that audiovisual production does not work like a novel, where you can change the characters, period and setting to the authors liking. Literature puts up with it perfectly, of course. Now I know that an audiovisual production must be clear. Now I know that if Im in one place and I want us to go to the beach and then to a cabin in the mountains, it costs money, she explains.

As an executive producer, she is forced to take an interest in finances. Its part of the agreement, she acknowledges, but its something that we writers are also getting into, having a broader participation. I think the way in which the industry engages us has changed a lot. Before, we simply sold the rights, but now I think we are more appreciated, because in a certain way we have shown that we can be constructive, that we can contribute something positive, not only in the scripts but in issues related to production. It is not that we are involved in everything every day, but we can have ideas and contributions.

She is not on set every day, she confesses. For The Artists: First Strokes, she spent only one day on set. She has been in direct connection and has made decisions related to the plot, the locations, the props, but from the outside. I go once and get out of the way, for their own good and for mine, she laughs. I like to be controlling. I am always very aware of everything, so you have to have confidence in the team. They have constantly kept me updated, of course, the connection has been very fluid in every way. But my place is behind the scenes.

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It is hard to predict the jobs of the future, thirty years ago who would have thought that most children would want to become social media content creators, or that more and more of us would be working from home.

This makes preparing the next generation for successful and fulfilling careers all the more difficult, however over the last couple of weeks I have seen for myself just how diverse the opportunities in North Devon are.

I visited Swimbridge Primary School and met with Year 6 who had all written to me about what they would like to see in their curriculum. They had a range of ideas from the practical such as money management, cooking and even survival skills, to wanting to learn more about climate change and its impacts.

The Government has been working to introduce climate change to curriculums since 2021 and by the time this cohort are taking their GCSEs they will be able to study the new subject Natural History, and gain knowledge and practical experience of organisms and environments.

It was great to be able to listen to and answer all of their questions on these subjects directly, and if any other primary school in North Devon would like to get in touch, I am more than happy to come and visit.

I also attended Marine Futures Day at Petroc College, with an abundance of wind and a strong tidal range the south west has the potential to be the UK leader in renewable technologies.

As we work towards Net Zero, developing floating offshore wind (FLOW) in the Celtic Sea will provide the UK with 5GW of energy by 2030, and this development will bring with it varied and interesting careers as part of the green industrial revolution.

It was fantastic to meet with so many people already working in the industry keen to share their experiences, and the many young people learning about FLOW.

The University of Exeters Green Futures Programme also offers an opportunity for young people to study ground breaking courses in renewable and sustainable fields. I met with Stuart Brocklehurst, Director of Green Futures, in the House of Lords at the launch of their business outreach project, to hear about how Green Futures is working with businesses to bring more investment and jobs to Devon and the south west.

Following on from the spectacular Armed Forces Day event organised by The Veterans Charity I asked the Minister for Defence

People, Andrew Murrison, what the department is doing to develop skills in rural areas. Here in North Devon at Chivenor and Arromanches we are home to units which specialise in key areas of logistics, engineering, and marine technologies, so I was glad to hear that the Ministry of Defence remains committed to their wide range of apprenticeships which prepare young people for careers both inside and outside of our armed forces.

I also met with Pippa Moy from Braunton Academy who was taking part in the UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme.

I hope more teachers in North Devon are able to participate in the free three day course: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/session-workshop/uk-parliament-teacher-ambassador-programme/.

I am also happy to welcome work experience students to both my Barnstaple and Westminster offices, so please do get in touch if you or someone you know is interested.

Learning never stops and for those that are interested in developing their maths skills and it is great to see that Devon County Council are rolling out the Government funded Multiply scheme, aimed at helping adults without a GCSE or O Level in Maths.

You can find out more at https://www.devon.gov.uk/economy/employment-inward-investment/devon-multiply-grant-scheme-2023/.
Hong Kong: Deputy secretaries celebrate July 1

Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong and Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, enjoyed July 1 dining discounts at a North Point restaurant and celebrated Hong Kong's return to the motherland with members of the public today.

Enjoying the festive atmosphere, they learnt that citizens welcome the special offers provided by different quarters of the community as led by the Government.

To celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has taken the lead to roll out a series of special offers with support from various sectors.

Nearly 1,500 restaurants are offering 29% discounts or other incentives for the public to share the joy of this special occasion.

This story has been published on: 2023-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A visitor at the British Museum in front of part of the Parthenon Sculptures on January 9 in London. DANIEL LEAL (AFP via Getty Images)

The history of art is one of plunder. Tens of thousands of objects have been stolen, looted or ripped from their places of origin, especially by Europeans during the colonial periods of the 18th and 19th centuries. But young activists have now emerged to rectify that. They are pressuring major European and North American museums to review the provenance of their works and return what does not belong to them. It should be noted that this new ethic has not appeared out of thin air. [Its just that] the public protests of current generations are yielding absolutely impressive results, says Alfredo Jaar, a New York-based Chilean artist, whose work is exhibited in MoMAs permanent collection. He adds that these young people are very informed and aware of the links between art and politics.

In an era of misinformation, these young people are demanding reparations from history and their governments. There is a generation of young people who are rethinking how culture is preserved, disseminated and transmitted, reflects Manuel Borja-Villel from Brazil, where the former director of the Reina Sofia Museum is preparing the Sao Paulo Biennial. The major change comes from understanding that history is no longer written in a linear narrative that goes by the traditional canons. We have to understand what curator Borja-Villel calls moments of memory. Who writes them? The three major pillars are Afro-descendants, indigenous people and feminists. In other words, peoples who have been plundered.

Europe has not yet fully understood what it means to give back. For example: In Berlins Humboldt Forum museum, which opened in 2020, there are huge signs that read: Stolen works, traded for genocide and the fruit of plunder. It is an honest initiative, but the signs are written by Germans themselves, not the plundered population! Young people decry the fact that the discourse continues to be Eurocentric, despite some attempts to move the conversation back to where it belongs.

Despite some good intentions, reparations are painstakingly slow. Six years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly called for the return of African heritage during his state visit to Burkina Faso. The French administration has finally presented an 85-page report written by the Louvres former director Jean-Luc Martinezwho is under indictment, accused of illegally trafficking Egyptian antiquities with its homonymous museum in Abu Dhabiin which it plans to study the restitution requests from eight countries. The most striking one is the return of the Benin Bronzes (which the British Army looted from Nigeria in 1897), which are scattered among different European and American institutions.

Younger generations have found a reason to lead these struggles. Young people of color, in particular, have played a crucial role in putting the issue on the table, observes Sarah Van Beurden, an expert on postcolonial Africa at Ohio University. Perhaps the most extraordinary part is how climate activism, feminism and Black Lives Matter (BLM) claims are intertwined with a movement that would seem removed from their demands.

Young people are asking themselves how culture is preserved, transmitted and disseminated. Manuel Borja-Villel, curator

Restitution is a social change driven by historical memory, injustice and technology. Communication is instantaneous and movements are created within hours. Why are these looted works being denounced today but not before? Because until now, Western morality legitimized certain forms of plunder and theft. These days, social media users denounce very quickly, says Bartomeu Mari, an independent curator.

The Parthenon Sculptures, which were created between 447 and 432 BC and adorned the Parthenon, are at the center of these changes. Many were destroyed during the siege of 1687. But in the nineteenth century, the British Lord Elgin used a chisel and a hammer to remove some parts of them (Greece belonged to the Ottoman Empire then). In the process, he broke all the rules of archaeology, which Greece considers illegal. Since 1816, the pieces have been on display in the British Museum. The Greeks have been fighting to get them back for decades. In 2021, the English statistical firm YouGov asked 7,717 British adultsincluding young peopleto whom the Parthenon Sculptures belonged. 59% answered Greece while only 18% said the UK. Its not just a couple of amphorae; its a matter of national identity.

The British Museum seeks a temporary, rotating system of displaying the friezes between the two countries. But Greece opposes any joint proposal with the word loan. Socially, the UK stands alone. Without the awareness of young people, including the English, this worldwide movement to restore the [Parthenon Sculptures] would have been impossible, observes Greek politician Yanis Varoufakis. This has consequences. The British [Museum] is an old building. It is 170 years old and in need of repairs. The budget is about 1 billion pounds. But its sponsors are going to deny it this amount as long as British kids threaten to boycott the institution for holding the friezes hostage, avers the former Greek finance minister.

Historical memory, universal justice

Young people, especially those in the United Kingdom, have already displayed their strength by removing the BP oil company from the Tate. At the beginning of June, under a protective orange New York sky (the result of hundreds of fires in Canada), several dozen youths from Reclaim Our Future and Culture Unstained demonstrated against MoMA board chair Marie-Josee Kravis, whose husband Henry Kraviss venture capital firm KKR invests in fossil fuels (according to Forbes, he has a personal fortune of $7 billion. At the protest against the New York museum, protesters shouted, We need clean air, not another billionaire!

This new way of understanding the world closes the circle of restitution like a barbed wire fence (after all, it is another social awareness movement). Separating the people who thwart justice from those who pursue it is achieving restitution. The Vatican (under Pope Francis), Sicily and Austria have returned several fragments of the friezes. Young people have succeeded in bringing restitution to the intergenerational population. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is clear: This is of enormous importance to us, he told Artnet News.

Elena Foster, the founder and CEO of the Ivorypress publishing house, recalls firsthand the welcome speech that First Lady Mareva Grabowski delivered to open the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in Greece in May. She gave a direct and courageous defense of the need for restitution. It is a question of universal historical justice that responds to objective principles of ethics and aesthetics, the editor emphasizes.

Young people applied a lot of pressure. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Getty (California), the National Gallery and the Horniman (London), the Museum of Mankind, the Army Museum and the Louvre (Paris), among others, are all analyzing the provenance of their collections. The kids are raising a banner: No more neocolonialism in museums.

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A film festival is coming to the Memorial Opera House in downtown Valparaiso.

The Beverly Shores Depot Museum & Art Gallery, a museum and art gallery in a historic but working South Shore Line station in the Duneland, will present the Film Fest at the Crossroads at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 104 Indiana Ave. in Valpo.

The film festival will screen several documentary films about Northwest Indiana, followed by discussions with the filmmakers. It's being produced by Bonnie Hawksworth.

It is gratifying to connect communities and nonprofits to spread the artistic wealth of our region and benefit overall quality of life, Hawksworth said.

Board President Suzy Vance said the Beverly Shores Depot Museum & Art Gallery is thrilled to showcase these films bringing to life the rich and dynamic fabric of our region, along with the knowledge and talent of the filmmakers and local experts."

"We hope that this collaboration with Memorial Opera House will be the first of many," she said.

The screenings will include a special short preview of "Walkable USA: Sneak Peek," a film by Tom Desch about the efforts of city planner Jeff Speck to help Hammond revitalize its downtown by making it more walkable.

"Calumet: The Regions River" was directed by Sam Love and Raymar Brunson. It explores "the industrialized heart of the Calumet watershed in Indiana, along the branches, canals and wetlands of the Calumet River system." The Gary artists look at the river, pollution, environmental racism, barriers between class and race and public access.

"The Erosion Project" was directed by Jonathan Jackson. It chronicles how all-time high water levels on Lake Michigan hit Beverly Shores hard with erosion, leading the town to protect the lakefront and road from Lake Michigan's destructive effects.

Tickets are $25.

For more information or tickets, visit memorialoperahouse.com.
PORTER  A 44-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries when she was shot Friday by a 17-year-old carjacker, who then led officers on a high-speed chase before crashing and being thrown through the windshield, according to police.

The woman was transported to a Chicago hospital for treatment, while the teen was treated locally for minor injuries and then taken to the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said.

The teen had just been released from custody in Illinois on a charge of armed carjacking, Porter police Lt. Dan Dickey said.

Lake County police responded just before 7:30 p.m. to the 2900 block of Dekalb Street in New Chicago for a report of the carjacking and shooting, Martinez said.

A preliminary investigation revealed the womans Nissan Sentra had been stolen by a male suspect believed to be 17 years old, he said.

Dickey said that not long after his department learned of the carjacking and shooting, the stolen vehicle was picked up by a license plate recognition camera as heading east on U.S. 20 near Ind. 49.

A Porter police officer working in the area of U.S. 20 and County Road 500 East spotted the eastbound vehicle, clocked it at 75 mph and then watched it accelerate to more than 120 mph when a traffic stop was attempted.

As the suspect attempted to negotiate a curve just east of Railroad Avenue, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wooded area, Dickey said. The suspect was partially ejected through the windshield and asked officers for help.

Portage man given 3 years for injuring county security guard can potentially reduce that term Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer also approved a request from the victim for restitution of $716 to cover lost wages and approved a plan for transferring Tidwell's $500 cash bond toward that fee.

The teen was taken to the hospital for an evaluation before being turned over to New Chicago police.

The Lake County Sheriffs Department Crime Scene Investigation Team reportedly assisted in the incident and took possession of the stolen vehicle.

Porter police are seeking felony charges of resisting law enforcement and theft of a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor reckless driving and never receiving a license, Dickey said.

Porter police were unaware of what charges the teen faces in Lake County.
GARY  Anthony Titus has worn a Gary Police Department patch for the past 31 years. Now he has a police chief's badge.

The Gary native was sworn in Friday as the city's top cop. He selected James Bond, former commander of Supportive Services, as his deputy chief of police.

"To the men and women of the Gary Police Department, 31 years I've worn the exact same patch you wear," Titus said before the swearing-in ceremony. "If there was blood to be spilled, we spilled it together, if there were tears to be cried, we cried them together. Whatever your struggle was, it was intimately intermingled with mine.

"This is our chance to stand as those who swore to serve and protect and show our community the type of leaders we can be. This is absolutely a new day for us."

Titus's appointment comes after a nine-month nationwide search, a 1-year partnership with the Indiana State Police, and a wholistic look at how the Gary Police Department functions.

The city has struggled with turnover in the chief's job. Brian Evans served as interim chief for more than two years when Richard Ligon resigned after a six-month tenure. Ligon was Gary's 11th chief since 2006.

Mayor Jerome Prince said he and Deputy Mayor Trent McCain realized that the city needed to address weaknesses within the structure of the department before appointing a new chief. They called Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter and in April 2021 announced that the agencies would be partnering.

Jerry Williams, ISP's assistant chief of staff for logistics, began working out of the Gary Police Department, reviewing standard operating procedures, internal organizational structure, investigating procedures, training, evidentiary inventory and fiscal accountability.

In January 2023, the city ended the search for a chief and announced that Williams would take over as interim chief until July. He was tasked with assessing Gary police officers to determine who his successor should be.

Williams quickly promoted Titus from lieutenant of training to commander of patrol and then to deputy chief.

"I was looking for somebody who didn't wear a watch. What I mean by that is, I wanted somebody who was committed to the process, no matter how long it took," Williams explained, adding that Titus "is that individual who will roll up his sleeves and get to work no matter who is watching."

Williams said Titus was one of the three finalists identified by the original police chief search committee. When the city launched the search last spring, it received 74 applicants.

Over the past six months, Williams said, Titus and the rest of the command staff averaged 17-hour workdays, with no overtime.

Titus, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, joined the department in 1992. He has a bachelor's degree in public safety management and a master's in public administration. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

As a longtime member of the force, Titus said he's already seen how partnering with ISP has changed the department.

One of the most visible outcomes of the partnership came last summer when a stock of 17 ordinances went to the Gary Common Council for consideration. The ordinances update the hiring, firing, promotion and disciplinary processes within the department, as well as the duties of the police chief. After ample discussion, a few contentious meetings and some compromises, the ordinances passed, although two were combined.

Addressing the council, Williams said: "You guys challenged us, you questioned us and you made us get better throughout this process."

Many of the ordinances hoped to make the department more efficient. New officers began to be hired in March. The hiring process, which usually has lasted nine months to two years, will likely be complete around mid-July, Williams said.

Indiana State Police also helped Gary PD pursue grant funding. Over the next few weeks, the department will receive $1.5 million in new technology, including body cameras, license plate readers and laptops.

Although the formal partnership between ISP and Gary PD has ended, Carter said state police will always be a resource for the city. Two troopers will remain on the new homicide task force, which is run by the Lake County prosecutors office. The nine-member Lake County Prosecutors Homicide Task Force includes officers from Gary PD, ISP and Indiana Excise Police.

Prince thanked the Lake County prosecutor's office and Gov. Eric Holcomb for supporting the "historic" partnership. He also said it will be "important to establish continuity" as the city prepares for a change in leadership.

Prince was unseated by state Sen. Eddie Melton in the May primary. Melton will compete against Republican Andrew Delano at the Nov. 7 general election. However, Gary has historically been a Democratic stronghold.

Prince said he and Melton have been in talks regarding the leadership transition and the future of the Gary PD.

Titus was joined by a team of supporters, including his parents and his 11-year-old nephew, who had the honor of pinning the chief's badge to Titus's uniform.

"To the men and women of the city of Gary, listen, I know this isn't something that's said often, but we absolutely love you," Titus said. "There is no us against them, there's only us."

Titus's command staff includes Ed Gonzalez as commander of investigations, Sam Abegg as commander of special operations, Sam Roberts as commander of supportive services, and Mark Davis as commander of uniformed services.

PHOTOS: Gary names new police chief Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD Indiana State Police press conference regarding their partnership with Gary PD
The city of Hammond did not have legal standing to file a lawsuit last year seeking to prevent the permanent closure of the downtown Franciscan Health Hammond hospital, according to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

In a 3-0 ruling, the appellate court said Friday that the potential impact on the citys business reputation or public safety costs due to the shuttering of the former St. Margarets Hospital was an insufficient basis for Hammond to challenge Franciscans decision to close the facility.

The appellate judges also rejected Hammonds claim that it was acting on behalf of its 80,000 residents who would suffer negative effects from the hospital shutting down.

The city of Hammond lacks standing to bring this case because any alleged injury is speculative and not directly traceable to Franciscans conduct, the court said.

The appeals court had cleared the way for the hospital to close at the end of 2022 by halting enforcement of a preliminary injunction issued by Lake Superior Judge Bruce Parent directing the hospital to remain open for at least the first nine months of this year.

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. sought the injunction on behalf of the city after he claimed that Franciscan reneged on a promise to maintain an emergency room and eight-bed hospital at its downtown location after Franciscan announced Nov. 3, 2022, that it instead would close entirely on New Years Eve because of a declining patient count and high staffing costs.

Hammond still can ask the Indiana Supreme Court to reconsider the appellate ruling and reinstate the injunction.

Gallery: Get to know these new Indiana laws that took effect July 1 AirTags Alcohol permits Animal facilities Annexation Book bans Bullying Charter schools Child molesting Childrens hospitals Domestic violence Drinking water Electric/hybrid vehicles Encroachment FAFSA Financial literacy Firefighting equipment Food and beverage tax Gender-affirming care Gary schools Gasoline tax Human trafficking Illiana Expressway Inmate gender Insurance fund Juror pay Juveniles Lake County convention center Lake County recorder Landlords Little Calumet River Lost farmland Machine guns Mail-in ballots Mental health Military bases Military pay Pension investments Public health School board elections Service animals Sex education SNAP assistance Speed cameras State comptroller Storage units Tax sales Taxpayer receipt Teachers unions Throwing stars Transit Development District 21st Century Scholars Valparaiso lawsuit Xylazine
VALPARAISO  Memorial Opera House Executive Director Scot MacDonald has turned in his notice.

He announced his resignation on Facebook, noting that he is leaving Aug. 11 to become director of Theatre Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Im sad to leave Valparaiso and the colleagues that have become dear friends, but I am so excited for new opportunities, and I look very forward to working with a new team of storytellers and colleagues, he said.

Im honored to say the least and look forward a bright future not only in North Carolina, but for the team here in Valparaiso.

Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, is a longtime supporter of the opera house.

When Scot and I started working together, the opera house was bleeding out, she said. He and his staff have turned it into a venue that is bursting at the seams with events, programs and education. He's poured his heart and soul into expanding the arts in Porter County. I am going to miss him dearly. Charlotte is very lucky to have him.

Among MacDonalds accomplishments has been to bring the Penguin Project to Indiana. That program provides a theater experience to children and adults with disabilities.

MacDonald told the story of how he came to the opera house.

In 2006, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the cast of Mame, and I found a place and a group of people that made me feel safe and welcome. I volunteered off and on for six years and then I was asked to join the staff as a part-timer. A little bit later I moved to full time, and when it was time, I moved into the position of executive director.

It hasnt always been easy, but it has always been incredibly rewarding. Our team has strived to tell stories that ring true and to be welcoming to everyone who comes through our doors. Theres a certain magic about the building, and that doesnt follow one person.

The 1893 Memorial Opera House has been the subject of controversy in recent years, with the County Council and Board of Commissioners stalemated on necessary renovations and a potential addition to connect to the 1860 sheriffs residence next door.
Someone who could be celebrating Independence Day with all the fireworks instead has nothing  and probably doesn't even realize it.

A winning Powerball ticket purchased on or before New Year's Eve in Northwest Indiana expired Thursday with no one claiming the $150,000 prize.

Hoosier Lottery officials confirmed to The Times that the ticket sold for the Dec. 31, 2022, Powerball drawing at Speedway, 9299 Broadway in Merrillville, was not turned in for payment at Indianapolis lottery headquarters before the 180-day deadline.

As a result, instead of going home with the ticket-holder, the $150,000 will remain in the prize pool for future payments to other winners, lottery spokesman Megan Wade-Taxter said.

The lucky ticket matched four of 18-37-44-50-64, and the Powerball, 11, to win $50,000. But the purchaser also opted for a "Power Play"  tripling the value of the prize.

The odds of winning a $50,000 Powerball prize are 1 in 913,129. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.

Wade-Taxter said the lottery encourages all players to carefully check their tickets against the winning numbers before disposing of their tickets.

This is the second Powerball ticket to go unclaimed in a week: A $50,000 winner purchased in Gary for the Christmas Eve drawing never was presented for payment.

Gallery: Get to know these new Indiana laws that took effect July 1 AirTags Alcohol permits Animal facilities Annexation Book bans Bullying Charter schools Child molesting Childrens hospitals Domestic violence Drinking water Electric/hybrid vehicles Encroachment FAFSA Financial literacy Firefighting equipment Food and beverage tax Gender-affirming care Gary schools Gasoline tax Human trafficking Illiana Expressway Inmate gender Insurance fund Juror pay Juveniles Lake County convention center Lake County recorder Landlords Little Calumet River Lost farmland Machine guns Mail-in ballots Mental health Military bases Military pay Pension investments Public health School board elections Service animals Sex education SNAP assistance Speed cameras State comptroller Storage units Tax sales Taxpayer receipt Teachers unions Throwing stars Transit Development District 21st Century Scholars Valparaiso lawsuit Xylazine
Those of us whove had to squeeze our way through crowds at national parks recently can attest how hugely  and annoyingly  popular the parks have become. The pandemic turned a Klieg light on natures allure, so much so that 44 parks set visitation records in 2021, according to the National Park Service. And, given the upward trajectory of 2021s visitation numbers, its safe to say greater numbers are likely to be seen in many parks this year.

In some cases, reservation systems or timed entries for vehicles at peak hours have been implemented to deal with the crowds.

But even the most popular parks have hidden gems and entrances that arent clogged with traffic. With a little planning, those hitting the road to see the misty inlets of Maines Acadia National Park or the plunging waterfalls in Californias Yosemite should be able to find some serenity to go along with those heavenly sights.

Packing a little patience, along with water, snacks and sunscreen, will go a long way. The N.P.S.s new app helps with snags, offering real-time updates on road closures, long lines, weather and a portal for park-related reservations, including lodging. It also has hiking suggestions, audio tours and downloadable maps.
The union representing some 160,000 television and movie actors said on Friday night that it would continue contract negotiations with the major Hollywood studios and streaming services, extending the current deal  which had been set to expire at midnight  through July 12.

The decision is a welcome reprieve, at least for the moment, for a beleaguered Hollywood, where a writers strike has entered its ninth week with no end in sight. A second strike by the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, the industrys largest labor organization, would essentially shut Hollywood down.

Should the actors go on strike, they and writers would be together on the picket lines for the first time since 1960. The actors last went on strike for a significant period in 1980, when they were out for three months.

The unions president, Fran Drescher, appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Thursday to promote a new project and, when asked if the two parties were making headway, said: In some areas we are. In some areas were not.
Background

The medical measure would forbid hormone treatments, puberty blockers and gender-transition surgery for people under 18.

The other two bills would restrict what teachers can discuss in class on the subject of gender, and limit the ability of transgender and nonbinary students to have school personnel refer to them by pronouns that do not match the sex listed on their birth certificates.

The transition-care ban took a bumpy road to the governors desk. One attempt to pass the bill failed in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee because a Republican lawmaker and pharmacist, Fred Mills, voted against it. Proponents tried again in a different committee, where the bill advanced.

Why It Matters

Proponents of the ban on transition care say it is meant to protect children from treatments that are risky and unproven, and have long-term consequences for the patients. More than 20 Republican-led states have pushed through legislation restricting rights for transgender youth and adults, with nearly of all of those states enacting comparable bans on transition care.

Several federal judges have either temporarily or permanently blocked enforcement of some of those laws, citing, in part, concerns about the constitutionality of targeting that specific type of medical care.

Mr. Edwards, who had vowed to block his states bills, argued that they would harm a small population of young people who are uniquely vulnerable. In a pair of notices vetoing the school-related measures, he urged lawmakers to show compassion toward transgender youth and warned against putting in place what he described as discriminatory and flawed policy.

But Mr. Edwards, the only Democratic governor in the Deep South, saved the most disdain for the ban against transition care. In an unusually lengthy six-page letter to senior lawmakers, he wrote that the measure was so blatantly defective on so many levels that brevity is impossible.

I believe that time will show that this veto was not just an exercise in compassion and respect for transgender children and their parents, but it was also the only legally responsible action to take because it is what is constitutionally required of me, he concluded.

Whats Next

All three bills passed the Republican-dominated Legislature by margins wide enough to override the governors veto. But the legislative session ended recently, so that cant happen right away.

Under Louisiana law, the lawmakers could reconvene after about 40 days for a special session to consider overriding vetoes.

Lawmakers did not hold an override session last year, even though Mr. Edwards had vetoed more than two dozen bills, and it remains unclear whether they will this year. But several Republicans, including those eager for their party to reclaim the governorship next year, have signaled that there may be enough support to override this recent slate of vetoes.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.
The lack of dollars in its central banks international reserves forced the government of Argentina to make an unprecedented decision this Friday. For the first time, it met a payment obligation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Chinese yuan worth the equivalent of one billion US dollars, with a further $1,7 billion disbursed in Special Drawing Rights, considered the IMFs currency as it is a reserve asset made up of a basket of the worlds main currencies.

This is the first time that the Alberto Fernandez administration resorts to freely available yuan from the currency exchange with China to pay the international organization. This money was intended to finance imports from the Asian country, but officials had already anticipated that it could be put to other uses.

The payment of the June maturities was made without using dollars but SDRs [special drawing rights] and yuan, the Economy Ministry, headed by presidential hopeful Sergio Massa, said in a statement. The IMF confirmed the transaction. The international organization accepted this form of payment while negotiations to restructure Argentinas debt continue.

The Argentine team has asked to reformulate goals agreed with the IMF in 2022 given the impossibility of meeting them due to the impact of the worst drought the country has seen in decades. The countryside is the nations main economic engine and losses due to the lack of rain are running into $20 billion by the latest count.

The negotiations are taking place in the middle of an election campaign, with Massa in the double role of Minister of Economy and pre-candidate of the Peronist movement for president. The country will hold primary elections on August 13 and general elections on October 22.
Oklahomas attorney general said on Friday that a sheriff who was caught on a recording as other county officials discussed killing journalists and Black people would not face criminal charges but suggested that the governor endorse another candidate in the next election.

The attorney general, Gentner Drummond, said in a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt that he had not found evidence that the sheriff of McCurtain County, Kevin Clardy, had committed a criminal act or found any legal grounds to remove him from office.

There are countless examples of incidents from across the country where public officials make inflammatory comments that spark severe condemnation, Mr. Drummond wrote. Regardless, there is no provision of law in Oklahoma to throw elected officials out of office merely for saying something offensive.

Mr. Stitt, a Republican, had called in April for the resignations of Sheriff Clardy and three other county officials who were part of the recorded conversation: a sheriffs office investigator, Alicia Manning; the county jail administrator, Larry Hendrix; and a county commissioner, Mark Jennings.
The U.S. Coast Guard apologized on Friday for covering up scores of documented sexual assault and harassment cases that took place at the services academy, and failing to properly investigate or discipline those accused in dozens more cases over a span of nearly two decades.

The nature of the incidents, which took place between 1988 and 2006, was disclosed to the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Committee last week during an informal briefing, according to two Democratic senators who sent a letter on Friday to the Coast Guards commandant, Adm. Linda L. Fagan, demanding more details.

According to Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington, the panels chairwoman, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, an internal Coast Guard review called Operation Fouled Anchor determined that 62 incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment either took place at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., or were committed by cadets during those years.

Those cases may only be part of the problem. According to the letter, Coast Guard officials told senators during the briefing that their internal inquiry had yielded another 42 cases of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that were never properly investigated. The letter said officials also revealed what Ms. Cantwell and Ms. Baldwin called a history of leaders who discouraged survivors from filing formal complaints or otherwise disclosing their assaults.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who often speaks of his blue-collar roots, is now a millionaire, thanks to a $1.25 million book deal that he signed with HarperCollins in anticipation of his run for president.

Mr. DeSantis saw his net worth skyrocket to $1.17 million by the end of 2022, up from roughly $319,000 in 2021, according to a financial disclosure filed on Friday with the Florida Commission on Ethics. The governors memoir, The Courage to Be Free, was published in late February as a prelude to the presidential campaign he announced in May. It became a New York Times nonfiction best seller, with more than 94,000 copies sold in its first week. (Literary reviews were less kind.)

Before declaring that he would run for president, Mr. DeSantis took a series of trips around the country to meet local Republicans and promote his book. And so my book, I think its out there, just so you know, No. 1 book in America for nonfiction, a smiling Mr. DeSantis said at one such stop in Iowa this spring. Theres a lot of people that arent happy about that, I can tell you.

Mr. DeSantis, a former congressman, had seen his personal wealth hold relatively steady in the years since he was first elected governor in 2018. At the end of that year, he reported his net worth at around $284,000.
More than 22 years after Al Qaeda bombed the U.S.S. Cole and nearly 12 years after a prisoner was first charged with plotting the attack, a judge heard final arguments Friday on a fundamental question in the pretrial phase of the case: Can the accused bombers confession, after years in C.I.A. custody, be used against him?

The judge, Col. Lanny J. Acosta Jr., acknowledged that potentially relevant information was still being given to defense lawyers in the case, but he said it was time to resolve a key obstacle in the long wait for the death-penalty trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Colonel Acosta will retire from the Army in September and has been determined to wrap up a portion of the pretrial phase focusing on the legacy of C.I.A. torture.

In closing arguments, he confronted several issues straight on, including whether what the C.I.A. did to the defendant  waterboarding him, depriving him of sleep, holding him nude in solitary confinement  constituted torture or cruel and inhuman treatment.

I do not concede that at this time, replied Edward R. Ryan, a prosecutor from the Justice Department.
Even as he denounced the Supreme Court ruling striking down his student debt forgiveness program and blamed Republicans for going after it, President Biden said Friday that his administration would start a new effort to cancel college loans under a different law.

The law Mr. Biden cited, the Higher Education Act of 1965, contains a provision  Section 1082 of Title 20 of the United States Code  that gives the secretary of education the authority to compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or any right of redemption.

Some proponents of student debt relief had proposed that the Biden administration invoke this law as the basis of the presidents original loan cancellation program. In February 2021, for example, a group of Democrats including Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, introduced a resolution urging that step.

But as the Covid-19 pandemic swelled, the Biden administration instead used a law giving the secretary of education power to waive or modify federal student loan provisions in a national emergency. (A law passed by Congress to address the pandemic, the HEROES Act, may have made that route more attractive to policymakers, because it also exempted some agency actions from the usual rule-making and notice-and-comment processes.)
Conservatives who have moral and theological objections to gay marriage saw the Supreme Courts decision on Friday as reassurance that they would be able to assert their beliefs in a public square that they see as increasingly hostile to them.

In a 6-to-3 vote, split along ideological lines, the justices agreed with a web designer in Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages, despite a state law that forbids discrimination against gay people.

If the government can compel an individual to speak a certain way or create certain things, thats not freedom  its subjugation, said Brent Leatherwood, the head of the Southern Baptist Conventions policy arm, in a statement after the ruling. He described the decision as having granted freedom to all Americans to speak consistently with their beliefs, even when those beliefs are deemed culturally unpopular.

According to polling from 2021 by the Public Religion Research Institute, majorities of most major religious groups  including Catholics, Jews and Muslims  oppose allowing small-business owners to refuse to serve gay and lesbian people on religious grounds. Notable exceptions include white evangelical Protestants and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and prominent vaccine skeptic who is challenging President Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, reported an income of $7.8 million in the year leading up to his entry into the race, including nearly $1.6 million from his consulting work for a personal injury law firm known for litigation against pharmaceutical companies.

The details came in a financial disclosure form filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. It shows that Mr. Kennedy earned $5 million at his environmental law firm, Kennedy & Madonna, and a $516,000 salary and bonus as chairman and chief legal counsel of Childrens Health Defense, a nonprofit group he formed that has campaigned against vaccines. (The disclosure says he has been on leave from the organization since April, when he announced his campaign.)

Mr. Kennedy, a leading skeptic of vaccinations and prescription medications, has gained a foothold in the race even as he has contorted facts about vaccine development and public health authorities and increasingly embraced conservative figures and causes.

His support among Democrats has reached as high as 20 percent in polls, although a more recent Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll in June put his Democratic support in New Hampshire at 9 percent. He has also appealed to prospective voters outside the party: A Quinnipiac University poll in June found that 40 percent of Republicans viewed him favorably, compared with 31 percent of independents and 25 percent of Democrats.
The decision also appeared to suggest that the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people, including to same-sex marriage, are on more vulnerable legal footing, particularly when they are at odds with claims of religious freedom. At the same time, the ruling limited the ability of governments to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

The justices split along ideological lines, and the two sides appeared to talk past each other. The majority saw the decision as a victory that safeguarded the First Amendment right of artists to express themselves. The liberal justices viewed it as something else entirely  a dispute that threatened societal protections for gay rights and rolled back some recent progress.

In an impassioned dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the outcome signaled a return to a time when people of color and other minority groups faced open discrimination. It was the second time this week that the justice summarized her dissent from the bench, a rare move that signals deep disagreement. Appearing dismayed, Justice Sotomayor spoke for more than 20 minutes.

This case cannot be understood outside of the context in which it arises. In that context, the outcome is even more distressing, she wrote in her dissent. The L.G.B.T. rights movement has made historic strides, and I am proud of the role this court recently played in that history. Today, however, we are taking steps backward.

President Biden called the courts decision disappointing in a statement released Friday.

Im deeply concerned that the decision could invite more discrimination against L.G.B.T.Q.I.+ Americans, Mr. Biden said in the statement. More broadly, todays decision weakens longstanding laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations  including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith, and women.
It helps to have someone who is above politics and can bring people together, said Chris Patten, a longtime political leader who is now formally Lord Patten of Barnes.

A May poll found that 62 percent of people in Great Britain favored remaining a monarchy, compared to 28 percent who preferred a republic. Young people were somewhat less enthusiastic about royalty than older people, but that has been true for decades: As they age, Britons appear to become more pro-monarchy.

A monarch is not the only option for a nonpolitical head of state. Germany, Israel and other countries have non-royal largely ceremonial heads of state who can stand for harmony above the fray. President Isaac Herzog of Israel tried to do that this year to promote compromise, preserve democratic norms and calm the mass protests in Israel; he warned that the conflict could even lead to civil war.

But even the nonpolitical presidents like Herzog are often former politicians and dont seem to have the healing power of monarchs. King Charles declined to be interviewed (when I requested time with him, I think his staff giggled). But Ive occasionally interacted with other members of his family and with royalty in other countries  and its funny how even we Americans go weak-kneed over even a measly duchess or, say, a Tongan king.

When Japan gave up fighting in 1945 to end World War II, many in the Tokyo government bitterly opposed the decision. It was perhaps only Emperor Hirohito as the revered leader of Japan who could convince the army to stand down, even if his speech announcing surrender was royally elliptical: The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japans advantage.
From the very start, Americans proposed amendments. After the Declaration of Independence was issued, on July 4, 1776, Lemuel Haynes, a 23-year-old Massachusetts man who was the son of a Black father and a white mother and who had fought in the Continental Army, copied out its opening lines on a manuscript he titled Liberty Further Extended. And then he wrote an amendment: An affrican has equally as good a right to his Liberty in common with Englishmen: Consequently, the practise of slave-keeping which so much abounds in this land is illicit. (I have left all sources in their original spelling.)

The demand for amendability came from ordinary Americans who insisted that their constitutions be revisable, to rectify the errors that will creep in through lapse of time or alteration of situation, as one Massachusetts town meeting put it. When Massachusetts sent a constitution to voters for ratification in 1778, they rejected it by a margin of almost five to one, mainly because, as one town complained, We dont find any sufficient provision for any alteration or amendment of this Constitution, except by the legislature itself, whereas, it appears to us, at least, of the highest importance, that a door should be left open for the people to move in this matter, because without such a door the only way people would be able to change the government would be commotions, mobs, bloodshed and Civil War.

Amendment is a constitutional mechanism necessary to avoid insurrection. The U.S. Constitution was itself an act of amendment, written in 1787 because the Articles of Confederation were technically amendable but, for all practical purposes, not. At the constitutional convention in Philadelphia, the Virginia delegate George Mason, pointing out that everyone knew the Constitution that they were drafting was imperfect, argued that amendments therefore will be necessary, and it will be better to provide for them in an easy, regular and constitutional way than to trust to chance and violence.

But Americans ought to think more expansively about the history of those amendments. In April 1788, Hugh Henry Brackenridge, who had served in Pennsylvanias ratifying convention and would go on to serve on the states Supreme Court, mocked the Constitutions critics, who refused to ratify it without the promise of amendments. The Constitution lacked a bill of rights, they pointed out. So what? Brackenridge asked. It also didnt specify that the president of the United States shall be of the male gender, but did that really need spelling out? What shall we think if, in progress of time, we should come to have an old woman at the head of our affairs? What security have we that he shall be a white man? What would be the national disgrace if  a vile Negro should come to rule over us? These possibilities were, to Brackenridge, absurd. Amendments to clarify these points were as unnecessary as a bill of rights. The original meaning of the Constitution was plain, Brackenridge insisted. Thats what originalists think, too.

The rejected Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork once explained how originalists think about the Constitution and the historical record. If someone found a letter from George Washington to Martha telling her that what he meant by the power to lay taxes was not what other people meant, that would not change our reading of the Constitution in the slightest, Bork wrote. Seemingly more irrelevant are constitutional opinions that might have been expressed, for instance, in a letter from Martha to George, or in any evidence left behind by any of the more than 300 people held in human bondage at the Washingtons plantation in Virginia. But Americans are descended from all of those people, and if the courts are going to claim to be ruled by history, the justices ought to consult a broader and more democratic historical record.
The autopsies of five civilians allegedly killed by the military in unclear circumstances in the Mexican town of Nuevo Laredo on May 18 offer new insights into an incident that EL PAIS has been investigating through analysis of video footage and testimonies provided by the soldiers involved.

The forensic and mechanical injury studies, part of an investigation by the Attorney Generals Office (FGR) to which this newspaper has had access, show that the civilians sustained a total of 14 bullet wounds. Four out of the five died from the bullet wounds, one of them in the hospital. The fifth, while also wounded by the gunshots, died from injuries caused a few minutes earlier when the pickup truck they were traveling in at high speed crashed into a wall following a chase.

Although the events date back to May 18, the case made headlines on June 6, when this newspaper released video footage from a supermarket security camera in which the military appeared to shoot at the five unarmed men, who had been placed against the wall. The men were all alleged members of a criminal gang and soldiers are seen removing weapons and tactical equipment from the crashed vehicle, including a Barrett .50 caliber rifle capable of piercing through armor.

Despite images in which at least three soldiers are observed shooting at the five men, the expert reports concluded that the injuries on the bodies were consistent with the account of events given by the military officer in charge of the operation, Lieutenant Jose Luis N. In his report, he stated that the five men had died after being shot by their own colleagues who were attempting to rescue them, resulting in a shootout between gang members and soldiers.

In the report, of which this newspaper has a copy, the lieutenant stated that he and his men were disarming the civilians when the latters colleagues showed up and began shooting at them in an attempt to rescue their own personnel. The military responded with gunfire of their own. Meanwhile, the detained civilians were trying to recover their weapons, according to this version of events. When the shooting was over, the soldiers realized that four of the five detainees were dead and one more was in critical condition as a result of the crossfire.

But the fact that the five civilians suffered gunshot wounds while the soldiers remained unscathed raises questions about the claim. The trajectories of some of the bullets are also inconsistent with this account: one man, Jorge Antonio Colector Pineda, received a single shot in the top of the head. The coroner who signed the reports indicated in all cases that the shots were fired from a long distance, although the exact number of meters is not determined.

The report offers information about the deceased. The youngest was 23 years old and the oldest, 37. Clinton Alex Bucha, who died in the hospital, was originally from Honduras and lived in Nuevo Laredo with his partner. The rest were Mexican, two from Nuevo Laredo, one from Veracruz and one from Guerrero. All of them were covered in tattoos featuring skulls, marijuana leaves and the names of meaningful people in their lives.

When the case came to the attention of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, he avoided talk of an undeclared war in the territory and instead supported the theory of an isolated event. Trying to distance himself from the two previous governments, under whose terms there were dozens of cases of extrajudicial killings, torture and forced disappearances perpetrated by members of the Navy and the Army, Lopez Obrador usually frames such cases as one-off mistakes.

The case made waves in Nuevo Laredo, not because of the possible executions, but because of the number of alerts it generated on social media that day. The street action that ended with the car crash and the alleged killings rocked the south of the city. In videos shared on social media, local residents are seen lying on the ground, sheltering from the bullets.
PARIS  Im a fully grown adult, but my mother still seems nervous whenever I leave the house, Djigui, one of the thousands of protesters who took to the streets on Thursday afternoon in Nanterre, a working-class suburb of Paris, told me. I can hear the crack in her voice when she checks to make sure I have my ID card or just says, Watch out.

In Nanterre, on Tuesday, this concern turned out to be a matter of life and death. Nahel M., a 17-year-old male of Moroccan and Algerian descent, was fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic stop, setting off a countrywide revolt over police violence and racism. Over the past several nights, protests have erupted in spectacular fashion. From Toulouse and Lille to Marseille and Paris, groups of protesters have sacked police stations and looted or vandalized scores of businesses, hurling Molotov cocktails and setting off barrages of fireworks at public buildings and the riot police. Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested.

The anger shows no sign of abating. The killing of Nahel M.  which to many appeared more like a summary execution  exposed the most extreme form of the police violence that has long targeted communities of color in France. Its also acted as a catalyst for the discontent simmering throughout the country. For President Emmanuel Macron, it was another blow to his authority, as he was forced once again to confront a France on fire.

Still, the killing of Nahel M. might have ended up as little more than a secondary news item. Early press accounts portrayed the police officers as acting in self-defense, shooting an erratic driver willing to plow through officers to escape custody. This version of events would have placed the officers under the protection of a 2017 law, passed by Mr. Macrons predecessor, Francois Hollande, that loosened police restrictions on the use of firearms in cases where a driver refuses to stop at an officers order. (This law has been cited as one cause of an uptick of fatal police shootings in recent years, which have risen to a peak of 52 deaths in 2021 from 27 in 2017.)
The unusual powers of the American Supreme Court have unusual effects on all its members, but especially on whichever justices hold the balance of power: Their role fits especially uneasily with the letter of the Constitution and modern democratic norms, evoking more ancient forms or concepts  the Roman censor, the Greek archon, Platos philosopher-king.

Three figures have occupied and sometimes shared this role over the last two generations, and each has brought a different mind-set to the work.

Sandra Day OConnor, drawing on her background as an elected official, often seemed to regard herself a canny intuiter of the American middle ground, constantly seeking political balances and settlements.

Then Anthony Kennedy, who shared the role with OConnor and stood alone after her retirement, seemed to favor the philosopher-king model, issuing sweeping judgments based on his distinctive libertarianism, often written in the style of a papal bull.
On my fourth birthday, my father found me at the bottom of the pool, sharing air supply, or buddy breathing, with a family friend; I was having my first scuba experience.

Ive been diving ever since, and on expeditions to some of the most remote parts of the globe, since age 7. As an adult, Ive led teams to dive with orcas and great white sharks, to the North Pole and to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, and to live underwater for 31 days. Ive piloted submarines and have even built a sub that looked like a shark. The journey has been full of gratifying experiences as well as challenges  some of them painful.

My grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, was a pioneer of ocean exploration who, over many decades, engaged millions of people around the world in sharing his passion. He contributed to the invention of many of the tools he needed  scuba, submersibles, submerged habitats, underwater cameras and more  because he saw the need for innovation to learn and explore. He would frequently cite a quotation, In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught. That belief fueled his insatiable drive to go beyond the known, and to push the boundaries of comfort and routine.

I dive into the unknown because the ocean is unique, magical and mysterious. It sustains all of life on Earth. In the endless void of space, our fragile blue planet harbors virtually all life that we know, cherish and depend on. The ocean is Earths life support system, without which we cannot exist. There is no other known planet that can sustain our species. It is a miracle of nature that we are here.
It wasnt until watching the show that I realized that all the close male friendships I had in my 20s have sort of fallen away. I still text and DM with those friends, but I see them in person maybe once a year. Gone are the days of playing Tetris Attack for hours or going to see art house movies at grimy cinemas. I have had a veritable harem of office husbands over the years, including one who wrote about our difficult-to-replace bond, but Im not out on the town with them after work hours. My husband has similar relationships with his opposite-sex friends.

I have some fairly obvious theories about why old hetero married people, especially ones with children, have trouble maintaining these kinds of relationships. Much of it is practical; when you have young kids at home, there just isnt much time for in-person socializing, so theres some triaging going on. If I see my best girlfriends for dinner more than once a month, its a miracle. Theres also a lot of sex segregation that happens when you have kids, which I wrote about last summer in a piece about why moms tend to do most of the household scheduling. Among other things, dads often feel uncomfortable giving a strange woman their email, even to coordinate for a kids birthday party, because they feel it might come off as inappropriate.

Part of this perception is because opposite-sex friendships are so new, historically speaking. As William Deresiewicz wrote in an essay for Times Opinion in 2012, Friendship between the sexes was more or less unknown in traditional society. Men and women occupied different spheres, and women were regarded as inferior in any case. Platonic friendships between men and women only became commonplace in the 1960s and 70s, after men and women began to meet on more equal terms in the classroom and in the workplace, Deresiewicz argued.

But part of the perception that there might be something untoward going on between heterosexual, opposite-sex friends is grounded in psychological reality. Aleksandra Szymkow, who is an associate professor and the head of the Center for Research on Biological Basis of Social Behavior at S.W.P.S. University in Warsaw, told me that its a consistent finding in the academic literature that many opposite-sex friends feel some sexual attraction to each other.

For single people, there is a robust friends-to-lovers pipeline. According to a paper published in 2021 in Social Psychological and Personality Science, In a meta-analysis of seven samples of university students and crowdsourced adults, two-thirds reported friends-first initiation, and friends-first initiation was the preferred method of initiation among university students.
The Opinion Video above is about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian warlord who led a short-lived rebellion in Russia last week. The mutiny stunned the world, but it was a rebellion foretold. For months, Mr. Prigozhin, who commanded a totally ruthless mercenary force and is himself a product of the Russian kleptocracy, had been an unrestrained critic of the Russian military command, unleashing raw and candid critiques via his Telegram account. For reasons that are still not entirely clear, Russias leader, President Vladimir Putin, had allowed Mr. Prigozhin to hammer away at the Kremlin, which is particularly astonishing given how many of the governments critics have wound up either imprisoned or dead.

Heres a selection of Mr. Prigozhins sharpest criticisms of Russias military leadership and the nations faltering war in Ukraine. The mercenary chief is a thug, and the brutal militia under his command has been accused of committing numerous atrocities. But that does not detract from the fact that he was the primary source of real information about the war for many Russians, and that much of what he said was true. Seeing him say it is remarkably powerful.
The Supreme Court has sided with a Christian graphic designer who refuses to create wedding websites for gay or lesbian couples. The result comes as little surprise. Writing for a six-justice conservative majority, Neil Gorsuch said that Colorados anti-discrimination law violates the designers right to free speech because the state seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance.

The decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis is the latest in a long-running battle between religious business owners and states seeking to protect the L.G.B.T.Q. community. In 2018, the court faced a similar question when a Colorado baker violated the same anti-discrimination law by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. The court ruled in favor of the baker on narrow grounds, ducking the broader free speech question.

Now it has addressed that question in a ruling that is deeply significant. More than 20 states, including New York and California, have anti-discrimination laws like Colorados. By creating a free speech carve-out from these laws, the courts ruling threatens to obliterate a vital tool in efforts to protect the L.G.B.T.Q. community at a time when it faces hatred and violence.

In both this case and the case involving the Colorado baker, the plaintiffs were represented by lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom, which describes itself as protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights and Gods design for marriage and family.
Everybodys quick to see a cannibal. The Romans thought the ancient Britons feasted on human flesh, and the British thought the same about the Irish. Not a few prehistoric finds have been attributed, evocatively if not accurately, to the work of ancient cannibals. In 1871, Mark Twain commented on the discovery of the bones of a primeval man who purportedly had been made a meal of by his peers: I ask the candid reader, Does not this look like taking advantage of a gentleman who has been dead two million years?

In todays scholar-eat-scholar world of paleoanthropology, claims of cannibalism are held to exacting standards of evidence. Which is why more than a few eyebrows were raised earlier this week over a study in Scientific Reports asserting that a 1.45-million-year-old fragment of shin bone  found 53 years ago in northern Kenya, and sparsely documented  was an indication that our human ancestors not only butchered their own kind, but were probably, as an accompanying news release put it, chowing down on them, too.

The news release described the finding as the oldest decisive evidence of such behavior. The information we have tells us that hominids were likely eating other hominids at least 1.45 million years ago, Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History and first author of the paper, said in the news release. There are numerous other examples of species from the human evolutionary tree consuming each other for nutrition, but this fossil suggests that our species relatives were eating each other to survive further into the past than we recognized.

The discovery of a portion of the presumed victim threw into relief one of the questions that keep paleoanthropologists up at night: When do marks on a bone indicate cannibalism? Or, put another way, How much premodern evidence is needed to prove a modern theory?
On a muggy June night in Greenwich Village, more than 800 neuroscientists, philosophers and curious members of the public packed into an auditorium. They came for the first results of an ambitious investigation into a profound question: What is consciousness?

To kick things off, two friends  David Chalmers, a philosopher, and Christof Koch, a neuroscientist  took the stage to recall an old bet. In June 1998, they had gone to a conference in Bremen, Germany, and ended up talking late one night at a local bar about the nature of consciousness.

For years, Dr. Koch had collaborated with Francis Crick, a biologist who shared a Nobel Prize for uncovering the structure of DNA, on a quest for what they called the neural correlate of consciousness. They believed that every conscious experience we have  gazing at a painting, for example  is associated with the activity of certain neurons essential for the awareness that comes with it.

Dr. Chalmers liked the concept, but he was skeptical that they could find such a neural marker any time soon. Scientists still had too much to learn about consciousness and the brain, he figured, before they could have a reasonable hope of finding it.
At 11:12 a.m. on Saturday, the Euclid spacecraft launched into space on its mission to chart the history of our universe as far back as 10 billion years ago.

The space telescope, built by the European Space Agency, will use its instruments to record more than a third of the extragalactic sky over the next six years, creating the most accurate three-dimensional map of the cosmos to date.

Researchers plan to use Euclids map to explore how dark matter and dark energy  mysterious stuff that makes up 95 percent of our universe  have influenced what we see when we look out across space and time.

Euclid is coming at a really interesting time in the history of cosmology, said Jason Rhodes, a physicist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory who leads Euclids U.S. science team. We are entering a time when Euclid is going to be great at answering questions that are just now emerging. And I am certain that Euclid is going to be fantastic for answering questions we havent even thought of.
Mr. Tinchev shook his head. Alexa had dropped the r in party, making the word sound flat, like pah-tee. Too British, he concluded.

The technologists are part of a team at Amazon working on a challenging area of data science known as voice disentanglement. Its a tricky issue that has gained new relevance amid a wave of A.I. developments, with researchers believing the speech and technology puzzle can help make A.I.-powered devices, bots and speech synthesizers more conversational  that is, capable of pulling off a multitude of regional accents.

Tackling voice disentanglement involves far more than grasping vocabulary and syntax. A speakers pitch, timbre and accent often give words nuanced meaning and emotional weight. Linguists call this language feature prosody, something machines have had a hard time mastering.

Only in recent years, thanks to advances in A.I., computer chips and other hardware, have researchers made strides in cracking the voice disentanglement issue, transforming computer-generated speech into something more pleasing to the ear.

Such work may eventually converge with an explosion of generative A.I., a technology that enables chatbots to generate their own responses, researchers said. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard may someday fully act on users voice commands and respond verbally. At the same time, voice assistants like Alexa and Apples Siri will become more conversational, potentially rekindling consumer interest in a tech segment that had seemingly stalled, analysts said.
The Government of Luis Arce has authorized two more companies, one Russian and one Chinese, to extract lithium from the Bolivian salt flats, which contain 21 million tons of the mineral, the largest lithium brine deposit in the world. We are not going to allow political matters to hurt the economy of Bolivians. Today [June 29] we signed two important agreements with Uranium One Group JSC, from Russia, and Citic Guoan, from China, Arce wrote on a social network, alluding to the censorship of one of his ministers by a parliamentary front that included the traditional opposition and the new opposition made up of supporters of former President Evo Morales.

The companies with which Arce signed two agreements will invest $1.5 billion in the coming years, joining the Chinese consortium CBC (CATL, Brunp and CMOC), which was previously selected and will invest $1.4 billion in the exploitation of lithium. Uranium One and CBC will operate in two minor salt flats in the countrys southern Altiplano, Pastos Grandes and Coipasa; while Citic Guoan will work in the northern area of the Uyuni salt flat, the largest in Bolivia.

The goal is for each of the three plants to produce 25,000 tons/year of battery-grade lithium carbonate, thus becoming the main supplier of this substance in South America by 2025, surpassing Chile, which currently produces 40,000 tons/year, and Argentina, which exports 6,000 tons/year.

At this moment, with the conventional brine evaporation method, Bolivia only produces 600 tons, after having made high state investments for more than a decade. According to Arces government, this poor result was due to the method that was being used to obtain lithium. Uranium One, Citic Guoan and CBC are part of a group of six companies that the country shortlisted for their ability to operate the experimental direct extraction technology, on which all expectations have been placed. The method is so named because it does not use evaporation pools. Some experts, however, are skeptical about this new technology and maintain that it is productively risky and environmentally questionable, as the volumes of water it needs to function are not known.

The possibility of foreign companies participating in the exploitation of lithium was closed by Bolivian legislation until 2018, when the government of that time, led by Evo Morales, reached an agreement with the German company ACI Systems for the use of another technology with which lithium hydroxide would be produced, not carbonate (both substances are interchangeable and can be used to make batteries). The agreement established that the chemical products that the German company sold would not pay royalties to the Potosi region, where the Uyuni salt flat is located; royalties would only apply to the brines extracted from the salt flat. This clause triggered a harsh regional conflict against the government of Morales, which began in June 2019 and converged with the national protests that arose against this president due to the results of that years elections. Before falling, Morales canceled the agreement with ACI Systems in an attempt to demobilize Potosi, but his decision had no effect. In the end, he had to resign and go into exile.

For this reason, the agreements that Arce is signing are considered a window of opportunity to normalize foreign direct investment in Bolivias abundant lithium. It is expected that in the coming days, after completing a study of the smaller salt flats near Uyuni, which has already been quantified, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy will announce that Bolivian lithium reserves are even greater.

The terms of the agreements with the contracting companies are not publicly known. This fact, along with the current percentage of royalties, which is 3%, are once again arousing the susceptibility of the population and the civic leaders of Potosi, highly sensitive due to the memory of the plunder of silver during the Colony. Thus, Bolivia still has to face serious technical and political challenges to realize the dream of replacing its gas industry, which is running out, with the white gold from its salt flats.

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There is an aging office building on Water Street in Lower Manhattan where it would make all the sense in the world to create apartments. The 31-story building, once the headquarters of A.I.G., has windows all around and a shape suited to extra corner units. In a city with too little housing, it could hold 800 to 900 apartments. Right across the street, one office building not so different from this one has already been turned into housing, and another is on the way.

But 175 Water Street has a hitch: Offices in the financial district are spared some zoning rules that make conversion hard  so long as they were built before 1977. And this one was built six years too late, in 1983.

Theres nothing about that building  its construction, its mechanicals, its structural engineering  that prevents it from being converted, said Richard Coles, the managing partner of Vanbarton Group, which has developed both conversions across the street. Vanbarton owned and thought hard about converting 175 Water, too. It looked for a time as if New York might change the 1977 cutoff, a simple no-cost reform to spur more conversions that had the support of Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul. A mere stroke of a pen would do it, Mr. Coles said.

But that idea died in the State Legislature this spring, along with the rest of the governors housing agenda. When Vanbarton concluded no change was coming, it sold the property.
Somewhere it switched from I want to be in school to I just want to survive, said Ms. Ramos, 25, who recently finished her nursing degree. To get there, she cobbled together credits from multiple colleges in New York State, and at times lived in a youth shelter and slept on the floor of a professors office.

At Memorial Pathway Academy, a high school for at-risk students and new immigrants in Garland, Texas, more than 80 percent of students get a job after graduation. Nationally, nearly 40 percent of high school graduates do not immediately enroll in college.

This is the unseen group, said Josh Tovar, the principal. Everyone sees the kid that is No. 1 ranked with 110 G.P.A. going to M.I.T. No one sees my boy that doesnt have parents  that lives with Grandma, that came to me at 17, with five credits, and graduates.

Fewer than 200 selective universities are thought to practice race-conscious admissions, conferring degrees on about 10,000 to 15,000 students each year who might not otherwise have been accepted, according to a rough estimate by Sean Reardon, a sociologist at Stanford University. That represents about 2 percent of all Black, Hispanic or Native American students in four-year colleges.

The affirmative action decision could still have broader ripple effects. Some experts worry it will send a message to Black and Hispanic students that they are not wanted on college campuses, or push them to more troubled schools, like for-profit institutions. It could also lead to a rollback of groups and programs that center on race.
Oona Hathaway, a Yale Law School professor who criticized the Biden administration for not making the documents public last fall, said it was significant that the strategy, while portraying international terrorism as a persistent and varied threat, recognized that there were other, competing national security priorities.

Its call for realistic and achievable goals is a rare U.S. government acknowledgment that eliminating all possible terrorism risk is not really possible, Professor Hathaway said. That seems to me a step in the right direction.

Luke Hartig, a former senior counterterrorism aide in the Obama White House, said the document lays out a pretty different counterterrorism strategy than we have seen in years past. He pointed to how it de-emphasized offensive strikes in favor of defensive measures, and did not suggest a grandiose ambition to defeat terrorism everywhere.

This is really sound for where we are now in the struggle against terrorism, he added.

While the rules allow operators to seek approval for exceptions, the requirement for individualized presidential approval means Mr. Biden has banned a disputed drone tactic known as signature strikes, which target groups of suspected militants whose individual identities are not known. Such strikes carry a greater risk of mistakes and have led to civilian deaths.

Still, exempted from the special procedures are strikes carried out in defense of American forces stationed abroad or in the collective self-defense of partner forces trained and equipped by the United States. Such strikes are permitted in the cases of foreign partners and allies who are under attack or are threatened with an imminent attack, the document says.
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After 50 years in slavery, Belinda Sutton was freed and given a pension drawn from the estate of the man who had enslaved her, but it was not out of his generosity. Sutton, a native of Ghana, had to go to court to receive an income for her work, performed on an estate near Boston. And she had to keep returning, to enforce the legal decision that she would be paid.

Her struggle in 1783 to win repayment  one of the earliest known cases in the United States  foreshadowed the difficulties that formerly enslaved people and their descendants face in seeking similar compensation.

Black Americans have made a renewed case for reparations that would redress slavery, post-Civil War landowning restrictions for the newly freed, Jim Crow laws, redlining, discriminatory lending practices and employment discrimination.

The first state-level task force to consider reparations, in California, officially submitted a sweeping report that recommended a formal apology and called for payments to eligible Black residents.
The challenges at home have prompted a man who has spent his entire career as a policymaker and student of world affairs to turn his attention inward. Mr. Haass recently published a book called The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, outlining ways Americans can help heal their own society, like Be Informed, Remain Civil, Put Country First  all admittedly bromides and yet somehow often elusive these days. In addition to consultant work, he wants to spend much of the next chapter of his life promoting the teaching of civics.

My own trajectory has changed, he observed during a pair of interviews summing up two decades at the council. This new book is not something I would have predicted writing five or 10 years ago, but I actually think its almost a recasting of American democracy. Now its become a national security concern. And thats different.

By dint of position as well as temperament, Mr. Haass, 71, is a member in good standing of the establishment that has fallen into disfavor in the era of Donald J. Trump, a voice of the largely bipartisan realist consensus that for better or worse defined Americas place in the world for most of the three-quarters of a century since World War II. It is a clubby world, of course, one that invariably leads to charges of elitist groupthink or even conspiracy theories. For his final appearance as president of the council this past week, Mr. Haass interviewed Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken onstage and online, the 27th secretary of state to appear before the council.

Its hard to think of anyone whos done more to make this institution what it is, Mr. Blinken said, praising his host.
Ever since President Bill Clinton advised mend it, dont end it, affirmative action has had an uneasy place in the Democratic coalition, as omnipresent as the partys allegiance to abortion rights and its promises to expand financial aid for higher education  but unpopular with much of the public.

Now, in striking down race-conscious college admissions, the Supreme Court has handed the Democrats a way to shift from a race-based discussion of preference to one tied more to class. The courts decision could fuel broader outreach to the working-class voters who have drifted away from the party because of what they see as its elitism.

The question is, will the party pivot?

This is a tremendous opportunity for Democrats to course-correct from identity-based issues, said Ruy Teixeira, whose upcoming book Where Have All the Democrats Gone? looks at the bleeding of working-class voters over the last decade. As I like to say, class is back in session.

Conservative voters have long been more animated by the Supreme Courts composition than liberals have. But the last two sessions of a high court remade by Donald J. Trump may have flipped that dynamic. Since the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, energized Democratic voters have handed Republicans loss after loss in critical elections.
The Supreme Court ended its term this week in familiar fashion, issuing blockbuster conservative decisions on affirmative action, gay rights and student loans that divided along partisan lines, with the courts three Democratic appointees in dissent.

While not quite as stunning as last Junes decisions eliminating the right to abortion and expanding gun rights, the new rulings were of a piece with them and were a further indication that the court remains receptive to the conservative legal movements agenda, including cutting back on a progressive conception of civil rights and frustrating President Bidens initiatives.

But the entire story of the most recent term is considerably more complicated than that of the previous one, which had seemed to establish an unyielding conservative juggernaut characterized by impatience and ambition  and built to last.

A year later, the court remains deeply conservative but is more in tune with the fitfully incremental approach of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is attentive to his courts legitimacy, than with the take-no-prisoners approach of Justice Clarence Thomas. The chief justices strategy  and votes  produced a fair number of liberal victories.
The U.S. attorney in Delaware denied retaliating against an I.R.S. official who had disclosed details of the Hunter Biden investigation, and denied being blocked from pursuing serious charges against Mr. Biden, the presidents son, in Los Angeles and Washington.

David C. Weiss, an appointee of former President Donald J. Trump held over by the Biden administration, defended the integrity of his investigation in a two-page letter sent to House Republicans late Friday, in which he provided the most detailed explanation yet of the five-year probe that culminated in a plea agreement last month that would rule out prison time for Mr. Biden, who was facing misdemeanor tax charges and a separate gun charge.

The Department of Justice did not retaliate against Gary Shapley, who claims Mr. Weiss helped block a promotion he had sought after reaching out to congressional investigators, Mr. Weiss wrote in the letter to Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Weiss went on to address, in hypothetical terms, the core of Mr. Shapleys allegations: that Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys in California and Washington had blocked Mr. Weiss from prosecuting Hunter Biden on felony tax charges during a period when the presidents youngest son was earning millions representing foreign-controlled businesses.
A Botswana government official and the chief executive of De Beers, the international diamond conglomerate, signed interim agreements on Saturday to continue a lucrative, decades-long diamond mining partnership that had appeared to be breaking down in recent months.

Only minutes before a midnight deadline on Friday, the parties announced that after years of negotiations, they had agreed in principle on a deal to renew a partnership that supplies De Beers with most of its diamonds and Botswanas government with the largest chunk of its revenue.

The details of the deal were still being worked out, officials with the government and De Beers said. But it addresses one of the most significant gripes of the Botswana government, regarding the share of diamonds it receives in its joint mining venture with De Beers. Under the old agreement, Botswana received 25 percent of the rough stones extracted, while De Beers took the rest. Now, Botswana will immediately get a 30 percent share, and that will rise to 50 percent within a decade, De Beers and government officials said.

De Beers said in a statement that it had agreed to invest as much as $825 million over the next 10 years to help develop the Botswana economy. The agreement also includes establishing an academy in Botswana that will train locals in skills in the diamond trade, government officials said.
The News

An airline passenger in Thailand had part of her leg amputated this week after an accident on a moving airport walkway, the Thai authorities said.

The accident, involving a 57-year-old woman, occurred Thursday in the domestic terminal of Don Mueang International, the older and smaller of two major airports that serve Bangkok, the capital.

Its unclear precisely what happened. Local news media initially reported that the womans leg had been pulled into the walkways machinery after she tripped on her suitcase. But her family said on Saturday that she had been walking normally when part of the walkway collapsed.

Whats clear is that her leg was amputated up to the kneecap after the accident. The Thai authorities are now trying to determine if the accident resulted from human error or an equipment malfunction.

Why It Matters: Walkways are widely used and seldom feared.

Such walkways are known as moving walks to government regulators and construction companies. Moving walks are often talked about in the same breath as escalators because they use similar technology and move at about the same speed  generally 100 feet per minute, or just over 1 mile per hour.

The main difference is incline. An escalator sits at about 30 degrees, but a moving walks incline is typically no more than a tenth of that. Many moving walks are flat.

Escalators and moving walks ease the movement of billions of people through airports, shopping malls and other public spaces each year. The National Elevator Industry, Inc., an industry group in the United States, estimates that about 105 billion passengers ride escalators annually  the worlds population, multiplied by 13  in the United States alone.

Escalators and moving walks are widely seen as very safe. But, like virtually any form of public transportation, they occasionally malfunction.

In Australia, for example, inspectors in the state of Queensland found two recent examples of moving walks that were operating with a missing pallet, the technical term for the metal slats that separate passengers from the whirring machinery below.

And in Thailand, a passenger at Don Mueang International Airport reported losing a shoe to the machinery of a moving walk in 2019, Thai news media outlets reported this week.

Background: How likely is an accident on an airport walkway?

Data for the safety of moving walks is scarce. But if we go by escalator safety data, the answer is not very.

An average of two deaths per year in the United States involve escalators, lower than the figure for elevators, according to a 2013 review of U.S. government data by the Center for Construction Research and Training, a nonprofit group in Maryland.

The risk of injury is higher: About 10,000 escalator-related injuries result in a trip to the emergency room in the United States each year. But even that figure is exceedingly small if you consider the sheer volume of escalator and moving walk trips that people take every day.

In Thailand, the moving walk where the accident occurred this week had been used at Don Mueang International since 1996, the airports director, Karant Thanakuljeerapat, told reporters.

Don Mueang carried more than 13 million domestic passengers last year, and nearly twice as many in the years immediately before the coronavirus pandemic, according to government data. So over nearly three decades, a moving walk there could have carried many tens of millions of passengers.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, during a speech at the Slavery Remembrance Day celebration, in which he apologized for the trafficking and exploitation of human beings in the Dutch colonies, Saturday, in Amsterdam.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Saturday for slavery on the 150th anniversary of the emancipation of the former colonies of Suriname (South America) and the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. The apology, delivered during a ceremony called Keti Koti (broken chain) in Amsterdam, was greeted with cheers and applause by an audience largely made up of descendants of slaves. His words are doubly historic. It is the first time the sovereign has spoken out about the consequences of colonial control as head of state, and his direct ancestors grew rich from a system inseparable from the slave trade, according to a study commissioned by the Dutch government. Last December, Prime Minister Mark Rutte also acknowledged his countrys slave-trading past.

I stand before you as your king and as such I ask forgiveness with all my heart and soul for slavery, the monarch said. He added: I am with you in the capital of a country that fought against tyranny and for freedom, that banned slavery within its borders, but did not do so overseas. He then recognized the value and respect that all traditions and beliefs deserve, and expressed his wish to live in a country where we all recognize each other without racism, discrimination and exploitation. His words also mark the beginning of the commemorative year that remembers this tragic legacy in all corners of the kingdom. The recognition of the current repercussions of colonial abuses and the obligation to reverse them is the repeated request of all organizations involved in this struggle.

Chronologically speaking, it is 160 years since the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Caribbean Dutch Antilles in 1863. During the following decade, however, freed slaves were forced to work for starvation wages so that their former owners could amortize the investment made in buying them. That is why the chains mentioned in the expression Keti Koti are considered to have been finally broken 150 years ago, in 1873. People from Asia were also brought to Suriname to work in appalling conditions under Dutch colonial rule. They were, among others, poor peasants from India, China or Java (Indonesia), who signed abusive contracts, the breaking of which could result in a criminal conviction.

The Dutch colonial period lasted from the 17th century to the 20th century, with its various independence processes, including that of Indonesia. The slave trade covered, roughly speaking, Southern Africa and Asia, as well as Suriname, Brazil and the Caribbean, and the plantations included tobacco, cocoa, cotton, coffee and sugar. Historians estimate that Dutch ships transported 5% of the total of 12 million people subjected to the slave trade by Europeans between the 15th and 19th centuries across the Atlantic. The estimate appears in the Canon of the Netherlands, which condenses the national history.

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Just three months ago, Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, was in Moscow clinking glasses with Vladimir V. Putin and expressing his confidence in the firm support the Russian president enjoyed among his people.

That confidence is now in question, after the Wagner private military group waged an insurrection in Russia that has shaken Mr. Putins image of invulnerability. Close watchers of China say that the mutiny, short-lived as it was, could lead Mr. Xi to hedge a close relationship with Russia that had already exposed Beijing to global criticism and threatened some of its interests abroad.

China views Russia as a necessary partner in challenging the global order dominated by the United States. But Mr. Putins appetite for risk  seen in his invasion of Ukraine and his reliance on private armies  has forced Beijing to defend its bond with Russia in the face of Western pressure.

Mr. Xis long-term bet will work only if Mr. Putin remains in control to help uphold the shared interests of both countries. But the revolt has raised questions about Mr. Putins authority: Wagner soldiers faced little to no resistance from regular Russian forces as they advanced on Moscow. And Mr. Putins decision to grant sanctuary in Belarus to Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the leader of the uprising, smacked of a compromise rather than the act of a strongman with consolidated power.
While it doesnt speak for all Indigenous peoples in Canada, the Assembly of First Nations has long been their most prominent public voice. This week, a protracted period of upheaval culminated on Wednesday with a vote to remove RoseAnne Archibald as its national chief.

The A.F.N. isnt the only national organization that has experienced leadership turmoil recently. For example, being the Conservative Party of Canadas leader hasnt been a job with extended tenure in recent years. But the events leading up to the removal of Ms. Archibald, who became the first woman to be elected national chief a little under two years ago, were unusually fractious and suggestive of wider problems in the group.

And the situation is riddled with counterclaims and denials.

The motion that ultimately ousted Ms. Archibald, at a virtual meeting that was open only to the CBC, was prompted by an independent human resources review that concluded that she had harassed two employees. The report also said that five employees experienced reprisals by Ms. Archibald and that she breeched their privacy. Four of the five people are women.
In Greece, nine Egyptian survivors from the Adriana were arrested and charged with smuggling and causing the shipwreck. In sworn testimonies and interviews, survivors said that many of the nine brutalized and extorted passengers. But interviews with relatives of those accused paint a more complicated picture. At least one of the men charged with being a smuggler had himself paid a full fee of more than $4,000 to be on the ship.

Collectively paying as much as $3.5 million to be smuggled to Italy, migrants crammed into the Adriana in what survivors recalled was a hellish class system: Pakistanis at the bottom; women and children in the middle; and Syrians, Palestinians and Egyptians at the top.

An extra $50 or so could earn someone a spot on the deck. For some, that turned out to be the difference between life and death.

Many of the passengers, at least 350, came from Pakistan, the Pakistani government said. Most were in the lower decks and the ships hold. Of them, 12 survived.

The women and young children went down with the ship.

Setting Sail

Kamiran Ahmad, a Syrian teenager, a month shy of his 18th birthday, had arrived in Tobruk, Libya, with hopes for a new life. He had worked with his father, a tailor, after school. His parents sold land to pay smugglers to take him to Italy, praying that he would make it to Germany to study, work and maybe send some money home.
PARIS  For two hours, in a mood of anguish and anger, hundreds of members of the large French Muslim community lined up outside the Ibn Badis mosque in Nanterre to mourn a teenager, one of their own, fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic stop.

The shooting of Nahel M. took place on Tuesday, followed by four nights of violent rioting in major French cities, and nothing suggested any return to calm as the young mans funeral unfolded. His uncle, flanked by friends and security agents employed by the mosque, yelled abuse at anyone trying to film the proceedings. There were scuffles.

The police were nowhere to be seen, after 45,000 officers had been deployed overnight to confront the tide of rage provoked by a shooting at close range not far from the mosque that was caught on video. It would have been a dangerous provocation for any uniformed French police officer to appear.

For Ahmed Djamai, 58, it was a familiar story. The police lied, he said, alluding to initial news media reports that the young man had plowed into officers. They would have gotten away with it, he said, but for the appearance of the apparently incriminating video that went viral. The government always protects the police, a state within the state, he said.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands formally apologized on Saturday for his countrys role in the slave trade, a rare direct apology for a historical injustice by a sitting European monarch.

Willem-Alexander, who ascended to the throne in 2013, made the apology in a speech in Amsterdam at an annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Netherlands Caribbean colonies, which was also the start of a memorial year that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the end of the practice there.

We carry the horrors of the slavery past with us, the king said, adding that the consequences of the slave trade could still be felt in the form of racism in todays society.

They are intensely experienced by me with heart and soul, he said about his words of apology, which were met with applause.
The first detonations of fireworks echoed through the neighborhood after a long, tense wait. A group of masked young people on scooters sped up a street lined with charred cars, heading toward the noise and billows of black smoke.

Keeping watch from a distance was a group with a different mission: to protect their neighborhood from further vandalism, even if they understand the passions inflaming the violence after the police shooting of a teenager.

Its starting, said Rizlan Mohamed Saly as more fireworks lit the sky in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where the teenager identified as Nahel M. lived and was killed during a traffic stop on Tuesday.

It was shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, and Ms. Mohamed Saly was on her fourth night keeping vigil over Nanterres Pablo-Picasso district, a working-class area just a 20-minute ride from the center of Paris. Nanterre has been at the center of the riots that have engulfed France since the teenagers death.
For a millisecond, it seemed possible.

Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian caterer turned warlord  armed with tanks and a private army showed Russia and the world what an alternative to President Vladimir V. Putin might look like.

It was only the second time in Mr. Putins 23 years in power that a rebelling leader with populist appeal had flashed a vision of a conceivable Russia after Mr. Putin. The other occasion was in 2011, when Aleksei A. Navalny led a pro-democracy uprising on the streets of the capital.

By the time Mr. Prigozhins mercenaries were marching on Moscow, he was trying to draw his firepower from the same core grievance as Mr. Navalny: that Putinism is a system with no accountability, run by a cabal of corrupt officials who are more interested in enriching themselves and pleasing the boss than in doing whats right for the country.

The similarities end there. The extraordinary events of last weekend demonstrated not only Mr. Putins vulnerability to a power grab, but also the prospect that whatever comes next could grow out of the extreme and unpredictable forces the Russian president has unleashed during his costly war against Ukraine. Mr. Prigozhin, whose mercenaries have been accused of indiscriminate killings and other crimes, made clear that those forces could be equally if not more grim.
As Belarus has ratcheted up its messaging about plans to offer refuge  and possibly work  to Wagner group mercenaries after a failed rebellion in Russia, Ukrainian forces say they are ready for any potential threat from their neighbor to the north.

In recent days, Ukrainian officials have tried to tamp down concerns about the Wagner forces, who until recently were fighting for Russia in Ukraine, while heralding preparations for their possible arrival. President Volodymyr Zelensky  who on Saturday was hosting Spains prime minister as part of his continuing diplomatic push  nodded to plans for reinforcing the border in his nightly address on Friday and top commanders have emphasized that no current threat had been found.

Mr. Zelensky indicated that Ukrainian intelligence was monitoring the situation closely, adding, We very carefully analyze every fact and any prospects in all directions. Ukraines top generals were instructed to strengthen the northern direction  to guarantee peace, he said.

This week, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the Kremlin-aligned autocratic leader of Belarus, invited members of the Wagner group who had participated in a rebellion against Russian forces to relocate to an abandoned military base in his country. New satellite imagery from Thursday and Friday, analyzed by The New York Times, shows that more than 250 tents, enough to house thousands of troops, have been erected in the past five days at an unused base.
Two gardai were allegedly slapped and caught in a headlock by a man who punched his partner in the face in front of an 18 month old child, it was claimed last week.

Fabiano Moraes Freitas (24) Tully House, Eyrecourt, Galway was in attendance at last week's sitting of Longford District Court to hear details in relation to an alleged incident at 36 Thomond Lodge, Ballymahon, Co Longford on November 6 last year.

Sgt Conor McShane, for the prosecution, said gardai were called to deal with an alleged incident at the above named property.

He said when gardai arrived, they noticed two men, one of whom being the accused standing outside.

During the incident, the court heard Mr Moraes Freitas punched his partner in the eye in an alleged attack that left her with bruising.

Sgt McShane said the alleged assault took place in front of a one and a half year old child.

Asked by Judge Bernadette Owens if the injured party availed of hospital treatment, Sgt McShane said the woman was encouraged to do so but ultimately declined the offer.

Sgt McShane said Mr Moraes Freitas was extremely aggressive and violent during his arrest.

The court heard that level of alleged unruliness coincided in Mr Moraes Freitas slapping Garda Emma Kiernan across her face before becoming embroiled in a scuffle with Garda Thomas Killian on the ground.

During that melee, Judge Owens was told Mr Moraes Freitas allegedly trapped the male officer 's head and neck in a headlock with the use of his legs.

That resulted in Mr Moraes Freitas being charged with two Section 19 alleged offences of resisting or obstructing a garda during the course of their duties.

He was further charged with a section 3 assault causing harm charge and two counts of public intoxication and using threatening or abusive behaviour respectively.

Upon hearing the State's case, Judge Owens accepted 'jurisdiction', meaning the case could be disposed of within the parameters of the District Court.

An order for 'disclosure' of all statements relating to the case was approved by Judge Owens with Mr Moraes Freitas being remanded on continuing bail to a sitting of Longford District Court on July 25.

It's expected that on that date, a plea or date for hearing will be made.
A member of the Nicaraguan opposition participates in a mass, held to pray for the release of political prisoners Jorge Torres (efe)

Exiled over and over again, the Nicaraguan opposition is embarking on a new search for unity against the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo  a goal that, after the protests of 2018, had become elusive.

The main opposition leaders met this past week in Houston, Texas. In a statement, they announced that they had formed the Monteverde Group. This isnt a political platform, but rather, a space that seeks a peaceful way out of the dictatorship and the construction of a democratic society. Above all, this new project will attempt to bring together the various groups who are opposed to the Sandinista apparatus. The Sandinista National Liberation Front has ruled Nicaragua uninterruptedly since 2007.

The meeting in the United States brought together the exiled opponents for the first since 2018. This past February, the main leaders of the Nicaraguan opposition  who had been imprisoned  were released and exiled by the regime. Put on a plane to the US, the political exiles  including former presidential candidates  were stripped of their nationality by the Ortega regime.

This unity process is an inclusive space, in which people from various sectors can participate, including youth, farmers, leaders of political organizations and business leaders. The diversity of perspectives is valued and encouraged in this space this is the only way to achieve collective enrichment and a plural and diverse [unified bloc] that is capable of leading the countrys democratic transition, reads the statement that was signed by the opposition leaders.

Despite the fact that the Monteverde Group was formally announced on June 28, it was a space that has existed since late-October of 2021, born in a mountainous area of Costa Rica (from which the group takes its name). Democratic opponents  including those exiled in Costa Rica since 2018, as well as those who hadnt been hunted down by the regimes police by that point  founded this group to demand the release of political prisoners. However, the coalition was also brought together by the urgent need to resolve the internal differences of the opponents of Ortega. They have been marked by an ideological argument between the left and the right.

Since the popular uprising against Ortega and Murillo began, the opposition to the regime has been quite diverse: it includes students, peasants, businesspeople, traditional politicians, civil society leaders and former Sandinista guerrillas, among others. They all oppose the regime and have been hit equally by the presidential couples crackdown. However, they havent managed to form a single opposition bloc, due to mutual mistrust. The ideological factor has permeated in such a way that it has dynamited the desire that has been nurtured since 1990, when a coalition of political parties  called the National Opposition Union (UNO)  brought Violeta Barrios de Chamorro to the presidency. Back then, after 11 years in power, the Sandinista revolution was defeated at the polls.

After the 2021 elections  which saw Ortega and Murillo remain in power  the Monteverde Group sent antagonistic political actors into exile: from Kitty Monterrey  president of the Citizens for Freedom Party (CxL)  to members of the National Unity Blue and White (UNAB, named after the colors of the Nicaraguan flag) and the Democratic Union of Renewal (UNAMOS). The first meetings in Monteverde (Costa Rica) constituted the initial approaches and the creation of a space for dialogue between people individually, but also linked to different pro-democracy groups in Nicaragua. These meetings made it possible to reduce prejudices and preconceived ideas among people with different political perspectives, [while also] opening bridges of communication. Everything is based on respect, a source linked to the Monteverde Groups explains to EL PAIS. Fearing reprisals against their family in Nicaragua, they have requested anonymity.

Ortega is everyones adversary

The main criticism that the Monteverde Group has received comes from ultra-right sectors  most of them based in Miami  who point out that the group is a nest of leftists. However, the members of the group maintain that the space has more people from the center and right than from the left.

Theres a good balance in the group. The most important thing to note is that the fundamental problem in Nicaragua is between dictatorship and democracy. Ortega is everyones adversary, says a source linked to the opposition,

According to the statement issued by the Monteverde Group this past Wednesday, those who participate in the forum do so individually, based on principles such as respect for democratic foundations and human rights, a commitment to dialogue among participants and the construction of consensus, with a commitment to civic action and inclusion.

The biggest challenge has been to put aside the positions that divide us and reconcile everyones interests, insists one of the Monteverde members. Based on that principle, in this process, the ideological flags stay at home. The dialogues and consensus that we seek are based on democracy, justice and freedom, regardless of political ideology, the group states.

There are many other members who prefer to keep their participation anonymous for reasons of security. Yet, there are others who have openly declared their participation: Eliseo Nunez, Hector Mairena, Jesus Tefel, Alexa Zamora, Daisy George, Luciano Garcia, Juan Diego Barberena, Francisca Ramirez, Ana Quiros and Maria Laura Alvarado are just some of them. Almost all of these opposition leaders were stripped of their nationality by the regime. Monteverde is defined as a process of agreement and action, of national and international collaboration to contribute to the construction of democracy in Nicaragua, they affirm.

While criticisms and suspicions about the Monteverde Group persist, independent analysts consulted by EL PAIS agree that the challenge for the opposition is enormous. For now, the opposition leaders must articulate their position from exile, while they deal with the fact that, by not having a nationality, they have no means to aspire to elected office in Nicaragua. On top of this is the added problem that they dont have a clearly-articulated national plan to propose to the Nicaraguan people. This new attempt at unity  which aims to gather more participants  aspires to change the disappointing trend. So far, all attempts to put forward a single emblem have ended in failure.

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Bhim Army chief, on way to meet family of Dalit child detained in Rajasthan

Attack on Bhim Army chief: 4 Accused Arrested for Attacking Chandra Shekhar Aazad

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Four people have been arrested in Haryana in connection with the attack on Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad last week.

The four accused are Prashant, Vikas, Lavish, and Vikas Gondar Nissing. Three of them are from Uttar Pradesh, while the fourth one is from Haryana. The police did not recover any weapons from the accused during the arrest.

Aazad was shot at by unidentified assailants on June 28. A bullet grazed his abdomen when the assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur district's Deoband.

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan Shot At In UP's Saharanpur

Following the attack, a man was arrested in connection with a threatening post on social media against Aazad. The police registered a case under section 506 of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The man, identified as Vimlesh Singh, was arrested on Thursday. The police said that Singh was not found to be involved in the attack on Aazad, but preventive action was taken to maintain peace and order.

The police are still investigating the attack on Aazad and are trying to identify the other assailants.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 19:12 [IST]
Buldhana Accident: Death Toll More As Most Passengers Were Sleeping At Time Of Accident, Say Reports

India

oi-Deepika S

At least 26 people died after a bus carrying 33 passengers burst into flames on the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana.

According to reports, most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident, and only a few people who were awake could escape the fire by breaking out of windows after the bus got into the accident.

The private bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into the divider around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja and caught fire, police said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is deeply saddened by the tragic bus accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana, and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to the next of kin of the deceased and financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to those injured.

26 Charred To Death As Bus Catches Fire on Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway

"Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," PMO tweeted.

"An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the bus mishap in Buldhana. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured," it added.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 11:03 [IST]
Did Sleep Hypnosis Kill 26 On Maharashtra Expressway?

India

oi-Deepika S

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday ordered a probe into the horrific bus accident on Samruddhi Mahamarg in Buldhana.

The chief minister further said that the government will mull over safety measures on the newly-launched highway as several accidents have been reported recently.

"A total of 33 people were travelling on the bus out of which 26 people died and 7 people sustained injuries. The driver of the bus also survived and said that the bus overturned after a tyre burst leading to flames in the bus," said Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane.

"The driver of the bus who survived the accident said that the vehicle overturned after a tyre burst, and later caught fire killing 25 people on the spot and leaving 8 others injured," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane told ANI.

What Led To Tragic Bus Accident Along Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway That Claimed 26 Lives

Maharashtra police said that tyre burst was the main cause behind the fatal bus accident in which 25 people, including three children, were killed and eight others were injured in Buldhana district.

Sleep hypnosis could be the reason

According to reports, sleep hypnosis could be one of the main concerns that the state government may need to look into.

Road hypnosis, also called white line fever, is an altered mental state faced by drivers due to automaticity or the process of doing things automatically without actively thinking about the steps involved.

According to the latest reports, a total of 39 persons have lost their lives and 143 were injured in accidents on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway since its launch in December 2022 till the end of April this year.

"There were 358 accidents on the Samruddhi Corridor between December 12, 2022 and April 30, 2023. These include 24 accidents in which 39 persons were killed, while 143 were injured in 54 accidents," an official told PTI.

Buldhana Accident: Death Toll More As Most Passengers Were Sleeping At Time Of Accident, Say Reports

"Across Maharashtra, there were 15,224 deaths in road crashes in 2022. Of these deaths, 57 per cent were of two-wheeler and three-wheeler riders. Pedestrian deaths accounted for 21 per cent. Some 43 per cent of accidents took place on Other District Roads (ODR) across the state," the official added.

What is sleep hypnosis?

Sleep hypnosis is a condition where the driver may feel like sleeping, despite the eyes being open. It is a brief disconnect from the outer world. This condition occurs when motorists are continuously driving for hours without any breaks and sometimes zone out.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 12:27 [IST]
In MP, Bajrang Dal Workers Attack 2 Men on Eid for Carrying Beef

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Two Muslim men were attacked by Bajrang Dal workers for allegedly carrying beef during the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. The incident occurred when the men, riding a motorcycle, were transporting meat from Imlipura to Sihada village.

Bajrang Dal workers intercepted them near the Polytechnic College in Khandwa, accusing them of carrying beef. Despite the men's denial and clarification that they were carrying mutton, the Bajrang Dal workers assaulted them and tore their clothes.

Police arrived at the scene, rescued the victims, and took them to the police station, while the Bajrang Dal workers continued their protest.

City Qazi, Syed Nisar, said that the slaughterhouses in Khandwa are closely monitored by the administration, making it unlikely to obtain beef. He stated that certain organizations are conspiring to disrupt the city's harmony by levying false allegations.

Location: Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh



Bajrang Dal militia members thrashed Muslim men in front of police over suspicion of carrying beef. pic.twitter.com/vnwzWpxGyG  HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) July 1, 2023

Bajrang Dal District Coordinator, Aditya Mehta, confirmed that their workers had apprehended the individuals carrying what they believed to be beef and brought them to Rameshwar Chowki.

Man Allegedly Lynched by Mob in Maharashtra for Suspected Beef Smuggling, Say Police

Superintendent of Police, Satyendra Shukla, informed that members of the Muslim community met with the police, presenting a video as evidence. The video has been handed over to the Circle Superintendent of Police (CSP) and the station in-charge for further investigation and appropriate action based on the facts that emerge.

Two cases have been registered in relation to this incident. One case has been filed against the two Muslim men as the meat they were carrying lacked proper documentation, raising suspicions that it may be banned. Veterinary doctors are currently examining the meat samples.

In 2019, the Madhya Pradesh assembly passed an amendment to the Anti-Cow Slaughter Act, imposing a jail term of six months to three years and a fine of Rs 25,000-50,000 for individuals convicted of engaging in violence in the name of cow protection. The state cabinet approved this amendment to the existing 2004 act, which required special permission from a competent authority for transporting cattle through Madhya Pradesh. The amendment now allows for the transportation of cattle from Madhya Pradesh to other states with the necessary permission from a competent authority, aiming to address issues and cases of cow vigilantism.
Zero FIR In Manipur Sexual Assault: What Is It? How Does It Work?

If PM Modi Is Angry About Manipur, He Must Dismiss The CM: Mallikarjun Kharge

One Of The Two Paraded Naked Women In Manipur Is Kargil Hero's Wife

Manipur Situation Will Improve in 7-10 Days: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the situation in neighbouring Manipur will improve within 7-10 days, with the state and central governments working 'silently' to restore peace.

He hit out at the Congress and alleged that the opposition party is showing its concern when ''relative peace has come in the northeastern state.''

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur since clashes first started on May 3.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here, the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor said, "The situation in Manipur is improving day by day. I am of the view that in the next one week to 10 days, there will be more improvement."

No One Should Try To Take Advantage Of Violence: Assam CM On Rahuls Manipur Visit

Sarma claimed there has been a lot of improvement in the neighbouring state in the last month.

"Silently, the Manipur government and the Union home ministry are working. You can see what was the level of violence a month ago and what it is today," he said, adding, "I can tell you with guarantee that there has been a vast improvement in the situation." Taking a swipe at the Congress, the BJP's trouble-shooter in the Northeast said, "Now, the Congress is crying about Manipur when relative peace has come. They should have cried when the situation was volatile."

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 18:18 [IST]
SC Grants Interim Protection to Teesta Setalvad, Stays Gujarat HC Order

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Supreme Court on Saturday granted interim protection to social activist Teesta Setalvad for seven days and stayed the Gujarat High Court's order which asked her to surrender immediately.

Setalvad had approached the top court after the high court rejected her bail plea in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots case.

In a special late-night hearing, a rarity on holidays and during vacations, a bench of Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna and Dipankar Datta questioned the denial of time to Setalvad to appeal against the HC order, saying even an ordinary criminal is entitled to some form of interim relief.

"In ordinary circumstances, we would not have considered such a request. However, it is to be noted that after FIR was registered on June 25, 2022, and the petitioner was arrested, this court considered the prayer for grant of interim bail and granted the same on certain conditions on September 2, 2022. One of the factors which weighed with this court was that the petitioner is a woman and entitled to special protection under section 437 of CrPC.

"We find that taking into consideration this fact, the learned single judge ought to have granted some protection so that the petitioner has sufficient time to challenge the order passed by the single judge. In that view of the matter without going into the merits, finding that learned single judge was not correct in granting even some protection, we stay the impugned order for a period of 1 week," the bench said after a 37-minute hearing.

2002 Gujarat Riots Case: SC Refers Teesta Setalvad's Plea for Interim Bail to 3-Judge Bench

The apex court said the registry shall obtain orders from the CJI for listing Setalvad's bail plea before an appropriate bench.

As the hearing commenced before the three-judge bench, senior advocate C U Singh, appearing for Setalvad, submitted that the top court had on September 2, 2022 granted interim protection to the activist till the high court decided her bail application. Singh stated it is nobody's case that she has violated any condition of the interim bail granted to her.

"The Gujarat high court refused to stay the operation of the order for 30 days, but no reasons were given to explain the rejection in its order and immediate surrender was ordered," he said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, urged the court to mete out the same treatment to Setalvad as to any ordinary citizen. "I would expect your lordships to do the same thing which will be done in the case of a common man who has been rejected bail since she is a common criminal," the law officer said.

At this juncture, the bench observed," A person is on bail for the last 10 months under the orders of this court. What is the urgency that a person should not be granted even 7 days to challenge the order? Are the skies to fall? We fail to understand the approach of the high court. What is the alarming urgency?" Mehta said here is an individual who thinks she is not supposed to be treated like an ordinary criminal. "She is an ordinary criminal," he said.

"Even common criminals are granted interim relief," Justice Gavai observed. Mehta submitted that Teesta started a campaign making false allegations against everyone. "The riot did take place, and people from both communities were killed. But she saw an opportunity and came to this court with false allegations. A special investigation team was constituted by the Supreme Court and operated under its monitoring. "The petitioner has filed false affidavits, and tutored witnesses. She also started collecting money for riot victims. The entire nation was maligned, not only inside the country but outside the country, by the petitioner. It is not a question of one individual. These offences are against the integrity of the nation," he said.

Responding to Mehta's contention, Justice Dutta observed," Mr Solicitor, her conduct might be reprehensible. The only question is whether the person is not entitled to interim bail." The three-judge bench heard the matter in a special sitting after a two-judge vacation bench differed on granting interim protection from arrest to Setalvad.

Facing impending arrest, Setalvad promptly moved the apex court seeking protection from arrest but a two-judge vacation bench could not reach a consensus on granting her interim relief. The vacation bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra referred the matter to Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who swiftly put together a bench of three judges to hear Setalvad's petition challenging the high court order at 9:15 PM. "After having heard this Special Leave Petition for some time, we are unable to agree while deciding the prayer for interim relief.

Therefore, it will be appropriate if, under the orders of the Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India, this petition is placed before the appropriate larger Bench. "The Registrar (Judicial) is directed to place this order immediately before the Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India," the two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra said earlier in the evening.

Earlier in the day, Justice Nirzar Desai of the Gujarat High Court directed her to surrender immediately as she was out of jail after having secured interim bail from the apex court in September last year.

The court observed Setalvad made attempts to unsettle a democratically elected government and sully the image of the then chief minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and tried to send him to jail. Setalvad was arrested in June last year along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in an offence registered by Ahmedabad crime branch police for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame "innocent people" in the post-Godhra riots cases.

In its judgment, the high court observed that prima facie Setalvad used her close associates and riot victims to file "false and fabricated affidavits before the Supreme Court with a view to unseat the establishment and to tarnish the image of establishment and the then chief minister (Modi)". If today some political party gave her the task to unsettle the (then) government, tomorrow "some outside force may utilise and convince a person to make efforts in a similar line causing danger to the nation or to a particular state by adopting the same modalities", it said.

Enlarging her on bail will send a false signal that everything in a democratic country is so lenient that "even if a person goes to the extent of making efforts to unseat the then establishment and disrepute the image of the then chief minister to see that he is sent to jail", the person can be released on bail, the court said, in severe indictment of the Padma Shri awardee and former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission. She helped the riot victims with the intention to gain personal and political benefits by collecting huge funds and projecting herself as a social leader and eventually becoming a member of the Planning Commission, it said.

The statement of witnesses indicate that she had prepared false affidavits and convinced the victims to file them before the Supreme Court and other forums and name innocent persons just to fulfil her own and that of Congress leader late Ahmed Patel's personal and political agenda, the court said in its order.

As the apex court is closed for summer vacation and today being Saturday, a court holiday, there were just the judges, a few lawyers and court staff in courtroom 12 where the three judges heard the case.
Seers In Karnataka Oppose Move To Repeal Anti-Conversion, Cow Slaughter Laws

India

oi-PTI

Heads of various mutts in Dakshina Kannada district have strongly opposed the decision of the Karnataka government to repeal anti-conversion law and the cow slaughter prevention Act.

The meeting of the seers condemned the recent statements by some ministers on the move to withdraw Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act and amend Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, Gurudevananda Swami of Odiyuru Mutt told reporters here on Friday.

The seers called upon Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar not to go ahead with any move to change the Acts as it will lead to social unrest in Dakshina Kannada and other districts of Karnataka.

Terming the move as 'anti-Hindu,' Gurudevananda Swami said the government should not hurt the sentiments of Hindus. He also threatened that the seers will go on a hunger strike if the government proceeds with the move.

The seers will submit a memorandum to the Governor, Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister urging them not to repeal the laws.

Karnataka HC Rejects Twitter's Plea Against Centre's Account Blocking Orders

Vajradehi mutt chief Rajashekarananda Swami said they will also take a legal path if the anti-conversion law is repealed or changes are made to the cow slaughter Act.

He also asked the police not to victimise Hindu activists by raking up old cases of 'moral policing' using the new anti-communal wing of the force.

The heads of 10 mutts in Dakshina Kannada district took part in the meeting. The state government had in June said that it will introduce a bill to repeal the anti-conversion law in the legislature session, which starts on July 3.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 11:11 [IST]
When Will Modi Govt Stop Acting Like All Is Well: Cong On Manipur Video

We Will Opine When We See Draft: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on HP Minister's Support to UCC

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Saturday said that the party's stand on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be decided at a party-level strategy meeting.

Tiwari's statement comes after Himachal Pradesh PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh expressed his support for the UCC. Singh is the first Congress leader to do so.Singh is the son of Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh. His late father Virbhadra Singh was a six-time chief minister of the state.

On Facebook, the Congress leader said in Hindi, "I fully support the Uniform Civil Code which is necessary for India's unity and integrity, but it should not be politicised." He questioned why the NDA government at the Centre did not implement such a law when it enjoyed a complete majority in Parliament for nine years. "Why is there propaganda on it just a few months before the elections," he asked.

Tiwari said that the Congress will not take a decision on the UCC based on individual opinions. He said that the party will wait to see the draft of the UCC before making a decision.

#WATCH | Congress MP Pramod Tiwari says, "...We will have a meeting. We will discuss our strategy in the meeting. Besides this, nobody's opinion matters. We will opine when we see it in the form of a draft...I have not seen his statement. I don't even know in what context he said https://t.co/cqop0cRLu1 pic.twitter.com/pFH948MLQf  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023

Tiwari also alleged that the BJP-led central government is trying to divert people's attention from real issues by bringing up the UCC. He said that the Congress will take a decision that is in the best interests of the people.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for the UCC. He said that the UCC is necessary for India's unity and integrity.

The Congress has opposed the UCC, claiming that it is a divisive issue. The party has said that the UCC will interfere with the personal laws of religious minorities.

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the state will soon have a common civil code. He said that a panel appointed by the state government has already prepared a draft of the UCC.

The UCC is a controversial issue in India. It is seen by some as a way to promote equality and uniformity among citizens. However, it is also seen by others as a threat to religious freedom and minority rights.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 20:05 [IST]
Luis Ladaria, in 2019 in Mallorca.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which until very recently constituted the Vaticans main artery, announces changes in the control room. The body known as The Supreme for its extreme importance, also known throughout history as the old Holy Office, changes its leadership and the Spanish Jesuit Luis Ladaria, cardinal and until now in charge of guarding the essences of the Catholic Church, will be replaced by the Argentinian Victor Manuel Fernandez, known as Tucho. The change was expected given the fact that the incumbent has passed his retirement age but, as so often in the era of Francis, it has caught many in the Holy See off guard, who did not expect someone so young and, lets say, so Franciscan. Especially the more conservative wing.

Victor Manuel Fernandez is the current Archbishop of La Plata. His appointment is a direct consequence of the advanced age of his predecessor, 79-year-old Luis Francisco Ladaria, who will conclude his term in September after five years in office. Curiously, the most relevant thing now could also be Fernandezs age, 61, and that he was ordained archbishop in 2013 by Francis himself, to whom he is linked by a strong friendship and with whom he coincides in positions considered to be of the progressive wing of the Church. He is also the first Argentine prelate from his circle who Jorge Mario Bergoglio has decided to bring to Rome for a post of great relevance.

The appointment, in a sense, closes the Ratzingerian era in the control tower of theological doctrine. After the German Gerhard Muller (who left the dicastery prematurely and deeply at odds with the Pontiff) and Ladaria, whose contribution has been as blurred as imperceptible (especially on the issue of abuses), comes a remarkable change of course. And the appointment is not insubstantial for the future of the Church. Despite the Popes recent organizational changes, in which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is no longer the No. 1 dicastery, the old Holy Office remains one of the key places for deciphering the identity of todays Catholic Church.

As the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, I entrust to you a task that I consider very valuable. Its central purpose is to guard the teaching that flows from the faith in order to give reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point out and condemn, the Pope said in a letter released Saturday. In addition to what Francis said, the congregation now headed by Fernandez, whom the Pontiff is expected to name a cardinal in the near future, has the function of supervising child abuse investigations.

In the old Palace of the Holy Office, the former control room where the Inquisition judged and punished the sins of heretics of all kinds -some of the torture devices and an old dungeon are still preserved-, today the DDF has its offices. This body was until now the most hierarchically important of the Holy See, so much so that in 1965 it was known as The Supreme and its prefect was the Pontiff himself. But the reform of the Curia implemented by Pope Francis - who put the new great ministry of Evangelization at the top of the list - and a slow process of restructuring, have placed it right now in a moment of particular change.

Tucho Fernandez arrives in Rome just when the investigation of the abuse of minors by the clergy is gaining more relevance around the world and a definitive response from the Holy See will be needed. A time when the DDF will also have to decide whether to strengthen its nature as a tribunal or its theological dimension. Fernandezs plans and firmness will be key to understanding this.

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What Led To Tragic Bus Accident Along Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway That Claimed 26 Lives

India

oi-Deepika S

The tragic bus accident that claimed 26 lives on an expressway in Maharashtra on Saturday morning was caused by a series of unfortunate events.

The bus was travelling from Maharashtra's Yavatmal to Pune and met with an accident on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana at around 2 am on Saturday.

The driver, who had a lucky escape said the bus's tyre burst at around 2 am in the morning on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway at Buldhana city and hit a pole, which caused it to overturn.

Maharashtra police said that tyre burst was the main cause behind the fatal bus accident in which 25 people, including three children, were killed and eight others were injured in Buldhana district.

Officials said that the driver told the police that the accident took place after a tyre burst, causing the bus to overturn. Later the diesel tank of the bus caught fire.

Buldhana Accident: Death Toll More As Most Passengers Were Sleeping At Time Of Accident, Say Reports

"The driver of the bus who survived the accident said that the vehicle overturned after a tyre burst, and later caught fire killing 25 people on the spot and leaving 8 others injured," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane told ANI.

Bus caught fire due to presence of flammable items in vehicle, says owner

"We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire," said Virendra Darna, owner of the bus that met with an accident in Buldhana, Maharashtra

What survivors say

"I boarded the Vidarbha Travels bus from Nagpur for Aurangabad. The bus overturned and caught fire immediately after it met with an accident on Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway. three-four people broke the window and escaped, and soon after there was a blast in the bus," said Yogesh Ramdas Gavai, a survivor of the Buldhana bus accident.

Authorities issue helpline number

Buldhana administration has issued two helpline numbers for information about the passengers. The numbers are - 7020435954 and 07262242683.
Next Few Hours Will Be Decisive: France Boosts Police Presence To Quell Unrest

International

oi-Deepika S

France has deployed 45,000 officers backed by light armoured vehicles to tackle a fourth straight night of violent protests over a teenager's fatal shooting by an officer during a traffic stop.

Crack police units and other security forces were rushed across the country to quell violence and rioting over the shooting, which took place during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron urged parents to keep teenagers at home to quell rioting spreading across France and says social media are fueling copycat violence.

According to AFP, Macron wants social media such as Snapchat and TikTok to remove sensitive content and said that violence is being organised online. Of young rioters, he said: "We sometimes have the feeling that some of them are living in the streets the video games that have intoxicated them."

Macron said his government would work with technology companies to establish procedures for the removal of the most sensitive content. He did not specify the content he had in mind but said, "I expect a spirit of responsibility from these platforms." French authorities also plan to request, when useful, the identities "of those who use these social networks to call for disorder or exacerbate the violence," the president said.

Fact Check: Image of Israeli protests shared as those from France

Macron's government has deployed 40,000 officers to restore order and make arrests over behaviour he described as unacceptable and unjustifiable. He stopped short of announcing a state of emergency, a tactic used by a previous French government in 2005 to quell rioting after the accidental deaths of two boys while they fled police.

"These next few hours will be decisive," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote in a note to the emergency services.

"The human and material reinforcements that we are currently sending will give you (...) the means to defend the Republic and its values," he added.

17-year-old Nahel was killed by the police after being stopped for a traffic violation in the Paris suburb town of Nanterre on Tuesday. The officer who is accused of shooting him has been taken to jail, local BFM TV reported from Seine-Saint-Denis.

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Story first published: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 9:34 [IST]
UPI in France, Longer Student Visa: What PM Modi Said In Paris

Why Is France Burning? Violent Protests Spread Beyond Paris; Details Inside

International

oi-Deepika S

The riots across France have reached unprecedented levels of vandalism, arson, and violence, plunging President Emmanuel Macron into the gravest crisis of his leadership since the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018.

As chaos gripped France, videos showing people setting vehicles on fire, climbing onto buildings with smashed windows, arson on the streets, and rioters looting stores in several French cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille as well as Paris have surfaced all over social media.

France has rushed 45,000 police officers backed by light armoured vehicles as violent protests continued unabated for the fourth consecutive day.

Crack police units and other security forces reached various parts of the country to quell violence and rioting over the shooting, which took place during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday.

The France police has arrested over 1,100 people nationwide during a fourth consecutive night of rioting. The average age of the rioters who were held was 17 and teenagers who are as young as 13 years of age were also detained.

Why Social Media Is Being Blamed For Fueling The Riots In France

So, what led to the violent protests in France?

It all began when a police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old, named Nahel on Tuesday in the Nanterre suburb.

According to a Reuters report, the French Police spotted Nehal driving a Mercedes in a bus lane at 7:55 am on the outskirts of Paris. When they tried to stop him, Nehal disobeyed and committed many traffic offenses endangering the lives of pedestrians.

The police officers tried to stop him by asking him to turn off the ignition but when he again attempted to escape, an office fired at close range through the driver's window.

The death was captured on camera, has raised questions about whether France has failed to move on since it was wracked by weeks of urban rioting in 2005.

Nahel's killing has put a spotlight on the alleged Police discrimination against minoritized communities in France.

Since then, protests have spread to cities like Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, and Lille as well as Paris where Nahel was fatally shot.

Shootings on the rise

Many also blame France police for killing people who refused to comply with an order is on the increase.

In 2022, thirteen people have lost their life in police shootings for not complying with orders during traffic stops, according to police. This year, three people, including Nahel who failed to stop when ordered to have died in similar circumstances.

In 2021, according to police figures, four people had been killed in such circumstances.

Blame the law?

Following the death of Nahel, the president of France's lower house of parliament, Yael Braun-Pivet is urging lawmakers to reassess how a law governing gun use by police is being implemented.

It was adopted in 2017, in the wake of a series of extremist attacks in France.

Since then, law enforcement officers can shoot at a vehicle when a driver fails to comply with an order, and when it is likely to endanger their lives or those of others.

In the case of Nahel, the officer who fired the fatal shot will be investigated for voluntary homicide after an initial investigation concluded that "the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met."

Shooting In France Shows US Is Not Alone In Struggles With Racism, Police Brutality

In addition to the lethal shootings, French police are under scanner for regularly criticized for their violent tactics.

In 2018, a top European official slammed French authorities for their handling of the anti-government protests that rocked the country for months, urging them to show more respect for human rights.

Previous riots

The unrest in French suburbs that started following Nahel's death is not new.

Back in 2005, the electrocutions of Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traore, 15, after they hid from police in a power substation in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois sparked three weeks of rioting throughout France, according to news agency AP.
Rumble 03 Jul 2023

Macron has shut down the Internet in France because he doesnt want the world to see that the riots still rage hard and that..
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked to postpone Sunday's state visit to Germany. Meanwhile, the family of the slain 17-year-old, whose shooting sparked the riots, is preparing for his burial. DW has the latest.
Mali's relations with the West have deteriorated sharply since a 2020 military coup in the country. The junta has rallied behind Russia and brought in the paramilitary Wagner Group to meet its security needs.
During meetings in Kyiv, CIA Director William Burns was told of Ukraines ambitious goal to retake territory and push Moscow into talks by the end of the year.
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Washington Post 01 Jul 2023
Spain's PM is visiting Kyiv as his country assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Meanwhile, US media reported that CIA director William Burns visited Ukraine in secret. Follow DW for more.
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Ukraine and all of Europe face new challenges in the context of growing Russian instability. In addition to the fact that the Wagner Groups mercenaries have been displaced to Belarus, Kyiv has called attention to an alleged plan by Moscow to bomb the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed these issues this past Friday in Kyiv, in a press availability with Spanish media outlets  including EL PAIS  on the eve of a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Sanchez arrives in Kyiv just as Spain assumes the EUs rotating presidency.

Zelenskiy acknowledges that  along with members of his entourage  he has become accustomed to living under threat. However, he makes it clear that the greatest danger is being faced by his soldiers in the trenches. For the first time, he also alludes to risks faced by President Vladimir Putin  especially after the failed mutiny that the Russian leader put down last Saturday. Only Russia wants to kill me but everyone wants to kill Putin, he notes.

The Ukrainian president speaks about a possible World War III breaking out if Russia wins. If Ukraine doesnt resist and Russia advances towards Poland or the Baltic countries, that would mean World War III, he predicts. Placing Kyiv under the cloak of NATO is the best way, he feels, to make Putin see that there is no fear of any aggressor.

We would like to receive the invitation [to join NATO] at [the summit in] Vilnius, the Ukrainian president affirms, referring to the Lithuanian capital, where the alliance will hold their next meeting on July 11 and 12. He thinks that NATO is the best security guarantee in the face of the open conflict with the Russian invasion. We dont have any other alternative, Zelenskiy insists, when he is asked about his country joining the organization.

The Ukrainian leader calculates that his army has knocked out about 100,000 of Wagners Russian paramilitaries, with 21,000 dead and 80,000 wounded. He emphasizes the colossal casualties and a blow to the morale of the invaders. However, one of the best-kept secrets by the Ukrainian authorities is the number of casualties among their troops, which Zelenskiy refuses to make public.

For several days, the government in Kyiv has been insisting that Moscow has a plan ready to attack  with explosives  the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, located in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, occupied since March of 2022 by the Russians. Zelenskiy says that they plan to blow it up to generate a [radioactive] release. He recalls that, last year, Kyiv warned about the risk that the Kremlins army would destroy the Kakhovka Dam something that occurred this past June 6. Initial investigations suggest that Russia dynamited the installations. The Ukrainian president estimates that there are some 5,000 heavily-armed invading soldiers stationed at the nuclear plant and that, with an attack against such sensitive facilities, Moscow seeks to prevent the advance of Ukrainian troops. His plan is to erase us from the face of the Earth, Zelenskiy concludes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press availability with Spanish media outlets in Kyiv, on Friday, June 30, 2023. Luis De Vega Hernandez

We cannot send our soldiers to certain death, he affirms, explaining that, in the counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops are facing minefields laid by the enemy. He describes the possible doubts that may exist among NATO partners about Ukrainian progress as mere politicking, while also blaming the alliance for having sent artillery late.

Our people are our treasure, which is why we are very cautious, he adds. The president assures the media that he prefers to take four or five months to wage the counteroffensive and save casualties, rather than try to gain ground in two months at the price of thousands of deaths.

Some partners laugh at me, but I know in detail what each country has, Zelenskiy notes. He has once again asked his allies for artillery, as well as anti-aircraft systems and modern aircrafts to defeat Russian dominance in the sky. He even acknowledges that, in the past, he has sometimes criticized his partners and the response has been to slow down aid shipments. With more weapons, he adds, NATO could save civilians and 95% of the critical infrastructure that Russia attacks, such as electricity, ports and railways. Im very clear. I cannot tell them, give me everything. But I know what I ask of [them], he adds, while also thanking foreign countries for all that Ukraine has already received.

The crisis unleashed in Russian territory between the Wagner Groups boss  Yevgeny Prigozhin  and Putin has opened up a new range of tension in the region, with the leader of the paramilitary group now in Belarus, following the mediation of President Aleksandr Lukaskenko. Zelenskiy notes that these mercenaries may prepare attacks from [Belarus] or organize sabotage groups that not only put Ukraine at risk, but also Poland or Lithuania NATO territory, he specifies. He speaks of hybrid warfare, although, in any case, he doesnt believe that this is an imminent danger. However, Zelenskiy affirms that he has already ordered his commanders to pay special attention to the border with Belarus, since it is the closest entry point to reach Kyiv. In fact, the Russians already took advantage of this route at dawn on February 24 of last year, when the invasion broke out.

Russia is a country divided between the many who support the warlord  a reference to Prigozhin  and that large part that continues to support Putin, according to the Ukrainian president. He believes that this will bring consequences to Russias forces on the battlefield, which the Ukrainian troops can benefit from. We have to take advantage of all this [chaos] to expel the enemy, he emphasizes.

The Russian mercenaries have been sent as cannon fodder, without any possibility of returning to their positions because they are quickly killed. These criminals were said to be so powerful [but our army] is the most motivated, the one that wants to survive. The 100,000 casualties among the Russian ranks is a key part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the president says. While he claims to know the details about casualty figures within his own army, he doesnt want to make them public when asked about them. He feels that Ukraine has adequate reserves of soldiers, although he points out that its not easy to replace someone who has experience in war.

Zelenskiy  who doesnt comment on his preference between a second Biden term or a possible return of Trump to the White House after the 2024 US presidential elections  says that some Republicans (without mentioning names) are sending out what he considers to be dangerous signals. He acknowledges that hes not totally in agreement with Biden, who is suspicious that Kyiv could attack Russian territory with weapons provided by allies. Hes also urging the fastest possible delivery of American F-16 fighter jets, which are not set to arrive in 2023.

Meanwhile, regarding the EU, Zelenskiy also does not wish to offer an opinion about the upcoming Spanish elections. Regardless of which party wins in the country that will assume the EU presidency, he wishes to maintain the current level of collaboration with Madrid. We want to live like you  but for that, we first have to survive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, on Friday, June 30, 2023 . Luis De Vega Hernandez
PM Modi spoke to Russian President Putin on Friday in the aftermath of an aborted coup by a former ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Kremlin readout said Modi backed the "decisive actions of the Russian leadership" to protect law and order.
Social activist Teesta Setalvad on Saturday moved the Supreme Court after the Gujarat high court rejected her bail plea in a case of alleged fabrication of documents related to 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.The apex court will hear her bail plea this evening.Setalvad was earlier granted interim bail by SC till HC decided her bail.
The Kremlins ongoing propaganda effort is fundamentally different than that of its Soviet predecessor, less because of the technology it has access to and more because of its different overarching goals.



The Soviet effort was countered by providing information that highlighted its falsehoods, a task made easier because the...
A taciturn man, Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States (1923-1929), was given the nickname "Silent Cal". It is said that when the writer Dorothy Parker, noted for her quick wit, was told he had died, she asked "How could they tell?"



Figuratively, the somnambulistic current US president is sleepwalking through his term of office. Ascribed to a long-ago predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, the expression 'Speak softly and carry a big stick' epitomized US power. But a feeble use of that stick or using it for support is unlikely to evoke fear or bend countries to US will. Not that such an approach is likely to yield staunch allies anyway.

At present, long-time ally Pakistan is clearly unhappy at the courting of its arch rival India. Pakistan itself is hardly inconsequential, a nuclear-armed country of 250 million with a large army, its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, recently called the Pakistan-US relationship event driven. Her meaning she explained as, whenever there is an 'event' and the US needs Pakistan, ties become closer--a bad weather friend so to speak.



Fashionably dressed, the Amherst-educated Ms. Khar's choice of Jimmy Choo stilettos, a Birkin bag and other suitable attire were much remarked upon in India... although not in China (which foregoes such frivolities) during the course of a recent four-country tour. As is quite transparent from her recent comments about the US, she does not mince words.



Almost on the other side of the world there is Ukraine. It was getting along as best it could until a Russia-friendly president was elected. The US organized a coup and, when it could not garner European Union support, Victoria Nuland the US representative in Ukraine notably remarked, "F**k the EU" and went ahead anyway.

When you are half a world away and Russia is next door, and when you did not tolerate nuclear missiles in Cuba (Kennedy's time), why would Russia sit idly by with a dagger aimed at its heart. It did not. And a thought or two please for the poor suffering Ukrainians who would probably give an arm and a leg for the status quo ante.



Then there is climate change. Our esteemed president noted that unlike his predecessor who called it a hoax, he believed in global warming... and then went to sleep. The same goes for his oft-stated--during the debates with Donald Trump--intention to replace, over time, fossil fuels with renewable energy.

Given all the energy sector jobs not easily filled through renewable energy and given world events like Ukraine, pragmatism won. The Europeans stopped buying gas from Russia at US behest and relied on the US to supply it. After all, Biden had forced them off Russian dependence for their energy needs.

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If you routinely borrow your mothers or neighbors Costco membership card, next time youre probably going to be stopped at the checkout.

Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco said last month that its membership policy hasnt changed  shoppers still need an active membership to shop and its not transferable  but its being abused.

As Costco has installed more self-checkout lanes, the retailer said, it has noticed that non-member shoppers have been using membership cards that do not belong to them.

So, the retailer is taking a more aggressive enforcement stance.

We dont feel its right that nonmembers receive the same benefits and pricing as our members, Costco said in an emailed statement. As we already ask for the membership card at checkout, we are now asking to see their membership card with their photo at our self-service checkout registers.

During spot checks of Costco clubs in Rockwall and Dallas, employees were asking shoppers for their photo IDs, such as drivers licenses.

The largest U.S. wholesale club with sales last year of $222.7 billion said in the statement that its annual membership fees, $60 for a Gold Star and $120 for Executive level are what help it deliver lower prices. Costco reports membership fees separate from total sales. Fees amounted to $4.22 billion in its fiscal year that ended last August and was a good chunk of its profit last year of $5.84 billion.

As of May, Costco had 124.7 million cardholders from 69.1 million households, according to the companys website.

Costco is able to keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help offset our operational expenses, making our membership fee and structure important to us, the company said.

Costco joins Netflix and others looking at how to stop rampant sharing of memberships and subscriptions.

Netflix told its U.S. members in May that Netflix accounts are for you and the people you live with  your household.

Since its password-sharing crackdown, Netflix has added new subscribers at a rate it hadnt seen in years, according to published reports.

----------

2023 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A young man held his head in his hands as family and friends of the 15-year-old girl who died from the fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills he sold her filled the public gallery behind him in a Portland courtroom.

Photos of the smiling young teen, Marie Prine, flashed on the computer monitor in front of him -- the brown-haired girl posing on a beach beside a lake, her arms around her older brother and sister, playing on the family deck, picking out an uncut tree for Christmas, holding cheerleading pompoms on the edge of a field in braided pigtails, hugging her favorite cat.

She was my baby, said her mother, Iyla Evans.

Evans told the judge that she cant shake the image of her daughter at the funeral, how small she was, braces still on her teeth. We will not get to see her grow up, she said.

The teens older sister, Emma Evans, 20, said she didnt get along with her younger sister for about most of our lives, yet in the last year before her death, they had found shared interests and bonded.

She lost her future bridesmaid, she said, and the only person in this world who really understood me.

Prine had been on a sleepover at her 14-year-old friends house in Dayton on the night of July 20, 2021, when Dylan Wilson sent a menu of drugs, including Oxys for oxycodone, to Prine after they connected on Snapchat.

Twenty minutes later, Prine sent Wilson her friends address. The girls sneaked out a window and Wilson sold Prine two pills for $60.

At 6:43 a.m. the next morning, a 911 call to Yamhill County dispatch reported Prine had been found with no pulse in her friends home. Paramedics and sheriffs deputies arrived but couldnt revive her.

Because Wilson, 22, made the face-to-face sale and failed to warn the young teen about the potential danger of the fake oxycodone pills, he deserved a stiffer sentence than Wilsons supplier, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kemp Strickland argued. The supplier, Scott Keeling of McMinnville, got an eight-year prison term in early June. Strickland said Wilson had been selling marijuana to teenagers for months before the fake oxycodone pill sales.

The prosecutor urged the judge to send Wilson to prison for 10 years.

By advertising drugs on Snapchat, Wilson was targeting young customers, Strickland said. Further, Wilson tried to hide his crime by flushing the remaining pills down the toilet after hearing that the 15-year-old may have died, according to Strickland.

Investigators found a ghost gun, a 9mm gun with no serial number, in his bedroom, Strickland said. Wilson told investigators he bought the gun off the street for $1,000.

Wilsons defense lawyer, Jamie S. Kilberg, argued that Wilson was young, came from a troubled upbringing and that his switch to selling pills was a brand new thing for him. Kilberg urged the same prison sentence the supplier received.

Standing and shaking before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman, Wilson, of Lafayette, said he wished he could trade places with Prine.

My deepest condolences go to Maries family, he said. Not a day goes by that I dont think about what I did on that summer night in July. It truly hurts me.  I know it cant compare to the hurt that I caused  I take full responsibility.

Wilson pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to distribute.

Mosman said he agreed that Wilsons marketing of drugs to kids and then directly selling them to young people who didnt understand the lethality and danger is a terrible thing to do and in some ways worse than what Wilsons supplier did.

Yet the judge said he also had to consider that Wilson is a young man from a troubled background.

He ordered Wilson to spend the same amount of time in federal prison as his drug supplier -- eight years. He also ordered Wilson to pay $9,665 in restitution to Prines family.

Prines maternal grandmother, Yanna Hanson, said theres no sentence that will bring back her beloved granddaughter, who was a freshman at Yamhill Carlton High School.

Marie is gone and I truly mourn for her life that was cut so short by this terrible injustice, she said.

Her hope, she said, is that Wilson will learn new values and life skills in prison -- ones that bring goodness and kindness to the world instead of death.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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A man fatally shot by police after firing at them in a Vancouver Safeway parking lot in May was carrying a 9mm handgun and a handwritten robbery note and had a wig, burglary tools and a pipe bomb in his car, investigators said Friday.

James Wilson, 43, had active warrants for his arrest and was suspected of being involved in two armed robberies and a commercial burglary in Vancouver between May 20 and May 29, according to a statement released by the Lower Columbia Major Crimes.

Investigators found the robbery note and semiautomatic pistol in Wilsons possession. The gun had five rounds in the magazine but none in the chamber and it was registered to a person in another state, they said.

Investigators also executed a search warrant on Wilsons car where they found a second robbery note along with the wig, tools and bomb. The Portland Metro Bomb Squad disabled the device, the statement said.

Vancouver police and Clark County sheriffs deputies attempted to arrest Wilson May 30 after seeing him enter the Safeway in the 6700 block of East Mill Plain Boulevard. The agencies had been told Wilson was armed and had made statements that he would shoot police rather than be taken into custody, the statement said.

When Wilson exited the Safeway, officers standing near his car ordered him to stop, but Wilson ran west.

Video footage from nearby surveillance cameras and police body-worn cameras shows Wilson reaching toward his back and officers calling out that he had a gun. Wilson is seen in the video pointing a gun at a police officer with his index finger in the trigger well of the pistol, investigators said.

A magnified and slowed-down version of one officers body camera video shows Wilson firing at least one shot and the officer firing multiple rounds back as Wilson continued to run away before dropping to the pavement.

The three police officers and one sheriffs deputy who shot Wilson told investigators they fired because Wilson presented an imminent deadly threat, the statement said.

The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office identified the officers and deputy who fired as Vancouver police officers Colton Price, Brandon Riedel and Aaron Yoder and Clark County sheriffs detective Zach Nielsen.

Wilson died at the scene. The Clark County medical examiner determined his cause of death was from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team said the four officers fired 20 rounds, six of which struck Wilson.

The officers and deputy were placed on administrative leave, per the agencies protocol.

-- Catalina Gaitan, cgaitan@oregonian.com, @catalingaitan_

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A 34-year-old Las Vegas man convicted of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in coins after being caught in Vancouver was sentenced to four years in federal prison.

Richard Anthony Pena was part of a scheme to steal money from coin-cashing machines in grocery stores and other businesses in multiple states, totaling an estimated $715,000 in losses and damages to coin-cashing machines, the Oregon district of the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement earlier this week.

Pena was also ordered to pay around $582,000 in restitution.

Pena was arrested in Clark County in December 2021 for disguising himself as an employee of a coin-cashing company. He pretended to service the machines, and then would walk away with the machines coin vault, the attorneys office said.

Officials said Pena started stealing coins in January 2021, and continued this scheme en route from his home in Las Vegas to a grocery store in Vancouver, where an employee called police.

When Clark County sheriffs deputies searched Penas rented cars and hotel room, they found the disguise he used, tools to break into the machines and laundry baskets and bags filled with millions of coins.

Investigators seized about 1.5 million stolen coins amounting to more than $133,000.

On March 10, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Pena on conspiring with others to transport and transporting stolen money. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on March 10, 2023.

 Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
Portland police on Friday identified Fortressen O. Oriakhi, 29, of Gresham as the man fatally shot while driving his car June 23 in Northeast Portlands Hollywood District.

Officials have not publicly identified Oriakhis passenger, who is still in the hospital with life-threatening gunshot injuries, police said.

Patrol officers in the neighborhood heard gunfire about 2:30 a.m. and came across a car that had crashed into a utility pole near the intersection of Northeast Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. Officers found Oriakhi dead at the scene.

Paramedics took the passenger to a nearby hospital, police said.

Police have made no arrests and asked anyone with information to contact detectives Travis Law at travis.law@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0395, or Ryan Foote at ryan.foote@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0781.

-- Catalina Gaitan, cgaitan@oregonian.com, @catalingaitan_

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Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, Twitter, SpaceX and so many other projects, is very concerned about censorship. He said as much in a conversation with Bill Maher, kinder than usual to his guest, on Real Time (on HBO Max). Musk claims to be a centrist, but leans Republican, and Maher is openly a Democrat, yet both agree in warning of left-wing activism known as woke, a derogatory term against those who hand out sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or neo-colonial labels to those they consider to be the enemies of their causes.

Musk claims to be a fundamentalist of free speech. Thats why he dismantled Twitters moderation teams, which contained (without great success) hate messages, lies or incitements to violence. Trolls of all kinds - conspiracyists, supremacists, lynchers, misogynists - returned to the jungle of the little blue bird. However, Musk failed to mention that the woke protest, however annoying it may be to him, is also protected by freedom of speech.

One can share the fear that in the name of just causes there is an attempt to constrain the public debate, especially in universities, the supposed temples of free thought. This is what they call cancel culture. But nothing really represses the extreme rhetoric, which can be heard everywhere. While the most conservative right wing, in the U.S. states it controls, with Florida at the head, does impose gags. Especially in education: they prohibit any content on sexuality or gender; they prevent explaining the racist past of the country; they have banned books in libraries.

A high school principal in Florida was forced to resign for showing 11 and 12 year-old students Michelangelos David. Some parents found it too obscene: perhaps there were more open minds in the Renaissance. The Republicans anti-woke laws, with that explicit name they present them with, go much further in their censorious rage than the demonized woke crowd ever went.

The person who cancels like nobody else, even Disney, is the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, one of the few Republican alternatives to Donald Trump for the nomination in 2024. The new reactionaries claim to fight woke censorship but wherever they rule, they impose their old repression. As would their emulators on this side of the Atlantic.

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The second Clackamas County deputy shot while attempting to detain burglary suspects along the Springwater Corridor Trail Friday was released from the hospital, the sheriffs office said Saturday.

He was treated for a gunshot wound to his upper left arm. The first deputy was released from OHSU Hospitals trauma center Friday after being treated for a ricochet wound that fractured his pelvis.

The sheriffs office has not identified either deputy injured in the shooting. One of the deputies was a new recruit in training.

The deputies were attempting to detain two Portland men  identified as Tyler J. Scott, 32, and Joseph R. Shaffer, 46  for questioning around 7 a.m. along Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard near 70th Avenue in unincorporated Clackamas County when Scott allegedly pulled out a pistol and opened fire, Sheriff Angela Brandenburg told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

At least one deputy returned fire, but did not hit either of the men, Brandenburg said. The two suspects were apprehended minutes later by other deputies, according to Clackamas County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owen.

Scott and Shaffer are in custody and will likely be arraigned Monday, Owen said. Scott is being held without bail on two counts of attempted aggravated murder, according to booking records. He has convictions in Oregon dating back to 2007 for robbery, felony escape, unlawful use of a weapon and domestic violence assault.

The burglary was at Burt Rentals along Johnson Creek Boulevard. Co-owner Sarah Davidson told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she watched two men on a live surveillance camera enter the property and break the lock to a container where the company stores tools and tractors.

By the time deputies arrived one of the men had moved the camera away from the scene, she said. Davidson said she heard police yelling drop the gun, followed by a swarm of sirens.

Shaffer was convicted in Clackamas County Circuit Court in November 2017 for second-degree theft and sentenced to five days in county jail after stealing about $200 of merchandise from a Home Depot in Happy Valley the year before, court records show.

He was convicted in June 2016 of delivering heroin in Multnomah County and being felon in possession of a restricted weapon in Clackamas County, according to court records.

 Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744

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Summer is in full swing, and so are Oregons many festival timed for the sunny season.

Whether youre dancing at the Portland Blues Festival or Pickathon, attending a craft beer festival or the visiting the Oregon Country Fair, youll need to eat. Here are the food vendor lineups at some of Oregons most prominent summer festivals.

(Know of a summer festival with fun food options we should add? Drop us a line and well add it to the list.)

Waterfront Blues Festival

The four-day music festival culminating with a fireworks show Tuesday night welcomes headlining acts include Buddy Guy, Eric Gales and Los Lonely Boys at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. For tickets and schedule, visit waterfrontbluesfest.com.

Vendors include:

Americas Food Yakisoba  Homemade yakisoba noodles and spring rolls | Portland, OR

Bates BBQ & Burgers  Tri tip sandwiches, smoked mac n cheese and burgers | Creswell, OR

Dairy Hill  Locally sourced ice cream sandwiches and made-from-scratch frozen bananas | Portland, OR

Garbanzos  Falafel bar with fresh salads, chicken and catfish | Portland, OR

Graze Craze  Classic meat and vegetarian charcuterie boards | Portland, OR

Honeybee Lemonades  Handcrafted lemonades with flavors reminiscent of Jamaican tradition | Portland, OR

Horn of Africa  East African cuisine featuring lamb and chicken combos | Portland, OR

Jackson Square  Fried chicken & waffles, poboys and watermelon | Portland, OR

LavAzza Coffee  Espresso bar | Portland, OR

Nacheaux  Bite-sized churro beignets | Portland, OR

Nicos Ice Cream  Local homemade ice cream, featuring Oregon berries | Portland, OR

Smoke & Brine  Smoked meats paired with pickled and fermented veggies | Portland, OR

TOTS!  Made-from-scatch tator tots with seasonings and toppings | Bend, OR

Portland Craft Beer Festival

Arguably Portlands dominant summer beer fest returns to The Fields Park in Northwest Portland, pouring beer only from Portland breweries, but with other beverages offered. Tickets are available now at portlandcraftbeerfestival.com.

Vendors include:

Urban German: brats

Grana PDX: Neapolitan pizza and modern Italian cuisine

Marble Queen: eclectic cuisine

Yoonique Tea: Asian fusion

Oregon Country Fair

One of the West Coasts longest running counter-culture festivals also has one of the deepest lineups of food options. Tickets are available now at oregoncountryfair.org for the three-day event July 7-9 in Veneta.

Vendors include:

Pickathon

The outdoor music festival August 3-6 at Pendarvis Farms in Happy Valley hasnt released its full food lineup yet, but it has announced Curation, a collaboration series between Portland chefs, artists, DJs and mixologists. Tickets for the two-hour events are on sale now at pickathon.com.

The Curation lineup:

Friday dinner, August 4  Chef Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina with Say She She: Filipino community cuisine + indie experimental harmony

Saturday brunch, August 5  Chef Maylin Chavez of Nacar with Ocie Elliott: Baja seafood whiz + gentle Canadian folk singers

Saturday Happy Hour, August 5  Chef Cindy Tran of Yoonique Pho&Grill with W.I.T.C.H.: Vietnamese street food recipes + Zambian psych rock pioneers

Saturday dinner, August 5  Chef Doug Adams of Grand Fir Brewing with Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse: Portland celebrity chef + Americana songwriter

Sunday brunch, August 6  Chefs Kei & HJ of Pasture PDX with Butcher Brown: Butchers + Butcher

Plate & Pitchfork

This long-running farm dinner series will celebrates its 20th and final season this year over eight nights between July and August, with two chefs collaborating with a local winemaker and host farm for each dinner. Tickets are available now at plateandpitchfork.com

Participating chefs include

July 15: Chef Marco Shaw of Red Beard Restaurants in Atlanta (formerly of Fife Restaurant in Portland), Scott Dolich and Suzanne Olvey of Stone Soup, with Audeant Wines at Smith Berry Barn in Hillsboro

July 16: Chef Han Ly Hwang of Kim Jong Grillin, Chef TJ Cruz from Sunrice, Louis & Dave Cho of Cho Wines at Smith Berry Barn in Hillsboro

July 23: Chef Katy Millard of Coquine with Arron Bell of Domaine Drouhin Oregon at Domaine Drouhin. [SOLD OUT]

July 29: Chef Aaron Barnett of St Jack/La Moule and Chef Will Preisch of Abbey Road Farm and Chris Berg of Roots Wine Co. at Diggin Roots Farm in Molalla.

July 30: Chef Patrick McKee of Dame and Chef Tony Ferraro of Compantico, with Chosen Family Wines at Diggin Roots Farm in Molalla

August 5: Chef Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina and Chef Roberto Almodovar from WEPA with Matt Berson from Portland Wine Company at Gather and Feast Farm in La Center, Washington.

August 6: Chef Rick Gencarelli of Lardo & Grassa, Chef Heather Kintler of Normandie, Chef Liz Serrone of Gabbianos and Chef Katherine Benvenuti formerly of FILS with John Grochau of GC Wines at Gather & Feast Farm in La Center, Washington.

August 19: Chef Benjamin Bettinger of Laurelhurst Market & Bigs Chicken and Chef Cameron Lee Dunlap of Morchella with Cory Schuster from Jackalope Wines at 6 Ranch in Enterprise, Oregon.

 The Oregonian/OregonLive
Mireya Carrasco clasped her hands in her lap and beamed as a Portland State University official told her shed been accepted as a full-fledged student.

Thats exciting. Im a student! Carrasco said from the computer lab at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, where she arrived four years ago.

Carrasco, 25, has been taking classes at Portland State for several semesters, paying what she can of the $100 flat fee the university has charged inmates for bachelors degree classes. Finding the funds can be a struggle for inmates who work prison jobs that typically pay less than $100 a month, Carrasco said.

Portland State says it hasnt turned away a student who cant pay. But starting July 1, Carrasco and more than 750,000 other incarcerated Americans regained access to a new funding source: Pell Grants, federal need-based scholarships that prisoners have been blocked from accessing for the last three decades.

Advocates hope the grants will prompt a resurgence in higher education inside Oregons prisons. Not only does the money ease a financial barrier for incarcerated students, most of whom will likely qualify for the grant, it also helps incentivize colleges to offer courses since they can now earn federal dollars from student aid. Prison officials are on board to offer in-person classes at every facility.

Im excited, said Betsy Simpkins, a member of the informal Oregon Coalition for Higher Education in Prison who used to work in prison education at Chemeketa Community College. Theres a momentum that we havent felt in a long time.

Still, obstacles remain. Applying for the Pell funding, which does not have to be repaid, can be a burden for inmates who generally cant receive emails or fill out the financial aid forms online. Incarcerated students can only use the grant for courses from colleges approved by the federal government, and only a handful of Oregons colleges and one university currently plan to go through that arduous process. They likely wont be approved to accept Pell Grants until fall or winter terms.

And some inmates and advocates say that truly expanding access to college behind bars will take more prison staffing and classroom space and a dedication to higher education as a priority instead of a luxury.

I would argue that the (Department of Corrections) has always treated it as a privilege, Simpkins said. It can be weaponized inside and used as a carrot or a stick.

Portland State is currently the only four-year university that will be using Pell Grants to offer a bachelors degree pathway inside prisons. To get on that path, Carrasco and her classmates had to apply for full acceptance to the university. Nahlee Suvanvej, the Pell readiness counselor for Portland States Higher Education in Prison program, spends her days helping prisoners gain admittance and financial aid, which takes around six months per student.

Carrasco had tried college before, at Treasure Valley Community College in her hometown of Ontario, but didnt finish as she struggled with bouts of depression. In 2019, Carrasco was sentenced to nearly six years in prison after stabbing her partner during a domestic violence incident, then violating the terms of her probation.

When youre put in this environment, you come in depressed, thinking my life ends here, Carrasco said. Then Portland State University and Portland Community College and other opportunities open up, and youre like oh wow  I can do so much more with my life.

Studying at Portland State has helped Carrasco become more of a role model for her kids, she said. As a mother in prison, she feels put down and stigmatized. People tell her that her child is likely to follow in her footsteps. Now, she feels those footsteps are leading somewhere positive.

You dont have to come to prison to get an education, Carrasco joked. Its just a great opportunity.

6 1 / 6 Prison education

HISTORY OF PELL

Federal Pell Grants were established in 1972 to help low-income students pay for college. They were an enormous boost for higher education in prison programs, since most inmates qualified for the need-based aid, according to a report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy.

By the 1990s, critics questioned whether the government should subsidize education for inmates in an era of budget cuts for social programs. Though prisoners received less than 1% of the total Pell funding, some argued that the money could have been better used to assist law-abiding college students, the report says.

The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act sponsored by then-Sen. Joe Biden and signed by President Bill Clinton stripped the rights of prisoners to use Pell funding. Oregons senators were split on the far-reaching crime bill, which also funded new prisons and police officers and has since been criticized as a key contributor to mass incarceration. Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield voted against it. Fellow Republican Bob Packwood voted in favor.

The loss of Pell funding had an immediate adverse impact on college in prison, the Institute for Higher Education Policy found. In just a year, prisoner enrollment dropped nearly 40%.

Shaul Cohen, who runs the University of Oregons prison education program, said the rescission of Pell didnt have as stark an impact in Oregon as elsewhere, because the states programs were lean. Still, he said, students from the time remember classrooms that were going unused and desks that were mothballed.

Research funded by the U.S. Department of Justice found that students who take classes in prison are 43% less likely to return. The higher the level of degree they achieve, the lower those odds of returning become.

Today, just half of Oregons 12 correctional institutions offer in-person higher education classes, said Tracie Hightower, who oversees education for the Oregon Department of Corrections. Additional facilities offer work-based certification programs in areas like welding.

Salem-based Corban University offers a donation-funded bachelors degree free to 25 students who will eventually be using their knowledge to minister to incarcerated men all throughout the state.

Each month this year, an average of about 320 of the states 12,000-plus adults in custody have enrolled in college classes, the Department of Corrections said.

Thats about 3% of all inmates who are college-eligible because they have a high school diploma or GED.

Hightower wants to expand in-person higher education offerings at each prison, not just a few here and there, and is hopeful that Pell Grants will help make that happen.

Central Oregon Community College intends to open an associate degree pathway for inmates at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution near Madras.

While the Pell will enable colleges and universities to offer new degree pathways inside prisons, that can present new challenges. A few Coffee Creek students have not been accepted to Portland State, Suvanvej said. Also, while Pell covers the cost of most tuition and fees, students face a $450 enrollment fee thats not covered. Staff from the prisons higher education programs have been helping students pay that with outside funds, Suvanvej said, and are hoping to work with the university to lessen or waive that cost.

The University of Oregon does not plan to apply for Pell funding because of the hurdles it presents, Cohen said. The school offers a range of higher education classes to prisoners, including a model called Inside-Out, in which campus students attend classes inside prisons alongside incarcerated people. Cohen said the challenge of applying for admittance and aid can dissuade prisoners who might want to take a class before theyve committed to pursuing a full degree.

We want to cast that wide net and for us the Pell apparatus would be a barrier, Cohen said. ... For us it isnt financially necessary or sensible and its also bureaucratically cumbersome.

Incarcerated students pay between $50 and $75 for UO courses, Cohen said, and the university scholarships those who cant afford the cost.

Chemeketa Community College has already been using Pell funds for prison education after being selected as a pilot site for the grants return. The college had to stop its prison associate degree program for two years during the pandemic and is now trying to rebuild, Dean Holly Nelson said.

Pell doesnt quite cover the costs of running Chemeketas program, Nelson said. The financial aid barely covers instructional costs, and the college picks up the tab for affiliated costs like administrators and advisers. Nelson said officials at other colleges told her theyre not going to offer higher education in prison yet, because theyre not financially equipped to do so.

But she says Chemeketa officials believe college education is worthwhile because it helps prisoners stay crime-free. A student who earns their degree inside is more prepared for the workforce upon release, she said, and can get a higher paying job and avoid the cycle of poverty that can contribute to recidivism. To take part, students must be within seven years of their release.

For us, its a long-term strategic view of how to help people reengage back into their community in a positive way, Nelson said.

One evening in early June, a dozen men convicted of serious crimes shared tables inside a blue classroom thick with heat and humidity at Oregon State Penitentiary, attending a comic books as literature class offered as part of Chemeketas associate degree program. The inmates laughed as instructor Brian Mosher led them through a two-minute drawing exercise, during which one student drew an amorphous blob and the next had to turn it into a monster. Then they pivoted into a discussion about themes of power and oppression in the comic book Watchmen, before starting to peer-review one anothers writing.

Mosher reminded students of the rules for reading each others work. Anyone who has taken his class before knows reviews need to be thorough, he said, and what else?

Kind, several students reply.

Mosher has been teaching inside Oregons prisons for the past decade and says its his favorite environment. Students are engaged, he said, often reading more work than hes assigned.

Its bizarre compared to a typical college environment as an instructor, but bizarre in a really good way, Mosher said. I have 15 of my best students every single term.

Christopher Poulain, who is nearing two decades in prison on charges of manslaughter and assault, said he started taking Chemeketa classes as soon as he could after the pandemic. Hes thinking of his release date and trying to get out there and catch up for the 25 years Ive done. Poulain wants to become an accountant.

Prison before and after higher education has been like night and day, Poulain said. He felt empowered years ago when he began learning the law to help with his case. Now, he enjoys interacting with college professors with decades of expertise who come into the prison to teach.

The forced change that incarceration tries to accomplish isnt successful, Poulain said: To change people, you have to educate them. You have to show them a better way.

The Oregonian/OregonLive attempted to talk to people physically harmed by college students named in this story to learn their views on financial aid for prisoners. But the newsroom was unable to reach most of them due to disconnected phone lines, unreturned emails and other communication barriers. One victim we reached said of her attacker: I am glad he is doing something with his life.

Joshua Peterson (left) and Adam Summerlyn during the Comic Books as Literature class offered to incarcerated people at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. The class is offered through Chemeketa Community College.Beth Nakamura

PRACTICAL BARRIERS REMAIN

Erica Sharp started writing letters to the U.S. Department of Education from Coffee Creek last year, as soon as she learned that incarcerated students could apply for federal financial aid.

Sharp had started classes at Lane Community College before being sentenced to prison in 2013 for robbery and identity theft. She knew how much effort it took to get financial aid, even before she was sent to prison.

I was stressed out, Sharp said during an interview at Coffee Creek in May. Ive been to college, I went through this process.

She owed outstanding loan debt to Lane but couldnt call her debt servicers directly. Sharp had to find a person outside the prison to start a three-way call so she could initiate loan forgiveness. She had to explain to education officials that she couldnt fill out online forms and ask counselors inside to print paperwork that she could mail instead. Still, she counts herself lucky that she had a rare prison job that paid over $100 a month  enough to buy the envelopes she needed and pay for phone calls at nine cents a minute.

We have to go around the system to learn about our own education, Sharp said. How can you expect us to be successful if we cant be successful in here to figure things out for ourselves?

Portland States Suvanvej ultimately helped Sharp complete her paperwork, secure financial aid and admission to the school, just in time for Sharps release in June.

Several advocates from the university help Portland State students navigate bureaucracy. But as the Pell application process starts to run more smoothly, Suvanvej said, the university is limited in the number of students it can enroll at Coffee Creek due to space.

Inmates tell The Oregonian/OregonLive theyre frustrated that classes get canceled when problems arise elsewhere in prison and the facility lacks the staff to supervise education. They compete with religious services for space inside the prison and can struggle to get permission to leave mandatory jobs to attend class.

I feel like the prison doesnt really prioritize higher education over jobs and treatment and certain things, Sharp said. Education is kind of like at the bottom of the totem pole.

Hightower understands that perception. When prisons are short staffed, safety and security are the first priority, she said, its not just education that shuts down but other programming as well. Right now, she said, only two facilities have education staff and she would like the state to fund more. The Department of Corrections is also talking about potentially building a mobile unit at Coffee Creek to expand education space.

We are trying to make things more friendly. When the prisons were built, they werent built around education, Hightower said. There are a lot of space issues that we have to overcome.

Simpkins, from the higher ed in prison coalition, said shed like to see the corrections department commit to collecting data or publishing reports on matters such as how often classes get canceled and what the department is doing to remedy issues.

If (the Department of Corrections) can agree to be held accountable, then they understand their side of the partnership: of making education, and especially higher education, accessible to students, Simpkins said. Until they truly see themselves as a partner in that, Im not sure that these issues wont keep popping up.

State lawmakers this session mandated that the corrections department formalize a partnership with the states Higher Education Coordinating Commission to oversee prison education. Hightower said shes open to research partnerships to improve the education pathway.

You need to know whats not working to be able to fix it, Hightower said.

Lawmakers also gave money to Portland State to sustain a program that helps formerly incarcerated students with education after their release. Sharp is continuing down that path.

Sharp sees education as a way to change the trajectory in her family. Shes the oldest of nine siblings who grew up in foster care as their parents struggled with mental health problems and rotated in and out of prison. She was working toward her own degree before an abusive relationship spiraled into substance abuse and the crimes that led her to prison.

When Portland State started offering classes at Coffee Creek, Sharp signed up. A light bulb went off, she said, when she learned that higher education can help reduce recidivism.

Im going all the way to a masters, she said, because I dont ever want to be in prison again.

This story was brought to you through a partnership between The Oregonian/OregonLive and Report for America. Learn how to support this crucial work.

Sami Edge covers higher education for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
On the same day that Ryan Seacrest was announced as Pat Sajaks replacement on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White has reportedly gotten a lawyer in the wake of Sajaks retirement news.

The New York Post reports White has hired aggressive powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman.

According to Puck News, White has made roughly $3 million a year since 2005 and hasnt gotten a raise  only bonuses  since then. It has not been revealed whether White, 66, will be joining Seacrest, 48. Whites contract is up at the end of the 2023-2024 season.

RELATED: Heres what White said about Sajak leaving show

In 2016, Forbes reported that Sajak earned $15 million a year from the show.

Sajak and White have done Wheel of Fortune for more than 40 years, with Sajak starting in 1981 and White one year later.

RELATED: Sajak wrestles contestant after perfect game

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Euclid, the European Space Agencys (ESA) new telescope, is now flying towards its destination in space, from where it will help us understand the expansion of the universe. This marks the beginning of the crucial stage of a project that has been 10 years in the making, with an investment of more than 1.4 billion ($1.5 billion). Its launch, by the U.S. company SpaceX, took place today, according to schedule, at 11.12 (local time) from Cape Canaveral (Florida).

Long gone is French Guyana, from where the mission was originally to be launched using Russian rockets, back when ESA and its Russian counterpart were working in unison. When war broke out in Ukraine, Russia withdrew its personnel, and ESA contracted the services of SpaceX. Billionaire Elon Musks company has used a Falcon 9 rocket to send the more than two tons that make-up Euclid into space orbit around the so-called second Lagrange point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The month-long journey will lead to the operational phase, which will last six years.

Presentation of ESA's Euclid space telescope in Cannes (France) on February 21, 2023. Stephane Corvaja

Euclid will be vital in unraveling one of the most important enigmas of modern astrophysics: the influence of the dark universe on the matter we know. The latter, of which all living things are made, as well as the Earth, the Sun and the rest of the planets and stars, constitutes only 5% of the universe. The remaining 95% is the so-called dark universe, composed of dark matter (25%) and dark energy (70%). Although it is invisible, hence its name, it is important to study this universe because it affects what we can see. Dark matter causes the matter around it to come together, and dark energy causes the matter in the universe to separate faster and faster. In other words, dark matter acts as a kind of cosmic glue, and dark energy as its solvent.

The antagonism between these two opposing forces has shaped the history of the universe since its very origins. Initially, the influence of dark matter prevailed, and as a result, visible matter was grouped into formations that still persist, such as clusters of galaxies. But now it is dark energy that is dominant, and these same clusters are moving away from each other at an accelerating pace. Euclid will try to unravel this puzzle: how did this struggle between dark matter and dark energy develop, and how has it affected the expansion of the universe over the past 10 billion years?

Euclid is named after the Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, who lived around 300 BC and is considered the father of geometry. Since the density of matter and energy are related to the geometry of the universe, the space telescope that will investigate dark matter and dark energy was named in his honor.

The telescope will map one third of the sky to create the largest map of the universe ever made, including the position and shape of a large number of galaxies, some of them very distant. Euclid is equipped with two high-tech instruments: one for infrared light (which will be used to determine how far away each galaxy is) and one for visible light (which will show its position and shape). The mission is a technical feat, as Guillermo Buenadicha, ESAs science operations coordinator, explains: In order to determine the shape of galaxies with the required precision, Euclid will have to focus on the same point in space for long periods (more than 700 seconds) with an exquisite precision of less than 25 milliseconds of arc. It would be the equivalent of a person keeping a laser pointed at a two-euro coin, located a 100 kilometers away, while floating in a swimming pool.

Euclids instruments, when observing from space, will generate images with a sharpness far superior to those obtained with ground-based telescopes, which are clouded by the atmosphere. It has fundamental advantages even compared to other space telescopes: it will cover a much wider area (although with less detail) than the James Webb, one of the most accurate telescopes of the last decade. These characteristics make it ideal not only for its primary mission, but also for observing asteroids as yet unknown. Bruno Altieri, ESA scientist in charge of the Euclid archive, believes that the impact of the project will be decisive: With these data on billions of galaxies, Euclid is expected to revolutionize many fields of astronomy.

With the launch of the new European space telescope, humankind is getting closer to realities it has so far only grazed. Although invisible, dark matter and dark energy make up the bulk of everything around us, and we must shed light on them if we are to understand the universe in which we live. Euclid takes a step in this direction and, along the way, reminds us of the immensity of what we have yet to discover.

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The world's first Al sculpture "The Impossible Statue", is displayed at the Tekniska museum in Stockholm on June 8, 2023 JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (AFP)

This isnt the first time that weve faced a technological development that has unforeseeable consequences for humanitys existence. In Runaround  a story published in 1942  writer Isaac Asimov proposed three rules to protect people from robots and these are still being used as reference material today.

The International Atomic Energy Agency was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology, according to the organization itself. International humanitarian law has spent years seeking an effective regulation of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), which can attack without requiring manual human control. Now, Europe has started drafting the first regulations in the world on artificial intelligence (AI). While the developments in the field of AI are capable of accelerating progress in fundamental fields, such as health or energy, they can also threaten democracy, bolster discrimination, or break privacy laws.

Sowing unfounded panic doesnt help  on the contrary. Artificial intelligence will continue to function and we must improve it and prevent [negative consequences], emphasizes Cecilia Danesi, a lawyer specializing in AI and digital rights. She has written the book The Empire of Algorithms: AI that is Inclusive, Ethical, and in the Service of Humanity.

The first thing to understand is what exactly an algorithm is, since algorithms are the basis of artificial intelligence. Danesi  a researcher at the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights  writes that its a fundamental compendium for understanding the scenario facing humanity, as a methodical set of steps that can be used to make calculations, solve problems, and reach conclusions. The algorithm isnt the calculation  rather, its the method. The method that can potentially enable the precise model to identify a cancerous tumor via images, discover a new molecule that has pharmacological uses, make an industrial process more efficient, develop a new treatment, or  on the other hand  generate discrimination, false information, a humiliating image, or an unfair situation.

OpenAI director Sam Altman, Turing laureate Geoff Hinton, AI researcher Yoshua Bengio and Tesla CEO Elon Musk  among others  have called for regulation and urgent action to address the existential risks that AI poses to humanity. These include the increase and amplification of misinformation  such as false and malicious content that proliferates on social media platforms  the biases that reinforce inequalities  such as the Chinese social credit system, or the mechanical assessment of people being viewed as potential risks due to their ethnicity  or the end of privacy, with data being harvested to feed hidden algorithms.

The EU has begun to debate what is being called the first AI law in the world. It could be approved in the near future: its objective is to prevent uses of AI that result in what are considered to be unacceptable risks, such as indiscriminate facial recognition or the manipulation of peoples behavior. AI could be heavily regulated in critical sectors such as health and education, while sanctions and sales bans could be imposed on systems and firms that dont comply with the legislation. UNESCO has developed a voluntary ethical framework but this voluntary nature is precisely its main weakness. China and Russia  two countries that use this technology for mass surveillance of populations  have signed on to these principles.

There are fundamental rights involved and its an issue that we have to tackle and worry about, certainly but with balance, Danesi cautions. Juhan Lepassaar  executive director of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)  is of the same opinion: If we want to secure AI systems and also guarantee privacy, we must analyze how these systems work. ENISA is studying the technical complexity of AI to better mitigate cybersecurity risks. We also need to find the right balance between safety and system performance.

One of the societal risks that has manifested itself is the replacement of people by AI-operated machines. The machines are going to replace us and they are already doing so, Danesi affirms. There are many that replace us, enhance the work, or complement us. The issue is what [jobs] and [in which spaces] we want to be replaced and what requirements these machines have to meet to make certain decisions. We first have to identify a problem or a need that justifies using or not using AI.

In the field of robotics, Asimov already anticipated this problem and established three principles: 1) A robot will not harm a human being or allow them to suffer harm through inaction; 2) A robot will obey the orders it receives from a human being, unless the orders conflict with the first law; and 3) A robot will protect its own existence, to the extent that such protection does not conflict with the first and second laws.

Permanent and preventative supervision

It looks great. Done: artificial intelligence can never harm a human. Excellent. The problem is that, in practice, its not so clear, Danesi explains. The researcher recalls a case in which two machines were programmed to optimize a negotiation: the system understood that the best way forward was to create another, more efficient language. Those who had designed the program couldnt understand said language [and the machines] were disconnected. The system was handled within the proper parameters but AI can go beyond what is imagined. In this case, the machine didnt harm its programmers, but it excluded them from the solution and its consequences.

The key, for Danesi, is permanent supervision [and] algorithmic audits of these high-risk systems, which can significantly affect human rights or security issues. They have to be evaluated and reviewed to verify that they dont violate rights, that they dont have biases. And this must be done on an ongoing basis, because systems  as they continue to learn  can acquire bias. And preventative action must be taken to avoid damage and create systems that are ethical and respectful of human rights.

Another of the great dangers of the uncontrolled use of AI is its use for military purposes. The proposed EU regulation excludes this topic in its first draft. Its one of the most dangerous uses of artificial intelligence. Oftentimes, the laws prohibit something that, later, in practice, continues to operate and can do the most harm to people, the researcher laments.

Should we fear machines? The answer is no! We must, where appropriate, fear people, for how they may use technology, Danesi writes in her book.

Respect for citizens data

Manuel R. Torres  professor of Political Science at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain  speaks in similar terms. The problem is the proliferation of a technology that must be prevented from ending up in the wrong hands.

Torres mentions a flaw in the proposed EU regulations: The conflict is in how this technology is developed in areas that dont have any type of scruple or limitation regarding respect for the privacy of the citizens, who feed [the technology] with their data. The political scientist mentions the case of China as an example: [Beijing] has no problem in using its own citizens data to feed and improve those [AI] systems. As scrupulous as we want to be with the restrictions we put on our local [technology] developers, in the end, if this doesnt happen globally, its also dangerous.

Torres concludes: We find ourselves in uncharted territory, where there are few references on which we can rely on to know how we have to address the problem. Additionally, theres a problem in terms of understanding the repercussions of this technology. Many of our legislators arent exactly familiar with these developments.

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Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA)  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and the Burkinabe authorities have reached staff-level agreement on economic policies and reforms to be supported by a new four-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) of US$305 million
Photo: (Photo : Steinar Engeland on Unsplash)

Following the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, leaders in higher education and civil rights are expressing concerns that the decision may embolden individuals with discriminatory views, potentially disenfranchising students of color attending elite colleges.

According to NBC, the ruling determined that selective colleges and universities cannot consider race as a factor in admissions, sparking discussions about its implications for both students and educational institutions.

Tom Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), emphasized that the court's decision effectively dismantled a 45-year-old precedent, suggesting a significant step backward.

However, Saenz clarified that the ruling does not imply that selective institutions like Harvard and the University of North Carolina failed to identify deserving students of all races for admission. He warned against misinterpretations that may be used to spread hate and falsely claim that Black and Latino students do not belong in such institutions, asserting that every student, regardless of race, deserves their place in college.

Urgent Need for Colleges to Prioritize Inclusivity and Reject Racism in the Wake of Supreme Court Decision

Anticipating a potential increase in hate incidents on campuses nationwide, J. Luke Wood, the incoming president of California State University, Sacramento, underscored the need for colleges to prioritize creating inclusive environments where all students feel a sense of belonging. Publicly embracing diversity, inclusion, and condemning racism were identified as key strategies to counteract any negative impacts arising from the ruling.

Meanwhile, concerns were expressed by students at Harvard, such as Agustn Leon-Saenz, who viewed the decision as having immediate consequences for aspiring college students of color, including his own family members. In response to the ruling, experts in higher education suggested several measures for elite schools to mitigate its effects. These include expanding recruitment efforts to diverse high schools, establishing pipeline programs for community college students, and reducing reliance on standardized test scores during admissions.

Read Also: Ohio Police Tracks Down Homeschool for Teaching Racist, White Supremacist, Pro-Nazi Lessons

Guidance from Federal Government Crucial to Interpret and Navigate Post-Affirmative Action Landscape in Higher Education

Leon-Saenz specifically called for Harvard to intensify its recruitment of underrepresented minority students, with a focus on Indigenous communities in New Mexico and students from various backgrounds. Leaders also emphasized the significance of ongoing outreach, engagement, and retention initiatives designed to enroll diverse student populations during conversations with reporters.

However, concerns were voiced about potential repercussions beyond admissions. Wood warned that the ruling could lead to broader challenges affecting faculty hiring, scholarships, fundraising, student support services, and retention efforts tailored to underrepresented communities. Institutions will need guidance from the federal government and the Department of Education to navigate the interpretation of different aspects of the Supreme Court decision.

Sally Chen, the education equity program manager at Chinese for Affirmative Action, called for a shift in mindset, challenging the notion that college admissions should be viewed as a zero-sum game. Instead, she advocated for an understanding of education as a public good, where one student's success does not come at the expense of another's opportunity.

As stakeholders await further guidance and navigate the implications of the ruling, ongoing discussions and proactive measures are crucial to address the concerns raised and ensure equal access to higher education for students of all backgrounds.

Related Article: Is Racism More Evident Now? Teacher In Baltimore Caught On Video Using Racial Slurs, 'N' Word Towards Students
Photo: (Photo : Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

In a significant blow to President Joe Biden's administration, the Supreme Court delivered a sharp blow to his ambitious plan to provide $400 billion in student loan debt relief for millions of Americans.

According to NPR, the 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, declared that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority by attempting to implement the plan without congressional endorsement.

As a result, borrowers will be left responsible for repaying their loans, with payments expected to resume in the fall.

The Supreme Court's Ruling and Its Implications in Student Loan

The Supreme Court's majority opinion determined that the Biden administration lacked the legal authority to implement such a costly and extensive program without explicit approval from Congress.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, concurred with the arguments put forth by six states that the HEROES Act, a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with national emergencies, did not authorize the loan cancellation plan as claimed by the administration.

According to the Associated Press, while Justice Elena Kagan, joined by the court's two other liberal justices, dissented and expressed concerns about the elimination of loan forgiveness for millions of Americans, the ruling stood.

Furthermore, Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned against her fellow justices assuming the authority to determine the extent of aid that individuals in need would receive, emphasizing the importance of leaving such decisions to education experts.

Additionally, the HEROES Act, originally designed to protect service members from financial harm during wartime, has empowered the secretary of education to adjust federal student loan terms during national emergencies.

The decision leaves borrowers facing the resumption of repayments, which had been on hold since the start of the pandemic three years ago.

Biden's Response and Plans Moving Forward

President Biden, who initially expressed doubts about his authority to offer student loan forgiveness, vowed to continue the fight for debt relief despite the Supreme Court's ruling.

Blaming Republican "hypocrisy" for obstructing his original effort, Biden announced his intention to pursue a new path for student debt relief using the Higher Education Act.

NBC News reported that President Biden announced his intention to utilize the 1965 Higher Education Act, a separate law from the one involved in the Supreme Court cases, to address the student loan debt issue, citing the Education Department's broad authority under this act.

However, the implementation of this proposal may require additional time.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed disappointment and criticized the ruling as "cruel," highlighting that the Biden administration still has other legal options to pursue widespread student debt cancellation.

Meanwhile, student loan repayments, paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to resume at the end of August, with the first payments due in October.

The Supreme Court's decision places immediate pressure on the administration to identify an alternative path for student debt forgiveness that could withstand potential legal challenges.

Read Also: Hyundai, Kia's Increasing Theft Cases Nationwide Doesn't Meet Criteria for Recall

Public Reaction and the Way Forward

The Supreme Court's decision to strike down Biden's student loan debt relief plan garnered mixed reactions.

Advocacy groups supporting debt cancellation strongly condemned the ruling, urging President Biden to find alternative avenues to fulfill his promise of debt relief.

Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center, emphasized that the responsibility for taking action now falls squarely on Biden's shoulders.

With loan repayments set to resume in October and interest accruing as early as September, the resumption of student loan burdens will likely have a significant impact on millions of Americans.

The proposed forgiveness program, estimated at $400 billion over 30 years, had the potential to alleviate the financial strain on individuals making less than $125,000 or households with incomes below $250,000.

As borrowers await further developments, the resumption of loan repayments raises concerns about the financial well-being of millions of Americans burdened by student loan debt.

Related Article: California's Rainy Season Brings Mosquito Surge, Prompts Innovative Drone Solution
Photo: (Photo : David Becker / Getty Images)

A prominent "mom influencer" from California, Katie Sorensen, is being held accountable for false claims against the Martinez family.

In a recent development, Katie Sorensen has been handed a jail sentence for falsely accusing a Latino couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, of attempting to kidnap her children while she was shopping in 2020. The sentencing took place on Thursday, with Sorensen being sentenced to serve 90 days in county jail.

However, 60 of those days could potentially be served on a work release program, as stated by the Sonoma County District Attorney's office.

California Mom Influencer's Misleading Accusations

According to CBS, Sorensen, who was convicted in April, will also be subject to 12 months of probation, during which she is prohibited from maintaining any social media presence.

In addition, she is required to submit to warrantless searches and seizures, including of her electronic devices. As part of her probation, Sorensen must complete a 4-hour implicit bias training program and face various fines.

NBC News reported that District Attorney Carla Rodriguez expressed her satisfaction with the sentence, stating, "Ms. Sorensen has been held accountable for her crime, and we believe the judge handed down a fair sentence."

Rodriguez also expressed hope that this measure of accountability would bring some closure to the falsely accused couple, who had to endure the distress of being wrongfully accused of a serious crime.

The incident unfolded in December 2020 when Sorensen drove to the Petaluma Police Department to report suspicious behavior exhibited by Sadie and Eddie Martinez at a local Michael's craft store. Despite the couple simply purchasing a decorative baby Jesus for a nativity scene at the time, Sorensen accused them of abducting her 1 and 4-year-old children.

Several days later, Sorensen took to Instagram, where she shared her story with her 57,000 followers under the account 'motherhood essentials.'

In a video, she falsely claimed that her children had been the targets of an attempted kidnapping. She aimed to raise awareness among parents regarding signs to look out for and to encourage vigilance in their surroundings.

The Instagram video quickly gained significant traction, garnering nearly five million views and attracting the attention of a local news outlet.

Sorensen's story was further publicized as she shared additional details that were not reported to law enforcement during her interview with the news outlet. The heightened exposure ultimately led to an investigation into her claims.

Read Also: Baby Sun Safety: Essential Tips To Shield Your Little Ones from Harmful UV Rays

Martinez Family Proven Innocent

Following the dissemination of her story, the police conducted a follow-up interview with Sorensen, during which she identified Sadie and Eddie Martinez as the alleged kidnappers.

However, her account contradicted the couple's experience, and surveillance footage from the store revealed no suspicious activity supporting her claims.

According to the New York Post, Sadie Martinez, understandably distressed by the situation, spoke out against the false accusations and alleged racial motivations.

"Do you really think it's OK to go online and be racist and make stories about a family?" she asked during an interview with KTVU. "It's hard enough to be a Latin family in a white community."

In April 2021, Sorensen was formally charged with two misdemeanor counts of making a false report of a crime. One of the charges was dropped before her hearing earlier this year.

Following the Thursday sentencing, Sorensen was promptly remanded to begin serving her 90-day sentence. As Sorensen commences her jail term and probation, the hope is that this incident will serve as a cautionary tale, prompting individuals to think twice before making unfounded accusations that can harm others and perpetuate racial biases.

While the Martinez family seeks to move forward from this troubling ordeal, the consequences faced by Sorensen stand as a firm reminder that the justice system will not tolerate such actions, irrespective of one's social media status or online influence.

Related Article: Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden's $400 Billion Student Loan Debt Relief Plan
Photo: (Photo : JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

The tragic death of a 17-year-old boy, Nahel, at the hands of French police has ignited three consecutive nights of destructive unrest, reigniting a heated debate about discrimination and policing in low-income, multi-ethnic communities. Amidst the escalating violence, Nahel's mother has singled out the officer who shot her son as the sole person responsible for his death.

Renewed Debate on Discrimination: Police Shooting Reignites Anger and Protests in France

According to CNN, the incident took place during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where bystander footage captured the fatal encounter. In the video, two officers were seen standing on the driver's side of the car, with one officer firing his weapon at the driver despite no apparent immediate threat.

Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache revealed that the officer claimed to have fired out of fear that Nahel might run someone over with the car. However, it is believed that the officer's use of the weapon was unlawful. Consequently, he is currently under investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

In an emotional interview with France 5, Nahel's mother, Mounia, expressed her grief and pointedly assigned blame solely to the officer who took her son's life. She made it clear that she did not hold the entire police force accountable for the tragedy.

Despite calls for patience and allowing the justice system to take its course, a significant number of people across France, particularly young individuals of color who have experienced discrimination by the police, remain shocked and angry. This anger has manifested itself in three consecutive nights of violent protests throughout the country.

In response to the unrest, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the deployment of 45,000 policemen across France, along with additional special units, armored vehicles, and helicopters. Overnight violence on Thursday resulted in 917 people being detained, including 13 children. However, the minister emphasized that the death of Nahel should not justify disorder and delinquency.

Read Also: Children are Uniquely Different: What Should Kids Know About Racism

Government's Balancing Act: France Grapples with Addressing Institutional Racism Amidst Rising Tensions

Protests and confrontations between demonstrators and police have erupted in Nanterre, with incidents such as a bank being set on fire and graffiti demanding justice for Nahel appearing nearby. The unrest has also spread to French overseas territories, where a man lost his life during riots in the capital of French Guiana.

The aftermath of the protests is visible in the charred streets and graffiti-covered walls of Nanterre. Over 200 government buildings were vandalized during the violent episodes. In response, large-scale events across France have been banned, and a nationwide shutdown of bus and tram services was ordered for Friday evening.

President Emmanuel Macron has held crisis meetings in an effort to prevent a repeat of the 2005 riots sparked by similar incidents. Macron urged calm and called for parents to take responsibility for their children's actions. The president emphasized that the violence targeting public buildings was unacceptable and unjustifiable.

The death of Nahel has brought the issue of institutional racism to the forefront, with demands for police reform and the potential abolition of a 2017 law granting police more latitude in using firearms. The government faces the challenge of addressing allegations of discrimination while upholding its commitment to French Republicanism, which aims to ensure equality by removing markers of difference.

As investigations and protests continue, France finds itself at a critical juncture, grappling with deep-seated issues of racism and discrimination within its law enforcement system. The government's response, along with ongoing discussions and potential reforms, will be crucial in shaping the path forward towards justice and healing.

Related Article: Missouri Sophomore Student Faces Suspension After Recording Teacher's Racist Slur
Photo: (Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In a highly divisive decision, the US Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled in favor of allowing certain businesses to refuse services to LGBTQ customers based on their religious beliefs.

The ruling, delivered in the case of a web designer who objected to providing services for same-sex weddings, has sparked intense debate over LGBTQ rights and the limits of religious freedom.

Supreme Court Ruling Now Allows Businesses To Refuse LGBTQ Customers

According to Reuters, the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling, split along ideological lines, has reignited the ongoing battle between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom.

The case involved Lorie Smith, a web designer based in Denver, Colorado, who argued that her Christian beliefs opposed same-sex marriage, thus granting her the right to refuse services on such occasions.

The heart of the legal dispute revolved around the clash between Smith's claim to freedom of speech and the Colorado anti-discrimination law, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors.

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, argued that forcing Smith to provide services for same-sex weddings would violate her First Amendment rights by compelling her to create speech against her beliefs.

The Supreme Court's ruling has raised concerns among LGBTQ advocates and critics, who argue that it sets a dangerous precedent and undermines hard-fought anti-discrimination laws.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the dissenting liberal justices, warned that the decision could pave the way for widespread discrimination, not only against LGBTQ individuals but against also other marginalized groups protected under public accommodations laws.

Read Also: California's Rainy Season Brings Mosquito Surge, Prompts Innovative Drone Solution

LGBTQ Community and Critics Alarmed by the Decision

As reported by NBC News, critics argue that framing the ruling as a matter of free speech rather than religious freedom may have far-reaching consequences.

They fear it could open the door for businesses to refuse services to interracial couples, disabled individuals, or anyone else based on personal beliefs.

The ruling's immediate impact is seen as marking LGBTQ individuals as second-class citizens and inflicting harm by legitimizing discrimination.

The decision comes at a time when Republican-led legislatures in conservative-leaning states are actively pursuing laws targeting the rights of transgender and other LGBTQ individuals.

Advocacy groups have expressed concern that the Supreme Court's ruling may embolden these efforts and further erode protections for the LGBTQ community.

Axios reported that President Joe Biden, a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights, criticized the ruling, emphasizing the importance of non-discrimination and equal treatment for all Americans.

He voiced concerns that the decision could lead to increased discrimination, not only against LGBTQ individuals but also against people of color, individuals with disabilities, people of faith, and women.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled in favor of LGBTQ rights in major cases, including the nationwide legalization of gay marriage in 2015 and the protection of gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination in 2020.

However, the recent shift towards a more conservative majority has raised concerns among LGBTQ activists and advocates.

The US Supreme Court's ruling allowing businesses to refuse LGBTQ customers based on religious objections has ignited a fierce debate over the boundaries of religious freedom and the protection of LGBTQ rights.

The decision raises questions about the potential impact on marginalized communities and sets the stage for further legal battles on the balance between individual beliefs and anti-discrimination laws.

The long-term consequences of this ruling remain to be seen, as it has the potential to shape the landscape of LGBTQ rights and religious freedom in the United States for years to come.

Related Article: Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden's $400 Billion Student Loan Debt Relief Plan
Photo: (Photo : Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

In a remarkable display of defying age expectations, world-renowned supermodel Naomi Campbell has joyfully welcomed her second child at the age of 53.

The iconic fashion figure took to Instagram to share the heartwarming news, revealing a touching photo capturing the tender moment she held her newborn son while her 2-year-old daughter reached out to hold his tiny hand.

Campbell's latest addition to her growing family emphasizes her unwavering commitment to embracing the joys of motherhood, proving that it is never too late to embark on this incredible journey.

A True Gift from God

According to People, Naomi Campbell, known for her trailblazing modeling career and timeless beauty, announced the arrival of her baby boy through an Instagram post that radiated pure love and gratitude.

Accompanied by the precious snapshot, she penned an emotionally charged caption expressing her profound adoration for her newborn son.

"My little darling, know that you are cherished beyond measure and surrounded by love from the moment you graced us with your presence," Campbell wrote. "A True Gift from God, blessed! Welcome, Babyboy."

The supermodel's words echoed the immeasurable joy that fills her heart, underscoring the profound bond she shares with her newest addition.

As per USA Today, at the age of 53, Campbell celebrated the arrival of her first child, a daughter, in May 2021, sharing the news in a manner reminiscent of her recent announcement.

Reflecting on her journey into motherhood, she graciously opened up in an interview with British Vogue's March 2022 edition, gracing the cover alongside her beloved daughter.

Expressing profound happiness, Campbell revealed, "The thought of becoming a mother was always in my heart, and now that it has come true, it surpasses all expectations. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have her by my side."

Breaking Barriers and Encouraging Others

According to TODAY, Campbell's decision to embrace motherhood at an age that challenges societal expectations serves as a beacon of inspiration for women around the world.

In her Instagram announcement, the supermodel made it a point to emphasize that it is never too late to become a mother.

Campbell's own journey into motherhood began at the age of 50 when she welcomed her first child, a beautiful daughter. Since then, she has been an advocate for older women who dream of starting or expanding their families.

Encouraging her older friends not to hesitate, she passionately implores them to seize the opportunity and experience the profound love and joy that motherhood brings.

Read Also: From Safe Haven Baby Box to Forever Family: Firefighter Adopts Newborn in Florida

A Lifelong Dream Fulfilled

Naomi Campbell has always harbored a deep longing to become a mother, and her dreams have finally materialized.

In a heartfelt interview with British Vogue, she candidly expressed her happiness and gratitude for the immense joy her daughter has brought into her life. Her words reflect the overwhelming love and fulfillment she experiences as a mother, and her journey continues with the arrival of her second child.

Naomi Campbell's extraordinary path into motherhood beyond the age commonly associated with starting a family challenges societal norms and paves the way for a more inclusive perspective on motherhood.

Through her openness and determination, she has shattered age expectations and proven that the gift of motherhood knows no bounds.

As fans and celebrities alike shower her with warm congratulations, the world celebrates Campbell's second child as a testament to the enduring power of love and the limitless possibilities of the human spirit.

Related Article: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend's Journey of Hope: Welcoming Fourth Child With Surrogate
Goldman Sachs is reportedly in talks to offload its Apple credit card and high-yield savings account products to American Express, a source told CNBC.

The talks come amid a broader retreat by Goldman from its largely failed banking initiatives, for which CEO David Solomon has taken a great deal of heat. Last week, CNBC reported that the Wall Street giant is preparing to take a huge write-down on its 2021 acquisition of fintech lender GreenSky.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the Goldman talks with American Express. The newspaper said theres no assurance of a deal, nor is an agreement close.

It would mark an abrupt reversal for the two corporate giants. In October, the Journal reported Goldman and Apple renewed their partnership through to 2029. And in April, Goldman Chief Financial Officer Denis Coleman touted a deepening of the partnership.

Coleman said at the time that "This week, we announced the launch of a savings account for Apple Card users. We are excited to deepen our partnership with Apple through this additional offering and to introduce another source of deposit funding for the firm."

During Apple's last conference call, Apple's CEO noted that "In March, we also launched Apple Pay Later designed with users privacy and financial health in mind. Apple Pay Later allows users to split purchases into multiple payments with no interest or fees. And last month, we introduced Apple Card Savings Accounts to give users even more value out of their daily cash Apple Card Benefit." Everything was positive on this front.

If Goldman Sachs does offload Apple Card and related saving products, does this reflect badly on Apple for not delivering the base that Goldman Sachs was hoping for at this point in time - or is this potential disaster squarely on Goldman? Until a final deal is announced, we won't know the reasoning behind this apparent move and Apple legal will likely ensure that all details of any such deal be suppressed  in the form of a gag order.
Back in 2017 Patently Apple posted a report about Apple and Nokia settling their IP disputes ending with Apple signing a multi-year licensing agreement. Yesterday, Nokia announced that Apple signed a new long-term patent licensing agreement covering 5G technologies. Their full press release is presented below:

"Nokia today announced it has signed a new patent cross-license agreement with Apple which will replace the current license that is due to expire at the end of 2023. The terms of the agreement remain confidential between the parties.

Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said: We are delighted to have concluded a long-term patent license agreement with Apple on an amicable basis. The agreement reflects the strength of Nokias patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies.

Nokia expects to recognize the revenue related to this new patent license agreement starting in January 2024. The agreement is consistent with the assumptions Nokia has disclosed in the commentary with respect to Nokia Technologies long-term outlook in its Financial Report for Q1 issued on April 20, 2023.

Nokias industry-leading patent portfolio is built on more than 140 billion invested in R&D since 2000 and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 5,500 patent families declared essential to 5G.

Nokia contributes its inventions to open standards in return for the right to license them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. Companies can license and use these technologies without the need to make their own substantial investments in the standards, fueling innovation and the development of new products and services for consumers.
Last night we arrived at moms in Tujunga in Los Angeles, which for all practical purposes means we are home.

This morning after our Empty Moon Zen sitting well return the rental car.

It was a lovely ride down from Seattle following a five day Zen sesshin (intensive Zen meditation retreat). We started the drive on Sunday afternoon, and so all in all, five days. It was largely a driving trip. Although we did stop to poke around here and there. Really like Astoria, where we spent our first night on the trip.

The day between Astoria and Coos Bay was our forty-first wedding anniversary. I feel grateful for those years, and being able to grow both older and a bit deeper with someone. We know each other through thick and thin. And weve experienced all those different shades of love. Now were turning into old together. I am so lucky. So lucky

Because of time constraints and deciding it would be wise to skirt the Bay Area (too many friends, too many opportunities to turn a five day trip into a month long pilgrimage), we turned to Interstate 5 from Coos Bay.

Probably the most dramatic and emotional part of the drive for me was the drive through Mt Shasta. I am moderately confident its been more than fifty years since Ive driven that way. I felt mixed emotions about not checking in with the folk at Shasta Abbey about possibly seeing the campus. But didnt.

The weather was clear all the way, bright, and warm leaning into hot. Except as we approached the town of Weed, which is just north of the town of Shasta, the monastery being between the two of them. Just as we were coming on to Weed a micro storm blew up and it started pouring rain. The temperature dropped possibly twenty degrees. The rain continued until we passed through Shasta. Within a couple of miles it was dry and sunny.

Im sure one could make up stories about that little event. In truth while there were major negatives in my experiences with the old roshi there, that time was also the foundation for what would become my spiritual life. And really, what would become my life. I am only grateful

We returned to the coast briefly at Santa Cruz, where we spent the night. And picked up some world famous Donnelly chocolates. Once again California 1 is closed near Big Sur, so we returned to the 101, with a pause at the Steinbeck museum in Salinas. Bought a t-shirt.

We turned toward the coast again at San Luis Obispo, pausing in Cambria to purchase a olallieberry pie, and then again at Cayucos for brown butter cookies. (I fear Ive gained four pounds on this trip)

We spent the night in Morro Bay. Actually as we drove into town, I realized this moment was when I felt like wed returned home. Morro Bay is our occasional escape from the city. We spent the night at our favorite our favorite budget motel. The rock was wrapped in fog, so we didnt see it.

The drive from there was all the familiar, the Hayashi family farm stand, Oso Flaco Lake, Guadalupe and its wonderful street shrine to Our Lady, a pause for gas in Buellton. And then a turn inland at the southern end of Ventura, to the 118. I love that stretch of road. Once on 118 heading south to Simi Valley, feels more like a return to the Southern California of the 1950s than anywhere else I can think of. Citrus groves and roadside farm stands.

Loved all the transitions from the beautiful Pacific Northwest as we rode down to our golden hills and mountains of Southern California.

So, all in all, a little drive down our edge of the Pacific Rim, a thousand miles and change. A lovely little dance at the edge of the world.

And it is good to be home.

There were no great revelations from the trip. When we arrived in Tujunga, what I call our nest, the two rooms we occupy at moms house, really felt home. I certainly felt that sense of relief one gets coming back home after a trip when we walked in. So, that was interesting. We are slowly coming to feel that for now we are in Sunland Tujunga rather than Long Beach. And it feels weve done a lot of what we need to do of it takes to make it more homelike for us. Maybe the biggest decision for us, was that we agreed, reluctantly, that we should investigate what it would take to rent our condo in Long Beach. We shall see where that leads.

And. Thats pretty much it.

The bigger stuff, the stuff of life and death continues. Accompanying Jans mom as she ages is shaping our immediate decisions. Watching our own aging continues. Wanting to be useful yet feels strong. Jan is trying to figure out the best ways to be involved in this hurting world, in this particular corner of it. I feel a need to continue writing. This blog. Books. Glad Im working on one right now with Shambhala. And shopping another. Jan and I both agree we should find a place near here to put a little sitting group together. I love our zoom group, but theres a flesh hunger, a need to practice in physical proximity, that we both feel.

Life.

Sometimes it is so good it aches
Having a gifted mind and mental abilities superior to that of most mortals does not mean that one cannot suffer from serious mental problems. Austrian mathematician and philosopher Kurt Godel is a case in point. He was born in 1906 in Brno, the capital of Moravia, which at that time formed part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I, the region was annexed to Czechoslovakia, which was a problem for Godel since his family, like a large part of the citys population, spoke German. This led him to go into exile in Vienna and apply for Austrian citizenship. At the age of 32, with the Third Reichs annexation of Austria, he became a German national.

Godel found his calling during a lecture by mathematician David Hilbert (Konigsberg, 1862-1943) about the consistency of mathematical fields, and he decided to devote the rest of his life to the study of logic. This pursuit led to his greatest contributions: two incompleteness theorems, which were published a year after he defended his doctoral thesis in Vienna in 1931. Godels contributions have been fundamental to the development of logic and were later applied in many ways in the fields of mathematics and software engineering.

But the vagaries of politics continued to influence his life. Godel came from a Catholic family and never showed any interest in politics. But one of his professors was murdered by a Nazi, which greatly affected him. With the annexation of Austria, his position as a university professor had to be re-examined, and he assumed that his friendships and relationships with many Jewish scientists from the Vienna Circle would weigh heavily against him at his trial; in addition, he might be called up by the German Army at any moment. In 1940, he and his wife fled Vienna via the Trans-Siberian railroad to Vladivostok; from there, they traveled to Japan and from Japan they sailed to San Francisco (World War II had already started in Europe, but Japan did not attack the United States until December 1941). Once Godel arrived in California, he traveled across the country by train to Princeton University in New Jersey, where he spent the rest of his scientific career.

Godel was a fellow student and close friend of Einsteins, with whom he took long walks chatting in his native German. Einstein even declared that he was no longer interested in research and that he only went to campus to speak with Godel. Godels behavior was always peculiar, and he was plagued by paranoia. In 1947, he took the test to become a U.S. citizen, sponsored by Einstein and their mutual friend, the economist Oskar Morgenstern. When he appeared before the judge, after answering the first questions satisfactorily, he told the judge that he had analyzed the U.S. Constitution and that it had a drafting problem, which allowed the U.S. to legally become a dictatorship or a fascist state, as had happened in Austria. Godels two friends were horrified because they saw that his citizenship was in jeopardy, and he could be deported to Europe. The judge himself stopped Godel by uttering the pragmatic phrase Oh God, lets not get into this and ending the examination before the logician could say anything more. He never wrote down the flaw he had detected in the Constitution. Today, this question is known as Godels loophole. Several authors have tried to decipher the U.S. Constitutions enigmatic problem. Some say that it could possibly refer to the fact that Article V of the U.S. Constitution describes the process of amending the founding document, which would allow for an amendment to Article V itself and facilitate any subsequent constitutional change. But that is all pure speculation. Morgenstern described the situation as he remembered it, and it seems that the episode was so embarrassing that Godel was never asked to restate his theory... just in case.

J. M. Mulet is a professor of Biotechnology.

The illogical final chapter  Godel's sad end was caused by his deteriorating mental state. In 1938, against the will of his parents, he had married the divorced ballerina Adele Pokert, eight years his senior, with whom he remained all his life. He developed persecution mania and was convinced that someone wanted to poison him, so he would not accept any food that had not been cooked by Adele. In 1977, his wife was hospitalized for six months. Kurt Godel passed away in January 1978 due to severe malnutrition, since he had refused to eat any food during all that time. He weighed 30 kilos at the time of death. The great teacher of logic died due to behavior that defied all logic.
As the closing credits roll in the new independent drama Sound of Freedom, moviegoers will be treated to a top tier theme song thanks to an A-list music produce and songwriter. Fernando Garibay, who helped Lady Gaga craft her quadruple platinum Born this Way album and subsequent tour The Born This Way Ball, was moved by the film and realized his talents in creating hits for artists such as Gaga, Sting, Shakira and Sia, could be utilized in taking the message to another level.

I was driven more than anything to create awareness of whats going on and what music can do as a catalyst for change, Garibay said, referring to the films purpose to fight child trafficking. Whenever I see an opportunity like that, I jump at it, especially for a noble cause like this.

The film, which follows the true story of Tim Ballard (Jim Cavizel) on a mission to rescue children sold into slavery, has a very heavy subject matter, which will leave viewers angry that such evil in the world truly exists. Garibay said he felt the song, co-written with Justin Jesso, Daniel Padilla, Ramiro Padilla, and Paul Ahlstromand performed by Jesso, could create a buffer zone after the events of the film truly sink in.

My hope is that this creates a buffer zone from the experiential shock of watching whats really happening to transitioning into a What can I do? mindset, he said. Weve done this with pop stars. So, this is a real testcan we do this for a cause?

Garibay, who was named after the hit Abba song Fernando, says he has felt a connection to music his entire life. His father bought the album and played it for him throughout his childhood. He credits the Swedish supergroup with creating the blueprint for Western pop music. As he grew and expanded his love of music, he added more music to his playlist, embracing the Eagles, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and then the New Wave bands of the 80s such as Depeche Mode and even rap.

It made me understand the world and not feel like I was alone, he said. I felt witnessed I felt connected. Now, as a highly sought after producer and songwriter, hes grateful that he gets to do this every day of my life.

Music conveys things we cant put into words, he said. It became baked into how we understand the world. When leveraged for good, its an ultimate catalyst for change.

Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviezel and Mira Sorvino and written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde, opens on July 3 across the country. For more information or to buy tickets, click here. Watch the official music video of Sound of Freedom by Justin Jesso below.
Most of the sigils you will find on this blog are created during my Sigil Witchery workshops  co-crafted by myself and the attending students. But there are some sigils where I find myself beyond words and must sit down to draw out a plan of action. And then feel it should be shared with others who are likely in the same boat. The Power Sigil was one of the first shared magic sigils created in this way.

Justice Compromised & Bought:

Within the last few days the Supreme Court of the United States has struck down equitable education approaches, sanctioned discrimination, and tried to banish student debt relief for millions  and we cant forget the year anniversary of the attack on Roe Vs. Wade. This is the result of what a stacked, bought-and-paid-for conservative court delivers  and it is certainly not justice nor democracy. Those who think that elections dont matter, those who think racism, cruelty, bigotry and abuse are things to be admired  they have brought us here.

We must continue to fight for the sovereignty of our bodies, for our rights, equity, and the opportunities that are said to be the cornerstone of this country freedom and justice for all. Well, were calling in Justice Herself to represent and to aid with magical resistance and empowerment.

To aid in the fight, I give you the Aequitas Sigil.

Whats Included In This Sigil:

circuit of truth prevailing and energizing change

regaining healthy balance within the framework and maintaining it

immediate restructuring in line with democracy  expanding the court, term limits, return to ethics

not only the revelation of wrongdoing but the summoning of consequences for those working against the whole of the people, and the removal of the compromised

change from the root level to the top in line with the needs of the future

invoking the aid and essence of Justice in all Her forms and the Mighty Dead

protection of the people

installing of judges who are of the people

fairness, fruitfulness, equity and equality engaged and thriving

trident to rule fairly, torch to illuminate the way

reduce the influence of fascism, fundamentalism, and the 1%

Aequitas is the Latin concept of justice, equality, conformity, symmetry, or fairness  and the origin of the English word equity. Depictions of Aequitas from ancient Rome show her with the familiar balancing scales as well as a cornucopia  a symbol often associated with the goddess Fortuna. Other goddesses associated with justice include Themis, Athena, Durga, Maat, and Nemesis. You can find more justice deities here from around the world. This sigil will work with any of them that you might work with.

Suggestions On How To Use This Sigil:

You are welcome to use this sigil however you see fit that is in alignment with the intent of the sigil.

RIGHT NOW: At the time of this post, the full moon is almost upon us. I suggest applying the sigil with black ink to a white candle and call upon a Justice deity or an ancestor/Mighty Dead associated with Justice (such as RBG). But moving forward this sigil can of course be used at any time, and especially in situations regarding the Supreme Court such as investigations and appointments, as well as elections in general.

Please note: When sharing this sigil (or any other sigil you find on this blog), please be sure to include the link to the blog post. The sigil works best if people understand precisely what went into it, versus just sharing the image and telling people to use it.



The Aequitas Sigil by Laura Tempest Zakroff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

To find out more about this method of crafting sigils created by Laura Tempest Zakroff (author of the best-selling book Sigil Witchery), checking out Sigil Witchery.
Ianmatsun Global Services Limited has held the 5th edition of the Health, Environment, Safety and Security awards (HESS) to reward the outstanding achievements of individuals and organizations working towards creating a sustainable future.



The event which came off on Friday, June 23, 2023, at the Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City with over a hundred industry professionals and business leaders in attendance was held under the theme: Building a sustainable future of work through Health, Environment, Safety and Security.



The HESS awards recognizes and honor companies and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and achievement in the areas of health, environment, safety and security.



Mr. Hamidu Adakurugu, Director for Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations on behalf of the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah reiterated the need for businesses to safeguard the health and safety of people in the world of work.



He said as a sector, we deem it necessary and appropriate to continuously sensitise businesses on the health, environment, safety and security issues at the workplace as it is the key to building a sustainable safety and health culture. Most often, businesses view safety and health as a matter of compliance rather than a means of establishing standards. This mistaken belief bears evidence of the alarming rate of work-related injuries and accidents over the years, he said.



He noted that to address this, there is the need to continually strengthen occupational safety and health management systems (OSHE) interventions to improve safety and health in the world of work.



Ensuring OSHE would ensure that recent recurrent disasters such as fire outbreaks, gas-explosions, and road accidents, are curtailed to the barest minimum. We must continue to place a high premium on human lives and celebrate individuals and corporate organisations that have demonstrated capacity and willingness to protect lives, he added.



According to Events Director for HESS Awards, Isaac Adu-Gyamfi, the ceremony is not just about meeting regulatory standards or achieving business goals but rather about a much larger goal.



Our gathering here today is not about just receiving but rather a responsibility to future generations. It is about creating a world that is sustainable, equitable, and just, and one that allows every person to live a healthy and fulfilling life, he said.



He stressed that the purpose of the awards is to ignite more interest from organisations and individuals towards achieving a sustainable world.



From the development of new technologies to the implementation of best practices, the achievements being honored here tonight have had a positive impact on communities and the environment around the world. They serve as a shining example of what can be accomplished when we work together towards a common goal.



Awards



This years winners included a diverse range of companies and individuals across the country. In addition to the main awards, there were also several special recognition awards given out to individuals who have played significant roles in the HESS sector



Bui Power Authority scooped 6 awards making them the highest winners. The utility service provider picked up the BestCompany in Fire Safety and Security Management Practices, HESS Company of the Year, HESS Team of the Year,Sustainability and Operational Excellence Award, with the companys CEO and another executive picking up individual awards.



Overall, the 5th edition of the HESS awards was a great success, highlighting the important work being done by companies and individuals around the world to promote health, environment, safety and security.



Full list of award winners



Community Involvement Hospital/Clinic, St. Johns Hospital & Fertility Centre; Customer Safety and Security Management Practices, Fidelity Bank Ghana; Eco-Friendly Product Manufacturing/Supply, Poly Tanks Ghana; Employee Safety and Security Management, Access Bank Ghana; Environmental Management Practices, Wilmar Africa; Fire Safety and Security Management Practices, Bui Power Authority; Health & Safety Campaign, African Consumer Product; Health and Safety Management Practices, Interplast; HESS Compliance, Reporting & Monitoring, Blue Ocean Investments; and Warehouse Safety and Security Management, Wilmar Africa.



On-Site Safety Awareness and Communication, Blue Ocean Investments; Process Safety & Quality Management Practices, Masco Foods (KFC); Product Safety & Quality Management Practices, Interplast; Data Security Management Practices, Access Bank Ghana; Employee Health and Wellbeing Initiatives Fidelity Bank Ghana; Construction Safety Company, Mayfar Estates; CSR Excellence Award, Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine; Employee Empowerment Excellence Award, FBN Bank Ghana; Food Facility Excellence Award (Restaurant), Masco Foods (KFC); Food Facility Excellence Award (Catering Services), Extrail Support Services; Food Safety Company (Catering Services), Extrail Support Services; and Healthcare Facility Excellence (Hospital), Sam-J Specialist Hospital.



HESS Company of the Year, Bui Power Authority; HESS Team of the Year, Bui Power Authority; Healthcare Facility Excellence (Herbal Clinic), Medimafo Herbal Clinic (Time Daso); HSE Consulting Firm, JIK Management Consultancy Services; Manufacturing Facility Excellence Award, Interplast; Most Outstanding Contribution For Sustainable Development, Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine; Most Security and Safety Conscious Company, West Africa Gas Pipeline Co; Patient Safety & Security Excellence, Sam-J Specialist Hospital; Sustainability and Operational Excellence, Bui Power Authority; Educational Facility Excellence, Onua Francis International School; Service Station Facility Excellence, Puma Energy Ghana; Most Outstanding Contribution For Energy Conservation, Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana); Best Company in Quality of Service Delivery, National Ambulance Service; and HESS Operational Stability Improvement Award, Volta Aluminium Company.



Special Judges Award



HESS Personality of 2023, Christentus Bangkewa Kuunifaa (Deputy Director, OHS&E, Bui Power Authority); Young Safety Professional Excellence Award 2023, Mr. Emmanual Damoah Nyarkoh (Hse Officer, Drill Masters Africa); HESS Exemplary Leadership Award 2023, Mr. Ishmael Kodzokpo (CEO, JIK Management Consultancy Services); HESS Industry Impact Award 2023 (Herbal & Alternative Healthcare), Dr. Atuahene Boateng Adu Gyamfi (CEO, Medimafo Herbal Clinic  Time Daso); and HESS Industry Impact Award 2023 (Education), Dr. Onua Francis Essel-Okyeahene (CEO, Onua Francis Int. School).



HESS Transformation Leadership Excellence Award, Mr. Daniel Acheampong (CEO, Volta Aluminium Company); HESS Industry Impact Award 2023 (Real Estate), Dr. Noble John Otumfuo Watson (CEO, Mayfair Estates); Leadership Excellence in Integration Of HESS, Mr. Ashok R. Mohinani (Executive Director, Mohinani Group); HESS Leadership in Crises Management & Emergency Response Award Prof. Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria (CEO, National Ambulance Service); HESS CEO of the Year, Mr. Julian K. Opuni (MD, Fidelity Bank Ghana); and HESS Leadership in Sustainability & Environmental Stewardship Award, Hon. Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi (CEO, Bui Power Authority).

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Muslims in Sudan have been celebrating Eid al-Adha amid the sound of gunfire despite a ceasefire announced by the warring military groups.



Residents have told the BBC heavy artillery and airstrikes were heard in Khartoum state.



"It doesn't feel like Eid," said Zahra Saeed, adding that the streets are "empty" and that people are "scared".



"Last night I couldn't sleep because of the sounds of the gunfire," Ms Saeed added.



Others say they are too afraid to even attend the outdoor prayers which are normally a central part of the day: "For the first time in my life I didn't go," said 22-year-old former medical student Walaa Ibrahim.



Instead, many people prayed in their own homes.



"Now the airstrike is being carried out, they don't respect people, they don't respect the importance of... such occasions," the ex-student added.



Sudan is currently in its 10th week of a war which started in April, amid a power struggle between the country's military and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).



Since then, more than 500,000 people have fled Sudan, according to UN figures from just over a week ago, while roughly 2.2 million people have fled their homes within the country.



Precise figures on the number of people killed in the fighting are difficult to establish, but it is believed to be well over 1,000, including many civilians caught in the crossfire.



As well as the fighting, many Sudanese are also struggling to celebrate Eid properly because they don't have enough money.

Source: BBC









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Queenmothers have demanded their active involvement in the decision-making process in customary land management in the country.



That, they said, would help improve transparency and accountability in land management.



"The queenmothers may then benefit from the proceeds from the allocation of land and also take part in deciding the proper use of revenue for the benefit of the entire community," they said at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Series on Constitutional Review, on the theme:



Reviewing Ghana's 1992 Constitution: Viewpoints from the Queenmothers Platform, in Accra last Tuesday.



Position

Stating one of the positions of the group, Upiibor Galla Tabasu Linda of the Saboba Traditional Area in the Northern Region said Article 267 (6)(a) reserved "25 per cent of the stool land revenue to the stool for the maintenance of the stool in keeping with its status."



She, however, noted that the distribution of stool land revenue in the Constitution did not include queen-mothers.



"This is unfair and needs redress.



Queenmothers play complementary roles with their male counterparts.



"They occupy stools which similarly require maintenance and they also incur expenditure to preserve their status as queens and mothers of their communities and carry out their functions," she said.



She, therefore, called for the creation of a chamber of queenmothers at the regional and national levels to ensure their active involvement in issues of national interest.



That, she said, would enhance the mobilisation and engagement of queen- mothers in policy engagements and national development processes.



Recommendations

Presenting the recommendations of the platform, the Paramount Queen Mother of Assin Atandansu Traditional Area, Nana Abena Gyamfua, said with respect to the constitutional provisions on the distribution of stool land revenue, there needs to be a constitutional amendment to include queenmothers.



Moreover, she said a change in attitude of public institutions and public officers was essential, adding that public land sector institutions should be more gender-sensitive and play their part in ensuring the fair treatment of queenmothers.



They should insist on fair gender representation in their contact and dealings with traditional land-owning groups.



They should ensure that queenmothers and female traditional leaders are represented during discussions on matters involving land and were relevant to traditional authorities.



The public agencies should consider amending their internal procedures to accommodate the gender dimension, she emphasised.



Nana Gyamfua also stressed the need for qualified queenmothers to be considered for selection and appointment on equal terms with their male colleagues to serve on public boards and commissions.



She said that explicit provision was needed to advance the cause of gender equality.



Review

Setting the tone for the discussion, the President of the Queenmothers Platform, Ghana, Nana Amponsah Dokuah III, made five proposals on some key areas which needed constitutional review.



The areas, she said, were of interest to queenmothers, women, youth and the socio-economic development of the country.



Among other things, she called for the recognition, visibility and legitimacy of queenmothers as traditional leaders, as well as their participation in customary land governance.



Our analysis of the 1992 constitutional provisions reveals a distressing case of discrimination against queenmothers and women in Ghana, confirming the existence of gender inequalities within land administration.



It is evident that women, particularly queenmothers, face significant barriers in accessing and controlling productive resources such as land, she said.



Regrettably, Nana Dokuah noted that the opportunity for queenmothers to actively participate in customary land governance was severely limited.



Despite the recognition of the need to address gender inequality in land administration through various national and international legal and policy documents, she said many challenges persisted.



Consequently, it is imperative to enact concrete amendments to the Constitution that not only address these issues in legislation but also promote their implementation in practice.



In addition, it is crucial to highlight the significance of queenmothers assuming the role of acting in the absence of chiefs, she said.



Granting that authority to queen- mothers, she said, would ensure continuity and stability in leadership, while safeguarding the governance of communities during their temporary absence.



She explained that the creation of the National and Regional Houses of for Queenmothers would serve as a formal platform for their representation and participation in decision-making processes at the national and regional levels.



By recognising and empowering queenmothers, we can forge a path towards true gender equality and inclusivity in both customary land governance and broader leadership roles.



Let us work together to champion these necessary constitutional amendments, fostering a more just and equitable society for all, she said.



Other speakers

The Founder and Executive Director of COLANDEF, a non-governmental organisation, Nana Ama Yirrah, said with the existence of the National House of Chiefs, it was equally important to have such a consultative platform for queenmothers.



She also called for a constitutional framework for the sharing of stool land revenue so that queenmothers would have their share of the proceeds.



The Paramount Queenmother of the Penyi Traditional Area, Her Royal Majesty, Mamaga Hoeftewo, observed that the current Constitution lacked emotional intelligence which was essential for the formulation of policies as a nation.



The General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, who chaired the event, said there was the need to ensure that women were included in the House of Chiefs, since in the matrilineal setting, a chief was not enstooled without a queen mother.



"So why are we not in the house of chiefs because we are also chiefs but only females?"



she quizzed.Contributing to the discussion, a Member of the Council of State, Sam Okudzeto, said the essence of the event was to fill the gaps in the Constitution with the aim of improving upon it to enable it to become a workable document for the benefit of the country.



A former Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Dr Maame Adwoa Gyekye-Jandoh, described queenmothers as the doyens of development.















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By BRIAN WITTE, The Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Maryland is becoming the latest state to legally sell recreational marijuana to adults 21 and older, as businesses aim to tap into July Fourth festivities to kick off sales.

About 100 stores that already have been licensed to sell cannabis for medicinal purposes will be able to begin selling it recreationally Saturday, more than five years after the state started selling medical marijuana.

This is cannabis kind of Independence Day  over Independence Day weekend  and so its nice to be able to pull something together that makes it more of a celebratory occasion, said Brandon Barksdale, co-CEO of Remedy Maryland, which has a superstore in Columbia.

You dont have to live in Maryland to buy there: Any adult with a valid ID, such as a drivers license or passport, can buy recreational marijuana there, the Baltimore Sun reports. Maryland is the fourth Pennsylvania border state, along with Delaware, New York and New Jersey, to legalize recreational marijuana. (Medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania.)

However, as the Hanover Sun reports, its not legal to take the drug across state lines: Possessing marijuana is a crime in Pennsylvania, even though some municipalities, including York, Lancaster, Harrisburg and Steelton, have decriminalized it.

An employee at the Gold Leaf store in Annapolis, Md., holds a package of cannabis on Monday, June 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)AP

The Maryland law creates a personal use amount for people 21 and older to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, 12 grams of concentrated cannabis or a total amount of cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg THC.

People also can grow marijuana at home, including up to two plants out of public view. Medical patients will be able to cultivate up to four plants at home.

Recreational cannabis isnt legally sold in any of Marylands neighboring states, boosting business owners hopes that Marylands market will be lucrative.

I definitely do think with the states around us not being recreational yet that thats absolutely going to drive all of the traffic to Maryland, said Brianna Anderson, marketing manager for Gold Leaf, which has a store in Annapolis.

Business owners also hope having legal sales in a state next to the nations capital will help encourage a change in federal policy, which still considers marijuana to be illegal.

Nearly half of the states nationwide have approved selling marijuana.

I think once you get to the point that were at right now  about the halfway mark  you start to feel a lot of momentum, a lot more trust from consumers, a lot more trust from patients, a lot more trust from investors that have to help fund all of these operations, said Chantelle Elsner, senior vice president of commercial operations for TerrAscend, which has a cannabis location in Cumberland, with stores expected to open soon in Salisbury and Parkville.

In Maryland, cannabis products will be subject to a 9% sales tax, which is the same as the states tax on alcohol. State regulators have estimated recreational marijuana could generate as much as $600 million in sales for the first year.

Maryland lawmakers also approved legislation this year providing that the odor of cannabis alone is not grounds for a police search and reduces the penalty for public smoking from a $250 fine to a $50 fine for a first offense.
For years, Angel and Brenda Rivas dreamed of building their own house in Manchester Townships Pine Lake Park section.

We love the area and neighborhood, said Brenda Rivas, who grew up in the Ocean County community.

In 2017, the couple purchased a lot and started the process of building their dream home. They sold their restaurant in Beachwood to help finance the project, breaking ground last October.

Brenda Rivass parents actually gave up all their retirement money to help, said Ashley Lamb, a Toms River resident who is advocating for the family.

Last month, the nearly completed house burned to the ground after a man targeted the Pine Lake Park neighborhood in an alleged antisemitic crime spree.

On the evening of June 6, Manchester Township police responded to calls about vandalism of homes in the Pine Lake Park area. Police discovered 14 homes were vandalized, according to a statement from the state Office of Attorney General.

Early the next morning, police responded to a structure fire in the same neighborhood and received reports about a suspicious person on foot in the vicinity of the blaze, the statement said.

On June 7, police and fire authorities responded to a structure fire and received reports regarding a suspicious person on foot in the vicinity of the fire in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township.Brenda Rivas

Ron Carr, 34, of Manchester, was arrested and charged with 36 criminal counts for allegedly burning down the house and spray-painting antisemitic graffiti on several homes, according to a June 9 announcement from the state attorney heneral and Ocean County prosecutor.

He allegedly told police he was saving the neighborhood from Jewish people moving into the area, authorities said.

Its always difficult for a defense attorney when a client that young is charged with serious crimes, Carrs attorney, Shane Paugh, said after his arrest. Its my hope hell get the help he needs.

Carrs charges include bias intimidation, aggravated arson, arson and criminal mischief, officials said.

After learning their house was burned down, Brenda Rivas said the family was in complete disbelief and saddened that all their hard work was destroyed in a single moment.

After wondering how they would tell their two daughters and parents, Rivas said the couples next thought was: How will we get through this?

Before the fire, their house was nearly complete.

They were right there at the end. They were about to put their windows in and they would have been moving in at the end of the summer, Lamb said.

Lamb said the Rivas family lost about $180,000 and did not have insurance for the project.

They arent in a great situation because not only did they not have insurance on the property, but also the lumber that they had used to build the house was actually financed, Lamb said. So, theyre still paying for the lumber that they lost in the fire, which is very unfortunate.

Searching for an attorney who would advocate on their behalf, Lamb said the couple contacted her husband, attorney Justin Lamb, who is also a Toms River councilman.

After reviewing the case, Lamb said her husband believed the family would probably not get any kind of compensation, but he still wanted to help them.

Lamb, who is a member of the Toms River Board of Education, said she and her husband started making calls and met up with the Rivas family, Manchester Mayor Robert Arace, and Toast Cafe & Restaurant owner Yehuda Fryer at the property.

We just started reaching out to everyone we knew with everything that they could do ... We had a crew of guys from Boulder Petroleum with machinery and a dumpster the next day cleaning up the site, Lamb said.

Days later, Lamb said volunteers came together to help the family clean up the rest of the site.

It was just really nice to see that the community came together behind this family, Lamb said.

The house Angel and Brenda Rivas were building before it burned down on June 7 during an alleged bias crime spree in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township.Brenda Rivas

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the couple raise $400,000. Rivas said all the funds collected will help the family rebuild and get to see the house we had envisioned.

Its just a very sad story, Lamb said. They have two beautiful girls, who are 10 and 2, and the older girl is old enough to understand whats going on. Shes just devastated.

Lamb said the Rebuild Rivas Pine Lake Park Facebook page was also created to showcase the progress being made to help the family reconstruct their house.

Although no dates have been set yet, Lamb said fundraising events to help collect more funds for the family will be held this summer.

As soon as new information becomes available, were posting it right on our Facebook page so that everybody can kind of join in, follow along, and be in the know, Lamb said.

Bad things happen, and we cannot prevent that, she added. When theres a crisis event you cant just focus on that, you have to focus on what you do next, and how you get out of it and how you get back to being whole again.

Vashti Harris may be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com.

More:

Woman left 4 kids alone in apartment that caught fire: police

Rebuilding begins on central Pa. restaurant months after fire
Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended Thursday.

The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available. Those eligible for the RSV vaccine should talk with their doctor to see if it is right for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing a Colorado Christian graphic artist to refuse to work with same-sex couples has LGBTQIA+ people across the country worried about just how far the consequences will reach.

The high courts conservative majority sided with Lorie Smith, a designer of wedding websites for heterosexual couples who argued that a ruling against her would force writers, painters, musicians and other artists to do work that is against their beliefs. Opponents warned that a win for Smith would allow a range of businesses to discriminate, refusing to serve Black, Jewish or Muslim customers, interracial or interfaith couples or immigrants.

Were treading into some weird territory as people. Were starting to become the Morality Police, and thats not freedom as far as I am concerned, Dallas Lyn Miller-Downes, a queer visual artist and activist based in Portland, Oregon, said Friday, hours after the courts 6-3 ruling. What I am scared of is that this goes beyond the art. Where do we stop with this?

One of the courts liberal justices wrote in a dissent that the decisions effect is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status and that it opens the door to other discrimination.

In Topeka, Kansas, where several dozen people gathered Friday for a transgender rights rally, Kirby Evers, a 31-year-old bisexual Lawrence resident, said the ruling will make people more comfortable being openly rude or using slurs, particularly to trans people.

He called the Supreme Court compromised by fascists, adding, Theyre going to do as much destruction to our Constitution as possible.

Raiden Gonzalez, a 22-year-old gay Salina, Kansas, resident participating in the rally, said hes regularly gotten looks over how he walks and talks  and brusque treatment in stores and school, even occasionally from teachers.

People in the LGBTQ community should be scared of this, he said.

Miller-Downes said the ruling feels like just another way art is being used as a weapon against the queer community  with drag artists banned in some parts of the country and LGBTQ+ customers at risk of being banned from artistic businesses in others.

Art should inspire people, heal people and start conversations. We should be known for how we love, not who we exclude  thats a morality I can stand behind as a Christian and an artist, Miller-Downes said. We need to, as a society, celebrate businesses owned by marginalized people so other marginalized people, queer people, know where to get help.

Legal analysts on both sides of the issue have said the decision is narrow and wont apply to most businesses. Jennifer C. Pizer, the chief legal officer for Lambda Legal, said in a statement that the ruling applies specifically to businesses that create original artwork and pure speech, and then offer that work as limited commissions.

Still, she said, the ruling continued the court majoritys dangerous siren call to those trying to return the country to the social and legal norms of the Nineteenth Century.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director at Human Rights Campaign, said Fridays ruling does not dismantle the public accommodations laws that protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 22 states.

Those states can still enforce their nondiscrimination laws for employment, housing and buying goods that are not highly customizable with speech, she said. For instance, someone preparing for a same-sex marriage could still buy a wedding gown customized with colors.

But Warbelow said the ruling also opens the door to businesses being allowed to discriminate against people for reasons other than sexual orientation, like religion.

Many conservative religious leaders welcomed the ruling, including Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions public policy wing.

If the government can compel an individual to speak a certain way or create certain things, thats not freedom  its subjugation. And that is precisely what the state of Colorado wanted, said Leatherwood.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ+ acceptance in the Catholic Church, said the decision dangerously allows religious beliefs to be weaponized for discrimination.

Religion should be a tool to help unite people across ideological lines, not cause greater isolation into camps that oppose one another, he said.

Christine Zuba, a transgender woman from Blackwood, New Jersey, has been active in seeking to increase acceptance of trans people in the Catholic Church. She said the justices who made the extremely disappointing and concerning ruling were naive to think the decision wouldnt lead to discrimination against other groups as well.

While some small businesses could use the ruling to stop serving some customers, they should be aware that there will be repercussions, said Gene Marks, owner of The Marks Group, a small business consulting firm in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

If youre a business and youre going to turn down customers just because theyre different or your religion doesnt support their style of life, fair enough, but its going to be a loss of revenue to you not only from that customer, but also from their friends, their family, their community, he said. And it can also be potentially bad press regardless of how the Supreme Court rules.
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.

The Supreme Court issued its first opinion of the day on Friday in the case of 303 Creative v. Elenis, ruling 6-3 in favor of graphic designer Lorie Smith, who claimed she should be allowed to refuse graphic design services to LGBTQ couples.

As with the cases concerning affirmative action and student loan debt relief, the justices ruled along party lines, with all six Republican-appointed judges in the majority and all three Democrat-appointed judges dissenting.

Smith, who has yet to even begin doing business creating wedding websites, fabricated a hypothetical situation in which she would be faced with being hired by a gay couple. Even the court acknowledged the hypotheticals of this situation, with Justice Neil Gorsuch, who penned the majority opinion, writing that while Ms. Smith has laid the groundwork for her new venture, she has yet to carry out her plans.

This. Is. Bonkers.



Lorie Smith, the plaintiff in the 303 Creatives and her lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom INVENTED a same sex couple who she claimed asked her to make a wedding website.



The request that forms the basis of this lawsuit is FAKE. https://t.co/E3DY2Rfl8K pic.twitter.com/plwI7Ovv7f  Imani Gandy (Orcas Version)  (@AngryBlackLady) June 29, 2023

If the basis of this case sounds familiar, thats because its the second to be brought before the court by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious group that discriminates against LGBTQ folks and represented Smith. ADF attorneys also represented Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2018, the Colorado bakery that refused to serve a same-sex couple.

As with Smiths case, the services being denied to LGBTQ folks were wedding-related. In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins tried to place a custom wedding cake order with Masterpiece Cakeshop, which declined to take their order because owner Jack Phillips said he does not do business with LGBTQ couples.

The Supreme Courts 2018 ruling on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ultimately went in favor of the business, but was far less sweeping as Fridays decision. LGBTQ rights advocates worry this could open the door to widespread discrimination for not just the LGBTQ community but all marginalized people.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2023 - 07:34 | All, Japan

Households and businesses in the Tokyo area on Saturday began a period of power conservation, spanning from July to August, as the electricity supply is forecast to become tight in the area this summer.

The Japanese government has issued a request based on the projection that the reserve power capacity rate in the region served by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. in July could drop to 3.1 percent, slightly above the lowest level for maintaining a stable supply, if a once-in-a-decade level of extreme heat grips the area.

Since electricity demand could swing about 3 percent from the anticipated level, it is necessary to secure at least a 3 percent reserve, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The rate is projected to improve to 4.8 percent in the TEPCO-serving region in August, while that in other regions is expected to stay above 5 percent in July and August, a ministry official said.

Last year, the government issued a nationwide power-saving request from July to September, but the latest request only targets the area served by TEPCO.

Last summer's request was the first issued since fiscal 2015 when all of the country's nuclear reactors were offline in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.

The country's weather agency has predicted Japan may face a hotter summer due to the influence of the El Nino climate pattern -- warmer water in the central and eastern Pacific -- among other reasons.

Besides the nation's capital, TEPCO serves Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki, Yamanashi and part of Shizuoka prefectures, according to the utility.
Brazils Gabriel Schroeder Bad Beats Andy Black on Way to Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet ($228,632)

June 30, 2023 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S.

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #68: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty attracted 2,854 players ($2,513,360 prize pool) on Thursday and played all the way down to the final table. The next day, those nine remaining players returned to determine a winner. After just over two hours of play, Brazils Gabriel Schroeder emerged victorious to capture the $228,632 top prize, plus 15 bounties valued at $300 apiece, to go along with his first gold bracelet.

After the win, 32-year-old Schroeder, who started the day as chip leader, immediately began to kiss pictures of his wife and young daughter, who are slated to join him in Las Vegas next week. Primarily an online player with a prior career-best score of $142K, Schroeder is fresh off finishing in fourth place in a Venetian $1,100 Ultimate Stack for $99,922.

Event #68: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Gabriel Schroeder Brazil $228,632 2 Joel Wertheimer United States $141,298 3 Andy Black Ireland $105,337 4 Elson Lima United States $79,142 5 Jordan Jayne United States $59,929 6 Daniel Lowery United States $45,741 7 Jose Brito Portugal $35,191 8 Jonathan Akiba United States $27,293 9 Ryan Goindoo Trinidad & Tobago $21,340

2023 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2023 WSOP is here. Click here

Final Table Action

On Friday, action resumed at Level 33 (150,000/300,000/300,000) with all players having secured at least $21,340 in prize money. One level in, it was Ryan Goindoo falling first after three-bet jamming ace-ten only to have Schroeder, the initial raiser, snap-call with pocket aces, which held.

South Floridas Jonathan Akiba was the next to go after failing to get there with ace-queen suited against Jordan Jaynes two black kings, and Portugals Jose Brito followed him out the door in seventh place after losing with ace-six suited to Andy Blacks king-queen when a king appeared on the turn.

Daniel Lowery

WSOP Circuit and RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) star Daniel Lowery exited in sixth place after his jack-ten failed to overcome the king-jack of Black, and then Jayne took his leave in fifth after losing a flip with pocket eights against Schroeders ace-ten suited courtesy of an ace on the flop.

Elson Lima exited in fourth place after getting it all in preflop with jack-nine against Blacks two black sixes. A nine on the flop gave Lima the lead but it was only temporary as a six spiked on the turn.

Black took the chip lead and was eying up his first gold bracelet, but lady luck was seemingly against him after he had Schroeder dominated ace-king against king-jack. Unfortunately for Black, a jack appeared on the flop and Schroeder doubled through. Left with crumbs, Black busted in third not long after.

Andy Black

Schroeder took a 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play against Joel Wertheimer, who was being supported on the rail by Vanessa Selbst. Schroeder opened up an even bigger lead before the chips went in with him holding ace-five suited against Wertheimers king-seven. The ace-high held and Schroeder claimed victory.

That does it for updates from Event #68: $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty, but there are still plenty of tournaments still to come from the 2023 WSOP. Click here to see what other live updates are happening now.

Gabriel Schroeder

Sharelines Brazil's Gabriel Schroeder topped a 2,854-player field to win the #WSOP2023 Event 68 for $141,298.
After four grueling days of poker, and outlasting 3,121 opponents, Klauz Ilk of Austria won the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #61 $1,000 Super Seniors No Limit Holdem tournament for $371,603, and a gold bracelet at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Ilk, who started the day with only eight big blinds, managed to outlast 12 other competitors to land the first prize. Ilk is only the seventh Austrian to lay their hands on the most coveted prize in poker  a WSOP gold bracelet!

It was the 66-year-olds biggest cash by far. With this win, he also increased his recorded lifetime winnings tenfold with his previous biggest cash coming last year for $11,351.

Throughout the day it looked like Farhad Davoudzadeh would steamroll his opponents to victory with an aggressive brand of poker that catapulted him into the chip lead. However, his momentum came off the tracks after moving all in preflop with ace-jack and running into Ronald Lanes pocket kings to play for a third of the chips in play. The board was clean for Lane who went heads-up with Ilk with a four-to-one chip lead while Davoudzadeh settled for third place.

2023 WSOP Super Seniors Final Table Results

Rank Player Country Prize 1 Klaus Ilk Austria $371,603 2 Ronald Lane United States $229,685 3 Farhad Davoudzadeh Iran $172,058 4 Ronald Swain United States $129,812 5 Kevin Danko United States $98,644 6 Federico Trujillo Argentina $75,503 7 Arnon Graham United States $58,213 8 Rassoul Malboubi United States $45,213

From that moment on, Ilk hardly lost a pot heads up against Lane. Ilk doubled up after spiking a seven on a flop to beat Lanes ace-high. Ilk managed to erode Lanes stack and took the chip lead after hitting an ace on the river to beat Lanes pocket jacks.

The winning moment came when Ilk called an all-in on the flop with pocket nines after Lane shoved with a double-gutter straight draw. Lane missed his draws to mint Ilk as the winner.

Ronald Lane

Winners Reaction

After the tournament, Ilk spoke to PokerNews and was asked what it meant to be only Austrias seventh bracelet winner.  More than I could possibly say, my main aim was to climb the ladder and win more money, so I am not sure if I am awake or asleep!

Ilk entered the day last in chips with only eight big blinds, and he was asked how he manage to navigate the field to victory?  Luck! The poker gods were definitely with me, and I guess I played my best poker.

So, how would the latest WSOP bracelet winner celebrate his victory tonight?

First, I need to move hotels and check in to the new place. My phone did not stop vibrating all day so I need to message my friends and family back home in Austria and hopefully, I can settle down with a nice bottle of wine.

Early Action

Overall, it was a tentative start from the 13 returning players with the day's first elimination happening 20 minutes into Level 31. James Martini shoved with queen-jack and ran into Lanes ace-queen and went home in 13th place.

Robert Whalen departed in 12th place, while Kevin Parmely may have got a brief stay of execution after Federico Trujillo accidentally exposed pocket aces while Parmely was still putting chips into the middle after min-raising. Trujillo mistook this as a call of his shove but received a three-hand penalty for turning up his cards. Parmely eventually exited in 11th.

The ten remaining players merged onto the unofficial final table. Jimmie James finished in 10th and Richard Wallace finished in ninth place who both missed out on a spot at the official final table.

The Day 3 chip leader Rassoul Malboubi was the next to head to the pay cage after shoving on the flop with a pair of deuces. Unfortunately for him, Ronald Swain had flopped top pair and called Malboubis shove.

Arnon Graham who pushed pocket sevens into the pocket tens of Kevin Danko busted in seventh place. Despite having the loudest rail at the final table, Trujillo exited in sixth place after his pair of tens was beaten by Lanes pocket jacks.

The source of Ilks epic resurgence in the tournament can be found when they knocked out Danko in fifth place. Danko was ahead with eights and sevens, but an ace on the river gave Ilk aces and eights to take a big pot and knock Danko out.

Swain left the tournament in fourth place after shoving with ace-queen and running into Lanes pocket aces. But the Austrian Ilk was not to be denied their biggest-ever poker windfall and earning a WSOP gold bracelet.

That does it for updates from Event #61: $1,000 Super Seniors, but there are still plenty of tournaments still to come from the 2023 WSOP. Click here to see what other live updates are happening now.
Prior to today, David Simon had six cashes in the 2023 World Series of Poker. His seventh comes with an incredible bonus - the title of WSOP bracelet winner. Simon outlasted a field of 2,076 entrants, four days of play, and a grueling heads-up battle against bracelet winner David Prociak to win $410,659 and his maiden bracelet in Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha.

Simon, whose best cash prior to today was $18,158 in 2019, was confident but in disbelief as he spoke with PokerNews. "I've played with a lot of people who have always been super positive with me and just been like, 'It's gonna happen for you at some point,'" said Simon. "I don't know if I myself really believed that, but during this event in particular I just felt incredibly calm and locked in."

Simon moments after winning.

The new champion, who lives on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, is cognizant of the effect this win has on his poker career. "I think I've just gained so much confidence throughout this tournament and felt like I could actually hang in this event," said Simon. "To have a result like this is - not so much validation or anything, because I've never really put myself on that level - but it definitely just increases my confidence level and makes me so thankful for all my friends and family who have been so into everything that I've been doing."

Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (in USD) 1 David Simon United States $410,659 2 David Prociak United States $253,821 3 Eric Pfenning United States $185,630 4 Eran Carmi Israel $137,058 5 Tsuf Saltsberg Israel $102,173 6 Robert Mizrachi United States $76,910 7 Upeshka De Silva United States $58,464 8 Guofeng Wang China $44,884

Final Five Action

The final five players returned to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for an unscheduled Day 4, which was streamed on PokerGO. Tsuf Saltsberg was the first to fall when his top pair fell to the flopped set of Prociak in No-Limit Hold'em.

Day 2 chipleader Eran Carmi departed shortly thereafter in fourth place. Carmi, out of Tel Aviv, Israel, was unable to complete his draws in Pot-Limit Omaha against Simon's flopped straight.

Eric Pfenning was out next, finishing in third place. Pfenning lost most of his chips when his ace-queen doubled up Simon's ace-king, and Prociak ended his day when he flopped two pair against Pfenning's ace high.

Heads-up Play

Heads-Up Play

The David versus David matchup initially felt like David versus Goliath, with Prociak serving as the giant. He entered heads-up play with nearly a two-to-one chip advantage, and the 2016 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better champion seemed primed to win a second bracelet. He attacked Simon relentlessly, and seemingly saw through the majority of his opponent's bluffs.

Simon found himself all in for his last 8,800,000 in Pot-Limit Omaha. Prociak had a set of tens, and Simon would need to find a flush or straight on the river. A jack of hearts was his salvation, completing his flush and doubling him up. From there, Simon began to grind.

"I think that honestly, David (Prociak) is a better player than I am," said Simon. "I know he's a better PLO player than I am, for sure. I didn't really want to try to mix it up with him in PLO too much. Obviously, once we're heads up then that's out the window. I was thinking that I was going to try to make him uncomfortable by playing bigger pots than he would probably want to. 'Cause I think that, in his mind, he had the advantage heads up - and I think he had every reason to think that way - so I made some bigger bets at the very beginning of heads up just to kind of put that fear in him a little bit."

Runner-up David Prociak

"I don't know if that played a part or not," Simon continued, "but once I doubled up I just felt super locked in, just each hand is like 'Alright, this seems like the decision to make on this street' - do it, you know? There are times where I've played and I'm like 'Oh, this would probably be the thing to do at this moment' but I don't necessarily always follow through with it. Today, I was just like, 'Whatever you think is the right move here, just do it, and whatever happens is gonna happen.'"

Simon's play after doubling up enabled him to slowly chip away at Prociak's stack. Within 45 minutes, he had taken over the chip lead. Prociak regained the lead for a time, but Simon continued to win hand after hand. The final hand came in Pot-Limit Omaha. Prociak got his chips in the middle before he flopped a flush draw, but Simon turned a pair that held up. Prociak's day ended one spot short of where he had hoped, but his incredible run still netted him over a quarter of a million dollars.

What's next for the new champion?

"It seems like I'm going to be playing the Main Event at this point," he laughed. "My poker life is going to remain very much the same as it has been. I'm going to be here for another couple of weeks, play the Main Event, play some other stuff - gonna go to New Jersey, gonna see my family and hang out with my friends, who have been amazing. I have incredible family and friends that I just want to say thank you to them for everything that they've ever done for me. Then I'm probably going back to Kauai towards the end of the summer and get back into the cash game mix. There's a lot of cash that's going to be coming back to the ecosystem in Kauai."

This concludes PokerNews' coverage of Event #62: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha. Keep it tuned in here for continuing coverage of the 2023 World Series of Poker.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2023 - 12:06 | Arts, All, World, Japan

A valuable painting looted from a Polish aristocrat in 1940 by Nazi Germany has been discovered in Japan and returned to Poland, according to the Polish Embassy in Japan and a Tokyo-based art auction company.

While it is not clear how the painting, called "Madonna with Child" by Italian Baroque-Era painter Alessandro Turchi, came to be in possession of its former Japanese owner, the artwork was handed into the Polish Embassy in Tokyo in late May at no cost to Poland.

It is the first time that a work of art taken from Poland during the Nazi occupation has been discovered in the Far East, according to the embassy.

The painting had been missing since the 1990s after it was put up for auction in New York, according to Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Mainichi Auction Inc. in Tokyo said it received a request from the painting's former owner to sell it at an auction in the fall of 2021 and posted a photograph of it on their website, valuing the artwork at around 3 million yen ($21,000).

The company was contacted by the Polish ministry before the auction, which was scheduled for late January 2022.

Polish authorities had initially said some of the painting's details did not match those shown in an old photograph of the looted artwork believed to be taken in 1939 or 1940, according to the company.

A Polish team of experts later visited Japan to confirm that the painting was authentic and that it had been looted during the Nazi occupation. An ultraviolet scan showed that part of the original had been painted over.

"Polish citizens, who give the highest acclaim to Madonna with Child, have once again become its owner," said Yoshiaki Onoyama, Mainichi Auction's official who negotiated with the former Japanese owner for the return of the painting.

"There was no financial incentive for us, but I think we got the job done."
Day 3 has concluded for Event #65: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limited Hold'em at the 2023 World Series of Poker. Hungarian Norbert Szecsi bagged the chip lead and will be looking to capture his third WSOP gold bracelet and first live bracelet since 2013. Szecsi was very short-stacked on Day 2 as the bubble approached after being on the receiving end of a bad beat. Despite the setback he managed to start Day 3 with one of the bigger stacks in the field before firmly establishing himself as the chip leader after winning a pivotal pot against Pedro Garagnani.

Final Table Chip Counts

Seat Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Norbert Szecsi Hungary 18,600,000 93 2 Vitor Dzivielevski Brazil 5,850,000 29 3 Tyler Cornell United States 7,475,000 37 4 Angelina Rich Australia 14,000,000 70 5 Pedro Garagnani Brazil 4,725,000 24 6 Weiran Pu China 10,475,000 52

Not far behind Szecsi is Angelina Rich, who will be making her first appearance at a WSOP final table. Rich began the day as one of the shorter stacks but enjoyed a lengthy tenure as the chip leader late into the day after eliminating Ryan Leng with pocket kings.

Rounding out the top three is China's Weiran Pu, who will also be making his first appearance at a WSOP final table in this event. Pu was short-stacked for the majority of Day 3 but found himself accumulating chips late in the day when he secured the eliminations of Day 1 Chip Leader Yuliyan Kolev and Daniel Lazrus towards the end of the day.

Also in contention is Tyler Cornell, who will be seeking his second WSOP gold bracelet. Cornell was one of the bigger stacks throughout Day 3 until he lost a huge pot to Angelina Rich towards the end of the day. Despite the setback Cornell still managed to bag more than double what his chip stack was after losing that pot and will be a force to be reckoned with at the final table.

Vitor Dzivielevski

Day 2 Chip Leader Vitor Dzivielevski remains in contention heading into the final table. Dzivielevski had a dominant run in the first half of Day 3, at one point winning a colossal pot with pocket queens to become the commanding chip leader at the time for several levels. Vitor's brother Yuri Dzivielevski already won a bracelet earlier in this series and Vitor will be looking to follow suit by capturing his first ever WSOP gold bracelet in this event.

Pedro Garagnani will be coming in as the short stack for his first WSOP final table appearance in this event. Garagnani had a knack for picking the right spots for most of the day, winning many pots without having to go to showdown while also managing to cooler William Stanford in a massive flush versus flush collision midway through the day. His momentum did slow down towards the end after losing a big pot to Szecsi but with 24 big blinds to start with at the final table he will still have plenty of room to maneuver.

Other notable players who bagged for Day 3 but fell short of the final table include Ian Matakis, Artur Martirosian, David "Bakes" Baker, Ren Lin, Leon Sturm and Scott Seiver.

Day 4 begins on Saturday, July 1st, at 4 p.m. local time, with the six returning players vying for the top prize of $938,244 and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. Play begins midway through Level 30 with blinds at 100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 big blind ante. The event will be streamed and available to watch on PokerGo.

As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all your live coverage needs for this and every other bracelet event at the 2023 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
On Friday night, William Kopp bested a 1,125-player field and defeated Michael Rodrigues heads up in a one-sided match to claim his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet and the $259,549 first-place prize in Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.

The Ohio native added to his $1 million in career-tournament earnings and joined his sister, Katie Kopp, who won the 2022 Casino Employees Event, as a WSOP bracelet winner. Today's victory marks Kopp's eighth cash of the series and his biggest cash to date.

"It feels really good, especially since my best friend won a bracelet this year and my sister won one last year," Kopp said when asked how he felt about his victory.

Kopp attributes part of his success to having a strong poker family.

"When we were growing up we were always about poker. We're pretty close...me, my sister, and my mom. We all talk poker and help make each other better," Kopp said.

...a pair of lucky socks may also have helped, according to Kopp.

"It's the first time I wore my lucky socks in two years," Kopp explained. "The last time I wore them I had a big score too."

2023 WSOP Event #66 Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 William Kopp United States $259,549 2 Michael Rodrigues Portugal $160,418 3 Mike Linster United States $113,991 4 Sterling Savill United States $82,104 5 Joseph McCarthy United States $59,953 6 Loni Hui United States $44,391 7 John Goyette United States $33,335 8 Anthony Zinno United States $25,394 9 Aaron Wallace United States $19,627

Action of The Day

Day 3 began with a flurry of double-ups that saw Mike Linster, Anthony Zinno, and Philipp Krieger all double up through Kopp  more than halving his stack from the start of play. The escalating blinds kept forcing the action, however, and after Jorge Leon was knocked out early, Kopp was able to quickly rebound through the eliminations of both Krieger and Yuval Bronshtein to retake the chip lead and reduce the field down to a final table.

Wallace fell in ninth place in short order after getting his aces cracked by Kopp and Zinno quickly followed suit after bricking with a pair and a flush draw against Kopps top pair.

Despite entering the final table second in chips, John Goyette hit a bad run that saw both Linster and Joseph McCarthy double up through him to leave him short-stacked. Goyette would end up running into McCarthy's aces and failing to improve to bow out in seventh place.

McCarthy and two-time bracelet winner Loni Hui, who had been nursing short stacks for much of the day, managed to hold on for multiple pay jumps before exiting in sixth and fifth place respectively.

Four-handed play saw momentum shift massively in Rodrigues' favor after he managed to double through Kopp and take the chip lead. Rodrigues continued his ascension by eliminating Sterling Savill in fourth place, at which point Rodrigues held more than half the chips in play.

Kopp wouldn't be denied, however, as he gained a much-needed chip boost after knocking Linster out in third in a pot where Linster's low was counterfeited by a running two pair that left him second best.

Michael Rodrigues

Kopp began his heads-up duel against Rodrigues with a fairly significant chip deficit but was quickly able to grind Rodrigues' stack down with relentless aggression. A key turning point occurred when Kopp quartered Rodrigues with a six-high straight and nut low  giving Kopp an over two-to-one chip advantage. Just a few hands later, Rodrigues made his last stand with a flopped flush draw that ended up bricking out against Kopp's Broadway straight to end the tournament.

That's a wrap for PokerNews coverage of Event #66: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Be sure to check out our live-reporting hub for continuing coverage of the 2023 World Series of Poker.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm late. Low 73F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
The CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon graduated just over 50 middle and high school students from its CyberPatriot Camp during a completion ceremony held June 30 at Aiken Technical College.

These eager minds bent on coding and on learning the first intricacies of that unseen world of cybersecurity spent five days building their knowledge base before Fridays completion ceremony.

I learned about all the different types of hacking attacks, from phishing to cracking passwords, said 12-year-old Chris Besel. I'm going to stick at it. Im going to keep doing CyberPatriot until I hit college. And then probably after that, Ill get a cybersecurity job, maybe join the military after college as an officer.

Besel said his interest in cyber only grew with his first camp last summer, during which he made it to semi-finals, an uncommon thing for a first-time camper. He was tops among the 55 students in this weeks end-of-camp competition.

Tom Clark, executive director for the CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon, said the U.S. is hurting for more workers skilled in cybersecurity.

Our nation is 100,000 short of cybersecurity workers, he said. Were trying to grow the workforce locally  mostly to fill the jobs at SRS, to fill the jobs at Fort Gordon, to fill the jobs at the Georgia Cyber Center.

Clark said that access to educational opportunities needs to improve. The Alliance for Fort Gordon ended up investing in a few computers to help ensure CyberPatriot was accessible for anyone interested. We want to make sure the opportunity is there for everyone, he said.

CyberPatriot Camp is open to students in the seven Georgia and South Carolina counties near Fort Gordon. This was the first year since the Alliance for Fort Gordon became an associate of CyberPatriot in 2018 that there was enough interest to fill three camps.

The camps were held at Aiken Tech in Graniteville and Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta. CyberPatriot camps are run by the national Air Force Association, and theyre meant to expose the younger generation to the principles of cybersecurity.
Side-by-side downtown Charleston buildings on the city's main retail corridor are under new ownership.

Highland Park II LLC paid $6.525 million for the three-story properties at 216 and 218 King St. on June 27, according to Charleston County land records.

The previous owner was King at Market Limited Partnership, which paid $475,000 for 218 King in 1988 and $600,000 for the property at 216 King, which includes a vacant parcel behind the building, in 1990.

As its name suggests, King at Market also owns the structure at the southeast corner of King and Market that houses the longtime upscale boutique Christian Michi. That property wasn't part of the transaction with Highland Park II.

218 King houses clothing and home-decor store Love Shack Fancy at the street level. Apparel merchant 120% Lino is the ground-floor tenant at 216 King.

A representative of the buyer could not be reached for comment.

DI deal

A house of worship recently paid $6.25 million for a high-profile commercial property along Interstate 526 where it previously had been a tenant.

An affiliate of One Fellowship Church at 142 Sportsman Island Drive on June 20 bought the 4.24 acres of the Sportsman's Island development at Clements Ferry Road and the Mark Clark Expressway on Daniel Island in Berkeley County.

The seller was a company affiliated with the ownership of Summerville-based Scout Boats.

The Charleston church has launched a campaign to raise $3.8 million over two years to expand its sanctuary and make other improvements through two phases, according to its website.

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Boat dealer and tenant MarineMax Charleston is expected to remain in its existing sales space until a new building is completed on a neighboring parcel.

Other tenants include Holy City Pediatrics, Imagine Physical Therapy and Heather Black Fitness.

"As we have done since our birth in 2014, we will continue to look for creative ways to serve, not only our church family, but different individuals and organizations seeking the common good of our city," senior paster Paul Sorensen said.

Coming to Cainhoy

A new apartment development is in the works for the Cainhoy peninsula.

Alliance Residential Co. of Atlanta plans to build a 336-unit multifamily community on 24 acres at 1730 Clements Ferry Road.

The site is within the larger 9,000-acre Point Hope property, which straddles Clements Ferry. The planned development will sit on the northwest side of the heavily traveled road, which is being widened to four lanes.

Also planned on the Cainhoy peninsula is a new single-family development.

D.R. Horton plans to build 102 homes in Primus Park at 2150 Clements Ferry. The 40-acre property is next to the Gildan apparel distribution center at Jack Primus Road.

Note: This story was update July 2 to reflect a response from the church.
Columbia, SC (29201)

Today

Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially early. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially early. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 75F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
COLUMBIA  An inmate's death June 30 at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia is being investigated as a homicide, the Department of Corrections said in a news release.

James Harrison Pennington, a 44-year-old who pled guilty in 2019 to criminal sexual conduct in Cherokee County, died in his cell at the medium-security prison.

Pennington had been expected to be released in September 2025, according to Department of Corrections records.

The Richland County coroner will conduct an autopsy, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating alongside the corrections department's inspector general's office.

No other information on Pennington's death was available June 30.

Just over 100 inmates died at the Broad River Correctional Institution between 2015 and 2021 from various causes, according to research done by a group at the University of South Carolina. Of those, only five were listed as homicides, according to the researchers' data.

Click here for more news from Columbia, S.C.
An earlier report based on investigators' discussions with Ross indicated that she thought Santos had his arm raised when he was shot. But in reviewing the files ahead of testifying, she determined instead that his arm had to be down because of what's known as a "slap bruise"  bruising caused by the force of the bullet entering the body  on his arm.

Rebuttal evidence was presented June 30 as the defense called private forensic investigator Bob Tressel to the stand. Tressel said it was possible that Santos' upper arm was close to his body but his lower arm was moving away. Since three shots struck Santos, it was also possible he had been shot elsewhere first, and then moved before receiving the shot that caused the bruise.

It's basically impossible to determine the order in which a person was shot in this sort of situation, said Tressel, the only witness to take the stand June 30, testified.

Other than the indication from the bruise that at one point Santos had one arm near his chest, there's no way of knowing how else he moved.

"It's all dynamic," Tressel said. "It's all changing."

Adding to the confusion is the question of how far the door had been opened to the Toyota pickup truck where Leon found his wife, Rachel, with Santos, who was naked except for his socks.

Two bullets seemed to have hit the door, Tressel said, pointing out where a smudge showed where one bullet had bounced off, and a nick in the window's trim indicated where another had flown past.

Tressel said he suspected Santos was leaning forward and to the left based on the bullets' trajectories, but without knowing how far open the door was at the time, Tressel would not be able to say what position Santos was in by matching the marks with the three bullet wounds in his torso.

"Those arms could have just as easily have been like this," Eleventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard said as he cross-examined Tressel, raising his arms with his hands splayed out. Tressel agreed, adding again that there was no way of knowing where his arms might have been.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 95F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
With the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo underway in China's Changsha, Xinhua's Yu Jiaming talks with some foreign journalists to check out what impresses them at this year's expo.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
PARRIS ISLAND  Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. military's transition to an all-volunteer force, first lady Jill Biden addressed the nation's newest Marines during a graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

In her remarks June 30, Biden noted that her father joined the Navy during World War II. He was 17 at the time and and later went to college on the GI Bill.

While her father's time in the service shaped his life, as well as hers, she said it was son Beau's decision to enlist that brought her to a full realization of the sacrifices made by those who choose to serve.

"The choice to serve your country  the choice each of you has made  is a sacred one," Biden said, addressing the graduating Marines at the Beaufort County base.

The military ended its draft in January 1973 when then-Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird announced the ranks would be filled entirely with volunteers. Since that time, 11 million people of have served in the Armed Forces. Approximately 1.5 million serve today.

During her time in the White House, both as first and second lady, Biden has focused on issues related to military families. In 2011 she worked with then-first lady Michelle Obama to launch the Joining Forces effort to provide military and veteran families with support, educational resources and health and wellness programs.

"We are working every day so that you never have to choose between your love of country and your love of family," Biden said of the program.

To date, Biden has visited more than 25 military installations and worked with Joining Forces partners to support more than 50 events for military families and communities. One of those events was held at Joint Base Charleston in 2021 when the first lady joined some 200 people and gave brief remarks. This was Biden's first visit to Parris Island.

Parris Island is one of two Marine training bases in the country. Male recruits from east of the Mississippi River are assigned there. Almost all female Marine recruits are trained at Parris Island.

For the 199 Marines of Company F, the graduation marked the completion of training that started April 10. During that time, recruits didn't see or speak to family or friends. They don't have access to their cell phones either, which can be a difficult adjustment for some recruits, said Maj. Philip Kulczewski, spokesman for the Parris Island base.

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During training, recruits only communicate with family by handwritten letters. Those letters, Kulczewski said, become very important to the recruits in training.

Training culminates with the 54-hour event known as the "Crucible" that must be completed in order to receive the coveted eagle, globe and anchor emblem of the Marine Corps.

"We don't train Marines here," explained Kulczewski. "We make Marines here."

Following graduation, the new Marines receive a 10-day leave before they report to School of Infantry. After that, they will either receive further training in the specialty they've been assigned or join the fleet in an operational capacity.

Pfc. Matthew Wade said his experience at Parris Island couldn't be explained, but needed to be experienced. He is headed home to Mays Landing, N.J., to spend his leave, but said he was anxious to complete infantry training and join the fleet.

"I'm super proud of him," said his mother Katherine Wade as she held back tears. "That's it. I'm proud."

Biden arrived at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort aboard Air Force Two June 29. She was greeted by Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray and his family, including his 9-year-old twin daughters. He was glad to give them a chance to meet a strong role model.

"It's nice to be mayor, but it's more exciting to be a dad today," Murray said.
Following the U.S. Supreme Courts historic decision to reject race-conscious college admissions programs, officials at several South Carolina schools said they are reviewing policies and assuring they will follow the new law of the land.

While the court's ruling June 29 allows officials to consider a student's perspective on how race has affected their life, universities must review applications based on students' experiences as individuals, not solely on the basis of race.

The decision comes as public and private colleges across South Carolina tout their commitment to having a racially and ethnically diverse student body.

The Post and Courier asked a sampling of colleges across the state how the ruling might affect them and particularly whether they have considered race as a factor in admissions. The responses varied and were largely conveyed through brief, broadly worded statements.

"Clemson University takes a holistic approach to admissions, following the requirements of the law," according to a statement released by spokesman Joe Galbraith. "Clemson will abide by applicable court rulings as we continue to encourage all talented students from South Carolina and elsewhere to attend Clemson."

University officials declined to say whether race has been used in admission decisions, citing a need for its lawyers to review the high court's ruling first.

On Clemsons admissions website, the university says that "diversity" is considered when reviewing applications in order to bring in students with a variety of experiences. However, in data filings from the past decade, the university has said that racial and ethnic status are not considered in admissions decisions.

At Clemson, White students make up 77 percent of its 22,566 undergraduate population. About 16 percent of last year's freshman class were underrepresented minorities, which includes Black, Hispanic and Native American students.

The state's largest university, the University of South Carolina, said it doesn't consider race in admissions. President Michael Amiridis released a campus-wide statement affirming the university will comply with the law.

However, he wrote he supports a diverse learning environment and will welcome "qualified students" with a "variety of life experiences."

USC has put an emphasis on growing its student diversity.

Last year, it admitted its most-diverse freshman class, with 24 percent of the new students being minorities. White students last year made up about 71 percent of total population of 35,000 on the Columbia campus, figures show.

Colleges that have previously reported using race as a factor in admissions, like the College of Charleston, are reevaluating their approach. The college had begun using race as a factor in admissions decisions in 2018 after quietly discontinuing the practice two years earlier, The Post and Courier previously reported. A recent data filing shows that racial and ethnic status are considered for admissions.

Admissions officials on June 30 said the school "uses a holistic review process that can include race as a consideration.

"The College of Charlestons Office of Admissions will ensure that its processes comply with the Supreme Courts decision," said Jimmie Foster, vice president for enrollment management. "We remain focused on our expansive outreach and inclusive recruitment efforts, with an emphasis on South Carolina, so that we can enroll the most diverse and academically qualified student body possible. Every academically qualified in-state student will continue to be offered admission to the College of Charleston."

Other colleges which have not used race as a factor said they remain committed to building a diverse environment in other ways.

Francis Marion University President Fred Carter was discouraged by the decision. He said the dream of a college education offers hope and promise to the most-disadvantaged in society.

What was affirmative action? Affirmative action began as a series of policies in the late 1960s to increase opportunities for underrepresented minorities by considering race on applications, under the assumption that race-neutral policies can still have discriminatory results. Throughout the sixties and seventies, colleges began adopting affirmative action policies in their admissions processes to consider the advantage provided to wealthier, non-minority applicants. Supreme Court regulation of affirmative action prominently began with the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, a 1978 case that affirmed race-based affirmative action when there is a compelling state interest like diversity, with the condition that race must be one of a number of factors in admissions. Universities were prohibited from using quotas. In 2003, two cases reaffirmed that diversity in a colleges incoming class is a compelling state interest, Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. Then, in 2013, the Supreme Court held in Fisher v. University of Texas that claims of diversity must be necessary and that no race-neutral alternatives would provide the same benefits.

The decision will shatter that dream for far too many deserving people," Carter said. "Sadly, it reads more like a political manifest than a legal opinion."

Furman University in Greenville said it will continue to look beyond just academic measures to build a diverse student body.

For years, Furman has taken a comprehensive approach to recruiting and admissions that employs numerous and wide-ranging race-neutral measures to increase diversity of all kinds, Furman President Elizabeth Davis said in an email to campus.

The University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg said it will comply with the law while also fostering a diverse and fair environment.

USC Upstate always welcomes qualified students and remains steadfast in its commitment to reflecting the diversity of our city, state, nation and world, Chancellor Bennie L. Harris said in a statement.

Winthrop University in Rock Hill said that the decision has no impact on its admissions process because race is not used as a criterion.

Prior to the decision, nine states had already banned race-conscious admissions at public universities since the late 1990s, beginning with California, Texas, Washington and Florida and later followed by others, including Georgia. A 2020 study by researchers at the University of Washington and the Brookings Institution examined admissions at 19 public universities in nine such states. The share of underrepresented minority students admitted and attending schools in those states went down following the ban, the study showed.

The South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus expressed similar concerns after the June 29 ruling.

The ruling by the Supreme Court stands to keep a significant number of minority students in our country from achieving their full potential and realizing the American Dream, the caucus said in a statement.

Historically Black colleges or universities are also affected by the ruling.

South Carolina State University, a small public HBCU in Orangeburg County, has a student population that is almost 93 percent Black as of last year.

The university president, Alexander Conyers, wrote in a statement that the college will continue to accept qualified applicants for enrollment regardless of race.

The president of Claflin University, another small HBCU in Orangeburg, this one private, also reaffirmed that the university will accept exemplary students of all races and genders, in a campus-wide statement.

However, President Dwaun Warmack fears the ruling could limit Black students and other underrepresented minorities' access to higher education. He said that affirmative action made positive strides in higher education, but racial inequality has persisted in these institutions.

As a historically Black institution, Claflin University understands the importance of diversity in all its forms, Warmack said.

When asked whether a potential drop in Black enrollment at South Carolinas colleges is a concern, Gov. Henry McMaster said he is confident schools will find another way to bridge the gap.

I think all our schools are very eager to educate all the people of South Carolina, and they will do whatever they can with scholarships and programs that weve been working on for many years to try to get all our people to go as far as they want to go into college, McMaster said.

Lianna Hubbard from Columbia, Jason Cato from Charleston and G.E. Hinson and Chris Day from Florence contributed to this story.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms this evening. Clouds lingering later. Low 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 96F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the morning. High 97F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 76F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
PICKENS  A crowd of thousands sweating under a pitiless South Carolina sun and sweltering temperatures demonstrated once again that former President Donald Trumps grip on the Republican primary electorate remains unbroken.

Trump lashed out at his recent indictment on 37 federal charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents, lobbed vague accusations of corruption at President Joe Biden and repeated false claims about the 2020 election during a meandering 75-minute speech at the small Upstate towns Independence Day Celebration July 1.

Even as his legal woes mount and his primary opponents, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, begin to take more direct shots at Trump, a significant slice of the South Carolina electorate wont consider anyone else.

If hes not the candidate, I wont even go vote, said Katie Ambrose, a Conway resident in her 50s who drove four hours to attend her fifth Trump rally since 2019.

At 10:30 a.m., thousands of people were lined up for more than a half mile around downtown trying to enter the rally area.

Trumps most devoted supporters who wanted a spot in the crowd of a few hundred that stood in front of the stage itself rather stretched down Main Street watching on a large screen, recounted waking up in the early morning to stand in line by 6 a.m. By 1:30 p.m. when Trump started his speech, the temperature in Pickens passed 90 degrees.

In the 2020 Presidential Election, Pickens was the reddest county in South Carolina with 74.6 percent of the countys 58,000 voters choosing Trump.

Candice Cromer, a 42-year-old from Six Mile, did not sleep the night before to ensure she could wake up the rest of her family at 3 a.m. and get to the rally.

She, like many other attendees, stressed that unlike his primary opponents, Trump has earned it.

A lot of people in politics havent gotten the results he has in their whole careers, and he got it done in four years with people breaking his neck, Cromer said.

Trump has seen his support buoyed in recent weeks, according to national polls, after the indictment in the classified documents case.

Eddie Chapman, a 67-year-old computer programmer from Easley, said the indictment, which he called a lot of bullcrap, increased his support for the former president.

Hes fighting tooth and nail, and I respect him for that, Chapman said.

Still, Trump devoted significant time during the speech to defending himself.

He argued that what he did was permitted under the Presidential Records Act before quoting, for more than a minute, from a 2012 decision in which a federal judge determined former President Bill Clinton was allowed to keep recordings he did with a journalist while he was president.

Legal experts say that Trumps interpretation of the Presidential Records Act is wrong and that the Clinton case is poor comparison.

Trump also spent considerable time in his remarks alleging that Biden is corrupt with frequent references to his son Hunter Biden.

The younger Biden recently agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor offenses for failing to pay federal income taxes and agreed to pretrial diversion for a felony firearm offense. Trump's remarks went far beyond that, alleging with scant evidence that the president and his family are involved in a web of conspiracies.

Trump praised the recent Supreme Court decisions that ended race-conscious admissions in higher education and threw out Bidens plan to forgive student debt, claiming credit for nominating the justices that supported the rulings.

Now were back to the old system of merit, he told the crowd about the affirmative action decision.

Back in the home state of fellow presidential aspirants Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott for the second time in this primary campaign, Trump focused his attacks on DeSantis, criticizing him for votes he took in congress to cut Social Security, Medicare and raise the retirement age.

He briefly mentioned Haley and said Scott was a good man. However, Trump predicted that a lot of people are going to be dropping out.

Larry Oberstar, a Pickens County residents in his 60s, said he's not considering anyone but Trump, who he said was the best president since George Washington and couldnt think of anything that would change his mind.

Oberstar said he likes Scott but not Haley. She turned against southern heritage, Larry said of her signing a bill that removed the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds.

When Trump mentioned Haley, a scattered booing arose from the crowd.

Trump also used the speech to once again demonstrate his considerable support from South Carolinas political establishment.

Gov. Henry McMaster, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, of Surfside Beach, U.S. Rep. William Timmons, of Greenville, and several other South Carolina officials praised Trump before he took the stage.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump critic-turned-supporter, spoke just before McMaster and was greeted by loud and sustained booing by the crowd. Graham struggled to start his speech, pleading with the crowd to calm down a second. Graham carried on with the speech despite continued booing that only abated for lines praising Trump.

Trump defended Graham twice in his speech, saying hes there when you need him, but this elicited further booing.

South Carolina Democrats knocked what they argued was Trump's lackluster economic record as president.

"We already know what Donald Trumps MAGA control looks like," South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain told the press June 30. "What you can expect is more same dangerous election conspiracy theories, culture wars and pandering to the MAGA base. But no solutions to actually help working people."
Investigators are trying to identify human remains found inside a barrel floating in a Cherokee County lake.

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office investigators found the remains June 29 near a boat ramp at Lake Thicketty on Trout View Road in the Macedonia Community.

"It appears the body had been in the container for a number of days," Cherokee County coroner Dennis Fowler said in a news release. "Since the discovery, investigators were able to confirm late Thursday the death occurred in Spartanburg County."

Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said a person of interest in the death investigation was interviewed the evening of June 29.

Fowler said the remains were transferred to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger.

"The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office was notified and will be handling the death investigation," Mueller said. "Cherokee County investigators will be seeking charges for the disposal of the body in Cherokee County."
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 Yvette Sylla, foreign minister of Madagascar, in Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Yvette Sylla, foreign minister of Madagascar, on Friday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that China and Madagascar have always respected each other, treated each other as equals and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation, and bilateral relations have maintained a steady development momentum.

China highly appreciates Madagascar's adherence to the one-China principle and firmly supports Madagascar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions, Wang said.

China is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen people-to-people friendships, and open up new prospects for China-Madagascar relations, Wang added.

Sylla said that Madagascar firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and supports and is willing to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and a series of important global initiatives proposed by China. 
Along with its more remarked-upon cases on affirmative action and student loan forgiveness, the Supreme Court decided this morning the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. 303 Creative is an important First Amendment case, following in the footsteps of Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, Inc. and other precedents. The case arose out of a declaratory judgment action by a web site designer who creates web sites for married couples, but does not want to do so for gay marriages.

In my view, the State of Colorado lost the case when it stipulated to the relevant facts. Under the Courts precedents, the result should have been clear:

Ms. Smith and the State stipulated to a number of facts: Ms. Smith is willing to work with all people regardless of classifications such as race, creed, sexual orientation, and gender and will gladly create custom graphics and websites for clients of any sexual orientation; she will not produce content that contradicts biblical truth regardless of who orders it; Ms. Smiths belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman is a sincerely held conviction; Ms. Smith provides design services that are expressive and her original, customized creations contribut[e] to the over-all message her business conveys through the websites it creates; the wedding websites she plans to create will be expressive in nature, will be customized and tailored through close collaboration with individual couples, and will express Ms. Smiths and 303 Creatives message celebrating and promoting her view of marriage; viewers of Ms. Smiths websites will know that the websites are her original art-work; and [t]here are numerous companies in the State of Colorado and across the nation that offer custom website design services.

Anyone familiar with the Courts First Amendment jurisprudence should have foreseen that Smith would win. The state cannot demand that Americans parrot speech with which they do not agree. Full stop.

The 6-3 majority opinion was written by Justice Gorsuch. It is excellent. You can read all of the opinions here. The majority opinion includes many highlights. Here, Gorsuch points out that Colorados purpose is to stamp out ideas with which its current politicians do not agree:

Ms. Smith seeks to engage in protected First Amendment speech; Colorado seeks to compel speech she does not wish to provide. As the Tenth Circuit observed, if Ms. Smith offers wedding websites celebrating marriages she endorses, the State intends to compel her to create custom websites celebrating other marriages she does not. 6 F. 4th 1160, 1178. Colorado seeks to compel this speech in order to excis[e] certain ideas or viewpoints from the public dialogue. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCC, 512 U. S. 633, 642. Indeed, the Tenth Circuit recognized that the coercive [e]liminati[on] of dissenting ideas about marriage constitutes Colorados very purpose in seeking to apply its law to Ms. Smith. 6 F. 4th, at 1178. But while the Tenth Circuit thought that Colorado could compel speech from Ms. Smith consistent with the Constitution, this Courts First Amendment precedents teach otherwise.

Colorado characterized Ms. Smiths web design business as a public accommodation, like a restaurant or bus line. I would say it is no such thing, as the parties stipulation of facts indicates. But Gorsuch didnt take that approach, presumably for good reasons. He writes:

To be sure, public accommodations laws play a vital role in realizing the civil rights of all Americans, and governments in this country have a compelling interest in eliminating dis- crimination in places of public accommodation. 

***

Often, these enterprises exercised something like monopoly power or hosted or transported others or their belongings.

***

And there are no doubt innumerable goods and services that no one could argue implicate the First Amendment. Ibid. At the same time, this Court has also long recognized that no public accommodations law is immune from the demands of the Constitution. In particular, this Court has held, public accommodations statutes can sweep too broadly when deployed to compel speech. See, e.g., Hurley, 515 U. S., at 571, 578; Dale, 530 U. S., at 659. As in those cases, when Colorados public accommodations law and the Constitution collide, there can be no question which must prevail. U. S. Const. Art. VI, 2.

That is the Supremacy Clause.

Justice Gorsuch devotes the final seven pages of his opinion to dissecting the dissent by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. If genteel, it is also rather brutal. Sotomayors dissent is a partisan cri de cur on behalf of the LGBTQ community, where B stands for bully. Gorsuch writes:

It is difficult to read the dissent and conclude we are looking at the same case. Much of it focuses on the evolution of public accommodations laws, post, at 713, and the strides gay Americans have made towards securing equal justice under law, post, at 1417. And, no doubt, there is much to applaud here. But none of this answers the question we face today: Can a State force someone who provides her own expressive services to abandon her conscience and speak its preferred message instead? When the dissent finally gets around to that questionmore than halfway into its opinionit reimagines the facts of this case from top to bottom.

That is a common ploy by losing litigants and dissenting justicespretend that the facts are something different from what is before the Court. In the 303 Creative case, that effort by Sotomayor is especially pathetic, since the facts were stipulated to by the parties.

Sotomayors dissent, not a judicial opinion but a partisan political rant, would be embarrassing if authored by a second-year law student. That such tripe can emanate from a Supreme Court justice is dispiriting. Shame on Elena Kagan, who should know better, and Ketanji Jackson for signing on with it.

But the bottom line is, we have a Supreme Court majority that is actually in favor of the First Amendment. Which would not be the case if we had two more Democratic Party appointees on the Court.
Abbe Lowell is the high-powered Washington lawyer who has undertaken the defense of Hunter Biden by going on offense. Lowell entered the scene with an intimidating volley of criminal referrals and cease-and-desist letters this past February. He has asked federal and state prosecutors to investigate John Paul Mac Isaac and others he accused of disseminating Bidens personal data. He also threatened former Fox News host Tucker Carlson with a defamation claim for good measure.

ABC News and other outlets reported that Lowell wrote lengthy letters to the Justice Department and the Delaware attorney general requesting criminal inquiries into allies of former President Donald Trump, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who were involved in spreading data from a laptop Hunter Biden is said to have left at a Delaware repair shop in 2019. The quote is from Bloombergs story.

As the adage has it, the best defense is a good offense. Hunter Biden has added a footnote to the adage. Having friends in high places is even better.

Further executing his best defense strategy this week on Hunter Bidens behalf, Lowell sent a wild 10-page letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith yesterday. The letter is posted online here. Lowell attacks congressional Republicans for their investigation of the Biden family business (thats not how he puts it). He attacks the IRS whistleblowers whose testimony Smith released last week.

Lowell is all but swinging his arms in windmill fashion. He alleges, for example, that the Smiths release of the transcripts violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the tax laws and federal rules governing investigations[.] So I take it that Smith didnt violate any law releasing the transcripts.

The whistleblowers arent whistleblowers. They dont understand the merits of the lenient deal Hunter Biden has arranged with prosecutors. They themselves are possibly guilty of illegal misconduct. And so on, and so on.

Abbe is gabby, but do read the whole thing, or at least the highlights featured by Axios in its scoop. It is superficially impressive. It calls for some response.

Gary Shapley is the IRS whistleblower who has emerged to air his charges in public. He is knowledgeable and impressive witness. His attorney is Mark Lytle. Lytle and Tristan Leavitt responded on Shapleys behalf with this statement that is accessible online here:

Biden family lawyers have resorted to intimidation beforereportedly threatening federal prosecutors with career suicide if they charged Hunter Bidenso this attempt to intimidate our client and the oversight authorities scrutinizing the politicization of that case is no surprise. IRS SSA Gary Shapley has scrupulously followed the rules and blew the whistle to Congress about the unequal application of tax laws pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 6103(f)(5) and 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(8)(C), a process facilitated lawfully by the authority of both Chairs of the tax committees, including Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR)with whom we are still working cooperatively to arrange follow-up testimony to supplement for the Senate any topics not covered in the transcripts of questioning by Republican and Democrat staff already released by the House Ways and Means Committee. SSA Shapley referred the October 6, 2022 leak for investigation to the inspectors general (IGs) of his own agency and DOJ. He volunteered to make the referral to his supervisors as is shown in the very same email that reports that U.S. Attorney David Weiss was not the deciding person on whether charges are filed. Ex. 10. 5/23/2023 testimony of Gary Shapley. Falsely alleging that he was a leaker is just another baseless attack on him for blowing the whistle. All the innuendo and bluster that Biden family lawyers can summon will not change the facts. Lawful whistleblowing is the opposite of illegal leaking, and these bogus accusations against SSA Shapley by lawyers for the Biden family echo threatening emails sent by IRS leadership after the case agent also blew the whistle to the IRS Commissioner about favoritism in this caseas well as the chilling report that Biden attorneys have also lobbied the Biden Justice Department directly to target our client with criminal inquiry in further retaliation for blowing the whistle. These threats and intimidation have already been referred earlier this week to the inspectors general for DOJ and the IRS, and to Congress for further investigation as potential obstruction of their lawful inquiries as well as retaliation against our client.

Lytles statement includes links to supporting documents and evidence at the bottom of the statement. Josh Christenson and Miranda Devine further undermine Lowells letter in the New York Post story Hunter Bidens lawyer lashes out at IRS whistleblowers misinformation campaign in error-filled letter.
IP licensed products are seen at the Trade in Services Exhibition Area of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China's intellectual property (IP) development has gained momentum over the past year, with more patents, efficient protection measures and an improved institutional system, according to a white paper published by the country's top IP regulator.

In 2022, the number of IP examinations, approvals and registrations continued to grow, while the quality and efficiency of IP examination were steadily improved, the National Intellectual Property Administration said at a press conference.

By the end of 2022, the total number of valid invention patents in China had reached 4.21 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.1 percent, according to the data published in the white paper. The number of valid utility model patents totaled 10.84 million, up 17.2 percent year on year, while the number of valid registered trademarks in China was 42.67 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.6 percent, the paper revealed.

Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2021 shows China's first ski wax truck with independent intellectual property in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The Chinese government achieved remarkable results in the intensity, scope and efficiency of IP protection in 2022.

China continuously strengthened IP protection in key areas such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, Olympic symbols, new plant species and anti-unfair competition, as well as crucial links such as customs and online markets.

It also intensified efforts to crack down on irregular patent applications and malicious trademark registration, and developed the establishment of mechanisms for dealing with overseas IP disputes.

Last year, Chinese courts received 526,165 new IP cases. Among them, the number of patent cases and technology contract disputes continued to rise, with first-instance patent civil cases and first-instance technology contract cases up 23.25 percent and 5.55 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to Ding Guangyu, an official with China's Supreme People's Court.

Chinese courts have fully safeguarded the legitimate rights of patentees and inventors in accordance with the law, strictly protected the trade secrets of enterprises, and vigorously promoted innovation in key areas, core technologies and emerging industries, Ding said, adding that the role of IP judicial services in high-quality development has become more prominent.

China effectively improved the IP institutional system last year. Three laws and regulations related to IP were revised and implemented, two judicial interpretations of IP protection were issued, and more than 20 normative documents and policy documents about IP protection were introduced and implemented, the white paper said. Positive progress was also made in local comprehensive legislation on IP protection.

In 2022, China also deepened exchanges and cooperation with international organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and IP institutions in various countries and regions, participated deeply in global IP governance, and actively advocated for the strengthening of IP protection through joint efforts. 
After posting my own brief comments on the Supreme Courts historic decision in the affirmative action cases on Thursday, I wrote Professor Andrew Kull. Professor Kull is Distinguished Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and the author of The Color-Blind Constitution. I told him I had been drawing on CBC for something like 20 years to write about the affirmative action regime and that it had served as an inspiration to me. I asked if he might be willing to forward a statement  a sentence, a paragraph, anything  on the Courts decision. Professor Kull kindly responded yesterday (I have added two bracketed notes):

Dear Scott,

Thanks for the kind wordsin this email, in your Power Line post yesterday, and over the years. I was aware of how loyal your support of CBC has been because of notes I used to get from Jim Seaton, a reader of yours and of mine. I wonder if the two of you were ever acquainted? He was a professor of English at MSU who died a few years ago, a real loss. [I was a fan of Professor Seaton and recall corresponding with him, but we never met.]

I did not see your message in time to send any response, and (to be frank) I have yet to read yesterdays opinions. Westlaw says they occupy approximately 231 pages, and (not to be glib about it) I could not begin to list the ways that any of us could more profitably read 231 other pages.

So my impressions of the decision are naturally very limited. The reaction I like best is what you wrote yesterday: in the course of ultimate extinction. Id like to see those words quoted more often, and we can only hope that it will ultimately prove to be so. The mechanical justice of racial PR will not be abandoned by todays bureaucrats, so this will see a long era of massive resistance.

For 30 years I had expected that someone on the Supreme Court would mention my book in a footnote, since I always thought it made the most convenient citation for the relevant history on either side. So in that respect I feel vindicated by Justice Sotomayor [who cited CBC at page 6 of her dissent].

With thanks and warmest regards,

AK
Liberal reactions to the high profile decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court this week read like a parody account.

On Thursday, the Court dealt a blow to affirmative action by invalidating race-based college admissions programs in favor of a merit-based system and the responses from many on the left were downright racist.

Rev. Al Sharpton said the decision was tantamount to sticking a dagger in our back. Hes saying that blacks arent smart enough to compete without the leg up that affirmative action provides. And, of course, he failed to mention the dagger Harvard and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill admissions officers have been sticking into the backs of Asian and white Americans for decades.

A Twitter post from independent journalist Erica Marsh was even more insulting. She wrote: Todays Supreme Court decision is a direct attack on Black people. No Black person will be able to succeed in a merit-based system which is exactly why affirmative-action based programs were needed. Todays decision is a TRAVESTY!!!

Oh look, a white female Democrat who worked for Biden thinks that black people are so stupid that they can't get into college on their own merit. This is what actual racism looks like, kids.  Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 29, 2023

Marsh came under immediate attack for the tweet and issued a non-apology apology that only exacerbated the situation:

Allow me to clarify this tweet, which is being manipulated for propaganda and misinformation by ULTRA MAGA. The intention of my tweet is to highlight that prior to affirmative action, there existed a supposedly merit-based system for Black individuals to gain admission to colleges. However, these institutions employed racial profiling to prevent Black individuals from attending under the guise of this merit system. I want to emphasize that my statement in no way suggests that Black individuals are less intelligent than people of other races.

No one manipulated Marshs tweet. It said what it said: No Black person will be able to succeed in a merit-based system which is exactly why affirmative-action based programs were needed.

WNBA player Natasha Cloud, incensed by all of the Courts rulings this week, wrote: Our country is trash in so many ways and instead of using our resources to make it better, we continue to oppress Marginalized groups that we have targeted since the beginning of times.

Lets send her to Russia.

TAKING SHOTS: WNBA champion bashes America after SCOTUS rulings. https://t.co/Fj17hvW7Lv pic.twitter.com/A6TFWgluV4  Fox News (@FoxNews) June 30, 2023

Whoopi Goldberg wondered if this ruling would lead to no women in colleges soon.

Asked by a reporter if this was a rogue court, President Joe Biden replied, This isnt a normal court.

He was later questioned about his remark during an interview with MSNBC: What I meant by that is its done more to unravel basic rights, basic decisions of any court in recent history. And with that, he inexplicably stood up, shook anchor Nicole Wallaces hand and thanked her, then bizarrely wandered off the stage before waiting for the commercial break. The moment went viral on social media.

Whoopi: Is this leading to no women in colleges soon? Who knows! 

This was a good compilation of the lefts reaction to the SCOTUS decision. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/xy7kH2iKMJ  Cali-Florida Patriot  (@CaliPatriot20) June 30, 2023

If Biden was rattled over the Courts decision on affirmative action, he was completely rocked by its smackdown of his student loan forgiveness plan, an issue he had campaigned on.

Speaking to reporters, Biden promised he would seek a new path forward.

A reporter asked, Mr. President, why did you give millions of borrowers false hope? Youve doubted your own authority here in the past.

He replied, I didnt give any false hope. The question was whether or not I would do even more than was requested. What I did I thought was appropriate and was able to be done and would get done. I didnt give borrowers false hope. But the Republicans snatched away the hope that they were given and its real, real hope.

Did you overstep your authority? she asked.

I think the court misinterpreted the Constitution, Biden answered.

Actually, it was Biden who misinterpreted the Constitution  intentionally.

The reporter was correct. Biden knew that neither he nor his education secretary had the authority to forgive $430 billion in student loan debt. But, ahead of the 2022 midterms, he also knew this promise would draw a lot of young voters to the polls and that the lawsuits that would surely ensue would take months to play out.

In fact, the Court quoted words uttered by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a 2021 press conference in its majority opinion. Pelosi had said, People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.

But Pelosis past remarks didnt stop her from criticizing the Courts decision. On Friday, she said it cruelly allowed for a crisis of debt to continue holding back families from buying homes, starting businesses and making ends meet.

Pelosi added, President Biden is to be commended for his action to ease the student loan burden, which disproportionately harms women and people of color. Energized by our commitment to equity, justice and opportunity, the fight is not over.

Unfortunately, half of the electorate believes these liars.
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CHERRY HILL, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / July 1, 2023 / The Dr. Peter Driscoll Scholarship for Future Doctors has announced a new scholarship opportunity for current and prospective medical students. The scholarship will be awarded based on an essay competition, with one winner receiving a one-time award of $1,000.To apply for the Dr. Peter Driscoll Scholarship for Future Doctors, applicants must be a current undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral student studying in the field of medicine at a university in the United States. High school seniors who have been accepted to a university to study medicine are also eligible to apply. The scholarship will be awarded based on a creative essay of under 1000 words answering the following prompt:"Describe a healthcare issue that needs significant improvement and how a new medical innovation would make a positive impact on that issue." The scholarship is named after Dr. Peter Driscoll, a highly esteemed cosmetic surgeon with an illustrious career spanning over two decades in the field of cosmetic surgery. Dr. Driscoll earned his M.D. degree from the prestigious UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, NJ, where he excelled in his academic pursuits.After completing his medical degree, Dr. Peter Driscoll underwent extensive training in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, LA, where he completed his internship and residency. During his training, he honed his surgical skills and gained a deep understanding of the complex anatomy of the head and neck region.Driven by his passion for advancing the field of cosmetic surgery, Dr. Driscoll pursued a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Here, he conducted groundbreaking research that led to numerous publications in top-tier medical journals and established him as a leading authority in his field.Following his research fellowship, Dr. Driscoll completed a Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship with the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery at the Culver City Ambulatory Care Center in Beverly Hills/Los Angeles, CA. Here, he received specialized training in advanced cosmetic surgical techniques and developed his skills in performing a wide range of cosmetic procedures, including breast augmentation, facelift, and liposuction, among others.As a testament to his expertise, Dr. Driscoll is board-certified in cosmetic surgery by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, a prestigious and highly selective organization that recognizes only the most skilled and experienced practitioners in the field.The Dr. Peter Driscoll Scholarship for Future Doctors is a way for Dr. Driscoll to give back to the medical community and support the next generation of doctors. With a deep commitment to patient care and satisfaction, Dr. Driscoll has established himself as a sought-after cosmetic surgeon and a trusted advisor to his patients. He takes a personalized approach to every patient, tailoring each treatment plan to their unique needs and goals. His patients rave about the stunning results he consistently delivers.The deadline to apply for the scholarship is November 15, 2023. The winner for the scholarship will be announced on December 15, 2023. Interested applicants can learn more about the scholarship and apply online at https://drpeterdriscollscholarship.com/ Contact Info:Spokesperson: Dr. Peter DriscollOrganization: Dr. Peter Driscoll ScholarshipWebsite: https://drpeterdriscollscholarship.com/ Email: apply@ drpeterdriscollscholarship.com SOURCE: Dr Peter Driscoll Scholarship
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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 1, 2023 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. ("Charles River" or "the Company") (NYSE: CRL) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Investors who purchased the Company's securities between May 5, 2020 and February 21, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm before July 18, 2023.If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at bschall@ schallfirm.com The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Charles River illegally imported non-human primates for research purposes. The Company was at risk of investigations by the DOJ among other agencies. The Company was forced to suspend importation of primates from Cambodia. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Charles River, investors suffered damages.Join the case to recover your losses.The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.CONTACT:The Schall Law FirmBrian Schall, Esq.,Office: 310-301-3335info@ schallfirm.com SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 1, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Xponential Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:XPOF) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/XPOF Contact An Attorney Now: XPOF@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Xponential Fitness, Inc. (XPOF) Investigation:The investigation focuses on Xponential Fitness' past claims that "[t]he foundation of our business is built on strong partnerships with franchisees" and "[w]e are highly focused on providing franchisees with extensive support to help maximize their performance and enhance their return on investment." But, on June 26, 2023, analyst Fuzzy Panda Research published a scathing report based in part on interviews with former business partners, franchisees, and employees of Xponential Fitness' CEO (Anthony Geisler), concluding "the XPOF house of cards is beginning to fall." With respect to Geisler, Fuzzy Panda's research reveals: (1) Geisler was "previously CEO of a reverse merger, pink sheets, pump & dump called Interactive Solutions (INSC) that used Bangkok boiler rooms" and (2) "former franchisees, and colleagues of Geisler's described him as a crook' and detailed his many scams' and illegal business practices[.]'"Fuzzy Panda also found that over 50% of the company's average studios are losing money, 80% of its brands have unprofitable business models, franchisees are giving their studios back to XPOF for $1, more of the worst loss-making transition studios are on XPOF's balance sheet and they have become harder for XPOF to re-sell, and XPOF has closed lots of studios despite management's claim to never closed a single studio.In response, the price of Xponential shares crashed as much as 42% lower on June 27, 2023."We're focused on investors' losses and whether Xponential lied about its business model and financial metrics," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Xponential Fitness 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 Xponential Fitness 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 XPOF@ 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
Movie Title: House of Secrets

Release Date: 30 June 2023

Director: Niyi Akinmolayan

Runtime: 1 hour 59minutes

Cast: Efe Irele, Shawn Faqua, Kate Henshaw, Onajite Dede, Femi Jacobs, Taye Arimoro, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, Gbubemi Ejeye, Metein Ebiwari, Moyinoluwa Olutayo, Ekpenyong Bassey Inyang, Tobi Daniels, Anee Icha, Funlola Aofiyebi

There are two popular ways to predict if a film is on its way to becoming a blockbuster: The first being the amount of star power the film has (AKA the number of famous actors in it) and if there is good word-of-mouth or social media buzz to be specific about the series.

Though Niyi Akinmolayans 2023 Spy thriller House of Secrets contains a few known faces, its storytelling is insufficient to keep it at the top of viewers minds.

The above does not dismiss the fact that the cast and crew brought their A-game, especially in the Cinematography.

While some Nollywood movies are described as offering a breath of fresh air through the stories they tell, House of Secrets knocks the ball out of the park through a new concept and the elements used in telling such a story.

House of Secrets offers a new cinematic experienceor, in this case, a new streaming experience for viewers, as they are bound to feel the rush of nostalgia through flashbacks to the past and the use of black and white in depicting certain scenes.

While the production design and cinematography would go on to set a precedent for Nollywood producers, the storyline contains several flaws.

Plot

The film is set between two timelines: 1999 and the present day. In the first scene, we see an aged, crippled woman, Sarah, happily typing on a typewriter about the story of a couple who she believes are her neighbours. She is soon joined by Esther (Anee Icha) and Daniel (Emeka Nwagbaraocha), who claim to be her family members.

Despite being surrounded by people who claim to have her best interests at heart, Sarah cannot help but feel that somethings up. Her fear soon comes to pass when she regains lost memories after subtle and harsh efforts from her doctor, Dr Badmus (Femi Jacobs), to remember a past incident.

The new development in Sarahs mental health brings some secrets to light as it is revealed that her supposed family members pretend to work for a non-governmental organisation. In their quest to expose a politician, General Sanni (Keppy Ekpenyong), the NGO turns to Sarah, who has information that could send him to jail.

Visibly shaken by the discovery, Sarah begins narrating her past life. She once lived with her husband, Panam (Shawn Faqua), a soldier who wanted to expose the same politician when he was in the Army. Panam gives Sarah a document one night, asking her to protect it at all costs.

The situation escalates as Sanni becomes aware of the documents existence, causing Panam and Sarah to flee. Unfortunately, their plan is cut short when Panama is shot. It causes trauma for Sarah, explaining why she couldnt remember anything initially.

In the next scene, we see Sarah and the NGO figure out where the documents are. However, their plans are almost short-lived when lies and betrayals from within come into play.

The Good

House of Secrets is an example of why producers must leave their comfort zone. Despite being shot in black and white, the film has a certain aesthetic appeal. The props speak to both eras (1999 and present day), camera movements captured the essence of each scene, and the soundtrack was not distracting. The technical elements blend to create a unique viewing experience.

Actors like Najite Dede also do an applaudable job in portraying their characters, being able to switch from an unaware and weak woman to a strong, powerful woman who has no issue challenging authority.

The Bad

Lets start with the scripting. The dialogues are very Westernised. One factor observed is the absence of characters speaking in their native tongues, even during a flashback to 1999. While English is the dominant language in our society, its safe to assume that an average Nigerian includes at least a bit of each of the three languages in their diction or pidgin.

The plot progression also got dragged out. A lot of time was spent on the first quarter of the film. Although it could be argued that the producer was trying to introduce the characters properly by dropping Easter eggs, the scenes could not hold attention.

House of Secrets also needs to catch up on the intrigue promised. The scenes felt predictable. From Sarahs first interaction with him, something was not right. The audience should be allowed to decipher if somethings wrong without being offered on a silver platter. Another example is when Sarahs childs identity is revealed; one could easily guess it was Daniel through her constant demand for him.

Moving on to characters, what happened with two of the main characters turning out to be traitors? While the organisations president is understandable, even though the motives are not justifiable, Esther being a traitor doesnt add up.

Performance-wise, some actors missed the memo, as seen in the train scene where some men ambushed Sarah. The delivery by everyone in the background is worth questioning. This doesnt help that viewers fail to sense the chemistry between the love interests, preventing them from rooting for their survival.

Final Verdict

6/10. House of Secrets might have raised the bar in cinematography and production design, but it needs to improve in important areas like good storytelling.

House of Secrets is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

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France has been thrown into days of protests since the police shot and killed 17 years old Nahel M.

According to news reports, the teenager was driving a rental car in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday morning when the French police pulled him over during a traffic check for breaking several road rules.

In its defence, the police said the teenager, who was of North African descent, was driving his car towards them. However, a video circulating on social media contradicts that narrative. The video showed a police officer pointing his weapon through the window and appearing to fire at point-blank range.

The teenager died shortly afterwards from his wounds, according to the local prosecutor.

A source quoted by Aljazeera said Nahel M was too young to hold a full driving licence in France, hence he was driving illegally.

The Nanterre prosecutor noted that the teenager was known to police for previously failing to comply with a traffic stop order.

Riots erupted in cities around France including Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, Lille and the Paris suburbs and lasted for four nights despite an enormous police deployment. At least 45,000 police officers backed by light armoured vehicles were deployed to the street to manage the crisis.

Racism allegation

Activists in France have accused the police of racism insisting that the teenager was killed because of his ethnic origin  North Africa.

The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, in a press briefing on Friday condemned the killing of the 17-year-old noting that this is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement.

The French government through its foreign ministry rejected the UN statement saying any accusation of racism or systemic discrimination in the police force in France is totally unfounded.

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Tuesdays shooting was the third of its kind this year, Aljazeera reported, quoting a police spokesperson, down from a record 13 people who were killed after not complying with a traffic stop in 2022.

There were three such killings in 2021 and two in 2020, none in 2019, and six in both 2018 and 2017, according to a Reuters news agency tally, which shows most victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.

Frances human rights ombudsman opened an inquiry into the death on Tuesday, the sixth such inquiry into similar incidents in 2022 and 2023.

How is the French government reacting?

French President Emmanuel Macron has described the killing as inexcusable but also condemned the sometimes violent unrest, pleading for calm as justice takes its course.

The police officer who killed the teenager was on Thursday placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide.

Mr Macron on Friday urged parents to keep child rioters off the streets while calling on social media platforms to remove the most sensitive content related to the riots which has now lasted for three nights.

He noted that about a third of the people arrested over the rioting were young or very young.

Casualties

At Least 200 police officers were injured while more than 1,300 people have been arrested during overnight rioting, around half of them in the Paris region, the interior ministry said.

Mr Macron said 492 buildings were damaged, 2,000 vehicles were burned and 3,880 fires were started.

So far, one person has died from the protests. The 20 year old man fell off the roof of a store in northwestern France during overnight protests, police said.

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The police have confirmed that seven of their officers deliberately ran their patrol vehicle over a handcuffed man in Edo State, South-south Nigeria.

A police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday June 29, 2023 at Ekpoma, Edo State, Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement on Friday evening where he quoted the acting Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, as condemning the officers action.

The police chief, Mr Egbetokun, said the incident was disturbing and the officers action unprofessional.

Nigerians have been outraged by the incident which was captured in a viral video.

In the 19-second clip, a handcuffed man is lying on a road while a police vehicle  a Sienna car  ran over him.

People screamed for the officers to stop, while the handcuffed man was powerless beneath the vehicle.

Police in Edo State said the seven officers had been arrested and that they were being questioned in the state over the incident.

The inspector-general of police has, however, ordered that the erring officers should be brought to the Force Headquarters Abuja for further action.

What really happened?

The Commissioner of Police in Edo, Adamu Dankwara, condemned the action of the officers, describing it as barbaric, inhumane and unprofessional, according to a statement from the police spokesperson in the state, Chidi Nwabuzor.

Mr Nwabuzor identified the leader of the police team as Magdalene Osayande, an assistant superintendent of police.

The arrested officers were detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, where they are being interrogated, Mr Nwabuzor said.

The police spokesperson identified the victim as Success Ehimare whom he said was intercepted with an unregistered Lexus car and that he allegedly refused to show the vehicles papers to the officers.

According to him, Mr Ehimare became aggressive, attacked the officers, and inflicted injuries on them and destroyed the police vehicle.

He said the victim had received treatment at a hospital and was in good condition after the incident.

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Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, has met his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, over the recent demolition of some commercial structures in Lagos.

The Lagos State government had demolished some physically distressed buildings in the Alaba International Market.

The state government had explained that the lives of businessmen and women within the market would be put at risk in the event of imminent collapse.

The meeting

Mr Uzodimma revealed in a Facebook post on Friday that he led a delegation of the Igbo business community in Lagos to meet with Mr Sanwo-Olu. He was accompanied by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

He described the meeting as productive.

The meeting was quite productive as the governor assured that no policy or programme will ever be designed against the Igbos or any other tribe. I am delighted as he swiftly constituted a Technical Committee to resolve issues raised by our people, he wrote on Facebook.

On this note, I commended His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the audience and avowed commitment to guaranteeing continued safety for all Igbos and other ethnic nationalities in the state.

We have sustained peaceful coexistence in our region, South-east, with other ethnic nationals, and our cohabitation across the nation should be reciprocated with peaceful coexistence; I am glad that the Governor reassured.

Mr Uzodinma urged Igbo residents to go about their lawful businesses, for Nigeria belongs to all of us, and together, we shall continue to build it.

Sanwo-Olu speaks

Addressing the press after the meeting, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the meeting was held to discuss primarily the recent demolition in Alaba International Market.

There has been a lot of wrong information; all sorts of wrong communication has gone out. Our conversation here this afternoon has cleared the air, he said.

We have seen that. Indeed, there is a need for us to continue to further collaborate. Where wrongs have been expressed, we have corrected all of the issues and the views, and we have jointly set up a small working committee that will go around, verify and see things for ourselves and be able to put all the negative information and media reviews, put them out correctly.

Mr Sanwo-Olu assured them that his government would always reflect equity and fairness.

Controversy

The demolition of 17 shops in the market in Ojo local government area of the state has been controversial.

The market has a high population of Igbo traders.

Since the news of the demolition filtered, there have been speculations that the governor was carrying out the exercise to punish the Igbos for allegedly voting against him in the 18 March governorship election in the state.

Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education from Igbo-speaking Anambra State, asked the governor to publish demolition details as proof that he was not on a vengeful political mission against the Igbos in the market.

Also, the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, weighed into the matter.

He urged the state government to marry the need to enforce compliance with extant regulatory regimes, with consideration for human feelings and necessary compassion.

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State governors have pledged to complement the Federal Governments initiatives to provide relief to Nigerians,

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi said on Friday in Lagos.

Governor Bello stated this after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

He said the successful implementation of the succour pledged by the Federal Government to cushion the negative effect of the fuel subsidy removal must be matched by all tiers of government.

Now we have a leader who has spelt out his policy direction for revamping the economy and needs all our support.

That support will be complemented by the state governors.

We are all ready to provide relief for our people. We feel their pains and trust the people to be patient in this trying phase so that they will reap the benefits of the new governments economic initiatives.

We shall not let the President down, and we shall not let our people down in this phase of a new economic journey to a stronger and resilient nation.

The President has given us that full assurance of being people-friendly, the governor said.

Similarly, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue said already his government has marshalled out an action plan to restore the states lost glory after the long drought.

He said the state government had implemented immediate policies to stimulate the civil service and agriculture sectors as remedial interventions towards a vibrant Benue.

The people of Benue, and indeed all Nigerians, can rest assured that a new dawn is coming to Benue.

I have started by working on the welfare of the civil servants. That is not even a project that ordinarily one should state. But its a way forward due to what we met on the ground.

Other agricultural incentives for farmers are in the pipeline and will be unfolded very soon.

I want to restore Benue to its position of being the food basket of Nigeria. Agricultural potential in the state is worth more than crude oil, Mr Alia, a reverend father, said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that state governors have national, zonal and local fora, irrespective of party affiliations, where they meet to harmonise policies and programmes.

The Nigeria Governors Forum and the Progressive Governors Forum are systems for such meetings.

(NAN)

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Farmers harvest Chinese red chilies on the outskirts of Kasur district of Pakistan's east Punjab province, June 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Chao)

by Misbah Saba Malik, Jiang Chao

KASUR, Pakistan, June 30 (Xinhua) -- In a yard brimming with red chilies strewn everywhere on the ground under the blazing summer sun in Kasur district of Pakistan's east Punjab province, Maryam Bibi and other women laborers were busy making each piece of chili get ample exposure to sunlight and dry up in time.

"We turn them three to four times a day so that they get dry after being soaked in the summer sun, they get fully ripe and dry in five weeks, and when we hear the sound of dried seeds rattling inside the pod, we pack them in bags and put them in storage, Bibi told Xinhua in the remote village of Jamber.

This year, Pakistani farmers and laborers are happy to get a bumper harvest of Chinese red chilies and expect to get good profits as the yield is double that of other varieties of pepper available in Pakistan.

The project is a part of a large-scale agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China in the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is currently underway after the success of the first phase focusing on infrastructure and power projects.

Launched in 2013, CPEC is a corridor linking Pakistan's Gwadar Port with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is touted as a game changer for Pakistan by local experts.

Advancing cooperation in the agricultural sector, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and Sichuan Litong Food Group have established a company and carried out a red chili contract farming project in 2021, with model farms across Punjab.

In talks with Xinhua, Xi Jianlong, the Chinese manager from CMEC at Pakistan-China red chili contract farming, said that the Chinese variety is compatible with local soil and the overall hot climate of Punjab province conduces to the growth and nourishing of the Chinese chili variety.

He added that the cooperation benefits numerous individuals, including landowners, farmers, and laborers.

"Last year, we had created more than 2,000 jobs in Pakistan and generated an output value of approximately 770,000 U.S. dollars," he said, adding that when the crop is harvested and dried, they directly buy it from the farmer, without involving any middlemen.

He further said that this year, they planted chili on about 750 acres of land from where about 1,500 tons of chili were harvested, and during the process of cultivation to harvest, the Chinese company not only transferred knowledge and technology to locals but also utilized the rural labor force.

Talking to Xinhua, Muhammad Ammar Asghar, an agronomist working with the CMEC, said that most of the farmers hired by the landowners are uneducated. In order to help the landowner get high yield, the Chinese company provided complete assistance and guidance to the farmers through agronomists and agriculture technicians.

"We translate scientific language into the local language and help farmers get more benefit from the advanced studies done by Chinese researchers ... We make sure that they learn the Chinese style of managing the farms and get the knowledge of the right time and quantity of using fertilizers, pesticides, and water. Initially, it is hard for them to learn, but gradually they get used to it and manage things very well," Asghar said.

The agricultural practices in Pakistan are predominantly traditional and lacking in modern techniques. Local farmers strongly believe that the knowledge sharing from China will extend beyond the contract farming projects, leaving a broader impact as the laborers acquire valuable skills that can be utilized in various other settings.

Rao Shahab, one of the landowners who cultivated the chili with the cooperation of the Chinese, said that this year he experimented by planting chili on seven acres of land, and was so impressed by the yield that he is planning to cultivate it in a bigger area next year.

"The Chinese variety is high yielding and disease resistant. After seeing it blooming at my farm, many other farmers are also showing interest in cultivating it because it is a cash crop with a great export value, and I see Pakistan as a big producer of Chinese chili in the future," he said.

Talking about the contribution of CPEC in transforming Pakistan's agricultural sector, Shahab, a barrister by profession, said that Chinese cooperation is crucial for modernizing Pakistan's agriculture and uplifting the livelihood of local farmers.

"China can help Pakistan by providing high-yielding seed and transferring technology. If China establishes processing units for value-added services for Pakistani agriculture products, it will be a win-win situation for both countries," Shahab added.

The Chinese manager said that the CMEC will not limit the project to the supply chain, but in the future they will initiate the industrialization process, generating scores of employment opportunities and giving benefits to Pakistan in terms of taxation and strengthening foreign exchange reserves.

"The future endeavors will focus on establishing a chili processing industry, emphasizing the industrial and value chains ... Our goal is to make substantial contributions to the CPEC while introducing advanced agricultural industrialization to Pakistan," the manager said. 

Farmers dry Chinese red chilies at a yard on the outskirts of Kasur district of Pakistan's east Punjab province, June 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Chao)
The Anambra State Government has arrested a woman, Ogechukwu Eneh, for allegedly using a 10-year-old ailing girl to beg for alms in the state.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement, Friday.

Ms Eneh, 27, was arrested by Mrs Obinabo, who caught her at Oyeolisa Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of the state while using the victim to beg for alms.

The suspect hails from Udi, a community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The victim comes from Benue State, north-central Nigeria.

Suspect speaks

Ms Eneh, on interrogation, told the commissioner that she was only helping the girl and her family solicit support from people to raise money for the childs medical treatment.

The suspect claimed that the victim was suffering from a tumour which caused her stomach to protrude and that a doctor had asked the family to bring N400,000 for a surgical operation.

She claimed she had been using the child to beg since December but could only realise N100,000 before her arrest.

Mrs Obinabo subsequently handed the suspect over to police operatives at Ogidi Divisional Headquarters. The case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of Police.

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She warned that the state government has zero tolerance for crime, especially when it involves abuse of children, according to the statement.

The suspect will soon be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka, Mrs Obinabo said.

The commissioner said she had taken the girl to a hospital for medical examination and possible treatment.

She vowed to sustain the onslaught against crime suspects, particularly child offenders in the state, maintaining that anybody caught would be prosecuted in line with Nigerian law.

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The Enugu State Government has set up a task force on erosion to assist in controlling and mitigating the impacts of flooding in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this on Friday, while speaking to reporters shortly after a meeting with task force members and other state leaders.

Mr Onyia, a professor, said the task force members were drawn from different agencies in the state, such as the National Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agency, Enugu State Waste Management Authority, Enugu State Ministry of Health, and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority.

The SSG listed the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the town planning authority, the chairpersons of the council areas in the state affected by flooding and erosion, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others.

He said Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State considered creating the task force in response to flood predictions by various agencies.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, in its 2023 seasonal climate prediction, predicted that the rainfall onset will be a lot more intensive this year and in most parts of the country. Enugu State is among the states predicted to experience extended rainfall and will likely record 1300 millimetres to 2000 millimetres of rainfall this year, Mr Onyia said.

Also, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, in its annual flood outlook, listed Enugu State among the 224 local governments that fall within the moderate flood risk areas.

He added that the task force would help the government forestall environmental disasters and develop a sustainable plan for the strategic engagement of future disasters in the state.

Some of the local government areas with a high risk of flooding include Enugu East, Enugu South, Enugu North, Nkanu East, Nsukka, Udi, Ezeagu, Nkanu West, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River, Uzo Uwani, Aninri, Awgu and Isi Uzo.

Warning

Mr Onyia warned residents of the state against erecting structures on waterways, dumping refuse on drainages as well as deliberate obstruction of canals.

The SSG appealed to the residents to cooperate with the task force in identifying buildings on waterways, evacuating illegal structures and blocking drainages.

ALSO READ: UK to partner Enugu govt for economic benefits

He stressed that enforcing building regulations, prosecution of sanitary offences, and proactive response to the environment would mitigate erosion impacts, prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases and protect lives.

On her part, the Secretary of the newly constituted task force, Chinasa Mbah, told reporters that the state had been experiencing devastating flash floods with consequences on livelihoods.

She said the state would likely experience torrents of rain from now until later in December. She urged residents to exercise caution on how they dispose of waste, manage the environment, and erect structures.

Our ideas about the environment should change. People have been building in erosion-prone areas despite warnings. Some of the buildings have already collapsed, and we are only entering the peak of rainfall in our state, she stated.

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The N200 billion supplementary budget forwarded to the Rivers House of Assembly by the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, has passed through a first reading.

The supplementary budget was contained in a request letter, read by the Speaker of the Assembly, Martins Amaehule (PDP- Obio/Akpor), during the plenary on Friday.

The letter mentioned that the budget would focus on project execution and infrastructure development in the state.

The fund will be channelled to infrastructure development, particularly construction of the planned Port Harcourt Ring Road, according to the letter.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new administration conceived the Port Harcourt Ring Road project.

The 2023 appropriation budget did not capture funding for the Ring Road.

Warning to herders

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara on Thursday charged Muslim clerics in Rivers to caution herders against attacking, killing farmers, damaging crops and harassing residents in the state, according to a report by the Punch newspaper.

The governor gave the charge when he received the leadership of the Muslim community who visited him during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha at the Government House, Port Harcourt, according to the paper.

ALSO READ: Gov Fubara revokes road construction contract in Rivers

The Local Government areas are complaining, so I expect results in a couple of weeks by calling these people who practice open grazing to order in Ikwerre, Etche, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, and parts of Emohua Local Government Areas. They shouldnt be harassing the people and should stop killing them in their farms, the governor said.

(NAN)

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Adams Oshiomhole, a senator from Edo State, has said that if he had lost the senatorial election, his blood pressure would have gone up.

Mr Oshiomhole said this during the post-inauguration/thank-you party hosted in his honour by friends and well-wishers at his country home, Iyamho, Etsako, Edo, on Saturday.

Mr Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, had a running battle with his successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

If you had voted against me, I dont know, my blood pressure would now be 240/360, that is, if Im still alive.

Because the jubilations by the opponent would have been such that they will come and lock my small door and break my small bones, but you said no, Mr Oshiomhole told his audience.

Mr Oshiomhole said that many governors lost their bids to become senators, adding that it would have been a shame to him if he also lost.

He thanked the people of Edo North for voting for him as a senator after leaving office as governor.

He also thanked the people for voting for President Bola Tinubu in the presidential election, adding that Edo-North District was the only district where Mr Tinubu won in Edo.

He pledged his commitment to representing Edo North well, adding that he must ensure that the state benefited more from Mr Tinubus administration.

There were sitting governors who contested for Senate across the country, and many of them lost. I left office seven years ago, and my people still honoured me with victory. How can I thank you enough?

Afeanmi people, when you go back to your wards and units, tell your people that I am very, very grateful.

During the campaign, I told you if you want to give me one vote, give it to Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I am very proud to say and to repeat today here and now that in each of these six local governments areas, in every ward, Bola Ahmed Tinubu won, in every ward Adams Oshiomhole won, he said.

I will proudly carry the result, and I will say, Mr President, this is my certificate of the people of Edo North that voted for you.

He assured the people that Mr Tinubu would transform Nigeria as he did to Lagos.

Tinubu said those who say Edo no be Lagos will be alive when he becomes president. He will not only make Edo like Lagos but better than Lagos.

So my people, those who say Edo no be Lagos, Tinubu cannot control us, please tell them Tinubu is now Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces.

(NAN)

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has called on parliamentarians across the globe to intensify efforts on action amidst the devastating impact of climate change ravaging communities and food systems globally.

Mr Abbas made this known in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, to mark the International Day of Parliamentarism on Friday.

Climate change poses a great threat to mankind, hence the need to take concerted action to contain it, Mr Abbas said.

He explained that the International Day of Parliamentarism, which marks the anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), is a day that calls for reflection among Parliaments anywhere in the world.

He said this years theme: Parliaments for the Planet, which focuses on climate action, was apt as the world battles climate change.

The Speaker noted that the Nigerian Parliament, which is a member of the IPU, would continue to work assiduously with other Parliaments around the world to address the issue of climate change through legislation.

He said over the years, the Nigerian Parliament has played a key role in issues related to climate change, saying that would continue in years to come.

Background

According to the United Nations, the International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June and was established in 2018 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution.

It said instituting an international day for parliaments is particularly important at this critical time for parliamentary democracy when people are losing trust in political institutions, and democracy faces challenges from populist and nationalist movements.

The UN said the International Day of Parliamentarism is a time to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative and move with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.

Climate action begins at home. Parliaments and those who work in them can take concrete steps to reduce their carbon footprint, both as institutions and individuals, the UN said on its website.

By adopting greener policies and embracing a culture of sustainability, the UN said parliaments and parliamentarians could help address the climate crisis and pave the way for stronger climate action.

Climate change is killing people and destroying lives, development, peace and security worldwide, the UN said.

It explained further that the IPU helps parliaments progress on the Paris Agreement and other climate treaties, accelerate decarbonisation and reduce the carbon footprint within parliaments themselves through its research, tools and meetings.

As a first step, they can decarbonise their place of work by putting in place the IPUs 10 actions for greener parliaments (and those who work in them), the UN said.

Nigerias changing climate

Nigerias climate has been changing rapidly in the past decades, and the impact is evident in crop production across the countrys different regions.

Amidst increasing temperatures, varying rainfall patterns, flooding, drought, desertification and land degradation disrupting the countrys food systems and livelihoods, extreme weather events have also affected Nigerias freshwater resources and loss of biodiversity in the countrys tropical region.

Data from Nigerias Meteorological Agency (NiMet) shows that the duration and intensity of rainfall have increased, causing flooding across Nigeria as witnessed last year between August and October.

In June, the House of Representatives invited the Director-General National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, over the 2023 flood prediction in the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion by the immediate past Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who had hinted that there was a need for NEMA to brief the House on measures to prevent flood disasters and manage the socio-economic impact on the people in flood-prone areas.

This report is produced in fulfilment of the UNESCO & CIJ London Climate Change in News Media project facilitated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development.

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The presidents of the Republic of Congo and South Africa at the new global financing pact in Paris asked world leaders present to invest in the Inga Dam electrification project.

Echoing the desire of his Congo counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa speaking at the closing ceremony of the summit said,  to prove that this summit is not a summit where we just talk, flowing from the Paris COP as well as others, let us now put money on the table and collectively say we are going to address this mega project; a mega project which will, in the end, generate electricity for up to 12 to 15 African countries.

He noted that he was speaking in support of President Denis Nguesso of Congo who had earlier mentioned it at the heads of state dinner.

Mr Ramaphosa said if something as practical as funding the electrification of the Inga Dam which according to him could generate up to 70,000 megawatts, Africans will now be convinced that these summits are really meaningful.

We will now go home and say you know what, it is worthwhile going to these summits, coming to Europe and listening to all the promises because they are willing to act on their promises, he said.

The South African president added that multilateral development banks present at the summit could actually fund the project and develop several power stations from the dam.

Mr Ramaphosa noted that the dam project would be one of the most important outcomes of the reform of the financial architecture being called for, adding that he believes the project will add a lot of value.

 let us get that done and then we will be convinced that you are serious with the promises that you make, he said.

Energy Poverty in Africa

Africa has an energy challenge; according to the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), over 640 million Africans have no access to energy, corresponding to an electricity access rate for African countries at just over 40 per cent, the lowest in the world.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, said the number of people without electricity almost halved between 2010 and 2021 from 1.1 billion to 675 million respectively.

Going by the findings of the WHO report, recent progress is not on track to reach universal access by 2030.

Energy security in Africa is at the heart of the continents development.

Ifeoma Malo an energy policy expert and co-founder Clean Technology Hub Nigeria, said the Inga Dam project will greatly expand the regions electrical generation capacity, supplying millions of people with reliable and affordable electricity.

This would significantly help electrification efforts and ease the regions energy poverty problem, she said.

Although the project holds a lot of positives for the region including employment opportunities, and industrialisation amongst others, there are downsides which the government must address beforehand.

Ms Malo notes that the Grand Inga Dam has caused a lot of negative social implications including displacing thousands of people. We would advise the DRC government to prioritise the restoration of Inga Dams I and II in order to meet its design output and obligations.

She further advises that the government should make efforts to rehouse or compensate persons who have been displaced from their homes as a result of the construction of these Inga I and II dams, adding that if the existing Inga dams fail to provide demonstrable benefit to the people of DRC, the government should stop investing in hydroelectric developments.

However, if it is important for the project to continue, the DRC government has to establish a public-private partnership with an investor who has the resources to bring this project to fruition and continually ensure it delivers to the required benefit realisation it was designed for, she added.

The Inga Dam

According to International Rivers, the Grand Inga is the worlds largest proposed hydropower scheme. It is the centrepiece of a grand vision to develop Africas power system.

It is the fourth and largest of a series of dams that have been built or are proposed for the lower end of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Grand Inga will generate 40, 000 MW, and will be constructed in 6 phases of which the Inga III Dam is the first phase. Power generated from the dam would be double the capacity of the largest dam in the world, the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Ms Malo agrees that financial incentives will help the completion of the project but warns that the sensitivity of the region must be taken into consideration given the countrys history of corruption, political instability and exploitation.

Financial interventions should be smart and accountability be demanded in the implementation of the project, she said.

Ms Malo asked the African Development Bank and any other financial institution not to finance this project until the existing dams are fully operational and a plan for maintaining the dams and transmission systems is in place.

until a full analysis of how the dams will affect the Congo Plume has been completed and reviewed by climate experts; and until a binding legal agreement detailing compensation between the government of the DRC and communities displaced by Inga I and II is renegotiated.

However, when successfully implemented, the project will contribute immensely to the energy security of the DRC, and the continent as a whole and contribute greatly to rural electrification and regional economic cooperation.

The Inga dam has more benefits than downsides and should be leveraged in increasing access to power in Africa, Ms Malo said.

This report is produced in fulfilment of the UNESCO & CIJ London Climate Change in News Media project facilitated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development.

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President Bola Tinubu recognises that Nigeria is being looked upon for leadership and is prepared to step up to the challenge, his spokesperson has said.

Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President, Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, made this known to State House Correspondents on Saturday following the visit of President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau to President Tinubu at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence.

Mr Alake told journalists that while the visit was private, President Embalo took the opportunity to express his solidarity and willingness to cooperate with Nigeria under the leadership of President Tinubu.

He also highlighted that the visit allowed Mr Embalo, currently Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to reinforce the fraternal relations between the two countries.

President Embalo commended the laudable policy initiatives of President Tinubu in the last month and added that everyone in the international community has been commending the giant strides of the Nigerian leader.

He came to pay his solidarity and bond with a brother African head of State, in the first instance, particularly as a brother Head of State in West Africa.

This is a commendable sign of things to come in the entire West African region in terms of the atmosphere generated by Nigerias giant steps in the last month and the need for Nigeria to take its rightful place in African affairs.

Everybody is looking up to Nigeria, especially in Africa and the ECOWAS region and President Tinubu is ready to take up the gauntlet, he said.

On the entourage of the visiting Guinea-Bissau leader were his Special Adviser Caramo Camara, Chief of Staff Califa Soares, Diplomatic Advisor Alfredo Cabral and Image Operator Bonifacio Correia.

Those who joined President Tinubu to receive the Guinea-Bissau President included Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and Mr Alake.

President Embalo was received at the Presidential Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, by Governor Sanwo-Olu.

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Heres a toast to the unwavering dedication of a remarkable individual and his organisation. Through their tireless efforts, they have illuminated the paths taken by countless individuals in their relentless pursuit of democratic ideals and played a crucial role in fostering responsible governance that genuinely serves the people.

Imagine this scenario: you take a leap of faith and reach out to a VIP, which is akin to embarking on a daring cold call. Your heart pounds as you press the send button, uncertain of what awaits you. But then, like a bolt out of the blue, you receive a response from none other than the VIP himself, like a lightning strike of surprise. And the most astounding part? It arrives within minutes. In that moment, a fleeting doubt crosses your mind  could this be the work of a skilled con artist? However, the person behind the response is no chiseler. Meet Kole Ahmed Shettima, the unassuming Nigeria country director of the McArthur Foundation, whose approach to engagement defies the norms of your average high-profile figure.

In the scorching heat of July 2021, Ikenga Online, a news platform that I founded, was fervently striving to establish a culture of public accountability and fostering good governance in the South-Eastern region of Nigeria. Despite our relentless efforts, and after pouring substantial amounts of my personal funds into the venture, we found ourselves struggling to stay afloat. It was disheartening to witness the prevalent trend in the media industry, where numerous outlets yielded to compromised integrity ny practicing brown envelope journalism, simply to sustain their businesses.

Determined not to compromise our unique mandate, we embarked on a quest of finding a solution. I delved into extensive research, seeking donor agencies that shared our vision and could potentially offer their support to our noble cause. It was during this pursuit that I had the great fortune of encountering Dr Shettima and the ubiquitous McArthur Foundation. His advice was for our organisation to quickly submit a proposal detailing what we hope to achieve and, in addition, pray for Amadiohas spiritual intervention.

To fully comprehend the magnitude of this encounter, it is vital to appreciate the intricate dynamics of the Nigerian elite. In their realm, an air of exclusivity prevails, rendering accessibility a rare commodity. It is an unwritten law that true significance and approachability are incompatible forces, forever destined to remain distant. Yet, Dr Shettima emerges as a revolutionary force, defying these expectations and flipping the script on how to engage with ordinary individuals. He transcends the norm, bridging the gap that separates the elite from the rest of us, and in doing so, redefines the very essence of power and influence.

Born to Kanuri parents on 25 February, 1960, Kole hails from Machina, a town in present-day Yobe State, situated approximately five kilometres from the Nigeria-Niger border. He did not come from a privileged background, and during his upbringing, his community lacked access to basic necessities such as clean water, electricity, and even passable roads. However, he managed to overcome these challenging circumstances and rose to lead one of the most influential foundations that has totally redefined the work of civil society organisations in Nigeria.

Kole obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Maiduguri and later pursued a Masters degree at the Ahmadu Bello University. He then ventured to Canada, where he earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Throughout his academic journey, he has made notable contributions to various scholarly journals, including Africa Development, Review of African Political Economy, African Studies Review, and Journal of Asian and African Studies.

Today, he sits on the board of several organisations, including the Centre for Democracy and Development, JAIZ Charity and Development Foundation, and Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, among others.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 1999, Shettima taught at many prestigious colleges and universities within and outside Nigeria. His academic journey took him from the University of Maiduguri to the University of Toronto in Canada and the University of Ohio in the United States. His passion for building an equitable society was evident even during his time in academia, when he also dedicated his time to volunteering for various non-profit organisations, including the Inter-Church Coalition on Africa, Women In Nigeria, and Machina Emirate Development Association.

Today, Dr Kole Shettima serves as the Director of the MacArthur Foundations Nigeria Office in Abuja, as well as the Co-Director of the On Nigeria Big Bet, a MacArthur initiative focused on reducing corruption by supporting Nigerian-led efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency, and participation.

In his role, Kole has consistently supported a diverse range of civil society organisations, ensuring they remain accountable in fulfilling their commitments to their beneficiaries. He firmly believes that issues like gender equality, social inclusion, and equity should not remain abstract concepts, but rather driving forces that civil society actively applies to reshaping social relationships.

Dr Shettimas impact, however, extends beyond academia and the civil society, leaving an indelible mark on Nigerias journalistic landscape. Virtually every notable media outlet in the country has reaped immense benefits from his intervention through generous MacArthur grants. These grants have empowered Ikenga Online and other media outlets to attract brilliant minds, amplify their operations, and position themselves to fulfill their founding missions.

Established in 1978, the MacArthur Foundation stands tall as one of the worlds most influential philanthropic powerhouses. With an unwavering commitment to its inspiring vision and purpose, this extraordinary organisation, named after its visionary founders, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, has made it its mission to confront the pressing global challenges that plague our world. Settled in the heart of Chicago, USA, the Foundation boasts a staggering endowment of $7.6 billion, channeling approximately $260 million each year through grants and impact investments to uplift beneficiaries in over 117 countries worldwide.

At the heart of the Foundations mission is the goal of empowering visionary individuals and organisations across various fields. Recognising the potential for impactful change, the MacArthur Foundation provides significant financial support and resources to those who demonstrate creativity, courage, and a commitment to making a difference. By investing in sustainable development, advancing human rights, promoting global security, and enhancing the overall quality of life, the Foundation aims to create lasting, transformative impact.

For over three decades, MacArthur has been a steadfast partner in Nigerias journey, planting its roots when it first established an office in Abuja back in 1994. Over time, the Foundation has cultivated deep-rooted relationships of trust with grantees, primarily drawn from the countrys vibrant civil society and media organisations.

Since 2015, under the remarkable leadership of Dr Shettima, MacArthur has been instrumental in driving change by disbursing an astonishing $139 million to empower over 124 organisations in Nigeria.

Each passing day, Dr Shettima and his team at McAthur continue to invest a significant amount of time, energy, commitment, and resources to fostering lasting unity, genuine friendship, and unwavering solidarity throughout the nation, regardless of tribe, religion, or social status. His unwavering patriotism towards Nigeria knows no bounds, and one can be hopeful that in due course, posterity will appreciate his enormous contributions to our nation.

Heres a toast to the unwavering dedication of a remarkable individual and his organisation. Through their tireless efforts, they have illuminated the paths taken by countless individuals in their relentless pursuit of democratic ideals and played a crucial role in fostering responsible governance that genuinely serves the people.

May the divine protection of Amadioha always be bestowed upon him!

Osmund Agbo writes from Houston, Texas. Email: Eagleosmund@yahoo.com

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At least 50 people have been reportedly killed and several houses burnt as fresh communal clashes erupted on Saturday in Karim Lamido Local Government in Taraba State, witnesses said.

But police said the number of casualties cannot yet be ascertained due to the inaccessibility of the terrain at the time of the findings.

The states police command spokesperson, Usman Abdullahi, said the new crisis between the Wurkuns and the Karimjos started around 3 a.m. as guerilla attacks.

In the last few days, there have been pockets of guerilla attacks in some communities in the area whereby the Karimjos attack the Wurkuns, and the Wurkuns also attack in return, or the Wurkuns attack the Karimjos, and they also attack in return, he said.

Mr Abdullahi said a joint security team of military and police personnel are already in the area to restore order.

The latest killings and destruction of properties, including houses, farmlands and domestic animals, is coming barely a week after the state governor, Agbu Kefas, met with traditional rulers and heads of security agencies on the need to foster peace.

Taraba State, like many parts of our great nation, has been grappling with the scourge of insecurity. The rising cases of banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and farmer-herder conflicts have caused immense pain and sufferings to our people, he said during the meeting.

The loss of innocent lives, displacement of communities and destruction of properties have cast a dark cloud over our once peaceful state. Our collective responsibility is to confront these challenges head-on and restore peace and security to our state.

In the face of such adversities, unity and collaboration becomes paramount. We must set aside our differences to embrace dialogue and work together to find a lasting solution.

Your Royal Highnesses, I implore you to harness your influence, bring your communities together, and foster an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation; by fostering peace at the grassroots, or at the grassroots level, you can pave the way for a harmonious and prosperous state as I said earlier, as the custodians of our traditions and culture, you possess a unique power to shape the hearts and minds of our people.

It is in this regard that I urge you to utilise the power to promote peace, discourage violence, and encourage youth engagement in productive activities, by leading by example and promoting the values of tolerance, respect and peaceful coexistence; we can create a society where every citizen can feel secure, and go about their productive endeavours, he said.

In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported clashes between the two ethnic groups after the appointment of a Wurkun man as the monarch in the area.

The Karimjo people felt that the appointment was unfair to them, especially after creating a new chiefdom for the Wurkuns in Bambur.

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The Head of the Abia Task Force on Waste Management, Ogbonnia Okereke, says Umuahia and Aba generate about 270 truckloads of domestic and commercial waste daily.

Mr Okereke said this on Friday while briefing reporters in Umuahia.

According to him, Aba generates 200 truckloads, while Umuahia generates between 60 and 70 truckloads daily.

He said that the task force had, as of Wednesday, evacuated about 2,997 truckloads of waste abandoned on the streets of Umuahia and Aba.

He said that about 2,000 truckloads of decomposing waste littered the streets of the two cities at the end of Okezie Ikpeazus administration on 28 May.

Mr Okereke said that the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) had 11 buckets but that only six were being managed for the enormous job the task force had at hand.

He said that the state needed about 200 buckets, which should be distributed to Aba (100), Umuahia (50) and other towns (50)

He said that the Ariaria International Market axis alone needed about 10 buckets.

Mr Okereke also said that the agency had only four functional trucks and that three were deployed in Aba because of the volume of waste generated in the city. In contrast, Umuahia had only one truck which is malfunctioned.

He said the state needed about 20 trucks to ensure effective refuse evacuation in the two major cities.

The task force boss further said that Abia had only four fairly manageable compactor trucks against the 20 needed for greater efficiency.

He expressed disappointment at the rate state government properties were looted in the twilight of the last administration.

A spokesperson for former Governor Ikpeazu has repeatedly denied the allegations that administration officials looted government properties.

The head of the task force, Mr Okereke, however, said that one compactor was recently recovered from a private residence, adding that the suspect had been arrested.

He said that ASEPA was underfunded, grossly ill-equipped and comatose, with staff morale at its lowest ebb. Hence the agency could not discharge its task.

He said: Before now, ASEPA had become a wing of the political party and almost ineffective.

The place was filled with disgruntled staff, with a lot of ad hoc staff that are inadequately paid.

For over five years, ASEPA has not received any new equipment, according to our findings.

Mr Okereke said that efforts were being made to retool the agency and change the orientation of the staff members.

He mentioned a permanent solution to waste disposal with a public-private partnership.

To that effect, Aba and Umuahia have been divided into six zones for a more efficient waste evacuation system to be undertaken by private firms with proven competence and capacity, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Governor Alex Otti declared a state of emergency on sanitation in Umuahia and Aba in his inaugural speech on 29 May.

(NAN)

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People visit the site of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China in east China's Shanghai, Oct. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

SHANGHAI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Since reopening to the public in June 2021, the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shanghai has so far received over 3 million visitors, including 1,735 foreign officials and their retinue.

Saturday marks the 102nd founding anniversary of the Party, and it is usually a peak tourist season for the memorial. Currently, about 10,000 people visit the memorial on average every day, leaving some 1,000 notes on its message board each day.

Among the notes left there, a significant number are from foreign visitors. Many foreign ambassadors and diplomats have expressed their awe while talking about their experience of visiting the memorial. They were particularly struck by the remarkable changes that China has undergone over the past century under the leadership of the CPC.

Carlos Alberto Mendez, a vlogger from Honduras, was one of the foreign visitors spotted at the red culture-themed memorial. Speaking about his understanding, he said the Party has explored a new economic development model under the guidance of its socialist theory.

He went on to add that his trip to China made him realize the harmonious coexistence between modern cities and nature, leading to a deeper understanding of sustainable development.

"After returning to Honduras, I will try to spread what I see and hear in a way that is easy for the audience to understand so that more Hondurans can understand how socialism has made China prosperous," the vlogger said.

The ruling philosophy of the CPC is full of wisdom, which not only meets China's development needs but also deserves to be learned by Arabian countries, said Mohamed Ziad Zaitoun, the third secretary of the Syrian Embassy in China, when visiting the memorial of the first CPC National Congress.

China has made great development achievements under the leadership of the Party and benefited the world at the same time, the diplomat added.

People queue to enter the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

"The site of the first CPC National Congress not only witnessed the groundbreaking events in China but also witnessed the changes brought about by the founding of the CPC to world history," Zaitoun said.

The CPC has launched the world's largest and most powerful poverty alleviation campaign, successfully lifting nearly 100 million people out of absolute poverty. Such a feat has provided the world with China's plan for poverty alleviation and governance while offering valuable reference for developing countries to get rid of poverty, said Nazar Majeed, the first secretary of the Iraqi Embassy in China, who had also visited the memorial.

Chinese modernization is inseparable from the leadership of the CPC. Chinese modernization has rich connotations, and under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese nation will certainly be able to achieve great rejuvenation, noted Ahmed Chouaib, Charge d'affaires of the Arab League Representative Office in China.

Since the reopening of the renovated memorial in 2021, more than 240,000 messages have been written by visitors from home and abroad, expressing their thoughts on the founding and revolutionary history of the Party.

Among the messages, some are from the descendants of the Party's revolutionary martyrs, while others are left by foreign guests, and this vividly demonstrates the strong attraction and appeal of the birthplace of the CPC, said Xue Feng, curator of the memorial. 
The Anambra State Government says it has commenced the installation of clock-in devices in public health facilities to curb absenteeism and ensure that health workers take their duties seriously.

The Commissioner for Health, Afam Obidike, said this in Awka during a meeting with administrators of public hospitals in the state.

Mr Obidike, a medical doctor, observed that during some unannounced hospital visits, many health workers were absent while some health facilities did not open for services.

According to him, such an attitude has contributed to mortalities recorded in the state and hindered progress in the health sector.

The commissioner said the device would end absenteeism and indolence among health workers.

He said Governor Charles Soludos administration takes healthcare seriously and wants residents to access quality health services at the primary health centres, general hospitals and tertiary health facilities.

This is part of the reasons for the installation of the clock-in device in all government hospitals; it is to ensure that healthcare workers are at their duty posts to attend to the health needs of the people.

The device will also be used to monitor the hours health workers put in each day, and that will subsequently determine their monthly salaries and allowances.

The goal is to eliminate maternal and infant mortalities, as well as restore the confidence of our people in the healthcare services we provide in the state, he said.

The commissioner said the government was digitalising healthcare services through telemedicine and strengthening the referral system among the hospitals in the state.

We are establishing the Hub and Spoke approach for proper networking among the hospitals. Telemedicine will also allow primary healthcare centres to have access to different doctors.

ALSO READ: Nigerian health workers suspend strike after meeting Tinubu

We are strengthening at least one general hospital in each local government area so that primary health centres can refer patients when needed.

The state government is doing all it can with limited resources, and as healthcare providers, we cannot afford to fail, he said.

Mr Obidike urged the hospital administrators to hold weekly clinical and mortality reviews and report the same to the ministry for appropriate actions.

(NAN)

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Udaipur : HDFC Bank, Indias leading private sector bank, today announced the successful completion of merger of HDFC Ltd.,Indias premier housing finance companywith and into HDFC Bank,following the receipt of all requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals. HDFC Bank and HDFC Ltd. had announced a decision to merge on April 4, 2022, subject to obtaining the requisite consent and approvals and had indicated a time frame of 15 to 18 months for the process to be concluded.The Boards of both the companies at their respective meetings held today noted that the merger would be effective from July 1, 2023.

The merged entityinter-alia brings together significant complementarities that exist betweenboth theentities and is poised to create meaningful value for various stakeholders, including respective customers, employees, and shareholders of both the entities from increased scale, comprehensive product offering, balance sheet resiliency and ability to drive synergies across revenue opportunities, operating efficiencies and underwriting efficiencies.Pursuant to the share exchange ratio as per the merger scheme, HDFC Bank will issue and allot to eligible shareholders 42 new equity shares of the face value of Re. 1/- each, credited as fully paid-up, for every 25 equity shares of the face value of Rs. 2/- each fully paid-up held by such shareholder in HDFC Ltd.as on the Record Date i.e., July 13, 2023.

Speaking on the completion of the merger, Sashi Jagdishan, CEO & MD, HDFC Bank said, This is a defining event in our journey and Im confident that our combined strength will enable us to create a holistic ecosystem of financial services. Were truly happy to welcome the talented team of HDFC Ltd. into the HDFC Bank family. I believe our journey will be defined by agility, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As we navigate the path ahead, we will embrace challenges as opportunities, learn from our experiences, and strive to be the benchmark of success and integrity in the financial services industry.

Post the merger, HDFC Bankhas noidentified promoter. It also marks the transformation of HDFC Bank into a financial services conglomerate that offers a full suite of financial services, from banking toinsurance, and mutual funds through its subsidiaries. So far, the Bank was a distributor for these products.

The merger of Indias largest Housing Finance Company, HDFC Ltd. with the largest private sector bank in Indiacombines the strengths of a trusted home loan brand with an institution that enjoys a lower cost of funds. The larger net-worth would allow greater flow of credit into the economy.It will also enable underwriting of larger ticket loans, including infrastructure loans and contribute further to nation building and employment generation.

All employees of HDFC Ltd. as on effective date become HDFC Bank employees. Over the past months, the Bank has been preparing for smooth integration not only of systems and processes, but also of all aspects that will make HDFC Bank a welcoming place of work for the employees from HDFC Ltd.

Postmerger, the key HDFC Bank subsidiaries include HDFC Securities Ltd., HDB Financial Services Ltd., HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd., HDFC Capital Advisors Ltd. and HDFC Life Insurance Co. Ltd.

Source :
"Aigen was founded on the idea that there should be an alternative to the fossil fuels and pesticides used to produce our food. We have been working closely with farmers, like my family in Minnesota, to develop a solar-powered, on-edge AI platform that makes precision Ag scalable," said Rich Wurden, co-founder and CTO of Aigen. "We are excited to share those tools with the introduction of the Aigen Element."

Earlier this year, 2024 and 2025 pre-orders for the Element Service sold out in one day, further demonstrating the excitement among U.S. commodity farmers for more effective approaches to weeding. In the U.S. alone, farmers use 900 million pounds of herbicide annually, and in the next few years, costs are expected to exceed $100 per acre. Plus, in 2019, farm equipment released 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

"Farmers tell us again and again that weeds are the number one problem they face. So, that's where we're starting: developing a solution for farmers to immediately reduce their costs and get rid of weeds, all while growing healthier crops," said Kenny Lee, Aigen's co-founder and CEO. "The benefits of our advanced, lightweight, super agile robots go far beyond weeding. We are excited to deliver field-level network connectivity and real-time data and insights that farmers can access from anywhere."

Artificial Intelligence, Powered by Renewable Energy

Aigen's unique robotic solution is possible thanks to the company's proprietary quantized AI, which is so efficient it can run exclusively on renewable energy. "The average cell phone needs 4 Watts of power. Our AI models need only 1.5W, and everything about our vehicle is just as efficient. Paired with a custom 205W solar panel, our robots often generate a power surplus at the end of a full day of running," added Wurden.

Plant-Level Data, Planetary Connectivity

Aigen's vehicles continuously transmit field and crop data to an in-house developed mobile app, offering farmers real-time insights. "We're bringing satellite technology down to earth, and deploying mesh network connectivity built on a robust, self-reliant hardware platform. This offers farmers higher resolution, real-time data and helps them get ahead of problems," said Puneet Khattar, Aigen's head of electrical engineering, who previously worked on Amazon's satellite program and at SpaceX.

Rugged and Agile Hardware

Every aspect of the Aigen Element robot is built for maximum efficiency on the farm. The lightweight frame and solar panel, paired with regenerative motors and rugged suspension, allow the robots to effectively navigate and weed row crops for up to 14 hours a day in nearly any weather condition.

The Aigen Element Service will debut on over 20,000 acres of U.S. farmland in 2024.

About Aigen

At Aigen, we believe in a future with no harmful chemicals in our food  where farmers prosper, people thrive, and the planet flourishes.

With roots in farming, electric vehicles, robotics and impact investing, Rich Wurden and Kenny Lee founded Aigen in 2020 to connect farmers to breakthrough technologies, decarbonize agriculture, and improve human and planetary health. Aigen's Element vehicles can autonomously navigate, weed, and analyze row crops without any chemicals or diesel fuel. Offered as a service, Aigen's vehicles reduce farmers' workload and their reliance on fossil fuels, while increasing their crop and soil health.

Seattle-based Aigen is backed by New Enterprise Associates , Bessemer Venture Partners , Cleveland Avenue , ReGen VC , Global Founders Capital , Industrious Ventures , E2JDJ , and AgFunder .

Learn more at aigen.io .

SOURCE Aigen
BEIJING, July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has issued its methodology for assessing the alignment of its investment operations with the Paris Agreement. This means that starting today, all AIIB's new investment operations will be consistent with low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways.

AIIB first announced on Oct 26, 2021, that it was going to fully align with the Paris Agreement by July 1, 2023. With the adoption of the methodology, AIIB meets its commitment to actively support infrastructure projects that contribute to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and reinforces its mission to promote sustainable infrastructure development in Asia and beyond.

"From today onwards, all of AIIB's new financing will be aligned with the Paris Agreement. The detailed process for how we will achieve this, published today, constitutes a major milestone for AIIB. Tackling the urgency of climate change necessitates rapid and collective action. We are dedicated to working with all our Members and partners to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. As a multilateral development bank, we understand our pivotal role in advancing sustainable development and supporting our Members in their transition to low-carbon and resilient economies. By aligning with the Paris Agreement, we affirm our commitment to financing projects that promote sustainable Infrastructure for Tomorrow," said AIIB President Jin Liqun.

Established in the wake of the Paris Agreement, AIIB has been actively engaged in the joint MDB efforts in developing a framework for aligning its financing operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement. In line with this, it has developed its own detailed technical methodology, which provides guidance on the application of the joint MDB methodological framework to AIIB operations. Specifically, AIIB investment operations will:

Be aligned with the overall mitigation goals (BB1) of the Paris Agreement, that is, be consistent with a low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions development pathway for the respective country and not undermine a transition to a decarbonized economy, in that country or globally, taking into account countries' common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities; and

Be aligned with the overall adaptation goals (BB2) of the Paris Agreement, by actively managing material physical climate risks, based on systematic and robust risk screening and assessment, in a manner consistent with climate-resilient development pathways. In addition, AIIB will seek to support the enhancement of climate-related disaster resilience of clients and their communities to the adverse impacts of climate change.

AIIB's methodology will be applied to all projects financed through direct lending, as well as through financial intermediaries.

AIIB believes that aligning its new investments with the Paris Agreement goes beyond mere compliance. According to Vice President for Strategy and Policy Sir Danny Alexander, "Paris alignment will add significant value for our clients by ensuring that projects are designed, prepared and implemented with climate considerations at their core. But it also signifies a commitment to collectively go above and beyond the minimum requirements set forth by international agreements. Rather than simply meeting the minimum obligations, Paris alignment demonstrates a willingness to take bold action, set ambitious targets, and pursue innovative solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable infrastructure. We recognize our responsibility to scale up further our support for the climate transition in Asia, and Paris Alignment is one of the tools we will use to help play our part in delivering this critically important global agenda."

AIIB's Corporate Strategy also contains a commitment to scale up its annual climate finance approvals to at least 50 percent of total approved financing by 2025. In 2022, AIIB's climate finance amounted to USD2.39 billion, or 56 percent of total approved financing,1 up from 48 percent in the previous year and surpassing its 2025 target. It has also set in motion the development of more structures, frameworks and products for climate adaptation and resilience.

Read more about AIIB's methodology here.

1 AIIB calculated its 2022 climate financing share excluding financing approved through the COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility.

SOURCE AIIB
CGTN UN releases The "Journey through Civilizations" Exhibit held at the UN Headquarters

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Journey Through Civilizations" exhibit, organized by CCTV United Nations Bureau, is under way at the United Nations. The display will continue through July 7. An official launch ceremony was held at the UN on June 29.

CMG President Shen Haixiong delivered a video speech at the launch ceremony. "Chinese civilization promotes inclusiveness, flourishing through exchanges and mutual learning with others," he said. He also stressed the China Media Group will uphold the mission of the media to strengthen international cultural exchanges and promote dialogue across the globe.

"As Secretary-General Guterres said, diversity is a richness, not a threat. Both China and the UN have always been champions of the diversity of civilizations. By holding this exhibition at the UN, we are showing our strong support for such diversity and the UN's work in relevant fields." Ambassador Zhang Jun, the Permanent Representative of China to the UN, said during his address at the ceremony.

Miguel Angel Moratinos, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, explained that civilization in Chinese is a combined meaning of two words, culture and enlightenment. He highlighted that enlightenment is an important part in civilization, saying that we want to be enlightening to address problems of our society.

Hundreds of guests including UN officials and ambassadors attended the launch ceremony.

Renowned artists from China, the U.S. and Canada presented vivid performances to showcase China's traditional techniques and arts, including an interactive ear acupuncture demonstration, tea ceremony, calligraphy, Guqin musical performance and poetry reading.

It's the first time the UN has incorporated a high-tech virtual game program into a traditional exhibition. High-tech video walls at the exhibit also create a stunning experience, where beautiful images of UNESCO World Heritage Sites  Mount Huangshan and Dazu Rock Carvings - are on display.

"Journey Through Civilizations" is sponsored by the Chinese permanent mission to the UN, Sino-American Friendship Association and UNSRC Chinese Book Club.

Through a blend of exhibits, the event is an opportunity for member states to showcase the richness of their cultures, arts, traditions and historical narratives.

Contact : Du Rui

[email protected]

(This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.)

SOURCE CGTN UN
HANGZHOU, China, July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 27, 2023, Dr. Ji Xiaofen, Director of the China National Silk Museum, and Ms. Anna Bognar, representative of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest together with other guests co-launched a new exhibition  Silk Robes for Princes  Luxury Silks and Velvets from Hungary's Esterhazy Treasury  running from June 27 to August 21, 2023 in Hangzhou, jointly curated by the China National Silk Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest.

The conservator is working on the installation of exhibition

The exhibition is divided into three sections: "Men's garments", "Horse apparel, horse tack and weapons" and "Home furnishings", presenting 34 sets/pieces of silk costumes, bed covers, Persian tapestry, Ottoman Turkish horse accessories, jeweled ceremonial sabers, and ceremonial maces. These collections are from the Esterhazy family, a noble Hungarian family of the 16th-17th centuries, and have been on show at the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest for the last century. Thirteen of these ceremonial garments, worn by male members of the Esterhazy family, or magnificent silk garments revered as ancestral relics, were tailored from the most expensive silks, velvets and lace produced in Italy, Spain and Turkey, and decorated with pearls, turquoise and other jewels crafted by the court goldsmiths.

Apart from the delicate cultural relics from Hungary, the exhibition is also equipped with a "Magic Wall", which allows the visitors to interactively view more details of objects and other pieces of the Hungarian museum.

Through this exhibition, the Chinese audience can gain a deeper understanding of the love that the 16th and 17th century Hungarian aristocracy had for silk, jewelry and a decadent lifestyle. Although silk originates from China, the beauty and exquisite craftsmanship of silk can be widely seen along the Silk Road and thus appreciated and shared by Eastern and Western cultures alike.

During the opening ceremony, China National Silk Museum also held the press conference for the 2023 Silk Road Week which is going to be launched on July 12 with the theme of "The Silk Roads: Long Roads, Mutual Goals". This year the guest country will be Hungary, so as well as the silk exhibition, China National Silk Museum will also bring a silk culture and costume exhibition to Hungary in October. After the opening ceremony, Mr. Zhang Chengming, Deputy Director of the China National Silk Museum, and the coordinator of the exhibition, gave a guided tour of the exhibition to the attending media.

SOURCE China National Silk Museum
LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomasino Media learned last week, Congressional Recognition was received from Congressional Representative Nanette Diaz Barragan for #teamfibro, a campaign by the Veteran Voices for Fibromyalgia to work with government leaders and share education for those that suffer. The team was successful in gaining support from Governor of Colorado Jared Polis, Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine, Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper, Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb and Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski.

Kristal Kent shared with our team language from the proclamation request and outreach goals to get more supporters in various roles in our communities. "WHEREAS Fibromyalgia is a chronic-pain disorder that causes widespread body pain; affecting 3-5% of the population in the United States (Source: "Fibromyalgia - A Clinical Review" by Dr. Daniel J. Claw, April 16, 2014). Thus, it's estimated 11 million to 17 million Americans have Fibromyalgia.

WHEREAS in addition to chronic pain, Fibromyalgia's symptoms include moderate to severe fatigue, sleep disorders, stiffness and weakness, mobility/balance instability, headaches/migraines, numbness and tingling, nausea, vertigo and impairment of memory and concentration (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); and

WHEREAS due to interference of the internal bodily systems people living with fibromyalgia often have several co-existing medical conditions, which may include Chronic Myofascial Pain, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Raynaud's Syndrome, Interstitial Cystitis (IC), Peripheral Neuropathy, Anxiety, Depression, Chemical and Environmental Sensitivities (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)."

Kristen Thomasino is a severe Fibromyalgia recovery patient who experienced full body weakness and intense brain fog during the summer of 2019 while living in North Carolina. After seeking help from medical professionals such as neurologist Dr. Joseph Chipman, rheumatologist Dr. Charles Withers, Doctor of Physical Therapy Tatum Robinson, and others, she was able to reduce her suffering.

Kristen shared, "I swore that if I found ways to reduce my suffering that I would share my learnings and advocate for others to get access to education, goods and services that made a difference in improving my life." She added, "Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan's recognition of the work we are doing to help others who suffer with Fibromyalgia means so much to our team. I am so grateful for this opportunity and the support of my government representative."

Contact [email protected]

#socialgood #teamfibro #fibromyalgia

SOURCE Thomasino Media LLC
This photo taken on June 26, 2023 shows a petroglyph found in Kondoa, Tanzania. A visit to the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania, leaves one with a treasure trove of knowledge about the pre-historic rock art. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

KONDOA, Tanzania, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A visit to the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania, leaves one with a treasure trove of knowledge about the pre-historic rock art.

The paintings, about 20 km north of Kondoa town in Dodoma region, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. The existence of rock paintings in the area was first reported in 1908, and it was declared a conservation area in 2004, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Though under strict protection, the conservation and preservation of the rock art sites is challenged by the impact of climate change, said Zuberi Mabie, manager for the Kondoa Rock Art Sites.

Mabie said he was worried that climate change was posing a significant threat to the survival of the sites.

"Rock arts like any other tangible heritage, have been affected by the impact of climate change through weathering as the rise of temperatures causes rock disintegration," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The wiping out of vegetation covers caused by climate change has led to the movement of dust toward rock surfaces, Mabie said, adding that excessive rainfall, also caused by climate change, leads to water passage through the rock art and finally damages the art.

He said the paintings are also facing manmade problems, including animal grazing because the sites are located in the middle of the forest.

"There are people who want to bring their animals for grazing. This is a problem because if you bring animals in this place, it is very much easy for a cow to come and scratch its back across the rock surface which actually may tarnish the arts," Mabie said.

He added that there are also some ritual activities that involve the use of local brews which they sometimes pour across the rock surface.

"The local brew sticks to the rock surface and fades the arts. We are doing all the best to make sure that these challenges are tackled," he said.

Mabie said new technology on the conservation of rocks is needed to address some of the challenges facing the paintings, adding that they are struggling to look for people who have that new technology to deal with natural factors like the penetration of rainwater through the rocks to the arts.

Unfortunately, he said that technology is not available in Tanzania.

"Countries like China that have that technology can help us. It is very much appreciated if China can help us with that technology and training," Mabie said.

He said another best way of protecting the rocks is to work closely with the local communities who are the custodians of these rock arts.

Mabie said currently there are more than 450 recorded paintings sites scattered across 13 villages in Kondoa district. However, he does not have an exact number of paintings in the other parts of Tanzania. Researchers have started to document rock arts in Manyara, Kagera and Iringa regions.

He said 6,000 domestic and foreign tourists visit four selected sites annually, most of whom come from China, Germany, France, the United States, Canada and Switzerland.

These pre-historic arts which are the earliest ways of communication between generations to generations need to be protected, preserved and conserved for today's generation and future generations, said Mabie.

He said the Kondoa rock paintings have many different values, including socio-economic values and spiritual values for the people who live within the rock art sites. "Local communities use this place as an area for spiritual connection between their ancestors and their living of everyday activities."

Mabie added that the sites have educational value because it is through them that school kids and students learn about the country's history and society.

"Researchers also come here and do archaeological research on issues about the age of the paintings and different cultural activities in this area," he said. 

This photo taken on June 26, 2023 shows a petroglyph found in Kondoa, Tanzania. A visit to the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania, leaves one with a treasure trove of knowledge about the pre-historic rock art. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

This photo taken on June 26, 2023 shows a petroglyph found in Kondoa, Tanzania. A visit to the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania, leaves one with a treasure trove of knowledge about the pre-historic rock art. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Zuberi Mabie, manager for the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, presents some of the petroglyph found in Kondoa, Tanzania, on June 26, 2023. A visit to the Kondoa Rock Art Sites, a series of ancient paintings on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania, leaves one with a treasure trove of knowledge about the pre-historic rock art. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)
Approximately 550,000 consumers are being notified that their names and Social Security numbers were compromised when hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in software used by a vendor of Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company.

MARLTON, N.J., June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The sensitive personal data of approximately 552,821 Talcott Resolution Life Insurance customers has been compromised. Now, their full names and Social Security numbers may be in the hands of criminals who may use the stolen data to carry out various schemes, including identity theft and other frauds.

The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are investigating claims on behalf of Talcott Resolution Life Insurance customers, hoping to fully inform them of the risks they face in the wake of the breach as well as their legal rights.

On June 28, 2023, Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company filed a letter with the Attorney General of Maine outlining a third-party data breach affecting consumers nationwide. Talcott explained that the incident occurred at one of the company's vendors, PBI Research. Evidently, PBI Research notified Talcott that a vulnerability in the MOVEit file-transfer software allowed hackers to download confidential information belonging to Talcott clients. Importantly, Talcott's computer system was not breached; however, the incident affected the personal information of Talcott customers that was provided to PBI Research by Talcott.

According to the notice, the data breach affected an estimated 552,821 customers.

The list of sensitive information that was exposed includes names and Social Security numbers.

If you receive a data breach notice from Talcott, you could now be at risk of identity theftand the life-changing financial and legal consequences that often follow.

PBI Research is offering victims of the breach complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services. And while victims should enroll in this service immediately, it is not sufficient to protect them from the long-term risks of a data breach.

What to Do if You Receive a Talcott Insurance Data Breach Letter

Individuals who receive a data breach letter from PBI Research discussing this incident should take all necessary steps to protect themselves. (See our Guide for Victims of Data Breach for more details, https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/consumer-privacy-data-breach-lawyers/if-your-information-has-been-compromised-in-a-data-breach/.) Victims should consider speaking with a data breach attorney as soon as possible. Talcott customers who receive a data breach letter may be entitled to financial compensation.

If you wish to discuss this data security incident, or if you have any questions regarding your rights following the Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company data breach, please contact Console & Associates, P.C. at (866) 778-5500. Interested parties and potential plaintiffs can also learn more about this data breach and potential lawsuit at https://www.myinjuryattorney.com/talcott-resolution-life-insurance-company-data-breach-investigation/.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact:

***@consoleandassociates.com



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12971857

SOURCE Console & Associates, P.C.
Nearly 100,000 Insured Drivers, First Detroit Office, New Campaign Against Predatory Towing

DETROIT, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CURE auto insurance celebrates its two-year anniversary since its entrance into Michigan with nearly 100,000 drivers, new jobs and a new office in The Icon building on Riverwalk. In fact, over the past 12 months, CURE has nearly doubled its number of insureds, providing an average per policy savings of 41% with some paying 80% less than they were paying with their old insurance company. Proof that the new reforms continue to make a difference, 91% of the insureds are choosing a new coverage option introduced by the new law passed in 2019.

Eric S. Poe, Esq., CPA, CEO, CURE Auto Insurance

Illustrating its commitment to Michigan, this month CURE plans to open its first office in Metro Detroit at The Icon building, 200 Walker Street. The former training center for General Motors and the United Auto Workers (UAW) will house up to 100 employees over the next two years.

Eric Poe, CEO of CURE auto insurance said, "Year two has solidified our presence here in Michigan and reaffirms what we believed from day one  the reforms were needed and really are working. Michiganders continue flocking to our website for quotes and are using the CURE app for ID cards, payments and more." Never one to settle, Poe wants to continue making a difference in the lives of residents. "Our plan was always to have an office in downtown Detroit, where 61% of our insureds live. We have now found our new home  one that will allow for growth and even more job opportunities."

Known as an advocate for fairness in car insurance rating practices, CURE CEO Eric S. Poe, Esq., CPA has now set his sights on one of the biggest problems facing Detroit residents, namely the predatory towing and storage abuse that is plaguing the city. The insurer is taking a two-fold approach to this fight  working hand-in-hand with the Detroit Police Department to establish protocols that protect drivers in need of a tow, while simultaneously taking the self-serving tow companies to court, with over 20 lawsuits in progress and counting.

"While we could not be happier with what we've accomplished in these past two years, there is still more work to do," Poe adds. "Priority one is to protect the reform law and second is to end the predatory practices of unauthorized tow companies which is why no one wants to insure drivers within Detroit. If we don't stop the abuse by several tow yards in the city, residents will go back to the highest rates in the country."

Headquartered in Princeton, N.J., CURE auto insurance was heralded as the "cure" for the auto insurance no-fault crisis in New Jersey when it was founded in 1990. Specializing in no-fault insurance markets, CURE auto insurance insures nearly 100,000 vehicles and is licensed to do business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. More information can be found at cure.com or by calling 800-535-CURE.

SOURCE CURE Auto Insurance
Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm) expands treatment options for patients across multiple chronic inflammatory diseases

Cyltezo is the only adalimumab biosimilar with Phase III comparative clinical studies in rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis and Crohn's disease

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm), a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Interchangeable biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab), is now commercially available in the U.S. Cyltezo was initially approved as a biosimilar in 2017 for use in multiple chronic inflammatory diseases. Cyltezo was approved as an Interchangeable biosimilar in 2021, and is available as a prefilled syringe, or as a Cyltezo Pen autoinjector.

"Cyltezo is the first and only FDA-approved Interchangeable biosimilar to Humira that is available to the millions of people in the U.S. living with certain chronic inflammatory diseases," said Stephen Pagnotta, Executive Director and Biosimilar Commercial Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim. "Cyltezo reinforces our ultimate goal of providing a more affordable and accessible treatment option for this community, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have across the U.S."

A biosimilar is a biological medicine that is developed to be highly similar to an approved reference biologic, with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, potency and purity. An Interchangeable biosimilar must first meet the high FDA standards of a biosimilar. Then, to achieve the Interchangeable designation, the FDA requires additional data, which may include a study of multiple substitutions in patients, known as a switching study. The study must show that patients can be switched with no increased risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy compared with remaining on the reference product in any given patient.

"Biosimilars such as Cyltezo have the potential to increase patient access to critical biologic medicines, which may benefit people living with chronic and often debilitating diseases such as rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis," said Steven Taylor, President, Arthritis Foundation. "We applaud the availability of another treatment option for doctors and patients in the U.S."

The efficacy and safety of Cyltezo are supported by a large body of data, including the Phase III randomized VOLTAIRE-X comparative clinical trial, which studied the effects of multiple switches between Humira and Cyltezo compared to continuous treatment with Humira. The results of VOLTAIRE-X were presented at the 2021 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. Pharmacokinetic equivalence was demonstrated, with highly similar efficacy and immunogenicity, and comparable safety observed in patients who received either Humira continuously or who switched between Humira and Cyltezo.

"The Crohn's and colitis patient community welcomes adalimumab biosimilars, including Cyltezo, as new options to treat these inflammatory conditions," said Michael Osso, President and CEO of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "We look forward to seeing how these medications may improve patient care."

"For many people living with plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, finding effective relief from symptoms can be a daily struggle. We're always happy to have new treatment options that may help reduce the severity of symptoms and improve the quality of life for patients living with this disease," said Leah M. Howard, J.D., President and CEO, the National Psoriasis Foundation.

About Biosimilars

A biosimilar is a biologic medicine that is developed to be highly similar to an approved reference biologic, with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, potency and purity.

A biosimilar with an interchangeable designation, which is designated by the FDA, may be auto-substituted for the reference product by a pharmacist. Individual state laws control how and whether providers and patients must be notified. An interchangeable biosimilar first must meet the high FDA standards of a biosimilar. Then, to achieve the Interchangeable designation, the FDA requires additional data, which may include a study of multiple substitutions in patients, known as a switching study. The study must show that patients can be switched with no increased risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy compared with remaining on the reference product in any given patient.

About Boehringer Ingelheim in Biologics and Biosimilars

Through novel biologics and our interchangeable biosimilar, we strive to increase the availability of safe, effective, high-quality therapeutic options to patients worldwide.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the largest producers of biologic medicines in the world, producing biologic medicines to support our diverse pipeline, as well as other companies' biopharmaceuticals on a contract basis. As a pioneer in biologics, to date, Boehringer Ingelheim's Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing business has supported our customers to bring dozens of biologics to the market in therapeutic areas that include oncology, immunology and cardiovascular indications. For more information about Boehringer Ingelheim's Biopharma and manufacturing capabilities, please click here: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/biopharma/biosimilars.

To learn more about biosimilars and interchangeability please click here: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/interchangeability/.

For more information, please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide and Instructions for Use.

What is CYLTEZO?

CYLTEZO is a medicine called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker. CYLTEZO is used:

To reduce the signs and symptoms of:

moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults. CYLTEZO can be used alone, with methotrexate, or with certain other medicines.

CYLTEZO can be used alone, with methotrexate, or with certain other medicines.

moderate to severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in children 2 years and older. CYLTEZO can be used alone or with methotrexate.

CYLTEZO can be used alone or with methotrexate.

psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adults. CYLTEZO can be used alone or with certain other medicines.

CYLTEZO can be used alone or with certain other medicines.

ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in adults.



moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in adults.

To treat moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) in adults and children 6 years of age and older.

To treat moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults. It is not known if adalimumab products are effective in people who stopped responding to or could not tolerate TNF-blocker medicines.

It is not known if adalimumab products are effective in people who stopped responding to or could not tolerate TNF-blocker medicines. To treat moderate to severe chronic (lasting a long time) plaque psoriasis (Ps) in adults who have the condition in many areas of their body and who may benefit from taking injections or pills (systemic therapy) or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet light alone or with pills).

Important Safety Information for CYLTEZO (adalimumab-adbm) injection, for subcutaneous use

What is the most important information I should know about CYLTEZO?

You should discuss the potential benefits and risks of CYLTEZO with your doctor. CYLTEZO is a TNF-blocker medicine that can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. You should not start taking CYLTEZO if you have any kind of infection unless your doctor says it is okay.

Serious infections have happened in people taking adalimumab products. These serious infections include tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your doctor should test you for TB before starting CYLTEZO and check you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with CYLTEZO, even if your TB test was negative. If your doctor feels you are at risk, you may be treated with medicine for TB.





Your doctor should test you for TB before starting CYLTEZO and check you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with CYLTEZO, even if your TB test was negative. If your doctor feels you are at risk, you may be treated with medicine for TB. Cancer. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including CYLTEZO, the chances of getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. There have been cases of unusual cancers in children, teenagers, and young adults using TNF blockers. Some people have developed a rare type of cancer called hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. This type of cancer often results in death. If using TNF blockers, including CYLTEZO, your chances of getting two types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell) may increase. These types are generally not life-threatening if treated; tell your doctor if you have a bump or open sore that doesn't heal.

What should I tell my doctor BEFORE starting CYLTEZO?

Tell your doctor about all of your health conditions, including if you:

Have an infection, are being treated for infection, or have symptoms of an infection.





Get a lot of infections or have infections that keep coming back.





Have diabetes.





Have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB, or were born in, lived in, or traveled where there is more risk for getting TB.





Live or have lived in an area (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys) where there is an increased risk for getting certain kinds of fungal infections, such as histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, or blastomycosis. These infections may happen or become more severe if you use CYLTEZO. Ask your doctor if you are unsure whether you have lived in an area where these infections are common.





and Mississippi River valleys) where there is an increased risk for getting certain kinds of fungal infections, such as histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, or blastomycosis. These infections may happen or become more severe if you use CYLTEZO. Ask your doctor if you are unsure whether you have lived in an area where these infections are common. Have or have had hepatitis B.





Are scheduled for major surgery.





Have or have had cancer.





Have numbness or tingling or a nervous system disease such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barre syndrome.





Have or had heart failure.





Have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine. CYLTEZO patients may receive vaccines, except for live vaccines. Children should be brought up to date on all vaccines before starting CYLTEZO.





Are allergic to rubber or latex.





Are allergic to any CYLTEZO ingredients.





Are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to breastfeed.





Have a baby and you were using CYLTEZO during your pregnancy. Tell your baby's doctor before your baby receives any vaccines.

Also tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. You should not take CYLTEZO with ORENCIA (abatacept), KINERET (anakinra), REMICADE (infliximab), ENBREL (etanercept), CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol), or SIMPONI (golimumab). Tell your doctor if you have ever used RITUXAN (rituximab), IMURAN (azathioprine), or PURINETHOL (mercaptopurine, 6-MP).

What should I watch for AFTER starting CYLTEZO?

CYLTEZO can cause serious side effects, including:

Serious infections. These include TB and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Symptoms related to TB include a cough, low-grade fever, weight loss, or loss of body fat and muscle.





These include TB and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Symptoms related to TB include a cough, low-grade fever, weight loss, or loss of body fat and muscle. Hepatitis B infection in carriers of the virus. Symptoms include muscle aches, feeling very tired, dark urine, skin or eyes that look yellow, little or no appetite, vomiting, clay-colored bowel movements, fever, chills, stomach discomfort, and skin rash.





Symptoms include muscle aches, feeling very tired, dark urine, skin or eyes that look yellow, little or no appetite, vomiting, clay-colored bowel movements, fever, chills, stomach discomfort, and skin rash. Allergic reactions. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include hives; trouble breathing; and swelling of your face, eyes, lips, or mouth.





Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include hives; trouble breathing; and swelling of your face, eyes, lips, or mouth. Nervous system problems. Signs and symptoms include numbness or tingling, problems with your vision, weakness in your arms or legs, and dizziness.





Signs and symptoms include numbness or tingling, problems with your vision, weakness in your arms or legs, and dizziness. Blood problems (decreased blood cells that help fight infections or stop bleeding). Symptoms include a fever that does not go away, bruising or bleeding very easily, or looking very pale.





(decreased blood cells that help fight infections or stop bleeding). Symptoms include a fever that does not go away, bruising or bleeding very easily, or looking very pale. Heart failure (new or worsening). Symptoms include shortness of breath, swelling of your ankles or feet, and sudden weight gain.





(new or worsening). Symptoms include shortness of breath, swelling of your ankles or feet, and sudden weight gain. Immune reactions, including a lupus-like syndrome. Symptoms include chest discomfort or pain that does not go away, shortness of breath, joint pain, or rash on your cheeks or arms that gets worse in the sun.





Symptoms include chest discomfort or pain that does not go away, shortness of breath, joint pain, or rash on your cheeks or arms that gets worse in the sun. Liver problems. Symptoms include feeling very tired, skin or eyes that look yellow, poor appetite or vomiting, and pain on the right side of your stomach (abdomen). These problems can lead to liver failure and death.





Symptoms include feeling very tired, skin or eyes that look yellow, poor appetite or vomiting, and pain on the right side of your stomach (abdomen). These problems can lead to liver failure and death. Psoriasis (new or worsening). Symptoms include red scaly patches or raised bumps that are filled with pus.

Call your doctor or get medical care right away if you develop any of the above symptoms.

The most common side effects of CYLTEZO include injection site reactions (pain, redness, rash, swelling, itching, or bruising), upper respiratory infections (sinus infections), headaches, and rash. These are not all the possible side effects with CYLTEZO. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Remember to tell your doctor right away if you have an infection or symptoms of an infection, including:

Fever, sweats, or chills





Muscle aches





Cough





Shortness of breath





Blood in phlegm





Warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body





Diarrhea or stomach pain





Burning when you urinate





Urinating more often than normal





Feeling very tired





Weight loss

These are not all the possible side effects of CYLTEZO. For more information, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

CL-CTZ-100009 MAR 2023

For more information, please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide and Instructions for Use.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on potential 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 perspective. More than 52,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the three business areas, Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing.

For more information, please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. either owns or uses the Cyltezo trademark under license. The other trademarks referenced above are owned by third parties not affiliated with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

MPR-US-102524 07/23

CONTACTS:

Taylor Pepe

Sr. Associate Director

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (518) 466-3621

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
This triple chocolate delight is available for the rest of summer

GRANTS PASS, Ore., July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chocolate Crunch is back by popular demand! Dutch Bros launched the Chocolate Crunch as a Cold Brew back in April and it was such a hit, it's back for summer. Whether you want the extra kick of caffeine or a chocolatey midday pick-me-up, this scrumptious drink combo has you covered. The Chocolate Crunch can be ordered as a Cold Brew, Freeze or Frost!

The Chocolate Crunch features dark chocolate sauce, chocolate macadamia nut flavor and chocolate milk topped with Soft Top and OREO cookie pieces.

The Chocolate Crunch features dark chocolate sauce, chocolate macadamia nut flavor and chocolate milk topped with Soft Top and OREO cookie pieces. Chocolate Crunch will be available until August 31 or while supplies last!

The Dutch Freeze is blended coffee perfection and the Dutch Frost is Dutch Bros' version of a milkshake. If enjoyed as a Cold Brew, customers have the option of regular or nitro-infused cold brew. What's the cherry on top you might ask? Not a cherry but even better OREO cookie pieces!

"We first launched The Chocolate Crunch Cold Brew as a limited time drink for National Cold Brew Day and customers loved it!" said Charles Swindler, senior vice president of brand at Dutch Bros. "We're stoked to be bringing it back! Customers will be able to enjoy it as a Cold Brew, Freeze or Frost for the rest of summer, so don't miss out!"

Chocolate Crunch will be available until August 31 or while supplies last so don't miss out on the delicious offer!

*OREO is a trademark of Mondelez International group, used with permission.

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-thru coffee company dedicated to making a massive difference one cup at a time. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, it's now sharing the "Dutch Luv" with more than 750 locations in 14 states. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, an exclusive Dutch Bros Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.

In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Dutch Bros Foundation and local operators and franchisees, the company donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit www.dutchbros.com , follow Dutch Bros Coffee on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , & TikTok , and download the Dutch Bros app to earn points and score rewards!

SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee
DUBLIN, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --The "Mobile Point-of-Sale Terminals Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Component, By Deployment Type, By End-Users, By Region, Segment Forecast, 2023-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) terminals market size is expected to reach USD 102.73 Billion by 2032, according to a new study. The report gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.

Mobile point-of-sale (POS) terminals have grown from being simple instruments for processing payments to complex analytics solution providers with more powerful computing power and wireless connection capability.

The usage of consumer-grade devices such as tablets for business use has driven the growth of the mobile POS terminals market by providing ubiquitous wireless connectivity, mobile printers, scanners, card readers, and multiple platform support for various applications.

The mobile POS terminals industry is expected to grow due to the increasing use of data analytics, credit card payments, and changing consumer expectations. Retailers are adopting new applications and strategies to provide a seamless customer experience and create new channels for revenue growth.

The low installation costs of tablet-based mobile POS terminals have made them attractive to small and medium-sized businesses, who benefit from reduced customer wait times, increased security, and paper-free receipting services.

The rising use of tablets and the rise in small enterprises and micro-merchants, and the demand for efficient line-busting strategies to promote card use are all predicted to contribute to market growth. However, concerns over data security and lack of standardization may impede market growth. The need for mobile POS terminals is anticipated to increase even more as Near Field Communication (NFC) in mobile devices becomes more widely adopted.

Companies Mentioned

PAX Technology Limited

Oracle Corporation

Verifone Systems Inc

Hewlett-Packard Company

NEC Corporation

Ingenico Group

Toshiba Corporation

Panasonic Corporation

Posiflex Technology Inc.

Squirrel Systems

Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market Report Highlights

The software segment is expected to experience growth as more consumers switch to using consumer-grade electronic devices, like tablets, to handle their POS requirements.

The retail sector is projected to be the leading segment in the market. The surge in popularity of digital payments and mobile payment wallets like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay has led to an increase in demand for mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) terminals in the retail industry.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to experience significant growth during the forecast period, primarily due to the rise in low-cost manufacturing activities in the region. The increasing demand across various application segments is expected to drive the growth of the regional market.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Executive Summary



3. Research Methodology



4. Global Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market Insights

4.1. Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market - End-Users Snapshot

4.2. Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market Dynamics

4.2.1. Drivers and Opportunities

4.2.1.1. Growing popularity of e-commerce

4.2.1.2. Rapid adoption of cloud-based POS system in the eCommerce and retail sector

4.2.2. Restraints and Challenges

4.2.2.1. Data security concerns

4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Moderate)

4.3.2. Threats of New Entrants: (Low)

4.3.3. Bargaining Power of Buyers (Moderate)

4.3.4. Threat of Substitute (Moderate)

4.3.5. Rivalry among existing firms (High)

4.4. PESTEL Analysis

4.5. Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market End-Users Trends

4.6. Value Chain Analysis

4.7. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



5. Global Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market, by Component



6. Global Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market, by Deployment Type



7. Global Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market, by End-Users



8. Global Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) Terminals Market, by Geography



9. Competitive Landscape



10. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pehp9w

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ATLANTA, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Together with the Norcross Public Arts Commission, NG&S presents NorcrossLife through the Lens, or NorcrossLa vida a traves del lente. We invite everyone who is in Norcross during the Fourth of July holiday weekend to take pictures on their cameras or cell phones. Capture the fireworks at Thrasher Park, barbecues and fun times with family and friends, or anything picturesque in the City of Norcross.

"Enter free of charge at our website, norcrossgalleryandstudios.org, with instructions both in English and Spanish," said Gallery Director Anne Hall. "We hope to see 1,000 images to share in exhibitions this fall. We believe everyone in this richly diverse city will enjoy looking for pictures of the people they love and what they love to do celebrating our nation's anniversary."

Our diverse jury, professional photographers Tracey Rice, HGay Allen, and Pablo Andres Rodriquez, will select the top 50 photos for exhibition in our gallery and competition for hundreds of dollars in prizes. Most of the remaining photos will be displayed throughout the city, all during "Artober" from September 14-October 31, 2023. The city will provide ArtMaps to aid viewers looking for pictures.

"Keep your photos family friendly! Make sure if your photograph another artist's work such as a sculpture or mural that your subject is the center of interest," Anne Hall advised.

Sponsors for this project include the NPAC, the City of Norcross, Keller Williams agent April MacManus, Cafe45 South, and private donors. The Gwinnett Creativity Fund provided crucial support with a generous 2023 Project Grant. Members of the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, the Peachtree Corners Photography Club, and the Latino Lions Club of Norcross provided valuable input.

Norcross Gallery & Studios is a recognized 501(c) 3 volunteer organization of artists, promoting Fine Art in the community, offering professional opportunities and creative resources to artists as well as educational events for the public. NG&S invites the public to enjoy more than a dozen exhibitions in our gallery at 116 Carlyle Street, Norcross, 30071 and at several outside venues. Professional artists teach classes and workshops, host figure study sketch sessions, and hold open studios two days a week for members of the community to join in making art.

For more information, contact Anne Hall at 215-715-4307 or [email protected].

SOURCE Norcross Gallery & Studios
NEW ORLEANS, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until August 7, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE: S), if they purchased the Company's securities between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Get Help

SentinelOne investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-s-7/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuit

SentinelOne and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On June 1, 2023, the Company disclosed that "[a]s a result of a change in methodology and correction of historical inaccuracieswe made a one-time adjustment to ARR of $27.0 million or approximately 5% of total ARR" and that the Company had slashed its fiscal year 2024 revenue guidance from a range of $631 million to $640 million to a range of $590 million to $600 million, due to the discovery of "historical upsell and renewal recording inaccuracies relating to ARR on certain subscription and consumption contracts, which are now corrected."

On this news, shares of SentinelOne fell $7.28 per share, or more than 35%, to close at $13.44 per share on June 2, 2023.

The case is Johansson v. SentinelOne, Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-02786.

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.

SOURCE SKYMEDIA, LLC
CHANGSHA, China, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30th, the Spanish medical skincare brand mesoestetic held an art salon to kick off its 2023 mesoestetic Road Show in China at the Xie Zilong Photography Museum in Changsha, which is one of the internet-famous cities in China. The event was supported by the leading Chinese partner for global beauty brands--S'Young International and was themed "The Element for Skincare Experts." Carles Font Martin, Co-CEO & Chief Business Development Officer of mesoestetic, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, and Arantza Azparren Ardanaz, mesoestetic's global training manager, attended the event and gave a further insight into the brand philosophy of mesoestetic.

Carles Font Martin, Co-CEO & Chief Business Development Officer of mesoestetic,shared mesoestetics brand story and development plan in China

This was also the first stop on the mesoestetic 2023 Road Show in China. The event successfully extended the passion and artistry spirits of the mesoestetic Road Show by inviting celebrities including famous actress Zhang Yanyan, key Chinese collaborators, and guests for close interaction and an in-depth experience of the brand's high-end salon and Changsha's finest art exhibitions.

The chosen venue, Xie Zilong Photography Museum, was founded by Mr. Xie Zilong, who is also well-known for establishing LBX Pharmacy, a prominent Chinese pharmacy chain. Interestingly, Mr. Xie had similar background with mesoestetic's president & founder, Juan Carlos Font Mas, who utilized his pharmacological knowledge to create personalized beauty skincare formulas and opened his pharmacy in Barcelona during the early 1980s. Both men share a passion for medicine, art, and antique painting collections. By selecting the Xie Zilong Photography Museum as the venue, mesoestetic aimed to evoke the warmth and artistic flair of Barcelona in Changsha, while also celebrating the harmonious blend of medicine and aesthetics.

At the event, creative non-alcoholic cocktails were introduced, featuring the brand's top health supplement products: the ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir. This art salon presents the main visuals of mesoestetic products through various art installations and was surrounded by a cappella music, providing a harmonious music and artistic experience. Additionally, mesoestetic granted awards and recognized valuable partners. The CO-CEO Carles Font Martin invited all guests to visit Spain and trace the origin of mesoestetic. The mesoestetic management and attendees also delved into insightful conversations about the brand's impressive 38-year history.

mesoestetic now operates in 109 countries and regions worldwide, providing professional beauty solutions for skincare experts. Since its cooperation with S'Young International in 2021, the brand has experienced a remarkable average annual sales growth of over 200%. Co-CEO & Chief Business Development Officer of mesoestetic, Carles Font Martin, attributed this success to the efforts of the brand's partner in China, "This achievement wouldn't be possible without our China partner S'Young International and the efforts of everyone here. We will continue to achieve high growth this year, and I believe the Chinese market will be our next new era."

mesoestetic currently offers four major product lines: health supplements, home-use products, professional treatments, and aesthetic medicines. The highly sought-after ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir, are two best sellers in mesoestetic's health supplement line. While the Ha Densimatrix, a popular moisturising solution that allows reducing and correcting imperfections caused by aging, stands out from the home-use line. For beauty industry professionals, mesoestetic also offers a range of solutions, such as the age element, a topical antiaging treatment based on epigenetics that combines a professional treatment and a home treatment suited to the needs of each customer.

During the event, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, has also shared the plans to further promote brand awareness and reputation in the region. The brand will be focusing on various efforts, including collaborating with celebrities, obtaining efficacy test results from professional institutions, deepening market penetration by working with over 4,500 influencers, introducing new products to the region, and implementing offline skincare services. By implementing these strategies, mesoestetic aims to further strengthen its presence in Greater China.

About mesoestetic

mesoestetic is dedicated to providing exquisite elements for skincare experts, emphasizing on offering scientific, rigorous, and effective solutions. The brand's customized, professional, and innovative product formulas have gained popularity in the market, positioning it as a trailblazer in Spanish medical beauty.

SOURCE S'Young International
UPSIDE Foods launched at renowned Michelin-starred Bar Crenn, introducing its delicious, whole-textured cultivated chicken to consumers for the first time and completing the first consumer sale of cultivated meat in the U

The invited attendees of this historic launch event were the winners of UPSIDE's social media contest, who were selected for their commitment to fostering a better future. Chef Dominique Crenn and UPSIDE Founder and CEO Uma Valeti were hosts for the historic meal

UPSIDE's cultivated chicken will be available at Bar Crenn through a series of ongoing UPSIDE dinner services, starting later this year

BERKELEY, Calif., July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UPSIDE Foods , the leading cultivated meat, poultry and seafood company, announced today that its cultivated chicken  grown directly from real animal cells  has launched at the renowned Michelin-starred Bar Crenn in San Francisco, California. The historic event, held on Saturday, July 1, was the first-ever consumer sale of cultivated meat in the U.S., representing a historic milestone for the food system.

UPSIDE Foods' Cultivated Chicken Dish at Bar Crenn (PRNewsfoto/UPSIDE Foods)

The restaurant debut of UPSIDE's cultivated chicken followed the announcement that UPSIDE has been approved to sell its cultivated chicken in the U.S . Hosted by UPSIDE's CEO and Founder Dr. Uma Valeti and Chef Dominique Crenn, the inaugural group of consumers were selected from entrants of UPSIDE's social media contest based on their passion to build a better future.

"The landmark sale of UPSIDE's cultivated chicken at Bar Crenn officially marks cultivated meat's debut into the U.S. market," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of UPSIDE Foods. "It represents a giant leap towards a world where people no longer have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet. I can't wait for more people to get their first bite  it's a magical moment that inspires an exciting world of new possibilities."

Diners at this historic meal were served UPSIDE Foods' cultivated chicken, fried in a Recado Negro-infused tempura batter and accompanied by a burnt chili aioli. Served in a handmade black ceramic vessel adorned with Mexican motifs and Crenn's logo, the dish was beautifully garnished with edible flowers and greens sourced from Bleu Belle Farm . It reflects the global benefit that Chef Crenn sees in cultivated meat  with UPSIDE Chicken from the Bay Area in California, tempura from Japanese traditions, and an infusion of Recado Negro from Mexico's Yucatan.

The collaboration between UPSIDE Foods and Chef Crenn stands as a testament to their united vision for a more sustainable and conscientious future of food. This event holds special significance as it marks the reintroduction of meat to Chef Crenn's menu since its removal from Crenn Dining Group's restaurants in 2018, prompted by deep concerns regarding the negative impacts of conventional meat production on our world.

"It's truly an honor to serve UPSIDE's cultivated chicken at Bar Crenn and introduce cultivated meat to the US," said Chef Dominique Crenn. "It's the first time meat has made it back on my menu since 2018, because UPSIDE Chicken is the first meat that I feel good about serving. From its exquisite flavor and texture to its aroma and the way it cooks, UPSIDE Chicken is simply delicious and it represents a significant step towards a more sustainable and compassionate food system."

In addition to the historic meal, contest winners also got a tour of UPSIDE's Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC).

Following the launch event, UPSIDE's cultivated chicken will be available at Bar Crenn through ongoing UPSIDE services, commencing later this year. To sign up for this dining experience, people can visit Bar Crenn's website . Consumers can also follow UPSIDE Foods on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Facebook and sign up for UPSIDE's newsletter for updates.

About UPSIDE Foods

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry and seafood directly from animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarianthey are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. Founded as the world's first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being granted approval to sell cultivated meat in the United States in June 2023. The company believes that people shouldn't have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times' Good Tech Awards, FastCo's Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, Future Ventures, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others. For more information, please visit www.upsidefoods.com.

Media Contact

Brooke Whitney

[email protected]com

SOURCE UPSIDE Foods
NEW YORK, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The wine e-commerce market size is estimated to increase by USD 12,062.31 million from 2022 to 2027, at a CAGR of 8.15%, according to a recent market study by Technavio. This report also offers a 5-year historical (2017-2021) data projection of market size, segmentation, and region. Discover some insights on market size before buying the full report -Request a sample report

Wine E-commerce Market 2023-2027: Vendor Analysis and Scope

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Wine E-commerce Market

The wine e-commerce market report also offers information on the criticality of inputs, R&D, CAPEX, technology, and products of 15 vendors listed below - Bright Cellars Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., DRINKS Insiders LLC, E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA, Flaviar Inc., Fratelli Wines Pvt. Ltd., Gifts Inc., GoBrands Inc., IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C., Living Liquidz, Naked Wines plc, RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP., Retail Services and Systems Inc., SNAP41 Inc., The Wine Emporium, Uber Technologies Inc., VINELLO retail GmbH, Vintage Wine Estates Inc., Vivino Inc., and Wine Inc. Download Sample Report

Chart & Data Table on 5-Year Historic (2017-2021) Market Size, Comparative Analysis of Segments, and Y-O-Y Growth of Wine e-commerce Market

Wine E-commerce Market  Market Segmentation

The market is segmented by product type (still wine, sparkling wine, and fortified wine), and flavor (red wine, white wine, and rose wine) and geography ((North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The market share growth in the Still Wine segment will be significant during the forecast period. Still wines, including red, white, and rose wines, are non-carbonated wines and are widely available on e-commerce platforms. These platforms provide a diverse selection of still wines sourced from various countries, regions, and producers. Many e-commerce companies also offer subscription services, allowing customers to receive regular deliveries of still wines from different regions and producers. In Europe , wine still holds a significant position as one of the most favored alcoholic beverages.

Geographic Overview

The market is segmented by region (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa). An analysis of key leading countries has been included.

Europe is estimated to contribute 45% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. France , Italy , and Spain are major countries in the wine production industry. This region is the largest wine producer worldwide. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of sparkling wine in Europe has had a positive impact on the growth of the regional wine e-commerce market. The region consists of several well-established e-commerce platforms specializing in wine, including Vinatis, Wine in Black, and Wine Society. The ongoing trend of online shopping along with the growing demand for premium wines is expected to drive the market's expansion during the forecast period.

To procure the data - Buy the report!

Wine E-commerce Market  Market Dynamic

Key Driver

The increasing preference for online shopping is driving market growth. Customers are finding it convenient to purchase wine through e-commerce platforms, which offer a wide variety of wines at competitive prices and provide home delivery services. Factors such as the increasing demand for wine, higher Internet penetration, and the ease of buying wine online contribute to the growth of wine sales through digital platforms. Additionally, online auctions offer buyers the opportunity to bid on wines from any location worldwide. Hence, the increasing number of online buyers is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

Major Trends

Automation in wine warehousing is a major trend shaping the market. The integration of automation technologies within the wine industry offers significant benefits such as optimizing logistics and supply chain operations, cost reduction, and improved efficiency. For example, a collaboration between WineDirect, a wine logistics company, and Locus Robotics, a robotics firm, in 2021. By implementing automation in their fulfillment centers, WineDirect leveraged robots equipped with advanced sensors to navigate the warehouse and handle tasks such as order picking and packing. As a result, wine companies that adopt automation in their warehousing operations can effectively manage their inventory, enhance order accuracy, and ultimately increase their overall output.

Significant Challenge

A complex regulatory environment is a significant challenge restricting market growth. The prevalence of various laws and regulations in different jurisdictions is one of the major regulatory issues. For Instance, the various laws and policies governing the sale and transportation of wine in several US states. Additionally, the present conflict over tariffs on steel and aluminum between the United States and the European Union could have a negative effect on the market. Hence, these factors are expected to restrict the market growth during the forecast period.

For Insights on the market dynamics & segmentations VIEW PDF SAMPLE!

What are the key data covered in this Wine E-commerce Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the wine e-commerce market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the wine e-commerce market and its contribution to the market with a focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the wine e-commerce market across Europe , North America , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of wine e-commerce market vendors

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Wine E-commerce Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 8.15% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 12,062.31 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.58 Regional analysis Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution Europe at 45% Key countries US, China, France, UK, and Italy Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Bright Cellars Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., DRINKS Insiders LLC, E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA, Flaviar Inc., Fratelli Wines Pvt. Ltd., Gifts Inc., GoBrands Inc., IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C., Living Liquidz, Naked Wines plc, RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP., Retail Services and Systems Inc., SNAP41 Inc., The Wine Emporium, Uber Technologies Inc., VINELLO retail GmbH, Vintage Wine Estates Inc., Vivino Inc., and Wine Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market Overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Flavor



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global wine e-commerce market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global wine e-commerce market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Product type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Product type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Flavor Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Flavor Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Product Type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product Type

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product Type



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product Type

6.3 Still wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Still wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Still wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Still wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Still wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Sparkling wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Sparkling wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Sparkling wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Sparkling wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Sparkling wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Fortified wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Fortified wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Fortified wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Fortified wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Fortified wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Market opportunity by Product Type

Exhibit 46: Market opportunity by Product Type ($ million)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Market opportunity by Product Type ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Flavor

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 48: Chart on Flavor - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Flavor - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Flavor

Exhibit 50: Chart on Comparison by Flavor



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Comparison by Flavor

7.3 Red wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 52: Chart on Red wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Red wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 54: Chart on Red wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on Red wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 White wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 56: Chart on White wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on White wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 58: Chart on White wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on White wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Rose wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 60: Chart on Rose wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 61: Data Table on Rose wine - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 62: Chart on Rose wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on Rose wine - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Market opportunity by Flavor

Exhibit 64: Market opportunity by Flavor ($ million)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on Market opportunity by Flavor ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 66: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 67: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 68: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 69: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 71: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 73: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 77: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 79: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 80: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 81: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 85: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 89: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 91: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 92: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 93: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 94: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 95: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 97: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 99: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 101: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 103: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 104: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 105: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Italy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 107: Chart on Italy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 108: Data Table on Italy - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 109: Chart on Italy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on Italy - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 111: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)



Exhibit 112: Data Tables on Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 113: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 114: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 115: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 116: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 117: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 118: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Bright Cellars Inc.

Exhibit 119: Bright Cellars Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 120: Bright Cellars Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 121: Bright Cellars Inc. - Key offerings

12.4 Costco Wholesale Corp.

Exhibit 122: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 123: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 124: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 125: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Segment focus

12.5 E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA

Exhibit 126: E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA - Overview



Exhibit 127: E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: E vino Comercio de Vinhos SA - Key offerings

12.6 Flaviar Inc.

Exhibit 129: Flaviar Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Flaviar Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: Flaviar Inc. - Key offerings

12.7 IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C.

Exhibit 132: IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C. - Overview



Exhibit 133: IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C. - Product / Service



Exhibit 134: IBEROWINE GOURMET S.C. - Key offerings

12.8 Naked Wines plc

Exhibit 135: Naked Wines plc - Overview



Exhibit 136: Naked Wines plc - Business segments



Exhibit 137: Naked Wines plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 138: Naked Wines plc - Segment focus

12.9 RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP.

Exhibit 139: RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP. - Overview



Exhibit 140: RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP. - Product / Service



Exhibit 141: RESERVEBAR HOLDINGS CORP. - Key offerings

12.10 Retail Services and Systems Inc.

Exhibit 142: Retail Services and Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 143: Retail Services and Systems Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 144: Retail Services and Systems Inc. - Key offerings

12.11 SNAP41 Inc.

Exhibit 145: SNAP41 Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 146: SNAP41 Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 147: SNAP41 Inc. - Key offerings

12.12 The Wine Emporium

Exhibit 148: The Wine Emporium - Overview



Exhibit 149: The Wine Emporium - Product / Service



Exhibit 150: The Wine Emporium - Key offerings

12.13 Uber Technologies Inc.

Exhibit 151: Uber Technologies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 152: Uber Technologies Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 153: Uber Technologies Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 154: Uber Technologies Inc. - Segment focus

12.14 VINELLO retail GmbH

Exhibit 155: VINELLO retail GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 156: VINELLO retail GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 157: VINELLO retail GmbH - Key offerings

12.15 Vintage Wine Estates Inc.

Exhibit 158: Vintage Wine Estates Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 159: Vintage Wine Estates Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 160: Vintage Wine Estates Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 161: Vintage Wine Estates Inc. - Segment focus

12.16 Vivino Inc.

Exhibit 162: Vivino Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 163: Vivino Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 164: Vivino Inc. - Key offerings

12.17 Wine Inc.

Exhibit 165: Wine Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 166: Wine Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 167: Wine Inc. - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 168: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 169: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 170: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 171: Research methodology



Exhibit 172: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 173: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 174: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com

SOURCE Technavio
An Extraordinary Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is held in Paris, France, June 30, 2023. The 193 member states of UNESCO approved on Friday during an Extraordinary Session of the General Conference, the proposal submitted by the United States to rejoin the organization. After two days of discussions, 132 member states voted in favor and 10 against the return of the U.S. to the organization from which the U.S. has withdrawn twice, causing a negative impact on the organization's work. (Xinhua/Zhang Baihui)

PARIS, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The 193 member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved on Friday during an Extraordinary Session of the General Conference, the proposal submitted by the United States to rejoin the organization.

After two days of discussions, 132 member states voted in favor and 10 against the return of the U.S. to the organization from which the U.S. has withdrawn twice, causing a negative impact on the organization's work.

The U.S. will fund the equivalent of 22 percent of the organization's regular budget, according to a press release from UNESCO.

Besides the progressive payment of the arrears, the U.S. will also make voluntary contributions to fund programs including those supporting access to education in Africa and the memory of the Holocaust, UNESCO said.

Speaking to the press after voting, Yang Jin, permanent representative of China to UNESCO, said that the U.S. should contribute to promoting the unity and cooperation of the organization after its return, instead of engaging in confrontation and division.

"China urges the U.S., following its return to UNESCO, to fulfill its obligations and commitments, pay membership dues in full and on time, and pay off as soon as possible the dues owed to UNESCO for many years," he said.

Yang also called on the U.S. to adhere to true multilateralism, respect the sovereignty and social systems of all countries, respect and maintain social diversity, refrain from ideological confrontation, and commit to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation among member states.

The United States pulled out of UNESCO twice, in 1984 and 2017. In June this year, the U.S. sent a letter to the director-general of UNESCO, proposing to rejoin the organization as early as July based on a concrete financial plan, which includes a commitment to repay its estimated arrears of 619 million U.S. dollars. 

An Extraordinary Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is held in Paris, France, June 30, 2023. The 193 member states of UNESCO approved on Friday during an Extraordinary Session of the General Conference, the proposal submitted by the United States to rejoin the organization. After two days of discussions, 132 member states voted in favor and 10 against the return of the U.S. to the organization from which the U.S. has withdrawn twice, causing a negative impact on the organization's work. (Xinhua/Zhang Baihui)
BEIJING, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily: Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 28 sent a congratulatory letter to a forum on people-to-people friendship between China and the United States.

The event, titled "Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum," is being held in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province.

In the letter, Xi said that back in 1992, he invited Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to Kuliang, helping her fulfill the wish of her late husband to return to his childhood home. In the following 30 years and more, members of the Kuliang Friends and people from various sectors of both countries have delved deep into the history of this town, actively spread its culture, and worked tirelessly to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

Kuliang is where a touching story of China-U.S. friendship happened.

In 1901, Milton Gardner, born in the United States, came to live in Fuzhou with his parents when he was still in his infancy, and his whole family moved back to the United States in 1911. Gardner had been longing for revisiting his childhood home, but had never been able to make his wish fulfilled.

Gardner's story was told by an article published on People's Daily on April 1992. In 2012, when visiting the United States as China's vice president, Xi shared the Kuliang story with the audience at a welcome luncheon held by American friendly groups, drawing warm response from all sectors in the two countries.

Amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of its growth, Xi said. "I hope that you will continue to write the Kuliang story and carry forward the special bonds, so that the friendship between our two peoples can stay forever strong and robust like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang."

Lee Gardner is a grandnephew of Milton Gardner. Though the man, in his seventies, is physically challenged, he still came to China to join the forum this time. It marked his fourth time returning to Kuliang.

Lee Gardner's grandfather and father were all born in Fuzhou. This time, he returned to Kuliang wearing a tie in "Chinese red."

Opening an album of his family, Lee Gardner told People's Daily that his entire family is grateful to Xi, and the Chinese President's efforts to help an American senior fulfill his wish have touched many people in the United States.

Elyn Maclnnis, is the Lead Researcher of the Kuliang Tourism and Culture Research Association. Her husband Peter MacInnis was born in China, and her father-in-law Donald MacInnis was once a member of the Flying Tigers, a formidable group of volunteer fighter pilots who helped China fight the Japanese invasion.

After hearing the letter from Xi at the forum, Elyn Maclnnis noted that the three generations of her family all have a bond with China and love the country very much.

In 2015, the woman started studying the history and culture of Kuliang through conversations with the members of Kuliang Friends. In her point of view, the Kuliang story mirrors the peace and friendship carried by this piece of land.

"Thanks to the efforts of President Xi, the Kuliang story of China-U.S. friendship is known to the world. The article was published on April 8, 1992, and me and Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner arrived in Fuzhou on August 21. This was organized by President Xi. He is as easy-going as family," said Liu Zhonghan, author of the 1992 People's Daily article.

He said that the forum, which was joined by many from the United States, reflected the people-to-people friendship between the two countries.

Currently, the international community is generally concerned about today's U.S.-China relations, and it's more important than ever for the two countries to inherit their friendship, transcend disputes, find common value and establish a heart-to-heart bond, said Luca Barone, who received Xi when the latter visited Iowa in 1985 as the party secretary of Zhengding county in China's northern province of Hebei.

Barone noted that the Kuliang story is inspiring and shows what true friendship is.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told People's Daily that non-governmental friendship is a foundation on which different countries enhance mutual understanding, expand consensus and strengthen friendliness.

Xi's congratulatory letter is of vital significance for the United States and China to get rid of the difficulties in their relations and restart communication in all fields, Kuhn said, adding that it demonstrates China's sincerity in developing China-U.S. relations and commitment to cooperation.

Kuhn hopes that the people-to-people friendship between the United States and China can be passed down from generation to generation and help the two countries improve their relations.

SOURCE People's Daily
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Kericho : , July 1 (IANS) At least 45 people were killed and several others injured in a road accident along a busy highway in western Kenya, the police confirmed.

Tom Odero, Rift Valley Regional police commander, said on Friday that the accident occurred on 6:30 p.m. after the driver of a truck lost control and the vehicle rammed into pedestrians, hawkers, and some vehicles parked by the roadside in Kericho County.

"We have about 45 bodies, and the toll may rise," Odero told Xinhua on the phone, adding that several victims are still trapped inside vehicles and others under the truck.

"Rescue efforts have been slowed by heavy rains being witnessed at the scene," Odero added.

According to the police, the truck was heading to Kericho town before it lost control and veered off the road along the Nakuru-Kericho highway, Xinhua news agency reported.

An estimated 3,000 Kenyans die in road accidents in Kenya annually despite concerted efforts by the state and the private sector to promote safety on the highways, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority.
Bucharest, July 1 : A foreign national shot dead two people at Moldova's Chisinau International airport after being denied entry into the country, the Interior Ministry said.

The country's special police force, Fulger, detained the perpetrator after the incident. He was wounded during the action and received medical care, the Moldpres news agency said on Friday, referencing information released by the Interior Ministry.

The suspect is a 43-year-old citizen of Tajikistan, Prime Minister Dorin Recean wrote on social media as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

While accompanying him to a special area for being returned, he shot dead a border policeman and an airport security employee, with an arm stolen from an employee of the Border Police, Recean said.

A passenger has been wounded and taken into medical care, he added.

While the immediate danger has been averted at the airport, commercial activity and flights continue to be suspended as of now, the Border Police said.
Paris, July 1 : Violence continued in France after a police officer shot dead a 17-year-old teenager four days ago in Nanterre, western Paris suburbs, with 667 arrests across the country, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Friday.

"Last night, our police officers, gendarmes and firefighters bravely faced once again rare violence," the Minister said on Friday on social media, adding that the security forces, following his "firm instructions," arrested 667 people across the country.

In the Ile-de-France region, the police said that 307 rioters were arrested overnight, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Minister also said that 249 police officers and gendarmes were injured overnight.

According to authorities, some 40,000 police forces were deployed on Thursday across the country to maintain order, including 5,000 in Paris.

Although Valerie Pecresse, President of the Ile-de-France region, announced on Thursday that buses and tramways would not be running in the region from Thursday after 9 p.m. local time, rioters still burned 12 buses in a bus centre in Aubervilliers, suburbs of Paris.

According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, 3,880 fires were counted on Thursday evening on public roads. Some 1,919 vehicles were burnt as well as 492 buildings.

Visiting on Friday the police station in Evry-Courcouronnes, Ile-de-France region, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the government would not exclude the possibility of restoring a state of emergency.

On Tuesday, a French police officer opened fire and killed the 17-year-old teenager while the latter refused to comply to pull over his car.

The police officer who fired his gun later told investigators that he had acted for fear of the car causing a fatal accident.

Tuesday's shooting triggered violent protests on Wednesday throughout France, which led to the police arresting nearly 150 people in major French cities.
Brasilia, July 1 : Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office for eight years after he was found guilty of abusing power and misusing public media during the 2022 election campaign.

On Friday, five out of seven judges found Bolsonaro guilty, dashing his hopes of making a political comback in the next presidential election slated to take place in 2026, reports CNN.

The case stems from a meeting Bolsonaro held with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, in which he spread false information about Brazil's electoral system.

The meeting was livestreamed by official television channels and on YouTube.

YouTube took down the livestream of the event for not complying with its fake news policy.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the court, cast his vote last.

"Let us reaffirm our faith in our democracy and the rule of law," CNN quoted the judge as saying after voting in favour of the guilty verdict.

Moraes added that with the vote Brazilian authorities would show they do not tolerate "criminal extremism attacking the powers of the state, fake news, disinformation to try to deceive voters".

While dismissing any wrongdoing, Bolsonaro told reporters later on Friday that he plans to appeal the verdict.

In the October 2022 presidential election, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was banned from standing for office after being convicted in a fraud case, received more than 60 million votes, or 50.89 per cent of the ballots, surpassing Bolsonaro's 58 million votes, or 49.11 per cent.

This was the smallest margin in a runoff election in Brazil's history.
Los Angeles, July 1 : An electrical transformer exploded at the premises of the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, causing a brief fire which led to black smoke in the area, authorities said.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire on Friday was contained to the area of the transformer and was doused just a few minutes after it erupted, reports NBC Los Angeles.

No studio buildings were damaged by flames, the Department added.

Fire crews responded to at least one report of people trapped in an elevator on the studio lot, where electricity was cut due to the transformer fire, City News Service reported.

There were however, no reports of injuries, the Department added.
London, July 1 : Kings Charles III and Queen Camilla presented the prestigious Mark Shand Award and the Tara Award to Oscar-winning filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and a wildlife conservation group from India, at the 2023 Animal Ball in London.

Kartiki, the director of 'The Elephant Whisperers' and the Tamil Nadu-based The Real Elephant Collective (TREC) were honoured by the Royals on June 28 for making significant contributions to human-wildlife coexistence.

"The Tara Award, inspired by the sacred bond between elephants and humans, recognises extraordinary achievements in storytelling and advocacy for coexistence. We were delighted to present this award to Kartiki Gonsalves," the award citation read.

'The Elephant Whisperers' explores the profound connection between humans and elephants through the heartwarming story of Raghu, an orphaned elephant and an indigenous couple in the forests of Tamil Nadu.

Honouring the filmmaker as a true champion for wildlife and nature, the citation further said that the "globally acclaimed documentary stands as a testament to the beauty of Indiaas wilderness, the wisdom of tribal communities, and the empathy that exists between people and animals who share the same space".

The Mark Shand Award, named in honour of the Queen's brother and founder of Elephant Family that works to protect Asiaas wildlife, went to The Real Elephant Collective (TREC) -- a community of 70 Adivasi artists and wildlife conservationists.

Led by Shubhra Nayar, a graduate of the National Institute of Design in India, TERC works with indigenous communities to present intricate sculptural representations of wild elephants they coexist with.

Situated in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu -- an area with the highest human and elephant density in the world -- TREC has "fostered a unique understanding and coexistence between people and wildlife".

The sculptures, made from the invasive weed lantana camara, provide livelihood opportunities for Adivasi (indigenous) communities while contributing to the removal of this harmful weed from protected areas.

"Their efforts have not only benefited the environment but also enhanced the communitiesa values, income, and status without compromising their indigenous way of life," the citation read.

TREC has paved the way for the establishment of the CoExistence Consortium -- an India-wide group that brings together local experts, ecologists, anthropologists, geographers, and conservationists.

Working hand-in-hand with communities living alongside wildlife, the consortium designs and implements coexistence solutions that prioritise the perspectives and needs of these communities.

The Animal Ball is Londonas most inspired and creative tribute to the Animal Kingdom.

Presented by Elephant Family and Tintra Foundation, the famous masked Animal Ball aims to raise vital funds for conservation programmes in South Asia.

Conjured up by fashionas greatest creative minds including Prada, Chloe, Burberry, Charlotte Olympia and Missoni, each iteration sees a collection of sustainable animal headgear adorn Londonas bright and beautiful, in a homage to endangered animals everywhere.

India was represented by designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, and Anita Dongre, who created masks for guests at the event.

In an Instagram post, Mukherjee said the King and Queen wore Shola masks that paid homage to Bengalas heritage and culture.

Shola is the craft of carving sholapith, a spongy cork from the aquatic plant that grows in the marshlands of West Bengal.

The multi-coloured menagerie was previously hosted by the royal couple and has raised millions for conservation efforts.

--IANS

mi/ksk
New Delhi, July 1 : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday said that they have arrested a Benin national at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for smuggling 43 capsules containing heroin worth Rs 5 crore.

"The medical examination of the accused passenger revealed that he had swallowed 43 capsules containing a narcotic substance. White-colored powder/granules were recovered from inside his body," said the official.

The official said that the recovered heroin was valued at approximately Rs 5 crore.

"The accused violated the provisions of Section 8 of the NDPS Act and committed offenses punishable under Sections 21, 23, and 29 of the NDPS Act. Consequently, he was placed under arrest under Section 43(b) of the NDPS Act," said the official.

The suspected heroin capsules were seized under Section 43(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The accused was produced before a Mumbai Court which later remanded him to 14 days judicial custody.

--IANS

atk/prw
HARARE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwean government on Friday signed an agreement with the EU for the bloc to observe the country's general elections set for August.

This follows President Emmerson Mnangagwa's invitation to international organizations to observe the elections.

The agreement was signed between Zimbabwe's Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Amon Murwira and EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Jobst von Kirchmann.

Murwira said the EU Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) is expected to maintain strict impartiality, objectivity and independence in the conduct of its mandate.

The Zimbabwean government will provide the EU EOM with any assistance required to implement its mandate, Murwira said. 
San Francisco, July 1 : Goldman Sachs, which partnered Apple on the launch of Apple Card four years ago, may be eyeing an exit and is reportedly planning to offload its partnership to American Express.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the investment banking firm is "looking for a way out" of its high-profile deal with Apple.

"A retreat from the Apple credit card would effectively end Goldman Sachs's consumer-lending business," the report noted.

Apple and Goldman did not immediately comment on the report. The shift to American Express could affect where Apple cardholders can use their card. Apple Cards are currently issued by Mastercard, which is accepted at a majority of retailers across the US, while American Express has a bit less reach.

Apple launched its credit card in partnership with Goldman Sachs in 2019. Earlier this year, Goldman CEO David Solomon said he was "considering strategic alternatives" for the investment firm's consumer arm. There are reports that Apple Card may soon enter the Indian market, although the company has not said anything about the plan.

In April, Apple launched a new high-yield savings account for Apple Card users that comes with a 4.15 annual percentage yield (APY). Users can also withdraw funds at any time through the Savings dashboard by transferring them to a linked bank account or to their Apple Cash card, with no fees.

--IANS

na/svn
Paris, July 1 : At least 471 people were arrested overnight across France as violent protests against the police killing of a teenager continued for a fourth straight night, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced.

In a statement, he said a "downturn" was witnessed in the unrest on Friday, with 471 arrests compared to the 917 the previous night, reports the BBC.

Although the situation in the Paris region was calmer in the Paris region, things remained tense in Marseille and Lyon, he added.

The Minister said in a tweet that reinforcements would be sent to Marseille following reports by the local mayor of violence and looting.

The government had deployed 45,000 police personnel, special units, armored vehicles and helicopters to maintain law and order and keep the violence in check.

But despite this, widespread violence, vandalism and looting took place in cities across the country, with buildings and vehicles set on fire.

Protests continued into the early hours of Saturday morning in defiance of a ban announced on Friday on all "large-scale events" in the country, with rioting breaking out in several cities, CNN quoted the local BFMTV as saying in a report.

Social media footages of Lyon showed rapid gunfire from an automatic rifle at night, fireworks being released at a protest and demonstrators next to burning fires.

There was an explosion in the Old Port of Marseille on Friday evening, according to BFMTV, but no casualties had been reported.

It also shared video showing damage to the Alcazar library in Marseille which it said had been vandalised during the night.

The unrest is in response to the death of 17-year-old Nahel, who was shot dead during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, CNN reported.

Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the driver's side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger.

The officer has said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache.

The officer currently faces a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

On Friday morning, the government had also called on regional authorities to shut down overnight bus and tram services nationwide, the BBC reported.

Meanwhile, the ioting in France has spilled over into Belgium, with dozens of arrests being reported.

According to local French media, some 100 people were arrested in Brussels.

This level of unrest and rioting has not been seen since 2005 when the deaths of two teenage boys who were hiding from police sparked weeks of rioting and prompted the government to call a state of emergency.

But the French government has so far resisted calling a state of emergency this time around.

A spokesperson for the Elysee said on Friday that a state of emergency was "not necessary" and that a "gradual response" to the violence seen in recent days was "more appropriate".

The spokesperson noted that the 2005 state of emergency was called "after about 9 days of violence," adding that the law surrounding it was an "exception" that should be used only "when the situation on the ground requires it", reports CNN

"This is not the revolt of neighborhoods. This is not about disenfranchised neighborhoods. This is the action of a delinquent minority," the spokesperson said, denying there was any racial motivation behind the shooting and insisting it was an "individual act" that did not represent the police at large.
Kolkata, July 1 : Issues relating to functioning of state-run universities in West Bengal seems to be turning into a permanent area of confrontation between the Raj Bhavan and the state secretary.

Governor C.V. Ananda Bose's proposal for creation of the post of "student vice-chancellors' from among extraordinary meritorious students of the universities concerned has upset the state education department.

According to the Governor, the "student vice-chancellor" can be appointed from among the extraordinarily meritorious students, who have displayed excellent performance at the post- graduation level and are currently undergoing doctorate or other higher studies.

State education minister Bratya Basu said that although he is not quite aware of the exact proposal on this count, the appointment of vice-chancellors will have to be made as per guidelines set by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

"The UGC norms clearly say that anyone appointed as the vice chancellor of any state university will have to have a minimum experience in the post of professor, which means that the total teaching experience will be to the tune of 20 years," he said.

On Friday only, it was announced that the Governor's House in Bengal will be introducing parallel awards on its behalf for outstanding educationists, students and researchers associated with these state universities. It led to another tussle as traditionally the state education department had been the authority for announcing such awards in the education sector of the state.

Recently, the Raj Bhavan-State Secretariat spar reached its peak as the Governor appointed interim vice-chancellors for 11 state universities and the state government decided to stop payment of allowances and other financial entitlements to them.

The matter reached the Calcutta High Court and finally on June 26, a division bench dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed challenging the decision of the Governor to appoint interim vice- chancellors for 11 state universities without the concurrence of the state education department.

It also observed that the appointments of vice-chancellors in 11 state universities were totally valid.

The bench also observed that it is the responsibility of the state government to pay the salaries, allowances and other financial entitlements to these vice-chancellors. *IANS* *src/*
New York, July 1 : A former Pfizer statistician and his accomplice, both hailing from India, have been charged with insider trading by the US financial regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC's complaint, filed in a district court in New York, charged Amit Dagar and Atul Bhiwapurkar with violating the anti-fraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Exchange Act Rule 10b-5.

Dagar and and his close friend and business partner, Bhiwapurkar, participated in an insider trading scheme in November 2021 to reap illicit profits from options trading based on inside information about the results of clinical trials of Paxlovid, a medicine used to treat Covid-19.

Dagar, 44, of Hillsborough in New Jersey was a senior statistical program lead for the Paxlovid drug trial, which began in July 2021 as part of the company's efforts to address the global health pandemic.

On or about November 4, 2021, he learned that a Pfizer trial of the drug Paxlovid -- a medicine designed to treat mild to severe Covid infection -- had produced positive results, the Southern District of New York Attorney's Office announced .

The results were confidential and meant to remain so until Pfizer publicised them on or about November 5, 2021.

Later that same day, and while those results remained confidential, Dagar purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money call options in Pfizer stock. He also tipped his close friend, Bhiwapurkar about the coming drug results and the latter also purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options that expired approximately two weeks later.

Bhiwapurka also tipped another friend who similarly purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options that expired approximately three weeks later.

On November 5, 2021, and before the market opened, Pfizer publicly released results of its Paxlovid study. That same day, following the publication of the positive results, Pfizer's stock price increased substantially, opening -- and eventually closing -- more than 10 per cent higher than the prior day's closing price.

According to SEC, Dagar's and Bhiwapurkar's trading generated approximately $214,395 and $60,300, respectively, in illicit profits, which amounted to one-day investment returns of 2,458 per cent and 791 per cent.

"As alleged in our complaint, Amit Dagar misused his access to confidential clinical trial results to enrich himself and his friend, Atul Bhiwapurkar," said Joseph Sansone, Chief of SEC's Market Abuse Unit.

"Dagar and Bhiwapurkar allegedly leveraged this information by trading out-of-the-money call options to generate massive one-day returns," Sansone added.

Dagar who was arrested on June 29, has been charged with four counts of securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Bhiwapurkar of Milpitas in California, who was arrested the same day, has been charged with two counts of securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The case originated from the SEC's Market Abuse Unit's Analysis and Detection Center, which uses data analysis tools to detect suspicious trading patterns.

--IANS

mi/ksk
Bhopal, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh on Saturday and launch a campaign to eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia, a genetic disease in tribal population, in Shahdol.

He is scheduled to arrive in Shahdol - one of the tribal populated district in the state - at 3.30 p.m.

Notably, the tribal population of eight districts are affected with Sickle cell disease (SCD), which is a genetic condition characterised by abnormal hemoglobin in red blood cells (RBCs).

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has reported high incidence of sickle cell anaemia in six tribes spread across 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The tribes - Pradhan, Panika, Barela, Bhilala, Jharia and Mehra a" are mostly affected with it.

As many as 15 districts a" Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Burhanpur, Betul, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Dindori, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol and Anuppur a" are with high index of sickle cell anaemia, according to ICMR report.

The initiative to eliminate this genetic disease from tribal people was announced by PM Modi during a visit to Bhopal on the occasion of - Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on November 15, 2021.

According to ICMR, in Sickle Cell disease, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregular shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

The Mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population. "The launch will mark a crucial milestone in the Government's ongoing efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047," the Prime Minister's Office release stated.

Notably, the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023.

This will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high-focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand, the release added.

The health ministry will steer the screening through the National Health Mission, with targets set for states and the tribal affairs ministry. They will focus on awareness, counselling and assisting health workers in reaching tribal clusters for screening.
Lahore, July 1 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz urged that the $3 billion pact signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should be the country's last loan programme with the global lender.

The staff-level agreement is on a $3 billion stand-by arrangement, which is subject to approval by the lender's executive board, the IMF said on Friday.

The long-awaited decision comes after an eight-month delay and offers some respite to Pakistan, which is battling an acute balance of payments crisis and falling foreign exchange reserves, Dawn reported.

On Friday, Sharif said it was not a "moment of pride but a moment of contemplation", questioning whether nations developed on the back of loans.

"Never, forget this, we were forced to take this loan and it is my prayer  that this is the last time Pakistan goes into an IMF programme and we never have to take a loan again," he added.

Regarding his talks with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, the Prime Minister said he had had multiple conversations and exchanges with her in which the Finance Minister and his team presented their facts but despite all that, no progress was being achieved, Dawn reported.

He added that in a meeting with the managing director in Paris last week, he had told her that the government had fulfilled the Fund's conditions and put its political capital at stake "just so that we can prevent Pakistan from defaulting and we took bitter steps for the country's economic stability".
New Delhi, July 1 : Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condoled the death of 25 passengers in Maharashtra road accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In a tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said, "The news of the bus accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana is saddening. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved family members in this difficult time. I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured."

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal expressed grief on the bus accident and said, "Disturbed to hear about the tragic bus accident near Buldhana, Maharashtra taking over 25 lives. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy, and I wish for a speedy recovery of the injured."

The remarks of the Congress leaders came after at least 25 passengers were charred to death and eight others injured after a bus burst into flames following a major accident on the Nagpur-Mumbai super-expressway in Buldhana on Saturday.

The private luxury bus, belonging to Vidarbha Travels, was en route from Nagpur to Pune and the tragedy occurred near the Sindhkhedraja area at around 1.25 a.m. There were 33 people on board, including two drivers and a cleaner. The eight injured persons have been admitted to the Buldhana civil hospital for treatment.
Buldhana, July 1 : A suspected tyre burst might have caused the horrific accident on the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway on Saturday that claimed the lives of 25 people, including three children, officials said.

According to preliminary enquiries, investigators said that the bus driver might have lost control after the tyre burst, the vehicle hit an electric pole and veered onto the road-divider, overturned and skid for some distance before the diesel tank burst into flames.

The accident area has been lashed by heavy rain in the past few days and the bus was speeding from Nagpur to Pune at that hour, said officials.

One of the two bus drivers, who survived the tragedy, has been detained by the police for questioning and more precise details on the possible causes of the accident are expected to emerge later.

Virendra Darne, proprietor of the Vidarbha Travels company which owned the ill-fated bus, said he bought the vehicle in January 2020, but was grounded for a year due to lockdown and added the driver Danish was experienced.

However, possibly due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, it caught fire, claimed Darne, and the bus had 27 passengers as per the manifest with the company.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, IGP Jayant Naiknavare, Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasne and other senior officials rushed to the spot early this morning and reviewed the relief operations.

At least 33 people were on board the bus, including two drivers and a cleaner.

Eight injured people have been admitted to the Buldhana civil hospital for treatment.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have condoled the deaths in the accident.

Opposition Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, state President Nana Patole, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, National Working President Supriya Sule, General Secretary Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena (UBT)as Sanjay Raut, Kishore Tiwari and several other state leaders expressed grief over the tragedy.

Modi declared an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF plus Rs 50,000 for the injured, while Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each deceased, and free treatment for the injured.

Fadnavis said that the police are probing the cause of the accident whether it was due to human error or other causes, while ruling out any technical or construction glitches as the possible trigger for the tragedy.
Ahmedabad, July 1 : The Gujarat High Court will on July 7 hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's review petition regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational degree.

This comes after the court on March 31 had set aside an order from the Central Information Commission (CIC) that directed the Gujarat University to search for information regarding Modi's degree.

The court had also that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was not obligated to provide the degree and post-graduate degree certificates of the Prime Minister.

It further imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Kejriwal.

Justice Biren Vaishnav, after admitting the review petition, issued notices to the Gujarat University, the Centre, the Chief Information Commissioner, and former CIC M. Sridhar Acharyulu, who had passed the order.

In his review petition, Kejriwal highlighted that Modi's post-graduate degree was not available on the university's website or in the public domain, contradicting the claims made by the institute and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the university.

The review petition pointed out that although the court had recorded that the degree was available on the varsity's website based on Mehta's submissions, a scan of the site revealed that the degree was not accessible, but instead, a document referred to as OR (Office Register) was displayed.

Kejriwal argued that Mehta had orally submitted for the first time on the day of the hearing that the degree was available on the website, leaving no opportunity for verification, and the OR document cannot be considered a degree as claimed by the university.

The AAP convenor clarified that he had not filed any application for information and had only written a letter in response to a letter from the CIC in April 2016.

He stated that he never requested the CIC to treat him as an applicant for the information and that the CIC had taken up the proceedings suo motu.

The review petition sought a review of the judgment and a stay on the implementation of the verdict until final disposal.
Bhopal, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly pitched for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in his very first public meeting in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on June 27 after returning from his visit to the US and Egypt.

Since then, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Home Minister Narottam Mishra and MP unit BJP president V. D. Sharma are leading the UCC campaign in the state while echoing the line of PM Modi that, "In a home, can there be one law for one member and another law for another member?"

As the poll bugles have already sounded in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP has prepared to take PM Modi's message of the UCC to the grassroots in a bid to convince the people that the concept is in the interest of the country.

How will it impact the political discourse in the run up to the Assembly elections just four months away and the general elections slated for next year? Political analysts at this stage have differing opinions. They believe that it may have an impact in the Lok Sabha polls, but not in the assembly elections.

"The UCC issue may have a little impact in the Lok Sabha elections as the people would see it in terms of national interest as the BJP is setting a narrative, but it will not have any impact in the assembly elections as the people will vote for their personal interest," said N. K. Singh, a Madhya Pradesh-based political analyst.

Other political observers claimed that the UCC may have an impact in the Lok Sabha seats reserved for tribals. Notably, Madhya Pradesh has the highest tribal population in India - about 21.5 per cent, according to the 2011 Census - while SCs comprise 15.6 per cent.

Out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state, 10 seats are reserved for the SC/ST and four seats are reserved for SC candidates namely Bhind, Tikamgarh, Dewas and Ujjain. Shahdol, Mandla, Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone and Betul constituencies are reserved for the ST. In 2019, the BJP had bagged 28 seats.

In the assembly elections, 47 out of the 230 seats are under the reserved category. BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh have been tasked to refute any misinformation campaign by the Opposition related to the Uniform Civil Code especially in the tribal-dominated seats.

Sources told IANS that in a meeting held recently in Bhopal, the RSS functionaries suggested that all booth-level units be educated to counter such campaigns targeted to damage the BJPas prospects in the tribal and Scheduled Caste (SC)-dominated seats in the upcoming assembly elections.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday slammed the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi for raising questions about PM Modi's endorsement of the UCC.

Mishra has countered Owaisi saying the latter was speaking the language of the Congress.
This aerial photo taken on June 28, 2023 shows a sculpture in Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

NANCHANG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- In the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum, 15-year-old Luo Minhua downloaded an augmented reality (AR) treasure hunt app on her phone. Then, she explored displayed items according to clues provided by the app, including historical figures and revolutionary stories.

"It is quite a novel way to make the revolutionary stories in textbooks come to life, and make them more impressive," Luo said, interacting with the museum collections via AR technology.

July 1 this year marks the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Luo is one of many young people who have flocked to Jinggangshan -- known as the cradle of the Chinese revolution -- to retrace the history and learn the Jinggangshan Spirit.

In October 1927, Mao Zedong led a fledgling group of Chinese revolutionaries deep into the mountains around Jinggangshan in east China's Jiangxi Province, where they established the first rural revolutionary base of the CPC. The Jinggangshan Spirit -- standing firm in convictions, working hard, seeking truth from facts, daring to break new roads, relying on people, and fighting for victories -- was nurtured and has been passed down through generations.

This aerial photo taken on June 28, 2023 shows the former residence of Comrade Mao Zedong in Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Provinc. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

"To cater to the preferences of young people and offer them an immersive experience, we have fully utilized AR, virtual reality and mixed reality technology to diversify the display methods," said Luo Huanan, a staff worker at the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum.

Luo said that 425 revolutionary cultural relics in the museum have been digitalized through 3D modeling technology.

In recent years, more and more young people have become interested in the Jinggangshan Spirit, devoting themselves to promoting the revolutionary history of the area.

In a studio near the museum, Mao Haofu was busy preparing an education lecture. Since 2017, the 34-year-old has given some 4,000 bilingual lectures on the Jinggangshan Spirit to visitors from home and abroad.

To narrate Jinggangshan's history with lucid and engaging storytelling, Mao visits the descendants of the Red Army and researches historical materials as often as possible.

This aerial photo taken on June 28, 2023 shows a sculpture representing Red Army soldiers in Jinggangshan, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

After studying in Britain, Mao worked in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi. He later quit his job and returned to his hometown of Jinggangshan.

His choice was influenced by his father and grandfather, who both devoted themselves into the research and education of the Party history.

Encouraged by Mao's studio, a group of local schoolchildren, including descendants of revolutionary martyrs, has volunteered to offer guiding services to visitors at historical sites during school holidays. To date, they have welcomed a total of more than 70,000 people.

The rich historical resources in Jinggangshan have also offered business and job opportunities for young people.

Xie Yanjun, 34, returned to his hometown Gutian Village in Jinggangshan's Getian Township in 2018 and began establishing an educational base in the village to develop a social project that integrates revolutionary culture.

Among the 21 employees at his company, nine were born after 2000 and the rest were born after 1990. The once regressive village is becoming younger and more lively.

At the 33-hectare base, visitors can retrace history, read revolutionary books and magazines, and experience activities that were common during the revolutionary period.

"We welcomed over 20,000 adolescents to participate in social practices in 2021, when the base was built," said Xie, noting that the base has received some 10,000 visitors so far this year.

The successful social project combined with rural tourism and health tourism has fattened villagers' wallets. Local Ai Quanxiu got involved in the social project in 2021, opening a bed and breakfast in the village.

"I have five rooms that can accommodate as many as 30 guests," Ai said. She earned 6,000 yuan (about 830 U.S. dollars) in June.

According to Zhang Yurong, Party chief of Gutian Village, 76 households have benefitted from the social project. Among them, one household had an annual income exceeding 100,000 yuan. 
Mumbai, June 30 : Kathak dancers from 'Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical' performed to music composer Naushad's 'Pyaar kiya toh darna kya' at the Niagara Falls.

The group of three waterfalls spanning the border between Ontario (Canada) and New York (US) became the backdrop against which team 'Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical' announced the beginning of their Canada tour. The stage musical will put up performances in Toronto and Vancouver.

Earlier, the dancers performed the same song in New York's Times Square on May 24.

Director Feroz Abbas Khan said in a statement: "It is thrilling that even more than 60 years after its release, the music from K. Asif's 'Mughal-E-Azam' continues to move and stir even those who don't understand Hindi or Urdu."

Deepesh Salgia, who helms the Creative & Strategic Vision for the musical, added: "I will never be able to forget the expressions of awe and wonder on the faces of the onlookers at Niagara Falls. It just vindicated my belief that art that comes from the heart never grows dated."

'Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical', is a broadway-style musical adapted from K. Asif's Hindi cinema epic and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji Group. The musical is currently on a 13-city tour in New York, Chicago and Toronto.
Hyderabad, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has brought the controversial issue to the centrestage of Indian politics.

The issue is likely to generate a lot of political heat in Telangana, where the Assembly elections are due to be held later this year.

The UCC has been one of the three key issues on the BJP's agenda since its inception. After its success in building Ram temple at Ayodhya and scrapping Article 370, the saffron party now has its eyes set on the third goal.

Whether the country will ultimately agree to the UCC given the vast diversity of religious, ethnic, regional and linguistic groups across the states and their practices is debatable but political observers say the BJP clearly senses the huge electoral benefits it can yield from the highly emotive issue.

With elections in several states, including Telangana, are due this year followed by general elections in 2024, BJP is likely to go all out to capitalise on the "polarising issue".

Political analysts say the saffron party which suffered a big jolt with the defeat in Karnataka Assembly elections, desperately needed an emotive issue to whip up sentiments and thus lift the sagging morale of its rank and file.

The BJP, which was looking aggressive in Telangana till a few weeks ago with leadership confident of capturing power in the state, found itself on back foot after the defeat in neighbouring Karnataka.

The Karnataka outcome not only halted the joining of some rebels from ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and leaders from other parties into BJP but also embolden the dissidents within the party to raise a banner of revolt against the state leadership.

A section of leaders, including MLAs Eatala Rajender and Raghunandan Rao and former MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, openly aired their views, targeting state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

The rumblings within the party and the reported statement of a senior leader that the BJP is trailing far behind at third position in the state embarrassed the party.

Political analysts say the party was in search of an emotive issue like UCC to divert the public attention.

The introduction of a Private Member's Bill on UCC in Rajya Sabha by a BJP MP late last year and several BJP-ruled states announcing their intention to implement the UCC had already triggered a debate on the issue.

Now with the strong pitch by the Prime Minister, the BJP is likely to use the controversial issue for polarisation. In a state where the BJP leaders claim a realistic chance for the party capturing power, they will seize the opportunity for "communal polarisation".

"The BJP may use the emotive issue to build a narrative and thus consolidate itself in pockets where it is considered strong," says political analyst P. Raghavendra Reddy.

"The kind of rhetoric state BJP president Sanjay indulges in, it will not be surprising if the party decides to make it a key issue in the elections," he averred.

Sanjay had hailed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for promising to implement the UCC once re-elected. Sanjay, also a member of Parliament, had stated that undeterred by vote bank politics, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister has taken BJP's campaign beyond electoral politics and demonstrated the nation's first conviction.

"I am sure that this much-needed and awaited reform, once started from Devbhoomi will spread all across the country," he had said.

Sanjay has been raising several controversial issues, in a clear strategy for polarisation. Now the BJP leader is likely to rake up UCC issue in the subsequent phases.

He already sparked a row with his demand for digging work at all mosques, saying there was a possibility of finding Shiva Lingams underneath. He also stated that if BJP comes to power in Telangana, it will abolish all madrasas, do away with reservation for Muslims, and remove Urdu as the second official language.

Sanjay has been delivering provocative speeches, projecting himself as the champion of the rights of Hindus. He repeatedly mentions in his speeches that Hindus constitute 80 per cent of the population.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is yet to take a clear stand against UCC. In the past, the party had opposed any move to bring UCC. However, with its focus on achievements made during the last nine years, BRS may avoid taking a clear stand to deny BJP an opportunity to polarise the voters.

However, the BRS may come under pressure from Muslim community to speak out against UCC. The community has been backing the party led by KCR ever since formation of Telangana in 2014.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a key political force in the state and a friendly party of BRS, and other Muslim political and socio-religious groups have been strongly opposing any move to bring UCC.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has already slammed Prime Minister Modi over UCC, saying he considers country's diversity and pluralism to be a problem.

Stating that the Right to Culture is a fundamental right, he dared the Prime Minister to abolish the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF).

"A tax rebate is given to only the Hindus under the HUF clause by the Income Tax department. Will the PM abolish this provision," he asked.

"Will you snatch away pluralism and diversity in the name of UCC? I challenge the PM, you have 300 MPs... Abolish the Hindu Undivided Family. Go and tell the Sikhs in Punjab about UCC and see what their reaction is," Owaisi said.

Hyderabad enjoys a special position in Muslims politics and is known for leading the community's efforts for protection of Muslim Personal Law. With the cream of All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) coming from this historic city, it is likely to be at the centrestage of the movement for safeguarding Muslim Personal Law.

Owaisi, who has already started campaigning for the Assembly elections by addressing public meetings in various parts of Telangana, is likely to use UCC as the key issue to launch a counter attack on the BJP.
Chennai, July 1 : The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) just months before the 2024 Lok Sabha is seen by many as a move of the saffron party to win the general elections. While it may be advantageous to the party in the north, in the South it is difficult and in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala it will backfire.

Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK was stiff in its opposition to the UCC and the party led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lashed out against the Prime Minister and the BJP for trying to divide the country. The allies of the DMK were also vocal in their opposition to the UCC.

Interestingly, the opposition AIADMK which is an ally of the BJP in Tamil Nadu has not properly responded to its position on the UCC and has passed on the responsibility to answer the tricky question to party general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS).

Stalin was the first person to lash out against the idea of UCC.

While speaking at a function in Chennai, he said that the implementation of UCC would lead to unrest in the country and said that Modi was trying to create unrest in the name of religion and create confusion and win elections.

The DMK leader also said that the UCC should be first implemented in the Hindu religion and added that the DMK and people of Tamil Nadu does not want UCC.

Following the footsteps of Stalin, DMK leader and party spokesperson, T.K.S. Elangovan also lashed out against the BJP and the Prime Minister for trying to implement Uniform Civil Code in the country.

Elangovan said that UCC should first be implemented in the Hindu religion and called for every person including those born in SC/ST communities should be allowed to perform poojas in any temple in the country.

The DMK leader added that it was the M.K. Stalin government of Tamil Nadu had implemented the poll promise of the DMK to appoint Archakas (preists) drawn from all castes.

He also said that the DMK does not want UCC only because the constitution has given protection to every religion.

The DMK spokesman said that the idea of the BJP and Prime Minister Modi was to put pressure on the Muslim community.

DMK ally MDMK also came out strongly against the UCC and party founder general secretary and MP, Vaiko said that the Centre should give up its plan for a move to implement UCC.

The allies of the DMK like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the left parties, CPI and CPI-M have strongly opposed the BJP government at the centre trying to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country.

It may be noted that the ally of the BJP, the AIADMK is also not in the same league as the saffron party regarding the UC) and in the 2019 election manifesto it had said that the party would urge the central government not to implement the UCC in the country.

The party leadership had shied away from answering a straight question and with a shaky political alliance in Tamil Nadu with the BJP, AIADMK would come out with its political stand in the next few days.

With the BJP already in a sticky wicket in Tamil Nadu as the relationship with its ally AIADMK not in good terms, the pitch of the BJP and the Prime Minister for a UCC is likely to keep even its alliance partners at a distance from the saffron party.

The DMK and Stalin are aiming at all the 39 Lok Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu and the lone seat from Puducherry and the party leadership is of the opinion that a strong opposition to the UCC will increase its stakes among the minority Muslim community that has a dedicated vote bank in the state.

C. Rajeev, Director at the Chennai-based Centre for Policy and Development Studies think tank, told IANS: "The Prime Minister's statement in Bhopal on the likely hood of the implementation of a UCC in the country is meted out with stiff opposition in Tamil Nadu. DMK and its allies have already aired their opposition to the move, and even the AIADMK may not throw their support to the BJP in this issue."

The BJP is already in a sticky wicket and if the UCC is implemented in the country during the 2024 elections, the party will not get much support from the state.
New Delhi, July 1 : What is the need of ratifying a Uniform Civil Code (UCC)? One of the answers may be - to be able to create a society which is led by the values of equality, dignity, and freedom of individuals.

A UCC essentially means a common set of laws, which govern personal matters such as inheritance, adoption, marriage, divorce, and succession for all citizens, irrespective of religion. The critics of the current dispensation claim that the core normative issues associated with the UCC may be overshadowed by divisive rhetoric and also the government may not ensure that UCC delivers the promise of justice.

In the famous Shah Bano case of 1985, which dealt with maintenance for Muslim women, the Supreme Court called it a "matter of regret that Article 44 has remained a dead letter". The apex court had then said that the common civil code will help the cause of national integration by removing loyalties to laws that have conflicting ideologies. Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state "shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India."

In 1995, in the Sarla Mudgal case, which dealt with issues of bigamy and conflict between personal laws in matters of marriage, the Supreme Court highlighted the need for a UCC.

"The successive governments till date have been wholly re-miss in their duty of implementing the constitutional mandate under Article 44 of the Constitution of India," the apex court had said. "We, therefore, request the Government of India through the Prime Minister of the country to have a fresh look at Article 44 of the Constitution of India and endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India."

In September 2019, the Supreme Court -- a bench comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose -- had said "Goa is a shining example of an Indian State which has a uniform civil code applicable to all, regardless of religion except while protecting certain limited rights."

The top court stressed that "though Hindu laws were codified in the year 1956, there has been no attempt to frame a Uniform Civil Code applicable to all citizens of the country despite exhortations of this court in the case of Mohd. Ahmed Khan vs. Shah Bano and Sarla Mudgal & Ors. vs. Union of India & Ors".

However, the apex court -- in its orders in the Ahmedabad Women Action Group case (1997) and the Lily Thomas case (2000) -- had clarified that no direction was issued to the government to enact the UCC in the Sarla Mudgal case.

In October 2022, the Centre had told the Supreme Court that the court cannot direct Parliament to frame or enact any law, while seeking dismissal of PILs seeking a UCC in the country.

The Centre had then pointed out that citizens belonging to different religions and denominations following different property and matrimonial laws are an affront to a nation's unity, and to have legislation or not is a policy decision and the court cannot give any direction to the executive.

In a written response before the apex court, the Law Ministry had said "It is submitted that the present writ petition is not maintainable in the eye of law since the petitioner, inter alia, is seeking direction against the Union of India to remove the anomalies in the ground of divorce and make Uniform Civil Code."

In January 2023, a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud refused to entertain a PIL questioning the validity of the decision of forming a committee by Gujarat and Uttarakhand to examine the enactment of the UCC. The bench, also comprising Justice P S Narasimha, told the petitioners' counsel that Article 162 indicates that the executive power of the states extends to what the legislature permits it to. "Constitution of the committee cannot be challenged as ultra vires," said the bench.

The top court noted that the plea filed by Anoop Baranwal and others is devoid of merit. The Chief Justice said, "What is wrong with it? They have only constituted a committee under their executive powers that Article 162 gives."

The petitioners' counsel urged the court to entertain the petition. The bench said, "Look at entry 5 of the concurrent list.". In March 2023, the apex court dismissed a PIL seeking the enactment of a UCC and reiterated that it falls within the exclusive purview of Parliament.

The debate surrounding the UCC continues to be a contentious one against the backdrop that most of the current personal laws may not have been enacted through a process which was representative in any meaningful sense. Those who favour the UCC often press for the need to harmonize personal laws and equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Currently, different laws regulate divorce, marriage, adoption, inheritance, and succession for those who follow different religions and a UCC would essentially replace these inconsistent personal laws.
Bengaluru, July 1 : The BJP which is beset with infighting following the humiliating defeat in the Karnataka assembly elections, is now struggling to gain momentum as the ruling Congress is giving it no elbow room.

Of its five guarantees, the Congress has implemented two important schemes -- free travel for women and free rice. And the registration for free power is in full swing. The saffron party is waiting to gain traction with the heated debate on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country.

The BJP cadre and leaders are upbeat about the proposed UCC changing the discourse in the state's political scenario. However, the Congress is upbeat that in the recently concluded assembly elections, the "Modi myth" was broken. The spokespersons and leaders of the Congress party have given directions not to comment on the UCC, as it is still in the initial stages.

A senior Congress leader said that before every election the BJP comes up with such moves. "People have seen how the Pulwama attack was used by the BJP to attain power in the last assembly elections. In Karnataka as well, the reservation quota for Muslims was cancelled before the assembly elections. It didn't work for them.

"The UCC might work for the BJP in the BIMARU states. There is going to be resistance in Karnataka to the UCC. It is a wrong notion that the UCC only affects Muslims. It affects matters related to Hindu marriages, maintenance and division of property. It is to be seen how constitutionally, this is going to be implemented," he added.

The Karnataka polls have shown that only the Modi factor can't win elections and people are concerned about hunger and unemployment. They also learnt how the politics of hatred affects them. "We have taken it as a challenge to win more than 20 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The district in-charge ministers are already being given tasks and targets to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections," the Congress leader stated.

Former IPS officer and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao, talking to IANS stated that the UCC is there under Article 44. By bringing in the UCC right now, it will send a message of one country, one civil law like one criminal law for the whole country. So, one civil law for the entire country. But, my contention is that people should be taken into confidence. If the UCC is implemented without taking the people into confidence it can be counter productive.

Rao added that in criminal law you can do it because a criminal has no excuse. Civil law has a bigger latitude. When there is a bigger latitude more people have to be taken into confidence. After taking people into confidence, civil law is necessary for the economic and social growth of the country.

Our intention of implementing the UCC is to bring uniformity so that there is social and economic justice. It is necessary and it should be implemented. In Karnataka, the elections are over, it is not being seen from the election point of view, it should have been done a long time back. One day or the other it has to come, the sooner the better. There will be initial opposition to this but the UCC is required, Rao said.

With the Congress maintaining that now continuing the myth of winning elections in the name of Modi is not possible, BJP leaders said that the UCC is not about elections it is about the country. However, the party which won 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections is in total chaos. With allegations being made against top leaders including former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, national general secretary (organization) B.L. Santhosh, state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and former CM Basavaraj Bommai, the saffron party seems to have a long way to go in Karnataka to face the Congress.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : The Kerala unit of Congress on Saturday demanded a probe into former journalist with CPI(M)'s party organ 'Deshabhimani' G.Sakthidharan's claim that a plot was hatched to eliminate incumbent state party president K. Sudhakaran several years ago.

He made the claim in a Facebook post.

In a previous post last week, without naming any CPI(M) leader Sudhakaran had claimed that a leader (hinting at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan), many years back counted cash to the tune of Rs 2 crores and also collected Rs two million in cash from a business person in the state capital city.

Senior Congress leader M.Liju and a few other leaders have sought police protection for Sakthidharan, after he complained of getting abuses and threats ever since he made explosive claims about CPI(M) in his Facebook posts.

He writes that the plot then failed as one of those who was to perform the act spilled the beans. "The latest revelation of Sakthidharan is that the CPI(M) had hatched a plot to eliminate Sudhakaran. Since this has been made by someone who knew what was going on in the party when this incident took place, a proper probe should be announced to unravel this," said Liju.

Incidentally, Sudhakaran and the Kannur unit of the CPI(M) and all its top leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, party secretary M.V.Govindan, the Left Front convener E.P.Jayarajan and others are at loggerheads for the past several decades and with that being the reality, the revelation of Sakthidharan is certainly going to be raked up by the Congress.

As soon as this came, Congress MP  Benny Behanan registered a complaint and demanded a probe.

Reacting to the claim, Sudhakaran said he is the least surprised to hear it as for long the CPI(M) has been baying for his blood. "I wish to tell the CPI(M) that they will not be able to take my life as I am a strong believer of God and only when God decides of it, it will happen," said Sudhakaran.

He added that he would like to thank Sakthidharan whom he has never seen or spoken.

Asked if he will take any steps on the former journalist's claims, he said, "With Vijayan at the helm, there is no use in giving a complaint and perhaps, I will speak to my counsel to see if there need be any use to take legal steps," said Sudhakaran.
New Delhi, July 1 : Delhi Police have apprehended nine persons and busted an international fake centre operating from the city's Sultanpuri area, an official said on Saturday.

The fraudsters used to impersonate as Facebook and Amazon executives and cheated several US citizens on the pretext of solving a non existing problem created by them and their associates and charging hefty amounts for the same.

According to police, a tip-off was received on Wednesday regarding a fake call centre in Sultanpuri.

"The team conducted a raid and several laptops and smartphones were found at the spot. On checking the laptops, it was found that the fraudsters had installed the VPN software in the laptops to mask their IP address, so that they would not be tracked," Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer) Harendra Singh said.

Upon further checking of the laptops, the police found that the accused were also using remote access applications.

"There were also recorded call conversations in the download folder of some of the laptops. In one of the laptops, a Telegram group on web application by the name of 'Jai Shree Ganesh 100' in which there was continuous chat regarding their illegal operation of cheating the foreign citizens was found," said the DCP.

The official said that two persons found involved in the offence have been arrested and other seven tele-callers were also rounded.

On interrogation,Prince Sharma and Mukul Dev disclosed that they both worked at a call centre in Gurugram and soon learned the tricks of the trade.

"Prince along with the co-accused Mukul and two other persons started a fake call centre setup in South Delhi in 2021 but closed due to internal disputes. They again started the fake call centre this year in Sultanpuri area for duping the foreign citizens," said the official.

--IANS

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Chennai, July 1 : The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) will be campaigning against the 90 ml sachets introduced by the state liquor utility, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac).

The PMK state president Anbumani Ramadoss said that he did not expect Muthusamy, who was an experienced minister, to introduce such a scheme in the state that would adversely affect students and youngsters in the state alike.

The PMK leader was responding to the recent announcement by the state minister for Prohibition and Excise S. Muthusamy that the Tasmac will start selling liquor in 90 ml tetra packs.

Ramadoss said that this would increase the sale of liquor in the state.

He said that the PMK cadres would conduct campaign across the state against the introduction of 90 ml sachets that will increase the availability of liquor in the state.

The former Union minister said that Tamil Nadu had to rollback the sale of cheap 100 ml sachets when it was introduced in 1989 and 2002.

The senior leader said that the 90 ml sachets are to be sold at prices as low as Rs 70 and that this would increase the popularity of the sale of liquor.

He said that students and minors might mistake the sachets with milk and other beverage packets, that are similarly packed.

The PMK leader said that shutting down of liquor shops was the only solution and called upon the DMK government to shut down liquor shops in the state.
Jakarta, July 1 : At least one person was killed, nine others were injured and more than 100 houses destroyed after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia's Yogyakarta province, officials said on Saturday.

A statement issued by the provincial disaster management authority said the fatality was reported from Bantul district, while nine injured were from Bantul, Gunung Kidul, Sleman and Kulon Progo, reports Xinhua news agency.

The earthquake struck at 7.57 p.m. on Friday night, with its epicentre located at 86 km northwest of Bantul and a depth of 25 km under the seabed, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The tremors destroyed at least 102 houses at the damage level of minor and moderate in Yogyakarta and the provinces of Central Java and East Java, Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the national disaster management and mitigation agency, said on Saturday.

The tremors also damaged school and office buildings, religious and health facilities, the spokesman said.

More than 44 aftershocks followed the main quake.
New Delhi, July 1 : Indian mothers believe powder detergents have superlative features, however brands can push this cohort to try liquid detergents by focusing on clothing protection claims, a consumer research by global market intelligence firm Mintel has revealed.

The field research was carried out among 3,100 Indian consumers aged 18 and above, in metro cities and tier 1, 2 and 3 cities of each of the four regions of India.

While Indian launches in fabric care mainly revolve around powders, liquid and bar soaps, newer formats like capsules/pods, fragrance beads and dryer sheets are slowly creating their own niche in the Indian market, as per Mintel.

As many as 59 per cent washing machine owners use liquid detergent, compared to 49 per cent in the total sample size, the research highlighted.

"The rising need for maintaining a healthy lifestyle has given a push to better quality detergents. This in turn, has also led to consumers veering towards laundry care fragrances that impact our mood and preferences. It's not just about cleaning clothes anymore. It's also about having fresh-smelling laundry that provides an uplifting experience and helps consumers build an emotional connection with the brand that delivers them," says Manoj Arora, Managing Director and Chief Perfumer, Sacheerome.

Set up in the 1900s, Sacheerome is India's leading manufacturer and supplier of fragrances and flavours.

Mintel expects the Indian fabric care category to grow from Rs 521 billion in 2022 to Rs 639 billion in 2025 and projects the burden of growth to rest on the shoulders of laundry detergents.

According to a report by Technavio, the global laundry care market is estimated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.28 per cent between 2022 and 2027, and the size of the market is forecast to increase by $23.85 billion.

In 2017, the market size was at $86.84 billion.

Ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers have been more vigilant about the products they use, the sanitizers they buy and of course, way too particular about their houses and clothes smelling good.

The Mintel research states that 40 per cent Indians believe clothes should be washed immediately after every wear. This steadily rose to 45 per cent among those who sought antibacterial claims in their washing products.

India has largely been a consumer of handwashing where powder detergents is the largest category in the market. However, with improved cleaning practices and with consumers seeking more comfort in household work, a dynamic change in the fabric wash and care industry is taking place.

As a result, the penetration of washing machines is expected to go up in the future.

While both powders and liquids are used in washing machines, liquid detergents, too, are fast becoming a high-growth market --dominating the fabric care category primarily in tier-1 locations, including metro cities, across the country.

The pandemic has also helped brands premiumise their products, considering the growing demand.

It is in this context that FMCG companies are nowadays, offering long-lasting fragrance in fabric care to differentiate themselves from other brands.

For instance, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), in its annual report for financial year 2022-23, stated that as many as 19 of its brands entered the Rs 1,000-crore turnover club.

In fact, Surf Excel became the first home and personal care brand in India to clock over $1 billion annual sales in FY23. HUL's home care liquids portfolio that includes fabric conditioners, liquid detergents and dishwashers, exceeded Rs 3,000 crore in annual turnover.

In order to improve the longevity and performance of clothes, brands are constantly redefining what fabric care truly means.

Sensory benefits are important to consumers when buying laundry products.

Fragrances used in both powder and liquid formats play a crucial role in providing an improved experience to the customer.

Innovative laundry products with fresh scents have started piquing consumer interest and influencing their choice of detergent.

Homegrown D2C brands such as Hapiso and Volt are innovating the space with products that stand out from the plethora of traditional formats, such as laundry pods.

With multi-sensory experiences becoming an important purchase driver, the advent of microencapsulation technology in fragrance delivery, for example, has put the focus on connecting the product with the consumer in an engaging way.

Sacheerome's tech-based offering -- Sach MaxiCaps -- has allowed controlled time-release of fragrance, enabled by water or friction.

This system ensures significantly higher loading of fragrance and can be added to laundry detergents or fabric softeners to provide a feeling of freshness to clothes.

"Prime purchasers (i.e. Indian mothers) of the fabric care category believe powder detergents have superlative features... There is an opportunity to use fabric maintenance claims to premiumise consumers who are investing in premium clothing, and innovation with new formats can appeal to more evolved consumers," said Tanya Rajani, Senior Analyst, Beauty & Personal Care, of Mintel India.

While a chunk of India's laundry care market revolves around powder detergents and bar soaps, new formats like liquid detergents, capsules/pods and fragrance beads are slowly making inroads.

Due to rising consumer needs, concentrated liquid detergents, fabric conditioners and laundry pods are already disrupting the market.

Driven by ever-changing consumer demands, the fragrance industry, too, is delivering breakthrough innovation for a wide range of opportunities, including fragrance boosters, liquid detergents, fabric softeners and powder detergents.

As per Mintel, consumers who are aware and know of laundry pods are

millennials from a higher socioeconomic group and therefore have a greater awareness of new trends and innovations, which can be attributed to more tech ownership, digital exposure and upwardly mobile lifestyles.

"Hence, it's not surprising that these consumers who are aware and know of laundry pods are also more inclined to try new laundry products that they have not tried before," the study stated.

In the coming years, liquids hold good potential to premiumise and become more relevant in Indian households.
Helicopters carrying China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are seen during a flag-raising ceremony held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2023. The government of China's HKSAR on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee, and Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, attended the flag-raising ceremony at the Golden Bauhinia Square Saturday morning.

As China's national flag and the flag of the HKSAR were hoisted, helicopters of the Government Flying Service flew over Victoria Harbor to display the national flag and flag of the HKSAR.

Following the ceremony, a reception was hosted by the HKSAR government at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Before the reception began, a film was shown summarizing the HKSAR government's work over the past year.

In his speech at the reception, Lee said that over the past year, Hong Kong emerged from the shadow of economic contraction and returned to positive economic growth.

Lee said policies on attracting talent and enterprises as proposed in his policy address last October are gradually delivering results.

"In the coming year, my team and I will continue to actively visit the mainland and overseas, leading strong delegations representing different sectors to tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong and create more opportunities for our city," said the HKSAR chief executive.

Hong Kong will continue its efforts to proactively and actively integrate into the overall development of the country, including participating in and promoting the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, according to him.

On Saturday morning, central government agencies in Hong Kong, including the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR, also held flag-raising ceremonies. 

A reception celebrating the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2023. The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

A flag-raising ceremony is held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2023. The government of China's HKSAR on Saturday held a flag-raising ceremony and a reception to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
Patna July 1 : Thousands of unemployed youths took to the streets of Patna on Saturday to protest against the new domicile policy pertaining to the recruitment for1.70 lakh teacher posts in Bihar.

The protesters assembled in the city's busy Dak Bungalow Chowk, Income Tax Chowk and JP Chowk and burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

They were outrage at the statement of the Bihar Education Minister who claimed that the students of the state were less talented than others in the subjects of math, physics, vhemistry and English.

They demanded a roll back of the decision and warned of continuing their protest if the state government fails to do so.

The protesters were backed by various teachers associations including the STET, CTET, as well as primary, secondary and contract teachers.

"The Education Minister has put a question mark on the talent of Bihari students but the truth is the state government is not inviting jobs on subjects like math, physics, vhemistry and English," said Nitesh Pandey, president of the Bihar primary teachers' association.

"After removing the domicile policy, the state government has given up its anti-youth mindset. Other states have shut their doors for Bihari students and our state is shutting doors for us too. The Bihar government has amended the recruitment policy in the last one month. Our association will protest against this move until Nitish Kumar does not roll it back," said Dipankar Gaurav, state president of the association.

The protesters are also deciding to gherao the Legislative Assembly during the monsoon session which will begin from July 10.
Mumbai, July 1 : 'MTV Roadies - Karm ya Kaand' has been auditioning contestants from across the country, leading to a diversity in the auditions. Among the contestants who will take the spotlight on the upcoming episode will be Himanshu whose rude behaviour got the blood of the gang leaders boiling.

This behaviour is characterised by rude gestures, abusive language, and disrespect towards the crew, gang leaders, and society at large.

While filling the form, when asked if he had hit a girl, guy, animal, senior citizen or child as an adult, he answered: "Janwaro ko chodh ke sabko pela hai (I have hit everyone except an animal)." This got all the Gang leaders fuming with rage with Prince Narula, Rhea Chakraborty, and Gautam Gulati making it clear that such behaviour has no place in 'MTV Roadies'.

Furious with Himanshu, Prince will be seen telling everyone how he disrespected the crew and showed anger: "Tu na Fattu aadmi hai, nihayti fattua What do you think, we don't know how to make a show? Tu batayega hume show kaise banta hai? (Now you would tell us how to make a show?)... Tu kuch bhi likh, I don't give a damn if you can't respect our crew."

Expressing her rage, Rhea Chakraborty will say: "He (Himanshu) doesn't respect anyone. He hits everyone, he thinks it's funny. Tujhe kya lagta hai tu gangster hai? 3 baar jail gaya hai. You think you are very cool? Why have you abused everywhere on the form? Didn't you know we were going to read it?"

With the escalating tension, viewers will be left wondering whether Himanshu will face the consequences of his behaviour or with luck, possible intervention by Sonu Sood might just give him a second chance. 'MTV Roadies - Karm ya Kaand' airs on MTV and Jio Cinema.
Phnom Penh, July 1 : Political parties in Cambodia on Saturday began a three-week campaign for the general election scheduled to be held on July 23.

A total of 18political parties will contest in the election for the 125-seat National Assembly, which will see more than 9.7 million people cast their ballots, according to the National Election Committee (NEC).

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is also president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), attended a rally held at the Diamond Island in capital Phnom Penh,reports Xinhua news agency.

Addressing the rally, Hun Sen said the forthcoming election is a historical and important political event for the country, and that the CPP has approved its support for his re-election.

Hun Sen said the party's political program for 2023-2028 was designed to ensure the protection of peace and sustainability on the path of development and improvement of people's livelihood towards realizing Cambodia's vision of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.

He also promised the expansion of free health care for vulnerable people and free vocational and technical training for young people from poor and vulnerable families.

He added that the CPP will continue to build the friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and all countries, contributing to peace, stability, security, cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world, while opposing all forms of external interference.

The CPP has ruled the Southeast Asian country since 1979.

In the last general election in 2018, the CPP won all 125 seats in the National Assembly.

On the opening day of the election campaign, other political parties including the Khmer National United Party and the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party also held rallies in other parts of the capital city.

The royalist Funcinpec Party will hold a rally with thousands of supporters in Phnom Penh on Sunday, according to the NEC.

The election campaign will last until July 21.
Kolkata, July 1 : An FIR has been filed against Debasish Chakraborty, the superintendent of Presidency Central Correctional Home in Kolkata, for allowing former West Bengal education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee -- the prime accused in the school jobs irregularities case -- to wear rings while in judicial custody.

Based on the Calcutta High Courtas direction for initiating disciplinary action against Chakraborty in the matter, the FIR against the latter has been filed by the office of the state Additional Director General & Inspector General (correctional services department).

Although the date mentioned in the FIR is June 27, the matter has surfaced only on Saturday.

In the FIR, Chakraborty has been charged with negligence of duty under Section 83 of The West Bengal Correctional Services Act, 1992. The offender under this act can be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 1,000 or with both.

In April this year, while arguing in the matter at the Calcutta High Court, Enforcement Directorate (ED) counsel Phiroze Edulji said that there had been several charges against the correctional home superintendent concerned earlier also.

"Earlier, a financial penalty of Rs 20,000 was imposed on him in a separate case. Probably, some invisible hands are active and that is why he had not been transferred elsewhere," Edulji argued.

Edulji also submitted to the court that the fact that Partha Chatterjee was sporting rings on his fingers even while serving the judicial custody proves the extent to which he is an influential person.

aUnder the jail code, it is clearly said that an inmate cannot keep along with him items like ornaments, jewellery and metal watches. It is the duty of the correction home authorities to ensure and impose the provisions of the jail code on this count. This proves how influential he is," argued the ED counsel.
New Delhi, July 1 : A Delhi court on Saturday took cognisance of a police charge sheet filed against Sahil, who brutally killed his girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her in the city's Shahbad Dairy area on May 28.

On June 28, Delhi Police had filed the 640-page charge sheet under IPC sections 302 (murder), 354 A (punishment for sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), sources said.

Besides the above sections, the accused has also been charged under the Arms Act, Section 12 of the POCSO Act and different Sections of the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe ( Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Rohini Court has now posted the matter for further consideration for July 20.

The 16-year-old vicim, a resident of JJ Colony in Shahbad Dairy, was stabbed more than 20 times by the accused who also hit her with a boulder.

The police arrested the 20-year-old accused, who worked as a Fridge-AC repairing mechanic, from Bulandshahr.

A video of the incident also went viral on social media.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Julu 1 : Tensions in Bhangar in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas flared up again on Saturday over clashes between Trinamool Congress and All India Secular Front (AISF) activists.

Bhangar had been in the news recently afterviolent and bloody clashes eruoted during the nomination phase for the July 8 panchayat polls.

On Saturday, the tension began at the Bhagabanpur area after some local Trinamool Congress activists, as alleged by the AISF, tried to destroy some wall graffiti by hurling crude bombs.

The, AISF supporters claimed the ruling party activists had beaten up the protesters when they tried to stop them.

Local sources said that the heated exchange of words between the supporters of two parties soon turned into clashes, followed by severe brick-batting and hurling of crude bombs.

Local AISF leader Alamgeer Hossain against that as Bhangar is returnung to normalcy, the ruling party activists are against trying to create tension in the area in order to terrorise the voters before the rural civic body.

At the time the report was filed the AISF supporters had started agitating by blocking the local roads.

Local Trinamool Congress Sirazul Islam, however, has denied the allegations, and claimed that the AISF activists are unnecessarily trying to create tension in the area by blocking roads.

As many as three people, two affiliated to the AISF and one to the Trinamool Congress, were killed during the earlier clashes.

Since the dates for rural civic body polls were announced on June 8, poll-related violence has killed 12 people.

Vote counting will take place on July 11.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, July 1 : While historical evidence suggests that Indians have been moving abroad since ancient times, large scale emigration took place with British imperialism taking root in India and across the world.

Beginning 1834, Indians were sent as indentured labourers to work on sugar plantations in British colonies, like Guyana, Mauritius, Fiji and South Africa.

Thereafter, political persecution and search for better economic pastures were some of the factors that led to spurt in immigration, but in recent times, rather than being seen as victims, Indians are playing leadership roles, making remarkable contributions towards their adopted country's economy, community and polity.

India has the largest diaspora population in the world with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland in 2020, according to a report by the UN.

At present, over 200 people of Indian descent occupy leadership positions in at least 15 countries, which includes US Vice President Kamala Harris, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Guyana President Irfaan Ali and World Bank President Ajay Banga to name a few, says an Indiaspora report.

According to government data, more than 16 lakh Indians have renounced their Indian citizenship since 2011, including a whopping 225,620 in 2022 alone, averaging around 618 per day.

Based on this year's Henley Private Wealth Migration Report, 6,500 millionaires are set to leave India in 2023, while statistics from the Global Wealth Migration Review show that 2 per cent of the country's millionaires have already flocked overseas in 2020.

While the staggering numbers beg a reason, the Indian government has said that individuals renounce Indian citizenship "for reasons personal to them".

Since India doesn't allow dual citizenship, taking up the citizenship of another country results in the cancellation of Indian citizenship.

"The principal reason why people migrate is economic well being. Everyone wants a better life and their hope is that they would find it in another country," Amit Dasgupta, former Consul-General of India in Sydney, told IANS.

"In sociology, this is referred to as 'the push factor'. You are pushed out to a place which offers better prospects," Dasgupta said.

Many Indian students who go for higher studies abroad also end up settling there as these countries provide them better jobs with attractive pay scales.

According to the latest Education Ministry data, more than 770,000 Indian students went abroad to study in 2022 -- a six-year high.

Also, many Indian students find it tough to find jobs after returning home, which is why they apply for permanent residency in their country of study.

More than 90 per cent of the students do not wish to come back to India, say estimates.

When it comes to India's rich, they want to swim in foreign waters to diversify their fortune, set up alternative residencies, conduct business and pursue a better quality of life even though India continues to be an attractive environment for business activity and corporate growth.

A 2020 Global Wealth Migration Review report said that among many reasons why people make the decision to migrate to other countries is safety of women and children, lifestyle factors like climate and pollution, financial concerns including taxes, better healthcare for families and educational opportunities for children, and to escape oppressive governments.

A low passport score of a country can also make individuals emigrate. A higher passport index ranking ensures one gets better access to travel visa-free to many countries.

The Indian passport registered the largest global fall in the Passport Index 2023 -- ranking at 144th position this year with a mobility score of 70.

This means Indians can travel to 21 countries visa-free, and need a visa for 128 countries.

In contrast, a Greece or Portugal residency card provides Indians visa-free travel across all Schengen countries.

(Meenakshi Iyer can be contacted at meenakshi.i@ians.in)
Chennai, July 1 : Close to 1.7 million Indians have acquired citizenship of other countries and about 70,000 Indians have surrendered their passports.

Surrendering passports and acquiring the citizenship of another country are two entirely different actions, said an immigration consultant for New Zealand and Australia.

"Goans, Punjabis, Gujaratis and people from Tamil Nadu and Kerala are acquiring citizenship of other countries. For the Goans, England was the final destination. But Brexit applied brakes on their movement," said Ravi Veravalli, principal consultant, Star Global Education Alliance, in a conversation with IANS. Excerpts:

Q. In your view, what are the reasons for Indians giving up their citizenship?

A. There are essentially five reasons for Indians to give up their citizenship:

a) Most of the people go to these Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries on study/work visas and after acquiring higher qualifications they apply for their post study work visas.

They work in numerous sectors where there is a skill shortage and then apply for their Permanent Residencies and eventually go for their citizenship by grant. It is just adopting the country which has become their home now.

b) Ease of travelling: These newly acquired passports may give them ease of travel or visa free travel. For example US tourist visa aspirants were not getting any appointments for almost 20 months whereas an Australian citizen like myself did not need an appointment and could just travel.

c) Work: Some countries have reciprocal work rights and many try to avail that, for example an Australian on an exclusive E-3 visa to the USA.

d) Social Security Benefits: Some countries allow individuals to claim social security benefits in other countries. An Australian can claim numerous benefits in New Zealand under the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (TTMRA), free education, healthcare and others.

e) Getting employment in the government and sensitive sectors.

Q. Where do high net worth Indians migrate?

A. Dubai, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, US, UK, France, Malta and the Caribbean Islands are some of the favoured destinations.

Q. Which are the countries that invite migrants in general and Indians in particular?

A. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA are the major countries which welcome skilled people from India both on a temporary residency and permanent residencies.

In 2022 close to 120,000 people were granted permanent residency to Canada and over 24,000 places were granted under various categories including skilled migration.

Q. Do countries stipulate that a minimum investment be made before giving citizenship?

A. Most of the countries require an investment to be made ranging from $500,000 to running into several million dollars. But there is a misconception that just making an investment will give the applicant a business migration visa.

The point system has to be thoroughly evaluated accompanied by a strong business plan and the purpose of migration also plays an important role.

Q. Where are the Indian professionals in greater demand?

A. Doctors, Nurses, IT professionals including Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Engineers (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Aeronautical). And tradespeople -- welders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and the like. Recently, many countries especially from the European Union (EU) expressed a great demand for Seasonal Agricultural workers. This means that the demand is for semi/unskilled as well.

Q. Which are emerging migration magnets?

A. The emerging magnets are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway. The US and UK have always maintained their supremacy as a desired destination.

Q. Why do studies overseas continue to be the first step to migration?

A. Study visas are among the big contributors to the host country's economy and eventually the country concerned offers students permanent residency options for a number of reasons.

Not only do the host country get huge revenues from international students, but eventually also skilled migrants who rekindle the aggregate demand in the economy by pushing up consumption and make the age demographics work to the advantage of the host country by reducing the average age of the working population.

Additionally, the skilled migrant contributes in the form of advanced skills, lower age, higher income and therefore higher tax payments. This migrant also saves money for the exchequer by not burdening it with unemployment benefits and other subsidies.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Ahmedabad, July 1 : In Gujarat, everyone likes everything 'foreign'. Our dream is to eventually settle in the West and earn dollars.

Even my younger brother is in America. We come from a little village named Khambhalia in Devbhoomi Dwarka district. We are traditionally into farming and yet we mortgaged our ancestral land to send my brother to America to pursue medicine. The entire village celebrated when one of its sons shifted to America.

This is not a new story in my state that loves America to the extent that even our buildings are named 'New York Tower' or 'Silicon Valley'! Walls on the streets have huge advertisements on how to crack USA or Canada WITHOUT taking any exams!

The desire to seek a better life abroad has long enticed individuals from various parts of the world. Gujarat is no exception. Known for its people endowed with an enterprising spirit and business acumen, Gujarat has seen a significant rise in migration to countries such as the United States and Canada.

This migration can be categorised into three distinct phases. The first wave began in the mid-60s, with highly educated professionals such as doctors and engineers seeking opportunities in the US through legal means. This marked the onset of the brain drain phenomenon, wherein talented individuals left their homeland in search of better prospects.

The second phase witnessed the migration of extended families who were sponsored by their relatives already settled abroad. And in the latest wave, individuals from all classes, particularly the Patidars, have been moving to the West, taking up jobs that might be considered menial in their homeland but provide better economic prospects overseas.

Can you imagine an entire village crazy about the American dream? An example is Dingucha village, located near Ahmedabad, which has come to epitomise the strong desire for migration prevailing among the Gujaratis.

With a population of 3,284 people, Dingucha has seen a significant number of its residents pursuing opportunities in the US or Canada. So much so, that in Dingucha, it is believed that if a child is born in the village, it is his or her destiny to eventually migrate to America. Failure to do so may result in difficulties in finding a suitable partner for marriage.

This is also the village whose people died while crossing the Canadian border illegally just because they wanted to fulfil their American dream. Cases of illegal immigration and people becoming victims of fraud by agents are commonplace in Gujarat.

Economic factors play an important role in motivating Gujaratis to leave their homeland. One of the driving forces is the prospect of significantly higher earnings in foreign countries.

For example, housekeeping jobs in hotels in the US can fetch individuals as much as $150 per day, with additional tips of $30-40 from guests. When it is converted to the Indian currency, it amounts to a staggering Rs 14,000 per day, a figure that far surpasses the monthly income of the vast majority of Indians.

Economic opportunities, coupled with the allure of a better standard of living, make foreign shores an attractive prospect for many Gujaratis.

Statistical data also sheds light on the extent of Gujarati migration. According to the 2019 five-year ACS Census Data, approximately 20 per cent of all Indians in the United States have their roots in Gujarat. Out of the 4,240,466 Indians residing in the United States, approximately 848,093 are Gujaratis. Additionally, recent statistics from Canada indicates that 92,005 individuals speak Gujarati at home.

The entrepreneurial spirit of the Gujaratis is another factor contributing to their success abroad. Their ability to adapt to various conditions and excel in business ventures has allowed them to thrive in foreign countries.

Gujaratis are known for their proficiency in running motels, convenience stores, and diamond businesses not only in the US, but also in several European and African nations.

While the allure of foreign shores may be appealing, it is important to consider the impact of this migration on the local community in Gujarat. As more individuals leave their homeland, there is a potential loss of talent and expertise that could have contributed to the growth and development of the state.
New Delhi, July 1 : Post-Covid, developed economies like the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, and many more have been facing an acute shortage of labour due to an ageing population and a low birth rate.

Looking beyond borders, these countries are streamlining their immigration systems at the federal, state and regional levels to attract the best talents from fields like IT, healthcare, STEM, education, etc.

A significant uptick in global demand for skilled professionals has been noted as countries recognise the importance of attracting talent to support their economic growth and development.

Shortages are most pronounced abroad for skilled individuals, especially in the healthcare, IT, legal, hospitality and financial sectors.

For example, Germany needs 630,000 skilled professionals immediately, in addition to 80,000 teachers by 2030, according to a Cologne Institute study.

According to the government's 'Make it in Germany' website, the professions in demand include nursing professionals, physicians, engineers, IT specialists, scientists.

Most of the other developed countries have been scouting for talent in the same sectors, in addition to hotels and restaurants, industry, construction, and logistics.

Canada announced last month that it would be focusing on Express Entry candidates who have work experience in healthcare, STEM professions, trades (carpenters, plumbers and contractors), transport and agriculture.

Indian talent from the IT sector is much in demand across the world with their growth story being witnessed in Silicon Valley, which boasts of names like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Arvind Krishna.

India's healthcare professionals have always been welcomed in the Gulf countries, and in recent years, several European and North American countries have encouraged Indian healthworkers' migration.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the UK announced a fast-tracked visa for medical professionals late in 2019. The visa would aim to address shortages in the country's National Health Service (NHS).

More than 15,000 doctors in the NHS as of 2017 had received their primary medical qualification in India, and Indians represented the top non-British nationality for NHS staff as of early 2019.

In the UK, healthcare professionals like orthodontists, nephrologists, anaesthesiologist and paediatricians draw an annual salary of 94 to 95.9 lakhs, according to study abroad consultants.

Canada recently invited 500 healthcare workers to immigrate under its new category-based Express Entry selection draws after Statistics Canada data showed 144,500 vacant positions within the healthcare and social assistance sector as of March 2023.

Post pandemic, government data shows a continued rise in the demand for nurses trained in India from several nations, including Canada, Ireland, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.

India positions second after the Philippines in the number of nurses migrating to foreign shores for better employment opportunities and higher salaries.

According to eeNews, Europe, Germany, and Romania have been calling for AI engineers from across the world.

After AI, is systems engineering which had 3,759 vacancies and was in high demand throughout the UK. Switzerland, Turkey, France, Sweden and Finland are other nations on the lookout for system engineers.

Engineering specialties are in high demand in the EU, which includes Java developers, system administrators, software and electronic engineers.
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China has urged the Netherlands not to abuse export control measures regarding semiconductor products, said China's Ministry of Commerce in a statement on Saturday.

The statement came in response to a media question that the Dutch government has announced restrictions on exports of some semiconductor equipment, including lithography machines. 
New Delhi, July 1 : When it comes to moving and settling abroad, Indians lead the pack with a 32 million-strong diaspora out of which 18.68 million are of Indian-origin and 13.45 million are non-resident Indians.

Now, with top economies seeking semi-skilled and skilled professionals to plug labour shortages, offering them extensive benefits and upgrading their standard of living, people's desire to migrate has reached an all-time high.

Going by the numbers, Indians continue to chase the American dream with 7,88,284 of them relinquishing their citizenship in 2021, according to a Ministry of External Affairs data.

Australia took the second spot after the US with 23,533 individuals giving up their Indian citizenship, followed by Canada (21,597), and the UK (14,637).

A significant number of Indians chose to be citizens of Italy (5,986), New Zealand (2,643), Singapore (2,516), Germany (2,381), the Netherlands (2,187), Sweden (1,841) and Spain (1,595).

Of the top 20 destinations of international migrants in 2020, all but three were high-income or upper-middle-income countries, according to a UN report.

With a population of over four million, the largest cohort of Indians live in the US, followed by gulf countries like the UAE (3.5 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million).

HIGHLY-SKILLED/SKILLED PROFESSIONALS

As per the immigration trends, the highly-skilled/skilled Indian professionals choose developed countries like the US, Canada, the UK as they ensure quality of life, stable economy, clean environment, coupled with well-developed healthcare and education system.

A robust and diverse immigration pathway along with faster processing of visas provided by these countries is also among the reasons.

However, post-covid, Indians are also targeting countries like Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Italy, and other EU nations due to low population and shortage of skilled workers in the countries, according to immigration experts.

The recent Global Wealth Migration Review spotlighted the global popularity of Australia as a country that has been witnessing high inflow numbers from India as well as from other countries.

What is making Australia special is its points-based immigration system favouring wealthy and high-earning professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, and accountants, the report said.

UNSKILLED/SEMI SKILLED

While a lot of semi-skilled Indians are also found in the above countries, most of them migrate to GCC countries, west Asian, Asian nations like Singapore and Malaysia.

Roughly, 70 per cent of the Indian population in the Gulf consists of semi-skilled and unskilled workers, and 20-30 per cent make up for professionals and white-collar workers. A small fraction comprises domestic help.

According to media reports, Saudi Arabia, which has the second-highest number of Indians after the UAE, witnessed 178, 630 Indians moving to the Kingdom for employment in 2022, which was a mere 32,845 in 2021.

Kuwait came a close second with 71,432, followed by the UAE with 33,233 Indians.

STUDENTS

Indians studying in economically developed countries are the most likely among all foreign students to stay back in their host country and join the local workforce, according to a report on international migration patterns by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

An INTO University Partnerships survey says that almost eight in 10 Indian students choose a study overseas plan to work and settle in the country after completing their international degree.

Indians going abroad for higher education touched a six-year high in 2022 with over 7.5 lakh studying in 240 countries around the world, the Rajya Sabha was informed this year.

While Canada, Australia, the UK, and the US remain the top choices, sizable numbers are also travelling to Uzbekistan, Philippines, Russia, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

In 2022, there were over 2,26,450 Indian students who went to study in Canada, making them the biggest cohort of international students, according to official data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its annual report mentioned that India sent 64,300 students to the country in 2022. One out of every five US student visas was for India in 2022, according to Ambassador Eric Garcetti.

According to 2022 estimates, there are more than 1,20,000 students in the UK, and 96,000 Indians in Australia.

HIGH-NET-WORTH INDIVIDUALS

Some 6,500 high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) -- possessing investable wealth amounting to $1 million or more -- are set to leave India in 2023, according to a 2023 Henley Private Wealth Migration Report.

According to web portal Immigration Experts, wealthy investors get alternate residency or citizenship in return for a significant contribution to the host country through investment migration.

According to the Henley Private Wealth Migration, HNWIs are likely to choose Australia, UAE, Singapore, the US and Switzerland as their preferred destinations in 2023.

Dubai, via its golden visa scheme, as well as Singapore with favorable tax environment, robust business ecosystem, and safe environment, emerged as two top destinations for wealthy Indians to migrate.

(Meenakshi Iyer can be contacted at meenakshi.i@ians.in)
Dubai, July 1 : Just after COVID, when the whole world was overhauling, the UAE took this opportunity to attract the world's best talent and investments in business, real estate.

On the same lines, the UAE introduced many amendments to the United Arab Emirates immigration policy which came into effect on October 3 last year to become the immigration centre of the world.

The pattern of migration in the UAE cities has shifted dramatically since the Corona pandemic. Citizens from almost 200 nations have settled in the United Arab Emirates to date. It is projected to rise much more in the following years.

The number of Indians in these areas has expanded dramatically since the Corona pandemic. Currently, Indians constitute 38% of the UAE's population with a figure of more than 3.8 million.

The major attraction for Indian immigrants to the UAE is the ease in government policies, good political and cultural relations, proximity to the home country with a handsome income, and returns against investment.

The newly introduced Golden Visa by the local government played a golden role in taking the edge over other countries to pull in talent and with these new talents, the UAE is changing its image from just oil and luxury to a centre of innovation and technology, a hub for start-ups, champion of sustainability and of tolerance and coexistence.

Why the Golden Visa is popular among Indians

Investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, outstanding students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers, and frontline heroes are among those eligible for the Golden Visa.

Golden Visa allows you to reside in the UAE for 10 years (previously, five years). The visa, which can be used as an entry visa for six months as well, can be renewed on expiry. Sponsor family members, including spouses and children regardless of their age, and sponsor unlimited support services.

Unlike other Gulf countries, a golden visa holder can stay on in the UAE without the backing of a sponsor or employer. There is no restriction on the maximum duration of stay outside the UAE to keep the Golden Residence valid. Earlier, visa holders had to return to the UAE every six months if they travelled abroad but that rule has been done away with. If the original holder of the Golden Residence visa dies, his or her family members can now stay in the UAE until the permit expires.

Besides, entrepreneurs/investors can also get a 10-year residence visa by investing in a start-up in the UAE under the new laws. Scientists and researchers with high achievements and influence in their respective fields can get the Golden Visa.

The UAE government invites talent in the fields of coding, medicine, and education and provides them golden visas, to make the UAE a coding and medical hub in the region.

Key changes under the UAE's new immigration laws

Not only the golden visa but many new policies were also introduced by the local government. The five-year green visa is allowing foreigners to sponsor themselves without seeking help from UAE nationals or their employers. For this visa, freelancers, skilled workers, and investors are eligible. Green visa holders can also sponsor their family members.

Tourist visas will now allow visitors to stay in the UAE for 90 days. A five-year multi-entry tourist visa will allow visitors to stay in the UAE for up to 90 days in a row. The job exploration visa will allow professionals to seek employment in the UAE without a sponsor or host.

Impact of CEPA and healthy political and social relations:

The historic India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into effect on May 1, 2022, is expected to increase the total value of bilateral trade in goods to over US $100 billion and trade in services to over US $ 15 billion within five years.

Indian companies can easily shift base to Dubai because the UAE now allows 100 per cent foreign ownership in 122 economic activities across 13 sectors. The zero-duty access to the UAE is working as a big incentive for Indian production houses in key domestic sectors to set up a base in the UAE.

Ease of doing business, good infrastructure, and tax benefits are prompting the Indian business community to shift their operations to the UAE.

Friendly relations between the UAE and India and coordination between the authorities in these countries are an assurance for investors that in case of any problem, their money and assets will be in safe hands. The geographical distance between India and the UAE and the huge number of flights between these two countries are other reasons, which give mental peace to migrants.

Real Estate Market Boom for Investors

The sliding prices post COVID-19 too have brought a cross-section of businesspeople and professionals to show interest. Dubai is still a buyersa market, with housing affordability remaining attractive over the last couple of years.

With an investment of AED 2 million, investors can get a golden visa. The Golden Visa route has increased the demand for luxury residences and properties in the UAE and made the UAE a second home for Indian nationals. The recent overhaul of the Golden visa scheme has increased demand for properties in Dubai among wealthy Indians.

With a tweak of the Golden Visa rules, Dubai has seen an unprecedented spike in real estate demand. Indians are on top of the Russians in the list in terms of buying properties in Dubai.

Under the new rules, the investment limit has been lowered from the previous high of AED 5 million (INR 10.4 crore) to AED 2 million (INR 4.2 crore). This drastic cut has prompted a huge spike in real estate demand in Dubai and rich Indians are on a property-buying spree there.

Rental income: Other than the Golden Visa, from the investors' point of view Dubai offers average rental yields of 7 per cent compared to New York (2.8 per cent), Singapore (2.5 per cent), London (2.6 per cent), and Hong Kong (2.3 per cent).

For foreign investors, the Dubai real estate market is highly regulated. Investors are protected by, and the developers are accountable to, a strictly implemented Real Estate Regulation Authority.

RBI makes remittances easier

The liberated remittance scheme of the Reserve Bank of India allows an Indian investor to officially transfer $250,000 to Dubai every financial year. Under this scheme, a couple can transfer $500,000 each year which can be used as real estate investment in Dubai.

Indian investors accounted for 20 per cent of all property transactions in Dubai in the first quarter of 2023, investing close to $2 billion during the period, industry insiders said.
Mumbai, July 1 : The epic romance drama 'Dhruv Tara - Samay Sadi Se Pare' recently welcomed actor Harsh Vashishta to the show as he joined in as a new addition. Harsh said that his character Ravi Saxena will allow the two protagonists Dhruv and Tara to bridge the gap between them and allow their love to grow.

Explaining Ravi's role in building the romance between Dhruv and Tara, Harsh said: "Ravi's character is going to help bridge the gap between Dhruv and Tara, ultimately drawing them closer to each other. It is through Tara's realisation of the emotional turmoil endured by Dhruv and his father that an understanding will take place."

He continued: "Their shared journey of separation and suffering will become a ground for their blossoming love and affection. This will allow Dhruv and Tara to create a relationship built on the foundation of trust and solidarity."

Based on the concept that love transcends time itself, the show focuses on Dhruv (Ishaan Dhawan), a neurosurgeon from the 21st century, and Tara (Riya Sharma), a courageous princess from the 17th century.

Playing Dhruv's father in the show, Harsh also described the father-son dynamic of the two characters.

He said: "When Dhruv meets his father, Ravi for the first time, it is truly surreal. Even with no words spoken, there is an evident connection between father and son and it is beautifully conveyed on screen with Dhruv shedding a tear on his father's foot."

This bond between Ravi and Dhruv will continue to grow and evolve as the story progresses.

"For Ravi, coming out of his trauma and being able to be with his family, especially his son Dhruv, feels like a miracle. He will cherish every moment he has with his son and appreciate their relationship," the actor added.

'Dhruv Tara- Samay Sadi Se Pare' airs Monday to Saturday on Sony SAB.
Bhopal, July 1 : Madhya Pradesh Congress on Saturday launched a new poster for the election campaign with a slogan - 'Khushali Lane Wali- Congress Hai Aane Wali'.

The poster carrying five-guarantees (poll promises) of the party was launched in the presence of party's state unit head Kamal Nath.

After it was launched, the party workers swung into action and put up the posters across Madhya Pradesh, including the state capital Bhopal. State Congress media in-charge K.K. Mishra and Piyush Bable (Kamal Nath's media advisor) finalised the poster's content and its theme.

The Congress media cell had launched first poster on January 1, projecting Kamal Nath as 'future chief minister' of Madhya Pradesh, following which, a section of senior party leaders had raised their apprehension. However, later senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh had doused the controversy saying that Kamal Nath will be party's chief ministerial face.

Interestingly, the Congress launched its new poster at the time when a war of 'objectionable posters' between Kamal Nath and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had been making headlines for the last two weeks.

Poster war between Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Chief Minister and Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath has escalated political controversy ahead of the assembly polls. Objectionable posters of Chouhan and Kamal Nath were put up with QR code in Bhopal last week, that have reached across the state.

The controversy has prompted digital payment company PhonePe to object the use of its official logo for political campaign. The PhonePe has warned the Congress of action, on which, the the grand old party had sought some clarification from the company. However, since then the poster war between the Congress and BJP in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh stopped, as of now.
San Francisco, July 1 : As many popular third-party apps on the social discussion forum Reddit, including the Apollo app, are now shutting down due to the platform's upcoming paid API (Application Programming Interface), fans are sending them off with heartfelt posts and memes.

"Apollo, one of the best iOS apps period. The official app, a buggy, clumsy mess. I'm about to be on reddit a whole lot less," a Reddit user wrote in the post with a meme attached.

"The app just stopped working for me. Super sad, so long and thanks for all the Apollo," another user said.

One more user posted, saying: "Reddit is already less enjoyable. Apollo was Reddit. No other app has the same level of experience. Such a shame. The official app is exceptionally terrible."

Last month, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session to discuss the platform's controversial API changes, confirming that Reddit is not planning to revive its coming API pricing changes that have caused multiple developers to announce they will be shutting down their apps.

In the session, Huffman criticized Apollo's developer, Christian Selig, for his "behaviour and communications", and said he couldn't imagine Reddit working with him, TechCrunch reported.

Selig was among the first to suggest that Reddit's new API pricing would prevent Apollo from running, explaining that it would cost him $20 million per year.

--IANS

shs/prw
Patna, July 1 : Bihar Building Construction Minister Ashok Choudhary on Saturday said that the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is an attempt to end the reservation in the country.

"Today the government is bringing UCC in the country. Then they will stop the reservation. They (government) will ask why Dalit, EBC, OBC are getting reservation? This should be stopped. We appeal to every person to oppose this bill. UCC is an initiative to end reservation in the country," Choudhary said.

He said that the implementation of UCC should be opposed by every Muslim, Dalit, OBC and EBC in the country as the BJP government under this policy wants to implement one law for every person.

He said that the BJP government, instead of addressing the core issues by removing differences in the society, they are bringing UCC which is not needed.

"They want to target Muslim community through this bill. Muslims do not come from other countries. 90% of them belong to India. They were Hindus who converted into Muslim due to untouchability," the Minister said.

He asked why Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar left Sanatan Dharma and opted for Buddhism?

"What had he said during his Nagpur speech when he opted for Buddhist? Discrimination of caste should be banned. There were no forced conversions. All those people who converted were against untouchability," he said.
Chennai, July 1 : The Madurai Malligai (Jasmine) exporters in Tamil Nadu have urged the state government take immediate steps to stabilise the price of the flower as it fluctuates from Rs 3,000 per kg on a given day and falls to as low as Rs 300 per kg the next day.

As per information available, three tonnes of Jasmine or Madurai Malligai is exported from Madurai on a daily basis. However, officials with the Horticulture department of Tamil Nadu told IANS that steps are being taken to rectify the issues plaguing in the area.

Jasmine of Madurai Malligai is one of the most cultivated flower in southern Tamil Nadu including Madurai. The farmers are cultivating Jasmine in around 6000 hectares of land in Madurai and adjoining areas. The farmers complain that while they get a decent price during auspicious days including marriages, on some days, they have to keep their fingers crossed.

However, the Jasmine exporters are plagued by rejection from the international markets citing pest issues and wants the state government to take this issue up.

Exporters said that they want an increase in the international cargos from Madurai as presently most of the flowers are sent to international markets from either Chennai or airports from Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru.

However, sources in the Tamil Nadu Horticultural Department told IANS that the government of Tamil Nadu has in its agriculture budget for 2023-24 announced the Mission Madurai Malligai project and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the same is being finalised.

With Madurai Malligai turning into a global brand and farmers getting good revenue by exporting the flowers which have high demand, more scientific farming, and marketing would lead to rich dividends for the farmers.

Satyagopan Swamigopal, a farmer association leader of Madurai while speaking to IANS said, "Madurai Malligai is one of the best brands that the government of Tamil Nadu can highlight and fetch huge returns. However, for catering to global markets, there has to be sustainable availability of the product and the logistical part has to be perfect. With proper infrastructure and planning, Madurai Malligai can be one of the best products from Tamil Nadu that could be proudly showcased."

--IANS

aal/svn
Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : The Kerala government is getting ready to inform the Centre that it is not feasible to shift the state capital from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi.

The state government was asked for its response to the private member's Bill on this matter, which was moved by Ernakulam MP member Hibi Eden in the Lok Sabha in March this year.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has made the intent of his government clear that itas not possible to shift the state capital to Kochi.

Incidentally, Ernakulam or Kochi, as its most popularly known, is often referred to as the commercial capital of the state as it is centrally located, making it accessible, especially to those in the northern districts of the state.

Eden (40) began his parliamentary career by winning his debut election to the Kerala Assembly from Ernakulam in 2011. Mid-way into his second tenure as a legislator, he was fielded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which he won easily.

With the next Lok Sabha polls round the corner, this Bill might go down as nothing but an election gimmick by Eden, whose father George Eden was also a Lok Sabha member.
Imphal, July 1 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the situation in Manipur is improving day by day and it would further improve in a week or in the next 10 days.

Claiming the situation in Manipur gradually is limping back to normalcy, Sarma, who is also the convenor of the NDA's northeast chapter North-East Democratic Alliance, criticised the Congress, saying that the party is crying about Manipur when relative peace has come in the state.

aWhen the state is moving towards normalcy then the Congress started crying. They should have tried their effortswhen Manipur was witnessing a volatile situation. Even they did not comment on Manipur at that time.

The state government and Union Home Ministry are silently working to restore peace," he told the media in Guwahati.

There was much improvement in Manipur's situation compared to what was the situation in one month back, Sarma added.

Sarma, who had visited Imphal on June 10 and held a series of meetings with his Manipur counterpart N. Biren Singh and various other organisations, said that meetings relating to Manipur are being held in Imphal, Guwahati and Delhi.

Sarma, one of the key strategists of BJP in the northeast region, also met representatives of some militant groups from the Kuki community in Guwahati on June 11.

Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip, while talking to the media about the Guwahati meeting with the Assam Chief Minister, had said that the discussion was "very positive, and was heading in the right direction".

"We discussed the ceasefire and the end of any kind of offensive from both sides. We have responded positively. We are hopeful that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister will take positive steps to resolve the crisis," Haokip had said.
Shimla, July 1 : A first-timer Congress minister in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday extended support to Uniform Civil Code (UCC), but questioned the BJP over its timing.

"We have said that whenever Uniform Civil Code comes, we will support it. Congress has always contributed towards taking unity and integrity forward," PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh told the media here.

"But the main issue at present is Manipur, which has been burning for nearly two months and is on the verge of a civil war. No action has been taken against the Manipur Chief Minister," said Singh, the son of six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh.

Without mincing words, Singh added, "The BJP doesn't speak of the burning issues in the country and starts a new debate to mislead the people."

He said that raking the UCC issue is a deliberate effort to divert the attention of the people from the core issues such as unemployment and falling growth rate.

Singh said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been in power with full majority for the past nine years, but did not initiate any action for implementing the UCC earlier.

"It's now trying to trigger a debate on this issue for electoral gains," he said.

Singh also said that on previous occasions too, the BJP had raised issues such as the Pulwama terror attack, scrapping of Article 370 and Ram temple to seek votes.
He Xikang monitors the growth of pigs through an online platform at a pig farm in Gantang Village of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Jingya)

GUIYANG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- In his office at an ecological pig farm, He Xikang begins his day early in the morning, diligently monitoring the growth of pigs through an online platform, which has become an integral part of his daily routine.

He, 43, manages the pig farm located in Gantang Village in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The farm encompasses six piggeries, accommodating over 6,700 pigs.

Facing financial constraints amidst a downturn in the pig market in June last year, He contemplated selling his pigs to alleviate the cash crunch.

However, his wife suggested an alternative approach, which involved borrowing 200,000 yuan (about 27,860 U.S. dollars) from the local bank and waiting patiently for the pig prices to rebound.

He followed her advice and sought a loan from the rural credit cooperative, extending his pig-rearing by ten days.

"Eventually, the pig prices surged, enabling me to repay the loan and earn a substantial profit of 170,000 yuan," He said.

He benefited from a streamlined process of applying for loans from the rural credit cooperative through a mobile phone. Within minutes of submitting the application, he received a text message confirming the arrival of the funds.

At present, the annual output value of his pig farm has reached 13 to 14 million yuan. Inspired by the positive experience, he now plans to utilize loans to purchase breeding pigs, diversify his stock, and fortify his farm's resilience against price volatility.

In recent years, financial institutions in Guizhou Province have made concerted efforts to promote green finance and inclusive finance, channeling credit funds toward rural industries with distinct features.

Aligned with the objectives of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, Guizhou has pioneered a path of "financial flows" aimed at empowering rural green development.

"Fueled by the growing number of entrepreneurs and investors in rural areas, the demand for credit is also increasing," said Kuan Yuejin, deputy director of a rural credit cooperative in Shuicheng District, Liupanshui City.

"Our cooperative has taken a proactive approach to tailor financial service programs in order to support various rural business entities and ensure that credit is granted to all eligible candidates," Kuan said.

By the end of 2022, the loan balances of the rural credit cooperative of Shuicheng reached 7.5 billion yuan. The cooperative has played a crucial role in supporting agricultural and small and micro-enterprises.

Just a few years ago, Xinpu Township in Guizhou was plagued by severe desertification. However, the region has undergone a remarkable transformation through dedicated environmental preservation efforts and focused industrial development. It has become a renowned hub for cattle raising, offering delectable local beef that graces tables across the nation.

Gao Zhilin, a resident of Wolong Village in Xinpu, made the decision to return to his hometown after working in an electronics factory in Zhejiang Province.

In 2022, he invested over 1 million yuan to establish a family pasture and raise more than 100 Guanling cattle. To finance his venture, Gao secured loans totaling over 700,000 yuan from local rural credit cooperatives and rural commercial banks.

"Free-range Guanling cattle grow slowly, but their beef commands high prices. I am grateful that the financial institutions helped me overcome the hurdle of capital shortage," Gao said.

Guanling cattle, the top cattle breed in Guizhou, has emerged as a key industry in Guanling County. It has benefited 11,000 households and 50,000 individuals, resulting in an increase in average household income by over 8,000 yuan.

Acknowledging the potential in the industry, the Anshun branch of the Bank of Guizhou injected 314 million yuan in credit funds to boost its development.

Huang Yutang, vice president of the branch, said that the bank established a finance department in December 2021, which is responsible for delivering financial services to farmers, among other duties. The bank has also deployed dedicated staff to cater to the needs of local farmers.

Currently, the branch has more than 200 financial service stations in Anshun, which have significantly reduced the gap in accessing financial loans and resolved the issue of limited rural financial services. 

This photo taken on Nov. 26, 2022 shows Gao Zhilin's cattle farm in Wolong Village of Xinpu Township, Guanling County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Li Jingya)
Guwahati, July 1 : An 85-year-old woman was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in Lakhipur in Assam's Goalpara district, officials said on Saturday.

The incident occurred when a sizable herd of elephants was wandering in a neighbourhood close to the Lakhipur Block Development office, may be in search of food on Friday night. The herd attacked the elderly woman identified as Suturi Rabha and trampled her to death, police said.

Following the incident, the local police and villagers swarmed to the scene and drove the herd away.

Rabha's body was eventually found by the police, who then sent it for an autopsy.

A 70-year-old woman was killed earlier this week when a wild tusker stomped her to death in the Azara police station's Satargaon area, close to the Guwahati Airport.

The elephant, which was prowling through the surrounding reserve area, viciously assaulted the woman.

--IANS

tdr/svn
Patna, July 1 : The Bihar government on Saturday said that the sand mining activities will be banned across the state for next three months in wake of monsoon season.

The Mining Department has taken the decision in view of monsoon session as all rivers overflow in the state. The state has witnessed increased water level in rivers in the recent weeks.

On Friday, 30 trucks got stuck in Son River in Sasaramas Katar Ghat due to rising water level after loading sand in the middle of the river.
Kolkata, July 2 : With West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose continuing with his district tours, interacting with the people affected by the ongoing clashes over the forthcoming panchayat polls, Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the Governor in this matter.

"The state has seen many Governors before. Many of them have worked together with the government for the development of the state. But I have never seen a Governor acting in such a manner. He is over active on certain issues. He is forgetting that ensuring law and order is the prime duty of the state government.

"It is not an area where the Governor should step in. In many cases he is working beyond his constitutional limits. He has opened the complaint book on his own. Such things happen in no other state," Bandopadhyay said.

Even as the Speaker made the remarks, the Governor is on a tour to the troubled pockets of Dinhata in Cooch Behar district, which had been in the national headlines since the nomination phase for the rural civic body polls because of continuing clashes between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters.

The Governor too launched a scathing attack against the state government for the continuing incidents of violence and clashes over the panchayat polls.

"So many reports of violence have come from Cooch Behar district. I wish to meet the victims and their family members personally. If people want, they can stop my convoy and talk to me. Such incidents of violence in Bengal will no longer be tolerated. Strong action will be taken against the hooligans who are responsible for this containing violence," the Governor said.

Incidentally, this is not the first time that Bandopadhyay has criticised the role of the Governor. Bose's predecessor and the current Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankar, also faced the Speaker's wrath on various occasions during his tenure.

The Speaker had especially objected to Dhankar holding press conferences within the Assembly premises and firing salvos against the state government and the ruling party from there.
Gurugram, July 1 : Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday said that despite having only 2 per cent of the country's population, Haryana contributes 6 per cent to the central revenue in the tax structure.

The Deputy Chief Minister shared this information while addressing the GST Day-2023 programme organised on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Goods and Service Tax (GST) implementation in Gurugram.

"Mera Bill-Mera Adhikar Scheme has been started in five states of the country, including Haryana, to encourage taxpayers," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

Under this scheme, the consumer will have to upload the receipt of the purchase of the goods on the portal. He added that Consumers will also get rewards through the corpus fund of Rs 30 crore, through a draw system.

He said that GST has proved to be an excellent system in simplifying the country's tax system and ending "Inspector Raj".

Due to this, the tax burden on the citizens was reduced and the facilities of the industrial world also increased due to the smooth system.

"With the help of GST, the revenue receipt increased from Rs 64,000 crore to Rs 1.50 lakh crore. He added that combined efforts are required to touch the target of Rs 2.5 lakh crore by including new areas in the ambit of GST so that we can contribute to the progress of the country at large," he said.

Principal Secretary, Excise and Taxation Department Devinder Singh Kalyan said that GST, implemented with the objective of One Nation-One Tax, is paving the way to make the country self-sufficient in the field of tax.

"GST had a manifold impact on the economy, benefiting various sectors such as exporters, small traders and entrepreneurs, agriculture and industry, and common consumers. He said that GST has given a boost to 'Make in India' in the first place and has improved the ease of doing business in India," he said.
Mumbai, July 1 : Joining the cast of the historical fiction drama 'Paurashpur' for Season 2, actress Sherlyn Chopra will play the enchanting character of Maharani Snehlata. In her new look, the actress dons an aesthetic that mixes seduction, allure, strength and regality all in one.

In her first look of 'Paurashpur 2', Sherlyn Chopra's transformation into Maharani Snehlata speaks of boldness and elegance as she dresses up in grand opulence in royal attire, exuding grandeur and embodying the very essence of royalty.

Expressing her excitement about taking on the challenging role, Sherlyn said: "Playing Maharani Snehlata has been a transformative experience for me. The character's depth and complexity pushed me to explore new facets of my acting abilities. It is an honour to be part of a series that celebrates strong and empowered women, and I am eagerly looking forward to the audience's reaction."

Maharani Snehlata is touted as a woman of immense strength and intelligence, she defies the conventional norms of her time, challenging the norms of the patriarchal society she inhabits.

Navigating the intricate web of power dynamics the character is also said to grapple with her own desires and vulnerabilities, making her one of the most interesting characters of the show.

'Paurashpur 2' will stream on ALTBalaji.
New Delhi, July 1 : A crucial meeting of Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group is underway at the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The meeting has been called to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Sources said sthat the meeting of the Parliamentary Strategy Group has been called in wake of the Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting over the UCC on July 3.

Sources said that the party leaders will discuss the issue of the UCC in the meeting and also chalk out a strategy to corner the Narendra Modi government over the issue.

The issue of UCC gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week in Madhya Pradesh strongly pitched for it.

During his visit to Madhya Pradesh Bhopal while addressing BJP booth workers Modi said that Muslims were being misled in the name of UCC.

"These days, people are being provoked by the UCC. You tell me, if there is one law for one person in a home, and another law for another person, can that house function?" Modi asked.

The Prime Minister also reached out to two subsections within Muslims -- women and Pasmanda Muslims, over the issue of Triple Talaq and Pashmanda community being neglected for years to bring them towards the party.

The Congress has earlier strongly criticised the government and accused the BJP of raising the UCC as a tool to divert attention from real issues and it represents the Modi government's desperation for a legitimate justification of its continuing agenda of polarization.

On June 14, the Law Commission initiated a fresh consultation process over the issue by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.

Besides Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party MPs KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, P Chidambaram, Manish Tewari, Shaktisinh Gohil, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Deepender Singh Hooda, Pramod Tiwari, Manickam Tagore and several others have arrived at Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence.
New Delhi, July 1 : Two people died while two others were injured after an air compressor tank exploded in a plastic moulding factory that was being operated within a house in northeast Delhi's Gokulpuri area on Saturday, an official said.

The deceased were identified as Bablu (38), a resident of Rohini, and Karan (60).

The official said that Bablu was a compressor mechanic and he died on the spot while Karan succumbed to his injuries during the treatment in the hospital.

According to police, a police control room (PCR) call was received on Saturday at around 3:30 p.m. regarding a blast in a factory at Gokulpuri area, following which a police team rushed to the spot.

"The staff from the fire department had also reached the spot. Enquiry revealed that four persons were injured at the site and three of them had already been taken to GTB hospital while the fourth man was found dead at the spot in a plastic moulding factory which was being run from the house," said a senior police official.

"Later, it was found that another person had succumbed to his injuries at the hospital," said the official.

During the initial probe, it was revealed that the blast had taken place in the air compressor tank, which is used in the plastic moulding machine. "The factory was being operated in a rented accommodation of around 150 square yards," said the official.

The official said that the owner of the property has been identified as one Naresh, who had rented the premises to one Yadav, who was running the factory.

"Efforts are being made to contact both of them. Their mobile phones are switched off. They will be traced soon and an FIR under section 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code at Gokulpuri police station," the official added.

--IANS

ssh/sha
New Delhi, July 1 : A Delhi court on Saturday adjourned its decision on whether to take cognisance of the charge sheet filed against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case.

The decision has been adjourned till July7.

It was submitted before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal that police probe is still on and a supplementary charge sheet is likely to be filed.

"However, since FSL report and report on Call Detail Record (CDR) is awaited it is likely to take time. Put up for consideration for July 7," the judge said.

ACMM, who was scheduled to pass the order on Saturday, had on June 27 said: "Fresh charge sheet filed. Let it be checked. Since it's a lengthy charge sheet, will keep it for consideration for a couple of days."

The female wrestlers on June 26 moved the court seeking copy of the charge sheet filed by police against the WFI chief on June 15.

The Delhi Police charge sheet running over 1,000 pages was filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mahima Rai of Rouse Avenue Courts for the offences under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (making sexually coloured remarks), 354D (stalking) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar has been accused of offences under Sections 109 (abetting officer), 354, 354A, 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Reportedly, the charge sheet contains statements of around 200 witnesses.

Last week, the CMM transferred the alleged sexual harassment case to the court of ACMM Jaspal, who deals with cases of MPs and MLAS, and was scheduled to take up the up the charge sheet for consideration on Tuesday.

Jaspal had directed complainants' lawyer to apply for a certified copy at the court's copying agency.

In the FIR registered at Connaught Place police station, it has been alleged by the six adult grapplers that Singh allegedly attempted to coerce one athlete into sexual acts by offering to provide her with "supplements", invited another wrestler to his bed and hugging her, as well as assaulting and inappropriately touching other athletes.
New Delhi, July 1 : Delhi Police have arrested a 24-year-old cyber fraudster from Pune, who used to dupe people on pretext of providing 'packers & movers' service across the country, an official said on Saturday.

The accused was identified as Lalit Sharma, a native of Bhiwani in Haryana.

The official said that a complaint was received at Cyber police station in South district wherein the complainant, who works in a multinational company at Bangalore, stated that he planned to shift from Bangalore to South Delhi for which he searched for online 'packers and movers services'.

After that the complainant received calls from different service providers on his mobile phone. "He received a phone call from one claiming to be ['Gati packers & movers' and was offered for quality services of the luggage and automobiles transportations. He booked the same for transportation of one car and some household articles from Bangalore to South Delhi and he paid Rs 2,000 as advance booking charges and paid Rs 13,000 for the parcel charges at the very same time of pick-up in advance," said Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

After 2-3 days from pick-up of articles, the complainant received a WhatsApp call in which the alleged service provider demanded money on the pretext viz. state border Custom Charges, GST Charges, Insurance Charges, State RTO Clearance and clearance of the parcels from one state to another.

"When Sharma's luggage was picked, the accused took over Rs 7 lakh for next 11-12 days and cheated him," said the DCP.

During investigation, it was found that the culprit was operating from the Hyderabad area and after committing the offence, he was hiding himself in Pune.

"A detailed technical analysis and money trail was carried out. The police team mounted continuous surveillance and finally the accused was nabbed from Pune," said the DCP.

During interrogation, Sharma disclosed that he was operating from the rented house and rented office situated at Hyderabad. "The accused revealed that he used to dupe innocent people on the pretext of providing 'Packers & Movers Service' through a website booking process," the official added.
Quetta, July 1 : A police station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, came under attack on Saturday, with initial reports suggesting it was a grenade attack, according to the police.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Zohaib Mohsin said unidentified motorcyclists attacked the Civil Lines police station with a hand grenade, which was thrown near the gate of the facility. One police personnel was injured in the ensuing explosion, Dawn reported.

The wounded policeman, identified as Saboor Achakzai, was taken to Civil Hospitalas trauma centre. The police and other law enforcement agencies, meanwhile, combed the crime scene for evidence, the report said.

The SSP added that nearby routes have been blocked and a search for the attackers is under way.

In a statement, Babar Yousafzai, a spokesperson for Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, said the CM has reached out to SSP Mohsin who briefed him about the incident.

He said the best medical facilities will be provided to the injured policeman.

Terrorists deserve no mercy, he said.

The police in the city have been targeted by terrorists of late. In April, separate blasts had left four police personnel dead and nearly two-dozen wounded.

In May, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq narrowly escaped a suicide attack which the police had said targeted his convoy in Balochistanas Zhob, leaving six people injured, Dawn reported.

That same month, a police officer waskilledduring a raid in Balochistanas Sohbatpur district.
China's Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang (R) and Jon Frampton, director of the University of Birmingham China Institute, unveil a blue plaque honoring Li Siguang at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, Britain, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Born in 1889, Chinese geologist Li Siguang studied geology at the University of Birmingham in the 1910s. In 1931, he received his doctorate at this university.



BIRMINGHAM, Britain, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A blue plaque honoring Li Siguang, a late Chinese geologist and founder of geological mechanics, was unveiled at the University of Birmingham on Thursday.

Born in 1889, Li studied geology at the University of Birmingham in the 1910s. Later he spent several years researching the geology of China, and his work greatly contributed to the discovery of China's major natural gas and oil fields in the 1950s. In 1931, he received his doctorate at the University of Birmingham. He died in 1971.

With this commemorative plaque, Li has joined an illustrious club of about two dozen famous people with ties to the university, including Norman Haworth, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry, and well-known writer David Lodge.

Li Siguang, renowned Chinese geologist gives lessons in Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. (Xinhua Photo)

Calling Li "one of the university's most famous Chinese alumni," Jon Frampton, director of the China Institute that operates on the university campus, recalled a series of lectures the institute organized in 2018 to mark the legacy of the famous geologist.

"We covered a wide range of disciplines through those lectures that are relevant to our academic engagement with China, including topics as diverse as sustainability, science diplomacy, and cultural understanding," Frampton said.

"The legacy of Li Siguang is very much alive here at the university. It's driving future-oriented collaborations with researchers in China," said William Bloss, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Aerial photo taken on July 3, 2020 shows the scenery of Wudalianchi scenic spot in Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

China's Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang said: "Li Siguang was a very accomplished academic and scientist. We're pleased that Li Siguang's legacy is alive and cherished at your great university."

He said the collaborations between the University of Birmingham and Chinese universities and research institutions will help to resolve the "common challenges" faced by the whole world. He also encouraged Chinese students studying at the University of Birmingham to try to rival Li's academic excellence. 
Jaipur, July 1 : Rajasthan former chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday visited Rajkumar Sharma -- a witness in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case.

The former chief minister gave Rs 1 lakh in grant to the family and also promised to bear the expenses of his daughter's marriage. "We will do everything to help the family," Raje said.

She also met Rajkumar's wife -- Pushpa and his children. Pushpa told the former chief minister that her children are disturbed and scared after the incident. "The children have removed the nameplate from outside their house," Pushpa told the former chief minister.

Pushpa told the former chief minister that her son wanted to study further but due to the poor economic condition she is unable to sustain his education.

Rajkumar told the former chief minister that his family has been shattered after the incident. "I can neither stand nor sit. The condition has worsened and we are afraid to even go out of the house," Rajkumar told the former chief minister.

On June 28, 2022 tailor Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded in broad daylight by Mohammd Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammed, who entered the tailor's shop posing as customers.

The former chief minister was accompanied by MLA Dharmanarayan Joshi and other BJP officials. Her visit to Rajkumar comes a day after the Union Minister Amit Shah spoke on Kanhaiya Lal murder in Udaipur.
Chennai, July 1 : Tamil Nadu health department will monitor the health of pregnant women and lactating mothers as well as newborns under the scheme 'First 1,000 - Best Healthy Days'.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced the launch of the programme at the Ranipet Hospital on Saturday. It will be implemented at all the primary health centres as well as community health centres in 14 districts of the state based on poor maternal and child health indicators.

The programme is aimed at the survival and growth of all children in their first 1,000 days, from pregnancy up to the first two years. The scheme, according to the minister, will target 37,200 children born in a year in Tamil Nadu and 74,400 children born in two years.

The beneficiaries will be ensured adequate antenatal care, good nutrition and lactation, best early childhood development and proper weight gain up to two years.

Subramanian in his speech said that the programme will also focus on prevention and control of anemia during pregnancy, weight gain of pregnant women and infant. The health department, according to the minister, will monitor the vaccination of all children up to two years of age.

The scheme will lead to reduction of maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality rate. It is expected to prevent anemia among antenatal mothers and treatment and reduction of low birth weight babies.
New Delhi, July 1 : With the crucial Lok Sabha elections less than a year away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week gave a strong push to a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) making it clear he plans to fulfill one of the prominent election promises that has been pending for long and hoping to recharge the party's core constituency of voters.

Addressing BJP booth workers during his visit to Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal recently, Modi said that Muslims were being misled in the name of UCC.

"These days, people are being provoked by the UCC. You tell me, if there is one law for one person in a home, and another law for another person, can that house function?" Modi asked.

The Prime Minister also reached out to two subsections within Muslims  women and Pasmanda Muslims - over the issue of triple talaq and the Pashmanda community being neglected for years.

Modi's strong pitch for the UCC came as the party has fulfilled its promises of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya which is underway,and was a part of the BJP's "core" manifesto agenda. Now in the list of unfulfilled promises of the BJP and its ideological body Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, remains the implementation of the UCC.

The BJP had won two consecutive Lok Sabha elections with huge mandates, and is looking for a third consecutive term next year and wants to capitalise on the issue.

The strong pitch by the Prime MInister has successfully opened a rift in the opposition camp as the AAP, which attended the first opposition meeting in Bihar's Patna on June 23 announced that it will support the UCC.

The UCC refers to a common set of laws that are applicable to all the citizens of India that is not based on religion and dealing with marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption among other personal matters.

A BJP source said that pitching the issue of UCC just a year ahead of the crucial polls might prove beneficial for the party as it hopes that it will once again give a clear message to its core voters.

The source said that a heated debate on the UCC might help the party to recharge the BJP's core constituency.

The source added that the BJP might have brought up the UCC debate after its loss in Karnataka, where it was decimated by the Congress in the recently concluded assembly polls.

The source also felt that as the caste factor was not working, the UCC debate will help its core voters to come together to take on the Congress and other opposition parties in several states.

On Friday, Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai said that the draft of the proposed UCC for Uttarakhand is complete and would soon be submitted to the state government.

While speaking to the media in the national capital, Desai, who is the head of the committee of experts set up by the Uttarakhand government last year, said the panel has drafted the code taking into account all shades of opinion and looking into various statutes and uncodified laws, including the statutory framework in select countries.

However, many allies of the BJP, including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) leader Chirag Paswan have said that they will first read the draft report on the UCC and then take a decision on supporting it.

Even the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which is the bigger partner in the ruling alliance in Nagaland, has opposed the UCC. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, has said that the UCC goes against the 'idea of actual India' The. National People's Party (NPP) is the partner of the BJP in this northeastern state.

Several ministers of the BJP have pitched strongly for the UCC.

The party source also indicated that the UCC BIll may be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and might be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for more discussion on the issue.

The source indicated that the BJP will not push for the passage of the UCC Bill in the Monsoon Session and might take it closer to next year's Lok Sabha election.

While the Prime Minister is pitching strongly for the UCC, the party leaders will tread carefully as it can create trouble for the party in several states, including the northeastern states and in tribal dominated poll bound Chhattisgarh, said the source.

--IANSaks/bg
New Delhi, July 1 : Delhi PWD Minister Atishi inspected five subways in the national capital on Saturday and said that the conditions have improved following an ultimatum given to the department last month.

She, however, said that there is still room for further improvement.

The Delhi government had recently given an ultimatum to the department to fix all maintenance issues across subways in Delhi. The inspection by the minister came upon the completion of one month.

Atishi inspected five subways in South Delhi, including those in Masjid Moth, Nehru Place, Lajpat Nagar, Andrews Ganj, and Lajpat Nagar Metro Station.

During the inspection, she found that compared to before, the subways were clean and well-maintained. Sufficient lighting were arranged to ensure women's safety, security guards were deployed, and new lights and convex mirrors were installed. Besides, the drainage system were improved across the five subways.

Atishi said that the department had been working to improve the conditions of subways across Delhi in recent days, but that there is still room for further improvement.

She directed officials to focus on making the current situation of the subways even better.

"We are working diligently towards not only making our subways better but also ensuring their safety from a women's security perspective. In the coming days, further improvements and facilities will be ensured in this regard," she said.

--IANS

atk/sha
Kolkata, July 1 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Mangobinda Adhikari on Saturday was forced to walk on foot through a muddy road by the people in East Burdwan in West Bengal.

The TMC MLA had gone to Bhatar assembly constituency in East Burdwan district of West Bengal to campaign for the upcoming panchyat polls.

The people in the area alleged that the TMC government has failed to repair the roads in rural areas since the party came to power in 2011.

The people alleged that despite several appeals neither the district administration nor the local panchayat bodies had taken any initiative to repair the road.

"We wanted the legislator to feel how problematic it is to walk over the muddy roads," a local said.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari posted a video of TMC MLA walking through the muddy road on his official Twitter and Facebook handles and posted a message ridiculing the state government.

"The Walk of Shame.

"When Shri Mangobindo Adhikary; Regional Tolamool Party MLA of Bhatar Assembly Constituency; Purba Bardhaman District, arrived at Nityanandapur Gram Panchayat area in the Bhatar Block, which comes under his Assembly Constituency, for campaigning, the people of the village forced him to 'Walk down on the lane of DEVELOPMENT" !

"This isn't a stray incident, this is happening across WB, as people are courageously voicing their discontent towards the corrupt TMC Party. (sic)," the Leader of Opposition tweeted.

--IANS

src/dan
Khammam : , July 1 (IANS) With former Congress President Rahul Gandhi visiting poll-bound Telangana on Sunday, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka's padayatra will also conclude on the same day. The over 1,400 km padayatra is an extension of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Rahul Gandhi will address a 'Jangarjana' public meeting in Khammam on Sunday, besides formally inducting 35 leaders of the ruling Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS) into the party, including former state minister Jupally Krishna Rao and ex-MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.

The 35 leaders had earlier this week joined the grand old party in the national capital in the presence of the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi after meeting them briefly.

Many party leaders feel that besides the work of the state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, who has galvanised the party workers ahead of the crucial Assembly elections scheduled at the end of the year, the role of CLP leader Vikramarka also cannot be ignored.

Vikramarka had kicked-of the padayatra on March 16 as part of the party's 'Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan', and has covered almost 1,360 km far on foot in over 105 days.He said that the yatra began from Pipri village in Adilabad district and has traversed across Telangana covering 15 districts, 33 Assembly constituencies and almost 800 villages along the way.

During the yatra, several national and state leaders joined Vikramarka. Two big public meetings were also organised during the yatra, which saw the participation of over one lakh people. Congress President Kharge was the chief guest of the first meeting, while Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attended the second public meeting.

A Congress leader said that as Reddy is focusing on strengthening the party, Vikramarka during the course of his yatra has connected with several sections of the society which will help the party in the Assembly elections.

The party leader highlighted how Vikramarka during his padayatra visited the Sripada Yellampally project in Mancherial and examined the damaged crops in the Assembly constituencies of Ramagundam, Dharmapuri, Huzurabad, Husnabad, Vardhannapeta.

The party leader claimed that Vikramarkaas yatra has been successful in highlighting the failures of the BRS government in Telangana and in taking the poll promises of the Congress to the people, which include providing gas cylinder for Rs 500, Rs 5 lakh per household for construction of houses, Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver for farmers, etc.
Bhopal, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission from Madhya Pradesh. He unveiled a portal and also released a guideline for the management of the disease and different modules for its monitoring.

The National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission (NSCAEM), which aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population, was announced in the Union Budget 2023.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has listed sickle cell disease as one of the 10 problems in India's tribal health with Madhya Pradesh having the highest prevalence. An estimated 9,61,492 people are reported to be Sickle Cell careers, while 67,861 have Sickle Cell Anemia disease in Madhya Pradesh.

As per the ICMR report, there is high incidence of Sickle Cell Anemia in six tribes spread across 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The tribes - Pradhan, Panika, Barela, Bhilala, Jharia and Mehra  are mostly affected with Sickle Cell Anemia.

15 districts  Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Burhanpur, Betul, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Dindori, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol and Anuppur  are with high index of Sickle Cell Anemia, according to ICMR report.

At a function held at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi, meanwhile, took a swipe at the Opposition and asked people to beware of "fake guarantees" being given by "family-centric" political parties including Congress. "Beware of those (parties) who are giving fake guarantees. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees despite they don't have their own (political) guarantee," Modi said.
Kolkata, July 1 : In a landmark judgement, the Calcutta High Court granted bail to a woman sentenced to life imprisonment by an Additional Sessions Judge in Kandi, Murshidabad, on December 20, 2018.

The woman has been behind the bars for nearly six-and-a-half years now, and her appeal is pending before the court.

Naju Bibi alias Narjina Bibi was convicted and sentenced for lacing sweets with poison and then serving them to her six-year-old step-daughter. The child died in the hospital.

Advocate Phiroze Edulji, appearing for Naju Bibi, submitted in the court of Justice Arijit Banerjee and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray on Friday that there were several discrepancies in the depositions made by the witnesses during the trial, adding that his client is likely to be acquitted when her appeal comes up for hearing.

He also contended that it would be unfair and unjust to keep Naju Bibi in prison till the appeal is heard. The date of hearing of the appeal is uncertain.

Edulji also pointed out that if his client is eventually acquitted, there is no way she can be compensated for the injustice done to her by incarcerating her for several years despite her innocence.

Advocates appearing for the state claimed that the discrepancies in the depositions, as mentioned by Edulji, were trivial in nature and will not affect the appeal court's decision in any way. They opposed Naju Bibi's bail plea and prayed that she be made to wait till the appeal court disposes of the matter.

The high court's division bench looked at it differently though.

The judges pointed out that high courts normally do not grant bail to a person sentenced to life. However, in this case, there are sufficient doubts regarding the evidence against the woman. Moreover, it would be extremely unfair if she is finally acquitted after serving several years in prison for no reason.

This has happened in the past, the court noted. It is also not known when the appeal will come up for hearing, given the large number of pending cases, the bench observed.

Keeping this in mind, the bench granted Naju Bibi bail. She will have to provide sureties and can't leave the jurisdiction of the local police station.

She will also have to attend hearings of her appeal when the court takes it up.

Also, Naju Bibi will have to appear before the local police every month.
New Delhi, July 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday approved the proposal to remove and transplant 214 trees to clear the site for construction of a new defence facility in the national capital.

The approval, however, has been granted on conditions that the applicant agency undertakes the plantation of 2,140 new saplings as per the plan.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's office, the applicant agency proposed the construction of a new defence project in Delhi. However, certain patches of trees were obstructing the construction site. To address this, the agency submitted a letter to Delhi government's Environment and Forests Department, seeking approval to remove and transplant 214 trees from the site.

"Given the importance of the modern infrastructure for the defence forces, CM Arvind Kejriwal gave his nod to speed up the work by clearing the patch, in national interest," the statement said.

"The Delhi government will always uphold national interest and help the forces in any way possible. This approval will help give the forces access to better facilities. We are actively ensuring that modern developments do not adversely impact Delhi and are mandating 10x (10-fold) compensatory plantation for any tree that gets affected," Kejriwal said.

With Chief Minister's approval, the proposal will be presented to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G), and the L-G is "bound by the government's aid and advice on the subbject".

The Delhi government further clarified that the transplantation will occur near the designated project site.

The applicant agency has been instructed not to harm any trees at the site other than those specifically identified and approved by the government as any damage to trees other than the approved ones would be considered an offense under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994.

--IANS

atk/sha
Jaipur, July 1 : Taking cognisance of a video that went viral on social media in which some people could be seen stripping, assaulting and parading a widow at a village in Udaipur district, the police on Saturday arrested the main accused in the case, her two brothers and sister-in-law.

The incident took place under the Bakaria police station limits. The police had received the information that on Thursday, a woman was stripped naked and brutally assaulted by other women in Devla town, the video of which had gone viral on social media.

Sources said the widow allegedly had an affair with a married man in her village. In the video, her wailing five-year-old son could be clinging on to his mother while others assaulted her.

No one had filed a complaint in the matter. Taking suo moto cognisance of the incident, SP Bhuvan Bhushan directed SHO Mukesh Kumar to take action in the matter.

After obtaining information about the victim, a police team reached her home following which a probe was launched after registering a case under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.

The team led by SHO Mukesh Kumar then launched a search to nab the accused, all residents of Pali district. The main accused, the victim's sister-in-law and two brothers, who were hiding in the forest in the Thana Nana area of Pali district, were detained with the help of local police.

Bhushan said that considering the seriousness of the incident, he himself went to the victim's house along with the District Collector and provided her medical aid. The victim has been brought to Udaipur for further assistance.
NANCHANG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- In the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum, 15-year-old Luo Minhua downloaded an augmented reality (AR) treasure hunt app on her phone. Then, she explored displayed items according to clues provided by the app, including historical figures and revolutionary stories.

"It is quite a novel way to make the revolutionary stories in textbooks come to life, and make them more impressive," Luo said, interacting with the museum collections via AR technology.

July 1 this year marks the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Luo is one of many young people who have flocked to Jinggangshan -- known as the cradle of the Chinese revolution -- to retrace the history and learn the Jinggangshan Spirit.

In October 1927, Mao Zedong led a fledgling group of Chinese revolutionaries deep into the mountains around Jinggangshan in east China's Jiangxi Province, where they established the first rural revolutionary base of the CPC. The Jinggangshan Spirit -- standing firm in convictions, working hard, seeking truth from facts, daring to break new roads, relying on people, and fighting for victories -- was nurtured and has been passed down through generations.

"To cater to the preferences of young people and offer them an immersive experience, we have fully utilized AR, virtual reality and mixed reality technology to diversify the display methods," said Luo Huanan, a staff worker at the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum.

Luo said that 425 revolutionary cultural relics in the museum have been digitalized through 3D modeling technology.

In recent years, more and more young people have become interested in the Jinggangshan Spirit, devoting themselves to promoting the revolutionary history of the area.

In a studio near the museum, Mao Haofu was busy preparing an education lecture. Since 2017, the 34-year-old has given some 4,000 bilingual lectures on the Jinggangshan Spirit to visitors from home and abroad.

To narrate Jinggangshan's history with lucid and engaging storytelling, Mao visits the descendants of the Red Army and researches historical materials as often as possible.

After studying in Britain, Mao worked in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi. He later quit his job and returned to his hometown of Jinggangshan.

His choice was influenced by his father and grandfather, who both devoted themselves into the research and education of the Party history.

Encouraged by Mao's studio, a group of local schoolchildren, including descendants of revolutionary martyrs, has volunteered to offer guiding services to visitors at historical sites during school holidays. To date, they have welcomed a total of more than 70,000 people.

The rich historical resources in Jinggangshan have also offered business and job opportunities for young people.

Xie Yanjun, 34, returned to his hometown Gutian Village in Jinggangshan's Getian Township in 2018 and began establishing an educational base in the village to develop a social project that integrates revolutionary culture.

Among the 21 employees at his company, nine were born after 2000 and the rest were born after 1990. The once regressive village is becoming younger and more lively.

At the 33-hectare base, visitors can retrace history, read revolutionary books and magazines, and experience activities that were common during the revolutionary period.

"We welcomed over 20,000 adolescents to participate in social practices in 2021, when the base was built," said Xie, noting that the base has received some 10,000 visitors so far this year.

The successful social project combined with rural tourism and health tourism has fattened villagers' wallets. Local Ai Quanxiu got involved in the social project in 2021, opening a bed and breakfast in the village.

"I have five rooms that can accommodate as many as 30 guests," Ai said. She earned 6,000 yuan (about 830 U.S. dollars) in June.

According to Zhang Yurong, Party chief of Gutian Village, 76 households have benefitted from the social project. Among them, one household had an annual income exceeding 100,000 yuan. 
Bhubaneswar, July 1 : On the basis of DNA test reports, another 13 dead bodies have been handed over to their family members here at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Saturday, officials said.

Four dead bodies have been sent to Bihar, while eight sent to West Bengal and another to Jharkhand, the officials said.

On Friday, six dead bodies were handed over to their family members. Of which, two bodies have been sent to Bihar, two to West Bengal and one body to Jharkhand while another was sent to Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.

Out of 81 dead bodies preserved at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, DNA test reports of 29 have arrived and so far, 19 dead bodies were handed over with coordination with AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, said a railway official this evening.

Ambulance and escort vehicles for families have been arranged by the Odisha government and East Coast Railway, respectively. Ex-gratia has been paid to the kin of the family members by Railways as announced by the Prime Minister and Railway Minister.

The process of handing over the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said.

At least 293 people died and over 1000 were injured after Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Howrah bound SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train were involved in a tragic accident near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2 evening.
Bhopal, July 1 : An MP-MLA court in Bhopal on Saturday sentenced former Madhya Pradesh minister and Congress MLA Jitu Patwari to one year imprisonment in nearly one-and-a-half decade old case of rioting and obstructing government officials from performing their duties.

Besides Patwari, three others, including former Congress MLA Krishnamohan Malviya, were also sentenced to one year imprisonment in the same case. A fine of Rs 10,000 on each (including Patwari) was imposed.

The court also issued notices to 13 other accused in the case, who were not present during the hearing on Saturday.

In 2009, Madhya Pradesh Congress had staged a massive protest over farmers issue, including hike in electricity bill in Rajgarh district. During the protest, a scuffle had broken out between the police the protesters.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh was also got injured in stone pelting during the scuffle.

The police had then arrested 17 people, most of them were Congress leaders and workers and they were booked under Sections - 148, 294, 353, 332, 336, 506 (2), 427 of IPC and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984.

The Congress MLA from Rau Assembly seat in Indore, who was present in the court, said, "I respect the court's judgement with folded hands. But, I will keep fighting for the interest of farmers of Madhya Pradesh. I will challenge the decision before the High Court soon."

The Madhya Pradesh Congress has extended its support to Patwari and others, stating that party workers will never settle down for fighting for people's interests, no matter what action is taken against them.

"We respect the court's decision, but disagree with it. We will challenge this decision in the higher court. I want to make it clear that... It is the first duty of a leader to agitate for the rights of the society, it is in accordance with the basic spirit of the Constitution. This is what every Congress worker has learned from the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Entire Congress party is with Jitu Patwari," Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath said in a statement.
New Delhi, July 1 : The Supreme Court on Saturday granted activist Teesta Setalvad a week's protection from arrest by staying a Gujarat High Court order directing her to surrender immediately.

Setalvad was asked to "surrender immediately" by the Gujarat High Court on in a case linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots after rejecting her bail plea earlier on Saturday.

The Supreme Court gave her interim protection in a decision that came at 10 p.m. on Saturday .

Justices Abhay S. Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra, who first heard the matter in a special hearing, urged the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, to assign the case to a larger bench as the two judges were unable to agree on a decision.

Setalvad has been on interim bail since September last year, but she faces arrest if the Supreme Court does not 'overrule' the high court order.

Setalvad, based out of Mumbai, has been facing allegations of fabricating evidence in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The court's decision comes after Setalvad was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in September 2022, which had protected her from arrest until now.

Following the verdict by Justice Nirzar Desai of the Gujarat High Court, senior advocate Mihir Thakore requested the court to stay the verdict's operation for 30 days.However, the request was rejected by Justice Desai.

Notably, Setalvad was arrested on June 25, 2022 by the Gujarat Police based on an FIR filed by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB).

The charges against her include conspiring to falsely implicate innocent individuals in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.After seven days in police remand, she was sent to judicial custody on July 2.

Setalvad's arrest, along with that of co-accused former IPS R.B. Sreekumar, followed the Supreme Court's dismissal of a plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress MP Ahsan Jafri.

The plea challenged the Special Investigation Team's clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others regarding allegations of conspiracy in the riots.

In its verdict, the Supreme Court noted that the proceedings were pursued to "keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design" and emphasised the need for all those involved in such abuse of process to face legal consequences.

--IANSaks/arm
Los Angeles, July 1 : Actress Amanda Bynes has left the mental health facility almost two weeks after she was admitted there, but has worked with her team to put a plan in place to keep her healthy, reports 'Female First UK'.

She'll start outpatient care and will have a medical professional checking in daily, while Amanda will also be monitored to ensure she is taking her medication.

As per TMZ, Amanda was placed on a "5150 hold" for the second time this year after apparently calling police for help, last month.

The actress was previously placed on a psychiatric hold in March after she was seen walking around naked in Los Angeles.

An eyewitness told TMZ she flagged down a car and told the driver that she was coming down from a psychiatric episode before calling police.

As per 'Female First UK', at the time, sources said that Amanda, who has also struggled with substance abuse, had likely been living "on the streets for days" before the incident.

The former child star's ex-fiance Paul Michael, also told Page Six she had probably been "off her meds".

Amanda was in hospital for three weeks before starting outpatient treatment and her eight-year conservatorship was terminated in March 2022 after the court determined the legal arrangement was "no longer required."

--IANS

aa/sha
Srinagar, July 1 : Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said that it has arrested a terror associate belonging to the LeT along with four perfume IEDs from central Kashmir's district Srinagar district.

"One terror associate of LeT namely Yasir Ahmed Ittoo S/o Ab Rashid Ittoo R/o Gulshanabad, Qaimoh arrested with 4 perfume IEDs from Batmaloo Bus Stand," Police said.

Police said that FIR No 77/2023 under sections 3/5 of Explosive Substances act, 7/25 of IA Act & 13,23 of ULAP Act has been registered.
Imphal, July 1 : Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Saturday said that people belonging to all 34 tribes in the state have to live together and remain careful that outsiders do not disturb the peace and demographic situation of the state.

The Chief Minister said that Manipur is a small state where all the 34 tribes, including Meiteis, Kukis and Nagas, have to live together.

"Some people came much earlier, some people are indigenous, some came later but all we have to be careful that people from outside should not come here and settle here so that there is no demographic imbalance.

"As long as I am Chief Minister, I will not allow Manipur to divide or allow separate administration. I will sacrifice ...to keep Manipur's integrity intact," Singh said a day after he tried to resign from his post.

Without naming any political party and outside elements, the Chief Minister said: "We can't deny the outside element's hand in Manipur violence."

He said that the political hand in the violence is evident as an attempt to attack the BJP office was done.

He said that these attacks were not done by the public, 'it was done with a political intention'.

"Those who try to take political advantage in such a crisis will never be forgiven by God. Nobody should do politics with human lives..."

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's two-day visit, the Chief Minister said: "Rahul Gandhi should try to restore peace instead of doing politics. Timing of his visit was not proper."

The Chief Minister said that the central and state governments are making all efforts, at all levels, to restore peace.

"Earlier in the day, I spoke with our Kuki brothers and sisters over the telephone. Let's forgive and forget, reconcile and live together like we always have.

"The Government will try to screen and verify the identity of the people coming from across the border in view of the turmoil in Myanmar and send them back to their country once the situation improves," the Chief Minister said.

Singh said that he was hurt by comments of some people in the wake of violence in the state and which had prompted him to resign, however he refrained from resigning after he saw people on the streets and their trust in him.

"A man can't be a leader without public confidence. I feel good that after I stepped out (of the CM bungalow) there was a huge crowd on the streets. They cried and showed their trust in me. Thousands of men and women asked me not to resign. If they tell me to resign, I will. If they tell me not to, I won't."
Bhopal, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati will be celebrated across the country on October 5.

The Prime Minister made the announcement during an event organised in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district to mark the culmination of five 'yatras' that were launched by the state BJP on June 22.

Prime Minister Modi was supposed to address the programme on June 27, however, it was cancelled due to bad weather conditions.

Titled as 'Veerangana Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatras', it was launched to pay homage and remember the struggle of the 16th century legendary Gondwana kingdom queen Rani Durgavati.

The five yatras, which covered remotest villages of tribal-dominated parts of the state, culminated in Shahdol on June 27.

Prime Minister Modi also announced that a commemorative silver coin and a stamp will be released on the occasion of her 500th birth anniversary. Besides, afilm based on her life will also be made.

"We will launch a campaign to take Rani Durgavati's inspiration to every house in India. Madhya Pradesh will touch new heights of development," he said.

--IANS

pd/sha
Chennai, July 1 : The Tamil Nadu unit of BJP will hold its core committee meeting on July 4, in which the strategies for next year's Lok Sabha polls will be chalked out.

A section of senior BJP leaders are against the style of functioning of state unit President K. Annamalai. There is a feeling within a section of BJP leaders that Annamalai is trying to cut the Brahmin leadership of the party into size. Former MP Maitreyan had publicly stated that the Brahmins will be supporting the BJP.

Maitreyan is a former BJP leader who had moved to the AIADMK before returning to the saffron party fold.

The BJP will have to piggy ride on the Dravidian parties to establish a foothold in Tamil politics. An alliance with the AIADMK had helped the party a lot in the 2021 Assembly elections. Annamalai antagonising the AIADMK leadership was not taken well by a major section of the BJP leadership and this will also be a subject of discussion during the core committee meeting on July 4.

With political parties commencing preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the onus will be on Annamalai to deliver the results for the BJP in Tamil Nadu.

Retired professor of political science, Satyamoorthy, told IANS: "The BJP leadership has to be realistic. Tamil politics is a different ball game and they should have a strong Dravidian partner which they now have in AIADMK. However, the public rumblings of Annamalai against the AIADMK leadership is not appreciated, and let us hope that the party's core committee takes a call to iron out the differences with the AIADMK."
Bhopal, July 1 : A journalist associated with a regional news channel was abducted, beaten up severely and then shot at in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district on Saturday. He, however, managed to flee and is now undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The victim, identified as Shivam Arya, is resident of Hazira locality in Gwalior. He was reportedly abducted from his home at around 6 a.m. on Saturday.

The kidnappers took him to Shikarpura village and they confined him in a room situated on a hill. They, according to sources, forced him to consume alcohol.

From Shikarpura, kidnappers drive him to Dabra, a tehsil under Gwalior district located adjacent to Datia district, where he was subjected to further physical assault and abuse.

Later, in the afternoon, one of the kidnappers made a video call to an unknown person. The kidnappers then proceeded to shoot Arya, with the first bullet grazing his temple while second shot struck his thigh. However, while the the kidnapper was reloading the firearm for another round, Arya gathered courage to push one of them aside and ran away from the spot.

After fleeing and covering around one kilometer, he narrated the entire story to a local person. Soon the police was alerted and the journalist was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

According to police, a bullet lodged in his skull was surgically removed and his condition is said to be stable.

Police said that Arya's wife had previously filed a case against one of the young men allegedly involved in the assault. Police suspect that the attackers may have been seeking revenge or attempting to extort money from the journalist.

"We have launched an investigation into the matter, and as of now, three suspects have been identified. We are trying to determine the motive behind the crime," said Gwalior SP Rajesh Chandel.
Ramallah, July 2 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation, discussing the latest developments in the two countries and ways to boost bilateral ties, media reported.

During the phone call, Putin extended Eid al-Adha greetings and wishes to Abbas and the Palestinian people, said the report on Saturday.

Being briefed on the latest developments of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Putin affirmed Russia's unwavering support for the Palestinian people in achieving their aspirations for freedom and independence by establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

Abbas, for his part, expressed his keenness to restore stability to Russia and wished the country further progress and prosperity.
NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- India and Pakistan Saturday exchanged a list of civilian prisoners in each other's jails, officials said.

The exchange was carried out through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, India's foreign ministry officials said.

"India has shared lists of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed to be Indian," reads a statement issued by India's foreign ministry.

According to India's foreign ministry, the exchange was done in keeping with the provisions of the 2008 agreement under which such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1.

According to official estimates, 2,559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. 
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NBMBAA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) professional member-based organization which leads in the creation of educational, career, and wealth-building opportunities for students, professionals, and entrepreneurs. Representing thousands of members in more than 40 professional chapters, 33 Leaders of Tomorrow chapters, and over 300 corporate, academic and not-for-profit partners, the organization is dedicated to sponsoring initiatives and developing partnerships that create intellectual and economic wealth in the Black community through its five channels of engagement: career, education, entrepreneurship, leadership, and lifestyle. Visit us @ NBMBAA.org. Follow us on Twitter @nbmbaahq Facebook, Instagram @theblackmba, and on LinkedIn

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The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6, available at Coastal Hyundai. Coastal Hyundai's new research pages provide comprehensive details on the performance, safety features, and cutting-edge technology integrated into these Hyundai models.

Coastal Hyundai, a leading dealership in Melbourne, FL, is thrilled to launch its new research pages, offering in-depth information on the latest Hyundai models that redefine excellence and innovation.

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Explore the all-new 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6, a sleek, sophisticated electric vehicle combining dynamic performance and eco-conscious features. With its cutting-edge design and advanced technology, the Ioniq 6 is set to revolutionize the electric vehicle market.

Embrace the Future of Mobility

Discover the 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric, an electric SUV that blends versatility with eco-friendly driving. Experience the thrill of instant acceleration and a remarkable range, making every journey an exhilarating and sustainable adventure.

Redefine Urban Exploration

Introducing the 2023 Hyundai Venue, a compact SUV designed for urban dwellers seeking style, efficiency, and maneuverability. With its bold design and intelligent features, the Venue makes a statement on the streets while offering versatility and connectivity.



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Coastal Hyundai's new research pages provide comprehensive details on the performance, safety features, and cutting-edge technology integrated into these Hyundai models. From advanced driver-assistance systems to intuitive infotainment options, Hyundai prioritizes customer satisfaction and peace of mind.



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If you would like to know more about the Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The Los Angeles labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against EUREKA CENTER EMPLOYEES, LLC; EUREKA REALTY PARTNERS, INC.; FRO2MO BARSTOW LLC dba OUTLETS AT BARSTOW; CJK INVESTMENTS LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP-MACARTHUR, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  CABAZON, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  CARLSBAD, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  LAKE ELSINORE, L.P.; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  MANTECA, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  TULARE, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP  CABAZON PHASE II, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP CITADEL, LLC; CRAIG REALTY GROUP-CITADEL, L.P.; CRAIG REALTY GROUP-LAKE ELSINORE, LLC; and CRAIG REALTY GROUP-SAN CLEMENTE, LLC (collectively, hereinafter "Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group" and/or "Defendants") for allegedly failing to provide employees with timely, off-duty meal and rest periods. The class action lawsuit, Case No. CIVSB2308152, is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 210, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) pay wages when due; and (6) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) reimburse employees for required expense; and (6) pay sick pay.

Under California law, every employer shall pay to each employee, on the established payday for the period involved, not less than the applicable minimum wage for all hours worked in the payroll period, whether the remuneration is measured by time, piece, commission, or otherwise. Hours worked is defined in the applicable Wage Order as the time during which an employee is subject to the control of an employer and includes all the time the employee is suffered or permitted to work, whether or not required to do so. Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group allegedly required its employees to perform work before and after their scheduled shifts, as well as during their off-duty meal breaks. The lawsuit alleges Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group failed to compensate its employees for any of the time spent under the employer's control while working off-the-clock. As such, Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group allegedly failed to pay its employees the applicable minimum wage for all hours worked in a payroll period.

If you would like to know more about the Eureka Center Employees and Craig Realty Group lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

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BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The scale of China's privately offered funds stood at 20.75 trillion yuan (about 2.95 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of May, according to data from an industry association.

The figure rose 2.05 percent from the previous month, according to the Asset Management Association of China.

The number of registered privately offered funds exceeded 153,700 as of the end of April, and 22,270 institutions managed these funds, the data showed.

Established in 2012, the association is a self-regulatory organization that represents China's mutual fund industry. 
Orange Wanders to Knopf In a U.S. rights acquisition, Jordan Pavlin at Knopf bought Tommy Oranges Wandering Stars. The March 2024slated novel, sold by Nicole Aragi at Aragi, Inc., is the follow-up to the authors bestselling Pulitzer Prizenominated 2018 debut, There There. Wandering Stars traces, Knopf said, the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through to the shattering aftermath of Orvil Redfeathers shooting depicted in There There. Reagan Arthur, Knopf executive v-p and publisher, added that the novel, which is getting an announced first printing of 200,000 copies, is a story about history, legacy, and family. Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

White Does Double at Park Row

For Park Row Books, Erika Imranyi took North American rights to two standalone novels by Karen White in a six-figure agreement. White, who was represented by Writers Houses Amy Berkower, is the bestselling author of more than 30 titles, including the Tradd Street series. The first book under contract, which is currently untitled and scheduled for summer 2025, is set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and follows a woman who can see the future after being struck by lightning as a child. Shes plagued by mysterious visions of a tragic accident throughout her life, Park Row said, until the truth finally comes to light when she returns home to care for her estranged mother.

Amistad Explores Kingoris Otherhood

Chief business officer of Conde Nast Britain Vanessa Kingori sold North American rights to The Otherhood. Abby West, v-p and editorial director at Amistad, acquired the spring 2024set nonfiction title from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown. Focusing on outsiders whove found success, the book, Amistad said, is built around the titular word, which refers to anyone placed outside of mainstream institutions, culture, or norms, who has been othered by race, religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, and moreand examines how this designation can be a strength. Elaborating, Amistad said the The Otherhood examines the careers of such visionaries as Rihanna and Tim Cook to show readers how to create true, sustained, and seismic change the world needs.

Sandeen Sells Debut to Berkley

Berkleys Open Submission program, which launched in 2021 and encourages authors without agents to submit manuscripts featuring diverse characters and stories, has yielded its first official acquisition. The Penguin Random House imprints executive editor, Anne Sowards, bought world rights to This Cursed House by Del Sandeen. The New Orleansset horror novel, which takes place in 1962 and which Berkley described as Mexican Gothic meets The Vanishing Half, follows a Black family (with members light-skinned enough to pass as white) who hire a young Black woman as a tutor. The tutor, who can see ghosts, soon learns she was actually hired to break a curse that plagues the enigmatic family, the publisher said. Sandeen, a writer and copy editor living in Florida, secured an agent after Berkley expressed interest in her novel. Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented her in the agreement, and This Cursed House is set for 2024.

Bantam Gets Fatal with Pliego

The debut novel by Ande Pliego, You Are Fatally Invited, was acquired by Bantams Jenny Chen in a two-book preempt. Chen took North American rights to the murder mystery from Hannah Schofield at Luigi Bonomi Associates. Bantam said the novel follows a murder mystery party gone awry. Set on a successful thriller authors private estate, the action begins when a guest is found murdered for real, and the event planner who has her own agenda must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book. At press time, rights to the novel had also sold to houses in Germany, Italy, and the U.K.
The 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference concluded on June 27, in Chicago, with the ALA reporting a solid bump in turnout over 2022. Preliminary figures put attendance at 15,852, and while thats well below the 23,485 the conference drew to its last annual conference in Chicago in 2017, it is a step forward from the 14,003 attendees at last years event in Washington, D.C., which was the ALAs first in-person annual conference since 2019. More importantly, in the midst of a wearying, organized political attack on the freedom to read, the high-energy gathering delivered something the library community has been sorely in need ofa strong show of support.

If ever there was a chance to say thank you, this is the year to do it, bestselling author Judy Blume told a capacity crowd at the McCormick Place convention center in her opening keynote on Friday, June 23. To tell you all how much we appreciate you, and to give you all our support. In an entertaining 30-minute onstage talk with her publisher, Justin Chanda, senior v-p at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Blume, whose books remain among the ALAs all-time most challenged, recalled her past battles with book banners. And as the owner of Books & Books, a bookstore in her hometown of Key West, Fla., Blume spoke out about whats happening in her home state today, where, under a new state law, school librarians and teachers face losing their jobsand even potential criminal chargesfor making diverse books available to students.

Theres not a week that goes by that I dont have people in the store who are teachers, who are librarians, and who are being hit with this. One woman said to me: This is my pension. I have worked all these years for this pensionand I could lose it. And what are we saying to her? Blume said. We have to let her know that were all there. That were all there, and that we are not going to let this happen.

A packed program

Blumes talk was the highlight of a jam-packed opening program. Normally a tight 90-minute affair, this years opening session was nearly two hours. Among the highlights, Dolly Parton was awarded an honorary ALA membership for her Imagination Library initiative, which ships two million free books every month to young children all over the world. In a video message, Parton thanked librarians for their workand finished by singing I Will Always Love You.

Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, made news from the stage by announcing a new initiative to extend the agencys vital e-rate program, which subsidizes broadband access to libraries and schools, beyond the walls of those facilities. The initiative, called Learning Without Limits, will support broadband hot spot distribution from libraries and schools across the country. Local television personalities Matthew Rodrigues and Cortney Hall of NBCs Chicago Today announced that NBC is planning to expand its monthly banned books club, which launched in January 2023, to other media markets. And Illinois secretary of state Alexi Giannoulias, architect of the states recently enacted law to discourage book bans, took the stage to promote the law as a model for other state legislatures.

Somehow, tragically, librarians have become targets of a movement that disingenuously claims to pursue freedom, but instead promotes authoritarianism, Giannoulias said. We are saying enough. Because authoritarian regimes ban books, not democracies.

Over the next five days, the main speaker program featured a host of major authors, which concluded on Tuesday, June 27, with bestselling author and poet Amanda Gorman and award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. In a 40-minute conversation with Chicago-based author and cultural organizer Eve Ewing, Gorman and Robinson spoke about their new childrens book, Something, Someday (Viking, Sept.), which touches on themes of grief, sadness, loneliness, hope, and how people can come together to make a difference.

Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, landed in headlines in May when her book, The Hill We Climb, was restricted after a Florida parent complained that it contained hate messages. Gorman told librarians news of the complaint initially felt like a punch to the gut, but she turned her grief into power, and became emboldened and more inspired than ever by the incident.

Fighting back

Onstage, in meeting rooms, and on the show floor, the fight against censorship was the major theme of this years conference. And there was a general sense that, after nearly three years of an organized political assault, freedom to read advocates were finally getting themselves organized, and the tide may be beginning to turn in their favor.

The tone was set early, with the ALAs first-ever Rally for the Right to Read at the Chicago Hilton unofficially opening the conference on Thursday, June 22. Hosted by the ALAs Unite Against Book Bans advocacy group and sponsored by EBSCO, Ingram, and Penguin Random House, the three-hour rally celebrated librarians efforts in defending against book bans and featured a keynote from bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi.

I want to applaud library professionals, library workers, and your supporters for your everyday freedom fight, fighting for our freedom from censorship, our freedom from book bans, our freedom from ignorance, our freedom from homophobia, our freedom from sexism, our freedom from racism, Kendi said. Acknowledging that most librarians probably never expected they would wind up targets in a pernicious assault on the freedom to read, Kendi praised them as modern-day freedom fighters, and girded them for the work ahead. We do not choose to become freedom fighters, the freedom fight chooses us, Kendi told librarians. The freedom fight has chosen every single person who treasures books, who treasures knowledge, who treasures the truth. The freedom fight has chosen every single American who recognizes that an institution without books about racism, without books about homophobia, without books about the Holocaust, without queer characters, without books by authors of color, is not a library, it is a propaganda shop masquerading as a library.

The fight against book banning also featured prominently in the conferences education program. Among the program highlights, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALAs Office for Intellectual Freedom, and Theresa Chmara, general counsel to the Freedom to Read Foundation, hosted a discussion on Saturday, June 24, that reviewed the legal and legislative landscape facing librarians. Caldwell-Stone reported that 151 bills designed to restrict or censor access to information and library services have been introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2023, with many based on the false premise that certain books and other materials are obscene or pornographic.

Chmara then walked the audience through a number of recent court cases, including Little v. Llano County, a closely watched case in Llano County, Tex., in which a group of library patrons is suing county administrators over the removal of books from their local library, and a lawsuit filed on June 2 by a coalition of 18 plaintiffs (including librarians, publishers, authors, and advocates) challenging Arkansass new harmful to minors law. Chmara said she believes the momentum is changing in the battle over the freedom to read, as more people now realize what is going on and are standing up to the would-be censors in their communities.

At a session titled How to Fight Book Bans: Authors on Speaking Up and Fighting Back, We Need Diverse Books cofounder and CEO Ellen Oh moderated a panel of authors, including Samira Ahmed, Jerry Craft, Ashley Hope Perez, Kyle Lukoff, and Eliot Schrefer. The authors spoke of their personal experiences with censorship and bigotry and urged librarians to stay engaged. So much of book banning is about rolling back progress. Its so easy to pull back, Perez said. I am begging you not to do that. Please keep buying the books that matter to young people.

And on Sunday, June 25, Emily Amick, better known as Emily in Your Phone on social media, offered an illuminating look at the well-funded, well-organized right-wing political groups (most prominently Moms for Liberty) that are fueling the attack on the freedom to read. These groups dont want to just ban books, said Amick, a former counsel to U.S. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, they want to take over institutions and reshape American culture to align with their ideology. Amick urged librarians to dig in for a long, hard battle. They have a lot of money, she said of the political actors seeking to ban books. What we have is persistence, and facts, and community. We are on the side of freedom.

Coming back

After weathering a historic pandemic and in the midst of an unprecedented political attack on the library communitys core valuesamong many other challenges, including budget pressure, sagging circulation and gate counts, and a contentious digital marketattendees at this years conference said they were happy to be back in person, and sensed positive momentum.

We need to raise awareness, said Deborah Doyle, chair of the Sonoma County, Calif., Library Commission, and the 20232024 president of advocacy group United for Libraries. Were so used to doing our work quietly. But we need to build relationships with people in our community who may take libraries for granted.

Matthew Matkowski, head of adult services at the Palos Heights (Ill.) Public Library, agreed. The sense of community is palpable, he said of the atmosphere at the show. This is the first time Ive been back since the pandemic, and it seems just as well attended as the before times.

On the shows closing day, ALA executive director Tracie D. Hall sounded an optimistic note about the future. Were having good conversations about inclusion, and about equity and diversity, and about accessibility, and also about LGBTQIA and disability voices and history, and how we need all of that to keep our society strong and that people need to see themselves in libraries and in literature, Hall said. Were happy to gather. Were heartened. And I think were a little bit emboldened to imagine not just the future of our organization but what our conferences are going to look like.

The 2024 ALA Annual Conference is set for June 27July 2 in San Diego.
CHANGSHA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has emerged as a focal point of China-Africa cooperation during the ongoing third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province.

During the expo, representatives from Nigeria signed a TCM service project with Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a prominent company specializing in TCM. The company is renowned for producing the widely recognized Lianhua Qingwen capsule, which gained recognition as an important Chinese medicine in the fight against COVID-19.

Explaining the significance of the deal, Sun Xuefei, general manager of the company's international trade center, said that four of the company's TCM products, including Lianhua Qingwen, which have been officially registered in Africa, will not only be available for sale through pharmacies in Nigeria but will also be used in Nigerian hospitals.

The company has registered its TCM products in eight African countries including Zimbabwe and Kenya.

For the first time in the expo's history, a forum on cooperation in the field of TCM was held. First launched in 2019, the expo has become a major platform for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries.

Speaking at the forum, Huang Luqi, deputy director of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that through cooperation with relevant African institutions, China has established overseas TCM centers in African countries such as Morocco, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

During an interview with Xinhua, Martin Chedondo, the ambassador of Zimbabwe to China, said that Zimbabwe's trade delegation to the expo hopes to explore opportunities to bring home herbal planting, processing, and laboratory testing technologies in order to establish a whole TCM industry chain and attract local companies into the industry.

"In China, I've seen huge fields of herbal plants. We really want something like that in Zimbabwe," the ambassador said.

Zhu Wei, the head of the 19th Chinese Medical Team to Zimbabwe, who just completed a one-year mission and returned to his home in Changsha in March, met a lot of African friends at the expo.

"The expo has witnessed the presence of numerous African dignitaries and entrepreneurs, who have shown great interest in Chinese medicine and acupuncture," said Zhu, who is also the deputy director of the acupuncture and massage rehabilitation department of the Hunan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

According to Zhu, Africa boasts resources of high-quality medicinal herbs, and there is a great need for further cooperation and exchanges between China and Africa in various fields of traditional medicine, including trade, cultivation, research and development.

Zhu said that during his time in Zimbabwe, his team undertook the TCM training program for local talents, and saw the graduation of the first batch of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture personnel last year.

Onyebuchi Chiamaka Henrietta, a Nigerian graduate student at the Central South University in Changsha, volunteered to promote specialties at the Nigerian booth at the expo.

"In Nigeria, we use dried ginger in very similar ways to China. You can boil it in water to drink for treating minor illnesses, or stew meat with it," she said fluently in both Chinese and English, as visitors gathered around a display of various agricultural specialties, including dried ginger, cashew nuts and sesame seeds.

Diarra Boubacar, vice president of the Federation of China-Africa Friendship Association, has been promoting exchanges between TCM and African traditional medicine for many years.

Boubacar, who hails from the Republic of Mali in West Africa, came to China to study TCM in 1984. He obtained a doctorate in Chinese medicine from the Chengdu University of TCM in 1997.

He told Xinhua that he is working on a book with the theme of mutual learning between Chinese and African herbal medicines. He tries to collect and analyze information on the similarities and differences in the use and efficacy of herbal medicines, such as Albizzia julibrissin, which are used in both Chinese traditional medicine and African traditional medicine.

Themed "Common Development for a Shared Future," the four-day expo opened on Thursday and will be attended by representatives from 53 African countries and multiple international organizations.

The number of exhibitors has reached 1,500, up 70 percent from the previous expo. A myriad of African products, ranging from Kenyan roses to Egyptian fragrances, is on display, with traders utilizing the expo to explore the vast Chinese market. 
This essay is adapted from the authors' book, Age of Danger: Keeping America Safe in an Era of New Superpowers, New Weapons, and New Threats (Hachette, 2023).

The military mission was traditional, straight-forward, right from the manual: Navy warships would ferry some 1,200 Marines to the western Pacific, where the force would assault a hostile island. As the ships advanced, Navy meteorologists tracked a gathering stormat a safe distance, they judged. But by the time the winds reached catastrophic typhoon level, it had changed course, and the super storm slammed into the Navy and Marine forces at sea. Giant troughs scattered the warships from their formation. Howling winds made air operations and air rescue impossible. Communications were shredded.

The cascading effects of the extreme storm only grew worse, since years of climate change meant that local islands and the local populations, still recovering from previous mudslides, power failures, and broad infrastructure disruptions brought by other typhoons, could offer no safe port in this storm.

The remainder of this commentary is available at defenseone.com.

Andrew Hoehn is the RAND Corporation's senior vice president for research and analysis; he formerly served as a top strategist for the U.S. Department of Defense. Thom Shanker is director of the Project for Media and National Security at George Washington University; he previously was a New York Times reporter and editor.

This commentary originally appeared on Defense One on June 30, 2023. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Japans 3rd and South Koreas 10th Global Domestic Product (GDP) ratings are secure for now. Their economic miracles in the latter part of the 20th Century were achieved through hard work of their people, opportunity afforded by free enterprise, entrepreneurial savvy of their business communities, and support of their democratic governments. Those are the exact same four pillars that are making the Philippines the nation which is going to stun the world in the next twenty years.

Coming out of COVID, when its economy shrank by 9.5 percent, the Philippines recently achieved the worlds 36th largest GDP with the nation still on the rise. With the exception of the Covid years, the economic growth rate has averaged six to seven percent since 2010. Advances in communications, technology, and transportation are allowing the Philippines to overcome past difficulties.

Being a nation composed of over 7,500 islands is not an insurmountable issue. 95% of its 110 million people reside on the eleven largest islands; 54% of the population lives in urban areas. Almost one-fourth of those, or 13.5 million people, live in the metropolis area of its capital, Manila.

For now, the country is still a debtor nation. Thats changing. In the last quarter of 2022 it was able to reduce its debt to GDP to 60.9 % from 63.7% in the previous quarter. The Philippines is also still a net importer, but that will also be shifting from primarily an agricultural to a manufacturing- and services-based economy.

Becoming the go-to country for business outsourcing from the international community is going to be significantly on the increase. China has made western businesses very uncomfortable and untrusting due to the communist nations international aggression. Costs of outsourcing to Japan and South Korea are forcing businesses to look for an alternative. The people of the Philippines are proving their willingness to work themselves out of depression. Thats the kind of work ethic and commitment foreign investors and businesses appreciate.

Almost half of the countrys people lived in poverty in 1985. Today its just over 18%. Income inequality began to decline in 2012 and has remained in a downward trajectory ever since. This still equates to 14 million families in an environment that the Filipino people continue to overcome.

With 46% of the population living in rural areas, the Philippines will be able to maintain itself as a prime exporter in the Pacific fruit market in which it already plays a significant role, and its agriculture participation will get bigger. The Philippine Rice Research Institute and the International Rice Research Institute are leading the way in enhancing crop management and new rice varieties.

Agriculture is only one sector where the rural population will be critical to the Philippines entry into the future top twenty global economies. Those 7,500 volcanic-formed islands hold large deposits of nickel, zinc, chromium, platinum, and palladium. Only South Africa possesses more unmined gold than the Philippines. Significantly freed from the intense historical government and business incompetence and corruption that have plagued the mining industry in the past, the four pillars described above are supporting effective extraction of the precious minerals. The Philippines has become the worlds second largest exporter of nickel.

Entrepreneurial savvy of the business community is creating a lot of opportunities in the manufacturing and services industries. Unlike when Japan and South Korea were on the rise, advanced telecommunications are no longer limited to office environments. The high concentration of cellular-phone users in the Philippines allows for immediate communications. For young entrepreneurs, their advanced communications are in their pockets as they move quickly through the streets.

This has not gone unnoticed by the government. The Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines program, which has involvements at both the governor and national president level is in its fifteenth year. In the business world, this equates to the Britain or America Has Talent programs. Beyond just enhancing its formal education programs, the Philippine government is allowing its young people to create new products and services. Working with youthful entrepreneurs, the government is serving a critical role in developing the next generation of business leaders.

One example of the entrepreneurial spirit and the next generation of business leaders is George Royeca, CEO of Angkas, a leading app-based ride-hailing service in the country with more than 30,000 bikers. In the next 10 years, he wants to create millions of jobs for over 18 million motorcycle owners in the country. Hes helping pioneer the motorcycle taxi business in his country. His company dubbed the uber for bikes will help empower citizens, who are motorcycle owners and help make them be entrepreneurs and as a result provide financial freedom for Filipinos all over the country.

Where Japan was economically in the 1960s and South Korea was in the 1980s, the Philippines is today. Difference is the Filipino people are doing it with advanced communications and in a nation rich in natural resources. Within ten years, their nation will also be in the worlds top twenty GDP ranking. The ultimate goal of the Philippine government, while on its way to becoming a world economic power, is to create a better financial environment for its citizens and develop a means for those 13.5 million families to work their way out of poverty.
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Hilton Grand Vacations Club McAlpin-Ocean PlazaMiami Beach, Florida All images in this listing are general images of the resort and do not necessarily reflect the actual resort or units. Please perform your own due diligence OVERVIEW1430 OCEAN DR, MIAMI BEACH, FL 33139Miami's South Beach defines urban sophistication, with its al fresco cafes, art deco architecture, mosaic of culture and world-class attitude. With a premier Ocean Drive address in the heart of South Beach, Hilton Grand Vacation...

Price: $ 1,750 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: 1430 Ocean Dr Number of Bedrooms: 1 Number of Bathrooms: 1 Zip/Postal Code: 33139 City: MIAMI BEACH State/Province: Florida Location: 331**, Miami Beach, Florida

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/30/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Danielle Maltby has revealed she's freezing her eggs and found out she's severely anemic in the process, nearly needing a blood transfusion.Danielle shared her health crisis with her followers in an Instagram post earlier this week.Alongside a photo of Danielle hooked up to an IV, Danielle wrote in the caption, "Nope, I'm not getting a trendy hangover IV.""When I started this whole process of freezing my eggs (more on that later [smile emoji], I found out I was severely anemic. My iron reserves were next to nothing and with heavy periods, I came close to needing a blood transfusion," she continued.The registered nurse and aesthetic clinician -- who is currently dating 's Michael Allio -- explained how she was "able to at least get my hemoglobin to the upper 9's" by taking oral iron. (She shared that normal hemoglobin levels range from 12 through 16)."But if you've ever taken oral iron, you know how hard it can be on your stomach," Danielle explained."My iron reserve levels weren't showing much improvement, so IV iron it is! Iron is a pivotal element in your bodies ability to produce red blood cells."Danielle proceeded to list the "symptoms of anemia," which include feeling tired and weaker more often than usual -- especially with exercise -- as well as an irregular heartbeat and problems concentrating and thinking.Danielle said anemic people also generally look pale and feel "like a space cadet." She also added dizziness and shortness of breath to her post."[I] literally look like a twilight character without makeup," Danielle joked.After undergoing her first iron infusion, Danielle shared, "[I'm] really excited to see how I'll start feeling. Michael may have a whole new girlfriend who isn't a tired space cadet all the time."Danielle concluded her post with a serious message about anemia."Anemia is no joke and I just want to encourage y'all to take care of yourselves," Danielle said."Make the doctors appointment, get the labs done, do your chest/breast and testes checks. Preventative care is way less expensive than critical or emergent care if you let things go too far."And finally, Danielle thanked her "amazing" nurses, adding, "[They] have told me to expect maybe some flu like symptoms post infusion. Have any of y'all had iron infusions and how did you feel afterwards?"Danielle moved to Cleveland, OH, to be closer to Michael and his young son James earlier this year, and she recently gushed about him on Instagram, "Ladies -- hold out for a man that will love you like this!"Prior to moving to Ohio , Danielle -- who lost her fiance Nick Haag to a drug overdose in 2011 -- lived in Nashville, TN, for 12 years.Michael, originally from Akron, OH, welcomed James during his marriage to his late wife Laura Ritter-Allio, who passed away from breast cancer in 2019.On last summer, Michael was romantically interested in Sierra Jackson , but he ultimately determined something was "missing" between them and he was unable to let his walls down due to grief.But when Danielle stepped foot on the Paradise beach in Mexico, Michael seemed ecstatic and affectionately called her "Dani."The pair had spoken via DMs on Instagram and become friends prior to filming the show, but Paradise marked the first time they were meeting in-person.Michael and Danielle were able to connect quickly over their similar losses and traumas. The pair slowly got to know each other and never expressed interest in dating anyone else on the show.Michael and Danielle chose to leave together as a couple before overnight Fantasy Suites. They both determined they weren't ready to get engaged, especially because Danielle had yet to meet James.However, Michael revealed on the reunion show in November that James quickly came to adore Danielle and never wanted her to leave when she was visiting. Danielle also confirmed that she felt the same way about James and couldn't wait to be a bigger part of his life.Michael also announced on the reunion show that he's "in love" with Danielle and she had changed his life for the better. Danielle is only the second woman whom Michael has ever said, "I love you," to.While Danielle had no reservations about moving to Ohio in order to progress her relationship with Michael naturally, she explained how they don't want to live under the same roof -- at least not yet -- as to not rush things or disrupt James' comfortable routine."I'm just so excited," Michael said on social media in December of Danielle's decision to uproot her life for him."Long distance is difficult, but we've made the best of it and this next chapter and upcoming year is one I am so looking forward to. She's the best!"Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
The Allahabad high court has directed the makers of controversial movie Adipurush to appear before it on July 27 and the central government to form a committee to give its views on the film.

IMAGE: A scene from movie Adipurush.

A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh was hearing separate petitions of Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan seeking a ban on the movie.

The court has ordered director Om Raut, producer Bhushan Kumar, dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir to appear before it on July 27. It has also directed the central government to constitute a five-member committee to give its view on the film as to whether it had hurt the feelings of the public.

In an order, it also directed the government to review the decision of granting of certificate to the movie.

The order was uploaded on the high court's website late on Friday.

The bench has said the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will file their personal affidavits apprising it as to whether the guidelines for certification of the film for public exhibition has been followed in letter and spirit.

The court said in case the requisite affidavits are not filed by the next date, any Class-1 officer, not below the rank of deputy secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting, as well as any responsible officer of the CBFC will appear in person along with records.

It has also directed the director, the producer and the dialogue writer to file their personal affidavits explaining their bona fide by the next date.

The court said it was restraining itself from passing any interim order or any coercive action against them before having their response on affidavits.

It had last heard the matter on June 28.




DODOMA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- It's a busy scene at the construction site of the Judiciary Square project in Dodoma, capital of Tanzania.

It's one of the landmark structures undertaken by Chinese companies that many Tanzanians say are changing the landscape of the capital, creating job opportunities and transferring technology to the youth.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Congress and other "family-centric" parties are giving "false" guarantees to people and old squabbles among them indicate there is no guarantee of opposition unity, a remark coming against the backdrop of a bid to form an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party bloc.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the launch event of National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, in Shahdol on Saturday. Photograph: ANI Photo

He also said dynastic parties work only for the welfare of their families. Those people facing graft charges and out on bail are together with those who are sentenced for scams, Modi added.

The PM targeted the Opposition after launching the National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission 2047 by unveiling a portal and releasing a guideline for the management of the disease and different modules at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh.

He also started the distribution of over 3 crore digital Ayushman cards in the country and 1 crore PVC Ayushman Bharat cards in MP.

Reaching out to tribals in MP, where polls are due later this year, Modi said Rani Durgavati's 500th birth anniversary will be celebrated across India and a postal stamp will be released.

"Beware of false (poll) guarantees being given by family-centric parties including Congress. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees though they don't have their own (political) guarantee, " the prime minister said.

He said family-centric parties including Congress are hobnobbing together, an apparent reference to the recent meeting of anti-BJP parties held in Patna.

"Amid the promises of guarantees, you also have to be careful of those who give false guarantees. Identify their hidden deception and game in the name of false guarantee, Modi said.

The guarantee of such people (Opposition parties) claiming to have come together today means there is something wrong somewhere. Their old statements are going viral on social media. They have always been cursing each other by drinking water. This means this is not a guarantee of the opposition unity, he said.

He said whenever they (opposition parties) guarantee free power, it means they are going to increase the tariff while the guarantees of free travel entail that transportation in a state is going to be ruined.

"Whenever they give a guarantee of pension, it means employees are not even going to get salaries on time. When they give a guarantee of providing cheaper petrol it means they are planning to increase taxes.

"When they give a guarantee of (providing) jobs, it means they will bring policies to ruin industries and business...The guarantees being given by parties like Congress means a flaw in the intention and harm to the poor, the PM said.

Modi said they (opposition parties) failed to give a guarantee of providing full meals to the poor during the last 70 years but the BJP government has given a guarantee of free ration to more than 80 crore people under the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana.

The previous governments didn't pay attention to the health of the poor but the BJP government has given a guarantee of free treatment under Ayushman Yojana to 50 crore poor beneficiaries, he said.

Modi said his government has given a guarantee of smoke-free cooking to 10 crore women under the Ujjawala scheme, and a loan for self-employment under Mudra Yojana to 8 crore beneficiaries, but the previous governments didn't do anything for people.

He said these dynastic parties work only for the welfare of their own families.

"They do not have the guarantee of taking the normal family of the country forward. Those who are facing corruption charges are out on bail. They are together with those who are sentenced for scams, Modi said in an apparent reference to the Patna conclave where leaders of Congress, JD (U), NCP, RJD, AAP and others met recently.

He said such people cannot guarantee a corruption-free government and terror-free India.

"Stay away from such false guarantees. They are making a statement against the country in one voice. They are holding meetings with anti-national elements. They will leave after giving a guarantee but you will have to suffer, Modi said.

At the event, the PM distributed Sickle Cell colour-coded counselling cards to a few beneficiaries. He also handed over Ayushman cards and PVC Ayushman Bharat cards physically to some beneficiaries.

He said Ayushman Card is a guarantee of Rs 5 lakh treatment in hospitals. "It is the guarantee of Modi," he added.

The PM said the biggest beneficiaries of the sickle cell mission and Ayushman scheme are the people of Gond, Bhil and other Adivasi societies.

Modi lamented that no attention was paid to Sickle Cell anemia for the past 70 years even though more than 50 per cent of such cases in the world are found in India.

He recalled seeking help from a Nobel-laureate scientist during his visit to Japan on the sickle cell anemia issue.

"This disease affects the entire family as it pushes them into the web of penury," he said.

Modi said the Centre's efforts have brought down the cases of TB which will be eradicated from India completely by 2025.

He said the number of cases of Kala Azar, leprosy and Malaria has come down considerably in India.

"In 2013, there were 11,000 cases of Kala Azar. Their number has been reduced to less than a 1,000 now. There were 10 lakh cases of Malaria in 2013 which came down to less than 2 lakh in 2022. Leprosy cases have come down from 1.25 lakh to 70,000-75,000," Modi added.

He said 1 crore beneficiaries have been handed Ayushman cards on Saturday which will act as an "ATM card worth Rs 5 lakh for the poor" who have to visit hospitals for treatment.

He said the new NEP has addressed the challenge of language faced by tribal students.

Modi said those people who give false guarantees are opposing NEP.

He claimed the opposition parties and previous governments ignored tribals and their icons.

"The 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati will be celebrated by the government at the national level. A film will be made on her life and a commemorative coin and postal stamp will be issued," he added.

Modi slammed Congress for naming a Tribal University in the region in the name of a "family member" whereas BJP named such institutions after tribal icons.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandavia appealed to tribals to check if their sons or daughters are not suffering from sickle cell anemia before marrying them off by using the smart card provided by the PM.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday questioned Trinamool Chhatra Parishad state president Saayoni Ghosh for more than 11 hours in connection with its investigation into the school jobs scam, officials said.

IMAGE: Trinamool Congress Youth Wing President Saayoni Ghosh speaks to the media as she arrives to appear before the ED office after being summoned in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam case, in Kolkata, June 30, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Ghosh had appeared before the ED sleuths at the agency's office in the city during the day.

ED sources said Ghosh was questioned about her association with those arrested in the case and also about details of her properties, dealings while purchasing a flat, IT returns, bank account details and investments.

Ghosh, who is also a Bengali actor, while coming out of the ED office, claimed that she cooperated with the central probe agency's officers and will continue doing so.

"I will not be able to tell you what questions I was asked. I have submitted some basic documents. I have cooperated with them and I think they (ED officers) are more or less satisfied. I think they may call me again and I will come again," Ghosh told reporters.

The TMCP is the student wing of the Trinamool Congress.

The ED had on Wednesday issued a summons to Ghosh for questioning in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in the school jobs scam.

Sources in the ED said that Ghosh's name surfaced multiple times during interrogation of those arrested in connection with its probe

Earlier this month, the ED had summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with the scam.

Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, his close friend Arpita Mukherjee and several senior officials of the education department have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Reacting to Ghosh's grilling, senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim said that the summons was issued only to harass the youth leader and it has "no substance in it".
An Indian Air Force helicopter on Saturday rescued two persons who were left clinging to an electric pole for several hours amid flooding in a low-lying area of Gujarat's Junagadh district due to heavy rains, an official said.

Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: @IAF_MCC/Twitter

The Junagadh district administration sought help of an IAF chopper for airlifting two persons stranded near Sutrej village of Keshod taluka after the area was inundated because of heavy rainfall, collector Anil Ranavasiya said.

The two villagers went to their farm on Friday evening and were unable to return due to the flooding, he said.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) failed in its attempt to rescue the duo, and they were finally airlifted by the IAF helicopter at 4 pm and taken to Jamnagar Air Station for medical check-up, he said.

"Two persons went to their farmland last evening despite being warned by the local sarpanch. They were trapped there due to heavy rainfall and climbed an electric pole after the area got inundated," the collector said.

The duo used their mobile phone to establish contact for their rescue, following which an NDRF team was roped in, he said.

"Since the area is in the interiors, the NDRF team fell short by around 200 feet of reaching them. When we realised it won't be able to rescue them, we requested the state to airlift the stranded men," the officer said.

With the state government's coordination, a helicopter was dispatched from Jamnagar Air Station and it managed to rescue them around 3.30 to 4 pm, he said.

According to officials, the NDRF's rescue efforts had lasted for 10 hours. However, they were unable to reach the men, who were stranded throughout the night, due to the strong water currents at the time.

The "Ghed region" or low-lying area poses geographical challenges during monsoon, as it is easily submerged by rainwater received from its upper catchment area and seasonal rivers.

Several parts of Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat districts received heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday, causing flooding in low-lying areas and inundated several villages as monsoon rivers were in spate.

As per official data, Dharampur taluka in Valsad district and Khergam in Navsari district received 189 and 186 mm rainfall in 10 hours since 6 am on Saturday.

Parts of Valsad, Navsari, Junagad, Amreli, Bharuch and Vapi received more than 100 mm rain in this period.

The India meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the districts of Junagadh, Amreli, Navsari, Dangs and Valsad districts.

Several parts of the state are expected to receive light to moderate rainfall till July 5.

The IMD also advised fishermen not to venture along or off the Arabian Sea till July 3 because of squally weather likely to prevail due to active monsoon conditions.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday said that he decided not to go ahead with the decision to resign seeing the support of people who had gathered outside his residence on Friday and that he had earlier felt hurt over actions of a section of people despite the Centre and state governments making a lot of efforts for restoration of peace in the state that has witnessed ethnic violence.

IMAGE: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh doubts cropped up in his mind as the Centre and state government were putting in all their efforts but effigies were burnt at a few places and a small group used abusive language against him. Photograph: ANI Photo

Biren Singh said that people showed their faith in him and that made him feel that his thoughts about having lost their trust were wrong.

"A leader can't be a leader without public confidence. Support of people makes a leader. I feel good that after I stepped out (of the CM house), there was a huge crowd on the streets. They cried and showed their trust in me. This proved my thoughts wrong because the people still stood in my support. They told me not to resign. If they tell me to resign, I will; if they tell me not to, I won't," he said.

Explaining his reasons for having decided to tender his resignation to the state Governor, Biren Singh said doubts cropped up in his mind as the Centre and state government were putting in all their efforts but effigies were burnt at a few places and a small group used abusive language against him.

"Amid all this, I saw effigies of PM Modi and HM Amit Shah being burnt at a few places in the state, saw attempts of attack on BJP office. What the Centre did for Maipur and we did for Manipur in 5-6 years, I doubted if we have lost the trust of people. Thinking about this made me feel bad...Abusive language was used by a small group against me a few days back at a market. It didn't feel good...So, I decided this," Biren Singh told ANI.

Scotching speculations relating to his resignation, Biren Singh had on Friday said he will not resign from his post "at this crucial juncture".

"At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister," the Chief Minister said in a tweet.

A large number of supporters, including women gathered outside the residence of the Manipur Chief Minister to express their support for him amid speculation that he could resign.

MLA Leishangthem Susindro Meitei apparently read the resignation letter of Chief Minister which was torn apart by the women supporters standing beside him and urged the chief minister not to step down.

The CM also came outside his residence in Imphal and waved to people.

Locals came in support of him and expressed that they do not want Biren Singh to resign.

Women also blocked the road leading to the Governor's residence pressurizing him not to step down.

The Chief Minister has come under repeated attack from the opposition, particularly the Congress, over the law and order situation in the state. The party has been demanding his resignation.

Ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 after clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for including Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Home Minister Amit Shah had visited the state and announced several measures for the restoration of peace.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday took a jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in connection with a bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway that killed 25 by claiming people had told him such fatalities become "Devendrawasi".

IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fradnavis visit the bus accident site on Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway, in Buldhana. Photograph: @Dev_Fadnavis/Twitter

The 701-kilometre Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is now operational on a 601 kilometre stretch from Vidarbha's largest city to Bharvir in Nashik, is considered the brainchild of Fadnavis.

However, it has been plagued by accidents since it was opened for the public on December 12 last year, which have killed several score people.

A bus carrying 33 passengers from Nagpur to Pune on the Samruddhi Expressway overturned and caught fire in Sindkhedraja in Buldhana at 1.32 am, killing 25 occupants.

"A number of accidents have taken place on the Samruddhi Expressway. I have once travelled on the route. When people were asked about their experience, they told me the one who dies in an accident on the Samruddhi Expressway becomes a 'Devendrawasi'," Pawar told reporters in Pune.

"The work on the expressway has not been done scientifically and this may be the reason for so many accidents. Ex-gartia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased is not the solution. A committee of experts must be appointed to avert such accidents," he added.

Pawar said there are complaints of lack of signboards on the route and, therefore, there was need for a thorough inspection of the entire route so that it is made safe for commuting.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Pawar had hit below the belt with the 'Devendrawasi' jibe.

Bawankule claimed Pawar, as chief minister, did not meet the kin of the deceased and those injured in the stampede in Nagpur on November 23, 1994, in which 114 members of the Gowari community were killed, and returned to Mumbai.

Citing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the firing on farmers in Maval on August 9, 2011, Bawankule said these were events which still cause pain to those involved and asked if "those who died in these incidents be called "Sharadwasis".

Fadnavis worked hard to make Samruddhi Expressway a reality and the route was being used by lakhs of people who were saving time, Bawankule said.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivers remarks at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Advanced Medical Technology Association in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 28, 2023. (Photo credit: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America)

Chinese modernization is only possible with continued opening up. China simply has no reason to close its door, even when some other countries are trying to close their doors on China, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said.

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said at a recent event that China's new journey will not only reinvigorate its own new development, but also create fresh opportunities for the world.

Xie delivered the remarks at a breakfast briefing hosted Wednesday by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) at invitation.

The ambassador said that since the start of this year, China's economy has rebounded strongly and kicked off to a good start. Its GDP grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter, and the number for the second quarter is expected to outperform that. The World Bank has predicted China's economy to grow at 5.6 percent this year. China's huge market, well-functioning industrial system and rich talent pool make it irreplaceable, and the fundamentals sustaining its long-term growth remain strong. In recent months, a number of executives of multinational companies have been visiting China, casting votes of confidence in China's economy.

Xie said that opening up is China's fundamental national policy. As a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions and the primary export market of over 50, China is deeply integrated into international industrial and supply chains. Chinese modernization is only possible with continued opening up. China simply has no reason to close its door, even when some other countries are trying to close their doors on China. China will continue to pursue high-standard opening up, further expand market access, better protect the rights and interests of foreign investors, and foster a market-oriented, law-based business environment in keeping with international standards.

China will actively seek to join the CPTPP and DEPA, and steadily expand institutional opening up by aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules. In the first five months, the actual investment in China from France, Britain and Canada grew respectively 430 percent, 179 percent and 170 percent year on year. This speaks volumes about international confidence in and expectation for China's growth prospects. It also shows how various sides value the huge opportunities unlocked by China's economic recovery and the constant improvement of its business environment, he said.

China-U.S. medical cooperation enjoys vast potential, the ambassador said. Putting people's health front and center in building a modern country, China is taking solid steps to advance the Healthy China initiative. According to a report by the international consultancy Roland Berger, China's medical device market is projected to exceed 320 billion U.S. dollars by 2030, making China potentially the largest medical device market globally. Demographically, about 260 million of China's population are over 60 years old, and the number will exceed 300 million by 2035. Also, China's middle-income population will go beyond 800 million in the coming 15 years. The steady and fast surge in the demand for high-quality medicine and services will open up an unprecedented market space for the medical technology sector.

Xie said that entrepreneurs are known for their foresight, courage and open mind. Such entrepreneurship is exactly what the world needs today. As a Chinese proverb goes, "Harmony brings wealth." The atmosphere of China-U.S. relations bears on everyone. When the overall atmosphere is good, companies can do business a lot easier. When the bilateral relationship gets worse, the business community can hardly stay unaffected. Friends from the business community need to be "responsible stakeholders" in the China-U.S. relationship. They are encouraged to stay fair and pragmatic and take real actions, so as to uphold common interests, champion market economy and free trade, and help bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track, for the benefit of both peoples and the world.

AdvaMed is the largest medical technology association in the United States, representing 80 percent of American medical device and diagnostic companies. Among its over 450 member businesses, many are Fortune 500 companies. 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Iran will gain a full-fledged membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), next week. The comments by the Russian diplomat came during an online briefing on June 30, Tass reported. Lavrov announced that in addition to Iran assuming full membership, the group will also sign a memorandum on Belarus' obligation for joining the group. It has been a long struggle for Iran to gain membership in the regional body.

The Middle Eastern country gained the status of an acceding member of the body in September 2021, and Belarus, on the other hand, got the same status a year after. On July 4, the summit will be held virtually in India and leaders from member states comprising China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are expected to take part in the meeting. In the Friday briefing, the Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that the member states are welcoming Iran to the growing family.

"At the upcoming July 4 meeting of the Council of Heads of State [of the organization], Iran's full membership will be formalized, and a memorandum of commitment by Belarus will be signed, which will also launch the procedure for its full accession to the Shanghai [cooperation] organization," he said. "From now on, the SCO space, taking into account both new members and dialogue partner states, stretches from Europe and the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia," he added. Iran will become a full member after 17 years of waiting.

What does it mean for Iran?

Iran has been an observer nation in the SCO since 2005 and its bid for full and permanent membership was approved by the organisation at the 2021 Summit in Dushanbe. In 2022, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Iran at the 2022 Summit held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. With this upcoming stamp of approval, this is the first time Iran has become a full member of a major regional bloc since its 1979 revolution.

Warmly welcome the decision of the SCO to approve #Iran's full membership.



A major step toward enhanced ties with neighbors & an important impetus for our Asia-centered foreign policy.



We'll continue our efforts to build on indigenous initiatives for the good of the region. pic.twitter.com/p66g5Sn0PP  Saeed Khatibzadeh |   (@SKhatibzadeh) September 17, 2021

The country has faced multiple sanctions from the West, especially the United States, that accused the nation of human rights abuse. The nationwide protest that erupted following the suspicious death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini also put the country in a bad light when it comes to womens rights. Hence, with this membership, Iran will get access to built ties with economic giants like China, Russia, India, etc. It will also provide the country with a space to formulate International economic ties and foreign diplomacy. The membership also provides Iran significant access to the Central Asian region.

SCO: A body that keeps growing

In recent years, SCO has become one of the most prominent regional bodies in the geopolitical arena. The body was originally called the Shanghai Five and was created in 1996 to foster border confidence between China and former members of the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The original motive was to build corporations and ensure demilitarization in the borders shared between these countries.

However, the organisation has grown on a great scale and included multiple new members. In June 2017, India and Pakistan became full members of the group and the area of cooperation has expanded significantly. This year, New Delhi will preside over the body and organise the summit virtually on July 4.
Subway Celebrates 15 New Master Franchise Agreements Since 2021

Latest agreements in EMEA, APAC and LAC will add more than 4,000 future restaurants to Subway's global footprint over next 20 years

Subway is continuing to strategically expand its international footprint and recently celebrated the signing of its 15th new master franchise agreement over the past two years.

The brand's latest agreements in Bahrain, Georgia, Mainland China, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Panama will add more than 4,000 future restaurants across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) within the next 20 years. Since 2021, Subway has signed 15 master franchise agreements or country development agreements across EMEA, LAC and Asia Pacific, totaling more than 9,000 future restaurant commitments.

The master franchise agreements are a continuation of Subway's international strategy to partner with experienced, well-resourced operators with specific market expertise as it strengthens its global presence. The master franchisees will have exclusive rights to manage and develop Subway locations in their respective countries and have committed to remodeling existing locations as well as opening new restaurants in the brand's current, contemporary image.

"There is significant opportunity for Subway to expand its presence around the world and the new master franchise agreements are a reflection of the confidence that operators have in Subway and our transformation journey," said John Chidsey, CEO of Subway. "As we continue to execute against our international expansion strategy, we are excited to grow the brand with new and existing international multi-unit and multi-brand operators to serve more guests around the world."

The agreement in Bahrain will reestablish Subway's footprint in the country  where it opened its first restaurant outside the U.S. in 1984. Food Innovation Company, the new master franchisee, is one of the oldest, family-owned companies in Bahrain, and will help reconnect loyal Bahraini guests to the brand and introduce new ones to Subway's freshly-made, craveable food.

In Georgia, Subway's agreement with Wissol Group will significantly increase the number of restaurants in the country, expand the brand's presence into new cities and solidify Subway's position as a destination for new and existing Georgian guests. Bahrain and Georgia mark the sixth and seventh master franchise agreements in EMEA as the region plans to double its footprint in the coming years.

Mainland marks Subway's largest master franchise agreement to date. The consortium of investors, joining the Subway family as Shanghai Fu-Rui-Shi Corporate Development Co., Ltd. (FRS), bring decades of experience managing large global QSR chains across Asia and will grow Subway's current footprint in the market by more than seven times.

In LAC, Subway is partnering with Grupo Vierci, a multi-unit, multi-brand operator with experience in the quick service restaurant industry as well as retail brands, to more than double its presence in Uruguay. In addition, Subway signed master franchise agreements in Costa Rica and Panama with operators that are familiar with Subway's business model and a history of success in their respective regions. With these new partners, LAC now has four master franchise agreements in the region, including , with more to come.

In the past 18 months alone, the brand has opened over 1,000 new restaurants globally, with more than 40% driven by master franchise agreements.
RAMALLAH, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on Saturday, discussing the latest developments in the two countries and ways to boost bilateral ties, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

During the phone call, Putin extended Eid al-Adha greetings and wishes to Abbas and the Palestinian people, said the report.

Being briefed on the latest developments of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Putin affirmed Russia's unwavering support for the Palestinian people in achieving their aspirations for freedom and independence by establishing an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it added.

Abbas, for his part, expressed his keenness to restore stability to Russia and wished the country further progress and prosperity. 
Opposition party leader Chan Po-ying stands as police question two of her colleagues before they hold a protest against the selection process of the city's chief executive in Hong Kong in 2022.

Three years after Beijing imposed a law criminalizing public dissent and peaceful political opposition in Hong Kong, a dwindling band of social activists say they're not giving up just yet.

Opposition party leader Chan Po-ying, who chairs the League of Social Democrats, was recently detained by police on a downtown shopping street carrying an electric candle and a yellow paper flower on the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, commemoration of which is now banned in Hong Kong.

Undeterred, she showed up a few days later outside the headquarters of HSBC Bank, protesting the closure of the party's bank accounts -- something that is increasingly happening to opposition parties and activists in the city since the crackdown on dissent began.

Chan's husband Leung Kwok-hung is one of 47 political activists and former lawmakers currently standing trial for "subversion" after they organized a democratic primary in the summer of 2020.

Police also forced Chan and fellow womens rights and labor activists to call off a march on International Women's Day in March, in a move she told reporters was due to pressure from Hong Kong's national security police.

So why does she keep going, when so many have already left?

"Why do I still want to stay in Hong Kong?," she said. "It's not to prove how brave we are, but because we still hope to speak out when we see political, economic, social or intellectual injustice in Hong Kong."

"Dissent must be voiced, regardless of how much room is allowed for it," she said. "There are still some people willing to speak out, even in such a high-pressure situation."

"It also inspires other people."

Stalking street stalls

Still, even a simple plan of action like handing out leaflets on the street is now fraught with difficulty.

"Sometimes we set up a street stall with just four of us, and there are sometimes more than 10 plainclothes police standing right next to us," Chan said. "They may try to charge us under laws they haven't used before, such as illegal fundraising."

Police officers take away a member of the public on the eve 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square massacre in Hong Kong, June 3, 2023. Credit: Louise Delmotte/AP





And it's not just the national security law they need to watch out for.

"The easiest way for them to prosecute us is under colonial-era sedition laws, because they can charge us for posting any opinion online that the authorities don't like," she said.

"They are gradually starting to use a whole variety of laws to curb the freedoms granted to us in the Basic Law," Chan said, referencing the promises in Hong Kong's mini-constitution that the city would retain its freedoms of press, expression and association beyond the 1997 handover to Chinese rule.

What's more, the League is now having huge difficulties funding its activities in the face of bank account closures, and can only hope that its members will work voluntarily to further the party's agenda.

Destroying a system

Former pro-democracy District Council member Chiu Yan Loy has also decided to stay for the time being, to serve his local community.

"District councilors spend 90% of their working hours on issues that have little to do with politics, but which serve important social service functions," Chiu said.

Until the authorities recently rewrote the electoral rulebook to ensure that there would be no repeat of the landslide victory seen in the 2019 district elections, which was seen as a huge show of public support for the 2019 protest movement and its goals, which included fully democratic elections.

University students observe a minute of silence to mourn those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, in front of the "Pillar of Shame" statue at the University of Hong Kong, June 4, 2021. Credit: Kin Cheung/AP





"When you destroy a system, but don't replace it with a new system, this will only create more social problems that will start occurring in Hong Kong," he said, adding that he is putting his own money into community-based projects to try to address these issues.

"These services don't involve the sort of politics that the government often talks about, so there is still room to keep doing this work," he said, despite being in a financially precarious situation.

Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said that while the risks have risen, Hong Kong's activists have yet to be totally silenced.

"Of course there are far more obstacles under the national security law than before," he said. "The so-called red lines are constantly moving, and there are a lot of people watching and reporting people."

"It's still OK to talk about issues affecting people's livelihoods," Lau said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Anyone who has contacted people abroad is called in for police interrogation.

A Chinese flag flutters above surveillance cameras on a street near Jokhang Temple during a Chinese government-organized media tour to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China in 2021.

Chinese authorities in Tibet have intensified monitoring of Tibetans, and continue to interrogate them in the regional capital Lhasa to prevent communication with people outside of Tibet, RFA has learned.

The Chinese government has been intensifying its monitoring of Tibetans and maintained their interrogations of Tibetans living in Lhasa to determine if they have contacted people outside Tibet and stepped up surveillance measures to prevent such communication. Now the Chinese authorities are interrogating Tibetans in Lhasa specifically targeting and warning them to stop communication.

In March, two major anniversaries prompted police to step up surveillance. The month marked the 15th anniversary of a 2008 riot, and the 64th anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese troops that had invaded the region a decade earlier.

But the heightened security from March has continued well into June, and police have continued closely monitoring residents in Lhasa and random searches of their cell phone and online communications to discover whether they had communicated abroad.

A police officer searches a Tibetan woman's cell phone on a street in Lhasa, capital of western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 11, 2023. Chinese authorities in Tibet have intensified monitoring of Tibetans, and continue to interrogate them in the regional capital Lhasa to prevent communication with people outside of Tibet, RFA has learned. Credit: Chinese State Media

The police were particularly concerned that the Lhasa residents might be in contact with journalists or researchers outside of Tibet, a Tibetan resident told RFAs Tibetan Service.

Tibetans are warned not to contact people outside and those who have, have been summoned and interrogated, the source said. Their cell phones are confiscated and they are under constant scrutiny.

The source was among those who had contacted people outside of Tibet, and was summoned for interrogation along with some friends.

They gave us warning to not ever contact people on the outside, especially researchers on Tibet and journalists, said the source. I also know that so many other Tibetans who contacted people outside Tibet were interrogated by the Chinese authorities too.

Another resident said that people could be summoned even for casual conversations with outsiders.

I was summoned two times already this year for interrogation and one of my friends had to bribe the authorities to release me the second time around, the second resident said. My name is now listed amongst those interrogated, therefore I have to get permission from the local police if I need to travel outside Lhasa.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Eugene Whong.
Eight-year-old Halima was devastated to learn that after overcoming numerous obstacles to her education under Taliban rule, her path to learning had been blocked with the closure of her private school.

"We all went home crying," she told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi of the day she and her fellow students learned that their classes in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar Province had been terminated.

"Our schools were closed first by the coronavirus [pandemic], then there was fighting, and now they have been shut again," she said. "We just want to study."

The rural classroom where she studied was a lifeline for learning basic mathematics, Afghan languages, science, and Islamic studies despite the ruling Taliban's efforts to restrict girls' and women's access to education.

But on April 16, classes ended when the hardline Islamist authorities announced that the school, among Afghanistan's thousands of Community-Based Education (CBE) centers, would be closed following unspecified "complaints from locals."

Unrest and poverty in Kandahar and neighboring Helmand Province made the two regions a focal point for the development of CBE centers over the past three decades, with funding coming primarily from Western donors via the United Nations and international nongovernmental organizations.

Countrywide, more than 500,000 Afghan children currently attend CBE centers, which were established in cooperation with the communities in which they were based and are often held in private homes, mosques, or large tents.

Aid groups pay teachers' salaries, provide educational materials, and offer the same curriculum taught in Afghan state schools. The centers, typically made up of a single classroom catering for up to 50 students, half of them girls, also filled an education void in remote areas where there were no state schools.

But since mid-April, nearly 1,600 CBE centers in Kandahar Province have been closed, depriving 50,000 students of an education. Similar numbers have been recorded in neighboring Helmand Province in a nationwide trend.

'It's Heartbreaking'

The termination of classes at Halima's school and others like it appears to show that the narrow window for learning in remote areas is being closed as the Taliban looks to impose full control over how children are educated.

Munir Ahmad, who ran a literacy class inside his mudbrick home in Dand, a rural district in Kandahar Province, said he was forced to close his doors to students in April.

"It is heartbreaking to lose these classes because they serve children in remote areas where there are no other education opportunities," he told Radio Azadi.

The Taliban, approaching two years in power, has not commented on whether it has ordered the school closures. But aid workers, rights campaigners, and education experts suggest that the hardline group is trying to ensure that young students receive an Islamic education even though the CBE centers follow the state model.

This, in turn, has led to concerns that the Taliban either intends to permanently shut down the schools or use them as venues to spread its extremist worldview and ideology.

"It is alarming," said Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch. "The Taliban will likely change these schools in a way that is harmful to students, particularly girls."

Education has been a main target of the Taliban's extremist policies since it seized power in August 2021 and took steps to root out secular education.

Teenage girls were promptly banned from attending school despite the Taliban's promises to the international community, which has listed the Taliban's stance on girls' and women's education as a key obstacle to officially recognizing its government.

'Jihadi Madrasahs'

Since taking power, the Taliban has consistently enforced strict gender segregation and replaced professional educators with clerics.

Last year, Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada appointed key loyalists Mawlawi Habibullah Agha and Nida Mohmmad Nadim to lead the education and higher education ministries, respectively.

The two have diligently worked to expand the ban on womens education and attempted to turn schools into a tool for indoctrination by tweaking the curriculum, critics say. In some cases, modern schools have been converted into madrasahs.

In December, the Taliban upped the ante by prohibiting women from receiving a university education.

And in the latest move, a Taliban official said this month that its government had established "jihadi madrasahs" in at least five provinces. Many Islamist militant groups, including the Taliban, emerged from such religious schools in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan in the 1980s.

Wazhma Tokhi, an Afghan human rights activist with a particular focus on women's rights and education in Afghanistan, suggests that the recent school closures can be seen as another example of the groups determination to root out secular education.

"They want to turn the schools into madrasahs," Tokhi said.

The UN agency for children, UNICEF, which funds many CBE centers, says it is now holding discussions with the Taliban over "timelines and practicalities" for possibly handing them over to Afghan NGOs, many of which receive outside funding and have some protection from the Taliban.

Tokhi sees disastrous consequences if the Taliban assumes direct control over CBE centers.

"Our future is destroyed," she said.
Belarus's internationally isolated leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has urged Belarusians not to "worry" about the presumed arrival of Wagner mercenaries after their aborted mutiny in Russia, as satellite imagery emerged of a tent camp springing up in the east that RFE/RL's Belarus Service estimates could house around 15,000 soldiers.

Lukashenka was speaking on June 30 ahead of Independence Day on July 3, telling the country that he's run with an iron fist for three decades, "Calm down."

Wagner mercenaries had been essential to Russia's war effort up until their boss Yevgeny Prigozhin led thousands of them in an apparent mutiny and march toward Moscow, complaining of army incompetence.

Lukashenka reportedly mediated between Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin's regime at the height of the crisis on June 24, including offering haven for Prigozhin and an untold number of his fighters.

In his speech, he said of the Wagner transfers to Belarus that "this problem has been inflated."

Prigozhin heavily recruited among hardened criminals and other prisoners to fill the Wagner ranks.

"These are the most prepared people," Lukashenka said. "They say, 'There are prisoners.' Listen, all the soldiers who were convicted [of crimes] there [in Russia], they have already died, unfortunately. And one more nuance that they don't want to explain: Convicts were released from prisons in Russia only for the Russian front. Not a single person [from among the inmates recruited to fight in Ukraine] goes abroad."

Details of the Kremlin's deal with Minsk are unclear, but Prigozhin was thought to have traveled there on a private jet.

RFE/RL's Belarusian Service has obtained satellite images that show the construction of what looks like a new military field camp near the village of Tsel, in the Asipouitsky district of the Mahilyow region of eastern Belarus, less than 100 kilometers from the Russian border.

It is larger than most of the other known field camps in Belarus.

Belarusian officials have not disclosed its intended purpose.

The tent site is more than 100 kilometers north of the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on June 30 said after consulting with security and intelligence officials that he had ordered the bolstering of defenses in Ukraine's northern military sector, which abuts Belarus.

Local residents said repair and construction work at Tsel began in June.

But as late as June 17, according to satellite imagery provided by Planet.com and published by RFE/RL's Belarusian Service, there were no traces of any future deployment there. No camp is visible in the satellite photo from June 24.

But images taken on June 27 show field tents and excavation pits, new facilities, and other signs of construction.

RFE/RL's Belarusian Service counted at least 303 tents that weren't at the site on June 24.

Dozens of rectangular objects that appear to be field tents for housing are visible, including on platforms next to older buildings.

There is no weaponry or other military equipment visible in the photos.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Lukashenka has allowed Russia's military to stage operations from Belarusian territory and recently permitted Russian tactical nuclear missiles to be stationed there.

On June 30, he said he was certain Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed in his country would never be used. After saying he was" more and more convinced that they must be stationed" in Belarus, Lukashenka added, "I'm certain that we will never have to use them while they are here. And no enemy will ever set foot on our land."

Lukashenka increased his reliance on Putin and his international isolation when he unleashed a crackdown following a flawed presidential election in 2020 in which he asserted a victory to give him a sixth presidential term.

Thousands of Belarusians were detained and the opposition's leaders forced into exile or arrested alongside other strictures on the press, speech, and assembly.

With reporting by Reuters
SARAJEVO -- Christian Schmidt, the international community's high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, on July 1 annulled laws adopted by the Bosnian Serb entitys National Assembly that his office had declared illegal, unacceptable, and detrimental to the Balkan nations unity.

Christian Schmidt also amended Bosnia's Criminal Code to declare that any illegal actions that undermine the country's constitutional order will be treated as criminal offenses.

Under the 1995 Dayton accords, Schmidt has the power to impose laws as the final interpreter of the state constitution, though his decisions can be reviewed and questioned by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia, if the Office of the High Representative (OHR) approves.

The Dayton accords, which ended the 1992-95 Bosnian War, established an administrative system under which the Bosnian state remains partitioned between Republika Srpska (RS) and the Muslim Bosniak-Croat Federation, connected by a weak central government.

Ethnic Serbs of Republika Srpska have for years resisted Bosnia's central authorities, with the entitys assembly voting on June 27 to suspend recognition of any decisions by Bosnia's multi-ethnic Constitutional Court.

On June 1, the assembly adopted changes in the law that imply that decisions by the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina would no longer be recognized.

The moves were seen as part of the secessionist efforts of certain Republika Srpska officials.

Some Serb leaders in Republika Srpska say they do not recognize Schmidt -- a German diplomat who was appointed in 2021 as the high representative -- because the UN Security Council did not endorse his nomination. China and Russia disputed his appointment because he was not confirmed by the Council, although other nations said it was not required.

Schmidt, in his decision, said that "entity assemblies do not have the authority to derogate from the provisions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and they do not have the right to derogate from the jurisdiction of key Dayton institutions.

Schmidt said he had ruled that the Republika Srpska assemblys law on the nonimplementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the territory of RS will not come into force. 

Schmidt stressed that those who attempt to overthrow the constitutional order must be prosecuted.

"They will bear the consequences for their actions -- all options are on the table," he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo said it "strongly welcomed" Schmidt's decisions on the RS entity's "unconstitutional," "anti-Dayton laws."

The British Embassy also said it backed Schmidt's actions and expressed the joint support of the so-called Quint nations in Bosnia -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Italy.

The Serb member of the tripartite Bosnian presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, said that the RS would not recognize Schmidt's latest rulings, claiming they "hinder the sovereign decision-making of institutions at all levels of government."

The assembly's June 27 vote on constitutional law was another in a series of steps orchestrated by Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republika Srpska entity -- and the pro-Russia leader of the Serbs in Bosnia -- and his Serb allies to reject the power-sharing structures established for Bosnia under the Dayton accords.
Owais Tariq was living out a dream shared by many young men in his poverty-stricken and restive hometown in northeastern Pakistan when he boarded a plane in January and left for good.

Months later, residents of Bandli are mourning the loss of dozens of their native sons who, like Tariq, escaped in search of a better life in Europe.

Some 28 young men from Bandli are feared to have been aboard an overcrowded fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Greece on June 10. Weeks later, the official death count stands at just over 80 people, with 104 survivors. But as many as 750 migrants, including women and children, are believed to have been on the Messenia.

As officials collect DNA samples as part of the effort to identify the dead, Bandli residents have been left fearing the worst, angry over the thriving business of human smuggling, and demanding that steps be taken to ensure such a disaster never happens again.

Family Tragedy

Tariq was with four of his relatives on board the Messenia, which left port in Libya for what was to be the last leg of their arduous journey to the West.

Tariqs other family members, all of them young men looking to escape poverty and the prospect of getting caught up in militant activity in Kashmir, were imprisoned by the Libyan authorities along the illegal smuggling route that runs through the North African country.

Muhammad Faizan, Tariqs cousin, recalls driving him to an airport in Pakistan's eastern Punjab Province in January so the 22-year-old could embark on his third attempt at reaching the shores of Europe.

Tariq and his fellow family members each paid 2.2 million Pakistan rupees (about $7,600) to human traffickers, according to Faizan. After an initial installment of 700,000 rupees (about $2,400) to a local smuggling "agent" who arranged the escape abroad, Tariq and his kin were to fly to the United Arab Emirates and then Egypt before arriving in Libya, where they would pay the rest to board what Faizan believes to be the Messenia.

Lamenting the family's collective decision to borrow money from relatives in Dubai and Europe to fund the young men's trips, Faizan told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal by telephone that "we paid traffickers to send them to their deaths or to jail."

Dangerous Business

Human smuggling is a big business in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where residents of Bandli say that many young men are desperate to escape low employment prospects and the real possibility of getting swept into violence -- whether through enlistment into the military, which has fought with India over control of the region, or militant groups active in the region.

Locals say that life near the line of control with India has disadvantages for young people trying to establish a stable life. Since 2004, locals have not had the right to build permanent homes or establish businesses in Bandli or other villages along the line of control, with many facing the choice of whether to stay or go.

Unemployed young men who decide to stay risk falling into the hands of Islamist militant groups like Lashkar-e Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which recruit and operate in Kashmir.

Those whose families can find a way to pay for it are more likely to take the Europe option.

Waheed Ahmad's brother, 23-year-old Muhammad Imran, made the decision this spring to leave and is believed to have been on the ill-fated Messenia.

"He was so sure that he would reach Europe safely because they would cross into Europe in a big ship," Ahmad told Radio Mashaal. "[Smuggling] agents were telling everyone that this was an incredibly good chance and they had arranged a big ship."

Ahmad's apparent death has devastated the family, Ahmad said, leaving the young man's 70-year-old father in shock and unable to accept the loss.

In the wake of the boating tragedy, the Pakistani government had called for a high-level inquiry and the authorities had rounded up 14 suspected smugglers.

Members of Ahmad's family have called for harsh justice -- including public hangings -- to ensure that "nobody dares to do such a thing in the future."

Worth The Risk

The apparent loss of so many of the village's young men has led some, like Faizan, to reconsider using smuggling routes to get to Europe. Faizain said that the sinking of the Messenia eliminated any chance of him taking a similar approach and he is now pursuing legal means of moving abroad.

But many other Bandli residents remain willing to take the risk. After all, Faizain said in explaining the mindset of the village's youth, "it's better to try their luck for Europe instead of dying from hunger and poverty in Pakistan."

Khurum Shehzad, a 32-year-old from Bandli who said he was friends of Tariq and his cousins, seconded that sentiment.

"Everyone wants to leave, no one wants to remain in Bandli," Shehzad said. "Every young man from this village or from the entire Kashmir region is struggling."

The local Mai Toti Shrine has become a gathering place for worried residents to pray for the young men's safe return.

Not knowing for certain whether loved ones are dead or alive has cast a pall on the village, Faizan said.

"When you walk through the streets of Bandli you can hear sobbing and crying from afar," he said. "It feels like everyone is crying."
For a week now, 64-year-old anti-war activist Igor Baryshnikov has been in custody in Russia's far western exclave of Kaliningrad after being sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military in Ukraine.

Baryshnikov, who was diagnosed with suspected prostate cancer, is now trying to secure urgently needed medical treatment after a court refused to release him -- a move his lawyer calls a death sentence for both the activist and his ailing mother.

With one verdict, the court is killing two people -- Igor and his mother, Baryshnikovs lawyer, Maria Bontsler, told the North.Realities Desk of RFE/RLs Russian Service.

A court in the city of Sovetsk, near the Lithuanian border in the exclave, convicted Baryshnikov on June 22 of spreading "deliberately false information" about the Russian military in Facebook posts about Russias decimation of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine.

It was the first conviction registered in the western exclave under the statute, one of several that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law shortly after he launched the Kremlins full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

I am charged with committing a serious crime. And yet, I did not kill anyone, did not rob anyone, did not rape, did not steal anything from anyone, Baryshnikov said in his final statement to the court, comparing his trial to Soviet dictator Josef Stalins show trials in 1937.

I consider this a political reprisal. The case was fabricated and falsified like in 1937, when a person was imprisoned for ten years or shot on fantastical charges, Baryshnikov said.

The judge in the trial at the Sovetsky District Court refused to allow Baryshnikovs release from custody for medical treatment despite testimony from his doctors that a tumor on his prostate and a catheter that he uses are grounds for medical release.

The judge said, You don't have enough medical records, Bontsler told North.Realities.

Bontsler said Baryshnikovs legal team plans to petition the UN Human Rights Committee to secure the medical assistance her client requires. She said a doctors examination of the activist found 12 tumor markers.

For the doctor, there is no doubt that Igor has cancer. But the court has doubts, Bontsler said. When the state cracks down on a sick person like that, it's just low. This is unworthy of the state. But we will fight.

'Putting His Mother To Death'

Baryshnikov, a well-known opposition activist in Sovetsk, has also been a primary caregiver for his 97-year old mother Yevgenia, a Holocaust survivor who is suffering from dementia.

Up until recent years, Baryshnikovs mother still recognized her son and relatives, and even read the news on the Internet. But her condition worsened following Baryshnikovs arrest in 2021 for participating in rallies in support of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.

A nurse who had helped care for Yevgenia quit after authorities questioned her in connection with Baryshnikovs opposition activities, Bontsler said. His wife, Lyudmila, is now taking care of his mother, whose fate the court wanted to leave in the hands of social services.

I was categorically outraged by the decision to transfer Igor's mother to our social services, Baryshnikovs friend and fellow activist, Vadim Khairullin, told North.Realities. I know very well how our homes for the elderly work. It's just putting his mother to death. And his mother is an interesting person who suffered from the actions of the Nazis.

Khairullin himself was sentenced to one year in prison last year under a law criminalizing participation in more than one unsanctioned protest within a 180-day period. He was released on June 22, the same day as Baryshnikovs guilty verdict and went straight to Sovetsk for the announcement of the ruling.

I considered it necessary to be there - after all, I may never see this person again, Khairullin said. I am outraged by the fact that people in such a [physical] condition receive real prison sentences for such things. They wrote something on the Internet. They could have come up with something like house arrest or a ban on using the Internet.

'They Let Him Off Easy'

Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence Baryshnikov to eight years in prison. The regional court in Kaliningrad said in a statement that the 7 1/2-year sentence it handed to the activist -- and which has yet to come into force -- accounted for factors including his health.

According to one friend who attended the verdict, a crew from Russian state television showed up to the court session.

I asked one of them if he knew what Igor was being tried for. And he told me: I know, of course. He is a traitor to the motherland. He must be judged. He fought in Ukraine, abandoned his positions and fled, Natalya Kholmanova, a supporter of Baryshnikov who attended the verdict, told North.Realities.

So they do not even know what he is accused of, she added.

Kholmanova said that the courtroom was silent as the verdict was read, but as Baryshnikov was being handcuffed, someone shouted: They let him off easy.

If the appeal of Baryshnikovs verdict is denied, the activist will serve his sentence in a Kaliningrad-region prison that includes a hospital.

For now, his lawyers say the detention facility where he is currently being held is providing disinfection procedures and a daily shower, and that the catheter in his stomach will be changed at a regional hospital. His legal team has already begun the process of trying to get him released on medical grounds.

We provided all the documents. The head of the medical unit [of the detention facility] studied them and immediately saw that Igor had cancer. He immediately warned that he would have to be taken to the regional hospital for a diagnosis, and that he was already being booked for an appointment, another lawyer for Baryshnikov, Yekaterina Selizarova, told North.Realities.

A special medical commission will make the decision on his release for a medical examination and treatment, Selizarova said.

She added that, if they are not able to secure his release before his prison sentence formally begins, they will try again after it comes into force.

Written by Carl Schreck based on reporting by Yulia Paramonova
Russia continued to attack Ukrainian Black Sea port installations for a fourth day on July 21, striking grain storage facilities in the Odesa region and causing damage and injuries after refusing to prolong a UN-sponsored deal that allowed Ukraine to continue exporting grain abroad.

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 counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said that Russia launched Kalibr-type cruise missiles from vessels in the Black Sea, destroying a grain terminal and wounding two people.

Unfortunately, a grain terminal of one of the agricultural enterprises of the Odesa region was hit. The enemy destroyed 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley. Two people were wounded in the explosion," Kiper said.

Kiper said that, at first, two missiles hit the granary, causing a fire, then a third missile struck while firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames.

"Another missile hit the same enterprise, damaging agricultural and rescue equipment. A fire on an area of more than 200 square meters was quickly extinguished," Kiper said.

In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said its navy carried out a live fire "exercise" in the northwest Black Sea on July 21, just days after the Kremlin said that cargo ships en route to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea would be regarded as potential military targets.

The Black Sea Fleet "carried out live firing of anti-ship cruise missiles at the target ship in the combat training range in the northwestern part of the Black Sea," the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

On July 20, Russian missiles struck the Odesa and Mykolayiv regions, killing two people, wounding another 20, including five children, and causing extensive damage to port installations and stored grain.

The strikes also hit residential areas in the center of Odesa and Mykolayiv, setting large areas on fire.

The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said that grain terminals and port infrastructure in the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk were targeted. In Chornomorsk, 60,000 tons of grain were destroyed, the ministry said.

Russia's Defense Ministry has said the series of strikes on southern Ukraine targeted facilities where it claimed Ukraine was building seaborne drones of the type that Moscow says damaged a bridge in the annexed region of Crimea.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Russian strikes had "deliberately" targeted sites in the Odesa region that are used to export grain after Russia refused to extend the grain deal.

"About a million tons of food is stored in the ports that were attacked today. Exactly the volume that should have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa and Asia a long time ago," Zelenskiy said in a video message.

"Everyone in the world should be interested in holding Russia accountable for terror," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed the attacks near the Black Sea port cities.

"These attacks are...having an impact well beyond Ukraine. We are already seeing the negative effect on global wheat and corn prices which hurts everyone, but especially vulnerable people in the global south," Guterres said in a statement from his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

The Black Sea escalation comes as Kyiv reports a new attempt by Russia to return to the offensive in the northeast.

"The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on Kupyansk [in the Kharkiv region], Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka [in the Donetsk region], where 32 close combat battles were fought over the past day," the General Staff of Ukraine's military said on July 21.

Ukrainian defenders in Kupyansk repelled attacks by Russian troops southwest of Masyutivka, the military added.

At the same time, Washington said U.S.-supplied cluster munitions are being deployed in the field. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the munitions are having an impact on Russian defensive formations and maneuvering.

"We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they're using them quite effectively," Kirby said at a news briefing.

Also on July 20, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the commander in chief of Ukrainian forces, had a phone call about the operational situation along the entire front line with U.S. General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The armed forces of Ukraine, despite the enemy's extremely complex minefields, anti-tank barricades, and a fire damage system, are methodically destroying the enemy's forces and continue to conduct offensive actions to de-occupy our territory. We are successful in several areas. Our soldiers are heroes," Zaluzhniy said on Facebook.

The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Russian and Ukrainian forces were battling throughout eastern and southern Ukraine as Kyiv asserted a possible shift in the strategic balance, while a U.S. report hinted at Ukrainian hopes for a possible endgame that could lead to peace talks in the 15-month-old full-scale Russian invasion.

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 counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Ukraine's General Staff said in its early assessment on July 1 that its forces had engaged in around 20 battles against Russian troops the previous day.

It said Ukrainian forces had beat back Russian offensives in areas around Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka on June 30.

Donetsk regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko and other Ukrainian officials said at least three civilians were killed and 17 others wounded by Russian shelling overnight in and around the three cities.

The general staff also cited heavy aerial attacks from Russian forces in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and the southern Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions.

It said Russia's "main efforts" in the south were aimed at "preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops."

RFE/RL cannot confirm claims of battlefield developments by either side in areas of heavy fighting.

The latest update by British intelligence on July 1 said Ukrainian troops had secured a bridgehead on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnieper River near the destroyed Antonivskiy Bridge.

The report said Kyivs forces have been fortifying the stronghold since June 23 in the face of heavy fighting by Russias 7th Guards Air Assault Division as Ukraine presses its counteroffensive in the south.

The Washington Post reported on June 30 that CIA Director William Burns recently visited Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and intelligence officials and to hear their "ambitious strategy to retake Russian-occupied territory and open cease-fire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year."

In a joint news conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Zelenskiy said Kyiv's position remains unchanged and that before any negotiations can begin, Ukraine must gain control of the country's internationally recognized borders of 1991, meaning the return of Russia-occupied Crime and sections of eastern Ukraine.

Burns' previously unreported trip coincides with a widely anticipated counteroffensive that Zelenskiy said has been "slower than hoped" but which Ukrainian officials claim has shifted the "strategic initiative" in the 16-month full-scale Russian invasion.

Malyar said on June 30 that Ukrainian forces were making gains "in all directions."

Kyiv has suggested that it still has not deployed the bulk of Ukraine's Western-trained forces and heavy equipment.

Burns's purported trip came shortly before the abortive mutiny on June 24 by Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his paid fighters, who have been essential components of Russia's invasion alongside hundreds of thousands of regular troops and conscripts.

Prigozhin and an untold number of those mercenaries have reportedly been offered haven in Belarus, prompting Zelenskiy to buttress Ukraine's defenses along its northern border.

Burns' trip was one of many he has made "regularly" to Ukraine since February 2022, an unnamed source told The Washington Post, in this case to share intelligence and pledge ongoing U.S. commitment to Ukraine's defense efforts.

The Washington Post and other media reported that Burns called Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin after the mutiny to tell Moscow that the United States had no role in it.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has urged patience and said the main event in Kyiv's counteroffensive is still to come.

U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this week that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is making steady progress, although perhaps not as rapidly as many in the West had anticipated.

On June 28, the United States announced a further $500 million arms package to bolster the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

In an interview published on June 30, Ukraine's top commander Valeriy Zaluzhniy complained that the perceived slow pace of Western weapons supplies "pisses me off." Speaking to The Washington Post, he pressed Kyiv's call for F-16 fighters pledged by its Western allies.

"I do not need 120 planes," Zaluzhniy said in an interview. "I'm not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough."

Zelenskiy, in his news conference with Sanchez, lamented that some of our partners are dragging their feet when it comes to the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 warplanes promised by Western allies.

He said there was still no firm date to begin pilot training on the sophisticated U.S.-made jets.

With reporting by The Washington Post and AP
KYIV -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his July 1 visit to Kyiv demonstrates the European Unions clear and unequivocal political commitment to Ukraines efforts to join the 27-member bloc, even as it battles against Russia's full-scale invasion.

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 counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

"Speaking of the European Union's perspective on Ukraine's EU accession, my being here on the first day of [Spains] six-month presidency...demonstrates a clear and unequivocal political commitment on the part of the community institutions in this respect," Sanchez said in a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"I would like to congratulate Ukraine for the positive trend and encourage it to continue its path of reforms," he added.

In an earlier address to the Ukrainian parliament, Sanchez said his country will provide an additional 55 million euro ($60 million) in financial aid to help Ukraine rebuild its economy in the face of the Russian invasion.

Sanchez is visiting Kyiv to meet with Zelenskiy and other officials and to demonstrate ongoing EU support for Ukraine on the first day of Spain's six-month stint as president of the Council of the European Union.

In a joint declaration, the two leaders stated: "Spain reiterates its support to the candidacy of Ukraine to join the EU, which will be among the priorities of its presidency. Spain supports strengthening NATO's partnership with Ukraine, including through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council."

The trip comes with Ukraine's civilian and military leaders urging more urgent supplies of advanced weaponry, including fighter jets, to boost a counteroffensive that Kyiv says is progressing slowly but steadily to push Russian forces out of the country following their full-scale invasion 16 months ago.

Sanchez was quoted as saying in Kyiv that "we are with you and we will be as long as necessary," adding, "I wanted to tell you that we will support Ukraine, regardless of the price."

Upon his arrival, Sanchez posted a video from the train station in Kyiv in which he was being met by a Ukrainian delegation.

"I wanted the first act of the Spanish presidency of the council of the European Union to be in Ukraine together with @ZelenskyyUa," Sanchez wrote alongside the clip, using the Ukrainian president's Twitter handle.

Sanchez added that he wanted to convey to the Ukrainian parliament and government "all of Europe's solidarity."

"We will maintain our support for the Ukrainian people until peace returns to Europe," he said.

Sanchez reportedly traveled via Poland.

The visit comes ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania's capital later this month where transatlantic allies are expected to hash out a strategy and road map for relations with Ukraine, which has dramatically intensified its calls for EU and NATO membership since Russia's invasion began in February 2022.

NATO is not expected to offer membership at the Vilnius summit, although many Western military and other officials argue that the conflict with Russia, the resulting Western equipment and training, and Ukrainians' staunch defense of their country combine to make the Ukrainian military an elite European fighting force.

Spain has been in NATO since 1982 and a member of the European Union since 1986.

It was among the first European states to provide nonlethal support for the Ukrainian military with shipments of bulletproof jackets and helmets after the all-out Russian invasion began in February 2022.

It pivoted quickly to back Ukraine despite fears that it might cling to a "hope that Moscow might somehow form part of a future European security architecture," according to the Elcano Royal Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

Polls cited on July 1 show Spain's conservative People's Party as the front-runner to win the most seats in Spain's national elections set for next month, ahead of Sanchez's ruling Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).

With reporting by AFP
An exhibitor presents Ethiopian coffee during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Trade between China and Angola has grown rapidly. According to Chinese customs statistics, bilateral trade reached 27.34 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up 16.3 percent from the previous year.

LUANDA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Angola seeks to diversify its economy and address structural imbalance in it through the ongoing China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, said President of the Angola-China Chamber of Commerce Luis Cupenala.

The expo is a vital opportunity for African countries to showcase their capabilities and products to the world, and Angola looks forward to upgrading cooperation and strengthening trade ties with China, Cupenala said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo kicked off on Thursday in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province. The expo aims to welcome more "Made in Africa" products into China and boost business links between the two sides.

A staff member introduces wild anchovy products to visitors at the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Attaching great importance to the event, the African country sent a high-level delegation to the expo, which includes several ministers, provincial governors and representatives of 17 companies, he said.

Trade between China and Angola has grown rapidly. According to Chinese customs statistics, bilateral trade reached 27.34 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up 16.3 percent from the previous year. Angola became China's second-largest trading partner in Africa, following South Africa.

Hailing the progress of the trade relationship between the two countries, Cupenala said Angola's vast territory and rich reserves of oil and minerals offer great potential for cooperation with China.

He noted that companies from both countries have established strategic partnerships, while Angola aims to integrate China's experience into its own national development plan.



This photo shows an interior view of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Innovation Demonstration Park (Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market) during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

In addition, Cupenala pointed out that China's cooperation with African countries focuses on their development without interfering in their political affairs.

"Through initiatives like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China seeks to become Africa's reliable and strong partner, fostering reciprocal contributions between China and the continent," he said.

Addressing the lack of infrastructure connecting African nations, he said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and continuous cooperation with Africa are playing a vital role in promoting economic activities, as well as the flow of people, goods, technology and capital.

The business leader said he believes that the reciprocal cooperation between China and African countries will continue to foster greater trust between China and the continent. 


U.S. President Joe Biden (L) accepts the Letter of Credence of China's new ambassador Xie Feng in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington D.C. June 30, 2023. (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday accepted the Letter of Credence of China's new ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, in the Oval Office of the White House.

Welcoming Xie to take his new post, Biden had a conversation with him on U.S.-China relations.

Xie said his appointment as the 12th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the United States means to him not only honor, but also enormous responsibilities.

In November 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden held a successful meeting in Bali, Indonesia, and reached important common understandings, Xie noted, adding that China follows the three principles put forward by Xi, namely, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

It is hoped that the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction, earnestly act on the common understandings reached in Bali between the two heads of state, and explore the right way for the two countries to get along in the new era, so as to stabilize and bring the China-U.S. relationship back to the right track, he said.

Xie arrived in the United States on May 23 to assume office. 
Maruti Suzuki has posted an 8.43 percent YoY growth in PV sales boosted by rising demand for utility vehicles while exports fell significantly

Maruti Suzukis total sales (domestic + exports) in June 2023 saw a 2 percent growth to 1,59,418 units, up from 1,55,857 units sold in June 2022. While growth was seen across total domestic sales, it was exports that showed off a YoY and YTD de-growth.

We break up these sales further into domestic passenger vehicle sales which stood at 1,33,027 units in June 2023, up 8.43 percent from 1,22,685 units sold in June 2022. It was however, a MoM de-growth of 7.43 percent when compared to 1,43,708 units sold in May 2023.

Maruti Suzuki Domestic Sales June 2023

The passenger vehicle segment had the Alto and S-Presso, in the mini segment post a marginal YoY de-growth to 14,054 units, down from 14,442 units sold in June 2022. YTD sales also fell to 40,400 units in the FY 2023-24 period from 48,987 units sold in FY 2022-23.

Of the compact segment, that included the likes of Baleno, Celerio, DZire, Ignis, Swift, TourS and WagonR, sales fell to 64,471 units in June 2023 from 77,746 units sold in June 2022. However, YTD sales were somewhat better with a growth to 2,10,825 units in the FY2023-24 period from 2,04,877 units sold in the same period last year.

Ciaz sales also improved YoY to 1,744 units from 1,507 units sold in June 2022 while YTD sales stood at 3,753 units in FY 2023-24 from 2,672 units sold in FY 2022-23. This took total PV sales down to 80,269 units in June 2023 from 93,695 units sold in June 2022. YTD sales were also in the red, with 2,54,978 units sold in FY 2023-24 period from 2,56,536 units sold in FY 2022-23.

Performance in the utility vehicle segment was noteworthy. Sales in this segment improved 130 percent YoY to 43,404 units in June 2023, up from 18,860 units sold in June 2022. YTD sales also grew to 1,26,401 units in FY 2023-24 period from 80,852 units sold in the same period last year.

Sales of the Eeco van also dipped YoY to 9,354 units but improved in YTD sales to 32,676 units. LCV sales (Super Carry) in June 2023 dipped to 2,993 units from 3,025 units sold in June 2022. It was also lower on an YTD basis, down to 8,079 units in FY 2023-24 from 10,817 units sold in FY 2022-23.

This took total domestic sales  that included PV+LCV up to 1,36,019 units in June 2023 from 1,25,710 units sold in June 2022. YTD sales also improved to 4,22,134 units in the FY 2023-24 period from 3,79,971 units sold in FY 2022-23.

Maruti Suzuki also sells certain models to Toyota Kirloskar Motors. Sales of these models dipped on a YoY basis to 3,629 units, down from 6,314 units sold in June 2022. YTD sales also fell to 12,678 units in the FY 2023-24 period from 18,523 units sold in FY 2022-23.

Maruti Suzukis exports suffered a setback and declined by 17 percent to 19,770 units exported in June 2023, as against 23,833 units exported in the same month last year. YTD exports also fell to 63,218 units from 69,437 units sold in the same period last year.

Maruti Suzuki Q2 and H1 Sales

In the Q2 2023 period, Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 4,14,055 units, up 12.16 percent from 3,69,154 units sold in Q2 2022. It was however, a de-growth of 3.16 percent when compared to 4,27,578 units sold in Q1 2023. Taking into account the H1 2023 period, Maruti Suzuki sales were up 9.89 percent to 8,41,633 units from 7,65,887 units sold in H1 2022 thus relating to a 75,746 unit volume growth.

Maruti Suzuki has opened bookings for the new Invicto that is set to launch in the premium MPV space. This will be sourced from Toyota and will go on to be the companys flagship model which will be retailed exclusively via the Maruti Suzuki Nexa outlets. Maruti Invicto will launch on 5th July 2023.
ADDIS ABABA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has hailed its partnership with China in promoting affordable renewable energy in the Global South, highlighting a project with Ethiopia.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, UNDP Ethiopia Deputy Resident Representative Cleophas Torori underscored the importance of an innovative project that the UNDP and the government of China are working together to expand access to renewable energy in Ethiopia.

The project, entitled "Biogas, Biomass and Solar Trilateral Cooperation - Transitioning to Sustainable Energy Uses in the Agro-industry between China and Ethiopia," aimed to promote the transfer of renewable energy technology to Ethiopia.

"We are very privileged to be working in support of this trilateral partnership under a framework that we value at the UNDP, which is promoting South-South Cooperation," said Torori.

Torori said the project has been implemented based on the technological advancement that China, in particular, made in recent years with regard to the renewable energy development sector.

"China is advanced in some of the technologies that Ethiopia, as a developing country, could very much benefit from under the South-South cooperation framework and that is what this project is about," he said.

According to a recent UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs report, Ethiopia has one of the biggest electricity access deficits. The report highlighted that the top 20 access-deficit countries account for 81 percent of the global population without access to clean technology and fuels.

The East African country is currently implementing a 10-year development plan that articulates a commitment to universal access to clean, reliable and affordable energy by 2030.

Torori said the trilateral project is mainly aimed at reducing the burden and closing the gap of energy access, particularly in the rural parts of Ethiopia, where energy deficits exist. "There is a lot that is happening under this project (in terms of) expanding access to renewable energy in Ethiopia."

The project is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly concerning Goal 7 on promoting affordable, clean, renewable energy access, and Goal 17 on promoting partnerships, he said, adding that "there is no partnership than what we have here."

As part of the UNDP-supported project, Ethiopia and China have recently launched a Joint Research and Extension Center, which is expected to serve as a research, training and demonstration platform to enhance the capacity to access renewable energy technologies in Ethiopia and facilitate the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He said the unique partnership is building a critical mass of experts that can manage and sustain similar initiatives in the future.

"We have come a long way under the trilateral project," Torori said. He emphasized the need to further strengthen the partnership so as to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of people in the developing world.

Noting that the project is expected to benefit up to 50,000 households in Ethiopia once it is fully completed, Torori said "this is extremely important because here we have an opportunity to learn from the knowledge exchange and technical input from China and we have a critical mass of Ethiopians that have begun to be trained (through the project)." 
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. * WHERE...Portions of northern New York, including the following counties, Eastern Clinton, Eastern Essex, Northern Franklin, Northern St. Lawrence, Southeastern St. Lawrence, Southern Franklin, Southwestern St. Lawrence, Western Clinton and Western Essex. Portions of Vermont, including the following counties, Caledonia, Eastern Addison, Eastern Chittenden, Eastern Franklin, Eastern Rutland, Eastern Windsor, Essex, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Washington, Western Addison, Western Chittenden, Western Franklin, Western Rutland and Western Windsor. * WHEN...From Friday afternoon through late Friday night. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris. Area creeks and streams are running high and could flood with more heavy rain. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Another round of heavy, scattered thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rainfall is expected. Rainfall may exceed 1.5 inches in an hour which would result in flash flooding. Saturated soil conditions will cause rainfall to runoff into creeks and streams, which remain high. - Http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. &&
Tourists visit the Patuxay Park in the Lao capital Vientiane on June 30, 2023. Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

By Chanthaphaphone Mixayboua, Zhang Jianhua

VIENTIANE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

The largest number of visitors came from Thailand with 430,979, followed by 224,461 from Vietnam and 223,350 from China.

The sharp increase in the number of foreign tourists follows the full revival of international travel in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the travel options offered by the China-Laos Railway, Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Khamjane Vongphosy said at the fifth ordinary session of the National Assembly (Ninth Legislature) of Laos on Monday.

Some 1.6 million domestic and foreign tourists took trips in Laos in the first four months of 2023, representing a major increase over the number of tourists recorded in the same period of 2022.

More than 485,000 of them were Lao nationals, accounting for 81 percent of the half-year target. The Lao government hopes the figure will rise to 600,000 in the first six months of 2023.

Laos recorded 1,294,388 tourists visiting the country in 2022. Most international visitors came from Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea and the United States, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

"Our tourism town has been very quiet for a few years because of the pandemic. Now there are a lot of tourists, especially during the weekend. I am delighted to see an increase of both domestic and international visitors," Khampha, a food vendor in Vangvieng, a tourism town in Vientiane province, told Xinhua on Sunday.

Laos is placing its hopes on the China-Laos Railway as a means of transporting tourists to some of the country's most popular attractions, Phonemaly Inthaphome, director of the Tourism Development Department under the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, said at a meeting held on June 8 to discuss the Visit Laos Year 2024.

Sengxay, an employee at a store selling tour packages in Vangvieng, told Xinhua last Sunday that there had been a noticeable uptick in visitors since the China-Laos Railway came into service in 2021 and the Lao government reopened the country to foreign travel in May 2022.

"Not only Lao people, but many foreign tourists are also excited to take a train traveling in Laos," he said.

The railway is a very popular means of transport and passes through the provinces of Luang Prabang and Oudomxay, which have many places of interest to tourists in northern Laos.

"After experiencing adventurous activities in Vangvieng, many people take a train to Luang Prabang to enjoy a small charming town surrounded by rivers and mountains, and its ancient temples and scenic rural landscapes," Sengxay said.

The start of cross-border services on the China-Laos Railway increased the arrival of tourists from China. The Lao government expects that China's resumption of outbound group tours will be a strong boost to the Southeast Asian country's tourism industry.

As the China-Laos Railway serves as a crucial tourism infrastructure, Lao authorities estimated that around 368,000 Chinese travelers will visit Laos in 2023, up 21 percent from last year.

Speaking at a meeting on preparations for Chinese tourists held on May 26, Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Ounthuang Khaophan said the Chinese tourism market is a great source of revenue and because of this, many countries have been engaged in promotion schemes to attract Chinese tourists.

A huge boost to the growth of this market is the China-Laos Railway, which enables fast and convenient travel between Laos and China, while more flights between Lao capital Vientiane and a number of Chinese cities are opening up, further facilitating international travel, Ounthuang said.

Tourism authorities and operators in Laos have improved services at hotels, guesthouses and restaurants, and added more facilities at tourist sites to provide more convenience for visitors.

In addition, the Lao government has organized promotional campaigns to attract tourists, including Visit Laos-China Year and Lao Thiao Lao (Lao Visit Laos program), attracting many visitors, especially from China.

In 2023, the Lao government has made tourism a top priority in efforts to revitalize the economy and aims to attract at least 1.4 million foreign tourists. 

Tourists visit the Patuxay Park in the Lao capital Vientiane on June 30, 2023. Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Tourists visit a night market along the Mekong River in the Lao capital Vientiane on June 30, 2023. Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

A woman takes photos for a boy in the Patuxay Park in the Lao capital Vientiane on June 30, 2023. Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022. (Photo by Tamon Huengmeexay/Xinhua)

Monks walk by the That Luang Stupa in the Lao capital Vientiane on June 30, 2023. Laos welcomed more than 1.1 million foreign visitors in the first four months of 2023, representing an increase of 204 percent compared to the same period in 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
A projected rise in droughts could muddy the waters for painted turtles and some fellow freshwater-dwelling reptiles, says 11 years of data collected by 50-plus undergraduates from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Two recent studies based on the data suggest that drought can lower the survival odds, slow the growth and even skew the ratio of female-to-male painted turtles inhabiting the ponds of the Cornhusker State. Those outcomes emerged despite the water level of a sampled pond in southwestern Nebraska remaining relatively steady throughout the observed periods of drought.

"I have to admit: When the students launched into it, I wasn't sure that we were going to find drought impacts," said Larkin Powell, a professor in the School of Natural Resources who oversaw the studies. "I think it's interesting that we found the drought impacts that we did, just given the fact that this is not a pond that completely dried up."

Like many other reptile and fish species, the sex of painted turtle offspring depends on the average ambient temperature during a stage of egg incubation. Whereas eggs incubated at lower temperatures tend to produce male painted turtles, temperatures above a certain threshold generally yield females.

Given that drought usually corresponds with higher temperatures, a warming-linked increase in drier conditions could potentially tilt the balance of female and male painted turtles. Husker alumnae Ellen Dolph and Charrissa Neil found that, in the absence of drought, males composed roughly 60-85% of the painted turtle sample. Nearly 60% of that sample instead hatched as female in the years when temperature, groundwater conditions and other variables indicated the greatest influence of drought.

Prior research has suggested that an extreme shift toward female-dominated ecosystems -- the sort more likely to arise amid the hotter, drier climes expected in coming decades -- could pose an existential threat to turtles and other reptile species. For the painted turtle, which inhabits much of North America and faces no short-term risk of extinction, that threat is less pressing, Powell said. But other, vulnerable species that share much in common with the painted turtle might wind up bearing more of the immediate brunt.

"There's nothing crazily unique about a painted turtle compared to the other turtles -- Blanding's turtles, mud turtles, map turtles -- that live in rivers and lakes," he said.

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For the first time, Powell and alumna Allyson Beard also showed that drought can lower the likelihood of survival in an intact pond -- by roughly 7% in female painted turtles and 10% in males. And one of the team's models suggested that, in future climate scenarios, every 10% increase in the likelihood of drought could correspond with a drop in annual survival rate.

By calculating changes in the length of shells, Dolph and Neil further discovered that the painted turtles, particularly females, grew slower in years of drought. That matters, Powell said, partly because the size of a shell can impose real constraints on a female's ability to reproduce.

"Females grow faster than males," he said, "and one of the reasons that they are selected to grow faster is that they can't reproduce until they have enough space inside their shell to hold the eggs."

Though the team isn't sure exactly which drought-related factors might account for the reduced survival rate, Powell said the parallel slowing of growth points to the possibility of the turtles encountering more competition for less food, especially insects.

Turtle power

As an ecologist whose research career has gone mostly to the birds -- prairie chickens, wild turkeys, Canada geese, thrushes, woodpeckers and the like -- Powell hardly counted himself a turtle expert when, in 2005, he first headed for the Husker field site known as Cedar Point Biological Station.

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There, amid 900-plus acres of prairie bordered by the Nebraska Sandhills, Powell was tasked with heading up a summer undergrad course on wildlife management techniques. One of those techniques: catching and marking specimens of a given species for the sake of estimating its population size. But arriving at a valid estimate would entail capturing specimens across multiple days, comparing the proportion of marked versus unmarked animals, then applying some theory-backed math. Catching his beloved birds, Powell knew, would prove too difficult and time-consuming to yield a large enough sample for that math to work its magic.

So he turned to the painted turtle, one of the most common species in Nebraska and, thanks to their slow-and-steady nature, "a perfect study animal." After consulting with a local landowner, he located a pond near Keystone, Nebraska, that was brimming with shelled specimens.

"I normally do use birds for my population studies," he said. "But it was hard to stop working with painted turtles, because they are so easy to capture.

"This has been me pretending to be a herpetologist for a week every year."

Powell and his students usually catch the turtles with square traps that consist of a wire basket framed by empty PVC pipe buoyant enough to float. By the time the turtles have grown to the size that they can't escape through the wire -- typically around 5 or 6 years old -- they often spend hours a day basking in the sun. The floating contraptions offer just the place and, when the turtles have soaked up sufficient sun, the possibility of going from basking to basket.

To distinguish one turtle from another, the students drill varying numbers of small holes into each turtle's perimeter scutes: the island-like plates that grant both protection and pattern to the top of a shell. Powell would also later introduce injectable identification tags of the kind used to monitor cats and dogs.

In 2007, Powell taught the undergrad course at Cedar Point for his second and final time. The next summer, he decided to return anyway, again with turtle-seeking students in tow. Before he knew it, he'd been at it for more than a decade and counting. The handful or so of students who accompany him each summer, Powell said, seem to appreciate the chance to get their feet wet.

"Students complain that even entry-level jobs seem like they want you to have experience," he said. "So we try to give that to them. Usually, the students who go with me haven't done a summer research project before.

"It's three or four days that a student, if they have no wildlife experience, can go out and get a little bit to put on their resume."

Eventually, Dolph, Neil and Beard, then-undergrads with theses to write before graduating from the University Honors Program, would avail themselves of the data their predecessors had collected in tandem with the turtles.

Powell said he hopes the trio's findings might guide conservation plans, possibly by pinpointing when it would make sense to tweak pond conditions in favor of enticing more prey and sustaining painted turtles in leaner, drier years. More broadly, the drought-related survival odds and sex ratios could inform models used to estimate the probability that species will go extinct over a given time span. Those models, in turn, often steer decision-making about whether and when to captively breed species on the precipice of extinction.

"It took us a while to figure out what we could actually do with data that was of consequence enough to write a paper about," he said. "But they turned out to be pretty important papers, I think.

"When I posted this on Facebook: A lot of those former students are out there, and I think they enjoyed seeing that Powell finally did something with this data, too."
An international team led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has, for the first time, accurately determined the age and formation process of the East Anatolian fault, which runs from eastern to south-central Turkey and was involved in the creation of the Anatolian tectonic plate.

The fault zone was the site of two devastating earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria in February 2023. While the researchers' findings won't help predict timing or size of earthquakes, it allows geologists to learn more about how long the area has been seismically active and how major earthquakes have shaped the landscape over time, which can help drive decision making for infrastructure and placement of homes.

Their paper is published in Geology, a leading peer-reviewed academic journal covering the geosciences fields published by the Geological Society of America.

The faults we see on the Earth's surface are cracks caused by the movements of the planet's massive tectonic plates. These movements cause stress to build up, and the release of that stress causes the earthquakes humans experience on the surface.

"There are lots of tectonic plates in the world," explained Donna Whitney, lead author of the paper and a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the University of Minnesota N.H. Winchell School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. "They've changed shape and size and position over time, but we very seldom get to see one form. The Anatolian plate formed fairly recently in a geological sense, so the processes that formed it are easier for us to deduce from studying the geology. There's been a lot of debate about the age of the Anatolian plate and the East Anatolian fault, but we were able to show with our data that it likely formed five million years ago."

The researchers' findings originated from a National Science Foundation-funded project Whitney instigated called Continental Dynamics-Central Anatolian Tectonics (CD-CAT), which brought together researchers from multiple geosciences disciplines and countries to study the Anatolian plate and its associated fault zones.

Whitney and her team began studying the Anatolian plate back in 2011 because they found evidence that for tens of millions of years, the middle of the plate had been deforming -- a process that typically only happens at the edges of tectonic plates. Then, five million years ago, there was a dramatic change. Since that time, nearly all the tectonic movement has been focused along two major earthquake-generating faults: the North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault.

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By dating the cooling of the rocks in the East Anatolian fault and looking at seismic data collected during the project, the CD-CAT researchers determined the structure of the continents and underlying mantle in the region and confirmed that this five-million-year point marked the creation of the Anatolian plate.

"Knowing the seismic history of this area is really important for anticipating disasters related to the way that people interact with the landscape," Whitney said. "We can't predict that there's going to be a magnitude 'X' earthquake on this fault at a certain time, but we can get a sense of the fault's activity in the past, how big the events have been, and how much fault motion has affected the landscape. We need to understand these structures because people live near them, and there's infrastructure near them."

In addition to Whitney, two of the major contributors to the study were seismologist Jonathan Delph, who is an assistant professor at Purdue University, and University of Arizona geochronologist Stuart Thomson, who handled much of the age data analysis.

Other team members included Christian Teyssier (University of Minnesota Twin Cities); Susan Beck (University of Arizona); Gilles Brocard (University of Lyon, France); Michael Cosca (U.S. Geological Survey, Denver); Michael Darin and Paul Umhoefer (Northern Arizona University); Nuretdin Kaymakc? and Bora Rojay (Middle East Technical University, Turkey); Maud Meijers (University of Graz, Austria); Aral Okay (Istanbul Technical University, Turkey).
A new survey shows that the largely Indigenous population of Greenland is highly aware that the climate is changing, and far more likely than people in other Arctic nations to say they are personally affected. Yet, many do not blame human influences -- especially those living traditional subsistence lifestyles most directly hit by the impacts of rapidly wasting ice and radical changes in weather. The study appears this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Greenland is off the charts when it comes to the proportion of people who are seeing and personally experiencing the effects of climate change. But there is a big mismatch between climate science and local awareness of human-caused climate change," said lead author Kelton Minor, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Data Science Institute and the Columbia Climate School. The researchers suggest that educational and cultural factors play a role.

Arctic regions are warming as much as four times faster than the world average, and Greenlanders, who rely on frigid seasonal conditions for hunting, fishing and travel, are on the front lines. Snow and sea ice, once predictable platforms for getting from place to place and making a living, are declining; rain storms are increasing, even in winter; permafrost is melting; and the mighty central ice sheet is rapidly losing mass. These changes are contributing to creeping sea-level rise on faraway shores, but for Greenlanders the effects are immediate.

The authors of the study surveyed some 1,600 people, some 4 percent of Greenland's adult population. They found that 89 percent believe climate change is happening -- similar to other nations with at least some Arctic territory, including Sweden, Canada, Russia and Iceland. (The exception: the United States, at only 68 percent.) That said, the proportion of Greenlanders saying they are personally experiencing the effects is more than twice that of other Arctic nations -- nearly 80 percent. Among fishers, hunters and people living in small, rural villages, the proportion is close to 85 percent.

Yet, when asked whether humans are causing the changes, only about 50 percent made this connection, and in rural areas it was only 40 percent.

The researchers say the study suggests that education plays a strong role, noting that many people in rural areas do not have a secondary education. "Villages don't have the same access to formal education, particularly past elementary school, and that may explain a lot of it," said Minor. He points out that climate researchers from around the world have been converging on Greenland for decades, and that much of the evidence pinning climate change on humans has emerged from their work. "One of the core insights of modern climate science, derived in part from the Greenland ice sheet, may not be widely available to Greenland's public," he said.

Warming climate works its way into nearly every aspect of life, in sometimes surprising ways. For instance, many people live on narrow strips of ice-free coastal land nestled up against the towering interior ice sheet. In some areas, the ice surface is melting so fast that it is perceptibly sinking, like the top of a mountain being bulldozed off; as a result, people in some settlements are getting more hours of daylight, as the sun rises over a newly lowered horizon. And, unlike most of the world, sea levels here are mostly sinking, not rising. This is due in part to the fact that as the ice wastes, pressure is taken off the land, and the land is rising. In a largely roadless land, this presents potential blockages to navigation in heavily used but already often shallow coastal waters -- the subject of a separate investigation by Columbia scientists.

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Cultural historian Manumina Lund-Jensen of Ilisimatusarfik Greenland University and a coauthor of the study suggests a further dimension to beliefs about humans and the environment. "In Greenland, most people interact with Sila, [the] Greenlandic spirit of the air, the weather, [which] also describes our consciousness, and connection to the universe," she said. "Knowledge about Sila has been transmitted through generations by oral traditions and observations, and can make the difference of survival for oneself and others." This view may "increase the psychological distance to the anthropogenic signal in the climate system," she writes in the study. "Humans may not be viewed as powerful in relation to Sila."

People's overall views of nature may have practical effects, the researchers say. Minor says that although it was not part of the current study, it seems that those who discount human influence may be more likely to view changes as mainly harmful -- shorter hunting seasons, more dangerous storms, more unpredictable weather. On the other hand, those who make human the connection may see it differently. Case in point: the world is running short of sand, a key ingredient in concrete. Greenland is now swimming in it, as glaciers pull back, leaving behind vast deposits of it. Previous research indicates that those aware of human influence on climate are more likely to consider human action to adapt, said Minor, and favor exporting this suddenly available commodity.

"Perceptions of climate change impacts and causes are key drivers of societal climate mitigation and adaptation," said study coauthor Minik Rosing, a geologist at the University of Copenhagen. "Understanding how perceptions are shaped is fundamental for both climate change research and informing climate action."

The researchers write that policymakers and civic institutions should "support the convergence of highly adaptive Inuit knowledge of Sila and local climate variability with climate scientists' knowledge," and that climate projections and historical insights derived from the ice sheet "be widely disseminated and integrated into Greenland's primary school educational curricula in concert with Inuit knowledge."

A new survey shows that the largely Indigenous population of Greenland is highly aware that the climate is changing, and far more likely than people in other Arctic nations to say they are personally affected. Yet, many do not blame human influences -- especially those living traditional subsistence lifestyles most directly hit by the impacts of rapidly wasting ice and radical changes in weather. The study appears this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Greenland is off the charts when it comes to the proportion of people who are seeing and personally experiencing the effects of climate change. But there is a big mismatch between climate science and local awareness of human-caused climate change," said lead author Kelton Minor, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Data Science Institute and the Columbia Climate School. The researchers suggest that educational and cultural factors play a role.

Arctic regions are warming as much as four times faster than the world average, and Greenlanders, who rely on frigid seasonal conditions for hunting, fishing and travel, are on the front lines. Snow and sea ice, once predictable platforms for getting from place to place and making a living, are declining; rain storms are increasing, even in winter; permafrost is melting; and the mighty central ice sheet is rapidly losing mass. These changes are contributing to creeping sea-level rise on faraway shores, but for Greenlanders the effects are immediate.

The authors of the study surveyed some 1,600 people, some 4 percent of Greenland's adult population. They found that 89 percent believe climate change is happening -- similar to other nations with at least some Arctic territory, including Sweden, Canada, Russia and Iceland. (The exception: the United States, at only 68 percent.) That said, the proportion of Greenlanders saying they are personally experiencing the effects is more than twice that of other Arctic nations -- nearly 80 percent. Among fishers, hunters and people living in small, rural villages, the proportion is close to 85 percent.

Yet, when asked whether humans are causing the changes, only about 50 percent made this connection, and in rural areas it was only 40 percent.

The researchers say the study suggests that education plays a strong role, noting that many people in rural areas do not have a secondary education. "Villages don't have the same access to formal education, particularly past elementary school, and that may explain a lot of it," said Minor. He points out that climate researchers from around the world have been converging on Greenland for decades, and that much of the evidence pinning climate change on humans has emerged from their work. "One of the core insights of modern climate science, derived in part from the Greenland ice sheet, may not be widely available to Greenland's public," he said.

Warming climate works its way into nearly every aspect of life, in sometimes surprising ways. For instance, many people live on narrow strips of ice-free coastal land nestled up against the towering interior ice sheet. In some areas, the ice surface is melting so fast that it is perceptibly sinking, like the top of a mountain being bulldozed off; as a r

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Arctic regions are warming as much as four times faster than the world average, and Greenlanders, who rely on frigid seasonal conditions for hunting, fishing and travel, are on the front lines. Snow and sea ice, once predictable platforms for getting from place to place and making a living, are declining; rain storms are increasing, even in winter; permafrost is melting; and the mighty central ice sheet is rapidly losing mass. These changes are contributing to creeping sea-level rise on faraway shores, but for Greenlanders the effects are immediate.

The authors of the study surveyed some 1,600 people, some 4 percent of Greenland's adult population. They found that 89 percent believe climate change is happening -- similar to other nations with at least some Arctic territory, including Sweden, Canada, Russia and Iceland. (The exception: the United States, at only 68 percent.) That said, the proportion of Greenlanders saying they are personally experiencing the effects is more than twice that of other Arctic nations -- nearly 80 percent. Among fishers, hunters and people living in small, rural villages, the proportion is close to 85 percent.

Yet, when asked whether humans are causing the changes, only about 50 percent made this connection, and in rural areas it was only 40 percent.

The researchers say the study suggests that education plays a strong role, noting that many people in rural areas do not have a secondary education. "Villages don't have the same access to formal education, particularly past elementary school, and that may explain a lot of it," said Minor. He points out that climate researchers from around the world have been converging on Greenland for decades, and that much of the evidence pinning climate change on humans has emerged from their work. "One of the core insights of modern climate science, derived in part from the Greenland ice sheet, may not be widely available to Greenland's public," he said.

Warming climate works its way into nearly every aspect of life, in sometimes surprising ways. For instance, many people live on narrow strips of ice-free coastal land nestled up against the towering interior ice sheet. In some areas, the ice surface is melting so fast that it is perceptibly sinking, like the top of a mountain being bulldozed off; as a result, people in some settlements are getting more hours of daylight, as the sun rises over a newly lowered horizon. And, unlike most of the world, sea levels here are mostly sinking, not rising. This is due in part to the fact that as the ice wastes, pressure is taken off the land, and the land is rising. In a largely roadless land, this presents potential blockages to navigation in heavily used but already often shallow coastal waters -- the subject of a separate investigation by Columbia scientists.

Cultural historian Manumina Lund-Jensen of Ilisimatusarfik Greenland University and a coauthor of the study suggests a further dimension to beliefs about humans and the environment. "In Greenland, most people interact with Sila, [the] Greenlandic spirit of the air, the weather, [which] also describes our consciousness, and connection to the universe," she said. "Knowledge about Sila has been transmitted through generations by oral traditions and observations, and can make the difference of survival for oneself and others." This view may "increase the psychological distance to the anthropogenic signal in the climate system," she writes in the study. "Humans may not be viewed as powerful in relation to Sila."

People's overall views of nature may have practical effects, the researchers say. Minor says that although it was not part of the current study, it seems that those who discount human influence may be more likely to view changes as mainly harmful -- shorter hunting seasons, more dangerous storms, more unpredictable weather. On the other hand, those who make human the connection may see it differently. Case in point: the world is running short of sand, a key ingredient in concrete. Greenland is now swimming in it, as glaciers pull back, leaving behind vast deposits of it. Previous research indicates that those aware of human influence on climate are more likely to consider human action to adapt, said Minor, and favor exporting this suddenly available commodity.

"Perceptions of climate change impacts and causes are key drivers of societal climate mitigation and adaptation," said study coauthor Minik Rosing, a geologist at the University of Copenhagen. "Understanding how perceptions are shaped is fundamental for both climate change research and informing climate action."

The researchers write that policymakers and civic institutions should "support the convergence of highly adaptive Inuit knowledge of Sila and local climate variability with climate scientists' knowledge," and that climate projections and historical insights derived from the ice sheet "be widely disseminated and integrated into Greenland's primary school educational curricula in concert with Inuit knowledge."

A new survey shows that the largely Indigenous population of Greenland is highly aware that the climate is changing, and far more likely than people in other Arctic nations to say they are personally affected. Yet, many do not blame human influences -- especially those living traditional subsistence lifestyles most directly hit by the impacts of rapidly wasting ice and radical changes in weather. The study appears this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Greenland is off the charts when it comes to the proportion of people who are seeing and personally experiencing the effects of climate change. But there is a big mismatch between climate science and local awareness of human-caused climate change," said lead author Kelton Minor, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Data Science Institute and the Columbia Climate School. The researchers suggest that educational and cultural factors play a role.

Arctic regions are warming as much as four times faster than the world average, and Greenlanders, who rely on frigid seasonal conditions for hunting, fishing and travel, are on the front lines. Snow and sea ice, once predictable platforms for getting from place to place and making a living, are declining; rain storms are increasing, even in winter; permafrost is melting; and the mighty central ice sheet is rapidly losing mass. These changes are contributing to creeping sea-level rise on faraway shores, but for Greenlanders the effects are immediate.

The authors of the study surveyed some 1,600 people, some 4 percent of Greenland's adult population. They found that 89 percent believe climate change is happening -- similar to other nations with at least some Arctic territory, including Sweden, Canada, Russia and Iceland. (The exception: the United States, at only 68 percent.) That said, the proportion of Greenlanders saying they are personally experiencing the effects is more than twice that of other Arctic nations -- nearly 80 percent. Among fishers, hunters and people living in small, rural villages, the proportion is close to 85 percent.

Yet, when asked whether humans are causing the changes, only about 50 percent made this connection, and in rural areas it was only 40 percent.

The researchers say the study suggests that education plays a strong role, noting that many people in rural areas do not have a secondary education. "Villages don't have the same access to formal education, particularly past elementary school, and that may explain a lot of it," said Minor. He points out that climate researchers from around the world have been converging on Greenland for decades, and that much of the evidence pinning climate change on humans has emerged from their work. "One of the core insights of modern climate science, derived in part from the Greenland ice sheet, may not be widely available to Greenland's public," he said.

Warming climate works its way into nearly every aspect of life, in sometimes surprising ways. For instance, many people live on narrow strips of ice-free coastal land nestled up against the towering interior ice sheet. In some areas, the ice surface is melting so fast that it is perceptibly sinking, like the top of a mountain being bulldozed off; as a result, people in some settlements are getting more hours of daylight, as the sun rises over a newly lowered horizon. And, unlike most of the world, sea levels here are mostly sinking, not rising. This is due in part to the fact that as the ice wastes, pressure is taken off the land, and the land is rising. In a largely roadless land, this presents potential blockages to navigation in heavily used but already often shallow coastal waters -- the subject of a separate investigation by Columbia scientists.

Cultural historian Manumina Lund-Jensen of Ilisimatusarfik Greenland University and a coauthor of the study suggests a further dimension to beliefs about humans and the environment. "In Greenland, most people interact with Sila, [the] Greenlandic spirit of the air, the weather, [which] also describes our consciousness, and connection to the universe," she said. "Knowledge about Sila has been transmitted through generations by oral traditions and observations, and can make the difference of survival for oneself and others." This view may "increase the psychological distance to the anthropogenic signal in the climate system," she writes in the study. "Humans may not be viewed as powerful in relation to Sila."

People's overall views of nature may have practical effects, the researchers say. Minor says that although it was not part of the current study, it seems that those who discount human influence may be more likely to view changes as mainly harmful -- shorter hunting seasons, more dangerous storms, more unpredictable weather. On the other hand, those who make human the connection may see it differently. Case in point: the world is running short of sand, a key ingredient in concrete. Greenland is now swimming in it, as glaciers pull back, leaving behind vast deposits of it. Previous research indicates that those aware of human influence on climate are more likely to consider human action to adapt, said Minor, and favor exporting this suddenly available commodity.

"Perceptions of climate change impacts and causes are key drivers of societal climate mitigation and adaptation," said study coauthor Minik Rosing, a geologist at the University of Copenhagen. "Understanding how perceptions are shaped is fundamental for both climate change research and informing climate action."

The researchers write that policymakers and civic institutions should "support the convergence of highly adaptive Inuit knowledge of Sila and local climate variability with climate scientists' knowledge," and that climate projections and historical insights derived from the ice sheet "be widely disseminated and integrated into Greenland's primary school educational curricula in concert with Inuit knowledge."
Experiencing traumatic events such as natural disasters may have long-term consequences for the academic progress and future food security of youth -- a problem researchers said could worsen with the increased frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change.

In a study using data from Peru, researchers from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences found that being exposed to a greater number of traumatic events or "shocks," such as a natural disaster or loss of family income, in early life was associated with lower reading and vocabulary test scores over time, as well as reduced food security.

The study was recently published in the journal Population Research and Policy Review.

Carolyn Reyes, a senior research associate at Public Wise who led the study while earning her doctorate in rural sociology and demography at Penn State, said the findings could help guide policy aimed at minimizing the impacts of shocks.

"As climate change leads to more frequent and severe weather events, and economic crises and an ongoing pandemic continue to create challenges for families, it's critical for policies to help minimize the effects of these shocks," Reyes said. "These types of initiatives could include unconditional cash transfers, expanding social protections, and more accessible and widely available insurance programs."

The researchers found that shocks experienced more recently were the most strongly associated with negative learning and well-being outcomes. Specifically, 15-year-olds in Peru who experienced a shock in the past three to four years were more likely to have lower test scores, be less food secure, have poorer health and spend more time on household duties.

Heather Randell, assistant professor of rural sociology and demography, said while the study used data from Peru, the results could be applicable to populations around the globe.

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"Household shocks experienced by kids can take an important toll on health and learning no matter where they live," Randell said. "For example, if teens have to help take care of siblings or assist their parents in earning income, this may divert resources and attention away from school. This in turn can affect the amount of time teens have to focus on schoolwork, or it may push them out of school altogether."

According to the researchers, prior work has found that children often are more vulnerable to shocks than other members of a household. Young children may be particularly affected, with shocks experienced early in life impairing physical and cognitive development for years to come.

Children from rural households may face additional obstacles from environmental shocks. For example, if drought causes a family to lose income as a result of dying crops, children may be forced out of school to help find alternative income. While school attendance has improved in recent decades, almost one-fifth of school-age children worldwide remained out of school in 2018.

While previous studies have found connections between shocks and adverse educational outcomes, the researchers said many of these studies relied on cross-sectional data instead of following children over time, or examined the effects of just one or two types of shock.

Reyes said she and Randell wanted to build on existing research by expanding their study to examine the effects of multiple types of shocks on education and multiple measures of well-being over a 15-year time period.

She added that Peru was an ideal setting for the study because of its high levels of poverty and inequality, and because a large portion of the population relies on agriculture as a main source of income.

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"Peru is highly susceptible to environmental shocks such as earthquakes, floods and drought," Reyes said. "In addition, a sizable segment of the population is under the age of 18. All of these factors amount to higher likelihoods of children being exposed to shocks across their young lives."

For the study, the researchers used data from the Young Lives Longitudinal Survey of 1,713 children from Peru over a span of 15 years. Data from the final round, when the children were 15, included reading, math and vocabulary test scores, information about their food security and health, and details about how much time they spent studying and doing household chores.

The researchers also used data about the shocks these households experienced in the years prior to the children turning 15. Shocks included economic or agricultural shocks, such as loss of a job or crop failure; environmental shocks, such as flooding or an earthquake; and family shocks, such as divorce or the death of a household member.

According to the researchers, there could be multiple explanations for the findings. For example, if flooding destroys a family's crops that they were depending on for income, children may spend more time working for extra money instead of going to school or studying. Or, in the case of the death of a family member, psychological impacts may negatively affect progress at school.

Reyes said that while the study focused on data when the children were in their teens, the repercussions of experiencing multiple shocks early in life may continue for years.

"Because education and early work experiences are so important for future economic and social success, exposure to shocks could create circumstances that result in a lifetime of hardship," she said. "Additional research could explore the exact mechanisms of how these shocks affect schooling and well-being, which could then help in the design of targeted and effective interventions."
Passengers are seen on the high-speed train G2963 on July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

CHENGDU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong.

The train left Chengdu at 8:48 a.m. and arrived in Hong Kong after about ten hours, passing ten other stops, including the scenic tourist city of Guilin and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province.

China's railways implement a new operating plan starting Saturday to improve passenger and cargo transport capacity, service quality, and operation efficiency. The high-speed railway route from Chengdu to Shenzhen extends to the West Kowloon Station.

Saturday marks the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Mao Ping, a 46-year-old passenger from the Mianyang City of Sichuan, was excited to be on board the train. She told Xinhua that after learning about the opening of the new route from news reports, she talked to family and friends and planned this trip to Hong Kong.

"After staying in Hong Kong for several days, I will also return by train," she said. "I can have morning tea in Hong Kong and a hotpot later in Chengdu for supper."

The service will further boost people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation between the two destinations and enhance the co-development of Chengdu with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co., Ltd. 

Railway police officers are on duty in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xing Tuo)

A passenger shows an e-ticket of the high-speed train G2963 in Leshan Station, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Passengers take photos on the high-speed train G2963 on July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xing Tuo)

Passengers board the high-speed train G2963 in Leshan railway station in Leshan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

The high-speed train G2963 waits for departure in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

Passengers are seen on the high-speed train G2963 on July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xing Tuo)

Passengers and staff members of the high-speed train G2963 pose for a photo in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

Passengers watch a performance on the high-speed train G2963 on July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xing Tuo)

Train attendants of the high-speed train G2963 pose for a photo in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

A railway police officer guides a passenger of the high-speed train G2963 in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xing Tuo)

A train attendant waits for passengers of the high-speed train G2963 in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

Passengers of the high-speed train G2963 pose for a photo in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 1, 2023.

The train started on Saturday morning from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading for Hong Kong.

It marked the opening of a direct high-speed train service between Chengdu and Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
On June 29, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed insider trading charges against Jordan Meadow, a registered representative for a New York-based broker-dealer, and Steven Teixeira, the Chief Compliance Officer of an international payment processing company, in connection with their trading based on material nonpublic information that Teixeira obtained from his girlfriend's laptop while she was working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SEC's complaint alleges that Teixeira accessed nonpublic information on possible upcoming mergers and acquisitions of public companies from the laptop of his girlfriend, who was employed at a prominent New York-based investment bank. As alleged, Teixeira then used the information to purchase call options on several issuers ahead of the announcement of the deals and tipped the information to his friends, including Meadow, so that they could trade as well. The scheme allegedly generated illicit profits of approximately $28,600 for Teixeira, while Meadow made more than $730,000. Additionally, according to the complaint, Meadow recommended trades to his brokerage customers based on the material nonpublic information from Teixeira, resulting in millions of dollars in profits for them and hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions for Meadow.

The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan, charges Teixeira, of New York, and Meadow, of New Jersey, with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and bars on Meadow and Teixeira serving as officers or directors of public companies.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced criminal charges against Meadow and Teixeira.

The SEC's ongoing investigation is being conducted by Norman P. Ostrove and Julia C. Green of the Enforcement Division's Market Abuse Unit, with assistance from John S. Rymas of the Market Abuse Unit's Analysis and Detection Center. It has been supervised by Scott A. Thompson and Nicholas P. Grippo of the Philadelphia Regional Office and Joseph G. Sansone, Chief of the Market Abuse Unit. The litigation will be led by Spencer Willig and Gregory Bockin of the Philadelphia Regional Office. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
OUAGADOUGOU, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Forty-one people, including eight soldiers and 33 volunteer militiamen, were killed this week in two terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement on Friday.

On Tuesday, a military unit was ambushed near Tia in Mouhoun province. The military unit responded and killed more than 30 terrorists, the statement said, adding that eight soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded.

One day earlier, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) of Noaka in Sanmatenga province, which were army auxiliaries, reacted to a terrorist attack targeting their positions.

The VDP members killed about 50 terrorists and recovered a large quantity of equipment, the army said, adding that 33 VDP members died during the clash. 
A 14-year-old was killed while allegedly subway surfing and fell from a Queens 7 train, according to news outlets.

This latest incident comes a week after another 14-year-old was killed while subway surfing on top of a Manhattan-bound L train in Brooklyn.

Police told the New York Post the teenager fell off a train car near the 33rd StreetRawson Street station around 5:30 p.m.

The teen fell onto a platform, according to the report. He was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center and died after suffering a traumatic head injury.

Subway surfing has been tied to a number of incidents in New York City the past couple of years.

In May, an alleged subway surfing incident claimed the life of a Staten Island teenager, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported.

In February, a 15-year-old boy died after he climbed on top of a J train subway car and hit a beam. In August 2022, a teen lost his arm while trying to climb to the top of a train in Queens, according to a report.
GENEVA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China and some 60 like-minded countries stressed at the 53rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday that promoting and protecting the enjoyment of human rights by older women is an important issue for all countries.

On behalf of these countries, Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to the UN in Geneva, delivered a joint statement saying that since the Fourth World Conference on Women convened in Beijing, the global cause of women's development has advanced significantly. However, at the same time, with aging of the global population, older women face such difficulties as discrimination based on age, poverty, and insufficient social security.

The joint statement pointed out that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, and the 21st anniversary of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.

"All states should take this opportunity to revive the spirit of the above-mentioned milestones, take practical measures to eliminate barriers faced by older women, protect their rights, and address specific needs to leave no one behind," it stated.

The joint statement called on all countries to effectively deliver on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, eliminate prejudice, discrimination, and violence against older women, and promote social services to provide more care to them.

Countries should also provide older women with improved old-age caring conditions, including such social security measures as medical care and unemployment care, the statement added.

It also advocated that all countries should promote older women's participation, especially in economic, social, and cultural affairs, so that they act as participants, contributors, and also beneficiaries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the post-COVID recovery. 
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The NYPD is warning Staten Islanders to avoid falling victim to a utility company scam.

A tweet from the 123rd Precinct posted on Saturday warned residents of a scam where individuals pretending to be from utility companies call victims on the phone and tell them their bills are passed due.

S.I community! Be aware of scammers pretending to be reps from utility companies. Recently, there have been phone calls of scammers claiming to be Con Edison, telling people that their bill is past due and to call a 1-800 number to pay off the balance. It's a SCAM! HANG UP! pic.twitter.com/MtlvsWnxhO  NYPD 123rd Precinct (@NYPD123Pct) July 1, 2023

In some recent instances, the scammers claim to be from Con Edison and advise victims to call a 1-800 number to pay off the balance.

Its a scam. Hang up, police advise.

Residents are urged to review a recent bill and call the number on the back, initiating a call to customer service themselves.



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Staten Islander Atinuke Akinwunmi is not only a registered nurse, but she is now a published author!

La Bottiglia Italian Restaurant in Port Richmond was the setting of Akinwunmis book signing on June 24, for not one but two books she recently penned: Water The Miracle of Life about the importance of staying hydrated and Sweet Surrender, a novel of Christian fiction.

It is also good to note that apart from being an author, I am also the CEO for Inumindun International Natural Spring Water in New York State, said Akinwunmi. As a Registered Nurses, and the CEO of bottled water company, I know the importance of drinking water, and would like to educate consumers.

Water The Miracle of Life is about the importance and uses of water, not only to humans alone but all living things. Our bodies is 60% water, so when we dont drink enough, we get dehydrated. The first sign of dehydration is confusion.

La Bottiglia Italian Restaurant in Port Richmond was the setting of Akinwunmis book signing on June 24, 2023 for Water The Miracle of Life and Sweet Surrender, a novel of Christian fiction. (Courtesy Atinuke Akinwunmi)

Akinwunmi adds: Water is also used to generate electricity, used in the production of petroleum, oil and gas, it is used as aesthetics to beautify the environment, for beauty, and sports, to mention a few. This book is part one of a six-book series.

The second book, Sweet Surrender, is a complete about-face on literary genre, aimed to teach young boys and girls to be prudent in their relationship with the opposite sex, so they are not taken for granted.

The Christian fiction revolves around a young girl, Mabel, who hails from a very poor background who gave her life and became a born again Christian while in college.

La Bottiglia Italian Restaurant in Port Richmond was the setting of Atinuke Akinwunmis book signing on June 24, 2023 for Water The Miracle of Life and Sweet Surrender, a novel of Christian fiction. She is on the right, pictured with a fan. (Courtesy Atinuke Akinwunmi)

[In my novel], Mabel graduates from college, gets a job in Port Harcourt City in South East Nigeria, explains Akinwunmi. She looked forward to this job so she can take care of her parents who, worked hard to send her college.

But she meets the boss who is stinking rich, spoiled, tall, and handsome, tall. Will she keep her faith? This book is the first part of a three-part series.

Water The Miracle of Life can be purchased on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Sweet Surrender is also availble on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

La Bottiglia Italian Restaurant in Port Richmond was the setting of Atinuke Akinwunmis book signing on June 24, 2023 for Water The Miracle of Life and Sweet Surrender, a novel of Christian fiction. She is on the left, pictured with a fan. (Courtesy Atinuke Akinwunmi)
Update July 4: Perth Amboy fireworks, visible from the South Shore, have been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 5, at approximately 9:20 p.m.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Looking for the best spot to watch fireworks this Fourth of July? New York City has plenty to choose from.

From Staten Island to Long Island, and all the way down to the Jersey Shore, here are the best places to view all the action.

This year, the Macys Fourth of July Fireworks show is celebrating its 47th year. The display will be launched along the East River in Manhattan at approximately 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. Macys recommends the following locations to see the show:

 Manhattan: Along First Avenue at 20th Street, 34th Street and 42nd Street

 Queen: Gantry Plaza State Park

 Brooklyn: Newtown Barge Park, Transmitter Park or Marsha P. Johnson State Park

Viewers can tune to WINS 1010 AM to hear the musical score live. The show also will be available to watch on NBC and Peacock.

The Macys fireworks display should not be visible from Staten Island, but there are opportunities to view fireworks in the outer boroughs.

STATEN ISLAND

Empire Outlets will celebrate Independence Day beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday with its Fourth of July Block Party and Fireworks. The days events include face painting, live performances and Empire Outlets third annual Cannoli Eating Contest. Fireworks begin at around 9 p.m.

BROOKLYN

Coney Islands Fourth of July Fireworks will take place on Coney Islands boardwalk at approximately 9:30 p.m. The display will be an hour-long extravaganza.

On Staten Island, you can view them from:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk, South Beach

Gateway National Recreational Area, Fort Wadsworth

LONG ISLAND

The Jovia Financial Credit Union Fireworks Spectacular at Jones Beach will take place at 9:30 p.m. at the state park on Long Island. Admission is $10 per vehicle. WALK 97.5 FM and KJOY 98.3 FM will broadcast music during the show, which will last 25 minutes.

JERSEY SHORE

Down the Jersey Shore, Jenkinsons Boardwalk, 300 Ocean Ave., Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., will host a fireworks display at night. The Seaside Heights Boardwalk, 715 Boardwalk, Seaside Heights, N.J., will host a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.

All of these events are weather permitting.



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  It began in the wake of a horrific dormitory fire in Guyana.

Northwell Healths Center for Global Health teamed up with the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) in Ocean Breeze  the only designated burn center within the health system  and jumpstarted a pilot telehealth program that allows professionals to virtually triage burn victims and determine appropriate courses of care.

A girl critically injured in the blaze was treated on Staten Island, demonstrating the hospitals unique position as a leader in assessing, treating and rehabilitating patients who suffer burn wounds.

The Burn Center is like a whole intensive care unit with doctors who have specialized training in managing burns, said Dr. Christopher Calandrella, the chair of the Emergency Department at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Forest Hills. Thats one of the big differences  they can provide certain levels of care that arent available at other places.

Fast-forward just weeks later and Northwell has rolled out its state-of-the-art teleburn technology to three of its hospitals with wider goals of expanding its footprint, even outside its system and the state.

LIJ Forest Hills, LIJ Medical Center and LIJ Valley Stream are the first hospitals to receive equipment that allows SIUH professionals to use a remote camera and microphone system to zoom in on injuries, question patients and make a determination if a transfer to the Burn Center should occur.

Its a sea change from older, more archaic forms of collaboration and allows for quicker decision-making while responding to burn injuries, which can leave a patient dehydrated, in pain and vulnerable to infection if left untreated.

Occupational and physical therapists, an experienced nursing staff and skillful doctors then work in tandem to take grisly injuries and work toward a path to recovery, said Joseph Gallo, a nurse manager in the Burn Unit.

They love taking care of patients, said Gallo. We do the whole spectrum. Patients come in very sick and they usually get discharged right from the Burn Unit. We see them at their worst, we slowly get them better ... and then we send them home from us.

Dr. Christopher Calandrella, the chair of the Emergency Department at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Forest Hills, goes over a mock patient's wounds. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)

SIUH demonstrated the capabilities of the teleburn technology, which takes the form of a mobile station outfitted with a remote camera, microphone and screen that is easily maneuverable through medical spaces, by detailing how a typical assessment would take place.

During the mock presentation, Gallo zoomed in on a faux-wound from an individual acting as a patient at LIJ Forest Hills. The camera was able to observe granular details on the patients skin and give experts the details needed to make a recommendation on next steps of care.

Calandrella, pointing to the blown-up imaging, outlined the different types of burns that enter hospital doors, from scald wounds to fireworks injuries. Some burns penetrate deeper than others, leading to potentially-more-dangerous conditions for patients. In those cases, he said, the teleburn technologys ability to talk to patients and see their reactions to wounds could help inform clinical decision making.

By connecting with our sister hospitals, we can do a quick evaluation now. When theres a question, what do you think of this? now they can visualize it in real-time, said Calandrella. It allows us in great detail to see whats happening with a patient and then make decisions like, do we need to bring them over right away for care or can we manage it there or even have them go home and follow up with us in the clinic?

The hydrotherapy room at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze is where individuals can be brought to have wound dressings changed, oxygen administered and sterilization applied. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)

Dr. Michael Cooper, director of the Burn Center, said SIUH is commonly consulted citywide as the regions burn unit. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)

At SIUHs Burn Center, its 10 beds are in almost-constant use. Some wounds can be treated in days or weeks; others, experts said, could take months. The hospital has been the preferred location for FDNYs bravest after suffering wounds in devastating fires.

Dr. Michael Cooper, director of the Burn Center, said SIUH is commonly consulted citywide as the regions burn unit, and while photographs and other information can be sent to doctors on Staten Island, the new teleburn technology is advancing care on the borough.

The image is so clear that we can evaluate and zoom in and zoom out, said Cooper. And we can also see the patients face and see their expression. A lot of times with injuries, its not only just the injury, but looking at the entire patient.

If a patient is transferred to the Burn Center, they can access amenities like SIUHs hydrotherapy room, where individuals can be brought to have wound dressings changed, oxygen administered and sterilization applied.

Ahead of July 4, Cooper warned borough residents that every year horrific, life-altering injuries pass through the Burn Centers doors.

To avoid an unexpected emergency, he said, leave it to the professionals.
It didnt really hit us till we drove past that day -- that both an asylum seekers shelter and a planned mens shelter are directly across the street from PS 78, I.S. 49 and Eagle Academy.

The newly established shelter for asylum seekers replaces the former Hungerford School, which had been there for the entire time I have lived in Stapleton. The mens shelter, which has not yet opened, will be established at the site of the former New York Foundling Hospital. There is also a shelter for the homeless being erected at 44 Victory Blvd., which is slated to house 500 people. The men from the asylum seekers shelter often gather in Tappen Park and basically just hang out, along with the clients from the local methadone clinic. Perhaps the living accommodations at the shelter are cramped or maybe the guys just want to grab a smoke. But, suddenly it is not uncommon to view a group of men lounging around the area for the entire day. On Bay Street, an apartment complex similar in design to 44 Victory is being constructed and the left side of the building is so close to the McDonalds beneath it that, if you had windows on that side, you could reach out and touch the McDonalds sign.
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This photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows the building of Argentina's Ministry of Economy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Central Bank of Argentina has announced it will allow financial institutions to use the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, as a currency for collecting deposits by individuals and legal entities. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

BUENOS AIRES, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Central Bank of Argentina has announced it will allow financial institutions to use the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, as a currency for collecting deposits by individuals and legal entities.

According to a statement released Thursday, financial institutions will be able to open both checking and savings accounts denominated in the Chinese currency.

The central bank indicated that "the measure is complementary to the decision of the National Securities Commission (CNV), which enabled the negotiation of negotiable securities in yuan" in the local financial market.

At the beginning of June, the CNV said it would support the development of financial operations in the Chinese currency, specifically in the spot and futures markets.

The central bank's announcement came on the same day as a statement by the government regarding the payment of an International Monetary Fund debt maturity with Special Drawing Rights and freely available yuan. 

This photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows the building of the Central Bank of Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Central Bank of Argentina has announced it will allow financial institutions to use the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, as a currency for collecting deposits by individuals and legal entities. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)
This story is part of the July 2 Edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Eight Australian prime ministers, four US presidents and countless breakfast TV hosts have come and gone while Natalie Barr, 55, has remained a steadfast member of Channel Sevens Sunrise. Now in her 20th year, Barr recently experienced the shows biggest shake-up yet as she farewelled long-time host and friend David Koch. The pair were in tears as Kochie said his emotional goodbyes on Sunrise last month. After 21 years, his departure certainly felt like the end of an era, but Barr has been a permanent fixture of the show for almost the same length of time. In fact, her tenure is now set to become the longest of any Australian brekky TV star, notwithstanding her overall Channel Seven career, which amounts to an impressive 28 years. After spending her first 18 years at Sunrise as newsreader, Barr took over hosting duties from Samantha Armytage in 2021. Twenty years ago, Barr debated whether she should even take the now-coveted newsreader role. She says the boss of this fledgling, lowly rating show called Sunrise called her and offered her the position on the show Melissa Doyle and David Koch had been hosting for about six months. I thought, Im a senior reporter in the newsroom. I dont know whether I should risk it. It sounds ridiculous now, given that its a successful juggernaut, but I took a few days before I said yes, and it was obviously the best decision of my life. Matteau shirt, $350. Zara trousers, $149. Country Road Everly mules, $179. Natalies own watch. Credit: JEDD COONEY Talking to Barr evokes an overwhelming sense of familiarity, from her facial expressions to the recognisable tone of her voice. People look at me and think, Did I go to school with you or see you at the dentist last week? because theres a weird recognition, she says. Even if people arent regular viewers of the show, theyve seen me at some point over the last 20 years.

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With Kochs departure, all eyes are now on Barr and replacement host Matt Shirvo Shirvington, 44, but she says its been as smooth a transition as she couldve hoped for. Shirvo had filled in as co-host for the past 18 months, and Barr guessed hed got the gig before it was announced. The pair have known each other in a roundabout way for years. We live in the same area, so wed see each other in the street and say hi because we both vaguely knew who the other was, she says. Id be walking up to the corner to meet my son off the school bus and hed be walking past the same corner to get his daughter from the local school. This was years ago. Weve had this weaving in and out of each others lives and would see each other at events and always got along. Hes the type of guy who just fits in  a really nice, normal guy with a daggy-dad sense of humour. Barr says she doesnt feel any extra pressure being the more experienced of the pair. Its just the way its worked out that Ive had all these years on the show. Its a massive part of my life and I have developed that experience. Im proud of that. As a journalist, I was trained that people at home should not be able to tell who you vote for. I should be asking equally tough questions of both sides. NATALIE BARR With Barrs seniority, its likely shell conduct the major political interviews, something she says theyll be doing more of on the show. Its clear she has developed a thick skin and is ready for any scrutiny this might bring, particularly from the tabloid media. I dont mind a bit of scrutiny. I mean, Im on TV. Some people will like the way I do things, some wont. If you cant cope with that then I guess you shouldnt be on TV.

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As a journalist, I was trained that people at home should not be able to tell who you vote for. I should be asking equally tough questions of both sides. I try to adjudicate and be fair  thats important to me. Of course, some of the negative coverage goes further than how she has covered a story  something former hosts would attest to. You get personal scrutiny, horrible messages and critical articles written about you, she says. I think when you do a public job, its part and parcel. You cant expect everyone to be writing glowing appraisals. Otherwise, dont do it. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it makes you want to cry, but I cant put myself out there on national TV and take the good reactions and not the bad. That would be naive. Loading Since I took over the hosting job, I made a pact with myself not to get into the comments. I turned the notifications off on Twitter years ago. People can DM me on Instagram but as soon as I get hate and abusive stuff, I block and delete. You cant stop people being nasty, thats just what society is like. As far as things being written, sometimes Ill think, Thats unfair, thats not how it went down. But its gone tomorrow. If you start hitting back, then it becomes a bigger story. Barr says the very early mornings that come with breakfast television are easier now that her sons  Lachlan, 21, and Hunter, 18  are older.

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Its harder if youve got little kids and theyre waking up in the middle of the night, but I will never complain about the hours we do, she says. There are paramedics and nurses and doctors who do shift work and ours is not that difficult. Im asleep by 8.30pm and Im up around 2.30am and have a nap most days. I started Sunrise when Lachlan was 18 months old, then had Hunter. Their whole lives have been this show  they know what it means to me. I wasnt ever there in the morning but my husband Drew was home, making the breakfast and school lunches, writing me a note telling me what I needed to buy for lunches the next day, and I was always there for the afternoon. Country Road sweater, $399. Bianca Spender trousers, $445. Alinka ring. Arms of Eve earrings. Credit: JEDD COONEY Hunter is doing his HSC this year and Lachlan is about to finish uni in Melbourne. Your life completely changes when they stop needing you so much, but our family WhatsApp group is very active. Unsurprisingly, being a news junkie is a huge part of Barrs personality. She credits her nose for news in part to her father, who watched five news bulletins every day. There was no protection of keeping kids away from the news in my house, she says. We watched everything; that was my upbringing and thats how Ive brought my kids up. Being sent to big news stories, theyre often awful stories but theyre also the big stories the world is watching and why I became a journalist. NATALIE BARR But it was her first experience in a newsroom that cemented her path. The timing was everything for Barr, who had suffered a traumatic health scare which saw her spend two months lying in a hospital bed  ultimately a character-defining experience for the plucky 15-year-old from Bunbury, Western Australia.

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I got really sick with a disease in my spine called osteomyelitis, she says. The bug had eaten two of my vertebrae and they were crumbling. Id had back pain and saw a physio who wrote to my doctor; I never saw what was in the note but that night I ended up in hospital, an orthopaedic surgeon telling me: Lie down or youll never sit up again. Loading I didnt sit up again for months. They flew me to Perth on the Royal Flying Doctor plane and gave me a lumbar puncture to find out the exact strain of the bug, then I went back to Bunbury and was on my back for the next couple of months, pumped with high-dose antibiotics. It was traumatic  I didnt know if Id be able to walk again. It was a really defining moment in my life because I was 15 and old enough to think, I dont know how Im going to get out of this situation.  Thankfully, Barr recovered with no lasting damage, but she was weak for months. After missing a term of school, she made up for the fact shed lost the chance to do work experience by organising her own placement at local TV station GWN7 during the Christmas holidays. I spent a week there and thought, This is it. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Its the most exciting thing: people race around, yell and scream at each other, race to the deadline at the end of the day, then come back and do it all again tomorrow. I couldnt believe the vibe, the excitement, the frustration, the anger. Bianca Spender coat, $1095. Re/Done singlet, $100, from Farfetch. Country Road jeans, $159. Alinka Black Caviar black diamond ring. Credit: JEDD COONEY

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Dozens of illegal solariums are being advertised on social media across the country, increasing pressure for the tanning machines to be banned in private settings.

One woman who lives in Melbournes northern suburbs is selling tanning sessions for $25 each, while another in Sydneys western suburbs is spruiking a sunbed that can be hired from 10 am until late.

Australian Skin Cancer Foundation founder Jay Allen would like to see a ban on the sale of sunbeds for private use. Credit: Anna Kucera

It comes as Victorian authorities confirmed they had recently seized five illegal sunbeds and issued charges as part of large operation. The alleged offenders will appear in court next month.

Commercial solariums were banned eight years ago across Australia, but it is not illegal to own the machines for personal use.
Amy Feng is studying the trickiest HSC maths course. Mathematics Extension 2 includes the study of complex numbers and the subtraction of vectors. It has been described as a daily commitment.

But for Amy, 17, it is just a part-time endeavour. Her main focus has been an entirely different course: the Cambridge International A-levels. The latter is studied by a million students around the world each year to gain access to university, but it is largely unknown in Australia.

PLC student Amy Feng, who has studied two maths courses in year 12, with year 11 student Anastasia Prokorov. Credit: Edwina Pickles

HSC maths, I found it to be more challenging at times ... A-level maths has more content, she said.

If Amy continues to perform well in the Cambridge International A-level course, she could be admitted in September, well before sitting a single HSC exam.
The Anglican Church is at loggerheads with parishioners over proposed heritage protections that would prevent a Sydney church from being redeveloped, potentially as housing or commercial premises.

Parishioners at St Pauls Anglican Church in Bankstown fear the church building will be bulldozed to make way for a tower if Canterbury Bankstown Councils heritage protections are not approved.

Canterbury Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey and parishioner Bing Wu want St Pauls Anglican Church in Bankstown to be given heritage protection. Credit: Dean Sewell

But the rector of St Pauls, the Reverend John Bartik, said heritage protection would force the closure of the church because of a leaky roof that is too expensive to repair.

We believe that the church will decay gradually over time, he said.
Myles Hembrows first exposure to Islam was on one of his deployments to Oman during his service with the Royal Australian Navy.

He vividly recalls Eid al-Fitr, or the Feast of Breaking the Fast, where Muslims break their fast before performing evening prayers.

This put him on a path to Islam.

Myles Hembrow at Enmore Park with his prayer mat and wearing a thobe, which is typically seen at mosques during Eid. Credit: Dylan Coker

What blew me away was the hospitality of the people. We were the foreign defence force in the country, but they invited me to sit down and eat with them.
The daylight murder of bikie kingpin Alen Moradian this week was the latest in more than a dozen gangland murders since late 2020, sparking promises of a police crackdown on gangs. But the impression of a lawless city projected by the nightly television news could not be further from the truth.

Crime in Western democracies has been declining since the turn of the century, and particularly so in Sydney, which compared to other cities has a vanishingly small crime rate.

Alen Moradian (left) was fatally shot in a carpark on Spring Street in Bondi Junction on Tuesday. Credit: Kate Geraghty, News Corp

University of Sydney criminologist Garner Clancey tells his students how it used to be in the late 1990s, when mayors clamoured on Macquarie Street for tougher action on crime and an infamous front page of The Sun-Herald depicted a teenager being shot up with heroin in a Redfern lane.

Its difficult for people to understand unless they were around for it, Clancey said. My students have no concept of Cabramatta being a drug market. They go there now for wonderful soup.
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I strongly agree with Christopher Bantick; not all Baby Boomers were the beneficiaries of free university fees (Hang on, its not all our fault , June 25). One needed to be born in 1955 or 1956 to be of university age (say 18) on the day free university fees were introduced, January 1, 1974. I started uni in 1968 and was supported by a teachers college scholarship, graduating in 1972 with BA DipEd. Without the scholarship I would not have been able to go to uni as my parents would not have been able to afford the fees. Now, a semi-retired school counsellor/school psychologist I, too, do not receive a government pension, and do not have a negatively geared property. The bank of mum and dad was needed by our children to buy their first homes as their HECS debts are huge, having successfully completed a couple of degrees each. Mila Yates, Valentine

Bantick perpetuates the myth so often asserted as unquestioned fact that the overwhelming majority of boomers received free tertiary education and thus did well out of it. Simple maths reveals the truth. In my case, for example, I left school in 1965 after completing the Leaving Certificate and qualifying for matriculation to Sydney University where I would have dearly loved to study. Fees were 150 per subject (four subjects per semester) and financially university was not feasible. It was not for another nine years after I left school that free tertiary study was introduced. According to my calculations at least over half of Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1956) did not have the benefit of free tertiary education upon leaving high school which is when key career decisions are usually made. Jenni Brackenreg, Bathurst

Sad trend

Agreed Jacqueline Maley, what a sad nihilistic trend (Watch out: The Voice debate is about to be blown Sky high, June 25). While arguably we have traditionally benefited from Americas very best cultural exports - think literature, fine arts, music and film - its more recent offerings showcasing Trumps egregious media manipulation via tenuous influencers like Sky News, is an import best returned to sender. The appalling misuse of parliamentary question time last week in the form of constant attack by the opposition on the minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, provides a poor exemplar for progressing broader public debates. Peddling misinformation, explicitly or implied undermines democracies. What can the public do to facilitate healthy debate within our communities? Apart from discussions with friends, colleagues and associates, maybe local government might provide opportunities in presenting representatives and forums (in our diminishing public spaces) for factually based discussions. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why

Humble caregivers

Thanks to Jamila Rizvi for her piece in appreciation of primary carers (What happens to your marriage when your husband becomes your carer, June 25). An estimated 860,000 across Australia, they make an often unrecognised contribution to the quality of life of nearly a million of their fellow Australians and more generally to the national economy. Unpaid, yes, but it is also important to recognise the personal reward that carers receive in return. In spite of physical strain and emotional burnout, in the moment there is nowhere else they would rather be. Caregiving is an opportunity for love in action, to know they are needed; it is a validation of our common humanity. Burden is not in their vocabulary. Caregiving is both humbling and a huge privilege that life sometimes unexpectedly hands out. Margaret Johnston, Paddington
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

China's achievement in pursuing high-quality development and economic growth is "an example for Africa to learn from and emulate," Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

CHANGSHA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China's achievement in pursuing high-quality development and economic growth is "an example for Africa to learn from and emulate," Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said here in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Over the past decades, African countries have been learning valuable lessons from China," he said. Now it's time to put what was learned into practice and "start doing (it) in our own countries," said Chakwera, who attended the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, from Thursday to Sunday.

"The expo is a platform for us to be able to relate with the Chinese people, not just person to person, but industry to industry, nation to nation," the Malawian president told Xinhua during the interview on Friday.

"We will use this economic and trade expo to make sure that we trade more with our counterparts here," he said. "We invite Chinese industry to establish themselves and invest in Malawi."

Joining the Belt and Road Initiative in 2022, Malawi has already been benefiting from its partnership with China in such fields as agriculture, technologies and infrastructure.

"We truly treasure Chinese investment because that's helping us become self-reliant, ensuring our food security on the household level as well as the national level," Chakwera said.

Citing China's investment in Malawian infrastructure as an example, the president said that China is offering necessary help for his country to attract investment, and achieve rapid and independent development, adding that it is "not a handout."

On China's efforts to pursue high-quality development while preserving the environment, the president expressed his admiration. "This is the green way to grow," said Chakwera. "Malawi wants to be a green Malawi, and we can learn a lot from what is happening here."

An exhibitor introduces products to a visitor during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo kicked off Thursday in Changsha. The expo welcomes more "Made in Africa" products into China and aims to boost business links between the two sides. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

In March, Tropical Cyclone Freddy roared into Malawi, triggering flooding and mudslides, and causing thousands of deaths and homelessness. To support the African country's rescue and disaster relief work, China provided emergency humanitarian assistance.

As the Malawian people reconstruct their country after the damage Freddy has caused, Chakwera said that by learning from China, Malawi could be better prepared for such kind of climate change shocks, and become more resilient.

During the interview, the president debunked the "de-risking" and "de-coupling" rhetoric about China used by some Western countries.

"We can learn from and emulate China in many ways," Chakwera said. However, he added that sometimes people are blind to the facts.

Talking about his impressions of China, the president said he has been greatly impressed during his visit.

"The Chinese people are just like the Malawians, warm-hearted," he said. "I love the food; I love the scenery; I love the internationality."
Australian doctors caring for patients from the outback to the Antarctic are gearing up to help NASAs next generation of astronauts adjust to life in space and, eventually, Mars.

Experts from across the space and medical communities gathered in Sydney on Friday and Saturday as NASAs Artemis program prepares to return humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions.

Dr John Cherry with astronaut Kjell Lindgren at NASAs neutral buoyancy facility in Houston, Texas.

Dr John Cherry, a rural medicine specialist and director of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine at Sydneys Kolling Institute, said Australias track record providing healthcare in extreme and remote environments would help the agencys ambitions to ultimately reach Mars.

No one in the world does rural healthcare as well as we do, and no one in the world does Antarctic healthcare as well as we do, he said. Utilising that experience and that knowledge is going to be key to keeping astronauts safe, from a medical point of view, as they venture deeper into space.
Its a parents worst nightmare. A son or daughter is overseas and the phone rings in the middle of the night. The hope is that the itinerant one has had a couple of drinks over the odds and forgotten to work out the time difference back home.

Sadly, the reasons arent always so innocuous. As evidenced by our story today of Jackson Harding, things can, and sometimes do, go wrong. The 20-year-old took a gap year to Europe and suffered a burst appendix with a resultant $38,300 hospital bill. Worse still, botched surgery resulted in a perforated bowel, sepsis and life-threatening peritonitis, and a mercy flight to Britain for his mother.

Happily, Harding had heeded his mothers advice and taken out travel insurance, otherwise, five years later, he might still be paying down the debt.

Hardings case is an example that an unexpected and unfortunate incident can occur while travelling. These can range from illness or theft, causing offence because of ignorance of local customs and laws to being charged with criminal conduct.

Noosa tradesman Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones was arrested in May after an alleged drunken, naked rampage in the deeply conservative Indonesian province of Aceh and faced up to five years in jail and flogging under Islamic law. The case was dropped and the 23-year-old walked free after paying $25,000 compensation to his victim.
The states jails are filling up at record rates, with strict bail laws leading to 40 per cent of the prison population yet to be found guilty of a crime.

Experts say a decade of bail reforms has led to vulnerable people serving time they otherwise might not have for minor crimes, contributing to a cycle of poverty, homelessness and incarceration.

Two out of every five NSW prisoners have been refused bail and are awaiting trial, marking an eight-year high.

In national trends, the number of unsentenced people in custody has almost doubled to 16,000 in the past decade.

Major changes in NSW last year included a provision requiring judges to refuse bail if a person has entered a guilty plea or is convicted of a crime for which they will serve a prison sentence.
The NSW government wants universities to take more responsibility for housing international students as Sydney braces for tens of thousands of arrivals for the return of face-to-face learning.

There are more than 28,000 international students enrolled in NSW universities but, as of Saturday, education providers are required to deliver a minimum of two-thirds of course content in person, putting an end to COVID-era remote learning.

Australian universities are increasingly relying on private operators like Iglu for student accommodation. Credit: Rob Homer

The expected arrival of these international students coincides with the reintroduction of working-hour caps on student visas, which will price many out of the housing market.

Sydney is experiencing the worst housing crisis in a generation with vacancy rates of 1.1 per cent and apartment rental prices increasing six times faster than wages.
The future of Australias only tertiary circus school  which churns out world-class performers  is in doubt, as its parent university assesses its viability.

Swinburne University In Melbourne last week emailed feeder schools and students who were set to audition across Australia to tell them that 2024 enrolments for the Bachelor of Circus Arts at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) had been paused.

Circus contortionist Jarred Dewey said studying at NICA allowed him to connect with a diverse group of like-minded students from backgrounds. Credit: Joe Armao

Many students have been left to reassess their futures.

Canberras Warehouse Circus artistic director Tom Davies said its seven students who were expecting to audition for the degree were shocked.
Ocean views, sought-after schools and hardly a property for sale in sight. Some of Sydneys most tightly held suburbs had only a handful of sales within the past year.

The number of Sydney properties for sale plummeted amid the market downturn and economic uncertainty caused by rising interest rates, further reducing supply in areas with already low turnover  such as prime locations and smaller suburbs.

Houses for sale near Bondi Beach are few and far between, with fewer than 20 sold over the year to March. Credit: iStock

Waterfront Watsons Bay, Kirribilli and Whale Beach, where houses are in limited supply to begin with, were among more than 80 Sydney suburbs where five or fewer houses traded over the year to March, Domain data shows.

House sales were also limited in similarly small prestige suburbs like Point Piper, Darling Point and Tamarama, which each had between six and 12 transactions.
SABA:--- The Livestock Control Project on Saba is making significant strides in its mission to remove free-roaming livestock from the island, mainly goats, while simultaneously promoting sustainable animal husbandry. The project, initiated in 2020, aims to eradicate an estimated population of 3,000-5,000 goats, and if applicable other free-roaming livestock, within a three-year period. The Public Entity Saba is pleased to share the project's progress and outline its plans for the future.

Successes of Local Hunters

Since the implementation of the project, over 4,000 goats have been successfully removed, with more than 2,700 goats eliminated by local hunters during the recent bounty period, and 1,300 goats eliminated by invasive species hunters. This extraordinary effort has resulted in a remarkable transformation of the island's vegetation, showcasing the positive impact of the goat control program. Previously barren areas, such as the Sulphur Mine, Giles Quarter, and Black Rocks, have experienced significant regrowth, contributing to the overall ecological health of Saba.

Vegetation Recovery, Reforestation, and Public Safety

The positive outcomes of the project extend beyond vegetation recovery. Reforestation efforts have shown promising results, with a 100% survival rate thus far for newly planted trees over the past year. In the coming years, the Public Entity will focus on planting indigenous trees to mitigate soil erosion and enhance the island's biodiversity. Additionally, plans are underway to establish fruit parks in each village, which will contribute to both food production and the island's overall beauty. The significant decline of the goat population has also increased public safety, with fewer rockslides along the roads thanks to a reduction in erosion.

The Way Forward: Intensification

For the project to be successful, all free-roaming livestock will need to be removed. This will prevent a new population of roaming livestock to develop in the future, which would negate the current successes with regard to vegetation recovery and erosion reduction. The Public Entity Saba will soon intensify the culling of free-roaming livestock on Saba. A government hunter and three designated hunters have been appointed for this purpose. Matthew Barnes recently started as a government hunter. Julian Hassell, Charles Hassell, and Brion Windfield have been appointed as designated hunters to assist when needed.

The team will be active in the three designated areas that were announced in December 2022 and will also cull in areas where livestock is a nuisance or where the animals cause damage or create safety risks.

The three focus areas are:

- Wells Bay, parts of Ladder Bay, and going up to the back of Troy Hill (zone 1);

- Crispeen, Tara Ground, the Bottom Mountain, and across to Troy Hill (zone 2);

- Johnnys Ground, Banana Gut to Over the Peak (zone 3).

Prior to the start of hunting activities, public notices will be posted, and signage will be placed at the entrances of hunting areas. The Public Entity will stay in close contact with the police throughout this phase of the project. During this phase, the bounty period will continue, at least until the end of August. Local hunters are strongly encouraged to continue making use of this opportunity.
Streaming business an exciting model for investors

Investors can bet on individual commodity companies or take a look at royalty companies.

Royalty companies provide money to mining companies that own projects. In return, the royalty companies receive certain shares in current or future production or even shares in the company itself. This is a win-win situation for both. The royalty company has no operational risk, this lies with the mine operator. If the project is already producing, then the streaming company receives gold or silver deliveries. If a mining project is not yet in production, the price that the royalty company has to pay is naturally correspondingly favorable. If the price of gold rises, for example, or a mining company expands the project or makes new discoveries, the royalty company benefits. This is one of the levers that are lucrative for the royalty company.

Among the royalty and streaming companies, there are three heavyweights in the industry. However, smaller royalty companies can also post above-average returns, especially if they have growth or particularly profitable agreements. Osisko Gold Royalties  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/osisko-gold-royalties-ltd/ -, for example, scores well here. The company has more than 180 royalties and streams, focused on North America. Included is a noteworthy five percent net smelter return royalty with respect to the largest gold mine (Malartic Mine) in Canada.

Investors get diversification with an investment in a royalty company that a single company cannot provide. Also active in the royalty industry is Gold Royalty  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gold-royalty-corp/ -, this throughout the Americas. More than 200 royalties are in the portfolio. Many exploration opportunities exist in the underlying projects of this company as well.

Current corporate information and press releases from Gold Royalty (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/gold-royalty-corp/ -) and Osisko Gold Royalties (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/osisko-gold-royalties-ltd/ -).

In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid.

Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998  312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/
Participants talk with each other at the Village of the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in north China's Tianjin Municipality, June 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

China is playing a significant role in promoting the global transition to a green and renewable economy, Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has said.

TIANJIN, China, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China is playing a significant role in promoting the global transition to a green and renewable economy, Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has said.

"We see (Chinese) champions like CATL and BYD that have played an important role not only domestically, but also internationally in providing the capabilities to electrify," Jurgens told Xinhua on the sidelines of the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of WEF, or the Summer Davos, held here on June 27-29.

He added that electrification is crucial for the entire global economy to make a massive shift from a resource-based and oil-dependent economy to a renewable one.

He further observed that Chinese companies have emerged as leaders in advanced manufacturing facilities, leveraging 5G technologies and robots. "China's best manufacturing facilities are quite advanced," he said.

He also noted that Chinese factories are taking the lead in automation and digitalization, "which presents a great opportunity both for those Chinese companies, but also for foreign ones that want to take advantage of some of these world-class capabilities."

While talking about China's "dual carbon" goal, Jurgens underscored the immense investment opportunities it has created for the world.

The opportunities have been created across all sectors, particularly in areas where "China is already strong," he said.

Taking solar manufacturing as an example, Jurgens pointed out that production costs have decreased by approximately 85 percent globally over the past decade, largely driven by the scale manufacturing that China has provided "not only domestically, but again to the world."

Over 1,500 participants from the business community, governments, civil society, international organizations and academia attended the Summer Davos this year.

The annual meeting's program included dozens of public and private sessions covering six key topics: rewiring growth, China in the global context, energy transition and materials, post-pandemic consumers, safeguarding nature and climate, and deploying innovation.
I nsidious: The Red Door

Its demented ghouls and demons time part V for the Insidious franchise, as the Lambert family head back into that freak-infested netherworld, The Further. This picks up 10 years after the second film (three and four were prequels) as Dalton is heading off to college. But, of course his haunted past is going to follow him into the lecture theatre like a relentless psycho killer. So, you know, Dalton and dad kind of have to go down to the circles of hell once more. Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson (who also directs this time) are back as the Lamberts, the jump scares will come thick and fast, while the gore should be of the level youd tolerate on a visit to your local butcher. Basically its a horror move for (almost) all the family! Out 7 July

Ty Simpkins in Insidious: The Red Door / 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Name Me Lawand

In a month of excellent documentaries, this is the one I defy anyone not to be moved by. Five-year-old Kurdish boy Lawand was born deaf and his life in Iraq was utterly desolate and hopeless. Consigned to the trash heap by the authorities, he faced a future of isolation and solitude in his own speechless bubble. In desperation, his parents took the typically gruelling migration route to Britain in the hope of offering Lawand something better, which is when Edward Lovelace started four years of filming him. Watching the sweetness and smiles gently begin to flow out of Lawand as he learns to communicate and make friends at Derbys Royal School for the Deaf is as life-affirming as cinema gets. Youll even forgive the relentlessly soaring soundtrack plucking at your heartstrings. You might not forgive the Home Office for trying to send him back to Iraq though. If you watch this story and fail to shed a little tear, truly you have no soul. Out 7 July

Name Me Lawand / BFI Distribution

Smoking Causes Coughing

Heres a movie from French director Quentin Dupieux that out-Marmites Marmite. Its more durian or money brains. The Tobacco Force are a band of superheroes in garish, ill-fitting outfits with names like Nicotine or Methanol, crusading against the evil of smoking. For some reason, they do things such as blowing up a diabolical turtle monster that looks like a giant rubbery costume youd buy from a fancy dress shop. But they are jaded and dysfunctional, so they trek off for a team-building retreat while also taking orders from their boss, a grotesque, dribbling rodent. You get the idea? No, well thats because there might not be anything coherent, such as a plot, here. There is plenty of humour (which didnt make me laugh) and its as wacky as wacky can get. So why am I recommending it? Im not, I hated it. But if you like the sound of what youve read and the amateurish vibe of early John Waters films, this just might be your flavour of the month. Out 7 July

Smoking Causes Coughing / Picturehouse Entertainment

Mission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning Part One

Prediction: this will be the most intense, frenetic, biggest-dollar-raking blockbuster of the summer. Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt for the seventh time and, apart from him seeming as suspiciously youthful as ever, the action looks more gloriously spectacular than ever too. Besides that motorcycle stunt, theres exploding submarines, wild car chases galore and a trainwreck to blow your mind. Christopher McQuarrie, who made the excellent last instalment, is behind the camera again, and the always amazing Hayley Atwell joins Vanessa Kirby and Rebecca Ferguson in the cast. What, you want some zeitgeisty relevance too? Well, the villain this time is none other than that worrying spectre on the horizon: AI. Out 11 July

Esai Morales and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning - Part One / Paramount Pictures and Skydance

A Kind of Kidnapping

Or maybe this should be subtitled A Very British Kidnapping, because Dan Clarks darkly comic thriller is unmistakably dripping with home-grown sensibilities. When hard-up Maggie (Kelly Wenham) and Brian (Jack Parry-Jones) decide to kidnap a sleazy politician (Patrick Baladi, better known as David Brents boss in The Office), no one wants to pay the ransom. However as they are about to release him, like any morally unconscionable lowlife, the MP senses a PR opportunity to gain sympathy from voters and refuses to go free. Double-crossing, blood-splattered faces and good ol British calamity will surely ensue. Fun fact: Baladis father was the gynaecologist to Colonel Gadaffis wife. Out 14 July

A Kind of Kidnapping / Bulldog Film Distribution

While We Watched

If you think Fox News is a hellhole of rage, you havent seen network news in India. Vinay Shuklas documentary follows Ravish Kumar, the prime time host and editor of NDTV India as he battles the tide of nationalism and misinformation he perceives to be sweeping across the media. As other news outlets scream for the death of anyone who they deem to be anti-Indian, as well as for the demise of Kumar and NDTV, he calmly strives to provide balanced reporting and keep his network on air while fielding relentless death threats on his mobile. There is also a lot of eating of goodbye cake, as his staff are inexorably forced to resign due to the pressure. This is an intimate, as fly-on-the-newsroom-wall as you can get portrait of a brave man fighting the good fight against the forces of hatred. And quite the eye-opener too. Out 14 July

Ravish Kumar in While We Watched / Met Film Distribution

Barbie

Although its being released on the same day, 7.99 billion people on the planet are probably oblivious to Christopher Nolans star-laden Oppenheimer (see below), and its all because of this shocking pink, endlessly teased, viral clickbait juggernaut. Yes, we know full well Margot Robbies feet are permanently high-heel-shoe-shaped in the movie, were very aware half the world is up arms because they think Ryan Gosling is too old to play Ken, and that the universe ran out of pink paint because it was all used up on the sets. And we know there are clever, sassy brains behind this too: Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) directs and her husband Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) helped write it. So, the time is upon us and we can eventually enjoy Barbie and Kens adventures in the real world after she is cruelly kicked out of Barbieland. Or, if you think you just might vomit, go and be blown away by Oppenheimer instead Out 21 July

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in Barbie / Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Oppenheimer

John F Kennedys lets go to the Moon speech in 1962 and the incredible feat of actually getting there in such a short space of time wasnt the first technological miracle that America pulled off. Two decades earlier, the Manhattan Project produced the atom bomb in a similarly miraculous rush to succeed. Of course, the result was a spectacle of horrific awe this time; weve all seen the images. Like the project itself, Christopher Nolan has brought in a team of the finest talent the play out the story: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman and Kenneth Brannagh to name just a few. As Robert Oppenheimer, the man in charge of building the bomb, Murphys cadaverous, haunted face is enough to tell you this is a truly hideous thing that is happening. Shot with Imax cameras, this a BIG, shocking film. According to Nolan, people were walking out of early screenings speechless and devastated. Out 21 July

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer / Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Talk to Me

Nothing screams summertime like an er, edgy horror flick. Even if its not exactly peak fright season, this Australian shocker by twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou  who made their name with YouTube channel RackaRacka  is worth a trip to the cinema. The premise of a group of teens playing a spooky game of supernatural possession with an embalmed hand wont win any prizes for originality, but the result is genuinely unnerving, thanks largely to a brilliant young cast and frantically kinetic cinematography. A year after her mother apparently committed suicide, Mia (Sophie Wilde) thinks shes found an answer to why she died throught the fiendish appendage but, you know things swiftly get out of, ahem, hand. Cue a clenched fistful of properly effective jump scares and, for those who wondered for the first hour whether theres any actual meaning to the story, an ending offering a tantalising answer (or two) as to what the actual f*** was going on. Out 28 July
A Deliveroo rider was stabbed in broad daylight in north London on Saturday afternoon.

A large crowd rushed to help the injured man, thought to be in his late twenties, by providing emergency first aid after the stabbing on Fore Street, Edmonton, at around 4.30pm.

The victim was rushed to hospital, where his condition is currently unknown.

Footage of the incident shared on social media appeared to show members of the public detaining a man nearby.

A Met spokesperson said a 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

He was taken to a north London hospital for treatment with non life-threatening injuries. Officers did not say how he was believed to have sustained his injury.

A crime scene remains in place, and the road is closed between the A406 and Colyton Way.

A Met spokesperson told the Standard: Officers arrived and found a large crowd who were providing first aid to the man, who is believed to be aged in his late 20s.

He has been taken to a north London hospital; we await an update on his condition.

A 19-year-old man was detained nearby and subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

He was taken to a north London hospital for treatment; his injury is not believed to be life-threatening.

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5043/01Jul.
T hree teenage boys have been charged with the murder of a seventeen-year-old who died after being found in a canal with stab wounds.

Police earlier named the victim as Victor Lee from Ealing, who was found in the water by Ladbroke Grove in West London last Sunday.

He was pulled from the Grand Union canal but, despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination concluded he died from his stab injuries.

On Saturday, police charged three teenage boys - aged 14, 15, and 17 - with Victors murder. All three were also charged with robbery.

They are due to appear in custody at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police earlier renewed appeals for information and witnesses to the killing, which is understood to have happened on the Grand Union towpath under Scrubs Lane.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie said: We are continuing to provide Victors family with support during this traumatic time and our thoughts remain with them.

He said detectives planned to be in the vicinity of Scrubs Lane on Sunday as part of a proactive appeal for information.

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5828/25Jun.

To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
S even people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil disrupted the London Pride march as part of their campaign to stop new fossil fuel projects in the UK.

The group had threatened to protest at the event due to London Prides sponsor, United Airlines, earlier this week.

Following through with the threat, a group of LGBTQ+ supporters of Just Stop Oil blocked the Pride parade by sitting in front of the Coca-Cola float.

While the float was blocked, two other activists sprayed pink and black paint over the road.

A Met Police spokesperson said seven people were arrested for public nuisance shortly after the road was blocked at 1.30pm. The force said the road was cleared after around fifteen minutes and that the parade continued.

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: Pride was born from protest. It speaks to how far weve come as a community, that high polluting industries and the banks that fund them, now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other. It is queer people, and particularly queer people of colour in the global south, who are suffering first in this accelerating social breakdown.

What would those who instigated the gay liberation movement, during the Stonewall riots in 1969, make of the corporatised spectacle Pride has now become?"

These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community, at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.

We call on Pride to remember the spirit in which it was founded and to respect the memory of all those who fought and died to secure the rights we now possess, whilst taking the necessary steps to protect our community long into the future.

Ahead of the event on Saturday, Just Stop Oil issued a list of demands for the organisers to consider in order to stop any protest disrupting the event.

Directed to a representative of the board of directors of the event, the protest group demanded clarity on where Pride sources its money from, that the organisers make a statement to demand an end to new oil and gas projects, and lastly, that Pride set up a meeting for its volunteers about joining in civil resistance against new oil and gas.

The letter concludes by stating a response is required by 4pm on Thursday adding: Beyond this time or not meeting these demands will mean we may or may not take action at this weekends events.

The Mayor was also questioned about City Halls own relationship with United Airlines after it was revealed that the company funded the Mayors costs of flights for the mayor and his team, which included journeys from London to New York, New York to San Francisco, San Francisco to Los Angeles and Los Angeles back to London.

Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 2022, there have been 2,200 arrests.
PHNOM PENH, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia decided to expel the representative of Facebook from the Southeast Asian country, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said late on Friday.

"I have no intention to block Facebook access in Cambodia, but will not allow Facebook to have its representative in Cambodia anymore," he said in a voice message released publicly.

Hun Sen accused Facebook of bias and turning a blind eye to "insulting" remarks made by exiled political opponents against Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Hun Sen himself and his family members.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC) said in a statement late on Friday that it decided to expel the Facebook representative from Cambodia and stop all of its activities, such as company representation, relations with the government and partnership cooperation in the private sector.

The statement said the MPTC has found irregularities in Facebook's services for users in Cambodia, such as the creation of fake accounts, risk of private data, use and collection of private data, dissemination of fake news, lack of accountability and transparency, and interference in the country's political affairs. 
T he escalating protests across France and the UKs warning to Britons hoping to travel to the country featured in the front pages across the UK on Saturday.

The Daily Telegraph and The Independent report on the ongoing riots that have now spread across France, with British tourists warned of curfews and restrictions on travel.

The Times followed suit, saying more than two million people from the UK are set to travel to France in the coming weeks.

The Financial Times features the French protests on their front page, but focuses on a big investor backing Thames Water to stave off nationalisation of the sector.

Meanwhile, the Daily Express says the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales were urged to end their feud on what would have been their mothers 62nd birthday.

The Guardian reports on the resignation of Foreign Office minister Zac Goldsmith who quit over Rishi Sunaks climate apathy.

The NHS is at the front for the Daily Mail, who say new dentists will be forced to treat health service patients.

The Daily Mirror reports on the Kevin Spacey court case, with the court hearing he was a sexual bully.

And the Daily Star takes aim at Australia, with a change to immigration laws meaning Brits can enjoy the good life Down Under.
G as and electricity bills will be slashed by over 400-a-year today in a major boost to cash-strapped households.

The average domestic bill will fall by 426 a year from Saturday after a new price cap came into effect. It means the annual cost based on a typical usage will come down to 2,074 - a fall of about 17 per cent.

But this remains more than double the level before Russias invasion of Ukraine triggered the energy price crisis.

Chief executive of charity National Energy Action Adam Scorer said many of the people it helps are still struggling.

Emily Seymour, energy editor of Which?, described bills as unaffordable for some.

Ofgem had maintained a cap of 3,280 which, with the Governments energy price guarantee in place, kept bills at an average of 2,500.

While the cap is reduced tomorrow, the guarantee also ends, leaving a household with typical usage paying 2,074. Suppliers said the amount is nearly twice the 2021 bill of 1,271, adding costs would remain high for some time.

Chris OShea, chief executive of energy giant Centrica, told BBC Radio 4s Today that prices are back down to pre-Russia invasion levels.

He said: There is a danger that we get complacent because last winter was OK and because prices are stable now.

A spokeswoman for suppliers group Energy UK said the price decrease will be welcome news for customers.

She added: However, bills remain much higher than they were 18 months ago and many customers will continue to struggle.
F rench President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a visit to Germany because of the riots sweeping the country.

Mr Macron had been due to arrive in Berlin on Sunday for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss key policy areas.

However, his spokesperson said he has requested the date be moved due to the ongoing unrest in France sparked by the fatal shooting of a teenager.

AFP via Getty Images

Britons were warned about visiting Paris after a fourth night of rioting swept parts of the country on Friday evening.

In official advice posted to the UK Government website, tourists heading across the Channel were warned of potential disruptions to travel and local transport, after unrest spread from the Parisian suburb of Nanterre to the centre of the city and towns and cities beyond.

AFP via Getty Images

The strengthened guidance comes after an update on Thursday which warned travellers to avoid protests which could lead to disruptions to road travel or targeting of parked cars.

The French government deployed more than 45,000 police officers on Friday night as over 1,000 protesters were arrested.

The unrest began on Tuesday evening, hours after police were filmed shooting a 17-year-old, identified as Nahel M, as he attempted to drive away from a traffic stop in Nanterre, the suburb where he lived.

French police initially suggested the teen drove his car towards them with the aim of hurting them. Nahel was from a French-Algerian background, and protesters say the teenagers death exemplifies the discrimination that such ethnic minorities suffer.

Several towns, particularly in the area around Paris, are implementing curfews over the coming days as the authorities step up attempts to restore order.
L ooters broke into a gun shop in Marseille as more than 1,000 people were arrested on the fourth night of rioting in France triggered by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy.

Violence erupted across the country on Tuesday night when delivery driver Nahel M, 17, was shot by an officer during a traffic stop.

The French government ordered 45,000 police onto the streets and bus and tram services had to stop at 9pm after 1,311 people were arrested on Friday night.

The French interior ministry said 79 police officers were injured during clashes with rioters.

Protesters block a street with garbage cans in Colombes / AP

AP

Despite an appeal to parents by President Emmanuel Macron to keep their children at home, street clashes between young protesters and police raged on.

About 2,500 fires were set and stores were ransacked, authorities said.

Police said looters broke into a gun shop in Marseille and made off with several hunting rifles. One person was arrested at a nearby location with one of the weapons, officers said.

Benoit Payan, the mayor of Marseille, urged the government to send additional troops to the city amid the pillaging and violence.

Violent clashes were also reported in other cities including Lyon, Paris and Strasbourg.

It came as British holidaymakers were warned about travelling to France amid fears that nationwide curfews will be imposed.

The Foreign Office warned travellers of potential disruption.

A statement said: Riots have taken place across France. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted.

There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. Some local authorities may impose curfews.

Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.

Frances interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, ordered a complete shutdown of all public bus and tram services which took effect before sunset yesterday.
U kraines counteroffensive will be very difficult and achieving significant gains could take a long time, a top US military officer has warned.

US Army general Mark Milley told the National Press Club in Washington that the counteroffensive was advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields ... 500 meters a day, 1,000 meters a day, 2,000 meters a day, that kind of thing.

Mr Milley said he was unsurprised progress was slower than some people predicted

War on paper and real war are different. In real war, real people die. Real people are on those front lines and real people are in those vehicles. Real bodies are being shredded by high explosives, Mr Milley added:

What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, 10 weeks, its going to be very difficult.

Its going to be very long, and its going to be very, very bloody. And no one should have any illusions about any of that.

It comes after the Ukrainian government said its forces are pushing forward on all fronts in in their counteroffensive.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian TV: If we talk about the entire frontline, both east and south, we have seized the strategic initiative and are advancing in all directions.

Ms Maliar added that troops were moving confidently on the flanks around Bakhmut. The eastern city was finally taken by Russian forces in May after a year-long battle.

She said that the main fighting was going on around the city.

And she also said Ukrainian forces were moving with mixed success in the south and had won control over clusters of villages in the southeast.

President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed he was reinforcing their northern flank after large numbers of Wagner mercenaries were believed to have entered Belarus. Their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was offered exile there following last weekends aborted Russian coup.
U krainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that a serious threat" remained at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

He said Russia was technically ready" to provoke a localized explosion at the facility and cited Ukrainian intelligence as the source of his information.

There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a [radiation] release," he told a joint news conference in Kyiv with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The Ukrainian leader gave no further details, but Kyiv has previously claimed Russian troops have mined the plant.

Mr Zelenskiy called for greater international attention to the situation at the facility in southeastern Ukraine, which is Europes largest nuclear plant.

He also urged sanctions on Russias state nuclear company Rosatom.

A view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant / REUTERS

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, located near the city of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, has been occupied by Russia since early March last year, shortly after Moscows invasion.

Russia has previously denied Kyivs accusations that Russia was preparing an explosion at the plant. Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of shelling the facility.

Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, suffered the worlds worst nuclear accident in 1986, when clouds of radioactive material spread across much of Europe after an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The warning came as satellite images separately appeared to show a camp being built in Belarus to house Wagner fighters.

Chief of the Russian mercenary force Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection in Russia.

The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of miles towards Moscow.

The images suggested that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.

Belaruss authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said his country, a close ally of Moscow, could use Wagners experience and expertise, and announced that he had offered the fighters an abandoned military unit" to set up camp.
G uns N Roses brought their LA attitude to Hyde Park as they rocked the capital with a three-hour British-tinged set.

The US 80s rock band, fresh from their headline slot at Glastonbury Festival, rolled back the years to light up a dreary Friday night in London.

Kicking-off proceedings with a bang, they opened with the roar of Its So Easy, one of many numbers scattered through the 27-song set that was taken from their seminal 1987 record Appetite For Destruction.

Not even a quick tumble on stage during second song Bad Obsession, off their Use Your Illusion double album, could upset proceedings for frontman Axl Rose.

Making light of his fall at the British Summer Time (BST) gig, the 61-year-old said: I dont want to jinx it but hopefully Ive got all the slip and sliding out of the way.

In a possible sign that his week-long stay in the UK had rubbed off on him, the American later told the thronging crowd he was having a bloody good time.

In a nod to the groups lengthy fallout following their mid-1990s bust-up, the Californians played Slither early on, a hit by Velvet Revolver, the band guitar player Slash and bassist Duff McKagan were in during their exile from Guns, which ended seven years ago.

The band  with the three original members padded out to a seven-piece via newer additions  offered a British-tinged set, rustling up covers of Live And Let Die by Paul McCartneys Wings and Down On The Farm by punk-outfit U.K. Subs.

Six songs in, Guns put the show into fifth gear with a colossal rendition of Welcome To The Jungle, sending the 60,000-strong crowd into overdrive.

Axl alluded to Slashs British roots as he introduced the Englishman  the 57-year-old, who appeared to relish improvising with The Jimi Hendrix Experiences Voodoo Child riff mid-set, was born in Hampstead, north London  ahead of a captivating solo piece.

The jean shirt-clad axemans fretwork proved a hypnotic build-up to the unmistakable opening chords of wedding dancefloor-favourite Sweet Child O Mine.

The June drizzle proved the perfect backdrop to the nine-minute ballad November Rain, with Axl donning a sparkling leopard-print jacket for his stint at the piano  one of his many outfit changes during the evening.

Following a slight lull in proceedings after an amped-up rendition of Bob Dylans Knocking On Heavens Door, the audiences patience was rewarded with one of the most pulsating songs in rock music.

Finale Paradise City sparked a sea of flailing bodies as the crowd joined in with every word that Axl, who appeared to have gone native with his Union-branded hat, belted out.

As guitar-shredding maestro Slash waved off the exiting crowd, even showing off to his country of birth with a farewell handstand, the hordes left the Royal Park sated on the sounds of West Coast hard rock.

Guns N Roses were supported by The Pretenders, The Darkness and Larkin Poe.

Manchester-formed group Take That are due to play at BST on Saturday, with crowd-drawing K-pop outfit Blackpink headlining on Sunday.
MOSCOW, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia extended the ban on the transportation of goods across the country by trucks from unfriendly countries until Dec. 30, according to the official legal information portal on Friday.

"The ban on international road transport of a number of goods on the territory of Russia by vehicles of unfriendly states has been extended until December 30, 2023," said the document.

Meanwhile, fresh restrictions on the transportation of goods across Russia by trucks from Poland have been introduced with the exceptions made for critically important goods, according to the country's transport ministry. 
HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- On Saturday, in the Tang culture experience zone at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, women dressed beautifully in Tang Dynasty (618-907) costumes were dancing happily.

Dressing as a young girl in Tang Dynasty costume, Miss Lee, a Hong Kong resident, took a selfie with her mobile phone against the backdrop of red lanterns under the sun.

Saturday marked the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Lee and her friends went to Victoria Park to celebrate this special day.

"The decorations here match the Tang clothes so well," Lee said.

67-year-old Hong Kong resident Wan Miu-ling waited two and a half hours in the scorching heat and was finally seated in the makeup section.

"I like the costumes of various Chinese dynasties, and the Tang costumes were the most gorgeous," Wan said she was satisfied with the makeup and hairstyle designed by the makeup artist.

Wan said she loves traditional Chinese culture. "After I retired, I began to study Yi Jing, or Book of Changes, and the Analects of Confucius. I keep studying because I am Chinese," she said.

Such an immersive cultural experience was greatly loved by Hong Kong people. Many local people flocked to the park to try on Han-style clothing, the traditional dress of the Han Chinese people.

Wang Ning, a representative of the Han-style clothing experience zone in the park, told Xinhua that there were 120 sets of different styles of costumes for people to choose from.

"It seems that Chinese traditional costumes are very popular among Hong Kong people," Wang said.

In another corner, children of different ages sat quietly at the table to do handicrafts.

A sixth-grade primary school student surnamed Lee was making a moon-shaped fan, which was popular in the Tang Dynasty. Lee decorated the fan carefully and wrote the word "peace" in the blank space.

"I heard there was a traditional culture experience zone here, so I dressed in my Han-style outfit to join the party," said Chui Wai-sze, a local college student.

"I have been to many places in the mainland and the traditional Chinese culture is really beautiful. Young people in Hong Kong should go to the mainland and experience the charm of different Chinese dynasties," Chui said. 
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The MPs of the Right Force do not support raising the electoral threshold from 5% to 7%, as it is intended in a draft submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, the party leader, Ludovic Orban, believing that a threshold of three percent worked best in Romania.

"The higher the electoral threshold, the higher the percentage of citizens who are not represented in Parliament or in other deliberative forums. So it is deeply illiberal to come up with a proposal to increase the electoral threshold. The 7% electoral threshold only worked in Russia. But even in Russia, the 7% electoral threshold was lowered in the last elections to 5%. There is a recommendation of the Venice Commission to all democratic countries of the European Union, which recommends a threshold as low as possible, and the maximum threshold that is accepted in this recommendation of the Venice Commission is 5%. (...) As far as we are concerned, obviously the 16 MPs from the Right Force will not vote for such a draft. This draft is also made out of fear of the Right Force or, in general, of the centre-right political parties," said Right Force party Chairman Ludovic Orban told a press conference in Sibiu on Saturday.

Orban argues that a lowering of the electoral threshold would be beneficial for better representation in Parliament and beyond, according to agerpres.ro.

"If you ask me, the optimal threshold was the threshold that worked in Romania until 2000, the 3% threshold, and it worked very well, (...) it ensured a representation of almost 90% of the Romanian citizens, but it was changed," Ludovic Orban said.

Chairman of the Right Force party Ludovic Orban is paying a visit to Sibiu county on Saturday, where he has met with party members and supporters at the county branch headquarters, after which he will attend the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu and the Bujorul de Munte Festival in Gura Raului.
The Romanian wildfire fighting module in support of Greek authorities and communities is operational as of Saturday, the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced.

Romanian rescuers arrived in Greece on Friday and set up their base of operations in the town of Nea Makri, east of Athens, according to agerpres.ro.

"As of 11.00 a.m., the specialised module, composed of 40 firefighters, 4 firefighting vehicles, 1 tanker, 2 first intervention and command vehicles and 1 minibus, can be assigned to the intervention, at the request of the Greek liaison officer," IGSU said.

Romanian firefighters are in Greece for the third consecutive year, providing support in fire management. In the summer of 2021 and 2022, the rescuers supported the Greek authorities in the fight against fires that destroyed significant parts of the forests in the Athens area and on the island of Evia.

This year, as part of the pre-positioning project organised by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations - DG ECHO, the specialised national wildfire fighting module is in Greece, continuing its support actions in wildfire management, the press release said.
"Solidaritatea Sanitara" Federation says 'Ordinance of delusions' not meeting health workers' demands, protests to continue.

The Emergency Ordinance adopted Friday by the Government does not meet the demands of health employees and the form in which the requests of the "Solidaritatea Sanitara" Federation were transposed is not included in the list of demands, the trade union organisation informs, announcing the continuation of protests, told Agerpres.

"The emergency ordinance that the Government adopted in yesterday's meeting on June 30 does not meet the demands of health workers. In fact, the form in which the Government has decided to transpose some of the demands of the "Solidaritatea Sanitara" Federation is not included in our list of demands. In particular, it is about the demands concerning the fair payment for the work that ensures the continuity of health services, for which the government has agreed to grant a fixed amount at the expense of the payment of these rights in relation to the current base salary," says a press release of the federation.

The "Solidaritatea Sanitara" Federation carried out an analysis of the impact of Emergency Ordinance no. 63/2023[1] to establish some measures regarding salaries in the public health system, and the impact assessment highlights the fact that this normative act "is in fact an 'Ordinance of delusions,' because there is a very big difference between the publicly announced benefits for health employees and the real benefits," the quoted source maintains.
Trade Register: 66,071 individuals and legal entities registrations 5 months into 2023.

The number of registrations of individuals and legal entities increased in the first five months of 2023 by 5.25% compared to the same period last year, to 66,071, of which 42,067 limited liability companies (SRL), according to data centralised by the National Office of the Trade Register (ONRC), consulted by AGERPRES.

Most registrations were recorded in the municipality of Bucharest, namely 13,140 (plus 13.05%, compared to January-May 2022), and in the counties of Cluj - 3,608 (minus 8.77%), Ilfov - 3,442 (plus 8.10%), Bihor - 3,248 (plus 45.39%) and Timis - 3,001 (-2.69%).

At the opposite pole, the lowest number of registrations was recorded in Covasna - 404 (up 14.77% compared to the first five months of 2022), Ialomita - 435 (-8.03%), Mehedinti - 454 (-12.36%) and Tulcea - 461 (+0.88%).

According to the ONRC, the areas in which most registrations were made are: wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (12,256; +10.06%, compared to the first five months of 2022), transport and storage (6,922; +8.7%) and construction (6,708; -3.9%).
KERICHO, Kenya, June 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 45 people were killed and several others injured in a road accident along a busy highway in western Kenya on Friday evening, the police confirmed.

Tom Odero, Rift Valley Regional police commander, said the 6:30 p.m. accident occurred after the driver of a truck lost control and the vehicle rammed into pedestrians, hawkers, and some vehicles parked by the roadside in Kericho County.

"We have about 45 bodies, and the toll may rise," Odero told Xinhua on the phone, adding that several victims are still trapped inside vehicles and others under the truck.

"Rescue efforts have been slowed by heavy rains being witnessed at the scene," Odero said.

According to the police, the truck was heading to Kericho Town before it lost control and veered off the road along the Nakuru-Kericho highway.

An estimated 3,000 Kenyans die in road accidents in Kenya annually despite concerted efforts by the state and the private sector to promote safety on the highways, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority. 
ST. LOUIS  The temperature sizzled to 105 degrees on July 1, 1980, then fell sharply the following day. Relief would be fleeting.

The Southwest baked that summer in a pitiless heat wave. More than 60 people already had died in Texas when July began. The weather system built on itself, driving northward on baking winds.

In St. Louis, gathering heat pushed the high to 99 on July 7 and to 101 the next day. It would break 100 degrees on a withering nine of the next 14 days and reach 107 on July 15, the summer's worst. It would be 100 or hotter on 18 days that long, searing summer.

The heat wave would kill 153 people in the St. Louis area, most of them elderly, poor and living in stifling rooms without air conditioning. Many had kept their windows shut, fearing burglars more than swelter.

Eleven had died of heat by July 10, when 12 more were reported that single day. The daily toll rocketed to 26 on July 14.

"We are running out of places to put the bodies," said Rose Marie Green at the St. Louis medical examiner's office, where stench smacked visitors at the front door.

Case files went like this: Otis Collier, 80, of the 5800 block of Terry Avenue, dead in a home with all windows closed. Myrtle Garrett, 73, of the 3500 block of Greer Avenue, dead in a room with an air conditioner that pumped out hot air. Melvin Shepard, 54, of the 700 block of Bayard Street, dead in 107-degree heat in an attic bedroom.

Patients wilted in the general wards at City Hospital, 1515 Lafayette Avenue, which lacked air conditioning. On July 11, the military provided truck-size portable air conditioners that pumped chilled air through fat pipes into the hospital windows. On Bi-State buses, cranky air conditioners worked half the time, making riders crankier.

The Missouri National Guard sent 200 troops into neighborhoods, knocking on doors to search for the ailing. On July 19, no deaths were reported.

"The old and the weak have died off," said Karl Reid, deputy St. Louis disaster director.

But more died as heat lingered. The temperature reached 100 or hotter on six of the first 10 days of August. Missouri's death toll topped 300.

The worst heat wave on record in St. Louis was in 1936, when more than 420 died. There have been serious hot spells since 1980, but that year remains the deadliest in recent memory. Most local households, even with low incomes, now have at least a window air conditioner. Recent heat deaths frequently include this maddening detail - the victim had an air conditioner, but wouldn't turn it on.
ST. LOUIS  The first wisps of black smoke downriver brought cheers from rooftops and across the wide cobblestone levee, where thousands of giddy people had gathered for a special steamboat a'comin'  the majestic Robert E. Lee.

As the sidewheeler turned toward the city, a cannon boomed from the foot of Walnut Street. The Lee had won the great upriver race against the rival Natchez, an event that riveted the nation for four days.

The St. Louis newspapers put the time of arrival at 11:25 a.m. on July 4, 1870. The Lee had steamed from New Orleans to St. Louis in three days, 18 hours and 20 or so minutes. It remains the standard for the gaudy, dangerous and short reign of the Mississippi River steamboats.

If the railroads were whistling doom for the river trade, there still was plenty of affection for the luxury packets. The race between the Lee and Natchez was irresistible  two queens of the river, captained by proud river barons who disliked each other. Lore has it that the Lee's John Cannon and the Natchez's Thomas Leathers once had a fistfight in a French Quarter tavern. And the Natchez held the New Orleans-to-St. Louis record.

When the two boats arrived at the same time in New Orleans, everyone knew what was up. Bets were wagered on both coasts.

The race began in New Orleans shortly after 5 p.m. June 30, the Lee jumping into the lead. She was 14 minutes ahead when she reached Natchez, Miss., her rival's namesake, and had a 59-minute lead by Memphis. But riverboats were prone to breakdowns, groundings and worse. Newspapers splashed breathless dispatches from onboard reporters, who tossed their stories to riverbank runners.

By dawn July 4, all of St. Louis knew the boats were near. Excursion boats headed south to meet them. Soldiers at Jefferson Barracks fired a salute to the Lee. Picnicking families waved from the South Side bluffs. But there was no Natchez to be seen.

The verdict had been cinched in a thick fog north of Cairo, Ill., the night before. Leathers, captain of the Natchez, prudently tied up. But his counterpart, Cannon, chugged slowly through, skirting disaster more than once.

When the Lee landed, hundreds of cheering race fans boarded her in a rush that overwhelmed police. The Natchez pulled in at 5:58 p.m.

The next evening, the city threw a banquet at the elegant Southern Hotel. Cannon and Leathers sat at separate tables, but the papers said everyone had a grand time.

Read more stories from Tim O'Neil's Look Back series.
ST. LOUIS  Michael Reap, a fixture in the U.S. attorneys office in St. Louis for more than 40 years until his retirement in 2012, died of a heart attack June 23 at his home in University City. He was 77.

Reaps lengthy career as a federal prosecutor included nearly two decades as first assistant U.S. attorney and two stints as acting U.S. attorney. Over the years, he handled various high-profile cases.

He regarded the prosecution in the 1990s of home builders Harold and Alan Lieberman on fraud charges as among the most memorable, said a son, Bill Reap of Chicago.

Among other notable cases Reap prosecuted was that of St. Louis police officer Anthony Daniele, who was convicted in 1988 of defrauding the police pension fund, and Charles Polk Jr., who pleaded guilty in 2006 of defrauding the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District when he was the districts general counsel.

He also was prosecutor in the case of Elizabeth Eagleton Weigand, who was accused of trying to extort money from her uncle, then-U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton.

She and a co-defendant were found guilty in 1980 of threatening to make public material they said would damage the senators reputation unless a company owned by the Eagleton family paid her for her interest in the company.

Reap was born in Philadelphia and moved with his family to the St. Louis area in his teens. He graduated from St. Louis University High School and earned bachelors and law degrees from St. Louis University.

He briefly worked here as a public defender, then joined the U.S. attorneys staff in 1972.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Thursday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in University City. The body was donated to the St. Louis U. School of Medicine.

Among other survivors are his wife, Marbie Reap; another son, John Reap of St. Louis; two daughters, Katie Reap of Chicago and Annie Reap of University City, and five grandchildren.
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis Circuit Court judge on Friday blocked the citys proposed use of federal money to help people access abortion in Illinois.

The order from Judge Jason Sengheiser is a victory for Missouris GOP leaders, who moved swiftly to ban abortion in the state following last summers U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision that had for nearly 50 years protected the right to abortion across the country.

Former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, now Missouris junior U.S. senator, filed the first lawsuit July 21, the same day St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones signed into law a $1.75 million appropriation from the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to help women access abortions in Illinois, where it is still legal.

Schmitt, running for Senate at the time, sought to block the citys use of federal pandemic aid for the program. Shortly after the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturning Roe, St. Louis aldermen passed a measure to use a portion of the nearly $500 million in federal pandemic aid granted to the city to help women access abortion care in Illinois.

In his ruling on the case Friday, Sengheiser declined to grant the citys motion to dismiss the Missouri Attorney General lawsuit and blocked the city from granting any of the money to four organizations that had applied for the funds, including the St. Louis Doula Project and Midwest Access Coalition. Five other organizations that had applied for funds for mental health and parental support were not blocked from receiving the financial assistance.

In a statement Saturday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baileys office said St. Louis had attempted to illegally use taxpayer funds to pay for abortions.

[Friday] was a momentous day for women and their unborn children as Missouri courts upheld state law standing for the sanctity of life, Bailey said in a statement. As long as Im attorney general, my office will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the unborn. Our children are worth the fight.

Also Friday in a separate ruling, Sengheiser dismissed some claims from a January lawsuit filed by over a dozen faith leaders but declined to grant the states motion to dismiss the lawsuits main argument challenging Missouris total abortion ban.

The clergy argue Missouris abortion ban violates the separation of church and state protected by the Missouri Constitution. The Jewish and Protestant clergy from St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia argued legislators use of overt Christian statements in its abortion ban forced them to to support and adhere to that officially favored religion and system of religious beliefs.

Sengheisers Friday ruling threw out the claims dealing with abortion regulations that are moot now that the total ban is in effect. But he denied the states motion to dismiss the portions of the suit dealing with the total ban and medication abortion restrictions.

We largely prevailed and can proceed to litigate our case against the total ban and medication abortion restrictions currently in effect, Americans United said in a statement. This is a win for abortion rights, religious freedom and church-state separation.

The clergys lawsuit also named several prosecuting attorneys in Missouri, seeking to prevent them from enforcing the states abortion restrictions. Sengheiser granted a motion to dismiss filed by some of the prosecutors.

Editors note: This article has been updated to clarify that the clergy groups lawsuit challenging Missouris total abortion ban and medication abortion restrictions can proceed. An earlier version indicated the entire lawsuit had been dismissed.
ST. LOUIS  The city of St. Louis filed suit Friday demanding its jail health care provider reimburse the city for a $515,000 settlement the city paid to settle another suit over an inmate death.

This weeks lawsuit, filed against the company YesCare and two insurance companies, argues the city had to settle the suit due to the negligence of jail health providers who failed to notify the Jennings jail that a man being transferred there from the city in 2014 was on suicide watch. The man, DeJuan Brison, 26, died by suicide hours later.

The citys contract with the health care provider required the contractor keep adequate insurance and defend and reimburse the city for any violations under the contract, according to court filings.

But it didnt keep adequate insurance, the lawsuit claims, and the contractors refusal to accept the citys tender of defense and refusal to indemnify the city in the lawsuit was baseless and in bad faith.

The entire dispute traces back to the death of Brison, who had been on suicide watch for two days in the downtown St. Louis City Justice Center before he was transferred to Jennings.

No one with the jails health provider at the time, Corizon, informed jailers in Jennings of his status, however, and Brison hanged himself roughly 3  hours later, according to a lawsuit and Post-Dispatch reporting.

YesCare took over Corizons contract with the city in November 2022, according to the lawsuit. Corizon filed for bankruptcy in February.

The city said it informed Corizon and then YesCare multiple times of its obligations under the contract to no avail.

Now, the city is seeking $515,000 from YesCare and two insurance companies, plus the costs of attorneys fees and litigation expenses.

YesCare did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. A hearing has not yet been set in the case.
ST. LOUIS  Ricardo Menjivar said he never planned to join the military. But after the Biden administrations student loan forgiveness plan was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, the rising senior said he may have to enlist to help pay for medical school.

He has roughly $20,000 in student loans for tuition at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and will work two jobs starting in the fall.

Im trying not to take any loans out when I go to med school, he said. But financial aid can only cover so much.

Under the Biden plan, the U.S. government would have forgiven up to $10,000 in federal student loans for eligible individuals, or those making less than $125,000 after graduation.

Missouri Republicans applauded the decision, while Democrats had the opposite reaction. Missouri Rep. Kevin Windham, D-Hillsdale, tweeted about the decision: Its a shame, but not surprising that Missouri led the way to deny financial relief to Americans in need.

Sebastian Arteaga, who is pursuing his doctorate in chemistry at St. Louis University, said he took out student loans during his undergraduate education, and was looking forward to seeing how Bidens plan would benefit him.

Thats like smacking us twice in the face, Arteaga said.

Arteaga said his friends and colleagues in the research lab talked about the court decision, and expressed a distrust in the justice system.

It may make students feel undervalued, he said. They may think that other people view them as not contributing to society as a greater whole.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday that colleges could no longer take race into consideration when admitting students into their programs. Brooke Kenworthy, an engineering student at SLU, said she was not surprised by the decisions.

It just kind of felt like a one-two punch with affirmative action yesterday, and then this today, Kenworthy said.

Kenworthy said that she felt uncomfortable taking out loans to pay for her education because of uncertainty when it comes to debt forgiveness plans in the U.S.

There have been times throughout my degree process where I thought maybe I need to take out loans, she said. Ultimately, I didnt take out loans because I was worried this would happen.

Washington University junior Erin Reardon, who has federal student loans, said she will rethink how she makes decisions as she studies environmental policy. She said she has a lot to sacrifice.

The decision just kind of keeps up pressure moving forward, she said. My financial needs come before my academic passions or interests.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden vowed Friday to push ahead with a new plan to provide student loan relief for millions of borrowers while blaming Republican hypocrisy for triggering the day's Supreme Court decision that wiped out his original plan.

Biden said payment requirements for student loans would resume in coming weeks, but that he would work under the authority of the Higher Education Act to begin a new program designed to ease borrowers threat of default if they fall behind over the next year.

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Biden commented from the White House, trying to stay on the political offensive even as the ruling undermined a key promise to young voters who will be vital to his 2024 reelection campaign.

Ticking off what he said were billions of dollars in benefits to the well-to-do under the Trump administration, he said, These Republican officials just couldnt bear the thought of providing relief for working class, middle class Americans.

The hypocrisy of Republican elected officials is stunning," he said.

Top administration officials said they met for weeks to discuss how to handle the Supreme Court's expected reversal of Biden's original plan.

The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the original plan.

The court held that the administration needed Congress' endorsement before undertaking such a costly program. The majority rejected arguments that a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with national emergencies, known as the HEROES Act, gave Biden the power he claimed.

"Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorize the loan cancellation plan. We agree," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by the court's two other liberals, said in a dissent that the majority of the court "overrides the combined judgment of the Legislative and Executive Branches, with the consequence of eliminating loan forgiveness for 43 million Americans."

Roberts, perhaps anticipating negative public reaction and aware of declining approval of the court, added an unusual coda to his opinion, cautioning that the liberals' dissent should not be mistaken for disparagement of the court.

"It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country," the chief justice wrote.

Progressive Democrats in Congress and activists clamored for the White House to offer a swift and substantial response to the court's decision.

Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center, said the responsibility falls squarely on Bidens shoulders.

The president possesses the power, and must summon the will, to secure the essential relief that families across the nation desperately need, Abrams said in a statement.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of her party's leading voices on the left, said, The president has more tools to cancel student debt  and he must use them."

The White Houses efforts to block payments were an attempt to keep a Biden 2020 campaign promise to wipe out student loan debt that was especially popular with young voters and progressives. Both will be vital to Biden in next years presidential race  but may be less energized about supporting him after the high courts decision.

Without action from the Biden administration, loan repayments will resume in October, though interest will begin accruing in September, the Education Department has announced. Payments have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than three years ago.

The forgiveness program would have canceled $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income. Pell Grant recipients, who typically demonstrate more financial need, would have had an additional $10,000 in debt forgiven.

Twenty-six million people applied for relief and 43 million would have been eligible, the administration said. The cost was estimated at $400 billion over 30 years.

Advocacy groups supporting debt cancellation condemned the decision while demanding that Biden find another avenue to fulfill his promise of debt relief.

Republican-led states arguing before the court said the plan would have amounted to a "windfall" for 20 million people who would have seen their entire student debt disappear and been better off than they were before the pandemic.

Biden said GOP officials "had no problem with billions in pandemic-related loans to businesses.  And those loans were forgiven. But when it came to providing relief to millions of hard-working Americans, they did everything in their power to stop it."

In contrast, the administration grounded the need for the sweeping loan forgiveness in the COVID-19 emergency and the continuing negative impacts on people near the bottom of the economic ladder. The declared emergency ended on May 11.

Without the promised loan relief, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer told the justices, "delinquencies and defaults will surge."

At those arguments, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said her fellow justices would be making a mistake if they took for themselves, instead of leaving it to education experts, "the right to decide how much aid to give" people who would struggle if the program were struck down.

The HEROES Act  the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act  has allowed the secretary of education to waive or modify the terms of federal student loans in connection with a national emergency. The law was primarily intended to keep service members from being hurt financially while they fought in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2023 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM)(NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") announces the voting results from its 2023 Annual General Meeting held on June 30, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Meeting").

At the Meeting, a total of 206,154,294 common shares were voted, representing 39% of the votes attached to all outstanding common shares as of the record date. All eight nominees were elected to the Company's Board of Directors. The voting results were as follows:

Director % of Votes For % of Votes Withheld Christian Milau 95.40 4.60 Desmond M. Balakrishnan 57.54 42.46 Isabel Satra 94.68 5.32 Kenneth W. Pickering 95.40 4.60 Robert A. Dickinson 95.67 4.33 Ronald W. Thiessen 95.73 4.27 Siri C. Genik 94.44 5.56 Wayne Kirk 94.19 5.81

Shareholders also re-appointed Deloitte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year.

Detailed voting results for the Meeting are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Company also reports that its 100%-owned U.S.-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership has been informed that the Alaska District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE") requested a third extension of the deadline to communicate the plan on how the District plans to move forward with its reconsideration of the administrative record after remand. The USACE Division Engineer approved the request for extension and the new deadline is July 28, 2023.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 1,840 mineral claims in Southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit, located 200 miles from Anchorage and 125 miles from Bristol Bay. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project.

For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1- 800-667-2114. Review public filings, which include forward-looking information cautionary language and risk factor disclosure regarding the Company and the Pebble Project in Canada at www.sedar.com and the US at www.sec.gov.

Trevor Thomas

Secretary

SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

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Gulf Port Underscores its Commitment to Community Engagement

Former Port Commissioner Howard J. Middleton, Jr., remembered.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority held its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 27. During the meeting, Executive Director Roger Guenther delivered his monthly staff report to the commission, saying in part, "Cargo demand remains in line with the Port's 2023 forecast with a small 2% decrease in overall container volume. An increase in export loads for the year have balanced the anticipated slight decline in import containers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230630433710/en/

Port Houston 2023 Community Grants Program recipients represent a significant investment in our local communities. These grants, totaling $390,000, support various projects and programs bringing value to our region, strengthening partnerships, and making meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Executive Director also shared that during the prior week, he and several Port Houston staff members joined leaders of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, along with community members to discuss the community's questions about upland dredged material placement areas serving the Houston Ship Channel.

Guenther said these were "good meetings" with "many in-depth discussions." He also shared with the Port Commission that he appreciated the dialogue and "wants our neighbors to know that we hear their concerns, we value safety and environmental sustainability, and we will continue to consider those factors in our work" and that "the dialogue will continue."

Guenther also shared that Port Houston is planning community meetings, possibly as early as July and August, to give an overview of the dredging and materials testing and placement processes and how they all work, to "build a shared understanding of what we do and why we do it," he said.

Guenther highlighted that dredge disposal sites are necessary for improvements and maintenance of the Houston Ship Channel. He underscored that dredging provides for safe navigation and continued commerce that drives regional prosperity.

Earlier this month, Port Houston compiled detailed answers to an advocacy group's questions about the placement areas and the federal testing regime for the materials placed there. Guenther emphasized that Port Houston would work with its neighbors and Federal partners to continue to be responsive and would also explore future site uses.

During the meeting, Port Commissioner Clyde Fitzgerald also recognized the recent passing of former Port Commissioner Howard J. Middleton, Jr., who served Port Houston in that role for nearly two decades, from 1978-1996.

The first African-American to be appointed to the Port Commission, Mr. Middleton played an instrumental role in supporting the development of the Bayport Container Terminal, among his many other significant contributions over his long tenure, said Commissioner Fitzgerald

Staff also announced that Port Houston received recognition by the Government Finance Officers Association for Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 48th consecutive year.

The next Port Commission regular meeting is July 25, 2023.

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the areas largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 private and eight public terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the nations largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.5 million jobs in Texas and 3.4 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $439 billion in Texas and $906 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit the website at PortHouston.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230630433710/en/

Lisa Ashley-Daniels, Director, Public Relations, Office: 713-670-2644; Mobile: 832-247-8179; E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Port Houston
BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Located at 35 E Cross St in Federal Hill, the only Cookies cannabis dispensary in Maryland is now open.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230701653469/en/

Cookies Baltimore storefront, located in Federal Hill. Must be 21 years or older to view this content (Photo courtesy of Cookies Baltimore)

Adults 21 years or older with a valid government issued ID can now legally purchase cannabis at the dispensary every day between 10am to 10pm. The dispensary will offer a streamlined experience to medical marijuana patients during all operating hours. Parking is available directly South of the dispensary in the West St. Garage.

The dispensary temporarily closed last month, to make some improvements, which were completed in time for July 1st. The company reminds everyone that the public consumption of cannabis is still illegal under Maryland law.

Were thrilled that the Cookies Baltimore dispensary is a part of this momentous day and we look forward to serving our patient and customer base, said Tommy Nafso, CEO and Founder of Noxx.

Maryland voters legalized adult-use (recreational) marijuana for adults 21 and older in November, 2023.

To learn more about Cookies Baltimore, visit baltimore.cookies.co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230701653469/en/

Laura Hufschmidt

[email protected]

313-418-9162

Source: Cookies




* Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and high-quality development.

* Companies attending the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo attest to a greater focus on new energy and digital sector cooperation.

* The expo also offers a platform for African agricultural products to explore the Chinese market.

CHANGSHA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- As the sun sets over eastern Uganda, a newly constructed road is illuminated by two rows of white solar lampposts, warmly welcoming drivers, pedestrians and villagers on leisurely strolls.

The 73-km road linking Kapchorwa and Suam is undergoing an upgrade. Located at an average altitude of over 2,000 meters with complex geology, the project is described by local officials as one of the most difficult large-scale infrastructure projects in the history of Uganda.

To complete the project within this year, the Chinese contractor brought forth advanced machinery, extensive expertise in constructing roads in mountainous regions in China, and an inventory of 1,960 solar lights.

"When we first arrived, we saw the local areas did not have electricity, but boast plentiful sunlight. So we decided to erect the solar lights," said Lu Zhong, a project manager with the Chinese company. "Now the lights have made it safer for nearby residents to go out at night."

Local students walk home from school along a section of the road upgraded by a Chinese company in Kapchorwa District, Uganda, on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

At the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which opened in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday, many such stories exemplify the evolving China-Africa cooperation, which is becoming increasingly smarter, greener and advanced, drawing strength from China's modernization drive.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and high-quality development, and will make the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides deeper and more solid.

Visitors walk past the exhibition hall of the China-Africa Achievement Exhibition on High-Level Building of the Belt and Road Initiative during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO DIGITALIZATION

As Africa's largest trading partner and its fourth-biggest source of investment, China has prioritized high-quality development on its path toward modernization, which requires the country to cultivate new growth engines such as next-generation information technology, new energy and green industry, and promote high-standard opening up.

According to experts, this dedication to high-quality development has injected renewed vitality into the implementation of the nine programs announced in 2021 to strengthen China-Africa cooperation. These programs encompass a wide range of areas, such as digital innovation and green development.

Over the years, cooperation between the two sides has extended from trade and construction to emerging areas like digital infrastructure, green development, aviation, and space exploration, according to Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei.

During the expo, Chinese firms that traditionally focused on hydropower facilities said they were working to deliver a more diversified portfolio of new energy projects to help Africa tackle the perennial power crunch.

China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CEEC), a power infrastructure heavyweight, said it has implemented 42 clean energy projects in Africa, including hydro, solar and wind power stations, with a total installed capacity of 14.11 gigawatts.

One such project under construction is the Biovea biomass power plant in Cote d'Ivoire. Poised to become the largest biomass power plant in West Africa, it will utilize locally abundant palm leaf residues as fuel to generate electricity for 1.7 million people.

The project will also increase the income of 12,000 palm growers by 20 percent and reduce 4.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, said Zhu Honggang, CEO of CEEC Northwestern Africa Regional HQ.

Zhu added that China has developed a mature industrial chain in infrastructure and energy sectors, from project design to manufacturing of photovoltaic panels, allowing Chinese companies to bring new energy projects to Africa at a relatively low cost.

This photo shows an outdoor exhibition area at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

Digital infrastructure is another rising star in China-Africa cooperation, which is drawing strength from China's newly acquired forte in this area.

According to China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd (Genertec), it has increased participation in the construction of Africa's information and communication infrastructure in recent years.

In Ghana, the company is installing more than 2,000 communication towers to provide stable communication services for rural residents and support the West African nation's endeavor to bridge the digital divide.

"China-Africa cooperation is expanding from conventional infrastructure to digitalization, from visible roads to virtual networks," said Luo Di, a company representative who was present at the expo.

"We are leveraging China's experience in urbanization to help accelerate Africa's development. It will no longer take decades, as it did in the past. We may see remarkable outcomes within just a few years," Luo said.

An exhibitor presents Ethiopian coffee during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

WELCOME, MADE IN AFRICA!

The import of African agricultural and food products is another focus at the expo, with traders marketing a myriad of specialty products ranging from South African wine to Nigerian dried ginger.

China has become the second-largest destination country for African agricultural exports. In the first five months of this year, China imported 16.15 billion yuan (about 2.24 billion U.S. dollars) of African agricultural and food products, up 26.5 percent year on year.

Behind the rapidly growing imports is a range of favorable policies and customs cooperation that have enabled an expanded variety of African farm products to reach the shelves of Chinese stores, including coffee from Ethiopia, cashew nuts from Tanzania, cocoa from Cote d'Ivoire and avocados from Kenya.

Days before the expo, Kenya flagged off the first consignment of anchovies destined for the Chinese market. Salim Mvurya, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, termed the inaugural shipment of anchovies to the Chinese market as "a historic moment for the country."

During the expo, a slew of measures on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) cooperation, including the establishment of a liaison mechanism, were announced to facilitate African exports of agricultural and food products to China.

A staff member introduces wild anchovy products to visitors at the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

As a trailblazer in China-Africa cooperation, the province of Hunan has also promised heightened efforts to standardize the inspection and quarantine of African agricultural products that have entered into deals at the expo, helping them gain market access in China.

Chi Yuwen, the founder of Chebango EPZ Tea Company Ltd., attests to the positive impact generated by the deepening China-Africa cooperation on agricultural and food trade.

His Kenya-based factory imports Chinese tea-making equipment free of tariffs and their tea products enjoy duty-free entry into China.

"By combining the excellent quality of Kenyan tea and Chinese tea-making techniques, we are confident about gaining a foothold in China's vast and competitive tea market," Chi said.

(Reporting by Yao Yuan, Fang Ning, Huang Zechen, Chen Chen, Zhang Yujie, Ruan Zhouwei, Liu Fangzhou and Zhang Chenguang; Video reporters: Ding Chunyu, Shi Yu, Cheng Ji'an, Dai Bin, Jiang Sai and Fan Haoyu; video editors: Yang Zhixiang, Zheng Qingbin and Liu Ruoshi) 
Similar Ordinances Protect Hotel Workers in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, and Other Cities

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, a longtime housekeeper at the Hilton Irvine filed a class action lawsuit against the hotel alleging violations of the Irvine Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance (Ordinance), which the City of Irvine adopted in November 2022. While similar ordinances have passed in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, Santa Monica, Emeryville, Glendale, West Hollywood, and Long Beach, this is the first lawsuit to be brought under the Irvine Ordinance. The workers are represented by Lauren Teukolsky of Teukolsky Law and Zoe Tucker of UNITE HERE Local 11.

The Ordinance protects Irvine hotel workers against the risk of sexual assault by implementing panic buttons and other measures, and it guarantees room attendants fair compensation when their workload exceeds proscribed limits.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that even after Irvine Hilton housekeepers experienced several incidents of threatening behavior from guests, including guests exposing their genitals and subjecting room attendants to unwanted physical contact, the hotel failed to comply with the safety provisions of the Ordinance, which went into effect in December 2022. The lawsuit alleges that the Hilton failed to provide functioning panic buttons, failed to hire 24-hour security to respond to panic button calls, delayed for months to post the required notice of the Ordinance on guest room and restroom doors, and failed to provide adequate training to workers.

The lawsuit further alleges that since the workload provisions went into effect in May 2023, Hilton has failed to pay its housekeepers double pay when their workloads exceeded the set limits, failed to keep proper workload records, failed to implement daily room cleaning, and failed to provide workers with notice of their rights under the Ordinance.

Also in May 2023, the Hilton Irvine informed its workers that it would apply to the City of Irvine to be exempted from the workload provisions of the lawsuit, citing alleged economic hardship. According to SEC filings, Hilton CEO Christopher J. Nassetta made $23,532,938 last year.

Plaintiff Diana Nufio, who has worked as a housekeeper at the Irvine Hilton for more than 11 years, said, I feel like Hilton does not think about us workers as peoplethey just think about money. But now, our hotel is asking the City for a waiver from the Ordinance, which is even more of an insult after we fought so hard for our City Council to pass these protections.

Lauren Teukolsky, who represents the workers, adds, We hope this lawsuit sends a message to all Irvine hotels that they are required to comply with the Ordinance immediately. There is no excuse for failing to protect hotel workers from the risk of sexual assault and crushing workloads.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230701244408/en/

Lauren Teukolsky, (626) 522-8982 x 101, [email protected]

Source: UNITE HERE Local 11
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Crossing The Swamp, John Shens telling of his journey from China to entrepreneurial success in America, was released Friday, June 30, to strong demand and good reviews.

John Shen is a parallel entrepreneur, launching multiple companies and driving them to success. This book shares his secrets to operating multiple complementary companies at the same time, all while telling the compelling tale of his journey from China to become a successful real estate dealer, then to his climb back to success after losing everything in the 2008 financial crisis.

Today, John Shen has ownership in and management of four companies  American Lending Center, Sunstone Management, Partake Collective and Eritage Resort. American Lending Center and Sunstone Management have both been listed for the last three years as two of the countrys fastest growing companies by Financial Times.

I have traveled an amazing journey to entrepreneurial success, John Shen said. I am a first-generation immigrant and have founded multiple startups that operate simultaneously. Going far beyond the usual model of being a solo or serial entrepreneur, I share the secret to my success as a parallel entrepreneur.

Crossing The Swamp was released Friday morning on Amazon and almost immediately was listed as a Hot New Release in the Biographies of Business Professionals category, second only to a book about Elon Musk. It also was ranked 10th on the Biographies of Business Professionals and the paperback is ranked fifth in Pacific Islander Biographies.

The books memoir elements are dramatic, with examples as of going from being a millionaire to being unwilling to spend a few dollars on a meal. They recount personal and professional setbacks with candor, covering the emotional toll that such challenges take. They also become a means by which to distill decades worth of business experiencespanning endeavors including microlending, startup accelerators, and pitch competitionsinto eight generally applicable guidelines for fellow entrepreneurs who are hoping to reach their full potential.  Joseph S. Pete, Foreword Reviews

Crossing The Swamp is available at Amazon.com as an e-book ($9.99) and in paperback ($19.95). For more about John Shen and to order the book, go to crossingtheswamp.com.

About American Lending Center: A Financial Times (FT) Americas Fastest Growing Company

American Lending Center (ALC) is a private nonbank lending institution and nationally recognized leader in small business lending. ALC has offered strategically structured senior loan products to 83 qualified projects in 19 states, contributing more than $1.2 billion to the economy and creating more than 13,000 new jobs nationwide since 2009. ALC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., doing business across the country and the world. Follow American Lending Center on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Sunstone Management

Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital management firm with headquarters in Southern California that provides a range of early-stage venture capital, real estate, and fixed income funds to qualified and accredited investors. The firm delivers new and exciting options for economic growth through innovative public-private partnerships, making use of its unique experience across government, education, and private sectors. Identified by Financial Times as one of Americas Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row. Connect with Sunstone Management at:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Crunchbase | Pitchbook

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230630668347/en/

Jennifer Huang

American Lending Center

(562) 732-0617

americanlendingcenter.com

Source: American Lending Center
Iconic labor leader Dolores Huerta joins thousands from more than 70 diverse partner organizations to protect our rights and march against hate tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale

***Watch Celebrity Ambassadors Endorse We The People: https://youtu.be/41YHO7sUAYc***

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thousands of people from across the country, outraged by mounting attacks on basic civil rights, are coming together tomorrow  Sunday July 2nd - for the We The People National March (WTPMarch.org) at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

WHAT: We The People National March (WTPMarch.org) WHEN: Sunday, July 2, 2023 8:30am  Media check-in begins Entrance of Museum of Discovery & Science, 401 SW 2nd St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 9:00am  Media Avails with program participants Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Activist

David Hogg, Parkland Survivor/Gun Control Activist

Michael Weinstein, AHF cofounder and president

Representative Anna Eskamani, State of Florida

Commissioner Steve Glassman, City of Fort Lauderdale

Nik Harris, Human Rights Campaign 10:00am  Rally/Speaking Program Esplanade Park 11:00am  March begins 12:30pm  March culminates at Esplanade Park Media Note: For security purposes, please text Imara Canady at 770-940-6555 no later than 12pm on 7/1 and indicate your Media Outlet Name, # Attending, and Contact Number. WHO: Thousands of people from across the country representing more than 70 coalition partners: Planned Parenthood, National Urban League, One Pulse Foundation, National Organization for Women, Safe Schools South Florida, Rural Women in Action, Bridge Builders Foundation, Dream Defenders, League of Women Voters, New Leaders Council, Equality Florida, Calor, Transinclusive, AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Social Change, BANS OFF Miami, South Side Help Center, The Joseph & Evelyn Lowery Institute, Decrim305, AHF, Broward Young Dems, SunServe, Thursdays Child, Dolphin Dems, SAVE.LGBT, The Pride Center, Come Out with Pride Orlando, Avanse Ansanm, Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity, Broward House, World AIDS Museum, SPARK, BLACC, Iris House, FLUX, Impulse, AID Atlanta, GLAAD, BANS OFF Miami, Anti-Defamation League-Florida, National Association of Social Workers, Keshet, Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center, 32BJ-SEIU, Moms Demand Action, SOJOURN, PFLAG Miami, Tampa Pride, Ameyal, ACQC, AOC, AIN, Afro Pride Florida, Hudson Pride Center and LOUD.

As authoritarian lawmakers and legislatures seek to criminalize immigrants, sexuality, gender expression, Blackness, homelessness, religious freedom, and the teaching of vital history, this country never has seen such a blatant abuse of power against virtually every group of people at the same time. We The People is a movement composed of advocates, mobilizers, and community leaders who are tired of being told what books they can read, what words they can or cant say, how they can express themselves, and what they can do with their own bodies. Basic constitutional rights are under attack, and We The People cannot stay silent.

In conjunction with the Ft. Lauderdale march, advocates across the nation have been hosting local companion We The People events. The following three take place tomorrow:

Sunday, July 2nd

COLUMBIA, SC: Rally and march at SC Statehouse at 11:00 am EDT

LOS ANGELES: March at Grand Park in DTLA starting at 10:00 am PDT

DALLAS: March from Oak Lawn Library at 3:00 pm CDT

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230701517575/en/

Imara Canady, AHF National Communications Director

(770) 940-6555

[email protected]

Jacki Schechner, AHF VP, Media Relations

(310) 633-0547

[email protected]

Source: We The People
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2023  Panamerican Foods, LLC, a distributor and importer of record located in Kearny, N.J., is recalling approximately 4,978 pounds of the pork and beef bean stew products that were imported from an establishment in Brazil that is not eligible to export meat products to the United States, U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The following products are subject to recall, regardless of the product date [view labels]: 430g cans containing Anglo Feijoada Pronta para servir. 430g cans containing Bordon Feijoada PRONTO PARA SERVIR. The products subject to recall bear establishment number 76 S.I.F. on the can. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide. The problem was discovered when FSIS followed up on a referral from USDAs Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program. The pork and beef bean stew products, which were imported from a Brazilian establishment not eligible to export meat products to the United States, were observed for sale in a retail store. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers pantries. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls. Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Carlos Albarracin, President of Panamerican Foods, LLC, at 917-544-8237 or email at [email protected] . Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to [email protected] . For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2023  House of Raeford, a Nesmith, S.C., establishment, is recalling approximately 76,961 pounds of corn dog products due to possible spoilage, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The mini chicken corn dogs were produced on April 24, 2023. The following product is subject to recall [view labels]: 1.83-lb. resealable bag containing FOSTER FARMS MINI CORN DOGS BITE-SIZED CHICKEN FRANKS DIPPED IN BATTER HONEY CRUNCHY FLAVOR with lot codes 123114 and 223114 and best if used by date of 4/23/24. The product subject to recall bears the establishment number P- 9136 printed on the package. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide. The problem was discovered after the firm notified FSIS that it received consumer complaints that the product had an odor, off appearance, and unpleasant taste. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls. Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Dave Witter, House of Raeford Corporate Communications Manager, at 910-282-7179 or email at [email protected] . Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to [email protected] . For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
Company reaches its goal to sign definitive acquisitions of four Maryland dispensaries prior to adult-use launch

US$8.25 million transaction expected to be immediately accretive on an EBITDA and cashflow basis

TORONTO, June 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TerrAscend Corp. ("TerrAscend" or the "Company") (CSE: TER) (OTCQX: TRSSF), a leading North American cannabis operator, today announced that it entered into a definitive agreement on June 29, 2023 to acquire Herbiculture Inc. (d/b/a Herbiculture), a medical dispensary in Maryland. With this transaction, TerrAscend will reach the four dispensary cap in the state. With the upcoming launch of adult-use on July 1, 2023, the Company believes that Herbiculture is well positioned to achieve substantial sales and profit growth. Under the terms of the agreement, TerrAscend will acquire Herbiculture for total consideration of US$8.25 million (the "Transaction"), composed of US$3.0 million in cash, with the remainder in a sellers note. The transaction, which is expected to be immediately accretive to TerrAscend on an EBITDA and cashflow basis, has already been approved by the Maryland Cannabis Administration and is expected to close in the coming days.

Located in an approximately 3,100 square foot location in Burtonsville, Herbiculture has a loyal customer base and a net revenue run rate of approximately US$4.3 million. TerrAscend expects to achieve significant sales and margin improvement at this location with the launch of adult-use and by offering a complete selection of its high-quality brands including Kind Tree, Gage, Cookies and Wana. TerrAscend's retail footprint will increase to 37 dispensaries nationwide, once closed.

Adding a fourth dispensary in Maryland is an important step in our strategy to become a market leader in the state. We anticipate that Herbiculture, combined with our other Maryland dispensaries, will drive substantial revenue growth and profitability, said Jason Wild, Executive Chairman of TerrAscend. We look forward to serving more consumers in Maryland with the start of adult-use sales in this state, and intend to utilize the same, successful strategy and business model that we built in New Jersey.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About TerrAscendTerrAscend is a leading North American cannabis operator with vertically integrated operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan and California and retail operations in Canada. TerrAscend operates The Apothecarium and Gage dispensary retail locations as well as scaled cultivation, processing, and manufacturing facilities in its core markets. TerrAscend's cultivation and manufacturing practices yield consistent, high-quality cannabis, providing industry-leading product selection to both the medical and legal adult-use markets. The Company owns several synergistic businesses and brands including Gage Cannabis, The Apothecarium, Ilera Healthcare, Kind Tree, Legend, State Flower, Wana, and Valhalla Confections. For more information visit www.terrascend.com.

Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United StatesInvestors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. Cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the US Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal under federal law in the United States to, among other things, cultivate, distribute, or possess cannabis in the United States. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the United States may form the basis for prosecution under applicable US federal money laundering legislation.

While the approach to enforcement of such laws by the federal government in the United States has trended toward non-enforcement against individuals and businesses that comply with medical or adult-use cannabis programs in states where such programs are legal, strict compliance with state laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve TerrAscend of liability under U.S. federal law, nor will it provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against TerrAscend. The enforcement of federal laws in the United States is a significant risk to the business of TerrAscend and any proceedings brought against TerrAscend thereunder may adversely affect TerrAscend's operations and financial performance.

Forward Looking InformationThis news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as, may, would, could, will, likely, expect, anticipate, believe, intend, plan, forecast, project, estimate, outlook and other similar expressions. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of managements experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances, including assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions, the current and future regulatory environment, and the availability of licenses, approvals and permits.

Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set out in Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2023.

The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether, as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

For more information regarding TerrAscend:Keith StaufferChief Financial Officer717-343-5386[email protected]

Briana ChesterMATTIO Communications424-465-4419[email protected]

Source: TerrAscend
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2023) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), a leading agriculture services and data company in North America, announces that in connection with its previously announced acquisition of Stealth Ag, Inc. ("Stealth"), as set out in its press releases of May 27, 2021 and August 30, 2021, Stealth has exceeded gross revenues of US$1,250,000 during the Second Earn Out Period (as such term is defined in the press release of the Company dated May 27, 2021). As a result of achieving this milestone, the Company is required to make a one-time payment of US$50,000 (CAD$66,275), to be satisfied through the issuance of an aggregate of 220,916 common shares ("Common Shares") in the capital of the Company at a deemed price of $0.30 per Common Share. Pursuant to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") the transaction is treated as a debt settlement and the issuance of the Common Shares remains subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. All Common Shares issued will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

In addition, the Company announced that it has granted an aggregate of 795,833 stock options (the "Options") to purchase common shares (the "Common Shares") of the Company exercisable at a price of $0.30 per Common Share and expiring on June 30, 2028, to certain directors of the Company. The common shares issuable upon exercise of the options are subject to a four-month hold period from the original date of grant.

About Deveron: Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to better manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide, and other farm inputs. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drone. Our geographic focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres are actively farmed annually.

For more information, please visit www.deveron.com.

Philip Linton

VP Corporate Development

Deveron Corp.

[email protected]

Tel: 647-622-0076

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/172116
HANGZHOU, China , July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 27, 2023 , Dr. Ji Xiaofen, Director of the China National Silk Museum, and Ms. Anna Bognar, representative of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest together with other guests co-launched a new exhibition  Silk Robes for Princes  Luxury Silks and Velvets from Hungary's Esterhazy Treasury  running from June 27 to August 21, 2023 in Hangzhou , jointly curated by the China National Silk Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest .

The exhibition is divided into three sections: "Men's garments", "Horse apparel, horse tack and weapons" and "Home furnishings", presenting 34 sets/pieces of silk costumes, bed covers, Persian tapestry, Ottoman Turkish horse accessories, jeweled ceremonial sabers, and ceremonial maces. These collections are from the Esterhazy family, a noble Hungarian family of the 16th-17th centuries, and have been on show at the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest for the last century. Thirteen of these ceremonial garments, worn by male members of the Esterhazy family, or magnificent silk garments revered as ancestral relics, were tailored from the most expensive silks, velvets and lace produced in Italy , Spain and Turkey , and decorated with pearls, turquoise and other jewels crafted by the court goldsmiths.

Apart from the delicate cultural relics from Hungary , the exhibition is also equipped with a " Magic Wall ", which allows the visitors to interactively view more details of objects and other pieces of the Hungarian museum.

Through this exhibition, the Chinese audience can gain a deeper understanding of the love that the 16th and 17th century Hungarian aristocracy had for silk, jewelry and a decadent lifestyle. Although silk originates from China , the beauty and exquisite craftsmanship of silk can be widely seen along the Silk Road and thus appreciated and shared by Eastern and Western cultures alike.

During the opening ceremony, China National Silk Museum also held the press conference for the 2023 Silk Road Week which is going to be launched on July 12 with the theme of "The Silk Roads: Long Roads, Mutual Goals". This year the guest country will be Hungary , so as well as the silk exhibition, China National Silk Museum will also bring a silk culture and costume exhibition to Hungary in October. After the opening ceremony, Mr. Zhang Chengming , Deputy Director of the China National Silk Museum, and the coordinator of the exhibition, gave a guided tour of the exhibition to the attending media.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-national-silk-museum-opens-hungarian-esterhazy-treasury-exhibition-in-hangzhou-301868530.html

SOURCE China National Silk Museum
LOS ANGELES , June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomasino Media learned last week, Congressional Recognition was received from Congressional Representative Nanette Diaz Barragan for #teamfibro, a campaign by the Veteran Voices for Fibromyalgia to work with government leaders and share education for those that suffer. The team was successful in gaining support from Governor of Colorado Jared Polis , Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine , Governor of Texas Greg Abbott , Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper , Governor of Indiana Eric Holcomb and Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski .

Kristal Kent shared with our team language from the proclamation request and outreach goals to get more supporters in various roles in our communities. "WHEREAS Fibromyalgia is a chronic-pain disorder that causes widespread body pain; affecting 3-5% of the population in the United States (Source: "Fibromyalgia - A Clinical Review" by Dr. Daniel J . Claw, April 16, 2014 ). Thus, it's estimated 11 million to 17 million Americans have Fibromyalgia.

WHEREAS in addition to chronic pain, Fibromyalgia's symptoms include moderate to severe fatigue, sleep disorders, stiffness and weakness, mobility/balance instability, headaches/migraines, numbness and tingling, nausea, vertigo and impairment of memory and concentration (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); and

WHEREAS due to interference of the internal bodily systems people living with fibromyalgia often have several co-existing medical conditions, which may include Chronic Myofascial Pain, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Raynaud's Syndrome, Interstitial Cystitis (IC), Peripheral Neuropathy, Anxiety, Depression, Chemical and Environmental Sensitivities (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)."

Kristen Thomasino is a severe Fibromyalgia recovery patient who experienced full body weakness and intense brain fog during the summer of 2019 while living in North Carolina . After seeking help from medical professionals such as neurologist Dr. Joseph Chipman, rheumatologist Dr. Charles Withers , Doctor of Physical Therapy Tatum Robinson , and others, she was able to reduce her suffering.

Kristen shared, "I swore that if I found ways to reduce my suffering that I would share my learnings and advocate for others to get access to education, goods and services that made a difference in improving my life." She added, "Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan's recognition of the work we are doing to help others who suffer with Fibromyalgia means so much to our team. I am so grateful for this opportunity and the support of my government representative."

Contact [email protected]

#socialgood #teamfibro #fibromyalgia

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/congressional-recognition-for-historic-fibromyalgia-social-good-effort-for-veterans-and-the-chronically-ill-301868455.html

SOURCE Thomasino Media LLC
Nearly 100,000 Insured Drivers, First Detroit Office, New Campaign Against Predatory Towing

DETROIT , June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CURE auto insurance celebrates its two-year anniversary since its entrance into Michigan with nearly 100,000 drivers, new jobs and a new office in The Icon building on Riverwalk. In fact, over the past 12 months, CURE has nearly doubled its number of insureds, providing an average per policy savings of 41% with some paying 80% less than they were paying with their old insurance company. Proof that the new reforms continue to make a difference, 91% of the insureds are choosing a new coverage option introduced by the new law passed in 2019.

Illustrating its commitment to Michigan , this month CURE plans to open its first office in Metro Detroit at The Icon building, 200 Walker Street . The former training center for General Motors and the United Auto Workers (UAW) will house up to 100 employees over the next two years.

Eric Poe , CEO of CURE auto insurance said, "Year two has solidified our presence here in Michigan and reaffirms what we believed from day one  the reforms were needed and really are working. Michiganders continue flocking to our website for quotes and are using the CURE app for ID cards, payments and more." Never one to settle, Poe wants to continue making a difference in the lives of residents. "Our plan was always to have an office in downtown Detroit , where 61% of our insureds live. We have now found our new home  one that will allow for growth and even more job opportunities."

Known as an advocate for fairness in car insurance rating practices, CURE CEO Eric S. Poe , Esq., CPA has now set his sights on one of the biggest problems facing Detroit residents, namely the predatory towing and storage abuse that is plaguing the city. The insurer is taking a two-fold approach to this fight  working hand-in-hand with the Detroit Police Department to establish protocols that protect drivers in need of a tow, while simultaneously taking the self-serving tow companies to court, with over 20 lawsuits in progress and counting.

"While we could not be happier with what we've accomplished in these past two years, there is still more work to do," Poe adds. "Priority one is to protect the reform law and second is to end the predatory practices of unauthorized tow companies which is why no one wants to insure drivers within Detroit. If we don't stop the abuse by several tow yards in the city, residents will go back to the highest rates in the country."

Headquartered in Princeton, N.J. , CURE auto insurance was heralded as the "cure" for the auto insurance no-fault crisis in New Jersey when it was founded in 1990. Specializing in no-fault insurance markets, CURE auto insurance insures nearly 100,000 vehicles and is licensed to do business in New Jersey , Pennsylvania and Michigan . More information can be found at cure.com or by calling 800-535-CURE.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cure-celebrates-two-years-in-michigan-301868479.html

SOURCE CURE Auto Insurance
NAIROBI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan former President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on various sides of a conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to embrace dialogue in order to achieve a lasting peace in the troubled region.

Speaking in Nairobi on Friday evening after meeting with stakeholders on the cantonment matters in North Kivu in eastern DRC, Kenyatta said "we must ensure that all parties are adequately consulted and reach an agreement regarding this crucial stage."

The former president has been facilitating the Nairobi Peace Process that focuses on ending hostilities in the DRC. He convened a consultative meeting in Nairobi which was attended by international organizations and members of the diplomatic corps, and was aimed at assisting the stakeholders in planning, organizing and reaching a consensus on how they can collectively work towards achieving the final stage of the process (cantonment) initiated during the Luanda Summit held on Nov. 23, 2022.

The cantonment is a sensitive aspect of the peace restoration process that requires transparency, open consultation and stakeholder dialogue, Kenyatta said in a statement released in Nairobi.

"It is imperative to address all necessary technical and logistical matters, including establishing open and indirect lines of dialogue and consultation with the armed groups we aim to canton," he added.

According to the statement, one of the primary objectives of the Nairobi and Luanda Peace Processes is an orderly and swift cessation of hostilities, involving the withdrawal of armed groups from their forward positions to designated locations and the systematic and organized cantonment and disarmament of the groups.

During the meeting, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC and Head of UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC, Bintou Keita, said the cantonment should be voluntary and she also reaffirmed the United Nations' unwavering support for the peace process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DRC Christophe Lutundula Apala Pene Apala said the government is committed to the peace process.

The security situation in eastern DRC has continued to deteriorate over the past three months despite a lull in armed clashes between the March 23 Movement (M23) and government forces in North Kivu province, said Martha Pobee, UN assistant secretary-general for Africa, on Monday.

Thus far, the cease-fire between the M23 rebel group and government forces has relatively held and contributed to some security gains. However, the withdrawal of M23 from the occupied areas has been piecemeal, tactical and political. The M23 still controls a large part of the Masisi and Rutshuru territories as well as the movement of people and goods in those areas, she told the UN Security Council.

Moreover, the M23's offensive repositioning in recent weeks has raised fears that hostilities could flare up again at any moment. The M23 continues to create insecurity, reportedly killing at least 47 civilians in North Kivu over the recent period, she said. 
CHANGSHA, China , June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30th , the Spanish medical skincare brand mesoestetic held an art salon to kick off its 2023 mesoestetic Road Show in China at the Xie Zilong Photography Museum in Changsha , which is one of the internet-famous cities in China . The event was supported by the leading Chinese partner for global beauty brands--S'Young International and was themed "The Element for Skincare Experts." Carles Font Martin , Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Tingting Fu , mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China , and Arantza Azparren Ardanaz , global training manager, attended the event and gave a further insight into the brand philosophy of mesoestetic.

This was also the first stop on the mesoestetic 2023 Road Show in China . The event successfully extended the passion and artistry spirits of the mesoestetic Road Show by inviting celebrities including famous actress Zhang Yanyan, key Chinese collaborators, and guests for close interaction and an in-depth experience of the brand's high-end salon and Changsha's finest art exhibitions.

The chosen venue, Xie Zilong Photography Museum, was founded by Mr. Xie Zilong , who is also well-known for establishing LBX Pharmacy, a prominent Chinese pharmacy chain. Interestingly, Mr. Xie had similar background with mesoestetic's founder, Juan Carlos Font Mas, who utilized his pharmacological knowledge to create personalized beauty skincare formulas and opened his pharmacy in Barcelona during the early 1980s. Both men share a passion for medicine, art, and antique painting collections. By selecting the Xie Zilong Photography Museum as the venue, mesoestetic aimed to evoke the warmth and artistic flair of Barcelona in Changsha , while also celebrating the harmonious blend of medicine and aesthetics.

At the event, creative non-alcoholic cocktails were introduced, featuring the brand's top health supplement products: the ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir. This art salon presents the main visuals of mesoestetic products through various art installations and was surrounded by a cappella music, providing a harmonious music and artistic experience. Additionally, mesoestetic granted awards and recognized valuable partners. The CO-CEO Carles Font Martin invited all guests to visit Spain and trace the origin of mesoestetic. The mesoestetic management and attendees also delved into insightful conversations about the brand's impressive 38-year history.

mesoestetic now operates in 109 countries and regions worldwide, providing professional beauty solutions for skincare experts. Since its cooperation with S'Young International in 2021, the brand has experienced a remarkable average annual sales growth of over 200%. Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Carles Font Martin , attributed this success to the efforts of the brand's partner in China , "This achievement wouldn't be possible without our China partner S'Young International and the efforts of everyone here. We will continue to achieve high growth this year, and I believe the Chinese market will be our next new era."

mesoestetic currently offers four major product lines: health supplements, home-use products, professional treatments, and aesthetic medicines. The highly sought-after ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir, are two best sellers in mesoestetic's health supplement line. While the Ha Densimatrix, a popular moisturising solution that allows reducing and correcting imperfections caused by aging, stands out from the home-use line. For beauty industry professionals, mesoestetic also offers a range of solutions, such as the age element, a topical antiaging treatment based on epigenetics that combines a professional treatment and a home treatment suited to the needs of each customer.

During the event, Tingting Fu , mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China , has also shared the plans to further promote brand awareness and reputation in the region. The brand will be focusing on various efforts, including collaborating with celebrities, obtaining efficacy test results from professional institutions, deepening market penetration by working with over 4,500 influencers, introducing new products to the region, and implementing offline skincare services. By implementing these strategies, mesoestetic aims to further strengthen its presence in Greater China .

About mesoestetic

mesoestetic is dedicated to providing exquisite elements for skincare experts, emphasizing on offering scientific, rigorous, and effective solutions. The brand's customized, professional, and innovative product formulas have gained popularity in the market, positioning it as a trailblazer in Spanish medical beauty.

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SOURCE S'Young International
ARLINGTON, Texas , July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Van Marcke's Ace Hardware is delighted to announce the Flavor Fest 4th Of July BBQ Party, a festive gathering that will bring the community together in a sizzling celebration of grilling delights. Join us on Saturday, July 1, 2023 , from 11 am to 2 pm at Van Marcke's Ace Hardware located at 715 W Lamar Blvd , Arlington, TX 76012, for an afternoon of live grilling demos, food tasting, deals, and more!.

The Flavor Fest 4th Of July BBQ Party will showcase premier grill brands such as Big Green Egg, Weber, Traeger, and Blackstone. Expert grill masters will host demonstrations, offering valuable insights and tips on the art of outdoor cooking. Attendees will have the opportunity to indulge in samples that embody the delicious possibilities of grilling.

This event aims to foster a sense of community while highlighting Van Marcke's Ace Hardware's commitment to providing the best hardware store experience. Join us for an afternoon of fun-filled outdoor cooking.

Registration for the Flavor Fest 4th Of July BBQ Party is not required, but more information can be found at vmts.com/events.

Join us on July 1st at Van Marcke's Ace Hardware for the Flavor Fest 4th Of July BBQ Party, and let's celebrate the spirit of community and the flavors of grilling!

About Van Marcke's Ace Hardware: Van Marcke's Ace Hardware is a leading provider of high-quality hardware supplies in Arlington, TX. Committed to delivering exceptional customer service and expert knowledge, Van Marcke's Ace Hardware strives to be the community's premier destination for all grilling and household needs.

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SOURCE Van Marcke's Ace Hardware
BEIJING , June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily: Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 28 sent a congratulatory letter to a forum on people-to-people friendship between China and the United States .

The event, titled "Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum," is being held in Fuzhou , southeast China's Fujian province.

In the letter, Xi said that back in 1992, he invited Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to Kuliang, helping her fulfill the wish of her late husband to return to his childhood home. In the following 30 years and more, members of the Kuliang Friends and people from various sectors of both countries have delved deep into the history of this town, actively spread its culture, and worked tirelessly to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

Kuliang is where a touching story of China - U.S. friendship happened.

In 1901, Milton Gardner , born in the United States , came to live in Fuzhou with his parents when he was still in his infancy, and his whole family moved back to the United States in 1911. Gardner had been longing for revisiting his childhood home, but had never been able to make his wish fulfilled.

Gardner's story was told by an article published on People's Daily on April 1992 . In 2012, when visiting the United States as China's vice president, Xi shared the Kuliang story with the audience at a welcome luncheon held by American friendly groups, drawing warm response from all sectors in the two countries.

Amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of its growth, Xi said. "I hope that you will continue to write the Kuliang story and carry forward the special bonds, so that the friendship between our two peoples can stay forever strong and robust like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang."

Lee Gardner is a grandnephew of Milton Gardner . Though the man, in his seventies, is physically challenged, he still came to China to join the forum this time. It marked his fourth time returning to Kuliang.

Lee Gardner's grandfather and father were all born in Fuzhou . This time, he returned to Kuliang wearing a tie in "Chinese red."

Opening an album of his family, Lee Gardner told People's Daily that his entire family is grateful to Xi, and the Chinese President's efforts to help an American senior fulfill his wish have touched many people in the United States .

Elyn Maclnnis, is the Lead Researcher of the Kuliang Tourism and Culture Research Association. Her husband Peter MacInnis was born in China , and her father-in-law Donald MacInnis was once a member of the Flying Tigers, a formidable group of volunteer fighter pilots who helped China fight the Japanese invasion.

After hearing the letter from Xi at the forum, Elyn Maclnnis noted that the three generations of her family all have a bond with China and love the country very much.

In 2015, the woman started studying the history and culture of Kuliang through conversations with the members of Kuliang Friends. In her point of view, the Kuliang story mirrors the peace and friendship carried by this piece of land.

"Thanks to the efforts of President Xi , the Kuliang story of China - U.S. friendship is known to the world. The article was published on April 8, 1992 , and me and Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner arrived in Fuzhou on August 21 . This was organized by President Xi . He is as easy-going as family," said Liu Zhonghan, author of the 1992 People's Daily article.

He said that the forum, which was joined by many from the United States , reflected the people-to-people friendship between the two countries.

Currently, the international community is generally concerned about today's U.S. - China relations, and it's more important than ever for the two countries to inherit their friendship, transcend disputes, find common value and establish a heart-to-heart bond, said Luca Barone , who received Xi when the latter visited Iowa in 1985 as the party secretary of Zhengding county in China's northern province of Hebei .

Barone noted that the Kuliang story is inspiring and shows what true friendship is.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn , chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told People's Daily that non-governmental friendship is a foundation on which different countries enhance mutual understanding, expand consensus and strengthen friendliness.

Xi's congratulatory letter is of vital significance for the United States and China to get rid of the difficulties in their relations and restart communication in all fields, Kuhn said, adding that it demonstrates China's sincerity in developing China - U.S. relations and commitment to cooperation.

Kuhn hopes that the people-to-people friendship between the United States and China can be passed down from generation to generation and help the two countries improve their relations.

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SOURCE People's Daily
FILE PHOTO: Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged the Netherlands to not hinder bilateral cooperation in the semiconductor industry and to not abuse export controls, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

The statement was made in response to questions from the media, it said. It also said the two countries have communicated frequently and at various levels on the topic.

The Dutch government on Friday announced new restrictions on exports of some semiconductor equipment, boosting a U.S.-led drive to curb supplies of high-tech components to China.

(Reporting by Sophie Yu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA Director William Burns called Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin after last week's aborted mutiny in Russia to assure the Kremlin that the United States had no role in it, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Burns' phone call with Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, took place this week and was the highest-level contact between the two governments since the attempted mutiny, the Wall Street Journal said.

The boss of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, shocked the world by leading last week's armed revolt, only to abruptly call it off as his fighters approached Moscow.

President Joe Biden said on Monday the brief uprising by Russian mercenaries against the Kremlin was part of a struggle within the Russian system and that the United States and its allies were not involved in it.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jasper Ward)
By Abhirup Roy

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A group of EV charger makers and operators is pushing back against Texas' plan to mandate the inclusion of Tesla technology in charging stations, saying it is "premature," according to a document seen by Reuters and a source aware of the matter.

Reuters reported last week that Texas would require charging companies to include both Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) as well as the nationally recognized rival Combined Charging Standard (CCS) technology to be eligible for a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars.

Washington followed suit, and standards organization SAE International has said it aims to make an industry standard configuration of Tesla's charging connector in six months or less, adding momentum to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's hope of making NACS the national charging technology.

But five electric vehicle charging companies, including operator ChargePoint Holdings and manufacturer ABB, and a clean energy association have written to the Texas Transportation Commission, calling for more time to re-engineer and test Tesla's connectors.

Texas' plan "risks the successful deployment" of the first phase of federal funds being rolled out, they said in the letter sent to the chairman of the commission on Thursday, which was seen by Reuters.

"Time is needed to properly standardize, test, and certify the safety and interoperability of Tesla connectors across the industry," they said.

The source directly aware of the matter told Reuters that some of these organizations are planning to reach out to the federal government with the issue soon.

The Texas Department of Transportation, ChargePoint, ABB and other signatories FreeWire, EVBox and FLO did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Another signatory, Americans for Affordable Clean Energy, an association of truck stops and convenience stores, could not be reached immediately.

Tesla, the dominant EV maker in the United States, has scored a string of victories for its charging technology in recent weeks, starting with Ford Motor saying it would adopt NACS. General Motors, Rivian Automotive and a raft of auto and charging companies did the same, on concerns of losing out on customers if they offer only CCS.

Tesla's Superchargers account for about 60% of the total number of fast chargers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and the deals will allow non-Tesla users to use the company's large charging network.

But concerns remain about how smoothly the two charging standards would talk to each other and whether having both standards in the market would raise costs for vendors and customers.

Charging companies have to re-work several aspects of NACS connectors, including extending the cable length and ensuring adequate temperature ranges, as well as get certifications for specific parts, the companies said in the letter.

The companies also highlighted the need for a strong supply chain of NACS cables and connectors that comply with the requirements.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Leslie Adler)
By Alexander Tanas

CHISINAU (Reuters) - The chief suspect in a shootout in Moldova's main international airport remained in a coma on Saturday and was wanted in his native Tajikistan in connection with the abduction of a bank officer, Moldovan authorities said.

The 43-year-old man grabbed a gun and shot dead two security officers and wounded a civilian on Friday after being denied entry to ex-Soviet Moldova, they said.

Acting Chief Prosecutor Ion Musteata said the suspect, who seized a gun from a security officer, remained unconscious after being wounded in the exchange of fire while being led away to an area for a flight back to Istanbul, from where he had arrived.

Moldovan politician Dragos Galbur said on social media on Friday that the suspect had received some 10 gunshot wounds and had undergone surgery.

Officials said he became agitated while being questioned over his reasons for visiting Moldova. He briefly took hostages before being apprehended.

Musteata said the suspect would be tried in Moldova and face an aggravated murder charge "if he survives". He said initial suppositions that the incident was a "terrorist act" had been abandoned.

A statement issued by prosecutors in Tajikistan, also an ex-Soviet state and located in Central Asia, said the suspect was wanted in connection with the abduction of a bank officer in the capital Dushanbe last month.

Officials said the Chisinau airport, now used frequently by Ukrainian passengers because of Russia's 16-month invasion of their country, was back to normal operations.

Moldova, lying between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, has been severely buffeted by the war in Ukraine. President Maia Sandu has denounced Russia's invasion and set EU membership of her country as the top foreign policy priority.

(Edited by Ron Popeski; Editing by David Gregorio)
(Reuters) - Rossiya Airlines, part of Russia's Aeroflot group, on Saturday resumed scheduled flights to Cuba, which had been suspended since Western countries shut Russia out of their airspace in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

The first flight of what will begin as a twice-weekly service took off for the Cuban resort of Varadero from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Saturday, Aeroflot said.

Russian airlines suspended flights to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on Feb. 28 last year, four days after the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

The deputy prime minister for tourism, sport, culture and communications, Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced in May that regular flights to Cuba skirting the airspace of "unfriendly" countries would resume by July.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria said it repelled a missile salvo on Sunday from Israel, where police reported that remnants of a Syrian anti-aircraft missile struck a remote town without causing injuries.

Israel has in recent months intensified strikes on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt Iran's increasing use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to allies in Syria and Lebanon, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Syrian state media said air defences intercepted Israeli missiles across central parts of the country, downing most of them. A Syrian army statement said missiles that flew over parts of Lebanon's capital Beirut hit locations in the vicinity of the city of Homs, resulting only in material damage.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

An Israeli military spokesperson said warplanes struck targets including a Syrian air defence battery from which an anti-aircraft missile was launched towards Israel.

After a mid-air explosion heard across Israel, remnants of the Syrian missile landed in Rahat, a town some 180 km (110 miles) south of the armistice line between the countries, Israeli police said. There was no word of any casualties.

Local media showed what appeared to be the blackened front end of a large missile, standing upright in an open area among residential buildings, and tail-fins in a field.

The Israeli military said its warplanes were unscathed.

The Israeli strikes are part of an escalation of what has been a low-intensity conflict continuing for years with a goal of slowing Iran's growing entrenchment in Syria, Israeli military experts say.

Tehran's influence has grown in Syria since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

Fighters allied to Iran, including Hezbollah, now hold sway in areas in eastern, southern and northwestern Syria and in several suburbs around the capital.

(This story has been refiled to correct capitalisation of 'it' in the headline)

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman and Moaz Abd-Alaziz in Cairo; Editing by David Gregorio, Daniel Wallis and William Mallard)
(Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is planning a deal with Italy to stem the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and return them to North Africa, the Telegraph reported on Friday.

Sunak had sent Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Simon Case to Italy in mid-June for two days of meetings with top Italian government officials to work on a deal, the newspaper reported. A government source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that Case was in Italy, without providing any additional details.

"If we are going to be successful in tackling illegal migration we have got to deal with the issue at source as well as focus on small boats," the Telegraph quoted a government source as saying.

The UK and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April to tackle illegal migration under "Strategic Migration Partnership."

"We are cooperating closely with Italy and other European partners to stem illegal migration and tackle people-smuggling gangs which operate cross-border," a UK government spokesperson said. "This is a shared challenge."

Britain had a record 45,000 people coming to the country in small boats across the Channel last year, mainly from France, according to government figures. More than 11,000 have arrived so far this year, according to the government.

Sunak of the Conservative Party has made stopping boat arrivals one of his top five priorities. He has been criticised by some members of his own party and the public for not moving quickly enough to crack down on irregular migration.

(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru and Alistair Smout in London; editing by Grant McCool and Louise Heavens)
Chen Mingjian, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, addresses the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 1, 2023. The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary. Government officials, Chinese diplomats in Tanzania, representatives from Confucius institutes and Chinese companies in the country attended the ceremony. They also took part in a symposium on Chinese education in Africa. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Government officials, Chinese diplomats in Tanzania, representatives from Confucius institutes and Chinese companies in the country attended a ceremony held in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in the East African country. They also took part in a symposium on Chinese education in Africa.

Kenneth Hosea, director of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, commended the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam for the accomplishments it has made in promoting mutual understanding of friendly cooperation between China and Tanzania.

Speaking on behalf of the minister, Hosea said the institute has been instrumental in offering cultural exchanges and Chinese language learning as an effective approach to the further development of China-Tanzania ties.

"The directors of the Confucius Institutes are working hard to ensure that Tanzanian youth learn the Chinese language so as to improve their competitiveness in both future career development and self-development," Hosea said.

Bernadeta Killian, acting vice chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, said the university was resuming offering Bachelor of Arts with Education (Chinese and English) to students who will later teach the Chinese language in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania.

Chen Mingjian, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said so far the Confucius Institute has trained nearly 50,000 Chinese learners in Tanzania, providing opportunities for students who want to learn Chinese.

Chen said the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam has also helped nearly 100 students to apply for scholarship, providing them with the opportunity to study in China.

During its 10 years in Tanzania, the institute has organized a total of 244 students to participate in Chinese summer camps for college and secondary school students, she said.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam was established in 2013 under an agreement between the University of Dar es Salaam, the Chinese International Education Foundation and Zhejiang Normal University.

The vision of the Confucius Institute is to be one of the leading Chinese language training and testing centers, as well as one of the best Chinese cultural and academic exchange centers in Africa. 

Students perform a lion dance at the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 1, 2023. The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary. Government officials, Chinese diplomats in Tanzania, representatives from Confucius institutes and Chinese companies in the country attended the ceremony. They also took part in a symposium on Chinese education in Africa. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Tanzanian teachers sing a Chinese song at the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 1, 2023. The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary. Government officials, Chinese diplomats in Tanzania, representatives from Confucius institutes and Chinese companies in the country attended the ceremony. They also took part in a symposium on Chinese education in Africa. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Bernadeta Killian, acting vice chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, addresses the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 1, 2023. The Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday celebrated its 10th anniversary. Government officials, Chinese diplomats in Tanzania, representatives from Confucius institutes and Chinese companies in the country attended the ceremony. They also took part in a symposium on Chinese education in Africa. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)
Rome, N.Y. (Tribune News Service)  A B-52 Stratofortress returned to the skies over central New York this week, 29 years after the last of the mighty bombers departed the region before the closing of Griffiss Air Force Base.

The massive eight-engine plane from the 343rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana spent a week flying out of what is now Griffiss International Airport in the Oneida County city of Rome. It was all part of an exercise to train airmen to perform combat operations in unfamiliar locations with limited resources.

The bomber arrived at the former Strategic Air Command base on June 23 and returned to Louisiana on Friday.

Three five-person flight crews took turns flying the bomber from Griffiss to the Adirondacks and Fort Drum Army Base and practiced mid-air refueling with a KC-135 tanker from the 328th Refueling Squadron out of Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

In wartime, the Air Force wants to be able to shift its airpower from large, centralized bases to networks of smaller, dispersed locations to complicate an adversarys war planning. Thats why the weeklong training exercise was conducted out of Griffiss, which is no longer a military installation.

Its a new set of tactics, techniques and procedures that allows us to go to unfamiliar and maybe even unexpected locations with a small footprint of people and operate in a combat environment, said Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Greg Watson, commander of the 343rd Bomb Squadron.

B-52s had not flown out of Griffiss since the last one departed on Nov. 15, 1994, the year before the base closed. The former base, now owned by the county, operates as a public airport and business park.

Watson said its 11,820-foot runway has been well maintained. And he noted the county has kept the runway 200 feet wide, ideal for the B-52 and its 185-foot wingspan. In contrast, the runways at Syracuse Hancock International Airport and most other commercial airports are 150 feet wide, making them unsuitable for the B-52.

A runway of this size, with it being a retired SAC installation, its still a very useful asset for an exercise of this nature, said Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Ryan Mowers, commander of the 328th Refueling Squadron.

Designed in the late 1940s, the B-52 has been a mainstay of the Air Forces fleet since it first entered service in 1955, and the Air Force expects to keep flying them into the 2050s.

The long-range bomber has seen action in all the nations wars since Vietnam, its huge belly capable of carrying up to 60,000 pounds of conventional or nuclear bombs or up to 20 cruise missiles. Its crews affectionately call it the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow, though the last word is often substituted for a different one).

The B-52 that flew out of Griffiss this week was built in 1961, making it 62 years old  12 years older than Watson.

It was designed very robust, built to last and has been constantly maintained and upgraded, he said. And because it is such a large, robustly built design, it lends itself to new things. So, as new technology comes along and new weapons, its not difficult to integrate those onto the airplane.

Theres nothing stealthy about a B-52, and its return to central New York did not go unnoticed.

Weve been staying at one of the local hotels for the week and weve been out and about, and people have been asking a lot of questions, Watson said. I think theres a level of excitement in the town, a place that had B-52s for so long.

Will the bomber make more visits in the future?

Weve been getting that question a lot, he said. I will tell you that, from our experience here this week, we want to continue this. I dont know a timeline for that. I make no promises. But we have certainly validated that this location is ideal for our training.

2023 Advance Local Media LLC.

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(Tribune News Service)  First Lady Jill Biden, a long-time advocate for military families, spoke to the graduating class of Marines at U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Port Royal Friday  the first time in 37 years that a major political figure has visited the South Carolina base, which trains all Marines east of the Mississippi River.

The first lady also served as the parade review official over the graduation ceremony and watched as 199 Marines in Fox Company, 2nd Battalion marched in front of her while families seated in bleachers behind her cheered. Retired officers or congressman typically fill the ceremonial position.

Wearing a colorful dress with vibrant pink flowers, Biden entered the parade deck bleachers and was seated next to Brigadier General Walker Field as the band played military standards complete with the ceremonial drums. The band also added "Amazing Grace" to the performance.

Biden's visit to Parris Island comes on the 50th anniversary of the nation's all-volunteer force and the end of the draft in 1973. Since the end of military conscription, 11 million have joined as active-duty service members with more than 1.5 million men and women serving today across the U.S. Armed Forces.

The choice of service to country, Biden said, is a sacred one.

"Thank you," Biden told the Marines. "I hope you are proud because we are  your instructors, your families and your Commander in Chief.

About 20,000 recruits come to Parris Island annually for the chance to become Marines by enduring the strenuous 13-week physical and mental program. Along with San Diego, it's one of two Marine Corps basic recruit training facilities in the country.

The South Carolina visit also was part of First Lady Jill Biden's a White House initiative called Joining Forces, to support those who also serve: military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. First Lady Michelle Obama and then Second Lady Jill Biden launched the program in 2011.

Dr. Biden, 72, the wife of President Joe Biden, has traveled to more than two dozen bases since the Biden Administration took office in January 2021 but this was the first time she's reviewed troops in any military branch.

And her visit to Parris Island was the first time an occupant of the White House has stepped foot on Parris Island since 1986, when President Ronald Reagan flew in on a helicopter and spoke to Marines at Leatherneck Square, said Bobby Yarbrough, a chief warrant officer and a Parris Island spokesman.

An estimated 1,800 to 2,000 people attended Friday's graduation, most of them family members eager to see their sons and daughters. The first lady was a bonus.

"It truly means a lot to me for her to come to my graduation," Puissance Landou said.

A joyous Landou was celebrating with his family  including his brother, Rocher Landou. The 20-year-old twins both graduated in Friday's ceremony. Now these two immigrants from the Congo are U.S. marines.

Rocher considers the chance to become a Marine an awesome opportunity. Few people can do it, he said. Just one percent, Puissance chimed in, adding that he'll carry the honor of being a Marine with him for the rest of his life. He's thankful, Puissance said, for the kind words of the first lady and said she's helped out the Marines and other military branches.

Immediately after the ceremony in the soupy South Carolina heat concluded, Biden was whisked away to a waiting motorcade before boarding Air Force Two to return to Washington, D.C.

Biden arrived at Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort at 4:30 p.m. Thursday where she was greeted by Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray and his family and Col. Karl Arbogast, the base commander, and Sgt. Major Bryan Alfaro, the senior enlisted Marine.

She then went to Hilton Head Island, where she enjoyed a meal at an island restaurant that White House Spokesperson Beibhinn Steiner declined to identify but noted, "it had a view of the ocean."

Biden also spent the night at a hotel on Hilton Head but the location was also not disclosed.

"Good morning Marines," Biden told the graduates when she took the podium to polite applause.

"Good morning ma'am," boomed 199 Marines in unison.

"I love that," Biden said to chuckles from the audience.

Biden's father, Donald Jacobs, joined the Navy three months after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Biden said.

His service defined his life and hers growing up in suburban Philadelphia. But she didn't fully understand the sacrifice until her son, Beau Biden, enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Beau Biden was a major in the Delaware Army National Guard and served in the Iraq War. He died of brain cancer in 2015.

Beau's wife, Hallie, served in her own way, Biden said. Their two children also had to adapt when he was deployed to Iraq. Families answer the call of duty, which is why she advocates for the Joining Forces initiative, she said.

Through the Join Forces program, Biden has advocated for increased economic opportunities for military spouses and additional educational programming for children.

"God bless you and your families," said Biden, adding, "Semper Fi," echoing the Marine motto that is Latin for "always faithful."

Update: Shortly after the story was published online, a correction was made to reflect that the Joining Forces Initiative was launched by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden in 2011.

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(Tribune News Service)  Thats the sound of freedom, Tonya Murphy shouted, looking to the sky as a fixed-wing Naval aircraft flew overhead.

A Navy wife of 20 years and counting, Murphy has embraced military life  the ups, the downs and the upside downs, Murphy said with a laugh.

Murphy was selected as the 2023 Navy Spouse of the Year by the Armed Forces Insurance program. Her husband, Cmdr. Scotty Murphy, serves as Submarine Squadron 6s Deputy for Readiness at Naval Station Norfolk.

I love getting to represent the base. But representing the entire Navy  there are so many phenomenal spouses out there that are doing absolutely amazing things. There are moments when I am like, What am I doing that is any more ahhhhh than what they are doing, Murphy said, mimicking an angelic chorus.

Murphy has supported her husband through 11 permanent changes of duty stations and three sea tours, which took their family of five twice to Norfolk and Connecticut, as well as to Guam and Naples, Italy.

The foundation for being a Navy spouse is being flexible things are written in sand and jello. You have to be able to deal with plans A and B and Y and Z, Murphy said.

Murphy was nominated by an Army spouse she met in Guam.

Tonya is a natural leader and connector of people, effortlessly advocating for causes and staying true to herself while growing professionally, managing her family, and bettering every room she enters. Her heart, personality, and spirit are one-of-a-kind. I have known Tonya for nearly two decades and wish that every military spouse could have a Tonya in their life, said Bana Miller in her nomination letter.

Murphy has served as a family readiness group officer, on a command support team, as a COMPASS mentor, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society volunteer, and been an advocate within the Military Child Education Coalition. Professionally, Murphy has worked at Blue Star Families as a member of their inaugural DEPLOY Fellowship class and is now working at Travis Manion Foundation, a veteran-focused nonprofit.

As the Navy Spouse of the Year, Tonya will attend town halls and speaking engagements across the country. Murphys goal while in this role, she said, is to advocate for equity across all areas of military life.

There are not a lot of Black officer spouses in the submarine force. It was not until my husbands executive officer tour  so 15 or 16 years in  that I was in a wardroom with another Black spouse. And it was so exciting, Murphy said.

When we look at our military forces, it is such a diverse group of people. And as such, we should make sure that the resources were offering, the answers were giving, and the connections were making, speaks to that diversity. Otherwise we are serving just a small portion of our community and kind of ignoring the rest, which then just leads to more of those feelings of being unseen, Murphy said.

Murphy is striving to raise awareness of how diverse military families are  from race, to culture, to socioeconomic status.

We all know the Facebook post from someone moving someplace new. They say, Hey, what is a good school, But I always ask what they mean by good because what you see as a good school may not be what I see as a good school, Murphy said.

In Murphys experience, most people respond that they are looking for schools in an affluent community, with little racial and socioeconomic diversity.

But for me, a good school is one where my kids are not the only in a class. I want them around kids with varied life experiences. I want to know they can see themselves reflected in the faculty, said Murphy, who shares three sons with her husband.

In advocating for equity, Murphy said it is important for spouses to maintain their authentic self throughout their partners military career.

In military life, it can feel like we are an afterthought. The service member is who the focus is, and the spouse and the children just the dependents, Murphy said with an eye roll. That can get hard, and I think thats where a lot of us spouses lose ourselves.

Step one in not losing yourself is having truthful conversations about your experiences, respecting the experiences of others, and rejecting toxic positivity, Murphy said.

As military spouses, we have this tendency to just paste a smile on and keep going. But you know what? Sometimes it sucks and thats okay. Sometimes you are going to cry and get angry and sometimes  because we are married to sailors, afterall  you are going to cuss it all out. But you have to acknowledge the hard to see the fullness of everyones experiences and hopefully fix the issues we struggle with, Murphy said.

Those issues, she said, are as diverse as military families, and vary according to the needs of each family. Murphy is working to expand her network to better connect military families with the resources they need.

Nobody creates growth and change alone. That is why it is so important to me that I use this not just as a platform for my passion, but as a microphone for others, so that everyone has the chance to share their stories, Murphy said.

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MOULTRIE  To many residents of South Georgia, the mention of Spence Field conjures up the sights and sounds of the annual Sunbelt Ag Expo or the bi-annual Calico Arts and Crafts show or the car show. But eighty years ago, the sights and sounds of Spence Army Airfield included planes flying overhead as thousands of young men learned to fly in preparation for serving their country in World War II. Sixty-two air cadets and instructors were killed during the four years Spence Army Airfield was operational.

In 2015, Bill McLean, an Air Force veteran and history enthusiast, began researching the number of fatal aircraft accidents at Spence Army Airfield. In 2022, McLean reached out to the John Benning Chapter, National Society Daughters of the America Revolution, an organization noted for historic preservation, education, and patriotism, to find a way to appropriately honor the service and sacrifice of these individuals.

"Most people I've talked to have no idea that 62 men died in training at Spence Field during World War II," said McLean. Because there was often an instructor flying with a cadet, several of the fatal crashes claimed two lives. In fact, 12 of the crashes involved two or more victims. The final crash was on June 6, 1945, when a mid-air collision of two planes killed four men.

McLean researched the Moultrie Observer's digitized archives for copies of articles reporting each crash and located articles for all but three pilots who lost their lives in crashes at Eglin Field in Florida where Spence cadets took gunnery training. In addition, McLean has researched all 62 names through the Library of Congress records.

Using extensive genealogy and research skills, McLean and DAR members have located family members of all 62 pilots, according to the DAR chapter.

"Most of these young men were 19-20 years old and not married," said Jean Gay, one of the DAR members working on this project. "They didn't have children, so we had to look for their siblings or their siblings' children. The cadets were from 30 states and, of course, people moved around a lot over 80 years. Finding this many families is quite remarkable."

McLean and the John Benning Chapter NSDAR along with the City of Moultrie and the Colquitt County Commission have commissioned a marker bearing the 62 names and commemorating the role Spence Army Airfield played during World War II.

A ceremony to dedicate the marker is planned for Sept. 26 with appropriate military honors. Descendants of all the families have been invited to the marker dedication ceremony with several indicating they will attend. The community is also invited to attend the dedication. Details of the dedication will be announced later.

Nearly 6,000 pilots trained at Spence Army Airfield between the start of training in Nov. 15, 1941, and the base's transfer to temporary inactive status on Nov. 30, 1945.

From 1951-1961, the airfield was used by Hawthorne Aeronautics, who was contracted with the Air Force to train pilots, but the memorial is dedicated only to those who died during the war years.

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WASHINGTON  A formal investigation into a U.S. drone strike nearly two months ago in Syria that might have killed a civilian was launched last week, according to U.S. Central Command.

The investigation team, led by a general officer, and comprised of subject matter experts from across CENTCOM will ascertain facts regarding pre-strike, conduct of the strike, and post-strike actions, Maj. John Moore, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in a statement.

CENTCOM originally claimed a drone strike that took place May 3 killed an influential al-Qaida leader. Officials walked back the claim after The Washington Post reported a civilian was killed by a U.S. missile while tending to his sheep.

Lotfi Hassan Masto, 56, whose family identified him as the victim of a Hellfire missile attack, was a former bricklayer who lived quietly in Qorqanya in northwest Syria, according to the Post report.

In August 2022, a year after U.S. forces killed seven children and three adults in an airstrike in Afghanistan, the Pentagon unveiled plans of establishing the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan aimed at reducing civilian casualties during American military operations.

The protection of civilians is a strategic priority as well as a moral imperative, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the time. Our efforts to mitigate and respond to civilian harm directly reflect our values and also directly contribute to achieving mission success.
PHNOM PENH, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Political parties in Cambodia began on Saturday a three-week campaign for the general election scheduled to be held on July 23.

Eighteen political parties will contest in the forthcoming election for the 125-seat National Assembly, which will see more than 9.7 million people cast their ballots, according to the National Election Committee (NEC).

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), attended a rally held at the Diamond Island in capital Phnom Penh.

Addressing the rally, Hun Sen said the forthcoming election is a historical and important political event for the country, and that the CPP has approved its support for his re-election.

Hun Sen said the party's political program for 2023-2028 was designed to ensure the protection of peace and sustainability on the path of development and improvement of people's livelihood towards realizing Cambodia's vision of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.

He also promised the expansion of free health care for vulnerable people and free vocational and technical training for young people from poor and vulnerable families.

He added that the CPP will continue to build the friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and all countries, contributing to peace, stability, security, cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world, while opposing all forms of external interference.

The CPP has ruled the Southeast Asian country since 1979. In the last general election in 2018, the CPP won all 125 seats in the National Assembly.

On the opening day of the election campaign, other political parties including the Khmer National United Party and the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party also held rallies in other parts of the capital city.

The royalist Funcinpec Party will hold a rally with thousands of supporters in Phnom Penh on Sunday, according to the NEC.

The election campaign will last until July 21. 
The Proud Boys organization must pay more than $1 million to a historic Black church in D.C. after a judge determined members of the group damaged a Black Lives Matter sign displayed on the building's front lawn in 2020.

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church sued the Proud Boys International LLC in 2021 after alleging members of the group vandalized the church's sign during a march in December 2020 and subsequently left threatening messages on the church's voice mail.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz ruled that the Dec. 12, 2020, rally by hundreds of Proud Boys members and supporters following President Donald Trump's failed reelection bid was an "attack" on Metropolitan AME Church that "resulted from a highly orchestrated set of events focused on the Proud Boys's guiding principles: white supremacy and violence." In the 34-page ruling, the judge ordered the Proud Boys to pay the church $1.03 million.

During multiple hearings, members of the church, including Metropolitan's pastor, the Rev. William H. Lamar IV, testified that several members of the Proud Boys tore down and destroyed the Black Lives Matter sign the church had erected in June 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police.

The church, which opened its doors in the late 1800s and is located at 15th and M streets in Northwest Washington, sought damages to replace the sign and to cover additional security that church officials said was needed since the incident.

In 2022, Metropolitan filed an amended complaint against the Proud Boys and identified the group's leaders, including Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, the group's then-chairman, as well as John Turano, Ethan Nordean, Joseph R. Biggs and Jeremy Bertino as co-defendants.

None of the co-defendants appeared in court regarding the lawsuit. Judgment against Nordean was delayed after his wife said he wanted time to respond.

Tarrio, Biggs and Nordean were found guilty at trial of seditious conspiracy and multiple other felonies, including obstructing Congress related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Bertino, who testified against them, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy last year. Biggs, Nordean and Tarrio have been incarcerated since their arrests. They are scheduled to be sentenced later this year. Bertino is also awaiting sentencing but is out on supervised release.

Lawyers for Biggs, Bertino and Tarrio did not immediately respond Friday. Turano is not publicly charged with any crime. He could not be reached Friday evening.

Tarrio claimed responsibility for burning a Black Lives Matter banner from another D.C. church that same night and was arrested when he arrived in D.C. on Jan. 4, 2021. Federal prosecutors said that incident helped explain why the Proud Boys turned on police two days later. Tarrio was ultimately sentenced in D.C. Superior Court to five months in jail.

"The ultimate goal of this lawsuit was not monetary windfall, but to stop the Proud Boys from being able to act with impunity, without fear of consequences for their actions. And that's exactly what we accomplished," said Arthur Ago, director the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law that represented the church.

The Proud Boys is registered in Texas as a limited liability company with more than 22,000 members as of 2020, the judge wrote in his ruling. Kravitz said the group has "demonstrated considerable prowess" to support itself raising money through fundraising.

Kravitz wrote the Proud Boys in the fall of 2020 "reached a new level of prominence" when Trump referenced the group during his first national debate during the general election campaign. Asked to condemn white supremacists, Trump stated instead, "Proud Boys - stand back and stand by." The judge wrote that the group then saw a "spike" in recruits.

The vandalism, church officials said, harked back to threats made against Black churches in the 1800s by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.

The judge said that replacing the sign and protecting the church cost only $36,626.78. "But compensatory damages alone will not address the defendants' reprehensible conduct or the extraordinary emotional trauma suffered by the church and its congregants," he wrote. "To the members of the church, the burning of the Black Lives Matter sign represented a complete negation of their right to worship as they please and, more fundamentally, to participate fully in the life of the community - and forced them to harken back to the long and painful history of white supremacists committing wanton acts of violence against Black churches."

A follow-up hearing in the case has been set for August.
In a phone call in late 2020, President Donald Trump tried to pressure Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Ariz., to overturn the state's presidential election results, saying that if enough fraudulent votes could be found it would overcome Trump's narrow loss in Arizona, according to three people familiar with the call.

Trump also repeatedly asked Vice President Mike Pence to call Ducey and prod him to find the evidence to substantiate Trump's claims of fraud, according to two of these people. Pence called Ducey several times to discuss the election, they said, though he did not follow Trump's directions to pressure the governor.

The extent of Trump's efforts to cajole Ducey into helping him stay in power have not before been reported, even as other efforts by Trump's lawyer and allies to pressure Arizona officials have been made public. Ducey told reporters in December 2020 that he and Trump had spoken, but he declined to disclose the contents of the call then or in the more than two years since. Although he disagreed with Trump about the outcome of the election, Ducey has sought to avoid a public battle with Trump.

Ducey described the "pressure" he was under after Trump's loss to a prominent Republican donor over a meal in Arizona earlier this year, according to the donor, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The account was confirmed by others aware of the call. Ducey told the donor he was surprised that special counsel Jack Smith's team had not inquired about his phone calls with Trump and Pence as part of the Justice Department's investigation into the former president's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, the donor said.

Ducey did not record the call, people familiar with the matter said.

Now out of public office, the former governor declined through a spokesman to answer specific questions about his interactions with Trump and his administration.

"This is neither new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years," spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said in a statement. "Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona's 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward. The Governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear view mirror."

A spokesman for Trump declined to respond to questions about the call with Ducey and instead falsely declared in a statement that "the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and stolen." The spokesman said Trump should be credited for "doing the right thing - working to make sure that all the fraud was investigated and dealt with."

It is unclear if Ducey has been contacted by Smith's office since meeting with the donor. Investigators in the special counsel's office have asked witnesses about Trump's calls with governors, including the one to Ducey, according to two people familiar with the matter. It is unclear if prosecutors plan to eventually bring charges or how the calls figure into their investigation. Prosecutors have also shown interest in Trump's efforts to conscript Pence into helping him, according to witnesses and subpoenas previously reviewed by The Washington Post.

Trump phoned the governor's cellphone on Nov. 30, 2020, as Ducey was in the middle of signing documents certifying President Biden's win in the state during a live-streamed video ceremony. Trump's outreach was immediately clear to those watching. They heard "Hail to the Chief" play on the governor's ringtone. Ducey pulled his phone from out of his suit jacket, muted the incoming call and put his phone aside. On Dec. 2, he told reporters he spoke to the president after the ceremony, but he declined to fully detail the nature of the conversation. Ducey said the president had "an inquisitive mind" but did not ask the governor to withhold his signature certifying the election results.

But four people familiar with the call said Trump spoke specifically about his shortfall of more than 10,000 votes in Arizona and then espoused a range of false claims that would show he overwhelmingly won the election in the state and encouraged Ducey to study them. At the time, Trump's attorneys and allies spread false claims to explain his loss, including that voters who had died and noncitizens had cast ballots.

After Trump's call to Ducey, Trump directed Pence, a former governor who had known Ducey for years, to frequently check in with the governor for any progress on uncovering claims of voting improprieties, according to two people with knowledge of the effort.

Pence was expected to report back his findings and was peppered with conspiracy theories from Trump and his team, the person said. Pence did not pressure Ducey, but told him to please call if he found anything because Trump was looking for evidence, according to those familiar with the calls.

A representative for Pence declined to comment.

In each of the calls, Ducey reiterated that officials in the state had searched for alleged widespread illegal activity and followed up on every lead but had not discovered anything that would have changed the outcome of the election results, according to Ducey's recounting to the donor.

After learning that Ducey was not being supportive of his claims, Trump grew angry and publicly attacked him.

It is unclear if Ducey and Trump had additional conversations. Publicly, the governor said the state's election systems should be trusted, even as Trump and his allies sought to reverse his loss.

In Arizona, Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, called then Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers (R) on Nov. 22, 2020. They asked the speaker to convene the legislature to investigate their unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, which included that votes had been cast en masse by undocumented immigrants and in the names of deceased people. Weeks later, on Dec. 31, 2020 the White House switchboard left a message for the chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Clint Hickman, seeking to connect him with Trump. The supervisor, a Republican, did not return the call.

Trump and his allies made similar appeals to officials in Michigan and Georgia. On Jan. 2, 2021, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) and said he wanted to undo his loss there by finding additional votes. The next night, the White House switchboard left Hickman another voice mail seeking to connect him to Trump. Hickman did not call back.

Investigators with Smith's office interviewed Raffensperger this week, and they interviewed Giuliani last week. "The appearance was entirely voluntary and conducted in a professional manner," said Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman.

More than half a dozen past and current officials in Arizona contacted by Trump or his allies after his defeat have either been interviewed by Smith's team or have received grand jury subpoenas seeking records, according to four people familiar with the interviews. Those interviewed include Bowers, the former Arizona House speaker, and three current members of the governing board of Maricopa County, the largest voting jurisdiction in the state that affirmed that Biden won.

Spokespeople for Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D), told The Post this week that their offices have not received correspondence from Smith's team seeking records about the 2020 election. The Arizona Secretary of State's office received a grand jury subpoena dated Nov. 22, 2022, that sought information about communications with Trump, his campaign and his representatives, according to an official familiar with the document but not authorized to publicly speak about it.

During his time as governor, Ducey navigated a hot-and-cold relationship with Trump. Ducey, who struck a more conventional approach to governing, was slow to embrace Trump during his first bid for the White House. The two men warmed to each other, and amid the pandemic and Trump's second bid for the White House, Ducey campaigned for him.

But after Ducey certified Arizona's election results, affirming the wins of Biden and other Democrats, Trump ridiculed him on social media: "Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now . . . What is going on with @dougducey?"

That same day, allies of the president gathered in Phoenix to air unproven claims of widespread fraud and claim that state lawmakers could reject the will of voters. Giuliani attended the event, along with Republican lawmakers and activists; Trump dialed in.

The president invoked Ducey repeatedly in the days that followed, according to an archive of his tweets. On Dec. 3, Trump asked if "allowing a strong check of ballots" in Arizona would "be easier on him and the great State of Arizona." On Dec. 5, Trump wrote that Ducey and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) "fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems."

A week later, Trump attacked the men again, asking "Who is a worse governor?" He labeled them "RINO Republicans" and baselessly claimed that "They allowed states that I won easily to be stolen."

Ducey, long eyed by national Republicans as a formidable candidate for the U.S. Senate, passed on a 2024 bid after his standing with the Trump base cratered after Trump's attacks. After leaving office in January, he was a fellow at the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics at American University, where he spoke about the policies he enacted while in office. Earlier this month, Ducey announced that he is leading a free-enterprise focused political action committee, Citizens for Free Enterprise.

Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.
(Tribune News Service)  The FBI has launched a national database to track swatting incidents, a dangerous sort of prank call that has become more and more common in recent years.

Chief Scott Schubert with the bureaus Criminal Justice Information Services headquarters told NBC News that the national online database was formed in May in response to a rise in swatting incidents. The collaborative effort  supported by hundreds of police departments and law enforcement agencies nationwide  will provide the bureau with a common operating picture of whats going on across the country.

Schubert added, Were taking every step to monitor this national problem and help however we can.

It marks the first time a central agency has tracked swatting incidents.

Swatting is a form of cyber harassment that typically involves a caller alerting law enforcement to an active shooter situation or some other sort of immediate danger that does not actually exist. The goal is to illicit a large police response which often includes the arrival of a SWAT team.

Though often described as a prank call, the results can be potentially devastating.

In 2021, Tennessee man Mark Herring died of a heart attack after a horde of heavily armored law enforcement officers descended on his home. Authorities were responding to a report that Herring killed a woman on the property. He was targeted in the swatting attack over his refusal to sell his Twitter handle, @Tennessee, police said.

And years earlier, in 2017, Andrew Finch was fatally shot by a Wichita police officer, who believed Finch had shot his father and was holding his mother and younger brother hostage. Tyler Barriss, an online gaming enthusiast, made the prank call, but mistakenly gave police Finchs address thinking it belonged to a person he had feuded with over a $1 or $2 Call of Duty wager.

Celebrities like Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Tom Cruise have also been victims of swatting.

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In a statement issued by the Embassy of Russia in Islamabad, stated that, on June 24, 2023, the Russian Federation faced an attempted armed mutiny. Inflated ambitions and personal interests have led to treason against our country and our people.

It added that the Russian military leadership and armed forces remained loyal to the Constitution and valiantly performed their duty of protecting their land. The responsibility for the destiny of the Fatherland has brought our people together and played a decisive role in overcoming the challenge.

According to the statement, the entire Russian society, public organizations, religious groups and leading political parties expressed their strong support for the constitutional order. Leaders of many world countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Qatar and Iran, also showed their solidarity with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It further added, that the President of the Republic of Belarus upon agreement with the President of Russia played a mediatory role in the peaceful resolution of the situation. The valuable personal contribution of the Belarusian leader once again reaffirmed a special nature of the Russia-Belarus alliance and demonstrated the unity of the two nations in safeguarding security and stability.

It is stated that the Russian Federation stands strong as ever and remains committed to its sovereign policy aimed at strengthening international security and establishing a just multipolar world order.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari reached Tokyo today (Saturday) for a four-day visit to Japan, following an invitation from the Japanese government.

Upon his arrival, he was received by Pakistans ambassador to Japan, officials from the Japanese foreign ministry and members of the Pakistani community in Tokyo, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

Ahead of his visit, the FO said in a statement that the foreign ministers visit signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus.

During the visit, Bilawal is set to hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi. He will also be meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Also on the schedule is a meeting with Japanese National Security Adviser Takeo Akiba.

He is also expected to interact with senior officials and executives representing prominent business houses and entities related to the import of Pakistani manpower to Japan, the statement said.

Furthermore, the foreign minister will be delivering a talk at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), a think tank of Japan.

Pakistan and Japan enjoy a long-standing time-tested relationship characterised by warmth, cordiality and commonality of views on issues, the FO said.

Bilawals trip comes four days after Foreign Secretary Dr Asad Majeed Khan held Bilateral Political Consultations with his Japanese counterpart Shigeo Yamada in Tokyo on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the FO after the meeting said all interlocutors of the Japanese foreign secretary had expressed goodwill and warm wishes towards the people and government of Pakistan, underlining that the Japanese side was looking forward to the upcoming visit of the FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Diplomatic ties between Japan and Pakistan were established in April 1952, and in October 2019 when President Arif Alvi attended the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo, according to the FO website.

Earlier that year, then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had also visited Japan and both sides had agreed on exploring the possibility of cooperation in human resource development, IT, tourism, and automobile sectors.

In 2011, the then president Asif Ali Zardari, had also visited Japan. During the trip, the two countries had signed the Joint Statement on Japan-Pakistan Comprehensive Partnership.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan condemned the attack on the employees of AZTV, the official state television of Azerbaijan, in France.

In a tweet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan stated, "We strongly condemn the attack on Azerbaijani journalists of AzTV in France."

"We expect that this heinous attack against journalists will be investigated by French law enforcement agencies in a short period of time, criminals will be identified and punished," the ministry said.

AzTV employees were attacked while filming in France. As a result, the correspondent and the operator of the TV sustained minor injuries.

The crew of the state television AzTV in France was attacked, the press service of "Azerbaijani Television and Radio Broadcasting" CISC said in a statement.

According to Azerbaijani Television and Radio Broadcasting, journalist Kamil Balakishiyev and cameraman Ogtay Gasymov were attacked the previous day in Nanterre where the crew was preparing a report on the consequences of the riots caused by the murder of a 17-year-old Algerian boy by police.

The journalist and cameraman were slightly injured in the attack and the camera was taken from their hands. Besides, when demanding the return of the camera, the attackers threatened them with weapons.

AzTV described the attack on the Azerbaijani journalists as a "violation of the principles of freedom of expression and independent journalism in general".

AzTV called on the French law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident, detain and punish those responsible for the attack on the journalists with weapons and take appropriate measures to compensate for the damage caused.-06B-
CANBERRA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Australia's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) officially started its operation on Saturday, with its head declaring the body will be "fearless but fair."

The NACC, a key election promise of the Labor government, started its operation on Saturday, the first day of the 2023-24 financial year.

In a statement to coincide with the start date, NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton said the Australian people had expressed a clear desire for such a federal anti-corruption body with jurisdiction over Commonwealth of Australia officials.

It is the first time Australia has a national agency with broad jurisdiction to "investigate serious or systemic corruption" across the Commonwealth public sector, according to the statement.

"We know the public are invested in this work and are watching expectantly," said Brereton, who led the landmark inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

"I want the Commission to have the reputation of being fearless but fair. Our functions include not only detecting corruption, but also clearing the air of unfounded allegations of corruption."

The NACC said it will enhance integrity in the Commonwealth public sector by deterring, detecting and preventing corrupt conduct involving Commonwealth public officials through education, monitoring, investigation, reporting and referral. 
Notorious criminal Coakley serving eight years for stab attack on doctor

A violent criminal serving a lengthy sentence for attacking a doctor has avoided more jail time after being caught with a mobile phone behind bars for a seventh occasion.

Christopher Coakley (31) was last week sentenced to eight years imprisonment for the unprovoked and brutal attack on a doctor whom he repeatedly stabbed with a scissors in 2021.

The serial offender  who is a cousin of Dublin gangland feud murder victim Derek Coakley-Hutch  has been in and out of prison since he was aged 13.

He appeared before Blanchardstown District Court this week charged with unlawful possession of a mobile phone in prison.

The court heard that on January 20 of last year Coakley was discovered using a phone in his cell at Wheatfield Prison at 9.25am.

Judge John Brennan was told the accused, of Empress Place, Dublin 1, has 125 previous convictions, including six previous convictions for using a phone behind bars.

His last conviction for unlawfully having a phone in custody was in March when he was given a three-month jail term.

Counsel for Coakley submitted his client had entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and that he wanted to convey his apologies in open court.

He said the defendants father was unwell at the time and that his client co-operated with investigating gardai.

Judge Brennan stated the use of mobile phones in Irish jails was a serious problem for prison authorities.

He added that he was not obliged to make a custodial sentence concurrent to the sentence Coakley is currently serving, noting his previous convictions and stating there must be some form of punishment.

At this point Coakley tried to address the judge but his solicitor interjected, saying he had lost prison privileges as a result of the incident.

Taking this into account, Judge Brennan handed down a three-month prison term and made this sentence concurrent, meaning Coakley will spend no extra time in prison.

The court heard that he is serving his sentence in Mountjoy Prison and that he is due to be released in 2028.

His list of prior offending includes hijacking a nurses car in 2015 and a separate attack on the doctor in 2021.

At a sentencing hearing last week in relation to that offence, Mr Justice Paul Burns said Coakley had shown breathtaking and shocking disregard for the injury that could have been caused when he repeatedly stabbed his victim.

He described Coakleys actions as callous and brutal and said the premeditation and level of violence meant the offence attracted a headline sentence of 11 years. Taking mitigation into account he jailed Coakley for eight years.

He was initially charged with attempted murder, but the DPP dropped that charge after Coakley pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm on January 28, 2021.

The court heard the violent criminal needed money for drugs when he approached his victim, a doctor who was travelling through the north inner city after work on a motorised scooter.

Coakley kicked the handlebars of the scooter and when his victim fell to the ground, Coakley approached him with a pair of scissors clenched in his fist and tried to take his backpack and scooter.
Diplomats fail to turn up for embassy threat case

Threatening messages were allegedly sent to the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road in Rathgar, Dublin

RUSSIAN diplomats would have faced questions about alleged war crimes in the Ukraine had they turned up to give evidence against a man accused of threatening to burn down their embassy.

Community worker Brian Murphy walked free from Dublin District Court on Monday after it emerged embassy officials had not only failed to turn up for the hearing but had also failed to engage with prosecutors.

Speaking with the Sunday World, Brian  who wore a Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine) t-shirt for his court appearance  said he did not, despite a year of trauma, regret posting the messages.

Do I regret communicating my distaste and horror at what was happening in the Ukraine  the answer is no, he said.

I wouldnt wish the last year of stress and anxiety Ive suffered on anybody.

"But when you weigh it up or compare it to the suffering of the millions of refugees [from this war] then my stress over the past year pales into insignificance.

At an earlier procedural hearing in the case on November 7, Garda Austin Larkin alleged messages were sent to the Russian embassys Facebook account threatening staff in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

The court heard they made reference to the British embassy being burned down in 1972 and the same would happen to the Russian embassy, and its staff would not be safe in the State.

Community worker Brian (53) was charged with four counts of sending threatening or grossly offensive communications via Facebook with intent to cause harm to the staff of the Russian embassy at Orwell Road, Rathgar, in March 2022, weeks after the invasion of Ukraine.

In the wake of the embassys complaint, Brians home in Newcastle, Dublin was the subject of an early morning raid.

There was a morning raid on my house, he said. There was no battering rams or anything like that, it was quite civilised and, from day one, I was co-operative because I didnt feel I had done anything wrong.

Threatening messages were allegedly sent to the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road in Rathgar, Dublin

Asked whether he was surprised the embassy staff hadnt turned up to give evidence against him, Brian replied: The Russian embassy made the complaint.

But, from what I gathered yesterday, from that point on there was no engagement from them 

I believe I would have been found not guilty [anyway]. But, maybe, there was a sensitivity on their part about what is going on in the Ukraine.

In most wars, you only find out about the awful things that are being done afterwards.

But in this one, there are war crimes already under investigation and there have been enough atrocities already documented 

Youd have to contact the embassy to ask them why they didnt turn up.

Im not a barrister but I presume part of the cross examination would have included the situation in the Ukraine and what exactly Russia is doing there. And that would have put the embassy officials in an awkward position.

There are quite severe sanctions in Russia for any negativity towards the Russian army.

Asked if he would have phrased his anti-war communications to the embassy differently if he had known it would lead to his arrest, Brian responded: I might have taken into account how someone else might have been capable of interpreting it.

You can text something to someone and theyll take it differently to what you meant. I was challenging them on their actions in the Ukraine  thats all. But some things can get lost in translation.

I wouldnt want to go through again what I have gone through over the last year.

Hopefully there will be enough pressure applied by the international community to get Russia to withdraw from the Ukraine and also to get Russia to pay the reparations they have to repay.

And I hope also that those who have committed war crimes in Ukraine are brought to justice.

The Sunday World emailed the Russian embassy to ask for an explanation as to why they did not attend the court proceedings which arose from a complaint the embassy had initiated.

No response had been received as of the time of going to print.
The shocking incident led to the death of the 16-year-old and the hospitalisation of five others

This is the tragic teenager who died in a head-on collison when the car in which he was travelling drove the wrong way down the M8 motorway and crashed into a female motorist.

He has been named locally as Johnny Foley from the Togher area of Cork.

The crash happened at around 1am on the M8 at Ballybeg, Mitchelstown.

The shocking crash led to the death of the 16-year-old and the hospitalisation of five others, including the female driver of the other car whose condition is described as serious.

Scene of the crash

Johnny Foley suffered catastrophic injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor.

The four other occupants of the car  three teenage boys and a teenage girl  were rushed to Cork University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Four occupants were underage with the exception of one of passenger who is an 18-year-old male.

The sole occupant of the other vehicle  a woman in her 30s  was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

It is understood the first vehicle carrying the teenagers had an interaction with Gardai shortly before the fatal collision with GSOC now investigating the full circumstances of the incident.

Initial reports indicated that this first vehicle may have travelled on the wrong side of the road at one point in its journey.

The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has confirmed that it received a referral in relation to the incident, as gardai say one of the cars involved had an interaction with gardai prior to the collision.

Gardai and emergency services attended the scene of a fatal road traffic incident that occurred during the early hours of this morning, Saturday, 1st July 2023, on the M8 at Ballybeg in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, a garda spokesperson said.

The two-vehicle collision happened at around 1am. A passenger from one of these cars, a male youth (teens) suffered fatal injuries.

The driver of this car, a male youth in this teens, and three other passengers, an adult male (teens), a male youth and a female youth (teens) were taken to Cork University Hospital to receive treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the other car involved, a woman in her 30s, was taken to Cork University Hospital where she is receiving treatment for serious injuries, the garda spokesperson added.

Gardai preserved the scene to allow for a full technical and forensic inspection by accident scene examiners.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have video footage, including dash-cam footage, is asked to contact Gardai.

Gardai can be contacted at Mitchelstown Garda Station on 025 84833, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
An online fundraiser that has been launched to help Matthew's family raise funds to pay for his treatment has already seen donations of 42,644 far surpass the 2,500 target

People have donated thousands of euro to a GoFundMe page set up to help a young Irishman who was left in a coma after a horrific bike crash in Vietnam.

Matthew Kennedy is currently being treated in a hospital for severe injuries," after he was involved in an incident while travelling around Asia on holiday with a group of friends.

An online fundraiser that has been launched to help Matthew's family raise funds to pay for his treatment has already seen donations of 42,644 surpass the 2,500 target.

The post, by Sean O'Rourke, reads: "A short while ago as Matthew and a group of his friends were travelling around Asia, Mathew unfortunately got into a serious motorbike crash that has led him to be in a coma along with other severe injuries

"As it is a tough time for his family, We are raising money to support both him and his family over this long and hard journey ahead along with all the treatments and expenses along the way.

"Absolutely anything will go a long way for his family. Thank you."

Numerous donations have been made, alongside messages of support, including one that reads: "Thinking of you all and praying for Mathew. Stay strong.

Another person wrote "Praying for Matthew for a full recovery and home safely" while another said: "It could be any of us."

One person said they met Matthew travelling Thailand, incredible boy with tragic news. wishing him a safe journey home and a full recovery.

I'm absolutely devastated and heartbroken to hear about Matt. Please know that Matt and you all are in my thoughts and prayers, another adds.

Love you Elaine - thinking and praying for your gorgeous son Matthew, one person shared.
Kristina Baikovas strange death is just the latest involving Russia's top businesspeople.

The vice president of a Russian bank plunged to her death from a balcony window in Moscow last Friday evening, the latest in a spate of such deaths.

Kristina Baikova, the 28-year-old VP of Loko-Bank, plummeted from her 11th floor window on June 23 and was pronounced dead at the scene.

It has been reported that the finance whizz was with a 34 year old friend named Andrei, at the time of her fall.

When quizzed by the authorities, Andrei allegedly informed them that he had been invited to Kristinas apartment for drinks. He claimed that at around 3 am she decided to go out onto the balcony, from where she somehow fell to her death out of the window.

Kristina Baicova

Local media sources reported that the bank executive died instantly at the scene from the injuries she sustained.

Baikova is just the latest Russian executive to have died after falling from a building window in what has become a suspicious trend.

Dan Rapoport, a well-known Vladimir Putin critic who was exiled from Russia, lost his life after plunging from his Washington DC luxury apartment building last August in what was described as an apparent suicide- claims his family denied.

Weeks later, Russian oil giant Lukoil chair Ravil Maganov fell from a six-floor window at a hospital in Moscow and died. Before his death, Lukoil had been vocal in his criticism of Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.

Maganov was at the hospital facility for unspecified treatment when he allegedly fell out of a window on the sixth floor of the building.

Bank VP

Patients were apparently not allowed on the side of the building he fell from so that only added to the mystery. A packet of cigarettes was supposedly found near the spot he fell from, leading to suggestions that he had gone there to smoke in secret.

In December, the creative director of an IT company, Grigory Kochenov, plunged from his apartment balcony and fell to his death while Russian authorities searched his apartment.

The same month, a Russian sausage tycoon fell to his death from a hotel window in India just two days after his best friend also died at the same hotel.

A Russian real-estate tycoon also took a fatal tumble down a flight of stairs while in the French Riviera in December.

Earlier this month, federal judge Artyom Bartenev fell 12 stories from his apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Some two dozen Russian officials and oligarchs died under mysterious circumstances last year, it has been reported. The trend has become unofficially known as Russian Sudden Death Syndrome.

Baikovas demise is currently under investigation.
Ryan Tubridy to remain off air next week, with Oliver Callan to host The Ryan Tubridy show

RTE has confirmed that Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to his radio show next week.

And the broadcaster also confirmed that the forthcoming season of The Late Late Show fronted by new host Patrick Kielty will be nearly two months shorter than in previous years.

Tubridy has been off air for editorial reasons since the scandal over extra undislosed payments to the presenter emerged last week.

Quizzed on whether Tubridy would return to the airwaves in the foreseeable future, an RTE spokesperson said he would not be returning to presenting duties on The Ryan Tubridy Show on Radio One next week, but would not be drawn on whether his absence would last longer than that.

"RTE has legal obligations under the broadcasting legislation, that its editorial output must be objective and impartial. In circumstances where matters related to the presenter are of public interest and controversy, it is not appropriate for the presenter to be on air, the spokesperson said.

They also confirmed that comedian Oliver Callan would continue to fill in for Tubridy next week, and that they would provide an update on Tubridys return next week.

The broadcaster also provided clarity on the length of the autumn season of The Late Late Show, which will be fronted by Tubridys replacement, Patrick Kielty.

On Thursday, Northern Irish comedian and broadcaster Kielty revealed details of his contract with RTE, saying he would be paid 250,000 for three seasons of 30 episodes each, plus an initial fee of 20,000 for preparatory work on the show.

Patrick Kielty. Photo: Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph

However, he has waived expenses of 50,000 and will cover his own accommodation and travel costs.

The last season fronted by Tubridy was 36 episodes, six episodes more than the 30 in Kieltys contract, and RTE says recent seasons have run from 35 to 37 episodes.

As he would be paid pro-rata for additional episodes, this raised the prospect of him being paid an additional 58,000, as reported this morning by Independent.ie

However, this evening, RTE confirmed that the next season would only run to 30 episodes  nearly two months shorter than previous seasons.

Ryan Tubridy received 515,000 from RTE in 2022. This was higher than the 440,000 originally stated by the broadcaster, and also covered his radio show.

The Friday night chat show typically finishes on the last weekend in May for its summer break and returns at the end of August or start of September for the winter season.

Tubridys last season as presenter of the show, which finished on May 26, contained 36 episodes.

In his statement on Thursday, Kielty said: I genuinely hope this helps clarify things going forward. I cant wait to get started.

RTE bosses have confirmed Kieltys contract to present the show has been signed by both sides.

RTE interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch said Kielty had recently been informed of the impending issue around Ryan Tubridys pay.

As soon as we were aware as an exec board, he was warned it was coming, Mr Lynch said.

Mr Tubridy announced his decision to step down as host of the chat show in March after 14 years.

Following news of his departure earlier this year, then Director General Dee Forbes said she would consider mixing up the format of the Late Late Show following Tubridys exit.

Leisure company Center Parcs' sponsorship of Tubridy's radio programme has been paused, RTE has confirmed.

Following reports in The Journal, RTE confirmed on Friday that Center Parcs would not be renewing its sponsorship deal of Tubridy's programme.

It also said that the current sponsorship of the radio programme has been paused since last Friday.

"Center Parcs confirmed, via their agency Core, on June 20 that they did not wish to renew their sponsorship of The Ryan Tubridy Show," RTE said in a statement.

"The current sponsorship has been paused since Friday 23rd June and the current sponsorship contract will expire on August 28."
This week they brought together youths from 40 different Belfast and Los Angeles schools to celebrate creativity.

The students at the festival in L.A

A GROUP of Northern Ireland students got the trip of a lifetime when they were whisked off to Los Angeles for a film festival gala showcase.

Non-profit Organisation Cinemagic marked its return to L.A. as they celebrated youth filmmakers at the Cinemagic Film and Television Festival Gala Showcase

The award-winning Belfast-based festival for young people embarked on a week of providing inspiring and motivational learning experiences in film, television, broadcasting, musical theatre, and much more.

This week they brought together youths from 40 different Belfast and Los Angeles schools to celebrate creativity.

Cinemagic held its 2023 Gala Showcase at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica in Los Angeles to mark their program growth and put them in touch with top talent and executives in the film and television industry.

Students at the film festival in L.A

Cinemagic CEO Joan Burney Keatings MBE said: We are so thankful to our incredible sponsors and partners in supporting us to provide inspiring talks, tours, and masterclasses with top talent in film and television production in the heart of moviemaking in LA from 23rd to 28th June. We look forward to showcasing Cinemagic as a global player in the creative industries and celebrating Northern Irelands success stories internationally.

Celebrity guests that came to support Cinemagics efforts included Jerri Ryan (Star Trek), CJ Franco (FBoy Island), Lynne Curtin (Real Housewives of OC), Benjamin Onyango (Gods Not Dead), Amber Friendly (The Morning Show), amongst others including Maxwell Canfield (Grease 2) and wife Juliet Mills.

Cinemagic partnered with IGNITE in Belfast and LA-based youth filmmaking non-profit Film2Future to give these young creatives a one-of-a-kind experience.

The week included visits with guest speakers in production and storytelling, such as the producers of The Late Late Show with James Cordon and the Rachael Ray Show.

The students also embarked on special studio lot tours where they could catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes magic.

Sponsored by Fairmont Hotels, Northern Irish Connections, NI Bureau and Aer Lingus, the Cinemagic 2023 Showcase welcomed celebrities, politicians, film executives, and so on to network with these students and show them the possibilities if they continue to persevere in their creative endeavours.

This a significant opportunity for all students, especially those from Belfasts IGNITE program who were also celebrating their graduation.

The head of Northern Ireland Connections, Moira Loughran, expressed similar hopes. Moira adds, [we are] Delighted to be partnering with Cinemagic as a sponsor of the Los Angeles Gala as we see it as a fantastic opportunity to be able to help and showcase the immense talent of our young people from Northern Ireland.

The event also included a silent auction that included items from those with the same attitude as Cinemagic, such as The LA Dodgers, who were more than happy to provide an authentic autographed jersey by Mookie Betts.

To celebrate the end of the event, gift bags were handed out to attendees filled with products from more supportive companies, including Bug Bite Thing, The LA Dodgers and Gavina Gourmet Coffee.

Students at the film festival in L.A

Director of Corporate Services at George Best Belfast City Airport, Michelle Hatfield, explained What an absolutely incredible week it has been for the students who have made the trip to LA.IGNITE, our youth leadership programme, is focused on inspiring the next generation to aim high and achieve greater and what could be more aspirational than this one-in-a-lifetime event in the city of dreams. It has truly been an honour to be part of it.

Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People is an award-winning charity that has been educating, inspiring, and motivating young people for the last three decades. Cinemagic offers young people the opportunity to develop real skills, explore opportunities, and reaffirm their passions and ambitions.

As the largest film and television festival designed for and by young people in the UK and Ireland, around 40,000 young people (aged 4-25) participate in Cinemagic events in Belfast, Dublin, London, New York, and Los Angeles each year. Since its establishment, Cinemagic has engaged with almost 1 million young people. Their film production projects have received international acclaim for their ambition, quality, and reach.

Cinemagic has patrons that share in its ethos, such as Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Suranne Jones, Paula Malcomson, Julian Fellowes, Hayley Mills, Saoirse Monica Jackson and David Puttnam.

Cinemagic Festival Belfast is funded by the Department of Communities through Northern Ireland Screen.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a Four Star treat

When swashbuckling historical archaeologist Indiana Jones first burst onto the big screen back in 1981 with Raiders Of The Lost Ark, cinema-goers loved Harrison Fords crusading and fun-filled character.

In Dial of Destiny, another layer is added to the Indiana saga, this time involving time travel.

Dial of Destiny is said to be the final instalment in the quintet of the series and this movie begins in 1944, when Indiana is facing Nazis.

Indiana, complete with his trademark fedora hat, ends up being captured by Nazis while attempting to retrieve a stolen artefact alleged to be the lance that pierced Jesus Christ during the Crucifixion.

Thanks to the wonders of CGI Harrison Ford (whos now aged 80) looks exactly like he did four decades ago.

During the turmoil, they encounter astrophysicist Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson) who attempts to convince them that he has found a far more valuable and powerful artefact, the titular Dial of Destiny, which was invented by the Italian mathematician Archimedes and is capable of locating fissures in time.

Meanwhile, Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), a fellow archaeologist who teaches at Oxford, is captured by the Nazis and accused of being a spy, helps Jones, who escapes in the chaos.

Fast forward to 1969 and a now-aged Jones wakes up in his New York apartment, roused by noisy neighbours who inform him theyre celebrating men landing on the moon for the first time.

We learn that he and his wife Marion are now separated, and that their beloved son has died in the Vietnam war.

After being thrown a surprise retirement by his colleagues, he goes to a local bar, where he meets a student. It turns out she is Helena Wombat Shaw, Basils daughter and Joness goddaughter who he has not seen in 18 years and is herself a feisty archaeology student and treasure hunter.

Wombat is played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, best known to TV viewers here for her role in Fleabag.

While on the run after being accused of his associates murders, Jones is helped by his Egyptian friend Sallah (John Rhys Davies  whom we first met in Raiders of the Lost Ark) to fly to Tangier in Morocco, where he tracks down Helena/Wombat who is trying to sell off the first part of the Dial to the highest bidder.

Indiana Jones in the Dial of Destiny

After escaping on a rickshaw, the trio journey to Greece, where they meet Renaldo (Antonia Banderas), who is an old friend of Jones and a deep sea diver.

Helena and Jones use Renaldos boat to travel to a spot in the Aegean Sea in a bid to solve the puzzle.

Voller and co are again hot on their heels and after another skirmish they follow Helena and Jones to Sicily, in search of the final part of the Dial.

Do they succeed? Only time will tell in a swashbuckling adventure through time.

THE VERDICT: A two-and-half-hour adventure with a dollop of nostalgia, wit and sentimentality all thrown in for good measure.
SEOUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell for the ninth successive month on soft global demand for locally-made products, especially semiconductor and oil products, government data showed on Saturday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the country's export-driven economy, shrank 6.0 percent from a year earlier to 54.24 billion U.S. dollars in June, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The outbound shipment kept skidding since October last year. The daily average export reduced 10.1 percent.

Import declined 11.7 percent to 53.11 billion dollars last month.

Affected by the faster fall in import than export, the trade balance recorded a surplus of 1.13 billion dollars.

The trade balance turned into black in 16 months since February last year, but it was a recession-style surplus amid the decrease both in export and import.

The export reduction was attributable to the still weak global demand for chips and oil products.

Semiconductor export tumbled 28.0 percent over the year to 8.9 billion dollars in June, keeping a downward trend for the 11th consecutive month since August last year.

Shipment for petrochemicals and oil products dropped in double digits to 3.56 billion dollars and 3.30 billion dollars respectively, and display panel export dipped 11.1 percent to 1.40 billion dollars.

Mobile phone shipment dwindled 12.0 percent to 1.02 billion dollars, and computer export dived 53.5 percent due to lower global investment in servers.

Automotive export jumped 58.3 percent to 6.23 billion dollars in June, continuing to expand for the 12th successive month on strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles.

Auto parts export gained 5.7 percent on solid demand from Europe and Latin America.

General machinery shipment continued to increase for the third consecutive month on higher overseas investment in facilities, and secondary battery export soared in double figures owing to robust demand from the United States and Europe.

Steel product export marked the first turnaround in 10 months thanks to the recovering demand from the Middle East and the United States that offset the lower product prices.

By region, export to the United States shed 1.8 percent over the year to 9.59 billion dollars in June amid the lower prices for chips and oil products.

Shipment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plunged 16.6 percent to 8.58 billion dollars, while export to the European Union (EU) advanced 18.2 percent to 6.19 billion dollars.

Those to Latin American countries and the Middle East rose to 2.54 billion dollars and 1.64 billion dollars, respectively.

Meanwhile, the double-digit fall in import was caused by lower energy import costs.

Import for crude oil, natural gas and coal dipped 28.6 percent, 0.3 percent and 45.5 percent, respectively, in June compared to the same month of last year.

Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, was traded at 74.99 dollars per barrel in June, down from 113.27 dollars a year earlier.

Import for chips, steel products and computers all declined in double digits last month.

The country posted trade surplus in 16 months as its deficit continued to slide this year from a peak of 12.54 billion dollars in January. 
Dear reader,

In April, officials in the Syracuse City School District reached out to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard hoping to call attention to a serious problem. The districts chapter of a national non-profit called Blessings in a Backpack, a program that provides economically disadvantaged students with food to get them through the weekends, was running out of funding. Patty Sawmiller, who oversees the program, told education reporter Melissa Newcomb that losing that funding would impact more than 800 students in the city.

Hundreds of students rely on Blessings in a Backpack to feed themselves throughout the weekend. Hearing the pain in the administrators voice who was tasked with telling students that there would be no food when students came looking for it on Friday was more than enough to know of how important this program is, Melissa said.

The response from readers of Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard was overwhelming. Melissa was able to report last week that donors have since contributed more than $160,000 to keep the program going.

The night that the story published I was out to dinner and my waitress actually brought the story up to me and how she donated, not knowing I wrote it or that I was even a journalist. It was a surreal moment to see how quickly the story had spread through the community, Melissa told me. I grew up in Syracuse, but I was living in California when I decided to move back to work at syracuse.com as the education reporter. I made that move in hopes I could make a difference here and the response to this story was a nice reminder that I made the right decision.

The readers of syracuse.com | The Post Standard not only made it possible to continue the program this year, but through the entire 2023-24 school year. Im just grateful to have a job where writing a single article can mobilize such a giving community.

The program is still taking donation. You can contribute online or by mail to: Blessings in a Backpack Lockbox, P.O. Box 950291, Louisville KY 40295. Checks can be made out to Blessings in a Backpack with Syracuse City School District Fund #1912.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A postal worker pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Syracuse to bringing three guns to the DeWitt post office on Kinne Road.

Bria K. Maraia pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a firearm on U.S. Postal Service property, according to court filings. She also was sentenced in the same proceeding.

The charges are petty offenses under federal law. Each count is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Maraia was ordered to pay $5,000 for all three charges and was given no jail time by Magistrate Judge Therese Wiley Dancks, according to court records.

U.S. postal investigators reported finding the guns in March. Maraia was charged on June 5.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.
Clay, N.Y.  Jennifer Corado left home for a quick trip across the road to grab groceries from a store at the Shops at Seneca Mall plaza in Clay.

She had just come back from work at Raymour & Flanigan, where she worked as many hours as she could to support herself and her daughter. She told her 16-year-old daughter Isabella shed be right back.

Corado was in a crosswalk on Oswego Road at Pine Hollow Road when she was hit by a Jeep Wrangler at about 7:50 p.m. June 21.

The 48-year-old woman has been in an induced coma since the crash and has undergone a number of surgeries.

Family and friends describe Corado as a hardworking and independent mother who takes pride in doing things herself. The mother and daughter moved to Central New York a few years ago, said Bernard Vanterpool, Corados brother-in-law.

After becoming a single mom when her husband died from health complications in Connecticut about five years ago, Corado moved back home to Maryland, where she struggled, Vanterpool said.

She moved to New York to stay with her sister and for support. But it didnt take long before she was able to stand on her own two feet and got a place of her own.

She often took a bus or an Uber to get around. She wouldnt ask for a lot, Vanterpool said.

Brooke Long, one of Corados co-workers, said she was a little on the quiet side, but once you speak with her, you quickly see how genuine she is.

Long said kindness is what made Corado stand out. She was the first and last person she would see each day coming and going from work. Corado always had a smile on her face, Long said.

Corado has undergone numerous surgeries since the crash, she said.

Part of her skull was removed to alleviate brain bleeding and swelling and her last surgery required metal rods be placed in both legs, Long said. Corados skull was reattached this week and the left side of her body showed a little bit of movement. Her vitals and lungs are great, something doctors have said are all good signs, according to Long.

[Doctors] have anticipated at least three to four months of recovery in the hospital, Long said. But were not sure what the process outside of the hospital will look like.

The recovery process so far has felt like a rollercoaster, Vanterpool said. Doctors have wanted to slowly wean Corado off the medication that keeps her in a coma to see how she reacts. But the reactions havent been good. Her vitals fluctuate drastically, he said.

Since the crash, Isabella, who has Aspergers, has been staying with her aunt and uncle. Family from Maryland have come up and Isabella has been surrounded by cousins, Vanterpool said.

Vanterpool and his wife have been left with questions since the crash. Theyve driven the route the SUV took that night about half a dozen times.

Its hard to believe. Its hard to swallow, Vanterpool said. We looked at it from every angle.

Theres also some guilt. Corados sister has wondered what if she had offered to give her a ride that night.

The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office have not released the name of the driver.

No tickets have been issued and no charges have been filed at this time, Tom Newton, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office, said Saturday. The investigation is ongoing, he said.

***

GoFundMe for Corado

***

Staff writers Darian Stevenson and Fernando Alba cover breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach them at dstevenson@syracuse.com or falba@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Be prepared for rain at tonights Counting Crows show at the St. Josephs Health Amphitheater.

Theres a 60% to 70% of rain in the hours leading up to the 7:30 p.m. show, decreasing to 50% during the concert, the National Weather Service says. Strong thunderstorms are possible during the show, too.
COLOMBO, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's domestic debt optimization program was passed by a majority vote on Saturday, the parliament's media unit said.

The media unit said the program was passed with amendments, and 122 parliamentarians voted in favor of it, while 62 voted against it.

Before being presented in parliament, the domestic debt optimization program was approved by the parliament's Committee on Public Finance on Friday and by the cabinet of ministers on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's total debt is around 83.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to official data. Foreign debt amounts to 41.6 billion dollars.

Out of the domestic debt, 25 billion dollars are in treasury bonds, 11 billion in treasury bills, 5.6 billion in development bonds and the rest has been taken from various institutions, mainly the Employment Provident Fund. 
Happy weekend, everyone! Were coming up on the Fourth of July holiday, and NY Cannabis Insider has been churning out stories to keep you fully informed as you make Independence Day plans. Lets take a look at the stories we covered last week:

Yesterday we covered Gov. Kathy Hochuls announcement that the $200 million fund meant to provide resources for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary operators is fully banked after asset management firm Chicago Atlantic invested $150 million.



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The states 2023 budget included $50 million toward the Cannabis Social Equity Investment Fund, so Chicago Atlantics investment covers the entirety of the private money needed to be raised. With the social equity fund fully financed, DASNY plans on completing buildouts and redesigns for storefronts that they will provide to some CAURD licensees as part of a loan program.

Earlier in the week, we wrote about the Office of Cannabis Managements first enforcement hearing since the agency began a crackdown on illicit weed shops. Judging from the hearing, which was rife with sloppy paperwork and Fourth Amendment concerns, the OCMs enforcement efforts appear to have gotten off to a rough start.

During the hearing, an attorney for Roll Up Nation  which had been raided  pointed out that the OCM got the business name and address wrong on paperwork. The attorney also noted a possible Fourth Amendment violation, after officials allegedly searched the store managers personal bag during the inspection without reading a Miranda warning.

The attorney at that hearing, Paula Collins, is a frequent columnist for NY Cannabis Insider, and contributed a piece with her tips for getting through an OCM enforcement hearing. Collins wrote that during the hearings, there are times where it feels like a trial, and other times when it feels more like a conversation with the judge and the respective parties.

We ran a piece on Thursday about a community board meeting in Queens during which attendees and board members displayed striking hostility toward a CAURD-licensed cannabis entrepreneur who wants to open a dispensary in Middle Village. While a couple meeting attendees seemed willing to hear out the business owner, most comments ranged from ill-informed pronouncements to an unhinged, screaming rant.

On Wednesday, we wrote about Medgar Evers Colleges plan to offer new bachelors and associates degrees in cannabis studies starting next spring. The school launched New York Citys first college-level cannabis studies minor in 2021 and is now doubling down on its weed industry offerings to provide an entry point to the legal marijuana sector.

Reporter Mel Hyman contributed a story about the near impossibility of opening a dispensary in Brookhaven, due to the Long Island communitys extreme zoning restrictions. With virtually nothing suitable for retail cannabis dispensaries within Brookhavens borders, licensed operators are threatening lawsuits unless the town changes its tune, Hyman wrote.

Nikki Lawley of Nikki and the Plant penned a guest column urging the state not to forget about its medical cannabis program. Unless the OCM approves more medical cannabis dispensaries, a multi-hour drive is still in the future for thousands of patients who rely on medical cannabis, Lawley wrote.

Continuing our NYs women in cannabis series, we ran a profile on Jessica Naissant, CEO of Wake and Bake Cafe.

We also added a new entry to our People to know in NY cannabis series: Jesse Tyree, owner of BLKDOG, a branding, marketing and web agency.

Lastly, we posted attorney Jeffrey Hoffmans latest Ask Me Anything segment, in which he answered questions about the CAURD licensee dispensary limits, brand-only companies and more.

Thanks everyone, have a great weekend, and an amazing Fourth!
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KIEV, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and its dam has caused direct damage of at least 2 billion U.S. dollars to the Ukrainian economy, according to a study published Friday by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and government agencies.

"The tragedy has resulted in significant damage to the residential and communal sectors, as well as the energy sector," the KSE said in a statement.

The study put the economic damage of the incident to the housing and utilities sector at 960 million dollars, while the losses of the energy sector were estimated at 624 million dollars.

The damage inflicted on transport infrastructure accounted for 311 million dollars, the study said.

The Kakhovka incident has caused 25 million dollars in direct damage to agriculture and significant indirect damage due to the loss of the irrigation system in the region, it said.

The study was conducted by the analytical division of the KSE in cooperation with Ukraine's presidential office, the Economy Ministry, and the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.

The Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam was destroyed on June 6, with Ukraine and Russia trading accusations over the attack on it. 
Torque123 BHPian

Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 411 Thanked: 764 Times

Kabini - The kingdom of the world famous Dark Lord



Was keeping a tab on the availability at Jungle lodges & Resorts (JLR) since the beginning of June as I was flexible to do Kabini before or after the Kozhikode visit. In the 3rd week of June finally decided to do Kabini on the way back from Kozhikode as it would be peak weekdays & the crowd would be lesser. Booked for 3 nights & the wait during the last couple of days prior to the trip was like how impatient I was when I got my Slavia in Jan of this year. Below was the itinerary of the trip. Total distance covered was ~725 kms.



Day 1 : BLR to Kozhikode, overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotel

Day 2 : Attend the function & then overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotel

Day 3 : Kozhikode to Kabini, overnight stay at JLR

Day 4 : Kabini, stay at JLR

Day 5 : Kabini, stay at JLR

Day 6 : Check out after the morning safari in Kabini & back to BLR



All images are shot with Nikon D850 & Nikkor 400 mm f2.8 VR. The car images are mobile clicks. Kindly click on the images for better clarity & viewing experience



Day 1 & 2



Took the BLR - MYS - Gundulpet - Sultan Bathery - Kalpetta - Kozhikode route for the onward journey. The Blr-Mys expressway construction is now completed & it was a bliss cruising at 100 - 110 kms/hr on this road though it was a Saturday early morning. It surely is way way better than what it was 3 months back (before 100% completion). Had breakfast at Hotel Vaishali. Saw a couple of elephants too on the Bandipur side just before entering Kerala. Reached Kozhikode & checked into the hotel by 2 PM. The usual traffic in Kerala slowed us down considerably during the 2nd half of our journey. The rooms at East Avenue hotel are clean with very good functional AC's (it is a mandatory requirement due to the coastal weather), the staff is courteous & efficient but the food was average. After accomplishing the goal of our visit to Kozhikode, we decided to visit the beach in the evening for a leisurely walk. It rained quite heavily that evening & kind of ruined our plan of visiting the beach. Rested well for the night dreaming about the calmness or peace of the forest with chirping of birds that was going to welcome us the next day.



The Blue Tiger - somewhere on the way to Kozhikode













Day 3



Post breakfast, started our journey from Kozhikode to Kabini by 9 am. It was a distance of about ~135 kms. The roads were good throughout except for the forest main road from Bavali to Udbur gate junction in Kabini (~16 kms or so). Reached JLR Kabini around 1.15 PM. Yes, it took 4 hrs for a 135 kms drive, all thanks to the Kerala buses. Had to pickup my rental camera gear from the Toehold store in Kabini which is on the way to JLR. Finished the checkin formalities, freshened up & then headed straight to the Golghar for the lunch. A quick lunch & we were all set for our 1st safari of the trip.



Somewhere in Mananthavady













Post lunch it drizzled for 10 to 15 mins. I am used to being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest as it has its own advantages. Some safari routing confusion pertaining to a couple guests ensured we were one of the last few jeeps to enter. I take my safaris very seriously & this delay was a downer. Calmed myself down & after finishing the formalities at the forest entry gate entire focus changed on scanning the tree tops for Leopards & safari tracks for pug marks. The last few days had been very bleak sighting wise in Kabini & for me that's a good sign. With a male tiger sighting during the morning safari, I was positive that things had started to fall in place. However, the area where the tiger was seen in the morning is at the other end of the forest & it had moved into the non tourism zone of the forest. It would take 30% of our safari time just to reach there & get back. I did not want to take that chance & asked the driver to focus on the territories of other predators. The jungle was dead silent with an occasional peacock call or chirping of the cicadas. We traversed through the broken paths looking for pug marks & waited at quite a few places including waterholes keeping our eyes & ears wide open. To make our tracking even more challenging it rained for 15 t o 20 mins during the middle of the safari (around 5 PM or so) which is a time for any predator to get out of its slumber & start moving around. To keep it short, we saw the usual spotted deer, sambar, langurs, peacocks etc. But the surprising thing this time around was that we saw a lot of Elephants (especially adolescent Tuskers) which is common during summer but not during monsoon. Reached the resort back by 6.45 PM. Hot tea & pakoras set the tone for some family time. Had a peaceful dinner by 9.30 PM & hit the sack by 10.30 PM hoping for better cat luck the next morning.





Crested or Changeable Hawk Eagle











Day 4



We were ready by 5.30 AM & got into the jeep by 5.50 AM. Again were delayed because one of the guests decided to join by 6.10 AM when the jeeps are supposed to leave by 6 AM. I might sound to be over reacting but trust me being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest & these 5 - 10 mins of delay do cost us sighting wise. This why I find the safari concept followed in north & central India to be the best. You can book the entire gypsy for yourself & also book in advance whichever tourism zone you want do in that particular forest. I hope wildlife tourism in south follows the same in future. There were no bigcat sightings at all the previous evening & it had also rained on & off during the night. So we enter the forest & again stop at certain junctions/spots/waterholes to hear for alarm calls & also keep an eye on the tracks for fresh pug marks. At one of such spots we found fresh pug marks of a Leopard which had walked the track for quite a bit. So we follow the pug marks which disappeared after a certain distance as the leopard had entered the forest undergrowth & then we scanned the surrounding areas & trees hoping to find it. However there were no alarm calls indicating that its still on the move. Its almost 8 AM & we decided to stick with the Black Panther's territory as he was seen thrice in the last 15 days & this was after a long hiatus of 4 months or so because he was spending most of the time in the non tourism zone of the park. We spend the next 1 Hr 15 Mins waiting & doing short rounds on just 1 safari track which is around 1.5 to 2 kms long. We hear a single spotted deer alarm call once or twice every 5 mins or so. This area also has 2 male tigers (as it is their overlapping territory), a sub adult tigress, a female leopard & of course the black panther. Usually these kind of intermittent single spotted deer alarm calls are not reliable. But we decide to wait it out. Its now 9.15 AM & time to exit as we need to be at the gate by 9.30 AM. Ended the 2nd safari & headed straight to Golghar for a much needed breakfast.





Serpent Eagle











Spotted deer fawn suckling its mother









Due to delayed monsoon the Kabini backwaters do not have enough water for boat safari as of now. Hence the morning normal boat/coracal rides were not available. Spent sometime chit chatting with the naturalists & drivers up until lunch time. With 2 dry safaris I was hoping for some action in our 3rd safari as there were no bigcat sightings for the last 6 safaris except for the male tiger that was seen on the morning we reached Kabini. We set out for the afternoon drive at sharp 3 PM, this time our jeep being the first to enter the forest. I wanted to first check the black panther's territory as there were intermittent calls in the morning & then head to the area where the male tiger was seen. We wait at the same spot where we had heard the spotted deer's alarm call for sometime but did not find any pug marks which would have indicated what predator it was & if it had moved post our morning safari. So we knew whatever it was, most probably it was still put in the same place as predators do not prefer to move around in the afternoon. It was now around 4.45 PM & we had done short rounds in this area scanning almost each & every tree possible. There were no calls nor any sign of any predator. So as decided we headed towards the area where the male tiger was seen. It takes around 15 mins to reach that area & it has 2 other tigresses as well. 1 with 4 sub adult cubs & 1 with 2 smaller cubs.





Peacock













Juvenile Serpent Eagle











As we were half way through, we saw 3 to 4 jeeps returning from that area. A couple of them stopped & enquired about the movement in the black panther's territory. With a negative response received, they too did not have positive opinion about the movement in the area we were heading to. Based on the info received, our driver asked what I wanted to do. My gut feeling told me to proceed to that area & I asked him to continue. All the way along there was nothing that was encouraging. It also became quite cloudy & it seemed like it might rain anytime. We ambled along a safari track where the tigress with her 4 sub adult cubs crosses over from the non tourism zone to the tourism zone. Result was zilch. No pug marks or alarm calls. We then waited at a waterhole which is frequented by the tigress with 2 cubs. Again the same result. Then we were on our way to another waterhole which is frequented by both these tigresses. There was 1 safari bus & another jeep already at the waterhole & as we were approaching them from a distance we could see people in both the vehicles standing & peeking out. This meant 1 thing. TIGER. As we reached the waterhole, we saw the tigress (the one with 4 sub adult cubs & we call her Temple or Russell Line Female) crouching & sitting right next to the safari track to our right fiddling around with something. The moment I got a full view of her, I knew she had made a kill & was gorging on it. The driver of the other jeep confirmed that she had killed a Langur just before they & the bus reached the waterhole. As I could hear the drivers whispering about this I was already firing away with my camera.



Temple Female devouring the Langur



















She had already devoured 40% of the Langur in 15 mins. Tigers successfully hunting Langurs is very rare as the latter are seldom seen on the ground & are very vigilant & agile. Sometimes even the most vigilant also are vulnerable in the wild. She then moved in our direction & sat in place with the kill which was too close to my 400 mm lens. I could not fit in the tiger in the frame & ended up taking some video. We could neither backup as by now few more safari vehicles had arrived & were lined up behind us. Once she was done eating 90% of the kill with only the Langur's head remaining, she picked it up & moved a little bit away from us thus creating exact space needed between us where in I could frame her fully at 400 mm. She then abandoned the head/skull of the Langur & went on to scent mark a tree before entering the forest undergrowth. Tigers are slow eaters & a Langur can only be a snack for a Tiger. She polished off the Langur in less than an hour. During this entire time, she did not call her cubs even once & neither did she make an effort to carry the kill in the undergrowth because a Langur is too small a kill for a Tiger family of 5 out of which the 4 sub adult cubs are almost now as big as the mother Tiger. This points out that the cubs were in the vicinity & the family is on the verge of separation & she did not want to share the snack with them. Else, a tigresses's instinct is to carry the kill to the cubs or hide it & go fetch the cubs back to the kill. With another sighting of a lifetime & some incredible memories we reached the resort. Had an early dinner & called it a day.



Temple Female finishing off the last remaining scraps





















Temple Female scent marking













Day 5



We were ready for our 4th safari by 5.30 AM as usual & entered the forest at 6.15 AM sharp. By the time we had reached the forest gate I had already told the driver about the area I want to take & focus during the first 1 hour of the safari. I had given a long thought & then decided to take a chance at the black panther AKA Blackie. I knew all the jeeps would flock to the area where the tigress with kill was seen the previous evening. Everyone was expecting she might be seen along with the cubs. But as she had not called the cubs while having her snack or did not carry the kill to the cubs, 90% chance was that she was alone on a territory marking spree & there was only a 10% chance that the cubs might be near to the area where she had made the kill but not very close. So I decided to go against the tide & as discussed with the driver took the route to the black panther's territory where we had heard the calls the previous morning. As we reached the stream area we heard strong multiple spotted deer alarm calls almost from the same place (from the other side of the stream) where we had heard the previous morning. It was again a waiting game including scanning of trees. Covered the 1.5 to 2 km track to check for pug marks once the alarm calls died down but did not find any. So circled back to the spot where we heard the alarm calls & decided to stay put. 15 minutes passed & there were again a couple of alarm calls. This 1.5 to 2km stretch is a winding track & one cannot get to see what happens just after 50 meters ahead. There was always a chance of the predator crossing the stream & walking on or crossing the safari track 50 meters ahead without us even getting to know. So we decided to small rounds every 10 mins or so from where we were waiting. By now it was 8.10 AM & by 8.45 AM or so we knew all the jeeps from that area will abandon their search for that tigress & head towards the black panther's area.





Tusker

















While doing the one of the short round of this 2 km stretch & returning towards the spot where the initial spotted deer calls were heard, there is an old dilapidated small check dam to our right which was built long ago on this stream. We usually stop at this place for a few mins as the Blackie & a male tiger are known to walk on the stream bed when the water levels are very low & there have been a couple of instances where they have even been seen resting on the wall of the dilapidated check dam too. As we approached the check dam spot, our driver softly said "BLACKIE". Ours was the only jeep as the rest of them were trying to chase the tigress down. He then slowly pointed towards the check dam wall & I could see the black panther slowly climbing the wall. By the time I could place the bean bag & start shooting it had already climbed the wall & had sat on it too. My instinct of focusing on the Blackie paid off while the entire junta was behind the tigress. This was how he made himself comfortable when I took the first image.





Blackie AKA The Dark Lord











It was now 9 AM & 1 more jeep & a canter rolled in. They were only other wise ones to try their luck at the black panther. One could view the black panther from only 3 spots. First is the spot where we saw him first (image above), second is the spot we moved to after a couple of mins of seeing him initially (2 images below) & the 3rd spot was ideal from an angle perspective but was very far (maybe will be ideal for an 800mm lens). We had parked our jeep at the 2nd spot mentioned above. There was nothing much to do as he yawned a few times & was just basking in the sun. In a few images, I could see his whiskers stained with blood which only indicated that he had a kill in the spot where there were spotted deer calls earlier & was probably having his meal when the deers were calling. He now had come for a drink & relax in the warm morning light for sometime. Fired the camera away to my hearts content & spent the last 10 mins of the safari just looking at him. It was now 9.15 & we had to exit the park. When you follow your gut & achieve something, the satisfaction it gives you is immense. This was one such instance where in me & my family were smiling away to glory till we reached the resort. We knew we had hit the blockbuster - The Black Gold of Kabini.



The Black Gold standard of Kabini

















With 2 back to back blockbuster sightings, I knew wanting anything more than this would be called a greed. So decided to sit back, relax, enjoy the forest & allow the driver to decide what routes to take & which territories to focus on. Took a much needed quick nap post breakfast & spent an hour or so deleting the unwanted images from the camera's memory card. We were again ready for the 5th safari by 2.45 PM. Though I wanted to take it easy, the wildlifer in me takes over as soon as the safari starts. To avoid this I sat behind the driver's seat & not in the passenger seat which usually is the one I prefer. But the driver knows me so well that I would have preferred him going back to Blackie's territory first & then to other areas & return back to Blackie's territory before exiting the forest, which is what he did. However the jungle had again become calm after some action in the last 18 Hrs or so. Ended the safari after sighting some elephants, sambars, mongoose etc.



Indian Roller or Bluejay









Day 6



It was 6th & final safari (morning). Wanted to end the trip with a bang. Tried hard for Blackie & the 2 female tigresses but did not yield any positive outcome. Saw some wild dogs at the end of the safari just before exiting the jungle. Had a quick breakfast, settled the camera fees at the reception, freshened up & were ready for our return journey by 11 AM.



Turtles









Wild Dog









Took the Kabini - HD Kote - Mysore - Bangalore route (via MYS - BLR expressway). As it was a weekday, the traffic was sparse. Reached home by 2.30 PM with a 15 mins coffee break included. Will be doing another trip to the jungle shortly. Until then, ADIOS! June is the month where in I ensure a trip to Kabini is planned every year. It marks the end of the scorching summer & the beginning of monsoons which in turn would have turned the forest into a green paradise. The backwaters of Kabini & the waterholes too are in their glory by the end of June. However, this year due to a delayed monsoon, the forest was green at its best but the backwaters & waterholes left a lot to be desired. Had a family function to attend in Kozhikode, hence took this opportunity to have an extended vacation.Was keeping a tab on the availability at Jungle lodges & Resorts (JLR) since the beginning of June as I was flexible to do Kabini before or after the Kozhikode visit. In the 3rd week of June finally decided to do Kabini on the way back from Kozhikode as it would be peak weekdays & the crowd would be lesser. Booked for 3 nights & the wait during the last couple of days prior to the trip was like how impatient I was when I got my Slavia in Jan of this year. Below was the itinerary of the trip. Total distance covered was ~725 kms.Day 1 : BLR to Kozhikode, overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotelDay 2 : Attend the function & then overnight stay at Easy Avenue Park hotelDay 3 : Kozhikode to Kabini, overnight stay at JLRDay 4 : Kabini, stay at JLRDay 5 : Kabini, stay at JLRDay 6 : Check out after the morning safari in Kabini & back to BLRTook the BLR - MYS - Gundulpet - Sultan Bathery - Kalpetta - Kozhikode route for the onward journey. The Blr-Mys expressway construction is now completed & it was a bliss cruising at 100 - 110 kms/hr on this road though it was a Saturday early morning. It surely is way way better than what it was 3 months back (before 100% completion). Had breakfast at Hotel Vaishali. Saw a couple of elephants too on the Bandipur side just before entering Kerala. Reached Kozhikode & checked into the hotel by 2 PM. The usual traffic in Kerala slowed us down considerably during the 2nd half of our journey. The rooms at East Avenue hotel are clean with very good functional AC's (it is a mandatory requirement due to the coastal weather), the staff is courteous & efficient but the food was average. After accomplishing the goal of our visit to Kozhikode, we decided to visit the beach in the evening for a leisurely walk. It rained quite heavily that evening & kind of ruined our plan of visiting the beach. Rested well for the night dreaming about the calmness or peace of the forest with chirping of birds that was going to welcome us the next day.Post breakfast, started our journey from Kozhikode to Kabini by 9 am. It was a distance of about ~135 kms. The roads were good throughout except for the forest main road from Bavali to Udbur gate junction in Kabini (~16 kms or so). Reached JLR Kabini around 1.15 PM. Yes, it took 4 hrs for a 135 kms drive, all thanks to the Kerala buses. Had to pickup my rental camera gear from the Toehold store in Kabini which is on the way to JLR. Finished the checkin formalities, freshened up & then headed straight to the Golghar for the lunch. A quick lunch & we were all set for our 1st safari of the trip.Post lunch it drizzled for 10 to 15 mins. I am used to being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest as it has its own advantages. Some safari routing confusion pertaining to a couple guests ensured we were one of the last few jeeps to enter. I take my safaris very seriously & this delay was a downer. Calmed myself down & after finishing the formalities at the forest entry gate entire focus changed on scanning the tree tops for Leopards & safari tracks for pug marks. The last few days had been very bleak sighting wise in Kabini & for me that's a good sign. With a male tiger sighting during the morning safari, I was positive that things had started to fall in place. However, the area where the tiger was seen in the morning is at the other end of the forest & it had moved into the non tourism zone of the forest. It would take 30% of our safari time just to reach there & get back. I did not want to take that chance & asked the driver to focus on the territories of other predators. The jungle was dead silent with an occasional peacock call or chirping of the cicadas. We traversed through the broken paths looking for pug marks & waited at quite a few places including waterholes keeping our eyes & ears wide open. To make our tracking even more challenging it rained for 15 t o 20 mins during the middle of the safari (around 5 PM or so) which is a time for any predator to get out of its slumber & start moving around. To keep it short, we saw the usual spotted deer, sambar, langurs, peacocks etc. But the surprising thing this time around was that we saw a lot of Elephants (especially adolescent Tuskers) which is common during summer but not during monsoon. Reached the resort back by 6.45 PM. Hot tea & pakoras set the tone for some family time. Had a peaceful dinner by 9.30 PM & hit the sack by 10.30 PM hoping for better cat luck the next morning.We were ready by 5.30 AM & got into the jeep by 5.50 AM. Again were delayed because one of the guests decided to join by 6.10 AM when the jeeps are supposed to leave by 6 AM. I might sound to be over reacting but trust me being one of the first jeeps to enter the forest & these 5 - 10 mins of delay do cost us sighting wise. This why I find the safari concept followed in north & central India to be the best. You can book the entire gypsy for yourself & also book in advance whichever tourism zone you want do in that particular forest. I hope wildlife tourism in south follows the same in future. There were no bigcat sightings at all the previous evening & it had also rained on & off during the night. So we enter the forest & again stop at certain junctions/spots/waterholes to hear for alarm calls & also keep an eye on the tracks for fresh pug marks. At one of such spots we found fresh pug marks of a Leopard which had walked the track for quite a bit. So we follow the pug marks which disappeared after a certain distance as the leopard had entered the forest undergrowth & then we scanned the surrounding areas & trees hoping to find it. However there were no alarm calls indicating that its still on the move. Its almost 8 AM & we decided to stick with the Black Panther's territory as he was seen thrice in the last 15 days & this was after a long hiatus of 4 months or so because he was spending most of the time in the non tourism zone of the park. We spend the next 1 Hr 15 Mins waiting & doing short rounds on just 1 safari track which is around 1.5 to 2 kms long. We hear a single spotted deer alarm call once or twice every 5 mins or so. This area also has 2 male tigers (as it is their overlapping territory), a sub adult tigress, a female leopard & of course the black panther. Usually these kind of intermittent single spotted deer alarm calls are not reliable. But we decide to wait it out. Its now 9.15 AM & time to exit as we need to be at the gate by 9.30 AM. Ended the 2nd safari & headed straight to Golghar for a much needed breakfast.Due to delayed monsoon the Kabini backwaters do not have enough water for boat safari as of now. Hence the morning normal boat/coracal rides were not available. Spent sometime chit chatting with the naturalists & drivers up until lunch time. With 2 dry safaris I was hoping for some action in our 3rd safari as there were no bigcat sightings for the last 6 safaris except for the male tiger that was seen on the morning we reached Kabini. We set out for the afternoon drive at sharp 3 PM, this time our jeep being the first to enter the forest. I wanted to first check the black panther's territory as there were intermittent calls in the morning & then head to the area where the male tiger was seen. We wait at the same spot where we had heard the spotted deer's alarm call for sometime but did not find any pug marks which would have indicated what predator it was & if it had moved post our morning safari. So we knew whatever it was, most probably it was still put in the same place as predators do not prefer to move around in the afternoon. It was now around 4.45 PM & we had done short rounds in this area scanning almost each & every tree possible. There were no calls nor any sign of any predator. So as decided we headed towards the area where the male tiger was seen. It takes around 15 mins to reach that area & it has 2 other tigresses as well. 1 with 4 sub adult cubs & 1 with 2 smaller cubs.As we were half way through, we saw 3 to 4 jeeps returning from that area. A couple of them stopped & enquired about the movement in the black panther's territory. With a negative response received, they too did not have positive opinion about the movement in the area we were heading to. Based on the info received, our driver asked what I wanted to do. My gut feeling told me to proceed to that area & I asked him to continue. All the way along there was nothing that was encouraging. It also became quite cloudy & it seemed like it might rain anytime. We ambled along a safari track where the tigress with her 4 sub adult cubs crosses over from the non tourism zone to the tourism zone. Result was zilch. No pug marks or alarm calls. We then waited at a waterhole which is frequented by the tigress with 2 cubs. Again the same result. Then we were on our way to another waterhole which is frequented by both these tigresses. There was 1 safari bus & another jeep already at the waterhole & as we were approaching them from a distance we could see people in both the vehicles standing & peeking out. This meant 1 thing. TIGER. As we reached the waterhole, we saw the tigress (the one with 4 sub adult cubs & we call her Temple or Russell Line Female) crouching & sitting right next to the safari track to our right fiddling around with something. The moment I got a full view of her, I knew she had made a kill & was gorging on it. The driver of the other jeep confirmed that she had killed a Langur just before they & the bus reached the waterhole. As I could hear the drivers whispering about this I was already firing away with my camera.She had already devoured 40% of the Langur in 15 mins. Tigers successfully hunting Langurs is very rare as the latter are seldom seen on the ground & are very vigilant & agile. Sometimes even the most vigilant also are vulnerable in the wild. She then moved in our direction & sat in place with the kill which was too close to my 400 mm lens. I could not fit in the tiger in the frame & ended up taking some video. We could neither backup as by now few more safari vehicles had arrived & were lined up behind us. Once she was done eating 90% of the kill with only the Langur's head remaining, she picked it up & moved a little bit away from us thus creating exact space needed between us where in I could frame her fully at 400 mm. She then abandoned the head/skull of the Langur & went on to scent mark a tree before entering the forest undergrowth. Tigers are slow eaters & a Langur can only be a snack for a Tiger. She polished off the Langur in less than an hour. During this entire time, she did not call her cubs even once & neither did she make an effort to carry the kill in the undergrowth because a Langur is too small a kill for a Tiger family of 5 out of which the 4 sub adult cubs are almost now as big as the mother Tiger. This points out that the cubs were in the vicinity & the family is on the verge of separation & she did not want to share the snack with them. Else, a tigresses's instinct is to carry the kill to the cubs or hide it & go fetch the cubs back to the kill. With another sighting of a lifetime & some incredible memories we reached the resort. Had an early dinner & called it a day.We were ready for our 4th safari by 5.30 AM as usual & entered the forest at 6.15 AM sharp. By the time we had reached the forest gate I had already told the driver about the area I want to take & focus during the first 1 hour of the safari. I had given a long thought & then decided to take a chance at the black panther AKA Blackie. I knew all the jeeps would flock to the area where the tigress with kill was seen the previous evening. Everyone was expecting she might be seen along with the cubs. But as she had not called the cubs while having her snack or did not carry the kill to the cubs, 90% chance was that she was alone on a territory marking spree & there was only a 10% chance that the cubs might be near to the area where she had made the kill but not very close. So I decided to go against the tide & as discussed with the driver took the route to the black panther's territory where we had heard the calls the previous morning. As we reached the stream area we heard strong multiple spotted deer alarm calls almost from the same place (from the other side of the stream) where we had heard the previous morning. It was again a waiting game including scanning of trees. Covered the 1.5 to 2 km track to check for pug marks once the alarm calls died down but did not find any. So circled back to the spot where we heard the alarm calls & decided to stay put. 15 minutes passed & there were again a couple of alarm calls. This 1.5 to 2km stretch is a winding track & one cannot get to see what happens just after 50 meters ahead. There was always a chance of the predator crossing the stream & walking on or crossing the safari track 50 meters ahead without us even getting to know. So we decided to small rounds every 10 mins or so from where we were waiting. By now it was 8.10 AM & by 8.45 AM or so we knew all the jeeps from that area will abandon their search for that tigress & head towards the black panther's area.While doing the one of the short round of this 2 km stretch & returning towards the spot where the initial spotted deer calls were heard, there is an old dilapidated small check dam to our right which was built long ago on this stream. We usually stop at this place for a few mins as the Blackie & a male tiger are known to walk on the stream bed when the water levels are very low & there have been a couple of instances where they have even been seen resting on the wall of the dilapidated check dam too. As we approached the check dam spot, our driver softly said. Ours was the only jeep as the rest of them were trying to chase the tigress down. He then slowly pointed towards the check dam wall & I could see the black panther slowly climbing the wall. By the time I could place the bean bag & start shooting it had already climbed the wall & had sat on it too. My instinct of focusing on the Blackie paid off while the entire junta was behind the tigress. This was how he made himself comfortable when I took the first image.It was now 9 AM & 1 more jeep & a canter rolled in. They were only other wise ones to try their luck at the black panther. One could view the black panther from only 3 spots. First is the spot where we saw him first (image above), second is the spot we moved to after a couple of mins of seeing him initially (2 images below) & the 3rd spot was ideal from an angle perspective but was very far (maybe will be ideal for an 800mm lens). We had parked our jeep at the 2nd spot mentioned above. There was nothing much to do as he yawned a few times & was just basking in the sun. In a few images, I could see his whiskers stained with blood which only indicated that he had a kill in the spot where there were spotted deer calls earlier & was probably having his meal when the deers were calling. He now had come for a drink & relax in the warm morning light for sometime. Fired the camera away to my hearts content & spent the last 10 mins of the safari just looking at him. It was now 9.15 & we had to exit the park. When you follow your gut & achieve something, the satisfaction it gives you is immense. This was one such instance where in me & my family were smiling away to glory till we reached the resort. We knew we had hit the blockbuster - The Black Gold of Kabini.With 2 back to back blockbuster sightings, I knew wanting anything more than this would be called a greed. So decided to sit back, relax, enjoy the forest & allow the driver to decide what routes to take & which territories to focus on. Took a much needed quick nap post breakfast & spent an hour or so deleting the unwanted images from the camera's memory card. We were again ready for the 5th safari by 2.45 PM. Though I wanted to take it easy, the wildlifer in me takes over as soon as the safari starts. To avoid this I sat behind the driver's seat & not in the passenger seat which usually is the one I prefer. But the driver knows me so well that I would have preferred him going back to Blackie's territory first & then to other areas & return back to Blackie's territory before exiting the forest, which is what he did. However the jungle had again become calm after some action in the last 18 Hrs or so. Ended the safari after sighting some elephants, sambars, mongoose etc.It was 6th & final safari (morning). Wanted to end the trip with a bang. Tried hard for Blackie & the 2 female tigresses but did not yield any positive outcome. Saw some wild dogs at the end of the safari just before exiting the jungle. Had a quick breakfast, settled the camera fees at the reception, freshened up & were ready for our return journey by 11 AM.Took the Kabini - HD Kote - Mysore - Bangalore route (via MYS - BLR expressway). As it was a weekday, the traffic was sparse. Reached home by 2.30 PM with a 15 mins coffee break included. Will be doing another trip to the jungle shortly. Until then, ADIOS! Last edited by Torque123 : 1st July 2023 at 03:08 .
As soon as Lina Khan was appointed as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair, the agency has been working on its most substantial antitrust case against Amazon.

Khan has already filed three lawsuits against the company, but the biggest could be filed in the next few weeks.

(Photo : KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

This picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows the logo of Amazon, a major online shopping company, displayed at Amazon Amagasaki Fulfillent Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture.

Amazon Facing Potential Antitrust Case From FTC

After filing three cases against Amazon, the FTC might file its biggest antitrust lawsuit against the company in the next few weeks, according to TechCrunch.

Based on documents seen by Bloomberg and three sources familiar with the case, the upcoming lawsuit will allege that Amazon systematically disadvantages merchants who do not use its fulfillment services.

Once FTC showed enough evidence of Amazon maliciously manipulating a market by leveraging its power to reward merchants that use its logistics services and punish those who don't, this could force the company to do a "restructure" or be broken up.

Bloomberg reported that Khan's office and FTC investigators have been honing the complaint for several months. They were finalizing key details like where to file the suit, as the FTC can file complaints in a federal court or in the agency's own administrative process.

According to Bloomberg sources, Khan and her colleagues aim to file the case before personnel changes in August. Amazon will surely appeal once it is filed, and this results in a not-so-good outcome for the company.

Previous Cases Against Amazon

According to Bloomberg, the expected allegations are similar to a report in 2020 from a US House subcommittee, with Khan as a staff member. These allegations also overlap with a European antitrust case that charged the tech company with rewarding merchants that use its fulfillment services and using sellers' sales data to increase its own retail business.

In December 2022, Amazon agreed to a settlement with the EU, offering to change its "Buy Box" rankings and limit its use of marketplace seller data. Amazon has also promised to create a second offer box if there is a sufficient difference in price or time of delivery.

Amazon could file a similar offer to the US market. However, Khan has been publicly vocal about not accepting compromises from the company as she wants Amazon to "restructure" its business. CNBC reported that the FTC has already taken action against the tech company in other areas.

These include a consumer protection lawsuit alleging that Amazon used deceptive tactics to get users to sign up for its Prime subscriptions and recently settling two cases alleging privacy lapses in its Alexa voice assistant and Ring video security products.

Also Read: FTC Urges Court to Temporarily Block Microsoft's $69B Activision Blizzard Merger

Lina Khan as FTC Chair

Bloomberg reported that Lina Khan was appointed FTC chair in June 2021 and started recasting the Amazon probe. The agency's current investigation reportedly began two years before Khan became the chair.

Khan was reportedly very hands-on with the investigation as she helped draft some lines of questions for the investigators and picked John Newman, a fellow academic with Justice Department experience, to help lead the investigation.

Bloomberg sources noted that the FTC had already interviewed nearly 30 employees of Amazon under oath last year.

Related Article: FTC Files Lawsuit Against Amazon For 'Intentionally' Sabotaging Customer's Attempts to Cancel Prime Program

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According to a new study, the use of menopausal hormone therapy could be associated with a higher rate of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.



The study, conducted in Denmark, found that both long-term and short-term users of menopausal hormone therapy, particularly those around the age of menopause, had an increased risk of developing dementia.



The findings of this study align with the largest clinical trial conducted on this topic, emphasizing the need for further research to determine if there is a causal relationship between hormone therapy and dementia risk.



However, researchers caution against inferring a direct cause-and-effect relationship based solely on the observed associations.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy

Menopausal hormone therapy, commonly known as HRT, is often used to alleviate symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. It involves the use of tablets containing either estrogen alone or a combination of estrogen and progestogen, as well as patches, gels, and creams.



Previous large observational studies have demonstrated a link between long-term use of menopausal hormone therapy and the development of dementia, supporting the findings of the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, which is the largest clinical trial in this field.



However, the impact of short-term use of hormone therapy around the age of menopause, as currently recommended, still needs further investigation. The effect of various treatment regimens on dementia risk is still unknown.



To address these knowledge gaps, Danish researchers analyzed national registry data. They identified 5,589 cases of dementia and 55,890 dementia-free controls within a population of Danish women aged 50-60 years with no history of dementia or contraindications for hormone therapy.



The study took into account various factors such as education, income, hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disease.



The findings indicated that individuals who had undergone estrogen-progestin therapy had a 24% elevated risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to those who had never used menopausal hormone therapy.



This increased risk was observed even among women who started treatment at the age of 55 years or younger. Moreover, the duration of therapy had an impact, as longer-term use was associated with higher rates of dementia.



It is worth noting that the type of treatment regimen, whether continuous or cyclic, did not significantly affect the risk. On the other hand, the use of progestin-only therapy or vaginal estrogen alone showed no association with the development of dementia.

Read Also: University of Rochester's AI-Based Method Breaks New Ground for Alzheimer's Research

Further Studies Needed

The researchers highlight the need for further studies to determine whether these findings indicate a direct effect of menopausal hormone therapy on dementia risk or if underlying factors predispose women to both menopausal symptoms and dementia.



In a related editorial, US researchers support the call for additional studies and emphasize the importance of randomized clinical trials to provide stronger evidence regarding the effects of hormone therapy on dementia risk.



They also suggest that brain imaging biomarkers could potentially help identify the impact of hormone treatment on dementia pathology at an earlier stage.



While this study sheds light on the association between menopausal hormone therapy and dementia risk, further research is necessary to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship and inform decision-making regarding the use of hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.

The study was published in The BMJ.

Related Article: Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Ready by 2040, Top Expert Says

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Microsoft has announced the introduction of AI shopping tools for Bing and Edge, aiming to enhance the online shopping experience and provide shoppers with confidence and convenience.



The overwhelming nature of online shopping, with an abundance of options and information, often leaves consumers feeling stressed and confused. Microsoft aims to alleviate these challenges and bring joy back to the shopping process.

Microsoft Shopping AI Tools

Microsoft Shopping already offers tools across Bing, Edge, Microsoft Start, and Outlook, providing time and money-saving features such as Coupons, Cashback, Price History, and Price Comparison.



The company claims that Microsoft Edge has saved shoppers worldwide a staggering $3.7 billion in the past year alone, with US shoppers saving an average of $400 per year through the browser.



The new Microsoft Shopping tools leverage the power of AI to simplify the shopping journey and empower users with comprehensive information from trusted sources. These tools are available in both Bing and Edge, creating a seamless shopping experience.



One of the notable features is the introduction of Buying Guides in Bing, which cater to specific needs and preferences. For instance, college students searching for the right supplies can turn to Bing for tailored Buying Guides that offer product suggestions, specifications, and smart compare tables.



This feature streamlines the research process and allows users to make informed decisions without having to navigate multiple websites.



Buying Guides are currently available in the US and will expand to other markets gradually. Edge users can also access Buying Guides through the sidebar or Bing Chat.



Another valuable addition is the summarized reviews and insights feature. When searching for a particular product, users can rely on Bing Chat in the Edge sidebar for guidance.



Bing will suggest key aspects to consider, such as quality and compatibility. Moreover, Bing Chat can provide brief summaries of online reviews and popular opinions and insights about the product.



This feature simplifies the review process and helps shoppers make well-informed choices.

Read Also: Microsoft Creates a Unique Jade Xbox Controller to Celebrate 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty'

Finding the Best Price

Microsoft Shopping tools also assist users in finding the best price and saving money. Price Match, a soon-to-be-available feature in the US, ensures that customers get the best possible price by monitoring item prices and facilitating price match requests.



Additionally, Price Comparison, Price History, Coupons, Cashback, and Package Tracking are existing features integrated into Edge, providing users with comprehensive information and opportunities to save.



To take advantage of these AI-powered shopping tools, users can visit bing.com/shopping on PC or mobile devices or download the Bing app.

Related Article: Microsoft CEO Nadella Aims to Remove Xbox Exclusives, Blaming Sony for Defining Market, Competition

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In a world where staying connected is paramount, Motorola has introduced an innovative device that adds satellite connectivity to your current smartphone.

The Motorola Defy Satellite Link, developed by the Bullitt Group, known for their durable Cat brand phones, offers satellite connectivity without needing a new phone.

Sattelite Connectivity for Your Smartphone

While integrating satellite functionality directly into smartphones is not new, it typically requires purchasing new devices like Apple's emergency SOS technology only available from the company's latest iPhone 14 line.

However, with the Motorola Defy Satellite Link, you can maintain your existing phone and still access satellite connectivity.

The Motorola Defy Satellite Link connects to your Android or iPhone via Bluetooth, establishing a seamless connection to a network of geostationary satellites.

Once connected, you can utilize the Bullitt Satellite Messenger app to send and receive SMS, share your location, and access emergency services. This groundbreaking device ensures continuous connectivity, regardless of location or cellular network availability.

Read Also: Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger Spotted at a Discount Ahead of Independence Day Sale

One noteworthy feature of the Motorola Defy Satellite Link is its emergency functionality. Equipped with two buttons, it allows you to contact emergency services and share your location without an active smartphone connection.

A Quick Look at Key Specs

In terms of technical specifications, the Motorola Defy Satellite Link impresses with its compact design, measuring 85 x 62 x 11.2mm and weighing only 70g, making it easily portable.

It boasts an IP68 rating for water, dust, and dirt resistance, ensuring durability in rugged environments. It also meets the MIL-SPEC-810H standard for vibration, humidity, salt mist, and thermal shock resistance.

The device is powered by a 600mAh non-removable lithium polymer battery, delivering up to 4 full days of battery life. Charging is convenient with its USB charging capability.

It supports various positioning systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou, providing accurate location information.

The included SOS Assist Plan offers an additional layer of safety. With the press of the SOS button, you can connect to Bullitt's response center through their app.

Staffed by professionals 24/7/365, the response centers ensure help is just a button away. The plan also provides international language support and escalates to local emergency services if necessary.

Pricing

Initially priced at an affordable $99, Android Authority tells us that the Motorola Defy Satellite Link currently lists at $150, which includes one year of Bullitt's Essentials Messaging plan and a satellite-enabled SOS subscription.

Customers in North America can also enjoy a limited-time free trial of the Premium plan until October 1, 2023.

After the trial, they will be automatically enrolled in the 12-month Essentials plan, bundled with the product.

To purchase the Motorola Defy Satellite Link, visit the official Motorola website or check retailers like B&H Photo, which is currently available for $149.99. This groundbreaking satellite connectivity solution is within your reach.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Your Android Smartphone Might Be Infected With Anatsa Banking Trojan- Uninstall These Apps NOW!

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The classic red Gmail icon for notifications is back once again just a week after Google introduced the dynamic color theming.

No one knows why the company decided to revert it to its original appearance, but it could be because of the feedback that it's receiving from the users.

Classic Red Gmail Icon Returns

(Photo : Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk from Unsplash)

Google retained the classic red notification icon on Gmail just a week after it gave it a different shade.

Google's recent update to Gmail for Android brings back the classic red app icon in notifications, according to the latest report by Android Headlines.

Users were previously presented with a dynamic color theming that followed the latest Material You design language. However, this change was met with widespread annoyance among users who found it harder to spot email alerts in the notification shade.

Google responded to user feedback and decided to reinstate the red Gmail icon for improved visibility and recognition.

Related Article: Gmail Makes Email Searching Easier With 'Top Results'

Google is Listening to User's Feedback

Considering Gmail's significance as a widely used email service, Google's decision to deviate from the Material You design language and restore the classic red icon in notifications is well-justified.

The aim is to ensure that important email notifications stand out prominently and are easily noticed by users. Google took user feedback into account and promptly addressed the issue by rolling out this update via the Play Store.

Gmail Users Wait For Navigation Rail For Big-Screen Devices

While the recent update focuses on the notification icon, Gmail users are eagerly awaiting a design enhancement for larger-screen devices, per 9to5Google.

Specifically, they are anticipating the adoption of a navigation rail feature, which is not yet available on Pixel Tablets as of the latest release. The inclusion of a navigation rail would provide a more intuitive and efficient user interface, enhancing the Gmail experience on larger screens.

Google Play Prepares for Dynamic Color Theming

Interestingly, Google Play, the app distribution platform, is preparing to introduce comprehensive dynamic color theming across its applications. This means that users can expect a cohesive visual experience with consistent theming throughout the Google Play app.

While Gmail has reverted to the classic red icon in notifications, Google Play is embracing the new theme to enhance the overall aesthetics and user experience across its platform.

Last month, Tech Times reported that Google had an important announcement to all Gmail users who might fall into bank-raiding scams.

At that time, the company warned the users to be careful in clicking random links in an email since they could be carrying malware.

Usually, the suspicious link contains information on how to claim the "fake prize." Once you deal with it, the scammers can now monitor your account and activity.

Read Also: Your Android Smartphone Might Be Infected With Anatsa Banking Trojan- Uninstall These Apps NOW!

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China's Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang (R) and Jon Frampton, director of the University of Birmingham China Institute, unveil a blue plaque honoring Li Siguang at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, Britain, June 29, 2023. A blue plaque honoring Li Siguang, a late Chinese geologist and founder of geological mechanics, was unveiled at the University of Birmingham on Thursday. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

BIRMINGHAM, Britain, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A blue plaque honoring Li Siguang, a late Chinese geologist and founder of geological mechanics, was unveiled at the University of Birmingham on Thursday.

Born in 1889, Li studied geology at the University of Birmingham in the 1910s. Later he spent several years researching the geology of China, and his work greatly contributed to the discovery of China's major natural gas and oil fields in the 1950s. In 1931, he received his doctorate at the University of Birmingham. He died in 1971.

With this commemorative plaque, Li has joined an illustrious club of about two dozen famous people with ties to the university, including Norman Haworth, Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry, and well-known writer David Lodge.

Calling Li "one of the university's most famous Chinese alumni," Jon Frampton, director of the China Institute that operates on the university campus, recalled a series of lectures the institute organized in 2018 to mark the legacy of the famous geologist.

"We covered a wide range of disciplines through those lectures that are relevant to our academic engagement with China, including topics as diverse as sustainability, science diplomacy, and cultural understanding," Frampton said.

"The legacy of Li Siguang is very much alive here at the university. It's driving future-oriented collaborations with researchers in China," said William Bloss, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Birmingham.

China's Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang said: "Li Siguang was a very accomplished academic and scientist. We're pleased that Li Siguang's legacy is alive and cherished at your great university."

He said the collaborations between the University of Birmingham and Chinese universities and research institutions will help to resolve the "common challenges" faced by the whole world. He also encouraged Chinese students studying at the University of Birmingham to try to rival Li's academic excellence. 
In a move set to challenge the dominance of Google and Apple's app stores, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, Oculus, and Instagram, is gearing up to allow users in the EU to download Android apps directly through ads on Facebook.

As The Verge notes, this strategic maneuver comes in response to the EU's Digital Markets Act, which aims to foster competition and alternative app store options.

While Meta's plan promises higher conversion rates for app developers, concerns about user experience, security, and the trustworthiness of app sources have also been raised.

Unlocking App Store Competition

The EU's Digital Markets Act is poised to disrupt the status quo by challenging Apple and Google's stronghold on mobile app distribution.

Under this legislation, alternative app stores must be allowed on these platforms, leading Meta to explore the potential of its own app distribution network.

This pilot program, expected to launch later this year, will allow a handful of Android app developers to host their apps on Facebook, enabling direct downloads for EU users.

Read Also: Apple Watch is Losing Facebook Messenger App Next Month, Is It Because of the watchOS 10?

What This Means for Developers

The Verge notes that Meta's pitch to participating developers in this pilot program centers around the potential for higher conversion rates.

By bypassing the Play Store and allowing users to download apps directly from Facebook, developers can target a wider audience and potentially see increased app installations.

In a bid to attract developers, Meta has announced that it will not take a cut of in-app purchases made through this distribution channel, allowing developers to continue using their preferred billing systems.

User Experience Concerns

While Meta's plan sounds promising for developers, questions about the user experience have been raised.

Currently, installing apps from the Play Store via Facebook is a seamless process, raising doubts about the need for a direct download option.

Android Authority argues that ads linking to the Play Store do not significantly annoy consumers, as they can swiftly install the app and seamlessly return to Facebook.

The convenience and security measures offered by the Play Store, including malware detection and transparent data collection information, also challenge Meta to provide similar safeguards.

Competition on the Horizon

Meta's push to become an app distributor is not unusual.

Similarly, Microsoft has expressed its intention to launch an alternative app store for games on iOS and Android in Europe next year.

These moves by major tech players indicate a shift towards diversifying app distribution channels, fostering competition, and empowering developers with more options.

In Other News

Snapchat has recently announced that its subscription service, Snapchat+, has surpassed 4 million customers, according to PhoneArena.

Snapchat+ launched nearly a year ago and has seen incredible growth, accumulating a million subscribers in just two months.

Snapchat+, which costs $3.99 a month, offers exclusive features not available in the free version of the app.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Facebook Privacy Settlement Payout Could Net You Some Money! Here's How to Check if You're Eligible

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The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will visit Japan next week to meet with Japanese authorities and watch the last preparations to discharge cleansed radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor into the Pacific Ocean.

Japan's wastewater discharge plan, which local fishing organizations and neighboring nations have opposed because of safety concerns, is being bolstered by this visit.

Japan's foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, announced Grossi's July 4-7 visit. The IAEA's top official will meet Hayashi, Nishimura, and Kishida. Grossi will also visit Fukushima, ravaged by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, according to AP News.

To emphasize Japan's support, Hayashi stressed the IAEA's role in nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful nuclear energy.

The Director General of @iaeaorg @rafaelmgrossi will travel to  #Japan next week to present the comprehensive findings of the #IAEAs safety review of Japans plan to release treated water from the #Fukushima Daiichi plant into the sea.https://t.co/4HEvzeUoAy pic.twitter.com/1ADUn7vXjM  IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency  (@iaeaorg) June 30, 2023

The Fukushima plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), has completed wastewater discharge equipment, according to a report from US News. TEPCO expects to start the release in a week after Japanese regulators finish their final evaluation. However, the precise commencement date is still up in the air as the Nuclear Regulation Authority continues to deliberate.

Long-Term Impact of Nuclear Waste Feared

Grossi's agenda calls for further trips to South Korea, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands to address concerns from outside. The IAEA is scheduled to publish its final report on the wastewater discharge plan at this time to allay worries and provide a thorough analysis.

Japanese government and utility authorities have underlined the need to remove the wastewater that is kept in around 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima plant. They contend that its removal is necessary to make room for the plant's decommissioning and to stop unintentional leaks.

The somewhat radioactive treated water will be diluted to levels below international regulations. The steady release over several decades is anticipated to make it innocuous to both people and marine life.

Some experts, however, have voiced concern due to the unknown long-term implications of low-dose radionuclide exposure. They suggest postponing the discharge or encasing the wastewater in cement for use in building supplies. Others want more openness in sampling and monitoring, even if they think the proposed release is safe.

The Japanese government has addressed the dissemination of bogus reports, including one that claims Japan forced the IAEA to distort its final report, amid the continuing discussion.

Read Also: American Fashion Influencers Face Backlash Over Shein's China Factory Tour

The IAEA is aware of these fake documents, according to Foreign Minister Hayashi, who also emphasized that the agency is in charge of preparing a thorough final report and is not susceptible to interference from the Japanese government.

Hayashi vehemently resisted any effort to compromise the IAEA's objectivity and independence by spreading false information.

South Koreans Protest Fukushima Wastewater Release

On Friday, environmental activists protested outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. As Japan prepares for the Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater release, anxieties among South Koreans have led to an excessive stockpiling of sea salt and other items.

Over 85% of South Koreans disagree with Japan's wastewater release, according to a recent study by the local pollster Research View, The Independent reported. The survey also indicates that 70% of South Koreans said they would eat less fish if the Fukushima nuclear plant release goes as planned.

Related Article: Harnessing the Power of AI for Clean Energy Solutions and Climate Change Mitigation: Renowned Clean Energy Investment Expert Nishant Tiwary

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Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives has expressed confidence that an Apple Car is on the horizon and predicts its potential launch by 2026.

Will the Cupertino giant confirm it soon or not after several rumors that appeared nearly a decade ago?

Analyst Claims Apple Car's Debut is Imminent

(Photo: Alexandr Bormotin from Unsplash) Apple Car rumor

Despite Apple's silence on the matter, the company's actions, including patent applications related to automotive technology and its association with a self-driving test facility in Arizona, strongly suggest its involvement in the development of a car.

Staff changes and discussions with potential car partners have further fueled speculation.

Ives, who previously stated that it was a matter of "when, not if" Apple would enter the electric vehicle market, told CNBC that the launch of the Apple Car launch is imminent.

'Dating Game' Has Started For Apple

Going back to the "when, not if" a statement from Ives, the analyst has described Apple's discussions with potential car partners, such as Hyundai and Nissan, as a "dating game," per Apple Insider.

To support his claim, he predicted an 85% chance of Apple announcing a strategic car partnership within the next three to six months. While that timeline did not materialize, Ives now predicts a launch by 2026, aligning with earlier reports by Ming-Chi Kuo that hinted at a delayed 2025 launch.

Related Article: MacPrime's Investigation Reveals Apple's Secretive Zurich Vision Lab Powering Apple Car, AR Headset, Siri Future

Apple Car Under Testing in Arizona?

In another story by Phone Arena, a report which looks like a conspiracy story appears to be all about the Apple Car.

While news about UFOs and other mysterious objects in the sky were already featured on television, a new sighting in Arizona could mean that Apple is testing its EVs out there.

Some sources pointed out that the simple-looking white car is actually a prototype of the Apple car.

While it's still uncertain if this is a prototype of the smart car, it's also possible that Apple has a secret testing facility for its upcoming products.'

Could Apple be Already Working on Apple Car For a Long Time?

While the iPhone maker remains mum amid rumors about its EV, reports indicate that Apple has been working on its car project for several years, potentially starting as early as 2014. This was even before the debut of the first-ever Apple Watch model in the market.

If this is real, the tech giant might have already spent resources and time on the development of the Apple Car. Keeping it a secret for a decade is worth admiring for a company that regularly releases new products every year.

There are still more interesting rumors about it, but the majority of them did not come to fruition like the 2019 report from Tech Times which said that the Apple Car would hit the streets in 2019.

Read Also: Apple Car Self-Driving Program Increases Drivers: How About the Vehicle Numbers?

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Goldman Sachs and Apple's partnership brought forth one of the biggest fintech developments offered in the industry, but it was revealed earlier this year that it was not all butterflies and rainbows for the bank. As per the bank, this specific venture with Apple ate as much as $1 billion in their funds, with this partnership doing so since 2020.

Now, there are reports that Goldman Sachs is looking for a next partner for Apple, eyeing American Express to fulfill the financial aspect of the service for the Cupertino company.

Goldman Sachs Lost $1B in Apple Card, Wants to Pass it to Amex

(Photo : Michael Short/Getty Images)

The Wall Street Journal reported that Goldman Sachs is allegedly looking to pass off its partnership to Apple, now eyeing American Express to bring its financial services for the company's fintech venture. This was because of its January 2023 revelation that it lost as much as $1 billion with the Apple Card venture alone.

As per Goldman Sachs' regulatory filing earlier this year, the company's "Platform Solutions" already lost a total of $4 billion on its operations, with its partnership with Cupertino making up $1 billion of it.

With as much as 25 percent accounted to Apple, Goldman Sachs is ready to drop the ball and let another financial institution take charge of the famed Apple Card ventures and its entirety, says WSJ.

It is yet unknown if this transfer would push through, especially as all parties would have to agree on the changes.

Read Also: Apple Card Savings is Now Available: How to Start Earning Interest for Your Money

Apple Card and American Express to Work on Apple Card?

According to 9to5Mac, Goldman Sachs is still discussing this with American Express and is not yet a guaranteed transfer of service of one of the biggest partnerships in fintech.

Goldman Sachs also revealed last year that it extended its partnership with Apple on the payment solution to last until 2029. However, now there are claims regarding the company leaving the rest to Amex, months after its extension with Apple.

Apple Card and What it Offers

The Apple Card remains a US-exclusive in what the Cupertino giant offers, centering on a credit card solution that allows Apple device users to own both a titanium card and set up an account straight via Wallet. Its service expanded more towards the following years to the entirety of the United States, and would soon branch out to other countries once it properly arranges it.

Apple first introduced the Apple Card back in 2019 with Goldman Sachs already in the picture to bring the fintech aspect of what the service brings. Later in the year, the service was made available to all parts of the US as long as they own an iPhone.

Goldman Sachs and Apple extended the partnership back in 2022 to last until 2029, and amidst last year, they also introduced the high-yield savings account known as Apple Card Savings. Despite all these, Goldman Sachs is reportedly looking to abandon ship and pass it off to another bank, to help fulfill the financial aspects of the Apple Card.

Related Article: Apple Card Savings Sees Withdraw Delays, Customers Complaining-What is Happening?

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The famous technology company behind the Apple processors like the A-series Bionic chips and the M-series SoCs, was recently hit with a ransomware attack. The LockBit ransomware gang already took responsibility for the attack, notoriously known for its global activities and ties to Russia, having some of its members from the country.

It is demanding a $70 million ransom demand from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), or else it would leak all the stolen data it managed to steal from the company.

TSMC was Hit with Ransomware Attack, LockBit Demands $70M

(Photo : SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

A security staff stands next to a logo of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, (TSMC), during the investors conference in Taipei on July 16, 2014. TSMC, the world's biggest contract microchip maker, was to release second-quarter earnings results at an online conference.

TechCrunch reported that TSMC's partner was hit with a ransomware attack, more specifically, one of its IT hardware suppliers, Kinmax Technology, with LockBit already owning up to the attack. The ransomware group is demanding a ransom payment of $70 million to keep the stolen data from getting leaked to the public.

Kinmax made this known to TSMC, with the company's services centering on setting up the server's initial setup and configuration. The attacked company also said that several pieces of information were leaked last Thursday, but the reports did not expand more on how serious the attack was or how much was taken.

Other clients of Kinmax include Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, VMWare, and HPE.

Read Also: Apple M3: Tests 12-Core CPU, 18-Core GPU, the Most on Any M-Series Chip; Coming Soon?

Stolen Sensitive Data Would be Leaked, is Apple Included?

As per 9to5 Mac, TSMC already confirmed that this attack did not affect its business operations and customer information, despite Kinmax Technology's hand on its servers. This means that this should not be a massive cause of concern for TSMC's customers, including Apple, one of its largest partners in the tech landscape.

TSMC and the LockBit Ransomware Gang

TSMC remains the top supplier of Apple for all chip needs, with the company centering on creating the semiconductors designed by the Cupertino giant which it uses for multiple technologies.

The company is best accounted for chips including the A-series processors which power the iPhone and iPad lineups, and the M-series chips which first debuted in 2020.

Adding insult to the injury, LockBit was reported earlier this year to be targeting Macs, with their ransomware attacks and other threats recently observed within the computer. Its ransomware looks into secretly stealing information from Mac users to blackmail them and ask for money in return, being one of the most notorious groups in this age.

The hacker group's most recent activity was said to not have affected its businesses and customer data, meaning that Apple and other partners are safe in the incident. While this does not significantly affect its operations, especially with Kinmax Technology, the stolen data remains unknown, not knowing the extent of what it would take from the company.

Related Article: CISA Confirms Russian Ransomware Group's Attacks on US Government Agencies, Raising Concerns of Similar Assaults

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On the ground that it is "devoid of merits," the Karnataka High Court of India has dismissed a petition filed by Twitter challenging the federal government's orders to block tweets and accounts.

(Photo : CONSTANZA HEVIA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Twitter logo is seen on the exterior of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, on October 28, 2022.

Twitter Penalized With Over $60,000 Fine By India

A lawyer for Twitter told Reuters that the court also imposed on Friday a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,943.65) on the company that must be paid within 45 days to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority.

The court also said that 5,000 rupees ($60.90) would have to be paid every day the payment is delayed. The court has cited Twitter's conduct of approaching the court without complying with the government's orders first.

India's Deputy Minister for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said Twitter was given several notices. However, it still failed to comply despite knowing the punishment for non-compliance was seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

"That also did not deter your client... So you have not given any reason why you delayed compliance, more than a year of delay... then all of sudden you comply and approach the Court. You are not a farmer but a billion dollar company," the bench said during the verdict on Friday.

In the petition filed by Twitter last year, the company said some removal orders fell short of the procedural requirements of India's Information Technology Act, which allows the government to block public access to content in the interest of national security, among other reasons.

Twitter also alleged that the government had abused its power by ordering the company to "arbitrarily and disproportionately" remove some tweets from its platform, including those political content posted by political parties.

Twitter Complying With the Requests

TechCrunch reported that Twitter partially complied with the government's requests but sought to fight many of its orders.

Twitter had reportedly challenged 10 different "blocking orders" issued by India's Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology from February 2, 2021, to February 28, 2022.

Under India's IT rules that went into effect in 2021, Twitter had limited or no scope to challenge these legal orders individually.

Also Read: Twitter Leaves Oracle Unpaid Despite Elon Musk's Close Friendship With Larry Ellison

Twitter's Relationship With India

Some of the government's block orders happened before Elon Musk acquired the platform last October for $44 billion. Musk reportedly has a cozier relationship with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Twitter owner previously said that Twitter's lawsuit against India was one of the reasons why he wanted to halt the acquisition deal.

Friday's verdict follows Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey accusing India earlier this month of regularly issuing requests for the social media platform to remove some posts and accounts, often accompanied by threats of legal repercussions in cases of non-compliance.

Engadget reported that the relationship of Twitter with India has been rough since 2021. In February 2021, the government threatened the company to jail employees unless the company removed content related to protests by farmers held that year.

After that, the government also ordered to pull out tweets criticizing them in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In one of its recent events, Twitter was also ordered to block tweets from the non-profit organization Freedom House after claiming that India was the perfect example of a country where freedom of the press continues to decline.

Related Article: #BoycottNothing Trends on Twitter! Why South Indian Users Criticized the London-Based Startup?

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Users can typically view public tweets even without a Twitter account. For instance, one can use the Twitter search feature, which allows anyone to search for public tweets based on keywords, hashtags, or usernames. By visiting the Twitter search page, users can explore and browse relevant tweets without the need for an account.



Another way to access public tweets is through search engine results. Search engines like Google index public tweets, making them searchable even without a Twitter account. By entering relevant keywords or hashtags in a search engine, users can discover and view publicly available tweets displayed in the search results.





Additionally, there are third-party Twitter clients and applications that provide access to public tweets without requiring a Twitter account. These clients often aggregate and display public tweets, allowing users to browse and interact with them



However, it appears that this functionality may change soon as Reuters reports Twitter will now be requiring its users to sign in before viewing tweets.

Read Also: Twitter Slapped With $60,000 Fine as India Court Dismissed Its Lawsuit Against Government 'Blocking' Orders

"Temporary Emergency Measure"

Users will now need to have an account on the platform in order to view tweets. This decision, described by owner Elon Musk as a "temporary emergency measure," aims to address the growing concern of data pillaging and protect the user experience.



Upon attempting to access content on Twitter, individuals will be prompted to either sign up for a new account or log into their existing one to gain access to their favorite tweets.



This change is particularly noticeable on the web version of Twitter, where browsing without logging in is no longer possible. Every URL now redirects users to the signup page, ensuring a more controlled and secure environment.



Musk took to Twitter to explain the rationale behind this move, stating, "We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!"



This account requirement is seen as a significant step towards curbing the activities of data scrapers, including tools such as ChatGPT's web browser plugin that have been utilizing Twitter's data.



The objective is to make it increasingly challenging for unauthorized entities to access and exploit Twitter's valuable information.



Musk expressed his discontent in the past regarding the utilization of Twitter's data by artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT. His concerns revolve around the incorporation of Twitter's content into training large language models without proper authorization.



In response to the situation, Musk declared, "We absolutely will take legal action against those who stole our data & look forward to seeing them in court, which is (optimistically) 2 to 3 years from now."

Related Article: Elon Musk Still Has Plans to Bring His 'Everything App' X to Life, but Twitter Needs to Be Fixed First

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After a two-month silence, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has finally made contact with mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.



The 52nd flight of the pioneering rotorcraft, which took place on April 26, had lost communication as it descended toward the Martian surface for landing.



However, the team had anticipated this temporary loss of contact due to a hill obstructing communication between Ingenuity's landing site and the Perseverance rover, according to NASA JPL's recent statement.

Vital Radio Delay

The Perseverance rover serves as a vital radio relay between the helicopter and mission controllers. The Ingenuity team had already devised plans for re-establishing contact once the rover was back into range.



On June 28, as Perseverance crested the hill, the team successfully reconnected with Ingenuity.



Flight 52, lasting 139 seconds and covering a distance of 1,191 feet (363 meters), aimed to relocate the helicopter and capture images of the Martian surface for the rover's science team.



"The portion of Jezero Crater the rover and helicopter are currently exploring has a lot of rugged terrains, which makes communications dropouts more likely," explained Josh Anderson, the Ingenuity team lead at JPL. "



The team's goal is to keep Ingenuity ahead of Perseverance, which occasionally involves temporarily pushing beyond communication limits.



Although waiting 63 days for flight data may seem lengthy, the received data indicates that the first aircraft is functioning well. If the subsequent health checks continue to show positive results, Ingenuity may take flight once again in the coming weeks.



For Flight 53, the team has set its sights on an interim airfield located to the west. From there, they plan to embark on another westward flight towards a new base of operations near a rocky outcrop that piques the curiosity of the Perseverance team.

Read Also: NASA Perseverance Rover's Lightsaber Image Excites 'Star Wars' Fans; Here's What the Metal Tube Really Is

All About Ingenuity

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is a small robotic helicopter designed to operate in the thin atmosphere of Mars. Ingenuity traveled to Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, which also included the Perseverance rover.

The purpose of Ingenuity is to demonstrate the feasibility of powered flight in the harsh conditions of Mars and to aid in the exploration of the Red Planet.

The helicopter is a technology demonstration, showcasing the potential for aerial exploration and scouting missions on Mars and other celestial bodies.

Ingenuity is equipped with a high-resolution camera to capture images of the Martian surface, providing valuable visual data to assist the Perseverance rover in its scientific investigations.

The helicopter's flight capabilities allow it to access areas that are inaccessible to rovers, providing a new perspective and expanding the scope of exploration.

Related Article: NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Captures the Most Detailed Image of the Martian Surface with 2.5 Billion Pixels

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The UK-backed Euclid mission is about to unravel the mysterious world of dark matter and dark energy following the European Space Agency's (ESA) aims to lay out space in a three-dimensional perspective to have a better look at what's hiding the universe.

Euclid Space Mission is About to Launch Soon

With the visible universe where we currently belong, it's about time to uncover the universe beyond it. Known as dark matter and dark energy, scientists believe that these elements are "extremely limited" so there's a need to study them deeper.

These forces are difficult to detect, making it harder for the experts to distinguish their real components and their purpose.

According to a report by BBC News, a professional astronomer from Lancaster University, Professor Isobel Hook said that the upcoming Euclid probe will open more questions about the expansion of the universe.

In order to gather insights from the European telescope, there's a need to map out the universe to find the gap between the dark forces and the existing solar system and galaxies.

The 1.4 billion Euclid telescope is ready to launch on a Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. Positioned approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth on the opposite side of the Sun, Euclid will observe the cosmos and shed light on its mysteries.

The #DarkUniverse  detective is on the launch pad, atop the standing rocket.



 Lift off planned at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST



 Follow #ESAEuclid live on #ESAWebTV starting 15:30 BST/16:30 CEST  https://t.co/DwGDEKze7q



 ESA - S. Corvaja pic.twitter.com/r4Op74FexC  ESA's Euclid mission (@ESA_Euclid) July 1, 2023

"We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighboring planets, stars, and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95% of the universe remain largely a mystery," the UK Space Agency's head of Space Science Caroline Harper said.

Related Article: NASA's Roman, ESA's Euclid Join Forces to Investigate Dark Matter

How the Euclid Probe Will Operate

To investigate the elusive nature of dark matter and dark energy, Euclid will conduct a comprehensive survey over a span of six years.

One of its primary tasks is to map the distribution of dark matter. Although invisible, dark matter's presence can be inferred through its gravitational effects on visible matter, such as galaxies.

By examining the way dark matter distorts the light from distant galaxies, Euclid can reveal its distribution across 15,000 square degrees of the sky.

Euclid's visible camera, led by researchers from the UK, will produce enormous images that would require over 300 high-definition TVs to display a single image. This advanced technology will enable scientists to gather crucial data about dark matter.

Meanwhile, dark energy, a separate phenomenon, appears to be driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe.

By mapping the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies, Euclid will analyze the patterns in the vast voids between these celestial objects. This information will serve as a measurement of the expansion of the Universe throughout time.

The mission aims to explore whether the acceleration is uniform across the universe or if there are variations, leading to groundbreaking discoveries.

While Euclid won't provide definitive answers about the nature of dark matter and dark energy, it will significantly narrow down the possibilities and focus scientific attention on the most promising models and theories.

The mission might inspire innovative approaches to detecting dark matter particles and challenge the current understanding of dark energy as an intrinsic property of the vacuum of space.

Scientists speculate that it may instead be explained by a modified theory of gravity or even a new fifth force acting on cosmic scales.

Ultimately, Euclid's ambitious mission promises to revolutionize our understanding of the Universe and provide crucial insights into our cosmic existence. It will push the boundaries of discovery, shape future research directions, and unravel the enigmatic forces that have shaped the Universe since its inception.

Read Also: Astronomers Unlock Secrets of Scorching Hot Exoplanet WASP-76 b's Atmosphere

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Undated aerial photo provided by BC Wildfire Service shows wildfires in the coastal region of British Columbia, Canada. Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country, with more than 250 burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. (BC Wildfire Service/Handout via Xinhua)

Undated aerial photo provided by BC Wildfire Service shows smoke rising in the Northeast region of British Columbia, Canada. Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country, with more than 250 burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. (BC Wildfire Service/Handout via Xinhua)

Undated aerial photo provided by BC Wildfire Service shows wildfires in the coastal region of British Columbia, Canada. Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country, with more than 250 burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. (BC Wildfire Service/Handout via Xinhua)
Saopaulo: A group of 150 Afghan refugees who recently arrived in Brazil did not have a happy Eid Al-Adha this year.

They were forced to spend the most significant Muslim holiday in a makeshift camp at the airport's terminal while dealing with poor food and sanitation conditions as well as an outbreak of scabies.

Thousands of Afghans have been entering the South American nation, one of the few places in the world issuing humanitarian visas for them, to escape persecution by the Taliban, which took over Kabul in August 2021.

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More than 7,000 people have come so far.

However, because Brazil lacks a programme to receive refugees, many of them arrive at the airport in Sao Paulo without a place to stay in their new nation. In 2021, a temporary camp was erected at the terminal, where waves of Afghans would stay for up to four weeks before moving on to other accommodations.

The federal government, local governments, and nongovernmental organisations were able to send all refugees to shelters and empty the terminal earlier this year. But as more groups continued to arrive, a new camp was established. More than 200 refugees were camped out at the terminal at the start of June.

They have been receiving hot meals from the local government, and aid organisations also offer assistance. But the issues are numerous, ranging from a lack of access to regular bathing to inadequate meal portions.

Aline Sobral, a Muslim activist who has been assisting the refugees in the airport since the crisis began, claimed to Arab News a few weeks ago that the government sent pork sausages in the hot meals given to them.

There are many difficulties faced by Afghans in Brazil, but recent weeks have been particularly difficult. At the terminal, the number of refugees kept increasing but no assistance was given. The first scabies cases were documented at that time. In addition to some kids, more than 20 people were impacted.

"Eid Al-Adha is a significant date for us, and Muslims continue to worship Allah despite hardships. We worshipped Allah even though there was no special food in the airport, Sobral said.

Afghan refugee Shabir Ahmad Niazi, who arrived in Brazil seven months ago, was at the terminal on June 28 with his fellow citizens. He spent a month at the camp when he first arrived in Brazil seven months ago, so he is very familiar with the suffering they are going through.

Also Read: Iran's Nour News dismisses an Israeli report that an Iranian agent was captured

"Since we didn't have any special food or presents to give to the refugees, we were unable to organise a proper Eid Al-Adha celebration. We merely prayed, chatted briefly, and gave each other hugs," he told Arab News.

Niazi founded the Afghanistan Refugee Rescue Organisation, which has been working to find solutions for the issues facing the Afghan refugees in Brazil, along with his brother and a few friends.

People are sick and tired of that. They have experienced psychological difficulty. Being separated from their families and unsure of when they will see them again is very upsetting, particularly around a holiday, he said.

People in Afghanistan would visit their relatives, dress in new clothes, and share a special meal to celebrate Eid Al-Adha. Niazi and other activists attempted to arrange a visit to a mosque here in Brazil, but they were unsuccessful.

"I played with the kids and gave them candy. Despite all of their issues, we wanted to see them happy, he said.

On that unique day, Sobral's husband, Sheikh Hosnir Badawi, was asked to conduct the prayers. However, he was worried about the terminal's hygienic conditions.

In Islam, we cannot incite a gathering of people if we are aware that a disease is present. So I advised them to maintain a safe distance between one another while they were praying," he told Arab News.

Badawi claimed that "given that people were sad and dejected," only a small portion of the refugees who were camped out at the time of the prayer.

Some of them also feel unclean because they have trouble taking showers. Others refrain from praying in public out of concern that Brazilians might react negatively, he added, explaining to the refugees that religious freedom in Brazil is guaranteed by the country's constitution.

Following the relocation of all refugees to a shelter in the coastal city of Praia Grande, the camp was once again cleared just two days later.

Authorities acted after hearing about the scabies outbreak in the media, but many people, including Badawi, worry that the camp will reappear.

"Afghans will continue to arrive, and there is no programme to adequately welcome them," he declared.

Shabir Niazi visited Brasilia last week and spoke with officials there about the refugee crisis. In the hopes of receiving funding from the government to carry out his First Shelter project, he described it in detail.

Also Read: Pope meets with Julian Assange's wife and family, and he expresses concern for his suffering

"My idea is to set up a temporary shelter for all Afghans who come to Brazil, a place where they can be taught about Brazilian culture and receive lessons in Portuguese," he said, adding that the recently arrived must be made aware of the dangers of human trafficking, a growing issue among them.

"They don't know that human traffickers might take advantage of them when they arrive in Brazil. To deal with the refugees, we need a sufficient system like that; otherwise, issues will continue to arise.
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 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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Description

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) and the New York State Parks are partnering to host a community beach walk and clean-up at Hallock State Park Preserve.

Join us for a beach walk/clean-up at Hallock State Park Preserve every Saturday from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM. Clean-up supplies will be provided, but it is recommended that you bring your own gloves.

Registration is required so that we may contact you if we need to cancel the event due to the weather. Parking fees will be waived for all registered participants.

Please email response@amseas.org if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing you!
Life thereafter became noisy, and my mind turned to more pressing and immediate goals. I began my final year of high school and set my sights towards university, knowing Id need a qualification to support my desire to one day work abroad. I didnt think too often about The School of St Jude or Gemma Sisia. For a time, I forgot the names of the place and person. But my desire to work in education, poverty alleviation and with marginalised communities never waned. Loading So how did I get there? I was nudged by coincidence twice more in its direction after I completed high school. The second time I heard of St Judes, it landed on my doorstep near the end of 2016. I had flung open my front door, and myself through it, in a rush to catch the bus to university. To my surprise, I nearly collided with a young woman who was just about to knock. She was of African descent, door-knocking on behalf of a charity, and she had one of the most radiant smiles Id ever seen.

We conversed for several minutes, learning that we were at the same university. She told me she was from Arusha, Tanzania. My mind raced. Isnt there a school that was started by an Australian in Arusha? Yes! The School of St Jude! She beamed from ear to ear. I was transported back to Ms Boylans classroom, and a chill ran down my spine. Several weeks later, I was nudged again. Mum phoned and told me to turn on the television  there was a woman on 60 Minutes I must watch.

Of course, it was Gemma Sisia. The same chill washed over me. With trembling hands, I opened my laptop and searched for St Judes website. I checked its current vacancies tab  they were looking for a writer to work in Tanzania for 18 months. I called Mum back and told her I was going to apply. Im right behind you, Maddie, Mum assured me.

Thank goodness she was, because within just a few months Id be peeling myself out of her arms and lining up to present my boarding pass for the first leg of my journey to Kilimanjaro International Airport. I initially committed to two years at St Judes, and ended up staying for more than five. As I queued to board the plane, I was terrified Id made a mistake, and over the course of the journey to Tanzania, my mind explored some worrying scenarios. What if I was disliked? Lonely? What if I got sick? I see signs of my former life everywhere. I once heard someone speaking Swahili across the mall and wanted to run over and strike up conversation. I quickly realised that such fears, while natural, are not worth dwelling on. And this is how I realised what my friends and family meant when they alleged I was brave. I felt the fear and pushed through it by turning the negative spiral of thoughts upside down. Within my first few weeks at the school, navigating a new culture, community and workplace in which I didnt feel frightened but saw a lot of joy, I was instead thinking, What if these people become lifelong friends? And what if I lived St Judes school motto: Challenge yourself?

Within my first two years in Tanzania, I was toughened up by a range of life-altering challenges; there were high highs and low lows. Id also experienced the exhilaration and sheer joy of St Judes special ceremonies. There is nothing like Uniform Day, when the schools newest students parade out of its gates and jump into their proud parents arms. The parents moment of comprehension: My child got into The School of St Jude! I also experienced deep grief, losing a close family member in Australia to cancer. I felt racked with guilt and sucked into deep sadness for not having been a presence during her toughest days. But I still didnt feel ready to go home. I was starting to build a life in Tanzania, which was becoming a second home. Living among and working with St Judes community helped me to put my own struggles in perspective. I was surrounded by stories of sheer determination and hope. The first students from when the school opened in 2002 are now professionals in their 20s, working in fields including medicine, education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), finance and trades. Some are on scholarships, studying internationally. My work at St Judes, especially while writing The School That Hope Built, introduced me to many people whose lives have been changed by Gemma Sisias work in Tanzania. White saviour, she is not: Gemma has built a sustainable organisation that is now predominantly led by Tanzanians lifting their communities out of poverty.

Loading Once I completed the first draft of the book, I realised the time had come for me to return to Australia. I felt the need to reconnect with my own family, which had changed in size

and dynamic since I left in 2017. But the decision to part ways with my Tanzanian colleagues and friends, who had become like family, was one of the hardest Ive ever had to make. Every day back in Australia is a joy, but its often painfully frustrating. Leaving Tanzania caused me grief thats impossible to articulate. I see signs of my former life everywhere. I once heard someone speaking Swahili across the mall and wanted to run over and strike up conversation. I cannot get used to shopping centres or big supermarkets, often freezing in an aisle trying to select a loaf of bread, before giving up and walking out. I dont feel I know how to be here any more, but I am learning. If youd told 16-year-old me, sitting in that classroom watching Australian Story, that before reaching 30 Id live and work with these people on the screen  and built a life in Tanzania  Id have laughed in disbelief. Id probably have paused a moment and said, Can I really be that brave?
Mike Bickers was raised by a single mom who worked extremely hard to keep the family afloat as he and his siblings attended public schools in Detroit and Highland Park. Always a top student, Bickers got used to going with the flow and adjusting to the challenging times his family sometimes faced.

When Bickers was 14, a teacher who saw potential in the studious young man encouraged him to apply to Cranbrooks Horizons-Upward Bound summer college preparatory program in Bloomfield Hills, offered to teens from Detroit, Pontiac and other cities to expose them to the rigors of college and help open a doorway to opportunities.

Bickers raised his hand, was chosen by Cranbrook, and recently told me the experience changed his life. Opportunities such as this helped lay the foundation for his successful career.

As president of PNC Bank for Detroit and Southeast Michigan, Bickers is one the highest-ranking Black bank executives in the state. Hes living proof of how targeted programs can impact a young persons life  which is why hes pushing the pedal, along with others at PNC, to partner with key local organizations and educators to make a difference in young lives.

Recently, Bickers announced that the PNC Foundation is committing $1 million to bring the national nonprofit INROADS and its College Links program to metro Detroit this fall. College Links is designed to help prepare ethnically diverse high school students for postsecondary education and successful careers. The program will also create a pipeline of talent for employers and foster more diverse workplaces. Based in St. Louis, INROADS has over 30,000 alumni and serves more than 4,000 students in cities around the country, according to its website.

We know supporting the INROADS program will help students in historically under-served communities gain access to careers in science, technology, engineering and math, Bickers said. The bank is also funding a College Links program in Birmingham, Alabama.

PNC Bank for Detroit and Southeast Michigan President Mike Bickers reads to students April 10 at Schultze Elementary School in Detroit, part of PNC's Grow Up Great initiative.

The College Links program complements PNCs Grow Up Great initiative  a $500 million, multiyear program created to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. The program has impacted thousands of Detroit children through classroom programing, field trips, teacher training and more. Additionally, bank employees volunteer in the Detroit Public Schools Community District in various ways, including reading books to children to help inspire a love of reading.

PNC has partnered with the Cranbrook Institute of Science for 10 years to provide children from low and moderate incomes opportunities to learn about science and math through field trips and in-classroom experiences.

James Coleman, PNCs client and community relations director, joined leaders from Cranbrook on May 23 at the Edward Duke Ellington Conservatory of Music & Art at Beckham Academy in Detroit to work with students there on cool science projects.

James Coleman of PNC Bank joined leaders from Cranbrook at the Edward Duke Elllington Conservatory of Music & Art at Beckham Academy in Detroit on May 23 to work with students on science projects .

Cranbrook did a wonderful job bringing hands-on learning activities to the classroom. Seeing the excitement and curiosity on the kids faces was a beautiful way to start the week, Coleman said.

Added Stephanie Prater, a teacher at the school: These programs are beneficial to students because they expose them to learning opportunities related to the sciences and arts that they might not otherwise experience. This exposure has the ability to spark interest that could possibly help shape a child's career path."

Nancy Swords, deputy director at Cranbrook Institute of Science, said: We have had the opportunity to support more than 5,000 students and family members through outreach programs in classrooms, field trips and family days at the museum. Over the years, weve engaged with educators in multiple professional development sessions that have included a deeper dive into content, including inquiry and questioning skills, and taking a few trips through the galaxy.

Bickers knows critical learning takes place not only in the classroom but through multiple other ways too, such as activities that expose children to new experiences, which is why the bank sponsored 600 children from DPSCD to attend a May 22 field trip at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

PNC also took hundreds of Detroit preschoolers on a field trip to the Parade Company earlier this year so youngsters could see how floats are created as they become part of Americas Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner-White.

The company has also been encouraging diversity and opportunities in other ways, including the Women in Motorsports Powered by PNC Bank initiative program with Chip Ganassi Racing, a campaign to drive awareness and support for gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce.

At the Chevy Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear a few weeks ago, 10 female students from Lawrence Tech University in Southfield  future engineers  received the VIP treatment, which included meeting with a female engineer and mechanic from the Chip Ganassi Racing team and taking a behind-the-scenes tour of race facilities and even chatting with Ganassi superstar driver Scott Dixon.

Future female engineers from Lawrence Tech University in Southfield got the VIP treatment at the Chevy Detroit Grand Prix on June 4, meeting with members of Chip Ganassi's race team.

Its about paying it forward and helping to make the community stronger down the road.

As a national main street bank, PNC is committed to positively impacting the communities we serve, especially our next generation of leaders, Bickers said. We feel this is the best investment any organization can make.

More: Auto industry marketing exec left job after renting Segways in Petoskey

More: Detroit retired librarian researches old bankruptcy papers to find some hope for relief

Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of Michigan Matters, which airs 8 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit. See MEDC CEO Quentin Messer Jr., Detroits Tim Slusser and Automation Alleys Tom Kelly on this Sundays show.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: PNC Bank helps bring INROADS' College Links program to metro Detroit
Linda Marigliano is a radio and television presenter best known for her Tough Love podcast. The 38-year-old opens up about sipping from her Nonnos wine as a child, her dad doing her hair for the ARIA awards and being apart from her current partner for one-and-a-half years due to COVID lockdowns.

After we got engaged, I found myself frozen. I had to admit I didnt want to be in the relationship and initiated the break-up.

My paternal grandfather, Nonno Salvatore, was a police constable in Italy and served in the army. He migrated to Australia from Campania in the mid-1960s for a better life. He then brought out Nonna Carmelinda, who I am named after, and their three sons. My dad, the middle child, was 11 when he arrived in Sydney.

I remember sitting between Nonno, at the head of the table, and Nonna at meal times  we would visit them four nights a week. Nonno had a funny whistle to get my attention and would allow me to sip a tiny bit of his vino. A fashionable, dapper, proud Italian man who always wore a suit, hat and matching handkerchief, he died of a heart attack in 1999 on the dance floor at his first grandsons wedding. I was 14 and remember him being taken to the hospital and not coming home.

My maternal grandfather, Gung-Gung Loy Lim, lived in a tiny village in Malaysia. Wed visit him and my grandmother for six to eight weeks at a time in my childhood. He was a cotton and rubber farmer, a little tanned smoker who always grabbed my face. We were half-white and looked different to the others in the village.
Our integrity with our neighbours will certainly be undermined  thats the Pacific. We will give ammunition to our enemies in other places, or people that are opposed to us internationally. We will go through a process of wondering why a simple matter could not be achieved in such a sophisticated nation as ours. Asked whether Australia could continue to criticise China over its treatment of Uighurs and Tibetans, Dodson said: Wed have no integrity, absolutely no integrity. Dodson, who is Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses special envoy for the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, said Australia wasnt coming to the international stage with entirely clean hands and its colonial past can be exploited by our competitors and by those who want to demean our integrity. Under this Labor government, were showing we are engaging with the Pacific, were not frightened by the atrocities that are going on in Ukraine, Dodson said.

Weve got to go to the international forum with substance, not just with intellectual ideas and strategies, as a people of substance  and thats what will happen with a Yes vote. Because people will say: You as a modern democracy have faced your legacies, your worst fears, and youve worked your way through it, and youve stood the challenge. Loading There has been a growing divide within the Yes movement over whether to talk more about constitutional recognition and less about the Voice. Leading Voice architect Noel Pearson this month said there was an urgent need to elevate the goal of recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution above the creation of the Voice advisory body. Dodson said recognition and the Voice were equally important.

I think youve got to link both matters. I dont think selling people half a chocolate is the thing to do, he said. This is about the recognition, and giving people the capacity to make representations that are advisory to our parliament and executive. Campaigners for the Yes side have been trying, since the legislation setting up the referendum passed parliament earlier this month, to remind voters that the Voice came out of the bottom-up process of the Uluru Dialogues. Dodson said getting the debate out of Canberra and into communities would be difficult and it would take strong advocacy from a number of organisations and individuals. If the Voice is defeated, Dodson said I dont think Ill despair, but it would be a great day of reckoning for Australians.

I do think Australians are better than those that are currently running the No case, he said. I think theyre the rump of the worst. Unfortunately, they are very loud and they are very intrusive. The Yes campaign will hold a series of rallies on Sunday, including in Sydneys Prince Alfred Park and the Victorian Trades Hall, from 11am to 2pm. Yes23 director Dean Parkin said the campaign would ramp up now that the parliamentary process in Canberra was over. Asked about the trajectory of the public polls, Parkin said the legislative process in setting up the referendum was always going to be a necessary but tricky period.

The dominant conversation was people arguing in Canberra about this. Thats not something that attracts people into the conversation, thats not something that engages people in a very positive way, he said. Dean Parkin says a lot of Australians still dont know what the referendum is about. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Its not going to go away completely, but some of that noise is not as prominent and allows us to have these events, it allows us to sign up more volunteers to the campaign. Parkin said his side always knew the debate was going to be contested and it would be difficult to win the referendum. There are a lot of people out there who havent heard about this, he said.
The pork-barrelling that Berejiklian airily explained as perfectly normal? It allocated more than 90 per cent of the money in a $141.8 million round of community grants to seats held by her government, according to Labor and the Greens. This is plainly rotten, yet perfectly acceptable, according to Berejiklian and her defenders. I dont think it would be a surprise to anybody that we throw money at seats to keep them, breezed Berejiklian in evidence before the ICAC commissioner. Whether we like it or not, thats democracy. It is not. It is democracys death. Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist, said the great Irish-born conservative philosopher Edmund Burke. From today, the NACC is charged with rooting out crooked politicians and public servants taking payoffs.

But it also must raise the standard of conduct  including the policing of federal pork-barrelling. Sometimes you see creeping into the public debate that, if its not criminal, its alright, says the Albanese governments Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus. Yes, Gladys, that means you. But it also means every minister, member of parliament and public servant dealing with public funds and the public interest. The ICAC found that Gladys Berejiklian acted improperly for the benefit of maintaining her close personal relationship with former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire. Thats not the standard we set for proper conduct, the standard in the Australian government has to be much higher, Dreyfus tells me. Its why its absolutely necessary that the NACC not be restricted to dealing with criminal conduct. Its really important that people understand that this is an investigative commission, as is the NSW ICAC and the other state-based, anti-corruption bodies. These investigative commissions do not make findings of criminal guilt but findings that standards have been breached.

The anti-corruption commissions can refer matters to the director of public prosecutions to consider launching criminal cases. But anti-corruption commissions are about much more. As Dreyfus says, theyre about standards of conduct in public office. Its incredibly important because it allows us to raise standards. Its engaging with the corrosive impact of corruption. We know it undermines public trust in government, we know it undermines democracy. Raising standards must include elimination of pork-barrelling. It may not be criminal, but it is dead wrong for a government to handle taxpayer funds as if they are a partisan political asset for winning elections. This is exactly the case in the Berejiklian situation. Dreyfus says: Its obvious that some grants programs have been rorted in the past. Morrisons notorious $100 million sports rorts and the $660 million car pork come to mind. The bigger picture was revealed by the Grattan Institute in its Preventing Pork Barrelling report last year: Of 19,000 grants allocated by the former federal Coalition government under 11 grant programs between 2017 and 2021, $1.9 billion went to Coalition seats but only $530 million to Labor seats.

Across a sample of programs in the three biggest states, government seats got more than $1 million on average, compared to just over $300,000 on average for opposition seats. Dreyfus continues: It will depend on whether the NACC decides to investigate. If you have a grants program run to perfectly appropriate rules, and if its established that those rules have been broken, you are getting into an area of corruption. Thats why on occasion there will be grants the NACC will want to look at. My view is that theres a lot more to be done in the procurements area. He emphasises the educational function, too: I dont want to ruin peoples careers or have their lives blighted by findings made against them, although he acknowledges that this is exactly the impact when it happens. But the risk of an adverse finding is a means to a greater end: I want standards raised, I want to improve the standards of conduct in Australian public life. A key difference between the federal NACC and the NSW ICAC is that the new federal body has learnt a big lesson from the state counterpart. The ICAC commonly holds public hearings that can destroy the careers of its subjects even though they might later be cleared of any misconduct. The NACC, by contrast, will only use public hearings in exceptional circumstances.

The Berejiklian case is a powerful moment in Australias anti-corruption awakening, but it risks being lost in the titillation of her relationship with Daryl Maguire. Loading The dodgy boyfriend, however unappealing, was not her problem. Her problem was that she was in a conflict of interest that she failed to deal with. The bozo bloke merely represented one of the two interests that were in conflict, the private interest. Lets magic the boyfriend out of the picture for a moment. Pork-barrelling itself is corrupt. She handed out government grants when she was in a position of a conflict of interest between her public duty and her private interest, said ICAC assistant commissioner Ruth McColl. The Ministerial Code of Conduct required her to disclose the conflict; she did not. She handed out taxpayer monies to spend in her boyfriends electorate at his urging. Instead of spending public money fairly in the public interest.

She didnt need to dump the boyfriend. Anthony Whealy, a former judge of the NSW Supreme Court and chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, explains: If shed just gone to the then-premier [Mike Baird] and said, This is confidential, Im in a relationship with Daryl Maguire, and Ill recuse myself from decisions about funds going to his electorate, thered be no trouble and this would never have happened. Loading But the principle here is that Berejiklian betrayed the public interest. This is the principle that, if enforced, should banish pork-barrelling everywhere in Australia: Its coming into focus that pork-barrelling is quite wrong, says Whealy. It is serious misconduct, and it could constitute a criminal offence. If politicians realise it cant be unfettered, then we will improve so far as corruption is concerned. Now that its operational, the NACC must deliver the same message at the federal level. There are other matters demanding its attention, too. Whealy nominates the case of Stuart Robert, a cabinet minister in the Morrison government, as a glaringly obvious early target for the NACC given the matters raised in parliament. A whistleblower has accused him of using his official position to help a friends company win major federal government contracts. Robert denies any wrongdoing and says that he never benefited from the awarding of government contracts.
London: A column by TV personality Jeremy Clarkson in The Sun newspaper, in which he wrote he hoped Prince Harrys wife Meghan would one day be forced to parade naked through the streets, was sexist, Britains press regulator has ruled.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) on Friday found the column contained a pejorative and prejudicial reference to Meghans sex, in breach of the Editors Code of Practice.

Britains press regulator has found Jeremy Clarksons December 2022 column about Meghan Markle was sexist. Credit: Getty Images

The opinion piece, published in December 2022 and since withdrawn by The Sun, drew widespread condemnation from members of the public, politicians, Clarksons employers and even his daughter after he wrote that he hated Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, on a cellular level.

The column became the most complained-about article for the IPSO, which said the piece generated more than 25,000 complaints from members of the public.
Social media images showed an explosion rocking Marseilles old port area. City authorities said they were investigating the cause but did not believe there were any casualties. Rioters in central Marseille looted a gun store and stole some hunting rifles but no ammunition, police said. One person was arrested with a rifle likely from the store, police said. The store was now being guarded by police. The violence has piled fresh pressure on President Emmanuel Macron after he appealed to parents to keep children off the streets. Despite repeated government appeals for calm and stiffer policing, there was brazen daylight violence on Friday. An Apple store was looted in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where police fired tear gas, and the windows of a fast-food outlet were smashed in a Paris shopping mall, where officers repelled people trying to break into a shuttered store, authorities said.

Authorities in the city of Lyon reported rioters again setting fires and pelting police in the suburbs. In the city centre, police made 31 arrests to stop the attempted looting of shops after an unauthorised protest against police violence that drew about 1300 people Friday evening. Violence was also erupting in some of Frances territories overseas. In French Guiana, a 54-year-old was killed by a stray bullet on Thursday night when rioters fired at police in the capital, Cayenne, authorities said. On the small Indian Ocean island of Reunion, protesters set garbage bins ablaze, threw projectiles at police and damaged cars and buildings, officials said. Some 150 officers were deployed there on Friday night.

In the face of the escalating crisis that hundreds of arrests and massive police deployments have failed to quell, Macron delayed declaring a state of emergency, an option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005. Loading Instead, his government ratcheted up its law enforcement response. Already massively beefed-up police forces were boosted by another 5000 officers for Friday night, increasing the overall number to 45,000, the interior minister said. Some were called back from holidays. The minister, Gerald Darmanin, said police made 917 arrests on Thursday alone and noted the young age  17 on average  of those apprehended. Darmanin said more than 300 police officers and firefighters have been injured. He also ordered a nationwide nighttime shutdown of all public buses and trams, which have been among rioters targets.

And he said he had delivered a warning to social networks that they couldnt allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence. They were very co-operative. Well see tonight if they really are. We are going to give them as much information as possible so that, in return, French authorities get the identities of people who incite violence, the minister said. We will pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts. And we will take all necessary measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, dont respect the law. Macron, too, zeroed in on social media platforms that have relayed dramatic images of vandalism and cars and buildings being torched, saying they are playing a considerable role in the violence. Singling out Snapchat and TikTok, Macron said the platforms were being used to organise unrest and serving as conduits for copycat violence.

Macron said his government would work with technology companies to establish procedures for the removal of the most sensitive content, adding that he expected a spirit of responsibility from them. French President Emmanuel Macron attends a government emergency meeting as riots continue in the country. Credit: Reuters Snapchat spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said the company had increased its moderation since Tuesday to detect and act on content related to the rioting. The violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are due to host 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors for the summer Olympic Games. Paris 2024 organisers said they were closely monitoring the situation and that preparations for the Olympics continue. Police officers walk during a protest in Nanterre, outside Paris. Credit: AP

Loading Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said officers tried to pull Nahel over because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes-Benz with Polish licence plates in a bus lane. He allegedly ran a red light to avoid being stopped and then got stuck in traffic. The police officer accused of pulling the trigger was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officers use of his weapon wasnt legally justified. Preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial. The officer said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to the prosecutor.

Loading Nahels mother, identified as Mounia M, told France 5 television that she was angry at the officer but not at the police in general. He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life, she said, adding that justice should be very firm. A police officer cannot take his gun and fire at our children, take our childrens lives, she said. Deadly use of firearms is less common in France than in the United States, although 13 people who didnt comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, another three people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances. The deaths have prompted demands for more accountability in France, which also experienced racial justice protests after George Floyds killing by police in Minnesota.
It looks like Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. This means that investors who purchase Bristol-Myers Squibb's shares on or after the 6th of July will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.57 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$2.28 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bristol-Myers Squibb has a trailing yield of 3.6% on the current stock price of $63.95. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Bristol-Myers Squibb can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Bristol-Myers Squibb

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Bristol-Myers Squibb paid out 64% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Fortunately, it paid out only 43% of its free cash flow in the past year.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Bristol-Myers Squibb's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 42% per annum for the past five years. Management appears to be striking a nice balance between reinvesting for growth and paying dividends to shareholders. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Bristol-Myers Squibb has delivered an average of 5.3% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 10 years of dividend payments. Earnings per share have been growing much quicker than dividends, potentially because Bristol-Myers Squibb is keeping back more of its profits to grow the business.

To Sum It Up

Has Bristol-Myers Squibb got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We like Bristol-Myers Squibb's growing earnings per share and the fact that - while its payout ratio is around average - it paid out a lower percentage of its cash flow. There's a lot to like about Bristol-Myers Squibb, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.

On that note, you'll want to research what risks Bristol-Myers Squibb is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Bristol-Myers Squibb you should know about.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

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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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

A taxpayer-backed microchip champion has launched operations in the US after warning that meagre support from Britain could force it to move operations abroad.

Cambridge-based Pragmatic Semiconductor incorporated an American operation in February, according to company filings, as it seeks to start building facilities across the Atlantic.

Scott White, the companys founder, also confirmed that the company was in the process of applying for funding from Joe Bidens $54bn (43bn) microchip subsidy scheme.

He said: From a purely logical perspective, there is no reason for us to be a UK company.

We dont have the biggest markets here. We dont have the most attractive environment for scaling manufacturing. We dont have a strong skills base. If you started this with a blank sheet of paper and had no bias whatsoever, there are other places in the world that would make sense if were very honest.

Joe Bidens Chips Act is providing manufacturing subsidies to tech companies - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The decision is the latest blow to Rishi Sunaks hopes of reviving Britains microchip industry. It follows criticism of the Prime Ministers 1bn semiconductor strategy, which has been dismissed by experts as insubstantial. London also suffered a severe setback earlier this year when British microchip behemoth Arm said it would float in New York instead.

Pragmatic, set up in 2010, makes low-cost and flexible microchips for use in items such as packaging and clothing.

It has been backed by the GCHQ-linked National Security Strategic Investment Fund and Future Fund Breakthrough, set up by Mr Sunak in 2021, as well as the CIAs venture capital fund In-Q-Tel. In total the company has raised around 143m from investors including Arm, Britains biggest chip company.

Mr White has said that the company could follow Arm and float in the US. It is currently raising funds from private backers, with investment bank Lazard understood to be offering advice, but expects to go public the next time it raises cash.

Mr White said that Pragmatic had always planned to expand into the US beyond the companys two existing UK sites. It ultimately plans to open hundreds of small facilities around the world.

He said that Pragmatic was applying for funding under the US Chips Act, which provides $39bn in manufacturing subsidies and requires a US-incorporated entity.

In contrast, Britains long-awaited chip strategy, published in May, did not set out details of how it would support manufacturers.

Mr White said: In the areas that we do have a distinct advantage in the UK, like our technology, if we want that to continue to scale in the UK, thats only going to happen if there isnt an incentive for us to go build elsewhere.

He said that Pragmatic hoped to remain headquartered in the UK, adding: Wed like as much as possible to have the critical mass of the business remain in the UK.

As long as we have the right support and the right intent here.

Cambridge-based Paragraf is raising funds to scale up its manufacturing capacity - Jason Bye/Jason Bye

Meanwhile Paragraf, a Cambridge-based technology company developing cutting-edge graphene microchips, has hired investment bankers Morgan Stanley to raise a new tranche of funding.

Industry sources said Paragraf may need to raise hundreds of millions of pounds to scale up its manufacturing capacity. It has so far raised 67m in funding from investors including Cambridges Parkwalk and In-Q-Tel. Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

The company, which also has funding from the British taxpayer, claims to have made significant breakthroughs in techniques for mass production of ultra-thin graphene chips, which could be used to make finely tuned sensors for electric cars and batteries.

In May, Paragraf chief executive Simon Thomas said the company had applied for funding under the US Chips Act. It has already launched a US subsidiary and earlier this year acquired a San Diego-based chipmaker.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
The Buzz: Rancheria part of clean energy project; while jeweler, toy store coming to mall

The Redding Rancheria is partnering with a Texas company to produce green hydrogen fuel that will service trucks up and down the Interstate 5 corridor.

The Redding Rancheria Economic Development Corp. recently received a $500,000 grant from the California Department of Conservation to help develop the plant, which will be built on 14 acres on Kimball Road in Red Bluff, H2 Energy Group founder and chairman Christopher Headrick said.

Based in Austin, Texas, H2 Energy Group was established in 2015 and this will be its first plant. Headrick couldnt say when the plant will be operating, but he expects it will take 18 months to build the 18,000-square-feet facility that will employ about 25 individuals.

We have a lot of work to do. Gov. (Gavin) Newsoms GoBiz (Office of Business and Economic Development) and Cal Fire programs also helped us determine where we would locate, Headrick said. If you start in the United States, you have to start in California  theres just nowhere else. I-5 is the second largest population demographic in the U.S. and is heavily trafficked with Class A trucks, so it makes sense if you are going to de-carbonize, start there.

The Redding Rancheria tribe wants to expand the Win-River Resort and Casino to a field between Interstate 5 and the Sacramento River just south of Redding.

He also raved about the city of Red Bluff and its work to help the Rancheria and H2 Energy Group find a location. Headrick said they also looked at property in Stillwater Business Park in Redding and near the TA Travel Center on Knighton Road between Redding and Anderson.

They really wanted us there and really wanted to work with the Redding Rancheria, and more often than not, that should be the deciding factor, Headrick said of Red Bluff.

Most of the hydrogen today, Headrick says, is derived from natural gas or coal.

We use a fast pyrolysis system, and it allows us to produce at a really low cost comparatively. We produce our own electricity, so we dont connect to the grid anywhere, so we are completely sustainable, he said.

Headrick said the hydrogen is produced by electrolysis, which doesnt require any carbon sequestration.

H2 Energy Group was introduced to the Redding Rancheria by one of the companys business development consultants who works out of San Francisco.

They (the tribe) were looking for some kind of impactful opportunity focused on the next seven generations, Headrick said. They wanted to have something with a great impact, and we introduced them to our technology and our vision.

Headrick said the alliance with the Redding Rancheria is significant for his company.

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It was important to us because in our opinion, the tribal entities nationwide have not really been given a fair shake in the business world, he said. We saw it as an opportunity to not only partner with a group of guys who were like-minded, but also had an innate business sense.

H2 Energy Group also is looking to site five fuel distribution hubs between Washington state and Southern California.

We are trying to find obvious partners. It would be beneficial to us to have truck stop operators because we cant do our own standalone facility, he said.

Headrick said after speaking with truck manufacturers, like Toyota, Hyundai and Kenworth, hes convinced that the fuels market is heading away from diesel.

All these guys, these are well-respected companies. If they are telling me where the market is going, Im listening, he said.

The Redding Rancheria Economic Development Department did not return a message seeking comment.

Mall expansion finally fills out with arrival of toy store, jeweler

Learning Express Toys & Gifts is expected to open soon at the Mt. Shasta Mall.

Five years ago, Sears, an original tenant of the Mt. Shasta Mall, closed to make room for HomeGoods and Sprouts Farmers Market.

The 99,000-square-foot former Sears store was repurposed into multiple spaces.

Spectrum, Theory Coffee, Vitality Bowls, and Cycle Gear have since opened in the footprint of the old Sears.

Kay Jewelers is coming to the Mt. Shasta Mall.

Now the final two spaces have been leased out by Learning Express Toys & Gifts and Kay Jewelers.

The same franchise owners who opened Learning Express in Chico last fall will operate the store in Redding, an employee in Chico recently told me over the phone.

More: The Buzz: Tattoo shop moves to this downtown corner; Vegas flights returning?

According to Mt. Shasta Mall management, Learning Express has a tentative opening date of July 15. A recent peek inside the store showed that shelving and cabinetry was being installed.

Work on the Kay Jewelers store has just started.

Also part of the malls recent redevelopment was an 11,000-square-foot building at Dana and Hilltop drives, where Chick-fil-A and Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe operate. Recently, mattress store Sleep Number moved from the FoodMaxx shopping center to the space between Chick-fil-A and Tea Bar.

Redding has three Walgreens. Any in jeopardy of closing?

News broke this past week that Walgreens plans to close 150 stores.

Out of the nearly 9,000 Walgreens stores nationwide we will be closing 150 locations by the end of our fiscal year 2024, which ends August 31, 2024, company spokeswoman Britt Mitchell stated in an email.

The Walgreens on Eureka Way is one of three locations in Redding that the company operates.

She did not have further information, including which stores will close.

Walgreens has three locations in Redding. All but one of them  on Lake Boulevard  is within walking distance of a Rite Aid.

Walgreens' latest earnings report hinted at some of the challenges facing the chain.

Consumers continue to appreciate the value, convenience, and range of services provided by Walgreens and Boots. However, significantly lower demand for COVID-related services, a more cautious and value-driven consumer, and a recently weaker respiratory season created margin pressures in the quarter, the company stated.

'Buzz'-off

My column will be taking the next two weeks off. I will check in again the weekend of July 22.

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and prosperous Fourth of July holiday.

As always, thank you for reading.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: The Buzz: Redding Rancheria part of clean energy project
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 73F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Showers and a few thunderstorms likely. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 63F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Capital Limited's (LON:CAPD ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

View our latest analysis for Capital

Capital Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by Peter Stokes was the biggest purchase of Capital shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of UK0.95. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Peter Stokes was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership Of Capital

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Capital insiders own about UK37m worth of shares. That equates to 20% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Capital Tell Us?

Our data shows a little insider buying, but no selling, in the last three months. That said, the purchases were not large. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders do have a stake in Capital and their transactions don't cause us concern. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Capital. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Capital 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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Nextdoor chief executive Sarah Friar says if Britain takes some risks it can make the most of the next new big wave in tech innovation - Rachel Adams for The Telegraph

ChatGPT technology is encouraging people to be more polite online and can cut down on users sending abuse, the head of the social media app Nextdoor has said.

Sarah Friar, chief executive, said that early tests of the companys integration with the chatbot showed signs that it was nudging users to be more civil.

In recent weeks, Nextdoor has begun integrating ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, into its social network, and last month it expanded the technology across the UK.

The technology scans posts and offers to rewrite them to be more civil if it detects that they may be abusive or hurtful.

Ms Friar said that around a third of people who saw the apps kindness reminder were willing to edit their posts.

[AI] is taking people down the track. Quite a significant number are willing to take the suggested edits, she said.

The early indications are quite positive, otherwise we wouldnt have continued to roll it out around the world.

She said that AI could nudge people to soften their language. What Im hoping for is can we get more people to say I want to get my point made, but I dont want to get it removed. To do that I need to say the word please. This is in the vein of really trying to stay on the front foot when it comes to areas like moderation.

Nextdoor, which has 42m users, including one in four households in the UK, became the first major social network to embrace ChatGPT when it launched the integration in May, and introduced it to a quarter of its UK users last month.

The system has been trained on Nextdoors own posts, and designed to be regionally relevant. Users in Scotland will not see their posts rewritten in American English, for example.

CV | Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar

The chatbot also offers to rewrite posts to be more readable, for example if users are writing in a second language. I think a lot of people are loath to try hard to often reach people you dont know, Ms Friar said.

If we can help you make that initial post, so you actually get the people you want crowding around you. Thats a good thing, particularly when we have all of this loneliness.

Nextdoor, which was set up in 2008, requires users to enter address details, showing them posts from around their area.

The app resembles something of a digital parish, with people asking trade recommendations, sending out lost pet alerts and seeking to offload used appliances, as well as the inevitable hyperlocal moans: fireworks, neighbours lawns, and potholes.

It was among the first social networks to scan messages before they are posted in an attempt to weed out abusive comments, after gaining a reputation  deserved or not  for petty or mean spirited posts.

One viral Twitter account, Best of Nextdoor, has chronicled its most outrageous busybodies, to the chagrin of the companys executives.

Ms Friar, 50, who grew up in rural Country Tyrone, Northern Ireland, took charge of the company in 2018 after six years as chief financial officer at Square, the payments company founded by Twitters creator Jack Dorsey.

She took an unusual route to Silicon Valley. Ms Friars parents were a nurse and a HR manager at the local mill, and was the first person in her family to go to university when she studied metallurgy at Oxford, worked briefly in a gold mine in Ghana and at McKinsey in South Africa before a Stanford MBA sent her to California.

She worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs before being hired by Salesforces Marc Benioff  despite being one of the few recommending that investors sell the companys shares.

Sarah Friars route to the top job in a listed Silicon Valley tech company features stints in Ghana, South Africa, and Stanford College - Gabriela Hasbun

Half a life in Silicon Valley means a Northern Irish accent has been smoothed with a California twang. Ms Friar said her upbringing during The Troubles had convinced her that people needed to have uncomfortable conversations. Coming from Northern Ireland, I think its actually really important that people talk about difficult things. Otherwise, you never get to things like peace in our country.

However, she rejects the caricature of the app as a hub for curtain twitching busybodies.

The fact that were in one in four households in the UK, one in three in London, tells me this is a great product, and that people are getting value out of the platform itself, she said. A very, very small part of the content on Nextdoor is really hurtful or harmful.

A part of that success, Ms Friar said, is a ban on anonymity, requiring users to display their full name. There is a lot of research that shows that when we are our real selves, its a lot easier to be a little bit nicer, she added.

The embarrassment of maybe, you know, being snippy with my neighbour online, and then maybe bumping into them in the coffee shop. That element of accountability, I think keeps you on the side of being more constructive.

Ms Friar is perhaps unique among social media executives in supporting the Governments upcoming online safety legislation, which will take steps to tackle anonymous trolls  although will not ban anonymity online.

I really like how theyve put together digital regulation in the UK, she said. Its a world-leading piece of regulation that I think a lot of the world should pay attention to. They have said one size doesnt fit all.

Nextdoor remains a minnow compared to social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, both in terms of user numbers and investors confidence.

The company floated in the US in 2021 in a reverse-merger Spac deal that valued the company at $4.3bn (3.4bn), but investors now value the company at $1.3bn, mirroring the slump of many hyped tech flotations.

Nextdoor has staged a recovery this year, however, with shares climbing by 61pc, and Ms Friar said she does not regret joining the Spac craze.

In the end, for quality companies, it doesnt really matter how you become public, its more that you are public, you have the liquidity of being a public company, you raise money, that gives you that flexibility, she said.

Eventually the market will see what an amazing asset Nextdoor is.

Friar at least has the luxury of running a Silicon Valley company. She says the UK tech scene still has some way to catch up, particularly on diversity, with men accounting for 91pc of executives, and on encouraging risk.

Its such a cheesy Silicon Valley thing to say, but theres so much celebration of failure, theres an acceptance and understanding that with failure comes so much learning.

However, Ms Friar, who regularly returns home, said the UK has a strong opportunity to take advantage of the AI boom, coming as the likes of OpenAI set up offices in London.

It is definitely time to take some risks to get investment in and to start letting some of these companies fly. If the UK plays its cards right it can really take part in this next new big wave.

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.
6 Democrat and Republican 2024 Candidates Weigh In After SCOTUS Strikes Down Biden Student Debt Cancellation Plan

President Joe Biden is joined by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as he announces new actions to protect borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down his student loan forgiveness plan in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on June 30, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The U.S. Supreme Courts decision striking down President Joe Bidens student debt cancellation attempt has elicited a range of celebrations from Bidens 2024 presidential challengers.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 63 that Biden could not excuse student debt repayments through the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 (HEROES Act) or any other authority belonging to the executive branch.

In his initial reaction to the decision, Biden said: I believe that the Courts decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong. But I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families.

By Friday afternoon, Biden also announced new strategies his administration would take to help student loan borrowers. As one of the strategies, the Department of Education requested a rulemaking process that the administration said is aimed at opening an alternative path to debt relief for as many borrowers as possible.

Another Biden administration strategy entails reducing the minimum monthly loan payments for borrowers while implementing a rule that blocks interest from piling onto their debt so long as they may payments.

A third Biden administration strategy entails implementing an on-ramp period from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024. During this period, borrowers who miss monthly payments will not be considered delinquent.

Following the Supreme Court decision, Biden also accused Republicans of hypocrisy for opposing his student debt cancellation plan while supporting debt forgiveness for business owners who took out loans during COVID-19 pandemic-era closures. The pandemic-era Payment Protection Program (PPP) was one such program through which business owners could take out loans that could later be forgiven. Republicans and conservative commentators have pushed back on such comparisons in the past, arguing that PPP loans were different because businesses lost their means of income as a result of government-imposed lockdowns, whereas student loan borrowers agreed to take on and repay the costs of their education.

Marianne Williamson

Author Marianne Williamson, who is challenging Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, criticized the Supreme Courts decision while largely defending Bidens student debt cancelation plan.

They overturned Roe v. Wade. They ended Affirmative Action. Now theyve rejected Bidens student loan forgiveness plan. Todays SCOTUS works to proactively diminish the rights and opportunities of the people of the United States, Williamson posted on Twitter, adding that she believes Biden could get around the courts decision.

As President, I will expand the Court if necessary, Williamson continued. Nothing in the Constitution says its limited to 9 justices. We must also introduce ethics rules for SCOTUS justices, and consider term limits. Our current SCOTUS has gone rogue in service to their corporatist sponsors.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer and author also challenging Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, expressed disappointment at the Supreme Courts decision but argued Biden should have leaned on Congress to pass such a debt forgiveness plan.

The unfortunate SCOTUS ruling striking down President Bidens [student loan] forgiveness program was the predictable result of Bidens failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans. President Biden knew his plan wouldnt survive a legal challenge. His plan gave the appearance of action, while accomplishing nothing, Kennedy said in a multi-part Twitter thread. This is an issue of grave importance to our country. As President, I will galvanize public support to pressure Congress to put down their partisan positions and legislate meaningful relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are drowning in student debt.

Kennedy also said he would seek ways to lower the cost of higher education.

When I was their age, a college education cost about one-seventh of what it is today. A young person could work their way through college and graduate debt-free. If we devoted even a fraction of our military budget to higher education, it could be virtually free to all (as it is in many other countries), Kennedy posted.

Tim Scott

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) had a campaign-style ad ready to go shortly after the Supreme Court decision.

Today, SCOTUS made the right decision on student loans. Biden wanted to make waitresses & mechanics pay the student loans of doctors & lawyers who make six figures. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. Its time for a President who values hard work & the people who do it, Scott said in a tweet sharing the 30-second ad.

Joe Biden wants you to pay off the student loans of lawyers and professors. I want to strengthen vocational education and apprenticeships. We need more welders, carpenters, and electricians. These are the jobs that built America, and these are the jobs liberal elites cant ship to China, the Republican presidential candidate added in his campaign video.

Nikki Haley

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley celebrated the Supreme Court decision on Friday and cast Bidens loan forgiveness plan as unfair to those who had paid off their loans.

A president cannot just wave his hand and eliminate loans for students he favors, while leaving out all those who worked hard to pay back their loans or made other career choices. The Supreme Court was right to throw out Joe Bidens power grab, she said.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential ticket, also celebrated the Supreme Courts ruling.

Joe Bidens massive trillion-dollar student loan bailout subsidizes the education of elites on the backs of hardworking Americans, and it was an egregious violation of the Constitution for him to attempt to do so unilaterally with the stroke of the executive pen, Pence said in a Twitter post.

The Congressional Budget Office has said the plan might have cost about $400 billion, but the Wharton School estimated the price tag could have surpassed $1 trillion.

Pence also noted his involvement in the appointment of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, all three of whom sided with the decision to strike down Bidens debt cancellation plan.

I am pleased that the Court struck down the Radical Lefts effort to use the money of taxpayers who played by the rules and repaid their debts in order to cancel the debt of bankers and lawyers in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. I am honored to have played a role in appointing three of the Justices that ensured todays welcomed decision, and as President I will continue to appoint judges who will strictly apply the law and enforce our Constitutions separation of powers.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was among the 2024 Republican candidates who celebrated the courts decision on Friday.

We have a bad habit in America of paying people to do the exact opposite of what we want them to do: more $$ to stay at home than to work, more $$ to be a single mother than married, more $$ for those who *fail* to repay loans than those who do. As a matter of policy, this decision helps reverse that trend, he said in a Twitter post.

NTD also reached out for comment from former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who are ranked first and second in the Republican presidential field respectively. Neither candidate responded by the time this article was published.

From NTD News
ANALYSIS: ChinaRussia Coalition Has Cracked After Wagner Mutiny

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping leave after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. (Grigory Sysoyev/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Short-lived as the Wagner rebellion was, its impact is rippling far beyond Russias borders. It could even be the beginning of the end for the coalition that Beijing led with Moscow against the free world, some analysts have said.

In a dramatic 24 hours, the paramilitary group captured world attention as it took over the city of Rostov, a key tactical hub for Russias war effort in Ukraine. Leading the revolt was Yevgeny Prigozhin, a once-trusted ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who described the action as a stab in the back.

Prigozhin is now in exile in Belarus as a condition of a deal that assures that Russia wont press criminal charges against him. But his flightafter leading a rebellion that posed the most serious test to Putin in the Russian presidents more than two decades in powerhas far from closed the matter in the eyes of outside observers.

We see cracks emerging, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS. Where they go, if anywhere, when they get there, very hard to say, but I dont think weve seen the final act.

Cracks have appeared in more than just the Russian regime, according to geopolitical analyst Gordon Chang.

China is trying to overturn the entire international system. Although Chinas powerful, its not that powerful. It needs allies like Putin, and if Putin isnt going to survive, then Chinas in trouble, Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, told The Epoch Times.

Members of the Wagner Group stand on the balcony of the circus building in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Roman Romokhov/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Shaken

Beijing had maintained silence as Prigozhins forces marched on Moscow, addressing it for the first time only the day after a truce halted the movement of Prigozhins armed forces. This is Russias internal affair, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement. As Russias friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for the new era, China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity.

The delayed reaction from Beijing was because it didnt know what to say, Chang said.

The problem here for Xi Jinping is because hes declared a no limits partnership with Russia. And this no limits partner was almost deposed in those stunning developments, he said. So I think China is a little bit shaken by this.

Xi and Putin put forward the no limits partnership on the opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics, as the two held their first in-person meeting in two years while scoffing at what they called the interference in the internal affairs from the West.

That was less than three weeks before Russia began its attack on Ukraine. About a year later, in March, Xi became a guest of honor in Moscow. In parting with Putin at the time, the smiling Chinese communist leader said that the two were driving forward a change which hasnt happened in 100 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees off Chinese leader Xi Jinping after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. (Pavel Byrkin/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

But the Wagner uprising took Beijing by surprise.

In 1991, in a similarly fleeting coup attempt, hardliners from the Soviet Unions Communist Party locked up Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in his Crimea vacation villa. The plot fell apart in three days, but it was the trigger that brought the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union four months later.

Chang sees Putin in a similar position.

He was able to prevent the insurrection from toppling him, but Russia has been destabilized, so I dont think weve heard the last word, he said.

For the Chinese regime, which counts on Russia as an effective ally to subvert the U.S.-led world order, this doesnt bode well.

China tries to portray itself as invincible, as dominating the world, Chang said. Well, it doesnt look so intimidating right now. It looked a lot more intimidating last week than it does at this moment.

Troubles Back Home

A weakened political standing for Putin isnt the only concern in Beijings calculus.

Days after the Wagner rebellion, Xi promoted two political commissars to the rank of general, a move some interpreted as his attempt to consolidate power. A Chinese military officer, writing for PLA Daily, the official newspaper of Chinas highest military operational body, opined that Chinese armed forces must enhance national security awareness and be ready to face major tests in a stormy sea.

China believes that Russia is in such a mess because there is no communist party control of the government, so Xi Jinping is going to absolutely heighten that position, Miles Yu, director of the China Center at Hudson Institute and a senior China policy adviser to the Trump administration, told The Epoch Times. Yu noted that Xi has purged many high-ranking military officials to consolidate power during his 11-year rule.

He knows theres a lot of resentment within the military rank and file. So thats why this issue has been very, very unsettling for him.

Domestic issues will also keep Beijing on the alert, Chang said.

The Chinese are always worried about color revolutions, as they say, and revolutions are contagious; they do spread, he said.

Last November, a deadly blaze in a high-rise building in Xinjiang set off mass protests around the country. Demonstrators raised blank sheets of paper to push back against the regimes harsh COVID lockdowns in what has been dubbed the white paper protests.

The movement subsided with Beijing lifting the pandemic restrictions while quietly rounding up participants. But behind those protests, Chang sees a broader spirit of discontent that isnt going away.

Some people actually were demanding the Communist Party and Xi Jinping step down, he said, citing some of the slogans that protesters have chanted.

Protesters hold up a white piece of paper against censorship as they march during a protest against Chinas strict zero-COVID measures in Beijing on Nov. 27, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Economists had hoped that the end of the zero-COVID policy would spur Chinas domestic spending and revitalize the countrys sagging economy. On many levels, though, the situation in China doesnt look much brighter than it did half a year ago.

Local governments are facing defaults under a $23 trillion debt. Young people ages 16 to 24 have a record jobless rate of above 20 percent. And property sales have continued to plunge. The country is set to face what could be the worlds largest millionaire exodus this year, while a growing number of disillusioned individuals are also fleeing the country.

There are no answers for Xi Jinping other than to clamp down even tighter, and that ultimately is not going to be a solution because the economy is falling away, Chang said.

June Teufel Dreyer, a political science professor at the University of Miami, similarly sees the economic problems as a major hurdle.

Putin may even be more dependent on China after the uprising, so Chinas desire to lead the world order will be strengthened, Dreyer told The Epoch Times. The economic slowdown will be the No. 1 issue that will get in the way of Xi realizing his ambition, she said.

For now, China and Russia will continue to be huddling together for warmth as they face off against the West, with each taking what it needs from the relationship, said Su Tze-yun, director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research of Taiwan.

With the war in Ukraine dragging on, Russia will likely find itself growing more reliant on China, now a main buyer of Russian oil that once went to Europe.

Its a juncture that requires more decisive action from the free world, Chang said.

The world is at a critical moment, and right now the coalition that opposes us has cracked and could very well fall apart. Its important for the Biden administration and free states to make sure that that coalition cannot be put back together, he said.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
California Teachers Union Threatens Local School Board With Legal Action Over Flag Policy

Chino Valley Unified School Board President Sonja Shaw speaks in support of a parental rights policy proposal at a press conference in Chino, Calif., on June 15, 2023. (California Family Council/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Californias statewide teachers union sent a letter June 27 to the Chino Valley Unified School board in San Bernardino County criticizing its recent decision to allow only government flags on school propertyand threatening to take legal action against the board if the policy is not reversed.

The board voted 41 on June 15 to allow only the California and U.S. flags on school property.

The California Teachers Associationwith more than 300,000 membersin partnership with local union Associated Chino Teachers alleges in the letter the decision violates teachers right to free speech under the First Amendment as well as a state employment law.

The union also said the district further violated state employment laws because it made a decision that affected the current status quo for teachers without giving the local union proper notice or a chance to negotiate terms.

The letter asked the board to reverse its policy by July 3 or face legal action.

In the event that the board insists on interfering with the constitutional  rights of district employees, the [union] will pursue all available legal remedies for the districts conduct, including, but not limited to, filing a suit in Superior Court and/or an unfair practice charge with [the Public Employee Relations Board], the letter stated.

School district Board President Sonja Shaw told The Epoch Times that administrators reached out to the local union to give them a chance to voice their concerns about the flag policy after it was first introduced on June 1.

However, she said, administrators did not meet with the union until June 28, nearly two weeks after the board voted to approve the policy.

Shaw further stated she considered the letter a bullying tactic, and was prepared for any legal action the unions might take.

They think they can bully us, threatening us with lawsuits, Shaw said. Im not backing down.

She said she believed the teachers unions should be focused on student academic issues.

This has nothing to do with taking away freedom from a teacher. We all know at a workplace you have limitations and standards, Shaw said. [The upset over flags] is a weird push towards things that shouldnt be their focus, especially when our kids are dealing with learning loss and mental health issues.

She added that most parents and residents shed heard from supported the flag policyand added that the letter was evidence that teachers unions were more concerned with pushing their own agendas than actually serving the community.

At the board meeting, Shaw gestured to the American flag and said, This is why were here. This flag unites us all  the United States stands for all of us. A teacher who has to display sexuality in their classroom is a problem for me as a parent and board member.

The meeting drew nearly 300 parents, teachers, and community members.

Some who spoke during public comment thanked the board for taking the complicated issue on.

Just as Bibles, prayer, and the Ten Commandments have been taken out of classrooms, we need to hold fast to those standards of equality and not allow a flag that represents a minority of the district population to be displayed in our classrooms or on our campuses, said one parent. Many students here have religious beliefs that dont align with what the Pride flag represents  We are all Americans here  and the stars and stripes represent every single student in the district.

Others said they were concerned that the policy would make LGBT students unsafe.

This policy is incredibly damaging to our community, said one high school student during public comment. Pride flags provide a symbol of hope and safety. Its a reminder we are not alone in our struggles.

The issue comes after several local Orange County governing boardsincluding the Orange Unified School Board and the city of Huntington Beachvoted this year to allow only government flags to fly on official or district property.
Canadas Bill C-18 Is an Inadvertent Blow to Censorship

Commentary

The Liberal governments recently passed Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, requires that tech giants like Google and Meta negotiate deals with Canadian media companies like Bell, Postmedia, and Torstar for the right to link to their Canadian content.

To Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus dismay, the tech giants are refusing to play ball. Saying they dont value the right to link because links benefit the publishers but not them, they decided to neuter the law by vowing to block access to Canadian news content on their platforms when the law comes into effect.

That argument that the internet giants are putting forward is not just flawed, its dangerous to our democracy and to our economy, Trudeau said. Putting aside the jobs and communities that are supported by local journalism, by professional journalists, understanding whats going on in the world around us, is an essential service.

If the goal is truly understanding whats going on in the world around us, Bill C-18 has struck a blow against the censors. The mainstream media and big tech have long been the chief censors in society, banning content they view as undesirable. YouTube, owned by Google, recently banned a podcast discussion between Jordan Peterson and Robert Kennedy Jr, who is Joe Bidens main rival for the Democratic nomination for president, because it considered Kennedys views on vaccines to be unacceptable.

YouTube isnt alone in this. Virtually all of the mainstream media has long banned criticism of vaccines, just as it banned criticism of the conventional wisdom on COVID, whether it involved alternate therapies such as hydroxychloroquine or the efficacies of masking or lockdowns or social distancing.

The enforcement of the government orthodoxy extends to numerous other areas: climate change, the war in Ukraine, gender issues, and the 2022 truckers protest among them. Those who defy the orthodoxy face cancellationDonald Trump was even banned from Twitter.

In all these areas and more, the publics chief sources of informationthe mainstream media and social mediaactively prevent the public from hearing the views of those who dissent from the conventional wisdom, and thus from understanding whats going on in the world around us. If Bill C-18 diminishes the distortions caused by sharing of links to the censoring media, the public understanding of these contentious issues wont suffer, even if media companies that get fewer clicks do.

Media analysts such as internet policy expert Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, say that blocking news content will disproportionately hurt smaller and independent media outlets and leave the field to poorer quality sources. That statement is only partially true, because many small outlets were never going to be eligible to receive big-tech paymentsBill C-18s Code of Ethics provision bars payments to media organizations that dont hew to the government narrative on issues such as COVID and the truckers. The only small and independent media organizations that stood to gain referrals from Bill C-18 were those onside with contentious government narratives.

The big-tech refusal to play ball with Bill C-18 wont hurt the media outlets that dare speak truth to power. Neither can these be fairly labelled as poorer quality sources. If anything, big techs refusal is disproportionately harming the media outlets that subscribe to the government narratives, thus levelling the playing field for small, independent non-censoring media outlets.

Bill C-18 has struck a blow against the censors, both in government and media.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Portraits of Massachusetts patriots

John Singleton Copley (17381815), John Trumbull (17561843), and Gilbert Stuart (17551828) are three of the most important early American artists. Their work captured scenes of colonial, revolutionary, and post-independence Americaespecially through portraiture of the countrys founding fathers.

Patriots Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, and John Adams were all from the colony of Massachusetts and played pivotal roles in the fight for independence. They are remembered by posterity to differing degrees, which some 21st-century biographies have fittingly corrected.

Portrait of Samuel Adams

A portrait of Samuel Adams, circa 1772, by John Singleton Copley. Oil on canvas; 49.5 inches by 39.5 inches. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (Public Domain)

Much of todays knowledge about the influential life and times of the fiery and persuasive Samuel Adams has been watered down to two facts: a contemporary American craft brewery uses his name, and he was a second cousin of John Adams.

In fact, Samuel was initially better-known, but Johns fame, upon becoming a delegate to the Continental Congress and eventually president of the United States, later outshone that of his kinsman.

Pulitzer-prize winning biographer Stacy Schiff returns him to the pantheon of essential trailblazers of the independence movement in her new book The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams. Schiff highlights Adamss role as one of the masterminds of the Boston Tea Party, leader and propagandist of civil resistance against the British colonizers, and an intended recipient of Paul Reveres midnight ride message. He was a mentor for young men interested in the revolutionary cause, including Joseph Warren, John Adams, and John Hancock.

John Singleton Copleys painting Portrait of Samuel Adams captures what Adams believed to be his greatest moment: his confrontation after the Boston Massacre with Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson in which Adams demanded the expulsion of British troops.

Copley was the foremost portraitist of colonial New England before leaving for London in 1774 and settling there permanently. Copley, though discreet about his politics, accepted the Samuel Adams portrait commission, reputed to have come from Hancock. He constructed a radical composition befitting his subject, utilizing a reductive style that employs few decorative aspects. In this work, he also does not shy away from depicting attributes highly specific to the subject, though the conventional style was to make general allusions so that a portrait remained idealized.

Detail of the portrait of Samuel Adams, circa 1772, by John Singleton Copley. (Public Domain)

The portrait of Samuel Adams, completed after numerous sessions, shows Adams dynamically standing at attention. This is an unusual pose in Copleys oeuvre as his sitters are typically depicted literally sitting. With his pointed left index finger, Adams directs the viewer to the charter granted Massachusetts by King William and Queen Mary, and his right hand holds the petition Instructions of . . . Town Boston prepared by indignant fellow citizens.

In the composition, Adamss head and hands are lit so that they standout against his modest and crumpled russet wool coat and the dark background. This highlights his intense and defiant stare and the important documents. Copley uses this portrait as an opportunity to allude to history painting, a genre he would continue to pursue in England. Two classical columns, not realistic to colonial Boston, along with Adamss authoritative declamatory gesture, allude to ancient republican Roman senators. This image was much copied, and the circulation of reproductions aided Samuel Adamss rallying of people to the revolutionary cause.

Battle of Bunker Hill

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill, 1786, by John Trumbull. Oil on canvas; 19.7 inches by 29.7 inches. Gift of Howland S. Warren, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (Public Domain)

An early major conflict of the Revolutionary War was the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, which occurred outside of Boston. It claimed the life of Dr. Joseph Warren, who had just accepted a role as a major general in the army but had not yet taken up the post.

Christian Di Spignas recent definitive biography Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolutions Lost Hero vividly charts Warrens life. He was a skilled physician who grew his medical practice to be the largest in Boston, and his increasing political participation in revolutionary causes displayed his brilliant mind, pen, and oratory skills. Warren was one of the leaders of the Boston Tea Party, the main author of the Suffolk Resolves that inspired the Declaration of Independence, and the person who sent Revere to warn Samuel Adams that British troops were coming.

Upon his death, Warren became America first popular hero and was idolized, yet many of his contributions faded from public memory. Di Spigna writes, Perhaps one reason for Warrens obscurity is that his martyrdom quickly overshadowed his many accomplishments. The many contemporary memorials for Warren focused almost exclusively on the battle. Warrens demise at Bunker Hill was famously memorialized on canvas by John Trumbull, becoming one of the best-known images of the Revolutionary War.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Bosons version of The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunkers Hill, 17 June, 1775 is one of several that Trumbull painted and was commissioned by the Warren family. Warren descendants bequeathed the painting to the museum in the 1970s. Trumbull, known as the patriot-artist, served for a time as a soldier in the Continental Army. After the British were defeated, he began a series of works to commemorate the Revolutionary War that would spread awareness and immortalize the noble actions of participants. The Death of General Warren was the first work he completed.

A detail of Warren dying in the arms of a militiaman referencing the iconography of the Lamentation. (R) Lamentation over the Dead Christ, circa 16341640, by Anthony van Dyck. Oil on canvas; 61.4 inches by 100.7 inches. Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Spain. (Public Domain)

Trumbulls representation of the scene is his own interpretation. While not factually accurate, it is a highly romanticized and dramatic narrative with heroic and religious iconography. The composition has references to Old Master images of the Lamentation: Warren is shown dying in the arms of a militiaman. A British soldier attempts to stab him with a bayonet and the fighting continues around the central scene. Despite the cloudy sky, Trumbull has the sun peak out to cast its aura on the dignified body of Warren. This painting was turned into a popular engraving and thousands of copies were bought.

Portrait of John Adams

A portrait of John Adams, circa 18001815, by Gilbert Stuart. Oil on canvas; 29 inches by 24 inches. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Public Domain)

During Americas early years of nationhood, the countrys foremost portraitist was Gilbert Stuart. In contrast to Copley, Stuarts career trajectory began with training in London. He then returned to America and continued working to great acclaim. He inspired other prominent American artists, such as Trumbull, and was renowned for his refined ability to capture a sitters character through the choices he made in depicting their pose, expression, type of clothing, and setting.

Stuart is best remembered for the around 100 likenesses he made of George Washington. Today, these canvases are practically ubiquitous in important collections of American art, both private and public; one of these portraits even served as the model for the Washington engraving on the one-dollar bill. However, Stuart also painted notable, defining portraits of the four subsequent presidents.

The National Gallery of Arts portrait of John Adams is Stuarts first portrait of the second president, famed for his intelligence and passionate devotion to the cause of independence. It descended through Adamss family, akin to the provenance of the Trumbull painting, before being gifted to the NGA in the mid-20th century.

Historian David McCullough provides insight about the relationship between subject and artist in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book John Adams, whose cover is graced by this portrait, explaining that Adams had regard for Stuart and found his conversation amusing during his sittings.

The impetus for the creation of the John Adams painting came from the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1798. They asked that Adams sit for a portrait, which they wanted to hang in Bostons State House. Stuart began the painting in early 1800, with sittings likely taking place in the countrys then capital of Philadelphia. Unbeknown to Adams, he was in the final year of his presidency and would lose a bitter reelection battle to Thomas Jefferson.

Gilbert Stuart was notorious for delaying completion of his work and even leaving canvases permanently unfinished. It took 15 years for Stuart to finalize the painting, vexing Adamss eager wife and son. Towards the end of the exasperating saga, Adams sat again for the portrait. By then he had been in retirement for 14 years, but McCullough writes, His bedrock integrity, his spirit of independence, his devotion to country, his marriage, his humor, and a great underlying love of life were all still very much intact.

Given the delay in completing the portrait, it is actually a reflection of Stuarts later style, which is marked by his use of a looser technique. This is reflected in Adamss cravat, shirt, and coat, along with impasto (paint that is thickly laid on the canvas so that brushstrokes are visible) marks on his forehead.

After all the drama, the finished portrait proved to be popular with copyists and engravers, and there was praise for the way Stuart was able to portray Adams as a statesman with his legendary and still intact vitality, albeit tempered by age. Perhaps the ultimate praise was that the Adams family later requested Stuart do a second portrait of John, which he did before the former president died at age 90 on July 4, 1826.

John Adams, 1826, by Gilbert Stuart. Oil on canvas; 30 inches by 25 inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. (Public Domain)

Painters Copley, Trumbull, and Stuart each produced a distinct body of work that shaped the visual identity of early America. Examining their insightful portraits of these three founding fathers broadens ones understanding of each patriots fascinating career. Furthermore, it brings the explosive and exciting times of Americas quest for nationhood to life.
Court Rulings Uphold Abortion Bans in Indiana, North Carolina

A pro-life campaigner displays a plastic doll representing a 12-week-old fetus as she stands outside the Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 7, 2016. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Abortion bans were upheld following court rulings on Friday that lifted an injunction against an abortion ban in Indiana and cleared the way for a 12-week abortion ban to take effect in North Carolina.

In Indiana, the states Supreme Court ruled that the states abortion ban doesnt violate the state constitution, and lifted a preliminary injunction that had been blocking a near-total abortion ban.

Indiana was the first U.S. state to approve and pass a bill into law banning most abortions, following the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in late June 2022. The legislation was first enacted in August 2022 and took effect in mid-September that yearbut only for no more than a week.

A county judge on Sept. 22, 2022, issued a preliminary injunction against the law, after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana, which represented abortion clinic operators including Planned Parenthood, filed a lawsuit on Aug. 31. The county judge said the abortion ban likely violated the state constitutions privacy protections, which she said are stronger than those found in the U.S. Constitution. The judges decision allowed abortions to continue in Indiana since then, until the Indiana Supreme Courts decision Friday, which invalidates her ruling.

Indianas abortion law will eliminate licenses for all seven abortion clinics in the state, and bans abortions except in the case of incest or rape. It also allows abortions up to 20 weeks in circumstances where the procedure is deemed necessary to protect the life and physical health of the mother, or if the baby is diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly.

The courts decision does not put the ban immediately into effect. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, said in a statement Friday that upon certification by the court, the law will go into effect as related litigation continues through the judicial process.

State Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, praised the high courts decision in a statement. We celebrate this dayone long in coming, but morally justified. Thank you to all the warriors who have fought for this day that upholds LIFE.

A second injunction remains in effect, however, due to a separate lawsuit also brought by the ACLU of Indiana, on behalf of Hoosier Jews for Choice. The plaintiffs argued that the abortion ban violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was adopted in 2015. The plaintiffs in this case were granted class-action status. The case is scheduled to be heard by the Indiana Court of Appeals in September.

It is unclear how the latest Supreme Court ruling affects abortion access. The law remains unenforceable for at least the specific plaintiffs in this second case, pending its outcome. However, the ACLU argues that the second injunction also applies to all Indiana residents who have sincere religious beliefs that they should be able to obtain an abortion.

12-Week Abortion Ban in North Carolina

Over in North Carolina, the states 12-week abortion ban is set to take effect on Saturday, July 1, after a federal judge cleared the way for the legislation. She only temporarily blocked one provision of the ban.

The lawsuit against the 12-week abortion ban was brought by Planned Parenthood, which challenged multiple provisions in the ban.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles blocked a requirement that said that until July 14, doctors must document that the woman is pregnant when prescribing or administering abortion drugs. She added that she expects the parties to agree to extend the restraining order to beyond July 14 to allow for more briefing.

North Carolina has banned most abortions after 20 weeks, although the new legislation brings it down to 12 weeks. The law also has exceptions through 20 weeks for cases of rape and incest, and through 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies. A medical emergency exception also remains in place.

The new legislation also requires that patients seeking abortion must have two in-person doctor visits at least 72 hours apart. Patients who opt for medication abortion have to have a total of three in-person visits.

Eagles wrote that the laws other provisions that Planned Parenthood had challenged in its suit were addressed by last-minute updates made under the state legislature, and which were signed into law late June 29.

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, had originally vetoed the 12-week abortion ban, but his veto was overridden by a Republican legislative supermajority. The governor said the last-minute amendment signed on June 29 is important to clarify the rules and provide some certainty after he criticized the original unamended legislation as being so poorly written that it is causing real uncertainty for doctors and other health care providers.

Cooper also said he would continue fighting on all fronts on Republicans push to restrict abortion.

Editors note: This article has been further edited for clarity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CRA Fires 20 Employees, Probes Hundreds for Inappropriately Claiming CERB Benefits

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has fired 20 employees while investigating about 600 others for applying for COVID-19 financial aid benefits while working for the agency.

CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch confirmed on June 30 that the agency is investigating 600 of its workers for inappropriately claiming the $2,000-per-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) while they were employed with the CRA, reported the National Post.

Ms. Branch also confirmed that the agency has terminated the employment of 20 of those workers, while the number is likely to increase as the internal review continues.

The CERB was rolled out in March 2020 to provide financial relief to those who lost their sources of income due to reasons related to the COVID-19 outbreak. People who were employed but not receiving income because of disruptions to their work due to COVID-19 were also eligible for CERB, but they had to be earning less than $1,000 per month when submitting their claims.

The landing page for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is seen in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2020. (Giordano Ciampini/The Canadian Press)

The CRA had previously announced that it was reviewing the issue, though at the time, Federal Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier did not disclose the number of federal employees who were fired for defrauding the pandemic relief subsidy program.

The specific number of terminations is too small to disclose without creating a privacy risk that could lead to one or more of the individuals being identified, she said in an Inquiry of Ministry, first reported by Blacklocks Reporter.

The CRA is not the only federal department that has fired its own employees for defrauding the CERB program.

Mary Crescenzi, assistant deputy minister of the Integrity Services Branch (ISB) of Service Canada, told the House of Commons public accounts committee in February that 49 individuals with the agency had been fired for misrepresenting their situation when they applied for the benefit. The ISB is a program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

A 2022 report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada said both the ESDC and the CRA had identified employees that claimed COVID-19 benefits. The report also noted that $4.6 billion of overpayments were made to ineligible recipients of benefits for individuals, while an estimated $27.4 billion of payments to individuals and employers should be investigated further.

As of April 2023, more than 600,000 Canadians who have received CERB payments but were deemed ineligible have not repaid the debt, according to an Inquiry of Ministry, released on March 29, requested by NDP MP Daniel Blaiki.

The CERB program was closed in September 2020, and those still unemployed had their cases transferred to the employment insurance system.

Isaac Teo, Matthew Horwood, and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, Chevron (NYSE:CVX) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Chevron:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.19 = US$43b  (US$256b - US$34b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, Chevron has an ROCE of 19%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 23% generated by the Oil and Gas industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Chevron

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Chevron compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Chevron here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Chevron Tell Us?

Chevron's ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 674% over the last five years. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

Our Take On Chevron's ROCE

To sum it up, Chevron is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. Since the stock has returned a solid 58% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Chevron and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

While Chevron 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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DHS to Let More Potential Illegal Immigrants Schedule Their Arrivals

Illegal immigrants prepare to be transported by bus to Border Patrol processing facilities in Yuma, Ariz., on May 18, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Department of Homeland Security said June 30 that more would-be illegal immigrants will be able to schedule their entry into the United States.

The departments Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will allow up to 1,450 appointments per day, an increase of 200 from the current number and of 450 from the number available in May.

CBP is expanding the number of available appointments at ports of entry for the second time in less than two months, through scheduling enhancements and operational efficiencies, Troy Miller, the top CBP official, said in a statement.

The appointments, made through an application called CBP One, are providing for safe and efficient processes at ports of entry, he added.

The would-be immigrants can schedule an appointment at a port of entry, or an official border crossing, through the application. The appointment scheduling was part of a January Biden administration announcement on steps that would be taken to deal with the spike in illegal immigration that has occurred since President Joe Biden took office and immediately relaxed or ended key Trump-era policies.

The app lets people who claim vulnerability criteria, such as having a physical or mental illness and being under the age of 21 or over 70, schedule crossing into the United States despite lacking legal status.

Officers assess each person who gets an appointment and grant parole to at least some of them.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the secretary of homeland security can exercise parole power to let noncitizens enter or remain in the United States. The basis for such a move is if the secretary finds an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit.

Parole means a person can legally apply for jobs and enjoy other benefits that illegal immigrants do not have.

Immigrants must normally be detained until their proceedings are concluded, though that requirement has been ignored by many administrations.

Multiple people can be given parole during a single appointment, Manny Bayon, a National Border Patrol Council union leader in San Diego, told The Epoch Times recently.

Officials attribute the decline in the number of illegal crossings between ports of entry to the introduction of the appointments. They stress that appointments do not mean a person will be admitted and that officers make a case-by-case determination.

Critics say the appointments are an attempt to hide a crisis at the border.

A person comes to the border, theyre telling them to voluntarily return to Mexico, fill out the app, and then come in. And theyre immediately released; theyre giving them parole into the United States against the Immigration and Naturalization Act, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said on Fox News Sunday.

The numbers arent going down; thats a shell game from Mayorkas, he added, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

They tell you the numbers of illegal entry are down because this Executive Branch has redefined what an illegal entry is, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said during a recent hearing.

Officials have defended the policy.

The process cuts out smugglers while also providing a safe, orderly, and humane process for noncitizens to access ports of entry instead of attempting to enter the United States unlawfully. We are continuing to enforce consequences for migrants who cross unlawfully, and those who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States will be removed, Erin Heeter, a government spokesperson, told The Epoch Times previously.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, sued the Biden administration over the application in May, alleging officials were using it to allow entry to immigrants who otherwise would not have been approved.

Several administration policies based on issuing widespread parole have been struck down or blocked by judges.

Brad Jones contributed to this report.
George Soros Foundation Slashing 40 Percent of Staff

Billionaire investor George Soros delivers a speech on the sideline of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, eastern Switzerland on Jan. 24, 2019. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

George Soros foundation, which is now controlled by the billionaire activists son, plans to cut 40 percent of its workforce, according to reports and a statement from the Open Society Foundations (OSF)

The board of directors of OSF, which George Soros founded in 1979 and personally led until about a month ago, has approved significant changes to the organizations operating model that require difficult decisions and will make the foundation nimbler, The Epoch Times has learned.

The changes are intended to maximize Open Societys impact in helping to counter the forces currently threatening open and free societies, said a joint statement released Friday by George Soros son and OSF chair, Alexander Soros, and the organizations president, Mark Malloch-Brown.

While OSF did not immediately respond to a request from The Epoch Times for more details, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the difficult decisions are job cuts amounting to at least 40 percent of the organizations global workforce.

OSF employs around 800 people worldwide, with around 320 of those on the chopping block.

George Soros Cedes Control

Barely a month ago, George Soros told The Wall Street Journal that he had ceded control of his $25 billion empire to his 37-year-old son, Alex Soros, who suggested that he would be even more politically engaged than his father.

The Democrat megadonor told the outlet that he initially didnt want to cede control of the foundation to any member of his family as a matter of principle.

However, he said that he and his son think alike and that hes taking over at the helm of the foundation because hes earned it.

Alex Soros told the outlet that hes more political than his father and that hes worried about the prospect that former President Donald Trump might win the 2024 race for the White House.

As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too, he told the Journal, suggesting that the deep pockets of the Soros organization will be deployed to support presidential campaigns opposing Trump.

Philanthropist Alex Soros, son of George Soros, attends an event in New York on June 4, 2013. (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

Alex Soros was quietly elected to the OSF board as its chairman in December 2022. He now directs political activity as president of Soross political action committee.

We are going to double down on defending voting rights and personal freedom at home and supporting the cause of democracy abroad, a spokesperson for Alex Soros told the Financial Times regarding his priorities for political action.

Soros DAs

George Soros, a Hungarian-born investor worth billions, is a controversial figure in the United States after groups tied to him poured money into left-wing district attorney candidates campaigns across the country.

Trump has vowed to target what he and other Republicans have described as Soros DAs after being indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who reportedly took campaign cash from Soros during the 2021 election.

Responding to an allegation that he backed Bragg, Soros said in March that hes never met him and didnt contribute any money to his election bid.

I think some on the right would rather focus on far-fetched conspiracy theories than on the serious charges against the former president, he told Semafor.

However, Soros has made clear his backing for certain prosecutors. In an earlier op-ed, he explained why he has donated to reform-minded prosecutors and has no intention of stopping.

The funds I provide enable sensible reform-minded candidates to receive a hearing from the public, he wrote.

In recent years, reform-minded prosecutors and other law-enforcement officials around the country have been coalescing around an agenda that promises to be more effective and just.

George Soros, Founder and Chairman of the Open Society Foundations arrives for a meeting in Brussels on April 27, 2017.

(Olivier Hoslet/AFP/Getty Images)

Soros noted that this includes less-punitive criminal justice policies.

This agenda includes prioritizing the resources of the criminal-justice system to protect people against violent crime. It urges that we treat drug addiction as a disease, not a crime. And it seeks to end the criminalization of poverty and mental illness, he wrote.

This is why I have supported the election (and more recently the re-election) of prosecutors who support reform. I have done it transparently, and I have no intention of stopping.

Alex Soross remarks to the Journal and the Financial Times suggest that the OSF and affiliated groups will continue to press ahead with the agenda charted by George Soros.

OSF President Mark Malloch-Brown recently argued for the adoption of a new economic order that would focus on justice and stability.

Malloch-Brown said in a speech that if theres one watchword for this new framework of global governance, it must be inclusivity,' and along with it, a multilateralism that has the roots and staying power for the new world that we are going into.

He said a challenge of this new world would be whether collective rights supersede individual rights and whether the interest of the state to build that green transition, provide inclusive growth means that its at the expense of human rights.

Its not at all clear where that battle lands, as its not at all clear where the battle for democracy lands, Malloch-Brown said.

Some critics of the work of OSF have argued that its political agenda leans too far to the left.
Groups Protest at Drag Story Hours in California, Part I

Commentary

On Fathers Day weekend, as part of June Pride Month, four public libraries in Sonoma County, California, chose to hold Drag Story Hours with a Drag King named Vera as the presenter. The events on Saturday were in Petaluma (where the largest number of parents and children attended132 in total at room capacity) and Rincon Valley in Santa Rosa. The events on Sunday were in the town of Windsor and downtown Santa Rosa.

Various conservative and Christian groups protested the four drag story hours, and I was also among the protesters. The protesting groups were Sonoma County Eagle Forum, Save Our Sonoma, Sonoma County Parents Stand Up for Our Kids, a Christian prayer group, and the Warner family, who made 50 signs and generously donated them to the cause.

The signs stated such things as Stop Sexualizing Our Kids, Stop Grooming Our Children, and Make Childhood Innocent Again. A banner read Libraries Are to Be Safe and Happy Places for Children.

About 60 to 70 protesters turned up at each library. They included parents, grandparents, children, and one lone, brave pastor, Pastor Andy Springer from the Heartwood Church in Rohnert Park.

One charming mother and grandmother in her 60s, Jennifer Gunderson, who is the mother of nine children, showed up at all four libraries with an impressive number of her family membersabout 20 in total: four daughters with their husbands, her sister, her brother-in-law, two nieces, two nephews, and five grandchildren.

Gunderson homeschooled her children for 25 years. All of her family and some of her extended family are homeschooling their children as well.

Gunderson said: My choice to homeschool my nine children was simply to ensure they had a more innocent childhood, one that encouraged and supported our family values and faith. Every day that decision made over 25 years ago has proven to be the right one, as we never could have anticipated the battle to come. Thankfully, my adult children are passionate about protecting the innocence of childhood and speak out against the transitioning and indoctrination of all children.

She said that the reason so many of her family members came out to protest the drag story hours was because we believe that our little ones should not be the target of adult agendas seeking to redefine sexuality and what it means to be a family.

One of my greatest joys is getting to spend time with my 21 homeschooled grandchildren who are living an innocent childhood, not burdened with pronouns, she said.

Counter-Protesters

The protests did not turn out to be the peaceful ones that were hoped for. A much larger and very loud group of LGBT members and supporters had gotten wind of our plans and turned out in large numbers (about 100) to counter-protest.

They had a loud megaphone and chanted: Hey ho, hey ho, bigotry has got to go. Or they would replace the word bigotry with hatred and even fascists.

But none of those bad words described the reasons the conservative Christians were there protesting. We all share the same motivationconcern for the innocence of children and the attack on basic family values.

The LGBT counter-protesters did not seem to appreciate the various signs our group of protesters were holding or our banners and would try to stand in front of us and hold up big umbrellas in front of our signs so they could not be seen by people driving by.

In other words, freedom of speech for them seems to be only if you agree with their viewpoint.

To be continued in Part II

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Has the West Already Lost Control of Its Most Vital Sea Route?

An aerial view taken at southern entrance of the Suez Canal near the Red Sea port city of Suez, Egypt, on March 27, 2021. (Mahmoud Khaled/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

U.S. and Western influence over the critical Red Sea and Suez Canal sea lines of communication is now estimated to be at its lowest ebb in more than a century, even when the USSR had a period of presence during the Cold War.

Russia and China, although suffering from their own strategic constraints, have made major inroads into and presence in the Suez region at the expense of the U.S. and European powers in 202223. The United States has had a declining ability to influence or prevent conflicts currently underway in Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia.

Eritrea and Ethiopia have now effectively ended their brief rapprochement of the past five years, and both states are increasing their links with Moscow, Beijing, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Tehran, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arabs Emirate (UAE) are themselves shifting some of their priorities from Washington to Moscow and Beijing. And Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also improving ties with Iran, which is now an entrenched part of the new Eurasian strategic bloc with Russia and China.

Even during the Soviet era of influence in Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the (then) two Yemens in some of the Cold War years, the West could still count on ensuring free trade through the Suez and Red Sea because the USSR was unable to build a secure foundation in the region for its own power projection. Now, the United States has seen a profound decline in its ability to influence any of the states in the region, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Indeed, belatedly, the U.S. Biden administrations attempt to embrace the 2020 Abraham Accords and forget its insults of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have fallen flat. Israel doesnt need U.S. sponsorship for its quiet construction of meaningful ties with Saudi Arabia. Its possible that Jerusalem may even find Washingtons belated support a hindrance to Israeli links with Riyadh.

President Joe Biden (R) and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan attend a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

In this new transformation of the Red Sea and Suez region, even apart from the rapid Saudi and UAE accommodation of China and Russia, the potential for Washington to reclaim old allies has been limited by events in the United States and in the region. Civil and regional confrontations involving Ethiopia and Eritrea, coupled with the civil war in Sudan, are significant dynamic factors apart from the normal strategic evolution of the region and the growing presence of China and Russia.

Eritrea and Ethiopia now face a growing rift, so soon after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for having achieved an end to the EthiopiaEritrea conflict. Eritrean President Isaias Afewerke became Abiys greatest supporter, and bilateral relations revived and prospered, particularly when Abiy was crushing the revolt of the Marxist extremist group, the Tigray Popular Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF had been, when it was in power in Ethiopia until 2018, the driver of the conflict with Eritrea.

During this period, Isaias repeatedly hinted at the prospect of restoring a complete union between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Still, Abiy came to see that it was difficult for him to match the strength of Isaias. Now Isaias has indicated his strong support for Ethiopias Amhara people as they face growing opposition from the Ethiopian Oromo extremist (Marxist) groups. Abiy, whos half Oromo, identifies now as fully Oromo and rose to power as the head of the Oromo faction of whats now the nationalist Prosperity Party. He has stepped up military action lately, using the Ethiopian National Defense Force against the Amhara Regions formal militia (state guard) and its informal Fano militia.

So what, if anything, is the United States doing to regain influence in the region?

Some of the United States traditional European allies, such as Italy and, to an extent, the UK, have begun acting independently of Washington in the region. The United States retains much of its expensive military commitment to the region, particularly with basing in Bahrain and Qatar and bearing a lot of the overhead of the multinational naval task forces (particularly Combined Task Forces 150, 151, and 152 in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf) to counter regional piracy and weapons smuggling.

That, like the U.S. military presence in Qatar, hasnt helped rebuild U.S. influence in the Red Sea, and even the regular military exercises with the Egyptian Armed Forces havent resulted in a return to Egyptian dependence on the United States for defense technology.

At the same time, while expanding links with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, China and Russia have also begun serious commitments of funds and military support to regional states, particularly Ethiopia and Eritrea. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other key Chinese officials gave Isaias a major public welcome during his visit to Beijing on May 14 to May 19. Beijing promised a reported $10 billion additional investment in the Red Sea state. Chinas naval base in neighboring Djibouti, at Obock, on the Gulf of Tadjoura, should be expected to gain greater latitude of action in the Red Sea by having access to Eritrean ports.

Whether China can afford a $10 billion investment in Eritrea (on top of existing programs there) is debatable. Still, it shows that Beijing is fully committed to its Red Sea strategy even though tensions are now high between Isaias and Abiy.

Then, on May 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia and Eritrea planned to sign a number of cooperation agreements. These, as with the Chinese deal, will involve weapons transfers. Isaias had followed his Beijing meetings with a visit to Moscow on May 31, celebratingas was the case with China30 years of diplomatic relations. This was Isaiass first official visit to Moscow. Ethiopian sources said Russia had committed some $900 million in new aid to Eritrea.

Earlier, Eritrea had refused to join U.S.-led sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war. Still, sources in Asmara said this reflected the reality that the United States had consistently isolated Eritrea and that Asmara had, more or less, given up on Washington. Significantly, Israel maintains good relations with Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.

The United States has long maintained a hostile position toward Eritrea, bypassing opportunities to achieve good relations, despite the strategic importance of Eritrea to Red Sea security. Isaias, although retaining a strong autocratic grip on Eritrea, had indicated that he could reintegrate his country into a revived confederation with Ethiopia and develop a new confederal naval capacity in the Red Sea. Isaias, although painted as a radical (he received military training in the 1970s in China), has also expressed his support for the Ethiopian monarchy.

So have Beijing and Moscoweach competing strategically in Africachosen sides between Eritrea and Ethiopia, or are they hoping that they can broker a restored regional peace?

The United States has no leverage in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, and is treated with grave suspicion in Addis Ababa, given that the Biden administration actively sponsored the Tigrean Marxist rebellion against the Abiy government. Nearby, Washingtons attempts to broker peace in the Sudanese civil war have gained little traction.

Will Egypt, seeing this situation, be forced to rely more on security arrangements with Beijing and Moscow, given that Washington seems unable to respond? Will other Western states, sensing the loss of the great seaway, pursue independent agendas?

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Historic South Australia University Merger Decision Looms

A general view of University of Adelaide in Adelaide, May 3, 2017. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)

A decision on the proposed merger between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia (SA) is set to be revealed after months of talks.

Both institutions have been considering a feasibility plan and their respective governing councils met this week to come to a final decision.

Thats now expected to be revealed on the weekend.

In December 2022, the two universities signed a statement of co-operation with the state government which has strongly backed a merger.

They agreed at the time that any new entity would aim to be a university of global standing and conduct future-making research of scale and focus.

The new institution would be called Adelaide University and would open in 2026.

Based on domestic enrolments, it would be the largest in Australia, with more than 36,000 students.

Premier Peter Malinauskas told parliament this week the merger proposal was an important test for all MPs and urged them to support the required legislation.

An important test of whether or not we are committed to making the bold decisions into the future that set the state up for the long term, whether or not were going to only contemplate the sort of hold-back mentality that could deprive a new institution being formed in a way that they both want, Malinauskas said.

A recent survey found the proposal had little support among university staff, with most sceptical it would improve education or research.

A National Tertiary Education Union survey of 1100 staff across SAs three universities, including Flinders University, found only one in four backed the plan.

The survey found 21 percent were confident the merger would lead to better education, while fewer than one in three (29 percent) thought it would result in better research.

Merging the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia represents one of the biggest and most profound changes to higher education we are ever likely to see in SA, union division secretary Andrew Miller said.

There is no turning back once this decision is made.

We must get it right.
Hong Kong University Construction Site Reveals Faulty Concrete Columns and Beams

Contractor Aggressive Construction involved in three recent safety incidents

In addition to the main columns, similar conditions are observed in the beams, with one image showing a suspected hollow space. (Courtesy of Jason Poon Chuk-Hung)

Following a recent crane tipping incident at a Hong Kong University construction site, the Student and Staff Residence Building under construction is found to have honeycomb voids and exposed reinforcing steel on columns and beams. This is the latest of a series of problems encountered by the contractor, Aggressive Construction Company Limited.

On social media, Jason Poon Chuk-Hung, Chairman of the China Monitor and Chief Researcher of Hong Kong Strategy Solutions, shared photos showing voids and exposed reinforcement steels in multiple structural columns and some beams at the HKU construction project. Some engineers believe it was caused by insufficient vibration during the pouring of the concrete, and if the situation is serious, it may need to be demolished and rebuilt.

Poor Construction Management at HKU Criticized

Poons post openly criticized the poor construction management of HKUs campus development project, not only referring to the recent crane incident but also describing the concrete construction quality of the project as outrageous.

He questioned how HKU, a world-class institution with an architecture and engineering department, could have such weak construction management of workmanship. He urged HKUs top administration to find out the truth and investigate whether there was any cover-up or dereliction of duty by the engineering management team.

The photos show the concrete columns are honeycomb-like structures with some exposed reinforcements. (Courtesy of Jason Poon Chuk-Hung)

Poon also stated that it was learned that the consulting firm has been very dissatisfied with the construction quality and has repeatedly sent letters to the contractor and reported to the HKU management team. Still, nothing has been done to improve the situation. He mentioned that a column on lower ground three and a beam on level two appeared substandard and required a detailed inspection to determine if demolition and reconstruction were necessary. He suggested that the Development Bureau and Buildings Department should intervene to assess the quality of the building.

On June 26, Poon responded to the Epoch Times, stating that the honeycomb voids resulting from mistakes during concrete pouring had nothing to do with the quality of the precast concrete. He emphasized that it was solely a matter of construction supervision and techniques.

The photos show the concrete columns are honeycomb-like structures with some exposed reinforcements. (Courtesy of Jason Poon Chuk-Hung)

Poon said that under normal circumstances, when this problem occurs, loose concrete can be chiseled away and repaired on the solid concrete surface using a method traditionally known as honeycomb repair. However, the column and beam situation seems severe, with many holes requiring a detailed inspection to determine if demolition is necessary.

No improvement was seen after three months. Poon believes the reason is that HKU, as the project owner, has not taken a strong stance. He said that a detailed inspection is required to determine whether demolition and reconstruction is the only option and whether the issue affects the entire building or only one part.

He pointed out that honeycomb voids in the central columns and beams can usually be repaired, but if large holes are present, they will affect the strength of the concrete structure. He also mentioned that related constructions would announce completion if this incident had not been exposed.

HKU President Zhang Xiang Stresses Serious Follow-up

A spokesperson for the University of Hong Kong responded to the media, stating that they are taking the matter seriously and are conducting a thorough follow-up with the contractor. The site in question is part of HKUs High West Campus Redevelopment project, which aims to provide two dormitory buildings with approximately 1,300 student and staff units and is expected to be completed next year.

After attending a public event, HKU President Zhang Xiang acknowledged the problem and said that the university would follow up on the incident with all seriousness. They are communicating with the contractor and the government, and HKU experts have been on-site to understand the situation. He emphasized that the university values building safety and related standards highly but cannot provide further details at this stage, promising to provide updates and details as soon as possible.

In addition to the columns, the beams also show similar conditions, with one photo suggesting they may be hollow. (Courtesy of Jason Poon Chuk-Hung)

HKU Council Undergraduate Representative Chik Yau-hong expressed concerns about the ongoing engineering issues at HKU, stating that the situation is worrying. He has also written to HKUs Director of Estates, Sy Wai-yin, requesting a serious follow-up by the university.

Previously, an incident occurred at the HKU campus development project when a crane allegedly tilted due to an imbalance. At the time, an HKU spokesperson expressed great concern and requested a report from the contractor. The experienced architectural team WilkinsonEyre and engineering consultants Palmer & Turner Group handle the current campus development project.

In addition to the columns, the beams also show similar conditions, with one photo suggesting they may be hollow. (Courtesy of Jason Poon Chuk-Hung)

The Epoch Times contacted the contractors parent company Great Harvest Group, located in San Po Kong, for a response. A staff member responded by saying that the incident was under investigation and that he had no way of contacting their staff on the construction site before he hung up the phone.

Several industry leaders and government officials have been unhappy with some of Poons previous comments as they highlight problems in the construction industry, and officials claim that some of his remarks lack veracity.

Contractor Has Had a Series of Accidents in the Last Two Years

The contractor responsible for the honeycomb column incident at the University of Hong Kongs (HKU) construction site has recently been involved in several severe accidents. These include a crane incident in Kowloon in September 2022, which resulted in three deaths and six injuries. Another accident occurred at a private residential construction site at Yau Tong, where an iron I-beam crushed a worker in December. A young man died from an electric shock on the Wang Chin Street construction site in Kowloon Bay in July 2020.

According to records from the Labour Departments Occupational Safety and Health Conviction Records, a journalist from Photon Media found that affiliated companies of Aggresive Construction have 21 violation records, making it one of the most convicted construction contractors in the past two years.

The four affiliated companies under Aggresive Construction, namely Aggressive Construction Engineering Limited, Aggressive Construction Company Limited, Aggressive Civil & Foundation Engineering Limited, and Aggressive Engineering Limited, have a combined total of 21 violation records, with fines ranging from HK$2,000 to HK$30,000 per case.

These companies are all subsidiaries of the Great Harvest Group. According to the investigation by the media, the groups official website displayed Poon Yung as the chairman in February 2020, but the information was later removed. It was revealed that Poon Yung was also present when the Housing Department Director Winnie Ho Wing-yin visited the Group-built Tai Po Area (Fu Tip Estate) public housing project in July 2022. The current webpage of the Group no longer displays the chairmans identity.

The four affiliated companies of Aggresive Construction have been involved in three accidents that resulted in five fatalities. Apart from the Anderson Road incident in September 2022, there was also an incident in December of the same year when an iron I-beam collapsed at a private residential site on Tung Yuen Street, Yau Tong, resulting in the death of an ironworker. In July 2020, a fatal work injury occurred at the Wang Chin Street Post Office project in Kowloon Bay, where a 24-year-old man died from an electric shock while moving a welding machine.

Furthermore, media analysis revealed that the main contractor, Aggressive Construction, has won over HK$17 billion worth of government and Housing Authority projects in the past three years. Despite facing 17 charges brought by the Labour Department for fatal accidents, with a potential maximum fine of HK$500,000 per charge, the maximum fine of HK$8.5 million accounts for only 0.0005 percent of the project fees. Labor groups criticized the lack of deterrence imposed by such penalties on contractors.

The Hong Kong Housing Department inspected the site on June 26 and issued a statement in the evening. They acknowledged that some reinforced concrete components on the projects lower ground, first, second, and third floors of the staff quarters needed to be properly constructed. However, they said that there were not any apparent structural risks.

According to the statement, the registered contractor has already done repair work on the components with more minor and less severe defects, including removing the problematic parts and repairing the concrete. As for the components with more significant defects, the registered contractor has submitted a repair plan to the registered structural engineer. They will proceed with the repairs under the structural engineers supervision after receiving the engineers report.
Hong Kongs Latest Nurse Attrition Rate Stands at 10.9 Percent

At the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) meeting on June 29, Chairperson Fan Hong-ling gave an update to the media on the latest loss of medical care personnel. He pointed out that as of the end of April, the attrition situation of doctors has improved slightly, with a net increase of 79 full-time doctors in the past 12 months, while the exodus of nurses continues unabated, with a net loss of 458.

Fan said the Global Healthcare Talent Scheme was officially launched earlier, hoping to attract medical professionals globally to join the HA for one to two years. Nearly 20 people from Europe, Southeast Asia, and mainland China have expressed interest. The HA will send delegates to discuss in more detail with the applicants and hope to recruit more than ten professionals by the end of the year.

Fan explained that by the end of April, there were 6,525 full-time doctors in the Hospital Authority, and 449 had left in the past 12 months. The turnover rate was 7.1 percent, a slight drop of 0.1 percent from the end of January 2023. During the same period, 528 joined the HA as full-time medical physicians, a net increase of 79.

For the nursing staff, as of the end of April, there were 29,427 full-time nurses in the Hospital Authority. In the past 12 months, 2,925 nurses left, with 2,467 joining the HA during the same time, a net loss of 458. This represents a turnover rate of 10.9 percent, a slight drop of 0.3 percentage points from 11.2 percent by the end of January this year. However, Fan still expressed concern about the situation and believed it was far from perfect.

He continued to point out that he supports the governments proposal to introduce regulations on the limited registration of nurses, and the HA is actively preparing for it. Once the regulations are passed, they will send delegations to different places to recruit non-Hong Kong-trained nurses.

Regarding the progress of overseas recruitment, Fan said that about 59 medical personnel from the UK had passed the preliminary selection process. The authorities are discussing the finer detail, and it is expected that more medical personnel will arrive in Hong Kong in the second half of this year.

In Australia, the authorities have issued 45 conditional offers of employment, and the selection process is currently underway.

In terms of retaining talents, Fan pointed out that since the HA launched the Enhanced Home Loan Interest Subsidy Scheme at the end of 2022, it has received more than 1,100 applications so far, of which more than half of them come from streams with high turnover rate. The average age of applicants is between 37 and 42. Fan considered the scheme helpful in retaining manpower.

As for the scheme of Extending Employment Beyond Retirement, he pointed out that in 2023-24, a total of 65 doctors are willing to stay in the Hospital Authority, accounting for 84 percent of the doctors attaining their retirement age in the same period, while only 241 nurses are willing to continue, accounting for just 51 percent.

After Hong Kong enacted the National Security Law in 2020, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people emigrated overseas, among them were elites from various professional streams.

The Hong Kong Hospital Authority held a recruitment fair in London, England, on April 1 this year. Tony Ko Pat-sing, CEO of Hong Kong HA, led the delegation to recruit non-Hong Kong-trained medical students and practicing physicians to work for the Hong Kong public hospitals. The initial target was to lure about 100 doctors from overseas to serve in Hong Kong in the shortest possible time.

Ivan Law, former vice-chairperson of the disbanded HA Employees Alliance and a Hong Kong nurse who has emigrated to the UK, told the media that the prime target of the HAs recruitment is Hong Kong people in the UK. And the biggest attraction is the high salary, even for a debutant, could be as high as double that of the same rank in the UK.

However, he believes that even if the Hong Kong government can successfully get overseas doctors to work in Hong Kong, it is still difficult to compensate for the attrition rate there. He said that the workload of medical staff in Hong Kong is nearly two to three times higher than that of the UK, which is believed to be a concern for overseas medical staff.

As for the medical staff who left Hong Kong, Law believes they may not want to return because they prefer the political freedom granted to all citizens in the UK.
Hunter Biden Prosecutor Says He Would Need to Seek Special Status to Bring Charges in Most Jurisdictions

Hunter Biden arrives to the inauguration of Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The prosecutor who brought charges against President Joe Bidens son said on June 30 that he does not have the authority to bring charges outside of one state.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss acknowledged that his charging authority is geographically limited to my home district.

Weiss, a Trump appointee, had claimed that he was granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges.

Whistleblowers who were part of the probe into Hunter Biden, though, testified that during a meeting with Weiss, he said that he was not the deciding person on whether charges were filed and that he tried bringing charges in both Washington and California but was blocked. An email corroborates their account.

That prompted Republicans to question whether Weiss was not being truthful when he told them in June he had ultimately authority.

Weiss responded on Friday, telling House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that he stood by his claim.

After acknowledging his authority is limited, he said that if he wanted to bring a case elsewhere, he would need to ask the U.S. attorneys office in that locale to partner on the case.

The office could reject the request. If it does, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  515, Weiss said. That law enables the Department of Justice to commission prosecutors as special attorneys. Thats different from the status of special counsel.

I have been assured that, if necessary after the above process, I would be granted  515 Authority in the District of Columbia, the Central District of California, or any other district where charges could be brought in this matter, Weiss said. He did not say who assured him, or when.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss in a file image. (Department of Justice via The Epoch Times)

The Department of Justice has declined to comment on the whistleblower developments. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently told reporters that Weiss was permitted to  make a decision to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to, echoing testimony Garland had made to Congress.

Gary Shapley, one of the IRS whistleblowers, said in an Oct. 7, 2022, email to his superior that during a meeting, Weiss said he went to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Washington and was told by the Biden-appointed attorney that no charges would be brought in the district.

Weiss then requested special counsel authority and was denied by the Department of Justice headquarters, according to the missive. Weiss also said he sent the case to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California and that a decision was pending. That decision was ultimately a rejection, the whistleblowers said.

This case could end up without any charges, Shapley wrote.

Darrell Waldon, Shapleys superior, replied to the email to say he was sending the matter to an inspector general due to concerns about how it was being handled.

Tristan Leavitt with Empower Oversight, which is helping represent Shapley, said that Weisss new letter confirms what Shapley later told Congress.

Weiss did not have full authority to bring charges, but had to partner with relevant U.S. Attorney. Says hes been assured he could get Special Attorney status in futurebut hasnt had it yet, Leavitt said in a statement on social media.

Having to get [the] permission of another US Attorney to partner on charges, and if that fails seek Special Attorney status from the AG, doesnt sound like much ultimate authority. In fact, it sounds just like what Weiss told six witnesses on 10/7/22 DIDNT WORK, losing DC charges, he added.

Republicans are seeking to interview Weiss, Waldon, and others involved with the Hunter Biden probe.

Weiss ultimately charged Hunter Biden with two counts of intentionally failing to pay taxes and one gun charge.

Hunter Biden plans to plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax crimes and is being allowed to enter a diversion agreement for the felony gun count.
Hunter Bidens Lawyer Accuses House Republicans of Misinformation Campaign

Rep. Jason Smith says Hunter's lawyer is trying to "chill investigation" and intimidate whistleblower

Hunter Biden arrives for a toast during an official State Dinner in honor of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the White House on June 22, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Hunter Bidens attorney on Friday accused House Republicans of undermining the law and engaging in a misinformation campaign to harm Hunter Biden and attack his father, President Joe Biden.

In a 10-page letter addressed to Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell also alleged that Smith had manipulated screenshots of WhatsApp messages to feed the misinformation campaign and damage Hunter Bidens reputation, as a vehicle to attack his father.

Responding to the letter, Smith framed Lowells complaint as an effort to obstruct their investigation and discredit the whistleblowers who had alleged misconduct and preferential treatment for Bidens son.

Lowells letter addressed Smiths release of transcripts from interviews with two IRS agents who claimed the Department of Justices (DOJ) investigation into Hunter Biden was mishandled. He also claimed that Smith doctored an alleged WhatsApp message which indicated that Hunter had allegedly used his fathers influence in a business deal with a Chinese energy company.

Smith released the transcripts days after Hunter Biden agreed to a plea deal for tax-related misdemeanors and a pretrial diversion agreement to avoid prosecution on a felony gun-related chargea move that angered Republicans whove accused the DOJ of mishandling the investigation.

In his letter, Lowell described IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley as disgruntled, and suggested that he may be claiming that title in an attempt to evade misconduct, implying that Shapley was the source of leaks to the press about the Justice Departments investigation into Hunter Biden.

Mr. Shapley may be reaping the reward from the cover you have given him, considering the penalties for agents illegally leaking this type of information, Lowell wrote (pdf).

Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) speaks as Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) listens during the testimony of Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young before a House Committee On The Budget hearing on The Presidents Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, in Washington on March 29, 2022. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Attempt to Chill Our Investigation: Smith

Smith hit back at the letter, portraying Lowells complaint as an attempt to obstruct their investigation, discredit Shapley, and mislead the public.

Its little surprise that Hunter Bidens attorneys are attempting to chill our investigation and discredit the whistleblowers who say they have already faced retaliation from the IRS and the Department of Justice despite statutory protections established by law, Smith said in the statement.

Smith described the IRS whistleblowers as brave for coming forward with allegations of misconduct and preferential treatment for the presidents son.

The Republican lawmaker also criticizes the letter for misleading the public about the committees lawful actions and failing to address concerns about counsel for Hunter Biden being informed about potential warrants and raids related to the investigation.

We will continue to go where the facts take usand we will not abandon our investigation just because Mr. Bidens lawyers dont like it, Smith said.

Complete Fakes

Lowell also highlighted characteristics in the graphical presentation of Whatsapp messages in an image shared by Smith on Twitter as evidence that the messages are complete fakes.

The images appear to be a graphical recreation of how the texts might appear on a phone. The messages themselves were recovered from a backup of Hunter Bidens abandoned laptop and were not actual screengrabs taken from a phone.

The screen-grab images you posted are not real and contain myriad of issues: both include a photo of Mr. Biden not from 2017 but from the White House Easter Eggroll in April 2022 (long after the purported message was sent); both images portray the message in a blue bubble, when WhatsApp messages are in green; one image super-imposed the Chinese flag for the contact ID, when surely that was not how a text or contact was kept; and one purports to be a screenshot with the . . . of someone composing a text (as in Apples iMessage) when that does not happen on WhatsApp, Lowell wrote.

Here is that text: pic.twitter.com/51rbUaur4X  Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) June 24, 2023

In short, the images you circulated online are complete fakes. Many media articles confirm that data purported to have come from Mr. Bidens devices has been altered or manipulated. You, or someone else, did that again, he wrote. All of the misstatements about this communication and your use of a false text are good examples of how providing one-sided, untested, and slanted information leads to improper conclusions.

The messages in question allegedly show that Hunter threatened a Chinese business associate by invoking his fathers political connections.

I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled, the alleged message from Hunter reads.

Lowell denied in his letter that the senior Biden was present when the alleged message was sent on July 30, 2017. He also claimed the message was not sent to an official of CEFC (China Energy) but to someone else.

The facts  are that President Biden and our client were not together that day  and that no transaction actually occurred, Lowell wrote. More important, your own actions call into question the authenticity of that communication and your subsequent use of it.

A lawyer for the IRS whistleblower, Shapley, rejected Lowells claims, saying they are an attempt to intimidate our client and the oversight authorities scrutinizing the politicization of that case is no surprise.

IRS SSA Gary Shapley has scrupulously followed the rules and blew the whistle to Congress about the unequal application of tax laws, Shapleys lawyer said in a statement, reported ABC News.

The White House has denied any interference in the DOJs investigation of Hunter Biden, who has agreed to plead guilty to tax-related charges and a felony gun charge.
IN-DEPTH: More TV, Film Cancellations, Delays in the Balance as Hollywood Actors, Studios Extend Negotiations

Writers Guild of America (WGA) East members join United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) as they picket at the Penske Media Corporation's offices in New York City on May 31, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The contract between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), representing 160,000 actors and personalities, and major television and film studios and streamers represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was set to expire at midnight of June 30, but the parties have agreed to an extension.

SAG wrote in a letter to its members that negotiations would continue with a July 12 11:59 p.m. PT deadline.

No one should mistake this extension for weakness. We see you. We hear you. We are you, the letter read.

Streaming residuals and the use of AI are key issues in this negotiation, as it has been with the Writers Guild of America, representing some 11,500 writers who have been on strike since May, unable to reach an agreement with major studios.

At stake for the studios already is the fall slate of programming, and possibly the cancellation or delay of countless productions.

Actors Ready to Strike

On June 5, an overwhelming majority of voting SAG members voted to strike if an agreement was not reached when the contract expired. SAG, which had agreed to a media blackout during contract renegotiations, released a video on June 24 showing the negotiating team and assured members.

We are having an extremely productive negotiations that are laser focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you. Were standing strong and we are going to achieve a seminal deal, said Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA and its TV/Theatrical Contracts Negotiating Committee.

Three days later, Rolling Stone was the first to report a letter supposedly signed by more than 300 Hollywood actors, including names like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Liam Neeson and Marisa Tomei.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed key organizers were Amy Schumer, Paul Scheer, and Paul Downs, and the letter began on a shared Google document where numerous anonymous signatories began adding names as the letter was made known among SAG members. Soon, the 300 names burgeoned to 2,000, but it has not been confirmed that the names match the actual signatories.

We should be able to afford to live a life in a city where the working is taking place, Renee Felice Smith told union media More Perfect Union. Smith was a series regular on NCIS Los Angeles, where she played the character Nell Jones for 11 seasons. In December 2022, I received a letter from SAG letting me know I no longer qualified for health insurance. What was the work for?

We cant be going into every job literally not knowing how much money were going to make, Andrew Leeds told More Perfect Union.

AI Actors, Writers

The idea of deepfake actors and AI-generated scripts has sparked much discussion.

Marvel recently came under fire after it revealed that the opening credits of its Disney+ show Secret Invasion was created by artificial intelligence.

Ever since Ive been in the Marvel Universe, every time you change costumes in a Marvel movie, they scan you, Samuel L. Jackson told Rolling Stone. Ever since I did Captain Marvel, and they did the Lola project where they de-aged me and everything else, its like, Well, I guess they can do this anytime they want to do it if they really want to.

People just started worrying about that? I asked about that a long time ago.

Demonstrators hold signs while picketing during the continuing strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in Los Angeles on May 26, 2023. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Digital recreations of actors have already been used in high-profile cameos, for example, a younger Carrie Fisher in Rogue One, which also employed CGI to bring back Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, which was still played by an actor, Guy Henry.

Slate recently reported that actors have already been licensing the use of their digital doubles to do work they otherwise wouldnt have time for themselves.

You let the acting profession fall to #AI, and the entire business collapses. If you dont need actors, you dont need a set, you dont need a cameraman, a crew, an editor, none of it, wrote filmmaker Justine Bateman on Twitter.

Director Joe Russo, in an interview with Collider, offered yet another possible use.

You could walk into your house and save the AI on your streaming platform. Hey, I want a movie starring my photoreal avatar and Marilyn Monroes photoreal avatar. I want it to be a rom-com because Ive had a rough day, Russo said. And it renders a very competent story with dialogue that mimics your voice. It mimics your voice, and suddenly now you have a rom-com starring you thats 90 minutes long.

The guild wants in writing protections that give actors control over how their likenesses are used. After all, one doesnt have to search far on social media video platforms to find a passable deepfake. Studios have extensive material to work with.

Artificial intelligence has already proven to be a real and immediate threat to the work of our members and can mimic members voices, likenesses and performances, SAG outlined in its statement on the strike authorization and bargaining points.

We must get agreement around acceptable uses, bargain protections against misuse, and ensure consent and fair compensation for the use of your work to train AI systems and create new performances.

Writers have been vocal about AI concerns as well.

WGA wants guarantees that AI cant be used as source material, to create MBA [minimum basic agreement]-covered writing or rewrite MBA-covered work, and AI-generated text cannot be considered in determining writing credits. Our proposal is that writers may not be assigned AI-generated material to adapt, nor may AI software generate covered literary material.

Writers hold signs while picketing in front of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on May 15, 2023, as the strike by the Writers Guild of America entered its third week. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Who Gets to Profit From Streaming?

Traditionally, films were given weeks for theatrical releases before they appeared on streaming platforms. The pandemic changed all of that, narrowing or doing away with the gap entirely. The distribution business had changed.

Residuals are payments made to those who worked on a film or show whenever that work is re-aired, syndicated, or sold to another format, like DVDsor streaming.

Both actors and writers are arguing that their current contracts dont take into account how much the streaming business has grown, short-changing them in the process.

Prior to the digital boom, studios suffered in the transition to streaming and used that as an excuse to pay less for a show that never hit network television, Adam Conover, who is on the WGA negotiating committee, explained on NPR. But now a show on NBC is not any different from a show on Peacock, NBCs streaming platform, yet his residual from an NBC show could be $25,000 while the Peacock check could be as low as $100, or even $5, he said.

Gina Prince-Bythewood, director and writer, had participated in the last strike in 2007. While in the picket line, she told Variety, At that time, it was really interesting, because streaming was just on the come up. And we were told, dont worry about it at that time. And now look at where we are. Were out here mostly because of streaming, and not to able to be a part of that success of streaming. We all know it starts with the writers.

Streaming platforms have already been removing content, in part to lower their residuals costs. While digital-only platforms like Netflix had all along licensed content for finite periods of time, viewers have more recently noticed that even shows owned by the platform or studio hosting it are expiring.

Warner Bros. Discovery was the first one to figure this out, so we have to give credit where its due. They said they need to get their earnings up, so they started taking shows off the app, Michael Nathanson, an analyst at SVB MoffettNathanson, told NBC. Disney is now doing that and we should expect Paramount to follow suit. And one day Netflix may even do the same thing.

Similarly, cancelled and underperforming series are being removed so as to not affect the bottom line.

Writers Still on Strike

When AMPTP announced on May 1 that talks with WGA ended without an agreement, it cited mandatory staffing and duration of employment as the main sticking pointsitems that AMPTP was concerned would require studios to agree to staffing more writers on shows than needed. WGA followed with their own announcementof a strike.

On Friday, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution supporting the WGA strike while asking the studios to return to the bargaining table.

Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on their compensation and working conditions in a generation. Media companies have taken advantage of the industrys transition to global streaming to underpay workers. As a result, writers are doing more work for less pay and with less job security.

The Los Angeles City Council urges the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to come to the bargaining table and reach a fair deal with the workers of the WGA.
King of the Netherlands apologizes for country's role in slavery on 150th anniversary of abolition

Dutch King Willem-Alexander lays a wreath at the slavery monument after apologising for the royal house's role in slavery and asked forgiveness in a speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the country abolishing slavery in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, July 1, 2023. (Remko de Waal/Pool Photo via AP)

AMSTERDAM (AP)  King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Saturday for his country's role in slavery and asked for forgiveness during a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies.

The kings speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the countrys role in the slave trade and slavery. The public expressions of remorse are part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that the Black Lives Matter movement spurred in recent years.

In his emotional address, Willem-Alexander referred back to the prime minister's apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: Today, I stand before you. Today, as your king and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity, he added.

Willem-Alexanders voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the countrys national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Some people want action to back up the words.

Honestly, I feel good, but I am still looking forward to something more than just apologies. Reparations, for example," Doelja Refos, 28, said.

"I dont feel like were done. Were definitely not there yet, Refos added.

Former lawmaker John Leerdam told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he felt tears running down his cheeks as the king apologized. Its a historic moment and we have to realize that, he said.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863, but most of the enslaved laborers were forced to continue working on plantations for another decade. Saturdays commemoration and speech started a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary.

Research published last month showed that the kings ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euros ($595 million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Rutte apologized in December, he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million-euro ($217 million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the topic.

That isnt enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the kings speech Saturday under the banner No healing without reparations.

A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations, Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas said.

Marchers wore colorful traditional clothing in a Surinamese celebration of the abolition of slavery. Enslaved people were banned from wearing shoes and colorful clothes, organizers said.

Just as we remember our forefathers on this day, we also feel free, we can wear what we want, and we can show the rest of the world that we are free. Regina Benescia-van Windt, 72, said.

The Netherlands often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands arent alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed deepest regrets for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the churchs role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signaled support for research into the U.K. monarchys ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery but havent acknowledged the crowns connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history. English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

Willem-Alexander acknowledged that not everybody in the Netherlands supports apologies, but he called for unity.

Theres no blueprint for the process of healing, reconciliation and recovery, he said. Together, we are in uncharted territory. So lets support and guide each other.

___

Mike Corder reported from Ede, Netherlands.
India Court Rejects Twitters Plea Against Govts Content Blocking Orders

The Twitter logo is seen on a sign on the exterior of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. (Constanza Hevia/AFP via Getty Images)

Indias Karnataka High Court on Friday denied a petition filed by Twitter to overturn the federal governments content-blocking orders and fined the U.S.-based company 5 million rupees (around $61,000).

In its ruling, the court deemed the blocking orders against Twitter to be reasoned decisions, citing the anti-national element and the potential of the content to incite cognizable offenses relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India.

Many of them have outrageous content; many are treacherous and anti-national; many have abundant propensity to incite commission of cognizable offenses relating to sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State and public order, the court said.

No reasonable person in the trade would agree with the contention of the petitioner that reasons for the impugned orders are lacking, it added.

State need not await the arrival of an avalanche of mishaps; it can take all preventive measures in anticipation of danger, more particularly when undoing of the damage is difficult, regard being had to its enormity.

The court said that Twitter was levied for failing to comply with the governments blocking orders on time.

For more than a year, the blocking orders were not implemented by the petitioner, and there is no plausible explanation offered therefor, it said. There is a willful non-compliance of the blocking orders.

The case dates back to 2021 when Twitter declined to fully comply with an order to take down accounts and posts that India alleged were spreading misinformation about anti-government protests by farmers.

People attend a Maha Panchayat or grand village council meeting as part of a farmers protest against farm laws at Kandela village in Jind district in the northern state of Haryana, India, Feb. 3, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Twitter, which has nearly 24 million users in India, had previously complied with the content blocking orders so as not to lose liability exemptions available as a host of content. But it claimed that some blocking orders fell short of the procedural standards of Indias information technology laws.

The company had argued that the content removal orders were overbroad and arbitrary, fail to provide notice to the originators of the content, and are disproportionate.

Jack Dorseys Allegations

The courts decision came after former Twitter CEO Jack Dorseys interview with the American Youtube show Breaking Points on June 13, in which he alleged that the government had threatened to shut down Twitter if the company refused to comply with its orders.

Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey gestures while interacting with students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 12, 2018. (Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images)

India, for example, was a country that had many requests around the farmers protests, around particular journalists that were critical of the government, Dorsey said.

It manifested in ways such as: we will shut Twitter down in Indiawhich is a very large market for us; we will raid the homes of your employees, which they did; we will shut down your offices if you dont follow suit. And this is India, a democratic country, he added.

Deputy Minister for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar refuted his claims as an outright lie, saying that Twitter had repeatedly violated Indias law under Dorseys leadership.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired and took over the micro-blogging site in October 2022.

As a matter of fact, they were in non-compliance with [the] law repeatedly from 2020 to 2022, and it was only June 2022 when they finally complied, Chandrasekhar stated on Twitter.

No one went to jail, nor was Twitter shut down. Dorseys Twitter regime had a problem accepting the sovereignty of Indian law. It behaved as if the laws of India did not apply to it, he added. To set the record straight, no one was raided or sent to jail.

The company has also been subject to police investigations in India, and in 2021 many government ministers switched from Twitter to Koo, an Indian social media platform, accusing Twitter of non-compliance with local laws.

Industry transparency reports show India has among the highest number of government requests for content removal on social media platforms.

SpaceX, Twitter, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk meets with Frances President at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, on May 15, 2023. (Photo by Michel Euler/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Twitter has been going through a transformative phase since Musk acquired the platform last year, with advertisers slowing spending and the company losing nearly 80 percent of its staff.

Musk told reporters last week that he had an excellent conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, who was on a four-day state visit to the United States. Musk signaled interest in making a significant investment in India and suggested that he would bring his electric vehicle manufacturing business to the country without elaborating on details.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Japan Reports Spotting 2 Russian Ships Near Taiwan, Okinawa for Days

A general view of the Russian military frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" docked at the port in Richards Bay, South Africa, on February 22, 2023. (GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Russian frigates were spotted sailing off the waters near Taiwan and Japanese-controlled Okinawa islands between June 27 and June 30, Japans military said, amid rising tensions in the region.

Japans Joint Staff said the two Steregushchy-class frigates were first detected 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of the Yonaguni island in Okinawa prefecture near Taiwan at around 8:00 a.m. local time on June 27.

The ships were spotted 120 kilometers (74 miles) southeast of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa from June 27 to June 29 before heading north through the waters between Miyako and Okinawa islands on June 30.

Japans military responded by deploying two ships to monitor the Russian ships movement, according to the Joint Staffs statement.

This followed the Taiwanese Defense Ministrys previous claims that it detected two Russian frigates near the islands eastern coast on June 27 without identifying the ships names or distance from Taiwans coast.

The ministry said the Russian ships were seen sailing from south to north through the eastern waters of Taiwan before leaving Taiwans response zone in Suao toward the southeast.

While Taiwans government routinely reports the movements of Chinese vessels near its waters and U.S. ships transiting the Taiwan Strait, it rarely reports sightings of Russian warships.

Russias news agency Interfax also reported on June 27 that a detachment of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet entered the southern parts of the Philippine Sea after crossing the South China Sea.

According to the report, the ships were performing tasks as part of a long-range sea crossing, with a demonstration of the naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region and as part of strengthening partnerships. But it remains unclear how many ships were involved.

China, Russia Military Threats

The move came amid communist Chinas increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely, and growing concerns over a possible escalation in Taiwan, which the Chinese regime views as its own and has vowed to conquer by force if necessary.

Moscow, which has backed Beijings stance on Taiwan, has been boosting Russias defenses in its vast far-eastern regions bordering the Asia-Pacific, accusing the United States of expanding its presence there and raising security concerns in Japan and across the region.

On June 8, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that Japan lodged a protest against China through diplomatic channels after a Chinese military ship intruded into Japans waters.

In March, Russia test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan, with two boats launching a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away.

Japan reacted calmly to the missile exercise, which was conducted near Vladivostok, pledging to continue to monitor Russias military operations.

A Russian navy boat launches an anti-ship missile test in the Peter The Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan, on March 28, 2023. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Japan has previously raised concerns over Chinas military threat toward Taiwan. Last year, the ministry devoted 10 pages of its annual defense report (pdf) to Taiwan, double the pages of the previous years edition, giving an extensive overview of the security situation there.

The 2022 defense report stated that conflict between the United States and China is becoming prominent over Taiwan, with Washington increasing warship transits through the Taiwan Straits while China increases its military presence near Taiwan.

Japan considers the stability surrounding Taiwan to be of paramount importance for its national security and emphasizes the need for close monitoring with a sense of urgency.

A draft of Japans annual defense report referred to Beijing as Japans greatest strategic challenge and warned that China could amass 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, Kyodo News reported on May 23.

The document also raised concerns about Chinas military cooperation with Russia. The two nations have carried out five joint bomber flights near Japan since July 2019, which Japan regarded as a show of force.

Japan warned that the international community has entered a new era of crisis following Russias ongoing war in Ukraine, which it said has disrupted the international order spanning Europe and Asia.

Mimi Nguyen Ly, Reuters, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Judge Awards $1 Million to Black Church Over Proud Boys BLM Banner Burning

Members of the Proud Boys, including leader Enrique Tarrio (C), at a rally in Washington, on Nov. 14, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

A judge on Friday awarded Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a black church in the District of Columbia, over $1 million in damages in a lawsuit against the Proud Boys.

The lawsuit was filed in response to the Proud Boys destruction of a Black Lives Matter banner during a protest in 2020.

Superior Court Associate Judge Neal Kravitz additionally imposed a five-year ban on the Proud Boys and its leaders from coming near the church or engaging in threats or defamatory remarks against the church or its pastor.

The judgment was issued as a default ruling due to the defendants failure to appear in court.

The destruction of two Black Lives Matter banners from Metropolitan AME and another historically black church occurred during clashes between supporters of former President Donald Trump and counterdemonstrators in December 2020.

The clashes took place after weekend rallies by thousands of people in support of Trumps claims that the 2020 elections were stolen.

Metropolitan AMEs lawsuit accused the Proud Boys and their leaders of trespassing and violating Washington and federal law through a bias-related conspiracy to destroy religious property.

Members of the Proud Boys join supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate in Washington, on Dec. 12, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images)

Proud Boys leader Henry (Enrique) Tarrio was arrested on Jan. 4, 2021, by the Metropolitan Police Department ahead of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol protests after he arrived in the city.

He had initially pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of attempted possession of a large-capacity magazine and misdemeanor charge of destruction of property in January 2021 before accepting a plea deal and pleading guilty to the charges in July.

Tarrio, who is from Miami, Florida, was sentenced for his actions on Aug. 23, 2021. He received a 30-day sentence for the first charge related to setting fire to a large Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from the lawn of Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, on Dec. 12, 2020.

He received a separate 125-day sentence for the second charge related to having been found with the firearm magazine upon his arrest.

According to an NBC4 reporter, Tarrio admitted in court that he had brought the firearm magazines to Washington to sell them to a customer who had purchased them from him. He acknowledged that his actions were wrong and referred to them as a grave mistake, reported The Associated Press.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Tarrio confirmed his participation in the banner incident and expressed his intention to reimburse the church for the cost of the banner.

Members of the Proud Boys and Antifa stand off near Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, on Dec. 12, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

After his sentencing, Tarrio released a statement on Telegram, saying, Take it to the chin. He later added that he believes Americans have been robbed of their free speech rights due to censorship by Big Tech and intimidation by the Black Lives Matter movement and Antifa. He vowed to continue to do everything in my power to call out their hypocrisy and protect Americans from their depraved acts of violence.

In a further statement, Tarrio said, Nothing worthwhile is gained without sacrifice. My time is short. But this is a window into the future. They want you demoralized, bankrupt, and dead. He emphasized that his own experiences pale in comparison to what he the Proud Boys have endured.

The Proud Boys originally formed in 2016 with aspirations to defend Western civilization, according to the groups website, which was later taken down. The group has been associated with protesting against political correctness and constraints on masculinity.

Described by mainstream media outlets as far-right, the Proud Boys describe their values as supporting free speech, gun rights, opposition to the war on drugs and racism, as well as support for minimal government and strong borders. The groups founder, Gavin McInnes, previously associated with Vice media, has since disassociated himself from both Vice and the Proud Boys.

Mimi Nguyen-Ly and The Associate Press contributed to this report.
Michigan Lawmakers Approve Ban on Conversion Therapy for Minors

Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that would ban so-called conversion therapy for minors, joining other blue states to advance protections for the LGBT community.

The approach includes an array of verbal counseling methods by which consenting clients are helped to bring their sexual feelings and identity in line with their biological sex.

House Bill 4616 would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging minors in the practice intended to convert those who are LGBT to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations. That does not include counseling that assists people undergoing a gender transition. Under the bill, any violation will result in the mental health professional facing disciplinary action, including a suspended or revoked license.

Further, House Bill 4617 aims to add the definition of conversion therapy to the states mental health code, defining it as any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individuals sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behavior or gender expression or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward an individual of the same gender.

The state Senate approved the ban on a 21-15 vote on June 27 after the state House previously approved the legislation. The bills now await final approval by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has previously called the therapy ineffectual, dangerous, and harmful.

If Whitmer signs the bills, Michigan will become the 22nd state to ban conversion therapy, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a pro-LGBT rights think tank. The bills would take effect 90 days after the governor signs them into law.

In written testimony offered to the Michigan legislature on May 17, Dr. Laura Haynes, a psychologist and board member of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice, said: Under a therapy ban, therapists will feel themselves at risk if they inform clients of this therapy option or provide it. Yet therapists are ethically required to inform patients of treatment options.

Two previous attempts by Democrats to pass conversion therapy bans were thwarted by the then GOP-controlled Michigan House and Senate. Republicans lost the majority in both houses in the 2022 election.

A 2019 bill would have banned conversion therapy for adults and minors, and a 2021 bill sought to ban the practice only for minors. Neither bill advanced to a hearing.

On June 14, 2021, Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order prohibiting the use of state and federal funds for conversion therapy on minors.

The order exempts from the public funding ban any practice or treatment that assists an individual seeking to undergo a gender transition or an individual who is in the process of undergoing a gender transition.

LGBT rights have become a prominent issue in state legislatures nationwide as Democratic and Republican lawmakers look to push opposing bills that advance or curtail protections.

In March, Michigan lawmakers codified LGBT protections into the states civil rights law, permanently outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state.

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs recently issued an executive order prohibiting state resources from supporting conversion therapy on minors. And in Michiganwhere Democrats now control the governorship and both legislative chambers for the first time in roughly four decadesWhitmer signed a bill earlier this year that expanded the states Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Steven Kovac and CNN Wire contributed to this report.
A single mom from England has saved a fortune by taking her kids out of school during term time to go for vacations abroad and said she stands by her decision and will do it again.

Rachel Smith, 33, has been on four holidays so far with her children, Brayden, 11, and Elianna, 9, and has saved an estimated 10,000 (approx. US$12,750) in the process. In her experience, missing school to make the most of cheaper off-peak flight and hotel deals has been worth it even though she has had to face disapproval and a 60 (approx. US$70) fine per child each time.

Although I have a good job, as a single working parent I just dont have the money to take my kids on holiday during the school holidays, Rachel, who works in finance, told Newsflare.

The mom from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, said she finds the cost outrageous and doesnt believe that kids should be penalized just because their families cant afford 5,000 (US$6,375) for a holiday in August.

The family of three first went away for a holiday to Ibiza, Spain, during term time back in May 2018, when Brayden was 5 and Eliana was 4. That trip was followed by another trip to Majorca during term time the year after.

However, the vacations were stopped for a period due to the pandemic. But in 2022, they picked up where they left off, enjoying a trip to Magaluf, followed by a trip to Can Picafort in June, both in Majorca, Spain.

The school fined the family 120 (US$153) for both childrens absences caused by last years second trip to Spain. However, Rachel said she still managed to save 3,000 (approx. US$3,825) on that holiday by doing what she didwith the added bonus of giving her son and daughter memorable experiences they otherwise wouldnt have had.

They learn a lot from going on holiday too, she said. Theyve been able to experience another culture, they have a massive social awareness and theyre learning another language.

Additionally, through these incredible travel experiences, they have also learned the basics such as learning how to pack their own hand luggage.

These are all things they wouldnt be able to experience if we didnt miss a few days of school, Rachel said. It would be out of the question.

When asked if she worries about her children missing out at school, Rachel said she looks carefully at their academic calendar before booking a trip to make sure the holiday wont impact their learning.

At the end of term, theyre not doing much, and after SATs Brayden wont be doing anything at school anyway, Rachel said.

Both of the children also seem to be doing well at school with Brayden scoring a 40 out of 40 on his last SAT math mock test.

If it was impacting their education I obviously wouldnt do it, Rachel said.

According to Rachel, the best way to navigate the situation is to start a system whereby parents are allocated a number of days to take their kids out of school for holidays.

Just a few days a year, and there should be red zones at important times of the year like leading up to exams, Rachel said.

In a video, the young mom explained what happened when she let the school know her children would be missing some days recently. She was asked to write a letter to the school stating why she found it necessary to take her children out of school during term time.

The letter stated that the family was going on a holiday abroad during term time since it was cheaper.

After dropping it off at school, Rachel received a call to discuss the letter.

I could tell by the tone of her voice she wasnt best impressed, Rachel said. But in all honesty, what else was I supposed to say  lets face it, school holidays cost a fortune to go abroad; its double the price.

Rachel didnt lie about the reason since she knew her daughter would spill the beans. She continues to stand by her decision, saying: I never had that growing up, so if I can give my kids that, then Im going to.

Ive worked really hard and so do my children, why shouldnt 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?

She doesnt think missing school to go on holiday once a year has been detrimental to their education at all.

The day after her son completes his end-of-year exams, the jet-setting family plans to take off for another trip to Spain.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newslette
Mosquitoes Test Positive for Malaria After Locally-Acquired Cases in Florida and Texas

A picture taken on March 30, 2017 shows mosquitoes at the insectarium of The Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. (Patrick Kovarik/AFP via Getty Images)

Mosquitoes have tested positive for malaria after the first local spread of the disease in the United States in 20 years.

Three mosquitoes in Florida tested positive for the parasite that causes malaria, Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services told news outlets. The mosquitoes were sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing.

The three mosquitoes came from the same wooded area in the country.

Four people have tested positive for malaria in Sarasota County in recent weeks, prompting the Florida Department of Health to issue a statewide alert. All four contracted malaria locally or via local spread, officials said.

Health officials recommended people take precautions such as applying bug spray, avoiding areas that harbor many mosquitoes, and wearing long shirts and pants. People are also being encouraged to drain standing water from around their yards.

Sarasota County and Manatee County officials have been spraying chemicals by plane and truck in various areas to cut down the mosquito population.

With aircraft, we can treat a bigger area faster and more effectively, Manatee County Mosquito Control District director Christopher Lesser told the Sarasota County Herald-Tribune.

As soon as officials are notified of a suspected case, people begin to go to the affected area to try to trap mosquitoes to test them, Wade Brennan, the manager for Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services, said in a video released by the county. Spraying also commences.

Were taking action immediately. So thats the same day or the next day, depending on when we get the notice, Brennan said.

Malaria is an infectious disease that was declared eradicated in the 1950s. While occasional cases are brought into the United States by people who traveled to other countries, the recent cases are the first locally-acquired cases in 20 years.

Florida officials said theyre also monitoring for other mosquito-borne illnesses, such as the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.

One Texas Case

One case has also been identified in Texas.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, that person lives in Cameron County.

Like the Florida residents, the person had not traveled outside of the country.

Texas officials said they were working with local health officials to determine if there were additional cases.

A Texas Department of State Health told news outlets that all of the mosquitoes tested in the state have tested negative so far.

The last recorded locally-acquired case occurred in Texas in 1994.

National Guard Member

Christopher Shingler, 21, identified himself as the person. He told NBC that he was near the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the National Guard when he became sick in May and was initially diagnosed with a viral infection.

I would wake up really early in the morning, and I would start shaking, Shingler said. It was a lot of just trying my best to make myself eat something, as small as I could, which usually I was unsuccessful, or trying to drink water, which, again, I was unsuccessful.

Shingler was ultimately discharged from the hospital. The treatment he received was not detailed. According to the CDC, the best treatment for severe malaria is IV artesunate.

The CDC said there was no evidence to indicate the cases in the two states, which are not adjacent, are related. All patients have received treatment and are improving, the CDC stated.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 2,000 malaria cases were diagnosed annually in the United States. About 300 of those cases would experience severe disease, and five to 10 people would die. Most of the cases are diagnosed in the summer and fall.

Symptoms include headache, chills, and fever.
NDIS Architect Says Scheme Not Working as Intended

The National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS logo is seen at the head office in Canberra, June 22, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

One of the key designers of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) concedes the program is not working as intended.

Bruce Bonyhady, who is helping lead a review into the scheme, said after 10 years of operation multiple challenges still needed to be addressed.

Its inevitable when you introduce a scheme of this magnitude, which is so transformational, which is world leading and a scheme which Australians are justifiably proud of, that it does not work, Bonyhady told ABC Radio on June 30.

Not every aspect of it works as intended.

Bonyhady said the NDIS had become an all or nothing approach for those with disability to receive support.

Youre either inside the NDIS getting its benefits or out, Bonyhady said.

Because theres virtually no supports outside the scheme, people are beating a path toward the door.

The absence of support outside of the scheme is not only deeply unfair, it also leaves them over time with increased disabilities, increased age, which then makes them eligible for the scheme and so its the exact opposite to what our insurance scheme is meant to do.

The NDIS is on track to become the single highest cost to the federal budget, eclipsing Medicare.

By 2025/26, the NDIS is expected to cost more than $50 billion (US$33 billion).

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has pledged to reform the scheme, with the interim report into the review to be handed down soon.

The government pledged to rein in spending growth of the scheme to eight percent by July 2026.

Bonyhady said other disability services needed to take a bigger role.

The NDIS cannot be an oasis in the desert and it neither can be an island where every other system expects it to do the heavy lifting, Bonyhady said.

People are forced to present their worst side in order to enter the scheme and then receive a package of support to support their needs.

The NDIS architect said the growth targets implemented in the past federal budget did not represent a cut to the scheme.

The measures that are in the budget should be looked at as a down payment on building the capacity of the agency to deliver a fair and sustainable scheme, Bonyhady said.

Its quite clear that this scheme needs to be affordable, its costs need to be predictable, because in the absence of that, there is a risk of the erosion of public trust and confidence and government trust and confidence in the scheme.
New Mexico Prosecutors: Man Accused in Deadly Movie Theater Shooting Is a Danger to the Community

Movie-goers evacuate the Century Rio movie theater as officers respond to a shooting at the theater located at 4901 Pan American freeway in northeast Albuquerque, N.M., on June 25, 2023. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.A man accused in a deadly movie theater shooting in New Mexicos largest city is a danger to the community and should be held pending trial, prosecutors said in a motion filed Thursday.

They outlined their arguments for keeping Enrique Padilla jailed as the 19-year-old made his first court appearance on charges that include first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied building, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence.

Authorities have said that an argument over seating at an Albuquerque movie theater on Sunday evening escalated into a shooting that left one man dead and sent frightened filmgoers scrambling.

The defendant opened fire inside a crowded movie theater, putting the lives of everyone in the room in danger. He shot and killed the victim over seating arrangements, the motion stated. It is clear that the defendant has no regard for the safety of others, and that he is willing to kill over the minor inconvenience of switching seats to watch a movie.

Court records show Padilla has yet to be appointed an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and a detention hearing has yet to be scheduled.

Padilla was treated for a gunshot wound after officers found him outside the theater the night of the shooting.

Witnesses told police that a man later identified as Padilla arrived at the theater with his girlfriend and found another couple in at least one of their reserved seats. Theater staff attempted to help resolve the dispute, but it escalated with a hurled bucket of popcorn, shoving and then gunfire, according to a criminal complaint.

Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and died at the scene. His wife, Trina Tenorio, said he was unarmed.

Emergency dispatchers received about 20 calls as other people fled the theater.

An off-duty police officer who was at the movie administered emergency aid to Tenorio. The officer witnessed the confrontation but did not see a weapon in the darkened theater, reporting a rapid-fire succession of gunshots before one man in the dispute ran out.
Newport Beach Votes to Ban Homeless Encamping, Increase Shelter Beds

A homeless woman stands next to her sidewalk encampment in Newport Beach, Calif., on May 1, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously June 27 to ban homeless encampments that block public access to such facilities as schools, daycare centers, and public restrooms, as well as unpermitted structuressuch as those made of wood pallets or lean-tosof any kind even if the citys only shelter is full.

Tents, tarps, and sleeping bagsas long as they are not blocking access at such facilitieshowever, will be allowed on public property when no space is available at the shelter.

Additionally, the vote outlaws the use of public facilities for personal hygiene, such as bathing, washing clothing, or brushing teeth.

Because the city requires two hearings of all ordinances, the issue will again be discussed and voted on July 11.

The council additionally approved funding and adding five more beds to the existing shelter it shares with Costa Mesa, bringing the citys total to 25 beds at the location.

I think the common theme Im hearing across the city is that weve all got compassion for these individuals that are going through a tough time and there certainly is no compassion in leaving these people in the streets, Councilman Joe Stapleton said during the meeting.

Councilwoman Robyn Grant said the citys actions are just the beginning of its efforts to address the issue.

This is an important first step combined with the beds that were also bringing to the table here. Its a lot but its not enough and we will continue to work hard on this, she said.

According to the 2022 Orange County point-in-time count, Newport Beachs homeless population was 96. The city also does its own count every month and has calculated a steady average of around 40 homeless in the city for the last year.

One resident who owns a commercial real estate business spoke in support of the changes, saying it was necessary to protect residents.

This particular agenda item and ordinance has to do with giving the police tools to protect basic rights of residents and property owners, he said.

Another resident and longtime business owner said the homeless issue in the city has gotten substantially worse, and encouraged the councils efforts.

In the last couple of years, picking up human feces has become a morning ritual for my employees  on our properties, the business owner said.

He added that the same homeless people urinate on his businesss doorsteps daily on the Newport Beach Piers boardwalk, and a few years ago, a dead body was found underneath one of his outdoor restaurants dining tables.

Dead bodies are popping up around town. Its inhumane what were dealing with, he said.

A parent from St. Mark Preschoolwhich is located in the St. Mark Presbyterian Church on San Joaquin Hills Road and Avocado Avenuesaid the preschool has been experiencing the same issues and voiced support for the ordinance.

Teachers have to clean up broken beer bottles and beer bottles full of urine and tell people not to use the hose or break toys, she said.

Under the new rules, police will have discretion to detain, relocate, or remove and fine persons in violation.

Currently, the city pays $1 million annually for 20 beds at the bridge shelter. The additional five beds will cost an additional $275,000.
Newsom Doubling Number of Officers in San Francisco to Combat Crime, Fentanyl Crisis

With San Francisco plagued by unprecedented levels of crime and drug abuse, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on June 29 that the state will bolster its prior efforts to tackle the fentanyl crisis in the city, with a promise to double the number of California Highway Patrol officers dedicated to cracking down on the issue in a joint operation with the California National Guard first being announced in May.

Today, Im authorizing a 100% increase in personnel to bolster the impact of this proven operation, as well as authorizing targeted surges to crack down on crime in the city, Newsom said in the statement. Working alongside our local, state, and federal partners, were committed to cleaning up San Franciscos streets.

Thus far, the operation has seized more than 8.1 kilograms of fentanyl, reportedly enough to kill more than 4 million people, according to the statement.

CHPs recent results in San Francisco are nothing short of extraordinaryin just six weeks, the agencys hardworking officers seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill the city nearly three times over, multiple firearms, and stolen goods, Newsom said in the announcement.

In addition to assisting city patrol officers, the operation includes a team of analysts focused on mapping crime syndicates and providing advanced metrics to aid investigations.

Plagued by understaffing issues exacerbated by rising criminal activity, the San Francisco Police Department is reportedly overwhelmed, with some officers being discouraged because of the citys catch-and-release policies.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott welcomed the support of the state, acknowledging the severity of the problem in the joint announcement.

Our residents, business owners, and visitors to our city deserve to feel safe, and we are making progress in disrupting the drug markets that are causing so much misery on our streets, he said. Working collaboratively with the CHP, weve seized an unprecedented amount of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics in recent weeks, and I look forward to building on our success.

The streets of downtown San Francisco offer the most visible impact of the fentanyl crisis, with ubiquitous drug use seen in what some describe as deplorable conditions, as homeless encampments and vagrancy spread throughout the Tenderloin Districtlocated downtown adjacent to Union Squareand surrounding areas.

San Francisco Fire Department spokespersons reported to the California Assemblys newly formed Select Committee on Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction, and Overdose Prevention during its first gathering in May about having to respond to multiple overdose emergency calls every day, with an average of two deaths occurring on the streets every 24 hours.

I dont even bring my family into the city anymore, and we used to love to come over and eat and shop, just enjoy the area, Jesse Garciaan electrician living in the East Bay and working in San Franciscotold The Epoch Times. I dont want my young kids seeing the people out here looking like zombies. Its disgusting, and its not safe for families.

Faced with several dilemmas stemming from the publics perceived lack of public safety in the city stemming from homelessness, open-air drug use, and high levels of theftincluding retail stores fleeing the downtown area and record levels of office space vacancy impacting the economyMayor London Breed voiced her appreciation for the states help.

Over the last several weeks, weve welcomed the California Highway Patrol and National Guard working collaboratively alongside our local agencies to disrupt the drug trafficking and drug markets harming our neighborhoods, Breed said in the joint statement. To be successful in the long term, we need to sustain and expand this work at the local, state, and federal levels.

Federal courts have proven more effective than state and local ones in terms of convicting distributors and some dealers linked to the deaths of individuals, based on court filings this year, levying multiyear sentences on numerous occasions.

Seemingly fed up with a lack of action from leaders, voters recalled Chesa Boudinformerly the citys progressive district attorneyin 2022 by a wide margin.

Several district attorneys offices throughout the state report feeling hampered by what they say are limited options for prosecuting those caught with less than one kilogram of the drug.

Resistance in the Legislature to entertain proposals related to fentanyl sentencing enhancements is an issue that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have taken exception to, as multiple bipartisan efforts to bolster prosecutorial playbooks were denied earlier this year.

One measure thats currently still being considered, Assembly Bill 701a bipartisan bill introduced by Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, a Democrat, enhancing penalties for possession of at least one kilogram of fentanylpassed the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 27, but members reserved their right to oppose the legislation on the floor, as some said they believe that increasing prison sentences wont improve the overdose epidemic.

Complicating matters are the cheap and easy fentanyl manufacturing methods criminal organizations have mastered and the lethality of the substance, with two milligramsonly a few grainsbeing potentially deadly, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The drug is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

Nearly 29,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized in California in 2022, representing an amount that could kill most of the people on the planetapproximately 6.5 billion, based on DEA calculations.

According to the most recent statistics from the California Department of Public Health, approximately 115 people die every week in the state as a result of the synthetic opioid.

Investigators report that many victims are unknowingly poisoned, as the drug is odorless, tasteless, and is often found hidden in counterfeit pharmaceutical products and in street drugs.
For many investors, the main point of stock picking is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. We regret to report that long term Corbion N.V. (AMS:CRBN) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 32% in three years, versus a market return of about 35%. And over the last year the share price fell 24%, so we doubt many shareholders are delighted. Furthermore, it's down 28% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Corbion isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

View our latest analysis for Corbion

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 imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Although the share price is down over three years, Corbion actually managed to grow EPS by 51% per year in that time. Given the share price reaction, one might suspect that EPS is not a good guide to the business performance during the period (perhaps due to a one-off loss or gain). Or else the company was over-hyped in the past, and so its growth has disappointed.

Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.

We note that, in three years, revenue has actually grown at a 13% annual rate, so that doesn't seem to be a reason to sell shares. This analysis is just perfunctory, but it might be worth researching Corbion more closely, as sometimes stocks fall unfairly. This could present an opportunity.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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. If you are thinking of buying or selling Corbion stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Corbion the TSR over the last 3 years was -29%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Corbion shareholders are down 23% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 23%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 3% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Corbion better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Corbion (at least 2 which are concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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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Parent Group Says More Monitoring Needed After Graphic Sexual Material Presented in SK School

The head of a grassroots parent group in Saskatchewan thinks education departments around the country need to become more vigilant about materials being offered in sex education in schools.

This comes after a deck of playing cards called Sex: From A-Z made its way into a Grade 9 class in Lumsden, Saskatchewan.

The cards include descriptions of graphic sexual practices involving feces, urine, and semen.

The cards were brought in by a Planned Parenthood presenter, although the organization has said the material was not part of the main presentation, calling it secondary materials.

In response, Saskatchewans Education Minister Dustin Duncan has issued a temporary ban on Planned Parenthood presentations in schools in Saskatchewanwith a review to take place over the summer.

But Nadine Ness with Unified Grassroots believes the problem runs deeper than what is being characterized as an error by one organization.

I think there needs to be more monitoring of who has access to our kids in our school. Theres other organizations that are working to bringing this stuff in, she said, pointing to similar incidents elsewhere.

For example, in March 2023 in Fort Nelson, B.C., the same deck of cards was used by a public health presenter to Grade 8 and 9 students, sparking concern among parents, and leading Northern Health to issue an apology on its Facebook page.

Ness said it seems to be part of a trend.

Theres this kind of escalation of sexualizing children, she said. And I find that very concerning, although not surprising.

The 26 cards have a sexual term, with a cartoon, for every letter of the alphabet.

Ness said she was contacted by parents at the school after it happened.

A former police officer, she said she was nevertheless shocked by some of the cards.

It made me sick, she said. And for her, equally concerning is the fact the material was brought into a school.

The fact that facilitators  would even put that into their material to bring to the school. It shows their mindset, she said.

For its part, Planned Parenthood has apologized to the school division for what happened.

As part of our education and outreach programs, we also bring along secondary materials, targeted to address specific questions that youth may have about sex, sexuality, and their health. At this visit, a resource the school did not approve ended up in the hands of a student. Planned Parenthood apologizes for the difficult position that our prairie Valley School Division partners have been put in as a result of this incident, the group said in a statement posted to its Facebook page.

However, the statement goes on to say Planned Parenthood Regina is disappointed with the governments decision to suspend them from presenting in schools.

We believe that all youth, including 2SLGBTQIAP+ youth, have the right to access relevant, affirming, and evidence-based information about sex, gender, and sexuality. Access to this kind of education has been shown to increase media literacy, delay the initiation of sexual activity among youth, decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy, and prevent serious mental health crisis, including suicide among 2SLGHTQIAP+ youth, it says.

Ness said the fact that similar incidents have happened in other schools around the country shows that governments should take a more active role in making sure materials for sex education follow approved curriculumsand keep a closer eye on what outside presenters are bringing in.

I think the government needs to start paying more attention, she said. But governments are too afraid to say, Hey, maybe this is not whats best for the kids.

So, while she approves of the temporary measures taken in Saskatchewan in response to the cards, she believes its a bigger issue.

Im hoping they are going to make a more detailed curriculum, she said. When it comes to the sex education curriculum, especially since its such a controversial one for parents, itd be good for there to be strict guidelines on that, so that parents know exactly what their children are being exposed to.

Ness said they are not opposed to sex education, but presenting things that clash with the values that parents are trying to teach their kids is creating problems.

Its not fitting the familys values. And the majority of parents that Ive spoken to are really not okay with this, like, especially the way theyre teaching the whole gender is just a social construct, she said.

Everyones too afraid to talk about it  its a problem, she said.

The cards have been available through a group called Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE), which is partly funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The listing for the cards on CATIEs website has since been taken down, but back in 2015after a similar incident in a Chilliwack, BC schoola spokesperson told the National Post the cards were never intended to be used with minors in schools.
Professor Sues Penn State University for Racial Discrimination

White employees were asked to hold their breath longer than the black faculty to feel the pain.

Zack De Piero, a former English writing professor at the Pennsylvania State University, is suing the institution after being subject to racially discriminatory policies at the campus for being white.

Penn State has implemented a university-wide policy and so-called strategic plan, euphemistically labeled anti-racism, says the lawsuit (pdf), filed on June 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The policy singles out white employees for harassment and discrimination under the label of white privilege, white supremacy, and other racial stereotypes that attribute negative values and characteristics to employees, including but not limited to Zack De Piero, based upon the color of their skin rather than the content of their character,

The race-based dogma at Penn State demeans and humiliates white employees at the university while also being equally corrosive to black employees and other employees of color.

Penn State portrays black and POC employees as somehow incapable of eloquent writing, incapable of doing math, incapable of objectivity, incapable of individuality, and incapable of many other acquired traits that Penn States official policy deems innate characteristics of white supremacy.

According to the lawsuit, De Piero was asked to engage in illegal racial discrimination as a requirement of his job when he was instructed to make sure that students have consistent grades across color line[s] or else his actions would be perceived as demonstrating racism. Such demands required De Piero to penalize students academically on the basis of race.

If, for example, students from East Asia or the Indian subcontinent excelled over other minority groups (who often had the same, if not lighter, skin color), De Piero was asked to penalize them in order to equalize outcomes on the basis of race.

The antiracist activism is said to have reached a new fever pitch following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

During a conference discussing the matter on June 5, 2020, Alina Wong, who was the Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Equity at the time, declared that black men and women as well as the black trans and queer folks [are] killed by police supremacy, by white supremacy.

Another defendant, Liliana Naydan, who was the Associate Professor of English and the direct supervisor of De Piero, instructed her writing faculty to teach that white supremacy exists in language itself, and therefore, that the English language itself is racist and, furthermore, that white supremacy exists in the teaching of the writing of English, and therefore writing teachers are themselves racist white supremacists, the lawsuit stated.

Discrimination Against White Employees

The lawsuit points out that the writing department where De Piero worked was permeated with racial insults directed at white faculty. The university asked white faculty members to take part in training, where they were made to engage in activities like holding their breath longer than the black faculty so as to feel the pain.

White faculty members were also asked to hold other white people accountable as well as told that white teachers are a problem.

When De Piero complained about the racial insults directed at white faculty, the director of the Affirmative Action Office (AAO) told him that there is a problem with the white race and that he should attend antiracist workshops until you get it. He was also accused of potentially having mental health issues.

Penn State did not make disciplinary and grievance procedures available to De Piero, informing him that this was done so because of his race, per the lawsuit. When he voiced objections to the universitys race-based dogma, he was accused of bullying and harassing them.

De Piero was forced to work in an abusive environment that became so intolerable that only his resignation qualified as a fitting response. He was constructively terminated and discharged.

The lawsuit claims that the defendants violated state and federal civil rights laws as well as the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Penn State does not generally comment on pending litigation, said the university in an email to The Epoch Times when contacted for comment.

Anti-Racism Ideologies

There have been other cases of professors suing educational institutions for punishing them after questioning antiracist ideologies. In December, it was reported that a former professor from the North Carolina Governors School filed a lawsuit against the institution after he was fired for speaking about the harms of Critical Race Theory (CRT).

CRT categorizes the population into groups of oppressors and oppressed. Whites are generally classified as the oppressors, while people of other races and identities are grouped as the oppressed, demonizing a section of society.

At the school, an individual who was white, heterosexual, male, cisgender, Christian, able-bodied, and financially stable was classified as the Prince of Privilege. Students with privileged characteristics were encouraged to identify and confess their privilege to teachers and peers.

Some states have taken action to restrict the spread of such ideologies on campuses. In April last year, Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the Stop Woke Act, which prohibits businesses and schools across the state from forcing employees or students to believe that they are personally responsible and must feel guilt or shame for past actions committed by members of their race.

A few months later, in July, the University of Central Florida (UCF) took down statements endorsing anti-racist ideology from the websites of multiple academic departments.

In January, former President Donald Trump said that he would cut federal funding for schools that teach CRT ideologies if he is reelected in 2024. A policy plan also called for opening new civil rights investigations into any school district that has engaged in race-based discrimination.

On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled against Harvard in an affirmative action lawsuit for using race as a factor in the admission process. This decision is expected to have widespread societal implications concerning race-based activities on college campuses as well as corporate boardrooms.
South Korea Alerts Citizens Ahead of Beijings New Anti-Espionage Law

The country advises against non-essential travel to China

Tensions are mounting as South Korea braces for the enactment of the new Anti-Espionage Law that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is poised to implement on July 1. In response to the perceived threat, South Korea has taken preventative measures, including widespread governmental alerts and media advisories, even going as far as advising against non-essential travel to China.

The newly revised anti-espionage law expanded the definition of espionage, making it broader and vaguer. For example, the scope of subjects of stealing secrets is expanded to other documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests.

It also empowers the regimes authorities to gain access to data, electronic equipment, information on personal property, and also to ban border crossings.

A June 28 report from Korean news outlet Hankyoreh highlighted how Korean expatriates, in an effort to avoid potential prosecution, are purging business-related statistical and analytical data from their offices and computers. While this data is typically innocuous, the fear of being wrongfully accused of espionage has led to these drastic measures.

One Korean expatriate, wishing to remain anonymous, told the outlet, With the current strain in South KoreaChina relations and a tense atmosphere in China, we cant predict how this law might be leveraged against us.

The South Korean embassy in China issued a cautionary notice on its official website on June 26, warning about the expansive scope of the CCPs new anti-espionage law. It advised South Koreans residing or planning to travel to China to be cautious as unexpected issues might arise due to the differences in legal systems and concepts between the two countries. This warning generated substantial attention, with over 23,000 searches registered within a few days.

As part of its proactive strategy, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a roundtable discussion with the tourism industry on June 22, deciding to include the new law in safety briefings for tourists upon their arrival in China.

Korean media, recognizing the potential for wide-ranging implications of the Espionage Law, has likewise been diligent in raising public awareness.

Prominent Korean news outlets, such as Chosun Ilbo, have criticized the CCPs new espionage law for its potential for arbitrary interpretation and enforcement, citing fears of random penalties under the guise of national security. It pointed out how innocuous activities such as market surveys, data collection, and even searching and saving reports critical of Chinese leader Xi Jinping could draw punitive attention.

Further scenarios include interactions with North Korean affiliates, taking photographs of the ChinaNorth Korea border region, tourists unintentionally capturing images of military facilities or security zones, visiting protest sites, or photographing demonstrators. Such activities, generally considered innocuous, could also draw scrutiny under the new law.

Korean media and publications have urged South Korean expatriates, businesses, and tourists in China to exercise utmost caution. In a clear reflection of the escalating concerns, they advised against any unnecessary travel to China.

Security personnel stand guard at the entrance to the Forbidden City near an image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) as the closing session of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) takes place at the Great Hall of the People nearby in Beijing on March 11, 2022. (Photo by Noel Celis / AFP via Getty Images)

Evokes Memories of Cultural Revolution

Maeil Business News commented in an editorial that the new law evokes memories of the Cultural Revolution, a time characterized by societal upheaval and widespread fear. It also highlighted concerns that the CCP could potentially leverage the law as a retaliatory measure against South Korea amid the diplomatic tension.

The Cultural Revolution, spanning from 1966 to 1976 under the aegis of CCP leader Mao Zedong, was a decade of profound turmoil, violence, and societal disruption in China. During this period, the state exercised brutal control over the lives of Chinese citizens, utilizing ambiguous laws and regulations to consolidate power and stifle dissent. Official estimates suggest at least 1.5 million people died in this period due to violence, forced labor, and widespread famine.

The Korea Herald forecasts a significant decrease in civilian exchanges and corporate activities between the two nations due to the current impasse and the impending anti-espionage law. Given the evolving normalization process of the U.S. THAAD base in South Korea, it predicts further complications in their bilateral relationship.

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is a U.S.-designed and manufactured anti-missile system installed in South Korea between 2016 and 2017 as a bulwark against a potential North Korean missile attack. But Beijing has insisted that the deployment of THAAD affects Chinas security and has since adopted a series of countermeasures against South Korea.

In addition to the anti-espionage law, the CCP is set to implement its Foreign Relations Law from July 1. The new law requires all organizations and individuals to uphold Chinese interests in international exchanges. Anyone that commits acts that are detrimental to Chinas national interests will be held legally accountable, it says.

Yonhap News Agency observes that these laws exemplify the CCPs policy of reinforcing internal control while curbing external influences amid escalating U.S.China strategic competition.

Korean Flights to China Drop 90 Percent

A noticeable impact of the strained South KoreaChina relations is the significant drop in the number of Koreans traveling to China this year, as reported by TV Chosun. The current figures show a staggering 90 percent decrease compared to pre-pandemic levels. Despite China lifting all entry restrictions on foreigners in April, the decline was still significant at 85 percent.

TV Chosuns report painted a stark contrast at the airport, where long queues could be seen at the counters processing travel to the United States, while the counters handling travel procedures for China were noticeably less busy. This shift has prompted the Korean aviation industry to re-strategize, reducing the number of KoreaChina routes and increasing the frequency of KoreaJapan routes.

Korean Air announced a suspension of the GimpoBeijing route from Aug. 1 to Oct. 28 and the IncheonXiamen route from Aug. 9 to Oct. 28. Currently, Korean Airs China flight volume is only a third of what it was compared to the pre-pandemic level in June 2019.

Likewise, Asiana Airlines is also planning to suspend the GimpoBeijing route from July 6, the IncheonShenzhen route from July 8, and the IncheonXian route has already been suspended since June 20.

As South Korea prepares for the looming uncertainty, it continues to adopt preventive measures and propagate awareness among its citizens to navigate these challenging diplomatic times.
Spanish Archaeologists Plan Rescue of 2,500-Year-Old Phoenician Shipwreck

Divers from Valencia University map and assess the state of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician vessel that is submerged 60 meters from the beach of Mazarron in Spain on June 20, 2023. (Jose A Moya/Regional Government of Murcia/Handout via Reuters)

MADRIDA group of Spanish archaeologists have made detailed diagrams of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck to help work out how best to recover it from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.

The eight-meter-long Mazarron II, named after the municipality in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia where it was found off the coast, is a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.

Nine technicians from the University of Valencia underwent 560 hours of scuba diving over more than two weeks in June to record all the cracks and fissures in the ship, which lies 60 meters (66 yards) from the Mazarrons Playa de la Isla.

Later this year, the experts will recommend how to protect and retrieve the wreck, possibly as early as next summer.

It could be extracted piece by piece using the existing cracks and reassembled out of the water like a puzzle, said archaeologist Carlos de Juan from the University of Valencia-Institute of Nautical Archaeology, who coordinated the project.

It is more reasonable to rescue the ship, treat it, and exhibit it in a museum for people to enjoy it, rather than worrying every time a big storm arrives, he told Reuters.

A diver from Valencia University maps and assesses the state of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician vessel that is submerged 60 meters from the beach of Mazarron in Spain on June 20, 2023. (Jose A Moya/Regional Government of Murcia/Handout via Reuters)

The Phoenicians, from coastal areas of present-day Lebanon and Syria, established colonies and trading posts throughout the Mediterranean from 1,500 BC to 300 BC.

Historians have used the Mazarron II, probably made around 580 BC, to document how they shipped metals such as lead from the Iberian Peninsula.

After it sank, it remained buried in sediment for more than two millennia until changes in sea currents due to construction on the shore unearthed it almost 30 years ago.

It now lies under about 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) of crystal-clear Mediterranean water, surrounded by sandbags and a metal structure built for protection. The structure is sinking into the sand at a faster pace than the wreck and threatened to crush it, so has had to be partially removed.
Both Biden and Trump Admins Bungled Afghanistan Withdrawal, State Department Report Concludes

In this image provided by the U.S. Marines, U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 20, 2021. (Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

The Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombings at Kabul Airport killed more than 180 people, including 13 members of the United States military, and marked an ugly end to Americas 20-year war against terror in Afghanistan.

Republicans have clamored for analyses of the blundered withdrawal for nearly two years, although the GOPs rhetorical chorus has conclusively and uniformly laid sole responsibility for the calamity on the decisions, and alleged distracted indecision, by the Biden administration.

Democrats and Biden administration officials have countered that the genesis of the chaotic August 2021 evacuations was laid when former President Donald Trump signed the Doha Agreement with the Taliban in February 2020, consenting to deplete, and then totally withdraw, U.S. forces by May 2021, a drawdown they say that fostered the rapid deterioration of the Afghan government and turned a planned, orderly departure into a retreat debacle.

According to an 85-page After Action Report (AAR) that analyzes the eight-month span between January-August 2021 released by the State Department on June 30, critics on all sides of the blame game are right: decision-makers in both administrations blundered.

The decisions of both President Trump and President Biden to end the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan had serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security, the AAR states in the first of the reports 28 findings identifying mistakes made by administration officials, by intelligence agencies, by the Pentagon, and within the State Department.

The first finding also acknowledges that individual decisions of both President Trump and President Biden are beyond the scope of this review, but reflect a collective pattern that there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow within both administrations Afghanistan policies.

The report specifically chides the Biden administration for failing to respond quickly to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Kabul in the summer of 2021 as the Taliban consolidated control of the country and the Afghan government collapsed. It cites miscommunication between the State Department and the Pentagon, between intelligence assessments and reality on the ground, and between those in Kabul and decision-makers in Washington.

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated at the site of the Aug. 26 twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 U.S. troops, at Kabul airport on Aug. 27, 2021. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Troop Retrograde Accelerated Taliban Rout

When Biden assumed the presidency in January 2021, there were 2,500 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, down from 13,000 in February 2020 when the Doha deal was signed.

On April 1, 2021, Biden said the United States would not begin withdrawing the last 2,500 combat troops in May as planned, but all would be gone by Aug. 31, 2021, to ensure the proper evacuation of American citizens and Afghan allies.

Early that month, only 650 U.S. combat troops remained in Afghanistan, all in Kabul to protect Hamid Karzai International Airport and the U.S. embassy.

The report cites the retrograde of U.S. armed forces set in motion by Trumps Taliban Doha deal as the beginning of the end of the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Mitigating the loss of the militarys key enablers was never addressed in any evacuation scenario, which compounded the difficulties undermanned State Department officials found themselves as the Taliban closed in on Kabul and thousands of Afghans seeking to escape swelled around the airport.

The speed of that retrograde compounded the difficulties the [State] Department faced, the report states, citing the decision by the Biden administration to hand Bagram Air Base over to the Afghan government in July meant Hamid Karzai International Airport would be the only avenue for a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO).

U.S. military planning for a possible NEO had been underway for some time, but the Departments participation in the NEO planning process was hindered by the fact that it was unclear who in the Department had the lead, the report said.

Much of the confusion in Kabul can be at least partially attributed to instability within the new Biden administration, the AAR states.

During the January-August 2021 span examined in the AAR many critical domestic and overseas Department positions were not filled by Senate-confirmed appointees, but rather career employees serving in an acting capacity who did an outstanding job under difficult circumstances but were never certain who was in charge of what.

The prolonged gaps in filling senior domestic or chief of mission positions overseas contributed to the chaos, the report states, citing the then-vacant South and Central Asian Affairs deputy secretary position as an example of leadership voids that hamstrung the State Department and other agencies in Kabul in August 2021.

No matter how qualified the acting person is, it is not the same as having a confirmed official in position, the report states.

A U.S. Marine passes out water during the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 21, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps/Isaiah Campbell/Getty Images)

Intelligence Reports Were Wrong

The AAR states the State Department relied on a July 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment that concluded Karzais Afghan government could survive between six-and-12 months without U.S. troops.

The report cites another U.S. intelligence assessment issued on Aug. 10, 2021, that said Kabul could hold out at least 30 to 90 days. In reality, it fell five days later.

With the sudden collapse of the Afghani government and the Talibans entry into Kabul on August 15, 2021, the report said the State Department was faced with a task of unprecedented scale and complexity  to coordinate and execute a massive humanitarian airlift and evacuation from a dangerous and often chaotic environment.

The incorrect intelligence reports and uncertainty within the Biden administration combined to exacerbate the deterioration initiated by the Doha pact, the report said.

Senior administration officials had not made clear decisions regarding the universe of at-risk Afghans who would be included by the time the operation started nor had they determined where those Afghans would be taken. That added significantly to the challenges the [State] Department and [Department of Defense] faced during the evacuation, the AAR states.

The AAR praises individual State Department officials on the ground, noting they responded with great agility, determination, and dedication, while taking on roles and responsibilities both domestically and overseas that few had ever anticipated.

Nevertheless, the report maintains the State Department specifically and the Biden administration generally should have been better prepared for a worst-case scenario, especially when it came to planning for a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) with the potential to expand into a large humanitarian airlift.

The report begins with a statement honoring those lost on Aug. 26, 2021, noting they gave their lives to protect people in what is the largest evacuation of civilians from a war zone in history.

We salute them and the brave members of our military, 13 of whom lost their lives in this operation. Together, they safely evacuated roughly 125,000 people, including nearly 6,000 private U.S. citizens, it states.

The 85-page report released by the State Department, days before the July 4 holiday, is its unclassified iteration and was assembled over a 90-day span. It has been sitting on the shelf for more than a year.

During the 90-day review, the State Departments AAR team said it conducted more than 150 voluntary interviews with often unnamed current and former State Department officials either for attribution or on background.

In order to protect the integrity of this process and in anticipation of future after action reviews, the report states, the AAR team strongly recommends that the requests of those interviewedeither to be fully anonymous or to not be named in the reportbe fully respected.

With those same considerations in mind, the report does not directly cite the interviews or actions of individual Department personnel below senior-level officials.

Most of the AARs 28 findings address specific State Department actions and reactions during those eight months with recommendations for how it can be better prepared for future large-scale evacuation scenarios.

The report maintains the State Department needs to plan better for worst-case scenarios, rebuild and strengthen crisis management capabilities, and ensure senior officials receive challenges to intelligence reports.

Many [State] Department bureaus and offices are conducting their own lessons learned, and some have already begun implementing changes. We hope that this review will further inform and advance those efforts, the AAR states.

Passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images)

House Committees Want More Answers

A day before the reports release, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding the State Department produce the missing AAR files, presumably deemed classified, by July 14 or face a subpoena.

The panel has been investigating the Afghanistan withdrawal. McCaul has expressed frustration with State Departments noncompliance with the committees requests for months.

He was not happy with the AAR issued on the eve of a summer holiday.

In January, I asked the State Department to produce all documents resulting from its internal reviews relating to the Afghanistan withdrawalincluding the After-Action Report. They have yet to do so, Rep McCaul said in a tweet after viewing the AAR. Im committed to getting answers and accountability.

House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) is also demanding more public transparency regarding the Afghanistan evacuation from the Pentagon.

In a June 8 letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Rogers said he was disappointed in the lack of accountability and transparency in the Pentagons classified AAR provided to Congress.

Rogers said there were multiple discrepancies in the classified version of the AAR concerning the botched and deadly withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Afghanistan and that it included Austins associated personal reflections in an attached memo.

Sadly, your memorandum does not accept responsibility, and propounds outright untruths, related to the Biden Administrations actions and inactions in failing to secure a safe and orderly withdrawal of troops and related Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO), he wrote without revealing what those classified outright untruths are.

Both McCaul and Rogers maintain the State and Defense Departments alleged failure to be candid and accountable mean the Afghanistan calamity is likely to be repeated.

While the fog of war is likely to result in mistakes and even tragedy, an honest appraisal of the Biden administrations involvement in implementing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has still not occurred, Rogers wrote to Austin. Towards this objective, it is incumbent on the committee and its oversight responsibilities to determine what went wrong and how such a catastrophe can be avoided in the future.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts Says Recent Opinions Contain Disturbing Feature

The Supreme Courts chief justice said that some justices had been wrongly questioning colleagues, saying hes disturbed by the development.

It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote at the end of his majority opinion striking down President Joe Bidens student debt relief program.

Six justices concluded that the Biden administrations program, which canceled debt for tens of millions of borrowers, was not authorized by the federal law that the administration cited as authorizing it. The law lets the education secretary waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial assistance programs.

Missouri, one of the plaintiffs, brought the case because the plan would cost a nonprofit the state created some $44 million if enacted.

Today, we have concluded that an instrumentality created by Missouri, governed by Missouri, and answerable to Missouri is indeed part of Missouri; that the words waive or modify do not mean completely rewrite; and that our precedentold and newrequires that Congress speak clearly before a department secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy, Roberts said. We have employed the traditional tools of judicial decision-making in doing so.

Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, then took aim at the dissent offered by Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee.

Kagan claimed that the majority was distorting standing doctrine to create a case fit for judicial resolution because Missouri was not harmed and that its normal statutory interpretation cannot sustain its decision.

The statute, read as written, gives the Secretary broad authority to relieve a national emergencys effect on borrowers ability to repay their student loans. The Secretary did no more than use that lawfully delegated authority. So the majority applies a rule specially crafted to kill significant regulatory action, by requiring Congress to delegate not just clearly but also micro-specifically, she wrote, adding later: Congress in broadly authorizing loan relief, the Secretary and the President in using that authority to implement the forgiveness plan. The majority instead says that it is theirs to decide.

Roberts said that Kagan was wrong.

Congress in broadly authorizing loan relief, the Secretary and the President in using that authority to implement the forgiveness plan. The majority instead says that it is theirs to decide, he wrote. The fact that multiple grounds support a result is usually regarded as a strength, not a weakness.

He also said that reasonable minds may disagree with the majority and that the majority did not mistake this plainly heartfelt disagreement for disparagement.

Roberts added: It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country.

Robertss comments come after a series of contentious rulings that largely saw the six justices appointed by Republican presidents form a majority and the three justices appointed by Democrat presidents offer dissents that attacked the majority.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, for instance, dissented from the ruling striking down racially discriminatory admissions policies at U.S. universities by claiming that the court was subvert[ing] the protection from the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitutions Fourteenth Amendment.

Because the Courts opinion is not grounded in law or fact and contravenes the vision of equality embodied in the Fourteenth Amendment, I dissent, Sotomayor, an Obama appointee, wrote.

The majority had ruled that policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were unconstitutionally discriminatory. The schools themselves had admitted they discriminated against applicants who were not African American or Hispanic.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas, a George W. Bush appointee, said that American society has not been, and is not, colorblind but that the U.S. Constitutions Fourteenth Amendment requires disregarding racial distinctions.
Systems Failed in Australian Rheumatic Heart Disease Deaths

An Aboriginal flag is held aloft during a Black Lives Matter protest to express solidarity with U.S. protesters and demand an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody in Perth, Australia, on June 13, 2020. (Trevor Collens/AFP via Getty Images)

A coroner investigating the deaths of three Indigenous women with rheumatic heart disease has found health systems in a remote Queensland community failed.

The deaths within 18 months of one another sparked an inquest into what would otherwise be considered natural cause deaths, coroner Nerida Wilson said in her findings handed down in Cairns on June 30.

The three womenYvette Booth, referred to as Betty, Adele Sandy, known as Ms Sandy and Shakaya George, or Kayalived in Doomadgee, about 630 km northwest of Mount Isa, which is home to about 1400 people.

Eighteen-year-old Betty died in September 2019, while Ms Sandy was 37 when she died in May 2020.

Both died at the Doomadgee Base Hospital, while Kaya died in September 2020 in the Queensland Childrens Hospital Brisbane at the age of 17.

They all had rheumatic heart disease (RHD), which is preventable and almost exclusively a disease of poverty and social disadvantage, Wilson said in her findings.

Indigenous Queenslanders have a prevalence of acquiring RHD at a rate of 582 times higher than non-Indigenous people living in the same state.

The inquest was one of many investigations into the three deaths, with all finding deficiencies in record keeping and information sharing.

Wilson said the tendency in highly charged inquiries was to look for individuals to blame.

When one stands back in all three of these deaths there is no one individual, Wilson found.

Simply put: Systems failed.

They had failed the three women and health professionals and practitioners in Doomadgee, Wilson said.

A lack of the ability to share information and records denuded health professionals and clinicians of critical professional scaffolding essential for the conduct of professional health state sanctioned health services.

Wilson made 19 recommendations that included an expert working with the community and hospital services to define roles, identify gaps and streamline the management of RHD patients.

Wilson called for a restorative expert to help repair the relationship between clinicians and health services, and a cultural leader to attempt to restore the trust and relationship between the community and healthcare providers in Doomadgee.

Wilson found the people of Doomadgee do not have ready access to adequate washing machines, beds and quality produce.

Local elder Mr Barry Walden told the inquest that many people are limited only to what is available in the community because they do not own a vehicle or cannot afford the petrol to drive five hours to the nearest major centre Mount Isa for these significant purchases.

Wilson recommended government, in consultation with the community, consider building a laundromat and showers or approach an organisation to provide facilities.

Barriers to an unimpeded flow of medical records and health information across all health services and facilities in Doomadgee represented a serious systemic failure, Wilson said.

Lack of basic health education and awareness, no formalised RHD screening program, tension between health services, mistrust of government and fly-in fly-out models of service delivery were among factors Wilson found contributed to the deaths.

Wilson said it was essential at an institutional level that racism in all forms was identified, measured and monitored.

Wilson recommended Queensland Health, the Northwest Hospital and Health Service and Gidgee Healing, which provides primary health services, consider whether improvements could be made to clinical notes so as to avoid implicit negative cultural and racial connotations.

The starting point for Doomadgee is healing, Wilson said.

Significant time and care is needed for repair of relationships at all levels.

State Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the government will accept all the coroners recommendations and work with the Doomadgee community to respond appropriately.

I welcome the coroners findings which will assist us to improve the prevention, early intervention and management of RHD.

Chief First Nations health officer Haylene Grogan said the deaths are a tragic reminder of the ongoing inequities First Nations people face.
Taiwan Says 11 Chinese Aircraft Crossed the Taiwan Strait Median Line

A group of men look out to the Taiwan Strait from Pingtan island, the closest point in China to Taiwan, in southeast China's Fujian province on April 16, 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

TAIPEIEleven Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning, an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwans defense ministry said, as China ramps up military pressure on the democratic island.

Taiwan, which the Chinese communist regime claims as its own territory despite the islands objections, has complained in recent years of almost daily missions by the Chinese air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone.

A total of 24 Chinese war planes including fighter jets and bombers were spotted near Taiwan on Friday morning from around 8 a.m., the defense ministry said, adding five Chinese battleships also joined a joint war readiness patrol.

Taiwan sent aircraft and ships to warn away the Chinese activities, while missile systems monitored them, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.

A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters the Chinese activities on Friday were likely a reaction to the visit to Taipei made by a U.S. congressional delegation led by the chair of House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, in April staged drills around the island in anger at President Tsai Ing-wens meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Taiwans government strongly objects to the CCPs sovereignty claims and vows to defend itself if the CCP attacks the island.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday approved the potential sale of ammunition and logistics supply support to Taiwan in two separate deals valued at up to $440 million.
Teen Sentenced to at Least 16 Years in Prison for Brutal Attack on Teacher in Nevada

The ex-student pleaded guilty to attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, and battery, following a plea deal

A teenager was sentenced to 16 to 40 years in Nevada state prison on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty in April to various charges following a plea deal that avoided trial for having brutally attacked a high school teacher in 2022.

Jonathan Martinez Garcia was 16 when he carried out the brutal after-school attack on the teacher at Eldorado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school serves about 2,000 students several miles east of downtown Las Vegas.

As part of the plea deal, Martinez Garcia pleaded guilty in April to attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, and battery with the use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm. He faced another 12 felony charges, but they were dropped.

Prosecutors asked Clark County District Court Judge Kathleen Delaney on Wednesday to sentence Martinez Garcia to 22 to 55 years in prison, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However, the judge said the lower sentence was striking the balance between the seriousness of the crime and other factors in the case.

The teen was given a minimum of 16 years and a maximum of 40 years in the Nevada Department of Corrections, with credit for the 447 days served so far.

The judge said the sentence was meant to have the teen serve as much time in prison as he had spent out of prison in his life so far, reported ABC affiliate KTNV.

Former Teacher

The victim, identified only as Sade, told the judge on Wednesday that she felt imprisoned mentally and physically since the attack on April 7, 2022, that left her with multiple injuries. She did not return to her teaching job at the school.

It only makes sense that he too should be in prison for as long as possible, she said, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. This isnt because I hate him or want any sort of suffering for him  but like I said, I just no longer feel those feelings.

According to KTNV, Sades family members and friends shared with the court how the attack affected Sades ability to get out of bed and leave her home, as well as process emotions. All of them asked the judge to sentence the teen to the highest possible sentence.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Sades family told the judge that she now suffers from chronic physical pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. The young woman, who is still in her 20s, now uses a walker and has sensitivity to light and sound, her family said.

Teen Told Police He Raped Teacher

Martinez Garcia and the teacher were meant to be going over his grades when he started to choke her from behind with a rope or string, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He then slammed her head against the table and knocked her unconscious.

The teacher told police that when she woke up, she asked Martinez Garcia why he attacked her, and he responded that he didnt like teachers and was getting revenge. He then choked her, rendering her unconscious for a second time.

When she woke up, her pants and underwear were pulled down, and Martinez Garcia poured something on her and said he wanted to set something on fire. After that, he moved a shelf on top of the teacher and sat on top of it.

According to police, Martinez Garcia also tried to cut Sades wrists at one point and told her Cant you die already?

The outlet reported Martinez Garcia initially told police that he blacked out and didnt remember the attack but later told police he remembered trying to choke the teacher and that he had raped her.

An arrest report released on April 12, 2022 cited by NBC affiliate KSNV said that at one point, Martinez Garcia also tried to crush Sade under a cabinet.

In a release (pdf) on April 8, 2022, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said that after the attack, Martinez Garcia fled the classroom, and Sade was later found by another employee.

Teen Expresses Remorse As Lawyer Cast Some Blame On Medication

I regret what Ive done, Martinez Garcia told the court Wednesday, reported KTNV. I also regret the things I should have done, but didnt do, like get help or tell my family what I was experiencing.

The teen added: Even though Ive been in custody, Ive been trying to change my life for the better. I will tell myself I have no one else to blame but myself. I am so sorry for everything I put you through. Im sorry.

His court-appointed lawyer, Tyler Gaston, told the judge his clients behavior was likely caused by the side effects of an asthma medication he took that caused mood changes, night terrors, and hallucinations.

The drug, montelukast, also known by the brand name Singulair, has been linked to serious neuropsychiatric events by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (pdf).

The attack was one of several examples of school violence that led to the Safer Supportive Schools Act (Assembly Bill 330), which was passed by the Nevada state legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo on May 31. The legislation outlines disciplinary measures for any students who commit battery intended to cause bodily harm to a school employee, among other provisions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Leaders of the European Union's member nations have agreed to pursue the trade bloc's "de-risking" strategy in its dealings with China, and reduce critical dependencies in its supply chains.

At a summit in Brussels on Friday, the 27 EU leaders stated that it was important to "seek to ensure a level playing field, so that the trade and economic relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial between China and the European Union".

But the statement also emphasised that the union "does not intend to decouple or to turn inward".

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Ahead of the summit, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that de-risking would first require assessing how dependent the EU is on China and in what sectors, then cutting back that exposure so that - in case of geopolitical tensions - Europe is not left "high and dry".

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins at the EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels on Friday. Photo: AP alt=Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins at the EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels on Friday. Photo: AP>

He said that the EU was trying to "move in lockstep" after previous experiences, "taking the lessons that we've learned rather painfully on our previous high energy dependence on Russia".

Irish Taoiseach Leo Eric Varadkar added that "China is not an enemy", but that it was important for Europe "to be less naive" about its dependencies on Beijing.

The decision to de-risk was initiated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an address in March, just before her trip to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Last week, von der Leyen unveiled a prospective road map on de-risking. Diplomats from France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands were among those expressing concern about how the plan might undercut individual countries' national security authority and seeking to dilute its conditions.

After Friday's summit, Charles Michel, the European Council president, said the leaders had held a powerful debate on China and "very quickly" agreed on China policy, demonstrating the bloc's unity.

The discussion on China took two hours during the two-day gathering of EU leaders. Internal disputes and the bloc's relations with other countries dominated, a stark difference from how the United States prioritises China. With its own tensions with Beijing soaring, Washington has been pushing its European allies to harden their stance toward China.

"We see China more and more as a systemic rival, but we have our own EU approach to China, compared to our transatlantic partners who have a strong view there," Estonian Prime Minister Kajas Kallas said before the summit.

At the summit, however, EU leaders shared the US view concerning Beijing's alliance with Moscow. Their statement urged China "to press Russia to stop its war of aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine".

China's decision not to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine has proved a sore point in its fraught relations with the EU over the past year.

Moreover, by playing down an attempted uprising against Russian military leaders by the Wagner paramilitary group last weekend, Beijing has deepened wariness about its alliance with Moscow among certain nations in the bloc, some EU officials said.

EU leaders also flagged Taiwan as a divisive issue affecting its China policy.

"The European Council opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," the leaders' statement read.

"It reconfirms the EU's consistent 'One China policy'."

The EU leaders also raised concerns regarding forced labour and the treatment of members of ethnic minorities in China's autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

European Council President Charles Michel speaking after the EU leaders summit in Brussels on Friday. Photo: Reuters alt=European Council President Charles Michel speaking after the EU leaders summit in Brussels on Friday. Photo: Reuters>

They welcomed the EU-China human rights dialogue that resumed in February, though human rights organisations have condemned it as meaningless.

"When a government is committing crimes against humanity, 'softening the tone' should not be an option for the EU," Philippe Dam, Human Rights Watch's EU director for advocacy, said.

"The plight of millions of Uygurs, Tibetans, Hongkongers, human rights defenders and civil society across China deserve more than inconsequential statements from EU governments," Dam said.

"EU leaders should instead commit to take concrete action to address Beijing's atrocity crimes, pursue accountability, and confront the systemic threat the Chinese government poses to the global human rights order," he said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Texas Pastor Pleads Guilty to Enhanced Charge of Having Child Pornography

A Texas pastor recently pleaded guilty to an enhanced charge of possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Western District of Texas announced on Thursday.

David Lloyd Walther, 57, a Georgetown resident, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Austin on June 27 to knowingly having searched for, downloaded, distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material, including child pornography using peer-to-peer file sharing network BitTorrent, according to a release, citing court documents.

Some of the sexual abuse material depicted prepubescent minors.

During a search of Walthers home and vehicle in November 2022, officers found two large computer hard drives that had over 100,000 images and over 5,000 videos of child sexual abuse materials.

Walther immediately admitted to his crimes upon his arrest on Nov. 11, 2022.

He has apologized and admitted to the crimes several times since, including that he specifically searched for, downloaded, and possessed child pornography via BitTorrent.

But he also noted that he didnt know he had also been distributing the videos through BitTorrent.

At the time, Walther was the pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock.

David Clawson, a deacon at the church, told the Austin American-Statesman on Nov. 11, 2022, that church leaders were regretful about the situation. We regret anything along these lines that has happened, Clawson said. The church will continue to move forward as God has led.

The outlet reported, citing a complaint, that Walther told an FBI agent that he had a pornography addiction and would often go through cycles of downloading and viewing pornography depicting both adults and minors.

Per the complaint, Walther said the children he was viewing were between 8 and 17 years old. He also noted that he had last deleted child pornography files on Nov. 8, 2022, the night before authorities served search warrants at his home.

Walther said he would often feel guilty and go through a purging of files, i.e., deleting the images and associated files, because he knew it was wrong, according to the complaint.

An affidavit cited by Law&Crime stated that Walther had some BSDM and bestiality pornography content involving children.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The FBI San Antonio Divisions Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin is prosecuting the case.
Thousands on Bicycles Kick Off Fourth of July Celebrations in Huntington Beach

Patriotic locals take part in the 4th Annual 4th of July Bicycle Cruise in Huntington Beach, Calif., on July 1, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Clad in red, white, and blue, thousands of patriotic cyclists gathered in Huntington Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July on the morning of July 1, many waving American flags and some even balancing their large pets from handlebar baskets while cruising through the city.

When I started this ride four years ago, 1,000 people showed up  twice as many than we were expecting, organizer of the 4th Annual 4th of July Bicycle Cruise Ed Romo told The Epoch Times.

An estimated 12,000 people participated in the event this year, according to Huntington Beach Police Department.

Shortly before takeoff, participants sang the Star-Spangled Banner before pedaling toward the beach.

Weve seen a lot of great bike decorations over the years, Romo added.

Due to the popularity of the annual bike ride, city officials asked the organizers to make sure they have proper permits this year. Romo also needed a large flatbed truck, speaker system, and insurance for which he had the help of fellow Huntington Beach resident Rick Brown.

We were able to meet with the city council before the bike cruise, and things worked out well for this event, Brown told The Epoch Times. The local businesses were swamped on Main Street, which was really great to see as well.

In securing the truck for the event, Brown was able to connect with Huntington Beach Propane, which also provided speakers and microphones needed for communicating with the thousands of cyclists. He also was able to facilitate the production of personalized event T-shirts just days before the event.

This was a word-of-mouth event where thousands showed up to share their patriotism, Brown said. There are not many cities in the area that can pull that off!

Brown said it is common to see American flags waving everywhere in Huntington Beach but even more so during this annual bike cruise.

I think it shows the love that locals have for their country, here, he added.

Leading the way were Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) and city officials including Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, Councilman Casey McKeon, and Councilman Pat Burns, on an elevated truck.

Have fun, be safe, and God bless America! they exclaimed.

The cruise is part of what city officials said to be the largest Independence Day Celebration west of the Mississippi, with an estimate of half a million attendees over five days of events from June 30 to July 4.

Huntington Beach held its first Independence Day celebration 119 years ago and has since been expanding its scale.

Every year we look to make the festivities bigger and better than everlast year with the introduction of the July 4th Block Party and this year with the new Cornhole Tournament. Huntington Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Carey told The Epoch Times.

The bike ride, which started at Huntington Beachs Lake Park, ended near the busy intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Nowhere is July 4th better than Surf City, she said.

Information for Independence Day events in Huntington Beach can be found on the citys website.
TikTok Lawfare Against America

Hypocrisy as TikTok secretly uses US courts against free speech

The social media application logo for TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone in front of a U.S. flag and Chinese flag background in Washington on March 16, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

As is well known, TikTok is a national security threat because communist China has laws that give the regime access to the data of its almost 1.7 billion global users. Yet naive teenagers around the world download the app on their smartphones, thirsty for the latest kid craze trend. TikToks algorithm then channels these users more deeply into their random and sometimes destructive whims.

The most recent TikTok trend, for example, is playing dead from drinking a McDonalds Grimace purple milkshake. Yet with almost 1.4 billion joint views on TikTok, #grimaceshake and #grimace underline the adage all publicity is good publicity (so soon after Bud Light proved it wrong).

McDonalds is happy with the attention, though. On June 27, it tweeted a pic of puffy Grimace with his milkshake, saying, meee pretending i dont see the grimace shake trendd, with the misspelling apparently integral to the muppets 1970s character.

If even a fraction of TikTok viewers buy a $4 Grimace milkshake, McDonalds will have made a tidy fortune, which could lift McDonalds stock price. Since June 12, the milkshakes release date and Grimaces birthday, the companys market capitalization is more than $4 billion.

Sounds fun and profitable for not only McDonalds but also other U.S. corporations, TikTok, and influencers that manage to ride the TikTok party wave, purple milkshakes flying.

But the owner of TikTok, Beijing-based ByteDance, calls the shots. Above ByteDance stands TikToks ultimate controllerthe Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP isnt only totalitarian but genocidal. Its arguably the gravest threat to American democracy, and democracy globally, that the world has known.

People walk past the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

This had the Trump administration pioneering a TikTok ban. The state of Montana followed.

But according to The New York Times, TikTok responded against the bans by secretly finding and funding anti-ban TikTokers to launch legal campaigns based on free speech claims.

As a result, former President Donald Trumps ban was struck down, and Jameel Jaffer, executive director of Columbia Universitys Knight First Amendment Institute, predicted that the courts would also strike down Montanas ban.

Some appear to fall for the free speech argument; national security be damnedthe Times article ended by quoting Mr. Jaffer.

TikTok is an American company and has First Amendment rights, but there has been rhetoric in Montana and the federal government suggesting that TikToks connections to China mean its not an ordinary First Amendment actor, Mr. Jaffer told the Times. [The suit] emphasizes that this isnt just about the rights of TikTok, let alone the rights of ByteDance. Its about the rights of TikToks users, including its American users, and I think thats a really important point to make.

The point not aired by the Times is that we are what we read. By allowing Beijing to control the TikTok algorithm and thus the content it serves to U.S. users, we enable the CCP to influence our thinking to a dangerously great extent. This is most concerning for the young and impressionableTikToks strong suit.

Among 18- to 19-year-old Americans, 67 percent use TikTok; 41 percent of all Americans are users.

ByteDance serves the United States the junk food equivalent of its products. Its algorithm more carefully curates educational content for Chinese citizens on Chinas version of TikTok, called Douyin. TikTok is banned in China.

Democracy depends on an educated electorate. By allowing TikTok to shape our future voters, we relegate democracy to be shaped by the CCP. This consigns our history to the dustbin and is a huge mistake for not only American democracy but for democracy globally.

What about free speech?

The free speech of ByteDance shouldnt be protected, as the CCP uses ByteDance to censor and channel the free speech of its users for its own authoritarian benefit. America should never allow our adversaries to use our Constitution against its broader free speech protections. Free speech protections shouldnt be used against free speech.

The free speech of TikTok users is far more important. But contrary to the lawyers arguments, it will not be impeded by a ban on TikTok. Existing TikTok users may use other social media or start their own. A plethora of such platforms now exist that have nothing to do with the CCP.

TikTok influencers who amassed millions of followers naturally dont want to lose them. But they dont have tothey can transfer their followers to new platforms. A U.S. law could mandate that TikTok facilitate the transfer of followers to any new platform where a user wishes to go. This should be easier than transferring medical records from an old to a new doctor. Like medical records, social media should belong to the user, not the company.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
IN-DEPTH: Former Army Psychologist Sounds Alarm on Transgender Soldiers

US military hasn't studied serious potential side effects from gender-altering drugs, such as 'roid rage,' former Army neuropsychologist says

Activists encourage support for transgender members of the military at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In the sitcom M*A*S*H, Cpl. Maxwell Klinger was so desperate to escape his assignment to a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War that he dressed as a woman in an attempt to prove he was mentally unfit to serve.

At the time, it was accepted that people who suffered from what is now called gender dysphoria werent suited for military duty.

But in todays military, Klinger would be considered transgender or gender-nonconforming and would be accepted openly without fear of dismissal.

Thats been the case for pediatrician Rachel Levine, a man who identifies as a woman. In 2021, Levine was named President Joe Bidens assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Levine began wearing a skirted military uniform after being ceremonially sworn in as a four-star admiral. That makes Levine the highest-ranking official in the U.S. Public Health Services Commissioned Corps.

President Joe Biden signs an executive order reversing the Trump-era ban on allowing transgender people to serve in the military at the White House on Jan. 25, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

But that doesnt change what one former Army neuropsychologist considers to be serious issues with allowing those with gender dysphoria into the military.

Transgender soldiers taking hormones are more likely to suffer from mood swings and health problems, making them a higher mission risk when deployed, according to Alan Hopewell, a neuropsychologist in Fort Worth, Texas.

The effects of medication taken by sexually confused individuals on military induction and retention could be significant, Hopewell told The Epoch Times.

Nobody has addressed the medication issue, he said.

Department of Defense officials didnt respond by press time to a request for comment about whether the effects of transgender treatments on soldiers had been studied.

A large Danish transgender suicide and mortality study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on June 27 showed that transgender individuals had significantly higher rates of suicide attempt, suicide mortality, suicide-unrelated mortality, and all-cause mortality compared with the non-transgender population.

Fit to Serve?

Hopewell was asked to write about the issue for Combat Stress magazine. He is a retired U.S. Army major, and he was awarded the Bronze Star as a prescribing psychologist in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

C. Alan Hopewell served in the Army as a neuropsychologist. (Courtesy of C. Alan Hopewell)

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Army changed its rules in 2021 to allow those with gender dysphoriaconfusion and distress over biological sexto serve.

Gender identity would no longer be a basis for involuntary separation or military discharge, denied reenlistment or continuation of service, or subjected to adverse action or mistreatment, according to an explanation of the policy changes on the U.S. Army website.

As a neuropsychologist able to write prescriptions, Hopewell spent much of his career determining whether soldiers were fit to serve in the Army.

While the military is allowing transgender personnel, it appears no studies have been done on how the prescription drugs that are needed to maintain a gender transition may affect combat readiness, he said.

As a general rule, Army soldiers who need more sophisticated health monitoring cant be deployed on a mission to a place where medical access is limited, he said.

Army policy requires deployed soldiers to be treatable by a general practitioner because specialized care isnt available in places such as Iraq, where he served, he said.

Hopewell pointed to testimony from transgender patients before the Texas Legislature this springone testified that receiving care from anyone other than an endocrinologist was difficult.

Medications that transgender patients need could even cause health and mental problems, he said. Testosterone, the male hormone used to help women appear more masculine, has been connected to sudden outbursts of intense anger termed roid rage.

Transgender patients take massive doses of testosterone or estrogen, which disrupt brain function and the entire physical system of the body, he said.

A Progress Pride Flag is displayed during a Pride celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on June 10, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

There are substantial issues that likely affect transgender people who join the military, Hopewell said.

Im not saying that nobody [transgender] could serve. But we have to recognize that this is a very complicated, serious issue and many of these people arent going to be able to be retained.

Challenging, Expensive Medical Needs

And even if they are allowed to serve, it could take significant medical resources to deal with transgender medical needs, he said.

High doses of hormones have contributed to erratic behavior exhibited by some gender dysphoric people, he said, and Army medics arent equipped to deal with such issues in the field.

But some military officials, such as Coast Guard Capt. Jay Caputo, have dismissed medication concerns surrounding transgender soldiers.

The U.S. flag and a rainbow flag are pictured at the U.S. embassy in Moscow on June 30, 2022. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

Hormone treatment for transgender soldiers is no different from birth control pills for female soldiers, Caputo wrote in a December 2017 article published by the U.S. Naval Institute magazine.

Military members deploy worldwide every day while taking the same medications transgender persons use, just for different reasons, Caputo wrote. While the situation is not ideal, it would not limit a persons ability to perform their duties.

Caputo, a transgender service member who has served openly since June 2017, chalked up resistance to transgender soldiers to transphobia.

Many do not understand what it means to be transgender, Caputo wrote. They think it is a mental illness (it is not). They think it is a choice (it is not). They think the costs are exorbitant (they are not). They worry transgender persons will flood into the military for a taxpayer-funded sex change (not realistic). Once the myths are debunked and the facts established, what is left?

Hopewell, who treated people with gender dysphoria decades ago, disagrees.

Patients he saw in the 1970s while working at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston struggled with mental illness, he said.

Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters upset about a reinstated ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military near a military recruitment center in Times Square in New York on July 26, 2017. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Transgender patients often have other mental issues, such as depression and anxiety, Hopewell said, and giving hormones to a person already under mental stress could produce adverse outcomes.

Testosterone abuse in weightlifting and bodybuilding circles brought attention to the issue when a law against steroid use was passed in 1990.

As Caputo pointed out, critics of allowing transgender people to serve in the military have speculated that many join for free sex-change operations and hormones and that that would burden the health care system for the military.

The U.S. Department of Defense spent $11.6 million on psychotherapy for service members with gender dysphoria from Jan. 1, 2016, to May 14, 2021, according to Military.com.

Within the department, 637 service members received hormone therapy for gender dysphoria during the same time at a cost of $340,000. And there were 243 gender-transition surgeries, performed at a cost of $3.1 million.

The Pentagons total annual medical budget for health care programs in 2016 was $33.5 billion. The proposed budget for fiscal 2022 called for $35.6 billion in discretionary spending for health care, according to the website, which is run by a private company that tracks news on all branches of the U.S. military.

Gender-Altering Care for Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also appears poised to cover gender transition surgery under a new policy being reviewed by VA Secretary Denis McDonough.

But resistance to the policy change is building.

In June, the Congressional House Appropriations Committee crafted a budget prohibiting the use of federal dollars for gender-transition hormones and surgeries at VA facilities.

LGBT activists from the National Center for Transgender Equality rally in front of the White House on Oct. 22, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It would be hard to prove that gender-confused people sign up for the military to get sex-change operations and treatment paid for at taxpayer expense, Hopewell said. Yet once theyre in the military, their ongoing care would be covered under the Veterans Administration, including after discharge.

So the reality is that were going to have a tremendous cohort of people that maybe come in for a year and get care for a lifetime, he said.
Trump Lauds SCOTUS, Makes Off-Script Call for Education Reform

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 30, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Former president Donald Trump praised the U.S. Supreme Court for its historic back-to-back decisions affecting education and religious rights, drawing enthusiastic applause from a conservative parental-rights groups annual conference.

But after making those largely predictable remarks during his June 30 speech, Trump went off-script. He told the Joyful Warriors National Summit of Moms for Liberty, Its not part of my remarks, but Im going to make it part, if you dont mind: I want to move our education system back to the states.

That declaration, which revived a proposal that stirred controversy during his presidency, was followed by 30 seconds of applause and cheering.

Trump revealed that some people had advised him against talking about returning education to the states, fearing the idea would prove unpopular. I said, I dont care,' Trump said, and he deadpanned: I hope everybody likes that because, otherwise, I just blew it.

Hes confident that the states will do a fantastic job, and eliminating the federal education bureaucracy would also be less expensive. Well actually save money and reduce our debt and lots of other good things can happen, he said.

During his Philadelphia speech, which lasted about an hour and six minutes, Trump also made a slew of other education-related pledges that he would implement if voters return him to the White House in the 2024 election.

Trump is the current frontrunner for the Republican Partys nomination in that contest. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trumps closest rival, also spoke at the Moms for Liberty event earlier in the day.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia on June 30, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Trump hit on key points that are of primary importance to Moms for Liberty, a group that has burgeoned so much in just two years that Trump called it a grassroots juggernaut. It boasts 120,000 members in 45 states.

The former president and other speakers pointed out that protesters, who accused Moms for Liberty of being extremists or a hate group, had gathered outside the Center City Marriott. The convention, which began June 29, concludes July 2.

Three Good Justices

The audience cheered enthusiastically when Trump pointed out that he had the privilege of appointing three Supreme Court justices: Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. That trio of good justices have played key roles in a number of historic decisions, Trump said, noting that some presidents are lucky to be able to appoint a single justice.

He applauded the Supreme Court for its new decision to block the government from paying off student loan debts. President Biden is not allowed to wipe out hundreds of billions of dollars, which would have been very unfair to the millions and millions of people who paid their debt through hard work and diligence, Trump said.

Trump called Bidens loan-payment plan a way of trying to buy votes.

On June 30, the Supreme Court also delivered a tremendous win for religious liberty when it ruled that people can refuse to do business with a person who makes a request that conflicts with his or her religious beliefs.

This was a big two days, Trump said.

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 30, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Ending Unlawful Discrimination

In keeping with the Supreme Courts June 29 ruling ending race-based discrimination in college admissions policies, I will eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the entire federal government, Trump said.

Trump also promised to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pursue civil rights claims against any school, corporation or university that engages in unlawful racial discrimination.

We will restore a society based on equality, liberty and merit, he said, adding, incredulously, Were back with meritcan you believe this? This happened yesterday!

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on Oct. 7, 2022. (Front LR) Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. (Back LR) Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

School Reforms Incentivized

States and school districts will enjoy massive funding preferences if they make a series of revolutionary reforms. These include allowing parents to see 100 percent of the curriculum that their children are being taught in school. He also wants schools to use merit pay to reward the great teachers and to get rid of bad teachers by abolishing teacher tenure for grades K-12.

Trump said he is appalled to see videos showing students and teachers being beaten up, and he would take steps to make schools safer for teachers and students alike.

In addition, the former president promised to shield parents from being targeted by the same authorities that he says have wrongfully hounded him. We will not be allowing the FBI and DOJ to attack you as you make your complaint to the school board, he declared.

It has been unbelievable how badly Biden has allegedly weaponized Americas intelligence agencies and the justice system, Trump said, adding, And the really corrupt people get away with it, including Crooked Joe Biden, because hes the most corrupt of all.

Speaking His Mind

Trump says he has often held back what he really wanted to say about Biden because of the respect he has for the office of the presidency.

But Trump said that, as a result of the Biden administrations alleged political prosecution of him, he isnt exercising much restraint.

He recently ordered his top political opponent arrested, Trump said, adding wryly,  Oh wow, thats me.

Trump was charged in connection with records violations by state officials in April and by federal authorities in June. So I was arrested. And every time, my polls go up, Trump said. Then, he said, Biden and his persecutors get more and more radicalized and vicious.

They indicted the former president of the United States over (expletive). So now Im allowed to say it like it is: We have a corrupt president. Hes 100 percent crooked, Trump said, referring to millions of dollars that Biden and his family have allegedly reaped from foreign sources. The alleged influence-peddling is being investigated by Republicans in Congress.

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 30, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Nation Imperiled

Some people think that Biden, who is 80, has an age problem. But Trump suggested Biden is suffering from some issue other than just age. I know people that are 90 years old that are making a fortune and are as smart as they ever were, Trump said.

But even before his recent instances of appearing disoriented, Trump said Biden is dumb  and he was dumb 25 years ago.

The current presidents issues are putting the nation at risk, Trump said.

Many countries now have nuclear weapons, and we have a man who is grossly incompetent leading us. This is the most dangerous time in the history of our country because of the power of weaponry, Trump said.

Trump suggested that Biden is compromised because he received millions and millions of dollars from Chinaand thats why the U.S. is doing nothing to stop China from opening up military operations in Cuba, 90 miles off our coast  thats the most serious threat that I can imagine, and nobody talks about it.

The crowd responded with cheers when Trump ended his speech with a clarion call to the Moms for Liberty who had gathered in Philadelphia, the city where Americas democracy was born with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Using his hand in a karate-chop motion to emphasize the words, the most important election in the history of our country, Trump called upon the audience to show up on Election Day next year and cast their ballots for him.

We will take back our schools we will defeat Joe Biden, he said, and, propelled by the spirit of July 4, 1776, we will win a righteous victory on November 5, 2024.

Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately listed the Supreme Court judges appointed by former President Donald Trump. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
UK Warns Citizens to Avoid Riots in France

Firefighters stand as they extinguish burning vehicles during clashes between protesters and police, after the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer during a traffic stop, in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, on June 28, 2023. (Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters)

The UK government has issued a travel warning as riots in France spread for a fourth night over the police shooting of a 17-year-old driver.

It comes after the U.S. embassy in Paris issued similar warnings urging citizens to exercise caution.

Widespread riots in France were triggered on Tuesday after a traffic police officer fatally shot Nahel M., a teenager of Algerian descent, at point blank when the teen tried to drive away.

A protest in Nanterre, where the boy lived and was shot, quickly escalated to nationwide rioting in cities including Paris, Roubaix, Marseille, Lyon, and Strasbourg. Some 2,000 arrests were made.

In guidance published on Friday, British nationals were warned to monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, and follow advice from local authorities.

Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings, and parked cars have been targeted, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) said.

There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. Some local authorities may impose curfews. Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable.

Travellers were advised to check the latest advice when travelling.

The FCDO also urged nationals to exercise caution on Saturday if they plan to attend demonstrations against the Iranian regime as one of the organisers rallies in 2018 has been the target of an attempted bomb attack.

According to the FCDO, French authorities have banned the rally in Paris over security concerns, but demonstrations in other cities are reportedly set to go ahead.

British nationals should reconsider any plans to attend such meetings, and if you do, be aware of your surroundings at all times, and move away quickly from disturbances, the FCDO said.

Around 17 million British nationals visit France every year, according to the FCDO.

Almost 1,000 Arrests Overnight

Some 45,000 police officers and armoured vehicles were deployed on Friday night to quell the unrest.

Early Saturday, firefighters in Nanterre extinguished blazes set by protesters that left scorched remains of cars strewn across the streets. In the neighboring suburb Colombes, protesters overturned garbage bins and used them for makeshift barricades.

Looters during the evening broke into a gun shop and made off with weapons in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police said. Officers in Marseille arrested nearly 90 people as groups of protesters lit cars on fire and broke store windows to take what was inside.

Buildings and businesses were also vandalized in the eastern city of Lyon, where a third of the roughly 30 arrests made were for theft, police said. Authorities reported fires in the streets after an unauthorized protest drew more than 1,000 people earlier Friday evening.

Firefighters work to extinguish a burning container as unrest continues following the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer in Nanterre during a traffic stop, in Paris, on July 1, 2023. (Juan Medina/Reuters)

According to the Interior Ministry, 1,311 arrests were made on Friday night and 79 police officers and gendarmes were injured. Some 915 arrests were made Thursday night and 150 were made on Wednesday.

While the number of overnight arrests was the highest yet, there were fewer fires, cars burned, and police stations attacked around France than the previous night, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin claimed the violence was of much less intensity.

Burial

Nahels funeral is due to be held on Saturday morning. The family has asked journalists not to attend.

The officer who shot was charged with voluntary manslaughter on Thursday.

According to prosecutor Pascal Prache, traffic police tried to pull Nahel over after they saw a Mercedes driving in a bus lane on Tuesday morning but Nahel ignored sirens and lights and committed several traffic offences, endangering the lives of a pedestrian and a cyclist.

He said the officers later pointed their guns at Nahel, who got stuck in a traffic jam and ordered him to turn off the engine. When the teen disobeyed and tried to drive off, one officer shot him.

The prosecutor said Nahel was previously known to police for previous incidents of failure to comply with traffic stops. The teen was otherwise not known to have a criminal record.

Tuesdays killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023, down from a record 13 last year.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
UN Reports Massive Humanitarian Crisis in Burma, Militarys Restriction to Aid Access

UN says Burmas military rulers have been instilling a climate of fear to subjugate civilians.

This photo taken on February 14, 2022 shows Myanmar refugee children, who fled a surge in violence as the military cracks down on rebel groups, cooking at a camp in Nawphewlawl near the Myanmar-Thailand border in Kayin state. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations released a report on June 30 revealing a massive humanitarian crisis in Burma, also known as Myanmar, where more than 17.6 million people need humanitarian aid.

The report, published by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), states that the military has been suppressing civil society with all means at their disposal and depriving civilians of humanitarian aid since the military coup in February 2021.

According to the report, the junta has established an all-encompassing system of control on civilians, and that urgent steps are needed to protect the fundamental rights of the people.

In the context of armed conflicts, intentional obstruction or denial of humanitarian assistance may further constitute war crimes such as willful killing, torture and other degrading treatment, starvation, and collective punishment, it stated.

The military regime ousted an elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, sparking protests and clashes between the army and ethnic minority insurgents in Burma.

At least 3,452 people have died at the hands of the military and its affiliates as of April this year, and over 1.5 million people were internally displaced, according to the report. About 21,807 people were arrested, of which 154 face death sentences.

Climate of Fear

James Rodehaver, chief of OHCHRs Burma team, said the junta had created a climate of fear to subjugate civilians by using heavy weaponry on civilian areas, launching airstrikes, torching villages, and using landmines to prevent those forced to flee from returning home.

In this photo, provided by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), smoke and flames billow from vehicles in Hpruso township, Kayah state, Myanmar, on Dec. 24, 2021. (KNDF via AP)

Another thing that they have done regularly has been to burn food stores, crops, and seed stores, to destroy medical facilities, and to target medical workers, Rodehaver said in a statement.

Tom Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on Burma, revealed in a May report that the junta procured weapons and equipment from companies operating in Russia, China, Singapore, Thailand, and India.

Russia supplied the Yak-130 aircraft that dropped the bombs and has supplied Mi-35 helicopters that were used to gun down civilians, the report states.

These arms transfers were made with actual knowledge of the Myanmar militarys unlawful activity, given that they occurred amid the widely reported bombing of civilian populations in Burma, the report states.

Attacks Against Aid Workers

Meanwhile, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that aid workers are consistently exposed to risks of arrest, harassment, or even death. Ambulances and medical facilities were also attacked.

The OHCHR estimated that between 13 to 40 aid providers had been killed in military attacks in Burma.

This photo taken on Feb. 14, 2022, shows Burmese refugee children who fled a surge in violence as the military cracks down on rebel groups, looking on at a camp in Nawphewlawl near the Burma-Thailand border in Kayin state. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

In November 2021, the military raided a clinic in Kayah State, arresting four doctors, 13 nurses, and one volunteer while also confiscating medical supplies and food rations.

The military has operated as if those providing aid are helping those opposed to their rule, rather than respecting their need for protection and facilitating their access and assistance to the civilian population in a time of crisis, Shamdasani said.

The report also claims that the military would strictly restrict and control the ability of humanitarian workers to distribute aid after allowing them to enter the country.

Delays and denial of visas have become a tool for the military to decide the time, locations, and functions of those entering the country, the report reads.

Once in the country, travel authorizations are required for movements of international staff and distribution of humanitarian assistance. For both visas and travel authorizations, valid organizational registration is required, it added.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on May 8 that a convoy comprising officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was attacked in a shootout while delivering humanitarian aid to Burma. Widodo did not provide further details regarding the attack.
US Lawmakers Divided Over Supreme Courts 2 Major Rulings

The conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court has been busy in the final days before its summer break, and the decisions it handed down this week have heartened and made Congressional Republicans mostly happy and left their colleagues on the other side of the aisle mostly unhappy and in many cases angry.

Following the courts historic decisions on June 29, upending a half-century in which it was legal for colleges and universities to factor in race when making admissions decisions, the court issued findings the following day on two cases, both of which have fervent cultural and political constituencies at odds with and divided against each other.

Both the rulings issued on June 30 were along strict ideological lines, with each a 6-3 tally.

Conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas formed the majority; Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor constituted the minority.

The court struck down President Joe Bidens program, which he announced last August, and which had been stalled by challenges in lower courts, to forgive student loan debt.

It also ruled that a Colorado graphic designer, who is an evangelical Christian, could legally refuse to create a website for a same-sex wedding.

No Loan Relief

If the Biden loan-relief proposal had become law, an individual borrower making $125,000 annually or less was eligible for up to $10,000 of the debt cancelled; but individual borrowers who made up to $125,000 a year or less and who also took out a Pell Grant could have seen $20,000 in relief. Families could qualify for debt forgiveness if they made $250,000 a year or less.

As many as 40 million borrowers could have found relief under the plan, with the cost to taxpayers figured at about $400 billion.

President Bidens student loan giveaway is ruled UNLAWFUL. The 87% of Americans without student loans are no longer forced to pay for the 13% who do, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) tweeted. This builds on the Fiscal Responsibility Acts end to the payment pause. The President must follow the law.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to the press at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 28, 2023. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

New York left-wing congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who caucuses with the Democrats, didnt like the Supreme Court decision, but she also doesnt think the fight is over on the issue, and the Biden administration has other options to cancel student debt.

AOC tweeted: It is very important to note this SCOTUS ruling does NOT remove Bidens ability to pursue student loan forgiveness. The Biden Admin can use the HEA (Higher Ed Act)  our position from the start  to continue loan forgiveness before payments resume. They should do so ASAP.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters after attending a House Democrat caucus meeting with White House debt negotiators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 31, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky found favor with the ruling.

The President of the United States cannot hijack twenty-year-old emergency powers to pad the pockets of his high-earning base and make suckers out of working families who choose not to take on student debt, said McConnell in a release his office issued.

The Courts decision today deals a heavy blow to Democrats distorted and outsized view of executive power.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to the press after meeting President Joe Biden and other leaders at the White House in Washington on May 16, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Website Designer Ruling

The majority ruled that the First Amendment prohibited Colorados Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian, and her website design business, 303 Creative, from being forced to design a site for a same-sex wedding.

The decision holds consequences for anti-discrimination laws across the nation and also answers a question as to whether the government can compel artists to create and develop messages and forms of expression that are contrary to their religious beliefs.

Members of the LGBT community, and their advocates, take particular exception to, and find particularly worrisome, the courts decision; for, even though the practice of religion has fallen precipitously in the country, there is still a solid sector in America that follow and adhere to religious beliefs that do not support lifestyles within the LGBT population.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) speaks at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Dec. 8, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)the first openly lesbian to serve in the U.S. Senatehad problems with the SCOTUS decision.

This is about fairness and freedomabout whether LGBTQ+ Americans deserve fairness and freedom to be treated just like everyone else, said Baldwin in a statement.

It is simply wrong to discriminate against any American based on who they are or who they love, and Americans agree. This decision is a step backward in our fight to live up to our nations ideal of equality, but we cannot let this activist Supreme Court have the last word. I am more committed than ever to fighting to ensure every American can live freely and without discrimination.

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a member of the Republican House Freedom Caucus, celebrated the Supreme Court ruling, tweeting: Today is a HUGE Victory for religious liberty. Glad to see the Supreme Court make the right call here.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) speaks during a news conference with the House Freedom Caucus on the debt limit negotiations at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on March 10, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Homeowners have recently seen property taxes become higher than ever. The surge in the cost of owning property started with the arrival of COVID and continues to rise. Many people wonder why and want some tax relief.

Some homes have had their property taxes increase more than 37 percent since 2020. CBSNews reports that the sudden increase is because the value of real estate skyrocketed at about the same time. The average home in the United States rose to $344,000.

The higher property assessment is impacting homeowners, causing some to struggle to meet the higher tax payments. Potential homebuyers may think twice about buying their dream home and now have to settle for something smallerand higher mortgage rates are not helping, either.

Cities and counties provide property evaluations at different times. While some evaluate properties yearly, some areas may only reevaluate them once every few years. In areas where it occurs less frequently, homeowners are apt to get a bigger sticker shock. More expensive areas in the same city may also have different percentage tax increases than other areas.

School Taxes Largely Responsible for Higher Property Taxes

In most communities, property taxes are how school budgets get their money. As the cost of teachers salaries, new schools, and materials for students grows, real estate taxes will continue to rise. New schools also tend to make a community more attractive for new homebuyers, which can lead to competitive bidding on homes, leading to higher home values.

Situations That Can Lead to a Higher Assessed Value

Besides building new schools and hiring more teachers, some other things can raise the value of your home and lead to higher local property taxes. They include:

Home Renovations

Improving the way your home looks, or adding a room to it in a basement or attic, will raise the value of your home. Realtor says that the improvement could lead to a reassessment automatically, which will likely increase your taxes.

Periodic Revaluations

Cities and counties will reevaluate properties in their jurisdictions. It may be annually or periodically. Even if they do not physically visit your home, they can review building permits submitted to learn about any improvements you made.

A tax assessor will also consider home sales in your area to determine if homes are selling for more than they are valued. If so, you can expect your home to be worth morewhich could mean higher taxes.

Natural Disasters

If your area had a major weather event, the federal government may help foot the bill for repairs or rebuilding. Oftentimes, Rate says, local governments may be responsible to cover the cost involved. When that happens, you can expect property taxes to pay the bill.

Local Budget Increases

Creating new building projects in a community will also raise property taxes. Paying for pay raises to the police, fire department, local government officials, etc., will also lead to more taxes. So will new public projects such as museums, new courthouses, jails, new fire engines, etc.

Some States Limit Possible Property Tax Hikes

Depending on where you live, your property tax bill may only see small increases yearly. They have a cap on how much taxes can increase annually. If you live in one of these states, however, it does not mean that your taxes will not continue to rise year after year. When a higher tax increase becomes necessary in those places, the community can vote on it.

States With Lowest Property Tax

Although people enjoy finding a state without any property tax, they cannot find any in the United States. Property taxes fund many public services, including police and fire departments, parks, streets, sanitation, social services, libraries, etc.

In 2022, NAR.Realtor lists five states with the lowest property tax rates: Hawaii (the lowest), Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, and Tennessee.

States Where Seniors, Veterans, and the Disabled Pay No Property Taxes

A couple of states allow some groups of people to avoid property taxes. They include seniors over 65, veterans, and those who are disabled. According to PropertyClub, every state gives special exemptions to veterans disabled because of their military service.

Six states enable seniors to avoid paying any property taxes: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Two of those states (Alabama and Florida) enable seniors over 65 to pay no property taxes at all. Mississippi exempts the first $75,000 of your homes value from taxes, and Alaska exempts the first $150,000 of the value. Georgia offers exemptions to retirees over 65 to people in low-income housing. South Dakota gives retirees the opportunity to delay property taxes until the house is sold.

States With the Highest Property Taxes

If you are thinking of buying a home in another state and moving there, you may want to consider the cost of property taxes first. New Jersey is the highest, with average property taxes for a single-family home of $9,527, followed by Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, and Nebraska. A chart at NAR.Realtor reveals that the average highest property taxes in cities are in New York, New York ($9,091), followed by the Californian cities of San Jose ($8,858) and San Francisco ($7,335). The city with the lowest property taxes is Birmingham, Alabama ($995), followed by New Orleans, Louisiana ($1,506), and Memphis, Tennessee ($1,672).

Appeal the Assessment

When you disagree with the assessed value of your home, you can appeal the tax bill. If you do so, you need to file the appeal, which will cost a small fee, and hire a lawyer. You should pay the bill while waiting to avoid late chargesor worse. An appeal does not necessarily mean a lower tax bill.

Property taxes are a part of life when you own a home. Taxes are likely to increase as long as real estate values remain high, but you may be able to keep your tax bill lower by avoiding remodeling and curb appeal projects.

The Epoch Times Copyright  2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
Current downturn in ties created by China, not India





KOLKATA,

EXTERNAL Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday said that the present downturn in bilateral relations was created by China and not by India, maintaining that it takes two hands to clap for a relationship to work. The minister was speaking during a question-answer session after delivering the Shyama Prasad Lecture on New India and the World here. It finally takes two hands to clap and China too must have the belief in a workable relationship, he said when asked whether the two Asian giants can have a working relationship.

If there has to be a decent working relationship, China needs to observe the agreements made in 1993 and 1996 on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Jaishankar said. The minister said that for India, the priority should be on improving the lives of its people, like stronger growth and more jobs. When any big power is rising, that big power actually wants stability, he said. Jaishankar said that relationships between major countries work only when they are based on mutual interest, sensitivity and respect.

Stating that he endeavours to make China understand this, the External Affairs Minister said he is working hard at this.

In the border areas, we have resolved some issues. (But) there are issues (where) we have not, he said, adding: I will continue to do this. In diplomacy, you never give up. Maintaining that Indias relationship with Russia has stood the test of time, Jaishankar said that relations between the two countries have been the steadiest over the last 75 years.

He said that one of the reasons for that is there is a public sentiment in our country about Russia and it derives from a number of reasons, including the support they gave on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Certain foreign nationals will find it harder to purchase a home or land in Florida after a new state law went into effect this month, a move that experts worry could set a discriminatory precedent.

The bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May bans citizens from Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Russia, China, North Korea and Syria from purchasing agricultural land in the state. It would also restrict foreigners from those countries from buying real estate within 20 miles of airports, US military installations, or other so-called "critical" infrastructure facilities.

Chinese citizens who buy land in restricted zones would face the harshest penalties versus other groups.

The law threatens to violate the Constitution and the Fair Housing Act, civil liberty and real estate experts said, the latter of which protects homebuyers from being discriminated against based on race or national origin. There are also many unknowns surrounding its implementation.

The law is "too broad," Luis Padilla, CEO of Oceanside Realty & Investment Inc./ Padilla Team in Florida, told Yahoo Finance.

"In my opinion it's more of a political statement versus a real estate play. To say citizens from certain countries cant purchase within 20 miles of an airport, I think its a little bit beyond the real estate practitioner's pay grade to really be playing national security agents," Padilla added. "As a realtor, I think its a law that hurts and borders on redlining citizens just because of their ethnicity or citizenship. If I have to be on one side, Im not for it."

A house for sale in Coral Gables, Fla. (Credit: Alan Diaz, AP Photo)

Chinese immigrants sue

A real estate brokerage that primarily serves clients of Chinese descent, as well as a group of Chinese citizens who reside in Florida, are filing a lawsuit against the new property law.

The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, DeHeng Law Offices PC, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, in coordination with the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance.

According to the ACLU, the new law "recalls similar efforts over the past century to weaponize false claims of national security" against Asian immigrants and other marginalized communities. Advocates further noted that politicians across the US used similar tactics to pass "alien land laws" in the early 1900s, which barred Chinese and Japanese immigrants from becoming landowners.

The policies worsened violence and discrimination against Asian communities in the US, the ACLU wrote in a statement. These laws have since been repealed by state legislatures because they violated the Constitution's equal protection guarantees.

According to DeSantis, however, this new law continues his commitment to "crack down on Communist China" as he says it poses a "great geopolitical threat."

Commissioner Wilton Simpson added that the new law  which would ban certain foreign nationals from purchasing agricultural land  would "ensure Floridians have access to safe, affordable, and abundant food supply."

In Florida, foreign citizens own 6.3% of all private agricultural land, according to an analysis of the bill. Floridas House of Representatives also noted the bill would have a significant impact on property ownership because it would allow the state to "seize and sell illegally-owned property."

The law would "codify and expand housing discrimination against people of Asian descent in violation of the Constitution and the Fair Housing Act," ACLU of Florida said in a news release. "It will also cast an undue burden of suspicion on anyone seeking to buy property whose name sounds remotely Asian, Russian, Iranian, Cuban, Venezuelan, or Syrian."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (Credit: Charlie Neibergall, AP Photo)

Major loss from investors

The law could also slow real estate investment in the state.

Chinese investors bought $6.1 billion worth of real estate property in the US between April 2021 and April 2022, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). And overall, Florida was the top destination for foreign buyers, accounting for 24% of all international purchases, NAR found.

Other top destinations for foreign buyers included California, Texas, Arizona, New York, and North Carolina, the analysis revealed.

Under the law, which went into effect July 1, those who purchased or are looking to purchase in certain zones could face severe penalties or fines. According to the bill, Chinese people who purchase property in restricted areas could face felony charges, whereas those from other nations could face a misdemeanor penalty for buyers and sellers.

Those who already own property in restricted areas also must register with the state or face fines of up to $1,000 per day. If owners dont comply, their property or land could be seized, lawmakers said.

"The new law (SB 264) still has elements of it that have yet to be determined," Marla Martin, senior media relations and communications manager for Florida Realtors, told Yahoo Finance. "The Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), and the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) are required to implement specific portions of the bill."

For instance, FREC is charged with creating an affidavit the buyer must sign that says the buyer complies with the requirements of the new law. But FRECs affidavit isn't ready yet, Florida Realtors said.

"Until FREC creates an affidavit for statewide use, buyers should expect to sign an affidavit provided by their closing agent," the group said.

Also not available is an easy way to determine if a property is subject to the law. There is no official list or map of military installations or other way to figure out if a property is near critical infrastructure, Florida Realtors said.

"So much is still unknown currently," Marin said, "any comments would be speculative."

Gabriella Cruz-Martinez is a personal finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @__gabriellacruz.

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Delhi moves SC over Centres ordinance, seeks interim stay





NEW DELHI,

THE Delhi Government on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the ordinance on control of services, saying it is an unconstitutional exercise of executive fiat that attempts to override the top court and the basic structure of the Constitution. Besides quashing of the ordinance, the Delhi Government has also sought an interim stay on it. The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government has been calling it a deception with the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

The ordinance, which came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected Government, seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre. Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi Government were under the executive control of the LG before the May 11 top court verdict. In its plea filed through advocate Shadan Farasat, the Delhi Government has said that the ordinance, which came days after the apex court verdict, is a plain attempt to override the top court and the basic structure of the Constitution itself vide executive fiat. Seeking quashing of the ordinance, the plea alleged that it is an unconstitutional exercise of executive fiat that violates the scheme of federal, democratic governance entrenched for the NCTD in Article 239AA and is manifestly arbitrary.

Article 239AA of the Constitution is a sui generis provision in that it constitutionally entrenches for NCTD a Westminster-style democracy, to fulfill the popular, regional, and democratic aspirations of the people of Delhi.

The impugned ordinance directly violates this scheme of federal, democratic governance incorporated in Article 239AA and, specifically, the principle of collective responsibility incorporated in Article 239AA(6), it said. The plea said the ordinance completely sidelines the elected Government, that is, the GNCTD, from control over its civil service. The plea said, the ordinance, by seizing control over civil servants posted in the GNCTD and vesting it in the hands of the Unions nominee, in effect attempts to hand over the administration of the GNCTD to the Union of India.
Enthusiasm in air as schools reopen





Staff Reporter

After about a month-and-a-half of fun during the summer vacation, students stepped in their classes with huge enthusiasm as schools in Nagpur district reopened on Friday. Maharashtra Government, in April, had announced that the schools in Vidarbha would reopen after June 30 for the academic session 2023-24. In other parts of the State, schools reopened on June 15. The extension to the summer vacation was allowed by the Government for Vidarbha schools because of high temperature in the region. Usually, except during coronavirus pandemic, schools across Vidarbha reopen by June 27 every year. This year, the Government extended the date of reopening of the schools only for Vidarbha region due to harsh summer.

Chirping has resumed in city schools on Friday. At some schools, symbolic cartoon characters welcomed the students while at some of the schools, the children were greeted with yummy treat and roses of the first day of the new academic session. The kids, who took tender steps in the pre-primary class for the first time couldnt stop crying while their parents bid good bye. Schools in the city conducted two sessions in the morning and afternoon. Therefore, parents rushed to drop their children on the first day. School vans, vehicles of parents who came to drop children showed a picture of traffic congestion in school premises. Students were happy to meet friends and teachers after a long time. After meeting friends, before the school bell rang, running games were also played in the school premises. Every year, when school starts, it starts raining. This year the rains came late, but a week ago, the monsoon entered in city. As it was raining on Friday, students brought umbrellas and raincoats with them to schools.
IRRESPONSIBLE!!





THERE cannot be a bigger truth than the angry statement made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to slam the stubborn attitude of Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The BJP spokesperson Mr. Sambit Patra nailed it perfectly when he said, Rahul and responsibility never go together as the party castigated Mr. Gandhi for his ill-advised visit to Manipur. The ethnic strife-torn North-Eastern State is again on the boil and Mr. Gandhis visit to the relief camps in Churachandpur only poured more fuel in the fire. It was one political drama that could have gone horribly wrong for Mr. Gandhi but he seemed hell-bent on showing his irresponsible trait for the sake of a few eyeballs. The pathetic behaviour of refusing to adhere to security procedures and keeping the entire machinery on tenterhooks does not suit a leader who once helmed the Grand Old Party of India.

Then again, Mr. Gandhi shied away from the responsibility of leading the Congress in an abrupt decision which again corroborates the BJPs scathing observation about Mr. Gandhis penchant. The Manipur visit by the former Member of Parliament was ill-timed to say the least and was arranged with an aim to derive political mileage, if any. It was a big security risk and the government promptly flagged the plans by Mr. Gandhi to take a road trip to the relief camps in Churachandpur. Mr. Gandhi was also advised to take a helicopter as his road trip was opposed by various quarters. It was in no way a denial of chance to meet the victims of the ethnic violence that has gripped Manipur. Yet, Mr. Gandhi used the serious issue to make out a political drama for the sake of cornering the government. It was an abhorrent attempt by the Congress leader to use a crisis for petty personal gains. The latest episode is in line with the series of missteps Mr. Gandhi has taken in his political career. Almost every attempt bore a stamp of irresponsibility and arrogance, something that goes against the basic culture of a public representative. Be it the tearing of an important ordinance brought by his own government or the wild allegations on a deal for fighter jets, Mr. Gandhi was always off the cliff without thinking about consequences of his actions.

On almost every occasion, the former Congress President faced huge embarrassment yet he refuses to learn from the mistakes. The ordinance he tore apart to show then Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh in poor light has come back to haunt him as it was instrumental in his removal as the Member of Parliament in a defamation case. Despite making allegations of corruption in the Rafale fighter jets purchase from France by the Government of India, Mr. Gandhi could not prove it and had to tender an apology in the Supreme Court for slandering Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. He had also flirted with a serious legal trouble when he paid a visit to a rape victim and later made her name public. It is punishable as per the legal provisions. The list is long and is likely to stretch further given the reckless behaviour Mr Gandhi indulges in for saving his political career. One wonders whether Mr. Gandhi was deliberately advised to lock horns with the security machinery and the government to create sensation out of his Manipur visit. If it was the case, then Mr. Gandhi is better advised to look into his own house for those who are wishing ill for their former party chief. For, Congress does not have a great legacy to boast about in the North-Eastern States when it was in power at the Centre. It had left many serious issues hanging by fire which are now snowballing into larger conflicts. Being a prime Opposition party, it is Congress duty to help defuse the ethnic tensions in Manipur. But Mr. Gandhi is perhaps driven by a totally different agenda.
LCA Tejas and its future variants will form mainstay of IAF: Govt





NEW DELHI,

THE Indian Air Force is expected to get deliveries of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas MK-1A from February next year, and the new variant of the indigenously-built jet will be capable of firing a plethora of weapons, including beyond visual range missiles, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday. As the jet completes seven years in service in the IAF, the Ministry said the aircraft and its future variants will form the mainstay of the Indian Air Force (IAF). In February 2021, the Ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.

Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. Egypt, Argentina, the US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are among the countries showing keen interest in procuring Tejas aircraft. On Saturday, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will complete seven years of service in the IAF. The confidence that the IAF reposes in the Tejas is borne by its order for 83 LCA MK-1A, the Ministry said.

The Ministry said the LCA MK-1A will have updated avionics as well as an active electronically steered radar, updated electronic warfare suite and a beyond visual range missile capability.
MIDC issues fresh bills for watercharges excluding GST component





Business Bureau

Bowing down to the demand of the industrial category consumers based in MIDC areas across the State, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporations (MIDC) issued fresh demand notes for water charges without adding the component of GST to it. Opposing the MIDCs move to recover pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) from the consumers, the plot owners in various MIDC areas have announced that they would not pay the charges along with the pending tax. In an attempt to recover the tax, MIDC had issued a demand note for water charges along with the pending tax amount from July 2017. It was looking forward to recovering the GST from the consumers right from July 1, 2017, the day when the new tax regime was introduced.

It is worth mentioning here that MIDC has been failing to collect the GST charges on its services being offered to the industrial units. The water charges, fire charges, drainage charges and even the transfer of MIDC plots attract GST. But, for reasons best known to the MIDC officials, it did not collect the tax from the consumers. But then all of sudden, the MIDC officials had woken up and abruptly decided to make consumers pay it along with interest and penalty.

Commenting on the issue, President of Butibori Manufacturers Association Nitin Lonkar said the consumers received some relief. But it is not a permanent solution. We want the MIDC to roll back the move of collecting pending tax. How can MIDC ask the consumers to pay the GST after so long. The Government should intervene and abolish it, he said. Lonkar also said that a delegation of office-bearers of various bodies of the entrepreneurs across the State will soon meet the Maharashtra Minister of Industries Uday Samant and urge him to look into the matter. Depending on the size of the units, the consumers had received bills with additional amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Opposing the recovery drive, the consumers said that the consumers were not at fault and thus should not be forced to pay the tax.
Radhakrishnan B for US





Staff Reporter

Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Radhakrishnan B relinquished his chair at Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Friday. He is proceeding on study leave to USA as Central Government has cleared application for high studies in Harvard University. Radhakrishnan is going to be part of Mason programme that runs for nearly a year.

District Collector Dr Vipin Itankar has been asked to take additional charge of NMC by the State Government. The name of Radhakrishnan's successor is yet to be finalised and within next few days Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to take a call. He is on a days visit to city on Saturday, and local party leaders are likely to hold confabulations with him on the next Municipal Commissioner and Administrator.

Radhakrishnan had a tenure of about two and half years and during that, he oversaw the tough Covid-19 period. He came to NMC when the administration and political wing were at loggerheads over Covid-19 strategy. The Municipal Commissioner was also one of the key player in handling arrangement for C-20 Inception Meet held in city during March. During his two and half years tenure, Radhakrishnan tried to streamline the implementation of development projects. He tried to balance the expectations of citizens vis-a-vis launching big ticket projects.
Yogi hands over to beneficiaries flats built on land confiscated from Atiq Ahmed





PRAYAGRAJ(UP),

UTTAR Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath handed over keys on Friday to the beneficiaries of 76 affordable housing units constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) on the land reclaimed from the possession of slain gangster Atiq Ahmed in Prayagraj.

CM Yogi Adityanath interacted with children at the site of the flats that have been handed over to the beneficiaries. He also inspected the flats for the poor. A beneficiary told ANI that It feels great. I could never have imagined that I will get my own house. Now nobody will tell me to leave from here... Beneficiaries will get a flat built on 41 square metres for only Rs 3.5 lakh. Officials said that a flat with two rooms, a kitchen, and toilet facilities costs Rs 6 lakh.

As many as 76 flats built for the poor, on land confiscated from slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in Uttar Pradeshs Prayagraj were allotted through a lottery on June 9.

The lottery was drawn for allotment in the auditorium of Allahabad Medical Association. After verification of 6,030 applicants, 1,590 were found eligible to participate in the lottery, Arvind Kumar Chauhan Vice Chairman of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) said. CM Yogi had on December 26, 2021, laid the foundation stone for this affordable housing project.
Key Insights

Significantly high institutional ownership implies Archer-Daniels-Midland's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions

51% of the business is held by the top 11 shareholders

Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

Every investor in Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 81% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And last week, institutional investors ended up benefitting the most after the company hit US$41b in market cap. The one-year return on investment is currently 0.9% and last week's gain would have been more than welcomed.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Archer-Daniels-Midland.

View our latest analysis for Archer-Daniels-Midland

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Archer-Daniels-Midland?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland. 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Archer-Daniels-Midland's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Archer-Daniels-Midland. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 11% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 8.8% and 8.6%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 11 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. 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 Archer-Daniels-Midland

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.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own US$249m of stock. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 18% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Archer-Daniels-Midland. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Archer-Daniels-Midland better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Archer-Daniels-Midland that you should be aware of.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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500.com reiterated their reiterates rating on shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. (NYSE:MYTE  Free Report) in a report published on Monday, Benzinga reports.

MYTE has been the subject of several other reports. Societe Generale downgraded shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $7.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. TD Cowen cut shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $7.00 in a report on Thursday, March 16th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. from $14.00 to $8.00 in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. from $9.00 to $6.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $9.80.

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MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. Trading Up 8.7 %

Shares of MYTE stock traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $4.00. The company had a trading volume of 457,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,239. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 0.45. MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. has a 1-year low of $3.47 and a 1-year high of $15.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $4.17 and a 200 day moving average of $7.20. The firm has a market cap of $339.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.44 and a beta of 1.05.

Institutional Trading of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V.

MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. ( NYSE:MYTE Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $213.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $236.00 million. MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. had a positive return on equity of 5.34% and a negative net margin of 1.05%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sylebra Capital Ltd increased its holdings in shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Sylebra Capital Ltd now owns 3,907,220 shares of the companys stock worth $27,468,000 after buying an additional 18,412 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Global Asset Management LLC now owns 95,000 shares of the companys stock worth $668,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. in the 1st quarter worth $746,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. in the 1st quarter worth $928,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. in the 1st quarter worth $137,000. 15.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About MYT Netherlands Parent B.V.

(Free Report)

MYT Netherlands Parent B.V., through its subsidiary, Mytheresa Group GmbH, operates a luxury e-commerce platform for fashion consumers in Germany, the United States, rest of Europe, and internationally. It offers womenswear, menswear, kids wear, and lifestyle products. The company sells clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, and fine jewelry through online and retail stores.

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Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its stake in shares of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,773 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 2,981 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoises holdings in Accenture were worth $7,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 40.7% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 64,893 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $17,316,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at $263,000. Aspen Grove Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at $1,437,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 15,006 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $4,004,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at $221,000. 73.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $308.58. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,668,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,857,030. The stock has a market cap of $194.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture plc has a one year low of $242.80 and a one year high of $327.93. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $293.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $280.76.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 22nd. The information technology services provider reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $16.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.49 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 30.47%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.79 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture plc will post 11.59 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Accentures dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.06, for a total value of $1,750,375.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 174,084 shares in the company, valued at $48,753,965.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 1,344 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $403,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 10,506 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,151,800. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jean-Marc Ollagnier sold 6,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.06, for a total transaction of $1,750,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 174,084 shares of the companys stock, valued at $48,753,965.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,354 shares of company stock worth $4,583,230 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACN. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Edward Jones upgraded shares of Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $310.00 to $343.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $306.00 to $358.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $326.89.

Accenture Company Profile

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, interactive, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management, intelligent automation comprises robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents, and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprises turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

Further Reading

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Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT  Free Report) by 7.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,612 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,961 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoises holdings in Trane Technologies were worth $5,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Trane Technologies by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,490,139 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,677,558,000 after acquiring an additional 61,456 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Trane Technologies by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,366,040 shares of the companys stock valued at $777,057,000 after acquiring an additional 1,745,741 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Trane Technologies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,685,369 shares of the companys stock valued at $786,124,000 after acquiring an additional 115,545 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Trane Technologies by 56.5% during the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,790,429 shares of the companys stock valued at $549,178,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368,481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Trane Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $526,026,000. 81.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on TT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $200.00 to $192.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Trane Technologies in a research report on Monday, March 27th. They issued a market perform rating on the stock. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of Trane Technologies in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, 92 Resources restated a maintains rating on shares of Trane Technologies in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $182.58.

Trane Technologies Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of TT traded up $1.27 on Friday, hitting $191.26. The companys stock had a trading volume of 997,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,152,465. Trane Technologies plc has a fifty-two week low of $125.26 and a fifty-two week high of $196.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firms fifty day moving average price is $178.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $178.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.99.

Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.08. Trane Technologies had a return on equity of 30.11% and a net margin of 11.06%. The company had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Trane Technologies plc will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Trane Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. Trane Technologiess payout ratio is 38.86%.

About Trane Technologies

(Free Report)

Trane Technologies plc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services of solutions for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, custom, and custom and transport refrigeration in Ireland and internationally. It offers air conditioners, exchangers, and handlers; airside and terminal devices; air sourced heat pumps, auxiliary power units; chillers; coils and condensers; gensets; dehumidifiers; ductless; furnaces; home automation products; humidifiers; indoor air quality assessments and related products; large and light commercial unitary products; refrigerant reclamation products; thermostats/controls; transport heater products; variable refrigerant flow products; and water source heat pumps.

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Baru Gold Corp. (EAS.V) (CVE:EAS  Free Report) shares fell 3.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as C$0.15 and last traded at C$0.16. 136,956 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 345,802 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.16.

Baru Gold Corp. (EAS.V) Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$0.16 and a 200-day moving average of C$0.16. The firm has a market cap of C$22.97 million and a P/E ratio of -15.50.

About Baru Gold Corp. (EAS.V)

(Free Report)

East Asia Minerals Corporation engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Indonesia. It holds 70% interest in Sangihe gold-copper project, which is located on the island of Sangihe covering an area of 42,000 hectares; and the Miwah gold project that consists of three contiguous exploration mining business permits covering 30,000 hectares located southeast of Banda Aceh in Aceh Province.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUJ  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,000 shares, a growth of 160.0% from the May 31st total of 5,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 97,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. FMR LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 157.2% during the 4th quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,837 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund during the 1st quarter valued at $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.47% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MUJ traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $11.17. The stock had a trading volume of 56,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 86,899. BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund has a 12-month low of $10.62 and a 12-month high of $13.69. The companys 50 day moving average is $11.11 and its 200-day moving average is $11.29.

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Dividend Announcement

About BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a $0.0375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%.

(Free Report)

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of United States. The fund invests primarily in long-term, investment grade municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and New Jersey personal income taxes.

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The main aim of stock picking is to find the market-beating stocks. But in any portfolio, there will be mixed results between individual stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Personal Group Holdings Plc (LON:PGH), since the last five years saw the share price fall 57%. On top of that, the share price is down 5.5% in the last week.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

View our latest analysis for Personal Group Holdings

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Over five years Personal Group Holdings' earnings per share dropped significantly, falling to a loss, with the share price also lower. This was, in part, due to extraordinary items impacting earnings. At present it's hard to make valid comparisons between EPS and the share price. But we would generally expect a lower price, given the situation.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Personal Group Holdings the TSR over the last 5 years was -46%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

Investors in Personal Group Holdings had a tough year, with a total loss of 20% (including dividends), against a market gain of about 4.7%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 8% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Personal Group Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Personal Group Holdings (at least 2 which are significant) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But note: Personal Group Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

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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Blossom Wealth Management raised its holdings in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF  Free Report) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,960 shares of the insurance providers stock after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Blossom Wealth Managements holdings in First American Financial were worth $332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in First American Financial by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,282 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in First American Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 29,393 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,538,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its position in First American Financial by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 14,198 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $743,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of First American Financial by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,725 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Republic Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 3.5% during the first quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,366 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.07% of the companys stock.

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First American Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $57.02 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.65 and a beta of 1.26. First American Financial Co. has a one year low of $43.54 and a one year high of $64.66.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

First American Financial ( NYSE:FAF Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The insurance provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 12.16%. As a group, research analysts forecast that First American Financial Co. will post 4.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 8th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 7th. First American Financials payout ratio is 104.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of First American Financial from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $68.40.

First American Financial Profile

(Free Report)

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Specialty Insurance segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services.

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Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL  Free Report)  Stock analysts at DA Davidson decreased their Q2 2023 earnings estimates for shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, June 27th. DA Davidson analyst G. Tenner now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $1.96 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.98. DA Davidson has a Buy rating and a $57.50 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Western Alliance Bancorporations current full-year earnings is $8.21 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Western Alliance Bancorporations FY2023 earnings at $8.16 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $8.64 EPS.

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A number of other research analysts also recently commented on WAL. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $46.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation from $62.00 to $53.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $57.50.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Price Performance

WAL opened at $36.47 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.16, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.37. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $7.46 and a twelve month high of $86.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $910.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $648.39 million. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a net margin of 28.75% and a return on equity of 21.73%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Alliance Bancorporation

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in Western Alliance Bancorporation by 400.7% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 696 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ellevest Inc. grew its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 3,163.0% in the 1st quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 881 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Motco acquired a new position in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 118.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 993 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.15% of the companys stock.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. Western Alliance Bancorporations payout ratio is 16.44%.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Company Profile

(Free Report)

Western Alliance Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for Western Alliance Bank that provides various banking products and related services primarily in Arizona, California, and Nevada. It operates through Commercial and Consumer Related segments. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as fixed-rate and fixed maturity certificates of deposit accounts; demand deposits; and treasury management and residential mortgage products and services.

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Canadian Utilities Limited (TSE:CU  Free Report)s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$37.00 and traded as low as C$33.86. Canadian Utilities shares last traded at C$34.45, with a volume of 230,473 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CU shares. CIBC boosted their target price on shares of Canadian Utilities from C$39.00 to C$40.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Veritas Investment Research upgraded shares of Canadian Utilities from a sell rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Canadian Utilities currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of C$40.07.

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Canadian Utilities Stock Down 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 143.66. The companys fifty day moving average is C$36.98 and its 200-day moving average is C$36.97. The company has a market cap of C$6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.60.

Canadian Utilities Dividend Announcement

Canadian Utilities ( TSE:CU Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported C$0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.78 by C$0.03. Canadian Utilities had a net margin of 17.13% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The company had revenue of C$1.13 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Canadian Utilities Limited will post 2.31469 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 4th were paid a dividend of $0.449 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.23%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 3rd. Canadian Utilitiess dividend payout ratio is presently 79.20%.

About Canadian Utilities

(Free Report)

Canadian Utilities Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electricity, natural gas, and retail energy businesses in the United States, Australia, and internationally. It operates through Utilities, Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate & Other segments. The Utilities segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in northern and central east Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; and integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia.

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Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its stake in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,258 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,813 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OKs holdings in Bank of America were worth $1,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 135,764 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,596,000 after buying an additional 2,013 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 150.3% during the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,985 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 405,098 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $16,698,000 after buying an additional 16,319 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $586,000. Finally, Pearl River Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $534,000. 67.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Bank of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAC opened at $28.69 on Friday. 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 Co. has a one year low of $26.32 and a one year high of $38.60. The companys fifty day moving average price is $28.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.62, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.37.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.11. Bank of America had a net margin of 21.85% and a return on equity of 11.72%. The company had revenue of $26.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Bank of America Co. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 1st. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 26.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on BAC shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Bank of America from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Bank of America from $36.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Bank of America from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Bank of America from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank of America presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.77.

Bank of America Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans.

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Capital Advisors Inc. OK purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,433 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $368,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SRE. Glassman Wealth Services increased its position in shares of Sempra by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 459 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its position in shares of Sempra by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 733 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,992 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pitcairn Co. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 1,476 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 84.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Sempra Stock Up 0.4 %

Sempra stock opened at $145.53 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.54. The firms 50 day moving average price is $148.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.53. Sempra has a twelve month low of $136.54 and a twelve month high of $176.47.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

Sempra ( NYSE:SRE Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.16. Sempra had a net margin of 14.47% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The firm had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.91 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 71.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Sempra will post 8.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.19 per share. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 3rd. Sempras dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. They issued a buy rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Sempra from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Sempra from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. 888 reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Sempra in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $168.63.

About Sempra

(Free Report)

Sempra operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Gas Company, Sempra Texas Utilities, and Sempra Infrastructure. The San Diego Gas & Electric Company segment provides to San Diego and southern Orange counties; and natural gas service to San Diego County.

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Capitec Bank Holdings Limited (OTCMKTS:CKHGY  Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,300 shares, a drop of 61.2% from the May 31st total of 21,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days.

Capitec Bank Stock Performance

OTCMKTS CKHGY traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $42.84. 1,380 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,380. Capitec Bank has a 1 year low of $34.09 and a 1 year high of $52.86. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $41.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.03.

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Capitec Bank Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.5395 per share. This represents a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 11th. This is an increase from Capitec Banks previous dividend of $0.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Capitec Bank Company Profile

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Capitec Bank from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 20th.

(Free Report)

Capitec Bank Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services in South Africa. The company operates through three segments: Retail Bank, Business Bank, and Insurance. It offers transactional banking services; fixed and tax-free savings, and call and notice deposits; term loans, credit facilities, mortgage loans, overdrafts, instalment sales and leases, credit and debit cards, and access facilities; rental finance; payment services; merchant services; and value-added services, as well as credit and life insurance products.

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Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Otis Worldwide Co. (NYSE:OTIS  Free Report) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 171,717 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,629 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLCs holdings in Otis Worldwide were worth $14,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of OTIS. Gratus Capital LLC purchased a new position in Otis Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at about $216,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in Otis Worldwide during the first quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Field & Main Bank raised its stake in Otis Worldwide by 5.1% in the first quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 8,643 shares of the companys stock worth $729,000 after buying an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Charter Oak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Otis Worldwide during the first quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in Otis Worldwide by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 140,854 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,888,000 after acquiring an additional 5,580 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.16% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Otis Worldwide from $81.00 to $79.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Otis Worldwide from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and raised their price target for the company from $75.00 to $88.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Otis Worldwide from $81.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Friday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Otis Worldwide from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, TheStreet raised Otis Worldwide from a d+ rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, March 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $82.00.

Otis Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of OTIS opened at $89.01 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $85.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.99. The stock has a market cap of $36.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.38 and a beta of 0.93. Otis Worldwide Co. has a one year low of $62.49 and a one year high of $90.11.

Otis Worldwide (NYSE:OTIS  Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.06. Otis Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 9.35%. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. Otis Worldwides revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Otis Worldwide Co. will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Otis Worldwide Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 18th. This is an increase from Otis Worldwides previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Otis Worldwides payout ratio is currently 44.88%.

Otis Worldwide Profile

(Free Report)

Otis Worldwide Corporation engages in the manufacturing, installation, and servicing of elevators and escalators in the United States, China, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, New Equipment and Service. The New Equipment segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs a range of passenger and freight elevators, as well as escalators and moving walkways for residential and commercial buildings, and infrastructure projects.

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China Longyuan Power Group Co. Limited (OTCMKTS:CLPXY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,900 shares, a decline of 75.9% from the May 31st total of 45,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 54,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days.

China Longyuan Power Group Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of CLPXY stock opened at C$10.22 on Friday. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$10.75 and its 200-day moving average is C$11.91. China Longyuan Power Group has a 1 year low of C$9.75 and a 1 year high of C$19.98.

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China Longyuan Power Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 19th will be given a dividend of $0.1348 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 16th. This represents a yield of 1.31%.

China Longyuan Power Group Company Profile

China Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited generates and sells wind and coal power in the People's Republic of China and internationally. It operates through two segments: Wind Power and Coal Power. The company designs, develops, constructs, manages, and operates wind and coal power plants. It also operates other power projects, such as photovoltaic, tidal, biomass, and geothermal.

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Copper Mountain Mining Co. (OTCMKTS:CPPMF  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,596,700 shares, a growth of 76.6% from the May 31st total of 904,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 108,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 14.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on CPPMF. National Bank Financial decreased their price objective on Copper Mountain Mining from C$2.65 to C$2.60 in a report on Monday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Copper Mountain Mining from C$3.00 to C$2.75 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Scotiabank cut shares of Copper Mountain Mining from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Desjardins cut shares of Copper Mountain Mining to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, TD Securities cut shares of Copper Mountain Mining to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $2.64.

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Copper Mountain Mining Stock Performance

Shares of CPPMF traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1.90. 8,800 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 122,113. The firm has a market cap of $408.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16 and a beta of 2.01. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $1.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Copper Mountain Mining has a 52 week low of $0.92 and a 52 week high of $2.06.

About Copper Mountain Mining

Copper Mountain Mining Corporation engages in the mining, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada. It explores for copper, gold, and silver deposits. The company holds 75% interests in the Copper Mountain mine comprising 135 crown-granted mineral claims, 145 located mineral claims, 14 mining leases, 12 fee simple properties, and seven cell claims that covers an area of approximately 6,354 hectares located to the south of Princeton, British Columbia.

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB  Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the oil and gas companys stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Core Laboratories from $18.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Bank of America lowered Core Laboratories from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and set a $21.50 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Core Laboratories from $24.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th.

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Core Laboratories Stock Down 4.6 %

NYSE:CLB opened at $23.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.48, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 2.67. Core Laboratories has a 1-year low of $13.19 and a 1-year high of $26.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $22.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.64.

Core Laboratories Announces Dividend

Core Laboratories ( NYSE:CLB Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The oil and gas company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $128.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $126.26 million. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 15.23%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Core Laboratories will post 0.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 8th were given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 5th. Core Laboratoriess payout ratio is currently 8.00%.

Institutional Trading of Core Laboratories

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CLB. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 328.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,858 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 171.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,200 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,022 shares in the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Core Laboratories during the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 213.1% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,805 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 184.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,934 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.63% of the companys stock.

About Core Laboratories

(Free Report)

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock, reservoir fluid, and gas samples to enhance production and improve recovery of oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.

Further Reading

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Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office's access to information

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand talks with residents, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Audubon, Iowa. Sand may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowas auditor may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court.

State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, said the law advanced by Republican lawmakers is a politically motivated attack on accountability. The law could stifle Sand, who described his office as assertive."

Bottom line on that is, we uncovered a record amount of waste, fraud and abuse in my first term. Thats where it came from, Sand said in an interview with The Associated Press. They dont want accountability.

But supporters of the Iowa law emphasize the changes are meant to protect Iowans privacy and that the risk to the auditors work is low.

Going forward, a state agency is not allowed to provide the state auditors office access to confidential information, such as medical or school records, unless it is deemed necessary to the auditors responsibilities. The auditor's office, as usual, must maintain confidentiality of those records.

That could mean business as usual  as Republican lawmakers suggest  if the auditor is doing his job as outlined in generally accepted federal audit standards. Or, it could mean agencies would more often question a request and withhold information from his office.

If a dispute arises, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is empowered to appoint a tiebreaker vote to an arbitration panel, on which Sand and the agency involved each will have a representative. That gives two of the three voices on the panel, whose decision is final, to Reynolds administration.

The bill made its way through a Republican-dominated statehouse and passed easily without support from Democrats, who argued it has the potential to give the state's Republican leadership more power to quiet political rivals and hide corruption.

Uneven political power in Republican-controlled state governments has given way to some more extreme examples of retribution in recent months, including the expulsion of three Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee's Legislature and the removal of a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the Montana House floor.

Iowa Republican State Senator Mike Bousselot said previous state Supreme Court rulings in cases between Sands office and state agencies raised questions about the role of the auditors office.

Why should the Auditor have unfettered access to Iowans medical records, financial aid, school records and more? Bousselot wrote in an email. It is irrational and potentially dangerous for the Auditor to seek irrelevant information in an audit.

This bill gives Iowans additional privacy protections while allowing the Auditor to continue accessing information relevant to the purpose of the audit, he added.

When the legislation surfaced, state and national auditing and accounting organizations joined with Sand to convey concerns that the law will prevent independent and complete oversight. Those concerns have since made their way to a federal agency responsible for auditing standards, according to John Geragosian, past president of the National State Auditors Association.

A spokesperson at the Government Accountability Office pointed to a March letter clarifying the federal auditing standards but offered no additional comments.

The tension in Iowa is not entirely unique. Auditors in other states have experienced pushback, even from members of their party.

In North Dakota, second-term State Auditor Josh Gallion and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have clashed over how he publicizes critical audit findings and what fees his office has charged for local governments audits. This spring, lawmakers budgeted $500,000 for an audit of the auditors office.

Former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, said Republican lawmakers were regularly touting his audits of the Democratic governors administration. Then, in 2019, Republican lawmakers pushed through a cut to his offices budget by 10% just months after he announced a run for U.S. Congress.

I will tell you that that is the most fascinating coincidence, DePasquale said. I thought it was gutter politics, to be blunt.

In Iowa, Sand emphasized his record of avoiding partisan politics, asserting he employs senior staff from both sides of the aisle, has provided opportunities for agencies to undo errors and regularly defends the Republican administrations actions.

I like this job, Sand said, but admitted the law could end up making this office less impactful.

Im hard pressed to see how it couldnt have an impact, Sand said, suggesting it will become easier for a state agency to reject his requests. I think the only impact that it could have would be negative for the public and negative for this offices ability to do its work.

___

Associated Press reporter Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed.
Shares of Crane (NYSE:CR  Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $86.45 and last traded at $86.26, with a volume of 180259 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on CR. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Crane from $120.00 to $82.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Crane from $90.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Crane in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Crane has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $106.00.

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Crane Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $76.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.49.

Crane Cuts Dividend

Crane ( NYSE:CR Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The conglomerate reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $513.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.80 million. Crane had a net margin of 13.10% and a return on equity of 24.45%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Crane will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 30th. Cranes dividend payout ratio is presently 9.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Crane

In other news, CEO Max H. Mitchell sold 37,495 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.48, for a total transaction of $2,867,617.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 322,628 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $24,674,589.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Crane

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CR. Ethic Inc. bought a new position in shares of Crane in the 3rd quarter worth $755,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Crane by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,829 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Crane by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 22,441 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $2,547,000 after purchasing an additional 4,242 shares in the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Crane in the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.26% of the companys stock.

About Crane

(Free Report)

Crane Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered industrial products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. The company has four business segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, Payment & Merchandising Technologies, and Engineered Materials.

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Shares of CTT  Correios De Portugal, S.A. (OTCMKTS:CTTPY  Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $7.28 and last traded at $7.28, with a volume of 0 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.28.

CTT  Correios De Portugal Price Performance

The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $7.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.80.

CTT  Correios De Portugal Company Profile

(Free Report)

CTT  Correios De Portugal, SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides postal and financial services worldwide. It operates through Mail, Express & Parcels, Financial Services & Retail, and Bank segments. The company offers courier and urgent mail transport services; postal financial services; and banking services.

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Summit Partners L P cut its stake in EngageSmart, Inc. (NYSE:ESMT  Free Report) by 7.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,004,973 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,921,777 shares during the quarter. EngageSmart comprises approximately 34.8% of Summit Partners L Ps investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Summit Partners L P owned about 15.05% of EngageSmart worth $481,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ESMT. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of EngageSmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of EngageSmart by 134.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,780 shares of the companys stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 2,166 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in EngageSmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $107,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in EngageSmart by 50.2% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,245 shares of the companys stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 2,086 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in EngageSmart by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,524 shares of the companys stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,404 shares during the period. 91.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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EngageSmart Price Performance

EngageSmart stock opened at $19.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a PE ratio of 146.86 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.42. EngageSmart, Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.01 and a 12 month high of $22.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EngageSmart ( NYSE:ESMT Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.04. The business had revenue of $88.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.62 million. EngageSmart had a return on equity of 3.23% and a net margin of 6.97%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that EngageSmart, Inc. will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ESMT. Truist Financial lowered their target price on EngageSmart from $35.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Craig Hallum began coverage on EngageSmart in a report on Friday, May 5th. They set a buy rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. 500.com restated a maintains rating on shares of EngageSmart in a report on Friday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on EngageSmart from $24.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Finally, TheStreet cut EngageSmart from a c- rating to a d rating in a research note on Monday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EngageSmart currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $25.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EngageSmart news, CFO Cassandra Hudson sold 2,355 shares of EngageSmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.22, for a total transaction of $40,553.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $291,414.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Cassandra Hudson sold 2,355 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.22, for a total value of $40,553.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $291,414.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Cole Seltzer sold 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.35, for a total value of $64,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,943.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,804 shares of company stock valued at $628,648. Insiders own 2.70% of the companys stock.

EngageSmart Company Profile

(Free Report)

EngageSmart, Inc provides vertically-tailored customer engagement and integrated payments solutions. The company operates through Enterprise Solutions and SMB Solutions segments. The Enterprise Solutions segment offers SaaS solutions to customer-client engagement through electronic billing and digital payments.

Further Reading

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3i Group (OTCMKTS:TGOPY  Free Report) is one of 1,190 publicly-traded companies in the Asset Management industry, but how does it compare to its peers? We will compare 3i Group to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, dividends and risk.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

32.5% of shares of all Asset Management companies are owned by institutional investors. 18.3% of shares of all Asset Management companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Dividends

3i Group pays an annual dividend of $0.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. 3i Group pays out 27.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Asset Management companies pay a dividend yield of 7.2% and pay out 742.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score 3i Group 0 0 0 0 N/A 3i Group Competitors 1030 4449 5788 82 2.43

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for 3i Group and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

3i Group presently has a consensus price target of $2,175.00, indicating a potential upside of 17,107.28%. As a group, Asset Management companies have a potential upside of 78.28%. Given 3i Groups higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe 3i Group is more favorable than its peers.

Profitability

This table compares 3i Group and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets 3i Group N/A N/A N/A 3i Group Competitors 380.51% 7.64% 4.95%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares 3i Group and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio 3i Group N/A N/A 39.49 3i Group Competitors $200.08 million -$13.43 million 46.76

3i Groups peers have higher revenue, but lower earnings than 3i Group. 3i Group 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.

Summary

3i Group peers beat 3i Group on 8 of the 10 factors compared.

About 3i Group

(Free Report)

3i Group plc is a private equity firm specializing in mature companies, growth capital, middle markets, infrastructure, and management leveraged buyouts and buy-ins. The firm also provides infrastructure financing and debt management. For debt management, it invests in senior and mezzanine corporate debt in typically large and private companies in United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and North America. It makes private equity investments in business and technology services, financial services, consumer, healthcare, consumption and distribution, media and telecom, renewable energy, wind, and industrial technology sector. Within business and technology services, the firm seeks to invest in sub sectors such as testing, inspection and certification; intelligent outsourcing, BPO and consultancy; human capital including staffing, governance, risk and compliance, services to pharmaceutical companies, vertical application software, education and training businesses; facilities management; support services to industrial sectors such as oil and gas and utilities; human resources outsourcing and advising; recruitment; logistics and infrastructure support services including distribution, waste, and rental. In the consumer sector, it focuses on, multi-unit roll out, omni-channel propositions, niche branded consumer goods, polarization, health and wellness, ageing population, millennials, consumer goods; e-commerce; retail; food and drinks; and leisure. In the healthcare sector, the firm focuses on outsourced medical device manufacturing & services, outsourced pharmaceutical manufacturing & services, bioprocessing supply chain, life science tools and diagnostics, wellness & consumer health products, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology including specialty pharma, generics / OTC, drug delivery, and animal health; healthcare Services including activities such as elderly and specialty care, including caring for people in their own homes, in hospital and in community facilities, as well as operational services such as outsourced support, clinical services and B2B contract services; medical devices and technology including devices, medical equipment and consumables, diagnostics, and healthcare IT. In the industrial sector, it focuses on automotive, chemicals, safety and security, construction, building products and materials, energy, electronics and electrical components, flow control and filtration, mobility, packaging, industrial Services incl. industrial software, oil, gas, and power. Through 3i BIFM Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc the firm makes infrastructure investments where it focuses principally on the utilities including energy transmission and storage, electricity and gas distribution, water, power generation, and communication network; transportation including airports, ports, ferries, toll roads, and rail; and social infrastructure sector including primary and secondary PFI, public private partnerships, healthcare, education, and government accommodation. In infrastructure it invests primarily in utilities, transportation and social infrastructure in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Europe, and Ireland. The firm prefers to invest in companies across Europe, France, United States, South America, and Asia. It seeks to make new investments in Northern Europe and North America. The firm typically invests between 5 million ($5.59125 million) and 300 million ($335.475 million) in companies with an enterprise value typically between 100 million ($111.825 million) and 500 million ($559.125 million) and sales value between 80 million ($89.46 million) and 1500 million ($1677.38 million). It seeks to take either majority or minority stakes. It seeks to take a board seat in its portfolio companies with regards to infrastructure investments. The firm invests through a combination of third-party and proprietary capital. It invests through its personal capital. 3i Group plc was founded in 1945 and is based in London, United Kingdom with additional offices across Europe, North America, and Asia.

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Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Life Storage, Inc. (NYSE:LSI  Free Report) by 8.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,235 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 215 shares during the quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLCs holdings in Life Storage were worth $293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Profund Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 4,052 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 2,998 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 9,058 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $892,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,081 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,811 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 90.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Life Storage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LSI opened at $132.98 on Friday. Life Storage, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.02 and a 1-year high of $146.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a PE ratio of 30.85 and a beta of 0.65. The businesss 50 day moving average is $131.15 and its 200-day moving average is $121.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Life Storage Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 13th. Life Storages payout ratio is presently 111.37%.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LSI shares. Wolfe Research downgraded Life Storage from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Life Storage from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Life Storage in a report on Friday. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Life Storage from $140.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Life Storage from $136.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $128.63.

Insider Transactions at Life Storage

In related news, Director Stephen R. Rusmisel sold 2,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.92, for a total value of $324,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,801 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,312,705.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Arthur L. Havener, Jr. sold 2,625 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.76, for a total value of $335,370.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,901 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,903,751.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen R. Rusmisel sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.92, for a total value of $324,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,801 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,312,705.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,161 shares of company stock valued at $1,320,037. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Life Storage Profile

(Free Report)

Life Storage, Inc is a self-administered and self-managed equity REIT that is in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. Located in Buffalo, New York, the Company operates more than 1,200 storage facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The Company serves both residential and commercial storage customers with storage units rented by month.

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Shares of Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $34.10, but opened at $35.00. Grupo Simec shares last traded at $35.00, with a volume of 1,099 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Grupo Simec in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

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Grupo Simec Stock Performance

The stocks fifty day moving average price is $34.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grupo Simec

Grupo Simec ( NYSEAMERICAN:SIM Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter. Grupo Simec had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The business had revenue of $687.21 million for the quarter.

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Grupo Simec stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,455 shares of the basic materials companys stock, valued at approximately $273,000. Institutional investors own 0.18% of the companys stock.

About Grupo Simec

(Free Report)

Grupo Simec, SAB. de C.V. manufactures, processes, and distributes special bar quality (SBQ) steel and steel alloys products in Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, and internationally. The company produces I-beams, channels, structural and commercial angles, hot rolled bars, flat bars, rebars, cold-finished bars, electro-welded wire mesh and mesh panels, and wire rods, as well as semi-finished tube rounds and other semi-finished trade products.

Further Reading

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Yamato (OTCMKTS:YATRY  Free Report) and Mullen Group (OTCMKTS:MLLGF  Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.0% of Yamato shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.0% of Mullen Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Dividends

Yamato pays an annual dividend of $12.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 65.7%. Mullen Group pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.5%. Yamato pays out 14.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Mullen Group pays out 120.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Yamato is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Yamato N/A N/A N/A Mullen Group N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This table compares Yamato and Mullen Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Yamato and Mullen Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Yamato 0 0 0 0 N/A Mullen Group 0 3 1 1 2.60

Mullen Group has a consensus price target of $17.07, indicating a potential upside of 48.78%. Given Mullen Groups higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Mullen Group is more favorable than Yamato.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Yamato and Mullen Groups top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Yamato N/A N/A N/A $82.14 0.22 Mullen Group N/A N/A N/A $1.00 11.52

Yamato is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mullen Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Mullen Group beats Yamato on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Yamato

(Free Report)

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. provides delivery, logistics, home convenience, e-business, financial, auto works, and other related services in Japan, North America, and internationally. The company's Delivery segment offers small parcel delivery services, such as door-to-door parcel delivery and posting services. Its BIZ-Logistics segment provides intercompany logistics services to B2B supply-chain management market. The company's Home Convenience segment offers lifestyle support services, including moving and household effects delivery services. Its e-Business segment provides information services comprising ASP services and information systems development for business markets. The company's Financial segment offers settlement and collection services to customers and business customers. Its Autoworks segment provides vehicle maintenance and fuel supply services for transport companies. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Mullen Group

(Free Report)

Mullen Group Ltd. provides a range of trucking and logistics services in Canada and the United States. The Less-Than-Truckload segment delivers general freight consisting of smaller shipments, packages, and parcels; and pharmaceutical and package products. The Logistics & Warehousing segment offers full truckload, specialized transportation, warehousing, and fulfillment centers that handle ecommerce transactions and transload facilities for intermodal and bulk shipments; technology solutions, including transportation management, inventory management, and warehouse management systems; and warehousing and distribution services. The Specialized & Industrial Services segment provides production services, well servicing, production fluid transportation, transportation of fluids for disposal, frac support, hydrovac excavation, and industrial cleaning and turnaround services; and specialized services comprising dredging and dewatering services, large diameter pipe stockpiling and stringing services, water management, environmental services, civil construction, municipal development and emergency services, hydrostatic testing services to the pipeline industry and midstream sector, and transporting of oversize and overweight shipments, as well as deals in original equipment manufacturer parts and services. This segment also offers drilling and drilling related services, consisting of transportation, handling, and storage of oilfield fluids, tubulars, and drilling mud; drilling rig relocation; general oilfield hauling; well disposal facility; core drilling; setting surface casing; and conductor pipe setting services. The U.S. & International Logistics segment provides logistics services through professional representatives and station agents. This segment also owns SilverExpress, a proprietary integrated transportation management platform. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Okotoks, Canada.

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Grupo Comercial Chedraui (OTCMKTS:GCHEF  Free Report) is one of 62 publicly-traded companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Grupo Comercial Chedraui to similar companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and valuation.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

10.9% of Grupo Comercial Chedraui shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 45.3% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by institutional investors. 22.8% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

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Profitability

This table compares Grupo Comercial Chedraui and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Grupo Comercial Chedraui N/A N/A N/A Grupo Comercial Chedraui Competitors 2.07% 14.53% 4.72%

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Grupo Comercial Chedraui N/A N/A 3.18 Grupo Comercial Chedraui Competitors $26.96 billion $611.52 million 191.09

This table compares Grupo Comercial Chedraui and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Grupo Comercial Chedrauis rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Grupo Comercial Chedraui. Grupo Comercial Chedraui is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Grupo Comercial Chedraui and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Grupo Comercial Chedraui 0 1 0 0 2.00 Grupo Comercial Chedraui Competitors 1121 2752 3007 114 2.30

Grupo Comercial Chedraui presently has a consensus target price of $84.00, suggesting a potential upside of 1,389.36%. As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 98.68%. Given Grupo Comercial Chedrauis higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Grupo Comercial Chedraui is more favorable than its rivals.

Summary

Grupo Comercial Chedraui rivals beat Grupo Comercial Chedraui on 10 of the 11 factors compared.

Grupo Comercial Chedraui Company Profile

(Free Report)

Grupo Comercial Chedraui, S.A.B. de C.V. operates selfservice stores. The company operates through three segments: Retail in Mexico, Retail in the United States, and Real Estate. Its stores sell electronic goods, perishables, cloths, groceries, and general merchandise. The company also leases commercial space to third parties; and operates and maintains shopping centers. It operates 306 stores, including 198 tiendas chedraui, 60 super chedraui, 15 super che, and 33 supercito stores; and 7 distribution centers in Mexico, as well as 125 self-service stores, such as 64 El Super and 61 Fiesta stores in the United States. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Horizon Financial Services LLC reduced its position in shares of iShares Convertible Bond ETF (BATS:ICVT  Free Report) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,676 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. iShares Convertible Bond ETF comprises about 2.2% of Horizon Financial Services LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Horizon Financial Services LLC owned 0.21% of iShares Convertible Bond ETF worth $2,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of iShares Convertible Bond ETF in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,892,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in iShares Convertible Bond ETF during the first quarter worth $88,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in iShares Convertible Bond ETF by 57,927.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 221,085 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,420,000 after acquiring an additional 220,704 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of iShares Convertible Bond ETF by 129.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,704 shares of the companys stock valued at $725,000 after acquiring an additional 4,904 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Convertible Bond ETF by 40.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 50,724 shares of the companys stock worth $4,227,000 after acquiring an additional 14,723 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Convertible Bond ETF Stock Performance

Shares of BATS ICVT opened at $76.39 on Friday. iShares Convertible Bond ETF has a 1-year low of $50.43 and a 1-year high of $58.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $73.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.35.

iShares Convertible Bond ETF Company Profile

The iShares Convertible Bond ETF (ICVT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund tracks an index of USD-denominated convertible bonds weighted by market value. The index contains only cash-pay convertibles and excludes mandatory and preferred convertibles.

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Shares of Installed Building Products, Inc. (NYSE:IBP  Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Hold by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $122.57.

Several research firms have commented on IBP. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Installed Building Products from $125.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Installed Building Products from $132.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of Installed Building Products from $120.00 to $150.00 in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Installed Building Products from an underperform rating to a sector perform rating and upped their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $111.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Installed Building Products in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. They set a neutral rating on the stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Todd R. Fry sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.24, for a total value of $57,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $678,928.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Edwards sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total transaction of $5,980,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,747,819 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $328,666,630.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Todd R. Fry sold 500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.24, for a total transaction of $57,120.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $678,928.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,197 shares of company stock worth $6,117,956. 17.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Installed Building Products

Installed Building Products Stock Performance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Installed Building Products by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,454,884 shares of the construction companys stock worth $507,990,000 after purchasing an additional 405,604 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Installed Building Products by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,836,175 shares of the construction companys stock worth $239,629,000 after purchasing an additional 329,661 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Installed Building Products by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,406,928 shares of the construction companys stock worth $118,871,000 after purchasing an additional 4,335 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Installed Building Products by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 924,430 shares of the construction companys stock worth $105,413,000 after purchasing an additional 72,835 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Installed Building Products by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 753,871 shares of the construction companys stock worth $85,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the companys stock.

IBP stock opened at $140.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77 and a beta of 1.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.13. Installed Building Products has a one year low of $74.69 and a one year high of $141.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a current ratio of 2.73.

Installed Building Products (NYSE:IBP  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The construction company reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.20 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $659.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $698.36 million. Installed Building Products had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 57.73%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Installed Building Products will post 8.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Installed Building Products Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. Installed Building Productss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.79%.

About Installed Building Products

(Free Report

Installed Building Products, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the installation of insulation, waterproofing, fire-stopping, fireproofing, garage doors, rain gutters, window blinds, shower doors, closet shelving and mirrors, and other products in the continental United States. The company offers a range of insulation materials, such as fiberglass and cellulose, and spray foam insulation materials.

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Rolls-Royce has ambitions to build a fleet of small module reactors in the UK

A Japanese-American nuclear energy champion is seeking to undercut rivals such as Rolls-Royce on the price of its small modular reactors.

GE Hitachi is offering to build the mini-reactors (SMRs) for up to 25pc less than Rolls, which is racing to be the first to deploy the technology at scale commercially as the world attempts to ditch fossil fuels.

The Government is running a competition to pick which SMR designs to fund to help decarbonise the UKs electric grid, and has hired Deloitte to help it choose.

Dozens of companies have registered their interest, including Rolls, which has said it anticipates being able to build 470 megawatt plants for about 2bn apiece, or about 4,250 per kilowatt.

Rolls-Royce's model can be built for 4,250 per kw, in contrast to GE Hitachi's 3,150 per kw

GE Hitachi is offering the UK its BWRX-300 model with 300 megawatts of electric power, which could ultimately be able to be built for as little as $4,000 per kilowatt, or 3,150, according to Jay Wileman, chief executive of GE-Hitachi, which is a joint venture between Japanese business Hitachi and American player General Electric.

With General Electrics expertise in nuclear dating back to the 1950s, were not newcomers to this industry, he said in an interview.

After prototypes have been built, the company could see a price point just in the neighbourhood of $4,000-$5,000 per kilowatt.

He added that the government ought to consider his businesss design since its based on existing technology the company has been using for many years.

Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are regarded by the government as a key new technology for decarbonising electricity because they can be made on a factory production line, much more cheaply than standard plants.

The next nuclear power plant to come online in the UK, Hinkley Point C, will cost as much as 32.7bn for 3,200 megawatts, or 10,200 per kilowatt.

Is nuclear power green?

Earlier this year, GE Hitachi signed a deal to build the first small modular reactor in North America, agreeing a deal with authorities in Ontario, Canada that put it ahead of many rivals.

However, others in the US are catching up. Recent regulatory approval from Washington made NuScale, a startup with a new reactor design, the frontrunner in that market.

Mr Wileman is keen to receive approval to build reactors at Wylfa on Anglesey, which he thinks could host 16 units.

The UK is an attractive market for GE Hitachi because of its long history of nuclear power and its target to build new plants, he said, adding that Britains plans for an additional 24 gigawatts from the energy source by 2050 fit well with the companys own timetable.

Mr Wileman said: We look at the UK and see something that excites us.

Weve got to have the right cost structure and weve got to meet our schedules as well. And thats what were all about doing right now.

Hinkley Point C is the next nuclear power plant to come online in the UK - Kin Cheung/AP

It comes as speculation mounts that Great British Nuclear (GBN), the governments new agency for rolling out Britains new nuclear fleet, will officially launch on July 13.

Ministers have hired financial advisers to help draw up a shortlist for mini-nuclear projects, as the Government ramps up plans to give the green light to next generation reactors.

Grant Shapps, the Energy Secretary, has brought in consultants from Deloitte to advise GBN on running the competition.

They will evaluate the viability of bidders financial strategies, including their funding plans and credit ratings, and lead the development of a financial support package for successful candidates.

Potential bidders are expected to include Bill Gates TerraPower, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Westinghouse Electric as well as Rolls and GE-Hitachi.

The government was approached for comment. Rolls declined to comment.

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StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of International Tower Hill Mines (NYSEAMERICAN:THM  Free Report) (TSE:ITH) in a report published on Wednesday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the mining companys stock.

International Tower Hill Mines Stock Up 12.8 %

Shares of THM stock opened at $0.42 on Wednesday. International Tower Hill Mines has a 52 week low of $0.37 and a 52 week high of $0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $0.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.67 million, a PE ratio of -20.95 and a beta of 0.70.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Tower Hill Mines

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in International Tower Hill Mines stock. Virtu Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:THM  Free Report) (TSE:ITH) by 314.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,808 shares of the mining companys stock after acquiring an additional 46,910 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLCs holdings in International Tower Hill Mines were worth $26,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. 55.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About International Tower Hill Mines

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. It holds or has rights to acquire interests in the Livengood gold project covering an area of approximately 19,546 hectares located to the northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska.

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Juniper II Corp. (NYSE:JUN  Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,100 shares, a drop of 73.8% from the May 31st total of 4,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 196,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Juniper II Trading Up 0.4 %

Juniper II stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.39. 171 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 171,964. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $10.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.31. Juniper II has a 1 year low of $9.90 and a 1 year high of $10.78.

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Institutional Trading of Juniper II

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JUN. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in Juniper II during the 1st quarter worth about $126,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in Juniper II during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,695,000. Deltec Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Juniper II during the 4th quarter worth about $1,017,000. RPO LLC purchased a new stake in Juniper II during the 4th quarter worth about $2,479,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Juniper II during the 4th quarter worth about $148,000.

About Juniper II

Juniper II Corp. does not have significant operations. It intends to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The company intends to focus its search within the industrials sector in North America.

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Leeward Investments LLC MA lessened its position in AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC  Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,844 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,738 shares during the quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MAs holdings in AmerisourceBergen were worth $16,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ABC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AmerisourceBergen by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 281,056 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,574,000 after buying an additional 13,361 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA lifted its holdings in AmerisourceBergen by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 8,782 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,455,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in AmerisourceBergen by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,082 shares of the companys stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV bought a new stake in AmerisourceBergen during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,563,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in AmerisourceBergen during the 4th quarter valued at about $285,000. Institutional investors own 92.64% of the companys stock.

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AmerisourceBergen Stock Up 1.0 %

ABC stock opened at $192.43 on Friday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $175.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.09. The company has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.13, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.51. AmerisourceBergen Co. has a 12 month low of $135.14 and a 12 month high of $193.43.

AmerisourceBergen Dividend Announcement

AmerisourceBergen ( NYSE:ABC Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.29 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $63.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.40 billion. AmerisourceBergen had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 809.53%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.22 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AmerisourceBergen Co. will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th were paid a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 11th. AmerisourceBergens dividend payout ratio is currently 24.94%.

Insider Activity at AmerisourceBergen

In related news, EVP Gina Clark sold 27,542 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.84, for a total value of $5,145,947.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,994,793.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Gina Clark sold 27,542 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.84, for a total value of $5,145,947.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,994,793.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.52, for a total transaction of $1,779,790.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 257,967 shares of the companys stock, valued at $43,730,565.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 627,815 shares of company stock worth $110,556,193 in the last three months. Company insiders own 20.10% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $182.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Citigroup began coverage on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a report on Friday, March 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $170.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $184.00.

AmerisourceBergen Profile

(Free Report)

AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products. Its U.S. Healthcare Solutions segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC  Free Report).

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Leeward Investments LLC MA cut its stake in shares of Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR  Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 517,136 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 25,812 shares during the quarter. Portland General Electric makes up approximately 1.2% of Leeward Investments LLC MAs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Leeward Investments LLC MAs holdings in Portland General Electric were worth $25,283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Portland General Electric by 475.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 995 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 822 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Portland General Electric by 54.6% during the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 1,435 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Portland General Electric by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,547 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Portland General Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $94,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Portland General Electric by 359.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,523 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 1,974 shares during the period.

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Insider Activity

In other news, VP John Teeruk Kochavatr sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.12, for a total value of $153,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 15,489 shares of the companys stock, valued at $791,797.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Portland General Electric Stock Up 1.1 %

POR stock opened at $46.84 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $49.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.67. Portland General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $41.58 and a fifty-two week high of $56.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.58.

Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $748.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $622.50 million. Portland General Electric had a return on equity of 9.06% and a net margin of 8.88%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Portland General Electric will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Portland General Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 26th will be issued a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 23rd. This is a positive change from Portland General Electrics previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. Portland General Electrics dividend payout ratio is currently 69.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POR has been the topic of several recent research reports. 58.com reaffirmed a downgrade rating on shares of Portland General Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Portland General Electric from $56.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Portland General Electric in a research note on Monday, May 8th. They issued an overweight rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim downgraded Portland General Electric from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Portland General Electric from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, June 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $50.57.

Portland General Electric Profile

(Free Report)

Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. It operates six thermal plants, three wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2022, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,255 circuit miles, including 269 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 413 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 573 miles of 115 kilovolt line; and served 926 thousand retail customers in 51 cities.

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LGT Group Foundation grew its holdings in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 191.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 177,496 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 116,561 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundations holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $9,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Charles Schwab by 54.8% in the 1st quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 704.2% during the first quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. 82.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Charles Schwab Stock Down 0.8 %

SCHW opened at $56.68 on Friday. The Charles Schwab Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.00 and a fifty-two week high of $86.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.88.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

Charles Schwab ( NYSE:SCHW Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.03. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 27.83%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SCHW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $98.00 to $75.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Redburn Partners downgraded shares of Charles Schwab from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $62.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Monday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Charles Schwab from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their target price for the company from $99.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Charles Schwab currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $66.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares in the company, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Charles Schwab Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Mandom Co. (OTCMKTS:MDOMF  Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,800 shares, a decrease of 59.7% from the May 31st total of 36,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently  days.

Mandom Stock Performance

Mandom stock remained flat at $9.00 during mid-day trading on Friday. Mandom has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $9.00. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $9.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.91. The stock has a market cap of $434.42 million, a P/E ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 2.58.

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About Mandom

(Free Report)

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Mandom Corporation engages in the manufacture and sale of cosmetics, perfumes, and quasi-drugs in Japan, Indonesia, and internationally. The company offers a range of products, including men's everyday grooming products, as well as general fashion items, such as hair styling, skin care, and body care products; and hair coloring, scalp care, and face care products under the Gatsby and Lucido brands.

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,759 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $13,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JDM Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.08% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ABT shares. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, SVB Leerink raised their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, March 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $121.26.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 8,226 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.56, for a total transaction of $909,466.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,427 shares in the company, valued at $7,786,409.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total transaction of $5,551,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,825,316 shares in the company, valued at $757,746,582.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 8,226 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.56, for a total transaction of $909,466.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 70,427 shares in the company, valued at $7,786,409.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE:ABT traded up $1.36 on Friday, reaching $109.02. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,449,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,971,259. The stocks 50-day moving average is $106.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.39. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $93.25 and a 52-week high of $115.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.67.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 22.36%. The business had revenue of $9.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.73 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.39 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is 62.01%.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:NSANY  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 52,600 shares, a growth of 144.7% from the May 31st total of 21,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 181,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Nissan Motor Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of Nissan Motor stock traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $8.19. The stock had a trading volume of 60,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,434. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Nissan Motor has a 1 year low of $5.81 and a 1 year high of $8.33.

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Nissan Motor (OTCMKTS:NSANY  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 11th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $23.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.93 billion. Nissan Motor had a return on equity of 6.05% and a net margin of 2.11%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Nissan Motor will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Nissan Motor Company Profile

NSANY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup downgraded Nissan Motor from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Nissan Motor from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, June 6th.

(Free Report)

Nissan Motor Co, Ltd. manufactures and sells vehicles and automotive parts worldwide. It sells vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. The company offers vehicle and vehicle parts; engines, manual transmissions, and multiplier/reducer units; automotive parts; axles; and other related components.

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Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $82.25.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NVS. BTIG Research raised their price target on Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th.

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Novartis Trading Up 1.5 %

NVS stock opened at $100.89 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $100.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.43. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $74.09 and a fifty-two week high of $105.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $213.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.54.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Novartis ( NYSE:NVS Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.16. Novartis had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 23.29%. The firm had revenue of $12.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Novartiss revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the first quarter valued at $3,065,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 24.7% during the first quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,088 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,020,000 after buying an additional 2,197 shares during the period. Old North State Trust LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 10.4% during the first quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 1,121 shares of the companys stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the first quarter valued at $322,000. Finally, Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.5% during the first quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 545,589 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,194,000 after buying an additional 28,460 shares during the period. 8.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Novartis

(Free Report

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It also provides cardiovascular, ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hematology, and solid tumor products.

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Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF (BATS:NULV  Free Report) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,284 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the period. Johnson Bixby & Associates LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF worth $1,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in NULV. TIAA FSB grew its holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. TIAA FSB now owns 4,796,795 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,427,000 after purchasing an additional 100,589 shares in the last quarter. Perella Weinberg Partners Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF by 24.1% during the 3rd quarter. Perella Weinberg Partners Capital Management LP now owns 1,707,167 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,700,000 after purchasing an additional 331,947 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,180,832 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,432,000 after purchasing an additional 93,761 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,115,024 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,178,000 after purchasing an additional 8,376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 936,122 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,053,000 after acquiring an additional 132,783 shares during the last quarter.

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Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF Price Performance

BATS NULV opened at $34.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.92. The companys fifty day moving average price is $33.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.19. Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF has a 12 month low of $25.49 and a 12 month high of $30.70.

About Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF

The Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF (NULV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI TIAA ESG USA Large Cap Value index. The fund tracks an index of US large-cap value stocks that score highly on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The fund is weighted using a multi-factor optimizer.

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Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:LOMA) First Quarter 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: AR$40.6b (up 2.9% from 1Q 2022).

Net income: AR$5.27b (down 19% from 1Q 2022).

Profit margin: 13% (down from 16% in 1Q 2022).

EPS: AR$45.17 (down from AR$55.23 in 1Q 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 20% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 6.7% growth forecast for the Basic Materials industry in the US.

Performance of the American Basic Materials industry.

The company's shares are up 2.3% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima you should know about.

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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Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund (NYSE:NOM  Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a decrease of 95.8% from the May 31st total of 2,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund Stock Performance

NOM stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $9.96. 4,829 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,267. Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund has a 1 year low of $9.50 and a 1 year high of $13.25. The firms 50 day moving average is $9.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.31.

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Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.0255 per share. This represents a $0.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund

Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund Company Profile

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Detalus Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 19,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,803 shares during the period. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 17,638 shares of the companys stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 5,454 shares during the period. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nuveen Missouri Quality Municipal Income Fund by 41.1% in the 1st quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 22,465 shares of the companys stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 6,539 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.51% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Nuveen Missouri 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 Missouri. The fund invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments the income from which is exempt from regular federal and Missouri income taxes.

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Panasonic Holdings Co. (OTCMKTS:PCRFY  Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 249,900 shares, an increase of 238.6% from the May 31st total of 73,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 523,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Panasonic from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, May 1st.

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Panasonic Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of Panasonic stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.24. 191,644 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 239,791. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.50. Panasonic has a fifty-two week low of $6.66 and a fifty-two week high of $12.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $30.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.95.

Panasonic Company Profile

Panasonic ( OTCMKTS:PCRFY Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.31. Panasonic had a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Panasonic will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

(Free Report)

Panasonic Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, sells, and services various electrical and electronic products worldwide. It operates through Lifestyle, Automotive, Connect, Industry, and Energy segments. The Lifestyle segment offers refrigerators, microwave ovens, rice cookers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, air-conditioners, air to water heat pump system, air purifiers/sterilizers, and freezing or refrigerating showcases, as well as ventilation and perflation equipment.

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Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE:PDM  Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:PDM opened at $7.27 on Thursday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $6.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.05. Piedmont Office Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $5.99 and a twelve month high of $13.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $898.86 million, a PE ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 3.63, a current ratio of 3.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

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Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE:PDM  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.47). The company had revenue of $142.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $143.71 million. Piedmont Office Realty Trust had a return on equity of 4.70% and a net margin of 15.00%. On average, analysts anticipate that Piedmont Office Realty Trust will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Piedmont Office Realty Trust

Piedmont Office Realty Trust Company Profile

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Duality Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 27.9% in the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 101,067 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 22,043 shares in the last quarter. Anson Capital Inc. bought a new position in Piedmont Office Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $126,000. State Street Corp increased its position in Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,227,041 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $45,457,000 after buying an additional 85,434 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 962,976 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $7,030,000 after buying an additional 252,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,670,325 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $19,493,000 after buying an additional 124,367 shares in the last quarter. 82.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

(Free Report)

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: PDM) is an owner, manager, developer, redeveloper, and operator of high-quality, Class A office properties located primarily in major U.S. Sunbelt markets. Its approximately $5 billion portfolio is currently comprised of approximately 17 million square feet. The Company is a fully integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) with local management offices in each of its markets and is investment-grade rated by S&P Global Ratings (BBB) and Moody's (Baa2).

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PIMCO High Income Fund (NYSE:PHK  Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 54,200 shares, a drop of 46.9% from the May 31st total of 102,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 347,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

PIMCO High Income Fund Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of PIMCO High Income Fund stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $5.00. 378,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 413,645. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.88. PIMCO High Income Fund has a fifty-two week low of $4.50 and a fifty-two week high of $5.41.

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PIMCO High Income Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.048 per share. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PIMCO High Income Fund

About PIMCO High Income Fund

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Manhattan Co. bought a new stake in PIMCO High Income Fund during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in PIMCO High Income Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. RMR Wealth Builders bought a new stake in PIMCO High Income Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in PIMCO High Income Fund during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in PIMCO High Income Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.81% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

PIMCO High Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. It invests in the public fixed income markets across the globe. The fund invests in U.S. dollar denominated high-yield corporate debt obligations.

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Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE:FHI  Free Report) by 261.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,489 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 27,130 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Managements holdings in Federated Hermes were worth $1,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FHI. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in shares of Federated Hermes by 310.8% in the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,520 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Federated Hermes by 157.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,962 shares of the companys stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Federated Hermes during the 4th quarter worth about $80,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Federated Hermes during the 3rd quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Federated Hermes during the 4th quarter worth about $91,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.52% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, VP Paul A. Uhlman sold 995 shares of Federated Hermes stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.39, for a total transaction of $35,213.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 369,078 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,061,670.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO J Christopher Donahue sold 75,000 shares of Federated Hermes stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.71, for a total transaction of $2,753,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 202,963 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,450,771.73. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Paul A. Uhlman sold 995 shares of Federated Hermes stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.39, for a total transaction of $35,213.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 369,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,061,670.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 156,822 shares of company stock valued at $5,743,252. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Federated Hermes Stock Down 0.4 %

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on FHI shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Federated Hermes in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Federated Hermes from an underweight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Federated Hermes from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Federated Hermes from $44.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Shares of NYSE FHI opened at $35.85 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Federated Hermes, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.30 and a 1 year high of $45.55. The firms 50-day moving average is $37.65 and its 200-day moving average is $38.63.

Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI  Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $382.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $390.85 million. Federated Hermes had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 27.83%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Federated Hermes, Inc. will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

Federated Hermes Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 5th. This is a positive change from Federated Hermess previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Federated Hermess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.58%.

Federated Hermes Profile

(Free Report)

Federated Hermes, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, including high net worth individuals, banking or thrift institutions, investment companies, pension and profit sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, and registered investment advisors.

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Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Belden Inc. (NYSE:BDC  Free Report) by 196.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,894 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 15,168 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Managements holdings in Belden were worth $1,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Belden by 97.2% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 353 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Belden by 88.0% in the 1st quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 515 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Belden by 444.0% in the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 631 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its stake in Belden by 193.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,109 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Belden by 96.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,352 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period.

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Belden Price Performance

Shares of Belden stock opened at $95.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $87.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 1.32. Belden Inc. has a one year low of $50.90 and a one year high of $96.74.

Belden Announces Dividend

Belden ( NYSE:BDC Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The industrial products company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.13. Belden had a return on equity of 26.83% and a net margin of 10.69%. The firm had revenue of $641.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $624.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Belden Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. Beldens dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ashish Chand sold 26,371 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.81, for a total transaction of $2,500,234.51. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,682 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,331,110.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Brian Lieser sold 829 shares of Belden stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.34, for a total transaction of $78,207.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,363 shares in the company, valued at $1,638,025.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ashish Chand sold 26,371 shares of Belden stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.81, for a total value of $2,500,234.51. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 45,682 shares in the company, valued at $4,331,110.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,421 shares of company stock valued at $3,241,593. Company insiders own 1.42% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Belden from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $98.80.

About Belden

(Free Report)

Belden Inc provides portfolio of signal transmission solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Enterprise Solutions and Industrial Automation Solutions. The Enterprise Solutions segment offers copper cable and connectivity solutions, fiber cable and connectivity solutions, interconnect panels, racks and enclosures, and signal extension and matrix switching systems for use in applications, such as local area networks, data centers, access control, 5G, fiber, and home and building automation.

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Ritholtz Wealth Management decreased its position in ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX  Free Report) by 21.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,369 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 4,609 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Managements holdings in ORIX were worth $1,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of IX. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd raised its position in ORIX by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd now owns 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in ORIX by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 596 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in ORIX by 744.2% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 439 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new position in ORIX in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC raised its position in ORIX by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 1.69% of the companys stock.

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ORIX Price Performance

NYSE IX opened at $91.26 on Friday. ORIX Co. has a 52 week low of $68.78 and a 52 week high of $92.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $87.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORIX ( NYSE:IX Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.46 billion. ORIX had a net margin of 10.20% and a return on equity of 8.03%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ORIX Co. will post 10.79 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on IX. StockNews.com raised ORIX from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. TheStreet lowered ORIX from a b- rating to a c rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th.

ORIX Profile

(Free Report)

ORIX Corporation provides diversified financial services in Japan, the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australasia, the Middle East, and internationally. The company's Corporate Financial Services and Maintenance Leasing segment is involved in the finance and fee; leasing and rental of automobiles, electronic measuring instruments, and ICT-related equipment businesses; and provision of life insurance and environment and energy-related products and services.

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Bancroft Fund Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:BCV  Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,800 shares, a decline of 78.3% from the May 31st total of 8,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 17,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Bancroft Fund Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSEAMERICAN BCV traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $17.09. 13,256 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,884. Bancroft Fund has a 52-week low of $16.01 and a 52-week high of $20.98.

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Bancroft Fund Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.49%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th.

Insider Activity

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bancroft Fund

In related news, insider Mario J. Gabelli sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.98, for a total transaction of $50,940.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 40,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $679,200. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . In related news, insider Mario J. Gabelli sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.98, for a total transaction of $50,940.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 40,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $679,200. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Also, insider Mario J. Gabelli sold 12,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total value of $198,960.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $746,100. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Round Rock Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bancroft Fund by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 25,405 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552 shares in the last quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bancroft Fund by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,605 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 1,926 shares in the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bancroft Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $254,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Bancroft Fund by 375.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 10,473 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 8,271 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Bancroft Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $76,000. 17.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Bancroft Fund

(Free Report)

Bancroft Fund Ltd. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by GAMCO Investors, Inc It is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC. The fund invests in the public equity markets. It primarily invests in convertible securities including convertible debt and convertible preferred stocks. The fund invests in stocks of companies across market capitalization.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MHN  Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,700 shares, an increase of 291.4% from the May 31st total of 3,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund Price Performance

NYSE MHN opened at $10.48 on Friday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $10.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.43. BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund has a 52 week low of $9.16 and a 52 week high of $11.60.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.0335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund

BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund Company Profile

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund in the first quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund by 132.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,501 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $72,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund in the 4th quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund during the 1st quarter valued at about $113,000. 22.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(Free Report)

BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in investment grade New York municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and New York State and New York City personal income taxes.

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BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:BNY  Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,700 shares, an increase of 177.1% from the May 31st total of 3,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 50,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BNY. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust by 17.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 12,500 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust by 6.4% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 126,186 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 7,612 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust by 9.7% in the first quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 482,861 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,881,000 after purchasing an additional 42,581 shares during the last quarter. Robinson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust in the first quarter valued at $1,050,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust by 7.7% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 69,597 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 4,987 shares during the last quarter.

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BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust Price Performance

BNY traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $10.34. 35,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,835. BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust has a twelve month low of $9.06 and a twelve month high of $11.92. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $10.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.35.

BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust Cuts Dividend

BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust Company Profile

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.0305 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $0.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%.

(Free Report)

BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in the investment grade municipal bonds exempt from federal income taxes and New York State and New York City personal income taxes.

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An oil-trading hedge fund just got slammed with a 51% loss amid this year's slump in energy prices

Reuters / Todd Korol

An oil hedge fund is looking at 51% loss as its bets on energy prices turns sour, Bloomberg reported.

Pierre Andurand's hedge fund had delivered sky-high returns to its investors from 2020 through 2022.

Andurand gave a bullish outlook for oil prices earlier this year, arguing that the commodity could hit $140 per barrel.

A hedge fund managed by Pierre Andurand took a stunning loss in the first six months of 2023, with its flagship fund down 51% amid this year's drop in energy prices.

The Andurand Commodities Discretionary Enhanced Fund makes leveraged bets in the energy space and fell 7% in the first three weeks of June, according to an investor letter seen by Bloomberg. The hedge fund has likely lost about $750 million so far this year, based on reports that it manged about $1.5 billion in December 2022.

While it's unclear as to what trades drove the big losses, it likely was related to bullish oil bets as Andurand had given a forecast earlier this year that oil prices would soar to $140 per barrel by the end of 2023.

"I think oil will go upwards of $140 a barrel once Asia fully reopens, assuming there will be no more lockdowns," Andurand said, adding that the "market is underestimating the scale of the demand boost that it will bring."

Instead, oil prices have steadily dropped by about 12% this year, with WTI Crude Oil trading at just under $71 a barrel on Friday. The commodity price has been driven by cheap Russian oil flowing through the global commodity market, a weaker-than-expected economic reopening in China, and high inventory levels.

Oil prices are down 46% since the commodity peaked at $130 per barrel in the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

The massive drop for Andurand's hedge fund comes after it delivered sky-high returns for its investors from 2020 through 2022. The hedge fund was up 154%, 87%, and 59% in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, according to Bloomberg.

Read the original article on Business Insider
CP ALL Public Company Limited (OTCMKTS:CVPUF  Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 178,700 shares, a decline of 71.3% from the May 31st total of 622,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 0 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently  days.

CP ALL Public Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS CVPUF traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1.73. 964 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 500. CP ALL Public has a 12 month low of $1.73 and a 12 month high of $1.76. The companys 50 day moving average price is $2.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.07.

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About CP ALL Public

(Free Report)

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CP ALL Public Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates and franchises convenience stores under the 7-Eleven name to other retailers primarily in Thailand. It operates through three segments: Wholesale Business, Retail Business, and Management of Rental Spaces in Shopping Centers. The Wholesale Business segment engages in import, export, and distribution of frozen and chilled food with delivery services and focuses on selling consumer products, including fresh food, dry food, and consumer products under Makro brand.

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Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund (NYSEAMERICAN:EIM  Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,800 shares, a decline of 47.9% from the May 31st total of 18,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 127,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of EIM stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.95. The company had a trading volume of 182,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 138,615. Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund has a 12 month low of $9.38 and a 12 month high of $11.24.

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Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 22nd were given a dividend of $0.0354 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 21st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund

Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund Company Profile

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 373,610 shares of the companys stock worth $4,296,000 after buying an additional 49,803 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 26,161 shares of the companys stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 2,387 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,252 shares of the companys stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund during the 1st quarter worth $364,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund by 33.0% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 54,614 shares of the companys stock worth $628,000 after buying an additional 13,549 shares in the last quarter.

(Free Report)

Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Eaton Vance Management. It invests primarily in high grade municipal obligations. The fund's investment portfolio primarily includes investments in companies operating in the transportation, water and sewer, and electric utilities sectors.

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Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund, Inc. (NYSE:CAF  Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 500 shares, a drop of 88.6% from the May 31st total of 4,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 34,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.0 days.

Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAF traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.73. 8,706 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,490. Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund has a 52 week low of $12.16 and a 52 week high of $17.01. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $13.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.23.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elequin Securities LLC bought a new position in Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund by 63.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 7,982 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund during the 4th quarter worth $110,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund during the 4th quarter worth $145,000. Finally, Lincoln National Corp bought a new position in Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund during the 4th quarter worth $160,000.

Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund Company Profile

Morgan Stanley China A Share Fund, Inc is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc It is co-managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company. The fund invests in the public equity markets of China. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Trilogy Metals Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:TMQ  Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 140,200 shares, an increase of 229.1% from the May 31st total of 42,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 200,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at Trilogy Metals

In other news, major shareholder Strategic Opportuniti Electrum bought 2,181,818 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $0.55 per share, with a total value of $1,199,999.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 31,604,741 shares in the company, valued at $17,382,607.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 8.40% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Trading of Trilogy Metals

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in shares of Trilogy Metals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Trilogy Metals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Trilogy Metals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in shares of Trilogy Metals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Trilogy Metals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 52.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trilogy Metals Price Performance

Trilogy Metals stock remained flat at $0.59 during mid-day trading on Friday. The companys stock had a trading volume of 65,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,039. Trilogy Metals has a 52 week low of $0.47 and a 52 week high of $0.85.

Trilogy Metals (NYSEAMERICAN:TMQ  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 5th. The mining company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Trilogy Metals will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Trilogy Metals Company Profile

(Free Report)

Trilogy Metals Inc, a base metals exploration company, explores for and develops mineral properties in the United States. It principally holds interests in the Upper Kobuk mineral projects that include the Arctic, which contains polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; and Bornite that contains carbonate-hosted copper  cobalt deposits covering an area of approximately 448,217 acres located in the Ambler mining district in Northwest Alaska.

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Sovereign Metals Limited (LON:SVML  Free Report) shares were down 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 25 ($0.32) and last traded at GBX 25 ($0.32). Approximately 25,000 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 25,460 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 25.50 ($0.32).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Berenberg Bank reissued an arm rating and issued a GBX 90 ($1.14) price objective on shares of Sovereign Metals in a research note on Thursday, June 8th.

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Sovereign Metals Trading Down 2.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of 115.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,225.00 and a beta of 1.09. The firms 50 day simple moving average is GBX 24.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 24.75.

About Sovereign Metals

Sovereign Metals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the identification, exploration, development, and appraisal of mineral resource projects in Malawi. Its flagship project is the Kasiya rutile deposit in Malawi. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia.

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Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW  Free Report) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 115.66 ($1.47) and traded as low as GBX 102.78 ($1.31). Taylor Wimpey shares last traded at GBX 103.35 ($1.31), with a volume of 7,527,315 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Taylor Wimpey from GBX 125 ($1.59) to GBX 131 ($1.67) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 111 ($1.41) to GBX 122 ($1.55) and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Taylor Wimpey from GBX 154 ($1.96) to GBX 141 ($1.79) and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 120 ($1.53) to GBX 130 ($1.65) and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of GBX 127.33 ($1.62).

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Taylor Wimpey Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of 3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 568.06, a PEG ratio of -0.99 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 117.97 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 115.66.

Insider Buying and Selling

Taylor Wimpey Company Profile

In related news, insider Mark Castle acquired 1,559 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 126 ($1.60) per share, for a total transaction of 1,964.34 ($2,497.57). Insiders own 0.97% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Taylor Wimpey plc operates a residential developer in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities. Taylor Wimpey plc was incorporated in 1935 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom.

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Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG  Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,167 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 556 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corps holdings in Public Service Enterprise Group were worth $6,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its stake in Public Service Enterprise Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 39,221 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,403,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Public Service Enterprise Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 13,885 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division lifted its position in Public Service Enterprise Group by 1.5% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 13,455 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Public Service Enterprise Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,953 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in Public Service Enterprise Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 8,619 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 70.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Public Service Enterprise Group Trading Up 1.2 %

PEG stock traded up $0.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $62.61. The company had a trading volume of 2,626,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,796,895. Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $52.51 and a 52 week high of $69.94. The company has a market cap of $31.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.48, a PEG ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average of $62.13 and a 200 day moving average of $61.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Public Service Enterprise Group Dividend Announcement

Public Service Enterprise Group ( NYSE:PEG Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.18. Public Service Enterprise Group had a net margin of 20.64% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Public Service Enterprise Groups revenue was up 62.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 8th. Public Service Enterprise Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 49.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on PEG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Public Service Enterprise Group from $66.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Public Service Enterprise Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, April 14th. 92 Resources reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Public Service Enterprise Group from $70.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Public Service Enterprise Group currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $66.14.

Public Service Enterprise Group Profile

(Free Report)

Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company primarily in Mid-Atlantic United States. The company operates through PSE&G and PSEG Power. The PSE&G segment transmits electricity; distributes electricity and gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as invests in solar generation projects, and energy efficiency and related programs; and offers appliance services and repairs.

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Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS  Free Report) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,199 shares of the transportation companys stock after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension Systems holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,290,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Tsfg LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 49.8% in the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 665 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 15,176 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,638,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $666,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 12,634 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,451,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. 58.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Credit Suisse Group set a $203.00 price objective on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Melius started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, March 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $225.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $207.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $220.00 to $214.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $172.00 in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $191.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $3.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $179.25. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,892,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,799,429. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.87 and a fifty-two week high of $209.39. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $173.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.18. The company has a market capitalization of $153.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The transportation company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $22.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.90%. United Parcel Services quarterly revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.05 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. United Parcel Services dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.43%.

United Parcel Service Profile

(Free Report)

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UPS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS  Free Report).

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ur-Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:URG  Free Report) (TSE:URE) to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. HC Wainwright cut their price objective on shares of Ur-Energy from $3.00 to $2.80 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. TheStreet raised shares of Ur-Energy from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Alliance Global Partners cut their price objective on shares of Ur-Energy from $2.75 to $2.25 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Ur-Energy in a research report on Friday, April 14th.

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Ur-Energy Stock Performance

URG stock opened at $1.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 9.63 and a quick ratio of 8.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.23. Ur-Energy has a 52 week low of $0.82 and a 52 week high of $1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $277.97 million, a P/E ratio of -21.00 and a beta of 1.46.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

About Ur-Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in URG. MMCAP International Inc. SPC raised its holdings in Ur-Energy by 66.5% in the 1st quarter. MMCAP International Inc. SPC now owns 24,488,637 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $25,958,000 after buying an additional 9,780,004 shares during the last quarter. CQS US LLC raised its holdings in Ur-Energy by 20.9% in the 1st quarter. CQS US LLC now owns 13,006,553 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $13,787,000 after buying an additional 2,250,000 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Ur-Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,040,510 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $10,944,000 after buying an additional 165,966 shares during the last quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Ur-Energy by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 8,678,283 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $9,980,000 after buying an additional 573,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ur-Energy by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,757,864 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $8,456,000 after buying an additional 527,098 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.31% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

Ur-Energy Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of uranium mineral properties. The company holds interests in 12 projects located in the United States. Its flagship property is the Lost Creek project comprising a total of approximately 1,800 unpatented mining claims and three Wyoming mineral leases covering an area of approximately 35,400 acres located in the Great Divide Basin, Wyoming.

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Shufro Rose & Co. LLC lessened its position in Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE:WD  Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 89,770 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,224 shares during the quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLCs holdings in Walker & Dunlop were worth $6,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. NY increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. NY now owns 1,959 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 9,432 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 694 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Walker & Dunlop by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 42,757 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Finally, CI Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Walker & Dunlop during the 4th quarter valued at about $894,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.79% of the companys stock.

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Walker & Dunlop Price Performance

Shares of WD opened at $79.09 on Friday. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has a one year low of $61.06 and a one year high of $115.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $72.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.51. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69 and a beta of 1.39.

Walker & Dunlop Announces Dividend

Walker & Dunlop ( NYSE:WD Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $238.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $259.01 million. Walker & Dunlop had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 10.96%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Walker & Dunlop, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 17th. Walker & Dunlops dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. TheStreet cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Friday, May 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Walker & Dunlop from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price objective on shares of Walker & Dunlop from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th.

Walker & Dunlop Company Profile

(Free Report)

Walker & Dunlop, Inc, through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. The company offers first mortgage, second trust, supplemental, construction, mezzanine, preferred equity, and small-balance loans.

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Okinawa or Ryukyu? The prefecture on the front line of China-Japan ties

When Chinese President Xi Jinping referred to Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa last month, he did more than highlight his country's historical ties with the region.

Xi referred to the area as Ryukyu, the name of a kingdom that was a Chinese tributary state for more than 500 years until it was annexed by Japan in 1879.

The reference set off a flurry of commentary in Japanese media, with some taking umbrage, especially as various Chinese scholars have long advocated for autonomy for Okinawa.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

The prefecture lies on the faultlines of Japan's relationship with China, and even regional geopolitics, such as the Diaoyu Island dispute and potential conflict around Taiwan.

Those faultlines are expected to be among the topics discussed when Okinawan governor Denny Tamaki - who has long objected to US military bases - visits China from Monday.

He will visit with a delegation from the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT), a group dedicated to developing business with China headed by former House speaker and one-time Japanese foreign minister Yohei Kono.

Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki is expected to visit Beijing and Fujian from Monday. Photo: Kyodo alt=Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki is expected to visit Beijing and Fujian from Monday. Photo: Kyodo>

It is not yet known which Chinese officials they will meet, especially as the visit comes soon after Japan's sanction on China's semiconductor industry takes effect on Saturday. But during some of their previous trips, Kono and JAPIT have been received by senior leaders, such as China's premier and foreign minister.

This time, eyes will also be on Tamaki to see whether he meets Xi, given his Ryukyu reference.

The comment was made during an inspection of a national history archive in early June and Xi was shown a book from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) recording a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

China cites the book as evidence that the Diaoyu Islands - known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands - belonged to China.

According to People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, Xi spoke of exchanges between the former tributary state to China and the province of Fujian, where he used to be governor.

"When I was working in Fuzhou, I was aware of the Ryukyu-kan [diplomats' house] and the Ryukyu cemetery there, and that Fujian had a deep connection with Ryukyu," he said.

"There were 36 clans from Fujian [that] moved and settled in Ryukyu," he said, referring to a mass migration event in the 14th century.

A few days later, Tamaki told the media he interpreted the remarks as Xi having "very deep insight into history and culture".

"I take [Xi's statement] as an indication of his willingness to develop future exchanges," he said.

However, Japanese media outlets expressed concern about Xi's Ryukyu reference, saying it indicated China might play up the Okinawa issue, with some Chinese academics suggesting China support the autonomy, or even independence movement, of Ryukyu.

A prominent advocate for challenging Japan's sovereignty over Ryukyu is Zhang Haipeng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 2013, he co-authored an article in People's Daily raising the issue of Ryukyu and sparking protest from the Japanese government.

He flagged the idea again in June with a co-authored article called "The Feasibility of Strategically Proposing the Ryukyu Reconsideration", suggesting that an independent state of Ryukyu would be "extremely important to China's maritime strategy".

Zhang argued that Japan's annexation of Ryukyu in 1879 was illegal, and that the World War II allies' declarations did not recognise Japan's sovereignty over Ryukyu.

Under the post-war San Francisco Peace Treaty, Ryukyu came under the rule of the United States. The US handed over the authority to Japan in 1972, but "still did not resolve the question of the sovereign status of the Ryukyu Islands under international law", according to Zhang's article last month.

"In view of the unrest in East Asia and the Pacific, the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and the fact that Japan and South Korea are closely following the United States, at present there is a real need to formally raise the issue of reconsidering the status of Ryukyu from a strategic perspective," he wrote.

With a strategic location in the first island chain, Ryukyu was an important trade hub between ancient China and Japan.

Okinawa now hosts more than 70 per cent of US military forces in Japan. Its affiliated island is just 110km (68 miles) from Taiwan. Japan claims the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands through administration of the prefecture.

In December, as tension with China continued to rise, the Japanese cabinet passed a national security strategy to further strengthen security ties with the US and enhance military deployment on the southwest islands, including Okinawa.

Denny Tamaki, however, has long opposed the US military bases on the island, accusing them of bringing negative impacts to locals. He also criticised the new defence strategy.

On June 23, the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa - one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific War in which one out of four local civilians was killed - Tamaki issued his own peace declaration, calling for the easing of tensions and building of mutual trust with other countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific region.

"[The defence build-up in Okinawa] and the memories of the fierce ground battle has triggered great concern among the residents and peaceful diplomacy through dialogue is being demanded," Tamaki said in the document.

Zhang Jifeng, a specialist in Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Okinawans might not necessarily still feel a close link to China or truly seek independence, but the governor could be seeking to increase his bargaining power with Tokyo by having dialogue with Beijing.

"The Okinawan people are clear that strengthening military deployment in Okinawa and the southwest islands is to make these islands the very first ground of battle if a war broke out. It reminded them of the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa [in which] the residents died as cannon fodder," he said.

In the lead-up to his trip to China, Tamaki told the media he would like to convey to the Chinese side "that we trust each other and want to continue our mutually beneficial relationship".

"Rather than watching the tension rising in anxiety I would continue to connect with various countries," Tamaki said.

Liu Jiangyong, professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, said the main security concern for Tamaki and Okinawa was war in the Taiwan Strait, in which Japan and the US might stage armed interventions and drag Okinawa in.

"In this sense, it is positive and constructive for mainland China to cooperate with Okinawa to maintain regional stability and prosperity and to oppose Japan's military expansion and preparation for war," he said.

After meeting Chinese leaders and economic officials in Beijing, Tamaki will head to Okinawa's "twin province" Fujian in southeastern China to discuss economic and people exchanges with local officials, according to Japanese media.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund (NYSEARCA:IXSE  Free Report) was up 0.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $33.17 and last traded at $33.17. Approximately 63 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 401 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.89.

WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund Stock Up 0.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.63 million, a PE ratio of 26.01 and a beta of 0.73. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $31.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.05.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund stock. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund (NYSEARCA:IXSE  Free Report) by 106.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 953 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 492 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.48% of WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund worth $30,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

About WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

The WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund (IXSE) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracksa market-cap-weighted index of non-state-owned Indian equities. IXSE was launched on Apr 4, 2019 and is managed by WisdomTree.

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WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:WUXAY  Free Report)s stock price traded down 3.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $7.77 and last traded at $7.77. 8,751 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 107% from the average session volume of 4,234 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.09.

WuXi AppTec Trading Up 2.4 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.60.

About WuXi AppTec

(Free Report)

WuXi AppTec Co, Ltd., an investment holding company, provides research, development, and manufacturing services to discover, develop, and manufacture small molecule drugs, and cell and gene therapies in the People's Republic of China, the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through six segments: WuXi Chemistry, WuXi Testing, WuXi Biology, WuXi ATU, WuXi DDSU, and Others.

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The Nigeria Police Force headquarters has described the viral video showing several armed mobile police personnel escorting a mallam to slaughter a cow during Eld Kabir celebrations as an old video

The Force said no police personnel is presently attached to the said Mallam.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi made this known in a statement titled, Re: Video of Mallam Escorted by Armed Policeme to Slaughter Cow; Video Very Old, No Policemen Attached to him presently.

He said, We wish to state categorically that the viral video of a mallam who was seen escorted by some armed Mobile Policemen to slaughter a cow in his compound is very old.

The video surfaced in the year 2022, not a new one as being widely and willfully circulated on Wednesday, 28th June 2023.

The Police took necessary action, even withdrew the policemen attached to him when the video went viral last year.

We dont have any policemen attached to him at the moment.
Reports have emerged that President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with Guinea Bissau's counterpart and Chairman, Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Umaro Sissoci Embalo, at his Lagos residence.

The meeting between the two leaders was confirmed by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in a video posted on Twitter.

The details for the meeting were yet to be known as at the time of filing this report.
There is no denying the fact that since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner of the keenly contested presidential election that was held on February 25, 2023, that not a few Nigerians are looking to his administration to heal and rebuild trust, while also expecting that under his regime there would be a great transformation of the economic, political and economic systems as Nigeria is in dire need of healing and rebuilding trust as well as the transformation of the countrys economic, political and societal systems.

While it is not an exaggeration to opine that his coming to the presidential height of leadership literarily signalled a new day for Nigerians, particularly to those in the categoryof persons that fall within 63% of multidimensionally poor Nigerians as researched by the Federal Government and the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in November 2022.

However, given the rising level of hardship that has characterized his administration right from the day of his inauguration when he made the pronouncement that the era of Petroleum subsidy has gone, his presidency, which is today in its 30th day, is unarguably impacting negatively on virtually all Nigerians and their businesses and the economy in an excruciating manner.

The reason for the deepening level of the biting hardship under his nascent administration cannot be farfetched when understood from the prism of the fact that it is a fallout of the policies he has so far implemented, which are the removal of subsidy through petrol pricing to market forces and removal of official controls on foreign exchange market by floating the Naira exchange rate in the open market, and which were launched in the first two weeks of his assumption of office. However, many analysts, are optimistic that the difficulties would ease off only if they are properly managed.

At this juncture, it is not an exaggeration to say that at the time of putting the inspiration of this piece into writing that the pump prices of petrol have risen by a minimum of 175 percent to a national average of N600 per litre outside Lagos. Though petrol filling stations in Lagos still sell at an average of N500 per litre, which is about 169 percent rise.

In the area of the foreign exchange rate, the Naira, as at the close of business on Friday, June 30, 2023, has depreciated by 63 per cent to N768.17 per dollar in the official market.

Even at that, prices of food, and essential items are by each passing day since May 29, 2023, when the president was inaugurated into office fast becoming unaffordable. For example, eight out of the 11 food and essential items monitored by Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), a leading Lagos-based economic and financial research company, recorded significant price increases in June. These are: Beans Oloyin (50kg) rose from N30,000 to N35,000; Tomatoes (50kg) rose from N55,000 to N65,000; Pepper (bag) rose from N20,000 to N33,000; Onions (bag) rose from N28,000 to N37,000; Palm Oil (25liters) rose from N22,500 to N29,000; New Yam (medium size) rose from N2,000 to N3,500; and Sugar (50kg) rose from N35,000 to N42,000. The prices of Semovita (10kg) and Flour (50kg) remained stable at N6,800 and N28,500 respectively. But the price of Garri (50kg) Yellow fell from N28,000 to N19,000 and Rice (50kg) short grain fell from N35,000 to N33,000.

In a similar vein, as further gathered, the exchange rate in the I&E window rose to N768.17 per dollar on June 27th from N471.67 per dollar on May 20th. This translated to a 63 per cent depreciation of the naira in the official market. The depreciation in the parallel market was marginal at 0.9 per cent during the same period, rising to N775 per dollar on June 27th from N768 per dollar on May 28th, even as the nations external reserves declined by $927 million during the same period.

Last week, it was also announced that new taxes will be taking effect from today, July 1, 2023, which is today, while a 40 per cent hike in electricity tariff has been proposed to also take effect from today if President Tinubu appends his signature to the proposals as forwarded to him by the sector regulators and operators.

Without a doubt, these policies meant to take effect from today are expected to be added to the petrol and the forex reforms, consequently deepening the burden of both everyday Nigerian and the elite.

At this juncture, it is expedient to conjecture that not a few readers of this piece are wondering about the rationale behind the expression of this view. However, it is germane to confess that I was compelled to express this opinion as some people are wont to counter me each time I want to air my view, particularly on the newly inaugurated Tinubu administration, and for being critical, I am always shut down and challenged for criticizing an administration that was newly inaugurated. Literarily speaking, one of them almost ate me raw. He shouted at me, Why are you always censorious, it is sad that an administration that was just inaugurated has come under your critical lens. I was no doubt disappointed by his partisan disposition to an issue that is of public concern, given the fact that he is a Journalist.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to ask, After 30 days in office, when is it not too early to criticize Tinubus government? The reason for this question cannot be farfetched as expressing ones opinion on a newly formed government is tantamount to supporting ones countrys policies and decisions. Not only that, it is one part of keeping the newly inaugurated government on the path of prosperity and development, while keeping track of its activities, being vigilant about them and highlighting loopholes in policies made under the regime as they are needed are indispensable in a democracy.

In fact, in our country, Nigeria, we have people with different ideologies, some criticize the government policies and some support them, while others remain at the top of it appreciating the good policies and highlighting the drawbacks to improving governance. It is common nowadays to see us as Nigerians divided into cliques, with our different perspectives about the policies undertaken by the government; it is something which keeps the true essence of democracy alive. There are many instances in the past of governance and society improving because of the positive criticism by some people or groups of them. Take it or leave it, criticism gives democracies around the world a chance of improving the quality of governance and hence create a better society.

Weighing the option of criticizing the government or not, it is expedient to recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari (retd) apologised to Nigerians over the cash crunch caused by the naira redesign policy of the Federal Government. The apology came following the abysmal performance of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) at the presidential and national assembly elections in Kaduna state. In a similar vein, while speaking on the occasion that marks his final outing as president on the Eid-el-Fitr day before handing over to Tinubu, the former president said Nigerians should forgive him in any way he has hurt them, saying All those that I have hurt, I ask that they pardon me.

God gave me an incredible opportunity to serve the country. We are all humans, if I have hurt some people along the line of my service to the country, I ask that they pardon me, Buhari said.

I think it is a good coincidence for me to say goodbye to you, and thank you for tolerating me for almost eight years.

Without a doubt, the president made the foregoing remorseful statements because Nigerians were criticizing him before then. The former president even said he accepts all the criticism thrown at his administration in good stead because it is part of leadership.

In his book, Mass Communication: Theory and Practice, Ifedayo Daramola defined Public Opinion as the consensus or aggregate views held by the public on a burning issue or about a product, service, organization, individual or government. Public Opinion or Criticism is not an act to shy away from if Nigerians want the country to be better than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met it on May 29, 2023.

If I may ask again, After 30 days in office, when is it not too early to criticize Tinubus government?
Recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, G.C.F.R., appointed the pioneer chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, as the National Security Adviser. However, the appointment of the Adamawa State born lawyer and retired Assistant Inspector General of police into the plum job has not elicited sufficient enthusiasm from the Nigerian populace. Even Ribadu's fantastic speech on the day he took over from his successor, did not change things. Ribadu promised that: We will stabilise this country, we will secure our country and we will make Nigeria peaceful because we believe time has come for this country to enjoy peace, restore order and rule of law just like any other country in the world. Securing the nation is a continuous process. We will look at what has been done and build on it. We will count on your support in the course of discharging our responsibilities."

Given his training as a lawyer and his experiences in the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, there cannot be any doubt that Nuhu Ribadu is qualified for the job of National Security Adviser. This is more so given the traditional synergy between financial crimes and insurgency. All over the world, rebellions or insurgency are funded through illegal funds or proceeds of crimes. Added to these is what seems like the open knowledge of the metamorphosis of banditry and insurgency in Nigeria. The history of bokoharam insurgency which began in Borno State as a political militant group led by Gombe born Mohammed Yusuf but later took to insurgency in protest for the alleged extrajudicial killing of Yusuf in police custody in July 2009 is public knowledge which Ribadu must have come across like many other Nigerians. The story of how hirelings said to have been brought from neighbouring African countries to resist anticipated loss in the 2015 Nigerian presidential polls were mismanaged; and their resort to banditry is also public knowledge. In fact, that story was, at a time, falsely credited to Nuhu Ribadu. Even though Ribadu has disclaimed that story, the story has important pieces of intelligence claims worth the scrutiny of any National Security Adviser who intends to succeed in his job. The undenied 2016 confessions of the former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, about the cause, identity and nationalities of bandits terrorising different parts of Nigeria are important security intelligence clues to work on in the search for an end to banditry.

The greatest impediments to the search for peace and security in Nigeria has been financial corruption and the biased approach to separatist groups by the Federal Government. From the time of Col Dasuki as the National Security Adviser, Nigerians have heard confessions of how monies budgeted for security were diverted to fund political parties. During Buhari's administration, some senior military officers allegedly diverted part of the defence budget into personal accounts and soakaway pits. Yet, others charged with procurement of military equipment went for substandard and refurbished ones. Nigerians have also listened to the narratives of mismanagement of troupes' welfare and how allowances and salaries of troupes in various theatres were either embezzled or withheld for months. It is on record that because of allegations of nepotism and marginalisation against several federal administrations in Nigeria, many separatist groups like the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu - led Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Sunday Igboho - led Movement for Yoruba Nation, and others sprang up. They have all been demanding national referendum to enable the people choose where they want to belong to. Of all these groups, IPOB, having adopted the style of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha has been non-violent. Yet, Buhari's government was quick to declare the group a terrorist group, dealth ruthlessly with the group, killing most members and detaining many alongside the leader - Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. While Buhari's government and many state governors negotiated with other separatist groups and even the insurgents, it refused to open dialogue with IPOB. This dichotomy in security management is condemnable and has, more than anything else, fueled the agitations.

Nigerians expect stable security and a return to peace. If Ribadu really intends to work for and stabilise the country as he promised on the day he took over from Monguno, he must weed off all corrupt senior security officers from the management of the security sector and ensure judicious use of security funds. The welfare of troops at the various theatres should made a priority. Ribadu should advise President Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; dialogue with all separatist groups; and abolish nepotism and dichotomies in the management of the country's security sector. Studies have shown that candidness and maintenance of rule of law and discipline in the security sector are the basic requirement for functional security network. Marauding bandits and terrorists who come as herdsmen should be blocked from accessing Nigeria's borders. In fact, cattle ranching should be encouraged while open grazing should be prohibited and effectively enforced all over Nigeria. Above all, Tinubu's kinetic theory of "Agbado" security management should be modified to accommodate technologically-driven intelligence gathering using drones, CCTV cameras and more.
In 1969, the U.S. military drafted John Meeks to serve in the Vietnam War  a bleak prospect for the 18-year-old, only made tolerable because of the partner the Army assigned to him: Artus, a 6-year-old German shepherd.

"He knew more about what the hell was going on than I did," said Meeks, 73.

Meeks was Artus' handler for eight months in Vietnam. Artus sniffed out bombs, alerting the squad before they detonated, and he warned of ambushes, allowing Meeks and others to avoid them or be prepared to defend themselves. In one instance, Artus blocked Meeks and 15 others walking behind them from moving forward because he'd found a trip wire that would have detonated a bomb, killing all of them.

"He was a great dog," Meeks said. "To this day, I give him most the credit for allowing me to go home without a scratch. He saved me a couple of times. I owe him a lot.

John Meeks and his U.S. Army scout dog Artus in 1970, taken at Firebase Birmingham in Vietnam after Meeks' first mission with Artus. Artus was killed in Vietnam and his name is on the memorial wall at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township.

Some 4,200 working military dogs who served in Vietnam are credited with saving the lives of 10,000 soldiers there, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The dogs' keen senses, especially to smell  which is about 50 times greater than that of humans, experts say  allowed them to alert soldiers of enemies, find explosives and warn of other dangers.

But when the war ended, the U.S. government did not bring the nearly 2,000 surviving military dogs home with the rest of the soldiers. Instead, the government left the dogs behind to be euthanized.

"It was a hell of a way to treat the dogs that saved so many lives," said Meeks, who lives in Kokomo, Indiana. "Just a hell of a way to show appreciation. It was really, really bad."

It's painful memories like those that spurred a place of honor in Michigan to memorialize hero dogs like Artus and so many others who serve, and sometimes sacrifice their lives, to save humans. It is the Michigan War Dog Memorial.

Phil Weitlauf, 81, director of Michigan War Dog Memorial, Inc., kneels next to the gravestone of his dog Cody that was buried inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

The project is the work of Michigan veteran Phil Weitlauf, 81, the president and director of Michigan War Dog Memorial, Inc. It is a nonprofit he started 11 years ago to operate the Michigan War Dog Memorial cemetery in Lyon Township, an old pet cemetery in western Oakland County that he and hundreds of volunteers restored. The 2-acre cemetery's purpose now is to honor all the military working dogs, police and other service dogs with monuments, special headstones for interment and elaborate military funeral services.

"They did their job and brought their handlers home safe," Weitlauf said. "The only flaw I can find with these animals is their lives are too short. That's why we take care of them at the Michigan War Dog Memorial."

The site is the sacred burial ground for the remains of some unique animals throughout history, including many heroic military, police and service dogs. It has become arguably the most prestigious place in the country for a working dog to be interred, said Weitlauf and handlers who traveled from other states to lay their dogs to rest there.

A photo of retired Wayne County Sheriff''s Deputy Richard Brooks and his dog Gunner while on duty. Gunner is buried at the War Dog Memorial cemetery in South Lyon.

There are not enough words to express how much I appreciate what Phil did in putting that place together and being able to go there and honor the dogs," said Richard Brooks, a retired dog handler with the Wayne County Sheriffs Department.

Brooks, who lives in Westland, worked with and later adopted Gunner, a German shepherd trained to detect drugs, do tracking and protection work. In February 2019, Gunner died at nearly age 10. Shortly after his death, Brooks had Gunner's ashes interred at the Michigan War Dog Memorial. He visits Gunner's grave regularly to make sure "his flag is up, the one with our picture on it, and his American flag." Brooks keeps Gunner's Kong toy on his grave.

Gunner's headstone, center is among many others inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

I know how much it means to the handlers because we know how much those dogs mean," Brooks said, adding Gunner saved his life many times while on patrol. "Their whole life is dedicated to service and they dont get to live long.

Honor those dogs

Since Michigan War Dog Memorial was established in 2012, 75 service dogs from all over the country have been buried there. The cost is free to the handlers because Michigan War Dog Memorial pays with donations for the uniform headstones that line the area where the service dogs are buried. It costs about $1,000 to inter one dog. The group will bury 15 more dogs this year, Weitlauf said. One donor has sponsored five of them.

Over a dozen gravestones of dogs who served in war rest inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

But only police and military dogs' remains go in the ground  and they must be cremated first to conserve the limited land space, Weitlauf said. The site is land locked and will eventually run out of ground room. So in 2019, the group bought a columbarium with 96 niches in it to inter ashes for other kinds of service dogs. It has 16 niches filled now.

While the ceremonies are sacred to Weitlauf, one of his proudest moments came in 2017 when the Michigan War Dog Memorial unveiled a Vietnam Memorial Wall that Weitlauf raised $40,000 to build because, "We need to honor those dogs who never came home from Vietnam."

The black granite wall, that is 5 feet tall and 20 feet long, depicts the names and military tag numbers of all 4,234 dogs to serve and die in Vietnam, including Artus  misspelled Artu on the wall with his number KO12  who was killed by the Viet Cong on Dec. 11, 1970.

A Vietnam K-9 Memorial Hall memorial sits inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

I said to the dog handlers at the ceremony, Go find your dog,' " Weitlauf said, recalling that there were about 200 people there. "They scurried over there and I saw their fingers go down the list and pointing to their dog. It was very emotional for them. They said, After 50 years, my dog is finally recognized. "

Meeks was one of the handlers there for the unveiling of the wall.

"I have two dogs on that wall: Gretchen, who I trained with in the States, she went to Vietnam the same time I did but they wouldnt let me have her and I ended up with Artus," Meeks said. "Its very emotional. There isnt a day that goes by now that I dont think about him. I am able to live and breath because of him."

In recent years, Meeks has adopted retired military service dogs as pets. The ashes of two of them: Sgt. Abel and Sgt. 1st Class Brutusz are buried at the Michigan War Dog Memorial.

John Meeks with Sgt. 1st Class Brutusz, who was a bomb-sniffing dog for the U.S. Army stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Meeks adopted Brutusz when he was retired in 2018 at age 7. Brutusz died on Dec. 6, 2022, and his ashes are interred at the Michigan War Dog Memorial cemetery.

"I wanted to take both of them up to Michigan and they are now lying with other dogs that served their country," Meeks said. "I wanted them to be with their brothers and sisters like I want to be with mine. When my time comes, I will be at Marion National Cemetery (in Indiana) and be buried there where other veterans are.

A 'brave warrior' is laid to rest

In the early afternoon of June 17, about two dozen motorcycles lined the shoulder of 11 Mile at Milford Road, the Michigan War Dog Memorial's location. The leather-clad, tattooed riders were scattered up and down the path of honor, the walkway leading inside the cemetery. Like many of the other 100 or so people milling about that day, the bikers were mostly military veterans there for the services of two military dogs: Lucky6, who served in the Army and Colt, who served in the Marine Corps.

A memorial table dedicated to military war dog Colt with items on display that U.S. Marine Ryan Schnettler had by his side during his tour in Afghanistan. A service was held for Colt and another dog, Lucky6 at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

Also in the crowd was Ray Thomas, the director of the Royal Australian Air Force Dog Handlers Association. Hed come from Australia to see the place and observe the ceremony. He said about 2,500 dogs have served in the Australian Air Force to date with no special memorial or resting place.

We want to have a look and see what its all about and hopefully, in time, wed love to have something exactly like this in Australia  possibly in Queensland, Thomas told the Free Press. The veteran dog handlers that we have, theyd love to see something like this.

Bagpiper David Wurtz with the Metro Detroit Police and Fire Pipes and Drums leads a procession to start the memorial service for Colt and Lucky6, two Michigan military war dogs who were laid to rest at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

Soon, the crowd quiets as retired Oakland County Sheriff's Detective Dave Wurtz  wearing a traditional kilt  begins playing the bagpipes to mark the start of the ceremony. He leads a procession of 12 dogs, mostly German shepherds  called the K9 Salute Team. The dogs escort the handler, who is carrying the remains of his or her dog. There is an honor guard, the Marine Corps League from Howell. That day, and most of the funerals, includes the Patriot Guard Riders, who describe themselves as people who love motorcycles and have a respect for "those who risk their lives for America's freedom and security." The riders lined up on both sides of the stage with the American flag, facing the audience  tough looking guys, but look closer and you see their tears.

Weitlauf serves as a master of ceremonies. He leads the Pledge of Allegiance, then introduces the chaplain, a retired colonel in the Air Force, who does the invocation. Weitlauf then invites the dogs' handlers to the podium to eulogize their dogs.

Its usually very difficult for them, but I tell them, 'You owe it to your dog,' " Weitlauf said.

Ryan Schnettler, a retired Marine who now lives in Livonia, takes the stage that day. Below him, on a table sits a picture of Colt, the yellow Labrador retriever trained in bomb detection. Schnettler was Colt's handler in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. He was able to adopt Colt in 2013 after the dog retired. Colt died on Feb. 19 at age 11.

A tombstone for Colt at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

"Colt was a Marine, but he was also a beloved member of our family," Schnettler said in his eulogy. "He was loyal, devoted, which brought joy and happiness to everyone who knew him. We shared an unbreakable bond and Colt knew to be nearby when I was expressing some kind of emotion. I love you Colt and loved having you by my side and losing you hurt so much. You will be missed, but your memories will live forever in my heart. You will never be forgotten. You were a brave warrior who completed your mission. Rest easy, my friend.

'Goodbye My Friend'

After the eulogy, a military member presents a folded American flag to each of the handlers and thanks them for their dogs' service to their country. The handlers are given a plaque with a photo of their dogs and then Michigan War Dog Memorial's artist, Barbara Strong, of Livonia, presents them with framed hand-drawn portraits of their dogs.

Ryan Schnettler receives a folded American flag after prayers for him and his military war dog Colt during a memorial service at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023. Schnettler and Colt served together in Afghanistan and he was laid to rest at the cemetery after the ceremony and memorial.

Retired Army veteran Jim Marinelli raises his bugle and plays a soulful rendition of taps; he's followed by "Amazing Grace," by Wurtz on the bagpipes. Four of the dogs on the K-9 Salute Team, led by a German shepherd named Gus, then howl on command for 20 seconds to bid farewell to their deceased brothers.

"It's an honor to pay tribute to these dogs," Marinelli told the Detroit Free Press. "Some people don't realize how much these dogs did to save lives."

The 30- to 45-minute program ends with the missing dog formation, where the K9 Salute Team walks up the path of honor and one dog breaks off and goes behind the stage as the others carry on. The song, "Goodbye My Friend" by Linda Ronstadt plays in the background.

John Van Dyk, left, and Ryan Schnettler add the urns containing their military war dogs Lucky6 and Colt to their final resting places during a memorial service at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

Later, the handlers will place their dogs' ashes into the small grave under their headstones. If you look around, you see keepsakes on many of the graves: a teddy bear, flowers and a flag, a well-worn ball made of string and a painted rock that reads "Peace to you."

There are also coins scattered across many graves with special meaning: A penny means a person visited the grave, a nickel means the visitor trained with the deceased, a dime means the visitor was deployed with the deceased and a quarter means, "I was there when you were killed or died," Weitlauf said.

A rock with the words Michigan War Dog Memorial sits on top of a K-9 tombstone inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

Weitlauf sits quietly on a bench after the crowd disperses that Saturday. His usual intensity and focused energy has faded into the kind of lightness that accompanies deep satisfaction. A slight smile sneaks across his face. He knows he did his duty that day. He honored these dogs.

A passion project

Weitlauf, who was born in Alabama, grew up in Stockbridge, Michigan, after his parents moved there when he was 5. He served in the Army from 1962 to 1964 and then spent four years in the Army Reserves. He spent his career in the auto industry, selling parts for the assembly lines to the Detroit Three automakers.

But it was in retirement that Weitlauf found his true calling. A lifelong dog lover who grew up with mostly German shepherds, his friends knew he followed the stories of military dogs. So, on a spring morning in 2010, Weitlauf visited the abandoned pet cemetery in Lyon Township on the recommendation of a friend who told him about the granite memorial to war dogs.

All I saw was a wooded area," Weitlauf recalled of the overgrown site. He looked down at his German shepherd at the time, and said, "Cody, someone should do something about this. Days later, sipping his morning coffee in his retirement, he said to himself, "So Weitlauf, why don't YOU do something about it?"

He reached out to a few military veteran buddies and dog lovers asking for help clearing out the site. To his surprise, 55 people showed up to help and the number of volunteers grew as they kept clearing the site, day after day. He was eventually getting 100 people at a time to help.

I said, We've got something here. People want this done,  Weitlauf said.

Cassi, a 6-month-old German shepherd, lays next to a Vietnam K-9 Memorial Hall memorial inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

At that time, Lombardo Homes owned the property, Weitlauf said. He got its permission to clean it up and, in 2012, Lombardo Homes gave the property to the nonprofit he had formed.

Weitlauf had the land deeded to Lyon Township but has a contract that says his nonprofit has control over running it. The Michigan War Dog Memorial's Vice President of Operations Clint Symons, 49, will succeed Weitlauf one day in running the memorial to ensure it carries on.

"Thats always been my biggest fear. I have a tendency of getting vertigo and thought what would I do if its a Saturday morning and we have a burial ceremony and vertigo hits?" Weitlauf said. "Who can take over for me? I had a good feeling with Clint. He works at General Motors and hes not afraid to get up and talk in front of people.

Dogs joins WWII

To understand the importance of the memorial and the ceremony, one must first know a bit of history about dogs in the military. It is estimated that working military dogs saved some 28,000 lives in U.S. wars from World War II on, Weitlauf said.

Liney, a 3-year-old Doberman pinscher, donated for war service to the Marine Corps by his owner, R.C. Webster, of Baltimore, Maryland, stands by the side of one of his trainers, Pfc. Robert S. Forsyth, of Stamford, Connecticut, at a Bougainville base in the Southwest Pacific, March 31, 1944. The dog has served with the Marines for a year and during the Bougainville campaign, he picked up the scent of two Jap snipers on the front lines.

According to an article in the American Kennel Club, the U.S. military's official use of dogs started in 1942, when a private organization called Dogs for Defense was established to encourage people to volunteer their pet dog for the U.S. militarys War Dog Program, known as the K-9 Corps. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America also supplied war dogs that became linked with the U.S. Marines. The dogs were given a rank, starting as privates. In more recent years, the military established a rule that the dogs must always be one-rank above their handler, Weitlauf said. The reason for that is to ensure the dog is not mistreated because doing so would be assaulting an officer.

Pfc. Robert Gross, left, of Detroit, holds Robin, a war dog whose place of enlistment was Boston. They are on the Burma front, Oct. 3, 1944, where the dogs are used to detect the presence of snipers in the jungles.

The dogs that did not pass the training for WWII were returned to their owners. Those who passed were sent to battle "from foxholes to beach fronts, where they were utilized for messenger, mine-detection, sentry and scout duties," the AKC said in the article.

By the end of the second World War, Dogs for Defense had recruited 18,000 of the 20,000 military dogs, the AKC said. One of those dogs was Chips, which the AKC said was a German shepherd/Alaskan husky/collie mix. Chips was donated by his family in New York and his lifesaving heroics earned him a Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Weitlauf said dogs are credited with saving about 15,000 lives during World War II.

'Take your dog and go home'

Koran dogs- some bought for a pack of cigarettes and others for from 25 cents to a dollar-are trained for patrol work by GIs of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division in action on the central Korean front on March 17, 1951. The war dog leads a patrol and his handler goes with him, which is always on a dangerous job. Cpl. Floyd Ambrahamson, left, of Dallas, and Pfc. James Matty, right, of Snow Shoe, Pa,, are shown on patrol with their dogs. Dogs are trained seven hours a day, seven days a week, for six weeks for sentry duty. Training for more complicated patrol work takes even longer.

In the Korean War in 1950, the AKC wrote that dogs were deployed on combat night patrols and were hated by the North Koreans and Chinese "because of their ability to ambush snipers, penetrate enemy lines and scent out enemy positions. It reached a point where reports noted the foes were using loudspeakers saying, 'Yankee, take your dog and go home!' 

Weitlauf said the dogs are credited with saving 3,000 lives during the three-year conflict in Korea and in the end, they were brought home.

From 1955 to 1975, during the Vietnam War, the dogs did a variety of duties: scout, guard duty, patrol, mine and booby-trap detection and combat. Again, the dogs were so hated by the Viet Cong, that they attracted a $20,000 bounty for their capture, the AKC said. Artus was one of those dogs, Meeks said, noting his killers took his body likely to collect a bounty.

John Meeks and his U.S. Army Military scout dog Artus in 1970 in the jungle in Vietnam. Artus was killed in Vietnam and his name (spelled as Artu) is on the memorial wall at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon.

In the end, the U.S. government abandoned thousands of the dogs because, "They claimed the Centers for Disease Control was concerned of the dogs bringing diseases home," Weitlauf said. "The handlers pushed back. They agreed to a lottery to bring 204 dogs home and quarantine them for 14 days. They did that ... no one showed any diseases. But Congress said this would still be a logistical nightmare to bring the rest back and quarantine them. So the order stands.

Robby's Law brings dogs home

One of the dogs to make it back through that quarantine lottery was Gretchen, the 55-pound silver German shepherd who Meeks first met in training.

John Meeks rests with U.S. Army scout dog Gretchen at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1969. Meeks trained with Gretchen to be a scout dog team, but when he got to Vietnam in 1970, he was assigned to a male dog named Artus. Gretchen was one of 204 dogs that were able to leave Vietnam at the end of the war. She was retrained to be a drug-sniffing dog for the U.S. Air Force in North Dakota until she developed hip dysplasia and was euthanized years later. Gretchens name is on the memorial wall at the Michigan War Dog Memorial cemetery.

"I tracked it down years later and found out that the government retrained her as a drug dog and shipped her to North Dakota and she spent the rest of her life in the Air Force there," Meeks said. "So that was good to hear that about my little dog.

Today, military working dogs are brought home. In 2000, due in part to lingering public outrage after what happened to the dogs in Vietnam, Congress passed Robbys Law that President Bill Clinton signed. It requires that all military dogs suitable for adoption upon their retirements be made available for adoption and not euthanized.

A small statue of a soldier petting a dog sits inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

But the dogs are still classified as equipment, not soldiers, Weitlauf said. He is an advocate for the passage of H.R. 9077, known as the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act. It would change military dogs' status to members of the armed forces, not equipment. The dogs would get medical care when released from duty. U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, introduced the measure last fall and it is in committee.

Famous first pets at the cemetery

When Weitlauf first stumbled upon what is now the Michigan War Dog Memorial site, it was called Happy Hunting Ground Pet Cemetery. The Elkow family established it in 1936 and ran it until 1975, burying about 2,300 animals there. It was abandoned by 1985. But there are graves that date to the 1930s for dogs, cats and even one unique parrot: U.S. Navy Admiral George Deweys mascot parrot. A gravestone for the bird from 1938 is at the cemetery. Another notable gravestone there is for Blizzard, a sled-dog during Adm. Richard Byrds Antarctic expedition from 1928-1939, Weitlauf said.

At that time of this photo, 1946, the cemetery was called Happy Hunting Ground Pet Cemetery in Lyon Township. Sgt Sparks, the Doberman pinscher on stage, had been adopted by Cpl. Jack Patterson, of Rochester. He, like Sparks, had served in the United States Marine Corps. Here is the dedication of the large War Dog Monument at the memorial in 1946.

One of the first military dogs to be buried there was Sgt. Sparks in 1947. Sgt. Sparks was a Doberman pinscher whose family in Ohio donated him to the military during World War II. He joined the Marines where he excelled and was promoted from private first class to corporal to sergeant, according to an article about him in a 1977 edition of Leatherneck, a magazine for Marines that Weitlauf shared.

He survived duties in Bougainville, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and Guam, according the article. He returned a hero, having alerted soldiers to ambushes and saving lives, according to the article. Marine Cpl. Jack Patterson, of Rochester, adopted Sgt. Sparks after the dog returned to the United States and was retired.

A photo of U.S. Marine Sgt. Sparks, a Doberman pinscher, in 1946, at the dedication ceremony of a war dog monument at what is now the Michigan War Dog Memorial. Sparks served two-and-a-half years overseas in World War II. He is recognized for many heroic acts of saving lives by alerting soldiers to potential ambushes. He is buried at Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township.

With sentiment high, Lyon Township residents contributed more than $3,700 in 1946 (about $57,000 today) to erect a 16ton granite monument as a tribute to dogs in military service. Sgt. Sparks was on the stage to help officiate the ceremony. A year later, Sgt. Sparks was dead after someone poisoned him near his home, Weitlauf said.

Burying 'The Old Man'

In 2013, Michigan War Dog Memorial buried the first military dog since it took over: A Chesapeake Bay retriever named Buddy. Buddy was trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, as an explosive detection dog.

The second military dog to be buried there was a male black Labrador retriever named Mina. Mina did two tours in Bosnia with the British Army and then he was transferred to the U.S. Army and did nine tours in Afghanistan, Weitlauf said.

Phil Weitlauf, 81, director of Michigan War Dog Memorial, Inc., points at a gravestone, like the one for Mina, in inside the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 14, 2023.

"He was so good at explosive detection they didnt want to let him go. He was 99.9% accurate so the Army kept him on," Weitlauf said. "His nickname was 'The Old Man' because he competed against these 1- or- 2-year-old dogs and hed outperform them.

His handler was from Owosso, Michigan, and adopted Mina when the dog retired in 2012. He lived in Owosso for 18 months before he died at age 14.

Saving lives and keeping company

Another furry warrior to be buried at Michigan War Dog Memorial cemetery on June 17 alongside Colt was Lucky6.

A black German shepherd, Lucky6 served in the Army with Howell resident Jonathan Van Dyk. Van Dyk and Lucky6 were deployed to Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. Van Dyk was the dog's handler only for that year, then the military transferred Lucky6 to work with the military police. But Van Dyk said he spent the next five years looking for his dog.

John Van Dyk, left, prays with his wife, Kelli Van Dyk ,and their kids Breana, Draven and McKensie while remembering Lucky6, the military war dog that served with him during a memorial service at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

Hes my best friend," Van Dyk told the Detroit Free Press. "We spent every minute together...He saved my life multiple times. He kept me out of places I shouldnt have gone. Its hard to get away from somebody who keeps your life safe, keeps you company when you miss home.

Van Dyk estimates Lucky6 saved about 200 lives during their year together. He was able to adopt Lucky6 in 2018 when the dog was retired. The two were together for four and a half years until Jan. 14 when Lucky6 died at age 13. It meant the world to Van Dyk that his best friend be laid to rest at the Michigan War Dog Memorial, he said. It gives him comfort knowing that Lucky6 is buried in good company, that his service is honored and he is remembered, Van Dyk said.

"Its hard to say goodbye. I dont want to," Van Dyk said, standing over the grave where he'd just placed Lucky6's ashes.

A tombstone for Lucky6 at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 17, 2023.

The headstone has Van Dyk's inscription and signature. He borrowed a verse from Semper Paratus, the U.S. Coast Guard theme, to honor his dog: "The hardest walk is taken alone. It makes us stronger. Strength we need to walk together again brother."

To learn more about the Michigan War Dog Memorial or make a donation visit www.mwdm.org.

More: Well-known Dearborn man may have most famous dogs in city

More: Michigan's National Guard turns to dogs to help stop veteran suicide

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan War Dog Memorial is cemetery for police, military dogs
How many dogs or cats are considered too many in one household in the state of Oregon? First of all, Oregon does not have a statewide law that dictates the number of pets a resident can own. However, each municipality in the Beaver State has the authority to impose a local limit. Most municipalities in Oregon limit households to 4 dogs or cats while others have no limit on the number of dogs or cats one may own. In this article, I have listed some Oregon cities and the number of dogs and cats they allow residents to keep in one household.









Portland, OR

The City of Portland does not impose a limit on the number of dogs or cats a resident can own. However, it is generally recommended that you own as many dogs or cats as you can properly care for. Keeping too many animals on your premises in the City of Portland may lead to animal control officers checking up on you every now and then. And you might find yourself in legal trouble if the animals aren't well cared for. Portland City has a leash law requiring dog owners to securely hold their dogs on a leash no greater than eight feet in length, except in areas designated as off-leash.





Eugene, OR

In the City of Eugene, households are limited to three dogs. A noncommercial kennel license may be obtained to own more than three dogs in Eugene. There is no limit to the number of cats a resident can own in Eugene. Every Eugene dog owner is required to immediately obtain a license for his or her dog as soon as the animal reaches 6 months of age. Owners must present a certificate of rabies vaccination before a license is issued.





Additionally, Eugene has a " Potentially Dangerous Dog " law. A dog is deemed Potentially Dangerous in Eugene if, while at large, it kills any domestic animal or livestock, or bites or causes physical injury to any human being or domestic animal. No dog shall be deemed potentially dangerous in Eugene if it attacks a trespasser that illegally enters its residence. Some of the regulations for Potentially Dangerous Dogs in Eugene include muzzling and restraining the dog with an adequate leash held by a capable person.





Salem, OR

As one of the most pet-friendly cities in the country, the Oregon City of Salem places no limit on the number of cats and dogs allowed per household. However, you should keep in mind that more dogs or cats means more joy as well as responsibility. In Salem, dogs are required to be kept on a leash when off their owner's premises. In addition, all dogs in Salem are required to have a current Marion County dog license.





Hillsboro, OR

In Hillsboro, Washington County, OR, each household is limited to 3 adult dogs, 3 adult cats, and 4 adult rabbits. According to Washington County's Code of Ordinances , a resident can obtain a Kennel license to keep five or more dogs in one household. It is unlawful and a Class C civil infraction for a pet owner to permit his or her dog to run at large in Washington County, OR. Furthermore, the County Code requires that pet owners immediately remove and dispose of in an appropriate waste container any feces left by their animals on any public or private property.





Bend, OR

The City of Bend does restrict the number of dogs and cats residents can own, which means you can own as many dogs or cats as you can properly care for, so long as the animals do not become a public nuisance. Bend pet owners are required to license their dog not later than a month after becoming the dog's owner or establishing residence within the City. Additionally, every dog owner in Bend is required by law to have his or her dog wear a collar to which a license tag must be attached.





When off its owner's premises in Bend, a dog must be on a leash, except in areas designated as off-leash. When in an off-leash area, owners must keep their dogs under control at all times.





Albany, OR

Unless you obtain an exception permit, you can not own more than 2 dogs in the city of Albany. It costs $50 to obtain the permit, under which you may own no more than four dogs. Albany Code does not place a restriction on the number of cats residents can own. All dogs six months of age in Albany, OR, are required to be licensed and wear a collar or harness to which the license tag must be securely attached.





Bethany, OR

In Bethany, OR, households are limited to a total of four dogs or cats. The City Code prohibits dog owners from allowing their dogs to be at large or trespass on the property of another within the city. Bethany has a nuisance law, which prohibits pet owners from permitting their dog to cause annoyance or disturbance to neighbors by loud or frequent barking, howling or yelping. All dogs and cats within the city of Bethany must be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian.





Forest Grove, OR

The City of Forest Grove in Washington County limits households to three adult dogs and an unlimited number of cats. Forest Grove dog owners must restrain their dogs by a leash while in public places, except in off-leash designated areas. Additionally, dog owners in Forest Grove are required to prevent their dogs from making long, unnecessary and continuous noises that last longer than ten consecutive minutes.





Other Oregon Municipalities

Newberg, OR: A hobby kennel is required to own 4 or more dogs. No limit on cats

Ashland, OR: 3 dogs per household. No limit on cats

St. Helens, OR: 3 adult dogs per household. No limit on cats

La Grande, OR: 3 dogs per household. No limit on cats

Ontario, OR: Households are limited to 3 dogs. No limit on cats

Monmouth, OR: No more than 4 dogs per household. No limit on cats

Cottage Grove, OR: Limits households to 3 dogs. No limit on cats

Baker City, OR: 4 dogs per household. No limit on cats

How Many Dogs or Cats Are Too Many For a Household? Having furry companions in our homes brings joy, love, and endless tail wags. However, have you ever wondered how many dogs or cats are too many for a single household? It's a question that often arises when we find ourselves surrounded by precious four-legged friends.

While there is no universal answer to this question, it's important to consider various factors when determining the ideal number of dogs or cats for your household. Factors such as available space, time and resources, individual pet needs, and your ability to provide proper care should all be taken into account.

Remember that every dog and cat needs attention, exercise, grooming, and veterinary care. It's essential to ensure that you can meet the physical and emotional needs of each furry family member adequately.

Ultimately, the perfect number of dogs or cats differs from one person to another. Some may find harmony with two dogs or cats while others thrive in a multi-pet household. The key is finding a balance that allows you to provide the love and care each pet deserves.

So go ahead and embrace the joy of having pets in your life! Just be sure to assess your capabilities honestly and create an environment where every wagging tail or purr feels cherished and loved.




Escalators at Phuket airport confirmed safe after walkway horror

PHUKET: All escalators at Phuket International Airport have been inspected by qualified technicians and deemed safe for people to use, confirmed Monchai Tanode, General Manager of the Phuket branch of the Airports of Thailand (AoT Phuket).

tourismtransportSafety

By The Phuket News

Saturday 1 July 2023 11:12 AM

All esalators at Phuket airport are safe, according to Monchai Tanode of AoT Phuket. Photo: PR Phuket

All 31 escalators and 27 elevators at Phuket Airport have been inspected following the June 29 incident in which a woman lost her leg after falling on one of the moving walkways at Don Mueang Airport. Both Don Mueang and Phuket International Airport are operated by the AoT.

Mr Monchai stated that after the incident, the AoT contacted the unnamed manufacturer of the escalators and elevators and requested a "strict inspection" by professional technicians.

He explained that the airport conducted a special safety check, outside of the regular service schedule, although the escalators were inspected regularly in February.

"Experts from a private company have confirmed that escalators inside Phuket Airport have been replaced with all new models. The safety of the systems fully complies with the requirements specified by the Council of Engineers of Thailand to ensure the safety of escalator users," said the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) in a post-inspection report released at 4.35am today (July 1).

"If an object enters the mechanism, the safety system will immediately stop the operation of the escalator," PR Phuket assured.

Walkway horror in Bangkok

In a separate development, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) has stated that a broken suitcase wheel might have caused the incident at Don Mueang on Thursday morning (June 29), according to Bangkok Post.

The EIT has suggested that the suitcase wheel may have become stuck and broken the travellators comb, which then fell under the platform and widened the gap enough for the womans leg to fall in.

The sensor system remains functional, so the system was operating normally when the incident occurred, reports Bangkok Post, citing Boonpong Kijwatanachai, advisor to the EITs mechanical engineering committee.

According to Mr Boonpong, the system at Don Mueang remained intact and received maintenance checks in line with standards. Additionally, maintenance workers tested the system daily before operating it.

Mr Boonpong did not mention what people with luggage should do to avoid a similar incident. He did not provide further details on how exactly the suitcases wheel was broken.

Instead, Mr Boonpong urged people to be careful and avoid using mobile phones while on both the travellator and escalators. He also encouraged people not to panic about such systems as they are designed in accordance with either the "EN115 standard" or "European standards."

Meanwhile, the police investigation into the walkway horror (as Bangkok Post referred to it) is ongoing. According to Superintendent of Don Mueang Police Col Adirek Tongkeamkeaw, investigators are currently questioning all relevant individuals while awaiting test results from the Police Forensic Science department.

The police will also investigate the outsourced company responsible for the systems maintenance service, although Col Adirek did not specify when this will occur.

The injured woman remains in an ICU room at Bumrungrad International Hospital. The womans son has already expressed concerns about his mothers mental well-being as she struggles to imagine living with only one leg. He added that a team of psychiatrists has provided initial assistance to his mother
Wichit Municipality to roll out free rabies vaccinations for pets

PHUKET: Wichit Municipality has announced a series of mobile clinics for people to have their pet cats and dogs vaccinated for rabies for free.

Pets

By The Phuket News

Saturday 1 July 2023 02:00 PM

Image: Wichit Municipality

The campaign is being carried out by the Wichit Municipality Division of Public Health and Environment.

The free vaccinations will be available from 8:30am to midday from July 10-14, as follows:

July 10  Deep Sea Port at Ao Makham

July 11  Kwang Tung Cemetery (next to Moo Baan Phaisarn in Moo 9, Wichit)

July 12  the multipurpose building at Moo Baan Tinnawut 3 (off Kwang Rd)

July 13  the multipurpose building at Phuket Villa 3 (off Chao Fa East Rd)

July 14  Sri Phuwanat Park (on Pattana Thongtin Rd)

Pet owners are asked to bring their pet owner ID card and the certificate booklet for their dog and cat vaccinations.

People with inquiries about the campaign were asked to call the Wichit Municipality Division of Public Health and Environment at 076-525100 ext 164 (during government office hours).

The week-long mobile clinic comes as Phukets Soi Dog Foundation continues its support for Phuket to be declared the first rabies-free province in Thailand.
Yacht goes off mooring amid severe weather in Phuket

PHUKET: A sailing yacht allegedly went off its mooring and was pushed onshore by waves near Ao Yon in the northern part of Chalong Bay earlier today (July 1).

weathermarineSafety

By The Phuket News

Saturday 1 July 2023 09:19 AM

The boat incident was reported earlier this morning in the Phuket Yacht Club Community and Phuket Cruising Yacht Club, two Facebook groups for the Phuket sailing community. The location of the sailing yacht was given as "at the North end of Khao Khad beach" at around 8am. The name of the boat was not provided. As of 9am, there has been no public response from the owner.

The boat had allegedly drifted off its mooring amid severe weather conditions in Phuket. At 5am today (July 1), the Southern Western Meteorological Center (Phuket Met), located near Phuket International Airport, re-issued its weather warning for Phuket and nearby provinces.

"During July 1-2, 2023, a rather strong southwestern monsoon will be prevailing over the Andaman Sea and the Southern Thailands west coast. For this reason, abundant and heavy rain will occur in some areas, including the provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun. People should beware of the severe conditions," noted the centers director, Wiroj Lewchareonsap.

"The wind waves in the Andaman Sea will become stronger and will reach up to 2-3 meters and above 3 meters high in thundershower areas and nearby. All ships should proceed with caution and avoid thundershower areas. Small boats in the Andaman Sea should be kept at bay. People should beware of severe conditions and stay tuned to weather updates," he added.
Uikey raises peace call

|

Imphal, Jul 1 (DIPR): Governor Anusuiya Uikey has appealed to the people of Manipur to help in bringing peace and normalcy in the State.

In a message, the Governor said that she is shocked and disheartened by the unprecedented and ongoing ethnic clash which broke out on May 3.

Saying that the violence has done irreparable damage to both the parties in conflict through killing and arson making thousands of people homeless, Anusuiya said that she strongly condemns these inhuman acts.

The Governor also pointed out that the activities of paddy cultivation which is the backbone of the economy of the State have been adversely affected by the violence as the cultivators are not in the position to work.

She then appealed to all irrespective of caste, creed and religion to extend their fullest cooperation to solve the problem through an amicable and peaceful dialogue.

The Governor further appealed to all mothers and sisters to not block the movement of security forces who have been discharging their duty for the safety of the people.

Saying that the people should not believe in rumours nor spread it, the Governor continued that all issues can be and should be solved through a peaceful dialogue.
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$96.75 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$87.04. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Omnicom Group's current trading price of US$95.15 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Omnicom Groups outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

See our latest analysis for Omnicom Group

What Is Omnicom Group Worth?

Good news, investors! Omnicom Group is still a bargain right now. My valuation model shows that the intrinsic value for the stock is $135.38, but it is currently trading at US$95.15 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. Another thing to keep in mind is that Omnicom Groups share price may be quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again.

What does the future of Omnicom Group look like?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 13% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Omnicom Group. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Since OMC is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With an optimistic outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on OMC for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy OMC. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy.

If you want to dive deeper into Omnicom Group, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, we've found that Omnicom Group has 2 warning signs (1 is a bit concerning!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

If you are no longer interested in Omnicom Group, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Bobby Green takes off his apron after helping his grandchildren bake cookies Friday at McKays Bakery. The downtown business, which Green and his wife Dianne started in 1991 and their daughter and son-in-law took over in 2016, is closing at the end of July.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

- Juliet, in "Romeo and Juliet"

After almost 30 years on Cypress Street and 32 downtown, McKay's Bakery is closing. The bittersweet moment comes July 29, meaning fans of their treats and eats have not quite a month to get a final sugar rush.

The bakery since 2014 has been operated by Amy and Kelly Riley. Amy is a daughter of the original owners, Bobby and Dianne Green.

Kelly is the baker and his wife the decorator.

"I always say that he makes it taste good and I make it look good," she said.

They advertised as providing the city "yum-yum."

But it perhaps is the end of an era. Amy describes McKay's as a "full service" bakery.

"They are practically dead," she said of bakeries nationwide.

"There are lot of great places to get cakes" in Abilene, she said. "Or pies. Or cookies. Or bread.

"To do all those things under one roof, from scratch, that's just something that doesn't happen anymore.

"There's a reason," she said. "It's kinda hard."

As in going to work sometime between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. and staying until, well, "it's done."

Like many businesses, it has been hard to find employees. McKays had to close Mondays and cut hours, now turning off appliances at 3 p.m.

She paused.

"I love it. It's not that I want to stop doing it," she said. " If I had enough people prior to now, we wouldn't be giving up the goat."

Amy Riley squeezes a treat from a bag for her nephew Alex Harper in the kitchen at McKays Bakery Friday.

A family affair

It's time, Amy said, for the next venture in her life.

There has been some interest in a similar business taking the space at 266 Pine.

She will be working for her son, James Lockhart, who is in the solar panel installation business. While his work ranges across 10 states, he is based here and she will assist him with his clerical needs. She did that before getting into the bakery business.

Like the Rileys, he needed employees. He found one in mom.

Still, the end is ending a long chapter of family history.

"It's bittersweet. It's your life's work. You don't want to see it go away but at the same time, I wouldn't come back to it," said Dianne Green.

But she has. From time to time, she goes back to work. Last week, she helped one day and her husband the next.

"And Bobby's in the back now making stuff," Dianne said mid-day Friday.

"Sometimes it takes a village to run a bakery," her daughter said.

Some of helping out was simply to enjoy the final days of the business.

"You don't realize what you've got until you're about to lose it," Dianne said.

That's especially true for customers, who have flooded McKay's with orders. Or posted messages, mentioning their go-to purchase at the bakery.

Dianne Green hands a pastry across the glass case at McKays Bakery Friday.

Until they turn out the lights and making treats for parties is over, they expect customers to continued to order their favorites. On Friday, Amy had a number of orders on small white sheets of paper on her table. Most were birthday cake order, but she was topping a cake with plops of red, white and blue - perfect for a long Fourth of July weekend.

Customers time and again have ordered their favorites, be it a red velvet cake, harvest muffin or a dozen petit fours. Thanks to radio personality Rudy Fernandez lamenting the end of McKay's and its petit fours, Amy has been inundated with orders. She sells two dozen a day; on Friday, she made six dozen.

A petit four (it sounds French, and it is) are bite-sized pastries or confections. They require a lot of labor for the size, but people love them.

But not as much as thumbprint cookies, which, hands down, were an Abilene favorite before the Greens started a bakery.

"People don't understand how rewarding it is to be a part of everyone's celebrations. A birthday cake or you got straight A's on your report card," she said.

Her mother agreed.

"It's the relationships, and being part of people's celebrations and a part of their lives," Dianne said. Brides have told her that McKay's did every birthday cake, and now theyre getting married. That could bring a tear.

"We carted them all over the state of Texas," she said. "It's just special."

And there's this simple fact:

"People love sugar," Amy said. "Sugar makes people happy."

Bakery history, Part 1

The Greens met in 1969 at the former Snow White bakery at River Oaks. Dianne remembers working part time there for $1 an hour.

That was better, Dianne said, than working for the butcher at the store, sacking chickens.

Years later, the couple operated, with Alton Davis, Virginia Lee pie shop, nearby on South 14th Street. That lasted until the Mall of Abilene went in and took business with it to that area.

Amy worked there, too, making $2 an hour. She laughed that her parents said she could keep $1 but the other went into the bank.

The next stop for the Greens was north Abilene, where they operated the Cake Corner near what then was a Safeway store. They specialized in special orders.

Dianne laughed and said they couldn't give away a cake at the pie shop, or a pie at the cake shop.

"When we had the opportunity to come downtown, Bobby said, 'I don't care what we call it, but we're going to call it a bakery,'" she said.

McKay's moved to downtown Abilene in 1991, opening Sept. 19 at the former McLemore-Bass Drug Store on Pine Street (now Fat Boss's Pub). In the fall of 1993, Bobby and Dianne Green moved one street west to Cypress.

The space was owned by C.E. O'Kelley. O'Kelley Office Supply is a couple of doors north.

Bobby and Dianne Green with the 48-star U.S. flag they found at 266 Cypress Street, when they relocated McKay's Bakery there in 1993.

The space needed air conditioning, Dianne Green, said but even then, that was going to cost a lot of money. It was, she said, a hefty investment for a business that may or may not make it. O'Kelley, she said, agreed to lower the rent for three years so they could pay off that upgrade. He asked only $300 a month.

"He was so kind to do that for us," Dianne said. "He was the sweetest man.

Their new space once had been a shoe shop, then a women's dress shop. The Greens found interesting items inside, including layaways never retrieved and a U.S. flag, with 48 stars. That's still in the family. Daughter Emily has preserved it at her home in Temple.

A story in the Reporter-News in 1994 noted that downtown Abilene, which was on the rebound, was going Green. There were the Greens operating a bakery, Brian Green heading Cypress Street Station restaurant and Sheldon Greene running Bogie's, a sandwich shop.

Bobby Green joked that Sheldon couldn't spell the name they shared correctly.

All three business, until July 29, have continued in operation. All Greens soon will be gone.

Bakery history, Part 2

McKay's expanded two years later, taking over a salon next door.

They would add a second location on South 14th Street, that ending when there were no employees to staff the shop.

Dianne and Bobby Green at McKay's Bakery 30 years ago at their shop on Cypress Street.

The Greens operated the bakery across the street from Bogie's until retiring in 2008 and selling the operation. Amy instead called it their "three-year vacation."

The buyer was grocer Lawrence Bros., which failed to make its bakery venture rise to a profitable level.

"I told mom and dad that if they bought it back, that I would take over," Amy said.

The Greens did buy it back and resumed firing up the KitchenAid commercial mixers. They began training Amy and Kelly on how to operate a bakery, hopefully better than Lawrence Bros. had done.

Amy had been in healthcare administration for 20 years and Kelly has a degree in IT networking.

The baking duties went to Kelly, who learned from her dad and another baker, Will Rosario - he had worked for the Greens before they retired, then returned to work with them.

"My dad always did production, so Kelly followed in his footsteps," Amy said. "My mom always decorated."

How much training had Amy had in the bakery business?

"Absolutely none," she said, laughing. "I had never baked a cake. I had never decorated a cake. My parents owned a bakery. I didn't have to."

She baked her first cake in 2016, she said. She worked a year before she began learning how to decorate. McKay's had other decorators after her mother retired, but since 2018-19, Amy has been the only decorator.

A labor of love

Her favorite decorating task is a wedding cake.

"Figuring out what the bride wants and getting all the details together. I take those orders, so I see it start to finish," she said. "I like seeing the masterful creations I can come up with. That's fun."

While she enjoys decorating, being the only one at McKay's has taken its toll on Amy. Even if, she said, "I can do in four (hours) what would take other people six."

She knows by the name who likes cream cheese icing and who prefers buttercream.

Hours once were 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., before COVID-19 and when there were enough employees to fill the hours. The Rileys had only three others to work the front "and I needed them to be here all day."

Hours shrank to 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mondays.

"It's a passion and it's something that I love doing. This business has served my family well," she said.

"But it's just time for the next chapter."

Amy said her parents are supportive of the Rileys' decision, even if "every nook and cranny has a memory in it," Dianne said.

Kelly Riley high-fives his nephew Kevin Harper, 8, as they exit McKays Bakery through the back Friday. Kelly does the baking at McKays, just like his father-in-law Bobby Green (right) did when he and his wife Dianne opened the business in 1991.

Her mother, standing to her right, leaned in for a hug.

It was, as you would expect at a bakery, a sweet moment.

Family faves

So, you work in a bakery. There has to be a favorite. Or favorites.

For the Greens and Rileys, those are:

Dianne: Cookies

Bobby: French coconut and apricot pies. Oh, and eclairs. And petit fours.

Amy: Cheesecake. And chocolate fudge icing. "And I make my own Reese's peanut butter cups," she said.

Kelly: "Lemon bars, hands down," his wife said. And lemon and strawberry cakes. Interestingly, employees have been allowed to eat what's baked. That's sounds like a dream to new employees, Dianne said, but after a week of indulgene, they back off. Soon, they can resist the temptation almost totally.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: One last bite: McKay's Bakery ending 32 years downtown
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Aperam is 39.33 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Aperam's 28.58 share price signals that it might be 27% undervalued

Our fair value estimate is 8.1% higher than Aperam's analyst price target of 36.39

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Aperam S.A. (AMS:APAM) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. 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.

View our latest analysis for Aperam

The Model

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. 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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 383.6m 393.2m 299.1m 254.2m 227.7m 211.4m 201.1m 194.5m 190.2m 187.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Analyst x3 Est @ -15.03% Est @ -10.40% Est @ -7.15% Est @ -4.88% Est @ -3.30% Est @ -2.18% Est @ -1.41% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.4% 354 335 235 184 152 130 114 102 92.2 83.9

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 1.8b

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 (0.4%) 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 8.4%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 188m (1 + 0.4%)  (8.4% 0.4%) = 2.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 2.4b ( 1 + 8.4%)10= 1.1b

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 2.8b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of 28.6, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 27% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. 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 Aperam 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 8.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.342. 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 Aperam

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Metals and Mining market.

Opportunity

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it 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 Aperam, there are three important elements you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Aperam (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does APAM'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 Dutch 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.

Join A Paid User Research Session

Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, ElringKlinger fair value estimate is 11.98

Current share price of 8.25 suggests ElringKlinger is potentially 31% undervalued

Analyst price target for ZIL2 is 11.75 which is 1.9% below our fair value estimate

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of ElringKlinger AG (ETR:ZIL2) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for ElringKlinger

The Calculation

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. 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, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 48.8m 62.7m 71.1m 77.0m 81.5m 84.9m 87.4m 89.3m 90.7m 91.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x5 Analyst x3 Est @ 8.23% Est @ 5.84% Est @ 4.16% Est @ 2.98% Est @ 2.16% Est @ 1.58% Est @ 1.18% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 11% 44.1 51.1 52.3 51.1 48.9 45.9 42.7 39.4 36.1 33.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 445m

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 0.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 92m (1 + 0.2%)  (11% 0.2%) = 874m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 874m ( 1 + 11%)10= 314m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 759m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of 8.3, the company appears quite undervalued at a 31% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

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 ElringKlinger as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 11%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.772. 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 ElringKlinger

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Auto Components market.

Opportunity

Expected to breakeven next year.

Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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 ElringKlinger, we've compiled three important factors you should explore:

Risks: As an example, we've found 1 warning sign for ElringKlinger that you need to consider before investing here. Future Earnings: How does ZIL2'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 German stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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That justice can sometimes be as much about the judge, or judges, as it is about the law or the intent behind it, becomes abundantly clear once again with the ruling of the US Supreme Court that effectively blocks the use of affirmative action policies in the countrys universities. The Court this week ruled to outlaw race-based admissions to Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, saying these policies violate the Constitutions equal protection clause. Affirmative action policies followed by these universities had helped to raise the number of students from Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minorities on campus. The court has now held that the policy of using race as a way to improve diversity failed to articulate a meaningful connection between the means they employ and the goals they pursue. Writing the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts observed: College admissions are zerosum, and a benefit provided to some applicants but not to others necessarily advantages the former at the expense of the latter. While the principles of law enunciated by the Court are one aspect of the ruling, the preponderance of responses have focussed not so much on what was said but on who said it. For the ruling against affirmative action policies in university admissions came on the back of a 6:3 majority, with conservative judges, including three appointed by former President Donald Trump, holding they were unconstitutional, while the three deemed liberals, including the last judge appointed to the Court (by the Biden administration), finding nothing wrong with them. With judicial positions being determined in this manner, and confirmation of nominees to the Court being predicated on the executive and legislative strength of political parties, it is not surprising that President Joe Biden should have summed up his response to the ruling by saying this is not a normal court. From the perspective of the Democratic party, which claims to espouse liberal thinking, this certainly is not a normal court, being one that ruled against a constitutional right to abortion exactly twelve months ago. Mr. Biden was forthright in his rejection of the ruling, saying that the court had walked away from decades of precedent to end affirmative action. I strongly, strongly disagree with the courts decision, the President said while announcing he would ask the Department of Education to find ways to ensure student diversity on campuses. We cannot let this decision be the last word. The court can render a decision, it cannot change what America stands for, he said.

This brings us back to the universally valid maxim about the identity ~ and ideology ~ of a judge being as important to the justice delivery system as the law itself. While a hairs breadth can sometimes determine how a law is interpreted by two equally eminent jurists, a predilection to rule a particular way is fatal to the cause of justice, for it introduces bias into a process that depends for its survival on the trust its users have in it.

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Indias higher education campuses are increasingly becoming repulsive sites for students hailing from marginalised communities. Reservation for them in higher education, as provided in our Constitution, seems to be just in letter but not in spirit.

SC, ST and OBC students are receiving unfair treatment in campuses of centrally funded institutions like IIT, IIM and central universities. Caste-based oral abuse and expressed unwillingness of a section of higher caste students not to accept them as their mates in the campus are driving them away from these premier campuses.

The dropout rate among these marginalized categories of students have increased in recent times. The Central government is aware of this situation, of this toxicity permeated in the air of the campuses.

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The Union Minister of Education stated recently in the upper house that 19,000 students of marginalised categories have dropped out during a short period from 2018 to the early part of 2023.

Withdrawal from studies midway by promising students belonging to these marginalised categories needs serious introspection.

This trend is not only a shame for our nation but also a great national loss by way of missing out the contribution of many brilliant young minds who could have contributed to progress in science and technology. So, something is obviously wrong in the system. This is an attack on our constitutional values and principles of social justice.

Students from the marginalised communities are mostly first generation learners. Thousands of years of social repression by the upper castes pushed them to the brink of mere survival like animals.

Lower caste and outcaste Indians were treated in society as sub-human species for a long period in history.

Independent Indias Constitution acknowledges this historical deprivation and social discrimination that kept them in the dark hell of ignorance and poverty for centuries.

Dalits were not allowed to step into the portals of education. They were not allowed to enter the precincts of Hindu temples. The makers of modern India laid out a blueprint to stop, once and for all, this social discrimination and neglect of our fellow citizens in free India.

Reservation was mooted for giving them back the social justice that was denied to them during long years of preindependent India.

Reservation in the Constitution is provisioned for positive discrimination, as a means to achieve equality. They will be given the opportunity to grow and to flourish in life. Dr. B R Ambedkar got little opportunity and he himself proved that little opportunity made him one of the leading stars in the galaxy of architects of modern India.

He gave us our Constitution and was the visionary pathfinder for independent Indias journey to modernity. There are laws to prevent atrocities on SC/ST. But the law has failed to stop oral atrocity on them on education campuses.

Discontinuation is specific to a particular community. Why did they drop out in such a large number? The reasons could have been found if authority was really concerned about the exodus. An independent research team could read the minds of the leavers to understand the push factors. But this attempt is not in sight as of now.

These students are not leaving general degree colleges. They are leaving such premier institutions where admission is the dream of the youth of India. Completion of courses could land them in high-paying jobs with fat salaries and fabulous perks. In todays world what could be the cherished dream of youths other than getting admission to IITs and IIMs. But they give up that path in the middle of the course, a path that could lead them to a life of material comforts, security and prestige. Is there any other reason for these massive drop outs? Is the cost too high? It does not seem so because stipends, fee waiver, subsidized education loans along with many other forms of financial assistance come their way.

They left because the campus ambience turned their life miserable. The thought of rosy prospects cannot heal the wounds of disrespect, indignity and unfair treatment on campuses. Oral humiliation is no less lethal than physical harm.

On campus, their ears capture ridiculing remarks and caustic comments passed by upper caste students. They have to hear that they landed on the campus because of their low caste status, and not by merit.

To them, a life of dignity and self-respect at the present moment is better than bearing with indignity in the hope of lucrative jobs on completion. The caste abuse on campus has been borne out by facts. A research study undertaken in 2007 by the Centre under the UPA regime revealed the realities of caste-based maltreatment in AIIMS at New Delhi.

The study noted that twothirds of SC, ST and OBC students said they had received unfair treatment from upper caste teachers.

Many teachers in AIIMS were of the unshakable belief that lower caste students are intellectually inferior. Prejudiced minds of teachers and unfair treatment targeting their caste status drove many budding doctors out of the AIIMS campus.

Another study, at IIT Bombay, conducted in 2022, recorded the tagging of SC/ ST students. They are tagged as reservation students from day one in the campus.

Reservation for marginalised students does not end with admission only. In that case the underlying spirit of reservation as provided in our Constitution would be undermined and halfhearted.

This is similar to a case where a father put his minor boy inside a waiting bus at the bus stop. He told the young lad to get off at a particular bus stop to reach his destination. Father bid goodbye and left. The boy was almost squeezed and felt suffocated in the crowded bus. Things were so uncomfortable that the boy decided to get off midway. Unbearable ambience in the bus stopped him from reaching his final destination.

Reservation, like this story, is not meant to get someone admitted to an educational institution and end there. Reservation means that these students finally reach their destination of completing the course successfully.

Barriers to that completion must be removed by the state immediately. This is for the sake of our democracy, for humanity and for the sake of our nations prosperity.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday came down heavily on Alipurduar MP John Barla for sitting on funds meant for job and housing projects of West Bengal.

John Barla is Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs.

Addressing an election rally at Falakata in the Alipurduar district, the Banerjee accused Barla of non-payment of the funds earmarked for 100-day job and housing projects for the people of state.

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John Barla does not have his official job. His only job in Delhi is to increase his number by licking feet, alleged the AITC leader.

I will quit politics if Mr Barla proves that he has held a single meeting in Alipurduar in the interest of the people, Banerjee said.

He (Barla) is a product of guarantor. How many times have you seen Barla, he asked the audience.

He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi describes himself as a guarantor who would make public representatives corruption-free. But he is not convinced by seeing the economic status of Barla.

Did you see the house of John Barla? He is a product of Modi, he added.

He called Suvendu Adhikari another product of Modi. All have seen him receiving money on television. But no action has been taken against him by Modi.

Calling upon the people to cast their vote in favour of Trinamool Congress, the AITC general secretary asked: Who is the guarantor of Alipurduar? Tell me, who? Didi or Modi? Is Modi a guarantor here?  Didi (Mamata Banerjee) is the only guarantor here. You will cast vote to ensure your rights to obtain legitimate claims by electing Trinamool-led new civic body.

Abhishek Banerjee also announced that after the end of Panchayat polls Trinamool Congress will stage bigger demonstrations in Delhi demanding Central funds.

The Central government has stopped disbursement of funds of Rs 7,500 crore meant for 100-day job and Rs 8,000 crore meant for housing schemes. The state governments share of Rs 1.5 lakh crore from the Centre is yet to be released, he claimed.
Trinamool Youth Congress president Saayoni Ghosh has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a second round of questioning regarding the multi-crore school recruitment case in West Bengal.

The actress-turned-politician faced an extensive 11-hour questioning session at the Salt Lake office of the central agency on Friday in connection with the education scam.

Meanwhile, the name of Saayoni has been omitted from the list of campaigners for the panchayat poll campaign. On Saturday, the ruling Trinamool party released the list of campaigners for the panchayat polls on the first day of July, which contains the names of the top leaders of the party.

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However, Saayonis name is not included. Previously, the actress-politicians name was on the list of panchayat poll campaigners published by the Trinamool until last Wednesday. Trinamools star campaigners did not campaign on Thursday due to the Eid festival.

During the questioning, which took place from 12 to 11 pm, Ghosh did not visibly attempt to evade or avoid questions. However, according to sources from the agency, she provided several contradictory answers on various occasions. As a result, she has been summoned again on July 5 to provide clarifications on the inconsistencies in her statements.

Following Ghoshs departure, the ED office hinted that she may be summoned for further questioning in the near future.

Ghosh said, I have fully cooperated. They requested some documents, which I have already submitted. If they call me again, I will appear. If necessary, I am willing to stay here for 24 hours and cooperate.

Sources revealed that Ghosh was questioned based on her WhatsApp chat messages with an accused individual in the school recruitment case, as well as expelled youth Trinamul Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh, who is currently in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the scam.

Additionally, the actress-turned-politician was questioned about certain banking transactions between herself and Kuntal Ghosh, which have recently come to light during the investigation.

These transactions are related to the purchase of property. Ghosh had been instructed to appear at the ED office on Friday with all relevant documents, including bank statements, income tax returns from previous years, and details of her properties and assets.
Alleged forceful recital of Islamic prayers by students during Bakrid celebrations in a private school has triggered a controversy in this district of the state.

Videos of the incident, which took place in the Jnanasagara International School in Channarayapatna town, have gone viral on social media.

Condemning the incident, the Hindu activists staged a protest on Friday.

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Many have objected to the managements decision of making Hindus and Christian students recite Quran verses.

Following the backlash, the school management on Saturday assured that such an incident would not be repeated in future.

Hindu activists alleged that hundreds of children were made to recite verses of the Quran on the occasion.

The video also shows students putting up a performance over Bakrid festival and a teacher delivering a speech on it.

There were allegations that the students were made to offer namaz. The management has clarified that they have not forced the children to recite the Quranic verses and no namaz was not performed. It was done for creating harmony and integrity.

Only three children from Muslim community performed namaz while others sat closing their eyes, the management maintained. The teachers claimed that the programme was organised to introduce the celebration of religious festivals. Its not only Bakrid, the cultural programmes would be organised on the occasion of all festivals of different religions, the management clarified.

However, the Hindu organisations have called for a bandh over the incident on Monday.
Sarbananda Sonowal is Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways and is a member of the Rajya Sabha representing Assam since 2021. He was the 14th Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021. Sonowal, born on October 31, 1962, is a prominent politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is also a member of the cabinet committee on political affairs since 2021. In an interview with Nikhil Vyas, Sonowal talks about the Ministry of Ayush and the role of Yoga in healthcare.

Excerpts:

Q: What has Ayush achieved in the last nine years, since it became a full-fledged functional Ministry of the Government of India?

A: The transformation that has happened in the Ayush sector is due to the strong support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it is driven by his far sighted vision. WHO-GCTM is being established at Jamnagar, Gujarat. It would emerge as a centre of global wellness which will promote the development of medicines and research related to traditional medicine. Efforts and guidance from the Prime Minister resulted in June 21 being declared as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly. This has transformed into a mass movement across the globe.

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One of the important achievements in the last nine years has been on growing research, which seems to have changed since the formation of the Ministry of Ayush. If we compare research and clinical trials published per year before 2014, it reveals that the publication of research studies increased by about six times and clinical trials by about 11 times. We have undertaken several R&D initiatives to harness the potential of Ayush systems during the Covid-19 pandemic and are continuing with it.

Establishment of Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) in 2020 is aimed at optimising the use of infrastructural facilities, technical manpower and financial resources of the three organisations for enhancing the standardisation outcomes of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs towards their effective regulation and quality control. To promote entrepreneurship leveraging academic knowledge, the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has set up an Incubation and Innovation Centre in its campus to nucleate a cluster of new age ventures.

Q: Envisioning the future, both within India and globally, what are your insights on the role of Yoga in healthcare?

A: Prime Minister Modi has been instrumental in the growth of traditional medicine systems globally. This has also helped in growth of Medical Value Travel (MVT) in India, which is now aligned to the Heal in India and Heal by India initiative of the government. Yogas integration into MVT offerings will enhance Indias attractiveness as a destination for MVT and provide patients with a comprehensive and enriching healthcare experience. This approach will be further strengthened as scientific research enables researchers to explore the physiological, psychological, and therapeutic mechanisms underlying the benefits of yoga.

Q: What is the role of Yoga in combating specific mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression?

A: Yoga incorporates various techniques, including deep breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, and gentle movements, which help activate the bodys relaxation response. These practices can calm the nervous system, reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol, and decrease anxiety symptoms.

Chronic stress often contributes to anxiety and depression. Yoga offers a comprehensive approach to stress management by combining physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. The physical aspect of yoga helps release muscle tension and accumulated stress in the body, while the breathing techniques and meditation promote mental relaxation and a sense of calm.

It is important to note that while yoga can be a valuable adjunctive therapy for anxiety and depression, it should be used along with professional mental health consultations or a qualified yoga instructor who has experience working with individuals with mental health concerns to develop a personalised practice that suits your needs.

Q: There is a lot of emphasis on mainstreaming integrated medicine, what steps have been taken?

A: Under the Prime Ministers vision, the Ministry has taken various policy initiatives aimed to promote the integration of yoga into mainstream healthcare, raise awareness about its benefits, ensure quality standards, and facilitate research and collaboration between traditional and modern medical systems. The central government is planning to set up a separate wing for integrative medicine, an approach that combines conventional medicine with traditional treatments, in all the medical colleges and hospitals across India.

Exploration of promising leads in Ayush research can indeed play a significant role in addressing various healthcare needs and challenges. This can be done only by fostering collaboration and adopting a multidisciplinary approach leading to the development of cost-effective, safe, and holistic healthcare solutions that contribute to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Saharanpur Police have arrested four youth from Ambala in Haryana who allegedly attacked Azad Samaj Party national president and Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad in Deoband recently.

SSP Vipin Tada confirming the arrest said that five teams were formed to crack the case. Late on Friday night, the police received information that the four youth were about to surrender in Haryanas Ambala court after which the SSP had put the police in civil uniform outside the Ambala court in the night itself.

On Saturday morning, when they were going to the court to surrender, all four were arrested.They were identified as Lavish, Akash and Popat, all three residents of Rankhandi village in Saharanpur.

On the other hand, a youth, whose name was yet to be revealed is a resident of Gondar village of Karnal, Haryana.

One of the accused youth Lavish had also fired at a jailer in Uttarakhand and after almost a year in jail had come out on bail 15 days ago.

But in the primary interrogation all the four youth have categorically denied that no one had instigated the attack on Chandrashekhar. All the four youths claimed that they wanted to become famous in the media were their reason behind attack.

The SSP said details of the attackers and their motive will be revealed after the interrogation of the culprits.

On Wednesday last, Chandrashekhar was attacked by some youths in Deoband by firing four to five rounds in which a bullet had come out after touching Chandrashekhars stomach.

He was discharged after being admitted to the district hospital for two days. The police had registered a case against unknown youths on behalf of Chandrashekhars brother in this case.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Telangana, KT Rama Rao, state development minister and BRS working president, has made an appeal to the Centre to exchange Defence Ministrys land in Secunderabad with government land in the outskirts of the city.

The minister, who sought the land for development of urban infrastructure such as skywalks, asked the prime minister to come up with good news.

Modi is scheduled to visit Warangal on 8 July.

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Criticising the Centre, the urban development minister said if the BJP led Central government was unwilling to support Telangana, then at least it shouldnt create hurdles in its way.

Speaking at a programme after inaugurating an interchange at Narsingi on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), Rao urged the Defence Ministry to give defence plots at various locations in exchange of state owned land at the outskirts of Hyderabad in order to construct the much needed flyovers, skyways and for road widening, housing for poor and so on.

He said if the Defence Ministry was willing to part with 150 acre, the state government was ready to give 500 acres in Shamirpet in exchange.

We are requesting the Central government to give the state land belonging to Defence to take up various development projects in Hyderabad as the city is progressing at a rapid pace.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Telangana next week I appeal to him to allot the defence land to the state government. I hope he will respond positively and share the good news with the people, he added.

The minister disclosed that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has a host of projects for the city including an expressway on river Musi covering 55 km for better connectivity for the city. He also wants the ORR service roads to be converted into four lane roads. There are also proposals to build 14 bridges on river Musi and till date tender processes for five bridges have been completed so far.

During his visit to Delhi, Rao had requested the Central government to give half an acre of land of Defence ministry for the construction of Mehdipatnam skywalk for the convenience of the people of Hyderabad. In addition link roads at Attapur will require defence land as well as for a project at Langar Houz. However, although the state government had been pursuing this issue for the past few years, there has been no positive response from the Centre so far.
(Bloomberg) -- An armada of tankers ferrying sanctioned oil around the globe is starting to get younger, bucking a months-long trend of using the worlds oldest and most dangerous vessels.

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Shortly after President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine early last year, hundreds of aging tankers were snapped up by a cohort of faceless traders, intermediaries and investors to keep Russian oil flowing. By some estimates, the purchases, which added to vessels that were already transporting crude for Venezuela and Iran, created a more than 900-strong dark fleet.

Now, the average age of the ships being purchased is declining, according to data from VesselsValue Ltd., a researcher of shipping deals. Two industry executives said that clampdowns in Asia were likely catalysts for the shift, following a spate of detentions in recent months over safety issues.

Read More: China Ramps Up Safety Checks on Old Ships as Dark Fleet Grows

China, one of the top consumers of Russian and Iranian oil, recently ramped up checks on older tankers at the key port of Qingdao, forcing some to wait more than a month to unload their cargo. Anxiety over aging ships was heightened when a 26-year old vessel exploded off Malaysia in May.

Singapore has also detained tankers for failing safety inspections at a record clip in recent months. Newer vessels, provided they are well maintained, should help to allay fears by some importers over their seaworthiness, though the fleet remains awash with vintage ships.

Safety concerns surrounding older vessels is one of the reasons that buyers are opting for newer vessels, said Rebecca Galanopoulos Jones, a senior analyst at VesselsValue.

The average age of tankers being sold to undisclosed buyers  one defining characteristic of a ship being part of the dark fleet  fell to 15 years this month, according to VesselsValue. As recently as October, it was 19 years.

Demolition Delay

The specifics of dark fleet tankers vary. Often, though, they are older vessels without industry-standard insurance or other western services, and owners that are tough to trace. Ships are near or over 20, an age at which vessels would typically be scrapped.

Certain countries take a hard view on older ships. In addition to the Chinese checks, India moved to ban vessels older than 25 years of age from entering its ports earlier this year.

Some shipowners are getting more comfortable with handling restricted crude such as Russian flows, as they see that this trade is here to stay, said Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage Ltd. Theyre now more willing to invest in younger ships thatll meet wider industry standards for longer.

When buying for the Russia trade first emerged, it made sense to purchase the oldest vessels available. Those ships are the cheapest, and operating without western services enabled them to bypass many of the sanctions in place on oil exports, including a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian crude that was imposed by the Group of Seven.

The surge in demand for ships has extended the lifespan for many. Not a single large crude tanker has been scrapped for seven months, something that hasnt happened since at least the mid-1970s, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the worlds largest shipbroker.

Tankers are also spending more time in transit. The pool of buyers for Russian crude has shrunk since the war, meaning cargoes that used to be hauled just a couple of days along the Baltic Sea now travel for weeks to get to China and India.

Thats pushed benchmark oil tanker earnings to around $100,000 a day on two occasions since the war broke out, compared with an average of $23,000 a day since 2017. Further purchases of younger ships boost the chances of rates returning to the higher level as it trims the supply of ships for conventional trades.

There is a strong safety rationale for the move to newer vessels. In May, an aging tanker was found to have more than 20 defects during an inspection in China. And a lot of the older tankers that can serve the trade have also already been acquired.

The pot of old bangers is running dry so its a natural progression that newer ships will be taken, said Halvor Ellefsen, a tanker broker at Fearnleys Shipbrokers UK Ltd. If it continues, it will mean a tighter regular tanker market, but also a more certain supply of oil from sanctioned countries.

--With assistance from Ann Koh, Elizabeth Low, Sharon Cho and Alaric Nightingale.

(Adds analyst quote in paragraph 10.)

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Honourable Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today inaugurated the new Corporate Office of Punjab & Sind Bank, a premier Public Sector Bank, at NBCC Complex, East Kidwai Nagar, New Delhi in the presence of Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Honourable Minister of State (Finance) and Dr. M P Tangirala, Additional Secretary, DFS.

Addressing the gathering, the Honble Finance Minister congratulated the Bank for shifting its Corporate Office to the Banks own state of the art premises in East Kidwai Nagar and for posting a historic and highest ever Net Profit of Rs.1313 Crore for FY 2022-23. She also appreciated the Bank for upgrading its digital platform and for achieving the Priority Sector as well as financial inclusion targets with the intent of serving the society at large for the last 115 years by way of welfare of weaker sections, farmers, financing of women entrepreneurs and micro and small businesses.

The objective of recapitalization of Public Sector Banks are now bearing the fruits as all the Public Sector Banks today are much stronger, healthier, self-reliant and well capitalized. The collective Net Profit of Public Sector Banks for FY 2022-23 has crossed Rs.1 lakh Crore and this has been made possible due to the 4R strategies of GoI for strengthening Public Sector Banks viz Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalization and Reforms.

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During her address, Smt. Sitharaman also said that GoI under the leadership of Honble Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi Ji is taking every possible step to ensure that poorest of the poor can have access to banking facilities even in the remotest corner of the country. On this occasion and to take the dream of the Honble Prime Minister forwards, Smt. Sitharaman virtually inaugurated a new branch (29th Branch) of the Bank in the North East region which is located in the Border district of Karimganj in Assam. She also interacted with a few customers of the Branch who also expressed their appreciation for Punjab & Sind Bank for opening the Branch and how the local population will be benefited by accessing the various Financial Inclusion Schemes of the Government of India.

Smt Sitharaman also cautioned the banks not to sit back and revel in success. The FM said the banks should follow best corporate governance practices, adhere to regulatory norms, ensure prudent liquidity management and continue to focus on having robust asset-liability and risk management. Banks should endeavor to adopt a proactive approach in reaching out to people in order to achieve optimum utilization of financial inclusion schemes, she said.

The Finance Minister added that there should be a focus on credit outreach in states where the credit offtake is lower than the national average, particularly in North East and eastern parts of the country. Banks must aim to increase brick & mortar banking presence in border areas, particularly in those covered in the Vibrant Village Programme, she said.

The FM also advised the banks to promote the Mahila Samman Bachat Patra announced in the Budget 2023-24 through special drives and campaigns. They must ensure that the entire Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target is met and not transferred to RIDF, the Finance Minister said.

On the occasion, Smt Sitharaman also inaugurated e-coffee table book depicting the historic journey of Punjab & Sind Bank since its foundation in 1908.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad also appreciated the Bank for its various initiatives to transfer the Bank to a Future Ready Techno Savvy Bank and how the Bank over the years has transformed itself gradually with latest products and services. He also expressed satisfaction on the role played by Public Sector Banks in making the Indian Financial System reliant and robust.

Dr. M P Tangirala, Additional Secretary, DFS also highlighted how Punjab & Sind Bank as a Public Sector Bank is contributing to the overall development of the Indian Economy through its network of Branches, ATMs and Business Correspondents.

Dr. Charan Singh, Non-Executive Chairman and Sh. Swarup Kumar Saha, MD & CEO of Punjab & Sind Bank were also present on the occasion.
Amid the ongoing tussle between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi over the dismissal of V Senthil Balaji as a minister, Governor R N Ravi heaped praise on PM Modi for his vision.

Addressing a gathering here, the Governor said, If you are weak you are surrounded by enemies, if you are strong you have friends. That is the destiny of Bharat. What the PM has setagain a divine mandate is his appearance, he is such a person who understands what is Bharat and the power of its peopleHe has set a course that he calls Amrit Kaal. In the next 25 years, this country must be capable of spreading the light of Sanatana Dharma to the whole world. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Friday wrote to Governor R N Ravi over the dismissal of Balaji as a minister and stating the (Governor) has no powers to dismiss my ministers.

I reiterate that you have no power to dismiss my Ministers. That is the sole prerogative of an elected Chief Minister. Your unconstitutional communication dismissing my Minister without my advice is void ab initio and non-est in law and hence has been disregarded, said MK Stalin in a letter. Referring to the Governors breakdown of Constitutional machinery remark, Stalin said it was an alluded remark. Only a person convicted attracts disqualification, he wrote.

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Senthil Balaji was arrested on June 14 in connection with a cash-for-jobs scam case.

On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu Governor dismissed minister Senthil Balaji due to criminal charges against him. However, the decision was later put on hold, and the Governor said he has to seek advice from the Attorney General.

The former Union minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari slammed the dismissal of the jailed minister, tweeting, Article 164 of COI The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister Since Ministers are appointed on the advice of the CM they can be removed ONLY on the advice of CM Unconstitutional Gov.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Thursday termed Balajis removal as outrightly unconstitutional.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at the opposition parties, especially the Congress, asking people to beware of such family- centric parties that give fake guarantees.

Addressing a grand function to launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Eradication Mission 2047 from Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, the PM distributed sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries.

The PM also kickstarted the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh. During the programme, he honoured Rani Durgavati, the ruling tribal queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century.

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He accused the Congress of giving fake guarantees and advised the people to wake up to the deceit of the Congress and other opposition parties. These parties have guaranteed various schemes, whereas these parties themselves have no guarantee of their own future, Mr. Modi averred.

Taking a sharp jibe at the opposition, PM Modi said, The meaning of some political parties is niyat mein khot aur gareeb par chot (evil intentions to hurt the poor).

The PM asserted that in the past 70 years, the previous governments could barely put food on the table for the poor, but the present government is turning the tables by providing a guarantee of free food grains to 80 crore families through the Garib Kalyan Yojana. He also touched upon providing health security to 50 crore beneficiaries through the Ayushman Yojana, free gas connections to 10 crore women beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana, and loans to 8.5 crore beneficiaries through the Mudra Yojana.

The PM said that the Ayushman Card is a guarantee of Rs 5 lakh for treatment in hospitals.

It is the guarantee of Modi, he added.

The PM announced that Rani Durgavatis 500th birth anniversary would be celebrated across India and stamps would be released.

He distributed Sickle Cell colour-coded counselling cards to a few beneficiaries. He handed over Ayushman cards and PVC Ayushman Bharat cards physically to some beneficiaries.

The National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission (NSCAEM), which aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population, was announced in the Union Budget 2023.

The government aims to eradicate sickle cell anemia from India in mission mode by 2047, Mr. Modi said, adding that half of the total number of people affected by this disease in the world are in India.
While not naming the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused previous governments at the Centre of disrespecting the tribal communities and the poor.

Speaking at a public meeting in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said, Previous governments were insensitive and disrespectful towards the tribal communities and the poor. We saw how several parties reacted to a tribal woman becoming the President. When the Central Tribal University was opened in the Shahdol division, they (the Congress) named it after their family. However, the Shivraj (Singh Chouhan) government made a welcome departure from this tradition when it named Chhindwada University after the revolutionary, Raja Shankar Shah. We also named the Patal Pani Station after Tantia Mama (revolutionary Tantia Tope), he added.

Emphasising the importance of schools and colleges in tribal areas, PM Modi said, I know the importance of schools and colleges in tribal areas. Thats why our government gave tribal children the opportunity to avail residential education in more than 400 new Eklavya schools. As many as 24,000 such students are studying in such schools in Madhya Pradesh alone.

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He also started the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh.

Our government is working not only to reduce the risk of diseases but also the expenditure incurred on them. We brought the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to reduce the medical expenditure of the poor. The Ayushman Card will guarantee our poor free medical checkups worth Rs 5 lakh, PM Modi said.

He further claimed that 1 crore people in Madhya Pradesh have already received Ayushman Bharat cards.

PM Modi also paid floral tributes before a bust of Rani Durgavati at the launch of the National Sickel Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Shahdol.

October 5 will mark the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati. The government will celebrate this day across the country. A film based on her life will be made and a silver coin commemorating the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati will also be launched, PM Modi said.

He informed further that the government will also launch a postal stamp of Rani Durgavati. We will launch a campaign to take her life story to every house in the country. Madhya Pradesh will touch new heights of development, PM Modi said.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday condoled the death of 25 passengers in Maharashtra road accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In a tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said, The news of the bus accident in Maharashtras Buldhana is saddening. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved family members in this difficult time. I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condoled the death of passengers and said, Deeply saddened to hear about the tragic death of many passengers in the horrific bus accident in Maharashtras Buldhana. May God give peace to the departed souls. Deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Prayers to God for the speedy recovery of the injured.

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Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal expressed grief on the bus accident and said, Disturbed to hear about the tragic bus accident near Buldhana, Maharashtra taking over 25 lives. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy, and I wish for a speedy recovery of the injured.

The remarks of the Congress leaders came after at least 25 passengers were charred to death and eight others injured after a bus burst into flames following a major accident on the Nagpur-Mumbai super-expressway in Buldhana on Saturday. The private luxury bus, belonging to Vidarbha Travels, was en route from Nagpur to Pune and the tragedy occurred near the Sindhkhedraja area at around 1.25 a.m. There were 33 people on board, including two drivers and a cleaner. The eight injured persons have been admitted to the Buldhana civil hospital for treatment.
In his first public push for a uniform civil code (UCC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country cannot have separate laws for its people and that the Constitution enjoins on the state securing of a UCC for its citizens. At his meeting at Balesar in the Jodhpur district, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh hinted at bringing in the UCC. However, barring the AAP, Congress, Akalis, UML, SAD and others have strongly opposed the move. Nevertheless, Modis blue-eyed Member of Parliament Dr Kirori Lal Meena from Rajasthan was prompted to place a private members Bill on Uniform Civil Code in Rajya Sabha (Upper House) even though Opposition parties alleged killing of democracy and unity in diversity.

Will this Bill be a litmus test for the NDA government or will it prove disastrous like the three-farmers bills which were withdrawn after year-long agitation by farmers in Punjab-Haryana-Delhi states last year?

For an answer to the query, Yash Goyal of The Statesman approached Dr Kirori Lal Meena. The BJPs Rajya Sabha MP, who is known for his grouse with the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, revealed the facts about the Bill that he hopes to get through in the near future, if not soon, might be before the LS polls in 2024.

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Question: How would you explain the Uniform Civil Code?

Answer: It simply means a common law for everyone in the country. Without considering the religion, castes and domicile, one common law should come in force to protect the personal rights of all citizens. I belong to a tribe. Though a Hindu, I can have two marriages. You cannot do it, and if anyone does it he would be punished under section 494 of IPC for seven years. In our country, Muslim men can have 3/4/5 marriages, whereas in the neighbouring country Pakistan, a second marriage is only possible when Muslim man gets his wifes consent.

There is a disparity in law, and to remove/correct this disparity, Uniform Civil Code needs to be applied. The bill titled The Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2022 was brought in Rajya Sabha for every religion and caste. There is no uniform law in our country with regard to marriage, divorce, adoption, succession, property, and these subjects are controlled by the personal laws. Hence the UCC should be ensured to all citizens residing in areas where the population of entire geographical areas resides.

Q: The NDA Government led by Modi has a full majority in Parliament. Why then this bill was moved as a Private Members Bill, why was it not tabled directly?

A: There are certain rules of public interest that give information to the government and Janata at large. This is/was an issue of national interest that is why I introduced it. Members of Parliament (MPs) usually bring such private bills in every session, and it is up to the House and a debate cutting across the party lines to decide whether or not to decide on such public matters.

Q: Earlier, BJP and its MPs were not in favour of supporting the bill if it was moved by you. What then brought them together in Parliament this time?

A: This is wrong. The question does not arise. No one in BJP/MPs opposed it. It was a pertinent issue in early days of Jan Sangh (now BJP) along with abrogation of article 370 in Kashmir, Ram Mandir Nirman, and CAA (The Citizenship (Amendment) Act. These have been very important agenda of the BJP party. This is the ideology and thinking of BJP that a common law be enacted in the country.

Q: Has this private members bill been taken up seriously by RS MPs?

It is a sensitive issue. Theres a lot of opposition. The Indian courts were worried and wanted it to be taken up in Parliament. You can consider it as a Litmus Test of the BJP government on this particular bill.

Whether UCC would be applicable to all castes like SC/ST/OBC/MBC/EWS? Will it be governing marriages in these castes?

The traditions of tribes are different in many states. The intention of this bill is to bring uniformity and what would be its framework, it would be decided in the UCC. I remember during former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajes tenure a bill was brought for daughters right in fathers property. This is not possible in Muslims but a Shariyat Law is applied and accepted in marriage, adoption, and divorce. The rights of women are curtailed in the Muslim community; hence, the UCC would empower them. The wrong trend of religious conversion would be contained.

Q: What is the main point in this bill that will be taken up first to start with?

The Central government shall, within a period of six months from the coming into force of this act, constitute a Committee to be called National Inspection & Investigation Committee for the purpose of UCC and its implementation in the country. The Committee will consist of a Chairperson.

Who shall be retired as chief justice of India, Union minister for home affairs-ex-officio member, Union minister of law and justice-ex-officio member and other members mentioned in the bill. The Central government would, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law on this behalf, provide adequate funds to the committee for carrying out the purposes of this act.

India is a nation where theres unity in diversity (Ekta Mein Anekta Hai). The committee would give its report keeping in mind that no dispute shall arise, no unrest prevails, and the communal harmony maintained.

Q: What are the legal objects and reasons to introduce this bill?

A: I like to quote it, The Statement of Objects and Reasons clearly said, Besides, no government showed proper will power to implement these constitutional provisions, because the minorities, especially the Muslims believed that the UCC will lead to the violation of their personal laws. Hence, only to compile the Hindu Laws, acts like the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 and Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 were enacted.

In these Acts, along with the Buddhist, Sikh and Jain laws related to different religious communities of the Hindus are included vide which women have been given right to divorce and succession and caste has been termed irrelevant for marriage. Also polygamy has been done away with. In the present context, it seems our country is divided into three classes on UCC, namely political, social and religious. In the Shah Bano case, the Supreme Court decided that section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 is applicable to all irrespective of religion, caste and community. The court directed that Shah Bano must be provided with living expenses. The then Chief Justice Y V Chandrachud said the UCC would end the dissimilarities in the Indian law which would help in establishing national unity. Hence, the SC had observed that the Parliament may make the law related to the UCC.

In the Constituent Assembly, while on the one hand there were people like Dr B R Ambedkar who desired reform in the society and wanted to accept UCC, and there were also Muslim representatives who took side to retaining the Personal Laws based on the religious enshrines. As a result, regarding the UCC, only one line could be added as Article 44 of under Part IV as Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution. In this article it is stated that the State shall endeavour to secure for citizens a UCC throughout the territory of India. Since the UCC has been included in the Directive Principles of State Policy of the state, hence this cannot be enforced.

Not only the SC, high courts too have expressed their concern over UCC many times. Thus, it is a proper time to introduce this bill and get it passed in Parliament.

Q: Will this Act bring gender equality too?

A: Gender inequality does exist in society. But in minorities, its level is very high and worrying. I believe this Act will change gender inequality into neutrality, and the discrimination would end.

Q: The NDA Government has been in power for the last eight years, How come this Bill is delayed?

A: This is true. Everything has its own time. The Modi Government has so many other issues to be taken up first. Now, the time has come for this. India has witnessed a number of cases of Love Jihad, and live-in relationships. Recently, in Delhi it was terrible and scary that a man (Aftab Ameen) chopped off his wifes body into 35 pieces. Our party is worried over such matters. This is a subject of debate for intellectuals. Therefore, it is high time the Act was passed.

A: In Rajya Sabha, many political parties, including Congress, TMC, MDMK, RJD, SP, CPI, CPIM and NCP, have opposed your move to place this Bill, how would you convince them?

A: All those parties which opposed it are doing politics of appeasement. They are engaged in misleading a Dharam Vishesh (a particular religion), creating fear, and they have made them a vote bank. Therefore, they (the Opposition) are making an anti-act atmosphere. Even the Triple-Talaq Act was accepted by the Muslim women and they are happy now. Of course, the Opposition made a hue and cry on this too. They always try to create fear in the minds of Muslims so that they can bank on their votes in elections. The Central government has clearly stated this is not against any religion and caste. Everyone will benefit from the UCC. This is the main purpose.

Q: You (Meena) belong to a Scheduled Tribe (ST). Do you think the Act will affect STs too?

As a tribal, I can have two marriages, because the Hindu law does not apply to the tribes. The tribe is governed by their customs rather than the law. In such a situation, the Uniform Civil Code will not have any effect on the tribals. As I said earlier Muslim men in India can have 3/4/5 marriages, but in Pakistan, one has to take legal permission from his wife to do so. Thats a disparity to be corrected.

Q: What would be the future line of action of this private member bill?

A: This bill will go up to the President for her approval/consent. Then it would go to the Business Advisory Committee of Parliament to make a decision on when and whether to place the bill in Parliament. When it is placed, a debate will be invited to clear the bill.

Q: Do not you expect any strong resentment against this bill on the streets by the Opposition parties and NGOs?

A: I dont see a possibility of any untoward incident. Bringing-in this bill will not harm anyone nor would it do injustice to any citizen.
Riots have erupted in cities across France, including the town of Nanterre near Paris, following the tragic killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. The incident has once again highlighted the issue of racism within the French police force, particularly towards racial minorities and immigrants. People have taken to the streets in protest, demanding justice for Nahel and an end to this discriminatory behavior.

Raised by a sole parent, Nahel was employed as a delivery driver for a takeaway service while also nurturing a strong passion for rugby league. He attended a college in Suresnes, not far from his home, where he was training to become an electrician.

For the past three years, Nahel played rugby for the Pirates of Nanterre club and was involved in an integration program called Ovale Citoyen, which aimed to support struggling teenagers in school. Although his college attendance was not consistent, he had no criminal record, although he was known to the police. Many people believe that the police and administration treated him unfairly due to his race.

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Tragedy struck on Tuesday morning when Nahel was fatally shot in the chest at close range while driving a Mercedes car. The incident occurred during a police traffic check, after he had driven off without complying with their instructions.

Nahels grandmother described him as a kind, good boy. Before she went to work on that fateful day, Nahel gave his mother a loving kiss and said, I love you, Mum.

In an interview, Mr. Jeff Puech, the president of Ovale Citoyen, emphasized Nahels determination to integrate into society and build a successful career, highlighting that he was not involved in drugs or juvenile crime.

It is worth noting that Nahel had encountered multiple police checks since 2021, as he repeatedly refused to comply with orders to stop his vehicle. During one incident, he was found driving a car with Polish number plates and had two passengers. However, as a 17-year-old, he was too young to possess a driving license.

Just last weekend, Nahel had reportedly been detained for his non-compliance and was scheduled to appear before a juvenile court in September. Many of his recent troubles were related to his involvement with cars.
France is currently grappling with a wave of violent protests, and the unrest shows no signs of abating following the tragic death of a 17-year-old boy shot by police during a routine traffic stop. This incident has sparked widespread demonstrations across numerous cities in France, with Paris being a focal point. The protests have resulted in numerous injuries to law enforcement officers and extensive damage to public property and vehicles.

The riots erupted after Nahel M., a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan heritage, was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in the suburb of Nanterre. The incident was captured on video, reigniting long-standing grievances of police violence and racism within impoverished, racially diverse urban communities.

One particularly viral video circulating online depicts rioters looting a motorcycle store in Lyon, Frances third-largest city. In response to the escalating unrest, the gendarmes police force deployed armored vehicles and a helicopter to restore order in the city.

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The United Nations human rights office expressed deep concern over the killing of the 17-year-old, who hailed from a North African background. They highlighted the launch of an investigation into the alleged intentional homicide and emphasized that France must address the pervasive issues of racism and discrimination within law enforcement.

As scenes of burning debris unfolded, footage from Nanterre revealed the words vengeance pour Nael spray-painted on a wall, translating to revenge for Nael in reference to the slain teenager, employing an alternate spelling of his name.

Social media platforms have been inundated with videos and images showing protesters setting vehicles and buildings ablaze, as well as looting stores in various French cities. President Emmanuel Macron has denied accusations of racism but condemned the violence as unjustifiable.

The President has called for decisive action against those involved. To regain control of the situation, an additional 2,500 police officers were mobilized within a day of the incident, in anticipation of further violence spilling over into a second evening.
India raised matters relating to its security with the senior leadership of Myanmar during Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramanes two-day official visit to Myanmar, which concluded today.

Armane called on Chairman, State Administrative Council Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw. The Defence Secretary also called on Defence Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo and held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy Admiral Moe Aung and Chief of Defence Industries Lt Gen Khan Myint Than.

Significantly the visit came amid the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur which borders two regions of Myanmar: Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south.

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The Ministry of Defence (MoD0 said Armanes visit provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to Indias security and the two sides also discussed issues related to the maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.

India shares a 1,700-km-long border with Myanmar. Any developments in that country have a direct impact on Indias bordering regions. Peace and stability in Myanmar and the well-being of its people, therefore, remain of utmost importance to India, the MoD said.
The Unescos 193 member states have approved a proposal submitted by the US to rejoin the organisation.

During an Extraordinary Session of the General Conference on Friday, 132 member states voted in favour, while Russia, North Korea, Palestine, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua, Syria voted against the return of the US to the organisation, reports Xinhua news agency.

Fridays vote came after two days of discussions.

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The US had pulled out of the Unesco twice, in 1984 and 2017, causing a negative impact on the Paris-based UN bodys work.

Last month, the US sent a letter to the director-general of the organisation, proposing to rejoin as early as July based on a concrete financial plan, which includes a commitment to repay its estimated arrears of $619 million.

Following Fridays vote, the US will now fund the equivalent of 22 per cent of the organisations regular budget, according to a statement from the Unesco.

Besides the progressive payment of the arrears, the US will also make voluntary contributions to fund programs including those supporting access to education in Africa and the memory of the Holocaust, the statement added.

On Friday, White House officials said the countrys membership will become official once Secretary of State Antony Blinken, or a designee, formally accepts the invitation.

In a statement, Blinken said the vote would restore US leadership on a host of issues of importance and value to the American people.

I am encouraged and grateful that today the membership accepted our proposal, which will allow the US to take the next, formal steps toward fully rejoining the organisation, he was quoted as saying.

In 2017, the administration of former President Donald Trump announced the countrys withdrawal from the Unesco, citing anti-Israel bias.

The decision took effect a year later.

The US and Israel had stopped financing the UN body after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011.
The government of Huangpu district, which forms part of Shanghai's urban core, plans to launch an investment fund to support promising technology firms based in its 20.5 sq km area.

The fund, to be set up and run by an investment organisation affiliated with the local government, will become operational in the next 12 months, according to Xu Weipeng, a senior official with Huangpu Science and Technology Commission.

He did not reveal the targeted size of the fund, but said that it would focus on a wide range of technology businesses from start-ups to listed firms.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"Huangpu [district] has an edge in the finance sector, which can be tapped to spur promising technology companies," Xu told the Post on Thursday. "The fund will be operated [in line] with international practices."

The government of Huangpu district plans to launch a yuan-denominated fund. Photo: Reuters alt=The government of Huangpu district plans to launch a yuan-denominated fund. Photo: Reuters>

The yuan-denominated fund will be backed by a select number of partners on the mainland.

Huangpu, located on the west bank of its namesake river, is home to a clutch of financial institutions including China Pacific Insurance and Haitong Securities.

Xu said that Huangpu authorities have shortlisted 187 fintech, AI and biotech firms that they believe have high growth potential and will offer them support to expand.

The fund's investment will go beyond the list because Huangpu district hopes to discover future stars amid the country's deepening efforts to digitalise the economy, he added.

"Governments of different levels in China will mobilise more resources to support the country's technology firms now that the US is restricting investments in Chinese businesses," said Wang Feng, chairman of Shanghai-based financial services group Ye Lang Capital. "Huangpu district, as one of the most affluent regions in Shanghai and the mainland, must aim high in attracting more investments."

The US is working on new regulations that would limit capital and information flows into sensitive technologies in China such as chips and artificial intelligence (AI). A Biden administration executive order that would potentially cut off certain US investments in China's tech businesses is nearing completion, and officials are aiming to have it ready as soon as late July, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the internal deliberations.

Hu Junqing, founder and chairman of Shanghai Information2 Software, which raised 570 million yuan (US$78.6 million) in an initial public offering (IPO) on Shanghai's Star Market in January, said local government support played an important role in the company's growth.

"The incentives offered by the Huangpu government not only gave us much-needed financial aid, but also bolstered our confidence, encouraging us to keep up our enterprising spirit," he said.

Yang Hongwei, president of SMO ClinPlus, which engages in clinical studies and offers site management organisation services for pharmaceutical firms, said the company had fully taken advantage of Huangpu's geographic location to build its business.

It raised 700 million yuan from its IPO in Shenzhen in May last year.

China's securities regulator embarked on a registration-based IPO mechanism in February, as it pledged to fully relinquish its role in reviewing IPOs, transferring the vetting power to the country's stock exchanges.

Under the new system, listing requirements, such as track records for revenue and profit, have been eased to pave the way for companies from fledgling industries to go public, hence benefitting private equity and venture capital funds' pursuit of investment returns.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
US President Joe Biden on Friday (US local time) termed the Supreme Courts decision to strike down his student-loan forgiveness plan as Unthinkable, said the fight is not over.

I believe that the Courts decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong, Biden said, according to an official release from the White House. But I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families. My Administration will continue to work to bring the promise of higher education to every American, the US President said.

The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to Joe Biden administrations student loan forgiveness plan on Friday. The court rejected the program, which aimed to provide up to USD 20,000 in relief to millions of borrowers struggling with outstanding debt, CNN reported.

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The decision in the court was 6-3 with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the supermajority. Republican-led states and conservatives challenging the Biden administrations program said that it amounts to an unlawful effort to forgive an estimated USD 430 billion of federal student loan debt under the guise of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Justice John Roberts noted that the Biden administration and the US Secretary of Education rewrote the law. Roberts wrote that the Secretarys comprehensive debt cancellation plan cannot be fairly termed as a waiver, according to CNN.

Joe Biden said: My Administrations student debt relief plan would have been the lifeline tens of millions of hardworking Americans needed as they try to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic. Nearly 90 percent of the relief from our plan would have gone to borrowers making less than UDD 75,000 a year, and none of it would have gone to people making more than USD 125,000. It would have been life-changing for millions of Americans and their families. And it would have been good for economic growth, both in the short- and long-term.

The US President said that the hypocrisy of Republican elected officials is stunning. They had no problem with billions in pandemic-related loans to businesses  including hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of dollars for their own businesses. And those loans were forgiven. But when it came to providing relief to millions of hard-working Americans, they did everything in their power to stop it, he said.

Calling the decision disappointing, Biden said: We should not lose sight of the progress weve made  making historic increases to Pell Grants; forgiving loans for teachers, firefighters, and others in public service; and creating a new debt repayment plan, so no one with an undergraduate loan has to pay more than 5 percent of their discretionary income.
Salman Momika, the man who recently ignited a firestorm by burning pages of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, in Sweden, has become a center of attention and controversy. His provocative act has sparked outrage among millions of followers of Islam worldwide, drawing severe criticism and raising concerns about security. As we delve into this issue, lets take a closer look at who Salman Momika is.

Salman Momika is an individual who intentionally burned pages of the religious text outside a mosque in Stockholm. His actions have ignited widespread protests and condemnation in the Swedish capital, while infuriating people across the globe. In a surprising turn of events, Momika even publicly announced his intention to burn another Quran within a span of 10 days, further intensifying the controversy.

At 37 years old, Salman Momika carried out this act during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha and the conclusion of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, the incident stirred anger not only in the Middle East but also beyond its borders.

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Initially, the Swedish police granted Momika a permit based on free-speech protections. However, they later launched an investigation into agitation against an ethnic group, as he had performed the burning in close proximity to the mosque. Despite this, Momika expressed his awareness that his actions would provoke strong reactions and revealed that he had received thousands of death threats.

While acknowledging that the police have the right to investigate whether the burning constitutes a hate crime, Momika denied any intent to incite hatred or target a specific group. He emphasized that he himself belongs to the same group and believes that it would ultimately be up to a court to determine the outcome of the case.
In a recent development in the United Kingdom, Zac Goldsmith has made the decision to sever his ties with the establishment due to recent events. It has been reported that Goldsmith, who was previously an ally of Boris Johnson, launched a scathing attack on his party leaders track record. He conveyed to Rishi Sunak that the governments indifference towards climate change would cost them votes in the next general election.

Goldsmiths departure has intensified the internal conflict within the Conservative Party, as one of Rishi Sunaks ministers resigned and promptly accused No 10 of undermining him. Goldsmith, known for his liberal and libertarian views, has been a strong advocate for environmentalism and localism. However, he felt that his stance on these issues was not aligned with the rest of the party members.

In response to Goldsmiths statements and his opposition to certain aspects of Rishi Sunaks approach, the prime minister revealed that Goldsmith stepped down shortly after being asked to apologize for comments he made regarding the Partygate inquiry. Goldsmith acknowledged that as a minister, he should not have made public comments and was asked by No 10 to acknowledge this. He emphasized that he was not being forced out of his position and was willing to apologize. Goldsmiths decision to resign had been contemplated for some time.

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In his criticism of Sunak, Goldsmith directly accused him of being disinterested in environmental issues. He stated that the governments lack of concern in the face of the greatest challenge we are currently facing has made it impossible for him to continue in his current role.

It is noteworthy that Goldsmiths resignation letter did not mention the committees findings but focused solely on Sunaks lack of interest in his climate-related work. As a member of the Conservative Party, Goldsmith previously ran as their candidate in the 2016 London mayoral election and served as a Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2010 to 2016 and again from 2017 to 2019.
We now continue our look at the albums of the Beatles, both the official releases from the UK and the very different U.S. releases.

The Beatles (UK)- This is, of course, more commonly called the White Album owing to its plain white cover, and it is the band's only double LP of authorized all newly recorded studio material. This is also the first album to be completely the same worldwide, particularly between the UK and U.S.......Wait, what's that, you say? They're not exactly the same? Yes, yes, there are a couple of differences. The original UK album was released in distinct stereo and mono mixes, and the U.S. release, for the first time, was only in stereo as the American record industry was phasing out mono LPs by 1968. There's also a story, the veracity of which I'm uncertain, that George Harrison  during a visit to the U.S. heard a pre-release vinyl pressing produced by Capitol Records, was appalled at the poor sound quality, and personally remastered it. This sounds a mite implausible, but who knows? The UK vinyl album is also unbanded, without visible grooves between songs; and the U.S. is banded.

As to the music, my overall opinion of the album is coloured by two major events  the first is the Manson family killings in which the song titles Helter Skelter (misspelled) and Piggies were scrawled at the Sharon Tate and Lo Bianco murder scenes, and Manson's claim that the songs on the album were a secret message to him that a race war was afoot. Of course, this was patent BS, but nonetheless, it coloured the public's perception of the album, and it will be sadly forever linked to that atrocity. Also sadly, the Beach Boys were tainted by Manson, because of Dennis Wilson's friendship with the cult leader and the fact one of Manson's songs (though uncredited and with a title change from Cease to Exist to Never Learn Not To Love) ended up on the 20/20 album.

But what coloured my perception of the White Album even more was an album featuring a 1980 interview with Paul McCartney with Musician magazine. First of all, eerily, one could hear a police car siren in the background when McCartney begins talking about the Beatles. And secondly, what was for me the first time, McCartney revealed that the album sessions were extremely tense. John Lennon had revealed the same in other interviews, but I had not read those. It was also revealed that the tension was so bad that Ringo Starr left the group for several days, and they recorded the tracks Back in the USSR and Dear Prudence without him  which means, as great as those songs are, they will be forever viewed with a tinge of sadness.

As for the songs themselves, they're all over the place in terms of genres, from the Beach Boys/Chuck Berry-influenced Back in the USSR, the folkie Dear Prudence, the straight-out joyous rock and roll of Birthday, the blues of Yer Blues, the doo-wop parody of Happiness Is A Warm Gun, the lushness of Good Night, the 1920s vibe of Honey Pie and the genuinely eerie and scary avant garde Revolution 9. The single Hey Jude/Revolution was also recorded during these sessions, and the other Beatles were absolutely correct to reject the first, slower version of Revolution as a single release. The fast version is one of the band's best recordings, particularly on the mono single, where it sounds much more powerful. John Lennon famously called the stereo mix of the single version "vanilla".

My favourite song of the album, and one that is in my top-5 of overall Beatle favourites, is Helter Skelter, despite the aforementioned negative association. It just burns, and McCartney's voice is a wonder. I also like the sloppy alternate take on the Super Deluxe edition in which McCartney plays with his voice, and then screams out a wild "one, two, three" before the familiar guitar riff starts. The very different first version of the song, which is much slower, also starts off in an intriguing way, with guitar yowls and strange amplifier noises. But that overall version is a bit boring.

For all its positives and negatives, the album is an extremely important milestone in the Beatles' history.

Yellow Submarine- Again, we have an album (the soundtrack from the 1968 animated classic of the same name) that is exactly the same between the UK and the U.S. Wait, what's that you say? It's not the same? Yes, here we go again, the U.S. release is only in stereo, and the UK is in stereo and mono, the latter folded down from the stereo mix. Also, the liner notes on the back cover differ  the UK weirdly contains a review of the White Album and the American notes, more appropriately, relate to the movie. As for the music, there are only six Beatle songs  all on Side 1, just like other Beatle movie albums. Except, in this case, Side 2 is all re-recorded George Martin orchestral music from the movie, which I have never listened to in its entirety. It's nice, but my attention drifts from it quickly.

As for the Beatle songs, two are repeats  the title track, exactly the same mix as on Revolver; and All You Need Is Love, here in its world premiere true stereo mix. And as for the four new songs:

 Only A Northern Song: A cynical George Harrison song left off the Sgt. Pepper album. It's wonderfully psychedelic, but was sadly only released in fake stereo (and mono folded down from the fake stereo), resulting in a rather muddy sound. This was apparently because the song was difficult to mix in stereo because of its many elements. The song was finally released in stereo and 5.1 surround sound  the latter on the Yellow Submarine DVD. That mix is an absolute revelation  cool sound effects can be heard all over the place for those who have a home theatre. Hey Bulldog is a fun rocker, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney genuinely enjoying themselves. All Together Now is a very simple children's song which is rather charming; and George Harrison's It's All Too Much is an uncharacteristically aggressive (musically, not lyrically) song that I would classify as one of the psychedelic masterpieces of the 1960s. The guitar just burns here, but the lyrics are all peace and love.

Next time: The last regular release Beatles albums, including a U.S. creation once again.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. High 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
FILE - Members of the ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities protest before a Board of Regents meeting to vote on new requirements that private schools teach English, math science and history to high school students, Sept. 12, 2022, outside the New York State Education Department Building in Albany, N.Y. Eighteen private Jewish schools run by New York City's politically powerful Hasidic community deprived thousands of students the required secular education in English, math, science and social studies that they need to function successfully outside their religious enclaves, according to findings from an eight-year investigation by New York City school officials, Friday, June 30 2023.
US forest managers urge revelers to swap fireworks for Silly String, but some say not so fast

U.S. Forest Service managers are urging people in the drought-stricken Southwest to forgo the fireworks this July Fourth, suggesting instead that cans of red, white and blue Silly String could be used to celebrate
In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But every investor is virtually certain to have both over-performing and under-performing stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Bank of Hawaii Corporation (NYSE:BOH), since the last five years saw the share price fall 51%. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 46%. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 21% in the last three months.

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.

View our latest analysis for Bank of Hawaii

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

While the share price declined over five years, Bank of Hawaii actually managed to increase EPS by an average of 3.6% per year. So it doesn't seem like EPS is a great guide to understanding how the market is valuing the stock. Or possibly, the market was previously very optimistic, so the stock has disappointed, despite improving EPS.

Based on these numbers, we'd venture that the market may have been over-optimistic about forecast growth, half a decade ago. Having said that, we might get a better idea of what's going on with the stock by looking at other metrics.

The steady dividend doesn't really explain why the share price is down. It's not immediately clear to us why the stock price is down but further research might provide some answers.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Bank of Hawaii the TSR over the last 5 years was -42%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 16% in the last year, Bank of Hawaii shareholders lost 43% (even including dividends). However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 7% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. 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 Bank of Hawaii .

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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"As the son grows older, he acquires his father's business," is what Deepak Parekh said on April 4, 2022, when the housing finance giant HDFC had first announced it would merge with its subsidiary HDFC Bank.



Saturday, July 1, 2023, will mark an end of an era of sorts as this merger is set to complete. The son will take over the parent, and the country's first and the largest housing finance company will cease to exist. But, it will also be an end of an era for Deepak Parekh, the man who made HDFC a household name and helped millions of middle-class Indians buy their own homes, as he hangs up his boots after 46 years at the firm.



Housing Development Finance Corp was set up by Deepak Parekh's uncle H.T. Parekh in 1977. Deepak was already having a successful career as a banker with Chase Manhattan Bank when he decided to come back to India and join HDFC in 1978.



Back then, HDFC was a small lending firm. Those were also the years when for many Indian middle class, buying their own home was a dream.



By formalising the home loan process and bringing in transparency, HDFC fulfilled that dream of millions of ordinary Indians. Today, almost every scheduled commercial bank and a few non-bank financial institutions offer home loans. But, in the 1980s and even 1990s, HDFC was the go-to institution if someone wanted a home loan and it remains the largest in the mortgage business even today, 46 years later.



For the year ending March 2023, HDFC reported a net profit of Rs 16,239 crore. Its assets under management stood at over Rs 7.2 lakh crore. The stock ended at Rs 2,821.50, up 1.5 per cent and had a market cap of Rs 5.22 lakh crore.



The merger will catapult HDFC Bank to become the world's fourth largest with a combined market cap of Rs 14.74 lakh crore, rivalling the US and Chinese banking giants like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.



"No doubt, the housing finance industry is a competitive one today. Yet, HDFC will always have the distinction of being the institution that introduced retail housing finance to the country. Over the years, we have, in no small measure, helped chart the course for housing finance to be recognised as an integral part of development of the country," Parekh wrote in his final letter to shareholders.



"Home loans will now be complemented with HDFC Banks core strengths  its sales engine, execution capabilities at scale and deep insights on consumer behaviour. For HDFC Bank, a home loan customer marks the beginning of a journey of having a customer in perpetuity," he further wrote.



Over the years, HDFC expanded its horizons. It set up a bank, which became the largest in the private sector in India. It set up a mutual fund business, which became the largest asset management company (currently the third largest AMC). It also entered the equity broking business and started general as well as life insurance arms with international partners.



While HDFC has gone from strength to strength over the decades, Parekh has also been part of several committees, becoming the go-to man of sorts for his knowledge and advise on critical matters.



For instance, he was appointed to the board of Satyam Computers back in 2009 when the then fourth largest software services exporter was hit by an accounting fraud by its promoters. Parekh along with other board members, played a key role in the revival and subsequent acquisition of the Satyam by Tech Mahindra.



Parekh also chaired the high-level committee that was formed in 1999 to revive UTI's US-64 scheme.



"It is my time to hang my boots with both anticipation and hope for the future. While this will be my last communication to shareholders of HDFC, rest assured we now stride tall into a very exciting future of growth and prosperity," is how Parekh summed up in his letter to shareholders.



The merger of HDFC with HDFC Bank is the largest such deal in corporate India. Once complete, HDFC Bank will have no promoter and will be entirely held by public shareholders.



Sashidhar Jagdishan, the MD and CEO of HDFC Bank, has termed the deal as "defining event in our journey."



"As we navigate the path ahead, we will embrace challenges as opportunities, learn from our experiences, and strive to be the benchmark of success and integrity in the financial services industry," he said.
If you love investing in stocks you're bound to buy some losers. But the long term shareholders of Marshalls plc (LON:MSLH) have had an unfortunate run in the last three years. Regrettably, they have had to cope with a 61% drop in the share price over that period. And over the last year the share price fell 46%, so we doubt many shareholders are delighted. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 23% in the last three months.

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.

See our latest analysis for Marshalls

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 imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Marshalls saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 29% per year, over the last three years. This fall in EPS isn't far from the rate of share price decline, which was 27% per year. So it seems that investor expectations of the company are staying pretty steady, despite the disappointment. Rather, the share price has approximately tracked EPS growth.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Marshalls the TSR over the last 3 years was -57%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 4.7% in the last year, Marshalls shareholders lost 43% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 6% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Marshalls better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Marshalls you should be aware of.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on 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.

Join A Paid User Research Session

Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
The use of synthetic drugs for therapeutic purposes, especially for treating mental health conditions, has been a topic for debate for some time now. Australia has become the first country in the world to legalise the use of psychedelics to treat certain mental health conditions. Now is it a boon or bane?

The health experts stand divided on the bold move taken by the country to treat mental depression. While some hail the decision as a "game-changer" other calls it "too hasty".

The "recreational drug" MDMA, popularly known as ecstasy, and magic mushrooms has hallucinogenic effects increasing the energy levels of the user and sensory experiences.

In the case of magic mushrooms, the hallucinogenic effects are produced by active compound psilocybin.

With the new regulations, approved psychiatrists in Australia can now prescribe MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psilocybin for depression, reported BBC.

With drugs like MDMA having different effects on different persons, experts raise the concern that it is unknown how the patient or the user with an unpleasant experience react under the influence of drugs.

The use of synthetic drugs including MDMA for treatment in medical fields is been explored by many countries. Clinical trials are also underway in the countries including United States, Canada and Israel.

What are psychedelic drugs

Psychedelic drugs involves class of drugs that are able to induce altered thoughts and sensory perceptions. Researchers from across the world are involved in studies of mostly psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine for its therapeutic usage.

Among many fields, its use especially in the treatment of addiction, anxiety, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life care are explored.

Health experts stand divided

Dr Mike Musker, a mental health researcher at the University of South Australia said that the use of psychedelics would be carefully monitored.

"It is not a case of take a pill and go away...it's a game-changer...I have read about stories where people have had what you call bad trips or actually they've re-experienced their trauma, and so we've got to take great caution," Dr Musker told AFP news agency.

However, Musker also warned of patients from expecting a miracle cure.

The treatment is likely to take place in three stages over five to eight weeks. Each treatment would last about eight hours, with the therapist staying with the patient the whole time, he said.

However, Professor Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Melbourne's Swinburne University, called the decision too hasty. Rossell is also leading a biggest trial on the effects of psilocybin on depression.

"When you look at interventions...for any kind of disease, whether it's cardiovascular disease or cancer, you cannot get a drug to market as quickly as this has been done," she told AFP.

The move of the Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reclassifying MDMA and psilocybin had raised many eyebrows in the medical field. TGA had declared the drugs as "relatively safe" when used in "medically-controlled environment".

"There are promising signs", TGA had said.

So far, there are no approved products that contain MDMA or psilocybin. With the new regulation, psychiatrists will be able to legally supply and access medicines that contain them. The implications of these are yet to be known.

Other than for medical purposes, both the drugs are illegal in Australia.

"It is early compared to the usual process of developing and rolling out new treatments," clinical psychiatrist Dr. Colleen Loo, a professor of psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and the Black Dog Institute in Sydney, was quoted by CNN.

The Oregon Health Authority in May announced that it had licensed the first psilocybin service provider in the state after it became the first US state to legalize psilocybin for personal use for those above 21 years of age, reported CNN.
In an eye-popping statistic, globally, 5 percent of all Google searches have been said to be health-related. According to a research article that was published in 2019, there were a total of 70,000 websites providing health information, a number which would have grown several times over in the intervening years until now. The ongoing digitization of healthcare has unleashed a barrage of information and material today leading to an information overload as compared to the pre-digital era. Now with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission or ABDM throwing up even more data related to health providers, hospitals, diagnostic centers, insurance companies and patients, a more complicated landscape emerges making it more challenging to differentiate between random information and usable knowledge. However today, thanks to digital health solutions, curated, evidence-based, expert and authentic information is being made available to patients as well as healthcare providers thereby also empowering them in the process.

Catalyze self-care & quality care accessibility, a huge empowerment for patients

Digitization has brought with itself a humongous amount of quality and verified information that is publicly available on healthcare websites and apps today, and provided by credible governments as well as health organizations, authorities and specialists. From information on different diseases and health conditions  ranging from the most common types to the rarest ones  to their symptoms, to ways of diagnosis, usually-prescribed medicines, to precautions to be taken, to which food to be taken and which to avoid, there is nearly most information available on the internet. And patients as well as those who are not patients have taken to these websites quite readily not only to seek new information but also to cross-check and confirm what they are being told in a physical setting.

And with Covid-19 precipitating a culture of preventive health among lay people, more people than ever are visiting online for health-related information.Simultaneously, there has also been a surge in health apps. Apart from those that provide general information, there are apps aimed at specific health condition management for diseases such as diabetes, cardio-vascular conditions, mental health and several lifestyle diseases empowering people in a way not conceivable before. With digital health monitors, fitness tracking devices and wearables becoming more commonplace by the day, the enormous leap in self-care has given a new meaning to patient empowerment today. And with telemedicine and telehealth bringing quality care including point-of-care diagnostic services and medicines to the remotest and the most under-served areas while saving time, money and efforts for travel, patients have been truly empowered across the country.

Serve as a critical empowering tool in the HCPs' toolkit

In the same way, the ever-increasing footprint of digital tools and mediums is also strengthening the hand of doctors and other healthcare personnel. It has been estimated that new medical knowledge doubles in merely 73 days today, as compared to 50 years in 1950, 7 years in 1980 and 3.5 years in 2010. There are nearly 30,000 medical journals published globally. In the biomedical field alone, more than 1 million papers are put into the PubMed database  a free resource depository managed by the US government  about two papers per minute. Now with such a gigantic amount of new information and insights coming out on a regular basis, it is humanly impossible for doctors to keep a track of all the latest research and advancements in his field. In a study conducted in Eastern India, it was found that a whopping 97.5 percent of doctors had confirmed that they had browsed the internet for patient care and 85.5 percent doctors agreed that they had obtained relevant information. Furthermore, telemedicine and video conferencing technologies can help a doctor attending a patient consult, clarify and confirm on a line of treatment with peers and experts from anywhere in the world. The latest medical imaging technologies coupled with advances in remote diagnostics has made this sharing of knowledge and practical expertise a lot easier today. With EHRs and EMRs gaining increased traction, getting a complete health record of a patient at the click of a button has improved over-all diagnosis and treatment tremendously thereby boosting doctors' professional reputation and track record.The emergence of clinical decision support (CDS) systems has further augmented their clinical decision-making ability. The combination of medtech and edtech has also facilitated the delivery of medical upskilling and upgrade courses with the best of curricula and content for working healthcare professionals including nurses. Importantly, since digital solutions help carry out routine and administrative tasks such as documentation etc, they allow a doctor to concentrate better on patient diagnosis and treatment as also to manage their time.

Bolster health authorities' public health agenda

Similar to HCPs and patients, digital health solutions are also an important means of protecting and improving public health. The recent successes vis a vis Covid management using digital tools are still fresh in memory. With digital epidemiology  employing digital tools and solutions such as tracking devices, mobile applications, and social media updates in combination with AI, big data and simulation technologies  making new breakthroughs, it has been so much easier for the health experts and authorities to carry out surveillance, forecasting, detection of an outbreak and launch timely responses for communicable diseases. In fact, digital tools are also increasingly being used to track patterns and incidences of non-communicable and chronic diseases, reproductive and child health, and occupational and environmental health, among different populations in different regions of the country.

Promote interests of health businesses and investors too

With telemedicine and digital technologies making information pathways clearer with colossal amounts of patient and user data available today,new-age health businesses (also traditional players) can carry out market surveys and assessments more accurately and granularly, identify product and service gaps and make requisite investments. The digital marketing and analytics can also assist them with improved business intelligence and forecasting, something that would optimize inventory, boost operational efficiencies while also maximizing sales, revenue and profits.

In sum, by bridging the knowledge gap, digital technologies and solutions in healthcare are proving to be an instrument of empowerment for everyone.

(The writer is Co-founder & CEO, MedLern)

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
Even as the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) has issued a countrywide red alert on threat of tiger poaching, Madhya Pradesh forest officials have denied the possibility of involvement of organised poaching gang in the case of a headless tiger carcass found in the core area of Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR).

Satpura is the first in the list of tiger reserves mentioned by WCCB in its red alert dated June 30, 2023, where organised hunting gangs are seen active. The alert was issued by the additional director of WCCB, H.V. Girisha.

A headless Tiger carcass in a highly decomposed condition was found in Dabra beat of the Churna range of the STR on June 26, though the details became clear only on June 30.

This is to alert the Field Directors of all Tiger Reserves and officials concerning the outer areas of tiger reserves including tiger bearing areas, based on credible inputs received by the bureau and revelations of the recent seizures that the organized hunting gangs are seen active around various Tiger Reserves, especially Satpura, Tadoba, Pench, Corbett, Amangarh, Pilibhit, Valmiki, Rajaji, and tiger bearing areas such as Balaghat, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur. The Field Directors of all Tiger Reserves and officials concerned may immediately intensify the patrolling, visit the identified sensitive areas, look for the suspected nomadic people in tents, temples, railway stations, bus stations, abandoned buildings, public shelter places, inform the officials of all the police thana (station) concerned and sanitise aforesaid areas as a preventive measure, the alert reads.

But, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF-wildlife) of Madhya Pradesh, J.S. Chauhan told THE WEEK that in the case of tiger death in STR, there is no prima facie evidence of involvement of organised poaching gangs. The main reason for this is that in case of organised poaching, the gang members take away all body parts including skin, claws, bones etc., as everything fetches them money. Also, they won't want to leave any evidence of the poaching.

He added that going by the primary probe, it appeared that the tiger might have died naturally and probably local tribal people might have cut and taken its head away after finding the body. There are still some groups of people who believe that money can rain if body parts of tigers are worshipped, the officer said.

The officer however added that local forest officials and members of State Tiger Strike Force (a special investigative wing of the MP forest department) have been deployed in the area. They are very close to solving the case, Chauhan said. He also de-linked the WCCB alert with the case in STR, saying that it was in the context of recent seizure of Tiger skin in Assam, where investigation revealed that the animal might have been killed in Maharashtra.

The suspected poaching of the tiger in STR is however causing huge worries in Madhya Pradesh as it is very unusual for tigers to be poached in the core areas of the reserves. Normally, tiger killings are reported from the buffer zones and periphery areas. Chauhan conceded that it is "after a very long time" that such an incident had occurred in a tiger reserve core area.

Activist seeks CBI probe

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has demanded a CBI probe into the incident, saying that it was very irresponsible of the state forest officials of ignoring the possibility of organised poaching in the STR tiger death, especially when there has been a record of such poaching by an international gang here earlier.

Members of a gang involved in poaching were convicted in December 2023, but the leader of the gang J. Tamang (of Arunachal Pradesh) is still absconding. The forest officials have made it a habit to blame such incidents on local tribals and their belief in black magic. Moreover, the incident occurred in the core area of STR, which should be under constant and intense patrolling. I do not remember any such tiger killing in the core area in the past several years. Also, senior officials were present in the Churna range for Bison transfer project when this hunting happened. This is thus a case of gross negligence and requires a high-level probe.

Dubey said he would be including this case in his ongoing petition against poaching being heard by the MP High Court. He also mentioned that of the 100 tigers killed in the country from January 1, 2023, the highest number  26 was from Madhya Pradesh. The state has been consistently reporting the highest tiger deaths in the country for the past several years.
At least 25 people, including three children, died after a bus travelling from Maharashtra's Yavatmal to Pune burst into flames on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway. The incident happened around 2am on Saturday in Buldhana.

According to police officials, the bus, carrying 33 passengers, caught fire after it rammed into a divider near Sindkhedraja. According to earlier reports, police said the bus skidded after a tyre burst, causing it to hit the divider. However, the exact cause of the accident has not yet been ascertained. The remaining eight injured were rushed to the Buldhana Civil Hospital.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced free treatment for the injured, and an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to families of the deceased. Shinde also ordered a probe into the incident.

Deeply saddened by the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to the next of kin of the deceased and financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over the tragic accident. The road accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana district is heartbreaking. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. Quick treatment is being provided to the injured by the administration. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted in Hindi.
The Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, since its Phase-1 inauguration in December last year, has witnessed more than 350 accidents, with the deadliest one occuring earlier today. Twenty-six passengers were killed last night when their bus, which was going from Nagpur to Pune, crashed and caught fire.

The driver apparently lost control of the bus after its tyre burst. It overturned and crashed into the divider, causing the fuel tank to explode. The vehicle was soon engulfed in flames, killing 26 of the 33 passengers in the bus, most of who were sleeping. The driver, Danish, managed to escape. He told the police that the bus was purchased by the travel company in 2020.

The accident has put the spotlight on a phenomenon called highway hypnosis, which drivers face when they drive unhindered on highways for long distances. It is a trance-like state in which a driver can go on driving on long traffic-free roads that have dedicated lanes. Almost a third of accidents that have taken place so far on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway have been due to highway hypnosis, said Maharashtra police. With long monotonous stretch of roads like Samruddhi, there is also the danger of drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

It is yet to be ascertained which of these caused the accident, and whether the driver of the ill-fated bus woke up only when he realised the tyre had burst.

All political parties have expressed grief over the loss of life in the tragic accident. The BJP has cancelled its rally in Mumbai following the accident.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh to kin of the deceased. He said that all the injured passengers will be treated at the best hospitals and that the government would bear the expenses.

The Union government, too, has announced Rs 2 lakh.

Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Pimpalkhuta village in Buldhana district, where the accident occurred in the wee hours of Saturday.

Officially named 'Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg', the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway is a pet project of Fadnavis.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, on Saturday, sought to clarify the high drama in Imphal a day ago when a group of protestors convinced him against resigning from the CM's post, saying he decided to resign as he felt the government lost the trust of people.



"I saw effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah being burnt at a few places in the state, saw attempts of attack on BJP office. What the Centre did for Maipur and we did for Manipur in five-six years, I doubted if we have lost the trust of people. Thinking about this made me feel bad. Abusive language was used by a small group against me a few days back at a market. It didn't feel good. So I decided to resign," Singh said.



The CM had typed out a resignation letter but was persuaded by his supporters to tear it up. Images of the torn resignation letter had gone viral on Friday.



You can't be a leader without public confidence, Singh said and added that he decided against resignation after the crowd of supporters outside his residence cried and told him not to resign. "They told me not to resign. If they tell me to resign, I will; if they tell me not to, I won't."



Speaking about Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, he sought to know why the Congress leader did not visit the state earlier and alleged that he came with a political agenda. "We can't stop anyone. But the timing - it has been 40 days. Why did he not come earlier? He is a Congress leader, but in what capacity was he making the visit? I don't think the timing was right. He seemed to have come with a political agenda."



Did Rahul Gandhi come to the state for political mileage, the CM asked.



He said all efforts are being made at all levels to restore peace. "I spoke with our Kuki brothers and sisters over the telephone that let us forgive and forget; reconcile and live together like we always have. The government has only tried to screen the people coming from outside in the wake of Myanmar turmoil and send them back once the situation improves. Our priority is to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.



The CM said the involvement of outside elements in the Manipur violence cannot be denied. "Manipur is a neighbour to Myanmar. There is China nearby; 398 km of our borders are porous, and unguarded. There is Indian security force but such a large area can't be guarded. But going by what is happening, we can neither deny nor vehemently affirm (anything). It seems pre-planned but the reason is not known," the CM said.
The monsoon session of the Parliament will begin from July 20. While announcing the monsoon session commencing date, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged all parties to contribute towards productive discussions.

Monsoon Session, 2023 of Parliament will commence from 20th July and continue till 11th August. Urge all parties to contribute towards productive discussions on Legislative Business and other items during the #MonsoonSession, tweeted Joshi.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Joshi said that the session will spread across 23 days and will have 17 sittings.

The session expected to begin in the old Parliament building and later move to the new building, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

The session is likely to be stormy with the Opposition joining hands against the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. With the debates for implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) strengthening, it is likely to be fielded by the Centre.

The bill to replace the Centre's Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance is also likely to heat the floor. The Centre on May 19 promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of IAS and DANICS officers in Delhi, with the AAP government calling the move a circumvention of the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.

While most of the opposition parties have extended support to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue, the Congress party is yet to publicly denounce the ordinance.

The ongoing unrest in Manipur is also likely to be raised by the opposition in targeting the Centre.
The Supreme Court late Saturday night protected social activist Teesta Setalvad from arrest and stayed for a week the Gujarat High Court order rejecting her plea for regular bail and asking her to surrender immediately in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence to frame innocent people in 2002 post-Godhra riot cases.

In a special late-night hearing, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, A.S. Bopanna and Dipankar Datta questioned the denial of time to Setalvad to appeal against the HC order, saying even an ordinary criminal is entitled to some form of interim relief.

The three-judge bench heard the matter in a special sitting after a two-judge vacation bench differed on granting interim protection from arrest to Setalvad.

"After having heard this Special Leave Petition for some time, we are unable to agree while deciding the prayer for interim relief. Therefore, it will be appropriate if, under the orders of the Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India, this petition is placed before the appropriate larger Bench.

"The Registrar (Judicial) is directed to place this order immediately before the Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India," the two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra said earlier in the evening.

Setalvad approached the apex court for relief soon after the Gujarat High Court rejected her regular bail plea.

Justice Nirzar Desai directed her to surrender immediately as she is out of jail after having secured interim bail from the apex court in September last year.

The Supreme Court is closed for the summer vacation and will reopen on Monday.
After the Gujarat High Court, on Saturday, rejected the regular bail plea of social activist Teesta Setalvad and directed her to surrender immediately, she moved the Supreme Court.



According to news agency ANI, the apex court is set to hear the case shortly. The case pertains to the alleged fabrication of evidence to implicate innocent people in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.



The Gujarat HC had observed that she made attempts to unsettle a democratically elected government and sully the image of the then chief minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tried to send him to jail.



The court had directed Setalvad, who is currently out on interim bail, to surrender immediately. It also rejected her lawyer's request to give her 30 days to surrender.



Setalvad was arrested in June last year along with former Gujarat Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in an offence registered by Ahmedabad crime branch police for allegedly fabricating evidence to frame innocent people in the post-Godhra riots cases. She was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on September 2, 2022.

With PTI inputs
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravis flip-flop and Stalins strongly worded reply letter to him saying he doesnt have powers to dismiss a minister, and that it is his prerogative, has once again brought to light the ongoing Governor-Government tussle.

Ever since he assumed office in Tamil Nadu in 2021, R.N. Ravi and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin have been at loggerheads. At the root of the problem is the fact that the Chief Minister looks at Ravi as the representative of the BJP, who has been sent by the centre to defame and dislodge his government; Ravi thinks Stalin is trying to undermine his authority with his overbearing personality. When Tamil Nadu talks about Dravidian culture and Dravidam, Ravi will talk about Sanathan Dharma. When the constitution calls the state Tamil Nadu, Ravi would say that it is apt to call the state Thamizhagam. Stalin would pass resolutions on the floor of the assembly against Ravi while his MPs in the Lok Sabha would insist on the central government recalling the governor.

But on Thursday evening, all of a sudden, the no-holds-barred battle between the two reached the highest point when Ravi wrote a letter to Stalin dismissing his minister Senthil Balaji from the cabinet and then withdrew it within four hours. More than Ravis five-page letter to Stalin and later his letter saying the order dismissing Balaji is kept in abeyance, Stalins reply letter to the Governor has earned him more brownie points among the people of Tamil Nadu.

You are maintaining an inexplicable silence on my request for sanctions to investigate or prosecute former ministers and public servants for offences committed during the previous AIADMK government, which have been languishing in your office for months together. Even the request of CBI for sanction of prosecution in the Gutka case has not been acted upon by you. In fact, these selective actions expose not only your unhealthy bias but also the real intent behind such dual standards adopted by you, Stalin said in his letter.

On the other side, by keeping his order in abeyance, Ravi has helped the BJP scuttle a long court battle which could help the opposition rally together. On the other side, Ravis second letter saying that the decision to dismiss Balaji was kept in abeyance, on the advice of Home Minister Amit Shah, has only added strength to the statements that the governors in the opposition-ruled states act on the instructions of the ruling BJP in the centre. If DMK had approached the Supreme Court, all other opposition-ruled states also would have joined the issue with the DMK. And, the rhetoric on state rights and federalism would have once again gained strength.

BJP insiders in Tamil Nadu feel that the Governor acted in haste without consulting even like-minded people. Ravis second letter made it clear that the governor acted unilaterally without consulting the central government or legal experts before dismissing Balaji, says a senior BJP leader who feels that Ravis actions will only spoil even the small space that the BJP has captured in the state.

Though there is no clarity as to why the Governor decided to dismiss Balaji and backtracked immediately, sources say that he acted on the advice of a top bureaucrat in Delhi, who is considered to be Ravis super boss. Sources also say that he was upset over Chief Minister Stalin coming out with a government order saying that Senthil Balaji will be retained in the cabinet as a minister without portfolio. Ravi in his letter had earlier said that he cannot allow Balaji to continue in the cabinet.

In the meantime, Ravis actions have diverted the attention from Rahul Gandhis Manipur visit and also Modis speech in Bhopal about Uniform Civil Code. Whatever the reasons may be, Ravi has made our home minister Amit Shah commit publicly that the home ministry has not endorsed his actions. This is a setback to the BJP in a state where there is a deep anti-BJP sentiment, says the senior leader. Ravis flip-flop has only helped the DMK by pushing back the allegations against Senthil Balaji and talking about the powers of the Governor.

Two IPS officers--both retired--are helping the DMK every time with such issues, feels the senior BJP functionary. BJP insiders also feel that their high command has failed to learn a lesson even after the backlash they faced in Puducherry after the Kiran Bedi issue. She is also a police officer. They dont think politically, the senior leader points out.
We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. It hits us in the gut when we see fellow investors suffer a loss. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding SKY Network Television Limited (NZSE:SKT) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 91%. While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

View our latest analysis for SKY Network Television

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During five years of share price growth, SKY Network Television moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

We note that the dividend has fallen in the last five years, so that may have contributed to the share price decline. On top of that, revenue has declined by 3.9% per year over the half decade; that could be a red flag for some investors.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

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. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, SKY Network Television's TSR for the last 5 years was -81%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

SKY Network Television provided a TSR of 9.7% over the year (including dividends). That's fairly close to the broader market return. To take a positive view, the gain is pleasing, and it sure beats annualized TSR loss of 13%, which was endured over half a decade. While 'turnarounds seldom turn' there are green shoots for SKY Network Television. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with SKY Network Television (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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 New Zealander 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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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the tone for the 2024 elections by announcing that country needed a uniform civil code to bring uniformity in personal laws. His pronouncement left no ambiguity that the ruling party would like it to be taken to logical conclusion, as it is the only remaining key ideological promise in BJPs manifesto.

The party has lined up a series of organisational meetings next week to prepare for the 2024 elections, strengthen state units and discuss plans when to bring the uniform civil code. The BJP will aim to reach out to all communities-- like Muslims, Tribals, and Christians--who are likely to be impacted by the uniform law.

The Law Commission has given time till July 14 to provide suggestions on UCC. The commission would then take some time to come out with a report. Simultaneously, the parliamentary committee will begin consultations on the code. The Uttarakhand government-appointed panel will also come with a report on the UCC in the next few days. With the monsoon session set to begin in the new parliament building from July 20, will the government race against time to bring in draft UCC law is yet to be seen. The government had introduced a bill to repeal Article 370 on August 5, and even the foundation stone of the Ram Temple was laid on the same date, a year later. A BJP leader set off the speculation, with a tweet, saying the bill may come on August 5.

The Uttarakhand panel report is likely to throw light on changes the state government is promising to bring under the UCC. There have been suggestions for setting marriageable age for girls, child policy norms, and live-in relationship rules.

A lot will depend on how the government navigates the tricky issue of personal laws for different communities as voices of opposition have already started emerging from Muslims and Sikhs. Former BJP ally has expressed his opposition to the proposed code.

The party had promised to bring UCC during the elections in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. But the announcement had little impact in Himachal and Karnataka as the party lost elections in both states.

However, the immediate impact of Prime Ministers statement has been that it has brought a new issue before the nation to debate, depriving the Opposition parties of trying to build a common narrative. Two of the parties, AAP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) that participated in the Patna meeting, have expressed support for the UCC. The Opposition parties will be forced to come out with a stance during their next meeting, in Bengaluru, ahead of the parliament session. Any polarising debate around it is likely to help the BJP. But anti-CAA like protests is what it would have to guard against.
French President Emmanuel Macron is urging parents to keep teenagers at home to quell rioting spreading across France and says social media are fueling copycat violence.

After a second crisis meeting with senior ministers, Macron said Friday that social media are playing a considerable role in the spreading unrest triggered by the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old.

He said he wants social media such as Snapchat and TikTok to remove sensitive content and said that violence is being organised online. Of young rioters, he said: We sometimes have the feeling that some of them are living in the streets the video games that have intoxicated them.

Macron said his government would work with technology companies to establish procedures for the removal of the most sensitive content. He did not specify the content he had in mind but said, I expect a spirit of responsibility from these platforms. French authorities also plan to request, when useful, the identities "of those who use these social networks to call for disorder or exacerbate the violence, the president said.

Macron's government has deployed 40,000 officers to restore order and make arrests over behaviour he described as unacceptable and unjustifiable. He stopped short of announcing a state of emergency, a tactic used by a previous French government in 2005 to quell rioting after the accidental deaths of two boys while they fled police.
A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loans for millions of Americans.

The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, effectively killed the $400 billion plan, announced by President Joe Biden last year, and left borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume by late summer.

The court held that the administration needs Congress' endorsement before undertaking so costly a programme. The majority rejected arguments that a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with student loans, known as the HEROES Act, gave Biden the power he claimed.

Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorise the loan cancellation plan. We agree, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent, joined by the court's two other liberals, that the majority of the court overrides the combined judgment of the Legislative and Executive Branches, with the consequence of eliminating loan forgiveness for 43 million Americans.

Loan repayments are expected to resume by late August under a schedule initially set by the administration and included in the agreement to raise the debt ceiling. Payments have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than three years ago.

The forgiveness programme would have cancelled $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $1,25,000 or households with less than$2,50,000 in income.

Pell Grant recipients, who typically demonstrate more financial need, would have had an additional $10,000 in debt forgiven. 26 million people had applied for relief and 43 million would have been eligible, the administration said. The cost was estimated at $400 billion over 30 years.
President Joe Biden vowed to push ahead with a new plan to provide student loan relief for millions of borrowers while blaming Republican hypocrisy for triggering the day's Supreme Court decision that wiped out his original plan.

Biden said payment requirements for student loans would resume in coming weeks, but that he would work under the authority of the Higher Education Act to begin a new program designed to ease borrowers' threat of default if they fall behind over the next year.

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Biden commented from the White House, trying to stay on the political offensive even as the ruling undermined a key promise to young voters who will be vital to his 2024 reelection campaign.

Biden delivered most of his remarks in a measured tone but then raised his voice at the end when a reporter asked if he had given borrowers false hope.

I didn't give any false hope, he said heatedly. The Republicans snatched away the hope that they were given. Ticking off what he said were billions of dollars in benefits to the well-to-do under the Trump administration, he said, these Republican officials just couldn't bear the thought of providing relief for working class, middle class Americans.

The hypocrisy of Republican elected officials is stunning," he said.

Top administration officials said they had met for weeks to discuss how to handle the Supreme Court's expected reversal of Biden's original plan.

Electoral consequences aside, progressive Democrats in Congress and activists clamored for the White House to offer a swift and substantial response to the court's decision. Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center, said the responsibility falls squarely on Biden's shoulders.

The president possesses the power, and must summon the will, to secure the essential relief that families across the nation desperately need, Abrams said in a statement.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of her party's leading voices on the left, said, The president has more tools to cancel student debt and he must use them."

The GOP has long argued that repaying the student loans is a fairness issue, and they celebrated the ruling. Betsy DeVos, who served as secretary of education under President Donald Trump, called Biden's original plan deeply unfair to the majority of Americans who don't have student loans.

Republicans now seeking their party's 2024 presidential nomination lined up to applaud the ruling, with former Vice President Mike Pence saying he was pleased that the court struck down the radical left's effort to use the money of taxpayers who played by the rules and repaid their debts in order to cancel the debt of bankers and lawyers in New York, San Francisco, and Washington.

Former US ambassador to the United Nation's Nikki Haley said the Supreme Court was right to throw out Joe Biden's power grab.

Trying to place the onus for ending the plan on the GOP could allow Biden's reelection campaign to keep the issue of students loans as one of strength in the short term. But that may ultimately offer little solace to 43 million Americans who will now could have to start again repaying their student loans.

We do not want to go into excruciating debt for our entire lives to enhance our education, Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led organisation that promotes the power of young Americans, said in a statement.

The White House's efforts to block payments were an attempt to keep a Biden 2020 campaign promise to wipe out student loan debt that was especially popular with young voters and progressives. Both will be vital to Biden in next year's presidential race but may be less energised about supporting him after the high court's decision.

Wisdom Cole, the national director of the NAACP Youth & College Division, said Black Americans helped put Biden in the White House, so there's an obligation for him to finish the job with his pledges to provide relief for borrowers around the country. He suggested a lack of action could see Biden face a backlash next year with key demographics specifically young voters and Black voters.

It's going to have a huge impact on the next election. This was a key point. This was a key policy priority, Cole said, adding, If we don't do this, we continue the cycle of seeing our elected leaders make promises and not follow through.

A May poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 43 per cent of US adults approve of how Biden sought to handle student debt, similar to his approval rating overall of 40 per cent in the same poll. The poll suggested that Biden gets credit for his handling of the issue among young adults in particular. Fifty-three percent of adults under age 30 said they approved of Biden's handling of student debt, compared with only 36 per cent who approved of his job performance overall.

The high court's decision comes as loan payments which have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago were already set to resume in the fall.

Jed Shugerman, a law professor at Fordham University, said it would be essentially impossible to provide immediate debt relief before payments start again. That's why we call it administrative law rather than fiat, Shugerman said, noting that the rulemaking process requires crossing t's and dotting i's and giving real reasons for policies.

The situation has some political overlap with a COVID pandemic-era ban on nationwide evictions, which expired in 2021 with the Biden administration opposing the move but arguing that its hands were tied because the Supreme Court refused to extend it despite the protests of progressive Democrats and housing activists. But the impact of the student loan program could be far wider.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was handed down an eight-year ban from running for office under the spectre of campaign falsehoods and improper use of presidential power in a case that draws parallels with the aftermath of Donald Trump's baseless election claims. Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court agreed Friday that Bolsonaro abused his authority in improperly sowing doubts about the country's electoral system.

The 68-year-old former president will be ineligible to run for office again until 2030, in effect blocking any attempt of the far-right politician at regaining power before then. At that time, however, he will still be younger than the 77-year-old Lula currently in office.

It was the culmination of a process that began in July 2022 and was referred to the electoral court during the election. The findings of the court were announced early afternoon in Brasilia.

The case began on July 18, 2022 when Bolsonaro spoke to ambassadors, launching a scathing attack on Brazil's electronic voting system, making insinuations of a conspiracy of electoral fraud and allegations of systemic malfunction. He was basically making a case for the introduction of paper receipts to guarantee the security of vote recounts. He was also laying the groundwork for not accepting the election results.

Controversy arose immediately because of the similarity to Trump's claims that had already led to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by those who believed the former US president without any substantiating evidence. Like Trump, Bolsonaro offered no evidence. Like Trump, he had a large number of people who believed the claims.

Brazil's electoral authority, however, repeatedly discredited Bolsonaro's assertions, validating the integrity of the voting system. Among the opposition and some supporters, it was widely understood the action as a precursor to rejection of an electoral loss.

Notably, when the elections did occur, and Bolsonaro lostthough he received 58 million voteshe never acknowledged Lula's victory and his actions have been seen as the motivation for the January 8 insurrection that mirrored the US action two years earlier, and destroyed Brazil's centres of constitutional power.

Important for context is that Brazil has embraced electronic voting since 1996, and throughout its history in the use of the system, authorities have unearthed no substantiated evidence of widespread electoral malfeasance. Thus, the remarks were deemed conspiratorial lies abusing the power of the office and generating charges of using the public platform and resources to spread them.

The ruling of ineligibility is a significant turning point for Brazilian politics, noting that in Brazil, the electoral justice court takes issue with the use of public funds to propagate a lie. It goes back to the July 2021 event Bolsonaro held in Brasilias Alvorada Palace, where he began sowing the seeds for a Trump-style claim that the election results would be rigged.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro had no basis for such claims. Trouble for him was that Brazilian law takes such lies in an electoral context seriously. By contrast Trump is sheltered by the First Amendment to the US Constitution that literally guarantees the right to lie under the banner of Freedom of Speech.

Bolsonaro's rise to power echoed the populist fervour that swept across several nations, most notable the rise of Trump in the United States, who is often caught in mistruths that resonate with disenchanted segments of society longing for change. The sometimes charismatic, sometimes awkward Bolsonaro captivated supporters with an unapologetically brash rhetoric and promises of challenging the establishment, openly emulating the playbook employed successfully by Trump. Both men tapped into a deep-seated disillusionment, capitalising on widespread dissatisfaction and a desire for unorthodox leadership.

However, when disentangling the nuances and contextual idiosyncrasies that distinguish Brazil, it is important to note the strength and speed of the work of the country's institutions. In the aftermath of similar failed strategies, Bolsonaro faces a distinct set of challenges within the legal framework of Brazil that are markedly different from the culture and speed of justice of the United States.

A crucial point of convergence lies in the brazen abuse of power exhibited by both Bolsonaro and Trump during their respective tenures but in Brazil there are different consequences for conduct of that form. President of the Supreme Electoral Court, Judge Alexandre de Moraes characterised the actions as an attack on the publics ability to cast a free vote, "and the public cannot be bombarded with false information," he said.

Bolsonaro's transgressions manifested in a flagrant disregard for democratic institutions and principles, say those celebrating the decision.

Marcelo da Silva Santos, a sympathiser of Lulas Workers Party who admits having voted for Bolsonaro in 2018, says that Bolsonaros repeated attempts to curtail press freedom, attempts to undermine the independence of the judiciary, an inclination towards autocratic tendencies and a penchant for wielding executive authority in unprecedented ways, have proven he is a threat to democracy.

This misuse of authority threatens the very fabric of democracy, eroding public trust and undermining the legitimacy of the political process, said Santos.

Allegations of power abuse and the improper utilisation of presidential powers have reignited intense debates on the foundations of democracy and the repercussions of disinformation campaigns. Brazil's democratic institutions, though tested under Bolsonaro's presidency, have exhibited a degree of resilience and pushback, with the judiciary and civil society often acting as bulwarks of protection of democracy.

In the US, the complex interplay of factors combined with Trump's own unique brand of divisive politics, has resulted in a more protracted and contentious battle to safeguard democratic norms.

Bolsonaro's political trajectory, with his unorthodox methods in full display, has been met with both applause and disdain. Yet, the Supreme Electoral Court is taking issue with these missteps and his disregard for the checks and balances of democracy.

For the former president, the decision is a political precipice, one that was certainly anticipated by his Partido Liberal political party which inherits his ideology and base.

Throughout each judges soliloquy in announcing their vote, Bolsonaro was castigated for statements that were deemed lies. Cour President de Moraes read a series of Bolsonaros statements followed by the word Mentira! Lie!

"I believe it is the first sentence for abuse of political power," said Bolsonaro speaking after the court's vote. He claimed to be the victim of a political persecution and compared himself to Bolivia's Jeanine Anez, imprisoned for 10 years by the regime of Evo Morales' party that followed her in the presidency.

The consequences of the impact of abuse of power have raised profound questions about the resilience of democratic systems as much in the US as in Brazil; the latter, however, has for better or for worse began a journey toward restoring public trust on the legitimacy of its political process.

It is a moment that will live in the history of democracy in Brazil.
In response to China's alarming population decline, Trip.com, one of the world's largest online travel agencies, has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the country's demographic crisis. The multinational conglomerate has announced new childcare subsidies worth 1 billion yuan ($138 million) to incentivise its 32,000 employees to have children.

Starting this Saturday, Trip.com will offer an annual bonus of 10,000 yuan ($1,376) to employees who have been with the company for at least three years for each newborn child. The bonus will be provided every year from the child's first birthday until they reach the age of five. The policy aims to provide financial support to encourage employees to start or expand their families while maintaining their professional aspirations.

Executive Chairman of Trip.com, James Liang, emphasised the significance of the childcare benefit, stating, "Through the introduction of this new childcare benefit, we aim to provide financial support that will encourage our employees to start or grow their families without compromising on their professional goals and achievements."

China's population decline has been a pressing concern, with the nation experiencing its first decrease in population in over six decades in 2022. The birth rate in China has plummeted to a historic low of 6.77 births per 1,000 people, marking the lowest rate since the establishment of Communist China in 1949. As a result, China has now fallen behind India to become the world's second most populous nation, according to the United Nations.

The shrinking population poses significant challenges for policymakers, as it contributes to an aging society, potential economic stagnation, reduced tax revenue, and strains on the pension system. To counter these issues, the Chinese government relaxed its long-standing "one-child" policy in 2015, allowing married couples to have two children. However, the anticipated increase in birth rates did not materialise, leading to further concerns.

Trip.com's bold move follows similar initiatives by smaller Chinese companies that seek to address the population crisis. Agricultural firm Beijing Dabeinong Technology announced cash bonuses of up to 90,000 yuan ($12,391) for employees who have a third child, with lesser amounts for the first and second child. Additionally, urban sanitation services company QiaoYin City Management offered a substantial bonus of 100,000 yuan ($13,759) for employees giving birth to a third child.

China's declining population can be attributed to the restrictive family-planning policies introduced in the 1970s, as well as the rapid urbanisation and economic boom that propelled the nation's modernisation. Despite the government's recent efforts to encourage larger families and ease birth restrictions, including the allowance of three children and enhanced maternity leave benefits, these measures have failed to reverse the population decline.
As the unrest in France continues, around 45,000 police officers and armoured vehicles were deployed on the streets to quell the riots, which has entered the fourth day.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday that as many as 270 people had been arrested on Friday night. So far 1,100 arrests were made since the violence erupted.

Darmanin also asked the local authorities to halt bus and tram traffic from 9 am. "The next hours will be decisive and I know I can count on your flawless efforst," he wrote to firefighters and police officers.

President Emmanuel Macron is facing the heat since the Yellow Vest in 2018in response to fuel price hike and seeking economic reformsunder his leadership.

Cities including Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille and Paris witnessed violence with people burning tires, looting stores, pelting stones on the police personnel and causing destruction to the public properties.

The unrest was triggered by the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, Nahel M., in Nanterre suburb. His death has reignited the complaints of racism and police violence against the the racially mixed urban communities.

Macron in his latest appeal to the people urged parents to keep their teens at home to quell the spreading riots across France. Macron pointed fingers on the social media encouraging teenagers to adopt copycat violence spreading wide protests.

Amid the violence, looting stores has become another issue. According to the police, looters broke into a Marseille gun shop and made off the weapons, and a man was later arrested with a hunting rifle.

Also, two duty-officers suffered serious injuries, including one was stabbed in the violence in Marseille.

An Apple store was looted in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where police fired tear gas. Windows of shops in Paris-shopping mall was smashed by the rioters as well.

In France's territories overseas too violence had erupted. A 54-year-old man was killed by a stray bullet in French Guiana.

Burnt vehicles are seen as unrest continues in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France | Reuters

Also, images of explosion in Marseille's old port area was also circulating in the social media. However, authorities said that they are investigating the matter.

The incident had yet raised fingers on the France's policing structures and methods. The death of Nahel was the third incident of fatal shooting by police in France this year. Last year, there was a record of 13 such shootings.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday said that the shooting was a "moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement", reported The Guardian.

OHCHR spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani said that "the authorities should ensure that the use of police force always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability."

Since 2017, most of the victims of the shooting have been black or Arab origin.

Many critics view the French policing as "repressive", which has becomes a major political issue.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan called on the national government for deploying additional troops as well. "The scenes of pillaging and violence are unacceptable," he said in a tweet.

In Lyon, gendarmes police force deployed armoured personnel carriers and a helicopter to quell the unrest.

In the wake of spreading violence across the country, the chances of Macron government declaring a state of emergency could not be ruled. Darmanin said that the President of the Republic would decide on the matter.
In a telephonic conversation this week, the director of United States' CIA informed Russian Intelligence Director that Washington had no role in the Wagner mutiny.

According to reports, CIA Director William Burns called Russia's spy agency Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergey Naryshkin and told the US was uninvolved in the mutiny. Reuters reported that it was the highest-level contact between the two governments since the

attempted mutiny.

TASS agency reported that the American side initiated the conversation to deliver a message that the US "had no involvement" in Wagner's actions. CIA intended to communicate the US did not intend to exacerbate tensions in Russia, reports said.

A feud between Wagner Group leader Prigozhin and Russia's military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into a mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and roll seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow, before turning around after less than a day on June 24. The Kremlin made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers.
Kolkata, Jul 1 (PTI) Financial services company Eureka Group has acquired four stock broking firms and is in talks with two-three such entities as the brokerage industry is experiencing "consolidation" with rising compliance costs and shrinking margins, an official said.

Any broker with less than 5,000-7,000 active clients will find their business unviable, he said.

"The brokerage industry is facing a number of challenges, including shrinking margins and rising compliance costs. These challenges are making it difficult for discount brokers and small ones to survive. Consolidation is taking place. Already four brokers have merged with us and another 2-3 brokers are in the pipeline," Eureka Group Executive Director Rakesh Somani told PTI.

Smaller firms are often unable to generate enough revenue to cover their costs, while large brokers have the resources to comply with regulations and invest in technology, he said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of Financial Conclave 2023 on Friday evening, where Kotak AMC MD and Group President Nilesh Shah, NSE Chief Business Development Officer Sriram Krishnan, NSDL Executive VP Prasant Vagal, Kedia Securities promoter Vijay Kedi were present.

"Things have been really tough for firms which have failed to invest heavily in technology and are not able to bring in other financial services under a single roof to acquire clients," a promoter of a broking firm who merged with Eureka said on condition of anonymity.
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Kia India on Saturday said its domestic wholesales declined 19 per cent to 19,391 units in June.

The company dispatched 24,024 units to dealers in June 2022.

The automaker said its domestic sales rose by 12 per cent year-on-year to 1,36,108 units in the January-June period this year.

"We have kept our performance steady with healthy growth, despite the realignment of our manufacturing process to accommodate the development of the new Seltos this month," Kia India National Head (Sales & Marketing) Hardeep Singh Brar said.

With the launch of the new Seltos, the automaker aims to be one of the top mid-SUV segment leaders again and hopes for a strong sales surge, he added.
South Koreas National Assembly on Friday approved a bill that focuses on protecting the interests of cryptocurrency investors in the countrys first step to build a legal framework devoted to such digital assets, according to the Assemblys official website. The legislation, which translates as the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, is expected to come into law in a year.

See related article: South Koreas cryptocurrency bill gets nod in first phase of review, may pass this year

Fast facts

The bill, an amalgamation of 19 proposals from lawmakers, requires crypto service providers to ring-fence users assets and deposits, to have insurance, to hold a portion of reserves in offline cold wallets in case of hacks or system failures, and to maintain records of all transactions.

The legislation includes penalties for price manipulation, false promotion of crypto assets, and failing to provide required information on investors. Penalties for those convicted include a minimum of one year in prison, or a fine of three to five times the amount of profits earned from such violations.

The bill defines virtual assets as an electronic representation of an economic value that can be traded or transferred electronically. The bill excludes the central bank digital currency (CBDC) under the Bank of Korea, the countrys central bank.

The legislation, however, does give the Bank of Korea the right to request data from cryptocurrency platforms, a right it had been arguing for with the countrys financial regulators. The bank has stated the cryptocurrency market could have a significant impact on financial and monetary stability and hence it needs some oversight.

In an interview with Forkast in May, Hwang Suk-jin, a Ruling People Power Partys Digital Asset Special Committee member said the proposed bill will establish the legal rights for virtual asset users and create a safer and more reliable market for cryptocurrencies.

As of 2020, South Korea had one of the most active cryptocurrency economies in the world, ranking 7th worldwide on the Global Crypto Adoption Index compiled by blockchain data platform Chainalysis.

However, the country fell to 23 on the index in 2022, the same year as the US$40 billion collapse of the Terra-Luna cryptocurrency and stablecoin that was launched in the country and caused massive losses to hundreds of thousands of investors. Regardless, the Upbit crypto exchange in South Korea remains the worlds third largest by trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap data.

The Terra-Luna debacle helped drive legislation in South Korea to establish a legal framework to cover cryptocurrencies, focusing first on investor protection. The next stage of crypto legislation is expected to focus on rules for local companies in token issuance and information disclosure.

See related article: South Korea issues guideline on cryptocurrencies as securities tokens ahead of planned legalization
New Delhi Jul 1 (PTI) State-owned NMDC has posted 20 per cent growth in iron ore production to 10.70 million tonne (MT) in the first quarter of FY24.

NMDC produced 8.92 MT of iron ore during April-June of FY23, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Sales rose to 11.15 MT from 7.66 MT in the year-ago period, registering a 45 per cent rise.

"NMDCs contribution to the countrys economy continues to make massive headway in meeting the increase in the demand for iron ore. Our record of highest ever Q1 and June production and sales since inception resonates with our agile and diligent investments in mine planning, expansion and very efficient human assets," its CMD Amitava Mukherjee said.

Hyderabad-based NMDC (formerly known as National Mineral Development Corporation) under the Ministry of Steel contributes over 17-20 per cent to Indias total iron ore production.
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday expressed hope that 50 per cent of the practising chartered accountants in the country will be women by 2047.

Efforts should be made to ensure that the chartered accountancy profession becomes a "pillar of economic governance", the President said.

She was speaking at a function to mark the 75th Chartered Accountants' Day organised by the ICAI in the national capital.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has nearly 4 lakh members and more than 8 lakh students.

A new CA (Chartered Accountant) scheme was launched at the event.
Gurugram, Jul 1 (PTI) Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday said the 'Mera Bill-Mera Adhikar' scheme was rolled out in five states, including Haryana, to encourage the taxpayers.

This scheme will develop a tendency among the consumers to demand the bill from the seller while purchasing goods.

Under this scheme, the consumer will have to upload the receipt of the purchase of the goods on the portal. They will also get rewards through the corpus fund of Rs 30 crore through a draw system, he said.

The deputy chief minister shared this information while addressing the GST Day 2023 programme, organised on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Goods and Service Tax (GST) implementation in Gurugram.

According to Chautala, with the help of GST, the revenue receipt increased from Rs 64,000 crore to Rs 1.50 lakh crore.

Further, he said that combined efforts are required to touch the target of Rs 2.5 lakh crore by including new areas in the ambit of GST so that we can contribute to the progress of the country at large.

He also talked about the appointment of law officers to assist GST officers in litigation-related matters and the increase of new resources to increase roadside mobility.

"Despite having only 2 per cent of the country's population, Haryana contributes 6 per cent to the central revenue in the tax structure.

"Today, no industry is going out of the state. Maruti Company has invested Rs 11,000 crore in about 900 acres of area in Kharkhoda, Sonipat. ATL, a major manufacturer of mobile-laptop batteries, has also set up its plant in Rojka Meo on about 180 acres.

"Along with this, Asia's largest seven-storey logistics hub of the Flipkart Company is being set up at Patli Hajipur in Gurugram. Aditya Birla Group is also going to set up a big paint company in Panipat," said Chautala.

Principal Secretary Excise and Taxation Department Devinder Singh Kalyan said GST, implemented with the objective of a One Nation-One Tax, is paving the way to make the country self-sufficient in the field of tax. It has given a boost to Make in India in the first place and has improved the ease of doing business in India.
Amsterdam, Jul 1 (AP) Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologised on Saturday for his country's role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

The king's speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the country's role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

In an emotional speech, Willem-Alexander referred back to that apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity, he added.

Willem-Alexander's voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the country's national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863, but most of the enslaved labourers were forced to continue working on plantations for a further 10 years. Saturday's commemoration and speech mark the start of a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of July 1, 1873.

Research published last month showed that the king's ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euros (USD 595 million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Rutte apologised in December, he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million-euro (USD 217 million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the issue.

That isn't enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the king's speech Saturday under the banner No healing without reparations.

A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations, said Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas.

Marchers wore colourful traditional clothing in a Surinamese celebration of the abolition of slavery. Enslaved people were banned from wearing shoes and colourful clothes, organisers said.

Just as we remember our forefathers on this day, we also feel free, we can wear what we want, and we can show the rest of the world that we are free. said 72-year-old Regina Benescia-van Windt.

The Netherlands' often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands aren't alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed deepest regrets for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the church's role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signalled support for research into the UK monarchy's ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery, but haven't acknowledged the crown's connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history. English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

Willem-Alexander acknowledged that not everybody in the Netherlands supports apologies, but called for unity.

There's no blueprint for the process of healing, reconciliation and recovery, he said. Together, we are in uncharted territory. So let's support and guide each other. (AP) PY

PY
Minsk, Jul 1 (AP) Satellite images analysed by the Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on Jun. 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in a later image, dated Jun. 30.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group.

The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of kilometers (miles) towards Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagner's experience and expertise, and announced that he had offered the fighters an abandoned military unit to set up camp.

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, told the Associated Press by phone on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi.

Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a spokesman for Ukraine's border force told Ukrainian media Saturday. Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said that Ukraine would strengthen its 1,084 kilometre (674 mile) border with Belarus as a response.

Lukashenko has previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. He has also welcomed a continued Russian armed presence in Belarus, including joint military camps and exercises, as well as the deployment of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons there.

Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that as of this week, some 2,000 troops from regular Russian army units remained stationed in Belarus.

At a gala evening Friday marking the Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said that the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training by Wagner members, and asserted that the mercenaries were not a threat to Belarusians.

He also declared that he was sure Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory, and would not get directly involved in Moscow's war against Ukraine.

The longer we live, the more we are convinced that (nuclear weapons) should be with us, in Belarus, in a safe place. And I am sure that we will never have to use them while we have them, and the enemy shall never set foot on our soil, Lukashenko said. (AP)



RUP

RUP
Kathmandu, Jul 1 (PTI) Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" said on Saturday that the current coalition government would continue for a full five-year term as it was based on "optimum consensus."

Prachanda, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 26 last year, leads the Himalayan country's 10-party ruling alliance.

Interacting with journalists in Pokhara, some 200 km west from here, the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) leader said, "The coalition government runs for five years, and we move ahead with forging optimum consensus, according to sources at the Prime Ministers Office.

His comment assumes significance as not a single government in the Himalayan nation has managed to serve out a full five-year term since the restoration of democracy in 1990.

Prachanda also termed his recent visit to India historic and said, "Indian Prime Minister's announcement to address border issue was a significant achievement. Earlier, no prime minister of India had said so."

Last month, after holding wide-ranging talks with his Nepalese counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that as the two countries strive to take bilateral relations to Himalayan heights, they would resolve all issues, including those related to boundaries.

Nepal is considered an important country for India as it shares a border of over 1,850 km with five states  Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The land-locked nation relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.

A similar achievement is India's positive gesture to import 10,000 MW of electricity from Nepal within ten years, which, Prachanda asserted, would open up avenues for further investment in the power sector.

He also said that the investigation against corruption in the country would be further intensified, adding that whether it is the Bhutanese refugee scam or the Lalita Niwas land grab, the government will take strict action.

"We've focussed our entire efforts to address the people's problems, the prime minister said, adding that "tens of thousands of Nepalis working abroad have been brought under social security fund, which will have a long-term positive impact."

Expressing his optimism about the country's current economic situation, the senior Maoist leader claimed that Nepal's economy is gradually getting on the right track.

Prachanda said that he would pay an official visit to China soon and added that he would utilise it for the interest of Nepal and its people.

Noting that he raised the matter related to providing new air routes during his India visit, Prachanda said it would soon bear the result and added that discussions regarding air routes would be held during his upcoming visit to China too.
Nanterre (France), Jul 1 (AP) Young rioters clashed with police and looted stores in a fourth day of violence in France triggered by the deadly police shooting of a teen, piling more pressure on President Emmanuel Macron after he appealed to parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fuelling unrest.

Despite repeated government appeals for calm and stiffer policing, Friday saw brazen daylight violence, too. An Apple store was looted in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where police fired tear gas, and the windows of a fast-food outlet were smashed in a Paris-area shopping mall, where officers repelled people trying to break into a shuttered store, authorities said.

The southern port city of Marseille, initially spared the violence that broke out first in the Paris region, was experiencing its second night of upheaval. Even before nightfall, young people hurled projectiles, set fires, and looted shops, police said. They made almost 90 arrests.

On Friday evening, looters broke into a Marseille gun shop and made off with weapons, and a man was later arrested with a hunting rifle, police said. The previous night, two off-duty officers suffered serious injuries, including one who was stabbed, when they were set upon by about 20 people, police said.

Authorities in the city of Lyon reported rioters again setting fires and pelting police in the suburbs. In the city centre, police made 21 arrests to stop the attempted looting of shops after an unauthorized protest against police violence that drew about 1,300 people Friday evening.

Violence was also erupting in some of France's territories overseas.

In French Guiana, a 54-year-old was killed by a stray bullet Thursday night when rioters fired at police in the capital, Cayenne, authorities said. On the small Indian Ocean island of Reunion, protesters set garbage bins ablaze, threw projectiles at police, and damaged cars and buildings, officials said. Some 150 officers were deployed there Friday night.

In the face of the escalating crisis that hundreds of arrests and massive police deployments have failed to quell, Macron held off on declaring a state of emergency, an option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005.

Instead, his government ratcheted up its law enforcement response. Already massively beefed-up police forces were boosted by another 5,000 officers for Friday night, increasing the number to 45,000 overall, the interior minister said. Some were called back from vacation. The minister, Gerald Darmanin, said police made 917 arrests on Thursday alone and noted their young age  17 on average. He said more than 300 police officers and firefighters have been injured.

Darmanin also ordered a nationwide nighttime shutdown of all public buses and trams, which have been among rioters' targets.

And he said he had delivered a warning to social networks that they can't allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence.

They were very cooperative. We'll see tonight if they really are. We are going to give them as much information as possible so that, in return, French authorities get the identities of people who incite violence, the minister explained.

We will pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts, he said. And we will take all necessary measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, don't respect the law.

Macron, too, zeroed in on social media platforms that have relayed dramatic images of vandalism and cars and buildings being torched, saying they are playing a considerable role in the violence. Singling out Snapchat and TikTok, he said they were being used to organize unrest and serving as conduits for copycat violence.

Macron said his government would work with technology companies to establish procedures for the removal of the most sensitive content, adding that he expected a spirit of responsibility from them.

Snapchat spokesperson Rachel Racusen said the company has increased its moderation since Tuesday to detect and act on content related to the rioting.

The violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are due to host 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the summer Olympic Games. Paris 2024 organizers said they are closely monitoring the situation and that preparations for the Olympics continue.

The fatal shooting of the 17-year-old, who has only been identified by his first name, Nahel, was captured on video, shocking France and stirring up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Macron said a third of the individuals arrested Thursday night were young people, sometimes very young," and that it's the parents' responsibility to keep their children at home.

Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said officers tried to pull Nahel over because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane. He allegedly ran a red light to avoid being stopped and then got stuck in traffic.

The police officer accused of pulling the trigger was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer's use of his weapon wasn't legally justified. Preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial.

The officer said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to the prosecutor.

Nahel's mother, identified as Mounia M, told France 5 television that she was angry at the officer but not at the police in general. He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life, she said, adding that justice should be very firm.

A police officer cannot take his gun and fire at our children, take our children's lives, she said.

Deadly use of firearms is less common in France than in the United States, although 13 people who didn't comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, another three people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances. The deaths have prompted demands for more accountability in France, which also saw racial justice protests after George Floyd's killing by police in Minnesota.

Nahel's burial is scheduled for Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry, who said France needs to push for changes in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. (AP) IJT

IJT
Moscow, Jul 1 (AP) Russia's media watchdog blacklisted at least five media outlets affiliated with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and blocked their websites in Russia.

The move came after Wagner fighters took control of a Russian military headquarters and advanced on Moscow in what appears to have been an attempted insurrection.

As of Saturday, websites of the RIA FAN news agency and four online news portals controlled by Prigozhin's Patriot media holding company People's News, Neva News, Politics Today and Economy Today  were listed on a register of blacklisted sites maintained by the communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor.

Unconfirmed reports in Russian news outlets Friday claimed that Prigozhin himself had ordered a shut down of St. Petersburg-based Patriot. Prigozhin has not directly confirmed or denied the reports.

Patriot, founded in 2019 to bring together Prigozhin's media and internet assets, included the Internet Research Agency, the so-called troll farm linked to Russian attempts to meddle in US elections.

Patriot director Yevgeny Zubarev said this week that the Internet Research Agency, which was tasked with conducting online influence operations to advance Russian interests, had operated under Prigozhin's control since 2009 before being brought under the Patriot umbrella. .

In the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election, IRA employees regularly posed as Americans to offer financial help to US protest movements tackling socially divisive topics, according to a 2017 investigation by Russian newspaper RBC.

The investigation, based on accounts from several IRA employees, identified more than 100 Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts it said were used to contact US-based activists offering help with organising protests and events, focusing on race relations and gun rights among other front-page issues.

Prigozhin admitted in November that he had interfered in the 2016 election.

He and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after the president of Belarus helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group.

Prigozhin's media group encompassed dozens of media outlets, including RIA FAN, the news agency whose US subsidiary USA Really pilloried mainstream media and praised then-President Donald Trump in its mission statement. (AP)



GRS
Bijapur, Jul 1 (PTI) Seven persons were arrested after a tiger skin was allegedly found in their possession in Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Saturday.

The seven were held on a specific inputs on Friday night from Rudraram village in Madded buffer range of Indravati Tiger Reserve, its deputy director Ganvir Dhammshil said.

"The action was carried out by a joint team of Indravati Tiger Reserve, anti-poaching team of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (Gariaband district) and Bijapur forest division. Those held were identified as Vikram Thakur, Pritam Lal Sahu, Tameshwar Jain, Kaka Dipak, Manoj Kursam, Kishore Dashrahiya and Arti Das," he said.

"Two more persons are wanted in the case. A probe is underway to find out details of the tiger skin. The accused have claimed the skin was for some ritual," he said.

Deputy Director of Udanti Sitanadi tiger reserve Varun Jain said, prime facie, it seems the killed tiger was a sub-adult and was poached 3-4 months back.

"The actual area of poaching is yet to be ascertained. The picture of the skin will be sent to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to match its stripes with images of tigers captured in trap cameras in Bijapur or adjoining forest patch in Maharashtra," he said.

The alleged involvement of two policemen in the crime has also surfaced and they are being interrogated currently, Jain informed.
Mumbai, Jul 1 (PTI) A march led by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray to protest against "corruption" in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the last one year began in south Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.

The `morcha', which began from Metro Cinema, will culminate outside the civic body's headquarters.







Top leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party including MLAs and MPs are part of the morcha.







MLA Sunil Prabhu said there has been an "outburst" of corruption in the BMC.







The BMC was controlled by the then undivided Shiv Sena from 1997-2022.







The term of its General Body ended in March 2022. As fresh elections have not taken place, the civic body is now controlled by an administrator appointed by the Maharashtra government headed by Eknath Shinde.







Shinde became chief minister on June 30, 2022, after splitting the Shiv Sena and toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
CHANGSHA, China, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30th, the Spanish medical skincare brand mesoestetic held an art salon to kick off its 2023 mesoestetic Road Show in China at the Xie Zilong Photography Museum in Changsha, which is one of the internet-famous cities in China. The event was supported by the leading Chinese partner for global beauty brands--S'Young International and was themed "The Element for Skincare Experts." Carles Font Martin, Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, and Arantza Azparren Ardanaz, global training manager, attended the event and gave a further insight into the brand philosophy of mesoestetic.

Carles Font Martin, Co-CEO of mesoestetic,shared mesoestetics brand story and development plan in China

This was also the first stop on the mesoestetic 2023 Road Show in China. The event successfully extended the passion and artistry spirits of the mesoestetic Road Show by inviting celebrities including famous actress Zhang Yanyan, key Chinese collaborators, and guests for close interaction and an in-depth experience of the brand's high-end salon and Changsha's finest art exhibitions.

The chosen venue, Xie Zilong Photography Museum, was founded by Mr. Xie Zilong, who is also well-known for establishing LBX Pharmacy, a prominent Chinese pharmacy chain. Interestingly, Mr. Xie had similar background with mesoestetic's founder, Juan Carlos Font Mas, who utilized his pharmacological knowledge to create personalized beauty skincare formulas and opened his pharmacy in Barcelona during the early 1980s. Both men share a passion for medicine, art, and antique painting collections. By selecting the Xie Zilong Photography Museum as the venue, mesoestetic aimed to evoke the warmth and artistic flair of Barcelona in Changsha, while also celebrating the harmonious blend of medicine and aesthetics.

At the event, creative non-alcoholic cocktails were introduced, featuring the brand's top health supplement products: the ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir. This art salon presents the main visuals of mesoestetic products through various art installations and was surrounded by a cappella music, providing a harmonious music and artistic experience. Additionally, mesoestetic granted awards and recognized valuable partners. The CO-CEO Carles Font Martin invited all guests to visit Spain and trace the origin of mesoestetic. The mesoestetic management and attendees also delved into insightful conversations about the brand's impressive 38-year history.

mesoestetic now operates in 109 countries and regions worldwide, providing professional beauty solutions for skincare experts. Since its cooperation with S'Young International in 2021, the brand has experienced a remarkable average annual sales growth of over 200%. Co-CEO of mesoestetic, Carles Font Martin, attributed this success to the efforts of the brand's partner in China, "This achievement wouldn't be possible without our China partner S'Young International and the efforts of everyone here. We will continue to achieve high growth this year, and I believe the Chinese market will be our next new era."

mesoestetic currently offers four major product lines: health supplements, home-use products, professional treatments, and aesthetic medicines. The highly sought-after ultimate W+ whitening elixir and the age element firming elixir, are two best sellers in mesoestetic's health supplement line. While the Ha Densimatrix, a popular moisturising solution that allows reducing and correcting imperfections caused by aging, stands out from the home-use line. For beauty industry professionals, mesoestetic also offers a range of solutions, such as the age element, a topical antiaging treatment based on epigenetics that combines a professional treatment and a home treatment suited to the needs of each customer.

During the event, Tingting Fu, mesoestetic's area manager for Greater China, has also shared the plans to further promote brand awareness and reputation in the region. The brand will be focusing on various efforts, including collaborating with celebrities, obtaining efficacy test results from professional institutions, deepening market penetration by working with over 4,500 influencers, introducing new products to the region, and implementing offline skincare services. By implementing these strategies, mesoestetic aims to further strengthen its presence in Greater China.

About mesoestetic

mesoestetic is dedicated to providing exquisite elements for skincare experts, emphasizing on offering scientific, rigorous, and effective solutions. The brand's customized, professional, and innovative product formulas have gained popularity in the market, positioning it as a trailblazer in Spanish medical beauty.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spanish-mediacal-skincare-trailblazer-mesoestetic-kicks-off-2023-road-show-in-china-with-art-and-passion-301868483.html

SOURCE S'Young International
Berhampur (Odisha), Jul 1 (PTI) A UK-based company is planning to set up a semiconductor fabrication unit in Odisha's Ganjam district with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore in the first phase, officials said.

The SRAM & MRAM Technologies and Projects India Pvt Limited, the Indian unit of UK-based SRAM & MRAM Group, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government on March 26 to set up the semiconductor unit in the state.

After visiting some sites near Chhatrapur in the district, its Indian company officials headed by its chairman Guruji Kumaran Swami held a meeting with the district administration at Chhatrapur on Thursday.

Ganjam Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida has assured the investors all facilities for setting up the unit.

"We have visited some sites, including the industrial park of Tata and some private lands for the establishment of the proposed semiconductor unit. A technical team of the company will visit the district to finalise the site," said Debadutt Singhdeo, project director of the firm.

The company requires around 500 to 800 acres of land to establish the unit.

Though the company officials visited some other districts as well, they preferred the site near Chhatrapur due to its proximity to Gopalpur port, a dedicated industrial corridor, an airstrip and a national highway, besides availability of clean water and energy  the basic requirement of the fabrication unit, sources said.

The company has aimed to establish the unit within two years and to provide direct employment to 5,000 people. It has also planned to expand the unit in subsequent phases by investing around Rs 2 lakh crore by 2027, said Singhdeo.

The semiconductor unit will produce memory chips, used in mobile phones, television sets, laptops, air conditioners and ATMs. Since the country is not self-reliant on the manufacture of semiconductors, it imports around Rs 3 lakh crore semiconductors annually from different countries.

"The project will boost industrialisation in the district," said Berhampur MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu.

He said that due to an attractive industrial policy, several companies are interested in investing in the state.

The proposed unit will help generate employment as well as address the semiconductors requirement in the country, Sahu said.
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the contribution of doctors on the National Doctors Day, calling them exemplars of the highest degree of courage, selflessness, and resilience.

"On Doctors Day, I express my deepest gratitude to the entire doctor community. Even amid the most unprecedented times, doctors have exemplified highest degree of courage, selflessness and resilience. Their dedication goes beyond healing; it gives our society hope and strength," he tweeted.

July 1 is observed as the National Doctors Day to commemorate Bidhan Chandra Roy, a renowned doctor who served as West Bengal chief minister too, and whose birth and death anniversary fall on this day.

In another tweet, PM Modi also praised the services of chartered accountants on the CA Day.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) was established on July 1 in 1949.

He tweeted, "On Chartered Accountants Day, we honour a professional community which is among our nation's key financial architects. Their analytical acumen and steadfast commitment are crucial in strengthening our economy. Their expertise helps build a prosperous and self-reliant India."
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday conveyed his greetings to the pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra and said the administration has made all possible arrangements for the convenience of the devotees.

The 62-day-long annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas began on July 1 and will continue till August 31.

"Shri Amarnath ji's pilgrimage is a symbol of unbreakable tradition and beliefs of 'Sanatan' culture. This pilgrimage is starting today.

"The administration has made all possible arrangements for the convenience of all devotees going to visit Baba Barfani. Your pleasant journey is our priority. Best wishes to all the devotees on their journey. Jai Baba Barfani," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

On Friday morning, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of pilgrims for the annual pilgrimage from the Bhagwati Nagar camp in Jammu. This batch set out from their base camp in Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Saturday morning for the cave shrine.

The home minister has monitored all arrangements for the annual pilgrimage.

Last month, he reviewed security arrangements with all stakeholders for the pilgrimage and directed necessary action for it. Following Shah's directive, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also undertook a detailed review of the security arrangements.

Over three lakh pilgrims have so far registered themselves for the yatra. The pilgrims have the choice of reaching the shrine either through the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district or the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route.

This year, drones and dogs are being used and aerial surveys have been conducted to counter any terrorist threat besides preparing for any natural calamities, sources said.
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in a tragic bus accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana.

"The bus accident happened in Buldhana, Maharashtra is tragic. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this horrific accident, we are with them at this time of grief. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

At least 25 passengers were charred to death after a bus caught fire on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district early Saturday morning.

The private bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it rammed into the divider around 1.30 am near Sindkhedraja and caught fire, police said.
Prayagraj (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has summoned the lower court records related to the 2015 murder of Azamgarh Congress leader Raj Narayan Singh on the appeal of Angad Yadav, a former forest state minister who is serving a life sentence in the case.

A bench comprising justices MC Tripathi and Prakash Padia passed the order last Wednesday on a criminal appeal filed by Angad Yadav who challenged the decision of Azamgarh Special Court MP/MLA convicting him in the case.

An FIR was lodged in Azamgarh's Sidhari police station alleging that on the morning of December 19, 2015, Congress leader and advocate Raj Narayan Singh, who had gone for a walk, was shot dead under the overbridge near the railway station.

The Congress leader's wife Sudha Singh lodged a murder complaint against former minister Angad Yadav.

In the investigation, it came to light that Angad Yadav's daughter's marriage was arranged by Raj Narayan Singh. A few days after the marriage, litigation started with the in-laws of Angad Yadav's daughter.

There was tension in the relationship between Raj Narayan Singh and Yadav over the withdrawal of matrimonial cases.

Azamgarh's Special Court MP/MLA had sentenced four accused, including former minister Angad Yadav to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each after the trial.

Yadav, who had been a minister in the BSP government, filed this criminal appeal against the sentence of life imprisonment.
Etawah (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) A 40-year-old man working in a farm in Dhakpur village has died after being hit by lightning, police said.

SHO of Bharthana police station Bhupendra Singh Rathi said Rakesh Kumar was working in his farm amid rains on Friday afternoon when the incident occurred.

Villagers took him to the district hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors, the police official said, adding the body has been sent for post-mortem.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy this morning with thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 77F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely, especially this evening. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2023) - Surge Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: NILI) ("NILI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged Braden Jensen, C.A., as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), while Robert Guanzon has tendered his resignation as CFO, effective June 30th, 2023.

Mr. Jensen obtained his formal training with KPMG LLP. Before transitioning to the resource industry, he worked in the public practice sector for 6 years, concentrating in commodities-based accounting and tax. He was then employed at Wellgreen Platinum Ltd. and was involved in mineral exploration, construction, and operations reporting, prior to joining Copper Fox Metals Inc. as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Jensen is currently the Chief Financial Officer of District Copper Corp.

The Company would like to thank Mr. Guanzon for his contributions to the Company and wish him the best with his future endeavours.

To find out more about Surge Battery Metals Inc. please contact Investor Relations at (604) 662-8184 or email at info@surgebatterymetals.com.

SURGE BATTERY METALS INC.

"Greg Reimer"

CEO, 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 may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "intend", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals including approvals of title and mining rights or licenses and environmental, local community or indigenous community approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, changes in laws, rules and regulations in Gabon or any other jurisdiction which may impact upon the Company or its properties or the commercial exploitation of those properties, currency risks including the exchange rate of USD$ for Cdn$ or other currencies, fluctuations in the market for gold/silver and potash or potash related products, changes in exploration costs and government royalties, export policies or taxes in Gabon or any other jurisdiction and other factors or information. The Company's current plans, expectations and intentions with respect to development of its business and of the Banio Potash Project may be impacted by economic uncertainties arising out of Covid-19 pandemic or by the impact of current financial and other market conditions on its ability to secure further financing or funding of the Banio Potash Project. 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, environmental 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 affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/172045
Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER  Free Report) had its price target increased by BTIG Research from $50.00 to $55.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Uber Technologies from $54.00 to $57.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Uber Technologies in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. They set an overweight rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna upgraded Uber Technologies from a neutral rating to a positive rating and upped their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $48.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Uber Technologies from $41.00 to $43.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on Uber Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. They set an outperform rating and a $46.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $50.44.

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Uber Technologies Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UBER opened at $43.17 on Wednesday. Uber Technologies has a 52-week low of $20.43 and a 52-week high of $45.24. The stock has a market cap of $87.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.87 and a beta of 1.19. The businesss 50 day moving average is $38.94 and its 200 day moving average is $33.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Uber Technologies

Uber Technologies ( NYSE:UBER Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The ride-sharing company reported ($0.08) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by $0.02. Uber Technologies had a negative return on equity of 43.94% and a negative net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $8.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.18) earnings per share. Uber Technologiess revenue was up 28.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Uber Technologies will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

In other Uber Technologies news, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 644 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.00, for a total transaction of $26,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 128,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,285,556. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 69,975 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $3,148,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,416,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,730,935. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 644 shares of Uber Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.00, for a total value of $26,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 128,916 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,285,556. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 138,143 shares of company stock worth $6,047,399. Insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Uber Technologies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Uber Technologies by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 110,536,758 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $2,929,224,000 after buying an additional 6,148,269 shares in the last quarter. Altimeter Capital Management LP increased its stake in Uber Technologies by 167.5% during the 1st quarter. Altimeter Capital Management LP now owns 30,760,000 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $1,193,422,000 after buying an additional 19,260,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Uber Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $580,568,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Uber Technologies by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,070,619 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $787,480,000 after buying an additional 3,443,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Uber Technologies by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,785,980 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $658,916,000 after buying an additional 660,757 shares in the last quarter. 73.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Uber Technologies

(Free Report)

Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services.

Further Reading

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Regions Financial (NYSE:RF  Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at Truist Financial from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. Truist Financials target price would suggest a potential upside of 6.62% from the companys previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on RF. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Regions Financial in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Regions Financial from $30.00 to $25.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Regions Financial from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Regions Financial from $29.00 to $23.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Regions Financial from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $23.22.

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Regions Financial Trading Up 0.7 %

RF stock opened at $17.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.82. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $17.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.88. Regions Financial has a 52 week low of $13.94 and a 52 week high of $24.33. The company has a market capitalization of $16.72 billion, a PE ratio of 7.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.18.

Insider Activity at Regions Financial

Regions Financial ( NYSE:RF Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.03). Regions Financial had a net margin of 28.61% and a return on equity of 16.60%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 22.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Regions Financial will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

In other news, Director J Thomas Hill bought 11,926 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.78 per share, with a total value of $200,118.28. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,107 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $387,735.46. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Regions Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Regions Financial by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 50,312,924 shares of the banks stock worth $943,529,000 after buying an additional 189,323 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Regions Financial by 34,598.5% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,752,303 shares of the banks stock worth $626,443,000 after buying an additional 33,655,030 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Regions Financial by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 20,189,021 shares of the banks stock worth $435,275,000 after buying an additional 2,802,291 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Regions Financial by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,884,039 shares of the banks stock worth $368,222,000 after buying an additional 275,489 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Regions Financial by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,712,881 shares of the banks stock worth $425,010,000 after buying an additional 1,939,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.71% of the companys stock.

Regions Financial Company Profile

(Free Report)

Regions Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and bank-related services to individual and corporate customers. It operates through three segments: Corporate Bank, Consumer Bank, and Wealth Management. The Corporate Bank segment offers commercial banking services, such as commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and investor real estate lending; equipment lease financing; deposit products; and securities underwriting and placement, loan syndication and placement, foreign exchange, derivatives, merger and acquisition, and other advisory services.

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UCB (OTCMKTS:UCBJY  Free Report) is one of 400 public companies in the Biotechnology industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare UCB to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Dividends

UCB pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. UCB pays out 46.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Biotechnology companies pay a dividend yield of 2.8% and pay out 11,399.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

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Insider and Institutional Ownership

26.1% of shares of all Biotechnology companies are owned by institutional investors. 24.8% of shares of all Biotechnology companies are owned by company insiders. 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.

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio UCB N/A N/A 58.29 UCB Competitors $132.46 million -$18.85 million -106.39

This table compares UCB and its peers revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

UCBs peers have higher revenue, but lower earnings than UCB. UCB is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Profitability

This table compares UCB and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets UCB N/A N/A N/A UCB Competitors -532.43% -80.24% -19.81%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for UCB and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score UCB 0 0 1 0 3.00 UCB Competitors 635 1557 4503 50 2.59

As a group, Biotechnology companies have a potential upside of 103.33%. Given UCBs peers higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe UCB has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Summary

UCB beats its peers on 7 of the 13 factors compared.

UCB Company Profile

(Free Report)

UCB SA, a biopharmaceutical company, develops products and solutions for people with neurology and immunology diseases. The company's primary products include Cimzia for inflammatory TNF mediated diseases, as well as ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn's disease, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis; Vimpat, Keppra, and Briviact for epilepsy; Neupro for Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome; Nayzilam, a nasal spray rescue treatment for epilepsy seizure clusters; and Zyrtec and Xyzal for allergies. It also offers Evenity for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women; BIMZELX for treating psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, and hidradenitis suppurativa; and dapirolizumab pegol for systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, the company is involved in developing rozanolixizumab to treat myasthenia gravis, immune thrombocytopenia, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; zilucoplan to treat myasthenia gravis and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy; staccato alprazolam to treat tereotypical prolonged seizure; Bepranemab to treat Alzheimer's disease; and UCB0599 to treat Parkinson's disease. Further, it engages in contract manufacturing activities. UCB SA has collaboration agreements with Amgen, Biogen, Roche/Genentech, Novartis, Otsuka, and doc.ai. It operates in the United States, Japan, Germany, rest of Europe, Spain, France, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, and internationally. The company was incorporated in 1925 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

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Shares of Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE:IIPR  Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $74.65, but opened at $72.74. Innovative Industrial Properties shares last traded at $73.85, with a volume of 43,461 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IIPR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Innovative Industrial Properties from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Innovative Industrial Properties in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Innovative Industrial Properties from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Finally, Compass Point cut their price objective on shares of Innovative Industrial Properties to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $126.50.

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Innovative Industrial Properties Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.97 and a beta of 1.59. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $70.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.21. The company has a quick ratio of 17.70, a current ratio of 17.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Innovative Industrial Properties Announces Dividend

Innovative Industrial Properties ( NYSE:IIPR Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.89 by ($0.46). The firm had revenue of $76.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $70.80 million. Innovative Industrial Properties had a net margin of 55.72% and a return on equity of 8.22%. As a group, analysts forecast that Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.86%. Innovative Industrial Propertiess dividend payout ratio is currently 127.89%.

Institutional Trading of Innovative Industrial Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Innovative Industrial Properties by 41.5% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the companys stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Innovative Industrial Properties by 8.1% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,019 shares of the companys stock worth $1,893,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in Innovative Industrial Properties by 55.5% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,587 shares of the companys stock worth $2,585,000 after acquiring an additional 4,492 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Innovative Industrial Properties by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 64,743 shares of the companys stock worth $13,298,000 after purchasing an additional 4,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in Innovative Industrial Properties by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 42,089 shares of the companys stock worth $8,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,556 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.95% of the companys stock.

Innovative Industrial Properties Company Profile

(Free Report)

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc is a self-advised Maryland corporation focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of specialized properties leased to experienced, state-licensed operators for their regulated cannabis facilities. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, commencing with the year ended December 31, 2017.

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Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY  Free Report) insider Kate Dehoff sold 10,821 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.00, for a total value of $97,389.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 150,258 shares in the company, valued at $1,352,322. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Kate Dehoff also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, June 13th, Kate Dehoff sold 5,141 shares of Joby Aviation stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.50, for a total value of $38,557.50.

Joby Aviation Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:JOBY opened at $10.26 on Friday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $5.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.65. Joby Aviation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.15 and a fifty-two week high of $11.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Joby Aviation ( NYSE:JOBY Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.01). Sell-side analysts predict that Joby Aviation, Inc. will post -0.6 EPS for the current year.

JOBY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Joby Aviation in a research note on Friday, June 9th. They issued a buy rating and a $8.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Joby Aviation from a hold rating to a sell rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $6.00 to $4.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Joby Aviation currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $6.50.

Institutional Trading of Joby Aviation

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JOBY. Toroso Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Joby Aviation by 28.8% in the 1st quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 13,660 shares of the companys stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 3,054 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Joby Aviation by 4.4% in the first quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 47,850 shares of the companys stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Joby Aviation by 5.5% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,145,748 shares of the companys stock worth $22,333,000 after purchasing an additional 268,977 shares during the last quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Joby Aviation in the first quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Joby Aviation in the first quarter valued at about $1,100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.98% of the companys stock.

Joby Aviation Company Profile

(Free Report)

Joby Aviation, Inc, a vertically integrated air mobility company, engages in building an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft optimized to deliver air transportation as a service. The company intends to build an aerial ridesharing service, as well as developing an application-based platform that will enable consumers to book rides.

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Archford Capital Strategies LLC raised its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 8.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 34,905 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 2,730 shares during the quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer during the first quarter valued at $29,000. My Personal CFO LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 67.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PFE. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Pfizer from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Credit Suisse Group lowered Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the company from $47.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Thursday. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $43.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $46.67.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

Pfizer Stock Up 1.6 %

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.58 per share, for a total transaction of $38,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $231,480. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NYSE:PFE opened at $36.68 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.22. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $35.76 and a 52-week high of $54.93. The company has a market cap of $207.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.23. Pfizer had a net margin of 31.25% and a return on equity of 37.53%. The company had revenue of $18.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.62 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. Pfizers payout ratio is 32.28%.

Pfizer Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Free Report) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,067 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,023 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLCs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $965,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hedges Asset Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 17,300 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,841,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Willis Investment Counsel increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 231,885 shares of the companys stock worth $24,670,000 after purchasing an additional 18,204 shares during the last quarter. Horan Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 3,877 shares of the companys stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 17,535 shares of the companys stock worth $1,866,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M. Kraus & Co increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. M. Kraus & Co now owns 14,294 shares of the companys stock worth $1,521,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.60% of the companys stock.

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Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $292.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $84.52 and a one year high of $119.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $113.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

Merck & Co., Inc. ( NYSE:MRK Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 22.52%. Merck & Co., Inc.s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. BTIG Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Sunday, April 16th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $121.74.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 66,163 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $7,608,745.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 154,493 shares of the companys stock, valued at $17,766,695. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total value of $1,865,788.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,296.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.

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Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Free Report) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,129 shares of the communications equipment providers stock after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management ABs holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $39,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 11.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,918 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 3.1% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,087 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $2,685,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 8.8% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,870 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Motorola Solutions in the first quarter worth approximately $225,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Motorola Solutions by 7.3% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,177 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $13,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,741 shares during the last quarter. 82.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,933 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.01, for a total value of $558,656.33. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,611 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $465,595.11. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.54, for a total transaction of $14,527,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 91,843 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $26,684,065.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,933 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.01, for a total value of $558,656.33. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,595.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 101,933 shares of company stock valued at $29,642,156 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Motorola Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Motorola Solutions stock opened at $293.28 on Friday. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a 52 week low of $204.55 and a 52 week high of $299.43. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $285.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.38. The firm has a market cap of $49.18 billion, a PE ratio of 36.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.15.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.17. Motorola Solutions had a negative return on equity of 1,549.95% and a net margin of 14.63%. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Motorola Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Motorola Solutions from $303.00 to $329.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. StockNews.com lowered Motorola Solutions from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM restated a maintains rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Friday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Motorola Solutions from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and upped their target price for the company from $300.00 to $305.00 in a report on Thursday, March 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $310.00 to $335.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $301.67.

About Motorola Solutions

(Free Report)

Motorola Solutions, Inc provides public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety, and commercial customers who operate private communications networks and video security solutions, as well as manage a mobile workforce.

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CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD  Free Report) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,460 shares of the basic materials companys stock after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Cos holdings in DuPont de Nemours were worth $1,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 23,363 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 38,407 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 25,548 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,834,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 39,382 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,703,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,364 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. 76.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DD shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of DuPont de Nemours from $92.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of DuPont de Nemours from $76.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of DuPont de Nemours in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. TheStreet raised shares of DuPont de Nemours from a c rating to a b rating in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of DuPont de Nemours from $103.00 to $84.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $78.46.

Insider Transactions at DuPont de Nemours

DuPont de Nemours Trading Up 0.8 %

In other news, insider Michael G. Goss sold 2,374 shares of DuPont de Nemours stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.46, for a total transaction of $155,402.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $873,563.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of DD stock opened at $71.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.41. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.52 and a 12-month high of $78.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.40.

DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.94 billion. DuPont de Nemours had a net margin of 43.63% and a return on equity of 6.34%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. Research analysts forecast that DuPont de Nemours, Inc. will post 3.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

DuPont de Nemours Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 28th. DuPont de Nemourss dividend payout ratio is 12.49%.

DuPont de Nemours Company Profile

(Free Report)

DuPont de Nemours, Inc provides technology-based materials and solutions in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Electronics & Industrial, Water & Protection, and Corporate & Other segments. The Electronics & Industrial segment supplies materials and solutions for the fabrication of semiconductors and integrated circuits addressing various steps of the manufacturing process.

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CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG  Free Report) by 15.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,522 shares of the energy companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Cos holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $1,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNG. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 175 shares of the energy companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 83.36% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LNG shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $236.00 to $230.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Cheniere Energy from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Raymond James cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $205.00 to $200.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Mizuho cut their target price on Cheniere Energy from $200.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Cheniere Energy from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $201.00.

Cheniere Energy Stock Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:LNG opened at $152.62 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $149.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.01. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.29 and a twelve month high of $182.35. The stock has a market cap of $37.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.89, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40.

Cheniere Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:LNG  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $6.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.96 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $7.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.58 billion. Cheniere Energy had a negative return on equity of 13,004.16% and a net margin of 23.24%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 15.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 10th were issued a dividend of $0.395 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 9th. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Cheniere Energys dividend payout ratio is 5.06%.

Cheniere Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile pipeline interconnecting the Sabine Pass LNG terminal with various interstate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.

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(Bloomberg) -- UBS Group AG isnt planning to take Credit Suisses domestic unit public, according to a report Saturday in Schweiz am Wochenende.

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UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti opposes the option because he believes it may inadvertently strengthen the banks international competitors, the Swiss newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter who it didnt identify.

After UBS agreed in March to buy Credit Suisse in an emergency government-brokered rescue, Swiss politicians urged UBS to split off Credit Suisses domestic branch and list it on the Swiss stock exchange as a means to preserve jobs, increase competition and limit the risk of broader contagion if UBS were to fail.

The domestic units fate has been widely watched as Swiss-based companies and politicians voice concerns over the market power that the combined bank may exercise. A UBS spokesman declined to comment on the matter.

Read more: UBS Preparing to Cut Over Half of Credit Suisse Workforce

Its possible Ermotti may still consider spinning off a combination of the UBS and Credit Suisse domestic banks, under the name UBS Switzerland, as long as UBS retains a majority stake, according to the newspaper. Such a scenario would allow a double shareholding structure and may appease concerns about the bank being too big to fail.

Read more: UBS Chairmans Top-Secret Prep Paid Off in Credit Suisse Moment

Ermotti previously said that all options were on the table and that the base case scenario is for UBS to retain Credit Suisses domestic unit.

--With assistance from Marion Halftermeyer.

(Updates fourth paragraph with UBS no comment)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Howard Hughes Co. (NYSE:HHC  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,700 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $136,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Howard Hughes by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 632 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Howard Hughes by 72,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 727 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Howard Hughes during the 1st quarter worth approximately $86,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Howard Hughes by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,550 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Howard Hughes by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 1,546 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. 95.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Howard Hughes Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HHC opened at $78.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.81 and a 200 day moving average of $78.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The Howard Hughes Co. has a one year low of $50.90 and a one year high of $89.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Howard Hughes ( NYSE:HHC Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.47) by $0.01. Howard Hughes had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 4.50%. The company had revenue of $196.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $199.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.04 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Howard Hughes Co. will post -1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HHC shares. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Howard Hughes from $100.00 to $95.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Howard Hughes in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $92.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Howard Hughes news, Director Pershing Square Capital Manage bought 9,133 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $74.95 per share, with a total value of $684,518.35. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 15,993,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,198,725,191.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP David Michael Striph sold 1,902 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.83, for a total transaction of $142,326.66. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,094 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $605,674.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Pershing Square Capital Manage purchased 9,133 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $74.95 per share, for a total transaction of $684,518.35. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,993,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,198,725,191.75. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 334,659 shares of company stock valued at $24,931,454 in the last 90 days. 33.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Howard Hughes

(Free Report)

The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages, and develops commercial, residential, and mixed-use properties in the United States. It operates through four segments: Operating Assets; Master Planned Communities (MPCs); Seaport; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment owns retail, office, multi-family, hospitality, and other operating properties and investments primarily located in Houston, Texas; Columbia, Maryland; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 291 shares of the credit services providers stock, valued at approximately $106,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marcum Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 3,119 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its stake in Mastercard by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 12,017 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $4,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,827 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 34,084.4% during the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 691,209 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 689,187 shares during the period. Heron Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Mastercard by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Heron Financial Group LLC now owns 3,303 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Mastercard by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,831,536 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $1,026,573,000 after purchasing an additional 8,361 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.33% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MA shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Mastercard from $414.00 to $442.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Mastercard from $405.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mastercard from $392.00 to $404.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on Mastercard from $450.00 to $453.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $417.27.

Insider Transactions at Mastercard

Mastercard Stock Up 1.4 %

In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 5,164 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.24, for a total transaction of $1,927,411.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,164 shares in the company, valued at $4,166,851.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In other Mastercard news, insider Raj Seshadri sold 5,164 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.24, for a total transaction of $1,927,411.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,164 shares in the company, valued at $4,166,851.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Foundation Mastercard sold 125,816 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.28, for a total value of $48,600,204.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 100,437,277 shares in the company, valued at $38,796,911,359.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 547,243 shares of company stock worth $209,102,122 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

NYSE MA opened at $393.02 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $377.26 and a 200-day moving average of $366.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $372.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $276.87 and a 52 week high of $395.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The credit services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.09. Mastercard had a return on equity of 169.12% and a net margin of 42.33%. The business had revenue of $5.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.76 EPS. The firms revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 12.24 EPS for the current year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Mastercards dividend payout ratio is currently 22.78%.

About Mastercard

(Free Report)

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers other payment-related products and services.

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Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in JBG SMITH Properties (NYSE:JBGS  Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,382 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $96,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in JBG SMITH Properties by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,903 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of JBG SMITH Properties by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 46,377 shares of the companys stock worth $880,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of JBG SMITH Properties by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 61,597 shares of the companys stock worth $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the period. Worth Venture Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of JBG SMITH Properties by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Worth Venture Partners LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the companys stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of JBG SMITH Properties by 182.8% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.18% of the companys stock.

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JBG SMITH Properties Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of JBGS opened at $15.03 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.24, a quick ratio of 4.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28 and a beta of 0.97. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $14.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.50. JBG SMITH Properties has a twelve month low of $13.37 and a twelve month high of $25.68.

JBG SMITH Properties Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 23rd were given a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 22nd. JBG SMITH Propertiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.45%.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on JBG SMITH Properties from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Monday, March 27th. TheStreet raised JBG SMITH Properties from a d rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th.

JBG SMITH Properties Profile

(Free Report)

JBG SMITH owns, operates, invests in, and develops mixed-use properties in high growth and high barrier-to-entry submarkets in and around Washington, DC. Through an intense focus on placemaking, JBG SMITH cultivates vibrant, amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

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New Hampshire Trust trimmed its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 9.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,866 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after selling 859 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 1.0% of New Hampshire Trusts portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. New Hampshire Trusts holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 100,076.4% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,823,820 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $6,268,753,000 after purchasing an additional 11,812,017 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter valued at $5,210,004,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,682.4% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,691,542 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $1,372,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540,538 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 15,635,038 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $8,289,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,893,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,969,869 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $41,903,103,000 after acquiring an additional 851,994 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNH stock opened at $480.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $483.72 and a 200-day moving average of $490.41. The company has a market cap of $447.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $445.68 and a one year high of $558.10.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

UnitedHealth Group ( NYSE:UNH Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 14th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.24 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $91.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.77 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.16% and a return on equity of 27.05%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 27th. Investors of record on Monday, June 19th were given a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from UnitedHealth Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.65. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 34.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other UnitedHealth Group news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $484.58, for a total transaction of $488,456.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,359 shares in the company, valued at $5,019,764.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Andrew Witty sold 6,160 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.49, for a total value of $3,002,938.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,564 shares in the company, valued at $42,199,084.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,008 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $484.58, for a total transaction of $488,456.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,359 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,019,764.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,852 shares of company stock worth $4,313,962 over the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. They set an overweight rating and a $580.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $592.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $627.00 to $564.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, SVB Securities lowered their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $560.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $592.68.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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New Hampshire Trust lessened its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 53,457 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 1,403 shares during the period. New Hampshire Trusts holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 89,592.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 161,143,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $8,257,000,000 after acquiring an additional 160,963,976 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $3,150,472,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 79,499,361 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,073,547,000 after acquiring an additional 7,419,929 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 59,828,849 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $3,097,341,000 after acquiring an additional 6,972,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 1st quarter valued at $311,238,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.80% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PFE shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Pfizer from $41.00 to $39.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on Pfizer from $43.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Pfizer from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 10th. Credit Suisse Group lowered Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and reduced their target price for the company from $47.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Pfizer Trading Up 1.6 %

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The shares were 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 directly owns 6,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $231,480. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Company insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

NYSE PFE opened at $36.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $207.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.64. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.76 and a 1-year high of $54.93. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $38.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.22.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $18.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.49 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 31.25% and a return on equity of 37.53%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. Pfizers payout ratio is 32.28%.

About Pfizer

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Members Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,674 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Pfizer accounts for approximately 0.0% of Members Trust Cos holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Members Trust Cos holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 67,225 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,743,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in Pfizer by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 87,945 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $3,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 40,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,821 shares during the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,830 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 27,837 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.80% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Pfizer from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday. Credit Suisse Group cut shares of Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Pfizer from $43.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $46.67.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.6 %

PFE stock opened at $36.68 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.76 and a 12 month high of $54.93. The firm has a market cap of $207.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $18.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.49 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 31.25% and a return on equity of 37.53%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, July 28th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.28%.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $38.58 per share, for a total transaction of $38,580.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $231,480. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 11.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,830 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 921 shares during the quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Pfizer by 89,592.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 161,143,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $8,257,000,000 after buying an additional 160,963,976 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,150,472,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 79,499,361 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,073,547,000 after purchasing an additional 7,419,929 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 59,828,849 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $3,097,341,000 after purchasing an additional 6,972,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $311,238,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.80% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.58 per share, with a total value of $38,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,480. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Pfizer Stock Performance

Several research analysts have weighed in on PFE shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Pfizer from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut Pfizer from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Pfizer from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on Pfizer from $43.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $46.67.

Shares of PFE stock opened at $36.68 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $38.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.22. The stock has a market cap of $207.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.64. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.76 and a 1 year high of $54.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.37.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.23. Pfizer had a return on equity of 37.53% and a net margin of 31.25%. The firm had revenue of $18.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. Pfizers revenue was down 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 28th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 27th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.28%.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

Further Reading

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OLD National Bancorp IN grew its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 33,722 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 3,868 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp INs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $8,239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IWF. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 145,777.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 223,496,182 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $47,881,822,000 after acquiring an additional 223,342,974 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 38,134,434 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $8,169,921,000 after acquiring an additional 3,186,645 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,099,282 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $4,734,550,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283,522 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,718,604 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,225,154,000 after acquiring an additional 828,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,150,534 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,103,450,000 after buying an additional 608,288 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of IWF opened at $275.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $70.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.90. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 1-year low of $202.05 and a 1-year high of $275.91.

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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Marcum Wealth LLC trimmed its position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS  Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,971 shares of the companys stock after selling 187 shares during the quarter. Marcum Wealth LLCs holdings in General Mills were worth $510,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 69,474 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,825,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 15,881 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,332,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 18,826 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in General Mills by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 198,283 shares of the companys stock worth $16,626,000 after acquiring an additional 13,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in General Mills by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 19,334 shares of the companys stock worth $1,652,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 76.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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General Mills Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $76.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $45.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.27. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $84.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. General Mills, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $72.16 and a fifty-two week high of $90.89.

General Mills Increases Dividend

General Mills ( NYSE:GIS Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 28th. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 24.47%. The firms revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 7th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. This is an increase from General Millss previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. General Millss payout ratio is currently 50.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GIS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of General Mills from $89.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of General Mills from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of General Mills from $81.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of General Mills from $88.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of General Mills from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Mills currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $82.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bethany C. Quam sold 21,734 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.86, for a total transaction of $1,866,081.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 47,560 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,083,501.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Bethany C. Quam sold 21,734 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.86, for a total transaction of $1,866,081.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 47,560 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,083,501.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jodi J. Benson sold 3,009 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.59, for a total transaction of $272,585.31. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 35,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,215,129.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,341 shares of company stock valued at $4,163,978. Corporate insiders own 0.67% of the companys stock.

General Mills Profile

(Free Report)

General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables.

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 0.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 116,100 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3,632.9% in the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 258,880 shares of the companys stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 251,945 shares in the last quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 17.2% during the first quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 6,800 shares of the companys stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.7% during the first quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 140,655 shares of the companys stock worth $6,276,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the period. TIAA FSB raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the first quarter. TIAA FSB now owns 60,441 shares of the companys stock worth $2,697,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. Finally, FCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 15.0% during the first quarter. FCF Advisors LLC now owns 43,115 shares of the companys stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $45.86.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MO opened at $45.30 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.35 and a 1 year high of $51.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.69. The stock has a market cap of $80.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO  Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.30%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 120.90%.

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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(Bloomberg) -- Fighters from the Wagner mercenary group may be about to regroup en masse in Belarus, according to reports from the Associated Press and US analysts at the Institute for the Study of War. Satellite images show hundreds of large tents set up over the past week at a previously abandoned base in Asipovichy, about 150 miles north of the Ukrainian border, ISW said, adding that the militia forces will reportedly operate out of three field camps in Belarus.

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Ukrainian military commanders met Saturday at the Rivne nuclear power plant to assess possible threats to the site and hear a report on the operational situation on the Belarusian border, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram. As many as 8,000 Wagner fighters may be deployed in Belarus, a Ukrainian border guard official told local media.

Zelenskiy repeated a warning that Russia plans what he called a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to pressure Western allies to end the war on Kremlin terms. Russia is reducing its presence at the plant, and Ukrainian employees have been advised to leave, Ukraines Defense Intelligence Directorate said in a report on Friday.

CIA Director William Burns called his Russian counterpart to say the US had no involvement in the failed mutiny by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the matter. The call with Sergei Naryshkin is believed to be the highest-level contact between the governments since the attempted uprising a week ago.

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Milley Says No Decision Yet on Sending ATACMS to Ukraine

Putins Bid to Reassert Kremlin Authority Is Showing Cracks

EU Will Seek to Tax Sanctioned Russian Central Bank Assets

Ukrainians Voice Optimism About Cities Postwar Future in Poll

Oils Dark Fleet Gets Younger as Old Ships Face Scrutiny

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Deadline for Wagner fighters to sign contracts with Russian defense ministry

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lowered its position in shares of McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK  Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,900 shares of the companys stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in McKesson were worth $3,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of McKesson by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,715 shares of the companys stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of McKesson by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 890 shares of the companys stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of McKesson by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,135 shares of the companys stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in McKesson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,150 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,307,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Doyle Wealth Management grew its stake in McKesson by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Doyle Wealth Management now owns 1,279 shares of the companys stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 83.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at McKesson

In other news, EVP Thomas L. Rodgers sold 645 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.70, for a total transaction of $255,226.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,544 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,006,660.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other McKesson news, CEO Brian S. Tyler sold 18,542 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.04, for a total value of $7,157,953.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 75,737 shares in the company, valued at $29,237,511.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Thomas L. Rodgers sold 645 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.70, for a total value of $255,226.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,660.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,138 shares of company stock valued at $12,581,657. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McKesson Stock Performance

NYSE MCK opened at $427.31 on Friday. McKesson Co. has a one year low of $315.78 and a one year high of $429.75. The companys 50 day moving average price is $390.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $373.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.59.

McKesson (NYSE:MCK  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The company reported $7.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.16 by $0.03. McKesson had a net margin of 1.29% and a negative return on equity of 234.22%. The company had revenue of $68.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.83 earnings per share. McKessons revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that McKesson Co. will post 26.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McKesson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. McKessons payout ratio is currently 8.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of McKesson from $376.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McKesson from $450.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of McKesson from $415.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Argus raised their price target on shares of McKesson from $430.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, 58.com reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of McKesson in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McKesson currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $431.83.

About McKesson

(Free Report)

McKesson Corporation provides healthcare services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Pharmaceutical, Prescription Technology Solutions (RxTS), Medical-Surgical Solutions, and International. The U.S. Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded, generic, specialty, biosimilar and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, and other healthcare-related products.

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Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 337 shares of the investment management companys stock, valued at approximately $110,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GS. Magnus Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 2,933 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,866 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,671,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Platform Technology Partners grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 4,218 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $701,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.90% of the companys stock.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of GS opened at $322.54 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $328.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $277.84 and a 52-week high of $389.58. The company has a market cap of $107.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.48, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.41.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 18th. The investment management company reported $8.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.14 by $0.65. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 13.23%. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.76 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 31.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st were paid a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $10.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 9,000,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $105,570,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 51,676,439 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $606,164,629.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Kathryn H. Ruemmler sold 7,277 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.67, for a total transaction of $2,420,839.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,334 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,441,791.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 9,000,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $105,570,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 51,676,439 shares of the companys stock, valued at $606,164,629.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,833,500 shares of company stock valued at $646,620,506. Company insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on GS shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $339.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $420.00 to $390.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $495.00 to $437.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Goldman Sachs Group has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $389.17.

The Goldman Sachs Group Profile

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements.

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Bell Bank decreased its position in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,395 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,457 shares during the quarter. Bell Banks holdings in Bank of America were worth $354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Bank of America by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,052 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $917,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Bank of America in the 1st quarter worth approximately $104,000. OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its position in Bank of America by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 90,284 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,582,000 after buying an additional 2,923 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Bank of America by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 453,700 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $12,976,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Bank of America by 2,187.1% in the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,041,709 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 996,161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.34% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on BAC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Bank of America from $36.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Bank of America from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Bank of America from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Bank of America from $38.00 to $33.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $36.77.

Bank of America Price Performance

Shares of BAC stock opened at $28.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $228.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.62, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.37. The businesss fifty day moving average is $28.41 and its 200 day moving average is $30.97. Bank of America Co. has a twelve month low of $26.32 and a twelve month high of $38.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $26.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $25.28 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 21.85%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Bank of America Co. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd were paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 26.43%.

Bank of America Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans.

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Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt.

Market leader Bitcoin had a wobbly week this week. It peaked above $31,100 and bottomed below $29,900, but its variability was limited to less than 2% in any given 24-hour period. After surpassing 50% market dominance last week, the top cryptocurrency settled back to 47.9%, but still sustaining over $9 billion in trading volume.

Despite this ultimately flat week, Bitcoin (BTC) is up 15% over the last two weeks and up 13% over the last month, with a one-year return of more than 50%, according to data from CoinGecko. It currently trades for $30,612, which is more or less where it was seven days ago.

The number one contender, Ethereum (ETH), added 1.9% over the seven days to trade at $1,923 on Saturday.

Earlier in the week, several altcoins that had been labeled as securities by the SEC in its various lawsuits on the industry appeared to finally shake off the effects of the bad press. Polygon (MATIC) and Cardano (ADA) remain virtually unchanged from last week, but Solana (SOL) actually rallied and added 10% to change hands at $18.35.

There were no significant losses among leading coins but there were several notable rallies of more than 10% this week. Two classic proof-of-work coins ballooned after Wall Street-backed EDX Markets listed them last week: Litecoin (LTC) rallied 18% to $105.18, and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blew up a staggering 52.6% to hit $291.31.

The week in headlines

On Monday, Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordanspeaking at the Point Zero Forum in Zurichsaid that a central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be tested on the countrys first regulated crypto exchange called the SIX Digital Exchange (SDX). Jordan was adamant that it was more than a mere trial balloon.

This is not just an experiment, it will be real money equivalent to bank reserves, he told attendees. The objective is to test real transactions with market participants.

That same day, HSBC Hong Kong customers became eligible to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum futures Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on the banks Easy Invest mobile app.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs committee announced via Twitter that it reached a consensus on changes to the Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive, including new regulations for crypto assets. This move came in response to lawmakers' calls for stringent rules to prevent unbacked cryptocurrencies from infiltrating the traditional financial system.

The Bank of Englands director of fintech said, meanwhile, that the British central bank was open to the possibility that a British CBDC (or Britcoin) may not be blockchain-based. The official added that there was conflict at a recent meeting of technologists hosted by the bank to discuss the matter.

None of them agreed with each other at any point, he said, adding that forum contributors were not convinced that distributed ledgers offered more efficiency over conventional ledgers.

Over in Canada, a group of thirty Canadian lawmakers published a report endorsing cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, with 16 recommendations for the country's government to create a national strategy for crypto. The group said the industry has significant long-term economic and job creation opportunities.

On Thursday, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 was granted Royal Assent by King Charles, officially enshrining new law, according to a press release by the UK government.

Under the reform bill, crypto trading is recognized as a regulated financial activity. The amended act defines crypto assets as "cryptographically secured digital representation of value or contractual rights," considering them as regulated financial instruments, products, or investments.

Finally, the industry is still reeling from the news a fortnight ago that the worlds largest asset management company, BlackRock, has applied to the SEC for a spot Bitcoin ETF. BlackRock has applied to the SEC with ETF proposals 576 times and has only been rejected once so far.

This week, Fidelity and ARK Invest became the latest companies to redouble their efforts with their own ETF applications since the BlackRock news, joining companies like Invesco, Wisdom Tree, Valkyrie, and Bitwise. However, on Friday, reports appeared to indicate that insiders at the chief U.S. securities regulator believe BlackRocks and Fidelitys applications (and by extension, everyone elses) are inadequate.
While shareholders of Delek US Holdings (NYSE:DK) are in the red over the last five years, underlying earnings have actually grown

Delek US Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DK) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 12% in the last month. But if you look at the last five years the returns have not been good. You would have done a lot better buying an index fund, since the stock has dropped 51% in that half decade.

Although the past week has been more reassuring for shareholders, they're still in the red over the last five years, so let's see if the underlying business has been responsible for the decline.

See our latest analysis for Delek US Holdings

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During five years of share price growth, Delek US Holdings moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. Other metrics may better explain the share price move.

In contrast to the share price, revenue has actually increased by 16% a year in the five year period. So it seems one might have to take closer look at the fundamentals to understand why the share price languishes. After all, there may be an opportunity.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Delek US Holdings the TSR over the last 5 years was -44%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 16% in the last year, Delek US Holdings shareholders lost 6.4% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, longer term shareholders are suffering worse, given the loss of 8% doled out over the last five years. We would want clear information suggesting the company will grow, before taking the view that the share price will stabilize. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Delek US Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Delek US Holdings (of which 2 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

Delek US Holdings 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 American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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[July 01, 2023] The 19th Western China International Fair opens in Chengdu Tweet

CHENGDU, China, July 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by Global Times The opening ceremony of the 19th Western China International Fair (WCIF) was held in Chengdu on June 29. The WCIF will last five days, with the theme of "New Era of China, New Opportunities for Western China." Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), delivered a speech and announced the opening. Huang Qiang, deputy secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and governor of Sichuan Province, presided over the opening ceremony. Senate speaker of Thailand  the guest country of honor at this year's WCIF  Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, and Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha delivered speeches along with othe guests.



Pornpetch said they are honored to participate as the guest country of honor. "We will showcase the development achievements and strengths in various fields at the Thai National Pavilion. The WCIF is an effective platform for many Chinese entrepreneurs and investors to understand Thailand's investment policies and opportunities. It will further promote economic and trade cooperation between Thailand and Sichuan Province, as well as with western China, making the long-term friendly relations between the two countries more stable and closer. We are willing to maintain close cooperation with western China on the platform of the WCIF and provide relevant support." The Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economic Cooperation and the Sichuan International Expo Group will jointly perform the duties of the Secretariat of the Organizing Committee of this year's WCIF, and will be responsible for the organization and implementation of the event.

A total of 50 events will be held during the WCIF, such as the 12th Western China Investment Promotion Fair & Contract Signing Ceremony of Economic Cooperation Projects, the 14th Western China International Sourcing Fair, and the 17th EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair. Themed pavilions and professional exhibitions such as the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Pavilion have been set up. The WCIF brings together important development achievements in the western regions and more than 500 domestic and foreign technological products and lifestyle products. More than 30 various investment promotion activities will be held, and a large number of major projects will be signed. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2145697/Global_Times_Western_China_Fair.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-19th-western-china-international-fair-opens-in-chengdu-301868541.html

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In this post we continue tracking the uptick in local shooting important neighborhood efforts to make peace amid this tragic and often pointless Summer slaughter.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

One person injured in Friday night shooting in east Kansas City, Missouri One person suffered life-threatening wounds in a Friday evening shooting at East 59th Street and Wabash Avenue in KCMO.

Shooting at 23rd Street, Television Place leaves man hospitalized The shooting left a man hospitalized with injuries. His condition is unknown at this time.

Kansas City drive-by shooting injures 2; suspect search underway Kansas City police are searching for a gunman after two people were hurt in a drive-by shooting near 63rd Street and Swope Parkway Wednesday.

Charges filed in the June 23 murder of a 16-year-old boy in Kansas City, Kansas One person is charged in Wyandotte County District Court in the June 23 murder of a 16-year-old boy in Kansas City, Kansas.

New Kansas City cafe hopes to prevent violence - one breakfast sandwich at a time What's on the menu at this cafe? Coffee, Cobb salad and crime reduction.

Kansas City homicide comes amid call to stop violence Kansas City police respond to a homicide amid Hot 103 Jamz's radio broadcast to end violence across the metro.

Hot 103 Jamz and Ad Hoc Group Against Crime host special broadcast Hot 103 Jamz and the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime hosted a special 12-hour long broadcast.

Developing . . .
Members of Fairview Baptist Church in Fredericksburg will celebrate its 100th anniversary on July 16 with guest speaker Jim Ailor, a retired Baptist pastor and missionary, and selections from a reunion choir, composed of music ministers, directors and choir members who have moved out of the area.

The Celebration Team responsible for the centennial service also will focus on history and the way seven women formed Fairview Baptist because of their interest in missions and a concern for the religious education of the children of the area, according to Myrtle Campbell, church historian.

The women  Kate Stone, Julia Cullen Taliaferro Rowe, Bettie Hart Payne, Rosie Howard Hart, Mary Pounds, Lucille Dodd and Mrs. L.G. McCarty  called themselves the West End Mothers Club when they met for the first time for prayer and Bible study. That was in 1916, before America entered World War I, and the part of Fredericksburg currently known as Charlotte Street was not fully developed and had unpaved streets, Campbell noted.

The clubs first offering was 6 cents, but their collections and membership grew over the following years. On July 18, 1923, Fairview Baptist Church was chartered with 46 members who left Fredericksburg Baptist Church for a new congregation in the west end of town.

The members initially met in each others homes, as there was no church building, and raised money to build one. They sold soup, held lawn parties and sold bricks to supporting members for 10 cents, according to church history.

For 25 cents, one could have their name stitched in a church quilt. Another quilting project was a contest to guess how many stitches had gone into the making of one particular quilt. The winner received $5.

Ground was broken on the new church in April 1925, and within three years, the church, with the help of the penny-pinching ladies, was able to pay off its debt and apply funds for a heating system.

Theres little personal information about the West End Mothers Club, Campbell said, but what we do know is that they were a praying bunch, faithful, resourceful, daring for their time, hard-working and sacrificing.

They heard Gods call and they responded, Campbell continued. I hope that is what will be said about the women and men of this church 100 years from today.

Fairview Baptists celebration on July 16 starts at 10 a.m. with video clips of personal comments, followed by the reunion choir, led by Mark Andrist at 10:30 and the message from Ailor at 11. Lunch will be held in the fellowship hall at 12:30 p.m.
The Prime Minister, in an almost immediate response to the Chief Secretary's statement, cate
Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that there is currently no direct threat from Belarus and Russia. However, if the level of threat rises, the build-up of forces is foreseen.

"Right now, there is no direct threat of offensive operations of ground forces to Ukraine from Belarus and Russia in the area of responsibility of the Group of Troops North. However, if the level of threat rises, the build-up of forces and means, as well as other practical measures to boost the Group's defensive capabilities, are foreseen," Nayev said, the Joint Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Telegram.

According to him, intelligence agents keep obtaining information. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine exchange information with foreign partners every day.

"We are aware of the information we have, but we don't waste time. This means that all military personnel in the Operational Zone North, without exception, professionally perform the tasks assigned to them," Nayev stressed.

In its turn, the command is gradually increasing defense capabilities and taking measures to improve personnel training.

"The personnel is coordinated, and the commanders know how to properly manage subordinates and how to act in case of necessary reinforcement," Nayev emphasized.

As reported, on June 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky held another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief regarding the situation at the front and threats from Belarus.
Japan's ruling coalition intends to propose that the country's parliament review the current restrictions on the export of defense equipment and allow the transfer of weapons to nations being invaded by others in violation of international law.

That's according to The Japan Times, Ukrinform reports.

Such a legislative initiative in the extremely sensitive issue of arms trade for Japanese society has been caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the need to provide Kyiv with a sufficient number of weapons to fend off the aggressor.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, are likely to propose discussions for exporting a next-generation fighter jet that Japan will jointly develop with Britain and Italy. The two parties are discussing a proposed easing of self-imposed restrictions on transfers of defense equipment and technology to other countries.

Under its current guidelines, Japan can export defense equipment related to any of the five categories of rescue, transportation, vigilance, surveillance and minesweeping, and only to countries that contribute to its own national security.

The LDP wants to scrap all five categories to open the way for exporting lethal equipment. Komeito argues, however, that any change in the guidelines should be limited to adding, if necessary, other categories such as land mine removal and education training.

As gaps remain between LDP and Komeito, they decided to reach a conclusion on the matter no earlier than autumn.
Belarus could house about 8,000 mercenaries from Russia's Wagner private military company on its territory, but the situation is under Ukraine's control.

Ukrainian State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The terrorist country continues to use the Republic of Belarus as a base for training its units and military aircraft flights. But in view of the new possible risks associated with Lukashenko's willingness to accommodate mercenaries from private military companies, Ukraine is bolstering its defenses in this direction. The development of the situation in Belarus is under control and is being constantly monitored. This issue, in particular, was considered at a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief," he said.

According to him, available information, including open-source information, indicates that Belarus is making efforts to accommodate Russian mercenaries.

"And given the support that Russia is providing to Belarus, the number of mercenaries that Lukashenko will be willing to accept can be quite significant. It can be about 8,000 people. For example, the current number of Russian soldiers from regular army units stationed in Belarus is about 2,000," Demchenko said.

According to him, although camps for Wagner Group fighters are being constructed at a considerable distance from Belarus' border with Ukraine, the very presence of mercenaries in Belarus will constitute an additional potential threat, primarily the one related to subversive activities and various kinds of provocations.

Therefore, in order to strengthen the border in this area, the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief instructed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the commander of the northern operational area to carry out the necessary set of measures. Demchenko said that units of the State Border Guard Service were well aware of the threats and, together with other elements of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, were in constant readiness to respond to possible provocations from the enemy.

He said that the situation at the border is entirely under control. "At the moment, we are not observing Russian offensive groups on Belarusian territory," he said.
As of today, the movement of Wagner mercenary units to Belarus has not been recorded.

Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"As of today, not a single unit of the Wagner PMC has been recorded on the territory of Belarus. Nevertheless, we are aware of the further development of the situation, and our intelligence agencies are working to obtain information about it. If this happens, the military command will know about it, said Nayev.

Read also: Ukrainian forces advancing in Tavriia sector

He added that in case of deployment of Wagner units in Belarus, several action scenarios are being considered.

"In each of them, the Armed Forces will take adequate countermeasures. Forces are currently being trained to counter possible manifestations," said Nayev.

He also noted that Ukrainian intelligence and Ukraine's partners are closely monitoring the situation in Belarus, in particular, regarding the transfer of nuclear weapons, as stated in Russia. So far, according to him, such movements have not been recorded.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev inspected the training of the military and territorial defense units in Kyiv region on the detection and neutralization of an enemy object in the water area of the Kyiv Reservoir and the landing of infantry to eliminate the enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala discussed military cooperation and training of soldiers with his Lithuanian colleague, Major General Mindaugas Steponavicius.

According to Ukrinform, the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported this on Telegram.

Shaptala held a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Lithuania, Major General Mindaugas Steponavicius," the report says.

According to the General Staff, the parties discussed the security situation around Ukraine and key issues of current Ukrainian-Lithuanian military cooperation, in particular in the sectors of military education, collective and individual training of soldiers and formation of the sergeant corps.

Shaptala told his Lithuanian colleague about the efforts of the Defense Forces of Ukraine to repel armed aggression, and thanked him for the support in confronting the Russian aggressor.

The parties outlined the directions of future partnership work and identified the priority steps to achieve the mutual pragmatic interests of the departments.

As reported, Lithuania purchased two units of the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) that will be transferred to Ukraine.

On June 28, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda announced that two NASAMS units purchased by Lithuania in Norway would soon arrive in Ukraine.

Photo: General Staff, Telegram
Spain will allocate EUR 55 million to Ukraine to finance small and medium-sized enterprises and to provide schools with ecologically clean energy systems.

"Today, Spain decided to allocate an additional EUR 55 million, including EUR 51 million through the World Bank Group, to finance small and medium-sized enterprises of Ukraine, as well as EUR 4 million through the United Nations Development Programme to provide schools in Ukraine with environmentally friendly and sustainable energy systems," Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez said, addressing the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

He emphasized that the reconstruction of Ukraine will require time and investments in many sectors. Spain seeks to accompany Ukraine in some areas, such as, for example, railway infrastructure, in which Spanish companies have certain know-how.

"The Government of Spain will support the financing of the necessary investments for the adaptation and modernization of the Ukrainian infrastructure and production industries," Spains Prime Minister said.

As reported, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ukraine on the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Photo: Oleksandr Korniyenko / Facebook
More than 230 people filed into the auditorium at Stafford High School Thursday night, hoping to convince county and state officials that a proposed methadone clinic doesnt belong in their neighborhood.

But in a case thats remarkably similar to one in King George County earlier this year, Stafford County officials dont get to approve or deny the application from Concerted Care Group for a clinic off Deacon Road. The Maryland-based business provides outpatient behavioral health treatment and dispenses methadone and suboxone  narcotics designed to reduce withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings without the euphoric high for which opioids are known.

Concerted Care wants to open a 9,100-square-foot clinic in the old Dollar General, next to Weis grocery store in the Woodlawn Shopping Center. The Stafford Board of Supervisors wont get the chance to weigh in on the proposal for the same reason that King George officials didnt get to rule on a proposed drug-treatment center near the Navy base in Dahlgren.

In both cases, the clinics are allowed under each countys existing commercial zoning. That means the matter wont come before the boards for reviews or public hearings.

In order to get approval, the applicants must meet other local ordinances, building codes, and in the case of the Deacon Road clinic, Concerted Care must apply for a Virginia medical license.

Supervisor Meg Bohmke, whose district includes the Deacon Road proposal, said before the meeting that she didnt want to say the clinic already was a done deal. She held the informational session Thursday to share details with concerned citizens.

The supervisor also said she understood concerns from residents in the area  where she also lives  about safety, increased crime and declining home values.

I dont disagree with anything that theyre saying, she said.

But that was little comfort for several hundred residents who said they chose to live in subdivisions along Deacon and Leeland Roads because their children could ride their bikes to nearby schools and visit friends. They worried what it will be like if those getting treatment  and drug dealers who may be preying on them  are hanging around the clinic.

Kitty Colville, a retired social worker at Stafford High School, noted that theres a high relapse rate for heroin addicts.

Theyll tell you the best place to score drugs is in the parking lot of the drug treatment center, she said, adding that if the clinic is approved, its going to forever change our community.

Residents also were upset about what resident Todd Blose called the lack of knowledge and the feeling that you dont have a say in the matter.

Several times during the three-hour meeting, audience members voiced disapproval at what was said, often calling out questions and talking over the speakers. They were particularly disturbed by two instances which audience members described as Stafford officials dropping the ball.

According to the presentation prepared by county officials, a key amendment went into effect Jan. 1 that impacted the case in Stafford County. Before that time, no treatment facility could be located within half a mile of a licensed day care center or school.

Theres one day care within the radius. Two other centers and four public schools lie within 1.5 miles of the facility.

But both houses of the General Assembly voted unanimously in 2022 to remove that half-mile radius restriction. Del. Tara Durant (R-Stafford), who also lives in the Deacon Road area, told those gathered that the request to remove the restriction came from the medical community and community services boards. She said they were having trouble finding locations for treatment clinics, which are sorely needed in the midst of the opioid epidemic.

She said the state legislature decided to remove that restriction  and leave it up to localities to put their own zoning restrictions in place.

Durant also said other localities, particularly some in southwest Virginia, put in zoning ordinances that are even more restrictive than what the state had proposed, but that it was within their right to do so.

Audience members asked why Stafford hadnt done the same.

At that point in time, we werent informed, Bohmke said. There are thousands of pieces of legislation that come through and our zoning department missed it.

That wasnt the only oversight in this case, the audience discovered. Even though the zoning for the property allows a medical clinic, adjacent property owners are still supposed to be notified, but that didnt happen, said County Administrator Randy Vosburg.

A lawyer representing Concerted Care Group wrote a letter Jan. 3, asking Staffords zoning department to determine if the clinic could operate on the property. The letter listed the intended uses: outpatient treatment for those suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues; substance abuse treatment including detoxification; treatment for serious emotional disturbances in children; disease education and counseling; and recovery support and transitional services.

The clinic would operate every day but Sunday, and patients would not stay overnight, according to the letter.

The correspondence also included, as mandated, the names and addresses of 60 people who owned adjoining property.

The zoning department determined the request fit the commercial zoning as a medical clinic, and the county was supposed to send notices to affected property owners but did not. Among the grumbles in the audience came out several similar questions, asking: Why not?

The unfortunate answer is that staff did not send out the notices, Vosburg said.

When one person in the audience asked who was responsible for the oversight, another shouted out: Can we build it in their neighborhood?

While many of those who spoke, either from the audience or during a somewhat more formal comment period, cited safety concerns for them and their families, others pointed out that a methadone clinic in a neighborhood isnt good for the patients, either. Those undergoing treatment need to be closer to medical facilities in the case of overdoses, several said.

Resident Anna Rae, a psychologist and certified substance abuse counselor, got the loudest applause from audience members when she implored county officials to please, please use her services to help find a way to move the clinic to a better location.

In her experience, she said crisis centers are the evidence-based way to go when theyre located near hospitals and medical facilities, she said.

Having the clinic in the Woodlawn Shopping Center would just continue a cycle of suffering, both for those going through addiction and residents who live near the facility.

Pockets of people stayed after the meeting to discuss some of the solutions suggested during the meeting, such as boycotting businesses in the shopping center to send a message to the property owner; organizing petition drives; and contacting state legislators.

Jeff Spinnanger urged residents to get involved with local activism, just as a group in nearby Leeland Station did almost two years ago to save trees and fences in their neighborhood.

Im sorry to say this is not the first time this happened, that the county has let us down, he said.

Bohmke and Durant said they will continue to follow the application process for the clinic. Concerted Care Group still has to be granted a medical license in Virginia, and there may be an opportunity for the county and residents to comment on the proposal as part of the process. Bohmke said shed keep residents informed and encouraged those concerned to contact her at 540/809-2857 or mbohmke@staffordcountyva.gov.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expects that during Spain's rotating presidency of the EC Council, Ukraine will be able to gain influence in Latin America.

Ukrinform reports this with reference to Reuters.

Speaking on Friday on the eve of a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Zelensky said several unspecified countries had blocked an invitation extended to him by Sanchez to take part in an EU-Latin American summit in Brussels on July 17-18.

"We have a peace formula, and Pedro has supported us a lot. He has a constant dialogue with Latin America and they listen to him, it's a fact. But I'll say frankly that some Latin American countries are blocking the decision and this invitation," he said.

"I want them not only to join the peace formula, but to stand against war," Zelensky added.

In the interview, Zelensky also asked for a concrete plan for Ukraine to join NATO.

Ukraine has been working with allies to build broad international support for a peace blueprint without territorial compromises.

Ukrainian and Western officials aim to rally a broad coalition - including major countries that have decided not to give Ukraine military aid or impose sanctions on Russia - to increase diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

As reported, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit Ukraine on the first day of Spains presidency of the EU Council. President Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that this is a historic time to start negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU.

On 1 July, Spain takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, in accordance with the system of rotation among the 27 Member States.

Photo: Presidents Office
Before the visit of Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez to Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to Spanish journalists, where he mentioned the situation at the ZNPP, the split in Russia, and Ukraines expectations from the NATO Summit in Vilnius.

It is with the visit to Ukraine that Madrid begins its six-month EU presidency. For us, it would be decisive six months regarding the start of accession negotiations. We count on Spain's support in this. We have a common task  to work with the countries of Latin America and involve as many of them as possible in the implementation of our Peace Formula, Zelensky posted on Telegram.

As reported, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ukraine on the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on more than 190 individuals and 291 legal entities.

This is stated in Presidential Decree No. 364/2023 dated July 1 "On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated July 1, 2023 "On the imposition and amendments to personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)".

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the NSDC decision.

In particular, sanctions were imposed on the Georgian Airways carrier which resumed flights to Russia; Irina Kostenko, a Russian citizen, a member of the so-called "People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic"; Tamaz Gaiashvili a citizen of Georgia, the owner of Georgian Airways; legal entities are companies registered, in particular, in Kazakhstan, Belarus, Cyprus, and Georgia.

The decree enters into force on the day of its publication.

As reported, Zelensky called on the European Union to pay more attention to countering Russia's circumvention of sanctions through third countries and to impose restrictions on the Russian nuclear industry in the next, 12th round of sanctions.
Spain supports the strengthening of Ukraine's political participation in the North Atlantic Alliance through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council and practical cooperation in the defense sector.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said this in his speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We are approaching the NATO summit in Vilnius, which will be a continuation of the commitments we made last year in Madrid. Spain supports the strengthening of Ukraine's political participation through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council, where Ukraine will no longer be an invited party, but a full member. We are also in favor of strengthening practical cooperation, continuing the adaptation of your defense sector to NATO standards," Sanchez said.

He added these are "big steps forward" that will be further discussed during the upcoming NATO summit.

"Spain will also continue to make its own contribution. We are supplying additional Leopard tanks, armored personnel carriers and a field hospital with the possibility of conducting surgical operations," Sanchez said.

Sanchez arrived in Ukraine on July 1, the first day of his country's presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have signed a joint declaration in support of Ukraine, its European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

The Ukrainian leader said this at a joint press conference with the Spanish prime minister in Kyiv on Saturday, July 1, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I am grateful for support for our movement toward NATO. This is now an obvious fact: the wider NATO is in Europe, the wider the area of peace and defense in Europe. Our joint declaration with the Prime Minister in support of Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations clearly states that security for Europe is our common priority. And our declaration today is already the 21st such document [signed] with Allies, and this is the majority," Zelensky noted.

He noted that Ukraine is counting on Spain's support during the NATO summit in Vilnius.

"Ukraine is convinced that today there are all grounds to invite Ukraine to NATO membership. This would be a very important signal that peace and security in Europe do not and will never have any alternatives," Zelensky said.

The text of the joint declaration was published on the website of the Ukrainian president. The document states, among other things, that Spain reiterates its support for the candidacy of Ukraine to join the EU, which will be among the priorities of its Presidency, and that Spain is committed to actively participate in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

Spain also expressed support for Ukraine's movement toward NATO.

"Spain supports strengthening NATO's partnership with Ukraine, including through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council as a venue to further increase and expand the ongoing cooperation to help fulfil Ukraine's path towards the Euro-Atlantic family consistent with the Bucharest Declaration. Spain reiterates its support to NATOs Open Door Policy in accordance with the 2022 NATO Strategic Concept as well as the Madrid NATO Summit Declaration," the declaration says.

Ukraine and Spain expected these issues to be addressed at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Sanchez is visiting Ukraine on July 1. He has already delivered a speech in the Verkhovna Rada and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The visit of Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez to Ukraine on the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union testifies to a new reality in which European affairs are no longer considered without Ukraine.

"Today, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez paid a visit to Ukraine. It is very symbolic  on the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This clearly testifies to a new reality. It was always impossible to imagine our common European home as complete without Ukraine. And now we have also reached the political level when European affairs are no longer considered without Ukraine," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

He noted that joint statements in support of Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration were signed with the Prime Minister of Spain.

"And this is already the 21st such statement, that is, the majority supported our prospects, in particular, in the issue of membership in the Alliance... Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Iceland, Spain, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, and Sweden. Thank you all," the President said and emphasized that he is also grateful to those states with which Ukraine does not yet have such joint statements and declarations signed.

But these countries, according to Zelensky, absolutely clearly support Ukraine on its path toward NATO and therefore support the approach of real peace in all of Europe.

As reported, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ukraine on the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
When I was in the Spotsylvania Public School system over 25 years ago, the entire focus of education was a path toward college. Classmates not on the college path would enlist in the military or probably attend one of just a handful of vocational-type classes around electrical, plumbing or carpentry. The sentiment seemed to be that the cool kids didnt go to vocational school.

The world has certainly and finally changed for the better. The school systems in the area have dramatically evolved their vocational programs, which are now referred to as CTE, or Career and Technical Education programs.

I had an opportunity to speak with Louisa County High School students in May. Their CTE programs now cover a wide variety of technology curriculum that includes computer networking, coding, video game design, robotics, 3D printing, and cybersecurity. The two-year program allows students to graduate with industry-level certifications and real-world experience.

Local nonprofits are expanding their technology education programs through a series of summer camps taking place right now.

The CyberBytes Foundation, located in Quantico Corporate Center, is in its third year of hosting weeklong camps. The campers are ages 1118. Camps range from virtual reality to building drones, a gaming computer or a robotic hand. The campers get hands-on experience and are led by industry professionals. At the end of the camps, their creations are theirs to take home.

For younger campers, Stafford-based Code Ninja is offering camps around video game development in the immensely popular Roblox and Minecraft video games. Code Ninja is also offering a camp on How to Become a YouTuber, one of the most popular career choices for students now.

One of the newest programs will be facilitated by a new organization, STEAMBridge. STEAMBridge founder Joel Scharlat said the mission is to introduce students to emerging technologies using project-based experiential learning. We challenge students to think critically and innovatively.

STEAMBridge recently won a grant to teach a technology-focused entrepreneurship course. Its free for the participants. Campers attending one of the CyberBytes programs will spend one hour a day developing a business plan for a new technology product. Campers will be grouped into teams. At the end of the week, the groups will present their business plans to a panelist of three volunteer business professionals.

I believe college is important if you are entering the hard sciences, medical field, or plan to study the law. But for many of the jobs that need to be filled, college is completely unnecessary. I took a nontraditional route to earn my degrees, attending courses on nights and weekends. But my real learning came from building my own labs when I was a network engineer earlier in my career.

In the modern world, attention spans are incredibly short. The earlier we can expose kids to a variety of subjects, with hands-on experiences, the more likely they will find a passion that they can take with them for the rest of their lives. There is an energy and excitement in the room with the kids that I have seen take the summer camps and for the students participating in the CTE programs at the schools Ive attended.

If you are a business owner, parent, or just like technology, I encourage you to get involved. I am teaming up with STEAMBridge to teach four of the entrepreneurship programs starting in mid-July. If things go well, STEAMBridge hopes to be able to expand the program.
Braslia, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2023 ) :Brazil's far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro vowed Friday to appeal a court ruling barring him from public office for eight years over unfounded attacks he had made against the country's voting system.

The ruling renders the 68-year-old ineligible to stand in the next presidential election in 2026 -- opening the contest for a new leader for Brazil's political right.

Bolsonaro was tried by the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) over claims he made in a televised meeting with foreign diplomats in July 2022, during which he claimed electronic voting machines in use since 1996 compromised election transparency.

He gave no proof for the claims he made just three months ahead of his election defeat to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Prosecutors say Bolsonaro's claims contributed to a violent invasion of the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in January by supporters angry about his electoral loss.

In a verdict that stretched over several days, five of the seven judges of the TSE in Brasilia voted to censure Bolsonaro for alleged abuses of power. Two found in his favor.

The former president told journalists the TSE decision was a "stab in the back" and he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

"I'm not dead, we're going to keep working," Bolsonaro told journalists in Belo Horizonte in Brazil's southeast -- far from the court in Brasilia.

"This is not the end of the right in Brazil," he insisted.

- 'Collective paranoia' - The lead judge on the case, Benedito Goncalves, had ruled Tuesday to convict Bolsonaro, saying he had used "violent speech and lies" that "endangered the credibility" of Brazil's electoral system.

Goncalves said the 2022 meeting "served to incite a state of collective paranoia" about elections at a time Brazil was deeply polarized.

"He instigated a belief that there was a real threat that the results of the 2022 election would be adulterated," said the judge. "It was extremely harmful to the democratic environment.

" Judge Floriano Marques was another to vote for conviction, saying Bolsonaro had acted with "electoral objectives" to "intentionally convey the idea that Brazilian elections are not clean." Justice Minister Flavio Dino on Friday stressed that "lying is not a legitimate tool for the exercise of a public function." Democracy in Brazil, he added, "passed the toughest stress test in decades." Thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the halls of power in Brasilia on January 8, trashing offices, vandalizing artworks and calling for the military to intervene to oust veteran leftist Lula -- inaugurated just a week earlier.

The scenes drew widespread comparisons to the January 6, 2021 riots in Washington, when supporters of ex-president Donald Trump -- Bolsonaro's political role model -- invaded the US Capitol building in a failed bid to overturn his election loss.

Nearly half the electorate voted for Bolsonaro in a runoff round of elections last October, but it was not enough for a win.

- Tropical Trump - Nicknamed the "Tropical Trump," Bolsonaro's presidency was tumultuous: at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that claimed more than 700,000 lives in Brazil, he mocked face masks, social distancing and vaccines, warning the jab could "turn you into an alligator." He also faced an international outcry over the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which surged on his watch.

Bolsonaro spent three months in the United States after his term ended, and has kept a low profile since returning to Brazil in March to serve as honorary president of his Liberal Party.

He faces a raft of other legal woes. Any one of five Supreme Court investigations could send him to jail -- including for allegedly inciting the Brasilia riots.

The police are also investigating claims of a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate and of diamond jewelry snuck into the country from Saudi Arabia.

His wife, Michelle, came to Bolsonaro's defense Friday, saying on Instagram: "God does not and will never lose control of anything."
Washington, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2023 ) :Ukraine's counteroffensive plans are hobbled by the lack of adequate firepower, from modern fighter jets to artillery ammunition, the country's military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said in an interview published Friday.

Zaluzhny told The Washington Post he is frustrated by the slow deliveries of promised weaponry from the West.

It "pisses me off" that some in the West complain about the slow start and progress to the long-awaited push against Russian occupying forces in the country's south, he said.

Zaluzhny said his Western supporters would not themselves launch an offensive without air superiority, but Ukraine is still awaiting F-16 fighters promised by its allies.

"I do not need 120 planes. I'm not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough," he told the newspaper.

"But they are needed. Because there is no other way. Because the enemy is using a different generation of aviation," he said.

He also complained he has a fraction of the artillery shells that Russia is firing, The Washington Post reported.

Zaluzhny said he is in constant contact with Western partners, like Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley, who are keenly aware of his needs.

But Milley alone can't make the decision, and the delays are deadly, Zaluzhny said.

"It's just that while that decision is being made, in the obvious situation, a lot of people die every day -- a lot. Just because no decision has been made yet." "This is not a show," Zaluzhny said.

"It's not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood," he said.

Speaking later Friday in Washington, Milley said the United States and allies were working hard to supply Ukraine.

"We are giving them as much help as humanly possible," he said.

Milley said the United States was still in talks on providing Ukraine with F-16s and ATACMS, precision missiles that could more than double the range Ukraine forces are able to target.

He acknowledged that some people had expressed impatience with the pace of the counteroffensive.

The counteroffensive "is advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields," Milley said.

"Sure, it goes a little slow but that is part of the nature of war," he said.

"War on paper and real war are different," he added.
The City of Fremont posted on their social media pages a reminder that residents are required to obey the citys ordinance regarding fireworks, and that safety should always be a top priority.

In a Facebook post to the Fremont Police Departments page, a reminder about Ordinance 5645 was posted. The ordinance was approved by the Fremont City Council on May 30 at the urging of Ward 4 Council Member Sally Ganem and revised the times firework can be discharged.

Under the changes, on the dates June 27 through July 3, fireworks can only be set off from noon through 11: p.m. On July 4, the ordinance allows fireworks to be discharged from 8 a.m. to midnight.

The Fremont Fire Department also included fireworks safety recommendations in the post, stating that safety and preventing any fires that may result from the use of fireworks should be the top priority of celebrants.

Among the safety recommendations were the following tips: supervise children at all times when igniting fireworks; keep a bucket of water and if possible, a fire extinguisher, easily available when blasting off fireworks; do not attempt to re-ignite a dud fuse on a failed firework; before placing a fireworks device or debris into the trash, soak it in water or spray it with water as a precaution; and do not use or ignite fireworks in any manner when under the influence of alcohol or any illegal substances.
CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2023) The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority has extended the closure of the country's airspace until July 10, the Khartoum International Airport said.

In a notice to pilots (NOTAM), the civil aviation authority said that Sudan's airspace would be closed to all flights, with the exception of humanitarian and evacuation flights, if a relevant permission is obtained from the competent authorities.

On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, with the epicenter located in the capital of Khartoum.

The parties have since introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires, but the conflict has not been settled yet.

On Friday, Malik Agar, the deputy chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, said that the Sudanese delegation had asked for Moscow's assistance in resolving the conflict in the North African country during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2023) The Ukrainian Culture Ministry has created a commission for sealing the premises of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and urged the monks of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to vacate the monastery before July 4, clerics' legal adviser Nikita Chekman said on Saturday, citing the ministry's decree.

"A commission has been created for sealing the buildings, which begins its work on July 4, 2023. In this regard, we ask you to vacate the premises and give the keys from them to the reserve. If the monastery refuses to give the keys from the buildings ... the locks will be replaced and the buildings will be sealed," the decree, posted by Chekman on Telegram, read.

Tensions between the Ukrainian government and the UOC escalated after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Kiev ordered UOC monks to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, claiming they had allegedly violated the terms of the lease. The Lavra's jurisdiction was divided between the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve and the UOC itself. Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said then the monks could stay in the Lavra if they join the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), but the monks slammed the eviction order as illegal because it was not supported by a court decision.
Bosnia's international peace overseer, Christian Schmidt, annulled two laws Saturday that the Bosnian Serb parliament had adopted that defy the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended the Balkan country's war in the 1990s.

Schmidt, who as international High Representative in Bosnia has powers to impose laws and sack obstructive officials, also amended a law so that those seen as attacking the state institutions can be criminally prosecuted.

"Recent decisions by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska directly violate the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Dayton peace agreement," Schmidt told a news conference in Sarajevo.

Schmidt was referring to lawmakers in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic who voted to suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court and stop the publishing of the peace envoy's decrees and laws in the official gazette.

The Dayton peace accords ended nearly four years of war, in which about 100,000 died, by splitting Bosnia into two autonomous regions, the Serb-dominated Serb Republic and the Federation shared by Bosniaks and Croats, linked by a weak central government.

The region's separatist pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik, who has long criticized the court for having foreign judges on board, initiated the vote after the court last week decided to change the rules to be able to convene sessions and make decisions without Serb judges.

The Serbs say they do not recognize Schmidt, who was appointed in 2021, as the high representative because the U.N. Security Council did not endorse his appointment.

"Republika Srpska will not accept a single decision of the fake high representative," Dodik, who was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption and obstructing the peace, said on Saturday.

Schmidt said that his decisions are effective immediately.

The U.S. embassy welcomed Schmidt's decisions, agreeing that he was defending the Dayton peace deal and the constitution upholding the rule of law in Bosnia.
Botswana and the London-based international diamond consortium De Beers have ended uncertainty over their long-standing partnership after announcing a 10-year extension to their diamond sales agreement.

In a joint statement released late Friday, Botswana and De Beers indicated their sales agreement has been extended until 2034, while the mining license will be in place for the next 25 years.

No value was given for the agreement and there were no further details on the allocation of rough stones, but the government and De Beers say the new deal "reflects the aspirations of the people of Botswana."

Addressing the media this week, Botswanas minerals minister, Lefoko Moagi, indicated a deal was imminent and that it would be a favorable situation for both parties.

We are making headway. We are very optimistic. We are fully aware what it means for Botswana, for De Beers and what it means to the diamond industry. We will gravitate towards something that will be a shared win, if not a win-win for all of us, Moagi said.

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi held a firm position during the negotiations, saying his country was prepared to walk away if a favorable deal were not reached.

Under the previous arrangement, Botswana was allocated 25% of rough diamonds mined through Debswana, a joint venture between the government and De Beers. Last year, De Beers obtained about 70% of its rough diamonds from Botswana.
WASHINGTON - A recent attempt by Thailand to reengage with Myanmar's junta appears to be aimed at creating an alignment with China, a close ally of the military regime in Myanmar, analysts said.

On June 19, the outgoing Thai government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former general who seized power in a 2014 military coup, hosted informal talks for foreign ministers from member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Myanmar's foreign minister, Than Swe, appointed by the military junta that seized power in February 2021, was among those who attended. Top diplomats from some other countries in the 10-member regional bloc, such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, did not.

In August 2022, foreign ministers from ASEAN member states had agreed to bar Myanmar's ruling generals from the group's meetings until they made progress on the so-called Five-Point Consensus reached in April 2021 to end the violence that engulfed Myanmar after the coup.

Protests, a civil disobedience movement and fighting continue in Myanmar.

As China is currently the second-largest aid provider to the Myanmar junta after Russia, Beijing may want the junta to restore order to stabilize the China-Myanmar border and the pipelines running through Myanmar into China, according to Paul Chambers, lecturer and special adviser on international affairs at Naresuan University in Thailand.

Thailand, which is close to China diplomatically and geographically, has sought to take a similar stance, said Chambers.

"[The] Prayut government would want to include China in any ASEAN negotiations concerning Myanmar," he said.

Sek Sophal, a researcher at the Center for Democracy Promotion at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, said Thailand's military-backed government sees China as a key player in the Myanmar issue.

The Thai government has continued to engage with Myanmar on a "business as usual" basis and has done "very little" to put pressure on the junta, Sophal said.

When asked by VOA about the informal talks hosted by Thailand, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said they were not aware of the matter and referred the question to the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar or Thailand instead and received no reply.

The United States called on Myanmar to comply with the Five-Point Consensus.

"As the secretary noted, Burma's military regime has repeatedly carried out horrific, and extensive violence against the people of Burma since the February 2021 military coup," a State Department spokesperson said last week in an email to VOA.

"We recognize and continue to welcome ASEAN's efforts to address the crisis in Burma. Given the regime's lack of progress on the Five-Point Consensus, we call on ASEAN members to hold Burma accountable for its actions," the spokesperson said.

The U.S. Treasury Department last week imposed sanctions on Myanmar's Defense Ministry and two state-owned banks, the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and the Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank.

The measure freezes any assets of the sanctioned entities that are in the U.S. or controlled by a U.S. person. It also prohibits all transactions by U.S. persons or entities carried out within or transiting the U.S. that the targeted entities would benefit from.

Chambers said that the U.S. could use its sanctions against Myanmar's junta and work with its ASEAN opponents, such as Indonesia, to slow down Bangkok's current cooperation with the junta.

"The U.S. is aware that Thailand has, since at least 2013, followed a realist policy of hedging or 'creating balance' between Beijing and Washington," he said.

After more than nine years of China-leaning rule under Prayuth, a surprise win by the Move Forward Party in the May 14 elections means Thailand is slated to have a new government installed in July, according to parliamentary procedure.

Pita Limjaroenrat, who leads the left-leaning, progressive Move Forward Party, is the front-runner to become Thailand's next premier. He has been vocal about how he would shift Thailand's foreign policy direction, including its stance on Myanmar.

"A stable Myanmar is a boon to the entire region, but if Myanmar sneezes, Thailand gets sick as well," Pita told VOA's Thai Service during an interview in April.

Educated at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pita is known to have a natural affinity for the U.S.

Analysts, however, say the Thai politician has to walk a fine line to engage constructively with China, given its economic clout and growing influence in Thailand's foreign policy.

"Thailand might have to continue to bandwagon with China for its economic interests," although Thailand has reset its foreign policy to work with the U.S.-led Western countries, said Sophal.

Chambers said a Pita-led Thailand would distance itself from China, work closely with Washington, and cease cooperating with the Myanmar junta.

Jiha Ham and Christy Lee of VOA's Korean Service contributed to this report.
Latest developments:

The United States is confident Ukraines counteroffensive against Russia is making progress despite the lack of any significant break in the Russian lines. Joint Chief of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told an audience in Washington on Friday the slow pace of Ukraines advance is part of the nature of war.

Milley also said the U.S. is openly considering providing Ukraine with cluster-munitions, long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and even some of its own F-16 fighter jets. "These things are on the table, he said. There's no decision at this point.

The U.N. expressed concern Friday that no new ships have been registered since June 26 under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine. "We call on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay," U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Moscow said Modi expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership's decisive actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last Saturday. The call comes after the U.S. and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Modi. India has yet to condemn ally Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces hit a school in Serhiivka, Donetsk oblast, on Friday, killing two members of staff and injuring six others, the regional prosecutor's office reported.



CIA Director William Burns made a secret visit to Ukraine in June. Burns met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and intelligence officials to discuss Ukraines counteroffensive strategy. Reports of the secret meetings emerged Friday. The clandestine discussions are reported to have occurred before Russian mercenary leader Yevgeniy Prigozhins thwarted rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian defense establishment.

The failure of Ukraines counteroffensive against Russian troops to make rapid advancements is not causing any panic among top U.S. military officials.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration in recent days, calling on Washington and the West to provide it more advanced weaponry to help dent Russian defensive positions and allow for Ukrainian troops to retake more territory.

However, U.S. officials remain confident Ukraines counteroffensive will make headway, even if it takes six to eight weeks before Ukrainian forces see more substantial gains.

"War on paper and real war are different, the top U.S. military commander, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, told an audience in Washington on Friday.

"That it's going slower than people predicted doesn't surprise me at all," Milley said during an appearance at the National Press Club, saying Ukrainian forces are advancing, steadily, deliberately."

"Its going to be very difficult. Its going to be very long. And its going to be very, very bloody and no one should have any illusions about any of that," he said.

Earlier Friday, Ukraines top general told The Washington Post his forces are in desperate need of ammunition and other advanced weaponry.

It pisses me off, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. This is not a show  It's not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood.

Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all, he added, criticizing the West for pushing war plans that rely on air superiority, which neither Ukraine nor Russia have been able to establish.

Zaluzhny and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on the U.S. and its other allies to provide not just tanks and armored vehicles, but cluster munitions, long-range missiles, and modern fighter jets, such as F-16s.

So far, the U.S. has been hesitant to provide Kyiv with such systems, although it has said it will allow its allies to provide Ukraine with the U.S.-made jets and is training its pilots to fly them. Washington says the focus has been on giving Ukraine systems and weapons it can immediately deploy to the front lines.

Milley said Kyivs requests were not being ignored.

"ATACMS, F-16s or anything else is in a constant review process," Milley said. "These things are on the table. There's no decision at this point."

Milley said the U.S, has also not ruled out providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, despite concerns by some allies about the nature of the bombs.

The munitions, which open in midair and drop bomblets, are opposed by a number of humanitarian groups, which say they have a high rate of failure and often lead to civilian casualties.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said Kyivs forces have successfully liberated nine settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, though the main attack is yet to come.

Northern border

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked his senior military leadership to strengthen Ukraines northern military sector after the arrival in Belarus of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"The decision  is for Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny and 'North' commander [General Serhiy] Naev to implement a set of measures to strengthen this direction," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.

Zelenskyy did not mention Wagner Group boss Prigozhin in the brief post on Telegram.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told VOA the U.S. will continue to monitor Wagner's activities wherever they are around the world, and we're going to continue to hold them properly accountable for the kinds of egregious violent, deadly and illegal conduct ... that they are still capable of conducting.

After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

Prigozhin flew from Russia into exile in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended his mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The City of Fremont bears the name of one of Americas more complicated figures: John C. Fremont, also known as the Pathfinder due to his multiple robust expeditions of the American West and Plains states.

The city chose Fremont as its name due to John C. Fremont being the first-ever Republican party nominee for president in 1856.

His historical relevance harks to one of the most critical eras of American history  from the 1830s through the 1880s  and is well documented and the subject of books, journals and historical analyses by professors and others.

An accomplished expedition-leading adventurer and mapmaker, Fremont was also a politician in the early days of California and Arizona statehood and served in the United States Army in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.

However, as the nation grapples with its complex and violent birth and past, many social justice groups, Native American Indian organizations and activists across the United States have called into question the celebration of historical figures implicated in what are now viewed as atrocities of colonialism, from slavery to the genocide of native and indigenous American Indians.

Fremont falls into that area of concern and debate, as his expeditions through the West often saw him and his military units cross paths with native tribes, leading to battles and even outright massacres of women and children. Many of the worst incidents Fremont is accused of leading were in California, where some activists have asked his name not be used in celebrations.

To make his legacy more complex, Fremont  a native Southerner  was an ardent proponent of the abolition of slavery and was a well-known advocate for freeing slaves, ending the practice of slavery and supporting Northern efforts to stop the barbaric system.

Pioneering expedition leader

Primarily known for his expeditions to the Western United States, Fremont was also an established politician who helped California reach statehood in 1850 and later helped Arizona to achieve membership in the Union.

He briefly served as the military governor of the California territory in 1847 before serving as a shadow senator for California from 1849 until the day after California was admitted to the Union on Sept. 9, 1850.

After California became a state, Fremont was elected as an official senator, serving through 1851. From 1878-1881, he served as the territorial governor of the Arizona Territory.

Before those political endeavors, Fremont led five expeditions westward through Kansas and Western Nebraska before veering through Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, California and Arizona.

That legacy of pioneering mapmaker and intrepid explorer led many cities across the United States to take his last name for their communities, including here in Nebraska as well as Fremont, Ohio; the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle; and Fremont, California.

Fremont led a unique and eventful life from his birth in Savannah, Georgia, to a French emigre father and Virginia-raised mother. His childhood was marked by moves through the Deep South in the pre-Civil War era before he attended college in Charleston, South Carolina. A stint as a naval navigator and mentorship with a prominent anti-slavery friend  led him to begin exploring land from Tennessee to Ohio in his first forays as a mapmaker.

According to the Wikipedia page dedicated to Fremont, he briefly served in the U.S. Navy as a math teacher on board a sloop before joining the U.S. Topographical Corps, surveying a route for the Charleston, Louisville, and Cincinnati railroad."

It was Fremonts many expeditions westward that garnered him the most respect and historical acknowledgements, journeys that helped pave the way for decades of migration by pioneers, construction of the Transcontinental Rail Road, but also the massacre of native peoples across many regions.

According to a historical biography of Fremont done by Nebraska Public Media for their nebraskastudies.org website, Fremont began his first expedition after getting $30,000 from the U.S. Congress in 1841 to survey what was the Oregon Trail.

Guided by Kit Carson and assisted with mapping by German-born cartographer Charles Preuss, Fremont conducted the first of two surveys from mid-June to mid-October of 1842. Upon his return to Washington, DC, he and his wife, Jesse Benton Fremont, prepared the official report to Congress, historians with the Nebraska Public Media wrote.

Fremonts wife  Jessie Benton  was the daughter of U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri, a powerful politician of the era, who NPM historians wrote, was anxious to have the United States expand beyond the Great Bend in the Missouri River at Kansas City.

Fremont led five expeditions to explore the West between 1842-1853. The 1842 trip was in some ways most significant, because it outlined the Platte Valley South Pass route that would be used by most California-and Oregon-bound emigrants, NPM historians wrote on their website report. Seven maps were drawn that traced the 1842 journey. Printed in 1846, the maps are based on Fremonts field journal, as well as sketches and notes by topographer Charles Preuss.

Fremont also had a checkered history in the U.S. military, and according to an Encyclopedia Britannica entry about his life, he was, appointed a major general of Union troops in Missouri after the American Civil War began, but he proved to be an ineffective leader. He was also removed of his command once, and unsuccessfully court martialed.

Further, in August 1861 he ordered the confiscation of the property of Missourians in rebellion as well as the emancipation of the states slaves. President Abraham Lincoln, believing those actions to be premature and fearing that they would alienate Border States, relieved Fremont of his command shortly thereafter, the Encyclopedia Britannica entry reads.

The next year, Fremont was given leadership of another army  this time in the Appalachian region  but he proved ineffective against the rapid maneuvers of his opponent, the Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson, Encyclopedia Britannica historians wrote. After losing command of his army to a rival, John Pope, Fremont again angrily resigned from the military. He was still popular enough to be considered for the presidential nomination again in 1864 by the radical wing of the Republican Party.

Some historians and social justice advocates have recently questioned the celebration of Fremont, citing numerous massacres of indigenous, native-American Indian peoples during his explorations  notably in California.

Retired history professor Ternot Macrenato wrote in a January 2023 opinion piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune that efforts to celebrate Fremont by the City of San Diego were inappropriate and should be revisited. His column came on the heels of a city celebration which featured banners bearing Fremonts portrait.

When he first entered California, he was on a mission from the federal government to try to organize a revolt that would include American colonists already settled there. These activities led to his expulsion by the local Mexican authorities, Macrenato wrote in the Union-Tribune submission.

Undaunted, he returned as a major in the U.S. Army, and during his expedition to California, Fremont and his men killed an untold number of peaceful Native Americans. On April 15, 1846, Fremont and his men killed hundreds of Wintu, mostly women and children...., Macrenato wrote.

Fremont was reported to be involved in other deadly acts as well.

Following his Western exploits and political adventures, Fremont utilized the wealth he had built from the Gold Rush era mining he had invested in and relocated to New York City.

He died of peritonitis at his New York City home on Sunday, July 13, 1890. He was 77.
BANGKOK - A Hong Kong radio station shut down Friday, citing the citys dangerous political situation.

Citizens Radio, a Cantonese-language station, said it was forced to close after officials blocked it from accessing funds via crowdsourcing and donations.

The closure came on the third anniversary of Hong Kong's enactment of its national security law, which roughly a dozen other media outlets have cited for their decisions to close since 2020.

Separately, Hong Kong officials denied entry to a freelance journalist from Japan. The journalist, Yoshiaki Ogawa, was cited in media reports saying he was not given a clear explanation, other than he could not be granted permission to stay.

VOA emailed the National Security Bureau for comment but as of publication had not received a response.

Red lines everywhere

Founded in 2005 by former pro-democracy legislator Tsang Kin-shing, Citizens Radio was known for its politically hard-hitting talk shows, advocacy for press freedom and hosting of several pro-democracy figures.

In a Facebook statement last week, Tsang said there were red lines everywhere in Hong Kong, that the political situation was dangerous and that it had become difficult to invite guests on the show.

Tsang added that the Citizens Radio bank account had been blocked, and that the station could afford the rent only until August, which forced the broadcaster to discontinue. Citizens Radio had been dependent on donations to stay online.

Mark Lee, a host for Citizens Radio for the past seven years, told VOA the closure came quite suddenly.

After we knew that our Hang Seng [bank] account has been frozen, I knew our days are numbered. When I received the message from Mr. Tsang, I wasnt surprised, Lee said.

It is harder and harder to get funding nowadays because there are a lot of red lines. Operation difficulties, we dont know what we can talk about and not talk about. Many of our potential guests are maybe afraid to come to the radio station to [be on the] program, Lee added. Since 2020 this has caused a lot of difficulties [for] sustainable operation. I will say this [is] maybe a death [by] a thousand cuts. Citizens Radio is just one of them.

Chilling effect

Media analysts and journalists in Hong Kong have been vocal about the chilling effect that they say the national security law has had on journalism.

Beijing imposed the law, which prohibits acts deemed as secession, subversion or foreign collusion, following the anti-government protests in 2019.

Hong Kong authorities have used that and a colonial-era sedition law to arrest more than 250 people, including pro-democracy politicians, activists and journalists.

Beijing insists the law is necessary to stabilize the city from civil unrest.

Hong Kongs Security Bureau has previously told VOA, Hong Kong residents enjoy the freedoms of the press and speech, but that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are not absolute and can be restricted for reasons including protection of national security in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Journalists, like everyone else, have an obligation to abide by all the laws.

Hong Kong was once a model for press freedom in Asia. Since the security law came into force, however, at least 12 other media outlets have closed, including pro-democracy outlets like Apple Daily and Stand News.

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, jailed since the end of 2020, faces the possibility of life imprisonment at his latest trial, slated for September, in which three handpicked national security judges will weigh allegations of foreign collusion.

Repeatedly targeted

Since its creation, Citizens Radio has operated as a pirate radio station after applications for radio licences were denied. The station, which has long been a target of pro-Beijing supporters, was accused of illegal broadcasting in 2009.

In 2016, authorities raided the station after it was suspected of using an illegal radio transmitter for its FM broadcasting. And in 2019, masked men barged into the station wielding bats after smashing through its front door.

Citizens Radio is one of the first civil-led radio and online radio stations in Hong Kong, Michael Mo, a former district official in Hong Kong, told VOA. They challenged the constitutionality of the Telecommunication Ordinance, which in their view restricted freedom of speech through a high threshold radio-licensing system.

Mo added that the station had an impact on Hong Kongs civil society, and that its staff had worked tremendously hard to stay in business this long.

On the impact of civil society, they nurtured another group of civil-led radio in 2009 and nurtured many activists who later turned active in politics, he told VOA. After the 2019 protests and [national security law], some of their hosts were jailed, and it is hard to find guests who dare to speak.

It made them tremendously hard to operate nowadays, he added. Indeed, other online channels in Hong Kong are facing exactly the same thing.

Lee, the Citizens Radio host, added that although its last show aired Thursday, he is hopeful that the stations programming can continue in an online format.

Our radio frequency is used by the government, he said. Since our audience largely comes from older generations, many of them do not know how to use YouTube. Therefore, we have lost a lot of our audience.

Nowadays if we have content, you can publish it on the web, he added. The FM radio station is not a must to broadcast our message. Some of the hosts may start a new YouTube channel.

Irreplaceable

Ronson Chan, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, calls the closure a reflection of the citys tough media environment.

On behalf of the journalists association, we hope that there are diversified voices in Hong Kong, Chan said. Its quite sad we lost an independent media outlet today. We think it is not easy to operate, and they tried their best to survive. It can reflect how tough the situation and environment [is] for the media in Hong Kong today.

Cedric Alviani, East Asia director for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said the shuttering of Citizens Radio is an irreplaceable loss.

For nearly two decades, Citizens Radio has been an emblematic contributor to Hong Kongs independent broadcasting landscape, and its shutdown will cause an irreplaceable loss, said Alviani in an RSF statement.

We urge the government to stop its policy of harassment against independent media outlets, which have already significantly damaged the territory's international image since the enactment of the national security law.

Hong Kong is ranked 140th out of 180 on the RSF press freedom index, where No. 1 reflects the best media environment. The watchdog says Hong Kong has suffered a unprecedented setback since the law was enforced.
Latest developments: After a break of almost two weeks, Russia launched a drone attack Sunday on Kyiv, Reuters reports. There have been no reports of casualties or damage.

The United States is confident Ukraines counteroffensive against Russia is making progress despite the lack of any significant break in the Russian lines. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told an audience in Washington Friday the slow pace of Ukraines advance is part of the nature of war.

Milley also said the U.S. is openly considering providing Ukraine with cluster-munitions, long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles and even some of its own F-16 fighter jets. "These things are on the table, he said. There's no decision at this point.

The U.N. expressed concern Friday that no new ships have been registered since June 26 under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine. "We call on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay," U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Moscow said Modi expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership's decisive actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last Saturday. The call comes after the U.S. and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Modi. India has yet to condemn ally Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces hit a school in Serhiivka, Donetsk oblast, on Friday, killing two members of staff and injuring six others, the regional prosecutor's office reported.

Ukraine has published a package of sanctions against 300 legal entities and almost 200 individuals, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his daily address. The president said the sanctions against individuals are not only Russian citizens, but anyone in the world who helps the aggressor. Ukrainian officials reported more civilian casualties from Russian shelling in the countrys east and south Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraines fight to dislodge invading Russian forces.

In an address to Ukraine's parliament that received several standing ovations, Sanchez said, Well be with you as long as it takes.

I am here to express the firm determination of the European [Union] and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine, he said on the day that Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.

At a later news conference with Zelenskyy, Sanchez announced Spain would deliver more heavy weaponry to Ukraine including four Leopard tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as a portable field hospital. He also said Spain will provide an additional 55 million euros to help with reconstruction needs.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, regional officials reported that at least three civilians were killed and 17 wounded by Russian shelling Friday and overnight in the front-line eastern Donetsk region, where fierce battles are raging, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that fierce clashes continued in three areas in Donetsk where it said Russia has massed troops and attempted to advance. It named the outskirts of three cities  Bakhmut, Lyman and Marinka  as front-line hot spots.

Five people including a child were wounded Friday and overnight in the Kherson region in the south, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Prokudin said that Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket attacks on the province, which is cut in two by a stretch of the 1,500-kilometer front line and still reeling from flooding unleashed by the collapse earlier this month of a major Dnipro River dam.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian shelling over the previous day wounded a 57-year-old civilian man, said Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. In the Sumy region farther west, a teenage boy was hurt in a strike from across the Russian border, the local military administration reported.

Referring to possible peace talks, Sanchez said that only Ukraine can set the terms and times for peace negotiations. Other countries and regions are proposing peace plans. Their involvement is much appreciated, but, at the same time, we cant accept them entirely.

This is a war of aggression, with an aggressor and a victim. They cannot be treated equally and ignoring the rules should in no way be rewarded. That is why that is why we support President Zelenskyys peace formula, Sanchez added.

Zelenskyy at the news conference expressed frustration about the lack of clarity over Western training for Ukrainian fighter pilots. He said Western allies have not yet set a timetable to train pilots on U.S.-made F-16s despite their expressions of readiness. "I think that some partners are delaying this process, why they do this I have no idea, he said.

He also renewed Ukraine's claim that Russia is prepared to cause a potential nuclear catastrophe at the Moscow-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as Ukraine continues to make steady advances along the front line.

Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station that could cause an emission of dangerous substances in the air. We are clearly communicating, we discussed the need with our partners, so everyone understands why Russia is doing this, he said.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized Saturday for his country's role in slavery and asked for forgiveness in a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

The king's speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the country's role in the slave trade and slavery. It is part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that have been spurred in recent years by the Black Lives Matter movement.

In an emotional speech, Willem-Alexander referred to Ruttes apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: "Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul."

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

"But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity," he said.

Willem-Alexander's voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the country's national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Some people want action to back up the words.

"Honestly, I feel good, but I am still looking forward to something more than just apologies. Reparations, for example," said 28-year-old Doelja Refos.

"I don't feel like we're done. We're definitely not there yet," Refos added.

Former lawmaker John Leerdam told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he felt tears running down his cheeks as the king apologized.

"It's a historic moment and we have to realize that," he said.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863, but most of the enslaved laborers were forced to continue working on plantations for a further 10 years. Saturday's commemoration and speech mark the start of a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of July 1, 1873.

Research published last month showed that the king's ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of $595 million from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Rutte apologized in December, he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a $217 million fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the issue.

That isn't enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the king's speech Saturday under the banner "No healing without reparations."

"A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations," said Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas.

Marchers wore colorful traditional clothing in a Surinamese celebration of the abolition of slavery. Enslaved people were banned from wearing shoes and colorful clothes, organizers said.

"Just as we remember our forefathers on this day, we also feel free, we can wear what we want, and we can show the rest of the world that we are free." said Regina Benescia-van Windt, 72.

The Netherlands' often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands aren't alone in apologizing for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed "deepest regrets" for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the church's role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signaled support for research into the U.K. monarchy's ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery, but haven't acknowledged the crown's connections to the trade.

Willem-Alexander acknowledged that not everybody in the Netherlands supports apologies but called for unity.
If you logged onto social media over the past few months, you may have seen it  a video of the Russian Embassy on a gray, overcast day in Washington with the sounds of passing cars and buses in the background.

A man's voice asks in English, "Do you want to change your future?" Russian subtitles appear on the bottom of the screen and the narrator makes note of the first anniversary of "Russia's further invasion of Ukraine."

As somber music begins to play, the camera pans to the left and takes the viewer down Wisconsin Avenue, to the Adams Morgan Metro station and on through Washington, ending at FBI headquarters, a few blocks from the White House.

"The FBI values you. The FBI can help you," FBI Assistant Director Alan Koehler says as the video wraps up, Russian subtitles still appearing on the screen. "But only you have the power to take the first step."

The video, put out by the FBI's Washington Field Office, first appeared as a posting on the field office's Twitter account on February 24. Another five versions started the same day as paid advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, costing the bureau an estimated $5,500 to $6,500.

That money may seem like a pittance for a government agency with an annual budget of more than $10 billion, but it was not the first nor the last time the FBI spent money to court Russian officials.

The video is part of an expansive, long-running campaign by the FBI to use social media advertisements to recruit disgruntled Russian officials stationed across the United States and beyond, in part to sniff out Americans who have betrayed their country in order to aid Moscow.

A VOA analysis finds the FBI has paid tens of thousands of dollars, at minimum, to multiple platforms for social media ads targeting Russian officials, with the pace of such ad buys increasing just before and then after Moscow launched its latest invasion of Ukraine.

Multiple former U.S. counterintelligence officials who spoke to VOA about the FBI's efforts described the advertising as money well spent.

The FBI wants to find well-placed Russian officials who can "help identify where American spies may be," said Douglas London, a three-decade veteran of the CIA's Clandestine Service.

"It seeks Russian agents to catch and convict American spies and Russian illegals," he told VOA, describing the mission as a part of the bureau's DNA.

Another veteran CIA official, Jim Olson, agreed, telling VOA the goal of the FBI's outreach to Russian officials is unmistakable.

"I call that hanging out the shingle," said Olson, a former counterintelligence chief.

"For every American traitor, every American spy, there are members of that intelligence service who know the identity of that American or know enough about what the production is to give us a lead in doing the identification," Olson said.

'All available tools'

The FBI declined to comment directly on its decision to spend several thousand dollars to run the two-minute-long video as an ad on Facebook and Instagram, simply saying it "uses a variety of means" to gather intelligence.

"The FBI will evaluate all available tools to protect the national security interests of the United States," the FBI's Washington Field Office told VOA in an email. "And we will use all legal means available to locate individuals with information that can help protect the United States from threats to our national security."

Some of the FBI's earlier forays into social media advertising did get some public attention, first in October 2019 and then again in March of last year.

However, a review of publicly available data indicates the bureau's use of social media for counterintelligence is more expansive than previously understood.

According to data in the Meta Ad Library, which contains information on Facebook and Instagram ads dating back to May 2018, the FBI and its field offices have so far spent just under $40,000 on ads targeting Russian speakers, generating as many as 6.9 million views.

While most of the ads targeted specific locations, like Washington and New York, some were seen much further afield, getting views across much of the United States and even in countries like Spain, Poland, Nigeria, France and Croatia.

It would also appear the FBI's paid ads ran on platforms other than Meta.

Nicholas Murphy, a 20-year-old second-year student at Georgetown University in Washington, was in his dorm room last March searching for news about Russia's invasion of Ukraine when he saw an ad on YouTube, the video-sharing social media platform owned by Google.

"[It was] just text with a kind of a strange like background to it  all in Russian," said Murphy, a Park City, Utah, native who does not speak Russian and who used a translator app to decipher the ad.

"At the time I didn't know if it was coming from the Russian government, if it was coming from our government, if it was kind of propaganda, if it was fake," Murphy told VOA. "It conjured up a lot of thoughts about Russian influence over Facebook ads in the [2016 U.S.] election."

Murphy said he came across the ad another two to three times over the ensuing weeks. And, it turned out, he was not alone. A handful of other students were also starting to see some of the ads, including a couple of classmates in a Russian literature class.

Just how many ads the FBI paid to run on YouTube, or via Google, is unclear.

A search of Google's recently launched Ad Transparency Center shows the FBI paid to run the Russian language version of its two-minute-long video most recently on April 28. But the database only shows information for the past 30 days and Google says it does not share information on advertiser spending.

It is also unclear whether the FBI paid to run any ads on Twitter in addition to pushing out information through its own Twitter accounts. Twitter responded to an email from VOA requesting information with its now standard poop emoji.

The FBI itself refused to provide details regarding the scope of its social media advertising efforts although the Washington Field Office did acknowledge to VOA via email that it uses "various social media platforms."

The Washington Field Office also defended its use of social media advertising despite indications that the ads themselves, like the one seen by Georgetown University student Nicholas Murphy, do not always reach the intended audience.

"The FBI views these efforts as productive and cost effective," the FBI's Washington Field Office told VOA. The office declined to be more specific about whether any spies have been identified as a result of the ads.

"Russia has long been a counterintelligence threat to the U.S. and the FBI will continue to adapt our investigative and outreach techniques to counter that threat and others," it said. "We will use all legal means available to locate individuals with information that can help protect the United States from threats to our national security."

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to calls or emails from VOA seeking comment about the FBI's use of social media advertisements to target Russian officials in the U.S. But Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov did respond to a March 2022 article by The Washington Post about FBI efforts to send ads to cell phones outside the Russian Embassy in Washington.

"Attempts to sow confusion and organize desertion among the staff of @RusEmbUSA are ridiculous," Antonov was quoted as saying in a tweet by the embassy's Twitter account.

Some former U.S. counterintelligence officials, though, argue Russia has reason to be worried.

"I think people will come out of the woodwork," said Olson, the former CIA counterintelligence chief.

FBI agents "see what we all see, and that is that there must be a subset of Russian intelligence officers, SVR officers, GRU officers, who are disillusioned by what's going on," he told VOA.

"I think some good Russians are embarrassed, shocked, ashamed of what Putin is doing in Ukraine, killing brother and sister Slavs. And I think that there will be people who would like to strike back against that."

London, the longtime CIA Clandestine Services official and author of The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence, likewise believes the FBI's persistent efforts to reach disgruntled Russians on social media will pay off.

"Generally, the Russians who have worked with us have done so out of patriotism  they were upset with the government," he said.

And the Russian officials that the FBI hopes to reach just need a bit of nudge.

"They're aiming this at Russians who are already there mentally but just haven't crossed," London said, adding it is not a coincidence that many of the FBI ads show Russians exactly how to get in touch, whether via encrypted communication apps like Signal or by walking right up to the bureau's front door.

"They're not doing metaphors here," he said. "They don't want anything subject to interpretation."

Even the language used by the FBI appears to be designed to build trust.

"It's very much not native," according to Bradley Gorski, with Georgetown University's Department of Slavic Languages.

But given the overall quality of the language in the ads, Gorski said it is quite possible all of it is intentional.

"It might be a canny strategy on their part," he said of the FBI. "If they are reaching out to Russian speakers and want to both communicate with them but let them know who is communicating with them is not a Russian speaker, but is a sort of American doing their best, then this kind of outreach with a little bit stilted, though correct, Russian might communicate that actually better than fully native sort of fluent speech."

Whether the FBI's spending on social media advertisements is achieving the desired results is hard to gauge. Public metrics such those provided by social media companies like Meta can give a sense of how many people are seeing the ads, and where they are, but do not shed much light on who is ultimately interacting with the ads to the point of a response.

When pressed, FBI officials tell VOA only that the bureau views the ad campaigns as productive.

Others agree.

"Relative to the hardcore military aid the U.S. has provided, that's a small chunk of change," said Jason Blazakis, a senior research fellow at The Soufan Center, a global intelligence firm.

And Blazakis, who also directs the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, thinks the FBI's social media ads might be having an impact even if few Russian officials ever come forward with information.

"Part of it is also messaging to the broader Russian public," he told VOA, pointing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "There is this influence operational component to it, part of this PR [public relations] battle that is happening on the periphery of the conflict."
Germanys Federal Administrative Court has upheld a determination that activities conducted by the Islamic Center in the city of Hamburg, known as the Blue Mosque, are those of an "extremist Islamic organization." Acting on an objection and complaint lodged by the Islamic Center against action by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany, the Administrative Court of Hamburg on Friday upheld the categorization of the center's activities as "Islamic extremism." In both 2018 and 2019, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution identified activities of the Blue Mosque as falling under the classification of "extremist Islamist organizations." After conducting two oral hearings in April and May of this year, the Administrative Court of Hamburg issued its written verdict addressing the complaint filed by the Islamic Center. The court's ruling acknowledges a partial acceptance of the plaintiffs' complaint, leading to the prohibition of publishing specific sections of the report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

In a recent letter addressed to Nancy Faeser, the minister of the Interior of Germany, the Secular Islamic Association has called for the immediate cessation of cooperation with the Central Council of Muslims.



The Secular Islamic Association has cited the Islamic Center of Hamburg membership, classified as an "extremist center" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the reason behind its request for the immediate termination of cooperation with the Central Council of Muslims.



The letter said the Islamic Center of Hamburg is also engaged in disseminating anti-Semitism, promoting the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and conducting surveillance on Iranian citizens in exile.



According to the German newspaper Die Welt and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Islamic Center of Hamburg is recognized as a representative of an Islamic regime that contradicts the constitution's values.



The Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers the Islamic Center of Hamburg responsible for managing the Imam Ali Mosque in the Alster area, as a hub for the Iranian government in Europe. It has been under surveillance for several decades.



Last November, Hamburg's local authorities expelled Seyed Soleiman Mosavi-Far, the deputy of the Islamic Center, accusing him of close affiliations with terrorist organizations.



Among the accusations against Mosavi-Far were his support of extremist and terrorist Shia organizations and his sharing of promotional videos on Facebook for the same purpose.



German authorities alleged that in addition to his involvement and support for extremist and terrorist Shia organizations, Mosavi-Far had connections with two organizations engaged in financial assistance, which were found to have links to representatives of Hezbollah in Lebanon.



Mosavi-Far was allegedly actively involved in sharing promotional videos and photos of Hezbollah on Facebook and he paid tribute to the casualties of the organization on the platform.



Despite a court order to leave Germany, Mosavi-Far, using his children's education as a reason, remained in the country until the last moment but ultimately returned to Iran.
A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper said, raising concerns over the city's shrinking press freedoms.

The Japan Times, a prominent English-language newspaper, reported Friday that a freelance journalist was taken by officials to a room after arriving at the city's airport Thursday evening. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in the financial hub, was later interviewed for around an hour, it said.

Ogawa said officials only told him that he could not be granted permission to stay in the city and he was sent back to Tokyo on Friday, the report said.

It "truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed  this would have been unthinkable before, Ogawa was quoted as saying in the report.

In an email reply to The Associated Press, the Immigration Department in Hong Kong did not confirm the events and refused to comment on individual cases. It added the department acts in accordance with the laws and policies in handling each immigration case.

The entry denial has raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's press freedom, which was once a hallmark of the former British colony.

Hong Kong returned to China's rule in 1997 and was promised the right to retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover, but its press scene drastically shrank after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.

The law was introduced after the pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has prosecuted many leading Hong Kong activists, including Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, and other top management staffers at the newspaper.

The Japan Times said Ogawa has been closely following Hong Kong issues since 2014 and covered the 2019 movement but he did not plan to write anything about the city during his trip.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders tweeted Friday it was appalled at Ogawa's ordeal.

Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the groups latest World Press Freedom Index released in May. The watchdog said the city has experienced an unprecedented setback since 2020, when the security law was introduced.
Canada is engaged in a losing race to keep up with an unprecedented level of demand for rental housing, leaving a record number of new immigrants to scramble for a place to live.

In several of the country's major cities, including Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax, vacancy rates stand at 1% or lower. In Toronto, the nation's largest city, the rate is only slightly better at 1.8%, with monthly rents averaging more than $2,260.

"When we say Canada has a housing crisis, we mean it," said Lisa Hayhurst, chair of the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, chapter of social justice organization ACORN, in a statement emailed to VOA.

"Unaffordable housing has for years been a reality for low income renters. Now it is so bad that it is crippling for even some middle income renters. People on fixed incomes without subsidies are out of options.

"Seeing people living in tents is a common sight in parks across the country," Hayhurst continued. "New Canadians are quickly realizing that they can't afford an apartment on the low-wages they earn. Something has to give."

Canadian bank RBC predicts that the current unmet demand could quadruple by 2026, warning that there needs to be faster construction of rental housing. But it is not clear how that can be achieved.

The Financial Post newspaper reports that 2022 was a banner year for rental housing construction, with 70,000 units completed, "the highest rate of completion in almost a decade." But experts told the Post that annual construction will need to increase by 20% to avoid an even more serious shortage.

Among the groups most affected by the housing crisis are immigrants  often referred to as "new Canadians" or "newcomers"  who are being admitted to the country in record numbers, partly in response to a post-pandemic labor shortage.

The Canadian immigration department has set a target of admitting 465,000 permanent residents for this year, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in 2025. Altogether that would boost the total population, now at 38.5 million, by almost 4%.

Carolyn Whitzman, a University of Ottawa professor who has studied the issue, said only single mothers with children are more likely than new migrants and refugees to end up in crisis-level housing need.

She told VOA that Canada is offering life in the biggest Canadian cities to migrants, including students whom the country needs to prop up its universities in the face of declining enrollment. But, she said, this is proving to be "a false promise."

An example of what many new Canadians are experiencing was described by Setareh, a single 41-year-old public relations professional who arrived in Toronto from Tehran a year and a half ago.

"Last August, I began searching for a one-bedroom apartment and encountered what I believe to be one of the most challenging periods in recent years, exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic," said Setareh, who asked for privacy reasons to be identified by only her first name.

"Numerous individuals outbid me on every apartment I considered. Furthermore, as a newcomer, I lacked a credit history, a vital requirement for landlords. Despite offering to pay six months' rent in advance, along with the last month, I found myself competing against a few individuals willing to pay an entire year's rent upfront. As you may know, newcomers often have limited budgets.

"I reached a point where I had to increase my budget, consider alternative locations, and lower my expectations," she said.

Shashank Mutalik, a 37-year-old marketing professional, encountered many of the same problems when seeking rental housing for his family of three in Vancouver.

"As newcomers you have no past landlord references in the country and with no one to vouch for you," Mutalik said.

"As a newcomer you aren't earning that well and the rent forces you to consume your settlement funds very, very quickly. What's more you get outpriced  decent apartments routinely get offered higher than asking rent, and you are left gasping trying to match the more established competition looking for rentals."

Mutalik told VOA that his family was rejected from all 35 apartments they have applied to so far and was lucky to find temporary housing while continuing the search.

As difficult as it is for immigrants, native-born Canadians are also frustrated by the housing shortage and rising rents, a problem that has been years in the making, according to Kate Choi, a Western University professor who wrote about the rent crisis in the popular progressive publication The Conversation.

"There's quite a bit of work that suggests over the past few decades, the housing shortage has been partly generated by the fact that the supply of housing has not kept pace with the demand in housing and the growth of population, particularly metropolitan areas," Choi told VOA.

She noted the rapid growth in major population centers, "whether from internal migration of Canadians or international migrants."

"That usually has the benefit of filling a lot of the labor shortages that exist in different areas," she said. "But in places that there is a housing shortage, it is possible that you will have more people needing housing. The best way to mitigate is to take active steps to build more housing."

Whitzman outlined several policy changes that she believes could ease the crisis, including changes to tax laws that would incentivize property owners to build more housing rather than simply waiting for properties to appreciate in value.

She also called for various levels of government to make a major investment in social housing  a term that applies to a range of models involving some degree of public financing and management of rental properties.

"By social housing I mean housing outside the private market," Whitzman explained. "Public housing provided by provincial or municipal government, community housing by nonprofit organizations [including supportive housing], and co-operative housing are the three main categories. Of 650,000 social homes in Canada, 600,000 date from before 2000."
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Saturday gave their backing to an exiled Iran opposition movement, slamming what it called Western appeasement of Iran's clerical authorities.

They addressed a meeting outside Paris of the People's Mujahedin (MEK) group, as thousands of supporters of the group staged a rally in the center of the French capital that had initially been banned by the police.

Outlawed by Tehran, MEK is a controversial Iranian resistance group. It was once listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States for its alleged killing of U.S. personnel in Iran during the 1970s and for its ties to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Recognizing the groups rejection of violence, the State Department delisted MEK in late 2012 but voiced ongoing concerns about its alleged mistreatment of its members, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

The MEK and its political wing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) are far from having universal support among the Iranian diaspora but are backed by several high-profile former U.S. and European officials.

Pence, vice president under Donald Trump who is now challenging his former boss for the Republican nomination, told a conference in Auvers-sur-Oise outside Paris that the "Iranian regime has never been weaker than it is today" in the wake of the protest movement that erupted in September.

"This is not just another protest but the beginning of a revolution for freedom," he said, adding: "One of the biggest lies the ruling regime has sold to the world is that there is no alternative."

"No oppressive regime can last forever," said Pence who addressed the meeting in person and last year met the MEK's leader Maryam Rajavi at its headquarters in Albania.

"We are seeing a rising threat from authoritarian regimes across the world," said Truss, Britain's shortest-term prime minister, pointing to the China of Xi Jinping and Russia of Vladimir Putin.

"These regimes have been emboldened as the free world has not done enough. I will never give up hope for a free and democratic Iran."

"Democracy is under threat around the world. Now is the time to turn our backs on accommodation and appeasement," she said.

Trump's former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, another prominent supporter of the group, also warned by video link against making any new deal with Tehran on its nuclear drive saying it would be a "calamity for the Iranian people and the world."

Other prominent MEK supporters present included former Canadian Premier Stephen Harper and Guy Verhofstadt, an ex-Belgian prime minister and prominent member of the European Parliament.

Paris police had angered the group last week by saying their rally had been banned because of the risk of tensions with other Iranian factions and the danger of an attack.

But the Paris administrative court overturned the ban.
BASRA, IRAQ - Thousands of followers of a firebrand Iraqi Shiite cleric rallied in major cities in Iraq on Friday, condemning the burning of a Quran during a protest in Sweden earlier this week. Some of the demonstrators called for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq.

At rallies in Baghdad and Basra, followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, a cleric and political leader with a large grassroots following, burned Swedish flags and rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flags and chanted Yes, yes to Islam and No, no to the devil.

Addressing the crowds in a speech in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, Friday prayers preacher Sayyid Sattar Batat called on Iraqi authorities to, if necessary, expel the Swedish ambassador and cut all diplomatic relations with them.

The protests came a day after hundreds of protesters briefly stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.

On Wednesday, a man who identified himself in Swedish media as a refugee from Iraq burned a Quran outside a mosque in central Stockholm.

An Iraqi security official said the man was an Iraqi Christian who had previously fought in a Christian unit of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of mostly Shiite militias that were incorporated into the countrys armed forces in 2016.

Swedish police had authorized the protest, citing freedom of speech, after a previous decision to ban a similar protest was overturned by a Swedish court.

The act, coming during the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, drew widespread condemnation in the Muslim world. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Thursday that the incident would pose another obstacle to Swedens bid for NATO membership.

Iraqi officials have called on Sweden to extradite the man who had burned the Quran for prosecution in Iraq.
Russian shelling has killed three people and injured 17 others in Ukraines southern and eastern regions, Ukrainian officials reported Saturday morning. The civilian casualties come as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits Kyiv in a show of support.

Three people died and 10 more suffered wounds Friday in the front-line eastern Donetsk region, where fierce battles are raging, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said Saturday.

The Ukrainian General Staff says intense battles were ongoing in three areas in Donetsk where it cited large numbers of Russian troops attempting to take territory. Authorities on social media said the perimeters of Bakhmut, Lyman and Marinka are seeing clashes, and that Russia had tried unsuccessfully Friday to advance there.



Five people, including a child, were wounded Friday and overnight in the Kherson region in the south, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. He reported that Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket strikes on the province, which is divided by a stretch of the 1,500-kilometer front line and still recovering from flooding unleashed in June by the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian shelling Friday wounded a 57-year-old civilian man, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. In the Sumy region farther west, a teenage boy was hurt in a strike from across the Russian border, the local military administration reported.



As the fighting rages and Ukraines counteroffensive continues, Sanchez, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency, is underscoring the EUs unwavering backing as Ukraines leader has complained about the slow delivery of Western weapons.

Sanchez is reassuring Ukraine it has the support of the European Union. The Spanish prime minister posted on Twitter, We will keep supporting the Ukrainian people until peace returns to Europe.



Amid this backdrop, it has been learned that CIA Director William Burns made a visit to Ukraine in June. Burns met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and intelligence officials to discuss Ukraines counteroffensive strategy. Reports of the meetings emerged Friday.



The clandestine discussions are reported to have occurred before Russian mercenary leader Yevgeniy Prigozhins thwarted rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian defense establishment.



Burns reportedly called Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin this week to assure the Kremlin the United States was not involved in last weeks aborted mutiny by the Wagner Groups Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The slow pace of Ukraines counteroffensive against Russian troops is not causing any panic among top U.S. military officials.

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration in recent days, calling on Washington and the West to provide it more advanced weaponry to help dent Russian defensive positions and allow Ukrainian troops to retake more territory.

U.S. officials say they remain confident, though, that Ukraines counteroffensive will make headway, even if it takes six to eight weeks before Ukrainian forces see more substantial gains.



"War on paper and real war are different, the top U.S. military commander, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, told an audience in Washington Friday.
Hong Kong: EU lawmakers' remarks rejected

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly disapproved of and firmly rejected the move of certain European Parliament members against the National Security Law (NSL).

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government noted that certain members of the European Parliament jointly wrote to the President of the European Commission upon the third anniversary of the implementation of the NSL.

The Hong Kong SAR Government strongly disapproves of the unfounded remarks by certain European Parliament members, out of despicable political motives upon the third anniversary of the implementation of the NSL, to attack the Hong Kong SAR in its dutiful, faithful and lawful implementation of the NSL.

It pointed out that while the black-clad violence and Hong Kong version of a colour revolution back in 2019 severely damaged the social stability of Hong Kong, the successful implementation of the NSL has enabled the livelihood and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to swiftly resume as normal and the business environment to be restored.

However, those politicians turned a blind eye to all these facts. Not only did they insist on making absurd, unfounded and fact-twisting remarks against the NSL in the hope of interfering in Hong Kong's law-based governance and undermining the city's rule of law as well as its prosperity and stability, but they also clamoured for sanctions against officials safeguarding national security dutifully. Their political grandstanding rife with ill intentions have been seen through. Their despicable plots are doomed to fail.

The statement stated that the Hong Kong SAR Government despises such sanctions and shall never be intimidated. It will continue to resolutely discharge the responsibility of safeguarding national security. It strongly urged the European Parliament politicians concerned to immediately stop acting against international law and the basic norms of international relations and interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China's internal affairs.

The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that it steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests, and fully and faithfully lives up to the top priority of the one country, two systems principle.

It also made it clear that it will resolutely, fully and faithfully implement the NSL and further strengthen the Hong Kong SAR's legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security to prevent, suppress and punish in accordance with the law acts and activities that endanger national security.

At the same time, it will safeguard the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people in accordance with the law. Its overarching goal is to ensure the steadfast and successful implementation of one country, two systems.

This story has been published on: 2023-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
When Maricarmen Venegas and her husband, Antonio Antunez, made the decision to open a restaurant in Fremont, they realized it was chance worth taking.

We had always dreamed of running a restaurant, Venegas said. When we found out there was a building available in Fremont, we were a little reluctant to go see it because our client base was in Omaha. We didnt know anyone here except my parents.

They opened 415 Bar & Grill in June. The business is at 415 S. Main St., in downtown Fremont.

Before returning to Fremont, where she was raised, Venegas ran a catering business with Antunez, working out of their home in Omaha.

We called it Tacos Antunez, she said. It was just a weekend gig since we were both working full time.

For the past six years, Venegas has been working in the dental field. She is currently working part time at UNMC adult dental clinic.

Antunez has been a chef for about 12 years, specializing as a sushi chef at Ponzu and Blue in Omaha.

As they discussed the possibility of opening a restaurant, Venegas and Antunez were reluctant to take that leap.

Since our client base was in Omaha, it was a little adventurous to start fresh in a different town, Venegas said. That worried us a little, not knowing if people here were going to love our menu.

The building previously occupied by DJs Bar & Grill had sat vacant for about six months before Venegas and Antunez decided to check it out.

When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was that it was too small, Venegas said. There was a pool table in the middle of the room. It took up a lot of space.

The couple agreed it had to go.

Although many of DJs customers came in and immediately asked where the pool table went, it didnt take long for them to accept the new establishment.

In addition to removing the carpeting and redoing the flooring, property owner Todd Hoppe also built a new bar and high table, both featuring a gray-and-white marble surface.

Another special feature Hoppe installed for the 415 Bar & Grill is the outdoor eating area.

He also installed a black wall for privacy, Venegas said. That way people in the dining area cant see customers entering and leaving the restrooms.

Weve got a group of ladies who enjoy gathering here every Thursday to play cards, said Melinda Munk, one of 415s servers. They used to meet at DJs, but when that bar and grill closed, they had to find a new place to meet. Once they learned that we were here, they asked if they could come back and play cards here again. Of course we said yes.

DJs Bar & Grill was well known for its seasoned burgers.

A lot of those customers came in to see if ours were as good or maybe even better, Venegas said.

Born in Mexico City, Venegas grew up in Fremont. Antunez, was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and has spent most of his life in Omaha.

Since opening the 415 Bar & Grill on June 5, Venegas and Antunez have seen many of DJs customers recommend the new place to others.

Some of the most popular items on their menu are the Philly Cheesesteak, the Alambre and the Pork Tender.

And, of course, our burgers, Venegas added.

With so many years of experience working with sushi, Antunez will be bringing that specialty to the 415 Bar & Grill.

Were planning a Sushi Night, Venegas said. Probably Saturdays.

One of the biggest challenges to running a successful business is finding the right employees.

To be successful, you must find people that are passionate about food service, Venegas said. The service industry isnt for everyone, and all restaurants are struggling to find enough staff.

We are truly blessed with the best family and friends, Venegas said. They put a lot of elbow grease into making the 415 Bar & Grill, a beautiful family diner. But we couldnt have pulled it off without the support of my fathers good friends, Todd Hoppe and Trish Dorfmeyer. They are our landlords, and they have financially supported the remodel.

Venegas appreciates Fremont.

Coming back to the town I grew up in and offering something theyve needed has been so gratifying, Venegas said. Fremont is seeing a revitalization of the downtown and I love that we are a part of that.

Venegas added that the positive feedback she and Antunez have received from the community lets them know that what theyre doing is appreciated.

Not only do we have awesome hamburgers, but our patrons are eager to try our freshly made Chicken Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Chicken, she said.

They appreciate their employees.

Our employees are the restaurant and without them we would have to close our doors, Venegas said. Half of my staff was new to the service industry and have really done a spectacular job. We are up on our feet and have made an amazing team.

The 415 Bar & Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on June 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in a later image, dated June 30.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group. The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops who had fought alongside Russia forces in Ukraine capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of kilometers toward Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Belarus authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagners experience and expertise, and announced that he had offered the fighters an abandoned military unit to set up camp.

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi.

Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner's private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a spokesperson for Ukraines border force told Ukrainian media Saturday. Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said Ukraine would strengthen its 1,084 kilometer border with Belarus in response.

Lukashenko previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. He has also welcomed a continued Russian armed presence in Belarus, including joint military camps and exercises, as well as the deployment of some of Russias tactical nuclear weapons there.

Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that as of this week, some 2,000 troops from regular Russian army units remained stationed in Belarus.

At a Friday evening gala marking the Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training by Wagner members, and he asserted the mercenaries were not a threat to Belarusians.

He also declared that he was sure Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory andwould not get directly involved in Moscows war against Ukraine.
Iran has dialed up its diplomacy this year, hoping to improve its economy and reduce its isolation. Its president and foreign minister have traveled to Latin America, hosted diplomats from its former foe Saudi Arabia, and attended indirect talks with the U.S. involving its nuclear program.

The efforts have paid off: This weekend, Iran formally joins the Shanghai Cooperative Organization.

"At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday at the opening of an SCO center in Moscow.

"Iran's SCO membership benefits the Iranian system by giving it another diplomatic platform to increase its standing on the international stage," said Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, to VOA's Persian Service via email.

"[It] also fits into Iran's supreme leader's framework of looking east, concentrating on deepening partnerships with Russia and China," he said.

"Iran is trying to advance its security and economic interests by using the capacity of these organizations," said Mohammad Ghaedi, an international relations lecturer at George Washington University, highlighting the emergence of new powers such as China and, consequently, organizations that represent their interests.

By joining the SCO, the Islamic Republic hopes to reduce the impact of U.S. sanctions, replace the West with regional powers, and increase its bargaining power against Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both of which are also seeking to join the Shanghai Alliance, Ghaedi told the Persian Service.

Regarding whether Beijing and Moscow would want to accept Tehran and Riyadh in the SCO, Ghaedi said the alliance would be strengthened demographically, geographically and particularly in terms of energy.

In addition to increasing the power of China and Russia versus the U.S. and Europe, Ghaedi said, if both Iran and Saudi Arabia joined the alliance, that would provide a "platform for the peaceful settlement of disputes" of the two Middle Eastern rivals.

According to Brodsky, "Russia and China would be amenable to Iran and Saudi Arabia joining the SCO to try and foment fissures in the U.S. network of allies and partners around the world."

He added, "Iran solidifies an anti-Western bloc, and including Riyadh in the SCO would be an attempt to decrease Washington's standing and leverage over Saudi Arabia."

Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, economic and defense organization composed of eight members including China, Russia, India and Pakistan. Currently, Iran holds the observer status at this Eurasian alliance.

Iran's next goal is acceptance into another group that excludes Western countries: the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
WASHINGTON  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has agreed to readmit the United States as a member.

UNESCO's governing board voted 132-10 on Friday to accept the U.S. proposal to rejoin the Paris-based agency. America's membership will become official once Secretary of State Antony Blinken or a designee formally accepts the invitation, according to Biden administration officials.

Blinken said the vote would "restore U.S. leadership on a host of issues of importance and value to the American people."

"I am encouraged and grateful that today the membership accepted our proposal, which will allow the United States to take the next, formal steps toward fully rejoining the organization," he said in a statement.

Russian, Palestinian and North Korean representatives had held up consideration of the U.S. proposal on Thursday with hours of procedural delays. That session was adjourned because of fatigue on the part of UNESCO interpreters.

In addition to Russia, North Korea and the Palestinians, those that voted against readmitting the U.S. were Belarus, China, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua and Syria.

Organization's roles

The Biden administration had announced in early June that it would apply to rejoin the organization mainly because it was concerned that China was filling a gap left by the U.S. absence from the body. The 193-member UNESCO plays a major role in setting international standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.

The Trump administration in 2017 announced that the U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias. That decision took effect a year later.

The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011.

The Biden administration has requested $150 million for the 2024 budget to go toward UNESCO dues and arrears. The plan foresees similar requests for the ensuing years until the full debt of $619 million is paid off.

That makes up a big chunk of UNESCO's $534 million annual operating budget. Before leaving, the U.S. contributed 22% of the agency's overall funding.

Israel has long accused the United Nations of anti-Israel bias. In 2012, over Israeli objections, the state of Palestine was recognized as a nonmember observer state by the General Assembly. The Palestinians claim the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip  territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war  for an independent state. Israel says the Palestinians' efforts to win recognition at the U.N. are aimed at circumventing a negotiated settlement and meant to pressure Israel into concessions.

The United States previously pulled out of UNESCO under the Reagan administration in 1984 because it viewed the agency as mismanaged, corrupt and used to advance Soviet interests. It rejoined in 2003 during former President George W. Bush's presidency.
PARIS  Rioting raged in cities around France for a fourth night despite massive police deployment, with cars and buildings set ablaze and stores looted, as family and friends prepared Saturday to bury the 17-year-old whose killing by police unleashed the unrest.

The government suggested the violence was beginning to lessen thanks to tougher security measures, but damages remained widespread, from Paris to Marseille and Lyon and French territories overseas, where a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet in French Guiana. The interior ministry announced that more than 1300 people were arrested around France by early Saturday.

France's national soccer team  including international star Kylian Mbappe, an idol to many young people in the disadvantaged neighborhoods where the anger is rooted  pleaded for an end to the violence.

"Many of us are from working-class neighborhoods, we too share this feeling of pain and sadness" over the killing of 17-year-old Nahel, the players said in a statement. "Violence resolves nothing.  There are other peaceful and constructive ways to express yourself."

They said it's time for "mourning, dialogue and reconstruction" instead.

The fatal shooting of Nahel, whose last name has not been made public, stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects who struggle with poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination. The subsequent rioting is the worst France has seen in years and puts new pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who appealed to parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fueling violence.



Family and friends were holding a funeral gathering Saturday for Nahel in his hometown of Nanterre. Anger erupted in the Paris suburb after his death there Tuesday and quickly spread nationwide.

Early Saturday, firefighters in Nanterre extinguished blazes set by protesters that left scorched remains of cars strewn across the streets. In the neighboring suburb Colombes, protesters overturned garbage bins and used them for makeshift barricades.

Looters during the evening broke into a gun shop and made off with weapons in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police said. Officers in Marseille arrested nearly 90 people as groups of protesters lit cars on fire and broke store windows to take what was inside.

Buildings and businesses were also vandalized in the eastern city of Lyon, where a third of the roughly 30 arrests made were for theft, police said. Authorities reported fires in the streets after an unauthorized protest drew more than 1,000 people earlier Friday evening.

The Interior Ministry said more than 1,300 people were arrested Friday night and early Saturday morning, with more than 2,500 fires. The night before, 917 people were arrested nationwide, 500 buildings targeted, 2,000 vehicles burned and dozens of stores ransacked.

While the number of overnight arrests was the highest yet, there were fewer fires, cars burned and police stations attacked around France than the previous night, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the violence was of "much less intensity."

Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured, including 79 overnight, but authorities have not released injury tallies for protesters.

Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry said France needs to "push for changes" in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Despite repeated government appeals for calm and stiffer policing, Friday saw brazen daylight violence, too. An Apple store was looted in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where police fired tear gas, and the windows of a fast-food outlet were smashed in a Paris-area shopping mall, where officers repelled people trying to break into a shuttered store, authorities said.

In the face of the escalating crisis that hundreds of arrests and massive police deployments have failed to quell, Macron held off on declaring a state of emergency, an option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005.

Instead, his government ratcheted up its law enforcement response, with 45,000 police deployed overnight. Some were called back from vacation.

Darmanin ordered a nationwide nighttime shutdown Friday of all public buses and trams, which have been among rioters' targets. He also said he warned social networks not to allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence.

"They were very cooperative," Darmanin said, adding that French authorities were providing the platforms with information in hopes of cooperation identifying people inciting violence.

"We will pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts," he said.

Macron, too, zeroed in on social media platforms that have relayed dramatic images of vandalism and cars and buildings being torched. Singling out Snapchat and TikTok, he said they were being used to organize unrest and served as conduits for copycat violence.

The violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are due to host 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the summer Olympic Games. Organizers said they are closely monitoring the situation as preparations for the Olympics continue.

The police officer accused of killing Nahel was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide. Preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial. Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer's use of his weapon wasn't legally justified.

Nahel's mother, identified as Mounia M., told France 5 television that she was angry at the officer but not at the police in general. "He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life," she said.

"A police officer cannot take his gun and fire at our children, take our children's lives," she said. The family has roots in Algeria.

Race was a taboo topic for decades in France, which is officially committed to a doctrine of colorblind universalism. In the wake of Nahel's killing, French anti-racism activists renewed complaints about police behavior.

Thirteen people who didn't comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, another three people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances. The deaths have prompted demands for more accountability in France, which also saw racial justice protests after George Floyd's killing by police in Minnesota.

This week's protests echoed the three weeks of rioting in 2005 that followed the deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traore and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who were electrocuted while hiding from police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
NAIROBI, KENYA  Analysts monitoring Sudan say it might take an internationally supported peacekeeping force to end the ongoing fighting there. That assessment follows multiple failed cease-fire attempts and talks facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Until two weeks ago, Hala Alkarib lived in Khartoum, where she's the regional director for the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. But she and other colleagues had to relocate because of the horrors created by the ongoing war, including looting.

"I would say 75% or more of Khartoum inhabitants have experienced looting," Alkarib said. "Our homes were completely looted, our vehicles, our personal properties, our papers and documents were destroyed and burned."

She said the strategy of the Rapid Support Forces run by General Hamdan Dagalo is not new.

"The presence on the ground inside residential areas being in Khartoum, in Al Fasher, in Nyala or in [El] Geneina, the RSF strategy is to run a war from within and inside civilian residencies," Alkarib said. "The RSF are the extension of the Janjaweed. It's been done for over 20 years in rural Darfur, where villagers were terrorized, and infrastructure was completely destroyed."

Alkarib blames the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for enabling the RSF to flourish.

"SAF unfortunately, they were for years kind of relying on the RSF to do their dirty work and they were complacent and enabled this criminal organization to grow and right now it grew to the point that it actually threatens the existence of overall Sudan as a state."

She said it's unfortunate the international community is not exerting sufficient pressure on countries that could help end the war.

"Seventy-five percent of the causes of this war lies outside of Sudan," Alkarib said. "UAE [United Arab Emirates] and their significant support to the RSF and Egypt and their position  anti- any type of democratic governance in Sudan and that constantly put them in a position where they support SAF as potential rulers."

That sentiment was partly echoed by Dr. Edgar Githua, a lecturer at the United States International University and Strathmore University.

"The African Union and the world in general looking at this situation need to step up and need to call out Russia and tell Russia pull out the Wagner group, get it out," Githua said. "Egypt is an easier group to deal with, the U.S. has a lot of leverage with Egypt. Libya, Khalifa Haftar can be told to back down also, and the UAE can be told to back off."

Some of the countries mentioned offered to mediate the crisis and denied involvement in the war. Githua said the international community must become more directly involved.

"They are coming to the battlefield with renewed vigor and at some point, the world has no choice but there has to be some external intervention and for me it'll be a peacekeeping force that creates a humanitarian corridor to just try to restore normalcy."

The Jeddah talks overseen by the United States and Saudi Arabia were recently suspended and the most recent offer by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, to mediate the crisis also stalled because one of the generals said he didn't want the Kenyan president leading the group that is made up of South Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

And that's a problem, said Macharia Munene, professor of History and International Relations at USIU in Nairobi.

"One of the generals, Burhan, has said he doesn't want anything to do with him, so he's going nowhere," Munene said. "He prefers [South Sudan political figure Salva Kiir. Yes, the team is an IGAD team, and he's supposed to lead the team but if one of the participants, the major player, doesn't want anything to do about him leading the team, there's something wrong."

For now, fighting is showing no signs of letting up.
The war in Sudan that began in April 15 has so far forced some 2.5 million people from their homes, according to the U.N., with about 80 percent of them displaced internally. Sidahmed Ibraheem spoke to some of the displaced, now living in Sudan
By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

E-scooter riders are almost twice as likely to be killed than motorcyclists, according to new research.

The number of severe traumatic brain injuries also rises twofold - with rates of serious and fatal accidents similar to those of cyclists.

It adds to a growing body of evidence that these eco-devices are the most dangerous form of personal transport.

A UK inquest yesterday heard how 12-year-old Mustafa Nadeem died riding his e-scooter when he fell into the path of a bus in Birmingham last December.

The study's lead author Dr. Arthur James, of the University of Sorbonne, Paris, France, said: "Injuries due to e-scooters were as severe as those due to bicycle or motorbike crashes.

"The findings may inform health care professionals of the specificities of major trauma related to e-scooters and inform future e-scooter regulation decisions worldwide."

They are based on an analysis of 5,233 patients in France using data from the national major trauma registry for four years up to December 2022.

Mortality associated with e-scooter road traffic crashes was more than nine percent compared with ten percent for bicycles - and just over five percent for motorbikes.

Doctors have called for awareness campaigns and stricter regulations to reduce the spate of accidents.

Dr. James said: "The findings of this study suggest that trauma involving e-scooters in France has significantly increased over the past four years.

"These patients presented with injury profiles as severe as those of individuals who experienced bicycle or motorbike road traffic crashes, with a higher proportion of severe traumatic brain injury."

The study population included 229 e-scooter riders, 4,094 motorcyclists and 910 cyclists.

Injured e-scooter patients increased nearly three times from 31 January 2019. At admission, more than a third (37 percent) were drunk and fewer than a quarter (22 percent) wore a helmet.

Dr. James said: "These crashes seem to have a particular effect on the cranial sphere, which might be influenced by the frequency of risky behavior, such as not wearing a helmet or driving under the influence of alcohol.

"These injuries imply major use of in-hospital resources with, for example, more than half of the patients requiring surgery or a stay in the intensive care unit.

"In total, 10 percent of patients with e-scooter road traffic crashes admitted to a major trauma center died during their hospital stay."

The French National Road Security Services indicated 774 e-scooter accidents occurred in 2020 alone.

What is more, there was a 30 percent rise increase in the number of deaths and a nearly threefold increase in crashes compared with 2019.

The findings in JAMA Network Open are mirrored by Government statistics in the UK where there have been more than 30 deaths involving e-scooters - including two this month.

The youngest person who has died was a 12-year-old rider, the oldest was 74. The number of accidents surged by 37 percent last year.

Dr. James added: "This study could provide meaningful information for stakeholders involved in regulating the use of these devices in France."
The No Hard Feelings scene is funny in a way that only male movie stars nudity gets to be: goofy, un-self-conscious, and nothing to do with sex. Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment

As Sigmund Freud once wrote, penises are funny.

This truth has been passed down the generations from Monty Python to Judd Apatow, all of whom recognized in the phallus a classic comic character. A penis carries itself with pretensions to great dignity, but when you actually see it, all it does is flop around looking silly.

This gives much enjoyment to those of us who have one, but it does tend to overshadow the comic possibilities of the rest of the human body. (Butts excepted. A butt will never not be funny, and everyone knows it.) Thankfully, here comes No Hard Feelings, the new Jennifer Lawrence comedy that aims to resuscitate two different fading subgenres. Its an unabashed star vehicle whose success rests mainly on the charms of its lead, and it also happens to be an R-rated sex comedy. When it comes to onscreen nudity, though, this self-consciously retro film is also a modest step forward. Lawrences nude scene in No Hard Feelings is funny in a way that only male movie stars nudity gets to be: Its goofy, un-self-conscious, and has nothing to do with sex.

Lawrence plays Maddie, an aimless gig worker in her early 30s who accepts an indecent proposal from a pair of rich parents: Date their teenage son for the summer, in the hopes of giving him a confidence boost before he heads off to college. Its a tougher task than it sounds. Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) is a good kid, but hes painfully shy, and he reacts to Maddie coming onto him the way you or I might react to an alien landing in our backyard  the idea is so unfathomable he simply does not believe its happening. In this way, the film plays into the common fantasy of having Jennifer Lawrence try to seduce you while you stand there doing absolutely nothing. You can understand why its been well reviewed!

One of the pleasures of a studio comedy is seeing people act out bigger, more outrageous behavior than you typically see in real life. No Hard Feelings gives us one such scene midway through the film. Maddie and Percy are starting to bond, and Percy is taking the first steps out of his shell. Because this is a movie, that can only mean one thing: skinny-dipping. And of course, no sooner have Maddie and Percy gotten their hair wet than some misbehaving teens show up and steal their clothes.

That trope is to be expected, but what happens next probably isnt. Maddie strides fully naked out of the surf and administers a Greco-Roman-style beatdown, in a way that Patrick Stewart on Extras would approve of.

Its a hilarious scene, and in its own small way, groundbreaking. This is a totally different style of comic nudity than Hollywood tends to give its actresses. When women get funny nude scenes in the movies, it usually happens in one of a few ways. Either theyre in a sex scene thats played for humor (Emma Thompson in The Tall Guy), or theyre being sexy in unsexy surroundings (Malin Akerman in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle). Or else, theyre being caught naked in an embarrassing situation, where the audience is supposed to laugh at their predicament while also leering at them a little. Most regrettable is the Kathy Bates in About Schmidt kind of nudity, where the movie tries to wring comedy out of the sight of a body thats not conventionally attractive.

By contrast, the most obvious comparison to No Hard Feelings is Viggo Mortensens full-frontal brawl in Eastern Promises  which is humorous in a murder-y sort of way  and there are also shades of Sacha Baron Cohen and Ken Davitians bare-butted scuffle in Borat. (Though that one gets points docked for employing black censor bars.) The joke is not that Maddies embarrassed; its that shes not embarrassed. Shes so full of rage that she wont let a little nudity get between her and a smackdown.

Lawrence is one of the producers of No Hard Feelings, and it feels intentional that, in the rest of the film, her character is otherwise covered up. In the scenes where Maddies trying to be sexy, shes always fully clothed. When she goes surfing, she wears a long-sleeve rash guard. Even at the beginning of the skinny-dipping scene, which is meant to be alluring, the camera shoots her from the shoulders up, almost safe enough for PG.

In the run-up to Red Sparrow, Lawrence often spoke about how that movies nude scenes were a way of reclaiming power after the 2014 celebrity-phone hack. While I feel a little ridiculous positing a nude scene as some kind of bold feminist victory, it does seem that something similar is going on in No Hard Feelings. Lawrence is letting the audience see her body, but only in a very specific context, with very specific aims. Boorish complaints that the movie is a waste of boobs are the point. Shes not letting you in if youre trying to drool. Only if youre trying to laugh.
MISSOULA, Mont.  Zooey Zephyr and Erin Reed walk hand in hand at a Pride parade in the college town of Missoula, Montana, wearing smiles as sunny as the day is rainy. Adoring fans cheer them along the route.

Reed stops and raises a small Pride flag. Zephyr cups her hands together in a heart over her chest in appreciation. Zephyr, a transgender state lawmaker, later gives a speech to hundreds attending the event. Tears well in people's eyes as they speak with the couple afterward.

Sage Scarborough hugs a book and grins after getting Zephyrs autograph.

I feel like it makes us as a generation feel represented when we have people like her in power and up there giving very inspirational, motivational words of wisdom, says Scarborough, 20.

Zephyr and Reed, both 34, have emerged as a vanguard, a power couple spreading hope to fellow transgender people amid a year in which hundreds of bills were proposed or passed that restrict their rights in health care and other realms. Their appearances at Pride events this month throughout the country replicate scenes like the one in Missoula.

Largely unknown just a few months ago, the two women now rate among the most prominent figures in the world of LGBTQ+ advocacy. They've appeared at dozens of events, including the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City in May. People lined up to meet them after speaking in Florida, Ohio and Los Angeles, and even recognized them during their recent trip to Glacier National Park. Documentary film crews follow them around. They recently rubbed elbows at a bar in the nation's capital with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, during Pride festivities.

Their rise in prominence has also made them a lightning rod for criticism and vitriol thats emblematic of the larger divisions around LGBTQ+ issues in the United States. Debates rage in statehouses over any number of related issues  whether transgender girls should be allowed to compete in female sports, if parents have a right to know when their children start going by a gender identity at school or if young children should be banned from taking hormone blockers.

Zephyr, a Democrat, surged into the spotlight this spring when she was silenced by her Republican colleagues in the Montana Legislature after she refused to apologize for saying some lawmakers would have blood on their hands for supporting a ban on gender-affirming health for youth. GOP state leaders called her words hateful rhetoric and condemned her for leading a protest with supporters that brought a legislative session to a temporary halt.

A conservative caucus also repeatedly and deliberately referred to Zephyr with masculine pronouns while also suggesting her actions were nothing more than an ego trip.

Reed watched it all unfold from her home in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she has cemented herself as one of the nation's leading independent researchers monitoring the torrent of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In that role, she is a frequent recipient of online vitriol and both women have experienced swatting attempts, in which someone made a false report to law enforcement to try to draw armed officers to their homes.

The question Ive been asked a thousand, thousand times is, Are you OK? How are you holding up? Zephyr said at Missoula Pride in June. I can say honestly with all my heart, I have a lightness in the work and a joy and hope that I have not felt in a long time."

Zephyr adds that she has "seen the response in individuals coming up to me in the quiet corners of the Capitol, saying, We see you, we know whats happening, this isnt right, we have to stay quiet, but this isnt right.

She plans to run for reelection to the Montana House and says she is willing to explore the possibility of holding other public offices in the future. Some supporters have pitched her running for Congress to represent western Montana, and while she hasn't ruled it out, Zephyr says, her immediate focus is finding rooms that my voice can do good in.

Zephyr appeared on The View, visited the White House and was featured at the Pride Night for the Seattle Sounders in the past month. Reed circulates a policy newsletter and has amassed a following of more than 400,000 on TikTok, where she posts videos about legislation and encourages other trans people to testify in legislatures.

Its like having trans guardian angels, Cam Ogden, a 23-year-old trans woman, says.

Ogden, a college student in Columbus, Ohio, did not intend to become an activist when she started sitting in on committee meetings at the state legislature in 2021 to learn about the bills affecting her life.

Reed first spotted Ogden on the legislatures live feed, rolling her eyes in the back of the room as lawmakers spread falsehoods about gender-affirming care. The two connected on social media and became fast friends. But when a legislator outed Ogden as transgender at a public meeting after a closed-door conversation, Reed and Zephyr jumped in as mentors as Ogden navigated her leap into activism  and the harassment that came with it.

Reed says, People come up to us and say, Thank you, you really helped me understand. Or, Thank you, you really helped me explain things to my mom. And sometimes the mom will be there and will agree and nod.

Reed and Zephyr's romantic relationship has augmented their political activism from the start.

They met online in 2022 while organizing a response to a move by Texas to investigate parents of transgender youths, and trans advocacy remains a focal point in their lives. They started dating long-distance between Montana and Maryland, and have held each other up through those hard times, with a shared understanding of the unique challenges they face at the intersection of politics and personal identity.

Reed, Zephyr says, was a vital source of support when she was silenced and then banned from the Montana House floor toward the end of the legislative session. The negativity that their opponents cast on them is now overshadowed by overwhelming support, Reed says: Our joy is our resistance.

Photos: Arrests and protests at State Capitol in support of Rep. Zooey Zephyr
Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI

Panera Bread is a glorious place. Have you had its mac and cheese? Thats liquid gold. What about eating it in a bread bowl? Carbs on carbs have never tasted better. So its no surprise that the cafes alumni take their former place of work rather seriously and none more so than Ramy Youssef. Youssef directed the fourth episode of The Bear this season, Honeydew, in which Marcus makes a trip to Copenhagen in order to learn from a pastry chef. While prepping for the episode, Youssef and Lionel Boyce, who plays Marcus, studied at Noma, which is largely considered the best restaurant in the world. I kept telling everyone at Noma that I had worked at a restaurant before, Youssef told GQ recently. Which I had, but I had worked at Panera Bread when I was 16. It was just really funny to be at Noma and talk about my experience at Panera. Based on his collaborators responses, kept telling is really the operative phrase in that sentence. That man, someone, has to stop him, Boyce said of Youssef. Hes out of control. Even Will Poulter, who guest-starred in the episode as Luca, had something to say about it: I heard him tell at least five people that he worked at Panera Bread over the course of our two-day shoot. Next time we need a soup-and-sandwich special, were all heading to Ramy Youssefs place.
Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP

It was almost down to the wire, but SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood Studios are giving themselves both more time to negotiate for a fair contract. The actors guild released a statement that the contract is being extended to July 12 at midnight Pacific Time in order to allow additional time to negotiate on Friday evening. The original contract was set to expire at the end of June, and if the guild decided to issue a strike tonight, they wouldve joined the writers guild whove been striking for 60 days. This news comes days after over 300 actors sent a letter to their union, telling them that they were ready to strike if their needs were not met. Earlier this month, 97.91% of voting members voted yes to authorize a strike if needed. According to the union website, there is no plan for a second extension, as leadership states that they will meet on July 13 to discuss issuing a strike. The full open letter to SAG members is below:

An Open Letter from the Members of the SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee: After thorough deliberation it was unanimously decided to allow additional time to negotiate by extending the contract until 11:59 p.m. PT on July 12, 2023.https://t.co/TS7oAmMMSD  SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 1, 2023

Dear Union Sisters, Brothers and Siblings:

We are your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee.

We have been in negotiations with the AMPTP for more than three weeks under an unusually tight negotiating schedule while fighting for a comprehensive and inclusive contract.

In order to exhaust every opportunity to achieve the righteous contract we all demand and deserve, after thorough deliberation it was unanimously decided to allow additional time to negotiate by extending the contract until 11:59 p.m. PT on July 12, 2023.

No one should mistake this extension for weakness. We see you. We hear you. We are you.

In unity,

Fran Drescher President Chair of the Negotiating Committee

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator
In one of the most Swift-crazy countries in the world, Taylor Sheesh has become an unlikely, unstoppable star.
Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg has informally kicked off his bid for re-election in 2024, deciding to seek a second four-year term in office as the citys head elected official.

The Tribune inquired with Spellerberg about his potential re-election bid in June after seeing numerous social media posts from Spellerberg about his campaign as well as receiving emails via a public records request, some of which were from constituents inquiring about campaign donations and events.

Spellerberg said he will officially file re-election forms with the county in January 2024 when the filing period is opened, and also that he is planning to make a formal announcement of his re-election bid in the fall.

For now, though, the first-term mayor confirmed he will seek another term to serve residents of Fremont in 2024.

I am planning to run again for re-election. Right now, I have a not made a formal announcement. It is kind of early. Ive been visiting with Fremonters in the community, and I enjoy being able to serve, Spellerberg said in a June interview. I think we have some great projects going on right now. I am planning to run again. A formal announcement is coming this fall.

Spellerberg was first elected in November 2020, defeating now-Ward 2 Council Member Glen Ellis by a 1,850-vote margin. Spellerberg replaced longtime former-mayor Scott Getzschman, who had been in the mayors seat since 2010.

Born and raised in Fremont, Spellerberg graduated from Archbishop Bergan High School and attended the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he met his wife, Ashley.

Spellerberg is the owner of Moostash Joe Tours, a 45-year-old family business that has been nationally recognized, and he was a former board member of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce.

As he has repeatedly stated throughout the early years of his first term, Spellerberg described in 2020 that his goal if elected was to serve the community he loves and was raised in.

This was a decision that we thought and prayed over for some time, Spellerberg said in a Tribune profile in the months before he was elected in 2020.

I am blessed to have so many supportive friends and family that have given me so much encouragement throughout my life living in Fremont, he explained in the 2020 profile, noting that he wanted to set a good example for his daughters. My campaign is focused on listening to the people of Fremont to learn and understand how our city can serve them better.

In his two-and-a half-years as mayor, Spellerberg has been working on a variety of city projects with the city staff and council since he was sworn into office.
The unexpected cancellation of commercial driver accreditations by the Victorian government has added to a shortage of bus drivers and left a number of cab and Uber drivers out of work.

Bus Association Victoria and 13Cabs have criticised Safe Transport Victoria, which runs the Commercial Passenger Vehicle accreditation, blaming it for a breakdown in communication with drivers.

Both taxi drivers and Uber drivers say they have lost work due to the accreditation process problems. Credit: Ryan Stuart

Industry representatives said many drivers found their accreditation had been cancelled after Safe Transport Victoria reintroduced annual accreditation fees in 2022, which it had waived since 2020 as part of a COVID-19 relief package.

However, many drivers say they received no notification that the fees had been reintroduced, and that their accreditation would be cancelled because they had not paid. Some were waiting two months for their accreditation to be renewed once they realise it had been cancelled.
Ask Labor people to nominate Peter Duttons greatest political asset, and they will mention the thickness of his skin. The leader of the opposition genuinely doesnt care what the media write or say about him, as one government minister explained. Thats why, the minister said, Labor cant afford to underestimate him. He is ruthless in his pursuit of political advantage, and wont be shamed by calls for civility.

Dutton had become increasingly brazen in the three months since the Liberals suffered their historic byelection loss in Aston in Melbournes outer east. He responded to that defeat by declaring his opposition to the Voice to parliament  a double-or-nothing bet on obstruction. And he concluded the final fortnight of parliament with a series of orchestrated pile-ons, targeting prominent Labor ministers Katy Gallagher, Penny Wong and Linda Burney.

Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit:

Dutton and his colleagues must understand the fire they are playing with. Creating division as an end in itself undermines trust in democracy. It is true that obstruction delivered a shortcut back to power for the Coalition in 2013 under Tony Abbotts leadership. But it also gave Australians their least effective government of the postwar era, on the measure of policy achievement  and the most divided, based on the number of leadership changes. The only reform that delivered material change to peoples lives was marriage equality in 2017. But the permission for that change had to be secured outside the parliament, via a postal survey, because the Coalition was split on the issue.

Dutton is testing the political systems ability to problem-solve at a time of multiple policy challenges, from inflation and climate change to housing affordability and population ageing.
Optus has been caught up in another major cyberattack, with sensitive information about a privacy watchdog investigation into the mobile-phone company breached by Russian hackers.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is one of dozens of government departments and agencies scrambling to find out how much of their data has been breached in a hack attack on Australian law firm HWL Ebsworth.

The hack on HWL Ebsworth has been described as one of the biggest data breaches in Australias history. Credit: Bloomberg

Among the hacked data is information relating to an OAIC investigation into Optus that began in the middle of 2021.

This is separate to the OAICs ongoing investigation into the cyberattack on Optus in September last year that resulted in about 10 million current and former Optus customers personal details being stolen.
This holiday weekend, history returns to the Cornhusker State.

Just in time for the Fourth of July, an artifact more than 80 years old is making its way to Nebraska: a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) boat, or the Higgins Boat,  a 36-feet-long, military craft used during World War II.

The historic relic, arriving in Seward on Sunday, will be parked in front of the Nebraska National Guard Museum on July 4 and dedicated in a ceremony at 9 a.m.

On July 5, it will travel to Columbus, the birthplace of American businessman and boatbuilder Andrew Jackson Higgins  the designer and namesake of the boat  and be parked in front of his national memorial before returning to the museum.

The boat, one of only 16 left in the world, was discovered 18 months ago at the bottom of Lake Shasta, a reservoir in Northern California.

How it ended up there, remains a mystery.

Theres many stories about how it got there, said Gerald Meyer, historian at the Nebraska National Guard Museum.

With the marking PA31-17 on its stern, the boat was assigned to the USS Monrovia, a flagship used during the invasion of Sicily, which also was Gen. George S. Pattons flagship during the war.

At its highest, production of the boats peaked at more than 20,000 during the 1940s and 1950s  a record, according to the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial.

They became so popular that Dwight Eisenhower, then supreme commander of the Allies, praised Higgins, calling him the man who won the war for us.

With a speed of up to 12 knots, the wooden-made boats were used in landings at Normandy, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and many other World War II battles, and were able to land a platoon of 36 men.

But they were not supposed to survive the war, Meyer said, and when it ended, they were sold for surplus.

Our ships that came from the Pacific (Ocean) were built in Oregon, California and Washington, he said. They would take off all the Higgins Boats and all the stuff they could sell for surplus, and they sold them to people for $400, $500.

Subsequently, they were used for all sorts of purposes.

At Lake Shasta, they would use them to transport material  to haul cattle, they used them to haul trash out, they used them for everything, Meyer said.

In total, 23,000 Higgins Boats were manufactured during the war  which means other companies built them too. Still, the one found at the lake has a distinctive trait linking it to Higgins.

Higgins was the only one during the war who built landing craft with a rounded stern, Meyer said. Its his trademark.

Dr. Van and Becky Cattle Vahle spearheaded the campaign and contributed money, along with the Cattle Bank in Seward, to bring the boat back to Nebraska.

Becky Cattle Vahle's father, Maj. John Cattle, rode a Higgins Boat to the shores of North Africa, Sicily and Normandy during World War II. Their donations were in honor of Cattle, Higgins and the greatest generation of World War II.

Theres not hardly any money outside of them thats been invested in this boat  they took this thing completely, Meyer said.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Fremont Area Association of Retired School Personnel (FAARSP). In celebration of this milestone, Fremonts Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a Chamber Coffee at First United Methodist Church at 8th and Broad streets.

Our sincerest thank you to both the Chamber and First United Methodist Church for their generous support of FAARSP. Their staff and members have been instrumental in allowing us to do the work we do. Thank you also, to our 50th Anniversary committee, including Co-Chair, Sandra Hansen, and members Nola Cox, Rhoda Holstine, Janet Kletke, Carol Martin, Vernelle Werblow and Bev Thomsen.

Since its beginning in 1973, service to area communities has been a core part of FAARSP. This tradition has continued through to present day. Low Income Ministry/LifeHouse, DAV Joseph C.H. Bales Chapter #18, area care centers, CHAD (Combined Health Agencies Drive), Presbyterian Summer Lunch and Backpack Programs, are a few of the many agencies supported by FAARSP. This work could not be accomplished throughout the years without the assistance of so many individuals and organizations. Again, thank you one and all.

With deepest appreciation,

Linda Betkie

Fremont Area Association of Retired School Personnel

Communication Director/50th Anniversary Co-Chair
AMSTERDAM (AP)  King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Saturday for his country's role in slavery and asked for forgiveness during a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies.

The kings speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's apology late last year for the countrys role in the slave trade and slavery. The public expressions of remorse are part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that the Black Lives Matter movement spurred in recent years.

In his emotional address, Willem-Alexander referred back to the prime minister's apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: Today, I stand before you. Today, as your king and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.

The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Orange-Nassau in slavery in the Netherlands.

But today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity, he added.

Willem-Alexanders voice appeared to break with emotion as he completed his speech before laying a wreath at the countrys national slavery monument in an Amsterdam park.

Some people want action to back up the words.

Honestly, I feel good, but I am still looking forward to something more than just apologies. Reparations, for example," Doelja Refos, 28, said.

"I dont feel like were done. Were definitely not there yet, Refos added.

Former lawmaker John Leerdam told Dutch broadcaster NOS that he felt tears running down his cheeks as the king apologized. Its a historic moment and we have to realize that, he said.

Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean on July 1, 1863, but most of the enslaved laborers were forced to continue working on plantations for another decade. Saturdays commemoration and speech started a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary.

Research published last month showed that the kings ancestors earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million euros ($595 million) from slavery, including profits from shares that were effectively given to them as gifts.

When Rutte apologized in December, he stopped short of offering compensation to descendants of enslaved people.

Instead, the government is establishing a 200 million-euro ($217 million) fund for initiatives that tackle the legacy of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies and to improve education about the topic.

That isnt enough for some in the Netherlands. Two groups, Black Manifesto and The Black Archives, organized a protest march before the kings speech Saturday under the banner No healing without reparations.

A lot of people including myself, my group, The Black Archives, and the Black Manifesto say that (an) apology is not enough. An apology should be tied to a form of repair and reparatory justice or reparations, Black Archives director Mitchell Esajas said.

Marchers wore colorful traditional clothing in a Surinamese celebration of the abolition of slavery. Enslaved people were banned from wearing shoes and colorful clothes, organizers said.

Just as we remember our forefathers on this day, we also feel free, we can wear what we want, and we can show the rest of the world that we are free. Regina Benescia-van Windt, 72, said.

The Netherlands often brutal colonial history has come under renewed and critical scrutiny in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

A groundbreaking 2021 exhibition at the national museum of art and history took an unflinching look at slavery in Dutch colonies. In the same year, a report described the Dutch involvement in slavery as a crime against humanity and linked it to what the report described as ongoing institutional racism in the Netherlands.

The Dutch first became involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the late 1500s and became a major trader in the mid-1600s. Eventually, the Dutch West India Company became the largest trans-Atlantic slave trader, according to Karwan Fatah-Black, an expert in Dutch colonial history and an assistant professor at Leiden University.

Authorities in the Netherlands arent alone in saying sorry for historic abuses.

In 2018, Denmark apologized to Ghana, which it colonized from the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century. King Philippe of Belgium has expressed deepest regrets for abuses in Congo. In 1992, Pope John Paul II apologized for the churchs role in slavery. Americans have had emotionally charged disputes over taking down statues of slaveholders in the South.

In April, King Charles III for the first time signaled support for research into the U.K. monarchys ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery but havent acknowledged the crowns connections to the trade.

During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history. English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

Willem-Alexander acknowledged that not everybody in the Netherlands supports apologies, but he called for unity.

Theres no blueprint for the process of healing, reconciliation and recovery, he said. Together, we are in uncharted territory. So lets support and guide each other.

Mike Corder reported from Ede, Netherlands.
In the mid-1800s, Nebraska was still barely touched by settlers migrating West for a new life. Our state was home to the prairies and rivers we see today. Over the next century, pioneers of all ethnic and religious backgrounds made the journey to Nebraska and chose to settle in its natural beauty.

These future Nebraskans were searching for the American promise of liberty. They dreamed of a home where they would be treated equally despite their diverse backgrounds. They dreamed of good jobs that would support their children and grandchildren. In other words, they were looking for the American Dream.

One of these pioneer families was the Moffitts. Lewis and Mary Ann Moffitt traveled from Indiana to Nebraska with their young son, in search of The Good Life. They chose to build a cabin and a new life on the eastern side of the state. The year was 1865.

Two years after the Moffitts settled in their new town, it was officially recognized as the City of Seward, named after President Abraham Lincolns Secretary of State William Henry Seward. As towns and cities grew up around Seward County and across our state, so did Nebraskans state pride and patriotism.

In 1868, the year after Seward was established as a city, the residents of the town participated in the first of many Independence Day celebrations. The story goes that the women of Seward came together to sew a large American flag, which would wave over the city on Independence Day as residents commemorated our countrys blood-bought freedom. After 150 years, the people of Seward are still celebrating our country with the same unity and vigor.

But its not just Seward. Across Nebraska, communities will come together to commemorate the birth of our nation and the freedoms we hold so dear.

In Norfolk, organizers will host the 47th Big Bang Boom, one of the largest fireworks displays in our state. This multi-day event also includes military displays, music, food, and other fun activities for families. At another event at Fort Robinson State Park, Nebraskans will enjoy a Western and Wildlife Art Show as they observe our nations independence. In Grand Island, the Stuhr Museum will put on a special Independence Day Celebration, a full day of excitement including historic 1890s games and speeches, a band concert, and a Main Street parade. Many other towns will hold their own parades  including Stuart, Ralston and Elwoods special boat parade.

No other country has begun its history by acknowledging the innate rights our Creator has endowed in each of us  the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This country is worth celebrating. And in Nebraska this year, we will celebrate the pioneer spirit that lives on in our state and our nation.

I hope my fellow Nebraskans will enjoy our states many wonderful Fourth of July activities. God bless you all, and happy Independence Day.

Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.
PHILADELPHIA - It's a group some call champions for students; others call it extremist, with ties to hate organizations. Moms For Liberty met in Philadelphia on Friday for Day 2 of its annual conference, which saw political powerhouses inside  and vocal opposition outside.

"There is no earthly force more powerful than the love of a mother for her children," former president, Donald Trump, said in a lengthy speech during the conference. "That's true."

The Moms For Liberty annual conference in Philadelphia featured powerful politicians, like Trump, while protesters chanted outside phrases like, "Show me what democracy looks like."

Moms For Liberty is just two years old. It started out as three Florida moms who opposed mandates during the pandemic. Now it has 285 chapters across 45 states. And while it says it's nonpartisan, it's got huge support from conservatives.

The group opposes instruction on race and gender identity in classrooms.

GOP presidential candidates, Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, all struck on major points that are foundational to the group.

"I will eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government," Trump said to a room that erupted with applause.

"Florida is the first state, I believe, in legislation I recently signed," Florida Gov. DeSantis said. "Where we are not allowing teachers to require students to choose pronouns. We're not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida."

"And then recently, John [sic] Hopkins comes out with the definition of a woman," former U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said. "Did you see what it was? A 'non-man.' They are literally trying to erase all the progress we have made in all of this time."

It's a group the Southern Poverty Law Center calls "antigovernment" and says "engages in anti-student inclusion activities, with ties that it's 'designated as hate or extremist.'" Several chapters associate with the white nationalist group, Proud Boys, it says.

A chapter in Florida previously sought to ban more than 150 books.

Protesters outside made their presence known.

"You can't erase history," Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said. "You can't just pretend things that happened didn't happen, but guess what? That's what people are trying to do."

"When I hear what Moms for Liberty is doing, banning books, censorship, authoritarianism, bigotry, that's the stuff that not only makes my blood boil, but it terrifies me," Alana Byrd, national field director for People For the American Way, said.

Jane Cramer is a mom from Sellersville. She's been opposing potential changes to the Pennridge School District, which could be spearheaded by Jordan Adams, who will speak at the conference on Saturday.

"We're dealing with sneaky book bans, pride flags being removed, curriculum filled with biased information. I guess is the next step," Cramer said.

Despite the political showing at the conference, its co-founder Tiffany Justice insists that the group will not endorse in the 2024 presidential election.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination courted conservative women at the Moms for Liberty conference in Philadelphia on Friday, elevating a group that has gained substantial influence within the GOP with its fierce opposition to instruction related to race and gender identity in the nations classrooms.

Both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared eager to out-flank the other as they labeled gender-affirming care mutilation" and talked up their efforts to eliminate critical race theory. DeSantis vowed to fight the woke," while Trump blasted what he called the toxic poison of gender ideology" and sick creed of woke communism.

While the graphic rhetoric resonates with the most active part of the GOP base, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception both received, it could turn off more moderate voters in a general election.

The group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics. But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an extremist organization for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference, being held at a downtown hotel, nonetheless drew a handful of leading Republican presidential candidates.

DeSantis praised the group for coming under attack by the left," saying it was a sign that we are winning this fight. He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to fight the woke" as president.

I think what weve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And theyre ready to roll," he said, predicting moms would be the key political force for this 2024 cycle.

2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the country finally fight back," he said.

Trump, too, accused the radical left of slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.

But Moms for Liberty is no hate group, he said. You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. Youre not a threat to America."

Trump told them that if he wins a second term he would sign an executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children." He called for the direct election  and firing  of school principals by parents.

Like DeSantis, he was deeply critical of gender-affirming care. He vowed to sign an executive order instructing federal agencies to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age." He said hospitals and health care providers who provide gender-affirming care for minors should be deemed in violation of federal health and safety standards and lose federal funding, and said he would call on Congress to ban it in all 50 states.

After his speech, Trump made a stop at Pats King of Steaks, a local Philadelphia institution, where he posed for photos and signed autographs for fans.

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major political player. The group says it doesnt plan to endorse any presidential candidate in 2024.

Moms for Liberty has transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states. Along the way, it has found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a liberty sword at the group's first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that it supported.

Beyond remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit features strategy sessions on such topics as protecting kids from gender ideology and comprehensive sex education: sex ed or sexualization.

Summit attendees said they liked what they were hearing so far.

I love Moms for Liberty, said Debbie McGinley, who is running for the school board in Methacton School District outside Philadelphia. As a parent of three kids who lost her business as a hairdresser during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she appreciated that the group is fighting for our kids.

Lucy Reyna, a treasurer for a Moms for Liberty chapter in Indiana, said she traveled to the conference to learn more about the national organization.

What am I a part of? I need to know those things, Reyna said, adding that if the group leaned too partisan in one direction, it would make her reconsider her participation.

Outside, roughly 200 parent activists and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered to protest, citing the group's extremist designation from the SPLC. They chanted, Not in our city and Let's say gay" while holding signs that read, Hate is not patriotic and Philly is the LGBTQest city.

Some protesters said specific incidents prompted their activism, including an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter publishing an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter before apologizing and removing it, and a Tennessee chapter complaining about lessons on Black civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

I think they stand for fear. And that turns into hate very quickly, said Molly Roses, a Philadelphia resident who joined the protest.

In the days before the conference, several historical associations, state senators, activists and employees at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution had pleaded unsuccessfully with the museum to cancel a welcome event for the conference Thursday night. The event went on as planned.

The museum told The Associated Press that because fostering understanding within a democratic society is so central to our mission, rejecting visitors on the basis of ideology would in fact be antithetical to our purpose.

In her remarks, Moms for Liberty National Director of Engagement Tia Bess rejected claims that the group is racist.

Do I look like a racist to y'all? Bess, who is Black, told an overwhelmingly white audience.

Tiffany Justice, one of the group's co-founders, responded sarcastically to the SPLC's extremist label onstage Friday, referring to herself as the face of domestic terrorism, apparently.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, another GOP candidate who appeared Friday, said that, When they mentioned that this was a terrorist organization ... I said well then count me as a Mom for Liberty."

Though Moms for Liberty says it is nonpartisan, it has overwhelmingly drawn conservative support. The group also has fought to elect conservative candidates to school boards around the country.

While the groups status as a 501(c)4 nonprofit means it doesnt have to disclose its funders, its public donors include conservative powerhouses such as the Heritage Foundation and the Leadership Institute, a national political training organization.

Patriot Mobile, a far-right Christian cellphone company that paid to sponsor Trumps remarks at the conference, has a political action committee that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort to take charge of Texas school boards.

Mom for Libertys Florida-based PAC also has received a $50,000 donation from Julie Fancelli, a Republican donor whose family owns Publix grocery stores and who helped fund Trumps Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, according to House Jan. 6 committee findings. Fancelli didnt respond to a request for comment.

Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and video journalist David R. Martin in Philadelphia contributed reporting.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Southwest Airlines will recommence its seasonal winter offerings to several destinations at Colorado Springs Airport including extended service dates to Houston-Hobby, the airport announced earlier this week.

May flight data from the airport also showed Southwest Airlines continued to surpass 2022 traffic levels.

Nonstop service to Houston, San Antonio and San Diego will begin Nov. 21 and run until Jan. 2 at Colorado Springs Airport, similar to what Southwest offered in years prior.

But this year, Southwest's flights to Houston will restart again on Jan. 14 to offer a weekly nonstop route on Sundays until March 6.

The extension of Houston-Hobby to the Southwest schedule is a huge win for Colorado Springs, said Greg Phillips, director of aviation at Colorado Springs Airport, and were hopeful for even more growth in the future.

If May is any sign of the future, more growth is likely to come.

Southwest saw a 13% increase in enplanements, or travelers boarding planes out of Colorado Springs Airport, compared to the same month last year. Year to date, Southwests enplanements were up 15.4% through the end of May.

Southwest will also roll out more nonstop flights on July 11 to a new destination for Colorado Springs travelers, Long Beach, Calif.

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The destination is one of several new routes the airport added during the past several months as well as two new carriers, California-based Avelo Airlines and Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines.

A variety of new flight service and airline options flowed into the Colorado Springs market after Denver-based Frontier Airlines exited in November.

Airport officials attribute Frontiers departure to the airports dip in enplanement rates that continued to have lingering effects through the end of May. May enplanements were down 2.8% compared to the same month last year.

But airport officials see promising potential for airport traffic the rest of the year with the influx of more than 95,000 seats at the airport between May and the end of the year.

Plus, airport data indicates that airlines will not having trouble filing those seats.

Colorado Springs' load factor, or the measurement of the fullness of flights, was 78.6% year-to-date at the end of May with summer load factors likely to exceed 80%, an airport news release said.

The airport also anticipates its busiest June and encourages travelers to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight departs.
Shares of Edinburgh Dragon Trust plc (LON:EFM  Free Report) passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 400.50 ($5.09) and traded as low as GBX 396.90 ($5.05). Edinburgh Dragon Trust shares last traded at GBX 400.50 ($5.09), with a volume of 296,613 shares traded.

Edinburgh Dragon Trust Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 400.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 400.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.76. The stock has a market cap of 513.41 million and a PE ratio of -17.34.

Edinburgh Dragon Trust Company Profile

(Free Report)

Edinburgh Dragon Trust plc is an investment trust. The Companys objective is to achieve long-term capital growth through investment in the Far East with the exception of Japan and Australasia. The Companys assets are invested in a diversified portfolio of securities in quoted companies spread across a range of industries and economies in the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan and Australasia.

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U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB  Free Report)  Equities researchers at DA Davidson cut their Q2 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report issued on Tuesday, June 27th. DA Davidson analyst P. Winter now expects that the financial services provider will earn $1.11 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.14. The consensus estimate for U.S. Bancorps current full-year earnings is $4.50 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for U.S. Bancorps FY2023 earnings at $4.60 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $4.69 EPS.

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U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB  Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.09). U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 19.21% and a return on equity of 16.70%. The business had revenue of $7.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 28.2% on a year-over-year basis.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Performance

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $39.00 to $33.00 in a report on Sunday, June 11th. StockNews.com downgraded U.S. Bancorp from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. Odeon Capital Group downgraded U.S. Bancorp from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $46.00 to $43.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $55.00 to $49.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $49.63.

Shares of USB opened at $33.02 on Thursday. U.S. Bancorp has a 52-week low of $27.27 and a 52-week high of $49.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $50.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.78, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.93. The businesss 50 day moving average is $31.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.94.

U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.81%. U.S. Bancorps payout ratio is 51.06%.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Bancorp

In other U.S. Bancorp news, insider James B. Kelligrew purchased 16,260 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $30.59 per share, with a total value of $497,393.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 151,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,647,446.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider James B. Kelligrew acquired 16,260 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $30.59 per share, for a total transaction of $497,393.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 151,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,647,446.93. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Alan B. Colberg acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.14 per share, with a total value of $341,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,050 shares of the companys stock, valued at $343,107. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 76,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,446,082. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of U.S. Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $1,598,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 0.3% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 1,508,608 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $54,385,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the first quarter valued at $573,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 5.7% during the first quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,079 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the first quarter valued at $419,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.61% of the companys stock.

U.S. Bancorp Company Profile

(Free Report)

U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various financial services to individuals, businesses, institutional organizations, governmental entities and other financial institutions in the United States. It operates in Corporate and Commercial Banking, Consumer and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Investment Services, Payment Services, and Treasury and Corporate Support segments.

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Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT  Free Report) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report published on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. They currently have $56.00 price objective on the utilities providers stock, down from their prior price objective of $58.00.

CWT has been the topic of several other reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on California Water Service Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. TheStreet cut California Water Service Group from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut California Water Service Group from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and one has given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $61.50.

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California Water Service Group Price Performance

Shares of California Water Service Group stock opened at $51.62 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $55.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.52 and a beta of 0.47. California Water Service Group has a one year low of $49.63 and a one year high of $66.12.

California Water Service Group Dividend Announcement

California Water Service Group ( NYSE:CWT Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported ($0.40) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $131.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $179.94 million. California Water Service Group had a return on equity of 5.69% and a net margin of 9.04%. Analysts forecast that California Water Service Group will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 5th. California Water Service Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other California Water Service Group news, VP Robert J. Kuta sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.79, for a total value of $56,790.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,916 shares in the company, valued at $733,499.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On California Water Service Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in California Water Service Group by 27.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,369,713 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $298,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140,204 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,387,000. Empower Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $19,347,000. Amundi increased its stake in California Water Service Group by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,135,700 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $69,439,000 after purchasing an additional 292,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thematics Asset Management bought a new stake in California Water Service Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,033,000. 79.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

California Water Service Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

California Water Service Group, through its subsidiaries, provides water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas. The company is involved in the production, purchase, storage, treatment, testing, distribution, and sale of water for domestic, industrial, public, and irrigation uses, as well as for fire protection services.

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Forum Financial Management LP lessened its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ  Free Report) by 17.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,057 shares of the companys stock after selling 630 shares during the quarter. Forum Financial Management LPs holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of STZ. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 84,839.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,742,434 shares of the companys stock worth $867,309,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738,028 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $373,796,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 52.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,928,866 shares of the companys stock valued at $910,514,000 after buying an additional 1,346,846 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,809,273 shares of the companys stock valued at $882,799,000 after buying an additional 908,486 shares during the period. Finally, Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $104,286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.49% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, Director Richard Sands sold 3,858,476 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.53, for a total value of $862,485,140.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,488,818 shares in the company, valued at $4,579,865,487.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Constellation Brands news, major shareholder Business Holdings Lp Ajb sold 650,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.53, for a total value of $145,294,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,365,715 shares in the company, valued at $752,338,273.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Sands sold 3,858,476 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.53, for a total transaction of $862,485,140.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,488,818 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,579,865,487.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush reissued an outperform rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $257.00 to $273.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. Roth Capital raised shares of Constellation Brands from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $267.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $218.00 to $231.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $258.71.

STZ stock opened at $246.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $236.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.89. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $208.12 and a 52 week high of $261.32.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 30th. The company reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.47 billion. Constellation Brands had a negative net margin of 0.70% and a positive return on equity of 20.48%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 11.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Constellation Brandss dividend payout ratio is currently -698.03%.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

(Free Report)

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.

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Berenberg Bank restated their buy rating on shares of Harmony Energy Income Trust (LON:HEIT  Free Report) in a report published on Wednesday morning, LSE.Co.UK reports. They currently have a GBX 135 ($1.72) target price on the stock.

Separately, Barclays reiterated an overweight rating and set a GBX 137 ($1.74) price objective on shares of Harmony Energy Income Trust in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th.

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Harmony Energy Income Trust Stock Performance

HEIT stock opened at GBX 105 ($1.34) on Wednesday. Harmony Energy Income Trust has a 1-year low of GBX 96 ($1.22) and a 1-year high of GBX 126.50 ($1.61). The business has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 110.90 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 116.61.

Harmony Energy Income Trust Announces Dividend

Harmony Energy Income Trust Company Profile

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st were given a dividend of GBX 2 ($0.03) per share. This represents a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st.

(Free Report)

Harmony Energy Income Trust PLC, an investment company, focuses on investing in energy storage assets in the United Kingdom. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

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IGM Financial Inc. (OTCMKTS:IGIFF  Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,067,500 shares, a growth of 128.1% from the May 31st total of 468,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1,525.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of IGM Financial from C$50.00 to C$49.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of IGM Financial from C$47.00 to C$49.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of IGM Financial from C$46.00 to C$44.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Finally, TD Securities upgraded shares of IGM Financial from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th.

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IGM Financial Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:IGIFF traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.35. 4,934 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,052. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $29.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.85. IGM Financial has a 1 year low of $24.78 and a 1 year high of $33.21.

IGM Financial Cuts Dividend

IGM Financial Company Profile

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.4127 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.31%. IGM Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.85%.

(Free Report)

IGM Financial Inc operates as a wealth and asset management company in Canada. It operates through Wealth Management, Asset Management, and Strategic Investments and Other segments. The company offers financial advisory services; and IG Living Plan that provides financial planning services, such as investment vehicles, insurance products, mortgage and banking solutions, and charitable giving program.

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Box, Inc. (NYSE:BOX  Free Report) CEO Aaron Levie sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.20, for a total transaction of $292,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,078,653 shares in the company, valued at $89,896,667.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

BOX Price Performance

BOX stock remained flat at $29.38 during trading on Friday. 1,355,205 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,529,457. The company has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 225.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.16. Box, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.00 and a 1-year high of $34.98.

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BOX (NYSE:BOX  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 30th. The software maker reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.05. BOX had a net margin of 3.97% and a negative return on equity of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $251.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $249.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Box, Inc. will post 0.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BOX

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. James Investment Research Inc. acquired a new stake in BOX during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of BOX in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of BOX in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of BOX by 102.8% in the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 1,304 shares of the software makers stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of BOX by 318.2% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,330 shares of the software makers stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the period. 86.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BOX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of BOX from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of BOX from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and issued a $32.00 price target on shares of BOX in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of BOX from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 26th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of BOX in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $33.44.

BOX Company Profile

(Free Report)

Box, Inc provides a cloud content management platform that enables organizations of various sizes to manage and share their content from anywhere on any device. The company's Software-as-a-Service platform enables users to collaborate on content internally and with external parties, automate content-driven business processes, develop custom applications, and implement data protection, security, and compliance features to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, internal policies, and industry standards and regulations.

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Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Free Report) have earned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $121.74.

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Sunday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Atlantic Securities boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th.

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Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $115.36 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.52 and a twelve month high of $119.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $292.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

Merck & Co., Inc. ( NYSE:MRK Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 22.52%. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.14 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.s payout ratio is 57.03%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.93, for a total value of $16,472,801.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 271,817 shares in the company, valued at $31,239,927.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018. Company insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marion Wealth Management increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 21,538 shares of the companys stock worth $2,390,000 after purchasing an additional 3,366 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,520 shares of the companys stock worth $1,944,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $806,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $228,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.8% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the companys stock worth $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. 76.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.

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All mosquitoes bite.

But its the bite from a female Anopheles mosquito that can transmit malaria.

The United States sees roughly 2,000 malaria cases a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But those are typically individuals who have traveled or lived abroad where malaria transmission often occurs  many from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. About 300 Americans experience severe disease annually, and between five and 10 die.

A locally acquired mosquito-borne malaria case hasnt occurred in the United States since 2003.

Earlier this week, though, the CDC issued a malaria alert after five locally acquired malaria cases  four in Florida and one in Texas  were reported.

Malaria is a medical emergency and should be treated accordingly, CDC officials said in the alert.

Malaria is caused by a parasite that typically makes patients sick with flu-like symptoms such as high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue.

For most, symptoms begin 10 days to four weeks after infection.

Prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical for preventing severe disease or death. Malaria in pregnant women is a health concern because its associated with maternal and perinatal illness and death.

As of June 28, the state has had nine confirmed malaria cases, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. All of the Colorado cases were in patients who reported international travel before their diagnosis.

Current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that Colorado mosquitoes are transmitting malaria at this time, said AnneMarie Harper, a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment spokesperson.

For the past five years, Colorado has averaged 22 travel-related malaria cases annually. In the City and County of Denver, there have been between four and seven malaria cases from 2018 to 2022.

Denver has had four, internationally-acquired malaria cases this year  which is on pace with previous years, said Emily Williams, a City and County of Denver Department of Public Health and Environment spokesperson.

While the Denver region hosts the Anopheles species that can technically transmit malaria, the areas climate isnt hospitable for completing the mosquitos life cycle, making infection rare, health officials said.

Were definitely more concerned about West Nile than we are about malaria, Williams said.

The elimination of standing water, wearing insect repellent, limiting outdoor activities at dusk and dawn and mosquito fogging are effective preventative measures against all mosquito species. Coloradans traveling to areas where malaria is common should ask their health care provider about malaria chemoprophylaxis.

Healthy Bites is a recurring update on health care related topics by health reporter Nicole C. Brambila.
Skillz Inc. (NYSE:SKLZ  Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,930,000 shares, a decrease of 95.1% from the May 31st total of 39,480,000 shares. Currently, 14.7% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 376,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Skillz Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SKLZ traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $9.10. The company had a trading volume of 559,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 413,356. The company has a current ratio of 7.32, a quick ratio of 7.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $192.28 million, a PE ratio of -0.59 and a beta of 2.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.42. Skillz has a 1-year low of $8.12 and a 1-year high of $43.59.

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Skillz (NYSE:SKLZ  Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 30th. The company reported ($2.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($2.60) by $0.20. The business had revenue of $46.87 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $49.36 million. Skillz had a negative return on equity of 51.25% and a negative net margin of 141.53%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Skillz will post -5.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other news, CEO Andrew Paradise purchased 67,132 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.40 per share, for a total transaction of $698,172.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 514,965 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,355,636. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Insiders bought 152,499 shares of company stock worth $1,649,710 over the last three months. 22.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Skillz in the first quarter valued at about $48,225,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Skillz by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,917,528 shares of the companys stock valued at $17,255,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800,082 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Skillz by 58.1% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,981,329 shares of the companys stock valued at $20,944,000 after acquiring an additional 2,564,912 shares during the last quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Skillz by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC now owns 4,805,171 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,434,000 after acquiring an additional 2,250,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Skillz by 141.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,669,840 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,565,174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.22% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on SKLZ shares. Wedbush reissued an outperform rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Skillz in a report on Friday, March 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Skillz from $30.00 to $25.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned 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 $43.33.

Skillz Company Profile

(Free Report)

Skillz Inc operates a mobile game platform in the United States and internationally. The company primarily develops and supports a proprietary online-hosted technology platform that enables independent game developers to host tournaments and provide competitive gaming activity to end-users. The company distributes games through direct app download from its website, as well as through third-party platforms.

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Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI  Free Report) (TSE:TRI) had its price objective hoisted by The Goldman Sachs Group to $144.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on TRI. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Thomson Reuters in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. 51job restated a downgrade rating on shares of Thomson Reuters in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Thomson Reuters from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. Scotiabank cut shares of Thomson Reuters from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on shares of Thomson Reuters from $138.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $140.25.

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Thomson Reuters Price Performance

TRI stock opened at $135.00 on Tuesday. Thomson Reuters has a 1 year low of $97.59 and a 1 year high of $138.20. The firm has a market cap of $61.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.00, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.59. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $127.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Thomson Reuters Cuts Dividend

Thomson Reuters ( NYSE:TRI Free Report ) (TSE:TRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. Thomson Reuters had a net margin of 17.20% and a return on equity of 10.55%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Thomson Reuters will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 18th were given a $0.362 dividend. This represents a $1.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 17th. Thomson Reuterss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Thomson Reuters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TRI. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 134.9% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the business services providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC now owns 286 shares of the business services providers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 993.3% in the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 328 shares of the business services providers stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 246.7% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 735 shares of the business services providers stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 209.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 353 shares of the business services providers stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.04% of the companys stock.

About Thomson Reuters

(Free Report)

Thomson Reuters Corporation engages in the provision of business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments.

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Tompkins Financial Corp decreased its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV  Free Report) by 9.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,699 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,973 shares during the quarter. Tompkins Financial Corps holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $1,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 56.2% during the first quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 8,870 shares of the companys stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 3,191 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Investment Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 23.0% during the first quarter. Patriot Investment Management Group Inc. now owns 10,758 shares of the companys stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. Heron Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 42.5% during the first quarter. Heron Financial Group LLC now owns 134,736 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,115,000 after buying an additional 40,215 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 2.6% during the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 382,642 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,567,000 after buying an additional 9,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VAUGHAN & Co SECURITIES INC. boosted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.3% during the first quarter. VAUGHAN & Co SECURITIES INC. now owns 122,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,320,000 after buying an additional 1,588 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF Price Performance

Shares of BATS:EFAV traded up $0.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $67.50. The company had a trading volume of 327,196 shares. The stock has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 0.60. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has a one year low of $64.68 and a one year high of $76.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.01.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF

The iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of developed-market equities, ex-US and Canada, selected and weighted to create a low volatility portfolio subject to constraints including sector exposure.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFAV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:EFAV  Free Report).

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Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund (NYSE:AIO  Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 79,600 shares, an increase of 172.6% from the May 31st total of 29,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 99,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 10.6% during the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 19,323 shares of the companys stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,855 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 7.1% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 536,183 shares of the companys stock worth $11,721,000 after acquiring an additional 35,686 shares in the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund during the first quarter worth about $648,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund by 16.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 262,242 shares of the companys stock worth $5,732,000 after acquiring an additional 37,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund during the first quarter worth about $501,000.

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Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Stock Performance

Shares of Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $18.40. The stock had a trading volume of 164,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,757. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.03. Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund has a 52 week low of $14.92 and a 52 week high of $19.11.

Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend

Virtus Artificial Intelligence & Technology Opportunities Fund Company Profile

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 12th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.78%.

(Free Report)

The Fund seeks to generate a stable income stream and growth of capital by focusing on one of the most significant long-term secular growth opportunities in markets today. A multi-asset approach based on fundamental research is employed, dynamically allocating to attractive segments of a companys debt and equity in order to offer an attractive risk/reward profile.

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Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX  Free Report) by 42.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,364 shares of the natural resource companys stock after buying an additional 4,271 shares during the period. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLCs holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $588,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FCX. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 25,583 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $972,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 7,589 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 10,450 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,252 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $200,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,293 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.35% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.90 per share, with a total value of $139,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at $621,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FCX. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Scotiabank raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Thursday. They set a market perform rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $39.27.

FCX stock opened at $40.00 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $37.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.70. The company has a market capitalization of $57.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35 and a beta of 2.00. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.80 and a 52-week high of $46.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.79.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The natural resource company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 11.07%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio is presently 16.76%.

Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile

(Free Report)

Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals, as well as oil and gas. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile.

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BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua)  An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will be published on Saturday, calling on young officials to grow into people capable of shouldering the mission of the times.

The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's 13th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

The article urges young officials to become people who remain loyal and worthy of the trust of the Party and the people.

The healthy growth of young officials has a bearing on the cause of the Party and the people, which must be carried forward by future generations, says the article, urging young officials to be loyal to the Party and dedicated to the cause of the Party and the people.

The article stresses the importance of firming up the faith in Marxism and striving for the great ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The article warns young officials to guard against corruption and moral decline, noting that corruption is the most serious problem, easily leading to subversion of political power.

It is important for young officials to foster the right view on performance evaluation, it stresses.

"Communists must bear in mind that benefiting the people is their greatest political achievement," the article says.

Party officials must be pragmatic and down-to-earth. They must resolutely put an end to practices such as making big statements instead of taking concrete measures, it adds.

Young officials must make themselves competent and well-versed in genuine skills, and integrate theory with practice, paying special attention to gaining true knowledge and building capabilities through practice, the article notes.

Stressing the need to enhance a strong sense of responsibility and a fighting spirit, the article says Party officials, especially leading officials, should meet difficulties head-on and take proactive steps in the face of risks.

"Only by exhibiting courage and ability to fight, can we win dignity and initiative, and effectively safeguard the country's sovereignty, security and development interests," it says.

The article asks officials to improve both their approach and ability in connecting and working with the people.

Leading officials should better study, understand and use the internet, surf the internet often, understand what is on the people's minds and their aspirations, pool good ideas and suggestions, and actively respond to the concerns of internet users by resolving their doubts, it says.

(Source: Xinhua)
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is facing litigation from an animal rights organization calling for the zoo to send its African elephants to a sanctuary.

The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) filed a 376-page petition on June 28, naming the zoos five beloved aging African elephants as plaintiffs in a suit against the zoo, attempting to get the elephant population removed from zoo custody.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo responded with a news release Friday, calling the NhRP "an organization known in the Zoo industry for wasting credible organizations' time and money," and said the group was "using litigation as a way to gain public attention for their misguided claims.

NhRP, an animal activist organization based in Coral Springs, Fla., has been active since 1995, and is dedicated solely to securing rights for nonhuman animals, according to the organization's website.

In May and June 2022, the activist organization sued the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and the Bronx Zoo over the treatment of elephants kept in those zoos. NhRP lost both cases.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo disputes claims of neglect toward the five elephants  Jambo, Missy, LouLou, Kimba and Lucky  citing a highly dedicated team carrying a collective 65 years of experience who work with the small herd.

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We dedicate four full-time keepers most days to care for the five elephants, according to the release. The team consistently studies our elephant's behaviors and adjusts their care programs to provide more of what they (the elephants) positively respond to.

In both social media and on its petition page, NhRP claims that the elephants  born in the wild but taken into captivity decades ago before being brought to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo  have "been observed engaging in behavior indicative of trauma and chronic stress."

The zoo in its rebuttal says the herd is given considerable space to roam in its enclosure, including an additional nearly 2-acre yard not visible to guests, and that handlers work to provide "the best care possible as they age with dignity."

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo website says it has raised more than $4.5 million, dedicated to front-line conservation efforts around the world, and has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for more than 35 years.

The NhRP has yet to respond to The Gazettes request for comment.
An El Paso County judge on Friday issued a $10 million bond to Joshua Johnson, accused of killing 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw in a Colorado Springs Walgreens last year, after a recent Colorado Supreme Court opinion required bonds to be set for all capital offenses in Colorado.

According to previous reporting from The Gazette, the new procedure regarding bond came as a result of the Colorado Supreme Court finding that those accused of first-degree murder are now eligible for bond in the state, due to the abolition of the death penalty in Colorado in 2020.

The prosecution on Friday advocated for Johnson's bond to be set at $25 million, due to Johnson being a "clear flight risk."

Riley Whitelaw's mother, Courtney Whitelaw, spoke briefly to the court advocating for the $25 million bond for Johnson. Defense attorneys disagreed, arguing that a $25 million bond was unreasonably high, and that the court is required to set a reasonable bond all cases.

Judge Eric Bentley agreed with the prosecution, stating that Johnson is a clear flight risk and a high bond must be set in order to keep the community safe, opting to issue Johnson a $10 million bond.

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Johnson pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in the killing of Whitelaw, his co-worker, in a Walgreens breakroom on June 11, 2022. An autopsy report by the El Paso County coroner found Whitelaw had died of multiple sharp force injuries.

It was reported after her death that Whitelaw made complaints to her manager about Johnson, who had made her uncomfortable, and requested different hours so she would no longer have to work with him, according to police. However, when Whitelaw asked for additional hours, she was told it would require her to work with Johnson.

Johnson was arrested a day after Whitelaws death by Colorado State Patrol while walking along Interstate 25 outside Trinidad.

Prior to the end of the hearing, Bentley informed the attorneys that Johnson's second competency evaluation had been completed, and that he had been found competent to stand trial by the report, and a new trial date must be set as a result.

Johnson is now scheduled to begin his two-week jury trial later this year on Sept. 25.
This past Monday, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said that should he become president, the rules of engagement for law enforcement and military elements deployed to the US-Mexico border would be revised to allow them to use deadly force if they suspect hostile intent.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a town hall meeting in Eagle Pass, Texas, Monday, June 26, 2023. [AP Photo/Eric Gay]

While former President Donald Trump has boasted that he will embark on the largest deportation operation in history if elected again, DeSantis is the first Republican presidential candidate to claim that he will empower border police to shoot non-violent immigrants crossing the border.

Speaking to a small group of Republican voters in Eagle Pass, Texas, DeSantis said, You spend all this money on [the border wall], and you just let them cut through with impunity? I think you need adequate rules of engagement... I say use force to repel them. You do that one time, they will never do it again.

Seeking to outflank Trump to the right with his anti-immigration policies, DeSantis, who is trailing the ex-president by some 30 points in the latest Republican presidential primary polling, claimed that as president he would designate Mexican cartels either transnational criminal organizations or foreign terrorist organization.

As part of his No Excuses anti-immigrant program, DeSantis said he would create a Joint Counter-Cartel Task Force that would allow the US government to deploy military and intelligence assets along the border, and into Mexico as part of an expansion of the war on terror.

We are going to use a designation that is going to pack a punch, DeSantis added. Selling himself to the ruling class as a more competent fascist dictator compared to Trump, DeSantis hissed, For the president to battle against the cartels, you dont even need Congress.

Threatening a war with Mexico, DeSantis said that his administration would reserve the right to operate across the border, including surging resources to the Navy and Coast Guard to block Mexican ports.

DeSantis pledged that as president he would boost recruiting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection by increasing pay and embarking on a recruitment campaign targeting former military members and police officers.

Sparing no expense for the war on immigrants, DeSantis added that he would finish the border wall and install new fiber optic security systems, lighting and sensors.

And as is the case with virtually every Republican candidate for president, DeSantis pledged to overturn the 14th Amendment provision that guarantees citizenship for every person born in America.

In a follow-up press conference, DeSantis, flanked by far-right Texas Representative Chip Roy, reiterated his pledge to adopt an aggressive use of force policy on the border. Copying Trump, DeSantis claimed that millions and millions of illegal aliens were pouring into the country including guys with backpacks, who, he claimed, were universally drug runners for cartels.

If the cartels are cutting through the border wall, trying to run product into this country, they are going to end up stone cold dead as a result of that bad decision, he said, adding that if you do that one time, you are not going to see them mess with that wall ever again.

Questioned by a reporter whether an attempt to cut through or circumvent the border wall was a justifiable reason for shooting and killing the perpetrator, DeSantis doubled down: If someone is breaking through the border wall... demonstrating hostile intent or hostile action, you have to be able to meet that with the appropriate use of force. I dont see how you can just let them do that.

Pressed by the reporter, an agitated DeSantis cut him off, insisting, Of course, of course, you use deadly force. He continued, I tell you, if you drop a couple of these cartel operatives trying to do that, you are not going to have to worry about that anymore.

More than three days after DeSantiss pledge to turn the US-Mexico border into a war zone, neither President Joe Biden nor any other leading Democratic official, such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, has denounced him.

The Democratic Partys silence on Republican threats to empower border agents and military personnel to execute immigrants is not a mistake. As DeSantis noted at the same press conference, under Democratic President Barack Obama, the US federal government deported more immigrants than under Trump. And while he campaigned on a more humane border policy, Biden, like Trump, used the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to deport thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers up until this year.

Continuing to attack Trump from the right on immigration, DeSantis explained on Monday, Where we differ... we are more aggressive in terms of our plan than anything he [referring to Trump] did in empowering local officials to enforce immigration law.

This is the second time in the last month the Florida governor has visited a state along the US-Mexico border. In a bid to boost his anti-immigrant bona fides, earlier this month DeSantis traveled to Sierra Vista, Arizona, along with several fascistic sheriffs who have endorsed his campaign.

Less than two weeks after his Arizona visit, 91 far-right sheriffs, including several who appeared with DeSantis in Arizona, such as Mark Dannels (Cochise County, Arizona), Corey Helton (Lea County, New Mexico) and Grady Judd (Polk County, Florida) announced that they were forming an anti-immigrant coalition to combat the Biden border crisis, under the leadership of DeSantis.

In addition to the aforementioned, several sheriffs with connections to the Oath Keepers militia group, such as Riverside County (California) Sheriff Chad Bianco, have signed onto the letter.

According to extremism researcher Kris Goldsmith, at least 13 signatories to DeSantis letter are members of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA). Members of CSPOA spearheaded ruling class efforts to roll back limited mitigation measures during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and enjoy close relations with far-right militia groups, including those convicted in the assassination plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Youth gather on Concorde square during a protest in Paris, France, Friday, June 30, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron urged parents Friday to keep teenagers at home and proposed restrictions on social media to quell rioting spreading across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver. [AP Photo/Lewis Joly]

France has erupted in three days of mass protests following the police murder of a 17-year-old youth, Nahel, in Nanterre, outside of Paris. The government of President Emmanuel Macron is responding with a brutal crackdown, enforced by police organizations that are making openly fascistic statements demanding violence.

Protests and rioting in cities throughout France come in the wake of mass protests and strikes by millions of workers against Macrons pension cuts, the largest movement in France since the May 1968 general strike. These protests were strangled and suppressed through the combined efforts of the trade union apparatus and the various opposition parties.

The eruption of rioting and looting after Nahels murder reflects the frustration of youth and workers after this sell-out, which was designed to leave them with no visible way forward for a political struggle against Macron.

Macron is responding by pressing the offensive with a brutal police crackdown. Yesterday, Macrons ministers announced curfews and bans on protests in the majority cities and said that military police will use armored vehicles against rioters. Their staff confirmed that nothing is off the table, including a state of emergency suspending democratic rights, so police can jail or impose house arrest on anyone without trial.

Macron has also called for internet censorship, demanding that social media sites like TikTok and Snapchat take measures to eliminate the most sensitive content and identify to the government users who call for disorder or exacerbate the violence.

The police organizations are demanding blood and repression in the working class districts of French cities. In a fascistic screed, the police threatened on Friday to put those we arrest out of action.

The joint communique declared: Faced with these savage hordes, asking for calm is no longer enough, we must impose it.  It is time not for trade union action, but for combat against these vermin.

The police officials description of millions of working people as vermin not only reveals the toxic state of mind of the policein which a cop could gun down Nahel at point blank range and in cold blood, then lie about it in official documents until he was exposed by camera footage. It also starkly underscores the political situation facing the working class. The capitalist state, led by the president of the rich, is mobilizing its heavily-armed police assault squads for war on the workers.

Macron has encouraged these fascistic sentiments among the police. He reacted to the first major protests of his presidency, the 2018-2019 yellow vest protests against social inequality, by appealing to the riot police with the claim that Nazi-collaborationist dictator and convicted traitor Philippe Petain was a great soldier. He then named Gerald Darmanin, a sympathizer of the fascistic Action Francaise, as interior minister. Darmanin is now infamous for his denunciations of Muslims and of kosher and halal food.

This crisis sharply reveals political issues facing workers internationally, as these same essential processes are underway in countries across the globe. Three years ago, the police murder of George Floyd led to mass protests across the United States and calls to illegally send the US army against protesters by then-President Donald Trump, in what was effectively an attempted military coup. Since a general strike toppled Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapakse last year, the government has relentlessly prosecuted those involved in the protests.

It is urgent that working class mobilize against military-police repression and to defend democratic rights, in France and internationally.

It should be recalled that the general strike of May-June 1968 was the intervention of the working class following the brutal actions of police against students at the Sorbonne. Now one has a savage police murder of an unarmed youth, followed by mass arrests and repression targeting working class communities throughout the country.

Workers throughout France are outraged over the imposition of pension cuts through government decree, in open defiance of the will of the vast majority of the population. Three-quarters of the French people opposed the cuts, which Macron rammed through without even a vote in parliament, sending riot police to assault anyone striking or protesting.

During the struggle, two-thirds of the French people, overwhelmingly in the working class, told pollsters they wanted to stop Macron by blocking the economy with a general strike.

Everything was done by the union bureaucrats and the various pseudo-left parties to evade the central issue: that Macron had to go and that power had to be transferred to the working class.

Union boss Laurent Berger denounced a dangerous political climate and insanity that could take over this country with violence. Berger was not criticizing the violence of Macrons cops, but protests by workers and youth against Macron. This is because the union bureaucracies are not opponents, but servants and defenders of the police state machine.

The pseudo-left parties of the affluent middle class all adapted to the bureaucracys ending of all effective strike action against Macron after May Day. Jean-Luc Melenchons New Popular Union sent a few impotent petitions to Macron, while Juan Chingo of the Revolution Permanente group declared the situation was not revolutionary.

This supposedly not revolutionary situation has now developed into the explosion of social unrest throughout the country.

Workers cannot leave the youth to fight on their own. All the actions of the government, which are acquiring an ever more reckless and authoritarian character, will be directed at every manifestation of opposition to the dictates of the corporations and the financial elite.

The turn to police violence and dictatorial forms of rule, in France and internationally, is inextricably connected to extreme levels of social inequality and the escalating war of US-NATO imperialism. Confronting mass social anger at home, the capitalist ruling elites are responding with violence.

The Parti de legalite socialiste (PES), the French section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), calls for the building of rank-and-file committees among workers and youth to mobilize opposition to the new police state measures Macron is preparing.

Rank-and-file committees should coordinate strikes and protests against Macrons measures, defend individuals victimized by the police state, and rally the untapped mass opposition to Macron in the working class into a movement to bring him down.

A mass movement in the working class can and must be built to bring down this government, which is rotten through and through. This requires a ruthless break with the union bureaucracies and their pseudo-left appendages, and building rank-and-file committees in the working classtowards which workers can transfer state power in France and internationally in the course of a struggle for socialism.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) is launching a campaign to oppose the anti-democratic decision by Macquarie University, in Sydney, to reject the affiliation of its club, despite having met all requirements.

IYSSE anti-war meeting at Macquarie University in Sydney, April 4, 2023.

The universitys action against the IYSSE was based on the fraudulent claim that the club shares the same aims and purpose as the Macquarie Socialists, affiliated with the pseudo-left group Socialist Alternative. The false assertion is refuted by a voluminous written record.

This is an act of blatant political censorship, which serves to bar students and youth from encountering and discussing a genuine socialist revolutionary perspective amid an historic breakdown of global capitalism. It occurs amid a broader assault on the IYSSE, in Australia and internationally, for its opposition to the US-NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, and militarism more broadly.

In a video opposing the disaffiliation, Sharon, president of the IYSSE club at Macquarie, described it as preemptive censorship. She elaborated: The ruling elite in every country is keenly aware that theyre sitting on a social powder keg. In the past, universities have been hotbeds of social and political opposition during times like these.

We dont accept the attack on our club, she went on, and demand that the university overturns its decision and affiliates our club. Otherwise, the decision will be a precedent and a battering ram against the right of students to politically organise.

In Newcastle, a city in regional New South Wales, IYSSE members Robert and Youp registered their opposition to the Macquarie disaffiliation.

In Melbourne, IYSSE members of clubs at La Trobe University and Victoria University also spoke out against Macquaries attack.

At this weeks IYSSE meetings, clubs in Sydney, Melbourne, and Newcastle unanimously passed resolutions to oppose the disaffiliation. The resolutions stated: If the decision is allowed to stand, it sets a dangerous precedent for anti-war and left-wing voices on campuses around the country to be silenced.

This comes amid far-right attempts to shut down IYSSE events around the world because of our principled stand against the US-NATO imperialist proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Only the IYSSE presents a genuine anti-war perspective based on the unification of the world working class in a common struggle against the capitalist nation-state system.

We resolve to develop an active and broad campaign to fight for the overturning of the decision to block our affiliation at Macquarie University as part of the broader struggle for freedom of speech on and off campus.

The IYSSE calls on all students, youth, and those who defend civil liberties to join us in fighting this attack on democratic rights.
The US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on Tuesday released a long-awaited report summarizing its investigation into the August 10, 2019 death of billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while he was in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in New York City.

The main purpose of the OIG report was to uncritically bolster the findings of Chief New York Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson the day after Epstein was found at 6:30 a.m. unresponsive in his cell at the Manhattan Correctional Center (MCC) and pronounced dead at 7:36 a.m. at New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.

The executive summary of the OIG report states, On August 11, 2019, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and determined the cause of death was hanging and the method was suicide.

The OIG report fails to address in any substantial manner the widespread public belief that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered to prevent him from exposing others within the financial, political and celebrity elite who were participants in, and/or facilitators of, his sex trafficking operation.

The report states, The Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy told the OIG that Epsteins injuries were consistent with suicide by hanging and that there was no evidence of defensive wounds that would be expected if his death had been a homicide.

The OIG does not address itself to the independent autopsy conducted on behalf of Epsteins family by forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, who determined in October 2019 that the injuries suffered by Epstein, such as his fractured hyoid bone, points to homicide rather than suicide.

Instead, the OIG report moves quickly onto an analysis of the job performance and management failures on the part of BOP personnel, and widespread disregard of BOP policies that are designed to ensure that inmates are safe, secure and in good health. It presents these failures as the reasons why Epstein was able to take his own life.

Among the failures acknowledged by the OIG are the fact that Epstein was left alone in his jail cell with a surplus of bed linens on the night of his death; that nearly every surveillance camera on his unit did not record what was happening outside cells, despite a purported suicide attempt two weeks earlier; and that Epstein was not checked on regularly, as required by BOP procedures.

As is stated in the OIG Executive Summary:

The combination of negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures documented in this report all contributed to an environment in which one of the BOPs most notorious inmates was provided with the opportunity to take his own life, resulting in numerous questions being asked about the circumstances of his death, how it could have been allowed to happen, and most importantly, depriving his numerous victims, many of whom were underage girls at the time of the alleged crimes, of their ability to seek justice through the criminal justice system.

The OIGs reference to Epsteins victims is for public relations purposes only, since the report provides no new information about the criminal enterprise that the billionaire was running, with the tacit support of both his wealthy friends and federal law enforcement officials, for at least 15 years.

The report does not bother to mention, for example, that it was the DoJspecifically US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alexander Acostathat intervened in 2008 to arrange a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein that effectively blocked a probe into his sex crimes involving at least three dozen victims.

In any event, the 128-page OIG report offers a series of recommendations to the BOP to address the numerous issues identified during our investigation and review. Among these are calls for the BOP to address staffing shortages, to adequately train the staff on cell inspections, to ensure security cameras are functioning properly, and, above all, to develop procedures for protecting inmates who are on suicide watch.

It must be stated that, even if Jeffrey Epstein did commit suicideand this has by no means been proven conclusively by the Department of Justicethe facts presented in the OIG report demonstrate that the BOP staff at MCC and, by extension, the US government, facilitated it.

It has been established during numerous lawsuits brought against the deceased billionaires estate that Jeffrey Epstein had many relationships with individuals within the ruling establishment in the US and around the world who were well aware of his criminal sex trafficking of underage girls, and in some cases participated in it.

Among the significant individuals with known connections to Jeffrey Epstein are Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Britains Prince Andrew, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Elon Musk and Bill Gates.

These revelations came to a head recently in a class action lawsuit brought by some of Epsteins victims against JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the US, which continued to do business with the billionaire long after his depraved criminal activities became public knowledge. In the end, to prevent further revelations about the banks collaboration with and financial support for the sex trafficker Epstein and to avoid admitting any wrongdoing whatsoever, JPMorgan settled out of court with the group of victims for a reported $290 million.

The wealthy and well-connected Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 by federal and New York City police at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on numerous sex trafficking charges. He pleaded not guilty on July 8, and, after his request for pretrial releaseincluding an offer to post $100 million bondwas denied on the grounds that he posed a danger to the public and was a serious flight risk, Epstein was jailed at MCC, awaiting his trial.

The events of July 23, 2019, when Epstein was found injured and semiconscious at 1:30 a.m. on the floor of his cell and with marks on his neck, are critical to the narrative that the billionaire killed himself. His cellmate, referred to in the OIG report as Inmate 1, was former New York City police officer Nicholas Tartaglione, who was awaiting trial on four counts of murder. Tartaglione has maintained that he had no knowledge of what happened to Epstein that night and he was officially cleared of any wrongdoing by the BOP within days of the event.

However, the OIG report says the billionaire stated multiple times that he believed someone had tried to kill him that morning, and the last thing he remembered was going for a drink of water at 1:00 a.m. before he woke up on the floor. Epstein said he could not remember exactly what happened on July 23.

Meanwhile, there is a glaring contradiction in the report that is not addressed in the OIG executive summary or the conclusion. This has to do with the extensive details about Epsteins mental health condition in Chapter 4 of the report, entitled, Custody and Care of Epstein Prior to His Death.

From the day he arrived at MCC, Epstein was screened and evaluated repeatedly by medical and psychological professionals. The report says numerous times that Epstein denied having a history of mental health treatment and any history of mental health symptoms, and denied passive or active suicidal ideation.

As standard procedure, Epstein was initially place on psychological evaluation status, and he was given a psychological care rating of level 1, which means that they have no needs and will not be followed up with unless requested by staff or the inmates.

On July 11, the report notes that Epstein and his attorney, with whom he met on nearly a daily basis while at MCC, were laughing at the fact that the chief psychologist was inquiring as to whether Epstein was suicidal and dismissing the possibility that Epstein could be suicidal.

After the incident on July 23, Epstein was placed on suicide watch. However, he was removed from suicide watch a day later and then, after he was seen by the chief psychologist daily between July 25 and 29, he was removed from psychological observation altogether on July 30, following an evaluation in which Epstein identified reasons to live and was future-oriented.

All of this is consistent with information on Epsteins clear mental status days before his death, derived from documents in the JPMorgan Chase lawsuit obtained by the Associated Press in early June. It is also consistent with the statements of Epsteins lawyers shortly after his death, who said that he was looking forward to pursuing his legal defense and showed no indications of suicidal tendencies.

Responding to the conclusions in the OIG report, which took four years for the US Justice Department to produce, Mark Epstein, brother of the deceased billionaire, told the Insider on Tuesday, It doesnt make sense.

Mark Epstein said the marks on his brothers neck were inconsistent with suicidal hanging, stating that if he was hanging from the way they said, that doesnt match up to where the broken bones are in his neck. He added, What most likely happened is that those marks are probably because he got either punched or a karate chop into the neck by whoever killed him. Because thats a technique they use to incapacitate people that theyre going to eliminate. That makes much more sense.

The corporate media has dutifully picked up the conclusions of the OIG report and repeated them without a word of criticism. The New York Times, for example, begins its report by saying Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, not foul playafter a cascade of negligence and mismanagement at the now-shuttered federal jail in Manhattan where he was housed, according to the Justice Departments inspector general.
Australias Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles visited Solomon Islands June 28-29, seeking an extension of Canberras military-police intervention force.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, June 28, 2023. [Photo: Twitter]

Australian imperialism is striving to maintain its hegemony in the impoverished Pacific country and counter Chinas growing influence. The Solomon Islands government signed a security pact with Beijing in March last year, facilitating a Chinese police presence and docking rights for Chinese naval vessels in Solomons ports.

This agreement was met with furious denunciations in both Canberra and Washington. The White House issued a statement warning it could invade Solomon Islands if China established a military base there, while the Australian Labor Party, then in opposition, denounced the Scott Morrison government for the worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific since the end of World War II.

In Solomon Islands, Richard Marles promoted different aid initiatives, including small investments in hospitals and immunisation programs, as well as support for the upcoming Pacific Games sport event and next years national election.

The central purpose of his visit, however, was to ensure an extension into 2024 of the Solomons International Assistance Force (SIAF). The SIAF was formed in 2021, amid a violent coup attempt by US-backed forces from the province of Malaita. The intervention operation includes security personnel from New Zealand and several Pacific countries but is dominated by Australian military and police. Around 100 Australian soldiers and 140 Australian Federal Police are deployed in the Solomons.

Speaking in the capital, Honiara, Marles declared: We made clear that if it was the Solomons wish for SIAF, then Australia stood ready for that to occur. And that we were happy to support a continuation of the SIAFs presence in supporting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force as necessary. We wanted to make completely clear that from the perspective of Australia, we stood ready for that support to be provided for as long as possible.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare issued non-committal public statements. A government press release explained that in talks with Marles, Sogavare had conveyed the countrys appreciation to Australias ongoing support in the area of security, but added: Assessments are still ongoing to determine the security needs during the [Pacific] Games and should there be areas to address, Australia will be notified through appropriate channels.

Sogavare also raised the need for a review of the Australia-Solomons security treaty, to take into account the changing security challenges faced by both countries.

This statement appeared to raise concerns within the Australian foreign policy and military establishment. In 20062007, when Sogavare was previously in office, he was the target of a provocative Australian destabilisation campaign. This was motivated in part by the Solomons prime ministers call for a review into the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), the Australian-dominated neo-colonial intervention force in the country from 2003 to 2017.

The current security pact between Solomons and Australia was signed in 2017. It provides any intervention force invited into the country by Honiara with sweeping powers, including immunity from the countrys laws.

After Sogavares call for a review of the pact, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Stephen Dziedzic tweeted that, initial info Im getting suggests Sogavare is **not** pushing for substantial changes that would have a material impact on Aus security cooperation in Solomon Islands.

This appeared to be confirmed the following day, when Marles declared that a review of the pact was a really exciting opportunity to revitalise the security agreement between our two countries.

Regardless of any alterations to the legal basis of Australias military-police presence in Solomons, there is no doubt that the Labor government will continue to aggressively pursue efforts to undermine Chinas standing in the country.

Beijings security pact remains in place, with Chinese police now a visible force in Honiara. Last Wednesday, the same day that Marles landed in Solomons, Chinas ambassador Li Ming featured in a ceremony at police headquarters held to mark the donation of additional Chinese security equipment. This included two police vehicles, night-vision devices, drones, and a wireless signal jammer.

Chinese ambassador (in blue suit) next to Solomon Islands police commissioner with Solomon Islands and Chinese police officers, June 28, 2023 [Photo: Royal Solomon Island Police Force Media Unit]

Washington no doubt remains highly concerned over the erosion of its influence in the strategically important Pacific country. Ever since 1945, US imperialism has delegated to Australia primary responsibility for ensuring that rival powers are shut out of the south-west Pacific. Several American foreign policy establishment figures were sharply critical of Canberras operations in Solomon Islands and its perceived failure to prevent China from enlarging its role in the region. Such discussion blatantly disregards international law, under which the sovereign government of Solomon Islands has the right to enter into treaties with whichever country it chooses.

In 2020, when Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing, the US backed a renegade provincial leader in Malaita, Daniel Suidani. Suidani declared that he did not recognise the switch and maintained his relations with Taiwan while barring Chinese investment in Malaita, in direct violation of Solomons law. In return he and his separatist forces known as Malaita For Democracy (M4D) were provided with financial and logistical support by Washington.

This has not produced the hoped-for results, however. In November 2021, an M4D-organised attempt to violently overthrow the Sogavare government failed. Last February, Suidani was removed from his position as Malaitan premier through a no confidence motion in the provincial assembly. In March, the central government declared him disqualified from sitting in the assembly, a measure that appears to block his possible return to office.

Suidani subsequently demonstrated his role as a stooge of American interests by accepting a sponsored visit to Washington, denouncing Sogavare and Beijing before various audiences including the Heritage Foundation.

While the intensifying great power rivalries in Solomon Islands receives continued coverage, entirely unreported is the immense social and economic crisis afflicting ordinary people in the country. Australian imperialism spent nearly $3 billion in its RAMSI operation, but invested virtually nothing on the basic needs of the population.

On the same day of Richard Marless visit, local media outlets reported that regular electricity blackouts in Honiara will likely continue until October, due to malfunctioning generators. This will further increase hardship in the capital, where residents already pay the worlds highest prices for electricity.
An El Paso County judge on Friday ruled that the prosecution did not act with gross negligence regarding a discovery violation in the case against Matthew Barton, a former Manitou Springs High School teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student more than 10 years ago, and that no severe sanctions will be imposed on the prosecution.

Barton is awaiting his second trial, which comes after a hung jury forced then-presiding Judge Eric Bentley to declare a mistrial in October 2022. Judge Linda Billings-Vela will preside over the new trial, set Oct. 31, court records show.

The Friday morning hearing came due to allegations from Barton's defense attorney, Cindy Hyatt, that the prosecution withheld significant discovery from Barton that would have affected his first trial had it been disclosed. The motion, filed in May, claims that a text message between the victim and the the school resource officer investigating the case from January 2022, when the alleged victim discusses the desire to potentially hire a lawyer, was not disclosed to the defense.

"Also, I would like to know what my options are dealing with the school since I found they did have an idea what was going on. Should I get a lawyer? The victim wrote in one text message to the resource officer, according to the defense motion. "Thank you for your feedback. Its OK, Im just starting to think I should. Since they seemed to have had an idea about what was going on.

Billings-Vela had already ruled that the message between the school resource officer and the victim was a discovery violation, and set the Friday motions hearing to determine sanctions, as well as to review if any further discovery violations had been committed by the prosecution.

During the hearing, Hyatt argued that the school resource officer had made numerous discovery violations by failing to disclose several relevant text messages, and that severe sanctions should be implemented as a result.

The prosecution argued that there had been no further discovery violations committed, and the one violation that had already been determined came not out of an intention to mislead the defense or alter the first trial, but rather that it was just a mistake, and a mistake that did not rise to the level of severe sanctions.

Hyatt argued during the hearing that the text message between the school resource officer and the victim showed that the victim was contemplating a civil lawsuit, and that text message could have been used at trial to impeach the credibility of the victim. Hyatt went as far as to argue to the court that had the text message been entered into evidence correctly it could have impacted the outcome of the first trial.

"(The text messages) are highly relevant to her (the victim's) motive," Hyatt said during argument.

The school resource officer testified on Friday, and stated that there was never any deliberate attempt to hide any relevant text message from the defense.

Prosecuting attorney Jessica McCarville added that the statute of limitations had run out several years ago for the victim to file a civil lawsuit against Barton, and that once the prosecution was made aware a discovery violation had been committed, they went "above and beyond" to resolve the issue.

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Argument was also heard from Hyatt regarding what she claimed were numerous additional discovery violations from the school resource officer after reviewing a bevy of text messages entered into evidence after the initial discovery violation came to the attention of the court.

Hyatt had problems with numerous text messages that the school resource officer had sent and received from the victim, former students at Manitou Springs High School, other members of law enforcement and more, claiming those messages should have been subject to discovery.

Prosecuting attorney Christina Perroni argued that all of the new text messages put forward by Hyatt were not subject to discovery, and took particular issue with the allegation that the text messages sent by the resource officer to the victim where she offers the victim emotional support after a day of testimony, which Hyatt said showed a "clear lack of objectivity in this case."

"I find it offensive," Perroni said of Hyatt's claims regarding he text messages. "Giving support (to victims) is part of the job."

After hearing more than two hours of argument and testimony, Judge Billings-Vela gave her ruling, siding primarily in favor of the prosecution.

Judge Billings-Vela ruled that outside of the initial discovery violation regarding the victim asking about reaching out to a lawyer, that there had been no additional discovery violations committed by the prosecution, and the additional text messages were not subject to discovery.

"Frankly, I'd be more concerned if law enforcement wasn't expressing any empathy (to victims),' Billings-Vela said while ruling that the text messages of support from the resource officer to the victim were not a discovery violation.

On the topic of sanctions, Billings-Vela again opted against the defense, stating that "context matters" when speaking about the discovery violation that occurred.

Billings-Vela stated that for harsh sanctions to be imposed on the prosecution, or to have the case dismissed in its entirety, the defense needed to demonstrate that the prosecution knowingly withheld crucial evidence from the defense that drastically altered the outcome of the trial. Billings-Vela ruled that this discovery violation "does not even come close" to and was "far from" reaching the mark for severe sanctions or dismissal.

The lone sanction imposed by Billings-Vela is that for Barton's second trial, which is slated to start on Oct 31, the jury will be informed of the discovery violation committed by the prosecution.

Barton will return to court on Oct. 23 for his pretrial readiness conference.
Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Octobert 7, 2022. [AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite]

On Thursday, the corrupt far-right majority on the US Supreme Court issued a decision effectively abolishing racial preferences in university admissions. By a 6-3 vote, the court held that racial preferences in the admissions process at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, also known as affirmative action, violated the constitutional right of equal protection as well as a federal statute that prohibits racial discrimination by recipients of federal funding.

The decision overturns decades of deliberate national policy, with far-reaching implications across numerous institutions and professions. While most students attend colleges and universities with little or no selectiveness in terms of admissions, the most disruptive effects of the decision will be concentrated in the most elite institutions, where dozens or even hundreds of applicants often compete for the privilege of a single spot.

Contrary to the way the decision has been portrayed in the American mediaequating it with the infamous Dobbs decision last year abolishing the right to abortionthe issue in the cases decided Thursday was not whether to improve the overall quality of education or broaden access to it for millions of students. Instead, the dispute was over the methods for allocating the privilege of obtaining a quality higher education within the existing framework, which remains unchanged.

Affirmative action policies have been bitterly litigated by rival factions of the American ruling class for decades, resulting in splintered Supreme Court decisions that until recently have narrowly permitted racial preferences. In the most recent case, the Biden administration, the justices aligned with the Democratic Party, and the universities defended affirmative action. But the new majority of far-right and Republican-aligned justices, including three appointed by the fascistic ex-president Donald Trump, took the opportunity to transform what had previously been the subject of angry dissents into the supreme law of the land.

An extraordinary five hours of oral arguments were devoted to the case in November. By the end of those arguments, the 6-3 decision against affirmative action was all but assured. The seven-month delay as well as the extraordinary length of the decision (237 pages split among six different opinions) testify to the bitterness of the disagreements over terminating an entrenched decades-old policy.

Amicus or friend of court briefs were submitted in the case by groups representing substantial swaths of the American academic, corporate, government, and military elite. Many of these groups expressly defended affirmative action as a key institution in the pipeline for selecting and grooming the next generation of the elite, and ultimately for ensuring the long-term stability of the capitalist social order. They feared that flipping the tables on this well-established practice could have far-reaching and destabilizing implications.

These fears were articulated in the principal dissenting opinion filed by justice Sonia Sotomayor. Defending affirmative action, she wrote, History teaches that racial diversity is a national security imperative.

Quoting from the Biden administrations brief in support of affirmative action, Sotomayor expressly tied the policy of affirmative action to the war plans of the American government: Based on lessons from decades of battlefield experience, it has been the longstanding military judgment across administrations that racial diversity is essential to achieving a mission-ready military and to ensuring the Nations ability to compete, deter, and win in todays increasingly complex global security environment.

Indeed, during the oral arguments in November, the Biden administrations solicitor general made this argument with an implicit reference to the phenomenon of fragging during the Vietnam War, when a pattern emerged of black conscripts killing their white officers.

Taking up this argument, Sotomayor wrote, During the Vietnam War, for example, lack of racial diversity threatened the integrity and performance of the Nations military because it fueled perceptions of racial/ethnic minorities serving as cannon fodder for white military leaders.

Sotomayor warned of the costly result of eliminating affirmative action, again quoting the Biden administration brief. The Nations military strength and readiness depend on a pipeline of officers who are both highly qualified and racially diverseand who have been educated in diverse environments that prepare them to lead increasingly diverse forces. That is true not just at the military service academies but at civilian universities, including Harvard, that host Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs and educate students who go on to become officers.

Extending these rationales from military officers to the business elite, Sotomayor cited a brief filed on behalf of Major American Business Enterprises that argued that a diverse workforce improves business performance.

A college degree, particularly from an elite institution, carries with it the benefit of powerful networks and the opportunity for socioeconomic mobility, she acknowledged. Admission to college is therefore often the entry ticket to top jobs in workplaces where important decisions are made.

In so many words, the dissenting justices opposed the abolition of affirmative action on the grounds that it would undermine the illusion of social mobility as well as the perceived legitimacy of the American government, military, financial institutions, and the capitalist social order.

As for the far-right Supreme Court majority, their decision to abolish affirmative action is based on a number of no less cynical calculations. Alongside fascistic figures like former Trump aide Steven Bannon, the far-right wing of the American political establishment senses that identity politics enjoys weak popular support, and seeks to exploit decades of accumulated grievances resulting from the application of racial preferences.

The cases that were decided Thursday were brought by an organization called the Students For Fair Admissions (SFFA), which is associated with right-wing legal activist Edward Blum, who has previously been behind legal attacks on the Voting Rights Act.

In the Harvard case in particular, a number of documents came to light in the course of the litigation that were highly embarrassing for the university, exposing the capricious manner in which students from some backgrounds were assigned high leadership scores.

While affirmative action was ostensibly aimed at the elimination of racial prejudice, in practice the distribution of racial preferences frequently involved the direct application of such prejudices, such as students from Asian backgrounds being arbitrarily given low scores for personality in order to make room for students from other backgrounds.

In the decades during which affirmative action became more and more entrenched, a whole rotten cottage industry emerged that was dedicated to assisting students with navigating these arbitrary preferences, such as advising students on how to appear less Asian in their applications.

As it relates to the extremely sensitive issue of the military in particular, it is noteworthy that the Supreme Court decision carves out military academies from the direct impact of the ruling, adding that the opinion does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.

The conflict over affirmative action in the Supreme Court is a facet of broader conflicts within the American political establishment that have also been reflected in the controversies between the New York Times 1619 Project and the Trump administrations 1776 Report and over critical race theory.

Denouncing the superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle, Sotomayors dissent described America as an endemically segregated society. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who formerly sat on the Board of Overseers of Harvard, wrote separately that the US has never been colorblind. The implication is that America is a society that has always been divided by race, that will be divided along racial lines for the foreseeable future, and within which a system of allocating privileges based on race will necessarily play a more or less permanent role.

By attacking the Democratic Party where they sense it is weakest, the far-right seeks to win support for its own fascistic policies, as well as to establish a platform for anti-democratic legal rulings in the future.

The attempt by the far-right Supreme Court majority to posture as paragons of equality lacks any credibility whatsoever. On Friday, just one day after the decision abolishing affirmative action, the Supreme Court majority sided with a Christian fundamentalist bigot who refused to design a website for a gay couple. Invoking religious freedom, the decision recalls the infamous legal decisions from the Jim Crow period that upheld the freedom of restaurant owners to refuse to serve food to black people. The same day, the Supreme Court blocked a federal student loan forgiveness plan, preventing hundreds of thousands of former students from escaping crushing debt that many will never be able to repay.

Earlier this month, by a vote of 8 to 1, the Supreme Court issued a far-reaching attack on the right to strike, opening the door for employers to file lawsuits against striking workers for damages resulting from a strike. Sotomayor, who authored the principal dissent in Thursdays affirmative action ruling, joined the right-wing majority in that decision.

The current Supreme Court, stacked with unelected far-right justices, is embroiled in a historically unprecedented corruption scandal that undermines the legitimacy of any of its purported decisions. Numerous justices have been exposed accepting undisclosed gifts, including from people and entities with definite political agendas and even pecuniary interests in pending court cases.

The most egregious offender, Clarence Thomas, has refused to step down even after being caught accepting large gifts from Harlan Crow, a billionaire anti-communist zealot whose hobbies include collecting Nazi artifacts. Clarence Thomass wife, Virginia Ginni Thomas, was a key Trump operative during the time the January 6, 2021 coup was being planned.

The abolition of affirmative action by the Supreme Court on Thursday brings to a close a whole era during which racial preferences constituted a major component of state policy in the US. Originating in the Nixon years alongside the slogan of black capitalism, affirmative action was increasingly embraced by the Democratic Party in the subsequent decades as the party turned away from the last vestiges of a program of social reform, replacing it with a concentration on various forms of identity.

It is a matter of objective historical fact that these policies benefited only a narrow and privileged layer of minorities, while social inequality increased and wages and living conditions steadily declined across the board.

More than two decades ago the World Socialist Web Site published a statement, Affirmative action and the right to education: a socialist response, which rejected a choice between the advocates of racial preferences and their right-wing detractors.

A genuine improvement of the state of education in the United States requires massive public investment in primary, secondary and tertiary education, the statement concluded. Grade schools must be supplied with the funds necessary to provide a quality education to all. Teachers must be paid more, class sizes reduced, school buildings improved, and their surrounding neighborhoods renovated. Remedial college classes must be made available to all who have suffered from the decay of primary schooling. Quality education at all levels should be provided, free of cost and as a basic democratic right, to anyone who wants it, regardless of race or gender. In relation to higher education, this approach involves a policy of open admissions.

Thursdays decision makes a fight for this perspective even more urgent. The American government is currently funneling enormous sums of money into the proxy war in Ukraine and into preparations for a third world war, which must inevitably translate into even more sharp attacks on the resources and social conditions necessary for high-quality education of the youth.

The fight for the right to education must be rooted in the interests of the entire working class internationally, including people of all races and backgrounds, in opposition to all of the factions of the ruling class of each country, their cynical divide-and-conquer strategies, and their war plans.
Rocky Ford cantaloupe, Palisade peaches and Pueblo chiles  among the most acclaimed Colorado-grown crops  will be available to consumers later than usual this summer, according to numerous farmers throughout the state.

Unseasonal weather in May and June brought unprecedented amounts of rainfall and chilly temperatures in parts of Colorado, prompting delays in planting of the states popular summer crops and slower growth patterns.

Agriculture is the second-largest industry in the state, contributing over $40 billion toward the economy annually through crops, feed, livestock and more, according to the Colorado Farm Bureau.

The industry has faced numerous challenges in recent years, having to navigate rising costs brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressures of drought on the states already tight water supply  and now the record-setting rain seen in parts of the state.

Eric Hanagan, owner and operator of Hanagan Farms in Swink, said hes confident his familys ability to produce a quality crop, no matter the circumstances. Located just southeast of Pueblo, the farm has grown a variety of crops throughout its 100-plus years in operation  including but not limited to chili peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, cantaloupe and cucumbers.

Hanagan said the cooler temperatures have slowed the growth of the farm's produce production, delaying the harvest by at least three weeks, and hindering the quality slightly.

For our vegetable crops it will be delayed a bit, Hanagan said. "Im still very confident that as farmers in the Arkansas Valley, we always do our best and will produce a good quality crop.

Were going to have more than enough to go around.

Hanagan said the above-average amount of rain along with bouts of hail have hindered crops, noting that plants do best with hot dry days during the farming season, given the mountains received enough snow to fuel irrigation efforts throughout the spring and summer.

We always want no rain and an adequate water supply, Hanagan said, as odd as they may sound. I love a great winter with a huge snowpack in the mountains for the water to come down when I want it, where I want it.

The Pueblo area had above-average rain in April and June with normal May conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

Five miles west of Hanagan Farms, Hirakata Farms, famous for its Rocky Ford cantaloupe, is facing similar challenges.

Were probably 10 days late because of the cooler weather conditions, said Michael Hirakata, farm operator and owner.

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Additionally, Hirakata said the unseasonal rainfall also brought an increase in weeds around the property and ground saturation levels, further contributing to the delay in harvest.

Hirakata said he's expecting a first harvest around July 17.

Were hoping for hot, dry days down here, and rain upstream from us to keep water in our canal through late July and early August to prolong the harvest, Hirakata said, If it gets cold early in the fall and freezes, itll put a stop to it (the harvest). Were hoping for a late fall and late frost to keep the harvest coming into the fall.

Palisade peach farmers over on the Western Slope havent escaped the struggles posed by this years unseasonal weather, either.

They (the peaches) are definitely behind, they look good, said Zach Quintana, of Urban Orchard Family Farm in Palisade.

Quintana mainly devotes his efforts to selling produce at farmer's markets throughout the state.

With all the rain, they (the peaches) werent sizing, and the colors werent turning in the way they usually do, Quintana said, They're catching up now because of the heat.

The Urban Orchard grows over a dozen varieties of Palisade peaches, harvesting at different times throughout the summer. Although the farm has begun its harvest of some of its peach varieties, Quintana said the crop remains 10-15 days behind its normal schedule.

Based on what were seeing, its looking like a good crop this year. You dont really know until most of the varieties get to full size, Quintana said. The colder weather shouldnt affect the amount produced, it just slows the harvest.

Quintana said that although his familys peaches are available at numerous Colorado farmers markets  including Saturday's at Bancroft Park in Old Colorado City  peach fans probably wont be able to get their fix at grocery stores until August.

Meanwhile, Colorado's corn crop  much of it Olate sweet corn  is 84% sprouted and out of the ground. At this time in 2022, 94% of the crop was out of the ground, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Per the USDA's weekly crop report released on June 21, the department rated 78% of the corn crop to be in good to excellent condition.
Talk about holiday buzz kill.

The type of mosquito which carries the West Nile Virus is flourishing, thanks to Colorados record-setting wet spring and early summer, which was followed by warm temperatures. Culex mosquitoes are multiplying "like the fluffs on a dandelion head," according to one Metropolitan State University biologist.

And on the eve of one of the most busy holiday weekend for outdoor fun, two county public health departments have detected the virus in testing pools during weekly, hyper vigilant surveillance.

On Friday, the Boulder County Public Health Department confirmed that Culex mosquitoes are alive and doing very well this season. The potentially virus-carrying species comprised 40-60% of the mosquito population collected.

On the heels of that information came particularly concerning news that the West Nile Virus was detected in a mosquito trap located near Erie.

Metropolitan State University biology professor Robert Hancock, aka the "Mosquito Man," calls the weather patterns that allowed the Culex to thrive an "exponential situation." The 40-year veteran of mosquito study said Colorado's wet weather means "more and more adult mosquitoes have a much better chance to survive." They usually can't live for long in Colorado's typically hot, dry summers.

Many of Boulder's surveillance technicians are the Mosquito Man's former students who get jobs through a Metro-Boulder County pipeline, Hancock said.

"They set the traps, bring the catch back to a lab and separate the Culex from other species where they are put into vials," Hancock said.

Those vials are sent to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to be tested for West Nile.

There have been no reports in Colorado of a human contracting the virus. That usually doesn't happen until later in the summer.

Typically, we see cases later in the year as the virus amplifies and the risk goes up, said Lane Drager, consumer protection coordinator for Boulder's health department.

With many Coloradans expecting to spend the July Fourth holiday outdoors, Boulder County officials are warning hikers, bikers and dog-walkers to protect themselves by wearing long sleeves and applying mosquito repellant.

We are definitely concerned that this will be a bad season. We saw a lot of activity last year, and already the mosquito counts this year are very high, Drager said.

West Nile found up north

The virus was also detected north of the metro Denver area. The Weld County health department found it in Culex mosquitoes in Zone 2, which includes the Johnston, Milliken, Platteville areas and in Zone 3, which includes Firestone, Dacono and Fort Lupton.

There are 200 species of mosquitoes in the United States, but the Culex is the only one in Colorado which carries West Nile. Drager said that its almost impossible for a layperson sitting on a back porch to be able to identify a Culex mosquito, but theyre detectable under a microscope.

Hancock agreed but said that when it's magnified, one of the three Culex genuses is more beautiful than the other two.

"The Culex tarsalis has white dots on it," he explained but noted that the others, Culex pipiens and Culex salinarius, are dull and drab.

17 cases

So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 17 cases of the virus in humans. Arizona leads the nation with seven, Georgia has reported two and Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana and South Carolina reported one case each.

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Colorado may catch up, though, especially since the weather has been so favorable for mosquito populations. Last year, Colorado had the most West Nile cases in the country with 204. Eighteen Coloradans died from the virus. In 2021, Colorado had the second-most cases of any state.

Typically, some Colorado communities are less likely to see West Nile Virus than others.

Haley Zachary, Communicable Disease program manager with El Paso County Public Health said the disease doesnt often hit hard there.

She stressed that the fact West Nile has been detected in two Colorado regions isnt cause for panic.

The vast majority of people who get bit dont experience symptoms at all and one-in-five will get a slight illness but its really only a small percentage. Less than 1% of those people come down with a serious illness, said Zachary.

What West Nile Virus does to humans

Symptoms can include fever, headache, joint pains and fatigue which can last for months.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that only one in 150 people exposed to the virus will develop more severe symptoms which can range from inflammation of the brain to meningitis. People over 60 are at greatest risk, as are those who suffer from diseases like cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and those who have received transplants.

There is no vaccine for the virus and antibiotics won't kill it.

Rest, fluids and over-the-counter pain medications are recommended to relieve lighter symptoms, according to the CDC.

Most West Nile Virus cases are reported in August and September, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Typically we see cases later in the year as the virus amplifies and the risk goes up, said Drager.

According to the Climate Central, a national research institute which tracks mosquito weather trends, the Western United States has an average of 132 mosquito days  which is 36% of the year.

Birds transmit the infection to mosquitoes which in turn infect humans. Hancock said the Culex mosquito can make up to 200 offspring from a single blood feed. Not all of them survive from larvae, but he said "it creates a curve which gets steeper and steeper."

Protection against mosquitos

With the amount of Culex mosquitoes showing up at alarming levels and months of unpredictable swarms ahead, public health officials are cautioning Coloradans to protect themselves.

Drager offers The Four Ds to stay safe

Deet  use insect repellant, preferably containing Deet, to ward off potentially dangerous or pesky mosquitoes. Repellants which contain Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol products are also acceptable.

Dress  when youre outside, wear long sleeves and pants.

Dusk and dawn  be most proactive at these times when mosquitoes are most likely to feed  on you!

Drain - drain standing water around your home where mosquitoes lay eggs and breed. The annoying insects can inhabit anything from a big can holding water to an outdoor pool, rain gutters and irrigation ditches.

For July Fourth weekend, Zachary added one easy tip for grillers.

Consider having your barbecue a little earlier in the day, she advised.
Since the establishment of the Best Film Editing Oscar category in 1935, the film academy has recognized the work of nearly four dozen women in the profession and bestowed the award upon 13 of them. Nominee Margaret Booth (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1936) and winner Anne V. Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, 1963) later received honorary Oscars for career achievement, and they currently stand as the only editors to have done so. This fall, however, they will be joined by Carol Littleton, who has been instrumental to the art of cinematic storytelling for close to 50 years.

Along with Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks, and Michelle Satter, Littletons life in film will be celebrated at the upcoming 14th annual Governors Awards. The 80-year-old has earned this honor because her career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her. Since starting out as a commercial producer in the 1970s, she has edited more than three dozen films in collaboration with some of the most revered directors of all time.

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After establishing herself as an editor with 1975s Legacy, Littleton began a working relationship with Oscar-nominated writer-director Lawrence Kasdan that spanned three decades and nine films, including Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Wyatt Earp (1994). She has also cut four films helmed by Jonathan Demme and worked twice each with Karen Arthur, Robert Benton, Jeremiah Chechik, and Ken Kwapis.

In 1983, Littleton received an Oscar notice for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which held the record for all-time highest-grossing film for the next decade. She is also known for her frequent collaborations with her husband of 51 years, cinematographer and former academy president John Bailey. The two have worked together on 15 projects, including three Kasdan films and Baileys own directorial efforts The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991) and China Moon (1994).

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As an occasional television editor, Littleton has won a Primetime Emmy for Tuesdays with Morrie (2000) and an American Cinema Editors Award for All the Way (2017). In 2016, she became the ninth female recipient of the ACE Career Achievement Award, also following Booth and Coates. At different points in her career, she has held the positions of ACE vice president, Motion Picture Editors Guild president, and governor of the academys film editing branch.

An honorary Oscar is given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the academy. At least one of these awards has been conferred during or prior to all but 10 of the 95 Oscars ceremonies. Since 2009, they have been presented at a separate ceremony that takes place several months before the same years Oscars. Littleton and her fellow honorees will collect their trophies on November 18, 2023.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Dont miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

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Jan Hammer

KEYS WEEK 2023: Jan Hammer might well be known to many as the film and TV score writer  and, yes, his score to Miami Vice is certainly a standout work  but he should also be credited with so much more when it comes to the history of keyboard playing and performance.

Hammer defined how the synthesizer became a lead instrument in jazz-rock, rock, funk and other styles of music. He single-handedly defined the technique and vocabulary of pitch-bending, and as a performer, he stood toe-to-toe with many of the greatest guitar players of our age. And, yes, he's a pretty successful score composer too!

Eastern European Roots

Jan is a native of Czechoslovakia, now known as the Czech Republic or Czechia. Coming from a musical family, he studied classical piano as a youth, until the jazz bug bit him in his teens. He immersed himself in that music, both on piano, organ and drums. An early recording called Maliny Maliny finds him playing very progressive jazz on the B3.

When Russia invaded his country in 1968 he fled to the United States, enrolling in the Berklee School Of Music and becoming a US citizen. He toured with jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan as her pianist and musical director after leaving school,

and then settled in New York City to develop his career. There he met a lot of musicians who, like himself, were exploring Indian and Eastern European elements combined with the rhythmic power of rock, all with a highly improvisatory approach.

Hammer points to his work with Jeremy Steig as an example of these early creative efforts [check out Jeremy Steig's Energy album here]. He speaks of hearing the Tony Williams Lifetime band while in Boston as a huge influence, one that introduced him to the playing of John McLaughlin on guitar. The explorations of Miles Davis (who he jammed with), and then Jimi Hendrix became further catalysts for his progressive development.

Searching For Relentless Energy

Hammer was breaking away from the confines of bebop and post-bop playing, chasing what he defined as the relentless energy he found in artists like John Coltrane and Hendrix, and he also recognized in McLaughlins playing.

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So when John asked him to jam and explore forming a new group he jumped at the chance, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra was soon formed. The group quickly rose to fame on the heels of their incendiary live performances. They soon found themselves touring as a rock band would, playing to large crowds and leaving audiences in disbelief, and roaring the loudest approval.

Jan was looking for a way to expand his sound, and break away from the restrictions of the keyboard. He wanted the freedom to slide notes around, bend pitches and have a sound that could stand up to the volume and tonal aggression of a guitar player. In the spring of 1972 he bought a Minimoog, and after locking himself away in his loft for a few weeks, he found his voice, and brought the instrument into his performances with the band.

There is no precedent for the approach and language Jan developed on the synth from previous synthesizer recordings. Eastern European vocal and stringed instrument music, and the language of blues and rock guitarists informed his use of pitch bend. His timbral choices were his own, and suited the highly rhythmic and aggressive way he attacked the complex music the band played.

Here is his first recorded use of the Minimoog, from the bands second album Birds Of Fire.

You can see him tear it up on the synth in this live performance in August of 1972.

And this section of the tune Awakening from their live third album, Between Nothingness and Eternity (Bonus Disc), showcases Hammer playing along to a sequenced riff in a style that no one was doing at the time.

Setting The Standard

Jan became an in-demand player for the artists who were defining the jazz-rock movement, and was featured on many of the top recordings of that era. His intro on Billy Cobhams Quadrant 4 from the album Spectrum is a classic example of how he developed his lines and his powerful style on the instrument.

Hammer played electric piano and synth on the tune Lopsy Lu from Stanley Clarkes second album. Jeff Beck reached out to Jan to work with him on the follow-up to his hugely successful Blow By Blow album, and Hammer contributed two songs to that album, Wired, including the now-classic Blue Wind.

The two musicians found themselves kindred spirits and recorded and toured together many times. This live performance shows Hammer taking the dominant role onstage from Beck as a now-rocking front man, playing a strap-on keyboard commonly called a keytar. Beck and Hammer last reunited in 2016 to perform the tune Star Cycle, which Hammer wrote for Jeffs 1980 album There and Back.

Plenty of artists enlisted Hammers signature playing, including Al DiMeola, Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, Tony Williams and others. He made many recordings under his own name, and with his own group: standouts include Oh Yeah, Melodies and the classic The First Seven Days.

Scoring Success

Jan began composing for film and TV in 1984. He was approached by director Michael Mann to get involved in a show about detectives fighting crime and the drug trade in Miami. Jan played him a piece he was working on using the Fairlight CMI to develop techniques for creating driving, pulsating grooves, and that became the theme for Miami Vice.

The show was an instant success, and Jans theme song ended up reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, was a top 5 international hit, and nabbed him two Grammys (Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Instrumental Composition). The shows soundtrack album sold over four million in the U.S., reached quadruple-platinum sales, and is reported at over seven million unit sales worldwide to date. Jan has gathered much of the music he wrote for the show and released it as Miami Vice: The Complete Collection.

Jan has a huge CV of film and TV work that followed and also got involved early on in the world of computer animation, scoring the ground- breaking BEYOND The Minds Eye video album, a project that spent 112 weeks on the Billboard Top Music video charts, and was certified triple-platinum.

Hammer continued scoring; making albums and more throughout the end of the decade, and then his career went quiet. So it was a most welcome return when in 2006 Hammer scored the film Cocaine Cowboys and then made a rare live appearance at the Moogfest in NYC.

Jan finally returned to original music in 2018, releasing an album of musical sketches called Seasons Pt. 1. This was followed in 2020 by Sketches In Jazz, and again in 2022 with Seasons Pt. 2. All recorded by himself in his home studio, these releases span many musical styles and moods, and were welcomed by his legions of fans, and to critical acclaim.

Looking for more great keyboard gear and technique articles? Get all our reviews, news, features, tutorials, tips and more at our Keys Week 2023 hub page.
The day after Alfred Herrhausens murder, I wanted to make a film about it, says German producer Gabriela Sperl. Because I knew the official story we were being told just wasnt the truth.

This was back in 1989 and Herrhausen, the charismatic chairman of the board of German financial giant Deutsche Bank, had just been blown up, his armored Mercedes-Benz shredded by a 15 lbs bomb hidden in a bag on a bicycle parked next to the route Herrhausen and his security convoy traveled by every day.

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It was a shocking and surprising act of assassination, quickly blamed on the Red Army Faction (RAF), a far-left German terror group which, a decade earlier, had killed a number of prominent capitalist figures, including Jurgen Ponto, the head of Dresdner Bank, and Hanns Martin Schleyer, the president of the German employers association. The RAF claimed responsibility, but the actual bombers were never found and many of the details of the case didnt add up.

The RAF, by that time in its third generation  the original members were all dead, imprisoned or on the lam and younger extremists had taken up the cause  was not known for its tactical nous and an attack as sophisticated and technically complex as the Herrhausen bombing seemed beyond them. Then there was the question of the target: Herrhausen was a banker but he was a progressive who called for debt relief of third-world countries. At the time of his killing, he had pushed through an agreement  negotiated with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev  to secretly loan the Soviet Union 8 billion Deutschmarks to keep their economy afloat, in exchange for the Soviets looking the other way as Kohl and West Germany pushed for reunification with the Soviet-controlled GDR. Hardly the epitome of communist-bashing capitalist swine.

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Over the years, the question of who killed Alfred Herrhausen and why has become an obsession for German true crime fans and the source of many a homegrown conspiracy theory. Andres Veiels award-winning 2001 documentary Black Box BRD looked at the lives of Herrhausen and Wolfgang Grams, an RAF terrorist thought to have been involved in the assassination, who was killed in a suspicious police shootout in 1993 but skimmed over details of the killing itself.

There were many attempts to tell the story over the years but they never panned out, says Sperl. But I was in contact with Herrhausens widow over the years and finally, about 5 years ago, she said: Ok, we can do this now.

The result, five years later, is Herrhausen  The Banker and The Bomb, a new limited series that premiered at the Munich Film Festival this week, where it won the prize for best mini-series. The jury called the four-part speculative drama an impressive feat of storytelling. with an authentic depiction of German history combined with a gripping narrative style.

This is a story that takes place at the end of the 1980s but its shockingly relevant to today, says Pia Strietmann, who directed the series. The challenge was to take this historic material, with all the research that Gabriela [and her team] had done, and tell the story in a modern way for a modern audience.

Produced by Sperl together with X-Filme Creative Pool (Babylon Berlin), the speculative drama stars Oliver Masucci, of Look Whos Back and Netflixs Dark, as Herrhausen. Fremantle is handling international sales.

Masucci spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from Munich about how he played a heroic capitalist, the dramatic power of conspiracy theories, and how the violence of the era shaped his own life.

You were born in 1968, you lived through the period depicted in the series. How did you experience that turbulent time, and the assassination of Alfred Herrhausen?

I was very aware of it, and also aware that we werent being told the truth about what happened. As we know now, because the case still hasnt been solved, no killer has been brought to justice. The terror attacks at the time were very personal to me. Gerold von Braunmuhl [a senior West-German diplomat] lived on the same street as my family in Bonn. His daughter was a friend of mine. I was coming home from my parents restaurant  my father owned several Italian restaurants in the city  and the street was blocked off. Von Braunmuhl has been shot, assassinated, outside his house, on the street a few hundred feet from my home [by a member of the RAF]. It was the moment the world stopped making sense to me. The moment I swore off ideologies of all kinds. From that moment on, Ive had a deep distrust of any kind of ideology, political or otherwise. A deep suspicion of authority and what we are being told about how the world works.

In your research for the role, did you find a personal connection to Alfred Herrhausen? Are you at all similar?

I think we have a lot in common. Im also a very impatient person driven to protest social conventions and constraints. I want everything to happen faster, for systems to change for the better. And for it to happen now. If I can quote Nietzsche, the age of the master builders is over, the time when people tried to create something new, to form the future. Were in the age of actors, of self-promoters. The time when people laid foundations, stone on stone, of ideas and structures that would last beyond their own death, into the future has been replaced by this, hopefully temporary, phase of populism, whether left-wing or right-wing populist, it doesnt matter. But Alfred Herrhausen was a builder. He analyzed the socio-political processes of his time, he was aware of his responsibility as a capitalist and saw capitalism as a way to make society better, not as an end in itself. At some point along the line, capitalism lost that, that humanist drive, and it became all about profit. But Herrhausen was still thinking innovatively about the future. His idea of debt relief for poor countries was about the future. It was about creating the market in those countries, about building them up, so they can make money to pay off their debts. That was a really big and really radical idea at the time.

Having a character like him, a heroic capitalist, feels really radical at this moment in time, when bankers and corporate executives are demonized.

Absolutely, absolutely! But he was one of those people who could see the other perspective. Its like the discussion these days about the need to stop growth, for us all to get by with less. That might be fine for the rich countries but it ignores the fact that there are a whole lot of people worldwide who dont have the excess they can do without. It takes someone like Herrhausen to see the others perspective to really achieve progress.

Youve played a lot of real-life figures from German history  from a fictional Hitler in Look Whos Back to radical filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder in Enfant Terrible, to a version of the artist Joseph Beuys in the Oscar-nominated Never Look Away. But here the story was based on exhaustive research in the real-life Herrhausen. Did that impact how you played the character, did you draw from that research?

No, not really. I always approach my figures in the same way, from their story, their character. There has to be something in them, in the story, that I can connect to myself. Im always looking for a parallel with myself because I cant play anyone else. I can always just be myself. The role helps me shed more light on a certain part of my personality. So with Herrhausen, for example, maybe Im focusing more on my conservative side, but at the same time that impatient bit of myself, that wants things to go faster, wants the world to get better.

The series is set during the Cold War, when West Germany was trying to reach out to the Soviets, something Herrhausen supported. But shortly before you started production, Russia invaded Ukraine. Did that change your take on this story and on the history it portrays?

Yes, definitely. The Cold War is coming back, I think thats Putins plan. Back then, the line was Wandel durch Handel (transformation through trade). The idea was if you do business with the Soviets, you can transform their society, and make Russia democratic. After the invasion of Ukraine, I told the director and the producers: Well, how can we believe that now? Its obvious it didnt work. But I think Herrhausen wasnt someone who would have been in favor of abolishing the army eliminating the nuclear threat toward Russia. I dont think he would have advocated what the German government did, when they tried to break away from the Americans, converting their military barracks into kindergartens, calling the Bundeswehr obsolete because Russia wasnt a threat anymore. That peace would just happen on its own. Now we have a government thats finding out we have no tanks, no weapons anymore, and we are completely dependent on the Americans when it comes to defense. I dont think Herrhausen would have been that naive.

The series offers up a speculative theory as to what actually happened with the Herrhausen assassination, that the East German government provided the bomb and the training to the RAF to carry out the killing. That they wanted Herrhausen dead because they saw his support of the Soviet Union as a threat to their future, to the future of the GDR. Were you convinced by this theory?

Well yes and no. I never thought that the RAF acted alone in the bombing. For me, the third generation of the RAF was an organization that pursued terrorism as a business model. It was too weak and too disorganized  it didnt get along with the other far-left terror groups in Europe, the Brigada Rossa in Italy, the ETA in Spain, the French terrorist groups  to be able to carry out something like this. And the bomb that killed Herrhausen was one that the RAF couldnt have built themselves. Its clear there were a lot of other people involved, people interested in getting rid of Herrhausen. Whats fascinating about the research they did on this series is the information that came from the Stasi archives, because those documents are publicly accessible in Germany. But then, when we looked at them, there was nothing on Herrhausen, even though he had been under constant surveillance. When we asked the Americans, the English and the Russians for information, we got these long letters back, saying not only is this information top-secret but if we continue to try to obtain these documents, they will take legal action against us. Even decades later, everything about this is buried under levels and levels of secrecy. So thats where conspiracy theory comes in. There used to be a big tradition in Europe of doing these political conspiracy thrillers, which play with history to question the stories were have been told. Nowadays, the idea of conspiracy theories has become so negatively charged, and so associated with extremism, but conspiracy theories are incredibly good for playing with our ideas of the past. Its easier to do this in America than in Germany because were are very sensitive about our past and anything that isnt a documentary is viewed suspiciously. But Im an actor and Im interested in entertaining the viewers. We have a thesis here, thats exciting and entertaining, that makes you think about the history you think you know. Its a bit of a game, but Im ok with that. I want people to come and play.

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A new and unique concert series is underway in Holland, and includes a hand-painted, colorful piano and performances from all ages and skill levels.

HOLLAND  A new and unique concert series is underway in Holland, and includes a hand-painted, colorful piano and performances from all ages and skill levels.

The Painted Piano Project Summer Concert Series began when leadership at Holland Chorale sought new ways of engaging the community, while promoting education, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enter the painted piano.

Sarah VandenBrink, community engagement chair for Holland Chorale, said the series was inspired by the "Sing for Hope" pianos stationed in New York City. She reached out about purchasing one of the pianos, but found the cost was too high.

Instead, the decision was made to purchase another piano and partner with a local artist to create Hollands own painted version. VandenBrink said, to take it a step further, the Chorale reached out to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland to see if theyd like the piano when the series is done.

They were so enthusiastic and agreed almost instantly, Vandenbrink said. Our next task was to find an artist.

They reached out to Joel Schoon Tanis  and, while he said he'd never painted a piano, he was up for the challenge.

The piano is currently housed in the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College and VandenBrink said students are already enjoying it, playing the piano as they walk past each day.

The painted piano is currently featured in the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College. Come October, it'll be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland.

In the short time the piano has been available, we've watched people come in and look at it and play it, VandenBrink said. It's taken a few months, but it's starting to really settle in and be this instrument that people have access to.

The next concert is 7-8 p.m. Thursday, July 20. The concerts are open-mic-style events where anyone is welcome to attend and play a song. They'll start with more experienced pianists, then open the floor to all ages and skill levels.

At our first concert, we even had a four-year-old come up and sing Baby Shark, VandenBrink said. I feel like we have this stigma that classical music has to be so prim and proper and I miss the days where people can make mistakes and sit down at a piano and just play.

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The Chorale hopes to add more concerts  but in October, the piano will be donated and moved to the Boys and Girls Club.

For more information or to make a donation to fund repairs and maintenance after the piano is donated, visit hollandchorale.org/painted-piano-project.

 Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: From experienced to Baby Shark, all are welcome to try Holland's painted piano
(Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)

A temporary protective order against Ezra Miller in Massachusetts has been lifted, and the actor released a statement noting that they were grateful for the decision.

Miller is grateful for the decision to let protective order expire

Miller was previously accused by the mother of a 12-year-old nonbinary child of acting inappropriately to them. The family of the child also accused Miller of harassing them, although no formal charges were ever filed. A temporary harassment order was issued in June 2022, but a judge in Massachusetts allowed that order to expire this week.

In a rare public statement, Miller acknowledged the moment on Instagram, and accused the family of using the protective order as a weapon, and said they were seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame.

Im encouraged by todays outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood by me and sought to ensure this egregious misuses of the protective order system was halted, said Miller in the statement. Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services.

Miller went on to say that they have been unjustly and directly targeted by someone that they claim has a history of manipulative and destructive actions. Miller also took aim at the media for what they say is not accurately reporting the story, but instead chasing the clicks.

Millers full statement can be read below:

Im encouraged by todays outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood by me and sought to ensure this egregious misuses of the protective order system was halted. Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services. I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive actions. I implore those members of the media who have recklessly spread false claims and failed to accurately report the truth and context of this story, to hold themselves to a higher standard and take the time to find the facts, rather than chasing the clicks. On a personal note, I want everyone to know that I am continuing to do my best to preserve my own wellness and what I can to reverse the collateral damage this ordeal has brought upon me and those close to me. Finally, to all you many beings in this world who have had the enormous courage to see me through it all and make it here with me  I will spend a long time trying to explain to you what it has meant to have your support.

The post Ezra Miller Issues Statement on Harassment Protective Order Being Lifted appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Ezra Miller at the Los Angeles premiere of "The Flash" on June 12. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

A temporary harassment order levied against Ezra Miller in Massachusetts expired on Friday.

The order was granted to a mother who said Miller expressed inappropriate interest in their child.

Miller called the order an "egregious misuse of the protective order system," according to Deadline.

Ezra Miller labeled a temporary harassment order against them an "egregious misuse of the protective order system" after it expired on Friday.

"The Flash" star, 30, found themselves embroiled in a number of public controversies and legal battles in recent years, one of which came after a Massachusetts mother accused Miller of showing an inappropriate interest in her 12-year-old child.

In June 2022, Shannon Guin, the plaintiff, was granted a temporary restraining order against Miller that expired after a year on Friday, according to a copy of the order shared by Deadline.

In a statement to the publication, Miller said they were "encouraged" by the outcome and "very grateful" to those who stood by them.

"Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families, and children who are in danger," they continued. "They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services."

They also said that they have been "unjustly and directly targeted by an individual," whom Miller said was responsible for "manipulative and destructive actions," without naming anyone.

Ezra Miller in "The Flash." Warner Bros.

Representatives for Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

However, in a statement shared with Deadline, Miller's attorney Marissa Elkins said the harassment order against the "Fantastic Beasts" star would never have been issued if they were not struggling "with significant mental health issues" at the time Guin went to court.

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"Had Ezra been able to appear in court last year and share the truth about their very limited interactions with Ms. Guin, I am confident the original order would have never been issued," Elkins said.

She also said that at Friday's hearing to announce the expiration of the order, Miller was present while the plaintiff, Guin, was not.

"Ezra does not deny that in the midst of their struggle that they have made mistakes and behaved at times in ways they wish they could take back. That, however, does not make every allegation, rumor, or false accusation true," Elkins added. "There are real world consequences when claims like these are heedlessly amplified, without any regard for the facts or the truth."

"Nonetheless, Ezra is in a much healthier place than they were at this time last year and is very glad to put this behind them," her statement continued.

Read the original article on Insider
The TWE Projects ceremonial groundbreaking on June 20, 2023, included, from left, TransWest CEO Bill Miller, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, and TransWest COO Roxane Perruso. | Matthew Idler Photography

Its been 16 years since it was first proposed and it endured an eight-year environmental review process.

It will travel through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada on a 732-mile route and generate energy that is roughly the equivalent of three-fourths of the power used in Los Angeles alone.

The TransWest Express high voltage transmission line, envisioned to be completed by 2027, is the largest transmission addition planned for the Western grid in decades.

In terms of renewable wind energy and bolstering the grid, it is a game changer, pumping 20,000 gigawatt hours of energy a year from a remote location in Wyoming to the desert Southwest.

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The magnitude of the project is what drove the attendance of two cabinet members in the Biden administration, the head of the Bureau of Land Management and representatives from multiple states to attend a groundbreaking ceremony in June.

The TransWest Express Project will play a major role in our nations energy security, ensuring that home-grown clean energy can form the backbone of our electric grid as we rebuild a stronger, more resilient transmission system, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said at the ceremony.

A joyous day here in Rawlins, Wyoming where @SecDebHaaland and I gathered with @GovernorGordon to celebrate the groundbreaking of @TWEProject.



TransWest's interregional transmission will provide dependable electricity for customers from WY to NV all the way to SoCal and AZ. pic.twitter.com/NBo7R0YvqW  Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm) June 20, 2023

Representing the collaboration among states that led to the TWE Project groundbreaking, flags flying at the ceremony included Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California on June 20, 2023. As a nod to Wyoming and Western history, the shovels used at the groundbreaking were made by Ames, an American company founded in 1774. The Ames family helped finance the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, which lies in the same linear corridor as the TWE Project in Wyoming. | Matthew Idler Photography

The TransWest Express Project will connect three planning regions in the West, while adding 3,000 megawatts of high-voltage capacity from Wyoming to Utah and 1,500 megawatts from Utah to Nevada, California and Arizona. The project also will provide the West with new access to wind-generated electricity from Wyomings Carbon County, home of Americas best onshore wind resources.

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It will interconnect with the PacifiCorp system in Wyoming with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and Intermountain Power systems in Utah, the NV Energy system in Nevada and with the California Independent System Operator.

The TWE Projects successful development represents recognition by stakeholders of all kinds and at all levels that collaborating to build a stronger power grid is vital to build a stronger nation, said Bill Miller, president and chief executive officer of TransWest Express.

From its starting point in Sinclair, Wyoming, the direct current portion of the route travels south into eastern Colorado and jogs west into eastern Utah and then ultimately to Delta, where a new converter station will take the direct current and change it to alternating current before it ends south of Las Vegas.

Although it was marked as a high priority in 2011 for the Obama administration to fast track, the evolution of the projects completion has been anything but fast as it has wound its way through a permitting process that has dragged on for years.

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A preliminary right of way application was initiated in November 2007, but it was not until April of this year federal regulators gave the go-ahead to begin construction for the transmission line  underscoring the painstakingly slow process that the Biden administration has vowed to change.

The $3 billion project includes a $1.32 billion capital investment in Utah, $477 million in property tax receipts paid out over 50 years and $47 million in sales and use taxes during the construction period.

Greg Todd, Utahs director of the Office of Energy Development, was at the groundbreaking and was able to meet with a variety of federal representatives and others celebrating the milestone.

Its a big project. It took a lot of time, a long time, to get it to this point.

Great to see Gregory Todd, Energy Advisor to UT @GovCox and Director of @UtahOED at the @TWEProject ground breaking. The project will invest

$1.32 billion in Utah and payout over

$477 million in property taxes to UT. The state of UT will also receive $47 M in sales and use pic.twitter.com/JcutCAAEoe  The Western Way (@TWWPioneer) June 20, 2023

While Utah leaders have expressed concern in the past over all the energy going to other states, primarily California, and Utah not seeing any increased energy capacity from the line, TransWest Express spokeswoman Kara Choquette said that may not necessarily be the case.

Power Company of Wyoming will work with what Choquette describes as off-takers who are customers interested in inking power purchase agreements to receive some of that energy  and that could include Utah and any variety of other states with the infrastructure in place.

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Beyond the permitting approvals, TransWest Express had to negotiate compensation with private landowners reluctant to have the massive transmission line cross their property.

Choquette said ideally, the line would stay within the boundaries of already established utility corridors  but that was not always possible and not the route federal regulators chose.

In Utah, she said the total length of the line is 391 miles and of that, roughly 148 miles is private land, 32 miles is state, county or city-owned land and 211 miles crosses federal land.
The world turns, the sun rises and sets, and, yes, sometimes things change. Don't despair though, buck up little camper and realize that change can be good  even delicious, as is the case when it comes to the restaurant and dining scene at Grandview Public Market.

If you haven't been in a while it's time for a return visit.

This culinary hot spot and social gathering site in West Palm Beach has recently added several new vendors featuring fare ranging from sushi, salads and smoothies, to tacos, smash burgers, sweet treats and more.

The newcomers include Nativus, Clare Ave Grill, Joseys Salads & Smoothies, Joi Poke & Sushi and Bonitas along with the bakery Mcks' Bakeshop.

More: West Palm restaurant near downtown offers unique menu, open for brunch, lunch, dinner

Nativus

Known as the "Power Couple," the yuca cheese bread and smoothie at Nativus pair well together.

Opened May 16, this eatery specializes in their signature yuca cheese bread, yuca waffles and yuca churros, tropical yogurt smoothies, Ecuadorian coffee and fruit bar/ice cream pops.

Using yuca (cassava) flour and no additives or preservatives, their baked goods are all made in-house. Owner Diana Linares said in total there are only five ingredients in them and added that they contain no wheat and are gluten free.

Their smoothies, a bit thicker than typical American versions, are made with yogurt along with mango, coconut, blackberry, passionfruit and more. They can also mix flavors to meet customers' tastes.

Linares said that in Ecuador yuca cheese bread and smoothies are usually eaten together for breakfast and the combination is known as the "power couple."

The coffee Nativus serves is Ecuadorian, as in the beans are actually imported from Ecuador. They source them themselves, have them shipped to Miami and then to West Palm Beach.

Though the yuca waffles can be eaten plain or with cheese, customers often choose to take them to the next level adding sauces such as Nutella, guava and dulce de leche and/or toppings including sprinkles, marshmallows and more.

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The yuca waffles at Nativus can be transformed in "waffle bombs" and combined with sauces like Nutella, guava, dulce de leche and more.

Information: nativus.co

Best new BBQ restaurants: Five places for smoky meats, local vibes in Palm Beach County

Clare Ave Grill

Grandview Public Market's newest vendor Clare Ave Grill had a soft opening on June 23 and will have their official opening on July 4.

Owned and operated by the group behind the Grandview standout Roux Cajun Cuisine, Clare Ave Grill is the market's latest addition.

Specializing in smash burgers, Clare offers singles, doubles and even triple burgers that are made to order. Though the burgers come with fresh-cut fries, customers can choose to upgrade to other sides including mac & cheese, onion rings, pineapple coleslaw, crack fries (truffle fries) and more.

In addition to burgers, they serve fried chicken sandwiches, cheesesteak sandwiches, BBQ pork sandwiches, salmon burgers, and much more.

They had a soft opening on June 23, and plan to be officially open on July 4.

Information: ashdrop.com

Best fried chicken: Critic's 7 favorite restaurants for great crispy bird in Palm Beach County

The District Bar

In addition to Roux and the new Clare Ave Grill, the Coleman family is now running The District Bar.

It's a full bar that also features craft beers and signature cocktails.

One of these is the Casa Blanca and it features Casamigos tequila, grapefruit juice, sparkling grapefruit juice, agave syrup and lime.

Information: cashdrop.com

Joseys Salads & Smoothies

Josey's Salads & Smoothies at Grandview Public Market features smoothies, bowls, salads, toasts and paninis.

Officially opened in late 2022, this Grandview eatery is focused on health, wellness and great taste.

Owner Josey Dunbar said she first got turned on to a more holistic approach to food while living in Los Angeles. She said she was going to college and would often study at a local smoothie bar. Learning from them and coming up with her own ideas she eventually moved to New York and finally South Florida where she opened her own shop.

Though most of their food is healthy, it does not go light on bold flavor and wonderful taste.

Josey's bridges the gap between being healthy, going to the gym and doing yoga, offering smoothies, salads, bowls and recently added paninis.

Though Dunbar said that the berry blast (agave, oat milk cinnamon, blueberries, strawberries, peanut butter and banana) is their most popular smoothie and is a bit like liquid 'PB&J' there are several others that sound tantalizing as well.

One appealing combo is the choco caveman which has peanut butter, oat milk, agave, coco powder, dates, banana, espresso powder and cinnamon.

Though signature smoothies and bowls are on the menu, customers can customize them any way they like.

All of the salads feature the freshest ingredients and Josey's own homemade dressings including mama's ranch, honey-balsamic or champagne vinaigrette.

The herbal grains salad Josey's Salads & Smoothies is great way to make those taste buds sing with pleasure and get healthy.

Information: grandviewpublic.com/joseys-salads-smoothies/

Joi Poke & Sushi

The pokerrito at Joi Poke & Sushi is a match made for poke lovers on the go.

Opened on April 1, this hidden gem is for sushi lovers and for those not afraid to think outside the box. While they specialize in sushi and poke they, they've added several creative spins.

Some of these include the pokerrito and their sushi sandwich.

These two creations are perfect for the poke and sushi lover on the go.

The pokerrito features the choice of tuna, salmon, shrimp or crab sushi roll, red cabbage, seaweed salad, crispy onions, eel sauce and siracha wrapped in nori.

The sushi sandwich includes full nori seaweed, rice, tuna, avocado, cucumber eel and Joi sauce along with Furikake.

Owner Thomas Bernavil said many of the dishes include their house-made Joi sauce which is a mix of several ingredients including mayo and sweet chili sauce.

The sushi crunch is another popular item at Joi Poke & Sushi at Grandview Public Market.

Bernavil added that they sell more than just good food, they sell joy and that it's their guiding principle.

Information: cashdrop.com

Bonitas

The birria tacos with consome await at Bonitas located in at Grandview Public Market.

Opening at Grandview in March, Bonitas took the space formerly occupied by long-time vendor, and much loved, Zipitios.

Though Bonitas and Zipitios (which moved a few miles away to Industrial Alley) are both owned and operated by Ricky and Niria Perez, the Bonitas concept was slightly different.

Ricky said that Bonitas is based more on a Mexico City-type taco which features a stewed meat-style filling and crunchy-taco concept.

He said that while Bonitas was very popular when it was at The Square, his former Zipitios customers longed for many of their old favorites.

Ricky said that he and his wife adjusted the menu as more of a fusion of both eateries and the results have been excellent.

Two new dishes at Bonitas have become very popular including their rolled taquitos in a cup (featuring a choice of shredded beef, chicken or potato and cheese) with crema and salsa verde; along with their vegetarian sweet potato and zucchini taco.

Bonitas' rolled taquitos in a cup are a new dish that has become very popular.

Bonitas offers a delicious selection of Mexican cuisine, including tacos, burritos, flautas, and other favorite Hispanic dishes.

Information: instagram.com/taqueriabonitas/?hl=en; cashdrop.com/bonitas/grandview

Mcks' Bakeshop

With taste temptations including classic chocolate chip, peanut butter cheesecake, apple crumble, salty caramel pistachio and many more, Mcks' Bakeshop at Grandview Public Market is known for creating sophisticated flavor profiles.

Opened at Grandview in mid May, Mcks' Bakery is owned and operated by Micaela Spinelli.

Spinelli said she first started baking in high school and said she even ran a small business selling her wares during that time.

Attending college and obtaining a degree in business, Spinelli said she had stopped baking commercially.

Owned and operated by Micaela Spinelli, Mcks Bakesop opened at Grandview Public Market.

She said that when Covid hit in 2020 that she began baking again and eventually progressed to selling at nearby events and delivering that sweet goodness locally. In 2023 she decided to go for and jumped in with both feet.

Known for creating sophisticated flavor profiles with a focus on aesthetics, she opened her shop at Grandview in mid-May.

She said one of her most popular treats is the cheesecake brownie.

Information: mcksbakeshop.com/

More: Tastes like chicken? No. Here's the dish on West Palm Beach restaurant's kangaroo bites

If you're worrying that one of your favorites may have left to make room for a newbie read on.

To either set your mind at ease or create a culinary crisis in your life here are the some of the OGs that are still at Grandview: Caribbean Fire Side Bistro, Roux Cajun Cuisine, Sugar Milk Boba & Dessert Bar, Ramen Lab Eatery andPizza Paradise.

Grandview Public Market

Grandview Public Market has several new vendors that have opened the last few months.

Where: 1401 Clare Ave., West Palm Beach

Information: grandviewpublic.com/

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He has lived in the West Palm Beach area for more than 30 years and, from mild to wild, will cover noteworthy community happenings. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm's Grandview Public Market new food, tacos, smash burgers
Wildlife officials in Southern California have been inundated over the past month with reports of sick or dead sea lions and dolphins stranded on the beaches.

Experts believe that a toxic algae bloom is poisoning the marine mammals.

Its completely overwhelming, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stranding coordinator Justin Greenman told CNN. He called the surge of affected animals one of the largest in memory.

Sea lions being treated for symptoms believed to be related to a deadly algal bloom the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro, California on June 27.

Sea lions being treated for symptoms believed to be related to a deadly algal bloom the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro, California on June 27.

Ruth Dover, co-founder of Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, told The Guardian in an article published this week that her nonprofit is receiving more than 300 reports a day about animals in need of help.

At least 100 dolphins and 100 sea lions have been found dead, and hundreds more have been found sickened as an apparent result of eating an algae called pseudo-nitzschia.

Marine mammal rescue groups believe the algae, which produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, is causing the sickness and death. Though scientists are still working to confirm the algae is the cause, NOAA spokesperson Michael Milsten told CNN that the phenomenon has all the hallmarks of an algal bloom.

Sea lions in recovery at the Marine Mammal Care Center.

Sea lions in recovery at the Marine Mammal Care Center.

Warming waters as a result of climate change can contribute to algae growth. Though in this case, Milstein said the primary cause appears to be coastal upwelling  a process that happens when winds push surface waters offshore and deeper water, in turn, gets pulled upwards. That deeper water tends to be rich in nutrients, creating conditions for an algal bloom.

Symptoms of eating the algae include seizures, dehydration and aggressive or lethargic behavior, according to Los Angeles Marine Mammal Care Center, which has set up an emergency clinic for the growing number of affected animals.

Treatment typically includes hydrating the animals with fluids, administering anti-seizure medication and ensuring they get proper nutrition as they recover.

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Sea lions mothers and their pups being treated at the. Marine Mammal Care Center.

Sea lions mothers and their pups being treated at the. Marine Mammal Care Center.

In a few instances, sick sea lions have also bitten beachgoers. At least two beaches in Southern California were temporarily closed earlier this week after biting incidents, and there have been a handful of additional biting reports.

Its not like this is a rabid sea lion running down the beach chasing people and biting them, Dr. Alissa Deming of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center told The Los Angeles Times.

Its more that sick animals are reactive if someone gets too close.

Theyre either running into surfers if theyre seizing erratically and accidentally biting them, she said. If someone touches them, they can be hyper-reactive and reflexively fly their head back. Its not like theyre attacking  theyre in a comatose state, and if theyre spooked or bump into something, they may bite.

She said that humans should be careful to give plenty of space to sea lions and keep any dogs on a leash.

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SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments, including the ending, of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, currently playing in theaters.

When director James Mangold started writing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with screenwriters Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, he didnt know how the movie was going to end. Mangold inherited the film from director Steven Spielberg, who had been developing the project for three years with screenwriter David Koepp. When Mangold took over, he and the Butterworths started effectively from scratch, crafting a story in which Harrison Fords titular archeologist and Nazi puncher contends with his own age and irrelevance while chasing after the Antikythera, a mysterious device with the power to find fissures in time, created by the ancient Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes.

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Initially, the screenwriting team thought about ending the movie by returning to the films extended prologue in 1944, when a younger Indy and the films villain, Nazi scientist Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), first encounter the Antikythera on a Nazi loot train. And indeed, the films second act does end with Voller obtaining the device, kidnapping Indy, and flying off in a WWII-era Nazi gunship to travel back in time so Voller can win the war for Germany.

Except, Mangold says, he realized he didnt want do to that.

I couldnt find a way to wrap my head around going back to the past and stopping Mads from doing his nefarious deeds to continue the Third Reich, Mangold told Variety in early June. It lacked wonder and was going to turn into kind of a cat and mouse thing. I felt like wed be better off if thats what people are anticipating, but that we really pull the tablecloth out from under the dishes at the last minute.

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At the same time, Mangold knew that if youre going to have a device that can help its user manipulate time, Youre going to have to see the power. So rather than go back to WWII, Mangold and the Butterworths looked to Archimedes for their ending, and sent Indy and Voller  as well as Indys compatriots Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Teddy (Ethann Isidore)  back to the Roman siege of Archimedes home of Syracuse on the island of Sicily in roughly 213 BCE.

The moment is foreshadowed early in the film, when we see Indy lecturing a class of indifferent college students about how Archimedes invented a series of ingenious mechanisms to repel the invading Roman navy. Mangold saw in the ending a chance to give Indy the opportunity  after a lifetime spent seeking out relics of bygone eras in history  to actually witness that history first hand.

Hes suddenly in the midst of it, the director said. I also thought it presented us with a kind of audacious turn which I thought was a staple of these movies.

Putting a Nazi warplane alongside a fleet of Roman triremes is certainly a big swing, but Mangold thought it of a piece with the climaxes of 1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1989s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Its no more of a wild swing in my mind than ghouls flying out of a box and melting peoples heads through the sheer power of dark angels, or a 700-year-old knight existing in a cave for perpetuity, Mangold said. These are all beyond the scope of all physical belief.

More importantly, it provided Indy with a chance to express an almost existential grief. We learn in The Dial of Destiny that Indys son, Mutt Williams  first introduced in 2008s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as played by Shia LaBeouf  was killed in the Vietnam War, and the anguish over that loss shattered Indys marriage to his beloved Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). As an injured Indy looks over the battlefield, he tearfully tells Helena that he doesnt want to go back to his home in 1969. He believes he has nothing to go home to.

That seemed to me to be right emotionally, Mangold said, that a disillusioned hero could end up at this wonderful tumultuous moment in world history and  with his son gone and his wife gone  that hed picture himself staying in the place he loves best, which is this imagining these worlds.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, (aka INDIANA JONES 4), Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, 2008. Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

The decision to kill off Mutt evokes some baggage that has nothing to do with The Dial of Destiny. Two years after the release of Crystal Skull, LaBeouf told the Los Angeles Times that the movie dropped the ball and that there was a reason it wasnt universally accepted. In 2016, LaBeouf went even further, telling Variety that I dont like the movies that I made with Spielberg, and that he found working with the filmmaker to be disillusioning: Hes less a director than he is a fucking company.

But Mangold said LaBeoufs scorched earth interviews did not factor into his decision about Mutts fate.

Its separate from all past studio, political intrigue on movies I didnt make, he said. You were either going to make a movie all about the two of them  meaning, Indy and Mutt  or youre going to have to find a way to not have [Mutt] around, because he was too significant a player in the previous film to just pretend he didnt exist. Besides, Mangold said, I didnt think his whole thing worked that well in the previous film. I just went towards something else because it was what was more interesting to me.

For Mangold, that was getting to explore what it meant for Indy to look back a lifetime of regret and loss and find himself ready to disappear into history, quite literally. But he also never entertained the possibility of fulfilling Indys desire to stay behind.

Unless we established him healing and setting up shop and remarrying and finding a beautiful Sicilian house to live in  I guess there was a way of doing it, but I didnt imagine it, he said. I felt like he had to come home. He had to clean things up. He had to own what happened to him and Marion, and the amount of loneliness and disappointment in himself hes carrying about his inability to navigate that between them.

With Indy intractably set on remaining stuck in antiquity, Helena cold cocks him to get back on the plane and through the time fissure so they can all return to 1969. In the next scene, he wakes up in his New York City apartment, and discovers that Helena has called Marion and convinced her to come back to see him again.

Asked about working with Karen Allen, Mangold broke into a wide grin.

Shes so wonderful, he said. Shes such a beautiful soul. And I cant imagine how hard it was for her because shes stepping into a movie that had been shooting for a long time. But it was really moving to me.

The film ends with a reprise of the famous scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, when an injured Indy cajoles Marion into kissing the parts of his body that dont hurt. In The Dial of Destiny, the roles are reversed, with Indy tenderly apologizing for the heartache hes caused Marion, and kissing the parts of her she says dont hurt.

Mangold credits the Butterworths for coming up with the callback. I thought it was just brilliant, Mangold says. I didnt know what to do. It just seemed like a gift the second they showed me this idea. Its one of the great encapsulations of their relationship and a memory that everyone knows the second they hear that, Where? They remember that movie.

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LAKELAND  Filmmakers will offer viewers a fresh perspective at the first Juneteenth Florida Arts and Film Festival this Saturday.

The Juneteenth Observance Lakeland Committee will host the first Juneteenth Florida Arts and Film Festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., at Polk State College's Lakeland Campus, 3425 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland.

The event is the final of a series of 2023 Juneteenth events celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is sponsored by Polk State College, MidFlorida Credit Union, Morris & Leah West Foundation, The African American Chamber of Commerce Polk County Inc., and the Bailey Family.

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The following films will be shown for the uniqueness of the story offering in a 10- to 90- minute documentary or short film made based on the theme of "Juneteenth Wave of Freedom":

Starting at 11:45 a.m., the featured documentary "African American descendants living in Samana, Dominican Republic," directed by Stephanie Claytor discusses how freed Blacks living in Philadelphia fled to the Dominican Republic (then Haiti) and their descendants live there today.

The Hiztorical Vision Productions, founded and directed by Theo Moore II, will screen "Afrikan by way of America" at 12:45 p.m. The film shares the story of the Africatown community in Alabama, highlighting the unsung heroes who played a pivotal role in this African settlement. The film has been made possible by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. It's roughly 45 minutes in length and won the festival's Best in Theme.

The comedic movie "Alemanji" directed by Chuckwunonso Dureke will premiere at 2:15 p.m. as the festival's winner of Best Full Feature. It follows main character Alemanji Fouka, played by actor Stamaur Mitchell, as he faces severe consequences of being sent back to his home country, and must decide if partying with his friends and possibly landing the girl of his dreams is worth disobeying his strict parents. It runs about 50 minutes.

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"The Arrival of the First African in English America" directed by Ric Murphy is based on the 2020 book "The Arrival of the First Africans in Virginia." It tells the story of 32 Africans and returning to them what history and its controversies had stolen: their voices. Starting at 4:30 p.m., it is the winner of the festival's Best of Festival and Best Feature Documentary awards.

The short film "Destiny Made" by director Joenique Rose shares the tale of Ashenka's re-entry into her children's lives after several short stints in jail and how it affected her older children. The film, less than 15 minutes, starts at 6:15 p.m. It won the festival's Best Short Film and Best Short Documentary.

An honorable mention will go to "Cine Poetry," a 10 minute, 46 second piece by director Lex Lowry. The film attempts to bridge together the artistic worlds of spoken word and cinematic narratives.

Each film or documentary will be followed by a brief period for discussion and question-and-answer with the judges or film maker. There is the opportunity to mingle with the filmmakers at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Polk State's Technology Building auditorium. For additional information, call Doris Moore Bailey at 863-271-3386.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Juneteenth Arts and Film Festival to screen 4 films Saturday
Tyre Nichols protest signs

The family of Jarveon Hudspeth is seeking answers about the moments that led a Shelby County deputy to fatally shoot the 21-year-old. Hudspeth passed away on June 24 after a traffic stop escalated into an altercation.

As explained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the deputy was performing an enforcement action on a parked car in north Memphis Raleigh community. Both men were outside Hudspeths vehicle when an altercation broke out. At some point, the young man reentered the car and attempted to flee the scene.

The deputy, still locked between the drivers side door and the car, was then dragged about 100 yards down the road before firing a single lethal shot, reports ABC 24. Hudspeth, unconscious at the time, crashed. He was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said the deputy is in critical condition at Regional One Health Hospital.

The TBI and the Justice Review Unit are reviewing the incident along with the footage from the deputys bodycam and patrol vehicle. Hudspeths family, however, claims it has not been given any updates.

Its been five days today. Ive heard not one thing from the Shelby County Sheriffs Department. Ive heard not one thing from anyone. The only thing Ive heard about my son was the criminal activity. My son was never into anything criminal, said Charlotte Haggett, the young mans mother, during a press conference held on Friday (June 30). Her sons tragic passing has been compared to the heinous police killing of Tyre Nichols.

As previously reported by REVOLT, Nichols was viciously beaten within inches of his life by a group of Memphis police officers on the night of Jan. 7. He was feet away from his parents home when the brutal ambush took place. He died days later from his severe injuries at the age of 29.

As the wound of Tyre Nichols death is still healing for Memphis, it is unthinkable that another family now has to live with the pain of losing a young man because of the actions of local police. In order to figure out what caused this traffic stop to escalate to Jarveon losing his life, we demand that local and state law enforcement are transparent and communicative with the family, said civil rights attorney Ben Crump in a statement released on Friday (June 30).

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The family and community must promptly see the footage of what exactly happened during this traffic stop as they cope with the incredible loss of this young man who had a promising future ahead of him, he continued. Crump is also representing Nichols family in a $550 million civil suit against the city and those involved in his death.

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When the mutilated body of Mavis Kindness Nelson, a Seattle woman who worked at the front desk of a transitional housing center, was found a year ago in a wooded ravine near the University of Washington campus, her family was left with little confidence her killer would be caught.

They knew the statistics surrounding missing and murdered Native American women like Nelson were bleak, particularly in Washington state, where the rate of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women is about four times higher than that of white women.

"I didn't think I was going to be heard then," Ernestine Morning Owl, Nelsons older sister, said this week. "I thought we were going to be alone in all of this."

But an unwavering police investigation led to what advocates raising awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people say is a remarkable outcome: A suspect  Charles Becker, 33  was arrested in October, pleaded guilty this month and sentenced Friday afternoon to 34 years in prison on charges of first-degree murder, unlawful imprisonment and sexually violating human remains.

The time was based on limited sentencing guidelines because there was no jury trial, but the sexual motivation component could also trigger a review board to impose an additional punishment, authorities said.

Image: Mavis Nelson (Ernestine Morning Owl)

The crisis of Native Americans who disappear and end up killed has gained renewed attention in recent years, and the Justice Department announced this week that it will commit a team of attorneys and coordinators to regions across the West to investigate unsolved cases.

Morning Owl traveled to Seattle, a few hours' drive from her home in Pendleton, Oregon, so that she could attend the sentencing and glimpse at the man who took her sister's life in a manner described as "extreme and disturbing" by prosecutors.

Now, with justice at hand for Nelson, 56, her loved ones want to ensure her death wasn't in vain and other Native families have hope.

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"I feel like my sister's voice is speaking through me," Morning Owl said.

Finding the killer

Those who knew Nelson, who had a studio apartment in Seattle but was an enrolled citizen of the Yakama Nation in Washington state, said they had no idea why anyone would want to hurt her. A perpetually smiling woman, they said, she went by the nickname Boots because as a girl, she loved dancing to the Nancy Sinatra song, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin.'"

"I used to think she was so beautiful. But not just beautiful, but so kind and sweet," said Roxanne White, Nelson's friend and founder of a grassroots group in Washington state that advocates on behalf of missing and murdered Indigenous people. "She left a lasting impression with a lot of people."

But the way she was killed belied that warmhearted spirit.

According to charging documents, Seattle police responded to a 911 call and found three trash bags strewn about a ravine and trail below an elevated roadway. It appeared they had been thrown from the road, with one of the bags rupturing on impact. Inside, investigators made a grisly discovery: One bag had organs and flesh; another, dismembered arms and legs; and the third, a head and a torso.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide by multiple sharp-force wounds. Nelson was believed to have been dead for almost two weeks, although the remains were at the site for about 24 hours. Investigators said they also found synthetic rubber gloves and an unpackaged condom.

Morning Owl said a hummingbird tattoo on her sister's arm helped investigators confirm the victim was Nelson, who at that point had been reported missing to Seattle police.

The case's lead investigator, Seattle Police Det. Josh Rurey, then determined that Nelson had been involved in a domestic violence altercation about a month prior in the neighboring city of Auburn, where local police records also indicated that she said she would take a rideshare back home to Seattle. Morning Owl said that incident involved a boyfriend.

Seattle police later obtained a search warrant of Nelson's home and found empty beer cans, which were examined for fingerprints, according to the charging documents.

Rurey said he had never previously led a homicide investigation involving a Native American victim, but this case stood out to him for the gruesomeness.

With the help of other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, he set out to chase each potential lead. He obtained Nelson's cellphone records and noticed the same number coming up multiple times on the night she had taken the rideshare home. The number, which did not belong to the boyfriend, no longer contacted Nelson after that night.

Rurey submitted a search warrant for the phone number. When the results came back, he had a name: Charles Becker.

Ernestine Morning Owl. (Kari Rowe for NBC News)

Piecing the puzzle together

Becker was already known to law enforcement.

His DNA was in state and federal databases after his arrest in the 2015 death of his 4-month-old son, who was found asphyxiated in the family's apartment after choking on a plastic garment bag, according to Whitman County prosecutors.

The death was ruled accidental, but Becker was charged with second-degree manslaughter and found guilty in 2016. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison  the maximum term given since he had no prior felony convictions, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported.

At his sentencing, the judge rebuked him: "I'm surprised your other children survived as long as they did. It's just outrageous, shocking and sickening."

DNA would prove to be a crucial component in Nelson's case.

A forensics examination of the synthetic rubber gloves found at the crime scene came back with a match to Becker's DNA, Rurey said. In addition, he said, the fingerprints on the empty beer cans collected from Nelson's apartment also matched him.

"I was onto Charles Becker fairly early in this case, but I had to keep an open mind," Rurey said. "Everything kept coming back to him."

Armed with the evidence, investigators took Becker in for questioning in early October. Rurey said Becker was read his Miranda rights and he agreed to be interviewed.

It was during that nine-hour interrogation, Rurey said, when Becker provided firsthand knowledge of details and events that only someone who participated in the crime would have known.

Becker said he knew Nelson and claimed they had a consensual sexual relationship, and admitted to having been with her on the night she died, according to the charging documents.

Rurey said he provided multiple, changing stories about how she died, even suggesting that another person was involved in her death. He then said Nelson's corpse was stored in a bedroom closet, and that he and another person would engage in necrophilia before disposing of her body because it became too degraded.

During the interrogation, Becker claimed he didn't dismember Nelson's body but assisted someone else in doing so, the charging documents say.

Rurey said there isn't any evidence that currently indicates a second person was involved. He said he hopes to interview Becker further to better understand how he came to know Nelson, although it appears they may have worked at the same transitional housing center at one point and had common acquaintances.

Morning Owl believes her sister was friendly with Becker and on the night of the domestic violence incident, she may have reached out to him for support.

"Unfortunately, that kindness was manipulated," Rurey said. "Becker even made the comment, something along the lines of, 'She was too nice.'"

Justice at hand

White, Nelson's longtime friend, said she met Nelson when they lived on the Yakama Reservation about a decade ago. White had been going through personal issues, and Nelson gave her a warm meal and a place to rest.

"We're all happy and grateful that they caught the person," White said. "I hope that he gets the heaviest hand of justice, whatever it is."

The majority of families whom White advocates for don't always receive the same resolute police work, she said. The lack of urgency is exacerbated by an undercount in cases, with Indigenous women misclassified as white or Hispanic; law enforcement often failing to note tribal affiliations in paperwork; and Native communities generally mistrustful of police amid pervasive cases of sexual violence and human trafficking.

While Rurey had not previously worked on a case of an Indigenous victim, he was conscious to tread carefully with Nelson's family and tribe. He traveled to the Yakama Reservation personally in October to deliver the news of Becker's arrest and discuss the case with them.

Morning Owl said how Rurey built a bridge throughout the process was important and necessary.

"Josh has been really good," she said. "He's a super good detective."

Rurey attended Becker's sentencing. He said solving the case was necessary, both in giving Nelson's family solace and also stopping a person who could have killed again.

"We definitely feel like we took a monster off the streets," Rurey said.

Ernestine Morning Owl's impact statement. (Kari Rowe for NBC News)

For Becker's sentencing, Morning Owl wrote a victim impact statement explaining how the loss of her sister has devastated the family. Becker was the type of person whom Nelson would help and befriend, she said, and he betrayed her kindness.

"He took from the world a woman who cared for the wellbeing of those who suffered in their lives," she wrote to the judge. "She showed compassion to those whose lives were impacted by circumstances that had them down and out in need of help. She was there for them."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Paddington in Paddington 2

Its been a while since weve caught up with our friend Paddington Bear and the human family thats been looking after him. 2017s Paddington 2 is the last time that this young Peruvian joy-maker was seen on the big screen, and now with production moving forward on Paddington 3, also known as Paddington in Peru, it shouldnt be long before the next adventure begins.

With this new story comes a reunion with a lot of the existing talent in the Paddington cast, as well as the opportunity for new players like Antonio Banderas and Rachel Zegler to take their places on the board. As what we know so far about Paddington 3 has Paddington and the Brown family venturing to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy, we also know some of the new characters and actors that will be taking part in this new romp.

Theres even a major recasting of one of the Brown family members, which marks a bittersweet torch passing between actors. So lets not delay any further, shall we? Heres the cast list for Paddington in Peru as it currently stands.

Paddington eating a sandwich in Paddington 2 and Ben Whishaw manning a console in No Time To Die, pictured side by side.

Ben Whishaw

If the original casting for 2014s Paddington had stuck, wed have heard actor Colin Firth voicing this young ursine with a big heart. But fate had other ideas, as Firth parted ways with the production, leading to Ben Whishaws initial casting as Paddington in the first film. The rest, as usual, can be considered delicious history.

Through two previous installments, Whishaws beautiful voice has given life to Michael Bonds whimsical creation. Always ready to help those in need, with a keen eye on supporting his family, the little traveler from Peru has foiled crimes and always kept in contact with his Aunt Lucy.

Aunt Lucy has been in the Home for Retired Bears since Paddington, and the titular ray of sunshine saw her come to visit at the end of Paddington 2. Now with the onus on him to make a trip, Paddington will be venturing back into darkest Peru after some time. This means hell need some assistance to make such a trek.

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Antonio Banderas in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Antonio Banderas

Our first new player in Paddington 3 is the legendarily suave Antonio Banderas. Per the mega announcement from Variety that shared the knowledge of the first new castings, the Mask of Zorro actor will be playing a role that seems to be written just for him.

Banderas character is apparently named Hunter Cabot, who, according to the report previously mentioned, is a dashing and intrepid riverboat captain who offers to help the Brown family on their Peruvian adventure. If that doesnt sound like the sort of explorer type that Paddingtons Aunt Lucy has met in the past, then I dont know what is. What's even better is the fact that Hunter wont be alone in offering aid.

Rachel Zegler as Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Rachel Zegler

Fresh off of her role in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ahead of her, up-and-comer Rachel Zegler is also a part of Paddington in Peru.

While her spot in the story isnt as fleshed out just yet, Zegler is on tap to play Gina Cabot, the daughter to Antonio Banderas Hunter. However, one could assume that she becomes a new friend to Paddington Bear, as it's kind of hard for the character not to make some fresh allies in whatever he does.

Olivia Colman in Great Expectations

Olivia Colman

Academy Award winner, recent Marvel Cinematic Universe addition and former queen in Netflixs The Crown, the versatile Olivia Colman is also on board for the next Paddington feature. In a throwback to her career in comedy, Colmans role was specified in that previously cited Variety report as the reverend mother, a blithe and sunny guitar-playing nun who runs the home for retired bears.

On the one hand, to see Olivia go full on Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music would be terrific. But if theres anything to remember about this franchise, its that evil sometimes wears a disarmingly charming disguise. So theres a chance that Paddington in Perus secret villain could be Olivia Colmans sunny nun.

Emily Mortimer sitting at a piano, with glasses perched on her nose in Relic.

Emily Mortimer

Our final newcomer at the moment happens to be Emily Mortimer, who will be taking over the role of Mrs. Mary Brown from Paddington alum Sally Hawkins. In the previous two installments, Hawkins artistic author of adventure stories soaked in all the chaos that the familys adopted animal pal, using it as inspiration for her art.

If anyones going to be the most excited about Paddington 3s Peruvian adventure, its going to be her. As for why Sally Hawkins is vacating the role, a statement included in Varietys casting announcement cited above stated that Hawkins felt it was the right time to hand over the reins to another.

Pleased with the selection of Emily Mortimer as her successor, fans of the series should be delighted to get their first glimpse at Mortimers incarnation of the role at some point in the future. It's also a coincidental reunion between Emily and Ben Whishaw, as both actors played the adult versions of the Banks children in Mary Poppins Returns.

Hugh Bonneville sits at the kitchen table looking confused in Paddington 2.

Hugh Bonneville

Starting off the rest of the returning cast is Downton Abbeys Hugh Bonneville, who has been a part of the Paddington cinematic universe since its inception. In the role of Mr. Henry Brown, Bonneville has seen his character slowly breaking out of his cautious habits in order to help save the day.

This has involved everything from dressing as a cleaning woman to infiltrate the Geographers Guild in Paddington, to performing a rather flexible split between two speeding trains in Paddington 2. Presumably still working as a risk analyst at an insurance company, the adventure ahead in Paddington in Peru will probably be the greatest test of just how much of Henrys previously carefree spirit hes rediscovered in the wake of his adopted bear sons antics.

Julie Walters gazes at something suspicious while using a phone booth in Paddington 2.

Julie Walters

The housekeeper to the Brown household, Mrs. Bird loves order and cleanliness, but isnt above some mischief. Played by the legendary Julie Walters, bringing her Paddington character to Peru feels like another hand in glove fit when it comes to this change of venue.

That is, provided she tags along, as Paddington 3's story may find her staying at home. For all we know, this story might find her keeping things nice and neat from any prying eyes that may try to take advantage of the absence of the family. (Were looking at you, Mr. Curry.)

Jim Broadbent looking shocked while sitting on a couch in Paddington 2.

Jim Broadbent

Another character who might find themselves sticking to the homefront during Paddington in Peru is Mr. Samuel Gruber. The warmly eccentric antique shop owner who's been present through the iconic presence of actor Jim Broadbent, there may not be much reason to send him to Peru in this upcoming threequel. So maybe he can challenge Mrs. Bird to a friendly drinking contest and see who can hold their schnapps the best.

Madeleine Harris sitting up in bed while on the phone in Paddington 2.

Madeleine Harris

Judy Brown (Madeleine Harris) has always been a headstrong young woman, growing with each adventure that the Paddington movies have sent her through. Industrious to the point of starting a newspaper, and with the skills to learn pretty much any language, Judy just might be the familys resident interpreter as they make their way through Paddington in Perus new and adventurous setting.

Samuel Joslin looks mournfully in his closet in Paddington 2.

Samuel Joslin

Much like his onscreen sister, Samuel Joslins Jonathan Brown has areas of expertise that could come in handy during this new chapter. Possessing a knack for chemistry, as well as a love of steam trains, both of those disciplines may make Paddington 3 all the easier on the Brown familys journey. Then again, there may be some new skills that both Jonathan and Judy will show off to the world, once theyre back on the big screen.

Aunt Lucy hugging Paddington in Paddington 2 and Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, pictured side-by-side.

Imelda Staunton

Rounding out our Paddington in Peru cast is the ever delightful Imelda Staunton, whose character, Aunt Lucy, is the catalyst for this grand outing. Living at the Home for Retired Bears ever since she lost her husband in the disastrous earthquake that prompted her to send Paddington away.

Receiving regular letters from her nephew, she paid him a heartfelt visit that ended the events of Paddington 2 with a tear-jerking reunion. Now it's Paddington Bear's turn to make the journey, which just might show us what Aunt Lucy had to go through when she made her trip to London, further endearing us all to this beloved literary icon.

With a cast like this, Paddington 3 already sounds like an absolute delight; and thats in the absence of any concrete plot details! Well have to wait for more of the particulars to be released to the public, which shouldnt be too far off as this project is set to start filming at some point in the month to come.

So be sure to keep your eyes peeled and your emergency sandwich on hand, as you never know what will be revealed next in the world of Paddington Bear! While one could assume that Paddington in Peru could make its way to the 2024 movie schedule, that's another question we're going to have to wait to see answered.
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Almost a year ago, Pennsylvania lawmakers hashed out a plan to spend billions in COVID-19 stimulus money on housing, conservation and public health.

Since then, the state has succeeded in getting millions of dollars out the door to nursing homes, child care providers, and more, a Spotlight PA review shows. Grant programs focused on violence prevention and the environment are just getting underway.

Pennsylvania received $7.3 billion in state and local pandemic relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. That money came with an expiration date: Funds must be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2026. Any funds that remain unused by that deadline will be returned to the federal government.

The state had spent nearly $5.6 billion in COVID-19 stimulus money as of March, according to information submitted to the federal government. The vast majority, roughly $4.6 billion, was used to replace lost revenue; much of that went into the states general fund.

In a report the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget filed to the U.S. Treasury earlier this year, state officials also detailed how much has been spent on nearly 30 new projects.

Some of these programs have already disbursed all or most of their funds, and include grants for hospital workers, nursing homes, and other public health services. But others have been slower to distribute their federal money. These run the gamut from student loan relief for nurses to grants for acid mine drainage.

The state legislature has appropriated how all $7.3 billion should be spent generally, but it has not assigned all the money to a specific purpose.

For example, the state House agreed to spend $100 million on mental health services during last years budget negotiations, but only passed guidelines on how the funds should be spent earlier this month  meaning the money is not reflected in the March report to the U.S. Treasury.

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The Office of Budgets report to the U.S. Treasury also does not break down how $412 million that the state legislature gave to the governors office for discretionary pandemic relief has been spent.

As of March 2023, all but $2 million had been spent on state worker bonuses, student loan relief for nurses, and hundreds of grants to medical centers, cultural institutions, local governments, and charities, according to an open records request filed by Spotlight PA.

Heres a rundown of where Pennsylvanias stimulus spending stands:

Revenue replacement

Upon first receiving the federal funds in 2021, the state legislature agreed to spend over half of the total $7.3 billion on revenue replacement. In the document filed with the U.S. Treasury, state officials said $4.6 billion was used to counteract revenue loss within the General Fund and to aid the provision of government services.

A spending plan for the remaining $2.7 billion was negotiated as part of the 2022 budget.

Using stimulus money to replace lost revenue is an extremely common practice, according to Marquette University political science professor Philip Rocco, who has studied how local governments nationwide have used ARPA funds.

Rocco said that the main reason for this practice is ease. Funds put into revenue replacement dont need to be allocated to new projects. Rather, they can be incorporated into the budget baselines, which makes it easy to get the cash out the door.

No work has to be done beyond simply putting that money in the state and local budget, Rocco said.

Still, Pennsylvania is among the states that dedicated the greatest percentage of their funds toward revenue replacement, with 76% of its stimulus spending going toward that category. Though some states are still deciding how to spend their money, at the end of last year only six other states had dedicated a greater percentage of their funds toward revenue replacement.

Public health

The other projects listed in the Office of Budgets report got far less funding.

The next-highest allocation went to nursing facilities and personal care homes, which received $282 million.

The states plan last year also gave $12 million in federally funded grants to three programs dedicated to supporting elder care and nursing homes. These are the only programs that have been completed, according to the states report.

Another program dedicated $55 million to student loan relief for nurses. Licensed nurses living in Pennsylvania who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic applied to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency to receive up to $7,500 over the course of three years to reduce their outstanding student loan debt.

The application process closed in March 2022. According to the U.S. Treasury report, the program had spent just $3.5 million a year later.

Housing

One of the highest-profile programs funded by the stimulus money was the Whole-Home Repairs Program, which received $125 million. The program helps eligible homeowners afford repairs and weatherization to keep their houses livable and make them more energy efficient.

The program, championed by progressive state Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, doles out funding to counties that in turn make grants available to homeowners and landlords. The grants are restricted to homeowners whose household income is less than 80% of the areas median income and landlords who have no more than 15 rental units.

We hear that from county after county, the demand is enormous, Saval said.

The program has so far used just under $68 million of its funding, about half its total allocation. As Spotlight PA previously reported, three of the states 67 counties declined to participate.

The Whole-Home Repairs Program is one of several initially paid for with federal money that state House Democrats now want to keep funding through state resources. Along party lines, the state House recently passed a budget bill that would continue the Whole-Home Repairs Program using $200 million in state revenue.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has expressed his support for supporting and growing the initiative. His budget proposal allocates $400 million in state tax revenue to continue programs funded with federal money, including violence intervention and prevention programming and grants to stabilize child care rates.

Money left to spend

The state reported that no expenditures have been made on four projects, three of which focus on conservation and include mine reclamation and improving water quality. Those programs got over $13.2 million.

The first round of grant applications for mine reclamation concluded in April, but two more rounds are open through December 2023, with up to $10 million available for a single application. The grants for the Keystone Tree Fund, which goes toward planting and managing public trees, have already been awarded.

The fourth project is a $50 million gun violence intervention effort that awards grants to county district attorneys offices and local law enforcement agencies so they can investigate and prosecute crimes relating to firearms. According to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which administers the funds in the form of grants, all of the money has been obligated.

Twenty-nine police departments and district attorneys offices were selected to participate in the program. Grantees will spend money and then seek reimbursement from the commission, which is why the program has yet to report any expenditures.

The Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney received the biggest grant, worth $20 million, which will be used to expand digital surveillance capabilities and hire new full-time staff.

Beyond those four projects, theres hundreds of millions in stimulus money that lawmakers appropriated for a broad purpose  from biotechnology research to transfers to existing grant programs  thats still waiting for action.

For example, lawmakers earmarked $100 million for mental health last July without directing it to a specific purpose.

Instead, the General Assembly established a commission to hash out a plan, which released its recommendations in October. They included expanding walk-in crisis centers and substance abuse disorder treatment, and providing higher pay to behavioral health workers.

The state House adopted those recommendations in a bipartisan vote in early June, passing a bill that would provide grants for workforce development in the behavioral health field and expand public safety programs. The measure would also create new funding for mobile crisis teams, crisis walk-in centers, and crisis stabilization units as part of suicide prevention efforts.

The plan has broad support, frankly as it should, said bill sponsor and mental health advocate state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh. I wish we had gotten this money out months ago.

The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled state Senate for final approval.

Weve had talks with the Senate since we started last year. And I think there were some concerns, and well certainly be restarting those talks, Schlossberg said.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
The swift release this month of a top Polk County manager arrested on a charge of drunken driving raised questions about whether she received special treatment from employees of the sheriff's department.

Blair Deana Parker, deputy director of Polk County human resources, was arrested June 18 by an Iowa State Patrol trooper and booked on OWI  without being detained in jail before an initial court appearance or having her mug shot posted on the jail's inmate website.

A tipster contacted local media this week about Parker's release, alleging she "demanded special treatment" and got it.

Capt. Ryan Evans, a sheriff's department spokesperson, said other defendants receive the same treatment if they aren't considered a public threat, a flight risk and meet other "cite and release" criteria.

But the only other person released this year by the sheriff's department from the jail in that way, an Adel man also accused of OWI, did have a booking photo posted on the inmate website.

Matt Lindholm, one of the metro's most experienced OWI defense attorneys, said Parker's treatment by jail staff was atypical.

"Once (defendants) are in the jail, the only way out is to post bond or see a judge," he said. "I've never seen the jail say, 'We are going to release you on our own discretion.'"

Lindholm said West Des Moines police often cite someone for OWI and release the offender if someone sober comes to take the person home. Des Moines police typically do not.

But for the sheriff's department to do so "would be such an anomaly we would have been talking about it here," Lindholm said. "It just doesn't happen."

Driver was swerving, weaving at 4:20 a.m., complaint says

Parker's black Honda CRV was observed at around 4:20 a.m. June 18 swerving and weaving on eastbound Interstate 235 at the 8-mile marker traveling around 37 mph, a criminal complaint in the case shows.

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After Parker was pulled over, Officer Allison Fleming observed her trying to gather things in her vehicle.

She looked right at me, and I still had to knock on the window to get her to roll it down, the trooper wrote in the complaint. "The defendant had an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her and she had bloodshot watery eyes. The defendant also had dried blood around her nose but could not remember how it happened.

Parker, 37, admitted to drinking a glass of wine but refused any sobriety tests, according to the complaint.

While walking, the defendant was unsteady on her feet, the complaint said.

Parker was booked at the jail on a charge of first offense OWI, a serious misdemeanor, and cited for alleged failure to maintain minimum speed, a $135 noncriminal offense. She was released to her sister on a citation release, approved by Sgt. Ryan Phillips, and provided a court date for the charges.

More: Polk County Sheriff's Office releases video of deputy fatally shooting man in 2018

State troopers do not wear body cameras. Evans denied the Register's request to see any video footage of the booking inside the jail, saying surveillance of the interior of the facility is considered confidential under Iowa Code Chapter 22.7(50), which lists information about certain physical infrastructure as an exception to Iowa's public records law.

Cite-and-release laws common across the country

The vast majority of law enforcement agencies nationwide have cite-and-release policies, though they differ across the country.

The laws give officers discretion in deciding when to give someone a citation and court summons in lieu of arrest, which involves taking the person into custody, fingerprinting and photographing them to establish or verify their identity, and jailing them pending an initial court appearance, pretrial release or bail.

In Iowa, state code allows people charged with first-offense OWI to be cited and released by the arresting agency or a county jail. Citations can reduce the amount of time required to process infractions and can keep jail populations lower, but one criticism of such programs has been that a high rate of offenders fail to appear for their scheduled court dates.

Two other attorneys who handle OWI cases in Des Moines  who asked not to be identified because they work with sheriff's officials  told Watchdog this week it would be unusual, but not illegal, for the sheriff's department to release an OWI defendant after booking.

Brandon Brown, another Des Moines defense attorney who has handled OWI cases, suggested one way to discern whether special treatment took place would be to ask how many other offenders received the same treatment as Parker from the sheriff's office.

This year, only one other person was cited and released for any offense by the sheriff's department, according to Evans. But that man, whose OWI case is ongoing, did have his photograph posted on the Polk County inmates website.

Evans said jail staff have a worksheet to help them decide which defendants can be cited and released after their booking. The criteria for release include weighing the severity of the offense, whether defendants have someone to be released to so they are not a safety threat, and whether they have a verifiable address so they aren't a flight risk.

People accused of domestic abuse or who have been assaultive are not eligible, he said.

Parker failed to show Tuesday at an initial court appearance, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. A judge ordered that she be held on $2,000 cash bond, court records show.

The warrant hadn't been served as of Thursday afternoon.

Parker also was not at her job this week. But her boss, county human resources chief Jeff Edgar, said she has been out of the office because of a death in the family unrelated to the OWI arrest. Edgar said the arrest will be handled as a personnel matter.

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Swift release of Polk County manager after OWI charge raises questions
Maryland begins selling recreational marijuana on July 1, and yes, Pennsylvanians can buy it.

But there's a catch.

Adults 21 and older will be able to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to two plants for personal use in Maryland. Existing medical cannabis dispensaries that have converted to recreational facilities will be able to serve adult-use customers, according to a news release.

Marijuana is now legally referred to as "cannabis" in Maryland.

Learn more: Marijuana legalization is almost here in Maryland, and here's what you need to know

Twenty-three states have legalized cannabis for adults, but Pennsylvania is not one of them.

However, any adult with a valid ID, driver's license or passport can buy recreational marijuana in Maryland, regardless of where they are from. Maryland will be the fourth state bordering Pennsylvania to legalize recreational marijuana. The previous three are Delaware, New York and New Jersey.

There are a few things to remember, though. Marijuana is still federally illegal, which means people cannot transport it across state lines. Additionally, possessing marijuana is a crime in Pennsylvania, even though some municipalities, including York, Lancaster, Harrisburg and Steelton, have decriminalized it. There are exceptions for people who have a medical marijuana card.

There will be a 9% sales tax on recreational cannabis in Maryland. Also, people cannot smoke weed on any public street or in a car parked in public in Maryland. Some dispensaries will offer consumption sites, but not all, and no dispensary can allow smoking indoors.

The closest recreational marijuana dispensaries to York County initially licensed for such sales are in the Westminster, Maryland area. The closest such facility to Chambersburg is in Hagerstown.

What's your favorite dog name? Here are the 11 most popular dog names in York County - plus some of the weirdest

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Md. makes recreational weed legal July 1. Can Pa. residents buy it?
Jonathan Majors' alleged history of abuse dates back a decade, according to a Rolling Stone report. (Steven Hirsch / Associated Press)

A new report accuses embattled actor Jonathan Majors of abusing two other former romantic partners, as well as behaving aggressively toward crew members on film sets and drama school classmates.

The resurfaced allegations arrive as Majors braces for a criminal trial in New York City where he faces misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. Majors, and his attorneys have denied the claims and have maintained his innocence throughout the case. His trial is set for Aug. 3.

On Thursday, Rolling Stone published a report with a new set of allegations that span the last decade, citing interviews with more than 40 individuals who were close to or familiar with Majors at Yale University's drama school, on film productions and while he was dating several other women. All of the sources were granted anonymity by Rolling Stone as they expressed fear of career repercussions and personal retribution from Majors and his team.

Read more: Jonathan Majors to face trial in August on domestic violence charges

Among the most serious allegations against Majors in the report are claims that the "Creed III" actor was physically and emotionally abusive with one previous girlfriend, and emotionally abusive with another. These specific allegations relied on interviews with nine sources, according to Rolling Stone.

One source told Rolling Stone that the treatment in one relationship was really extreme abuse, physically and mentally, and that things had allegedly led to him strangling her. Other sources told the magazine that a second girlfriend whom he had dated called their relationship emotional torture. In both, the sources alleged that Majors would begin relationships by being romantic and gradually become more volatile and controlling.

The Times has not independently corroborated the allegations.

Majors' attorney, Dustin A. Pusch, denied the allegations against his client in a statement provided to The Times.

"Jonathan Majors vehemently denies Rolling Stones false allegations that he physically, verbally, or emotionally abused anyone, let alone any of his past romantic partners," Pusch wrote in the statement. "Rolling Stone embarked on a mission to dig up dirt on Jonathan Majors in order to falsely paint him as a violent and abusive Black man, facts be damned."

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Pusch also wrote that the allegations are based "entirely on hearsay" and called Rolling Stone's sourcing "seriously flawed."

Read more: News Analysis: What Jonathan Majors' dramatic rise and fall says about race and justice in Hollywood

Other sources told Rolling Stone that he had been involved in several physical and verbal altercations with classmates during rehearsals while at Yale where he attended a drama graduate program from 2013 to 2016. And in Hollywood, several production sources alleged to the magazine that Majors had pushed one person and physically intimidated another while screaming on the set of the indie film "Magazine Dreams."

Majors used a Method acting approach for the critically acclaimed drama about a rage-filled, fame-obsessed body builder, immersing himself into the film's character, even while off set, and crew members were told to keep their distance. Others reported feeling uncomfortable during the shoot, allegedly leading to a complaint to producers, according to Rolling Stone.

Another production source said Majors had made costumers cry on the set of 2022 war drama "Devotion," calling the behavior "borderline abusive," the magazine reported.

Pusch rebuffed the on-set allegations as "downright false."

Everyone who has worked with Mr. Majors knows that he employs an immersive Method acting style, and while that can be misconstrued as rudeness at times, those who know Mr. Majors and work in the industry have attested to his dedication to his craft as well as his kindness," Pusch said in a separate statement sent to Rolling Stone, adding that Majors also denies any allegations of abuse, violence, or intimidation during his time at Yale.

Read more: Jonathan Majors reportedly dropped by management and PR firms, cut from projects

In a further rebuttal to the Rolling Stone report, Pusch also sent the publication six character statements from "Mr. Majors actual past romantic partners attesting to his character and the falsity of the charges."

The magazine, however, contacted the six former partners and reported that only one of the individuals consented to Majors' team using her statements. The woman, who dated the "Lovecraft Country" actor as a teenager, called him "sweet, kind and gentle." Other women said they never gave permission for such statements to be released , while another declined to share the statement with Majors' team altogether and claimed it was prewritten and false.

Pusch defended those character statements to The Times, writing, "The statements were not manufactured and there was plainly no intention to misrepresent the opinions of these individuals, each of whom Mr. Majors deeply respects.

"Rolling Stone has done exactly what the Manhattan DA has done: ignore and twist the facts in favor of a false and preconceived narrative," Pusch wrote.

Read more: Amid new allegations, Jonathan Majors attorney cites video taken just after alleged attack

After Majors was arrested and charged in late March, his rising career seemed to take a nosedive. He has reportedly been dropped by his publicity and management firms and also dropped by several prospective film projects and advertisement campaigns. It remains unclear whether Marvel will recast his part as Kang the Conqueror, who Majors played in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and the studio was gearing up to make the next supervillain of the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel, as well as other close collaborators, such as "Creed III" co-star Michael B. Jordan, have remained silent about the allegations as the criminal case moves forward.

Prosecutors have accused Majors of injuring a woman during an altercation at the back of a taxi in Manhattan, allegedly pulling her finger, twisting her arm behind her back and striking her on the face with an open hand and cutting her ear. Majors has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault and one misdemeanor count each of third-degree attempted assault, second-degree aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment.

Read more: Marvel star Tenoch Huerta accused of sexual assault by musician Maria Elena Rios

Multiple alleged abuse victims of Majors have come forward since the actors arrest and were cooperating with the Manhattan district attorneys office, Variety reported in April.

Majors' attorneys have countered the charges by releasing a video that appears to show the accuser uninjured and out on the town after parting ways with Major on the night of the alleged incident. His team has also released screenshots of text messages that purportedly show the accuser recanting her allegations and appearing to admit fault in the altercation.

And earlier this week, Insider reported that Majors had filed a separate police report against his accuser, alleging that he was a victim of domestic violence. In the report, taken at a Manhattan precinct last week, the 33-year-old actor claimed that he was not the aggressor and that the woman had attacked him, slapping, scratching and grabbing his face.

Read more: Armie Hammer sexual-assault allegations being reviewed by L.A. prosecutors

Last week, New York Criminal Court Judge Rachel Pauley set a trial date of Aug. 3 during Majors' second court appearance . His attorney Priya Chaudhry said she provided prosecutors with compelling evidence of Majors innocence, including "photographs illustrating the injuries she inflicted on Mr. Majors and photos of his clothing torn as a direct consequence of (the womans) violent actions."

She has also accused police and prosecutors of racial bias against Majors, who is Black. She said a white police officer got in Majors face and taunted him when he tried showing the officer injuries that he said the woman caused.

Chaudhry had previously accused the district attorney of case-fixing and referred to Majors charges as a witch hunt against the actor that highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.

Sign up for L.A. Goes Out, a weekly newsletter about exploring and experiencing Los Angeles from the L.A. Times.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The post Taylor Swift Fan Conceals Identity After Calling Out Sick of Work appeared first on Consequence.

Taylor Swifts The Eras Tour is the cant miss event of the summer, and some fans are going to extreme lengths to ensure they dont miss out.

WKRC-TV caught up with one woman who intentionally concealed her identity with a blanket and sunglasses because she called sick out of work in order to attend the concert. Update: As several readers have pointed out, the costume is a nod to Swifts video for Anti-Hero.

The woman and a friend traveled from Louisville to Cincinnati for this weekends Era Tour stop at Paycor Stadium. They were standing in line for merch on Thursday when WKRC-TVs cameras came strolling by.

The anonymous woman explained that she previously caught The Eras Tour in Nashville, but was taking an 11-year-old girl (presumably her daughter) to the Cincinnati show. Watch the interview below.

The woman under the blanket is far from the only example of fans finding creative fans to attend Swifts concerts. Another fan got a job as a security guard in order to see Swift perform in Nashville.

The Eras Tour has several more North American stops, including in Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, Santa Clara, and Inglewood. Get last-minute tickets here.

Swift will then embark on an international jaunt that includes visits to Mexico, South America, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the UK. Tickets are available here.

Thousands are camped out in downtown Cincinnati ahead of the Taylor Swift merchandise truck opening for business and that includes a couple of anonymous fans from Louisville skipping work.  #swiftinnati #taylorswift pic.twitter.com/X6hY6OjjKF  Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) June 29, 2023

Taylor Swift Fan Conceals Identity After Calling Out Sick of Work

Scoop Harrison

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CrowdStrike 24

The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is a festival of the worlds greatest supercars running flat-out, door-to-door for 24 hours, rain or shine. And it usually rains.

Yeah, 70 GT3 cars of equal specs on the track together is action-packed, let's say that, said Patrick Long, who called us from Belgium the day before the race.

Long is driving a GMG Motorsports 992 Porsche GT3R in the race, but the grid is packed with the greatest supercars ever made: Mercedes-AMG GT3, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, BMW M4 GT3, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, and Ferrari 296 GT3.

And while most of the drivers are not as famous as those in F1, they are just about that good in talent.

CrowdStrike 24

Most of the drivers at the front of the grid are all factory guys, and they are F1 talent that you've never heard of that make a living with BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, and they're all just absolute, top-of-the-top specialists. It's a really cool environment.

Among the drivers you have heard of, in addition to Patrick Long, is nine-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, driving a BMW M4 GT3.

Pole for this years race was set at 2:16.880 by Porsche GT3R driver Matteo Cairoli in a rain-effected qualifying session. The F1 lap record at Spa is still held by Lewis Hamilton at 1:42.252, set in dry conditions.

The race starts Saturday, July 1 at 4:30 Belgium time, 10:30 a.m. EST, 7:30 a.m. PST. You can watch is live here:

https://www.crowdstrike24hoursofspa.com/watch-live
An Atlanta man is suing the multibillion-dollar ride share company Lyft after he says one of the companys contracted drivers shot him in the head.

Emanuel Hollins, 31, of Dekalb County, Georgia held a press conference on Tuesday to detail the 2020 incident and its aftermath. With attorney Michael Jones by his side, Hollins called the last few years of his life hell, saying: There are more days these last two years Ive not wanted to be here than in my whole life.

Hollins said the night of December 28, 2020, began normally enough. He called a Lyft to take him to work at Park Valley Apartment Homes in Decatur, where he was an apartment manager.

Driver Mashelle Rucker picked him up and started towards the destination. About 30 minutes into the ride, Hollins noticed that the drop-off address had been entered incorrectly and changed to the correct destination, less than a mile from the original.

When I changed the address, she didn't like that, because she didn't feel as though she was going to be paid, he said.

Woman fatally shot an Uber driver in TX: Woman fatally shot an Uber driver in Texas. Police say she wrongly thought she was being kidnapped

In an attempt to appease Rucker, he suggested she drop him at a fast-food restaurant across the street so he could walk to his final destination instead. After reassuring her she would still get paid, Hollins said Rucker eventually dropped him off at the entrance of the complex.

Thinking the tense ride was over, Hollins exited the vehicle and made his way towards the building. Thats when, he said, he heard a popping noise behind him followed by a ringing in his head.

Hollins had been shot in the back of the head, the bullet coming to rest lodged in his forehead. After emergency surgery, multiple follow-up surgeries and thousands of dollars in medical bills, he was left without vision in his right eye.

An Amp sits on the dashboard of a Lyft driver's car on January 31, 2017 in San Francisco, California.

I just dont understand if someones walking away from your car, how you can feel theyre a threat to you. I didnt look back at the car. I didnt start yelling at her or anything, he said of the shooting, adding he would have done anything else but just shoot someone in the back of the head.

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Rucker was arrested the same night for aggravated assault but posted bail four days letter and has yet to be formally charged or prosecuted. Besides calling for criminal prosecution of Rucker, Hollins has lodged a lawsuit against Lyft, who he accused of taking no responsibility for the situation.

Driverless cars: In San Francisco, the cars are driverless, the humans are baffled and future is uncertain

Jones said Lyft had failed to properly screen Rucker before allowing her to drive for the company, and that a prior arrest for battery should have disqualified her from employment with them.

Hollins is suing the company for $90,000 in medical bills and $20 million in pain and suffering and lost wages.

DeKalb County District Attorney's office said in statement obtained by CBS News Atlanta that charges are forthcoming pending the receipt of records required from Mr. Hollins and his attorney." The station also reported that Lyft confirmed Rucker is no longer on the platform.

According to Lyfts website, drivers must undergo a criminal background check and may be precluded from employment on the platform if they have been convicted of a disqualifying violent crime (such as homicide, kidnapping, human trafficking, arson, burglary, carjacking, robbery, or aggravated assault).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emanuel Hollins sues Lyft, claiming driver Machelle Rucker shot him
A federal judge has sentenced two South Carolina men to more than 20 years in prison after their convictions for involvement in a scheme that brought drugs from California to North Carolina and South Carolina, according to prosecutors and court records.

On Tuesday, Gabriel LAmbiance Ingram, 34, of Lancaster, was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison, and Carl Michael Mann II, 41, of Rock Hill was sentenced to 25 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Ingram and Mann were convicted in a 2022 trial, federal court records show.

Mann was convicted of conspiracy to possess 500 grams or more of cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of heroin, prosecutors said in a written release. Mann also was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine found during a search of his home, according to prosecutors.

Ingram was convicted of conspiracy to possess 500 grams or more of cocaine, 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, and a quantity of heroin, prosecutors said. Ingram also was convicted of three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and four counts of possession with the intent to distribute illegal substances to include heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and crack cocaine, according to prosecutors.

Eighteen people were convicted in the case after arrests in 2018, federal court records show.

Fifteen others charged in the case pleaded guilty previously and were sentenced. One other defendant was sentenced last week after being found guilty at trial, officials said.

The York County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit along with the Rock Hill Police Department, FBI, ATF, and other law enforcement, investigated a group of people who received cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from California, according to a written statement released by the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The group then brought in fentanyl from California to put in pills that were sold in Charlotte, Rock Hill, Atlanta, Greenville and Myrtle Beach, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said law enforcement showed this group shipped more than 255 packages from California and distributed more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 1 kilogram or more of heroin, and more than 1000 grams of marijuana.
Iceman Otzi reconstruction

People from the past have left behind a treasure trove of clues about their lives  from enormous monuments to fragments of personal items, as well as the bones of the people themselves. But the people who left these clues are often a mystery. Now, thanks to modern scientific techniques and technology, researchers can accurately reconstruct what those people actually looked like, helping to bring long-dead people from history back to life.

Here, we take a look at some of the best reconstructions.

1. 'Ava,' a Bronze Age woman

A facial approximation of a Bronze Age woman.

Archaeologists used forensic science to gather clues about this mysterious Bronze Age woman buried in Scotland whom they nicknamed "Ava." Through DNA analysis, they determined that she most likely had brown eyes, black hair and a darker skin tone while measurements of her tibia (shinbone) showed that she was tall and stood approximately 5 feet, 7 inches (1.71 meters). Using this data along with scans of Ava's 3,800-year-old skull, artists created a facial approximation of what she may have looked like.

2. King Tut

A side-by-side view of a facial approximation of King Tut.

Over the years, several facial approximations have been made of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun , however the latest version offers new insight into the historical figure's unique facial features. Researchers used CT (computed tomography) scans as well as X-rays of the young king's skull, and through analysis they determined his skull was not only slightly longer than average, but that he also had an exceedingly large brain volume. For example, the average man has a brain volume of approximately 75 cubic inches (1,234 cubic centimeters), but Tut's was 87 cubic inches (1,432 cubic cm).

3. 7th-century 'elite' girl

The 16-year-old teen was likely an early convert to Christianity.

The mystery surrounding a 16-year-old girl, who was buried in England l ying in a wooden bed wearing a gold cross studded with rubies, has eluded archaeologists since her discovery in 2011. But now a new facial reconstruction offers insight into the appearance of the Anglo-Saxon teen and early Christian convert.

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4. The 'Hobbit,' an extinct human relative

Researchers used digital scans to create the final image of the hobbit.

Archaeologists discovered the remains of an individual classified as Homo floresiensis , a smaller offshoot of Homo erectus, an extinct human ancestor, inside a cave in Indonesia in 2003. Standing only 3 feet, 6 inches (106 cm), they dubbed her the "hobbit." To make the facial approximation, researchers used scans of the individual's skull along with those of modern-day humans and chimps, all of which were virtually deformed.

5. Czech Republic Stone Age woman

A digital approximation of what the Stone Age woman may have looked like.

Initially incorrectly identified as male, a skull found buried inside a cave in Mladec in the Czech Republic turned out to belong to a 17-year-old female from the Stone Age, who lived around 31,000 years ago. Researchers believe she lived during part of the upper Paleolithic period known as the Aurignacian, and she is one of the oldest Homo sapiens found in Europe.

6. Bronze Age woman from Spain

The digital facial reconstruction of the Bronze Age woman wearing the diadem.

Archaeologists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona discovered the remains of a man and woman from the Bronze Age, who were buried together in a ceramic pot at the La Almoloya site. A scientific illustrator created a digital reconstruction of the woman using the woman's partial skull and jewelry  in particular a diadem (silver crown) to figure out her head measurements.

7. Stone Age woman found in Sweden

Oscar Nilsson , a forensic artist based in Sweden, spent 350 hours reconstructing the Stone Age woman's likeness.

The skeletal remains of this Neolithic woman in her late 20s were found during the construction of a road in Lagmansoren, Sweden. A forensic artist spent over 350 hours creating her likeness, basing the reconstruction on the scanned skull and on what we know about migration into ancient Scandinavia.

8. Bronze Age Bohemia

Accurate anthropological reconstruction of the image of a woman from the grave No. 2, which was discovered in Mikulovice near Pardubice, Czech Republic. This woman has light skin, brown hair and brown, wide-set eyes, a distinctive chin, a smaller figure, adorned with bronze and gold jewelry and a beautiful amber necklace.

The bones of this Bronze Age woman, believed to have lived between 1880 B.C. and 1750 B.C., were found in a graveyard near the village of Mikulovice in Bohemia, the Czech Republic. This wealthy woman was part of the Unetice culture, known for their metal artifacts, so it was unsurprising that she was found buried with five bronze bracelets, two gold earrings and a three-strand necklace of more than 400 amber beads.

9. Penang woman from the New Stone Age

The final reconstruction of the Penang woman.

Using a combination of 3D imagery of modern-day Malaysians and CT (computed tomography) scans, researchers created a virtual face approximation of this 40-year-old woman who lived during the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age. Discovered during a dig at the Neolithic site Guar Kepah in Penang, northwest Malaysia, radiocarbon dating of shells found by the remains of the "Penang woman" suggests she lived about 5,700 years ago.

10. Medieval Scottish woman

A facial reconstruction of a woman from medieval Scotland.

Thanks to modern-day forensic science and technology, researchers were able to glimpse into life in medieval Scotland by creating a reconstruction of this medieval woman, who was one of three skeletons found in a medieval crypt in Scotland. Chris Rynn, the forensic craniofacial anthropologist who made this lifelike facial reconstruction, said that this was "the most symmetrical skull" they had ever worked on.

11. Medieval Scottish priest and bishop

The facial reconstructions of two men.

The remains of these two men were found in the same medieval crypt in Scotland as the previous woman. Starting with a 3D scan of each skull, Rynn made these incredible lifelike facial reconstructions of this priest and bishop, right down to the cleft lip and palate of the priest.

12. Young Neanderthal man

A facial reconstruction of a Neanderthal who lived in Doggerland between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Around 70,000 years ago this young Neanderthal man roamed an area known as Doggerland, off the coast of the Netherlands. Using just a piece of skull found at the bottom of the North Sea, a paleo-anthropological artist was able to conjure up this bust of "Krijn," right down to the tumor above his right eyebrow.

13. Three ancient Egyptians

Forensic reconstruction of the mummies JK2911, JK2134 and JK2888.

The faces of three men who lived more than 2,000 years ago in the ancient Egyptian city of Abusir el-Meleq are brought back to life in this reconstruction. DNA data was extracted from their mummies and used in a process called forensic DNA phenotyping, which uses genetic analysis to predict the shape of facial features and other aspects of a person's physical appearance. This information helped scientists reconstruct the three men at age 25.

14. King Tut's father revealed

The reconstruction of KV 55, thought to be the pharaoh Akhenaten.

This is the face of a pharaoh  possibly Akhenaten, King Tut's father, who reigned from 1353 B.C. to 1335 B.C. Adornments such as hair or jewelry have been purposely omitted in order to focus on the individual's facial traits. The reconstruction is based on mummified remains found in the Valley of the Kings.

15. Stone Age man on a spike

In this reconstruction, the Mesolithic man, who died in his 50s, wears a wild boar skin.

The skull of this Mesolithic man, who died 8,000 years ago when he was in his 50s, was found impaled on a stake at the bottom of a small lake in what is now Motala, a municipality in eastern-central Sweden. Although this man was found without his jaw, a forensic artist was able to reconstruct this by taking measurements from the rest of the skull.

16. 18th-century 'vampire'

A side-by-side comparison of a facial reconstruction of a vampire and his skeleton.

Buried in Griswold, Connecticut, in the late 18th century, the remains of this 55-year-old man were found with his femur bones crossed over the chest  a sign indicating that locals thought this man was a vampire. Historically, people believed that those who died of tuberculosis, like this man, were vampires, but as you can see, no fangs here.

17. 18-year-old Avgi from Greece

Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson reconstructed the face of an 18-year-old woman, dubbed Avgi, whose 9,000-year-old bones were found in a cave in central Greece.

Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson spent around 220 hours meticulously recreating each individual muscle of Avgi's face. Not much is known about 18-year-old Avgi's life, just that her bones were found in a cave in central Greece and are around 9,000 years old.

18. Young Egyptian child

The young boy's

Scientists in Austria and Germany wanted to find out how accurate "mummy portraits"  images of people affixed to the front of their mummies  really were, so the researchers CT-scanned a boy's mummy, which was found in a cemetery close to the pyramid of Hawara, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. Using this information, and analyzing previous X-rays, they discovered that the 3D digital image they created looked almost exactly like the painting, with the only difference being that the boy who lived between 50 B.C. to A.D. 100 looked slightly older in his portrait. Mummy portraits were a popular tradition among some Egyptians in Greco-Roman times, from about the first through the third centuries A.D.

19. Ancient 'Shaman' woman

In the seated woman's burial, she wore a short cape made of feathers, a slate necklace and a belt made of 130 animal teeth.

Found among other burials dating from 5,500 B.C. to 4,600 B.C., this hunter-gatherer woman was buried upright in a grave at Skateholm, an archaeological site on the south coast of Sweden. Sitting on a "throne" of deer antlers, the woman, who was 30 to 40 years old, was richly adorned and is thought to have been an important person.

20. Neanderthal woman from Gibraltar

The Neanderthal woman's remains were found in Gibraltar.

This hyper-realistic portrayal gives us a glimpse 40,000 years into the past. Here we see the face of a young Neanderthal woman, who was an early human inhabitant of Gibraltar. The 20-year-old woman was buried with a tiny baby resting on her chest, a sad clue that she likely died in childbirth during the Neolithic.

21. Whitehawk woman

The Whitehawk woman was buried with several lucky charms.

Named after Whitehawk in England, where she was found, Whitehawk woman lived about 5,500 years ago and appears to have died during childbirth. Standing 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, she was short, even for a Neolithic woman. She was buried with lucky charms believed to ward off evil.

22. Otzi the Iceman

Iceman Otzi reconstruction

Otzi the Iceman was discovered by hikers in the Otztal Alps along the Austrian-Italian border. He lived sometime between 3350 and 3100 B.C. and died when he was around age 46  a long life for a man in the Copper Age. The finished facial reconstruction shows a man with a long nose, deep-set eyes, and weathered skin and hair.

23. King Henry VII

Henry VII's death mask showed a clean-shaven face, but he may have worn a beard in life, as shown in the new reconstruction.

Thanks to photogrammetry, graphic artist Matt Loughrey was able to produce an astonishingly photorealistic reconstruction of England's King Henry VII, who died on April 21, 1509. Using the king's death mask  a wax mask from 1509 that preserved the likeness of the king  Loughrey brought this ruler's face back to life.

24. Hilda the Druid

This digital creation shows what Hilda may have looked like during her lifetime in the Iron Age.

One of Scotland's oldest known Druids, "Hilda" lived during the Iron Age and is thought to have died sometime between 55 B.C. and 400 A.D. Her toothless skull and remains were found off the northern coast of Scotland at Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis. This reconstruction is a wax re-creation of her face, showcasing gnarled wrinkles and a seemingly intense determination.

25. Bodies in the bog

A facial reconstruction of one of the Cramond

Buried alongside eight other adults and five infants  now referred to as the "bodies in the bog"  this unfortunate medieval wanderer ended up in a mass grave in a former Roman-era latrine in Cramond, Scotland. Researchers used isotope analysis on the bones and teeth of the skeletons to discover that several of the individuals had traveled from far-flung corners of Scotland. Research also showed that several of the people had died violent deaths.

26. Blair Atholl Man

A medieval man who lived in Scotland, dubbed Blair Atholl Man, wasn't a local to the central Scottish Highlands, chemical analyses reveal.

Named the Blair Atholl Man because his remains were discovered near Blair Atholl in the Scottish Highlands, this medieval man lived around 1,600 years ago, between A.D. 400 and 600. However, recent research found he was not actually local to the area. Chemical analysis revealed that he had elevated sulfur isotope ratios, which led researchers to believe he spent the majority of his later life elsewhere, near a coastal location, so was likely a newcomer to the location where he died.

27. King Richard III

Facial reconstruction of King Richard III

Unlike William Shakespeare's portrayal of King Richard III as a sneering villain, this reconstruction of the monarch shows a much kinder face, although of course it's not possible to tell someone's character just by their looks. King Richard III's bones were unearthed beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England. Archaeological evidence suggests that after his death in 1485, his body was beaten before a hasty burial.

28. Ancient Wari queen

A forensic artist has recreated the likeness of the Wari queen, who lived about 1,200 years ago in what is now Peru.

The skull of a Wari queen who lived about 1,200 years ago was discovered among numerous lavish artifacts in a pyramid mausoleum known as El Castillo de Huarmey, located in north Lima, Peru. The Wari queen was buried in a private chamber, while the rest of the tomb held the remains of 58 noblewomen. They were part of the Wari culture, which thrived in the region from A.D. 700 to 1,000. The reconstruction was crafted from modeling clay and was based on the queen's skull.

29. Denisovan woman

The artistic rendering of the head and face of a 13-year-old girl from the the prehistoric human species, Denisovan.

Denisovans are a mysterious group of now-extinct humans who lived as far back as 200,000 years ago. Thanks to DNA from a severed pinky bone found in a cave in Siberia, researchers were able to reconstruct the first plausible portrait of a Denisovan girl from 40,000 years ago. By making a map that showed how chemical changes to gene expression could influence physical traits, researchers deduced that Denisovans had wider heads and longer dental arches than Neanderthals or modern humans.

30. Cro-Magnon man

Cro-Magnon man facial reconstruction

During the upper Paleolithic period, about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, Europe was inhabited by Homo sapiens known as the Cro-Magnons. This reconstruction is based on a Cro-Magnon man who was found in France, but archaeological findings suggest these people likely lived in southern England too.

31. Slonk Hill Man

Slonk Hill man facial reconstruction

Found buried in a crouched position and laid upon a thick bed of barnacles and mussel shells, this Iron Age man was discovered not far from Brighton, U.K. Known as the Slonk Hill Man, he lived around 2,400 to 2,200 years ago.

32. Patcham Woman

Patcham woman facial reconstruction

A skeletal analysis shows that the Patcham Woman, who was found in southern England, was between ages 25 and 35 and was most likely murdered. She was alive during the Romano-British era in about A.D. 250.

33. Stafford Road Man

Stafford Road man facial reconstruction

Robust and muscular, the Stafford Road Man lived during the Saxon times, about A.D. 500, and likely died from toothache complications. His grave, located in Brighton, England, contained several weapons, including a knife in his right hand, which indicates that he was likely a warrior.

34. Egyptian female mummy

Egyptian female mummy facial reconstructions side by side.

The mummy of an ancient Egyptian woman who may have been pregnant when she died has baffled archaeologists in search of clues about her identity. The Warsaw Mummy Project used non-invasive techniques such as CT and X-ray scans to determine what the mummy of the "Mysterious Lady" looked like beneath her bandages. They then had two forensic specialists, Hew Morrison and Chantal Milani, work independently to create facial reconstructions using different techniques, and compared the results.

35. Nazlet Khater 2 man

Two facial approximations of an ancient Egyptian man.

Archaeologists unearthed a man's skeletal remains at Nazlet Khater 2, an archaeological site in Egypt's Nile Valley. Anthropological analysis revealed that he was between 17 and 29 years old when he died 30,000 years ago and was of African ancestry. The skeleton is the oldest example of Homo sapiens remains found in Egypt. Researchers used photogrammetry to create a facial approximation.
Goldie Hawn shared a stunning sunset swimsuit photo on Instagram.

The snap marked the end of her vacation in Skiathos, Greece.

The actress has spoken about the importance of movement for physical and mental health.

Golden hour looks good on Goldie Hawn, who shared a stunning swimsuit photo at sunset from her recent vacation in Skiathos, Greece. In the shadowy snap, Hawn stands knee-deep in the ocean wearing a one-piece with her arm lifted in a slight, whimsical backbend.

Last day in Skiathos this year. Bye bye paradise , she captioned the post.

Fans and followers adored the magical shot. Oh Goldie what a stunning photo!  one person commented. What a beautiful photo, another added. Stunning, someone else wrote.

At 77, Hawn and her husband Kurt Russell, 72, are living life to the fullest, whether or not theyre on holiday. Hawn is especially dedicated to running MindUp, her mental health organization that aims to help kids manage stress, regulate emotions and face the challenges of the 21st century with optimism, resilience, and compassion, and she regularly shares helpful, uplifting tips for feeling your best.

In a recent video, she showed off her new t-shirt that read, Be Kind to Your Mind.

Our mindset is everything. Its how we go through the day, its how we watch our mind, and how we care for it, she said. In other clips, she shares exercises for mental health, and the importance of daily moments of gratitude and self-care.

These topics are especially important to Hawn because she struggled with anxiety and panic attacks after being launched into stardom as a young actress. I was so scared about what was going on with me that I saw a doctor, she told Today last year. I wanted to get happy again. My intention was not to live this way.

Years of therapy and mental health education helped, and now, shes passionate about spreading awarenessits been her focus since she took a break from acting in the early 2000s.

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We need to build a kinder world, she continued. A world that actually has greater capacity for critical thinking.

That, to her, is far more important than filling out an IMDb page. With the exception of a few specific roles (a reprise of Mrs. Claus in The Christmas Chronicles or a Firsts Wives Club sequel), shes content with spreading kindness, she told Variety earlier this yearand occasionally taking dips in Grecian seas, of course.

We all have dreams, she said. But its how we fulfill them.

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Comedian Chelsea Handler discussed the growing trend of banning children from public spaces. (Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

Chelsea Handler may have no interest in motherhood, but the comedian still thinks the growing trend of banning children from public spaces is for the birds.

The Dear Chelsea host, 48, shared an Instagram video preview of the new episode of her podcast in which she discusses the growing trend of no-kids zones, which seek to create disturbance-free environments for adults by restricting children from entering. A CNN article claims there are nearly 500 of these spaces in South Korea.

In South Korea, they have public spaces that are child-free zones, where youre not allowed to have children. But its a public space and even I dont agree with that, the Chelsea, Lately alum told co-host Catherine Law in the clip. Like, children are a part of our human family. You dont have to have them, but you cant outlaw them."

Handler clarified that the nature of a public space is its willingness to allow anyone to enter.

If you have a business, fine, and you want to do that, thats one thing, but public areas are for everybody, she noted. "And this is me, everybody. We all know how I feel!

Handler has been very open about why she isn't meant for motherhood. Last year during an episode of her podcast, she noted that she thinks she "would be a s***y mother."

"I would be selfish," she said. "I would want everything to be great for my kid and forget about all the other kids in the world.

Handler explained that being child-free has actually allowed her to do more for others.

I have so much availability for not only my nieces and nephews  but for other children in the world, because I don't have my own. If I had my own I would be all about them, she explained. I look at it like this  because I don't have my own children, I'm able to send strangers to college. I'm able to support kids that I'll never meet, in countries that I'll never even visit. But I'm able to give so much because I don't have my own family and to me, that is my purpose."

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Handler also took to social media in 2022 following statements from Pope Francis in which he claimed that living without children is "a form of selfishness," and that some people have "dogs and cats that take the place of children." In response to his statements, Handler shared an Instagram post with the caption, Me: I choose a life that is child-free and I feel fulfilled."

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
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The deadline for submitting items for church briefs to be published in our print edition is 2 p.m. Wednesday. To have an item listed, email Claire Kowalick at ckowalick@gannett.com. Please limit announcements to special events, meetings or special guests. Limited space does not allow listings for regular weekly events. Church brief items cannot be taken over the phone.

Covenant Faith Center, 2904 Borton St.: Covenant Faith Center will host a womens conference July 7-8 at the center, 2904 Borton St. The focus is Recover All Women based on Mirror His Image, from Genesis 1:26, 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 and James 1:23-24. The conference will be 7 p.m. Friday, July 7 and 10 a.m. Saturday, July 8. Host Friday will be Pastor Dorothy Hicks of Covenant Faith Center. Saturdays speaker will be Apostle Nyjah Newton of Another Change Outreach Ministries of Lawton, Okla. Services are free for all to attend. To receive a gift bag and amenities, a $35 donation is requested. For more information call 940-613-0009. To register call 940-613-0009 or cash app $jimmylee70

First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls: We invite you to join us at any of our services. The Downtown campus, 1200 Ninth Street, will host their Blended Worship with Choir, Praise Team and Orchestra on Sundays at 8:15 a.m. Contemporary Worship is offered at both 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. The West Campus, 4317 Barnett Road, has Contemporary Services at 9:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. each Sunday. The Church at Sheppard, 2101 Puckett, will offer Contemporary Services at 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. Life Groups are available for every age each Sunday. Sunday morning services are broadcast live over CFNT, cable channel 10 or over the air on 20.1 or 24.1 each Sunday at 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Services are also streamed over our website as well as our Facebook page.

First Christian Church, 3701 Taft Boulevard, 940-692-2282, www.firstchristianwf.com: Sunday morning worship: 8:40 a.m. (chapel) and 10:45 a.m. in the sanctuary or watch the service on our website or YouTube anytime.

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When you think of remarkable characters from the Bible, several rise to the top. During June, we will dive into the stories of ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things for God. Join in the "Good to Great" worship series Sundays at 8:40 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. bring a brown bag supper, enjoy fellowship (along with kid-friendly options for our young friends) at 5:30 p.m., followed at 6 p.m. by a casual service. The Bible is full of lengthy narratives, but it also includes some practical short stories. Join us for one-hit wonders as we look at several of these short stories on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.

Young Ages Preschool 2023-2023 school year registration is now open. New this year  Transitional Kindergarten class. All registrations should be completed online.

First Presbyterian Church, 3601 Taft Blvd.: At worship this Sunday morning, July 2, Rev. Michael Hansen, Senior Pastor of the Church, will continue his summer sermon series titled Under the Sun, which is based on the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes. His sermon is titled Under the Sun with Time and Eternity and is based upon Ecclesiastes 3:1-14.Students who have completed kindergarten up to 5th grade are invited to attend the Kids Anglers Club to be held on July 10. Jesus said to be fishers of men. With these events, kids are learning about putting out lines and nets for fish and friends alike. Those interested should RSVP through the Church office or on the Church website, myfirstpres.org.The Church has a summer book sale going on in the Narthex through Sunday, July 9. Books can be obtained for a love offering to the Church.The Texas Presbytery in ECO began a Kingdom Expansion Initiative that encourages our churches to be in prayer for the harvest across Texas. There is a prayer provided to use in Sunday School classes, small groups and other Church gatherings. Members are encouraged to join together in prayer with our ECO brothers and sisters.A Womens Summer Book Club will be held at various locations on Thursdays beginning at 7:00 P.M. The groups study is focused on Dont Look Back by Christine Caine. Those interested should contact Kayla Henderson or the Church office.Christian Education is available for all ages every Sunday morning at the Church between 9:30 and 10:15.All those in need of prayer or pastoral care are invited to contact the Church office.

First United Methodist Church of Iowa Park, 201 E. Bank: Come worship with us at 9 a.m. Sundays. Social distancing and safety precautions are observed. Currently we still are not having fellowship or Sunday school events.

First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls, 909 10th Street: Worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at 909 10th Street or live on TV-KJBO and online at www.FUMCWF.org/LIVE.

Floral Heights United Methodist Church, 2214 10th Street: Sunday, July 2  5th Sunday after Pentecost, 7:45 am  Breakfast @ the Heights, 9:00 am  Sunday School, 10:10 am  Worship in the Sanctuary with Communion & Facebook Live, 5:00 pm - Hotdog Dinner & Homemade Ice Cream, 6:00 pm - Bible Study. Tuesday, July 4, OFFICE CLOSED, 11:30  12:30 pm  Community Lunches. Wednesday, July 5, 9:00 am  Bible Study, 6:00 pm  Chancel Choir rehearsal. Thursday, July 6, 6:30 am  Mens Bible Study, 9:30 am  Womens Bible Study, 11:30  12:30 pm  Community Lunches.

Gilbert Memorial C.M.E Church, 713 Redwood Avenue, Phone: 940-500-4548: Come worship with us. Sunday School starts at 10 a.m. and Morning Worship at 11 a.m. Social distancing and safety precautions are observed. If you are unable to attend in person, services are available by phone: 346-248-7799. Meeting ID: 863-2539-6006# Zoom: 863-2539-6006. Bible Study first and third Wednesday at 7 p.m. via phone and Zoom( use listed numbers).

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church: All members are asked to use the Harding Street entrance and wear a face mask. If you can't make the service, the deacons will be available on the Bailey Street side of the church 30 minutes after service if you would like to contribute to the tithes, offering and receive the Lord's Supper. Sunday afternoon on Facebook, Pastor Castle will have Pulpit Echoes and a prayer. You may also use the Givelify app. If you have any questions, you may email mountpleasantbcwf@gmail.com.

New Jerusalem Baptist Church, 1420 Borton Lane: New Jerusalem offers meals for shut-ins, food distribution through the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank Mobile Pantry, clothing and health checks on the fourth Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon. Please contact the Rev. Angus Thompson, church pastor, at 940-766-4022 with questions. For more information about immunizations, contact Mary Ann Merriex at 940-322-5728.

New Hope Presbyterian Church, 1701 Enterprise St.: Worship service is at 10:00 a.m. Sunday mornings. Fellowship time and Christian Education follows the service. Beginning on July 5, Pastor Don Stribling will teach a Bible Study on the theme of God Saves People. The 6-week study will meet Wednesday evenings at 6:30 at the church. Beginning July 9, Sue King will teach the Topics class on The Apostle Paul: The Man and His World. This class meets after the worship service and fellowship time on Sunday mornings. July 2 is communion Sunday and the choir will be singing Communion of Grace.

St. Benedict Orthodox Church: Latin Mass  the Extraordinary Mass in Gregorian Chant is every Tuesday at 11 a.m. Contact Fr. Peter Kavanaugh if you have any questions: 940-692-3392. St. Benedict Orthodox Church-One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

St. Matthew Baptist Church, 412 Dallas St.: The church is holding a back-to-school supply drive Saturday, July 29 at 8 a.m. The drive will collect a variety of school supplies like pencils, notebooks and backpacks, but clothing items are also welcome. For more information, contact St. Matthew Baptist Church at (940) 766-0316.Trinity United Methodist Church: 5800 SW Parkway, (across from Memorial Stadium): All are welcome! Worship with us Sunday morning: Sunday School for all ages begins at 9 a.m. Morning Worship in person at 10 a.m. or live on FB facebook.com/trinitywf/ Trinity UMC Food Pantry is available on the third Monday of each month from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Please bring a photo ID and proof of residence. Call 940-692-9995 for more information.

Wichita Falls Metropolitan Community Church, 1401 Travis (at 14th Street): As always, all are welcome. Visit us Sundays: 10:15 a.m. for study, 11 a.m. for adoration services . . . just late enough to get to sleep in! Casual comfort to finer dress embraced; no-negative-judgment zone. We mask up, check temperatures, sanitize in and out, social distance and care for our neighbors' health. Ours is a safe and affirming environment. We are also LGBTQ+ affirming. Children and youth welcome and included in service. Nursery available. Networking and lunch connections following (dutch treat). 1401 Travis Street. 940-322-4100, wfmccav@gmail.com, Join online at https://bit.ly/WFMCCWorship.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Church information for July 1
David W. Aduddell

A developer seeking $3.8 million in tax increment financing for a camping resort in northeast Oklahoma City testified in a 2022 court case that he was completely lacking any assets having surrendered everything to various creditors throughout the years and that he had no bank account and no cash other than what was within his wallet.

David W. Aduddell, who on Wednesday pitched plans for the Block-405 RV&B Resort, is currently facing litigation over allegations of using a shell company to avoid paying creditors. Those still out of money from dealings with Aduddell include Edgar Pyle, who has yet to receive payment on a $748,000 judgment on a 2018 lawsuit.

I loaned him the money, I thought he would pay me back, Pyle said Thursday. But he had no intention of paying me back. After all the people hes screwed around, I wouldnt trust him to do anything.

Despite this troublesome history, Aduddell was well on his way through the process of getting approved for $3.8 million in tax increment financing having gotten a recommendation Wednesday from representatives of Oklahoma County, Metro Tech, the Metropolitan Library System, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and the city of Oklahoma City.

More: New resort with cabins, dining and more set to be built in OKC's Adventure District

Committee unaware of developer's legal past

The members of the committee, including Mayor David Holt, were not told about any of Aduddells legal past. Joanna McSpadden, economic development programs manager with the city, said discoveries by The Oklahoman are being reviewed but that the project is still expected to be submitted to a vote on July 18 by the citys Economic Development Authority.

We have not been made aware until (The Oklahoman) called that there are these types of allegations, McSpadden said. It's something we will keep in mind as our process moves forward.

McSpadden and Holt said the TIF request is structured so that payments will not be made to the developers until after their $35 million project is done and they have paid the first year of property taxes. A TIF district captures an approved amount of increased ad valorem taxes from a property instead of them being distributed to area taxing entities.

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Holt, also unaware of Aduddells financial and legal troubles, said he believes a discussion may be needed on learning more about applicants before their requests at the start of the approval process. During Wednesdays presentation, Aduddell was asked about his past work and answered he owns two RV parks in the city and that he had ambitions to create a national chain of RV&B resorts based on the one planned in the Adventure District.

Usually, with these proposals, there is not always a lot of additional info shared with various boards, Holt said. The good news is we still have multiple steps in the process. There is plenty of time left to analyze this.

Aduddell, responding by email to The Oklahoman on Thursday, called Pyle a good man but added his attorneys have a bullseye on my back thinking I am this rich guy.

There is some basis to this dispute but there are two sides of the equation that make up the whole story, Aduddell said. And yes, I have had several very lean years, but I think that should have nothing to do with the exciting project that I am attempting to help bring to Oklahoma City. 

More: How a giant leg lamp has a Californian in a hurry to transform a small Oklahoma city

Past financial troubles

In a February 2022 deposition, Aduddell confirmed he had at least three other unpaid judgments with the Oak Tree Homeowners Association, RCB Bank and the Bank of Hydro. Past financial troubles included default on a development in Edmond.

Pyle said his trouble began when Aduddell asked him for a loan to start a storm shelter company and operate it in a building owned by Pyle.

He proceeded to tell me all these grand schemes, Pyle said. He signed a bunch of shelters at the state fair, gave me a list of them, and I lent him money against the profit he was supposed to get. As far as I know, he never put in a single storm shelter. People came to me after a year wanting their money for their storm shelter back. These were terribly poor people who gave money down for a storm shelter. Most were elderly, Spanish.

The storm shelter deal, Pyle said, coincided with a particularly deadly tornado season.

Everyone was scared, Pyle said. And storm shelters were a great business.

Pyles attorneys, Kelsey Baldwin and Weston Watts say they are aware of numerous people with claims of fraud against Aduddell, including disputes in New York, Florida and Texas.

They dont have the money to go after this con man, Baldwin said. Edgar Pyle has spent six figures going after this con man for years. The other victims dont have $5,000 to even put down a retainer after having spent $3,000 for a storm shelter or whatever other con he was running that year.

Aduddell denies having disputes with storm shelter buyers.

I absolutely deny that and in fact have no idea what they are even talking about, Aduddell said. I am just one person in the group working to accomplish this new development. I am not the financial partner or money behind the deal. I do not have the financial capacity to deal like that.

Aduddell, who testified in 2022 he was paying $4,500 a month in rent for a 4,248-square-foot home in Edmond, said he lost a ton of money during the 2009 financial collapse and has been trying to settle obligations, including with Pyle, ever since.

I am proud of all the charitable and civic work that I have done over a long period of time, Aduddell said. I do have some talents in regard to development but I never claimed to be a saint. However, my faith in Christ is the very most important thing in my life.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC warned not to trust developer seeking $3.8M for camping resort
Cow elk grazing in field

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has issued a warning to people visiting Estes Park after a cow elk was spotted ramming cars passing close to her calf. It's a timely reminder to give all animals a wide berth, particularly at this time of year when mothers are fiercely protective of their young.

"The cow elk have begun to raise their new calves of the year," CPW officers wrote in a post on Facebook, accompanied by a video of an animal charging at passing vehicles.

"We have been receiving several reports of a particular cow in the area of Morgan St and University Dr charging at vehicles and people. Please avoid this area if possible and find a different route for at least the next few days. The cow has 'body slammed' at least one car causing damage to the vehicle."

Elk usually prefer to avoid close encounters with people, but can be unpredictable and aggressive if they or their young are threatened. There have been several incidents at National Parks this summer where visitors have found themselves running from cow elk after trying to take photos of their calves.

The National Park Service (NPS) has urged hikers to keep their distance and never touch young animals after a string of incidents, including one where well-meaning tourists picked up an elk calf and drove it to a Yellowstone police station. Elk and deer often leave their young hidden for safety while they forage, which can lead people to assume they have been abandoned.

Another Yellowstone visitor was fined last month after handling a bison calf and pushing it up from a riverbank onto a road. Attempts to reunite the calf with its herd failed, and after it began approaching cars and people, Park Rangers took the difficult decision to euthanize the animal.

"Approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in some cases, their survival," said the NPS in a statement. "When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, on a road, or in a developed area, leave it alone and give it space.



"Park regulations require that you stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all wildlife (including bison, elk and deer) and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. Disregarding these regulations can result in fines, injury, and even death."
An aerial image of a lost Maya city.

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of a lost Maya city hidden deep within the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The site, located in the Balamku ecological reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, contains multiple large pyramids that were built during the Classic period of the Maya civilization (between A.D. 250 and 1000). The archaeologists named the location Ocomtun, meaning "stone column" in Yucatec Maya, in a nod to the many columns dotting the site, which covers approximately 124 acres (50 hectares), according to a translated statement .

The team found the city while mapping the Maya lowlands with billions of lasers shot from an aircraft flying overhead. This technique, known as light detection and ranging, or lidar, is a noninvasive way for researchers to understand the topography of human-made structures hidden beneath foliage. In this case, the lidar revealed a Maya city with several pyramidal structures, with the tallest towering nearly 50 feet (15 meters), according to the statement.

"The site served as an important center at the regional level," lead archaeologist Ivan Sprajc , a department head at the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies in Slovenia, said in the statement.

Related: Lasers reveal massive, 650-square-mile Maya site hidden beneath Guatemalan rainforest

The Maya had numerous city sites scattered across southern Mexico and Central America; the civilization reached its peak during the first millennium A.D. until it "collapsed" between 800 and 1000. (Although their culture has transformed, there are still Maya alive today.)

In addition to finding the pyramids and columns, while on foot, the archaeologists discovered ceramics, three plazas, a court used to play ballgames and a complex comprising "low and elongated structures arranged almost in concentric circles," according to the statement.

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What's hidden inside the ancient Maya pyramids?

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Rubber balls used in famous Maya game contained ashes of cremated rulers, archaeologists claim

Maya sacrifice victims found with mysterious blue string in their teeth

However, the archaeologists are still investigating how the Maya used some of the structures.

"It is possible that they are markets or spaces destined for community rituals," Sprajc said. "The most common ceramic types that we collected on the surface and in some test pits are from the Late Classic (600-800 AD). However, the analysis of samples of this material will offer us more reliable data on the sequences of occupation."
Pablo Picasso, Spanish, (1881-1973), Landscape, Horta de Ebro, early summer 1909. oil on canvas. 21  x 25 9/16 in. Denver Art Museum, Collection: The Charles Francis Hendrie Memorial Collection, Inv. 1966.

Mississippians will have a rare opportunity to see legendary artist Pablo Picasso's work in person when the Mississippi Museum of Art presents Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, an exhibition that will explore the artists lifelong fascination with landscape by spotlighting his innovative reimagination of this traditional genre.

Out of Bounds is the first major American traveling exhibition devoted to the legendary artists landscape portraiture and will be on view Nov. 11, 2023, through March 3, 2024, according to the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson.

"Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, features 30 paintings and sculptures spanning Picassos full career," a release from MMA states. "From his earliest days in art school until the year before his death, landscape meditated his perception of the world and jump-started his creative evolution."

Betsy Bradley, director of the Mississippi Museum of Art, said in the statement, MMA is proud to join in on the commemoration of Pablo Picassos death fifty years ago. This is the first solo Picasso exhibition to come to our state. We are thrilled by the opportunity to share these masterpieces with Jackson and visitors from around the world.According to promotional material provided by MMA, "As early as 1900, his canvases began telegraphing the powerful forces of nature in contrast with urban growth across Spain, particularly in Malaga, Madrid, Barcelona, and Horta de Ebro (pictured above). The destruction and endurance of French culture define the artists cityscapes of Nazi-occupied Paris during World War II. Picassos grand Cote dAzur landscapes, completed at the end of his career, reveal the rapid buildout of a region where, a few decades earlier, he had captured the lives of peasants and laborers. The devastation of the Anthropocene in the political rise of the ecological movement in France coincided with Picassos last landscape of 1972, an immense work that reads like an epitaph to both his creative and social life.

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"Classical landscapes of the seventeenth century were important touchstones for Picasso; his ambitious, large-scale canvases adopted the formal structure of the ideal vista articulated by Claude Lorrain, and Nicholas Poussin. Picassooften used landscape painting to interrogate the work of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, including Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Vincent van Gogh, who were the most celebrated artists at the time of his 1901 arrival in Paris."

Pablo Picasso, Spanish, (1881-1973), Boisgeloup in the Rain with Rainbow, May 5, 1932. oil on canvas. 13  x 13 3/4 in. Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte, Madrid.

Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds, organizers said, will be accompanied by a catalog that presents a focused study of Picassos landscapes.

"The book features an enriching overview of Picassos lifelong work within the genre authored by the guest curator, as well as essays by Jacques Ranciere and Peter Jonathan Bell," the release states. "Together they address such topics as Picassos views on nature, encroaching industrialization, Picassos relationship to landscape as an established genre, and Picassos last landscape painting. The catalog can be purchased in The Museum Store.

MMA is the final venue for this traveling exhibition.

Pablo Picasso, Spanish, (1881-1973), Snow Landscape, winter 192425. oil on canvas. 24 x 19 11/16 in. Private Collection, Paris.

April 8, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of the death of the Spanish artist. The Picasso Celebration, 1973-2023, is structured around 50 exhibitions and events that will be held in renowned cultural institutions in Europe and North America, and together will draw up a historiographical survey of approaches to Picassos work.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Museum of Art to exhibit Pablo Picasso Landscapes
Rocky Ford cantaloupe, Palisade peaches and Pueblo chiles  among the most acclaimed Colorado-grown crops  will be available to consumers later than usual this summer, according to numerous farmers throughout the state.

Unseasonal weather in May and June brought unprecedented amounts of rainfall and chilly temperatures in parts of Colorado, prompting delays in planting of the states popular summer crops and slower growth patterns.

Agriculture is the second-largest industry in the state, contributing over $40 billion toward the economy annually through crops, feed, livestock and more, according to the Colorado Farm Bureau.

The industry has faced numerous challenges in recent years, having to navigate rising costs brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressures of drought on the states already tight water supply  and now the record-setting rain seen in parts of the state.

Eric Hanagan, owner and operator of Hanagan Farms in Swink, said hes confident his familys ability to produce a quality crop, no matter the circumstances. Located just southeast of Pueblo, the farm has grown a variety of crops throughout its 100-plus years in operation  including but not limited to chili peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, cantaloupe and cucumbers.

Hanagan said the cooler temperatures have slowed the growth of the farm's produce production, delaying the harvest by at least three weeks, and hindering the quality slightly.

For our vegetable crops it will be delayed a bit, Hanagan said. "Im still very confident that as farmers in the Arkansas Valley, we always do our best and will produce a good quality crop.

Were going to have more than enough to go around.

Hanagan said the above-average amount of rain along with bouts of hail have hindered crops, noting that plants do best with hot dry days during the farming season, given the mountains received enough snow to fuel irrigation efforts throughout the spring and summer.

We always want no rain and an adequate water supply, Hanagan said, as odd as they may sound. I love a great winter with a huge snowpack in the mountains for the water to come down when I want it, where I want it.

The Pueblo area had above-average rain in April and June with normal May conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

Five miles west of Hanagan Farms, Hirakata Farms, famous for its Rocky Ford cantaloupe, is facing similar challenges.

Were probably 10 days late because of the cooler weather conditions, said Michael Hirakata, farm operator and owner.

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Additionally, Hirakata said the unseasonal rainfall also brought an increase in weeds around the property and ground saturation levels, further contributing to the delay in harvest.

Hirakata said he's expecting a first harvest around July 17.

Were hoping for hot, dry days down here, and rain upstream from us to keep water in our canal through late July and early August to prolong the harvest, Hirakata said, If it gets cold early in the fall and freezes, itll put a stop to it (the harvest). Were hoping for a late fall and late frost to keep the harvest coming into the fall.

Palisade peach farmers over on the Western Slope havent escaped the struggles posed by this years unseasonal weather, either.

They (the peaches) are definitely behind, they look good, said Zach Quintana, of Urban Orchard Family Farm in Palisade.

Quintana mainly devotes his efforts to selling produce at farmer's markets throughout the state.

With all the rain, they (the peaches) werent sizing, and the colors werent turning in the way they usually do, Quintana said, They're catching up now because of the heat.

The Urban Orchard grows over a dozen varieties of Palisade peaches, harvesting at different times throughout the summer. Although the farm has begun its harvest of some of its peach varieties, Quintana said the crop remains 10-15 days behind its normal schedule.

Based on what were seeing, its looking like a good crop this year. You dont really know until most of the varieties get to full size, Quintana said. The colder weather shouldnt affect the amount produced, it just slows the harvest.

Quintana said that although his familys peaches are available at numerous Colorado farmers markets  including Saturday's at Bancroft Park in Old Colorado City  peach fans probably wont be able to get their fix at grocery stores until August.

Meanwhile, Colorado's corn crop  much of it Olate sweet corn  is 84% sprouted and out of the ground. At this time in 2022, 94% of the crop was out of the ground, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Per the USDA's weekly crop report released on June 21, the department rated 78% of the corn crop to be in good to excellent condition.
There are so many styles of barbecue around the world that transform humble cuts of meat into the luxurious, smoky dishes we love. Whether you slather your barbecue in Alabama white sauce or a sweet Kansas City-style sauce, we can all agree that each regional specialty brings something delicious to the table.

One of the most iconic barbecue destinations is Texas. And when they say everythings bigger in Texas, barbecue is no exceptionthere are over 2,500 barbecue joints spread across the Lone Star State. While there are diverse styles in different parts of the state, you can count on beef making an appearance no matter where you go.

Theres more cattle in Texas than anywhere else in the country, and pitmasters transform just about every part of the animal into barbecue. Our senior culinary producer Natalie Lobel traveled to Austin, Texas, to see why their barbecue is world-renowned. Here are the five best spots in the city that you should try on your next visit.

Chelsea Lupkin

Distant Relatives takes its name from the recipes passed along the African diaspora. West African cuisine in particular informs much of the dishes served at Damien Brockway's barbecue spot. From pickled green tomatoes to black eyed peas to a smoky and spicy barbecue sauce flecked with grains of paradise, all of the food at Distant Relatives adds a unique spin on Texas barbecue.

3901 Promontory Point Drive, Austin, TX, 78744

Chelsea Lupkin

LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue prides itself on using sustainably sourced, responsibly farmed meat. And part of that sustainability can be seen with their dedication to nose-to-tail cookingmeaning no part of the cow is wasted. Take their smoked beef cheek for example: this oft-overlooked cut gets smoked low and slow until it's just as unctuous and tender as brisket. And while you're there, don't forget to order the smoked brisket burger. We're not joking when we say it's life-changing.

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121 Pickle Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Chelsea Lupkin

Ramen Tatsu-Ya marries two of our favorite things: Japanese food and barbecue. Their katsumi barbecue ramen is served in the tsukemen style, where you take dry-cooked noodles and dip them in a concentrated, flavorful broth. At Ramen Tatsu-Ya, their noodles are hand-pulled and perfectly chewy. And then you dip them into a 48-hour pork and beef broth bulked up with pickled bamboo, tender brisket, charred scallions, and chili oil. If we could get an IV drip of this broth, we would.

Locations all over Austin and Houston

Chelsea Lupkin

When most people think of Austin barbecue, this is probably the first restaurant that comes to mind. Since Aaron Franklin first opened up a roadside trailer in 2009, his barbecue joint has exploded with worldwide acclaim. Some of his famous fans include Anthony Bourdain, Jimmy Kimmel, and even Barack Obama. One element of Franklin Barbecue that's extra special is the use of post oak wood in the hand-built smokers, which imparts a deep brown exterior on the meat. If you're willing to line up as early as 4:30 a.m., get the brisketit's so rich and tender that you won't even want to add sauce.

900 E. 11th Austin, TX 78702

Chelsea Lupkin

InterStellar BBQ is one of the best barbecue spots we've ever visited ever. What we love the most about this place is that they honor classic Texas barbecue while incorporating inventive and exciting flavors. One of our favorite things on the menu is their rich and fatty smoked pork belly that's lacquered in a glossy peach tea glaze. Add in their creamy scalloped potatoes, and bright and tangy zucchini salad, and you can achieve perfect barbecue harmony.

12233 Ranch Rd 620 N. Suite 105, Austin, TX 78750

Are there any spots we missed? Let us know in the comments.



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The Delaware House of Representatives Thursday passed its second police reform bill of the session, requiring uniform standards for police agencies across the state.

If it becomes law, Delaware would be the first state in the country to mandate this for all police departments. Only half of the 52 police agencies have the accreditation required in this bill. The process, which can be lengthy, needs to be completed by July 2028.

If an agency fails to do so, it will lose state money that supplements local police funding.

Why critics remain skeptical of this reform effort

HB 206 now heads to the Senate, which has yet to vote on HB 205. The first police reform bill, which the House passed last week, requires law enforcement agencies to publish internal investigations into substantiated claims made against police officers.

POLICE REFORM IN DELAWARE: Delaware tries again to make substantive police reform. Is this time different?

The passage of both bills is a major win for House Democrats since police reform negotiations have stalled on and off in the General Assembly for the past three years.

Yet advocates, including the NAACP and ACLU chapters, remain steadfast in their opposition to both of these bills. They argue that the legislation will not change the longstanding issue of transparency and still gives police agencies too much power when it comes to holding police officers accountable for their conduct.

Rep. Kendra Johnson

What's in the bill?

HB 206, sponsored by Rep. Kendra Johnson, chair of the legislative Black Caucus, changes aspects of the Council on Police Training. The panel holds hearings for disciplinary actions and can suspend or revoke an officers certification. Its being renamed to the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission.

The bill clarifies that the commissions decisions are part of the public record. It also increases its authority to take action in situations where an officer has been decertified in a different jurisdiction or has a criminal past.

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The commission also would have the authority to issue subpoenas for witnesses, documents and any other evidence needed for a hearing. Additionally, the legislation changes the composition of the group by increasing the number of governor-appointed members from two to three and creating eligibility standards.

One member would be a religious leader from the community who has experience with re-entry while the other two members must be impacted directly or are immediate family members or caregivers of those impacted by the juvenile or adult criminal justice system, according to the bill.

These appointees would be based on non-binding recommendations made by groups such as the NAACP and Delaware Center for Justice. No governor-appointed member can be a current or former member of law enforcement or affiliated with law enforcement.

Police departments, under this bill, would also be required to establish an accountability board, providing advice on issues of policy and training. It would consist of law enforcement and community members, similar to the commission.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware House passes bill to require uniform standards for all police
Secretive Furries Group is Hacking Anti-Transgender State Governments

A group of gay furries has claimed responsibility for a series of hacker attacks on various government websites in five states that have enacted anti-trans legislation.

The group, known as SiegedSec, has attacked websites for state and local governments in Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina South Dakota, and Texas. The group most recently leaked data from the city of Fort Worth in Texas and promises to continue such hacks to call out what they see as the transphobic actions of government officials.

The Guardian has confirmed the data's authencity.

The group encouraged readers to be gay do crime on its website while also heralding past hacks. So far the group has claimed responsibility for attacks online against the Nebraska Supreme Court, South Dakota Board of Commission, Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, Pennsylvania Provider Self Services, and South Carolina Justice Information Services.

We have proudly defaced the South Dakota Boards and Commissions website! We left little special messages across their site, the band of gay furries announced on its website. Unfortunately, they have now fixed the defacement. Since it seems South Dakota didnt appreciate our gift, we will offer gifts to someone else. Weve hacked and leaked documents from the Nebraska Supreme Court Intranet and South Carolina Criminal Justice Information Services.

Fort Worth released a statement about their hack, saying there had been no demand for ransom or use of ransomware identified with the attack, and that no confidential data had been leaked.

We can share with a high level of confidence that the method of access has been addressed, and there is no lingering unauthorized access to City of Fort Worth computer systems, the statement read. Additionally, there remains no indication that sensitive data was released There has been no encryption of data or loss of access to data or computing systems.

Furries are a culture of individuals who periodically identify as anthropomorphic animals with the characteristics of a human being, and who dress up in furry animal costumes for fun, fellowship, camaraderie, and sex.
Take a minute to do this one thing when you pick up and drop off your rental car.

Sky Nesher/Getty Images

Renting a car is a standard part of many travelers' journeys, but it can end up costing an extraordinary amount of money in fees if you're not careful. Car rental companies will frequently try to sell customers add-ons, many of which are unnecessary. Insurance, for example, is often already covered by credit cards or general travel insurance, so you don't need to pay extra for the expensive policy at the rental counter.

Related: 15 Secret Ways to Get Cheapest Car Rentals

And one of the highest fees youre charged may be a bogus one. There have been numerous allegations against car rental companies for unfairly charging customers for damage that the customers claim they did not cause  and the total amount can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. That's why any time you rent a car, there is one thing you absolutely must do: Record a video or take photos of the car, inside and out, to prove that you did not damage it.

Some travelers claim that days, weeks, or even months after they returned a rental car, the company billed them for damages that they claim they only discovered upon later inspection. At that point, if the renter did not cause that damage, there's really only one way to prove it.

"One of the best ways to avoid being on the hook for thousands of dollars in rental car repairs for damage that you may not be responsible for is by taking photos or videos of the car when you pick it up and when you return it, especially if you are returning it to a place where a rapid return means there is nobody checking you in," Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA , tells Travel + Leisure. That said, customers have reported being billed for damage even after an agent had signed off that the car was undamaged at the time of return.

Without photo or video evidence, you're almost certainly going to have to foot the bill, even if it's a scam. But if you can prove that you returned the car undamaged, car rental companies are more likely to back down.

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The process of documenting your car is fairly straightforward. Start by photographing or taking a video of the car when you first pick it up, as this will prove what damage, if any, already exists. Then you'll do the same thing when you drop it off, proving the state of the car at the time of return.

When documenting your car, you're going to want to cover all angles inside and out. For many travelers, taking videos is a good way to ensure you've covered the whole car. Start by walking in a complete circle around the outside of the car, ensuring that the entire vehicle is within the frame at all times. Then you'll want to cover the top of the car and the undercarriage if possible. Finally, it's time to head inside the car  make sure you image the front seats, back seats, and the trunk. We recommend keeping this documentation, along with receipts from the rental company, for at least six months.

It might sound like a lot of work, but in our personal experience, the whole process can be completed in a minute or so, and if it can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars, it's well worth the time.

Related: The Best Budget Travel Tips  From Saving Money on Air Travel to Spending Less on Hotels

Beyond collecting visual evidence that demonstrates the lack of damage to your rental car, it's also a good idea to have insurance anyway. If your credit card does cover car rental insurance, make sure that you pay for the rental car booking with that card, otherwise the card will not protect you. If someone else has already paid for your rental car  say, your company  then you might want to look into additional coverage, which will likely be cheaper if you purchase it through an insurance company directly rather than through the rental company.

No matter which insurance plan you choose, be sure to read the fine print carefully to make sure it covers all your needs. For instance, some policies only cover drivers that are listed on the rental agreement, so if you're traveling with a partner, friend, or in a group, it's best to add all potential drivers to the agreement (and note that adding additional drivers often costs more.)

Once you've gotten your insurance squared away, don't forget to take photos and videos of your vehicle. "Rental car companies can be challenging to work with on damage incidents," says Durazo, so it's always best to protect yourself.

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A new strike at Canadian West Coast ports and a potential strike of 340,000 UPS workers in the U.S. could throw another wrench into the North American supply chain right as retailers are busy preparing for the peak shipping season.

Approximately 7,400 dockworkers at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada went on strike Saturday morning at 30 British Columbia ports after the union and employers failed to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. ILWU Canada issued a 72-hour strike notice Wednesday after more than 99 percent of members voted to authorize a stoppage.

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Just an hour after the 8 a.m. PT strike got underway in Canada, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters general president Sean OBrien called on UPS to reward the people that have made them the success they are in a press conference outside the unions Washington, D.C. headquarters.

UPS decided instead of giving us last and final, to come to the table and move on their proposal, OBrien said. Theyve made some movement, but its not enough. It is not enough. We will determine when its enough.

TEAMSTERS SEND URGENT MESSAGE TO UPS AS BARGAINING CONTINUES



After a long Friday, the #Teamsters National Negotiating Committee met UPS at the bargaining table early Saturday to return new articles for improved economic benefits. #1u #HotUnionSummer pic.twitter.com/FHMIvJk4q7  Teamsters (@Teamsters) July 1, 2023

The press conference came a day after the Teamsters said that the shipping giant pledged to reach a contract agreement for covered workers by no later than July 5.

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The ball is in [UPSs] court, OBrien said. We have to come to an agreement by July 5 in order to get this ratified by the [July 31] expiration date. Weve been clearwithout a ratified contractmeaning subject to the approval of our 340,000 memberswe will not be working.

After a back-and-forth regarding national contract negotiations since May, which saw both parties agree on 54 non-economic issues, the Teamsters shared their full economic proposal for a new five-year deal on June 22. But UPS countered with a proposal the union called appalling.

The Teamsters gave UPS an ultimatum last Tuesday to present a tentative agreement for a new contract within one week, or it would entertain just one final offer from the shipping giant.

UPS offered up another proposal on Wednesday, but the Teamsters ratcheted up the pressure, demanding the company put out its last, best and final offer no later than Friday.

The union has leaned on OBriens brash talk to sway public opinion as negotiations drag on.

Like recent labor battles including the Canadian West Coast ports strike and the tentatively resolved U.S. West Coast port contract negotiations, the Teamsters are invoking the Covid-19 pandemic as a negotiating point.

Were at a crossroads because through the toughest times that weve seen during the pandemic, the one thing that was constant was our Teamsters going to work every single day, making certain that the supply chain kept flowing through this country, OBrien said. We had part-timers going to work in these warehouses with total disregard for themselves and their familiesputting themselves at risk, putting their families at risk. We had members that died, because they went to work to provide these services to the general public.

OBrien also called out UPS for saying that its average driver makes $93,000 per year and $50,000 in benefits, which he said was technically accurate but not reflective of many drivers part-time status. He said most UPS employees are part-timers, and often single parents who work in awful conditions for awful wages.

The Teamsters have wanted to put an end to the companys two-tier wage 22.4 job classification, which the union alleges forces part-time weekend drivers to put in the same amount of work as higher-paid drivers who work on the weekdaysbut without the same pay and benefits.

UPS can take the other road where they dont concede to our demands. They stay loyal to Wall Street and forget about Main Street, and if they do that, they are making a choice to strike themselves, OBrien said.

North of the border, the Canadian port strike has garnered the support from other major labor unions including the U.S. branch of the ILWU, International Longshoremens Association (ILA) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF).

According to the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), which represents the 49 waterfront employers at the provinces ports, both parties conducted meetings with the support of Canadas Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) on Thursday and Friday, but could not reach a tentative agreement.

Sourcing Journal reached out to the ILWU Canada for comment.

Over the course of the past couple of days, the BCMEA has continued to advance proposals and positions in good faith, with the objective of achieving a fair deal at the table, according to a BCMEA statement. Our Bargaining Committee has made repeated efforts to be flexible and find compromise on key priorities, but regrettably, the Parties have yet to be successful in reaching a settlement.

The parties are still at the negotiating table while the strike disrupts operations, according to a joint statement from Canadas Minister of Labour Seamus ORegan and Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

The best deals are made at the bargaining table, ORegan and Alghabra said. It is where the industry and labor come together to find common ground and reach the best, most resilient deals. That is what we are focused on here.

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Police in Thailand have concluded their investigation into Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, the woman accused of murdering 14 people with cyanide.

The cyanide serial killer: Sararat, 36, faces about 80 criminal charges, including 14 counts of premeditated murder, for killing 14 people in eight provinces by allegedly mixing cyanide into their food between 2015 and 2023, according to Thai police.

This is a historic case in Thailand. Even Jack the Ripper from the UK did not kill this many, Deputy Police Chief Surachate Hakparn said, noting that the nation will tighten regulations on access to cyanide.

Sararat, who is pleading not guilty, was also charged with cyanide poisoning, forgery and theft. Investigators will reportedly file the case to the Attorney General for prosecution on Friday.

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Spate of poisonings: Sararats spate of poisonings surfaced after she was investigated for the sudden death of her friend, Siriporn Khanwong, in Ratchaburi province in mid-April. An autopsy revealed traces of cyanide in the victims body, leading investigators to link her to other cyanide poisoning cases.

Sararat allegedly poisoned 15 victims, including her ex-boyfriend and two female police officers. Fourteen victims died, while one reportedly survived.

Her motive: According to police, Sararats victims were all people she owed large sums of money to or people she stole from to fund her online gambling addiction.

More from NextShark: Jocelyn Yow, 25, Makes History as California's Youngest Mayor of Color

Sararat is accused of swindling a total of more than $140,000 from her victims before luring them for a meal to poison them.

Covering up the murders: Sararats former husband, a high-ranking police officer named Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, was also linked to the alleged murders.

Vitoon, who faces charges of fraud and embezzlement, was arrested on suspicion of covering up Sararats murders after he was noted to have picked her up after she allegedly killed her ex-boyfriend. 

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More from NextShark: Former Kpop star Seungri receives 3-year jail sentence, Twitter reacts

Sararat, who is held at the Central Womens Correctional Institution, was denied bail by the court. She was reportedly sent to the hospital after having a miscarriage in prison earlier this week.

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The Yellowstone universe continues drawing in fans, and the latest show in the franchise is no exception.

When 1923 debuted on Paramount+ in December 2022, viewers immediately became enamored with a new set of Duttons. They saw Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) strive to keep the Montana lands originally owned by Jacob's brother James (Tim McGraw in 1883). What's more, they witnessed the couple face their own trials and tribulations, which included the Great Depression looming over their heads.

Viewers also saw Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) fall in love across the word with Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) across the world. Unfortunately, the two fell apart as quickly as they came together but something tells us it's not the last we've seen of the couple.

Luckily, fans will get to see more from Jacob, Cara and the rest of their family, because the show officially got picked up for season 2. While there aren't many details out about what's to come, it will sure to be a tale folks won't be forgetting anytime soon. Here's what to know about 1923 season 2, including cast, release date, trailer, news and more.

Will there be a 1923 season 2?

On February 3, Paramount+ announced that 1923 got renewed for season 2. According to Variety, the latest Yellowstone spin-off became "the most-watched Paramount+ premiere of all time in the U.S. with 7.4 million viewers."

While there's no official indication that season 2 will be the final season, actor Brandon Sklenar seemed to think otherwise. When speaking in a Q&A with the 1923 cast hosted by The Hollywood Reporter in May, he seemingly inferred that all the storylines will be tied up by the end of season 2.

"It's [a] bookend," he said during the virtual event. "[The series is] still limited, but I think of it as one piece  theres just a split in the middle, but its all one piece. It will conclude."

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Who will be in the cast of 1923 season 2?

Based on the events from season 1, here's who is likely to return for 1923 season 2:

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton

Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton

Darren Mann as Jack Dutton

Michelle Randolph as Elizabeth "Liz" Strafford

Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton

Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra

Brian Geraghty as Zane Davis

Aminah Nieves as Teonna Rainwater

Jerome Flynn as Banner Creighton

Timothy Dalton as Donald Whitfield

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Has 1923 season 2 started filming?

Unfortunately, there's no official date for when 1923 season 2 will start filming. In a June report from Deadline, it was revealed that production is "delayed indefinitely" due to ongoing WGA writers' strike that began on May 2.

NBC Montana noted that when speaking to Bill Melvin on June 8, the manager of the Butte Civic Center, he mentioned that production was supposed to return to the city of Butte and begin on June 5. What's more, the show is paying the town $75 thousand per month to use the Civic Center through the end of the year. While the Paramount+ series has filed requests to extend their contract with the city, he remained optimistic that everything will be good to go after the strike ends.

"We are going to follow the contract as we have it. Thats all we can do," he said in another interview.

Make sure you hit "save" at the top of this article to stay up-to-date on the latest news about 1923 season 2.

Will Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren return for 1923 season 2?

Presently, it looks like both Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren will return for 1923 season 2. When creator Taylor Sheridan spoke to Deadline in December 2022 about the possibility of them coming back to portray Jacob and Cara Dutton, he explained how thrilled they were to continue making more episodes.

"They were excited," he told the outlet. "They only signed on originally for one season. They were so eager to continue it  Harrison made a comment at one point, he goes, 'Taylor I think Im making the best thing Ive made in 20 years.' And my response to him was, 'What the f--- did you make 20 years ago as good as this? What was that? I missed that one. What was it?'"

Harrison later commented on a season 2 return to The Hollywood Reporter in February, agreeing with Taylor's sentiments.

"[Shrinking] came along, and then, very quickly after that, 1923 came along," he explained about his work schedule. "I took the job without a script on both of them, on faith that the people who created the projects were going to deliver me a good script. I really didnt realize how much work 1923 was going to be, and I absolutely feel its worth it."

Where can I watch and stream 1923 season 2?

When 1923 season 2 airs new episodes, folks will be able to watch the drama exclusively on Paramount+. While it's unclear whether it will eventually premiere on cable TV on Paramount Network, it's best to prepare yourselves by heading over to the popular streamer.

In order to start watching 1923 season 2, you'll need to set up an account. Paramount+ offers a 30-day free trial before you need to opt into a plan, which start at $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Once you have a profile made, head on over to the show's title page on the Paramount+ website or the Paramount+ app.

In the meantime, you can stay immersed in the Duttons' world by watching all five seasons of Yellowstone and one season of 1883. Happy watching!

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Several popular third-party Reddit apps are no longer operational, while a few have chosen to charge users for access, now that the website's new API rules are in effect. In a lengthy post bidding farewell, Apollo founder Christian Selig said Reddit pulled the plug a little too early, cutting off the app's access to content on the website. Selig previously said that it would cost him $20 million a year under the new rules to keep Apollo running as is, and while the app does offer subscriptions, it's not earning enough to be able to cover that amount. He announced in early June that the app will be shutting down by the end of the month.

Another popular Reddit app, BaconReader, is now also gone. Users who fire up the app will see a notice thanking them and explaining that it's no longer operational due to "changes with the Reddit API." It's the same situation with Sync for Reddit, which has also sent its users a notification of its shutdown. At least two third-party clients will live on, but they will begin charging users to be able to afford paying for API access.

Relay for Reddit announced that it's moving to a subscription model in the coming weeks, with the developer promising that they'll attempt to hit the lowest price point possible, likely in an attempt to keep subscription prices affordable. Now for Reddit has also posted an announcement that it will introduce subscriptions to cover the cost of API access, though it doesn't have a timeline for the rollout yet.

Reddit announced back in April that it will start charging companies for API access starting on July 1st, mostly in order to get paid for any data used to train large language models for generative AI. "The Reddit corpus of data is really valuable," Reddit chief executive Steve Huffman told The New York Times in an interview. "But we don"t need to give all of that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free." However, the change also affects third-party clients, prompting communities to stage protests by going private in mid-June.

While most of the subreddits that participated are already back, some of the most popular ones allowed explicit posts for some time to hit the company where it hurts  its wallet  because advertisers can't target NSFW communities. As for subreddits that still remain closed, Reddit's administrators have reportedly threatened to remove them if they don't reopen this weekend.
As the costly war in Ukraine grinds on, Russia President Vladimir Putin adopts an increasingly menacing posture. In particular, he is making more references to the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

On June 16, Putin delivered a 90-minute keynote address at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He referred specifically to the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the war, and noted that Russia is emplacing relatively less destructive or so-called tactical nuclear weapons in the sympathetic state of Belarus, just north of Kyiv, Ukraine.

This is in the context of generally deteriorating Russia-U.S. relations, including in military fields. In January 2021, the important New START Treaty was extended for five years. The agreement, which was about to expire, limits nuclear warheads on each side to 1,550, plus limitations on missiles and bombers.

Arthur I. Cyr

However, last November talks on resuming inspections were suddenly suspended. Russia has announced the treaty is now in jeopardy. In January, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rablov denounced U.S. efforts to impose strategic defeat on Moscow in Ukraine.

Putin repeated the refrain about the alleged Western goal of strategically defeating Russia in his address, along with again spouting the fiction that the West is the aggressor.

He also declared that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is a disgrace to the Jewish people. He included the often-repeated falsehood that Ukraine is being run by Nazis supported by the West. This ugly Orwellian reversal of reality harkens back to the worst years of Soviet totalitarianism.

The Trump administration experienced problems in arms control. Initial emphasis on ending North Koreas nuclear weapons program was unsuccessful. In August 2019, the administration withdrew from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, complaining of violations by Russia.

The Obama administration emphasized Nuclear Summits involving large numbers of nations and international organizations. The 2016 Nuclear Summit in Washington, D.C., concluded with a formal statement underscoring nuclear weapons control.

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Unfortunately, Russia did not participate. That reflected strained relations following annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The first Nuclear Summit took place in 2010, also in Washington, D.C.

In 1986, during a summit meeting in Iceland, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan reached broad accord on arms control. The practical result was the INF Treaty sign in 1987.

Another benchmark in the history of nuclear weapons, arms control and the Cold War occurred in 1972 when the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) led to treaties between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, an historic achievement of President Richard Nixon and associates.

Additionally, the International Atomic Energy Agency, an initiative of President Dwight Eisenhower, facilitates peaceful nuclear energy and provides a long-term drag on military pressures to get the Bomb. Ike, always comprehensive in vision, also achieved demilitarization of Antarctica.

This record of sustained advocacy of arms control dates all the way back to the earliest phase of the Cold War. The Truman administration proposed a comprehensive United Nations effort to regulate nuclear energy and fissionable materials. The Soviet Union vetoed the initiative.

Putins aggressive, threatening rhetoric directly reflects the weaknesses of Russia and the severe drains of the war. Keep that in mind, but also that in contrast to earlier Soviet leaders Putin has no military experience. He rose in the KGB, technically part of the military but actually a separate intelligence arm.

Schemes, not strategies, are his familiar milieu, along with cold-blooded cunning.

Our policies must be carefully planned and executed. Nuclear war is unlikely but possible.

 Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). Contact acyr@carthage.edu.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Arthur Cyr: Putins nuclear threats, averting armageddon
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The Biden administrations point man on Iran, Robert Malley, has been placed on official leave following the State Departments revoking of his security clearance.

The State Department on Thursday officially announced that Malley was on leave, but without stating why. Spokesman Matthew Miller said Abram Paley has stepped in as interim special envoy.

Malley essentially disappeared from performing his most important duties more than a month ago, according to U.S. officials who spoke to Semafor, with the White Houses Middle East point man, Brett McGurk, stepping in on some of his responsibilities. McGurk led a recent U.S. mission to Oman to try and advance a new nuclear agreement with Iran, according to these officials, as well as seeking the release of Americans held in detention in Iran. (McGurk is married to a Semafor editor, who had no part in this story.)

Malleys status was further muddied in recent weeks by the fact that he continued to take part in some public events as the administrations special envoy in which he officially spoke about President Bidens policy on Iran.

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In a statement to a number of media outlets explaining his absence, Malley said, I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave, he said. Axios was the first to publish Malleys comments.

One person briefed on Malleys situation told Semafor the official was being investigated for the mishandling of classified information.

Malley continued to engage in sensitive missions for the Biden administration as recently as April when he met with Irans envoy to the United Nations. These talks were focused on cooling tensions between Washington and Tehran after Iranian-backed militias killed an American contractor in Syria  resulting in retaliatory missile strikes from the Pentagon, these U.S. officials said.

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Malley has been a lightning rod on Iran policy going back 15 years through both the Biden and Obama administrations. He was brought on to then-candidate Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign as a Middle East advisor. But he was forced out due to his extensive contacts with members of Iran-allied Hezbollah and Hamas  both U.S. designated terrorist organizations  while conducting his academic and research work.

Malley, though, was rehabilitated during Obamas second term when outreach to Tehran became a core foreign policy objective. Malley was one of a small number of U.S. officials who engaged in the direct negotiations with Iran that led to the 2015 nuclear agreement, called the JCPOA.

Malleys appointment as special envoy drew sharp criticism from many in the Iranian diaspora who believed he was too soft on Tehran. A senior Congressional staffer who works on Middle East issues told Semafor that Malley had alienated many on the Hill for what he said was the diplomats lack of forthrightness in describing the Biden administrations dealings with Irans government. So, now he will have to answer for that and this security clearance issue, said the staffer.
Photo: Julie MacLellan. Charges have been laid against a third suspect in a stabbing at Columbia SkyTrain station on April 10, the NWPD announced Friday (June 30).

Charges have been approved against a third suspect in connection with a stabbing at Columbia SkyTrain station in April.

Jorell Brertton of Delta has been charged with assault in connection with the April 10 incident, the New Westminster Police Department announced in a press release on Friday afternoon (June 30). Earlier this month, two youth suspects  neither of whom can be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because they are 16 and 17 years old  were arrested, with charges approved relating to aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and robbery.

On the evening of April 10, the New Westminster Police Department and Metro Vancouver Transit Police responded to a stabbing at the Columbia SkyTrain station in downtown New Westminster. A man had been stabbed and a woman assaulted by a group of youths not known to them, police said.

Following the incident, the NWPD said an altercation took place between two groups inside the SkyTrain station, resulting in the victim being stabbed. During the altercation, one of the suspects fell into the tracks.

After the arrest of the two teens, NWPD spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Leaver described the incident as a "senseless and violent incident that left a man with significant injuries."

Its concerning to see the ages of these suspects, and were hopeful they realize the severity of their actions and make better decisions in the future," he said in a news release at the time.

Following the June 30 announcement of charges against the third person, Leaver noted the outcome showed a "successful partnership" between the Major Crime Unit and Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

Brertton and a youth suspect remain in custody, while the second youth suspect was released with conditions, an NWPD news release notes.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Christian website designer, along with businesses that create speech, do not have to serve LGBTQ customers if the desired message violates their beliefs, policymakers in Colorado are pondering whether changes to the state's anti-discrimination law are warranted.

Currently, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) makes it unlawful for businesses open to the public to refuse service on the basis of sexual orientation and other protected characteristics. The Supreme Court's conservative majority, however, determined Colorado cannot compel speech-based enterprises to create objectionable content. In the case of 303 Creative v. Elenis, that meant wedding websites celebrating same-sex couples.

"I am still reviewing the full opinion and can't comment on specific changes to CADA until I have done that," said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. "However, it's pretty clear to me that this ruling from the arch-conservative U.S. Supreme Court will cause more Coloradans  and more Americans  to experience discrimination in places of public accommodation, and that's tragic."

At a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Phil Weiser said he will attempt to "limit the impact" of the decision and "ultimately overturn" it, but he declined to endorse any amendments to CADA itself in light of the new exception for purely expressive services.

"Were gonna work to limit the impact of that loophole as much as possible. But from we have seen thus far, we dont see the need to change the nature of our anti-discrimination laws," he said.

The 6-3 decision in 303 Creative drew a distinction between creative enterprises that implicate the business owner's speech and the rest of the marketplace. Compelling a business owner to speak in a way that violates her beliefs, the majority decided, is impermissible under the First Amendment. The result, however, is that plaintiff Lorie Smith may turn down a same-sex couple's request to design their wedding website.

At the time she sued the state, Smith did not offer wedding websites nor had she turned down any requests, but she represented to the courts that she intended to create them in the future.

John M. McHugh, a lawyer who litigates LGBTQ rights cases, did not believe any legislative changes to CADA are necessary. He said the decision would only affect the small segment of the marketplace involving expression-based services, like Smith's.

"The second she stops engaging in this highly specific, generation-of-speech business, then she falls within the ambit of CADA and she can't discriminate," McHugh explained.

A statement from the Colorado LGBT Bar Association, however, warned that the decision "opens the door for further erosion of public accommodation laws," and predicted future challenges to CADA and similar anti-discrimination protections.

Exactly how far this goes in practice will have to be worked out by the lower courts," said attorney J. Kirk McGill. "Colorados anti-discrimination law was not struck down, it just isnt allowed to enforce it in a way that infringes upon free speech."

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Prior to reaching the Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled, 2-1, that CADA was narrowly drawn and related to the key interest of preventing discrimination in the marketplace. The dissenting judge, Timothy M. Tymkovich, suggested CADA could be even narrower to avoid coercing Smith to create content for same-sex marriages, which she believes are illegitimate.

"Colorado could allow artists  those who are engaged in making expressive, custom art  to select the messages they wish to create, free from fear of retribution," Tymkovich wrote. "Or Colorado could exempt from CADA artists who create expressive speech about or for weddings, as Mississippi does."

Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, who is a member of the legislature's LGBTQ+ Caucus, said she is open to clarifying CADA, but does not endorse Tymkovich's proposal.

"I have deep reservations about making exceptions for select industries and effectively establishing separate industries for people based on identity. This is exactly the kind of division that anti-discrimination laws are meant to prevent," Vigil said.

She added that CADA, in her view, sufficiently distinguishes between the content of creative work and the identity of the customer requesting service. Turning away customers based on protected characteristics "is absolutely discriminatory."

In part, the Supreme Court's majority examined CADA's application in light of a concession the Colorado Attorney General's Office made at the outset of the case  that Smith was "willing to work with all people regardless of classifications" like sexual orientation. The state essentially agreed Smith would not discriminate based on her customers' protected traits.

Weiser, at his press conference, sought to distance himself from his office's early strategy in defending CADA.

"This case has spanned multiple administrations," he said, alluding to his predecessor, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

McHugh viewed the concessions as playing a role in the decision, as the state had conceded Smith would not turn away a customer because of their sexual orientation, even if the upshot was refusal to provide a same-sex wedding website.

"In no reasonable way can you understand a person saying, 'I will provide a good to some people but not others' as a business being open to all," he said.
COSHOCTON  With the amount of private and commercial builds and other construction work in the local area, carpentry is being touted as a prime vocation for the next generation.

Tim Boggs and Abram Bruner of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, based in North Canton, recently met with Coshocton County Commissioners to introduce themselves and talk about what their organization is doing related to apprenticeships in the region.

Bruner said they want to spend more time in Coshocton, Carroll and Holmes counties drumming up workers. This primarily has to do with the Intel plant being built in Licking County. He said from what they've been told, there's enough work planned at the plant that a carpenter could work 30 years there and retire.

The council is working with the construction technology program at the Coshocton County Career Center on coursework. Boggs said 126 vocational school across the state use their work books, which provides a direct entry to the training program.

The council's apprenticeship program has students going to school four weeks out of the year, broken up by three months working in the field. Training centers are located in Columbus, Toledo, Richfield and Cincinnati. There are 200 centers across the United States.

"It's learning by doing," Bogg said. "The nice thing about our program is everything is transferrable, because not everybody wants to live in a small community all the time. If they decide to move, everything is transferrable to another state."

Boggs said carpenters do more than build houses. They do commercial work, bridges and schools and a segment specializes in floor installations.

"We don't just do the metal studs and drywall, or the ceiling tile grid, or the concrete poured walls, or the flooring. You learn all this when you become a journeyman. You find out what you do the best at and get good at it," Boggs said. "It's a hard job, it really is, but you have to look at the pay in the future you're going to get."

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Bruner said in Coshocton County, the average carpenter could make about $31 an hour, plus benefits. Starting wage for apprentices is $18.25 an hour, with standard raises built in over time.

"It's not just a job, it's a career," Bruner said. "Everybody is looking for somebody right now. We're doing well at it. We're bringing young people in by the droves. Retention was something tough in the past, but we're probably at 70% retention rate right now."

For more information on the apprenticeship program and the carpentry council, contact the office at 330-773-9977 or email Tim Boggs at tboggs@ikorcc.com or Abram Bruner at abruner@ikorcc.com. The council has about 16,000 members in Ohio and 36,000 members in the three represented states.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Carpentry touted as vocation in Coshocton County
H&M's $1.70 crop tops rival prices offered by fast-fashion rival Shein. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

H&M is selling some crop tops for $1.70.

The prices, which were marked down from $4.99, rival some of Shein's rock-bottom prices.

H&M appears to taking a more aggressive pricing strategy in response to the threat from Shein.

H&M is taking a page from Shein's playbook and slashing the price on some of its tops to a staggeringly low cost of $1.70.

The prices didn't start that low. One of the crop tops, which comes in black and white, was marked down on Friday by nearly 70% from $4.99.

The price cuts appear to mirror one of Shein's core strategies: competing for customers by offering the lowest prices possible.

Shein, the Singapore-based online retailer, first surged in popularity during the pandemic when customers were scouring for affordable retailers. At Shein, consumers found single-digit price tags on hundreds of items. Shein has since emerged as a leading fast-fashion retailer and last year scored a $100 billion valuation that would make it worth more than H&M and Zara combined (though that valuation has since fallen to $66 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported).

Despite concerns about Shein's potential impact on the environment and labor conditions, consumers have continued to flock to the brand: the average Shein shopper is shelling out as much as $100 per month on clothing  60% more than the average US woman. This month, Shein was the most Google-searched apparel retailer, and one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the US, according to data from UBS.

After a period of layoffs and store closings, H&M is showing signs of a rebound, however. The fashion brand's new summer collection has been a hit with shoppers. The company on Thursday reported a 10% sales increase from June 1 to 27, compared to a year earlier.

A spokesperson for H&M declined to comment on when the brand started discounting tops to as low as $1.70. The retailer's price range for tops is roughly $5 to $237, according to a review of its website.

Even as H&M may be picking up more sales, other, cheaper, fashion e-commerce sites are emerging. Now shopping app Temu, a Chinese dollar store, is starting to overtake Shein. In May, US spending on Temu was 20% more than at Shein, Bloomberg reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Kansas City Royals on Friday traded reliever Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers in exchange for two players.

The Royals acquired pitcher Cole Ragans and outfielder Roni Cabrera in the deal, which comes one month ahead of Major League Baseballs Aug. 1 trade deadline.

The Royals signed Chapman to a one-year contract worth $3.5 million this past offseason. The hard-throwing veteran had been viewed as a potential trade candidate with the Royals sitting 23-58 entering Friday evenings series opener against the L.A. Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium.

Chapman owns a 2.45 ERA in 31 relief appearances. He has recorded 53 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings.

There was a lot of interest in Chapman and Texas seemed to be the most aggressive team in pursuit of his talents, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said.

The Royals received two intriguing prospects from the Rangers in Ragans, 25, and Cabrera, 17. Both will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha.

Ragans projects as a starter and has MLB experience. Cabrera is a promising outfielder who was playing for the Rangers affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.

Ragans was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Last season, he was named the Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.04 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 18 minor-league starts.

Ragans has undergone Tommy John surgery twice. But the Royals received a good report from his medical evaluation.

There is some risk, Picollo said. (But t)wo-time Tommy John is becoming more frequent than we have seen in the past.

What we have seen (from Ragans) is an uptick in velocity. He threw 134 innings last year. He is well removed from the second Tommy John (procedure), which is a great sign.

With a power fastball and solid breaking ball, Ragans has a 5.92 ERA in 17 major-league appearances this season. He was optioned to Triple-A on June 13 and seemed to reverse his fortunes there: In his three most recent minor-league starts combined, he allowed five hits and three runs and struck out 15 batters.

Story continues

Relief pitcher Cole Ragans is one of two players the Royals received from the Texas Rangers on Friday in exchange for Aroldis Chapman.

Cabrera has an intriguing skill-set. He was hitting .310 with one home run, 10 RBIs and six steals with the Rangers Red team in the Dominican Republic.

The Rangers signed Cabrera as a minor-league free agent last season. The Royals like his projection and what they see as a high ceiling.

You look at the tools, they are impressive, Picollo said. You look at the data on a 17-year-old, the batted-ball data is impressive as well. Its an upside player. Its almost like adding somebody to your draft class.

As Chapman departs, the Royals will evaluate several options for late-game situations. Relievers Carlos Hernandez and Taylor Clarke, for instance, could see more usage.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro didnt rule out a bullpen rotation for the late innings. He will have a chance to evaluate multiple pitchers for altered roles.

You dont just slot somebody else in there, Quatraro said. There arent too many Aroldis Chapmans walking around. The best thing we have to offer here is opportunity. We have people with good arms and good stuff. We need to give them opportunities to pitch in relief.

Amir Garrett reinstated from injured list

In a move related to Fridays trade, the Royals reinstated veteran reliever Amir Garrett from the injured list. He had missed time with a left-elbow injury. He will be available in the bullpen against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend.
A popular San Luis Obispo bakery has opened a new location near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport  featuring a spacious setting and a menu that goes beyond cold sandwiches on freshly baked bread.

Farmhouse House of Bread opened May 30 at 1025 Farmhouse Lane.

Its taken over the restaurant portion of where the Farmhouse Corner Market organic restaurant and store used to be before it closed in January 2022. The former market area of the ground-floor location is now occupied by a second showroom for Basalt, a high-end furniture store.

For nearly three decades, owner Sheila McCann has offered high-quality baked goods at her flagship House of Bread bakery in San Luis Obispo. That original location opened on Higuera Street in 1996, then she moved it to 299 Marsh St. in 2009.

She has also franchised the business. There are House of Bread franchises from California and Nevada to Texas and Alaska.

We bake all our products the way Grandma (Elizabeth McCann) made hers  by hand, using all-natural ingredients, Sheila McCann wrote on House of Breads website.





Her grandmothers photo has a place of honor at the Farmhouse restaurant.

McCann markets her bakery products at both stores by offering customers free slices of fresh hot bread to spread with butter or dip into herbed oil and giving them a free loaf after theyve bought a dozen.

McCann runs both locations, does a podcast and teaches baking classes.

She credits Marsh Street manager Miku Sekiya and Farmhouse manager trainee and baker Jon East for helping her make it work without losing my sanity.

Sheila McCann poses for a picture at Farmhouse House of Bread, which opened at 1025 Farmhouse Lane near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport in May 30, 2023.

SLO business owner left legal career for baking

McCann, a Montana native who graduated from UC San Diego in 1990 worked as a public defender in San Luis Obispo before leaving the legal profession.

I got burned out on all the negativity, she said. I wanted a business that I could feel good about selling the product and people would be happy to buy it. A win-win, positive, feel-good experience is what I wanted.

Story continues

Enter House of Bread.

It was one of the best decisions I have made, McCann said. I still enjoy the bakery business  hard work, challenges and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, be it mentally, physically or emotionally.

McCann is also an avid endurance athlete.

I have already done seven Ironman Triathlons, 100-mile mountain stage trail races, 200-mile bike races and a very cold 3-mile swim in the ocean in Alaska, the 59-year-old said. After about freezing to death, I decided I was done with the physical challenges.

My favorite thing to do is put 30 pounds on my back, go into the mountains and sleep on the dirt, she added. Once I get Farmhouse House of Bread organized and launched, Im planning a long backpack trip.

Retail associate Joana Najera waits on a customer at Farmhouse House of Bread reopens in San Luis Obispo.

Whats the new House of Bread location like?

House of Bread and its sister Farmhouse store in San Luis Obispo share similar offerings of yeasted and quick breads, including two kinds of sourdough, rolls, coffeecakes, muffins, scones and croissants, plus cookies and some gluten-free products.

In 2009, McCann added cold sandwiches to the House of Bread menu and changed the name of her business to House of Bread Bakery Cafe, because, she said, My customers wanted sandwiches.

Its still mostly a bakery, though, she explained, with some outdoor tables and no seating inside.

The Marsh Street store is more utilitarian, more grab-and-go, McCann said.

A rack of bread loaves sits beside the front entrance of Farmhouse House of Bread in San Luis Obispo.

Farmhouse is atmosphere plus bread theater with gorgeous architecture, and a spacious, wide-open feel, she said.

Its a whole different customer experience, she added, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating, racks filled with fresh-baked products, a tasting counter, beverage service area and more.

An open-kitchen concept at both stores gives customers a peek behind the bakery curtain, so to speak, and entices them with the aromas of yeast, butter, sugar and spices.

At Farmhouse, that openness includes a glass-enclosed bread room, in which products are shaped or cut in full view of customers.

Her staff of about 26 employees is divvied up pretty evenly between the two stores, she said, with a couple of them working at both places.

Baked goods for sale at Farmhouse House of Bread in San Luis Obispo include house-made cinnamon rolls.

Whats on the Farmhouse menu?

In addition to the cold sandwiches already served at House of Bread, Farmhouse House of Breads menu features hot foods, such as grilled sandwiches, entrees and vegetables, toasts, soups, salads and desserts. McCann uses Boars Head meats and local produce.

Some of Farmhouses most popular sandwiches, she said, are the Red Pepper Cheese Steak on toasted cheesy bread and the Italian Grinder on toasted basil parmesan bread.

The Cranky Turkey sandwich with cream cheese and dried cranberries and the avocado quinoa protein salad also sell well.

Breakfast offerings include the egg-and-cheddar Sunrise Sandwich, quiches, frittatas and the Top of the Morning Avo Toast, which layers avocado, grilled egg and more on toasted prairie bread.

Pastries and cookies are a hit all day, especially with workers who stream in steadily from businesses in the surrounding buildings and the airport.

At Farmhouse, McCann inherited 12 taps from the previous restaurant and has expanded the beverage offerings to include draft beer, wine, hard kombucha and sparkling wine. She also offers all-natural sodas and double-filtered water.

Among the luncheon entrees offered at Farmhouse House of Bread in San Luis Obispo are, from top, the HOB Club with turkey, ham and cheddar on focaccia and a gluten-free salad version of the California Fusion sandwich with turkey, provolone, artichoke hearts and housemade pesto.

Baker: Breads are safe for people with gluten sensitivity

According to McCann, all the House of Bread baked goods are made with the highest quality, chemical-free Montana wheat flour and no added vital wheat gluten.

Thats an ingredient used by many commercial bakers to add strength to their doughs, she said.

Some people who are sensitive to that protein, but who do not have celiac disease, can safely eat her regular products, McCann said.

I give them a sample to try, and if it works for them, they come back later to buy, she said. Many of them have become loyal customers.

Baked goods for sale at Farmhouse House of Bread in San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport include the house-made Country Apple Pie.

Bakery owner gives back

McCanns upbringing was very charity focused, she said, thanks to her mom.

For decades, McCann has continued volunteering and supporting this countys needy families and those who need help.

Most recently, at Farmhouse, shes been hosting guest bakers and bartenders, who donate their time and expertise to help raise money for their favorite nonprofits.

McCann gives 50% of each events profits to those charities.

On Wednesday, June 28, Aileen Loe and Christin OHara poured beverages at Farmhouse to raise money for Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers. The group works to expand the network of sustainable and enjoyable trails in San Luis Obispo County and to maintain trails currently in use, according to its website.

Sheila McCann poses for a picture at Farmhouse House of Bread, which opened at 1025 Farmhouse Lane near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport in May 30, 2023. She stands by one of the two commercial bakery ovens.

Farmhouse House of Bread

Farmhouse House of Bread is located directly across from the Airport Drive entrance to San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.

Heading toward the airport on Broad Street from downtown San Luis Obispo, Farmhouse Lane is the first left turn past Airport Drive. Take the first right into the parking area, then look for the dark yellow section in the middle of the modern business building.

For details about Farmhouse House of Bread, call (805) 592-0255, email Bread@HouseofBread.com or visit the houseofbread.com. You can also follow the restaurant on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed bills Friday that would ban gender identity discussion in schools, outlaw gender affirming healthcare for minors and require teachers to use the names and pronouns of students listed on their birth certificates.

Edwards' rejections set up a potential showdown with the Republican-controlled Legislature if lawmakers choose to come in for a veto override session on July 18.

All three of the anti-LGBTQ bills that Edwards rejected were passed by veto-proof margins of more than two-thirds in both the House and Senate.

In a surprise, Edwards did sign into law Senate Bill 7 by Republican Turkey Creek Sen. Heather Cloud to restrict minors' access to public library materials deemed "sexually explicit," which members of the LGBTQ community testified targeted them.

As has been the case in other states, the national debate over gender identity was among the marquee culture war issues debated in the Louisiana Legislature during its session that ended June 8.

"God answered many prayers being lifted up by parents today," said Republican Haughton Rep. Dodie Horton after her House Bill 466, known by opponents as "Don't Say Gay," after her bill cleared the Legislature.

Following are the bills that Edwards vetoed:

 Horton's House Bill 466 bill restricts the discussion of gender and sexuality in public school classrooms.

 House Bill 81 by Republican Bossier City Rep. Raymond Crews requires school employees to use the names and pronouns of students on their birth certificates unless they have parental consent, and even then teachers can opt out if they object for religious reasons.

 House Bill 648 by Republican Rep. Gabe bans gender-affirming healthcare for minors, which can range from counseling to puberty blockers to hormones to surgery.

At a Louisiana LGBTQ rally on the Capitol steps April 12, 2023, supporters say anti-LGBTQ bills promote hate and violence.

Members of the LGBTQ community have said they feel under attack.

"It's dangerous to be trans in America," said Gabby D., 18, of Metairie, in a previous interview with USA Today Network. "There is a wave of hate going on."

Story continues

But supporters of the legislation say the bills are designed to protect children and preserve parental rights.

Cloud said her bill provides common-sense guardrails that many other media platforms provide to parents.

She said the legislation "empowers parents" and enforces their "fundamental right for the upbringing of their children."

A majority vote in either the House or Senate can cancel the veto session. Ballots go out to lawmakers next week and must be returned by July 13.

More: Louisiana set to join other states in LGBTQ bans, restrictions unless governor vetoes

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana governor vetoes 'Don't say gay,' gender affirming healthcare ban
Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Karl Stanley, a submersible expert and friend of Stockton Rush, expressed concerns about the Titan.

In response, Rush told him he would prioritize the safety of the submersible over his company.

Others have said Rush seemed to really believe in the safety of the Titan.

Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate who died last week when his Titan submersible catastrophically imploded on a dive to the Titanic shipwreck, told a friend in 2019 he would shut down his company before operating an unsafe vessel, according to emails obtained by Insider.

Rush was emailing his friend Karl Stanley, an expert in submersibles who had expressed serious concerns to him about the integrity of the Titan after hearing cracking noises on a dive in the Bahamas that year.

"I think that hull has a defect near that flange, that will only get worse. The only question in my mind is will it fail catastrophically or not," Stanley said in an email to Rush.

On June 18, less than two hours into a dive to the Titanic, the Titan submersible lost communication with its surface ship and went missing, kicking off a major search and rescue mission. Four days later, the Coast Guard announced pieces of the sub had been discovered, suggesting the Titan had catastrophically imploded. All five people on board, including Rush, were declared dead.

"I made it clear after our dive that I will not take nonessential crew, clients or media in the sub until I am confident that the hull is safe," Rush insisted in his response to Stanley. "As I told you before, I cancelled last year's expedition and will cancel this year's, or even shut down the company, before I will operate an unsafe sub."

OceanGate did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the email.

Rush and OceanGate have come under scrutiny for ignoring safety concerns expressed by other experts in the industry. But some who had met Rush said he seemed to truly believe his sub was safe, as evidenced by the fact that he himself was participating in the dives.

Story continues

CBS reporter David Pogue, who took a dive on the Titan and interviewed Rush for a segment last year, told Insider Rush was "cocky" and that he "cherry-picked the opinions of his experts."

"But I don't think Rush was a con man. He genuinely believed in his design  enough to trust it with his own life many times over," Pogue wrote in a story for New York magazine.

Mike Reiss, a writer and producer for "The Simpsons," who took several dives in the Titan, has also said he believed OceanGate took safety seriously and genuinely believed in their submersible.

"There was one dive we took  as soon as communication went out, we went right back to the surface," Reiss said, adding: "So they're not hot dogs. They're not daredevils here. They take this very seriously."

Still, Reiss said Rush and every passenger on the Titan understood there were risks, noting the waiver he had to sign beforehand mentioned he could die several times.

"They made it as safe as they could make it. They trusted their own lives to it," Reiss said, "but they knew it could end this way."

Read the original article on Insider
Lorie Smith, a Christian graphic artist and website designer in Colorado, right, accompanied by her lawyer, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, second from left, speaks outside the Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 5, 2022, after her case was heard before the Supreme Court. | Andrew Harnik, Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Friday offered significant new protections to business owners who dont want to express support for same-sex marriage, ruling that the First Amendment protects them from sharing messages that go against their own beliefs.

The 6-3 decision in favor of a Colorado web designer expands the possibility of receiving exemptions from public accommodations laws, which aim to end discrimination against various groups, including the LGBTQ community. Justices in the majority said that, while important, civil rights laws cannot be used to trample free speech rights.

The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands, wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in the majority opinion.

Related

The courts three liberal justices dissented, arguing that the ruling in favor of the web designer threatens civil rights protections nationwide.

Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class. ... That is wrong. Profoundly wrong, wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in the dissent.

A statement from GLAAD said the decision does not reflect a country that supports LGBTQ people and recognizes that our relationships are equal, valid and valued.

This decision will bring harm and stigma to LGBTQ families and is yet another example of a Court that is out of touch with the supermajority of Americans who believe in fundamental freedoms and know that discrimination is wrong, the statement said.

The case stemmed from designer Lorie Smiths desire to begin offering web design services to engaged couples. She filed the lawsuit after being advised that if she refused to work with LGBTQ couples for religious reasons, shed likely be found in violation of Colorados public accommodations law, which prohibits various forms of discrimination.

Story continues

Smith, who is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, argued that the law violates her free speech rights by forcing her to express support for gay marriage through the creation of LGBTQ wedding websites. She said creative professionals should control what messages they communicate through their work.

In a press conference after the decision was released, Smith called the ruling a victory not just for me, but for all of us.

She said she was happy to design websites for anyone, including members of the LGBTQ community, but said she wanted to be able to choose projects based on what would be said on the website.

When considering a potential project, I always look at the message being requested, never the person requesting it, she said. My canvas is on paper, sometimes pixels, and I cherish the freedom to craft messages and celebrate things that Im passionate about.

Her attorney, Kristen Waggoner, the president, CEO and general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said, Today after enduring seven years of government censorship, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Lories favor and upheld free speech. The court held that the First Amendment prevents Colorado from forcing Lorie to say a government message that she doesnt believe and that the government cannot misuse the law to eliminate ideas and dislikes from the public square.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, released a statement, applauding the decision.

Today the Supreme Court has safeguarded Americans right to exercise our faith in the public square by prohibiting Colorado from forcing citizens to either speak as the state demands, even if it violates their religious beliefs, or face sanctions, he said.

I was proud to have signed an amicus brief supporting Lorie Smith of 303 Creative and her constitutional right  and that of her fellow Americans  to decline to speak or act in violation of her religious beliefs.

 Read my full statement on the Supreme Courts Decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis below  pic.twitter.com/og2sW6NnOw  Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) June 30, 2023

In his opinion, Gorsuch wrote: The First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees.

Colorado officials had argued that exempting business owners with faith-based objections to same-sex marriage from public accommodations law would undermine the point of nondiscrimination protections. The goal of the law is to protect vulnerable communities, including the LGBTQ community, not to limit the free speech or religious freedom rights of people like Smith, they said.

Colorados arguments prevailed in the lower courts, which ruled the state could limit the rights of business owners in the service of preventing discrimination. But in February 2022, the Supreme Court agreed to weigh in on the case.

In the majority decision overturning the lower courts, Gorsuch wrote that Colorado seeks to compel this speech in order to excis(e) certain ideas or viewpoints from the public dialogue, and that the lower court recognized that the coercive (e)liminati(on) of dissenting ideas about marriage constitutes Colorados very purpose in seeking to apply its law to Ms. Smith. ... But while the Tenth Circuit thought that Colorado could compel speech from Ms. Smith consistent with the Constitution, this Courts First Amendment precedents teach otherwise.

Under Colorados logic, the government may compel anyone who speaks for pay on a given topic to accept all commissions on that same topic  no matter the message  if the topic somehow implicates a customers statutorily protected trait. ... Taken seriously, that principle would allow the government to force all manner of artists, speechwriters, and others whose services involve speech to speak what they do not believe on pain of penalty. The Courts precedents recognize the First Amendment tolerates none of that.

Gorsuch said that the court also has a compelling interest to protect Americans civil rights, but said while the government can compel businesses to serve all people through public accommodation laws, it cannot compel expressive work product, because that is a form of compelled speech, which is contrary to the First Amendment.

The First Amendments protections belong to all, not just to speakers whose motives the government finds worthy. In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance, he wrote.

During oral arguments in December, the justices considered Smiths plight and whether its possible to rule for her without weakening civil rights protections nationwide. Much of the discussion focused on how to balance the rights of business owners and customers and how to figure out what types of creative services represent a form of protected speech.

Court watchers predicted the conservative justices, at least, would rule for Smith, while trying to place limits on what types of business owners could seek exemptions from public accommodation laws in order to reduce the potential for future conflict, as the Deseret News previously reported.
National Weather Service officials were expecting the haze and fog that has blanketed the area to dissipate in portions of north-central and northeastern Illinois and northwest Indiana, as scattered thunderstorms were expected to move into the area beginning Friday afternoon.

The storms could affect spectators planning to attend Saturdays NASCAR event downtown.

Officials cautioned that a few storms moving through the area on Friday could be severe, mostly south of Interstate 80, with damaging wind and large hail. Other storms could affect the evening hours, increasing after midnight, officials said.

Also, there was an excessive heat risk as temperatures reached 88 degrees Friday afternoon at both of Chicagos airports.

Meteorologists are watching a front carrying severe thunderstorms and heavy rain moving east from the Central Plains to the Ohio Valley in the coming days. The strongest storms are expected to shift farther east and are expected to hit the Great Lakes by Sunday morning, officials said.

Those watching the NASCAR event Saturday may have to deal with scattered thunderstorms after 4 p.m. A high of 79 degrees is expected with a 60% chance of rain.

There is a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday night, officials said.

Sundays forecast includes showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a high around 72.

The forecast for the Fourth of July holiday, Tuesday, is sunny with a high of 84. A chance of showers returns Wednesday.
MILFORD  A woman is in critical condition Saturday after she was struck Friday night by a truck that police say was being driven by a local man who was drunk.

The woman in her 20s, whose name was not released, was transported to UMass-Memorial Medical Center in Worcester by medical rescue helicopter after the 9:27 p.m. pedestrian crash at the intersection of Jefferson and North Bow streets.

Police arrested Kenneth Doyle, 51, of Milford, after the crash, according to a Milford Police Department release.

According to the release, police responded to Jefferson Street after several 911 calls reporting a pedestrian crash. Due to the seriousness of the injuries, the woman was taken to UMass via a helicopter.

More: Woman hospitalized after her SUV rolls over in Milford bank parking lot

Police arrested the alleged driver of the truck that struck the woman, Doyle, and charged him with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor causing serious bodily injury; operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor; driving to endanger; leaving the scene of a crash; threatening to commit a crime; witness intimidation; resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; and disturbing the peace.

Police also cited Doyle with altering a vehicle's height, having a modified exhaust system to increase noise and having tires outside of the fender.

Doyle is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Milford District Court.

The crash is being investigated by the Milford Police Department, the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council's accident reconstruction team and the Massachusetts State Police crime scene division.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerMW.

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Milford man faces several charges after pedestrian crash
Hilary Franz, state commissioner of public lands, greets firefighters in June 2019 at the Western Washington Interagency Wildfire Training Academy in Rainier. Franz urged Washington residents Friday, June 30, 2023, to take steps to prevent wildfires from starting during the Fourth of July weekend.
When the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority opened the door for certain businesses to deny service for reasons related to sexual orientation, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch repeatedly turned to the words of his friend and former appellate colleague, Timothy M. Tymkovich.

Tymkovich, who sat on the three-judge panel that first decided 303 Creative v. Elenis in 2021, was the lone member who believed Colorado could not compel plaintiff Lorie Smith to design wedding websites depicting same-sex couples in violation of her Christian beliefs.

His uncharacteristically strident dissent called portions of Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act "Orwellian," accused the state of "dictating" people's speech and warned of a slippery slope toward "authoritarianism."

While the Supreme Court's majority opinion largely omitted the most fiery rhetoric, Tymkovich's imprint on the case  and his views on the danger of government-compelled speech  was clear.

"In a world like that, as Chief Judge Tymkovich highlighted, governments could force 'an unwilling Muslim movie director to make a film with a Zionist message,'" Gorsuch wrote, or "they could compel 'an atheist muralist to accept a commission celebrating Evangelical zeal.'"

It is common, said LGBTQ rights attorney John M. McHugh, for the Supreme Court to cite from a dissenting judge's opinion when reversing a decision.

"As far as tone," he continued, "I think Tymkovich's dissent and the majority opinion here take very different tones about what Colorado is doing and what anti-discrimination laws are permitted to do."

"Gorsuchs opinion wasnt as provocative, but it came out about the same way," agreed Christopher M. Jackson, an appellate attorney. "I think the biggest way we saw Judge Tymkovichs influence was on how the case was litigated (and ultimately decided) at the Supreme Court."

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Tymkovich and Gorsuch were both George W. Bush appointees from Colorado to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Gorsuch left for the nation's highest court in 2017, the result of U.S. Senate Republicans refusing to fill a vacancy during the final year of the Obama administration. Tymkovich was Colorado's solicitor general early in his career, where he defended before the Supreme Court Amendment 2, the voter-approved constitutional amendment that made it illegal for governments to enact LGBTQ protections.

As the chief circuit judge at the time 303 Creative landed at the appellate court, Tymkovich was the Republican appointee on a panel with two judges who joined during the Clinton administration. While the majority believed Colorado's anti-discrimination law was narrowly drawn to advance an important government interest, Tymkovich blasted the notion that a web designer could be compelled to create a message in violation of her beliefs.

"It seems we have moved from 'live and let live' to 'you cant say that,'" he wrote. "To paraphrase Orwell, liberty must mean the right to tell others  especially the government  what it does not want to hear."

Igor Raykin, an attorney who litigates cases against school districts in federal court, said that even if Tymkovich has a reputation as a conservative, Raykin did not view the dissent as ideological.

"My guess is that Tymkovich's dissent was influential to the Supreme Court, but still very limited in its influence," he said. "The six conservative members of this court have very clear beliefs as to where they stand on religious questions. This court as it's currently constituted has come down in favor of religion in every case that it's reviewed. That was never going to change regardless of whether Tymkovich wrote a dissent or not."

David Lane, a civil rights attorney, added that Tymkovich's presence throughout Gorsuch's opinion amounted simply to "a shout out to his buddy."

However, Jackson suggested Tymkovich's detailed rebuttal of the idea that Colorado's law was "narrowly tailored" might have affected the parties' focus in the Supreme Court, if not the ultimate outcome.

An aide to Tymkovich said the judge was unable to provide a statement.
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In Brazilia au fost comise in 2022 peste opt violuri pe ora, un nou maxim istoric

In Brazilia au fost comise anul trecut peste opt violuri pe ora, in medie, iar 61,4% din victime au fost copii sub 14 ani, arata un raport publicat joi de Forumul brazilian de securitate publica, citat de AFP. [citeste mai departe]
As a kid, Comet Robinson took part in a summer program to encourage youth to consider an education in the arts.

The JumpstART program sees teens 13-19 living (temporarily) a college life, living in dorms and taking art classes all day. It worked: Robinson is now a second-year graphic design student at OSU.

He's also an assistant to the professor that runs the program for this year's iteration.

His duties include anything from designing the shirts for the camp to sorting through the mountain of supplies that were stored away during the remodel of Fairbanks Hall in 2022.

Close A student attending the color theory session learns how to create color gradients by hand on June 27, 2023. Collaborative student artwork hangs in the corridors of Fairbanks Hall on June 27, 2023. A student attending the sequential art session works on the layout of a collaborative comic book during the Oregon State University JumpstART program for high school-aged artists on June 27, 2023. Photography program graduate Alexis Morris, shows a student how to adjust the camera settings during the digital photography session of JumpstART on June 27, 2023. Photography program graduate Momoko Baker, models for the students who are working on learning camera exposure during the JumpstART program for high school student-aged artists on June 27, 2023. Portland State University faculty member Katherine Spinella prepares materials for facilitating a printmaking class during the JumpstART program for high school-aged artists on June 27, 2023. Giving students a jumpSTART in Corvallis A student attending the color theory session learns how to create color gradients by hand on June 27, 2023. Collaborative student artwork hangs in the corridors of Fairbanks Hall on June 27, 2023. A student attending the sequential art session works on the layout of a collaborative comic book during the Oregon State University JumpstART program for high school-aged artists on June 27, 2023. Photography program graduate Alexis Morris, shows a student how to adjust the camera settings during the digital photography session of JumpstART on June 27, 2023. Photography program graduate Momoko Baker, models for the students who are working on learning camera exposure during the JumpstART program for high school student-aged artists on June 27, 2023. Portland State University faculty member Katherine Spinella prepares materials for facilitating a printmaking class during the JumpstART program for high school-aged artists on June 27, 2023.

During the academic year, Robinson works on campus as a graphic designer for Transportation Services, but expressed how his lived experience has led him to this point.

I did a camp like JumpstART when I was a kid,  and now I get to be on the other side, he said.

He's assisting Anna Fidler, the director of JumpstART and a senior instructor of core studio art and painting at OSU, as well as a working artist.

She said an important part of the program's mission is to make art education accessible and to give a lot of need-based scholarships.

Having been involved in other pre-college programs, Fidler considers this a personal mission: I get to be the door that opens for them.

Of the 60 students in attendance, the majority comes from the Pacific Northwest, but Fidler said the program is open to any current or incoming high school student.

Fidler's not sure how long the program is been around  over 20 years at least but she's been the director for eight years. Fidler is joined by current and former OSU art faculty, including John Whitten, Katherine Spinella and Nathan Danilowicz.

In addition, some of the instructors are recent studio art graduates who facilitate the classes and are able to gain real-world teaching experience.

The morning sessions include drawing, color theory and sequential art while the afternoon sessions include digital animation, photography, printmaking and painting.

Midday the students get a lunch break and after are invited to artist talks each day from artists working in many different media.

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After lunch last week, recent BFA of photography and digital studio graduates Alexis Morris and Momoko Baker led a digital photography class where students got hands-on experience with digital cameras.

The students were given assignments modeled after photo program instructor Evan Badens course for beginning photography. Morris and Baker led the students on a photo field trip around campus and through buildings looking for inspiration.

In Snell Hall, lovingly referred to by students as the basement, Spinella, along with recent graduate Talia Caldwell, took their students on a journey through the process of printmaking.

Spinella has been printmaking for approximately 18 years but still finds joy in teaching the basics to people who want to learn.

Caldwell still is growing in her practice. She showed a student one of her first prints, then compared it to a recent one to encourage them to keep trying and keep making.

Throughout the week, the students' goal is simply to create and explore different media. Then in closing out the week, each student selects two of their favorite works to display in a pop up exhibition alongside their peers' work.

When reflecting on her favorite part of working on the JumpstART program Fidler said that while it's hard to choose, she loves watching friendships form.

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Workers at a north Lincoln Starbucks store are among thousands nationwide who are seeking to unionize.

Employees at the store at 5040 N. 26th St. have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to unionize as part of the group Starbucks Workers United.

Workers at more than 300 stores nationwide have successfully unionized, and the Lincoln store is the first one in Nebraska to attempt to do so.

The workers at the store also sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan in which they listed their reasons for unionizing, which include inconsistent scheduling, being short-staffed and working with faulty and defective equipment.

These circumstances do not set partners up for success to thrive in our careers, and efficiently give guests the connections, service and products they deserve, the letter said.

We want Starbucks to recognize the value we bring to the company as the faces customers connect with every day by joining us at the bargaining table, it said.

So far, more than 330 Starbucks stores in 38 states and the District of Columbia have successfully unionized, although that represents only about 3% of the companys total workforce.

A Starbucks spokesperson said in an email that company officials, welcome the opportunity for partners at our Lincoln store to vote in a neutral, secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB  which allows all partners to make their own informed decision regarding union representation.

The company, however, has been accused of labor law violations, including firing labor organizers and closing unionized stores.

The spokesperson also said that Starbucks believes a direct relationship with its employees is the right path forward for our company, and pointed out that it offers what it believes are industry-best pay and benefits, including a minimum wage of $15 an hour and an average wage of $17.50.
LINCOLN  The State of Nebraska closed Thursday on the sale of a 46.71-acre campus that once housed a juvenile offender treatment center for girls in Geneva.

State officials announced that the former Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center campus was sold for $299,000 to JoMax Sackschewsky, a resident of York who already leases about half of the campus as farm ground.

The states Vacant Building and Excess Land Committee declared the grounds and buildings vacant and excess in July 2021 and the 100,121-square-foot complex was offered for online auction in November last year. The auction closed in December with a single bid.

Sarah Skinner with the Department of Administrative Services said the property had been appraised at $630,000, more than twice the amount it brought at auction. But she said selling the property will save taxpayers more than $600,000 per year.

The campus significant annual operating costs to the state justified accepting that bid, she said.

Skinner said the closing was timed so the state could find and lease office space in Geneva for state call center employees who have been working out of the former administration building. Those employees work for the Department of Health and Human Services to help process applications for Medicaid and other public assistance programs.

Geneva City Administrator Kyle Svec said he has lots of questions about the future of the property, which has been an important fixture in the community. He said city leaders had explored ideas for acquiring the campus and repurposing the buildings but were unable to reach an agreement with the state.

As a city, were just hoping it turns out to be good for the city, he said, adding, We definitely want to keep those jobs in town.

Attempts to reach Sackschewsky were unsuccessful.

The sale closes a troubled chapter in the history of the Geneva institution, which opened in 1892 as the Girls Industrial School. It went through numerous changes through the years, including some periods of serving both boys and girls.

But by August 2019, staff shortages, inadequate programming and rapidly deteriorating buildings combined to create a crisis at the facility. HHS officials moved the girls out for safety and put them at the formerly male-only juvenile offender facility in Kearney.

Initially, HHS renovated one of the Geneva housing units that had become uninhabitable so it could be used for a girls facility again. Then officials said they would leave most of the girls at Kearney and would reopen the Geneva campus on only a small scale to serve girls transitioning back into the community.

They switched gears again in 2020, announcing that they would instead use part of the former Hastings Regional Center campus for the female juvenile offenders. The plan included returning the Kearney campus to boys-only and leaving the Geneva center closed.

HHS also launched a center in Lincoln for male and female offenders with especially severe behavioral and mental health problems.
IndiGo Airline has announced Tbilisi, Georgia as its 29th international and 107th overall destination, effective August 08, 2023. The exclusive flight will operate between Tbilisi, Georgia and Delhi, India and is now open for booking. Tbilisi is also part of the 'Silk Route' which will further enhance the flow of trade from the city, said India's largest airline brand. IndiGo is now the largest domestic airline with over 55 percent market share as well as the largest international airline from India passenger traffic wise, now serving 29 international cities.

The Delhi-Tbilisi Flight No. 6E 1807 will fly from the capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 20:10 on Tue, Thu, Sat starting Aug 08, 2023 and will reach the capital of Georgia at 00:45 next day. The Tbilisi-Delhi Flight 6E 1808 will fly from Georgia's capital at 1.45 AM on Wed, Fri, Sun starting Aug 09, 2023 and will reach Delhi at 07:10 AM same day.

Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, is one of the most captivating destinations with a unique blend of history, culture, and modernity. The city offers a mix of ancient architecture, colorful streets, and contemporary structures. It boasts a rich historical heritage, evident in its diverse range of landmarks, including the iconic Narikala Fortress, the historic Old Town with its sulfur baths, and the Holy Trinity Cathedral.



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Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, said, "We are thrilled to announce Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, amongst our new destinations in our expanding 6E network, opening up exciting international travel opportunities. Georgia is now amongst the favored & sought after holiday destinations for Indian travelers. IndiGo has always been committed to providing superior connectivity and enhanced accessibility to our customers.

With the launch of these flights, we aim to not only strengthen the connectivity between India and Georgia but also increase tourism and foster potential business collaborations. IndiGo will continue to deliver on its promise of affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience across an unparalleled network.

Earlier, IndiGo announced Indonesia as its 28th international destination, effective August 7, 2023. IndiGo will be the first airline to directly connect Mumbai with Jakarta. As per the airline, these flights will reduce the travel time to Jakarta significantly and have been introduced keeping in mind the rising demand for travel to Indonesia. As per Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indian tourists are one of the top 5 foreign tourists visiting Indonesia.
New Delhi: HDFC Bank started rebranding offices of erstwhile HDFC Ltd with its colours on Saturday, on the first day of operations as a merged entity. Branding at all over the 500 offices and branches of the home loan major started getting the HDFC Bank look from Saturday morning onwards, officials said.

The entire exercise of changing the look at HDFC Ltd's offices and branches is slated to take about 24 hours, they said, adding that HDFC Ltd's corporate headquarters at Ramon House is among the places where the branding has already been changed. HDFC Ltd, the parent of the country's largest private sector lender, merged into HDFC Bank on Saturday, with boards of both the entities clearing the plan first presented on April 4 last year. HDFC Ltd, the largest pure-play home financier, ceases to exist 44 years after it was founded.

Sashidhar Jagdishan, the managing director and chief executive of the HDFC Bank, is slated to address a townhall later in the evening. Over 3,500 employees of HDFC have been integrated into HDFC Bank after the merger. The USD 40-billion merger, the largest such deal in Indian corporate history, is driven by a changing regulatory landscape, which limited the advantages for HDFC continuing as a non-bank lending entity.



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Post-merger, HDFC Bank will become the fourth most valued lender in the world, and narrow the gap by asset size with state-owned SBI to be the second largest Indian bank. The total business of the merged entity stood at Rs 41 lakh crore at the end of March 2023. With the merger, the networth of the entity would be over Rs 4.14 lakh crore.

The combined profit of both entities was to the tune of about Rs 60,000 crore at the end of March 2023.

With the deal getting effective, HDFC Bank will be 100 per cent owned by public shareholders, and existing shareholders of HDFC will own 41 per cent of the bank. Every HDFC shareholder will get 42 shares of HDFC Bank for every 25 shares they hold.

"Saturday, July 1, 2023, to be the 'Effective Date' of the composite scheme of amalgamation, on which date the certified order of the NCLT sanctioning the Scheme will be filed by HDFC Investments, HDFC Holdings, HDFC Limited and HDFC Bank with the RoC," HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing late on Friday.

The board of directors of HDFC Bank in consultation with the board of directors of HDFC Limited has fixed July 13, 2023, for determining the shareholders of HDFC Ltd who would be issued and allotted the shares of HDFC Bank, it added. Besides, July 13 has been fixed for the continuation of warrants of HDFC Limited in the name of HDFC Bank.

The board has fixed July 12, 2023, for the transfer of non-convertible debentures while July 7 for the transfer of commercial papers of HDFC Ltd in the name of HDFC Bank. The merged entity brings together significant complementarities that exist between both entities and is poised to create meaningful value for various stakeholders, including respective customers, employees and shareholders of both entities from increased scale, comprehensive product offering, balance sheet resiliency and ability to drive synergies across revenue opportunities, operating efficiencies and underwriting efficiencies, a statement said.

In the statement issued on Friday, Jagdishan said the combined strength will help create a holistic ecosystem of financial services. "We're truly happy to welcome the talented team of HDFC Ltd into the HDFC Bank family. I believe our journey will be defined by agility, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As we navigate the path ahead, we will embrace challenges as opportunities, learn from our experiences, and strive to be the benchmark of success and integrity in the financial services industry," he said.
Superwoman Of Indian Start-Ups: In the world of startups, Ruchi Kalra is a 'Superwoman' who has pulled off the incredible accomplishment of launching two unicorn businesses, both of which are successful. She built two unicorn companies worth Rs 52,000 crore, becoming India's most successful startup founder. Together with her spouse, Asish Mohapatra, she launched the companies Ofbusiness and Oxyzo.

Ruchi Kalra: 73 Rejections

The fact that she is in charge of two sizable, profitable companies at a time when large startups are unable to do so speaks volumes about her business acumen. The goal of Kalra's business strategy is to profit from every deal. However, 73 investors turned down the idea of OfBusiness when it first started, but Ruchi Kalra is without a doubt the most successful startup entrepreneur, with a staggering net worth of Rs. 2600 crore. The power-couple continue to manage their businesses profitably despite their obstacles.



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Ruchi Kalra: Success Story

Established in 2015 by Ruchi Kalra, OfBusiness is a B2B platform that distributes raw materials, industrial supplies, and other products. The corporation is worth Rs 44,000 crore. She serves as the CEO of Oxyzo Financial Services, the lending division of OfBusiness, which raised $200 million at a $1 billion (Rs 8200 crore) value. Ruchi Kalra and her spouse, Asish Mohapatra, were the first people in India to own and manage two unicorns as a result. Both of her start-ups' offices are located in Gurugram. She runs separate offices in Gurugram with her husband, Asish Mohapatra. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can access financing through Oxyzo. In India, it has completely altered the financing process. Small and medium-sized firms can apply for loans from them. Customers who make purchases through Oxyzo's marketplace essentially receive financing for their purchases. They are India's most prosperous startup pair.

Ruchi Kalra: Leadership skills

Leadership skills and high intelligence have always characterized Ruchi Kalra, who is a native of Haryana's Gurugram. She received her diploma from IIT Delhi. After graduating, she attended the Indian School of Business (ISB) to earn her MBA, just like her husband. For eight years, Ruchi was a partner at McKinsey. In 2015, she co-founded Ofbusiness. In 2017, she established the Oxyzo business. She and her husband both launched start-ups together. She thinks that expansion and profit have coexisted. She believed that business owners should adhere to all applicable laws while closely monitoring expenses.

Kalra belongs to a rare breed that focuses on standing out from the pack with an unwavering focus on development and profitability in an era of inflated valuations and unicorn clubs. The outcome: OfBusiness and Oxyzo Financial Services, two lucrative unicorns. In a Forbes interview, Kalra discussed how she balances her personal and professional lives. "I'm really health-oriented. He is incredibly growth-oriented. But we are both really focused on being very profit-oriented."
New Delhi: Elon Musk-run Twitter banned a record 11,32,228 accounts in India between April 26 and May 25, mostly for promoting child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity. The micro-blogging platform, going through a churning under Musk who has now appointed a new Twitter CEO in Linda Yaccarino, also took down 1,843 accounts for promoting terrorism on its platform in the country.

In total, Twitter banned 11,34,071 accounts in the reporting period in India. Twitter, in its monthly report in compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, said that it received 518 complaints from users in India in the same time-frame through its grievance redressal mechanisms.

In addition, Twitter processed 90 grievances which were appealing account suspensions. "We overturned 25 of these account suspensions after reviewing the specifics of the situation. The remaining reported accounts remain suspended," said the company.

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"We received 29 requests related to general questions about Twitter accounts during this reporting period," it added. Most complaints from India were about abuse/harassment (264), followed by hateful conduct (84), sensitive adult content (67), and defamation (51).

Under the new IT Rules 2021, big digital and social media platforms, with more than 5 million users, have to publish monthly compliance reports. Meanwhile, under Musk, Twitter recently approved a staggering 83 per cent of government requests to either restrict or block content globally, including in India and Turkey, the media reported.

Last month, when asked about former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's wild claim that the Indian government had threatened to ban Twitter if it did not block certain accounts, Musk told reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US that a company "doesn't have a choice but to obey local governments".

"If we don't obey local government laws, then we will get shut down. So the best we can do is really to hew close to the law in any given country," he said. It is impossible for us to do more than that (or) we will be blocked and our people will be arrested, Musk added.
With the Law Commission of India seeking suggestions for the Uniform Civil Code and reports of the bill being tabled in Parliament in the monsoon session, the issue has gained national political attention. The opposition parties are working to finalise their stands on the issue and as per reports, the Congress Parliamentary Committee will hold a meeting on the issue this evening at 5 under the chairmanship of Sonia Gandhi. During the meeting, Congress is likely to deliberate its stand on the key issue which is likely to be the key poll plank of the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In this meeting, apart from discussing the issues to be raised in Parliament during the monsoon session, the Congress is also going to discuss its stance on the UCC. Apart from this, the Congress is going to hold a meeting with all its leaders on July 3 regarding the UCC. According to a report by the ABP News, the meeting to be held today will decide the outline of the meeting to be held on July 3 on the Uniform Civil Code.

The issue of the Uniform Civil Code has gained significant attention in the last few days after the Law Commission asked the people of the country to give suggestions on it. Recently, this issue gained limelight after PM Narendra Modi gave a clear message to his party workers and the opposition on the issue. During his interaction with party workers in Bhopal, PM Modi said that the country cannot be run by two laws and there should be one law for all. "Will a family function if there are two different sets of rules for people? Then how will a country run? Our Constitution too guarantees equal rights to all people," PM Modi said.



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On the other hand, several states like Gujarat and Uttarakhand are already in an advanced stage of implementing the Uniform Civil Code.
Aviation safety watchdog DGCA on Friday asked airlines to strictly follow rules as well as sensitise pilots and cabin crew to prevent incidents of unauthorised entry of people into the cockpit. The regulator has also warned that any non-compliance with the applicable regulation dealing with unauthorized cockpit entry shall be dealt with strictly and may also invite stringent enforcement action. The DGCA move comes against the backdrop of two recent incidents where unauthorised people were allowed inside the cockpit during scheduled flights.

In an advisory, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the heads of operations of all scheduled airlines to "prevent any unauthorised entry in the cockpit through appropriate means." As per DGCA safety norms, unauthorised people are not allowed to enter the cockpit, and any such entry could violate norms. Instances of unauthorised entry into the aircraft cockpit have been reported to DGCA in the recent past, wherein persons having no authority or purpose, were permitted entry into the cockpit, the regulator said in the advisory.

According to DGCA, such an unauthorized presence in the cockpit is likely to distract the attention of cockpit crew from their sensitive functions and can lead to errors which may jeopardize the safety of the aircraft operations. It may be mentioned here that on June 3, the Pilot-in-Command of an Air India flight operating on Chandigarh -Leh route, allowed an unauthorized person into the cockpit during departure and the person remained in the cockpit throughout the flight.



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Prior to this, in a similar incident, on February 27, the pilot of the Tata Group-owned Air India allowed a female friend into the cockpit during a Delhi-Dubai flight. DGCA slapped a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for lapses in effectively addressing the "safety-sensitive issue" related to the incident of Delhi-Dubai flight. It also suspended the licence of the pilot who operated the flight for three months but let off the co-pilot with a warning.

However, in the other incident (Chandigarh-Leh flight), the safety regulator suspended the flying licence of the Pilot-in-Command for one year and that of the First Officer for one month. The persons authorized for entry into the cockpit and to occupy the jump seat have been specified in the Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 17 of 2019, DGCA said in its advisory on Friday.

All the heads of operations are hereby advised to sensitize their pilots and cabin crew members to strictly follow the AIC and prevent any unauthorized entry in the cockpit through appropriate means, DGCA said.
Guru Purnima is an auspicious day on which disciples worship their "guru" or teacher, who shows them the right part to follow and lifts people from the darkness of ignorance towards the light of knowledge. According to the Hindu calendar, the full moon (Purnima) day during Ashadha month is known as Guru Purnima Day. Gurudev Shrie Kashyap, Chairman and Founder of All India Institute of Occult Science and True Vastu shares,  Guru Purnima is not just a festival, it is a sacred opportunity to express our gratitude towards the guiding light that illuminates our spiritual journey. Let's find out the date, day, shubh muhurat and the vidhis or rituals to follow on this auspicious day.

Guru Purnima 2023: Date, Muhurat And Tithi

Date: July 3, 2023



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Day: Monday

Tithi: Purnima

Vrishti Karna (Bhadra Nakshatra); Moon will enter in Sagittarius (zodiac sign)

Muhurat Starts At: 8:23 pm

Muhurat Ends At: 5:09 pm

Guru Purnima 2023: Puja Vidhi

Gurudev Shrie Kashyap says that on the day of Guru Purnima, one should wake up early in the morning and take a bath and perform pujas.

"After that offer flowers to the deities and then offer prasad. Chant Guru Mantra and thank your teachers for their valuable guidance in your life," he says.

Significance of Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima. "In Vedic culture, the guru has no physical body; the guru embodies the continuous flow of prosperity and consciousness within that body. A Guru makes us experience this whole distinctive science or knowledge. As the quote goes:

        

      

This translates to serving the supreme Guru with wealth, body, mind, and speech, offering devotion with humbleness and surrendering to the divine guru." Kashyap adds, "It indicates that one should serve the guru not only through material wealth or resources, but also through body, mind, and speech. It implies that we should engage in selfless actions, offer our physical service, align our thoughts and intentions with the gurus teachings, and speak words that reflect our devotion and respect.

Guru Purnima crosses religious lines and welcomes devotees from across cultures; it is not restricted to any one religion or belief system. It is a celebration of the enduring connection between teacher and student, wherein wisdom is transmitted from the wise to the aspirant, fostering spiritual development, says Gurudev Kashyap.

Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima and this day is commemorated as the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa was the author of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Buddhists also celebrate Guru Purnima to commemorate the day when Lord Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh. Jains believe that on this day, Lord Mahavira became the Guru to his first disciple Gautam Swami.

Guru Purnima 2023 Rituals

Gurudev Shrie Kashyap says, "On this joyful day, followers and devotees set out on a spiritual pilgrimage and show their thanks through a variety of ceremonies and practices. People seeking spiritual guidance from respected spiritual teachers gather to pray, perform rituals, and take part in satsangs (spiritual lectures). These events provide an occasion for the sharing of divine knowledge and the exchange of profound insights, encouraging participants to broaden their consciousness and strengthen their relationship with God."
Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) has started the registration process for the JAC compartment exam 2023 for class 10 and 12 students. The registration forms are now available on the official website jac.jharkhand.gov.in/jac. It is to be noted that the students who did not get minimum marks in marks one or two subjects are eligible for the compartment exam.

The registration deadline for candidates taking the JAC compartment test for Class 10 is July 5, 2023, and the application fee is due by July 7. Candidates may also submit their applications online from July 6 through July 8 with a late fee and must deposit the required funds by July 10, 2023, using a bank challan.

Also read: UPSC IFS 2022 Final Result Out On upsc.gov.in- Direct Link To Check Scorecards Here



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The compartment exam form must be completed by July 5, 2023, and the application fee must be received by July 7, 2023, for students taking the JAC Compartment test for Class 12. Candidates who have unpaid fees may apply between July 6 and July 8, 2023, and must deposit the money by July 10, 2023, using a bank challan.

Notably, the results of the JAC board exams for classes 10 and 12 were released on May 23 and May 30, respectively, in 2023. In total, 4,07,559 students passed the Class 10 exam, yielding a 95.38 percent overall success rate. The overall success rate for the Class 12 Science stream is 81.44 percent, with 60,134 pupils passing their JAC Class 12 exams this year.
New Delhi: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Friday that Uniform Civil Code (UCC) goes against the actual idea of India. Sangma, who is the President of the National Peoples Party (NPP), told media persons here that UCC does not suit the country and goes against the actual idea of India, which is a diverse nation characterised by unity in diversity. I am talking from the party point of view. Uniform Civil Code, according to NPP, goes against the actual spirit of India. The diverse cultures, traditions, lifestyles and religions are the countrys strength," Sangma said.

Meghalaya is a matrilineal society and that is our strength. The culture and other aspects we have been following for a long time cannot be changed. As a political party, we realise that the entire northeast region has got a unique culture. We will not like our tradition and culture to be touched," Sangma said.

The NPP, which is an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), leads the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA).



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Also Read: As Uniform Civil Code Debate Ignites, Sonia Gandhi To Chair Congress Parliamentary Committee Meet Today

The BJP with two MLAs is a partner in the MDA government. The NPP has a strong political base in Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh besides Meghalaya, and the party has a reasonable number of MLAs in these four northeastern states.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently pushed for the implementation of UCC, the Parliamentary standing committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice said that it will hear the views of all the stakeholders.

The committee led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi informed all the 31 MPs and members of the committee that their views on UCC will be sought and considered at a meeting on Monday.

Also Read: Uniform Civil Code To Be Implemented In Uttarakhand Soon: CM Dhami

The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal to formulate and implement personal laws for all citizens, regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation.

Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.

Also, on June 14, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognised religious organisations to examine the Uniform Civil Code.
In a scathing attack on the opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the credibility of their unity during a public meeting in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. PM Modi emphasized that such alliances carry no guarantee of lasting unity, casting doubt on their claims of being united against the ruling party. During his address, PM Modi specifically targeted the Congress party, stating, "Their guarantee means something is wrong. The opposition parties are now claiming to be united. Social media is filled with their past statements. They have openly criticized each other, which means opposition unity has no guarantee."

Highlighting his concerns about dynastic politics, PM Modi accused these parties of prioritizing the interests of their families rather than serving the nation. He further criticized the presence of individuals accused of corruption, who are currently out on bail, sharing the stage and holding meetings with anti-national elements. The Prime Minister's comments were aimed at discrediting the opposition's unity claims and questioning their commitment to the welfare of the country. PM Modi cautioned the public to be cautious of false promises and guarantees made by these parties. He asserted that parties lacking their own guarantees are now introducing new schemes, emphasizing that the guarantees offered by parties like Congress are nothing more than evil intentions against the poor. His remarks aimed to highlight the potential harm that false guarantees can bring to the nation and its citizens.

The timing of PM Modi's statements is noteworthy, as several opposition parties have recently expressed their interest in forming a united front to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. On June 23, leaders from 15 opposition parties convened in Patna as part of their efforts to forge a stronger alliance against the BJP. The next gathering of opposition parties is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on July 13-14.



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Following the opposition's victory in Karnataka, where they managed to form the government, there is renewed optimism among opposition parties, including the Congress, about replicating their success in the upcoming polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. The Prime Minister's comments serve as a direct challenge to this growing opposition unity, raising doubts about their ability to sustain their alliances and effectively contest against the ruling party. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the statements made by PM Modi have injected a new dimension of uncertainty and skepticism into the dynamics of opposition unity, leaving political pundits and the public eagerly awaiting further developments.
In a shocking turn of events, Jyoti Maurya, a Provincial Civil Service officer in Bareilly, has found herself embroiled in allegations of corruption. The case has sparked widespread attention as accusations and counter-accusations are being made. Adding fuel to the fire, a diary consisting of 100 pages has come to light, handed over to the media by Jyoti's husband. The diary meticulously details the monthly collections Jyoti made, allegedly through unofficial means, amounting to a staggering sum of 600,000 rupees each month. The veracity of Jyoti's claims will be revealed only after a thorough investigation. In response to the allegations, Alok Maurya, Jyoti's husband, has filed a complaint at the Home Guard headquarters. Following his complaint, Home Guard DIG V.K. Maurya has assigned the case to Deputy Commandant General Santosh Kumar for further investigation. Meanwhile, an inquiry into the involvement of female officers in the Bareilly sugar factory is also underway.

Intriguing Details Revealed in Every Page

Alok Kumar Maurya, a resident of Prayagraj and currently posted in the Panchayat Raj Department, has discovered swastika symbols both above and below each page of the diary. Alongside the symbols, positive phrases have been written. Furthermore, each page highlights the amount of money received from various individuals. Alok claims that this handwriting belongs to Jyoti.

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Accounting for Corruption in the Diary

Jyoti Maurya served as a probationary officer in the Kaushambi tea subdivision from 2019 to 2021. During this period, the diary records the accounting of corruptly obtained funds. In just one month, October 2021, Jyoti allegedly earned an unofficial income of 604,000 rupees. The diary also mentions monthly payments of 15,000 rupees to the supply inspector and 16,000 rupees to the marketing inspector. Each page of the diary meticulously notes the amounts received through corruption.

Trouble Begins After 2020

Alok revealed that he married Jyoti in 2010, after which he helped her pursue her education. Jyoti received training and eventually secured the third rank among women and 16th overall in the Public Service Commission. Their family was overjoyed. In 2015, they welcomed twin daughters. Everything seemed fine until 2020.

"Friendship on Facebook with District Commandant of Home Guards"

Alok stated that Jyoti befriended the District Commandant of Home Guards in Ghaziabad in 2020. They began conversing frequently, and Alok, considering their professional connection, didn't find anything amiss. However, in 2022, Jyoti forgot to log out of her Facebook account on her mobile phone. Alok stumbled upon their explicit conversations, which infuriated him. When he objected, Jyoti resorted to physical violence and threatened to send him to jail. On December 22, 2022, Alok was apprehended at a hotel in Lucknow. He claims that he escaped with his life.

"Death Threats"

Alok accused Jyoti, saying, "A week ago, I received a call threatening me to willingly take a divorce; otherwise, I would be killed. She also threatened to implicate me in a false dowry case under Section 376." Jyoti has registered a false dowry case at the Dhoomanganj Police Station and has also threatened to press charges under Section 376.

Complaint Lodged at Home Guard Headquarters
New Delhi: Television star Nia Sharma has featured in several hit shows like Naagin, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10, and Khatron Ke Khiladi among others. She recently took some time off and headed to Miami for a brief vacay. The stunning beaches, sand, sun tan and vibrant beach wear are what make for most of Nia's Instagram posts from her holiday.

She posted a video of hers taking a dip into the Miami pool facing the oceanfront. In the caption, she wrote: It was just one google image of an Oceanfront stay and I knew I was going to wake up right there. And the next image was My 7am on that oceanfront. #oceandrivemiami. Rocking her hourglass bikini body, Nia looked beach ready in her sexy two-piece sets and monokinis.

She is quite popular on social media and enjoys a 7.7 million fan base on Instagram alone. On the work front, Nia Sharma was last seen in the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10 where fans loved her performances.

Nia made her TV debut in Kaali - Ek Agnipariksha in 2010. She became a household name with shows like Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, Jamai Raja, Ishq Mein Marjawan and Naagin. Nia won the adventure reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi Made In India which was a special edition in 2020. She participated with other known telly faces such as Bharti Singh, Harsh Limbachhiya, Karan Wahi, Rithvik Dhanjani, Karan Patel etc.
New Delhi: Nokia has signed a new patent license agreement with Apple which will replace the current license that is due to expire at the end of 2023. Apple sued Nokia in 2009 for attempting to copy the iPhone as Nokia sued Apple for copyright violations. They settled in 2011. In 2016, they again filed lawsuits before reaching a deal in 2017 where Apple paid $2 billion to Nokia.

The new license pact covers Nokias fundamental inventions in 5G and other technologies. Nokia will receive payments from Apple for a multi-year period.

We are delighted to have concluded a long-term patent license agreement with Apple on an amicable basis. The agreement reflects the strength of Nokias patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies, said Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies.



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Nokias industry-leading patent portfolio is built on more than 140 billion euros invested in R&D since 2000 and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 5,500 patent families declared essential to 5G.

Nokia contributes its inventions to open standards in return for the right to license them on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. In the 2016 lawsuit, Nokia had accused Apple of infringing on dozens of patents it owns, as well as patents owned by Nokia subsidiaries.

Apple has had a licensing deal with Nokia in place since 2011 after the two settled their last patent dispute.
North Iowa musicians have another creative outlet in the Songwriters Workshop.

On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, Mellissa Evans hosts the workshop, which is open to all skill levels, at her bar, Brix Wine and Whiskey, 107 S. Delaware. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the cozy bar becomes a place of imagination and inventiveness.

Mason City has a really strong music scene. Were so lucky to have Brix, Lorados and the two breweries. Theres almost always a show at one on weekends, said Matt Root. Root drums for The Mercury 3 among other bands.

Since March, the Songwriters Workshop has been welcoming musicians of all skill levels to buff up on music theory and lyric writing. Gatherings have been held monthly so far, but in the future, there will be one theory and one lyric session per month.

Each session is led by a different musician. This month, Besty Kirby brought not just her musical stylings, but her elementary-education approach to the workshop. Attendees worked through a few songwriting exercises, eventually collaborating on a song.

Kirby describes different approaches to songwriting. It can be musically idea-driven or it can be lyrically driven, she said.

Scott Shaw is a local music artist who has a preference for storytelling songs. I taught myself to play guitar about five years ago. I lean toward the country songs. I like the way they take you on a journey.

There were 14 attendees this Sunday, all with different stories to tell. Kristi Neidlinger is a performer and songwriter who took an emotional approach to Kirbys exercises. Im channeling some of my teenage angst, she said.

Abigail Smith is a classical guitarist who is excited to move to Leipzig, Germany in just a couple weeks. I went to Vienna last year. Right now, the music Im writing is for my book, she said. Smith is an author as well as a performer and has multiple books available on Amazon.

Kirby was joined by her husband Tom. The couple are both teachers in the Mason City Community School District. Marty Garrett also teaches at Pinecrest Center and the three perform together as Betty and the Gents. Each artist is involved in multiple projects, including church worship.

Betsy is half of the duo Juni+Betty with Joan Estlund, a longtime North Iowa favorite. Estlund led Mays songwriting workshop. The pair perform all over the area including July 14s upcoming Friday Night Live concert.

The attending artists all have different different backgrounds, skill levels and preferred style of playing, but together they become a kind of magic band. One that reacts and interprets each musicians contribution.

To be an observer of the group is to see the gears in motion. Fingers flutter lightly across fret boards as players find their places. Chords are strummed aimlessly, but intentionally with the hopes that a song will come walking right out of the guitar.

While most players had guitars on hand, its a matter of portability over preference. The composers themselves have diverse talents on multiple instruments and often play in a variety of bands and solo endeavors.

Stef Penfield is karaoke host for the All Vets Center and the Willow Run Lounge, both in Mason City. His interest in songwriting is simply an extension of his interest in music all together. Musically, there is a lot going on in town. There are always bands to see and if you want to perform on your own, theres always karaoke, he said.

Over and over, participants echoed the same theme. Mason City is bustling with live music at both familiar and new venues. Root and bandmate Dan True have a Facebook page called The Mason City Music Company.

Its a way for all of us to connect. We can go to shows, book with people who joined. Were making it a resource, but itll grow into its own thing, True said.

Evans is pleased with how many folks the workshop has attracted. Theres a LOT of great musicians and bands around. People drive from all over North Iowa to join us. One of the great things about this business is that its really built on relationships and who you know. Were all getting to know each other.
Robert Bob Furleigh

March 1, 1931-June 28, 2023

CLEAR LAKE-Robert Bob Furleigh, 92, of Clear Lake, Iowa died June 28, 2023, at the MercyOne North Iowa Hospital, Mason City, Iowa.

Memorial services will be 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, 2023, at the Covenant Church, 411 South Ohio, Mason City Iowa. Burial will take place at Clear Lake Cemetery. Military honors will be presented by the Clear Lake VFW.

Visitation will take place from 4:00p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, July 2, 2023, at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third Street Northeast, Mason City, IA and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Memorial contributions may be directed in care of the family. They will be utilized to support college education in agriculture through scholarships at Clear Lake High School and North Iowa Area Community College students.

Born on a farm March 1, 1931, to parents Robert Foster and Maude (Harris) in Clear Lake, Iowa. Bob attended the rural schools of Lake Township and graduated from Clear Lake High school in 1949 and then attended Iowa State University majoring in Pre Med before proudly serving in the United States Army for two years during the Korean Conflict. Bob returned to Iowa State University in 1955 following his service where he graduated with an Economics degree in 1958. On September 22, 1956, he married the love of his life, Donna Vay Burgess, at the Panora Christian Church, in Panora, Iowa. They lived on a farm in Clear Lake where they raised their two children, Ben and Dwight. Their farm was recognized as a century farm in 2010.

Bob committed himself to his community early in his career as a 4-H leader, extension council member, and township trustee. He served as President of the Cerro Gordo Farm Bureau, state resolutions committee member, a voting delegate to the national Farm Bureau convention and state policy committee chairman. Bob played an instrumental role in the success of Senator Charles Grassley serving as his third district campaign manager in 1976. Bob also served as a Senatorial Aide to Grassley in 1981.

In 1986 the Reagan Administration appointed Bob as executive director of the Agricultural and Stabilization and Conservation Service (now Farm Service Agency) for the state of Iowa. His dedication earned him the Administrator's Award three years in a row. In 1993 Bob served as administrative assistant to Governor Branstad and committed himself to maintaining Iowa's livestock industry. His work led to the creation and implementation of the Governor's Livestock Task Force and served as chairman. Governor Branstad appointed Bob in 1995 to serve on the Northern Great Plains Rural Development Commission established by Congress and the State Judicial Nominating Commission from 1998 to 2001.

In 1999 Bob received the Farm Bureau distinguished service agriculture award and in 2002 he was one of 23 ISU alumni living in Iowa profiled by the university. Bob has been a longtime member of the Rotary Club, being active in Des Moines as well as with the Mason City Rotary Club since 1976, serving as president in 1998. Bob was an ordained ruling elder and lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church in Mason City.

Proud to have been raised a hard-working farm boy, Bob could be found working on their strawberry and vegetable farm during the summer where he enjoyed talking to the customers. Bob developed a life-long passion for flying and sail boating in Clear Lake was a favorite pastime along with watching Lawrence Welk reruns and the Fox Business News channel.

Robert and Donna enjoyed wintering in Florida for twenty three years where they made many dear friends.

He is survived by his beloved wife Donna; his two children, Dwight (Cheri) of Tonica, IL, and Ben (Rachael) of Port Charlotte, FL; three grandchildren, Alexander, Erin "Katy," and Erik. He is also survived by his sister Mary Woerner of La Grand, IA, several nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and cherished friend, Chuck Grove.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Robert and Maude Furleigh.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel. 641-357-2193. www.colonialchapels.com.
Photo: The Canadian Press The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington. The conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is ending its latest term with a fierce flurry of attacks on liberal values. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Mariam Zuhaib

The U.S. Supreme Court put its conservative slant  and its ever-more-combative liberal minority  on stark display Friday as it rejected federal plans to forgive student debt and backed businesses that refuse to serve same-sex couples.

In the latter ruling, the court sided with Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian web designer in Colorado who feared her state's anti-discrimination law would compel her to provide her services to same-sex couples.

"The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the six-justice majority.

"Colorado seeks to deny that promise."

Minutes later, the same majority dealt President Joe Biden's administration another body blow: an outright rejection of a $400-billion plan to forgive or reduce outstanding loans for 43 million students.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan called that ruling "a danger to a democratic order" because it circumvents the separation of powers that puts policy decisions in the hands of Congress and the president.

"In every respect, the court today exceeds its proper, limited role in our nation's governance."

Biden agreed, calling the decision on student loan forgiveness "stunning."

"I think the court misinterpreted the (U.S.) Constitution," he said from the White House as he vowed to find another way to get young families the relief he promised.

"Today's decision has closed one path. Now we're going to pursue another."

Friday's two final decisions of the high court's spring term followed an even more fractious ruling the day before, all but barring colleges and universities from considering race and ethnicity in student admissions.

Following that one, Biden said, matter-of-factly: "This is not a normal court."

That's been clear for just over a year now, since the monumental decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade, upending a half-century of precedent that guaranteed federal abortion rights across the U.S.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the latest rulings as the legacy of former president Donald Trump, whose four-year term provided a rare opportunity to appoint three separate Supreme Court justices.

"The fanatical MAGA right have captured the Supreme Court and achieved dangerous, regressive policies that they could never attain at the ballot box," Schumer said in a statement.

He hinted at a series of recent ethics scandals that have shone an unflattering light on the court and ensnared several prominent members, including justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, as well as Chief Justice John Roberts.

"This MAGA-captured Supreme Court feels free to accept lavish gifts and vacations from their powerful, big-monied friends, all while they refuse to help everyday Americans."

The latest series of opinions has also resurrected calls from critics and progressives on Capitol Hill for an expansion of the court, adding four or more seats  an idea Biden has already dismissed as a non-starter.

"I think if we start the process of trying to expand the court, we're going to politicize it maybe forever in a way that is not healthy," he said Thursday in a rare midday interview on MSNBC.

The language in the dissenting opinions from the court's liberal justices showcased just how wide the ideological schism in the nine-judge panel has grown.

"Today the court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the minority.

"Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people."

Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, whose organization has already declared a state of emergency on LGBTQ rights, called Friday's ruling another step down a perilous road.

"We should take it as an indication of what the court is doing, and that is rolling back rights and providing the door opening for discrimination in this country to advance," Robinson told CNN.

"We have to see it for what it is: part of a campaign of hate and discrimination by our opposition to target LGBTQ-plus people for political points."

On Thursday, it was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court's first Black woman and Biden's only high-court appointee to date, who let rip.

"With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today the majority pulls the ripcord and announces 'colorblindness for all' by legal fiat," Brown-Jackson wrote, calling the affirmative action ruling "a tragedy for us all."

"But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life."
Email special events to news@registerbee.com. The deadline is noon Wednesday.

ANNUAL SESSION

Cherrystone Missionary Baptist Association will celebrate its 145th Annual Session with Greater Triumph as the host church. Event starts on at 6 p.m. July 11 with a musical; on July 12, the devotions and youth presentation will be at 10 a.m., the men's ministry will be at 6 p.m.; On July 13, the women's ministry will be at 10 a.m., and the moderator's hour will be at 6 p.m.

HOMECOMING-COMMUNITY DAY

Tarpley Chapel Baptist Church, 16156 Mount Cross Road, Dry Fork, will host Homecoming-Community Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8. All surrounding churches, families and friends of the community are invited to attend. The event will take place on the church parking lot and lawn. Attendees are welcome to bring a lawn chair. There will be live music, a car show, inflatable and activities for children, food (hot dogs, hamburgers, fish) a cake walk games, and vendors will be available. Food and activities are free.

WELLNESS MINISTRY

Shockoe Missionary Baptist Church, 857 Java Road, Java, hosts a monthly Wellness Walking Ministry from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., meeting every fourth Saturday. All ages are welcome to participate. The Health and Wellness Ministry will meet at 9 a.m. before each walking session. For information, contact Kathy B. Ramsey at 434-251-0379 or atbjrk@gmail.com.

IN PERSON/ONLINE SERVICES

Ascension Lutheran Church, 314 West Main St., worships Sundays at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and live on Facebook at www.facebook/ascensionlutherandanville.

Mount Vernon United Methodist Church offers in-person services at 10 a.m. each Sunday as well as online worship services every Sunday at mtvernonumc.org or www.facebook.com/MountVernonUMC.

IN-PERSON SERVICES

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1172 Franklin Turnpike, will have in-house worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Free books available anytime from a Little Free Library located on a post next to the driveway.

Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 406 Gay St., has in-person services at 10 a.m. for hour of power on the first and third Sundays.

North New Hope Baptist Church, 123 Old Piney Forest Road, has resumed in church worship services at 11 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 p.m.

Mount Sinai Glorious Church of God, 716 Jefferson St., will hold services in the sanctuary with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. The service also will be streamed on Facebook.

Mount Freeman Baptist Church, 2100 Laniers Mill Road, hosts in-person service at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school.

ONLINE WORSHIP SERVICES

Sacred Heart Catholic Church will livestream worship service at 9 a.m. Sundays in English and noon in Spanish at www.facebook.com/sheartchurch.

DRIVE-IN SERVICES

Staunton River Baptist Church, Long Island, will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. each Sunday.

ONGOING SERVICES

Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebrates Mass every weekend with a vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday in English and noon in Spanish.

Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church holds Sunday worship services each week at 11 a.m. Because of COVID-19, a face mask is required for all attendees and social distancing is mandatory.

Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 2450 Franklin Turnpike, from 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday, will hold Ladies Need Encouragement, an hour of worship and prayer. Participants are asked to bring a Bible and practice social distancing. The event is for ages 10 and up with adult supervision. For more information, call 540-907-8836.

Mount Zion Temple, now located at 503 Hughes St., presents The Word Homelitic Institute at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Transportation is provided by calling Bishop David K. Fuller at 434-429-8960.
Because this section is free of charge, community events are subject to run based on available space. Religion items are published on the Saturday church page. Email events to news@registerbee.com.

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS

DANVILLE: The Municipal Building, all other city of Danville government offices and the public library will be closed Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday. The James F. Ingram Justice Center will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Danville Transit will not operate on Tuesday. Public works crews, however, will collect household trash and yard waste on Tuesday as regularly scheduled. Offices, the library, and the courthouse will reopen on Wednesday. Danville Transit services will resume that day as well.

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY: All Pittsylvania County offices and departments will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in commemoration of Independence Day. All branches of the Pittsylvania County Library will be closed. All Pittsylvania County courts will be closed.

SUNDAY, JULY 2

CLASSICAL CONCERT: Schoolfield Village presents a free Classical Concert at 917 W. Main Street in Danville at 7:30 p.m. Brothers Kevin and Bryan Matheson, on violin and viola, and Judy Clark, on piano, will entertain the audience with an "All-American" program. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Make a free reservation for the concert at https://SchoolfieldClassical.eventbrite.com.

ALL-AMERICAN PROGRAM: The Chatham Concert Series will hold its annual an "All-American" program at 3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Concert series favorites Kevin and Bryan Matheson, on violin and viola, and Judith Clark, on piano will entertain the audience. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support the concert series.

MONDAY, JULY 3

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CHAPTERS 19 TO MEET: Disabled American Veterans Chapter 19 will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 325.

COATES DAY CAMP-LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION WEEK: Camp held at Coates Recreation Center July 3-7 (no camp on July 4) from 7:30 to 6 p.m. for first through sixth graders. Cost is $100 per person with $6 for a field trip that includes a movie, popcorn and drink. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch. Registration is required by calling 434-799-5150.

TUESDAY, JULY 4

JULY 4 CELEBRATION: Free celebration kick off at 6 p.m. at the Carrington Pavilion; Danville Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m.; fireworks at dusk (weather permitting). Vendors and concessionaires will be on site with items for purchase. For more information, call 434-857-3384.

THURSDAY, JULY 6

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY NAACP TO MEET: Pittsylvania County NAACP will meet at 6 p.m. at the PCCA building, 348 N. Main St., Chatham.

MONDAY, JULY 10

ADVENTURE CAMP III: Camp is held July 10-14 and consists of hiking, kayaking, zip lining, high ropes adventures and climbing wall challenges. This camp will also consist of one out-of-town trip to Smith Mountain Lake State Park, arts and crafts, environmental education and outdoor games. A supply list will be sent out, all campers are responsible for all gear on the supply list. This camp is for ages 12-14 held from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at cost of $175 per person. Call 434-799-5150 to register.

THURSDAY, JULY 13

MUSIC AT THE MARKET-SHELTON AND WILLIAMS BAND: Free Music at the Market concert series held at the Danville Community Market's outdoor stage, 629 Craghead St., from 7 to 9 p.m. In event of rain, concert will be moved inside the Community Market. Bring a chair or blanket.

FRIDAY, JULY 14

CAMPFIRE FRIDAY: Join for a summer campfire under the stars from 8 to 9 p.m. There will be smores, campfire games and ghost stories. Bring blanket and chair and enjoy a true camper experience for ages 5 and up; parents are required to stay with their children. Call 434-799-5150. No fee.

MONDAY, JULY 17

COATES DAY CAMP-ART APPRECIATION WEEK: Art Appreciation Week will be held at Coates Recreation Center from July 17-21 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for ages first through sixth graders at cost of $125 per child, plus $5 fee for field trip. Camp will be exploring different art mediums, talking to a local artist and visiting the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack and their own lunch if desired. Participants registration is required, call (434) 799-5150.

MONDAY, JULY 24

HANGING ROCK OVERNIGHT CAMP: Travel to Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina to spend four nights under the stars. Overnight camp is for ages 12 to 14 at cost of $300 held July 24 to July 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This camp is perfect for beginners and experts seeking new thrills. Due to the nature of this camp, registration ends June 30 at 5 p.m. A supply list will be sent out, all campers are responsible for all gear on the supply list. Call 434-799-5150.

MONDAY, JULY 31

COATES DAY CAMP: Splish, Splash Week is from July 31 to Aug. 4 at Coates Recreation Center. Spend summer building friendships, exploring the outdoors and participating in healthy activities in a quality camp program. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack. This program is for rising first through sixth grade students. Participants are welcome to bring their own snacks and lunch. Registration is required by calling 434-799-5150. In the last week of camp the group will go swimming at North East Park, learning about water safety and enjoying the Fun Wagon. Cost is $125 per person and $10 per person for field trip.

THURSDAY, AUG. 10

MUSIC AT THE MARKET-OLD 97 BAND: Free concert held at Danville Community Market's Outdoor Stage at 7 p.m. Bring a chair, blanket, and picnic basket. In the event of rain, concert will be moved inside the Community Market. Call 434-857-3384 for more information.

TUESDAY, AUG. 15

CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages six to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful. The group will start off by making dishcloths. They will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call 434-799-5150.

TUESDAY, AUG. 22

CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages 6 to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful. The group will start off by making dishcloths. They will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call 434-799-5150.

THURSDAY, AUG. 24

THURSDAY PADDLE: Thursday Paddle meets at the boathouse and will travel on the Dan River in hopes to catch glimpses of river otters, blue herons, and turtles. Registration is required. Must be at least 8 years old; all children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. From 6 to 8 p.m. at cost of $17 per person. For more information, call 434-799-5150 or email brownmc@danvilleeva.gov.

TUESDAY, AUG. 29

CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages six to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful. The group will start off by making dishcloths. They will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call 434-799-5150.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6

STRIKING UP THE BAND: The Hows, Whats & Whys of a University Band Program will be presented at 7 p.m., Averett University Student Center Multipurpose Room; free admission. Dr. Janet Phillips, associate professor of music, started a brand new band program. Through photos, videos and stories, she will show how it was done and how the program looks moving forward.
Why do some United States Supreme Court justices have such a hard time saying no?

Believe me, I understand the temptation. Columnists may not be judges in the traditional sense, but we are judges in the court of public opinion. Occasionally, Ive been offered gifts in exchange for a positive ruling (well, a positive column) on a controversial issue that may come before me.

Attractive as these offers may be, they are just not that difficult to refuse. Especially when the institutions credibility  or your job  is on the line.

The people judges and journalists serve expect and deserve transparency, fairness and independence. They do not want either group to be bought off, or materially rewarded for the opinions they deliver. If the public stops believing the courts or the news media are acting on principle, the institutions lose credibility. Even the whiff of a conflict of interest or a quid pro quo diminishes them. Accepting costly freebies on the sly from interested parties, then pretending its no ones business, is one of the fastest ways to corrode faith in our democratic infrastructure, our free press, our supposedly fair and impartial Supreme Court.

Its astonishing that newspapers like The Times are stricter about ethics than the Supreme Court, which is required to report some financial dealings each year but otherwise has no compulsory code of ethics at all.

No one has ever offered me a free flight on a private jet to a rustic lodge in Alaska, as in the case of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., or a free seat on a private jet to a super yacht in Indonesia, as in the case of Justice Clarence Thomas. But Ive been offered lots of nice things in my career.

When I was a cub reporter in Ventura County, the owner of an oceanfront vacation home in Oxnard Shores offered me the use of his house. The catch? I was working on a story about a proposed moratorium on beachfront residential construction, which he opposed. If he liked the story, he told me, I was welcome to a weekend at the beach. The invitation was rescinded upon publication.

Even when a source doesnt want anything, when they simply appreciate something you have written, they may try to thank you with a lavish gift. That creates the appearance of impropriety. I have, over the years, sent back a Seiko watch, a gold bracelet, a Blackberry (remember those?) and designer clothing.

I once wrote about the late Ray Evans, the lyricist half of the supremely talented songwriting duo Livingston and Evans. I thought a story about the origins of the great Christmas song Silver Bells would be a good read during the holidays, so I arranged to meet Evans for an interview over lunch and when I dropped him off at his Benedict Canyon home, he invited me in.

Evans, who was an 89-year-old widower with a naughty streak, invited me downstairs to his bedroom to show me his royalty books. Youre sure your husband wont mind? he joked, as he took a seat on his motorized staircase chair for the descent. In a notebook on his desk, he kept track of the astonishing amount of money hed earned from that one classic song, more than half a million dollars a year.

The story ran on Dec. 25, 2004. That morning, my home phone rang. It was Evans, delighted by the piece. I couldnt have paid a publicist to get such a great story in the paper, he exclaimed. I want you to go to Tiffanys and pick out anything you want. I wish.

Just this week, I was offered a stay at a lovely little seaside hotel in Laguna Beach in exchange for coverage of the place. That is a newspaper no-no. Would the story be colored by the fact that my stay would not have cost a cent? How could it not be? And why should anyone even have to wonder about that?

Which brings me back to the Supreme Court, which is not bound by the code of conduct that applies to all other federal judges.

If we are ever to regain our trust in the Supreme Court, Congress must adopt a specific and binding code of ethics for the justices, ones that impose well-defined dollar limits on gifts and personal hospitality, the dodge that has allowed Thomas, in particular, to feed at the freebie trough.

The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said as he announced that his committee would take up legislation tightening ethics rules for the Supreme Court later this summer.

Its not just conservative justices who have failed to declare their conflicts. According to reports, Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not recuse herself in at least three cases involving Penguin Random House, which has paid her millions of dollars for her memoir and childrens books.

The idea that the justices can be trusted to police themselves, as all nine declared recently in a joint statement on ethics, is laughable. No one can do that. Human beings are endlessly creative in absolving themselves of conflicts. Alito, for instance, claimed it was OK for him to take a free private jet ride to Alaska because the seat would have been vacant anyway.

In any case, Supreme Court justices shouldnt have to be responsible for deciding which freebies to accept, or which cases to bow out of.

Lets remove that terrible burden from their black-robed shoulders. Like journalists, they need some hard and fast rules to live by.
GREENSBORO  A bus design that honors Black men who served in the Continental Army and militia during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse is being unveiled this weekend.

The newly decorated Greensboro Transit Agency bus includes the names of 33 men at the Revolutionary War battle in 1781, according to a city news release.

The bus also displays the Guilford Courthouse flag, believed to have been flown during the battle; a sketch called The Calvary Charge, featuring a soldier on horseback; and a copy of a 1784 petition demanding the freedom of Black soldier Ned Griffin, signed by the men who served with him.

The bus will be parked at Tour Stop 8 at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and in the 300 block of South Elm Street from 1 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

The bus will operate along GTA Route 8 during the first week of July and then across routes citywide.

The special bus wrap was created at the request of Greensboro residents and Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson, according to the release. It seeks to honor the contributions of people of color who are often overlooked participants of the Revolutionary War.

Learn more about Black patriots and the role they played during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse by watching the video below.
GREENSBORO  In a bizarre incident, a person wielding a large knife and machete was shot and killed by police officers Friday night following a confrontation, authorities said.

Greensboro police were dispatched at 9:41 p.m. to the 3100 block of Creek Ridge Road in the citys southeastern section. Callers to the Guilford Metro 911 center complained of gunfire with one resident reporting that they witnessed someone throwing knives.

When officers arrived, they saw fireworks being set off, but nothing out of the ordinary.

About 15 minutes later, however, more gunfire was reported in the area. Officers then found a person armed with a large knife and a machete on Creek Ridge Road near Rehobeth Church Road.

When officers approached the person, they fled.

A foot chase ensued. Over a mile, officers attempted to stop the suspect with pepper spray and a Taser.

Eventually, the person made their way to the parking lot of a BP gas station at 2600 Randleman Road. Patrons had gathered outside the convenience store.

Thats when the suspect stopped and advanced toward police. Three officers then fired their guns, hitting the person.

Officers provided aid until emergency medical personnel arrived.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

Police didnt identify the deceased or the three officers, who have been placed on administrative duty.

Greensboro police has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the incident. The departments professional standards division also will determine if the proper policies were followed.
ROBINSON  Three Robinson residents have been charged with concealment of a homicidal death in connection with the death of a missing Lerna man whose remains were found in Crawford County.

The Illinois State Police reported in a press release that the Crawford County States Attorneys Office has charged Lance T. Newcomb, 34; Angela S. Newcomb, 58; and Hiley A. Schulte, 52, with concealment. In addition, Angela Newcomb has been charged with obstructing justice. These are all felony charges.

On June 22, the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office requested that State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 investigate the case of missing Ryan L. Waggoner, 55, of rural Lerna. Authorities reported at the time that Waggoner was last seen June 2 at his residence in northwest Cumberland County.

According to the State Police, the investigation led the division's agents to a rural address in Crawford County on Tuesday. Human remains were located there and a forensic analysis was conducted to identify the remains.

The State Police reported that the investigation led to the three suspects being arrested by the division, with the assistance of the Crawford County Sheriffs Office, Robinson Police Department and the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office. The state's attorney filed charges on Thursday.

All three suspects are in custody at the Crawford County jail. Court records showed late Friday morning that hearings for them had not been scheduled.
DECATUR  As emergency response crews work to clear roads and restore power this weekend, some Central Illinois residents may be waiting for days before the lights turn back on.

Roughly 182,000 Ameren Illinois customers lost power at the peak of outages after severe storms swept through the state on Thursday, the utility said Friday.

George Justice, vice president of electric operations, said about 40% of those customers had power restored as of midday Friday.

"We continue to do everything we can to get customers restored as quickly and safely as possible," he said in a video message.

But a timeline for completed repairs was not yet available, as Justice said the utility remained in an "assessment mode."

"This event is going to extend well into the weekend," he said. Some customers might see power restored on Friday, while others might not have it for a day or two.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, the utility reported that 12,439 Macon County customers, or roughly 23%, were without power. Several adjacent counties, including Champaign, Sangamon, DeWitt and Logan, all had thousands of customers out of power.

Nearly all the utilitys linemen have been assigned to storm restoration, Justice said.

On a typical day, Ameren Illinois employs 650 linemen. In addition, about 250 to 300 electrical contractors are working during construction season.

And this week, the company also brought in 1,200 additional personnel from utility companies in Chicago, Iowa, Missouri and Tennessee to address the extensive damage resulting from exceptionally high winds during Thursdays severe weather.

Winds reaching 75 mph were recorded in Decatur. In Clinton and Atlanta, winds reached 80 mph, with some areas of the state seeing winds as high as 95 mph.

But according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, no tornadoes were reported during Thursdays storm.

We have not officially designated any yet, said meteorologist Alex Erwin. But we do have a survey team going out today to Sangamon County as well as Logan County, specifically in Lincoln, to look at some potential tornado damage.

In the Lincoln service area, over 150 instances of wind damage were reported on Thursday, Erwin said.

Damages reported include several of Ameren's sub-transmission lines.

Those lines carry service to thousands of customers, so our first priority was to restore those, Justice said. Now we're moving into what we call 'distribution lines,' and those are the lines that serve neighborhoods and small businesses and that sort of thing. So we're working on those circuits that have the most number of customers after that. That's our priority, to get the most customers back on as quickly and safely as we can.

TREMENDOUS TREE DAMAGE

Jeff and Holly Foster were outside on the east side of Decatur Friday afternoon helping a friend whose tree damage blocked his driveway.

Were just cutting it up, Jeff Foster said. Another buddy is on the way with a trailer. Then were loading it up and getting it out of here for him.

While taking a chainsaw to the tree that had blocked their friend, the Fosters told the Herald & Review a tree had also fallen in their own backyard.

But it aint bothering anybody, Jeff Foster said. We can get in and out of our house.

The Fosters are not alone.

Macon County has had tremendous amounts of tree damage since Thursday, said Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Tammy Schneider.

Like many other Decatur residents, Wilma Tortorices home was damaged in several areas by a tall oak tree that once stood in her yard on Burgener Drive.

Its been there forever, she said.

Large branches landed on her roof and damaged three sides of her house, and her backyard was completely covered in branches, Tortorice said.

You couldnt walk outside, she said. It was a mess.

With two great-grandchildren visiting, the 76-year-old Decatur resident hid in the bathtub with the children and dog while the storm hit the neighborhood.

We were terrified, she said.

Tortorice was fortunate to have most of the debris removed by Friday afternoon by Jim Irvin and his hauling company.

This is my 17th house, Irvin said. I started during the storm.

Because of the damage to her roof and siding, water from the rains had leaked into the house. But Tortorice and everyone else inside the home are fine, and she said she still feels fortunate considering what could have happened.

All the neighbors lost power, but I havent, she said. But I got all the damage.

CLEARING THE PATH

As Ameren crews work on repairing power lines, other emergency responders are working to clear fallen trees, branches and other debris from streets and other public areas.

Byron Bowman, municipal services manager for Decatur Public Works, said crews were clearing downed trees and branches until 10:30 p.m. Thursday evening and resumed the effort Friday morning.

Bowman said they were "pretty confident that we can get all the streets opened by the end of work time."

Nearly 40 Public Works employees were working on storm damage in Decatur on Thursday and Friday, Bowman said.

City employees only clear debris in public areas, though. Under usual circumstances, any downed trees and limbs on private property are the responsibility of the private property owner, the city said in a news release on Friday.

But because of the size and quantity of the trees and limbs that fell Thursday, the city said it will remove private tree debris under the following conditions:

Trees and limbs must be brought to the curb no later than Monday, July 10.

Trees and limbs must be cut so that they are no longer than six feet in length.

The city will not collect any other garbage or debris, such as parts of a fence or a shed, building materials, etc. If these items are on the tree and limb pile, none of the debris will be collected.

Trees and limbs taken down by the extreme winds caused most of the storm damage, but one insurance company said its received claims for hail and other weather-related damage as well.

As of Friday, Country Financial has received 1,643 claims from Thursdays storm, with 1,436 of those property losses and 207 auto-related. Claims range from wind and hail to sump pump and other weather-related damage.

Eleven homes are uninhabitable to date, the company said. Several farms have experienced major damage to outbuildings. Of the property claims, 308 are on farms.

In a news release, the insurance group advised individuals to take photos of any and all storm damage, including spoiled food in the refrigerator and freezer, before throwing anything out.

Some insurers will also cover temporary living expenses, the news release said. Those affected by storm damage should make an inventory of all damaged items and keep receipts for emergency repairs items.

State Farm reported more than 2,320 auto and home claims from June 25-30, and expecting more as the cleanup continues.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

In addition to the dozens of city employees and hundreds of linemen deployed to outage and incident sites, many other first responders were busy on Thursday and Friday.

The Decatur Fire Department responded to several power outages, according to Battalion Chief Tim May. "They had several alarms come in as fires, where they found electrical issues inside houses, as the power was being turned back on," he said.

May estimates more than 100 alarms were called into dispatchers. "And that lasted throughout the night," he said.

No injuries were reported.

As the electricity is restored to homes, the fire department expects to receive additional calls. "Some of the problems will be electricity back-feeding," May said. "If a tree limb hit the lines and got them crossed or bared and connecting, that could be a problem inside their house. And fire alarms may be activated because of surges."

Police officers and other first responders were also busy throughout the evening assisting residents and motorists.

"We had a few homes that had trees down into them," said Sgt. Jason Brown with the Macon County Sheriffs Office. "Deputies and some of the smaller agencies, Blue Mound and Warrensburg, had to go make sure that the occupants, if they were there, they were safe. If they weren't home, they secured the scene until the fire crew could get there."

Even the sheriff's department was not spared from the storm.

"We're on backup generators here at the office," Brown said. "We're kind of limited with some of our internal electronic capabilities, but we're still out on the streets patrolling."

As restoration efforts continue, hazards remain. First responders advise drivers to be safe while crossing intersections as several traffic signals in Decatur remained dark as of Friday afternoon.

Bowman said such intersections should be treated as if they are all-way stops until the signals are restored.

"We will set all signals to go to red flash and then as we get notified that they're powered back up, our electricians will go out and reset them to start working as normal," he said.

SOME LUCKIER THAN OTHERS

Widespread power outages meant many businesses across Central Illinois had to temporarily shut their doors on Thursday evening and into Friday.

Those that could remain open were, in some cases, overwhelmed with patrons.

Vien Hite and the staff at Mama Chans in Moweaqua had to turn customers away 30 minutes before their scheduled closing time. We normally close at 8:30, she said. We fulfilled the orders that we had, but we stopped at 8 oclock.

The Thai restaurant is one of five eating establishments in the village of nearly 2,000. However, they were the only restaurant open during the hours after Thursdays storm knocked out power to much of the area, including neighboring Assumption.

We never lose power in this building, Hite said about the old historic Main Street building. A lot of people say were blessed.

The staff waited on tables filled with customers, several sharing with friends they happened to meet when they walked into the restaurant.

When the line was out the door, we finally just said we can take the orders, but we dont know when they will be done, Hite said. Some people continued to place the orders, but a couple didnt.

WEATHER AWARE

According to the weather service, Thursdays storm brought an average of one inch of rain to Macon County. With the area categorized as D2, a severe drought, the rainfall helped the conditions, Erwin said.

I dont know if it will be enough to bring the area out of the severe drought, but its definitely a start, he said. It should slow down any worsening of the drought.

More rain is expected throughout the weekend, according to the weather service, and Erwin said drought conditions could improve even more if more rain comes.

Although upcoming storms are not expected to be as severe as Thursdays storm, wind may still be a concern.

Its a pretty active pattern, Erwin said. But were not looking at anything quite as intense as yesterday.

Schneider said residents should stay alert as rain and storms continue through the weekend.

We want people to be weather aware and still take all the necessary precautions, she said.

That includes having a way to stay updated on weather alerts and even being aware of food safety protocol as refrigerators and freezers remain without power.

Cooling centers and charging stations are available in every Macon County municipality, she added. The complete list of centers and their hours is available to view on the Macon County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page.

The Decatur Public Library will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, and the Decatur Public Transit Center is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 2.

Other Macon County locations include the Argenta Community Building, the Blue Mound Fire Department, the Forsyth library, Harristown Village Hall, Long Creek Village Hall, Macon Community Center, Maroa City Hall Gym, the Mount Zion Fire Department, the Niantic Fire Station and Warrensburg Village Hall.

We just want everyone to get through this safe and support each other, Schneider said. Check on your neighbors.
Photo: The Canadian Press Visitors talk to staff members at a display for technology firm Nokia at the PT Expo in Beijing, Sunday, June 4, 2023. The annual expo showcases Chinese and foreign technology firms. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Network infrastructure and 5G technology provider Nokia has signed a new long-term patent license agreement with Apple to replace the current deal between the two companies that is set to expire at the end of 2023.

The deal, which enables Apple to use the Finnish companys technology in its products, covers Nokias inventions in 5G and other technologies. The terms of the agreement announced late Friday remain confidential.

Nokia expects to recognize revenue related to the agreement starting January 2024, and the company said the deal is consistent with its long-term outlook disclosed in the first quarter.

The agreement reflects the strength of Nokias patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies, Nokia Technologies President Jenni Lukander said in a statement.

The previous license agreement between Apple and Nokia was announced in May 2017.

Nokia said its patent portfolio is built on more than 140 billion ($153 billion) invested in research and development since 2000, and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 5,500 patent families declared essential to 5G.

The Espoo, Finland -based Nokia is one of the worlds main suppliers of 5G, the latest generation of broadband technology, along with Swedens Ericsson, Chinas Huawei and South Koreas Samsung.
DECATUR  Several residents are still cleaning up from Thursdays storm; however, the early Saturday morning showers were welcomed to ease the ongoing drought covering Central Illinois.

We really needed the rain, said Mount Zions Bushel and Peck Wildflowers owner Lindsay Storm. The wind wasnt so great, but we didnt have much damage.

Central Illinois is not done with the potential for storms yet.

The National Weather Service expected Saturday to be dry through much of the day, with storms occurring in the late afternoon and evening.

Damaging winds is the highest concern today, with wind gusts over 75 mph possible, and large hail being the secondary concern today, the NWS in Lincoln stated on its website Saturday. Isolated tornadoes and localized flash flooding are possible as well. The timing for this afternoon and evening's storms is from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The expected widespread thunderstorms throughout the weekend are a concern for Alex Erwin and other NWS meteorologists.

Specifically an additional chance for damaging winds, he said. Its not the news that anybody wants to hear after Thursday.

Local meteorologists will be studying the updated drought conditions.

But I believe (the rains) will help, Erwin said. With the couple of inches of rain across most of the area, hopefully well see some improvements.

The latest conditions after the rains are still being determined. The Drought Monitor will be updated Thursday, Erwin said.

According to local reports, Moultrie County received 1.25 inches of rain during the past 24 hours. Shelby County reported 1.77 inches in Windsor, but Shelbyville had less than an inch. Information for Macon County was not available Saturday morning.

According to Storm, rainwater is better for her flowers. During the drought, she said the farm uses an irrigation system.

Everything is already shooting up like crazy, she said about the early morning rain's effects on the flowers. Before it was just inching along.

Photos: Storm damage in Decatur
DECATUR  Fireworks season always comes with safety risks.

But the drought that has plagued the state has local fire departments especially concerned for the upcoming Independence Day holiday.

According to Deputy Chief Dan Kline, the Decatur Fire Department is recommending the public leave the fireworks to the professionals.

As dry as the conditions are right now, unless you are permitted to light off fireworks, do not light any type of novelties or fireworks, he said. Were having an unusually dry groundcover right now.

Novelty fireworks, including sparklers and smoke bombs, can create enough of a spark to cause damage.

Our recommendation is to not light off anything thats going to generate enough heat or a spark to ignite the ground, Kline said.

This year, the Decatur Fire Department has issued four licenses permitting professional fireworks.

One group has already displayed the fireworks. The Southside Country Club and the Decatur Country Club each have their festivities planned for Monday, July 3. The Decatur Park District will display the citys fireworks over Lake Decatur at dusk on Independence Day.

Even after the weekend rains, the Illinois counties range from being categorized as D0, Abnormally Dry, to D2, Severe Drought, on the U.S. drought monitor.

According to JC Fultz, public information officer for the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, dry vegetation can combust quicker, leading to a fire that can spread quickly out of control.

If the fire remains unchecked, it can spread to structures that are in the vicinity of where the origination of the fire took place, he said. This is why we encourage everyone to leave fireworks to the professionals.

Another concern for local firefighters is the use of outdoor grills. This year, the Decatur Fire Department has attacked more fires caused by small embers or pieces of charcoal on the ground.

And Fourth of July and grilling seem to go hand in hand, Kline said.

Fireworks vendors must be licensed in order to sell even novelty items, the deputy chief said.

They cant just set up a tent or a trailer somewhere without getting the blessing from the city, Kline said. We would have to inspect the product that theyre selling to make sure that it is in fact legal.

In Decatur, fireworks are illegal unless the person lighting them is trained and permitted, Kline said.

Professional fireworks companies are required to go through checklists. They must also be registered with the OSFM and work with the local jurisdiction.

The amount of rain and how quickly the vegetation recovers may help with some of the restrictions.

Either way, if you are shooting off fireworks too close to a structure, it doesnt matter whether or not you are in a drought, Fultz said. It only takes a few embers or sparks to cause a fire which could spread quickly throughout that structure.

Official fireworks professionals are trained and require a rigorous checklist to ensure safety is a top priority, Fultz said.

Local jurisdictions will inspect the shoot site and make sure the company is following all the correct procedures and that the public is far enough away from the fallout zone, he said. This doesnt always occur when people purchase and shoot consumer fireworks. Most dont have any formal training, and accidents happen every year.

Fultz said the risk is simply not worth it.

Every year across the state accidental fires, burn injuries, loss of limbs and deaths occur due to the use of fireworks, he said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fireworks started an estimated 12,264 fires in 2021, including 2,082 structure fires, 316 vehicle fires, and 9,866 outside and other fires. These fires caused 29 civilian injuries and $59 million in direct property damage.

In Illinois during the July 2022 seasonal reporting period, 44 hospitals and facilities reported a total of 168 injuries, Fultz said.

More than 50% of the injuries affected hands and injuries to the head/face and eyes. Other injuries included first and second degree burns as well as lacerations and abrasions.

During last years season, dismemberment/amputation injuries increased to 20 as compared to seven in 2021.

According to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, sparklers burn at 1,200 degrees.

Consider using glow sticks or other safer items, Fultz said.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A look back at Decatur firefighters through the years 
Senate President Don Harmon told Public Radio talk show host Brian Mackey in late June that some of the most prominent business association leaders had punched us in the nose after the Senate Democrats devised what he called a good faith solution to solve problems created by the states super-controversial Biometric Information Privacy Act. Harmon also claimed the Senate Democratic proposal the business groups attacked was very friendly to the business community that has been asking for these changes.

Companies routinely collect biometric data like facial recognition and fingerprint scans. But, in Illinois, thats illegal unless the companies first obtain informed consent. Lots of lawsuits have been filed as a result and businesses want relief.

The Illinois Supreme Court all but begged the General Assembly earlier this spring to take another look at the law in its ruling against the White Castle company. That ruling could ultimately cost the burger chain as much as $17 billion for collecting employee fingerprint scans.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce held a press conference with other business leaders near the originally scheduled end of the spring legislative session to denounce the Senate Democrats proposal in no uncertain terms. Illinois Manufacturers' Association President and CEO Mark Denzler, who has not exactly been known for vitriol, claimed the proposal would make the problem even worse. The legislation, Denzler claimed, will only increase abuse of this law by trial attorneys who have filed thousands of claims under the statute.

The three business groups either refused to respond to Harmons comments, or, in one case, didnt respond at all.

Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham, who helped lead the negotiations and is also not generally known for his temper, said he was even more upset than Harmon after the business groups press conference. He said he reached out to them and said the Democrats were trying to draft a pro-business piece of legislation, and since they claimed the bill would make matters worse, he and the Senate Democrats decided to not run any bill during the spring session and maintain the status quo.

The Supreme Court ruled that the legislative intent of BIPA was to penalize each and every collection of employee biometric information. With large numbers of White Castle employees being scanned several times a day for five years, thats how we ended up with a $17 billion penalty, Cunningham said. The Democratic proposal wouldve specifically changed the law to base the penalty on the number of employees, not the number of scans. But they also increased the penalty from $1000 to $1500, which the business groups denounced as well.

Opponents of the BIPA law claim the original state statute has little to nothing to do with the real world. The idea behind the law is to protect people against having their biometric data stored and even traded without their knowledge or permission. After all, an online password can be changed after a data hack, but people cant just change their fingerprints to protect their identities.

All true, the critics say, but the fingerprints that are used to verify timecards, etc. arent kept or stored after they are scanned. Instead, the fingerprints are immediately converted into a set of numbers using a proprietary algorithm.

The only biometric information utilized by employers to identify employees is an encrypted string of numbers, systemically created as a result of the mathematical algorithm, according to a white paper released last week by Littler, a pro-employer law firm. There is no biometric identifier being stored or disseminated, and, therefore, it is virtually impossible to reverse engineer an employees original fingerprint.

Cunningham said he heard a theory from a Republican lawmaker that the business groups have been told by the corporate defense bar that theyre confident they can get the state law overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, so there was no reason to settle for a compromise at the state level. I have no idea if that's true or not, Cunningham said, But it's a better explanation that I can come up with.

Another person close to the issue said the Senate Dems ordered the handful of people involved with the talks to not communicate with anyone outside the room. The business groups, this person claimed, werent experts on the topic, so it wasnt until the actual legislation surfaced when experienced business lawyers could see what was going on, and thats when everything fell apart. Cunningham said that while they took input from others, the big lobbying groups were what they were most concerned with.
Terry Mattingly is the editor of GetReligion.org and Senior Fellow for Media and Religion at The Kings College in New York City. He lives in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Ernie Wittwer is a resident of New Braunfels. Retired after a career in public service, he is a monthly contributor to this page.
CLINTWOOD, VA  Exploring best ways to raise cost-share matching funds to secure large federal grants were among the topics if the most recent meeting of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority.

They met recently at the Dickenson Center for Education and Research in Clintwood.

Jonathan Belcher, executive director of the authority, said staff met with Virginia Department of Transportation Bristol and Richmond staff to learn more about applying for larger federal grants for the CFX.

He said a cost share match amounts will be required in order to apply for larger grants which might be available and suggested the CFX Authority may want to give some consideration to seeking a study on how best to raise those funds, which he said may require state legislation.

Following the discussion, the board authorized Belcher to work with the affected counties  Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise  in pursuing funding for the study through VCEDA.

Authority members heard an update from VDOTs Marty Halloway on the expressway project and also heard from Dickenson County Economic Development Director Dana Cronkhite who provided an overview of economic development initiatives and planning underway in the county, citing the critical importance of the Coalfields Expressway in realizing the full potential of projects and planning there.

Funding and construction updates related to the CFX project were also discussed. Belcher noted funding for the authority was requested in the fiscal 2024 state budget, but was not included, leaving the authority with no funds to operate. Currently, the authority receives staff support from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority.

Belcher said staff continues to communicate regularly with both state and federal legislative offices about the CFX and he noted federal legislators, including U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith and U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have been instrumental in obtaining new federal funding for the roadway. A combination of both state and federal funding will be necessary, however, to develop the project, he said. He added staff also met with Sen. Joe Manchin at the SelectUSA event in the Washington D.C., area recently and communicated with Manchins staff related to the CFX Authority.

There have been some successful federal funding requests since the authority began its work, Belcher said, pointing to the congressionally directed spending request submitted by the CFX Authority in 2021 for $1.995 million for Grundy to the West Virginia state line pre-engineering work, which was included in the fiscal 2022 federal budget.

VDOT is currently working on the pre-engineering study with an environmental study, geotechnical exploration and an updated survey underway.

Halloway noted the studies are on course and he estimated public meetings to look at potential alignments would be held as early as the end of the year. Traffic studies, he said, are being conducted which look at not only current volume, but also take into consideration the various routes, where they connect and where growth is anticipated in the future. The work he said is being done in coordination with state of West Virginia and its planning for the expressway in that state.

Halloway said currently 20 alignments of the roadway segment from Grundy to the West Virginia state line are being examined which will be narrowed down to eight by the end of the year.

In his update, Belcher also noted the congressionally directed spending request submitted in 2022 for $7 million for paving of additional lanes along the US 121/460 Intersection and Hawks Nest sections was included in the fiscal 2023 federal budget. Those funds are being used by VDOT to pave 2.2 miles of additional lanes at the US 121/460 Intersection and Hawks Nest sections.

Still pending is a congressionally directed spending request submitted by the CFX Authority in 2023 for $7 million in fiscal 2024 federal funds for paving of additional lanes along the Poplar Creek Phase A & Phase B sections. The funds, if approved, would be used by VDOT to pave 4.81 additional miles.

Belcher said that allocation is particularly critical because it would complete the 4-lane section from the town of Grundy to the Southern Gap industrial park and mixed-use development in Buchanan County.

A construction update was also provided related to the new U.S. 460 (Corridor Q), a portion of which  7.02 miles  is overlapped by the CFX.

It shows from the Kentucky state line to Route 744 (Southern Gap) is expected to be completed by early fall 2023.

Route 744 (Southern Gap) to Route 604 (Poplar Creek) are now expected by early 2025 and the balance of Route 604 (Poplar Creek) to Grundy by late 2027.

Construction of remaining sections of the Coalfields Expressway in Virginia remain unfunded.

During its meeting the board also welcomed new board member Harry Childress, representing Dickenson County, who was recently appointed to the authority board by the Virginia Speaker of the House. Keith Viers, of Dickenson County, was also reappointed by the speaker. They join current members Jay Rife, James Keen, Ed Talbott and Philip Cook from Buchanan County; Scott Mullins and Josh Evans of Dickenson County; and Bonnie Bates, Melanie Salyer, J.H. Rivers and John Schoolcraft from Wise County.
NEWTON  Carl Jenkins, owner, with his wife, Lori Jenkins and son, Ben Jenkins, of Jenkins Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Newton, Caring Cremations, Life Celebrations and Funerals in Hickory and Family Pet Cremations of Newton and Hickory, was named district director of The North Carolina Funeral Directors Association.

The announcement was made by Chase Noble, executive director of the NCFDA and Duane Howlett, outgoing president. The installment was in Winston-Salem recently at the annual conference and convention. In addition to becoming a district director, Carl Jenkins was named a member of the board of directors of the association and was recognized for his 40-plus years of professional service excellence in North Carolina.

The NCFDA, headquartered in High Point, is the states largest association of funeral homes. It dates back to 1887 when the first meeting was in Raleigh.

The responsibility district of Carl Jenkins is westerly from Catawba County to Cherokee County. Responsibilities include promoting association benefits to nonmembers and being a resource to members in addition to board meetings and assignments to various committees all for the betterment of the association, its membership and the consumer.

This is the second time Jenkins has been a district director with the NCFDA. Jenkins stated, Its been over 20 years since I was on the board and I feel so much more involved and excited this second time. I look forward to learning more about how I might serve our association and its members but mostly to learn how our Jenkins funeral homes might continue their white glove, premier service to our local families in Catawba and surrounding counties. It is an honor to serve in Catawba County and our state through the NCFDA.

Jenkins may be reached at Jenkins Funeral Home in Newton at 828-464-1555.
HICKORY  Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry is the recipient of funding from the Catawba County United Way. Recently, Molly Sain, GHCCM executive director, accepted an award letter in the amount of $20,000 from the local United Way. The monies will be used to assist with rent and mortgage for those who are facing eviction or who need assistance to secure a home or apartment.

As part of the Crisis Financial Assistance program, GHCCM offers income assistance in the form of rent/mortgage payments to prevent eviction and deposits to help clients secure stable housing. The ministry makes payments for overdue rent/mortgages and deposits directly to landlords, property managers, or mortgage banks on the clients behalf. From Jan. 1, 2023, to the middle of June, GHCCM has distributed $111,458.59 to 249 households with a total of 607 members in the households.

Clients seeking services are screened for eligibility based on employment, income level, and their current housing situation. Clients meet with Faith Curtis, GHCCM Financial Case Manager, who can provide up to one months overdue rent/mortgage and/or other assistance where needed. In addition, Curtis works closely with the client to complete a budgeting worksheet and refers them to outside agencies for additional services when needed. The Crisis Financial Assistance program is made possible through grants and contributions from individuals, businesses and churches.

The financial support helps to reduce the number of financially unstable families in the community. One small change  a job loss, a medical issue, a death in the family, or even an unexpected maintenance expense  can throw a financially unstable family into crisis and could lead to homelessness. Providing financial assistance for housing along with an opportunity for financial education during these crisis situations can assist with finding a path to financial stability and independence for clients.

A typical example of the assistance GHCCM provides: A disabled client came to the ministry. The clients debt was $2,425 for past due rent. With no ability to pay because of being on a fixed income, the case manager negotiated with the landlord and GHCCM was able to pay $760 toward the debt and the remaining debt for rent was forgiven. The client was able to stay in their home.

GHCCM relies on grants and financial contributions to continue offering support to the most vulnerable population. It is the goal of GHCCM to offer a pathway to stability for those in crisis. For hours of operation, ministry offerings, or to donate, visit the website at www.ccmhickory.org.
Health insurers have increased premiums by 20 percent over the last five years, with families now paying an average of $22,000 each year for coverage. That is a staggering figure considering the median U.S. household income is about $70,000 a year. Unfortunately, higher premiums dont always mean better coverage  especially for North Carolinians. In 2022, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), our states largest insurer, denied more than 2.9 million in-network claims while pocketing $204 million in profits. There is a clear imbalance here, as BCBSNC continues to make money hand over fist while its customers are saddled with higher out-of-pocket costs.

What's more, it was reported earlier this month that BCBSNC received a $203 million federal tax refund last year  which the company dismissed as an accounting adjustment. BCBSNC declined to explain how or why it collected these taxpayer dollars.

Given BCBSNCs profit-driven business model and consistent lack of transparency into its policies and practices, it is not surprising the company recently lost the State Health Plan contract  nor is it surprising that several of its fellow Blues are being sued for alleged price-fixing and other anti-competitive practices in Michigan and other states.

Our lawmakers need to take a long, hard look at the state of health insurance in North Carolina and act swiftly to close tax loopholes and prevent insurers from turning extreme profits at the expense of families who, in many cases, are struggling to make ends meet in the current economy. We should be putting money back into the pockets of consumers  not big insurance companies.

Leroy Lail, Conover
" " A mule-drawn wagon carrying the casket of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is followed by dignitaries and thousands of people as it moves en route to Morehouse College, Atlanta for his memorial service on April 9, 1968. Bettmann/Getty Images

His birthday is a national holiday in the U.S. His leadership in the struggle for civil rights and his nonviolent stance have made him an international icon of social justice. But that wasn't always the case. More than 50 years ago, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, but historians tell us that it wasn't King's work while he was alive nor even his tragic death that changed his reputation in the minds of most Americans.

Jeanne Theoharis teaches political science at Brooklyn College and is the author, most recently, of "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History." Her book is an attempt to get beyond the myths that have arisen about the civil rights movement and look at how it was really seen then and what it means for us now.

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Many Northerners, for example, believe that King was always a beloved figure and that his crusade against the Jim Crow South was widely celebrated by them. But Theoharis points to a New York Times poll from 1964  the same year the Civil Rights Act was passed  that showed a majority of white New Yorkers thought the civil rights movement had gone too far. And a national poll in 1966, just two years before King's death, found that only 28 percent of white Americans had a favorable opinion of MLK. (A separate 1966 poll found that 78 percent of blacks rated King's job performance in the "fight for Negro rights" as "excellent.")

"The general public does not support the civil rights movement when it's happening," says Theoharis. "The same criticisms made against Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement today were trotted out against Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks 60 years ago. They were disruptive, they were called extremists, they were accused of moving too fast, going too far. All these things we see today have parallels in the civil rights movement."

Even King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C., viewed today as the high watermark of the movement and King's short yet impactful career, was delivered under a cloud of fear and tension.

"We think of the March on Washington as the most American event ever," says Theoharis. "At the time it wasn't seen like that. Local and federal law enforcement prepared for it like it was an invasion."

Many Americans also believe that King's work ended with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and that the acts themselves somehow "cured" the nation of institutional racism.

But Clayborne Carson, history professor at Stanford University and founding director of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, points out that King didn't retire after the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

"He was in Chicago the next year dealing with problems more national in scope that are still with us today. He was dealing with the question of war, and now we're living in an era of perpetual war. He was dealing with issue of poverty on the day he died," says Carson. "If Martin Luther King were alive today, he would say that [the landmark legislation] was a tremendous victory, but it has made us very complacent about his goal of global human rights and social justice. That was his big picture."
Hendrick Toyota of Concord recently donated a 2023 Toyota Tundra DARE vehicle to the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office.

The new DARE vehicle will support School Resource Officers and will be a visible reminder to county students, teachers and staff that they are in a safe and secure learning environment and will be a reminder to the community of the partnership between law enforcement, parents and schools in preparing children to make good decisions.

The sheriffs office said DARE vehicles are an intricate part of community relations, visible not only on school campus, but in county parades and events hosted by the Sheriffs Office  with hopes of being a constant reminder to area children to practice what they learned through the DARE Program.
KANNAPOLIS  Excessive rainfall on June 19 and June 20 resulted in downstream flooding of the Irish Buffalo Creek, which primarily impacted the Town and Country neighborhood on Tiffany Drive.

At the height of the event, the water overflowed the Kannapolis Lake reservoir spillway on Pump Station Road by 38.5 inches. For perspective, historically, the water would escape the banks of the creek at 14 inches. The localized area received more than 4 inches of rain in a 36-hour period.

Many residents were rescued by the Kannapolis Fire Departments Water Rescue teams with the assistance of the Salisbury Fire Department and Rowan County Rescue Squad on June 20, when flood waters rose to levels that flooded their homes.

This neighborhood, which is in the 100-year floodplain, consists of pre-1980s mobile homes that have been located in the city since before its incorporation in 1984. While there have been several occasions where flooding incidents have occurred in the area, this event was unique in the amount of water damage to the homes.

The city has worked extensively with Cabarrus County, the American Red Cross and other nonprofits, such as Camino, to provide immediate assistance to impacted residents. A shelter and resource center was established at Fred L. Wilson Elementary School to address the health and well-being needs of residents.

Recently, representatives from the Kannapolis Fire Marshals Office, Cabarrus County Construction Standards, Kannapolis Planning and Engineering, the North Carolina Emergency Management Preliminary Disaster Assessment (PDA) Team were all on site to evaluate the damage to the mobile home structures.

The North Carolina Emergency Management Preliminary Disaster Assessment (PDA) Teams role was to determine if the damage to the area qualified it for a declaration of disaster. In order to be eligible for the declaration and access to assistance monies to help with repairs and/or relocation, 25 homes had to have sustained major damage.

After the assessment was complete, a determination was made that only 19 homes had sustained major damage. Although that number fell short of the 25 needed for disaster eligibility, city, county and state staff and nonprofits are working to assist residents.

Through a coordinated effort by the citys Emergency Operations Center, priorities were established based on the initial and preliminary assessments to assist residents. The top priority was to ensure that all the affected residents were out of harms way and had access to immediate needs such as food, clothing, shelter and medications. The second priority was to identify short-term housing needs for the transition from the emergency shelter to a temporary home, while decisions were made on the fate of the individual homes. The third priority is to assist residents whose homes are beyond repair or that remain in the flood zone. The 19 homes sustained significant electrical, water and underpinning damage.

Once a determination was made on the extent of the damage, the city of Kannapolis, along with Camino and the American Red Cross, began a door-to-door canvas to interview the affected residents and create a database of the short- and long-term needs. Those core agencies, along with assistance from Cabarrus County and state agencies, continue to work diligently to align the available resources with the needs of those who have suffered from the flooding.

In regard to the future of the homes in the flood-prone area, officials with the city of Kannapolis say it remains a priority to ensure that the flood zone remains uninhabited to preserve life and maintain a healthy and safe environment moving forward. Due to the extent of damage to several of the homes and their location within the floodplain, the city is pursuing options to have the property permanently vacated. As those options come to fruition, the city of Kannapolis and the nonprofit organizations will continue to work to ensure the residents have permanent housing solutions out of harms way of future flooding events. This could mean residents may be able to move their homes to a new location if they meet minimum housing standards and all applicable building codes administered by Cabarrus County. Every persons situation is different and will be examined on a case-by-case basis.

This is a very difficult situation for everyone involved. This flooding event has reminded us of how devastating a flooding event can be. We were fortunate residents were quickly rescued and not injured. We want to ensure they remain safe and healthy. It is our understanding that most of the impacted residents are in the process of identifying other locations to move to. The residents own their homes, but not the property their homes sit on. Many residents have already taken steps to relocate as damage to their homes is extensive and the value of the home is less than the amount needed to repair them  which impacts their ability to insure their home, commented Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff.

To continue to meet the needs of the residents, a resource coordination point has been established by the Kannapolis Fire Department and nonprofit organizations officially recognized to assist those impacted. For now, all tangible needs have been met and so as to not waste materials and supplies, unsolicited donations will not be accepted. Only two families have used the emergency shelter, so it will close soon as short-term housing is found for those who need it.

If you or your religious, private, or nonprofit organization would like to help in the recovery effort, or if you know of available housing opportunities for those impacted, either short- or long-term, contact Kannapolis Economic and Community Development Director Irene Sacks at isacks@kannapolisnc.gov or text Lincoln Quiroz with Camino at 704-728-6681.
Lara Truelove, author of The Customer Experience Edge: Australia and Program Leader for the Centre for Experience Management.

Consumers across Australia are calling on organisations to bring an improved human touch to their customer experience, according to The Customer Experience Edge: Australia report launched today by Qualtrics and SAP's Centre for Experience Management.

At a time when organisations are adopting digital, self-serve, and AI-powered technologies, consumers say making it simple to access human-like experiences when needed - such as engaging with a real person - would have the biggest impact on improving their customer experience (44%). This is buoyed by the finding 45% of Australians prefer to have service interactions through a real person, compared to a third (34%) who say their preference depends on the nature of the interaction, and 21% who favour digital platforms.

Other customer experience improvements consumers want to see include being able to perform more service on mobile apps (29%) and receiving a seamless experience across all digital touchpoints (26%). Improving the helpfulness of customer service representatives is also one of the most impactful issues organisations need to address to improve their customer experience, ahead of mobile app ease of use, offering more digital payment options, and speed of delivery and service.

With many organisations rethinking and redesigning their customer experience programs, these findings are a critical reminder to not forget the importance of bringing human-like experiences to these touchpoints. Delivering programs, products, and services with a customer-first mindset is more important than ever, and a key part of this is ensuring customers receive the experiences they desire while frontline employees are enabled with the tools and systems to quickly and easily understand and take action on what matters most to customers, said Lara Truelove, author of The Customer Experience Edge: Australia and Program Leader for the Centre for Experience Management.

Human engagements make or break the customer experience

The interactions tending to leave a greater impression on Australians, either good or bad, are those involving frontline customer service representatives. Analysis of qualitative feedback shows helpful and courteous services and knowledgeable representatives are the top reasons why consumers recommend a company. In contrast, lack of knowledge and rude staff are the top two reasons someone would complain about the organisation.

Being able to understand and rapidly act on customer feedback is essential to successful CX programs. However, the study found satisfied and unsatisfied customers will share their feedback in different ways. Consumers willing to recommend a company are more likely to respond to a survey, or submit feedback through the website or app. Customers leaving a complaint prefer to give feedback through the website, make a phone call, or send an email.

Will Santry, Vice President and Head of Customer Experience, SAP ANZ says, Customer

experience today is all about creating personalised experiences that recognise and even predict

what a customer wants, to keep them coming back for more. To deliver these experiences,

bring to life a new era of empathy, and deepen customer understanding, organisations need

intelligent solutions that enable them to humanise every touchpoint with the customer.

Three areas to focus on for experience improvement

The Customer Experience Edge: Australia report highlights three areas for organisations to prioritise in improving their customer experience:

Empathy at the frontline - The world needs more frontline heroes, in human to human interactions that make or break the experience. Organisations should focus on selection, onboarding, and skilling to set frontline team members up for success, and when designing experiences identify and focus on the moments and scenarios requiring empathy. Frontline employees must be enabled to clearly articulate the outcomes customers are focused on and empowered to solve issues.

- The world needs more frontline heroes, in human to human interactions that make or break the experience. Organisations should focus on selection, onboarding, and skilling to set frontline team members up for success, and when designing experiences identify and focus on the moments and scenarios requiring empathy. Frontline employees must be enabled to clearly articulate the outcomes customers are focused on and empowered to solve issues. Agency at the frontline - Customers rely upon frontline employees to achieve with them and for them, and this will continue to be the case. Enabling employees to provide accurate advice, solve issues and anticipate needs and issues is imperative. Central to this is ensuring frontline employees can identify and resolve common service and service recovery tasks.

- Customers rely upon frontline employees to achieve with them and for them, and this will continue to be the case. Enabling employees to provide accurate advice, solve issues and anticipate needs and issues is imperative. Central to this is ensuring frontline employees can identify and resolve common service and service recovery tasks. Digital self-serve - Digital edge customers expect interaction convenience  to achieve what they want to, in the channels of their choice, in their digital ecosystem. The leading organisations will look at common service tasks that can be delivered through self-serve, and ensure the customer can be engaged in their desired way.

Methodology

The study is based on responses from 3,150 consumers in Australia aged 18+, and was carried out in December 2022 and January 2023 using online panels. Respondents were required to have had a recent experience (within the previous 90 days) with specific brands. Most respondents evaluated five brands.

Conducted by Qualtrics and SAP, with the support of Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), this first customer experience benchmark study in Australia establishes a baseline in keystone metrics that indicate performance of brands in delivering customer experiences and measures of loyalty. It is a comprehensive customer experience study, equipping organisations with comparative data to better understand the types of services and engagements people in the country want.

Download the full report here.

About the Center for Experience Management

Founded by SAP and Qualtrics, the Center for Experience Management aims to develop the experience management discipline in Singapore, build professional capabilities for experience management locally, foster a community of experience management professionals to further the category, and enable organisations to use experience as a key competitive differentiator.
PEOPLE MOVES: Brands entrusting their trade media budgets to the agency to be managed and measured by new measurement platform.

Award winning shopper and activations agency, XPO: The Mars Agency has officially launched its global fully-integrated Retail Media Division in Australia under their ever expanding Connected Commerce offering.

XPO: The Mars Agencys Retail and Search Media Management offering marries in-market Shopper Marketing prowess with 20 years of global retail media and data driven measurement experience to bring unrivaled expertise to Australia.

Leveraging the extensive, industry-leading capabilities of The Mars Agency (whichacquired XPO last April), the Retail Media division will be led by Jeremy Hagnere, who was recently appointed as Retail Media Director, joining the group from Cartology where he held the role as Director of Client Partnerships and Sales.

XPO has a deep understanding of the retailer space and award-winning credentials in shopper marketing; The Mars Agency has two decades of global expertise in Retail & Search Media Management. That combination makes us perfectly positioned to help clients bridge the gap across brand, trade and retailer and meet their complex needs across the ever-expanding Commerce Marketing ecosystem, said XPO: The Mars Agency Managing Director, Sally Tobin.

With Retail Media on the rise in Australia (experts forecast a $1bn market by 2025*), Tobin and the XPO:TMA team worked with their brand partners to identify an emerging gap in the market - the need for trade media and shopper expertise in one place.

Coinciding with the launch and further strengthening the capability is the Australian rollout of Marilyn, the industrys first comprehensive Commerce [Shopper] Marketing Measurement platform, which will ensure that XPO: The Mars Agencys clients gain complete transparency into the performance of their retailer focused activities. The proprietary marketing technology platform uniquely solves for the complexity that so often has kept Commerce Marketing from being evaluated within traditional ATL Marketing Mix Models  or poorly measured when it is included.

Hitting the ground running, XPO: The Mars Agencys Retail Media offering launches in Australia with foundation client George Weston Foods Don Smallgoods, handing over the management of their trade marketing spend through the major retail media networks including Cartology (Woolworths Group), Coles 360 & Citrus Ad Search Media to XPO, in a bid to better measure and drive higher returns across the retailer media networks. Retail Media Management and Measurement is an extension of the agencys remit with the agency already supporting the brand in shopper marketing and customer development initiatives.

We are excited to partner with XPO The Mars Agency and the Marilyn technology platform, said Sophie Fetterplace, Head of Marketing & Innovation, Don Smallgoods. We are looking forward to unlocking greater potential and effectiveness in Retail & Search Media through their management & platform learnings.

Traditional media agencies have struggled to understand the sweet spot in which retail media plays. Its a delicate balance of trade and customer relationships, overlaid with an understanding of shopper needs as well as media management, explained XPO: The Mars Agency Retail Media Director, Jeremy Hagnere. Having worked with both brand and retailer clients across Customer Development and Shopper Marketing locally for the last 10 years, XPO: The Mars Agency is uniquely placed to solve this emerging need. Were exceptionally excited for what lies ahead for our new Retail and Search Media Management offering, and the business more broadly.
Agriculture is a stressful occupation, and farmers face substantial mental health challenges. Research indicates they often experience higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to the general population, but less is known about the effects on their families. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how economic stressors affect the mental health of U.S. farmers and their adolescent children.

There's a lot of young people growing up on a farm and participating in agricultural work. We've long acknowledged the inherent hazards of this work environment, and now were also recognizing its impact on mental health, said Josie Rudolphi, Illinois Extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering at the U. of I.

Most of the work on farm stress and mental health is primarily focused on adult farmers. However, it is important to recognize that children are fully aware of whats happening on the farm, and they are not immune to the stressors that exist. That is the inspiration behind this project, she added.

Rudolphi and co-author Richard Berg, analyst at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, are reporting results from the first year of a five-year study funded by the National Childrens Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. The researchers conducted online surveys with farmers and their adolescent children across the United States. They used the Family Stress Model, which was developed in Iowa in the 1990s after the farm crisis to examine the correlation between economic stressors and mental health in farmers.

Rudolphi and Berg found that about 60% of both adults and adolescents met the criteria for at least mild depression, while 55% of the adults and 45% of the adolescents met the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder.

Prevalence of depression in the general population is typically around 17 to 18%, so these numbers are quite high. Although we don't have a control group for direct comparison, we used similar instruments to screen for mental health conditions as national public health surveys. Additionally, these statistics are not unusually high for a farm sample, based on previous surveys with farmers, Rudolphi said.

When looking at economic hardship indicators, farm debt showed a high correlation with depressed mood in adults, and this in turn was correlated with adolescent depression and anxiety.

Its not unexpected for children to be affected by the experiences of adults. In many other settings, adults can leave work, return home, and transition into their roles as parents. But in a farm environment, the boardroom table is the kitchen table, and there is talk about farm activity in the household. Theres a blur between work and family, or business and residence, so it becomes rather complicated, she noted.

Interestingly, despite 82% of respondents rating their own mental health as excellent or good, their responses to questions measuring symptoms of anxiety and depression revealed different results. Rudolphi suggested people may have become accustomed to living with mild or moderate depression, perceiving it as their new normal.

One of the most important findings in the current study is the strong correlation between adult depression and adolescent depression, Rudolphi stated. This underscores the need to develop resources and services for the entire farm family.

Illinois Extension offers a number of mental health programs for the agricultural community, but many of them primarily target the owner-operators. We must also consider the well-being of spouses and children on the farm, she said.

Author: Marianne Stein, College of ACES, UIUC
MATTOON  Those looking to get their fix of Lees Famous Recipe Chicken in a new building in Mattoon are out of luck.

The owners of the popular Mattoon restaurant have announced it will not be reopening following a fire that did extensive damage to the building last year.

We are sad to announce that due to complications with the insurance company, financing, and the franchise, Lees will not be reopening," a post on the restaurant's Facebook page read.

"We would like to thank the community for its support over the 50 years it was open. We will miss being part of the community, the camaraderie with customers and coworkers alike and of course the chicken. We are grateful for all the memories weve made, the people weve met, and the chance to serve for so many years."

Lees is best known for its fried chicken and iced tea. With the announced closing of the Mattoon restaurant at 800 Charleston Ave., the closest location is now 58 miles away in Danville.

Drew Banks, the owner of the restaurant, said the decision was made this week and not taken lightly.

It was just kind of a stack up of things," he said, citing issues with the insurance company and the franchise. "So kind of those two things, with how long everything has taken to move, we decided that we were going to be done with it, Banks said.

The Mattoon location would have celebrated its 50th anniversary this year if it had remained open. The building was demolished Feb. 2.

Barb and Larry Lawson owned and operated Lees from 1973 to 2018 when they handed it down to their grandson, Banks.

(My grandparents) supported (the decision) given the climate and everything today given how volatile the economy has been. They were upset to hear thats the decision wed come to, but they were very understanding about it, Banks said.

Barb and Larry's children and grandchildren had grown up and worked in the restaurant over the past decades leaving plenty of memories.

Its still kind of processing a little bit Every now and then I think of weird small memories of stupid stuff that Im upset that Im not going to experience again, Banks said.

Banks announced plans to build an updated restaurant on the same site earlier this year.

The restaurants Facebook post was flooded with comments expressing peoples sadness at the news but understanding as well.

Drew, Larry and Barb - you have served Mattoon well for many years. The restaurant life is a hard one with little gratitude. You have been good neighbors to AECU (Area Educational Credit Union), and we will miss you, Kerry Fearn said.

Mechelle Steenburg wrote, Mattoon has lost a treasure for sure.

Coles County restaurants that have come and gone Pagliacci's Gill's Big Apple Pancake & Waffle House What's Cookin' Jerry's Pizza & Pub
ARTHUR  The Arthur fireworks have been postponed to Sunday, July 2, and the community's parade has been canceled due to stormy weather in the forecast.

The Arthur Rotary Club, which organizes these events, reported in a press release that the fireworks that had been scheduled for dusk Saturday, July 1, have been postponed due to severe weather forecast by the National Weather Service and out of caution after the severe storm Thursday afternoon in this area.

Now, the Rotary Club reported that it will attempt to hold the fireworks display at dusk Sunday, July 2. The Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets band has agreed to take the stage at 6 p.m. Sunday at Jurgens Park, after having been booked for Saturday night. Some food and drink vendors will still be available on site.

"The Arthur Rotary Club apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes that you will still be able to join us for (Sunday's) celebration. Please continue to watch for updates as they are posted," the release reported. The club posts updates on the "Arthur Fireworks" page on Facebook.

Arthur's large fireworks display, with its signature Rural Patriot horse rider, and related activities have become regional attractions over the years.

The club reported that the parade through downtown Arthur that had been planned for 2 p.m. Saturday was canceled due to the forecast that afternoon.

Other weather-related cancellations on Saturday included the Red, White & Blue Days car show in Charleston and the farmers market on that community's courthouse square.

Thursday afternoon, Arthur, Charleston and other neighboring communities experienced a severe storm that downed trees and limbs, caused property damage, and triggered widespread power outages.

Close The Rural Patriot carries a U.S. flag during Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) People gather to watch the Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Kevin Hennen with the Mid-America Sport Parachute Club of Taylorville, Ill., carries a U.S. flag before the Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Photos: Arthur Fireworks Images from Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) The Rural Patriot carries a U.S. flag during Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) People gather to watch the Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer) Kevin Hennen with the Mid-America Sport Parachute Club of Taylorville, Ill., carries a U.S. flag before the Arthur fireworks in Arthur, Ill., on Saturday, June 30, 2012. (Journal Gazette/ Times-Courier, Kevin Kilhoffer)
With Fourth of July, comes fireworks, and with fireworks comes risks.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 10,200 people were treated in emergency rooms for firework injuries in 2022, and at least 11 people died.

Dr. Hunter Slemp, a pediatrician at Novant Health Forsyth Pediatrics, provided tips on how to keep individuals and families safe while shooting fireworks this holiday.

To stay away from all risks, Slemp advised to just leave it to the pros.

I think in general, its good advice to avoid lighting your own fireworks in your backyard, especially with your children present, Slemp said. Instead, leave it to the pros who know how to put on a show.

Slemp said its best to watch the show at least 500 feet from where fireworks are launched because of the noise. According to the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association, fireworks can be as loud as 150 decibels.

When they go off, its twice as loud as whats necessary to harm your hearing, and childrens hearing is quite sensitive, Slemp said. He advised that infants wear protective headphones.

For people who choose to light fireworks themselves, here are some more tips.

Stay away from sparklers

Slemp said the problem with sparklers, or handheld fireworks, is the temperature.

People will think theyre safe, Slemp said. But man, they burn hot. Like 2,000 degrees hot, which is hot enough to melt some metals.

Slemp warned that sparklers can cause burns to children and that the flying sparks can cause eye injuries. Instead of holding sparklers, he suggested waving a flag or a glowstick.

Dont let children, or teens, set off fireworks

Slemp advised having an adult present when letting off fireworks and not letting children, or teens, close to the action. He also said not to let kids hold fireworks in their hands while theyre burning.

In the 2022 firework injury report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, children under 15 years old accounted for 28 percent of those injuries.

Soak unused fireworks before disposing them

Slemp recommended soaking any unused fireworks in water before throwing them away. Its best to let them sit in water for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

Other tips

Slemp also advised people to wear protective eyewear when using fireworks.

If an individual comes across a dud, he said not to touch it. Call the authorities instead.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that hands, fingers, heads, faces, ears and eyes were among parts of the body most often burned or wounded by fireworks in 2022.
When officials with an Omaha bank last month foreclosed on the defunct Kremer Funeral Home, they were surprised to learn they were taking possession of more than just the building.

Inside, they came upon 55 sets of cremated remains.

It speaks to the disarray surrounding the longtime Benson funeral home after it suddenly closed earlier this year.

Now Omahas Braman Mortuary has stepped in to help reunite those remains with families. While all the cremated remains included identification of the deceased, in some cases, the accompanying paperwork listing family contacts is missing. Braman is asking anyone whose loved ones remains could be among those left behind to contact them.

Our goal is to get the loved ones back home to their family members, said Ryan Gray, funeral director manager with Braman.

Travis Sheffield, the owner and manager of Kremer, said he believed all the remains found in the home were for families who simply over the years did not claim them. He said he had been reluctant to dispose of them, which he legally had the right to do.

In the end, he said, the bank foreclosure forced him to leave the business before he could do anything about the remains.

I just never wanted to dispose of those remains that people did not want, he said. I didnt feel comfortable disposing of them on my own.

Kremers sudden failure also raises questions of what it means for individuals and families who had prepaid funeral arrangements. But in short, such arrangements are held with an insurance company and should be protected.

Kremer remains licensed to do business, though Sheffield said he essentially stopped taking business in February.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has the power to license and discipline funeral homes. A spokesman said the department does not confirm or deny whether its investigating a home.

Kremers demise represents the death of an Omaha institution that dates to 1936. Housed at 63rd and Maple streets in a church built more than a century ago, its tower features an old-style neon sign and has long been a familiar landmark on Bensons main street.

Sheffield went to work for Kremer in 2012 and bought it in 2016. And until recent years, it regularly received positive online reviews for good, no-nonsense service and reasonable prices. Sheffield often personally handled arrangements.

But the homes operations seemed to begin to slip before completely unraveling earlier this year.

In December 2021, state records show the home was cited for failure to dispose of an embalmed body within 30 days of death. Sheffield signed a compliance document with the state, offering assurances it would not happen again.

Sheffield said he felt the state should never have intervened in that case. He said the body had been transferred from another home, and an autopsy also complicated completion of the cremation.

But soon other problems arose.

In early 2022, customers in online reviews cited instances where Sheffield failed to deliver copies of death certificates to families that had paid for them. It was the first possible sign of financial problems.

Sheffield attributed the ultimate failure of the business to the fact that he served a number of families in need, not raising prices for years to make services affordable for them.

I was in it to help people, he said.

By December last year, customers reported that they were finding Kremers doors locked during business hours and that they werent being notified when cremated remains were ready for pickup.

In January 2023, the home filed for bankruptcy, listing more than $2 million in debts, including unpaid taxes to Douglas County and the IRS. The filing was later dismissed when the home failed to follow up with documentation.

It appears the home performed its last cremation in February, and its last scheduled funeral service was in early March.

That same month, a customer reported in a post to the Better Business Bureau that more than three months after the death of her father-in-law, the home still had not transferred his cremated remains to Omaha National Cemetery, a burial place for area veterans. She reported that when she reached Sheffield and asked where the remains were, he replied, I dont know what to tell you.

Other customers subsequently complained to Omaha TV station WOWT that they were trying to pick up cremated remains and could not reach the business.

Sheffield said Thursday he had to leave the office around that time because his father suffered a stroke. He said the financial problems had left the business short-staffed, with only him and one other worker. He also denied ever saying he did not know where remains were, always accounting for them.

Sheffield eventually did open the business to allow families to claim remains. He said he contacted all families and, as far as he knew, all who wanted to claim remains did so before he left.

Unfortunately, the bank forced me to leave the property, he said.

In late May, Omahas Commercial State Bank, which held a $1.8 million mortgage on the property, took possession in foreclosure proceedings.

During an initial inspection, boxes and a few urns holding cremated remains were found in two locations  in the chapel and in an embalming room.

It was a surprise to say the least, a bank spokesman said. It was kind of heartbreaking that they werent distributed.

Bank officials expressed gratitude that Braman was willing to step forward to collect the ashes and seek to find the related families.

Bramans Gray said its actually not unusual for a funeral home to find itself in possession of ashes weeks after a cremation. Sometimes families indeed simply fail to pick them up.

What makes this case unusual, though, is the sheer number held by Kremer.

Having this many is extremely abnormal, Gray said.

It seems possible some or most of the remains found at Kremer had long before been abandoned there. But Gray said its also possible there are remains from families who had difficulty reaching anyone at the home during its troubled last weeks.

Regardless of the reason, families will be able to pick them up at Bramans 72nd Street location, no matter the status of their account with Kremer.

A lack of records left at the business makes it difficult to know how many people had prepaid services with Kremer. But those who bought them should be fine.

They should be able to simply take their paperwork to another funeral home and transfer the insurance policy, Gray said. Omaha funeral homes are already hearing from customers who had made arrangements through Kremer.

The Nebraska Department of Insurance is also aware of the situation. It said in a statement anyone with questions can contact the departments complaints division at 877-564-7323.

Braman plans to soon start contacting the families of those whose cremated remains it has records for. In cases where records arent found, it is hoping families come forward.

If ashes remain unclaimed by later this fall, they will be handled the same way Braman and other funeral homes traditionally do.

Around Nov. 1 each year, St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery, one of five cemeteries in Omaha run by the Catholic archdiocese, holds an All Souls Day prayer and burial service. Mortuaries with unclaimed cremated remains and families with remains they dont know what to do with can have them interred that day in the mausoleum crypt free of charge.

The cemetery typically handles the remains of 30 to 100 in the service each year, said Lance Zimmerman, family service manager with Omahas Catholic cemeteries. But it appears that number could be up this year.

Oh my goodness, Zimmerman said when told of the 55 remains discovered at Kremer. He added: Wed be happy to accommodate.

Top Journal Star photos for June 2023
Peter H. King

Peter H. King was a California-based correspondent who reported from all corners of the state, exploring its people, culture, past and politics, as well as the pressing issues of the day. Among other roles at The Times, he previously served as city editor and as a columnist, writing the award-winning "On California" column for several years. A native of Fresno, he attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
OPENING

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The latest installment of the "Indiana Jones" series takes its nostalgic task of revisiting "Raiders of the Lost Ark" so seriously, it overlooks the goal of making a great adventure movie. PG-13. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: C-

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. At times a warm and whimsical family adventure comedy, but at other times A hallucinatory fever dream, this animated film is too strange to work. PG. (Grand, Edgewood). Grade: C

Past Lives. Director Celine Song has crafted one of the year's best films with the autobiographical tale of a Korean playwright torn between a past love and her American husband. PG-13. (Grand). Grade: A

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kracken. Teenager Ruby Gillman becomes a Kraken, becoming Queen of Seas, in this animated film that was not screened in time for Ground Zero deadlines. PG. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe).

The Starling Girl. Eliza Scanlen demonstrates that she is one of the best young actresses in writer-director Laurel Parmet's knowing examination of fundamentalist Christian culture. R. (Ross) Grade: A

NOW SHOWING

Asteroid City. Asteroid City" seems like a response to critics of Wes Anderson's last two films  an earnest and self-conscious case for making art, putting on the play, telling the story and acting the part, even if you and your audience arent entirely sure what youre saying. PG-13. (Grand). Grade: B+

Elemental. The visually dazzling Pixar picture is a refreshing update of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." PG. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: B

The Flash. The Flash has some humor and heart, plus a compelling performance from its embattled star, Ezra Miller. But the final act of this nearly 2-hour film devolves into a generic, fairly muddled CGI battle, PG-13. (Grand, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: C+

The Little Mermaid. This somewhat drab "The Little Mermaid" prioritizes nostalgia and familiarity over compelling visual storytelling. PG (Grand). Grade: C

No Hard Feelings. Jennifer Lawrence is an Uber driver paid to take a 19-year-old's virginity in this sweet, intoxicating comedy. R. (Grand, East Park). Grade: B

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. Miles Morales returns in this sequel to the Oscar-winning animated adventure. This time, he's transported from Brooklyn into the multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a team of Spider-People to fight the Spot. PG. (Grand, East Park, Edgewood, SouthPointe). Grade: A-

Stay Awake. This sobering, autobiographical drama looks at the impact of opioid addiction on the teenage sons of a pill-popping single mother. Unrated (Ross). Grade: B

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The seventh installment of the "Transformers" franchise feels like a film that is at war with itself. PG-13. (Grand). Grade: C-
Planning to travel for Independence Day? Know that possession or discharge of all types of fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices are prohibited by law on all national forest lands year-round, regardless of weather conditions or holidays.

Violators can be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced up to six months in jail. They may also be liable for suppression costs and property damage, which can climb into the millions of dollars if the fire grows out of control.

Fireworks are not allowed  they pose a substantial wildfire risk," said Jack Isaacs, forest supervisor for Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands (NNFG). "Fires can start from the smallest spark. Before using motorized equipment, including chainsaws, dirt bikes or off-road vehicles, test spark arrestors to make sure they work properly. For the same reason, never toss a cigarette from your vehicle.

The Forest Service advises carrying a fire extinguisher when on public lands, as well as a shovel and several gallons of water if traveling to remote locations. Never block forest roads, which first responders rely on in emergencies.
Sometimes all it takes to try something new is the encouragement of a friend. Just ask two new cast members in Angels Theatre Companys First 
The UNMC Labs.

Thanks to a student-led initiative, the University of Nebraskas academic medical center  known for producing not student-athletes, but student health care leaders  has officially claimed the Labrador retriever as its mascot.

Although University of Nebraska Medical Center Labs gather on different fields than Cornhuskers, Mavericks and Lopers, Nicole Kent, student senate president and student regent at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said the mascot gives UNMC students something that connects us and something to rally behind as a UNMC community.

Im so excited to be a UNMC Lab, she added.

Kent and other student senate leaders celebrated the new Lab mascot on the UNMC Omaha campus during Pups and Popsicles, a De-Stress Week event, on the Ruth and Bill Scott Student Plaza green space. Therapy dogs from Paws for Friendship also were on hand.

The UNMC Bookstore plans to offer Lab apparel and other merchandise in the near future.

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said he was proud of the new UNMC mascot, especially since its creation was driven by UNMC student leaders.

Its a great day to be a Lab, he said. Our new mascot is a sign of student spirit at UNMC and, with its nod to our cutting-edge science, celebrates UNMCs commitment to transforming lives in Nebraska and beyond.

Kent said the idea for a mascot came about as UNMC student senate leaders were interacting with student colleagues from the other University of Nebraska campuses. It hit them that UNMC was the only campus without a mascot.

So last year, student senate leaders proposed a mascot contest to build community among the students.

UNMC students can easily stay separated in their many different academic programs, Kent said. We wanted something for students from all of our colleges and all of our campuses to be able to rally around.

With the support of the Office of the Chancellor and Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the students moved ahead. At the beginning of this school year, they opened a selection process for submissions, receiving almost 50 ideas.

Then, a student senate committee, working with UNMC Strategic Communications, narrowed the submissions to four finalists and polled students on their favorite.

The Lab was the clear winner.

The winning concept  of a dog wearing laboratory safety goggles and a white coat  was submitted by Caroline Seilstad, a UNMC graduate studies student, and is based on Ellie, a 16-year-old black Labrador that has attended campus events over the years. The graphic image of the Lab plays on UNMCs clinical care and research, along with the dog breeds loyal, curious and caring nature.

Designed by the creative staff in UNMC Strategic Communications, the official Lab logo  with a dog wearing a lapeled white coat  is an image befitting any university mascot.

Said Kent, We are honored to be the UNMC Labs.
A Denton man was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison for federal charges related to the distribution and possession of a multitude of drugs.

Steven Michael Luedtke, 47, was arrested after a law enforcement investigation found that he'd been a part of a scheme to purchase methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Alabama to be sold in Lincoln, according to U.S. Attorney Steven Russell.

His charges include conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of meth, five or more kilograms of cocaine, and 100 or more kilograms of marijuana, with the aggravating factor of a previous felony drug conviction in March 2006 on similar charges, for which he served 180 months in prison.

Luedtke was found with lesser amounts of the drugs in March 2021 and June 2021, admitting in the former instance to having bought over 70 ounces of meth over the year prior and being placed under arrested in the latter instance.

The 15-year sentence comes without the potential for parole, and Luedtke will also be placed under 10 years of supervised release after serving out his term.

Getting away with murder: Nebraska cold cases Patricia Webb Tina McMenamin Ali Saleh Al-Saidi Gina Bos Ann Marie Kelley Carl Bittner K.K. Kody Christi Nichols Donald Bennett Ernestine Ruschy Eugene McGuire Jay Durnil Mary Heese Gregory Moore Irvin Settje Jason Remsen Jason Vesper Brian Walker Arthur Morley Jay Blockson Jeanne Kassebaum William, Bernice and Barbara Peak Jeffrey Snoddy Joy Blanchard Demetrius Simpson Julie Derrick Leah Rowlands Letha Harley Mary Cabral Mary Cronin Merlin Mosel Mitchell Simon Patrick Vostades Rebecca Williams Richard Chadek Richard Lessley Robert Beaudoin Robert Heelan Rudolfo Flores Russell McKnight Sandy Green Sarah Neal Tyrone Banister Waddell Robinson Charles Hanks
WASHINGTON  Conservatives anxious to counter America's leading economic adversary set their sights on a top trade priority for labor unions and progressives: cracking down on the deluge of duty-free packages coming in from China.

The changing political dynamic could have major ramifications for e-commerce businesses and consumers importing products from China valued at less than $800. It also could add to the growing tensions between the countries.

Under current U.S. law, most imports valued at less than $800 enter duty-free into the United States as long as they are packaged and addressed to individual buyers. It's referred to as the de minimis rule. Efforts to lower the threshold amount or exclude certain countries altogether from duty-free treatment are set to become a major trade fight in this Congress.

"De minimis has become a proxy for all sorts of anxieties as it relates to China and other trade-related challenges," said John Drake, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who argues that the current U.S. law should be preserved.

The rule speeds the pace of commerce and lowers costs for consumers. It also allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection to focus its resources on the bigger-ticket items that generate more tariff revenue for the federal government.

Congress raised the U.S. government's threshold for expedited, duty-free treatment from $200 to $800 in 2016. The volume of such imports rose from about 220 million packages that year to 771 million in 2021  with China accounting for about 60%, according to the government  and 685 million last year.

"I think everybody's got to kind of wrap their head around what kind of mistake this was," Robert Lighthizer, the former U.S. trade representative during the Trump administration, told a House panel last month. "Nobody dreamt this would ever happen. Now we have packages coming in, 2 million packages a day, almost all from China. We have no idea what's in them. We don't really know what the value is."

Lighthizer urged Congress to get rid of the de minimis rule altogether, or take it to a much lower amount, say $50 or $100. He said foreign companies are taking advantage of the "loophole" and "putting people out of work in stores, they're putting people out of work in manufacturing."

Last year, House Democrats pushed to prohibit Chinese-made goods from benefiting from the special treatment for lower-cost goods. That move was part of a larger measure that boosted investments in semiconductor manufacturing and research.

In the rush to pass a bill before the 2022 elections, the Biden administration and Democratic leaders jettisoned provisions that had no bipartisan buy-in. Important U.S. business groups and key Republican members of Congress opposed the trade provision, so it didn't make the final bill.

It's clear the political dynamic shifted  and quickly.

In its first set of recommendations, a new House committee focused exclusively on China called for legislation that would reduce the threshold for duty-free shipments into the U.S. with a particular focus on "foreign adversaries, including the (People's Republic of China.)"

The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said exploiting the $800 threshold may be a major avenue through which Chinese companies selling directly to American consumers can circumvent U.S. laws designed to prevent the sale of goods made with forced labor. The committee also said Customs and Border Protection "could not reasonably scrutinize" goods sent under the $800 threshold for forced labor concerns because of the sheer amount of products coming in.

The committee is most concerned about retailers Temu and Shein. In a report released Thursday, it said the two companies alone are likely responsible for more than 30% of all de minimis shipments entering the U.S. each day  nearly 600,000 a day last year.

The committee also has competitiveness concerns. It points out that U.S. retailers such as Gap and H&M paid $700 million and $205 million in import duties, respectively, in 2022. In contrast, virtually all goods sold by Temu and Shein are shipped using the de minimis exception in which the importer pays no duty.

The Republican leading the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, said he wants to "have a lot of conversations" about the $800 threshold.

"Basically, when you're looking at $800 or less, that's a free-trade agreement with anyone. And you're looking at millions of products that come in per day," Smith said. "We need to look at it."

Meanwhile, senators introduced some bills on the issue this month.

One, from Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., would prevent the expedited, tariff-free treatment of imports from certain countries, most notably China and Russia.

The other, from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., not only similarly targets China and Russia, but would affect other trade partners. It would do so by reciprocating the threshold for duty-free treatment to amounts other nations use.

20% of carbon emissions from the food creation chain come from shipping 20% of carbon emissions from the food creation chain come from shipping Maritime shipping accounts for the majority of all food-miles Around 6% of global greenhouse gas can be traced to food transport High-income countries disproportionately generate more food-miles Buying local isn't a free pass The future of food will require investment in eco-friendly transit
Former news anchor Stephanie Husak is transforming the old Elks Lodge building in downtown Grand Island into an event venue.

On June 7, Husak announced on Facebook that she was leaving her anchor position at Nebraska Television Network in Kearney. She went by her maiden name Crace while on television and was an anchor at NTV for six years.

Husak started her news career working at WVVA in Bluefield, West Virginia, for two years. She then moved to Lincoln and was an anchor at 10/11 for three years.

During her tenure at 10/11, Husak met her now-husband while he studied at the University of Nebraska College of Law. When he was offered a job in Kearney, Husak applied for an anchor position at NTV so she could move with him.

However, Husak had dreamed of opening an event venue while working at NTV. She said that her passion for an event hall stemmed from planning her own wedding and feeling that there were not enough venues in Central Nebraska.

Having an event venue was always a goal of mine, Husak said. I always thought it was going to be a long-term goal. I didn't know when it would happen; it's just something that I had in the back of my mind, like, this is what I want to do someday.

One day, Husak and her co-anchor, Sara Kirkley, were talking during Good Morning Nebraska. Kirkley, knowing about Husaks goal, showed her a Facebook post about the Elks Lodge being for sale.

It was pretty rundown and she was sort of joking, Husak said. I don't think she knew how serious I was about actually doing this someday.

At the corner of West First Street and South Locust Street, the building was finished in early 1918 for the Grand Island chapter of the Elks Lodge fraternal organization. In recent times, the building has been abandoned since the group moved to a new location at 631 S. Locust St.

According to Husak, one of the first things she noticed about the building were the big, white arched windows on the top floor. After touring the inside, Husak thought the building was beautiful and could see its potential.

Theres a lot of unique elements this building had that really just drew me to it, she said.

Husak said that renovating the Elks Lodge and continuing at NTV would have been a lot, essentially working two jobs. She knew she would have to make a choice and was feeling excited about the project.

I had been doing news for 12 years, and I love my job, I love news, but I was kind of ready for another adventure, Husak said. And so when this building came up for sale, I was kind of ready just to take that next step and have the event venue.

For renovations, Husak wants to modernize the building, opening the bricked-up windows, putting in an elevator, removing the stained glass from the top floor. Husak also wants the building to have different spaces and looks for people to utilize, with the first floor being industrial chic and the second having a more elegant feel.

Husak wants to help people find the perfect place for their special day, whether it be a wedding or any event. To help people feel the excitement of finding the right place, like how she felt when she found her wedding venue.

I just was like, I really want to help people find that for their special day as well, Husak said. If I can offer them something that they're going to love and kind of make the spaces their own for their big day, and then leave their guests talking about it well after the event is over, that just really excites me.

When the venue is ready to open, Husak plans to manage everything with a small staff. Currently, she doesnt know when renovations will be complete, but she hopes to host events next summer.

Its a diamond in the rough, said Husak. And it will definitely take a lot of work, but I think it will be good for the community.

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EMERSON  When it comes to community projects, never underestimate the will, and generosity, of small-town residents.

The latest case as proof: A bit more than two years ago, a group of Emerson residents organized the Emerson Veterans Memorial Park Committee to plan and build a new veterans memorial in this town of approximately 800 people.

Once they settled on a plan, they set out to raise $250,000 to build Emerson Veterans Memorial Park and establish a maintenance fund. Committee member Barb Gilster believed at the time it would take two years, a time line that had other committee members shaking their heads with skepticism.

Fellow committee member Corliss Hassler thought Gilsters hopes were aggressive, but they dove in and began to solicit donations.

Two years later, much of the $250,000 is in hand, and concrete footings were poured in late May. Its hoped the memorial will be finished in July.

Hassler, who wrote many of the grant applications seeking funding, cant believe it.

I was amazed they could raise this much money in a small town, Hassler said. Its been the best-supported project weve had in decades.

She said 47% of the donations came from individuals rather than big gifts from corporations or other businesses. Other large donations came from community groups such as the community thrift store that supports numerous local causes with proceeds from sales and the Emerson Betterment Committee. The veterans memorial committee also staged fundraisers and secured grants.

This had the whole community involved, Hassler said.

It didnt hurt that its for a popular cause. Veterans memorial committee president and Emerson American Legion Post 60 member Dave Mahler said the community always has been supportive of veterans.

I think everybodys in support of the veterans, and it was a good project to solicit for, said Mahler, an Air Force veteran.

For years, Mahler said, the Legion had talked about updating or replacing a small memorial on Main Street next to the Legions building, which is now a grocery store. The memorial had a small statue and a signboard with a list of veterans names that hadnt been updated in a long time.

We were going to replace it with something, and that something never really materialized, Mahler said.

The veterans memorial committee formed in April 2021 to finally replace the older memorial. The committee of about 10 members settled on a design similar to one in nearby Osmond: Seven black granite stones, which will have the names of 818 area veterans, living and dead, engraved upon them. Four benches will allow visitors to spend as much time as they wish at the memorial, which will be illuminated at night. Flags representing each branch of the military will fly behind the stones, and a taller flagpole flying the American flag will be front and center amid a pavilion of stamped concrete. The committee decided to add three military statues to the design and will complete landscaping with spruce trees behind the site.

The memorial will be along Nebraska 9 as you approach town from the north. The Legion bought two vacant city lots from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and theres adequate street parking and a parking lot across the street to facilitate ceremonies at the site.

There is no place better than that, Mahler said. That particular spot, the visibility is huge.

Gilster and Hassler said the committee is in the final stages of raising money for the statues and establishing the maintenance fund. With much of the fundraisings heavy lifting finished, they and the rest of the community will eagerly watch the memorial take shape. Its hard for Mahler to believe that by the end of the summer, a community improvement that many had long talked about will finally become a reality.

For a long time it looked like it was way out in the distance, he said. Its amazing how this has come around.

It came around with the help of just about everyone in town.

Wettest counties in Nebraska Wettest counties in Nebraska #50. Stanton County #49. Boyd County #48. Cedar County #47. Boone County #46. Holt County #45. Valley County #44. Dakota County #43. Platte County #42. Greeley County #41. Franklin County #40. Garfield County #39. Wheeler County #38. Colfax County #37. Kearney County #36. Buffalo County #35. Blaine County #34. Nance County #33. Thurston County #32. Adams County #31. Howard County #30. Hall County #29. Cuming County #28. Thomas County #27. Clay County #26. Webster County #25. Merrick County #24. Fillmore County #23. Hamilton County #22. Nuckolls County #21. Butler County #20. Burt County #19. Dodge County #18. Polk County #17. York County #16. Seward County #15. Thayer County #14. Saunders County #13. Saline County #12. Washington County #11. Douglas County #10. Lancaster County #9. Sarpy County #8. Jefferson County #7. Cass County #6. Otoe County #5. Johnson County #4. Gage County #3. Nemaha County #2. Pawnee County #1. Richardson County
PONCA  It's not unheard of for offenders on their way to the Dixon County Jail to make themselves heard throughout the courthouse.

There's no elevator or back staircase to the sheriff's office and jail on the third floor, so the only way up is the public stairway, the same one courthouse visitors and workers use to access county offices.

"If they want to yell all the way up, they can yell all the way up. It's caused disruptions," Dixon County Sheriff Tom Decker said of unruly folks on their way to jail.

Or try lugging someone too drunk to walk up three flights of stairs, a task sheriff's deputies occasionally must tackle. It's a situation that raises safety issues for deputies, the offender and the public.

"Our biggest concern right now is if something happens, the county could get sued," said Matt Michl, chairman of the Dixon County Courthouse and Jail Committee.

After months of study, the committee, a group of more than a dozen county residents and elected officials formed to address the needs of an aging courthouse and jail, has determined the best solution is to replace the county's facilities with a new courthouse and law enforcement center. They've proposed moving from the site the original section of the courthouse has occupied in Ponca since 1883 to a 5-acre plot on the southeast side of town along Nebraska 12 and adjacent to a county annex building.

Committee members said the historic 140-year-old, two-story courthouse and its three-story addition built in 1940 have outlived their usefulness. Lack of storage space, a leaky and moldy basement, poor ventilation and noncompliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act add up to an inadequate working environment that's also hard for some visitors to navigate because the building has no elevator.

"It's just not a good situation. The building has done its time. It's served its purpose," Michl said. "It's not a matter of if we need it. We need it."

Cost of the new county government complex is an estimated $14 million-$20 million. A bond issue likely will go before Dixon County voters in 2024.

Before then, architects will develop conceptual designs for the courthouse and jail, and the county is negotiating with the landowner for purchase of the desired site, which was chosen from among at least nine other options.

A courthouse, jail and sheriff's office needs assessment completed in late 2021 by an architecture and engineering firm provided a comprehensive look at the courthouse. Among the findings: county offices have little to no storage space left. Court hearings sometimes must be moved to the first floor because the second-floor courtroom isn't accessible by wheelchair. Near-constant water in the basement has led to concerns about the building's foundation, as well as mold, a problem the county continues to mitigate.

In short, the courthouse and many of its systems are outdated, and bringing the building up to modern standards would cost millions of dollars.

Lisa Lunz, chairwoman of the county's board of supervisors and a courthouse committee member, said adding an elevator alone would be a challenge because of a 4-foot height difference between the second floors of the original building and the addition.

"By the time you spend that much money on something, you still have an old building with problems," Lunz said.

Nowhere is that more evident than the sheriff's office and jail, which doesn't meet modern jail standards but is grandfathered in under those in place when the jail was built decades ago.

"We're just pretty much out of space," said Decker, a 25-year veteran of the department who was appointed sheriff last year. "We do what we have to to the best of our ability."

The jail's capacity is listed as 12 inmates, but its design is not amenable to running at full capacity. The jail has two cells -- eight beds in one and four in the other. With only two cells, it's hard to isolate inmates if necessary. If a prisoner is uncooperative or disruptive, he must be held separately, occupying one of the two cells. Decker said he often opts to house problem inmates in another county with a jail that can accommodate them. Female inmates are housed outside Dixon County because it's hard to keep them separate from the men and because of a lack of enough female jail staff members to supervise them.

Decker said the county spends approximately $20,000 annually to house inmates in other counties, and transporting them to and from Ponca for court appearances takes deputies away from patrol or emergency response duties.

The rest of the jail area is overcrowded. The booking area shares space with the county's 911 communications center, where employees double as dispatchers and corrections workers. While being booked, a belligerent offender could leap across the counter at the dispatchers or easily knock computer equipment onto the floor. If a 911 call comes in, the worker must stop the booking process to answer the call.

"It's probably more of a safety concern for the dispatchers and jailers," Decker said.

One room off to the side of the booking area serves as the library, exercise room, meeting room and visitation room, making it hard to accommodate more than one inmate speaking with his lawyer or family members at a time. Inmates change out of their clothes and into jail jumpsuits in the same area that houses kitchen and laundry facilities.

Though the design is not finalized, a new jail with 14 beds spread over 10 cells and four temporary/holding cells is being planned. Such a design, Decker said, would enable him to safely house minimum- to maximum-security and special needs inmates and women, if he has enough female staff, thus eliminating much of the cost of housing inmates in other counties.

"It would give us room to grow," Decker said.

A modern jail would have a private entrance, increasing security and safety for sheriff's staff and the public. Decker said recommendations from the state jail standards commission will determine if he'd need to hire additional staff.

Once plans are finalized, county leaders anticipate conducting a series of town hall meetings and open houses to educate voters about the current building, construction plans and tax implications. The county has already hosted some open houses, which can be an eye-opening experience for visitors, said Michl, who got a top-to-bottom look at the building when he joined the courthouse committee.

"I wasn't appalled, but I was really surprised with how bad it was," he said.

Ultimately, Lunz said, the issue likely will come down to how much a new courthouse and jail will cost, and voters must decide if it's worth the tax increase.

"People I have talked to feel that the courthouse has served its purpose and it's time for Dixon County to have a new facility," Lunz said. "It's past its useful life."

Top Journal Star photos for June 2023
An Omaha man found guilty of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide was sentenced Thursday to 90 days in the Douglas County Jail.

Miguel Penalosa, 36, also will serve two years of probation after his release from jail. The charge stems from a crash in September 2022 that resulted in the death of 30-year-old motorcyclist Joseph Zadina.

According to police statements at the time, Penalosa was driving a Jeep Wrangler southbound on Saddle Creek Road about 7:25 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2022. The Jeep, turning east onto Hamilton Street, turned in front of Zadinas motorcycle, which was traveling northbound on Saddle Creek Road.

Zadinas 2009 Harley-Davidson struck the Jeep in the intersection of Saddle Creek Road and Hamilton Street. Zadina was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he died during surgery.

Penalosa was initially charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and driving on a suspended license, also a misdemeanor. At a bench trial in April, Penalosa pleaded no contest to the motor vehicle homicide charge and the suspended license charge was dismissed.

Prosecutor Ryan Lindberg said he requested for any sentence handed down by Douglas County Court Judge Grant Forsberg to include a period of incarceration, in part because Penalosa has a history of driving under suspension.

Ray Zadina, the uncle of Joseph Zadina, said that his nephew was a helper to anyone and everyone. When he was killed, Joseph Zadina was on his way to help a friend move.

Zadinas family was struck by a bout of tragedy beginning in 2012, when his 18-year-old brother was killed in a car accident. In 2015, Zadinas mother died, leaving him to take on a larger role in caring for his younger siblings.

Ray Zadina said that despite the immense pain from the losses, his nephew took this new role in stride and took pride in putting his family first.

He never let life get him down, even after all the things he went through, Ray Zadina said. He was such a responsible person. He took care of his brothers; he bought a house. And he was just looking forward to the future.

Top Journal Star photos for June 2023
In a lot of ways, we are our memories. The things weve done, the people weve intersected with, and how these people and events have shaped us are not just like snapshots in an album (or smartphone), but more like a living present shaping how we see the world.

But what if our memories cant be trusted? And what about the memories of things that have happened that weve never dealt with? How do those shape our lives going forward?

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As I read Sarah Virens To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories I kept thinking about these questions and others. Even in the days after Ive read the book, Ive found myself haunted by what Viren reveals not just about her life, but all our lives.

At one level, the book is a memoir, one that interweaves two stories, one of Virens experience with a charismatic high school teacher, Dr. Whiles, who cracks open the minds of his young charges with philosophical conundrums drawn from Schopenhauer and Plato. Viren, a smart, but indifferent student, finds herself captivated by Dr. Whiles during her freshman year. But when she has him again junior year, he has become a man now in the apparent thrall of conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial, which he shares with his impressionable charges.

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"To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories" by Sarah Viren (June 13, 2023). (Scribner)

While Viren, now a writing professor at Arizona State University is researching and writing this story of Dr. Whiles, her life is upended by a bogus charge of sexual harassment against Virens partner, Marta, and then Viren herself. Viren suspects  and quickly confirms  the culprit, a fellow academic who also desired a position at the University of Michigan that had been offered to Viren.

For Viren, the job is a dream posting that would allow her and her young family to move back to the Midwest of her birth. But quickly, Viren and Marta are wrapped up in a bureaucratic nightmare of institutional investigations at two universities. To Viren, the charges make no sense given what shes certain she knows both about Marta and the timing of the alleged events.

But what if shes been a fool?

Both stories carry plenty of tension: Will Viren make contact with Dr. Whiles and gain insight into what happened to the man, and in turn what happened to her youthful self? Will Viren and Marta be cleared of the charges in time for Viren to take the position at Michigan? Will the perpetrator be outed and punished?

If these narrative threads were all To Name the Bigger Lie had to offer, it would make for a compelling story, but Viren takes the opportunity of these braided incidents to interrogate how our memories function, and show how memories that are technically accurate to us may not tell the whole truth.

As she and Marta try to clear themselves, Viren reaches out to her old classmates from Dr. Whiles class, asking them what they remember, how they responded to incidents like Dr. Whiles showing a Holocaust denialist film in class, an incident that left Viren traumatized enough to run from the classroom.

The varying ways her classmates remember and interpret the past become opportunities for Viren to question herself, and in some cases, she comes away recognizing that she fundamentally misremembers her own life.

It would be satisfying to know that ultimately Dr. Whiles and the individual fabricating the charges are outed and punished, but if we understand anything from To Name the Bigger Lie, its that narratives are rarely so tidy, and the only thing we can do is make the best sense of the world with what we have.

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John Warner is the author of Why They Cant Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.

Twitter @biblioracle

Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books youve read.

1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

2. Trust by Hernan Diaz

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3. Solito by Javier Zamora

4. You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

5. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 Lianne T., Chicago

Something tells me that Lianne might take to the exploration of life and meaning that is Katherine Mays Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age.

1. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

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2. Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman

3. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle

4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

5. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

 Robert T., Columbus, Ohio

I think Robert will be interested in the unique combination of grit and drama that Daniel Woodrell brings to the page. Hes most known for Winters Bone, which would be a very fine choice, but Im going to go with The Maids Version as my specific recommendation.

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1. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

2. Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

3. Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

4. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

 Georgia M., Greenville, South Carolina

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A bit of a mix here, which scrambles the old Biblioracle circuits somewhat, but Im going to fall back on a book that history shows just about anyone can find a good reason to latch onto, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Get a reading from the Biblioracle

Send a list of the last five books youve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com
A record 50.7 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home over the coming Independence Day weekend.

AAA predicts domestic travel over the long weekend will increase by 2.1 million people compared to 2022. That would surpass the July 4th weekend record of 49 million travelers set in 2019.

Weve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend, said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.

For the purposes of the forecast, the Independence Day travel period is defined as from June 30 to July 4.

More than 3.7 million of those travelers are expected to be residents of AAAs West North Central Region, which includes Nebraska and Iowa. Also in the region are Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and both of the Dakotas.

Nationally, the holiday weekend also is expected to set a record for the number of Americans traveling by automobile. AAA expects 43.2 million people will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.4% over 2022 and 4% higher than 2019.

This summer, gas prices are well below what they were one year ago. The national average for a gallon of regular was $4.80 on July 4, 2022. Gas prices have remained steady the past couple of months, with the national average hovering around $3.50 to $3.60 a gallon, thanks to the lower cost of oil.

The average price for a regular gallon of gas in Nebraska on Friday was $3.35 and it was $3.45 in Omaha, according to AAA.

The price for a regular gallon of gas in Nebraska over the holiday in 2022 was between $4.64 and $4.70.

AAA expects 3.36 million people will travel by bus, cruise or train over the long weekend, an increase of 24% over last year. While more travelers are turning to these modes this year, the number is not expected to surpass 2019s total of 3.54 million.

Air travel also is expected to set a record, according to the travel agency. It projects 4.17 million Americans will fly to their destinations Independence Day weekend, an increase of 11.2% over 2022 and 6.6% over 2019.

The previous Fourth of July weekend air travel record of 3.91 million travelers also was set in 2019. The share of air travelers in the overall holiday forecast this year is an impressive 8.2%  the highest percentage in nearly 20 years.

Omahas Eppley Airfield was expecting 72,000 travelers during the five-day holiday weekend running from Friday through Tuesday, said Steve McCoy, the airports chief information and development officer.

Thats 8.4% more than last year, he said, but not markedly higher than other summer travel weekends.

July 4 isnt usually a big air travel weekend, McCoy said. Its more of a driving-type holiday.

US travel is on the reboundhere's why US travel is on the reboundhere's why Current travel landscape statistics: An overview What are international visitors spending in the US?
RACINE  Tabatha Cruz adores the Fratt Elementary School dual language program, which she and her children have been part of for a dozen years.

Cruzs youngest son attends Fratt, and she said the teachers excel at providing an engaging learning environment.

Her son and his classmates are happy, theyre thriving, Cruz said. Its all we can ask for.

Cruz wants the Fratt program to continue and she is concerned about the possibility of dual language classes no longer being offered after next school year.

If that happens, Cruz said her son will no longer attend the Racine Unified School District.

Cruz was one of a few dozen people who discussed the benefits and challenges of the RUSD dual language program during a community meeting Wednesday at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, 2221 Douglas Ave.

RUSD hosted the meeting as a way to hear from community members about the direction they want the dual language program to take starting next fall.

Another community dual language listening session is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. July 11 at the Mitchell School family resource center, 2701 Drexel Ave.

There will be minimal changes to the RUSD dual language program in the 2023-24 school year.

Its direction is uncertain for the 2024-25 school year and beyond, though, which is why the school district wants to hear from students, staff and families.

After receiving community input, the school district intends to bring its dual language plans to the RUSD Board later this year before the districts school choice window starts Dec. 1.

At RUSD, dual language courses start as young as 4-K and go up to eighth grade. The goal is to develop bilingual, biliterate students who are aware of and can connect with a variety of cultures.

For the youngest grades, 80% of classroom content like math and reading is taught in Spanish and 20% is taught in English. Each year, progressively more content is taught in English until 50% is taught in English and 50% is taught in Spanish from fourth through eighth grade.

Areas to improve

About 40 people attended Wednesdays session, including about 15 children who played during the meeting.

Maria Barreras, executive director of the RUSD department of language and global learning, spoke and answered questions for the first 20 minutes.

Attendees were then split into two groups where they discussed two overarching questions: How has the RUSD dual language program benefited them, and how can the program improve?

Areas to improve include district communication to families.

Attendees said RUSD needs to do a better job promoting these dual language community meetings so more people attend.

Other areas to improve include Jerstad-Agerholm K-8 School offering dual language for elementary students in addition to middle school students.

One attendee said more desirable middle school choices for dual language would help as well.

RUSD offers middle school dual language courses at two schools: Jerstad-Agerholm and Mitchell K-8 schools.

It has elementary dual language classes at five schools: Fratt, Julian Thomas, Mitchell, S.C. Johnson and Wadewitz.

Several people said RUSD needs to clarify the relationship between the dual language program and English as a Second Language instructors.

I cannot see that as being separate, an attendee said. You need to have that discussion.

Dual language educators and English as a Second Language teachers are different jobs.

Dual language teachers are classroom instructors fluent in English and Spanish who teach courses like history and science.

English as a Second Language teachers are specialists who help students learn English. Some of those students first language is Spanish, but not all.

Barreras said the district can do better at educating families about that relationship and can talk more about ESL in a separate community meeting.

We can definitely create that space at another time, Barreras said.

Positives

In terms of benefits, attendees lauded the dual language program and said it can help students education and career prospects. They said children feel safe in the program and that instructors do a great job leading the relatively small classes, another plus.

Dual language also increases cultural understanding and decreases racism between students, according to attendees.

They appreciate that the program is open to everyone. For some students, it helps to learn Spanish so they can communicate with family members.

Assignments in Spanish help parents who are native Spanish speakers be more involved in their childrens schoolwork, attendees said.

Cruz said the program also creates connections among parents whose children are classmates for many years.

Cristina Ramirez and Anna Dubinksy agreed.

They met each other because their children were in the Julian Thomas dual language program, and the mothers became friends.

Ramirez and Dubinsky love the Julian Thomas dual language classes and want to see them continue.

They attended Wednesdays meeting hoping to gain clarity about the status of the dual language program because they were concerned it might be shrinking or going away.

Why would they eliminate something thats been successful? Ramirez said.

No dual language classes are being eliminated from buildings next school year.

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the program might consolidate to fewer schools, due in part to ongoing challenges finding dual language teachers.

Ramirez and Dubinsky appreciated that some of their queries were answered but still questioned how seriously the school district will weigh their opinions when making decisions about the future of dual language.

Im concerned with how much our voice really will matter in these meetings, Dubinksy said. Is it really making a difference?

Barreras said their voices matter and that the community and school district will work together to decide the programs direction.

We want to envision what our program is going to look like moving forward, so we want to hear from you, Barreras said. Our goal is to come up with a plan together.

RUSD plans to form two committees to make recommendations about the programs future: a dual language parent advisory committee and a communitywide stakeholder committee.

Attendee Diana Valencia said community members showed up Wednesday to make their voices heard and be an active part of the decision-making process.

We shouldnt just stay quiet, Valencia said.

Close Florencia Garza-Bias and Amiyah Huerta Virgen Rodruguez and Daniella Saucedo-Porcayo Aryanna Toscano and Daniela Toscano Aileen Canales and Sandra Correa Joana Araiza and Emanuel Mejia William Duberstine and Frida Duberstine Anthony Morones, Virgen Rodriguez and Amiyah Huerta In photos: Dr. Jones Elementary School 4K Dual Language Class The children in Florencia Garza-Bias Dual Language class at Dr. Jones Elementary School learned how to reduce, reuse, and recycle trash as part of the 4K Creative Curriculum. They learned how littering, leaving water running, leaving on lights or the TV on when not in the room can waste resources and affect our environment. They learned that paper, glass, plastic, cars, old furniture and even airplanes can be recycled. Florencia Garza-Bias and Amiyah Huerta Virgen Rodruguez and Daniella Saucedo-Porcayo Aryanna Toscano and Daniela Toscano Aileen Canales and Sandra Correa Joana Araiza and Emanuel Mejia William Duberstine and Frida Duberstine Anthony Morones, Virgen Rodriguez and Amiyah Huerta
RACINE  Residents are gearing up for the Fourth of July holiday weekend and preparing for an array of celebrations.

Heres what you need to know about the parades, fireworks and events planned for July 4.

4th Fest

Racines 4th Fest parade will take place Tuesday, with a 2.6 mile long route along Main Street. The official starting point of the parade will be the intersection of Goold and Main streets. A pre-parade will start at 8:30 a.m. before the parade makes its way down the route at 9 a.m. The parade will head south along Main and turn onto 14th Street, with the streets closing at 7 a.m.

Viewing spots for the parade can be claimed as early as 5 a.m.

The parade also will be televised on Channel 24, with a livestream at my24milwaukee.com

Vehicle parking along the route is prohibited after 6 a.m. July 4.

Waterford

The Lions Club of Waterford will be hosting the towns parade. A childrens parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of Milwaukee and Main streets and proceed north to Pick n Save. The main parade begins at 11 a.m. at Seventh and Main streets and will proceed west on Main Street to Milwaukee Street, then north to Trail Side Graded School. Lions will be selling duck raffle pins along the parade route; proceeds help pay for the parade. A drawing will be held Sept. 10 at Lions Club of Waterford Car Show at Cotton Exchange. For parade information, contact Scott Gunderson at 414-581-3157 or go to waterfordlionsclub.org.

Although the Waterford Fire Department previously announced it would not be able to attend the parade, an anonymous donor has made it possible for WFD to participate.

Chief Kevin Hafemann said the donation allowed him to add the needed staff.

Hafemann said pulling out of public events always is a difficult decision.

Thats something the fire service holds dearly and most people dont understand, he said. We dont only put out fires and go to EMS calls, we have other duties  community risk reduction, public education, community relations  theres a lot of different facets of the fire service, and that is one we hold dearly. 

Union Grove

With a Moon Landing, 50th Anniversary, theme, Union Groves parade participants will assemble at 9:15 a.m. in the parking lot of the Racine County Fairgrounds, 19805 Durand Ave., Yorkville. The parade will travel east on Highway 11 and then north on Highway 45. Kiddie Parade participants will assemble at 8:45 a.m. at the Graham Public Library parking lot, 12th and Main streets, and go to Village Square Park, down Main Street (Highway 45). The Kiddie Parade will travel ahead of the main parade.

Town of Burlington

The Town of Burlington hosting a flag raising ceremony at 9 a.m. at Burlington Hall, 32288 Bushnell Road.

Fireworks

The Racine Fire Department is encouraging residents to leave fireworks to the professionals. Every year, 20,000 fires are started nationally by fireworks and nearly 11,500 injuries are reported. A quarter of injuries inflicted by fireworks are to children younger than 17.

Wisconsin State Statute 167.10 and Racine Municipal code Sec. 66-516 & 66-517 provide an outline that determines which fireworks are legal for use in the city.

Fireworks such as cone fountains, small smoke bombs and sparklers less than 36 inches long are generally allowed.

The city will have a fireworks display Tuesday at North Beach. The show will start once the sky is dark enough, generally around 8:30 p.m.

There will be no public parking east of Michigan Boulevard from Hubbard Street to English Street, and there will be limited parking east of Main Street.

Attendees are advised to be prepared to walk to their firework-watching locations.

The City of Burlington has scheduled its fireworks display to begin at dusk.

Sturtevants fireworks show also begins at dusk. Parking is available at Firemans Park on Charles Street beginning at 4 p.m. Food and beverage vendors will be available.

Racine 4th Fest Parade 2022 in photos, part 1
RACINE  The Racine Police Department is dissolving its drug unit to address gun violence in the city.

Racine Police Chief Maurice Robinson said in a statement that he made the decision because there was only one member of the unit and that officer was not able to investigate all the drug crime citywide. Robinson said he reorganized a special task force to address gun violence, and that drug crimes in connection to gun violence would be investigated.

In a statement, Robinson said an internal personnel order had been leaked to the public.

This action has caused undue and unnecessary fear in the Racine community that the police department is abandoning drug investigations, he said. This is absolutely untrue.

In a follow up, Robinson did not clarify whether drug crimes unrelated to gun violence would still be investigated, and declined to comment further.

Drug abuse in Racine County

Drug abuse, specifically opioid abuse, has been on the rise nationwide for decades. Overdose deaths have peaked nationwide since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Racine County Sheriffs Office Metro Drug Unit investigates drug crimes throughout the county, including in Racine.

According to Lt. Michael Luell, the unit oversees complicated investigations that often take weeks or months to complete.

The Metro Drug Unit investigates higher level drug trafficking crimes and dealers, and the Sheriffs Office has a patrol division that actively enforces drug laws, according to Luell.

Luell said the unit includes several deputies from the Sherriffs Office and one police officer from the Mount Pleasant Police Department. No other department has assigned an officer to the unit.

While the Sheriffs Office investigates drug crimes throughout the county, it would benefit local jurisdictions to investigate drug crimes, too, Luell said.

In 2021, the average rate of opioid deaths in Wisconsin was 24.6 per 100,000 people, according to the Department of Health Services. Racine Countys rate was 27.54 per 100,000 people, one of the highest across the state.

In 2019, there were 1,201 overdose deaths in Wisconsin. Overdose deaths rose to 1,531 statewide in 2020 and 1,775 by 2021, according to the CDC.

In Sept. 2022, the Department of Health Services issued an advisory warning the public of the increased presence of fentanyl in overdose deaths. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is often laced into other drugs and is 50 times stronger than heroin.

The statement said that during the past year synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, were identified in 91% of opioid overdose deaths and 73% of all drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for adults ages 18-45 in the United States.

In Racine County, there were 43 confirmed toxicity related deaths in 2022 with 10 pending autopsy cases, according to Kristan Binninger, the Racine County Medical Examiner.

In 2023, there have been four confirmed toxicity related deaths with 87 autopsies still pending. The pending autopsies have not determined a cause of death and are not necessarily linked to overdoses.

While the Metro Drug Unit investigates high level drug crimes, Luell said the unit was stretched thin and overworked because of the uptick in drug abuse and overdoses in recent years.

Photos: Tranq, the new fentanyl additive worsening Americas opioid epidemic
1. Yes. Voters across the city filled the seat in the first place. Voters should decide again.

2. Yes. An election is much preferable to back-room decisions among council members.

3. No. The charter calls for the council to fill the vacancy by appointment. Follow the rules.

4. No. An election would be expensive, both for the city and for the potential candidates.

5. Unsure. An election seems more transparent, but its not the perfect answer.

Vote

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KEARNEY  Even Broc Anderson was surprised by how much had been placed inside the Kearney Centennial time capsule in 1973.

Its most curious items were the cap from a bottle of Budweiser beer, a 1973 issue of TV Guide and a 1973 Montgomery Ward catalog.

Anderson, community engagement director at the Buffalo County Historical Societys Trails & Rails Museum, presided over the public opening of the time capsule Friday afternoon in honor of Kearneys Sesquicentennial.

The event was led by members of the Ft. Kearney chapter of the DAR. DAR members had headed the burying of the time capsule 50 years ago in Centennial Park when Kearney celebrated its 100th birthday.

Who remembers?

Anderson spoke briefly at Centennial Park, then led the crowd across West 11th Street to the museum.

This is a fabulous turnout, DAR member Pam Artman said to the 132 attendees, who ranged from preschoolers to great-grandparents. They crowded on folding chairs and stood along the sides and the back of the room.

Who was living in Kearney in 1973? Artman asked. Perhaps one-fifth of the crowd raised their hands.

Who helped put items in the time capsule back then? she asked. A few hands went up.

Two city workers had dug up the capsule had last week, but only Artman had seen its contents. She had placed the items inside two large plastic tan bins and covered the bins with cloth to hide their contents.

Now those bins stood on two tables in front of the crowd inside the museum, but Artmans lips were sealed. Nobody else, including Anderson, had seen those contents until Friday afternoon.

Nobody has messed with these, he assured the crowd. Theyve been in safekeeping.

Whats inside?

Then the fun began. Anderson and DAR member Jodi Daily reached inside the bins and began pulling out all 55 items, one by one, and holding them up.

They found old church programs, historic pictures, a stack of hand-written letters, a copy of The Echo, a Kearney High School publication, and city government records.

After they showed them to the crowd, DAR members Lynda Shaffer and Drucie Stark placed the items on two long tables.

On it went: material from Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney), fragile books that told the story of Kearneys early days, city plans for Kearneys sewer and water system, a copy of NebraskaLand magazine from 1972.

The final artifact was a red, white and blue DAR poster labeled Our City and Country, from the 1973 centennial celebration.

Closer inspection

After the program, the crowd was invited to come up to tables and look  but not touch. These items have been in cold, wet storage for 50 years, Anderson said. Most are paper, and most are very, very fragile to the touch.

The time capsule had been built by Al Dobberstein. Copper had been soldered around it, but that didnt keep the moisture out, according to Larry Friskopp, manager at Worley Monuments, which had built the enclosure. Friskopp and Worley office manager JoLynn Wicht brought a history of the company to tuck into the capsule when it is reburied.

In the crowd was DAR member Barb Bradney, who said she felt absolutely lucky to see the relics. Its fascinating what Broc (Anderson) has done to educate people and help them appreciate what we have, she said.

The crowd also included Kearney High School sophomores Jaidyn Talavat, 15, and Braxton Robinson, 15, and Horizon Middle School student Kendra Talavat, 13. It was cool, Kendran said.

They were invited by the girls older sister Marciela Cook, 21. I was intrigued, Cook said. It was pretty cool to see things from back in that day compared to now.

Archiving planned

The items will be displayed at the Trails & Rails Museum for roughly another week, Anderson said. Before it is reburied, UNKs archivist Laurinda Weisse will digitize all the items and post them online.

Anyone can then go to the UNK library archives and look at them, Anderson said.

He said nearly a dozen city groups have been invited to put items from 2023 into the time capsule. It will then be re-buried, but no date has been set for that event.

He invited the public to bring items such as a letter, a birth certificate, a drivers license, anything. He said the capsule is three feet long, two feet wide and three feet deep, much larger than he expected, so it has plenty of room.

It wont be open for another 50 years, he said.
A Cook County judge on Saturday denied bail to an Evanston man accused of fatally stabbing a business owner during what prosecutors described as a crime spree in a West Ridge building complex in May.

Brandon Sanders, 33, faces a first-degree murder charge, as well as armed robbery and residential burglary charges. Sanders is accused of May 12 slaying Rasim Katanic atop a large building along the sprawling Little India shopping district in the 2300 block of West Devon Avenue.

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Authorities said Sanders then took a screwdriver from the dying man and used it to burglarize the apartment of two Loyola University students who were away at their own graduation.

During a felony bail hearing broadcast on YouTube, prosecutors described how they believe that Sanders walked through a Devon business private employee area to gain access to a large apartment building where Katanic was working.

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Katanic, 69, the owner of K & R Heating & Cooling, according to public records, was working on a walk-in cooler compressor on roof of a restaurant when he was killed, Assistant States Attorney Kathryn Morrissey told the court.

After stabbing Katanic in the neck and head, authorities said that Sanders stole the victims wallet, keys and a screwdriver that he used to unscrew and remove a skylight to an adjacent apartment building, Morrissey said.

After forcing his way inside the Loyola graduates apartment, authorities said Sanders shaved in the bathroom, discarded his own clothing and took new clothing, along with three watches before leaving.

The students returned home the next morning to find personal items that belonged to Katanic, including his wallet and ID cards. Authorities later recovered a water jug left behind in the apartment that was later tested against a buccal swab taken from Sanders. A preliminary tests by Illinois state police found a profile consistent with Sanders DNA profile, Morrissey said.

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Surveillance captured Sanders leaving the apartment wearing clothing that hed taken from the burglarized apartment, authorities said. Katanics screwdriver was also left on the buildings mailbox.

The motive for the killing was unclear, but throughout the hearing prosecutors noted Sanders unstable behavior on the day of the slaying.

After the slaying and burglary, prosecutors said Sanders walked to a nearby furniture store where he once worked and where a relative continued to work. While at the business, Sanders told its owner that they didnt have to pay rent anymore because his landlord was on the roof dead and that he took care of that, Morrissey said. It wasnt immediately clear whether Katanic was indeed a landlord of the business.

Authorities also mentioned an incident two hours prior to the homicide, where Sanders entered a nearby bank and called the FBIs national threat operation center to report a plot to overthrow the government, providing his name and address, according to Morrissey.

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Sanders court-appointed attorney noted her clients possible mental health issues and fought against prosecutors petition to deny bail, claiming that no video evidence tied Sanders directly to Katanics killing.

But Judge Ankur Srivastava granted the states petition to deny bail and ordered Sanders to return to court later this month.

wlee@chicagotribune.com
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The progressive metalcore band Jinjer is from the Ukraine. Thats enough to know that the band  which will perform July 14 at Rock Fest in Cadott  has had a trying couple years.

All this war, its a huge tragedy for all of the Ukrainian people, said drummer Vladislav Ulasevich during an October video interview. I dont know, I just want this to end as soon as possible and stop people dying and stop bombing our cities, our villages, our homes because like three days ago, Russia bombed every single huge city in the Ukraine. In Kyiv, the center of the city was bombed. I dont remember (exactly), its like 10 bombs right in the middle of the city and a lot of people died. This war, its terrible. I still cant believe it happened.

The war continues to rage with no end in sight.

Ulasevich was in the Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022 and hunkered down in the home owned by his girlfriends parents.

It was very scary for me and everybody, said Ulasevich.

Three of the four band members of Jinjer  vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk, bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov and Ulasevich  already knew what it was like to escape armed conflict.

If you go What: Rock Fest When: July 13-15 Where: 24447 County Highway S, Cadott Cost: $169 three-day general admission; $99 one-day general admission Information: rock-fest.com

They spent the early part of their time as a band based in the Donetsk province of the Ukraine, but in 2014 fled that area as fighting broke out between the Ukraine military and pro-Russia rebels. The band first moved 800 miles away to a suburb near Lviv, which is close to the border with Poland on the western edge of the Ukraine.

After encountering problems with electricity and water, as well as feeling it was not an inspiring locale, the band moved to Kyiv.

By this point, Jinjer was getting established as a fast-rising act in Ukraine and had started making headway in other countries, after releasing an EP, Inhale, Do Not Breathe, in 2012, a full-length debut, Cloud Factory, in 2014 and a second full-length, King of Everything, which was completed shortly before Ulasevich joined Jinjer in 2016.

Jinjers appeal started to accelerate from there, as the band expanded its touring base with a pair of tours of Europe in 2017 and a first trip to the United States, opening a tour for Cradle of Filth.

The next year, Jinjer was signed by Napalm Records, which re-released Cloud Factory that year. This was followed by a five-song EP, Micro, in 2019 and a full-length album, Macro, later that year, with extensive touring happening when the band wasnt writing or recording those releases.

The band was going full steam ahead until spring 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped everything in its tracks. Jinjer had to cancel several tours that were on the books.

Realizing they shouldnt just sit idle, the four bandmates got to work writing the songs that now make up Wallflowers, the studio album the band released in August 2021.

As Ulasevich and his bandmates began work on the new music, they agreed to set aside any stylistic boundaries or considerations for radio play or album sales and explored a range of musical possibilities as they wrote and recorded the Wallflowers album together in Kyiv.

The result is an album that is being seen as Jinjers heaviest effort to date. It has plenty of songs (Colossus, Copycat and Mediator, for a start) that deploy heavy guitars, blasting beats and the guttural roaring vocals of Shmailyuk. But Jinjer varies the attack throughout Wallflowers. Songs like Pearls and Swine, Vortex and Sleep of the Righteous are multi-faceted tracks that blend the chaos with segments that showcase a more melodic, less frenetic side to the bands sound, complete with sung vocals at times from Shmailyuk, whose sweet tone is surprising considering how deep and thick she goes with her screamed vocals.

Wallflowers is actually a long play, Ulasevich said, referencing the considerable work that went into the album. We have 11 songs there and all of the songs are like four minutes or more. So its like big work, yeah. But we had time this time and it was really fun.

Jinjer began 2022 preparing for additional touring to promote Wallflowers, but after Russia invaded, Jinjer put their career on pause to raise money for relief efforts in their country. The band created a pair of shirts, and by early summer 2022, sales of those shirts had raised $150,000.

In June, Jinjer was granted permission by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to leave the country, continue fundraising efforts and serve as ambassadors of the country as the band embarked on touring.

The band toured the United States last summer and has returned this summer for another run of shows, this time sprinkling in a few festival dates and headlining shows between opening for Disturbed on that bands summer tour.

We will play two new songs from the last album (Wallflowers) that we never played before, Ulasevich said. And we will play some old songs.
CHICAGO  A 1 a.m. shooting at a party in downtown St. Louis kills one and injures nearly a dozen. Gunmen open fire during a fight near Florida's Hollywood Beach, injuring nine, including a 1-year-old. Bursts of gunfire at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville, Alabama, kill four and wound more than 30.

What these and other recent mass shootings share in common is they all involve suspects in their teens, highlighting what can be a deadly mix of teenage bravado and impulsiveness with access to guns.

The days when many teens opted to fight out disagreements with fists seem quaint by comparison.

"I remember when I was a child and we had fights  somebody got a black eye or a broken nose and (they) lived to tell about it," St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones told reporters after the June 18 shooting.

Reaching for a gun is the default these days for some teens who are as quick to take offense as to pull a trigger, agreed Rodney Phillips, a 50-year-old former Chicago Black Disciples leader who works with gang members nationwide to tamp down festering beefs.

"Now, the first thing out of their mouths is, 'I'm gonna kill you.' It's the brazenness of (the shootings), the reckless abandon, doing it in public places," Phillips said. "It wasn't like that when I came up."

The aunt of 17-year-old Makao Moore, who died in the St. Louis shooting, said teens too often express anger with a gun.

"If we don't figure it out, it's going to continue to happen," Sharonda Moore told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Among the solutions to reducing teen violence, Jones said, was to keep expanding programs offering young people activities in safe spaces, including movie and music nights.

More firearms, and even more powerful firearms, have enabled teens, or anyone wielding a gun, to maim and kill more people in single incidents.

A handgun fired at the April Sweet 16 party  in a dance studio crammed with up to 60 people  was altered to shoot more rapidly, Alabama Special Agent Jess Thornton told a court hearing.

"Witnesses said it sounded like a machine gun," the investigator said. Afterward, 89 bullet casings littered the scene and there was "blood everywhere."

Bullets riddled walls and shattered glass at the shooting in a fifth-floor office in St. Louis. Police released photos of two young men clutching apparent AK-style rifles. One detained suspect was 17.

In many cities, illegal guns are never too far out of reach.

In areas with high gang activity, some guns are stolen from homes, gun stores or trains. To lower the risk of being stopped by police while in possession of guns, gang members typically hide them nearby, tucking the weapons into walls and inside tire rims, he said.

Powerful firearms became more readily available starting in the 1980s, before which knives and low-caliber pistols were often the weapons of choice by teens who killed, said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston.

"With guns, teenagers tend to be trigger happy," he said. "They'll pull the trigger without fully thinking about the consequences."

According to FBI data, about 90% of homicides in 2019 by teens 15 to 17 involved firearms, up from around 60% in 1980. Fox, though, said the rise in homicides by teens hasn't correlated directly with the rising numbers of guns.

Just how many guns are around and available to teens is impossible to know. The Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey estimated in 2018 that there were some 390 million guns held by civilians in the U.S., more than those held by civilians in the other top 25 countries combined.

Investigators in St. Louis, Alabama and Florida didn't immediately suggest motives for the respective shootings. But indications are tensions rose suddenly in each.

Donna Rhone, whose son's face was grazed by a bullet in the St. Louis shooting, told KTVI-TV that partygoers were well-behaved before the shooting.

"Then immediately, that's when everything shifted," Rhone said, citing her son. "It goes from being so lighthearted to pure terror."

Pushing and shoving between two groups preceded the Memorial Day shooting in Florida, when members of one group pulled guns and fired at the other and at bystanders, an affidavit alleged. Among those charged: a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old.

For 2020, the first year of the pandemic, numbers of homicides by teens 12 to 17 jumped by nearly 40% compared to the previous year, from 974 to 1,336, according to FBI data. There was a total of around 18,000 homicides in the U.S. in 2020.

Homicides by teens 12 to 17 soared between 1984 and 1994, from 958 to a historic high of 2,800, according to the FBI. After falling to a low of 700 in 2013, numbers crept up, though they remain below mid-90s' numbers.

When teens kill, their victims are also often young.

The St. Louis victims were between 15 and 19. Those killed in the Alabama shooting were 17, 18, 19 and 23, while most of more than two dozen others injured ranged in age from 14 to 19.

Homicide in 2019 was the third leading cause of death for those between ages 12 and 17, behind accidents and suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Homicide is now the leading cause of death among African American youth.

Photos: A list of high-profile mass shootings in the US this year Monterey Park, California Half Moon Bay, California Nashville, Tennessee Louisville, Kentucky Dadeville, Alabama Bowdoin, Maine Cleveland, Texas Allen, Texas
The 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be unlike any national election in United States history. And not necessarily in a good way.

But a new Wisconsin nonpartisan/nonprofit organization, Keep Our Republic, is launching a bipartisan effort to promote voter education and election integrity in the Badger state leading up to the November 2024 election.

The efforts by Keep Our Republic  an organization for which I am a part of a 12-member steering committee, along with former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and others  are crucial when you consider these factors. The Republican Party presidential primary is hardly predictable. That in itself is not unusual at this stage in the process. Recent FiveThirtyEight polls for the Republican primary show Donald Trump ahead of Ron DeSantis, 54% to 21% with all other candidates in single digits.

Consider at the same time, Donald Trump has been indicted for crimes in the state of New York for campaign finance violations and by the federal government for mishandling classified documents. This is the first time in U.S. history a president or former president has been indicted, much less a leading presidential candidate. It is unclear how the court proceedings and campaign activities will coincide over the next 16 months. Donald Trump is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Incumbent President Joe Biden is the leading Democratic candidate, yet his job approval rating hovers at 40% and polls show many Americans are concerned about the demands of the presidency for someone his age. As reported by Pew Research, he is one of only 10 national leaders world-wide over 80 years of age. Note there is an age difference of only 3 1/2 years between Trump and Biden.

Of course, despite the polls, perceived job performance, not age, is the primary factor people should consider. There are other factors at play as well. According to a Brennan Center analysis, 2020 election denial is down, but not out. For the most part, candidates who cast doubts about the election outcome in 2020 failed to win in November 2022. Yet in many cases, the voting margins were extremely slim.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence has dramatically emerged on the scene and tech leaders are urging a pause period to allow adequate government regulations to be developed. It remains to be seen whether government regulations to address election interference can be enacted by the 2024 election. Surrounding all of this is the likelihood of massive amounts of disinformation and misinformation about the election and the electoral process.

National observers consider Wisconsin to be one of six battleground states for the 2024 election. Wisconsin residents will have front-row seats in seeing how these and other factors play out. But for many, the impact of these conditions goes beyond politics. The political divisiveness and the breakdown in trust in the electoral process can be a major contributor to an erosion in the stability of the democratic republic  something that can have a profound effect on us all.

In early June, Keep Our Republic announced a bipartisan effort to promote voter education and election integrity in Wisconsin leading up to the November 2024 election. The Keep Our Republic Wisconsin Advisory Committee was announced, joining similar efforts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, also considered to be battleground states.

Kathy Bernier, former Republican State Senator from Chippewa Falls, was introduced as the Wisconsin Director for Keep Our Republic. The following are members of the advisory committee: David Bowen, Joseph Czarnecki, Mike Huebsch, Barbara Lawton, Bill McCoshen, Kevin Reilly, Reid Ribble, Tommy Thompson, John Vaudreuil, Dana Wachs, David Zein and myself. Additional information about the Wisconsin Advisory Committee and the organizations mission is available at www.keepourrepublic.com.

Over the next 16 months, the Keep Our Republic team will hold dialogue sessions in communities across the state. The goals are straightforward; a) inform voters about how elections are conducted in Wisconsin (including safeguards), b) increase readiness to avert problems that may develop, and in the process, c) protect the integrity of the democratic republic. It is a solid game plan involving recognized leaders identified as Republicans, Democrats and independents.

While no plan is foolproof, the effort deserves to be recognized as a commonsense approach. Given the nature of the political divide, the potential problems faced in November 2024 will not resolve themselves. In fact, in a sea of misinformation, the problems are far more likely to get worse. Bipartisan planning and preparation can make a difference in Wisconsin.
I had the pleasure to serve in the United States Navy for 26 years, eventually retiring as a Navy SEAL Senior Chief with multiple combat deployments. I was unfortunate enough to have several of my friends killed in training and combat.

Additionally, I have had over 20 friends succumb to PTS or PTSD, leading to them ending their lives following their service. The fact that many of our veterans are committing suicide every day and that many more are homeless is incredibly frustrating for Americans generally and particularly for me as I know these men and women.

According to a Brown University report, over 7,000 U.S. service members have died in the post-9/11 warzones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet over 30,100 U.S. servicemembers and veterans of the post-9/11 wars have died by suicide. That is staggering.

To help prevent additional tragic deaths by suicide of our service men and women, I introduced the Warrior Call Day Resolution, which would establish November 12, 2023, the Sunday after Veterans Day, as Warrior Call Day. I introduced this resolution in response to the death by suicide of Ryan Larkin, who I served with, on April 23, 2017.

This would encourage all Americans, especially active-duty and retired servicemembers, to contact someone who has worn or is currently wearing the uniform and connect struggling veterans with mental health services. This bill seeks to end isolation, which is often a precursor to suicidal ideation. We should be remembering our veterans not only on Veterans Day, but after and year-round.

Additionally, I have been selected to co-chair a bipartisan Military Mental Health Task Force alongside Congressman Derek Kilmer from Washington. The task force will collaborate with subject matter experts, disseminate information and provide resources to members of Congress and their staff so they can learn about the challenges facing Americas former and current servicemembers and their families.

I am hopeful that this task force can become a clearinghouse for not only elected officials in D.C., but for all veterans advocates to work together to solve this tragic problem.

The conversation about mental health should not begin after someone has taken their life.

We need to be proactive to ensure that our veterans and active-duty servicemembers are not alone. If you are a veteran and you are struggling, please call the Veteran Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1. Do not choose a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Recently the La Crosse Navy League lost another valued member on this earth. My friend and fellow church member, Eugene Johnson, was laid to rest after his funeral with military honors.

Among the military formation were two La Crosse Navy League members who had served in the Naval Reserve with Mr. Johnson  Greg Stevens and Tom Sweeney. Sweeney is also the Commanding Officer of U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, the Navy sponsored youth program in the La Crosse area which Eugene supported.

I never knew Johnson and his late wife Florence to not walk the walk that they talked. They raised 13 children and were blessed with many more grandchildren and great grandchildren. While not an actual member of the family, I was invited as family to many special occasions through the years where the Johnsons were present.

The Navy League continues on and welcomes all to join us. No prior military affiliation is required to be a part of this vital, nonprofit civilian organization. Information about visiting an event, meeting or becoming a member of the La Crosse Navy League can be found at www.facebook.com/LaCrosseNavyLeague.

Lorraine Rose Decker

La Crosse
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.

The court's conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The decision, like last year's abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal, this time finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to colleges that receive federal funding, as almost all do.

The court released multiple rulings this past week, including one that said state courts can curtail the actions of legislatures when it comes to federal redistricting and elections.

WILDFIRE SMOKE: Smoky air from Canada's wildfires shrouded broad swaths of the U.S. from Minnesota to New York and Kentucky this past week, prompting warnings to stay inside and exacerbating health risks. Canadian officials expect air quality to remain a concern through the summer.

CLUB Q: Anderson Lee Aldrich  who killed five people at Club Q, a Colorado Springs, Colorado, nightclub in 2022  was sentenced to life in prison Monday after pleading guilty to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder. Victims and family members at the hearing called Aldrich a "monster" who hunted down revelers in a calculated attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

 Associated Press
INDEPENDENCE DAY | BY THE NUMBERS

Celebration plans

How Americans plan to celebrate this year compared with last year:

Fireworks injuries

11,500 Were treated in ERs for fi reworks injuries in 2021.

9 Deaths from incidents involving fireworks in 2021.

25% Increase in injuries between 2006 and 2021.

32% Emergency-room treated injuries that were burn related.

Travel forecast

AAA predicts 50.7 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend (June 30July 4). This is an increase of 2.1 million people compared to 2022, setting a record high. (in millions of travelers)

32% of those celebrating plan to buy additional patriotic items such as American flags, apparel and decorations

$296.2 million Approximate value of fireworks imported from China to the U.S.

Sources: National Retail Federation, U.S. Census Bureau, American Pyrotechnics Association, Melrose Pyrotechnics, Nielsen, Library of Congress, AAA
WEATHER

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the heat. But the recent heat wave there was big even by Texas standards, rewriting local weather records.

The anchor of the heat was in southwest Texas, which is already hot to begin with. In Del Rio, on the east side of the Rio Grande, an all-time high of 113 degrees was set on June 20. The next day, it was even hotter, reaching 115 degrees.

San Angelo reached 114 degrees on back-to-back days on the 20th and 21st. Laredo tied its all-time record of 115 degrees on the 19th.

Richard Berler, a veteran broadcast meteorologist for KGNS in Laredo since 1980, has kept meticulous weather records and was amazed at the consistency of the heat.

"This was the hottest 16-day period in the Laredo record (June 13-28), with records going back to 1895. Sporadic records which go back to 1849 at old Fort McIntosh show no heat episode that equals what we have just experienced."

And there was not much cooling at night, making it even more difficult for the body to recover from the intense heat of the day.

"We just recorded 14 consecutive midnights at or above 90 degrees," Berler said, adding that some years have none. "We had 102 degrees at 10 p.m. on 2 nights. Tragically, eight people in our county lost their lives due to heat illness last week, nine across the river in Nuevo Laredo."

The intensity of heat is one of the most direct connections to the warming climate. As the planet has warmed over the past century, the hottest weather is getting hotter, and the coldest weather is not as cold.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas emitted from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, has increased more than 30 percent since 1958, and it is the primary reason the climate is warming. It may not cause the heat on any one day, but it drives the weather patterns that lead to the extreme heat.

Like stacking a deck of cards or loading a pair of dice, it makes extreme heat on any given day more likely than a century ago. More troubling, there is growing evidence that such extremes are now lasting longer.

Weather patterns in the middle latitudes  that area between the Arctic and the tropics  are largely governed by how the winds move several miles up in the atmosphere. The strongest part of those winds are known as the jet stream.

In general, those winds travel from west to east across North America, moving weather systems along at a reasonable pace. However, they rarely travel in a straight line. When swings in those winds to the north or to the south become large, weather patterns become stagnant, whether they are wet patterns, cold spells or, in the case of Texas recently, heat waves.

The speed and direction of the jet stream winds are largely governed by the temperature difference between the poles and the tropics. A bigger difference in that temperature leads to a faster jet stream, but also one that tends to move in a more direct west to east fashion. And this is where the warming climate may be playing a secondary role.

Over the last half-century, the Arctic has warmed about three to four times more than the rest of the world, so the temperature difference from the poles to the tropics is decreasing, weakening those winds. And like water moving through a stream, as the wind slows down, it starts to meander  less likely to continue in a straight line.

The result, in work pioneered by Jennifer Francis at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, is a jet stream flow that may tend to become much more wavy.

This leads to larger bulges both north and south, slowing down the progression of weather systems across the continent like cars in a traffic jam. Consequently, the weather over any one point becomes stagnant. During this time of the year in Texas, that means heat.

The pattern has broken down for now, so the worst of the heat has migrated into the mid-South, giving Texas a break. But July is climatologically the hottest month of the year nationally, and there are signs of another surge of intense heat across the Plains later in the month.

This year is on pace to be one of the 10 hottest on record globally, so expect heat waves like these to gradually become more common as the climate warms. How much more common will depend on how quickly we can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases  like carbon dioxide.

Sean Sublette is the chief meteorologist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.
Travelers line up at a security checkpoint at Denver International Airport ahead of the Memorial Day holiday on May 26, 2023, in Denver. (David Zalubowski/AP)

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby sounded off this week, focusing his ire on the Federal Aviation Administration after thunderstorms were deemed the cause of the cancellation of thousands of U.S. flights on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. While Kirby blamed airport staffing issues, the FAA said staffing limitations did not play a role in this instance.

Regardless, in several key East Coast hubs, staffing is an issue. Due to Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages at key airports, travelers will face longer lines, which will cause missed flights and missed connections throughout the system and may contribute to a more nightmarish travel and vacation season.

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Earlier this year, the FAA said East Coast airports will be the hardest hit, with delays to rise by 45% when compared with those last summer. Staffing shortages and rising consumer demand are driving the problem. Last summer, New York-area airports reported more than 40,000 flight delays, which amounted to the highest yearly percentage of delayed flights in seven years, Business Insider stated in a March article.

More than 20% of flights are arriving late, on average, and currently, 1% to 2% of flights are being canceled. Passenger volumes at TSA security checkpoints are equal to or are exceeding pre-pandemic levels, but airports still dont have the transportation security officers to move those passengers more efficiently through checkpoints.

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Keep in mind, the TSA has a goal that everybody should make it through airport security in 30 minutes or less in standard lanes and 10 minutes or less in PreCheck lanes. Often, waits are much longer.

While the TSA has stepped up efforts to hire more security officers, filling staffing shortages takes time. The recruitment process involves background and credit checks, computer-based testing, training and a physical examination. With the job market still favoring candidates over employers, there simply are more vacancies than qualified people to fill them. The TSA has lost thousands of employees due to retirements, attrition and departures to higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

Pragmatically speaking, its in policymakers best interest to adopt forward-looking policies to avoid a nightmarish 2023 travel season. They need to pressure administrative decision-makers at TSA and other agencies to get more creative in attracting and retaining security officers at critical hub airports. They need to make it easier for the TSA to offer better pay, benefits and working conditions to attract good employees. Additionally, they need to expedite processes for hiring and onboarding new TSA employees and offer signing bonuses, especially in cities with the largest staff shortages. A commitment to increasing TSA employee salaries can ensure that staffing levels are adequate for future seasons of travel.

Second, policymakers should support innovative policies to move more passengers from standard security to PreCheck security lanes. Doing so would help keep lines short at checkpoints with persistent staffing shortages, since PreCheck lanes require fewer resources than standard lanes.

To encourage more travelers to enroll in PreCheck, the government could decrease or eliminate the fees in certain cases. Last year, the TSA experimented with a modest $7 reduction in the PreCheck enrollment fee with limited success. Other approaches could be more fruitful. Taking actions such as decreasing the renewal fee for travelers with lapsed PreCheck memberships, offering free PreCheck to military veterans and their spouses, and offering a discounted enrollment fee to older passengers would increase PreCheck applications. Notably, travelers 75 and older receive expedited screening in the standard screening lanes  they do not have to remove shoes or light jackets  and therefore have less incentive for enrolling in PreCheck.

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The TSA should expand benefits associated with PreCheck so that PreCheck is more attractive for families. For example, the agency now allows children ages 13 to 17 traveling with an eligible parent or guardian with PreCheck to also access PreCheck lanes. (Previously, the policy applied only to children age 12 and younger.) This is a move in the right direction.

Such policy changes would foster a critical economic driver throughout the country, creating jobs and generating significant tax revenue for the government.

For their part, travelers should take certain steps to improve their travel experience and reduce the impact of disruptions. One step people often overlook is booking flights away from the busiest hub airports. Flying in and out of less busy airports circumvents some travel hassles such as long security lines. Regular travelers should look at enrolling in TSA PreCheck, considering that staffing shortages are likely to persist and waiting times in PreCheck lanes are typically less than 10 minutes.

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Travelers can take an active role in monitoring flights and security lines in real time. Several apps offer this feature, making it possible to adjust travel arrangements on the fly if need be. The TSA app MyTSA, for example, monitors security checkpoints and waiting times in real time. Enrolling in PreCheck should significantly reduce wait time. And of course, make sure to get to the airport as early as possible.

As America returns to the skies in record numbers this summer, the time is now to take smart actions to avert a nightmare for travelers.

Laura Albert is a professor and Harvey D. Spangler faculty scholar in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Her research also focuses on modeling and solving real-world discrete optimization problems with application to homeland security, public services, health care, emergency medical services, critical infrastructure protection, public safety and disaster response and recovery.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
SIMONE BILES: USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday that superstar Simone Biles plans to return to competition at the U.S. Classic outside Chicago in early August, her first event since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she decided to remove herself from multiple events to focus on her mental health.

JULIAN SANDS (1958-2023): Actor Julian Sands, who starred in several Oscar-nominated films in the late 1980s and '90s including "A Room With a View" and "Leaving Las Vegas," was found dead on a Southern California mountain five months after he disappeared while hiking, authorities said Tuesday. The 65-year-old actor was a longtime avid hiker who was reported missing Jan. 13.

JOHN GOODENOUGH (19222023): The University of Texas announced Monday that John Goodenough  who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery, which transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers and pacemakers to electric cars  died last Sunday. He was 100.

SAJAK REPLACEMENT: Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that Ryan Seacrest will become the new "Wheel of Fortune" host after Pat Sajak's retirement next year. Seacrest and SPT said Seacrest signed a multiyear deal to host the long-running game show starting with Season 42.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A divided Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.

The courts conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nations oldest private and public colleges, respectively.

The decision, like last years momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal in finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to recipients of federal funding, as almost all colleges and universities are.

Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.

Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individuals identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.

From the White House, President Joe Biden said he strongly, strongly disagreed with the courts ruling and urged colleges to seek other routes to diversity rather than let the ruling be the last word.

Besides the conservative-liberal split, the fight over affirmative action showed the deep gulf between the three justices of color, each of whom wrote separately and vividly about race in America and where the decision might lead.

Justice Clarence Thomas  the nation's second Black justice, who had long called for an end to affirmative action  wrote that the decision sees the universities admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court's first Latina, wrote in dissent that the decision rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.

Both Thomas and Sotomayor, the two justices who have acknowledged affirmative action played a role in their admissions to college and law school, took the unusual step of reading summaries of their opinions aloud in the courtroom.

In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson  the courts first Black female justice  called the decision truly a tragedy for us all.

Jackson, who sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board, wrote, With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.

The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Elena Kagan was the other dissenter.

Biden, who quickly stepped before cameras at the White House, said of the nation's colleges: They should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies of diverse backgrounds and experience that reflect all of America, He said colleges should evaluate adversity overcome by candidates.

In fact, an applicant for admission still can write about, and colleges can consider, how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise, Roberts wrote.

But the institutions may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today, he wrote.

The courts decision will force universities across the nation to reshape their admissions practices, especially at top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.

Presidents of many colleges quickly issued statements affirming their commitment to diversity regardless of the courts decision. Many said they are still assessing the impact but will follow federal law.

President Reginald DesRoches of Rice University in Houston said he was greatly disappointed by the decision but more resolute than ever to pursue diversity. The law may change, but Rices commitment to diversity will not, he said in a campus message.

Former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama offered starkly different takes on the high court ruling. The decision marked a great day for America. People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded," Trump, the current Republican presidential frontrunner, wrote on his social media network.

Obama said in a statement that affirmative action allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged. Now its up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve  and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives.

The Supreme Court had twice upheld race-conscious college admissions programs in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016.

But that was before the three Trump appointees joined the court. At arguments in late October, all six conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice, which had been upheld under Supreme Court decisions reaching back to 1978.

Lower courts also had upheld the programs at both UNC and Harvard, rejecting claims that the schools discriminated against white and Asian American applicants.

The college admissions disputes were among several high-profile cases focused on race in America, and were weighed by the conservative-dominated, but most diverse court ever. Among the nine justices are four women, two Black people and a Latina.

The affirmative action cases were brought by conservative activist Edward Blum, who also was behind an earlier challenge against the University of Texas as well as the case that led the court in 2013 to end use of a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act.

Blum formed Students for Fair Admissions, which filed the lawsuits against both schools in 2014.

The group argued that the Constitution forbids the use of race in college admissions and called for overturning earlier Supreme Court decisions that said otherwise.

Roberts' opinion effectively did so, both Thomas and the dissenters wrote.

The only institutions of higher education explicitly left out of the ruling were the nation's military academies, Roberts wrote, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.

Blums group had contended that colleges and universities can use other, race-neutral ways to assemble a diverse student body, including by focusing on socioeconomic status and eliminating the preference for children of alumni and major donors.

The schools said that they use race in a limited way, but that eliminating it as a factor altogether would make it much harder to achieve a student body that looks like America.

At the eight Ivy League universities, the number of nonwhite students increased from 27% in 2010 to 35% in 2021, according to federal data. Those men and women include Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander and biracial students.

Nine states already prohibit any consideration of race in admissions to their public colleges and universities. The end of affirmative action in higher education in California, Michigan, Washington state and elsewhere led to a steep drop in minority enrollment in those states leading public universities.

The other states are: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

In 2020, California voters easily rejected a ballot measure to bring back affirmative action.

A poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed 63% of U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students race should ultimately play a major role in decisions. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found that half of Americans disapprove of considerations of applicants race, while a third approve.

The chief justice and Jackson received their undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. Two other justices, Neil Gorsuch and Kagan, went to law school there, and Kagan was the first woman to serve as the law schools dean.

Every U.S. college and university the justices attended, save one, urged the court to preserve race-conscious admissions.

Those schools  Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame and Holy Cross  joined briefs in defense of Harvards and UNCs admissions plans.

Only Justice Amy Coney Barretts undergraduate alma mater, Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee, was not involved in the cases.

Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
Say cheese, a new festival is being planned for the Lake Geneva area.

Representatives from a local media group and the Lake Geneva House of Music plan to host a Wisconsin Cheese Festival from Sept. 22 through Sept. 24 at the Lake Geneva House of Music, N3241 County Highway H in the Town of Geneva.

Organizers for the proposed cheese festival presented plans for the event during the Lake Geneva Tourism Commission meeting, June 12.

The event is set to feature cheese artisans, cheese-related competitions, live music and food vendors.

Chris Buttleman, owner of the Lake Geneva House of Music, said he is looking forward to hosting the event, as he feels it will attract many people to the Lake Geneva area.

I think this could be grown into the House of Musics largest annual event. Food and music festivals work very well for us, Buttleman said. Its a good opportunity to have wine and cheese pairings, craft beer, chili cook-off all kids of stuff that weekend which I think would draw a tremendous amount of people out of Illinois, north to the cheddar curtain to enjoy our Wisconsin Cheese Festival.

Stephanie Klett said the Village of Little Chute hosts a cheese festival every year that attracts about 100,000 people.

Its a three-day festival, and they have over 100,000 people every year, Klett said. Its a signature event.

Klett said another cheese festival is conducted in Monroe every other year, which also attracts about 100,000 people. She said she feels a cheese festival would be successful in the Lake Geneva area.

That town of 10,000 people serves over 100,000 people during the cheese festival, Klett said. As a cheese festival, I see a possibility of outgrowing this space in just a couple of years.

Buttleman said he hopes the cheese festival that is scheduled to be held at the House of Music will attract as many people as the other Wisconsin cheese festivals.

Im hoping we get a tenth of that, Buttleman said. We hope to grow it year after year.

After some discussion the tourism commission members approved to award the organizers a $15,000 grant to help promote and market the Wisconsin Cheese Festival by a 4-1 vote with Alderwoman and tourism commission member Mary Jo Fesenmaier voting no.

Robert Ireland, co-organizer for the event and representative for the media group, said they plan to promote the event in the Lake Geneva area, as well as the Chicago suburbs.

He said he feels the event will help attract many visitors to the Lake Geneva area and encourage overnight stays at the Lake Geneva hotels.

Its in close proximity to the Lake Geneva hotels, Ireland said. All the hotels in the city limits are closer to the House of Music than the hotels outside of the city limits.
The Summer Solstice, June 21, has come and gone and summer has officially begun. The next major holiday down the pike is the Fourth of July which is officially known as Independence Day. For Canadians their next holiday is Canada Day, July 1, which commemorates the founding of the Canadian Federation in 1867.

In Lake Geneva the Fourth of July is not celebrated with the same fervor as is Memorial Day. There are no big parades or other celebrations on the Fourth of July except a childrens parade from Eastview School to the home of the American Legion on Henry Street, which was once the Third Ward School.

On the Fourth of July, Lake Geneva residents must drive to Fontana if they wish to watch the spectacular evening fireworks there. During the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, however, the Fourth of July was heavily celebrated in Lake Geneva. In Maple Park, then the citys Public Square, hundreds of residents assembled to listen to patriotic orations by dignitaries who spoke at rostrums on a raised platform in the center of Maple Park. In those days the Fourth of July activities were organized by Lake Genevas Grand Army of the Republic Post, which was comprised of Civil War veterans. Patriotic orations were accompanied by a band playing patriotic music. After the program in Maple Park had concluded, residents of Lake Geneva had picnics and engaged in other festivities.

As Civil War veterans in Lake Geneva began to pass away, the Fourth of July celebrations diminished.

Tourists came to Lake Geneva during the decades following World War II where they celebrated the Fourth of July as a major holiday, especially if it fell on a Monday or Friday thus making for a three-day weekend. If the Fourth of July was on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, fewer tourists came to the city.

No matter whether the Fourth of July was part of a three-day weekend or not, for the American Legion Canteen in Library Park, where I worked during the summers from 1950 to 1960, the Fourth of July was the busiest day of the summer.

The major event in Lake Geneva that followed the Fourth of July was the Venetian Festival. Its highlight was the parade of excursion boats on the lake that included the Walworth, the Marietta, the Tilford S, the Tula, the Louise, the Polaris, the Jackie, and the Billie as well as private boats, including P. K. Wrigleys Ada. All of the boats were festooned with bright colored lights. Following the boat parade a magnificent fireworks display lit up the night sky.

Shortly after the Venetian Festival, Labor Day arrived signaling the end of the summer in Lake Geneva. The citys schools were back in session on the day after Labor Day.

Nine months later, another magical summer arrived.
Ramaphosa Argues, No Climate-Change Tax Unless We Electrify Africa, Proposes Inga Dam

June 30, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris, June 22-23. Among the attendees were many of the leaders of Western European, African and Latin American nations, as well as the heads of the IMF, World Bank, U.S. Department of the Treasury, the ECB and the European Commission. The organizers were pushing for a global tax of at least $1 trillion per year to use for climate change.

The African leaders would have none of it, several of them pointing out that conferences like this one often make grand promises of money for developing Africa, but nothing comes through.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, at the closing session, proposed a concrete infrastructure project that urgently needed funding. Ramaphosa said 600 million Africans still have no electricity even though Africa has all the resources needed to have abundant electricity, especially from the Congo River. He said the Inga Dam project on the Congo River would generate sufficient electricity for 12 to 15 African countries.

This is what, President Macron, I believe would be one of the most important outcomes, said President Ramaphosa. The reform of the financial architecture as well as the practical projectinfrastructure projectthat is going to add a lot of value.... Generating electricity and building power stations on the Inga dam is the most important.... Lets get that done and then we will be convinced that you are serious with the promises that you make. He added that the plan for a railroad connecting South Africa with Cairo must also be on the agenda, but thats for the next summit. It is estimated that the price tag would be $80 billion and generate at least 42 gigawatts of electricity, and would have an absolutely revolutionary impact on the entire continents energy supply and economy. Ramaphosas recent successes (sharply reduced load-shedding at home, African Peace Mission abroad) are clearly emboldening him.

Zambias President Hakainde Hichilema warned that he would be a bit abusive to President Macron, and pointed out that Zambia was used, more or less, like a guinea pig by Western powers. He stressed that, before we talk about financing, more financing, new financing ... you cannot expect a poor person to carry an additional burden.... Poverty actually exacerbates the climate change mitigation measures.... For us as a global community to mobilize resourcesyes, but these resources must be invested to help grow our economies. He openly praised China for its support and thanked China for generous development funds offered at only 1% interest.

Kenyan President William Ruto also weighed in. Referring to the funds collected from the proposed global tax, President Ruto rejected the idea that those resources be controlled by the World Bank and IMF, because at IMF and World Bank you have the final say, we have no say. We want another organization of equals.... [Y]ou are not hearing us!

Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who announced there that he had thrown out his prepared speech to speak extemporaneously, spoke of having learned about an African plan for infrastructure, and cited the President of Congos speech to the conference the day before on the Congo River, and the dams not being built for lack of financing. Lula then blasted those who do proselytizing with resources, where people say Ah, I will help this little thing here, this little thing there; what is needed is a leap in quality. Make investments in structural things which change the life of countries.

For more on African development, see EIRs Extending the New Silk Road to West Asia and Africa.
Toxic Washington politics behind negative China polls

Xinhua) 09:13, July 01, 2023

People are seen with the U.S. Capitol building shrouded in haze in the background in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

If U.S. politicians truly care about Americans as they claim, they should get rid of any toxic politics, and start to handle bilateral relations in a responsible way that serves the fundamental interests of both the American and Chinese peoples.

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- There has been a sharp increase in the proportion of Americans harboring negative feelings about China -- this is a conclusion several Western media outlets came to recently after analyzing decades of opinion polls.

The polls, if reliable, have unveiled a dangerous anti-China path taken by the United States, which has everything to do with Washington's toxic rhetoric and policies on China deliberately designed and calculated to serve both America's election politics and the White House's "Take China Down" end goal.

For long, China has been a big "bogeyman" in American politics, and blaming China has been politically correct in Washington. The anti-China atmosphere heats up almost every time when Republicans and Democrats face off against one another in presidential elections.

To bring as many voters as possible into their own camp, the two parties vie with each other to be the first to expose a so-called "evil" China. And to outdo their election rivals, candidates from both sides rush to prove throughout their campaigns that they are the quickest to save Americans from the "China threat." This anti-China culture has, over time, brainwashed a growing crowd of the American public.

The "Corona Big Book" disclosed three years ago, for example, has revealed much about this low-cost campaigning scheme used by U.S. bipartisanship. In this strategy playbook, Republican candidates are advised to address the COVID-19 pandemic by aggressively attacking China, and provided with detailed guidelines on everything from how to tie Democratic candidates to the Chinese government to how to deal with accusations of racism.

Grabbing electoral gains is not the only reason for anti-China forces in Washington to mislead American public opinion. For those China hawks, estranging Americans from China also helps hobble the Asian country's rightful development and maintain America's diminishing global hegemony.

A container ship of China's COSCO Shipping docks at a container terminal of the Port of Long Beach in California, the United States, Aug. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Shan)

An analysis of the Western media outlets has shown that former U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-China language and trade war have turned many Americans' opinions sharply negative, and the policy of the current U.S. administration has since driven American perceptions of China to record lows.

This is not surprising at all, given what Washington has said and done particularly since 2018. Using the pitiful zero-sum logic that America can only win by taking China down, Washington has embarked on a grand crusade waving the banner that reads "China is the enemy."

From badmouthing China's human rights efforts, spreading a COVID-19 lab-leak conspiracy theory to peddling "decoupling" and its more cunning version of "de-risking," and from imposing coercive and unilateral sanctions to blocking normal people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, U.S. hardliners in Washington have racked their brains to alienate the American public from China, never doubting for a second that doing so won't help bring back America's short-lived "unipolar moment."

The thing is, the China-U.S. relationship, as one of the world's most important bilateral relations, influences the welfare of both countries and the whole world, and the foundation of this relationship depends on the people.

This foundation hasn't crumbled yet, fortunately. The touching story of an American woman called Elizabeth Gardner who finally fulfilled her late husband's last wish to return to the hometown of his childhood by traveling from the United States to Kuliang, or Guling in Mandarin, and the most recent visits of American entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Elon Musk to explore business opportunities and tap cooperation potential in China, have all proven that there are always sober minds in America that back a sound and stable China-U.S. relationship and cherish the hard-won bilateral friendship.

If U.S. politicians truly care about Americans as they claim, they should get rid of any toxic politics, and start to handle bilateral relations in a responsible way that serves the fundamental interests of both the American and Chinese peoples.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
People gather outside Living Water Evangelical Church in Naperville Saturday before the funeral for Eva Liu, a Naperville resident killed while on vacation in Germany. Friends and family recalled her outgoing nature and love of life during the memorial service. (H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the Napervi)

At the memorial service Saturday for the 21-year-old Naperville woman killed while vacationing in Germany, Eva Liu was remembered as someone with a big heart who was always encouraging those around her.

Hundreds of friends and family members gathered for the funeral at Napervilles Living Water Evangelical Church. Those who knew her described her as full of love and joy with a bright future ahead of her.

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A 30-year-old American man is believed responsible for her death. He is in German police custody for allegedly attacking Liu and pushing her into a 156-foot ravine June 14 near a castle in Bavaria. Her longtime friend, Kelsey Chang, of Bloomington-Normal, was also thrown in the ravine but survived the fall.

Church leaders led hymns, invocations and scripture readings, switching back and forth between Chinese and English, on a stage adorned with an array of colorful flowers. Family members, giving emotional, tearful remembrances, often spoke about Liu in the present tense and said they looked forward to seeing her again in heaven.

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A screenshot of a gofundme.com page set up for Eva Liu includes a photo of the 21-year-old Naperville woman killed in Germany as she appeared at her May graduation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As of Saturday, the effort had raised more than $144,000 to cover Liu's funeral services and costs associated with helping her family bring her murderer to justice. (GoFundMe/HANDOUT)

Her twin sister, Alice, remembered how the two did everything in tandem  from playing the piano to baking to even writing emails. She said Eva, who was the more outgoing and daring of the two, was always encouraging her, reassuring her that her decision to pursue eight years of graduate school was the right one.

Her father, Lan Liu, recalled how when Eva and her sister were growing up, the twins would wake up in the morning, put toothpaste on his and his wifes toothbrushes and set out cups of water for them, then read quietly in their rooms until their parents woke up. Eva was active in her church and Bible study, and ardently prayed, he said.

Eva Liu was born in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 30, 2001, before emigrating to Canada in 2005. Her family moved to Naperville in 2012, and she attended Madison Junior High School, Naperville Central High School and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, from which she graduated in 2019.

She completed her bachelors and masters degree in computer science in May at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and was to start her career at Microsoft as a software engineer this month.

People arrive at Living Water Evangelical Church in Naperville Saturday for the funeral of Eva Liu, a 21-year-old Naperville woman died June 15 after being attacked near Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, while on vacation. (H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the Naperville Sun)

A photo slideshow illustrated Lius life  her and her sister in their dance outfits as children, participating in grade school activities and her recent college graduation. There were many pictures of her posing with a smile at historical and natural wonders around the globe. She had a zest for seeing the world, her family said.

She also had a passion for making chocolate and other baked goods (her sister said she always knew who preferred dark or milk chocolate when sharing them with friends and family).

A high school classmate, Elizabeth Tang, said Liu had a giant heart and beautiful soul. Robyn Norton, who worked at Lius high school in Aurora, said Liu expressed more love and joy in her 21 years than many people do if they live to be 100.

Her infectious smile, loving heart, sweet treats and unwavering support for family, friends and all who knew her will never be forgotten, said her cousin Kally Zhao, reading from Lius obituary.

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Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY JULY 1, 2023

What the West Needs Most: The Power of an Idea

June 30, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)At the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris June 22-23, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa raised the fact that 600 million Africans are still living without access to electricity. His comments came during a conference, sponsored by French President Emmanuel Macron, which proposed a global $1 trillion/year tax that would go towards a green energy transitionsomewhat of a poke in the eye considering the crushing poverty still existing in much of the worlds Global South.

If one looks at the world from the standpoint of a peasanta powerless and oppressed cog-in-the-wheel, looking grimly out into a seemingly bleak futurethen you are used to thinking small and wishing only for slight changes. Perhaps you will protest to your local politicians, or try to rid the world of those dangerous plastic bags. But no matter what, you will complain bitterly and endlessly about all the ills going on in the world, and yet feel ever more distant from being able to change any of it.

However, in the case of South Africas Ramaphosa, the President of a nation whose region has perpetually been given the short end of the stick, he refused to think small or complain: He thought big! Ramaphosas response to the proposed climate tax was to instead propose that the world commit to building Africas Grand Inga Damthe mega-project that would see a series of hydroelectric dams built on the Congo River, generating at least 40 gigawatts of electricity and becoming larger than the current two largest hydroelectric projects in the world combined. And this in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest part of the world.

The South African President is not alone in his thinking, either. His comments reflect a dramatic shift taking place across the whole world, which no longer sees that grim and bleak future of poverty and second-class status, but rather has decided to throw off the shackles of pragmatic small-thinking and see with the eyes of the future. Similar comments were made at the summit by the President of Zambia, the President of Congo, the President of Kenya, and the President of Brazil, who himself went so far as to throw out his prepared remarks after hearing the earlier comments from African leaders, and declared that a new financial architecture is needed which will make investments in structural things which change the life of countries.

On the contrary, Western nations today continue their failed proxy war in Ukraine, insisting that nuclear-powered Russia must be defeated militarily in a show of psychotic bravado. Poland has become only the latest example of this suicidal insanity by insisting that U.S. nuclear weapons be deployed to Poland. Expenditures for ever-larger weapons are meanwhile sent to Ukraine, accomplishing nothing except the liquidation of the nation and the further impoverishment of Western nations themselves.

The glaring hideousnessand abject failureof this policy is becoming obvious for all to see. Noted independent journalist Seymour Hersh, citing insider reports following the disaster of Ukraines counter-offensive, warns those around the U.S. President and in the Democratic Party in a recent article that the looming disaster in Ukraine, and its political implications, should be a wake-up call.

A sober response to this glaring failure, and the enormous danger of nuclear war it is causing, is needed urgently. All support for the war must cease, and instead peace negotiations should be convened immediately. However, the true organizer for peace should not stop there, as todays crisis does not come from local or kinetic events, and therefore cannot be solved through such either. Instead, he or she must think big, from the standpoint of the future, and confront the fact that the world is undergoing a historic transformation unmatched in modern history.

Only from this qualitatively different and higher vantage point can one see the importance of the LaRouche movements call for a new global security and development architecture as the pathway to retire forever the geopolitical games which are behind wars such as the one today. More and more of the world are finding the courage to see this clearly. Will enough leading organizers emerge in the West to remove the blinders of war, and spark a different idea?

On Friday June 30, the fourth meeting of the International Peace Coalition occurred, discussing and advancing ideas on this topic. Let us turn this ferment into an infectious movement worldwide.
Michael Ibrahim is busy building bridges. But his bridges are not made of steel. And they do not cross rivers. Instead, they are made of music and cross cultures.

Ibrahim is the founder and director of the National Arab Orchestra (NAO). The group is based in the state of Michigan. It aims to preserve and share Arabic music and culture in the United States through its performances and education programs.

We want to be an organization that is sort of the cultural representative of the Arab-American community, Ibrahim said.

At an NAO concert, the orchestra quickly makes connections with its listeners. As the musicians begin to play, Ibrahim moves his body up and down like a dancer. Soon, audience members start moving to the musics rhythm.

Suddenly, Ibrahim turns around and faces the audience. He urges them to clap their hands to the beat of the music. And he urges them to sing along with parts of a well-known song from Egypt or Lebanon.

With each song, the bridge between the audience and the orchestra grows.

Decreasing fear and increasing awareness

Ibrahim spoke about the need to help people know more about the culture of Arab-Americans:

The Arab-American community had to face a lot of discrimination, just because theyre different, like any other minority community in this country. And that was magnified, you know, after the events of September 11.

He added that after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, there was a lot of false information. He said, There is a huge debate on the meaning of the word, Arab, and what is Arab culture

So were doing this to bring awareness about the culture, build these bridges so that people can have a chance to engage with each other, and then that in turn makes the world just a much better and easier place to live in because people are less afraid. . .

He added, I really love to share who I am, and I feel like the best way for me to do that is for me to share my culture. . .but I also am born here. And what is American culture if not just this giant melting pot of constant immigration into this country that makes it what it is?

Beginnings

Ibrahim was born into a Syrian immigrant family in Michigan. He said he was able to connect to his familys culture through music and the arts. When he was 10, he spent a year living in Syria with his family.

Back in the U.S., he learned to play the oud, a stringed instrument his father played. He then studied both Western and Arabic music.

The NAO started in 2009 as a student musical group at the University of Michigan under Ibrahims direction. Soon it doubled in size and became the Michigan Arab Orchestra in 2010. It changed its name and began playing as the NAO in 2014. In the 2022-2023 season, the orchestra played together at 12 events, including a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Ibrahim noted that the group tries to represent all the countries of the Arab world today. But he said much of the music they play comes from Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.

Musical elements

The musicians in the orchestra are diverse. Some were born in the Middle East and moved to the United States. Others are Arab-Americans born in the U.S. And some are from the U.S. but have no family connection to Arab countries.

The tonal and rhythmic patterns central to Arabic music are different from Western music. So are some of the instruments the musicians play.

Throughout almost every song, Arabic orchestras have musicians playing different kinds of hand drums and tambourines. This gives the music a strong rhythmic feel. Two kinds of lutes, the oud and the buzuq, are among the instruments that help give the music its special sound. Another important instrument is the qanun.

Ibrahim arranges the music that the orchestra plays. That means he writes down what each instrument will play. Depending on the piece, this can take him anywhere from two weeks to two months to finish.

One of the big goals of Ibrahim and its executive director, Sherri Richards, is to create a year-round school of Arabic music in the U.S.

Were keeping this culture alive and were building on it and letting it grow in its own unique way in this part of the world, Ibrahim said. You have to share it with everybody; you cant just keep if for yourself. So thats the cross-cultural work, he added.

Along with concerts, another way the NAO shares its culture is with its Building Bridges Through Music program. This includes an after-school program teaching Arabic music in the public schools of Detroit, Michigan.

Supporting the arts

In January, the NAO concert in Washington, D.C. sold out in less than three hours. About 1,100 people attended the concert.

Richards, the executive director of the NAO, said, We have over 400,000 followers on YouTube, which is more than any other orchestra in the world

That, she added really speaks to the reach and the popularity of the music and the orchestra.

Ibrahim explained that the arts bring people together in special ways.

I guess theres a case to be made for the place of the arts in spreading democracy. With the arts you have the ability to bring people from a variety and diverse geographical makeup. . . It works. Weve shown that for the last 15 years weve been doing it.

Ibrahim shared a central reason for supporting the arts. I think its really important that people support the arts, he said, because thats where the soul of humanity resides.

Im Jill Robbins. And Im Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this story for VOA Learning English.

Quiz - American Orchestra Shares Arabic Music and Culture Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

preserve -v. to maintain or keep something safe and protected over a long period of time

concert -n. a performance of music in front of an audience

orchestra -n. a large group of musicians playing a variety of musical instruments, especially those used for classical music

audience -n. people attending a public performance such as a concert, play, or speech

rhythm -n. how a piece of music is organized in time

clap -v. to hit the palms of the hands together, usually to express approval

magnify -v. to make something seem larger or more important than normal

engage with -v. to interact with

diverse -adj. having variety or many types

soul -n. the innermost part of a persons mind and spirit

reside -v. to live or exist in a certain place

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The western American city of San Francisco, California suffered a huge earthquake on April 18th, 1906.

More than three thousand people are known to have died. The true number of dead will never be known. Two hundred fifty thousand people lost their homes. Just a few hours after the terrible earthquake, a magazine named Colliers sent a telegraph message to the famous American writer Jack London. They asked Mr. London to go to San Francisco and report about what he saw.

He arrived in the city only a few hours after the earthquake. The report he wrote is called, The Story of an Eyewitness.

Not in history has a modern city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it but memories and a few homes that were near the edge of the city. Its industrial area is gone. Its business area is gone. Its social and living areas are gone. The factories, great stores and newspaper buildings, the hotels and the huge homes of the very rich, are all gone.

Within minutes of the earthquake the fires began. Within an hour a huge tower of smoke caused by the fires could be seen a hundred miles away. And for three days and nights this huge fire moved in the sky, reddening the sun, darkening the day and filling the land with smoke.

There was no opposing the flames. There was no organization, no communication. The earthquake had smashed all of the modern inventions of a twentieth century city. The streets were broken and filled with pieces of fallen walls. The telephone and telegraph systems were broken. And the great water pipes had burst. All inventions and safety plans of man had been destroyed by thirty seconds of movement by the earth.

By Wednesday afternoon, only twelve hours after the earthquake, half the heart of the city was gone. I watched the huge fire. It was very calm. There was no wind. Yet from every side, wind was pouring in upon the city. East, west, north and south, strong winds were blowing upon the dying city.

The heated air made a huge wind that pulled air into the fire, rising into the atmosphere. Day and night the calm continued, and yet, near the flames, the wind was often as strong as a storm.

There was no water to fight the fire. Fire fighters decided to use explosives to destroy buildings in its path. They hoped this would create a block to slow or stop the fire. Building after building was destroyed. And still the great fires continued. Jack London told how people tried to save some of their possessions from the fire.

Wednesday night the whole city crashed and roared into ruin, yet the city was quiet. There were no crowds. There was no shouting and yelling. There was no disorder. I passed Wednesday night in the path of the fire and in all those terrible hours I saw not one woman who cried, not one man who was excited, not one person who caused trouble.

Throughout the night, tens of thousands of homeless ones fled the fire. Some were wrapped in blankets. Others carried bedding and dear household treasures.

Many of the poor left their homes with everything they could carry. Many of their loads were extremely heavy. Throughout the night they dropped items they could no longer hold. They left on the street clothing and treasures they had carried for miles.

Many carried large boxes called trunks. They held onto these the longest. It was a hard night and the hills of San Francisco are steep. And up these hills, mile after mile, were the trunks dragged. Many a strong man broke his heart that night.

Before the march of the fire were soldiers. Their job was to keep the people moving away from the fire. The extremely tired people would arise and struggle up the steep hills, pausing from weakness every five or ten feet. Often, after reaching the top of a heart-breaking hill, they would find the fire was moving at them from a different direction.

After working hour after hour through the night to save part of their lives, thousands were forced to leave their trunks and flee.

At night I walked down through the very heart of the city. I walked through mile after mile of beautiful buildings. Here was no fire. All was in perfect order. The police patrolled the streets. And yet it was all doomed, all of it. There was no water. The explosives were almost used up. And two huge fires were coming toward this part of the city from different directions.

Four hours later I walked through this same part of the city. Everything still stood as before. And yet there was a change. A rain of ashes was falling. The police had been withdrawn. There were no firemen, no fire engines, and no men using explosives. I stood at the corner of Kearney and Market Streets in the very heart of San Francisco. Nothing could be done. Nothing could be saved. The surrender was complete.

It was impossible to guess where the fire would move next. In the early evening I passed through Union Square. It was packed with refugees. Thousands of them had gone to bed on the grass. Government tents had been set up, food was being cooked and the refugees were lining up for free meals.

Late that night I passed Union Square again. Three sides of the Square were in flames. The Square, with mountains of trunks, was deserted. The troops, refugees and all had retreated.

The next morning I sat in front of a home on San Franciscos famous Nob Hill. With me sat Japanese, Italians, Chinese and Negroes. All about were the huge homes of the very rich. To the east and south of us were advancing two huge walls of fire.

I went inside one house and talked to the owner. He smiled and said the earthquake had destroyed everything he owned. All he had left was his beautiful house. He looked at me and said, The fire will be here in fifteen minutes.

Outside the house the troops were falling back and forcing the refugees ahead of them. From every side came the roaring of flames, the crashing of walls and the sound of explosives.

Day was trying to dawn through the heavy smoke. A sickly light was creeping over the face of things. When the sun broke through the smoke it was blood-red and small. The smoke changed color from red to rose to purple.

I walked past the broken dome of the City Hall building. This part of the city was already a waste of smoking ruins. Here and there through the smoke came a few men and women. It was like the meeting of a few survivors the day after the world ended.

The huge fires continued to burn on. Nothing could stop them. Mister London walked from place to place in the city, watching the huge fires destroy the city. Nothing could be done to halt the firestorm.

In the end, the fire went out by itself because there was nothing left to burn. Jack London finishes his story:

All day Thursday and all Thursday night, all day Friday and Friday night, the flames raged on. Friday night saw the huge fires finally conquered, but not before the fires had swept three-quarters of a mile of docks and store houses at the waterfront.

San Francisco at the present time is like the center of a volcano. Around this volcano are tens of thousands of refugees. All the surrounding cities and towns are jammed with the homeless ones. The refugees were carried free by the railroads to any place they wished to go. It is said that more than one hundred thousand people have left the peninsula on which San Francisco stood.

The government has control of the situation, and thanks to the immediate relief given by the whole United States, there is no lack of food. The bankers and businessmen have already begun making the necessary plans to rebuild this once beautiful city of San Francisco.

"The Story of an Eyewitness" was written by Jack London and adapted by Paul Thompson. It was published in Colliers Magazine, May 5, 1906. Your narrator was Doug Johnson.

_______________________________________________________________

For Teachers

This lesson plan, based on the CALLA Approach, teaches the learning strategy of classifying to help students understand the story.

Quiz - The Story of an Eyewitness Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

smash - v. to break into many pieces; to shatter or destroy

atmosphere - n. the whole mass of air that surrounds the Earth

surrender - v. to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting, etc., because you know that you will not win or succeed

retreat - v. to move or go away from a place or situation especially because it is dangerous, unpleasant, etc.

survivor - n. a member of a group who continues to live after other members have died

firestorm - n. a very large fire that destroys everything in its path and produces powerful winds

jammed - v. to fill (a place) completely


KNOW YOUR MADISONIAN | JARKA SOBISKOVA

Longtime artist Jarka Sobiskova is no stranger to having exhibitions of her work, but she's never had to get ready for one in just two months after almost every piece of her art burned.

But that's exactly what she did after a fire ravaged her Madison studio in April.

Rebuilding was no easy task. Yet this wasn't the first time she had to start from scratch.

In the 1980s, she fled what was then Czechoslovakia as a political refugee. Becoming an artist there wasn't possible under the communist regime, Sobiskova said.

So she packed up for the United States, making stops in an Austrian refugee camp, Boston and then New York before coming to Madison.

Besides a brief return to the Czech Republic and some time in Chicago, Sobiskova has been in the Madison area ever since, showering the community with all kinds of art  paintings, sculptures, dolls and an Eastern European style of painted eggs, among other mediums. She also hosts art workshops and coordinates tutoring at Madison Area Technical College.

Tell me about your early life and how you came to Madison.

I left the Czech Republic during communism. I escaped and came to the United States as a political refugee in the 1980s.

I worked in Boston and New York. And then I moved to Madison, and I fell in love with this place. After New York, coming here, there are such nice people here in Madison. It was just such a healing place for me after going through the ordeal, refugee camps and everything. So it was wonderful to be here.

If you go

What:"Threads of Joy" exhibit, featuring works by Jarka Sobiskova, Jim Smoot II and Steve Feren

Where: Promega BioPharmaceutical Technology Center, 5445 E. Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg

When: Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday through Sept. 8

And I started school. I actually started at the Madison Area Technical College. And then I went to UW-Madison studying art.

Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?

I was always interested in art and philosophy. So those are my two subjects, but art was kind of what really made me happy.

What is the art scene like here and how has it changed?

I was very lucky. The university and my teachers were very supportive. I could not pursue my career in the Czech Republic. It was very controlled by the communists, and you couldn't even, at that time, buy art supplies.

Coming here and having the freedom to express myself and do what I want, and being encouraged to do whatever I want to, it was just an incredible feeling. So I embraced it and started to show my artwork right away from the beginning ... when I was in school.

And then when the revolution in the Czech Republic in 1989 came, I was just finishing school and I went back to the Czech Republic and I got a job with the Civic Forum, the leading revolutionary group.

After the revolution, Civic Forum split into two political parties and Civic Forum became the largest foundation. I was working with Dasa Havel (the nickname of the sister-in-law of former Czech Republic leader Vaclav Havel) at the Civic Forum foundation and spent a year there. I did art and wrote a book.

But I was already in United States for such a long time. I had my friends here, and I really enjoy being here. My creativity really shines here. And I realized I didn't want to be working in politics. So I came back and started to do my art and moved to Chicago for a while doing art  I started my own company.

I learned about a lot through this period in Chicago, working in more commercial art, learning about aesthetics and colors and everything.

When did you come back to the Madison area?

My first daughter was born and I had my very dear friends here, so I decided to go back. I came here (in 2001) with my husband and my first daughter, Cassandra.

I closed my company and decided that I was going to be a mom and artist. So I started to focus just on art, not commercial art, but just on my artwork again.

It's been over two months since the fire. What has that time been like for you?

I was kind of shaken by the whole thing. There was a little bit of panicking. But I was just starting to focus forward. I had scheduled this show with Promega, which I scheduled way before the fire. And my first thought was, "Can I make it? Can I make all new art for this show?"

There was this incredible support by everybody  all the people who bought my work, people who've seen my work  and there was just this huge hug from the world that really kept me going.

It was such a (level of) support which I did not expect. So many people reached out and sent me a picture of my artwork and what it meant for them. I realized how through 40 years of doing art, how my artwork lives with the people, and it was amazing.

There's something about Madison, the people here really helped me so much.

Right after the fire, I worked with wool. I have been showing my sheep paintings for a long time in The Sow's Ear (yarn shop) in Verona. And they called me right away after the fire and said, "Jarka, what can we do for you?"

And I said, "My (wool) stash burned. If you can shout out to the community, if people have wool they're not using that they can donate."

And I got so much wool. And all this work I did  I did 14 pieces for Promega in the last three months  all that was from donated materials.

When I was working on it, I was thinking about all the support I got and transferring these materials people gave me into something new and something people enjoy. I received a gift, and with my work I gave it back. A lot of people who donated, they came to the opening (on June 13) and they were like, "Oh my god, this is the fabric I gave you. This is the wool I donated."

It was so joyful to see that they are recognizing their gift to me in the pieces I created.
Longtime artist Jarka Sobiskova is no stranger to having exhibitions of her work, but shes never had to get ready for one in just two months after almost every piece of her art burned.

But thats exactly what she did after a fire ravaged her Madison studio in April.

Rebuilding was no easy task. Yet this wasnt the first time she had to start from scratch.

In the 1980s, she fled what was then Czechoslovakia as a political refugee. Becoming an artist there wasnt possible under the communist regime, Sobiskova said.

So she packed up for the United States, making stops in an Austrian refugee camp, Boston and then New York before coming to Madison.

Besides a brief return to the Czech Republic and some time in Chicago, Sobiskova has been in the Madison area ever since, showering the community with all kinds of art  paintings, sculptures, dolls and an Eastern European style of painted eggs, among other mediums. She also hosts art workshops and coordinates tutoring at Madison Area Technical College.

Tell me about your early life and how you came to Madison.

I left the Czech Republic during communism. I escaped and came to the United States as a political refugee in the 1980s.

I worked in Boston and New York. And then I moved to Madison, and I fell in love with this place. After New York, coming here, there are such nice people here in Madison. It was just such a healing place for me after going through the ordeal, refugee camps and everything. So it was wonderful to be here.

And I started school. I actually started at the Madison Area Technical College. And then I went to UW-Madison studying art.

Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?

I was always interested in art and philosophy. So those are my two subjects, but art was kind of what really made me happy.

What is the art scene like here and how has it changed?

I was very lucky. The university and my teachers were very supportive. I could not pursue my career in the Czech Republic. It was very controlled by the communists, and you couldnt even, at that time, buy art supplies.

Coming here and having the freedom to express myself and do what I want, and being encouraged to do whatever I want to, it was just an incredible feeling. So I embraced it and started to show my artwork right away from the beginning ... when I was in school.

And then when the revolution in the Czech Republic in 1989 came, I was just finishing school and I went back to the Czech Republic and I got a job with the Civic Forum, the leading revolutionary group.

After the revolution, Civic Forum split into two political parties and Civic Forum became the largest foundation. I was working with Dasa Havel (the nickname of the sister-in-law of former Czech Republic leader Vaclav Havel) at the Civic Forum foundation and spent a year there. I did art and wrote a book.

But I was already in United States for such a long time. I had my friends here, and I really enjoy being here. My creativity really shines here. And I realized I didnt want to be working in politics. So I came back and started to do my art and moved to Chicago for a while doing art  I started my own company.

I learned about a lot through this period in Chicago, working in more commercial art, learning about aesthetics and colors and everything.

When did you come back to the Madison area?

My first daughter was born and I had my very dear friends here, so I decided to go back. I came here (in 2001) with my husband and my first daughter, Cassandra.

I closed my company and decided that I was going to be a mom and artist. So I started to focus just on art, not commercial art, but just on my artwork again.

Its been over two months since the fire. What has that time been like for you?

I was kind of shaken by the whole thing. There was a little bit of panicking. But I was just starting to focus forward. I had scheduled this show with Promega, which I scheduled way before the fire. And my first thought was, Can I make it? Can I make all new art for this show?

There was this incredible support by everybody  all the people who bought my work, people whove seen my work  and there was just this huge hug from the world that really kept me going.

It was such a (level of) support which I did not expect. So many people reached out and sent me a picture of my artwork and what it meant for them. I realized how through 40 years of doing art, how my artwork lives with the people, and it was amazing. Theres something about Madison, the people here really helped me so much.

Right after the fire, I worked with wool. I have been showing my sheep paintings for a long time in The Sows Ear (yarn shop) in Verona. And they called me right away after the fire and said, Jarka, what can we do for you?

And I said, My (wool) stash burned. If you can shout out to the community, if people have wool theyre not using that they can donate.

And I got so much wool. And all this work I did  I did 14 pieces for Promega in the last three months  all that was from donated materials.

When I was working on it, I was thinking about all the support I got and transferring these materials people gave me into something new and something people enjoy. I received a gift, and with my work I gave it back. A lot of people who donated, they came to the opening (on June 13) and they were like, Oh my god, this is the fabric I gave you. This is the wool I donated.

It was so joyful to see that they are recognizing their gift to me in the pieces I created.
The controversial red-light cameras at Illinois Route 83 and 22nd Street in Oakbrook Terrace will be coming down.

Removal of the cameras for southbound Route 83 traffic and eastbound 22nd Street traffic, along with the removal of related signage, is the next step after the Third District Illinois Appellate Court denied the citys motion Wednesday to stop enforcement of the judgment issued May 26 by DuPage County Judge Craig Belford that the lights must be removed.

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Oakbrook Terrace has appealed Belfords full ruling to the Appellate Court, but no ruling has been made yet.

The cameras may be ordered reinstalled should the Appellate Court rule in the citys favor on the full appeal of the issues, said Oakbrook Terrace spokesperson Lissa Druss.

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Greg Summers, the village manager of neighboring Oak Brook, said he was thrilled the motion that would have allowed the cameras to be reactivated, pending a final ruling on the appeal, was denied.

Oakbrook Terrace has repeatedly stated that these cameras are all about safety, but todays decision once again affirms Oak Brooks data, which demonstrates a significant safety increase without these cameras, Summers said. This decision protects the motoring public from not only unnecessary fines, but also from the crashes that these red-light cameras create.

Oak Brook Village President Larry Herman said he was pleased, but not surprised by the denial of Oakbrook Terraces request for a temporary halt.

The facts demonstrate that the intersection of Route 83 and 22nd Street is safer with these cameras deactivated, Herman said. I hope that this decision finally and permanently ends this discussion.

This was not the first time Oakbrook Terrace has asked for a delay of enforcement after being told in court that the lights must come down. The previous time, the stay was granted.

The May 26 ruling by Belford came about a year after Oakbrook Terrace was first ordered by the Illinois Department of Transportation to deactivate and then remove the cameras.

The May 2022 directive from IDOT to get rid of the cameras was met with a June 1, 2022 lawsuit filed by Oakbrook Terrace against the state agency. On Aug. 21. 2022, Belford issued an order allowing Oakbrook Terrace to reactivate the cameras pending a final disposition in the case.

There were multiple continuances granted in the case while Oakbrook Terrace and its red-light camera vendor, SafeSpeed, continued to generate revenue from violations.

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Oakbrook Terrace collected more than $12 million in revenue from violations in just under five years of operating the red-light cameras. And leading up to IDOTs directive to deactivate, SafeSpeed collected slightly more than $7.6 million for the approximately five years during which the cameras initially operated, according to information the village previously provided to Pioneer Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.

An additional total of just under $278,000 for the months of September, October and November 2022 was generated for Oakbrook Terrace from violations, after Belfords ruling to allow the cameras to be reactivated, and money from fines has continued to be paid to the city, according to the FOIA information.

Oakbrook Terraces original lawsuit claimed it was issued a needed permit by IDOT for the installation of the red-light cameras, but that once the system was installed, IDOT had no authority to regulate operation.

Maria Castaneda, an IDOT public information officer, previously said the permit issued to Oakbrook Terrace to operate the traffic cameras was revoked because the city did not submit required post-installation analysis on the effectiveness of the camera system to improve safety at the intersection.

Further, Belfords May 26 ruling indicated that he did not agree with Oakbrook Terraces take.

(IDOT) issued a permit contingent upon the Citys preparation of certain post-installation evaluation reports, the ruling reads. In addition, (IDOT) reserved for itself the right to revoke the permit if any point of (IDOTs) determines that revocation is in the best interest of the motoring public of Illinois.

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Here, the record clearly shows that the City did not comply with its post-installation reporting obligations and that, as a result (IDOT) determined that revocation of the Citys (red-light camera) permit was in the best interest of the motoring public of Illinois. That determination fell squarely within (IDOTs) discretion as defined in the permit itself, and nothing about that determination is clearly erroneous.

Oak Brook Village Trustee Michael Manzo, who has continued to be outspoken against the red-light cameras since the beginning, said he as very glad Oakbrook Terraces request for a stay wasnt granted this time.

Having it granted last time allowed them to continue to generate revenue that, in my opinion, they never should have been getting, Manzo said Thursday. Kudos for the Appellate Court doing the right thing this time.

Chuck Fieldman is a freelancer.
Will Flanders and Cory Brewer of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) accused Wisconsin Watch of telling only part of the story when it comes to private voucher schools. In our series False Choice, we found these taxpayer-funded schools are legally allowed to discriminate against certain students for having a disability or identifying as LGBTQ+.

We stand by our reports. It is WILL that is spreading half truths.

Flanders and Brewer engaged in some verbal jujitsu that may have escaped readers attention. They conflate admission to a voucher school with whether a student can be expelled after enrollment.

As we reported, these taxpayer funded private schools cannot bar students with disabilities from applying. But they can expel a student if they decide they cannot accommodate that students needs with minor adjustments. We found references to this in many voucher school handbooks, and we cited complaints filed with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

As DPI spokesperson Abigail Swertz noted in one story: The scenario of a student enrolling as a (voucher) student in a private school one minute and being expelled the next is, in fact, possible.

Flanders and Brewer also imply that Wisconsin Watch failed to report that public schools participating in Wisconsins open enrollment program can discriminate against students with disabilities. But in fact we published an entire story about that  quoting a WILL attorney.

And they neatly ignore a major aspect of the discrimination at voucher schools that Wisconsin Watch exposed: A large number of choice schools, all of them religiously based, have specific policies allowing them to expel or discipline students who identify or present as LGBTQ+. That is legal.

While we welcome honest critiques of our work, Wisconsin Watch feels compelled to correct mischaracterizations about our reporting.
Idahos crops seem to be catching up.

A late spring contributed to many crops being behind five-year averages but, according to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending June 25, many crops are ahead of last years pace.

The report, however, shows that grain yields could be an issue, as a large percentage of the states wheat crop is rated only in fair condition, meaning that yield loss is a possibility but the extent is unknown.

There were worries early this spring that the cold weather and continued snow could take a toll on crops. It was a harsh winter, said Sean Ellis, spokesperson of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, but he has heard from farmers that crops are catching up.

Dont expect record-breaking wheat and barley harvests, Ellis said, but as long as Idaho continues to receive favorable weather from here on out, hes expecting most farmers to be satisfied with their harvests.

But weather has taken a toll.

For the week ending June 25, 39% of the winter wheat crop was listed in fair condition, compared with 19% in fair condition at this time last year. Thirty-six percent of the spring wheat crop is listed in fair condition, compared to 27% last year.

Spring hail storms in Magic Valley and eastern Idaho have reportedly damaged crops.

A number of winter wheat and winter barley fields were taken out of production for hail damage, Juliet Marshall, a University of Idaho professor of plant pathology and head of the Department of Plant Sciences, said in early June. Were looking at yield reductions of 70% easily in some areas.

Sugar beets are rated in better shape, however, with 70% of the crop listed in good condition and 14% in excellent condition.

And another benefit to farmers this year, Ellis said, is that most farmers are expected to have adequate water.

In crop progress detailed by this weeks report, 27% of spring wheat has headed, compared to 26% last year. The 5-year average is 32%. For winter wheat, 77% is headed, also ahead of last year but behind the 5-year average of 88%.

All of the potato crop has emerged, according to the report, compared to 91% last year. The 5-year average was unavailable.

Almost 70% of the first cutting of hay is complete, ahead of last years mark of 65%. The 5-year average is 77%.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Shoppable Business, a B2B e-commerce marketplace and technology company, closed its oversubscribed pre-seed financing round of $1.15 million.

The company aims to digitize procurement and wholesale distribution in the Philippines, paving a better way to buy and sell for businesses.

Foxmont Capital Partners and Seedstars International Ventures co-led the round, alongside a global network of angel investors with deep knowledge and connections in digitizing procurement and wholesale distribution in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Past investors include AHG Lab who provided initial funding and early stage support for Shoppable Business.

Shoppable Business executive team consists of (from left) chief technology officer Chris Blanquera, co-founder and chief operating officer Sam Blanquera and co-founder and chief executive Carlo Silva.

Sourcing and procurement have traditionally been a very manual and a very challenging experience in the Philippines. The lack of transparency in pricing and difficulty in finding goods at scale and quickly is something Filipino companies have had to deal with for too long. Shoppable Business helps to directly solve that problem, and we believe Carlo and his team are exactly the right team to do it, said Franco Varona, managing partner of Foxmont Capital Partners.

Shoppable is an innovative platform that addresses a critical gap in B2B procurement in Southeast Asia. By improving access and transparency, Shoppables aim is to solve the pain points of procurement for businesses. We look forward to supporting their vision to make B2B procurement in the Philippines more efficient, accessible, and reliable, said Patricia Sosrodjojo, general partner at Seedstars International Ventures.

In early stage startup investments, funders are essentially underwriting the Founders character, track record, and vision. Even from Shoppables early days, Carlo and his team already had these rockstar foundations that could revolutionize B2B procurement in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, said Rene Cuartero, CEO of AHG Lab.

The funding will be used to grow Shoppable Business business development team, develop more products and features and expand into new markets within the region.

Shoppable Business helps any business or business consumer looking for branded products and services to procure for their own use and retailers/resellers looking for new products to sell in their own stores.

This is especially beneficial in the Philippines where it is difficult to procure authentic branded products online and offline.

The countrys e-commerce sector has not seen innovations dedicated to business owners/consumers since social commerce was introduced in 2015, and all its technology was designed for individual consumers in general. In the absence of a B2B marketplace in the Philippines, suppliers and companies primarily turned to FB Marketplace and classified ads for doing business online, yet processing orders was still a tedious and traditional process.

Carlo Silva, co-founder and CEO of Shoppable Business, said: Our cost-effective e-commerce procurement technology, access to 100-percent authentic branded products and services at wholesale prices with no MOQ, empower entrepreneurs so they can focus on growing their business.

Shoppable Business aims to make eCommerce better, accessible, and convenient for customers at the best pricing, with faster shipping, better selection and guaranteed product authenticity. It is a marketplace partner of GS1 Philippines. GS1 is the global standard for barcodes and product identification, present in 116 countries, with over 2 million member companies.

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Henry County Public Schools is on the short list of 24 schools to participate in the iteach, an accelerated and cost-effective teacher training platform.

Though details are still being worked out between the Virginia Department of Education and the school division, the hope is that this program entices more people into the education field with an accelerated rate of licensure and certification completion, Henry County schools Director of Human Resources Christy Landon said.

The program iteach began in 2003 out of Texas and is the only only non-university alternative teacher certification program that has earned accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

The company currently works with more than 1,500 school districts and local education agencies in 11 states.

The VDOE chose iteach as a partner for alternative teaching certification in an effort to fill more than 3,500 teaching vacancies across Virginia, a press release from iteach distributed to the Bulletin on June 29 said. Through this program, Virginians with a bachelors degree can use iteachs hybrid training model to expedite the process of becoming certified K-12 educators.

There is such a shortage of teachers not just in Henry County but across the United States, Landon said.

Licensure is fairly complex in the state of Virginia, Landon said. There are several routes to licensure  the one that people traditionally took is going to a traditional educator preparation program such as a four-year degree program to become a teacher.

The program offers people with a bachelors degree a one-year path to certification which provides a quicker and less expensive option to aspiring teachers. The coursework is online with a flexible schedule and participants are able to earn full pay while completing in-classroom requirements, the release said.

Its online, its asynchronous, and its self-paced, but it also includes face-to-face mentorship support and support for helping to assist with practice test preparation, things of that nature, Landon said.

The program will also be able to benefit a larger range of people than just people with four-year degrees, Landon said. Teachers who are teaching with provisional licenses and people who decided to switch career paths can also utilize iteach.

It could be a career switcher, it could be someone is working in a school division but not as a teacher whos looking to become a teacher, Landon said.

Participants will also have free access to a professional development platform and a test preparation material and once they have completed the program and have been hired, a classroom supervisor is assigned to help them navigate the challenges of their first year in the classroom.

Were excited to help districts across Virginia educate and certify the highly qualified K-12 teachers they need, while at the same time helping students, recent college graduates, or career-changers find their calling in the classroom, iteach President Andrew Rozell said in the release. This partnership will serve Virginias schools and families, and will help students learn the skills they need to thrive in todays world.

Landon said HCPS is looking into avenues of providing financial aid for applicants in exchange for a contract to work in the division for a certain period of time, but nothing that has been confirmed quite yet.

Its really very exciting for us because ... we dont have a lot of options in terms of traditional colleges and universities without having to travel somewhere and its very expensive, Landon said.

For more information on iteach, visit iteach.net. HCPS will hold listening sessions at to-be-determined dates throughout the month of July.
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) recently approved scholarships totaling over a half-million dollars to 96 students in 53 schools in 19 counties across western North Carolina. More than 60 volunteers from the community worked to review all applications that were submitted and to select the recipients.

A recent graduate of the McDowell High School Class of 2023 received one the scholarships from the (CFWNC). Gannon Molumby was the recipient of the Arthur Joe Hemphill Jr. Scholarship named in honor of the former town of Black Mountain police chief and Buncombe County deputy who died in 2009. Hemphill was born in Tennessee in 1931, but resided in Buncombe County for most of his life.

The scholarship is eligible to applicants who attended Charles D. Owen, Madison or McDowell High Schools and will be attending a college or university in North Carolina or Tennessee with the intent to study forestry management or environmental science. Molumby will be attending North Carolina State University this fall.

Scholarship endowments through the CFWNC can have either a broad eligibility criteria or can be focused on a particular school or county, offered to students pursuing a degree in a stated field or available to those who will attend a designated college or university. A lot of the volunteers involved with the selection and review process have ties to western North Carolina, which makes their job more sentimental.

Being able to volunteer as a member of a CFWNC scholarship committee has been immensely rewarding, said Leslie Barry, a volunteer reviewer for the Irving Jacob Reuter Award. I feel particularly invested in the process, as I attended WNC public schools myself and now my husband, Hal, and I have children in our public school system. After reviewing these scholarship students through the lens of an alumnus, a parent, and, now, a committee member, I can honestly say the caliber of students in our area is extraordinary and we, as a community, should be extremely proud to recognize and celebrate them.

CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grant making. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,200 funds and facilitated $23.5 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $328 million since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.
A man accused of making harassing telephone calls to an African American woman who provided him assistance at a Billings church has admitted to charges, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Joshua Leon Hiestand, 41, a pleaded guilty to harassing telephone calls, a felony. Hiestand faces a maximum of two years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Sentencing was set for Oct. 26. Hiestand was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged that on Nov. 12, 2020, a white male, who identified himself as Leon Hiestand, went to a church in Billings seeking assistance. Jane Doe, an African American who works at the church, provided him with a gift card.

Several days later, the church received a voicemail from a caller, who, using a derogatory term, stated that he would give more money to the church if it did not employ an African American. In Dec. 4, 2020, the churchs caller ID identified Hiestand as using the same number as in the voicemail.

Jane Doe answered the phone, and the caller referenced his white friends and that he would have given more money if the church did not employ a black pastor. Hiestand left another voicemail that stated, Nobody wants you here. In January 2021, Hiestand left a voicemail and referenced the African American receptionist at the church. Jane Doe contacted the Billings Police Department.

An officer contacted the number dialed to the church in January, and the caller identified himself as Hiestand. Hiestand then changed his name later in the conversation. Hiestand admitted to leaving the voicemails and apologized for his behavior. The officer advised Hiestand not to have further contact with the church.

Hiestand then left another voicemail in which he appeared upset and apologized for the previous calls. However, over the next 19 months, Hiestand called and left a series of voicemails at the church that, at times, were threatening and racially hostile. The investigation determined that Hiestand placed the calls from outside of Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
Helenas Amanda Haab is Montana State Universitys first-ever recipient of a new scholarship launched in January in partnership with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

The 20-year-old Haab, who is going into her junior year in biochemistry, has been named one of the foundations Astronaut Scholars in the U.S. for 2023. She was nominated by faculty, and its the first time the award has been given in Montana, according to Steven Davis, assistant dean of MSUs Honors College. MSU is one of 46 universities whose students are eligible to receive the award.

"Amanda is truly deserving as she represents what we expect to be the first of many students from Montana State to join some of the best and brightest minds in STEM who show initiative, creativity, and excellence in their chosen field, Davis said in a news release.

The scholarship is one of the nations largest merit-based scholarships given to college juniors and seniors studying STEM. Haab will receive up to $15,000 and is given all access to events, networking and mentoring with astronauts and scholarship alumni. She will be honored alongside around 60 other awardees at the foundations innovators Week and Gala event from Aug. 16-19 in Orlando.

Im excited to see how this could open some new doors, Haab said in an MSU news release. Im thankful for all the community and mentorship here at MSU and am looking forward to seeing how this can help connect me to the next chapter of life.

Haab has been interested in space for a long time -- a fascination she has channeled into research at MSUs Center for Biofilm Engineering on developing ceramic glazes that could prevent microbial buildup in the water pipes of the International Space Station and other spacecraft. Haab has been making ceramics since high school, and she runs her own pottery business, Day Ceramics founded in 2020.

I didnt come to MSU with the expectation that research would be such a big part of my academic and future career, said Haab, who began doing the research during her freshman year as an MSU Vice President of Research and Economic Development Fellow in the lab of Matthew Fields, director of the Center for Biofilm Engineering. But the research Ive done in CBE has been phenomenal, and Im interested in continuing with a research career in that direction.

Haabs dad, Kent, called her a Renaissance woman, describing her as unafraid and self-motivated. Her mom, Melissa, stated that if theres something Haab wants to accomplish, shes going to get it done.

Shes been on a vertical ascent since she graduated from Capital High, Kent said. ... She likes to explore. Shes inquisitive, and shes very self-assured.

Haab is the sole undergraduate representative on MSUs University Research Council and has been heavily involved with the Associated Students of Montana State, MSUs student government, where she has served as chief justice from 2022 to 2023.

Those have been huge learning experiences for me and have helped me grow leadership skills that I can apply to interdisciplinary research and whatever else I do, Haab said.

David noted MSU was introduced to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation by JoAnn Morgan, a retired NASA executive and dedicated supporter of MSU. An event at MSU last January to commemorate the new scholarship featured John Herrington, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, who logged nearly 20 hours of spacewalks outside the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavor in 2002.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is an Orlando-based nonprofit founded by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts in 1984 to commemorate the legacy of Americas pioneering astronauts. The foundation partners with individual donors, industry leaders and universities to support exceptional college students pursuing degrees in STEM.

Students interested in the scholarship can contact Davis at steven.davis2@montana.edu or the Honors College at honors@montana.edu.
An independent commission of educators and researchers has outlined a plan to search for any children whose deaths at Indian boarding schools in Montana may have been forgotten.

The St. Labre Boarding School Investigation Commission, chaired by the former president of Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation Janine Pease, has been tasked with documenting any unmarked or undocumented graves at three boarding schools that housed Crow and Northern Cheyenne children for decades: St. Charles Mission School, St. Xavier Mission School and St. Labre Indian School.

Its important for us to respect the lives of our children and the experiences they had in boarding schools," Pease said during a presentation from the commission in Billings.

So much of the history thats been written about American Indians rests on the shoulders of male historians who tend to study the experiences of men, warriors and leaders, and so to look at the lives of children is a very important endeavor and privilege, she said.

Starting as early as 1819 with the Indian Civilization Act, the U.S. government campaigned to assimilate Indigenous peoples. Indian boarding schools administered by federal and religious authorities were a tool in that campaign. At their peak, according to recent academic research, hundreds of such schools dotted the country. It was the policy of many of these schools to impose European names on incoming children, cut their hair and forbid them from speaking their tribal languages. Coupled with strict assimilation policies, according to research from the U.S. Department of the Interior, were chronic cases of corporal punishment and sexual abuse afflicting children at the boarding schools.

A national reckoning with Indian boarding schools followed the revelation of unmarked graves of Native American children at former institutions in Canada and the United States. In 2021, the remains of 215 children were found on the campus of what was the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada. Some were as young as 3 years old. The U.S. DOI identified 53 burial sites at schools in the United States, and reported that more than 500 children died while in the custody of the schools.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a former Indian boarding school at what is now U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania, alone saw more than 10,000 Indigenous children assigned there from 1879 to 1918. At least 186 children died at Carlisle during that time, the Gazette previously reported. Pease, an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe with a doctorate in education, identified three of those children as fellow tribal members.

In Montana, the DOI named more than a dozen Indian boarding schools. Those included the still operating schools of St. Labre in Ashland, St. Charles in Pryor and St. Xavier, now known as Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy, in St. Xavier. Of the three, only St. Labre still functions as a boarding school, with students able to stay on campus in dormitories through the school week.

In light of the news out of Kamloops, the St. Labre Indian School Educational Association chartered an independent commission to review and report the history of all three campuses overseen by the association and find any and all children whose lives may have ended there. The commission was formed in May 2022.

Richard Littlebear, a commission member who also holds a doctorate in education and recently retired as the president of Chief Dull Knife College on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, attended a boarding school while growing up in Busby. The Northern Cheyenne man said he joined the commission wanting to learn how his own experiences fit into the larger story of Indian boarding schools. For many families, he said, their education was a traumatic experience and he hopes the commissions findings might be able to bring closure to some of the families sharing that trauma.

Other commission members include Anda Pretty On Top, a Crow woman with more than 30 years of experience as an educator, and Matthew Redinger, a former professor at Montana State University Billings with a PhD in history. Pretty On Top and Redinger are members of the St. Labre Board of Directors. Also joining the commission is Walter Fleming, the current head of the Department of Native American Studies at Montana State University.

To answer the question of if there are any children whose deaths at the three campuses went unreported, Pease said the commission will take three steps. The first is wading into the flood of documents available. Those include records containing attendance and health information, Redinger said, along with any documents maintained by the religious organizations that oversaw the schools. All three schools date back to the late 1800s.

The Catholic priests and nuns who ran these schools were famous for their record keeping in terms of making note of every occurrence that happened at schools, he said.

To assist in piecing together documents from archives maintained in Montana and as far away as Washington D.C., Redinger said the commission has retained Historical Research Associates, a private firm based out of Missoula to conduct nationwide research.

The second step for the commission, Pease said, will be to hold listening sessions for tribal members on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations to share their memories of Indian boarding schools. Those oral histories, she said, offer a glimpse into the past that may be lost in official documentation. Peases great-uncle died while attending a boarding school in Crow Agency in 1903. During her own research, Pease couldnt find any mention of Benny for that entire year.

We know that there could be times when these stories have never been shared outside the confines of their own family dining room, or maybe its never been shared at all, so were planning to give that the utmost respect, Pease said.

The commissions final step will be combining the oral histories with the archival research in a report to the St. Labre Board of Directors. Although there is nothing to indicate at this point that there are any unmarked graves at the St. Labre campuses, Pease said the commission is prepared to invest in tools such as ground penetrating radar should its research prove otherwise.

The listening sessions will begin July 10 on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. The commission is asking that only tribal members with information to share attend. The place and time of each listening session is as follows:

- Blessed Sacrament Church, Lame Deer: July 10 9:00 a.m.

- Christ the King Catholic Church, Busby: July 10 1:00 p.m.

- St. Labre Auditorium, Ashland: July 10 5:30 p.m.

- St. Dennis Meeting Hall, Crow Agency: July 11 9:00 a.m.

- Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church, Lodge Grass: July 11 1:00 p.m.

- Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy Cafeteria, St. Xavier: July 11 5:00 p.m.

- St. Charles Mission School Cafeteria, Pryor: July 12 10:00 a.m.
Nearly a dozen infrastructure spending proposals passed by the Montana Legislature are officially dead, after veto override attempts on each line item failed, according to results posted by the Secretary of States Office Friday.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte had last month issued a series of 11 line-item vetoes on proposed infrastructure projects contained in the Legislatures main capital development budget bill, House Bill 5. The vetoes came well after lawmakers adjourned the 2023 session, but because the bill passed with at least the two-thirds vote that would be needed for an override, legislators were automatically polled on each line item that got nixed.

"With legislators sustaining his line-item vetoes in House Bill 5 to save Montana taxpayers more than $23 million, the governor appreciates legislators sharing his commitment to safeguard the money hardworking Montanans send to Helena," Gianforte spokesperson Jack O'Brien wrote in an emailed statement Friday.

Among projects left on the cutting-room floor was a proposed sixth residential cottage for the Southwestern Montana Veterans Home in Butte. Sen. Ryan Lynch, a Butte Democrat, had added the $6 million project late in the legislative process. It had already been included, but would have needed mostly federal dollars to move forward.

In a statement Friday, Lynch characterized it as a cut to "veterans' critically needed services" and condemned the governor and lawmakers who voted to uphold the veto.

"Without a doubt, we will see pictures of him over the Fourth of July, waving a flag and talking about freedom, while his actions speak loud and clear that he only cares about crony capitalism and his rich out-of-state friends," Lynch wrote.

In his veto letter, Gianforte had written that the federal government should fund the majority of the project, an approach he called more fiscally responsible" for the state.

Another proposal successfully axed by the governor was a combined $2 million proposed for repairs to the Chippewa Cree cultural ceremony building and for the Chippewa Cree language immersion school on the Rocky Boy Reservation.

Gianfortes veto letter included those appropriations in a section in which he said lawmakers added projects at the last minute without being properly vetted, discussed and debated. Several line items on the governors hit list had been controversially added in the waning days of the legislative session. But both of the Chippewa Cree projects had received bipartisan support in February from the appropriations subcommittee that handled the past sessions infrastructure bills.

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, a Democrat from Box Elder, had written the amendments before they were approved by the budget committee. Reached Friday, he expressed disappointment the governor had shot down $1 million to add indoor plumbing and a kitchen to his tribes cultural ceremony building.

The other half of the money would have gone to the language school. Windy Boy, who is Chippewa Cree and Assiniboine, said his tribe in 2013 had 167 fluent Cree speakers, a number he said has now dwindled to 25.

At the rate that were losing our fluent language speakers, theyre 50 and over, and at this rate were going to see the extinction of the tribal languages in our state, he said.

Most of those projects included in HB 5 go through a more lengthy application process before the budget subcommittee decides whether to include them. Some other projects added to HB 5 later in the session were untouched by the governors veto pen, however, including $2 million for a train depot in Miles City and $3 million for a new pre-release center in Flathead County.

O'Brien pointed to language in the veto letter referring to "projects that are unnecessary, expend taxpayer resources simply by failing to leverage federal funding, or do not involve state-owned facilities."

Other projects eliminated by the governors vetoes include:

$8 million for the Yellowstone Conservation Area on the West End of Billings

$2 million for local park facility improvement grants

$1 million for city of Columbus water and sewer system upgrades

$250,000 for a public plaza on Missoulas Riverfront Trail
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana donated $25,000 to the Gary Literacy Coalition. Pictured left to right: Lauren Llanes, GLC Board Treasurer, Lori Johnson Kuy Kendall, GLC Executive Director, Patrick Brown, Hard Rock VP of Food & Beverage, Mary Williams, GLC Board Secretary, Atty. Shelice Tolbert, GLC Board VP, Karen Ellington, Hard Rock VP of Human Resources, Carol Tan Helton, Hard Rock VP of Legal & General Counsel, Leslie Leslie, GLC Board Member, Matt Schuffert, Hard Rock President, and Rev. Regan Robinson, GLC Chaplain. (Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana/Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana)

Gary Literacy Coalition receives Hard Rock Casino donation

Matt Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, recently presented Lori Johnson Kuykendall, Gary Literacy Coalition executive director, with an oversized check for $25,000, according to a release.

The donation will support the Gary Literacy Coalitions ongoing programs, including Reach Out and Read Gary; Learning Partner Mentoring Project; R.E.A.D., Reading Early Accelerates Development; and One-by-One and Book-by-Book, the release said. The Gary Literacy Coalition Inc. provides literacy focus in four targeted areas, the release said, including:

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 Creating awareness of the importance of literacy to health, economic development and family well-being;

 Connecting learners and volunteers to the appropriate programs and services;

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 Supporting and provide programs and instructional materials to improve literacy; and

 Securing resources to develop, support and expand literacy programs.

New staff accountant and associate added to firm

Two people have recently been added to the growing team at CLH, CPAs and Consultants.

Adam Lange has joined the company, located in Michigan City, LaPorte and Valparaiso, as a staff accountant and Jessica Mitchell has joined as an associate, according to a release.

Lange has a diverse skill set from working in a variety of industries including five years experience in the transportation sector holding responsibilities in sales, logistics, and customer service, the release said, while Mitchell has spent the majority of her professional career in accounting roles including payroll processing, filing payroll tax payments and returns, and working in accounts receivable and payable.

The company also recently celebrated Manager Allison Raymond for earning her CPA license in the State of Indiana, the release said.

VU awarded $750K Lilly Endowment literacy grant

Valparaiso University has been selected to receive a 3-year, $750,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to improve literacy instruction in Indiana, according to a release.

The aim of the initiative is to enhance the use of evidence-based tools and methods to improve reading instruction for K-12 students in Indiana, the release said.

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This implementation grant follows a $75,000 planning grant awarded in January.

Valparaiso University used the majority of planning funds to design the Center for Literacy. Located in Wesemann Hall, the Center will serve as a centralized resource for undergraduate students, Transition-to-Teaching students and current educators who train or mentor future teachers, the release said.

Additional funding will be used to provide in-service teacher stipends while they host Valparaiso University students in their classrooms, curriculum support for the undergraduate program, enhancements to the childrens literature library, and other program materials, the release said. The implementation grant will run through July 31, 2026.

To find out more about Valparaiso Universitys education program, visit valpo.edu/education.

Indiana Lawyer award nominations due July 10

The Indiana Lawyer is accepting nominations for its first Diversity in Law awards through July 10, according to its website.

The inaugural awards will recognize attorneys and judges from across the state and across practice types who have contributed to efforts to diversify the Hoosier legal profession, the website said.

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Diversity will be defined broadly to include racial/ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, geographic and other types of diversity, the website said. The highest honor given at Diversity in Law will be the Diversity Trailblazer Award, which the website said will honor an attorney or judge who has excelled in his or her commitment to diversity in the legal profession and who has inspired others to do the same.

Nominations must be received by July 10 and an awards breakfast is planned for Oct. 5 in Indianapolis.

For information, call Olivia Covington at 317-472-5230 or 800-968-1225, Ext. 230, or email ocovington@ibj.com.
SPEARFISH, S.D.  The Lakota AI Camp has returned for a second year, from June 11-30, to bring Indigenous teens to the Black Hills for a three-week AI crash course camp while simultaneously learning Lakota culture and language.

The inspiration for a youth-based code camp came from co-founder Mason Grimshaw, a citizen of the Sicangu-Rosebud Lakota Nation, who experienced growing up on the Rosebud Nation and in Rapid City. Grimshaw said when he began his education at MIT, he wasnt entirely sure what he was passionate about. Once he discovered computer science, things just clicked.

I had never seen it (computer programming) before while I was growing up in Rosebud and Rapid City, and I just thought if I had seen this earlier it would have been really beneficial for me, Grimshaw said.

Indigenous people often are not in STEM spaces. According to census data, American Indians make up less than 0.1 percent of computer programmers, while Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native individuals are only 0.07 percent and 0.05 percent, respectively.

I had this idea that I pitched to my friends, Grimshaw said. I said, Hey, you need researchers, but they dont exist, and I want to do a code camp, so lets do a code camp and I will create researchers here for you.

Another main component of the camp is language learning, which Grimshaw said is one of the first big pushes for Indigenous language-based AI research, called First Languages AI Reality, or FLAIR.

Over the second week, Indigenous language researchers visited the camp to teach students about their learning and experience. One of the goals of the program is to be able to teach language-based AI to recognize Indigenous languages and promote learning.

The cultural aspect of the program is something that drew in rising senior Aiden Tunnissen, Oglala. This was Tunnissens first year at the camp.

If youre Indigenous, try and learn about your culture because you never know if it could just go away in a flash, Tunnissen said. You have to try and do what were doing to revive the language. Stick with the people and with your culture.

Eventually, Grimshaw said he hopes to have an app that will promote conversation and aid learning when no fluent speakers or elders are present.

Its sort of an elder in a box, Grimshaw said. The simplest form is that it might be a pronunciation guide, so it can hear you speak and make suggestions, and the other would be in the very far future, but something that you can converse with.

Coupling language with programming is a multi-part project. The first week of the program teaches students a basic understanding of Python and data science. By the end of the first week, students create a prediction-based AI that they used this year to predict movie revenue.

The first weekend, students go out into the Black Hills to hike and learn about traditional plant medicines from a knowledge keeper, Linda Black Elk. At the end of week two, the students build a model that can identify plants from pictures taken during their hike.

We are incorporating that historic cultural knowledge so they can learn more about their own ancestors, Grimshaw said.

Sometimes these AI models may break. They may confuse one grassy plant for another, but this is all part of the learning process.

Im always impressed by the intuition that they get, they just seem to really understand how things work and theyre really smart, Grimshaw said. They surprise us all the time, honestly.

In the final week, students combine everything that they have learned to create an app that helps them speak Lakota. The created app can recognize something, like a chair, and tell the user the Lakota name of that object.

Access to broadband internet services is limited on reservations and Alaska Native villages, something that the camp takes into consideration.

Only 24-40% of Native households have reliable internet, Grimshaw said. So in this space students get a laptop and are able to run things on the cloud.

On top of free camp tuition, students are equipped with free Alienware laptops and Samsung phones so they can continue their education after the three weeks end.

On the last day of the camp, students demonstrate what theyve learned to community members and their families.

Xavier LaPointe, Sicangu and Oglala, is the youngest student this year. He just finished eighth grade. LaPointe said he was drawn to the camp by a desire to understand something he wasnt familiar with, coding.

I remember my first day seeing everyones computer because I was in the last row and there was so much happening, typing and stuff, LaPointe said. I was so confused because I didnt get it, but now I know what a lot of it means. Im still learning, though.

This year was Niesha Marshalls, Sicangu Lakota, second year attending the program. Marshall, a rising sophomore in high school, said she really enjoyed last years program and wanted to come back and learn more.

You get to make new friends and overall just have fun, Marshall said.

Partnership and funding for the program is supplied by the Patrick McGovern Foundation with support from Meta, but the directors are hoping to also begin to build funding from local businesses as well and create a more localized program.
VALDESE  Students in the summer reading program at Valdese Elementary School got to celebrate Christmas in June this week when the local rotary club donated books for the students to start their own personal libraries.

Valdese Rotary members stopped by the school Tuesday to bring the books to students. Its the eighth year the club has donated books, said Kevin Frederick, chair of the community service committee.

A number of years ago when we had a presentation about literacy and how literacy is a major factor in the success of a child in school, we realized that this is something we wanted to be involved in, Frederick said.

He said they knew then they wanted to get involved with the summer reading program. The summer reading program is a remediation program that provides intense learning to help students fill in any gaps before moving up to the next grade, said VES Assistant Principal Amber Lackey.

Particularly, one statistic that stood out to me was that, if children are not reading by the third grade at a proficiency level, that the chances that that child will end up in the prison system is very high, Frederick said. That alone got me saying that we can do this every year.

He said they hope the books will help encourage students to fall in love with reading.

They will have a start of their own libraries, Frederick said.

Each of the students got to pick out four books, ranging from classics like Alice in Wonderland to newer books like Chicken on the Moon, written by Valdese native Jana L. Farris. The book features several references to Burke County landscapes, including Table Rock. Several copies of it also were donated to the schools library.

For the first several years, we were giving three books, but when we started asking the community for book donations, we were able to get a lot of different variety of books, Frederick said. Prior to that, it was mainly the Scholastic books, which are more expensive than the donations that we got, so our money has gone further with the donations as well as buying some supplemental books.

They were able to donate about 350 books to the summer reading program at Valdese Elementary School, and also will donate some books to New Dimensions Charter School.

It is just really exciting to see the kids  some kids, their eyes get big, most all of them are really appreciative and thank us for doing this, but its just a joy to help them start their own libraries, and, hopefully, a life of reading, Frederick said.

Any leftover books will either go to teachers classroom libraries or the schools library, said VES Assistant Principal Amber Lackey.

It was very gracious that the rotary club could come and donate such a wonderful gift, Lackey said. The kids all came in very excited, knowing that they got to take home four and then some got take home six. But to also hear us adults connecting over books that we had enjoyed as students, and watching the same students pick out those books and us share stories. That was probably the most exciting part.
As summer activities heat up and North Carolinians flock to recreational waters to beat the higher temperatures, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is urging residents to prioritize safety and adopt best practices for enjoying water activities with their pets. When swimming in lakes and rivers, it is crucial to ensure the well-being of both humans and their pets.

The following guidelines can help individuals and pet owners enjoy recreational waters safely:

Recognize Harmful Algal Blooms: Algal blooms can produce toxins harmful to humans and pets. They often appear as thick, green, blue-green or red scums on the water's surface or along the shoreline. Avoid contact with affected waters and keep your pets away from these areas as well.

Avoid Suspicious Water Conditions: Be cautious if the water appears discolored, has a strong odor, or contains visible debris. Such conditions may indicate poor water quality or possible bacterial contamination. Choose a different location to ensure a safer water experience for you and your pets.

Water Quality Advisory Updates: Stay informed about water quality advisories or warnings issued by local authorities for recreational waters. These advisories may include alerts about harmful algal blooms or bacteria contamination. Check the latest updates before heading out to enjoy summer water activities here.

Prevent Ingestion: As you enjoy the water this summer, avoid ingesting water and reduce your risk of illness by keeping your mouth closed and holding your nose shut or using a nose clip. Discourage your pets from drinking or ingesting water while swimming to prevent water-borne illness. Carry fresh water for your pets to drink and keep them hydrated throughout your water activities.

Rinse Off After Water Activities: After swimming, rinse yourself and your pets with clean with fresh water to remove any potential bacteria, algae or toxins that may cling to the skin or fur. This simple step can minimize health risks associated with waterborne contaminants.

Monitor for Symptoms: Be attentive to any symptoms in yourself or your pets after water activities, such as skin irritations, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems or unusual behavior. If you or your pets exhibit any concerning symptoms, seek medical attention promptly.

"Understanding and monitoring water quality is vital for the safety of both residents and their pets during water recreation, said Dr. Susan Kansagra, Assistant Director for Public Health. By following these guidelines and being vigilant, we can minimize the risks associated with harmful algae and bacteria, ensuring a healthier experience for all.

Keep yourself and your pets healthy as we approach the summer season by following these guidelines and adhering to any posted cautions or advisories. For more information and additional resources on water safety,
Late Friday night, a male inmate was found dead in his cell at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center.

Agents with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation were called to the scene and are conducting a full investigation into the death. The body will be transported to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy.

The death does not appear to be the result of foul play, said Sheriff Lester. The cause and manner of death will be determined after we have the results of the autopsy and toxicology testing.

The deceaseds identity is not being released at this time. His family has been notified and law enforcement officials are allowing time for them to make additional notifications.

This is an extremely unfortunate event, said the sheriff, and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased male.
HARRISBURG, Pa.  Spurred on by train derailments, some states with busy criss-crossing freight railroads are pursuing their own safety remedies rather than wait for federal action amid industry opposition and questions about whether they even have authority to make the changes.

The activity comes after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed on Feb. 3 along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, prompting new legislation and reviving long-stalled efforts as backers voice skepticism that the federal government is capable of helping.

Legislatures in at least a dozen states have advanced measures in recent weeks, including some in states such as Minnesota that have witnessed disruptive derailments.

Some of the new requirements include provisions long resisted by the railroad industry. It contends it's capable of making improvements and that its growing efficiency  including significantly longer trains and a much smaller workforce  doesn't compromise safety.

In large part, states want limits on the length of trains that routinely stretch more than 2 miles and on how much time trains can block road crossings  which can disrupt traffic and block emergency response vehicles.

They are also pursuing rules to maintain the current standard of two-person crews, bolster the trackside detectors used to identify equipment problems and require more notice to local emergency responders about hazardous freight.

The railroads argue that the industry's overall safety record has been improving even as trains have grown longer and crew sizes shrank over the decades. So Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said in an interview that he doesn't think it makes sense to regulate those areas.

Were going to follow the science and were going to follow the data, Shaw said. Were looking for investments in safety that are going to drive favorable outcomes.

And the state efforts to regulate rail are fraught with legal uncertainty over whether only the federal government can enforce such requirements. And Congress and federal regulators are considering similar measures.

Ohio moved quickly, with the Republican-controlled government enacting a new law within two months of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.

The evacuation from the fiery crash extended into Pennsylvania, where the state House of Representatives approved a wide-ranging safety bill in early June.

The sponsor, Rep. Rob Matzie, a Democrat whose western Pennsylvania district is home to a major rail freight handling hub, said he is satisfied with the state's legal standing.

He said he is sick of hearing that the East Palestine derailment is an isolated incident, that the rail companies are making improvements or that the federal government will order safety improvements.

Its now time for this state to act, Matzie told colleagues during floor arguments. We cant wait for federal regulations, which always seem to be in the works, but never quite get done. Or for federal laws that will never ever see the light of day."

States maintain that Congress long ago gave them the authority to regulate aspects of rail safety that federal regulations don't cover and that courts require federal law to be clear about when that responsibility rests exclusively with a federal agency.

Railroads, however, argue that federal law broadly gives federal agencies exclusive jurisdiction to regulate rail transportation and that state laws ostensibly aimed at rail safety often do not actually improve safety.

Prior experiences haven't exactly inspired confidence that the federal government will act quickly.

For instance, a 2008 law requiring the deployment of positive train control systems  equipment designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments and other accidents  wasn't fully implemented until almost 2021.

Then in 2018, then-President Donald Trump's administration dropped a proposed rule that would have required trains hauling highly flammable liquids like crude oil to be fitted with advanced braking systems.

Two rail union officials  Jason Doering and Matt Parker  who have both lobbied for legislation in Nevada for years said its important for states to act because theyre not optimistic that Congress will pass meaningful reforms over the strong lobbying of the railroads in a polarized political climate. Plus, they said the federal governments approach to rail safety has historically been more reactionary than proactive.

The Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine spurred legislation in Congress that advanced out of committee in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but its future in that chamber  not to mention the Republican-controlled House  is uncertain amid industry opposition.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who is a lead sponsor, said earlier this month that they are still trying to line up support and predicted pressure by the rail lobby and, frankly, from some Republican leaders to weaken or kill the bill.

Even though government data shows that derailments have declined in recent years, there were still 1,049 of them last year  roughly three a day. More than three-quarters of them happen at slow speeds in railyards and don't cause significant damage.

The industry contends that it remains the safest way to transport hazardous materials over land. Norfolk Southern and all the major railroads have announced steps to improve safety such as by installing more trackside detectors that railroads use to spot problems and prevent derailments  though regulators and lawmakers have urged them to do more.

Investigators are still working to determine exactly what caused the East Palestine derailment. In a preliminary report, they said the likely cause was an overheating bearing on one of the railcars  but wasn't flagged by a trackside detector early enough to prevent an accident.

Photos: A look at the aftermath of the Ohio train derailment
Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town about 140 miles north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on Jun. 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in a later image, dated Friday.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group.

The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops who had fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of miles toward Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Belarus' authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagner's experience and expertise, and announced that he offered the fighters an "abandoned military unit" to set up camp.

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi.

Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner's private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a spokesperson for Ukraine's border force told Ukrainian media Saturday. Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said Ukraine would strengthen its 674-mile border with Belarus in response.

Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that as of this week, some 2,000 troops from regular Russian army units also remained stationed in Belarus.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez began a visit to Kyiv as a show of continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraine's fight to dislodge invading Russian forces.

In an address to Ukraine's parliament that received several standing ovations, Sanchez said, "We'll be with you as long as it takes."

"I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine," he said as Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.

At a later news conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sanchez announced Spain would deliver more heavy weaponry to Ukraine including four Leopard tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as a portable field hospital. He also said Spain will provide an additional 55 million euros to help with reconstruction needs.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, regional officials reported that at least three civilians were killed and 17 wounded by Russian shelling on Friday and overnight in the front-line eastern Donetsk region, where fierce battles are raging, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that fierce clashes continued in three areas in Donetsk where it said Russia massed troops and attempted to advance. It named the outskirts of three cities  Bakhmut, Lyman and Marinka  as front-line hot spots.

Five people including a child were wounded Friday and overnight in the Kherson region in the south, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Prokudin said Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket attacks on the province, which is cut in two by a stretch of the front line and still reeling from flooding unleashed by the collapse earlier this month of a major Dnipro river dam.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian shelling over the previous day wounded a 57-year-old civilian, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. In the Sumy region farther west, a teenage boy was hurt in a strike from across the Russian border, the local military administration reported.

Referring to possible peace talks, Sanchez said that "only Ukraine can set the terms and times for peace negotiations. Other countries and regions are proposing peace plans. Their involvement is much appreciated, but, at the same time, we can't accept them entirely.

"This is a war of aggression, with an aggressor and a victim. They cannot be treated equally and ignoring the rules should in no way be rewarded. That is why that is why we support President Zelenskyy's peace formula," Sanchez added.

Zelenskyy expressed frustration at the news conference about the lack of clarity over Western training for Ukrainian fighter pilots. He said Western allies have not yet set a timetable to train pilots on U.S.-made F-16s despite their expressions of readiness.

"I think that some partners are delaying this process, why they do this I have no idea," he said.

The introduction of F-16s to the war could give Ukraine a much needed edge over Russia, which currently enjoys air superiority.
BISMARCK, N.D.  When North Dakota restricted which bathrooms transgender students can use in public schools and universities this year, the school district in the state's largest city promised to ignore the new rules. A Republican legislator then called for confiscating its state funding, but the law doesn't include that possibility.

The defiance in Fargo shows that it's not exactly clear how bathroom laws will play out in local communities after being enacted in at least 10 states with Republican-controlled legislatures.

In Kansas, GOP state Attorney General Kris Kobach said that his state's new law, which takes effect Saturday, gives schools a legal defense if transgender students argue that it's discriminatory not to let them use facilities in line with their gender identity. Parents and students will be able to sue one another, he said, but the law does not create a right to sue schools.

Even Florida's law, allowing the state to threaten the licenses of educators who don't comply, says a transgender student or staffer must first be asked to leave a restroom and refuse.

Some schools already have gender-neutral bathrooms and changing spaces or allow trans students to use staff restrooms. In others, trans students try to make it through the day without using a restroom.

Advocates for transgender people worry that bullying will increase.

"Especially in smaller towns where, say, that bullying could be really bad because transgender individuals are really misunderstood," said Caedmon Marx, outreach chair for LGBTQ+ advocacy group Dakota OutRight and a 23-year-old nonbinary Bismarck State University student.

While the laws focus mostly on transgender students, critics believe they also encourage harassment of trans adults at work and while they're shopping and eating out  and even harassment of cisgender people, or those whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

"By men, I get harassed for going into a women's restroom because people think that  the way I look, the way I dress, they way my hair is  that I'm a man," Kansas state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Kansas City-area Democrat and a lesbian, said during a debate over the Kansas bathroom measure. "This is going to just open up the doors for that."

North Carolina Republicans enacted a bathroom law in 2016 but rolled it back following protests and economic boycotts. A new wave of anti-LGBTQ+ measures began building in 2020, when Idaho enacted the nation's first law barring transgender athletes from girls and women's sports. State lawmakers across the U.S. considered hundreds of proposals this year.

Supporters argue that bathroom laws protect the privacy of cisgender women and girls. They've also pitched the laws as safety measures, without citing evidence of threats or assaults by transgender people against cisgender women or girls.

In North Dakota, Republican state Rep. Robin Weisz, chair of a committee that handled bathroom legislation, said some lawmakers worried about "being taken over by a radical agenda" on gender identity.

A GOP colleague, state Rep. Bill Tveit, said: "Our whole society is catering to it and encouraging it, and I don't think that that's where we're at, nor should be."

States' laws vary in their sweep. Florida and North Dakota are applying their restrictions to state universities and prisons. Arkansas is making it a misdemeanor for transgender adults to be in any public changing room associated with their gender identities if a minor is present and the purpose is "arousing or gratifying a sexual desire." Kansas' law applies not just to restrooms and locker rooms, but to rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, prisons and other detention centers.

State laws also differ in what they say about enforcement.

If an Oklahoma school violates that state's 2022 law, its district can lose 5% of its state funding, though none have so far.

Florida schools and universities must have policies for punishing students who don't comply, and educators who flout the law could risk losing their state licenses. Starting in July 2024, the state attorney general can sue schools that don't comply.

Arkansas mandates a minimum fine of $1,000 for defiant educators, and Iowa residents can file complaints with the state's attorney general. Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma and Tennessee allow private lawsuits against schools.

But laws in Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky and North Dakota don't spell out any enforcement regime.

Transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people and LGBTQ+ rights advocates predict that states will rely on "vigilante" enforcement by private individuals. Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, expects lawsuits from people "dedicated to making life impossible for transgender people."

All the laws permit schools and other institutions to make special accommodations for trans students, such as providing gender-neutral bathrooms, so long as they aren't allowed into facilities associated with their gender identities.

In Kansas' largest school district in Wichita, schools already have worked with individual students and their parents to make accommodations. In northeastern Iowa, the Decorah school district sought guidance on what the signs outside its single-use restrooms should say.

"We're following the law," Superintendent Tim Cronin said. "We're not trying to editorialize on any of this."

In Des Moines, Iowa, the school district already had been preparing for a bathroom law for several years, and "the facilities were in place" when the state's law was enacted, spokesperson Phil Roeder said. The Shawnee Mission district in the affluent Kansas suburbs of Kansas City is adding gender-neutral restrooms, too, with most of the work completed.

But in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Al Stone-Gebhardt, an 18-year-old transgender man, recently graduated from a high school that didn't have gender-neutral restrooms. After using the girls restroom during his junior year, he planned to use the nurse's but was turned away the first day of his senior year.

His mother, Erika DuBose, acknowledged "flipping out" when her son texted her about it. She sent an email to school staff that demanded, "HOW DARE YOU DENY MY CHILD THEIR BIOLOGICAL NEEDS?" To avoid using any restroom at school, her son was wasn't eating or drinking much.

The school became more accommodating, they said.

"It is literally putting trans students at risk," Stone-Gebhardt said. "Having to choose between being hydrated and being outed is extremely traumatic and inherently problematic, as well."

Warbelow said states can expect some "civil disobedience."

In the liberal community of Lawrence in northeastern Kansas, the home of the University of Kansas' main campus, the local district attorney declared that she wouldn't prosecute violations of the new state law. Kobach dismissed those comments as meaningless, saying the Kansas law doesn't call for criminal prosecutions.

In Fargo, one of North Dakota's rare politically blue places, the school board backed Superintendent Rupak Gandhi's public statement that, "We will not participate in anything that we think is going to subject students to further discrimination or increase their self-harm."

That prompted Tveit to email fellow state lawmakers, suggesting the district lose its state funding. But North Dakota's Legislature won't be in session again until 2025.

"I think any law that goes into place needs a specific penalty," Tveit said, "because without a specific penalty, then you have this defiance."

Here's how legislation in every state affects trans youth Ranking states from most restrictive to the most protective for trans youth #51. Tennessee #50. Arkansas #49. South Dakota #48. Alabama #47. Mississippi #46. Oklahoma #45. Louisiana #43. Georgia (tie) #43. South Carolina (tie) #42. Texas #41. Missouri #40. Wyoming #39. Arizona #38. Idaho #35. Montana (tie) #35. Nebraska (tie) #35. West Virginia (tie) #33. Florida (tie) #33. North Carolina (tie) #32. Indiana #31. Kansas #30. Ohio #29. Kentucky #28. North Dakota #27. Utah #26. Pennsylvania #25. Iowa #24. Alaska #23. Wisconsin #22. Michigan #21. Delaware #20. Virginia #19. New Hampshire #18. New Mexico #17. Maryland #16. Hawaii #15. Rhode Island #13. Massachusetts (tie) #13. Minnesota (tie) #12. Illinois #10. Washington D.C. (tie) #10. Vermont (tie) #9. Oregon #8. Washington #6. Maine (tie) #6. New Jersey (tie) #5. Connecticut #4. Nevada #3. New York #2. California #1. Colorado Here's how legislation in every state affects trans youth #51. Tennessee #50. Alabama #49. South Dakota #48. Arkansas #47. Oklahoma #46. Mississippi #45. Louisiana #44. South Carolina #43. Texas #42. Georgia #41. Missouri #40. Arizona #39. Wyoming #38. Florida #37. Nebraska #36. Montana #35. Idaho #34. Indiana #33. West Virginia #32. Kansas #31. Kentucky #30. Alaska #29. Ohio #28. North Carolina #27. Utah #26. North Dakota #25. Pennsylvania #24. Iowa #23. Wisconsin #22. Michigan #21. Virginia #20. New Mexico #19. Delaware #18. New Hampshire #17. Maryland #16. Rhode Island #15. Hawaii #14. Minnesota #13. Massachusetts #12. Illinois #11. Washington #10. Oregon #8. Vermont (tie) #8. Washington D.C. (tie) #7. Connecticut #6. New Jersey #5. New York #3. Maine (tie) #3. Nevada (tie) #2. Colorado #1. California
CHICAGO (AP)  A shooting on Chicago's Southwest Side killed one man and wounded three others, police said.

The four men were standing outside on a sidewalk in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood around 8:15 p.m. Friday when a car approached and someone inside the vehicle fired multiple shots in their direction, police said.

A 23-year-old man shot in the buttocks was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and was later pronounced dead, police said.

The three others were taken to hospitals in good condition, police said: a 24-year-old man shot in the left knee, a 27-year-old with three gunshot wounds to the thigh, and a 58-year-old shot in the hip and lower back.

No arrests had been made by Saturday afternoon.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby apologized Friday for hopping on a private plane to get out of the New York area earlier this week while thousands of United passengers were stranded because the airline canceled so many flights.

Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home," Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline. I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days  often through severe weather  to take care of our customers.

Kirby concluded by promising "to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.

Kirby caught the private flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver on Wednesday, when United canceled 750 flights  one-fourth of its schedule for the day. That figure does not include flights on United Express.

United has canceled nearly 3,000 flights this week, with the largest number at its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New Jersey, which was hit by thunderstorms for much of the week.

Kirby blamed disruptions in Newark last weekend on a shortage of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. He said in a note to employees that the FAA frankly failed us by reducing the rate at which planes could arrive and depart the airport, where United is the dominant carrier.

Canceled flights left United planes and crews out of position, hobbling the airline when bad weather hit on Sunday, Kirby said.

As United continued to struggle throughout this week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes the FAA, said on Twitter that airlines had recovered from the storms with the exception of United. He drove home the point by including a bar graph that compared Uniteds cancellation rate with the rest of the industry.

United's operation has improved since midweek. The percentage of canceled flights fell from 26% on Wednesday to 18% Thursday and 8% through Friday evening, according to tracking service FlightAware. However, even on Friday, United was on pace to lead all U.S. carriers in canceled flights for a seventh straight day.

United vowed to fix its operation in time for the July 4 holiday weekend, which promises to be a hectic one at the nations airports. More than 2.7 million people were screened Thursday at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, and Friday was expected to bring similar crowds  possibly bigger.

United passengers have taken to social media and talked to reporters about long airport lines and sleeping in airports after flights were canceled.

Unions representing the airline's pilots and flight attendants have joined in the criticism, accusing United management of poor planning, a lack of crew schedulers, and operating too many flights.

Chicago-based United said it did not pay for the CEOs flight on Wednesday. The airline declined to say whether Kirby frequently takes private planes.
Ivy Tech Lake County Chancellor Louie Gonzalez points and thanks a sponsor of the new To The Finish Line initiative on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at Ivy Tech Lake County. The initiative supports students in financial emergencies so they can finish college. (Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for the Post-Tribune) (Andrew Burke-Stevenson / Chicago Tribune)

Ivy Tech Lake County Chancellor R. Louie Gonzalez looked back at his career Wednesday with pride and anticipation as he begins his retirement next week.

Im really excited about it, Ive been working since I was 14, Gonzalez said prior to a reception in his honor at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster.

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Community leaders and Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann saluted Gonzalez for his long career at Ivy Tech, including the past six years as chancellor, overseeing campuses in Crown Point, East Chicago and Gary.

Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann speaks during a visit by first lady Jill Biden to the Valparaiso campus on Monday, March 6, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Ellspermann named Marcos Rodriguez as interim chancellor. Hes the site director at Ivy Techs Michigan City campus. A national search for Gonzalezs replacement is underway.

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Gonzalez, 66, grew up on the west side of Gary with parents who were devout Catholics. His first job was mowing lawns in his Brunswick neighborhood and as he got older, he pumped gas and changed tires at a local gas station.

A graduate of Bishop Noll, Gonzalez said he envisioned a business career, receiving an undergraduate degree from Calumet College of St. Joseph and a masters degree in public administration from Indiana University Northwest.

Along the way, he worked as a Calumet College admissions recruiter and loved the job. When an opening for an admissions counselor popped up, he took the job.

Then, he worked as a field director, barnstorming the Midwest for the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, setting up voter registration drives. I loved the job, but I was never home.

By then, he was married to wife Martha and settled in Northwest Indiana. The couple live in Munster.

He took a job in admissions at IUN and after a year moved to a similar job at a state school called Indiana Vocational College, the precursor to Ivy Tech.

By 1999, the late Gov. Frank OBannon began rechartering the vocational school into a statewide community college system spanning 40 locations.

That certainly changed the landscape, said Gonzalez as Ivy Tech began offering in-demand courses from welding to nursing to meet the needs of job seekers.

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For the first time, Ivy Tech graduates earned associate degrees that could transfer to four-year colleges.

In 2017, Ellspermann reorganized the Crown Point, East Chicago and Gary campuses calling them Ivy Tech Lake County with Gonzalez named as chancellor.

A year later, he made his most difficult and controversial decision. He closed the Gary campus at 1440 E. 35th Ave. and relocated students to IUNs new building on Broadway about a mile east.

Ivy Tech signed a $17 million long-term lease with IUN for 38% of the space in the new $45 million Arts and Sciences building on 35th Avenue and Broadway.

I realized if were going to be a comprehensive community college, were going to have to do something bold, he said in 2018. We cant continue under the same model.

He said maintenance costs on the older Gary campus were rising as enrollment tailed off because 2018s vibrant economy kept people in jobs and out of the classroom.

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It led to a $2 million deficit.

We were losing and it was a statement we needed to make, he said. Still, leaving the old campus vacant didnt sit well with local elected officials.

Today, its the home of the 21st Century Charter School, which purchased it in 2019 for $2.1 million.

Recognizing growth at its Crown Point campus, Gonzalez said it recently purchased four acres south of its home at 9900 Connecticut Dr. for a new campus. He said health programs were growing along with business and logistics.

The East Chicago campus at 410 E. Columbus Dr. is about to launch a $12 million renovation project, Gonzalez said.

It will change the face of the building, and look totally different, he said. It will truly be a 21st century building.

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Gonzalez said he spends plenty of time in his car driving from Crown Point to Gary to East Chicago. He said many students do the same thing, if they prefer a certain instructor or a course at one site works better into their schedule.

Since he arrived in 2020, IUN Chancellor Ken Iwama has worked closely with Gonzalez.

Louie has been a valued colleague and mentor, and his passionate commitment in transforming the lives of students inspires me every day, said Iwama.

Our communities, and its residents, are stronger due to his leadership, and I wish him all the best as he begins his next great adventure.

The Urban League of Northwest Indiana received a $20,000 donation Tuesday from Ring, an Amazon-owned video doorbell security system. From left are Urban League board member and Ivy Tech Chancellor R. Louie Gonzalez, Vanessa Allen-McCloud, Urban League president and CEO, and Kyle DeGuilio, of Ring. (Carole Carlson / Post-Tribune)

Northwest Indiana Urban League President and CEO Vanessa Allen-McCloud chairs the Ivy Tech campus board of trustees, guided by Gonzalez.

He has been an extremely passionate leader in this community and has given selflessly to bring the Ivy Tech Lake County campus to a position of excellence, she said.

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He transformed that Lake County campus and hes leaving at the height with a successful foundation with enrollment up and finances intact, she said.

Gonzalez, whose final day was Friday, said hell remain in Lake County.

I see the finish line I want to finish strong and thats how Im approaching it. I dont want the farewell to be sappy or sad. Its a joyful thing

This is a different time. Its time to start a new chapter.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Bylaws

Approved by the Membership, October 2022

ARTICLE I:

Title, Organization, and Administrative Plan



Section 1. Title.

The name of the corporation shall be National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the Association.



Section 2. Organization.

The Association shall be designated as a nonprofit, educational association, organized under the 'General Not for Profit Corporation Act. The Association may seek tax exempt status pursuant to Section 501(C) of the Internal Revenue Code.



Section 3. Publications.

The official publication of the Association shall be the Journal of Singing. The intra-organizational publication shall be Inter Nos. The Association shall maintain an official website and the Association may publish additional publications as may further the objectives of the Association.



Section 4. Administration.

Except as otherwise set forth herein, the property, funds, and affairs of the Association shall be controlled and managed by a Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Board), members of which are referred to as Directors, consisting of the President, Past President, President-Elect, all Vice Presidents, Secretary/Treasurer, and all Region Governors. The Executive Director, the International Coordinator, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Singing, and other NATS staff attend meetings of the Board and may speak at meetings, but do not have a vote. The Board communicates with the Executive Director and the President of the Association.



Section 5. Strategic Plan.

The Association shall be guided by a Strategic Plan that will include, but will not be limited to, Association goals, action items, success metrics, and outcomes. The Association Strategic Plan shall be created from time to time by a task force appointed by the President. The Board shall participate in the formation and adoption of the Strategic Plan. The current Strategic Plan will be monitored for progress and may be amended by the Executive Committee.



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ARTICLE II:

Offices



The Board shall determine the State of incorporation, physical location of the Executive Office, and Registered Agent for service of process.



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ARTICLE III:

Purposes



The Association is organized to benefit the public good and support its members by advancing excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research.



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ARTICLE IV:

Corporate Seal



The Association shall have a corporate seal, which shall have inscribed thereon the name of the corporation, the words "Corporate Seal" and "December 1944." Said seal shall be kept in the Executive Office by the Executive Director of the Association.



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ARTICLE V:

Members



Section 1. Membership Application Process.

Applications for membership must be completed and signed by the applicants, specifying residence, professional training and activities, teaching experience, and other pertinent data. Applicants must also acknowledge responsibility to comply with the Code of Ethics and these Bylaws, as each may be adopted or amended by the Association from time to time. Applications for all membership classifications shall be submitted to the Vice President for Membership through the Association's website. The Vice President for membership is responsible for reviewing all membership applications. Approval of a membership is contingent on receipt of a complete membership application and all applicable dues.

Section 2. Membership Classifications.

The Association shall be open to all individuals regardless of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, national origin, religion, or citizenship. There shall be five membership classifications:

Full Members. Full Members must be persons of known personal integrity whose professional training and/or experience qualify them to be teachers of singing or collaborative pianists. Full Members have all rights of membership, including voting and holding office at any level. Emeritus Members. Persons eligible for emeritus membership are Full or Associate Members of the Association who have attained their sixty-eighth birthday and have been Members in Good Standing for at least twenty years. Requests for this membership status must be sent to the Executive Director. Emeritus Members are not required to pay dues. They have full power of vote, but may hold elected office only at the chapter level. Associate Members. Associate Members must be persons of known personal integrity who are beginning professional teachers of singing, collaborative pianists, and composers whose training or experience does not yet qualify them for Full Membership. Associate Members have full power of vote, but may hold elected office only at the chapter level. Student Members. Student Members are actively training to be teachers of singing, collaborative pianists, other voice professionals, or are beginning teachers, collaborative pianists, enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or master's degree program. Student members may only vote or hold office in SNATS Chapters. Student membership is separate from membership in a SNATS Chapter. A Member who holds status as an Associate or Full Member may not convert to Student Member status. Student members may participate in student auditions; however, adjudication is reserved for full, associate, and emeritus members. Affiliate Members. Affiliate Members may be individuals in fields related to the teaching of singing, institutions such as schools, colleges, and universities, and business firms associated with music as determined by the Board of Directors. Affiliate Members may not vote or hold office at any level.

Section 3. Dues.



Payment of national dues, in an amount determined by the Board from time to time, is a condition of membership in the Association. Only Members have the right and privilege of using the NATS name and logo in conjunction with their own, and of participating in members-only events. Members shall only use the NATS name and logo as instructed or directed by the Association from time to time.

The Board shall establish the amount of dues, the date on which dues are payable, prorating of dues, and establishment of various fees and administrative charges. The dues established above shall pay for the implementation of the stated purposes of the Association and shall entitle the Member to receive a subscription to the Journal of Singing. A Member who has not paid dues by the date payable is not in Good Standing, as defined in Article V, Section 4. The Board determines the date after which membership automatically lapses.

Section 4. Standing.

Good Standing. Good Standing is reserved for Members of the Association who are current in payment of dues and who have complied with all other terms of Membership, including, compliance with the Code of Ethics and these Bylaws. Good Standing is a requirement for all privileges associated with each classification of membership, as cited in Article V, Section 1. All Emeritus Members are presumed to be in Good Standing. Any Member in Good Standing who voluntarily resigns from the Association is considered a former member and will automatically be returned to Good Standing upon payment of current dues. Lapsed. Any Member who is delinquent in payment of dues is considered to be Lapsed. The Board may establish a date from time to time after which privileges of membership, including the right to vote and participate in Chapter events, are suspended. Lapsed Members will automatically be returned to Good Standing upon payment of dues and administrative costs for reinstatement as determined by the Board from time to time.

Section 5. Disciplinary Action.

Allegations of violation of the Code of Ethics or Bylaws, or of conduct detrimental to the welfare and best interests of the Association may be brought against a Member as follows:

(1) by written report of any three Full, Emeritus, Associate, or Student Members in Good Standing; or

(2) by written report from a non-Member. Said report shall be submitted to the President of the Association, or to the President-Elect if the complaint is against the President. If the President or President-Elect deems the case non-frivolous, it shall be forwarded to the Ethics Committee for resolution. Following referral of a matter to the Ethics Committee, the Ethics Committee shall investigate as it deems appropriate and seek such resolution of the matter as it deems prudent and in the best interest of the Association, the accused Member. In the event that the Ethics Committee is unable to resolve the allegations, the President of the Association shall present the case to the Board for a hearing. The accused party(ies) shall be given a thirty days prior written notice of the hearing and shall be permitted to appear in person, in writing, by proxy and with or without an attorneys presence or assistance. At least one Member of the Ethics Committee shall attend said hearing. Based on the results of this hearing, among other remedies, the Board holds the right to terminate the membership of any involved party. The Board may immediately terminate the membership of any Member convicted of a felony, or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, breach of trust, or sexual misconduct.

Section 6. Resignations.



Members in Good Standing may resign from the Association by submitting letters of resignation to the Association, which will remove those Members from the active membership roll.



Section 7. Reinstatement.

Members who resign in Good Standing may reactivate their memberships by requesting such action, submitting payment for current dues to the Association, and recertifying their acceptance of the Membership Terms, Code of Ethics, and these Bylaws, as each may be adopted or amended by the Association from time to time. Lapsed Members may reactivate their memberships by requesting such action and submitting payment for current dues plus a reinstatement fee to the Association.

Section 8. Membership in Chapters.

Active Members of the Association in Good Standing who are in compliance with the Membership Terms, Code of Ethics and these Bylaws, as each may be adopted or amended from time to time, may join a NATS Chapter (other than Student Chapters chartered under Article VII Section 4 below), upon payment to the Association of applicable Chapter dues.

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ARTICLE VI:

Meetings of Members

Section 1. Meetings and Notice.



The Association shall hold a meeting of the Association during each National Conferences and special meetings on dates determined by the Board, upon call of the President. Notice shall be given to all Members at least sixty days before the meeting date (i) in selected publications of the Association; (ii) by direct postal mail; or (iii) on the Association website.



Section 2. Manner of Acting.



At any meeting of the Association each Full, Emeritus, and Associate Member in Good Standing shall be entitled to speak, make motions, and vote on all business matters brought before the membership.



Section 3. Electronic Voting.



A vote of the Association may be taken electronically. In any electronic ballot, however, Members may request a paper ballot. The result of such vote shall be published to the entire membership. The date by which ballots must be returned in order to be counted shall be specified on the ballot.



Section 4. Quorum.



Fifty (50) Members of the Association, including at least four Association officers, shall constitute a quorum at the General Business Meeting of the Association.

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ARTICLE VII:

Chapters

Section 1. Establishing a Chapter.



Any group of active Full, Emeritus, or Associate Members of the Association may petition the Board for a chapter charter for their geographic area. Chapter membership shall not be restricted by regional or district boundaries. Chapters shall abide by Association Bylaws, policies, and guidelines for the betterment of the membership and fulfillment of the Associations purpose.



Section 2. Chapter Policies and Procedures.



Chapters will establish their own Bylaws, operating procedures, and leadership structure for management and administration of each Chapter in a manner not inconsistent with these Association Bylaws, and with the review and continuing consent of the Board. Chapter Bylaws shall be consistent with the NATS Code of Ethics. Chapters shall accept and allow as Chapter Members only Members of the Association.



Section 3. Chapter Officers.



Chapters will be responsible to elect officers, and annually report the name and full contact information of each Chapter Officer to the Region and District Governors and the Executive Office.



Section 4. Student National Association of Teachers of Singing (SNATS).



A Student NATS chapter (SNATS) consists of students under the sponsorship of a Member of the Association. A SNATS charter is issued upon the request of a sponsoring Member to the Association and approved by the Vice President for Outreach. Membership in a SNATS chapter does not constitute membership in the Association. Annually, SNATS Chapters will report the name and contact information of all SNATS Chapter Members to the Vice President for Outreach.



Section 5. Association Events.



Chapters may assist the Association, at the Boards request, with various Association events. In such cases, however, the Association shall ultimately be responsible for Board approved costs incurred in connection with the events, and shall be entitled to retain all fees, tuition, and other payments received in connection with the events.

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ARTICLE VIII:

Regions and Districts

Section 1. Regions.

The Board shall define and establish region boundaries. There shall be a Governor for each designated region of the Association who shall be a Full Member in Good Standing of the Association, and who shall be elected by the membership of that region by vote conducted through the National Office. Region Governors shall assume office at the conclusion of the annual Board meeting or National Conference, serve for two years, and may succeed themselves once. Region Governors who have served two terms in office may seek election to additional terms after a hiatus of at least four years following their most recent term in office. Region Governors shall have direct responsibility over the affairs of their regions and for the coordination and operation of the districts falling within their region boundaries according to these Bylaws. Region Governors appoint District Governors and are authorized to appoint those region officers they deem necessary for the successful operation of region activities. Region Governors shall be provided an annual approved reimbursement fund, in an amount determined by the Association from time to time, for the carrying out of their responsibilities. The Region Governor may appoint a group of members who reside within the region, provided they remain full or Emeritus Members of the Association, that shall act as a Region Board to assist the Governor in proper administration of the region. Prior to the end of each two-year term of office, it is the duty of the Region Governor to appoint a nominating committee for the region to recommend a candidate or candidates for the office of Region Governor. A current Region Governor may not serve as a member of their Region nominating committee. While Region Governors may obligate their regions with funds available in their regions and/or through grants from the discretionary fund or region allocations from the Association, Governors do not have the authority to act as agents for the Association nor have the power to bind the Association. Regions shall conduct their business in a manner not inconsistent with the NATS Bylaws and Code of Ethics.

Section 2. Districts.

The Board shall define and establish District boundaries within each Region. Each District of a Region shall have a District Governor, appointed by and responsible to the Region Governor. District Governors shall serve terms of two years and may succeed themselves once. District Governors who have served two terms in office may be appointed to additional terms after a hiatus of at least four years following their most recent term in office, unless otherwise approved by the Board. District Governors shall be responsible for Member recruitment and retention in their districts. District Governors, in consultation with the Region Governor, may also initiate the organization of additional chapters within their geographic areas or in conjunction with other appropriate geographic areas. Districts shall conduct their business in a manner not inconsistent with the NATS Bylaws and Code of Ethics.

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ARTICLE IX:

Board of Directors

Section 1. General Powers.

The Board shall derive its powers from the Association and shall have full authority to act for the Association, within the limitations defined by these Association Bylaws. The Board is responsible to the Association for all such actions, and shall keep accurate minutes of all its deliberations and decisions. An accurate report of the transactions of the Board shall be rendered to the Association by the Secretary/Treasurer at every meeting of the Association. The Board shall participate in the formation and adoption of an Association Strategic Plan. The Board, guided by the current Association Strategic Plan and at its own discretion, may study and formulate policies deemed necessary or expedient for the welfare of the Association. The Board shall consider, and upon its consent, confirm all committee appointments made by the President and shall have final authority in establishing membership dues and the annual budget submitted to it by the President. The Board shall define and establish Region boundaries and may subdivide any Region into Districts functioning under District Governors for more effective communication and administration of Association business. The Board shall have power of approval of all requests for the establishment of a Chapter. The Board shall have authority to establish new educational and executive activities of the Association within the limits of these Bylaws.

Section 2. Regular Meetings.



The Board shall meet twice annually and at other times, in person or electronically, determined by resolution of the Board.



Section 3. Special Meetings.



Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, or by any three (3) other Directors. Directors may attend Special Meetings in person or other electronic means. Subject to Article IX, Section 4 Waiver of Notice below, written notice of the time of any special meeting shall be given to each Director at least two (2) days prior to the meeting.



Section 4. Waiver of Notice.



Notice of any special meeting or the place of any annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be deemed to have been validly given to any Director who signs a waiver of notice of such special or annual meeting, whether such waiver of notice be signed either before or after the meeting. Attendance of a Director at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting and a waiver of any and all objections to the place of the meeting, the time of the meeting, or the manner in which the meeting has been called or convened, except when a Director states, at the beginning of the meeting, any objection to the transaction of business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.



Section 5. Board Meeting Quorum.



Two-thirds of the Directors, including the President, shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business. Proxy voting is not permitted in meetings of the Board. Region Governors who are unable to attend meetings of the Board may send Members in Good Standing from the regions in their places, who will have full power of vote.



Section 6. Vacancies.

If any position on the Board, except President, falls vacant by reason of death or resignation, the Directors remaining, by a majority vote, shall elect a successor, who shall hold office for the unexpired term or until a successor shall have been elected by the Members of the Association, and, in the event of a tie vote by the Board, the President shall cast the deciding vote. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Past President shall serve the balance of the unexpired term. Any Director, whether elected or appointed, shall cease to hold office upon termination of membership, or may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Members voting at any meeting of the Association, or by a two-thirds vote of the Directors.

Section 7. Action Without a Meeting.



Any action required to be taken or which may be taken by any committee or any meeting of the Board may be taken without meeting if a consent in a written or electronic format, setting forth the action so to be taken, signed by all Directors or committee members, is filed in the minutes of the proceedings of the Board. Such consent shall have the same effect as a meeting vote and shall be effective the date the last Director or committee member signs the consent or on the date otherwise specified in the written or electronic consent. Any required action of a committee or any meeting of the Board may be taken asynchronously.



Section 8. Financial Responsibility and Indemnification.



Neither the Board, nor any individual Director, officer, representative, or agent, shall be required to accept financial responsibility for, and the Association shall indemnify and defend such individual against all damages, costs, claims, causes of action, liabilities, and expenses including reasonable attorneys fees incurred in connection with, duly authorized activities of the Association carried on in good faith, and in pursuit of the purposes and activities prescribed or authorized by these Bylaws.



Section 9. Compensation.



Directors shall not receive any salaries for their services, but by resolution of the Board, expenses of attendance, if any, may be allowed for attendance at each meeting of the Association, regular or special meeting of the Board. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Director from serving the Association in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.



Section 10. Committees.



The Board may act by committees, consisting of two or more Directors, which shall have and may exercise all of the authority of the Board to the full extent allowed by law, except as limited by the resolution appointing the committee.



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ARTICLE X:

Association Officers

Section 1. Officers.



The Association officers shall include a President, President-Elect, Past President, four Vice Presidents (outlined in Article X, Section 7) and a Secretary/Treasurer. Each Association officer shall be elected by vote of the membership as provided in these Bylaws. The person elected for the position of President-Elect shall serve one two-year term in that office, one two-year term as President, and one two-year term as Past President, and may not succeed themselves in any of these offices. Vice Presidents and the Secretary/Treasurer shall serve for two years and may succeed themselves once. Officers must be Full Members in Good Standing of the Association when elected and remain so throughout their terms of office. These officers form the Association's Executive Committee.



Section 2. Election.

The Association Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of candidates for Association officers to the Board for approval one year prior to the beginning of the terms of the offices up for election. The slate of candidates, the date of distribution of the ballots, and the deadline for the return of ballots for the election shall be published either electronically or in print at least ninety days prior to the deadline for the return of the ballots. Election of Association officers shall be by poll of the membership. Following the close of nominations, a full roster of duly nominated candidates shall be distributed to all voting members with a non-identifiable ballot. The ballot will state the deadline for returning the ballot. Persons appointed by the Secretary/Treasurer will count the ballots. No candidate may serve on the counting committee. A majority of all votes cast is necessary for election. At the conclusion of the counting process, the Secretary/Treasurer will report the election results to the Association membership. Those elected shall take office effective at the end of the national conference, or another time as determined by the Board.

Section 3. Vacancies or Removal.



National officers of the Association, whether elected or appointed, shall cease to hold office upon termination of membership, or may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Members voting at any meeting of the Association, or by a two-thirds vote of the Directors. Any vacancy, however occurring, in any office, may be filled by action of the Board, provided, however, that the office of Past President may only be filled by a Member in Good Standing who formerly served as President of the Association.



Section 4. President.

There shall be one President who shall serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors, presiding at all meetings of the Association and conferences of the membership, and shall preside at meetings of the Board, with the right and duty of exercising leadership in the programs of the Association, as defined in these Bylaws. The President shall convey the will of the Board to the Executive Director. The President shall see that the Bylaws of the Association are implemented and followed and shall serve with the Executive Director as a representative of the Association with outside agencies, sibling organizations, with the teaching profession, and with the general public. The President shall administer the overall policies adopted by the membership and the Board including oversight of the Association Strategic Plan, and shall appoint all committees, including the national conference committee, in accordance with the Bylaws. The President shall determine the size, personnel, chair, and tenure of all special committees, and shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees except nominating committees. The President, President-Elect, Executive Director, Secretary/Treasurer, and other appropriate Association officers shall prepare and submit the annual budget to the Board for final action.

Section 5. Past President.

There shall be one Past President, who shall be the immediately preceding President of the Association, and who shall serve for a period of two years. The Past President shall assist the President as requested in the assumption of duties. The Past President shall also serve as chair of the Association nominating committee and director of the Association Intern Program. The Past President shall assume the chair at Board Meetings and Meetings of the Association in the absence of the President. In the event the Past President is not available, the President shall designate one member of the Executive Committee as temporary chair. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Past President shall serve the balance of the unexpired term.

Section 6. President-Elect.

There shall be one President-Elect, elected by the Members of the Association, who shall serve concurrently with the President for a period of two years. The President-Elect shall be responsible to the President and shall undertake those duties assigned by the President. The President-Elect shall succeed to the presidency without further election unless due cause (according to the process outlined in Article X, Section 3) has been shown to break this automatic succession, in which case the Association nominating committee will present a new candidate for election to the office of President.

Section 7. Vice Presidents.

There shall be four (4) Vice Presidents, each of whom shall serve a term of two years, and can succeed themselves once, as follows: The Vice President for Auditions shall oversee the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards, National Student Auditions, and National Musical Theatre Competition. The Vice President for Auditions will actively schedule, promote, and conduct one of these competitions. They will also appoint and oversee those whom they have appointed to administer the other competitions. The Vice President for Outreach shall actively encourage, promote and oversee SNATS and student engagement in the Association, and shall promote and administer the discretionary funds. The Vice President for Outreach shall also advise and oversee mentoring initiatives other than the Intern Program. The Vice President for Membership, with the assistance of the Executive Office and the membership committee, shall promote and encourage new membership and retention, process new member applications, and coordinate recruitment and retention efforts with District Governors. The Vice President for Membership shall be the chair of the Membership Committee. The Vice President for Workshops shall schedule, promote, and oversee Association workshops in collaboration with the Executive Director. Each Vice President shall submit an annual written report to the President, who shall include these reports in the Association's Annual Report. Each Vice President shall actively participate in the implementation of any Association Strategic Plan. Details of their participation shall be included in their annual report.

Section 8. Secretary/Treasurer.

There shall be one Secretary/Treasurer who, with assistance from the Executive Office when requested, shall keep accurate minutes and records of Association and Board proceedings. These records shall be open to inspection by the membership upon reasonable prior notice. A written annual report shall be submitted to the President, who shall include this report in the Association's Annual Report. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the issuance of all official notices and votes required to be given by, or on behalf of, the Association, and shall conduct whatever record-keeping is directed by the President. The Secretary/Treasurer shall supervise the keeping of the financial records of the Association and the handling of all savings and investments of the Association, according to the provisions of these Bylaws and shall be an ex officio member of the Investment Advisory Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer shall initiate an annual external audit of the Association's financial affairs by a competent certified public accountant designated by the Secretary/Treasurer. This audit shall be submitted to the Board and published annually.

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ARTICLE XI:

Other Officials

Section 1. Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Singing.



There shall be one Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Singing who shall be selected by the President and approved by the Board in a regular or special meeting. This appointment may be ended at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Board. The Editor-in-Chief will receive an annual evaluation conducted by the Executive Director, in accordance with the employee handbook. The Editor-in-Chief shall receive a salary determined by the Board. The Board shall decide the amount of the budget, which the Editor-in-Chief will administer. The Editor-in-Chief shall be a nonvoting member of the Board.

The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the President and Executive Director, shall be responsible for the selection of Associate Editors and staff for the publication, and shall submit these selections to the President for approval. The Editor-in-Chief, with advice from an Editorial Board, will determine the content of the various issues of the Journal. The Editor-in-Chief shall also determine format, cover, and other details of publication.

Section 3. International Coordinator.



There shall be one International Coordinator who shall be selected by the President and approved by the Board. This appointment shall be reviewed every two years by the Board and may be ended at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Directors. The International Coordinator shall maintain communication with international Members of the Association and other established voice teacher organizations. The coordinator shall facilitate the formation of other organizations related to singing where interest is expressed.



Section 4. Historian.



The President may appoint one Historian of the Association, selected by the President and approved by the Board. The appointment shall be reviewed every two years by the Board and may be ended at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Directors. The Historian shall provide a narrative of all national conferences, and may assist the Executive Office to collect, describe, preserve, and compile documentary sources significant to the history of the Association. The Historian shall have access to books, documents, papers, and records that are pertinent to the history of the Association.



Section 5. Executive Director

There shall be one Executive Director of the Association recommended by the President, for Board approval. The Executive Director is an employee of the Association who serves at the discretion of the Board. The Board shall determine the salary.

The Executive Director shall be in charge of the Association's Executive Office, as directed by the Board and defined in these Bylaws. The Executive Director, with the assistance of the President, President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and other appropriate Association officers, shall prepare and submit the annual budget to the Board for final action. The Executive Director shall supervise the collection of Association dues. The Executive Director shall supervise changes in membership status and requests for dues adjustments. The Executive Director shall serve with the President as a representative of the Association with outside agencies, sibling organizations, with the teaching profession, and with the general public, and shall coordinate all national announcements and news releases pertinent to the business and activities of the Association. (see Article X.4.c) The Executive Director shall prepare quarterly financial statements for the Executive Committee. The Executive Director shall maintain complete and accurate financial records of the Association, which, given reasonable prior notice, shall be open to inspection by the membership during regular business hours. The Executive Director shall serve as a nonvoting member of the Executive Committee and the Board and shall attend meetings of the Association and Board. The Executive Director shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee. The Executive Director may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Directors. Such action will be taken when it appears evident that the Executive Director has been or is unable to serve through unexplained, habitual absence; other grounds for removal can include, but not limited to failure to fulfill their fiduciary duty, committing a legal or ethical offense, using the Association for personal gain, or creating an unhealthy atmosphere by their interaction or inappropriate behavior within or outside the Association. Further grounds for removal can include unresolvable differences between the Executive Director and the Directors as to the strategic direction of the Association.

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ARTICLE XIII:

Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees.



The following committees shall be established and shall consist of the following Directors and/or other Association Members, for the purposes set forth below:

Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Past President, President-Elect, Vice Presidents, and the Secretary/Treasurer. The Executive Director shall serve as a nonvoting member. This committee shall meet three times annually, serve in an advisory capacity to the Board, act as the governing body of the Association Strategic Plan, and shall assume powers and duties as deemed necessary and delegated to it by the Board, to which it shall be responsible. Association Nominating Committee.

An Association nominating committee shall be appointed at the beginning of each President's term. The Past President shall be a member of the committee and serve as its chair. This committee shall be responsible for the nomination of persons to fill the offices of President-Elect, Vice Presidents, and Secretary/Treasurer. This committee should be comprised of no fewer than five Members in Good Standing, representing a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Both independent and academic teachers should be represented on this committee. Members on the Board may be selected to serve on the committee, with the exception of the President and the Executive Director. Membership Committee.

The President shall appoint a membership committee, with the Vice President for Membership as chair. The committee shall assist the Vice President in membership promotion, recruitment, and retention in accordance with Strategic Plan action items by evaluating current practice, exploring new ideas, and recommending future goals. Investment Advisory Committee.

An Investment Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the President. It shall be fiduciarily responsible for studying, recommending, and managing the investment surplus and trust funds, consistent with the various gift, scholarship, endowment, and investment policies of the Association. The Committee shall review and propose amendments to the Board of the Association's various gift, scholarship, endowment, and investment policies from time to time or as requested by the Board. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member. Journal of Singing Editorial Board.

The Journal of Singing Editor-In-Chief, in consultation with the President and Executive Director, selects members of the Editorial Board. This Editorial Board shall conduct peer review and assist the Editor-in-Chief in all matters pertinent to the publication of the Journal. Ethics Committee

There shall be one Ethics Committee of at least three Members, appointed by the President. Its responsibilities shall be the resolution of alleged violations of the Code of Ethics, and resolution of cases involving a Member's conduct alleged to be detrimental to the welfare and best interests of the Association.

Section 2. Other Committees.



Each President, upon assumption of office, may appoint those committees deemed necessary to the on-going business, operation, projects, and publications of the Association. (For complete descriptions, see the current NATS Board Policy Manual on Committees.)



Section 3. Terms of Office.



All committee appointments must be ratified by the Board and shall have tenure not to exceed the term of the President. Committee appointments may be terminated at any time by two-thirds majority vote of the Directors.



All Association Committee Chairs shall submit annual written reports to the Board, which shall be incorporated into the printed minutes of the Board meetings.



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ARTICLE XIV:

Financial Policies and Procedures

Section 1. Funds.

The Board shall be the legal custodian, within the provisions of the Association's charter and Bylaws, for all monies, bank accounts, records, and properties of the Association. The Secretary/Treasurer shall supervise the receiving and disbursing of all Association funds. Except as otherwise set forth by the Board from time to time, all checks shall bear two of the following three signatures: Executive Director, President, Secretary/Treasurer, or such officers as may be determined by the Board. The Association shall see that employees and Directors are bonded against dishonesty in the handling of Association funds and other assets.

Section 2. Contracts.



Except as otherwise set forth by the Board from time to time, and in consultation with the Executive Director, the President and either the Executive Director or the Secretary/Treasurer shall sign all major contracts and statements of obligation of or to the Association that have been approved by the Board, and only contracts so approved and signed shall be valid. The Board will establish the definition of major contracts from time to time. Either the President or Executive Director shall sign all other contracts.



Section 3. Records.



Records of all transactions and all savings and investments shall be open to the membership during regular business hours, given reasonable prior notice.



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ARTICLE XV:

Rules of Procedure and Amendment

Section 1. Rules of Order.



The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the meetings of the Board, Association, its regions, districts, and chapters, in cases in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or standing rules. Special rules of order for governing meetings of Members or the Board may be made at any time by vote of the Members present. Any motion or resolution offered for consideration shall be written if requested by any Member prior to action.



Section 2. Proxies.



Proxy voting is not permitted at any meeting of the Association or the Board.



Section 3. Amendment of Bylaws.



Any and all Bylaws may be amended or new Bylaws adopted at any regular meeting of Members of the Association, or by ballot. Notification of Board approved changes or amendments must be submitted to the membership in writing at least thirty days prior to the vote. A two-thirds approving vote of all Full, Emeritus, and Associate members participating is required.

Approved by the Board of Directors, June 29, 2022

Approved by the NATS Membership, October 20, 2022
Code of Ethics

These ethical guidelines are established by the Association to outline Members ethical duties and obligations to students, colleagues and the general public, and to promote professional cooperation and productive relationships among its Members.

Antitrust Compliance Information

I. Personal Ethical Standards

The Association expects its Members to behave professionally and ethically in the representation of their abilities and in their promotional materials and outreach, and to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the Association.

Members shall present themselves honestly, in a dignified and professional manner, and with documented qualifications. These may include appropriate academic degrees, awards, professional affiliations, and teaching and performing experience. Members shall strive to teach with competence by demonstrating knowledge of voice pedagogy, musicianship, familiarity with a variety of vocal repertoire, as well as performance skills. Members should strive for continued growth in professional competencies. Members shall faithfully support the Association and are encouraged to participate in and contribute to its activities and mission. Members should abide by copyright laws and guard against encouraging or allowing infringement thereof. Members shall exhibit responsible and ethical behavior when using print, digital and social media associated with the profession and the studio. Members should be artistic resources for their communities.

II. Ethical Standards Relating to Students

The Association is committed to Member/Student relationships which foster excellence and learning in a dignified and professional environment, and which do not involve discrimination, sexuality, innuendo, or favoritism.

Members should avoid all types of discriminatory practices. Appropriate guidelines are set forth in statutes such as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Canadian Human Rights Act. Members should maintain appropriate boundaries in psychological, emotional, and personal contact with students, including insinuations that could be construed as sexual advances, even when a student may encourage or request such interaction. Members should respect the privacy and personal integrity of students, not disclosing confidential information except to the extent that a particular legal or academic system requires disclosure. Members should clearly communicate and comply with their studio policies and expectations in a timely and concrete manner. The relationship between teacher and student shall be established, maintained and terminated in a respectful, professional manner. Members should respect a student's prerogative to obtain instruction from any teacher(s) of their choice, including concurrent study with another teacher(s). Transparency should be maintained among all parties. Members should offer their best instruction and career advice to every student under their supervision, and should treat each student in a respectful and impartial manner while taking into account individual differences in ability, learning styles and motivation. Members should refrain from making exaggerated claims or misleading statements concerning a student's prospects for a professional career in music. They should not guarantee performances, professional positions or favorable contacts unless they can fulfill those promises.

III. Ethical Standards Relating to Colleagues

The Association encourages a mutually supportive atmosphere among its Members, and in their interactions with other related professionals.

Members shall refrain from making defamatory or untrue negative public statements or judgments about colleagues or their students, either verbally or in writing. Members shall render honest and unbiased adjudication at auditions and competitions. If they are unable to do so, then they should recuse themselves. In cases where a Member determines that involving other professionals in a students instruction may be of benefit (for medical, technical, artistic, musical, pedagogical, or other reasons), Members shall strive to work collegially with these professionals. Rules and regulations of accredited academic institutions may at times take precedence over the Associations Code of Ethics, should there be a conflict. Should ethical conflicts arise between Members and/or a NATS Entity, direct communication should be used to resolve problems among the involved parties. If the conflict cannot be resolved, the Association has a specific, detailed process for dealing with concerns.

This version of the Code of Ethics approved by the NATS Board of Directors in June 2018.
Giving to NATS

Voice education and the art of singing is our priority. Whether you are a teacher, collaborative pianist, performer, voice specialist, choral director, composer, or patron of the arts, the National Association of Teachers of Singing represents you and your aspirations. Giving to NATS means that NATS can fund vocal arts and voice professionals the way they should be.

Current times call for the arts more than ever. And yet, this can be a challenging time for voice professionals. It is times like these when you can clearly see the need for NATS. Fortunately, NATS is here to support voice professionals within the studio, classroom, clinic, and performance venue. Your gift to NATS will position us for an even brighter future  one in which the NATS community forges ahead together toward the highest standards of the vocal art!

Give now

Support the NATS programs you love

An unrestricted gift to NATS allows us maximum flexibility. But you may also tailor your support with a gift directed to your favorite program or to a fund designed for a specific purpose. NATS has named funds and endowments that enhance student scholarships, competition prizes, and professional development. Many of these funds also honor the legacy of our leaders and donors.

A list of current endowments and restricted funds that you may contribute to is found here. If you wish to establish a new fund, please contact Development Director bob [AT] nats.org .

Naming Prizes and Awards

Honor loved ones and esteemed colleagues by funding a NATS prize or award for the National Student Auditions, the NATS Artist Awards, the National Musical Theatre Competition, or other programs. This can be done for a year, for a defined period, or in perpetuity.

Currently funded prizes and awards are found here. For more information, please contact Development Director bob [AT] nats.org .

Ways to give to NATS

Cash  This is the most common gift made, via check or credit card. It benefits NATS immediately. In return, your donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Securities  Stock that has appreciated in value is a great charitable gift. You may transfer stock to NATS electronically through your broker. Contact our Development Director, Bob Bryan, to request our client identification number with Ameriprise Financial Services.

IRA Assets - You may roll over up to $100,000 annually to qualified charities. If you file a joint return, your spouse can also make a gift from his/her IRA up to $100,000. A rollover gift is not tax deductible; however, the gift will reduce your taxable income because it will reduce the required minimum distribution you must take each year.

Bank and Brokerage Accounts  Most states allow you to designate a beneficiary for these accounts through a transfer-on-death (TOD) designation. (You may add or change beneficiary designations at any time.)

Life Insurance  Consider naming NATS as the beneficiary of a policy you no longer need. You could also donate the policy to us during your lifetime. If premiums are still owed, your payment of the premiums is considered a tax-deductible gift.

Real Estate  Give appreciated property directly to NATS during your lifetime. This qualifies you for a tax deduction for its fair market value and eliminates capital gains taxes if you have owned the property for more than one year.

Questions?

Please contact Development Director bob [AT] nats.org or call the NATS Executive Office at 904-992-9101.

Pledge Form (Printable PDF)
Advertise in Journal of Singing

Your print advertisement will reach more than 100,000 voice scholars

Journal of Singing, the official journal of National Association of Teachers of Singing, reaches more than 7,000 NATS members five times per year. In addition, many libraries and students subscribe to this scholarly journal. Journal of Singing is the only nationally distributed magazine devoted exclusively to the art of singing, vocal function, vocal literature, care of the professional voice, and the teaching of singing. It is the publication most frequently consulted by students and teachers of singing.

With a circulation of approximately 8,000 and a readership of over 100,000, your advertisement in Journal of Singing is an effective way to reach teachers of singing with information about your programs, products, and services.



View the Journal of Singing 2023-24 Media Kit for ad reservation form and information on pricing, ad sizes, deadlines, and guidelines for submission.

2023-2024 Publication Deadlines

ISSUE AD DEADLINE MAIL DATE #1 Sept/Oct 2023 June 20, 2023 August 15, 2023 #2 Nov/Dec 2023 August 20, 2023 October 13, 2023 #3 Jan/Feb 2024 October 20, 2023 December 15, 2023 #4 Mar/Apr 2024 December 20, 2023 February 15, 2024 #5 May/June 2024 February 20, 2024 April 15, 2024

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Conferences + Workshops

National Conference

The biennial NATS National Conference attracts NATS members and others from around the world to share in programs, demonstrations, lectures, master classes and competitions that help celebrate the art of singing and increase knowledge of teachers to help them better assist their students.

Next National Conference

Future Conference

2026 - To be announced

Past Conferences

National Workshops

The National Association of Teachers of Singing holds workshops twice per year in non-conference years and once per year when a conference is scheduled. Below is a schedule of upcoming and recently completed workshops:

Next Workshops

Past Workshops

International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT)

In 1994, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and dozens of other voice teacher associations, entered into a Joint Venture Agreement to facilitate (by providing marketing services and managing funds) a world-wide gathering of voice teachers for master classes and sessions, very similar to the NATS national conferences, but international in scope. Every four years, ICVT is held in one of the member countries. ICVT 2013 was held in Brisbane, Australia. Learn more about ICVT. The Ninth International Congress of Voice Teachers was held in Stockholm, Sweden in 2017, hosted by the Voice Teachers of Sweden, marking ICVT's 30 anniversary since its first gathering in Strasbourg. The 10th ICVT (originally scheduled for 2021) was held later in 2002 in Vienna, Austria.

Next ICVT

11th International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT)

Toronto, Canada

Summer 2025
While the Porter County Council expressed enthusiasm Tuesday night for the idea of the county opting in to Senate Bill 4, which would mean millions more in public health funding than it is used to receiving, it refrained from voting to recommend it to the deciding body of the Porter County Board of Commissions, not wanting to further ruffle feathers in an already fraught relationship.

The council heard a lengthy presentation from the Porter County Health Department detailing health trends in the county and state and encouraging a positive vote. Indiana, despite being at about the midpoint in population among the states, ranks near the bottom in public health outcomes for obesity, smoking and tobacco use, public health funding, mental health and childhood immunizations. Public health funding, for example, averages $91 per capita nationwide, but per capita funding in Indiana is just $12.50.

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Porter Countys interim director of the health department Carrie Gschwind and health officer Dr. Maria Stamp explained that the bill was based on 15 months of work by the governors Public Health Commission.

We dont have to, but I had Harold (Harper, the council attorney) put a resolution together in support of it just to send to the commissioners that we support it as a council, said Council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd.

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In light of everything tonight, Id like to table it, said Council Vice President Red Stone, R-1st, regarding heated discussion earlier in the four-plus-hour meeting on another topic. I think theyre going to opt in anyway. I just dont want to be another poke in the bear.

County Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At-Large, who had a career in nursing, said shes been very verbal about her support of the bill. Porter Countys always on the cutting edge and I think we should remain there, she said. The Board of Commissioners has until Sept. 1 to opt in or out.

If all counties opt in, Porter County would receive a minimum of $1.6 million in 2024 and a minimum of $3.3 million in 2025, raising per capita spending by one-half and 100% respectively.

In other health department business, Councilman Mike Brickner, R-At-Large, brought up an email he recently received alleging abusive treatment of Stamp from new board members at board of health meetings.

He said details were not provided, but was concerned at yet another complaint of an unhealthy work environment in Porter County, alluding to a complaint in May from an employee who had been fired from the county highway garage and alleged an unhealthy work environment at last months county council meeting.

I think we have a valuable member of our health board, Dr. Stamp, and if theres any mistreatment that is happening in any board meetings and is brought to our attention I think we have an obligation to at least look into it and either substantiate it or unsubstantiate it, Brickner said, though Stamp is not formally a member of the board.

Stone said that as the fiscal body the council should leave the matter to the board of commissioners.

Brickner said he didnt have much confidence it would be dealt with properly after the accusations at the highway department. Stone suggested he meet with Harper to learn what the process and outcome was.

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Stamp thanked the council for its concern but said she had been able to speak with most of the commissioners and that she and health board attorney Dave Hollenbeck had had a productive meeting with a board member and we feel that we have a good path going forward where our communication is improving.

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Van L. Lawrence Fellowship

The Van L. Lawrence Fellowship was created to honor Van L. Lawrence, M.D. for his outstanding contribution to voice, and particularly to recognize the importance of the interdisciplinary education he fostered among laryngologists and singing teachers. It is awarded jointly by The Voice Foundation and the Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment. The Fellowship winner will be provided with the opportunity to attend the annual Symposium on Care of the Professional Voice and visit laryngologists, speech pathologists, voice scientists, and research centers associated with The Voice Foundation during the fellowship year, with resulting research to be considered for expedited publication in the Journal of Voice or Journal of Singing.

VAN L. LAWRENCE FELLOWSHIP for 2023

Deadline: November 15, 2022

The 2023 fellowship will be awarded at the next Annual Symposium - Care of the Professional Voice, May 31-June 4, 2023, in Philadelphia.

Application instructions are listed below, and on The Voice Foundation website.

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates for the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship must be members of National Association of Teachers of Singing and actively engaged in teaching. The Fellowship will be awarded to candidates who have demonstrated excellence in their professions as singing teachers, and who have shown interest in, and knowledge of, voice science. The Fellowship is intended to provide opportunities for the Fellow to become more thoroughly acquainted with practices, techniques, technology, and people involved in laryngology and voice science. It is hoped that the opportunities and contacts provided through the Fellowship experience will enhance the teacher's ability to do meaningful interdisciplinary research, and will encourage the teacher to apply appropriate voice science advances in the studio.

Award Amount

The amount of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship award is determined annually by The Voice Foundation and the Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment. In recent years it has been $2,000. The funds are to be used to defray expenses for the Fellowship winner to attend the annual Symposium on Care of the Professional Voice (tuition shall be waived). Following the Symposium, the Fellow will be provided with the opportunity to visit laryngologists, speech pathologists, voice scientists, and research centers associated with The Voice Foundation during the fellowship year. Specific locations and durations of stay will be arranged in accordance with the Fellow's interests and needs and the availability of the centers to be visited.



Following completion of the Fellowship experience, it is anticipated that the Fellow will have opportunities to consult with the scientists he or she has visited, and to apply his or her newly acquired knowledge in designing and executing a research project to help advance the field of voice teaching. The Voice Foundation will help provide review of the resulting paper and counseling regarding its improvement. When appropriate, the paper will be considered for expedited publication in the Journal of Voice or Journal of Singing.

Selection Process

The Van L. Lawrence Fellowship shall be awarded by the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation and National Association of Teachers of Singing. The Fellowship Committee shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Board of The Voice Foundation and the President of National Association of Teachers of Singing and shall include at least one representative from the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation and one representative from National Association of Teachers of Singing. Additional members shall be appointed at the discretion of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation and the President of National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Application Requirements

Fellowship applicants should write The Voice Foundation stating their desire to apply for a Van L. Lawrence Fellowship. The application letter should cover the following topics (as well as others which the applicant believes will strengthen his/her application, but please be as succinct as possible):

Current application of scientific knowledge in the studio;

The area of intended study and/or research project;

How the Fellowship and research project will benefit your teaching;

NATS chapter to which you belong;

Also attach a detailed curriculum vitae.

Members of NATS wishing to apply for the fellowship should write an electronic letter of intent to The Voice Foundation along with your CV  combined into one PDF document. Include the area and methods of your proposed study.

E-mail: office [AT] voicefoundation.org



The fellowship will be awarded at 52nd Annual Symposium - Care of the Professional Voice, May 31-June 4, 2023, in Philadelphia.



If you have any questions, please contact The Voice Foundation office.

Past Van L. Lawrence Fellowship Recipients
I still don't know how to shout to make them realize the situation is grave. Ombudsman of Artsakh

We are ready to recognize Azerbaijans 86,600 square km, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Russian Federation reaffirms its intention to contribute to the restoration of normal life in Nagorno-Karabakh

Artsakh President assures: All decisions will be made jointly

A handcuffed man threw himself from the 5th floor of the Investigation Department of SRC and died

Ambassador of Poland was presented with the current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

EU Council extends Toivo Klaar's mandate for one year

Turkey slows pace of rate hikes, jeopardizing the lira

EU Mission at the OSCE Council meeting: Brussels calls on Baku to ensure movement along the Lachin corridor

Zakharova evades question on sending Arstakh aid by Russian planes

Stores in Artsakh no longer sell bread

Russian MFA Spox: Artsakh is not in area of CSTO responsibility

State Revenue Committee head: Armenia cooperates with partners transparently

Armenia requests OSCE Permanent Council speacial meeting: Mirzoyan made a speech

Armenian Health Minister: Transport of medicine to Artsakh is disrupted

Russia MFA spox on organizing Mirzoyan, Bayramov meeting in Moscow: Chances are good

Russian MFA: Stability in South Caucasus should be in Turkey's interests

We should specify the cartographic basis of demarcation activities in the near future. Pashinyan

Brussels meeting brought no concrete results in opening Lachin Corridor, resolving humanitarian crisis in NK.Pashinyan

Armenian Foreign Ministry welcomes Canadas initiative to join European monitoring mission

Artsakh residents hold a protest near the UN office in Yerevan

EU foreign ministers to discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement in Brussels

Armenian-French cooperation will continue to strengthen. Nikol Pashinyan received French Ambassador

The process of the program of formation of Digital Society and Economy discussed at Government

State minister: We may have situation when we cant wait for the 7 days noted by Karabakh President

The Prime Minister hosts Aram Arzumanyan, disabled as a result of the 44-day war

Nikol Pashinyan, Mikhail Mishustin hold phone talk

Nersisyan. The more Armenia lowers bar on Karabakh issue, the harder it will be for people of Artsakh to raise it

Karabakh official: Armenia has only one thing to do in discussions with Azerbaijan

Artsakh state minister: Many illogical things are happening on European platform; is it serious conversation?

Karabakh minister of state: We managed to make our voice heard by all to which nationwide movement was directed

Lachin corridor has no alternative: Several Armenia NGOs issue joint statement on Charles Michel statement

Karabakh state minister: We are in disaster but we will never surrender

Karabakh ex-official Vitaly Balasanyan is charged on 4 counts

Analyst: Armenia has not recognized Azerbaijan territorial integrity with Karabakhs inclusion

Armenia PM is briefed on plan to establish EHL Hospitality Business School branch in Gyumri

Our link should be with Armenia only: Karabakh residents comment on their blocking of Askeran-Aghdam road

Missing servicemens parents reopen Yerevan major intersection, but on condition

Armenia army General Staff chief meets with US Air Force chief of staff (PHOTOS)

Parents of missing soldiers close off major avenue in Yerevan

Edmon Marukyan: Azerbaijan has no plan to integrate Christian Armenians

Azerbaijan MFA responds to Armenia FM with series of absurd accusations

Livestock sector is in much worse situation in besieged Karabakh, agriculture minister says

Agriculture minister: Scheduled power outages, lack of diesel fuel also cause problems in Karabakh irrigation system

Karabakh MoD: Defense Army did not carry out fortification work in Askeran Region

Newspaper: What 'tougher actions' Karabakh will take?

MoD: Armenia army did not fire at Azerbaijan positions

Worlds most expensive iPhone is sold in US

US returns 105 antiquities illegally exported from India to latter

David Babayan: Karabakh grandpa who fought at Stalingrad, took Berlin never imagined he could die of hunger

Russia, Iran FMs interested in consultations with participation of Armenia, Azerbaijan

Austria FM: Lachin corridor blockade must be stopped immediately

Deputy PM Grigoryan's office: Armenia, Azerbaijan have not made decision on any map

Armenia FM briefs OSCE Secretary General on situation in Karabakh

Armenian Foreign Minister expresses Yerevan's readiness to hold talks with Turkey in Vienna

Armenia is not going to become a space where sanctions could be bypassed: Ararat Mirzoyan

Dollar, euro increase in Armenia

Armenia FM: Regrettable that instead of engaging in dialogue, Azerbaijan pursues policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh

FMs sign protocol on implementation of Armenia-EU readmission agreement between Armenia, Austria (PHOTOS)

Karabakh residents block Askeran-Aghdam motorway, with concrete barriers (PHOTOS)

Armenias Pashinyan receives ex-MP Francois Rochebloine of France

Yerevan municipal election events schedule announced

Karabakh NGOs: Support being provided to Artsakh people cannot be at cost of trampling on their dignity

American University of Armenia has new president

Hyundai releases first photos of new generation Santa Fe crossover

Public Television to present dire situation in Karabakh every day live from capital Stepanakert's Renaissance Square

Teen found dead in Armenia river

European Parliament committee calls on Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide

Armenia FM visit to Vienna kicks of with private talk with Austria colleague

Karabakh operational headquarters chief: Presidents sit-in could be beneficial

European Parliament accuses Azerbaijan of bribing PACE lawmakers, some other offenses

Karabakh presidential advisor warns of taking extreme measures

Iraqi Kurdistan leader visits Azerbaijan

In support of Karabakh demonstration participants march to US Embassy in Yerevan

US embassy: Passengers are denied entry to Armenia for possession of drugs

Azerbaijan continues to settle occupied Berdzor-Lachin town of Karabakh

Armenia army chief attends US National Guard State Partnership Program 30th Anniversary conference (PHOTOS)

Public transport to not operate in Karabakh capital Stepanakert as of today

Karabakh interior ministry: No vehicle passed through Askeran police checkpoint to Akna-Aghdam

Azerbaijan FM repeats proposal to use Aghdam road to Karabakh
Porter Police arrested a juvenile suspect in a New Chicago carjacking after the teen crashed the vehicle after traveling 120 mph on U.S. 20 on the evening of Friday, June 30, 2023. - Original Credit: Porter Police Department (Handout/HANDOUT)

A teen is in custody after police said he carjacked a woman in New Chicago Friday night after shooting her and possibly causing life-threatening injuries before crashing the vehicle in Porter County while driving more than 120 mph on U.S. 20.

The teen had just been released from custody in Illinois for a similar charge of armed carjacking, police said.

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Just before 7:30 p.m. Friday, Lake County Sheriffs Department police officers responded to the 2900 block of Dekalb Street in New Chicago for a report of a carjacking where a 44-year-old woman had been shot, according to a release from that department.

She was transported to a Chicago hospital for treatment of what may be considered life-threatening injuries.

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A preliminary investigation revealed the womans Nissan Sentra had been stolen by a male suspect believed to be 17 years old.

Porter Police officers were advised over police radio that the stolen car had just been captured on a License Plate Reader camera heading east on U.S. 20 just past Indiana 49, according to a release from them.

A Porter Police officer, working a traffic grant for the Porter County Safety Partnership, who was in the area of U.S. 20 and County Road 500 East, observed the vehicle eastbound on U.S. 20 and clocked the vehicle at approximately 75 mph.

He attempted to stop the vehicle which then fled at a high rate of speed. The officer noted speeds were in excess of 120 mph on U.S. 20 near Main Avenue in Pine Township.

As the suspect attempted to negotiate a curve just east of Railroad Avenue, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wooded area. The suspect was partially ejected through the windshield and asked officers for help.

After being removed from the vehicle and placed into custody, officers began assessing and treating the suspect for injuries. He sustained minor injuries from the crash and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.

Police are not identifying the juvenile at this time.

He was released to the custody of the New Chicago Police Department after being medically cleared and is being held at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center. The Lake County Sheriffs Department Crime Scene Investigation Team also assisted in the incident and took possession of the stolen vehicle.

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Porter Police charged the suspect with resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; theft of a motor vehicle, a Level 6 felony; reckless driving, a Class A misdemeanor; never receiving a license, a Class C misdemeanor; and two traffic citations.

His charges in Lake County for the initial carjacking are unknown and the case is still under investigation.
U.S. Senator Todd Young talks to Northwest Indiana realtors before sitting down for a discussion about his four housing bills during a stop in Merrillville Thursday afternoon. His bills, which he expects to pass by year's end, aim to alleviate high housing costs, he said. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune)

Northwest Indiana realtors hope a series of bills at the state and federal levels will help get an out-of-control housing market more available to all.

U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana, brought his ideas to Merrillville Thursday afternoon when he visited the Northwest Indiana Realtors Association headquarter. Part of a statewide tour, Young is working on getting his Housing Affordability Agenda through Congress, he told the group of 40 or so realtors.

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The bills, four in all, should pass by the end of the year, Young said.

The first of Youngs bills is the Yes, In My Back Yard Act, or YIMBY, which targets the Not In My Backyard crowd who always oppose new development for fear that itll ruin their property values. The legislation would require local officials to explain on record their zoning and land-use policies to stay eligible for federal housing grants.

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Another bill, the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, would encourage more private investment in blighted houses in poorer communities through federal tax credits, Young said. The credits would conceivably cover renovation costs and could bring $9.4 billion in development revenue to the state over the next 10 years.

Its designed to increase the amount of housing stock available to all of you and to all of your customers and neighbors and so forth, so that rents and mortgages will be affordable, and they can live near where the opportunities are, all while remediating blight in our urban and rural communities, Young said.

Incoming Northwest Indiana Realtors Association President Jennifer Parham addresses U.S. Senator Todd Young during his stop in Merrillville Thursday afternoon. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune)

A third bill, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, would expand the low-Income housing tax credit thats helped fund the construction or restoration of housing units nationwide, including 90% of all federally funded affordable housing units, he said.

Young said housing wasnt necessarily on his radar, but other people had it front and center.

As I got into my term of service in the Senate, every roundtable brought this up not as a secondary issue, but as a primary issue of concern for their local residents, he said. So as I began looking into this issue a few things stood out: One, we had labor challenges that were a function of the 2008 financial crisis because many smaller builders went out of business and never went back. We need more people.

Realtors, on the other hand, are pleading for more houses. More than 250,000 residents have moved to Indiana since 2014, but there are only 9,200 homes, or 1.4 months of inventory, to meet that demand. In 2014, there were 40,000 homes for sale.

And wages most certainly havent kept up with home prices, said Indiana Association of Realtors CEO Mark Fisher. The average cost of a home is $255,000, he said, which a family earning $65,000 isnt going to be able to afford.

We have a shortage of housing across Indiana affordable to middle-class families earning good wages paid by growing employers, Fisher said. Its a threat to cost of living, quality of life and neighborhood investment.

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In Northwest Indiana, there are currently only 550 houses under $300,000 listed, with only 315 of them not in Gary, Hammond or East Chicago, according to real estate agent Nathan Reeder. Thats a crisis, he said.

I hear a lot about American home ownership is dead and that we need to pivot toward tenant protection. I dont think thats a good strategy, Reeder said.

Jennifer Parham, NIRAs incoming president, said that when people are having to buy homes at the top of the market, the market stagnates.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Azerbaijan's statements are false and have nothing to do with reality. As evidence, I am publishing facts collected by Artsakh human rights activists with the permission of the families of the fallen soldiers, Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement on Facebook.

The request of the parents to transport the bodies of Samvel Torosyan and Yervand Tadevosyan, two of the four soldiers who died as a result of Azerbaijan's aggression (n the night of June 27-28, 2023) against Artsakh, to Armenia and bury them in Yerablur, and the circumstances of their transportation by the ICRC are used by the Azerbaijani propaganda machine to claim that the RA armed forces are allegedly deployed in Artsakh.

With this claim, Azerbaijan is openly preparing an information ground for initiating new attacks against Artsakh, which is already being discussed in the Azerbaijani media

Azerbaijans claims are false and have nothing to do with reality. In order to prove it, with the permission of the relatives of the fallen servicemen, we are publishing the facts collected by the Human rights defender of Artsakh.

Samvel Tigran Torosyan was born in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on December 16, 2003 (Picture 1: Samvel Torosyan's birth certificate). He attended Stepanakert No. 7 primary school. He continued his education in the secondary vocational educational program (college) of the Shushi Technological University with the qualification of urban cadastre (Picture 2: Samvel Torosyan's diploma). He was receiving higher education at the Faculty of Economics and Law of Mesrop Mashtots University in Stepanakert, majoring in information systems (Picture 3: Samvel Torosyan's student card). Samvel Torosyan was a citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, registered in the city of Stepanakert (Picture 4: Samvel Torosyan's passport). He was drafted into the army from the military commissariat of Stepanakert. The family and relatives permanently live in Stepanakert.

Yervand Hovhannes Tadevosyan was born on May 27, 2003 in the city of Berdzor, Kashatagh region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Picture 5: Yervand Tadevosyan's birth certificate). He attended secondary school No. 2 named after V. Zatikyan of Berdzor. He completed primary education in 2018 (Picture 6: Yervand Tadevosyan's primary education certificate). Yervand Tadevosyan was a citizen of the Republic of Artsakh, he was registered in the city of Berdzor (Picture 7: Yervand Tadevosyan's passport). He was drafted to army from the military commissariat of Kashatagh. After the 2020 war, Yervand Tadevosyan's family, as a forcibly displaced family, found refuge in the Ararat province of the Republic of Armenia, continuing to maintain the citizenship of the Republic of Artsakh.

To prevent possible speculations about the presented documents, we remind that the identity documents of all citizens of the Republic of Artsakh are issued by the Republic of Armenia, with the difference of their registration address. It is a well-known approach, which is used due to the non-recognition of Artsakh, so that Artsakh residents can travel and exercise their rights in other countries as well. This approach is applied to citizens of almost all unrecognized states in the world, taking into account the gaps in international law and international relations with regard to human rights protection.

Samvel Torosyan and Yervand Tadevosyans parents decided to bury their children in the "Yerablur" military memorial-pantheon of the Republic of Armenia in accordance with their rights. It is noteworthy that this is not a new approach, and in previous years, many servicemen of the Artsakh Republic were also buried in Yerablur, taking into account the nationwide importance of that pantheon.

Regarding the false claims of Azerbaijan about the military service of RA citizens (residents) in the ranks of the Artsakh Defense Army, the continuous fact-finding efforts of the Human rights defender prove that since 2021, only citizens and residents of the Republic of Artsakh perform military service in Artsakh. Hence, we draw the attention of the responsible actors of the international community to the fact that the Azerbaijani side, encouraged by the impunity for the blockade of Artsakh and its military aggressions against it, is looking for new justifications to carry out new criminal actions against the people of Artsakh, he wrote.
We are forced to state that the Minval news agency regularly stuffs anti-Russian materials into the information space of Azerbaijan, in particular, about the Russian "traces" in organizing protests in Gadabay and about the alleged arming of [Artsakh] Karabakh Armenians by Russian peacekeepers. This was stated in an open letter from the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan, addressed to the Azerbaijani media outlet Minval.

Puzzling is also the interview of the judge of the Constitutional Court, the former First Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, Isa Najafov dated June 26, 2023, in which he cited sensational episodes about a certain secret meeting of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev with an unnamed deputy director of the US CIA, who warned of an alleged Russian assassination attempt on his grandchildren in London in 1994 if he signed the "Contract of the Century", which is an outright lie. I would like the team of "Minval" to be more objective in assessing historical events - the Russian company "Lukoil" is also a participant in the "Contract of the Century."

The topic of the planned poisoning of the grandchildren of Heydar Aliyev by the Russian special services in the British capital, raised in the interview, is in line with the political and media campaign in London in the highly-likely style. Blatant examples of shifting responsibility to Russia for crimes committed in the UK are, in particular, the poisoning of former Russian FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko, the death under unclear circumstances of Russian businessmen Badri Patarkatsishvili and Alexander Perepilichny, the mysterious suicide of Boris Berezovsky and the strangulation of his business partner Nikolai Glushkov, an attempt on the life and health of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal. The calls of the Russian side to the British authorities to provide all available materials on the mentioned cases, as well as to substantiate the accusations with evidence, do not find a proper response, which indicates the lack of interest of official London in identifying the perpetrators of these crimes and involuntarily suggests the possible involvement of the British special services in them.

The informational attacks carried out by the Anglo-Saxons against Russia are like a carbon copy: place of action - London, a sensational statement and no evidence. All this is done to "demonize" Russia. It is a pity that Minval is used in Londons anti-Russian information and propaganda campaign here, in friendly Azerbaijan, which runs counter to the Declaration on Allied Cooperation signed by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on February 22, 2022, reads the open letter from the Russian embassy.
Emory prepares its students for life beyond college: whether an individual completes their undergraduate or a graduate and professional program here, they leave prepared to do great things.

Each Commencement, two students from the graduating class (one undergraduate and one graduate) receive the Marion Luther Brittain Award, Emorys highest student honor.



We know these students are driven, high-achieving individuals with bold goals. What we dont always know is where they go next. Were catching up with four awardees from the classes of 2018, 2019 and 2020 to find out what their lives are like these days.

Jalyn Radziminski 18C

Jalyn Radziminski is a Black and Japanese activist from Indiana who advocates for disability and racial justice, especially in the intersection of mental health. Radziminski is dedicated to breaking down barriers for BIPOC disability communities, including voting and civic engagement, and lifting up community-based and anti-carceral solutions.

At Emory, Radziminski was a student-athlete, a member of Emory Jazz and Wind Ensemble, a 1915 Scholar, founder and outreach chair for the Black Mental Health Ambassador Program, a 2017 Humanity in Action Fellow and more. Informed by their lived experience as a student and young professional with mental and physical disabilities, Radziminski's work has included navigating voter suppression and more than eight years of advocacy experience at the intersection of race, mental health and mass incarceration. In 2019, Radziminski founded Count US IN, the first Indiana-based non-partisan nonprofit led by BIPOC disability community members that intentionally diversifies voter turnout and broader civic engagement through the education and empowerment of community members.

Area of study:

Bachelors degree in linguistics and interdisciplinary studies with a human rights focus

How did it feel to win the Brittain Award?

I remember winning the Brittain Award clearly. I live with a disability and the symptoms were so challenging that year that I had to decide not to do an honors thesis. It was crushing because I spent years researching a topic that I am still very passionate about to this day (and hope to publish in the future). But I couldnt execute it as I envisioned while still balancing the human rights projects I was pursuing at Emory and in the community in addition to my class work.

The same day, after a good cry to come to terms with that decision, I got an email to go to Campus Life  they told me I won the award. I had to ask three times if it was for real. I was at a loss for words. It meant so much to me.

What are you doing now?

Im currently pursuing my JD as an evening student at Fordham University School of Law. During my first year, I was named the public interest student of the year and I have spoken at the White House several times regarding issues surrounding disability, voting, racial justice and mass incarceration.

In Indiana, Im an elected commissioner and vice chair for Indiana Disability Rights Protection and Advocacy Services. Nationally, I serve as the director of engagement at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, where I help lead community coalitions, call-to-action campaigns and grassroots organizing.

How did Emory propel you to where you are now?

This moment put a lot in perspective for me that I still carry today. I invested a lot of time volunteering and serving my community. It took many long hours and creativity to figure out how to balance that and school in the most accessible way possible. But as a Black-Asian, first-generation college student, I knew how much my community at home and at Emory invested in me. Education is a privilege, and I didnt want my Emory experience to only be about my GPA or publications. I wanted to leverage the tools of the privileged space I was in to benefit my community every step of the way.

The award affirmed that, yes, getting good grades in school is important  but what takes you further in life is unapologetic service to others and toward the overall goals of social justice.

Today, I strive to continue that mindset as one of my favorite poems, the Theta Woman Poem says: Love yourself as you love others and take others with you in your flight.

Nicole Schladt 18L

Nicole Schladt serves as general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR), which protects the civil rights of Minnesotans through the Minnesota Human Rights Act, one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country. In this role, Schladt joins MDHR in envisioning a world where everyone can lead lives full of dignity and joy, free from discrimination.

During her time at Emory, she co-founded Emory LGBTQ Legal Services (ELLS), an organization created to provide pro bono legal assistance to members of Atlantas queer community. In addition to the Brittain Award, she also received the 2018 National LGBT Bar Association Student Leadership Award.

Area of study:

Graduated from Emory Law with JD

How did it feel to win the Brittain Award?

I felt deep gratitude when I learned that I won the Brittain Award. I was humbled to be recognized by Emory when I knew there are so many other incredible students contributing to the community as well.

What are you doing now?

Now, Im general counsel for Minnesotas Department of Human Rights. I live in Minneapolis with my wife (as of June 24, 2023!) and our three niblings [gender-neutral term used to refer to the child of ones siblings].

How did Emory propel you to where you are now?

Emory and the Brittain Award motivated me to continue pursuing public interest work. I never wanted to be in a position where I felt like I needed to take a job simply to make a living. Emory (including the Woodruff Scholarship) made that possible for me.

Klamath Henry 19C

Klamath Henry is proud to be from the Shasta Tribe of California and Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She was among the fewer than 1% of Emory students of Native American ancestry  but during her time here, she highlighted the culture and contributions of the indigenous peoples of North America as well as the unique challenges students of Native American ancestry face in higher education.

Henry was integral to the Native American Initiative Working Committee, which actively recruits Native American students to Emory and develops academic initiatives and other programming to support them after they arrive. She also served as an intern for the universitys Commission on Racial and Social Justice as part of the Residence Hall Association and a sophomore adviser.

Area of study:

Bachelors degree in anthropology

How did it feel to win the Brittain Award?

It felt incredible to win the Brittain Award. I felt as though the work that my small community at Emory had done throughout my four years on campus was acknowledged through the award. This would not have been possible without Dr. Vidali, Dr. Suhr-Sytsma and Dr. Womack.

What are you doing now?

I am currently a public health specialist and ILAUNCH grant co-director at the Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde). I recently completed my masters degree in cultural anthropology at California State University, Fullerton.

How did Emory propel you to where you are now?

This award was a stepping stone in my career and helped to give me the confidence to continue on my path.

Samah Meghjee 18Ox 20C

During her time at Emory, Samah Meghjee was deeply involved in Residence Life, served as a tour guide on both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses for prospective students, donors and high-profile alumni, and immersed herself in many different facets of the arts.

Meghjee was passionate about improving mental health, served as engagement chair of the arts-focused mental health group Dark Arts, and co-created and co-directed Hearing Voices, an interactive play that became an Oxford tradition. In 2023, Hearing Voices made its debut on the Atlanta campus. Meghjee also pursued film, co-directing and editing Therapist Speed Dating, which won a Jury Award, a Silver Tripod Award for Best Story and was one of five films  out of 2,000  nominated for a Golden Tripod Award for Best Story during Campus Movie Fest 2019.

Area of study:

Bachelors degrees in English & creative writing and film and media studies

How did it feel to win the Brittain Award?

It felt so special! I felt very lucky and was shocked to have such a wonderful surprise happen twice during my time at Emory (the first being when I was selected for the Eady Service Award at Oxford). The news of the Brittain Award came on the heels of having to decline the Bobby Jones Scholarship when my domestic graduate school offer let me know they could no longer allow deferrals due to the pandemic. I was really sad and scared that I was betraying my beloved school by declining such a prestigious offer, one that I had hoped to win for years.

The two best things out of that situation were that my friend Kendall received the award to attend St Andrews instead, and I received the Brittain Award and attended my dream master's degree program at Northwestern, following in the footsteps of other Eagle and [Northwestern University] Wildcat alumni! The honor of winning the Brittain Award really carried me through that dark summer of 2020, and I still look upon that Zoom call where I received the news fondly.

What are you doing now?

I am living in Los Angeles and was most recently working as a showrunner's assistant on an A24/Apple TV+ show that will premiere in January 2024. Right now, I am spending my days wrapping up work on that show and picketing with mentors and friends as part of the writer's strike. While I am sad to feel stranded in the first full year of my post-graduate career, similarly to how I felt in summer 2020, I feel honored to work with such amazing writers and be a part of history.

How did Emory help propel you to where you are?

My time at Emory was invaluable to my path to LA and my job in the film industry. Fellow Oxford/Emory alumnus Farhan Arshad wrote my recommendation letter to Northwestern, where I got my MFA in writing for the screen and stage. And my friend, fellow Emory alumna and A24 alum Adesola Thomas put my name in for my most recent job.

It's all about lifting your friends up in this industry and in this life. All we have is each other! That was the spirit of my time at Emory, where I was primarily focused on building community and making lasting friendships. That community continues to carry me through my career and life in Los Angeles and beyond.
Though born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Danielle Bruce-Steele had her sights set on a career in the Northeast or on the West Coast, areas traditionally more friendly to the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2010, Bruce-Steele, director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Life in Campus Life, saw the Emory posting for program coordinator on the website of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals as she was finishing her master of education at The University of Maine-Orono. While there, she was also a coordinator at the Rainbow Resource Center, their office for LGBTQ inclusivity.

Emory is a special place, she says. It is an honor to do this work in an environment that affirms my values and uplifts this community.

For Enku Gelaye, senior vice president and dean of campus life, Bruce-Steele is an integral part of what makes Emory special.

Danielle generously shares her considerable gifts and expertise with our campus community, Gelaye notes. The trainings, large-scale initiatives and programs she has built have expanded our framework for inclusion as a university and helped Campus Life continue to provide the very best support for our students. Perhaps her most important gift to others is being profoundly thoughtful and caring. She always considers the impact that our decisions will have on others and has supported countless students in finding their purpose and community.

Making a respected program even better

When Bruce-Steele joined, accepting responsibility for the supervision of student staff and management of the Safe Space program, Emory had shown early leadership in support of its LGBTQ+ community. Implementing Safe Space, a national program, at Emory was significant because it is one important feature of a supportive campus as measured by Campus Pride.

Following the hiring of the offices first full-time director, Saralyn Chesnut, in 1993, Emorys Equal Opportunity Policy was expanded to include protections for sexual orientation. Not long after, the university offered benefits to domestic partners of students and employees.

When Michael Shutt assumed leadership of the office in 2008, considerable advances were made to support transgender students, faculty and staff.

Arriving with outstanding credentials, Bruce-Steele nonetheless acknowledges that her predecessors left big shoes to fill. She didnt meet Chesnut until the offices 20th anniversary in 2003, but she worked directly with Shutt and says, Michael poured his heart and soul into making this office what it is.

Early on, notes Bruce-Steele, Michael told me: If I am not preparing you for your next job, I am not doing my job. He made the space for me to grow and take on the role in the way I thought it should be done to further support our students.

Crafting a record of accomplishment

Charting her own path, while always looking to benefit students, has involved helping the GALA (Gay and Lesbian Alumni) Legacy Fund reach endowment, which will increase student-leadership funds as well as enhance the offices digital, print and social campaigns to make LGBTQ+ students who do not feel comfortable identifying themselves aware of resources.

Bruce-Steele has revised and revamped the Safe Space curriculum along with other trainings for student leaders, grown the Queer Community Groups program from three to 10+ groups, increased programming during Trans Day of Remembrance and International Trans Day of Visibility, and expanded advising of the LGBTQ+ Graduate Student Coalition.

In the middle of the pandemic, working with the Woodruff Scholars, Bruce-Steele established the Gender Affirming Items Initiative, which supplies Emory students facing financial barriers with gender-affirming clothing such as binders and tucking underwear, at no cost. This is a good cause for young alumni to get involved in, she volunteers. With a donation of, say, $50, they can purchase several items that have a profound impact in supporting current students.

Bruce-Steele also identified students of color and graduate students as needing additional support. It has taken work, resources and time to do so, she says. It doesnt just happen.

For instance, most of the student workers the LGBT Life office employs are students of color. Through Bruce-Steeles initiative, family meals take place each month for QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color) students and the office library has expanded its holdings centered on QTBIPOC experiences. Collaborations with the Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement have led to programming during Black History Month, Latinx Heritage Month and APIDA Heritage Month as well as weekly Queer & Asian, BlackOUT and Queer Trans Latinx community groups.

With regard to graduate students, there are monthly graduate student mixers, a Queer Grads Discussion Group and an LGBTQ Graduate Student Coalition. Bruce-Steele is in the process of setting up an advisory council that would bring graduate and professional students from all sectors of the university together to discuss and support queer issues.

She defines her role as cultivating a broader perspective on Emory and how people see themselves reflected in it.

The best part of her job

Students are Bruce-Steeles principal joy.

She advises the LGBTQ Graduate Student Coalition and serves as the staff adviser and co-chair of the Mariposa Scholars program, which connects undocumented students to dedicated peers and faculty. Bruce-Steele is also the staff adviser for RAICES (Resilience, Advocacy, Inclusivity, Community, Empowerment, Solidarity), led by undocumented students to support undocumented students at Emory and beyond.

I see the skills  sensitivity, discretion, care and tact  an adviser needs to draw from as being similar in the case of queer and undocumented students, Bruce-Steele observes.

Students speak the language of the present, thereby enlightening the rest of us regarding queer issues. Their knowledge is crucial. And I make a point of trying to understand not just the most vocal voices but all the others who might not be as confident, Bruce-Steele says.

My meetings with students fill my cup, she adds. It is the antidote to a bulging inbox because the encounters are impactful.

Jessica Oliveira was a sophomore in Emory College in 2010 when Bruce-Steele joined the LGBT Life office. She calls the office her second home during her time here.

Now working at tech startups in Boston, Oliveira received the LGBT Life offices Alum of the Year award in 2021. She credits Bruce-Steeles support, saying: When youre talking with Danielle, you can tell that she really cares about you  everything you want in someone working with students at such a crucial time in their lives. Furthermore, as a student in the business school who didnt see out-and-proud queer professionals, seeing Danielle in gender-neutral-to-masculine attire helped me imagine a way to express myself in a professional setting.

Oliveira was part of the student leadership team that planned Pride. They met with Bruce-Steele weekly, and she in turn connected them with alumni, staff, faculty and community members. In Oliveira's words, Danielle helped to shape me as a student leader, modeled excellent meeting and stakeholder management, and helped me develop a sense of diplomacy  skills that have been of great benefit in my professional life.

Many other students would echo Oliveira, precisely because Bruce-Steele puts deliberate emphasis on making the groups peer-facilitated so that queer students can become leaders in their communities and across campus.

Policy progress

Honored with Emorys Award of Distinction and the Emory Campus Life John L. Ford Ethical Leadership Award, Bruce-Steele has a thoughtful hand in university policy decisions related to the LGBTQ+ community.

Sometimes, I am raising the concerns, she indicates. Sometimes, folks are identifying problems but not sure how to pursue a solution and seek me out. I can help them with best practices, with what I think and with what our students think.

Recent advances include the Student Designated Name and Pronoun Policy, expanded gender-inclusive housing and housing selection process, all-gender bathrooms on the Emory campus map and easier access to gender-affirming hormones as part of students primary care at Student Health Services.

Making it possible for students to use preferred names, rather than being bound by their legal names, saw Bruce-Steele working with university partners, one of whom was university registrar JoAnn McKenzie. In 2016, the LGBT Life office recognized her with the Outstanding Transgender Advocate Award.

According to McKenzie, Under Danielles leadership, weve seen significant improvement in providing our students with greater options to self-report data that is important to them. We adopted the preferred-name policy in 2017, allowing students to select a preferred name in OPUS [Emory's student portal].

Most recently, we adopted student characteristics within OPUS, which allows students to provide a designated name and pronoun, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity and first-generation information, McKenzie adds.

Amid a host of contributions that led to this action, Bruce-Steele identified the drop-down menu that students encounter when choosing pronouns, and she is serving on a committee deciding how that data is used and by whom.

Will work for coffee

As an energetic, admittedly coffee-fueled leader, Bruce-Steele is looking forward to the opening of the identity spaces in Cox Hall this fall. Right now, her office is in the Student Center, while LGBT Life is located in the Alumni Memorial University Center. Once the move occurs, her office will be co-located with the Center for Women, Centro Latinx, Emory Black Student Union and the Asian Student Center.

With all groups together, we can be more intentional about our intersectional work, she says. It will be a bigger space, which will give us the ability to do more at once. Our hours will expand. And for students who are closeted or questioning, this new space will have an additional entrance that is more discreet.

Another item bearing a red circle on her calendar is the next Atlanta Pride parade on Oct. 15. Last year, for the first time, Emory Healthcare and the university came together to celebrate. Emory will be a silver sponsor this year, and Bruce-Steeles goal is to expand participation in comparison to 2022.

Asked about the state of allyship at Emory, she notes the promising numbers of people willing to do training and reflects, People genuinely want to do the right thing at Emory. And there are some folks who would welcome doing training every year.

However, given the less-affirming climate for the queer community in many parts of the country, Bruce-Steele addressed how Emory can be most helpful to its students.

I cant change what is out there, she says. She sees it as incumbent upon her and other Emory leaders to foster student resilience. Lets build you up so you feel so accepted and supported. In that way, when you are in less-advantageous spaces, you survive, she says.

All the stars aligned when I came to Emory, she concludes.

It wrapped me up in this embrace. Sometimes I try to look back and say what were all the factors that led to my developing an affinity for a place I did not attend as a student? I would like to think that folks coming on now can have this same experience at Emory. How can I foster that?
Five faculty members from the Department of Epidemiology at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health recently received national recognition for their excellence in epidemiologic research.

Drs. Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist, Neel Gandhi, Jodie Guest, Sarita Shah and Shakira Suglia earned four of the eight awards presented at the Society for Epidemiologic Researchs annual meeting, which was held in Portland, Oregon, from June 13-16.

The Society for Epidemiologic Research is the oldest and largest general epidemiology society in North America focused on keeping epidemiologists at the vanguard of scientific developments in the study of chronic diseases, infectious diseases and mental health. In addition to the annual meeting, which is typically attended by approximately 1,000 people each year, the society sponsors the American Journal of Epidemiology and Epidemiologic Reviews.

Especially noteworthy was that the awards [the Emory faculty received] recognized different career stages, different areas of research and excellence in education, says Timothy L. Lash, DSc, O. Wayne Rollins Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Rollins. These awards reflect the depth and breadth of excellence in the department, and so it was truly an inspiration to be there as the awards were presented.

The following Emory faculty were recognized by the Society for Epidemiologic Research:

Jodie Guest, PhD, professor and senior vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology

Guest was awarded the 2023 Kenneth Rothman Career Accomplishment Award, which honors an outstanding scholar who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of epidemiology or whose work has had a profound impact on epidemiology. Guest was recognized for her extensive achievements in epidemiologic research and specific expertise in HIV cohorts, clinical trials and emergency preparedness, as well as her research focus on racial, sexual and gender minority populations in HIV care. Guest is also the director of the Emory Farmworker Project, which provides health care to thousands of migrant farmworkers each year, leads Emorys COVID-19 Outbreak Response Team, and serves as the monkeypox advisor for the City of Atlanta.

Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist,PhD, assistant professor and director of graduate studies for MPH and MSPH programs in the Department of Epidemiology

Christiansen-Lindquist was awarded the 2023 Tom Koepsell & Noel Weiss Excellence in Education Award, which is awarded to an individual who has made substantial contributions to the field of epidemiology through mentoring, training and/or teaching. Christiansen-Lindquist was recognized for her exceptional instruction of epidemiologic methods at the introductory, intermediate, advanced, and doctoral levels, as well as her well-known and unique pedagogical techniques that make complicated concepts more accessible. Christiansen-Lindquist co-authored the textbook Fundamentals of Epidemiology, which is scheduled to be released this fall, and her research interests include stillbirth prevention and improving both stillbirth reporting and the care that families receive around the time of a loss.

Neel Gandhi, MD, and Sarita Shah, MD, professors in the Department of Epidemiology at Rollins with secondary appointments in Emorys School of Medicine

Gandhi and Shah were awarded the 2023 Roger Detels Distinguished Researcher in Infectious Disease Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the research field of infectious disease epidemiology. This was the first time this award was presented by the society and Gandi and Shah were nominated as a pair for their extensive work in tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control, especially in the low-resource settings of South Africa. Gandhi has been engaged in clinical research in TB and HIV since 1998 and leads a research team focused on epidemiology, clinical and translational research studies to improve care for TB patients and create new knowledge on the factors that influence transmission and susceptibility to TB, and the emergence of drug resistance.

Gandhi is also the co-director of the Emory/Georgia Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center. Shahs research and public health efforts have focused on drug-resistant TB and TB/HIV co-infection in multiple high-burden settings throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Shah is also the co-director of the Clinical & Population Science Core for the Emory/Georgia Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center and part of the leadership team for the Emory COVID-19 Response Collaborative.

Shakira Suglia, ScD, professor and vice chair in the Department of Epidemiology

Suglia was awarded the 2023 Carol J. Rowland Hogue Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Achievement, which is given to a mid-career scientist who has made an exceptional contribution to the practice of epidemiology. Suglia was recognized for her work in early life traumas and life course epidemiology, especially among LatinX populations. Suglias current research examines how stress stemming from multiple social factors impacts cardiometabolic health outcomes. Suglia also leads several studies that seek to understand how social factors affect epigenomic markers that can, in turn, alter cardiometabolic health and other chronic health conditions. This award is named in honor of Rollins Professor Emerita of Epidemiology and Jules and Uldeen Terry Professor Emerita of Maternal and Child Health Carol J. Hogue.
Customs make ketamine haul following air cargo check

Officers found 30 kilos drugs in a cargo of car drive-shafts flown in from Germany. Photo: Courtesy of Hong Kong Customs

A 35-year-old man will appear in Tuen Mun court on Monday on suspicion of drug trafficking, after Customs discovered a HK$16 millon haul of suspected ketamine at Hong Kong International Airport on Wednesday.



Officers found 30 kilos drugs in a cargo of car drive-shafts flown in from Germany.



The man was arrested in Tuen Mun on Friday in a follow-up operation, along with a 42-year-old man, who has since been released on bail.
SRV Media Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1: Ekta Parksville Homes, an integrated township project of Ekta World located at Virar will soon be receiving the Occupation Certificate (OC). This integrated township project comprises of 43 buildings on sector II and sector III out of which 21 buildings have already been completed and OC has been received. However, 15 buildings which have been completed two years ago in accordance with all sanctioned approvals/plans granted by Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) and other competent authorities, have yet to receive the OC. The developer had applied for the OC way back in December 2022, but the VVCMC withheld giving the OC on totally untenable grounds that the environment clearance has not been obtained. In addition, Ekta World is also constructing 4 buildings which have reached up to the plinth level and VVCMC hasn't granted further CC. The Bombay High Court has directed the VVCMC to grant the Occupancy Certificate (OC) to the project in a recent order. This order dated June 28, 2023 directs the VVCMC to grant OC in respect of 15 Buildings and a club-house forming part of Sector II and Sector III, standing on the land situated at Village Dongare, Vasai, Palghar within a period of four weeks. Commenting on this development, Ashok Mohanani - Chairman, Ekta World said, "We are delighted to have received a favourable ruling from the Hon'bleBombay High Court. We look forward to begin the handover process to our customers who will soon be able to take possession of their dream home." The Bombay High Court in its order has said that, "We direct the Corporation to decide the application dated 26th December, 2022 of the Petitioners in accordance with law, as early as possible, preferably within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of writ of the Court, for which purpose all cooperation shall be rendered by the Petitioners." All necessary environment clearances were obtained for this project and that is how construction was undertaken. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had also given consent to operate which is valid till date and subsisting. As on date, the project stands fully completed and an Occupancy Certificate is awaited. Due to these inordinate delays, Ekta World has incurred substantial costs for developing this project and have created substantial third-party rights in the said Constructed Buildings by selling in aggregate 1011 units i.e. 932 Flats and 79 shops/commercial units to various flat/shop purchasers. But due to non-issuance of Occupancy Certificate, they have no option but to approach the Hon'ble High Court by filing the Writ. Ekta has fulfilled all compliances required for the obtainment of Occupation Certificate and there is a valid Consent to Operate in force presently. With all requisite Environmental Clearances available, the VVCMC should grant Occupation Certificate without insisting upon the revalidation of Environment Clearance within 4 weeks. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The FCC voted to overturn the Fairness Doctrine in August 1987, citing claims that it ran counter to the First Amendment and stood to muffle healthy debate. The policy had required that broadcast license holders offer equal time for both sides of controversial matters of public importance. It was officially removed in 2011. (Mirrorpix // Getty Images)

Recently, while covering Trumps latest indictment, Fox News ran a caption calling President Biden a wannabe dictator who had had his political rival arrested. Fox was undeterred by the facts: FBI Director Christopher Wray was hand-picked by Trump, and Jack Smith, a registered independent who prosecutes Democrats, indicted based on the grand jury vote of 23 Floridians, not Biden.

On the same day Fox ran the caption, retired conservative judge Michael Luttig addressed the array of facts presented in Trumps indictment, and inveighed that any attorney general of any party would have brought (similar) charges.

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Millions of Fox viewers saw the Biden slam, but they did not see Judge Luttigs refutation.

Propaganda is dividing the country

The societal cost of allowing political propaganda to masquerade as news  on the left as well as the right  is rising extremism.

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In 1969, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the Fairness Doctrine, which required all news broadcasters to give fair coverage and opposing views on matters of public importance. Given Americas escalating division, the governments interest in an informed electorate has never been higher.

Balancing publishers First Amendment rights against the right of the public to be well informed, the Red Lion Court determined that the publics right to access full information took priority over the First Amendment concerns of broadcasters. It is the purpose of the First Amendment to preserve an uninhibited market-place of ideas in which truth will ultimately prevail, rather than to countenance monopolization of that market.

FILE - A person walks past the Fox News Headquarters in New York on April 12, 2023. Fox Corp. swung to a third quarter loss Tuesday, May 9, weighed down by Fox News' nearly $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Truth cannot prevail where it is not presented

The quality of public discourse began to tank with the end of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, with a heavy assist from the rise in social media. Todays scorched earth political landscape is anchored by Fox News on the right and CNN on the left, where opinions predominate the news, inflicting immeasurable damage on the depth and breadth of public knowledge.

The U.S. medias extreme polarity makes clear that the absence of state interference in the cable news cycle does not deliver market balance. To wit, nearly half the Republican party still believes Trump won the 2020 election, despite consistent judicial rulings to the contrary. It is no coincidence that Trumps base gets most of their news from Fox, despite Foxs admission that it repeatedly lied to them about the election. Fox is now convincing these same good people that Trumps indictment for failing to return national security documents is based on politics rather than the rule of law, creating a political powder keg.

Republicans should get behind an updated Fairness Doctrine

Moderates eager to wrest the Republican party from Trumps malign influence should champion returning truth to the news. As long as the MAGA base remains uninformed and manipulated for profit, they will remain in Trumps thrall.

Restoring fairness requires including conservative voices in a liberal cable news landscape, as well as the reverse. Semblance of accuracy from cable networks would also defang the habitual response of fake news whenever inconvenient facts arise.

Post-Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Consider Britains due impartiality requirement, which requires both accuracy and impartiality in the news. Both Trump and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson condemn efforts to subject them to the rule of law as witch hunts, but Johnson was dramatically censured by his own party for lying, while Trump was not. As a former member of Parliament told the New York Times, the severity of Johnson censure demonstrates Parliaments commitment to the fundamental importance of truth in British politics. The U.S. needs to re-adopt the same fundamental commitment.

The First Amendment does not object

Given that the Fairness Doctrine pertained to broadcast media, extending it to cable news outlets would require a new regulatory framework. However, since Red Lion still stands, enforcement presents logistical challenges, not legal ones.

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Networks will invoke the First Amendment as grounds for avoiding government intervention, but the First Amendment has never served as a blanket shield from regulatory oversight. It does not shield electoral fraud, threats, obstruction, incitement to riot, defamatory speech, or yelling fire in a crowded theater unless theres an actual fire. Todays Logan Roys will not curb these ratings-boosting excesses voluntarily.

Requiring that cable news be factual rather than editorial is not novel. In 1945, applying antitrust principles to the press, SCOTUS said that the First Amendment rests on the assumption that the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public The government has an affirmative duty to protect press freedoms; protection and regulation are two interrelated sides of the same coin. It would be strange indeedif the grave concern for freedom of the press which prompted adoption of the First Amendment should be read as a command that the government was without power to protect that freedom. Preservation of democracy is surely as vital as antitrust.

James Madison said, Knowledge will forever govern ignorance people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. In other words, democracy depends for its survival on an informed public.

Addictive angertainment is the opposite of information, and it is ripping us apart. Returning truth to the networks may sound extreme, but it is essential if our union is going to hold.

Sabrina Haake is a Chicago attorney and Gary resident.
SRV Media New Delhi [India], July 1: Lotus Petal Foundation, a leading institution committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community today hosted its highly anticipated event, 'Celebrating Pride & Inclusivity' at Lotus Petal Senior Secondary School at Dhunela (Gurugram), aimed at celebrating the spirit of inclusivity and diversity during Pride Month. The event proved to be an enlightening and empowering experience for the 200+ workforce across all the verticals of Lotus Petal Foundation. This one-of-its-kind event was designed to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, promoting awareness, understanding, and acceptance amongst the staff, and the wider school community. The panel discussion explored a range of topics, such as the importance of inclusive education, promoting acceptance, and the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in society. Kushal Chakraborty, Founder, Lotus Petal Foundation shared, "In our journey of #Changinglives, One Child At A Time, through engaging in an open conversation, the institution aims to bridge gaps of understanding and nurturing a culture of acceptance and support at the workplace & all their campuses. Today was an inspiring and eye-opening conversation around the issues of the LGBTQ+ community. At Lotus Petal we work with all age groups from children, to teenagers, young adults, and adults. We will take affirmative action to make our entire organization more inclusive and be the change we wish to see in society". The esteemed panel was moderated by Co-Founder & Chief Transformation Officer, Saloni Bhardwaj, Key panelists included Maya Awasthy, Co-founder of Transgender Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust (Tweet Foundation), Dr Kavita Arora, Co-Founder of Children First, a dedicated Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist & Kushal Chakravorty, Founder & Managing Trustee of Lotus Petal Foundation. "For a school to take up this initiative is a big step. When the right to diversity & respect is introduced in children early with an intent to create equality, to respect there is no better place than school. Inclusion is not just about education, it's in the minds of the individuals'', said Dr Kavita Arora, Co-Founder of Children First, a dedicated Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist while speaking at the forum. Saloni Bhardwaj, Co-Founder & CTO, Lotus Petal Foundation added "To create a wholesome inclusive workplace it is very important for us to create awareness, as only after awareness will there be acceptance. Since we are a school it's most important for us to create a sense of empathy in our teachers & academic staff where such cases can be identified. Lotus Petal Foundation believes in creating an all-encompassing, diverse & inclusive workplace" Maya Awasthy, Co-founder of Transgender Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust (Tweet Foundation), added "This has been a very innovative forum for me as it is for the first time I witnessed a campaign of this sort at a school level. This needs to be taken to various schools so that children can identify a safe space around them to come out in the open with the help of academic staff & counselors". The event created an empowering dialogue on How can schools effectively respond to instances of bullying or discrimination targeting LGBTQ+ students, what strategies can be employed to sensitize students, particularly those from underserved communities, about LGBTQ+ issues and foster acceptance in schools, How does an institution prepare, confront & promote inclusivity among students, How does an institution address bullying & harassment & take steps to prevent it and more. Lotus Petal Sr. Secondary School promoted by Lotus Petal Foundation, India, is a non-profit organization founded in 2011 to provide equal opportunities for underprivileged children living in the urban slums of Gurugram, Haryana, India. The Foundation has over 10 years of grassroots-level expertise in handling challenges faced by underprivileged children and transforming their lives through education. Media Queries: Contact: Shraddha - 9869100555 Email: shraddha.jadhav@ashwinipublicity.com (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
BusinessWire India Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1: A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk), a global integrator of logistics, held the second edition of Equal At Sea 2023 with the theme of 'Charting a course towards an inclusive future'. The event aimed at taking stock of the progress made since the launch of the Equal At Sea initiative in 2022 and providing a platform for the industry to create opportunities for facilitating industry-wide transformation and empowering women to pursue rewarding careers at sea. The event was attended by Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping, Govt. of India as Guest of Honour. He pledged unwavering commitment to empower and encourage greater participation of women in seafaring. Other stakeholders in attendance from across the maritime industry, included Chief Surveyor (Govt of India) - Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Ex-Director General of Shipping - Deepak Shetty, MASSA Chairman Capt. - Girish Phadnis, FOSMA Chairman Capt. - Sankalp Shukla, heads of shipping companies, maritime union heads, women representatives from shipping association, women seafarers and other industry stalwarts who are making exceptional efforts for the cause. Karan Kochhar, Head of Marine People, Asia, Maersk, set the stage with his opening address, saying, "Our continuous efforts and immense support from the industry has started realising the future of creating an equitable environment at sea for women to thrive in. Through our initiatives, we have been able to successfully inspire more women to choose seafaring as a career. We are on track to achieve our goal of having 50% women amongst fresh cadet intake in India after having gone from 7.6% of Indian women cadet intake in 2021 to a significantly increased 35% in 2022." He added, "As a step to accelerate this transformation, we proudly announce the Maersk Women Rating Programme in collaboration with Training Shipping Rahaman. With this programme we aim to initiate a pilot group consisting of 20 women ratings." Ratings are crew members who support officers and engineers in the operation and maintenance of vessels. Currently, the presence of active women ratings in India is almost non-existent. This programme's objective would be to enable women in the maritime industry to access advanced technical training and offer employment sponsorship upon their admission to partner institutes. Such opportunities can generate greater interest among women to enrol in the programme and retain women seafarers within the fleet. Ajithkumar Sukumaran, the Chief Guest at the event, during his address spoke about the challenges that are being addressed with initiatives like Equal At Sea. He emphasised on the policies introduced, which facilitated a noticeable increase in women's participation and success in seafaring in recent years. At this year's event, Maersk addressed concerns around safety and well-being at sea. Experts like Sanjam Sahi Gupta - Director, Sitara Shipping and Founder at Maritime SheEO, Divya Nair - Clinical Psychologist with Maersk Fleet Management India and Amalie Grevsen, Marine Culture Lead, Maersk, emphasised the significance of safety, well-being, and preparedness in the maritime environment, with the goal of creating a safer and healthier ecosystem. Cadet Garima D, AMET University, Chennai, Capt. (Dr.) Ashutosh Apandkar, Principal, Training Ship Rahaman, India, and Capt Arvind Shankar, Cadet Culture and Capability Manager, Maersk, discussed the role of maritime institutes and access to mentorship in shaping seafarers for inclusive and successful careers at sea. Speaking on the occasion, Niels Bruus, Head of Marine People & Culture, Maersk, said, "When we launched Equal At Sea last year, our ambition was to inspire a positive change in a sector dominated by a mindset that doesn't support gender equality. We are happy to see that at the second iteration of this event, there are more and more stakeholders agreeing with our goal and willingly contributing towards it." He added, "At Maersk, we have carefully designed initiatives to transform seafaring into a safe and aspiring career, encouraging young women to aim for their future at sea. Maersk's global women seafarer count has grown from 2% in 2021 to 3.3% in 2023, and we are committed to facilitating a further increase in women seafarers worldwide. In our quest for equality, we are committed to playing an active role by sharing our learnings, training material, and other valuable content with individuals, organisations, and institutions who share our vision." In a session with HK Joshi - Former Chairperson, MD and Director (Finance) with Shipping Corporation of India Ltd., Dr Harpreet Singh - Executive Director - Headquarters with Air India Ltd., Niels Bruus, and Shalini Nataraj - Employee Experience Officer with Maersk discussed the way forward for the shipping industry in making life on board more inclusive for women. The topics they discussed ranged from building awareness about the career path, setting in place the necessary infrastructure, creating opportunities, to ensuring that women are able to thrive in their careers. Over the past few years, Maersk has implemented numerous initiatives to promote a more inclusive and fair seafaring workforce. These initiatives encompass various programmes and measures, such as the Women Cadet Programme and Women Crew Connects, as well as the launch of the Cultural Transformation journey and the On Our Respect Radar Campaign. Maersk has also introduced the seafarer hotline and simplified complaint procedure, facilitated the planning of women seafarers together, provided Leading as ONE Leadership training for senior officers, collaborated with AMET University to launch the Maersk Center of Excellence, and joined forces with the maritime administration to design and develop a Gender Sensitisation Programme for faculty and support staff in maritime training institutes. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
BusinessWire India Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 1: Celebrate Doctors' Day with Bajaj Markets, a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv. Considering the personal and professional requirements of doctors, Bajaj Markets grants access to various financial products to help them meet their goals. Doctors looking to achieve their personal and professional dreams can take a Doctor Loan of up to Rs 45 Lakhs, starting at just 14 per cent per annum. This loan can be used to meet a number of financial requirements such as setting up a new practice, hiring staff, purchasing equipment, and much more. Here are some of the key features and benefits of a Doctor Loan: - High loan amount - No collateral - Low rate of interest - 100 per cent digital application - Zero hidden costs - Quick processing - Minimal documentation - Flexible repayment tenure Applying for a Doctor Loan on the Bajaj Markets' website or app is very simple and takes only a couple of minutes. Doctors and other medical professionals can get a loan for themselves on this platform without any hassle. On a similar note, one can also find a host of other financial products on Bajaj Markets. Doctors looking for a credit card that'll help them make the most of their everyday spending, can apply for the SBI SimplySAVE Card. This card comes with a welcome bonus of Rs 2,000 and offers 10x reward points on expenses associated with travel, movies, shopping, and dining. Additionally, with monsoon fast approaching, it's critical to be sufficiently protected with health covers. Bajaj Markets offers a wide range of pocket insurance plans for every need. Some of their most popular plans include the Niva Bupa Health Plus, the Fracture Cover and the Hospital Cash Cover. Doctors may opt for safe and low-risk savings options with assured returns for a secure financial future. When it comes to FDs, Bajaj Markets has several partners to choose from, offering returns of up to 8.60 per cent per annum on FDs. One can also choose from other investment vehicles such as mutual funds, NPS, and so on. Doctors can choose Bajaj Markets, the one-stop solution, for their loan, payment, insurance, investment-related needs and much more. One can get a wide range of financial products that are thoughtfully curated to cater to the needs of busy professionals. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Mediawire New Delhi [India], July 1: To embody the true spirit of Pride this Pride Month, the Times Group has kicked off the Times Pride Fest 2023 to appreciate and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Almost five years have passed since the historic Supreme Court judgement that decriminalized homosexuality in India and although India has come a long way in terms of recognizing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, there is still further to go. Due to archaic conventions and societal pressure, parents and families themselves struggle to accept their family members' authentic identities. As the issues concerning the LGBTQ+ community still remain taboo, members of the community find it hard to fit in and feel welcomed in society and often feel isolated from the rest. This year the Times Pride Fest 2023 aims to shed light on the greatly neglected issue of the discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community in professional spaces. The Right to livelihood is an essential part of our fundamental Right to Life but inherent biases against the LGBTQ+ community lead to an undermining of their potential and qualifications causing them to be underpaid and unappreciated. The LGBTQ+ community in India still has to endure workplace discrimination. They are made to bear the brunt of insensitive or ignorant remarks, homophobic jokes, derogatory comments, and even complete alienation. Fest aims at providing a platform for inspirational voices within the community and highlighting the need for fair and inclusive workspaces. Times Pride Fest 2023 invited renowned LGBTQ+ activists to discuss the issue of inclusion in the workplace on Tuesday, 20th June at The Lalit, Mumbai. The forum was attended by some of the most prominent faces and allies of the LGBTQ+ community from P&G and Godrej who have been torchbearers in extending their support to their LGBTQ+ staff through practices providing medical benefits to all partners indiscriminately, financial assistance, and parental leaves. Addressing the importance of fostering a welcoming work culture, Ankur Bhagat added "At P&G, Equality and Inclusion (E&I) has always been the cornerstone of our culture; where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. In line with this, we focus on creating an equal and inclusive world both inside and outside P&G. Within the company, we bring this to life through our inclusive policies and culture which enable all our people to bring their true authentic selves to the workplace every day." The event was also be attended by Akshay Tyagi, Head DEI at The Lalit Group which has spearheaded the cause of establishing LGBTQ-friendly policies within businesses including their own by through unique practices such as Skill Training Programs for Transgender people and introducing all-inclusive washrooms. Also gracing the event with his presence was Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil. As the first openly gay royal in India, he established the Lakshya Trust, a nonprofit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, education, and support for marginalized communities. The other dignitaries included Maya Awasthy from Tweet India.Org, an organization dedicated to the upliftment of transgender individuals and Shobhna S. Kumar from Queer Ink, a platform devoted to providing representation to the queer community in media. Each of the panelists gave their valuable insights on how we can take India and the corporate world forward in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. The discussion was moderated by ETNow anchor Sumit Lakhotiya. Together, the panelists talked about the trials and tribulations that the LGBTQ+ community face and how they overcome these challenges to come out on top. As Ruhie Pande, CHRO at Godrej Capital expressed "Corporations can play a huge part in creating a socio-economic order where all people from society are seen and accepted. At Godrej Capital, we endeavor to do this by recognizing, including and showing respect to people from the LGBTQ+ community." A televised show featuring this discussion is airing on 1st July 2023 on Times Now at 2.30 pm. Press Meets were organized all across the country, including cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to provide the cause both regional and national exposure. The objective of these press conferences is to inculcate an accepting mindset in parents. Parents attending these press meets will also be given the opportunity to receive counseling to address their concerns. The press meets scheduled on 26th June in Delhi, on 28th June in Bangalore and on 30th June in Mumbai. Through these concerted efforts, the Times Pride Fest wishes to make this world a better and more accepting place for the LBTQ+ community. The Times Pride Fest invites the people of our country to look at the rainbow that lies behind the clouds of prejudice with an ultimate goal to make people look beyond labels and the prejudices that come with them and to look at the human underneath it all. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
BusinessWire India Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1: NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams, the renowned ice cream brand committed to using wholesome ingredients, is delighted to unveil its latest masterpiece - the Sitaphal Ice Cream. This innovative flavor combines the richness of 100 per cent pure milk with the delightful freshness of real Sitaphal fruit, offering ice cream enthusiasts a true indulgence like no other. Sitaphal, also known as custard apple, is a tropical fruit cherished for its creamy texture and sweet, aromatic flavor. NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams has successfully created the Sitaphal Ice Cream to encapsulate the essence of this seasonal's special fruit, ensuring every spoonful is a delectable journey of flavor and satisfaction. What sets NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams apart is its unwavering commitment to using only real, fresh chunks of Sitaphal fruit, without the addition of any chemicals or preservatives. "We are thrilled to introduce NIC Sitaphal Ice Cream, a true celebration of the luscious fruit's great flavors," said Sanjiv Shah, Director at NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams. "We believe in the power of honest ingredients, and this new flavor perfectly embodies our dedication to creating hand crafted, mind crafted and heart crafted ice creams that not only taste incredible but are also made with utmost care and authenticity." NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams prides itself on sourcing premium-quality ingredients to handcraft each batch of ice cream. The NIC Sitaphal Ice Cream is no exception. The team carefully selects ripe, flavorful Sitaphal fruits, ensuring their freshness and superior taste are captured in every scoop. Combined with 100 per cent pure milk, the result is a velvety-smooth, indulgent ice cream that delivers a true farm-to-spoon experience. Key features of the Sitaphal Ice Cream include: 1. Real Sitaphal Fruit: Every spoonful of this ice cream delights with the sweet goodness of real, fresh chunks of Sitaphal fruit, delivering an authentic and satisfying flavor experience. 2. Zero Preservatives: NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams is committed to providing a pure and unadulterated indulgence. The Sitaphal Ice Cream contains no chemicals or preservatives, ensuring customers can enjoy their favorite fruit ice cream with peace of mind. 3. Handcrafted with Passion: The Sitaphal Ice Cream is meticulously crafted. Each batch is made with love and attention to detail, resulting in a truly exceptional ice cream experience. NIC Honestly Crafted Ice Creams Sitaphal Ice Cream is available in more than 110 cities with over 300 locations across India majorly through food delivery apps like Swiggy, Zomato, Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit, Zepto and more. The brand encourages ice cream enthusiasts to savor the flavors and immerse themselves in the richness of this exquisite creation. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Actor Kevin Spacey is "a sexual bully" and "a man who sexually assaults other men," a British prosecutor alleged Friday at the start of a sexual assault trial in which he is charged with 12 offenses against four men, CNN reported The two-time Oscar-winning actor entered a not-guilty plea to a dozen sexual assault accusations during a London courtroom trial. The 'House of Cards' star Kevin Spacey is "A man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable, a sexual bully," prosecutor Christine Agnew reportedly told jurors at London's Southwark Crown Court. Agnew told the jury incidents whereby the actor is alleged to have assaulted men who were in their 20s and 30s at the time, including one complainant who alleged "sexual thrill out of this type of sexual aggression," as reported by CNN. Spacey is accused of 12 offences, including three counts of indecent assault, seven counts of sexual assault, one count of coercing someone into having intercourse without their consent, and one count of coercing someone into having penetrative sex without their consent. Last year, Spacey was charged. He has denied the allegations. On Wednesday, jurors were chosen for the case, and they were then excused until Friday. The accusations concern claimed events that allegedly occurred in and around London between the early 2000s and the early 2010s, during the 12-year tenure of Spacey as creative director of London's Old Vic theatre. The two males accused of being engaged in the 2008 and 2013 attacks are now in their 30s, according to London's Metropolitan Police, who announced the accusations last year. The alleged victim of the 2005 incidents is currently in his 40s. The two males accused of being engaged in the 2008 and 2013 attacks are now in their 30s, according to London's Metropolitan Police, who announced the accusations last year. The alleged victim of the 2005 incidents is currently in his 40s. Two Academy Awards have been given to Spacey for his performances in 'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty.' After quitting 'House of Cards,' he just resumed acting. The actor played the lead role in the Netflix series for five seasons until being let go in 2017 amid claims of inappropriate behaviour both on and off the set. In response to accusations that he pulled up actor Anthony Rapp and laid on top of him at a party in 1986, a New York jury ruled him not guilty of violence last year. (ANI)
American actor Kim Zolciak is the subject of a complaint from Target National Bank for "failing, neglecting, and refusing" to make payments on a USD 2,482.24 principal balance, Page Six reported. According to the documentation, the former Real Housewives Of Atlanta (RHOA) star, opened the card for the first time on December 10, 2007, and the last payment she made was for USD 500 on September 17, 2022. Since then, TD Bank has seized control of the account and is responsible for collecting the debt, as per Page Six. It is unclear from the lack of response from Zolciak when she intends to resolve the conflict. Her representatives turned off Page Six's request for a statement. Zolciak and Biermann, are said to owe the IRS more than USD 1 million in taxes, so she may be focused with larger bills at the moment. According to court records acquired by TMZ in May, the divorcing couple owes USD 1.1 million in back taxes, interest, and penalties from the years 2013, 2017, and 2018. In February, Zolciak and Biermann's Georgia estate also entered the foreclosure process after they allegedly missed payments on a USD1.65 million loan they obtained for it in 2016. However, that loan was eventually paid off, and as a result, the extravagant home's auction was postponed. In addition to their joint financial concerns, Zolciak and Biermann each have their own personal financial issues. BMW Financial Services filed a lawsuit against the former Atlanta Falcons player earlier this month after he missed payments on a Rolls-Royce Cullinan worth roughly $400,100. At the time, Zolciak was held accountable by Biermann's attorney for her client's growing debt. That wasn't the first time Zolciak's purported gambling problems had been brought up. The drama began more than a month ago, when Zolciak and Biermann, who had been married for 11 years, hurried to the courtroom to petition for divorce. Since then, they have been embroiled in a contentious custody battle, with Biermann claiming that because of his soon-to-be ex-wife's allegedly abusive behaviour, the children needed to be shielded from her. But Zolciak referred to the accusations as harmful lies. (ANI)
While AI is currently at the centre of a huge debate in Hollywood, veteran star Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed 'The Terminator' franchise, which launched his career in 1984, predicted the future of artificial intelligence. Speaking at An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the actor, 75, praised the franchise's writer and director James Cameron, People reported. "Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go," Schwarzenegger said of current concerns around AI. "And in this movie, in Terminator, we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over," he added. The actor celebrated the "brilliance of writing" in the 1984 sci-fi flick -- which he starred in as a cyborg assassin -- given that "at that time we (had) scratched the surface of AI, artificial intelligence. Think about that." "Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it's not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic. It is here today. And so this is the extraordinary writing of Jim Cameron," Schwarzenegger continued in the on-stage conversation, which was to promote his limited edition TASCHEN photo book. Last month, during his cover story interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Schwarzenegger also opened up about working with Cameron on the films and how the filmmaker actually convinced him to say his now iconic line, "I'll be back." "Cameron and I were debating how to say the line because I was not comfortable with saying 'I'll.' I said, 'I think it's stronger to say, 'I will be back,'" the actor recalled. He said the director then responded, "Are you the scriptwriter now? It's just one word. Don't tell me how to write. I don't tell you how to act."... "I said, 'You tell me how to act every fucking minute! What are you talking about?!'" Schwarzenegger reprised his iconic role of T-800 "Model 101" in 'Terminator: Dark Fate', which was released in 2019. Will there be more 'Terminator' films? The actor in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter revealed, "The franchise is not done. I'm done. I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator." (ANI)
Taking to Instagram, the actor shared a picture of herself with folded hands along with a message for all the doctors.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CuJ7pdbo0p0/

The post read, "Happy Doctors Day! For all the behind-the-scenes bravehearts who risked their lives to serve us during the Pandemic and who are always there for us - we owe you a debt of gratitude for helping us cope during difficult times. Thank you all."

Shilpa Shetty also shared a special post to mark this day.

She wrote, "Take the time today to appreciate all the doctors who spend their lives serving and treating us...doing their best to make our lives better.#DOCTORSDAY."

Every year, on July 1, India observes National Doctor's Day. It is a day set aside to commemorate physicians' achievements and devotion to society's well-being and healthcare. People celebrate this day by thanking physicians for their tremendous work, compassion, and devotion to saving lives and the well-being of all.

National Doctor's Day marks the birth anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, a prominent physician and statesman who served as West Bengal's second Chief Minister.

Dr. Roy was born on July 1, 1882, and was instrumental in the advancement of medical education and healthcare services in India.

He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in the country for his pioneering work in the field of medicine. (ANI)
Actor Ameesha Patel talked about sharing screen space with Sunny Deol in 'Gadar 2', saying the chemistry between the two characters played by them is "magical". She said, "A deep link between Sakeena (Ameesha Patel) and Tara(Sunny Deol) and the family elevates 'Gadar 2' to a new level. This bond is amazing, and everyone will adore them because of the family's love and togetherness. Still more. Sunny's action is fantastic, and the music and emotions will appeal to everyone's emotions." Ameesha added, "Sunny is the best co-star I have ever worked with." She continued, "Tara and Sakeena chemistry is real and magical and we hope audiences give them the same love the way they had loved them in 'Gadar'." Earlier, she also tweeted about her role after a still from the film which shows Sunny Deol with folded hands in front of a grave. Seeing the same, many assumed that it was of Sakeena and were upset thinking that her character was dying. She tweeted, "Hey all my lovely fans!! Too many of u have been concerned n worried with this shot from GADAR 2 thinking it's SAKINA who is dead !! Well it's not !! Who it is I can't say but it's not SAKINA !! So pls don't WORRY !! love u all" The teaser of 'Gadar 2,' hints that the story begins right from where the story ended in 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' and the fans could also hear a sad version of the song 'Ghar Aaja Pardesi'. The film's portrayal of the partition of India and its impact on people's lives struck a chord with the audience. The epic tale of patriotism, love and sacrifice of Tara and Sakeena broke multiple records back in 2001 and now the makers are all set to entertain the audiences with the second instalment of the film. (ANI)
More than 5,900 criminal cases involving cultural relics have been solved by Chinese police since a crackdown campaign was launched in September 2020, according to the Ministry of Public Security on Friday.

The campaign saw more than 100,000 cultural relic pieces recovered, including some 8,600 top-graded ones, such as a bronze mirror from the East Han Dynasty (25-220) and an item of porcelain ware dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

In 2022 alone, public security organs across the country cracked roughly 1,700 such criminal cases, according to the ministry.

The ministry has worked with the National Cultural Heritage Administration as well as the top court and top procuratorate to jointly combat and prevent related crimes. It also pledged continued efforts to better protect China's cultural relics in the long run.
Maharashtra police authorities on Saturday said that tyre burst was the main cause behind the fatal bus accident in which 25 people, including three children, were killed and eight others were injured in Buldhana district. Officials said that the driver told the police that the accident took place after a tyre burst, causing the bus to overturn. Later the diesel tank of the bus caught fire. "The driver of the bus who survived the accident said that the vehicle overturned after a tyre burst, and later caught fire killing 25 people on the spot and leaving 8 others injured," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane told ANI. "There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. Those injured in the accident have been taken to Buldhana Civil Hospital and admitted there," he said. "We are further looking into the matter," he added. According to officials, the bus was travelling from Maharashtra''s Yavatmal to Pune and met with an accident on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra''s Buldhana at around 1:30 am on Saturday. "The time when the accident occurred it was late night and people were sleeping. Many people could not come out and they died. Some people who could get out after the bus caught fire somehow survived and the rest died," they said. "The most important thing in the investigation is that we identify the dead and hand over the bodies to their families," they added. (ANI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday ruled out road construction on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway as the cause of the accident in Buldhana district in which 25 passengers of a private bus died after the vehicle caught fire. Talking to reporters here, the deputy Chief Minister said that he will accompany Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to the accident site in Buldhana today and will meet with the injured in hospital. "Road construction not the cause of bus accident on Samruddhi highway," Fadnavis said. He said that the bodies of those who died in the mishap will be identified using DNA testing if required so that they can be handed over to their families. A total of 25 people, including three children were killed while eight people sustained injuries after a bus which was on its way to Pune caught fire in Buldhana on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in the early hours today. The bus with 33 people on board had commenced its journey from Yavatmal. The driver, who survived the accident and is undergoing treatment at a hospital told police that the tyre of the bus burst at around 1:35 am and hit a pole on the expressway which caused it to overturn. The police said that this caused damage to the diesel tank of the bus, which caught fire. However, the exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained, the police said. The accident took place at around 1:30 am on Saturday on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway. "The bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police," said Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan. "The bus was travelling from Nagpur to Pune when it met with an accident at around 1:30 am. The driver said that the accident took place after a tyre burst, leading to flames in the bus. Later the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire. There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. The exact reason for the accident has not yet been ascertained," Buldhana Superintendant of Police (SP) Sunil Kadasane told reporters. According to police, a total of 33 people were travelling in the bus which was on its way to Pune. The bus owner, Virendra Darna, also said that the tyre burst caused the accident. "We bought the bus in the year 2020. The bus driver Danish was experienced in driving. We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after the tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the bus caught fire," Darna said. A survivor of the accident Yogesh Ramdas Gavai recounted the experience of escaping the burning vehicle said, "I boarded the Vidarbha Travels bus from Nagpur for Aurangabad. The bus overturned and caught fire immediately after it met with an accident on the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway. Three to four people broke the window and escaped, soon after there was a blast in the bus." Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde have expressed grief at the loss of lives and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively to the next kin of the deceased. (ANI)
"On DoctorsDay, I express my deepest gratitude to the entire doctor community. Even amid the most unprecedented times, doctors have exemplified highest degree of courage, selflessness and resilience," PM Modi tweeted.

"Their(doctors) dedication goes beyond healing; it gives our society hope and strength," the Prime Minister added.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated every year across the country on July 1. The day is celebrated to acknowledge and appreciate health care workers, and medical practitioners for their selfless contribution towards society.

The day helps us understand the importance of doctors in our lives and value them, to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their greatest representatives.

The day is celebrated annually the memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy an eminent physician, academician, freedom fighter and politician. Dr Roy was the first Chief Minister of West Bengal after India gained Independence. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. (ANI)
Sahil was caught for allegedly murdering a minor girl by stabbing her many times and bludgeoning her face with a stone slab on May 28 in the Shahbad Dairy area.

This incident occurred in the public's presence and was captured on CCTV camera, and the accused was caught within 24 hours after allegedly committing the crime.

Rohini Court's Fast Track Special Judge (POCSO) Richa Gusain Solanki took Cognizance of the charge sheet of Delhi police.

The court has also appointed advocate CM Sangwan as amicus curiae to assist to represent the accused. The matter has been listed for arguments on charge on July 20.

During the hearing, no one was present from his family.

Delhi police filed a charge sheet on Tuesday (June 27) against Sahil under section 302 (Murder), 354A (Using criminal force to any woman to outrage her modesty), 509 (punishment for insulting a woman by word, gesture or act) IPC, Section 25 and 27 Arms Act and section 12 of POCSO. Section 3 (2)(V) of SC/ST has also been invoked.

Delhi police have filed a 640 pages charge sheet containing scientific evidence such as CCTV footage, voice sample and biological evidence. The charge sheet also contains the FSL Report.

A copy of the charge sheet has been supplied to the accused.

As per Delhi police accused Sahil was identified through CCTV footage as the residence of Barwala and was arrested on May 29 from Uttar Prdaesh's Bulandshahr. He is in judicial custody after police interrogation. (ANI)
A sessions court in Bhopal convicted a couple to life imprisonment for killing their infant granddaughter and imposed a fine of Rs 1000 on both of them. During the hearing on Friday (June 30), the court of Additional Session Judge Atul Saxena convicted the accused Puran Singh Ahirwar and Vidya Bai Ahirwar under Section Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 302, 120B and 201. The court sentenced the accused Vidya Bai to life imprisonment under IPC section 302, five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1000 under IPC section 201 read with section 120B while the accused Puransingh Ahirwar was sentenced to life imprisonment under section IPC section 302 read with section 120B and five years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1000 in under IPC section 201. Giving information about the case, public prosecutor Sudhavijay Singh Bhadauria said, "On September 28, 2020, one Gaurav Kurekar informed Ayodhya Nagar Police Station in the city about an unidentified infant about two days-old found dead on the platform of G-Sector Shiv Temple under Ayodhya Nagar police station limits. Acting on the information, the police registered a complaint and started an investigation of the case." "During the investigation and after the detailed post-mortem report, it was found that the infant was murdered by inflicting multiple injuries on the body with a sharp weapon and with a view to hide the evidence, the body was wrapped in a shawl and thrown near the platform on the premises of Shiv temple located in G-Sector Ayodhya Nagar," Bhaduaria said. After that, a case was registered under IPC Sections 302 and 201 against the unknown accused and a probe was initiated. On the basis of statements of witnesses at the scene of the incident, the accused Puran Singh Ahirwar and Vidya Bai Ahirwar were arrested and interrogated. The accused confessed to the murder of the child of daughter Kajal on the night of September 27, 2020. The police also recovered the weapons and other involved items used in the incident, the public prosecutor further said. After a thorough investigation, the charge sheet was presented before the court. The court framed charges under IPC sections 302, 201 and 120B against the accused. A total of 20 witnesses were examined in the case and on the basis of prosecution witnesses, DNA report, prosecution evidence, arguments and documents, both the accused were found guilty and the court punished them, Bhadauria added. (ANI)
The protesting aspirants are demanding the implementation of a domicile policy in recruitment.

"A case will be registered against the protestors. They are taking to the roads causing traffic jams, stopping school students and causing damage to the property," Nurul Haque, DSP Law and Order Kotwali said.

He further said, "They will have to go to jail for this. The police are removing them using lathis to control them."

Earlier on Tuesday, after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the state government announced that eligible candidates from all states can apply for teaching jobs in the state's government-run schools.

Before implementing this, there was a rule which mandated that applicants with the domicile of Bihar could only apply for teaching jobs in the state's government-run schools. (ANI)
Trinamool Youth Congress President and Bengali actress Saayoni Ghosh has been summoned by Enforcement Directorate again on July 5 in connection with the teachers' recruitment scam case in West Bengal. Earlier, she was summoned by the agency on Friday. After leaving the ED office after an 11-hour-long interrogation, Saayoni on Friday said that she has submitted some basic documents and cooperated with ED officials. "I have submitted some of the basic documents and cooperated with them (ED officials) too. I stayed here for 11 hours today. I think they (ED officers) are satisfied. I may come again if they ask me," she told the reporters. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to appear before it on June 13 in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam on June 8. In May, Banerjee was questioned for over 9 hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the multi-crore recruitment scam in West Bengal schools. Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for harassing the opposition using central agencies and claimed that it its their "desperate attempt for revenge." "Some people are there, and some agencies that are there are not doing the right thing; they are trying unsuccessfully to harass many people, especially the opposition," Shatrughan Sinha said. Lashing out at the BJP, he said that it is a desperate attempt to take revenge before they go out of power. "It is a desperate attempt for revenge; as the lamp flickers before extinguishing, the same condition exists for the BJP," he said. (ANI)
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should inform the country of what the proposal was for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The Congress leader also said that Uttarakhkand's Civil Code cannot be implemented across the country. "Firstly Prime Minister should inform the country what is the proposal for UCC and on what issues does he want uniformity. Until a proposal is put forward, there is no need for a debate (on UCC)," Sibal said. "Uttarakhkand's Civil Code cannot be implemented across the country. People are not completely aware of the law, but there are discussions going on," he added. The concept of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has been a topic of discussion for the past four years, and it has once again come into focus following Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent public address in Madhya Pradesh had batted for the uniform law. PM Modi said that the country cannot run on two laws and that Uniform Civil Code was part of the Constitution. "Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights...Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics," PM Modi had said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice on Thursday called a meeting on the UCC during which it said it will hear the views of stakeholders. The committee led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi informed all the 31 MPs and members of the committee that their views on UCC would be sought and considered at the meeting on July 3. "Members are reminded that the next meeting of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will be held at 3 PM on Monday, July 3, 2023," read a release on the committee's agenda. (ANI)
The arrested accused has been identified as Sarabjeet Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar.

As per the police official, they arrested Singh on Friday.

The officer said a case was registered under Sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code against him.

The incident took place on Wednesday when the workers were in the factory. Two persons sustained injuries, a senior police officer said.

The injured ones were rushed to a nearby ESIC hospital where Shatrughan Chand, a resident of Uttam Nagar, was declared brought dead

"On June 28 around 7.00 PM, information from ESIC hospital was received at PS Anand Parbat about a brought dead person and another injured person due to the collapse of the 2nd-floor ceiling in a factory located at Gali no 6 Industrial area of Anand Parbat. On getting information enquiry officer rushed to ESIC hospital and it came to know that Shatrughan Chand has died," the police said on Friday.

Police further informed that a factory was running inside the building and the deceased was working there as a worker. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president A Sharda Devi on Saturday appreciated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to violence-hit Manipur. "In the current situation, I appreciate Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state. However, the focus should be on solving the situation and bringing back peace. The issue should not be politicised," Sharda Devi said. On Thursday Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps in Churachandpur district, and at Moirang in Bishnupur district and also met Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Friday in Imphal. The BJP state president also said that the people of Manipur have faith in Chief Minister Biren Singh. "The people have come out supporting the Chief Minister because they have faith that the situation will improve. People believe that if the situation is not controlled this time, it might go out of hand," Sharda Devi added. "The current situation in the state is the result of the doings of the previous government. The public has full trust in CM Biren's government," she further stated. Earlier on Friday, there were speculations relating to his resignation after which Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday said he will not resign from his post "at this crucial juncture". "At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister," the Chief Minister said in a tweet. The Chief Minister has come under repeated attack from the opposition, particularly the Congress, over the law and order situation in the state. Manipur has witnessed ethnic violence for nearly two months. Congress and some groups in the state have demanded Biren Singh's resignation. Earlier today, hundreds of women gathered near the residence of the Manipur Chief Minister to display their support for him. The CM also came outside his residence in Imphal and waved to people. Internet services continue to be suspended in the state and a curfew is in force in some areas. Ethnic clashes broke out in the State nearly two months ago on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). (ANI)
"Happy Mom and Girl: Sweetheart on Mission," a new animated movie produced by CCTV Children's Channel and CCTV Animation Group, will be released in theaters with a simultaneous release of a special version for visually impaired children. This makes it the first animated feature in China to be released with an accessible version.

Film crew, hosts of CCTV Children's Channel, guests and a children's art troupe appear on stage at the premiere of "Happy Mom and Girl: Sweetheart on Mission" in Beijing, June 28, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Today Pictures]

The film's crew and producers aim to raise awareness about the physical and mental well-being of children with disabilities, using public welfare as a way to send love and support. Directed by Xu Zheng, the movie is scheduled for release on the Chinese mainland and Macao on July 1 for the summer season. Distributors anticipate that the movie could be the first cinematic experience for many children with limited vision.

Targeting young girls, "Happy Mom and Girl: Sweetheart on Mission" is a spin-off from the popular "Happy Dad and Son" franchise, this time centering around the love and relationship between a mother and daughter. It explores themes of innovation, imagination and education for young girls, aiming to inspire courage and empowerment among its audience in the pursuit of their dreams. Furthermore, it also portrays the journey of a stay-at-home mom experiencing an awakening, emphasizing the ability of mothers to return to their careers with love and support to achieve their aspirations.

A poster for "Happy Mom and Girl: Sweetheart on Mission." [Image courtesy of CCTV Animation Group]

In addition to its heartwarming plot, the film incorporates high-tech elements such as robots and artificial intelligence to captivate children and ignite their interest in science and technology. This emphasis on cultivating future talent aligns with China's demand for skilled individuals to contribute to the country's rapid development.
Hundreds of families have been displaced due to floods and soil erosion caused by the Brahmaputra river in Assam's Barpeta district. The mighty Brahmputra river has swallowed hundreds of bighas of land, several houses, school building, religious institution of Satra Kanara area under Baghbar assembly constituency in Barpeta district in recent times. Md. Afsar Ali, a resident of Satra Kanara 11 no sheet village built his house 16 years ago, but now he is busy along with his family members to demolish his own house and ready to move to safer place to reside. Md. Afsar Ali is doing this only because of soil erosion, caused by Brahmaputra river. After swallowing hundreds bighas of land in past times, the river has now reached nearby his house. "I am demolishing my house only because of the river. My earlier house was at Boroli area which was also swallowed by Brahmaputra river and is now doesn't exist. I built this house (at Satra Kanara 11 No Sheet village) 16-17 years ago. Earlier the river was 400-600 meters away from here, but now it has reached nearby my house. Now we will move to Matabari area to reside on road along my family. Around 400-500 other families are now living on roads. The river has swallowed everything. I am daily wage labourer. I will have to build my house newly. If the government will help us, then it will be better for us to live," Md. Afsar Ali said. Not only Afsar Ali, many other families of Satra Kanara 11 no sheet, 10 no sheet are now ready to move the other places to live after the Brahmaputra river swallowed their lands, homes. Jalaluddin Ahmed, a resident of Satra Kanara 10 No Sheet village said, "Earlier we had resided in Palarpaam village and that village is now submerged in river. In my life, we have demolished our house seven times only because of erosion. Every villager of this village has faced similar problem. We are totally helpless. I have nothing, everything has gone - my land, my house," Jalaluddin Ahmed said. He further said that, the future of these people is nothing. "This year, the government has done some works to protect to the river erosion, but the work was not properly done. Erosion is still continued. 500 families of this village have affected due to river erosion problem. Earlier the river swallowed at least 13 villages under Manikpur Gram Panchayat - Manikpur, Silosi, Boroli, Sutirpar, Ranirpam, Aligaon Pathar, Aligaon Paam,Aligaon NC etc. Around 1500 families of these villages were affected due to erosion. Several school buildings, government & religious institutions were eroded," Jalaluddin Ahmed said. Jahan Ali, a resident of Satra Kanara 10 no sheet said that, most of the affected people are now living in Goalpara district and some of them are now working in Dimapur, Lucknow, Delhi as daily wage labourer. "Around 95 percent people of this area are dependent in agricultural activities, but their lands were swallowed by the Brahmaputra river. Now they are landless and are facing lots of problems. The education system is also very poor in this area," Jahan Ali said. Another villager Nazrul Islam said that, earlier his house was in Boroli village but that village does not exist. "In last two decades, as many as 40 villages had been wiped out due to erosion. We are poor, where we will go, some people are residing on embankment, road. To earn bread many people have moved to outside of the district. A month before, the river swallowed a basti and the affected people are now residing on an embankment," Nazrul Islam said. The affected people of Satra Kanara area are now struggling to live. According to the Assam government data, the state has so far lost about 4.27 lakh hectares of land by the soil erosion of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. (ANI)
Reacting to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remark on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Saturday said that CM Vijayan is trying to divide the people on communal lines. "The Kerala CM is trying to divide the people on communal lines. He should desist from such moves, UCC is something that the Courts have been asking for and UCC is for the welfare of every citizen of the country. The Uniform Civil Code will ensure that equality of rights," Muraleedharan said. Earlier on Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is on the "electoral agenda" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Triggering debates around Uniform Civil Code is an electoral ploy by Sangh Parivar to press their majoritarian agenda for deepening communal divide. Let's oppose any attempts to undermine India's pluralism and support reforms through democratic discussions within communities," Kerala CM tweeted. He further urged the Union Government and the Law Commission to withdraw the motion and not forcefully implement the same. "Central Government and Law Commission should withdraw the move to impose a Uniform Civil Code," he said. "We cannot blame anyone who suspects that the discussion on UCC is to undermine the country's pluralism and establish majority dominance. This move can only be seen as part of a communal agenda to eliminate the country's cultural diversity and enforce 'One Nation One Culture'," said Pinarayi. "Rather than imposing a UCC, efforts should be made to reform and amend discriminatory practices within personal laws. The support of that particular community is essential for such efforts. It should be through discussions involving all the stakeholders, he added. He further said that reform movements in any religion have evolved from within. It's not an issue that can be resolved through an executive order. In 2018, the Law Commission arrived at the assessment that UCC was neither essential nor desirable at this phase. Earlier on June 27, batting for the UCC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country cannot be run with "two laws" when the Constitution of India talks about equality for all. He asked how different rules could apply to different family members. "Will a family function if there are two different sets of rules for people? Then how will a country run? Our Constitution too guarantees equal rights to all people," PM Modi said. The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures. Also on June 14, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognized religious organizations to examine the Uniform Civil Code. The Law Commission has given 30 days to the respondents to present their views. (ANI)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal slammed the Rajasthan government on the issue of corruption during his two-day visit to poll-bound Rajasthan. He claimed that the Congress party would not be able to cross the mark of even 21 seats in the upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan. While addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Goyal mentioned a number of reasons why the Congress will lose in the upcoming assembly polls. "The central government tried to reduce the price of oil by reducing the excise duty on petrol and diesel, but the Rajasthan government betrayed the people here by not reducing VAT on petrol and diesel even by a single rupee. The country's most expensive petrol and diesel is available in Rajasthan," Goyal said while addressing a press conference. He accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's government of indulging in corruption. Goyal said that the central government sends money to Rajasthan but it doesn't reach the people because of corruption that takes place there. "Tenders worth Rs 20,000 crore were given which resulted in a scam. Tenders were given to two companies. There are three ministers in the government from Bharatpur and the people here are involved in corruption. Cash worth more than 2 crores and one kg of gold was seized from the government office," Goyal alleged. Speaking on the hate crimes against Hindus, recollecting the Kanhaiya Lal's murder case, Goyal said, "The Rajasthan government could have constituted a special court in the Kanhaiyalal case. The state government could have put this case on the fast track but did not. The Rajasthan government has not yet been able to punish the accused of Kanhaiyalal." Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, was hacked to death inside his shop in Udaipur by two men in broad daylight on June 28 last year, for allegedly posting content in support of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma. The beheading had sparked public outrage across the country. Union Minister termed the stand of the Congress party regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as baseless. He said that a uniform law will be implemented in the country through the Uniform Civil Code. But the Congress leaders have become upset due to this. He said that Modi ji's government has completed nine years. The mantra of the Modi government is service, good governance and poor welfare. There was a time when Indian leaders used to go to America and discuss only Pakistan and terrorism, but when Modi ji goes to America, development is discussed. "When Modi ji goes to America, America talks about giving its technology. Our decades-old dispute with America in WTO was resolved during Modiji's visit to America. Nine years ago, India was called Fragile, but see, today India is the fifth largest economy in the world," Piyush Goyal said. About the Har Ghar Nal Yojana, the Union Minister said that at one time three crore houses had tap water. Today 12 crore houses get water from the tap. The work of the BJP government is its identity. On the other hand, those opposition parties pretend to be united and then fight among themselves, he said taking a jibe at the opposition meeting. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday slammed the Congress government for not being supportive in the fight against Left Wing Extremism. "If the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had been supportive in the fight against left-wing extremism in the last four years, it would have been completely eradicated from the state, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a public meeting in Chhattisgarh's Kanker. Singh addressed a public meeting in Naxalite affected district Kanker where he, along with other senior BJP leaders of the state participated in BJP's outreach programme on completing nine years of Modi government. He said that due to effective policies and action taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Left Wing Extremism in the last nine years, it has been confined to just 10-12 districts. "Some of those districts are in Chhattisgarh. If the state government here had taken prompt action against LWE in the last four years, it would have been completely eradicated from here too," Singh slammed Chhatisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel Government. "Not only did the Congress government in the state ignore the LWE, but they also ignored conversion activities in the state. Converting the innocent tribals of Bastar by greed and allurement is a matter of concern for the country and the society," he added. "In 2018, people choose to change the government because people trusted some guarantees of the Congress at that time, but it backfired," he said. "Atal ji formed Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, two states with a large number of tribal societies. He also created a separate ministry for tribal welfare because he was sensitive towards the tribals. The same commitment is also in the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No one ever thought that the daughter of tribal society will become the President of the country, but it has happened," Rajnath Singh said. He added that the government of Chhattisgarh promised prohibition of liquor, took "Gangajal" (Holy water of the Ganges) in hand and promised. But they started home delivery of alcohol. "They had promised to make farmers debt-free but they couldn't," Defence Minister said addressing the public rally. "under the government of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today even in tribal areas, facilities like houses, toilets, free electricity and gas connections, schools, roads and free treatment for the poor are being provided at the same speed as in the rest of the country," Rajnath Singh said mentioning work done by BJP govt for the tribal areas. "Today, India is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence, then the heroes like Veer Shaheed Gundadhur, who gave their supreme sacrifice while fighting against the British for their people, forests and land from this sacred soil of Bastar, come to mind," he added. In view of the assembly elections to be held in Chhattisgarh this year, the visit of Rajnath Singh can be considered crucial. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh landed in Raipur earlier today. (ANI)
He met the tribal artist before addressing a public rally in Kanker on Saturday.

"I have arrived here today after meeting your son, Ajay Mandvi, from Kanker. A proud son of the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, he has incorporated Gond tribal art in woodcraft," Rajnath said after meeting Mandavi.

Mandavi, who teaches wood calligraphy art to jail inmates, was honoured with the country's fourth-highest civilian honour, Padam Shri, by the Union government for excellence in art on Republic Day this year.

The tribal art exponent is credited with transforming the lives of more than 400 undertrials by encouraging them to take up wood carving.

He has dedicated himself to rehabilitating the 'misguided youth' by teaching them wood calligraphy.

Mandavi has been into wood calligraphy since 2005.

In 2010, the then District Collector requested him to teach woodcraft to jail inmates. Since then, Mandavi has been teaching the art to prisoners, most of whom are undertrials in Naxal cases.

Around 400 suspected Naxalites have learnt the art from Mandavi. (ANI)
Social activist Teesta Setalvad could not get any relief from the Supreme Court on Saturday as the bench of two judges differed on granting interim protection to her, after she approached the apex court when the Gujarat High Court today rejected her regular bail plea in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots. In a special hearing, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra, after a brief hearing, said that they have differed in their decision and referred her case to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to place it before a larger bench. Gujarat High Court had directed Setalvad to surrender immediately. Till now, she was protected against coercive actions because of the Supreme Court's interim bail order of September 2022. "There is a disagreement between us on the question of grant of interim protection to her. So, we request the Chief Justice to assign this matter to a larger bench. CJI may be requested to constitute a larger bench at earliest. It is for the CJI to constitute the bench," Justice Oka said. At the outset of the hearing, Justice Oka observed that some time should have been granted to her to surrender. "High Court could have granted (her) some time to surrender? We are not going into the merits right now. On September 22, Supreme Court passed order granting interim bail to her, she is on bail for nine months. We can take the matter on Monday or Tuesday, what's going to happen in 72 hours?" said Justice Oka. Solicitor General objected on granting time to Setalvad to surrender. "Please see how entire State was maligned, witnesses led... She has taken entire institution for a ride," Solicitor General said. Setalvad was arrested by the Gujarat Police on June 25, 2022, on an FIR by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on alleged charges of conspiring to falsely implicate innocent people in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. Charges were framed against her under sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 194 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction for capital offenses) of the Indian Penal Code. Later on September 2, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Teesta. The SIT formed to probe the case has alleged that Setalvad and Sreekumar were part of a larger conspiracy carried out at the behest of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel to destabilise the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time. Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt is also an accused in the case. The FIR against Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Bhatt was registered after the Supreme Court had on June 24, dismissed the plea filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several others in 2002 Gujarat riots. Ehsan Jafri was among 69 people killed during the violence at Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. Zakia Jafri has challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 people including Narendra Modi who was the Gujarat Chief Minister during the riots in the State. She had alleged a "larger conspiracy" behind the post-Godhra incident riots. However, the SIT in the apex court had opposed the plea of Jafri saying there is a sinister plot behind the complaint to probe the "larger conspiracy" behind the 2002 Gujarat riots and the original complaint by Jafri was directed by Teesta Setalvad, who leveled allegations just to keep the pot boiling. (ANI)
As the meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party Sanyukt Morcha chaired by party national president JP Nadda which concluded here on Saturday, several issues were discussed including creating a roadmap for the upcoming Assembly and next year's Lok Sabha elections. According to BJP sources, feedback was also taken in the meeting regarding the month-long Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan, which kickstarted on May 30 to publicise the party's policies during the nine years at the Centre. Along with this, in view of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, suggestions of office bearers were also sought on the future road map, the source added. In the around four-hour long meeting, Nadda tasked every party Morcha regarding upcoming polls. The remaining time for the next year's Lok Sabha elections has been divided into two parts. "Instructions were also given to run intensive mass contact, publicity campaign and beneficiaries contact campaigns across the country," sources added. In this meeting, the Minority Morcha, which is already working to connect the minority community with the party, has been tasked to reach out to beneficiaries of Central government's schemes, apart from the educated section of the Muslim community. A report has also been demanded in the matter. The Maha Jansampark Abhiyaan from May 31-June 30 was launched by PM Modi from Ajmer, Rajasthan last month. Under the campaign, extensive public programmes were done across the country on the completion of nine years of BJP government at the Centre. Over 51 huge rallies, public meetings at more than 500 places, and over 600 press conferences in over 500 Lok Sabha and 4000 Vidhan Sabha constituencies were conducted and senior party leaders including Union Home minister Amit Shah, Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Nadda addressed several public gatherings. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday left for a three-day Delhi tour. Officials said Dhami's trip to Delhi is significant because the head of the committee on the Uniform Civil Code recently announced that it had prepared a draft of the report on UCC. "In view of UCC, this visit of the Chief Minister to Delhi is considered very important, because yesterday, retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the chairman of the committee on UCC, said that the draft of the committee on UCC has been prepared," said the officials. Earlier on June 30, the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand was complete and the report of the expert Committee along with the draft code printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand. This announcement was made by the Expert Committee, which was appointed last year to work on the Uniform Civil Code. The report will go to the state Cabinet and it will decide whether to table it in the state legislature, the committee informed. Uttarakhand UCC said that all due care has been taken in preparing the draft and the aim is to bring equality and dignity across sections. Officials stated that they have received a significant response in favour of the UCC, although some opposing views were also expressed. "We have got an overwhelming response in support of UCC, and some views also came against also, stated the panelists. The committee said that it has painstakingly taken into account all shades of opinions and looked into the various statutes and uncodified laws including the statutory framework in select countries. The expert panel said that statistical analysis and empirical data were also included in the draft. It further mentioned that 10 million is the total population of Uttarakhand. We got more than 2.31 lakh in written suggestions. It is a good sample size that has been considered. Besides the Committee has tried to understand the finer nuances of the various customary practices that prevail in different parts of the State. The committee stated that it has also interacted with the representatives of political parties, state statutory commissions as well as with leaders of various religious denominations. Doctors and experts have also been consulted, issues such as the age of marriage, and age of consent issues have been considered. Issues such as Live-in, LGBT, and child marriages all have been discussed. The Chairperson of the Law Commission of India had requested interaction with the members of the Expert Committee. This interaction was held on June 2, 2023, wherein members as well as chairpersons of both the Law Commission and the Expert Committee were present. The Uttarakhand government last year had formed a five-member committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to prepare a draft on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Chairman ( retired Supreme Court Justice) Ranjana Prakash Desai is a former judge of the Supreme Court. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday lashed out at the previous Congress governments in Chhattisgarh, accusing them of being steeped in "corruption" after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Addressing a public meeting in Chhattisgarh's Kanker on Saturday, Singh credited the previous Raman Singh-led BJP government with "transforming the state" during its 15-year rule. He said no one can deny that it was under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and during the tenure of former CM Raman Singh that the face of Chhattisgarh changed. Lashing out at the present Congress government in the state at another public rally in Bilaspur later in the day, Singh alleged that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was "steeped in corruption" and was "bhrashtachar ka Badshah" (king of corruption). Recalling his first visit to the state after it was founded in 2000, at the Kanker meeting, the Union Minister said, "I remember my first visit to Chhattisgarh. It had been newly carved out of Madhya Pradesh at the time and the Congress was in power. Corruption was widespread in the government. I can say with certainty that it was during the Raman Singh-led BJP government that the face of Chhattisgarh truly changed." The veteran BJP leader added, "When the state was founded in 2000, people did not have the courage to speak up against the ruling Congress leaders. Such was the sorry state of affairs at the time." Further, recalling the change of guard in the state in 2003, the Defence Minister said, "Raman Singh was charged with the task of transforming the state. He gave us a new Raipur and Chhatisgarh." Chhattisgarh was granted statehood on November 1, 2000, with Raipur designated as the state capital. Late former Congress leader Ajit Jogi, who was elected the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh, was succeeded in 2003 by Raman Singh, who served three full terms in the state's highest office. The BJP has been holding a series of meetings in the state as part of preparations for the Assembly polls, which are scheduled to be held later this year. Rajnath Singh's visit came on the heels of BJP national president JP Nadda addressing two rallies in the state -- one in Chhatisgarh and another in Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "On #CharteredAccountantsDay, we honour a professional community which is among our nation's key financial architects. Their analytical acumen and steadfast commitment are crucial in strengthening our economy. Their expertise helps build a prosperous and self-reliant India."

July 1 is celebrated as National Chartered Accountant Day in India. The day is observed in order to celebrate the formation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on July 1, 1949.

The ICAI is the only licensing and regulatory body for the financial audit and accounting profession in the country.

PM Modi also wished doctors on the occasion of National Doctors' Day.

"On DoctorsDay, I express my deepest gratitude to the entire doctor community. Even amid the most unprecedented times, doctors have exemplified highest degree of courage, selflessness and resilience," PM Modi tweeted.

"Their(doctors) dedication goes beyond healing; it gives our society hope and strength," the Prime Minister added.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated every year across the country on July 1. The day is celebrated to acknowledge and appreciate health care workers, and medical practitioners for their selfless contribution towards society.

The day helps us understand the importance of doctors in our lives and value them, to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their greatest representatives.

The day is celebrated annually the memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy an eminent physician, academician, freedom fighter and politician. Dr Roy was the first Chief Minister of West Bengal after India gained Independence. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. (ANI)
China, Africa in fast lane of high-quality cooperation

Xinhua) 09:24, July 01, 2023

* Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and high-quality development.

* Companies attending the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo attest to a greater focus on new energy and digital sector cooperation.

* The expo also offers a platform for African agricultural products to explore the Chinese market.

CHANGSHA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- As the sun sets over eastern Uganda, a newly constructed road is illuminated by two rows of white solar lampposts, warmly welcoming drivers, pedestrians and villagers on leisurely strolls.

The 73-km road linking Kapchorwa and Suam is undergoing an upgrade. Located at an average altitude of over 2,000 meters with complex geology, the project is described by local officials as one of the most difficult large-scale infrastructure projects in the history of Uganda.

To complete the project within this year, the Chinese contractor brought forth advanced machinery, extensive expertise in constructing roads in mountainous regions in China, and an inventory of 1,960 solar lights.

"When we first arrived, we saw the local areas did not have electricity, but boast plentiful sunlight. So we decided to erect the solar lights," said Lu Zhong, a project manager with the Chinese company. "Now the lights have made it safer for nearby residents to go out at night."

Local students walk home from school along a section of the road upgraded by a Chinese company in Kapchorwa District, Uganda, on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

At the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which opened in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday, many such stories exemplify the evolving China-Africa cooperation, which is becoming increasingly smarter, greener and advanced, drawing strength from China's modernization drive.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said China is willing to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and high-quality development, and will make the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides deeper and more solid.

Visitors walk past the exhibition hall of the China-Africa Achievement Exhibition on High-Level Building of the Belt and Road Initiative during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO DIGITALIZATION

As Africa's largest trading partner and its fourth-biggest source of investment, China has prioritized high-quality development on its path toward modernization, which requires the country to cultivate new growth engines such as next-generation information technology, new energy and green industry, and promote high-standard opening up.

According to experts, this dedication to high-quality development has injected renewed vitality into the implementation of the nine programs announced in 2021 to strengthen China-Africa cooperation. These programs encompass a wide range of areas, such as digital innovation and green development.

Over the years, cooperation between the two sides has extended from trade and construction to emerging areas like digital infrastructure, green development, aviation, and space exploration, according to Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei.

During the expo, Chinese firms that traditionally focused on hydropower facilities said they were working to deliver a more diversified portfolio of new energy projects to help Africa tackle the perennial power crunch.

China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CEEC), a power infrastructure heavyweight, said it has implemented 42 clean energy projects in Africa, including hydro, solar and wind power stations, with a total installed capacity of 14.11 gigawatts.

One such project under construction is the Biovea biomass power plant in Cote d'Ivoire. Poised to become the largest biomass power plant in West Africa, it will utilize locally abundant palm leaf residues as fuel to generate electricity for 1.7 million people.

The project will also increase the income of 12,000 palm growers by 20 percent and reduce 4.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, said Zhu Honggang, CEO of CEEC Northwestern Africa Regional HQ.

Zhu added that China has developed a mature industrial chain in infrastructure and energy sectors, from project design to manufacturing of photovoltaic panels, allowing Chinese companies to bring new energy projects to Africa at a relatively low cost.

This photo shows an outdoor exhibition area at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

Digital infrastructure is another rising star in China-Africa cooperation, which is drawing strength from China's newly acquired forte in this area.

According to China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd (Genertec), it has increased participation in the construction of Africa's information and communication infrastructure in recent years.

In Ghana, the company is installing more than 2,000 communication towers to provide stable communication services for rural residents and support the West African nation's endeavor to bridge the digital divide.

"China-Africa cooperation is expanding from conventional infrastructure to digitalization, from visible roads to virtual networks," said Luo Di, a company representative who was present at the expo.

"We are leveraging China's experience in urbanization to help accelerate Africa's development. It will no longer take decades, as it did in the past. We may see remarkable outcomes within just a few years," Luo said.

An exhibitor presents Ethiopian coffee during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

WELCOME, MADE IN AFRICA!

The import of African agricultural and food products is another focus at the expo, with traders marketing a myriad of specialty products ranging from South African wine to Nigerian dried ginger.

China has become the second-largest destination country for African agricultural exports. In the first five months of this year, China imported 16.15 billion yuan (about 2.24 billion U.S. dollars) of African agricultural and food products, up 26.5 percent year on year.

Behind the rapidly growing imports is a range of favorable policies and customs cooperation that have enabled an expanded variety of African farm products to reach the shelves of Chinese stores, including coffee from Ethiopia, cashew nuts from Tanzania, cocoa from Cote d'Ivoire and avocados from Kenya.

Days before the expo, Kenya flagged off the first consignment of anchovies destined for the Chinese market. Salim Mvurya, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, termed the inaugural shipment of anchovies to the Chinese market as "a historic moment for the country."

During the expo, a slew of measures on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) cooperation, including the establishment of a liaison mechanism, were announced to facilitate African exports of agricultural and food products to China.

A staff member introduces wild anchovy products to visitors at the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

As a trailblazer in China-Africa cooperation, the province of Hunan has also promised heightened efforts to standardize the inspection and quarantine of African agricultural products that have entered into deals at the expo, helping them gain market access in China.

Chi Yuwen, the founder of Chebango EPZ Tea Company Ltd., attests to the positive impact generated by the deepening China-Africa cooperation on agricultural and food trade.

His Kenya-based factory imports Chinese tea-making equipment free of tariffs and their tea products enjoy duty-free entry into China.

"By combining the excellent quality of Kenyan tea and Chinese tea-making techniques, we are confident about gaining a foothold in China's vast and competitive tea market," Chi said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
The 4th Huangshan Dialogue on UNESCO-designated Sites and Sustainable Development concluded on Friday in Huangshan city, located in eastern China's Anhui province. The Huangshan Vision, adopted at the conclusion of the dialogue, called for enhanced heritage protection cooperation.

Guo Huadong (L), director of the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhang Yaqiang, vice mayor of Huangshan city, release the Huangshan Vision at the closing ceremony of the 4th Huangshan Dialogue, June 30, 2023. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

The vision emphasizes the potential role of space-, air-, and ground-based remote sensing technologies, along with other digital applications, in the monitoring and conservation of UNESCO-designated sites.

It urges international organizations and concerned countries to fully utilize digital technologies. This would strengthen the collaborative conservation and management of UNESCO-designated sites and promote collaborative efforts toward the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.

The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST), under the auspices of UNESCO, has hosted the Huangshan Dialogue for four consecutive sessions. HIST Director Guo Huadong, who is also an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the center has long been dedicated to such work for UNESCO and its member countries.

Guo Huadong, director of the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gives an interview during the 4th Huangshan Dialogue, June 30, 2023. [Photo by Wang Wei/China.org.cn]

According to Guo, HIST has collaborated with over 20 countries, including Cambodia, Greece and the Solomon Islands, to undertake more than 70 projects. This collaboration has filled numerous gaps in the application of space technologies for conserving UNESCO-designated sites. He added that a comprehensive heritage governance system had been established, covering identification, nomination, monitoring, conservation, evaluation, management, planning, archiving and promotion.

Furthermore, HIST has aided heritage sites in developing countries to enhance capacity building. They have provided training to site managers and researchers and have advanced the use of space technologies in countries and regions along the Belt and Road, he noted.

Peter Shadie, former director of the IUCN World Heritage Programme and a visiting professor at HIST, praised China's contributions to natural heritage protection. He noted that he has been visiting China for nearly 25 years since 2000 and witnessed the country's substantial advancements in protecting natural World Heritage Sites. China's progress from having "very few on the list" to having "a long and growing list of wonderful heritage sites" is "very impressive," he said.

Peter Shadie, former director of the IUCN World Heritage Programme and a visiting professor at HIST, gives an interview during the 4th Huangshan Dialogue, June 30, 2023. [Photo by Wang Wei/China.org.cn]

"China has embraced the World Heritage Convention more than almost any other country in the world, and tried to optimize the benefits that can flow from creating protected heritage sites," he added.

Shadie, who previously worked with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)  the advisory body to the World Heritage Convention on natural sites  said that nominations from China are "really top-class." These nominations include all essential characteristics of outstanding global value and feature properly delineated boundaries and protective zones around the properties.

While setting a good example in terms of understanding the process of designing high-quality properties, Shadie stated that China could also learn from other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, about how to better connect individual heritage sites and how to build a stronger sense of community engagement with these sites.

A parallel session was held at this year's Huangshan Dialogue to introduce the nomination procedures for UNESCO-designated sites. It invited managers and researchers of such sites to share their successful experiences. The session thus created a communication platform for these individuals and potential candidate sites nationwide.
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday launched a campaign to transform 75 historic lighthouses into tourism spots when he inaugurated three revamped lighthouses in Dwarka, Gopnath and Veraval that were transformed into tourist destinations. As per the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, "The historic lighthouses were renovated with adequate facilities to act as tourist spots. This marks the beginning of the campaign by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) to transform 75 historic lighthouses across India into tourism spots. This is in line with the visionary approach of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to transform India's distinctive lighthouses into captivating tourism sites. The initiative aims to showcase the rich culture, significance, and allure of these magnificent structures whereby they can propel prospect of tourism and power local economy. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, "It is a historic moment as we launch a campaign to transform India's iconic lighthouses as potential tourism spots propelling the economies of scale locally as well as boosting tourism sector of India. Our dynamic leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken about the unique appeal of lighthouses and their potential as tourist attraction during the 75th episode of Mann Ki Baat. With Modi ji's guidance, this campaign is aimed at rejuvenating our lighthouses to become centre of attractions for tourists and witness the beauty of India's magnificent natural beauty. We believe that these transformed lighthouses will create a vibrant tourist destination showcasing India's rich & unique heritage to the world." Earlier, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal attended the CII B20 Meet at Surat where he spoke and interacted with the leading members of the business community. Sonowal highlighted key achievements of Narendra Modi government in the past 9 years in different aspects of the society, economy and cultural aspects of India. The Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also called upon the business leaders to invest in the rich inland waterways sector of India in both B2B as well as B2C businesses. Sonowal called upon the business houses to opt for inland waterways, which is an economical, environmentally safer option, for movement of their cargo. Following the mammoth success of Ganga Vilas, the longest river cruise in the world, Sonowal also called upon for investment in the rich river cruise tourism sector through novel river cruise experiences which can be 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' and others. Speaking on the occasion, Sarbananda Sonowal said, "Surat's remarkable growth and resilience in the face of challenges is a shining example of India's economic potential, and the strength of our political leadership and vision provided by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. India's G20 presidency is the globalisation and internationalisation of the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Today, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world and has grown significantly not just as a consumer market with greater purchasing power, but also as a preferred investment destination. Under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, propelled by transformative initiatives like National Logistics Policy, Gati Shakti National Masterplan for Multimodal Connectivity, and other such reforms, the Indian infrastructure sector has grown manifold. "The government is also committed towards supporting transition towards green growth in India's maritime sectors, and have set forth time-bound commitments and investments towards the achievement of the same." he added Speaking about the scope and opportunity to utilise Inland Waterways sector for transformational changes, Union Minister Sonowal added, "I take this opportunity to call all business leaders to come forward & jointly develop new river cruising experiences in India. We must have 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' & many more river cruises all across our river-rich nation. For movement of your cargo, take advantage of the inland waterways which is extremely economical and Eco-friendly mode of transportation that was revived under the visionary leadership of our Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi." (ANI)
As part of India's G20 presidency, the B20 meeting began in Surat on Saturday in the presence of the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbanand Sonowal. Attending the CII B20 Meet, the Union minister spoke and interacted with the leading members of the business community. Sonowal highlighted key achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in the past 9 years in different aspects of the society, economy and cultural aspects of India. The Shipping Minister also called upon the business leaders to invest in the rich inland waterways sector of India in the both B2B as well as B2C businesses. Sonowal called upon the business houses to opt inland waterways, which is an economical, environmentally safer option, for movement of their cargo. Following the mammoth success of Ganga Vilas, the longest river cruise in the world, He also called upon for investment in the rich river cruise tourism sector through novel river cruise experiences which can be 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' and others. "Surat's remarkable growth and resilience in the face of challenges is a shining example of India's economic potential, and the strength of our political leadership and vision provided by the PM Modi. India's G20 presidency is the globalisation and internationalisation of the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Today, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world and has grown significantly not just as a consumer market with greater purchasing power, but also as a preferred investment destination," he said. The Union minister added that under the visionary leadership of the the Prime Minister, propelled by transformative initiatives like National Logistics Policy, Gati Shakti National Masterplan for Multimodal Connectivity, and other such reforms, the Indian infrastructure sector has grown manifold. "The Government is also committed towards supporting transition towards green growth in India's maritime sectors, and have set forth time-bound commitments and investments towards the achievement of the same," he said. Speaking about the scope and opportunity to utilise Inland Waterways sector for transformational changes The Union minister said, "I take this opportunity to call all business leaders to come forward & jointly develop new river cruising experiences in India. We must have 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' & many more river cruises all across our river-rich nation." The CII meet was also attended by Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State, Government of Gujarat; Tom Moses, Executive Vice President, Gemological Institute of America; Darshan Shah, Chairman, CII Gujarat; Kulin Lalbhai, Vice-Chairman, Gujarat among other dignitaries and business leaders of the region. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday paid a courtesy call to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. During the meeting, CM Dhami requested the Defence Minister to dissolve the Cantonment Boards in Ranikhet and Lansdowne and transfer the areas outside the military stations to the state administration. The Chief Minister also requested to transfer 4 acres of NRTO land for the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport. The state government is ready to provide alternative land to NRTO. He further appealed to the Defence Minister to allow the State Government to use Joshimath and Dharchula Army helipads for operating Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) services. The Chief Minister has given about one acre of B-3 Defense located in the cantonment as an alternative due to the evacuation of the sub-office being operated under a temporary arrangement on the land provided on lease by the Uttarakhand sub-area in Garhi Cantt, Cantonment Complex, Dehradun. It was also requested to consider shifting the sub-panel office on the land. The Uttarakhand CM is on a three-day Delhi tour. Officials said Dhami's trip to Delhi is significant because the head of the committee on the Uniform Civil Code recently announced that it had prepared a draft of the report on UCC. "In view of UCC, this visit of the Chief Minister to Delhi is considered very important, because yesterday, retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the chairman of the committee on UCC, said that the draft of the committee on UCC has been prepared," said the officials. Earlier on June 30, the draft of the proposed Uniform Civil Code for Uttarakhand was complete and the report of the expert Committee along with the draft code printed and submitted to the Government of Uttarakhand. This announcement was made by the Expert Committee, which was appointed last year to work on the Uniform Civil Code. The report will go to the state Cabinet and it will decide whether to table it in the state legislature, the committee informed. The five-member committee was formed last year headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to prepare a draft on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Chairman (retired Supreme Court Justice) Ranjana Prakash Desai is a former judge of the Supreme Court. (ANI)
DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Saturday slammed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for talking about Sanathana Dharma and advised the Governor to exercise restraint for a while. "Governor Ravi, who is disrupting democracy by spreading some kind of slander every day, should keep calm for a while," she said. Reacting to the Governor's speech about Sanathana Dharma at a public gathering on Saturday, the DMK leader said, "Tamil Nadu, which is based on the principle of 'birth and all life', has never had any connection with Sanatana, which teaches the Vedas by birth." DMK MP further added, "Throughout history, it has been practised to subvert the identities of others and make them one's own. Sanatana never had anything except anti-scientific flip-flops." "The Dravidian land of Tamil Nadu never accepted them!" said Kanimozhi. Amid the ongoing tussle between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi over the dismissal of V Senthil Balaji as a minister, Governor R N Ravi heaped praise on PM Modi for his vision. Addressing a gathering here, the Governor said, "If you are weak you are surrounded by enemies, if you are strong you have friends. That is the destiny of Bharat. What the PM has set...again a divine mandate is his appearance, he is such a person who understands what is Bharat and the power of its people...He has set a course that he calls 'Amrit Kaal'. In the next 25 years, this country must be capable of spreading the light of Sanatana Dharma to the whole world." (ANI)
Brazil's highest electoral court has barred former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for political office till 2030. This comes after Bolsonaro was found guilty of abusing his power and misusing public media during last year's election campaign, CNN reported. The former president was found guilty by five out of seven judges, effectively ending any hope of a political comeback in the forthcoming 2026 election. Two of the judges voted against the decision, which prevents Bolsonaro from running for public office for eight years. As per CNN, the case stems from a meeting Bolsonaro held with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, in which he spread false information about Brazil's electoral system and brought its credibility into question ahead of last year's fractious election. The meeting was livestreamed by official television channels and on YouTube. YouTube took down the live stream of the event for not complying with its fake news policy. Judge Alexandre de Moraes who presided over the court, cast his vote last. "Let us reaffirm our faith in our democracy and the rule of law," he said after voting in favour of the guilty verdict. The judge added that with the vote, Brazilian authorities would show they do not tolerate "criminal extremism attacking the powers of the state, fake news, disinformation to try to deceive voters." Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to Brazilian radio station Itatiaia on Friday, Bolsonaro said he planned to appeal the court's decision. Bolsonaro lost the election by the narrowest margin in decades to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Riots on January 8 saw pro-Bolsonaro protesters breaking into government buildings in Brasilia, following weeks of demonstrations over the election results. (ANI)
France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Friday (local time) said the country is deploying 45,000 police officers to deal with any night rioting, Al Jazeera reported. Approximately 40,000 police officers were mobilised the previous day. Meanwhile, more than 400 people were arrested in France on Thursday after protests swept across the country over the death of 17-year-old Nahel M, who was shot dead by an officer in Nanterre, about 11 km northwest of Paris city centre, CNN reported. France's elite police, the RAID, was posted in Bordeaux, Lyon, Roubaix, Marseille and Lille to help control the protests. Confrontations erupted between protesters and police in Nanterre, where the 17-year-old named Nahel was killed days before in Marseille. Amid burning debris, "vengeance pour Nael" which translates to "revenge for Nael" appeared to be spray painted on a wall in Nanterre with regards to the slain teenager and using an alternative spelling of his name, the report said. A bank was set on fire in Nanterre and 15 people were taken in by police for questioning after a march was carried out in memory of the teenager became violent. Protesters threw fireworks at police officers in Marseille, CNN reported citing BFMTV. Six people were taken by police for questioning after they took part in a protest barred by authorities in Lille, the regional authority in a Facebook post, CNN reported. The unrest erupted in France on Tuesday, hours after a police traffic stop in Nanterre which resulted in the killing of Nahel. During the night, 40 cars were burnt and 24 police officers were injured, according to French authorities. The police officer has been placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been kept in preliminary detention, the report said. (ANI)
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that certain businesses can refuse to provide services to same-sex weddings. This comes as the latest blow to LGBTQ rights in the country, Al Jazeera reported. The US Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision on Friday, sided with web designer Lorie Smith, who had sought an exemption from a Colorado law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and other factors. Smith, an evangelical Christian who opposes marriage between anyone other than a man and a woman, sued Colorado's civil rights commission and other state officials in 2016, saying she feared being punished under the state's public accommodations law for refusing to serve gay weddings, as per Al Jazeera. Smith and her lawyers argued that being required to provide her services for a same-sex wedding would inherently force her to express messages contradicting her Christian beliefs and violate her right to free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. According to some advocates, Smith's stance infringes on the rights of LGBTQ people to seek goods and services from businesses without discrimination. Writing for the Supreme Court majority on Friday, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch sided with Smith. "As surely as Ms Smith seeks to engage in protected First Amendment speech," Gorsuch wrote, "Colorado seeks to compel speech Ms Smith does not wish to provide." "The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands," the decision also reads, as per Al Jazeera. The ruling focused on a limited category of commercial activities, like artists or businesses creating content. Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonio Sotomayor in a dissenting opinion said the ruling risks being applied to any business as part of a wider "backlash" to moves towards LGBTQ equality in the country. (ANI)
Hundreds of people, who lost their family members, friends and loved ones to enforced disappearances, took part in a protest organised on Eid by the 14-year-old daughter of Dr Deen Muhammad Baloch. Dr Baloch was abducted in a military vehicle on June 28, 2209. Since then, nothing is known about his whereabouts. "Family members of victims of enforced disappearances are protesting for the safe recovery of their loved ones from Pakistani military torture cells," tweeted Munir Mengal, who remains engaged in lobbying for the rights of Baloch people. Mengal is the president of the Baloch Voice Association NGO based in Paris, France. Many citizens delivered speeches during the protest and among them was Seema Baloch, sister of Shabbir Baloch, the boy who forcibly disappeared from Gowarkop, Balochistan on October 4, 2016. In her speech, she urged the Pakistan officials to at least inform the family members of victims of enforced disappearances, if their loved ones were alive. She lashed out at Pakistan leaders Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif asking, "What about all those promises and responsibilities you owe to us? The least you can do is inform us if our loved ones are still alive." Notably, the protest was organised by Sammi Deen Baloch, daughter of Dr Deen Muhammad Baloch. Recalling her father's abduction, she said, "On June 28, 2009, at about 1 am, security personnel in plain clothes broke into the hospital where he was working. They beat, blindfolded, and hand-cuffed him and threw him into a military vehicle and took him away. Since then, nothing is known about his whereabouts." For the past several years, the issue of forced abduction and disappearance in Pakistan has remained a problem. At the beginning of 2023, the monthly report of Paank, the Human Rights Department of (Baloch National Movement) BNM stated that Pakistani forces forcibly disappeared 41 people from Balochistan, including 18 students and a journalist. While 14 forced missing persons were released from the torture cells of the Pakistan army after severe physical and mental torture. The district profile of 41 people suggests that the majority of disappearances occurred in the districts of Kech-11; followed by Quetta-7 and Noshki-5, the Afghan Diaspora reported. According to Paank, in the months of December 2022 and January 2023, the cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances significantly increased in Balochistan. The report further states that the current trend of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, along with the inhuman and cruel use of torture, is a slap on the international community and guardian of human rights all over the world, the Afghan Diaspora reported. Balochistan's disputes with Pakistan date back seven decades after being denied a fair part of the province's natural resources and a series of military operations. According to Baloch nationalists, the province was militarily taken in March 1948, against the desire of the population. Balochistan's rising ethnonationalism resulted in insurgencies in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The continuing war in Balochistan erupted under Pakistan's military ruler Pervez Musharraf, with the 2006 assassination of nationalist leader Akbar Bugti igniting the most wave of Baloch resistance. As reported by the Afghan Diaspora, amongst various issues of resource exploitation; marginalization of Baloch people; absence of freedom, etc, the malice of enforced disappearances, covertly sponsored by the Pakistani state and military have been of serious concern. For the past 20 years, the people of Balochistan have experienced enforced disappearances. The international community must take action to hold Pakistan accountable and to ensure the protection of human rights for all. The UN and other international organizations must work to monitor and investigate these cases, and to provide support and assistance to the victims of torture, and their families, the Afghan Diaspora stated. Enforced disappearances rose when the then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government to form his authoritarian regime in 1999. Thousands of people from all age groups started to disappear in Balochistan. In March 2011, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED) was formed to work on the issue. According to figures released by COIOED in July 2022, a total of 8,696 cases of missing persons have been reported. While 6,513 of these cases have been solved, 2,219 are still pending, the Afghan Diaspora reported. (ANI)
An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will be published on Saturday, calling on young officials to grow into people capable of shouldering the mission of the times.

The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's 13th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

The article urges young officials to become people who remain loyal and worthy of the trust of the Party and the people.

The healthy growth of young officials has a bearing on the cause of the Party and the people, which must be carried forward by future generations, says the article, urging young officials to be loyal to the Party and dedicated to the cause of the Party and the people.

The article stresses the importance of firming up the faith in Marxism and striving for the great ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The article warns young officials to guard against corruption and moral decline, noting that corruption is the most serious problem, easily leading to subversion of political power.

It is important for young officials to foster the right view on performance evaluation, it stresses.

"Communists must bear in mind that benefiting the people is their greatest political achievement," the article says.

Party officials must be pragmatic and down-to-earth. They must resolutely put an end to practices such as making big statements instead of taking concrete measures, it adds.

Young officials must make themselves competent and well-versed in genuine skills, and integrate theory with practice, paying special attention to gaining true knowledge and building capabilities through practice, the article notes.

Stressing the need to enhance a strong sense of responsibility and a fighting spirit, the article says Party officials, especially leading officials, should meet difficulties head-on and take proactive steps in the face of risks.

"Only by exhibiting courage and ability to fight, can we win dignity and initiative, and effectively safeguard the country's sovereignty, security and development interests," it says.

The article asks officials to improve both their approach and ability in connecting and working with the people.

Leading officials should better study, understand and use the internet, surf the internet often, understand what is on the people's minds and their aspirations, pool good ideas and suggestions, and actively respond to the concerns of internet users by resolving their doubts, it says.
India and Pakistan on Saturday exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. Under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1. "India has shared lists of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed to be Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed to be Indian," read MEA's official release. It added that the Government of India has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody. "In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 254 Indian fishermen and 04 Indian civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 12 fishermen and 14 civilian prisoners in Pakistan's custody, who are believed to be Indian. Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed to be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India," said the official release. India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 62 believed to be Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan. Since 2014, as a result of sustained efforts by the Government, as many as 2,559 Indian fishermen and 63 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan. This includes 398 Indian fishermen and 05 Indian civilian prisoners who were repatriated from Pakistan this year, so far, the MEA release added. (ANI)
Issues like maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, and India's security were also discussed during the visit, and the two sides reaffirmed their commitments towards their respective territories.

During his visit, Aramane called on the Chairman of the State Administrative Council, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in Nay Pyi Taw. He also called on the Defence Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo and held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy, Admiral Moe Aung and Chief of Defence Industries Lt Gen Khan Myint Than.

The visit came as an opportunity for the Defence secretary to raise matters pertaining to India's security interests with the senior leadership of Myanmar.

During the meetings, the two sides discussed issues related to the maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.

India shares an approximately 1,700-km-long border with Myanmar. Any developments in that country have a direct impact on India's bordering regions.

Peace and stability in Myanmar and the well-being of its people, therefore, remain of utmost importance to India, the ministry stated. (ANI)
Families inside and outside of China are still dealing with the trauma from the first Covid wave even though China has declared the second wave to be over, US-based broadcaster, NBC News reported. With cases peaking in the days before Christmas, China's population was suddenly exposed to coronavirus when the government abruptly lifted "zero-Covid" restrictions in December. After three years of sporadic illnesses, everyone suddenly began to contract Covid. NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. It is headquartered in New York. Less than 122,000 Covid-related deaths have been documented in China among its 1.4 billion people, according to the World Health Organisation. The majority of these deaths have occurred in the two months since the government lifted its zero-Covid restrictions on December 7 in response to unusually large-scale upheaval. Comparatively speaking, the United States, with a population of around 330 million, reported more than 1.1 million Covid deaths, reported NBC News. The Asia digital editor of NBC News, Jennifer Jett in her article said that a woman who lives in the US, Christmas Eve was interrupted by the news that her mother -- who, along with her father, had been stranded in China since the start of the pandemic -- had tested positive for Covid. She lost her mother, who was 87, in a hospital in a city in northern China. The woman, who asked for anonymity out of concern for herself and her relatives inside and outside of China, described the experience as "totally surreal." The Chinese government has imprisoned or repressed critics of its approach to the coronavirus, and the international backlash against China's handling of Covid has harmed its relations with the United States and other nations, Jennifer Jett writes for NBC News. Though her mother's death came at the height of China's worst outbreak of the pandemic, it does not appear to have been counted as being related to Covid. The woman's parents had been residing in both China and the United States on a permanent basis for many years. In early 2020, shortly after the virus was discovered for the first time in the city of Wuhan, they travelled to northern China just before the Lunar New Year break. They made the decision to stay put out of concern for travelling before immunisations were available and later learned that the Chinese vaccinations they had gotten had been ineffective. She died about 16 hours after the positive rapid test. "She never opened her eyes to see us," her daughter said. "She didn't say anything to us," according to NBC News. Time and again, Chinese social media users have questioned the official statistics, citing an increase in the number of obituaries for well-known academics and a string of reported celebrity deaths. Although the causes of death for such well-known people were rarely disclosed, the timing and personal experiences led to widespread concerns. (ANI)
French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to postpone his state visit to Germany due to intense protests in France which erupted after the fatal police shooting of a teenager that has shocked the whole nation. The spokesperson for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said President Macron has asked that a planned state visit to Germany be moved to another date, DW News reported. According to Steinmeier's office, Macron asked for the postponement of his trip during a telephone conversation with the German counterpart on Saturday. "Steinmeier regrets the cancellation and has the fullest understanding in view of the situation in our neighbouring country," his office said. The visit would be rescheduled as soon as possible, the German president's office said, DW News reported. Macron was supposed to arrive in Germany on Sunday and visit the cities of Ludwigsburg, Berlin and Dresden on Monday and Tuesday respectively. Prior to this, a state visit to France by Britain's King Charles III was postponed as the nation dealt with unrest over President Macron's decision to raise the retirement age, DW News reported. Notably, President Macron faced outrage for attending an Elton John concert on Wednesday, at a time when unrest was brewing over the country, CNN reported. Meanwhile, over 1300 people have been arrested following the violence that has been going on the fourth day of unrest. France's Interior Ministry said Saturday that 1,311 people had been detained following the fourth night of violence, an update on its previous figure. It said 2,560 fires had been reported on public roads, with 1,350 cars burned, and that there had been 234 incidents of damage or fire in buildings, CNN reported. Seventy-nine police and gendarmes were injured over the course of Friday night and there were 58 attacks on police and gendarme stations, the Ministry added. Two police officers suffered gunshot wounds in Vaulx-en-Velin, a suburb of Lyon, the Interior Ministry said, one to the nose and the other to the thigh, CNN reported. These developments take place after the death of the teenager, 17, identified as Nal after being stopped for a traffic violation in the Paris suburb town of Nanterre on Tuesday. The officer who is accused of shooting him was taken to jail. Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the driver's side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger, according to CNN. The officer has said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache. The officer currently faces a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention. On Friday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the "exceptional" mobilization of 45,000 police and gendarmes to avoid a fourth consecutive night of riots, CNN reported. Amid burning debris, "vengeance pour Nael" which translates to "revenge for Nael" appeared to be spray painted on a wall in Nanterre with regards to the slain teenager and using an alternative spelling of his name, the report said. A bank was set on fire in Nanterre and 15 people were taken in by police for questioning after a march was carried out in memory of the teenager became violent. Protesters threw fireworks at police officers in Marseille, CNN reported citing BFMTV. Six people were taken by police for questioning after they took part in a protest barred by authorities in Lille, the regional authority in a Facebook post, CNN reported. (ANI)
Amid rising instances of drug abuse among the youth of Pakistan, the role of law enforcement agencies are being called to question for not being up to the task, reported The News International. According to the Pakistan-based media publication, reports of increased juvenile drug abuse seem to indicate that the police, the Anti-Narcotics Force, and the Excise, Taxation, and Anti-Narcotics Departments are not performing their duties well. Law enforcement officers have been criticising their coworkers, blaming them for different acts of laziness and neglect of duty. Numerous drug addicts can be observed injecting drugs at some of the busiest thoroughfares, parks, markets, and roadside locations in Pakistan's major cities, which gives an indication of the severity of the crisis. Virtual hubs for the drug trade and addiction have emerged in cities like Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Quetta, Hyderabad, Sheikhupura, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sialkot, and Jhelum, reported The News International. There are questions on how such massive amounts of drugs are being smuggled into Pakistan and distributed throughout the country, reports stated. Some law enforcement officers are openly making dubious statements in connection with their efforts to deal with drug dealers as the illegal trade develops across the nation. However, instead of energising action against drug dealers, there is a greater emphasis on blaming others for their failings. According to a top Peshawar-based police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "The ANF's main duty is to apprehend drug dealers of significant scale. However, he notes that "many smaller communities and most large cities are overrun with drug users. Is it not obvious that the ANF is failing to carry out its responsibilities effectively? It is not keeping up. And to top it off, it wants the cops to take up its responsibilities", reported The News International. However, the joint director of the ANF, Ehsan-ul Haq, has a different viewpoint. Speaking to The News on Sunday, he said: "It is incorrect to imply that operations against drug traffickers are carried out solely by the ANF. Instead, the police, ANF, and Excise Department are all jointly responsible for it. According to him, the emphasis of these forces varies depending on their size and type of duty." He said the ANF is understaffed and underfunded in comparison to the police Apparently, drug abuse is taking a heavy toll on the youth in Pakistan, especially students, and fuelling a life of addiction and crime. The drug problem in Pakistan is getting extremely serious, with drug usage being on the rise with every passing day. Moreover, there are very few treatment options for drug abusers in Pakistan. (ANI)
The war crimes committed by Pakistan against the Bengalis, especially Hindus in what was then East Pakistan, amount to no less than genocide and the perpetrators should be brought to justice, Gatestone Institute, a think tank, said in a report. Citing the 'Hindu American Foundation', it stated that the Pakistan conflict in the East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) region led to the massacre of an estimated three million East Pakistani citizens, the ethnic cleansing of 10 million ethnic Bengalis who fled to India, and the rape of at least 2,00,000 women; while some estimates put the number of rape victims at closer to 400,000. Notably, Hindus were the targets of this violence, as documented by official government correspondence and documents from the United States, Pakistan, and India, it noted. Due to the Pakistan military's conflation of Hindu, Bengali, and Indian identities, all Bengalis were the suspects in their eyes and were treated as one and the same. This conflict also affected the Bengali Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and other religious groups. By the end of the first month in March 1971, 1.5 million Bengalis were displaced. By November 1971, 10 million Bengalis, the majority of whom were Hindu, had fled to India, the think tank cited Hindu American Foundation, it noted. Rudolph Joseph Rummel (1932-2014), the leading American scholar of genocides, rightly stated that the amount of hate among the Western Pakistanis and their fundamentalist Muslim collaborators was so high that, for them 'the Hindus among the Bengalis were as Jews to the Nazis: scum and vermin that should best be exterminated.' Stichting BASUG (Bangladesh Support Group), a non-governmental organization has cited the estimates of the Bangladesh Government, according to which 3 million people were killed, over two-hundred thousand women were sexually and physically violated, and 10 million people were forced to cross the border into India, leaving behind their ancestral homes and worldly possessions just to save their lives and dignity of their women. Over 20 million citizens were internally displaced in search of safety. Newspapers, magazines and publications which are available in libraries and archives all around the world bear testimony to this fact. "Although this genocide took place after the Turkish genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks (1913-1923), and after the German genocide of the Jews (1938-1945), it was no less deadly," the think tank stated. It also cited the letter to the UN, stating, "We must recall that the 1971 GENOCIDE in Bangladesh conceived by the Pakistani authorities, planned and perpetrated by the Pakistani military aided by their Bihari and Bengali collaborators is one of the world's gravest mass atrocities witnessed after the Second World War." The genocide began on March 25, 1971, after the Pakistan government launched Operation Searchlight began a military crackdown on Bangladesh to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination. The genocide against the ethnic Bengali and Hindu religious communities lasted for 10 months This led to the 10-month Bangladesh liberation war and later a 13-day India-Pakistan war. Both ended on December 16, 1971, with Pakistan's humiliating surrender. The recent letter from Stichting BASUG to the UN secretary-general demanded "the 'International Recognition of the 1971 GENOCIDE' committed against the Bengali nation by the Pakistani occupation army and their collaborators during Bangladesh War of Independence," the think tank stated. Dr Rounaq Jahan, a Bangladeshi political scientist, while detailing the persecution of people in what was then East Pakistan, stated that the Bengalis had to defend not just their language, but also their culture, art and literature as Pakistan, all these were too 'Hindu leaning'. "The Bengalis had to defend not only the right to practice their own language, but other creative expressions of their culture such as literature, music, dance, and art. The Pakistani ruling elites looked upon Bengali language and culture as too 'Hindu leaning' and made repeated attempts to 'cleanse' it from Hindu influence. First, in the 1950s, attempts were made to force Bengalis to substitute Bengali words with Arabic and Urdu words. Then, in the 1960s, state-controlled media such as television and radio banned songs written by Rabindra Nath Tagore, a Bengali Hindu, who won the Nobel Prize in 1913 and whose poetry and songs were equally beloved by Bengali Hindus and Muslims. The attacks on their language and culture as 'Hindu leaning' alienated the Bengalis from the state-sponsored Islamic ideology of Pakistan, and as a result the Bengalis started emphasizing a more secular ideology and outlook," the think stated quoted the political scientist as saying. It added, "The Bengali nationalist movement was also fuelled by a sense of economic exploitation. Though jute, the major export-earning commodity, was produced in East Pakistan, most of the economic investments took place in West Pakistan. A systematic transfer of resources took place from East to West Pakistan, creating a growing economic disparity and a feeling among the Bengalis that they were being treated as a colony by Pakistan." According to the Hindu American Foundation, Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan was a culmination of several longstanding factors, including linguistic and cultural repression, economic marginalization, political disenfranchisement, and a quest for greater provincial autonomy. The Pakistani military and civilian elite sought to create a cohesive polity unified by Islam and the Urdu language. In the process, they suppressed the Bengali culture and language, which they thought was too close to Hinduism and hence, a threat to their conception of an Islamic nation. Once the Bangladesh independence movement was launched in 1971, it was met with a brutal genocidal campaign by the Pakistani army and local Islamist militias The think tank further cited Kimtee Kundu from Harvard International Review, who writes about the motives of the perpetrators of this genocide, stated that Pakistan aimed at the enforcement of Islamic unification of the west and east, when Pakistan was predominantly an Islamic, Urdu-speaking region, while Bangladesh was both a Hindu and Islamic, Bangla speaking region "Started as a mission to maintain autocratic Pakistani governance over the self-determination driven Bangladeshis, the operation intended to capture activists, intellectuals, and troopers. However, they were not the only victims. The humanitarian crisis broke loose as millions of civilians endured the violent realities of displacement, financial instability, trauma, and death," the think tank quoted Kundu as saying. It added, "Pakistan's leaders also aimed to enforce Islamic unification of the West and the East. Due to differences between Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, intolerance spread from a multitude of aspects. Pakistan was predominantly an Islamic, Urdu-speaking region; meanwhile, Bangladesh was both a Hindu and Islamic, Bangla-speaking region. As the Pakistani leaders, or the then Muslim League, determined, these apparent differences made Bangladeshis undesirable and inferior, especially given the Pakistani agenda to create an Islamic nation. Consequently, the Bangla language--which relates more to Hinduism and Sanskrit--was deemed undesirable, and those who were Hindu were the primary targets. Fearing the dangers of war, over 10 million Bangladeshis fled." Massimo Introvigne, a prominent sociologist of religions, even said that one of the major goals of the Pakistanis and their collaborators in 1971 was to "exterminate the Hindu community by killing all males". "The roots of the ideology considering the Eastern Pakistanis 'inferior' or 'bad' Muslim was... the accusation that they were 'crypto-Hindus,' and had included in their religious practices Hindu elements that had tainted their faith," the think tank quoted Introvigne," he said. Two third of the eight million refugees who escaped out of East Pakistan happened to be Hindus. A disproportionate number of Hindus were killed that year. In 1971, Hindus were some 20 per cent of East Pakistan's population, yet it was estimated that they might have been 50 per cent of those killed, the think tank stated. Rudolph Joseph Rummel, who compared this to the genocide of Jews by the Nazis, said that the major parallel between the two genocides is that the Western Pakistani army compelled the Hindus in then East Pakistan to have a yellow 'H' painted on their homes, to differentiate them. "The parallel with the Nazi persecution of Jews is made even more appropriate by the fact that the Western Pakistani army compelled Hindus to have a yellow 'H' painted on their homes, thus designating those who lived there as targets for extermination. Hindu women, however, in most cases were not killed but massively raped, forced into prostitution, or forcibly married to Western Pakistani soldiers and local collaborator militiamen, just as it happened to their Muslim Bengali counterparts," the think tank quoted Rummelm as saying. "Academic research and scholarship related to the study of genocide have largely recognized the historical event of 1971 as GENOCIDE," according to the Stichting BASUG's letter to the UN. "The recent issuance of a statement by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) recognizes the Genocide and calls for action by world bodies. The world body of Genocide scholarship is fully convinced of the fact that documentation available on Bangladesh Genocide in 1971 is quite adequate for recognition by the UN and countries across the globe," the letter stated. It added, "New generations across the world must know what happened in Bangladesh in 1971. We must learn from atrocities in the past to prevent future ones to achieve the universal goal of 'Never again', which was the prime goal while enacting the UN Genocide Convention. Early recognition of the Bangladesh Genocide is crucial today to champion the cause of protecting human rights, practising what we preach, and preventing more genocides to happen in the future while holding perpetrators accountable for the crime they committed". Stichting BASUG further demanded the recognition of the genocide so that justice can be provided to the victims of the atrocities and bring the perpetrators to justice. "Therefore, we strongly demand that the 1971 GENOCIDE be recognized to give justice to the victims of the atrocities and bring the perpetrators to justice. We also call upon the United Nations General Assembly and other international entities to formally recognize the Bangladesh GENOCIDE of 1971 - one of the darkest yet most overlooked chapters in human history. We believe that only through confronting the past with sincerity and truth, rising above narrow political interests, we can acknowledge our shared humanity and join hands for a safer, peaceful world," the letter stated. Gatestone Institute further called out for the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed by the Pakistani military against millions of people due to their ethnicity, religion, language and political views to be held accountable. (ANI)
PATERSON  Another 11 people allegedly connected to the 4th Wards UpTop street gang were charged with drug and weapons crimes this week, according to the Passaic County Prosecutors Office.

Those cases raise the total number of suspected UpTop members named in the ongoing joint federal and local investigation to 26. The United States Attorneys Office announced the first group of people charged in the case on Thursday.

The new suspects include one man charged with attempted murder in an October 2022 shooting in the area authorities identified as UpTops turf  the blocks bordered by Rosa Parks Boulevard and Carroll, Governor, and Harrison Streets.

Authorities seized 11 guns as part of the probe from March through June, the prosecutors office said. The announcement described the UpTop members as the primary drivers of violence within the 4th Ward.

Most of those arrested were apprehended in early morning raids on Thursday, according to authorities. During one of those early morning operations, the suspect allegedly threw an assault gun and 48 bullets out the window, according to the prosecutors office.

Three of the 26 accused gang members face both federal and state charges. Eight members of Up Top are in prison after being convicted of various drug crimes in a previous federal crackdown against the gang that culminated with arrests in April 2021.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 11 more suspected Paterson gang members charged in crackdown
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently launched a six-month campaign to promote employment for fresh college graduates and registered jobless youths.

During the economic downturn, the youth  normally those aged from 16 to 24  are bearing increasing pressure to land jobs, especially college graduates, whose population hit a new high of 11.58 million this year.

Their surveyed unemployment rate has been rising in the past few months and reached 20.8 percent in May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The NBS said that six million young people remain jobless.

Facing the tough task of promoting youth employment, the human resources ministry said that it will offer job-seeking guidance and supportive policies on entrepreneurship and skill training to unemployed fresh graduates and jobless youths in the next six months.

During the new campaign, the ministry will publish lists of employment services and recruitment channels until the end of this month to let the fresh graduates know where they can get these services. Also, the ministry will set up rosters of registered jobless youths and unemployed college graduates.

The ministry will offer one employment policy introduction, one career guidance, three job recommendations and one skills training or internship to these unemployed graduates and youths during the period.

Job fairs will be organized online and on-site. The ministry said it will improve job services to let youths get information or job-seeking guidance within a 15-minute walk.

Skills training programs on flexible jobs, and the advanced manufacturing and services industries will be available to jobless graduates and youths, and companies are encouraged to take youths and undergraduates as apprentices.

Mao Yufei, an associate professor of the School of Labor Economics of Capital University of Economics and Business, said there is a disparity between the increasing supply of college graduates and insufficient demand from employers.

"The nation is in a critical period of boosting companies' confidence and encouraging people to increase their consumption to relieve the economic downturn pressure, which intensifies the shortage of effective demand from employers," he said.

He added that the shortage of internships and practical experience poses greater challenges to graduates who need to switch their mindset from "student" to "employee" and deal with interpersonal relationships and the work environment.

According to a recent report by recruitment portal Zhaopin, industries including consultancy, the internet and real estate offered nearly 60 percent of the vacancies available on the platform as of May.

College graduates majoring in finance, law, accounting and computing, as well as management are favored by recruiters, said Zhaopin.

Mao, the associate professor, said that authorities can make full use of internship policies, which is an important way to relieve the current employment pressure in the short term.

"It's necessary to enhance project-based internships to improve youths' professional and digital skills, as well as 'soft skills', to meet market demands," he said.




After 11 moves, 3 kids and 3 tours, Navy Spouse of the Year hopes to serve as microphone for others

Thats the sound of freedom, Tonya Murphy shouted, looking to the sky as a fixed-wing Naval aircraft flew overhead.

A Navy wife of 20 years and counting, Murphy has embraced military life  the ups, the downs and the upside downs, Murphy said with a laugh.

Murphy was selected as the 2023 Navy Spouse of the Year by the Armed Forces Insurance program. Her husband, Cmdr. Scotty Murphy, serves as Submarine Squadron 6s Deputy for Readiness at Naval Station Norfolk.

I love getting to represent the base. But representing the entire Navy  there are so many phenomenal spouses out there that are doing absolutely amazing things. There are moments when I am like, What am I doing that is any more ahhhhh than what they are doing, Murphy said, mimicking an angelic chorus.

Murphy has supported her husband through 11 permanent changes of duty stations and three sea tours, which took their family of five twice to Norfolk and Connecticut, as well as to Guam and Naples, Italy.

The foundation for being a Navy spouse is being flexible things are written in sand and jello. You have to be able to deal with plans A and B and Y and Z, Murphy said.

Murphy was nominated by an Army spouse she met in Guam.

Tonya is a natural leader and connector of people, effortlessly advocating for causes and staying true to herself while growing professionally, managing her family, and bettering every room she enters. Her heart, personality, and spirit are one-of-a-kind. I have known Tonya for nearly two decades and wish that every military spouse could have a Tonya in their life, said Bana Miller in her nomination letter.

Murphy has served as a family readiness group officer, on a command support team, as a COMPASS mentor, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society volunteer, and been an advocate within the Military Child Education Coalition. Professionally, Murphy has worked at Blue Star Families as a member of their inaugural DEPLOY Fellowship class and is now working at Travis Manion Foundation, a veteran-focused nonprofit.

As the Navy Spouse of the Year, Tonya will attend town halls and speaking engagements across the country. Murphys goal while in this role, she said, is to advocate for equity across all areas of military life.

There are not a lot of Black officer spouses in the submarine force. It was not until my husbands executive officer tour  so 15 or 16 years in  that I was in a wardroom with another Black spouse. And it was so exciting, Murphy said.

When we look at our military forces, it is such a diverse group of people. And as such, we should make sure that the resources were offering, the answers were giving, and the connections were making, speaks to that diversity. Otherwise we are serving just a small portion of our community and kind of ignoring the rest, which then just leads to more of those feelings of being unseen, Murphy said.

Murphy is striving to raise awareness of how diverse military families are  from race, to culture, to socioeconomic status.

We all know the Facebook post from someone moving someplace new. They say, Hey, what is a good school, But I always ask what they mean by good because what you see as a good school may not be what I see as a good school, Murphy said.

In Murphys experience, most people respond that they are looking for schools in an affluent community, with little racial and socioeconomic diversity.

But for me, a good school is one where my kids are not the only in a class. I want them around kids with varied life experiences. I want to know they can see themselves reflected in the faculty, said Murphy, who shares three sons with her husband.

In advocating for equity, Murphy said it is important for spouses to maintain their authentic self throughout their partners military career.

In military life, it can feel like we are an afterthought. The service member is who the focus is, and the spouse and the children just the dependents, Murphy said with an eye roll. That can get hard, and I think thats where a lot of us spouses lose ourselves.

Step one in not losing yourself is having truthful conversations about your experiences, respecting the experiences of others, and rejecting toxic positivity, Murphy said.

As military spouses, we have this tendency to just paste a smile on and keep going. But you know what? Sometimes it sucks and thats okay. Sometimes you are going to cry and get angry and sometimes  because we are married to sailors, afterall  you are going to cuss it all out. But you have to acknowledge the hard to see the fullness of everyones experiences and hopefully fix the issues we struggle with, Murphy said.

Those issues, she said, are as diverse as military families, and vary according to the needs of each family. Murphy is working to expand her network to better connect military families with the resources they need.

Nobody creates growth and change alone. That is why it is so important to me that I use this not just as a platform for my passion, but as a microphone for others, so that everyone has the chance to share their stories, Murphy said.

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
Two teens were arrested and jailed for using their stolen vehicle to hit and kill an Indiana State Police trooper during a pursuit.

>> TRENDING: Man accused of killing 5 people in Texas indicted on capital murder charge

The Indiana State Police mourned the loss of one of its own Thursday night after a crash on Ronald Reagan Parkway, north of Interstate 70, claimed the life of Aaron N. Smith, 33, of Franklin, Indiana. Smith served the Indiana State Police for nearly five years.

An investigation by the Indiana State Police found that, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Smith was assisting other troopers on Ronald Reagan Parkway with a pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Smith attempted to de-escalate and halt the pursuit by deploying stop sticks. However, he was struck by the suspect vehicle and critically injured.

Medics performed emergency medical care at the scene, then rushed him to Eskenazi Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital and died.

Smith was survived by his wife.

This is a tremendously sad day for the entire Indiana State Police family. We will band together as we always do in support of Trooper Smiths family, friends, and co-workers, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter said.

Two individuals were later arrested and incarcerated in the Hendricks County Jail in connection with the crash.

Eddie P. Jones, Jr.,18, of Sikeston, Missouri, was driving the stolen vehicle, identified as a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse.

He was charged with Murder, a Level 1 Felony.

DeMareon L. Curry, 19, of Sikeston, Missouri, was the passenger during the crash.

He was charged with Auto Theft, a Level 5 Felony.

A 15-year-old female, who was listed as a missing person from Missouri, was turned over to authorities from that state. Authorities did not explain how she was involved in the incident.

She was not charged for the incident.

The Hendricks County Prosecutor was expected to make the final determination of these preliminary charges as the investigation moved forward. Additional criminal charges may come with more evidence presented to the prosecutors office.




A 1-year-old child was critically injured and three youths were taken to the hospital after a crash Friday evening in Kansas City at 70th Street and Walrond Avenue, according to police.

Police officers responded to the crash around 5:30 p.m., the department said in a written statement. Investigators found that a GMC Yukon SUV was being driven east on 70th Street and its driver failed to stop for a stop sign at Walrond Avenue.

The SUV was struck by a Ford van and overturned, police said. The 1-year-old child was unrestrained in the SUV, according to police, and was thrown from the vehicle.

The child was taken to the hospital in critical condition and remained in that state as of Friday evening.

Three other minors, whose ages were not immediately disclosed by police, were also taken to the hospital. They were listed in stable condition.

Police said the drivers of both vehicles were uninjured.

Kansas City police continued to investigate the crash on Friday night.
As several state legislative sessions have concluded or are drawing to a close, some of the high-profile legislation enacted by state lawmakers is just taking effect.

Many states saw particularly polarizing sessions, with Democrats and Republican state lawmakers moving in opposite directions on abortion- and LGBTQ-related legislation.

Several GOP-led states moved to advance restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care, while also tackling controversial issues such as child labor, guns and immigration.

Here are some of the laws that took effect Saturday.

LGBTQ-related legislation

South Dakota

The prescription and administration of puberty-blocking hormones to transgender minors are now blocked in South Dakota, along with sex hormones and gender transition surgery.

Health care providers who violate the new law risk civil suits and losing their professional or occupational licenses.

Georgia

Medical professionals in Georgia are prohibited from providing patients under the age of 18 with hormone therapy or surgery related to gender transition, and a violation of the law may result in the health practitioners license being revoked.

Several families, backed by advocacy groups, filed a lawsuit Thursday against the ban.

Tennessee

A federal judge allowed Tennessees ban on gender transition surgical procedures to take effect Saturday, but has temporarily blocked the enforcement of its ban on other gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapies and puberty blockers.

The new law specifies that minors who receive care cannot be held liable, but lawsuits could be brought against a minors parents if the parent of the minor consented to the conduct that constituted the violation on behalf of the minor.

Florida

Teachers, faculty and students in Florida are now restricted from using pronouns of their choice in public schools under a new law. The legislation requires K-12 public schools to define sex as an immutable biological trait, and says it is false to use a pronoun other than the sex on a persons birth certification.

Another provision in the law affirms that sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be taught in schools through eighth grade, codifying a state Board of Education decision to block such topics in all K-12 schools in April.

Floridas ban on transgender people from using a government buildings bathroom or changing room that matches their gender identity has also taken effect. The bathroom ban applies in places such as public schools, prisons and state universities.

Abortion restrictions

North Carolina

A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for North Carolinas 12-week ban on most abortions to take effect Saturday. The law provides exceptions in the case of rape or incest through 20 weeks of pregnancy or in the event of a life-limiting anomaly through 24 weeks.

The law also prohibits health care providers who object to abortion on moral, ethical, or religious grounds from being required to participate in abortion procedures.

The judge, however, temporarily halted a provision of the bill, which required doctors to document the location of early pregnancies with ultrasound evidence before prescribing a medication abortion.

Wyoming

The nations first ban on medication abortion was set to take effect in Wyoming Saturday, but a district judge blocked the measure last week while legal challenges play out.

Other laws

Iowa

Teenagers in Iowa can now work longer hours with those 16 and older permitted to work the same hours as an adult  provisions that were part of a child labor bill passed in May. The state also no longer requires work permits for minors.

Florida

Two other highly criticized bills took effect in Florida.

One requires private employers with 25 or more employees to check their immigration status in a federal database or risk their employer licenses being suspended.

The other will allow Florida residents to carry a concealed weapon in public without a government-issued permit.

CNNs Sydney Kashiwagi, Maxime Tamsett, Pamela Kirkland, Jack Forrest, Jamiel Lynch, Steve Contorno, Dianne Gallagher, Elisabeth Buchwald, Carlos Suarez and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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How admissions at the University of Utah really work

Students walk on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

December is crunch time for admissions at the University of Utah.

Once the Dec. 1 early action deadline passes, some 50 application readers  full-time staff and seasonal workers  have approximately five weeks to review and process thousands of applications in time to get prospective first-year students acceptance letters in the mail by Jan. 15.

Its intense.

Its also nothing like what you may think after reading coverage of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision this week in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The courts ruling questioned 40 years of higher education leaders efforts to make Americas college campuses look more like the communities around them. But at Utahs flagship university, perception is not reality.

At the University of Utah, we do not consider race or ethnicity in admissions. We do, however, actively work with high schools, community-based organizations and other civic groups to attract historically underrepresented domestic minority groups. Through this outreach we have been able to create an environment where exceptional students from differing cultures, geographies, ages, faith traditions, viewpoints and experiences feel welcome and thrive.

How do we do that without checked boxes and quotas? Admissions director John Marfield will tell you its both art and science.

We select students we think will succeed in a rigorous academic environment, he says. Our applicant pool is competitive. If our applicant pool wasnt really strong, we wouldnt admit as many students.

Related

Each year, the process kicks into high gear in August, when prospective students start their journey to the university by filling out the Common App, a simple, standardized application used by colleges and universities across the country. It includes GPA and transcripts, optional ACT or SAT test scores. And yes, theres a box to check for race and ethnicity.

Those are the simple steps. Many colleges and departments have unique application requirements: The Honors College and David Eccles School of Business expect a personal essay. Engineering requires an analysis of advanced math and science courses. Applicants to fine arts programs like theater or music performance must complete an audition.

Each piece of an application is carefully considered as our application readers review each students academic record and life experiences. Primary factors like GPA and course rigor are the first threshold an application must pass. Secondary factors  including optional test scores, student involvement and extracurricular activities  can push an application teetering on the edge into the yes pile.

President Taylor Randall speaks during the University of Utahs commencement in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 4, 2023. With 8,723 graduates, it is the largest group of graduates in the schools history. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Related

Three years ago, 15,000 would-be students applied to the University of Utah. This year, 22,000 students completed their applications. Over the course of the year, an application reader will review 600 to 800 applications. And, as Marfield says, a new class of incoming college students is selected, college by college, department by department, person by person.

We expect our applications to increase and diversify dramatically in coming years as Utah transitions to what the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has termed the New Utah.

The New Utah includes several revealing characteristics. Utah is now a midsized, multicultural state for the first time in state history. This growth and change is fueled by in-migration. Last year Utah experienced a record level of net in-migration. For the past two years Utah has gained more population from the outside than from ourselves. Importantly, since 2011 Utahs economy has performed at an elite level enabling Utahns to pay for current needs and invest in the future.

This is the New Utah.

The university fully embraces its role in supporting, serving and guiding the New Utah. We seek to become a top-10 public university with unsurpassed societal impact. That means making the promise of higher education  higher lifelong earnings, improved well-being and boundless opportunity  available to every Utahn. That is the role of a great American university.

I encourage Utahns to remember three things when they think of the University of Utah and the Supreme Courts recent college admissions decision:

First, when it comes to admissions, the U. focuses on a persons ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment. Our acceptance process is the same for all participants.

Second, we actively reach out to historically under-represented minority groups to help them realize the promise of higher education and to help the Utah economy thrive. And third, the economic and demographic forces of the New Utah create extraordinary opportunities for Utah to value all communities and focus on the well-being of every Utahn.

We are committed to amplify the New Utah.

Taylor Randall was selected as the 17th president of the University of Utah in August 2021.
In May, a group of preschoolers gave lawmakers testimony written in Crayon. Along with dozens of adults, they were urging lawmakers to invest millions of dollars in expanding access to affordable child care.

Their legislative efforts helped pass a budget with $15 million to expand the child care workforce and an additional $45.5 million that increases eligibility for child care assistance to families and reimbursements to providers. On Thursday, some of their artwork, now a mural in downtown Concord, was a backdrop as lawmakers and advocates celebrated their victories.

Sens. Denise Ricciardi, a Bedford Republican, and Becky Whitley, a Hopkinton Democrat, celebrated the Legislatures $60.5 million investment for child care and families. Behind them is a mural of some of the artwork preschoolers gave lawmakers in support of the funding.

Sen. Becky Whitley, a Hopkinton Democrat and prime sponsor of the legislation behind the $60.5 million, noted that the state is one of fewer than 10 that does not fund pre-K. Others said there must be an effort to ensure there is access to more affordable, quality child care in all parts of the state.

Whitley said more than 40 child care centers have closed in New Hampshire in the last few years, eliminating 1,500 spots for children. She said that when parents are forced to leave jobs because they have no child care, they and the state suffer.

The child care crisis isnt an individual problem for families to solve, she said. Its an economic one that requires us all to come to the table for a solution.

The $15 million for child care is aimed at recruiting and retaining child care workers. Employers would be able to spend on training and education costs, paid time off for employees, and health coverage. Separate legislation added $6.5 million to the budget for women and new families on Medicaid.

That legislation, dubbed the MOMnibus bill provides Medicaid coverage for donated breast milk, lactation services, and doula care during and after delivery.

Preschoolers delivered nearly 1,500 handwritten letters to lawmakers in May, asking them to support more funding for child care.

Sen. Denise Ricciardi of Bedford was the only Republican to join Whitley in sponsoring the MOMnibus bill.

When I came to the New Hampshire Senate, for me it was about doing the best that we can, not about political party, Ricciardi said. Its about thinking of all families across New Hampshire and doing whats best for them.

Asked how she got other Senate Republicans on board, Ricciardi said, Ive been labeled tenacious. It was a lot of conversations and a lot of work. She said she intends to continue pushing for more support for families next year.

Who knows, maybe well have a MOMnibus Two next time, she said.

Caitlin Loving, a mother of two from Manchester, shared her experience trying to get her infant son into the same child care center that her daughter was attending. The center had no openings, she said, because of staff shortages.

Loving and her husband hired a nanny at what she said was four times the cost of their daughters child care.

I would be lying if I didnt say that the price tag made me catch my breath, Loving said. Every week I thought of parents who would not have been able to incorporate this expense, even for the short term.

She applauded this years investments but said its critical for lawmakers to understand the impacts of limited child care and to prioritize solutions.

This has to be just the beginning, she said. We need to continue to support parents if we want the state to thrive in terms of economics and communities. Parents cannot work if they do not have reliable child care. Businesses and municipalities cannot function without working parents. The social and economic costs are too high to ignore. Child care is a crucial infrastructure.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Advocates celebrate budgets $60.5 million for child care  as a start
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

In the past year, the Supreme Court has overturned the nationwide right to abortion, decimated affirmative action, and narrowed the separation between church and state. Now, its poised to rule on a federal law preventing people accused of domestic violence from owning firearms. And advocates are concerned.

The case, United States v. Rahimi, revolves around a Texas man named Zackey Rahimi whose girlfriend accused him of assaulting her and threatening to shoot her if she told anyone. The girlfriend filed for a restraining order, triggering a 1994 lawoften referred to as the protection order prohibitorthat bars anyone under a domestic violence restraining order from owning a firearm.

But Rahimi appeared to take no notice, allegedly participating in five shootings around the Arlington, Texas area between December 2020 and January 2021. In one instance, he allegedly fired several shots into the home of someone to whom he had sold narcotics; in another, he was accused of shooting at the car of someone with whom he was involved in an accident. Later that year, he was arrested and sentenced to more than six years in prison, in part for violating the protection order prohibitor.

Last year, Rahimi appealed his case to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned his conviction, claiming the 1994 law was an unconstitutional restriction on the right to bear arms. The Department of Justice appealed, and on Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.

That decision has domestic violence advocates on edge. Statistics show that women are most likely to be killed by an intimate partner, and that their intimate partners are most likely to kill them with a gun. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, an abuser having access to guns makes it ten times more likely the victim will be killed.

Not only that, but research shows that violence often escalates in the period after a victim files for a restraining order, which is often the first time they have sought help outside the relationship. Because domestic violence is about power and control, any time that there is a challenge to that control, you see an escalation of that violence, said Natalie Nanasi, a professor at the Southern Methodist University School of Law who specializes in crimes against women.

Young Mom Gunned Down in NYC Made Multiple Domestic Violence Complaints

The NNEDV condemned the Fifth Circuits decision to overturn the law in February, saying in a statement that the decision was devoid of the lived experiences and understanding of survivors reality.

While some survivors may not wish to or be able to seek a conviction, an order of protection can be another tool for increasing survivor safety, President and CEO Deborah J. Vagins said.

Nanasi noted that many states have similar protections on a local level, but said some may vote to remove them if the court overturns the protection order prohibitor. Victims in states without such protections would be left relatively defenseless. The fear is that you have more angry abusers with guns, she said. And that usually doesnt turn out well.

Amy J. Sanchez, CEO of the Battered Womens Justice Project, said the federal law adds an additional layer of protection that state laws do not: adding people under domestic violence restraining orders to the national background check database. Without this law, she said, there would be no requirement for states to update the database with this information.

Sanchez pointed to the infamous D.C. sniper case, in which a pair of men killed seven people and injured seven others in the Washington, D.C. area over the course of six months. When police caught up to the snipers, they did not have enough evidence to arrest them for the murders. Instead, they arrested one of the shooters, John Allen Muhammad, for possessing weapons while subject to a domestic violence restraining order. If we didnt have that law he would have continued doing that, Sanchez said. That law saved lives that day.

The Fifth Circuit decision at issue was based on a ruling by the Supreme Court last year, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, which stated that restrictions on firearms are unconstitutional unless there is a clear analogue to be found in 18th or 19th century law. To defend such a law, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with this nations historical tradition of firearm regulation.

But experts said this test breaks down in the context of domestic violence protections, few of which existed in the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, Nasani said, women couldn't vote, women weren't working outside the home  and the idea of beating your wife was not something that was considered a bad thing, much less a crime.

This is really a paradigmatic case that shows how unworkable this Bruen standard is, she added.

Still, Nasani said the speed with which the court agreed to take up the case made her cautiously optimistic. As Ian Milhiser pointed out in Vox, Justice Amy Coney Barrett has argued that we should allow dangerous people to be barred from having guns, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh has previously accepted firearms bans on people with severe mental illnesses.

My hope is that the Supreme Court wants to use the Rahimi case as an opportunity to clarify a bit further what the analysis under Bruen should be, Nasani said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Photo: University of Alberta

Rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has spurred some leading voices in the field to call for a research pause, raise the possibility of AI-driven human extinction, and even ask for government regulation. At the heart of their concern is the idea AI might become so powerful we lose control of it.



But have we missed a more fundamental problem?

Read more

Ultimately, AI systems should help humans make better, more accurate decisions. Yet even the most impressive and flexible of todays AI tools  such as the large language models behind the likes of ChatGPT  can have the opposite effect.

Why? They have two crucial weaknesses. They do not help decision-makers understand causation or uncertainty. And they create incentives to collect huge amounts of data and may encourage a lax attitude to privacy, legal and ethical questions and risks.

Cause, effect and confidence

ChatGPT and other foundation models use an approach called deep learning to trawl through enormous datasets and identify associations between factors contained in that data, such as the patterns of language or links between images and descriptions. Consequently, they are great at interpolating  that is, predicting or filling in the gaps between known values.

Interpolation is not the same as creation. It does not generate knowledge, nor the insights necessary for decision-makers operating in complex environments.

However, these approaches require huge amounts of data. As a result, they encourage organisations to assemble enormous repositories of data  or trawl through existing datasets collected for other purposes. Dealing with big data brings considerable risks around security, privacy, legality and ethics.

In low-stakes situations, predictions based on what the data suggest will happen can be incredibly useful. But when the stakes are higher, there are two more questions we need to answer.

The first is about how the world works: what is driving this outcome? The second is about our knowledge of the world: how confident are we about this?

From big data to useful information

Perhaps surprisingly, AI systems designed to infer causal relationships dont need big data. Instead, they need useful information. The usefulness of the information depends on the question at hand, the decisions we face, and the value we attach to the consequences of those decisions.

To paraphrase the US statistician and writer Nate Silver, the amount of truth is approximately constant irrespective of the volume of data we collect.

So, what is the solution? The process starts with developing AI techniques that tell us what we genuinely dont know, rather than producing variations of existing knowledge.

Why? Because this helps us identify and acquire the minimum amount of valuable information, in a sequence that will enable us to disentangle causes and effects.

A robot on the Moon

Such knowledge-building AI systems exist already.

As a simple example, consider a robot sent to the Moon to answer the question, What does the Moons surface look like?

The robots designers may give it a prior belief about what it will find, along with an indication of how much confidence it should have in that belief. The degree of confidence is as important as the belief, because it is a measure of what the robot doesnt know.

The robot lands and faces a decision: which way should it go?

Since the robots goal is to learn as quickly as possible about the Moons surface, it should go in the direction that maximises its learning. This can be measured by which new knowledge will reduce the robots uncertainty about the landscape  or how much it will increase the robots confidence in its knowledge.

The robot goes to its new location, records observations using its sensors, and updates its belief and associated confidence. In doing so it learns about the Moons surface in the most efficient manner possible.

Robotic systems like this  known as active SLAM (Active Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping)  were first proposed more than 20 years ago, and they are still an active area of research. This approach of steadily gathering knowledge and updating understanding is based on a statistical technique called Bayesian optimisation.

Mapping unknown landscapes

A decision-maker in government or industry faces more complexity than the robot on the Moon, but the thinking is the same. Their jobs involve exploring and mapping unknown social or economic landscapes.

Suppose we wish to develop policies to encourage all children to thrive at school and finish high school. We need a conceptual map of which actions, at what time, and under what conditions, will help to achieve these goals.

Using the robots principles, we formulate an initial question: Which intervention(s) will most help children?

Next, we construct a draft conceptual map using existing knowledge. We also need a measure of our confidence in that knowledge.

Then we develop a model that incorporates different sources of information. These wont be from robotic sensors, but from communities, lived experience, and any useful information from recorded data.

After this, based on the analysis informing the community and stakeholder preferences, we make a decision: Which actions should be implemented and under which conditions?

Finally, we discuss, learn, update beliefs and repeat the process.

Learning as we go

This is a learning as we go approach. As new information comes to hand, new actions are chosen to maximise some pre-specified criteria.

Where AI can be useful is in identifying what information is most valuable, via algorithms that quantify what we dont know. Automated systems can also gather and store that information at a rate and in places where it may be difficult for humans.

AI systems like this apply what is called a Bayesian decision-theoretic framework. Their models are explainable and transparent, built on explicit assumptions. They are mathematically rigorous and can offer guarantees.

They are designed to estimate causal pathways, to help make the best intervention at the best time. And they incorporate human values by being co-designed and co-implemented by the communities that are impacted.

We do need to reform our laws and create new rules to guide the use of potentially dangerous AI systems. But its just as important to choose the right tool for the job in the first place.





Want to know more about AI, chatbots, and the future of machine learning? Check out our full coverage of artificial intelligence, or browse our guides to The Best Free AI Art Generators and Everything We Know About OpenAIs ChatGPT.



Sally Cripps, Director of Technology UTS Human Technology Institute, Professor of Mathematcis and Statistics, University of Technology Sydney; Alex Fischer, Honorary Fellow, Australian National University; Edward Santow, Professor & Co-Director, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney; Hadi Mohasel Afshar, Lead Research Scientist, University of Technology Sydney, and Nicholas Davis, Industry Professor of Emerging Technology and Co-Director, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Alahverdian extradition decision delayed, but appeals and other cases likely to drag it on

EDINBURGH, Scotland  The week-long extradition hearing for fugitive Nicholas Alahverdian, the former Rhode Island con man arrested on Utah rape charges in December 2021, adjourned Friday with no decision yet on whether he will be returned to America.

In a case defined for months by delays  some purposeful on Alahverdians part, some simply the slow slog of Scottish justice  the case was continued until July 12, when both Alahverdians lawyer and the Crowns prosecutor will finish giving their final arguments.

All week long, the proceedings have started late, but unlike times when Alahverdian has resisted coming to court or being moved upstairs from the lockup, these delays were caused by transportation complications of getting prisoners from the nearby prison to the courthouse.

But Judge Norman McFadyen has also acted cautiously in the case, entertaining virtually every motion made by Alahverdians defense in an attempt, legal observers say, to fend off avenues of future appeals.

Nicholas Alahverdian, aka Nicholas Rossi, arrives in court in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a hearing last November.

Appeals, possible sexual assault charges in England would delay Alahverdian's return

Even if McFadyen orders Alahverdian extradited, the 35-year-old man who contends he is a wrongly charged Englishman named Arthur Knight, can ask for an appeal hearing.

Paul Dunne, a lawyer in the extradition court, said that hearing would likely be held in September at the earliest.

But a separate case could complicate Alahverdians return to Utah.

More on this case: 'Dateline NBC' to cover story of RI fugitive Nicholas Alahverdian. Here's the story.

A woman in Essex, England accused Alahverdian of raping her in 2017 as Alahverdian was making one of his first attempts to flee the United States. In an exchange of text messages she showed The Journal, Alahverdian was adamant about moving in with her before he ever left the States or met her in person.

Alahverdian's team calls witness to testify on prison's condition

The rape allegedly happened within a week of him moving in with her. Alahverdian has not been charged, but Essex police would like to interview him. If he is ultimately charged, that case would have to proceed first before Alahverdian is extradited, said Mungo Bovey, Alahverdians public defender.

On Friday, a day after Alahverdian made what the prosecutor here called scandalous allegations against the Utah prosecutor who had him indicted, Alahverdians legal team called  at their clients insistence  William King, an inmate at the same prison as Alahverdian who was convicted of sexually assaulting children.

King echoed Alahverdians complaints made Thursday about how poorly he was treated by prison staff, testifying that prison staff didnt appear to take his mobility problems seriously (Alahverdian uses a wheelchair) and that his prison mates oxygen levels were below normal.

Faking his death did not keep law enforcement at bay

Alahverdian went to great lengths to fake his death in February 2020, informing Rhode Island reporters and state lawmakers weeks earlier that he had late-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and asking them to commemorate his warrior work for child welfare. Some reporters did just that, reporting on his illness and "death."

Utah prosecutors were so confident that Alahverdian was still alive that they issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the first of two 2008 alleged rapes seven months after his supposed demise. He also faces a charge of sexual battery that allegedly happened that same year in Utah.

And it was in 2008 that he was found guilty of one count of sexual imposition and one count of public indecency after he assaulted a woman at a Ohio community college. He was eventually ordered to file as a registered sex offender.

Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Nicholas Rossi extradition case continued to July
 Read the full article on Motorious

This isnt going to be good for international relations

A beast of a car  thats how a local reporter characterized a Pontiac Trans Am after it terrorized an Australian neighborhood before crashing. Of course as we all know American muscle cars are horribly dangerous and absolutely drive themselves, absolving the person who may or may not have been behind the wheel of all responsibility. Sadly, the so-called driver in this incident had to be carted off on a stretcher with a neck brace attached, all thanks to the assault muscle cars reckless behavior.

Watch the Motorious Podcast here.

The reporter detailed out how one neighbor claimed the Pontiac Trans Am was deliberately fish tailing before the accident. This sure sounds like a case right up there with Christine, only this time a malevolent spirit didnt go Mopar.

Another detail the newscast in Australia definitely wants you to focus on: the high capacity of this assault muscle car of foreign origin. You see, its packing a 7.4-liter (sorry, litre) V8 high-capacity engine, something you absolutely dont need for commuting or hunting down pedestrians (just as an EcoBoost Mustang owner, they know). Theres absolutely no reason for any citizen to own such a machine of mass destructive power.

Naturally, being an American muscle car, this Trans Am took out its natural born enemy: a Volkswagen Passat. Sure, on the newscast they try pretending the VW was parked and minding its own business, but we all know better.

For now, police and the local news are hunting down any dashcam footage of this mass muscle car mayhem incident. We also hope theyre offering counseling services for the people who had to witness the carnage as well as pushing for legislation Down Under to ensure citizens cant own this kind of dangerous and unnecessary weaponry.

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The Cyberspace Administration of China and the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region signed a memorandum of understanding on June 29 to promote cross-boundary data flow in the Guangdong Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

To facilitate cross-boundary data flow in the GBA in a safe and orderly manner, Zhao Zeliang, deputy director of the CAC, and Sun Dong, the Secretary for ITIB, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitating Cross-boundary Data Flow Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Beijing.

The memorandum aims to establish the GBA data cross-border flow security rules within the framework of the national data cross-border security management system, facilitate the safe and orderly flow of cross-border data in the GBA and promote its high-quality development.

Under the MoU, the CAC will work closely with the ITIB and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and explore effective management measures to foster cross-boundary data flow within the GBA.

"The National 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) indicates clear support for Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology hub. Facilitating data flow in the GBA is an important initiative for promoting the integrated and high-quality development of the GBA, lowering the compliance costs of enterprises and driving the development of Hong Kong's digital economy and proactively integrating Hong Kong into national development," Sun said.

The MoU also contributes to the convenient and orderly flow of cross-boundary data from the mainland to Hong Kong, which is beneficial to building Hong Kong into a global data hub, he said.

"On the eve of celebrating the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the first anniversary of President Xi Jinping's visit to Hong Kong Science Park, the signing of the MoU between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the CAC marks the importance attached by the country and its great support to Hong Kong's innovation and technology development, injecting new impetus to our joint efforts to foster the development of the GBA," Sun said.




David Bramlette

In the days preceding Russias invasion of Ukraine, David Bramlette found himself in a classroom in Washington, D.C. discussing whether Russia might invade Ukraine. He was in the middle of earning a masters degree from Johns Hopkins in international affairs. At the time, he admits, he found the prospect of a Russian invasion implausible.

But when Russia eventually pulled the trigger and invaded Ukraine in February last year, David, who had previously completed stints working for the U.S. military as a Green Beret on a counter-Russia mission and as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan, felt compelled to go fight the Russians.

Its good and evil in my mind, Bramlette told The Daily Beast in an interview from Kyiv this week.

Why Did Putin Let Prigozhin Walk Away?

Im sitting in class, and Im like, I could sit here and finish my degree and go work in some office job, and have a tiny iota of impact on the world working in some government office, right? Bramlette recounted. I have the knowledge and the skills and abilities to go help. So I basically took a leave of absence from my masters program and went over.

By early March Bramlette, who goes by Bam, was en route to Warsaw, Poland to get his bearings before joining the foreign legion in Ukraine. While boarding the plane to Poland, Bam said he sent his parents a quick email explaining why he was going to war for another country.

I sent my parents an email that says like This is the most righteous war that I think my generation will see in our lifetime. This is straight up good versus evil, Bramlette told The Daily Beast. Thats why I went. I was like, I cant put up with this shit.

Like Bramlette, former Marine Troy Offenbecker was compelled to join the fight against Russias invasion early on in the war. He told The Daily Beast that Russian atrocities against Ukrainians reported in the news were part of the final straw that got him geared up to go to war.

Last March Id seen everything that was happening, and when I heard about the international legion, I knew I was going to come, Offenbecker told The Daily Beast in an interview from Kyiv. But at the time I had some obligations that were holding me there. It took me two months I had to sell my house, I sold my vehicles.

Offenbecker spent time preparing, conditioning, and getting in better physical shape to fight.

When he saw images of mass graves and Ukrainian civilians murdered execution-style in Bucha, Offenbecker was livid.

It really made me furious that you could do that to someone so innocent, he said. It really pissed me off.

I have a skillset that I learned, I had six years in the Marine Corps, I was instructing other Marines, I instructed other countries on how to fight. I just thought it wouldnt be right if I sat at home, Offenbecker said.

The urge to go for Bramlette was also personal.

In 2014, just two months before Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine, he arrived to work for the 1st battalion 10th Special Forces Group in Stuttgart, Germany. When Russia moved in, it was go time for him.

When Crimea happened, all of our emphasis went to defending Eastern Europe, essentially. So my three years in Special Forces was basically doing partner training all over Central and Eastern Europe and western Europe too, Bam said. But I never really felt like we were accomplishing very much.

And while Bramlette has previously been on combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, there are a whole slew of service members or veterans throughout the world who prepared to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who, for whatever reason, didnt get to. From the vets he has seen gearing up in Ukraine, many have felt the pull to fill that gap, Bam said.

Theres nothing more frustrating than training and training, training for something your whole life, or for years on end, and then never actually getting to sort of test your mettle, he said. A lot of those guys, that was kind of the vibe.

Offenbecker shared similar sentiments. Ive encountered some guys where maybe they were here for some sense of purpose, theyve seen their buddies go through war and they never did, he said.

David Bramlette

Kill as many Russians as you can

Once in Ukraine, the wartime preparations in Lviv and Kyiv involved a little bit of luck and a little bit of chaos, Bramlette said.

First, Bramlette was caught off guard by how many people picked up and went to Ukraine to help fight without having any military experience.

Theres a lot of really dumb-ass volunteers over here who have no business being in a war, he said.

After arriving in Poland in early March of 2022, he took a train to Lviv to meet up with other volunteer fighters. But on the way, he found several other foreigners he didnt want to fight side-by-side with, he said.

I met three other foreigners on a train. One was a German, and he had no military experience. He was a carpenter or something like that, Bramlette said. He had shot a gunlike a little bit. And it was a hunting rifle.

Once in Ukraine, Bramlette sized up some different groups of foreign volunteers, but found their military background similarly lacking. He was equally unhappy with the quality of foreigners there, he said.

Ukraine Will Be the Big Winner of Prigozhin Turning On Putin

A few days later, he hooked up with two other Green Berets to form a multi-national squad of about 12 people to form a small unit tactics team, or a special operations team.

And then essentially, they give us orders for Kharkiv and said, Go kill as many Russians as you can, he said.

After some training and preparation, with guns and ammunition from Ukraines supplies, the squad was off.

We did all our own recruiting from foreigners who were already in Kyiv. And we did all our own resourcing, funding, like buying our own cars, funding our own safe houses, Bam said.

In Kharkiv, their missions were largely self-driven. The Ukrainian government didnt link them up with Ukrainian or other foreign volunteer units to coordinate, so they took it on themselves, introducing themselves to territorial defense forces, regular army units, airborne units, and Ukrainian Special Operations units.

After making connections near the front, Bams squad would get a brief on the latest on the Russians, and determine what kind of a mission they should run for the Ukrainians, from running reconnaissance on enemy positions to mining.

David Bramlette

Horrifying Shit

Offenbecker, the former Marine, also had to organize his fighting team on the fly. He had applied to the international legion but hadnt heard anything back in about a week. Instead of waiting around for final plans, he told a few family members and close friends, packed up, and got himself to Ukraine.

I didnt hear anything so I just flew anyways. I figured I would volunteer and help some other way, Offenbecker said.

Once in Ukraine, he connected with the right people to join the international legion and was soon fighting with them in the Donbas in Eastern Ukraine.

Even in those early days, he started seeing some foreign volunteers that didnt have any clue what they were in for.

This is my third war Ive fought in, and this is by far the worst one, Offenbecker told The Daily Beast. Youre getting fucking smashed with artillery, tanks. Last week I had a plane drop a bomb next to us, like 300 meters away. Its horrifying shit.

Once he was there, some of his buddies from the military started messaging him asking for information on how to join up, too. But he ignored messages for months.

To be honest it was pretty bad so I didnt want to bring anyone else into it, he said.

The missions were grueling, Bramlette said. In Iraq or Afghanistan, Bramlette had air support, or supporting ISR, or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The worst day in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great day in Ukraine, he said. Even when we thought it wasnt, we were always in control of the situation versus as a commander of a team in Ukraine, where there are more unknowns.

On reconnaissance missions in Ukraine, you just have to wait until the team members come back, since comms arent reliable. I would always send a reconnaissance element out first as soon as those guys leave my side, Im not gonna really hear from them until theyre back within eyesight. And that may be 24 hours later, maybe 48 hours later, he explained. If two of them get injured theres no helicopter coming to get you shit can go south really, really frickin quickly. And thats the kind of stuff that is pretty hard.

David Bramlette

You cant hide

When the wintertime set in, Bramlette made the call to send members of his small unit home to take a break. Their thermal signatures were popping more than in the summertime, giving away their positions. Staying out of Russian troops sights was growing harder each day, as leafy coverage disappeared. In addition to those issues, the squads vehicles kept breaking down, and they were running out of money.

Since were a small unit tactics team youre running around in front of the Ukrainian line and in front of the Russian line. You dont have leaves on the trees, the bushes are bare, the trees are bare, and its colder Its really bad news bears, Bramlette said. You cant hide.

Without drastically changing their approach, they were setting themselves up for failure. I was just afraid we would go out and do what we normally do and wed all basically die, he added.

And while the plan was to plug back in come January, Bam couldnt bring himself to do it once he got to remove himself from the fog of war.

The Alternate Reality of Filthy Rich Russians in Putins War

When I came back in December it sort of gave me the distance, the space to sort of reevaluate everything that had happened because if Im in charge of a whole team you dont have time to really think about everything, he said. I kind of shut down a little bit, but it gave me the decompression space to reassess. And so I came to the conclusion that Im not going to go back and fight.

Bam is still working on helping the war effort from Kyiv through his work for The Weatherman Foundation, which has recently been working on locating and transferring the remains of Americans killed fighting in Ukraine.

Offenbecker is currently working on switching to a new team in Ukraines foreign legion, and has plans to continue fighting in Ukraine.

I look at these children, and I have my own child and niece and nephews. If that were a circumstance for them, I would hope people from all over the world would come and try to help keep them safe and protected as well, Offenbecker said. Thats what keeps me here.

But if the global community isnt willing to properly address Russias aggression in Ukraine, Moscow will only continue its territorial expansion tear, Bramlette warned.

If we dont get serious about how we think about Russia, and we dont stop Russia here, the next step is Belarus gets folded into Russia. Or Moldova gets folded into Russia. Ukraine gets folded into Russia, Bramlette said. Russia is a rabid dog. The Kremlin needs to get put down.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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An apartment complex is missing its roof, many residents were without power and a portion of Illinois 159 was closed after a severe thunderstorm hit St. Clair County on Friday night.

The county emergency management agency was out assessing the damage Saturday morning, according to Director Herb Simmons. He said the agency had not received any reports of injuries from the storm.

Simmons said the hardest hit areas were in the southern part of the county, including Millstadt, Smithton, Freeburg, New Athens and St. Libory. The storm also hit East St. Louis hard.

The roof was blown off of an apartment complex in the 1600 block of State Street in East St. Louis, according to Simmons. He said displaced families were seeking shelter at City Hall. A cooling site was also established at the public library, 5700 State Street, according to the emergency management agency.

The entire village of Millstadt was without power and could be for some time, Simmons said. Ameren reported to the emergency management agency that a substation might have been hit by lightning. Simmons noted that many power lines are down as well.

He said a portion of Illinois 159 in Smithton shut down in both directions after the storm because of the extensive damage to power lines. The closure is in the 500 block of South Main/Illinois 159. Simmons said it could be reopened Saturday or Sunday. Detours will be marked.

Updates and information about cooling shelters will be posted on the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agencys Facebook page.
Angelynn Jimenez, 18, a Filipina American who attends community college in Chicago, said she was concerned about the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action because shes seen how beneficial programs for socioeconomically-diverse students truly are. The policy has helped her get scholarships to STEM programs in high school, and enroll in community volunteering programs in college, before she plans to transfer to a four-year school and major in public policy.

We dont choose where were born, said Jimenez, who goes to Wilbur Wright College and grew up in a low-income household. Maybe someone was super lucky. And they were born into a private school and tutors, so thats the reason why they get into this institution, versus someone who maybe didnt have that.

Angelynn Jimenez (Courtesy of Angelynn Jimenez)

While the debate over race-conscious admissions often centers Asian Americans with the means to go to a highly selective, prestigious private university, a higher share of the group goes to community college. In California, for example  the state with the highest population of the racial group  41% of Asian American freshman in 2020 enrolled at community colleges. Following Thursdays ruling, Asian American low-income and community college students say that they are contending with a range of emotions, from concern to relief, but all said they are uncertain of what the future could look like.

For students attending community college, many use it as a springboard to pay for general credits and then transfer to a four-year institution. And many students look to affirmative action policies to help them get into the more selective schools.

The level of education across the diaspora is diverse. Southeast Asian Americans, for example, contend with poverty and subsequently lower rates of educational attainment largely as a result of their experiences as refugees, said Kham Moua, national deputy director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. Data shows that 29% of Vietnamese, 18% of Laotian and 16% of Cambodian American adults have bachelors degrees or higher, compared to 54% of Asian Americans overall.

For Asian American groups that already struggle with access to higher education, many experts say the loss of race-conscious admissions could widen disparities.

High-quality education has traditionally followed along racial lines, that without race-conscious admissions, it would reverse access to more prominent institutions, Moua said. By striking affirmative action, were replicating barriers for students of color whove been historically underrepresented in colleges and universities.

Kham said that many Southeast Asian Americans who do pursue higher education overwhelmingly go to state or community colleges, rather than Ivy Leagues or high-profile schools. So widening access across all types of institutions has been a deep concern, he said.

For Southeast Asian students, a lot of the conversation around access is just making sure that theyre even able to have the resources to attend any sort of university, he said.

Mercuri Lam, a Chinese American rising high school senior who uses they/them pronouns, attends boarding school with the help of financial aid and a scholarship. They said affirmative action has aided not only their high school experience but also their search for potential colleges. Some selective schools offer fly-in programs, for example, that allow students from first-generation, low-income or other marginalized backgrounds to visit on their dime.

Mercuri Lam (Courtesy of Mercuri Lam)

Im very lucky to be able to qualify for fly-ins because I wouldnt have had the chance to visit schools otherwise. And that in itself is trying to give more space to those people who are marginalized, Lam said. That in itself is a part of what affirmative action aims to be  its to erase inequality in these very historically inherently privileged white institutions.

Opinions across the racial group have been mixed and complex. Pew Research Center found that most Asian Americans who have heard of the policy say its a good thing, at 53%, while 19% say its a bad thing. But 21% of Asian adults say colleges should consider race and ethnicity when deciding which students to accept. A 2022 survey from the nonprofit group APIAVote, which polled registered Asian American voters, found 69% favored affirmative action programs designed to help Black people, women, and other minorities get better access to higher education.

Still, some low-income students have had their concerns about the admissions policy. Emily Fu, 19, a Chinese American freshman at East Los Angeles College, said she opposes affirmative action. Fu, whos from a low-income household, said she isnt confident that admissions officers would have the ability to see Asian American applicants as individuals, obscuring the qualities that make them qualified.

Even if they dont say it, the thought could be in the back of their head, she said. Theres that stereotype I see about how Asians get a 4.0 and 10 extracurriculars  and it basically looks very similar to other applications.

Fu, the daughter of Chinese restaurant workers, said the conversation around higher education has been skewed away from low-income students like herself.

The education debate should not be primarily focused on privates, she said. It definitely hurts lower-income Asians because they dont have the same resources, access and education.

Champ Liudi (Courtesy of Champ Liudi)

Champ Liudi, 19, who also attends ELAC, similarly opposed affirmative action policies. Liudi, an Indonesian American freshman whos also from a low-income family, said he feels that affirmative action policies could lead to generalizing of Asian Americans.

I dont think it addresses the root cause of the problem, which could sometimes be generational poverty, he said.

Liudi added that an admissions policy based on income is more preferable.

Low-income households would likely not have the privilege to achieve high scores or do extracurricular in school due to being unable to afford tuition or provide time other than working or providing for families, he said.

Asian American groups point out that the ruling might remove the consideration of race in admissions, but other diversity programs continue to exist. And many say they plan to hold schools accountable in creating opportunities for students of color.

The Courts decision is a major setback for the ability of colleges and universities to create true equality in education, Chinese for Affirmative Action, a nonprofit organization, said in a statement. However, it is important to recognize that the ruling is strictly limited to race-conscious admissions, and not other important measures such as targeted outreach and recruitment, or ensuring more diverse faculty and college leadership.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Members of Asian American Coalition for Education rally Thursday outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

A few minutes after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, an email from the 80-20 Initiative, a Chinese political action group, landed in my inbox with the subject head VICTORY.

I racked my brain, but I couldnt think of anything about Thursdays decision that was a victory for Asian Americans. What have we won?

In their email, the 80-20 Initiatives answer was Equal opportunity for Asian Americans in education. But that is false. The courts ruling makes the current method of achieving a diverse student body illegal, but doesnt replace it with anything. Colleges and university systems must create their own.

There is no guarantee that Harvard or any other elite university will admit more Asian American students. My guess is that a transitional patchwork of different diversity strategies will actually make the college application process more confusing and less transparent. And all methods of producing a diverse student body are more vulnerable to legal challenges, now that the case against Harvard succeeded in the nations highest court.

Read more: 'We're really worried': What do colleges do now after affirmative action ruling?

Its still too early to know how college admissions by race will change. Colleges will still attempt to produce racially diverse student bodies, but considering race in the process is not allowed. Its like trying to take a test blindfolded, but failing is illegal. One predictor is what happened after Californias affirmative action ban in 1996. White and Asian student enrollment throughout the University of California system rose slightly, while Black and Latino enrollment at UCLA and Berkeley fell by 40% the first year the ban was implemented.

But even those gains in Asian student enrollment cant be attributed entirely to race-blind admissions. At the time, cash-poor universities and colleges in California were drastically increasing their admissions of international students, largely from Asian countries, because those applicants paid premium tuition fees.

So we have to ask ourselves, truly, what have we won? Every Asian American and anyone else who considers Thursday's decision a victory should wonder.

An easier question to answer is what we have lost.

Americas racial tolerance is enshrined in a set of laws and legal opinions that make the practice of some forms of racism illegal. Affirmative action was a major foundation of those protections. It began as an executive order by President Kennedy in 1961 requiring federal contractors to implement fair hiring practices around race. It was a flawed policy with many valid criticisms, but affirmative action represented the federal governments primary recognition that the wrongs of racism should be corrected.

Its why the Los Angeles Police Department and countless other institutions got more diverse. A 1995 study found that affirmative action had added 6 million women to the workforce. Black families who never had equal access to the American dream were able to enter the middle class in record numbers. And many low-income Asian Americans, especially those with Southeast Asian, Filipino and Pacific Islander backgrounds, became the first people in their families to attend college.

Read more: Supreme Court strikes down race-based affirmative action in college admissions

That's what we lost. But we cant properly assess victories and defeats without knowing what our values are. Maybe a better question to start with is: Why did we come to America?

Immigrants are sold a simple, seductive story about America. Here there is wealth, freedom and equality, along with rock and roll music and Hollywood  a better life. I know that story because every time I asked my parents why we came to America, I received that idealized answer: We came so that you could have a better life.

That story spurred our families to sacrifice, and to remain silent about the racism and discrimination we ourselves experience. Because we'll pay almost any price to make the story true and our sacrifices worthwhile. The hostility and violence mean nothing next to the checks we sent home to our families and the food in their bellies.

Our lives become extended arguments over whether that decision to come to America was correct. And we become deeply invested in that idealized America, because otherwise, what was it all for?

So when we are confronted with Americas racial realities, we look away because slavery, institutionalized racism and xenophobia were not part of the story we were sold. We decide to embrace the term "model minority," because at least that term conveys a modicum of respect and acceptance and perhaps improved treatment.

We want our dreams to be true so badly that we become selfish. We narrow the sphere of our concerns to just our family, and we say that is enough.

But some of those families have become the unwitting pawns of conservative activist Edward Blums decades-long effort to dismantle affirmative action. Now we must all live with the consequences. Any Asian American looking to the Republican Party needs to remember how quickly and carelessly conservatives resorted to xenophobic language during the pandemic, which unleashed an unprecedented wave of anti-Asian violence.

Read more: 'An epidemic of hate': Anti-Asian hate crimes in California jumped 177% in 2021

We have chosen the American dream over American reality because the truth is ugly. It's former President Trump tweeting about the "Chinese virus." It's the brutal street assaults on Asian American seniors in Oakland, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. It's the six Asian women shot to death at Atlanta-area spas in March 2021. It's the newfound fear that some Asian Americans feel taking the bus, walking down the street, or standing on a subway platform.

This is not the America we were told about. So why did we come?

Here's my answer: We came here because we could not stay there. We came not just to live and work, but to form a new community. And we still have a lot to learn about that.

Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Australia is set to become the first country in the world to legalize clinical prescribing of MDMA, better known as ecstasy, and psilocybin  the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms  for certain mental health disorders.

Starting July 1, authorized psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, according to a February news release. Both drugs are otherwise illegal in Australia.

Psilocybin and MDMA are relatively safe when used in a medically controlled setting under the supervision of appropriately trained healthcare professionals and in the dosages that have been studied in clinical trials, said Australias Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA, when announcing the move.

However, some psychiatrists and researchers are concerned that the move may be premature, given that the drugs in question are still being tested in clinical trials and havent been formally approved for the treatment of any mental health disorders by the US Food and Drug Administration for clinical use.

It is early compared to the usual process of developing and rolling out new treatments, said clinical psychiatrist Dr. Colleen Loo, a professor of psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and the Black Dog Institute in Sydney.

The main issue is that the public understand this, and dont think that the TGA making these drugs available means that the level of evidence of efficacy and safety is comparable to that usually required for new treatments, before they are approved for clinical use, said Loo, who was part of a steering committee of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, RANZCP, that drafted guidance on how the treatment should be approached and monitored.

Done responsibly, e.g. observing the guidance of the RANZCP, it could mean that some people access a useful treatment. Done without due caution, oversight and monitoring, including by the regulatory authorities, it could mean more harm than good, she said via email.

Australia may be the first country to regulate the therapeutic use of MDMA and psilocybin, but it isnt alone in ushering in a new era of psychedelic medicine.

The Oregon Health Authority announced in May that it had licensed the first psilocybin service provider in the state after it had become in 2020 the first US state to legalize psilocybin for personal use for those age 21 and above. In October 2022, Alberta became the first jurisdiction in Canada to regulate the use of psychedelic drugs.

Combining psychotherapy with psychedelic drugs is thought to be necessary for a beneficial outcome. - Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images

The promise of psychedelics

Advocates hope that psychedelic drugs such as MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine may be able to treat a wide range of mental health conditions including addictions, cancer-related anxiety and anorexia, as well as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.

Patients are desperate for something new. (These drugs) represent a new way of treating things or a kind of paradigm shift in psychiatry really, said Celia Morgan, a professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Her research focuses on the potential of MDMA and the psychedelic drug ketamine to treat people with alcohol addiction. Ketamine is used as an anesthetic in hospital settings and, more recently, research has found it improves symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, as previously reported by CNN.

The exact neurobiological mechanism by which psychedelic drugs improve certain mental health conditions isnt fully understood, but its thought to affect the plasticity of the brain and prime it for new learning, Morgan explained.

The research that has advanced the farthest is the clinical testing of MDMAs effectiveness as a therapeutic drug in human study participants with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 2021 findings of a phase 3 trial showed that MDMA may be a potential breakthrough treatment for the disorder.

For psilocybin and treatment-resistant forms of depression, a 2022 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine that involved 233 participants found that a dose of 25 milligrams of a synthetic version of psilocybin reduced depression scores over a period of three weeks. However, the researchers found that the effects wore off after about three months.

James Rucker, a senior clinical lecturer in psychopharmacology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at Kings College London who was a coauthor of the the NEJM study, said that Australia was jumping the gun.

Why are you making an exception for these drugs, particularly when we know they have powerful psychoactive effects? he asked. Youre not making the exception for any other drugs.

There certainly have been cases where its transformed peoples lives. But its unpredictable.

Morgan agreed, saying that some of the hype surrounding psychedelics was counterproductive and clinicians needed to be careful not to oversell the benefits of psychedelics.

They dont work for everyone, and some people might find some benefit but then relapse, Morgan said.

I think it sets up these really high expectations for people who are struggling with mental health conditions where hopelessness, new feelings of failure, then this can just be like another thing that they failed. So we really have to be careful how we talk about them as clinicians.

Rucker said he feared that the hype surrounding the success of early trials could feed through into later trial results in a positive feedback cycle of hype.

How do psychedelics work?

Loo, the clinical psychiatrist at the University of New South Wales, stressed that the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs wasnt because of the neurobiological effects of the drugs alone but the context in which the drugs were delivered.

In trials, participants typically work closely with a psychiatrist before, during, and after taking MDMA or psilocybin, and its thought that its these complex synergistic effects from combining psychotherapy with psychedelics that are important for a beneficial outcome.

The exact nature of this synergistic relationship is not known, she said. The brain is such a complex organ, and factors like personality, social circumstances, genetic and biological predisposition all add to the complexity of why people get mental health problems.

Under the new government regulations in Australia, psychedelic treatment will still be kept on a leash. The drugs must be prescribed by a psychiatrist who has first obtained approval from a research ethics committee and then obtained formal approval as an authorised prescriber from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Loo noted.

However, she said that the new regulations left a lot to be decided about how people are assessed or screened for the treatment, how the treatment is given and monitored.

Rucker said he worried that for-profit clinics could try and cash in, potentially putting people with mental health problems at risk.

He said that psychedelic drugs resulted in powerful altered states of consciousness that can be intensely therapeutic, but also intensely destabilizing.

If you have a regulated, insured, safe context, and a good psychotherapeutic relationship, and yes, theres the potential for great benefit there.

However, Rucker stressed that psychedelic drugs were not a chemical switch to make everything seem fine. Its tempting to think that this can be a quick fix for your problems, and its exactly the opposite.

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As the fallout continued from the financial demise of Fresno-based Bitwise Industries, its parent company BW Industries Inc. was just one of five related entities to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware this past week.

Each of the companies  BW Industries Inc., Bitwise Industries Inc., Alpha Works Technologies LLC, BWRD LLC and Bruces Bagels, Beverages & Bites LLC  has its own set of court filings that illustrate the complex and tangled financial relationships among them.

The court documents reveal that collectively, the five companies owe a total of more than $511 million to creditors. But the actual figure could be even higher, as many of the 886 claims by employees for unpaid wages are listed with undetermined amounts owed, while others are being disputed by the companies.

The Chapter 7 filings in the federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, where BW Industries is incorporated, set the stage for the eventual liquidation of each companys assets to satisfy what their debt. The companies court filings show an estimated $441.9 million in assets for the five companies.

Bitwise was founded in 2013 as a hub for training students in software coding and website design, technology services for local companies, and providing leased space to budding technology entrepreneurs and other businesses. From those beginnings, the company embarked on a program of expanding its geographic footprint across California and, in recent years, to out-of-state communities in Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Texas.

Along the way, the network of related entities was established by former co-CEOs Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr., each responsible for different aspects of operations  and each with its own employees, bank accounts, and, now, their own sets of creditors and assets to be liquidated to satisfy those claims.

Complicating an analysis of what will be available to repay creditors in the wake of the bankruptcies is what interim Bitwise Industries president Ollen Douglass  who is also a member of the companys board of directors  described in court filings as the apparent disarray in the books for all of the various Bitwise entities.

Douglass reported to the court that an internal analysis of the companys finances since May 28 revealed that the books and records of the Company are substandard and materially incomplete because of substantial irregularities in Bitwises accounting practices.

The lack of organized and well-kept books and records, as well as obstacles resulting from an inability to access and verify certain financial information such as bank accounts, has hindered the Companys ability to make a true estimation of the amounts owed to some creditors, Douglass said.

Additionally, many of the assets claimed by Bitwise and the associated companies are noted as intercompany receivables  money owed by one company to another. That could throw into question the true total of property and assets that can be liquidated to satisfy creditors claims.

Also, the various companies are claiming leases on buildings as assets. In Fresno, however, building owner Baltara Enterprises LP has taken steps to evict Bitwise from the three buildings that it owns in downtown Fresno, including the Bitwise South Stadium headquarters on Van Ness Avenue as well as the Bitwise 41 and Bitwise Hive buildings on Ventura Street.

A fourth downtown Fresno building, the former State Center Warehouse buildling on R Street between Tulare and Ventura streets, is the subject of a lawsuit by a Texas company that claims a 95% majority ownership stake of the property. The company, NICbyte LLC, alleges that it also has 95% ownership of other Bitwise buildings in Bakersfield and Oakland.

A summary of the assets and liabilities listed in bankruptcy court documents for each of the companies includes:
The BBC has shared the first clip of presenter Amol Rajan as the new host of University Challenge.

Rajan, 39, is replacing Jeremy Paxman, who retired earlier this year, having hosted the popular BBC quiz series for nearly three decades.

Paxman left the series after 29 years in May, having been being diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2021.

Rajan, a former editor of The Independent, is the third host in the programmes 61-year history. University Challenge was first broadcast in 1962, when it was presented by Bamber Gascoigne.

Ahead of Rajans full debut on the series, the BBC shared a short clip on social media giving fans a look at what to expect from his tenure as host.

In the video, the presenter is seen sitting in the usual University Challenge chair, saying: Fingers on buzzers, then, here is your first starter for 10: When does the new series of University Challenge start?

The camera then pans to an empty chair, prompting Rajan to remark: Think I might be a bit early?

When it was first announced that Rajan would be taking over from Paxman, the presenter issued a statement addressing the move.

Being asked to host my favourite TV programme is dream-come-true territory, he said. I have watched University Challenge obsessively for years, addicted to its high standards, glorious title music, and inspirational contestants. Its the best possible antidote to cynicism about young people, allowing millions of us to test our wits against the best minds of a new generation, and annoy and impress our families by barking answers from the sofa.

I am very conscious that in the late, great Bamber [Gascogine], and that giant of British culture, Jeremy, I have vast shoes to fill. With his immense intellect, authority, and respect from students and viewers alike, Jeremy hands over a format, and show, as strong as ever.

I wont stop thinking today about my late, beloved Dad, whose devotion to education brought him to England, whose love of knowledge I imbibed as a kid, and whose belief in the noble challenge of university so shaped my life. Ill devote my first Starter for 10 to him  and to the millions of quiz fiends who, like me, love those rare occasions when they know the answer before the students do.

University Challenge returns with Rajan as host this autumn on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Belarus might deploy up to 8,000 Wagner Group fighters but Ukraine's defence forces prepare accordingly

Belarus might deploy up to 8,000 Wagner Group mercenaries on its territory, but Ukraines defence forces are aware of this possibility and the additional threat it poses, and are prepared to respond accordingly.

Source: Andrii Demchenko, spokesman for Ukraines State Border Guard Service, in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Demchenko explained that the situation on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border is entirely under Ukraines control. There are currently no Russian offensive units in Belarus. However, Russia continues to use Belarus as a training ground for its forces and to launch airstrikes on Ukraine.

Demchenko said that Ukraine is strengthening its defence capability in the north in light of the possible new threats posed by the self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenkos preparedness to deploy private military company mercenaries in Belarus.

Demchenko added that the developments in Belarus are being constantly monitored.

He said that the information available, including open-source information, indicates that Belarus is currently undertaking efforts to accommodate Russian Wagner group fighters. Given Belarusian support for Russia, Belarus might be prepared to house a significant number of Russian mercenaries  as many as 8,000.

For comparison, there are currently around 2,000 soldiers from the Russian regular army in Belarus, according to the State Border Guards data.

Although the Wagner Group camps are being set up relatively far from the Ukrainian border, the presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus will pose an additional threat to Ukraine, particularly in terms of potential sabotage operations and various other provocations, Demchenko stressed.

Quote from Demchenko: "The Staff [of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief] has determined a set of measures to be undertaken by the Commander-in-Chief and the commander of the northern front to reinforce the border with Belarus.

Units of Ukraines State Border Guard understand the threats that might be coming from Belarus and are always prepared to respond decisively to possible enemy provocations in cooperation with other units of Ukraines defence forces."

Background:

Verstka, a Russian publication, reported that camps for Wagner Group mercenaries were being built in Belarus after Alexander Lukashenko and Yevgeny Prigozhin reached an agreement following Wagner Groups mutiny in Russia on 2324 June.

The State Border Service of Ukraine denied this information and stressed that Ukraines intelligence was carefully monitoring the situation in Belarus, which has supported the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine.

On 27 June, Alexander Lukashenko claimed that Belarus was not building camps for the Wagner Group, but would "help with accommodation" if necessary.

"We are not building any camps yet. But if they want (as I understand it, they are considering some areas), we will accommodate them. You are welcome to put up your tents. But for now they are still in their camps in Luhansk... We have offered them one of the abandoned [military] bases. Welcome, there is a fence, there is everything you need. Put up your tents. We will help as much as we can. Until they decide what theyre going to do," Lukashenko said.

Satellite images show that a camp for Russian mercenaries is in fact being constructed in Belarus.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited Wagner Group mercenaries to his country to train its military.

Lukashenko alluded to the invitation in a speech Friday dedicated to Belarus Independence Day, according to state news agency Belta.

Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here, Lukashenko said. And if their instructors, as I already told them, come and pass on combat experience to us, we will accept this experience.

The invite from Lukashenko comes just a week after the Belarusian leader was credited with defusing an armed insurrection by Wagner forces against Moscow.

In a stunning series of events that posed the greatest threat to the Russian President Vladimir Putin in years, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had marched his forces toward the Russian capital, taking control of military facilities in two Russian cities, in what he said was a response to a Russian military attack on a Wagner camp.

The crisis was defused only after Lukashenko brokered a deal under which Prigozhin would move to Belarus. As part of the same deal Wagner troops were given the options of either signing up to the Russian military or law enforcement agencies, returning to their family and friends, or going to Belarus.

In his speech Friday Lukashenko said he was not afraid of Wagner Group members as he had known them for a long time.

These are people who fought all over the world to establish a normal civilization. The West hates them to the core, he said.

He also warned a world-scale military-political crisis unprecedented in the history of mankind was brewing, and criticized the West for not recognizing the need for dialogue to resolve it.

He accused the European Union and the United States of arming Poland at an accelerated pace and claimed the West was making Poland into a proxy training ground to use it against Belarus and Russia, likening it to Ukraine.

Thus, another hotbed of tension is being created, another stronghold is being created for the aggression of the most aggressive country in the world and, unfortunately, the most powerful  the United States, he said.

Where is Prigozhin?

Earlier this week, the Belarusian leader claimed he had convinced Putin not to destroy the Wagner group and its chief Prigozhin, whom he said would have been crushed like a bug had Wagner troops continued their advance to the Russian capital.

But the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin remain unclear.

The Wagner leader was last spotted leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don last Saturday, after abruptly calling off his troops march on Moscow.

He released an audio message Monday, explaining his decision to turn his troops back.

Lukashenko has said the Wagner chief arrived in Belarus Tuesday. While there are no videos or photos showing Prigozhin in Belarus, satellite imagery of an airbase outside Minsk showed two planes linked to Prigozhin landing there on Tuesday morning.

Media group shut down

Lukashenkos speech came as a Russian media group associated with Prigozhin shut down its operations.

Prigozhins Patriot media group, which includes the Federal News Agency, Peoples News, Economy Today, Nevskiye Novosti, and Politics Today, would be closing and leaving the countrys information agenda, said Yevgeny Zubarev, CEO of the Federal News Agency on Friday.

According to Zubarev, the total traffic of the Patriot suite of websites has so far amounted to 300 million unique visitors.

Russian state media TASS reported Friday that the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has restricted access to media sites belonging to Patriot.

Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company Wagner, had recently held the position of deputy head of the Patriots supervisory board.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Benefit for Fond du Lac woman who lost her vision earlier this year set at Throwback Pockets

FOND DU LAC - Throwback Pockets will host a fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. July 8 at 119 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, for a local woman who lost her vision this year.

Samantha Steiner lost her vision in January after an accident in her home. She has not been able to work since. She has had procedures to repair her eye and in the future a medical device may return some of her vision. Right now, she needs help.

The family-friendly event includes raffles, karaoke, food and more. The bar will remain open to those 21 and older after the event.

For more information, visit the Facebook event at fb.me/e/3yesjyH8x.

Welcome to your weekly dose. Here is more news from throughout Fond du Lac County.

Presentation shows benefits of brain games for seniors

Dr. Manish Sharda, with SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, will share a presentation on how brain games can help enhance a persons memory and prevent or slow the progress of dementia.

The free presentation will be at 1 p.m. July 11 at the Waupun Senior Center, 301 E. Main St.

De. Manish Sharda

Dr. Sharda specializes in family medicine. A graduate of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, he completed his family medicine residency at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago.

To register or for more information, call the Waupun Senior Center at 920-324-7930.

Walk with Fond du Lac Audubon members Tuesdays in July

The Fond du Lac Audubon Society has announced its Tuesday walk schedule for July.

Walks begin at 6:30 p.m. and those taking part should wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Insect repellent and binoculars are optional.

Diana Beck will lead the July 11 walk touring the Whitmore property near Calumetville. A bonfire with smores will follow the hike. Meet at 6 p.m. at the Park and Ride at County WH and State 151. Carpooling is available.

On July 18, walk a short half-mile loop in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes Oak Savannah where more than 80 species of birds have been found. Leaders will be from CSA and Glacial Lakes Conservancy. Head to CSA at 320 County K, then turn up the hill and park at the top of the hill.

Take a Habitat Yard Tour on July 25 of two Ninth Street pollinator paradises. Led by Diana Beck and property owners Sara Jayne Pickart and Mary Ellen McMeen. Meet at 597 E. Ninth St., then to 384 E. Ninth St.

For more information, contact dianahbeck@gmail.com or 920-922-7931.

County seeks public input on high-speed internet needs

Fond du Lac County is asking for public feedback as it assesses the need for high-speed internet. Residents, property and business owners are asked to complete a questionnaire to help determine the available and quality of internet in the county.

Those who do have internet are asked to take the broadband survey and speed test at tinyurl.com/WISER2023. Those who do not have internet or who have only cellular access are asked to take a phone survey by calling 608-261-6026.

For more information, contact the Countys Development and Land Services Department.

Free boat safety checks offered by local Coast Guard Auxiliary

The Fond du Lac U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 0954701 had several boats fail inspection because the battery terminal was not covered.

State Law requires the terminals to be covered, including the ground posts.

Local examiners will help boaters meet all state and federal regulations. A safety decal is awarded to each boat that passes. For boats that do not pass, the owner is given information about how to correct errors.

Safety checks are free, however, if a boat fails law enforcement inspection, fines can be as much as $232.

To schedule a safety inspection, visit wow.uscgaux.info/i_want_a_vsc/index.php.

Fond du Lac resident part of mural team at UW-Stout

Bear McQuitty of Fond du Lac was a member of the team of graphic designers who created a mural that was installed at University of Wisconsin-Stouts Applied Arts building.

Fourteen students worked on the mural and it was completed over the course of a week in May.

McQuitty graduated from Lomira High in 2020 and received the Arnold and meta Firle Scholarship for seniors pursuing a degree in a visual arts-related field.

Award-winning content

The Fond du Lac Reporter won four total awards in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.

Read more about the awards and follow links to the award-winning content by clicking here.

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The Fond du Lac Reporter  part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin  strives to make a difference in our community. Read our 2022 Community Impact Report online.

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Contact Mara Wegner at mwegner@gannett.com or 920-996-7241.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac bar to hold benefit for Samantha Steiner, who lost vision
A launching ceremony marking the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland was held in Victoria Park of Hong Kong on Friday, kicking off a series of celebration activities.

John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said at the ceremony that after experiencing various challenges, Hong Kong has now fully resumed its normal life and moved towards a new stage of stability and prosperity.

Under the double safeguards of the national security law in Hong Kong and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", Hong Kong enjoys social stability and good economic development, Lee said, adding that Hong Kong's business environment is free and convenient, and its attractiveness is increasing.

Over the past year, with the full support of the country and Hong Kong people, the HKSAR government has introduced a number of policies and measures for the people's well-being and Hong Kong's development, and strived for better economy, development and competitiveness.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said that over the past year, with the strong support of the central government, Lee and the HKSAR government have fulfilled their duties, united and led all sectors of society to write a new chapter for Hong Kong, and accomplished many practical things.

The general public's sense of security, gain and happiness has been constantly rising, and the once familiar and lovely Hong Kong has returned, he said.

Zheng stressed that Hong Kong people are never afraid of crisis, change, risks and competition, and will seize every opportunity and take the initiative to participate in the reconstruction of the world interest pattern, and to actively integrate into the national development.

Tam Kam-kau, chairman of the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, said that in the 26 years since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has always had the strong backing of the motherland at every critical moment.

As normal travel between the mainland and Hong Kong resumed early this year, Hong Kong has shown great vitality and the HKSAR government welcomed talent and tourists from all over the world with an open and inclusive attitude, Tam said.

Hong Kong's future is bright with its distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, Tam added.

The ceremony was held by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which invited representatives from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Liaoning Province in northeast China and Shandong Province in east China.

A number of science and technology enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were also invited to hold exhibitions and give performances in Victoria Park during the event.
Alex Cochran, Deseret News

Over the last few years, several prominent atheists have been reaching some surprising conclusions about the insurgent social justice movement in America. In a New York Times interview about his book, Woke Racism, University of Columbia professor John McWhorter argues, An anthropologist would see no difference in type between Pentecostalism and this new form of antiracism.

Journalist Helen Lewis likewise penned a 2020 Atlantic essay entitled, How Social Justice Became a New Religion. In her accompanying BBC documentary, The Church of Social Justice, she refers to the religious overtones of the culture wars  suggesting that on both the left and right, we now find unquestionable doctrines, charismatic preachers, blasphemy and heresy  and the promise of salvation.

McWhorter and Lewis are both quick to reassure readers that they mean no insult by comparing social justice to a religion  a qualification needed since they and many other compatriots see religion so dismally. Its precisely that bias of so many secular observers that limits what weve come to believe could be the biggest benefit of seeing social justice as religion: the rich precedent of interfaith peacemaking and dialogue.

Beyond social justice coercion

Popular fear of social justice movements is, at least in part, connected to a widespread presumption that social justice reflects not just another belief system, but a reality that cannot be questioned.

What if that presumption could change? And what if more people could be persuaded to see social justice conviction as one of the various options of belief systems available today?

Thats exactly where we see an interfaith precedent as offering a better way. Rather than feeling implicit fear and pressure to go along with an instance of social justice ideology, people who disagree could have a model for essentially saying, I can appreciate and respect this element of what youre doing  but I dont share your larger belief system.

Thats what a Jew says to his Islamic friend. And what various Christians say to each other with different backgrounds. Couldnt we also say it in reference to the emerging sociopolitical ideologies today?

If so, this might go a long way to reducing tensions and opening new avenues of peace  reducing the pressure to engage this ideology as a representation of objective reality.

Despite the fact that this belief system has many of the trademark elements of religion, this is how social justice is spoken of in colleges and corporations alike  not as a distinctive view for consideration, but as an ethical imperative based on reality. No wonder theres an intensity of conflict around this ideology, compared with other competing philosophical differences weve learned to negotiate.

We believe the advantages of treating social justice ideology as a newfound participant in interfaith relationships are considerable enough that many others  save perhaps the most ardent activists  could be persuaded. Consider the following five tangible benefits:

1. Vibrant conversations about differences

In place of bitter contests between hostile parties, adopting this framework could foster almost overnight more productive exchanges. In our view, the number of rich questions to be explored together are significant. As weve been exploring recently at Public Square Magazine, these include interesting dialogue around whether to frame the core problem facing society as Iniquity or Inequity and whether to see the primary solution to societal ails as Soul Change or Systemic Change.

2. Respectful language to help children understand

Tom Stringham has written about how such a shift in language could help Christian parents explain to their children how to make sense of social justice symbolism, such as a Pride pin. As he puts it, the message comes down to: We have our religion, and other people have theirs. We dont agree about everything, and thats OK.

Rather than constantly bad-mouthing social justice within conservative communities, this would invite another level of respect, much like we aspire toward in our commentaries about other faith communities.

Related

3. Curiosity about common ground

Once the playing field is leveled, we can also initiate new conversations about interesting overlaps and common grounds. For instance, how Christians likewise see racism as a sin  and ways they can work together to correct systemic inequities, without compromising values or doctrine.

Amidst this fresh conversation about what social justice looks like to different faiths, believers may consider approaches to social justice that can help nurture covenantal commitments and Christian faith.

4. An open contest of persuasion

Rather than a hidden wrestle over whos going to pressure who to comply, such a framework brings out into the light competing views in a more open contest of persuasion.

Among other benefits, this would stop the accidental conversions that appear to be happening across various Christian communities  wherein congregants dont realize theyve adopted an entirely new ideological framework  only to be newly disgruntled with their former faith.

As Stringham says, You can find the truth that exists in other religions, but you can only honestly adhere to one religion at a time.

Because its presented as an objective reality, once again, social justice teachings end up being embraced by many without realizing they stem from completely different philosophical priors that conflict fundamentally with their former faith. This would help bring those differences out into the open.

5. Freedom to disagree and live differently

A final benefit would be an enriched conversation about how to appropriately treat and regard dissenters to social justice convictions. Journalist Helen Lewis, herself a lapsed Catholic, has suggested that social justice might have things to learn from the Christian impulse toward grace and forgiveness in this regard.

After highlighting the importance of offer(ing) the possibility of redemption, Lewis added, I think what we have now with social-justice movements is a range of sins, but we dont yet have a good idea of what the mechanism is for confessing, repenting, and being absolved.

This would be of particular benefit to families, in helping to potentially heal the strained feelings that often accompany conversion to this new faith.

And here again, recognizing this as the interfaith relationship it is becomes so helpful. It would be silly and absurd in our modern society to think of trying to forcibly convert or control believers of another faith to our own. Why couldnt we reach a similar consensus when it comes to social justice ideology?

It may just be possible. As we wrote earlier, this framework allows us to answer many of the questions that create social conflict today:

Should the government be able to use its power to shut down institutions where this faith is practiced, such as has recently occurred in Florida? Should the symbols of this religion be displayed in public schools? Must other religions agree to the tenets of this faith in order to continue to function?

Likely resistance

We are not so naive as to imagine this framework would be met without resistance. Its partly because of its framing as an unquestioned truth (and one independent of religion) that social justice ideology holds so much cultural power. And a great many adherents hope for the further normalization and social ascension of their belief system  and would be understandably disappointed at being painted as just one part of our religious mosaic.

But history suggests this is one productive path to create sustained social peace  and a robust peacemaking alternative to the war on woke. The resistance to the idea could be considerable. But with the growing expectation of our culture war escalating over the years ahead, shouldnt we want to try every peacemaking option on the table?

Lets see what it could mean to regard social justice ideology as a distinct belief system that invites both trust and adoration in unique directions  welcoming this at the table of interfaith dialogue and relationships.

As creative peacemaking goes, its worth a shot!

Jacob Hess is the former editor of Public Square Magazine and writes at Publish Peace on Substack. C.D. Cunningham is the managing editor of Public Square Magazine. After graduating from BYU-Idaho, he studied religion at Harvard University.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden will discuss security cooperation when he hosts Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House on Wednesday, according to a statement from his office.

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The pair plan to reaffirm their view that Sweden should join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as soon as possible.

Sweden sought to become a NATO member after Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its application has been blocked by Turkey, which accuses Sweden of offering refuge to political activists wanted on terrorism charges. Finland, which also acted in the wake of Russias war in Ukraine, became NATOs 31st member in April.

Read more: Erdogan Slams Sweden Over Koran Burning in New NATO Tensions

Sweden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed to hold a high-level meeting to discuss Stockholms bid to join the alliance, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said this week.

Biden and Kristersson will also discuss their commitment to supporting Ukraine and to closer transatlantic coordination on China, according to the White House statement.

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This combination of file photos shows (L-R) US President Joe Biden in Washington on June 14, 2023, and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the European Union headquarters in Brussels on March 20, 2023 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

US President Joe Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson next week to talk about transatlantic security cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the White House said Saturday.

The two leaders "will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement about the July 5 meeting.

Sweden asked to join NATO in May 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, but its membership bid, which must be ratified by all 31 member states, has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary.

Western officials had hoped to formally welcome Sweden into the bloc by the time a NATO summit is held in Lithuania on July 11-12.

But earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Sweden for allowing a protest during which a man burned pages from the Koran, further clouding the Nordic nation's chances of quickly joining the military alliance.

"I am delighted that President Biden is inviting us to a meeting next week, before the NATO summit in Vilnius the following week," Kristersson said in a statement. "The focus of the visit will be on Sweden's NATO accession."

At the White House on Wednesday, Biden and Kristersson will also "discuss our shared commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's brutal war of aggression," the White House said.

They will also talk about transatlantic coordination on China, climate change and emerging technologies.

md/ssy/nro
US President Joe Biden (L) will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for talks on Sweden's NATO accession and the war in Ukraine, among other topics (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

US President Joe Biden will host Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson next week to talk about transatlantic security cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the White House said Saturday.

The two leaders "will review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement about the Wednesday meeting.

Sweden asked to join NATO in May 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, but its membership bid, which must be ratified by all 31 member states, has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary.

Western officials had hoped to formally welcome Sweden into the bloc by the time a NATO summit is held in Lithuania on July 11-12.

But earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Sweden for allowing a protest during which a man burned pages from the Koran, further clouding the Nordic nation's chances of quickly joining the military alliance.

"I am delighted that President Biden is inviting us to a meeting next week, before the NATO summit in Vilnius the following week," Kristersson said in a statement. "The focus of the visit will be on Sweden's NATO accession."

The White House said Biden and Kristersson will also "discuss our shared commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's brutal war of aggression."

They will additionally talk about transatlantic coordination on China, climate change and emerging technologies.

Western officials had hoped Erdogan would soften his position on Sweden's bid to join NATO after he secured a hard-fought reelection in May.

Western allies and Stockholm have insisted that Sweden has met the terms of a deal agreed with Ankara last year.

That accord includes a commitment to crack down on opposition Kurdish movements, such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK, blacklisted by Ankara which considers them "terrorist" groups.

Top diplomats from Turkey and Sweden will meet on Thursday, the day after Kristersson's White House visit, at NATO headquarters in Brussels for talks on Stockholm's bid to join the alliance.

Turkey dropped objections to Sweden's Nordic neighbor Finland joining earlier in the year and Helsinki became a NATO member in April.

Meanwhile, Hungary's parliament had been expected to vote on Sweden's bid by the end of its "extraordinary summer session" on July 7, but did not list it as an order of business for the session.

md/ssy/nro/acb
The Supreme Court on Friday dealt a fatal blow to President Joe Bidens plan to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans.

But Biden student debt relief isnt dead yet.

Just hours after the courts conservative majority rejected his loan forgiveness program as a drastic overreach of executive authority, Biden moved swiftly to resuscitate his efforts to cancel debt by invoking a different legal authority.

Todays decision has closed one path, he said. Now were going to pursue another.

While vowing to abide by the courts ruling, Biden struck a defiant tone, saying he wouldnt be deterred from delivering on a key policy priority that progressives have long sought, and many Democrats say is important to animate their voters.

Im not going to stop fighting to deliver borrowers what they need, particularly those at the bottom end of the economic scale, he said.

But Bidens second attempt will face a range of major challenges, both practical and legal, as he embarks on whats going to be a lengthy regulatory process thats likely to stretch well into next year ahead of the presidential election.

For starters, the White House is barreling toward a deadline this fall as it prepares to resume collecting monthly payments from tens of millions of borrowers who have had their debt frozen since March 2020.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced Friday that student loan repayment would continue as planned this fall. But he said the administration was taking new steps to ease the resumption of payments, which will include the tens of millions of Americans who were promised relief under the now-defunct program.

The Education Department said it would create an on-ramp 12-month transition period in which borrowers wont get dinged on their credit reports for missing payments, though interest will continue to accrue. Department officials had earlier this month told loan servicers to develop an initial 90-day period of what they internally call a safety net period and to be prepared for subsequent extensions.

The administration also announced their final new income-driven repayment plan thats aimed at lowering monthly payments for borrowers, which Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called the most affordable repayment plan in history.

Biden administration officials acknowledged Friday that their Plan B option  the Higher Education Act path  would involve far more bureaucratic hoops and regulatory minutia than the administrations first plan, which was quickly implemented once Biden announced it last August.

This new path is legally sound, Biden said. Its going to take longer, but, in my view, its the best path that remains to providing for as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.

To start, the Education Department will hold public hearings and convene a negotiated rulemaking panel that will debate and discuss potential options for canceling student debt.

White House officials said Friday they didnt yet have more details about how the new program would be structured, nor did they say precisely when it might be available.

Its going to be months, said Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director for the National Economic Council. We are aiming to do it as quickly as possible.

But major legal obstacles also lie ahead. Some legal observers viewed the 6-3 decision on Friday as sharply limiting the administrations options.

Jed Shugerman, a professor of law at Boston University, who supports cancelling student debt, said he thought the breadth of Fridays ruling foreclosed the possibility of Biden using the Higher Education Act to develop another sweeping debt cancellation program.

The majority decision by Chief Justice John Roberts is written in a very broad and aggressive way for limited agency power, he said, saying the court expressed new, more expansive skepticism of executive branch policies under the major questions doctrine.

Shugerman said he viewed Bidens options as limited to canceling student debt on a case-by-case basis under existing federal regulations governing cancellation  not creating new ones.

It's either got to be new legislation, or it's got to be old regulations, Shugerman said of the Biden administrations options for moving forward with debt cancellation. The Roberts Court is not going to allow new regulations or new statutory interpretations from how I'm reading what they did today.

Biden administration officials have been preparing for months for the possibility  which seemed likely after oral arguments in February  that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court would reject its student debt relief plan.

But officials have privately weighed backup options even as theyve touted publicly their confidence in their original legal rationale. Indeed, the Education Departments regulatory notice describing the new Higher Education Act plan was finalized Thursday night before the courts decision was announced, according to the data associated with the document.

Progressive lawmakers and advocates for student debt relief have for months said that the Biden administration should swiftly switch to a new legal rationale if its student debt cancellation plan using emergency powers tied to the Covid-19 pandemic were to go down.

Advocates for student debt relief, after meeting with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients in May, sent a detailed legal memorandum for the administration to move quickly on canceling debt if the court strikes down the program.

In the legal memo, which was obtained by POLITICO, the student debt relief advocates propose a wide range of options for the administration.

They include ways to rely on existing Education Department rules under the Higher Education Act as well as the Federal Claims Collections Standards to deliver on debt cancellation more quickly than the traditional rulemaking process. Other options in the memo include issuing interim final rules and waiving some of the typical bureaucratic obstacles to enacting new regulations.

The calls from the left for Biden to swiftly switch to a plan B for canceling student debt grew louder and more pointed in the hours after the courts ruling on Friday.

Despite this legally unsound Supreme Court decision, the President has the clear authority under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cancel student debt, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. He must use this authority immediately.

President Biden and Secretary Cardona have got to deliver relief to the coalition that delivered this White House, said Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who has negotiated student debt relief with the White House. A promise is a promise.

But some progressives were already saying that the administration didnt go far enough after Biden's first remarks on his Plan B strategy on Friday.

POTUS must invoke HEA to pause interest & collections until the debt is forgiven, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said on Twitter.

Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.
Travis VanderZanden's slow-motion departure from Bird is now complete. The scooter rental company announced in a late-Friday news dump that the executive has stepped down from his role as chairperson of Bird's board, "effective immediately."

Replacing VanderZanden is John Bitove, who played a role in saving Bird's bacon this past December via its merger with Bird Canada.

VanderZanden had led the micromobility company from its inception as its president and founding CEO, but that all changed last year when Bird's declining stock price culminated in a delisting warning from the New York Stock Exchange. Soon after, VanderZanden stepped down from his role as president, handing over the title to Bird's then-chief operating officer Shane Torchiana. Torchiana went on to assume the CEO post as well several months later. At the time, VanderZanden called the reorg a "long-planned transition."

According to Bird, VanderZanden "decided to step down [from the board] to pursue other ventures." In a similarly vague yet intriguing statement, VanderZanden added that he intends to return to his "entrepreneurial roots and incubate some new ideas."

TechCrunch has reached out for more information on the founder's departure and will update this story when we hear back.
The Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) updated blood donation guidelines were issued last month with the aim of being more inclusive of the LGBTQ community, but community members say the agency has left the door open for stigma and discrimination.

Under the new guidelines, all donors will answer a series of individual risk-based questions regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender. But people who are on PrEP, the antiretroviral medicine used to prevent HIV infection, are explicitly deferred from being allowed to donate blood.

Kendall Martinez-Wright is a policy associate at the Treatment Action Group (TAG), an advocacy organization with the goal of ending diseases like HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis. She said the policy excluding those on PrEP creates a basis of discrimination.

In its final guidance, the FDA cited concerns about transfusion transmission of HIV due to medications like PrEP resulting in false negatives. Individuals taking oral PrEP who wish to donate blood would need to abstain from taking the medicine for three months, while those who receive an injection of medicine to prevent HIV infection would need to wait at least two years to donate.

According to Rupa Patel, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at Whitman-Walker Health, if a breakthrough HIV infection were to occur in someone taking PrEP, there is a chance that person would not test positive for three months or more.

She noted that in some cases, people taking oral PrEP never tested positive.

Traditional HIV testing looks for antibodies made in response to HIV. If the virus is blunted by PrEP, those antibodies may never be created, thus resulting in a false negative.

People whove had exposure to antiretrovirals essentially have different patterns of disease detection, Patel said.

When taken as prescribed, PrEP reduces the risk of HIV infection by 99 percent. In these best-case scenarios, Patel describes the medicine as like a spacesuit or a bubble, with the virus not having the chance to enter the body.

We have to acknowledge that concern, Martinez-Wright said of the deferral for those on PrEP. The modern technology that blood banks have, that can also be a segue into potential new innovative areas where they can advance testing and diagnostics, which is still an ongoing effort.

This sentiment was echoed by the Congressional Equality Caucus when the rules were finalized, with caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) urging the FDA to continue to invest in improvements in testing and pathogen reduction technologies so they can remove further barriers that may still prevent some LGBTQI+ people from donating blood.

While understanding the need for such a rule, Martinez-Wright also expressed concerns that the guidance could inadvertently advance a false narrative that PrEP is not highly effective at reducing the risk of someone contracting HIV.

Though the agency aimed to be more inclusive of a long-excluded community, the rule on PrEP stands to still exclude large swaths of LGBTQ individuals. According to the most recent federal data, about 30 percent of people who could benefit from PrEP are taking the medication.

The FDA has advised people not to stop taking the drug to donate blood.

On top of the exclusion of those on PrEP, individuals who have engaged in anal sex with a new partner in the past three months before donating will also be deferred.

Among the LGBTQ community, a person in a monogamous relationship, who engages in anal sex with only their monogamous partner for three months before donating and isnt on PrEP should be eligible as long as they meet all other criteria.

Torrian Baskerville, HIV and health equity director for the Human Rights Campaign, said a rule that requires people to go off PrEP to take part in something like blood donation is counter to the U.S.s national goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.

We cant trade off blood donations for the sake of compromising peoples health and ensuring that we are ending the epidemic by 2030, said Baskerville.

Guidance requiring individuals to alter their behavior to take part still leaves room for discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, Baskerville said, because of the suggestion that their behavior is somehow harmful.

We need to focus less on behavior and more on looking at technology, systems and processes that allow more people to be donors, as well as ensuring that the safety of the donations are safe for recipients to have, he added.

With groups like the Red Cross expected to implement the changes as soon as this summer, theres still an open question about how many gay and bisexual men will line up to donate after years of policies blocking them.

They dont want our blood. Why would we donate? Well, thats the whole idea is we need to show that we are here to donate. We want to help and hopefully show them enough people want to donate, said Jordan James, founder of the LGBTQ blood donation advocacy group Blood is Blood.

We have a community that is willing to step up and help.

Jamess organization regularly hosts blood drives in partnership with the Red Cross. According to James, many gay and bisexual men often feel, They didnt want our blood then, they dont get it now. But this has also been the first year he has begun to hear from other organizations around the country who wish to host blood drives like his that reach out to the gay community.

The Red Cross has said it plans to implement the new guidelines starting Aug. 7. Americas Blood Centers said shortly after the new rules were finalized that it would welcome newly eligible donors as soon as possible.

How these blood centers adopt the new rules and the individual risk-based questions will also determine whether more members of the LGBTQ community donate blood, according to activists.

Its going to depend on how the questions are asked because the FDA is not going to determine how these blood banks ask the questions or what verbiage will be used specifically, James said. Thats the next step too  how its rolled out and how the community actually is asked, you know. Are these questions going to be more inclusive?

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Eric Montgomery faces years behind bars after jurors on Friday found him guilty of three crimes related to the death of an Indiana University student who died at his home last year.

The jury deliberated four hours, coming back around 6:30 p.m. with guilty verdicts for rape of someone unable to give consent and attempted obstruction of justice, both felonies.

He also was charged with a felony count of providing alcohol to a minor causing death, but jurors convicted him of a misdemeanor version that didn't tie alcohol to 20-year-old Avery McMillan dying.

Montgomery was on trial June 26-30 in Monroe Circuit Court.

Judge Valeri Haughton will sentence him on Aug. 4. And when she does, she can increase Montgomery's sentence by up to 30 years because of a habitual offender status supported by his prior felony convictions.

Montgomery 'trolling for women'

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Kehr said Montgomery set his sights on McMillan when he was, as he told a detective after his arrest, out drinking the morning of Aug. 17 last year looking for women to have sex with.

"Avery was easy pickings for him that night. He was trolling for women at 4 a.m. downtown, and he had her in his crosshairs," Kehr told jurors during his closing statement Friday. "He knew she had been drinking, and he gives her more."

Montgomery, who is 34 and was living with his mother and stepfather when the incident happened, said he and McMillan drank, smoked marijuana and had consensual sex twice during the hours they were together.

More: Starbucks workers in Bloomington begin effort to unionize

Defense attorney Paul M. Blanton hinted at racism, challenging the legitimacy of the allegations and "the notion there's no conceivable way she would have sex with Eric Montgomery," who is 14 years older and Black.

McMillan, a Zeta Tau Alpha sorority member from Valparaiso, was white.

Locked out, miles from home

The two ended up at Montgomery's around 6 a.m., two hours after she got into his car in the parking garage at Tenth & College apartments, where she lived.

McMillan had gotten locked out of the building, and spent nearly two hours frantically trying to get into the student complex. But without her key fob to the third floor, she couldn't get home.

McMillan died from an overdose of the potent opioids fentanyl and fluorofentanyl about four hours after arriving at Montgomery's residence.

Earlier testimony: Trial witnesses retrace IU student Avery McMillan's steps before she died

He wasn't charged with possessing or supplying the drugs that caused McMillan to die. And there was no evidence presented about where the drugs came from or when she took them.

A pathologist said the two opioids would have been ingested close to the time McMillan died. He couldn't say how they were taken, but that the toxic fentanyl mix would have caused the IU student's death even if she had not been drinking.

A sheriff's deputy reported finding a cut piece of straw on a nightstand near where McMiIlan died, but it wasn't collected or tested for fentanyl residue.

Deputies said they looked around but saw no drugs in plain sight. They didn't return with a search warrant, nor did they search Montgomery's Ford Crown Victoria for drugs, according to testimony during the trial.

Long record, new rape charge for Montgomery

This isn't the first time Montgomery's been in serious trouble with the law.

Back in 2009, when he was 20, Montgomery spent 161 days jailed on a murder allegation, charged with being one of two men who broke into a trailer to steal heroin and cash. A 32-year-old man who tried to stop them was shot and killed.

After a trial, jurors acquitted Montgomery and he went home with his mother.

But arrests continued. In February 2011, he was taken to jail for driving a vehicle without a license and possession of marijuana. Over the next two years, he was charged with dealing in a controlled substance, burglary and fraud. A 2013 drug conviction sent him to state prison for a year.

In 2015, he was charged with intimidation after reportedly threatening three men scheduled to testify against him in a drug case where he eventually pleaded guilty.

Montgomery returned to prison to serve two years for burglary. In 2018, it was two domestic battery charges and a criminal mischief allegation that sent him to jail. Montgomery landed back in prison in 2019 for burglary. He was released in November 2020.

Montgomery has a more recent pending sexual assault case, filed after McMillan died. It stems from the reported sexual assault of a woman one year earlier.

This past January, a DNA match tied Montgomery to the August 2021 rape of an Ellettsville woman. Court documents in the case allege Montgomery raped her when they were neighbors.

She told police Montgomery came to her Vine Street apartment asking to be consoled about the killing of a family member. He then pinned her to a bed and raped her, she said, after she told him "no" several times.

Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington man guilty of rape in case of IU student Avery McMillan
A visitor takes in the view along the Blue Ridge Parkway May 1, 2023. Parkway visitors should expect some minor delays on certain portions of the parkway in Asheville and Linville due to bridge repairs in the coming weeks.

ASHEVILLE  Travelers to the busiest unit of the National Park Service can expect delays on certain areas of the Blue Ridge Parkway while six bridges undergo maintenance projects in the coming weeks, according to a June 29 news release from the parkway.

The project, which will replace bearings and joints and address other minor concrete repairs, is part of a series of planned maintenance projects. Areas along the parkway in Western North Carolina that are set to be worked on include: Milepost 388.1 and 388.8 on U.S. Route 25, which is the bridge crossing over Hendersonville Road in South Asheville, as well as two bridges located at Milepost 316.5 along Linville Spur Road leading to Linville Falls.

While work is underway, Parkway travelers can expect single-lane traffic control during the day and the possibility of full evening closures with short detours, Leesa Brandon, parkway spokesperson, said in the news release.

Brandon expects contractors to start work in the Linville Falls area before beginning the Asheville-area maintenance work, with the Linville work expected to begin as soon as next week. Nothing will start before the July 4 holiday, but soon thereafter, Brandon told the Citizen Times June 29.

The work will primarily be short-duration, single-lane closures during the day, but the contractor does have the option to make full-closures after 7 p.m. if needed, Brandon said. There should be minimal impact to parkway visitors due to this project, according to Brandon.

More: Wreckage of deadly 1983 Waterrock Knob plane crash removed from Blue Ridge Parkway

Parkway visitors should expect some minor delays on certain portions of the parkway in Asheville and Linville near Linville Falls, seen in this file photo, due to bridge repairs in the coming weeks.

Once that work does get underway in a given area, the contractor will place some variable message boards on the parkway to alert visitors and neighbors about the planned construction dates in any given area, which will be a helpful reminder to us all," Brandon said.

Project work is expected to be completed by September. The parkway urges visitors and neighbors to exercise caution and observe closures while construction is underway.

The parkway curves along some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States, stretching 469 miles from its start at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, passing through Asheville and ending at the entrance to the Great Smokies in Cherokee. Some of the most distinctive architectural features of the parkway are its collection of over 170 bridges, according to the news release.

The parkway is the most visited unit of the National Park Service, with some 15.7 million visitors in 2022.

More: 'Aggressive' bear encounters force trail closure off Blue Ridge Parkway

Whats really important on the parkway as it relates to as many maintenance and road maintenance projects that we have going on this season is planning ahead," Brandon said. "There are daily updates made to the road status information on the parkways website and planning ahead is always a good idea.

On its road status page, the parkway provides daily milepost by milepost status information with links to additional project information or detour maps where applicable.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway to undergo bridge maintenance, delays expected
A bobcat was killed after it attacked a camp leader who was sleeping in a hammock during a youth expedition in Connecticut, state officials said Friday.

The attack was reported early Friday morning on Selden Neck Island in Selden Neck State Park, and the man and two other adults responded by ultimately killing the lynx, said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The adults were injured and taken to a hospital. Their conditions were unavailable. The campers didn't have any contact with the bobcat, and first responders took them off the island after the attack, the department said.

The bobcats body was transported to a health facility to determine if it had rabies, the Energy and Environmental Protection department said.

NBC Connecticut reported the expedition was part of the Wilderness School, a youth development program through the state Department of Children and Families. The program includes hiking, camping and canoeing expeditions and other activities year-round, according to its website.

Bobcats rarely attack humans because they live solitary lives, often roaming far, wide and alone as they seek prey. But experts say humans are their biggest threat, via development and urban incursions.

Selden Neck State Park is about 120 miles northeast of New York City.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Bodies of two more Georgian military volunteers killed in ranks of Ukrainian forces brought to their home country

Two veterans of the Russian-Georgian war killed in the ranks of the Ukrainian Defence Forces have been brought to Georgia for burial.

Source: Novosti-Georgia (News Georgia) news agency, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The plane with the bodies of Malkhaz Kvizhinadze and Joni Odishvili arrived in Georgia at night.

Both are veterans of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war and chose to fight for Ukraine.

Photo: News Georgia

Kvizhinadze was killed earlier this week in Luhansk Oblast.

Odishvili sustained severe shrapnel wounds to the head near the city of Bakhmut, and doctors failed to save his life in hospital.

The total number of Georgians who have been killed in the ranks of the Ukrainian Defence Forces is close to 50. The Georgian media include both those who arrived from Georgia during the full-scale war and ethnic Georgians who had lived in Ukraine for a long time beforehand.

In mid-June, the first military volunteer from Finland was killed in the ranks of the Ukrainian forces in the countrys east.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Your body has an internal clock that dictates when you eat, sleep and might have a heart attack  all based on time of day

Syncing your circadian rhythm to a natural light-dark cycle could improve your health and well-being. nambitomo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Anyone who has suffered from jet lag or struggled after turning the clock forward or back an hour for daylight saving time knows all about what researchers call your biological clock, or circadian rhythm  the master pacemaker that synchronizes how your body responds to the passing of one day to the next.

This clock is made up of about 20,000 neurons in the hypothalamus, the area near the center of the brain that coordinates your bodys unconscious functions, like breathing and blood pressure. Humans arent the only beings that have an internal clock system: All vertebrates  or mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish  have biological clocks, as do plants, fungi and bacteria. Biological clocks are why cats are most active at dawn and dusk, and why flowers bloom at certain times of day.

Circadian rhythms are also essential to health and well-being. They govern your bodys physical, mental and behavioral changes over each 24-hour cycle in response to environmental cues like light and food. Theyre why more heart attacks and strokes occur early in the morning. Theyre also why mice that are missing their biological clocks age faster and have shorter lifespans, and people with a mutation in their circadian clock genes have abnormal sleep patterns. Chronic misalignment of your circadian rhythm with external cues, as seen in night-shift workers, can lead to a wide range of physical and mental disorders, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

In short, there is ample evidence that your biological clock is critical to your health. And chronobiologists like me are studying how the day-night cycle affects your body to better understand how you can modify your behaviors to use your internal clock to your advantage.

How biological rhythms affect your health

Your biological clock affects your health by regulating your sleep-wake cycles and fluctuations in blood pressure and body temperature. It does this primarily by syncing your endocrine system to environmental light-dark cycles so that certain hormones are released in certain amounts at certain times of day.

The pineal grand in your brain, for example, produces melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep in response to darkness. Doctors advise reducing exposure to artificial blue light from electronic devices before bedtime because it can disrupt melatonin secretion and sleep quality.

Your circadian rhythm also affects your metabolism. Among other things, sleep helps you regulate leptin, a hormone that controls appetite. Your leptin levels fluctuate throughout the day according to a rhythm set by your circadian clock. Insufficient or irregular sleep can disrupt leptin production, which can make us hungrier and lead to weight gain.

Your hormones fluctuate rhythmically over the course of the day. The stress hormone cortisol typically peaks in the morning, while the sleep hormone melatonin typically peaks in the night. Pikovit44/iStock via Getty Images Plus

In recent years, researchers have discovered even more ways your circadian clock can affect your health. For example, there is now research suggesting that eating at set times of day, or time-restricted feeding, can prevent obesity and metabolic diseases. Depression and other mood disorders may also be linked to dysfunctional circadian control that lead to changes in how your genes are expressed.

The time of day when you take your medicine can also affect how well it works and how severe any side effects might be. Likewise, your biological clock is a potential target for cancer chemotherapies and anti-obesity treatments.

And finally, even your personality might be shaped by whether your internal clock make you a morning person or a night person.

Getting the most out of exercise

Circadian clocks also provide a potential answer to when is the best time of day to maximize the benefits of physical exercise.

To study this, my colleagues and I collected blood and tissue samples from the brains, hearts, muscles, livers and fat of mice that exercised either before breakfast in the early morning or after dinner in the late evening. We used a tool called a mass spectrometer to detect approximately 600 to 900 molecules each organ produced. These metabolites served as real-time snapshots of how the mice responded to exercise at specific times of day.

We stitched these snapshots together to create a map of how exercise in the morning versus evening affected each of the mices different organ systems  what we called an atlas of exercise metabolism.

The best time of day to exercise might be the time when you feel you perform best. Anuruk Charoenamornrat/EyeEm via Getty Images

Using this atlas, we saw that time of day affects how each organ uses energy during exercise. For instance, we found that early morning exercise reduced blood glucose levels more than late evening exercise. Exercise in the late evening, however, allowed the mice to benefit from energy they stored from their meals and increased their endurance.

Of course, mice and humans have many differences along with their similarities. For one, mice are more active at night than during the day. Still, we believe that our findings could help researchers better understand how exercise affects your health and, if timed appropriately, can be optimized based on time of day to meet your personal health goals.

Getting along with your biological clock

I believe that the field of chronobiology is growing, and we will produce even more research providing practical applications and insights into health and well-being in the future.

In my own work, for example, a better understanding of how exercising at different times of day affects your body could help tailor exercise plans to maximize specific benefits for patients with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other diseases.

There is still much to learn about how your circadian clock works. But in the meantime, there are some tried and true ways people can synchronize their internal clocks for better health. These include regular exposure to sunlight to trigger the endocrine system to produce vitamin D, staying active during the day so you fall asleep more easily at night and avoiding caffeine and reducing your exposure to artificial light before bedtime.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Shogo Sato, Texas A&M University.

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Shogo Sato receives funding from the Brain & Behavioral Research Foundation (NARSAD Young Investigator Grant, 28681) and start-up funds from Texas A&M University.
From book bans to blueberries, here are some state laws taking effect July 1

The start of a new fiscal year means recently enacted laws will take effect Saturday in many states across the country.

The statutes run the gamut from prohibiting marriage licenses for kids in Connecticut to legalizing throwing stars in Indiana.

Here are descriptions of some of the laws taking effect in various states.

Floridians can carry weapons without a permit

Residents of Florida will no longer be required to obtain a permit issued by the state to carry a concealed weapon, under a law that was quietly signed in April by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate.

Florida became the 26th state to pass some form of "permitless carry" legislation.

California makes it easier to sue the firearms industry

A bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, will make it easier for residents, local governments and the state attorney general to sue firearm retailers in civil court.

Additionally, firearm dealers in California will be required to establish protocol aimed at curbing gun sales to traffickers, people prohibited from firearm possession under state or federal law, and people deemed a risk to themselves or others.

Kansas imposes restrictions on transgender people

A new law in Kansas bans transgender people from using restrooms, locker rooms, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers that are consistent with their gender identities. The statute holds that distinctions between the sexes" be considered "substantially related" to governmental objectives of ensuring health, safety and privacy in those spaces.

The Republican-controlled Legislature in April overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of the measure.

Georgia blocks most gender-affirming care

A bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, in March prohibits most gender-affirming procedures and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people under 18. The new law stops short of preventing doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and allows minors who began receiving hormone therapy before July 1 to continue.

Georgia is one of many Republican-led states to restrict access to gender-affirming care, with Texas being the most populous state to have banned gender-affirming care for minors.

Florida bans classroom instruction on STIs and periods before sixth grade

The new law bans instruction on menstruation, human sexuality and sexually transmitted infections in public schools before sixth grade.

It comes after a measure that critics dubbed the Don't Say Gay bill, which banned classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, was expanded to include all grades in public schools.

Near-complete ban on no-knock warrants in Minnesota

Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, in May signed into law a near-complete ban on no-knock warrants after the high-profile shooting of Amir Locke by a SWAT team officer during a raid with a no knock warrant in Minneapolis last year.

Exceptions to the ban will be allowed only if the search can't be conducted while the premises are unoccupied, or if its occupants pose an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to the officers executing the warrant, or others.

Virginia classifies fentanyl as a 'weapon of terrorism'

Starting Saturday, fentanyl will officially be a weapon of terrorism" in Virginia. The new law also toughens the penalty for manufacturers or distributors of drugs that include fentanyl.

During his State of the Union address this year, President Joe Biden called for "strong penalties" to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, while Republicans have argued that his border policies are largely responsible for the amount of fentanyl in the U.S.

Marriage licenses for kids are banned in Connecticut

A measure signed into law last month blocks minors from obtaining a marriage license in Connecticut.

The new law reverses a 2017 statute that allowed a probate judge to issue marriage licenses to 16- and 17-year-olds with the written consent of a parent or guardian.

Indiana repeals ban on throwing stars

Under a new law, throwing stars are now legal in Indiana, except on school property.

The statute defines throwing stars to "mean a throwing-knife, throwing-iron, or other knife-like weapon with blades set at different angles."

Tougher data privacy laws in Colorado and Connecticut

Both states have enacted consumer privacy laws that are expected to afford residents more control over their personal data.

The new laws require businesses to obtain consent before storing, sharing or selling certain personal data. They also affirm the rights of residents to ask businesses delete their personal information, seek copies of data collected about them and block the sale of their personal data.

Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, in 2021 signed a bill establishing the Colorado Privacy Act, with the final rules published in March. Gov. Ned Lamont, also a Democrat, signed Connecticut's version last year.

Pornography sites required to check age of users in Virginia

Porn sites operating in Virginia will be required to take "reasonable steps" to verify that their users are at least 18 years old.

The new law follows the enactment of similar statutes in Arkansas, Mississippi and Utah in recent months.

Mississippi picks the blueberry as its state fruit

Mississippi is formally designating the blueberry as its state fruit.

The move came after a group of elementary school students "led the way on this issue and rallied the legislature to their cause," Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted upon signing the legislation in March.

Henry Priesmeyer, of Horn Lake, Miss., looks at plants during his annual trip to Nesbit Blueberry Plantation, in Nesbit, Miss., Tuesday, June 5, 2012. (Stan Carroll / The Commercial Appeal/AP file)

School books with sex acts are now banned in Iowa

Iowa schools will be required to strip from library shelves any texts detailing sex acts under a bill that also prohibits instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in public and charter schools through sixth grade.

The measure was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, in May. The legislation also lifts a requirement for schools to include information about HPV and AIDS in health curriculum.

The law follows numerous book bans in Republican-led states under the banner of parental rights that largely focus on LGBTQ themed-texts and books highlighting issues of race and racism.

Restrictions on certain race and gender topics in Tennessee

A new law identifies certain topics surrounding racism and sexism. and how race and gender could play a role in the maintenance of privilege or oppression as divisive concepts that are subject to restrictions.

The law bars institutions from conducting mandatory training or using training materials with students or employees that includes these concepts. It also prohibits public institutions of higher education from requiring prospective students or employees to submit a personal diversity statement or to agree with an institutional diversity statement when they apply.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Christian Schmidt, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina speaks during a news conference

By Daria Sito-Sucic

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's international peace overseer, Christian Schmidt, on Saturday annulled two laws that Bosnian Serb parliament had adopted defying the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended the Balkan country's war in the 1990s.

Schmidt, who as international High Representative in Bosnia has powers to impose laws and sack obstructive officials, also amended a law so that those seen as attacking the state institutions can be criminally prosecuted.

"Recent decisions by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska directly violate the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Dayton peace agreement," Schmidt told a news conference in Sarajevo.

Schmidt was referring to lawmakers in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic voting to suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court and stopping publishing the peace envoy's decrees and laws in the official gazette.

The Dayton peace accords ended nearly four years of war, in which about 100,000 died, by splitting Bosnia into two autonomous regions, the Serb-dominated Serb Republic and the Federation shared by Bosniaks and Croats, linked by a weak central government.

The region's separatist pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik, who has long criticised the court for having foreign judges on board, initiated the vote after the court last week decided to change the rules to be able to convene sessions and make decisions without Serb judges.

The Serbs say they do not recognise Schmidt, who was appointed in 2021, as the high representative because the U.N. Security Council did not endorse his appointment.

"Republika Srpska will not accept a single decision of the fake high representative," Dodik, who was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption and obstructing the peace, said on Saturday.

Schmidt said that his decisions are effective immediately.

The U.S. embassy welcomed Schmidt's decisions, agreeing that he was defending the Dayton peace deal and the constitution upholding the rule of law in Bosnia.

"The United States supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to hold individuals engaged in anti-Dayton behaviour responsible for their actions," the embassy tweeted.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Louise Heavens)
A Boston City Councilor has been summoned to court to answer charges that she crashed an unregistered and uninsured vehicle while driving on a revoked license.

According to a statement released by her office, Councilor Kendra Lara, who represents Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, and her son Zaire were in a car accident near the Monument in Jamaica Plain.

According to the police report obtained by Boston 25, officers responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries at 803 Centre Street Friday afternoon. Upon arrival, officers observed the vehicle inside the homes left side.

Boston Police redacted Laras name and other details in the report provided to Boston 25. 25 Investigates viewed an unredacted draft version provided by a source.

Laras vehicle went through the metal fence outside the home, then crashed into and drove over the bushes before colliding with the left side of the house, causing significant damage to the home, police noted.

Upon investigation, Councilor Lara was traveling inbound on Centre Street when another car began to pull away from the curb. According to the report, Lara swerved the car left to avoid a collision with the other vehicle and could not hit the brakes fast enough before colliding with into home.

Lara had her child in the backseat of the vehicle but not in a booster or car seat according to an officer who . According to Boston police, All children riding in passenger motor vehicles must be in a federally approved child passenger restraint that is properly fastened and secured until they are 8 years of age or over 57 inches tall. Children older than 8 years of age or taller than 57 inches must wear seat belts. Lara stated she and her son were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The child suffered injuries including bruising around the left eye and a deep laceration on the left eyebrow. Both Lara and her son were treated at Childrens Hospital.

DCF was contacted as a result of the child not being in the car seat.

The report said Lara was also driving with a revoked license and the vehicle she was driving was found to be unregistered with no insurance and had an expired inspection sticker.

Lara is due in West Roxbury District Court and is being charged with the operation of a motor vehicle after suspension, operation of an unregistered motor vehicle, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

It was a scary situation for everyone involved but thankfully Councilor Lara and Zaire are expected to make a full recovery, " a statement said. She asks for privacy at this time.

According to the citys payroll, Lara was paid $99,519.25 in 2022.

Police report from the car crash involving Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara redacted by BPD. #boston25 pic.twitter.com/xN0T6FBQNf  Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) July 1, 2023

The owner of the home Lara crashed into told Boston 25 News the crash was a frightening experience.

It was a shock. Anybody would be shocked to find a car on their lawn up against their house, said Georgia Kalogerakis. I am very thankful, anybody could have been walking by so we have to be thankful it wasnt worse.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston police are investigating after one person was killed and another person was hurt in a double shooting in Mission Hill.

Investigators were called to the scene on McGreevey Way just after midnight Saturday.

Boston 25 News crews spotted nearly two dozen evidence markers scattered on the ground and on the hood of a silver car.

Upon arrival, officers located two adult males suffering from gunshot wounds.

Both victims were transported to local hospitals where one was pronounced dead. The second victims injuries are considered non-life threatening.

Boston police were seen searching the area with K9s and flashlights.

Its unclear if anyone was arrested or if any weapons were recovered at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Moms For Liberty book tableGIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images

Moms for Liberty, which was labeled an "extremist group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center last month, has used its national summit this week to promote conspiracy theories and far-right ideas all while maintaining its image of being a non-partisan organization of concerned parents.

The right-wing group has invited extremist speakers to spread anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation, holding strategy sessions featuring topics like "Comprehensive Sex Education: Sex Ed or Sexualization" and "Protecting Kids from Gender Ideology."

"Extremism is a growing threat to everyone's safety, and the rhetoric spewed at this conference by its host and invited guests has real-world consequences," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told Salon.

One of the speakers featured in the summit includes KrisAnne Hall, who has been a member and host for the anti-government Oath Keepers militia.

Hall has been described as "an antigovernment lawyer" by SPLC and taught a course during the Idaho Liberty Summit, in which she framed the federal government as being tyrannical and overreaching with its authority.

Related

Moms for Liberty: "Joyful Warriors" in the fight to demolish public school

"The fact that Moms for Liberty is platforming extremists like KrisAnne Hall of the Oath Keepers is another sign of just how radical this group really is," Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told Salon. "This is also another example of how the conservative movement now mainstreams figures and ideas that were once seen as beyond the pale in mainstream American politics."

Hall has gained a dedicated following among a group of antigovernment Americans and devotes part of her time to public speaking engagements where she promotes the advantages of non-compliance.

She has previously "compared the U.S. Capitol police to Nazi S.S. troops" and delivered an anti-government talk to the League of the South, a white nationalist and pro-Confederate organization, according to Media Matters.

"It's an outrage to think that Mom for Liberty would invite a speaker who is a member of a group whose leader was convicted of seditious conspiracy," Beirich said.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

The so-called Joyful Warriors National Summit has also attracted other notable far-right and mainstream conservative speakers, including Republican presidential candidates and prominent state education officers who are influencing state legislation.

Some of these names include former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who promised to "fight the woke" in schools, the halls of Congress and corporations if elected president.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley also addressed the group on Friday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"John Hopkins comes out with the definition of a woman  'A non-man'  And then everybody wonders why a third of our teenage girls last year seriously contemplated suicide," Hailey said.

Related

"Incredibly dishonest": Nikki Haley ripped for blaming teen suicides on trans kids in locker rooms

Moms for Liberty first gained notoriety in school board meetings, protesting COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates. Over time, MFL has grown and claims to have 285 chapters in 45 states with a membership of over 100,000 participants.

Now, as the group has expanded its "organizational jurisdiction from school boards to state legislatures", as Media Matters points out, they are combating LGBTQ+ acceptance in schools and communities.

So it comes as no surprise that the group also invited anti-LGBTQ pundits Dennis Prager and James Lindsay to address the summit.

Prager, the conservative talk show host, has previously made outlandish claims suggesting that unvaccinated people today are treated worse than gay men during the height of the AIDS crisis, as The Daily Beast reported.

While appearing on Newsmax, he said that people who choose not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus are "the pariahs of America, as I have not seen in my lifetime... Can you imagine if gay men and intravenous drug users had they been pariahs the way the non-vaccinated are? But it would have been inconceivable."

Lindsay on the other hand, has shared conspiracy theories about the supposed communist takeover of the world and promoted "groomer" rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community.

During Turning Point USA's Americafest Live, Lindsay labeled Drag queens "groomer clowns" and called them a "provocation".

"You guys remember George Floyd? The goal is to have 'Drag Floyd,' and the goal is to get you to give in so they get their way or overreact  and that's where I say 'Drag Floyd,'" Lindsay said. "It's so important to understand that they want a drag queen to get attacked, and they want to make a huge amount of hay of it, and they want to create summer 2020 again off of a drag queen or a trans person or something like this."

The Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD have documented more than 350 incidents against LGBTQ people over the last year, ranging from assault to harassment and vandalism, more than half committed by people associated with extremist groups, Ellis said.

A majority of the incidents were also linked to the "groomer" trope co-opted by some right-wing politicians and pundits, with drag shows and drag performers being a top target, according to the report.

Related

"Hatred, plain and simple": "Groomer" trope linked to nearly 200 anti-LGBTQ+ attacks in 11 months

However, not all anti-LGBTQ+ activities were carried out by individuals who were a part of extremist groups, the report found, demonstrating how easily people, who are a part of a local church group or a local parents' rights group, can be influenced.

"As the right radicalizes and gets closer to movements that were once seen as fringe and dangerous, they provide sanction to views that should be outside of normal politics," Beirich said. "This is poisoning our political systems and bringing into the fold those who absolutely should be outside of it."

Anti-Muslim commentator Katie Gorka will also be speaking at the event. Gorka has previously made remarks claiming that the Muslim community in the United States, wasn't "working with us to prevent" terrorist acts. But upon joining the Trump administration, she helped deny funding from the Countering Violent Extremism program to a nonprofit that helps "people leave the violent far-right."

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson will also be making an appearance. Robinson has a long record of making anti-LGBTQ+, racist, antisemitic and Islamophobic statements. He has been vocal about his hatred of LGBTQ+ people and opposition to their equal rights.

In the past, he has faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum and calls for his resignation after delivering a sermon where he described teaching children about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools as child abuse, according to The American Independent.

"There's no reason anybody, anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth," Robinson said. "And yes, I called it filth. If you don't like it that I called it filth, come see me and I'll explain it to you."

The summit is also featuring training sessions on how to help attendees master and drive narratives in their communities. So far, Moms for Liberty has drawn national attention for efforts to elect conservatives to school district boards, ban books in libraries and scrub diverse material from lesson plans.

They have pushed the baseless narrative that children are being indoctrinated and sexualized through a radical "Marxist" agenda and chapters have even repeatedly quoted Adolf Hitler, Media Matters found.

Now, as they help platform extremists at their summit, the group is facing resistance from other local organizations in the area. ACT UP Philadelphia and Defense of Democracy have organized protests against the summit.

Defense of Democracy used a billboard truck to promote a nationwide petition opposing the Marriott Hotel for hosting Moms for Liberty.

"Everyone should be aware that the so-called Moms for Liberty is an extremist group, so the fact that they are platforming other extremist groups is on brand, and dangerous," Ellis said. "Fortunately, they are increasingly the fringe, and their unhinged views are vastly outnumbered by the supermajority of Americans who support LGBTQ people and the right to live in peace and safety."

Read more

about right-wing anti-LGBTQ attacks
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Ton Molina / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Brazil's highest electoral court on Friday banned the country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, from holding public office for the next eight years after finding him guilty of abusing his power.

The decision bars Bolsonaro, who led the country from 2019 to 2022, from running for president again until 2030. He will be 75 years old at the time, meaning the court's decision likely makes a political comeback for the former president improbable.

In the majority decision, five judges on Brazil's Superior Electoral Court declared that "lies and misinformation propagated by [Bolsonaro]" had the purpose of "discrediting, without any proof, the integrity of the electronic voting machines, aiming to destabilize democracy itself," the court said in a press release.

The move to ban Bolsonaro mostly stems from his controversial decision to summon foreign ambassadors to his residence weeks before the first round of the 2022 presidential election. At this meeting, which was broadcast on television, Bolsonaro "made baseless claims against Brazil's electronic voting system which caused a public outcry and were denounced by one supreme court judge as politically motivated disinformation," The Guardian reported.

Following his loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro continued to spread unfounded claims of voter fraud and election tampering. This culminated in his supporters storming government buildings in the nation's capital, Brasilia, in a scene reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The court's president, Alexandre de Moraes, voted against Bolsonaro, and said in a statement that what he did was "prohibited conduct, and, when doing so using the position of president, public money, the structure of Alvorada and public TV, it is an abuse of power."

"This decision will end Bolsonaro's chances of being president again, and he knows it," Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University, told The Associated Press.

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In a special meeting shortly after noon Friday, the Bucyrus City Schools Board of Education hired two new employees: a treasurer and a director of curriculum.

Board members voted to offer Lisa Thoman-Cha, who is the assistant treasurer of the Madison Local School District east of Mansfield, a three-year contract starting Aug. 1, plus six transition days under a consultant contract, July 24-31.

Ryan Cook, the district's chief financial officer and director of operations, has accepted a new job with Tiffin City Schools. His last day with the district will be July 31.

The district's new director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and grants, Jonathan Muro, also is a current employee of the Madison district.

"I'm happy to be here," Thoman-Cha said. "I'm excited to start this new journey and to meet everyone in the district."

Lisa Thoman-Cha

Thoman-Cha said she believes Bucyrus will be a good fit for her.

"I just think it's a good place for me, with the experience that I have, to start in a district that's this size," she said. "I think it will help me grow with my education."

Thoman-Cha is a Mansfield native and graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. She earned a degree in finance from North Central State College (back when it was North Central Technical College), she said. Eventually, she joined the staff at Mansfield City Schools, where she worked for about five years. She worked for a group of community schools based out of Mansfield, then accepted a job at Madison, where she has worked for almost 17 years. She handled payroll for many years, then became assistant treasurer.

She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in January and got her treasurer's license, Thoman-Cha said. She lives in Mansfield with her husband and two children.

After the board voted to approve the two hires during a three-minute meeting, board member Chad Redmon welcomed the two new hires.

"You both look like a great addition to the Redman family," he said.

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus City Schools Board of Education hires new treasurer
New cable car near the Matterhorn allows non-skiers to cross between Switzerland and Italy

A view out of a the new gondola towards mountain station Klein Matterhorn before the official opening of the new Matterhorn Glacier Ride II from Klein Matterhorn to Testa Grigia, on Friday, June 30, 2023, in Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland. The 3S cable car Matterhorn Glacier Ride II connects the Klein Matterhorn mountain station at 3,883 metres above sea level with the Testa Grigia valley station at 3,480 metres above sea level. (Dominic Steinmann/Keystone via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BERLIN (AP)  A new cable car that allows visitors without skis to cross between Switzerland and Italy near the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, went into service on Saturday.

The operator, Matterhorn Zermatt Bergbahnen, says the new service enables the highest-altitude border crossing in the Alps. It links the Klein Matterhorn cable car station in Switzerland, at more than 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) above sea level, with Testa Grigia in Italy, at 3,458 meters (11,345 feet).

Cars take about four minutes to travel the 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) over the Theodul glacier. The new stretch closes a cross-border gap, enabling tourists to travel between the Swiss resort of Zermatt and its Italian counterpart on the other side of the Matterhorn, Cervinia  with several changes of cable car.

An adult return trip on the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing between Zermatt and Cervinia, also known as Breuil-Cervinia, will cost 240 Swiss francs ($267) through the end of August and 218 francs ($243) in September and October.
 Flash

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down the Biden administration's plan to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers.

In a 6-to-3 decision along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration's arguments that the plan was lawful under a 2003 law called the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act (HEROES Act).

The text of the HEROES Act does not authorize the secretary of education's loan forgiveness program, said the court, adding that the secretary's power under the act to "modify" does not permit "basic and fundamental changes in the scheme" designed by the U.S. Congress.

The Biden administration announced a plan last year to cancel up to 20,000 U.S. dollars for federal student loan borrowers who received a Pell Grant, a form of federal financial aid issued to lower-income students that does not have to be repaid, and up to 10,000 dollars for those who did not receive a Pell Grant. Borrowers are eligible for the relief if they earn less than 125,000 dollars per year individually, or less than 250,000 dollars per year as a family.

The plan will cancel about 430 billion dollars in debt principal and affect nearly all borrowers. Six Republican-led states challenged the plan as exceeding the secretary of education's statutory authority.

"The secretary asserts that the HEROES Act grants him the authority to cancel 430 billion dollars of student loan principal. It does not," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the majority opinion.

Members of the Republican Party praised the court's rejection of the Biden administration's plan, while Democrats slammed the decision.

The White House responded in a press release that "the court's decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong" and "this fight is not over."

Biden said in the press release that his administration's student debt relief plan would have been "the lifeline tens of millions of hardworking Americans needed as they try to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic."

"I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families. My administration will continue to work to bring the promise of higher education to every American."

"President Biden's student loan giveaway is ruled UNLAWFUL. The 87 percent of Americans without student loans are no longer forced to pay for the 13 percent who do," U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, wrote in a tweet, adding that "the president must follow the law."

The U.S. Supreme Court decisions made headlines for a second day in a row across the country. The court on Thursday ruled that race-conscious admissions policies used by colleges and universities are unconstitutional, in a pair of cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Washington Post described Friday's decision as "the latest blow from a Supreme Court that has been dismissive of this administration's bold claims of power."

Another major U.S. news outlet, CNN, said the decision is "a stinging defeat" for Biden.

"Conservatives -- despite their limited federal elected power -- have racked up more huge wins in the great political battles of the early 21st century," CNN commented in a news analysis.
A California man has been convicted for illegally importing an ancient floor mosaic, believed to have been made in modern-day Syria nearly two thousand years ago and valued at almost half a million dollars.

Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi, 56, was found guilty on one count of entry of false classified goods on June 21st, according to a news release from the US Attorneys Office

Alcharihi made a false classification about the massive mosaics value and quality, federal prosecutors said in the release. The ancient artwork arrived at the port in Long Beach as part of a shipment from Turkey in August 2015.

The mosaic, thought to date back to the Byzantine era of the Roman empire, shows a mythological scene: Hercules rescuing Prometheus, who was chained to a rock by other gods for stealing fire.

Alcharihi only paid about $12,000 for the antiquity, which an appraisal expert valued at $450,000, according to the US Attorneys Office. When he brought the artwork into the US, he lied and declared that he was importing ceramic tiles from Turkey with a value of less than $600, prosecutors said.

The mosaic weighs a whopping 2,000 pounds and is about 15-feet long and 8-feet tall, according to the release. The piece was hidden in a shipping container behind a pile of vases and then shipped via truck to Alcharihis home after passing through customs.

It has been stored at a Los Angeles facility since it was seized from Alcharihis garage in 2016. The US Attorneys Office did not immediately return a request for comment about future plans for the artwork.

Alcharihis false declarations about the mosaic came just months after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria. Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, destruction by ISIS and opportunistic looting has led to the loss of large swaths of artwork and archaeological artifacts. In 2015, ISIS militants reportedly smashed six ancient statues, including one dating back to the second century.

Alcharihi is scheduled to be sentenced next month, according to the news release. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison.

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Cambodia's leader has kicked off a one-sided election campaign, with the main opposition barred from taking part (TANG CHHIN Sothy)

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen kicked off a three-week election campaign on Saturday, with his party poised to sweep the one-sided contest after the top challenger was barred from taking part.

Cambodians will vote on July 23 in an election widely seen as a sham after authorities denied registration to the Candlelight Party -- considered the only viable rival to Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party.

Hun Sen -- who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years -- told a sea of tens of thousands of supporters dressed in party T-shirts and hats that his government would build more roads and schools while boosting wages and economic growth.

He also vowed to eradicate "hostile circles seeking to incite national division, social chaos and political instability".

"If the Cambodian People's Party wins, the Cambodian people are the winners," he told the crowd.

Hun Sen -- one of the world's longest-serving leaders -- has hinted he will retire in the near future.

He has backed his eldest son Hun Manet, a four-star general, to succeed him.

At Saturday's rally, he handed the party's flag to Hun Manet, who led a convoy of scooters, cars and banner-festooned trucks carrying musical performers on a procession through Phnom Penh's streets.

Party supporter Yin Linda said she hoped Hun Manet, who was educated in Britain and the United States, would "bring new ideas from overseas to develop our country's prosperity".

But a tuk-tuk driver who didn't want to be named characterised the election as "meaningless" and said that opposition supporters were deeply unhappy with the state of Cambodian politics.

"The international community will not accept the results," the 50-year-old said.

Hun Sen's party won every seat in the 2018 national election after a court dissolved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.

Human Rights Watch's Asia Division deputy director Phil Robertson dismissed the election campaign as "Hun Sen going through the motions... claiming that this is democracy in action".

"When in reality he's done everything possible to make sure he faces no real opposition whatsoever," Robertson added.

"It's a stab in the back to the people of Cambodia. They don't have a choice. It's more of the same."

- Opposition suppressed -

Cambodia's parliament last week approved laws to ban anyone who fails to vote in this year's poll from running for office in future elections -- a move that will affect Hun Sen's exiled rivals.

On the eve of the election campaign, Hun Sen, a prolific Facebook user, quit the platform ahead of its parent company Meta announcing it would remove one of his videos and was considering a recommendation to suspend his account.

The video, filmed in January, showed Hun Sen threatening his opponents with legal action or a beating if they accused his party of vote theft in July's polls.

The ruling on the video by Meta's Oversight Board said his speech contained "unequivocal statements of intent to commit violence" against opposition politicians.

Analysts say that China's political and financial support has emboldened Hun Sen's unprecedented crackdown on political activists, the media and civil society -- an assault spurred by major opposition gains in previous elections.

Rights groups accuse Hun Sen of using the legal system to crush any opposition, and scores of political opponents have been convicted during his time in power.

Opposition leader Kem Sokha was sentenced in March to 27 years in prison and placed under house arrest for treason over an alleged plot with foreigners to topple Hun Sen's government.

Another opposition figure, Sam Rainsy, has been living in exile in France since 2015 to avoid prison for convictions he says are politically motivated.

suy/lpm/smw
Canton man, wanted for attempted murder, arrested and returned to Stark County

Canton Police Department, Ohio

CANTON  A Canton man, wanted on 18 criminal charges, including attempted murder, was booked into Stark County Jail on Friday.

Devion L. Williams, 31, of 1540 Arnold Ave. NW, had been arrested on June 13 in West Virginia, according to WVVA-TV. The station said West Virginia State Police arrested Williams after a traffic stop on I-77 in Mercer County.

More: 'I'm losing him.' Man shot in neck dies, Canton police dog nabs fleeing suspect

Williams was then taken to Southern Regional Jail to await extradition to Stark County.

Canton Police initially arrested Williams on April 29. At that time, he was charged with strangulation, abduction and domestic violence. He was accused of assaulting a woman, the mother of his children, and was released on bond.

Additional charges were added in May, then he was indicted by a grand jury on May 24.

On that same day, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Natalie Haupt revoked his bond  but Williams had remained on the lam until his arrest in West Virginia.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Wanted for attempted murder, Devion L. Williams returned to Stark
Capitals acquire Edmundson and Stars trade Miller to the Devils on 1st day of NHL free agency

FILE - Joel Edmundson speaks to reporters during an end of season NHL hockey media availability in Brossard, Quebec, Friday, April 14, 2023. The Washington Capitals have acquired Edmundson in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, Saturday, July 1. The Capitals sent third- and seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft to the Canadiens for the veteran defenseman. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP)  A few trades happened on the first day of NHL free agency, just not the blockbuster everyone is waiting for.

Erik Karlsson remained with San Jose on Saturday night, with interested teams still circling around the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. But the Sharks did make a trade, and rivals around the league completed some smaller deals to shore up blue line depth.

San Jose acquired forward Anthony Duclair from Eastern Conference-champion Florida for Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Hes a player that I think brings a little bit of a different element that we dont have have here on the roster with his speed and goal-scoring ability and the pace of play, general manager Mike Grier said on a video call Saturday night.

Elsewhere, the Washington Capitals acquired Joel Edmundson from the Montreal Canadiens for third- and seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft. Montreal is retaining half of Edmundsons salary in the final year of his contract, which means Washington gets him at a bargain cap hit of $1.75 million.

The Dallas Stars also traded Colin Miller to the New Jersey Devils for a fifth-round pick in 2025. Miller had an assist in 10 playoff games with Dallas.

Karlsson is the big fish available in the trade market, and the Sharks have made it well-known the 33-year-old coming off a 101-point season is available.

"Nothing new there," Grier said. Its all quiet at the moment. Nothing going on.

Asked about Karlsson, Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas didn't want to break any tampering rules but certainly didn't rule out being involved in the sweepstakes.

Its incumbent on me to reach out and see if theres a fit there for us, Dubas said. Any time theres a player of that caliber that comes available throughout my time here, especially in this next stretch, its probably realistic to think that well be involved or see if theres a way that we we can be involved and add them to our group.

Carolina has also been linked to Karlsson. GM Don Waddell, who brought back his top two goalies and signed arguably two of the top free agents available, did not mention Karlsson by name but said the Hurricanes could still make more moves.

If could make our team better, we were going to find ways to do that, Waddell said. If youre asking me about any particular position, I would say no. I think were pretty well covered right now. If we did move a defenseman, lets say, and we wanted to make a play for another one, thats still an option.

Metropolitan Division-rival Washington already added one in Edmundson, who helped St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and has been traded three times since. A nagging back injury limited him to 61 games last season with Montreal.

Edmundson, 30, gives the Capitals an experienced left-handed-shooting defenseman after trading Dmitry Orlov to Boston before the deadline. Washington also signed winger Max Pacioretty, who's coming off tearing his right Achilles tendon twice during the past year.

Dallas re-signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a $1.58 million, two-year contract and added forward Craig Smith for $1 million for next season.

New Jersey re-signed a pair of young forwards: Michael McLeod for $1.4 million next season and Nathan Bastian for $2.7 million over two years.

___

AP Sports Writers Will Graves and Aaron Beard contributed.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Cardinal Newman star Ricky Knight III decided to stay in his home state, but he decided against the school closest to home.

Knight, a four-star cornerback, committed to Florida State on Saturday afternoon, choosing the Seminoles over Miami and Illinois while announcing his decision on 247Sports YouTube channel.

Florida State is definitely on the uprising, as well, especially with their Tribe 24 class, Knight told the South Florida Sun Sentinel before he committed. Its looking nice also. There will be some good additions, and it really should help boost them a lot because their 2023 class is pretty good also.

Knight, who is rated the No. 30 athlete and No. 402 player in the 2024 class by 247Sports composite rankings, took an official visit to FSU in June and previously visited Tallahassee twice in the spring. He said a cooking competition was one of the highlights of his official trip.

Knight has played defensive back and wide receiver in high school, but he will likely play cornerback at FSU. He had 33 tackles and one interception last season.

Knight is the third Palm Beach County player to join FSUs 2024 class, along with Atlantic linebacker Jayden Parrish and American Heritage-Delray kicker Jake Weinberg.
The wait is over, and the University of Central Florida officially joined the Big 12 Conference Saturday.

UCF Athletics will join BYU, Cincinnati and Houston as the new members of the Big 12 this year.

The Knights are celebrating this exciting chapter along with the Central Florida community.

Here we have some reactions from Central Florida officials and organizations:

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer celebrated this accomplishment by welcoming the Big 12 Conference to the City Beautiful.

Today is a BIG day for Orlando's Hometown Team. I can't wait to see the @UCFKnights compete in one of the nation's premier conferences and I'm proud to welcome the @Big12Conference to Orlando. pic.twitter.com/CGS3CvLmc9  Mayor Buddy Dyer (@orlandomayor) July 1, 2023





Read: Saturday: Sunny and dry to start the Fourth of July weekend

The Wheel at ICON Park lit up the night with the Knights colors.

#GoKnights  #ChargeOn



Orlando is Big 12 Country



Special thanks to @iconparkorlando for lighting up The Wheel this week! pic.twitter.com/E1zPfnkAjx  UCF Knights (@UCFKnights) July 1, 2023

Read: 9 fireworks safety tips

The Orlando Magic joined the celebration.

Read: Big 12 signage popping up on UCFs campus

UCFs President Alexander N. Cartwright also joined the celebration.





UCF joins the @Big12Conference today as the youngest university in the Power 5.



This historic milestone would not be possible without the support and dedication of Knight Nation. Thank you, and #ChargeOn!https://t.co/HX7K27K3is  Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright (@UCFCartwright) July 1, 2023

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.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Andre Rush, "Strongest Chef In the Army" and U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Andrew Atkinson, chef for the White House, demonstrate how to make "Chocolate Steak and Seafood Sauage" during the 37th Annual Military Culinary Competition in Fort Lee, Va., March 2, 2012.

Editor's note: This article discusses the veteran suicide epidemic. If you or a veteran you know are struggling with thoughts of suicide, dial 988 for immediate assistance. You are not alone!

Did you know that military service members are more likely to die by suicide than in battle, and veterans are 50% more likely to die by suicide than their non-veteran peers?

And, its very preventable.

One of the veterans leading the fight to help prevent veteran suicide is Chef Andre Rush. You might not know his name, but we can all but guarantee you have seen his biceps on social media. Chef Rush is a former Army Master Sergeant who went viral when a picture showed up online of him cooking a meal at the White House while rocking 24-inch biceps.

People quickly found out that he served under Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump and had a long career in the Army as a cook and trainer. But now Chef Rush has a new mission. He has teamed up with USAA to Face the Fight of veteran suicide.

Face the Fight is a first-of-its-kind coalition. Headed by USAA, The Humana Foundation and Reach Resilience, an Endeavors Foundation, their mission is to cut veteran suicide by half over the next six years. The coalition will invest $41 million in philanthropic grants and will focus on supporting nonprofit programs with specific focus areas in preventing suicide.

Chef Rush, who is currently on Kitchen Commando on Tubi has found therapy in cooking to aid his Post Traumatic Stress. But he has seen people he has known and loved who have been lost to this battle and hes ready to share those stories with you.

In Chef Rushs latest endeavor, he has partnered with Face the Fight to assist in amplifying the coalitions effort to break the stigma around seeking help and providing resources for those who are struggling. We Are The Mighty was able to sit with Chef Rush and learn more about him and his campaign to help mitigate veteran suicide.

WATM: Chef, its a pleasure to meet you. Preventing veteran suicides is important for all of us. Do you think awareness has subsided since the end of the war in Afghanistan and minimal troops in Iraq?

Rush: I don't think the awareness in our society has subsided, but I think that the world went into different traumas and distractions. You think about the pandemic, and we had other things that popped up on social media. I mean you kind of get distracted and it feels like no time was the right time, but I think anytime is the perfect time to deal with this and remind everybody to pull together. Because now that all that has passed, we're here right now and we have to deal with it. Thats what drew me to work with USAA on this issue.

WATM: Tell us about the USAA program Face the Fight and what drew you to them.

Rush: To work with USAA is an absolute honor and to see the magnitude of what they're doing on it is amazing. It is going to change so many different lives and so many people from different demographics. Not just military veterans but also their families.

People don't talk about that a lot. They always talk about the military and veterans, but their families get ignored. But with this program, we educate everybody because this affects the whole entire family if you think about everything that's happening with veteran suicide.

Retired Army Master Sgt. Andre Rush makes seafood sausage during a food demonstration March 14 as part of the Joint Culinary Training Exercise (JCTE) at Fort Lee, Va. The 44th annual JCTE officially started March 9 at MacLaughlin Fitness Center and continues until March 14. The exercise, administered by the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, is the largest American Culinary Federation-sanctioned competition in North America. The exercise showcased the talent of more than 200 military chefs from all military services around the globe to include three international teams.

WATM: When it comes to veteran suicide, a lot of times the general public doesnt think about families.

Rush: Exactly, that is usually the first thing I hit on; when I go and speak. The first thing I do is speak to the families. I dont speak to the veteran first because when you think about us, we have been in battle. We have been trained to be in stressful situations and have done that for years. But think of the wife, husband or kids. They didnt have that training and they suffer from the trauma second-hand too.

WATM: A lot of veterans want to be the tough guy that pushes through. What advice do you give them?

Rush: That's a great question because I was one of those guys, you know. We get into a situation with these stigmas where you look at a guy like me and look at a guy like you. We are big guys, and you think, There is nothing wrong with them  they are rocks, no they are mountains, no they are planets! So, you think nothing can happen to them. We pick up habits and mindsets in the military that we are invincible, indestructible, and unbreakable because we worked out with other alpha males and females.

You came to the point where it's like, OK I'm not going to say anything if he doesn't say anything and Well, he didnt say anything either so I wont say anything.

But we just need to come out together and pick up our phones and do a buddy check. Like a real check, not a, You good? but a deep dive to get inside of someones mindset and find out whats really going on in that persons head. To see if there is some type of underlying issue.

And not just a text. Dont text because someone can just text, I am good and you will drop it. No, pick up the phone and call and actually talk to your friend.

WATM: When did you decide to get help?

Rush: I came to the conclusion that, Hey I'm not OK and that was OK, but it was not OK not to say anything about it. When I came out and said I wasnt OK nationally, I had a rush of veterans from all over saying I needed you to say that. I needed you to say that and now I can go out and speak up myself.

And they do and that's the first step of it. But sometimes it's just that we get tripped up and get caught in our own head.

The first time I went to my therapist I had my head down as I was walking in, and I saw another alpha male type passing me with his head down too. By the time I was done, I was walking back to the elevator with my head up and he ran up to me and said, Hey brother, if you are here then I know I need to be here too. And we hugged and I never put my head down again. Ive held it high and its still up that high.

WATM: You lost a friend to suicide, tell us about them and how that motivated you to talk about this issue?

Rush: I have lost a few to suicide, but that one in particular  he was one of my soldiers. Something had happened to one of his loved ones while he was in Iraq, and he was on a compassionate reassignment. They took him from Iraq and assigned him to me. They didnt tell me why, but I told him, I am going to work you and train you and teach you everything you need to know. And he was ok with that.

But a month later, he broke down and told me what happened with his family and why he was on compassionate reassignment and that everything wasnt rosy.

The military put him back on assignment where he had just left and all the trauma had just happened and he couldnt deal with it. I personally knew he couldnt but there was nothing I could do. As far as the military was concerned, they wanted him back where they wanted him.

He was a very strong, happy-go-lucky and energetic soldier. He thought he would be OK, but he wasnt. When things happen to you, you might not be aware of how much it affects you. And we have to learn to go our leadership and say, hey I dont think he or she is ok. We need to help him or her.

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Andre Rush, "Strongest Chef In the Army" saws into a block ice for the Ice Carving Competition in Fort Lee, Va., March 3, 2012. Members of each branch of the military competed in various culinary categories during the 37th Annual Military Culinary Competition. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Daneille Hendrix)

WATM: How do you find that cooking helps with PTSD symptoms?

Rush: Thats a great question. Cooking saved my life. It feels like going to the gym but I cant go to the gym all time, but I do have to eat. So I do this thing called Cooking and Cope. I do this with a lot of military veterans where I get them a mystery basket that is full of food. No recipes, no rhyme or reason, and just have them cook the food. From that comes a lot of anger then laughter as they come up with recipes. But then it becomes an educational team-building exercise. Then I teach them about what the food does for them. We also get their spouses and children involved too so they can have fun and learn.

So for me, it became a coping tool in a world full of triggers.

WATM: Tell us about your pushup routine. How do you break up 2,222 in a day? You dont do them all at once do you?

Rush: I do them all at once. I tried to break them up throughout the day, but it was too tedious for me because I am a busy person. So what I did was set aside an hour and a half a day and get them done. I get up at 3:00 in the morning and meditate. Then I do pushups. I do sets of 125 each which breaks down to 17.76 sets which is an important number to me, too.

I am an endurance trainer. I do things to the extreme. It helps me keep my muscle memory, it keeps me young, it keeps me competitive, and keeps my metabolism up.

WATM: You served under many presidents; you cooked for everyone from President Clinton to President Trump, right? That's got to be another level of pressure. How do you deal with that?

Rush: I manage my life by starting my day with meditation. I meditate about anything negative because not every day is going to be a great day. So, I turn those into positives.

Another thing is I compete all over the world and I learn to thrive off pressure. So I tell my guys, You dont sweat unless I sweat. And I am not going to sweat!

I dont look at pressure as leading to failure. And at the White House, you cant think of pressure. You just have to know that you have to work as one combined unit to make the best of whatever the situation might be.

Face the Fight is a new first-of-its-kind coalition comprised of corporations (two Fortune 100, to start), foundations and organizations who are joining together to raise awareness and support for veteran suicide prevention. The aspiration is to cut the veteran suicide rate in half by 2030.
China is hiding $3 trillion of foreign currency in 'shadow reserves,' adding unknown risks to the global economy, former Treasury official says

China's President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China, November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee

China has more foreign exchange reserves than reported, a former Treasury official wrote.

An additional $3 trillion is hidden in "shadow reserves," such as state commercial and policy banks.

"Not everything that China does in the market now shows up in the PBoC's balance sheet."

Half of China's currency reserves are "hidden," a situation that may add risks to the global economy down the road, former Treasury Department official Brad Setser wrote.

While the country's State Administration of Foreign Exchange reported $3.12 trillion in foreign assets last December, Setser estimates that foreign exchange reserves actually sit at around $6 trillion.

"China is so big that how it manages its economy and currency matters enormously to the world," he wrote in The China Project. "Yet over time the way it manages its currency and its foreign exchange reserves has become much less transparent  creating new kinds of risks for the global economy."

A key indicator about China's reserves is a sudden pause in its reported activity. From 2002 to 2012, China's foreign exchange reserves steadily rose as the central bank bought US dollar assets to prevent China's yuan from appreciating too much, allowing exports to remain cheap.

But over the last 10 years, China's reserves stopped rising, which is puzzling as China's trade surplus has continued growing, and currently stands at an all-time high, he said.

Setser, who previously was deputy assistant Treasury secretary for international economic analysis and is now senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, has an idea of what's going on.

"Just as China has 'shadow banks'  financial institutions that act like banks and take the kind of risks that a bank might normally take but aren't regulated like banks  China has might be called 'shadow reserves.' Not everything that China does in the market now shows up in the PBoC's balance sheet," he said.

China's state banking system is the main way Beijing hides its reserves, Setser said. That includes state commercial lenders like the Bank of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China or ICBC, China Construction Bank, and the Agricultural Bank of China as well as policy banks like the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China.

China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The vast amount of China's reserves carries enormous weight in financial markets and represents a risk.

For example, Setser said China's earlier accumulation of US Treasurys and agency bonds  such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae securities  helped give rise to the 2008 financial crisis, by pushing investors further into riskier mortgage-backed securities.

"China's lack of transparency here is a bit of a problem for the world," he said. "China structurally is so central to the global economy that anything it does, seen or unseen, will eventually have an enormous impact on the rest of the world."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Christina Hall says she's busier than ever but fame is the last thing on her mind

Insider spoke to HGTV star Christina Hall. HGTV

Insider spoke to Christina Hall ahead of the return of "Christina on the Coast."

The HGTV star discussed her docuseries and renovating her own kitchen with her husband, Josh Hall.

She also told Insider that she rarely thinks of how public her life is.

If you've been paying attention, you've likely noticed Christina Hall has had an eventful year.

She celebrated her marriage to Josh Hall in Hawaii in September 2022; in November, she settled her public custody dispute over her youngest son with her second husband Ant Anstead; and in December, she ended her tenure on "Flip or Flop," which she starred in with her ex-husband and co-parent Tarek El Moussa.

If that wasn't enough, she also continued to raise her three children  Taylor, 12; Brayden, 7; and Hudson, 3  and filmed episodes for her HGTV docuseries, "Christina on the Coast" and "Christina in the Country," flying back and forth from Southern California to Franklin, Tennessee, to make it all possible.

Christina's schedule has been jam-packed, to say the least. But as she told Insider in a recent phone interview, she has made the life she wants for herself  and she's happier than ever.

Christina is taking control of the next phase of her television career

Since "Flip or Flop" ended, Christina has been able to devote her time to her two HGTV docuseries, with "Christina on the Coast" returning to the network on Thursday.

Both docuseries follow the designer as she helps existing homeowners in either Southern California or Franklin, Tennessee, renovate their properties. It's a departure from "Flip or Flop," where she was overhauling houses on the market to appeal to potential buyers.

Christina told Insider the renovations offer her a different challenge than flipping homes did, as she has to cater to clients with more specific tastes rather than a mass market.

"Flipping is easier to some extent because you get to do whatever you want," she said. "You're really just kind of going off what the current trend is and just making sure that it appeals to everyone so your buyer pool isn't shrunk."

Christina Hall spoke about the difference between renovating for homeowners and flipping houses. HGTV

"Working with homeowners, you're answering to somebody else," she added. "I can bring all the ideas in the world I want, but at the end of the day, it's them paying for it. It's something that they need to enjoy."

"It's a little trickier, but I feel like I'm constantly changing with what the current design styles are, and that's what being a good designer is all about," she told Insider. "I always look at real estate and houses on the market. On the weekend, Josh and I still go look at the high-end flips in Newport [Beach]."

Christina has also taken on a bigger off-camera role in her shows. In 2022, she switched production companies, becoming a coproducer alongside Josh.

"As you can imagine having been with the same production company for almost 10 years, obviously, there's trial and error, there's different people," Christina said, adding that she feels like she was "ironing out some kinks" over the last year.

"It was a lot more work for me than anything in the past because we're coproducers. It's a lot more off-camera work than I'm used to," she went on to say. "It's gonna be worth it, but it was a hard year."

In the midst of the show, Christina also started renovations on her home with Josh

Christina and Josh bought a $12 million mansion in Newport Beach, California, in May 2022, which she described as their "long-term family home" in an Instagram at the time.

"Coming from a restless soul, my soul is ready to rest," she said in the post. "At 38 I'm exactly where I want to be and can't wait to make the next house our home."

While renovating 11 homes for the latest season of "Christina on the Coast," she also began working on the kitchen in her own place with Josh. Although home design is her area of expertise, Christina told Insider the project is harder for her than viewers at home might think.

"It's shockingly always a challenge because I feel like every single house that I've moved into is a different vibe," she said. "This particular house is very modern, so we were trying to take a very, very modern vibe and kind of soften it a bit and make it feel more homey but represent the house and the architecture."

The kitchen marked the first big renovation project Josh and Christina took on together in their home, which can be difficult for some couples  but not the Halls.

"Luckily on this one, we agreed on everything," Christina said of the renovation. "My style is not super feminine anyways. And I'm used to working with couples, so I feel like I know how to tackle that."

Christina seems to be embracing change at every turn, and she's showing no signs of slowing down

The designer told Insider she loves being busy. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Starring on two shows, renovating multiple homes per year in addition to your own, and raising three children might sound exhausting to the average person.

But Christina is laser-focused on the future, and she feels like being busy just makes her better.

"I feel like I'm really used to operating in a busy environment, and weirdly I enjoy it," she said. "I think it just comes down to I really love what I do. And if you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work in that aspect."

She also keeps a cool head by ignoring her popularity. Christina has been a TV star for over a decade now, and she has nearly 2 million Instagram followers. She's famous by any definition of the word, and there only seems to be more eyes on her  and in turn, more criticism  as time goes on.

But Christina told Insider her fame is the last thing on her mind.

"I honestly don't even think about it anymore," she said. "I just do me authentically. Mostly, I'm a mom and a wife and a business owner, just like anybody else."

"Christina on the Coast" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV and is available for streaming on Max.

Read the original article on Insider
Christine King Farris, The Last Living Sibling Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dies At 95

Dr. Christine King Farris | Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at the age of 95.

Her death was announced via her niece Rev. Bernice King, who tweeted a touching image of herself and her beloved aunt. She also tweeted a video sharing photos depicting their close relationship.

Aunt Christine is a great inspiration and source of wisdom for me. I wont use past tense for that. She experienced profound tragedy and was sustained by love, faith in God, and hope for humanity. She kept teaching, kept growing, kept mothering so many. Her life was a testimony. pic.twitter.com/f7XcjyjM63  Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 29, 2023

She captioned her tribute, Aunt Christine is a great inspiration and source of wisdom for me. I wont use past tense for that. She experienced profound tragedy and was sustained by love, faith in God, and hope for humanity.

Bernice continued expressing love and admiration for her aunt, adding, She kept teaching, kept growing, kept mothering so many. Her life was a testimony.

Farris was born Willie Christine King on Sept. 11, 1927, in Atlanta. She was the first child of three born to the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Christine Williams King.

Rev. King and Alberta would have two sons, Martin Luther King Jr. on January 15, 1929, and Alfred Daniel Williams King on July 30, 1930.

Farris was a quiet force behind her brothers fight in the Civil Rights Movement. She actively participated in the historic Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama in 1965, and in 1966, she supported activist James Meredith in the March Against Fear in Mississippi.

Her service to her brothers mission continued after he was assassinated. She worked alongside his widow, Coretta Scott King, to preserve and advance his legacy.

She helped her sister-in-law build The King Center, serving as the vice-chair and treasurer.

Her large hats and colorful suits were a staple as she would preside over the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations held at her familys church, Ebenezer Baptist.

My aunt, Dr. #ChristineKingFarris, is celebrating 94 years of an influential, powerful life today. Shes a renowned educator (@SpelmanCollege), my father, #MLKs, sister (together in the 2nd ), and co-laborer with my mother, #CorettaScottKing, in establishing @TheKingCenter  pic.twitter.com/OTVWLcwOi1  Be A King (@BerniceKing) September 11, 2021

Farris was an extraordinary educator in her own right.

Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Farris graduated from Spelman College with a degree in economics. Her brother, King Jr., graduated from Morehouse on the same day.

She would go on to earn a masters degree from Columbia University and taught at Spelman for more than 50 years.

While working at Spelman, she married Isaac Newton Farris in 1960. They had two children, Angela Christine Farris Watkins and Isaac Newton Farris Jr.

Farris retired from Spelman in 2014 as a tenured professor and director of the learning resources center.

According to NBC News, Farris was an accomplished author.

She wrote two childrens books about her life, My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World.

In 2009, Farris wrote a memoir, Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family and My Faith.

Family members, friends, and associates have shared their memories of Farris, often referencing her resilient spirit.

Martin Luther King III tweeted a thread dedicated to his aunt.

We will truly miss my Aunt, but know that she leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will outlive us all and we commit to carrying that legacy on for future generations.

He added that his family had been able to share time with her leading up to her passing.

King III said his aunt knew what being a public servant meant. As his father, she spent her life fighting for equality and against racism in America.

We will truly miss my Aunt, but know that she leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will outlive us all and we commit to carrying that legacy on for future generations.  Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) June 29, 2023

She defied the odds that held back too many marginalized communities  going on to become a civil rights leader and acclaimed author. No stranger to adversity, Aunt Christine used the tragedies of the assassinations of her mother and brother to fight for change in America.

She defied the odds that held back too many marginalized communities  going on to become a civil rights leader and acclaimed author. No stranger to adversity, Aunt Christine used the tragedies of the assassinations of her mother and brother to fight for change in America.  Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) June 29, 2023

The King Center tweeted a message of mourning for the loss of Dr. Farris.

The King Center Mourns the Loss of Dr. #ChristineKingFarris, Founding Board Member, Esteemed Educator, Author, Activist, and Sister of #MLK pic.twitter.com/jvf38iJk1U  The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) June 29, 2023

The center also shared a video of Farris during one of her last speaking appearances nearly ten years ago in Washington, D.C.

She spoke in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

We are not going to be distracted.

We are not going to be defeated. Dr. #ChristineKingFarris, now a great ancestor, speaks in Washington D.C., nearly 10 years ago, at the 50th anniversary of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom and I Have A Dream. pic.twitter.com/CbiYr56sf9  The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) June 29, 2023

Rest in peace, Christine King Farris.
 Flash

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, in Beijing, capital of China, June 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing met with Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, on Friday in Beijing.



Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era maintained healthy and stable development.

China is ready to work with Russia, guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, to give play to the inter-governmental cooperation mechanism, upgrade industrial cooperation and boost the development of the two countries, said Zhang.

Manturov said that Russia is willing to make joint efforts with China to develop positive and forward-looking industrial cooperation between the two countries.
CIA director met Zelensky on trip to Ukraine, US official says

CIA director met Zelensky on trip to Ukraine, US official says

CIA Director William Burns recently traveled to Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence officials, according to a US official.

Director Burns recently traveled to Ukraine, as he has done regularly since the beginning of Russias recent aggression more than a year ago, the official told CNN. As with other trips, the director met with his Ukrainian intelligence counterparts and President Zelensky, reaffirming the US commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression.

The official noted that Burns traveled to Kyiv before Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhins rebellion, which was not a topic of discussion.

Another official told CNN that Burns also spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin, after the rebellion and reiterated that the US had nothing to do with it. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the call.

The Washington Post first reported on Burns most recent trip to Ukraine.

Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership, beneath the steady diet of state propaganda and practiced repression, Burns said Saturday in remarks to the Ditchley Foundation in England, according to a transcript of his speech.

That disaffection creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us at CIA, at our core a human intelligence service. Were not letting it go to waste, he said.

CNN previously reported that the CIA has launched a new effort to recruit Russian spies that includes a social media campaign to convince Russians disaffected by the war in Ukraine and life in Russia to share their secrets.

Burns also addressed the recent Wagner Group rebellion, saying that Prigozhins actions and speech prior to his groups attempted march to Moscow illustrate how the war has undermined Russian leader Vladimir Putins power.

It is striking that Prigozhin preceded his actions with a scathing indictment of the Kremlins mendacious rationale for its invasion of Ukraine, and of the Russian military leaderships conduct of the war. The impact of those words and those actions will play out for some time, a vivid reminder of the corrosive effect of Putins war on his own society and his own regime, Burns said.

The Post also reported that Burns had met earlier in June with Ukrainian officials, who revealed a strategy to retake Russian-occupied territory and open cease-fire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, according to officials familiar with the visit.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the details of Burns discussion with Naryshkin.

CNNs Sam Fossum contributed to this report.

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During a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William Burns earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities revealed a strategy to him to regain Russian-occupied territories and begin ceasefire talks with Moscow by the end of the year.

Source: The Washington Post, citing sources

Quote: "The trip by Burns, which has not been previously reported, included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraines top intelligence officials."

Details: According to the newspaper's sources, the purpose of the visit was to reiterate the US administration's commitment to sharing intelligence that will help Ukraine defend itself.

Publicly, Ukrainian officials expressed disappointment at the criticism of the pace of the counteroffensive that has taken place so far.

But privately, sources say, military planners in Kyiv have conveyed to Burns and others strong confidence that their goal was to recapture significant territory by the autumn, move artillery and missile systems to the border with Russia-controlled Crimea, push further into the east of Ukraine, and then begin talks with Moscow for the first time since peace talks failed last March.

"Russia will only negotiate if it feels threatened," said a senior Ukrainian official.

The CIA declined to share Burns' assessment of the prospects for the Ukrainian offensive.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
CNET owner Red Ventures is preparing to kickstart its AI engine in a major way.

In an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias laid out an expansive plan for the publisher's AI-driven future, audio obtained by Futurism has revealed.

Based on the meeting, it seems that AI-generated content is no longer just a discreet experiment. It sounds like Red Ventures is now all in  moving forward, generative AI will be central to the publisher's business model.

"Today is day one of AI in our company," Elias told Red Ventures staffers. "Today is the day that we will look back on, hopefully five to ten years from now, and realize that this was not just an opportunity for us to open up a new revenue source or our new business source, but to truly reinvent everything we do as a company."

"AI will change everything," the CEO added, "and I believe, for the most part, in a good way."

The all-hands meeting notably took place on the same day that Futurism reported that finance site Bankrate  a CNET sister site that, like CNET, had also been caught publishing error-ridden AI content earlier this year  had quietly restarted its AI content machine. And though that new content did include a lengthy AI disclosure, and said disclosure promised that a human editor had fact-checked the AI-spun content, the text, once again, was riddled with factual errors (Bankrate deleted the story after we reached out with questions.)

Elias' intended AI overhaul also comes just weeks after CNET workers moved to unionize, pointing to "automated technology" that "threatens our jobs and reputations."

"We're joining a lot of others in the media," a union representative told us at the time, "who are looking into how to address AI in relation to plagiarism, liability and the impact to the workforce."

Throughout the meeting, Elias and others emphasized an argument for AI's integration that's becoming a familiar refrain: productivity. Leaders at the likes of BuzzFeed and Insider  Nich Carlson, Insider's editor-in-chief, notably referred to tools like ChatGPT as the "new bicycle of the mind," in reference to Steve Jobs' famous quote about iPhones  have held a similar productivity line, as did G/O Media Group when it announced its own move to AI this week. As the logic generally stands, AI systems can quickly aggregate information and take away first-draft pressure; using them, then, must mean that work goes faster, which means more content is produced. Ultimately, the reasoning seems to go, more reader eyeballs are harvested.

"I think our brands, I think our editorial, I think our writing is going to be at a premium," Elias told staffers. "We're not just writing content to write content. We're writing content because we stand for something, we're trying to help consumers in certain journeys... editorial is really very much part of what makes us unique."

"That said," he added, "we're going to use tools to make our editors and our writers more productive."

But to that end, while productivity has certainly been a selling point for these tools, speed  as exemplified by Bankrate's most recent fumble  isn't always a good thing, especially considering how convincing AI-generated fabrications and phony citations can often be. There's also the fact that a lot of AI-generated content is objectively terrible, and in seeking AI-driven productivity goals, human-produced work is often  and perhaps inherently  plagiarized in the process.

Editorial content, however, isn't Red Ventures' only focus. Similarly to efforts at BuzzFeed, where CEO and brain genius Jonah Peretti recently laid out a somewhat alarming vision for AI-generated advertising hyper-personalized to users based on their own data, Red Ventures  which runs a massive commerce operation across its many consumer advice-focused websites  has another angle: data.

"We have a huge competitive advantage," said Elias. "We have our own proprietary datasets... we have the ability to go learn on our own assets, and then show up somewhere and say, 'here's the data model that has been proven to work. Here are digital journeys that have been perfected.'"

"Hyper-personalization really was at the core of what we have tried to do all along," he continued. "I think finally, that vision will be able to come together."

When we reached out, Red Ventures assured us that it's committed to "privacy," AI ethics, and doing things "the right way."

"The future is AI," Red Ventures told Futurism in an emailed statement. "We believe it will impact every facet of modern work and help humans do uniquely human work better. We're embracing it  we are upskilling our teams, we're exploring how it can help us better serve our customers and partners  but we're committed to doing it the right way."

"AI is not a one-size-fits-all approach," it continued. "How and where we use it will vary across our portfolio  but what will remain constant is our commitment to privacy and the ethical use of AI and always doing what's best for our employees, customers, and partners."

It's still unclear how AI initiatives will ultimately reshape Red Ventures' many brands. What is clear is that Red Ventures, regardless of its not-so-distant mistakes, and in spite of the pushback it's faced from its own staffers  who at the end of the day stand to lose the most  intends that transformation to happen.

"I believe that AI will unlock all the different constraints that we've had in our business models today," Elias told his staffers during Thursday's all-hands. "From here on out, we are not going to think about AI  we are going to become AI. Meaning the way we work, how we serve  either our customers or our clients  is going to be AI-driven."

More on Red Ventures: Bankrate Posts AI-Generated Article, Deletes It When We Point Out It's Full of Errors
A college graduate with $33,000 in student loan debt says she has 'no hope' after the Supreme Court rejected Biden's forgiveness plan

On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down President Biden's initial student-debt-relief plan. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Many borrowers are dismayed after SCOTUS struck down President Biden's student-debt-relief plan.

Scarlet Anderson, a 28-year-old college graduate, said that she had "no hope" after the ruling.

Anderson said she consistently made her loan payments, but it didn't make a dent in her balance.

After the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan Friday, millions of borrowers who were anticipating relief from the federal government found themselves deeply dismayed.

While some borrowers were in the early stages of their repayment plans prior to the 2020 COVID-related suspension of most student-loan payments, others had been making payments for years  with many in the latter group stuck in a loop of paying down interest without seeing a substantial decrease in their principal amounts.

For many, Biden's original plan, in which his Department of Education would forgive $10,000 in federal student-loan debt for borrowers earning under $125,000 per year  with up to $20,000 in relief for those who received Pell Grants and fell under the same income threshold  was a godsend.

Many millennials, especially, saw Biden's plan as a way to help them purchase their first home, expand their family, or regain their financial footing, with a smaller or completely paid-off loan balance aiding them.

But in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court, driven by its conservative supermajority, ruled that Biden's debt-relief plan was unconstitutional and required explicit approval by the US Congress.

Scarlet Anderson, a 28-year-old graphic designer who graduated from Arizona State University with $33,000 in student-loan debt, told The Washington Post that though she consistently made payments toward her loans, it was still difficult to make a dent in the balance.

"A lot of people make it seem like you have a choice in whether to go college or not, but I don't feel that is true. We now live in a country where most jobs require a college degree," she told the publication.

Anderson said that she previously filled out the Education Department's form to receive student-debt relief after seeing a friend obtain forgiveness under a different program.

But for Anderson, things feel differently after the ruling.

"Now that the Supreme Court has rejected the student-loan forgiveness, I have no hope," she told The Post.

But hours after the court's decision, Biden initiated a process for using the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cancel student-loan debt.

"This new path is legally sound," Biden said Friday. "It's going to take longer, and in my view is the best path that remains in providing for as many borrowers possible. But I'm directing my team to move as quickly as possible on the law."

Student-loan payments are set to resume in October, but Friday Biden announced a new income-driven repayment plan that would cut payments for borrowers. He's also including a 12-month "on-ramp" for payments from October 1 of this year to September 30 of next year, which the White House said would ensure that "financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt-collection agencies."

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Colorado web designer told Supreme Court a man sought her services for his same-sex wedding. He says he didnt  and hes straight

The Colorado web designer who wanted to refuse LGBTQ customers and just won her case at the Supreme Court had claimed in court filings that a man inquired about her services for his same-sex wedding.

But the man says he never reached out to Lorie Smith, the web designer who argued at the Supreme Court that she shouldnt be forced to create same-sex wedding websites because of her religious objections. In fact, the man says hes straight and married to a woman.

The man was identified as Stewart in court filings and as someone who requested graphic designs for invitations and other materials for a same-sex wedding with his fiance, Mike. CNN contacted Stewart through information in court filings. He asked for his last name, which is not in the filing, not to be used.

In an interview with CNN Friday, Stewart said that he did not submit a request to the company, 303 Creative, and is a happily married man to a woman of 15 years.

I dont know Mike, Stewart said. Ive never asked anybody to design a website for me, so its all very strange. I certainly didnt contact her, and whatever the information in that request is, is fake.

Stewart, who previously worked for CNN, said that he is a web designer himself, and that it would make zero sense to hire a web designer when I can do that for myself.

Stewart said he was unaware of his information being a part of the court record until he was contacted by media outlet The New Republic on Wednesday.

It is concerning that nobody connected with this case over the last six years has ever thought to call me, email me, text me to try and corroborate that communication in any way, he said, adding: I dont necessarily think that would be a tipping point in this case at all, but at the very least  a case of this magnitude should be corroborated, should be fact checked along the way.

CNN reached out to Smith for comment. Kellie Fiedorek, a senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Smith, said in a statement that Smith doesnt do background checks on incoming requests to determine if the person submitting is genuine.

Whether Lorie received a legitimate request or whether someone lied to her is irrelevant, Fiedorek said. No one should have to wait to be punished by the government to challenge an unjust law.

Moreover, Lorie has received other wedding requests and has been unable to respond to any request because that put her at risk of punishment for violating Colorados unjust law, Fiedorek said, referring to an anti-discrimination law in the state.

Stewart called the Supreme Courts decision Friday morning disgraceful and said that it does seem like the entire case has been somewhat concocted to achieve a specific outcome.

As a designer, I think designers can refuse to do work for a prospective client for any number of reasons, Stewart said. Race, gender, sexual orientation should not be one of those.

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'Complete chaos': Details emerge in court of violent night at Middleboro party

MIDDLEBORO  Wareham District Court Judge Julie Bernard ordered Middleboro resident Jayden Wainwright, 18, held on $25,000 cash bail during a dangerousness hearing on Thursday, June 29.

Middleboro Police charged Wainwright with attempted murder and stabbing a 19-year-old Carver teen with a knife during an outdoor fire pit party near Wall Street on June 23.

Defense attorney Michael Sheehan offered not-guilty pleas on the charges against Wainwright during his arraignment on June 26.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Victoria Wood urged Bernard to order Wainwright held without bail because of the "nature and circumstances of the charges against him."

"With the seriousness of the offenses and the potential penalty he faces, he is a flight risk," she said during the dangerousness hearing.

Middleboro resident Jayden Wainwright 18, was ordered held on $25,000 bail during a dangerousness hearing at Wareham District Court on June 29

Sheehan requested that Wainwright be released on $10,000 cash bail and be required to live "with his elderly grandmother."

"I suggest a GPS be assigned to him," Sheehan said. "He is 18 years old and understands the serious nature of these allegations."

Bernard ordered Wainwright to be held on $25,000 bail and always to wear a GPS device.

"He will stay at his grandmother's home and have home confinement," she said.

Bernard also ordered Wainwright to have no contact with witnesses and victims involved in the alleged incident.

"The case will be continued for a hearing on July 21," she said.

'Im calling it whack-a-mole' Nichols Middle School in chaos as students damage building

Wainwright charged with assault and attempted murder

Police allege Wainwright tried to kill a Carver teen by stabbing him in his left abdomen, upper thigh, and lower left calf shortly before midnight on June 23.

An officer dispatched to the party scene said he saw three girls aiding the victim.

"The wounds on his abdomen and calf were being packed and held with pressure by the girls," he said in a written report. "I was told he had a lot of blood from his upper thigh from an arterial bleed. I grabbed a tourniquet and placed it on his upper left leg."

Police said the teen was taken by ambulance to Boston Medical Center, where he was in critical condition on June 24.

The Gazette could not obtain information about the victim's current medical condition.

'It's a hateful shirt' Middleboro T-shirt wars heat up, parents call for heads to roll, LGBTQ supporters push back

Wareham District Court Judge Julie Bernard presides over a dangerousness hearing on June 29, 2023, to determine whether a Middleboro teen charged with attempted murder should be held without bail.

Wainwright faces assault with a dangerous weapon charges

Wainwright was also charged with stabbing another 19-year-old Carver teen and a 15-year-old Middleboro boy at the party.

Police allege Wainwright stabbed the man and boy in their legs.

According to police, the man was transported by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford for treatment, and a partygoer took the 15-year-old to Tobey Hospital to receive medical care.

An officer said the boy told him he got stabbed while assisting his brother, who was fighting "with an unknown man."

"He saw his brother fighting someone he did not know, so he jumped in," said the officer's report. "He took the person to the ground and said he got about 40 punches in."

The officer said the boy claimed an unknown person, who was later determined to be Wainwright, grabbed him and placed him in a chokehold.

"At this point, he (the boy) knew he was stabbed," said the officer.

Wood said Wainwright told police that he stabbed a 19-year-old Carver man in self-defense, but a partygoer's video reveals "that is not the case."

"You can see the defendant's arm in motion toward the victim at multiple different points," she said while showing the video to Bernard on a laptop computer. "The victim is on the ground."

Wainwright arrested near Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth

Police said Wainwright drove to Beth Israel hospital in Plymouth with two acquaintances after the alleged altercations to inquire "about a possible patient."

"When confronted by Plymouth detail officer and hospital security, they got back into a motor vehicle and left the hospital," said police in a report. "When leaving the hospital, the motor vehicle was involved in a crash."

Police said an ambulance arrived at the crash scene and took Wainwright and a fellow passenger to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital for treatment.

"The third individual left the scene prior to the arrival of Plymouth Police," said police in the report

Police said Wainwright was discharged after undergoing treatment and arrested by an officer who transported him to the Middleboro Police Station.

"Wainwright signed that he understood his rights and that he wished to speak about the incident," he said.

Wood said Wainwright admitted stabbing a 19-year-old man in his leg to a detective whose interview was recorded on a police video.

"You hear him (Wainwright) say he was under some sort of attack," she said.

Defense attorney Michael Sheehan, Assistant District Attorney Victoria Wood and Wareham District Court Judge Julie Bernard view a video of an alleged assault by a Middleboro teen during a dangerousness hearing on Thursday, June 29, 2023.

Defense attorney claims Wainwright acted 'in self-defense'

Defense attorney Michael Sheehan said Wainwright's actions at the party were in self-defense.

"My client was scared for his life," he said. "A couple of girls had started fighting, and some boys started fighting. There were a lot of things going on."

Sheehan said the party scene was "completely out of control with complete chaos."

"My defendant has a strong case of self-defense," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Middleboro teen Jayden Wainwright dangerousness hearing held on bail
The complicated life and career of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the 'father of the atomic bomb,' who refused to develop a more dangerous weapon

The physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Princeton, New Jersey. AP

In the 1940s, physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer led a team to develop the world's first atomic bomb.

His work garnered him the title "father of the atomic bomb," but he wasn't an obvious choice for its leader.

He was a complicated, intelligent man known for being condescending, volatile, and impractical.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was the architect behind the atomic bomb.

He spent decades working as a physics lecturer and made several notable scientific discoveries, including forecasting black holes thirty years before it became a common theory.

He was called "Oppie" by colleagues and friends. He was a 6-foot-tall skinny man with a stoop. He could be condescending, volatile, and impractical.

During the paranoia of the Cold War in the 1950s, his political enemies used his colorful past to remove his security clearance and he ended up retreating back into academia.

Director Christopher Nolan's upcoming film about his life, called "Oppenheimer," will be released in July, with actor Cillian Murphy portraying the titular character.

Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904, in New York City.

J. Robert Oppenheimer with his father. Corbis/Getty Images

The Oppenheimers were a rich German Jewish family; his father made his money manufacturing clothes, and they lived in a high-rise apartment in the Upper West Side.

Sources: New York Times, New Atlantis, Guardian

Oppenheimer went to the Ethical Culture School, which was focused on creating students who were devoted to service.

J. Robert Oppenheimer playing with blocks with his brother Frank. Corbis/Getty Images

For hobbies, he collected minerals and read poetry. He graduated at the top of his class.

Source: New Atlantis

In 1922, he went to Harvard College. His plan was to be a chemist, but he quickly swapped to physics.

J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1945. AP

He studied intensely and widely  taking classes in philosophy, literature, and Eastern religion alongside his major  and finished the four-year degree in three years, graduating summa cum laude.

Oppenheimer then went to Cambridge University to study atomics under the physicist Lord Rutherford. While there, he took issue with working in a laboratory.

He later transferred to the University of Gottingen in Germany to study under Dr. Max Born, a famous atomic scientist.

He graduated in 1927. After he left his Ph. D. exam, the administering professor reportedly sighed in relief.

"Phew," he said. "I'm glad that's over. He was on the point of questioning me."

Sources: New York Times, New York Times, IAS

Dr. Born later said Oppenheimer was obviously intelligent but could be snide in class and interrupt speakers to explain to them what they had been trying to say.

J. Robert Oppenheimer with the Nobel Prize-winners Paul Dirac and Robert Millikan in 1935. AP

Around this period, Oppenheimer had also been struggling with depression.

He saw several psychoanalysts but credited a Corsica biking tour and reading Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" for making him better again.

Sources: New York Times, New Atlantis, PBS

Oppenheimer was a complex character. He was known as "Oppie" by colleagues and friends.

J. Robert Oppenheimer photographed upon arrival at Orly Airport in Paris. Bettmann/Getty Images

He was 6 feet tall, skinny, and had a stoop. He could be condescending, volatile, and impractical.

He drank liquor, smoked constantly, and was recognizable by a porkpie hat that he always wore.

Source: Guardian

He could be reckless. For instance, while he was a student he raced against a train and ended up crashing his car.

J. Robert Oppenheimer sits in a chair holding a cigarette. Corbis/Getty Images

While he walked away from the accident unscathed, his girlfriend at the time was knocked unconscious.

Source: New York Times

He was also criticized for spreading himself too thin intellectually.

J. Robert Oppenheimer working with Albert Einstein. Corbis/Getty Images

But there was never any doubt of his intelligence. He knew Latin, French, German, and Greek, and later studied Sanskrit so he could read important Hindu texts.

Sources: Guardian, PBS

In 1929, Oppenheimer returned to the US and began to lecture. He taught at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the University of California, Berkeley.

J. Robert Oppenheimer in front of a blackboard in 1947. AP

While his work in the field was often noted for being good but not quite as good as some of his peers, in the classroom he excelled.

Unlike other lecturers who could be bogged down in unimportant details, Oppenheimer had a sense for real-world implications stemming from theories and kept his students' interest piqued.

According to physicist Hans Bethe, he was one of the most sophisticated physics lecturers in the US.

"Here was a man who obviously understood all the deep secrets of quantum mechanics, and yet made it clear that the most important questions were unanswered," Bethe said.

"His earnestness and deep involvement gave his research students the same sense of challenge," he continued. "He never gave his students the easy and superficial answers but trained them to appreciate and work on the deep problems."

For a while, Oppenheimer lived an entirely academic life.

He later said during the early years of teaching he did not read anything to do with politics or economics and he never listened to the radio or even had a telephone.

Sources: New York Times, New Atlantis, IAS

During the 1930s, he made several notable scientific discoveries including forecasting black holes 30 years before it became a common theory.

J. Robert Oppenheimer with the physicist Gregory Breit. Corbis/Getty Images

Sources: New York Times, New Atlantis

It was also during the 1930s that Oppenheimer began to spend time with communists.

J. Robert Oppenheimer writes on a blackboard. Corbis/Getty Images

In 1936, he had an affair with a female communist named Jean Tatlock. She introduced him to left-wing politics.

Sources: Guardian, New Atlantis, New York Times, NPS

Tatlock and Oppenheimer's relationship didn't last, and in 1940, he married Katherine "Kitty" Puening, a biologist and former communist, whose first husband had been a communist who died in the Spanish Civil War.

Katherine Puening smiles in a photograph. Corbis/Getty Images

Sources: New Atlantis, New York Times, IAS

They had two children, Peter and Katherine.

J. Robert Oppenheimers wife Katherine and children Katherine and Peter, circa 1940. Corbis/Getty Images

Sources: New Atlantis, New York Times

Oppenheimer, who had previously considered himself apolitical, began to see the impacts of the depression and fascism in Germany. He later said he was furious at how Jews were treated in Germany.

J.Robert Oppenheimer sits at a desk holding a pair of glasses. Bettmann/Getty Images

"I saw what the Depression was doing to my students," he said. "Often they could get no jobs, or jobs which were wholly inadequate. And through them, I began to understand how deeply political and economic events could affect men's lives."

"I began to feel the need to participate more fully in the life of the community," he added.

Sources: PBS, New York Times

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Manhattan Project in response to news that Germany had managed to split the atom and therefore might be able to create atomic weapons.

Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Corbis/Getty Images

He appointed Gen. Leslie Groves to run it. Groves needed someone to lead his bomb laboratory and chose Oppenheimer.

By the end of the war, an estimated $2 billion was spent on the project.

Sources: New York Times, History, PBS, New Atlantis, Office of Legacy Management

There were concerns about Oppenheimer's loyalty.

J. Robert Oppenheimer and Gen. Leslie Groves examine the remains of one the bases of the steel test tower at the atomic bomb test site in September 1945. Universal History Archive/Getty Images

Groves managed to address the concerns by noting they could count on his loyalty due to the intensity of his desire to make history.

Oppenheimer previously had concerns about working on the war effort. But he accepted Groves' offer and tracked down the best people for the job. They would spend the next two years working with him in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

He enlisted experts who had worked in different areas relating to atomic energy, including some of the world's brightest people, like Dr. Niels Bohr and Dr. Enrico Fermi.

Sources: New York Times, History, PBS, New Atlantis

During this period, Oppenheimer was under constant surveillance.

J. Robert Oppenheimers security badge for the Manhattan Project, circa 1940. Corbis/Getty Images

His calls and letters were monitored. In June 1943, he was seen spending a night with Tatlock, his former communist lover. By then she had left the communist party.

He also unexpectedly admitted to a government agent that Russians had been trying to learn more about their work in the Manhattan Project.

In response, he was interrogated three times. On one occasion, he provided a list of communists and sympathizers.

Source: New York Times

But he wasn't removed from his job. He carried on and directed about 4,000 people to build the atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It took a little over two years.

J. Robert Oppenheimer poses for a photograph in front of a map. Corbis/Getty Images

Despite being known for his impracticality, he was praised for the way he ran the project, notably for his efficiency and his charismatic leadership. But at times, some of his staff raised concerns about whether they were doing the right thing.

Oppenheimer managed to convince them that it was. He told them though an atomic bomb would create its own problems, it was also a way to end the war.

Sources: Mercury News, History, Atlantic, Guardian

At 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the first man-made atomic bomb was detonated. The mushroom cloud reached 40,000 feet into the sky. It was a success.

This photo shows the explosion eight seconds after detonation in 1945. Corbis/Getty Images

Sources: New York Times, New Atlantis, History

Oppenheimer watched from afar and as he saw the mushroom cloud form he famously thought, "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1950. Corbis/Getty Images

It was a line from the 700-verse Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita.

The quote is from when the Hindu god Vishnu orders a prince to execute his duty and achieve militant success.

He later said, "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent."

Source: Wired

In a matter of weeks, the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, ending World War II, killing 80,000 people in Hiroshima and 40,000 people in Nagasaki.

The atomic bomb explosion on Hiroshima in 1945. Roger Viollet/Getty Images

Thousands more later died of radiation poisoning.

At the time the bombs dropped Oppenheimer celebrated and even said he wished the bomb had been made earlier so that it could have been dropped on Germany.

But he also spoke of his sadness on behalf of the Japanese victims.

Later, he addressed the American Philosophical Society and told them: "We have made a thing, a most terrible weapon, that has altered abruptly and profoundly the nature of the world a thing that by all the standards of the world we grew up in is an evil thing. And by so doing we have raised again the question of whether science is good for man."

Sources: New Atlantis, History

In October, Oppenheimer met with President Harry Truman and told the president he felt he had blood on his hands.

J. Robert Oppenheimer looking at a photo of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki with two officials in 1946. Bettmann/Getty Images

Truman was reportedly disgusted and rebuffed him.

Sources: New Atlantis, History

Despite his guilt, over the next few years Oppenheimer became a well-known public figure.

J. Robert Oppenheimer poses for a photo in April 1946. Clarence Hamm/AP

He appeared on the covers of magazines and became chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission, which was formed to replace the Manhattan Project.

He was given awards for his work, like the Army-Navy Award of excellence in the 1940s.

Sources: PBS, New Atlantis, IAS

But he was also openly reluctant to develop a hydrogen bomb, which would be 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb.

J. Robert Oppenheimer testifying before the Senate in October 1945. AP

His stance was controversial since it was the beginning of the Cold War, and Russia and the US were grappling for dominance.

Truman approached the commission in 1949 to create a hydrogen bomb and Hungarian scientist Edward Teller, the future "father of the H-Bomb" publicly called for it too.

But Oppenheimer reportedly said, "I neither can nor will do so."

He also publicly backed an international group having control of atomic weapons, rather than the US.

Sources: New Atlantis, New Atlantis, History, Guardian, IAS

But his reluctance didn't matter. The H-bomb was developed and tested in 1952.

A mushroom cloud forms after the first H-Bomb explosion in 1952. Three Lions/Getty Images

Source: History

Oppenheimer's time at the top came to an end in December 1953.

J. Robert Oppenheimer smokes at a hearing in 1949. Bettmann/Getty Images

President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered a ban on all secret data going to him. On December 23, 1953, he received a letter informing him his security clearance had been suspended.

Oppenheimer was accused of being a communist sympathizer. A secret trial was held. In June 1954, after 19 days of hearings, Oppenheimer's security clearance was permanently revoked.

The committee found no evidence of him having mishandled any classified information or any sign of disloyalty.

All it noted was that he had "fundamental defects in his character."

Bethe said, "Oppenheimer took the outcome of the security hearing very quietly but he was a changed person; much of his previous spirit and liveliness had left him."

Sources: New York Times, SFGate

Without his security clearance, Oppenheimer couldn't continue his work. He moved back to academia, running the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, while also delivering public lectures and publishing scientific essays.

J. Robert Oppenheimer with the mathematician Oswald Veblen at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1947. AP

Sources: Guardian, Smithsonian, IAS

The atomic bomb and its repercussions never left him. Years later, in 1961, when he was asked about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, he said it wasn't on his conscience.

J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1958 in Athens, Greece. AP

"Scientists are not delinquents," he said. "Our work has changed the conditions in which men live, but the use made of these changes is the problem of governments, not of scientists."

Source: New York Times

In 1962, Oppenheimer was invited to a Nobel Prize dinner at the White House by President John F. Kennedy, and the following year, he received the Fermi Award, the AEC's highest honor.

President Lyndon B. Johnson shakes hands with physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer at a ceremony presenting him with the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963. Corbis/Getty Images

Source: IAS

On February 18, 1967, just one year after retiring, Oppenheimer died of lung cancer. He was 62 years old.

J. Robert Oppenheimer smoking from a pipe in 1963. Eddie Adams/AP

"Such a wrong can never be righted; such a blot on our history never erased," physicist Henry DeWolf Smyth said at his memorial service. " We regret that his great work for his country was repaid so shabbily."

Sources: New York Times, Princeton Magazine, Smithsonian

The role the government played in his fall from grace was raised occasionally and in December 2022, the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm nullified the decision to revoke his security clearance.

J. Robert Oppenheimer in the classroom. Bettmann/Getty Images

The process was described as flawed and stemmed more from disagreements over his stance on nuclear weapons rather than any real security concerns.

In a statement, she said, "As time has passed, more evidence has come to light of the bias and unfairness of the process that Dr. Oppenheimer was subjected to, while the evidence of his loyalty and love of country have only been further affirmed."

Sources: New York Times, Princeton Magazine, Smithsonian

Correction: July 6, 2023  An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the Institute for Advanced Study. It's in Princeton, New Jersey, but is not part of Princeton University.

Correction: July 10, 2023  An earlier version of this story misstated which US president established the Manhattan Project. It was Franklin D. Roosevelt, not Theodore Roosevelt.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Major conservative influencers on social media platforms such as Twitter and Rumble have coalesced in recent months around talking points that connect birth control with a variety of negative health outcomes, which experts say instill fear in women who could otherwise benefit from using birth control.

But the information the influencers are referring to lacks crucial context, says Dr. Danielle Jones, an OB-GYN, and they fail to include recent scientific developments that challenge their narrative.

Tim Pool, Ben Shapiro and Steve Bannon have all made anti-birth control content in the past six months. Sometimes, they feature female conservative personalities who make content about womens issues.

Alex Clark, who hosts a pop culture show for the youth conservative messaging organization Turning Point USA, is one conservative woman who has railed against hormonal birth control in recent months. The progressive watchdog publication Media Matters for America first reported that Clark said her mission is to get young women off this pill. In a response sent in a direct message, Clark wrote Birth control can be right for some in some cases, but we shouldnt just take it blindly because of acne and we shouldnt treat it as the default for all women.

While some strains of conservative politics have spent years attacking birth control, the more recent resurgence of anti-birth control talking points comes alongside a broader push from online conservative creators against the medical establishment and treatments from vaccines to gender-affirming care, all of which have been recommended in certain circumstances by the American Medical Association. In her response, Clark called birth control synthetic, as opposed to pregnancy, which she called natural.

The social media trend of attacking birth control has also coincided with legal and legislative efforts targeting birth control access, most notably emergency contraceptives. In response to the Supreme Courts ruling that revoked the constitutional right to an abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should reconsider other decisions, including those codifying the right to contraceptive access.

Jones, who is also a YouTube creator with 1.2 million subscribers, has made multiple videos discussing the rhetoric around reproductive health. In an interview, she said the primary tactic shes observed on social media to undermine birth control has been to take a study that backs up what theyre saying, then use that to draw some extravagant conclusion.

Its thinly veiled, but its veiled enough that the average person often doesnt identify it, she said.

Many videos point to a 2018 study that found an association between taking hormonal birth control and suicide attempts and suicide in women in Denmark. But researchers and physicians who have cited the study have urged patients not to stop using hormonal birth control. Rather, health care experts have said that doctors should discuss any potential mood effects of the medication with patients, as other studies have contradicted the 2018 study, and pregnancy can also have mood side effects.

Ashley St. Clair, who has more than 673,000 Twitter followers, referred to the association suggested in the study in a tweet in which she said Did you know the birth control pill increases risk of suicide and suicidal ideations? In June, Twitter owner Elon Musk liked a number of anti-birth control tweets, including St. Clairs tweet.

Jones said the 2018 Dutch study into suicide and hormonal birth control was really important and well-done.

But she said just reading the 2018 studys abstract and drawing conclusions from that alone is lacking crucial context when making medical decisions. Primarily, she said, the risks of contraceptive use are not compared to the same risks in pregnancy, which she said are higher. The 2018 study specifically acknowledges that pregnancy also has association with higher rates of suicide.

In a phone interview, St. Clair said she believes women are being put on birth control at a young age without being told the risks of depression and suicidal thoughts.

I was on it at 14 and I wasnt told these things, she said. I really believe there needs to be more education for women around this.

Similarly, Clark wrote in her response to NBC News that she wants patients to be radically thoughtful about making medical decisions.

That starts with understanding the potential side effects, not downplaying them, she wrote.

Jones tells her own social media audience to consider the motivation of people who post about birth control online. Oftentimes, theyre coming from a religious or political perspective, or theyre trying to sell something, she said, adding they are neglecting the scientific consensus in favor of alarmist sentiments. She pointed out that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that birth control be offered over the counter to anyone.

Theres extensive data on this, she said. If birth control is safe enough to advocate that it should be over the counter, theres absolutely no reason it should start to become a topic of legislation about who can access it and why.

Still, Jones said, the way conservative influencers weaponize research about birth control's side effects has a real-world effect.

She said it is a daily occurrence for women at her practice to decline using hormonal birth control out of fear that it will cause permanent changes to their body and fertility.

You basically are scaring people out of using birth control and not even comparing it to pregnancy, Jones said.

In place of birth control, she said, many conservatives have taken a page from the natural health community and promoted cycle tracking and other fertility awareness methods. Several of the female conservative influencers write for and share articles from Evie Magazine, a media company whose founder also created a cycle-tracking startup called 28 by Evie. Conservative billionaire tech titan Peter Thiel has invested in the startup and more recently in fertility companies targeting international markets. During her interview, St. Clair also suggested that women should be taught to track their cycles as an alternative to medication birth control.

But, Jones said, fertility awareness methods to prevent pregnancy could fail even in the most experienced person. They require taking the temperature every day before getting out of bed, monitoring cervical mucus and knowing exactly what to look for, keeping track of all of these things on a chart, and avoiding intercourse or using another method to prevent pregnancy within the fertile window, she said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fertility cycle tracking is among the least effective types of birth control, and that effectiveness varies by couple. It said that as many as 24 out of 100 women who use natural family planning will become pregnant within the first year. A 2021 study of period-tracking apps for fertility planning found that out of 10 apps used, all of them gave conflicting dates of fertility, most of which were incorrect.

People get pregnant because they didnt know they had to do all these things to make that effective, she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Putin's foray into the public is being viewed as an attempt to show the president's authority has not been undermined by the recent mutiny

Russian president Vladimir Putin meets members of the public in the southern region of Dagestan on Wednesday. (Getty)

Vladimir Putin has been pictured mixing with the public a week after a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group shook the country, fuelling rumours the Russian president uses a body double.

Putin was pictured meeting people who had turned up for a presidential speech in the southern Dagestan region on Wednesday.

He was seen diving directly into crowds and talking with Russians, something he has rarely done since the invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2020, the president has been known to only meet with his closest advisors with access to him strictly controlled.

Putin's foray into the public is being viewed as an attempt to show the president's authority has not been undermined by the recent mutiny.

This is the first time Vladimir Putin has been seen interacting with a crowd since the COVID pandemic. (Getty)

Over the weekend Wagner forces, who have been fighting in Ukraine led by their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, left their posts in Ukraine and began marching on Moscow.

The unprecedented mutiny was diffused before it became a full-scale civil war but has embarrassed the Russian government.

However, Putin's dramatic change in character at the gathering has fuelled rumours it was actually a body double.

Several pointed out Putin requires anyone wishing to see him go through a two-week quarantine before meeting him.

Kirill Martynov, editor of the independent Novaya Gazeta Europe, said: "This is all very strange.

"The place of meeting is strange, as is Putin hugging people all of a sudden. He normally doesn't do that. Where is the table? It's a riddle.

"I really don't like stupid conspiracy theories but the feeling that there are two Putins is growing."

There have been rumours for years that Vladimir Putin uses a body double. (Getty)

There have been rumours for years that Putin uses a body double and these have only intensified since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Russia has officially denied such rumours several times.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in April: "You have probably heard that he has very many doubles who work instead of him while he sits in a bunker [This is] yet another lie."

Peskov added: "You see yourselves what our president is like: He always was, and is now, mega-active  those who work next to him can hardly keep up with him. His energy can only be envied."

Rumours about his health, height and every aspect of his life have been focused on since the invasion began.

Putin has only been interacting with his closest advisors in recent years, making Wednesday's trip unusual. (Getty)

In January, Putin was pictured with students at Moscow State University and appeared to be wearing chunky heels in an apparent attempt to boost his height. Putin is estimated to be 5 ft 7 in.

He was widely mocked for the picture on social media and was previously accused of having "small man syndrome" by UK defence secretary Ben Wallace.

The shoes (circled) that have sparked more conspiracy theories about Putin. (Getty Images)

In October, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraines head of military intelligence, claimed Putin uses three body doubles who have had plastic surgery to resemble him.

Budanov claimed in an interview with the Mail on Sunday that doubles are used to cover up Putins loss of control in the Russian government.

Another state-released image of Russian president Vladimir Putin at Moscow State University on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

He said, without presenting evidence: We know specifically about three people that keep appearing, but how many there are, we don't know. They all had plastic surgery to look alike.

Read more: Ukraine tanks: Russian TV host calls for military strikes on 'Nazi scumbag' Germany

The one thing that gives them away is their height. It's visible in videos and pictures. Also gesturing, body language and earlobes, since they are unique for every person.
The conspiracy theory involving a creepy Donald Trump animatronic at Walt Disney World explained  and why people are talking about it once again

The robotic President Trump, as seen in Disney's revamped Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Screenshot/YouTube

In 2017, Walt Disney World unveiled an animatronic of then-President Donald Trump.

People online said they believed the robot was initially built as Hillary Clinton.

One journalist may have uncovered the truth.

The internet was a fascinating place in 2017: "La La Land" became a cultural touchstone (mostly for the infamous Oscars gaffe), the first human embryo had been genetically edited with CRISPR, and Walt Disney World in Orlando unveiled the animatronic of former President Donald Trump, a year into his controversial presidency, for their Hall of Presidents attraction.

At the time, people described the figure as "horrifying" and "nightmare fuel," but some took it a step further, saying there was no way it could ever accurately look like Trump because the frame holding the animatronic's skin in place was built for former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Because Clinton was favored to win, according to polling at the time, the theory goes that Disney simply refashioned the robot after Trump's victory, according to posts on Reddit and Twitter. Conspiracy theorists mainly pointed to fake Donald's smaller, rounder head and wider eyes compared to the non-robotic Trump's features.

Walt Disney World eventually updated the animatronic to look more like Trump in 2021, but journalist and former host of the Reply All podcast Alex Goldman reignited the conversation last week on Twitter  and may have gotten an answer in the process.

"The conspiracy theory I believe with all my heart is that Disney made a Hillary animatronic for the Hall of Presidents fully expecting her to win and then hastily modified it to look like Trump when she lost," Goldman said in a now-deleted tweet viewed by Insider.

Goldman told Insider he doesn't remember exactly why the thought of Trump's animatronic came back to him years later, but said that it remains his favorite conspiracy theory.

"If you look at the image, it touches something really primal. It's like very uncomfortable to look at. It just looks wrong in a way that doesn't make any sense to my brain," Goldman told Insider. "But then, of course, once someone says, 'oh, it's because it's actually Hillary,' it resolves right away."

Goldman said the appeal of the Clinton-Trump animatronic conspiracy lies partially in its harmlessness but also its humor.

"There's something about the hubris of a huge corporation like Disney feeling certain that Hillary is gonna win the election, that they probably spent tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, on a very expensive piece of technology, and then were sort of caught with their pants down  I always find that sort of like back room intrigue very fascinating."

Goldman posted on his Substack, The Cool Dude Zone, on Wednesday saying he had gotten in contact with someone claiming to be a former Imagineer who confirmed the conspiracy theory was true.

"Everyone was positive that Hillary was going to win so much so that they created her animatronic, then they got caught with their pants down when Trump won," the alleged Imagineer told Goldman on his Substack. "It can take months if not years to design a new animatronic. I remember seeing the facial designs for the Hillary animatronic at least six months before the election and an intern asked the 3D artist what would happen if Trump won, and he laughed and just said, 'Then, we're screwed.'"

The anonymous Imagineer also told Goldman that Ellen DeGeneres animatronics used in a '90s attraction at Epcot, known as Ellen's Energy Adventure, were repurposed for other park attractions.

Goldman clarified to Insider that the person he spoke to may not have been who they said they were (although he went to lengths to check their identity online, including verifying their name and social media presence). He also said he's been contacted by people who say they don't believe the story adds up but believes they don't have a compelling case.

One person, Goldman said, claimed that the Imagineer who came forward with this information referred to the name of the Ellen DeGeneres attraction in a way that other Imagineers would not. Another believed that if Disney were to have created a Clinton robot, they would have had the former Secretary of State sit in for a 3D scan of her face, and surely those would have leaked by now  although there isn't reliable information available as to whether or not presidents even go through such a process, he said.

"I don't know that it's gonna go much further, but oh, man wouldn't it be wonderful for someone to go like, 'Oh, and by the way, we repurposed Hillary's head and now it's part of one of the Star Wars rides' or 'it's in Pirates of the Caribbean' or something. I would love for that stuff to come out. I don't imagine that there's much more that people are willing to tell, but who knows," Goldman told Insider.

Walt Disney World and Disney Imagineers did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Have a news tip or story to share? Contact this reporter at hgetahun@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivers remarks at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Advanced Medical Technology Association in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 28, 2023. (Photo credit: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America)

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said at a recent event that China's new journey will not only reinvigorate its own new development, but also create fresh opportunities for the world.



Xie delivered the remarks at a breakfast briefing hosted Wednesday by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) at invitation.

The ambassador said that since the start of this year, China's economy has rebounded strongly and kicked off to a good start. Its GDP grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter, and the number for the second quarter is expected to outperform that. The World Bank has predicted China's economy to grow at 5.6 percent this year. China's huge market, well-functioning industrial system and rich talent pool make it irreplaceable, and the fundamentals sustaining its long-term growth remain strong. In recent months, a number of executives of multinational companies have been visiting China, casting votes of confidence in China's economy.

Xie said that opening up is China's fundamental national policy. As a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions and the primary export market of over 50, China is deeply integrated into international industrial and supply chains. Chinese modernization is only possible with continued opening up. China simply has no reason to close its door, even when some other countries are trying to close their doors on China. China will continue to pursue high-standard opening up, further expand market access, better protect the rights and interests of foreign investors, and foster a market-oriented, law-based business environment in keeping with international standards.

China will actively seek to join the CPTPP and DEPA, and steadily expand institutional opening up by aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules. In the first five months, the actual investment in China from France, Britain and Canada grew respectively 430 percent, 179 percent and 170 percent year on year. This speaks volumes about international confidence in and expectation for China's growth prospects. It also shows how various sides value the huge opportunities unlocked by China's economic recovery and the constant improvement of its business environment, he said.

China-U.S. medical cooperation enjoys vast potential, the ambassador said. Putting people's health front and center in building a modern country, China is taking solid steps to advance the Healthy China initiative. According to a report by the international consultancy Roland Berger, China's medical device market is projected to exceed 320 billion U.S. dollars by 2030, making China potentially the largest medical device market globally. Demographically, about 260 million of China's population are over 60 years old, and the number will exceed 300 million by 2035. Also, China's middle-income population will go beyond 800 million in the coming 15 years. The steady and fast surge in the demand for high-quality medicine and services will open up an unprecedented market space for the medical technology sector.

Xie said that entrepreneurs are known for their foresight, courage and open mind. Such entrepreneurship is exactly what the world needs today. As a Chinese proverb goes, "Harmony brings wealth." The atmosphere of China-U.S. relations bears on everyone. When the overall atmosphere is good, companies can do business a lot easier. When the bilateral relationship gets worse, the business community can hardly stay unaffected. Friends from the business community need to be "responsible stakeholders" in the China-U.S. relationship. They are encouraged to stay fair and pragmatic and take real actions, so as to uphold common interests, champion market economy and free trade, and help bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track, for the benefit of both peoples and the world.

AdvaMed is the largest medical technology association in the United States, representing 80 percent of American medical device and diagnostic companies. Among its over 450 member businesses, many are Fortune 500 companies.
(Bloomberg) -- Hello, Independence Day is just a few days away, but before then:

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Supreme Court waited until the last week of its term to remind the country just how much muscle its 6-3 conservative majority has. In a trio of decisions Thursday and Friday, the justices effectively outlawed the use of race in college admissions, struck down President Joe Bidens student-loan relief plan and crafted a First Amendment exception to anti-discrimination laws. Each of the three rulings was far-reaching in its own way but big though they were, the rulings were among only five that found the six conservatives in the majority and the three liberals in dissent. The decisions were a one-two punch to US colleges.

The courts rightward tilt means history may also be repeating itself. Last years decision to strike down the constitutional right to abortion ahead of the midterms galvanized Democrats, who are now hoping this weeks twin rulings will help President Joe Biden once again harness voters anger as he heads into a tough reelection battle.

With the second half of the year just getting underway, its a good time to take stock of the first six months of 2023. The S&P 500 has racked up gains of 16% so far this year, powered by a surge in AI and other tech stocksApple attained a historic valuation of $3 trillion this weekand a US economy that continues to defy gravity. The improbable rally is making life awkward for the people paid to predict where equities will go next, many of whom were both bearish and wrong, and who remain at loggerheads on whats ahead.

Meanwhile, US airlines continued to grapple with flight disruptions heading into Independence Day, keeping the industry on edge even as the recent volatility driven by bad weather and air-traffic control limits showed signs of subsiding. The heavy-travel weekend will test the changes airlines have made to improve reliability after extended disruptions last year tied to manpower shortages forced them to reduce flight schedules. With travel numbers forecast to surge, knowing how US airports rank on flight disruptions could come in handy.

If you love a good heist, check out the latest issue of Businessweek, which highlights some of the most outrageous capers and the weirdest things stolen. Here in California, 27 minutes was all it took for dozens of sacks of jewelryworth either $8.7 million or about $100 million, depending on whom you askto vanish from a Brinks tractor-trailer last year. A routine traffic stop in Tulsa helped police bring down a $500 million catalytic converter crime ring. Meanwhile, an alleged $85 million Ponzi scheme, fueled by the market for highly coveted sneakers, eventually blew up, in part because of the Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey.

But for those thinking of pulling off a heist of their own, know that police have a controversial new tool to bring criminals to justiceself-driving cars. As these vehicles become a fixture in major American cities like San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, police are increasingly relying on their camera recordings to try to solve cases. Have a thrilling weekend. Well be back tomorrow with a look at the week ahead.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Authorities are investigating an overnight fire near the Atlanta Police Training Academy.

Atlanta fire officials said just before 2:20 a.m. Saturday, crews received reports of a fire near the current Atlanta Police Training Academy located on Southside Industrial Parkway.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When crews arrived, they found several motorcycles on fire inside the parking deck.

After extinguishing the fire, crews found incendiary devices on the scene.

A Channel 2 photographer saw police cars parked in front of the Atlanta Police Training Academy Saturday morning hours after the fire was put out.

TRENDING STORIES:

Governor Brian Kemp released a statement about the fire on Saturday afternoon, calling it the work of organized criminals.

These attacks on public safety resources are outrageous and completely inexcusable. This planned destruction of property and attempted use of explosive devices put both lives and community assets in danger. Those are the tactics of organized criminals, not protestors, and their supporters should ask themselves if they truly want to be associated with such radical and violent people. Working with state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, we will find these criminals and bring them to justice. Gov. Brian Kemp

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Crimean Tatar woman to be held in pre-trial detention centre until October. Russia still hides case details

Russians have extended the stay of Crimean Tatar Leniie Umerova in the pre-trial detention centre until October.

Source: Azeez Umerov, her brother, on Facebook

Quote: "Yesterday, on 30 June 2023, Leniie's term of detention in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre was extended for three months (until 4 October 2023).

Only the lawyer, who is prohibited from disclosing any information about the criminal case, was admitted to the court session. We do not understand even now what exactly she is suspected of.

I want to remind everyone that they continue to keep her in the cell alone, and the letters she writes undergo a three-week check."

Details: The brother attached a propagandist video in which they say that Leniie was detained for alleged espionage and faces up to 20 years in prison. They did not report any evidence of Umerova's crimes.

Background:

Leniie Umerova, a 25-year-old Crimean Tatar, tried to get from Kyiv to occupied Crimea on 4 December 2022, to visit her sick father.

Russian security forces detained Leniie after she crossed the Georgian-Russian border, allegedly for violating the rules of the restricted zone.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A stock trader gets upset. Caroline Purser/Getty Images.

Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial insight, gathered from around the web:

A $100 piece of a $55 million painting

A 1963 portrait by British artist Francis Bacon is about to make its stock market debut, said Carol Ryan in The Wall Street Journal. Next month, "a company named Artex is launching a roughly $55 million initial public offering of Bacon's Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer," with shares of the artwork going for about $100 apiece. The "stock" will list on a specially created "art stock exchange" available to regular investors. Though "artworks valued below $1 million are risky, returns on 'blue-chip' art" from the post-1945 era gained 12.6% yearly between 1995 and 2022, compared with a 9% annual return for the S&P 500, according to Masterworks, an investment platform that began offering fractional art shares to investors in 2017.

The curse of great expectations

American investors have unrealistic expectations about their returns, said Terry Lane in Investopedia. The 2023 Natixis Investment Managers Survey of Individual Investors found recently that Americans expect "their investments can return 15.6% over the long term," more than twice "the 7% returns that financial advisers expect." Between 2012 and 2021, the S&P 500 returned 16.5% per year. Then 2022 happened, which 86% of respondents said was "a wake-up call" that the bull market run wasn't unstoppable. But the memory of that seems to be fading. Some 59% of investors say they are comfortable accepting more risk  even though 44% admit they are already taking on more risk than they should.

Gloom for commercial real estate

It could take 15 years before U.S. office buildings regain their pre-pandemic peak values, said John Gittelsohn in Bloomberg. London-based research firm Capital Economics said last week that U.S. office values "are expected to plunge 35% from the peak by the end of 2025." The firm said the collapse mirrors what happened to shopping malls as e-commerce grew in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many large investors, such as Blackstone, are simply walking away from their holdings, and handing them to lenders. "About $18 billion of office buildings were considered distressed at the end of March," according to a recent report by MSCI Real Assets. Despite efforts by companies to bring workers back, office usage remains "only about half what it was before the pandemic."

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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Dagestani soldiers in Zaporizhzhia Oblast refuse to fight in the Russian army and destroy Russian weaponry  General Staff

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, around 50 ethnic Dagestanis have refused to fight in the ranks of the Russian army and have destroyed or broken their weapons.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Quote: "In light of the successful military operations undertaken by Ukraines defence forces and [Russias] significant personnel losses, desertions in units of the Russian occupation forces are on the rise, with troops increasingly leaving their combat positions without permission."

Details: The General Staff reported that about 50 ethnic Dagestani soldiers from the Caspian Flotilla had refused to take part in hostilities near the village of Dorozhnianka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The deserters had also rendered their units weapons unusable.

The General Staff further reported that Russian forces were continuing to use the civilian population as a human shield. For example, Russian military leaders are housing their soldiers in Topolivka, Kherson Oblast, in private houses where civilians still live.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
As Kansas City is on track for the most violent year in its history, area faith and anti-violence leaders gathered Friday for a prayer vigil and called for the bloodshed to end.

Prayers and gospel songs rang out through loudspeakers on Friday evening in the parking lot of the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ at 37th Street and Prospect Avenue. Area clergy also read aloud the names of the Kansas City homicide victims of 2023.

The event came at the close of a daylong call to action led by Kansas Citys Ad Hoc Group Against Crime. Area radio station KPRS on 103.3 FM, known to listeners as 103 Hot Jamz!, partnered with Ad Hoc for a 12-hour broadcast over the air featuring community leaders and those impacted by violent crime.

Were crying out (to God), Bishop Frank Douglas, Ad Hocs community program coordinator, told The Star on Friday.

Were just hoping that we can just help calmer heads prevail, he added.

Roughly three dozen attended the community event on Friday, including other community activists and Police Chief Stacey Graves. Speaking to the crowd, Damon Daniel, president of Kansas Citys Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, called violence a disease.

Its a deadly disease, Daniel said. Its one that spreads. Its a learned behavior. And if it can be learned, then it can be unlearned.

Damon Daniel, president of Kansas Citys Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, spoke during a prayer vigil Friday held outside the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ at 37th Street and Prospect Avenue at the close of a daylong event aimed at reducing violence.

The prayers came a few hours after Kansas City police were investigating a fatal shooting about 10 blocks away in the Oak Park neighborhood.

A man was fatally shot around 1 p.m. near 43rd Street and College Avenue, marking the 100th homicide in Kansas City so far in 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. The killing keeps the city on pace with 2020, the year when Kansas City saw its most violent year in history with 182 homicides.

Daniel, of Ad Hoc, said he was thankful for the showing of community support and the opportunity to share the anti-violence message across the radio airwaves Friday.

Part of what weve got to do as a community is to remind the community that life is sacred and to remind the community that there are choices other than picking up guns, Daniel said, adding:

I am in continued prayer for hearts and minds to be turned. And for people to speak up, and share what they know, so these homicides can be solved.
Marine scientists found a previously unknown octopus nursery in a discovery that could help lead to greater protection for the surrounding area off the Costa Rican coast.

The discovery of a new active octopus nursery over 2,800 meters beneath the sea surface in Costa Rican waters proves there is still so much to learn about our Ocean, Dr. Jyotika Virmani, an executive director at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, said in a statement from the nonprofit published Wednesday. The international team of scientists made their ocean expedition on the institutes research vessel, the Falkor (too).

Brooding octopus mothers on an unnamed outcrop off the coast of Costa Rica.

Brooding octopus mothers on an unnamed outcrop off the coast of Costa Rica.

On the voyage, scientists explored the Dorado Outcrop, a rock formation where in 2013, octopus mothers were spotted gathering together to brood their eggs  the first time scientists had ever seen that happen. But at the time, researchers werent sure if the nursery was viable. Deep-sea octopuses prefer cold temperatures, but the outcrop is next to a hydrothermal vent that causes warmer waters than the surrounding area, Gizmodo reported.

On the newest mission, scientists confirmed that the Dorado Outcrop was an active nursery and witnessed baby octopuses hatch. On top of that, they discovered another totally new nursery in the same general area. Those two nurseries, plus another one off the coast of Monterey, California, brings the total number of known octopus nurseries up to three.

Only three deep-sea octopus nurseries are known to humans.

Only three deep-sea octopus nurseries are known to humans.

I was bouncing off the walls, Dr. Rachel Lauer, a geoscience professor at Canadas University of Calgary, said in a video about the expeditions discoveries.

The octopuses found in the nurseries near Costa Rica belong to the genus Muusoctopus  small to medium deep-sea octopuses that dont have ink sacs. The scientists suspect the octopuses they saw are potentially a new species of Muusoctopus, the Schmidt Ocean Institute news release said, though this has not been confirmed.

The octopus that researchers believe may be a newly discovered species.

The octopus that researchers believe may be a newly discovered species.

The research could be used to determine whether the seamounts in the area of the nurseries should be granted protection from human activities. Currently, there are no protections in place.

For the majority of people, the ocean is just another body of water, Dr. Jorge Cortes Nunez, a biology professor at the Universidad de Costa Rica, said in the video, translated from Spanish by Schmidt Ocean Institute. They cant imagine whats there. The seafloor is 3 kilometers below us, and what we are seeing is a whole other world down there.

Related...
Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Adam Schiff

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have joined together to reintroduce the PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2023 to improve the uptake of PrEP to prevent HIV.

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith and California Rep. Adam Schiff are leading the effort.

Initially introduced by then-Senator Kamala Harris, the updated bills provide zero-cost sharing coverage of PrEP to both private and public payers and establish a national grant program that provides PrEP to the uninsured.

Even though improving PrEP uptake is one of the main pillars of the Trump and Biden administrations plans to end HIV, only 30 percent of those who could benefit from PrEP take it. Nevertheless, there are significant disparities. PrEP is used by 78 percent of white people who are eligible. However, only 11 percent of Black people in America, 21 percent of Latinos, and 12 percent of women access this lifesaving medication.

As in previous versions of the bills, the PrEP Access and Coverage Act would cover and eliminate out-of-pocket costs for the medication and testing required to take it for people who are enrolled in federally regulated private and public health insurance plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and TRICARE.

Additionally, it seeks to eliminate prior authorization requirements for HIV prevention medications covered by private insurance and public insurance.

In addition, the bill prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage or raising premiums for people who take HIV prevention medications.

Regarding outreach and education, the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish public campaigns that increase the utilization of PrEP and PEP drugs.

Furthermore, it would establish a grant program to assist states, territories, tribes, and healthcare facilities in expanding access to PrEP and PEP through Federally Qualified Health Centers and family planning centers.

Every person deserves access to affordable, high-quality health care, Smith said in a statement. Too many people in Minnesota and across this country are unduly burdened by the high costs of HIV prevention drugs, and many others are going without this lifesaving preventative medication. This bill takes an important step towards ensuring that these highly effective medications are accessible and affordable for every patient who needs them.

Schiff added, HIV prevention drugs shouldnt be inaccessible and unaffordable. Senator Smith and I are reintroducing the PrEP Access and Coverage Act so that LGBTQ Americans  especially those from communities of color who experience disparities in health care  have access to the HIV medications and services they need.

President Joe Biden proposed ten-year mandatory spending of $9.7 billion for a national PrEP program as part of his current budget.

We thank the leadership of Sen. Smith, Rep. Schiff, and their 53 colleagues in reintroducing the PrEP Access and Coverage Act, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute Carl Schmid said in a statement. Passage of these bills will greatly expand access to PrEP for people who have health coverage across all payers and create a national PrEP program that includes community and provider outreach as well as PrEP drugs and associated services for the uninsured. We must address head-on the wide disparities in PrEP use, and these bills do that.

A federal judge in Texas recently ruled that covering PrEP under insurance plans is unconstitutional, but an appeals court stayed that ruling.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's campaign team shared a Twitter video on Friday  the end of Pride Month  that attacks former President Donald Trump's positions on LGBTQIA+ issues.

"To wrap up Pride Month, lets hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it" the campaign said.

The video was made by another Twitter user and knocked the 2024 GOP challenger over his Pride merchandise, relationship with Caitlyn Jenner and 2016 pledge to "protect our LGBTQ citizens."

Conversely, the video touts headlines  alongside video cuts of Christian Bale's "American Psycho" character Patrick Bateman and Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby in the show "Peaky Blinders"  that describe DeSantis taking actions against the transgender and LGBTQIA+ community.

MOMS FOR LIBERTY CLOUT KEEPS RISING AS TRUMP, DESANTIS, HALEY, RAMASWAMY, HUTCHINSON ADDRESS GROUP'S SUMMIT

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown on June 30, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

It now has more than seven million views on the social media platform with mixed reaction.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation a large part of his agenda.

The governor signed bills in May that banned gender-affirming care for minors, targeted drag shows, restricted discussion of personal pronouns in schools and forced people to use certain bathrooms.

DeSantis signed the bill at the evangelical Cambridge Christian School in Tampa.

The governor is Catholic, like Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump, appearing at a Faith & Freedom Coalition gala in Washington, D.C., said no president had "ever fought for Christians as hard," according to The New York Times. Evangelicals put their support behind Trump in the last presidential election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a series of education bills at Cambridge Christian school in Tampa, Fla. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

TRUMP TAKES AIM AT 'CROOKED' BIDEN STUDENT LOAN PLAN AFTER SUPREME COURT DECISION: 'TRYING TO BUY VOTES'

In mid-June, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Florida law targeting drag shows.

DeSantis also recently criticized the White House over individuals at a Pride event who posed topless.

Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the behavior was "simply unacceptable" and the people would not be invited to future events.

"I think when you have the inappropriate conduct at the White House with like these transgenders flashing people nude and all this stuff, its just totally inappropriate," DeSantis said at a press conference. "And I think even the White House had to acknowledge it was inappropriate."

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown on June 30, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He also swiped at the Biden administration for displaying the American flag alongside a Pride flag.

"When they had at the White House, you know, this transgender flag as the precedence over the American flag, thats wrong, that is not how you display the American flag," the Republican noted.

Experts have been divided about whether the White House display was a violation of the Flag Code.

Trump, who said the nation stood in solidarity with members of the Orlando LGBT community following the Pulse nightclub shooting that took the lives of 49 people in 2016, has said he would "keep men out of women's sports" and vowed to prohibit "child sexual mutilation."

On Friday, both Trump and DeSantis battled for the support of conservative women at the Moms for Liberty conference, both vowing to take action against the "woke" and decrying its recent label as an "extremist" organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Fox News' Aaron Kliegman, Andrew Mark Miller, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantiss campaign shared a video on Friday attacking former President Trumps previous positions regarding the LGBTQ community, as Pride Month comes to an end.

To wrap up Pride Month, lets hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it, the DeSantis War Room account tweeted, alongside a video compiled by another Twitter user.

The video features a clip from the 2016 Republican National Convention in which Trump vows to do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens. It also highlights the former presidents opposition during the 2016 campaign to legislation barring transgender individuals from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

The video then turns to DeSantis, appearing to tout various headlines that described his transgender policies as extreme, draconian, totalitarianism in disguise and unwarranted and un-American.

The Florida governor signed into law several bills last month targeting transgender individuals. The legislation restricts gender-affirming care for transgender children, bars transgender individuals from using bathrooms that match their gender identity and blocks teachers and students from using their pronouns of choice at school.

However, despite Trumps apparent support for the LGBTQ community during the 2016 campaign, his administration quickly took aim at the transgender community. Shortly after taking office, the former president rescinded Obama-era guidance for schools on transgender students.

He later tweeted that transgender people could no longer serve in the military, and his Justice Department said that it would no longer argue that transgender people are federally protected from employment discrimination.

In his 2024 campaign, Trump has used even more extreme rhetoric, vowing to ban men from participating in womens sports and referring to gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth as child sexual mutilation.

This years Pride Month has drawn more outright opposition from conservatives, who have criticized and boycotted companies that have voiced support for the LGBTQ community.

This comes amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation at the state level, where more than 500 such bills have been introduced and 70 have been enacted, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New details of crash that injured River Bluff principal, family on vacation

River Bluff High School Principal Jacob Smith and his family were reportedly driving on the Big Island of Hawaii when they hydroplaned, hit another car and crashed into a lava wall, according to a post from Radius Churchs Facebook group.

The church hosted a prayer meeting on Thursday to support the family.

Smith and two of his children were injured in the crash.

Smith and his son Banks were in a hospital in Hilo with minor injuries as of Thursday, the church shared. His daughter, Bekah, was flown to an intensive care unit in Honolulu with serious injuries, according to a message sent to Radius Church Pastor John Reeves by Crystal Smith, Jacobs wife.

Jacob Smith has been with the Lexington 1 school district for about a decade and was promoted to principal at River Bluff ahead of the 2021-22 school year.

The Lexington 1 school district informed employees and students families about the accident in an email sent out Thursday morning.
Detroit police have 'widespread' problem of not turning on body cameras, commissioner says

Amid disagreement between Detroit police leadership and the Board of Police Commissioners over body camera policy, a commissioner this week revealed a reason behind a curious vote taken in December 2022.

Police Chief James White had recommended unpaid suspension for Sgt. Marvin Anthony, who was in charge of officers involved in the fatal shooting of Ki'Azia Miller in November 2022. Miller suffered from schizophrenia and the violent incident rose questions about the way police handle mental health crises.

The board shot down White's recommendation, voting against suspending Anthony without pay after closed-door discussions, with no public explanation. Anthony was instead suspended with pay.

Commissioner Ricardo Moore told the Free Press this week that Anthony did not have his body-worn camera turned on during the incident.

Moore said because commissioners had no visual or audio evidence, the oversight board could not properly determine the extent of Anthony's alleged wrongdoing.

Anthony's case is an example of what Moore described as a widespread problem of officers not turning on their body cameras. Moore said there's an "intentional" lack of discipline and enforcement of the department's body camera policy.

More: Detroit wins its battle to stretch out payments over 30 years to police and fire pension

More: After Detroit man killed during mental health crisis, questions of police training abound

"The whole purpose of the body-worn cameras is to prevent police corruption. It didn't look like anyone cared, from the bottom of the organization to the top," Moore said of the Detroit Police Department.

"It's like an epidemic within the organization. It's like an institutional betrayal  it's ignored and accepted."

It's Detroit police policy that officers who have "citizen interactions in the daily performances of their duty" are mandated to wear body worn cameras, with some exceptions that include privacy issues and investigative procedures. The policy also states that the entirety of all significant interactions with citizens must be recorded.

Detroit Police Chief James White speaks with media members during a press conference inside the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters in Detroit on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. White addressed the shooting of a woman during a mental health crisis in a west-side home.

The board voted in January on a motion presented by Vice Chair Annie Holt to allow the commission to presume misconduct by police officers if there is no body camera footage to refute a complaint against them, according to Victoria Shah, the board secretary.

Both Moore and Shah told the Free Press that the reason behind that motion was a large number of citizen complaints being met with a lack of body camera footage.

"Is it the right thing to assume the police officer is telling the truth but the citizen isn't? That doesn't seem right," Shah said. "We need to believe the citizen."

Detroit Police Chief James White, however, wrote a letter to the board expressing frustration with the vote.

White described the vote as an "extreme position" that "clearly violates" the due process rights of police offices per their collective bargaining agreement, according to the letter obtained by the Free Press.

White said the police department has a "strong policy" of requiring officers to activate their body cameras during fieldwork, but wrote that "given the unique nature of police work, there may be situations where it is not practical for the (body camera) to be activated, a member makes a good-faith effort to activate the (body camera) but was unsuccessful, or where the (body camera) itself malfunctions, shuts off, or deactivates."

The commission's Office of the Chief Investigator confirmed it has sustained complaints against officers for procedural violations of the department's body-worn camera policy, which can lead to disciplinary action.

The chief said he would set aside discipline of officers stemming from complaints sustained by the commission based solely on a lack of body camera footage, and that findings of guilt will be left out of personnel files.

"Investigative discretion is necessary," White wrote. "I also have a duty to ensure that all DPD members are protected from one-sided investigative practices that will make them flinch in the face of danger out of fear of unwarranted discipline."

Rev. Jerome Warfield, appointed in May to serve as the commission's chief investigator, said many of the investigations into complaints he has reviewed do include body camera footage, but he is concerned about cases that do lack video and audio evidence that could support a complaint or exonerate an officer.

"I expect all officers to have those body worn cameras on," Warfield said.

Detroit police are currently transitioning to a new body camera system, according to a statement issued by the department Friday in response to questions on body cameras not always being activated on crime scenes:

"Chief White is fully committed to transparency and made the purchase of new body worn cameras a priority. Currently, the Department is transitioning from its current body worn camera system to newer model cameras as a result of an $11.3 million contract signed in 2021. This will provide every officer with his or her own body worn camera, increasing transparency and accountability, and offering technical upgrades over the previous system."

Detroit Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association President Mark Young did not respond to requests for comment. Attempts to reach Anthony were unsuccessful.

Detroit police have not released body camera footage that may exist in the Miller shooting.

In video footage recorded by Miller moments before the shooting, she says to an officer seemingly hiding behind a tree in her front yard: "You had a gun pointed on me because you all got a phone call. Are you serious? You all came with guns drawn. ... You all prepared to shoot, right?"

The officer responds that the police on scene don't want to get hurt. Then a second officer aggressively and abruptly enters the home. The video then becomes shaky. The audio becomes muffled, but it sounds like the officer then yells, "Show your goddamned hands," "Don't reach for that goddamned gun," and the video ends.

(L to R) Lakisha Washington-Meeks, the mother of Kiazia Miller and Miller's younger sister Di'Azia Cruz, 23 of Wichita, Kansas pray during the memorial for Miller in front of the home in Detroit on Saturday, Nov 19, 2022. Miller, who was having a mental health crisis at the time, was shot and killed by Detroit Police officers on November 10, 2022. Two officers and one supervisor were later suspended pending a review.

Miller's family has spoken out against the killing, demanding justice and accountability.

Anthony's suspension was lifted in March. He was taken off the streets and assigned administrative work following his suspension, according to Detroit police. White previously said Anthony wasn't directly involved in the shooting, but said he holds supervisors to a higher standard.

Two other officers were initially suspended by White. Moore said one suspension was lifted, and the Board of Police Commissioners voted to suspend the other without pay. No officers have been charged in Miller's death.

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 sergeant didn't turn on body camera in Ki'Azia Miller shooting
Kim Goddard, daughter of the late meteorologist and animal welfare advocate Dick Goddard, has started an online petition pushing for felony charges against a Portage County homeowner where 146 dead dogs were found. Here the Aurora native is shown with a Petunia, a dog she rescued from a kill shelter in Florida, where Goddard now lives. Goddard's father called her Petunia when she was a child.

The daughter of legendary Cleveland meteorologist and animal advocate Dick Goddard is pushing for felony charges against a woman recently charged with misdemeanors in the deaths of 146 dogs at a Mantua Township home.

Kim Goddard has launched an online petition urging Portage County authorities to follow a state law named after her late father and pursue more serious charges against Barbara A. Wible.

"It's a horrible feeling, it was just horrible situation," said Goddard, adding, "The bottom line is Goddard's Law is there for a reason. And she needs to be charged to the fullest."

Wible, 68, is facing 50 counts of first-degree misdemeanor cruelty to companion animals in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna. In a separate case, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Wible Wednesday on 36 counts of fifth-degree felony cruelty to animals.

Wible is scheduled for arraignment in the Portage County case on Monday and in the Cuyahoga County case on July 13. An attorney for Wible has not been listed in online court records in either case as of Friday.

What is Goddard's Law?

Goddard's Law, which the Ohio General Assembly passed and former Gov. John Kasich signed into law in 2016, allows for fifth-degree felony charges in especially egregious animal abuse cases.

In this undated file photo, legendary meteorologist Dick Goddard hangs out with Happy, a Chow mix, and Murphy, a shepherd mix, from the Humane Society of Summit County at the "Shout it from the Wooftops" fundraiser.

Eligible cases involve "knowingly causing harm to a companion animal," said Goddard.

Goddard now lives in Florida but grew up in Aurora and makes frequent trips to Northeast Ohio. She said she not only wants to see Wible charged with fifth-degree felonies, she wants one count for each of the 146 dogs. To that end, she started a petition Thursday morning on Change.org, at https://tinyurl.com/mpwb462a. She has publicized the petition on social media and as of Friday afternoon, it had about 675 signatures.

"I'm not happy with Portage County APL," said Goddard.

The Portage APL has said it had been investigating Wible and Canine Lifeline, Inc., the dog rescue organization Wible co-founded and led, since July 2022. Half of the Portage County charges list Wible as defendant doing business as Canine Lifeline.

However, the APL said it did not have probable cause to get a search warrant until mid-June. The dogs were then found dead in a Mantua Township home Wible owns.

Meanwhile, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said Parma police and fire department responded for a welfare check at a home Wible also owns there in early June and found 36 neglected and malnourished dogs in cages in early June. A dozen dogs were dead at the scene and three were euthanized after they were taken to an emergency veterinary clinic. The remaining 21 dogs were taken to an animal shelter.

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said Thursday that his office is not currently involved in the Portage case because a 1953 state law allows humane societies, including the Portage APL, to use a private law firm to prosecute misdemeanor cases.

More: Happy ending for Wren: Dog rescued in animal cruelty case with Portage ties gets new home

Vigluicci said he would consider filing felony charges against Wible in a separate case, but he needs information from the APL concerning its investigation. He said his office is attempting to get that information.

Portage APL explains misdemeanor charges in death of 146 dogs

Portage APL Executive Director Chalan Lowry said the APL uses the firm of Holland and Muirden Attorneys at Law, which has offices in Summit and Medina counties, to prosecute cases on an as-needed basis because the firm has experience handling animal abuse cases. J. Jeffrey Holland, a partner in the firm, is prosecuting the Portage County case, according to court records.

Lowry said she believes Holland and Muirden did reach out to the prosecutor's office Thursday afternoon in response to the request for information.

Lowry said she understands Goddard's anger, including with the APL over the way the case is being handled. But beecause Wible is reportedly suffering from terminal cancer, she said, the agency decided misdemeanor charges were best because they take less time to prosecute than felony cases.

"I know people are passionate and so are we," said Lowry. "This is what we do for a job every day is to save lives. And this is horrific  one of the worst things that ever happened. But we also have to be reasonable, knowing that a terminally ill person is probably never going to do jail time. They're probably, maybe, not going to make it through what might be a long felony process and so we want to get something, some verdict, for these poor dogs.

"You know, we're not trying to say that it's not important and that they don't deserve felony charges. She deserves more than felony charges. But this is the process so that we can get something for the animals."

Lowry also said that if the APL were to charge Wible with felonies, it would likely do so under a separate Ohio statute called Nitro's Law.

Like Goddard's Law, she said, it allows for felony charges in animal abuse cases, but it's aimed specifically at animal rescue organizations and kennels. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said its felony case against Wible was filed under Nitro's Law, named for a dog that died while in the care of a kennel.

Goddard, who spoke emotionally about the case, said she does not accept the APL's explanation for why it is pursuing misdemeanor charges only. Goddard noted that despite Wible's reported condition, she was charged with felonies in the Cuyahoga County case.

"I think it would be in the best interest of everybody to charge this evilness," she said. "This person, unfortunately, I wish this never happened, but unfortunately it did. We need to charge her with the fullest and whatever happens then happens. At least it'll go down in the books, saying you can't get away with this Ohio. You can't get away with animal abuse. You can't let animals starve and suffer."

Portage County dog abuse case: Woman charged after 146 dogs found dead in Mantua Township indicted in Cuyahoga County

Goddard also questioned whether Wible actually is terminally ill.

Lowry said she heard about the diagnosis directly from Wible, but Lowry has not been able to confirm it. Vigluicci said he too is attempting to confirm Wible's condition, but medical privacy laws make this difficult.

Goddard said that if people help decrease the surplus pet population by getting animals spayed and neutered and adopting animals instead of supporting the trafficking of animals for profit through online sellers and "puppy mills," problems like those now seen with the criminal cases in Portage and Cuyahoga counties would be greatly diminished.

"You know, it all boils down to the way us humans as a society all across the world treat the voiceless animals," she said. "We can do better. We can do a lot better."

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dick Goddard's daughter wants justice for dogs in Portage County case
A resident rides his bicycle by a sign warning for the presence of mines inside the cemetery in Sviatohirsk, in eastern Ukraine, on June 25, 2023. (Mauricio Lima/The New York Times)

The mercenary rebellion that shook Russia was merely a minor trouble, the foreign minister said on Friday, warning the West not to think that President Vladimir Putins grip on power had weakened, even as the Kremlin continued to move against the leader of the mutiny.

Speaking at a news conference, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that Russia would emerge stronger and more resilient after the short-lived putsch last Friday and Saturday by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner group troops, who have played a vital role in Russias invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov dismissed the rebellion, which drove an armored column to within 125 miles of Moscow before turning back, as insignificant.

If someone in the West has doubts about this, then thats their problem, he said. He added that the Western nations backing Ukraine were misguided if they hoped that the facade of the Russian government had cracked.

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The Kremlin has insisted repeatedly that the uprising had no support and the nation was united behind Putin, who has described the episode as an important test that Russia had emphatically passed. But it is clear that the government is still cleaning up its aftermath.

The fates of two key figures remain unclear: Prigozhin and Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a top military commander seen as being aligned with Prigozhin. Neither has been heard from publicly since last weekend, their whereabouts have not been confirmed, and it is not clear what degree of freedom, if any, either man still enjoys.

The government of Belarus, Putins closest international ally, said on Tuesday that Prigozhin had gone into exile there, but there has been no independent corroboration of that. Russian authorities have apparently agreed not to prosecute Prigozhin or his troops, in return for his decision to stand down last Saturday without a major armed clash.

U.S. officials say that Surovikin, commander of Russian air forces and formerly commander of the war effort in Ukraine, probably knew in advance about the mutiny, and appears to have been detained. The Russian government has refused to comment. Some pro-war Russian bloggers have reported that he was arrested, while others have denied it.

William Burns, the CIA director, called the head of Russias foreign intelligence service after last weeks rebellion to assure the Kremlin the U.S. had no involvement, according to a U.S. official, one of several contacts delivering that message. The CIA declined to comment on Burn call, which was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Biden administration has taken pains to emphasize to Russian officials that it had no hand in the uprising, and views it as an internal Russian matter. In public comments, Lavrov has appeared to accept those explanations.

Russias state media regulator has blocked a news website controlled by Prigozhin, and on Friday, a Russian newspaper, Kommersant, reported that several others had been blocked as well. Russian security services have reportedly raided the offices of other Prigozhin holdings.

Putin, whose government had long denied any connection to Wagner  as did Prigozhin until last year  admitted this week that Kremlin contracts had supported the private army. He said there would be an investigation of those contracts to punish graft and profiteering.

The Kremlin has moved this week to take control of Wagner mercenary forces in other countries, including Syria and the Central African Republic, where they have formed the brutal spear point of Russian support for repressive governments, often while securing lucrative concessions in natural resources. Russian diplomats have rushed to assure their allies of continued Wagner backing.

John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said Friday that Wagner, working for the military junta that rules Mali, had engineered the departure of a United Nations peacekeeping force in that country to further its own business interests. Weeks ago, the junta asked the peacekeepers to leave without delay, and on Friday, the U.N. Security Council voted to withdraw them.

It is unclear what will become of Wagner troops who have been fighting in Ukraine, an important part of the Russian war effort that has given Prigozhin a robust following in Russia. They have been ordered to sign contracts by Saturday with the Defense Ministry, putting them under the control of the regular Russian military, if they are to remain part of the war.

That order spelled the end of Wagner as an independent force in Ukraine, weakened Prigozhin as a political force, and showed that he had lost his long-running power struggle against the leaders of Russias military establishment. He said it also prompted his rebellion, which he insisted was aimed at those military leaders, not at Putin.

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus said this week that he would be willing to take in Wagner fighters who are unwilling to join the Russian military, and offered them an abandoned military base. But it is unknown how many will accept the offer.

New satellite imagery from Thursday and Friday, analyzed by The New York Times, shows more than 250 tents, enough to house thousands of troops, have been erected in the past five days at an unused base. The Times first reported Wednesday on rapid construction there. The images show no sign so far of a major troop presence.

The relocation of Wagner fighters to Belarus could create a new threat to Ukraine on its northern border, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday ordered defenses there strengthened.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw works in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Daniel Hudson made his long-awaited return to the big leagues and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, ending an odyssey for the veteran right-hander that began with torn ligaments in his left knee and included several setbacks in his recovery.

Hudson officially rejoined the club about 30 minutes before first pitch in the opener of a three-game series in Kansas City, then allowed one hit in a scoreless relief appearance that left him smiling afterward.

It just felt good to be back out there with them, Hudson said. I felt really good out there.

The 36-year-old Hudson hurt his ACL just over a year ago in the eighth inning of a win over Atlanta. Hudson got a groundout to start the inning before Ronald Acuna Jr. sent a grounder down the third-base line, and Hudson tried to reverse direction after his delivery had carried him toward first base. His knee locked up and Hudson went to the ground in pain.

The Dodgers hoped that Hudson would recover in time for opening day, but lingering pain in the knee combined with tendinitis in his right ankle kept him on the bench. He received a cortisone injection and restarted the build-up near the end of May.

The timing is perfect, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. We'll give him three months to go hard and pick us up.

To clear roster space, the Dodgers optioned Nick Robertson to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated fellow right-hander Ricky Vanasco for assignment. Robertson had a 7.04 ERA in six games while Vanasco was acquired from Texas earlier this month.

The Dodgers, who began the day two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, already have a dominant closer in Evan Phillips, who is 1-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 11 saves in 12 chances across 32 innings. So while Hudson did have a 2.22 ERA with five saves in 24 1/3 innings last season, the veteran reliever could be headed for a setup role out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

He also could be headed for a leadership role there. Hudson has made 479 appearances with seven clubs over 13 seasons.

Hes just another adult in the pen," Roberts said. "Hes been battle-tested. He has a good heart rate. He gets righties and lefties out. Hes got the respect of everyone in the pen and on the club. Hes certainly a huge addition.

In other news, three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw did not throw a bullpen session but instead plans to play catch Saturday with the expectation that he makes his next scheduled start Monday against Pittsburgh.

Kershaw, who is 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before leaving his start Tuesday in Colorado after 79 pitches. He only allowed one hit in the eventual 5-0 win, but Kershaw said afterward that he was feeling some tenderness in his shoulder, and he ultimately had a shot Wednesday to relieve inflammation.

Regardless of the last couple of days, he was going to pitch on Monday, Roberts said. That's the plan as it stands right now.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Level playing field for white people

Conservatives do believe that systemic racism unfairly disadvantages some Americans  or did, right up until the Supreme Court leveled the playing field for white people this week.

What a chasm there is between those of us who see current day racial injustice warping just about every corner of our lives, and those outraged by any affirmative action other than the kind that has always worked so well for C-student legacies. Then we call this tender treatment merit, so as not to hurt our own feelings.

- Melinda Henneberger, The Star

Ruling a great day for America

The Supreme Courts ruling banning racial discrimination in collegiate admissions was a great day for America and could go a long way toward the ultimate fulfillment of Martin Luther Kings dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. If only.

Unfortunately, I am less sanguine than some conservatives particularly those who do not work inside the academy  because I realize that so-called antiracist preferences are so deeply entrenched into the academic mindset that an urgent search for legal loopholes and other workarounds re-enabling check box discrimination will now commence in earnest. The sad fact is that far too many college administrators have invested too many years building too much power and influence by implanting racial and other discriminatory policies and procedures into the very roots of their institutions to pass silently as ships in the night.

Like Winston Churchill before me, I believe that now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

- Stephen W. Pruitt, Ph.D., Arvin Gottlieb/Missouri Endowed Chair of Business Economics and Finance, Henry W. Bloch School of Management, The University of Missouri-Kansas City, Special to The Star

The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not represent those of the Bloch School of Management, the University of Missouri System or the Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation.

Yes, there are obviously Trump judges

Writing the Supreme Courts majority opinion overturning President Joe Bidens student loan relief program, John Roberts sniffed: It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary.

Gee, Chief Justice, that couldnt be because GOP elected officials are crowing about their political victories at the court right and left these days, could it? Or all the conservative commentators thanking Donald Trump for reshaping the judiciary?

There could scarcely be a clearer signal that, yes, there are indeed Trump judges, just as there are Obama judges and Bush judges and Clinton judges. This weeks verdicts saying web designers are A-OK to discriminate against LGBT clients while at the same time insisting bigotry just isnt a real thing anymore when it comes to college admissions are a head-spinning exercise in illogic that will take another generation to iron out.

Before Senate Republicans stole two seats on the high court from the moderate American middle, Roberts could coast along with his comfortable 5-4 conservative majority and pretend to call balls and strikes. He now sits beside five hard-right ideologues who dont mind shredding precedent. And hes lost control.

John Roberts Supreme Court is the first in modern history to reverse fundamental personal and civil rights protections for women and minorities. His place in the history books has been written.

- Derek Donovan, The Star

Roger Marshall, objective law and sanity

One of the odder takes in the aftermath of this weeks Supreme Court decisions came via Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas. Friday morning on Twitter, Marshall signaled his approval of rulings against affirmative action, student loan debt relief and a Colorado LGBTQ antidiscrimination law.

Thank you Leader McConnell and President Trump, Marshall wrote, for restoring the Supreme Court to objective law and sanity.

Put aside  for just a moment  the surreality of thanking Donald Trump for restoring law and sanity to any aspect of American life. The truly bizarre word here is objective.

That word signals a belief that there is only one correct and neutral way to look at policy, law and the Constitution in America. But thats not really true, is it? These issues are contested, constantly. That contest is what democracy is all about. That Republicans have a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court doesnt mean their views are objective, or even sane. It just means they have the power to enforce their worldview. This weeks rulings wont end the debates.

- Joel Mathis, Special to The Star

A not welcome sign to minority students

Whether or not you believe that the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action will place an undue burden on ethnic minorities, one thing is clear. It sends a not welcome message to some minorities, first-generation students and minority students from small town America.

Studies show that these students often dont see themselves in college or finish college for psychological reasons that go beyond finances. When no one in your peer group is talking about college and no one in your immediate family went, you are at a distinct disadvantage, says the Department of Educations Students Whose Parents Did Not Go to College report.

When race was a partial determinant in who got into colleges, students not on the traditional college trajectory had something to hope for. Now? I expect to see a decrease in not only the number of students of color who get in, but also the number who apply in the first place.

- Yvette Walker, The Star
With the horrors of last years Highland Park parade shooting still fresh in their minds, officials in some south and southwest suburbs say they will ramp up security and safety measures for Fourth of July parades and other events.

In some communities, particularly Tinley Park, amped-up security precautions are also prompted by headlines about disruption of events by bands of teens.

Suburbs including Homewood, Mokena, New Lenox, South Holland and Tinley Park said they will beef up security for holiday events.

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said after any major tragedy, such as the Highland Park shooting, police departments review security plans and make adjustments.

We have an action plan in place whether its the Fourth of July or concerts or what not, Baldermann said. Anything can happen, so you have to be ready.

The Highland Park shooting left seven dead and nearly 50 wounded.

Baldermann said officials updated the security plan ahead of the Tuesdays Fourth of July celebration. But, he said, the important thing is that residents enjoy themselves this holiday weekend.

We have to continue to live our lives and continue to do what we want to enjoy our community, Baldermann said.

Mokena Mayor Frank Fleischer said officers will be stationed throughout the village during its July Fourth parade Tuesday. The department will also use drone technology to help ensure public safety, he said.

Following the Highland Park July Fourth shooting, Fleischer said Mokena police upgraded the villages security protocols.

Were not going to take our chances to let anyone get hurt, Fleischer said. Were going to have the security out, its going to be heightened more than before, but itll be there.

South Holland officials said they are implementing new security measures for the villages fireworks display on Tuesday at Veterans Memorial Park.

Those attending who are 18 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, all guests will be subject to metal detection screening, no backpacks will be allowed and all items brought into the park are subject to search, according to the village.

The measures were put in place before a flash mob disrupted a carnival in Tinley Park, according to Julia Huisman, village spokeswoman.

We are simply committed to ensuring that it is a safe and fun event for families to enjoy, she said.

For Tinley Parks 4-day Ribfest, which got underway Saturday at the villages 80th Avenue Metra train station, metal detectors, drones and a teen supervision policy are part of efforts to avoid a repeat of what happened at a carnival in May, where hundreds of teens disrupted the event.

Fences are in place around the entire perimeter of the festival grounds, on the south side of the rail station, and metal detectors as well as wands will be used to screen attendees, officials said.

The measures will ensure we are keeping our residents and visitors safe, Mayor Michael Glotz said Friday before the fest began Saturday.

Tinley Park has hired an outside security firm to bolster the villages own police presence, and teens 17 and younger are not be allowed in unless accompanied by someone 21 or older. Drones will also be zooming overhead to monitor crowds, and two large vehicles operated by Cook Countys Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security are parked on the fest grounds.

The village hired Downers Grove-based P4 Security Solutions to supplement village police for the Ribfest, and Cook County sheriffs deputies were also assisting in security.

The Armed Forces Weekend Carnival, sponsored by the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce and held at the 80th Avenue Metra station, saw an invasion May 20 that police said consisted of hundreds of teens who fought among themselves and tangled with police, resulting in one officer needing treatment at a hospital. Five youths were cited under a village ordinance for fighting in public.

The carnival was set to continue May 21, but police said they decided to cancel it after learning another flash mob was being planned on social media.

Tinley Park police Chief Matt Walsh said that he would not disclose how many police or outside security would be on the job during Ribfest, but believe me, its going to be an ample number. He said he canceled any days off that had been requested by police for the holiday.

For people who might have been reluctant to attend Ribfest after the carnival chaos, the village has taken steps to clamp down, said Pat Carr, village manager.

It is our priority to keep people safe here, he said. If people want to try to create chaos, they should think twice.

mnolan@tribpub.com
With five children to raise, convicted drug dealer Branden Smith knew his fate didn't look good when he faced the judge this week.

He was looking at a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, which was spelled out in the plea agreement he signed last year admitting to drug crimes.

Still, in perhaps an 11th-hour appeal to save himself, the 38-year-old Detroit father did what is rarely done in federal court: He tried to withdraw his guilty plea  on sentencing day  but the judge wouldn't hear of it.

In U.S. District Court Thursday, six years after the feds started tailing Smith over suspicions of drug activity, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts sentenced Smith to 10 years in prison for running a drug operation out of a stash house on Rossini Drive in Detroit from 2016-17.

Investigators seized this AK47 pistol from a Corvette that convicted drug dealer Branden Smith was in on the day of his 2017 arrest outside a Detroit drug house. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 29, 2023 for distributing drugs out of that house, including a lethal elephant tranquilizer.

Among the drugs he was peddling were cocaine, heroin and carfentanil  a fentanyl analogue that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and is normally used to tranquilize large animals, even elephants. Perhaps equally troubling, prosecutors say, is that Smith was an armed drug dealer, noting he had a Glock 23 pistol in his waistband on the day of his arrest, as well as an AK-47 extended pistol in the drivers side door of the car he was exiting.

'Access to incredible sums of money'

"Smith deals in the most lethal types of controlled substances, heroin and carfentanil," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. "Worse, there is evidence he personally mixed the drugs."

And he made a lot of money doing it, the federal government alleges, noting when the investigation began in 2017, Smith was observed routinely driving expensive cars  including an Audi, a Corvette and a Bentley.

"However, there is no evidence that Smith had a legitimate job throughout the conspiracy. In fact, there is no record of even an attempt to file or pay any state taxes or document any legitimate income during the course of the conspiracy," prosecutors wrote, adding Smith's cellphone records suggest he had "access to incredible sums of money."

More: Prosecution: We have more dirt on the Crumbleys. It's time to try this case.

According to court records, Smith has a 10th-grade education, reported working at Kelly Car Care while out on bond for this case, and indicated that he previously made cash doing landscaping and home improvement jobs.

Prosecutors, though, maintain there is no record of these cash jobs.

Smith, they said, was a drug dealer. And his victims were many.

"Smith contributed to the scourge that drugs have on our community. It is no secret that opioid abuse remains at near epidemic in the United States.  Yet, Smith profited for years selling these types of drugs, while destroying the lives of those who suffer from addiction," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin Casey and Robert White wrote in a sentencing memo. "Moreover, Smith engaged in armed drug dealing, further elevating the seriousness of this offense."

How Smith landed on the feds' radar

According to court records, here is what landed Smith in federal court:

In the spring of 2017, DEA agents learned that he was peddling large quantities of heroin, cocaine and other drugs from a house on Rossini Drive. Surveillance corroborated the tip.

Investigators then summoned the help of a confidential informant who had known Smith for many years and bought drugs from him in the past. On June 1, 2017, investigators gave this informant cash to buy heroin at the Rossini house.

Within minutes, the informant left the house and turned in 20 grams of heroin to investigators.

Two weeks later, the same informant went back to the same house to buy heroin, but came out with 9.9 grams of carfentanil instead.

More: Personal trainer pulls AR-15-style rifle on bar customers in Holly: 'He's embarrassed'

A search warrant was then obtained to raid the home, though federal agents set up surveillance before approaching the house. That's when they saw Smith pull up to the Rossini house in a Corvette with a front-seat passenger. A third person also came to the house, met Smith inside and then left.

As Smith left the house to return to the Corvette, he was arrested. He had a pistol in his waistband, an AK47 extended pistol in the driver's side of the Corvette, a pistol on a passenger seat and a fourth pistol in a bag.

Informant killed after Smith's arrest

Inside the house, federal agents found crack cocaine, oxycodone pills, 102 grams of carfentanil in a Styrofoam cup and additional guns in multiple rooms. They also seized electronic scales, food processors, a vacuum sealerwith rolls of bags, protective face masks and rubber gloves and a loaded shot gun.

Following his arrest, Smith was charged and appeared in duty court.

The following day, Smith was released on bond.

Five days later, the informant in the case was killed.

Shortly after, the charges against Smith would be dismissed. Investigators continued to work the case, and Smith would be back in federal court four years later.

On June 23, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Smith in a four-count indictment. He cut a deal the following year and pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possessing carfentanil.

Smith's lawyer seeks mercy

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Smith faced up to life in prison.

His lawyer, however, urged the judge to show mercy, and consider a downward departure from the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.

Birmingham attorney Jonathan Simon also asked the judge not to go above the 10-year-minimum sentence, maintaining his client had a relatively clean record, no substance abuse history, a "stable, 17-year relationship" with a woman with whom he is raising a family.

According to court records, this is Smith's first felony conviction. He had a prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence from 2006, and received first-time drug offender probation for possession of controlled substances in 2021.

"Mr. Smith has demonstrated by his lack of criminal involvement before and after 2016 while working and raising his family that he is plainly not a violent offender who 'poses the most dangerous threat to society.'" Simon, Smith's lawyer, wrote in a sentencing memo.

Simon also noted that his client was a concealed weapon license holder and has been out on bond for more than a year with no violations.

But Smith's behavior while out on bond is not what prosecutors were hung up on.

It's what he did those years he visited the house on Rossini Street dealing heroin and carfentanil.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020 alone, more than 56,000 deaths involved synthetic opioids in the United States, which accounted for over 82% of all opioid-involved deaths in 2020.

Deadly drugs like carfentanil are lethal by themselves, but even more dangerous when they are marketed as another drug. Adding guns to that mix increases the harm and risk to the community exponentially, U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison stated in announcing Smith's sentence.

The government, meanwhile, did acknowledge one positive thing about Smith.

"To his credit, Smith claims to be actively involved in the lives of his five children," prosecutors wrote in court documents, nothing that Smith has expressed an interest in obtaining his GED and/or learning a trade. "The government hopes that Smith will use his time within the Bureau of Prisons to follow through on that goal."

Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Branden Smith sentenced to 10 years in prison for Detroit drug crimes
Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized on Saturday for his countrys historic role in the slave trade, as he commemorated the 160th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands and its former colonies.

Today I stand before you. Today, as your King and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul, Willem-Alexander said.

But for me, there is another personal dimension, he added. Slavery and the slave trade are recognized as a crime against humanity. And the Stadholders and Kings of the House of Orange-Nassau did nothing to stop it.

The kings remarks on Saturday come in the wake of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruttes own apology last December.

It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery(however) the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants, Rutte said at the time, according to Reuters.

Ruttes December apology was met with some resistance by groups who said that such an address should be given by the king on Saturdays anniversary of the abolition of slavery, Reuters reported.

Slavery was legally abolished in the Netherlands and its former colonies  including Suriname in South America and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten  in 1863.

Today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity, King Willem-Alexander said on Saturday.

The horrific legacy of slavery remains with us today, he also said. Its effects can still be felt in racism in our society.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In honor of the nations 247th birthday, the editorial board presents a selection of quotations about patriotism and citizenship to consider over the holiday with our wishes for a fun and safe Independence Day celebration.

Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country. In no other nation on earth does this principle have such complete application.  Patriotism does not mean a regard for some special section or an attachment for some special interest, and a narrow prejudice against other sections and other interests; it means a love of the whole country.  President Calvin Coolidge, from his The Destiny Of America address in Northampton, Massachusetts, on May 30, 1923.

O beautiful for heroes proved / In liberating strife / Who more than self their country loved / And mercy more than life! / America! America! / May God thy gold refine / Till all success be nobleness / And every gain divine!  Katherine Lee Bates, from the revised version of America the Beautiful, published in 1911.

Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.  President Bill Clinton, from his first inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1993.

It is entirely possible to live out an entire life without experiencing the civic protections which can become so contingently vital to us at vital moments. Even if we never need the help of the courts, or of the policeman, or of the Bill of Rights, that they are there for us in the event of need distinguishes our society from others.  This enjoyment, this answering of needs, can make us proud of our country  and put us in its debt.  William F. Buckley, from Reflections on service and citizenship, published in 1990.

I would not take my patriotism from my neighbor or from Congress. I should teach the children in the schools that there are certain ideals, and one of them is that all men are created free and equal. Another that the proper government is that which exists by the consent of the governed.  Mark Twain, from his address to the Male Teachers Association of the City of New York on March 16, 1901.

The American institutions are democratic, not only in their principle but in all their consequences; and the people elects its representatives directly, and for the most part annually, in order to ensure their dependence.  it is evident that the opinions, the prejudices, the interests, and even the passions of the community are hindered by no durable obstacles from exercising a perpetual influence on society.  Alexis de Tocqueville, from Democracy in America, published in 1835.

There are men among us who use patriotism as a club for attacking other Americans. What can we say for the self-styled patriot who thinks that a Negro, a Jew, a Catholic, or a Japanese-American is less an American than he? That betrays the deepest article of our faith, the belief in individual liberty and equality which has always been the heart and soul of the American idea.  Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, from his The Nature of Patriotism address to the American Legion Convention in New York on Aug. 27, 1952.

All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents havent been teaching you what it means to be an American, let em know and nail em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.  President Ronald Reagan, from his Farewell Address to the Nation on Jan. 11, 1989.

Our nation has not always lived up to its ideals  yet those ideals have never ceased to guide us. They expose our flaws, and lead us to mend them. We are the beneficiaries of the work of the generations before us, and it is each generations responsibility to continue that work.  First Lady Laura Bush, from her address to the Republican National Convention in New York on Aug. 31, 2004.
Gun violence ravages U.S., especially on major holiday: USA Today

Xinhua) 09:34, July 01, 2023

Teens comfort each other by hugging after a prayer vigil in Highland Park, suburb of Chicago, Illinois, the United States, July 5, 2022. People held mourning services for a mass shooting during an Independence Day parade in downtown Highland Park on July 4.(Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

Firearm homicide rates in the United States have soared in recent years, following a sharp increase that began around 2015.

NEW YORK, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States has witnessed five mass shootings each Independence Day on average over the past decade - more than on any other day of the year, reported USA Today on Thursday.

In that time, there have been more than 50 shootings in which four or more people were hit by gunfire on July Fourth, according to an analysis of Gun Violence Archive data by researcher James Alan Fox of Northeastern University in Boston.

"The holiday this year comes as the nation is grappling with historically elevated levels of gun violence, which surged during the coronavirus pandemic," said the report. "Seven out of 10 Americans say crime is 'out of control' in the United States, according to a June USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of 1,000 residents."

"While early data suggests overall firearm homicides may finally be starting to decline again, researchers are documenting an alarming acceleration of mass shootings and mass killings, frequent episodes of gunfire on school grounds and increasing incidents of armed robberies, carjackings and road rage in many cities," it noted.

Firearm homicide rates in the United States have soared in recent years, following a sharp increase that began around 2015, Andrew Morral, director of the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research at the RAND Corporation, was quoted as saying.

"As a result, the U.S. is experiencing firearm homicide rates we haven't seen since the early 1990s during the crack cocaine epidemic," he said. "At the same time, firearm suicides have been increasing for the last 15 years and are now at a level higher than we have seen in more than 50 years."

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
Student debt relief advocates wait for the Supreme Court to release its opinion on President Biden's program on Friday in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Its not surprising but still deeply disappointing that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the Biden administrations plan to provide more than $400 billion in student loan forgiveness. Compounding the injustice is the fact that a divided Congress is unlikely to fill the vacuum left by the decision with remedial legislation. But advocates for debt relief should continue to press their case, not just at the Capitol but in next years elections.

Crushing student debt is a burden not just on former students but on the national economy. The pain was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why the Biden administration acted, claiming authority under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003. That law empowers the secretary of Education to waive or modify loan provisions in response to a national emergency.

The Biden plan was not an indiscriminate bonanza but rather was targeted to help those most in need of relief. For borrowers with an annual income of less than $125,000, the Education Department would forgive up to $10,000 in student loans. Recipients of Pell Grants, a form of financial aid for lower-income students, could qualify for up to $20,000 in loan cancellation. The scope of the problem was evident in the fact that 26 million borrowers applied for relief.

Read more: Editorial: The problem with college debt is that we never fix the causes

But in a 6-3 decision Friday, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court held that the administration exceeded its authority. In response to a lawsuit brought by Nebraska and five other Republican-led states, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that the HEROES Act allows the secretary to waive or modify provisions, not to rewrite that statute from the ground up.

The solicitor general made a persuasive case that the administration was acting within its authority. As Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson: The statute provides the Secretary with broad authority to give emergency relief to student-loan borrowers, including by altering usual discharge rules. What the secretary did fits comfortably within that delegation.

She emphasized that the delegation of authority is not some tucked-away provision but "is at the statutes very center, in its 'waive or modify' language."

Inaction and obstruction on Capitol Hill have often forced presidents to respond to pressing national problems with executive action. In this case, that action was grounded in a long-standing law. Now it is the duty of Congress to ensure that this relief program is carried out.

Reacting to Fridays decision, President Biden said he will pursue some relief for student loan borrowers based on another law, the 1965 Higher Education Act. This backup plan may take longer to establish than the plan blocked by the court  which is all the more reason candidates for Congress next year should be pressed to restore the lifeline Biden tried to extend.

If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Education SecretaryMiguel Cardona knocked Republican lawmakers for accepting millions of dollars for their businesses through COVID-era loans after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Joe Bidens student debt relief program on Friday.

Cardona, who criticized the Supreme Court for ruling against students and families across the country, argued that the conservative court substituted itself for Congress before he then went after the GOP.

Its outrageous to me that Republicans in Congress and state offices fought so hard against a program that would have helped millions of their own constituents, Cardona said.

They had no problem handing trillion-dollar tax cuts to big corporations and the super wealthy, and many had no problems accepting millions of dollars in forgiven pandemic loans.

Cardona called out Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who took out Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic and saw the federal government forgive more than $1.4 million of the debt.

He represents 489,000 eligible borrowers that were turned down today, Cardona said.

He also took aim at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who saw the federal government forgive more than $180,000 of her PPP loans and who represents 91,800 student borrowers who would have been eligible for debt forgiveness under Bidens plan, and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), who had more than $4.4 million in loans forgiven and who represents 90,000 eligible student borrowers.

Cardona said that he would join Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in continuing to fight for college loan relief for student borrowers.

You should be able to earn a college education without student debt blocking you from opportunity, he said.

Cardona: Markwayne Mullin had more than $1.4 million in pandemic loans forgiven. He represents 489,000 eligible borrowers that were turned down today. Marjorie Taylor Greene had more than $180,000 forgiven. She represents 91,800 eligible borrowers who were turned down today pic.twitter.com/SUaHaYChGc  Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2023

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When Kris Schultz and her husband finally decided to replace their 20-year-old car, they opted to go green. In searching for a used vehicle that was both UAW-made and electric, one car fit the bill: a 2017 Ford Fusion.

I was very excited because the price was right, Schultz said.

However, Schultz and her husband, like nearly one-third of New Hampshire households, are renters. When she reached out to her landlord to discuss the possibility of installing an electric vehicle charging station, she received an uncertain response.

An electric vehicle charging station in Concord.

They really didnt know what to do  even though I offered to cover the whole thing, she said.

After going back and forth with her landlord and the property management company, she settled on a non-hybrid Fusion so as not to lose out on the price she negotiated with her dealership.

Schultz also happens to be a Concord Democrat representing Merrimack District 29, and she decided to sponsor a bill to examine the problem after speaking with other New Hampshire renters with the same issue. Signed by Gov. Chris Sununu last week, House Bill 111 establishes a committee to study electric vehicle charging stations for residential renters.

It gets ahead of an issue we know is coming, regardless of your view of fossil fuels and electric vehicles, Schultz said in a public hearing on the bill in January.

A study from the U.S. Department of Energys Idaho National Laboratory found that over half of participating electric vehicle owners charge their vehicle at home exclusively. For renters in the Granite State, this is rarely an option.

It is difficult to determine exactly how many total New Hampshire properties include electric vehicle charging, but less than 200 complexes with vacancy in the state currently advertise it as an amenity, according to Apartments.com.

A map from the U.S. Department of Energy shows electric vehicle charging station locations in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire has 196 public charging station locations statewide, which may include one or more charging ports  nearly half as many as Maine and Vermont, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Renters hoping to charge an electric vehicle away from the home may find their options impractical, or even impossible.

Marlborough Democratic Rep. Lucius Parshall, a supporter of the study committee, said he can recall only one instance in which he charged his Nissan Leaf outside the home. His nearest public charging station is 7 miles away, in Keene.

I could not drop my car there to charge and then walk home, Ill tell you that, Parshall said.

For a landlord or tenant who wants to install a charging station, theres a lot to consider.

I think landlords just dont know what their options are, Schultz said.

According to the American Apartment Owners Association, there are two key charger types: conductive chargers and inductive chargers. Conductive chargers are the classic plugs that send electricity directly to a vehicle via cable. Inductive chargers are wireless, and send power to a vehicle through a special charging pad installed into the ground. Right now, most public and residential charging stations are conductive.

There are also three levels of charging stations, each with their own capabilities and site requirements.

Level one chargers essentially require a cable and a standard wall outlet. These chargers are easier to accommodate, as the only determination required is how the electricity used will be accounted for. However, these chargers may require several days of charging to reach the same capacity as a tank of gas.

Level two chargers require the installation of a specific charging outlet. These are the same style of plug utilized in homes for washer and dryer units, around 200 volts. Most public charging stations are level two stations.

Level three stations, also called DCFC fast chargers, are the most powerful at around 800 volts. These chargers can charge a battery to nearly full capacity in an hour or less. However, they are also more expensive and not compatible with every vehicle.

Some third-party electric service companies have packages specifically aimed for landlords, such as ChargePoint and EVPassport. While potentially more expensive, they will help assess the best charging option for a property and facilitate installation. They also offer to manage tenant use, billing, and station maintenance.

There are also various incentives landlords and tenants can access to reduce installation costs, if they fit certain criteria.

The New Hampshire Electric Co-op, for example, offers residential customers a rebate of $300 to install a level two charging station. The rebate can be applied up to two times.

Schultz hopes the study committee can help to assess all the opportunities that are available and make the information more accessible.

Maybe  its just a matter of getting the word out, which we representatives can easily do if we are engaged in this issue, she said.

A lack of access to electric vehicle charging stations in general is a growing concern in the Granite State. Senate Bill 52, signed by Sununu earlier this month, created a committee to study electric vehicle charging infrastructure funding, and requires several updates to charging station regulations.

However, HB 111 faced concerns from some House Republicans, who feared efforts to increase charging access might translate into mandates for landlords.

The fear largely stems from a 2018 California law, which requires landlords to approve tenant requests for electric vehicle charging stations, given that the tenant will cover all installation and charging costs.

Others, like Rep. Travis OHara, a Belmont Republican, suggested the free market would ultimately resolve this issue without legislation. He argued that as more people drive electric cars, landlords will be more likely to include them as a feature to attract tenants.

Bill supporters said guidance for landlords and tenants could only help, as experiences like Schultzs increase.

ISO New Englands 2023 Transportation Electrification forecast predicts that by 2025, New Hampshire will have more than three times the number of electric vehicles for personal use than it does right now.

Its really well past time we got on board with making charging available and making consistent charging available, Parshall said.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Electric vehicle charging is an obstacle for NH renters and landlords
Energy bills fall as new price cap comes into force

Woman looking at energy bill while having a cup of tea

A change to the energy price cap has come into force, reducing domestic gas and electricity bills - with a further, smaller fall expected this winter.

A household in England, Wales and Scotland using a typical amount of energy will now pay 2,074 a year, a drop of 426 a year.

Analysts at the consultancy Cornwall Insight suggest the typical bill could fall to 2,000 a year this winter.

However, that remains much higher than the pre-pandemic norm.

Charities and suppliers have warned that even though prices are falling, there is a still a risk that many people with stretched finances will struggle to pay.

The actual amount paid by households will vary depending on the amount of gas and electricity they use.

On Friday, the chief executive of British Gas-owner Centrica, Chris O'Shea, said the "first act" of the energy crisis was over but risks remained.

Energy UK, which represents suppliers, said hundreds of extra staff had been hired by companies to ensure support is available.

Government support, which limited bills to 2,500 in recent months, is no longer needed. There are no plans for the 400 discount on all bills which the government funded last winter, although cost-of-living payments will continue to be made to those on low-incomes and receiving certain benefits,

How the cap is set

Wholesale energy prices and, in turn, the prices paid by customers have been high over the last 18 months.

Irrespective of government intervention, the energy regulator Ofgem sets a maximum price that suppliers can charge customers per unit of gas and electricity. It applies to households on variable or default tariffs in England, Wales and Scotland.

Under the new cap, which starts on Saturday and lasts for three months, the electricity unit rate is 30p per kWh, with a standing charge of 53p a day. The gas unit rate is 8p per kWh and the standing charge is 29p a day.

The calculations for a typical household are based on a direct debit customer using 12,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity a year. A kilowatt hour is a unit of energy used to calculate your bill.

Graphic showing how different households will pay different energy bills

Although prices are falling, not everyone will see an immediate change to their direct debits.

Energy UK said that suppliers were obliged to ensure the payments - which are smoothed over the year - are based on accurate and up-to-date information.

"Suppliers are on different cycles as to when they would assess a customer's amount, so some will have already been assessed. Customers should be reassured that when their direct debit is updated by their supplier, they will be contacted directly," a spokeswoman for Energy UK said.

Customers are being encouraged to submit meter readings to ensure their direct debit calculations are accurate.

About 29 million households are affected by the change in the cap, but there are some differences in typical payments. They include:

Those who pay via a prepayment meter will now pay a similar level to those on direct debits at 2,077 a year

Those who pay by cash, cheque or bank transfer, usually every three months, will now have to pay more, with a price cap leaving a typical bill at 2,211 a year

In Northern Ireland, which is regulated separately, bills are lower

People who were eligible for vouchers as part of the government's support package, but who failed to claim them, will now have missed out.

A deadline has passed to claim the vouchers, which were given to people who could not have the 400 government discount knocked off their bill last winter. They include people on some prepayment meters. Millions of pounds went unclaimed.

Charities say that there are still concerns over how people will cover their energy bills. National Energy Action, which lobbies for warm, dry homes, said that 6.6 million UK households would still be in fuel poverty and there was an "urgent case" for government help for them.

"Without more support too many will continue to rack up unmanageable debts or try and survive in unheated homes causing ill health, misery and avoidable death," said Adam Scorer, the charity's chief executive.

An Ofgem spokesperson said: "This remains one of the most difficult and volatile periods in history for energy consumers. And while bills remain higher than before the energy crisis, it is great news that people will see them drop."

Cost of living: Tackling it together

Here are some energy saving ideas from environmental scientist Angela Terry, who set up One Home, a social enterprise that shares green, money-saving tips:

Get a water-efficient shower head free of charge from your water company and use showers rather than baths

Consider loft insulation, which she says costs around 460 for a typical semi-detached home and could save 355 a year on gas bills

Hang out washing instead of using a tumble dryer, and walk instead of drive when possible

Use windy days to feel where draughts are in the house. Wetting the back of your hand helps to locate them, then use insulation or draught-proofing tape

Where available, press the smaller button to use less water to flush the toilet

What can I do if I can't pay my energy bill?
Pride flag waving in the air

As the CEO of equalpride, our nation's leading LGBTQ+-owned and operated media company, I'm writing to address some recent developments that have been disheartening to many of us.

With a heavy heart, we recognize the continued rollback and limitation of protections for our vibrant and diverse community, as well as the escalating anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation across the country. We are clearly facing adversity, and the journey toward equality for all is a steep, uphill battle.

However, as we navigate these tumultuous times, it's crucial to remember the strength and determination that brought us to where we are today. We are part of a legacy of resilience, perseverance, and unwavering hope. As a community and a company, we must channel these qualities now more than ever.

At equalpride, we refuse to be deterred by these setbacks. Instead, we see them as a call to amplify our efforts and voices. We pledge to continue doing what we do best  uplifting, empowering, and telling stories in all its diversity and beauty. We will continue to use our platform to challenge discrimination and make visible our community's experiences, triumphs, and struggles.

Remember, media is a powerful tool to effect change. The stories we share, the narratives we promote, and the voices we amplify all contribute to shaping a culture that celebrates diversity, encourages understanding, and fosters acceptance.

As part of this effort, we will ramp up our initiatives to support LGBTQ+ rights organizations and partner with allies who share our vision of a world where everyone, regardless of their identity or who they love, is treated with dignity and respect.

In the face of adversity, our resolve only grows stronger. We remain steadfast in using our platforms to be in the culture, inspiring the culture, and initiating a culture of equality for all. This isn't merely a dream for us. It's a commitment, an obligation, and a goal that we will tirelessly work towards together.

Let's use this moment as a call to action. Reach out to your networks, engage in dialogue, and raise your voices. We will build a more accepting and equitable world through unity, solidarity, and love.

Thank you for your continued support and for standing beside us in this crucial journey towards equality.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay proud.

With my deepest gratitude,

Mark Berryhill

CEO, equalpride

Views expressed in The Advocates opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
SpaceX launched the European Space Agency's $1.5 billion Euclid space telescope Saturday, an ambitious, first-of-a-kind attempt to pin down the nature of dark matter  an unknown material pervading the cosmos  and dark energy, the mysterious repulsive force that is speeding up the expansion of the universe.

"It's very difficult to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat," said Henk Hoekstra, an astronomer at the University of Leiden and a Euclid science coordinator. "That's a little bit the situation we find ourselves in because we have these observations but we lack a good theory.

"So far, nobody has come up with a good explanation for dark matter, dark energy and other challenges also related to particle physics. ... The launch of Euclid really (carries) cosmology into the future. It's the first space mission designed to study dark energy."

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thunders away from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, boosting the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope on a trajectory to deep space where it will probe the nature of unseen dark matter and the equally mysterious dark energy speeding up the expansion of the universe. / Credit: SpaceX

In 1998, astronomers mapping the expansion of the universe expected to see it slowing down due to the gravity of all its constituents. They were astonished to discover the expansion of space and everything in it began speeding up 5 to 6 billion years ago. The unknown force powering that acceleration was dubbed dark energy.

Researchers have since concluded dark energy accounts for nearly three quarters of the mass-energy budget of the entire universe. Dark matter makes up about 24% of the universe, while the atoms and molecules making up normal matter  Earth, human beings, stars and galaxies  account for just 5%.

By studying subtle changes in the light from galaxies over the past 10 billion years, Euclid's cameras will help scientists find out if dark energy is consistent with an unchanging "cosmological constant" once predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity or whether the current understanding of gravity needs revision.

Giuseppe Racca, the Euclid project manager, describes the space telescope to a reporter in a

Yannick Mellier, an astronomer at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris and a member of the Euclid science team, said it this way:

"The objective of the Euclid mission is to provide answers to the following questions: why is expansion of the universe accelerating, which translates into what is the nature of dark energy? Is it a cosmological constant? Is it a dynamical dark energy with properties that may vary with time? Or it is a deviation to general relativity on cosmological scales?"

At the same time, Euclid also will study the nature of dark matter, a sea of particles that do not emit or reflect light or any other electromagnetic radiation but whose gravitational effects are clearly seen. Dark matter keeps galaxies from flying apart and influences how galaxies have evolved and clustered over the 13.7 billion years since the big bang.

"Euclid will probe the distribution of dark matter and the distribution of galaxies to an unprecedented precision from space," Mellier said. "It will also reconstruct the cosmic history of the universe over the last 10 billion years."

It will do that by imaging more than 10 billion galaxies. Software on the ground will help identify 1.5 billion or more of the best candidates and analyze how their shapes have been distorted by clouds of unseen dark matter filling the space between Euclid and its targets.

An artist's concept of Euclid against the backdrop of deep space where it will probe the nature of the dark energy speeding up the expansion of the universe while mapping concentrations of unseen dark matter, which influences how galaxies evolve and clump together. / Credit: ESA

The technique, known as weak gravitational lensing, is similar in concept to the way water slightly distorts the shapes of rocks strewn across a stream bed. It is an extremely subtle effect cosmologically, requiring complex software, powerful computers and more than 1,500 scientists at nine research centers to unravel.

But if all goes well, Euclid "will directly observe the distribution of dark matter using the gravitational lensing effect that modifies the shapes of galaxies, which are deflected by all the dark matter distribution along a given line of sight," Mellier said. "And that will provide the distribution of the unseen dark matter in a Euclid field."

Spectroscopic observations of tens of millions of galaxies will allow researchers to map out distances and velocities in three dimensions, shedding light on whether dark energy is, in fact, the force behind the acceleration of the cosmic expansion or whether some other explanation might be needed.

The mission began 11:12 a.m. EDT Saturday when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After a lightning-fast round of computer checks, the rocket was released to climb away atop 1.7 million pounds of thrust, putting on a spectacular weekend sky show for area residents and tourists.

Forty-one minutes later, after two firings of the rocket's second stage engine, Euclid was released to fly on its own. The Falcon 9's first stage, as usual for SpaceX, flew itself to landing on an off-shore droneship.

The European Space Agency, or ESA, had been gearing up to launch the Euclid space telescope last year on a Russian Soyuz rocket taking off from Kourou, French Guiana. But in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, those plans fell apart, leaving Euclid without a ride to space.

Last July, ESA approached SpaceX about possibly launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. By the end of the year, contracts were in place and the team was able to proceed to Saturday's launch.

"We owe ... huge thanks to SpaceX," said Mike Healy, head of science projects at ESA. "Without them, our satellite would be sitting on the ground for two years."

Elena Maiorano, center, ESA's Euclid engineering manager, cheers with relief as telemetry from the spacecraft flows into a control center in Germany moments after release from the Falcon 9's second stage. / Credit: ESA

Euclid is bound for a region in space roughly a million miles from Earth -- Lagrange Point 2 -- where the gravity of sun and Earth combine to form a quiescent region where spacecraft can remain in place with minimal maneuvering and fuel usage. The James Webb Space Telescope also operates at the L2 point.

The 4,760-pound Euclid is equipped with a near-perfect 3-feet 11-inch-wide primary mirror and two instruments: a 600 megapixel visible light camera and a 64-megapixel infrared imaging spectrometer. The telescope's field of view is roughly twice the size of the full moon.

After a month-long checkout and calibration period, Euclid will begin mapping 15,000 square degrees of sky, which includes all the space outside the Milky Way galaxy, imaging galaxies and clusters of galaxies dating back 10 billion years.

That will capture the transition from the universe's initial gravity-driven deceleration to the era of accelerated expansion under the emerging dominance of dark energy.

"Euclid can, in one go, offer a field much larger than accessible by Hubble," said Rene Laureijs, ESA's Euclid project scientist. "During its entire lifetime, Hubble did not cover more than 100 square degrees, and this can be done by Euclid in 10 days. So in order to get our 15,000 square degrees, which is the size of our sky survey, we need these big images of the sky."

It will take Euclid six years to complete its map of the sky, generating on the order of 100 gigabytes of compressed data per day, or an estimated, difficult-to-imagine 70,000 terabytes over the course of the mission.

"Your iPhone has maybe 10 megapixels," said Jason Rhodes, a member of the Euclid Consortium of researchers. "So (the two Euclid) cameras together have close to 700 megapixels. We're going to take images with those cameras every few minutes for six years.

"But the amount of data we send down compared to the amount of data that's totally in the archive at the end of the process, that's another factor of a thousand."

Gaitee Hussain, head of the science division at ESA, said those images will include 8 billion galaxies, "from which the best one-and-a-half to 2 billion galaxies will be selected for the weak lensing experiment."

"We will be collecting millions, tens of millions of spectroscopic redshifts, as well as literally billions of photometric redshifts, in order to understand the distances of the galaxies that we're looking at," she added.

"This implies massive data rates, not only to get the data to the ground, but also in terms of delivering data ... This is what is required in order to answer what is arguably the most fundamental question in physics and cosmology today, which is, what is the universe actually made of?"

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illustration of a spacecraft with milky way in behind and galaxies to the right

Update for 12:15 pm ET: SpaceX has successfully launched the Euclid space telescope into orbit and deployed the dark matter hunting observatory to end the launch phase. The space observatory is now headed toward its final destination 1 million miles from Earth at Lagrange point 2. You can see launch video and photos and our wrap story here.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA  Europe's dark universe hunter is ready to leave its home planet.

Euclid, a dark matter and dark energy mission, is set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station here tomorrow (July 1) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Launch is scheduled for July 1 at 11:11 a.m. EDT (1511 GMT). A live webcast from NASA Television will be carried here at Space.com for free starting at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

After liftoff, Euclid will spend about a month journeying to the distant Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, on the opposite side of the sun to us and about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth. After another seven months of commissioning, the probe will spend six years studying the dark universe, gathering data that will shed light on the evolution of galaxies, the expansion of the universe and other physical phenomena.

"This is 15 years of people's lives," Carole Mundell, the European Space Agency's (ESA) director of science, said during a prelaunch briefing on June 23. "There were two teams that originally proposed missions, one to study dark energy and one to study dark matter. Both were incredibly challenging, but we thought, 'Well, that's not hard enough. Let's put them both together on a single spacecraft and do the impossible.' "

Related: James Webb Space Telescope will help Euclid spacecraft investigate dark energy and dark matter

Dark matter is believed to make up most of the material universe, but we can only see it through its gravitational effects. Dark energy is the force believed to be pushing along the accelerating expansion of the universe. Euclid aims to bring sharper eyes to the sky than ever before to try to demystify dark matter and dark energy.

As Mundell noted, the 1.4 billion-euro ($1.5 billion USD) Euclid was originally split among two mission concepts proposed to ESA in 2007: Dune (Dark Universe Explorer) and Space (Spectroscopic All Sky Cosmic Explorer). Euclid, selected in 2011, forges the complementary studies of these proposals to examine dark matter and dark energy across time and space.

Euclid will include two complementary experiments. The first examines lensing  the "precise detail, the shapes of galaxies ... that goes back to 10 billion light-years," said Gaitee Hussain, head of ESA's science division, during the same briefing. The second study will scrutinize the redshifting of galaxies, or the light of receding galaxies being stretched into the red parts of the wavelength spectrum.

The images by Euclid will be four times sharper than equivalent ground surveys looking at large swaths of the sky, Hussain added. "That also requires really working hard on the technology to get the most out of the instrumentation we possibly can," Hussain said.

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 Euclid mission: ESA's hunt for dark matter and dark energy

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Euclid will carry out this work using two instruments. One will focus on visible light, whereas the other is optimized for infrared (heat) wavelengths.

Euclid is also complementary to other missions with ESA involvement that look at cosmic time, such as Europe's Gaia, which tracks the location of more than a billion objects in space, and the NASA-led James Webb Space Telescope, which is peering at some of the universe's first-ever stars and galaxies, among other tasks.

The forecast for launch on Saturday appears excellent. For the early morning before 8 a.m. local (the longest-range data available in the 24-hour forecast), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will have clear skies and no chance of rain or lightning, with light winds of just five knots, according to the forecast from the U.S. Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45.

Elizabeth Howell is in Florida to cover Euclid's launch under co-sponsorship by Canadian Geographic magazine and Canada's University of Waterloo. Space.com has independent control of its news coverage.
The Euclid space telescope (Sophie STUBER)

Europe's Euclid space telescope blasted off Saturday, kicking off a first-ever mission to shed light on two of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter.

"I can tell you, I'm so thrilled, I'm so excited to see this mission up in space," European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher said after the launch.

The telescope successfully took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:12 am local time (1512 GMT) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Shortly after, once separated from the rocket, it emitted its first signal, as scheduled.

The ESA was forced to turn to billionaire Elon Musk's firm to launch the mission after Russia pulled its Soyuz rockets in response to sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

"The launch was perfect," said Carole Mundell, ESA's science director. "Now begins that journey."

After a month-long trip through space, Euclid will join the James Webb telescope at a stable hovering spot around 1.5 million kilometers (more than 930,000 miles) from Earth called the second Lagrange Point.

From there, Euclid will chart the largest-ever map of the universe, encompassing up to two billion galaxies across more than a third of the sky.

By capturing light that has taken 10 billion years to reach Earth's vicinity, the map will also offer a new view of the 13.8-billion-year-old universe's history.

"We will unravel the mysteries of the Dark Universe," Mundell said.

- 'Cosmic embarrassment' -

Scientists hope to use information gathered by Euclid to address what project manager Giuseppe Racca calls a "cosmic embarrassment": that 95 percent of the universe remains unknown to humanity.

Around 70 percent is thought to be made of dark energy, the name given to the unknown force that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerated rate.

And 25 percent is dark matter, thought to bind the universe together and make up around 80 percent of its mass.

"Ever since we could see stars we've wondered, is the universe infinite? What is it made out of? How does it work?" NASA Euclid project scientist Michael Seiffert told AFP.

"It's just absolutely amazing that we can take data and actually start to make even a little bit of progress on some of these questions."

- 'Dark detective' -

Euclid consortium member Guadalupe Canas told a press conference ahead of the launch that the space telescope was a "dark detective" which can reveal more about both elements.

Euclid, which is 4.7 meters (15 feet) tall and 3.5 meters wide, will use two scientific instruments to map the sky.

Its visible light camera will let it measure the shape of galaxies, while its near-infrared spectrometer and photometer will allow it to measure how far away they are.

So how will Euclid try to spot things that cannot be seen? By searching for their absence.

The light coming from billions of light years away is slightly distorted by the mass of visible and dark matter along the way, a phenomenon known as weak gravitational lensing.

"By subtracting the visible matter, we can calculate the presence of the dark matter which is inbetween," Racca told AFP.

While this may not reveal the true nature of dark matter, scientists hope it will throw up new clues that will help track it down in the future.

As for dark energy, French astrophysicist David Elbaz compared the expansion of the universe to blowing up a balloon with lines drawn on it.

By "seeing how fast it inflates," scientists hope to measure the breath -- or dark energy -- making it expand.

- 'Gold mine' -

A major difference between Euclid and other space telescopes is its wide field of view, which takes in an area equivalent to two full moons.

Project scientist Rene Laureijs said that this wider view means Euclid will be able to "surf the sky and find exotic objects," like black holes, that the Webb telescope can then investigate in greater detail.

Beyond dark energy and matter, Euclid's map of the universe is expected to be a "gold mine for the whole field of astronomy," said Yannick Mellier, head of the Euclid consortium.

Scientists hope Euclid's data will help them learn more about the evolution of galaxies, black holes and more.

"We are trying to determine something that escapes us enormously: dark matter, dark energy," Marc Sauvage, a member of the Euclid consortium, told AFP.

The first images are expected once scientific operations start in October, with major data releases planned for 2025, 2027 and 2030.

The 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) mission is intended to run until 2029, but could last a little longer if all goes well.

Over the next few years, NASA also plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope, its own project to study dark matter and dark energy.

The two missions will complement each other, said Sauvage.

"In the end, there is only one universe."

la/md/nro
Kansans protested across 16 different cities Saturday at the Pride Never Ends rallies, organized by Equality Kansas and Mainstream Coalition, after a new law advocates called an attack on transgender citizens went into effect.

The law, SB 180, defines a man and woman based solely on sex at birth. It was the first of its kind passed in the country and took effect Saturday, along with a similar measure in Tennessee.

In Overland Parks Thompson Park Saturday, a few dozen demonstrators held signs and listened as speakers shared their experiences.

Its so hard living in a state that is trying to erase us, said Hazel Krebs, a trans woman. I was worried about the fact that I may have to leave.

Another speaker, Susan Peach, said she fears for her trans teens safety at school.

This new law is intentionally placing her in harms way, she said. This law is just a bullying law.

Jordan Smith, who identifies as gender fluid, attended a rally in opposition of SB 180 Saturday.

The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the measure this spring over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, with supporters largely focused on what they said was a need to protect the safety of female-only spaces, such as restrooms, locker rooms and domestic violence shelters.

The purpose of SB 180 was to provide a definition of what a woman is and that anywhere that exists in current statute that that definition is based on biological sex at birth, state Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, told reporters, adding that truth matters, biology matters.

However, the law contains no enforcement mechanism, meaning that even though it requires trans residents to use public accommodations based on their sex at birth, officials have no way to enforce the rule, nor are private citizens authorized to sue over violations.

Both Kelly and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, say the law should have no effect on access to public accommodations, but trans residents and their advocates say it will give license for members of the public to harass them.

Jordan Smith, who identifies as gender fluid and uses they/them pronouns, is frustrated with the new law and said many refuse to acknowledge trans peoples identities.

I dont feel like theres an opening in the conversation with these people to say, Hey, Im not comfortable with that name anymore, Smith said. Theyve known me for so long its like, Nope, we do what we want.

Kelly and Kobach are in sharp disagreement over whether the law prohibits the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Revenue from issuing new birth certificates and drivers licenses to trans residents reflecting their gender identity. Kobach has vowed to challenge Kelly in court, after her office said Thursday that officials will continue to follow their current policies allowing for updated IDs.

As Kansans all across the state rally for equal rights today, I want you to remember: you matter and your voice matters. As long as Im in office, you will always have an ally and a friend in Topeka, Kelly tweeted ahead of the rallies Saturday morning.

Kansans gathered at Thompson Park to protest SB 180 Saturday.

Under a 2019 consent judgment in federal court, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is required to issue updated birth certificates to trans residents who request one. Kobachs office last weekend filed motions in court asking a judge to effectively overturn the agreement. Kobach said this past week that SB 180 requires officials to also revert previously changed ID documents back to their original form.

The governors staff and the governors agencies cannot act as if the Legislature did not override her veto. They did override the veto. And so the law is what it clearly is, Kobach told reporters on Monday.

Kelly maintains that the consent judgment remains binding on KDHE and that officials must continue to follow it. The governor said in a statement on Thursday that while her administration has had many conversations with Kobachs office, KDHE and KDOR disagree about its impacts on their operations and will instead keep in place their policies regarding gender markers on birth certificates and drivers licenses.

Michael Poppa, director of Mainstream Coalition and mayor of Roeland Park, said the law does not change the fact that many Kansans are still rallying behind trans and nonbinary individuals.

Every person is welcome in Kansas no matter what this legislature says, he said. We see you, we hear you and we support you.

Ralliers also showed up at St. Johns Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Tom Alonzo, state chair of Equality Kansas, said the demonstration is a wake up call for citizens who havent been paying attention to policies.

To have all these people in all these towns is a pushback against a legislature that is overrun with people who are just obsessed with nonbinary and trans children, he said.
Expert who recovered the Titan sub wreckage says ocean exploration is about 'passion and a joy for exploration'

The Titan sub. Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ed Cassano led the team that recovered the wreckage of the Titan sub.

His company's remotely operated vehicle, Odysseus 6K, found the wreckage of the Titan.

Cassano told a press conference that ocean exploration "was a passion and a joy for exploration."

The CEO of a company that retrieved the Titan submersible wreckage told a press conference that ocean exploration is all about "a passion and a joy for exploration."

Ed Cassano, the CEO of Pelagic Research Services, said ocean exploration was "very compelling" and that he was aware of OceanGate's activities before the Titan sub's fateful final trip. "It's a very small community," he said.

"Explorers, people who seek to be on the ocean, to go to depth  it's very compelling. We certainly share those desires. Our whole company is designed to support research and science at depth. There was a passion and a joy for exploration," said Cassano.

His company sent down a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called Odysseus 6K to search for the missing sub, and it quickly found the debris nearby the original Titanic wreck.

Odysseus 6K was the only ROV that took part in the search effort able to reach the depths of the Titanic wreckage.

He said that they had prepared to rescue the Titan sub, but it soon became clear that the passengers could not have survived the journey.

"By 12 o'clock, sadly, a rescue turned into a recovery," Cassano said, as Insider previously reported.

"Shortly after we arrived on the seafloor, we discovered the debris of the Titan submersible," he added.

Cassano was visibly moved in the press conference, where he described his team's efforts, appearing to hold back tears.

"I have to apologize, were are still demobilizing, there's a lot of emotions, people are tired," he said.

The submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion" as it descended to view the Titanic wreck. All five passengers onboard the Titan, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, died during the incident.

The US Coast Guard has since said that presumed human remains had also been recovered.

Also onboard the sub was British billionaire Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, and French sub-pilot and explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

The company charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage.

Investigation into what went wrong on the doomed sub could take years

An annotated picture of recovered debris from the Titan submersible pulled up from the ocean floor. Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP/Insider.

Though it's difficult to know for sure what happened, an expert previously told Insider, based on analyzing images of the retrieved wreckage, that the most likely scenario was that the vessel's carbon-fiber hull gave way under pressure.

Jasper Graham-Jones, associate professor in Mechanical & Marine Engineering at Plymouth University, said both the window failing and the hull failing would have led to the implosion of the ship.

It appears that safety concerns about the design and operation of the vessel were long ignored or dismissed.

Investigators will now be taking a close look at the remains of the ship to determine exactly what happened.

They'll be "effectively looking under a microscope, at all the parts. And that would actually give you an idea of how it's failed," said Graham-Jones. On Friday, officials in the US said they would report back in one to two years.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Silhouette of a man against the background of the Russian flag in Moscow

Hanna Shelest, editor-in-chief of Ukraine Analytica and Head of the Board of the NGO Promotion of Intercultural Cooperation talked about the fears Ukraine's partner nations have with regard to Russia's collapse in an interview with Radio NV on June 30.

Western countries' fears of Russias collapse are similar to those they have in regard to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990-1991.

Read also: Prague charges former Soviet soldier with espionage

"They didn't support the idea of independence of those republics who started protest rallies first exactly because of that fear: what to do with them and who they are? the expert said.

And the situation then was more clear. There were some borders, there were ruling leaders of these republics, many other issues were clearer. At least, intelligence and analytics could do some prediction back then."

Read also: Russian elites fear losing money, not Russia losing territory, expert says

The first and the main Western fear is related to nuclear weapons, Shelest said, going on to name some of the chief Western concerns:

"It's much worse now. What if Chechnya and (its warlord) Ramzan Kadyrov survive as they are? Where are nuclear weapons placed? What if something in the south-east of Russia near China obtains independence?"

The current "set of fears" is much wider than at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, she added.

"The worst phrase I've heard was: How can we make Ukraine win and Russia not to lose? It isn't possible because Ukraine will lose if the Russian Federation doesn't lose," she said.

Read also: Someone else ordered Prigozhin to halt march on Moscow  Ukrainian official

"They at least understand (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin's logic  at least as much as is possible with Putin's logic. But they can't know what kind of turmoil there will be if he goes, and who will come in place of Putin. They don't know if these people are even more brutal and violent than Putin with his security service background. At least, they've got used to (Putin)."

Meanwhile, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov called the recent mutiny by Russias Wagner mercenary company, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, "the beginning of Russias downfall."

I have repeatedly said that by launching active aggression against our country, he (Putin) has started Russia's self-destruction," Danilov said.

"It will collapse, it won't survive within its current borders. The start was in February 2014, it was a foolish decision. If we go back further in history, then it started in 2008, when (Putin) invaded Georgia."

In turn, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the author of "Failed State: A Guide to Russia's Rupture" book, Janusz Bugajski, has described Russia's collapse as follow:

Read also: Armed forces of the world  opinion

"The deliberate pursuit of ethnic divisions through violence would resemble developments in a collapsing federal Yugoslavia during the 1990s. It is worth remembering that the 'Yugoslav scenario' was varied, with only limited military skirmishes in Slovenia, a small guerrilla war in Macedonia, a short NATO bombing campaign in Serbia, and no armed conflicts in Montenegro. In marked contrast, the wars in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosova took the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

Different parts of the Russian Federation could follow these diverse scenarios, with outright war between the center and some republics and regions. Moscow could emulate Serbia in the 1990s by mobilizing ethnic Russians to carve out ethnically homogenous regions from rebellious republics.

It could mobilize, fund, arm, and direct militia groups and volunteer movements, as in Slobodan Milosevics Yugoslavia, to kill, plunder, and terrorize non-Russian populations.

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 temporary harassment order issued against The Flash star Ezra Miller in Massachusetts has been lifted following a court hearing on Friday (30 June).

The mother of a 12-year-old had accused Miller of harassing her family and acting inappropriately toward her nonbinary child.

Millers attorney Marissa Elkins said the 30-year-old actor was never alone with the child and never interacted with the child outside of two brief encounters which occurred in the presence of several other adults.

On Friday, the Greenfield District Court judge ruled that the order issued in June 2022 had been lifted.

The original order, pursued by Shannon Guin, on behalf of her minor child, was based on untrue allegations, Elkins said.

Frustratingly for Ezra, Guin lodged her false allegations at a time when Ezra was struggling with significant mental health issues, and was unable to come to court to defend themself against the spurious claims made by this individual. Had Ezra been able to appear in court last year and share the truth about their very limited interactions with Ms. Guin, I am confident the original order would have never been issued.

Miller shared a statement on social media reacting to the judges ruling, calling out the media for recklessly spreading false claims about them.

Ezra Miller (AFP via Getty Images)

Im encouraged by todays outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood beside me and sought to ensure that this egregious misuse of the protective order system was halted, the actor, who uses they/them pronouns, wrote.

Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services.

I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive action, they continued.

I implore those members of the media who have recklessly spread false claims and failed to accurately report the truth and context of this story, to hold themselves to a higher standard and take the time to find the facts, rather than chasing the clicks, Miller wrote.

Miller recently alluded to his ongoing legal troubles at the premiere of his new DC superhero movie, The Flash.

Miller thanked the DC team  including James Gunn and Peter Safran, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Warner Bros Film Group bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy  for your grace and discernment and care in the context of my life.

The actor has been mired in controversy since at least 2020 when a video surfaced on Twitter that appeared to show the actor choking a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland.

In 2022, he faced a string of criminal charges stretching from Hawaii to Vermont stemming from erratic behaviour.

The actor issued an apology in August 2022, explaining that they had been suffering complex mental health issues.
Four families have filed a lawsuit against a Georgia law placing restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, arguing that it violates parents rights and equal protection guarantees.

The families filed the complaint on Thursday to request a judge issue an injunction to prevent the ban from taking effect, which it is set to do on Saturday.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the ban into law in March to prohibit minors from receiving hormone replacement therapies and sex reassignment surgeries from licensed health care facilities to treat gender dysphoria. The law calls for a wait-and-see approach of allowing transgender children to receive counseling and allowing the child time to mature and develop his or her own identity.

Medical providers could lose their licenses if they violate the law.

The lawsuit, filed by plaintiffs listed with anonymous names for their own safety, argues that the ban violates parents rights to make medical decisions for their childrens health and wellbeing and stops them from obtaining appropriate medical treatment for their children who have gender dysphoria.

The plaintiffs also argue that it violates the guarantee of equal protection from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in denying transgender youth essential, and often lifesaving, medical treatment based on their sex and gender status.

Defendants cannot demonstrate any rational basis, much less an important or compelling one, for the Health Care Ban, which prevents transgender youth from obtaining safe, established, and necessary medical care, the complaint states.

A resource organization that supports parents and caregivers for transgender youth, TransParent, also joined the lawsuit along with the parents of transgender children.

Beth Littrell, the senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Centers LGBTQ rights and special litigation, said in a release that the ban on necessary medical care is just cruel. The center is representing the plaintiffs along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, the Human Rights Foundation and the law firm OMelveny & Myers.

The Healthcare Ban displaces parents ability to make decisions in the best interest of their children, disregards the collective knowledge of the medical community, and condemns children to years of suffering, Littrell said. Laws like this are predicated on prejudice, misinformation, and manufactured fears, and they are as indefensible as they are unconstitutional.

The release notes that similar bans have been blocked in half a dozen states: Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Farmers face unprecedented risk of rarely discussed extreme weather event  which can be just as damaging as flash floods

Farmers across the globe face an ever-increasing risk of flash droughts as the planets climate system continues to change over the coming decades, as a recent study in Communications Earth & Environment reported.

Whats happening?

Even if they are not as visually appealing to the media, flash droughts can be just as damaging as flash floods, devastating food-growing regions and upending entire economies. Unfortunately, they are becoming increasingly common as human industrial activities warm the planet, the report noted.

Studies have shown that the risk of flash droughts continues to rise in every major agricultural region across the globe.

In North America and Europe, agricultural areas that previously had a 32% chance of experiencing a flash drought on a yearly basis may face an increased likelihood of such occurrences by as much as 53% annually in 2100.

Why are flash droughts concerning?

Droughts diminish water supplies, and when water is low, food crops get less or none of it, which affects food prices. Energy resources also rely on water, as thermal power plants running on coal or gas consume lots of water and, obviously, so do hydroelectric power plants.

All of this takes a huge toll on local economies when there is drought.

The Dakotas and Montana encountered a flash drought in 2017, resulting in a staggering $2.6 billion worth of agricultural losses within the United States alone, as Drought.gov reported.

A study published in the Nature Climate Change journal found that droughts now cost around nine billion Euros (about $9.8 billion as of late June) in annual economic losses across the European Union and the United Kingdom. If countries do not adapt, those costs could reach 65 billion Euros (more than $70 billion) by 2100.

In less developed economies, droughts bring life-threatening food shortages to entire communities and force people to flee their homes, which leads to more refugee crises around the globe.

Whats being done about flash droughts?

Among the best ways to prevent severe damage caused by flash droughts is to improve weather forecasting. The U.S. drought monitor, for example, has created a short-term map that shows flash droughts as they are happening, as reported by Phys.org.

Drought-resistant crops have also been developed by scientists, with new innovations in this sector being researched and applied.

Much of the worlds water goes to meat production. Just a pound of beef requires 2,400 gallons of water to produce, per Phys.org. In the U.S., about 80% of the Colorado River goes to agriculture, the majority of which goes to feeding cows for meat production.

The good news is there have been many recent innovations in this sector, as well, from improvements in plant-based meat to cellular agriculture, which can reduce water consumption by up to 96%.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
If liberals expected a big course correction from a Supreme Court mired in ethics controversies and rocked by record-low approval ratings, the justices final decisions of the term laid that to rest.

Moves by Chief Justice John Roberts in the weeks leading up to the grand finale seemed to signal an eagerness on his part to project an air of moderation. In surprising decisions on voting rights, election law and other issues, he aligned with the courts liberal bloc, perhaps in the hope of showing that the court, dominated by conservatives, isnt always looking to take a wrecking ball to long-established precedent.

But if Roberts amassed some political capital from those decisions, he swiftly spent it on Thursday and Friday. In the three most politically divisive cases of the term, the court issued polarized 6-3 decisions  two of which Roberts wrote himself, and all of which delivered sweeping conservative victories on issues that are high priorities for the right.

The last two days of the term were absolutely cataclysmic and, to the extent people were asleep at the wheel, its because he kind of anesthetized them, said New York University law professor Melissa Murray.



Last June, the six-justice conservative majority cemented by former President Donald Trump flexed its muscles for the first time  with Roberts sometimes on the sidelines, as he was when the five other conservatives overturned Roe v. Wade. This term, he seemed intent on regaining some control.

Earlier this month, the chief justice broke with his own history in voting-rights cases, taking the helm as the court, in a 5-4 vote, sided with Black voters in a Voting Rights Act case challenging alleged racial gerrymandering. The decision, which drew sharp dissents from the conservative bloc, is expected to help Democrats win several congressional seats in 2024.

Then, Roberts again took the pen as the court refused to embrace a radical legal theory that could have given state legislatures far-ranging powers over elections  potentially even the power to nullify disputed elections, much as Trump and his allies tried to do in 2020.

In other fractured decisions rebuffing adventurous conservative legal arguments, Roberts voted with the liberals to sustain President Joe Bidens immigration policy and uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act.

These opinions seemed of a piece with the chief justices reputation as a pragmatic institutionalist seeking to protect the court amid intense criticism. But some observers warned his moves were mere feints aimed at preserving the veneer of respectability around the court, even as the conservative supermajoritys project to dramatically reshape American law marched on.

The unusual alliances and cross-cutting cleavages that marked some of the terms earlier decisions were nowhere to be found on Thursday and Friday as the courts highest-profile cases came down on predictable ideological lines.

When the smoke cleared, the decades-long use of race to achieve diversity in college admissions was effectively dead, as was Bidens marquee policy forgiving student debt for tens of millions of Americans. And the high courts two-decade-plus string of decisions expanding the rights of the LGBTQ community was stopped in its tracks and beaten back by a ruling upholding the right of business owners to refuse service to same-sex couples on free-speech grounds.

Some analysts say the idea that the Roberts-backed decisions earlier in the term were truly centrist is misguided because they were actually rejections of radical positions  like the contention that state legislatures should be able to alter any aspect of election rules or even overturn election results without state courts or state constitutions playing any role.

The Roberts court should get zero credit for the idea that the independent state legislature doctrine being rejected is any kind of moderation, said Fordham law professor Jed Shugerman. Thats just Overton Window talk, he added, referring to a strategy that seeks to shift the debate in a particular direction by floating a previously unthinkable possibility and then backing away from it.

Shugerman also said some of the maneuvering by Roberts and his colleagues is hard to reconcile, like acknowledging the need to rely on race in litigating Voting Rights Act cases but entirely reproaching the practice in college admissions.

It's hard to square all of that colorblindness rhetoric from the affirmative action case, while they were at the same time writing a very much, rightly, not-colorblind interpretation of the Voting Rights Act, Shugerman said. It's hard to read those two decisions next to each other.

Some conservative legal experts pointed to the immigration case, in which the court tossed out a challenge to the Biden administrations priorities for arresting and detaining people living in the country illegally. That decision snubbed both the state of Texas and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals  both of which have played key roles in recent years to advance legal challenges to policies ranging from immigration to abortion.

Texas and the 5th Circuit didnt do particularly well at the court this term, said Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. At the same time, that doesnt mean affirmative action is OK or the Biden student loan program is OK.

Roberts sensitivities about the court being seen as wantonly overturning precedent were on particular display in the affirmative action case, where his opinion seemed to rule out the use of race in admissions in the way most elite colleges and universities use it these days. Yet, he stopped short of overruling the 2003 precedent that blessed continued use of race as a factor in that arena, Grutter v. Bollinger.

That approach might have kept some critics from asserting that the court was again grinding up precedent, but for the fact that both Justice Clarence Thomas, who signed onto Roberts ruling, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who dissented from it, said the decision did effectively overrule Grutter, despite Roberts hedging.

One of the challenging aspects of the past year for Roberts has been public criticism of the court by its own members, chiefly by Justice Elena Kagan, who embarked on a speaking tour last year in which she repeatedly accused her Republican-appointed colleagues of reaching decisions that were more grounded in politics and personal preference than in law.

That critique resurfaced Friday in the student-debt ruling as Kagan said the GOP-appointed supermajority was exceeding its proper role.

At one point, Kagan declared that a court acting like a court would have dropped the case on the ground that the six GOP-led states that sued lacked any direct interest in the loan forgiveness program. While the phrase may sound innocuous, it is one Kagan has used on prior occasions to accuse her colleagues of abandoning legal principle and using cases to achieve policy objectives.

Roberts devoted the final passage of his majority opinion in the student loan case to rebutting Kagans critique, while also airing the kind of discomfort he has publicly expressed about criticism that seems aimed at the courts legitimacy rather than individual decisions.

It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary, Roberts wrote, insisting that the courts ideological fractures are merely reasonable disagreements about how to apply traditional tools of judicial decisionmaking.

It is important that the public not be misled, he continued, because any suggestion to the contrary would be harmful to this institution and our country.

One prominent courtwatcher who saw hints that Roberts was trying to moderate the court but was profoundly disappointed by the decisions this week was Biden.

Asked Thursday if the court had gone rogue and was undermining its own legitimacy, Biden replied: This is not a normal court.

Biden, who has resisted endorsing major changes to the court, didnt quite urge defiance of the courts affirmative action decision  but he came close.

We cannot let this decision be the last word, the president said. While the court can render a decision, it cannot change what America stands for.

In an interview later in the day, Biden said he thought the court had gone beyond the precepts even of the conservative Federalist Society by retreating from and overturning precedents. Its done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history, he told Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC.

However, Biden also said he saw signs that the justices were attuned to the decline in public respect.

I think that some on the court are beginning to realize their legitimacy is being questioned in ways it hadn't been questioned in the past, the president said, describing the chief justice as maybe in that group.

Meanwhile, the ethics firestorm that descended on the court last fall hasnt abated, despite Roberts modest attempts to satisfy the courts critics. Reports about undisclosed trips taken by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito fueled longstanding concerns about the lack of a formal ethics code for the high court and of any enforcement mechanism to police alleged conflicts of interest.

It, too, was a barnburner of a term outside 1 First Street. The press on the court was unrelenting, Murray noted. The court was kind of in our faces all year long, even when they werent issuing decisions. Ive got to think John Roberts doesnt love that.
Flipping the Script

Artificial intelligence can do a lot of things. It can make hairdresser appointments, on your behalf or even write hustle bro posts for you on LinkedIn. It can even be used over the phone to trick people into believing their relative has been kidnapped.

But fortunately, tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT can also be used for actual good as well  by turning them against scammers and annoying telemarketers.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, consultant and tinkerer Roger Anderson has been fighting telemarketers for almost a decade.

His latest tool in his arsenal is a convincing-sounding voice powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 that can waste and frustrate telemarketers and scammers by roping them into a painfully drawn-out and ultimately pointless conversation.

"Im sorry. I didnt catch your name," Whitebeard, the name of Anderson's tool, told a scammer who was posing as a Bank of America called, according to the WSJ. "Whats your name, buddy?"

Jolly Roger

It's a genius response to a huge problem. One Federal Communications Commission spokesman told the WSJ that unwanted telephone calls are "far-and-away the largest category of consumer complaints to the FCC."

Despite the FCC's best efforts, such as requiring caller ID authentication and creating a national database of blocked numbers, millions of unwanted calls slip through the cracks, often from overseas call centers using internet calling.

Anderson has rolled out his call-deflection system called Jolly Roger and has amassed several thousand paying customers, according to the WSJ.

Best yet, Anderson programmed Whitebeard to use the real-life voices of his friends, including Sid Berkson, a Vermont dairy farmer.

Some other voices customers can choose from include Salty Sally, an overwhelmed mother, and Whiskey Jack, who can be easily distracted.

And clearly, the voices are doing a great job of wasting scammers' and telemarketers' time. One conversation shared by Anderson went on for an excruciating 15 minutes before the scammer finally hung up.

More on AI calls: Cursed New AI Calls Debtors to Hassle Them for Money
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in Brookville Friday night.

>>Were very glad this individual resigned, Sheriff says of deputy investigated for misconduct

Brookville firefighters were dispatched around 9:58 p.m. to the 7700 block of Wellbaum Road on initial reports of a fire at a business, dispatchers told News Center 7.

Several fire trucks were in the area between Pleasant Plan and Brookville Salem Road.

The business has been identified as Dayton KOA Holiday, a viewer told our newsroom.

The fire was reported in one of the electrical panels, according to initial scanner traffic.

AES Ohio has also been requested to the scene.

We are working to find out how much damage was done to one of the buildings.
Florida hospitals will now ask about your immigration status. What to know, how to answer

Hospitals ask patients a lot of personal questions. Medical history? Medications? Preexisting conditions? Smoke, drink or do drugs?

As of Saturday, youll have one more question to answer: Whats your immigration status?

Florida hospitals that accept Medicaid will be required to query patients about that, although a person can decline to answer. The measure is just one of many in a new bill, SB 1718, approved by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May to crack down on the flow of illegal immigration into the state.

The new law does not apply to other healthcare providers, including doctors offices and community health centers.

Heres what the new bill will mean for your hospital care:

How will Florida hospitals ask for immigration status?

Hospitals that accept Medicaid will have to include a question on their admission and registration forms asking if a patient is legally in the U.S. or not. The question will be asked to patients who visit the emergency department or are hospitalized.

At Memorial Regional Hospital, one of Browards public hospital systems, for example, patients will select from the following options: U.S. Citizen, Legal Resident, Foreign Student, Foreign Visitor, Undocumented, Other/Unknown, Patient declined to answer.

Will your answer affect care? Could you get deported?

The bill states that hospitals will be required to include a statement on the forms notifying patients that their response to the question will not affect their care or result in a report of the patients immigration status to immigration authorities. Opponents of the bill have said the immigration question will scare, and stop, some people from seeking care.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees hospitals in Florida, said in an email to the Miami Herald that it was in the process of implementing this legislation and will work with hospitals to ensure they have the information they need to comply with the new law before the effective date. The agency, along with state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, who sponsored the bill, did not answer the Miami Heralds questions about the bill.

READ NEXT: Millions of Floridians expected to lose Medicaid. How will it affect you? Tell us

Which hospitals are affected by the law?

Any Florida hospital that accepts Medicaid will be required to follow the new law. The South Florida hospital list includes:

In Miami-Dade: Jackson Health System, Miami-Dades public hospital system; Baptist Health South Florida; University of Miami Health System, also known as UHealth; Mount Sinai Medical Center; HCA Florida Mercy Hospital; HCA Florida Kendall Hospital; Nicklaus Childrens Hospital.

In Broward: Cleveland Clinic Florida; Holy Cross Health and other Archdiocese of Miami hospitals; Broward Health Medical Center and Memorial Regional Hospital, Browards two public hospital systems; and Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital, which is part of Memorial Healthcare System.

What if your doctors office is in a hospital? What about urgent care and clinics?





The law requires only hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status. The law does not apply to doctors who have their own practice, including those who rent office space on a hospitals campus, according to the Florida Association of Community Health Centers.

The law doesnt apply to other healthcare providers, including urgent care centers, community health centers, anti-abortion pregnancy health centers, abortion clinics and retail pharmacies like CVS Health and Walgreens.

Community Health Centers in Florida are a safe space for those seeking treatment regardless of your ability to pay or status.#FACHC #ProtectFLPatients #ValueCHCs pic.twitter.com/T2JKT6dKk5  FACHC (@_FACHC) June 9, 2023

What will be done with this information?

Under the new law, Florida hospitals that accept Medicaid will need to submit a quarterly report to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the agency that oversees hospitals in the state. This report must include the number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits the hospital had, along with how many of these visits were made by U.S. citizens or people who are lawfully in the country, undocumented patients and patients who declined to answer, according to the new law.

The agency will then need to submit a similar report every year to the governor, the Senate president and the speaker of the House, along with information on how much it costs to provide healthcare to undocumented patients, including the impact of uncompensated care on the cost or ability of hospitals to provide services to the public, hospital funding needs, and other related information, the law states.

The law also gives the agency the authority to adopt rules relating to what information will be in the quarterly reports, and the acceptable formats for hospitals to use in requesting information on a patients immigration status. The law notes that the rules may not require the disclosure of patient names or any other personal identifying information to the agency.

READ MORE: Do you need medical care? A community health center could be an option. How to find one

What are South Florida hospitals saying?

Four hospital groups in Miami-Dade and Broward responded:

 Jackson Health System said the new law will have almost no impact on its services or patients. We have consistently asked patients to voluntarily disclose their immigration status for both demographic tracking purposes and, in some cases, to help identify sources of financial assistance, the hospital said in an emailed statement. The only significant change under this law is that Jackson will be required to report quarterly to regulators the number of undocumented patients we treated and the cost of their care. Nothing in this law would change anything about individual patients privacy rights, which strictly protect their personal information. Consistent with our historic mission, we are proud to continue providing high-quality care to every Miami-Dade resident, regardless of their status.

 HCA Florida Healthcare, which has hospitals across the state, including Mercy Hospital in Miami and Kendall Hospital, said its priority is to provide exceptional and compassionate care to all of our patients and that any time the legal, legislative or regulatory landscape changes, our responsibility is to be in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

 Memorial Healthcare System said it continues to care for everyone who seeks medical attention at our facilities. The safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff is our number one priority. In accordance with the new Florida state law, beginning July 1, 2023, patients who are admitted to our hospitals or present to our emergency rooms will be asked about their legal status, and the system will submit all relevant documentation to the Agency of Health Care Administration (ACHA) as stated by the law. As always, we will continue to care for patients and abide by our state and federal laws.

 Broward Health said it will comply with the new law and shall include a citizenship/immigration status question for all emergency department and hospital patients. ... We will report how patients answer that question, not who answers it, which is also compliant with the law, the hospitals statement reads. As always, we welcome all patients and look forward to continuing to provide care to our community.
Florida medical boards on Friday approved rules related to providing treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone-replacement therapy to transgender children and adults, carrying out part of a new law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The rules include informed consent forms containing language that says gender-affirming care is purely speculative, and the possible psychological benefits may not outweigh the substantial risks of medical treatments and, in many cases, the need for lifelong medical treatments.

The forms also say that medical treatment of people with gender dysphoria is based on very limited, poor-quality research with only subtle improvements seen in some patients psychological functioning in some, but not all, research studies.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The advisories in the forms run counter to what most experts say about gender-affirming care and research supporting it  that treatment is medically safe, effective and can be life-saving.

The language is inflammatory, unnecessary and not even true, Yale University School of Medicine professor Meredithe McNamara told The News Service of Florida in a phone interview Thursday.

It is not abnormal for youth, minors, to undergo informed-consent processes with their parents that are guided by forms that are similar in structure to the ones Florida has. But when it comes to adults, thats not standard practice whatsoever. And what were finally seeing is what we feared for a long time, which is that bans on care for youth have made legal interference into totally undisputed care for adults more acceptable and more palatable, McNamara, who specializes in adolescent medicine, added.

Read: Judge rules against Floridas ban on transgender Medicaid coverage

Numerous speakers at a joint meeting Friday of the state Board of Medicine and the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine opposed the rules and forms, which include a laundry list of dangers associated with puberty blockers and hormone-replacement therapy.

What youre proposing is not informed consent. Youre going far further, essentially trying to create a new standard of care, when one already exists, physician Michael Haller, a professor and chief of endocrinology at the University of Florida, told members of the boards. The ongoing emphasis on the idea that theres low-grade, low-quality evidence for gender-affirming care is extremely problematic.

Doing nothing to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria can have harmful effects, Haller said.

This is a conversation that physicians have with their patients all day every day. And so to try to put this specific language in the consent form is, again, entirely disingenuous. And you all know that, and its shameful. The bias thats being represented by medical organizations , Haller said, before being interrupted by Board of Medicine Chairman Scot Ackerman.

Read: SpaceX set to launch telescope in orbit, will explore evolution of the dark universe

I take offense to your comments. Dont tell us what we know, and dont call us shameful, Ackerman, a Jacksonville-based oncologist, said.

Board of Medicine member Hector Vila, a Tampa physician, offered an explanation for the use of the term poor-quality studies.

Its not like an adjective. Its not like were who proscribe it. That is very standard medical terminology that describes the absence of the highest quality of studies that exist, and thats prospective, randomized, controlled studies that have large numbers of patients and follow those patients over an adequate period of time to provide good predictive value, Vila said. That would be good studies. So this is just a medical term, and all of us doctors are used to using it for quality studies.  It just means that they dont meet the standard of what we in medicine refer to as high-quality studies.

Read: Florida police officers are accused of jailing their young son over potty training accidents

The approval of the rules and the forms helped carry out a new law, signed by DeSantis on May 17, that banned physicians from using puberty blockers or hormone-replacement therapy for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which the federal government defines clinically as significant distress that a person may feel when sex or gender assigned at birth is not the same as their identity.

The law included an exception that allows children currently receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to continue the treatment and required the state medical boards to establish standards of care for such children.

In addition, the law required the boards, which regulate physicians, to create informed-consent forms for transgender patients seeking gender-affirming care. Adults, children and parents of kids who receive puberty blockers or hormone therapy must sign the forms.

Doctors who violate the law could be stripped of their licenses and face felony charges.

Read: Student loan forgiveness ruling: What happens next for borrowers? What did Biden announce?

Steven Rocha was among speakers during Fridays meeting who disputed that gender-affirming care is speculative.

Trans people have been taking hormones for decades, and to say that only subtle improvements were seen in patients mental health would be laughable if it werent so dangerous, Rocha, a trans man who is policy director for the LGBTQ youth-advocacy group PRISM Florida. That kind of thinking is what gets critical health care ripped away from those who need it most. Gender-affirming care helped me, and Im nowhere near alone.

Florida is among a number of Republican-led states that have approved measures to curb or prohibit gender-affirming care for transgender children and adults. DeSantis, who is running for president, has made the issue one of his priorities.

Read: Supreme Court rules web designer can refuse to make same-sex wedding sites

We cannot speak something into existence that doesnt exist. We cannot change our sex, Rep. Ralph Massullo, a Lecanto Republican who is a dermatologist, said in May before the House gave final approval to the bill (SB 254) that included requiring the rules and forms. And for those children that this bill addresses, they cannot change their sex, and they need to learn that fact.

Restrictions approved by DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Legislature, however, have not fared well in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle this month blocked Floridas ban on the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, calling the prohibition an exercise in politics, not good medicine.

Read: Floridas new immigration law takes effect July 1: What does that means for families & businesses?

The statute and rules at issue were motivated in substantial part by the plainly illegitimate purposes of disapproving transgender status and discouraging individuals from pursuing their honest gender identities. This was purposeful discrimination against transgenders, Hinkle wrote.

The judge on June 22 also blocked a state ban of Medicaid coverage for transgender children and adults, saying the effort was invidious discrimination. The state is appealing both decisions.

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Florida police officers accused of twice putting their 3 1/2-year-old son in a jail cell to punish him for potty training accidents remain on the job while an investigation continues.

Nearly nine months later, the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department is not talking about it and most records related to the investigation have been sealed by a Volusia County judge.

The city strives to always be open and transparent, however due to the court order that was issued to the city, we are unable to comment at this time. If anything should change, we would be happy to discuss, the citys public information officer, Tammy Marzik, wrote in an email to The AP.

The couple said they jailed their son twice  on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022. They were interviewed by a state child abuse investigator, who was escorted to their home by a Volusia County Sheriffs deputy whose body camera recorded the conversation. The video was sent to the media this week by the sheriffs office, which later asked to recall it, citing a court order restricting the release of information about the case.

Read: SpaceX set to launch telescope in orbit, will explore evolution of the dark universe

The Associated Press is not identifying the child nor the parents  the mother is a detective and the father a lieutenant with the Daytona Beach Shores Police. Their attorney, Michael Lambert, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

During the hour-long video, the childs mother said she didnt believe they did anything wrong, adding that its just people getting it twisted. She also called the investigation the definition of insanity.

How the state learned about the boys treatment hasnt been made public, but the father told the investigator its just disgusting that somebody would drag our family through the mud like this.

Read: Supreme Court rules web designer can refuse to make same-sex wedding sites

He explained that their day care center requires children to stop using diapers by age 3, but the boy was still having accidents, so while the school was being lenient, they were trying everything possible to get him potty trained.

Weve tried books, weve tried run around without pants, you name it weve tried it, the father told the investigator.

So they confronted the boy, he said.

Read: Student loan forgiveness ruling: What happens next for borrowers? What did Biden announce?

I said you know what I do for a living, the father explained. I said Im a cop. I take bad boys to the jail that dont follow the law. So thats what I did. I said you know you arent following the rules, lets go to jail.

The father said the cell was nasty so he checked it out for contraband before putting his son inside. He told investigators the boy was behind bars for about 13 minutes, and he had eyes on him the entire time.

He was crying, the father said. I was getting the response I expected from him.

The father said the boys mother had placed him in the cell the day before, for about three minutes.

Read: Floridas new immigration law takes effect July 1: What does that means for families & businesses?

The tactic worked: The child made good on his promise not to have any more accidents, the father told investigators.

Whats more, he said he did it before with his older son, about nine years ago, when that child admitted hitting a girl in preschool. He said he told his son that in his job, he puts people in jail when they hit others.

I took him to the jail and he sat there. And I watched him ... and he was crying and everything, and to this day, if you mention, like, that incident, hes just like, I would never do that again. It was effective, the father said. So thats why I did it with this. He didnt hit anybody, but I figured the same thing, discipline.

Read: Florida sports betting gets big win in court

Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Tori Cuddy told The AP that the agency responds to all allegations of of abuse, neglect or abandonment, and that all information involving such cases is confidential.

Its not clear what repercussions the couple faces, if any, but theyve gone to court, suing the state attorneys office in March and separately suing State Attorney R.J. Larizza in May. Those court records are marked confidential and have been sealed by a judge, the city clerks office said.

Lonnie Groot, a former city attorney for Daytona Beach Shores who now serves the community in more of a watchdog capacity, is looking for answers. Groot said hes been unsuccessful in his attempts to get additional records involving the investigation.

The City is just patently trying to hide the matter and hopes now that it will go away and they can go back to their own ways, Groot told The AP.

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The Supreme Courts decision Thursday striking down affirmative action in the college admission process included language that will exclude military academies from the ruling.

The majority opinion from Justice John Roberts came with a footnote explaining that military academies are not subject to the ruling because they were not involved in the prior cases that were eventually heard in the Supreme Court.

"The United States as amicus curiae contends that race-based admissions programs further compelling interests at our Nations military academies," the footnote said. "No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present."

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor called out the exception in her dissent and argued that it proves the majority opinion is arbitrary.

THIS ASIAN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING

Cadets at West Point and other military academies won't be affected by the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action.

"The majority does not dispute that some uses of race are constitutionally permissible," Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. "Indeed, it agrees that a limited use of race is permissible in some college admissions programs.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"The Court's carveout only highlights the arbitrariness of its decision and further proves that the Fourteenth Amendment does not categorically prohibit the use of race in college admissions."

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES APPLAUD SUPREME COURT'S AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING ON 'TOXIC' COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

Sotomayors comment was echoed by several liberal members of Congress, including Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger, who called it "deeply upsetting" and "outright grotesque."

"The court is saying diversity shouldnt matter, EXCEPT when deciding who can fight and die for our country  reinforcing the notion that these communities can sacrifice for America but not be full participants in every other way," Crow tweeted .

SUPREME COURT RULINGS LIKELY TO INTENSIFY CALLS FROM THE LEFT TO 'PACK' THE COURT

Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy and The Joseph C. and Elizabeth A. Anderlik Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital he is disappointed Roberts exempted military academies and that he likely made that decision because the subject of military academies wasn't fully briefed and represented a "loose end" that will likely be addressed at a later date.

"I think the logic of the opinion should absolutely apply to the military academies," Severino said. "It's disappointing that they punted on it when they had the opportunity to clarify that equal protection applies across all educational institutions and, if anything, the military academy should be the first among universities where it should apply."

NEW YORK TIMES BLASTED AS 'RACIST' FOR PREDICTING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING WILL MAKE COLLEGES 'WHITER'

Severino suggested the footnote stems from an amicus brief filed by the U.S. government in Texas that argued the government has a federal interest in diversity at service academies.

"They filed a brief discussing why they think that race balancing is a legitimate government interest. So, I think in order to not be distracted in having to respond to those arguments, the court just left it for another day," Severino, a Harvard Law graduate, told Fox News Digital.

"I think they punted it probably as a matter of convenience as opposed to any signal that it would be treated differently," Severino said. "But, unfortunately, we'll have to wait for another lawsuit in the service academies."

The nation's highest court handed down the historic ruling on affirmative action Thursday and rejected the use of race as a factor in college admissions as a violation of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

Chief Justice John Roberts said for too long universities have "concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individuals identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice."

Justice Clarence Thomas, the nations second Black justice, who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision "sees the universities admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision "rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress."

In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the courts first Black female justice, called the decision "truly a tragedy for us all."

Associated Press contributed to this report
Haitis forgotten crisis will be the focus of a visit Saturday by the United Nations Secretary-General, who is making his first trip to the crisis-ridden Caribbean nation.

Antonio Guterres is scheduled to arrive early Saturday and leave later in the day. While on the ground, he will meet with Prime Minister Ariel Henry and members of his caretaker government as well as members of the U.N.s humanitarian aid community and his new special representative in Port-au-Prince, Maria Isabel Salvador, who has been on the job since April.

A large part of the visit is to shore up support for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, headed by Salvador. There are currently ongoing negotiations its future and whether its mandate, which expires this month, should be renewed. On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council in New York will debate the future of the political office, which has come under scrutiny by both Russia and China, both of which sit on the council.

As part of his support for the political offices continued presence in Haiti, Guterres visit is expected to focus largely on the volatile humanitarian and human-rights situation in Haiti, where thousands of children are increasingly caught in the crossfire and armed groups control more than half of the capital. However, the gang problem the continuing political paralysis are also expected to come up. The U.N., along with the U.S., Canada and others, have called on Haitians to work harder at finding a broad political consensus that would allow for elections and improved security.

In October the secretary-general, supported by the United States, backed the call by Haitis government for the deployment of a security force to assist the Haiti National Police. But nine months later, no country has stepped up to take the lead and those who have traditionally led interventions in Haiti  the United States, France and Canada  dont want to do so, despite recognizing the worsening crisis.

Last month, while attending the Paris Finance Summit, where he was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, Henry met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Rwanda President Paul Kagame. Rwanda and Brazil, which led the last U.N. peacekeeping mission into Haiti, have experienced armies that could help, but so far neither leader has publicly said if they will do so.

After leaving Haiti, Guterres will travel to Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, where members of the 15-member Caribbean Community will be meeting Monday through Wednesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the regional blocs founding and to discuss issues of regional importance. Guterres has been engaging Caribbean leaders on various subjects including Haiti, climate change and better access to financing for small island nations, and is expected to be among several high-level foreign officials, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, attending the gathering in Port-of-Spain.

The secretary-generals trip to Haiti comes on the heels of recent visits by U.N. humanitarian officials. The executive directors of the World Food Program and UNICEF, Cindy McCain and Catherine Russell, respectively, visited Haiti 10 days ago and the U.N.s new independent expert on human rights in Haiti, William ONeill, concluded an official 10-day visit on Thursday.

Cindy McCain, the new executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, holds up a yam while touring a farmers co-op in the GrandAnse region of Haiti on Monday, June 19, 2023. The Reseaux des Organisations de Producteurs et Productrices de la GrandAnse (ROPAGA) supplies locally produced crops to schools for WFPs school feeding program. Jacqueline Charles/jcharles@miamiherald.com

While McCain visited a school feeding and farmers co-operative in Jeremie, a quake-recovering city on Haitis southern peninsula, Russell met with victims of rape and healthcare providers in Port-au-Prince. Of the 5.2 million Haitians in need of humanitarian assistance, an estimated 3 million are children.

Haiti is truly becoming a forgotten crisis, Russell told journalists on Thursday at U.N. headquarters in New York. The purpose of her visit, she said, was to learn and to help galvanize attention and support for the humanitarian response in Haiti.

International solidarity and support for Haiti has largely faded away since 2010, said Russell, who was among members of a U.S. delegation that traveled to Port-au-Prince with First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden following the devastating Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 and left at least 1.5 million homeless.

Haitians on our team, theyre telling me its never been worse than this now: unprecedented hunger and malnutrition, grinding poverty and crippled economy, resurgence of cholera, and a massive insecurity that creates a deadly downward spiral to violence, Russell said. While of course flooding and earthquakes continue to remind us all just how vulnerable Haiti is to climate change and natural disasters.

All of of these are of concern to Guterres, who has been trying to get the U.N. Security Council and the international community to respond to the countrys, which has only worsened since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated two years ago.

All of his U.N. colleagues came to the same conclusion as they departed Haiti: the countrys police force, about 3,500 active duty officers, cannot tackle the gangs on its own.

The current... insecurity is truly unacceptable, Russell said ahead of Guterres visit. Women and children are dying; schools and public spaces that should be safe spaces are not. Collectively, the world is failing the Haitian people.

ONeil, who helped established the Haiti National Police in 1995 and the Magistrate School for the training of judges when he worked for the United Nations, shared similar sentiments when he met with journalists in Port-au-Prince at the conclusion of his visit this week.

Unfortunately, I found a country bruised by violence, misery, fear and suffering. The human rights situation is dramatic. All rights are violated, he said. Gangs continue to terrorize, especially in more than half of the capital Port-au-Prince, which has become a lawless zone. Women and girls continue to be raped by gangs, often collectively, to establish their control over the population.

Beyond the gang violence that rages in the capital and has pushed tens of thousands to move, land grabbing by oligarchs in the northeast has also driven thousands of peasants exposed to precariousness, ONeill added. The Haitian authorities face immense challenges. But the situation is not irreversible. Much can be done to address the structural and economic challenges that have led to the current crisis.
Former President Trump called then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to pressure him to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, according to reports from The Washington Post.

Trump encouraged Ducey, a tepid ally, to find votes to overcome his narrow loss in the state in multiple calls after the 2020 election and asked Vice President Mike Pence call him and ask the same, according to the outlet.

Ducey told a donor about the calls earlier this year, saying that he was under pressure from Trump to overturn the election. He also said he was surprised special counsel Jack Smith did not request information on the calls for his federal investigation into Trumps efforts to overturn the election.

Ducey did not record the call, the donor told The Post. He left office in January being term limited.

State investigations into Trumps claims of mass voter fraud in Arizona did not discover any fraud. Trump lost Arizona by less than 10,000 votes in 2020, a margin of about 0.3 percent.

The reported phone calls bear resemblance to a recorded call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021. In the call, Trump asks Raffensperger to find enough votes to change the outcome of the election results.

What I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than [the 11,779 vote margin of defeat] we have, because we won the state, Trump said in the call.

Trump is currently being investigated by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr for the call and other attempts to overturn the 2020 election in that state.

Pence did not pressure Ducey to overturn the election in his calls to the governor, The Post reported.

Ducey endorsed and campaigned for Trump in 2020, but after the election their relationship soured. Trump repeatedly criticized Ducey on social media over the election in his state and called him a RINO Republican.

In one Twitter post, Trump said Ducey fights harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As we come to the end of Pride Month, we turn our attention to a pioneering lawmaker whose activism and public service began amid the AIDS epidemic.

In more than 16 years in the Illinois House, Greg Harris sponsored legislation that changed the lives of many members of the LGBTQ+ community. Before he became one of the first openly gay lawmakers in Illinois and the first openly gay man to hold a leadership post in the Illinois House, he was also chief of staff to former Chicago Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th).

After more than 30 years in city and state government, Harris is operating on his own schedule these days, after retiring from the Illinois House in January, but service remains at the center of his life.

"It's giving me a chance to work on a lot of different issues that are really important to me, like in the LGBTQ community and working in some health care areas," Harris said.

Among many issues, Harris championed in his long career as a trailblazer. Before he retired early this year, Harris was the Illinois House Majority Leader, the highest-ranking openly gay public official in Illinois history.

"The political world has evolved to a place where they will welcome and accept people who are LGBTQ as elected officials, and part of top leadership, and there was a time where I think that would have been a struggle," Harris said.

It's a struggle Harris knows all too well. As a young man in his native Colorado, Harris was trying to find his place in a challenging environment.

"There was always these two lives  my life as a gay person, and then the life I felt like I was being forced to present to my family, and classmates, and the outside world," He said.

Harris said the two parallel lives made him feel like he was trying to be a "chameleon."

"What do I do to gain acceptance with this group, especially when I sort of deep down, I thought being gay is this horrible secret that I needed to keep," He said.

Perhaps a big city would be welcoming, he thought. So he took a job in Chicago in 1977. Politics then was not on his radar.

"I went to work, I partied at night, and that was fine, until my friends started to get sick and die all around me," He said.

The AIDS epidemic was ravaging the gay community. Harris wanted to serve. He and his friends founded Open Hand Chicago. They cooked and delivered meals for those with AIDS, and provided companionship for many who had been shunned.

"I began to think there's people all over Chicago who don't have these networks or friends, or who are ostracized from their church or their family or whatever, and we need to find a way to help them," he said.

An activist was born. Then Harris himself got some devastating news.

"I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988; full-blown AIDS in 1990," Harris said.

Harris said he thought he'd been given a death sentence at the time.

"Because one of the infections I had, my doctor said 'You should wrap up your affairs because you probably have six months left. People do not recover from this,'" he said.

That was 33 years ago. Harris threw himself into public service. He was the longtime chief of staff then-Ald. Mary Ann Smith in the 48th Ward. In 2006, he was elected to the Illinois House. From the start, the new state representative said marriage equality was his number one priority.

"I introduced a bill when I first got in. So that was 2006. It was seven years of fighting," He said. "Seven years of constant fighting with allies across the state to change the hearts and minds of a enough people to pass marriage equality."

Seven years of pushing led to passage of same sex marriage in Illinois in 2013. Harris was given a standing ovation.

Today, in his personal life, Harris has time to pursue martial arts, and reflect on a career that opened doors and changed laws.

When asked how he wants to be remembered for his time in state and city government, he said, "as somebody who went and in tried to help some other people."

Harris said as he stays active, and encourages young people to get involved to fight attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, saying, "we can't rest on our laurels."

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Courts

A former pastor for the Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock pleaded guilty to an enhanced charge of possession of child pornography on June 27.

David Lloyd Walther, 57 knowingly searched for, downloaded, distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material, including child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. attorney's office.

Walther was arrested on Nov. 10, 2022, and charged with distribution, receipt, transportation and possession of child pornography. During a search of his home and vehicle, two large computer hard drives were locked and found to contain more than 100,000 images and more than 5,000 videos of child sexual abuse material.

The material that Walther downloaded was made available using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network, according to the release.

Walther told authorities that he didn't know he was sharing child pornography through the BitTorrent network and also apologized "for his actions," a federal complaint said.

Walther faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to the news release.

Walther served as a pastor for the Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock for the past 18 years.

David Walther, a former pastor for the First Baptist Church of Round Rock, faces federal child pornography charges.

Walther told an FBI agent that "he had a pornography addiction and would often go through cycles of downloading and viewing pornography depicting both adults and minors," the complaint said.

He also said that he would download child pornography files "but would often feel guilty and go through a 'purging' of files, i.e., deleting the images and associated files, because he knew it was wrong, and that he last purged files on Nov. 08, 2022, the night before the search warrants were served," according to the complaint.

He said when he viewed the child pornography the children in it were between 8 and 17 years old, according to the complaint.

The FBI San Antonio Division's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Round Rock Police Department, is investigating the case.

The FBI is investigating the case through the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force out of the FBIs San Antonio Division, with assistance from the Round Rock Police Department, the Williamson County sheriffs office, and the Williamson County Childrens Advocacy Center, the release said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas pastor pleads guilty to federal child pornography charges
Rajavi previously hosted Pence in Albania (Gent SHKULLAKU)

Former US vice president Mike Pence and British ex-prime minister Liz Truss on Saturday gave their backing to an exiled Iran opposition movement, slamming Western "appeasement" of Iran's clerical authorities.

They addressed a meeting outside Paris of the People's Mujahedin (MEK) group outlawed by Tehran, as thousands of supporters of the group staged a rally in the centre of the French capital that had initially been banned by the police.

The MEK and its political wing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) are far from having universal support among the Iranian diaspora but are backed by several high-profile former US and European officials.

Pence, vice president under Donald Trump who is now seeking to challenge his former boss for the Republican nomination, told a conference in Auvers-sur-Oise outside Paris that the "Iranian regime has never been weaker than it is today" in the wake of the protest movement that erupted in September.

"This is not just another protest but the beginning of a revolution for freedom," he said, adding: "One of the biggest lies the ruling regime has sold to the world is that there is no alternative."

"No oppressive regime can last forever," said Pence who addressed the meeting in person and last year met the MEK's leader Maryam Rajavi at its headquarters in Albania.

"We are seeing a rising threat from authoritarian regimes across the world," said Truss, Britain's shortest term prime minister, pointing to the China of Xi Jinping and Russia of Vladimir Putin.

"These regimes have been emboldened as the free world has not done enough. I will never give up hope for a free and democratic Iran."

"Democracy is under threat around the world. Now is the time to turn our backs on accommodation and appeasement," she said.

Trump's former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, another prominent supporter of the group, also warned by video link against making any new deal with Tehran on its nuclear drive saying it would be a "calamity for the Iranian people and the world".

Other prominent MEK supporters present included former Canadian premier Stephen Harper and ex-Belgian prime minister and prominent MEP Guy Verhofstadt.

"Appeasement towards the mullahs' regime may lead to more bloodshed among our people," Rajavi told the meeting, while adding it would "be futile in protecting" supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "from his inevitable downfall."

Paris police had angered the group last week by saying their rally had been banned because of the risk of tensions with other Iranian factions and the danger of an attack.

But the Paris administrative court overturned the ban, which the MEK had said was an example of Western "appeasement" towards Iran.

Thousands gathered in Place Vauban in the centre of Paris for the rally, with supporters coming from all corners of Europe.

"We don't want the mullahs' regime or the shah's regime. The Iranians don't want to go backwards. We are moving towards democracy," said supporter Massoumeh Raouf, who said she was a former political prisoner in Iran.

jf-sjw/ach
France looks a lot like the US as protests over a police killing spread, dividing the country between anti-racist and law-and-order factions

People demonstrate in on June 30, 2023 in Paris, France. Ameer Alhalbi/Getty Images

Violent protests have rocked France after the police killing of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop.

Protesters accuse police of systemic racism against France's non-white minorities.

The civil unrest forced French President Emmanuel Macron to postpone a trip to Germany.

French police arrested more than 1,300 people on Friday  the fourth consecutive day of nationwide civil unrest.

The protests first erupted earlier in the week after news broke that police killed a 17-year-old of North African descent, with scenes of burning buildings and cars prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to postpone a state visit to Germany.

Protests intensified ahead of a funeral for the teenager, identified only as Nahel M., that was held on Saturday morning in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris.

Police shot the teenager on Tuesday morning during a traffic stop outside the French capital. A passenger in the car told a French news outlet that the killing occurred after police had assaulted the driver, who the passenger said was pulled over after driving in a bus lane, causing him to take his foot off the vehicle's brake.

"Don't move or I'll put a bullet in your head," the passenger claimed the officer said, according to Sky News. One policeman has since been charged with homicide.

In 2017, French lawmakers passed a measure that permits law enforcement to use lethal force during traffic stops when an officer feels their life is in danger, which critics say has led to an increase in deadly incidents.

A person passes by a looted shop in a Lyon street during violent protests on June 30, 2023. JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images

The police killing has exposed long-running animosity between law enforcement and France's non-white minority population, reminiscent of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked in the United States by the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Indeed, Friday's unrest came after a statement was issued by a union representing about half of French police in which the protesters were referred to as "vermin."

"Faced with these savage hordes, it's no longer enough to call for calm, it must be imposed," the statement said.

Some 37 people were killed during police operations in France in 2021, the BBC reported, which equates to 0.5 deaths for every one million people. By comparison, the outlet noted, the rate in the US is about 3.5 per million.

A protester holds a placard reading "dismiss the police is urgent" during a demonstration in Paris on June 30, 2023. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Ariane Bogain, a lecturer in politics at Northumbria University, told state broadcaster France 24 that the country needs to address systemic racism and how it manifests itself in policing.

"What we've seen over the past few days is a lot of discourse about law and order, about restoring order, about how awful this violence is," Bogain said. "What we haven't heard is a discussion of the structural causes of all of this and a long-term solution from it by the authorities."

Read the original article on Business Insider
French President Macron holds a new crisis meeting after third night of riots, in Paris

By Andreas Rinke and Elizabeth Pineau

BERLIN (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a state visit to Germany that was to begin on Sunday after four days of nationwide riots since the police killing of a teen presented him with one of the biggest crises of his leadership.

It was the second time this year that unrest in France has forced Macron to postpone high profile encounters with a head of state after Britain's King Charles cancelled a visit due to protests over pension legislation.

"A state visit is a visit of friendship, purely ceremonial, there will be a better time to do so," a Macron aide told Reuters, asking not to be named.

"The French would not have understood if he had gone to Germany. These days in Paris are important."

Macron spoke on the phone on Saturday with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and briefed him on the situation, a spokesperson for the German president said.

The state visit was to see Macron cross Germany from west to east before giving a speech on bilateral relations.

However, for all the planned show of camaraderie, French and German officials had said the leaders would not publicly address simmering disputes over nuclear energy or air defence.

Yann Wernert, of the Jacques Delors Institute think tank in Berlin, said the postponed visit highlighted the unrest's impact on Macron's ability to conduct foreign policy.

"The state visit can be made up for later, but the violent protests and the reactions to them also show how charged the political mood in France is at the moment," he added.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Tom Sims and Richard Lough; editing by Giles Elgood and Andrew Cawthorne)
The Fresno County Sheriffs Office said one of its deputies fired multiple shots and killed a man who charged at the officer with a stick-like weapon late Friday afternoon.

The shooting occurred around 4:15 p.m. near the intersection of Clovis and Balch avenues in southeast Fresno.

The sheriffs office received a call of man becoming violent and threatening family members with a knife.

By the time responding deputies arrived at the home on the 5600 block of Waverly Lane, the suspect had left the house.

But with the help of a law enforcement helicopter, the suspect was located walking nearby at a gas station and carrying a large stick, according to county spokesman Tony Botti.

Like a tree branch, Botti added.

According to the sheriffs office, a deputy approached the man and commanded he drop the stick.

Instead, the suspect charged the deputy with that stick and the deputy fired multiple shots, Botti said.

The deputy retreated to the best of his ability, Botti said. But as the suspect closed in, the deputy fired multiple shots, striking the suspect.

The suspect died at the scene, in a parking lot behind a Valero gas station.

Only one officer fired a weapon and all rounds were accounted for, Botti said.

When asked if less lethal measures could have been taken by the deputy to stop the man, Botti said such options are challenging given the circumstances.

It depends, Botti said. Many of our deputies do have less lethal options. The trouble is when you have one deputy, they dont get the luxury of only coming less lethal.

Usually when you have multiples (multiple deputies), you have someone whos less lethal and then lethal cover. In this case, it transpired so quickly, (the deputy) was alone by himself.

No confirmed information was provided of the suspect or the deputys history with firing their gun.

Botti said this is the sixth law enforcement-involved shooting since May, including four deputy-involved shootings.

Two of those deputy-involved shootings ended in a fatality, according to the sheriffs office.

The Fresno Police Department is handling the investigation deputy-involved shooting since the shooting occurred in city limits.
German coalition at odds over fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia -Welt am Sonntag

BERLIN(Reuters) - Germany's coalition government is at odds over whether to bow to British pressure and approve the production of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets for Saudi Arabia, the newspaper Welt Am Sonntag reported on Saturday, citing anonymous sources.

A deal struck by Riyadh and BAE Systems five years ago for the arms maker to supply 48 such jets was put on hold due to the war in Yemen, where Saudi-led Arab forces intervened in 2015.

A third of the components for the jets come from Germany, industry sources told Reuters at the time.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner are leaning towards allowing the export, but the Greens, and parts of the SPD, are strongly against the move, according to the report.

Germany imposed a hardline halt to arms sales to Riyadh following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, taking a far tougher approach than major allies such as the United States, France and Britain.

A March 2018 governing accord between then-chancellor Angela Merkel and the SPD banned arms sales to any parties to the war in Yemen, except for certain previously approved items and those that will remain in the purchasing country.

Since the rapprochement of Saudi Arabia and Iran, which could end their proxy war in Yemen, the British have argued that Germany cannot block the export of Eurofighter jets to third parties.

A spokesperson for the Chancellery declined to comment to Welt am Sonntag.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Giant ducks were supposed to lift spirits in Hong Kong, then one of them deflated

HONG KONG  A pair of giant yellow ducks sailed into Hong Kong in early June, brightening its famous Victoria Harbor  only for one of them to deflate.

The double duck art installation came 10 years after an original solo duck, by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, appeared in the harbor as part of a global tour. But the Chinese territory is not the same place it was a decade ago, having been transformed by two major protest movements, three years of pandemic isolation and a national security law imposed by Beijing.

I do think that having these two ducks here helps lift Hong Kongers spirits, said Wendy Chan, one of the local residents who flocked to the waterfront before the ducks  one of which had to be briefly deflated amid scorching heat  were removed early due to what the organizer told local media were high costs and operational challenges.

The installation is about friendship and connection, Hofman said in a news release, and is not about looking into the past but enjoying the moment together!

It's a philosophy the Hong Kong government is eager to embrace as it focuses on strengthening the economy and repairing the international financial hubs battered image.

As part of that effort, it recently launched a Happy Hong Kong campaign featuring food fairs, prize draws and, starting Saturday, a shopping festival that includes 100,000 free cups of coffee from Starbucks, all aimed at bringing more joy to the community.

Not everyone is in the mood.

Things have been different in Hong Kong since June 30, 2020, when Beijing imposed the national security law in response to anti-government protests that roiled the city for months the previous year, sometimes turning violent.

Hong Kong Ducks Deflated (Louise Delmotte / AP)

More than 250 people have been arrested under the legislation, including 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists who have mostly been held without bail for more than two years.

Authorities say the law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces and is punishable by life in prison, was necessary to restore stability.

The government crackdown has sent Hong Kong, long considered one of the freest societies in Asia, plummeting in rankings such as the New Zealand-based Human Rights Measurement Initiative, which said last week that the city had fallen 33% on its freedom of expression index since 2019.

Happiness is also falling, with families reporting an average score of 6.57 out of 10 compared with 7.26 in 2021, The South China Morning Post reported Wednesday, citing a recent poll by the Hong Kong Family Happiness Index, by the nonprofit group HK.WeCARE. The poll of 1,356 people also found the biggest drop was among people ages 19 to 24, whose score fell to 6.09 from 6.91 in 2022.

There is a feeling of dejection among Hong Kong residents because theyre used to having certain things and its been taken away, said Kevin Yam, a Hong Kong lawyer and democracy activist who lives in Australia.

A Happy Hong Kong campaign should be one where Hong Kong is reversing course and gets some of its freedoms back, he said.

Government authorities strongly object to such criticism, saying Hong Kong is governed by the rule of law.

In a speech on Saturday marking the 26th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to Chinese sovereignty, Chief Executive John Lee, the citys top leader, said Hong Kong was quickly returning to normalcy and that he was focused on pragmatic efforts and delivering results.

Lee, who has been in office for one year, said his government would strive to gain trust through action, narrow gaps with results, and build mutual trust through achievements, in a bid to unite all sectors of the community.

While Hong Kong is now largely stable, Lee said, we know that we are intentionally targeted and oppressed by some countries that have misjudged Chinas peaceful development.

He called for continued vigilance against destructive forces using soft resistance still lurking in the city.

Irrevocable change

It was only in March that Hong Kong lifted the last of zero-Covid restrictions that had cut it off from the world, allowing residents to venture outside without masks for the first time in more than 1,000 days.

The city has quickly shown signs of revival: Last Thursday, a public holiday, Hong Kongs iconic Dragon Boat festival races were held normally for the first time since before the pandemic.

The economy grew 2.7% in the first quarter of this year, after four consecutive quarters of contraction. Finance Secretary Paul Chan said Thursday that business activity in the catering sector and the value of Hong Kongs retail sales had both returned to about 90% of their levels before the pandemic.

Tourists are also returning, even as airlines struggle to restore flights they had slashed.

I think Hong Kong is coming back after three years of Covid, said Tony Chan, a tourist from France whose family is originally from Hong Kong. I see a lot of mainland China coming back, which is good news.

Even as the old Hong Kong comes back in some ways, in others it is changing irrevocably.

Last week, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, a polling organization, said it would cancel about a quarter of its regular survey questions and refrain from publishing the results from some others, including questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing, citing suggestions from the government.

The Hong Kong Police Force declined to comment on the institutes decision, saying residents can enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kongs mini-constitution as long as they are not in violation of the law.

The June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, which Hong Kong marked for more than 30 years with a candlelight vigil that drew tens of thousands of people, was once again a subdued affair last month as police came out in force. Victoria Park, where the annual vigils had been held, was occupied instead by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups, and for the second year in a row, the local Catholic diocese did not hold a memorial Mass.

Government officials have not said whether it is still legal to peacefully commemorate the anniversary of the crackdown, saying only that everyone must follow the law.

Hong Kong Hosts Pro-Beijing Public Event At Victoria Park (Anthony Kwan / Getty Images)

In the weeks leading up to the anniversary, Hong Kong journalists discovered that dozens of books and documentaries on politically sensitive topics, including the Tiananmen crackdown, had been pulled from public libraries.

Chief Executive Lee said libraries had a responsibility to remove books that might violate the law or spread messages that are not in the interest of Hong Kong, and that if people really wanted to read them they could buy them in stores.

And two days after the Tiananmen anniversary, the Hong Kong government said it was seeking a court injunction against anyone performing or disseminating Glory to Hong Kong, a song from the 2019 protests that contains a slogan authorities say calls for secession from China.

Officials in Hong Kong, which has never had its own national anthem, have reacted angrily in recent months after Glory to Hong Kong was mistakenly played at multiple international sporting events instead of the Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers. They also pressured Google unsuccessfully to alter its search results for Hong Kongs national anthem so that Glory to Hong Kong doesnt rank so highly.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking to reporters about the injunction June 13, Lee said the song was not compatible with the national interest and that the government had a duty to proactively and also preventively safeguard national security.

Within a day of the governments announcement, versions of Glory to Hong Kong took up the top 10 spots on Hong Kongs iTunes chart. The song disappeared from music streaming platforms such as Spotify, which said it had been pulled by the distributor, before reappearing last week.

The songs creator and distributor, DGX Music, said 2023 editions of various versions of the song had been newly uploaded on major platforms.

I firmly oppose any attempt to curb freedom of thought and speech, it said in a Facebook post June 20, vowing to defend the freedom to choose music.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Esther Wang disappeared on Tuesday at Golden Ears Park in the province of British Columbia

A Canadian teenager has been found two days after she went missing in the wilderness of a vast provincial park.

Esther Wang, 16, disappeared after she was separated from her hiking group in the 555sq km (214sq mile) Golden Ears Park in British Columbia.

Authorities launched a mammoth 54-hour search that included a helicopter, a drone and 16 search teams.

But the teen emerged uninjured from a trail on her own on Thursday.

Police said Ms Wang was recovering with her family.

"She's healthy, she's happy, she is with family. That's the best possible outcome for us," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt Wendy Mehat said in a statement.

"Esther's family has expressed sincere gratitude to all first responders and Search and Rescue groups," Supt Mehat added. "They are very thankful for this outcome and request privacy at this time."

Officials said Ms Wang emerged from the East Canyon trail on which she had initially gone missing at around 21:30 local time on Thursday (04:30 GMT Friday).

It is unclear how she was separated from her group. Local media reported that the group left a lookout point around 14:45 on Tuesday, and realised that Ms Wang was not with them around 15 minutes later.

The group leader returned to the lookout but could not find her, and so raised the alarm. A search was launched soon after.

Ms Wang was checked by emergency services, who determined that she was unharmed during the ordeal - with the exception of some mosquito bites. She was then permitted to return home with her parents.

"We're elated at the outcome of the search and Esther being returned to her family is what our objective was," search and rescue spokesperson Ryan Smith said.

"We used as many resources as we could. I'd like to thank our partner organizations, the RCMP, other first responders, the helicopter companies that assisted us in this exhaustive search."
House Republicans are grappling over whether to move forward with impeaching President Biden and a host of his top officials, putting a spotlight on how the conference has turned to impeachment as a tool to target administration officials.

Republicans disagree over how hard to push for impeachment because some are worried the efforts could backfire after the party heavily criticized Democrats for their House impeachments of former President Trump.

Heres a look at who House Republicans are targeting for impeachment, and why they are doing so.

President Biden

President Joe Biden speaks during an event about high speed internet infrastructure, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, June 26, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden speaks during a Monday event about high-speed internet infrastructure, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Its far from clear that most Republicans want to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Biden.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) introduced a procedural measure to force a floor vote on her impeachment articles, which led to internal sparring and a days-long clash between GOP leaders and the congresswoman. The House voted to punt the resolution to committees and avoid making lawmakers vote on it on the floor.

The resolution, which many Republicans deemed as premature, accused Biden of a complete and total invasion at the southern border. The resolution includes two articles related to Bidens handling of matters along the U.S.-Mexico border  one for dereliction of duty and one for abuse of power.

During the last Congress, GOP lawmakers in the minority introduced several impeachment resolutions against Biden, targeting him on immigration, the COVID pandemic and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Boeberts move was an escalation that threatened to put vulnerable moderates in the caucus in a tough spot if they had to vote on it.

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There are other voices in the GOP calling for Bidens impeachment.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told Fox News this week that congressional Republicans absolutely should look into impeachment. Her comments followed an IRS whistleblowers claims about tax crime investigations into the presidents son Hunter Biden.

But Boeberts push has been dismissed by some in her party as frivolous.

Ive got a pretty high bar for impeachment, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said last week. I fear that snap impeachments will become the norm, and they mustnt.

Attorney General Merrick Garland

Attorney General Merrick Garland

Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee answers a question during a hearing to discuss the Presidents FY 2024 budget for the Department of Justice on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Greg Nash)

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) brought up impeaching Garland this week, tying it to the Department of Justices handling of the investigations into Hunter Biden.

McCarthy said an impeachment inquiry could be warranted over alleged political bias and DOJ weaponization. The push has been fueled by an IRS whistleblowers claims, denied by Garland, that there was political interference in tax crime investigations into Hunter Biden.

Someone has lied here, McCarthy said Wednesday on Fox News. If we find that Garland has lied to Congress, we will start an impeachment inquiry.

McCarthy floats impeachment inquiry into Garland over DOJ weaponization

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed articles of impeachment against Garland last summer over the FBIs search of Trumps Mar-a-Lago property for classified and sensitive documents.

If the whistleblowers allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garlands weaponization of DOJ, McCarthy said in a tweet.

McCarthys focus on Garland is a change in how he has handled calls from Republicans to impeach other members of the Biden administration. He has vowed any impeachment proceedings would not be political.

The White House has bashed the idea of a Garland impeachment inquiry, saying it is an effort to distract from the economy and other topics top of mind for Americans.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

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)

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a March 10 news conference ahead of the lifting of Title 42. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Republicans, led by Greene and fellow Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Pat Fallon (Texas), have targeted Mayorkas with articles of impeachment over the flow of migrants at the southern border.

House Republicans have held multiple hearings focused on what they describe as Mayorkass dereliction of duty, and mishandling of border policy, pointing to surges of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that set records in 2022.

I just think that more and more people are starting to come around to the necessity to impeach the guy, Biggs said.

House GOP inches closer to Mayorkas impeachment amid discord in conference

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) recently announced the panel would kick off a formal investigation of Mayorkas as a necessary step ahead of an impeachment inquiry.

The focus on Mayorkas has drawn criticism from Democrats who believe Republicans are resorting to impeachment over what amounts to a disagreement over immigration policy.

Homeland Security also has pushed back on GOP arguments over the border while largely blaming Congress for the problems.

The push to impeach Mayorkas has also been complicated by a drop in apprehensions at the southern border in the weeks after the Biden administration ended Title 42, which had been in place since 2020 and allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants.

FBI Director Christopher Wray

FBI Director Christopher Wray

FBI Director Christopher Wray gives an opening statement during an April 27 hearing to discuss President Bidens fiscal 2023 budget request for the FBI. (Greg Nash)

Greene in May said she would target Wray and introduce articles of impeachment against him.

The congresswoman argued that Way turned the FBI into Biden and Garlands personal police force and that the FBI has intimidated, harassed, and entrapped U.S. citizens who have been deemed enemies of the Biden regime.

While citing some FBI actions that she argued show the agency overreached, Greene referred to the plot that multiple men had in 2020 plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). She noted that two of the men were acquitted after defense attorneys argued that the FBI entrapped them and convinced them to engage in the conspiracy.

She also mentioned that the FBI searched Trumps Mar-a-Lago property for classified and sensitive documents, arguing that the former president didnt break any laws. Trump has been indicted by a Miami jury over his handling of the records.

Wray is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on July 12.

The hearing comes after the Republican-led House Oversight Committee threatened to hold Wray in contempt over his initial refusal to turn over a document detailing an unverified tip that GOP lawmakers claim shows then-Vice President Bidens involvement in a bribery scheme. The panel later backed off its contempt threat.

The FBI and Justice Department as a whole have become common targets for conservatives, who have repeatedly claimed federal law enforcement is biased against Republicans and has been weaponized. Those claims have been supercharged by the federal indictment of Trump on charges over his retention of classified government documents after he left office.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley faced criticism from a fellow GOP presidential candidate after calling for the impeachment of President Biden over whistleblower claims there was intentional federal interference in the probe targeting his son Hunter.

"Somebody needs to do it," Haley told Fox News' Greg Gutfeld when asked about Congress potentially seeking to impeach Biden over the allegations as he ramps up his campaign for re-election next cycle. "If the Justice Departments not going to do it, Congress should do it. But somebody needs to do it. It smells bad all day long.

"Youre not talking about just some guy that showed up and decided to say something," Haley added, suggesting the whistleblower was a credible source.

While the presidential candidate believes immediate action should be taken against Biden, GOP candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, also in the running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, said "impeachment should not be used as a political weapon."

IRS WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS MOST SUBSTANTIVE FELONY CHARGES WERE LEFT OFF THE TABLE IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE

IRS Special Agent Gary Shapley Jr., supervisor of the Hunter Biden investigation at the IRS, revealed that during the investigation into the president's son, "we werent allowed to ask about the big guy,'" referring to a prohibition on asking witnesses questions.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Numerous reports suggest Hunter Biden referred to his father as "the big guy" in communications.

Shapley also conveyed the information in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee, where he noted Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors purposely chose not to obtain search warrants related to Hunter Biden.

NIKKI HALEY: BIDEN'S LOVE FOR HUNTER APPEARS TO BE GREATER THAN HIS LOVE FOR AMERICA

"While the whistleblower allegations are serious and must be investigated, impeachment should not be an option until the investigation shows corrupt action by the president," Hutchinson said in a press release Friday reacting to Haley's statement.

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is running in a crowded GOP field for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential race.

The Republican argued a "thorough investigation" should be conducted before there are calls for impeachment.

"Impeachment should not be used as a political weapon but reserved for serious wrongdoing," Hutchinson said. "The facts should determine what action, if any, Congress should take, and impeachment should not precede a thorough investigation."

A spokesman for Haley's campaign reiterated the former U.N. ambassador's position.

L-R: Nikki Haley, Hunter Biden and Asa Hutchinson.

"Nikki believes Congress needs to get to the bottom of whether Joe Biden committed crimes or other impeachable offenses since the Justice Department refuses to do it. That process starts with a congressional oversight investigation," said Haley spokesman Ken Farnaso.

Wyn Hornbuckle, deputy director of the Justice Department Office of Public Affairs, immediately denied Shapley's shocking claims regarding the investigation.

"As both the attorney general and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate," Hornbuckle said in a statement. "He needs no further approval to do so."

Hunter Biden and President Biden

The whistleblower came out after Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax and a separate charge for possessing a firearm while acting as an unlawful user and addict of a controlled substance.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Two men from Hanover and Marshfield were arrested after Boston officers responded to a report of larceny on Washington Street, police said.

James Cirafice, 20, of Hanover, was charged with unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, larceny from a building and possession with intent to distribute Class D substance, police said.

Ian Woodward, 23, of Marshfield, was arrested on three active warrants, police said.

James Cirafice, 20, of Hanover, was charged with unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, larceny from a building and possession with intent to distribute Class D substance, Boston Police said.

Around 3:45 p.m. Friday, officers responded to the area of 283 Washington St. for a report of a larceny in progress. Officers were given a description of the suspect, and began to canvass the area, police said.

Officers were able to locate the suspect, who was accompanied by a second suspect, police said. Both suspects were seen eating items from the restaurant that reported the larceny.

Officers saw a backpack next to the suspects, and conducted a pat frisk of the backpack. Police said officers immediately recovered a firearm and placed both suspects, later identified as Cirafice and Woodward, into handcuffs.

The firearm was later determined to be a Polymer 80 P80 Glock 17-style Ghost Gun, police said.

Cirafice and Woodward are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

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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What happened during the 1917 attacks on Black people in East St. Louis? Heres a summary

The attacks on Black East St. Louisans in May and July 1917 are commonly known as race riots, but the violence could easily be described as a massacre.

Its the term W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells and local newspapers used to describe the violence at the time, as opposed to the word riot used later by Congress when investigating the events.

Angry whites executed targeted attacks against largely defenseless Black East St. Louisans, who suffered immeasurable damage to life and property.

After an initial outbreak of violence on May 28, a white mob on July 2 perpetrated some of the most heinous violence in American history against Black residents of the city, which was mostly white at the time but where Black people had been living for decades.

Hundreds of books, articles, public hearings and first-hand accounts recorded the devastation of those attacks, but here is a summary of the events that led up to the racist attacks and their effects on Black East St. Louisans at the time.

What happened during the East St. Louis massacres?

On May 28, white labor union members attended an East St. Louis city council meeting where they complained about companies using Black workers as strikebreakers. Rumors about crimes by Black residents spread among the workers, and after the meeting, whites began attacking Black people in the streets. The mob dissipated by morning.

Fury continued to build between late May and July 1917 as rumors about Black migration and crime spread.

On the night of July 1, a group of white men drove around a Black neighborhood shooting into houses. A church bell rang alerting Black residents, and a group assembled to defend against the white assailants. After hearing the reports, police officers drove through the neighborhood in the same type of car as the assailants  a Ford Model T  and Black residents shot at the vehicle, killing two police officers.

A violent mob began gathering downtown around 10 a.m. on July 2. The mob, made up of white men and women, began attacking Black men, women and children alike. They pulled them from streetcars and beat them, shot them, threw stones at them, murdered and maimed them, hanged them from lampposts, and dumped their bodies in a nearby creek. The mob looted Black residents homes and then set them on fire.

Black residents were able to defend themselves to an extent, but without protection or help from local police or National Guard soldiers, most went into hiding and escaped across the Mississippi River to St. Louis when they had the opportunity.

The violence slowly subsided, and by Independence Day, news of the massacre had spread nationwide.

Thirty-nine Blacks and 8 whites were killed during the July massacre, according to the official count, though the NAACP estimated between 100 and 200 Blacks died. Whites caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.





What caused the massacres?

A few key elements led up to the massacres in East St. Louis: Politicians spread conspiracies about Black residents role in voter fraud. Newspapers fanned the flames of rumors about Black migrants causing crime. Local government and union leaders exaggerated the number of Black Southerners migrating to East St. Louis and their effects on the local economy.

All of the elements were tied to racism against Black residents, who had the right to live and work in East St. Louis but who white residents resented, instead of accepting.

Want to learn more? Heres some further reading.
Harvard says it may still consider race during the admissions process, citing the Supreme Court's own ruling against affirmative action

Supporters of affirmative action protest near the U.S. Supreme Court Building on Capitol Hill on June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Harvard University said it may still consider race in its admissions process.

The statement came after the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in higher education.

The court said race could still be considered in some cases.

Harvard University says it may still consider race in its admissions process despite the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action in higher education, maintaining in a statement that the decision allows schools to consider an applicant's racial background, among other factors, provided that the prospective student explains how it has impacted their life.

In a 6-3 decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court's conservative majority ruled that the long-standing practice of affirmative action was unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that schools had "concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual's identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin."

Harvard, a private university in Massachusetts, said it intends to follow the court's ruling. But it noted that the decision still allows it to consider race, among other factors. As Roberts wrote: "Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise."

In its statement, Harvard argued that a diverse student body provides a superior learning environment. "Because the teaching, learning, research, and creativity that bring progress and change require debate and disagreement, diversity and difference are essential to academic excellence," said the statement, attributed to school leadership.

But the school could still run into legal trouble, The New York Times noted. Although Roberts did allow for race to be discussed during the admissions process, he also wrote that "universities may not simply establish through the application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today."

Harvard's statement did not, however, address its continued reliance on legacy admissions.

In 2021, the editorial board of The Harvard Crimson, a student-run publication, noted that the school's admission rate was just 6 percent for all applicants between 2014 and 2019  but 33 percent for the children of Harvard alumni, a system that it argued "almost exclusively privileges the wealthy and white."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Head of the State Border Service checked Kharkiv Oblast areas bordering Russia

The head of the State Border Service, Serhii Deineko, inspected the positions on the areas of Kharkiv Oblast bordering Russia.

Source: State Border Service

Details: It is noted that he checked the state borderlines cover and defence capabilities, heard reports of unit leaders and talked to fighters.

Deineko noted that this front remains difficult and important.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Here's What NASA Pays to Be Locked in a Mars Simulator for a Year

Martian Wage

Four individuals have agreed to be sequestered inside a 1,700-square-foot simulated Mars habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center to study what it would be like to live on the Red Planet and how humans can learn to cope in that extreme environment.

During their 378-day stay, which officially kicked off earlier this week, they'll have a surprisingly busy schedule, including a strict exercise regimen as well as a lengthy list of duties, from performing simulated spacewalks to growing crops.

In other words, it's a demanding job that's bound to be tough on the crew of four.

But they're not losing just over a year of their lives without being compensated. NASA is paying each participant $10 per hour for all waking hours, the Houston Chronicle reports, which adds up to just over $60,000 for the entire 378-day mission.

All things considered, that seems a little low for such a strenuous gig  but then again, it's all for the good of humanity's interplanetary future.

Learning to Cope

The crew includes research scientist Kelly Haston, structural engineer Ross Brockwell, emergency medicine physician Nathan Jones, and US Navy microbiologist Anca Selariu.

"Its definitely going to be challenging," Brockwell told the Chronicle, "but thats why were doing this. How we learn to cope with that is some of the most important information theyre going to get out of this study."

Jones, however, was worried about something else entirely.

"Somethings going to break at my home with my family, like the lawnmower or something, and Im not going to be there to fix it," he told the newspaper. "I think its going to be easy to get homesick when that happens."

Meanwhile, Haston is excited about the prospect of actually getting her hands dirty.

"Being a scientist and also the test subject is actually a really unique and cool position to be in," she told the Chronicle.

More on the mission: NASA Locks Test Subjects Inside Simulated Mars Base
Donald Trump defended political ally Lindsey Graham after a crowd of supporters at a campaign rally booed the South Carolina senator in his home state Saturday.

Graham was met with resounding boos when he spoke before Trump at the event in Pickens, S.C. But when Trump took the stage later in the afternoon, the former president urged his supporters to accept Graham as an asset in his bid for reelection in 2024.

Were going to love him, Trump said of Graham. I know it's half and half, but when I need some of those liberal votes, hes always there to help me get them. Weve got some pretty liberal people, but hes good. We know the good ones.

Trump said he would have to work on these people later in the speech after supporters continued to boo at the mention of Grahams name. Trump then lauded Graham for endorsing him for president early on after he declared his 2024 candidacy, promising supporters that he would get Graham straightened up and offering to campaign for him in South Carolina.



Hes there when you need him, Trump added.

Graham has a spotty record of loyalty to Trump, calling him a nutjob, a loser and a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot during Trumps 2016 campaign for president. Graham went on to become a fierce ally of Trump during his presidency, although his support for Trump faltered again when he criticized participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Recently, however, Graham has aligned himself with Trump once more, endorsing his 2024 presidential candidacy and betting former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) $20 that Trump would beat President Joe Biden in the general election. Last month, Graham said Trump was "stronger today politically than he was before" after the former president was indicted on charges relating to the storage of classified documents retained from his time as president in his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Graham waited several minutes for the crowd to stop booing him after he appeared at Saturday's rally, sarcastically thanking the crowd and urging them to "calm down for a second" so he could voice his support for Trump.

It took a while to get there folks, but let me tell you what happened, Graham said Saturday. Ive come to like President Trump, and he likes himself, and weve got that in common. And Im going to help him become president of the United States.
This article was originally published by St. Louis Public Radio, a BND content partner.

On the 106th anniversary of the East St. Louis Race Massacre, two historical societies will dedicate a marker this weekend to commemorate it.

Located at Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles East St. Louis campus, the new marker from the state will be unveiled by the East St. Louis and Illinois State historical societies in a Sunday ceremony. Event organizers say its important to understand what happened and how it shaped the region.

This is critical information that needs to be shared throughout that community, Jaye Willis, director of the East St. Louis Historical Society, said Thursday during an appearance on St. Louis on the Air. Not just for the people that live there, but the people who educate people who live there.

Even though the legacy of the 1917 massacre will forever be instilled in the citys history, some East St. Louisans say many in the area dont know enough about it.

Its critical that this should be known in our schools, said Reginald Petty, an 87-year-old East St. Louis resident whose grandfather told him stories about the massacre. It should be a part of the school curriculum.

The location of the marker is not random. Historians, like William Shannon, executive director of the St. Clair Historical Society, said some of the worst events in 1917 occurred in the neighborhood where the college campus currently sits.

Shannon said he also agrees with Willis and Petty: Even though the details of the story are difficult to hear, they are an important part of remembering the regions history and the Civil Rights Movement.

To get that understanding, youre going to have to go to some tough places, Shannon said.

White rioters, upset that industrial leaders hired Black workers to replace striking white workers, lynched, shot and burned innocent Black men, women and children. The rioters burned homes and drove hundreds of Black families from the town.

Although the official death toll stands at 48, many historians now believe hundreds died over the two-day riot in early July.

This marker is not the only in the city to remember the massacre. In 2017, on the 100th anniversary, local historians and community members put together 26 other historical markers throughout East St. Louis.

Representatives of the historical societies welcome all to the free community commemoration on Sunday. The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will take place at 601 James R. Thompson Blvd.
Holy smokes: It's going to be a hazy shade of summer in central Pennsylvania: live updates

South-central Pennsylvania has been dealing with smoky skies and unhealthy air pollution as wildfires continue to burn in Canada.

Thursday will be a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, and it includes York and Lebanon counties, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

It citing ozone concentrations as the culprit. That's when airborne chemicals, such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, react with sunlight, a news release states.

The high ozone concentrations are mostly caused by car exhaust and industrial air emissions, but wildfire smoke can contribute to it, the release states.

Friday was a red alert day

The state Department of Environmental Protection updated its declaration on Friday afternoon, now making it a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for the entire Commonwealth, a news release states.

The air is unhealthy for sensitive people, such as the elderly, young children and those with respiratory problems, and they should avoid outdoor activities. Others should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

The department had said it would be a Code Orange Day but the smoky conditions are persisting.

York and Lebanon counties remain in the unhealthy red zone.

As of noon today, the air quality index was 171, according to AirNow. The scale runs from zero to 500, and the hazardous conditions fall into 301 to 500 range.

AirNow shows that much of the state is in the red zone this morning for air quality.

The air quality is expected to be moderate on Saturday, according to AirNow.

The poor air quality has prompted a concert at Lebanon Valley College to be moved indoors tonight, according to a news release. The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra now will perform in the Blair Music Center on campus.

The free patriotic-themed concert starts at 8 p.m. and is open to the public.

How to check the current air quality in your area

AirNow is run by government agencies and gives residents information on the current conditions in their area.

People can just type in their zip code or city and state to get the latest information.

Central Pa. experienced 'some of the worst ever' air quality

A few weeks ago, the region experienced hazardous air quality from the wildfires.

At that time, the air quality index for York and Lebanon counties was 457, one of the highest levels.

It isn't clear if it was the worst air quality the region has experienced historically, but it was "some of the worst ever," said Neil Shader, state DEP director of communications.

"Certainly highest in over two decades if youre looking for a comparison point," he said in an email.

It's hazy in York, seen from Reservoir Park, from the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

Unhealthy air quality in central Pennsylvania could last for months

Residents in south-central Pennsylvania as well as many parts of the country can expect the smoke to stick around for much of the summer.

If it isn't the smoke, it will be the heat and humidity, meteorologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Weather Prediction Center told the Associated Press. It's a result of the 235 out-of-control Canadian wildfires and a stuck weather pattern.

Pick your poison, said prediction center forecast operations chief Greg Carbin. The conditions are not going to be very favorable.

As long as those fires keep burning up there, thats going to be a problem for us, he said. As long as theres something to burn, there will be smoke we have to deal with.

Did you take a photo of the smoky skies?

People are sharing photographs of the disappearing skylines because of the smoky skies.

Have you taken a photograph of the skies in your community in York and Lebanon counties? You can share them by sending an email to news@ydr.com. Please include your name and location where the picture was taken.

Take these steps to protect your lungs

The American Lung Association offers tips for people to avoid lung irritation and health complications from the air pollution.

They are:

Stay indoors. Avoid breathing smoke, ashes or other pollution.

Protect the air in your home . Keep doors, windows, and fireplace dampers shut. If you can, keep clean air circulating through air conditioners on the recirculation setting.

Keep an eye on symptoms. Breathing can be more difficult. Contact your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms.

Take precautions for children. Precautions should be taken for children and teens whose lungs are still developing and breathe in more air for their size than adults.

Ask for help. Call the association's lung helpline with questions, including how to protect yourself. It is staffed by nurses and respiratory therapists. The number is 1-800-LUNGUSA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Smoke from Canadian wildfires will leave hazy skies in central Pa.
Hong Kong's leader John Lee says the city must guard against "destructive forces" as it marked the 26th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule (MAY JAMES)

Hong Kong's leader said the city must guard against "destructive forces engaging in soft resistance" as it marked the 26th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule on Saturday.

Britain ceded the long-time colony to China in 1997 under a 50-year governance model known as "one country, two systems", which guaranteed key freedoms and a measure of autonomy.

These rights -- such as the freedom of assembly -- set Hong Kong apart from the mainland, and July 1 was once a day of demonstrations for the city's outspoken civil society.

But following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019, China imposed a sweeping national security law that -- when combined with legal changes putting "patriots" in charge -- effectively stamped out most forms of dissent from Hong Kong life.

On Saturday, ex-security chief turned leader John Lee said Hong Kong was "largely stable" now, but was still being targeted by countries that oppose China's rise.

"There are also destructive forces engaging in soft resistance hidden within Hong Kong," Lee said during a speech at an event marking the anniversary.

"Therefore, we must remain alert and take the initiative ourselves to protect national security."

He also said the finance hub -- whose economy was pummelled by pandemic-related border closures that left it internationally isolated -- was on the "fast lane to resuming normality".

"Over the past year, the government has led Hong Kong out from the shadow of the pandemic, cultivating confidence and hope amid a difficult experience," Lee said, adding that he expected GDP to grow "around 3.5 to 5.5 percent" in 2023.

Responsible for spearheading Hong Kong's security response to the 2019 protests, Lee was sworn in as the city's leader on July 1 last year after running for the post unopposed and with Beijing's backing.

Hong Kong stuck with China's zero-Covid strategy for nearly three years, even as other economies were reopening, with strict pandemic curbs hurting businesses and sparking a talent exodus.

Still, health experts said the city saw some of the world's highest coronavirus death rates -- mostly due to low vaccination, especially among the jab-hesitant elderly -- when the super-contagious Omicron variant breached its defences in late 2021.

- Activists warned -

The quiet streets of Hong Kong on Saturday were a far cry from previous years, when hundreds of thousands of residents would take part in a march to air their political and social grievances.

Police said they received no applications for public processions on Saturday.

Local media reported that more than 6,000 police officers were deployed around the city to ensure order.

Five activists told AFP that they were "reminded" by authorities not to stage any protests on July 1 or in the lead-up to the anniversary.

The conversations took place in police stations and were brief, said two of the activists, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

An elderly man who held up a placard in the Causeway Bay shopping district calling for the release of political prisoners was quickly surrounded by police and escorted away on Saturday afternoon.

"I would feel uncomfortable if I hadn't come out (to protest)," he told reporters.

Since the national security law took effect, scores of opposition figures have been jailed, disqualified from office or have moved abroad.

Critics, including many Western powers, say Beijing has effectively discarded its promise to maintain Hong Kong's autonomy.

But both mainland and Hong Kong officials have defended the security law and legal changes as necessary to restore order and insist that civil liberties remain intact.

Local officials, meanwhile, have tried to project a celebratory mood for the anniversary by offering restaurant discounts, museum ticket giveaways and free public transport.

A visitor from mainland China who gave her surname as Liang said she felt Hong Kong was on the upswing, adding that the city retained its appeal as a shopping and cultural hub.

"It's very packed everywhere and people feel festive," said Liang, who was in the queue at a contemporary art museum.

"I think this is the right way to celebrate Hong Kong's return to the motherland."

hol/sco
Democrats in the Delaware House of Representatives passed a GOP-backed bill that would allow LLCs and other artificial entities to vote in Seaford elections, leading Republicans to approve major spending bills on the last day of the legislative year.

Just the night before, when this Seaford charter first failed, House Republicans threatened to block the bond and grants-in-aid bills. Both spending bills require a three-fourths majority, allowing the minority party to have some leverage in the final hours of the session.

Yet on June 30, there was no fight. Instead, compliments and hugs were exchanged among lawmakers. The House, in quick succession Friday afternoon, passed House Bill 121  the Seaford bill  and then passed the bond and grants-in-aid bills.

But the Senate did not vote on the Seaford charter Friday.

INSIDE LEGISLATIVE HALL: House GOP kills $1.4 billion bond bill after effort to allow LLCs in Seaford to vote fails

House Democrats agreed to pass the Seaford charter in order to avoid a stalemate on hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects, police departments and fire stations  since those spending bills are most important for lawmakers to pass each year.

Unfortunately, House Republicans held up this critical funding bill, jeopardizing thousands of projects across the state, newly elected House Speaker Valerie Longhurst said in a statement.

We as the majority party dont feel its appropriate making statements in the press about not caring about preventing Delawares infrastructure from crumbling. We dont get to take the capital budget hostage over a controversial bill rather than listening to the opposition. We have the responsibility and burden of governing.

The responsible thing to do

On Thursday night, the Republicans walked out of the House chamber in protest.

The Seaford charter, sponsored by Rep. Danny Short, a Republican representing Seaford, failed to reach its required two-thirds vote. GOP House lawmakers, shortly after, refused to vote on most of the remaining bills on Thursdays agenda.

House Minority Leader Mike Ramone said Thursday night that his caucus would not vote on any bill until Democrats pass HB 121. Republicans, he said, would also continue to up their demands the longer it takes to pass the Seaford bill.

The Seaford charter is not the only one of its kind: A number of municipalities allow LLCs and artificial entities to vote in certain elections. Even more towns and cities allow nonresident property owners to vote in elections.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, (left) and House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear in 2020

Proponents of this charter say business owners have a right to have a say in local issues, and it could incentivize businesses to invest in Seaford, the largest Sussex County city. Supporters also point to how the General Assembly regularly approves local charters, since it originated from the local governments.

Yet many have come out against the charter, fearing it prioritizes corporations over the will of Delawareans. Forty voting rights organizations and advocacy groups urged lawmakers in a June 20 letter to vote no on the bill. It includes the ACLU of Delaware, YWCA Delaware and Delaware Center for Justice.

Claire Snyder-Hall, executive director of Common Cause Delaware, said she is horrified and disappointed that this bill passed.

Democratic leadership had previously expressed uneasiness about the legislation, but ultimately supported it on Friday. It was the first bill the House voted on.

BACKGROUND: If Seaford gets its way, these corporations and LLCs could be voting in the next election

One thing we do in the state of Delaware is we try to collaborate and work across the aisle. When you caucus, you try to have those conversations, said Longhurst, House speaker.

The first round, sometimes it doesn't work, she said in an interview. People have to digest what the bill did, go back to their constituents and that's what they did.

Longhurst said the budget, bond and grants-in-aids bills will always be the top concern.

Those are always our priorities; they will always be our priorities, she said. Legislation comes after that, but that's why we're here.

Only six lawmakers voted against the bill on Friday: Reps. Paul Baumbach, Nnamdi Chukwuocha, Sherry Dorsey Walker, Larry Lambert, Sophie Phillips and Sherae'a Moore.

State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, left, and state Sen. Marie Pinkney speak as more than 300 people protest for abortion rights at Wilmington's Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park on Saturday afternoon, May 14, 2022.

Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, one of the Democrats who changed her vote to yes, said she left Legislative Hall on Thursday night resigned to the fact that she will vote for the charter  a bill she said she hates.

But she did not want the bond bill or grants-in-aid funding to be in jeopardy for everyday Delawareans. Wilson-Anton said she was told the bill would not be voted on in the Senate, which is why she felt comfortable voting for it Friday.

That's the responsible thing to do in this situation, she said of prioritizing the spending bills. And it stinks. Honestly, it felt like a hostage situation.

Gov. John Carney, in a brief interview Friday morning, said the idea of the legislation makes him a little bit uncomfortable.

But the Seaford people, they want that for their community, the governor said. I kind of give some deference to them in that respect.

In addition to the Seaford charter, the House Republicans also notched another win Thursday afternoon: The chamber narrowly passed House Bill 123, which would require the General Assembly to give approval to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to implement any regulations restricting the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered cars, trucks and SUVs.

Ramone, the minority leader, said Thursday night that the passage of this bill would be another condition for Republicans to support the bond bill.

Just after the Seaford charter vote, Ramone briefly spoke on the floor.

We're very grateful, he said, that our colleague was able to rerun the bill despite some of the antics that went on in the last 24 hours.

Whats in the bond bill and grants-in-aid?

The $1.4 billion bond bill, one of the largest in state history, will fund construction and infrastructure projects throughout the state.

The largest portion of $354 million will go to road projects, with a focus on those that are in the poorest condition.

Here are other items the bill will fund:

$200 million for school construction projects in the following districts: Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Colonial, Milford, New Castle County Vo-Tech and Sussex Tech school districts

$177 million for maintenance, roof replacement and other improvement at various state facilities

$60 million for improvements at the University of Delaware, Delaware State University and Delaware Technical Community College

$44 million for maintenance at correctional facilities

$34 million for the Kent and Sussex Family Courthouses

$24 million for the Riverfront Development Corp., Frawley Stadium and park and neighborhood improvements

$20 million for improvements at these parks: Bellevue State Park, White Clay Creek Nature Center, Killens Pond Water Park, the Fort Miles Museum, Lums Pond, Fort Delaware, a Cape Henlopen boardwalk project and Trap Pond dock repairs

The grants-in-aid legislation makes up a total of $72 million in funding. It includes:

$22.7 million for organizations in the following areas: substance use disorder treatment, the arts, tourism and community services

$16 million for ongoing paramedic operations in all three counties, with an additional $1 million for each county.

$10 million for fire and ambulance companies for maintenance of their trucks, ambulances and rescue boats

$9.9 million for senior centers

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware spending bills pass after House Democrats OK LLC voting bill
Hudson High School Chamber Choir at St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

Under the leadership of high school choir director, Mr. Jacob Moore, 24 members of the Hudson High School Chamber Choir toured Ireland from June 16-25. Hudson graduate James Wilson (2019) accompanied the choir on piano.

Performances were promoted at Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, St. Marys Church of Ireland in Killarney, St. Multose Church in Kinsale, and the grand St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin. As well as performing in several concerts, the choir members also had many impromptu performances while visiting different locations around the country, including Blarney Castle, Muckross Abbey, and Taylors Three Rock.

Hudson High School Chamber Choir in the mountains near Dingle, Ireland

The group, which also included parent chaperones and Hudson City School staff members, enjoyed plenty of sightseeing and photo opportunities between performances.

Hudson High School Chamber Choir Director Jacob Moore at Blarney Castle

When asked what he'll remember most about this experience, Jacob Moore responded, "Ever since my arrival at HHS in 2015 I had been looking forward to traveling internationally with the HHS Chamber Choir, but little did I know just how rewarding this experience would be. To be able to tour Ireland for 10 days, see all of the sights, and perform in such world renowned venues like St. Patrick's are things that I wont soon forget! However, my absolute favorite part of the trip was to see the camaraderie that continued to grow amongst the students. They were making lifelong memories while performing with one another and this was a clear indication of the bond that is shared between musicians of all ages. To witness the students love and admiration for singing and for one another is what I will take away most from this trip. I cannot wait to continue to offer these types of opportunities to future choir students at Hudson High School!"

The Chamber Choir would also like to thank members of the Hudson community for their support and words of encouragement while they were abroad. All are invited to the Hudson High School Choir Concert on Tuesday, October 17th at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: The Hudson High School Chamber Choir gets a chance to explore Ireland
Hundreds Of Sick Or Dead Sea Lions And Dolphins Are Washing Up On California Beaches

Wildlife officials in Southern California have been inundated over the past month with reports of sick or dead sea lions and dolphins stranded on the beaches.

Experts believe that a toxic algae bloom is poisoning the marine mammals.

Its completely overwhelming, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stranding coordinator Justin Greenman told CNN. He called the surge of affected animals one of the largest in memory.

Sea lions being treated for symptoms believed to be related to a deadly algal bloom the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro, California on June 27.

Sea lions being treated for symptoms believed to be related to a deadly algal bloom the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro, California on June 27.

Ruth Dover, co-founder of Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, told The Guardian in an article published this week that her nonprofit is receiving more than 300 reports a day about animals in need of help.

At least 100 dolphins and 100 sea lions have been found dead, and hundreds more have been found sickened as an apparent result of eating an algae called pseudo-nitzschia.

Marine mammal rescue groups believe the algae, which produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, is causing the sickness and death. Though scientists are still working to confirm the algae is the cause, NOAA spokesperson Michael Milsten told CNN that the phenomenon has all the hallmarks of an algal bloom.

Sea lions in recovery at the Marine Mammal Care Center.

Sea lions in recovery at the Marine Mammal Care Center.

Warming waters as a result of climate change can contribute to algae growth. Though in this case, Milstein said the primary cause appears to be coastal upwelling  a process that happens when winds push surface waters offshore and deeper water, in turn, gets pulled upwards. That deeper water tends to be rich in nutrients, creating conditions for an algal bloom.

Symptoms of eating the algae include seizures, dehydration and aggressive or lethargic behavior, according to Los Angeles Marine Mammal Care Center, which has set up an emergency clinic for the growing number of affected animals.

Treatment typically includes hydrating the animals with fluids, administering anti-seizure medication and ensuring they get proper nutrition as they recover.

Sea lions mothers and their pups being treated at the. Marine Mammal Care Center.

Sea lions mothers and their pups being treated at the. Marine Mammal Care Center.

In a few instances, sick sea lions have also bitten beachgoers. At least two beaches in Southern California were temporarily closed earlier this week after biting incidents, and there have been a handful of additional biting reports.

Its not like this is a rabid sea lion running down the beach chasing people and biting them, Dr. Alissa Deming of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center told The Los Angeles Times.

Its more that sick animals are reactive if someone gets too close.

Theyre either running into surfers if theyre seizing erratically and accidentally biting them, she said. If someone touches them, they can be hyper-reactive and reflexively fly their head back. Its not like theyre attacking  theyre in a comatose state, and if theyre spooked or bump into something, they may bite.

She said that humans should be careful to give plenty of space to sea lions and keep any dogs on a leash.

Related...
Vacationers visiting Southern California beaches this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming site: hundreds of sick sea lions recovering on the sand.

Federal and California scientists suspect that the stranding is the result of dangerous levels of a plankton-based toxin in the waters far offshore  which accumulate as a deadly neurotoxin in the bodies of apex predators, such as dolphins and sea lions.

So far, state and federal officials have counted more than 100 dead dolphins, and more than 500 sick and dying California sea lions, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

We just have a lot of animals coming ashore, said Justin Viezbicke, the Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator for NOAA.

We have more than a hundred dolphins onshore  and most of those have come ashore dead, Vizbecke said, noting that the dolphins that washed ashore alive had died soon after. He added that Southern California has also seen hundreds of sea lions coming ashore.

Sea lions are washing up dead too, he said  though the surviving ones are doing marginally better than the dolphins.

The stranding event is the most severe in terms of environmental impacts over a geographic area of the last 20 years, Clarissa Anderson of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography told reporters.

The number of washed-up animals has area rescue facilities in the greater Los Angeles area so overstretched that once their capacity is full, the recovering sea lions are being left on the beach, Viezbecke said.

Theres unfortunately no other option given the current number of animals that are coming up, he added.

With the holiday weekend coming up, local authorities have set up sea lion rest areas on the areas beaches. The areas provide a space for the injured and ill animals to recover, but also serve as a way to protect beachgoers from any potential attack.

With this neurotoxin, [sea lions] are not acting normally, Viezbecke told reporters. So we really want to try to avoid those human-animal interactions.

Sick sea lions have bitten several surfers in Southern California in the past week, according to KTLA.

Scientists current theory  which they hope to confirm by early next week  is that the animals are being sickened by Domoic acid.

That toxin is the source of Amnesic Shellfish Poison (ASP)  which humans can catch from eating shellfish

The shellfish, however, are just a conduit. The toxin comes from their food: tiny Pseudo-nitzschia algae that brew it up within their tiny bodies  likely as a means of defense, according to a 2018 study.

That contamination gets more and more serious the larger a predator is, Anderson said.

Small fish are feeding on [Pseudo-nitzschia], and those fish get fed upon by larger fish, she explained. And as you work your way up the food web to the top predators  marine mammals  you start to see this bio accumulation that leads to these top predators becoming the most sick.

At the threshold sea lions are currently experiencing, Domoic acid causes seizures, brain damage, and death in marine mammals, according to a NOAA fact sheet.

The die-off gives a grim insight into the hidden world far off Californias coasts  suggesting that the mechanism causing stranding is more complex than scientists had thought, Anderson said.

Massive marine heat waves in 2015 and 2016 led to similar  though less severe  Domoic acid die off.

But scientists now believe that they had been missing a key piece: that hot temperatures had to combine with an upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean  the fertilizer that the heat-loving algae convert into a massive bloom.

Diatoms, she suggested, play a complex role in Californias coastal ecology.

Theyre part of what makes our ecosystem beautiful, she said. But they can turn toxic.

Beachgoers who see distressed sea lions on the beach should give them space  not least because that can help the sick animals recover, Viezbecke said.

These animals that are out on the beach, while theyre laying there, their bodies are actually over time working through this neurotoxin, he continued. Not all of the animals are going to get up and walk away from this  but some of those animals will have a much better chance if we give them space.

If people stress out the sick animals, Viezbecke said, its just gonna be harder recuperation time for them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A lawyer for Hunter Biden blasted two IRS whistleblowers who claimed there was political interference in the investigation into the presidents son in a scathing letter to the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday.

Biden attorney Abbe Lowell slammed Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), alleging that the committees decision to release the testimony of the two IRS agents last week was an obvious ploy to feed the misinformation campaign to harm our client, Hunter Biden, as a vehicle to attack his father, according to the letter obtained by Axios.

Gary Shapley, an IRS supervisory special agent, claimed in an interview with the House Ways and Means Committee that Biden received preferential treatment and that the Justice Department slow-walked its investigation into the presidents son.

Two days before the committee released the transcripts, Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor offenses for failing to pay income taxes in 2017 and 2018, in addition to entering into a pretrial diversion agreement on a separate charge of unlawful possession of a firearm while addicted to a controlled substance.

Lowell criticized Smith in Fridays letter for improperly releasing tax and investigation information and disseminating incomplete half-truths, distortions, and totally unnecessary detail about Biden.

It is no secret these interviews were orchestrated recitations of mischaracterized and incomplete facts by disgruntled agents who believed they knew better than the federal prosecutors who had all the evidence as they conducted their five-year investigation of Mr. Biden, Lowell said.

In the wake of the accusations by the IRS whistleblowers, Attorney General Merrick Garland has maintained that the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney overseeing the case, David Weiss, had full authority to decide what charges to bring against the presidents son.

After Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) floated the idea of an impeachment inquiry into Garland, the White House slammed House Republicans, suggesting that they were desperate to distract from their economic agenda.

Smith, alongside House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), requested interviews with more than a dozen individuals involved in the Biden investigation on Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
It has now been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of legal abortion access. We recently returned from the White House, where 47 red-state lawmakers met to discuss strategies to protect reproductive rights. As we compared notes, it was jarring to realize that even among red states, Idaho is the worst in America for womens reproductive rights.

Here are the facts:

Many red states have 6 or 12 week bans. Idahos is a total ban with no health exception. Abortion is only permitted to prevent certain death  organ loss, infertility, paralysis and potential death dont qualify. In 2023, a bill permitting abortion for life-threatening conditions was blocked.

Idaho allows no exception for fatal fetal anomalies. Where a fetus has no skull, no brain, or otherwise no possibility of survival after birth, a woman is forced to carry to term.

Idaho is the only state to criminalize transporting a minor to another state for a legal abortion.

Idaho is the only state where doctors have been threatened with criminal penalties for simply telling patients they can seek abortion in another state.

Idaho is the only state with a total abortion ban that does not provide 12 months of postpartum maternal Medicaid coverage.

Idaho is the only state without a maternal mortality review committee. GOP legislators shut it down this year. Our abortion laws are likely to lead to more womens deaths, and apparently legislators didnt want a committee collecting that data.

The fallout from these cruel laws has been dire and will impact far more than just women seeking abortions. Since Roe was overturned last year, two hospitals shut down labor and delivery services, weve lost almost half our fetal-maternal medicine specialists, and 73 of 117 ob-gyn doctors surveyed are considering leaving Idaho because of its abortion laws.

Unsurprisingly, doctors dont want to practice where they might face prison time for treating a hemorrhaging patient. For a state already short of doctors, this loss of providers jeopardizes the health of all Idahoans.

No other legislators we met at the White House had seen such drastic impacts on health care access in their state. Idahos laws are the worst in America, and the effects have followed suit.

The infuriating irony of Idahos abortion laws is that people who want children are the ones most damaged. Pregnancy isnt perfect. Complications happen, and denying a woman a necessary abortion during an unsafe pregnancy may cause permanent loss of fertility, forever shutting down hopes of motherhood. Idahos current laws make mitigating complications hard and sometimes impossible.

Pregnancy should be celebrated, and pregnant people protected. Right now in Idaho, thats not the case. Pregnant people are at the whim of lawmakers who overwhelmingly have no medical training and systematically ignore input from doctors. While Idahos extreme abortion laws have proven very helpful to politicians seeking wins in closed GOP primaries, they have brought great harm to women and health care access in Idaho.

Idaho Statesman polling shows the public opposes Idahos abortion laws, with 85% supporting health exceptions, 61% opposing criminal penalties for doctors, and a slight majority supporting legal abortion generally. Very few non-politicians think Idahos current law is a good idea.

Remember, you are the bosses. Speak up to legislators and vote. Idaho women should not be doomed to the worst reproductive health access in America. Our laws can be fixed, and we are here to help. Democratic legislators will work tirelessly to restore and protect womens safety, and with a nudge from you, our GOP colleagues may someday join us.

Idaho Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, represents legislative District 18, and Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, represents legislative District 19.
The incredible story of Rhoda Mary Abbott, the only female passenger who went down with the Titanic and survived that partly inspired Kate Winslet's character in the film

Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater in "Titanic" 20th Century Fox

Rhoda Mary Abbott was the only female passenger to go down with the Titanic and survive.

Kate Winslet's character in the 1997 film was reportedly a nod to Abbott.

But unlike Rose, Abbott was a third-class passenger traveling with two sons.

"Titanic" is heading to Netflix on July 1, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Public interest in the 1912 shipwreck has recently been reignited after five men who traveled to see the ship's wreckage in a submersible were killed in a catastrophic implosion.

The 1997 film shows the events that led up to the ship sinking and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose, a fictional couple who fell in love on the Titanic. As Insider previously reported, the film's director James Cameron made dozens of visits to the Titanic wreckage before filming.

Debris from the Titanic shipwreck, at a depth of 12,500 ft. Image taken in July 2022. Alan Stern

But many people may not know that Winslet's character paid tribute to a real-life survivor of the shipwreck, Rhoda Mary Abbott. Like Rose in the film, Abbott was the only female passenger who went down with the Titanic and survived, according to The Providence Journal.

Abbott stayed on the ship for her two sons

Abbott's name after the accident was often wrongly printed as "Rosa" because it was misspelled on the passenger manifest, the publication reports.

But unlike Rose, Abbott was a third-class passenger on the Titanic and was traveling with her two sons, Rossmore, 16, and Eugene, 13. Although she was given the opportunity to enter a lifeboat when the ship started sinking, Abbott stayed behind as she feared her sons were too old to be given a spot on board, the outlet added.

After the ship went down, Abbott was able to make her way to the last lifeboat. But her sons didn't survive, The Providence Journal reports. Amy Stanley, a third-class passenger who was friends with Abbott, later recalled what she had been told of Abbott's final moments with her sons.

"She told me that she would get in the lifeboat if there hadn't been so many people around," Stanley is reported to have said.

She added that Abott's sons stayed with her on a piece of wreckage in the ocean until they died.

"The youngest went first then the other son went. She grew numb and cold and couldn't remember when she got on the Carpathia," Stanley said.

Rose's character was also inspired by a notable figure in history. According to Screen Rant, Cameron once said Rose was inspired by Beatrice Wood, an artist, actress, and wealthy socialite, and he read her memoir during the filming of the movie.

Although Wood was never a passenger on the Titanic, she was known to have traveled around Europe and North America, Screen Rant reports.

Meanwhile, DiCaprio's character wasn't inspired by anyone in particular. However, while there was no Jack Dawson on board, Cameron discovered that there was a Joseph Dawson after writing the script, the publication added.

Read the original article on Insider
The International African American Museum has opened up in South Carolina.

The IAAM opened to the public on June 27 after several celebrations and community events. The museums nine distinct galleries show how enslaved and free Africans shaped economic, political, and cultural development.

The project took over 20 years of planning.

ALSO READ: Museum officials worry possible loss of funding is connected to controversial exhibit

After decades of planning and hard work, we were thrilled to officially open IAAM to the public earlier this week, said Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of IAAM in a release.

Some of the galleries in the museum include the Transatlantic Experience, the Atlantic Worlds Gallery, the South Carolina Connections Gallery, the International African American Museum, the American Journeys Gallery, the Carolina Gold Gallery, the African Roots Gallery, The Theater, and the Special Exhibitions Gallery.

The Ford Motor Company Fund and Bank of America helped fund the exhibit.

You can find more information about the museum by clicking here.

(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte golf legend leaves behind legacy, paving the way for Black players)
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley says he was prevented from 'investigative steps' in Hunter Biden probe

Correction: The headline of a previous version of this story on IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley misspelled his name.Gary Shapley, the IRS whistleblower who oversaw part of the agency's investigation into the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, said on Tuesday that his inquiry was prevented from following certain leads that could have potentially led investigators to the current president.

Shapley, a current IRS agent who has worked for more than 14 years with the agency, made the additional allegations in an interview with CBS News more than one week after Hunter Biden struck a deal with U.S. Attorney David Weiss to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of tax evasion and resolve a federal firearm offense.

House Republicans criticized the plea deal as a "slap on the wrist" and pledged to continue their investigations into the president, his son, and allegations of interference by government agencies during the investigation into Hunter Biden.

President Biden, however, denied on Monday ever lying about speaking with Hunter Biden about his business dealings.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden expressed personal support for their son in a statement released by the White House after Hunter Biden's plea deal was announced earlier this month.

"The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life, White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement. We will have no further comment."

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, speaks to guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 18, 2022, in Washington.

Here is what you need to know about the IRS whistleblower's new allegations:

Allegations that the investigation was blocked from pursuing leads

Shapley said the investigation he oversaw into Hunter Biden was conducted in an irregular manner and would have ended differently for someone who did not have Biden's connections.

"If this was any other person, they likely would have already served their sentence," Shapley said.

He also alleged that while former President Donald Trump was in office, Shapley's team was prevented from taking further measures that could have brought the investigation to Hunter Biden's father, the sitting U.S. president.

"There are certain investigative steps that we weren't allowed to take that could have led us to President Biden," Shapley added. "We needed to take them."

Shapley also claimed that the investigation into Hunter Biden should have resulted in additional charges, including felony counts.

"There were personal expenses that were taken as business expenses," he said. "Prostitutes, sex club memberships, hotel rooms for purported drug dealers."

More: Hunter Biden settles child support case in Arkansas, will give daughter multiple paintings

The GOP-controlled House is investigating Biden's treatment

The House Ways and Means Committee, which has been leading an inquiry into potential interference during the IRS investigation into Hunter Biden, publicly released testimony on June 22 from two IRS whistleblowers who worked on the Biden case.

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, said in a statement that the whistleblowers "describe how the Biden Justice Department intervened and overstepped in a campaign to protect the son of Joe Biden by delaying, divulging, and denying an ongoing investigation into Hunter Bidens alleged tax crimes."

Smith also indicated that his committee will continue its investigation into Hunter Biden and whether President Biden may be implicated in any interference.

"If the federal government is not treating all taxpayers equally, or if it is changing the rules to engineer a preferred outcome, Congress has a duty to ask why and to hold agencies accountable and consider appropriate legislative action," he said. "The scales of justice must not be skewed in favor of the wealthy and the politically connected."

Will this impact Hunter Biden's plea deal?

It is still unclear if the new allegations will have any impact on Biden's plea deal.

Hunter Biden's plea deal was reached with David Weiss, a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware, but a federal judge still needs to approve the agreement.

District Judge Maryellen Noreika scheduled a hearing in the case for July 26 in Wilmington, Delaware to formally process the plea agreement. It is unclear if Noreika might deem the allegations from IRS whistleblowers serious enough to reject the plea agreement.

Weiss has not publicly commented on the case since announcing the plea deal earlier this month.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New allegations from IRS whistleblower in Hunter Biden investigation
Israel no closer to attack on Iran nuclear sites, official says

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel is not nearing an attack on Iran's nuclear sites, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said on Friday, as talks between Tehran and Washington have sought to cool tensions.

Tzachi Hanegbi said it was still unclear what will come of talks Israel's main ally the United States has held with Iran in recent weeks in an effort to outline steps that could limit Teheran's nuclear program and de-escalate tensions.

Nonetheless, no agreement would obligate Israel, which views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat, Hanegbi told Channel 13 television. Asked whether an Israeli decision on a preemptive strike against Iran was any closer, Hanegbi said:

"We are not getting closer because the Iranians have stopped, for a while now, they are not enriching uranium to the level that in our view is the red line."

Hanegbi added: "But it can happen. So we are preparing for the moment, if it comes, in which we will have to defend the people of Israel against a fanatic regime that is set on annihilating us and is armed with weapons of mass destruction."

Netanyahu has set a "red line" on Iran's uranium enrichment at bomb-grade 90% fissile purity. Iran has ramped up enrichment to 60% purity in recent years.

Having failed to revive a 2015 nuclear deal that had capped Tehran's enrichment at 3.67%, Iranian and Western officials have met to sketch out steps that could curb its fast advancing nuclear work.

The 2015 agreement limited Iran's uranium enrichment to make it harder for Tehran to develop the means to produce nuclear arms. Iran denies it has such ambitions.

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump ditched the pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy. Tehran responded by gradually moving well beyond the deal's enrichment restrictions.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
three views of a planet-forming disk around a red dwarf star captured by the james webb space telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spotted a carbon molecule thought to be a cornerstone of interstellar chemistry in a planet-forming disk of gas and dust around a young star, a recent study reports.

JWST detected the carbon compound methyl cation (CH3+) in a protoplanetary disk system called d203-506, which lies around 1,350 light-years from Earth in the Orion Nebula. The star at the center of the system is a red dwarf just 10% as massive as our sun, and the entire system is being bombarded by strong ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot, young, massive stars.

Scientists theorize that most protoplanetary disks are subject to intense ultraviolet radiation during certain periods, because stars tend to form in groups that include massive, ultraviolet-producing stars . This includes our own cosmic neighborhood; evidence from meteorites suggests that our infant solar system was subject to a heavy bombardment of such radiation as it formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

Related: James Webb Space Telescope  A complete guide

three views of a planet-forming disk around a red dwarf star captured by the james webb space telescope

Such intense radiation bombardment should destroy the complex organic molecules needed to form the basis of life. But we know this isn't always the case; life exists on Earth , after all. The discovery of methyl cation in a region where planets that could eventually host life are forming may help untangle this cosmic riddle and help scientists better understand how and where in the universe life could get started.

Despite being a relatively simple molecule, methyl cation has been at the center of cosmic carbon chemistry theories since the 1970s due to the fact that, like other carbon-containing ions (molecules with an electrical charge), it reacts readily with a wide range of other molecules. This means it can kick-start the growth of more complex carbon molecules, even at low temperatures.

Carbon chemistry like this is of particular interest to astrobiologists, because life as we know it is carbon-based. Until JWST came long, however, astronomers weren't able to detect this carbon molecule in relatively distant planet-forming disks.

This is because observing protoplanetary disks with radio telescopes requires molecules with what is known as a "permanent dipole moment," meaning that they have a positive and a negative "end." Methyl cation lacks a permanent dipole moment. And ground-based optical telescopes experience too much atmospheric interference to spot it from the light it absorbs and emits, a process called spectroscopy. That means spotting methyl cation requires an incredibly sensitive space telescope such as JWST, which began operating in summer of 2022 .

"This detection of CH3+ not only validates the incredible sensitivity of the JWST but also confirms the postulated central importance of CH3+ in interstellar chemistry," study team member Marie-Aline Martin, a researcher at Paris-Saclay University, said in a statement .

With regard to the puzzle of how organic molecules could survive being blasted by ultraviolet radiation, Martin and colleagues think they may have a solution. The team suggests that methyl cation may actually arise in such locations directly as the result of ultraviolet radiation providing the energy needed for the molecule to form.

RELATED STORIES:

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There are other signs that ultraviolet radiation bombardment can profoundly affect protoplanetary disks as well. For example, JWST observations suggest that disks that aren't heavily irradiated have more water than those that are, such as d203506, in which the team detected no water.

"This clearly shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk," study lead author and University of Toulouse scientist Olivier Berne said in the same statement. "It might actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life by helping to produce methyl cation  something that has perhaps previously been underestimated."
Jellyfish: Should sea swimmers expect to see more?

Global sea surface temperatures for April and May were the highest on record for those calendar months in a series stretching back to 1850, according to the Met Office.

When you look at regional examples, the picture becomes even more stark.

The temperature rise in the North Atlantic in May was record-breaking.

Some of the most intense marine heat increases on Earth have developed in seas around the UK and Ireland, the European Space Agency (Esa) says.

Water temperatures are as much as 3C to 4C above the average for this time of year in some areas, according to analysis by Esa and the Met Office.

The sea is particularly warm off the UK's east coast from Durham to Aberdeen, and off north-west Ireland.

If you're a sea swimmer you might think this is great news.

I ventured back into the North Atlantic at Portstewart in June for the first time this year.

To me, it was still very cold but one of the regular swimmers commented on how warm it was.

I thought, 'Tell my butt cheeks that'.

Jellyfish season

Sea temperatures lag behind air temperatures.

The maximum air temperature in Northern Ireland usually occurs in July whereas sea temperatures are at their warmest in August and September.

Regular sea swimmers will also know that when the sea is getting warmer, it means a return of the jellyfish.

The jellyfish season is normally April to October and jellyfish are currently swimming around the Irish coastline and a few have been spotted on our local beaches.

Luckily Irish waters are not home to the most dangerous jellyfish known - the Box jellyfish - which is common in Australia. Jellyfish stings in Ireland are not usually life threatening but can be very painful.

Jellyfish possess stinging cells, known as stingers, on their tentacles.

Brushing against tentacles can cause the release of these stingers which contain venom.

Depending on the type of jellyfish, the stingers may not be sharp enough and long enough to pierce the skin and the skin forms a natural barrier to most stings.

More delicate areas, such as the eyes and lips, might be more easily pierced.

There are six or seven species of jellyfish that are often found in Irish waters, the most common is the Moon jellyfish which is about the size of a dinner plate.

It is very transparent and has a tendency to swarm, but the good news is that they are relatively harmless to humans, although they have been known to block boats engines.

Swimmers though should beware the Lion's Mane, which is a brownish colour and its relative, the Blue jellyfish.

Both are prevalent in the warmer summer months and the Lion's Mane has already been spotted off the north coast.

They have long tentacles which can give a nasty sting, albeit not lethal.

The tentacles can break off and become attached to chains on a boat for example but the cells that sting will stay alive for quite some time even when not attached to the main body.

Regular sea swimmers and holidaymakers should avoid jellyfish if at all possible. Do not touch them out of curiosity.

Social media has lots of sea swimming groups that will post information on jellyfish sightings.

If you do spot a jellyfish floating in the water, don't try and move it or wave it away, simply move out of its path and alert others to its presence.

Another dangerous species that is more common in Mediterranean waters but has been known to swim north, when the weather here is warm and settled, is the Mauve Stinger.

It too has a tendency to swarm and can kill other marine life including fish.

In 2007, a whole school of fish was killed by a swarm of Mauve Stingers at a salmon farm in Glenarm, County Antrim.

Warming seas can mean the jellyfish season is longer as the ideal temperature will be reached earlier and stay well into the autumn and the likes of the Mauve Stinger will become more commonplace.

The distribution of plankton as a whole will shift northwards as the ideal temperature zones moves north.

According to Dr Brown, a marine biologist on the Ulster Wildlife council, there are signs that this is already happening as seabirds and small fish are migrating north.

But there is also the possibility of new species of small fish and birds that originate in Mediterranean areas coming north too.

There are some other factors to consider as rising sea temperatures could lead to a shift in the natural sea fronts which, just like weather fronts mark boundaries between air masses, mark a change in temperature between one body of water and another.

If these natural barriers move this could also impact marine life.
TRENTON, N.J.  Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday night signed a $54.3 billion budget for New Jersey  a few hours before the deadline  capping a chaotic week in the process.

Murphy signed the new spending plan alongside a massive new property tax relief program for senior citizens, which was spearheaded by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.

The budget is $1.2 billion more than what Murphy initially proposed to the Legislature.

Key to the budget negotiations was the creation of the new property tax relief program for seniors, dubbed StayNJ. The plan will provide tax credits worth half a seniors property tax bill up to $6,500 for incomes up to $500,000. Benefits for the program do not go out until January 2026.

Lawmakers  who are all up for election this November  were eager to frame the budget through the lens of affordability.

When I took office, in partnership with the speaker, [we] made sure that every decision that we made had to do with affordability, Senate President Nick Scutari said during a press conference. "We dont need polling data to know that taxes are generally the number one issue. This budget reflects those important moral values.

The budget signing concluded a chaotic week in the process. Although Murphy and Democratic lawmakers reached a deal well ahead of the June 30 deadline, Democratic lawmakers advanced the budget bill  which was not made public at the time  late Wednesday night to meet procedural deadlines. Democrats advanced the budget with initially flawed summaries and barred public comment.

The budget bill passed the Senate and Assembly earlier Friday with some bipartisan support. Three GOP state Senators and six GOP Assemblymembers voted in support of the measure.

The budget incudes doubling the child tax credit and the third consecutive full pension payment, worth around $7 billion.

It also included an $8.3 billion surplus  keeping it flat. Murphy had proposed boosting it to $10 billion to cushion expected economic downturn; it's not clear why he and lawmakers didn't add more savings.

The spending plan did not include an extension of the corporate business tax surcharge  an additional 2.5 percent tax for companies with over $1 million in taxable income  which is slated to expire at the end of the year. Lawmakers could still exercise the option to extend it later this legislative session.

The budget spends $892 million in federal pandemic relief funds. Murphy can also spend another $100 million without legislative approval.

The budget also sets aside approximately $2 billion for the ANCHOR property tax relief program, which provides rebates to homeowners and renters. As part of the deal Murphy reached with legislative Democrats, seniors will get an additional $250 in ANCHOR benefits.

The StayNJ property tax relief plan had shaped up to be among the more contentious parts of the budget negotiations because Coughlin initially proposed it with no income caps and credits worth half a seniors' property tax bill worth up to $10,000. The governors office initially planned for a potential shutdown, citing concerns around cost and equity. But the final product included eligibility thresholds, smaller benefits and more money back for renters.

Murphy defended keeping the extra $1.2 billion from the Legislature. He described it in terms he often uses.

There are some extraordinary investments that are being made, Murphy said. "This is a compromise. We go back and forth. But this is literally a game-changing budget and I can't say enough good things about.
jodi balfour

Jodi Balfour is well aware that her character on the final season of Ted Lasso, the billionaire investor Jack Danvers, is one of the few people in the show that fans dont like, even after the finale.

Its not ideal, but it's also on the other side, she laughs. On the purely creative side, it's quite fun to play a villain from time to time, and particularly a villain on, as you say, a show chuck to the brim with very lovable characters who are equally redeemed as they are when they explore their sort of faults and things.

While being booed by a fandom wasnt ideal, Balfour did love getting to play not just a powerful lesbian character, but a powerful lesbian character who got to be in a relationship with Juno Temples Keeley.

Balfour says the two actors didnt do chemistry tests, but as soon as they started filming, we just had it, she says. It was so natural and there from the get-go.

And a lot of that is to Juno's credit for being such an open-hearted, playful, friendly, warm person. So it was fairly effortless in terms of chemistry, she adds. And then of course those scenes in the office where you could call it flirtation, develops into the first kiss and all of that. Those are such fun scenes on the page to play. So between our natural connection and then some really fun material to work with, I will say it felt pretty effortless.

Balfour, who is engaged to A League of Their Own co-creator and star Abbi Jacobson, says she never really felt like I was closeted, but didnt publicly come out until 2021 when she and Jacobson went public with their relationship.

Now shes out and is becoming known for playing powerful and accomplished lesbian characters, like Jack on Ted Lasso and President Ellen Wilson on Apple TV+s For All Mankind.

On that show, her character is a former astronaut who became Administrator of NASA, a Senator, and then, in the alternate 1992 that the show takes place in, she is elected President. During her presidency, Ellen comes out as a lesbian, making her the most powerful queer woman in the world.

It was such a joy, she says about getting to play an out lesbian president. But the contrast of our imagined reality in the nineties vs. our actual reality in 2023 is deeply depressing and heartbreaking.

Without revealing too much about the upcoming fourth season, Balfour says that when we get to see more of President Wilsons story, we get to see her living in her truth met with celebration.

It's so hard because it makes me really sad, genuinely, she says of the current, real-world political situation for women and LGBTQ+ in America. Of course, today it's frightening. It's frightening out there. And what lies ahead is pretty frightening with certain voices in our political landscape getting louder and louder.

It was a really big gift to play Ellen and to also demonstrate a moment like that because it feels like such a work of fiction and imagination, but it's also not, she adds. I think they did a beautiful job, and I certainly tried to do a good job of making it feel like these are real people who we could imagine existing in our real world. So I hope it's a glimmer, a beacon of hope and optimism, in a fair amount of darkness currently.

While shes happy to play any role  gay or straight  Balfour is getting another opportunity to play an influential queer character in the upcoming film Freuds Last Session, where she gets to star alongside Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode.

In that movie, shes playing Dorothy Burlingham, a child psychoanalyst and lifelong close friend of Freuds daughter Anna. Both Anna Freud and Burlingham are known for their massive contributions to the fields of child psychology and empathic scientific observation.

While she says Dorothy and Annas relationship is up for interpretation, in Freuds Last Session, they are portrayed as life partners and lovers and work partners.

It was such an incredible thing to learn about, Balfour says, I barely knew about Anna Freuds contribution to child psychology, which is immense, I now know.

Freuds Last Session, about a conversation between Freud and C.S. Lewis about the nature of God and humanity, comes out later this year, as should the fourth season of For All Mankind.

For now, Balfour is working on developing a feature film that she co-wrote and will co-direct with her friend Jessy Hodges, which she says is inspired by some of her own lived experiences as a queer person.

Of course, all of this is on hold due to the writers strike, which Balfour is in full solidarity with. But still, shes enjoying the new experience.

I've never written anything before, and I truly didn't know how I would feel about it, she says. But it's been some of the happiest, happiest times at work of my life.
Joe Biden

Is there no end to Joe Bidens sneering disdain towards this great country? The man who I see as far and away the most anti-British occupant of the White House in the modern era made his agenda clear on day one of his presidency, when he ordered the removal of Winston Churchills bust from the Oval Office.

Perhaps that was because Churchill was clearly a reminder of everything that spineless Biden is not: a courageous, fearless leader who projected strength and resolve in the face of the enemies of the Free World. Churchill, together with his American counterpart Roosevelt, forged the Anglo-American Special Relationship, which for eight decades has been the most powerful bilateral partnership the world has ever seen.

Biden, in contrast, seems to be doing his best to weaken that relationship. His latest move appears to be blocking Defence Secretary Ben Wallaces candidacy for the role of Nato secretary general. This is not only a snub to the United Kingdom, but a foolish error in and of itself. British officials were justly furious; Wallace has played a major role in coordinating the response to Putins barbaric invasion of Ukraine, and is greatly respected by our Eastern European allies living in Russias shadow.

Yet this track record did not seem to be enough to satisfy Biden, who has seemingly invested more energy in extending the hand of friendship to Communist China and appeasing the vile regime in Iran than he has in cultivating ties with the British people. In so doing, he has significantly undermined Americas alliances and standing in the world.

This approach is hugely destructive and incredibly short-sighted. Bidens refusal to back Wallaces Nato candidacy is generating bad blood between Washington and London at a time when US-UK leadership is vital in confronting the global threats posed by Russia and China. It will reinforce the view within Britains military that Biden is willing to throw Americas closest friend and ally under the bus, as demonstrated by his disastrous handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

But thats not all. Biden has sunk the near-term prospects of a trade deal with the UK, the worlds sixth largest economy, declined to attend the Coronation of Charles III, and incessantly lectured the British over Northern Ireland. Like Obama before him, Biden seemingly fails to grasp the strategic importance of the Anglo-American alliance, its rich history and why it is vital to the future of the Free World.

His shoddy treatment of the United Kingdom has been a monumental folly for years, symbolic of his wider US foreign policy that has been weak, rudderless and completely lacking in any kind of long-term strategic vision.

The next president of the United States will have to repair the damage the Biden presidency is doing today to the Special Relationship. It may well only recover when the White House has a conservative president who understands why Americas alliance with Britain matters, the tremendous common heritage shared between our two great nations, and what needs to be done to rebuild it. The worlds superpower needs a leader who respects Americas friends and allies  and is willing to build bridges across the Atlantic, instead of burning them.

Nile Gardiner is the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC

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South Carolina legislative special interest caucuses can formally campaign, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in a victory for a hardline conservative group of state representatives that want to push the Republican-controlled Legislature further to the right.

ALSO READ: South Carolina House OKs tax cut on feminine hygiene items

The order allows the South Carolina Freedom Caucus to fundraise and distribute election materials just like the House Republican, Democratic, Black and Womens Caucuses already do. The fledgling conservative faction had argued that a state ethics law limiting those abilities only to caucuses organized by political party, race, ethnicity or gender violated its freedom of speech.

By prohibiting special interest caucuses from engaging in election-related speech, making expenditures for that speech, and soliciting contributions for that speech, South Carolinas law operated as a ban on speech, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie wrote.

Ultraconservative elected officials in at least 11 statehouses have organized under the State Freedom Caucus Network banner in an attempt to gain influence by leveraging divisive social issues.

Those efforts are expected to get a boost in South Carolina after the decision. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus had said the statute favored the ruling parties and arbitrarily disempowered others. Special interest caucuses had previously only been able to solicit money for the cost of mail and conference attendance.

With the Tuesday ruling, state Rep. RJ May, the vice chairman of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, said the establishments armor is cracking.

The career politicians in Columbia have created a system of the powerful, for the powerful, and by the powerful that benefits themselves and their cronies, May said in a statement.

The judge also struck a prohibition on lobbyist contributions to legislative special interest caucuses. Gone is another requirement that the Clerks Office maintain records for at least four years with identifying information about donors and the amounts donated.

ALSO READ: Horse gambling beats long odds; passes South Carolina House

Republican State Rep. Micah Caskey, named in the lawsuit as a member of the committee that enforces those rules, said the judge blast(ed) a hole in our state ethics laws.

Because any two legislators can form their own special interest caucus, Caskey fears the ruling will open the door for state lawmakers to raise undisclosed funds in coordination with their campaigns.

The dark money is going to come pouring into our state because these guys and the judge think its a good idea for any legislator to sidestep our campaign finance laws by creating a special interest caucus, Caskey told The Associated Press in a text.

The lawsuit had backing from America First Legal, a legal group founded by Stephen Miller and other previous White House advisers to former President Donald Trump.

(WATCH BELOW: Bill aimed at cracking down on sexual extortion passes SC House unanimously)




The monument sign for Wellen Park at the intersection of U.S. 41 and West Villages Parkway features a video board that can list announcements or show videos projecting how Downtown Wellen will be developed.

NORTH PORT  Residents seeking to separate from the city of North Port will have another day in court at 10 a.m. July 3, as Circuit Court Judge Danielle Brewer hears arguments on their challenge to the City Commissions decision last fall reaffirming denial of a petition to contract the citys western boundary.

Members of the West Villagers for Responsible Government , mostly made up of residents of Wellen Park, want North to Port de-annex more than 13,900 acres of the city west of the Myakka River because they were unhappy with the way the city was being run. The effort started in 2020.

Here's what you need to know about the ongoing case and hearing, which will be available on Zoom, and a law that went into effect July 1 that would hinder similar efforts in the future.

The topic for Monday

On Oct. 27, 2022 the City Commission revisited its April 29, 2021 denial of the West Villagers group  or WV4RG  petition to contract the city, as it was ordered to do by 12th Judicial Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll. The re-hearing began after the city exhausted several legal options, the last of which was an unfavorable ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal, which refused to overturn Carrolls order that quashed the original decision.

But when it did so, the City Commission merely reopened that 2021 hearing and did not accept new testimony, though it did hear extensive public comment before making its decision.

West Villagers attorney Luke Lirot contended in his most recent court filing that the city absolutely did not consider the evidentiary record and make special factual findings in accord with the quashed order.

He also noted that the city did not address the definition of feasibility, regarding whether contraction could be done, in Carrolls order.

The Zoom ID to watch the arguments is 583 020 2997; the password is 040201. For audio only, dial 253-215-8782 and use the same meeting ID. Recordings of the proceedings are not permitted.

North Port litigation on the horizon

On May 25, the West Villagers filed another petition, asking the court to grant a writ of mandamus that would compel North Port to place a referendum on contraction up for a popular vote of all residents living west of the Myakka River  which includes most but not all of the citys fifth commission district.

They had filed a similar petition in 2021 but Carroll dismissed it without prejudice when he approved the current case.

On June 12, Brewer granted the West Villagers request and gave the city 30 days to either schedule the question for an election or show cause why it should not.

Impact of Senate Bill 718

Senate Bill 718, which was approved by Gov. DeSantis, will have a chilling effect on any future attempts to contract municipal boundaries within the state of Florida.

The law, which took effect July 1, will not impact the current West Villagers effort and the respective court cases but any contraction efforts instituted after July 1 must allow the owners of undeveloped land to give approval, too.

Under the new law, if more than 70% of the land targeted for contraction is owned by individuals, corporations, or legal entities that are not registered electors, then the owners of at least 57% of that acreage must consent.

That change applies provisions already in place for annexation to de-annexation too.

The law also creates a definition for the term feasibility study, and changes the decision on whether to accept or reject those petitions from a court-like proceeding that must be based on competent, substantial evidence to a legislative decision.

The law also prohibits pursuit of challenges to any land development regulation via referendum.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Judge will hear latest arguments in lawsuit to contract North Port
The Fourth of July is a great excuse to light up the sky with fireworks in a patriotic promise of freedom. But we arent truly celebrating the land of the free.

Every day, I and so many others are working to ensure fairness and equity in our workplaces and communities  working to fulfill promises made for people in America. Because when Thomas Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, he didnt really mean all men  and definitely not all people.

Jeffersons words didnt apply to women or Indigenous people, who were vilified as savages. Equality certainly didnt apply to the enslaved people who helped build the burgeoning nation. From that first scribble, Black Americans knew that freedom and independence didnt include them.

Before you question my patriotism, know that I am grateful for the freedoms I have and thankful for those who have sacrificed for them. Lets acknowledge, though, that there is an asterisk next to those freedoms for many people. The fine print begs to be ignored, hidden behind the summer celebration of July Fourth sparklers and celebrations.

Jackie Ferguson

The real story of Americas untidy history is reflected in my familys experiences after World War II. I come from a biracial family  Black mother, white father. Upon his return home, my white father was welcomed by the G.I. Bill, which funded his college education and a low-interest home loan. He studied chemical engineering, joined IBM and became one of the millions who helped drive the post-war manufacturing boom.

In stark contrast, my Black grandfather faced open hostility, called Boy on the streets of Alabama, despite having been shot twice in the line of duty, a true hero. He relocated to Pennsylvania, raised a family and became a steel mill foreman, but he never forgot the prejudice he faced in his hometown.

Lonnie Latham

Maybe you think I should let it go. Why should anyone get emotional, even angry, about something that happened nearly 250 years ago?

Let me answer that question with questions of my own: Would you forgive someone if they never apologized for hurting you? Would you forgive them if they continued to hurt you? Would you be frustrated if they kept countering that you werent really being hurt?

Jefferson and 40 other signers endorsed the ideals of freedom, all while holding people, including children, in bondage and terror. We live with that legacy. Today, the wealth gap between white and Black families remains stubbornly wide due to systemic injustice.

According to a Harvard University report, Black families are 30% less likely to own a home  a primary driver of long-term wealth  largely because of historical discrimination in the housing market and current lending bias. Mass incarceration impacts far too many Black families due to disproportionate sentencing  not lawlessness. Racial bias decreases life expectancy for Black people and worsens health outcomes when they seek medical care.

Many have a hard time accepting the hard truths of American history. They dont fit the heroic narrative. These fabulists prefer to whitewash history to make it appear triumphant and heroic, not dirty, bloody and mean-spirited. But to understand this nation, we need to learn all its stories.

When the Declaration of Independence was first published, it appeared with advertisements promising rewards for the capture of two enslaved people. Jefferson had the leisure time to write because his land was being worked by more than 100 enslaved people. These unflattering stories dont diminish us. We would be better citizens if we used our uncomfortable history to inspire a just future. A fuller understanding of past injustices might give us the fortitude to dismantle todays unfair policies and practices.

This year, 500-plus laws restricting LGBTQ+ citizens civil rights have been proposed nationwide. Many of these bills restrict health care, curtail freedom of speech and remove protections against discrimination. Not a single piece of this collective legislation, however, lives up to the promise of equal treatment under the law.

Are we brave enough to make this country truly a land where all are created equal and able to move through life without facing systemic bias? Until we authentically live Jeffersons inspiring words, we wont be truly celebrating Independence Day.

Jackie Ferguson is co-founder and vice president of content and programming at The Diversity Movement in Raleigh. She wrote The Inclusive Language Handbook and hosts Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox, a top-rated podcast.
a full moon behind a skyscraper

July's full moon, also known as the Buck Moon, rises on Monday (July 3) as a supermoon.

An exciting event for skywatchers, supermoons see the lunar disk appearing larger and brighter in the night sky, but the Buck Moon of 2023 will be even more thrilling as it kicks off a season of four supermoons in a row. Supermoons can lead to a 30% brightening of the moon and a 14% increase in the lunar disk as seen from Earth, but these differences usually aren't noticeable with the unaided eye unless one pays a lot of attention to the moon nightly.

Supermoons are the result of the moon being closer to Earth at the time of a full moon. Eclipse expert and retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espanak told Space.com that during the July Buck Moon, the moon will be just 224,895 miles (361,934 kilometers) from Earth in comparison to its average distance of around 238,000 miles (382,900 km).

Related: Supermoon: What is it and when does it occur?

Read more: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

TOP TELESCOPE PICK:

A Celestron telescope on a white background

Looking for a telescope to see the four supermoons this summer? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.

Supermoons occur because the orbit of the moon around Earth is not a perfect circle; as a result of Earth's gravitational influence, the moon's orbit is elliptical, appearing like an elongated circle or oval. This means there are times in the moon's 27-day orbit that it is closer to Earth and other times that it is further away. A supermoon happens when the moon is both in the full moon phase of its 29.5 day lunar cycle and is at perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit.

According to In the Sky from New York, July's Full Buck Moon will rise at 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) on Monday (July 3) and will set at 4:33 a.m. EDT (0833 GMT) on Tuesday (July 4).

After July, the next supermoon will rise on Tuesday, August 1 in the form of the Full Sturgeon Moon. Espanak said that during this supermoon, the distance between Earth and its natural satellite will be 222,158 miles (357,530 km).

August will see a second supermoon in the form of the Blue Moon on Aug. 30. This will be a particularly special event for moonwatchers as it will see the moon at its closest during this "supermoon summer" period, at just 222,043 miles (357,344 km) away.

Just after summer 2023 draws to a close on Sept. 23, so too does this festival of supermoons, which ends on Sept. 28 with the rise of September's Full Corn Moon when the moon will be 224,657 miles (361,552 km) from Earth.

The Full Corn Moon will also mark the final supermoon of 2023, with the next supermoon scheduled to fall on Sept. 18, 2024, according to In the Sky. Next year will only have two supermoons, with the next after September occurring a month later on Oct. 18, 2024.

If you are hoping to catch a look at the Buck Moon or other supermoons, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

If you're looking to snap photos of the moon and the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon , as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography .

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of July's Full Buck Moon, and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Update: Kansas City police say the missing baby has been found safe.

Kansas City police are searching for a five-week-old baby girl reported missing.

Kaliyah Wiley was last seen at her home near East 91st Street and James A. Reed Road, said Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City police.

Authorities believe she may be in danger since her Thursday night disappearance, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol statement.

She was in the custody of her father, Charlies Clifford Wiley, at the time.

Wiley said he planned on dropping the five-week-old child at a police station or safe harbor, but she has yet to be located at any such place in Missouri. He is in custody and refusing to say where the baby is located, said Jessalin Anderson, a spokesperson for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Wileys family is worried about the childs welfare.

The five week old weighs eight pounds and is 19 inches in length. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts or safety can contact the police departments missing persons team at 816-234-5043.
Two months after Gov. James Pa Fergusons 1917 impeachment and ouster from the state capital, the unrepentant chief executive visited the Fort Worth Stockyards, campaigning for his next run for office.

Nicknamed Farmer Jim, Ferguson operated a hog farm in Temple and ran into trouble by depositing $250,000 in state funds into a Central Texas bank that enriched his pockets. With his folksy manner and backwoods grammar, Pa was convinced Texas voters would forgive him and send his family back to Austin.

Voters ultimately did.

James E. Ferguson, or Pa Ferguson, is shown in 1941. He was impeached as governor of Texas in 1917, though his wife later won election as governor.

The Texas governors impeachment a century ago has drawn comparisons with the impending Senate trial of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton faced 20 articles of impeachment. Ferguson faced 21 and was convicted of 10  among them three charges related to a feud with the University of Texas and five for financial shenanigans. Whereas Paxton stands accused of intervening on behalf of a wealthy donor, an Austin real estate magnate, Ferguson was on the take from the beer industry.

Paxton is free on $35,000 bond stemming from felony securities-fraud charges in Collin County, a case that pre-dates accusations of bribery. Before Pa Fergusons impeachment, a Travis County grand jury indicted him on nine criminal charges. The governor attributed one charge to a bookkeeping error and posted $13,000 bond.

Paxtons sense of entitlement led him to ask the donor renovating his house to install granite kitchen counter tops, according to House impeachment investigators. Fergusons sense of entitlement surfaced when he billed the state $2,400 for platters of chicken salad ordered from the capital citys Driskill Hotel. The matter was appealed to the state Supreme Court, which ordered Pa to pay.

Paxton billed the legislature for a $3.3 million settlement to four whistleblowers he had fired from the AGs office. That prompted a Texas House committee to investigate, resulting in his May 27 impeachment. Paxton has denied the accusations against him.

Fergusons misdeeds were widely reported, yet there was little public outcry until he picked a fight with the state university. After he reshuffled the Board of Regents and vetoed the universitys $820,000 budget, angry alumni from UTs powerful Ex-Students Association marched past the governors mansion singing The Eyes of Texas and hoisting placards that compared Ferguson to the German kaiser.

Pa Ferguson fought Prohibition, womens suffrage

Folksy to a fault, Pa Ferguson was elected in 1914 on a tide of votes from tenant farmers who lived at the forks of the creeks and endorsed his pledge to fight Prohibition and womens suffrage. A native of Salado, he was a country boy who married into money, became a banker, and ascended to the governors mansion on his first bid for public office.

He liked to boast that his diploma was from the university of hard knocks. As for his legal credentials, he passed the bar in 1897 by sharing a quart of Four Roses bourbon with judges administering an oral test. The jurists never asked the aspiring attorney a question.

Ferguson contended that the state university was run by smug administrators who belittled others as barbs  his lingo for barbarians. In a state with 4.46 million residents, 2,900 students attended the state university. Texas spent $282 per college student but a mere $4.50 per person for poor children who picked cotton and attended little red schoolhouses.

The governor was outraged to learn that some full-time professors taught less than 15 hours a week. Faculty who lectured around the state often brought along their families, who dined at university expense. They tallied travel expenses at 3 cents per mile  a half-cent higher than the customary rate for state employees.

I have found more corruption in the affairs of the University of Texas than in all the other departments of state government, railed the governor. I have found far more disloyalty in the State University ... than among the Germans.

A battle with the University of Texas

Targeting seven faculty, he picked apart their expense accounts and labeled them butterfly chasers ... day dreamers ... two-bit thieves ... and educated fools. Among those he attacked was folklorist John A. Lomax, a Harvard-educated Texan who salvaged from obscurity such ballads as Home on the Range and Sweet Betsy from Pike.

Ferguson castigated physicist William T. Maher, who crusaded against the capitals bars and brothels, a threat to Fergusons financial backers. He objected to journalism department chairman William Mayes, editor of the feisty Brownwood Bulletin which skinned the governor from hell to breakfast.

Officially ousted from office Sept. 25, 1917, after a Senate vote of 25-3 to convict, Ferguson was barred from running for state office. That did not end his political career. He ran for president of the United States on his own party ticket, a losing proposition that kept him in the limelight. He lost a race for U.S. Senate in 1922, then in 1924, he ran his wife, Miriam Amanda Ma Ferguson, for governor. With Pa pulling the strings, Ma won in a runoff. Although she lost a bid for reelection in 1926, the couple was back in the governors mansion after the election of 1933.

Gov. Miriam Amanda Ma Ferguson, 1925.

Ma Fergusons entry into politics echoes another contemporary comparison. Angela Paxton, wife of the suspended attorney general, is a state senator. She will attend her husbands Senate trial but will not be allowed to cast a vote. Although she is a math teacher rather than an attorney, she may someday seek higher office that, similar to Ma and Pa, keeps her family in Austins political whirl.

Hollace Ava Weiner, an author and historian, is director of the Fort Worth Jewish Archives. This column is adapted from a chapter titled Faber vs. Ferguson: A Fight for Academic Freedom, in Weiners book Jewish Stars in Texas: Rabbis and Their Work, Texas A&M University Press, 1999.
Kentucky American Water files for rate increase. How much might your water bill go up?

Kentucky American Water is asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission to approve a rate increase that would generate $26 million more a year in revenues for the company.

The new rate would represent a 22.7% revenue increase and would cost the average residential consumer using 3,800 gallons about $9 more per month, Kentucky American said. Individual water bills will vary.

If approved, the new rates would take effect in 2024, Kentucky American said in a news release.

Kentucky American Water is requesting an increase in rates because its existing rates for water service do not afford Kentucky American Water the opportunity to recover its reasonable operating costs or to earn a just and reasonable rate of return on the investments made since the rates approved in the Companys last rate case, the water company said in the application it filed Friday with the PSC. Kentucky American Water must be granted a rate increase at this time in order to maintain its facilities and provide service commensurate with its customers reasonable expectations and the Public Service Commissions requirements, as well as attract capital at reasonable rates.

The company said in a news release that it is also asking the PSC to approve a new plan that would reduce the monthly service charge and consumption charge for qualified residential customers who might have trouble affording water service.

According to the PSC filing, residential customers with a household income of half the federal poverty level or less would be eligible for a 60% discount on their consumption rate and the service charge for their meter. Those whose income is between 50 and 100% of the federal poverty level could get a 20% discount under the plan.

Kentucky American Water continues to address aging infrastructure by investing in its water treatment and distribution facilities. This commitment helps ensure service reliability and water quality to help protect customers and the communities we serve, Kathryn Nash, president of Kentucky American Water, said in the news release. We also remain steadfast in addressing the needs of our most vulnerable customers by including components in our request to keep rates affordable.

The documents filed with the Public Service Commission also indicate that Kentucky American wants to transition its meter system to a cellular Advanced Metering Infrastructure that would allow meters to be read remotely through an automated system.

The water company said the new system would provide operational efficiencies, allow leaks to be detected sooner and give customers the ability to better track their water consumption.

Kentucky American said in the filing that the change is not necessarily anticipated to result in a workforce reduction, as meter reading staff could take on other duties.

The transition would take place over the next decade, as water meters reach the end of their lifespan and need replacing, the filing indicates. Kentucky American has proposed charging customers who opt out of the new meter system a $28 monthly fee.

The last time the water companys rates were raised was in 2019.

The rates approved by the PSC then were less than the 22.6% increase the water company had asked for but still represented a 15.23% revenue increase.

At that time, the PSC granted Kentucky Americans request for a qualified infrastructure program, which added a surcharge to customers monthly bills to help pay for replacing aging water lines.

Since then, the company said it has made $330 million in water system investments ... which has allowed the company to continue providing safe and reliable water service, as well as the increased costs of procuring chemicals, goods and services, the news release issued Friday stated.

In its latest filing, the water company said it wants to do away with the QIP surcharge and roll the infrastructure costs into customers base rates.

The current residential rate for water consumption is $5.76 per 1,000 gallons, and the new rate would be $7.82 per 1,000 gallons. The monthly service charge would go from $15 a month to $20 a month for a 5/8-inch meter, according to the filing.

Consumers will have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal by submitting written comments, attending public hearings or getting involved in consumer advocacy groups.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

The company at the center of a burgeoning campaign finance scandal involving Daniel Cameronthe Kentucky attorney general and GOP governor nomineealso raised thousands of dollars for his Democratic rival, Gov. Andy Beshear, a development that could complicate their high-profile battle for the states most powerful office.

The contributions came from a fundraiser that the owner of the company, the addiction support network Edgewater Recovery Centers, held at his home on April 24.

Beshear personally attended the fundraiser, social media posts show, hours after presenting Edgewaters owner with a $500,000 grant check at the grand opening of a new nonprofit office in the town of Morehead.

The grant was awarded to Raven Cares, a sober living housing nonprofit that Edegwater owner John David Elam created last year, Internal Revenue Service records show. The funds came from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a partnership between the federal government and 13 state governments, to which Beshear was named co-chair in January.

Kentucky GOP Star Took Cash From Recovery Center Hes Investigating

ARC had initially appropriated the money in September 2022, before Beshear was co-chair, though he was serving on the commission alongside a dozen other governors, including the commissions Republican leader at the time, then-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

The Daily Beast previously reported that Cameron directly solicited donations from Edgewater officials in Januarywhile his attorney generals office was investigating the company over concerns about its billing practices. His office subpoenaed Edgewater in March, the same month Cameron had planned a fundraiser with the company. The fundraiser talks stopped that same month, but Edgewater employees went ahead with the donations.

Cameron, however, did not recuse from that investigation until after his office received a public records request in May for all of his recent recusalsfour months after he contacted the company, and two months after receiving the first of the donations. (Beshears office is not involved in the probe.)

The contributions came from top company officials, including Elam, and totaled $6,900, according to Kentucky campaign finance records.

The Beshear fundraiser appears to have been a much broader effort than Edgewaters support for Cameron, who received donations from six employees.

A Cameron spokesperson didnt reply to a comment request for this article. Edgewaters outside counsel, Mike Denbow, confirmed the Beshear fundraiser at Elams house but declined further comment.

Reached for comment, Beshear spokesperson Alex Floyd said that the contrast between the two candidates handling of the Edgewater contributions underscores ethical concerns over Cameron.

Daniel Cameron launched an investigation of an addiction treatment center and then went to the executives of that center to ask for campaign cash. That is unethical at least, possibly illegaland not something Andy Beshear has ever done, Floyd said in a statement, arguing that Camerons actions need to be investigated by law enforcement.

Kentucky GOP Star Daniel Cameron Offers a Tortured Defense in Cash Scandal

The money from the Beshear fundraiser was transferred to the campaign on May 11. While the totals run into the thousands, the exact haul is impossible to confirm from the details in the filings alone, though contributions at the time from nearby residents run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

The Beshear donors include some of the same Edgewater officials who donated to Cameron. One of those employees was named in Camerons recusal as a specific focus of the probe, which was opened in 2022 under the states Office of Medicare Fraud and Abuse, The Daily Beast previously reported.

That employee, Versailles resident William Fannin, gave $500 to Beshear at the fundraiser, and his wife contributed another $500, state filings show.

Another employee, Edgewater general counsel Ashley Adkins, cut Beshear a $1,500 check from the event. But Adkins listed her employer as her personal law firm, Adkins & Ferguson, LLC, while listing Edgewater as her employer on her two $700 contributions to Cameron.

The election in Kentucky, slated for this November, is arguably the most closely watched contest of the year. Beshear, a rare Democrat to find success in a state Donald Trump won by nearly 30 points in 2020, is running on a record focused on the economy and health care. (The health-care industry has poured about $300,000 into the race so far, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.)

Cameron, a protege of longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), has the staunch backing of both his former boss and Trump, and is seen as a potential future national star for the GOP.

While the company behind the donations is the same, it is true that Beshears circumstances differ from Camerons in a few key ways.

First, where Cameron approached Edgewater personally, it appears to have been the reverse with Beshear. His campaign told The Daily Beast that the governor did not solicit the contributions or initiate the fundraiser. Elam and Adkins are also both typically Democratic donors, state and federal filings show, and its unclear why Cameron sought out their support specifically. (Elams lone Republican contribution is a $5,000 gift to the Kentucky GOP last year.)

Kentucky Dems Ask Feds to Probe Daniel Cameron Donations

In a previous email to The Daily Beast, Adkins wrote that Edgewater cooperates with members of both parties, hailing Beshear as a governor who has made huge strides to assist individuals in recovery from substance use disorder. She also pointed to the companys work on legislation sponsored by Republican state Rep. Samara Heavrin.

The timing is also different in each candidates case.

Cameron reached out to Edgewater first and failed to de-conflict his political and official concerns for a period of months.

At first, Cameron wanted to do a fundraiser with the company, Edgewater previously told The Daily Beast, but the plan fizzled in March when Cameron was made aware of the potential conflict of interest, the Associated Press reported this week.

The attorney general only recused himself from the case two months later, and refunded the money in June, days after a second public records request sought more details about the probe.

Beshear, however, also has a side relationship with the company, via the ARC grant.

An ARC spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the federation imposes stringent guidelines and specifications for its INSPIRE grants, including providing measurable benchmarks and implementation.

Kentucky GOP Nominee Thanks Donald Trump After Landslide Win

Applications first undergo a state reviewBeshear would have signed off in the case of Kentucky-based Raven Caresbefore going before a full review by the larger commission, outside experts, and federal panel for final approval. All state members must agree to every award, the spokesperson said.

Raven Cares $500,000 grant was one of six awards to Kentucky organizations drawn from ARCs $12 million INSPIRE program, according to an ARC press release. Groups in 10 other states also received INSPIRE grants last year, nine of them to West Virginia entities, the release says.

A Beshear spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the campaign is unaware of any other Raven Cares funding.

The Edgewater scandal is one half of the dueling campaign finance accusations that have dominated the races recent headlines in recent weeks.

Last week, Cameron asked the FBI to investigate a GOP mayors bungled $200,000 bundling operation for Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party. The next day, the KDP alerted the feds to the Edgewater scandal, requesting an ethics investigation into Camerons role; theyve since been joined by the Kentucky chapter of the AFL-CIO.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Kentucky man and 12-year-old girl killed when tree fell on their moving vehicle

A man and a 12-year-old girl died when a tree fell on their truck in Western Kentucky Thursday afternoon.

Kentucky State Police said Christopher Fulkerson, 49, of Morgantown, was driving south on Brooklyn Chapel Road in Butler County when a tree alongside the road fell on the cab of his 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, according to a news release.

Fulkerson and his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Evelyn Evie Johnson, were pronounced dead at the scene, said Butler County Coroner Gerald Marty Jones.

State police said the Butler County sheriffs office contacted them about the accident just before 2:30 p.m.

Jones said he believes storms were a contributing factor that caused the tree to fall.

Evie had just completed sixth grade at Butler County Middle School and was an honor roll student, cheerleader, athlete and a social butterfly who loved animals and all her friends and family, according to an obituary.

Butler County Schools said in a Facebook post that she was a model student who excelled in everything she took part of.

Her attitude, personality and smile were contagious to those around her, the post stated. As our Butler County Schools Family grieves, we offer our sincere condolences, thoughts, and prayers for Evies friends and family.

An obituary said Fulkerson enjoyed enjoyed farming, wood working, traveling and helping those in need.

Funeral services for both are scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday at Jones Funeral Chapel in Morgantown.
Khalil Perry watches his attorney Nicole M. Ostrowski as she takes notes during his sentencing hearing Friday, June 30. Perry, 16, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, eight more on extended supervision, and two concurrent 10-year probation terms Friday after he carjacked an 87-year-old woman at knifepoint outside the Waukesha Public Library on Nov. 30, 2021. He was convicted at trial last month of carjacking, kidnapping and armed robbery, but the jury deadlocked on the sexual assault charge against him, leading to a mistrial being declared on that count.

WAUKESHA - Khalil Perry, who was convicted on three of the four felony counts he faced for a 2021 attack on an 87-year-old woman, will spend the next 12 years in prison and eight years on extended supervision.

In addition, he may still be retried on one count of sexual assault, a decision still pending after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in early May.

The now-16-year-old Waukesha youth will get credit for the 19 months he has already served in a youth detention facility while he awaited his four-day trial and subsequent sentencing, which was pronounced by Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow on Friday.

Perry was 14 on Nov. 30, 2021, when he confronted the woman in her car outside the Waukesha Public Library near the automated book return machine. He was initially charged in juvenile court and later in adult court with first-degree sexual assault, armed robbery with use of force, operating a vehicle without the owner's consent (with a dangerous weapon) and kidnapping (also with a dangerous weapon).

He was convicted by a Waukesha jury May 5 on all but the sexual assault allegation, on which jurors deadlocked.

The case took more than 18 months to resolve in part due to issues surrounding Perry's age. His public defender attorneys, particularly Nicole Ostrowski supported by Maura McMahon, pushed to have the case moved back to juvenile court, where the case started in December 2021 before it was waived into adult court by Judge Maria Lazar. Ostrowski also twice challenged mentally competency reports after claiming Perry was not fit to aid in his own defense and sought to have another judge assigned to the case.

Prosecutors stress violent act, but defense argues age as factor

During the sentencing hearing, attorneys for the state and defense differed sharply on both the nature of the incident and the punishment that should go with it.

Waukesha County Deputy Attorney Michael Thurston recommended Dorow incarcerate Perry for a total of 45 years (15 years per count), plus 10 years extended supervision after release, arguing that each of the counts should be sentenced consecutively.

"The subtleties we ought to consider is who is Khalil Perry and how dangerous is he," Thurston said.

Perry's violent actions, using a switchblade held to the neck of the elderly victim and the "raging thoughts" that Perry said came into his head after he initially approached the victim's car ostensibly to help her with her books pointed to someone who is unpredictably dangerous, Thurston said.

But Ostrowski painted Perry as a kind and responsible soul who was affected by a family racked by problems, including drug addiction, abuse and mental health issues, but still was a caring son who wanted to help his family.

Perry's focus, to steal the victim's car, was that of a young teen mind seeking to satisfy a need without appreciating the consequences. "That's not how his 14-year-old brain thought," Ostrowski said, adding later "I'm not saying any of this is an excuse, but it does provide context."

She argued for a sentence ending the day before his 18th birthday, amounting to another 3 years, including incarceration in a juvenile facility that could help treat and rehabilitate him in a way adult prison cannot.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow said Friday, June 30, that she crafted a sentence combining prison, extended supervision and probation for Khalil Perry in a fashion that punishes him for his conduct, protects the community and recognizes that he was 14 when he carjacked and kidnapped an 87-year-old woman outside the Waukesha Public Library in November 2021.

Judge recognizes need to protect public

Not surprisingly, Dorow fell somewhere in the middle in deciding her sentence, but she sided with prosecutors' arguments about the violent nature of the charges and how, despite the jury's inability to reach a verdict on the sexual assault charge, Perry seemed motivated by sexual gratification nonetheless.

Technically, her 20-year total sentence was specifically for the carjacking count. She also sentenced Perry to five years in prison and five years extended supervision for the other two counts, armed robbery and kidnapping, concurrently, but stayed those sentences with 10 years of probation.

She excused the age argument as presented by Ostrowski.

"At a very young age, you are taught, if only in school, to be kind, to be nice," Dorow said, adding "at your core, you know the difference between right and wrong."

She also rejected the defense claim that Perry's focus was to steal a vehicle from an elderly woman because it might be convenient and easy.

"I don't know what you intended when you woke up that morning, ... but if you truly only wanted a vehicle, you would have taken the vehicle and left (the victim) there. That's not what you did."

Despite the jury's nonverdict on the sexual assault count, Dorow included a requirement for sex offender treatment while he is in prison and added a second requirement for sex offender reporting, a discretionary order which judges are permitted to issue based on the whole of the evidence.

Source of Perry's anger never became clear

It's unclear what led to the attack. The incident that took place after an unsuccessful day of looking for work, ending in a miles-long walk from Waukesha's northside to downtown. Perry told investigators that he became angry after initially trying to help the woman at the book return, but what set him off and prompted him to pull a knife on the victim was never revealed.

Perry  who vehemently denied a sexual assault ever occurred but, according to the 2022 criminal complaint, acknowledged taking the car with the woman still inside  did not take the stand during the trial.

However, in his statement before sentencing, he acknowledged he acted rashly and recklessly, but repeated that he never intended to hurt the victim. "Every time I fail, I learn a new lesson. ... I have learned I have an anger problem."

The woman, who did testify and whose identity is protected in court records and by media, said during the trial she experienced intense fear as the incident unfolded. "I felt that he was going to kill me," she said.

But in a brief statement to the court during the sentencing hearing, she spoke calmly, without anger. "All that I want to say to Mr. Perry is that I forgive you and for the pain and suffering you caused me and my family," she said, and also addressed Dorow by adding "I leave the (sentencing) decision absolutely in your hands."

Perry will begin his prison sentence shortly, but his time in the courtroom may not be at an end. Prosecutors are still considering whether to convene another jury to consider the remaining unresolved sexual assault charge. An Oct. 9 status hearing was scheduled to consider the matter.

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Khalil Perry gets 12 years in prison for attack on woman in her 80s
Relatives of 14 state security ministry employees who were kidnapped by members of an armed group protest in Chiapas

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Sixteen Mexican state security ministry employees were freed on Friday after being kidnapped earlier this week in the southern state of Chiapas, authorities said, following a three-day search.

"All of them are OK," a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The employees, all men, were kidnapped Tuesday by an armed group on a highway near the state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez after leaving work, authorities said.

More than 1,000 federal and state agents joined the search, and two people were detained earlier this week.

Local news outlets showed images of families gathered at the ministry's offices, breaking into tears as they reunited with the kidnap victims. One woman was shown sobbing, yelling out, "Thank you Lord!"

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Chiapas' security ministry told Reuters that the employees were not police officers but administration workers, adding, "Nothing like this has ever happened."

The kidnapped employees were recorded in a video shortly after going missing, eyes cast to the ground, standing together, as one gave a message that they would be freed in exchange for resignations from ministry higher-ups.

The ministry confirmed that those in the video were the captives.

The conditions of their release remain unclear.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Sarah Morland and Leslie Adler)
What we know about the WA man arrested near Obamas home with hundreds of rounds of ammo

An Eastern Washington man arrested with 400 rounds of ammo near former President Barack Obamas home had been acting erratically for months.

Few details have been released about Taylor Tarantos arrest by Secret Service agents but his increasingly agitated social posts had raised concerns in D.C. and Tri-Cities, Wash.

The Franklin County Republican Central Committee had grown so concerned that he was barred from participation in the organization that he had once managed the web presence for.

He was booked into the D.C. Metropolitan Jail on Friday evening, according to the jails records department. No charges were yet showing.

In a recent Facebook post Taranto had encouraged his followers to subscribe to his Telegram channel for daily updates while the Federal Government and I viciously war at each other in real-time.

Taranto had directed followers to his Telegram account for daily updates while the Federal Government and I viciously war at each other in real-time.:

Taranto, 37, is a former Franklin County Republican Party official and one-time Pasco school board candidate, who is being sued in a wrongful death lawsuit related to the death of a D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer that he allegedly helped attack during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Taranto admitted online to being in the Capitol and also to the Herald during an interview when he responded to a request for comment at 11 p.m. on the first anniversary of the insurrection.

He had not yet been charged criminally for his role in the riot, but the D.C. police department said Thursday he was arrested on a warrant related to his participation.

Court documents for that warrant have not yet been made available. Its unclear if it is related the the wrongful death lawsuit.

According to NBC News reporter Ryan J. Reilly, who broke the story of his arrest, Taranto had more than 400 rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested outside Obamas home.

He was reportedly stopped by Secret Service agents running toward the home. Its unclear if he had a weapon at the time.

Messages on his social media accounts show he had recently shared a conspiracy theory posted by former President Donald J. Trump with the address.

"We got these losers surrounded!" Taranto wrote on Telegram yesterday. "See you in hell, Podesta's and Obama's!" https://t.co/SX7qRQqq3Y  Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 30, 2023

Is Taranto from Seattle?

Some initial news stories said the U.S. Navy veteran was from Seattle, however the D.C. police department listed him as of no fixed address in a statement sent to the Herald and other news outlets.

Public records show Taranto lived in Pasco until recently. Prior to 2010 he lived in Kennewick. Both are part of the Tri-Cities metro area in Eastern Washington about 200 miles east of Seattle.

This Seattle claim appears to have come from an unnamed law enforcement source.

As recently as April, Taranto was still in the Tri-Cities, participating in a protest against an Easter Day drag show brunch at a Richland restaurant, according to video he posted to his YouTube channel.

The channel also showed Taranto had been traveling back and forth to D.C. to participate in various right wing protests. His YouTube channel and some social media pages have since been taken down.

Taylor Tarantos biography was removed in 2022 from the Franklin County Republicans website.

Why was Taranto in D.C.?

Recently, Taranto was said to be living in his van parked near the D.C. Metropolitan Jail participating in Freedom Corner, an ongoing vigil outside the jail in support of Jan. 6 insurrection suspects.

Videos show erratic behavior from Taranto during the vigils. In one video he can be seen sitting in a lawn chair holding a flag, bobbing his head back and forth for several minutes before other protesters block the camera.

He may have been kicked out of that Freedom Corner group. Content later removed from his social media accounts shows friction with other group members and organizers. Others monitoring the group also mentioned he appears to have been on the outs with the other organizers.

He also was spotted at a sentencing hearing for his co-defendant, David Walls Kaufman, in the civil suit earlier this month. Tarantos behavior, which included refusing to put away his phone inside a federal courthouse, led to him being asked to leave, according to Reilly.

Reilly posted videos to Twitter showing Taranto leaving the courthouse. The reporter had been tracking the lawsuit against Taranto and Kaufman as part of ongoing reporting on Jan. 6 participants.

Reilly has a book called Sedition Hunters coming out in October about the tipsters who helped identify accused insurrection participants.

Taranto appeared to have gone to the Kalorama neighborhood after reposting conspiracy theories about the Obamas residence.

The conspiracy theories, posted on Truth social by Trump, claimed that there were secret tunnels beneath the Obama house, that it contained a War Room and was funded by left-wing philanthropist George Soros.

And, with that, uncharged Jan. 6 participant Taylor Taranto went on his way, while his co-defendant in the civil suit prepared for prison. pic.twitter.com/5sgZRmB9EH  Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 14, 2023

Whats his Franklin County GOP involvement?

For more than a year after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the capitol Taranto was still volunteering with the party as its webmaster, he told the Herald in a January 2022 interview.

At some point later that year Taranto was kicked out of the local party over erratic behavior and had shared with party members that he was suffering from PTSD after his military service.

I want the public to know that Taylor is no longer an active member of the Franklin County Republicans, Central Committee Chairman Stephen Bauman told the Herald in a statement Friday.

He was officially removed from the FCRCC by party leadership in 2022 as webmaster and as an active member for his radical and erratic social media posts that did not align with our values, he wrote.

To be crystal clear again, Taranto hasnt attended a meeting in nearly a year and hasnt attempted to communicate with party leadership, he said.

Bauman emphasized that the Franklin County Republican Central Committee in no way, shape or form condones violence in any fashion. The allegations against Taylor in connection to former president Barack Obamas home are troubling and we are grateful that authorities were able to stop any violent actions from occurring.

And he said the committee has never been involved in Tarantos defense and in no way, shape or form condones what transpired or the violence that ensued during that dark day (Jan. 6).

The FCRCC values those veterans who have fought for our freedoms to make this the greatest country the world has ever known. Its why we hope Taylor Taranto receives the help he needs. He has openly shared with our group that he suffers from PTSD from active military service, said Bauman.

A photo gallery from a 2018 Franklin County, WA Republican dinner shows Taylor Taranto posing with a cutout of Donald Trump. Facial recognition technology used the photo to identify Taranto as being inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, according to the HuffPost.com.

Are those Tarantos social media accounts?

Taranto used a variety of social media accounts to post conspiracy theories, memes and videos of himself at right wing political events.

Some of the accounts used his initials, others anagrams of his or his wifes names and others used a portion of her maiden name. Still others were self-identified as belonging to Taranto on his social media posts.

This conspiracy theory about the Obamas D.C. home was posted Thursday morning to an account allegedly run by Taranto on the social media site Telegram.

Many of them were linked to the same email address that Taranto previously used to respond to the Herald. Most of his accounts have been taken down since his arrest Thursday. Thats standard practice by many social media companies to avoid copy cats or idolization.

What is he accused of doing?

Taranto is accused of entering the capitol and helping Kaufman attack MPD Officer Jeffrey Smith. He and Kaufman are being sued by the officers widow, Erin Smith, for $7 million.

In video stills submitted into evidence, Taranto is seen handing Kaufman a weapon of some sort. In court documents it is described as a Ka-Bar TDI Self Defense Cane. The company describes it as a vital defense tool where traditional weapons are prohibited. The canes weigh more than two pounds, which is significantly heavier than traditional collapsible aluminum walking canes.

Kaufman was accused of hitting Smith in the head repeatedly with the cane.

Smith died by suicide nine days later as he was scheduled to return to work.

Smiths widow said in an Op-Ed in the Washington Post, published in January 2022, that two medical examiners have testified that post-concussive syndrome and brain injury were the real causes of (her husbands) death because the concussion he suffered led to severe depression and suicide.

Included in the wrongful death lawsuit are photos showing Kaufman, circled in green, struggling with Capitol police, and also appears to show Taranto next to him, in the hoodie and dark colored hat that says Make Space Great Again that internet sleuths reportedly used to identify him after the riot.

Prosecutors say these photos show David Walls-Kaufman during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. A man matching the photos of Pasco resident Taylor Taranto is seen next to Walls-Kaufman in the second photo as they skirmish with Capitol police.

It is unclear if the officer in the photo with his protective mask raised is Jeffrey Smith.

Other photo shows Taranto walking down the halls of the Capitol building with the cane mentioned in the wrongful death lawsuit, just a few feet away from Kaufman. The photos match pictures of Taranto and Kaufman included in the wrongful death lawsuit. The criminal affidavit does not mention Taranto, however prosecutors did include the same pictures.

Taranto had previously filed a counterclaim asking for $3.5 million and an apology, but that was dismissed.

The case has been slowed after the assigned judge, Florence Y. Pan, was nominated and confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals to fill the seat vacated by new Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Kaufman entered a plea deal in his criminal case, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine and $500 restitution. The plea deal, signed in January, also included an agreement from Kaufman to cooperate with investigators in additional cases before his sentencing.

It was Kaufmans June 13 sentencing in D.C. where Reilly spotted Taranto.

Taranto also appears to have claimed that we was there when Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed while trying to break through a door members of Congress were secured behind.

Taranto is pictured with Babbitts family members in several social media posts from the Freedom Corner protests.

Was Taranto trying to be arrested?

Taranto was first identified after outing himself in a video taken in the Capitol building during the attack.

Internet sleuths known as #SeditionHunters used the video to match up photos released by law enforcement in the days after the attack.

A screenshot of the post showed it included the comment: This is me stormin the capitol lol Im only sharing this so someone will report me to the feds and we can get this party rolling!

Since then Taranto has been asking in his social posts? why he hasnt been arrested, and making jokes online about the attack.

When asked by the Herald if he could explain what he was doing at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Taranto responded with no comment.

He later added that he was unsure what he could say due to the ongoing litigation. He also claimed it was political persecution, and referred to multiple conspiracy theories.

So far no one has knocked on the door. No one (in law enforcement) has questioned me, to my knowledge. Its all rather strange, he told the Herald at the time.

If I was even remotely linked to what theyre saying, youd think Id be in handcuffs right now, and with the way the justice system is working right now, its rather ugly.
The last survivor of Adolf Hitler's bunker, where the Nazi leader spent his final days, has died at 94

The Chancellory building above Hitler's bunker. Hulton-Deutsch/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images

Johanna Ruf was a nurse in the Berlin bunker where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler spent his final days.

In 2017, she published her memoir on her time in the bunker as the Red Army advanced in 1945.

Ruf died at 94, the Berliner Zeitung reported, citing confirmation from her publisher.

A woman thought to be the last survivor of Hitler's Berlin bunker, known as the Fuhrerbunker, in Berlin has died at the age of 94, according to Berliner Zeitung.

Johanna Ruf was 15 years old in April 1945 and was a member of the Bund Deutscher Madel, the female wing of the Hitler Youth. Ruf volunteered to work as a nurse during the final months of World War II after her school lessons stopped in January, The Times reported.

She said she initially worked at a bunker in the Anhalter station but then took up a position under the Reich Chancellery, in an area next to Hitler's bunker, per the report.

Ruf noted down her thoughts and experiences of life in the "citadel defense area," as the area around the Chancellery was known, and she eventually decided to publish a set of memoirs titled "A Slap For Little Goebbels" in 2017.

"I wrote something down on pieces of paper every day, then later wrote it into a notebook and then typed it up," she said, per The Times. "For a long time, I was embarrassed because I gave Helmut, the little Goebbels, a big slap in the face. He was so cheeky! Over-excited.

"I threatened to slap him. He said, 'Go on then!' So I gave him one. A few hours later, Helmut and his five siblings were dead, poisoned by his mother Magda in the bunker."

The Berliner Zeitung reported that Ruf was also one of the last people to see Goebbels' children before they were murdered by their parents in the bunker.

Ruf said that although she did not meet Adolf Hitler, she did see his infamous minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, when he visited the hospital to give staff a pep talk as the Soviet Red Army closed in, she told Bild.

"He said, 'final victory is at the door,' but there were only Russians at the door," she said.

Wieland Giebel, who edited Ruf's book, said that he hoped it provided an insight into what really happened at the time, per Berliner Zeitung. He said he saw it as a "document about how young people grow up in a dictatorship and get involved."

He added that it was important evidence to discredit the conspiracy that Hitler had survived, as Ruf recounts a doctor informing her that Hitler had killed himself and that soldiers had burned his body.

Hitler speaks to Reichminister Joseph Goebbels. Bundesarchiv

The Fuhrerbunker in central Berlin was completed between 1936 and 1944, with Hitler moving in full-time on January 16, 1945. He would go on to spend his final 105 days living in the bunker as Stalin's Red Army tightened its noose on the capital of the Third Reich, according to the History Channel.

The two-level bunker lay below the Reich Chancellery, Hitler's headquarters, and it contained living quarters for the Fuhrer and his wife, Eva Braun, as well as for Goebbels and his family. There was also an office, a doctor's room, and a large conference room, among other areas.

Hitler married Braun on April 29 in the bunker, one day before he shot himself.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TAMPA  Victoria Marin protested under the scorching Tampa sun again Friday, wearing a blue hat, jeans and a dark gray long-sleeve shirt that reads Mi Familia Vota. She works for the organization by that name, encouraging and helping Latino voters to go to the polls. She stood under a tent along the side of Dale Mabry Highway near Columbus Street, as she said shes done at previous protests of immigration politics in Florida.

But theres one problem: Marin cant vote. She said she came to the United States from Venezuela seven years ago and is currently in the asylum process for immigrants without legal status. And as of Saturday, when SB 1718 takes effect as law, she will lose her job with Mi Familia Vota.

The new law cracks down on the ability of those who lack proper legal documents to work and live in Florida. The laws most notable provisions include:

Making it a third-degree felony charge for someone who knowingly and willfully transports a person without legal status into the state.

Mandating that hospitals that accept Medicaid must ask about a patients immigration status when the patient fills out an intake form.

Requiring private businesses with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify, the online federal system run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that checks the immigration status of workers.

Invalidating drivers licenses issued by other states to people unable to prove lawful residency in the country.

Prohibiting local governments from offering IDs to those living in the U.S. without legal permanent status.

Marin said while the new law concerns her, she and others plan to continue protesting. While some without legal status are considering leaving Florida, Marin is not, for now. She pointed to the crowd and said they arent demoralized. Its important to her, she said, to prove immigrants are not criminals.

We have to demonstrate that immigrants are an important part of the community in Florida, Marin said.

Marin was one of a few dozen people protesting in Tampa in the hours before the bill becomes law. The street corner was lined with Mexican, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, El Salvadoran, Honduran, Columbian and American flags. Passing cars blared their horns in support. One woman sat in the bed of a passing pickup truck holding both Mexican and American flags. Others on the street corner held up signs criticizing the new law and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Another protestor, Nancy Salegio, said she wasnt fearful about how the new state law would affect her job because she is an American citizen. Still, she said she had attended other demonstrations opposing the law and plans to continue protesting.

This is my people, this is my blood, Salegio said.

Her father came to the United States from El Salvador and her mother from Mexico  both without proper legal paperwork  and Salegio was born in America. She wore a headband that said El Salvador, along with an image of that countrys flag, as she used a megaphone to chant with the crowd in English and Spanish.

Salegio said this new law affects everyone as some immigrants leave the state, leaving jobs unfilled.

We come to work, and we get the job done, Salegio said to the crowd. It hurts, what they are doing is inhumane.

Other speakers included Pastor Felipe Diaz of Tampa Para Cristo church. He spoke to the crowd in Spanish. He said it was important to be at protests like this to give people hope.

Diazs message was echoed by many at the protest. The law taking effect is among the strictest immigration laws in the nation, but protesters like Marin said she wont give up hope.

Even if she cant work with Mi Familia Vota, she said shes going to keep protesting.
Leaked Tesla documents reveal a major issue with one of the companys most talked-about vehicles: I am astounded

The Cybertruck has been long anticipated by Tesla fans. The electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers first pickup truck, a unique-looking vehicle (to put it lightly), was first announced in 2019 with an expected release date of 2021. But since then, it has been plagued by numerous delays.

To date, it is believed that more than 1.5 million people have placed preorders for the Cybertruck, which Tesla recently said was expected to go into production late in 2023. However, according to leaked documents acquired by the German newspaper Handelsblatt, they may have to continue waiting.

Those leaked documents, provided by a whistleblower, were examined by Wired. They showed that the prototype version of the Cybertruck, tested in January 2022, had extensive problems with braking, among other things.

The prototype experienced excessive pedal travel and inconsistent stop and excessive pitch during friction braking, as well as problems with braking during turning and power braking instability.

Other problems included sealing the vehicle to keep out noise and weather, which has apparently proved challenging. According to the leaked documents, there are a number of areas that we do not have a clear path to sealing.

Suspension has also reportedly been an issue, as the documents said that the prototype Cybertruck had a significant gap to targets in that area.

Several experts that Wired spoke to seemed shocked at the scope of problems the prototype was facing at such a late stage.

One expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid backlash from Tesla superfans told Wired, My first reaction is I am astounded. These are classic mechanical automotive engineering challenges that you have in pretty much any vehicle. Im blown away that they would be struggling so much with the basics.

The Cybertruck still does not have an official price tag or release date. Tesla co-founder Elon Musk recently told The Verge, One thing I am confident of saying is that its an incredible product. Its a Hall of Famer.

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Alodias Italian restaurant in Lexington has temporarily closed its doors after staff said their checks have bounced and they have not been paid for two weeks.

Lauren Brunson, who worked for two years as one of three managers at the restaurant, said issues began June 20 when several staff members were unable to cash their checks.

By June 28, managers at the West Main Street restaurant had decided to have a cash-only day in an attempt to pay staff. At the end of the day, employees decided to close the restaurant.

I mean, its the end of the month and the beginning of a new month. I mean, everybody has bills due, Brunson said. The number one thing that youre supposed to do for your employees is keep them happy, keep them paid. And when thats not happening, I would have had so much more respect for (the owner) if he had addressed the issue.

According to Brunson, Alodias owner Adam Huneau is currently on vacation and has not communicated with staff members about their concerns.

Zoe Spires, a former server at the Alodias for about two and a half years, took to Facebook before June 28, asking for any customers visiting to pay with cash. Spires said she thought getting word about the situation out to the community was important.

I wanted people who go to Alodias to know that the tips that theyve been leaving their servers wasnt coming to us, Spires said. The money they spend is going to someone who doesnt care about his employees.

In her Facebook post, Spires said that while some employees were paid or given cash from the general managers personal account, multiple staff members were still waiting on money from working Monday.

Huneau replied to Spires post but otherwise has not publicly commented on the situation.

Zoe is correct, there has been a cash flow issue for sure, Huneau wrote on Spires post. We are actively pursuing measures to correct it and it will be rectified.

Huneau commented that the lack of pay was not intentional and said he plans to compensate Spires and reopen the restaurant. Spires said that she has yet to be compensated.

Its been a very challenging three years. I would appreciate everyones support when we reopen as we did recently at the Irmo store, Huneau wrote in a comment. Lexington will reopen and continue to serve the great community there.

Alodias serves Italian food, featuring a variety of homemade pasta dishes for dinner. In 2019, Huneau was named the South Carolina Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration.

Brunson and Spires said checks had bounced before this month but that the problem was always resolved in the past.

According to Spires, Alodias was typically a popular and busy restaurant in Lexington. Brunson said the staff had a strong relationship with each other and the community.

Weve had our regulars, and thats also part of what makes me really sad is that weve gotten to know the community, Brunson said. Thats also been ripped away from us, all those relationships.

In the comments under Spires post, community members offered jobs and expressed their concerns about the situation while other employees explained their shared experiences.

This sounds like less of a community problem and more of an illegal work situation. After not being paid, i sure wouldnt return for more. File a wage complaint and move to a more reliable place. Im sorry you are dealing with this, one person commented.

Spires said she and other employees plan to take legal action.

We all agree that this legal action should be done because not only has it affected our livelihood, but also our mental state on all of us who are extremely upset, Spires said. We work our butts off, and we work to pay for the things that we have.

The restaurants Irmo location, 2736 North Lake Drive, is still open.
FILE PHOTO: Activists gather outside U.S. Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in case involving LGBT rights in Washington

LGBT rights yield to religious interests at US Supreme Court FILE PHOTO: Activists gather outside U.S. Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in case involving LGBT rights in Washington

By John Kruzel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In its decision permitting an evangelical Christian web designer to refuse service for same-sex weddings, the U.S. Supreme Court again embraced an expansive view of religious interests at the expense of protections for LGBT people.

In a 6-3 ruling on Friday powered by its conservative majority, the court backed Lorie Smith, who owns a Denver-area web design business called 303 Creative. She sued Colorado's civil rights commission in 2016 because she said she feared being punished for refusing to serve gay weddings under a state law that bars businesses open to the public from denying goods or services to people because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and certain other characteristics.

The ruling, citing the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech, stated that Colorado cannot force Smith to create speech she opposes.

Although presented to the court as a free speech claim, Smith's case shares features with other recent clashes between religiously motivated activity and civil rights laws.

"We've seen a dramatic expansion of rights for conservative religious communities that has had a detrimental impact on equality rights, certainly for LGBTQ people," said Elizabeth Platt, director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Columbia Law School.

Colorado is one of 22 U.S. states with measures explicitly barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations.

Smith, who said she opposes gay marriage based on her Christian beliefs, was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious rights group.

"The court reiterated that it's unconstitutional for the state to eliminate from the public square ideas it dislikes, including the belief that marriage is the union of husband and wife," said Kristen Waggoner, the group's president who argued the case before the court.

"Disagreement isn't discrimination, and the government can't mislabel speech as discrimination to censor it," Waggoner added.

Alliance Defending Freedom has represented other high-profile litigants before the justices including Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused based on his Christian beliefs to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

In its 7-2 ruling in 2018 in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court decided that the commission had shown impermissible hostility toward religion when it found that Phillips violated the state anti-discrimination law by rebuffing two men who were getting married.

The justices in that case stopped short of issuing a definitive ruling on the circumstances under which people can seek exemptions from anti-discrimination laws based on religion. Still, the ruling illustrated a disparity in how the court views protections for LGBT people in contrast to the competing conservative Christian interests, Platt said.

"The court treated Jack Phillips' claim of discrimination with extreme deference and sensitivity, while entirely glossing over the discrimination against the same-sex couples in that case," Platt said.

FOSTER CARE RULING

The court in 2021 decided another dispute involving tensions between equality protections and religious freedom.

In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the court in a 9-0 ruling embraced religious rights over LGBT rights, siding with a Catholic Church-affiliated agency that sued after Philadelphia refused to place children for foster care with the organization because it barred same-sex couples from applying to become foster parents.

The court's composition shifted with the 2018 retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was succeeded by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of Republican former President Trump's three conservative appointees, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch - the author of Friday's ruling - and Amy Coney Barrett.

Kennedy was the swing vote on what then was a 5-4 conservative-majority court. He stood out among conservatives in his espousal of sympathy both for conservative Christian causes and for what is sometimes called the "dignity interests" of marginalized groups including LGBT people.

Kennedy's emphasized the dignity of gay couples in his landmark 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

Platt said that "if Obergefell had been litigated under this Supreme Court, I don't think it would come out the same way."

The court underwent another dramatic change to its ideological composition in 2020 when Trump named Barrett to succeed the late liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett's addition gave it a 6-3 conservative margin and recalibrated how it weighed conservative Christian causes against the dignity interests of people protected by civil rights laws.

"This court continues to advance the agenda of religious extremists who are trying to force all of us to live by their narrow beliefs," said Rachel Laser, president of the secular group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Following Friday's ruling, Smith said, "I hope that, regardless of what people think of me or my beliefs, everyone will celebrate that the court upheld the right for each of us to speak freely."

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham)
Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas speaks during the opening ceremony of Web Summit, Europe's largest technology conference, in Lisbon

By Catarina Demony

LISBON (Reuters) -The mayor of Lisbon has been accused of "boycotting" Portugal's first memorial to victims of slavery, a long-delayed project in a country still struggling to confront its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Proposed over five years ago by Portugal's Association of African Descendants (DJASS), the memorial - which would consist of rows of sugar cane painted black - was meant to be erected at Campo das Cebolas, a central square near Lisbon's Tagus river.

From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by Portuguese ships and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil.

But little is taught in schools about Portugal's involvement in slavery and its colonial past is widely seen as a source of pride.

The memorial, funded by the city council, was approved as part of the city's 2017-2018 budget, but construction has been delayed since then.

DJASS said in a statement on Friday that obstacles have been created, including requesting less sugar cane and changes to construction materials and to the budget.

Carlos Moedas of the centre right was elected mayor in 2021 but the process of erecting the memorial only resumed in September last year.

At the time, Moedas' office said approval was still needed from the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGCP) and Lisbon's parking company (EMEL).

According to DJASS, the mayor's office said in April DGCP and EMEL had not given their approval, meaning the memorial had be located elsewhere.

The mayor's office proposed a new location in what DJASS described as a narrow road that gives access to a pier and a parking lot near Lisbon's cruise terminal.

In a statement, the mayor's office said it proposed a new location near Campo das Cebolas and was waiting to hear DJASS' feedback, adding it rejected "dilatory accusations" and would continue to work with the association to find a solution.

Moedas said in March he was "totally in favour of the memorial" but such projects take time.

DJASS said the mayor's office was dealing with the memorial in a "negligent and disrespectful way" and accused it of adopting a strategy of boycotting the project.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Giles Elgood and William Mallard)
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) greets a teammate in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)  Shohei Ohtani added another highlight to his amazing June with the longest home run of his major league career, becoming the ninth player to reach 30 homers in a season by July 1.

It was only a solo shot, though, and not enough for the Los Angeles Angels to overcome a grand slam by Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Gurriel's second-inning drive into the Angels' bullpen in left field was the decisive blow in the Diamondbacks' 6-2 victory Friday night.

Ohtani drove a slider from left-hander Tommy Henry 493 feet to right field in the sixth inning to get the Angels within 5-1. It was the longest home run in the majors this year.

It was loud. Ill leave it at that. I didnt watch it. I dont really like to watch home runs. It didnt feel good leaving the hands, said Henry, who struck out a career-high eight and allowed only one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The two-way superstar from Japan became the first player since Baltimores Chris Davis in 2013 to hit 30 homers by the end of June. Davis had 31.

Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa each did it twice. The others are Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez and Albert Pujols. Bonds had 39 by July 1 in 2001 en route to setting the single-season record with 73.

I hear of all these 500-(foot) shots that guys had in the past. I know the calculations before and now are a little different but I dont think there's going to be a ball hit further than that one, Angels manager Phil Nevin said. Awesome. I mean, he had a great night with two walks and the home run. That kind of gives you some energy and we got some runners on after that. We just couldnt get a big hit.

Ohtani hit 15 home runs in June. Besides being an Angels record for the most in any month, he tied Babe Ruth (1930 Yankees), Bob Johnson (1934 As) and Roger Maris (1961 Yankees) for the AL mark in June.

Falling behind 1-0 to a guy like that, I tried to get back in the zone. Throwing a slider over the middle of the plate is not in the game plan, Henry said after improving his record to 5-1. Thankfully, for the offense, it was a four-run game at that point, let the water roll off the back and get right back to it.

Gurriel hit his sixth career slam when he drove a full-count slider from Griffin Canning (6-3) into the Angels bullpen in left field. Gurriel cleared the bases after Canning issued walks to Jake McCarthy, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte  all with two outs.

I was patient," Gurriel said through an interpreter. I didn't see enough quality pitches before the at-bat, so I just waited for my pitch.

Gurriel also scored Arizonas first run in the first inning when Evan Longoria lined a base hit to left field.

Canning went six innings and gave up five runs on three hits. He struck out nine, but the four walks proved costly.

My college coach called it a bloody-nose pitcher. You kind of get punched in the face and then you're ready to go out and compete. So that was a little bit of what tonight was," Canning said about rebounding after struggling early.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Ohtanis three longest homers have come at Angel Stadium. His previous best was a 470-foot drive off Kansas Citys Kris Bubic in 2021. It was also Ohtanis fifth long ball this week.

WEB GEM

McCarthy made a sliding catch midway down the line in right field to rob Eduardo Escobar of a hit to end the fourth inning.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: OF Corbin Carroll (right shoulder soreness) was out of the lineup, but could return Saturday night. ... RHP Merrill Kelly (right calf inflammation) played catch at 120 feet and could throw a bullpen Saturday.

Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon was activated off the injured list after missing nine games due to a bruised left wrist. INF Andrew Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake to make room.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Ryne Nelson (4-4, 4.97 ERA) tied a career high with seven innings in his last start on June 25 against the Giants, when he allowed one run on three hits.

Angels: LHP Tyler Anderson (4-2, 5.54 ERA) has six wins against Arizona, which is tied for his most against any opponent.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Makeshift RV park stirs controversy in Sylmar. But is it a hazard or a help?

Residents are concerned over a makeshift RV park behind a Sylmar home, with some saying the unsanitary conditions are posing safety concerns. (KTLA-TV)

Is a stand of recreational vehicles on a dusty lot in Sylmar a helpful alternative to the region's notoriously overpriced housing, or a safety and sanitation concern that needs to be addressed?

The answer depends on whom you ask.

At the heart of the matter is a single lot on Hubbard Street in Sylmar, where one house illegally sits alongside about 20 RVs that serve as residences.

Many on the lot can't afford to rent a home elsewhere, and some residents told The Times on Friday that the landlord works with them to make the crowded yard as affordable as possible. Others living in the area, though, complain about putrid conditions at the site, as well as the alleged dumping of human waste, according to a report from ABC-TV Channel 7.

Read more: 4 in 10 California residents are considering packing up and leaving, new poll finds

One neighbor tearfully told the news station that she worries about the health of her grandchild, who is no longer allowed to play outside. She's one of more than 100 people who have signed a petition decrying the conditions, the station reported.

The Los Angeles city attorney's office has charged the owner of the lot, Cruz Florian Godoy, with two misdemeanors for unlawfully erecting a structure without applying for and securing all permits and licenses required, according to the criminal complaint. Godoy is also accused of failing to maintain the building in a safe and sanitary condition.

Godoy has pleaded not guilty. Her attorney could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.

In a statement, L.A. City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said a Department of Building and Safety inspection of the property resulted in violations. The case, however, is complicated by the fact that the lot straddles the dividing line between the cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando.

Read more: Popular Boyle Heights jogging path blocked by RV dwellers; some residents complain

Rodriguez, who represents Sylmar on the City Council, said the number of recreational vehicle encampments in L.A.'s public right-of-ways increased 22% from 2019 to 2022, and "our community was not immune to this impact."

"While this case is pending with the courts for sanctions," Rodriguez added, "I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to mitigate the health and safety risks it poses to the community."

A Times reporter visited the site Friday but was not allowed onto the property. However, several people could be seen milling about.

One nearby resident told The Times that cars often fill neighboring streets and unsightly fencing along the perimeter of the property obstructs the street view.

A renter on the lot told ABC anonymously that tenants are forced to clear a clogged sewage line if they are unable to pay their entire rent. He said he worries unsanitary conditions may have made some of his neighbors sick, but he fears retribution if he reports it.

Read more: Here's what parts of L.A. County saw biggest rise in homelessness

Jose Castillo, who identified himself as a resident who maintains the property, said he and Godoy were working with city inspectors to address their concerns. But he would not let a Times reporter onto the property, saying Godoy was in Guatemala.

Castillo acknowledged there had previously been busted pipes at the property, but said those had been fixed and they work diligently to make repairs as necessary.

Castillo said Godoy is providing a service for dozens of people by offering them a place to park their RV and live. Many who live there, he said, would otherwise be out on the street. Homelessness is on the rise, both in the city and wider Los Angeles County.

"She is not hurting anyone, on the contrary, she is helping people," Castillo said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Man charged with assault in 2022 attack on Texas teen with autism in womens restroom

A man was arrested Thursday in the assault of a 17-year-old girl with autism in a womens restroom at a store last December, the White Settlement Police Department announced Friday.

White Settlement police responded to a medical emergency regarding a teen girl turning blue at Academy Sporting Goods located at 1701 South Cherry Lane on the evening of December 22, 2022.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the teen went into the restroom and found a man, who has been identified as Toby Keith Coan, in a stall before everything just went black. She mentioned to police that her throat was sore and she was not sure if Coan choked her or not.

She also told police she just remembers fighting until she could not fight anymore and blacking out. She also remembered a white pill, and that she was fighting the man because she did not want that in her mouth.

As she was trying to leave the stall, Coan grabbed her by the waist and was trying to shove the pill in her mouth, the affidavit says.

The teen said she was trying to get him off of her when she began fighting with him in the stall.

The teens mother, April Burns, also told police she saw another person in the same stall that her daughter was in when she went to check on her. Burns told police her daughter is highly functioning with autism.

After Burns banged on the door, a man opened the stall and ran out of the bathroom and Burns saw her daughter sitting on the toilet, leaned up against the wall, and beginning to turn blue in her face, according to the affidavit.

An officer found the girl unconscious with foam coming out of her mouth, the affidavit states.

She was not responsive, but had a pulse and was breathing, police said.

Coan was seen entering the store and asking an employee where the bathroom was in a surveillance video obtained by police. He was then seen in the video running out of the store just minutes after the teen entered the womens restroom.

Coan told police that the teen confronted him after he entered the womens restroom and realized he was inside the wrong one.

Coan claimed he was trying to explain his mistake to the 17-year-old but she started calling him a pervert and pedophile and threatened to call the cops.

He also claimed he tried to go around her, but the girl shoved him back and hit him.

In an interview with police, Coan said his mind went black and that the teen was really aggressive. He told police he does not remember putting his hands on the girl.

Coan told police that the teen was screaming while he was trying to explain to her that because of a concussion he had, he did not read the bathroom sign correctly.

He claims he blacked out after the girl was yelling at him, but remembers that she allegedly grabbed mail from inside his pocket.

Coan said they were wrestling for the envelope and he pushed her on her chest, just below her throat, to get her off.

After the teen let go, he ran out of the restroom, Coan claimed.

He was advised by police that he had gone into womens restrooms multiple times, according to the affidavit, but Coan claimed the incident was the first time it happened.

After being confronted by police with footage of entering other womens restrooms, he further claimed he didnt remember doing so.

A warrant for Coans arrest was obtained Monday and he was transported to a jail on a charge of assault against a disabled individual.

While the investigation took several months to determine what happened, this case demonstrates our resolve in seeking justice for the victim, said Christopher Cook, White Settlements chief of police. The investigation took several months to process evidence, forensic testing, and working with the Tarrant County Alliance for Children, police said.

The Tarrant County Constables Office assisted in the arrest.
Phoenix Police Department.

A man was arrested in Peoria on Sunday after fatally shooting his former roommate in Phoenix, according to Phoenix police.

Authorities reported on June 22 at about 10:38 p.m., Cadence Allen, 18, illegally entered a house on West Jones Avenue and shot an unidentified man multiple times with his firearm. Allen then took the victims car keys and drove off from the area in the victim's car, according to court documents. As he drove off, he reportedly disassembled the firearm and threw out the pieces of the weapon from the car, according to court documents.

Soon after, police responded to reports of a shooting at the address. When officers arrived, they found a person with multiple gunshot wounds behind the front door of the house. The victim was pronounced dead not long after, according to court documents.

Both men had been living in the same transitional housing program and had an ongoing dispute over Allen owing the victim money, according to court documents.

Prior to the shooting, the power to the house was turned off when there was a knock at the front door. The victim armed himself with a kitchen knife and looked out the front window before cracking the door open.

Witnesses described that when the door opened, a person wearing a black hoodie extended a handgun through the door and fired it multiple times, striking the person who was behind the door. The black-hooded individual was overheard asking for the keys and then left the house, court documents said.

Staff members of the house reported to officers that Allen was previously kicked out for having an unauthorized party and owning firearms. The staff provided authorities with multiple phone numbers under Allens name, along with his last known address after being kicked out. Investigators requested and received search warrants for each phone number in order to track him, according to court documents.

The next day after the shooting, the victim's stolen vehicle was found parked at Allens new home address, court documents said. Undercover officers placed a GPS tracker on the car to check Allen's location, according to court documents.

After authorities tracked the stolen vehicle on Sunday, Allen was taken into custody in Peoria, court documents said.

Allen was charged with one count of first-degree murder premeditated, one count of first-degree murder during crime, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of armed robbery with a deadly weapon and one count of tampering with physical evidence-destroy/alter, according to court documents.

Allen's next court hearing will be on July 3 at the South Court Tower in Phoenix, court documents said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man shot, killed ex-roommate to get his car keys, Phoenix police say
You may never need to plug in your electric car again. Here's how.

San Francisco-based Ample is working on battery-swapping stations that drop refueling times to just five minutes. Ample

Long charging times and a lack of public chargers are keeping people from buying electric cars.

Some startups are convinced that EV charging needs a fundamental overhaul.

Battery swapping and wireless EV charging could someday make owning an EV way more convenient.

The thought of charging is scaring away potential electric car buyers. If everybody is expected to shun dirty fuels sooner rather than later, that needs to change.

Sure, automakers can tackle the frustratingly long duration of charging stops by engineering cars that recharge more quickly and drive farther between fill-ups. Charging providers can put anxious drivers at ease by blanketing the country with a greater number of more reliable stations. And that's all happening.

But some startups are convinced the way we refuel EVs needs a complete overhaul.

When a battery dies, swap it

San Francisco-based Ample's pitch is simple: Instead of spending precious time waiting around to refill the same battery over and over, why not simply change it out for a fresh pack and be on your way?

Ample says its new stations, seen here in a rendering, can swap a battery in five minutes. Ample

Ample's drive-through battery-swapping stations, roughly the size of a few parking spaces, are where the magic happens. After a driver pulls into a stall, their vehicle is lifted up and machinery below springs into action, autonomously plucking out the depleted pack and replacing it with a fully charged one in minutes. That's a game-changing improvement over typical fast-charging stations, where getting a solid charge could take 30 minutes to an hour or more.

The firm is still in its very early days, but its tech is already in the hands of some Uber drivers in California thanks to a deal with the ride-hailing giant. Ample plans to focus on taxi, delivery, and car-rental fleets before turning its attention to regular consumers.

You won't be able to pull up to an Ample station in just any EV  it'll need to be outfitted with the startup's modular, removable battery packs. The company plans to accomplish that through partnerships with automakers.

The Ample station lifts vehicles up to gain access to their undersides. Ample

Given our currently limited infrastructure and technology, EVs work best for people who don't drive very far in a day and can charge at home. Quick, convenient, and cheap battery swapping will be key for getting everyone else on board, John de Souza, Ample's cofounder and president, told Insider.

"If you don't have the luxury of having a parking garage overnight, it starts falling apart," he said, referring to EV ownership. "Or if you drive a lot of miles, it falls apart."

Ample offers more than just speedy pit stops, de Souza said. Under the company's model, customers will buy a battery-less vehicle and then pay a battery subscription, potentially slashing the upfront cost of going electric. Battery swapping should extend vehicle longevity by cutting down on fast-charging sessions, which accelerate battery wear, and by letting owners keep up with the latest advances in battery chemistry, de Souza said.

Chinese startup Nio has sold cars with swappable batteries for years while building out the infrastructure to support them  first in its homeland and now in Europe. Stateside, widespread battery swapping still looks a long way off, but it's gaining momentum. US EV startup Fisker recently announced plans to offer Ample's tech in its Ocean SUV starting in 2024.

Electric cars, meet electric roads

For Israel's Electreon, the path toward an EV future is paved with roads that wirelessly recharge vehicles while they're moving.

Electreon has launched several projects providing wireless charging for buses. Electreon

The tech may sound like something straight out of science fiction, but it's real. Electreon's initial projects mainly bring wireless charging to public buses  vehicles with predictable routes and depots ripe for reinvention. But it's not stopping there.

Oren Ezer, Electreon's cofounder and CEO, told Insider that wireless charging could solve the biggest challenges stunting the EV revolution: insufficient charging infrastructure, limited driving range, and a reliance on large, expensive batteries. In a world where electrified bus stops, parking spots, and streets charge vehicles all the time, those sticking points recede into the rearview. That's the long-term vision, anyway.

Electreon drove a Toyota RAV4 more than 1,200 miles without stopping. Electreon

To demonstrate the transformative potential of so-called "dynamic wireless charging," Electreon in May set out to drive a Toyota RAV4 Prime  a plug-in hybrid with just 42 miles of electric-only range  for 100 hours straight without plugging in or using any gas.

On a test track with its copper charging coils embedded in the asphalt, Electreon and a team of 55 drivers covered 1,207 miles, a feat that would be unthinkable in a typical EV. (The cream of today's electric crop can travel 300-500 miles before they need to stop and recharge.)

The SUV, specially outfitted to receive energy wirelessly, looped the track at around 20-30 mph, Ezer said. He added that even at highway speeds, Electreon's roads can keep a vehicle's battery topped up indefinitely.

Electreon digs a shallow trench to install its charging coils. Electreon

Before you shudder at the prospect of endless, invasive construction if this tech takes off, consider this: Electreon says it can lay 1 mile of road in a night. It doesn't need to rip up an entire street, Ezer said, just dig a trench about three inches deep.

Despite the billions pouring into conventional charging infrastructure, Ezer thinks his technology will win out someday. One positive sign: In March, Electreon announced an R&D partnership with Toyota.

"We need all the solutions together in order to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles," he said. "But wireless will be dominant for sure."

Read the original article on Business Insider
On June 16, Jacob Frey stood on a stage at a news conference, flanked by federal officials who'd just told America what Black and Indigenous folks here already know: the sign flashed by the most problematic gang in Minneapolis is a badge.

He curled his right hand and pounded, percussively, on the dais as he looked into the audience and spoke with that plodding, measured tone he employs to convey the gravity of his delivery. He's good at that politician stuff.

"I remember watching the video of George Floyd's murder for the very first time and then heading into my office late at night and pacing with one thought in my mind, which is that 'Now things have to be different. Now things have to change,'" he said. "And at every level of government and across our city, we understand that change is non-negotiable."

But he didn't apologize.

Not to the thousands of Black and Indigenous people in this community who've been subjected to "racist"  the word is used six times in the 89-page "Investigation of the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department" report by the U.S. Department of Justice  abuse by Minneapolis police officers. Not to the Black and Indigenous activists who've devoted their lives to the fight for righteousness. Not to the elder Black and Indigenous folks in this community who've endured police harassment and mistreatment for generations.

I understand the report also acknowledged the progress Minneapolis has made in recent years. And yes, Frey has apologized to the Black community for the city's history of harm in the past.

But not then, on the national stage, perhaps the most influential in the wake of Floyd's murder, following a federal, legally binding examination that called his Police Department a cesspool with a cultural deficiency rooted in violence.

I asked Frey about this and he offered this statement: "In the news conference with DOJ officials, I said this report reaffirms what Minneapolis Black and brown residents have been saying, seeing, and experiencing for years. And a huge share of those same residents have told me they don't need me to apologize again  rather, they need government leaders to act. I've taken that message to heart and it was front and center in my remarks."

To act as if the murder of George Floyd opened the eyes of a city to the harm marginalized folks had discussed for years was also an egregious revelation.

George Floyd's murder wasn't an announcement. It was the smoke from the burning embers of injustice, sparked by decades of malfeasance by those asked to serve and protect. Even the feds recognized as much.

"The patterns and practices of conduct the Justice Department observed during our investigation are deeply disturbing," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at that momentous news conference in Minneapolis. "They erode the community's trust in law enforcement. And they made what happened to George Floyd possible."

But I'm not surprised Frey used that moment in the spotlight to play politician rather than human being.

Minnesota officials don't listen to Black folks here. Not consistently. This is a place that only seems to believe us when an outside voice confirms the angst, complaints, concerns and pleas of its BIPOC residents. Frey's address at the announcement of the federal consequences for police brutality demonstrated a lack of empathy for those impacted most by the behavior.

He cited the city's commitment to moving forward. He mentioned new committees and liaisons and appointees as he stood near another group of powerbrokers who'd flown into Minneapolis with a mop and a bucket of water to help the city clean up its latest mess.

Frey approached that moment  with the world watching  like he'd just won an Oscar. He thanked federal officials. He thanked city leaders. He then credited current Minneapolis police officers who stayed. As he continued to talk, I wondered if he would soon thank Sony Pictures, his director and his supporting cast, too.

I don't care to address the mayor. I'd like to talk to Jacob, who had an opportunity to briefly pause his perpetual campaign for another term  or an elevated office  and instead say sorry to those who've lived with the pain that comes from their encounters with a Police Department the federal government described as historically unsafe for Black and brown residents.

"We have reasonable cause to believe that MPD and the City engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law," the federal investigation report states. "First, MPD uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and excessive less-lethal force. Second, MPD unlawfully discriminates against Black and Native American people when enforcing the law. Third, MPD violates individuals' First Amendment rights. Finally, MPD and the City discriminate when responding to people with behavioral health issues."

For six minutes and 39 seconds on June 16, Frey stood on that stage.

He said he wants residents  not just the BIPOC folks the report says face the greatest daily threat  to feel safer during their interactions with the Minneapolis police. He admitted the federal report and consent decree that demand serious change are less significant than the tangible improvement that is needed. He also acknowledged the history of complaints.

"The data and the facts the DOJ has presented in these findings are aligned with what communities of color have been telling us now for many years  in fact, generations," he said.

Then, he began to gesture with his hands again. The left thumb extended. The right hand clenched. The head nods. The pauses. The focused gaze.

He had rehearsed that address. He's good at that. He's a gifted orator.

But Black and Indigenous folks deserved more than a speech.

Frey should have said, "I'm sorry."

I hope he includes himself in the change he hopes to see in the future.

Myron Medcalf is a local columnist for the Star Tribune and a national writer and radio host for ESPN. His column appears in print on Sundays twice a month and also online.
It was an amusing moment on the presidential campaign trail that illustrates how influential a role Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is playing in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

As he introduced Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley at a New Hampshire GOP summer cookout and fundraiser this week, Sununu repeatedly praised the former two-term South Carolina governor, who later served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in former President Donald Trumps administration.

But Sununu, who just a few weeks ago announced that hed pass on his own presidential run, added that hes not endorsing anyone "yet" in the states presidential primary, emphasizing "weve got a long way to go" until states 2024 nominating contest.

After exchanging a hug, Haley kicked off her comments to the crowd by saying, "Youve got a great governor."

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S SUNUNU PASSES ON 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL RUN

With a joke that elicited plenty of laughter, she said, "Governor, I very much worry about your health. What Im thinking is, I dont want you to over-stress. I dont want you to get out there and do too much. So I think whats best is, go ahead and endorse me now."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Haley was kidding about Sununus health  but not about hoping to land the popular governors support in the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

She and five other contenders are former or current governors who have all worked alongside of Sununu. They and the six other Republican presidential candidates who are also challenging Trump for the GOP nomination have been calling Sununu, or meeting with him when theyre campaigning in New Hampshire, asking for his advice and suggestions, and maybe even for his support down the road.

"Hes a great friend. Hes a great governor, and hes going to be an important person in this primary. And I think that hes got a lot of knowledge about the people of New Hampshire, and I think hes got a lot of knowledge of what it takes to win here, so I think hes going to be incredibly important," Haley told Fox News at the NHGOP cookout.

Besides Haley, in recent weeks former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, ex-CIA spy and former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  whos primary-challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination  have all met with Sununu. And three other candidates  Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas  huddled in-person with Sununu earlier this year.

WHO'S IN AND WHO'S ON THE SIDELINES  YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE

"Gov. Sununus importance in the New Hampshire primary cannot be underestimated. His endorsement and his generally being an ambassador for the primary is going to be critically important in 2024," longtime New Hampshire Institute of Politics executive director Neil Levesque told Fox News.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, left, and former Vice President Mike Pence meet outside Poor Boys Diner in Londonderry, N.H. on June 9, 2023

Sununu is more modest.

"I try to be open and helpful to everybody. So, I dont think Im the man in demand. I think everyone knows that Im willing to help and give good advice and guidance in terms of what theyre doing, next steps, who to meet, where to go, how to approach the state."

Sununu, whos in his fourth two-year term steering New Hampshire, added in a Fox Digital interview, "I do know how to win the state and be successful here, and Im happy to share any advice I can with all the different candidates."

"They ask good advice. They ask good questions. How they should approach the state. How they should approach the voters," Sununu said of the Republican presidential contenders. "Im kind of happy to give all the advice we can. I think we know how to do retail politics and retail management here and how it translates to the electorate."

And hes giving the candidates good grades at this point, saying, "I think so far, theyre doing it the right way. Theyre going to the backyard barbeque, and they're going to the diners to meet people on the citizens' terms, not on the candidates terms, which is what I think defines New Hampshire really apart from everybody else."

Unlike Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, another popular chief executive whos playing a similar role in the 2024 GOP nomination race in the first caucus state, Sununu has said hes open to making an endorsement ahead of the primary.

IS SUNUNU LEANING AGAINST RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION?

Asked about his timetable, the governor said, "We havent even gotten to a debate yet. Were just getting to see who all the candidates are. A lot of them are still getting in the race as of last week. Theres still a lot to play out in terms of endorsements and where that goes."

One person Sununu wont endorse, and who isnt asking the governor for advice, is former President Donald Trump, whos the commanding front-runner right now in the Republican race as he makes his third straight White House run.

Sununu has been highly critical of Trump dating back to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters who unsuccessfully tried to prevent congressional certification of President Bidens 2020 election victory. Sununu has repeatedly predicted that the former president has no chance of winning back his old job in 2024.

As for his own political future, Sununu has yet to announce whether hell seek an unprecedented fifth term as governor.

Asked about his timetable to decide on a 2024 re-election run, the governor pointed to his wife, Valerie, and three children and told Fox News, "Ill talk to Valerie and the kids and stuff over the holiday weekend and probably come to some sort of firm and public decision sometime in July, August, something like that."
The impact of former President Trumps Supreme Court on American life is becoming clearer every day.

Trump nominated three of the justices on the current court, delivering a 6-3 conservative majority that can carry all before it  even on deeply contentious issues.

On Thursday, the court struck a huge blow against affirmative action, finding that colleges and universities should not directly consider race as a factor in their admission process.

The following day, the court struck down President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan, finding that the administration had exceeded its authority with a program that would have erased around $400 billion in debt.

Those two decisions come on top of the seismic Dobbs decision a year ago, which struck down the constitutional right to abortion that had stood since 1973s Roe v. Wade.

On Friday, the court waded into the culture wars again, ruling that a Christian website designer in Colorado had the right to refuse to design sites celebrating same-sex marriages.

The decisions removed any sliver of doubt that the court will be Trumps lasting legacy, shaping many of the hottest issues in the United States for years to come  regardless of how the former president fares in his efforts to win back the White House in 2024.

The court is also, of course, a large and painful thorn in the side for Biden.

The president hit back on Friday, after the student loans decision, alleging the court was wrong and had misinterpreted the Constitution.

Biden also sought to tie the GOP as closely as possible to the courts decisions, contending that the student debt issue had revealed that these Republican officials just couldnt bear the thought of providing relief to working-class, middle-class Americans.

Those comments highlight the political complexity in some of these issues  and the possibility that the court may have misjudged public opinion in a way that causes Republicans serious problems.

Thats especially true on abortion, where polls have consistently shown the decision that overturned Roe is unpopular.

Even so, the courts decisions are a reminder to many conservatives that the bargain some Trump skeptics made during his 2016 campaign paid off.

Back then, many conservatives who were unenthusiastic about Trumps colorful personal life and penchant for crudeness backed him anyway, in part because he held out the promise of delivering lasting change through the judiciary.

Thats exactly what happened.

Now, Republicans who back the former president know he holds a powerful card in the 2024 GOP primary, which he currently leads by about 30 points over his closest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Politically, all of these big wins at the Supreme Court since [the striking down of] Roe v. Wade last year are a godsend for Trump, because its a constant and continued reminder to GOP voters that Trump delivered for them, said one Republican consultant supportive of the former president.

Republican voters have long memories and know all too well that its not an automatic given to get strong conservative justices just because you have a GOP president.

Some GOP officials and conservative commentators rushed to praise Trump in the wake of the latest decisions.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) proclaimed on Twitter that The Trump Court is the greatest Supreme Court in American history.

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), apparently referring to the cases on affirmative action, student loans and the Christian website designer, gleefully tweeted about Three straight wins for America thanks to President Trumps Supreme Court.

Commentator and podcast host Megyn Kelly characterized Friday as a spectacular day for Donald Trump whose three conservative picks for [the Supreme Court] were integral to the historic decisions.

Still, there is a whole other side to the story.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) contended that if right-wing Supreme Court justices want to make public policy they should quit the Supreme Court and run for political office.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) blasted six right wing politicians, masquerading as judges who he said were gleefully imposing their politics on the country by fiat.

Beyond the Democratic Party, some Trump critics predicted that the courts decisions could deepen problems for the GOP.

Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, told this column that the affirmative action decision makes it more difficult [for Republicans] to go into Black neighborhoods and communities when you are having opportunity taken away from those communities.

Steele, who is Black, added of the conservative justices rationale: This notion of a colorblind nation is just bullsh*t. Lets call it what it is. This country has never been colorblind since the day the first Africans came to its shores and they enslaved them.

Meanwhile, progressive strategist Jonathan Tasini contended that the courts recent decisions were so far out of step with public opinion as to hand Democrats a political gift.

If the Democrats cannot make hay from this, then the Democratic Party is bankrupt and should cede the stage, Tasini said.

The battle over the court and its decisions is raging.

The abortion issue was widely credited for Democrats avoiding bigger losses in last Novembers midterms. Biden on Friday announced several measures intended to ease the pain for people paying off student loans, and the full ramifications of that issue are yet to play out.

Some voices caution against believing the most recent decisions will fundamentally change the calculus.

GOP pollster Glen Bolger said that if the 2024 election ends up as a Biden-Trump rematch, I dont know voters are going to say, I am undecided between these two so let me look at these Supreme Court decisions and make up my mind.

On Thursday, after the decision on affirmative action, the former president asserted it was a great day for America.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CORRECTS DATE ACTIVIST WAS KILLED - Mourners arrive to the funeral of armed civilian defense leader Hipolito Mora and two of his bodyguards at his home in La Ruana, Mexico, Saturday, July 1, 2023. Mora, the leader of an armed civilian movement that once drove a drug cartel out of the western state of Michoacan, was killed on June 29th on a street in his hometown. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

LA RUANA, Mexico (AP)  One of the last leaders of Mexicos anti-gang citizens' movement was buried Saturday alongside two of his faithful followers, and any hope of reviving armed civilian resistance to drug cartels probably died with them.

Self defense vigilante leader Hipolito Mora had long since ceased to pose an armed threat to the cartel that dominates western Mexico's Michoacan state, as was clear from the overwhelming, deadly, multipoint ambush in which he and three followers were slain Thursday.

While some angry relatives talked of reviving the 2013-2014 armed farmers' movement that kicked out one cartel  only to see it replaced by others  many doubted that heroic, tragic chapter could ever be repeated.

I think its not a question of reviving the past, said the Rev. Gilberto Vergara, one of the priests who officiated the funeral Mass for Mora and his followers Calixto Alvarez and Roberto Naranjo. The third follower was buried elsewhere.

The circumstances have changed, theyre different, and we saw how everything ended.

Mora himself acknowledged that the 2013 movement, in which farmers and ranchers banded together to resist constant threats and extortion from the Knights Templar cartel, wound up infiltrated by members of other drug gangs.

The cartel now dominating the state, alternately called the Viagras or the United Cartels, is worse than the ones who were here before, Moras brother, Guadalupe Mora Chavez, said.

If the government and (Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramirez) Bedolla dont do something, there are possibilities the people will rise up in arms again," the brother said.

But most at Moras wake were too afraid of cartel retaliation even to have their names appear in print.

He looked out for his town, for his people, and that is something none of us is going to do," his sister, Olivia Mora, said in a tearful address in front of his coffin.

We all think first about our own families, she said. None of us are going to have the courage to do what he did.

I hope that something remains, another of Mora's weeping female relatives said. I hope his voice hasnt been silenced.

Mora always spoke out against the cartels extortion of local farmers and lime growers, ,even after his hundreds of followers had been reduced to a handful.

The female relative, who asked that her name not be used, said the extortion has grown so bad some growers are giving up their businesses, and locals sometimes are forced to pay double the price for basic goods.

The power of the drug cartels has only grown over the last decade. The Rev. Gregorio Lopez, a priest who was not present at the funeral, said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors policy of not confronting the cartels has allowed them to grow.

The hugs not bullets policy has been the perfect fertilizer for growing drug cartels across the country," he said.

The overwhelming power of the cartels was visible in the bullet holes in the walls where Mora and his bodyguards died. The Michoacan state prosecutors office said unidentified gunmen cut off his SUV and his bodyguards pickup truck on a street in La Ruana, Mora's hometown, then riddled Moras vehicle with bullets and then set it on fire.

In a forensic inspection Friday, authorities marked out where bullets hit Moras vehicle from three sides. Residents shared video of the attack that suggested cartel gunmen used a machine gun and a sniper rifle to destroy Moras vehicle.

Residents of La Ruana, located in the torrid agricultural belt of western Michoacan state, did turn out by the hundreds Saturday for the funeral.

At the local cemetery, Mora and his two followers were laid to rest to the tune of the Joan Sebastian corrido ballad The General. The lyrics go: I have been a general a long time, and even though I am wounded, I never forget about my troops, and they havent buried me yet.

A knot of state police stood outside the cemetery, providing security that was never provided to Mora. Despite the big tearful farewell, it is becoming more difficult to even speak out against the cartels' domination, which is mainly what Mora did in his final years along with running his lime orchard.

The cartels seem intent on squelching even non-violent resistance.

The narcos and the drug cartels are always going to try to get rid of anything that gets in their way, said Vergara, the priest.

The time for armed self-defense movements is past, he said.

Guns dont help us, civilians shouldnt carry guns, Vergara said. I think it is up to the government to do their duty.

That appears unlikely, given the governments current policy of tolerating the homegrown Viagras cartel, while fighting off an offensive by the Jalisco cartel to enter the state.

They have to fight all the cartels," said Guadalupe Mora.
The mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, Victor Hugo Sosa, kisses a female caiman as part of a marriage ritual on June 30, 2023 (RUSVEL RASGADO)

As onlookers clapped and danced, a mayor of a small southern Mexico town entered into holy matrimony with a female reptile in a traditional rite to bring good fortune to his people.

Victor Hugo Sosa, mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, a town of Indigenous Chontal people in the Tehuantepec isthmus of Mexico, took as his betrothed a reptile named Alicia Adriana, re-enacting an ancestral ritual.

The reptile is a caiman, an alligator-like marsh dweller endemic to Mexico and Central America.

Sosa swore to be true to what local lore calls "the princess girl."

"I accept responsibility because we love each other. That is what is important. You can't have a marriage without love... I yield to marriage with the princess girl," Sosa said during the ritual.

Marriage between a man and a female caiman has happened here for 230 years to commemorate the day when two Indigenous groups came to peace -- with a marriage.

Tradition has it that frictions were overcome when a Chontal king, embodied these days by the mayor, wedded a princess girl of the Huave Indigenous group, represented by the female alligator.

The Huave live along coastal Oaxaca state, not far from this inland town.

The wedding allows the sides to "link with what is the emblem of Mother Earth, asking the all-powerful for rain, the germination of the seed, all those things that are peace and harmony for the Chontal man," explains Jaime Zarate, chronicler of San Pedro Huamelula.

Before the wedding ceremony, the reptile is taken house to house so that inhabitants can take her in their arms and dance. The alligator wears a green skirt, a colorful hand-embroidered tunic and a headdress of ribbons and sequins.

The creature's snout is bound shut to avoid any pre-marital mishaps.

Later, she is put in a white bride's costume and taken to town hall for the blessed event.

As part of the ritual, Joel Vasquez, a local fisherman, tosses his net and intones the town's hopes that the marriage may bring "good fishing, so that there is prosperity, equilibrium and ways to live in peace."

After the wedding, the mayor dances with his bride to the sounds of traditional music.

"We are happy because we celebrate the union of two cultures. People are content," Sosa told AFP.

As the dance winds down, the king plants a kiss on the snout of the "princess girl."

str/jla/dga/tjj/acb
Miami mayor had a bad month. And he has only himself to blame  mostly | Opinion

Call it the Education of Francis Suarez.

As Suarez, the mayor, remains engulfed in a scandal surrounding his consulting work for a developer doing business with the city of Miami, Suarez, the Republican presidential candidate, is also dealing with incoming missiles of criticism  some launched from his own back yard.

I think he is a complete fraud. That was how Miami Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, former mayor of Miami-Dade, welcomed Suarezs entry into the race last month.

Those are strong words, and Gimenez said them with no hesitation, no attempt at tact or diplomacy on Sunday-morning political shows.

Gimenez, a friend and long-time supporter of another presidential candidate, Donald Trump, continues to make clear his dislike for Suarez and has said so publicly several times.

Is it personal or politics?

Suarez has said it feels personal.

It might be both, although Gimenez said his attacks are his own, and not on behalf of Trump.

Family feud

Whats the genesis of the bad blood? The thinking is that Suarezs efforts to become a strong mayor back in 2016 irked then-County Mayor Gimenez. And then there was that unsightly infighting between the two mayors over federal COVID-19 funds. Suarez wanted some control over them; Gimenez fought him, and other municipal mayors, off.

And there is a little bit of the Hatfield & McCoys, too, stemming from the days when Suarezs father, Xavier Suarez, was the mayor of Miami and Gimenez was city manager. Then, there are the years when Gimenez was the mayor of Miami-Dade and Suarez, the father, was often at odd with Gimenez.

Sure, its politics, and its players lash out to elevate or wound. It comes with the territory. But Gimenezs public contempt for Suarez seems a bit over the top. Suarezs chances of making it to the top of the pack running for the Republican nomination are rather slim  unless Giminez also is trying to forestall any lucrative job offers that might come Suarezs way as a result of his run.

Otherwise, why all the vitriol? Its a bad look for all of Miami-Dade. The often-irritated-looking Gimenez should keep that in mind.

That said, Suarez has stepped on a few land mines himself since he declared his candidacy.

The day after his announcement, he appeared on ABCs Good Morning, America with George Stephanopolous, who made Suarez get that deer-in-the-headlights look by insisting an unwilling Suarez answer questions about Trumps indictment.

Then, Suarez bravely went on The View and was easily sliced and diced by the women on the show, largely for not denouncing Trump, even though Suarez has said he did not vote for Trump. Still, he stays away from criticizing him publicly. As the mayor tried to promote his successes in Miami, no one cared. Trump was front and center.

Of course, most Republican hopefuls are tiptoeing around Trump. Criticize him bluntly, and tick off his voters  though theres a chance of converting those who have tired of the bellicose former president.

Then, on June 27, there was the Uyghur incident. Know who they are? Neither did the mayor, it seemed.

When show host Hugh Hewitt asked Suarez if he would be talking on behalf of the Uyghurs on the campaign trail, Suarez responded: Whats a Uyghur?

And just like that, there went Suarezs foreign-policy platform. He should have known that the Chinese government has faced significant international criticism in recent years over its treatment of Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in the western province of Xinjiang.

Nikki Haley weighs in

Then came the hardest blow. Hearing of the Uyghurs blunder, fellow GOP presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said not knowing about the genocide under way is shameful, answering a question about Suarezs lack of Uyghur knowledge.

If you recall, as Haley was considering her presidential run, she met with Suarez once in Miami, spurring rumors that she was looking at him as a possible running mate.

As of this moment, that might not be in the cards.

Pitfalls aside, Suarez might find making his case across the country preferable to have to face persistent questions here at home about his profitable relationship with a developer who needed the citys help to get his Coconut Grove development on track.

Now, the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating; and the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust and the State Attorneys Office are asking questions, too.

Its some awfully heavy baggage for someone running for president  other than Teflon Trump, of course  to lug around the campaign trail.
Midville man charged, suspected to be involved in 14 armed robberies across the state.

Two days after a Gibson Mini Mart clerk was struck with a pistol and robbed at gunpoint, Glascock County Sheriff Jeremy Kelley joined Burke County Sheriffs Special Response Team and GBI agents in the arrest of Cordell John Henry Cobb, 22, and James R. Davis, both of Midville.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said that Cobb and Davis are suspected to have been involved in 14 armed robberies across the state.

At approximately 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14, Glascock County deputies were dispatched after calls for assistance at the Gibson MiniMart.

Kelley said that the clerk was in the middle of the store when a masked man entered, pointed a gun and demanded money from the cash register. The clerk was struck on the head with what appears to have been a handgun during a physical altercation with the masked individual.

We got a clothing and physical description of the gentleman and at that point in time we turned the investigation over to the GBI, Kelley said. During the investigation that morning we started getting information that Sandersville Police Department had had an armed robbery that morning and the physical descriptions matched pretty well.

The GBI said that Cobb and Davis are suspects in a May 19 robbery of ST Food Mart and covenience store in Summertown, a May 26 robbery of Singh Food Mart in Twin City and other armed robberies in Statesboro, Bulloch County, Sandersville, Tifton, Chatham County and Waycross.

A spokesman for the Emanuel County S.O. said that their office spent hours watching the majority of the convenience stores in there are over a two-week period and obtained several leads which yielded valuable information. A Millen Police Department deputies recognized an individual in the same clothing as the suspect and relayed this information to Emanuel County investigators.

A meeting was held at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office with investigators from across the area where the robberies occurred.

As a result of this meeting, the combined information led to the arrest of Cordell Cobb of Burke County, the Emanuel County SO spokesman said. Cobb is being charged with multiple counts of armed robbery in many jurisdictions.

Charges from Glascock County include aggravated assault, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

"This was a teamwork effort that solved a rash of armed robberies and thats the way law enforcement has to work, as a team, Kelley said.

As the investigation is on going, anyone with information regarding any of these incidents is encouraged to call the Emanuel County S.O. at 478-237-7526 or the GBIs Thomson office at 706-595-2575.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Midville man charged in string of 14 area armed robberies
Kari Lake, right, poses with a supporter at Wauwatosa's Radisson Hotel on Friday, June 30, 2023.

WAUWATOSA - Election denier turned Republican star Kari Lake brought her political show to Milwaukee on Friday.

Lake, who ran for Arizona governor last year, narrowly lost and falsely claimed she was a victim of election fraud, has turned defeat into a second political act.

"To the deep state, to the powers that be ... I'm the most dangerous politician in America," she said of how she's been portrayed, speaking during a luncheon speech at a Milwaukee County Republican Party fundraiser at a Wauwatosa hotel.

She referred to those she said "stole" her election as "traitors," said she was "going to fight this corruption," and lauded former President Donald Trump, claiming "he will be our next president."

"If you do not respect Donald Trump, you've been the massive victim of a brain-washing operation," she said.

Lake, an Iowa native, talked up her Wisconsin roots: her grandmother lived in Elm Grove, both her parents grew up in Prairie du Chien, her brother lives in Wauwatosa and she often spent summers in the Badger State.

Kari Lake, former GOP candidate for governor in Arizona, speaks at a Milwaukee County Republican Party fundraiser in Wauwatosa.

She told the crowd of more than 200 people that they had a lot in common, being from a rotten election county like Maricopa County. And I know you all understand what Im talking about. Were kindred spirits because weve been done wrong. And were not going to take that anymore."

Among those in the audience were GOP chairman Brian Schimming, state Rep. Janel Brandtjen and Robert Spindell, a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission who in 2021 signed paperwork claiming to be a state elector for Trump.

Hilario Deleon, who chairs the Milwaukee County Republican Party, said Lake was already coming to the state when her team reached out to him to set up the event. She's promoting her new book, "Unafraid."

"She's doing this for free," Deleon said. "She wants the grassroots to succeed."

Tickets for the event cost at least $55 and included a free book.

Democrats criticize the state GOP for hosting Lake

A Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman chided Republicans over Lake's appearance.

"The Wisconsin GOP is clearly still enamored with Donald Trumps election lies, and inviting election denier Kari Lake to Milwaukee is just icing on the cake," Haley McCoy said in a statement. "If the Republican Party wants to remain beholden to election deniers and conspiracy theorists, thats their prerogative, but it wont win them support  or elections  any time soon. Just ask Kari Lake."

Lake is a former television newscaster who rose to political prominence in Arizona as a fierce defender of Trump. She lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs in 2022, never conceded defeat and failed in her legal battle to overturn the result.

Her political future is unclear. Lake appears to be weighing a run for U.S. senator in Arizona next year but there are suggestions she may be angling for a spot on the national ticket as Trump's vice presidential nominee.

She has been a frequent visitor to Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club and on Thursday night was seen alongside the former president at his Bedminster, N.J. country club.

In 2022, Lake called for Wisconsin to "decertify" its 2020 election results despite to move being impossible and illegal if attempted by election officials.

Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin by about 21,000 votes  a result that has been confirmed by judges, a nonpartisan state audit, a conservative study, and two recounts paid for by Trump.

In an interview this week on WIBA-AM with conservative talk show host Vicki McKenna, Lake repeated false claims about the 2020 election in Wisconsin, calling it "rigged."

Last month, a top Republican election official in Arizona filed a defamation suit in Maricopa County Superior Court against Lake, her campaign and her political fundraising group.

In the suit, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer accused Lake of spreading lies over the election results and that he and his family "have been the target of threats of violence, and even death. and have had their lives turned upside down."

Rather than accept political defeat, rather than get a new job, she has sought to undermine confidence in our elections and has mobilized millions of her followers against me, Richer wrote in an opinion piece for The Arizona Republic.

The Associated Press reported that the suit "takes issue with two claims in particular  that Richer intentionally had 19-inch ballot images printed on 20-inch paper, causing counting problems, and that he injected 300,000 bogus ballots. It details nearly three dozen times she made the claims publicly on social media or at rallies and news conferences."

Journal Sentinel reporter Molly Beck contributed.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Republicans host Arizona election denier Kari Lake
Summer is in full swing, and people have started cooling off with refreshing beverages at beaches and pools around Hampton Roads. With one new local business, now the drinks can come directly to you.

Alexandra Peck and Nicole Sisson, owners of mobile bartending service Bad N Boozy, met while working behind the bar at Hot Tuna in Virginia Beach. The two became close friends, even after leaving the restaurant to work office jobs.

Still, they wanted to figure out a way to get back into bartending without working in the service industry. Then, in October, they started working on their own pop-up business.

Peck and Sisson worked their first event in January and have spent the past six months bartending at weddings, business openings, birthdays and graduations.

Bad N Boozy has different packages to choose from, including a traditional beer and wine setup and a simple coffee bar. Sisson said theyve done everything from Margaritaville-themed bars to full mocktail bars.

Due to Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control regulations, customers must provide the alcohol, and Bad N Boozy supplies everything else, including cups and mixers.

Bad N Boozy offers services throughout Hampton Roads, with extra fees if an event is farther away. Peck and Sisson said they can also just do bartending for customers and venues that already have a bar. Packages range from $400 to $2,000 depending on the add-ons and drinks selected.

Sisson said customers get access to a private cocktail book they can browse, and during consultation, they can go over any themes or aesthetic preferences. Other bartending services may only offer a predetermined drink menu and no setup or mixers.

We really try to make it a unique experience for every client, and not so cut-and-paste, she said.

Collaborating on specialized cocktails and packages with clients has also led to getting to know them better, Sisson said.

Especially for weddings, theyre always really personal. And, you know, the cocktail bar is usually the central place at a wedding or an event  its the place where everyone goes to come together, she said.

Peck and Sisson prep their materials ahead of each event and fit the mixers, mobile bar, side table and decorations into one, sometimes two, cars.

For those looking for a less expensive drink option, theyve also started offering portable boozy cart rentals filled with boozy pouches and boozy popsicles that people can take to the beach. Sisson described the pouches as an adult Capri Sun that can be filled with drinks like margaritas, crushes and hurricane rum cocktails.

With the summer heating up, they said it has been an especially busy season for Bad N Boozy. Peck and Sisson said if business continues to grow, they want to buy a mobile bar trailer.

Peck and Sisson currently work other full-time jobs, but they hope to focus more on their business.

At each event, they each wear a signature uniform of a pink apron over a white button-up. This, Sisson said, is a nod to their work as a women-owned business.

The industry is a hard thing to be in and, most often, its male-dominated, the service industry, Sisson said. And so we think the pink is kind of a play on our femininity  and to show we can be bold and empowering and feminine.

Gabby Jimenez, gabrielle.jimenez@virginiamedia.com
Cabinet of replica human fosil skulls. From a college dept of Anthropology.kickstand via Getty Images

Many of us learned in high school that our human ancestors first evolved in Africa before slowly spreading out across the planet. But that may not be the full story.

New research published in Nature in May aimed to shed new light on human origins in Africa and beyond. An international research team using sophisticated computer software and a large set of genomic data  including DNA from many different populations in Africa  tested a variety of models for how human populations arose and diverged, producing the genetic variation we see on the African continent today.

The best-fitting model they found may well force changes in the story taught about human evolution. Salon spoke with two of the study authors, who say that while there's enthusiasm from some scientists, others seem a little confused.

Related

The meandering path of human evolution

"On the one hand, the human geneticists, even though this overturns a lot of prior models, at some level, I think they think it's exciting," Dr. Brenna Henn, a population geneticist at UC Davis, told Salon in a video call. "But maybe they don't quite know what to do with it."

In place of a tree, we see a pattern of diversion from migration and reconnection through interbreeding, a bit like the veins in a leaf.

If you've ever looked up your family genealogy, you're familiar with the main 'prior model' being overturned: it's that upside-down tree shape. In this case, the tree described how our very large family  modern humans  were thought to arise from a single source region somewhere in Africa. The new research, by Henn, Simon Gravel and others, supports previous findings that began to undermine this idea. Perhaps most intriguingly, the new analysis points to a complex 'weakly structured stem' shape of divergence and coalescence that better explains the genetic data and diversity in the fossil record.

The new model begins at the Middle Pleistocene, approximately one million years ago, when there were not one but two main populations of humans. But instead of developing completely separately, gene flow continued between the groups over time. In place of a tree, we see a pattern of diversion from migration and reconnection through interbreeding, a bit like the veins in a leaf. Two distinct veins (or stems 1 and 2) remained weakly genetically connected through tens of thousands of years.

Around 120,000 years ago, a merger event between populations descending from stem 1 and stem 2 gave rise to the modern day Nama people, a group of hunter-gatherers who populate South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Not long afterwards, a different population of stem 1 descendents merged with a stem 2 population, resulting in the ancestors of Eastern and Western African populations  and everybody else outside Africa.

In an interview with Salon, Sriram Sankararaman, an associate professor in UCLA's Departments of Computer Science, Human Genetics and Computational Medicine, praised the research team's thorough exploration of possible models and use of rich, diverse data sets. But he doubts this is the end of the story.

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"The resulting complexity of the model means that it's difficult to say exactly how closely it reflects reality," Sankararaman, who was not involved with the Nature study, said. "Given these models are so complicated, it's probably a reasonable thing to assume that the true models are going to be even more complicated than anything they say so far."

One aspect is the question of exactly whose genes are involved in all this gene flow. To explain the genetic diversity of modern groups in Africa, population geneticists have thought that ancient hominins (our now-extinct relations) might have contributed their DNA to populations that led to modern humans, as occurred in Europe, Asia and Oceania. There, significant good research shows human populations who had migrated out of Africa had sex, producing cute hairy babies at various times with two of our ancient relations, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans.

"Given these models are so complicated, it's probably a reasonable thing to assume that the true models are going to be even more complicated than anything they say so far."

This has left many of us with a little Neanderthal genetic material to this day. In non-African populations, it's about two percent, though that number has shrunk over the years, as bits of DNA that damaged our health or fertility were weeded out. From what Dr. Sankararaman's research suggests, it was once about three percent of the human genome, which is not an insignificant amount.

But in Africa there isn't much evidence of such an "archaic admixture." There's some, but it's not definitive.

"There's one particular stem which predates the split of Neanderthals from the ancestors of modern humans. And then the stem again mixes with the modern human lineage," Dr. Sankararaman said. "There's this deep population structure that is contributing to the gene pool in Africa  The question of whether this is truly archaic or not. In my mind, it's not completely settled."

The researchers argue that their model, in which gene flow persisted despite divergent populations, better explains genetic diversity across the continent. It's also possible, as they concede, that further research by geneticists might still favor a hybrid explanation, in which there was some admixture from archaic hominin genes as well as the connections among populations they describe.

They say some scientists whose focus is on interpreting the fossil record have been pleased to see genetic analysis bear out what they already knew.

For example, the 2017 discovery of skull fragments, a jawbone and stone tools in North Africa, dating back approximately 315,000 years, upset previous ideas that Homo sapiens evolved from a single population in East Africa. Previous assumptions were based on two skulls found in Ethiopia's Omo Valley,both of which were about 195,000 years old.

a, Recent expansion. b, Recent expansion with regional persistence. c, Archaic admixture. d, African multiregional. The models have been designed to translate models from the palaeoanthropological literature into genetically testable demographic models (ref. 1 and Supplementary Information section 3). These parameters were then fitted to genetic data.

"I think the fact that we have fossils that we classify [as] somewhat sapiens that are found fairly early in multiple regions in Africa would be consistent with [our] model," Dr. Tim Weaver, another of the study authors and an anthropologist himself, explained to Salon. "The fact that we find them in various places, that's probably more consistent with this. And that's a piece of evidence that people had used to try to argue for this model before our paper came out."

On the other hand, some paleoarcheologists are very committed to the single origin idea, each arguing for the primacy of their fossil evidence for a single origin in either southern Africa, East Africa, or North Africa.

"I feel like we're a bit of an empirical bunch," said Henn of her population geneticist peers. "Like, 'okay, well, the paper says this, so I'm going to update my beliefs'. And I think with the paleoanthropologists and archeologists, this may be a little bit of a different situation."

This is a tart reference to what this paper's authors call "model misspecification." In essence, this is becoming set on one or two simple models and then trying to fit the data to them. In fact, the research team sees this as their most important argument: that it's important to expand not just the data scientists study, but the range and complexity of models they test for the best fit with that data.

"Part of the philosophical exercise in this paper," Henn explained, "was to say: 'Let's pretend we know nothing. How can we come up with creative ways to imagine what's going on on the African landscape 500,000 years ago that have not been represented?'"

Read more

about human evolution
Modesto schools megaband to play in July Fourth parade in D.C. Heres how you can watch

While Modesto celebrates the Fourth of July, musicians from its public high schools marching bands will perform in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

More than 130 Modesto City Schools students are making the trip to the nations capital. The Modesto Marching Band Brigade is one of just two California high school bands taking part in the parade.

The Modesto students began rehearsing together in April and did their final rehearsal on Wednesday at Beyer High School. The morning included a performance by the brigade as it marched through the Beyer neighborhood. The teens and directors depart for D.C. on Sunday.

Modesto City Marching Brigade members, including Noah Muller on tenor drums, rehearse behind Beyer High School in Modesto, Calif., Wednesday June 28, 2023. 130 students from seven Modesto City High schools form the band, which is headed to Washington D.C to perform in the Independence Day parade.

Want to try to catch the talented teens in action? The parade will be streamed live from the National Independence Day Parades Facebook page at 8:45 a.m. Pacific time. You also can watch a recording of the parade at a later date on YouTube.

To fund the trip, Modesto City Schools used part of its California State Arts, Music and Instructional Materials grant. The state Department of Education allocated the $3.56 billion grant in 2022 to address students needs in the arts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This came prior to the passage of Proposition 28 in November, which will provide additional funding for arts education in California public schools.

In February, U.S. Rep. Josh Harders office announced that nominations were open for high school bands across the Valley to perform in the parade. The Modesto group submitted a video, photos and information detailing its experience, honors and performance results.

Modesto Board of Education Vice President John Ervin III, who reached out to Harders office about the districts band programs, told The Bee on Wednesday, This is truly a history-making event. I was equally as proud to see the diverse student participation going on this trip! I feel our equity initiatives are bearing visible fruit of the hard work of the board, superintendent, staff and students.

According to the National Independence Day Parade, bands are invited based on recommendations from each states governors office, from a states music educators office or other music education organizations at the governors request.
More than 2,000 flights have been delayed around the country on Saturday as the Fourth of July holiday weekend kicks off.

A record number of Americans are expected to travel during this weekend, with a projected 4.17 million travelers flying to their destination. The nearly 2,500 delays come as the airline industry is trying to shake off a series of delays and cancellations originally spurred by poor weather over the past week.

Only about 130 flights have been cancelled within, into or out of the United States so far Saturday as of early afternoon, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

The busiest travel day of the weekend was Friday, but massive crowds will continue through the holiday on Tuesday. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen about 17.7 million passengers between June 29 and July 5.

Severe weather cancelled and delayed hundreds of flights on the East Coast earlier this week as intense thunderstorms and strong winds prevented departures over a few days. But scheduling issues continued past the effects of the weather, and some airlines have blamed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for poor staffing levels.

United Airlines has suffered more delays and cancellations than any other airline, with more than 3,000 flights canceled in the past week. Only about 50 of the airlines flights have been canceled on Saturday, but more than 300 have been delayed.

United CEO Scott Kirby said in a memo to staff that the FAA failed us last weekend, and 150,000 travelers were affected by the staffing shortfalls. JetBlue also said it had trouble keeping its schedule on time because of limits on air traffic coming into and out of New York airports.

The effects of wildfire smoke spreading across parts of the country coming from Canada could also further affect holiday travel this weekend.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
After a record-setting amount of rain, three canceled concerts and hours of uncertainty, three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural 2023 Chicago Street Race.

It was the New Zealander's NASCAR Cup Series debut  marking the first time since 1963 that a rookie won his first Cup Series race.

Van Gisbergen and other drivers competed for 75 laps after the race was shortened due to expected darkness following several weather delays.

Earlier in the day, Cole Custer was declared the Loop 121 winner after heavy rains and flash flooding warnings forced NASCAR officials to call the previously postponed race after just 25 laps.

Custer was in the lead for all 25 laps, but shortly after the race commenced around 5:30 p.m. local time, lightning in the vicinity prompted a rain delay, which eventually led to an official postponement.

"With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the race track and throughout the city, there was no option to return to racing prior to shifting to NASCAR Cup Series race operations," NASCAR said in a statement. "Throughout the entire planning process for the Chicago Street Race, our relationship with the City of Chicago has been strong and among the most valuable assets in reaching this historic weekend. In the spirit of that partnership, returning on Monday for the completion of a NASCAR Xfinity Series event two laps short of halfway was an option we chose not to employ. Based on several unprecedented circumstances, NASCAR has made the decision to declare Cole Custer the winner of the race."

Record downpours on Sunday led to several flash flood warnings throughout the day as fans wondered if they would see a race at all.

Three of the four concerts scheduled for the weekend, including The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert and Charley Crockett, were canceled due to the weather.

Chicago's Grant Park had been transformed from an expansive green oasis with impressive landmarks, into a thrilling 2.2-mile course featuring 12 exhilarating turns. Set against the backdrop of one of the world's most iconic and recognizable cityscapes, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, was formed to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Last year, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and NASCAR forged a three-year agreement to introduce a street course in bustling Chicago. This visionary concept sparked months of meetings, extensive planning, and collaborative efforts among various departments and community members.

Julie Giese, President of the Chicago Street Race, and her team understand the significance of this historic moment.

"It's an education process. We needed to learn Chicago, Chicago needed to learn NASCAR, and I think now that we are here, there's just this great buzz that we are about to make history," Giese told CBS News.

Hundreds of tires can be found spread across Grant Park in preparation for NASCAR Chicago's street race. / Credit: Analisa Novak/CBS News

The once-bustling pedestrian areas have been completely transformed, now covered with hundreds of spare tires, while diligent crews meticulously position their vehicles for final rounds of inspections and checks.

Leading up to the race, drivers like Connor Mosack had dedicated themselves to thorough preparation, refining their skills on simulation courses. On Friday, he and other drivers finally had the opportunity to experience the track firsthand through walk-throughs.

Reflecting on his initial impressions, Mosack told CBS News, "I feel okay. There are definitely some corners where a throttle hanger or brake failure could spell trouble, but you just try to go into it and not dwell on that."

In the bustling atmosphere of Grant Park, dedicated crews position their racing vehicles for some of the final rounds of inspections. / Credit: Analisa Novak/CBS News

Drivers were scheduled to have their first and only chance to practice and drive the track just 50 minutes before the command to start engines was given for the cup qualifying round.

NASCAR Cup Series driver and former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, who has driven courses across the world, ranked the Chicago course he saw on simulation above races he competed in Monaco and Singapore. He said there are several challenges he saw including several 90-degree corners on the track.

"It's a challenging track. You got to throw the bumps into it, you've got the overpasses. It's gonna be tough for us to learn in 50 minutes. You know, to have confidence in the car and the track to push it and break where we think we can break," he said.

While the event represents a breath of fresh air to the sport, some Chicagoans view it as a headache as street closures were expected to cause traffic backups during a busy Fourth of July weekend. The race came as the city was grappling with poor air quality in the days leading up to the event due to wafting smoke from Canadian wildfires.

General admission tickets started at $269, with the event projected to generate over $113 million in economic impact and more than $3 million in tax revenue for the city of Chicago.

Amid Formula One's rapid expansion within the United States, NASCAR aims to replicate the success of hosting a grand event in one of America's largest metropolitan cities, while also attracting new fans to the sport. Longtime fans like Daniel Blaufman from New Hampshire and Mike McGowan from South Carolina recognize and appreciate the significance of the race.

Fans like Daniel Blaufman from New Hampshire and Mike McGowan sit outside the gated entry, hoping to catch a glimpse of the preparations on Friday. / Credit: Analisa Novak/CBS News

Eagerly anticipating the event, they sat outside the gated entry, hoping to catch a glimpse of the preparations on Friday.

For Blaufman, a first-time visitor to Chicago, this race represents a pivotal moment, signifying a new direction for the sport  and its fans.

"I think it's showing that we are able to do more than one thing. That we aren't just left turns or even road courses," Blaufman said.

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About 500 people spilled out of the auditorium at the Robert J. Mohart Center in Kansas City on Tuesday evening, bobbing their heads in search of any empty seats. Even the standing room was in short supply at the Jackson County Tax Workshop.

This is chaos, said Charles Weldon, who was there as the power of attorney for a 90-year-old woman whose South Kansas City homes market value went from $151,000 in 2021 to $308,820 in 2023. Weldon was one of the hundreds of people waiting to speak with a real estate agent.

I was hoping to get some instruction on how to fight this situation, Weldon said. The person Im helping out south, shes been there for over 30 years. With her fixed income and no husband, its fixing to be too much. Its like theyre forcing them out of their property.

Tuesdays session was the third community workshop teaching residents how to file an appeal for their tax assessment before the county Board of Equalizations July 10 deadline. The first two workshops had more than 1,500 attendees combined, and the third lasted more than four hours.

Local real estate agent Stacey Johnson-Cosby spearheaded the series  independently of county officials  with the help of 30 other volunteering real estate professionals, appraisers and lawyers.

Theyre among an informal cohort of volunteers across the city  ranging from realtors to family members to neighborhood leaders  working to help homeowners navigate the process of trying to lower their valuations.

These good Samaritans are offering tips and taking steps on behalf of those who are overwhelmed by the appeals process, especially seniors and those on fixed incomes who worry they could be at risk of losing their homes if their tax bill skyrockets.

The dramatic increases to assessment values across the county and changes to the appeals process  including a transition to an online filing system and hours-long wait times at the assessment office  are making it harder for seniors to contest their valuation before the deadline, these volunteers say, which could have major effects on their next property tax bills.

As a real estate agent, I spend my life and my career helping people buy homes, Im not going to just sit by and let them lose them, said Johnson-Cosby, who works for ReeceNichols Real Estate in Kansas City.

Homeowner Michael Kelley of Blue Springs displays the documents he brought along to his value review meeting with the Jackson County Assessment Department on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

Reliving a nightmare

This isnt Johnson-Cosbys first time helping residents appeal assessments. Following the sticker shock of the 2019 appraisal cycle, she organized 13 workshops across the county.

Its the same nightmare, Johnson-Cosby said. My hope was that after four years that they would have gotten it right, that they would have learned the lessons and corrected it and it looks like they did not.

Jackson County officials previously admitted to undervaluing residential properties for decades  to the point that the State Tax Commission said Jackson County was violating state law. During the 2019 appraisal year, the county tried to bring those properties back to market value, which resulted in higher valuations and uproar from community members.

Neighborhood associations worked with the ACLU and Legal Aid of Western Missouri to sue the county for its valuations, alleging that lower-income Black and brown homeowners were hit the hardest by the increases. But even then, the county said it was assessing properties at only 85% of market value.

Why is it my fault that Jackson County didnt take care of business over the last two decades and increase the property taxes, said Nancy Hammel, who attended the workshop on Tuesday.

Hammel owns a 20-acre fixer-upper in Grandview. When she bought the property in 2021, the taxes were $3,700 per year. This is the first reassessment since she took over ownership and her notice said that her tax levy could increase by 329%.

I dont have that kind of money, Hammel said while holding back tears. I could lose my house. I have no options.

Many residents who spoke to the Star this week said that their 2023 increases are so severe they fear they might lose their homes through tax foreclosure.

While assessment values dont directly determine the amount someone owes in taxes, they are the number that property taxes are based on. Different jurisdictions including cities, school districts and libraries will then decide on the rate that people will be taxed.

What do they want people to do?





After the chaos of 2019, Jackson County made some changes to how it calculates property values, how it notifies residents and how property owners can contest their assessments.

The county contracted with Overland Park-based Tyler Technologies to improve its process by adding a parcel by parcel review, which was supposed to enhance the accuracy of each valuation.

But even with these changes, Johnson-Cosby and neighborhood leaders like Alana Henry, the executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, fear the high valuations could price neighbors out of their homes.

The county is exacerbating the housing crisis that were already in, said Johnson-Cosby. They had choices. They could have done something differently to look at the taxpayers as real-life human beings and they havent.

Henry said that the median household income in Ivanhoe is just under $31,000, so if residents dont figure out how to apply for an appeal by July 10, they could be putting their housing at serious risk.

Youre talking about a major significant increase in their cost to keep and maintain their home, Henry said. That means they either will have to move or they need help appealing that cost increase.

Stella Kimber, a senior living near Wayne and Linwood Avenues told The Star that she thought senior citizens assessments would freeze this year until Tuesdays workshop explained that seniors are not exempt from the consequences of rising property values.

I just think its ridiculous, Kimber said. What do they want people to do?

In Missouri, there is no law on the books that caps how much a propertys value can increase. The Missouri state legislature recently passed a bill that would freeze the home values of low-income property owners who are on social security, but Gov. Parson has yet to sign the bill into law, and it will not have any effect on this years valuations.

You cant get a hold of them

Jackson County added a new service this assessment season to help homeowners who wanted to try to lower their valuations called an informal review.

These informal review meetings allow homeowners to meet with a county assessor to discuss why they think the valuation is off and to try to come to an agreement on a new number. As of Friday, county assessors have met with more than 2,500 people for informal review meetings.

But demand for this service may be beyond the countys capacity.

While originally billed as a walk-in service, residents walking in are facing four-hour wait times, and some are even being turned away from the assessment office at 1300 Washington St. downtown.

Jackson County homeowners wait in line to check in for their property value review appointments at 1300 Washington St. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

Johnson-Cosby said that shes happy that more than 3,000 people attended her workshops that were separate from the county service, but shes concerned about all the residents who havent received help.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in the county, she said. Where are they? How are they getting help?

Homeowners can schedule appointments for an in-person or Zoom informal review meeting with a county assessor, but those are booked out until at least July 19, after the July 10 appeals deadline.

Getting in touch with the county at all has been difficult for homeowners as well as those trying to assist neighbors, according to dozens of homeowners and volunteers who talked with The Star.

I mean, you cant get a hold of them because theyre being flooded with e-mails and calls and it is just a nightmare, Henry said.

Best thing to do is file an appeal ASAP

Johnson-Cosby said that the best thing residents can do right now is to file a formal appeal to make sure they meet the July 10 deadline.

You can start the official appeal process online here.

After filing a formal appeal, residents can still opt to have an informal review after the fact, which may lower your valuation without needing to go through with the whole formal hearing process.

As of Friday afternoon, the countys Board of Equalization has received more than 18,000 appeals, according to the assessment department. Earlier this spring, the department estimated receiving 20,000-30,000 appeals this year.

Henry said the online filing system has been a challenge for her neighbors who arent internet savvy.

This is a bad situation, particularly for our seniors who may have difficulty navigating the portal and also lets think about all the people who dont have access to a computer, she said.

Where to look for help

Homeowners can call the countys assessment office for assistance at 877-895-9675, but be prepared to wait on hold for a bit.

The county is also recommending that people without access to a computer go to their local library to use a computer there.

And keep in mind that you need to use Google Chrome to file your appeal.

The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council will host workshops until July 10 in partnership with UMKCs Center for Neighborhoods, and the Legal Aid Society of Western Missouri.

The first workshop is on July 1 and will include a presentation from Legal Aid. These workshops will target Ivanhoe residents but others are welcome, Henry said.

Residents should bring their property assessment paperwork from the county, their ID and any other information they have on hand about their property, including information on comparable properties or even their deed of sale.

Whats important to me is keeping people in their homes and providing folks with the resources and tools to maintain home ownership. Thats how you create and foster a stable community.

Heres more information and tips on how to challenge a property assessment.
[Source]

Netflix released the official trailer for its upcoming film Happiness for Beginners on Thursday.

What its about: The film, which is based on Katherine Center's 2015 novel of the same name, follows Helen (played by Ellie Kemper), a teacher feeling lost in life.

Newly divorced, she joins a quirky group of strangers on a survival course for the Adventure of a Lifetime with the hope of learning how to live  and love  again, the films synopsis states.

I thought it was such a well-told story of one womans experience in getting to know herself better, Kemper told Tudum about the film. I was immediately excited about the prospect of playing a woman whose outlook on life, when we first meet her, isnt so sunny.

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Key people: Happiness for Beginners is directed and written by Vicky Wight. In addition to Kemper, the film stars Luke Grimes, Nico Santos, Blythe Danner, Ben Cook, Shayvawn Webster, Esteban Benito, Gus Birney and Julia Shiplett.

The cast was an absolute dream and they all became good friends during our shoot, Wight told Tudum. Not only did everyone shine individually but each actor was an exceptionally generous and inventive scene partner. They were improvisational and trusting with one another and me, which added so much chemistry onscreen.

Release date: Happiness for Beginners will premiere on Netflix on July 27.

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A potential swing vote on the newly all-male South Carolina Supreme Court grilled lawyers over whether patients have enough time to get an abortion after learning of their pregnancy as the justices weighed whether a new ban is similarly unconstitutional to one that got shot down earlier this year.

The right to an abortion in South Carolina was back before the states highest court Tuesday as Republicans try to restore the ban that was overturned in January.

A 3-2 majority in January tossed a similar law that banned abortion once cardiac activity is detected, or at about six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster recently signed into law a similar ban that starts once cardiac activity is detected. That restriction has been placed on hold as the case involving the new ban moves through the courts. Meanwhile, abortion remains legal through 22 weeks in this conservative state.

But lawyers for the state and abortion providers presenting their arguments for the second time since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal protections last summer faced a new set of state supreme court justices after a change in the courts makeup. Justice Kaye Hearn, the author of the lead opinion in Januarys decision and the courts only woman, left after reaching the courts mandatory retirement age. An all-male bench with recently sworn Justice Gary Hill heard Tuesdays arguments.

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The outcome will test the strength of the January ruling. All five justices wrote their own legal explanations for that decision in an unusual move that the states lawyers argue left that ruling devoid of any firm precedent.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantics lawyer argued theres no substantive difference between two laws that both limit abortions at the same point in a pregnancy. The collective opinions of the three justices in the majority all established that a roughly six-week ban violated the state constitutions right to privacy, said attorney Catherine Humphreville.

Chief Justice Donald Beatty quickly indicated his agreement with the abortion providers interpretation. Beatty read a section from the January opinion of one justice who more narrowly joined the majority back to attorney Thomas Hydrick minutes into the states opening arguments.

Justice John Few wrote that if a substantial percentage of pregnant women cannot know of their pregnancy in time to have meaningful discussions, engage in sufficient deliberation and prayer, and then make timely arrangements to carry out an abortion, then I cannot envision a winning argument that... the denial of that choice is not an unreasonable invasion of privacy.

The new law resembles the 2021 ban that was tossed out in January. But Republican lawmakers tweaked it in ways they expect will flip Fews vote. State lawyers argued the 2023 law responds directly to his prior criticisms that the General Assembly did not determine whether a six-week ban gives patients enough time to learn they are pregnant to justify limiting their privacy rights involving decisions around abortion.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantics lawyers argued in their legal brief that the Republican-led General Assembly mistakenly assumed the new laws substantive unconstitutionality could be cured by substituting one set of magic words for another.

Hill, the courts newest member, did not ask many questions and Few did much of the questioning. Whichever way one interprets his old opinion, the justice said, he must analyze this new law. He will consider the states response to his January opinion that he explained keyed into the legislatures failure to address whether the limits give a choice to abortion patients.

I promise you, Im not changing my analysis, Few said. But that does not mean the outcome is the same.

Few showed great interest Tuesday in the states new argument that the window of a sexually active persons choice should be expanded to include the time beforehand when they might consider how they would respond to a pregnancy and limit that possibility by using contraception. The 2023 law encourages that behavior, Few said, as well as the use of frequent pregnancy tests.

RELATED: Revisions to NC abortion law that could scuttle lawsuit get final legislative OK

Arguments for limiting abortion that hinge upon the availability of contraception could be used to unconstitutionally outlaw birth control in the future, Humphreville replied. It is impractical considering the possibility for testing and contraceptive failures, they added.

People are not sitting around taking a pregnancy test every day. They have jobs, they have children, they have other determinations. They are not regularly tracking their menstrual cycles, Humphreville said. That does not change anything.

State lawyers argued that legislators this time took into account the patients opportunity to engage in a meaningful decision-making process and make the necessary arrangements. They cited data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that about 45% of abortions nationwide in 2020 occurred within six weeks of pregnancy and that nearly 81% occurred within nine weeks.

The figures, according to state attorney Thomas Hydrick, show that women can know they are pregnant within the laws limits and obtain an abortion if they want one. Beatty responded that anything is possible and that not one shred of evidence mentioned the probability that someone knows they are pregnant at the point when cardiac activity is detected.

Hydrick also suggested that patients have more than six weeks to make a decision. A ban at cardiac activity could restrict abortion when the electrical impulses are potentially detected as late as nine weeks, he said.

A less persuaded Few told the state lawyer that you just walked yourself into a giant hole of ambiguity.

(WATCH BELOW: After having illegal abortion 50 years ago, NC woman fears impact of 12-week ban)
[Source]

Police in Thailand have concluded their investigation into Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, the woman accused of murdering 14 people with cyanide.

The cyanide serial killer: Sararat, 36, faces about 80 criminal charges, including 14 counts of premeditated murder, for killing 14 people in eight provinces by allegedly mixing cyanide into their food between 2015 and 2023, according to Thai police.

This is a historic case in Thailand. Even Jack the Ripper from the UK did not kill this many, Deputy Police Chief Surachate Hakparn said, noting that the nation will tighten regulations on access to cyanide.

Sararat, who is pleading not guilty, was also charged with cyanide poisoning, forgery and theft. Investigators will reportedly file the case to the Attorney General for prosecution on Friday.

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Spate of poisonings: Sararats spate of poisonings surfaced after she was investigated for the sudden death of her friend, Siriporn Khanwong, in Ratchaburi province in mid-April. An autopsy revealed traces of cyanide in the victims body, leading investigators to link her to other cyanide poisoning cases.

Sararat allegedly poisoned 15 victims, including her ex-boyfriend and two female police officers. Fourteen victims died, while one reportedly survived.

Her motive: According to police, Sararats victims were all people she owed large sums of money to or people she stole from to fund her online gambling addiction.

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Sararat is accused of swindling a total of more than $140,000 from her victims before luring them for a meal to poison them.

Covering up the murders: Sararats former husband, a high-ranking police officer named Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, was also linked to the alleged murders.

Vitoon, who faces charges of fraud and embezzlement, was arrested on suspicion of covering up Sararats murders after he was noted to have picked her up after she allegedly killed her ex-boyfriend. 

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Sararat, who is held at the Central Womens Correctional Institution, was denied bail by the court. She was reportedly sent to the hospital after having a miscarriage in prison earlier this week.

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They have no shame: Boise protesters critical of police at rally over fatal shooting

A protest organized by Black Lives Matter Boise at Boise City Hall on Friday evening drew between 75 and 100 people upset about a police shooting that left a Nampa man dead last weekend.

The protesters  mostly young and a large number of them white  held signs, squeaked pink toy pigs and chanted, Say his name, Payton Wasson. Many expressed anger about the fatal shooting and asserted that it fits into a larger pattern of police misconduct.

Wasson, 22, was shot in the head early last Saturday morning near Idaho and 5th streets downtown after police said he fled from a vehicle during a drug investigation and refused commands to stop.

On Friday afternoon, the Boise Police Department said Officer Chance Feldner shot Wasson, who they said had been running with a firearm in his hand. Police said they recovered a gun next to Wasson, who was treated at the scene and then rushed to the hospital. He died Sunday at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

At a microphone Friday evening, one protester said that Payton was murdered by police, and then started a Payton Wasson deserved to live chant. He declined to give his name to the Idaho Statesman.

They have no remorse. They have no shame. Theyll call it a tragedy while making excuses for their officers behavior, said Ty Werenka, who has alleged that he was assaulted and falsely arrested by police while filming them last year.

When he mentioned Feldner, protesters booed.

Across Capitol Boulevard, about a half-dozen counterprotesters gathered with Thin Blue Line flags, meant to show support for law enforcement. The Idaho Liberty Dogs, a far-right group, had planned a protest to show the Boise PD that the good people of Treasure Valley are behind them 100%, according to its Facebook page.

The counterprotesters declined to comment Friday night.

People on either side of the street shouted at each other some, but the rally remained peaceful. At one point, police intervened when a BLM protester approached the other group and close-quarter shouting ensued.

Wassons family was not involved in planning the protest, Wassons aunt, Kylee James, told the Statesman in a phone interview Thursday. We appreciate it. We just dont even know whats happening, she said.

In a follow-up text, James said family members and friends of Wasson would attend Friday night. Two people who identified themselves as cousins were present.

Generally, he was a good guy. He just always hung out with the wrong crowd, per se, cousin Paige Travis told the Statesman.

Some attendees said they came because of concern about what they labeled systemic policing issues.

I think Paytons murder is just one myopic example of the police state we live in and the brutality working-class people face every day, Zeth Roark, 22, told the Statesman.

Julian Workman, 20, said: I dont support the system of police as a whole even without the context of this murder. But the context of this murder, it shows how corrupted our police system is.

Skip Banach, 74, said hes a retired San Diego police officer who has a personal connection to this kind of case. His son, Jeremy Banach, was killed last year by Star police. He was shot after he pointed a gun at them, according to previous Statesman reporting on body camera footage from that incident.

Banach said his son was walking away when he was killed.

Police cannot police themselves, he said. He said he wants citizen review boards established in Idaho to hold police accountable.

After gathering at City Hall, protesters marched to 5th and Main streets, near the site where Wasson was killed. They then walked back to City Hall in the middle of Idaho Street, still chanting, Say his name, Payton Wasson.
Kenyan high school launches Confucius Classroom

Xinhua) 09:41, July 01, 2023

Students attend an unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 30, 2023. A Confucius Classroom was launched on Friday at Starehe Boys' Center and School in downtown Nairobi to facilitate the teaching of Chinese language to teenage learners. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

NAIROBI, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A Confucius Classroom was launched on Friday at Starehe Boys' Center and School in downtown Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to facilitate the teaching of Chinese language to teenage learners.

The Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School, a high school established in 1959, was set up with the help of the Confucius Institute at Kenyatta University.

Among the dignitaries who graced the unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Classroom were Zeng Qingliang, president of Shandong Normal University, tutors, and students.

The Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School demonstrates the vitality of cultural ties and friendship between China and Kenya, Zeng said.

"Learning Chinese will open doors for you, leading to better job prospects" as more and more Chinese companies are investing in Kenya, Zeng told the students.

Some of the key highlights of the ceremony included a lion dance and martial arts performance by students of Kenyatta University's Confucius Institute. In addition, students from Starehe Boys' Center and School also showcased their language and dancing skills.

Josphat Mwaura, director of Starehe Boys' Center and School, said more than 200 students are expected to enroll for Chinese language lessons in the Confucius Classroom.

The launch of the Confucius Classroom will also enable young learners to immerse themselves in the knowledge of Chinese culture, Mwaura said. He said he hopes that the students will become cultural ambassadors for the two countries.

Paul Wainaina, vice chancellor of Kenyatta University, said the launch of the Confucius Classroom in one of Kenya's oldest high schools is a confirmation that the spirit of Sino-Kenya cooperation and friendship is thriving.

Wainaina said young learners will be equipped with the soft skills required for jobs in the future while improving their appreciation of Chinese culture.

On his part, Zhou Xiaodong, Chinese director of Kenyatta University's Confucius Institute, said the classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School will offer comprehensive teaching of the Chinese language while fostering cross-cultural interactions.

Zhou Xiaodong, Chinese director of Kenyatta University's Confucius Institute, speaks during an unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 30, 2023. A Confucius Classroom was launched on Friday at Starehe Boys' Center and School in downtown Nairobi to facilitate the teaching of Chinese language to teenage learners. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Students of the Confucius Institute of Kenyatta University perform during an unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 30, 2023. A Confucius Classroom was launched on Friday at Starehe Boys' Center and School in downtown Nairobi to facilitate the teaching of Chinese language to teenage learners. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

An unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Classroom at Starehe Boys' Center and School is held in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 30, 2023. A Confucius Classroom was launched on Friday at Starehe Boys' Center and School in downtown Nairobi to facilitate the teaching of Chinese language to teenage learners. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
It has finally arrived: Summer, that is! And the options to fill your days are really endless.

The biggest event is the NASCAR 400 Race being held at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m. The fans will begin descending on the Poconos earlier with raceway events beginning on Friday July 21. For ticket and other information, call 1-800-RACEWAY.

Before you even start filling in dates on the calendar for July, consider membership at the Eastern Monroe Public Library (EMPL). If you are an adult with an EMPL card in good standing, you are welcome to check out a pass for local museums and attractions to use for free admission and more. (Many libraries may offer a similar program.) Passes can be checked out for three days and cannot be renewed. Passes must be requested in advance and cannot be held past the date of pickup. The passes are available for pickup during library hours and only one pass per person may be borrowed at a time.

Borrowers must be 18 or older and a pass policy form must be signed before checking out the pass. Late, lost or stolen passes have fines assigned. But, with all that said, this is a great program that offers the opportunity to visit the following sites: Bucks County Childrens Museum; Chanticleer: a pleasure garden; Drexel Universitys Academy of National Sciences; Eastern State Penitentiary; ESU Schisler Museum and McMunn Planetarium; Independence Seaport Museum and Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. For more information contact the EMPL at 570-421-0800.

columnist Debbie Kulick

Perhaps you are a history buff. The Monroe County Historical Association is proud to offer Walking Tours of Historic Stroudsburg. Whether you have lived here all your life, just joined the community or are visiting, you will enjoy learning about the iconic buildings, exploring the charming streets and learning fascinating stories of the towns history. Tours are scheduled Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65+, $5 for kids 7 to 17, and free for 6 and under. Meet at 748 Main St. under the blue awning. Reservations are encouraged, 570-421-7703 or admin@monroehistorical.org.

Making a visit to a park as large and varied as Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area can be overwhelming. Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are presenting a program on Saturday, July 8, at 11 a.m. at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. Charlie Fineran, a lifetime resident of western New Jersey, photographer, and natural conservation supporter, will be sharing with us his years of experience in finding and photographing wildlife in the DWGNRA and other wild places of our area. Charlie will also be letting us know what we can do to preserve what we have for generations to come.

The cost is a $5 donation per person at the door for those 18 and up for non-Friends members, and free for members. For more information or to make a reservation email info@friendsofdewanps.org.

Sunday, July 9, Riverfest returns at Shawnee Inn for its 12th year. The event is open to the public and features food trucks, Zumba and live band performances through out the day from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and the whole family will enjoy the event that supports United Way of Monroe County.

In the Milford area on July 13, stop by The Greater Milford Social Club by St. Patricks Church to join the monthly social night at 6 p.m. The guest speaker will be Angie Smith from 4-H/Penn State. They will be serving soup, salad, pizza, chicken wings, and more. As always we will have Pocono Roy on the guitar.

July 15 has many options to choose from. Middle Smithfield Township is hosting Community Day from noon to 3 p.m. at Echo Lake Park located on Milford Road. There will be fun at Touch-a-Truck, lots of volunteer organizations with information and food available on site.

Perhaps you have wanted to know about how your dog can become a Canine Good Citizen and how that can help you get discounts on your homeowners policy and how your dog can become a therapy dog. Then head out to Middle Smithfield Townships Leroy Lewis Dog Park located on Milford Road on the 15th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. when dog trainer David J. Henon will be giving a free training session. For more information on either event, contact the township at 570-223-8920.

If you are in the Mount Pocono area, the Rotary Club of Mt. Pocono and the Rotary Foundation of Mt. Pocono need your help as they hold a community needs assessment forum at the Community Church on Memorial Blvd in Tobyhanna from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information and updates visit: www.RotaryClubOfMtPocono.org.

Two fundraising events take up the weekend of July 22 and 23. On July 22, there will be a Designer Purse Bingo and Tricky Tray benefiting Violette Stand for the Children Home held at the Moose Lodge in East Stroudsburg with doors opening at 4 p.m. Early bird registrations $40 and $45 at the door. For more information or to register contact Violette Francois at 570-269-6203.

And finally, on July 23, Tea with the Angels Fund Raiser and Fashion Show will take place at the hall of the Historic Castle Inn, located in Delaware Water Gap. Cost is $45 per person and proceeds benefit the work of the charity Angels of Light Work, helping local families in need and supporting caregivers. For more information contact Jude at 9176-607-1250 or at angelsoflightwork@yahoo.com.

So many choices, so much to do! Youll need that last weekend of the month just to rest and get ready for whats in store for August!

Debbie Kulick writes a weekly column for the Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent. She serves on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as an EMT.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Kulick: Busy July in Poconos with NASCAR, libraries, Riverfest, more
Its a pattern that seems to play out among teens with increasing regularity: Anger, insults exchanged, perhaps online or at a social gathering. Then, suddenly, gunshots. A scene of celebration turns into chaos and terror.

A fight between teens led to the mass shooting on the busy Hollywood Broadwalk on Memorial Day that injured nine. A few days later, 15-year old boy was shot multiple times by another minor and hospitalized in Lauderhill, the same morning that the city hosted an anti-gun violence walk less than a mile away, according to police. At a Sweet Sixteen party in Boynton Beach on June 20, a 17-year old boy was shot and killed after another fight between two groups.

From time immemorial, kids, particularly males, fight with each other, said Daniel Nagin, a criminologist at Carnegie Mellon University. But when they fight with each other using firearms, it becomes a much more dangerous situation.

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The Boynton Beach shooting joined a spike in violence across the country on that same Juneteenth holiday weekend, as celebration after celebration turned into gunshots. In St. Louis, another 17-year-old was killed and 11 other teenagers were wounded in a shooting at a party on Sunday, according to police. In Milwaukee, at least six teenagers were shot on Monday near where the citys Juneteenth celebration had taken place. The shooting may have stemmed from a fight between a group of girls and young women, according to Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

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Gun violence, particularly among young people, spiked during the pandemic and remains at elevated levels in South Florida and across the country. As the violence continues, a clear cause, and with it, a solution, remains out of reach. Experts point to increasing access to guns, changes in the policing of crimes, psychological and cultural shifts brought on by the pandemic  and the subsequent return of group gatherings  all as potential reasons why events like the Hollywood mass shooting appear to have become more common, and arent going away any time soon.

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Floridas permitless carry bill also takes effect Saturday, followed by Independence Day three days later. Some fear that the relaxing of existing gun control laws will make the shootings worse.

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When guns are in the room, guns are easily accessible, that is the solution, said Joanette Brookes-George, a longtime Lauderhill teacher, now a criminal justice professor at St. Thomas University in Miami. Fighting is not the solution, guns are. Im mad, I dont have the words. Im going to use body language and the body language is, my uncle has a gun and its in the room.

Fatal shootings and firearm crimes increasing, data shows

Gun violence was already growing nationally before the pandemic catalyzed it, experts say.

Theres been a marked upswing in firearm violence and firearm deaths which began in 2000, Nagin said, adding that the pandemic likely accelerated it.

Among teens, the change is stark.

For children and teens under 18, the rate of gun deaths increased by over 40%, from 2,483 deaths in 2018 to 3,607 in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those include homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths.

The rate also increased over the same time period in Florida, peaking in 2020 with 194 deaths, then decreasing only slightly in 2021 to 180 deaths, according to the CDC data.

In Broward and Palm Beach counties, the number of firearm-involved crimes overall has steadily increased over the years, up until 2020, the last year for which data is available, according to data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The number doubled in Broward between 2016 and 2020.

Gun homicides in both counties have also increased since the early 2000s, according to data from the Florida Department of Health, both surpassing the statewide rate.

Gun access increasing

One explanation for the spike in shootings is increased gun access. Gun sales shot up during the pandemic, many of them made by households with teens. A 2021 study found that 10% of households with teens purchased firearms at the beginning of the pandemic, 3% of which were first-time gun owners. Those guns were more likely to be stored loaded and unlocked.

a notable percentage of households with teens have become first-time firearm-owning households during this time, the authors concluded. Such purchases are concerning because, as we found, these firearms were more likely to end up in a home with teens present where at least some firearms are stored loaded and unlocked compared to homes where all firearms are stored unloaded and/or locked.

On Saturday, Floridas new permitless carry bill goes into effect. The bill eliminates the requirement that someone get a permit, take a safety and training course, and get fingerprinted before carrying a concealed firearm.

Gun control advocates criticized the bill, saying that it may add to the violence.

This law that they passed in the legislature was totally unnecessary, said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Parkland, who serves as vice chair of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. We had concealed carry permits in South Florida and that process was working fine. This was a solution in search of a problem.

The policy is pushing this idea that the solution to the gun violence prevention issue is more guns, he added.

Still, some experts arent sure that an increase in gun access fully explains the recent spike in shootings.

Ive heard some observers link that greater availability of firearms due to those purchases to the surge in violence, Nagin said. And maybe thats the case, but the question I havent heard answered is, the stock of guns in the U.S is already so large. Most estimates put it north of 350 million weapons. So that stock was already so large, Im not sure that the increase in purchases during pandemic sort of materially changed the size of the stock.

Imaginary beef: Miscommunication and gun access ends in tragedy

Almost instantly, it seems, guns can turn a misunderstanding between two young people into injury and death.

Anecdotally, it seems that sometimes its just very spontaneous, Nagin said. Spontaneous in just the way, forever and forever, its always been the case, but in the past these disputes and anger have been settled with fists versus with firearms.

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While gun purchases increased, the pandemic also upended social norms and, particularly among young people, the ability to connect, said Brookes-George. Social life has since returned, but the effects of that disconnect linger.

We were forced, almost overnight, to adjust to not connecting to someone else, she said. And then, of course, social media and Zoom and all these things. The only thing that is certain about human nature is the desire to connect.

Now, more than ever, young people are having imaginary beef with one another, Brookes-George said, fights that seem to originate out of confusion and miscommunication, often aided by social media.

Increasingly, those fights seem to end in a shooting rather than a conversation.

The combination of the pandemics aftermath, existing anxiety surrounding social gatherings, and guns creates all these escalations at birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings, Brookes-George added. All these pressures come, its pressure versus a pipe. No coping mechanisms, no communication skills, it blows up. Coming to the party like yeah, Ive got my gun, youve got yours?'

Minorities disproportionately affected

Latroya Stones 15-year-old son, Kyan Reddix, was shot multiple times on the Hollywood Broadwalk on Memorial Day. Only days later, another 15-year-old was hospitalized after the shooting in Lauderhill, the same day as the Walk for Peace.

The Lauderhill shooting happened right across the street from Stones house, she told the Sun Sentinel in the days after the shooting.

Its just crazy how easy it is for them to have access to these weapons, Stone said at the time, recalling a conversation with her sons aunt about it. I told her, its only going to get worse. Because now you dont need to have a permit.

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When it comes to the shootings among youth, much attention gets paid to singular, high-profile events like school shootings, often perpetrated by white people. But it is minority communities, such as the Black neighborhoods in Lauderhill, that have faced the brunt of the gun violence spike on a daily basis.

There is gun violence in communities across Florida every day, Moskowitz said. The slow drip of kids getting killed every day in communities across the state due to gun violence should be no different from when it happens at once.

Theres no question that the spike has been particularly acute in minority neighborhoods, Nagin said.

More relaxed gun laws, like the permitless carry bill, could also add to the tension already present during interactions between police officers and Black people. It might also mean that police officers are less likely to pull someone over in the first place, Brookes-George said, adding to a spiral of crime in the community.

Nagin pointed to a reduction in the police force, and possibly less aggressive firearm enforcement, as another potential reason for the uptick in shootings in the first place.

There is good evidence that police numbers matter, and there has been a decline in size of police forces over last several years, he said, adding that he has heard speculation, but not any hard evidence, to support the idea that police have become less aggressive and proactive in their enforcement tactics.

Nagin added that there is good evidence to suggest that more confrontational police tactics, like stop and frisk, may help mitigate the violence, but implementing them would come at a great cost, likely evoking a huge backlash in the community, especially after George Floyd.

Government officials, police officers and community leaders have tried myriad approaches to try to stem the shootings, but just as there is no singular cause for the violence, no singular solution seems to exist.

There is no silver bullet here, Moskowitz said. This is a problem where you have to do all of the above. Its mental health, its school resource officers, its safe storage, its 21, its red flag laws, its background checks, its school resource officers, its single points of entry.

At the peace walk in Lauderhill, officials announced new technology that allows police officers to locate the source of gunshots. Police Chief Constance Stanley underlined the need for more mentors in the community to help young people specifically.

Noting the rise in shootings, she told reporters, I just think they dont understand the consequences.

Brookes-George echoed that concern.

Kids already feel that guns are fun things, because they play with them in games and its OK, I die, I reset, or I kill you, we reset,' she said. They dont have the cognitive understanding of the finality of gun use, of a gun, until it happens to them, until they use it, and theyre like, oh shoot, the person is not going to wake up.'
The new property will house families who have fled Afghanistan

A council is to spend thousands of pounds on a house to provide Afghan refugees with temporary accommodation.

North Norfolk District Council's (NNDC) cabinet agreed to buy the four-bed home, costing 315,000, with half of the money coming from the government.

The government has given the authority 1.2m to partially fund the purchase of 11 homes in the area, with 10 still being built for Ukrainian refugees.

When the Afghan residents leave, the house will be used for homeless people.

The location of the home has not been disclosed.

When NNDC agreed to take the government grant, some councillors criticised it for not contributing enough, as it only covered about 40% of the cost of the 11 homes.

The homes are being delivered in partnership with a housing association.

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July started with the hottest day of the year so far for Sacramento with regional temperatures forecast as high as 110 degrees, and an excessive heat warning issued for parts of Northern California.

The heat warning remains in effect for the Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley, Northeast Foothills and the Mother Lode until 11 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Residents of these areas are at a higher-chance of heat-related illnesses due to the extreme heat especially those working or participating in outdoor activities.

For those looking to find relief near bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes, the National Weather Service warned of dangerous waterway conditions that will continue to run cold and fast.

The Midtown Farmers Market bustled with vendors and shoppers on Saturday morning, despite the excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service.

With temperatures climbing to 90 degrees by 10 a.m., a crowd of around 200 visitors had already gathered at the Midtown Farmers Market, donning hats, umbrellas and sunglasses. Folsom Lake, around noon, saw hundreds more along the beach or under the shade of trees, with a few taking their boats out to the water.

Zach Christensen, 30, floated near the shore of Folsom Lake on a paddle board with his wife Olivia and friend, Rachel Conshue. Their two dogs, Brisket and Stark, sported life vests as Stark splashed in the water and Brisket perched on top of one of the boards.

Christensen said visiting the lake was the best way for the dogs to stay cool under the extreme heat, since hot pavement burned their paws.

If youre going to take your dog for a walk, you should definitely have some kind of foot pads, Christensen said. Hanging out in the water is great for all the animals.

Zach Christensen, accompanied by his wife, Olivia, and colleague Rachel Conshue (left), enjoy the cool waters of Folsom Lake on Saturday afternoon during the hottest day of the year in celebration of Independence Day.

Several people visiting the farmers market brought along their dogs as they weaved in and out through the vendors. For Alexis Magtoto, 26, of Sacramento, she worried about the hot pavement for the four-legged pets.

Booties on your dogs! Magtoto said. I see all these dogs, and the ground is too hot.

Heat also built up under the vendors pitched tents, who spent several hours selling under the sun.

Chris Garcia, 27, and Ben Brumer, 31, worked the booth for Alchemist Community Development Cooperation at the Midtown Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Brumer and Garcia said they would regularly take breaks from the excessive heat that got trapped within the tent.

We can go inside stores that are open, Garcia said, referring to the nearby restaurants along the streets. Theyre open to restrooms and also have waters for free. Everyone is pretty supportive of staying hydrated.

Drinking plenty of water and finding shade was the universal piece of advice to beat the heat from most people at the farmers market, including five-year-old Eleanor Kaing, who said shed rather take a swim at McKinley Park.

I hate (the heat), Eleanor said. Its burning!
Human rights advocates and a policing expert say protests over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver in France have again put a spotlight on police violence and issues of race.

The shooting of the teenager, identified only as Nahel, bears some similarity to traffic stop deaths involving people of color in the United States. Much like the protests against racial injustice and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd in 2020  which also broke out in France  the sometimes-violent French protests were sparked in part by a viral video, which shows two officers leaning into the driver-side window of a car seconds before one fired a gun as the driver sped away.

The dramatic outburst of anger over the shooting is also the result of an increase in deadly encounters with the police and long-simmering tensions between law enforcement and young people, particularly people of color, in disadvantaged neighborhoods, said Jacques de Maillard, a political science professor at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin and co-editor of "Policing in France." De Maillard said these issues should be "taken very seriously" by French national police and "need to be addressed in a peaceful, long-term manner."

French authorities Thursday announced 40,000 officers were deployed in response to the protests. More than 875 people were arrested and at least 200 police officers injured as the government struggled to restore order Thursday night heading into Friday morning, the third night of unrest in the country. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday asked parents to keep teens at home.

"We should not forget that the reasons for what we're witnessing (are) structural tension, unease, activity between the police and young men in poor neighborhoods," de Maillard said.

Protestors hold a placard reading "The police kill! Justice for Nahel" during a commemoration march for a teenage driver shot dead by a policeman, in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, on June 29, 2023.

French police protests are 'not a new phenomenon'

Deadly shootings are less common in France than in the United States, which has a much larger population and about 1,000 fatal police shootings each year, according to the Washington Post's database.

But deaths involving the police have previously rocked France. De Maillard said recent protests are reminiscent of the riots in 2005 over the deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traore and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who were electrocuted after hiding from police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois. Floyd's killing also helped shed light on the death Adama Traore, whose family believes he was asphyxiated by police in 2016.

"What's happening today is really not a new phenomenon," said Romain Montbeyre-Soussand, a member of the campaign group SOS Racisme, through a translator. "France has been denouncing for years and years the consequences of 20, 40 years of police forces and the way they operate."

The number of deadly shootings involving people in moving cars increased dramatically after the law was changed to allow police to shoot at a vehicle when a suspect is fleeing, even if the officers themselves are not in immediate danger, according to de Maillard. He said proper training has not followed the legal change, which he called ambiguous.

An analysis from French researchers published in 2022 found five times as many people in vehicles were shot by police after the law was introduced in 2017.

Last year, 13 people who didnt comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police. The majority of those killed in such shootings since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin, Reuters reported.

Some, including Montbeyre-Soussand, are calling for the law to be reevaluated. De Maillard said the recent wave of protests could result in a change in the law, but it's too early tell.

French police, much like American law enforcement, have also been criticized in the past for using heavy-handed tactics against protesters. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin's office said Friday the hundreds of arrests during protests against Nahel's killing were part of government efforts to be extremely firm with rioters.

Montbeyre-Soussand called law enforcement's reaction to the protests, which he said are often led by very young people, "largely disproportionate."

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged French authorities to ensure use of force during the demonstrations "always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability."

Protesters clash with CRS riot police at the Porte d'Aix in Marseille, southern France on June 30, 2023, over the shooting of a teenage driver by French police in a Paris suburb on June 27. The unrest has come in response to the killing of 17-year-old Nahel, whose death has revived longstanding grievances about policing and racial profiling in France's low-income and multi-ethnic suburbs.

France must 'recognize that there is a deep problem of racism in the police'

Montbeyre-Soussand said it is particularly difficult to talk about race in France, which has a doctrine of colorblind universalism. The recent protests are a reaction not only to one instance of police violence, but also the daily stigmatization of young Black and North African men, many of whom are descended from immigrants, Montbeyre-Soussand said.

The racial element of police violence is central in the United States, but it is only "implicit" in France, de Maillard said.

"The racial dimension does not explain the whole thing, but it's clearly part of the story," de Maillard said of the outrage over Nahel's death.

One of the teen's relatives said their family is of Algerian descent. Nahels mother, Mounia, told France 5 television she blames the officer who fired the fatal shot, but not the police in general.

He saw a little, Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life, she said, adding justice should be very firm.

A 2017 survey from Rights Defenders, an independent human rights watchdog in France, found 80% of young men perceived to be Black or Arab reported they were subject to identity checks within the last five years, making them 20 times more likely to be stopped by police.

Shamdasani said the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concern in December about the frequent use of identity checks, discriminatory stops, the application of criminal fixed fines imposed by the police or law enforcement agencies, that they said disproportionately targets members of certain minority groups.

"This is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement," Shamdasani said in a statement on Nahel's death.

In order for the country to move forward, it must "recognize that there is a deep problem of racism in the police," Montbeyre-Soussand said.

"So in terms of fixing these feeling of injustice, look towards justice and prosecute the officers," Montbeyre-Soussand said. "Change and improve the training of the police officers."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: France police shooting: Protests renew debate over violence, racism
Ohio man accused of trying to kill officer after airport ticket counter chaos

Ohio man accused of trying to kill officer after airport ticket counter chaos

An Ohio man put a police officer in a chokehold  while also claiming the law enforcement agent "could've killed me"  after a wild confrontation at the Spirit Airlines counter at Orlando International Airport, officials said.

Edward Hairston, 41, was arrested Tuesday night and accused of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, battery on a law enforcement officer and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, according to Orange County arrest records.

The confrontation about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday happened after officers came upon "a large group of individuals who were becoming aggressive with the Spirit staff and threatening them," according to an arrest affidavit.

Hairston was among the customers, including one "standing behind the Spirit ticket counter on top of the baggage scales," yelling at employees, according to the arresting Orlando officer, whose name was redacted.

Hairston reached over the counter, "grabbed the computer keyboard and began hitting buttons" before the officer grabbed the customer to "prevent him from causing damage to their property," the affidavit said.

He began to wrestle with an officer and allegedly used a chokehold, according to the report. Hairston "began to squeeze, restricting my airway," the officer reported.

"I began to get dizzy and immediately spotty as my airflow was restricted and I was beginning to lose consciousness," the officer said in a report. "I attempted to break his arm free from my neck but I was unable to do so initially due to my semi-conscious state."

The officer was freed when backup arrived, and Hairston was arrested.

"It shall be noted while Hairston was waiting for medical treatment, he stated he 'let me live' and 'he could've killed me,'" according to the officer's report.

The arrest affidavit didnt detail what might have prompted the customers reaction.

Hairston was in custody Friday, held in lieu of $50,450 bail, Orange County jail records showed.

It wasn't immediately clear if the defendant had hired or been assigned an attorney.

A Spirit rep could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
One of the longest solar eclipses on Earth darkened the sky 50 years ago. Here's how it happened.

a black disk covering a white circle of light

Fifty years ago on June 30, 1973, one of the longest total solar eclipses of modern times took place.

It was an event that made headlines all around the world, because historically, there were very few total solar eclipses that matched the long duration of this particular event. Astronomer Dr. Charles H. Smiley (1903-1977) of Brown University, who at that time was a renowned expert in the field of solar eclipses noted that: "There are 2,495 solar eclipses between July 1, 1098 (Julian Calendar) and June 24, 2150 (Gregorian Calendar). Of these, the three with the longest duration of totality, are the eclipses of June 8, 1937, June 20, 1955, and June 30, 1973. Thus, over an interval of almost 1,052 years, the 1973 event ties the 1937 eclipse for second place."

Total solar eclipses occur when the sun becomes fully blocked out by the moon. While these celestial events happen a handful of times each year, they are rare for any one particular location. On average, a total solar eclipse will occur at any one specific location on Earth once every 375 years. In 2023, an annular solar eclipse will sweep a 'ring of fire' across North, Central and South America. The following year in 2024, North America will see a total solar eclipse being hailed as the "Great American Eclipse."

Related: Solar eclipses 2023: When is the next solar eclipse?

The path of moon's shadow

The path of totality for the June 30, 1973 eclipse , began at sunrise near the border of Guyana with northernmost Brazil, crossed Suriname, and then moved out over the Atlantic Ocean. The moon's dark shadow (the umbra) then passed over the northern islands of the Cape Verde group, nearly 520 miles (830 km) west of Senegal, before crossing northern Africa from Mauritania to Kenya and a corner of Somalia. Crossing the equator, and heading southeast over the Indian Ocean, the shadow lifted off of the Earth's surface at sunset about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east of Madagascar.

The maximum duration of totality  7 minutes 04 seconds  was in the Sahara Desert, not far from where Algeria, Mali and Niger meet.

The absolute maximum duration for a total eclipse is 7 minutes 31 seconds, just 27 seconds longer than what would be available in 1973. As such, amateur and professional astronomers were going to make the most of it!

Why so long?

The reason for the unusually long duration of the '73 total eclipse was primarily due to the distances of the sun and moon relative to Earth. Because the moon revolves around the Earth in an elliptical orbit, and the Earth likewise revolves in an elliptical orbit around the sun, the distances of the moon relative to the Earth and the Earth relative to the sun can vary.

As it turned out, at the time of new moon on Saturday, June 30, 1973 (11:40 UT), the moon was only about 12 hours past that point in its orbit where it was closest to Earth (perigee); 222,310 miles (357,773 km). And just four days later, at 14:55 UT on July 4th, the Earth arrived at aphelion, the farthest point in its orbit, relative to the sun; 94,536,056 miles (152,141,035 km) away.

In terms of size as seen from Earth, the disk of the moon appeared nearly 8 percent larger than the disk of the sun. In addition, the umbral shadow cast by the moon passed chiefly over the tropics just north of the equator. Since the Earth rotates fastest at the equator, this meant that the ground speed of the moon's shadow would be slowed as it swept across the Earth.

So, we had a larger-than-normal moon passing in front of a smaller-than-normal sun, resulting in a very long total eclipse!

a map of the Earth showing a path of the June 30, 1973 solar eclipse

The great celestial road show: By sea

From one end of the totality track to the other were numerous tours and expeditions organized on land, sea and air. Near the beginning of the eclipse track in Suriname, the sun had just risen and was low to the horizon. Under broken cloud cover, many were unable to see the eclipse, but for others in and around the capital city of Paramaribo, fortuitous holes in the clouds allowed views of the corona and diamond ring effect before and after totality.

For about half of its length, the total eclipse track lay over the open waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. As a result, there were an unprecedented number of oceangoing expeditions. At least seven ships, sailing from five countries, carried about 3,500 eclipse chasers to successful views of the darkened sun.

The first ship to experience totality was the Cunard Adventurer, stationed in the mid-Atlantic. Although clouds initially had the upper hand, the sun broke into clear blue skies about halfway through the partial phases. One tiny cloud quickly passed in front of the sun during the 4.5 minutes of total eclipse; hardly interfering with the view for the 600 passengers who had gathered on deck for the big show.

The Adventurer's larger sister ship, the 45,000-ton SS Canberra, carried over 1,900 passengers and on eclipse day was situated about 300 miles (500 km) west of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

a large cruise ship at sea

Early on eclipse morning there were many grim faces, as an unanticipated overcast covered the entire sky. But within a few hours of the start of the eclipse, the cloud cover began to dissipate and by totality the skies were cloud-free. Airborne dust from off of the Sahara gave a slight milkiness to the sky, but hardly interfered with the 5.5 minutes of totality.

One passenger on board was famed science writer, Dr. Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), who later wrote about his experience in his autobiography, "In Joy Still Felt" (Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1980):

"The sight of the total eclipse was wonderful. I was excited enough to be shouting wildly at the moment of (total) eclipse. One exclamation was, 'Yes, that's it. That's it. That's the way it's supposed to look,' as though I was congratulating the cosmic director who was running the show. The other, was when the brighter stars began to be visible. 'That proves it. The stars do shine in the daytime.' The whole thing was a spectacular success."

Two vessels were from the Soviet Union, the Estonia and a research vessel, the Professor Viese; the latter shot meteorological rockets from the deck of the ship during the eclipse.

By land

The shadow then swept across the African continent. Because of transportation and supply problems, many gathered at favored sites in Mauritania, Chad and Kenya. In Mauritania, however, where a four-year drought had taken a severe toll on animals and humans alike, eclipse watchers were subjected to air temperatures ranging from 120 to 135F (49 to 57C) and frequent wind-blown dust.

a man in the desert beside a camel

One major expedition  not a tour  was assembled by Educational Expeditions International (EEI) and was led by Dr. Donald H. Menzel (1901-1976), former director of the Harvard College Observatory, and a team of distinguished solar eclipse astronomers. Those who were accepted as participants were to be assigned the role of hard-working research assistants, willing to accept the challenges of bivouac living, extremes of climate and other hardships, all in order to try and solve specific research problems related specifically to the sun.

two men smile at the camera

Probably the largest group was the 220 members of the Amateur Astronomers Inc. (AAI) expedition, led by the assiduous amateur astronomer and entrepreneur, Roger Tuthill (1919-2000), based near the town of Akjoujt. Amateur astronomer Dennis Cassia notes: "There were pretty heavy dust storms in the area prior to the eclipse. In fact, on our flight from Dakar to Akjoujt, our plane lost an engine."

On eclipse morning, a great cloud bank hid the sun until 20 minutes after the moon began to cross in front of it. Thereafter, skies slowly cleared, though remained rather hazy. In spite of this, the corona's streamers extended four solar radii to the east and three radii to the west during the 6.2 minutes of totality. Venus was easily visible, Saturn with some difficulty. "We didn't have excellent transparency," adds Cassia, but it was good enough."

a man smiles beside a telescope in the desert

From the air

This eclipse also offered an excellent opportunity for extending the duration of totality by "racing the moon's shadow." Between 11:30 and 11:45 UT the umbra moved only 338 miles (544 km) over the ground; hence an airplane would need to travel at only 625 knots to remain in the shadow for 15 minutes. Indeed, 42 U.S. Air Force and civilian personnel made eclipse observations from an NC-135 jet (similar to a Boeing 707) flying at 37,800-feet over Niger, and extended the duration of totality to 12.1 minutes.

Meanwhile 15 astronomers, engineers and flight crew were onboard a French-built supersonic Concorde 001, flying at Mach 2.05, modified for the eclipse with rooftop portholes and observation equipment.

a man examines scientific equipment inside a cramped aircraft

Intercepting the moon's shadow over Mauritania and leaving it at Chad, the Concorde achieved an unprecedented 74 minutes of totality at an altitude of 53,000 feet.

To this day, this is the longest totality that has ever been observed.

Looking ahead

Many, of course, are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 , which will cross parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. In terms of duration of totality, this will be a longer-than-average eclipse. Typically, total solar eclipses last less than 3.75 minutes but in the upcoming eclipse, totality will attain nearly 4.5 minutes over parts of Mexico and southern Texas.

But what about exceptionally long events such as what was experienced in 1973? The next total eclipse that will exceed 7 minutes (7 minutes 14 seconds) will take place on June 25th, 2150 . Unfortunately, most of the totality path will pass over the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

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How about for the United States? In his book "Morsels IV" (Willmann-Bell, Inc, 2007), Jean Meeus searched from the year 1 to the year 3000. He did not find any totalities that exceeded 7 minutes, however on August 12th, 2045 , the totality track will run from California and Nevada to Alabama and Florida with a maximum duration of 6 minutes 06 seconds near Port St. Lucie. As for Europeans, on June 20th, 2327 , an exceptionally long totality of 6 minutes 21 seconds will take place just off the coast of Portugal.
Opinion: Where will all the Wagner Group mercenaries go now that Russia has exiled their leader?

Contract fighters for the Wagner Group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in June. (Associated Press)

Russian oligarch turned warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin is in exile in Belarus, but what will become of the tens of thousands of fighters who signed up to risk their lives for a paycheck or a ticket out of jail? It seems likely they will continue fighting, mostly because they have few better options.

It appears the paramilitary Wagner Group will endure as a fighting force in some form, regardless of whether Prigozhin returns from exile or summons his troops to join him in Belarus. How, or if, the leadership vacuum is filled matters little, though, if the Wagner troops do not remain on the job.

Who are these fighters and will they remain loyal to Prigozhin or the Wagner organization in the wake of last weeks so-called march of justice, which took 25,000 of them on a risky trek from Ukraine to Moscow? A look at the fighters background and circumstances suggests few will opt to quit and go home.

Most Wagner fighters in Ukraine since 2022 have been Russian citizens, but interest in fighting for the cause probably was not a significant incentive driving them to sign up, nor will it do much to motivate them to stay. And its unlikely that they are being driven by fealty toward Prigozhin. More likely motivators include finances, freedom and fear.

Over the course of the past two decades, my work on mercenaries has shown that private forces are often motivated to sign up by money. In the case of Wagner, many also sign up to avoid serving their full prison sentences . Either way, once theyre in, it can be difficult or impossible for Wagner fighters to get out until their contract terms are up.

Wagner fighters are paid significantly more than their counterparts in the Russian army, which may explain the potential unwillingness to have their Wagner contracts converted over to the official Russian military by July 1 , as the Kremlin hopes.

In Ukraine circa 2015-19, Wagner personnel reportedly made up to 180,000 rubles ($2,900 at the time) monthly, and death compensation for the families of contractors killed in action was 2 million to 3 million rubles ($32,000 to $48,000). In Syria during the same time period, the average salary for Wagner contractors was reportedly up to 500,000 rubles ($8,000) per month, though likely closer to $4,800 per month on average, and family compensation was up to 5 million rubles ($80,000).

More recent reports from Ukraine indicate that these figures have grown even higher: Putin himself has stated that the defense ministry and state budget paid Wagner 86.26 billion roubles ($1 billion) between May 2022 and May 2023 to cover wages, with some reports indicating that individual contractors may receive up to $10,000 per month . Russian military forces, in contrast, were making an average of 195,000 rubles ($2,535) per month as of March 2023. Not surprisingly given Wagners  cannon fodder  tactics in Ukraine, family compensation has been waived in employment contracts there since 2022.

Yet, for some Wagner fighters in the Ukraine war, money may be a secondary benefit. For convicts facing long prison sentences, a six-month term fighting with Wagner offers a fresh chance for freedom. For these individuals, though, it does not offer much chance at rehabilitation: Private military actors have unusually high rates of PTSD and depression when compared with their military counterparts.

Early reports are emerging of Wagner convicts committing violent crimes such as murder and molestation upon returning to their hometowns in Russia. This indicates significant potential for criminal activity to spread throughout Russia as these personnel return home.

The groups need to recruit from Russian prisons is not surprising. Previously, Wagner employed a mix of Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian and Moldovan citizens . These fighters tended to be either military veterans or former officers of the military intelligence agency or federal security agency. Most were recruited through informal and online veteran networks. Given that many of these individuals may oppose the Ukraine conflict, Wagner has had to be more creative and lenient in recruitment.

Meanwhile, those who have already signed up with Wagner may remain in the force out of fear. Wagner has a company policy of threatening death to deserters, and they usually mean it. Multiple reports have emerged over time of brutal torture and killings of those attempting to flee. Some who have escaped or been captured as POWs have recounted tales of sadistic and merciless behavior within the group.

Harsh treatment of Wagner fighters is hardly unique. Earlier incarnations of Russian private military organizations  including the Slavonic Corps and Moran, direct predecessors to Wagner in the Russian private military industry  deliberately misled contractors about deployment locations, conditions and Russian state official approval of the deployment during the recruitment process. Once the contract was signed, some fighters found themselves shipped to locales far from where they had expected to go, armed with 70-year-old Soviet-era rifles and hardware, and fighting as the private army of some local kingpin.

Having already faced such hardship and with few options, it is difficult to imagine Wagners troops participating in anything resembling a mass exodus. Most likely, they will remain loyal to Prigozhin or his successor not because they want to but because they have few better options.

Molly Dunigan is a senior political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, director of the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program within the RAND Arroyo Center, and a senior lecturer in Carnegie Mellons Institute for Politics and Strategy.

If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kent City School Board of Education member Pamela Ferguson tours in-progress updates at the high school in 2022. Ferguson has resigned from the board.

At the conclusion of the Kent Board of Education meeting Friday, member Pamela Ferguson announced her resignation from the board, effective Saturday. She has served on the board for nine years.

Ferguson told the board she is moving out of the district. She will be continuing in her role at Kent State University as director of external client services for the Research and Evaluation Bureau in the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

"I cannot begin to express my gratitude to each of you," she told her fellow board members, "for the knowledge, collegiality and positivity you have shared with me during the years I have served.

"The district's and the board's continuous commitment to our youth and our community is deep and heartfelt. From successfully navigating district funding, districtwide construction, COVID, changes in leadership and every step in between, I have been honored to serve and learn from each of you, and I leave the board warmly regarding all of you as not only colleagues, but as friends, she said.

Applications available for Kent Board of Education

Applications to fill Ferguson's vacant post are available on the district website under the Board of Education tab or in hard copy at the school board office, 321 N. Depeyster St., beginning Wednesday during regular office hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Completed applications must be returned to the office by 4 p.m. July 10. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Interested applicants are expected to attend a special Board of Education meeting at 6:30 p.m. July 13 at the board's office, where it will conduct public interviews with each applicant. A decision will be made no later than July 18, the board said.

Contact Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent Board of Education member Pamela Ferguson announces resignation
The Florida Panthers didnt even wait for free agency to officially begin to find their first target of the offseason.

The Panthers locked in on Oliver Ekman-Larsson for a one-year deal about an hour before free agency actually opened Saturday, according to multiple reports, and it turned out to set the tone for everything Florida wanted to get done on Day 1 of free agency.

Defensive depth was abundant. Long-term deals were virtually nonexistent. The Panthers didnt do anything exactly flashy on their first real day of the offseason, trying to make marginal upgrades for next season after reaching the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and maintain as much flexibility as possible for an even more consequential offseason next year.

Parades left to imagine: The what ifs and whats next for the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers | Opinion

Ekman-Larsson is coming to Florida on a one-year, $2.25 million deal. Fellow defenseman Niko Mikkola is joining the Panthers on a three-year, $7.5 million deal. Those are the only two players to get contracts worth more than $1.1 million annually from Florida on Saturday and Mikkola is one of only two players to get a multiyear deal from the Panthers.

The rest of Floridas moves were low-cost, depth additions. Defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Kevin Reilly, and center Kevin Stenlund are all joining the team for one year and $1 million. Left wing Grigori Denisenko is back on a two-year, $1.55 million deal after the Panthers didnt extend him a qualifying offer Friday and defenseman Lucas Carlsson is also coming back on a one-year, two-way deal. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz was Floridas only other addition of the day, joining the team on a one-year, $1.1 million deal.

The Panthers went into July with about $10 million in cap space, and could have tried to use it to make a big addition and then round out the rest of the roster with minimum contracts, but they instead tried to flesh out their defensive depth  star defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour will both miss the start of next year with injuries  and maintain flexibility for next offseason.

Panthers Day 1 free agency tracker: Florida adds former All-Star defenseman, loses Gudas

Its eight moves Saturday leave Florida with less than $1 million in cap space right now, but those short-term deals mean the Panthers still will have about $32.9 million in cap space for next offseason when about half a dozen key players  including Montour, fellow defenseman Gustav Forsling, and centers Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen  will become free agents.

Those cap concerns are why the Panthers opted not to bring back Radko Gudas, who signed for three years and $12 million with the Ducks, or go after fellow defenseman Dimitry Orlov.

Although Gudas was a fan favorite and highly valued by Florida, the Panthers didnt want to give that type of contract to a 33-year-old, third-pairing defenseman and will try to replace him through some combination of Mikkola, Kulikov, Ekman-Larsson and Reilly. Orlov, who was the top defenseman on the market, left the Bruins for the Hurricanes on a two-year, $15 million deal, which was also too big for Florida.

The Panthers also lost left wing Givani Smith to the Sharks on a two-year deal  Florida did not extend him a qualifying offer Friday  and goaltender Alex Lyon to the Red Wings on a two-year deal. Defensemen Casey Fitzgerald and Marc Staal, and centers Colin White and Eric Staal  the four other Panthers to appear in a postseason game and become free agents Saturday  all remain unsigned.

It all means Florida will look very similar next year to how it did last, only with a few changes on the margins.

On offense, the Panthers will have all of their top nine forwards back, plus fourth-line left wing Ryan Lomberg. Stenlund should slot into a bottom-six role, leaving one forward spot open with Denisenko, and centers Zac Dalpe and Mackie Samoskevich as some potential options to fill it.

On defense, Florida will eventually have its top three defensemen all back, plus third-pairing defenseman Josh Mahura. Now, there are tons of options to fill those other second- and third-pairing roles  and some bigger ones while Ekblad and Montour are out.

Even though the Panthers dont have enough cap space to sign even a minimum contract, it doesnt mean theyre done. Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin remains on the trade block and Florida is one of several teams interested. The Panthers best course of action to acquire a top defenseman was always going to be via trade and general manager Bill Zito has made a big one in every one of his offseasons in South Florida.
Paris Hilton's ex-business partner was arrested and accused of paying a bodyguard $20K to kill someone who made a documentary about him

Club Paris pictured in 2005 in Orlando, Florida. The nightclub shuttered in 2007 and was formerly owned by Fereidoun Khalilian and Paris Hilton. AP Photo/Peter Cosgrove

A man who once owned a Florida nightclub with Paris Hilton was arrested on a murder for hire charge.

The ex-partner, Fereidoun Khalilian, was accused by feds of paying a bodyguard to kill a documentarian.

Khalilian didn't like the angle of the documentary, per a criminal complaint.

Paris Hilton's ex-business partner Fereidoun Khalilian, who once owned an Orlando club with the socialite, was arrested and accused of organizing the murder of a documentary filmmaker.

According to a criminal complaint, Khalilian, aka "Prince Fred," was arrested on June 22, 2023 on a murder for hire charge, accused by federal agents of paying a bodyguard $20,000 to kill a filmmaker he disliked. The arrest was the culmination of years of legal woes and accusations of fraud and two-faced dealings for Khalilian.

The plan was foiled after the bodyguard he is accused of hiring cooperated with the FBI and staged a murder scene with the videographer, leading to Khalilian's arrest in a Las Vegas Dunkin' Donuts, per The Daily Beast.

Lawyers for Khalilian and reps for Hilton did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The documentarian met Khalilian while working at a computer repair shop, fixing his laptop. Khalilian "wore expensive jewelry and claimed to be a billionaire," the unnamed victim told federal prosecutors, per the criminal complaint.

Six years later, in 2019, the pair ran into each other in Los Angeles, and the victim looked up Khalilian's name to find the businessman accused, and convicted, in numerous lawsuits.

One scheme included running an extended car warranty robocall operation that the FTC shut down for targeting elderly people, fining him $4 million, per the Daily Beast.

Khalilian's Orlando nightclub, Paris, opened in 2005 and was co-owned by Paris Hilton, but the club ultimately shuttered by 2007 after a fallout between the pair, per the Daily Beast.

Khalilian also faced and lost multiple lawsuits related to the battery and sexual assault of women who attended and worked at the nightclub  during a time period where he was also rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Usher, and Sylvester Stallone, per the Daily Beast.

In light of what he learned about Khalilian, the victim decided that he would work on a documentary about Khalilian and his fraudulent lifestyle, which included allegations that he ripped off Native American tribes in online poker software deals, per the complaint.

Without telling Khalilian the focus of the documentary, prosecutors said the victim was granted access to interview the jet setter and his inner clique, including bodyguards.

Khalilian had bodyguards "wear Secret Service pins and fake earpieces that were not connected to radios and tell people that Khalilian was a diplomat," prosecutors said in the complaint.

By March 2023, the relationship between the filmmaker and Khalilian had taken a downward turn, after Khalilian learned that the documentary was focused on his fraud and shady dealings.

A former bodyguard identified as "Michael" was contacted by Khalilian to kill the victim, according to the complaint. Michael began cooperating with the FBI and the victim when Khalilian made the ask, per the criminal complaint.

"Brother he is hurting all my shareholders tribes everything," Khalilian messaged Michael on March 9, 2023. On March 16, Khalilian texted Michael saying "I need this done," with a check mark emoji, offering $20,000 for the murder.

Michael and the victim met and staged the murder on March 17, 2023, sending Khalilian 67 staged photos. In return, Khalilian sent a series of payments to a Zelle account run by the FBI.

"For my guys," Khalilian wrote in the caption of one payment.

Read the original article on Insider
One year ago, the Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, reversing the Roe v. Wade precedent that had set the American standard for abortion care. The only legal landscape our generation of physicians has ever known was forever changed with this decision.

And now one year later, Tennesseans are still struggling to navigate vague laws crafted at the State Capitol laws that hold little regard for what takes place at a patient's bedside. We are seeing the health of Tennesseans continue to worsen in the wake of these laws; we are seeing families suffer. As clinicians, we need to provide support for rape victims and patients pregnant with a child with severe fetal anomalies. These patients still cannot receive abortion care in their own communities.

Our patients deserve better, and doctors deserve better, too. We physicians are forced to practice with targets on our backs, wondering what aggressive prosecutor will disagree with our decisions made using reasonable medical judgment. We want to put our patients first in every decision, using our good faith medical judgment.

Changes to the law are positive, but it's not enough

We applaud the legislature for removing the affirmative defense provision from the Human Life Protection Act; doctors are now no longer criminals until proven innocent. However, the narrow exceptions allowed by the supermajority legislature still leave many patients without the care they need in Tennessee. The care our patients deserve is no longer in the hands of their physicians -- those physicians whom they know, trust, and can easily access.

Tennessee politicians have forced doctors to practice medicine in a perilous and unconscionable manner: the closer our pregnant patient is to death, the less likely we are to be charged with a Class C Felony. We are still forced to decide between malpractice risk and criminal consequences while we desire to follow the standard of care and follow the law.

Dr. Heather Maune and Dr. Amy Gordon Bono listen from the gallery while HB 883 is discussed during a House session at the Tennessee state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, March 20, 2023.

Meanwhile, our patients suffer unnecessarily under these inhumane laws. This untenable position is causing physicians to leave our state and even the medical profession. These extreme policies are taking a great toll on maternity care across the state in the form of increasing teen pregnancy and maternal morbidity and mortality rates. The Dobbs decision has caused already poor healthcare outcomes in Tennessee to worsen significantly.

Lawmakers should focus on healthcare not special interests

Much as we did last year in our Open Letter to the Tennessee General Assembly, we again demand that our legislature reconsider current abortion laws. We now also urgently plead with them to understand the importance of expanding Medicaid. As this legislature fails to support Tennessee families with improved TennCare coverage and Medicaid expansion, rural hospitals are closing or cutting back services at a time when maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the nation.

Rural hospital closure is a threat to every Tennesseans future; each citizen of our state deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare regardless of zip code, background, or belief system. To achieve better healthcare access, Tennessee needs resources that only Medicaid expansion and better TennCare coverage can provide.

To heal the wounds inflicted upon our state by a pandemic, escalating levels of gun violence (especially against our children), the Dobbs decision, and the Human Life Protection Act, we call for immediate Medicaid expansion, and demand a legislature focused on the health of its citizens and not on special interests. We call for members of the General Assembly to return to the State Capitol to consider the significant needs of our citizens in a Special Session.

Laura Andreson DO, FACOG; Nicole Schlechter, MD, PhD, FACOG, member, board of directors, Nashville Academy of Medicine; Amy Gordon Bono, MD, MPH, ProtectMyCare/ForwardTN Physician Advocate; Heather Maune, MD, FACOG, contributor of open letter to the Tennessee General Assembly; Katrina Green, MD FAAEM, American Medical Womens Association Advocacy Committee co-chair; and Carolyn Thompson, MD, FACOG.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee abortion law: Patients and physicians feel the brunt
A small plane crashed into Lake Tahoe Saturday afternoon, officials said, seriously injuring one of the two passengers before they were rescued by nearby boaters.

El Dorado County Sherriffs office said deputies responded to calls at 10:18 a.m. where the plane appeared to crash land into Rubicon Bay, on the western side of South Lake Tahoe.

Onlookers operating boats on the lake responded quickly to help the passengers of the plane, now fully submerged underwater. Authorities said one suffered from a serious head injury.

Flight tracking data appeared to show the Piper single-engine plane departed from the Truckee Tahoe Airport at 9:14 a.m. before picking up speed and losing altitude.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading an investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to post an incident report.

Local authorities did not respond to request for comment on condition of the passengers, but both survived the crash. The underwater plane was marked with GPS coordinates for hazardous material purposes, said the sheriffs office.
A French firefighter works to extinguish a burning car during the fifth day of protests - Reuters

France dispatched its elite GIGN commandos to reinforce beleaguered police as the country endured a fifth night of violence over the killing of Nahel Merzouk.

Some 45,000 police officers and Gendarmes were mobilised on Saturday evening after hundreds of people gathered to bury the 17-year-old police shooting victim in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

Arrests during a fifth night of rioting had risen to 719, the interior ministry said on Sunday morning. Hours earlier the ministry had given a provisional figure of 486 arrests, saying violence seemed to be lessening compared with the previous night when about 1300 people were taken into custody.

Rioting first broke out over the death of Merzouk on Tuesday.

A calmer night thanks to the resolute action of the security forces, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted earlier on Sunday.

Mr Darmanin said 200 riot police had been mobilised in the port city of Marseille, where TV showed footage of police using tear gas as night fell.

Rioters rammed a car into the home of the mayor of a town south of Paris, injuring his wife and one of his children, according to the mayor on Sunday.

Police in front of the damaged home of the Mayor of l'Hay-les-Roses, Vincent Jeanbrun - Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images

Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun wrote on Twitter that protesters rammed a car into his home before setting a fire while his family slept. Last night a milestone was reached in horror and disgrace, wrote the mayor of the town of LHay-les-Roses.

My wife and one of my children were injured, Mr Jeanbrun said. It was an attempted murder of unspeakable cowardice.

Several schools, police stations, town halls and stores have been targeted by fires or vandalism in recent days but a personal attack on a mayors home is unusual.

French riot police officers during the fifth day of protests

Police try to bring riots in Marseille under control as unrest continues following the shooting of Nahel Merzouk - Sener Yilmaz Aslan/SIPA/Shutterstock

At midnight, the authorities in Lyon and Marseille were reporting fewer incidents than Friday night, with 77 people arrested as of around 1.30 am local time in the two cities.

Since the beginning of the evening, all potentially violent groups in the city centre have been systematically dispersed by the police and gendarmes, if necessary with the use of tear gas, the Bouches-du-Rhone Police Prefecture said, addressing the violence in Marseille.

The situation is under control.

In Paris and its nearby regions, where around 7,000 officers were out in force, 194 people had been arrested as of 3am local time on Sunday.

Thirty-seven arrests were made in Paris for people caught carrying a weapon following 375 searches and a heavy police presence was seen along the Champs-Elysees.

Police officers take position at the Champs-Elysees in Paris - Reuters

Meanwhile, Gregory Doucet, the mayor of Lyon, where dozens of police officers were injured on Friday night  including several by gunfire  called for urgent reinforcements, saying police in the city were overwhelmed.

Lyon, he said following a crisis meeting, has been in the grip of riots of unprecedented intensity, damage and violence.

The GIGN  Frances top hostage rescue unit, similar to the SAS  arrived in Marseille on Saturday evening, according to police in Bouches-du-Rhone, following a night of fierce clashes between police and protesters.

The results of the night can be summed up in one word: apocalyptic, Rudy Manna, of the Bouches-du-Rhone police union, said of Friday night.

We had scenes of guerrillas in the centre of Marseille, the northern districts were also affected by looting, burning of vehicles and trash cans.

Mr Darmanin, the French interior minister, said a lot of resources were sent to the two embattled cities, which have been home to some of the worst clashes since the unrest broke out on Tuesday.

As well as the elite counter-terror unit, armoured vehicles and helicopters were sent to shore up security in Marseille.

French police on Saturday said their officers were being ambushed by rioters.

More than 200 policemen have been injured and over 700 businesses ransacked or burnt down since the police shooting of Merzouk sparked nationwide unrest.

Police made 1,311 arrests overnight from Friday to Saturday  the most so far  but claimed the violence had been lower in intensity and with fewer cars and buildings set ablaze compared with previous nights.

Mourners gather for Merzouks funeral

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Nanterres for Merzouks funeral on Saturday afternoon.

The funeral passed off peacefully, although correspondents described a tense atmosphere and mourners described anger at what they said was endemic police racism.

Merzouk, who was of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was driving a yellow Mercedes through Nanterres at around 8am on Tuesday when he was shot. There were two other people in the vehicle at the time.

Police initially claimed the officer opened fire because the vehicle was driving towards them as if to hit them.

But a social media video of the incident, which news agencies have confirmed, shows an officer pointing a gun through the stationary car window before opening fire as it drove away.

Prosecutors investigating the case said on Friday that two motorcycle officers involved told investigators that they tried to stop the car when they spotted it driving in a bus lane at about 8am on Tuesday.

The driver ignored an initial request to stop and drove away through a red light, according to their account. They gave chase, pulled the car over, and pointed guns at the driver to deter him from driving away again.

Protesters say his killing is typical of a heavy-handed and racist approach to policing in Frances deprived racially mixed neighborhoods.

The riots are Frances worst since the 2018 Yellow Vest protests brought the country to a standstill.

French television reported that at least four officers were wounded by shotgun fire in Vaulx-en-Velin, a suburb of Lyon, on Friday night.

The main public library in Marseilles, Frances second-largest city, was burnt down on Thursday. Overnight looting on Friday continued into Saturday morning, sparking appeals from shopkeepers for Mr Macron to do something.

The citys mayor asked residents not to put out rubbish or other bulk items because of the risk they would be set on fire by rioters.

CRS 8, an elite riot squad, was deployed to Lyon after the citys mayor issued a public appeal for reinforcements.

The unit, formed in 2021 as a rapid response force to tackle urban violence, consists of around 60 specialist officers trained to deploy from their base outside Paris within 15 minutes of the order being given.

It has previously been involved in a controversial operation to evict undocumented migrants from the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte.

The protests even spread to Reunion, on the Indian Ocean - Richard Bouhet/AFP via Getty Images

Twelve people were arrested overnight Friday to Saturday in Lyon, where rioters have fired massed barrages of fireworks rockets and hurled tiles from rooftops at police.

Explosions were heard on the streets overnight on Saturday and looters hit businesses ranging from motorcycle dealers to luxury boutiques.

St Etienne, 40 miles south-east of Lyon, announced a curfew for unaccompanied minors from 7pm to 6pm.

With no sign of the riots easing, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, cancelled a trip to Germany on Saturday.

Mr Macron spoke on the phone on Saturday with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, and briefed him on the situation, said a German spokesman.

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Police asking for publics help finding shooter who killed woman near Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn

Auburn police have released photos of a man accused of shooting a woman near the Muckleshoot Casino on Wednesday.

Police say the shooting happened in a driveway leading to the Greentree Apartments.

The alleged shooter is 21-year-old Marketha Mccoy. Police describe him as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 180 pounds, with short hair.

If you have any information contact the Auburn Police Departments tip line at 253-288-7403 and reference case number 23-06506.
Police seek publics help in finding two missing 13-year-old boys from Roslindale

Police are seeking the publics help in finding two missing 13-year-old boys from Roslindale who were last seen on Wednesday.

Investigators believe that the two boys may be together at this time, police said.

Karlz Charles was last seen at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday, leaving his home on Manning Street, police said. Karlz was last seen wearing a black shirt, black or yellow or red pants, white socks and black shoes. He does not have a history of running away, police said.

Jonathan Gomez was last seen at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, leaving his residence on Maynard Street, police said. Jonathan was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black jeans and carrying a yellow backpack. Jonathan has run away in the past, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the boys whereabouts is urged to call 911 or Boston detectives at 617-343-5607.

You may also share information anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
A Wichita Falls man accused of killing ChaQuon Jeffrey in a head-on crash had a blood-alcohol level about three times the legal limit, according to allegations in court documents.

A balloon and letter display honoring Cha'Quon Jeffery on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at the Hirschi Field House parking lot.

Brandon Michael Wright, 39, was driving the wrong way when he collided with Jeffrey's vehicle June 3 in the 3000 block of Spur 325 northbound, according to allegations.

Wright is charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, and he was free Friday from the Wichita County Detention Center on $200,000 in bonds, online jail and court documents show.

A toxicology report on a sample from Wright showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.238, far above the 0.08 percent that legally marks intoxication in Texas, according to allegations in an affidavit for an arrest warrant.

The toxicology report was from the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in Lubbock.

A charge of manslaughter against Wright in connection with Jeffreys death was dismissed Tuesday. The affidavit for the manslaughter charge did not include the results of the blood-alcohol test.

Wright was arrested on the new charge Thursday and released on a $150,000 bond for intoxication manslaughter the same day, according to jail records.

About 12:15 a.m. June 3, Wright drove a black 2019 Honda Ridgeline the wrong way, crashing into Jeffrey, 25, who was at the wheel of a silver 2013 Chevy Malibu, according to allegations in court records.

Jeffrey was killed on impact, and his front-seat passenger, Veronica Diaz, sustained serious injuries, according to allegations. She has undergone multiple surgeries.

Wright is also charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with her injuries, court documents show.

Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Manslaughter, intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, and aggravated assault causing series bodily injury are all second-degree felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Police:Test shows Wright drunk during crash killed Cha'Quon Jeffrey
Pope Francis appears at his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's Square at The Vatican on St. Peter and Paul's Day, Thursday, June 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis on Saturday chose a bishop who is a trusted theological advisor from his native Argentina for one of the Vaticans most powerful positions  head of the watchdog office that ensures doctrinal orthodoxy.

Francis named Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernandez, the archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, as the prefect, or chief, of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Fernandez has been nicknamed the popes theologian since he is widely believed to have helped author some of Francis most important documents.

The Dicastery, or department, enforces orthodoxy of church teaching and disciplines theologians deemed to have strayed from Catholic doctrine in their lectures or publications. But it has taken on considerably more importance to rank-and-file faithful as the stain of pedophile priests spread across the globe in recent decades. Among the department's duties are evaluating and processing sex abuse allegations against clergy.

Fernandez is widely believed to have been a key author behind some of Francis most consequential documents, notably God is Love, a 2016 exhortation that opened the door to letting divorced Catholics who remarry in civil ceremonies to receive Communion.

Catholic teaching holds that marriage is a sacrament, and that remarried Catholics must live together as brother and sister and abstain from sex as a condition for receiving Communion.

Divorced and remarried Catholics who lament being cut off from the Eucharist have long sought the right to receive Communion, but the change would anger conservative hierarchy and rank-and-file faithful if it were to be codified in teaching some day.

Fernandez, 60, replaces retiring Cardinal Luis Ladaria, a Jesuit like Francis who took over in 2017 after the pontiff abruptly removed conservative German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller after a single term leading the doctrine department. Mueller was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, a darling of church conservatives.

The watchdog office's new chief plans to take up his post in mid-September, the Vatican announcement of his appointment said.

Fernandez is a prolific author and biblical expert who has long had the support of Francis, who before becoming pontiff in 2013, was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires. Fernandez has made clear that the future pope supported his nomination as rector of the Catholic University of Argentina after critics raised concerns about some of his doctrinal positions.

The doctrinal watchdog office has 16th-century roots in a commission established to deal with heresy and schism. Known originally as the Sacred Roman and Universal Inquisition, the body also scrutinized matters of faith and morals.

In a letter to his new appointee that the Vatican made public Saturday, Francis wrote that the office in its current version has as its central purpose safeguarding church teachings that springs from faith in order to give reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point out and condemn."
Pride in London  live: Huge crowds turn out for LGBT+ celebration with march through capital

The Pride in London Parade has begun as more than one million people are expected to take part in the LGBT+ celebration on Saturday.

The 2023 theme is Never March Alone in support of trans and non-binary allyship and about 600 LGBT+ groups will attend.

It marks 51 years since the first march for LGBT+ rights in the capital, in 1972.

This year, the parade begins at 12pm and runs from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, down Haymarket and along Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square, culminating at Whitehall Place. Crowds are invited to watch from any of the designated public spaces along the route.

This year, The Independent is proud to be the exclusive media partner of Pride in London and will be taking part in the parade, which is led by mayor Sadiq Khan.

Rita Ora and Adam Lambert will be among those performing at the main stage on Trafalgar Square.

A detailed map of the parade route and key locations can be found here.

KEY POINTS

Parade route and map

Just Stop Oil threatens to disrupt London Pride over high-polluting sponsors

Pride in London in pictures as parade begins

This Pride, remember the queer pioneers who fought for our freedoms'

Watch: Moment police remove Just Stop Oil protesters lying in front of Pride float

14:43 , Tara Cobham

Moment police remove Just Stop Oil protesters from lying in front of Pride float

Just Stop Oil protestors disrupt Pride in London parade

14:41 , Tara Cobham

Just Stop Oil protestors have disrupted the Pride in London parade on Saturday.

The group said it is calling on London Pride to cease accepting sponsorship money from high polluting industries and stop allowing the inclusion of floats from these organisations in the parade.

At around 1:25pm, Just Stop Oil said nine of its LGBTQ+ supporters blocked the Pride parade in front of the Coca-Cola float, a company that frequently gets accused of being one of the worlds worst plastic polluters.

Some demonstrators blocked the float while two others sprayed pink and black paint over the road.

Peter Tatchell, a member of the Gay Liberation Front and the civil resistance group OutRage!, said: Our community must not collude with environment, species and climate destroying companies.

Support trans rights, stop the hate sign held by spectators

13:45 , Tara Cobham

Spectators watch the Pride In London parade (Getty Images)

Cast of Netflixs Heartstopper spotted at Pride

13:38 , Tara Cobham

Kit Connor and Joe Locke are among the cast members of Netflixs hit show Heartstopper who are taking part in the Pride in London parade.

The series is a coming-of-age story about a romance between two queer teenagers and has amassed a huge fanbase.

In pictures: Colourful crowds celebrating

13:13 , Tara Cobham

People take part in the 2023 Pride Parade in London (REUTERS)

Max Donahue and Georgia Marks take part in the 2023 Pride Parade in London (REUTERS)

Sadiq Khan among Pride in London attendees

13:01 , Tara Cobham

Sadiq Khan is among those taking part in Saturdays Pride in London.

In a video posted by Pride in London, the Mayor of London wished everyone a happy Pride and said: Its wonderful to be here back in the centre of our city on this wonderful day of celebration but also protest and campaign.

Huge crowds seen in Pride in London parade as a million set to take part

12:49 , Tara Cobham

Members of the LGBT+ community take part in the annual Pride Parade in the streets of London (AFP via Getty Images)

People carry a banner during the 2023 Pride Parade in London (REUTERS)

Trans lives matter cheers from crowds

12:43 , Tara Cobham

The crowds broke out into cheers of trans lives matter as people held signs reading never march alone.

Pale pink and blue flags are also being waved in solidarity with the trans community.

Never March Alone is this years Pride campaign, which emphasises supporting members of the trans community.

Pride in London Parade sets off

12:37 , Tara Cobham

The Pride in London Parade has begun as more than one million people are expected to take part in the LGBT+ celebration on Saturday.

The streets of central London are packed with colourful crowds, music can be heard, people are dancing, multicoloured outfits are everywhere, and huge rainbow flags are seen flying high.

In Pictures: Pride in London parade begins

12:34 , Tara Cobham

People take part in the 2023 Pride Parade in London (REUTERS)

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the Pride in London parade (PA)

People at Leicester Square underground station as they head to Hyde Park to take part in the Pride in London parade (PA)

The Independent is ready for Pride in London parade

12:23 , Tara Cobham

The Independent are ready for the Pride in London parade, with members of the newsroom, including editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, all gathered in the central London crowds.

This newspaper is proud to be the exclusive media partner of Pride in London this year and is taking part in the parade, which is led by mayor Sadiq Khan.

The Independent are ready for the Pride in London parade, with members of the newsroom, including editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, all gathered in the central London crowds. (Alastair Jamieson / The Independent)

This Pride, remember the queer pioneers who fought for our freedoms'

12:15 , Sam Rkaina

Director Oliver Hermanus writes: I experienced my first proper London Pride last year. I got swept up in the humdrum of Soho streets, packed with revellers, swaying from bar to bar, drink in hand.

I danced the night away in a mess of glitter and gay pop anthems. It was freeing, it was easy and familiar. Perhaps so much so that I might easily have believed that Pride was now simply an annual event that meant little more than that  a good night out, being free.

I recently turned 40 and found myself reflecting on my various privileges. It felt like the right time to take stock. Im a coloured (google it) South African filmmaker, born during apartheid, gay and living in London.

Click here for the full view.

(Getty)

Cheering, clapping and singing colourful crowds line streets of London

12:13 , Tara Cobham

Cheering, clapping and singing crowds are lining the streets of central London as the Pride in London parade is set to begin.

People are waving rainbow flags, a symbol of LGBT+ pride and social movements, with many having come dressed in multicoloured outfits, including facepaint and colourful props.

More than one million people are expected to attend the parade, which will see about 600 LGBT+ groups take part and is set to begin around midday.

Pride in London in pictures as parade set to begin

11:57 , Tara Cobham

Members of the LGBT+ community take part in the annual Pride Parade in the streets of London (AFP via Getty Images)

More than one million people are expected at Saturdays Pride in London parade (AFP via Getty Images)

Drag queen Vanity Adams takes part in the 2023 Pride Parade in London (REUTERS)

Pride Parade will affirm and celebrate LGBTQ+ asylum seekers'

11:15 , Sam Rkaina

The chair of a refugee group who is fundraising for her members to attend a Pride parade said the march will be a confidence-boosting experience to affirm and celebrate asylum seekers of the LGBTQ+ community.

Sarah Cope, chair of Queer Refugees Unite, which is a support group for LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum in the UK, has set up a Go Fund Me to raise money to take 40 of its members to celebrate Pride at the London Pride Parade.

Ms Cope said the experience cant be overstated as it will allow LGBTQ+ refugees to take part in the parade, particularly as many cannot afford to attend the event, and spoke of the significance of the trip.

Its just really important that they go to pride for a lot of reasons. One is that all of these people have had to keep who they are a secret all their lives up until this point, the 45-year-old from Hertfordshire told the PA news agency.

Asylum seekers get an absolute pittance from the government in terms of money they receive to live on so its not really enough for travel expenses.

We needed money for t-shirts and for peoples expenses, travel expenses, because they are based all over the UK.

To raise awareness of the countries where being part of the LGBTQ+ community is illegal, the group will attend the event wearing t-shirts designed by one of the members depicting the words Queer Refugees Unite written across a drawing of the globe.

Ms Cope said the image of the planet represents the members who come the across the world from some of the countries where its still criminalised if youre gay or trans.

Sarah Cope (middle) with members of Queer Refugee Unite who will attend the Pride Parade in London to affirm and celebrate LGBTQ+ asylum seekers

The Prince of Wales felt underdressed as he marks end of Pride Month

11:00 , Sam Rkaina

The Prince of Wales joked that he felt underdressed without sequins or glitter as he marked the end of Pride Month by discussing mental health in an LGBT+ venue.

William spoke of the importance of mental fitness in a short YouTube film in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south-east London.

The film sees the heir to the throne in conversation with volunteers from The Mix and Shout discussing mental health and support in the LGBT+ community.

The Mix and Shout are both charity partners of the Heads Together campaign which was founded by The Royal Foundation.

Both charities offer free confidential support for young people who are struggling and feel alone.

William chats to 20-year-old Michael Lister, chair of The Mix youth advisory board, Sharvari Patil, a 20-year-old student and volunteer at The Mix, and Alexis Caught, a Shout volunteer who is also an author and podcast host specialising in mental health and wellness in the queer community.

Speaking near the beginning of the film, William joked: I feel very underdressed today in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. I should have come with some sequins or some glitter. Maybe next time Ill bring it.

The prince talks to the trio about their own mental health journeys in the LGBT+ community.

They discuss the importance of ensuring people look after their mental fitness and why checking in on others and supporting those in your community is vital.

William commented on the importance of having an open conversation and how emotions can prove more difficult for men.

I think guys particularly find emotions quite difficult, dont quite know how to deal with them  strong emotions, no emotions, whatever it might be, they kind of find it quite hard.

And I think thats why weve got to get better at having an open conversation about these things, he said.

William thanked Michael, Sharvari and Alexis for their insights and told them it will mean an awful lot to everyone to hear from them.

(PA Archive)

Gok Wan says Pride offers chance for us to join hands and fight for equality

10:49 , Sam Rkaina

Gok Wan said he hopes that Pride offers the chance for us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality.

Ahead of Saturdays march, the fashion consultant and TV presenter said: Pride is as important as when it first started because there are still injustices and lack of equalities around the world which need to be fought for.

He added that Pride allows our wonderful community to come together and be seen.

Its a time for us to join hands with our allies and fight for the remaining work that needs to be done for equality, he said.

Its one hell of a party, but its also an opportunity for us to show our international friends that we stand with them and continue the fight for change.

Wan is also set to DJ at Manchester Pride in August, which he said holds a special place in my heart.

I love all Pride events for their solidarity, unity, and of course visibility, and Manchester holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my first pride events that I DJd at many years ago, Wan said.

(Just Eat)

Just Stop Oil threatens to disrupt London Pride over high-polluting sponsors

10:21 , Sam Rkaina

Just Stop Oil has threatened to disrupt Londons Pride march if the parade does not stop accepting sponsorship money from high-polluting industries.

In a statement, LGBT+ members of the group also called on organisers to ban floats from those organisations in the parade  and condemn new oil, gas and coal.

These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries, they said.

LGBT+ people are suffering first in the accelerating social breakdown caused by climate change, they added.

Pride was born from protest, the statement continued.

It speaks to how far weve come as a community that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.

Click here for the full story.

(PA Wire)

How Renaissance became Beyonces tribute to queer Black America

09:49 , Alastair Jamieson

A disco record and its rollicking world tour is an unprecedented celebration of queer Black life by the biggest pop star in America, critics and scholars tell Josh Marcus.

How Renaissance became Beyonces tribute to queer Black America

Hoax device wrapped in Pride flag found in Northern Ireland

Friday 30 June 2023 20:30 , Alastair Jamieson

Police in Northern Ireland say they are treating a hoax device as a hate crime after it was left wrapped in a Pride flag.

The device was left at the home of an Alliance Party councillor in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland,

The party said there was also a security alert at the home of another former party representative.

It was found at Hopefield Grove in Portrush on Thursday evening and people had to leave their homes for several hours during the investigation.

We will not be deterred in standing up for an inclusive society, said Alliance MP Stephen Farry.

Hoax devices wrapped in Pride flags left at home of Alliance representatives

Refugees joining Pride parade

Friday 30 June 2023 19:33 , Alastair Jamieson

The chair of a refugee group who is fundraising for her members to attend a Pride parade said the march will be a confidence-boosting experience to affirm and celebrate asylum seekers of the LGBT+ community.

Sarah Cope, chair of Queer Refugees Unite, which is a support group for LGBT+ people seeking asylum in the UK, has set up a Go Fund Me to raise money to take 40 of its members to celebrate Pride at the Pride in London parade.

Ms Cope said the experience cant be overstated as it will allow LGBT+ refugees to take part in the parade, particularly as many cannot afford to attend the event, and spoke of the significance of the trip.

Pride Parade will affirm and celebrate LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, says charity chair

I was petrified to return to Jamaica

Friday 30 June 2023 17:00 , Alastair Jamieson

Ex-professional swimmer Michael Gunning speaks to Emma Henderson about being gay while swimming for Jamaica as an anti-LGBT country, how Tom Daley helped him come out and how his work is helping support equal rights around the world.

If they knew about my sexuality, I dont think theyd have encouraged me to swim

Parade route and where to watch

Friday 30 June 2023 16:36 , Alastair Jamieson

Take a look at this interactive map for this years parade route, which is shown in purple. Attendees wanting to watch the parade have been asked to use any of the designated public spaces along the route.

Pride in London 2023: Parade route and where to watch

An act of protest

Friday 30 June 2023 16:33 , Alastair Jamieson

For many in the LGBT+ community, 2023 has felt like a big step backwards for the rights. Emma Henderson speaks to some those marching at Pride in London to find out why this years event is more important than ever.

An act of protest: Pride marchers on why support is needed once more
TEHRAN, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Friday proposed convening an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to gather foreign ministers of member states to discuss the recent burning of the Muslim holy book Quran in Sweden.

He made the remarks in a phone call with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha while strongly condemning the "insulting and provocative move" in Sweden, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.

Amir-Abdollahian suggested that the OIC hold the emergency meeting at the earliest possible opportunity on the sideline of the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on July 5-6.

Taha, for his part, said holding an emergency meeting at the level of the member states' ambassadors and permanent representatives is on the agenda of OIC, adding that he will discuss with member states Iran's proposal.

The OIC chief welcomed Iran's condemnation of the "sacrilegious" act of Quran burning in Sweden, noting that Iran has an "important" role and status in the OIC.

A Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin reportedly tore up and burnt a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday during a demonstration authorized by the Swedish authorities, which sparked furious reactions from Muslims worldwide.

On Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Sweden's charge d'affaires in Tehran and protested against the "sacrilegious" act. 
To Lucas Wheeler, Pride means everything.

Every month, Wheeler crochets a bear to be auctioned off with proceeds donated to the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk. Pride, to Wheeler, means he can survive and thrive. In June  Pride Month  he crocheted a bear for a Neon Bear Glow Party auction at MJs Tavern in Norfolk.

Pride allows individuals to create, support and discover new and old spaces that welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community. Pride means that Wheelers boyfriend can advertise his mechanic business to show people in the LGBTQ+ community that its a safe space for them.

This years Hampton Roads Pride brought together the LGBTQ+ community and its allies for a monthlong packed calendar of events including the Phabulous Phoebus Street Festival in Hampton and, in Norfolk, the Ghent Pride Party, The NorVas Studio 54 PrideFest Block Party, the Hampton Roads PrideFest at Town Point Park and the Neon Bear Glow Party.

While many of these events focused on celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community, there was an element of urgency that more work needs to be done for the community to survive and thrive outside of Pride Month. Drag queens are facing threats to their livelihoods with anti-drag legislation sweeping the country.

Fushia DeVille, 44, a top-rated drag queen in Hampton Roads, echoed the sentiment of 14-year-old omnisexual Neo Patterson of Virginia Beach: Pride is about embracing your authentic self. Fushia and other local drag queens donated their time to perform at The NorVas block party in the name of Pride.

As the producer of the Virginia Bear Contest, Howard Bunger, said: Pride is a celebration of love, happiness, acceptance and a constant reminder that we arent really done yet. Weve got to keep going.
Prigozhin's jet lands in Belarus for the second time  Belarusian Hajun

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Wagner mercenary company chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane was spotted landing in Belarus on July 1 for the second time in a week, the Belarusian Hajun monitoring group reported on Telegram.

An Embraer Legacy 600 business jet with the tail number RA-02795, which reportedly belongs to Prigozhin, landed near Minsk at the Machulishchy Military Air Base at around 8.53 a.m., the group reported.

Read also: Ukrainian intelligence predicts more conflicts in Russia after RDK raids into Belgorod Oblast

Previously, it arrived at the same military base on June 27 and then left Belarus for Russia.

Wagner Group in Belarus: What is known

According to satellite imagery, a camp is being established at an abandoned military base in Belarus, supposedly to house Wagner mercenaries after they withdrew from Russia following the halt of their march on Moscow.

Read also: What happened between Putin and Prigozhin

Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry on the evening of June 23, claiming that about 25,000 of his fighters were going to "restore justice" in Russia.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin as his mercenaries closed in on Moscow, Lukashenkos press office stated, culminating in a deal where Prigozhin agreed to halt his forces advance on the Russian capital  in exchange for dropping charges and changes at the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In a video address on June 26, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin offered three options to the fighters of the Wagner mercenary company who had participated in the mutiny attempt  return to civilian life, sign contracts with the regular Russian military, or relocate to Belarus.

Read also: Wagner suffers over 100,000 casualties in Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

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
Prosecutors push for 15-year-old suspect in Juneteenth shooting to be tried as an adult

Milwaukee County prosecutors want a 15-year-old accused of being the gunman in a mass shooting following a Juneteenth celebration to stand trial as an adult.

They've filed a waiver petition to have the case moved into adult court. A judge hasn't ruled on the petition.

The waiver, filed in juvenile court June 22, details the child's previous juvenile criminal as facts supporting the move. It notes the child was 13 when he was first adjudicated as a felon after admitting to his role as a "main actor" in a series of robberies in 2021.

The child had completed felony probation on two previous occasions, then was arrested in June in connection with the Juneteenth shootings.

Here's what authorities say happened that day:

A shooting was reported at 4:21 p.m. Monday outside the Greater Philadelphia Church of God in Christ, 2947 N. King Drive, about 20 minutes after the citys Juneteenth festival had ended.

Six people, between ages 14 and 19, were injured in the shootings. All survived.

More: Man gets 32 years in prison in death of Milwaukee mother killed on her way to Christmas Eve party

The incident may have stemmed from an argument between multiple girls, according to accounts from police, witnesses and bystander video.

The teen was previously adjudicated in juvenile court for earlier offenses, including felony armed robbery in March 2021, juvenile court records show. He was 13 at that time.

More: Police, district attorney announce dozens of arrests in violent feud in Milwaukee

He was placed on nine months of probation and was arrested a month later for having a Mini Draco assault pistol in his backpack, according to juvenile court records.

Prosecutors pushed for the teen to remain in custody, saying he posed a threat to the community, juvenile court records show. The court released him in April with the stipulation he be fitted with a pretrial ankle-worn monitoring device.

Juvenile court records show the teen wore the same GPS monitoring device during the mass shooting.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teen suspect in Juneteenth shooting could be tried as adult
Israeli protesters keep the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government's judicial reform plans days after he dropped a key provision in the controversial project (GIL COHEN-MAGEN)

Israelis protested again on Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reform plans, days after he said he had dropped a key provision in the controversial project.

The demonstrators have kept up the pressure with weekly rallies against Netanyahu, who returned to power last December at the head of a coalition with ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right parties.

As they have done every Saturday for months, protesters thronged the heart of Israel's commercial capital Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the government's judicial overhaul proposals.

Opponents of the plan believe it could open the way to more authoritarian government.

In March, as the mass protests were backed by sweeping industrial action, Netanyahu announced a "pause" to allow for talks on the reforms, which were moving through parliament and split the nation.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had accused him of acting "illegally" in championing the reforms, citing potential conflict of interests due to his long-running corruption trial in which he is accused of fraud and breach of trust. The prime minister denies any wrongdoing.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, Netanyahu said he intends to press ahead with the reforms, but without a clause that aimed to curb the supreme court's powers and give politicians a greater say in the selection of judges.

"I already changed a few things right after the original proposal was put forward," Netanyahu told the newspaper.

"I said that the idea of an override clause where the parliament, the Knesset, can override the decisions of the supreme court with a simple majority, I said, I threw that out."

Although there were no figures immediately available for the number of people who demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday, the protests regularly bring together tens of thousands of people.

On June 14, the two main opposition leaders, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, said they were pulling out of negotiations on the reform plan.

alv/srm/kir
Putin, a germaphobe known for meeting with people at ridiculously long tables, took selfies kissing regular Russians this week

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, poses for a selfie with local citizens during his working visit to Dagestan Republic, in Derbent, Russia, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/Associated Press

Putin made a couple public appearances this week while doing damage control after the Wagner rebellion.

He was even photographed taking selfies and kissing a member of the public.

The images provided a stark contrast to the famously long tables he has used at the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's fondness for ludicrously long tables that put an absurd amount of distance between him and the person he's meeting with is well known  but the germaphobe was spotted this week cozying up to the Russian people as he does some damage control in the wake of the short-lived Wagner rebellion.

Putin met with Russians in Derbent on Wednesday night, in what was his first public walkabout with members of the public since the pandemic began, according to the Financial Times.

The Russian leader was doing damage control this week after the Wagner mercenary group, led by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged an armed rebellion against the country's military leaders. After a march towards Moscow, Prigozhin ultimately turned his troops around, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, and was exiled to Belarus. Military and Russia experts told Insider the mutiny made Putin look very weak, and that it could spell the beginning of the end for his time in power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets French President Emmanuel Macron (R) on February 07, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. Kremlin Press Office/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The sight of Putin kissing the head of a young Russian admirer stood in stark contrast to the images of Putin taking meetings at a confusingly long table. Reports have said the long table was used as a precaution against COVID-19, but the images were striking.

Putin has pulled out the preposterously long table to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations secretary-general, among others. He's even used a round, but also still long, table to meet with the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Read the original article on Business Insider
According to Russian journalists, on the day of the mutiny of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), Russian President Vladimir Putin was watching the Alye Parusa festival in St Petersburg from aboard a yacht of businessman Yuriy Kovalchuk.

Source: Novaya Gazeta Europe with reference to the information of journalists Mikhail Zygar and Yulia Taratuta

Details: Mikhail Zygar, a political journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel, wrote in a column for The New York Times that Putin never misses a graduation party in his hometown, and this year was no exception, despite the situation with Yevgeny Prigozhin.

According to Zygar, on 24 June, Putin watched the Alye Parusa festival from aboard a yacht of his friend, businessman Yuriy Kovalchuk.

The journalist's sources call this the clearest evidence that the president of the Russian Federation is detached from reality.

"He still believes that he has everything under control and that Prigozhin's rebellion had no effect on the political situation. But he is wrong. [...] Many people I spoke to believe that Putin's system of government simply cannot last long", Zygar shared.

In a column for Dozhd, Taratuta reported, citing sources familiar with the situation, that a new yacht was presented to Putin on the holiday  instead of the Shaherezada, confiscated in Italy due to sanctions. According to sources, Kovalchuk personally prepared the gift.

"The yacht took three years to build, or even five  here, the versions differ. Only one thing is known for sure: it was gifted. Neither the war with Ukraine, nor Prigozhin's mutiny, nor the bombing of Rostov and Voronezh got in the way," says Taratuta.

Background: On 24 June, the day of the mutiny of Wagner Group fighters, Russian media outlet Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) citing FlightRadar data reported that Putin's special Il96-300PU (Control Point) aircraft departed Moscow for St Petersburg at 14:16 (Moscow time), but it disappeared from the tracking system over the Tver area.

At the same time, Ukrainian intelligence stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin left Moscow for his residence in Valdai. Meanwhile, Putins press secretary denied this and claimed that Russias president is "working in the Kremlin".

Background:

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Green streaks of light shine in the night sky full of stars

A photographer recently snapped images of vibrant green streaks of light hanging apparently motionless in the star-filled sky above a U.S. mountain range. The eerie light show may look like auroras, but it's actually an even rarer phenomenon.

Aaron Watson captured the stunning display near the West Elk Mountains in Colorado. The streaky emerald lights emerged just before midnight on June 21 and lasted for around 2 hours, during which they slowly shifted across the sky, Watson told Live Science in an email. Similar but less-intense versions of these lights were also spotted in other parts of Colorado, according to Spaceweather.com.

At first, Watson believed the lights belonged to noctilucent, or night shining, clouds, which were forecast to become more frequent in June and July this year. But as the vibrant colors emerged, this seemed unlikely. He also speculated they could be a slow-moving auroral display or a related phenomena, such as STEVE or a stable auroral arc that was set off by a solar storm bashing into Earth.

However, there was no solar storm at this time. Instead, the lights are the result of a phenomenon known as "airglow," which is triggered in the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere by less-extreme forms of solar radiation. Airglow is rarely seen from the ground, but it could become a more common sight in the coming months and years as solar activity ramps up, Spaceweather.com said.

Related: Solar activity may peak 1 year earlier than thought. Here is what it means for us

Experts recently revealed to Live Science that the upcoming peak of solar activity, which was due to arrive in 2025 and be relatively weak compared with historic past peaks, may actually arrive as early as the end of 2023 and be more active than previously expected. The sight of such vibrant airglow further supports this hypothesis.

A study published March 2021 in the journal JGR Space Physics, revealed that airglow has historically been most visible during previous solar maximums  the period of the roughly 11-year solar cycle where solar activity peaks and the sun releases more radiation and solar storms. Tracking changes in airglow can therefore help track solar cycle progression, according to NASA. (Auroras also become more common during the solar maximum.)

Airglow and auroras are both triggered by solar radiation hitting Earth, but the mechanisms behind them are very different: Auroras form when powerful streams of solar radiation, known as solar wind, or fast-moving clouds of magnetized plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), smash into Earth's magnetic field. This temporarily weakens Earth's defensive shield, enabling solar radiation to penetrate deep into the atmosphere and excite air molecules so they emit bright, dancing colors.

Image 1 of 2

Green streaks of light shine in the night sky full of stars

Image 2 of 2

Green streaks of light shine in the night sky full of stars

But airglow is created by gradual solar radiation, which ionizes, or strips electrons from, gas molecules during the day. At night, these ionized molecules react with gases carrying an extra electron to regain their lost particles. These reactions release a lot of energy, which is given off as light similar to those emitted by auroras. But it causes a more gradual and often fainter light show.

Related Stories:

 Sun halo on Mars! This Martian sky sight spotted by Perseverance rover was once thought to be impossible

 Eerie ring of red light flashes like a massive UFO above Italy. What was it?

 Where to see the northern lights: 2023 aurora borealis guide

Airglow forms 50 to 300 miles (80 to 480 kilometers) above Earth's surface in a region of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. At higher altitudes, airglow takes on a red color, which is produced by excited nitrogen atoms. But the green lights in the new image are a result of excited oxygen atoms and are most prominent between 56 and 62 miles (90 and 100 km) above the ground, according to Spaceweather.com.

Airglow is not the only sign from the upper atmosphere that solar maximum is fast approaching. The thermosphere, the second last layer of the atmosphere that overlaps with the ionosphere, is also warming faster than it has in almost 20 years as it soaks up energy from increasingly frequent solar storms.

Originally published on LiveScience.com.
When Edward Cassano and his colleagues arrived in the remote stretch of ocean where the Titan submersible had gone missing, they quickly learned that they would have to do what other deep-sea experts had already tried unsuccessfully: to find the lost sub in some of the most forbidding depths of the North Atlantic.

They set to work deploying their own remotely operated vehicle, the Odysseus, from a ship with a giant umbilical cord, then lowered the behemoth to the ocean floor, a process that took about an hour and a half, Cassano said Friday at a news conference held at the suburban Buffalo headquarters of his company, Pelagic Research Services.

Just moments after Odysseus arrived on the seafloor, its high-definition cameras sent back images of debris that were undoubtedly what remained of the Titan. Their hopes for a rescue of the submersibles crew of five had faded.

I have to apologize, Cassano said, his voice cracking as he described the moment the debris was found. He said he and his crew were still experiencing a lot of emotion.

The Canadian ship Horizon Arctic brought Odysseus to the search area that had been established for the Titan, and the underwater robot was offloaded into the ocean on June 22. The ship returned to port Wednesday with mangled chunks of the submersible.

Investigating the debris is a crucial part of a multiagency investigation into why the Titan imploded on its way to view wreckage of the Titanic, killing five. The Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation, said it had retrieved what are likely human remains from the debris.

Its a very complex operation and fraught with danger, Cassano said of the process to locate, then retrieve the debris. ... Sadly, our rescue turned into a recovery.

He said when his team arrived at the site in the North Atlantic where the Titan had descended, there was already a fleet of 10 ships and aircraft. One of the ships was Deep Energy, which normally lays pipes and cables in deep water.

Cassano said Deep Energy deployed a submersible but it was only able to reach a depth of 2,700 meters (8,858 feet). The Titans debris was located on the seafloor about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater.

Pelagics team conducted 24-hour operations with Odysseus even after finding the wreckage, Cassano said. While tethered to its mother ship, the robot used heavy lifting capabilities to retrieve the heavy debris from the ocean floor, he said.

Asked what he thought of the Titans voyage, Cassano said that, based on his own experience with a company that focuses on deep-sea research, he believes the crew was motivated by a passion and a joy for exploration.

Pelagic has locations outside Buffalo and in Massachusetts. Odysseus was built by MPH Engineering of Largo, Florida, and became operational in 2016. Its primary use is deep-sea science, but Pelagic Research always knew that wed be called at some point, and so we prepared the system for rescue and recovery, Cassano said.

There are hundreds of remote-operated vehicles, or ROVs, operating around the world, using robotic arms, lights and cameras to work in parts of the deep ocean that would be dangerous or impossible for humans to access.

ROVs were first developed in the 1960s and have been used for military, scientific and industrial uses, such as underwater safety inspections of platforms and pipelines, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An ROV named Jason Jr. developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was used to explore the Titanic in 1986, the year after explorers discovered the iconic ocean liners wreckage.

Even after years of ROV use in science and industry, removing items from the ocean floor remains painstaking and difficult, said Andy Bowen, a principal engineer at Woods Hole who specializes in remotely operated submersibles.

Once thats been accomplished, of course, then it has to be brought on board and done so carefully so that theres no damage done or evidence lost, Bowen said.

After the Titan was reported missing on June 18, the Navy analyzed acoustic data and found an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion in area where the vessel was when communications were lost, according to a senior U.S. Navy official.

Debris from the Titan, which is believed to have imploded that day as it made its descent, was located roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor.

Stockton Rush, the Titans pilot and CEO of OceanGate, the company that owned and operated the submersible, was killed in the implosion along with two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

The company charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage. The Coast Guard hopes its investigation will result in measures to improve the safety of submersibles. Other government agencies in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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A Pennsylvania Ambulance "fast car" or "chase car" paramedic vehicle was seen at the Hawley Public Library parking area recently. An agreement has been reached with the company to serve as the BLS/ALS ambulance service for the adjacent municipalities of Paupack Township, Palmyra Township and Hawley Borough, Wayne County in full effect July 1, 2023. Each municipality has agreed to share in subsidizing the operations.

Officially starting July 1, the three adjoining Wayne County municipalities of Paupack Township, Palmyra Township and Hawley Borough are being served by Pennsylvania Ambulance as their primary emergency medical services provider, with apparatus stationed in Lakeville and Hawley.

Together, the three municipal governing boards have entered an agreement with Pennsylvania Ambulance, under the entity name of PPH (Paupack - Palmyra - Hawley) Ambulance Association. Each municipality has agreed to fund a certain share of the expense to station a Basic Life Support/Advanced Life Support (BLS/ALS) ambulance at the Lakeville fire station around the clock and an ALS quick response vehicle or "fast car" next to Hawley Borough Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

The "fast car" enables paramedics to be on scene rendering advanced care ahead of arrival of the ambulance transport vehicle. The "fast car" can also meet other BLS companies  such as Tafton, White Mills or Lackawaxen  on scene with paramedics and avoid taking an ALS ambulance out of service.

The multi-municipal service has been discussed for about five years to improve ambulance response in the Hawley Lake Region in the wake of declining ability of EMS companies to attract volunteers, an issue both statewide and nationally.

Robert Boogertman, Paupack Township supervisor and president of PPH, stated that the EMS industry has become a business, and in a rural area it needs both its ability to bill insurance companies for service and subsidization to survive. He said that they saw that a regional effort was needed, with the three municipalities working together, but hopes that other municipalities will become involved to help make it more sustainable.

The PPH president also commented that he hopes legislators would realize the problem EMS agencies are having and see that the companies get the funding that they need.

Lackawaxen Township took the step to subsidize their ambulance service, Boogertman noted, adding, "If other municipalities followed their model, they wouldn't have that problem."

Pennsylvania Ambulance is based in Lackawanna County and started in 2013. The company covers all of Lackawanna County with its operating base in Scranton.

They acquired the assets and hired some of the personnel of Commonwealth Health's EMS service on Nov. 27, 2022, said Bruce Beauvais, operations manager for Pennsylvania Ambulance. That includes Commonwealth Health's base at the Lakeville fire station in Wayne County. They have been able to maintain continuous coverage since then.

Their crew is familiar with the routes in this area, with most of the personnel who operate here being from Wayne and Pike counties, Beauvais said. Also, Hawley Borough designated Commonwealth Health as primary responder for about three and a half years.

Beauvais said Pennsylvania Ambulance is always looking to recruit personnel. It does its own BLS training at Scranton and is waiting for national certification to start paramedic training.

While their primary responsibility is to these three municipalities, Beauvais said that their crews also will serve when dispatched for mutual aid to other areas in Wayne and Pike counties as needed.

Pete Steffen, Paupack Township chairperson, is vice president of PPH; Elaine Herzog, Hawley council member, is secretary.

"This is a very positive thing for the three municipalities and comes at a critical time for the region," Herzog said.

The new regional service just happened to come into play soon after the announcement that Lake Region EMS, the former Hawley Ambulance & Rescue Company, had ceased operations. Pennsylvania Ambulance, however, had already been regularly responding from Lakeville since late last year.

Lake Region EMS officials cited difficulty with staffing ambulance crews and funding challenges. The company stopped answering emergency calls in late April. The disposition of the half-completed ambulance headquarters on Gravity Road and their apparatus was still pending.

Boogertman said it was a "tragedy" that Lake Region EMS did not work out. The PPH board did have multiple talks with the company when they were considering candidates for the agreement, but in the end PPH viewed Pennsylvania Ambulance as the most suitable for their three municipalities.

"Pennsylvania Ambulance is a proven entity and viable source," Boogertman said, stressing that it was only the beginning.

For more information about Pennsylvania Ambulance, visit paambulance.com.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Regional ambulance service begins July 1 for Hawley, Paupack, Palmyra
(CNN)  Up-and-coming actors will do a lot to land a big break, and in Bradley Coopers case, that apparently included a fib.

According to Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, who appeared on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday, Cooper said he could drive a stick shift in order to land the role of Jake, a love interest to Sarah Jessica Parkers Carrie Bradshaw, in Season 2 of the iconic HBO series back in 1999. (HBO and CNN are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

It was his first job, and he was desperate to get it, Nixon told WWHL host Andy Cohen. And then the time came for him to pull out, and he was like, I dont know how to drive a stick.

Cooper himself has reminisced on the awkward moment in question, recalling to Backstage Magazine in 2012 that he even went to a quickie driving school in Manhattan to try and learn in time.

I thought it went well when I learned on a Volkswagen, but then I was driving a 1962 Porsche convertible where the clutch was as if I was driving a bus, he said. And I had Sarah Jessica Parker in the passenger seat. They very quickly took me out and put in a stand-in until we arrived.

He was also quoted by Irish Central around the same time as saying, I was very nervous because I was driving a stick shift, a standard Porsche, and I thought I was going to bang Sarah Jessica Parkers head against the dashboard. That was all I was thinking about.

Cooper is among the list of handsome Hollywood leading men to have played suitors on the hit series, which also includes David Duchovny, Justin Theroux (in two roles) and Bon Jovi.

Turns out, in nine-time Oscar nominee Coopers case, that little white lie seems to have paid off.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Bradley Cooper told a bit of a lie to land his role on Sex and the City, Cynthia Nixon says"
(REUTERS/Megan Varner)

With the new fiscal year starting from July 1, a whole host of new state laws are coming into effect throughout the United States, from effectively banning transgender people from restrooms, barring discussion of menstruation in schools, and book bans, to new ways to get birth control, new laws that place more restrictions on gun dealers.

Kansas has a new law that bars transgender people from restrooms, locker rooms, some shelters, and rape crisis centers. It is not clear exactly how the law will be enforcedthere are no enforcement mechanisms within itbut the law takes a step that many other state laws dont and ties the legal definition of what it means to be a man or a woman to the sex a person is assigned at birth, creating a series of obstacles for transgender people. Supporters of the law have branded it as a way to protect women, but critics note that it will effectively erase transgender people and embolden harassment. The law is going into effect despite Democratic Governor Laura Kellys veto, as more conservative lawmakers overrode her veto.

Georgia will from now on be banning most gender-affirming procedures and hormone replacement for transgender people under 18. The law suggests allowing the child time to mature and develop his or her own identity before allowing gender-affirming procedures such as sex reassignment surgeries. Already, families have filed a lawsuit over the law earlier this week. Other challenges have gained some traction in the past. A federal judge in Arkansas shot down that states ban in recent days, while earlier this week a federal judge in Kentucky temporarily blocked a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth to allow courts to hear challenges to the law.

In Iowa, school libraries are now required to remove books depicting sex acts. Teachers in Iowa will also be banned from raising gender identity and sexual orientation with students through the sixth grade. School administrators will also be required to notify parents if their kids ask to use different pronouns or names.

In Indiana, adults may get birth control prescriptions from their pharmacists, although they may only be prescribed for six months at a time. After one year, the pharmacist wont be able to fill the prescription unless the woman has seen a doctor, nurse, or physicians assistant in the previous year.

Florida has a new law that bans instruction on menstruation, human sexuality, and sexually transmitted infections before the sixth grade. Critics of the law have noted that it is divorced from reality since first periods typically arrive between the ages of 10 and 15 but are known to arrive earlier, including for 8 or 9 year olds. By sixth grade, students are usually around the ages of 11 or 12.

In Florida, residents are also now allowed to carry concealed weapons without a permit. The law doesnt change who can buy a gun, and Florida is not an open carry state now, meaning that people cant publicly carry a firearm that is kept in plain sight.

In California, residents, local governments, and the state attorney general will now have an easier time suing firearm retailers in court. Dealers will also be required to take more steps to make sure that they arent making firearms sales to those that might use a gun illegally or be at risk of harming themselves or others. Dealers are now required to take reasonable precautions to make sure that their weapons arent falling into the wrong hands.

Minnesota has a new law going into effect that places a near-total ban on no-knock warrants, after a Minneapolis police officer shot and killed Amir Locke during a no-knock warrant service last year. Locke was not the intended subject of the investigation, as The Daily Beast reported. Under the new measure, no-knock warrants can only be used when searches cant be executed while the premises is unoccupied or when the occupants pose an imminent threat to themselves or others.

In Maryland, recreational weed is now available for purchase, sale, and possessions starting July 1. Police officers can no longer use the smell of marijuana as a probable cause to search vehicles.

In Virginia, fentanyl is now considered a weapon of terrorism, which means there will be an additional two to ten years of prison for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl, which has been responsible for over 75 percent of fatal overdoses in the state last year.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. took aim at President Biden Friday over his "failure" to unite Congress, insisting it led to the "predictable" Supreme Court decision to strike down the president's student loan forgiveness plan.

"The unfortunate SCOTUS ruling striking down President Biden's student loan forgiveness program was the predictable result of Biden's failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans," Kennedy said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

"President Biden knew his plan wouldn't survive a legal challenge. His plan gave the appearance of action while accomplishing nothing.

"This is an issue of grave importance to our country. As president, I will galvanize public support to pressure Congress to put down their partisan positions and legislate meaningful relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are drowning in student debt."

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES APPLAUD SUPREME COURT STRIKING DOWN BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PLAN

Kennedy, who's challenging the incumbent president in the 2024 race for the White House, said Biden's plan to forgive student debt gave the "appearance of action while accomplishing nothing."

Kennedy said he would also "take steps to reduce education costs for students," suggesting that college could "be virtually free" in the United States if government "devoted even a fraction of our military budget to higher education."

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"When I was their age, a college education cost about one-seventh of what it is today. A young person could work their way through college and graduate debt-free," he said. "If we devoted even a fraction of our military budget to higher education, it could be virtually free to all (as it is in many other countries).

SUPREME COURT RULINGS LIKELY TO INTENSIFY CALLS FROM THE LEFT TO 'PACK' THE COURT



"Funding higher education is not an entitlement program, it is an investment in America's future, just as with infrastructure and environment. Let's invest in America's young people instead of in the forever wars."

Kennedy's remarks came a few hours after the high court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that the White House lacked the legal authority to provide billions in federal loan forgiveness for borrowers, absent clear authorization from Congress.

The move by the Supreme Court will prevent more than 40 million low- and middle-income borrowers from receiving $10,000 in federal loan forgiveness under the Biden administration's plan and is a major defeat for the president on one of his key 2020 election campaign promises.

Originally announced by Biden from the White House in August, the plan would have canceled $10,000 of federal student loan debt for certain borrowers making less than $125,000 per year and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

While Kennedy expressed concern over the Supreme Court's ruling, Republican presidential candidates like Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former Vice President Mike Pence applauded the court's decision.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
The risk of heat-related illness will remain high throughout the weekend in the South amid sweltering heat that could break some records.

The National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center said in a post on Saturday that excessive heat warnings and advisories are in effect throughout much of California, the Desert Southwest and the Deep South.

The post said several cities across the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast are expected to break their records for daily warmest nighttime lows over the weekend, and the heat wave is bringing the risk of illness with it.

The center said afternoon temperatures in the interior valleys of California could surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit and approach 110 degrees at the hottest spots on Saturday, while the Desert Southwest will have temperatures past 110.

Intense heat has spread across the country, especially in the South, as summer has gotten underway. Texas has had heat waves for three straight weeks, and at least 13 deaths related to the heat have been reported in the state.

At least one more has been reported in Louisiana.

Experts said these types of heat waves will become more common in the future and cause additional deaths.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the region of the country made up by Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have more than 1,000 emergency department visits associated with heat-related illnesses per 100,000 visits overall on Saturday.

The top temperature in many of the counties in those states is higher than 100 degrees. The rate was above 800 for the week of June 18 to 24, leading into the start of summer.

The rate for the region of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa is higher than 500 per 100,000 visits, and the rate for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky is higher than 400 per 100,000 visits.

Mexico has said it has experienced at least 112 heat-related deaths so far this year, including a large increase in the past two weeks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Even if youre the longest of long-shot presidential candidates, its pretty easy to register at 1 percent in a poll. In a survey of, say, 800 voters, all you need is 4 to say theyll vote for you to hit that mark. The doctrine that we must round up remains a huge political gift.

But actually meeting the Republican National Committees polling requirements  which holds that a candidate must earn 1 percent in three polls to participate in the partys first primary debate next month  might be a lot harder than it looked at first blush.

Thats because the RNCs criteria exclude virtually all of the public surveys conducted these days, meaning there may not be many opportunities for the lower-polling candidates to even hit that 1 percent.

According to the RNCs guidelines, in order to count for debate qualifying, polls have to survey at least 800 likely primary voters or caucus-goers. That criteria arent just strict  theyre unrealistic.

As the 51-day qualifying period begins on Saturday, a review of FiveThirtyEights database of GOP primary polling nationally and in the four early carve out states shows that only two polls out of 70 conducted in the previous 51 days would meet those requirements.

While its a good bet that there will be at least three qualifying polls conducted between now and the Aug. 21 deadline, the RNCs criteria could spell trouble for candidates outside of the five polling leaders: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

With only a handful of polls, candidates like former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson who are only at 1 percent in about half of the prior surveys may not be able to get the three polls they need. And even candidates who are typically at or above 1 percent  like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or Vivek Ramaswamy  could be in danger of missing out if they register an inopportune goose egg.



To get a sense of how both the large sample size and the requirement could exclude the vast majority of polls, look at some of those conducted so far this year. This weeks Fox News poll, sponsored by the media outlet producing and airing next months debate, surveyed only 391 registered voters who said they were more likely to vote in the Republican primary or caucus in their state.

Hitting the poll metrics needed to qualify for the debates is no small matter. The debates could be crucial, given the expected large TV audience, which will give candidates their best chance to upend a race so far defined by Trumps dominance. And polling isnt the only element of the qualification process that could lead to candidates exclusion, as some may struggle to assemble 40,000 individual donors or refuse to sign the RNCs pledge that the candidates all support the eventual nominee.

But the polling threshold is the one the candidates have the least control over, especially if the RNCs criteria remain unworkable for many of the pollsters currently in the field. Republicans guidelines differ greatly from the ones Democrats used to cull and order their large presidential primary field four years ago.

Back then, the Democratic National Committee identified a number of mainstream media and academic pollsters, without nit-picking the methodologies they used to conduct their surveys. Now, barring major changes to those media polls, those surveys wont count for the RNC. Its not only the new Fox News poll (sample size of 391) that falls far short of the committees threshold, but also recent surveys commissioned by NBC News (500), CNN (561), Quinnipiac University (700), CBS News (586) and USA Today (245).

Thats because most major national polls start with a sample size of around 1,000 respondents, and Republican primary voters  like their counterparts in the other party  make up a minority of the country. Getting to a sample size of 800 primary voters would require doubling the size of most of these samples  at roughly double the financial cost.

National polls  none of the 53 in FiveThirtyEights database would meet the RNCs requirements  arent the only way to meet the threshold. Candidates can also hit the 1-percent mark in a poll from one of the four early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.



But the state polling is just as sparse. Combined since May 10, there have been six polls in Iowa, four polls in New Hampshire, four polls in South Carolina and three in Nevada. Only two of those 17 early-state polls would meet the RNCs requirements.

The candidates who hit 1 percent in both of the only two polls to meet the requirements in the past 51 days are: Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Scott, Christie, Pence and Ramaswamy. Pence and Ramaswamy were at 2 percent in one of the two polls, close to failing to register entirely. Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum, a former Arkansas governor and sitting North Dakota governor, respectively, hit 1 percent in one of the two polls but not the other.

POLITICO sent the RNC a series of questions about the criteria, including sharing its data on the period leading up to debate qualification. The RNC replied with a statement, attributable to an unidentified committee official, which described the criteria as very clear.

We are ensuring quality polls are used to determine which candidates make the debate stage and we are confident that there will be enough polls for our candidates to qualify, the official said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this report misidentified former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's home state.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a warning Friday against dissenting opinions from liberal justices who demonize the high court when they disagree with its final decisions.

His scolding came as the Supreme Court delivered a blow to the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan  which would have wiped out over $400 billion in student loan debt  ruling that it was not permitted by federal law.

Robert's warned that it is "important that the public not be misled" about the decision in light of how liberal justices opposed it.

"It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary," Roberts wrote. He said the majority came to its decision by adhering to court precedent "old and new" that "requires that Congress speak clearly before a Department Secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy."

SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF COLORADO GRAPHIC DESIGNER WHO REFUSED TO CREATE SAME-SEX WEDDING WEBSITES

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

"We have employed the traditional tools of judicial decision-making in doing so. Reasonable minds may disagree with our analysis  in fact, at least three do," Roberts wrote, referencing Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan, who wrote the dissenting opinion.

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"We do not mistake this plainly heartfelt disagreement for disparagement," Roberts said.



"It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country," he added.

Roberts wrote that after Kagan argued in her dissent that the majority exceeded "the permissible boundaries of the judicial role" in its decision.

SOTOMAYOR DISSENT IN CHRISTIAN DESIGNER CASE MAKES FALSE CLAIM ABOUT PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

"From the first page to the last, todays opinion departs from the demands of judicial restraint," Kagan wrote.

"In saying so, and saying so strongly, I do not at all disparage those who disagree," she wrote. "The majority is right to make that point, as well as to say that reasonable minds are found on both sides of this case.

Chief Justice Roberts warned Friday that "it has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary."

"And there is surely nothing personal in the dispute here. But Justices throughout history have raised the alarm when the Court has overreached  when it has exceed[ed] its proper, limited role in our Nations governance."

"It would have been disturbing, and indeed damaging, if they had not. The same is true in our own day," she said.

Roberts' comments come as Democrats on Capitol Hill have questioned the court's "legitimacy" given its healthy conservative majority. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a lengthy statement Friday espousing just that.

"After a multi-decade, special interest-funded effort to reshape the federal judiciary, the fanatical MAGA right have captured the Supreme Court and achieved dangerous, regressive policies that they could never attain at the ballot box," Schumer said.

'SIT DOWN': WARREN MOCKED FOR PAST CLAIMS OF NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE AFTER BASHING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING

Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022.

"This MAGA-captured Supreme Court feels free to accept lavish gifts and vacations from their powerful, big-monied friends, all while they refuse to help everyday Americans," he said.

Schumer went on to say that "ill-founded and disappointing decisions from the Supreme Court are a stark reminder that it will take a sustained effort to rebalance our federal courts and restore the values that have made the United States a beacon for freedom, democracy, equality and opportunity."
DeSantis and Trump

A new ad released by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss presidential campaign celebrates the anger of LGBTQ+ Americans at his homophobic and transphobic policies. Perhaps more disturbing, it also attacks former President Donald Trump for promising to protect LGBTQ+ people from hate crimes and terror attacks.

The latest ad released through the DeSantis War Room account on Twitter opens with Trumps 2016 speech at the Republican National Convention. There, Trump promised, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.

While Trumps comments sparked skepticism at the time, which was later confirmed by anti-trans policies in office, the context when he said them had been unmistakable. Months prior, a mass shooter killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in what remains the deadliest attack ever victimizing LGBTQ+ Americans. The shooter pledged allegiance to ISIS, feeding sentiments the mass murder was both a hate crime and a terrorist attack.

DeSantis now serves as governor of Florida, and in June he recognized the anniversary by calling the shooting a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.

But it was a slew of other actions by DeSantis that the latest ad chose to spotlight. That included signing a slate of laws viewed as attacks on Floridas queer and transgender community.

Its unclear if DeSantiss campaign made the ad or simply shared it.

The ad, which oddly splices photos of Christian Bale's character Patrick Bateman from American Psycho in with those of DeSantis, relishes in criticism of DeSantis-backed laws. (Lesbian screenwriter Guinevere Jane Turner wrote the film.) Those laws include bathroom segregation bills, bans of trans health care for minors and coverage even for adults, and threats against businesses allowing minors into events featuring drag queens.

The ad excerpts news headlines calling the legislation the most extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history. It heralds a Drag and Donuts event canceled at an Orlando high school.

A HuffPost headline calls the bills draconian. Another HuffPost headline states: No One Is More Dangerous For The White House Than Ron DeSantis  Including Donald Trump.

I cannot think of anything more horrifying, says MSNBC host Chris Hayes in the ad, right before a clip of DeSantis laughing in hysterics with voters. Similar upset commentary is packed into the spot.

But besides DeSantis basking in being criticized as anti-LGBTQ+, nearly half the ad is devoted to painting Trump as too tolerant.

To wrap up Pride Month, lets hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it, reads the DeSantis tweet captioning the advertisement.

The video shows conservative trans businesswoman Caitlyn Jenner and features an interview of Trump saying he would allow her to use the bathroom of her choosing at Trump Tower. It also reaches far back to an interview with the late Barbara Walters where Trump, then the owner of Miss Universe, promised trans women could compete in the international pageant.

And it grabs YouTube videos from another conservative trans activist, Lady MAGA, quoting Trumps Make America Great Again'' slogan.

Its the early footage of Trump promising a safe America for trans people after the Pulse attack that generated pushback among many conservative media commentators.

Why is Team DeSantis attacking Trump for saying he will protect LGBTQ people from terrorism tweeted Brad Polumbo, editor in chief of BASED Politics. How is thatbad? And would DeSantis NOT protect LGBT people from terrorism as president?!?

Polumbo, who is gay, tagged DeSantis and members of his campaign communications team. None have responded yet.

The ad, though, seems to relish media commentary that paints him as hateful and soulless.

This governor does not care, reads a pull quote in the ad.

That comes before another odd editing choice splicing a photo of Brad Pitt playing Achilles in Troy. Achilles story, of note, has been widely read as one of a gay warrior angered by the death of his lover Patroclus.

 (@)

twitter.com
By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gay Republicans criticized as "homophobic" a video posted by Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis' campaign highlighting rival Donald Trump's past statements in support of gay rights, and the former president declined at a rally on Saturday to respond to the attack.

Florida Governor DeSantis' campaign posted the video on Twitter late on Friday, saying it marked the end of a month of LGBTQ+ pride celebrations.

"To wrap up Pride Month, let's hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it," the campaign said in presenting the video. It contrasted Trump's 2016 pledge to "do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens" with DeSantis' own hardline conservatism regarding transgender and other LGBTQ+ rights.

It was unclear who originally produced the video, which featured a montage of muscle-bound men, bolts of electricity flying from DeSantis' eyes, and activists lamenting what they characterized as his efforts to restrict transgender rights.

"This is undeniably homophobic," Richard Grenell - who was the first openly gay White House Cabinet official as acting director of national intelligence during Trump's 2017-2021 administration - said on Twitter late on Friday.

As governor, DeSantis has backed state laws aimed at restricting medical treatment for transgender children and barring minors from attending drag shows in Florida.

His campaign did not respond on Saturday to a request for comment.

At a rally in Pickens, South Carolina, Trump did not acknowledge the broadside from the campaign for DeSantis, who trails far behind the former president in public opinion polls and is working to build support with hard-right positions on abortion, transgender rights and other issues.

Instead, Trump, over the course of an hour-long campaign speech, repeatedly criticized sporting events that have allowed transgender women to participate in women's competitions.

"I will keep men out of women's sports," he vowed.

Trump pledged at the 2016 Republican National Convention to protect gay rights. But, as president, he was criticized when he banned transgender people from serving in the military and his administration proposed stripping protections for transgender people facing healthcare discrimination.

Asked on Saturday for a comment on the video, Trump's campaign pointed to a tweet posted Friday night in which Trump adviser Jason Miller said "somebody's getting fired" over the DeSantis campaign's post. Miller did not elaborate.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative group that advocates for gay rights, said Republicans need to stand up against "radical Left gays" but that DeSantis had gone too far.

"DeSantis and his team can't tell the difference between commonsense gays and the radical Left gays," the group said in a tweet late on Friday, saying the presidential hopeful "has just ventured into homophobic territory."

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Additional reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and by David Brunnstrom in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
The US Supreme Court's conservative majority has ruled that the consideration of race and ethnicity in university admissions is unconstitutional (Stefani Reynolds)

The US Supreme Court compounded angst over its lurch to the right this week with landmark rulings on education and the treatment of LGBT people that have left many Americans questioning its impartiality and authority.

"We've got a really conservative court right now," lamented Mina Schultz, 37, an activist protesting outside the white marble edifice on Friday.

A majority of Americans like Schultz -- particularly those with progressive politics -- feel at odds with the powerful institution, which is responsible for deciding society's biggest questions, from the legal status of abortion to the rights of undocumented migrants.

Once revered, disaffection with the country's highest court is now at an all-time high, according to multiple polls, a year after its historic decision to end federal protections for abortion access nationwide.

"In the end, the conservatives came together in important cases to solidify a conservative and deeply partisan approach to the law," said Susan Liebell, a professor at St Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

- 'Culture wars' -

The court's conservative majority -- six out of nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents -- said Thursday the consideration of race and ethnicity in university admissions was unconstitutional.

On Friday it ruled that certain private businesses could refuse service to same-sex couples for religious reasons, and then the justices struck down President Joe Biden's student debt relief program.

The Democratic leader has often appeared powerless in the face of the elite judicial body, which was largely overhauled by his predecessor Donald Trump.

"This is not a normal court," an exasperated Biden told reporters on Thursday.

In an interview with MSNBC, he said: "Its value system is different, and its respect for institutions is different."

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, agreed that the latest controversial decisions demonstrated the conservative majority inserting itself into the "culture wars" polarizing America.

"It's difficult to see how that's going to change," he told AFP.

- Repeated scandals -

The strongest criticism, though, has come from inside the court itself.

"The six unelected members of today's majority upend the status quo based on their policy preferences about what race in America should be like, but is not, and their preferences for a veneer of colorblindness in a society where race has always mattered and continues to matter in fact and in law," wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a scathing dissent on behalf of the three progressives.

A series of embarrassing revelations about the largesse accepted by certain justices, all of whom are appointed for life, has recently raised further questions about the court.

The court's most conservative member, Clarence Thomas, was found to have accepted luxury holidays over a period of decades from a billionaire known for his donations to Republican causes.

"The hypocrisy is clear: as justices accept lavish, six-figure gifts, they don't dare to help Americans saddled with student loan debt, instead siding with the powerful, big-monied interests," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

- Little chance of reform -

Each controversial decision by the court is accompanied by the same calls for reform -- either by increasing the number of judges or by limiting the length of their terms.

"We need judicial reform," said progressive lawmaker Katie Porter.

But such profound change -- opposed by conservatives -- appears unlikely, as Republicans run the House of Representatives and Democrats need the support of at least nine Republicans in the Senate to pass most legislation in any case.

Even an initially open-minded Biden, who launched a commission in 2021 to study possible reform of the court, has come out against tinkering with the make-up of the bench.

"That may do too much harm," he said this week. "If we start the process of trying to expand the court, we're going to politicize it maybe forever in a way that's not healthy."

cjc-ft/bfm/sst
Russia extends term of custody of Crimean woman Leniye Umerova until October

Leniye Umerova

Russia has extended detention of Crimean woman Leniya Umerova for another three months until Oct. 4, her brother Azeez Umerov wrote on Facebook on July 1.

She is being detained in Moscow's Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.

"Her lawyer alone was allowed to a court, but he is barred from disclosing any information about the criminal case," the brothers message reads.

It is still unclear what she is being charged with, Umerov said.

"I want to recall that she is detained alone in her cell. Her letters are subjected to three-week-long checks," he added.

Read also: Russia needs to learn where its borders are  Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili

Moscow's court arrested 25-year-old Crimean Tatar Leniye Umerova and charged with "espionage" on May 5.

She also spent five months in a detention center in North Ossetia, and her administrative arrest was extended several times.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets recalled that Russian security forces detained Umerova on Dec. 4, 2022, after she crossed the Georgian-Russian border while trying to return to occupied Crimea to see her cancer-stricken father.

The Russians falsely accused the girl of "violating the rules of the restricted zone" and then placed her under administrative arrest for allegedly "disobeying the police.

Read also: IAEA sees no evidence Moscow planning terrorist attack on Zaporizhzhya NPP

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
Russia may be stocking up missiles for future mass attacks, air force believes

One of the attacks of the Russian Federation on Kyiv

Russia is likely to be stockpiling missiles for future air strikes, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian national television on July 1.

"Obviously, the enemy is amassing something, making stockpiles for some even more cunning intentions, Ihnat said

We can only guess what is in their minds after recent events in Russia, he added, likely referring to Wagner mercenary company Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion and the Freedom of Russia Legion's raids in Belgorod Oblast.

Russia is recovering after these domestic events, he said.

Read also: Prigozhin's rebellion could have split Russia into two, Ukraines spy chief says

"Tactical aircraft are always active in the frontline," he added.

Following waves of missile and drone attacks all through May, the number of Russian attacks on Kyiv and the rest of the country started to diminish in June. As of July 1, there have been no air alerts in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for several days.

However, the Russian military continues to launch drones and missiles, in small numbers at targets across Ukraine, but especially in areas close to the front line, which are also subject to attack by Russian gliding bombs released by warplanes.

Read also: More where that came from  Freedom of Russia Legion shows off raid near Belgorod, announces new missions

Cities in the east and south of the country are also subject to attack by short range ballistic missile systems, such as the Iskander-M system and missiles from the S-300 air defense system used in ground attack, ballistic mode.

Russian invasion forces launched two Iskander missiles at the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on June 27. The missiles hit a cafe in the city center, causing the death of 12 persons, including three children.

Another 65 people were wounded in the attack, including an eight-month-old infant, who received a head injury.

Read also: Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina in hospital after Kramatorsk missile strike

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
(CNN)  Alan Arkin, the Oscar-winning star of Little Miss Sunshine, has died, his family announced Friday.

He was 89.

Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed, his sons Adam, Matthew, and Anthony Arkin said in a statement to CNN.

Born in Brooklyn to Russian-German Jewish immigrant parents, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child.

Arkin attended Bennington College but left to form the music group, The Tarriers in which he sang and played guitar. The group didnt stay together long but had a hit with The Banana Boat Song in 1957.

He then went on to become a founding member of the Second City improvisational troupe, and also continued to record music, including several childrens albums with his group, The Babysitter.

But acting was also a passion and Arkin won a Tony Award for his Broadway debut performance in the 1963 play Enter Laughing and a Drama Desk award for directing the 1968 play Little Murders, which he also directed for the big screen.

Arkin also directed the original Broadway version of Neil Simons The Sunshine Boys, which ran for more than 500 performances.

In his film work, he became one of a handful of actors to be Oscar nominated for their first starring role. In Arkins case, he was nominated for his role as as Rozanov in the 1966 war comedy, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.

He also earned Oscar nominations for his performances in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1967), and Argo (2012).

Most recently, Arkin was was nominated for Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards for his comedic turn in the Netflix series The Kominsky Method.

Fellow actors including Viola Davis and Patton Oswalt paid tribute to Arkin on social media.

Our work inspired a generation of actors and reminded us how powerful our art can shift us, Davis wrote on Instagram. Rest well! May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Did ANYONE have the range Alan Arkin had?, Oswalt tweeted. Hilarious, sinister, insane, tragic. No mood he couldnt live in. RIP.

Natasha Lyonne, who costarred with Arkin in 1998s Slums of Beverly Hills, shared her feelings on her Instagram Stories, writing of the late actor, Love this sweet, brilliant man so very much and Favorite movie dad & all time hero.

Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne, sons Matthew, Anthony and Adam, grandchildren Molly, Emmet, Atticus, and Abigail, and great grandson Elliott.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor, dead at 89"
Russia can remotely blow up the ZNPP after handing it over to Ukraine  Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced one of Russia's plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP); they want to blow it up remotely after handing over the plant to Ukraine.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Spanish journalists

Quote from Zelenskyy: "They are looking for the format and the moment (of blowing up the ZNPP  ed.). We know for sure that the moment was considered one of the plans for later, when the plant is handed over to Ukraine, to remotely blow it up for emission [of hazardous chemicals  ed.].

When we get to the station, the IAEA should check everything clearly and in detail and warn Russia that we know about your alleged plans, and they are dangerous for the world."

Details: He explains that Russia plans to cause an explosion at the nuclear power plant in order to freeze the war. They need this in order to strengthen their army and return to Ukraine with the war.

Reminder: Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said that in the civilised world, Russia's alleged terrorist attack on the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will be regarded as "the use of nuclear weapons against the civilian population".

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Smoke rises after the strike in Kherson region

Russian invasion forces in Ukraine have resumed their use of guided bombs, hampering the work of Ukraines air defences, head of the Joint Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine, Natalia Humeniuk, said on Ukrainian national television July 1.

"The enemy has returned to attacking with guided bombs, Humeniuk said.

They have held them back for a while, but their tactical aircraft have intensified their actions once again.

Read also: Russia attacks Kryvyi Rih, Odesa overnight

Humeniuk also said that the Russians had intensified attacks with Lancet-type UAVs  loitering strike drones.

This indicates the certain difficulties theyre having with artillery work," Humeniuk said.

Read also: Zaluzhnyi upset at Western opinion about Ukraines slow counter-offensive

However, an overall decreass in the number of enemy attacks may be evidence that they are suffering from ammunition shortages, she suggested.

Recent Ukrainian attacks far behind the front line on Russian ammunition depots and on the Chonhar bridge between Russian-occupied Crimea and Kherson Oblast  a vital supply artery into the south of Ukraine for the Russians  may have complicated and delayed the supply of ammunition to the front lines, military experts said earlier.

Humeniuk said that the Russians are trying to distribute their defence forces as widely as possible along the frontline in order to prevent the Ukrainian forces from breaking through it.

Meanwhile, Russian invading forces tried to advance in five different sections of the front in the last day, but to no avail, the Ukrainian militarys General Staff reported.

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Mural

Ukrainian collaborators and members of Russias State Duma parliament participated in the abduction of Ukrainian orphans from an orphanage in Kherson in 2022, Ukrainian news outlet hromadske reported on June 30.

The news outlet referred to documents seen by its investigative journalists.

Read also: Genocide by abduction: Russians planning to abduct Luhansk Oblast children to Russia  NRC

The Office of the Prosecutor General pressed charges on June 30 against three individuals for the abduction of 46 orphans from the Kherson Children's Home on Oct. 21, 2022, and two more children in September 2022.

A collaborator, the so-called acting director of the Children's Home, who was illegally "appointed" by the occupation administration, Tetiana Zavalska, and the former head of the occupation health department in Kherson Oblast, Vadym Ilmiyev, are suspected of organizing the crime.

Russian State Duma member Igor Kastiukevich was also charged with kidnapping orphans under the age of five. He posted videos of the abducted children on his Telegram account.

Read also: Russians looking to abduct nearly 300 children from Berdyansk District to Russian republic of Chuvashia

hromadske investigators got hold of documents granting powers of attorney for the abduction of two orphans signed by Zavalska and Ilmiyev. One of them is registered to Yana Lantratova, a member of the Russian parliament, who, according to journalists, has been involved in the illegal abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia since at least 2015.

hromadske

hromadske

Another power of attorney was issued for a Muscovite, Inna Varlamova, who, according to journalists, works for the Russian Federal Security Service or FSB.

News agency Reuters earlier reported that Ukrainian law enforcement officials have charged a Russian politician and two collaborators with war crimes over the deportation of dozens of orphans from Kherson Oblast.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russias childrens ombudsperson, Maria Lvova-Belova, for their involvement in the unlawful removal of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation since Feb. 24, 2022.

Read also: Papal envoy meets Russian ombudsperson wanted by ICC for abducting Ukrainian children

On April 27, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution recognizing the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia as genocide.

The Russians have taken more than 19,500 Ukrainian children from the territories they have occupied, according to the Ukrainian authorities

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What are the Russian factions best placed to seize power  and can Putin trust them?

Scroll down to watch our video for a closer look at Putins inner circle

For about 12 hours last Saturday, Vladimir Putin seemed finished  toppled not by peaceful pro-democracy protestors, nor an election, but by a mutiny from one of the very armed groups he established as a tool of his dictatorship.

Today, if there is one thing those who dream of Putins downfall have learned from Yevgeny Prigozhins failed uprising against the Kremlin, it is that might makes right. It is a lesson Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled oligarch turned pro-democracy activist, has taken to heart. We need to wake up to the fact that the fall of the Putin regime and the creation of a better Russia will not come about through the ballot box or other peaceful means but will require armed insurrection, he wrote in the aftermath of the Wagner coup.

Such remarks have appalled his natural supporters. Many liberal, anti-Putin Russians have gone into exile rather than support the invasion of Ukraine. But the inescapable truth is that just as Putins grip on power rests on men with guns, so do the means of loosening it. So what are the Russian factions best placed to seize power  and can Putin trust them?

The current minister of defence is the obvious winner from Saturdays botched mutiny.

He controls the army, navy and air force  the most powerful of the armed corporations that Alex Gabuev of the Carnegie Eurasia Centre believes will hold the balance of power when Putin dies. He is also a brilliant political operator and survivor who has remained at the top of Russian government since before Putin came to power.

His longevity is partly down to a decision not to contest Putins ascent to power in 2000  something Putin has warmly rewarded.

Yet a string of military disasters since have tarnished his brand. If it was January of last year and you asked me who could replace Putin, I would have unquestionably said Shoigu, says Mark Galeotti, an expert on the Russian security services. Now, there is no way he can be king. But a kingmaker  thats another question.

The current minister of defence, Sergei Shoigu - Reuters

For months, Shoigu has been viciously attacked not only by Prigozhin, but by a vast network of patriotic ultra-nationalist and pro-war bloggers who blame him for the needless deaths of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers.

That suits Putin, whose model of government requires underlings take the blame for anything that goes wrong.

But Shoigus victory in the power struggle with Prigozhin is proof that his political skills remain sharp, and that he retains access to Putin, the real currency of power in contemporary Russia.

One reason may be that tactical blunders on the battlefield may not necessarily be political blunders in the Kremlin. Having an incompetent minister of defence is a feature, not a bug, says Gabuev. It is horrible statesmanship, but it is a reasonable way of securing yourself if you are worried about internal threats.

If Shoigu is still in post, he will have a seat at the table when the elite try to work out what to do after Putin dies. But his chances of acting independently against the boss today are slim. The whole clan that backed and surrounded him is gone, says Nikolai Petrov, a veteran observer of Russian domestic politics currently with SWP, a German foreign policy think tank. Shoigu is finished.

Shoigus greatest weakness is that he is not a soldier. Even before the Ukraine war exposed his incompetence, few of Russias 1.15 million soldiers, sailors and airmen would have been devoted enough to follow him in a bid for power.

Putin typically appoints outsiders to such positions for exactly that reason, says Petrov. But the same is not true of the career officers.

As Sergey Markov, a Russian political analyst close to the Kremlin acknowledged this week, there are a great many Russian soldiers who share Prigozhins disgust with the high command.

They did not back the mutiny, and Markov insists the army remains devoted to fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. But the soldiers also know better than anyone else how disastrous the invasion is, and have just seen how easy it is to run a brigade or two up the M4 highway to Moscow.

If you had to name one officer with the public profile to act, it would be Sergei Armageddon Surovikin, the commander of the Aerospace Forces.

A fighting general, popular among the troops and respected as competent  if thoroughly brutal  by enemies and allies alike, Surovikin is probably the only Russian general to emerge from the disaster in Ukraine with any kind of public credibility.

Sergei Armageddon Surovikin - Pavel Golovkin/AP

His retreat from Kherson in November 2022 was one of few well-executed Russian operations of the war. Perhaps it is no coincidence then, that Gen Surovikin is now missing and presumed arrested.

During his last appearance  in a video message appealing to Prigozhin and Wagner to end the mutiny  he was wearing no rank slides or other insignia, and spoke with an unusually ponderous, slow voice that led some to speculate he was drunk or drugged.

The Dossier Centre, an investigative agency funded by Khodorkovsky, claimed to have obtained documents showing Gen Surovikin was a secret VIP member of Wagner.

There may be other, as yet unknown, mutineers waiting in the wings. But Russias military does not have a happy history of political interventions.

The last time it did was in 1953, when Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the hero of the Second World War, personally arrested Lavrenty Beria, the universally loathed secret police chief poised to succeed Stalin. The KGB and its successors learnt their lesson. Todays military is thoroughly infiltrated by the 2nd Service Federal Security Service (FSB), which is nominally about military counter intelligence but really devoted to detecting disloyalty.

Since the arrest of Beria, the idea has been that the army  brothers-in-arms who all know each other and think they are all heroes  is a natural political entity, that it must therefore be dismantled, says Gabuev.

Thats why, unlike generals in Western armies or even Asian armies, who need to be at the table to advise leaders on complex policy matters, Russian commanders have a much narrower remit and a much narrower education.

In Russia military education and the quality of sophistication is very, very different. Again, that is a feature, not a bug. The KGB tried to make sure these people do not have a clue how to run the state, so they do not try. 

In August 1991, Muscovites woke up to find Swan Lake playing on television and tanks rolling through the streets.

The leadership of the KGB, deciding that Mikhail Gorbachev had become more of a threat to the Soviet Union than an asset, had arrested the head of the Soviet Union. Like Prigozhins mutiny, the 1991 coup ultimately failed. It was poorly planned, shunned by most of the armed forces and utterly out of touch with the public mood. But the FSB, which can call on as many as 80,000 staff, remains the most powerful armed agency in Russia. With responsibility for counter intelligence, counter terrorism, border control, and foreign intelligence operations in the countries of the former Soviet Union, it regards itself as the ultimate guarantor of Russian statehood. It even runs its own special forces, including the Alfa and Vympel units.

These are the siloviki  the shadowy men of force rooted in the world of espionage and influence. Putin trusts them. He is one, after all, and they are among the main beneficiaries of his 23 years in power.

But if  and it is a big if  its senior leadership decided Putin had become a liability, they may well act to remove him. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the security council and a former FSB chief is the tribune of the spooks. He has traction over Putins thinking, and is powerful because he manages access to the top man. But his personal authority decreases dramatically as soon as Putin is off the stage, says Galeotti.

Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the FSB, wields more direct hard power as the controller of the armed corporation, argues Gabuev. But he is barely out of step with either Putin or Patrushev.

Alexander Bortnikov - EPA

He and Patrushev are also as dependent on Putin as he is on them. Over the past 16 months they have presided over catastrophic intelligence failures that in any other country would have seen them sacked.

They painted an entirely misleading picture of the situation in Ukraine ahead of the invasion, directly leading to a military disaster. And the FSBs second department failed to stop Prigozhins mutiny.

Naturally, to avoid entrusting too much power to one organisation, there are rival silovik agencies  including the Federal Guards Service, the praetorian guard responsible for Putins personal security. But there is little doubt that, despite its failings, the FSB remains the most formidable agency in the country. If it turned on Putin, he would struggle to survive.

In the immediate aftermath of Prigozhins mutiny, Putin confined himself to video addresses. Shoigu kept quiet. The heads of the FSB and other spook outfits remained, as is their wont, in the shadows.

But Vikor Zolotov, the head of Russias national guard, was beaming with self-importance as he fielded questions from reporters in the Kremlin. No, he said, the mutineers would never have taken Moscow. Yes, we had advance intelligence of the plot. Importantly, he added, the mutiny had exposed weaknesses in his force that would now be addressed.

We have artillery and mortars, we have combat helicopters but we dont have tanks and other long-range heavy weapons. We will introduce them into the force, he said.

Although his men were deployed  disastrously  to Ukraine in the early stages of the war, Zolotovs real job is putting down internal insurrection.

He commands some 200,000 men and answers not to the ministry of defence, nor the FSB, or even the interior ministry, but to Putin himself. With tanks, the Rosgvardia as it is known, will now make the final leap from internal security force to proper army  and thus a potential power broker.

Viktor Zolotov during a meeting with Russian army officers and secret services - Getty

Zolotov, an old St Petersburg bodyguard of the president, is often ridiculed by observers as slightly dim  a prime example of Putins habit of promoting loyalty over ability. A good bodyguard just doesnt necessarily make a good commander, says Petrov, before explaining Zolotovs rise to high office. One of the things we often dont know is the reason  possibly some incident in the 1990s  Vladimir Putin decides he trusts someone absolutely. Today, Zolotov is not to be discounted. He is foolish, but hes not an idiot.

And he is only one of several former bodyguards of Putin moved to prominent roles in a 2016 reshuffle. Others include Alexey Dyumin, the governor of Tula region and, chattering classes of Moscow say, a rising star to watch. The bodyguards, however, are unlikely to mutiny.

The plan, as far as we can reconstruct it, was to give those officers who were absolutely unknown to the general public some experience as public politicians and civilian managers, and later use them to head big and powerful corporations, says Petrov. Dyumin, he guesses, is being groomed for Shoigus job. They are like Putins children. Without him they have no prospects at all.

The 46-year-old head of Chechnya is the supreme Putin loyalist, who was one of the first prominent officials publicly to denounce Wagners insurrection and dispatch troops to deal with them.

However  now that Prigozhin is off the scene  he is also the nearest thing Russia has to an independent warlord. Fears about his long-term ambitions long pre-date the war in Ukraine.

Like Prigozhin, Kadyrov is a monster of Putins own creation. As long as he keeps Chechnya quiet, inside the Russian Federation, and loyal to the president, the Kremlin allows him to run the republic as an autonomous personal fiefdom.

He gets to murder with impunity at home and overseas and  uniquely among Russias tightly controlled regional leaders  maintains a private army.

The A A Kadyrov 141st Special Motorised Regiment, named after Ramzans deceased father Akhmat, is technically part of the Russian national guard under Viktor Zolotov. In reality, it is made up of Chechen Kadyrov loyalists, and answers exclusively to the Chechen leader.

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov - Reuters

The same goes for its sister battalion the 249th South, the Akhmat Special Rapid Response Unit, the Akhmat-Grozny Special Purpose Mobile Unit and the A A Kadyrov Special Purpose Police Regiment.

In June, Kadyrov announced he would raise four more ethnic Chechen battalions to fight in Ukraine. In all, he probably commands in excess of 10,000 men.

If Putin dies or is severely weakened, Kadyrovs loyalty may be tested. Some in Moscow, especially in the FSB, believe another Chechen rebellion is eventually inevitable.

Rumour has it he also maintains a heavily armed contingent at one of central Moscows larger hotels, an insurance policy to protect his interests in the capital.

In the event of Putin vanishing, they could act quickly  if not to install Kadyrov himself, then in favour of whichever faction or individual he chooses to back.

He is clearly strategic in his thinking. In Ukraine, his troops have been ridiculed as TikTok soldiers because of their fondness for self-promoting social media videos and a strange knack for avoiding any actual fighting.

But there is rationale for that, explains Galeotti: Kadyrov is actually very careful with his fighters. These are the guys who ultimately keep him in power at home. So does he want them to go and die in Ukraine?

They would also be outnumbered by the army, the FSB, and other parts of the national guard  and Kadyrov is universally feared and disliked.

Petrov is not sure that matters. Prigozhin himself, even at the height of his popularity, wasnt loved by the majority of Russians. Neither was Stalin when he began to take power. If there is a person who is decisive enough and capable enough to take power, it is another question to use state controlled media to make them popular.

What the Wagner mutiny has demonstrated is that in an intra-elite fight, it is not necessarily the biggest military force that will dominate but the fastest one.

Putins system of government depends on managed rivalries, and for 23 years it has served him well.

Dissent by one is meant to be nipped in the bud by enemies who prefer the status quo. All understand that none of them could ever replace Putin in the current system, so it makes sense to keep him there.

Last weekend, the system worked  but slowly, imperfectly, and at the expense of exposing fundamental weaknesses. The question, says Galeotti, is how it will respond when the next thing goes wrong.

It could be a dramatic collapse at the front, and Ukrainian troops entering Crimea. Perhaps Vladimir Putin will be taken seriously ill and is unable to govern. It could be a cascading crisis that spreads from region to region, he says.

There is a whole range of black swans that could come fluttering over the Kremlin. The point is not what the crisis will be, but that there will be a crisis.

Most Russia watchers believe Putins demise will combine elements of farce and tragedy, like an Armando Iannucci screenplay, rather than resemble a carefully planned coup. As after the death of Stalin, when the tipping point comes for Putin, Russias surviving power brokers  Bortnikov, Shoigu, Zolotov and Kadyrov included  will try to hammer out some kind of deal.

Oddly, its true beneficiaries may not be any of the strongmen listed above. Under the Russian constitution it is Mikail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister, who would automatically step in as acting president if Putin dies or is incapacitated.

He does not command the personal loyalty of any army. But he is in charge of Russias civilian bureaucracy, and none of the men with guns could hope to rule without him.

But what if, cometh the hour, Patrushev sends a secret signal to FSB officers and the other strongmens families are at that moment being arrested? And what if Zolotov has ordered his men to do the same? Or if, meanwhile, Kadyrov has told his men to grab the Kremlin and Ostankino television tower?

And there are other wild cards. Prigozhin and his Wagner mutineers are defeated, but still at large. Smaller private military companies are knocking around the battlefields of Ukraine. Radical nationalists like Igor Strelkov, the former FSB colonel who led the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, have barely concealed dreams of profiting from 1917-style chaos at home. They could wield influence if they could muster a Freikorps of armed supporters returning from the front.

The Ukrainian intelligence services are currently backing two militant Russian groups raiding the Belgorod region. One, the Russian Volunteer Corps, is led by an unabashed neo-Nazi. The other, the Russia Freedom Legion, is made up of deserters and prisoners of war fed up with the current regime. They, too, may have plans in post-Putin Russia. And Khodorkovsky may be right  Russias marginalised liberals do not have an army. But they should not be discounted entirely.

Imagine, says Gabuev, that when Putin disappears there is so much repressed ill-feeling that we see mass protests in Moscow for free elections. Imagine they stay on the street and dont just go home. Imagine there is no firm order to shoot them, so more people arrive when they realise it is safe. That is a lot of ifs. But revolution could be closer than we think.

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The Russian propaganda Pervy Kanal (Channel 1) reported on the inefficiency of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) in comparison with the soldiers of the Russian Federation.

Source: Meduza, a Latvian-based Russian media outlet; Pervy Kanal (Channel 1)

Details: In the story, the Russians compare the battles for Mariupol and Bakhmut.

Russians call the first city "one of the most important centres of Ukrainian metallurgy", from which "for eight years they purposefully made a powerful fortified area with Azovstal, which was considered impregnable, and an extremely motivated Azov Battalion."

It is noted that the alleged population of the city was 425,000.

Propagandists say that Mariupol was occupied by the troops of the Russian Defene Ministry and the National Guard of Russia for 71 days.

After that, the story talks about Bakhmut, allegedly "not the most important city from the point of view of the front", with a population of 72,000 people.

Propaganda emphasises that the Wagner mercenaries destroyed and captured the city for over 7.5 months.

The media recalled that on 21 May, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenaries, announced the capture of Bakhmut, the same Pervy Kanal rejoiced at "events of historical scale".

Background:

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According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russians are trying to deprive the families of the killed Russian military of benefits and compensation, using mobile crematoria.

Source: General Staff report

Quote: "The occupiers suffer significant losses every day, which they try to hide, and continue to use the traditional Russian practice of depriving the families of the dead of benefits and compensation advertised by Russian propaganda. Mobile crematoria are actively used for this.

In particular, it was established that one of these crematoria is currently operating 24/7 on the territory of the Berdiansk port. Currently, about 50 bodies of dead Russian servicemen, who were recently transported from the areas of hostilities to the local morgue, are subject to cremation."

Details: The General Staff states that the cremation of dead Russian servicemen is carried out without their identification and without keeping record.

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Russian troops have been unable to oust the Ukrainians, numbering up to 70 people, from their fortified positions under the eastern span of the Antonivka Bridge.

Source: ISW

Quote: "The milbloggers complained that the Russian military command blindly ordered Russian forces to retake the area under a span of the Antonivka Bridge on the east bank, resulting in significant losses among Russian personnel and armoured vehicles due to Ukrainian artillery fire and remotely laid mines."

Details: The Russians hit the eastern span of the Antonivka Bridge with Iskander ballistic missiles on 30 June, although the extent of the damage is still unknown.

Some milbloggers claimed that the strike had damaged enough of the bridge's span to prevent Ukrainian troops from using it as cover, while others complained that the impact had damaged the bridge only partially and that Russian infantry had renewed their attempts to clear Ukrainian positions at other locations in the area.

The spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuri Ihnat, said that Russian troops are preserving Iskander missiles because of a shortage, emphasising the strangeness of the fact that Russian troops used one of them against a light infantry unit of 70 people on the outskirts of the already destroyed bridge.

In addition, some of the milbloggers claimed that Russian forces used TOS-1A thermobaric artillery systems  a scarce asset at military district level  to strike the Ukrainian positions under the bridge after the Iskander strike

One blogger complained that the Russian 8th Artillery Regiment (22nd Army Corps of the Black Sea Fleet) did not have enough ammunition to strike Ukrainian positions.

On 30 June, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the honorary title of "guards" to the 8th Artillery Regiment, although this will not help the regiment displace the Ukrainian forces.

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The Russian invaders have fired on the border areas of Sumy Oblast over the past day with automatic grenade launchers, mortars and tanks, wounding a minor.

Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Telegram

Quote: "During the day, the Russians carried out 14 attacks on the border areas. 94 strikes were recorded. The Bilopillia, Esman, Yunakivka, Novoslobiske, Miropillia, Khotyn, Krasnopillia, Putivl and Znob-Novgorod hromadas were attacked [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories  ed.]. "

Details:

Bilopillia hromada: attacks from automatic grenade launchers were recorded (15 strikes).

Esman hromada: mortar attacks were recorded (two strikes).

Yunakivka hromada: the Russians attacked with mortars (four strikes).

Novoslobidske hromada: the Russian units shelled the area with artillery (two strikes) and attacked with mortars (three strikes).

Miropillia hromada: mortar attacks were carried out (16 strikes).

Khotyn hromada: there was an attack from a tank (seven strikes). As a result of the attack, a teenager (aged around 17) was wounded. He received medical care without hospitalisation. A warehouse belonging to an agricultural firm was also damaged.

Krasnopillia hromada: mortar attacks were carried out (one strike).

Putivl hromada: the Russians hit with mortars (one strike), automatic grenade launchers (20 strikes) and Grad multiple-launch missile systems (20 strikes).

Znob-Novgorod hromada: three explosives were dropped by the Russians on the territory of the hromada.

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Russians lose more than 500 soldiers and 26 UAVs

The Russian occupiers have lost 530 soldiers and 26 UAVs, as well as 35 artillery systems, in one day.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24 February 2022 to 1 July 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 228,870 (+530) military personnel

4,042 (+1) tanks

7,868 (+5) armoured combat vehicles

4,162 (+35) artillery systems

632 (+2) multiple-launch rocket systems

389 (+0) air defence systems

315 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft

308 (+0) helicopters

3,545 (+26) operational-tactical UAVs

1,261 (+0) cruise missiles

18 (+0) ships/boats

6,794 (+9) vehicles and tankers

580 (+11) special vehicles

The data is being confirmed.

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Russians shelled Balaklia in Kharkiv Oblast: 4 injured, among them a teenager

One person was wounded, and three more were injured, among them a teenager, in the Russian shelling of Balaklia in Kharkiv Oblast on Saturday.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Details: Around 14:30, the occupiers attacked the town of Balaklia in the Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast. Previously, the Russians used the Tornado multiple rocket launchers.

As the head of the Oblast Military Administration noted, strikes were recorded in the residential area, where only civil infrastructure is located.

The victim, a 67-year-old woman, was hospitalised with injuries.

Three more residents of Balaklia were injured by falling debris during the shelling: a 14-year-old boy and 77-year-old and 49-year-old men.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 30)  Besides the possibility that photojournalist Joshua Abiad was targeted due to the nature of his work, police said the shooting may also have been a case of mistaken identity.

"[Ang] kanyang bayaw isang malaking contractor na right now, embroiled in a conflict with some of his business partners. Pagkatapos, hindi naman kasi kanya ang sasakyan," Quezon City Police (QCPD) Director PBGen. Nick Torre III said.

[Translate: Joshuas brother-in-law is a big-time contractor, and right now, the brother-in-law is embroiled in a conflict with some of his business partners. Joshua also does not own the car.]

Abiad and three family members were injured in the attack Thursday afternoon in Quezon City.

The victims include Abiad's brother, who was driving the SUV, and his four-year-old niece, who was hit in the head and is in critical condition.

A bystander was also hit by a stray bullet.

READ: Photojournalist, 3 family members injured in QC ambush

Police said they are looking at three suspects  two gunmen and a motorcycle rider who served as spotter.

They added that the license plate of the vehicle used by the assailants was fake.

In separate statements posted on Friday, media groups condemned the shooting.

"There is no justification for the shooting of a media worker, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.

"We urge the relevant authorities to investigate this case with the urgency, impartiality, and thoroughness it warrants. We implore those in power to redouble their efforts in ensuring the safety of journalists in the Philippines," media group PAPER Ph said.

"We stand in solidarity with the media community as we struggle for press freedom, and call for justice for other journalists who are victims of harassment and violence," the Photojournalists Center of the Philippines said.

CNN Philippines correspondent Crissy Dimatulac and multiplatform news writer Celine Serquina contributed to this story.
One person was killed and two others were injured in the shelling in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Saturday.

Source: Yurii Malashko, head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "A 51-year-old man died during the shelling of Mala Tokmachka.

In Preobrazhenka, there are two victims  a 40-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man. They are being provided with the necessary medical assistance.

Specialists are working to deal with the aftermath of shelling."

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Paul Rusesabagina was sentenced to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges in September 2021 (Simon Wohlfahrt)

Outspoken Rwandan government critic Paul Rusesabagina, who became internationally renowned for his efforts to save people during the 1994 genocide, said Saturday that Rwandans were "prisoners in their own country".

In his first public message since he walked free from a Rwandan prison in March after more than 900 days behind bars, Rusesabagina thanked the United States for orchestrating his surprise release from what he described as "hell".

The "Hotel Rwanda" hero said his video broadcast on YouTube was issued to coincide with Rwanda's proclamation of independence on July 1, 1962.

"Unfortunately today, 61 years later, Rwandans are still not free. Rwandans are prisoners inside their own country," said Rusesabagina, speaking from his home in San Antonio in the US state of Texas.

"Rwanda is an authoritarian government that has no rights for its citizens and doesn't tolerate dissent for its citizens."

Rusesabagina, who his family said was in ailing health, was released on March 25 after 939 days behind bars, after the Kigali government commuted his 25-year sentence on terrorism charges.

"In particular I want to thank the US government for stepping in and taking up my case," he said.

"This is what made the difference. When the US government said that this cannot continue, Rwanda was forced to be realistic."

- 'Kidnap, imprison, torture' -

The 69-year-old's detention had thrown a spotlight on Rwanda's record of crushing political dissent and free speech under President Paul Kagame, who Rusesabagina has often branded a "dictator".

Washington has said Rusesabagina was "wrongfully detained" after a plane carrying him to Burundi was diverted to Rwanda in August 2020.

The Belgian citizen, who also has US residency, was convicted in September 2021 of backing an armed rebel group after a trial that his supporters denounced as a sham.

Rusesabagina, then the manager of a Kigali hotel, is credited with having helped to save about 1,200 lives during the 1994 genocide in which about 800,000 people were slaughtered, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus.

His story inspired the Oscar-nominated 2004 movie "Hotel Rwanda" starring US actor Don Cheadle.

But Rusesabagina said the government had attempted to "silence me through politics, surveillance and violence" since the film came out and that its actions against him had served "to show the world their true colours".

"They kidnap, forcefully imprison, torture, kill and set up sham trials for anyone who disagrees with them. I was only lucky that I was not killed like many other people. My case made headlines around the world but am only one of thousands each year in this situation."

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This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC and taken on Friday, June 30, 2023, shows apparent recent construction of tents at a former military base outside the Belarusian town of Osipovichi. As part of a deal to end a rebellion in Russia by Wagner Group mercenaries, Belaruss president says he offered the fighters an abandoned military unit to set up camp and the leader of an exiled Belarusian guerrilla organization told The AP it is near Osipovichi. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite photo taken on Jun. 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in a later image, dated Jun. 30.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group. The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops who had fought alongside Russia forces in Ukraine capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Belarus authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagners experience and expertise, and announced that he had offered the fighters an abandoned military unit to set up camp.

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi.

Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner's private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a spokesperson for Ukraines border force told Ukrainian media Saturday. Speaking to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said Ukraine would strengthen its 1,084 kilometer (674 mile) border with Belarus in response.

Lukashenko previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. He has also welcomed a continued Russian armed presence in Belarus, including joint military camps and exercises, as well as the deployment of some of Russias tactical nuclear weapons there.

Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that as of this week, some 2,000 troops from regular Russian army units remained stationed in Belarus.

At a Friday evening gala marking the Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said that the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training by Wagner members, and asserted that the mercenaries were not a threat to Belarusians.

He also declared that he was sure Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory, and would not get directly involved in Moscows war against Ukraine.

The longer we live, the more we are convinced that (nuclear weapons) should be with us, in Belarus, in a safe place. And I am sure that we will never have to use them while we have them, and the enemy shall never set foot on our soil, Lukashenko said.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
saturn, its rings and three moons stand out against the blackness of space in this james webb space telescope photo

saturn, its rings and three moons stand out against the blackness of space in this james webb space telescope photo

The first official photo of Saturn from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) does not disappoint.

On Friday (June 30), NASA released a stunning JWST image that shows the ringed planet in a whole new light. The photo, captured on June 25 by the observatory's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, "is already fascinating researchers," NASA officials said in an image description.

"Saturn itself appears extremely dark at this infrared wavelength observed by the telescope, as methane gas absorbs almost all of the sunlight falling on the atmosphere," they added. "However, the icy rings stay relatively bright, leading to the unusual appearance of Saturn in the Webb image."

The newly released image was captured during a 20-hour-long JWST Saturn-observing campaign. We got a sneak peak at the results of this campaign a few days ago, via raw JWST photos posted to the unofficial website JWST feed. As the new photo shows, processing makes a world of difference.

Related: Saturn: Everything you need to know about the sixth planet from the sun

saturn, its rings and three moons stand out against the blackness of space in this james webb space telescope photo

While Saturn's rings are the clear star of the new photo, it also highlights Enceladus, Dione and Tethys, three of Saturn's 145 known moons.

Enceladus is of particular interest to astrobiologists, because the satellite is thought to possess an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell. The moon blasts some of its subsurface water out into space via geysers near its south pole, dramatic features discovered by NASA's Cassini probe back in 2005 and observed recently by JWST.

RELATED STORIES:

 James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)  A complete guide

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 James Webb Space Telescope spies on rocky TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet, finds bad news for life

JWST was designed to peer into deep time, giving astronomers looks at some of the universe's first stars and galaxies. But, as the new Saturn shot shows, the observatory can eye objects much closer to home as well.
SBU charges Russian propagandist who called for concentration camps and genocide of Ukrainians

Propagandist Sergei Mardan

Ukraines SBU security service has pressed charges against Russian propagandist Sergei Mardan, who called for the genocide and repression of Ukrainians, the SBU press service reported on July 1.

He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

Mardan (real name Klyuchenkov) is a leading blogger for the Russian publication Komsomolskaya Pravda and often participates in talk shows on the Solovyov LIVE TV channel  a major Russian propaganda source.

Read also: Russian propagandist begs followers for money for security, believes the SBU will murder him post-war

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mardan has publicly supported Russian aggression and justified the war crimes of the Russian forces.

According to the SBU, the suspect advocated for widespread reprisals against Ukraine's civilian population.

In one of his live broadcasts, he proposed establishing concentration camps for residents of temporarily occupied territories who resist Russian occupation forces.

Based on the evidence collected, SBU investigators charged Mardan under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

Read also: RTs Simonyan, Russian propagandist with Armenian roots, banned from entering Armenia

P. 2 of Art. 109 (public calls for violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power, as well as distribution of materials calling for such actions);

P. 3, Art. 436-2 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began in 2014, as well as production and dissemination of such materials using the media);

P. 2, Art. 442 (public calls for genocide, as well as the production of materials calling for genocide with the intent to disseminate them or the distribution of such materials).

Since the defendant is currently in Russia, comprehensive measures are being taken to bring him to justice for his crimes against Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraines SBU detains RT propagandist in Chernihiv Oblast

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
Gravity Hole

Deep below the Indian Ocean, there's a giant "gravity hole" over one million square miles in size, a depression in the Earth's crust that has puzzled scientists for decades.

While it's technically not a conventional hole, geophysicists have used the term to denote a concentrated area where the effects of Earth's gravity are far lower than average.

And now, scientists may have figured out how this mysterious depression came to be  a fascinating peek into our planet's ancient and sometimes counterintuitive geological evolution.

Odd Ball

Since our planet is far from a perfect sphere  its poles are flat, while there are bulges lining its equator  the gravitational pull varies depending on location.

Scientists have mapped these effects to create the Earth's "geoid," as Scientific American explains, a potato-shaped map that visually exaggerates these gravitational dips and valleys.

One dip in particular, dubbed the Indian Ocean geoid low (IOGL), has caught the attention of researchers ever since its first discovery back in 1948.

In a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore Attreyee Ghosh and doctoral student Debanjan Pal examined the dip, finding that the sea level of the surrounding ocean is almost 350 feet lower than the global average.

After running various computer models of how the region changed over the last 140 million years, the team concluded that the IOGL may have been the result of the "African blob," a huge mass in the Earth's mantle lurking more than 600 miles under Africa, being pushed underneath the Indian Ocean.

Blob Dole

Fascinatingly, geologists believe this blob was formed by the remnants of the seafloor of an ancient ocean called the Tethys Ocean that sat between two supercontinents called Laurasia and Gondwana, more than 200 million years ago. Later, the Indian Ocean was created roughly 120 million years ago as Gondwana moved north into this ancient ocean.

The IOGL, as Pal and Ghosh argue in their latest paper, likely took its current shape roughly 20 million years ago as a result of plumes of hot, low-density magma flanking the area as slabs of the Tethys Ocean sunk into the mantle.

But plenty of questions remain. As Himangshu Paul at the National Geophysical Research Institute in India told New Scientist, there could still be other factors behind the existence of the IOGL as well.

"In simulations it is not possible to exactly mimic nature," he said.

More on Earth: Gigantic Mountains Inside Earth Mystify Scientists
Scientists are pouring tons of red dye into the ocean  heres why

Ice from the previously frozen island of Greenland is melting, pouring freshwater into the oceans and affecting whales.

Scientists are now pouring red dye into the new melting ice rivers to see how they can help them, as shown in a popular Instagram Reel by the news outlet NPR, narrated by Ryan Kellman (@rjckseen), producer and visual reporter for NPRs science desk.

What is happening?

As human industrial activities overheat the planet, glaciers are melting, and Greenland is now losing about 270 billion tons of ice annually.

This ice is filling the Atlantic Ocean, which is usually very salty, with fresh water, and scientists believe this extra water may be affecting ocean currents and some of the critters which inhabit them.

As our oceans are heating up, its killing the plankton that whales off the coast of Maine rely on for food, as Kellman reported. This causes the whales to migrate farther in search of food, where they encounter more dangers along the way, such as fishing nets and ships.

According to the Reel, between 2017 and 2019, 21 whales died in Canadian waters while searching for their displaced food source.

The Canadian government has since established safeguards to protect whales in that area, Kellman said. However, as the oceans continue to warm, whales will likely continue to move farther into areas where commercial fishing is prevalent.

Why is protecting whales important?

Aside from being an essential part of the ecosystem, it can be sad to see whales washed up, lifeless, on our shores, especially when we find out its our fault. But whales also play an important role in helping our planet.

After feeding in the oceans depths, whales go to the surface to breathe and poop. Their feces is rich in iron, providing an ideal environment for phytoplankton growth.

Despite their tiny size, phytoplankton significantly impact the Earths atmosphere by capturing around 40% of all planet-warming gases, surpassing even the Amazon rainforests ability to absorb carbon.

How pouring red dye into meltwater rivers may help whales

By pouring red dye into the new rivers caused by the melting ice in Greenland, scientists can follow the melted water on its journey and better understand how it is causing ocean currents to shift and how this subsequently affects the whales feeding and migration habits.

Scientists hope this will enable them to predict where the whales will head next, giving governments the heads up so they can provide them with the protections they need.

In 2019, the International Monetary Fund published a report on the benefits of saving whales.

Since the role of whales is irreplaceable in mitigating and building resilience to climate change, their survival should be integrated into the objectives of the 190 countries that in 2015 signed the Paris Agreement for combating climate risk, the authors wrote, as reported by the BBC.

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Seattle police are investigating after a man was shot in a Capitol Hill parking lot around 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

The Seattle Police Department said when they got to the 1700 block of 17th Avenue they found a man with injuries to his hand and torso.

Seattle Fire arrived and treated the man, whose injuries were not life-threatening.

The man told officers he was shot in a parking lot after an argument with people inside a car.

Police said the suspects immediately fled after the shooting and werent found.

If you have any information call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.




Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy is disrupting the succession of top military leadership as the US confronts multiple threats abroad

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees is rippling throughout the Pentagon.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley will soon step down. The military wants a successor ready.

But Tuberville continues to stand by his position, a protest against the Pentagon's new abortion policy.

Since February, GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has blocked the confirmation of roughly 250 military nominees  much to the frustration of Democrats and even some Republicans  over the Pentagon's new abortion policy.

Generally, the introduction of Department of Defense nominations are a mere formality in the upper chamber, but Tuberville's blockade could have major national security implications this year with the impending retirements of four members of the eight-person Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Tuberville, incensed that the Pentagon responded to the overturn of Roe v. Wade by affording service members time off and travel expenses for reproductive health care, including abortion procedures, isn't letting go of his protest against what he said is the Biden administration's push to make the military into an "institution for left-wing social engineering."

If the senator's hold on nominees stands in the coming weeks, though, the leaders of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps  along with the chairman  won't have respective successors installed. Such a development would be concerning from a national security standpoint in normal times, but with the US continuing to aid Ukraine in its efforts to fight Russian military forces, the lack of continuity in the upper ranks of the military leadership has frustrated a bipartisan group of lawmakers who want to see the blockade end.

The hold on nominees also comes as the US continues to navigate its diplomatic relationship with China.

Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general and former staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Politico that Tuberville is "taking the military nominees as political hostages."

"There's just no getting around it, these are political hostages over a policy that he disagrees with by the current administration," Punaro said.

As the number of unconfirmed military nominees has increased, Tuberville has continued to dig in on his stance, stating that he wouldn't stop his blockade until the Pentagon backtracked on their new policy or the Senate held a vote on the abortion policy.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while speaking with senators in March, warned that the holdup could have serious effects on the country's preparedness.

"There are a number of things happening globally that indicate that we could be in a contest on any one given day," he said at the time. "Not approving the recommendations for promotions actually creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be."

"The effects are cumulative and it will affect families. It will affect kids going to schools because they won't be able to change their duty station. It's a powerful effect and will impact on our readiness," he continued.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. is President Joe Biden's nominee to become the next chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

Tuberville said that he's had minimal communication with Austin and no talks with the White House about the issue.

And even though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York could schedule votes on each of the stalled nominees, the hold ensures that the process would be drawn-out and potentially take months to complete.

"You've got some significant holes that have been created in major commands," Punaro told Politico. "This is having a real negative impact on military readiness, there's no getting around it."

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, is set to step down by Oct. 1. And the Senate committee hearing for Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr.  who was nominated by Biden to replace Milley  is slated to be held later this month.

If Brown isn't confirmed by Oct. 1, then Milley will have to hand over his responsibilities to his vice chairman, Adm. Christopher Grady, in the interim.

Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said in March that it was critical that the backlog be addressed in order to maintain the stability of leadership at the Pentagon.

"I have never in my almost three decades here seen so many key military positions coming up for replacement," Reed said at the time.

"If we cannot resolve the situation, we will be, in many respects, leaderless at a time of great conflict," he continued. "So, I would hope we would expedite and move quickly on this front."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Tens of thousands of South Koreans brought rainbow pride to the streets of Seoul on Saturday for an annual celebration of LGBTQ rights (ANTHONY WALLACE)

Tens of thousands of South Koreans brought rainbow pride to the streets of Seoul on Saturday for an annual celebration of LGBTQ rights, while demonstrators against them snagged a prime site marchers had used since 2015.

This year's Pride Parade, one of Asia's largest, was denied permission to congregate at the central plaza where the main festivities have traditionally taken place.

Instead, an increasingly vocal Christian-led opposition was granted the spot, highlighting the struggles South Korea's campaigners for LGBTQ rights face.

The heat, humidity and backlash still did not deter supporters from throning to Seoul's Queer Parade, which organisers estimated drew a crowd of around 50,000 people.

"There is no public forum to disclose one's true identity elsewhere except for the Pride Parade and that's why so many people are here today in solidarity," said chief organiser Yang Sun-woo.

Just a few hundred metres away, thousands of protesters denounced LGBTQ rights and opposed marriage equality, chanting "no same-sex marriage" and holding signs that read "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman".

Police provided security along the route, maintaining a cordon between the pride marchers and the mostly Christian demonstrators.

Last month, South Korean lawmakers introduced legislation that would recognise same-sex partnerships, without which advocates say LGBTQ couples face discrimination and are denied rights accessible to heterosexual couples, such as health insurance and taxation benefits.

The bill remains with a standing committee.

Attempts to pass laws banning discrimination on the basis of sexuality have languished for more than 15 years, with lawmakers coming under pressure from conservative and religious groups.

Nearly a quarter of South Korea's population is Christian and around 40 percent of its lawmakers are Protestant, church figures show.

Authorities in Seoul said the allotment of the central plaza this year was due to a scheduling conflict, but city officials have also recently voiced opposition to sexual minorities.

In June, the city's conservative mayor Oh Se-hoon said he "personally can't agree with homosexuality".

And in November, parliamentary Speaker Kim Jin-pyo suggested one way to raise the country's dismally low birth rate was to promote a "therapeutic campaign for homosexuality".

Last month, scuffles broke out in the southern city of Daegu after officials there attempted to block pride celebrations.

kjk/lb
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 30)  The Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Las Pinas served with several warrants this week has called for an impartial probe into what police said was the rescue of more than 2,700 of its employees.

Xinchuang Network Technology on Friday sent a final demand letter addressed to three police officials, including National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo and Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) director Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia.

The company questioned the conduct of the operation, which authorities described as anti-human trafficking-related. It was conducted by PNP-ACG operatives backed by a number of NCRPO personnel.

Lawyer Ananias Christian Vargas said police procedures require that charges should be filed within 72 hours after the operation but until now, the PNP has yet to file any charges.

"This is a clear violation of human rights and can be considered as arbitrary detention," Vargas said.

In the letter, the lawyer claimed that most of the rescued Filipino and foreign workers remain under police custody and are being treated as prisoners.

Vargas also said they received information from those in police custody that they were being forced to sign a document without any assistance from their legal counsel of choice.

He also expressed concern over the safety of the workers, citing a video circulating online of some policemen allegedly hurting them. The video also showed at least one shot was fired.

A commotion also erupted a couple of days after the police raid after 48 foreigners attempted to escape. At least 13 of them were injured.

Vargas insisted that his clients' company is legitimate, and that the foreigners have working visas.

"May license yan unfortunately since kinomando na buo building wala kami access sa documents that we have," Vargas explains.

[Translation: They have a license but unfortunately the building was sealed off so we don't have access to our documents.]

The PNP already received the final demand letter and has vowed to conduct an impartial investigation.

It denied human rights violations were committed during the operation, and promised to release the workers after they undergo the necessary profiling.

RELATED: Over 2K workers rescued in POGO hub raid in Las Pinas

CNN Philippines correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this story
Several countries are close to agreeing on security guarantees for Ukraine

The agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine can be signed before the NATO summit in Vilnius on 11-12 July.

Source: German newspaper FAZ

The agreement concerns a multilateral system of guarantees for the transitional period before Ukraines accession into NATO after the war.

According to the report, the corresponding framework agreement with Germany, France, the UK and the US is almost ready.

Each participating country will sign a separate agreement with Kyiv.

The agreement covers weapons, money, military aid and training. It should allow Kyiv to defend itself without the direct intervention of guarantor countries.

Accordingly, Germany wants to propose maintaining the current level of aid until the end of the war.

Background:

On Saturday, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine really needs security guarantees  not as an alternative to membership, but while Ukraine is not a NATO member.

As reported, Ukraine has formulated two specific expectations from the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius  regarding membership and security guarantees  and will insist on their approval.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Michael M Santiago/GettyImages

In another era of politics, Republican presidential hopefuls may have hesitated before hitching their brands to an organization whose members have harassed and threatened opponents, fantasized about enacting gun violence, mingled with known extremist groups, quoted Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in their materials, and earned a designation as an anti-government extremist group. Its safe to say that time is long gone.

Five 2024 candidates traveled to the birthplace of the United States to take turns auditioning for the support of a sold-out crowd of Moms for Liberty activists and rhetorically kissing the rings of the groups co-founders, former school board members Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, at their Joyful Warriors conference in Philadelphia this week.

Its little surprise; Moms for Liberty has emerged as a juggernaut in the conservative movement since its inception two years ago. The group claims to fight for parental rights at all levels of government, but its better known for what it opposes: COVID-19 health precautions, the contents of school libraries, and educational curricula that feature lessons about race, sexuality, and gender. Moms for Liberty has ridden its successes into statehouses across the country, where it hopes to help push anti-LGBTQ bills into law.

The Southern Poverty Law Center added Moms for Liberty to its database of extremist groups last month: a move swiftly rejected by the group as a political hit job and frowned upon by many of the groups conservative media allies. For many speakers, including presidential candidates, that extremist group designation was acknowledged via a punchline.

Im telling you these people are sick, former President Donald Trump said, earning laughter from the audience. Moms for Liberty is no hate group Youre the best thing thats ever happened to America.

The America First Political Action Conference Is Courting Republicans Towards Extremism

Even Nikki Haley, a relative moderate in the current slate of Republican candidates, shrugged off the groups scandals.

When they mentioned that this was a terrorist organization, I said, Well, then count me as a Mom for Liberty, Haley proclaimed to the sold-out crowd. She was met with roaring applause.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Moms for Liberty that scrutiny of the group was a sign that we are winning this fight.

Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma superintendent of public instruction who has called teachers unions terrorist organizations and is facing fallout for his handling of federal funds, took his pushback a step further.

You know who else was called a terrorist group, an extremist group? Walters rhetorically asked. Those founding fathers. Thats who you are today. You are the most patriotic, pro-America group in the country right now.

Its clear that the SPLCs extremist group designation struck a chord at Moms for Liberty. The joking candor shifted briefly before Trump spoke on Friday, when co-founder Justice teased that her group would be exploring retribution, hinting at possible legal action, against its opponents and critics.

But even with that scrutiny in front of mind, Moms for Liberty made no apparent effort to tamp down on the kinds of extreme rhetoric and far-right affiliations that earned its spot on SPLCs list to begin with. Even a passing glance at the events speakers lineup reveals a wash of far-right ideologues.

One featured speaker was KrisAnne Hall, who has espoused far-right rhetoric and affiliated with less-debatable extremist groups like the anti-government Oath Keepers and neo-Confederate League of the South. Others include James Lindsay, an anti-LGBTQ social media performer who has described the Pride flag as that of a hostile enemy and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, an unabashed Christian nationalist who has declared the transgender rights movement demonic and full of the Antichrist spirit. Many speakers have publicly accused teachers and officials who promote LGBTQ inclusion in schools of grooming children for sexual exploitationincendiary rhetoric that has undergirded surges in anti-LGBTQ threats in the US.

That sort of sentiment was mirrored by DeSantis, who maintains a fandom within Moms for Liberty, and the other presidential hopefuls, too. At one point in DeSantis speech, he declared that gender-affirming care for transgender youth was wrong and has no place in our society.

Haley accused transgender rights advocates of trying to erase the progress of women in America. Audible groans of disgust could be heard from audience members when Trump bemoaned parents who take their children to drag shows.

The incendiary rhetoric directed toward LGBTQ people and their advocates on stage was certainly hateful, but it also serves to justify a host of behaviors and policies that dont actually help parents or their children. It also works to cast Republicans political opponents not just as people who disagree but as immoral villains who must be defeated by any means necessary, let alone compromised with.

Trumps Gone Full QAnon. Theres No Point in Denying It Anymore.

The establishment conservative movement has long sought to undermine public education, and some of its biggest players have predictably rushed to support Moms for Liberty and groups like it. Its founders have discovered allies in a host of conservative movement groups with large bases of support and dollars. Heritage Foundation and Liberty Institute, two of the most powerful and well-funded think tanks in Washington, sponsored Moms for Libertys summit this year.

If you believe Trump, all of this debasement is in service of fighting a cult of Marxists and perverts who are pushing a poison of gender ideology on children. Those who believe DeSantis might think of themselves like those who battled for a democratic Berlin after World War II. Whatever it might be, to the true believer, it must be better than the child abuse Democrats supposedly hope to normalize.

The only viable currency in the modern Republican Party is raw power: a fact made self-evident in presidential candidates appearances at the Moms for Liberty summit. In their run to the top of the ticket, these Republican candidates have also submitted to a race to the bottom of a barrel, where shame is a benchable injury.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A series of high-profile domestic violence cases in China, including a killing carried out in broad daylight that was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, has sparked outrage  and reignited a debate among young people about the pitfalls of marriage.

The killing in the eastern province of Shandong came to widespread public attention Monday after footage filmed by a witness was posted online.

In the video, a man is seen repeatedly driving a car over a woman  later identified by police as his wife. On multiple occasions the man exits his car to check whether the woman is still alive, before continuing the attack.

In a statement late on Tuesday, police in Dongying city said a 37-year-old man had been detained after he hit and crushed his 38-year-old wife to death over family disputes. The case was still under investigation, it added.

By Wednesday morning, the attack had become the top trending topic on Chinas Twitter-like Weibo, racking up 300 million views.

Many were appalled by the level of cruelty on display in the attack, which follows two other high-profile domestic violence and homicide cases involving women victims that have caught public attention. Last month, a man in the southern province of Guangdong stabbed his wife and her sister in law to death. The wife had reportedly suffered years of domestic violence and was planning on a divorce, her family told state media outlet The Paper.

And last week, another case emerged, involving a woman in the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu who said she had spent eight days in an intensive care unit after being attacked by her husband in a hotel room in April  because he found out she was applying for divorce and a protection order in court, according to state media reports. The case came to light after the woman posted about her case on social media, where she said he had attacked her 16 times during their two years of marriage.

In online discussions, these cases are increasingly cited by young people as a cautionary tale for entering into marriage, given what many see as inadequate protection for domestic violent victims and the difficulty of getting out of abusive marriages.

No wonder everyone is afraid of marriage now, said one popular comment on Weibo with more than 4,000 likes.

Others cited a saying trending in popularity among young Chinese women: Keep yourself safe by staying away from marriage and childbirth.

Such sentiments pose a potential challenge for the Chinese government, which has struggled to reverse the countrys nosediving rates of marriages and births in the face of a population crisis.

An increasing number of young people are delaying or shunning marriage entirely, due to its associated financial burdens and entrenched gender inequalities.

While marriage can bring some benefits, it is actually more of a constraint on women, and more and more women have become aware of this, said Feng Yuan, a feminist scholar and co-founder of Equality, an advocacy group for womens rights and gender equality in Beijing.

Given its prevalence, domestic violence is an issue everyone knows about, even if they have not encountered it themselves.

Volunteers in Ma Anshan city, Anhui province sign their names on a banner against domestic violence on December 14, 2011. - TopPhoto/AP

Family affair

In China, domestic violence has traditionally been regarded as a private family matter. After two decades of advocacy by womens rights activists, the country finally imposed its anti-domestic violence law in 2016.

The law defines domestic violence for the first time, covering both physical and psychological violence  though it fails to address sexual abuse such as marital rape. It authorized courts to issue protection orders for victims and police to issue written warnings against abusers.

While the legislation has brought some progress on protecting victims and raising social awareness of domestic violence, experts say its enforcement remains patchy and often ineffective, partly due to the countrys deep-rooted patriarchal culture and long-existing barriers in the judicial system.

Feng, the feminist scholar, said in many places police still treat domestic violent cases as a family affair. Violence between family members is not treated with the same level of importance as violence between strangersIts often dealt with lightly by the police and the courts, she said.

Therefore, many victims couldnt receive effective and timely help, and many preventable tragedies of domestic violence were not stopped in time.

Abusive marriages

To some Chinese young people, the fears for marriage also stem from the difficulty of getting out of it  especially when the relationship turns abusive.

In 2021, the Chinese government imposed a 30-day cooling off period on couples seeking to separate  widely perceived as an attempt to contain the rising divorce rate amid a looming population crisis.

The policy has drawn fierce criticism that it could potentially trap people in unhappy or even abusive marriages. In response, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has said the cooling-off period only applies to consensual divorce filed in the civil affairs system, and victims of domestic violent can file for divorce in court.

But in Chinese courts, it is extremely difficult for victims to win a divorce lawsuit on the grounds of domestic violence, according to Ethan Michelson, a professor of sociology and law at Indiana University, Bloomington and author of the book Decoupling: Gender injustice in Chinas Divorce Courts.

Women are showing up in court with really strong and compelling evidence supporting their claims of domestic violence, and the judges are just completely ignoring it, said Michelson, who reviewed 260,000 pieces of court verdicts on divorce cases between 2008 and 2023.

About a quarter of the verdicts Michelson analyzed were on cases filed by women who accused their husbands of domestic violence. Most of their divorce petitions were denied, and among the few that were approved, almost none were granted on the bases of domestic violence, according to Michelson.

Domestic violence allegations, even when theyre supported by evidence, make no difference  like judges just dont care at all, he said.

Chinese judges have long tended to deny divorce petitions, according to Michelson. In Chinese courts, it is almost a default practice for judges to deny a divorce petition the first time its filed, he said, adding a second divorce petition can only be filed six months later.

When judges deny divorces from women who are making allegations of domestic violence, theyre prolonging their exposure to abuse and violence, he said.

Part of the reason for judges to deny divorce petitions is practical: shutting the cases down quickly is a coping strategy for overworked judges struggling with heavy caseloads, Michelson said. But there is also an ideological and political side to it, he added.

For decades, there has been ideological pressure on judges to reconcile couples and preserve marriages, but its gotten much stronger under Xi Jinping, he said, pointing to the Chinese leaders promotion of traditional family values that emphasize harmony.

Chinas declining rates of marriage and births have only added to the pressure, but denying domestic violence victims petitions for divorce will only be counterproductive to the governments goal of promoting births, Michelson said.

Its just ridiculous to think that preserving abusive and toxic marriages is somehow going to promote fertility, he said.

Actually, the opposite would be true. Liberating women from abusive and toxic marriages so they can marry somebody they actually love and treats them well  that is more likely to promote fertility.

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Next generation air dominance Lockheed

Lockheed's famed Skunk Works advanced projects division has posted a cryptic planform drawing of an aircraft on Instagram. The post appears directly related to its 80th anniversary publicity push and its constant teasing that there is much they can't show us... just yet. This is hardly a surprise for an institution that helped mold the deeply classified weapons development ecosystem that exists today.

The aircraft in question appears to be a Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)-like manned tactical aircraft design or at least somehow related to it. We know that at least one NGAD demonstrator has been flying for years and that as many as three demonstrators have since been in testing. There are major indications that there has been a down-select and just two companies fighting are fighting for the opportunity to build the manned NGAD aircraft. It will sit as the centerpiece of the NGAD 'family of systems,' which includes new weapons, sensors, networking architecture, engine technology, and above all else, a host of highly autonomous unmanned aircraft, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft or CCAs.

As it sits, the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says each manned NGAD aircraft will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and about 200 is the current targeted fleet size. The aircraft would replace the F-22  which is being used to test NGAD component technologies  in terms of force structure but its mission would be considerably different. By every account, just as we have been pleading for over many years, the manned NGAD aircraft will be optimized for range, payload, and low-observability (stealth), not extreme 'fighter' maneuverability. Its mission to fight as part of a highly integrated, deep-penetrating team of systems over great distances reflects these qualities. 'Spectral warfare' is also a key component of its overall design  among other cutting-edge technologies  which will likely be in the heavy fighter/interceptor size class or larger.

The mysterious outline looks very much like what we have seen from multiple contractors, and especially Lockheed Martin, as far as a notional manned NGAD aircraft designs. These features include a large modified delta-like planform that lacks horizontal and vertical stabilizers and a large streamlined canopy.

Lockheed Martin concept art for a next generation air combat aircraft. Lockheed Martin

Another piece of concept art from Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin

Another similar design presented by Collins Aerospace. Collins Aerospace

What's also of interest here is that this aircraft silhouette looks like it is the 'missing aircraft' from the Skunk Works' 80th anniversary marketing materials. Of course the blank space at the end of the lineage banner (seen below) is also likely something of a placeholder for the many projects they are working on but cannot disclose. That is a common practice for the famed 'bleeding-edge' aerospace design house leaving a blank space of some kind for the still very secret. Still, the fact that they would cryptically highlight this particular design without explanation is telling.

Notice the blank space at the end of the lineage banner. Skunk Works

With the final manned NGAD aircraft selection still months away, Skunk Works is clearly signalling their intention to take the contract for what very well could be the last manned tactical high-performance jet for the Air Force.

Finally, we must not forget that the Navy has its own very similar NGAD program that is also perusing a manned tactical fighter called F/A-XX, as part of a similar carrier-borne next generation air combat ecosystem. You can read all about that effort here and here. There's nothing to say that the notional design we are seeing doesn't represent that too, or serve as a placeholder for both.

Either way, the age of NGAD is approaching, and with it, prime contractors' hopes to be central to it are reflected in their marketing materials.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com
Zenab, left, and Miriam Alhaj-Omar, right, haven't given up hope of finding their sister, Amina Alhaj-Omar, a 26-year-old Ohio State University graduate student who went missing June 10. Columbus police ended their active search for her June 29, though the missing persons investigation is ongoing.

Amina and Zenab Alhaj-Omar grew up practically as twins.

The sisters, almost exactly a year apart, got presents on one another's birthdays  just over two weeks apart  and celebrated at the same time.

So, when Amina, 26, stopped answering Zenabs texts earlier this month, she got concerned.

Then, the 24-year-old realized her older sisters phone was off and texted their eldest sister, Miriam, to go check on Amina at the apartment that Zenab and Amina had shared for years.

Miriam, 28, found Aminas purse outside the apartment, but no Amina.

Right when she texted me I was like, 'somethings wrong,' Miram told The Dispatch. I knew something was wrong.

Family photo of Amina Alhaj-Omar, a 26-year-old Ohio State University graduate student who went missing June 10. Columbus police have since ended their active search for her, though the investigation into her disappearance is ongoing.

Zenab, who at the time was on a trip overseas for a few weeks, agreed.

Its like sister instinct, she said, and she flew home from Qatar early.

Missing since June 10

Amina, whose 26th birthday was Thursday, has been missing since June 10, when she was last confirmed seen at a stone quarry on the citys South Side. Miriam said police found her jacket, shoes and cellphone on the property.

The sisters said police think she could've gone in the quarry pond, believed to be very deep. Miriam said Amina loves to swim.

Police ended their weeks-long active search for her on Thursday, though they are still investigating the case.

Before she disappeared, Amina was studying social work at Ohio State University, worked as a server at a local restaurant and had interned with the victims of crime program at Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) in the spring. Her sisters describe her as someone who works hard, is busy, and focused on school and work.

Despite police reports saying Amina could be dangerous because she was in possession of two kitchen knives, Miriam said that couldnt be further from the truth.

She would never hurt anybody or even herself intentionally, Miriam said.

Amina Alhaj-Omar on the morning of June 10 at a BP station on South High Street on Columbus' South Side

She thinks the two kitchen knives police say her sister was seen with while at a BP gas station on the South Side on the morning of June 10 were for protection.

Police described her behavior at the gas station as "very unusual," and Zenab said it's clear from the state of her apartment that her behavior was odd.

"You could just tell she was going through a crisis," she said.

Reporting Amina missing

Miriam called the police after going to her sisters North Side apartment in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 10.

With police help, Miriam found her sisters car left on the side of Interstate 270 on the citys Far South Side. Police said it had been in a minor collision, though the airbags weren't deployed, and they didn't think anyone was harmed.

Miriam said the right front tire was missing and the gas cap was open, so she wondered if her sister ran out of gas.

After seeing her sister's car, Miriam said she took the nearest exit off the interstate and ended up at a BP gas station on South High Street, where she showed her sisters photo to the clerk, who said she had been there.

That was one of the last confirmed sightings of Amina. Behind the gas station, camera footage showed Amina going into a small outbuilding with bathrooms in it and then going beyond those, where a large sand, gravel and limestone quarry is located. She was spotted the morning of June 10 around 8 a.m. by staff of the Olen Corporation, which owns the quarry, but hasnt been seen since.

In the intervening weeks, police used helicopters, drones, horses, ATVs, dogs and foot searches to try and locate Amina. They also deployed a boat with sonar and divers at the quarry.

The sisters said they have done everything they can to find Amina. They posted flyers around the South Side, visited homeless camps to see if people have seen her, and are trying to spread the word that shes missing.

They hope people will still call police if they see Amina or have information about where she is.

They will pursue leads, Miriam said of Columbus police. Shes still a missing person.

Amina Alhaj Omar, who was reported missing June 10

Amina wanted to help others

Zenab and Miriam describe their sister as very caring. Amina is wanting to help people any way she could, said Zenab, who is a traveling nurse.

"She's a soft, kind soul," Miriam said. "She's really sensitive and emotional. ... She's a really good person. She will stretch herself in order to make someone's life easier."

Amina was in nursing school at one point before deciding it wasnt for her, but still wanting to help others. She went to Ohio State for an undergraduate degree in criminology before pursuing her masters in social work.

She likes to workout and cook, and has often picked up serving shifts at local restaurants or driven for Door Dash.

Family photo of Amina Alhaj-Omar, far left, a 26-year-old Ohio State University graduate student who went missing June 10.

The past year or so of her life has been work-focused and school-focused, Zenab said.

Not in the same frame of mind

Amina struggled with mental health problems in the past, though Miriam and Zenab declined to name her diagnosis to protect her privacy.

Five years ago was when they first realized something was wrong. Amina was acting very paranoid and fearful and was hospitalized for a few days. She wanted to go on walks and get away from others, Zenab said.

Zenab now thinks their mothers death may have triggered her then. This time, the sisters think something triggered Aminas symptoms again, though they dont know what it was.

She is dealing with mental health problems, Miriam said. She isnt in the same frame of mind that she would (normally) be.

Miriam thinks Amina left Friday night to go for a drive and that she just wanted to get away. Zenab said Amina likely went into the quarry to isolate herself from others.

Were hoping someone finds her, or if shes with someone, maybe shes out of state and no one knows about this news and theyre helping her, were hoping, Zenab said. And when they return her, she has family waiting for her. Were going to seek treatment for her, were going to take care of her.

Family photo of Amina Alhaj-Omar, far right, a 26-year-old Ohio State University Graduate Student who went missing June 10. Police have since ended the search for her, though the investigation is ongoing.

Columbus police Missing Persons unit detectives are asking anyone who has information, or might have seen Alhaj-Omar in the area of S. High St. & Rathmell Rd. since Saturday, June 10, 2023, to call 614-645-2358. Central Ohio Crimestoppers is also offering a cash reward for information leading to her location. Tips can be made by calling (614) 461-TIPS.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sisters await return of Ohio State student who went missing June 10
A SpaceX white and black rocket launches into a blue sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  A SpaceX rocket launched a new space telescope into orbit Saturday (July 1) on a mission to map the "dark universe" like never before.

The European Space Agency observatory, called Euclid, soared to space today aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 11:11 a.m. EDT (1511 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 here at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Spectators here at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex cheered and applauded as the Falcon 9 booster carried Euclid aloft, with the first stage handily touching down just eight minutes later on a drone ship stationed nearby in the Atlantic Ocean.

"We have a mission," ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher said during a live webcast just after liftoff. "I'm so excited for this mission now, knowing its on its way to Lagrange point 2 ... amazing, I'm very happy and very thrilled."

The Euclid space observatory, which is designed to seek out invisible dark matter and dark energy, separated from its rocket about 41 minutes after liftoff and is now making the journey to the sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, which is roughly 1 million miles (1.5 million km) away from our planet on the opposite side of the sun. Lagrange points are relatively stable orbits where satellites use a minimum of fuel, and Euclid's destination is a popular location: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope also orbits at L2, for example.

Related: We've never seen dark matter and dark energy. Does it really exist?

Unveiling the 'dark universe'

A SpaceX white and black rocket launches into a blue sky

Dark matter and dark energy are believed to make up most of the universe, but we can't see these phenomena in wavelengths of light. Rather, we can track the dark universe through its effects on other objects. (Gravitational lensing is one example, when a massive object bends the light of a distant object behind through the force of gravity, bringing otherwise faraway stars or galaxies into sharp focus.)

Cosmologists  scientists studying the history of space  seek to understand how the dark universe behaves to chart the effects of time on our cosmos. The mergers of galaxies, the expansion of the universe and the movements of individual stars are all subject to the forces of dark energy and dark matter.

Euclid will aim its telescope eye to regions outside of the Milky Way, our own galaxy, to map over a third of the "extragalactic" sky. In its six-year mission, the deep space explorer will map billions of targets like galaxies and stars. Euclid's two instruments, focusing respectively on visible and infrared (heat-seeking) light wavelengths, will record the information for scientists.

The long survey mission will uncover the movements of these distant objects, along with their chemical makeup. From space, Euclid's sharp eyes will allow for images at least four times more clear than what telescopes achieve from the ground, given the spacecraft will be far away from Earth's interfering atmosphere and stray light.

Carole Mundell, ESA's director of science, said the Euclid mission is one 15 years in the making, but still she was holding her breath waiting for signal acquisition after a prefect launch and spacecraft separation.



"In the next six years of this mission, we will unravel the mysteries of the dark universe," Mundell said. "So, a huge honor to be here. I think there'll be some partying tonight."

Related: The Euclid spacecraft will transform how we view the 'dark universe'

illustration of a spacecraft in deep space wiht the milky way at upper left and distant galaxies in the background

An artist's illustration of Euclid operating in space. (Image credit: Work performed by ATG under contract for ESA, CC BY-SA)

The 1.4 billion Euro ($1.5 billion USD) Euclid has been in the works for nearly two decades. It was forged from two mission concepts proposed in 2007: Dune (Dark Universe Explorer) and Space (Spectroscopic All Sky Cosmic Explorer), which used different but complementing ways of looking at dark energy. Given how well the two missions worked with each other, they were combined into one powerful observatory: Euclid.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) science program committee selected Euclid for space in 2011 and formally adopted the program in 2012. The larger Euclid consortium today includes more than 2,000 scientists from Europe, the U.S. (including NASA), Canada and Japan contributing both instruments and analysis. Thales Alenia Space was the satellite's prime contractor, while Airbus Defence and Space contributed the payload module and 4-foot (1.2-meter) telescope.

A soot-covered SpaceX white and black rocket standing on top of a landing platform in the ocean

Euclid's work follows on from several ground-based and space-based surveys of the universe. Among them is the Chilean Victor M. Blanco telescope's Dark Energy Survey that mapped 100 million galaxies; a 2022 study of that team's work will serve as a pathfinder both for Euclid and for NASA's Roman Space Telescope.

ESA's still-active Gaia satellite (also at Lagrange Point 2) is another recent example, having mapped the movements of nearly 2 billion bright stars since 2015. Gaia, however, focuses on the Milky Way and that will make it a complementary mission to Euclid's deep space focus.

A rocket swap for Euclid

RELATED STORIES:

 Euclid mission: ESA's hunt for dark matter and dark energy

 This single mission could solve 2 of the biggest mysteries of the universe

 The Euclid spacecraft will transform how we view the 'dark universe'

Incidentally, Euclid was not supposed to launch aboard SpaceX at all. As late as February 2022, the mission was manifested upon an Arianespace Soyuz (provided by Russia) for a March 2023 launch in French Guiana. Russia's unsanctioned invasion of Ukraine forced a stop to most such space collaborations aside from the International Space Station, pushing Euclid's team to look for another ride to space.

Arianespace has been ESA's launch partner for decades and as a French vendor, it is the preferred route for European space access. Yet there was no room left on the retiring Ariane 5 rocket line, and the new Ariane 6 was still in a late stage of development, reported SpaceNews, which was at the meeting.

Even U.S. options were few, as United Launch Alliance's trusty Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy rockets also had full manifests ahead of their retirement. ULA's new Vulcan Centaur will not fly until this year at least, leaving SpaceX as the only viable short-term option, according to ESA comments last year.

To get to its new site, Euclid made its way from Italy to its Floridian launch site under sail. It took roughly two weeks to voyage across the Atlantic by boat, yet just minutes to cross that same ocean again in the air by rocket.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched Euclid made its second flight to space with this launch. The mission marked SpaceX's 44th mission of 2023 and 243rd mission to date. It was the also the 204th successful landing of an orbital class rocket by SpaceX.

Euclid will take about 30 days to commute to its deep-space site. Investigators have not yet released the date for the first science image, but say it will be in a few months.

Elizabeth Howell's Florida coverage was co-sponsored by Canadian Geographic magazine and Canada's University of Waterloo, where Euclid's primary science coordinator (Will Percival) is based. Space.com has independent control of news coverage.
Ukraine and Spain signed a joint declaration, which became the 21st document on support for Ukraine's membership in NATO.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraines President, during a joint press conference with Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain.

Quote: "Our statement today is already the 21st such document with the members of the Alliance, and this is the majority. We count on Spain's support for Ukraine at the Alliance summit in Vilnius, and Ukraine is convinced that today there are all the reasons to extend an invitation to NATO membership to Ukraine," Zelenskyy emphasised.

The joint declaration of the leaders of Spain and Ukraine states that Spain supports the strengthening of NATO's partnership with Ukraine, in particular through the creation of a Ukraine-NATO Council as a platform for further strengthening and expansion of current cooperation to facilitate the implementation of Ukraine's path to the Euro-Atlantic family in accordance with the Bucharest Declaration.

"Spain confirms its support for NATO's open door policy in accordance with NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept and the NATO Madrid Summit Declaration," the document says.

As noted, Ukraine and Spain are waiting for these issues to be resolved at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.

Background:

On 10 June, Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of Ukraines President Office, stated that after the signing of the declaration on Canada's support for Ukraine's accession to NATO, the number of states that officially supported Ukraine's accession to NATO has reached 20.

Ukraine has formulated two specific expectations from the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius  regarding membership and security guarantees  and will insist on their approval.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Spain to provide Ukraine with new assistance package worth EUR 55 million

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced another assistance package for Ukraine worth EUR 55 million ($60 million) during his official visit to Kyiv on July 1.

Speaking in front of Ukrainian parliamentarians, Sanchez pledged Spain's support for Ukraine as long as it takes, according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

"I want to pass to the government and the parliament all European solidarity. We will support the Ukrainian people until peace comes back to Europe," Sanchez said after arriving in Ukraine.

Read also: Spain to transfer to Ukraine 20 APCs and four repaired Leopard 2 tanks

Spain takes over the presidency of the EU on July 1, the same day Sanchez is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This is the Spanish prime ministers third visit to Ukraine since Russias full-scale invasion and war on Ukraine began.

He was in Kyiv before on Feb. 23 this year, and last year in April.

Read also:

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
Spanish Prime Minister visits Kyiv on first day of country's presidency of EU Council

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has started Spain's presidency of the EU Council with a visit to the Ukrainian capital.

Source: European Pravda

Details: Pedro Sanchez published photos from the Kyiv railway station on his Twitter on the morning of 1 July.

Quote: "Im already in Kyiv. I want the first event of Spain's presidency of the EU Council to be in Ukraine with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I will express all European solidarity to the Ukrainian government and parliament. We will continue to support the Ukrainian people until peace is restored in Europe," Sanchez said.

Ya en Kyiv.



He querido que el primer acto de la Presidencia espanola del Consejo de la UE, sea en Ucrania junto a @ZelenskyyUa.



Trasladare a su Gobierno y al Parlamento toda la solidaridad europea.



Mantendremos el apoyo al pueblo ucraniano hasta que la paz regrese a Europa. pic.twitter.com/bPcvnYxNZZ  Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2023

Details: Unlike most foreign top guests' visits, which are kept secret until the last, people knew about Sanchez's visit in advance as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced it during an online speech at a meeting of the European Council.

Background:

Spain has replaced Sweden as the presiding country in the EU Council on a rotational principle since 1 July and will preside until the end of 2023.

Jose Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, has previously stated that the priority of the Spanish presidency of the European Union will be "preserving Europes unity against Russian aggression" in Ukraine.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has assured that early parliamentary elections at the end of July will not affect his country's presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2023.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
For the first time in state history, three women will occupy leadership in the Delaware House of Representatives following Pete Schwartzkopfs announcement Friday that he will step down as House speaker.

The Democratic caucus voted Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst to become the next House speaker, the first woman to serve in this role.

House Majority Whip Melissa Minor-Brown will become the first Black Delawarean to be House majority leader. Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris, a freshman lawmaker, will become House majority whip. She is the first openly LGBTQ member to serve in leadership in either chamber.

House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, speaks in Dover's Legislative Hall during the 2020 session.

Schwartzkopf said he made this decision to step down from leadership about a year ago. Since the beginning of the session, many have openly speculated about his future. He plans to serve out the rest of his term.

He cited wanting to spend more time with his family, revealing that his wife has had health issues and last year was briefly hospitalized.

It makes you stop and think, Schwartzkopf said of that time. It makes you really try to figure out whats important.

There's a lot of things I want to do, and I can't do it when I'm sitting on top here, he added.

Pete Schwartzkopf's legacy in House leadership

Schwartzkopf, a towering figure in Legislative Hall, has served as House speaker for more than a decade. He was first elected to the House in 2002, representing Rehoboth Beach. He oversaw the legalization of gay marriage, among other LGBTQ protections, as well as an increase in the minimum wage and the passage of significant gun reform.

Gov. John Carney, in a statement, said Schwartzkopf guided the Delaware House during some of the most challenging times in recent history. The governor credited him for helping transform Delawares tourism industry and elevating the beaches.

Schwartzkopf has also faced criticism from progressives in his party, particularly in recent years as more far-left lawmakers have been elected to the House. Schwartzkopf was one of the few Democrats to have voted against the legalization of recreational marijuana. He also refused last summer to bring the House back into session to vote on a resolution to take the first step in removing then-embattled Kathy McGuiness from office.

INSIDE LEG HALL: With the governor's signature, major reforms are coming to Delaware police agencies

On Friday, nearly every lawmaker commended Schwartzkopf for his leadership. Rep. Bill Carson, a Democrat from Smyrna, called Schwartzkopf one of his best friends.

There were a lot of things that went on behind the scenes that nobody will ever know about because you don't even tell people about it, Carson said. I know. You did it for the benefit of everyone in here.

Sometimes somebody would get in trouble with a bill, he added, or something wouldn't quite work right. But you were always right there trying to smooth it out.

The next chapter of female leadership

In honor of the all-female leadership team, many lawmakers on Friday wore white, a nod to womens suffrage. Every House lawmaker gave Longhurst, who has been majority leader for a decade, a white rose in honor of her breaking the glass ceiling.

When the resolution to make Longhurst the new speaker passed, she became emotional.

I never imagined, Longhurst said later in her speech to the House, that the little girl who had so many challenges in her early years would grow up to be a part of history as the first female speaker of Delaware.

All three women spoke of how their difficult childhoods later influenced their political careers, and now bonding them as a leadership team.

Minor-Brown noted to the chamber how the day Delaware elected its first Black House majority leader, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action.

THE END OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION: House Democrats OK Seaford LLC voting charter, leading GOP to pass spending bills

Right here, in this chamber gives us hope, she said. We look around at the diversity chamber. This is new. The diversity of this chamber is new. The diversity of our leadership, this is today.

This is the start of something new.

In 2018, Evelyn Harris was an unknown political newcomer challenging U.S. Sen. Tom Carper in a primary. She was elected to the House in 2022.

She was the last to give remarks. She walked around her desk and turned her microphone in order to face all of the House members and those in the gallery.

I just wanted to see this, she said.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware House elects Valerie Longhurst, state's first female speaker
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 1)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who chairs the National Innovation Council (NIC), has approved the 2022-2023 National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document (NIASD), a 10-year plan to improve the countrys innovation governance, Malacanang said.

Under the NIASD, the government aims to make Filipinos proactive, smart, and innovative by improving the countrys education and healthcare system.

It also plans to secure proper and affordable nutrition while providing income to local producers, and further improve financial and digital literacy as well as manufacturing and trade.

NIC said that by 2032, Filipinos will have accessible energy resources; efficient, inclusive and safe land, water and air transportation as well as reliable government institutions.

Chapter 8 of the PDP (Philippine Development Plan) elaborates on this strategy by situating it within the continuum of research and development, innovation, technology adoption, then commercialization,  Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan Balisacan, vice chair of NIC, said Saturday in a statement.

The NIC is a 25-member policy advisory body consisting of 16 department secretaries and seven executive members from the private sector.
Stimulus update: Child tax credit gets a new chance for $300 a month  and a $2,000 baby bonus

WASHINGTON  About 250 U.S. lawmakers are trying to put the $300-a-month child tax credit payments back in American wallets  this time with a $2,000 baby bonus.

It's a Democratic proposal with enough Republican support to seem like more than a wish list and would make permanent the expanded child tax credit signed into law under the American Rescue Plan. The legislation, one of President Joe Bidens signature programs in office, boosted the 2021 tax credit, with the most significant increases going to lower-income families with children.

What's in the new stimulus plan?

Some 250 lawmakers want to revive monthly child tax credit payments.

The new proposal would:

Remove an earnings requirement from the full credit.

Expand the maximum child tax credit to $250 per month.

Continue the young-child tax credit of $300 per month for children 6 years old and younger.

Provide a "baby bonus," an extra $2,000 in the month a new baby is born.

That's according to a fact sheet from the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.

Who's leading the push for a new stimulus?

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., says the expansion of a tax credit for families could be "as big a change as with the New Deal and Social Security."

DeLauro introduced the legislation in June, saying the expanded monthly payments have already helped parents pay bills, keep healthy and nutritious food on the table, afford school clothes and supplies, pay for a music lesson or a new pair of cleats, or manage a mortgage or rent payment.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., another sponsor of the legislation, called on her fellow lawmakers to build on the American Rescue Plan by permanently reinstating this monthly benefit to ensure that every child has a fair chance at success.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., a third lead co-sponsor, said in 2021 the child tax credit reached more than 61 million children and lifted nearly 4 million of them out of poverty. "No government program has impacted so many Americans in such a short amount of time," he said.

Major Democratic figures are among the bills 210 cosponsors, from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

A companion bill in the Senate, led by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, has 40 cosponsors.

Will there be another stimulus payment?

It's a challenge to get anything through a divided government, with Republicans narrowly holding the House and Democrats narrowly holding the Senate. The clash of the political parties brought the country within hours of defaulting on its debt a little more than a month ago. Passing another tax policy wouldn't be simple or easy.

Despite challenging odds, it could pass if it becomes a bargaining chip in spending negotiations that can give both parties what they want  a business tax cut for Republicans and a child tax credit for Democrats. Republican members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus could be key negotiators in such a deal, and some conservative senators are also considering the plan.

"I think Republicans want to consider it as part of a compromise for the Democrats," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told Punchbowl News last month. "We know that thats like one of their top issues. This may be a bargaining chip that we can use."

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said he would use his seat on the House Ways and Means Committee to push for that reform, according to Punchbowl News.

"This issue is not dead," he said, according to the outlet. "Its going to be a live, open issue for this entire cycle, because you have people like me on the committee who actually do support it."

But not everyone agrees. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Punchbowl it was one thing to support the child tax credit during the pandemic, but "those times are gone."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stimulus update: Child tax credit gets new chance and a $2,000 bonus
By striking down affirmative action, the Supreme Court put forth a dangerous and false ideal of 'colorblindness'

People rally outside the Supreme Court as the Court hears oral arguments on two cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

On June 29, the Supreme Court voted to end race-based college admission policies.

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Sotomayor lambasted the Court for cementing a "superficial rule of colorblindness."

By ignoring the realities of race, a colorblind approach can be harmful to communities of color.

The Supreme Court's controversial decision to end race-based affirmative action policies is setting a precedent that will ricochet across public and private colleges and universities across the country.

The 6-3 decision, predictably, was split among racial lines, with the exception of Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas joined his five white, conservative justices in the majority opinion, which ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina's race-based admission policies were unconstitutional.

In a biting dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor lambasted her colleagues on the bench for ignoring the realities of race in the US.

"The Court cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter," Sotomayor wrote.

"The devastating impact of this decision cannot be overstated. The majority's vision of race neutrality will entrench racial segregation in higher education because racial inequality will persist so long as it is ignored."

Sotomayor and Thomas are both the likely beneficiaries of affirmative action. Sotomayor, who is Latina, and Thomas, who is Black, both attended Yale Law School, though both have spoken differently about their experiences. While Sotomayor has referred to herself as "the perfect affirmative action baby," Thomas has expressed that he believed "racial preference had robbed [his] achievement of its true value."

Just like Sotomayor, Thomas also referred to colorblindness in his own 58-page opinion, writing that race-based admission policies "fly in the face of our colorblind Constitution and our nation's equality ideal."

Colorblindness has become a prominent school of thought, especially in the educational sphere, sometimes used as a counterpoint to concepts like critical race theory, which teaches that systemic racism is a part of American history and society.

Advocates for colorblind rhetoric often argue that overlooking racial differences will lead to students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds growing up in symbiotic harmony. "I don't see color" is a common refrain among prominent white professionals and personalities  everyone from ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to conservative commentator Tomi Lahren have uttered a version of it.

But who does a colorblind approach really benefit?

A student at Harvard University at a rally in support of keeping affirmative action policies outside the Supreme Court on October 31, 2022. The Washington Post/Contributor via Getty

An educational system built for white Americans

In the US, around 79% of public school teachers are white. They are teaching a student body that is 53% non-white. According to Pew research from 2021, there is not a single state where a teacher is less likely to be white than their students. They are also teaching from a curriculum that is predominantly focused on white authors, and one that often tells a whitewashed version of history.

The majority of white Americans (57%) disapprove of colleges taking race and ethnicity into consideration in admissions, compared to 29% of Black Americans and 39% of Hispanic Americans. Yet, white women have arguably benefitted the most from affirmative action  gender provisions that were first implemented in the 1960s and 70s have aided in making this generation of women the most educated in history and the most involved in the workforce (women account for nearly 52% of all management and professional-related occupations in the US).

From birth through every step of their educational journey to career advancement and retirement, the US is built primarily for white Americans to succeed. Given that, ignoring the realities of racism does not serve communities of color.

Colorblindness only benefits white people, saving them from the discomfort of having to grapple with the role their own racial identity played in their successes. It allows them to minimize or fully dismiss the extent of harm caused by discrimination. In a colorblind world, the onus of having to confront these daily realities is solely the burden of communities of color who are told they must suffer in silence.

When colorblindness becomes codified into law, we risk rolling back decades of progress.

Constitutional colorblindness

This colorblind approach to the law isn't new. For years, conservatives on the Court have weaponized a colorblind reading of the Constitution, arguing that race cannot be legitimate grounds for legal distinctions. By this reading, all race-conscious laws must be thrown out for being unconstitutional.

At one point in history, colorblindness was harnessed by progressives, who relied on a colorblind constitutionality to fight for equal rights for Black Americans. In 1896, in the dissenting opinion for Plessy v. Ferguson, the case that instituted the "separate but equal" doctrine, Justice John Marshall Harlan made an argument for desegregation, writing, "Our Constitution is colorblind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens."

However, in recent years, constitutional colorblindness has become a sacred touchstone for conservative originalists on the Court, including the late-Justice Antonin Scalia, as well as Justice Thomas.

In Parents Involved v. Seattle School District in 2007, Chief Justice Roberts made the argument that public school districts cannot use race to assign students to schools as a means of integration, writing, "the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

A colorblind reading of the Constitution that once argued for desegregation in the case of Justice Harlan's dissent was now being used to argue against desegregation.

A young boy at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995 as students and families protested to keep affirmative action policies. David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images

An imperfect system

In the majority opinion for the cases against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, Chief Justice Roberts argued that the colleges' affirmative action programs were too broadly implemented, sometimes boiling down to racial stereotyping: "By grouping together all Asian students, for instance, respondents are apparently uninterested in whether South Asian or East Asian students are adequately represented, so long as there is enough of one to compensate for a lack of the other," Roberts wrote. "Meanwhile other racial categories, such as 'Hispanic,' are arbitrary or undefined."

Affirmative action is an imperfect system. Even its most ardent proponents and its beneficiaries don't argue otherwise. In a statement following the ruling, former president Barack Obama wrote, "Like any policy, affirmative action wasn't perfect. But it allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged."

The solution to those shortcomings, however, is not to ignore race altogether. Roberts accused the colleges' affirmative action programs of "employ[ing] race in a negative manner" without any "meaningful end points." However, the impact of not taking race into consideration has already proven to be more devastating for college enrollment.

Colleges that have already stopped considering race in admissions in places that have state-level bans, like California and Idaho, have reported enrollment drops among Black and Hispanic students, especially at highly selective and historically white schools.

After a statewide ban in 1996, University of California, Berkeley and UCLA saw Black and Hispanic enrollment drop by half within only two years. Now, more than 25 years after the ban, school officials say they still haven't been able to meet their diversity and equity goals.

In an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of race-based admissions programs, University of California chancellors wrote, "Despite its extensive efforts, UC struggles to enroll a student body that is sufficiently racially diverse to attain the educational benefits of diversity." UC claims to have spent more than a half-billion dollars on outreach efforts to improve diversity since 2004.

Demonstrators for and against the Supreme Court's decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina confront each other, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The benefits of diversity

In her own statement following the ruling, Michelle Obama reflected on her years at Princeton and Harvard as one of the only Black students, afraid that others may have believed she found herself on campus only because of affirmative action: "It was a shadow students like me couldn't shake."

But then, she goes on to list special considerations other students were given that granted them admission: children of alumni, athletes, students who had access to tutors and test prep.

"So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level," she wrote.

Diversity doesn't only benefit communities of color  studies have shown that racially diverse groups are more innovative and more productive. In an article for Scientific American, Columbia Business School professor Katherine Phillips makes the case that diversity increases creativity, and the addition of new perspectives leads to better problem solving. Studies have also shown that diverse juries were better at considering case facts and were more diligent and open-minded.

"Diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not," Phillips wrote.

Michelle Obama echoed that same sentiment based on her own college experience. "Every student who heard a perspective they might not have encountered, who had an assumption challenged, who had their minds and their hearts opened gained a lot as well," she wrote about the benefits of diversity driven by affirmative action.

"It wasn't perfect, but there's no doubt that it helped offer new ladders of opportunity for those who, throughout history, have too often been denied a chance to show how fast they climb."

Read the original article on Business Insider
An examination room being prepared for the next patient at Whole Womans Health of McAllen in McAllen, Texas, April 29, 2022. (Callaghan O

For more than a year, since the U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade, pregnant women have faced a radically altered landscape of challenges and choices as the number of abortion providers dropped to zero in more than a dozen states.

But the precise impact of the decision has been difficult for researchers to measure directly, particularly when it comes to a central question: How many more babies are born as a result of abortion bans?

On Thursday, researchers from Johns Hopkins Universitys Bloomberg School of Public Health published one of the first serious attempts at an answer. They focused on Texas, where a law that took effect in September 2021, nine months before the courts Dobbs decision, effectively banned abortion at six weeks. The analysis found that the state had nearly 10,000 more births between April and December of last year than would have been expected without the law, or 3% more.

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The finding, which cheered abortion opponents, could suggest a striking number of pregnancies carried to term that otherwise might not have been, absent the law known as Senate Bill 8.

Researchers watching the new abortion bans around the country have expected a resultant rise in births, but perhaps not one so large.

It looks like they have demonstrated that births increased more in Texas than we would have expected, said Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College who studies abortion but did not participate in the study. The inference Im less comfortable making at this point is that all of those excess births are because of SB 8. Some of it may be, but I dont think all of it will be. Its just too high.

The authors of the study, which was published as a two-page research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also stopped short of attributing their estimated increase in births solely to the unusual law, which allows for lawsuits against those who aid abortions after the onset of fetal cardiac activity, usually around six weeks. The results at least suggested that not everyone who might have received an abortion in the absence of S.B. 8 was able to obtain one, they wrote.

Still, the authors were confident in their methods and results.

This pattern was unique to Texas, said Alison Gemmill, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and one of the researchers on the study. She said the team looked at each of the other 49 states and Washington, D.C., but found no evidence of differences from expected birth counts. If there were other explanations for the increase, she added, they would have to be unique to Texas and to the time after the SB 8 abortion law went into effect.

Quantifying the effect of abortion bans has been difficult for researchers because of a lag in obtaining detailed data about births.

In other states where abortion bans went into force after the Dobbs decision in June 2022, researchers are still collecting vital statistics in order to study the effect of new prohibitions on births. Expectations have been that those bans would have an even greater effect on those seeking abortions than the SB 8 law did in Texas, because many of them prohibited all abortions and were adopted in a large number of contiguous states, making it difficult for women to travel to other states for procedures.

The study published on Thursday, which looked at data back to 2016, relied on provisional birth data for 2022 because fuller data was not available. It did not include demographic information such as the mothers age or race that could be compared to prior years and used to understand other factors that may have played a role.

The researchers then created a statistical model of what Texas would have looked like without the abortion law. With that, they were able to estimate the number of births that would have taken place in that case.

This is an indirect way of measuring what we cant measure, Gemmill said. We dont know the decisions behind whether people sought abortions, or whether they werent able to.

Broader changes in birthrates have complicated researchers efforts. The number of births has been lower in recent years in Texas, and across the United States, a trend that was exacerbated at the height of the COVID emergency. But there has been a rise in births since the pandemic in Texas: There were around 389,000 births last year, down from 398,000 in 2016, but larger than the number recorded in 2020.

Other factors may have led to higher birth trends during that time period, Myers said, including a rise in the number of foreign-born mothers giving birth, many of them in Texas. Gemmill said that factor was hard to measure without detailed demographic data on births in 2022.

Despite the new restrictions under SB 8, many Texas women still obtained abortions, either by having them before the six-week cutoff, by traveling out of state for their procedures or by taking abortion medications on their own. Texas has seen a flood of mail-order pills, and some Texans have been able to get abortions in Mexico.

Still, anti-abortion activists took the Johns Hopkins study as evidence that their success at severely limiting abortions in Texas had produced the desired effect: more pregnancies carried to term.

Every baby saved from elective abortion should be celebrated! John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life, said in a statement. This new study highlights the significant success of our movement in the last two years, and we look forward to helping the mothers and families of our state care for their children.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Republican presidential candidate and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez applauded the Supreme Courts decision on Friday to halt the tremendous overreach of President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan.

They absolutely got it right, Suarez told Fox News on Saturday, adding, This was a tremendous overreach by the president, trying to cancel hundreds of billions of student loans for people oftentimes who are doctors and lawyers and accountants that is being subsidized by those who didnt have an opportunity to go to college.

I dont see why everyone who didnt go to college, didnt accumulate debt, has to subsidize the debt of everyone else. It just made no sense, he continued. I think the Supreme Court definitely got it right in checking executive authority in this case.

The six conservatives justices on the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Congress had not authorized the executive branch to forgive the estimated $430 billion in debt that would have been cancelled under Bidens plan.

More than 40 million borrowers would be eligible for some form of student debt relief under the plan, which would have forgiven up to $20,000 in loans for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for other borrowers if they made less than $125,000.

Suarez, who jumped into the crowded Republican primary race last month, echoed his competitors in cheering the high courts decision.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Friday that he was pleased that the court struck down the plan, which he argued subsidizes the education of elites on the backs of hardworking Americans.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley similarly remarked that a president cannot just wave his hand and eliminate loans for students he favors, while leaving out all those who worked hard to pay back their loans or made other career choices.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Supreme Courts decisions striking down affirmative action programs in college admissions and President Bidens student debt relief program will likely dominate this weeks Sunday news shows.

The court concluded its term this week with major landmark decisions before going on summer recess that will likely have ripple effects for students and for the 2024 presidential election. Biden called for alternative paths to accomplishing the goals of affirmative action and his forgiveness program following the rulings, while Republicans hailed the decisions as abiding by the Constitution.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion in the affirmative action cases, one concerning the admissions program at Harvard University and one concerning the program at the University of North Carolina, that the schools using race as a factor in admissions decisions violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

He wrote for the majority in the loan forgiveness case that the Biden administration had not received clear congressional authorization to issue the widespread forgiveness of thousands of dollars for many borrowers.

Both rulings had the courts six conservatives in the majority and the liberals in the minority. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself in the Harvard case, making the ruling in that one 6-2 as opposed to the 6-3 ruling in the UNC case and on the forgiveness program.

The GOP presidential candidates were quick to praise the court for its decisions.

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was one of the first GOP candidates to commend the ruling on affirmative action, arguing that it would better give students a chance at achieving the American Dream.

The world admires America because we value freedom and opportunity. The Supreme Court reaffirmed those values today. Picking winners and losers based on race is fundamentally wrong, she said.

Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants who will appear on Fox News Sunday, said the courts ruling will help every student no matter their background.

Former Vice President Mike Pence touted the role he played in the Trump administration that appointed three justices  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  who were key votes in both rulings.

I am honored to have played a role in appointing three of the Justices that ensured todays welcomed decision, and as President I will continue to appoint judges who will strictly apply the law, he said after both rulings.

Pence called affirmative action an egregious violation of civil and constitutional rights that served to perpetuate racism and argued the forgiveness program subsidizes the education of elites on the backs of hardworking Americans.

Pence will appear on ABCs This Week and CBS Face the Nation.

But not all GOP presidential candidates have come out strongly in favor of the courts rulings.

Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), who was a moderate member of the Republican Conference during his time in the House, did not directly address whether he supported or opposed the courts ruling on affirmative action and instead called attention to Black and brown students not receiving a strong enough education.

With or without affirmative action, we are failing to prepare too many of our black and brown students for higher education. Thats the problem. We have income inequality because we have education inequality, he tweeted.

Hurd will appear on CNNs State of the Union. He said when he launched his campaign that one of the main issues that he wants to focus on are falling math, science and reading scores among students.

The courts decisions will have an effect on students applying to and attending colleges and universities across the country, and many institutions released statements following the decisions saying that they would abide by the courts ruling but still work to support diversity at the school.

Michael Drake, the president of the University of California (UC), issued statements to the UC system community after both rulings. He said the institution was disappointed with the courts ruling on affirmative action, but student diversity is still a top priority.

The consideration of race in college admissions has been banned in California since 1996, and UC had already adjusted policies to follow the law and aggressively pursue ways to increase diversity among applications, admissions, enrollment and retention, Drake said.

He also declared college affordability to be among the universitys top priorities following the forgiveness program ruling and encouraged students to consider all loan repayment options that the Department of Education makes available.

Drake will appear on Face the Nation.

The courts ruling on affirmative action was especially long-awaited as numerous cases had come before the court on the topic before, and a majority allowed at least some consideration of race in admissions multiple times.

The most recent major case before the court on the issue came in 2016, when the court upheld the admissions policy at the University of Texas at Austin following a lawsuit from a white student who challenged it.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served during the Obama administration, has been a proponent of affirmative action and just left his position leading the Justice Department shortly before the courts last case on the subject.

Holder, who will also appear on Face the Nation, criticized the Supreme Courts decision in 2014 after it upheld a Michigan ballot initiative that banned the practice in higher education.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a guest on State of the Union, has also been vocal after the courts rulings. She argued that the Supreme Court should have abolished legacy admissions at universities, which she called affirmative action for the privileged, if they were serious about ludicrous arguments of the law being colorblind.

SCOTUS didnt touch that  which would have impacted them and their patrons, she said.

Ocasio-Cortez also said the courts ruling on the forgiveness program does not stop Biden from pursuing student loan forgiveness and called on the administration to use the Higher Education Act of 1965 to continue the plan ASAP.

Biden announced later on Friday that he would use the law, which advocates argue allows the secretary of education to compromise, waive or release student loans, to continue the plan. He said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has already taken initial steps to begin the process.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this weeks Sunday talk shows:

ABCs This Week  former Vice President Mike Pence, a GOP presidential candidate; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)

NBCs Meet the Press  Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)

CBS Face the Nation  Pence; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; former Attorney General Eric Holder; University of California President Michael Drake; Lindsey Gorman, a senior fellow for emerging technologies at the German Marshall Fund

CNNs State of the Union  Buttigieg; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.); former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a GOP presidential candidate; former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a GOP presidential candidate

Fox News Sunday  former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, a GOP presidential candidate; Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.)

Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures  former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe; Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder; Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R); North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a GOP presidential candidate

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By ruling that race and ethnicity cannot be considered in college admissions, the U.S. Supreme Court sets us back more than four decades.

For generations, affirmative action has been a powerful means of lowering barriers to education for historically marginalized and underrepresented students of color. At its core, it simply aims to remedy the government sanctioned, decades-long inequality by making race one factor in the college admissions process.

Dismantling these policies will not only have devastating implications for students of color, but for the classrooms at these institutions, which will become devoid of diversity in the lived experience and perspective needed to solve Americas toughest challenges. Higher education serves as an incubator for the brilliant ideas of tomorrow. Those ideas will now become less diverse.

Opinion

Im a graduate of Mills College, a womens college in Oakland. There was a time when, as a Black woman, my options for higher education were limited. But because affirmative action successfully addressed the centuries-long discrimination in higher education, I was able to earn my degree while caring for my two children as a single mother on public assistance. I met my mentor, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm; received my masters degree in social work; became a successful small business owner; serve in Congress; and ran to be only the third Black woman in our nations history to serve in the U.S. Senate.

The list of barriers to higher education is already long, and I fear that with this ruling we are turning back the clock, and a generation of talented young people of color may not be given the same opportunities that I had.

For those reasons and more, Ive fought hard to uphold affirmative action.

Californias Proposition 209, which effectively banned affirmative action across our states public education systems, was a harmful policy that deprived countless students of color the opportunity to study at some of the greatest academic institutions in the world. In 2020, I fought for the reversal of Prop 209, but it sadly failed. I argued against the banning of affirmative action before the UC Board of Regents years ago, and since that policy went into effect, the share of Black, Latino and Native American students has fallen significantly.

California has a difficult relationship with race. Despite being one of the most progressive states in the country, we struggle with racial inequality of epic proportions.

Ironically, yesterday the California Reparations Task Force completed the report they were commissioned to produce. I was the only member of Congress to testify in front of the task force, and yesterdays ruling affirms the need for their work toward an effort to repair the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow and systemic racism, and for my continued effort at the federal level to establish a Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation.

While the country mourns the end of affirmative action in higher education, lets be clear: The Supreme Court did not strike down affirmative action for everyone. It was just taken away for everyone thats not wealthy and white.

For many wealthy white students, it still exists in the form of legacy admissions. Justice Brett Kavanaugh knows this intimately, as a legacy admission to Yale. Judge Clarence Thomas was an affirmative action admission as well. Yet, they are denying future generations their same opportunities, and making the application of a first-generation college student from an immigrant family less notable than the child of a fifth-generation Yale graduate from a wealthy family.

In the spirit of Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksons dissent on the ruling, preventing the consideration of race does not end racism, and deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. We do not live in a colorblind society. Systemic racism is not an abstract idea. For the far right, it is intentional, deliberate and strategic. Their efforts to ban books, erase history and simply deny students of color entry into the building is a coordinated effort to uphold white supremacy.

Education has always been the great equalizer, which is why, for centuries, people of color were systematically shut out of educational opportunities. Thursdays decision is simply one more part of this effort and, ultimately, lays the groundwork to undermine Brown v. Board of Education, which began the dismantling of Jim Crow.

The remnants of Jim Crow laws and the chains of slavery were meant to be broken, not meant to take new forms. Affirmative action is a crucial tool to not only incentivize racial diversity on our college campuses, but level the playing field for all those in pursuit of the American dream.

U.S. Representative Barbara Lee represents Californias 12th congressional district, which is based in Oakland and covers most of the northern part of Alameda County.
(Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Court waited until the end of its nine-month term to remind the country just how much muscle its 6-3 conservative majority has.

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In a trio of rulings Thursday and Friday, the justices outlawed the use of race in college admissions, struck down President Joe Bidens student-loan relief plan and crafted a First Amendment exception to anti-discrimination laws.

The decisions shifted the trajectory of a term that until then had featured more conservative setbacks than victories. Operating under the shadow of ethics controversies and questions about its institutional credibility, the court managed to avoid major upheavals for much of the term, said David Strauss, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago School of Law.

Then in the last week, in the cases in which there was probably the sharpest disagreement among the justices, the conservative majority reasserted itself in a much more aggressive way, Strauss said.

Each of the three rulings, issued Thursday and Friday, was far-reaching in its own way. The admissions decision nullified almost a half century of precedents that had let universities consider race as an admissions factor for the sake of ensuring diverse student bodies.

The student-loan ruling wiped out a plan that would have canceled at least some loans for more than 40 million people. It marked the latest in a series of decisions that have struck down Biden administration policies as overstepping the executive branchs authority.

And the First Amendment ruling, which favored a Colorado web designer who wanted to create web pages only for opposite-sex marriage, dealt a blow to LGBTQ rights eight years after the courts landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

As a Black, lesbian woman this has been an incredibly tough week, said Stasha Rhodes, campaign director for United for Democracy, a coalition calling for Congress to rein in the Supreme Court. She said the court in the Colorado case once again ignored long-standing precedent to impose its own right-wing agenda.

The justices capped the week by announcing new cases they will hear when they return in October, when fights over gun rights and federal regulatory power will top the agenda.

Supreme Discord

The rulings came amid a swirl of ethics controversies  including revelations that Republican megadonors bankrolled luxury vacations for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito  and a slide in public confidence since last years leak of the courts opinion overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

In his student-loan opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts hinted at the discord that has surfaced among the justices.

It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary, he wrote.

Roberts quickly said he wasnt criticizing the tone of Justice Elena Kagans dissent in that case.

We do not mistake this plainly heartfelt disagreement for disparagement, Roberts wrote. It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country.

Roberts, who has tried to defend the courts institutional standing, found himself embroiled in controversy because of his colleagues alleged ethical transgressions and the lack of any binding code of conduct for the justices. Democrats criticized him in April when he declined a request to testify about ethics before a Senate panel.

Election Rulings

Big though they were, the three final-week rulings were among only five that found the six conservatives in the majority and the three liberals in dissent.

Insofar as there was a narrative about a 6-3 conservative majority that could and would follow a particular playbook across the board, that narrative didnt hold up, said Rick Garnett, a professor at Notre Dame Law School.

In cases involving election law, immigration, Native American law and even abortion, Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the liberal wing, as the court stuck by its precedents, eschewed sweeping legal changes and in some cases rejected once-fringe legal theories pressed by eager conservatives.

The pullback was especially notable in election law. The court ruled that the Voting Rights Act required Alabama to have a second heavily black congressional district  even though 16 months earlier, the justices had blocked a ruling that would have meant a second district for the 2022 election.

The difference was Kavanaugh. In the February 2022 emergency order, he said it was too close to the election for federal courts to order a state to redraw its voting districts. But after full briefing and arguments he joined Roberts and the three liberals to reaffirm a 1986 precedent that minority groups have long used to combat discriminatory voting lines.

The court later rejected a sweeping Republican-backed argument that would have transformed federal election law and ousted state judges and other officials from longstanding roles.

My big takeaway is that the status quo generally remained and that the court refused to go to the extreme in these cases, said Joshua Douglas, a professor at the University of Kentuckys Rosenberg College of Law and an expert in election law. Its not so much that they are being more protective of voting rights; instead, the theories the plaintiffs presented were just so radical.

Immigration and Abortion

Liberals were similarly concerned the court might invalidate at least part of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which gives preference to Native Americans in adopting and fostering tribal children. The court instead voted 7-2 to uphold the broad parameters of the law while saying the challengers  Texas, three non-Native couples and the biological mother of an American Indian child  didnt have legal standing to press some of their arguments.

Standing emerged as a critical concept in the term, giving the court a way to sidestep some  but not all  politically charged issues. In an 8-1 decision, the court said Texas and Louisiana lacked standing to challenge Bidens shift of immigration enforcement priorities, describing the suit as the kind federal courts have not traditionally entertained.

The court went the other way on standing in striking down Bidens student-loan relief, concluding that at least one of the six Republican-led states did have standing. Kagan, in her dissent, argued that the states didnt have standing because they werent directly financially harmed. And in our system, that means refusing to decide cases that are not really cases because the plaintiffs have not suffered concrete injuries, she wrote.

The court also sided with stability in a challenge to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone. Over two dissents, the court blocked judge-imposed restrictions that the Biden administration said would have made it impossible to legally sell the drug across state lines in the near term. That case could return to the court in its next term.

Unlike last year, when you could plausibly argue most of the major cases were won by the political right, this year you cannot say that, said Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason Universitys Scalia School of Law.

Regulatory Power

Until the final days, the biggest conservative victories came in the realm of regulatory power. A Clean Water Act ruling slashed the power of federal regulators over wetlands, eliminating protections for tens of millions of acres.

And critics of federal regulatory power won a unanimous decision affecting the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission. The justices said companies and people facing agency investigations or complaints can go straight to federal court with some constitutional challenges, including attacks on the use of in-house judges to handle cases.

This was a good term for stronger judicial review of the administrative state, said Curt Levey, president of the conservative legal advocacy group Committee for Justice.

Levey said he was happy with the term, even if the results werent always what rank-and-file conservatives might have wanted.

We all have to understand that a court that is jurisprudentially conservative is a lot of the time going to produce outcomes that leave the base unhappy, he said. We dont want a conservative activist court that always gives us the outcome that we want.

--With assistance from Kelsey Butler.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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The Supreme Court ruled Biden used the wrong law to cancel student debt. He's trying again with a different one.

Student debt relief activists participate in a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court stuck down the Biden administrations student debt forgiveness program in Biden v. Nebraska. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court struck down Biden's student-loan forgiveness on Friday.

But the justices did not say the president cannot attempt relief using a different route.

Biden announced on Friday he will attempt using a different law to enact debt relief.

President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan is dead. But it's not necessarily the end of the road.

On Friday, the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 ruling that Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt cannot move forward. This was a major decision after months of limbo for millions of student-loan borrowers. Since November, the relief had been on pause due to two conservative-backed lawsuits that blocked the president's plan.

Friday's ruling came in two separate decisions. One of the cases, US Department of Education v. Brown, was filed on behalf of two student-loan borrowers who sued because they did not qualify for the full $20,000 amount of relief. The Supreme Court ruled that those borrowers did not have standing to sue, and dismissed the case.

The second ruling concerned Biden v. Nebraska, which was the result of six Republican-led states suing under the argument that debt relief would hurt their states' tax revenues, and the revenue of student-loan company MOHELA. The majority ruled that the states had standing to involve MOHELA in their case, and the law Biden used to cancel student debt demonstrated an overreach of authority. That decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, struck down the president's plan.

While this decision is a major blow to many borrowers who have been waiting for months to learn their fate, it's important to note that the ruling only strikes down Biden's plan as it pertains to using the HEROES Act of 2003. It doesn't prohibit the president from attempting debt relief using another law.

"This fight is not over," Biden said in a statement following the decision.

"I believe that the Court's decision to strike down our student debt relief plan is wrong," he added. "But I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families. My Administration will continue to work to bring the promise of higher education to every American."

The Higher Education Act of 1965

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling, Biden shed more light on how the fight will continue; he announced his Education Department is beginning the process of using the Higher Education Act of 1965. The Supreme Court majority took issue with Biden's usage of the HEROES Act of 2003, which allows the Education Secretary to waive or modify student-loan balances in connection with a national emergency, like COVID-19. The Higher Education Act would not require a national emergency to get relief to millions of borrowers.

"Today, I am urging the Biden Administration to implement a Plan B immediately to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans who are struggling to pay the rent, put food on the table, and pay for the basic necessities of life," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a Friday statement. "Despite this legally unsound Supreme Court decision, the President has the clear authority under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cancel student debt. He must use this authority immediately."

Other Democratic lawmakers have previously joined Sanders in pushing for the Higher Education Act but Biden has yet to comment on if he will go that route.

In September 2020, the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School wrote a memo for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren outlining why the Act gives the Education Secretary authority to cancel student debt broadly.

"The Secretary has the Secretary has the authority to modify a loan to zero, and exercises this authority even in the absence of any implementing regulations," the memo read.

Warren is continuing to push for an alternate route. "This fight isn't over," she said in a Friday statement. "The President has additional legal tools to cancel student debt  and he should use them. This Supreme Court needs to follow the law, not make policy decisions."

What's next for borrowers

While Biden has vowed to push for additional relief for borrowers, payments are still scheduled to resume this fall. The Education Department recently confirmed that interest will resume on student loans in September, and borrowers will start repayment October  regardless of the outcome of the Supreme Court decision.

However, Biden also announced on Friday that the Education Department will be implementing a 12 -month "on-ramp" to repayment from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024 to ensure "financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies." The department also finalized its new income-driven repayment plan that borrowers can enroll in prior to the payment resumption.

Although many Democratic lawmakers have urged Biden to not restart payments until borrowers get his broad debt relief, the president codified the end of the student-loan payment pause in the debt-ceiling bill he recently signed into law due to requests from Republican lawmakers who have opposed debt relief.

"Mr. President, good riddance to your illegal, economically disastrous taxpayer-funded bailout for the wealthy," top Republican on the House education committee Virginia Foxx said in a Friday statement. "I had hoped you would have greater respect for taxpayers and the Constitution, but I am pleased the Court stepped in to hold you accountable."

Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley told Insider in a Friday interview that the most important thing Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona can ensure right now is "swift action" to get borrowers relief.

"There's a reverberating impact from the draconian actions of this super legislature, which is not elected, that is continuing to operate, I think, in the absence of justice," Pressley said. "And so I'm going to continue to to organize, to advocate, and to push on behalf of these borrowers because I know just how consequential this is. And I'm calling on President Biden and Secretary Cardona to act swiftly, decisively, to act aggressively to deliver relief, meaningful relief, to the borrowers that delivered this White House."

Do you have a story to share about student debt? What's your reaction to the Supreme Court decision? Reach out to this reporter at asheffey@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Supreme Court is seen behind flowers, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in Washington. The Supreme Court gave a win for the democratic principle of checks and balances in affirming that state courts can weigh in on legislative decisions affecting federal elections, but justices also left an opening for future challenges. | Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in an election law case Tuesday against a theory that state legislatures are free to set election law without interference from state courts.

The case, Moore v. Harper, considered whether the so-called independent state legislature theory used in North Carolina was constitutional. Under the theory, a state legislature alone can decide policy related to federal elections and can ignore state courts and constitutions. The theory was tested after North Carolina Republicans passed redistricted congressional boundaries in 2021 that critics said were gerrymandered, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The court ruled against the theory in a majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts. In a decision that cut across ideological lines, he was joined in his opinion by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

State courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restraints when legislatures act under the power conferred upon them by the Elections Clause, Roberts wrote.

In a dissent written by Justice Clarence Thomas, he said the court should not have taken the case because the initial judgement by the state court was already overturned.

North Carolinas Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, who is named in the case, said in a statement that he was proud of the work done to pursue it to the Supreme Court.

Ultimately, the question of the role of state courts in congressional redistricting needed to be settled and this decision has done just that, he said. We will continue to move forward with the redistricting process later this year.

The ruling pleased Democrats otherwise frustrated with the conservative courts decisions in other cases this week, including one on affirmative action.

Vice President Kamala Harris praised the Moore v. Harper decision in a statement. Harris said the courts ruling preserves state courts critical role in safeguarding elections and protecting the voice and the will of the American people, and called on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and was part of an amicus brief last year opposing the legal theory used in North Carolina, called the decision a victory for democracy.

Related

The Court in a 6-3 decision by Chief Justice Roberts joined by justices across the ideological spectrum rightly struck down this attempt to subvert the democratic process, she said in a statement. The Court kept in place the constitutional checks and balances that are fundamental to our democracy and rejected this radical attempt to diminish the power of voters across the country.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement he supported the decision.

This is a good decision that curbs some of the power of Republican state legislatures and affirms the importance of checks and balances, Cooper said.

Related

Groups in favor of the decision include the ACLU, which tweeted that the court rejected a radical legal theory that threatened our democracy, and the nonprofit Democracy Forward, whose president and CEO Skye Perryman said the court rejected North Carolina officials anti-democratic effort to strip state courts of their ability to review congressional maps.

This process of checks-and-balances is key to American democracy, Perryman said. We are pleased at the steps the Court has taken to prevent the spread and legitimization of this dangerous legal theory by other states and rogue actors.
The U.S. Supreme Court building at dusk on Capitol Hill in Washington

Nearly a year after President Joe Biden's administration first announced its plan to forgive $400 billion in student loan debt for tens of millions of borrowers, the U.S. Supreme Court officially put an end to it Friday morning. But Biden made clear at a news conference denouncing the decision later that afternoon that he has a new plan to still cancel debts for more than 40 million Americans.

In a 6-3 decision, with the court's liberal justices dissenting, the Supreme Court agreed with six Republican-led states that the HEROES Act does not authorize the debt forgiveness plan.

The case  Biden v. Nebraska  challenged Biden's authority to use the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, better known as the HEROES Act, to forgive borrowers' student loans. The post-9/11 law was initially passed to keep service members from being financially hurt while deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has since been used to allow the Secretary of Education to waive or modify the terms of federal student loans as necessary during a national emergency.

In Department of Education v. Brown, another case related to Biden's forgiveness plan, justices unanimously ruled that the respondents never had legal standing to sue and prove they were harmed by the plan in the first place.

But the court's conservative justices argued that Missouri, one of the states who sued as part of Biden v. Nebraska, had at least some standing.

That's because Missouri is home to the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri, also known as the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority or MOHELA, one of the largest holders and servicers of student loans in the U.S. MOHELA itself was not a respondent in the case.

Biden's forgiveness plan, the majority opinion said, would hurt MOHELA's revenues, impairing its ability to help Missouri's college students. This harm to MOHELA in the performance of its public function, the conservative justices said, is essentially a direct injury to Missouri itself.

"The authority to 'modify' statutes and regulations allows the Secretary to make modest adjustments and additions to existing regulations," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, "not transform them."

Associate Justice Elena Kagan, who authored the dissenting opinion, wrote that "in every respect, the court today exceeds its proper, limited role in our nations governance."

"The court once again substitutes itself for Congress and the executive branch  and the hundreds of millions of people they represent  in making this nations most important, as well as most contested, policy decisions," she wrote."

The White House announced last August that borrowers with federal student loans could receive up to $20,000 in forgiveness if they had received a Pell grant and up to $10,000 for many other borrowers. The relief was available only to those who earn less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 as a household.

Roughly 43 million borrowers were eligible for some type of relief under Bidens programs, and about 20 million of those would've seen their debts wiped away completely.

How does Biden plan to forgive student loan debt now?

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Biden mourned the end of one of his administration's signature programs.

Let me begin by saying I know theres millions of Americans  millions of Americans  in this country who feel disappointed and discouraged and even a little bit angry about the courts decision today about student debt, Biden says. And I must admit I do, too.

He also called out Republican members of Congress, some of whom received thousands of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the pandemic that were later forgiven but did not support his student debt plan.

The hypocrisy is stunning, he said.

In addition to laying out several other ways his administration has made college more affordable by increasing the Pell Grant, Biden said his administration will pursue a different legal argument under a Higher Education Act of 1965, rather than the HEROES Act.

The HEA gives the Secretary of Education broad authority to compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand associated with federal student loans, according to the law.

In my view, its the best path that remains to providing as many borrowers as possible with debt relief, Biden said.

Student loan debt relief: How we got here

Since Biden announced his plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt back in August 2022, opponents have sought to quash it. A handful of lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country attempted to overturn the debt cancellation program, and two of those cases have put the plan on pause.

In October, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay prohibiting the administration from discharging any loan forgiveness until it ruled on an emergency request by six Republican states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina. A three-judge panel of that court issued an injunction Nov. 14 temporarily barring the program, ruling the U.S. Department of Education overstepped its authority.

President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Oct. 17 at the student debt relief portal beta test in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex in Washington.

The court heard the two cases related to Biden's student loan forgiveness plan in February. Though there had been considerable debate before justices heard both cases over whether or not they were the right parties to sue, the court's conservative majority suggested Biden overstepped his legal authority.

"We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse, Chief Justice John Roberts said at the time. This is a case that presents extraordinarily serious, important issues about the role of Congress and about the role that we should exercise in scrutinizing that significance."

Two of the court's liberal justices  Associate Justices Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson  pushed back against some criticism from their conservative colleagues that the Biden program is unfair to those who didn't attend college or who already paid off their loans.

I just don't know how far we can go with this notion of, to the extent that the government is providing much-needed assistance to people in an emergency, it's going to be unfair to those who don't get the same benefit," Brown Jackson said during arguments.

Federal student loans will start accruing interest again on Sept. 1, and payments will be due starting in October. With forgiveness in doubt, use this extra time wisely, financial experts warn.

Have a student loan balance? Get ready to start making those payments again

After three years and nine extensions, student loan borrowers will actually start repaying on their loans by the end of this summer.

Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy came to an agreement during the federal debt ceiling negotiations stating that student loan forbearance would officially end 60 days after June 30. Although the timeline is close to what the Biden administration had previously laid out, codifying it all but removes the ability to extend forbearance any longer.

Student loan forbearance: With or without forgiveness, you will have to start paying on your student loans soon

That means student loan interest will begin to accrue again on Sept. 1, and payments will be due starting in October, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

In addition to a new pathway to loan forgiveness, Biden said that the Department of Education will give borrowers a 12-month "ramp-up" period to get used to paying their loans again. Borrowers who dont pay their student loan bills won't be referred to credit agencies during that time.

USA Today reporters John Fritze, Joey Garrison, Nirvi Shah, Chris Quintana and Alia Wong contributed to the reporting of this article.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Supreme Court cancels Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. What now?
Nanterre, France (CNN)  The mother of a 17-year-old killed by French police said she blames only the officer who shot her son for his death, a tragedy that has sparked three consecutive nights of destructive unrest and revived a heated debate about discrimination and policing in low-income, multi-ethnic communities.

The boy, Nahel, was shot dead during a traffic stop Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the drivers side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger.

The officer said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache.

I dont blame the police, I blame one person, the one who took my sons life, Nahels mother, Mounia, told television station France 5 in an on-camera interview.

Prache said that it is believed the officer acted illegally in using his weapon. He is currently facing a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

Protests flare overnight

Despite calls from top officials for patience to allow time for the justice system to run its course, a sizable number of people across France remain shocked and angry, especially young men and women of color who have been victims of discrimination by police.

That anger has, for three nights in a row, given way to violent protests across the nation.

Ahead of another expected night of unrest, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 policemen would deploy across France on Friday, and that he is also mobilizing more special units, armored vehicles and helicopters.

Some 917 people were detained following overnight violence on Thursday, including 13 children, Darmanin told French TV channel TF1.

The death of the young man cannot justify the disorder and the delinquency, the minister added.

Confrontations flared between protesters and police in Nanterre on Thursday, where a bank was set on fire and graffiti saying vengeance pour Nael (using an alternative spelling of his name) was spray painted on a wall nearby.

Overseas French territories have also witnessed protests. A man was killed by a stray bullet in Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, during riots on Thursday.

Scars from three days of protests were clear in the suburb on Friday, as was the acrid smell left behind by burning detritus, which was being removed. Streets remained charred where burning cars used to be, with patches of graffiti calling on justice for Nahel and insulting the police. Near the site of a pitched battle with police, a smattering of dug-up bricks, tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and metal barriers remain splayed about.

Across the country, 200 government buildings were vandalized on Thursday night, according to the French Interior Ministry.

All large-scale events in France have been banned as of Friday afternoon, and bus and tram services across faced a nationwide shutdown ordered for 9 p.m. on Friday evening.

In Britain, authorities issued a travel warning due to violent riots targeting shops, public buildings and parked cars. They also cautioned disruptions to road travel, local transportation and the implementation of curfews.

The German government expressed concern over the nationwide protests in France, adding there was no indication that Macron would cancel an upcoming state visit to Berlin.

Macron flies back from summit

The violence has prompted President Emmanuel Macron to hold a crisis meeting the second day in a row, BFMTV reported, as his government tries to avoid a repeat of 2005. The deaths of two teenage boys hiding from police that year sparked three weeks of rioting and prompted the government to call a state of emergency.

He had returned from a European Council summit on Thursday in Brussels to convene the crisis meeting.

The French president called for calm and asked parents to take responsibility for their children amid the unrest. He said the situation is unacceptable and unjustifiable, especially when the violence is targeting public building.

A third of the almost 900 people detained overnight are young, Macron told reporters at the Interior Ministry. Authorities will be investigating the role of social media in inciting the riots, and there will be further measures announced in the coming hours, he added.

Continued unrest would be a major blow to the governments agenda. Macron and his ministers have spent much of the year dealing with the fallout of pushing through extremely unpopular pension reforms that were divisive enough that the government felt it necessary to launch a 100-day plan to heal and unite the country.

That deadline is up on July 14, Frances national day.

Macron attended an Elton John concert in Paris on Wednesday, even as the demonstrations boiled over.

Elton Johns husband, David Furnish posted a picture on Instagram on Thursday of himself and Elton John smiling backstage with the French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron after the show at the Accor Arena.

If Macrons government is to address allegations of institutional racism in response to Nahels death, it will be a tough balancing act.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on France to address deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement on Friday, a statement the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs described as totally unfounded.

The ministry described law enforcement in France as subject to various levels of judicial control that few countries have.

France, and its police forces, fight with determination against racism and all forms of discrimination. There can be no doubt about this commitment, the ministry added. The use of force by the national police and gendarmerie is governed by the principles of absolute necessity and proportionality, strictly framed and controlled.

He saw an Arab face  and wanted to take his life

Race and discrimination are always tricky political issues, but in France they are particularly challenging due to the countrys unique brand of secularism, which seeks to ensure equality for all by removing markers of difference, rendering all citizens French first.

In practice, however, that vigorous adherence to French Republicanism often prevents the government from doing anything that would appear to differentiate French citizens on the basis of race, including collecting statistics.

Mounia, like other activists, believes her sons race was a factor in his killing. French media have reported that Nahel was of Algerian descent, and the countrys Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a statement extending its condolences to Nahels family.

He saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life, she said, referring to the police officer who fired their weapon.

Killing youngsters like this, how long is this going to last? she added. How many mothers are going to be like me? What are they waiting for?

While the governments approach has so far been cautious, left-wing politicians and some activists have called for police reform, including abolishing a 2017 law that allowed police greater leeway in when they can use firearms.

Laurent-Franck Lienard, the lawyer of the officer accused of shooting Nahel, told French radio station RTL that his client acted in compliance of the law. He claimed his clients prosecution was political and being used as a way to calm the violent tensions.

He added that his client was devastated by Nahels death and he did not want to kill him.

He committed an act in a second, in a fraction of a second. Perhaps he made a mistake, justice will tell, Lienard said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "I blame one person, mother of teen killed by police says as hundreds arrested in fresh violence across France"
The Supreme Court in an expected move on Friday ruled that Lorie Smith, a Colorado-based Christian web designer, is not beholden to a state law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and may legally refuse services to LGBTQ people.

The ruling, which states that Colorados anti-discrimination law violates Smiths First Amendment rights by requiring her to create wedding websites for same-sex couples  unions she believes to be false  leaves a question mark for the future of LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in the U.S.

Its not clear how exactly Fridays ruling will impact the rights of LGBTQ Americans moving forward, but LGBTQ activists and legal scholars have some ideas.

This is a disappointing decision that invites further discrimination against the LGBTQ community, said Janson Wu, the executive director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), a nonprofit legal rights group. Its also highly fact-specific and authorizes only a narrow exception to Colorados nondiscrimination law.

That means the ruling, which is now binding precedent, does not apply to other businesses or other sections of Colorados nondiscrimination law. It also doesnt automatically weaken anti-discrimination laws or statutes in other states, although the ruling is likely to be cited in future cases challenging them on similar grounds.

Whether youre an LGBT graphic designer, a Jewish calligrapher, an Atheist speechwriter, or a pro-life photographer, the government shouldnt force any of us to say something we dont believe, Smith said Friday in a statement released by her attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal organization.

The groups President, CEO and general counsel, Kristen Waggoner, who argued before the court on behalf of Smith and 303 Creative, on Friday said the court in siding with Smith reiterated that it is unconstitutional for the state to eliminate from the public square ideas it dislikes, including the belief that marriage is the union of husband and wife.

Disagreement isnt discrimination, and the government cant mislabel speech as discrimination to censor it, she said.

In 27 states and Washington, D.C., public accommodations laws prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks state-level policies impacting LGBTQ people. One state  Wisconsin  prohibits discrimination based only on sexual orientation.

We have no doubt that our opponents will try to use this decision to justify discrimination in other contexts that are very different from the 303 Creative case, said Wu. We expect to see a flood of litigation in the coming years seeking to apply the holding of this case where it should not apply, given the very specific facts upon which this decision is based.

But while its expected that others will use the case to bolster their own arguments against nondiscrimination protections, we believe, going forward, our opponents will have a high hurdle in court to prove that their business is similar to the very specific, original content that 303 Creative creates, Wu said.

Justice Neil Gorsuch on Friday noted the narrow scope of the case, writing in Fridays decision that there are no doubt innumerable goods and services that no one could argue implicate the First Amendment. The government also has a compelling interest in eliminating discrimination in places of public accommodation, he wrote.

But Gorsuch and the courts conservative majority, by siding with Smith, effectively weakened the state of Colorados ability to do just that, according to Sarah Warbelow, the legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, the nations largest LGBTQ civil rights group.

The state can no longer as robustly enforce its nondiscrimination laws as it once could, Warbelow said, and while these exemptions are narrow, they do exist.

Still, Warbelow said, theres no reason to believe that Justice Gorsuch wants to see widespread discrimination against LGBTQ people.

The court, despite the fact that I believe the ruling is incorrect and not an appropriate interpretation of the Constitution, does at least sort of contemplate that there is an intentional narrowness to the decision that shouldnt be applied broadly, she said.

Justice Gorsuch makes clear that there is nothing stopping states from adopting nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people, Warbelow added, but we also know that there are organizations that want to undermine all nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ folks, and theyre gonna continue to bring litigation in an effort to use this decision to justify more and more discrimination against LGBTQ people.

Some, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a biting dissent on Friday, have warned that the Supreme Courts decision to protect Smiths and 303 Creatives right to refuse services to LGBTQ couples wont just impact LGBTQ people, and could very well open the door for discrimination against other protected groups.

Its hard to see, based on the logic of that decision, how that same company couldnt also, for instance, refuse to do a wedding website for an interfaith couple if they disagreed with interfaith marriages, said Praveen Fernandes, vice president for the Constitutional Accountability Center, a progressive legal think tank in Washington. Religion is also protected under Colorados public accommodations statute.

The courts decision by its logic extends an exception, potentially, to individuals who are protected by other parts of that statute  who are protected classes, Fernandes said.

That said, just because a business is permitted to discriminate against a certain group of people, doesnt mean that it will, Fernandes said, and most American adults support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.

Companies that choose to have discriminatory policies will still have to grapple with the societal progress that weve made in accepting the LGBTQ population and the very real reality that the public might reject providers that want to discriminate against our friends, or neighbors or family members, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Supreme Courts ruling Friday in favor of a Christian website designer who doesnt want to make wedding websites for same-sex couples has raised a long list of legal questions. Among them: Are businesses now allowed to generally refuse to serve same-sex couples or LGBTQ people?

Legal experts have mixed opinions, but most of them say that the answer, at least for the majority of businesses, is no  at least for now.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion, noted repeatedly that the case, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, centered on a very specific type of speech. The website designers business provided expressive, individualized services and involved pure speech, meaning literal written words. However, many businesses provide expressive services, legal experts said.

And even though Fridays decision was narrow, some experts said it could be expanded in coming years to slowly chip away at nondiscrimination laws that prevent businesses from discriminating against people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or any other protected class they might fall into.

A hairstylist is expressive, an architect provides an expressive service, a college application essay assistance service is expressive, a photography studio provides expressive services, said David Cole, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who argued a case before the Supreme Court involving a Christian baker in Colorado who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

So does this mean that a corporate photography studio could refuse to take portraits of women because of the belief that women should not work outside the home? The majority, said Cole, does not take on that core question, which is, what is the limit of their decision?

Lorie Smith at a rally outside the Supreme Court (Francis Chung / POLITICO via AP file )

Christian website designer Lorie Smith sued the state of Colorado in 2016, arguing that its anti-discrimination law  which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on one's race, creed, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected class  violates her right to free speech under the Constitutions First Amendment. Smith argued that she should be able to refuse to provide her creative services for same-sex weddings, which go against her religious beliefs. She never faced penalties for refusing a same-sex couple and sued on hypothetical grounds.

In its 6-3 ruling on Friday, the court decided in her favor.

Mary Bonauto, who argued on behalf of same-sex couples in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that granted same-sex couples the right to marriage, called the courts ruling a mixed bag.

Bonauto, who now serves as the civil rights project director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD, said she interpreted the court ruling to protect only businesses that offer services as unique and specific as Smiths.

The overwhelming majority of businesses out there do nothing like this, nothing like vetting and unique customization per person, per couple and creating unique artwork and designs and texts for each. The fact that this was all in writing was extremely influential to the court, Bonauto added, referring to Smiths website designs. I want to be clear, however, that this does open the door to businesses that want to claim they provide customized services and therefore use that claim to discriminate against people they would prefer to exclude.

Bonauto acknowledged that the way the public might interpret expressive services could differ from the courts interpretation in Friday ruling.

On the one hand, I think many people put a lot of heart into their work, and so they feel like it expresses them. On the other hand, the law is much more limited about what counts as expression, she said. And the fact that you, yourself, create original texts out of your own head, your own mind, your own creativity, and write that for someone else, and its very customized to the individual, is what the court says is on the side of the line of constituting expression.

Anthony Michael Kreis, assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, said 90%, 95% of the kind of ordinary public accommodations, commercial transactions that people have will remain untouched. He used as examples sandwich shops, mechanics and hotels, where he said theres no expressive content.

Kreis added, however, that certain creative businesses fall into a danger zone. These businesses include florists, cake decorators and DJs, because they do create tailored, expressive content for customers  though they dont use speech in the same way Smith does.

Erin Hawley, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative Christian legal group representing Smith, agreed with other legal experts that the courts ruling would protect businesses only in cases where speech is being created.

If youre talking about goods that are so-called off-the shelf, if you had a premade T-shirt, then nondiscrimination laws apply as they usually do, and a shop owner has to sell that T-shirt to anyone, Hawley said. On the other hand, if a T-shirt owner, or shop owner, is creating a message, then thats where the First Amendment applies and says that the government cannot force someone to say a speech-specific message that they disagree with.

Katherine Franke, the director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School, doesnt agree and said the decision could be used by a variety of businesses that dont want to provide services to certain people.

Theres a lot of craft that goes into making a good sandwich, Franke said. You go into those delis, and theyve named them after fun things and they put some creativity into it and thats their signature sandwich. Is that creative activity thats protected by the First Amendment? Well, kind of after 303 Creative.

She added that the courts sweeping decision uses the First Amendment to override what is a democratically determined set of rights for LGBT people, but for a larger class than that as well.

Weve never seen anything like this before, where ones free speech rights or beliefs expressed through some creative or form of speech in opposition to equality basically gut those equality rights that weve enacted through a proper democratic process, Franke said.

Smith won her case by asserting that Colorados nondiscrimination law would violate her freedom of expression, but the First Amendment also includes the freedom of association, which means the right to freely interact with or associate with groups.

Georgetown University law professor Paul Smith  who argued the landmark Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which found sodomy laws unconstitutional in 2003  predicted that freedom of association claims are where future lawsuits on this issue will arise.

What youre going to start to see eventually is people saying, I run my little inn in this little town somewhere, and I dont want to have same-sex couples sleeping in one of my bedrooms. I dont want to be associated with that conduct, Smith said. The freedom of association is a separate First Amendment right they might try to utilize to expand this beachhead that theyve established into the business world of using First Amendment arguments to establish the right to discriminate.

He said the courts decision raises the question of not just which businesses can refuse services, but also to whom  can they refuse interracial couples, for example?

The court is just embarking on what may be a multi-year process of trying to figure out how far this will go and how to limit it, he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Afghanistans farms account for more than 80 per cent of the worlds opium production - ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images

Americas war on drugs, launched by President Richard Nixon in 1971, raged for more than half a century but hardly put a dent in the Afghan opium trade.

The countrys farms account for more than 80 per cent of the worlds opium production but even the American invasion in 2001 did little to disrupt the flow of drugs out of the nation.

But now, where the worlds drug enforcement community has failed, the Taliban themselves are succeeding.

In April last year, the groups religious leaders issued an edict prohibiting poppy farming across Afghanistan. More than 12 months on, the ban is being described by experts as the most successful counter-narcotics effort in human history.

The impact on the ground has been dramatic. Afghan poppy production has plummeted by an estimated 80 per cent in the last year as Taliban enforcers move from farm to farm destroying crops and punishing offenders.

Cultivation in Helmand province, which once produced around four-fifths of Afghanistans poppies and was the centre of British operations in the country from 2006 to 2014, fell to around 2,500 acres this year, down from 320,000 the year before, according to estimates based on satellite imagery.

The Taliban issued an edict prohibiting poppy farming across Afghanistan last April - Simon Townsley

Taliban guards destroy a poppy plantation in Argo district of Badakhshan province - OMER ABRAR/AFP via Getty Images

Now, experts are warning of profound and unpredictable consequences if the ban on poppy production holds  consequences that will reach far beyond Afghanistans borders.

Opiate production in countries like Myanmar and Mexico could boom to fill the void created by Taliban, with all sorts of attendant impacts on trafficking routes, gangs and supply chains.

Meanwhile, Afghan farmers and others who rely on the poppy trade could be driven to leave the country, further undermining the domestic economy and exacerbating irregular migration pressures on large parts of Europe, Asia and America.

Its also possible that the gap left by the collapse of the worlds largest opium market could be filled by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids  substances that, through overdose, are killing more young and middle-aged Americans (18-45) than cancer, heart disease or guns.

I think the concern would be that if heroin supplies diminish significantly  and we wont get a flavour of that until next year  a lot of fentanyl will come into the system, said Harry Shapiro, a UK-based expert with 45 years of experience in the narcotics field and director of DrugsWise.

And if there was a lot of fentanyl, or similar, in the system, then the likely outcome of that is more deaths, rather than a longer cycle of addiction. People dont get addicted to heroin after a few days, but your first hit of fentanyl could be your last.

It is not the first time that the Taliban attempted to clamp down on poppy production in Afghanistan, which itself has long struggled with heroin addiction. A similar ban was imposed in 2000, the last time the group was in power, but it was effectively ended by the US-led invasion the following year.

That experience showed an interruption in supply can take some time to make itself felt internationally. Opium is relatively easy to store and it will take another year to 18 months for hoarded supplies along the trafficking route out of Afghanistan to be exhausted, experts say.

Following the last ban on production, international opium prices surged and, in the UK, the purity of heroin sold on the streets fell from 55 to 34 per cent.

Back then the ban was fairly short-lived, said Mr Shapiro. But the poppy trail is so long from Afghanistan to the UK, that you never know how much heroin is in transit at any one time. The actual ban didnt really impact supply.

This time around, experts are waiting to see if the Talibans edict will last beyond one season, which starts each November with the planting of poppy seeds.

It is not the first time that the Taliban attempted to clamp down on poppy production in Afghanistan, which itself has long struggled with heroin addiction - Simon Townsley

Drug addicts at the Pul-e-Sukhta bridge, Kabul - Simon Townsley

In religious terms at least, the ban certainly sounds like it may be permanent.

All Afghans are informed that from now on cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country, said the edict, issued in April 2022 by the Talibans supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.

They will not plant poppy on their land. If anyone plants poppy on his land, then the poppy will be destroyed and he will face legal action.

Yet the economics of the ban make little sense.

In a recent briefing to the UK parliament Dr David Mansfield, author of A State Built on Sand: How opium undermined Afghanistan, estimated the ban has wiped out the equivalent of 450,000 full-time jobs in agriculture  a major hit to an economy still reeling from drought, conflict and cuts to development programmes.

By itself, the Afghan opiate economy, including domestic consumption and exports, accounted for between 9 and 14 per cent per cent of the countrys GDP in 2021.

One senior analyst at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crimes, who recently travelled to Afghanistan and asked not to be named for fear of endangering his contacts in the country, said the picture on the ground is quite complicated.

The idea that the Taliban is uniformly enforcing the edict, we need to analyse and properly evaluate, the analyst said. We have to be a little bit sceptical. Because of the complex political economy, they cant upset local communities.

The analyst suggested the ban had been enforced to court Western diplomatic recognition, a view echoed by local Afghans. The ban on poppies by the Taliban is not a Sharia decision, but rather a political interaction with the international community, said one tribal leader from Helmands Nad-e Ali district, who declined to be named in case of reprisal.

Others, however, are convinced the ban is absolute  for now, at least. Graeme Smith, an Afghanistan expert at Crisis Group, said the crackdown has so far been the most successful counter-narcotics effort in human history, according to the volume of drugs taken off the market.

Farmers sell off assets

Mohammadullah, a farmer in Nawazd district, said: The Taliban are definitely implementing the decisions of their leaders. They have kept an eye on the lands of all the people who planted even a little opium. They destroyed their fields and imprisoned some farmers.

Stripped of their income, men like Mohammadullah may leave Afghanistan in search of new opportunities. Already, there have been reports of distress sales among farmers who dont have poppy stocks to fall back on, according to Dr Mansfield.

So they are selling off the family gold, the wifes dowry and selling off some land, he told MPs last month. There is also out-migration  one of the viable coping strategies, in the absence of poppy, over an extended period will be to leave the country.

For now, its too early to say how the global market will respond to the ban, but there are early indications of what could happen next.

Instability in Myanmar has led to a boom in poppy cultivation  with the junta and many of their opponent militias tacitly supporting growers because it is an important source of income and alternative options are limited.

In 2022, the first full growing season since the juntas takeover, the amount of land used to grow opium poppies jumped by 33 per cent to 40,100 hectares, while production almost doubled to 795 metric tonnes, according to a UN report published in January.

Tom Kean, a Myanmar expert at Crisis Group, said Myanmars opium boom was not sparked by Afghanistans drought but could end up being fueled by it.

As to whether Myanmar will become the worlds biggest producer, it is starting from a long way back, said Mr Kean. However, if the ban is as strict as in 2000/01, then it could happen.

More generally, the long-term imposition of the ban would likely increase opium prices, especially as international stockpiles are exhausted, incentivising new actors to enter the market.

In an analysis published last month, Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a UK-based charity, said opium production could expand in several countries and regions with the appropriate climate, including India, Turkey, and central Asia.

However, it said that the sheer scale of new or diverted production needed to replace Afghan opium, set up laboratories to convert it to heroin, and increase capacity in trafficking routes from other areas would not happen overnight.

If the stocks dry up, then there will be adjustments in the market, said Martin Jelsma, Programme Director for Drugs and Democracy at the Transnational Institute, a Dutch-based think tank. But it would probably take a few years before trafficking routes are re-established.

More harmful than heroin

Perhaps the most worrying prospect of all is a sudden increase in the availability of synthetic opioids if the Talibans ban eventually drives a heroin shortage.

In a 2022 report, the UN said the crackdown may lead to  [the] replacement of heroin or opium by other substances at the user level, some of which may be even more harmful than heroin or opium (such as fentanyl and its analogues).

Easily manufactured in make-shift laboratories and 50 times more potent than heroin, fentanyl would make for an appealing alternative to organised crime groups: one kilo of the drug would be far easier to smuggle into a market than 50 kilos of heroin, yet would generate the same revenue.

At the same time, appetite for heroin is now fading in markets, says Paul Griffiths, scientific director at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, adding that the wave of addiction seen in the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s has largely passed.

Against this backdrop, the Talibans ban may push criminal groups away from the drug entirely and encourage them to establish new illicit markets instead.

The Talibans ban may push criminal groups away from heroin entirely - Simon Townsley

The experience of the 2001 heroin drought  and the reaction of the European market, which receives 95 per cent of its opium from Afghanistan  gives some illustration of what could happen, says Mr Griffiths.

Then, there were profound changes in the opioid-using market which persisted over time, particularly in the Baltic states, he said. In countries like Estonia, fentanyl replaced heroin as the drug of choice for opioid addicts. This remains the case to this day.

We know from previous experience this disruption can change the equilibrium of the drug market and once new products have become established, they can persist over time, Mr Griffiths added. So its certainly a potential threat that synthetic opioids take off.

Western Europes superior health systems and harm reduction services should insulate the region against the sudden availability of fentanyl, but this may not be the case in the east of the continent, where such infrastructure is non-existent, said Mr Jelsma.

Theres more of a risk to the old Soviet Union countries, he added.

Like many other experts, though, Mr Jelsma agrees its impossible to say with any certainty what will unfold over the next two years. But should the Talibans ban endure, he says, there could be serious consequences which we will need to be ready for.

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Kathija hopes the memories of her work will keep her happy in retirement

Nurses and midwives are vital for India's healthcare system, but it faces challenges due to high demand and limited resources. Kathija Bibi, a recently retired nurse who received a government award for overseeing more than 10,000 successful deliveries, looks back on the changes she saw in attitudes towards women's healthcare in her 33-year-long career.

"I am proud that not a single one of the 10,000 babies I delivered died on my watch," says Kathija Bibi, 60, who counts this as the highlight of her career.

The state's health minister, Ma. Subramanian, told the BBC that Khatija recently received a government award as no death was recorded during her years of service.

During the three decades she worked at a government health centre in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India has transformed from a country with a high maternal mortality rate to one that is closer to the global average. She says she has also witnessed positive changes in people's attitudes to girls being born, and towards having fewer children.

Kathija was pregnant herself when she began working in 1990.

"I was seven months pregnant yet I was helping other women. I returned to work after a short maternity break of two months," Kathija recalls. "I know how anxious women are when they go into labour, so making them comfortable and confident is my first priority."

Kathija says her own experience of motherhood helped her guide pregnant mums through childbirth

Kathija, who retired in June, radiates calm composure. Her clinic - in the predominantly rural town of Villupuram, 150km (93 miles) south of Chennai city - is not equipped to do Caesarean sections so if she detected any complications, she immediately sent pregnant women to the district hospital.

Kathija's inspiration is her mum Zulaika, who was also a village nurse. "I used to play with syringes in my childhood. I got so used to the smell of hospital," she recalls.

From a young age, she understood the importance of her mother's work in providing healthcare to poor and semi-literate rural women. At that time, private hospitals were rare and women from all backgrounds relied on the state maternity home which is now called a primary health centre.

"When I started, there was one doctor, seven helpers and two other nurses," says Kathija. "Work was very hectic in the first few years. I couldn't look after my children. I missed family functions. But those days gave me a very valuable learning experience."

In 1990, India's maternal mortality rate (MMR) stood at 556 deaths per 100,000 live births. In the same year, India recorded 88 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The latest government figures show that MMR stands at 97 per 100,000 live births, and the infant mortality rate at 27 per 1,000 live births.

A midwife examines a pregnant woman in a clinic in Bihar state

Kathija attributes this progress to government investment in rural healthcare and rising female literacy rates.

On a normal day, Kathija would handle just one or two births but she easily remembers her busiest day. "8 March 2000 was the most hectic day in my life." It was International Women's Day and people were greeting her as she walked into the clinic. "I saw two women in labour waiting for me. I helped them deliver their babies. Then six more women came into our clinic."

Kathija only had one assistant to help her but the stress was soon forgotten. "When I was about to leave that day, I could hear infants crying. It was a very nice feeling."

The nurse reckons she has helped bring into the world 50 pairs of twins and one pair of triplets.

Now, Kathija says that women from wealthy families prefer to go to private hospitals. She has also seen a surge in Caesarean sections.

"My mother saw so many deaths during childbirth. Caesareans have saved so many lives," says Kathija. "When I started, women used to fear surgery. But now many fear natural births and are opting for surgery."

As the income of rural households has improved in the past three decades, it has brought its own challenges. ''Gestational diabetes used to be a rare condition. But now, it's becoming very common.''

There has been a significant societal shift as Kathija now receives a growing number of requests from husbands who eagerly want to be present during childbirth with their wives.

"I have seen bad times and good times. Some husbands would not even visit their wives if she bore a girl child. Some women would weep uncontrollably if she delivered a second or third girl."

A mother shows her new-born daughter at a hospital in Himachal Pradesh

In the 90s, cases of sex-selective abortions and infanticide were so widely reported that the Indian government banned doctors from revealing a baby's gender to parents. The Tamil Nadu government also launched a 'Cradle Baby Scheme' to take care of unwanted girls. "But now, the scenario has changed," says Kathija. "Many couples only opt for two children, irrespective of gender."

She has no firm plans for life after retirement, but knows what she will miss.

"I always look forward to hearing the shrill and piercing first cry of a new-born," she says.

"You know even women who go through a painful labour, they forget everything and start smiling when they hear their babies cry. Watching that relief was such an exhilarating experience for me. It was a soulful journey for me all these years."

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The Combined Agency OVI Task Force of Montgomery will be operating a pair of sobriety checkpoints in the City of Dayton tonight.

>>4 vehicles flee from OVI checkpoints, deputies; Increased patrol expected throughout Miami Valley

The first will occur in the 2300 block of Stanley Avenue while the second is taking place at the 1400 block of Wayne Avenue, a Dayton Police spokesperson said.

The checkpoints will run between 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. tonight.

The first checkpoint will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and the second checkpoint will run from 8:30- 11:30 p.m.

Dayton Police officers will be working with Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, Montgomery County Sheriffs Office deputies, and officers from the Combined Agency Task Force on conducting these OVI checkpoints, according to the spokesperson.

They will be checking drivers for alcohol and drug impairment.

>>RELATED: OVI checkpoints, patrols to increase for 4th of July holiday weekend

The OVI Task Force will be conducting four OVI checkpoints this weekend across Montgomery County.

OVI checkpoints and enhanced patrols on and around the Fourth of July weekend are an effort by law enforcement agencies to deter and apprehend impaired drivers, the spokesperson said.

They said the deadliest crashes occur at the start and throughout the holiday weekends.
Teamsters say strike still on the table at UPS

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Saturday that a strike of UPS delivery drivers is still possible after the union said it was negotiating on Friday.

UPS provided a counteroffer to the Teamsters demands Friday, hours before the union pledged to go on strike without a new contract.

The union said it had agreed not to strike as negotiations continued into the weekend.

The unions current contract expires on July 31 and any new contract must be agreed by July 5 to be ratified before the end of the month.

If no contract is reached by July 5, workers will strike when the contract ends, Teamsters president Sean OBrien said.

Our administration has made it clear. We will not be working beyond the expiration date without the contract our members have demanded, and more importantly without the contract our members deserve, OBrien said at a press conference Saturday.

Negotiations are focused on the economic portion of the five-year labor deal.

Teamster demands include increasing the number of full-time workers, upping wages and improving work conditions.

UPS has agreed to add air conditioning to its trucks, but the parties are split on hiring and compensation policy.

(UPS can) concede to our demands and give us what we deserve and we will go out there and ratify this agreement. Or they can take the other road where they dont ratify our demands, they stay loyal to Wall Street and forget about Main Street, OBrien said.

If they do that, they are making a choice to strike themselves. We will put 340,000 strong Teamsters on the streets until we get what we want and then UPS will be responsible for stopping supply chain solutions through this company, he added.

UPS is the largest delivery company in the U.S. with a market cap of about $154 billion and has over 500,000 employees nationwide. Over 300,000 are members of Teamsters.

The unions size gives a larger meaning to negotiations, OBrien said.

This is the largest bargaining agreement in any private sector union. We have the opportunity, because of the courage and conviction of our rank-and-file members who go to work every single day, to set the tone, to set the standard high for labor. Not just for Teamsters, but for the entire labor movement.

UPS, the ball is in their court, he added.

When reached out to, UPS told The Hill that the companys focus remains on the progress were making at the bargaining table.

Teamsters did not respond to a request for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is challenging President Biden and "woke" corporations to show as much pride in America as they did for LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Hunt on Friday introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that would designate the month of July as "American Pride Month." The purpose of his proposal is "to celebrate, memorialize, and increase awareness of the monumental achievements of the United States of America and the countless number of patriots throughout her history which have made this Nation the last best hope of earth."

The timing of the resolution comes just as LGBTQ+ Pride Month draws to a close. Each year, dozens of corporations adopt the rainbow colors of the Pride flag to signal their support for the LGBTQ+ community. On May 31, Biden proclaimed the month of June to be "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month," to honor and celebrate sexual diversity.

WHITE HOUSE ACCUSED OF US FLAG CODE VIOLATION OVER PRIDE MONTH DISPLAY

The White House also draped a rainbow-colored Pride flag flanked by two American flags over a banister facing the South Lawn, which critics accused of violating U.S. flag code.

Hunt observed that these overwhelming displays of LGBTQ+ pride come at a time when American pride is on the decline. A recent Wall Street Journal poll found that feelings of patriotism in the U.S. have taken a 30-point nosedive since 1998. The Texas Republican believes naming July "American Pride Month" could help to counter this trend.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

DALLAS PRIDE FESTIVAL FOR 'ALL AGES' SELLS SEX TOYS, EDIBLE PENISES, GRAPHIC DISNEY ART

"As President Reagan said in his farewell address to the nation, If we forget what we did, we wont know who we are. American Pride Month is about teaching our history to the next generation and passing on the values of what it means to be an American," Hunt told Fox News Digital.

"This resolution also serves as a challenge to this White House and woke corporations," he added. "Will they fly Old Glory as high and as proudly in July, as they did the LGBTQ flag in June?"

CALIFORNIA SENATE DEMOCRATS WALK OUT AFTER GOP HONORS GAY REPUBLICAN RICHARD GRENELL AMID PRIDE MONTH

Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt is pictured with his wife, Emily, and their children.

To encourage Americans to be proud of their country, Hunt will make a pro-America social media post every single day throughout the month of July with "#AmericanPrideMonth." He hopes to start a viral campaign that will honor the U.S. and rekindle patriotism in the country.

"Americas history is worth teaching, our story is worth remembering, and our progress is worth celebrating," Hunt said. "One nation under God. One flag for the United States of America."
Golden 1 Credit Union members in Sacramento took to social networking sites to report that they were being smished. Thats when scammers send fraudulent text messages to get people to reveal passwords, user names or other account information.

In a post on Nextdoor.com, a College Glen neighborhood resident stated that a friend told him: Got a fraudulent text this morning saying my credit union (Golden One) had been blocked and offering a link to reopen it. The website was a .org and not correct. My credit union website, when I opened it directly, had a specific notice warning about recent reports about this text. G1 said they NEVER text members. So, be alert. Dont click that link. Tell your family and friends about it.

Both Golden 1 Credit Union and the Sacramento Police Department said they were aware of the attempts to collect usernames and passwords and get access to accounts. The credit union posted a link to information about it on its home page.

On Nextdoor.com, dozens of people responded to the post, saying they had gotten the message as well. A number of people said theyd received it, even though, they didnt have a Golden 1 account.

In some replies, users speculated that this texting hoax could be related to a data breach that The Bee reported earlier this week. CalPERS and CalSTRS announced that a ransomware group hacked into a software application used by a vendor, RBI Research Services, and stole personally identifiable information such as social security numbers and birth dates belonging to a combined 1.2 million retirees and beneficiaries.

One cybersecurity expert, threat analyst Brett Callow of Emsisoft, said he wouldnt be surprised to learn that the texts are indeed connected to the hack into the MoveIt data transfer software that RBI and other entities worldwide use to do business.

Ultimately, that (stolen) information is likely to be used in frauds and scams, Callow said. That is the reason why data is stolen, or its part of the reason anyway. Its used to commit identity-related fraud.

Stolen data often used to commit identity-related fraud

These data breaches are just another way to get personal information into the hands of criminals, he said, but its not the only way.

Hes found Twitter users sharing photos of peoples drivers license and passports. Callow said he reported it and shared Twitters response with The Bee: After reviewing the available information, we want to let you know that (the account user) hasnt broken our safety policies. We know this isnt the answer youre looking for. If this account breaks our policies in the future, well let you know.

Its more important than ever, Callow said, that people and institutions be on the lookout for fraudulent activity. So far, 160-plus companies, government agencies and other entities around the world have reported being victims of the MoveIt data breach. More than 16 million people had their data stolen.

Sacramento Police said they have not received any crime reports related to the Golden 1 text messages. The type of fraud has come to be known as smishing, which combines the acronym used for texting  SMS, or short messaging service  with the word phishing.

In a statement emailed to The Bee, Golden 1 officials said that digital fraud is a growing problem and, unfortunately, large institutions and their customers are often targets.

There has been a recent increase in scammers impersonating financial institutions in the Sacramento region using fraudulent text messages and phone calls, the Golden 1 statement noted. Given our strong market share in the region, we have received reports that some of our members have been contacted.

How to protect yourself from text or phone scams

Golden 1 said if members are ever in doubt, they should call the company directly rather than clicking on a link in an email, texting, answering a suspicious phone call, or calling a phone number provided by the person contacting you. If you suspect a scam or fraud, use the mobile or online banking platforms to report it in the self-serve dispute system, or call member services at 8774653361.

Golden 1 and other experts also provided a list of red flags that signal trouble:

Emails, text messages, or phone calls asking for a one-time authentication code, your user ID and password for any accounts, code word, or your credit card or banking account details. No financial institution should ever initiate contact with you and then ask for login credentials or confidential information such as a PIN, password, or authentication code.

Messages with spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

Messages or phone calls that come from an unknown number. If the phone call appears to come from your financial institution, it is still worth verifying by reaching out to your financial intuition directly.

Messages or calls with threatening or high-pressure language.

Offers or opportunities that seem too good to be true.

Links to website addresses that are different from your companys address. For instance, the link on the fraudulent Golden 1 text sent this user to a site with a .org domain. Golden 1 uses the .com domain.

There are also ways to slow down or defeat identity thieves:

Use strong passwords. When it comes to passwords, longer is better. There should be a mix of numbers, symbols and uppercase and lower case letters. There should be no tie to your personal information.

Enabling enhanced security measures such as two-factor authentication, where you have to get a text or email with a code to enter your account.

Sign up for alerts of suspicious or unusual activity.

If your institution allows it, put some controls on your account to limit the size of withdrawals or charges or to restrict which accounts are available for withdrawals.

Review accounts regularly for unusual activity, and check financial statements for any unauthorized charges frequently.

Get a copy of your credit report annually and check to see whether any unauthorized accounts have been opened in your name.

Scammers have gotten increasingly sophisticated, duplicating the look of institutions web pages, Callow said, so users have to look closely for signs of fraud and call their financial institution if theyre not sure.
Nearly all privatised utilities, including in the energy industry, face a huge debt pile - Guy Bell / Alamy Stock Photo

It wasnt meant to be like this. People forget, but back in the late 1980s when the water industry was privatised, it was in even worse shape than it is now.

Decades of public ownership had deprived the water authorities of the capital required to invest in desperately needed infrastructure renewal and improved water quality.

Todays concern with sewage spills onto beaches and into rivers was just the half of it. Even the tap water was suspect back then, and would regularly fail EU standards.

Privatisation seemed to offer a solution.

Liberated from public sector spending constraints, and with unfettered access to private capital, the water authorities would finally be free to undertake the colossal investment needed to bring themselves up to scratch.

That it hasnt worked out that way is not the fault of privatisation as such.

Rather, it is down to key failings in regulation and to deeply embedded structural faults in our capital markets and economy  weaknesses that routinely favour short-term gain over long-term return, consumption over investment, and voluminous debt over equity.

Thames Water is broken Britain writ large: failing, overborrowed and a prime example of the financial engineering which these days so often substitutes for reliable, customer-focused management and investment in the future.

Nor is it just water. Virtually all the other privatised utilities, including the electricity industry, suffer from a similar affliction.

More than a decade of ultra-cheap money is obviously a large part of the problem. This has further added to the already long-standing tax advantages of debt leverage over equity.

But the root causes run much deeper. Its what Tom Tugendhat  one of the few candidates in last years Tory leadership contest talking any sense on the array of chronic challenges facing the UK economy  has called the difference between dead and live money.

Its not as if Britain lacks the capital to invest in our crumbling infrastructure; theres trillions of pounds-worth of it tied up in pensions and housing wealth.

But its not getting through to the industries that need it.

Instead, our pension wealth is overwhelmingly invested in the seeming safety of government debt, rather than chasing the higher long term rates of return promised by riskier equity investment. Dead money, in other words.

This has created a void into which the live money of international finance has stepped, with Thames Water and many of our other public utilities leveraged to the hilt and substantially in private or foreign ownership.

A clinically minded focus on sweating the assets has replaced almost all sense of loyalty to country and civic duty.

Stripped down to the last lightbulb, it is no surprise that our utilities can no longer deliver the services the public expect.

So shamelessly reliant on the hot money of international finance has the economy become that nationalising Thames Water and other struggling water companies without compensation, so that they can walk away from their collective 60bn of debt, is in practice no longer an option.

To do so would risk cutting off the flow of international money on which so much else has come to depend. Myriad other projects would go up in smoke, with the UK deemed politically too high-risk to be a dependable investment destination.

It wasnt always like this. Our pension funds could once have been relied on to provide the steady stream of evergreen funding that British business, and as they were privatised, the major utilities needed to invest in the future.

That they no longer do this is both unacceptable, and, on any objective analysis, bizarre, given the extraordinary quantity of the savings involved. It is therefore worth spelling out some of the reasons for how we got to where we are.

First came globalisation. This relegated our own stock market and economy to the position of just another minor player in a very large pond.

Pension funds began to spread their equity allocations around global stock markets as a whole, rather than just the UK, prompting a massive switch by UK pension funds away from UK equities into international markets.

Chronic underperformance of the London stock market followed naturally from this development.

Then came demographics. An ageing workforce saw numerous final salary pension schemes closed to new accruals, depriving the funds of the stream of new money needed to support future liabilities.

These closures were greatly accelerated by the reforms to solvency regulation that were imposed after the Maxwell scandal, when the boss ran off with the money, leaving Mirror Group pension schemes short.

Changes to accountancy rules, forcing companies to recognise any pension fund deficit on their balance sheets, compounded the belief that final salary pensions were too big a liability for companies to bankroll.

Rules that require companies to match the present value of assets with future liabilities were the final straw, driving a wholesale switch out of volatile equities into the supposedly risk-free home of government bonds.

Transparency is normally a good thing; the more of it the better. But sometimes it can work in perverse ways, as in this instance.

The superior, long-term rates of return on equities and other riskier assets, such as infrastructure investment, would appear tailor-made for the long term liabilities of pension provision, but any such strategy has to recognise that all such investment is volatile.

Sometimes the current value of the assets is going to fall short.

Yet if that shortfall is there for all to see, then companies and their shareholders are almost bound to run a mile, and seek to insulate themselves from the risks.

Corporate profits that might otherwise be spent on productive investment are instead devoted to closing deficits via matching purchases of government bonds.

The Government is deeply complicit in the process, because it relies heavily on pension fund money to fund its own burgeoning spending commitments.

The leviathan of current government consumption deliberately crowds out private investment in the productive economy.

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, promises to address the deficiencies in pension investment in his speech to the Mansion House dinner in the City of London later this month.

He could not have been given a more timely wake-up call than the disaster that is Thames Water, a company that for many years now has been shamelessly run for cash to the exclusion of its wider civic obligations.

That this has been allowed to happen is only so because Britains biggest repository of savings has substantially recused itself from investment in the nations productive asset base.

Getting this right is fundamental to Britains future, even if it is not the sort of issue that wins elections.

There are few votes in reform of this sort, and also powerful vested interests and backward looking ways of thinking to overcome. Im hoping Hunt will be bold in his pension reforms. But Im not holding my breath.

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.
There's no indication of Wagnerites heading to Belarus  Commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces

As of 1 July, there is no indication of Wagner Group forces heading to the territory of Belarus.

Source: Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the interview with Ukrinform

Quote: "Currently, as of today, not a single unit of the Wagner Private Military Company has been seen on the territory of Belarus. However, we are staying aware of the further development of the situation, and our intelligence agencies are working to obtain information about it. If this happens, the military command will know about it."

Details: Naiev added that if Wagner Group fighters appear in Belarus, several courses of action are being considered.

"In each of them, the Armed Forces will take adequate countermeasures. Forces are currently being trained to counter possible manifestations," Naiev said.

He also noted that Ukrainian intelligence and Ukraine's partners are closely monitoring the situation in Belarus, in particular, regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons, as stated in Russia. So far, according to him, such movements have not been observed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Paris, France (CNN)  A tense atmosphere lingered in Nanterre on Saturday following the funeral of a French teenager who was fatally shot by police in the Paris suburb earlier this week.

Authorities are bracing for a fifth night of violence after the 17-year-olds death sparked a series of protests in the French capital and other cities across the country. More than 1,300 people were detained overnight into Saturday amid the protests.

Family and friends gathered Saturday afternoon local time for the funeral service at a mosque in Nanterre. The funeral was solemn and quiet, according to CNNs team on the ground, with people waiting in silence for his coffin to leave the mosque and be taken for burial. The teenager has been buried in the Mont Valerien cemetery in Nanterre, CNNs team reported.

A heavy security presence was in place around the mosque.

The boys mother, Mounia, told television station France 5 on Friday that she blamed only the officer who shot her son, Nahel Merzouk, for his death. Nonetheless, the killing has sparked widespread destructive unrest and questions over whether race was a factor in his death.

Protests continued into the early hours of Saturday in defiance of a ban announced a day earlier on all large-scale events in the country, with rioting breaking out in several cities, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.

Frances Interior Ministry said Saturday that 1,311 people had been detained following the fourth night of violence, an update on its previous figure. It said 2,560 fires had been reported on public roads, with 1,350 cars burned, and that there had been 234 incidents of damage or fire in buildings.

France activated 45,000 police and gendarmes across the country Saturday night, according to the countrys interior minister, Gerald Darmanin.

I think everyone understands that the government wont back down, Darmanin said.

He added the French government will heavily reinforce security forces in Lyon and Marseille, where violent clashes took place Friday night.

Many of those detained since the unrest began on Tuesday are minors. The average age of the more than 2000 detainees is 17 years old, Darmanin said.

Seventy-nine police and gendarmes were injured over the course of Friday night and there were 58 attacks on police and gendarme stations, according to the Interior Ministry.

Two police officers suffered gunshot wounds in Vaulx-en-Velin, a suburb of Lyon, the office said, one to the nose and the other to the thigh.

Social media videos of scenes in Lyon, geolocated by CNN, showed rapid gunfire from an automatic rifle at night, fireworks being released at a protest and demonstrators next to burning fires.

The Interior Ministry said it would send its elite unit of riot police, CRS 8, to Lyon on Saturday night as it seeks to clamp down on the violence.

More than 700 businesses across France have been damaged since the start of the protests, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at a news conference Saturday. The businesses, which include shopping centers and bank branches, have been attacked, looted or in some cases, burned to the ground, he said.

Macron postpones state visit

In light of the protests, French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his planned state visit to Germany, the press office of the German presidency said in a statement Saturday.

Macron spoke with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier by phone to brief him on the situation in his country, the statement said. He had been due to visit Germany from July 2 to July 4.

On Friday, the German government expressed concern over the unrest sweeping France.

The French president has faced criticism after he was spotted at an Elton John concert on Wednesday while buildings were being defaced and cars burned across the country.

The continued violence overnight into Saturday came despite French police deploying 45,000 officers, special units, armored vehicles and helicopters across the country.

The countrys interior minister said in a tweet that reinforcements would be sent to Marseille on Saturday following reports by the local mayor of violence and looting.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan had tweeted late Friday night that the scenes were unacceptable and called upon the state to immediately send additional law enforcement forces.

There was an explosion in the Old Port of Marseille on Friday evening, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV, but no casualties were reported. The broadcaster also shared video showing damage to the Alcazar library in Marseille which it said had been vandalized during the night.

The previous night, 917 people were detained across the country, among them children as young as 13, Darmanin told French TV channel TF1.

Based on numbers released by Frances Interior Ministry, CNN estimates that more than 2,000 protesters have been detained and around 522 police officers and gendarmes injured since the unrest first broke out on Tuesday.

Why are people protesting?

The unrest is a response to the death of Nahel, who was shot dead during a traffic stop Tuesday morning in Nanterre.

Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the drivers side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger.

The officer has said he fired his gun out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car, according to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache.

The officer currently faces a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

Despite calls from top officials for patience to allow time for the justice system to run its course, a sizable number of people across France remain shocked and angry, especially young men and women of color who have been victims of discrimination by police. Nahel was of Algerian descent.

Protests appear even to have spread to overseas French territories.

A man was killed by a stray bullet during riots in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, on Thursday evening, according to a statement from the citys mayor.

And authorities in Reunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean, said Saturday that at least 28 people had been detained in riots there, while five police officers and a gendarme were injured.

Darmanin has said that the death of Nahel cannot justify the disorder and the delinquency, while French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti has called for firm sanctions against the rioters and said that justice was not achieved by looting, smashing public establishments and attacking people.

This level of unrest and rioting has not been seen in France since 2005, when the deaths of two teenage boys who were hiding from police sparked weeks of rioting and prompted the government to call a state of emergency.

But the French government has so far resisted calling a state of emergency this time around.

A spokesperson for the Elysee said Friday that a state of emergency was not necessary and that a gradual response to the violence seen in recent days was more appropriate.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Fires rage as police detain nearly 1,000 on fourth night of French protests"
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Northern Kentucky speaks during a Second Amendment rally in Frankfort in January 2020.

GOP gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron's plan to attend a Northern Kentucky rally of political speakers in September is drawing some fire from other Republicans in the region, including U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie.

Whoever is advising Daniel Cameron to attend is guilty of political malpractice," Massie, a six-term congressman, said in a statement to The Courier Journal.

A campaign spokesperson for Cameron indicated this week that while his schedule is still being finalized, the attorney general plans to attend "Freedom Fest," the third annual political event hosted by Eric Deters, who placed fourth in the May GOP primary for governor with nearly 6% of the vote.

According to Deters, Cameron will appear as a "special guest" at the rally, which is to be headlined by former President Donald Trump  who provided a key endorsement of Cameron in the primary  and is to feature speeches from Trump's two adult sons and other national conservative figures.

But Deters also recently said he is 99% sure he will enter the primary against Massie next year, indicating he will announce that candidacy at the same Freedom Fest Fest rally in September, which is hosted at his Kenton County farm.

With Cameron hoping to unite Kentucky Republicans this summer for his general election run against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, his decision to participate in the event has drawn the ire of Massie  a frequent recipient of criticism from Deters.

"Why would a guy who has a good chance to be governor  the attorney general, the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth  appear at an event organized by a man who lost his license to practice law in multiple states, who has a restraining order against him, who has been arrested for contempt, and who recently pled guilty to three charges of harassing and menacing?" Massie said.

Deters has been a magnet for controversy in recent years, having his law license revoked and pleading guilty to charges in March stemming from chasing his nephew in a truck at his farm after he was flipped off.

Deters spent nearly $700,000 of his own money in his race for governor. He took up much of the airspace in the only televised debate featuring the major GOP primary candidates on KET, including his harsh criticism of eventual third-place finisher Kelly Craft.

Suspended lawyer Eric Deters, who is running for Kentucky governor, with former President Donald Trump at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby.

Deters, who regularly posts bombastic YouTube videos blasting Kentucky politicians and media, said he was likely taking on Massie due to his two recent votes  against the censure of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and for the raising of the nation's debt ceiling.

Referring to Cameron's planned attendance at Deters' rally, Massie added that Beshear "will cash in on this unforced error as quickly as Hillary Clinton cashed the campaign contribution from the event organizer.

While Deters' primary campaign for governor touted himself as the true conservative and pro-Trump candidate, he endorsed Beshear in his 2019 run against GOP incumbent Matt Bevin and did contribute $1,000 to Clinton's 2008 run for president.

While Deters backs Trump in the 2024 presidential race, Massie recently endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has emerged as the main GOP rival of Trump.

Cameron's plan to attend the Deters rally also drew criticism from state Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, an ideological ally of Massie  and another frequent target of Deters' criticism  who had also run for governor before dropping out of the race last year.

I find it hard to believe that the Republican nominee for governor would attend a campaign launch event for someone who wants to defeat Congressman Thomas Massie, the most conservative and most popular congressman in Kentucky," Maddox said.

"If Cameron is speaking at this event to fire up the base in Kentuckys fourth congressional district, he will do just that, but not in the way he hopes.

A spokesperson for Cameron did not immediately return a request for comment on the criticism from Massie and Maddox.

Polling from a Republican firm and Cameron's campaign after the primary suggested he and Beshear are in a virtual tie.

Responding to the criticism of Massie and Maddox in a video he posted Friday morning, Deters called Massie and a few of his top supporters "mean, nasty, creepy people," saying "they act like they're not going to support Daniel Cameron if he comes to Freedom Fest. How messed up is that?"

Deters also said if Cameron doesn't come to his rally due to their criticism, "that's his choice," adding that "I can tell you right now, not coming to Freedom Fest is going to hurt him a hell of a lot more."

A spokesman for Trump did not reply to emails and text messages this week asking to confirm he had agreed to attend Deters' event in person.

Trump has had his own rollercoaster relationship with Massie, calling for him to be purged from the Republican Party in 2020 but then endorsing Massie in his 2022 primary.

Massie endorsed DeSantis in April, saying "America needs a leader who is decisive, respects the Constitution, understands policy, puts family first and leads by inspiring."

More: Andy Beshear vs. Daniel Cameron: An early look at the showdown in Kentucky governor's race

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Thomas Massie rips Daniel Cameron over 'Freedom Fest' plans with Deters
Titans Player Hassan Haskins Strangles Girlfriend After She 'Liked' Photo Of Another Man: Cops

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  Tennessee Titans backup running back Hassan Haskins has been charged with aggravated assault-strangulation after an argument with his girlfriend started by her liking the photo of another man on Instagram.

Both Haskins and Makiah Green were arrested early Thursday morning and released on bond later Thursday from the Davidson County Jail. They are scheduled for an appearance July 10 before Davidson County General Sessions Judge Ana Escobar.

Haskins was released on $10,000 bond. Makiah Green was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault-strangulation and vandalism with bond set at $2,500 for each charge.

We are aware of the situation and gathering additional information, the Titans said in a statement Friday night.

Haskins is going into his second season with Tennessee after being taken at No. 131 overall in the fourth round last year out of Michigan. He played in 15 games with one start and had 25 carries for 93 yards.

Hassan Haskins of the Tennessee Titans after a 2022 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Hassan Haskins of the Tennessee Titans after a 2022 game against the Buffalo Bills.

According to arrest warrants posted by Scoop: Nashville on social media, the couple began arguing June 22 over Green liking an Instagram post. During the fight, the warrant says Haskins allegedly began to strangle her with both hands on a bed for possibly 10 to 15 seconds.

She stood up and they slapped each other. Green told police she fell on top of her dog crate where Haskins strangled her for a second time before letting her leave. The warrant says she has photos showing bruising to her right cheek, a scratch and redness on her neck.

The argument escalated days later at a restaurant with each leaving separately.

Once she returned to home, Green told police she threw a cup that shattered before closing a bedroom door. She alleges Haskins punched and kicked the door in half. She says she grabbed and broke Haskins necklace before they fought for her phone, which Haskins threw and shattered.

The warrant says Green picked up Haskins phone and noticed photos of other women on one of his social media accounts. That prompted her to throw his phone before slapping his chest.

Ms. Green stated she then went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife because she was going to slash his tires, according to the warrant. Ms. Green stated as she was walking towards the garage, she heard Mr. Haskins cock his gun and said, I hope you would. She put the knife down.

The warrant says Haskins agreed with Greens account. He added she hit him with a broom, jumped on him and tried to strangle him from behind. Haskins also accused putting a hole in a wall by throwing his Playstation 5. Haskins also showed police videos showing Green hitting him with a broom.
These trans women would have to reverse their gender identity on ID documents under a new Kansas law

Suzanne Wheeler doesnt want to symbolize a movement. She just wants to live as a trans woman in Kansas as she has for the past eight years: unapologetically herself  and with the official documents to prove it.

But now Wheeler wonders if thats even possible, given a new state law requiring Kansas agencies to stop recognizing trans residents gender identity on basic public records. It takes effect Saturday.

What kind of risk would that put me at? said Wheeler, a retired US Army colonel and grandmother.

The law requires the sex designation on Kansas drivers licenses and birth certificates to reflect a persons sex at birth, the states Republican attorney general said in a legal opinion Monday, years after Kansas  as part of a 2019 federal equal protection lawsuit settlement  began allowing birth certificates to be changed to reflect a persons gender identity.

Now, Senate Bill 180  dubbed the Kansas Womens Bill of Rights  mandates an individuals sex means such individuals biological sex, either male or female, at birth, Kris Kobach said in the legal opinion; he issued it in response to a GOP state legislators inquiry about the impact of the 2023 law requiring state records reflect biological sex, he told CNN this week.

State records include school documents and records of state departments and agencies.

The definition also applies to state regulation of public restrooms, locker rooms and athletics, plus prisons, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, the legislation states.

While many US states have expanded gender identifier options on public documents, some states in recent months also have enacted laws  some with potential felony charges  targeting transgender women, men and children from restricting restroom use and access to gender-affirming care to banning certain pronoun usage and limiting participation in same-gender sports.

In Kansas, a birth certificate is a record of what happened at the moment a baby came out of the womb, Kobach said in a news release announcing his legal opinion. Similarly, a drivers license is a state document reflecting a state database for state purposes. It is not a canvas on which a person can paint ones expression and preferences.

The attorney general last week also asked a federal district court to nullify the 2019 equal protection judgment, a move the lead Lambda Legal attorney on the case called another unnecessary and cruel move to target the transgender community with animus and discrimination for political gain.

But to Wheeler  and perhaps hundreds of other Kansans who in recent years have changed gender labels on birth certificates and drivers licenses  having her gender identity on those documents reflects far more than ink on paper.

Kansas GOP Attorney General Kris Kobach speaks Monday about the new law. - John Hanna/AP

Bottom line, it is Kansas trying to erase who I am the past eight years, Wheeler said. I have lived as the person that I am and not just lived but really donated to the society and supported the folks around me as the person that I am.

And despite all that, they want to erase me.

Key state agencies wont comply, governor says

Under the new law  which Kansas Democratic governor vetoed in April before an override by the Republican-dominated Legislature  residents dont have to surrender drivers licenses that dont conform, Kobach wrote in his legal opinion. But such a documents sex marker would have to change upon renewal to reflect the holders sex at birth.

The law also requires the state Health Department to restore any birth certificate previously modified  to list a sex other than the persons biological sex at birth  to its original form, the legal opinion states.

But its not clear what happens if residents  or key state agencies administered by Gov. Laura Kelly  dont comply.

I have directed the agencies to follow SB 180 according to their legal counsels interpretation of the law, Kelly said in a statement to CNN Thursday. While my administration and the Attorney Generals Office have had many conversations about the law, Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department of Revenue disagree about its impacts on their operations and will instead keep in place their policies regarding gender markers on birth certificates and drivers licenses.

At least 912 Kansas residents have changed the gender marker on their birth certificate since the 2019 lawsuit settlement, the state Health Department told CNN, noting the figures include amendments due to errors made by the provider at birth, intersex infants originally registered as unknown and gender identity changes.

Meanwhile, at least 161 people have changed their gender identity marker on their drivers licenses this year alone, the Kansas Revenue Department told CNN, in addition to 233 people who did so between 2019 and last December.

Not a trans thing to be happy with who you are

Like Wheeler, Hazel Krebs considered fleeing Kansas over the new law, too. A 41-year-old Nebraska transplant, Krebs moved her family to Kansas in 2016 as she battled depression, anxiety and substance abuse, she said.

I actually came out as gay when I ended my marriage five years ago, and that ended up not being who I am. And I struggled with identity for much of my life, she said. When I came out as Hazel and I transitioned, it changed everything.

I was so happy with who I am, she told CNN. I was excited just to be alive, excited for the day.

Hazel Krebs struggled with depression and substance abuse before she came out as trans, she said. - courtesy Hazel Krebs

Krebs made it legal in early 2022, when she changed her drivers license. It required a lot of paperwork, she said, but after living most of her life unsure of who she was, it was worth it.

I wish more people could have this, she said. Its not a trans thing to be happy with who you are.

Now, Krebs  who could move to get away from the new Kansas law  wants to stay and use her privilege to fight so others can have the option, too, while holding out hope she can hold on to the gender marker of her choice when she has to renew her Kansas drivers license in February, she said.

Yes, its a piece of paper, she said, referring more broadly to drivers licenses and birth certificates. But its also allowing an environment of discrimination and bias that has real consequences on mental health.

Wheeler, who came out around 2014, had the gender marker changed the following year on her drivers license, passport, name change record and Social Security documentation, she said. Her birth certificate is from Illinois, she said, and Kansas law at the time didnt hinder her.

She retired in 2016 after 32 years in the US Army, and that July  two days after the ban on transgender military service members was lifted  she had the gender marker on her military documents changed, as well, she said.

Since 2014, Wheeler has been using womens restrooms without any issues, she said. But now, SB 180 has her thinking twice, even perhaps about moving away  to another state or maybe even another country.

Away from her children. Her grandchildren. A job she loves.

How many challenges is that going to cost me as I travel, as I move throughout the state? she said. What happens if I do go into a bathroom and somebody goes, Hey, wait, this tall woman has a baritone voice, and I think shes trans, and I get the police called on me.

My biggest concern is SB 180, addresses a nonissue and puts an already vulnerable population at risk, Wheeler added, places me personally at risk.

CNNs Andy Rose contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Triple-Core Rockets and 'Donuts' on Mars: Marvel at the Best Spaceflight Imagery From June

Theres plenty of smoke in the airand not just from Canadas raging wildfires. Indeed, the past month was witness to a steady cadence of rocket launches and rocket tests, all spewing out excitement and hope. At the same time, probes already working in space beamed back evidence of their important work.

Humankinds expanding reach into space was on full display over the past 30 days, as these incredible new images attest.



Read more

Rising to the challenge

United Launch Alliance finally managed to launch a rocket in 2023, with the companys Delta 4-Heavy taking flight on June 22. Departing Cape Canaveral at 5:18 a.m. ET, the 235-foot-tall (72 meters) rocket provided no shortage of spectacular visuals, as it delivered a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (the governments spy satellite agency).

Photo: C&J Images

The launch marked the penultimate flight of the giant rocket, which is scheduled for retirement.



Mars never looked more delicious

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

NASAs Perseverance rover captured this image of a very donut-like rock on Mars. Its most likely a meteorite, with the surrounding fragments having originated from the donut hole, so to speak.



Mars in real-time

Image: European Space Agency

History was made on June 2, when the European Space Agencys Mars Express beamed down a live feed of images taken of the Red Planet. This had never been done before, as it typically takes hours, and sometimes days, for images to reach Earth due to technological limitations.



Falcon in the sky with shock diamonds

Photo: C&J Images

Photographer John Briggs captured this stunning photo of a Falcon 9 rocket launching from Floridas Cape Canaveral on June 5. You can barely see the rocket in the clouds, but the clouds acted like a filter resulting in a high-detail image of the flames, Briggs told Gizmodo. The circles are referred to as shock diamondsIve never seen this in a photo before. You can learn more about shock diamonds here.

Starship Static fire is alright

SpaceX is currently preparing for the second test flight of its Starship megarocket. On June 26, the company ignited all six Raptor engines on the Starship 25 upper-stage prototype, which is currently undergoing tests in Boca Chica, Texas.



Mavens marvelous views of Mars

Image: NASA/LASP/CU Boulder

NASAs Martian explorer, MAVEN, captured these ultraviolet views of Mars in July 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right), with the space agency finally releasing the two images in late June. The view on the left shows Mars southern hemisphere during its summer season, while the other shows the northern hemisphere in winter, showing a significant buildup of ozone (shown in violet and purple) up top.

A secret launch

Photo: Rocket Lab/Business Wire

On June 17, Rocket Labs Electron delivered its first suborbital testbed launch vehicle, called HASTE, for an unspecified customer. The launch took place at 9:24 E.T. from Rocket Labs Launch Complex 2 at Virginias Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility.



Mercury flyby

Image: ESA

BepiColombo, a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), flew past Mercury on June 19, as it prepares to enter the planets orbit in 2025. The spacecraft was around 146 miles (236 kilometers) above the surface during its nearest approach, allowing it to capture detailed images of the planets heavily cratered surface. This was BepiColombos third flyby of Mercury, with the next one planned for September 2024.

Orion gets its heat shield

Photo: NASA/Cory Huston

On June 25, engineers completed the installation of the heat shield for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis 2, powered by NASAs gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is expected to take off in late 2024.

Jupiter lightning

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

NASAs Juno probe captured this lightning flash on Jupiter, which appeared on December 30, 2020, inside one of the gas giants many vortices. The space agency released the photo this past month after citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill processed the image from raw data gathered by the spacecraft.



Centaurs engines roar to life

Last month, United Launch Alliance conducted the first static fire test of its upcoming Vulcan Centaur rocket, proving that rockets, even when going nowhere, are still exciting to watch. The test took place on June 7 at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.



Riding atop Canadarm2

Photo: NASA

In this wild image, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg is seen riding the Canadarm2 robotic arm during a spacewalk. At the time, Hoburg was carrying a roll-out solar array towards its designated installation point on the Starboard-6 truss structure of the International Space Station.

Postcard from Mars

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASAs Curiosity rover snapped this gorgeous view of the Martian terrain at Marker Band Valley, a feature in the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-high (4.8 kilometers) mountain in the Red Planets Gale Crater.

SpaceXs 200th landing

During SpaceXs Transporter-8 mission, which launched on June 12 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the first stage Falcon 9 booster performed a flawless vertical landingthe companys 200th landing of an orbital class rocket.

Virgin Galactic tourism gets off the ground

Screenshot: Virgin Galactic

After years in development, Virgin Galactics space tourism venture officially kicked off on June 29, sending a crew of three, plus an instructor, to the edge of space. Called Galactic 01, the mission saw the companys VSS Unity spaceplane reach a maximum altitude of 52.9 miles (85.1 kilometers) and reach a top speed of Mach 2.88.

New SLS engines

Photo: NASA

On June 22, NASA reached a significant milestone by successfully concluding an initial certification test series. These tests were designed to facilitate the production of new RS-25 engines, which will play a crucial role in powering NASAs SLS rocket during upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, with the new engines debuting during Artemis 4.

For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on Twitter and bookmark Gizmodos dedicated Spaceflight page.

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How did military conflict fit into the end of a mighty civilization? AP Photo/Moises Castillo

Two trophy skulls, discovered by archaeologists in the jungles of Belize, may help shed light on the little-understood collapse of the once powerful Classic Maya civilization.

The defleshed and painted human skulls, meant to be worn around the neck as pendants, were buried with a warrior over a thousand years ago at Pacbitun, a Maya city. They likely represent gruesome symbols of military might: war trophies made from the heads of defeated foes.

Both skulls are similar to depictions of trophy skulls worn by victorious soldiers in stone carvings and on painted ceramic vessels from other Maya sites.

Drilled holes likely held feathers, leather straps or both. Other holes served to anchor the jaws in place and suspend the cranium around the warriors neck, while the backs were sawed off to make the skulls lie flat on the wearers chest.

Flecks of red paint decorate one of the jaws. Its carved with glyphic writing that includes what my collaborator Christophe Helmke, an expert on Maya writing, believes is the first known instance of the Maya term for trophy skull.

What do these skulls  where they were found and who they were from  tell us about the end of a powerful political system that thrived for centuries, covering southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and portions of Honduras and El Salvador? My colleagues and I are thinking about them as clues to understanding this tumultuous period.

What ended a civilization?

The vast Maya empire flourished throughout Central America, with the first major cities appearing between 750 and 500 B.C. But beginning in the southern lowlands of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras in the eighth century A.D., people abandoned major Maya cities throughout the region. Archaeologists are fascinated by the mystery of what we call the collapse of this once powerful empire.

Earlier studies focused on identifying a single cause of the collapse. Could it have been environmental degradation resulting from the increasing demands of overpopulated cities? Warfare? Loss of faith in leaders? Drought?

All of these certainly took place, but none on its own fully explains what researchers know about the collapse that gradually swept through the landscape over the course of a century and a half. Today, archaeologists acknowledge the complexity of what happened.

Clearly violence and warfare contributed to the end of some southern lowland cities, as evidenced by quickly constructed fortifications identified by aerial LiDAR surveys at a number of sites.

Trophy skulls, together with a growing list of scattered finds from other sites in Belize, Honduras and Mexico, provide intriguing evidence that the conflict may have been civil in nature, pitting rising powers in the north against the established dynasties in the south.

Piecing together the skulls social context

Ceramic vessels found alongside the Pacbitun warrior and his (or her  the bones were too fragmentary to confidently determine sex) trophy skull date to the eighth or ninth century, just prior to the sites abandonment.

During this period, Pacbitun and other Maya cities in the southern lowlands were beginning their decline, while Maya political centers in the north, in what is now the Yucatan of Mexico, rose to dominance. But the exact timing and nature of this power transition remains uncertain.

In many of these northern cities, art from this period is notoriously militaristic, abounding with skulls and bones and often showing war captives being killed and decapitated.

At Pakal Na, another southern site in Belize, a similar trophy skull was discovered inscribed with fire and animal imagery resembling northern military symbolism, suggesting a northern origin of the warrior it was buried with. The presence of northern military paraphernalia in the form of these skulls may point to a loss of control by local leaders.

Archaeologist Patricia McAnany has argued that the presence of northerners in the river valleys of central Belize may be related to the lucrative trade of cacao, the plant from which chocolate is made. Cacao was an important ingredient in rituals, and a symbol of wealth and power of Maya elites. However, the geology of the northern Yucatan makes it difficult to grow cacao on a large scale, necessitating the establishment of a reliable supply source from elsewhere.

At the northern site of Xuenkal, Mexico, Vera Tiesler and colleagues used strontium isotopes to pinpoint the geographic origin of a warrior and his trophy skull. He was local from the north. But the trophy skull he brought home, found atop his chest in burial, was from an individual who grew up in the south.

Other evidence at a number of sites in the southern highlands seems to mark a sudden and violent end for the communitys ruling order. Archaeologists have found evidence for the execution of one ruling family and desecration of sacred sites and elite tombs. At the regional capital site of Tipan Chen Uitz, approximately 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of Pacbitun, my colleagues and I found remains of several carved stone monuments that seem to have been intentionally smashed and strewn across the front of the main ceremonial pyramid.

Another portion of the Pacbitun trophy skull. Drawing by Shawn Morton, CC BY-ND

Trophy skulls and power dynamics

Archaeologists are not only interested in identifying the timing and the social and environmental factors associated with collapse, which vary in different regions. Were also trying to figure out how specific communities and their leaders responded to the unique combinations of these stresses they faced.

While the evidence from just a handful of trophy skulls does not conclusively show that sites in parts of the southern lowlands were being overrun by northern warriors, it does at least point to the role of violence and, potentially, warfare as contributing to the end of the established political order in central Belize.

These grisly artifacts lend an intriguing element to the sweep of events that resulted in the end of one of the richest, most sophisticated, scientifically advanced cultures of its time.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Gabriel D. Wrobel, Michigan State University.

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Gabriel D. Wrobel 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.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham faced an onslaught of boos as he stumped for former President Donald Trump at a rally in his home state of South Carolina Saturday, with supporters giving him a thumbs down as he left the stage.

"Let me tell you how you win an election, folks," Graham told the crowd of Trump supporters in Pickens, South Carolina. "You get people together that don't agree all of the time to agree on the most important things."

"My hope is we can bring this party together 'cause he's gonna be our nominee," Graham continued amid a stream of soft booing from many in attendance. "He will be the nominee of the Republican Party, and let me tell you what's at stake. If they win in 2024, they're gonna pack the Supreme Court. So we need to get off our butts and make sure Donald Trump wins. If they win in 2024 Puerto Rico and D.C. will be states. Four Democrats for the rest of our lifetime. They'll abolish the electoral college, they will turn this nation upside down."

GRAHAM: US ATTORNEY IN CHARGE OF HUNTER PROBE WAS BRIEFED ON FBI FORM DETAILING JOE BIDEN BRIBERY ACCUSATIONS

"There's one person running for president as a Republican that has the ability to change this country. It is Donald J. Trump. He did it once, he can do it again," he said. "I'm gonna help him all over this country, and folks, I am from South Carolina. He is gonna win South Carolina. This is the pathway to the presidency. God bless you all. God bless President Trump. God bless America."

Immediately after his remarks, Graham paced to the left of the stage and exited among a roaring crowd of disgruntled Trump supporters who booed at the senator and gave him a thumbs down.

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Graham, who spoke for about five minutes at the rally, was also booed when first took stage.

Once at the podium, Graham paused as the booing drowned out what he had to say.

"Welcome to Pickens.  Thanks a bunch," he said. "Well, you wanna find something in common?"

Then-President Donald Trump smiles as he stands alongside Sen. Lindsey Graham during a Keep America Great campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on February 28, 2020.

As the booing continued, Graham told the crowd: "Calm down for just a second. I think you'll like this. Pickens County has more Medal of Honor winners per capita than any place in the nation. I was born in this county. I live 15 miles down the road."

"This is a place where people pay the taxes, fight the wars and tell you what they believe," Graham said over the booing. "How many of you believe that Donald Trump was a great president?"

GRASSLEY, GRAHAM DEMAND FBI TURN OVER KEY DOCUMENT LINKED TO BIDEN ALLEGATIONS

The crowd cheered at Graham's remarks about Trump, but went right back to shouting down the senator and his remarks.

"Without Donald Trump, there are no Donald Trump policies," Graham said. "He did something nobody else could do."

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as he arrives onstage to speak at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 24, 2023, in Washington, DC.

Taking the stage a short time after Graham's comments, Trump attempted to rally support for the senator, telling his supporters, "We're gonna love him."

Amid additional booing from the crowd, Trump said, "I know, it's half-and-half. But when I need some of those liberal votes, he's always there to help me get 'em, okay?"

"We got some pretty liberal people, but he's good," Trump added of Graham. "We know the good ones. We know the bad ones, too."

Trump referenced Graham at a later point in the rally and was met with another round of booing. "I'm gonna have to work on these people," Trump said. He also offered to campaign for Graham when he is up for re-election.

Graham, who's represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2003, has faced criticism from Trump supporters in recent years for his positions on a number of issues.

In 2021, as he waited to board a flight from the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., Graham was swarmed by roughly a dozen people who called him a "traitor" over his comments about Trump following the 2020 presidential election.

"You know it was rigged," the individuals shouted to Graham at the time.

Graham's position on the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been ongoing for well over a year, has also not been popular among Trump supporters and hardcore conservatives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in Kyiv, Ukraine

An ardent supporter of Ukraine's defensive efforts, Graham traveled with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut to Kyiv last summer.

During the meeting on the 134th day of the war, Zelenskyy, according to his office, "called on senators to back the decision on providing Ukraine with modern air defense systems."

"First of all, we appeal to you so that the Congress supports Ukraine in the matter of supplying modern air defense systems," Zelenskyy said. "We must ensure such a level of sky security that our people are not afraid to live in Ukraine."

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Former President Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia, June 30, 2023. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

PHILADELPHIA  Former President Donald Trump moved Friday to outflank Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as they wrestled for conservative loyalties at a gathering of right-wing activists in Philadelphia, pushing a shared agenda of forcing the federal government to the right, restricting transgender rights and limiting how race and LGBTQ issues are taught.

Speaking hours after DeSantis address, Trump aimed to one-up his top rival by vowing to target federal diversity programs and to wield the power of the Justice Department against schools and corporations that are supposedly engaged in unlawful racial discrimination.

Trump said that, to rigorously enforce the Supreme Courts ruling a day earlier rejecting affirmative action at the nations colleges and universities, he would eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the entire federal government.

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He added that he would direct the Justice Department to pursue civil rights claims against any school, corporation or university that engages in unlawful racial discrimination.

A representative for Trump declined to directly answer a question about which races the former president thought were being subjected to discrimination.

Since entering the race just over a month ago, DeSantis has repeatedly sought to position himself to the right of Trump, hitting his record on crime, the coronavirus and immigration. Nevertheless, the former president leads DeSantis by a wide margin in the polls.

The rare convergence of the two leading Republicans on the campaign trail came at a convention of the newest powerhouse in social conservative politics, Moms for Liberty, which began as a small group of far-right suburban mothers but has quickly gained national influence.

A third presidential contender, Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, also spoke Friday, with two others, Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson, slated to appear Saturday.

DeSantis went first, headlining the opening breakfast event in a nod to the groups founding in his home state in 2021. Its national rise  it says it now has 275 chapters in 45 states  has coincided with the Florida governors ascension in right-wing circles as he has pushed legislation to restrict discussions of so-called critical race theory, sexuality and gender in public schools.

What weve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in this country: mama bears, DeSantis told the crowd of hundreds, to roars of applause. Weve done so much on these issues in Florida, and I will do all this as the next president.

Shortly after he spoke, the Supreme Court gave the conservative movement more victories with two rulings, one striking down President Joe Bidens program to relieve student loan debt and the other backing a web designer who refused to provide services for same-sex marriages.

DeSantis pitch to social conservatives centers on the idea that he, not Trump, is the most likely to turn their priorities into legislation. In his 20-minute speech, DeSantis highlighted legislation he championed in Florida banning gender transition care for minors, preventing teachers from asking students for their preferred pronouns and prohibiting transgender girls from competing in girls sports.

Not all attendees were persuaded. Alexis Spiegelman, who leads the Moms for Liberty chapter in Sarasota, Florida, and is backing Trump for president, said she had not seen her governors policies translate into change at schools near her. She was critical of his presidential bid.

I just dont know why we would want a knockoff when we have the real, authentic Trump, she said.

Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador in Trumps administration, struck a different tone later Friday morning. Lacking the kind of recent legislative record that DeSantis can point to, she instead drew on her experiences as a mother: She directly called herself a mom for liberty and often invoked her children.

Moms care about a lot of things  its not just schools, Haley said. We care about the debt, we care about crime, we care about national security, we care about the border. Moms care about everything.

Calling itself a parental rights group, Moms for Liberty has built its platform on a host of contentious issues centering on children  a focus that many on the right believe could help unite the Republican Partys split factions in 2024.

The group has railed against public health mandates related to the coronavirus and against school materials on LGBTQ and race-related subjects. Its members regularly protest at meetings of school boards and have sought to take them over.

Along the way, Moms for Liberty has drawn a backlash. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a left-leaning civil rights organization, calls it an extremist group, saying that it commonly propagates conspiracy theories about public schools attempting to indoctrinate and sexualize children with a progressive Marxist curriculum. Moms for Liberty leaders rejected the label in remarks Friday.

Before the groups conference in Philadelphia, a half-dozen scholarly groups criticized the Museum of the American Revolution for allowing Moms for Liberty to hold some of its events there, including the opening reception.

Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia, a Democrat, said Thursday that as a welcoming and inclusive city, we find this groups beliefs and values problematic.

Protesters gathered outside the conference venues beginning Thursday night, and demonstrations stretched into Friday evening.

The schedule for Saturday included a session led by KrisAnne Hall, a former prosecutor and conservative public speaker with past ties to the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia that helped orchestrate the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Sessions at the event bridged a wide range of subjects, including exploration of dark moneys infiltration in education and discussions about the Federalist Papers. But the presidential candidates were the main draw.

Tina Descovich, one of the organizations founders, said in an interview that Moms for Liberty had invited every presidential candidate  including Biden  to speak at the event.

Our issue of parental rights and our concerns about public education in America are rising to the level of presidential candidates, Descovich said, which means for the 2024 election, that we are working to make this the No. 1 domestic policy issue.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
President Donald Trump, left, talks with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey during a campaign rally in Tucson, Ariz. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file

Trump demanded former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey overturn the 2020 election in a previously unreported call.

Ducey told a Republican donor he was under "pressure" from Trump, The Washington Post reported.

President Joe Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes.

When former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey was certifying President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, he received a call, during the ceremony, from the loser: Donald Trump.

When the two later spoke, sources familiar with the conversation told The Washington Post, the former president demanded that the Republican look into false claims of fraud that, in his view, would provide cover for overturning the election.

Ducey, who left office earlier this year because of term limits, later told a major Republican donor that he felt "pressure" to do the former president's bidding, according to the Post. The outlet also reported that Ducey expressed surprise that he has not been asked about the call by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who is investigating Trump's efforts to remain in power after losing an election.

A spokesperson for Ducey noted that no officials have ever found any evidence to support Trump's claims of massive voter fraud. He lost Arizona by more than 10,000 votes.

The former president called Ducey several times after the 2020 election, the Post reported. But he also enlisted his vice president, Mike Pence, in the lobbying campaign. Sources familiar with Pence's calls said he did not pressure Ducey like Trump had, but urged him to report back if he found any evidence of fraud.

Trump's demand that Ducey find enough evidence of fraud to overcome his five-digit loss is reminiscent of his efforts in Georgia, where he asked Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" him 10,000 votes.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Republican Presidential Candidates Speak At The Moms For Liberty Summit

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia Credit - Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rarely cross paths on the campaign trail, but on Friday they each addressed the same crowd in a bid to court hardcore conservatives. Appearing before the newest powerhouse in right-wing politics, their speeches reflected their competing strategies to win over the GOPs fundamentalist faction, with DeSantis promising a more competent brand of governance that can better advance a far-right agenda, and Trump boasting how his Supreme Court picks were delivering some of the conservative movements most significant policy wins.

The two converged at a summit for Moms for Liberty, an organization that started as a fringe group three years ago but has quickly morphed into a dominant force in the GOP. The nonprofit gained increased currency on the right as the way racial and gender issues are taught has become a frontline issue for the partys base. It now has more than 100,000 members in 45 states, making the confab an early cattle call for candidates vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Without mentioning Trumps name, DeSantis took a not-so-subtle swipe at his chief rival. 2024 is the time to put up or shut up, he told the crowd. No more excuses about why we cant win against the left. No more excuses about why you didnt do what you said you would do. In that vein, DeSantis trumpeted his record as Florida governor as proof of concept for his efficacy as a chief executive: enacting the so-called Dont Say Gay law that forbids the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, restricting the way public schools can teach racial issues, and prohibiting childrens access to gender transition treatments.

Without mentioning DeSantiss name, Trump struck back at the insinuation in his remarks hours later. The former President basked in the glory of Supreme Court rulings this week that curtailed affirmative action in college admissions, struck down President Joe Bidens student loan forgiveness program, and allowed a Colorado graphic designer to refuse service to same-sex couples planning to marry. Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three. They are gold, he said, referring to Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Maybe well get three or four more. Can you imagine?

More from TIME

Trump also made an unusual plea for a Republican candidate in front of a hard-right audience: Dont alienate too many voters with extreme rhetoric on abortion.

While taking credit for the Supreme Court decision last year that ended a constitutional right to the procedure by overturning Roe v. Wade, Trump suggested that overly restrictive proposals could hurt Republicans in the upcoming elections. By getting rid of Roe v Wade, weve given tremendous negotiating power to the pro-lifers, he said. They didnt have any negotiating power at all. So this was an amazing thing. But the Republicans are gonna have to learn how to speak on the subject. Because if they dont, maybe theyre not going to get the kind of votes they should get.

In January, Trump wrote on social media that abortion cost the GOP gains in the 2022 midterms, especially hampering Republicans who opposed exceptions for rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk. That marks a contrast to DeSantis, who signed a six-week abortion ban into law in April. The policy choice led to a war of words between the two. Trump has criticized him for the measure, calling it harsh. DeSantis, in response, has accused Trump of going too soft on abortion.

The candidates appearance at the Moms for Liberty gathering was controversial. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the organization an extremist group that spreads anti-LGBTQ misinformation and vitriol. More than 100 protesters showed up outside the Philadelphia venue on Friday, according to the Associated Press, with the demonstrators chanting Not in our city and Lets say gay.

Trump and DeSantis were not the only GOP presidential hopefuls to address the confab. Nikki Haley, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, also spoke on Friday, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are scheduled to speak there on Saturday.

The latest polling has Trump as the clear frontrunner, with a 38 percent lead nationally over DeSantis, his closest competitor for the Republican nomination.
Trump leaned on Arizona governor to flip states election results after 2020 loss, report says

Donald Trump reportedly tried to push Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to flip the state's 2020 election results in his favour, according to a new report.

The latest allegations against Mr Trump claim the former president wanted Mr Ducey to find enough votes to overturn his loss, according to The Washington Post.

Anonymous sources, "familiar" with the call, toldThe Post that the former president also tasked his vice president Mike Pence with calling Mr Ducey and pushing him to find evidence back Mr Trump's false claims of voter fraud.

Mr Pence reportedly called Mr Ducey several times to discuss the election but did not follow up on Mr Trump's alleged demands.

The Independent has contacted Mr Trump and Governor Ducey for comment.

Mr Ducey is no longer in office, and offered a brief statement toThe Post.

This is neither new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years, Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Mr Ducey, said in a statement. Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizonas 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward. The Governor stands by his action to certify the election and considers the issue to be in the rear view mirror.

A Trump spokesperson claimed toThe Post that the "2020 Presidential election was rigged and stolen," and insisted the former president should be praised for "doing the right thing  working to make sure that all the fraud was investigated and dealt with".

No election fraud claims have ever been substantiated with evidence.

Mr Trumps calls were reportedly made on 30 November 2020, while Mr Ducey was signing documents to certify the 2020 election results during a live-streamed video ceremony.

Those in proximity to Gov. Ducey heard his cellphone play a ringtone-version of "Hail to the Chief," the song traditionally associated with the US President.

Mr Ducey did not take the call during the ceremony.

Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was reportedly pressured by Donald Trump to find votes in order to overturn the states 2020 presidential election results (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A donor who dined with Mr Ducey earlier this year said the former governor was surprised that special counsel Jack Smith did not attempt to reach out to him concerning the phone calls between himself, Mr Trump, and Mr Pence.

Mr Smith is leading the Justice Department's investigation into Mr Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The donor spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear if Mr Smith's office has reached out to Mr Ducey since the diner met with the former governor.

The Washington Post spoke with two individuals familiar with the investigation who said Mr Smith has questioned witnesses about Mr Trump's calls to governors including Mr Ducey.

Mr Trump made similar calls to election officials in Michigan and Georgia. One of those calls was made on 2 January, 2021 to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He reportedly asked Mr Raffensperger to find votes to overturn the state's election result.

The relationship between Mr Ducey and Mr Trump turned icy after the governor certified Arizonas election results which declared Joe Biden as president.

Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now," Mr Trump said in a social media post after Mr Ducey certified the election.

Mr Trump claimed on 5 December that Mr Ducey and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp "fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems".

A week later, he dubbed them both RINOs  Republicans in name only.
Hong Kong launches series of activities to mark 26th anniversary of its return to motherland

Xinhua) 09:47, July 01, 2023

HONG KONG, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A launching ceremony marking the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland was held in Victoria Park of Hong Kong on Friday, kicking off a series of celebration activities.

John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said at the ceremony that after experiencing various challenges, Hong Kong has now fully resumed its normal life and moved towards a new stage of stability and prosperity.

Under the double safeguards of the national security law in Hong Kong and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", Hong Kong enjoys social stability and good economic development, Lee said, adding that Hong Kong's business environment is free and convenient, and its attractiveness is increasing.

Over the past year, with the full support of the country and Hong Kong people, the HKSAR government has introduced a number of policies and measures for the people's well-being and Hong Kong's development, and strived for better economy, development and competitiveness.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said that over the past year, with the strong support of the central government, Lee and the HKSAR government have fulfilled their duties, united and led all sectors of society to write a new chapter for Hong Kong, and accomplished many practical things.

The general public's sense of security, gain and happiness has been constantly rising, and the once familiar and lovely Hong Kong has returned, he said.

Zheng stressed that Hong Kong people are never afraid of crisis, change, risks and competition, and will seize every opportunity and take the initiative to participate in the reconstruction of the world interest pattern, and to actively integrate into the national development.

Tam Kam-kau, chairman of the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, said that in the 26 years since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has always had the strong backing of the motherland at every critical moment.

As normal travel between the mainland and Hong Kong resumed early this year, Hong Kong has shown great vitality and the HKSAR government welcomed talent and tourists from all over the world with an open and inclusive attitude, Tam said.

Hong Kong's future is bright with its distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, Tam added.

The ceremony was held by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, which invited representatives from northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Liaoning Province in northeast China and Shandong Province in east China.

A number of science and technology enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were also invited to hold exhibitions and give performances in Victoria Park during the event.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Liu Ning)
(CNN)  The US State Department on Friday released its long-awaited Afghanistan After Action Review report, which found that both the Trump and Biden administrations decisions to pull all US troops from Afghanistan had detrimental consequences, and details damning shortcomings by the current administration that led to the deadly and chaotic US withdrawal from that country after nearly two decades on the ground.

The decisions of both President (Donald) Trump and President (Joe) Biden to end the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan had serious consequences for the viability of the Afghan government and its security, the unclassified report said.

Those decisions are beyond the scope of this review, but the AAR (After Action Review) team found that during both administrations there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and how quickly those might follow, it said.

The report was publicly released more than a year after the 90-day review of the evacuation was completed and includes findings around the tumultuous final weeks of the US presence in Afghanistan, as well as a number of recommendations for improvement moving forward.

A senior State Department official did not explain why it had taken so long for the report to be published, nor why it was released before a holiday weekend, saying they would not discuss questions related to process.

Asked about the report on Friday and whether he admitted there were mistakes during the withdrawal, Biden noted that he had vowed that al Qaeda wouldnt be there.

I said wed get help from the Taliban, the president said in response to the shouted question after remarks at the White House. I was right.

A US intelligence assessment last August found that al Qaeda had not reconstituted in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal.

The Biden administrations frenzied withdrawal after 20 years of US involvement has come under immense scrutiny by predominantly Republican lawmakers. However, accusations about who was responsible for the chaotic final weeks have fallen largely along party lines, with Republicans pointing fingers at the Biden administration and Democrats, including the White House, casting blame on the Trump administration for the deal that set the US withdrawal into motion.

Sharper criticism of Biden admin actions than earlier White House document

The State Departments report contains much sharper criticism around the Biden administrations actions than the White House summary document released in April. That document blamed the Trump administrations decisions for creating the conditions that led to the chaos of the evacuation, and did not overtly admit any mistakes.

The report noted that when the Trump administration left office, key questions remained unanswered about how the United States would meet the May 2021 deadline for a full military withdrawal, how the United States could maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul after that withdrawal, and what might happen to those eligible for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program as well as other at-risk Afghans.

Once Biden decided in April 2021 to proceed with full withdrawal, with a new deadline of September 11, 2021, the subsequent speed of the US militarys retrograde from Afghanistan compounded the difficulties the Department faced in mitigating the loss of the militarys key enablers, it stated.

Critically, the decision to hand over Bagram Air Base to the Afghan government meant that Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) would be the only avenue for a possible noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO), the report stated.

That evacuation operation had to be expedited when in mid-August 2021, following rapid gains by the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan and the government in Kabul collapsed.

The sudden departure of President Ghani from Kabul and the fall of the city to the Taliban happened with a speed that caught almost all close observers by surprise, the report said, noting that until Kabul fell, commercial flights out of Afghanistan were available and even Afghans planning to depart were taking time to sell property and settle their affairs.

But there had been warning signs that prospects the Afghan government forces would defend Kabul and hold out for a possible negotiated transfer of power were evaporating, it said.

The handling of the evacuation operation has been one of the areas where the administration and the State Department have received the most criticism, as thousands of Afghans who had served alongside US forces were left behind and those on the ground struggled through perilous circumstances to try to reach the airport and get out before government-led evacuation efforts ended.

U.S. military planning for a possible NEO had been underway with post for some time, but the Departments participation in the NEO planning process was hindered by the fact that it was unclear who in the Department had the lead, the review found.

Senior administration officials had not made clear decisions regarding the universe of at-risk Afghans who would be included by the time the operation started nor had they determined where those Afghans would be taken. That added significantly to the challenges the Department and DoD faced during the evacuation, the report said.

Crisis preparation was inhibited

According to the review, crisis preparation and planning were inhibited to a degree by concerns about the signals that might be sent, especially anything that might suggest the United States had lost confidence in the Afghan government and thus contribute to its collapse, which it did in mid-August 2021.

Although the State Department established an Afghanistan Coordination Task Force, it failed to establish a broader task force as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated in late July and early August 2021.

Naming a 7th Floor principal to oversee all elements of the crisis response would have improved coordination across different lines of effort, the report stated, referencing the floor of the State Department where senior officials offices are located.

The report noted that in the chaos, the State Department received an overwhelming volume of incoming calls and messages to the Department from other government agencies, Congress, and the public inquiring about individual cases mostly with regard to at-risk Afghans, which created an immense challenge.

Moreover, the State Department proved unable to buffer those on the ground in Kabul from receiving multiple, direct calls and messages from current or former senior officials, members of Congress, and/or prominent private citizens asking and in some cases demanding that they provide assistance to specific at-risk Afghans.

Responding to such demands often placed Department employees at even greater risk and hindered the effort to move larger groups of people out, the review found.

Constantly changing policy guidance and public messaging from Washington regarding which populations were eligible for relocation and how the embassy should manage outreach and flow added to the confusion and often failed to take into account key facts on the ground, it noted.

Not all of the findings of the review were negative, and it praised the work of the employees who were involved in efforts around the evacuation, particularly those at the US Embassy in Kabul.

The AAR affirmed what I and so many already knew to be true: our people in Afghanistan, in Washington, and at sites around the world demonstrated extraordinary courage, ingenuity, and dedication to mission in the face of complex and demanding conditions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an email to employees Friday.

In the days, weeks, and months ahead, Ill continue to listen to you, learn from the improvements youre making, and work with you to meet the intent of the reviews recommendations, Blinken said in the email, which was obtained by CNN.

The report detailed 11 recommendations, mostly related to the Departments crisis response and preparedness.

In particular, the AARs recommendations identify the need to plan better for worst-case scenarios, to rebuild and strengthen the Departments core crisis management capabilities, and to ensure that senior officials hear the broadest possible range of views including those that challenge operating assumptions or question the wisdom of key policy decisions, the report said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US State Department report details damning failings around chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal"
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump praised Supreme Court rulings that ended affirmative action in college admissions and a student debt-relief program, as well as limited LGBTQ protections, touting his role in installing the courts conservative majority as he campaigned in South Carolina on Saturday.

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Speaking to supporters in Pickens in the states northwest corner, the former president pointed to his judicial picks, which include three Supreme Court justices he appointed as president, as well as last years ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion.

This week, those justices ruled to move our country forward with a merit-based system of education, he said, referencing the affirmative-action case. If youre a worker and you work very hard in school, you got fantastic marks, somebody that hasnt done nearly as well who perhaps has not worked nearly as hard will not be taking your place.

Trump, the front-runner in the Republican presidential primary field for 2024, also argued that the court was right to block President Joe Bidens proposal to cancel $400 billion of student loans, which would have been very unfair to those who paid off their debt.

A separate decision to allow a website designer to refuse to work on same-sex weddings was a tremendous win for religious liberty, he said.

The decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case on abortion rights gave pro-lifers a tremendous power to negotiate over the issue, he said.

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Seeing his prospects for a second term rapidly dimming in late 2020, President Donald Trump pressed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to procure made-up votes that could tip the scales in his favor, The Washington Post reported Saturday citing three people familiar with their call.

The now-former president enacted a similar pressure campaign against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) with an order to find votes, which was recorded and is currently the subject of criminal investigations.

Ducey did not record his call with Trump, the newspaper said.

The Post report shines new light on the Trump camps efforts to overturn Democratic rival Joe Bidens victory in Arizona; at the time, it was reported that Trumps allies in the Republican Party were putting pressure on local election officials.

Trump also tried to use his vice president, Mike Pence, to coerce Ducey into changing the results of the election, according to the Post, which noted that Pence called Ducey but did not pressure him.

Ducey does not appear to have been swayed. In a video from late November 2020, the governor was seen ignoring a call from Trump while he signed documents officially certifying the election results, which showed Trump lost the state.

Arizonas current governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, replaced Ducey after a contentious race against pro-Trump candidate Kari Lake in 2022.

Special counsel Jack Smith, tasked by the Justice Department to investigate Trump, has been looking into potential wrongdoing in several states where Trump contested the results of the 2020 election. Late last year, his office subpoenaed local election officials in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania; Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was contacted last month.

It is not clear whether Ducey has been in contact with Smiths office.

Smiths investigation into Trumps handling of classified documents led to 37 criminal charges against the former president in early June, which could result in prison time. More charges against Trump are also possible.

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PICKENS, S.C.  Donald Trump built his 2016 campaign on the ability to pack supporters into arenas and fields. In his first early-state rally of 2024, he commandeered a small city.

Taking over the movie-set-like Main Street of a town of 3,300 in the hills of South Carolina on Saturday, Trump put on a show of force not only in his stronghold of rural America, but in an early primary state where he remains dominant.

In front of a crowd local officials estimated may have reached 50,000, Trump barged onto the home-state turf of two of his primary opponents, Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott. The size of Trump's audience  and its fervor  was the latest ominous sign not only for them but for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's top rival, who is desperately trying to peel off part of Trump's base in this first-in-the-South primary state.

In the concert-like atmosphere  with thousands standing for hours and dozens falling ill from the July heat  Trump appeared once again to dwarf the field.

It was hardworking patriots like you who built this country, and it is hardworking patriots like you who are going to save our country, Trump told the crowd, accompanied by a dramatic musical score.



A woman drenched in sweat raised her red Gatorade to the sky and swayed to the music. A man in a wheelchair removed his shirt to endure the heat.

2024 is our final battle, Trump continued. Under our leadership, the forgotten men and women will be forgotten no longer.

People flocked both from surrounding counties and other states to glimpse the twice-indicted former president, whose presence in the 3-square-mile city shut down businesses and strained municipal resources. Trump seized on the citys long-planned annual Independence Day festival, announcing the rally two weeks ago after Trumps team  with help from Republican elected officials in the state  convinced the city to agree to Secret Service shutdowns around its main business strip.

It was a sharp contrast from the event DeSantis held in South Carolina last week  a more subdued affair where he took questions in a North Augusta community center.

In Pickens, vendors set up days in advance, and local homeowners tried to rent out $50 parking spaces in their front yards. Some attendees slept outside the entry gate overnight. The line to enter snaked through the city center Saturday as the entrepreneurial-minded hawked camping chairs, bottled water and hot dogs. Rallygoers ripped cardboard boxes into pieces to make fans, and Trumps campaign frantically brought around pallets of water and Gatorade to hydrate the crowd.

Around 11 a.m., when Trumps branded plane flew overhead, the street erupted in cheers. The school choir from Greenville that was recently stopped from singing the national anthem inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda performed. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has endorsed Trump, was repeatedly drowned out in boos.



I was open, Tena Stark, a native of Pickens who now lives in Tennessee, said of her thinking about the Republican primary field. But my mind is made up now. I feel like hes the strongest man for the job.

Her husband, Bruce, said Trump was the only one who could get him to travel four hours and show up at 4:45 a.m. to stand in the heat for a rally. Momentarily blanking on DeSantis name, he said he liked the candidate from Florida but thinks DeSantis needs more time to be prepared to handle the job of president.

Trump could hardly have selected a more favorable location for his rally. Pickens County supported Trump more than any other part of South Carolina in the 2020 election, with nearly 75 percent of the vote going to Trump. But his appearance here was a shot across the bow in a critical primary state with two home-grown contenders.

Haley, the states former governor, and Scott, its current junior senator, are under especially heavy pressure to perform well on their home turf. And unlike the other early states  where Trump is also dominating in polling  South Carolina is one in which the former president has robust establishment support. He has secured the endorsements of the states governor, senior senator and three congressmen  something statewide and federally elected Republicans have so far refrained from doing in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

This state picks presidents, former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who has also endorsed Trump, said from the stage. When we come together and show this kind of support for an individual, it speaks volumes about the eventual nominee.



By the time Trump took the stage, the crowd was already beginning to thin out, with an apparent exodus of his supporters needing shade, cold drinks and a break from the blistering sun.

Walter Ford, who operates Main Street Pizzeria, initially tried to use Facebook to presell parking spaces at his business and considered selling pizza by the slice to passersby, but he eventually gave up and decided to take the loss by closing. Ford said he isnt upset, calling the rally a historic event for our little city.

It was also a major disruption. The Pickens police chief told the local newspaper his officers had to study every parking lot in this city to figure out how to accommodate the massive crowd. And, most notably, Trump himself called into the Pickens County Courier last week to give an exclusive interview to the weekly newspaper, calling Pickens my area.

Those are the people I love, Trump told reporter Jason Evans. Well break some records. Well break them together.

Trump held his first rally of the 2024 race in Waco, Texas, in March, but Trumps rally here was his first in an early-nominating state after one scheduled for Iowa in May was canceled at the last minute over weather concerns.

In his address Saturday, which was set to be followed by the citys regularly scheduled Independence Day weekend festivities and fireworks, Trump expressed at length his grievances over multiple criminal cases pending against him. Speaking for more than an hour, Trump railed against President Joe Biden while briefly criticizing DeSantis, eliciting light booing from the crowd as he attacked DeSantis record on farming.

It was the latest in a series of elaborate July 4 events Trump has taken part in in recent years, such as his speech at Mount Rushmore in 2020 and his Salute to America event on the National Mall in 2019, which made him the first president to give an Independence Day address there in 68 years.

Nate Leupp, the former chair of the Greenville County Republican Party, said mere curiosity about logistics and how Pickens was going to pull off the event was prompting some Republicans he knew to go.

This one being outside in a small rural town has gotten a lot of people interested in it, Leupp said ahead of the rally. Ive heard of a lot of people wanting to go just for that reason.
Former President Donald Trump played his own greatest hits reel at the start of a sweltering Independence Day weekend in the South Carolina Upstate, as the 2024 presidential candidate hit familiar refrains ranging from election fraud to border security to his recent criminal indictments in front of a crowd of thousands Saturday in Pickens.

In was Trumps first visit to South Carolina since January and his first since a pair of indictments have clouded the former president and current 2024 GOP front-runners presidential campaign.

Flocking to the heart of the small Upstate town hours ahead of the afternoon rally and Independence Day celebration, the large crowd wasnt pleased to welcome everyone to the Trump rally stage. Resounding boos greeted South Carolinas senior U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, an Upstate native, as he preceded Trump.

Alright, thank yall. Thank yall very much, Graham said as boos echoed across the crowd.

Graham had been an avid supporter of Trump up until Graham himself decided to run for president in 2015, when he notoriously said, You know how you make America great again? Graham asked in 2015. Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.

A woman in the crowd Saturday said Grahams time was up, as senator and that he was a traitor.

The crowd stretched back three blocks of Pickens Main Street, lined with food trucks, lemonade and drink stands. Outside the rally, the main stretch of town was blocked off with tents selling t-shirts, flags and Trump merchandise. The former president spoke a few minutes after 1 p.m. after a lineup of his supporters including S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, spoke.

Former President Donald Trump hosts a campaign event in Pickens, South Carolina on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

Doors opened at 9 a.m., but some, such as Tammy Milligan, a 58-year-old semi-retired property manager from Myrtle Beach, arrived much earlier.

Milligan arrived in Pickens the day before the rally. She met her friends at 3 a.m. the morning of the event and got in the line at 5 a.m.

She was wearing a Wonder Woman outfit decked out with a red cape and Trump flag embedded into it, as well as Trump-themed pins across a corset and skirt. She said it was good to see people get out and stand for God and for whats good in the world.

Who dont want to come see our great President Donald J. Trump? Milligan said. Most importantly, he stands for our God-given rights.

Milligan said she believed Trump was the most pro-life president in history. She also said the recent charges against him  stemming from a hush-money investigation in New York and an investigation into the handling of classified documents at his Florida residence  were a distraction for everything going on behind the scenes.

Out of the gate, Trumps speech focused on the indictment against him for retaining federal documents and conspiracy to hide them, telling the crowd he had every right to have the documents, an absolute right to have them.

They decided only to come after me, its an amazing thing, Trump told the crowd.

Former President Donald Trump hosts a campaign event in Pickens, South Carolina on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

The former president repeated some of his usual refrains about border security, the 2020 election, protecting life, and not letting men to play in womens sports, referencing to transgender athletes participating in sports.

A majority of his speech circled around President Joe Biden, who Trump said is grossly incompetent and can get us into World War 3.

Joe Bidens policy is China first. My policy is very simple, America first, Trump told the crowd.

According to an NBC News poll nearly a week ago, if voters were to cast their decision in June, Trump would have 51% of the Republican primary vote, ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at 22%.

Trump mentioned U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican whos polling behind both Trump and DeSantis among 2024 candidate. Trump called Scott a very good man. But when it came to former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, another Republican vying for the White House, boos echoed through the crowd.

Of Graham, Trump said, Hes there when you need him.

He was one of my earliest endorsements right from the go.

Senator Lindsey Graham is bood by the crowd at a campaign event for former President Donald Trump in Pickens, South Carolina on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

Thomas Mura, a 54-year-old from the town of Six Mile, S.C., said he was eager to hear the former president speak.

His right leg was covered with an American flag tattoo that wrapped around his calf and up onto his thigh. He described himself as very pro-America, like Trump.

Mura said he had lived in South Carolina for the last nine years and has seen the policies and actions implemented by Haley and Scott, Trumps competitors. He said they were both very committed and had great ideas but that Trump had proved what he could do before, so he supported him now.

Sandra Dickenson, 77, owner of a small childrens shop in Easley, said the event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She got in line at 5:30 a.m. and waited more than two hours to get into Main Street. She was trying to get a seat at the front but was too late. Dickenson said she will be voting for Trump because he cares about the people.

Hes just heard us, Dickenson said. I would just love to have known what he couldve done if they had left him alone and not tried to throw everything but the kitchen sink at him.

If Trump were to drop out of the presidential race for any reason, Dickenson said she would vote for Scott over Haley because Scott pulled himself up.

Thats what its all about, dont wait for a handout, Dickenson said. He did a hand-up, not a handout.

Haley did great as governor, Dickenson said, but she doesnt see her as president.

She also said she likes DeSantis but would still choose Trump over DeSantis because she said shes confident in what Trump can do as president and knows what he has done before.

Amid the waiting for the former president to take the stage, attendees sought shade under trees or building awnings. Multiple people became overheated while waiting for Trump to speak and were moved to side sections with staff to recover from the heat.

Former President Donald Trump hosts a campaign event in Pickens, South Carolina on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

Diego Beltram, 22-year-old real estate agent from Spartanburg, was with his father and younger brother at the rally.

Beltram said he and his family got to the event at 9 a.m. and waited an hour and a half in line.

He said Scott and Haley were pretty good representatives for South Carolina and said they had good policies as far as he was aware.

However, he said he would vote for DeSantis if Trump were not running.

Beltram thinks DeSantis has better chance of winning than Haley and Scott. However, he said he thought Trump has a better grasp on policy implementation and a better record compared to DeSantis.

DeSantis is a little bit more soft when it comes to the policies he implements, and Trump is more straightforward with what he wants to do, Beltram said.

Orchestral music blasted from the speakers as Trump finished the last part of his speech, reciting how he would raid the swamp once more and never, ever back down, rescue freedom and justice. Attendees started to trickle out of the venue during his speech, leaving less than half the crowd standing in the sun cheering Trump on.

Matt Strong, a 42-year-old human resources worker in Greenville, said he will be voting for DeSantis but said he had voted for Trump twice in the past. If Trump won, Strong would support him, but he said DeSantis has a better chance of winning.

Love it or hate it, Trump ... talks a lot of smack, and he makes a lot of people angry, so hes not going to win over that neutral independent vote like most people would. But DeSantis will take it I think, Strong said. Pretty much anybody in the Republican field other than Trump I think would win.

Strong said its not that he doesnt agree with Trump, but the former president gives Republicans the best chance to lose.

Sporting an American flag cape, Strong said hes been supporting DeSantis for two years. He thought what DeSantis did in Florida during COVID-19 was wonderful.

Hes young, hes fresh, hes not 80 years old.

He said DeSantis and Trump fall on the same line, and that DeSantis echoes Trumps policies. But DeSantis is more educated and doesnt talk like Trump does, Strong.

DeSantis and Trump are the horses, Strong said.

Its been one thing after another with Trump, Strong added. Thats why Im a DeSantis guy. Ive seen the big picture.
Michael M Santiago/GettyImages

In remarks at the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia on Friday, Donald Trump pledged to sign an executive order curtailing gender-affirming care at any age.

On Day One, I will sign an executive order instructing every federal agency to cease the promotion of sex or gender transition at any age. Theyre not gonna do it anymore, Trump told the audience. I will declare that any hospital or health-care provider that participates in the chemical or physical mutilation of minor youth no longer meets federal health and safety standardsthey will be terminated from receiving federal funds effective immediately. And I will ask Congress to send a bill to my desk prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.

The remarks were part of a broader program that Trump previewed at the conference for Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that has championed anti-LGBTQ legislation. Trumps speech came at the end of the conferences first day, which began with a speech by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Moms for Liberty summit attendees chanted, We love Trump, as the ex-president arrived more than an hour late for his scheduled remarks.

Protesters Blast Moms For Liberty Summit in Philly: Klanned Karenhood

Trump opened with familiar grievances about immigration, the media, and the multiple ongoing criminal cases against him. But after sounding some of the more well-worn notes from his stump speech, Trump suggested a series of sweeping educational policies that would far exceed measures he took while in office, particularly regarding race and LGBTQ issues.

Amid a diatribe about crime in classrooms, Trump called for increased incarceration of students. I will completely overhaul federal standards of school discipline and juvenile justice to get violent monsters out of your childrens classrooms and into reform schools or correction institutions, Trump said.

He also pledged to cut funding for schools that teach issues related to race and gender.

On Day One, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children, Trump said.

That remark, coupled with his pledge to block federal agencies from promoting gender-affirming care for people of any age, comes as the right retools much of its 2024 message around attacks on transgender rights. Trump had previously pledged to ban gender-affirming care for minors, if elected.

Trump also signaled interest in gutting the federal Department of Education. I want to move our education system back to the states.

Indiana Moms for Liberty Chapter Apologizes for Quoting Hitler in First Newsletter

Nevertheless, he indicated plans to sic the federal government on individual schools. After complaining about pronouns, Trump announced that for any schools that are engaged in these militant and country-destroying practices, I will instruct the DOJ to pursue them as violators of the Establishment Clause, or the free exercise clause, of our constitution.

Elsewhere in his speech, Trump pledged to abolish teachers tenure and to fire the radical left accreditation groups that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and freaks.

One of his suggestions would effectively eliminate funding for most schools, based on their near-universal vaccine requirements for students.

I will not give one penny to any institution that has a vaccine mandate or mask mandate from kindergarten through college, Trump said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Trump sparks speculation by ranting about charges against me in Georgia

Donald Trump set off speculation that he expects to be criminally charged in an election tampering probe in Georgia, ranting on social media about all charges against me in the high-profile case. Thats even though no such charges have been formally announced.

On Friday, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be dropping all charges against me for lack of a case.

The former president has been under investigation in the Georgia county since February 2021, after he was recorded pressuring top Georgia officials to find him enough votes to win the 2020 election.

In his post on Friday, Mr Trump defended the 2 January, 2021, call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, as perfectly legal

I made a PERFECTLY LEGAL PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ABOUT AN ELECTION THAT I STRONGLY FEEL WAS RIGGED AND STOLLEN, Mr Trump wrote. NONE of the MANY LAWYERS on the call minded my words, or even hinted at wrongdoing.

The comments made some speculate Mr Trump had already been charged in Fulton County, or had word he would be charged soon.

This makes me think that he, or his lawyers, were told something, commentator Ron Filipkowski wrote on Twitter. Maybe not, but this seems rather random for him to make this prediction today.

The Independent has contacted Donald Trump and the Fulton County District Attorneys Office for comment.

A charging decision in the Georgia investigation is expected soon.

Ms Willis has signaled a decision could be announced in early August.

Emily Kohrs, the foreperson of the grand jury considering evidence against Mr Trump, has hinted that he will be charged.

Youre not going to be shocked. Its not rocket science, Emily Kohrs told the New York Times in January, when the grand jury concluded its work. You wont be too surprised.

The speculation over Mr Trumps fate comes as a former top Trump campaign official has agreed to potential testimony in the federal special counsel investigation into the former presidents alleged election meddling.

Michael Roman, the 2020 Trump campaigns director of Election Day operations, has reportedly reached a proffer agreement with the Justice Department, according to CNN.
Supporters of former President Trump booed and called South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) a traitor at a rally in the senators home state on Saturday.

Thank yall for coming. Thank you very much, Graham said in response to a chorus of boos at the rally for the former president in Pickens, S.C.

Just calm down for a second. I think youll like this, he added, after waiting several minutes for the crowd to settle to no avail.

Graham, who has had an on-and-off relationship with Trump over the years, touted the common ground that he and the former president have found on Saturday.

It took a while to get there folks, but let me tell you what happened, he said. Ive come to like President Trump and he likes himself and we got that in common. And Im gonna help him become president of the United States.

So let me tell you how you win an election folks  you get people together that dont agree all the time to agree on the most important things, Graham added. My hope is we can bring this party together cause hes gonna be our nominee.

The South Carolina senator, who at one point called Trump a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot during the 2016 campaign, became one of the presidents fiercest supporters in the Senate during his administration.

Graham briefly turned against Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. However, he ultimately endorsed the former presidents 2024 White House bid.

The senator has recently defended Trump in the face of two indictments, saying last month that the latest charges made the former president stronger than before.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This week, the Supreme Court declared affirmative action in college admissions unconstitutional, killed Bidens student debt relief plan, and permitted a graphic designer in Colorado to refuse service to same-sex couples. Of course, twice-indicted former president Donald Trump wasted no time in taking credit for it all during his speech at a summit for Moms for Liberty  a right-wing, anti-government group  on Friday.

Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three. They are gold, he boasted to the crowd gathered in Philadelphia that night, referring to Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Maybe well get three or four more. Can you imagine?.. Lets have seven or eight or maybe even nine.

Trump: Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three. And maybe well three or four more. Lets have seven or eight or maybe even nine. pic.twitter.com/8yNRyzKFR4  Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2023

While Trump continued to wail against the ongoing criminal cases against him, while also airing out his grievances about immigration and the media, the ex-president vowed to enact a series of dangerous educational policies that would target vulnerable youth and marginalized communities.

He called for increased incarceration of students, promising to completely overhaul federal standards of school discipline and juvenile justice to get violent monsters out of your childrens classrooms and into reform schools or correction institutions. Such reform schools and institutions in the troubled teen industry, which generates billions of dollars annually, have been criticized for the countless reports of psychological and physical abuse of young people.

Trump also pledged to eliminate funding for schools that teach students about race and gender.

On Day One, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children, said the former president, who also promised to ban federal agencies from promoting gender-affirming care for people of any age.

Although Trump has spent the last several months personally attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he vies for the presidential nomination, both joined other 2024 hopefuls in praising the Supreme Courts devastating decisions that have and will ultimately harm countless people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and low-income Americans.

On Thursday, following the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the court, called out her conservative colleagues in a scathing dissent. With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat, she wrote. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. And having so detached itself from this countrys actual past and present experiences, the Court has now been lured into interfering with the crucial work that UNC and other institutions of higher learning are doing to solve Americas real-world problems.

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Demonstrators hold their cellphones aloft as they sing "Glory to Hong Kong" during a rally at Chater Garden in Hong Kong

Twenty-six years ago today, Hong Kong was handed over to China on a promise.

Beijing made the commitment, under an international treaty, to protect Hong Kongs freedoms, the rule of law, human rights, way of life and autonomy for at least fifty years. Over the past decade, and especially in the past few years, Beijing has completely broken its promises, torn up the treaty and dismantled Hong Kongs freedoms. It has turned Hong Kong from one of Asias most open cities into one of its most repressive police states.

The erosion of Hong Kongs freedoms began a decade or more ago, but Beijing dealt a hammer-blow to whatever was left of liberty when it imposed a draconian National Security Law on the city, with no debate, no discussion and precious little warning.

In the three years since this law was introduced, all of Hong Kongs major independent media has been forced to shut down, over 60 civil society organisations  including political parties, trade unions, student unions and human rights groups  have disbanded, books have been banned and the legislature has been transformed from a vibrant centre of debate into a zombie quisling puppet show.

According to legal scholar Johannes Chan, by late May this year, 251 people had been arrested for national security offences. Someone was arrested every 4.2 days. They include legislators, journalists, students, academics and political activists. Nearly four in five of those charged are denied bail, and some have spent over two years in jail awaiting trial. The conviction rate is 100%.

This has chilling echoes of the legal system in mainland China. This week I hosted two remarkably courageous men who served several years in jail in China. Both are foreign nationals. Peter Humphrey, a British citizen, is a former Reuters journalist and due diligence investigator with almost half a century of experience in China, while Marius Balo is a Romanian theologian. Peter and his wife spent two years in jail in Shanghai, and Marius served eight years, for crimes they did not commit.

On Monday they testified in Parliament to the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, and Peter made the point that in China police, prosecutors and judges are all part of the same family  the Communist Party. The police do not conduct investigations with any detective or forensic procedures.

They rely on extracting confessions from detainees while being interrogated day by day locked inside a cage, Peter told our hearing. In addition, witness statements are coerced, prosecution witnesses are not cross-examined  or even required to appear in court  and, in Peters words, no contradictory evidence is allowed. Forced televised confessions are often used, and no defence witnesses are called to court. No wonder the Chinese system achieves an almost 100% success rate in convictions.

This is the legal system into which Hong Kong has morphed. A city that until recently prided itself on the rule of law is becoming part of the Chinese Communist Partys family. That is why the authorities have denied Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai the right to choose his own lawyer, and blocked British barrister Tim Owen, KC from representing him, despite rulings by the Court of Final Appeal that Mr Owen should be permitted to act for Mr Lai.

There are three sobering lessons in all of this.

First, the mendacious regime in Beijing simply cannot be trusted to keep its word. Its promises in any treaty are not worth the paper they are written on.

Second, there are huge risks to doing business in China. Not only financial risks, but physical, moral and ethical risks. If you try to do due diligence, especially now with a new espionage law that takes effect today and that interprets corporate due diligence investigations as spying, you could end up in jail for a long time. Peter Humphreys case is a trail blazer  the recent crackdown on Mintz, Bain and other corporate investigators signals worse to come. Yet if you cannot do due diligence, you are highly likely to be unwittingly using forced labour or prison labour in your supply chains, and turning a blind eye to corruption.

Third, China only respects strength. If we continue the policy of the past few decades, of kowtowing, naively thinking that trying to befriend the dictators in Beijing will soften their hearts, we will only embolden Beijings increasing repression against its own peoples and aggression beyond its borders.

We have to show strength. That means speaking out for our citizens when they are jailed, defending international agreements when they are violated, promoting our values when they are attacked and ensuring there are consequences for Beijings crimes.

Rumours abound that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly may visit Beijing soon. I have reservations about this, but for me, the more important debate about such a visit is not whether or not it should happen, but what are the conditions and objectives of it. If he uses the visit to deliver very clear, robust demands seeking the release of British citizens in jail in China  including Mr Lai in Hong Kong  and spells out what the consequences will be if the current trajectory of repression, aggression, slave labour and atrocity crimes continues, then I have an open mind. If he sacrifices human rights as he kowtows at the altar of Xi Jinping, then he will have betrayed Britain.

As we mark the anniversaries of the handover of Hong Kong and the imposition of the security law, let us reflect on our relationship with the regime in Beijing with a sober and informed mind. Can we trust them? On the basis of the evidence, the answer is no. And so we must stand up to them. Failure to do so will not only be a betrayal of our values  it will be an invitation to them to further assault, infiltrate, intimidate, influence and threaten us. Thats not an invitation I think we should give on this anniversary, as we survey the carnage of broken promises.

Benedict Rogers is co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch and author of The China Nexus: Thirty Years In and Around the Chinese Communist Partys Tyranny.

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.
Elon Musk

Twitter has applied a temporary limit to the number of tweets users can read in a day, owner Elon Musk has said.

In a tweet of his own, Mr Musk said unverified accounts are now limited to reading 1,000 posts a day.

For new unverified accounts, the number is 500. Meanwhile, accounts with "verified" status are currently limited to 10,000 posts a day.

The tech billionaire initially set stricter limits, but he changed these within hours of announcing the move.

Mr Musk said the temporary limits were to address "extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation".

He did not explain what was meant by system manipulation in this context.

"We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users," Mr Musk explained on Friday, after users were presented with screens asking them to log in to view Twitter content.

The move was described as a "temporary emergency measure".

It is not totally clear what Mr Musk is referring to by data scraping, but it appears he means the scraping of large amounts of data used by artificial intelligence (AI) companies to train large language models, which power chatbots such as Open AI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard.

In simple terms, data scraping is the pulling of information from the internet. Large language models need to learn from masses of real human conversations. But the quality is vital to the success of a chatbot. Reddit and Twitter's huge trove of billions of posts are thought to be hugely important training data - and used by AI companies.

But platforms like Twitter and Reddit want to be paid for this data.

In April, Reddit's chief executive Steve Huffman told the New York Times that he was unhappy with what AI companies were doing.

"The Reddit corpus of data is really valuable," he said. "But we don't need to give all of that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free."

Twitter has already started charging users to access its application programming interface (API), which is often used by third party apps and researchers - which can include AI companies.

There are other potential reasons for the move too.

Mr Musk has been pushing people towards Twitter Blue, its paid subscription service. It's possible he is looking at a model where users will have to pay to get a full Twitter service - and access to unlimited posts.

Signalled by a blue tick, "verified" status was given for free by Twitter to high-profile accounts before Mr Musk took over as its boss. Now, most users have to pay a subscription fee from $8 (6.30) per month to be verified, and can gain the status regardless of their profile.

According to the website Downdetector - which tracks online outages - a peak of 5,126 people reported problems accessing the platform in the UK at 16:12 BST on Saturday.

In the US, roughly 7,461 people reported glitches around the same time.

Initially, Mr Musk announced reading limits of 6,000 posts per day for verified accounts, 600 for unverified accounts, and 300 for new unverified accounts.

In another update Mr Musk said "several hundred organisations (maybe more) were scraping Twitter data extremely aggressively".

He later indicated there had been a burden on his website, saying it was "rather galling to have to bring large numbers of servers online on an emergency basis".

A server is a powerful computer that manages and stores files, providing services such as web pages for users.

Adam Leon Smith from BCS, the UK's professional body for IT, said the move was "very odd" as limiting users' scroll time would affect the company's advertising revenue.

Mr Musk bought the company last year for $44bn (35bn) after much back and forth. He was critical of Twitter's previous management and said he did not want the platform to become an echo chamber.

Soon after taking over, he cut the workforce from just under 8,000 staff to about 1,500.

In an interview with the BBC, he said that cutting the workforce had not been easy.

Engineers were included in the layoffs and their exit raised concerns about the platform's stability.

But while Mr Musk acknowledged some glitches, he told the BBC in April that outages had not lasted very long and the site was working fine.
How did an Oakland Park grocery store respond to a failed state inspection with violations that included old food and food kept in a bacteria-breeding manner? By not correcting or repeating several violations on Tuesdays re-inspection.

This repetition of poor food safety occurred at Latino Supermarket, 335 NE 44th St., first visited by Florida Department of Agriculture inspectors Briana Albritton and Novelette Williams on June 7 and checked again on Tuesday by Williams and Tasheka Edmond.

READ MORE: Flies, but no running water. Cracker Barrel roaches. Fort Lauderdale restaurant issues

The Department of Agriculture inspects packaged food sellers from supermarkets, wholesale and retail bakeries, food storage, processing and distribution facilities. Unlike restaurant inspectors from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Ag Department inspectors cant close down an establishment for getting the lowest inspection grade, Re-Inspection Required.

Inspectors can, however, issue Stop Sale orders on food and Stop Use Orders on equipment and areas. Enough of those in the wrong places and opening a store might be impossible or, at best, fruitless.

The June 7 inspection

Here are some of the violations found during the June 7 inspection of the grocer in an Oakland Park strip mall:

 This could cause your fish to have a sanitized flavor as well as make you sick. Food employee failed to clean the three-compartment sink after cleaning dishes, then prepared fish (in the sink).

 A food employee washed hands for less than 10 seconds without soap. So, its not really washing hands, but rinsing them.

 A food employee failed to sanitize pans and utensils after cleaning.

 In the backroom, the shelves inside the walk-in cooler are soiled.

 On the shelves, they found dented cans of kidney beans, ducal negros and sardines. Each got hit with a Stop Sale.

 A Stop Use Order hit a kitchen reach-in cooler that was 48 degrees inside. That makes it worthless for keeping food under 41 degrees. Which is part of the reason several prepared foods werent kept either below 41 degrees or above 135 degrees.

 Youre not supposed to have food in prep areas or deli areas for sale longer than seven days. A reach-in cooler had 8-day-old cooked oxtail, combined chicharron that had been there 15 days and a bucket of pickles that was 27 days old. Stop Sale for each, and tossed.

 Sponges used in contact with cleaned and sanitized or in-use food-contact surfaces. Sponges used to clean pots, pans and utensils in the kitchen area. Sponges retain some of the debris and bacteria they scrub. Thats one reason you should run them through a dishwasher cycle as often as you can during their limited lives.

 Non-food grade plastic containers used to store raw and cooked meats in a reach-in cooler.

 In the storage area, the handles on the ice coop and mallet in the ice machine were touching the ice, which means the dirt and grime from any hands touching those handles is touching the ice. Same theory for why the the handle of the spoon shouldnt be touching the sugar at the coffee station.

The June 27 re-inspection

After getting dinged on June 7 for using sponges to clean pots, pans and utenisls, Latino Supermarket repeated the violation.

Also repeated: storage of the ice scoop and mallet in the ice machine with the handle touching the ice and the spoon in the sugar container at the ice station. Other discoveries:

 The shelves inside the walk-in cooler were still soiled.

 At least the old food decreased from three types to one. The cooked oxtails in the reach-in cooler were 10 days old.

 Cut tomatoes were 20 degrees too warm. They got thrown into the garbage with cut cabbage (18 degrees too warm) and white cheese (three to five degrees too warm).

 Non-food grade plastic containers were used to store raw and cooked meats in a reach-in cooler.

Latino Supermarket received a second Re-Inspection Required result.
Washington  David Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware who recently brought criminal charges against Hunter Biden, has spoken out for the first time since reaching a plea deal with the president's son. In a letter sent Friday to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Weiss pushed back against claims that the investigation was impeded.

Weiss' letter was written in response to a June 22 correspondence from House Republicans in which they asked for material related to accusations made by IRS agents on the Hunter Biden case who alleged in Congressional testimony that there were irregularities in the investigation and certain retaliatory measures were taken against them.

"As the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, my charging authority is geographically limited to my home district. If venue for a case lies elsewhere, common Departmental practice is to contact the United States Attorney's Office for the district in question and determine whether it wants to partner on the case. If not, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General," Weiss wrote, "Here, I have been assured that, if necessary after the above process, I would be granted  515 Authority in the District of Columbia, the Central District of California, or any other district where charges could be brought in this matter."

Court filings unsealed earlier this month showed Weiss' office charged Biden with two misdemeanor tax counts  to which the president's son agreed to plead guilty  and a felony gun charge for which Biden agreed to enter into a diversion program. The deal with prosecutors will have to be approved by a judge at a hearing which is currently set for July 26.

An IRS Agent who worked on the case, Gary Shapely, told Congressional investigators and CBS News that the evidence he saw warranted more severe charges. He also alleged in testimony that Weiss told him that prosecutors in Delaware were prevented from bringing charges in other jurisdictions  including California and Washington, D.C.  and that Weiss was denied special counsel status by the Justice Department.

In his letter on Friday  his first since charging Hunter Biden  Weiss reiterated his defense of the investigation that he made weeks ago, in which he wrote at the time, "I have been granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges and for making decisions necessary to preserve the integrity of the prosecution, consistent with federal law, the Principles of Federal Prosecution, and Departmental regulations."

"I stand by what I wrote," Weiss told Jordan Friday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland  who kept the Trump-appointed Weiss on the job to complete the Biden probe  previously said in response to the allegations that Weiss was "permitted to continue his investigation and to make a decision to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to."

"The only person with authority to make somebody a special counsel or refuse to make somebody a special counsel is the attorney general. Mr. Weiss never made that request to me," Garland said earlier this month, "He had and has complete authority  to bring a case anywhere he wants, in his discretion."

"I documented what I saw, and ultimately that's the evidence. If they want to explain how that's wrong, they can," Shapley told CBS News earlier this week defending his allegations. "All of the things that I've testified in front of the House Ways and Means Committee is from my perspective, but it's based on the experience I've gained over 14 years."

Weiss' letter on Friday also pushed back on claims of retaliation, writing, "the Department of Justice did not retaliate against 'an Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") Criminal Supervisory Special Agent and whistleblower, as well as his entire investigative team for making protected disclosures to Congress'."

The letter comes after Jordan and his counterparts on the House Oversight and Ways and Means Committees asked the Justice Department to make Weiss and other investigators available for closed-door interviews with Congress. Weiss made no immediate commitment prior to the July 26 hearing where a judge has final review and approval of the plea agreement.

"At the appropriate time, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these topics with the Committee in more detail, and answer questions related to the whistleblowers' allegations consistent with the law and Department policy," Weiss said Friday, "It is my understanding that the Office of Legislative Affairs will work with the Committee to discuss appropriate timeline and scope."

Garland had previously said he supported Weiss speaking out at an appropriate time.

Weiss, however, said Friday he was unable to provide certain documents and materials requests by House Republicans, citing the ongoing investigation.



"At this juncture, I am required to protect confidential law enforcement information and deliberative communications related to the case. Thus, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation at this time," Weiss wrote.

On Friday, one of Hunter Biden's attorneys accused House Republicans of attempting to derail Biden's plea deal with Weiss by pushing forward what he characterized as "false allegations" from IRS whistleblowers.

"To any objective eye your actions were intended to improperly undermine the judicial proceedings that have been scheduled in the case," attorney Abbe Lowell wrote to House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith. "Your release of this selective set of false allegations was an attempt to score a headline in a news cyclefull facts be damned. We all know the adage: an allegation gets page one attention, while the explanation or exoneration never gets coverage at all or is buried on page 10. This letter is an attempt to make sure the response is found."

The IRS whistleblowers began the process of coming forward months before their closed-door testimony to the GOP-controlled House Ways and Means Committee.

When asked about Shapley's testimony on June 23, the White House referred to a previously-released statement.

"President Biden has made clear that this matter would be handled independently by the Justice Department, under the leadership of a U.S. attorney appointed by former President Trump, free from any political interference by the White House," the statement said. "He has upheld that commitment."

Lindsay Gorman says context is "really important" in differentiating AI-generated images

UC president Michael Drake use of affirmative action in their system "has been removed"

Full interview: Former Vice President Mike Pence on "Face the Nation"
UK intelligence says Ukraine's Armed Forces try to gain a foothold on left bank of Dnipro River near Kherson

UK intelligence has said that the Ukrainian military have crossed the Dnipro River near the Antonivka Bridge near Kherson and are trying to gain a foothold on the left bank.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence update on 1 July; European Pravda

Details: UK intelligence noted that Ukrainian forces have almost certainly started to move to the left bank of the Dnipro River near the Antonivka Bridge since 23 June. The fighting on the left bank intensified from 27 June.

Among the Russian units stationed in this area are elements of the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division, which is part of the Russian Dnipro Group of Forces (DGF).

Quote: "In recent weeks, Russia has highly likely reallocated elements of DGF defending the bank of the Dnipro to reinforce the Zaporizhzhia sector. Combat around the bridge head is almost certainly complicated by the flooding, destruction and residual mud from the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023."

Background: The Institute for the Study of War also reported that Russian troops have been unable to oust the Ukrainians, numbering up to 70 people, from their fortified positions under the eastern span of the Antonivka Bridge.

This week, UK intelligence also reported that strikes on the bridges near Chonhar at the entrance to Crimea have significantly complicated logistics for Russian troops.

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In what became a landmark ruling, the U.K.s Independent Press Standards Organisation chose to uphold sexism complaints regarding a 2022 article about Meghan Markle that triggered more than 25,000 responses after being published by The Sun.

IPSO has upheld a complaint that a column in The Sun about the Duchess of Sussex included a pejorative and prejudicial reference to her sex, the IPSO tweeted Friday. This was a serious breach of the Editors Code of Practice.

The British press watchdog group launched an investigation into the article in which author Jeremy Clarkson called for the wife of Prince Harry to be paraded through English streets naked while being pelted with excrement, according to the Independent.

Clarkson and The Sun have since apologized for the column, which is no longer online.

Never before has the IPSO upheld a complaint pertaining to a subjects sex.

The Fawcett Society and WILDE Foundation, both womens rights organizations, were two of the groups that filed formal complaints about Jeremy Clarksons vile and offensive column about the Duchess of Sussex.

All women are harmed if any woman is the target of sexist reporting and media misogyny is not acceptable, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society Jemima Olchawski said in a statement. Since it was established in 2014, IPSO has never upheld a complaint about sexism  and that changes today. ... Misogyny and hate are not acceptable and they can no longer be dressed up as satire or banter.

While the organizations called the ruling a landmark decision, complaints that the article harassed Markle and/or contained racism were not upheld.

As a result of the decision, The Sun will be obligated to publish the results of the IPSO finding Saturday on the same page that Clarksons column would have run, as well as tease the story on its front page. A web version has also been instructed.

However, many have said the punishment isnt harsh enough for the crime, asking why the decision took so long and why no fines were imposed.

According to journalist Brian Cathcart, the IPSO is supposedly empowered to slap 1 million (pound) fines on erring papers (but) has never handed down even a 10 (pound) fine. He adds that the IPSO has repeatedly dismissed complaints of racism.

Clarkson, who has also worked with the BBC, is described by The Sun as a motoring enthusiast who loves giving his tongue-in-cheek views each week.

Prince Harry called Clarksons article horrific and hurtful and cruel in a January interview on British television.


Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukraine's partners expect rapid success in the counteroffensive before the July NATO summit in Vilnius, but every meter of liberated territory comes at a high cost, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Spanish media, as reported by broadcaster RTVE on June 30.

Read also: Ukraine should receive invitation to join NATO at July summit  former Secretary-General

"We must show results before the (NATO) summit (on July 11-12), but every meter comes at a cost of lives," said Zelenskyy.

The president revealed that the plans for Ukraine's counteroffensive have been slowed down in recent months due to heavy rains. He called on partners to continue supporting Ukraine with weapons. Zelenskyy noted that during the autumn 2022 counteroffensive, "with respect to our allies," the supply of artillery was too late.

"We had to stop because we couldn't advance; advancing would have meant losing more people, and we didn't have artillery," he emphasized, reiterating that Ukraine values the lives of its troops above all.

Earlier on June 30, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said he is irked when people complain about the counteroffensive being slower than expected, reminding that "every meter liberated by Ukrainian forces is paid for with blood."

Read also: NATO summit in Vilnius to approve long-term aid package for Ukraine, bringing membership closer  Stoltenberg

"This is not a show for the whole world to watch and bet on, or something like that; every day, every meter is paid for with blood," Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Read also: Russia planning attacks in Kharkiv Oblast, says deputy defense minister Malyar

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar previously said that the Defense Forces have seized strategic initiative along the eastern front and are confidently advancing on the flanks around Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, as well as making progress in southern Ukraine.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukraine counter-offensive will be long and bloody, says US Gen Mark Milley

Ukrainian soldiers have liberated villages during the counter-offensive, but President Zelensky acknowledges progress has been slow

Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia will be difficult and "very bloody", the US' highest-ranking military officer has said.

Gen Mark Milley said he was unsurprised that progress had been slower than predicted - but added that Ukraine was "advancing steadily".

"It goes a little slow, but that is part of the nature of war," he said.

It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky accused "some" Western partners of delaying promised training for Ukrainian pilots.

Several Western countries have pledged to train Kyiv's pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets, but the Ukrainian president said some allies had been "dragging their feet" on the promise.

President Zelensky has previously acknowledged that the Ukrainian offensive was making slow progress.

Gen Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington on Friday that the counter-offensive was "advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields... 500m a day, 1,000m a day, 2,000m a day, that kind of thing".

He added he was not surprised that progress had been slower than expected. "War on paper and real war are different. In real war, real people die," he said.

"Real people are on those front lines and real people are in those vehicles. Real bodies are being shredded by high explosives.

"What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, 10 weeks, it's going to be very difficult. It's going to be very long, and it's going to be very, very bloody. And no-one should have any illusions about any of that."

Ukrainian soldiers were "assaulting through minefields and into trenches", he said, adding that "this is literally a fight for their life".

He said the US was giving Ukraine "as much help as humanly possible".

Gen Milley is the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defence, and National Security Council.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said the counter-offensive had been hampered by a lack of adequate firepower.

In an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday, he said he was frustrated by the slow deliveries of weapons promised by the West, from modern fighter jets to artillery ammunition.

"I do not need 120 planes. I'm not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough," he said.

Separately, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, is reported to have made an unannounced visit to Ukraine last month where he met President Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence officials.

The CIA director is said to have discussed Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russian forces, as well as reaffirming the US commitment to intelligence-sharing.
Storm Shadow Ukraine strike SAM

A remarkable video shows Russian air defenses trying and failing to intercept a Ukrainian Storm Shadow cruise missile before it hits the ground close by.

Smoke trails from surface-to-air missile launches streak into the clear blue sky at the unseen threat, all before a massive explosion from impact not far in front of the camera. It suggests that while Russians may be able to detect the incoming Storm Shadow, at least at the end of its flight, intercepting it is another matter.

https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1675095609898946560

The clip appears to back up previous accounts suggesting Russian short-range air defense (SHORAD) systems struggle to track and intercept the low-observable cruise missile. A video from earlier this month, reportedly from within a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense unit, showed the Russians inability to make the intercept.

https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1671965086959673357?s=20

The Storm Shadow is an obvious threat to much of the Russian rear area, a danger further magnified by ineffective air defenses. Given the struggles seen above, it appears only a few incoming missiles could overwhelm point defenses around key Russian positions, including bridges and other fixed logistical points.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1675281779043729409?s=20

As Ukraine continues to shape the battlefield amid its ongoing counteroffensive, the knowledge its highly-prized, British-supplied cruise missiles have proven capable of penetrating Russian air defenses  and they may have had some help in doing so in the past  will certainly play into future targeting decisions.

Before we head into the latest from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.

The Latest

Todays intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defense has further confirmed the Ukrainian bridgehead over the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian troops have almost certainly deployed to the east bank near the destroyed Antonovskiy Bridge.

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1675020125206872064

Russian defenders include elements of the Dnipro Group of Forces (DGF) 7th Guards Air Assault Division, a Russian VDV unit. Moscow has highly likely redeployed parts of the DGF formerly along the Dnipros banks to the Zaporizhzhia sector in recent weeks. Already difficult, riverine terrain is made even more complicated in the wake of catastrophic flooding from the Kakhovka Dams collapse on June 6.

Video reportedly shows a Russian Tigr-M vehicle burning after a Ukrainian attack near the city of Oleshky. Located across the Konka River and the first piece of solid ground beyond the vast Dnipro River delta, Oleshky is the first settlement on the highway connecting Kherson to Crimea.

https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1675064469184036864

If Ukrainian forces have indeed made it into Oleshky, Russian forces already precarious situation on the Crimean approaches of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will only get worse. A healthy bridgehead through which scores of Ukrainian troops can pour into the Russian left flank opens up another front that will take a toll on Russia's already overstretched lines. Doing so will still take some major work as the initial bridgehead is thought to be small in size and under high threat of Russian bombardment.

The Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) assessed continued Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in at least three frontline sectors on June 30. To the north in Luhansk Oblast, fighting continues along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1674972393586978818?s=20

Further south in Donetsk Oblast, there are reported Ukrainian gains around the ruins of Bakhmut, and skirmishes continue in the war-torn suburbs of Donetsk proper. Video also shows Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drone striking and destroying a Russian BTR wheeled APC near Marinka.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1674976218989445120?s=20 https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1675064038852624384

The Bakhmut sector is interesting indeed, as Ukrainian forces press the offensive after months of a grinding war of attrition in the area.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1675041985554415616

Also in the Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited a gas station to get coffee and take selfies with Ukrainian soldiers in the area.

https://twitter.com/blukraine/status/1675159928892424196

In Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian forces continue their push toward the occupied city of Melitopol along the administrative border between Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts. Fighting in this area remains intense, as video from the trenches shows a Ukrainian soldier quickly switching to a sidearm after taking a trench from Russian forces.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1674979898169913345 https://twitter.com/GloOouD/status/1675120899685588992

Ukrainian armored recovery vehicles remain busy retrieving damaged and abandoned vehicles from battlefields. A clip shows Ukrainian troops with a Bergepanzer ARV recovering a M2A2 Bradley and other vehicles with battle damage.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1675108641731407874

Ukrainian tank crews have modified at least one of the eight Canadian-supplied Leopard 2A4 tanks with a layer of Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor (ERA). You can read our full coverage of this unique modification in our story here.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1675236926255779840

Elsewhere, Ukrainian Leopards are working Russian trenches in close-up battles. A Ukrainian Leopard 2A6 can be seen firing high-explosive shells into the trench line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1674923088318812161

Russias most modern tank has not fared as well in Zaporizhzhia, as video shows a T-90M engulfed in a fireball after taking a Ukrainian anti-tank missile hit.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1674949296179798017

Amongst fears Russia may stage a radioactive accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a U.S. Air Force WC-135R Constant Phoenix surveillance aircraft flew from Strategic Commands 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, to Chania Air Base on the island of Crete.

https://twitter.com/wipljw/status/1675061333681635328 https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1675136748152578049

Chania has hosted much of the U.S. Air Forces RC-135 fleet for surveillance of the Black Sea and Eastern Europe since the Russian buildup began in late 2021. The Constant Phoenix is designed to sample the air for radioactive particles, used both to confirm suspected nuclear tests and track radiation from nuclear disasters. Its reason for going to Crete remains unclear. These aircraft do baseline reading flights around the globe on a regular basis. But considering the concerns surrounding ZNPP, it's presence is worth keeping an eye on.

Ripple effects from last weeks abortive coup by Wagner PMC leader Yevgenny Prigozhin continue in the form of a scathing rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin by influential mil-blogger Igor Girkin. In a video address, Girkin said Putin demonstrates his total powerlessness in the context of alleged amnesty for many of those involved in the rebellion.

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1675105765986631683?s=20

Ukrainian troops reportedly recovered a rather interesting pamphlet from a Russian trench near Bakhmut. The pages show various side-by-side images, with soldiers under a Russian flag doing good deeds while those under the Ukrainian flag do just about every evil thing imaginable, all under the Russian caption Thats the difference. Its a familiar form of classic propaganda, but one we haven't seen much of in this conflict.

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1675119533709836294?s=20

Thats all for now. We will update this story when theres more to report on Ukraine.

Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com
Ukraine told to investigate its military use of banned 'butterfly' antipersonnel mines in war with Russia, says human rights group

18 PFM-1 in cluster dispenser. Also known as 'butterfly' mines. German Army Combat Training Centre Letzlingen 2019/Wikicommons

Human Rights Watch told Ukraine to investigate its military's use of banned "butterfly" mines.

It called for Ukraine to investigate the use of PFM-1 antipersonnel mines in Izium in 2022.

It cites photos showing debris from Uragan 9M27K3 rockets carrying antipersonnel mines.

Human Rights Watch told Ukraine to investigate the use of banned land mines by the Ukrainian military after new evidence that they had caused civilian casualties was discovered, per a new report.

"The Ukrainian government should act on its expressed commitment not to use banned antipersonnel landmines, investigate its military's use of these weapons, and hold those responsible to account," the report says.

The group had called for Ukraine to investigate the use of Russian-made PFM-1 antipersonnel mines around the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium between April and September 2022. It said it had evidence of 11 civilian casualties from the mines, including one fatality.

PFM-1 mines are prohibited military weapons under the 1997 Mine Ban Convention, that Ukraine has signed.

The miniature PFM-1, also known as "butterfly" or "petal" mines, are fired from rockets and scatter indiscriminately on a wide area. They contain 37 grams of explosive, enough to at least blow off a foot, reported Forbes.

The HRW report said that the small plastic PFM mines "are fired into an area, land on the ground, and detonate when pressure is applied to the body of the mine, for example, when someone steps on, handles or moves it." Some PFM mines self-destruct, exploding randomly up to 40 hours after being used, said HRW.

HRW said it had unearthed more evidence that Ukraine used the banned mines in 2022 and has informed the Ukrainian government. It said that photos posted online in May 2023, taken in eastern Ukraine, show debris from Uragan 9M27K3 mine-laying artillery rockets that only carry antipersonnel mines.

One Uragan rocket delivers 312 mines, and the launch vehicles fire rockets in salvoes of sixteen, per Forbes.

"The Ukrainian government's pledge to investigate its military's apparent use of banned antipersonnel mines is an important recognition of its duty to protect civilians," Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch, said, per the report.

"A prompt, transparent, and thorough inquiry could have far-reaching benefits for Ukrainians both now and for future generations."

The organization has also previously reported on Russia's use of antipersonnel mines in the war, using POM-3 mines that are banned under the 1997 international Mine Ban Treaty, Insider previously reported. Russia, however, did not agree to the 1997 international treaty, while Ukraine signed it in 1999.

The PFM-1 was widely used during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, where they reportedly caused a high number of casualties among children who mistook the mines for toys.

Read the original article on Business Insider
At least three Ukrainians were killed and 17 more were injured Friday and Saturday by Russian shelling in the east and south of the country, Ukraine officials announced Saturday morning.

In the Donetsk region amid heavy fighting, three were killed and 10 injured in the last day, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said in an update on social media. That included casualties from a Russian rocket that hit a school, where two people died and six were injured. Another person was injured when a house was hit in the city of Kramatorsk, Kyrylenko said.

Houses were damaged or destroyed in cities around the region over the last day, he said.

The casualties come as fierce clashes have continued in areas of Donetsk where Russian forces have attempted to advance, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. The outskirts of Bakhmut, Lyman and Marinka are front-line hot spots. The Ukrainian General Staff said Russia had staged unsuccessful assault attempts there over the last day.

Latest developments:

President Joe Biden will host Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation's entry into NATO. The two will discuss the situation in Ukraine, the White House said Saturday.

Pro-Ukraine activists demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday in front of a Hugo Boss outlet to protest its business dealings in Russia, AFP photos show.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is making a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. president, made a surprise visit to Ukraine Thursday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in the war with Russia. Read more.

Satellite footage suggests Belarus building army camp for Wagner fighters

Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press on Saturday showed what appeared to be a newly built military-style camp in Belarus, with statements from a Belarusian guerrilla group and officials suggesting it may be used to house fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group. The abortive revolt saw Wagner troops who had fought alongside Russia forces in Ukraine capture a military headquarters in southern Russia and march hundreds of kilometers toward Moscow, seemingly unimpeded.

Belarus authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagners experience and expertise, and announced that he had offered the fighters an abandoned military unit to set up camp.

Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group of former military members, told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday that construction of a site for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi. Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner's private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a spokesperson for Ukraines border force told Ukrainian media Saturday.

-The Associated Press

WHAT TO KNOW: Why did Wagner turn on Russia? What we know about the mercenary group

Children wounded in strikes on Kherson

Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said two children in Kherson, a 9-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were wounded in Russian shelling that hit a residential area Saturday afternoon. He said they are being treated by doctors.

Previously, he said five people including a child were wounded overnight in Kherson. Prokudin said that Russian forces launched 82 artillery, drone, mortar shell and rocket attacks on the province.

Spain's prime minister visits Kyiv on Saturday

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez started Spain's six-month presidency of the European Union with a lightning visit to Kyiv on Saturday to show continuing support from Madrid and the European Union for Ukraines fight to dislodge invading Russian forces from its territory.

In an address to Ukraine's parliament that received several standing ovations, Sanchez said, Well be with you as long as it takes.

I am here to express the firm determination of the European (Union) and Europe against the illegal and unjustified Russian aggression to Ukraine, he said on the day that Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.

Sanchez met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the two are set to give a press conference in the afternoon.

Speaking Friday in Brussels, Sanchez said, The war in Ukraine will be one of the great priorities of our presidency, with the focus being on guaranteeing the unity (on the issue) among all member states.

This was Sanchezs third time in Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

-Associated Press

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) address a joint press conference following their talks in Kyiv, on July 1, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Kyiv on July 1, 2023, to signal EU support for Ukraine as the country's commander-in-chief said he was frustrated by the slow deliveries of Western weapons. (Photo by Sergei CHUZAVKOV / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: AFP_33LZ9X7.jpg

Joint Chiefs of Staff chair says US has considered providing cluster munitions to Ukraine

Gen. Mark Milley, the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he expects Ukraine's counteroffensive to be slow-going and difficult. He acknowledged it has taken longer than he predicted, but said that is the nature of war.

"It is advancing steadily, deliberately," Milley told an audience at the National Press Club on Friday. But, he said, "it's going to be very difficult, it's going to be very long, and it's going to be very, very bloody," he said.

Ukraine is "fighting for its life," he said.

Milley also said the United States has considered providing cluster munitions to Ukraine. Cluster bombs open in midair and release submunitions, or "bomblets" that are dispersed over a large area. Milley noted Russia has used them in fighting and that Ukraine had received them from other countries. Cluster munitions are controversial, with opponents arguing they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: Spain's PM visits Kyiv; Milley on cluster munitions
NATO

Ukraine's large army is capable of defending NATO if deployed on the alliance's borders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo published on June 30.

"No one has experience like ours," Zelenskyy said.

Another example is that many countries have small armies, but with our large army, we can help them and be deployed on their borders to protect them.

Zelenskyy stressed that NATO cannot "do without" Ukraine, as it has a very powerful army with more than a year of experience of full-scale warfare, which can be useful to all of the alliance's partners.

Read also: Ukraines costly counteroffensive must produce results before NATO summit  Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian military has tested and evaluated NATO models and strategies in a real war. The conclusions after the war will help to understand, for example, how to protect cities from Russian missiles.

"NATO is incomplete without Ukraine," the Ukrainian head of state said.

There are countries that are not sure about belonging to NATO, but we are 100% sure.

Ukraine's NATO accession  What is known

In September 2022, Ukraine applied for NATO membership, with several NATO member states backing Ukraine's bid, while others hesitated or refused to take a position.

Read also: NATO should expedite Ukraines accession, UK Defense Secretary says

A NATO summit is to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12. Ukraine has said it expects to receive a clear signal of the alliances readiness to admit it to the organization.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that such a signal would be forthcoming, but without a formal invitation to Kyiv to join the alliance.

At the same time, U.S. news outlet Politico wrote that five weeks before the summit, the Western allies did not yet have a unified position on the security guarantees requested by Ukraine.

According to U.S. newspaper the Wall Street Journal, prior to joining NATO, the Western countries will offer Ukraine a security model modeled after Israel. It will facilitate the transfer of weapons and advanced technologies to Kyiv and will be a step towards membership in the alliance.

President Zelenskyy said that he sees no point in participating in the NATO summit in Vilnius if Ukraine does not receive a clear signal about its membership prospects.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian counterparts present piece of Shahed drone to Lithuanian Defence Minister during trip to Ukraine

Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas received a piece of a downed Shahed drone as a gift from his Ukrainian counterparts during his last trip to Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda

Details: nusauskas posted new photos from his trip to Ukraine on Friday evening, as well as a joint photo with the Ukraines Defence Minister and a gift from him  the tail of a downed Iranian-made Shahed drone, which the Russians call Geran [Russian for 'geranium'  ed.].

It is likely that such a trophy was not chosen as a gift by chance, because Lithuania had previously sent 36 anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, which were supposed to be especially effective against Shahed drones.

The Lithuanian minister noted that Lithuania will support Ukraine until Ukraines victory.

Background:

Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas visited Ukraine on Friday, 30 June, where he presented a long-term plan to support the Ukrainian army and also described the latest aid package.

The aid package from Lithuania also includes 10 M113 armoured personnel carriers and ammunition.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the German government not to repeat the mistakes of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, preventing Ukraine from joining NATO.

Source: Kuleba in an interview with Bild

Quote from Kuleba: "Don't repeat Chancellor Merkel's mistake in Bucharest in 2008, when she fiercely resisted any progress towards Ukraine's NATO membership."

Details: According to Kuleba, the Alliance's decision at that time "opened the door for Putin's invasion of Georgia and, ultimately, the illegal annexation of Crimea". If Ukraine had already been a member of NATO in 2014, the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbas and the invasion of the entire country would not have happened.

However, according to Kuleba, Kyiv does not expect accession to NATO during the war.

"But after the war, it would be suicide for Europe not to accept Ukraine as a member of NATO," he said.

"The only way to close the doors of Russian aggression against Europe and the European-Atlantic area as a whole is to accept Ukraine into NATO," the minister stressed.

He explained that Russia will not dare to attack Ukraine again when its a member of NATO. And then Ukraine will free Germany and other Western NATO countries from the burden of protecting its eastern flank.

"We will take this burden on our shoulders," Kuleba said.

Background:

At the Bucharest NATO summit in 2008, Germany and France blocked the provision of an action plan for NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia, fearing escalation from Russia. Since then, the Alliance has only promised both of these countries entry "one day".

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Merkel refused to admit that her decision could have led to Russian aggression.

In May 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that regardless of the decision of the Alliance summit in 2008, where Ukraine did not receive a Membership Action Plan, Russia's attack on Ukraine is an unjustified violation of international law.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Explosive Reactive Armor Leopard 2

Weapons developments out of Ukraine come quick and often sudden. Case in point a Ukrainian Leopard 2 that has appeared in the field sporting an outer crust of explosive reactive armor (ERA) bricks that trace their roots back to the Soviet Union.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1675101074082914304?s=46\u0026t=WGR8ATVuYlDW934sMHUUhQ https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1675119795983794176 https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1675099757096628225

The folks at Oryx (@oryxspioenkop) even have a designation for the Kontaktd Leopard 2, the 2A4V. The designation borrows from the Soviet-Russian nomenclature, with the V denoting vzryvnoj ('explosive') for added Kontakt-1 ERA bricks, such as the T-55MV, T-62MV, T-64BV, T-72BV, and T-80BV.

https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1675109219681411075

It looks like this particular Leopard tank was of Canadian origin. Canada has sent eight of the tanks to support Ukraine's war effort.

https://twitter.com/ronkainen7k15/status/1675121925008531460?s=20

In general terms, ERA is an attempt to defend against penetrating anti-tank munitions like high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and armor-piercing rounds by detonating on impact before the round hits the tanks hull. The counter-blast effect can disrupt the weapons effects or destroy it outright.

The Leopard 2 already has stout protection with its armor scheme from treads to turret. The Kontakt bricks, an increasingly common Mad Max addition on both sides armored vehicles, can potentially add protection from ubiquitous threats like anti-tank guided missiles and closer-range weapons like rocket-propelled grenades.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, weve written about Russian attack helicopters using long-range anti-tank missiles to strike advancing Ukrainian columns. In that scenario, surviving the first strike from an often unseen enemy at long range can mean the difference between making it to cover or having to abandon the vehicle altogether.

https://twitter.com/GeromanAT/status/1672577503452446724

The fact that Ukraine is already modifying their donated high-end western armor is telling. Learning lessons the hard way, with the loss of irreplaceable personnel and hard to come by equipment, results in rapid innovation. Clearly, adding ERA to Leopard tanks is part of that evolution. And it's not like ERA isn't in use with NATO countries either. It seems Ukraine thinks the additional protection it could provide is a worthy trade for the additional weight and other considerations that comes with it.

And of course it is always fascinating to see advanced NATO equipment modified with capabilities designed and fielded by the foe it was intended to deter and possibly confront, and vice-versa. These practices have become an increasing staple of the war so far.

It will be interesting to see whether the Kontakt bricks use on Ukrainian Leopard 2s and other Western-supplied armor becomes a standard issue as Ukraines counteroffensive continues.

Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com
By Anirudh Saligrama

(Reuters) - United Airlines plans to make changes in flight operations to avoid weather-related disruptions ahead of the Fourth of July holiday travel, Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby said on Saturday.

Recent flight disruptions have raised new concerns about whether airlines are ready to handle the summer travel boom during the first Fourth of July holiday in which U.S. air traffic is likely to exceed pre-COVID levels.

"While we work to control the things that are within our control, we must also do a better job of planning against the things that are outside our control so that we can be in a position to recover more quickly," Kirby said in a note.

Last month, United canceled about 19% of its scheduled flights as thunderstorms and equipment failures at a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Washington caused significant delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast.

About 26,000 flights were delayed by all airlines during a weekend in June after thunderstorms ripped through parts of the U.S., according to data from flight monitoring service FlightAware. Kirby last week blamed the FAA for recent flight cancellations.

United Airlines is also working with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding that the company would have to further change or reduce its schedule give itself more spare gates and buffer, particularly during storm season.

"Airlines can plan for things like hurricanes, sub-zero temperatures and snowstorms, but United has never seen an extended limited operating environment like the one we saw this past week at Newark," Kirby said in a note to employees.

(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio)
United Airlines CEO issues apology after taking a private jet as thousands of passengers stranded due to cancellations

A United Airlines Boeing wide-body 777-200 aircraft. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is coming under fire for a private flight he took on Friday.

The executive flew from New Jersey to Denver while hundreds of United flights were canceled.

The company has warned of further delays and cancellations in the summer vacation period.

Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, apologized on Friday for taking a private jet out of the New York area while thousands of United passengers were stranded due to cancellations, The Associated Press reported.

The report says that Kirby took a private plane from New Jersey to Denver on Wednesday as 750 United flights were canceled that day.

"Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home," Kirby said in a statement, per The AP.

"I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around the clock for several days  often through severe weather  to take care of our customers," it continued.

United has canceled almost 3,000 flights this week, according to The Independent, with flights from New Jersey hit particularly hard after the area's storms.

The company said in a tweet that operations were improving, but it had been severely affected by "bad weather on the East Coast," which "caused a major ripple effect."

It added that delays and cancellations would "continue to decrease" into the summer vacation period.

Kirby added that he would better display his "respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers."

United recently launched a new scheme to help passengers hit by delays. The company said it would send vouchers directly to the phones of passengers with disrupted flights, with meal vouchers available for delays of three hours or more and hotel vouchers for overnight delays, Insider previously reported.

It comes as the TSA predicted that the number of Americans flying this summer would be above pre-pandemic levels. Some employees have concerns over whether airlines will be ready to handle such a surge in numbers.

United said it did not fund Kirby's flight, per The AP. Kirby is reported to have earned $9.85 million in 2021,

Read the original article on Business Insider
FILE - United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, Dec. 15, 2021, in Washington. Kirby is apologizing for jumping on a private plane this week while thousands of his airline's customers were stranded because their flights got canceled. He said Friday, June 30, 2023, that taking a private jet was the wrong decision. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, Dec. 15, 2021, in Washington. Kirby is apologizing for jumping on a private plane this week while thousands of his airline's customers were stranded because their flights got canceled. He said Friday, June 30, 2023, that taking a private jet was the wrong decision. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP, File)

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby apologized Friday for hopping on a private plane to get out of the New York area earlier this week while thousands of United passengers were stranded because the airline canceled so many flights.

Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home, Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline. I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days  often through severe weather  to take care of our customers.

Kirby concluded by promising to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.

Kirby caught the private flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver on Wednesday, when United canceled 750 flights  one-fourth of its schedule for the day. That figure does not include flights on United Express.

United has canceled nearly 3,000 flights this week, with the largest number at its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New Jersey, which was hit by thunderstorms for much of the week

Kirby blamed disruptions in Newark last weekend on a shortage of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. He said in a note to employees that the FAA frankly failed us by reducing the rate at which planes could arrive and depart the airport, where United is the dominant carrier.

Canceled flights left United planes and crews out of position, hobbling the airline when bad weather hit on Sunday, Kirby said.

As United continued to struggle throughout this week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes the FAA, said on Twitter that airlines had recovered from the storms with the exception of United. He drove home the point by including a bar graph that compared Uniteds cancellation rate with the rest of the industry.

Uniteds operation has improved since midweek. The percentage of canceled flights fell from 26% on Wednesday to 18% Thursday and 8% through Friday evening, according to tracking service FlightAware. However, even on Friday, United was on pace to lead all U.S. carriers in canceled flights for a seventh straight day.

United vowed to fix its operation in time for the July 4 holiday weekend, which promises to be a hectic one at the nations airports. More than 2.7 million people were screened Thursday at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, and Friday was expected to bring similar crowds  possibly bigger.

United passengers have taken to social media and talked to reporters about long airport lines and sleeping in airports after flights were canceled.

Unions representing the airlines pilots and flight attendants have joined in the criticism, accusing United management of poor planning, a lack of crew schedulers, and operating too many flights.

Chicago-based United said it did not pay for the CEOs flight on Wednesday. The airline declined to say whether Kirby frequently takes private planes.
Veteran files lawsuit against Gastonia police for 2021 arrest, shocking of dog with stun gun

Almost two years after an Army veterans arrest, a lawsuit has been filed against the Gastonia Police Department.

Gastonia resident and veteran Joshua Rohrer says the officers used a stun gun to shock his dog during his October 2021 arrest. His dog, Sunshine, died after being hit by a car just days later.

Channel 9 has followed the story since the beginning, including the July 2022 release of the body cam footage from the arrest and just a month later when the Gaston County District Attorneys Office said the officers would not be facing charges.

ALSO READ: Veteran urges Gastonia police to release video of his arrest, dogs tasing

Now, Rohrer is seeking legal action against the city of Gastonia and the officers who arrested him.

The lawsuit claims Rohrer has been the victim of a relentless campaign of harassment, abuse, and defamation. His attorneys claim the suit involves hundreds of false and taunting comments that were posted by the city of Gastonia to the police departments official Facebook page.

Rohrers suit claims he is still suffering psychological harm and reputational damage because of the comments.

The City and the individual Defendants are responsible for violating Mr. Rohrers rights under federal and state law, and this complaint seeks damages and declaratory relief to remedy the harm they have caused him.

Channel 9 has reached out to the City of Gastonia for comment.

This is a developing story; check back at wsoctv.com for updates.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Gastonia police release video of veterans arrest that shows officer stunning dog

Gastonia officers accused of stunning dog during veterans arrest wont face charges, DA says

(WATCH BELOW: 12-year-old killed in north Charlotte identified, suspects arrested police say)








Virtually every orca in an endangered North American group is suffering from mysterious skin lesions, say scientists

Gray patches on southern resident killer whale on June 13, 2015. Joe Gaydos / UC Davis

There has been an increase in skin disease in Pacfic north-west killer whales, a new study found.

There is a possible connection between the skin lesions and the declining condition of the orcas.

Scientists are very concerned about the results and hope to isolate "the potential infectious agent."

Scientists are concerned after a recent study found that there has been a "dramatic" increase in skin disease in an endangered North American population of orcas, and they don't know why.

In a recent study published in PLOS ONE, researchers studied a "strong increase" in skin lesions in the population of southern resident orcas from 2004 to 2016.

The exact underlying cause of the skin disease  often in the form of gray patches and targets  is unclear, and the researchers are worried about the implications for the fragile population of orcas living on the Pacific north-west coast.

The "possible" relationship between these lesions and the "decreasing body condition" of the endangered, non-recovering population is a concern, according to the study. The study found that 99% of the animals examined exhibited the skin disease.

Southern Resident killer whale showing gray targets in saddle patch on October 18, 2014. Joe Gaydos / UC Davis

"Before we looked at the data, we had no idea that the prevalence of these skin lesions was increasing so dramatically," Joseph K Gaydos, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "It's worrisome. Now we need to try and isolate the potential infectious agent."

The scientist studied a vast number of photographs obtained by the Center for Whale Research that showed nearly 20,000 whale sightings in the Salish Sea  off the coast of British Columbia and Washington state.

Killer whale in Salish Sea. Joe Gaydos / UC Davis

After ruling out certain environmental factors, the researchers suspect that the cause of the legions comes from an "infectious agent," which might indicate a decrease in "immunocompetence"  a reduction in the orca's immune system to fight disease  which they found "concerning," according to the study.

The paper explores possible causes, including warming coastal waters and the effects of man-made organic pollutants or an increasing scarcity of chinook salmon numbers reducing their immunity. Still, it cannot yet draw any firm conclusions.

Fewer than 75 animals remain in the endangered population of the southern resident orcas, so a better understanding of the impact of skin lesions on their health is crucial, according to researchers.

The killer whales' failure to reproduce is another indicator of troubling times for the orcas of the Pacific north-west, and calves now being born to the group usually die within three years, per The Guardian.

This comes during a growing interest in orcas after increasing killer whale boat interactions in other waters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Wagner debacle in Russia raises red flags for African states and how they manage their security

10 tons of ammunition previously laid in civilian settlements by Libyan militia and Wagner group mercenaries . Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The brief rebellion led against the Kremlin by the head of the Wagner mercenary forces in Russia last week sent shock waves across the world.

This was no less true in Africa, where some countries have, over the last decade, turned to the Wagner group for security support.

Many states in Africa are contending with multidimensional insecurity. This includes violent extremism, terrorism, insurgency, banditry, communal clashes, sea piracy, separatist violence, kidnapping and oil theft. Non-state actors have entered the scene as security providers.

As a coordinator of observations of organised crime in central Africa at the Institute for Security Studies based in Dakar, Senegal, I believe the recent events in Russia could have three implications for African countries that depend on non-state armed groups for security. These are: rebellion, increased human rights abuses and insubordination to state military authorities.

African countries engaged with Wagner, and with Russia, should take heed. The aborted Wagner rebellion offers distinct lessons for African countries that have invited mercenary troops onto their soil.

Private armies might sometimes prove effective in the battlefield. And militias might be useful in intelligence gathering. But the inability of state authorities to bring them under control casts serious doubt on their overall usefulness.

African states should rather take full responsibility for their security sector reform. This must include repositioning their military and law enforcement agencies to respond effectively to internal and external security challenges.

Non-state actors

African countries have come to depend on non-state actors like Wagner for security in three ways:

co-option of militia groups by the state

the voluntary incursion of vigilante groups into the security space as service providers

state partnership with private military mercenaries.

As security nosedives, some governments have co-opted militia groups to strengthen the state security architecture.

There are a number of examples.

In 2015 the Nigerian government awarded a multi-million naira contract to Oodua Peoples Congress, an ethnic militia, to secure oil pipelines.

Seven years later the Nigerian Senate lent legislative support to the N48 billion pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Global West Vessel Specialist Limited. This is a private maritime security firm founded and owned by Government Ekpemupolo. He was the former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, popularly known as Tompolo.

These contracts were akin to handing over national assets to armed gangs for protection. They were an affront to the Nigerian constitution, which empowers the law enforcement and security agencies as ultimate providers of security.

Voluntary policing to fill the vacuum left by the state is another example. A recent study showed that where people feel insecure and unprotected, they find innovative ways of responding to crime. Some rely on private security and others, especially the poor, rely on community vigilantism. Kenya is an example.

My recent study showed that vigilantes performed strategic duties in Nigerias north-west. They repelled attacks from bandits, rescued kidnap victims and arrested criminals. They also sometimes participated in joint security operations with the police and army.

Borno state has used the Civilian Joint Task Force and hunters to complement military efforts in counter-terrorism operations. They are on governments monthly payroll.

Wagners involvement fits into the third category: state partnership with private military mercenaries.

Wagner has been operating in over a dozen countries in Africa.

In Mali, the state opted to partner with it for security provision. This was prompted by heightened insecurity, diplomatic rows with the peace-keeping mission and the ejection of foreign counter-insurgency forces.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), the mercenaries reportedly started operating in 2018. This was after the government and Moscow agreed to exchange Russian military support and weapons for mining concessions.

In late 2020, CARs security situation deteriorated ahead of general elections. Wagners role switched from support and training to combat.

In 2019 Wagner fighters were deployed to Mozambique to help contain Islamist militants operating in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

Implications

The Wagner rebellion in Russia has three possible implications for African countries.

Rebellion: States in which the Wagner group is operating could witness armed rebellion. In some, the military and police have already ceded critical security operations to the group. For instance, in the CAR, Wagner mercenaries permeate all levels of the country.

Increased human rights abuses: Theres the potential for an increase in human rights abuses and impunity. In countries with Wagner footprints, relevant agencies are increasingly impeded from monitoring and reporting on abuses in areas of Wagners operations.

A human rights investigative mission conducted by the UN in Mali has provided strong evidence that more than 500 villagers were killed by Malian troops and Wagner mercenary fighters.

In the CAR the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project has recorded 180 civilian targeting events involving Wagner mercenaries since December 2020.

Insubordination to military authorities: The Wagner rebellion unfolded in Russia partly to resist an attempt by the Russian defence ministry to bring the group under state control.

This bodes ill for most African states in which Wagner operates. In most, the countrys army is subordinate to the mercenary group. The rebellion by Wagner against the Kremlin shows the group can support discordant elements in weaker African states to subvert democracy.

In addition, non-state armed groups could draw their cue from the Wagner group and become unaccountable to the military.

Whats next?

African countries that have invited the mercenary troops in should review their security architecture. This must begin with a decoupling of their security policies and operations from mercenaries and non-state security service providers.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Oluwole Ojewale, Institute for Security Studies.

Read more:



Oluwole Ojewale does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Wagnerites

Russias Wagner mercenary company has suffered more than 100,000 casualties in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo published on June 30.

Ukrainian forces killed 21,000 Wagner troops, and wounded another 80,000, Zelenskyy said.

Read also: Russia suffers horrific losses in Bakhmut, White House says

The Wagnerites had two categories: professional mercenaries and those mobilized from prisons  their cannon fodder," the Ukrainian leader said. Our troops killed 21,000 of them and wounded 80,000.

Such colossal losses give an idea of the number of Russian mercenaries deployed to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.

"The good news is that we have destroyed the most motivated part of the Russian forces," the president said.

Russias Wagner mercenaries appear to have been withdrawn from the front lines in Ukraine following the short-lived mutiny of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the Russian military.

Read also: Putin admits to funding Wagner mercenary company

For just under two days, on June 23-24, Prigozhins forces moved through Russia, capturing two cities  Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh  before a column of the mercenaries set off on a march towards Moscow.

The column got to within 200 kilometers of the Russian capital before Prigozhin called off the march, apparently having struck a deal with the Kremlin, which was said to have been mediated by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Under the deal, Prigozhin was to have relocated to Belarus, along with those of his mercenaries that did not want to sign contracts to serve in the Russian regular army.

While Prigozhin was said to have subsequently been spotted in a hotel in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, his private jet was seen landing in Minsk half-a-day later, and then heading towards Russia.

Read also: Prigozhin dissolves his media empire  report

Prigozhin in now said to be freely moving between St. Petersburg and Moscow in Russia.

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 Walmart delivery driver said his weekly earnings dropped from $1,500 to $200 due to competition from bots  and it's a growing problem, workers say

Some drivers for Walmart's Spark delivery service in Chicago say that workers using bots to claim orders have made it harder for them to earn money. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Chicago area gig workers who use Walmart's delivery platform Spark say bots are a growing issue.

Drivers recently protested at a Walmart Supercenter in Illinois as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

They say users who deploy bots make it harder for them to make enough money on the platform.

Some drivers for Walmart's delivery platform Spark say there's a growing problem on the app involving users who deploy bots to hoard orders and make it harder for other drivers to get deliveries.

A group of drivers who said they had been affected by the prevalence of bots in their area held a demonstration in front of a Walmart Supercenter in Cicero, Illinois, on Thursday, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Drivers at the rally said they now had to work longer hours on the Spark app to make close to what they were making before and attributed the slowdown of jobs to hoarders who were gaming the system to their advantage. These drivers' concerns highlight a growing issue for many gig workers.

One Spark driver, Nancy Marcos, told the Tribune that while she used to make between $100 and $150 delivering for the app daily, she now makes half that amount. Eric Guzman, a Spark driver who had been delivering for the platform for a year and a half, said that he makes around $200 a week now, compared to the $1500 he was making previously. Another driver said she had started noticing a drop in orders in January.

It's unclear exactly how prevalent bots are on Walmart's Spark platform.

A spokesperson for the company said that bots are an industry-wide issue and that Walmart takes "a proactive and comprehensive approach to identifying and preventing the use of bots on the platform," including investigating incidents and deactivating drivers. Walmart declined to share exactly how many reports it had received on bots on its platform. Still, it said it's been in touch with stores in Cicero, Bedford Park, and Forest Park, where the drivers at the rally pick up deliveries, and said it had investigated reports in those areas.

Workers who fill orders for multiple apps, from Instacart to DoorDash, have used  and complained  about bots for years. Bot users download an app or code to their phone, which they then use to claim batches faster than shoppers claiming orders by tapping them as they appear on their screen.

Gig workers can set bots to claim specific orders, such as those with delivery addresses close to them. But using bots violates the terms and conditions of most delivery apps.

Some bots, like Instaman, are apps that shoppers can download themselves. Sometimes, shoppers pay for access to an app or code. Some of these offers are scams, and shoppers end up paying for bots that don't work, Vice reported in 2020.

Some gig workers have turned to bots as competition for orders has grown. Instacart, for instance, hired hundreds of thousands of new workers in 2020 as more people ordered groceries for delivery during the early months of the pandemic. At least 600,000 contractors work for Instacart today, according to Business of Apps.

Some gig workers have turned to other controversial ways of increasing their earnings. Some DoorDash workers, for example, are asking for extra tips mid-delivery from customers.

Are you a Spark driver or Walmart employee with information to share? Reach out to the authors at ylee@insider.com and abitter@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Biden acknowledged that many borrowers likely feel a little bit angry. He added, I must admit, I do, too.

While Black and brown student loan borrowers still were reeling from the Supreme Courts decision to strike down President Joe Bidens education debt forgiveness program, the president announced countermeasures that will reduce monthly loan payments and delay reporting delinquent student loan accounts.

The Courts ruling sidetracks the Biden-Harris administrations efforts to improve the economic health of Black Americans. But within hours of the high courts decision, the president announced a multi-faceted plan to provide critical economic relief for student loan borrowers.

When the White House unveiled its student relief program that would cancel up to $20,000 in debt for eligible borrowers, the administration noted the initiative would significantly close the wealth gap between Black and white Americans.

Black student borrowers are more likely to have student debt due greatly in part to the discrimination that limited wealth creation, said Andre Perry, an economic researcher and senior fellow at Brookings Institution, which conducts nonpartisan research on global, national and local policies.

Student debt relief activists participate in a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administrations student debt forgiveness program in Biden v. Nebraska. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Perry told theGrio that by striking down Bidens plan to cancel student debt for up to 43 million borrowers, the Court turns a blind eye to why so many Black people have greater debt.

President Bidens new actions after Supreme Court student debt ruling

In responding to the Supreme Court ruling that he described as disappointing, Biden acknowledged that many borrowers likely feel a little bit angry. He added, I must admit I do too.

The plan he revealed Friday appeared to be an attempt to salvage his effort to give borrowers a way to navigate the student loan debt crisis in the absence of his estimated $430 billion debt relief program.

One component of the plan that the administration named SAVE, for Saving on a Valuable Education, reduces monthly student loan payments. Under the Department of Educations Income-Driven Repayment Program, borrowers pay 10% of their discretionary income toward their undergraduate loans. Bidens new plan reduces that to 5%.

A White House fact sheet asserted that the updated income-driven repayment plan will cut borrowers monthly payments in half, help the typical borrower save more than $1,000 per year on payments, allow many borrowers to make $0 monthly payments, and ensure borrowers dont see their balances grow from unpaid interest.

The president also announced that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona initiated a new rulemaking process under the Higher Education Act to provide an alternative path to debt relief for as many working and middle-class borrowers as possible.

(Left to right) Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and U.S. President Joe Biden in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on June 30, 2023 as Biden announces new actions to assist borrowers in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down his student loan forgiveness plan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

However, Biden emphasized that the rulemaking process would take considerable time. Additionally, eligibility for that relief and its potential savings remain unclear.

Meanwhile, to mitigate the strain of making loan payments, the White House also unveiled a plan to on-ramp repayment of student loan debt with a temporary 12-month program in which the Department of Education declines reporting delinquent borrowers to credit bureau agencies. However, interest still will accrue on loans. The program will run from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024.

Borrowers can learn more information about the new programs and sign up at StudentAid.Gov.

Student debt cancellation and closing the racial wealth gap

As the Biden-Harris administration works to secure relief for borrowers in the absence of its student debt program, civil rights groups and advocates remain incensed by the Supreme Courts ruling.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson told theGrio, This is perhaps the most corrupt Supreme Court in history.

Johnson noted that in addition to the student loan decision, the high court also ruled to limit access to voting, therefore suffocating our democracy, and on Thursday ruled to ban affirmative action.

The real question for the Supreme Court is, What is ultimately its goal? asked the civil rights leader, before adding, These political decisions are inconsistent with precedent and inconsistent with a thriving, functioning democracy.

Wisdom Cole, NAACP, joins student loan borrowers to demand President Biden use Plan B to cancel student debt immediately at a rally outside of the Supreme Court of the United States on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for We The 45 Million)

Johnson said President Bidens student debt program wouldve been critical in closing the racial gap.

Student loan debt is one of the largest debts that African Americans have, bar none, he told theGrio.We know in this country, the number one wealth creator is homeownership and small businesses, but you cannot go into homeownership or become a small business owner if youre saddled with debt.

When asked by theGrio during Fridays press briefing if the White House believed its economic policies or the new actions could have a significant effect on closing the racial wealth gap, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti acknowledged the economic disparities for Black borrowers as a serious issue.

That is one of the many reasons why the president pursued this debt relief pathway, and hes continuing to pursue this alternative pathway now, he said.

Ramamurti cited data showing that Black borrowers often have to borrow more money for higher education, and it takes them longer to repay because they have less family wealth. He also said data shows that Black borrowers are also helping other people in their family pay off their debts.

(Left to right) White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, National Economic Council Deputy Director Bharat Ramamurti and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona talk to reporters during the daily news conference at the White House on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Days before the Supreme Courts ruling, Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, told theGrio that regardless of the outcome of the student loan legal battle, President Bidens policies have been intentional to drive equity in education, including investing in HBCUs, increasing Pell Grants and improving the income-based repayment program.

Weve made this much more affordable to student borrowers, and that, again, disproportionately will help Black debtors, said Bernstein.

In his remarks on Friday, President Biden said that many Americans had hope that student debt relief would soon be a reality, but the Supreme Courts ruling [snatched] it away from them.

Todays decision has closed one path. Now were going to pursue another, said Biden, who vowed, Im never going to stop fighting for you.

He added, Well use every tool at our disposal to get you the student debt relief you need and reach your dreams. Its good for the economy. Its good for the country.

Gerren Keith Gaynor

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post White House unveils new plan for student loan forgiveness, addresses racial wealth gap appeared first on TheGrio.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty

In March 2020, as lockdowns gripped the world and the COVID-19 pandemic was officially in full swing, Lisa Brosseau, a national expert on respiratory protection and infectious diseases at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, was pleading with the CDC to follow the science. Contrary to the information from the CDC and WHO at the time, Brosseauand other experts who would soon followthought the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 could be transmitted via aerosols: tiny particles emitted when an infected person talks, sings, or breathes. Aerosols are, by definition, smaller than the droplets emitted by sneezing and coughing, and can travel further in the air than bigger droplets can. Viral transmission can occur when a non-infected person inhales these small aerosolized particles, and research would soon show aerosols are a primary means of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

But in March 2020, when Brosseau started making a case for aerosolized transmission, the CDC and the WHO insisted that the virus was primarily transmitted through droplets and fomites (touching something an infected person touched).

This debate wasnt simply academic or semantic; it hadand hasvery real consequences for how people protect themselves and others from contracting the virus. Good ventilation is critical, as Brosseau told The Daily Beast at the time, and a fit-tested respirator like an N95 is significantly more effective at filtering small particles than a cloth face covering or surgical mask. It took the WHO a year and a half and the CDC two years to fully acknowledge the reality of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, including that well-fitting respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offer the highest level of protection.

What Medicine Keeps Getting Wrong About Long COVIDand How to Fix It

But aerosol and occupational health experts are again sounding the alarm. The Health Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) advises the CDC and Department of Health on guidelines for infection control in health-care settingsstandards that were last updated in 2007. According to Brosseau, these guidelines are typically adopted by the CDC and thus considered guidance from on high by hospital systems.

HICPAC will meet in August and may vote on proposed updated guidelines for infection controland it may end up exacerbating concerns rather than assuaging them. An informational slide deck outlining the committees proposed updated guidelines, obtained and reviewed by The Daily Beast, makes little mention of aerosol transmission of viruses, and cites what experts say are flawed studies to suggest there is no difference in the protection offered between respirators like N95s and surgical masks.

If accepted, the guidelines could enshrine unsafe practices for health-care workers at a time when the industry is already suffering from critical staffing shortages.

In the section discussing pathogen transmission, there is only a cursory mention of aerosols and airborne transmission, but no real discussion of the types of protection needed for different types of viruses. More shocking, however, is the Evidence Review at the end of the slide deck, in which the studies cited by HICPAC as supporting evidence of its conclusions do not appear to be as robust and persuasive as many public health experts expected.

Dr. Robert Harrison, an occupational medicine specialist and a clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Daily Beast the evidence cited in the slide deck guidelines flies in the face of clear science.

Citing 13 different studies of laboratory-confirmed viral respiratory infections, a summary chart at the end of the presentation concludes there is no difference between surgical masks and N95s in preventing respiratory infections.

This determination contradicts what aerosol scientists, occupational health specialists, and the CDC itselfincluding HICPACs 2007 guidelineshave told the public.

If a virus is aerosol transmissible, theres no question that its better to wear a fit-tested N95 [than a surgical mask]. Theres just no question. I would be surprised if anyone would argue with that statement, said Harrison.

Dr. Sharon Wright, one of the co-chairs for HICPAC, declined to answer questions about the new guidelines proposal; and instead referred The Daily Beast to CDC press officer Martha Sharan, who provided The Daily Beast with a statement that reads in part: This Guideline incorporates the most recent evidence that describes how germs are spread in healthcare settings and provide general and germ-specific recommendations to prevent transmission. This includes recommendations on the use of PPE, such as N95 respirators. The CDC did not comment on the conclusions HICPAC has made about the efficacy of surgical masks compared to N95 respirators.

CDC Says Again That, Really, You Oughta Wear a Mask on Public Transportation

Of the 13 studies cited as supporting evidence for the new guidelines proposal, HICPAC conceded 10 are retrospective and at risk of recall biassystemic errors resulting from participants inaccurate or incomplete recollectionsand that two of the studies have only small sample sizes.

HICPAC also wrote in its proposed new guidelines that in 10 of the 13 studies cited for supporting evidence, the authors either did not report on [mask or respirator] compliance or did not report compliance measured objectively. In some cases, the protocol for fit testing an N95the process by which clinicians ensure there are no gaps around the mouth or nose of the respiratorwasnt defined.

There are other flaws with the methodologies in the studies; in some cases, Brosseau said, health-care workers were only told to wear masks or respirators when they thought they might be exposed to a pathogen.

We know that if people only wear them when they think they might be exposed, theres a high likelihood theyll be exposed at another time, she said.

One 2022 study cited in the Evidence Review investigated the safety of health-care workers who wore surgical masks versus those who wore respirators. It received immense pushback last year from health-care workers, who raised ethical concerns about having participants during a pandemic wear surgical masks despite them being less effective than respirators. The Public Health Agency of Canada eventually determined that health-care workers could choose which to wear. But according to Brosseau, the study authors faced tough challenges finding health-care workers who could participate and wear surgical masks instead of respirators, and had to look abroad to places like Egypt, Israel, and Pakistancountries with really different medical health-care systems, she said.

These are just really badly designed and executed studies, she added.

In a remarkable footnote about the 13 studies, HICPAC noted that, despite the issues with recall bias and other factors that could have confounded the studies results, it is not expected that the addition of new evidence will alter these findings.

The CDCs own published data supports the use of N95 respirators over surgical masks. Real-world data taken between February and December of 2021 found that in indoor public settings, continuous use of N95 and KN95 respirators cut the odds of infection by 83 percent compared to 66 percent with surgical masks.

Stanford Was Conducting a Long COVID Study. Then the Staff Stopped Masking.

The FDA is also very clear on the subject, saying on its website that surgical masks may help with source control (preventing an infected person from spreading SARS-CoV-2), but they dont provide personal protection against inhalation of SARS-CoV-2.

For Brosseau, its simply mind-boggling to suggest that surgical masks provide comparable protection to a fit-tested respirator against hazardous aerosols.

We dont use surgical masks in any other context, she said. In any other industry, Id be run out on a rail if I suggested a surgical mask for exposure to a hazardous aerosol. So why [does HICPAC] think this is a good idea?

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Peg Seminario was the director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO from 1990 until her retirement in 2019. She called the guidelines outlined in the slide deck Really astonishing. And frightening.

People are still getting sick and dying from SARS-CoV-2; theyre still getting long COVID, Seminario said, adding that health-care workers are still significantly more at risk of contracting the virus than the average person.

Despite that, said Seminario, HICPACs proposed guidelines are all based upon trying to minimize protections, rather than being responsive to the science and providing a strong level of protection. Were talking about health-care workers exposed to suspected and confirmed patients.

Seminario was particularly appalled to see the slide deck mentioned almost nothing about ventilation. In the transmission-based precautions section, the slide deck simply stated that health-care workers should take advantage of multiple layers of interventions (e.g., PPE, rooming, ventilation, disinfection) to reduce the risk of transmission. Yet there is nothing about ventilation in the evidence review.

Brosseau said the lack of discussion about ventilation is one of the things that makes me think that theyre trying to turn everything into a droplet disease and not recognize small aerosol particles, or the distribution of those particles throughout a space. All of that is going to just disappear.

Brosseau and Seminario said the lack of focus on worker safety indicates a larger problem in health care of putting profit over safety.

According to Seminario, [Hospital administrations] dont want to spend the money. Fit testing is a big issue you have to do for respirators. That takes time and money. So if they can say, Oh, a surgical mask is just as good, they can get around those expenses. Upgrading ventilation systems is exponentially more costly as well.

This Mask Tells You If Youve Been Exposed to COVID

Amber Mitchell, an infectious disease and occupational health specialist and president of the nonprofit International Safety Center, pointed out that another obstacle to contend with is that the new guidelines may run counter to whats mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that oversees workplace safety standards in the U.S. OSHA doesnt have guidelinesthey have enforceable standards, said Mitchell. For infection prevention and control, OSHA has the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and the Respiratory Protection Standard, which includes fit testing for respirators like N95s.

OSHA has always been at odds with CDC and HICPAC over the years on occupational infection prevention, said Mitchell. According to Seminario, HICPAC and the CDC dont like OSHA making requirements for health care and having oversight over health-care workers.

So despite OSHAs purported oversight, new CDC guidelines may give hospital systems some cover to take the quicker and cheaper optionwith significant implications for hospital workers.

When hospitals are seeking accreditation, the joint commission is looking for them to have followed guidelines, including those from the CDC, Brosseau said. If they haven't made decisions in the context of these guidelines, they will be in trouble.

With such profound implications for health care and health-care workers, all four public health experts who spoke to The Daily Beast said HICPACs refusal to include a broad range of stakeholders, including the public, in the discussion around respiratory and mask guidelines is deeply irresponsible.

The lack of transparency is startling, Seminario said. The minutes for past meetings are only bare bones. They have no transcripts. No presenters. There's nothing. Its just outrageous. Its a federal advisory committee.

The solution, Brosseau added, is simple: HICPAC needs to open the process up by publishing its recommendations publicly and allowing for a comment period. Instead of having three minutes of public questions at the end, here should be something like a docket, where they have to be responsive to the comments they receive, she said.

Told You SoIt Was Way Too Soon to Lift COVID Mask Mandates

Harrison also emphasized the need to bring in feedback from frontline healthcare workers and their representatives. I have always found that getting feedback from the impacted worker communities is critical to formulating the best recommendations and policies, he said.

The CDC statement to The Daily Beast stated that HICPAC members want to hear from the public and that there is dedicated time to do so at the end of HICPAC meetings.

Thats not enough, say the experts who spoke to The Daily Beast.

There is still time to open this process up, Harrison said. Right now, were trying to put up a yellow caution light, like, Lets slow down and ensure everybody is on the bus. Failing to do so could drastically affect health-care workers, and may further erode the publics trust in public health organizationswhich already took a big hit after the slow and inconsistent acknowledgment of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

For Brosseau, the risk of pushing forward bad guidelines without stakeholders input could decimate what remaining trust in the CDC exists, and make even staunch supporters believe it is going backward. Theyre going to be shocked.

The decisions some of these public health people are making are not getting better, she said. Theyre getting worse.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Democrats in Congress teed off on the Supreme Courts decision this week gutting affirmative action. Just dont expect them to do a whole lot about it.

Party leaders see the courts rightward lurch as a key part of their 2024 messaging. But even some staunch supporters of affirmative action in the Democratic Tri-Caucus  the name for the three congressional groups dedicated to advocating for people of color  arent convinced that the end of affirmative action in higher education will sway many voters.

I dont see it as a rallying point for Democrats, said Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who supports affirmative action and credits it for helping him get into Harvard College.

Sunsetting the policy does not necessarily end the ability to achieve diversity in higher education, Takano added. It just makes it more difficult.

That attitude reflects the fatalism with which many in the party have come to view the Supreme Courts conservative tilt. Even if they controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House, Democrats lack the 60 Senate votes that are necessary to realistically promise action on reversing controversial landmark decisions on issues like abortion, affirmative action and student loans.

Instead, its more fodder for Democrats to rally voters against the conservative court  a point they think could be more effective than spending political capital to combat certain rulings.



I do think this decision will galvanize voters who are concerned about the dream of a higher education for their communities, said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. I just hope that it becomes abundantly and crystal clear that, for Americans across the country, the Supreme Court and the extreme Republican candidates are not on their side.

Democrats are now looking for other legislative options to boost minority admissions at colleges, like ending legacy admissions that benefit children of alumni. Even that bill, introduced by progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), has a slim chance at passage, but its a message that resonates with other Democrats who see the proposal as another way to help level the playing field.

If the Supreme Court does away with affirmative action, but leaves in place rampant legacy-based admissions, then it's making merit a mere label rather than a reality, said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas).

Part of Democrats' problem is the broad nature of the decision, which struck down the general practice of considering race in college admissions without ruling on a specific statute. Top Democrats openly acknowledge that they won't be able to resurrect affirmative action-type policies.

This is going to cause some heartburn, but we need to campaign on the fact that we are opening opportunities to everybody, and we'll do everything we can to maintain opportunities, said Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the Education and Workforce Committee. It's difficult to bring back a strategy that the Supreme Court has directly ruled as unconstitutional.



One option, Scott said, is having the Biden administration file lawsuits against universities to ensure fairness in admissions  including against legacy admissions practices that disproportionately benefit upper-class white people.

We expect the attorney general and the civil rights office of the Department of Education to be very aggressive, he said.

President Joe Biden hasn't indicated any specific moves to that effect, but it's already clear he's not willing to take steps that the left wing of his party wants. In response to a question Thursday on whether the current Supreme Court is a "rogue court," he said it was "not a normal court." He has also declined to endorse other liberal proposals like expanding the number of justices.

Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers have called for reining in the Supreme Courts power, especially amid recent ethics controversies that have cast a harsh light on the courts inner workings. Changes to that effect are essentially impossible during divided government, however, especially as Republicans widely praise the high court's rulings.

Yet those calls for a high court overhaul don't seem likely to go away anytime soon. They could become a sticking point in the 2024 campaign, whether Biden likes it or not.



Im pretty pissed off, said Bowman, adding the court was dangerous and calling for Supreme Court reform immediately." He cited court expansion and term limits for justices as potential changes, both of which face slim odds of adoption given the Republican-controlled House and Democrats' slim majority in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer went so far as to blast the court in a statement as a MAGA-captured Supreme Court that achieved dangerous, regressive policies that they could never attain at the ballot box.

But Democrats remained hopeful that colleges and administrators would be able to find other ways to diversify their student bodies without Congress help. As Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) advised her colleagues: Let's be creative, let's be collaborative.

To that end, Harvard leadership noted in a Thursday statement theyd comply with part of the Courts decision allowing them to consider an applicants discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Keith Mellnick

As more tragic news on the state of affairs in public education surfaces, President Joe Biden chose to appoint Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers union (AFT), to the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council (HSAPC) advising the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on school safety.

This is like putting a Jan. 6 rioter in charge of Capitol security.

To recap, Weingarten and her fellow union leaders lobbied to keep schools closed well past when it was evident that they were among the safest places for children to be during the pandemicand even after demanding and receiving the privilege of pushing their members to the front of the line for the initial vaccines, even at the expense of some vulnerable populations.

Kids Do Better In Schools With Teachers Unions

The school districts that followed her lead were closed well into 2021 and, once reopened, many followed draconian policies that made childrens learning experiences pointlessly difficult. The vast number of districts that ignored her guidance brought students safely back into the buildings at least a full school year sooner.

As a staffer at the White House after 9/11, I helped stand up the original Office of Homeland Security and create DHS. Weingartens presence on this council goes against every principle we held back then. We were trying to knock down bureaucratic barriers in order to keep America safer. Randi Weingarten erects bureaucratic barriersbetween parents and children, children and learning, and children and safety.

The vision of the department included having councils of outside advisers to help officials live outside their bubble and impose policies that would invite collaboration and success. I sat in the room with the original Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), a bipartisan group of state and local officials, law enforcement experts, business leaders, and crisis responders who were enlisted to find policy consensus that DHS could use to create meaningful change.

Conversely, Weingartens council will almost certainly be a cloistered bubble of academics.

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, testifies about the effect of the coronavirus disease pandemic on students and schools in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on April 26, 2023. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

With nobody formally representing the customerparents and studentsthis council is ripe to repeat some of Weingartens worst mistakes.

For example, theres her support for the Department of Justice targeting as threats concerned parents speaking at community meetings. Weingarten advocated for federal law enforcement to come down on parents vocally opposed to policies she supportsconflating their expressions of concern, and even anger, with threatsa move that even the National School Boards Association walked back after instigating it.

One can only assume that much of the councils focus will be on gun violence. Nobody can dismiss the seriousness of that issue, as gun violence increases and policymakers struggle for a solution. But one related aspect that cannot be ignored is the mental health crisis that plagues students today, and which is upstream of these violent events. Weingarten, through her opposition to reopening schools, threw gas on the mental health crisis fire, while exacerbating other threats to kids, like the increased likelihood of domestic abuse, and robbing them of the educational opportunities that can lead a child toward better outcomes than theyd otherwise face.

Americans recently learned that student scores in math and reading plummeted last year. The math score decline was the steepest in 50 years. This assessment of 13-year-old students across the country was alarming but in line with the trends. In May, we learned history scores are the lowest since assessments began three decades ago. In April, we learned that depression, self-harm, and suicide among students are reaching terrible levels. Prior to that we learned of the spike in fighting, violence, and behavioral problems in schools.

Teachers Unions Are Why More Parents Want School Choice

Given this landscape, you would expect some humility, some contrition, some acknowledgement from the people who were in charge (and remain in charge) as this mess developed. You surely wouldnt expect these same people to be trotting out political endorsements, getting plum White House appointments, and being given countless hours of media airtime to express serious concern over the situation they createdall while disingenuously denying they ever wanted to keep schools closed!

But Weingarten isnt the only one who fails at contrition. We have heard no apologies or acceptance of responsibility from her counterpart at the National Education Association (NEA), Becky Pringle, or the former head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, or any of the other dozens of people who pressured schools across the country to devalue the well-being of children.

Outrageously, in a recent interview with ProPublica, a teachers union official in Virginia commended the school closures, saying it gave teachers more time to run errands, walk the dog, and exercise. He went on to say that now everyone was equalas though everyone being equally in a terrible place is a desirable outcome.

Teachers Union Bosses Must Answer for U.S. Students Plunging Test Scores

Of course, this is not true, as students in states like Florida or parochial schools that fought back against the union-led school closures have not experienced the same alarming disparities.

There has been no soul searching among the unions who created this disastertheyre unrepentant. And there is absolutely nobody holding them accountable.

THE WAY OUT OF THIS MESS

The past few years have not gone well for progressive education advocates, with 14 states passing legislation that would significantly increase access to vouchers or alternative schooling options, and many other states considering their own reforms. (Randi Weingarten may be the best advocate for school choice ever born.)

AFT President Randi Weingarten speaks during 'March for Our Lives', one of a series of nationwide protests against gun violence, in Washington, D.C. on June 11, 2022. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

There is hope for meaningful education reform, but it takes winning elections. And the only chance we have is for voters on the left to join parents on the right and hold school officials and teacher unions accountable. The right cannot do it alone. I speak to countless parents who voted for Biden and whisper to me that they agree with me on the school issue. This crisis will not be abated by whispers.

I dont believe any voter in America wants our children to fail. But, please folks: Wake up. They are being failed.

In some areas, like Baltimore, the systemic failure is catastrophic. In other areas, the failure is duller. But its there. If you want public schools to succeed, jump in this fight. Bring on new leadership. Demand answers from the highly paid union leaders who keep making this mess.

Teachers Unions Need to Adapt, Just Like the Rest of Us

And teachers, despite a century of the AFT and NEA lobbying, you are still underpaida cliche used to describe few other union jobs. It might be time to ask your union leaders why that is?

Even if you are a die-hard teachers union booster, you have to be thinking that the status quo is unacceptable. I promise your political goals will be in a much greater position in the long run, but it requires a hard break from failed leadership. The alternative is Republicans implementing school choice across every red state, and people will continue flocking from the states that listened to Weingarten to the states that did not.

Weingartens legacy is one of failing our children. President Biden and Democrats ought to seriously consider whether continuing to embrace a leader carrying this much political liability is worth elevating to such a lofty position.

Rory Cooper is a former White House staffer, Communications Director to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and the father of three children.

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Will it win the war or cause disaster? U.S. debates sending cluster bombs to Ukraine

More than 120 countries have banned their use  Congress and human rights groups lambasted Russia for firing them last year, and the White House has resisted pressure to send them for months. But now, the U.S. is seriously considering the idea of providing the Ukrainian military with cluster bombs.

Two senior U.S. officials told NBC News Thursday that an announcement could come as early as next month, and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaking at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Friday, said the U.S. was mulling the idea of providing the capability to Ukraine, which he said other allies had previously done.

The Ukrainians have asked for it, other European countries have provided some of that, the Russians are using it  theres a decision-making process ongoing, Milley said.

While such a decision has been applauded by a bipartisan group in Congress, it has also raised the ire of some Democrats and human rights groups.

Cluster bombs, known as dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, or DPICMs, are projectiles that are fired from an artillery unit or aircraft. Inside are small bomblets that disperse across a large area on a battlefield, causing widespread destruction. They can be charges aimed at penetrating armored vehicles, or they can shatter or fragment to be more dangerous to people.

They are so effective that they can turn the trenches of a frozen conflict into killing zones, according to a report published in 2019 by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI, a British military think tank. The problem is that they can sometimes create a minefield of unexploded, untracked bomblets. These duds can be difficult to clean up and can explode years later, injuring or killing civilians or other unintended targets long after a war has concluded.

Worldwide, civilians represented 97% of all cluster munition casualties, according to a report in August by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, a campaign group that works to eradicate their use. Children accounted for 66% of all casualties where the age group was known, the report said.

Destruction from Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine (Justin Yau / Sipa via AP file)

Their use by both sides has been documented during the war in Ukraine, according to Human Rights Watch, an international nongovernmental organization. It is unknown how many people the munitions have killed or how large an area might be affected, but Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in April that more than 67,000 square miles of the country had been blighted by unexploded ordnance. In Ukraine, they killed 226 people in March alone, according to Shmyhal.

Long in need of more artillery rounds, Ukraine has requested the destructive shells for more than a year, but President Joe Biden and his administration have hesitated and remained on the brink of destroying thousands of cluster munition shells that have a dud rate of over 1% and are close to expiring in American stockpiles  a move that would have been applauded by humanitarian groups.

But a congressional aide who has worked to push forward the discussion about sending the cluster rounds to Ukraine confirmed that the U.S. now appears to be ready to ship the munitions. They have long been at the top of Kyivs wish list, and American military policy still relies upon them, the aide said.

If we feel this is the kind of thing that we could man, train, equip our own forces with, theres absolutely no reason why they shouldnt go to Ukraine, said the aide, who requested anonymity to speak freely about ongoing deliberations.

A debate in Congress

Last year, 27 Democratic House members sent a letter to Biden pleading for him to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that bans the transfer and use of the cluster rounds. That view has not disappeared, though it has grown to acknowledge the talk in Washington about what to do with Americas stockpile of cluster bombs.

Fourteen senators sent a letter to Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, last week that said that while they recognize the munitions could provide Ukraine an advantage on the battlefield, we are convinced that the humanitarian costs and damage to coalition unity of providing U.S. cluster munitions would outweigh the tactical benefits.

Many American allies have signed on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Of the 31 NATO countries, only Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Turkey and the U.S. are not signatories. An unofficial American policy, however, has long limited sharing the capability with other nations and sought to reduce the use of cluster munitions.

When Russia stood accused of using cluster rounds last year in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared the act inhumane and in violation of international law, although neither Ukraine or Russia are signatories of the convention.

A Ukrainian civilian holds an empty Russian cluster munition rocket (Justin Yau / Sipa via AP file)

But over the past year, members of Congress have been privy to private briefings from U.S. military officials, and that appears to have encouraged their support.

The Pentagon sent its top official focused on Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia to testify before Congress last month about cluster bombs. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Laura Cooper, one of several Pentagon officials who spoke to Congress, told members that our military analysts have confirmed that DPICMs would be useful, especially against dug-in Russian positions on the battlefield.

For members of Congress without military expertise, hearing that validation really helped move the needle, the congressional aide said.

A bipartisan group in Congress sent a letter to Biden last month, encouraging him to provide the weapons. The group noted that the U.S. developed cluster munitions during the Cold War to counter Russias numerical and material superiority.

Now they can be put to their intended use in Ukraines defense  and Ukraines defense of Europe, and ultimately, U.S. national security, the letter said.

While support for providing these arms has grown on both sides of the aisle in recent months, rights groups and some Democrats say the human cost will outweigh the benefit.

This is what militaries say, Mary Wareham, the arms advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said. Any weapon would be useful. Chemical weapons would be useful. Cluster munitions for us are in the same category as chemical weapons and are prohibited for a very specific reason, because of the civilian harm and the human suffering thats brought by them.

She added that the White House did not respond to letters sent by Human Rights Watch and a coalition of nongovernmental organizations opposed to sending cluster munitions.

There also appears to have been other private briefings for members of Congress that may have further helped move the needle.

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that requested that the Pentagon make information about cluster munitions publicly available. He also raised the issue of dud rates, when the bomblets dont explode.

U.S. policy does not allow the transfer of cluster munitions with a dud rate over over 1%, according to the Foreign Assistance Act. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl admitted on a podcast in February that some of the rounds in the U.S. arsenal have a rate that is just north of that number, though in 2008 the Army ceased procurement of cluster munitions because the dud rate was as high as 5%.

Concerns in Congress over the dud rate appear to have been assuaged in private briefings somehow, said Wareham, mystifying her and members of other human rights groups.

Without having the information that the Pentagon is giving to them, its hard for us to understand some of the claims that are being made, but theyre pretty outlandish, she said. A lot of the groups and members of Congress that are saying to send cluster munitions to Ukraine were never demanding that for previous wars and conflicts. Its just Ukraine at this moment of time. Its kind of wild to see.

It remains to be seen when or if the munitions will ultimately be sent.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, declined to comment about the White Houses plans for the cluster rounds on Friday but said they continue to work in lockstep with the Ukrainians here every day.

Were going to continue to have those conversations with the Ukrainians going forward and as we have over the last 16 months, he said. Well continue to review those requests and adapt as appropriate, but I just dont have a decision or announcement on anything new today.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Higher education and civil rights leaders worry the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action may embolden "those with hate in their minds" to disenfranchise students of color attending elite colleges.

Speaking to reporters Friday morning, leaders from across the country responded to the ruling determining that selective colleges and universities cant use race as a factor in admissions. They also outlined what the decision means and doesnt mean for students and higher education institutions.

"The court effectively ended a 45-year-old precedent," said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, better known as MALDEF.

"We should all be clear that that's how far backward the majority decision takes us," he added.

While the Supreme Court ruled that the affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard violated the Constitution's equal protection clause when considering race as a factor in the college admissions process, nothing in the decision indicates "that somehow Harvard and UNC systems did not identify the students who had every right and merited admission to those institutions as to any other," Saenz said.

"It's important to point out because there will be those with hate in their minds who will seek to tell Black and Latino students attending selective institutions that the Supreme Court says they do not belong. That is false," Saenz said. "Every current Black, Latino student, student of any race, deserves and belongs where they are."

J. Luke Wood, the incoming president of California State University, Sacramento, said he anticipates "that there will be elevated hate" across campuses nationwide as a result of the Supreme Court decision.

That's why leaders Friday concurred that it's more important than ever for colleges to ensure all students feel like they belong on campus. They said they intend to do so by publicly embracing diversity and inclusion, as well as rejecting and condemning racism.

While leaders were reassuring students like Agustin Leon-Saenz, a sophomore at Harvard, that they belong on campus, many students on the school's campus Thursday were expressing concern about how the ruling will affect aspiring college students of color.

"This is literally high stakes for my family," Leon-Saenz told MSNBC. He said he thinks about how it will affect his little brother, who will apply for college in a few years, and his cousin, who will apply for college in the fall. It makes him think about "the people from my community, specifically from the state of New Mexico, where I am one of two students from New Mexico in my school year. So this has immediate impacts."

Higher education experts have suggested that expanding recruitment efforts to include different kinds of high schools, creating pipeline programs to recruit students from community colleges, and minimizing the reliance on standardized test scores are some of the ways elite schools affected by the decision can mitigate some of its effects.

"I hope that Harvard, as soon as it can, can ramp up undergraduate recruitment of under-represented minorities," Leon-Saenz added. "That, specifically to me, looks like going out to communities in New Mexico that are Indigenous, recruiting students of all nationalities and all backgrounds to come."

NBC News and MSNBC share a parent company, NBCUniversal.

Leaders emphasized to reporters Friday that, while the ruling focuses specifically on barring race as a factor in admissions, it doesnt limit a university's ability to implement outreach, engagement and retention programs aimed at enrolling diverse student bodies.

But still, "legal opinions can be interpreted very differently depending upon how institutions perceive risk," said Wood, a former chief diversity officer.

Based on his experience, "this only serves as a gateway into other conversations and pushback" that may affect college admissions, faculty hiring, scholarships, fundraising, student support services and retention efforts that are specifically designed for underrepresented communities, Wood said.

For this reason, the federal government and the Department of Education will have an important role in providing guidance to higher education institutions around how parts of the Supreme Court decision should be interpreted, Saenz said.

Sally Chen, the education equity program manager at Chinese for Affirmative Action, said she hopes this moment serves as a gateway "to challenge the idea that college is a zero-sum game" or the idea that "if someone gets a spot, someone else loses a spot."

"If we accept that logic, we will always be working in a framework where education is something earned as opposed to a public good," Chen said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
One of the burned buildings at the Spanish compound.

The Captain Juan Pardo went out from the city of Santa Elena on November 1, 1566, to enter into the interior to discover it and conquer it from here to Mexico, read an account of the Spanish explorers 1566 expedition, which brought him and his men into present-day Western North Carolina.

It was during this expedition that Pardo and his men established the first European settlement in the interior of the United States, 20 years before Sir Walter Raleigh failed to establish an English colony on Roanoke Island.

Joara

The Catawba River valley, located at the base of WNCs mountains, was the most populated area of inland North Carolina for at least a century prior to the arrival of Spanish explorers. Most people inhabiting this land lived in small towns, hamlets, or farmsteads. They grew sunflowers, tobacco, corn, beans, and squash.

Joara, a native town near present-day Morganton, served as the political, economic, and ritual center of the region. Established around 1000 AD, Joara was surrounded by rivers, creeks, and low mountains. It soon became a transportation hub controlled by the leaders of Joara.

De Soto and the Lady of Cofitachequi

In 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, his men, and Africans they held as slaves became the first known non-native people to travel through Joara and into Western North Carolina. According to those chronicling the expedition, De Sotos group arrived in Joara thanks to a native woman they called the Lady of Cofitachequi.

As De Sotos army marched north from Florida in an attempt to claim the southeast for Spain, they took a young native boy hostage. He told them of a chiefdom near present-day Camden, South Carolina, known as Cofitachequi, which was ruled by a female chief. She was said to have a large cache of gold. But when the Spaniards arrived in Cofitachequi, they could only find copper, mica, and freshwater pearls. They began looting Coritachequis mortuary temples. They still found no gold.

In hopes of finding riches farther north, the men took the chief  known as the Lady of Cofitachequi  hostage to use as a navigator. Though she was supposed to take them to the Coosa province, she led the army toward the mountains to the northwest in an attempt to misdirect them. After setting the course for the Spaniards, she began to plan her escape.

A map showing the de Soto expedition route through the future U.S. states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Based on the Charles M. Hudson map of 1997.

According to the "De Soto Chronicles, 1539-1543," she stepped aside from the road and went into a wood saying that she had to attend to her necessities. Thus she deceived them and hid herself in the woods; and although they sought her she could not be found. ... (She) remained in (Joara) with a slave who refused to come with them; and it was very certain that they held  as husband and wife.

De Sotos army stayed in Joara several days before continuing the expedition. They never found the Lady of Cofitachequi.

Juan Pardo and Fort San Juan

More than 25 years later, on Dec. 1, 1566, Spanish Captain Juan Pardo and half of his men embarked on an expedition to once again try to claim the U.S. interior for Spain. At the same time, they hoped to map a route to silver mines in Mexico.

Pardos small army followed established trails as they made their way into what is now North Carolina. The group stopped in each native town they encountered to acquire food and supplies - while also letting the towns residents know that they were now subjects of the king of Spain.

Map of the Native American towns visited by Juan Pardo, 1566-1567.

By the time Pardo arrived in Joara, it was the beginning of January 1567. The mountains of Western North Carolina were covered in snow. Joara Mico, who ruled the town and much of the surrounding area, greeted the party and accepted gifts, including a set of metal knives.

Juan Pardo wrote of this meeting: The next day I departed and went to (Joara), where I found a large number of Indians and caciques (chiefs). I made the customary speech to them and they all remained under the dominion of His Holiness and His Majesty.

Pardo, who had deemed it prudent to wait until spring to scale the mountains, asked Joara Mico to allow the Spaniards to build Fort San Juan as well as a small settlement, Cuenca, adjacent to the town. Mico agreed.

After overwintering in Cuenca, Pardo returned to Santa Elena. He left 30 men to defend the fort and occupy the town. Joara Mico then sent the 30 Spanish soldiers to help Joaran warriors conquer a rival chiefdom near present-day Saltville, Virginia.

According to the official scribe for Pardos expedition, before leaving, (Pardo) commanded ... that no one should dare bring any woman into the fort at night  under pain of being severely punished. Despite this, a native woman present in Joara at the time, Teresa Martin, later told officials that after Pardo had been absent from the fort for three or four moons, Spanish soldiers began to commit improprieties with native women.

A portion of a 1584 map by Geronimo Chaves depicting the site of Xuala where, in 1567, Juan Pardo established Fort San Juan.

Relationships commonly occurred between native women and Spanish men at this time. And archaeological evidence found inside the fort shows that native women likely cooked for the soldiers and may have even lived inside the fort.

Native men, potentially angered by relationships between native women and Spanish soldiers  as well as the Spanish mens increasing demand for food  retaliated with force, luring the soldiers from the fort. Native men from across the region then burned Fort San Juan and five other nearby Spanish forts to the ground during the spring of 1568, again thwarting Spanish attempts to settle the Southeast.

Only one soldier survived, Teresa Martins husband, Juan Martin de Badajoz. He fled to Santa Elena on the coast to report the forts fall.

Teresa and Juan Martin would eventually raise two daughters in Santa Elena. In July 1576, Juan was killed during a military skirmish against native warriors. Teresa was allowed to collect his final pay. The historic record does not reveal much more about Teresa. Scholars believe she was either a native Joaran or a resident of a neighboring chiefdom kidnapped by Pardos men.

Rediscovering Joara and Fort San Juan

Though Joara persisted and likely existed well into the 1600s, the town did not reappear in the historic record for more than 300 years. In 1891, the Smithsonian described a site 8 miles north of Morganton with a 15-foot-high unexplored earthen mound. The mound was eventually determined to be part of Joara. Around 1940, before more than a few surface-level explorations had been performed, a farmer plowed down the mound to use the land for agriculture.

Forty years later, after modern archaeological investigations began at the site, Joara was officially rediscovered. When, in the 1990s, Spanish artifacts were excavated at the site, archaeologists began to theorize that they had also rediscovered Fort San Juan and Cuenca. It took 20 more years of excavations to confirm it. In 2013, the burnt remains of Fort San Juan reemerged.

Today, archaeological investigations continue at the sites of Joara, Fort San Juan and Cuenca. To find out more about the site  known as The Berry Site  and current discoveries, visit the Exploring Joara Foundation online at exploringjoara.org.

Anne Chesky

Anne Chesky is the executive director of the Asheville Museum of History.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC History: Earliest European settlement in US interior was in WNC
Woman Told She Has To Change Her Appearance For Job Interview In Order To Be Hired

Eve on TikTok

A woman whose TikTok presence centers around corporate work culture has been job hunting for months and taking her followers along on her journey. Shes experienced the highs and lows of trying to find work, including being offered the interview of a lifetime, only to discover the caveats involved.

The woman was told shed have to change her appearance just to get an interview for a job at a finance firm.

Eve explained in a TikTok video that the job interview shed found through her recruiter was undeniably alluring, with an annual salary range between $150,000 and $180,000.

RELATED: Woman Explains How She Used AI To Get A Callback From Every Single Place She Applied

Its five days in office, but for that money, I will bark, she said. The only problem is, they would want me to dye my hair for the job. Eves natural hair color is dark brown; she has it dyed a deep yet subtle purple.

Im really struggling with changing myself for a job when I know that my work is really good, she explained. Her internal conflict about dyeing her hair back to brown highlights a larger issue at play  the rigidity of American corporate culture, and the discrimination that it enables.

I know what you guys are saying, Eve spoke to her followers. Just dye your d-m hair, but it, like, means a lot to me.

The TikTok community came through for her, with one follower suggesting she use temporary spray-on hair dye to cover up her purple hair throughout the work week.

RELATED: CEO Lays Off Half The Workforce And Is Surprised When Everyone Else Quits & His Business Fails

Despite changing her hair color from purple to brown for the interview, Eve detailed the red flags that led to her take herself out of the running for the position.

She posted a stitch video with her original post, stating, Remember that amazing job? I just rescinded my own candidacy.

She reported that her interview experience at the finance firm was so off-putting, she decided she didnt want the job at all. Not only that, the job she interviewed for wasnt the position she was initially told shed be hired for.

First of all, they just laid it on me that there are two jobs at the firm, and that the job that Im interviewing for is not the 150 to 180K base  its 110 to 120... Im also interviewing with three other places who are offering that and are not requiring me to dye my hair, Eve said.

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She also reported a general feeling of disrespect during the interview process, calling out the interviewer as outwardly, blatantly rude.

It was probably the worst interview Ive ever had, not from my end, but because they were nasty, Eve reported.

She stated that all the interviewer wanted to know was why her time in recent roles had been shorter than the rest of her career. Um, hi Covid! Everybodys getting laid off! World is on fire! She exclaimed.

Then they started judging me for having a business, and when I explained to them that the company I was with liked that, they gave me the side eye, a literal side eye, she said. She stated that they also kept muting her microphone to talk to each other, which was the final straw in determining that the job wasnt for her.

Eve posted another video, in which she stated, This is your PSA that if you have to change absolutely anything about yourself to be able to interview at a company, let alone be allowed to work there, its already not a good fit and youre not going to enjoy working there.

Oh, its just my hair, oh, its just my tattoos, she said. No amount of money is gonna make a job a culture fit. Culture matters.

RELATED: 7 Extremely Rare Signs Of High Intelligence You Should Look For In Yourself

Appearance-based discrimination in the workplace is nothing new. Its something that disproportionately affects Black women in the corporate world, yet people are taking legislative action against racist policies.

The CROWN Act, or the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, passed the House of Representative in March 2022. The measure was introduced by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat from New Jersey. The Act has yet to pass in the Senate and will be reintroduced in the 2023 legislative session.

According to the CROWN Acts website, the Act exists to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools.

Eve was able to remove herself from what could have proved to be a toxic work environment before she got in too deep. She uncovered a valuable lesson in the process  no matter how much you might want a job, you should never be expected to change crucial elements of who you are just to fit into a role.

RELATED: Worker Deletes Thousands Of Files He Created After Finding Out That The Company That Fired Him For Being Incompetent Is Still Using His Work

Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers workplace issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.

This article originally appeared on YourTango
Weasels are members of the diverse family of fur-bearing carnivores called mustelids. Though rarely seen, their exceptional agility, strength, and tenaciousness make them some of the most successful predators on the planet.

Most visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park will never encounter a weasel. Yet these small members of a diverse family of stealthy carnivores are here in Southern Appalachia  and are likely watching us even when we cannot see them.

The name weasel conjures up images of slippery, deceitful characters who often play the distastefully memorable villains of literature or film. This connotation, of course, is derived from what limited knowledge we have of these nimble, fur-bearing creatures that can weasel out of anything and make an honest, if ruthless, living by being vicious and unrelenting predators.

I know because my ponds north of Asheville have been raided over the last two weeks. More than a hundred wood frog tadpoles disappearing virtually overnight, and then a large koi was attacked. At first it seemed the culprit was a long-tailed weasel, which was caught dining upon a 16-inch-long fish, though it was twice its size. However, two days later I spotted a mink on the edge of the pond, and it was later seen visiting after midnight on the trail cam. After a bit of research and speaking with some experts, I now suspect the weasel was simply feasting on what the mink left behind.

Mink are bold and relentless, taking on adversaries many times their size. One had to be euthanized at the Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park after it killed several chickens and even charged a park ranger.

Both the mink and the long-tailed weasel are mustelids, one of the worlds most varied animal groups comprising 65 species. Some you have probably heard of are ferret, marten, stoat, fisher, sable, polecat, badger, wolverine, and otter.

Mammals of the Smokies tells us that mink live in the vicinity of any waterway to be found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park where there is sufficient cover and seclusion. Mink are extremely inquisitive and intelligent. In 2006 a mink had to be killed at the Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum after it killed several chickens and charged a park ranger!

Long-tailed weasels also live along the watercourses, but they also prefer to be near standing water and bird life. Because of the small size and elongated body, long-tailed weasels have a high metabolism and are highly active day and night searching for prey, says Mammals. Like other mustelids, long-tailed weasels move in a series of gallops, arching their back with each bound. They use their keen sense of smell and hearing to locate prey.

With an elongated body and a high metabolism, long-tailed weasels are highly active as they search for prey day and night. Like other mustelids, they move in a series of gallops, arching their back with each bound.

For some time, Smokies scientists have been wondering where the least weasels are. Science Coordinator Paul Super was working to confirm their presence in the park when one showed up under his next-door neighbor's bird feeder in Waynesville, presumably the victim of a cat.

This species could live throughout the park, Super said. But it has been found only twice, with dead specimens discovered at Clingmans Dome (2014) and near Gatlinburg (1997) now in our collections.

Least weasels are extremely agile, bold, and inquisitive as they prowl and poke into small spaces seeking rodents to prey on. Researchers collaborating with Super expect they will be most common along the forest edge of open field and scrub areas such as Cades Cove, Cataloochee, and The Purchase.

This elusive and uncommon mammal invariably occurs in the park, but for years the only known Tennessee record was from Roan Mountain in 1962 despite the habitat similarity there to many high-elevation peaks in GSMNP, said Kevin Hamed, Ph.D., a wildlife biologist at Virginia Tech who has been researching the least weasel for a decade. More recently, least weasels have now been documented in most counties along the Tennessee and North Carolina border in the national forest, providing more evidence that least weasels also inhabit high peaks in GSMNP.

For years, scientists have been working to find live examples of the least weasel in the Smokies. Despite its diminutive size, this smallest member of the mustelid family and the smallest carnivore in the world has a more forceful bite pound-for-pound than a lion, tiger, or bear.

The least weasel is the smallest member of the mustelid family, the smallest carnivore in North America, and even the smallest carnivore in the world. Yet despite its diminutive size, reinforced by its name, pound for pound, this tiny creature has a more forceful bite than a lion, tiger, hyena, or any of the bears. Adam Hartstone-Rose, Ph.D., of North Carolina State University, specializes in the study of bite force. He found that the combination of a shorter jaw in relation to the size of its skull, powerful muscles delivering the force of the bite, and the concentration of the force in the weasels pointy canine teeth makes this tiny mammal a super predator unparalleled on the planet.

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Hamed said that, according to wildlife ecologist David Jachowski at Clemson University, weasel populations appear to be rapidly declining in the United States as trapping records indicated a 96% reduction in the number of weasels trapped in the past 60 years. A changing climate is also predicted to negatively impact this more northern species.

Given the fast metabolism of least weasels, they predominately hunt during temperatures requiring the least amount of additional metabolic demands to compensate for temperature differences, Hamed said. Therefore, a changing climate could impact activity patterns throughout the year. So, understanding the distribution of least weasels in GSMNP is critical to developing more detailed management strategies for our smallest carnivore and its prey communities.

An extremely inquisitive and intelligent predator, the American mink is one of the 65 species of mustelids found around the world. Other mustelids include badgers, ferrets, fishers, otters, martens, polecats, sables, and wolverines.

Funded by a Carlos Campbell Fellowship from the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Foundation, Hamed and his students recently deployed nine wooden boxes that are essentially unbaited camera traps for detecting weasels in the park using a system that was developed in the Netherlands.

The weasels instinct to explore holes entices them to enter the box where they are photographed, Hamed said. In the park, we have documented several small mammal species, but we have yet to find a least weasel. In Virginia, September to December is the best time to observe weasels in our Mostela boxes, and so we are excited for fall.

More: Word from the Smokies: Understanding the ubiquitous bobcat

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A few years ago, I was riding in a van through a natural area Costa Rica with a group of friends. We suddenly saw what looked like a large black otter crossing the road a few feet beyond our vehicle. Even our local naturalist guide was amazed as we watched the elusive and rarely seen tayra, another member of the mustelid family, lumber up into the forest, its unusually long spine creating an awkward, arching gait as it ran. That sighting, coupled with my recent pond pilfering, has piqued my interest in these secretive and solitary members of the animal kingdom, about which I plan to write more for Smokies Life journal.

Frances Figart

Frances Figart (rhymes with Tiger) is the editor of Smokies Life and the Creative Services Director for the 29,000-member Great Smoky Mountains Association, an educational nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Reach her at frances@gsmassoc.org.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Word from the Smokies: Wondering where the weasels are
Yes, bounty hunters still exist  and a new California law will change their business

Bail fugitive recovery agents, or bounty hunters, will soon be required to be trained, licensed and insured under a California law going into effect July 1.

The creation of AB 2043 was sparked by the death of a Palm Springs man who was shot and killed by an illegal bounty hunter in 2021.

(Fugitive recovery agents) only job is to get the bail company off the responsibility of the bond, said Oscar Martinez, owner of Oscar Martinez Bail Bonds and OC Services and Fugitive Recovery. Its not to break in doors; its not to kick in windows; its not to harass people.

Heres what the new law will require, what bounty hunters are legally allowed to do and how the law will affect their job:

New law, new requirements for bounty hunters

Under the former law, bounty hunters could recover bail fugitives with written permission from or by being employed by someone with a bail license.

With the implementation of AB 2043, authored by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, bounty hunters will need a separate license with the California Department of Insurance.

The department will ensure appropriate education and training requirements are met prior to issuing any licenses to individuals or business entities applying, the Department of Insurance said in a notice sent to bail agents and businesses. The department shared the notice with The Bee in an email.

Requirements for bounty hunter licenses

The department is launching online services so applicants can meet the requirements necessary or submit an application for a license, the notice said.

These requirements, according to the department, include:

Complete 20-hour bail pre-licensing education

Complete the 40-hour power of arrest course (certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, pursuant to California Penal Code section 832)

Submit fingerprints for a background check

Submit bail agent or surety insurer appointment

Submit $1,000 bond

Submit $1 million liability insurance policy  individual or business entity

As a recovery agent himself, Martinez said he fully believes they should be trained and regulated, but the $1 million insurance policy is not affordable for everyone.

Take 100 normal people and see how many of them can actually make that happen, Martinez said. If its less than 50%, then its an unfair law. Its an unfair requirement.

The bill originally stated the implementation of the policy would be delayed if there was a reasonable lack of availability or affordability, but California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara determined there is not one, according to the updated notice sent to bail agencies.

What do bounty hunters do?

Bail bond agents provide people the freedom to fight their case while not in custody, Martinez said. Defendants typically pay a bond agency about 10% of the total bail and the agency posts the rest, if the defendant cannot pay in full. The 10%, according to Shouse California Law group, is nonrefundable.

If the bail bond agency is not able to locate the defendant and return them to the court when it is time to, the agency is responsible for paying the county the bond amount.

Most companies, Im going to guess, have 20-40 failures to appear during the year, Martinez said. I say 10%-20% get arrested by law enforcement. The other 80%-90%, its up to a fugitive recovery agent to go track down, locate, transport and arrest.

If a defendant fail to appear in court, recovery agents, or bounty hunters, are then hired to locate the defendant.

Martinez said even before the new law, recovery agents were required to take a course that teaches them about things including the Fourth Amendment and their rights as an arresting agent.

He said in addition to the penal code that allows bounty hunters to carry a firearm leading up to and during the arrest, a lot of them also have a concealed carry permit.

Bounty hunters use resources like family members, friends, ex-spouses, social media and pay-by-name search sites to locate bail fugitives.

Sometimes we offer a reward to somebody that we know is mad at them, Martinez said. Ill tell you what, a scorned ex is a great source of information.

Bounty hunters are able to make arrests although they are not police officers, Martinez said, because they sign a civil contract with the defendants that gives them permission to track and arrest them under the conditions of the bail.

Bail and fugitive recovery are a major important part of our criminal system, Martinez said. I believe (bail is) a necessity. Its something that gives people a chance to be free while it still holds them accountable.
Body of missing 50-year-old York County man found, deputies say

The body of Patrick Michael Pellegrino Jr. was found on Sunday morning, according to the York County Sheriffs Office.

According to a release, the York County Coroners Office went to Harmony Road in Catawba County on Saturday to investigate a drowning death.

The victim was later identified as Pellegrino, who was last seen on June 24.

The York County Coroners and Sheriffs Offices say they are continuing to investigate.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

York County authorities are looking for a missing 50-year-old man who has not been heard from since 7 a.m. on June 24.

Family members found Patrick Michael Pellegrino Jr.s vehicle in the driveway on Broach Drive in Catawba on June 28.

His phone was inside the home and had a dead battery.

READ: 1 injured after paraplane crashes in York County field, sheriff says

The sheriffs office said there are no leads on where Pellegrino might be.

Pellegrino is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and weighs 205 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

He has tattoos on his arms and legs.

Call 803-628-3059 if you have information.

VIDEO: Apparent false call causes deputies to swarm York County home
Zelenskyy believes Ukraine will soon provide all conditions for people to return home

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraines President, believes that soon Ukraine will be able to provide conditions for people who went abroad due to the war to return home.

Source: Zelenskyy's evening address

Details: Zelenskyy spoke about the visit of Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, to Ukraine on Saturday.

In particular, the president thanked Spain for its respect and assistance to Ukrainians who found refuge in this country while fleeing hostilities.

Quote: "I believe that soon we will be able to provide all the necessary conditions for our people to return home to Ukraine."

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Zelenskyy called for sanctions against Rosatom in the 12th EU package

In connection with the threat of a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called on the EU to work on the next package of sanctions and introduce restrictions against the Russian Rosatom company.

Source: As European Pravda reports, he stated this at a press conference with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez.

Details: Zelenskyy warned about the preparation by the Russian occupiers of a potential disaster scenario at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

According to him, in this regard, world leaders need to put pressure on Russia to prevent radiation incidents at the ZNPP.

Quote: "It is already necessary to start work on the 12th package of sanctions; Pedro [Sanchez] and I started talking about these sanctions today. Ukraine does not understand why sanctions have not yet been introduced against Rosatom and its leadership when representatives of this company continue to occupy Zaporizhzhia NPP and put our general security at risk," Zelenskyy said.

Previously:

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, warns that the risk of Russia committing a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is under the control of its occupying forces, endangers the entire OSCE area.

On 22 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that, according to intelligence, Russia is probably preparing to carry out a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which could lead to a radiation leak.

Later, Zelenskyy said that the Russian occupiers had approved a plan of mining the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

Considering this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to react to the preparation of the terrorist attack, in particular, to recognize Russia as a terrorist state and to introduce sanctions against the Russian nuclear programme.

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On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an off-site meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (Rivne NPP).

Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram

Quote: "Today the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff meeting is off-site. We gathered at the Rivne NPP to assess any possible threats to the plant on the spot."

Details: At the meeting, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, reported on the operational situation on the Belarusian border and possible actions of its and Russian forces.

Internal Minister Ihor Klymenko, Commander of Joint Forces Serhii Naiev, and Head of the State Border Service Serhii Deineko reported on the strengthening of the Northern front and the protection of the Rivne NPP.

Vitalii Koval, Head of the Rivne Oblast Military Administration, and Commander of the Volyn joint force grouping Myroniuk reported on the defence lines and the socio-economic situation in the region, and Yurii Shchyhol, Head of the State Special Communications Service, reported on the protection of the Rivne NPP from cyber threats.

Petro Kotin, the president of Energoatom [Ukraine's national nuclear energy company  ed.] and Pavlo Kovtoniuk, the director of the plant, also took part in the meeting.

Quote: "We are keeping the situation under control," Zelensky said.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on more than 190 individuals and 290 companies linked to Russia and the war against Ukraine.

Source: Zelenskyy's decrees

Details: The sanctions include 189 Russians, two Belarusians and Tamaz Gaiashvili, the founder of Georgian Airways.

Another list contains almost 300 companies, mostly Russian. In addition to them, sanctions were imposed against the Belarusian Rogachev-based Diaproyektor plant [optical engineering plant - ed.]; Zenit-BelOMO [optical and mechanical factory - ed.]; Opti plant [Belarusian manufacturer of optical products and components - ed.]; Zeiss BelOMO, a joint Belarusian-German company; the Research and Production Centre for Multifunctional Unmanned Systems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; as well as Georgian Airways LLC.

Background:

In May, Russia cancelled its unilateral ban on air traffic with Georgia, and on 20 May, Georgian Airways made its first direct flight to Russia in four years.

Before that, Georgian Airways' harsh response to protests by outraged citizens outside its office caused a stir in Georgia.

The ruling party and the Georgian government reacted favourably to resuming air traffic with Russia, while President Salome Zourabichvili called for a boycott of Georgian Airways. For its part, the company declared her an undesirable passenger on its flights.

Pawel Herczynski, European Union Ambassador to Georgia, gave a demarch about Georgia to Levan Davitashvili, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Economy, regarding the resumption of direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow.

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Zelensky introduced sanctions for 10 years against individuals and entities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed new sanctions against 190 individuals and 291 entities, which will be in force for 10 years.

The relevant decree was published on the presidential site on July 1.

Read also: EU approves another Russia sanctions package

The list includes Russian plants and companies, as well as CEOs from the aircraft industry and scientific and technological organizations. Belarusian, Georgian and Kazakhstani entities were also included on the list.

In particular, Georgian Airways and its management, including its Chairman of the Board of Directors Tamaz Gaiashvili, fell under sanctions for renewing air services to and from Russia.

Read also: Tbilisi rules out opening Georgia's ports for Russian cruises

Zelenskyy also instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the effectiveness of the sanctions together with Ukraines SBU security service and the National Bank of Ukraine.

Ukraines Foreign Ministry has to inform the European Union, the United States, and other countries about the sanctions and raise the issue of introducing similar restrictive measures.

Read also: Georgian president calls Russias lifting visa ban for Georgian citizens another provocation

The order came into force on July 1.

On May 10, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin unexpectedly abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens and allowed direct flights to the country. The Association of Russian Tour Operators stated that the first flights could be launched by the end of May. Direct air communication between the two countries had been suspended since 2019.

Direct flights between the two countries were suspended in 2019.

The U.S. State Department warned Georgia that it would face sanctions if it resumed direct flights with the aggressor country of Russia.

Read also: Georgias Saakashvili says hes dying in jail

Nevertheless, Georgian Airways received permission to operate direct flights with Russia. The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, called Tbilisi's decision a false position and added that history would put everything in its place.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused foreign partners of delaying the approval of schedules for the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

Source: Zelenskyy during a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday in Kyiv

Quote: "First of all, about whether there is an understanding of the plans and schedules of F-16 [fighter jet] deliveries. I have the same questions as you asked our esteemed partners: do they have an understanding of when Ukraine can receive the F-16s?

We agreed and stressed that we have a coalition of countries that are ready to start training for Ukrainian pilots. There is no training mission schedule. I believe that some partners delay it. I don't know why they do it."

Previously: On 30 June, President Zelenskyy said that when Ukrainian pilots fly F-16 multipurpose fighters, there will be no chance for the Russians in the Ukrainian skies.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that for successful progress on the front, Ukraine needs more of all types of weapons, significantly more shells and, of course, F-16 fighters to have air superiority.

Background:

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that Ukraine's partners plan to approve a training programme for Ukrainian pilots, engineers and technicians on F-16 fighters by July; the training will take place in a specially created centre in one of the European countries.

As reported by Politico, the transfer of Western-made F-16 jets to Ukraine is expected to take place in early 2024, although specific dates have not been determined yet.

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The Ukrainian Defence Forces have killed 21,000 and wounded 80,000 Wagner Private Military Company mercenaries over the course of the war in Ukraine.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Spanish news agency El Mundo

Quote from Zelenskyy: "There were two categories of Wagnerites: professional mercenaries and those drafted from prisons, their cannon fodder. Our troops killed 21,000 and wounded 80,000 of them."

Details: Zelenskyy said such colossal losses suggest the number of Russian mercenaries. "The good news is that we have wiped out the most motivated part of the Russian forces," the president stressed.

Previously: According to Ukraines Defence Intelligence, the consequences of the Wagner Groups attempted uprising for Ukraine include the fact that the Russian leadership has been compromised and that Yevgeny Prigozhin's subordinates will no longer fight against the Ukrainian state.

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Zelenskyy says Russia could blow up Zaporizhzhya NPP remotely, even after its de-occupation

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Even if the Russians hand the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant back to Ukraine, there will be a threat to the whole world, as they could set off explosives remotely, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a conversation with the Spanish media on July 1.

"We are confident that (the plant) will be transferred with mined elements so that they will have a chance to blow up the plant later," Zelenskyy warned.

We know for sure that this was considered by the Russian Federation as one of the plans to remotely detonate the plant when it is handed over to us, and this is also very dangerous.

Read also: Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to hold evacuation drills amid possible terrorist attack at ZNPP

The Ukrainian head of state emphasized that even when Russia hands over the ZNPP, the IAEA must check everything in detail.

Zelenskyy added that the plant's employees are Ukrainian citizens, but the management is from Russian state nuclear company Rosatom. The Ukrainian leadership was taken away and is now in captivity.

He noted that Russia took the children of some ZNPP employees to its territory to blackmail workers and force them to carry out militants' orders.

"That is, they are living hostages today," Zelenskyy said.

The threat of a Russian attack on ZNPP  What is known

On June 25, the head of Ukraines Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Russians had completed preparations for a possible terrorist attack on the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP. Equipment with explosives was deployed near four of the six reactors.

On June 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russia was considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhya NPP it had seized and had "prepared everything for this."

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States currently sees no "imminent" threat of Russian troops blowing up the Zaporizhzhya NPP, noting that American intelligence is watching the developments "very closely."

Read also:

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Zelenskyy: We need a signal that Ukraine will become a NATO member after war, that is what an invitation is for

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he awaits a clear signal at the NATO summit in Vilnius that Ukraine will join the alliance after the war.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President, during a joint press conference with Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain.

Quote: "At the NATO summit in Vilnius, we need a very clear and obvious signal that Ukraine can and has a right to become an equal NATO member after the war. That is what an invitation is for," Zelenskyy stated.

"It would be very and very important for us," he emphasised.

He also emphasised that Ukraine really needs security guarantees  not as an alternative to membership, but while Ukraine is not a NATO member.

Background:

As reported, Ukraine has formulated two specific expectations from the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in Vilnius  regarding membership and security guarantees  and will insist on their approval until the last.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy understands that Ukraine would be unable to join NATO while the war was ongoing, but sees no point in attending the NATO summit in Vilnius if Ukraine does not receive specific signals on when it can join the Alliance.

Gitanas Nauseda, the President of Lithuania, expects that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive at the NATO summit in Vilnius with the first lady and will be greatly surprised if it does not happen.

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Zelenskyy signs decree on penalties for court corruption reaching up to 15 years in prison

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree enacting the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council's (NSDC) decision On Facilitating Judicial Reform and Combating Corruption in the Justice System, under which corruption in the courts will result in 10-15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Source: Decree on the website of the Ukrainian Presidents Office

Quote: "Under Article 107 of the Constitution of Ukraine, I hereby resolve: To put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine dated 23 June 2023 on Facilitating Judicial Reform and Overcoming Corruption in the Justice System".

Details: The decree comes into force on the day of its official publication.

The NSDC decision suggests, among other things, amending the Criminal Code to increase criminal liability for corruption-related criminal offences in the justice system by providing for a penalty of 10 to 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The institution also advocated to expand the role of the jury trial and its use.

Furthermore, there is a proposal to have the High Council of Justice check all judges of the Supreme Court for possible disciplinary offences or gross or systematic neglect of judicial duties and to confirm the legality of the sources of their property.

Specifically, they propose to improve the procedure for electing Supreme Court judges to the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court and introduce a mechanism for their recall by the assembly of judges of the respective cassation courts.

The introduction of a periodic psychophysiological examination of judges with the use of a polygraph is being considered.

The Cabinet of Ministers, jointly with the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), will have to prepare a concept for further reform of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

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BEDFORD  For 49 years, the Town of Bedford has maintained the Edmund Street Park, leasing the site from the Bedford County School Board. Bedford Town Council now seeks to own the site and is negotiations with the school board, though so far it has been unsuccessful in reaching a deal.

Council voted unanimously Tuesday to terminate its lease with the school board for the recreational field at the park, which will be effective Dec. 31, 2024, and had to give 18 months notice.

We want to own that park, Mayor Tim Black told residents gathered at the meeting. We want to do more in that park but we want to do that as owner of the property, not as a tenant. I know what this park means to our community all across this town. And Ill tell you right now Im going to fight like a dog to make sure we get that park and take care of it for you.

Jennifer Carson, who said the park is known throughout Bedford as the ball diamond, said the site is a very special place for many residents.

The ball diamond belongs to all of us, Carson said. Its about family, its about community, its about love. Its just really special.

She spoke of sporting events, Easter egg hunts and Gospel concerts there, along with sleigh riding in the winter. She said its important not just for the Black community of Bedford but for a rainbow of colors who have gathered there.

Resident Tonya Jackson referred to the park as a safe haven for herself and others. She said she loves watching sporting events there from her porch.

I have grown up in that park, Jackson said. I wake in the morning and listen to the kids in the park. That park means a lot to me, it means a lot to the community.

Resident Cynthia Payne said the park could use a facelift much like what is taking place with some homes undergoing aesthetic improvements in that area as part of the Hilltop Revitalization program.

We all grew up in the ball diamond, Payne said of a group of supporters present at the meeting.

Black said council has been working the past two years on negotiating the lease.

Theres about six acres over there. Right now were negotiating about 1.2 acres that includes the park area, Black said. The school board wants to hold onto the field for now. We are offering to maintain that whole tract if they would give us the 1.2 acres to own.

Black said the town has discussed ideas for improvements with school officials and the public in that process. The town wants a win-win for all parties and is optimistic a deal can be reached, Black said.

Were really trying to move this forward, Black said. We want to invest in a park, not in a park that somebody else owns. Theres practical reasons for us to own it, there may be funding we can get as an owner and not as a tenant.

Councilor Robert Carson said the park is a beloved spot in the community with rich history for many residents.

Were trying our best to get that park, Carson said.

Councilor Bruce Johannessen added: We want to make it one of the best places in the community. We all know what a valuable thing it is for the community.

Vice Mayor C.G. Stanley said we mean business in terms of negotiating with school officials to acquire land at the park.

Were not going to let it go, Stanley said.
BEDFORD  A month after a Galax-based company withdrew a special use permit application for a halfway house in Goode that drew heavy opposition from residents, the Bedford County Board of Supervisors proposes eliminating the use in the Agricultural Village, AV, zoning district.

The board initially discussed a proposal Monday to initiate a zoning change that would require halfway houses, a term for drug treatment facilities, not be allowed within a mile of a public school. The crux of opposition to the permit request by Sobrius Curae, LLC, of Galax, during a May 2 public hearing held by the Bedford County Planning Commission, was the operation was planned within a mile of Otter River Elementary School.

The Bedford County School Board formally opposed the permit in a letter to county officials prior to that hearing based on close proximity to the school. Supervisor John Sharp suggested expanding the restriction to within five miles of school and also include public parks.

I would suggest that we dont have one in this county, Supervisor Bob Davis said. I live on 65 acres. Suppose someone wants to put one near me? I dont want one near me and one would else would either.

Halfway houses as a use are only allowed in four of 17 zoning districts via special use permit: outside of AV they are allowed in three commercial/industrial districts, according to county documents.

The boards unanimous action Monday initiates a zoning change to remove the halfway use from AV areas, which requires a public hearing by the planning commission and board of supervisors.

Jordan Mitchell, the countys director of community development, during the discussion suggested the board nix the use in the AV area where homes are located in rural settings.

I just dont know where, I think of all the AV locations, you would want one, Mitchell told the board Monday. This makes it very clean if you want to get out of the AV district.

Sobrius Curea, LLC sought to establish the halfway house on Lowry Road on U.S. 221 that would offer a 30-day treatment program for 16 individuals trying to overcome substance abuse addictions. The commission voted 4-2 to recommend denial of the permit.

A Sobrius representative said at the May 2 meeting the Galax-based operation has been running for just more than two years and its mission is to create a home environment and not an institution in providing care for those residents struggling to overcome addictions.

The site on Lowry Road where the halfway house was planned has three single-family dwellings and an accessory apartment that allows 16 unrelated people in what essentially is a short-term rental-type setup, according to the dialogue between supervisors and county staff Monday.

Abigail Courington, a county planner, said the site is still being rented and residents are doing the counseling and clinical portion of the program elsewhere.

I dont like it, Supervisor Mickey Johnson said of the sites activity after the permit application was withdrawn.

Jordan said a notice of zoning violation could be issued following an inspection if the current use is found not to be in zoning compliance and he is in contact with the sites users.

Supervisor Tammy Parker said the use currently underway at the property appears to fall under the category of boarding house, which also requires a special use permit in that zoning district.

Its not being utilized as a single-family dwelling, Parker said.
Man charged in U.S. 501/Lakeside Drive

crash

The Lynchburg Police Department Traffic Safety Unit is investigating a crash Friday at the intersection of U.S. 501 and Lakeside Drive involving nine vehicles and felony charges against a dump truck driver.

At 8:35 a.m. Friday, LPD officers and the traffic safety unit responded to the crash and determined a dump truck struck seven vehicles in the intersection and debris from the crash damaged two other vehicles. Two people, who are currently in stable condition, were transported to Lynchburg General Hospital by the Lynchburg Fire Department, according to a news release LPD issued Friday afternoon.

The dump truck driver, James Pernell McDaniel, 54, of Concord, is charged with six counts of felony hit-and-run, reckless driving and impaired driving of a commercial vehicle. McDaniel is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail in Lynchburg without bond, the release said.

The crash remains under investigation by the LPD Traffic Safety Unit. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Officer Bauserman at (434) 455-6047.

 Justin Faulconer
Many young people misunderstand, marriage is not to love, it's patience.

Recently every time a Japanese celebrity commits adultery, the Japanese media make a huge deal of it and criticize them seriously. As a result, Japanese people don't know anything about world news instead they have a wide range of knowledge about celebrities cheating.
As City Administrator Cindy Sorlien recently said, Underwood is a community growing at the right pace.

I like living here. It feels like home because it is, she said.

Located about 10 miles north of Council Bluffs, this community that begins with the letter U seems to enjoy using that letter in describing itself. On a sign outside City Hall is a slogan: United and Unique. Theres even a business in town shaped like a U.

Its the Nesting Grounds, a quaint little coffee shop serving lattes, espresso drinks, hot tea, iced drinks, plus cookies, muffins, cupcakes and more.

We have a lot of support from teachers, the schools, the community, said co-owner Kimberly Schneckloth.

Speaking of schools, the community displays its pride by picturing an eagle, the schools mascot, on its new blue street signs.

It creates more sense of community pride, Sorlien said.

Underwood is known around these parts for its Fourth of July celebration that attracts well over a thousand people.

It should be no different for this years event next Tuesday.

We love the Fourth of July, Sorlien said. It brings generations together.

There are a lot of things currently going on, or planned, in Underwood.

This includes a housing development called Fieldcrest, located on the northwest part of town. Its already in its fourth phase.

Approximately 14 homes are going in and there are two more phases, Sorlien said. Approximately 50 homes are already done. Theres a demand.

Plans are being made to improve the communitys wastewater treatment system and the community recently received a $125,000 forgivable loan from the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors for the first phase of a walking and biking trail from North to Fourth streets.

This money could help Underwood secure other funds in the future for expanding that trail, Sorlien said.

The civic group, Friends of Underwood, is working on a mural project for the exterior wall on the fire station. As shown in a local newsletter, the mural would feature the communitys name in large letters with various drawings within each letter, plus a drawing of a bald eagle near an American flag.

During the summer, the Friends group sponsors a Monday Market at the UMBA Hall Pavilion, 300 Second Ave., with activities both inside and out. On July 10, this event will feature a car show from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Other market events that encourage community involvement include Support Local Businesses on Aug 7, School Appreciation Night on Aug. 21 and Salute to Veterans on Sept. 11.

Another way that Underwood, with a population of 957, is creating community involvement is a photography contest.

This is the second year of the contest, sponsored by the Underwood City Council and JDW Midwest, a building inspection firm. The contest is open to all who have an Underwood address or go to Underwood Community Schools. Judges are looking for unique color photographs that represent the beauty and wonder of life in Underwood. The contest is divided into three age groups with an Aug. 7 deadline.

One of the newest businesses in town is Nesting Grounds, located at 131 Third St., owned by Kimberly Schneckloth and Jodi Bose.

Before moving with her family to Underwood in 2020 from Colorado, Schneckloth recalled telling her husband, Im going to open up a coffee shop. They purchased property where a vacant house stood, demolished it, then built their shop that opened last October.

It is a small town, family, community-oriented business, Schneckloth said.

As the name suggests, it has a bird theme that Bose came up with, Schneckloth said. Included on the menu are Red Robin scrambles and hatchling drinks like chocolate milk, hot chocolate and caramel apple spice.

Pecking options include cookies, muffins, cupcakes and more. The shop also offers hot lattes, hot and iced tea and iced drinks.

The U-shaped building offers take-out and drive-thru service, plus outdoor seating.

Kelle Erwin, local business woman, is quite impressed with Schneckloth.

She is customer-oriented, and Jodi is the same way, Erwin said.

Underwood is a great city, Sorlien said. We love it.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea stayed silent Wednesday about the detention of an American soldier who sprinted across the Koreas heavily fortified border as other members of his tour group looked on in shock. Some observers said the North was unlikely to send him back any time soon a
South Africa confirmed it will host the BRICS summit in August as planned, amid speculation that the event may move to China, while Ethiopia has become the latest country to have asked to join the bloc of emerging markets.

In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. As a signatory to the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Putin if he attends the BRICS summit, as he has a standing invitation to visit the country in August.

A spokesperson to South African president has now confirmed that the whole summit, including the main part involving the BRICS heads of state, would take place in the country, amid speculation that the BRICS countries were considering moving the summit to China, which is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia, one of Africas fastest-growing economies, has expressed an interest in joining the BRICS bloc of emerging markets, the foreign ministry said. The BRICS nations may agree to induct around five new members into the grouping during the August summit, culminating a long-pending expansion plan. Out of the 25 countries that have asked to join the grouping, the frontrunners reportedly include Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, and Argentina. We expect BRICS will give us a positive response to the request we have made, Ethiopias foreign ministry said. BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the worlds population and about 26% of the global economy.
Germany is looking to pull its soldiers out of Mali faster, in light of the looming end of MINUSMA, a United Nations peacekeeping mission  one of several UN missions operating in war-torn nations around Africa whose governments want them out, despite warning by experts of consequences and fresh security threats.

Germany had deployed some 1,000 soldiers to Mali, most near the northern town of Gao, as part of the MINUSMA peacekeeping operation, established in 2013 to fight armed groups there. But now German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said his country will speed up the withdrawal of its soldiers out of Mali, in light of the planned end of the UN peacekeeping mission on 30 June. Berlin decided in May to withdraw its troop from Mali as the mission had been hampered by disputes with the West African countrys ruling military junta and the arrival of Russian forces. More specifically, the decision was taken after Malian authorities prevented a flight carrying 110 German soldiers deployed with the MINUSMA from leaving the country.

But experts question why more and more African nations want UN peacekeepers out, while they are on missions to restore peace and stability to the nations in which they operate. UN peacekeeping missions in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Mali, and the Central African Republic (CAR) are struggling to succeed amid escalating violence as well as complex political and cultural dynamics.

They have failed consistently to deal with the cycle of violence in those countries and the very reason for which they were brought in in the first place, says Adib Saani, Executive Director for the Jatikay Center for Human Security and Peace Building. Other experts point out that conflict situations in Africa are very fluid and very unpredictable and, as Fidel Amakye Owusu of the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa argues, the UN missions are not all falling, but rather it is the nature of their mandate that limits their efficacy or effectiveness in the areas they are meant to operate.
The anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, commemorated by Moroccans every year on August 20, will be celebrated as usual as a historic epic that embodies the strong symbiosis and unwavering bonds uniting the Throne and the People, but King Mohammed VI will not address on the occasion a royal speech to the nation as he customarily does.

Given that the anniversary of the glorious Revolution of the King and the People comes a few days after the Speech of the Throne (July 30) and before the Royal Speech at the opening of Parliament (second Friday of October), and in the light of experience in this regard, it has been decided to continue celebrating the anniversary of the memorable Revolution of August 20, without a Royal Speech being addressed to the Nation on this occasion, the Spokesman for the Royal Palace explained in a statement.

The significance of this memorable anniversary cannot be measured by speeches and celebrations alone, but it is an anniversary so dear to the hearts of all Moroccans, King and People alike, embodying the values of sacrifice and loyalty between a King who preferred exile to renouncing the sovereignty and freedom of his Homeland, and a valiant people who mobilized to defend its sacredness and sacrificed everything dear to them for the return of their rightful King to the Throne, the Spokesman said.

The continued commemoration of this anniversary as a national holiday will remain a shining beacon in the History of Morocco, with all that its symbolism requires in terms of celebrations and academic, cultural, artistic, sporting and other events, in all regions of the Kingdom, the spokesman added, noting that the King, in his capacity as Amir Al-Mouminine (Commander of the Faithful) and Sovereign of the country, reserves the decision to address the nation at any time and on any occasion that he deems appropriate.
While final numbers are being compiled, the nation in 2022 may already have exceeded the most recent peak in syphilis cases recorded in 1990.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty

London Breed, mayor of San Francisco, had to state the obvious: It was, in fact, not too dangerous for the camera crew of Good Morning America to film a segment downtown in her city. San Francisco also has an overall violent crime rate that is lower than other large cities, Breed said a few weeks ago. Sadly, some of the news coverage conflate[s] the reasons or do[es] not provide the full picture of why big retailers and other businesses in San Francisco are deciding to leave or transfer ownership of their operations.

Breed was forced to deliver the statement after reporter Matt Gutman said on the air that he and his crew were advised to film their 4 a.m. segment on the closure of the Westfield mall far from the actual site of the shopping center. The declaration drew national headlines and spurred another round of doomsaying over San Francisco  a city that has grappled with a spike in homelessness and various sorts of crimes, including carjackings, during the pandemic. Actual violent crime in San Francisco remains low for a major U.S. city  it has nowhere near the murder rate of Chicago or Philadelphia  but a sense of fear has pervaded there for a number of years. High housing costs have also fueled a working-class exodus from the tech mecca.

None of this, though, means a camera crew cant film an early morning segment. San Francisco is not a Ukrainian battlefield. American journalists have captured footage from far more dangerous environs for many decades. In fact, there is no U.S. city, anywhere, where a TV crew cant show up to film. The GMA producers deserve all of the opprobrium sent their way. But Breed, like Eric Adams in New York, must reckon with an uncomfortable reality: She helped make this happen. She set the stage, as the most powerful elected official in San Francisco, for a major television network to decide that her city is no longer safe.

Last year, San Franciscans voted, overwhelmingly, to recall their district attorney, Chesa Boudin. A proud progressive and proponent of criminal-justice reform, Boudin had been elected in 2019, shortly before the pandemic. The various social and public-safety ills that came with the pandemic, as well as San Franciscos long-running affordability crisis, were laid at his feet. Every drug-addicted person who passed out in the Tenderloin and every stolen Mercedes were, in the view of his sharpest critics, his fault.

Breed didnt formally endorse the recall, but she never defended Boudin either. She criticized him in public, declaring in 2022, I am not necessarily on the same page with a number of things that hes doing. She believed Boudin was too soft on criminals and that his reform efforts were fueling the citys crime spike. One of her close allies, a former prosecutor in Boudins office, helped lead the recall campaign. Once he was defeated, Breed appointed her as the new district attorney. (Had Breed been a savvier or more cynical operator, she would have left Boudin alone or tried to scuttle the recall.) Once Boudin was thrown out of office, a crucial punching bag was removed  now, it seemed, the voters could wise up, shifting blame on San Franciscos quality-of-life pitfalls from the DAs office to City Hall.

San Franciscos first Black female mayor was once a rising political star in a city that quite literally manufactures them: Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, and Gavin Newsom all launched their careers there. Today, Breed is badly damaged, carrying dismal poll numbers that could imperil her reelection chances next year. Theres a rather simple political lesson here  you reap what you sow. Breed never forcefully counteracted any of the hyperbolic narratives around life in San Francisco. When it suited her, she was happy to indulge in declinism and let Boudin fail.

In New York, Adams is grappling with a similar dynamic. Crime is elevated from 2019 levels but is historically not very high. Shootings and murders have fallen from last year. Homelessness, along with the ongoing migrant influx, is still a challenge, and there are too many unhoused and mentally ill people forced to walk the streets. Theres a disturbing randomness to todays crime picture. Some New Yorkers fear getting shoved onto a subway track in midtown or stabbed on a busy sidewalk.

But all of this, in some sense, is manageable. New York is a much safer city than it was in the 1990s and even the 2000s. Both New York and San Francisco have struggled with the rise of remote work and the emptying out of once thriving downtowns. No single mayor can reverse these trends, and both Breed and Adams will have to get creative about repurposing vacant storefronts and office spaces while somehow replacing the lost commuter foot traffic.

Adams, though, has never spoken in a particularly measured way about the city he now governs. Thirty years later, were right back where we started from. And thats unacceptable, Adams said in 2021, when he was campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform. The enemy is winning, and we are waving a big white flag of surrender.

When Adams entered City Hall, his rhetoric did not shift. I have never in my professional career  I have never witnessed crime at this level, he told Good Day New York last year. The remarks, on a factual level, were absurd. As a transit officer and police captain, Adams had patrolled the city in the early 1990s, when as many as 2,000 people per year were murdered. In 2022, less than 500 homicides were recorded.

Today, Adams is no longer so dire when it comes to crime in New York, and hes eager to tout the falling rates of violent incidents. Its not clear, however, that enough New Yorkers will believe him come 2025, when he seeks reelection. Concerns over public safety remain high. Adams-friendly TV broadcasters and the New York Post report aggressively and continuously on crime, and it was Adams who was happy, for more than a year, to validate their narratives. The Post, growing more skeptical of Adams  producing relentless coverage of his resigning police commissioner  could damage him further if the paper ever starts to treat him like its bete noire, Bill de Blasio, the liberal former mayor.

The overriding question is if Adams will be able to declare victory over a sustained crime decline in another two years  or if too many voters will believe that New York has spun out of control to hand him a second term. Incumbent mayors are very hard to beat, and Adams has numerous strengths  including strong support from Black voters, labor unions, the citys real-estate sector, and finance elites. Limited polling data has shown his approval rating ticking up again. (Breed, at this point, is more vulnerable in her own city.)

Still, Adams must beware. Narratives are sticky. A charismatic challenger buoyed by the citys generous matching-funds program and left-leaning voters sick of the Adams era can make the mayors life difficult. The rapid turnover in his administration hasnt helped. In Harlem, where Adamss support is theoretically quite strong, his endorsed City Council candidate was just defeated by a wide margin by Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five. Adams must hope the same doesnt happen to him in 2025.
The Burlington department store will open a new Opelika location in Tiger Town.

Burlington has put up a coming soon sign in the widow of the building between Khols department store and Dicks Sporting Goods. Burlington, which can be expected to open in a few months, will replace the Bed Bath & Beyond department store that closed in February.

We are thrilled to open in the Opelika, Alabama, community this fall and offer residents everyday low prices on a wide assortment of brand name merchandise for the entire family and home, said Burlington public relations account coordinator Charise Lewis. We look forward to opening this brand new location and bringing great bargains and job opportunities to the local community.

Lewis said more information will be released as Burlington gets closer to its grand opening.
With Independence Day just around the corner, local authorities stressed the importance of staying safe while celebrating with fireworks.

Fire inspector Bob Parsons reminded Opelika residents that it is unlawful to possess and discharge fireworks within the city limits.

We want everyone to celebrate the Fourth of July safely and responsibly, he said. We recommend that citizens who wish to enjoy fireworks let the professionals handle it.

There were 2022 reports of 11 non-occupational, fireworks-related deaths between June 17 and July 17, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Five deaths were associated with the misuse of fireworks, three with a device misfire/malfunction and one with unknown circumstances.

Firework cause an average of 18,000 fires per year in the United States, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires and 16,900 outside and other fires, according to the City of Opelika. Fireworks lead to an average of three deaths and 40 civilian injuries. It also causes an average of $43 million in direct property damage.

Auburns fire chief John Lankford agrees fireworks are a lot of fun, but they are only to be shot by a professional with a permit in the City of Auburn.

It is against city ordinance to shoot fireworks. It can be dangerous not only for the shooters, but also bystanders.

Last year, there were approximately 20,000 fires in the U.S. caused by fireworks. There were 9,100 injuries reported with the most common being burns, Lankford said. He added that sparklers burn at 1200 degrees, which account for a large portion of emergency room visits.

Unfortunately, children ages 10-14 have the highest rate of firework injuries, he said. As I said before, fireworks can be fun for the family, but even sparklers can cause injuries.

Kids love to touch everything in sight, so be mindful of that when near fireworks. When handling fireworks, its important to follow the directions, allow professionals to handle them, light them outdoors and keep a bucket of water near you in case of a fire.

For more information, visit the Opelika Fire Departments website.
Documentarian Theo M. Moore II has loved history since he was in the ninth grade.

His passion led him to start a production company in 2017. Hes the founder of Hiztorical Vision Productions, a non-profit Opelika organization that centers untold success stories Black Alabamians to promote social change and elevate underrepresented communities.

It feels amazing when I never imagined a non-profit to take off like it did, Moore said. Once I stepped out on faith and actually started doing this work, its been very rewarding in many different ways.

Moore and his team produced three award-winning documentaries.

In 2019, his film Crown the County of Lowndes won the Best Historical Documentary Award at the Georgia Documentary Film Festival. The following year, his film Hobson City: From Peril to Promise earned Best Documentary Short at the Lanett City Film Festival. In 2021, he saw more success as his film Afrikan by Way of American won the Best Documentary Short at the Southern Film Festival.

Seeing things firsthand as a history teacher inspired Moore and his passion for creating short films. He believes that with every story he tells, he is learning a little more about himself.

We are uncovering this untold history and learning a little bit more about myself and what our people went through, preserved through, and a lot of accomplishments they were able to do despite that, he said. Theres something deeper that longs for that identity, he said.

Moore said theres a need to highlight Black success in the state, because there is so much more to those stories than victimization. While the community has discussions about the civil rights movement, they often leave out a lot of details about what transpired.

Its such an important thing for African Americans to learn Afro-American History, he said. I think we as humans are cheating ourselves out of learning these hard truths that some dont want to face.

His production company provides growth opportunties for young leaders

HVP partners with communities across the state to produce short-film documentaries of African American success. The production company also provides oral history projects for libraries and museums.

HVPs Bama Black History 365 serves as a three-month mentorship program that gives students hands-on experience filmmaking and highlighting inspiring stories. Its all made possible thanks to a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Interns can engage in research, media, videography, journalism, graphic designing, and much more.

We came up with this idea to allow college students or young leaders to use our platform to highlight a community or something about the culture, he said.

He said some interns who joined the program did a short film on the history of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital in Tuskegee. HVP debuted the film at a public library on April 29 and had a second viewing in Tuskegee. This summer, you can watch the film for free on HVPs website.

Its a wonderful film they were able to put together, Moore said. They definitely had a ball doing that.

In the fall, HVP will start accepting applications for its 2024 Bama Black History 365. The production is currently working on a project on the history of Prattville. They have plans to be more engaged in the Opelika-Auburn community.

Moore has a message for anyone whos trying to make a name for themselves in filmmaking. If its a passion, go ahead and get started.

I think as a young generation, the technology is unlimited, he said. People think that you got to have an expensive camera. You got to have the look. You got to have a website. You got to have the cool business cards If you feel moved to tell a story, you have the resources already to go ahead and get started. Do not wait.

He believes its important to tell the full history behind Black people in Alabama

Vanessa Echols, a HVP board member and Bama Black History 365 mentor, has worked with Moore for about one year. Echols has been in the news business for nearly 40 years, so she has a great passion for storytelling. She was look for another opportunity to continue her storytelling and reached out to Moore thinking that HVP would be a good match.

He is a history buff, but hes one of those people who also have a great love for storytelling, she said. Its been interesting to watch his passion for history. Hes really out there looking for the stories to tell that are what I call the complete history.

Moore also owns Theo The Historian LLC, a consultant space that services other filmmakers as an archival producer and producer.

On top of the films Im making, I also want to help other filmmakers when it comes to doing historical research and gathering historical content, b-roll and other things, he said. Im going to be offering our online platform to teach people how to preserve their history and how to preserve their properties, such as getting your property listed on the Alabama register or national registry nominations.

The journey to create social change has come a long way for Moore and his work shows for itself. He believes Black history is significant, but not when the complete history is not told.
i wanted him and marcus to kiss lmao

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I like the way he looks. He is too young for me though, I prefer them closer to the 'Lets pop on over to the gardening center and watch a bit of Midsomer Murders before supper' age.

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LMAO!



I hear you about lusting over young uns because after a certain point it gets grimy. With that said, 20s me would be all over that!



I'm glad he had such a good time on The Bear, and hope he'll be back. That BS that happened to him on SM after Bandersnatch" was released has made me really protective of him, and I want all the good things for Will.

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What happened to him after Bandersnatch?

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It's a shame he gets so much comments on his appearance in a negative way! I could never see him as being ugly. That's something (Especially these days, as I get older myself) that I like to reserve for people with a terrible personality. No matter how good looking you are on the outside, if you are terrible then you are an ugly person.



I think overall I am drawn to people that look a little more unconventional, but that just means that you are more unique. Not that much like others, and I think that's a real nice thing.

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Not you describing an ideal Saturday for me! #oldsoul

I feel you on the "too young" thing, though. Saw someone cute the other day, and it tickled my former 20-yo self, but like, no, I have no energy for Gen Z, and age-wise I could technically be his mum. Yikes.

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This dude seems like a total peach of a human and god I hope he doesnt let us down like so many other men in Hollywood



Also his comments really got me thinking about my own experiences working in fine diningonly worked under one chef that wasnt white & he was the only one I felt safe around. All the others had completely bonkers tempers that would have had them arrested in any other industry. White men truly need to be taken down a few pegs.



Edited at 2023-07-01 03:50 pm (UTC)

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His hair was doing very complicated things in The Bear.

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i could take them both (not in a fight) pic.twitter.com/PJaveUw00T  mari (@loverrycore) June 24, 2023



on a serious note, Poulter seems like a good person who tries to learn shit and not talk out of his ass. I feel like episode 4 got overshadowed by later episodes, but it was one of my favorites of the series. on a serious note, Poulter seems like a good person who tries to learn shit and not talk out of his ass. I feel like episode 4 got overshadowed by later episodes, but it was one of my favorites of the series.

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coming out of s1, marcus was my favorite, i'm so glad he got his own great episode this season.

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He seems like such a lovely sincere person. I fell in love with him a bit when he was on Brett Goldsteins podcast and tbh so did Brett lmao.

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The Marcus and Richie episodes were the highlights of the season for me, and his was one of the few cameos that worked imo.



I hope they can figure out a realistic way to bring Chef Luca back, I loved his energy and he would be a good foil for Carmy.

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S3 will be Luca randomly moving to Chicago and opening his own restaurant. The main storyline will be a Carmy vs Luca custody battle. They just spend the whole season fighting over the staff.

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ep4 was really good! marcus is so cute and i'm glad he got a good chef to mentor him.

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I was about to say that he can be the only white man with rights, and then I read the "A" tattoo is for Arsenal FC.

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yet another proof we cant have nice things

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Those French rubber plantation owners can take their stars and shove them as far as I'm concerned.



It's Afrophobia - plain and simple.

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Hes an Arsenal supporter?! I didnt know that. Im officially in love 



I loved  his episode with Marcus praying they bring him back. He seems like such a sweetheart. Honestly that ep was my favorite of the season

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Omg I did not know he was in this season?! I kind of wish I hadnt saw this so I would have been surprised once I started. He seems like a sweet and thoughtful guy

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same, but i'm not mad about it. now i can look forward to him when i get around to watching s2.

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He is VERY right about the Michelin Star comment. This really needs to be a bigger conversation tbqh.







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He is 100% spot on. It is not often I'm impressed with a white man's take and knowledge.



Akoko is on top of my do list. There's also Chishuru and Stork.



Mory Sacko from France is one of the four black chefs with Michelin stars also serving West African-french-Japanese style food.

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Is Mory Sacko's restaurant in Paris? I'm intriqued; would like to try!

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Yes, it is called MoSuke. Impossible to get a table.

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He's just so lovely and talented and pretty :')

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he really had a glow up huh

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An Arsenal fan?? I love him already. And hes right!! Tell it!

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Via the Jamestown Foundation

Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Groups aborted munity in Russia has demonstrated the weakness of the Kremlin in controlling the situation inside the country, which, as shown by the so-called march for justice, can rapidly deteriorate in a matter of hours. While moving toward Moscow on June 24, the Wagnerites came dangerously close to facilities housing nuclear weapons in Borisoglebsk in Voronezh region, known as 375 Object C (Unian, June 24). Additionally, following the deal brokered with Prigozhin by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, rumors began to circulate that, with Wagner ostensibly relocating to Belarus, it may be tasked with protecting the storage facilities for Russian tactical nukes; these warehouses are scheduled to be finished by July 7 or 8 (Current Times TV, June 16). However, in a public address on June 27, Lukashenka declared, Wagner will not guard any nuclear weapons, adding that Russians and Belarusians guard them and Russian specialists will take responsibility for maintaining the nukes (Meduza; Belta, June 27).

Earlier, on June 13, the honorary chairman of the Russian Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Sergey Karaganov, published an article titled A Difficult but Necessary Decision. The Use of Nuclear Weapons Can Save Humanity From a Global Catastrophe, in which he argued for the necessity of using nuclear weapons against Ukraines Western donors.

In the article, Karaganov asserted, The United States has turned Ukraine into a shock fist in order to use it to tie the hands of Russia, the military-political core of the non-Western world liberated from the shackles of neo-colonialism. Ideally, the Americans would like, of course, to simply blow up our country, thereby drastically weakening the rising alternative superpower, China. He further advocated, We must force the West to give up trying to turn back history, give up its attempts at global dominance and force it to take care of itself, digesting its current multi-level crisis. Roughly speaking, it is necessary that the West simply fall away [????????] and not prevent Russia and the world from moving forward. We will have to restore the credibility of nuclear deterrence by lowering the unacceptably high threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, prudently but quickly moving up the deterrence-escalation ladder (Globalaffairs.ru, June 13).

Related: Oil Prices Set For A Monthly Gain But Yet Another Quarterly Loss



On June 20, United States President Joe Biden claimed for the first time that the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is real (Ukrainska Pravda, June 20).

Besides the direct use of nuclear weapons, Moscow could implement other indirect scenarios to trigger a nuclear disaster. On June 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, after the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), the next target of the Russian occupation forces will be the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. According to Zelenskyy, as with the Kakhovka dam, Russian forces hope to foment instability to put pressure on Ukraine with demands that the conflict be stopped (Hromadske.ua, June 16).

Shortly after, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov confirmed that the Russian military had additionally mined the coolers of the nuclear reactors at the ZNPP and, if these are blown up, it will likely cause a serious nuclear fallout. Budanov added that, by destroying the Kakhovka dam, the Russians have disrupted the necessary access to water for theses coolers, which poses a direct threat of a potential explosion in and of itself (Vikna.tv, June 20).

Seven months before the attack on the Kakhovka HPP, which has been under Russian control since March 2022, some Moscow propagandists openly called for blowing up the dam in an effort to seriously obstruct any chance for a Ukrainian riverine operation across the Dnipro. Months earlier, Zelenskyy directly accused the Kremlin of preparing to blow up the dam and warned that this could lead to a large-scale catastrophe (BBC News Russian, October 21, 2022).

In early June 2023, reports began to proliferate that Russian occupation forces in Crimea were planning to mine the Crimean Titan chemical plant in Armyansk. The plant produces titanium dioxide, sulfuric acid and other chemicals used in the manufacture of fertilizers. The governor of Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, warned that the aftermath of a potential explosion at this facility could become a second Chornobyl and would affect the residents of Crimea and at least seven other Ukrainian regions  as well as Turkey (New Voice of Ukraine, June 27).

Overall, Moscow may resort to the use of nuclear weapons if the Ukrainian counteroffensive makes significant gains and the Russian army is forced to leave large parts of the occupied territories, including Crimea. In such a scenario, Putin may consider the use of nukes in a last-ditch effort to salvage the war (RBK, November 16). Unlike the counteroffensive last year, at the moment, Kyiv is using incremental probing tactics in preparation for more full-scale military movements. Over the past two weeks, Ukrainian forces have managed to liberate eight settlements in Zaporizhzhia region, pushing forward more than 1.5 kilometers in the Avdiivka direction and achieving some tactical success around Bakhmut. South of Velyka Novosilka, widely referred to as the Vremevsky salient, Ukrainians took several settlements including Makarivska and Staromaiorske (Focus.ua, June 19). In total, since the beginning of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have liberated 130-square kilometers of its southern territories, according to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar (5.ua, June 26).

Additionally, Ukrainian missile and artillery units perform about 1,000 firing missions per day (Ukrainska Pravda, June 21) and recent statistics show that, in the Zaporizhzhia direction alone, Russian forces have lost over 20 tanks, 22 armored fighting vehicles, seven Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and hundreds of troops (Ukr.warspotting.net, accessed June 26).

For now, Kyiv has yet to commit the full potential of its heavily armed assault brigades. Most members of these units have been trained by North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries and have been equipped with modern Western weaponry, including US Abrams, UK Challenger-2 and German Leopard tanks. Additionally, Stryker and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and HIMARS batteries have been assigned to these forces (RBK, May 25).

Thus, the stakes are mounting for Putin, who recently claimed that, soon, the Russian Sarmat strategic missile system, designed to carry out nuclear strikes on targets thousands of miles away, will be ready for combat duty. Furthermore, it was announced that about half the units of the Strategic Missile Forces have been equipped with Yars intercontinental ballistic missile complexes to maintain the global balance of power (Kremlin.ru, June 21).

In truth, the recent developments of destabilization and unrest within Russia may provoke Putin to move even faster up the nuclear deterrence-escalation ladder mentioned by Karaganov. Therefore, it is imperative that the West continue to be united and decisive in its long-term assistance to Ukraine, as its forces continue liberating territory regardless of the Kremlins nuclear blackmail.

By Mykola Vorobiov

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
For many attending the annual Memorial Park concert Friday evening, the event was all about music, fireworks and tradition.

Thousands gathered to see Hermans Hermits and Melissa Etheridge perform at this years City of Omaha Celebrates America event.

Hermans Hermits, the English pop-rock band starring Peter Noone, took the stage early in the evening. Etheridge, a Grammy award-winning rock artist and guitarist, followed, and fireworks were scheduled to end the night.

The family-friendly and free event drew people of all ages. While the date of the concert varies, this years event was a way for attendees to kick off their Fourth of July festivities.

Despite a chance for rain threatening to disrupt the evenings festivities, sunny weather prevailed and temperatures remained in the low 80s as the event began.

Some attendees said they were enjoying the milder temperatures compared with last years event, when temperatures remained in the 90s for most of the evening.

Many families staked out their spots at the park ahead of time, with the park opening at 5 a.m. for people to set up their chairs and blankets.

Mark and Robin Quinn said they were able to find a close spot to set up their chairs when they arrived around 4:30 p.m. They said they hadnt been to the concert in a while, but were excited to see Etheridge perform.

Both said they enjoy the celebratory nature of the event and what it brings to the community.

It puts Omaha on the map again, Mark said.

Many attendees said theyve been going to the concert for decades and remember those years with a particularly good lineup or especially bad weather.

Bill Powell said hes been going to the concert since the late 1980s and his daughter Danielle Powell, whos now almost 40, said shes been attending since she was a baby.

Danielle said she likes being able to relax outside during the event and enjoy both the music and the fireworks.

Bill said some of his favorite performances over the years have been the Beach Boys and Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Danielle said she wished she had gone the year the Beach Boys performed.

Thats the year I was too cool to come, she said.

For around 30 years, Pat Meiners and Andrea Bates have made it out to the concert. Meiners, who moved to Austin, Texas, last year said she traveled to Omaha specifically so she wouldnt miss the concert this year.

We like to people-watch and we like the fireworks, Meiners said. We like the tradition aspect of it.

Photos: 2023 Memorial Park Concert
A binational symposium on educating migrant children was held at Bellevue University on Thursday, June 29, featuring teachers who work in both Mexico and Nebraska.

The event was a part of a collaboration among the Nebraska Migrant Education Program, Bellevue University, the Consulate of Mexico in Omaha, the Nebraska Latino Commission, the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education and the U.S. Department of Education.

The Migrant Education Program, is a federally funded program authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that ensures that migratory children fully benefit from the same free public education provided to other children. It applies to any children classified as the children of migratory workers, which includes anyone who has moved to a new school district for any form of agricultural work within the past year.

The MEP serves 4,557 children in Nebraska, plus students from across the U.S. as well as 17 other countries.

The program seeks to mitigate the educational disruption that can occur when children have to repeatedly move to new school districts.

We want to make sure (migratory students) have all their basic needs met and all their educational needs met, said. Benjamin Zink, the state director of the MEP in Nebraska. Its a big job, but we have a lot of partners throughout the state like food banks, clothing banks, nonprofit organizations and, of course, schools that help us achieve those things.

The afternoon included presentations from six binational teachers, highlighting differences between the Mexican and American educational systems and the importance of parental involvement in education.

The six educators came to Nebraska through the Binational Teacher Exchange Program, which is under the Binational Migrant Education Initiative.

I see (migrant students) approach their past, said Veronica Jimenez Botello, a binational educator who is currently doing her second exchange trip to Nebraska. They have aspects that they can share with the people here that can make them proud of where they come from.

Jimenez Botello and Zink both emphasized that use of technology like WhatsApp is necessary to connect with parents, especially those working long hours who may want to be involved, but have to work to make ends meet.

Its not a Monday through Friday, 8-to-5-type job, Zink said. A lot of times were doing outreach in the evenings, on the weekends, making connections and doing home visits.

The presentations were followed by a Q-and-A panel of the six binational teachers and two Nebraska educators.

In the audience was an assortment of Nebraska educators, including Spanish teachers, English as a Second Language teachers and school administrators.

The morning session was focused on Cultural Spanish Immersion for Spanish Teachers, with small group workshops on famous legends, Dia de los Muertos, and indigenous Mexican cultures.

Teaching isnt just about content, said Stephanie Call-Boettger, binational program coordinator and educator in Sarpy County. Theres an art and a science to teaching. You have to know your content area, you have to be able to break material down and explain it to students, but truthfully, what defines excellent teaching is the relationship you build with students.

Zink hopes that the teacher exchange program and events like the symposium will help students and teachers build those relationships.

We have 342 students who moved from Mexico to Nebraska, and we also have a lot of students who are of Mexican heritage within Nebraska, and to be able to bring educators from Mexico who have the culture, knowledge and experience of their educational system helps bridge the gap between what (students) know and what their experiences are and what our expectations are here in Nebraska, Zink said. It changes their outlook when they see and hear educators who speak their language.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators have scheduled interesting and engaging events for the curious in July, including several near Gretna.

A vehicle park entry permit is required at state recreation areas, except at the Schramm Education Center, 21502 Highway 31. Here are some opportunities:

Snakes of Nebraska

Schramm Education Center will host the annual Snakes of Nebraska event Saturday, July 29, and Sunday, July 30.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln herpetologist Dennis Ferraro and his lab will lead a live snake encounter featuring most of Nebraskas 29 snake species. The live snake exhibits will be set up open-house style in the Schramm Education Center classroom and will be available both days from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This event is free. Education Center admission fees will apply for those also visiting the Education Center in addition to the event. Use the classroom entrance on the left side of the building.

Contact Jen Ruyle at jennifer.ruyle@nebraska.gov or 402-332-5022 for more information.

Nature Journaling

Learn nature journaling at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at Schramm Park State Recreation Area.

Join Nebraska Master Naturalist, writer and educator Jeff Lacey on a hike designed to help naturalists of all ages and ability levels write and sketch in or about the forest in a nature journal.

Meet at the park shelter with a green roof by the first pond as you enter the park. Resources will be provided.

Yoga in Nature

See how yoga and nature are woven together as Nebraska Game and Parks offers a Yoga in Nature class Friday, July 14, at Schramm Education Center.

The free class, which begins at 9 a.m., is designed for everyone from beginners to experts. Come to learn, play and break a sweat in a supportive environment. All bodies are welcome. The nature-themed class will incorporate certain poses that will coincide with the theme.

Registration is required. Some yoga mats will be available.

For more information and to register, visit the calendar event entry at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov. Email monica.macoubrie@nebraska.gov with questions.

Mud Pie Morning

Prepare to get dirty for Mud Pie Mornings at Schramm Park State Recreation Area on Monday, July 24.

Meet at 9 a.m. by the Schramm Education Center side entrance, then go on an ingredient-seeking hike. Next, naturalists and participants will squish through a mud-pie recipe, all while learning about soil composition.
An inmate serving time since 2009 for crimes out of Douglas, Sarpy and Lancaster Counties died at a prison in Lincoln on Friday.

Randall Dasher, 56, died at the Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln, according to a press release from the Nebraska Department of Corrections.

Dasher began serving his sentence in May 2009, according to the release.

He was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for multiple theft charges, possession of a controlled substance, criminal impersonation and escape.

The cause of Dashers death has not yet been determined.

He was being treated for a medical condition, according to the release.

Nebraska law requires a grand jury investigation of any in-custody death.
Data collected by 50-some University of Nebraska-Lincoln undergraduate students at a western Nebraska pond over a dozen years suggests possible challenges  or at least changes  for turtles if drought becomes more common, as predicted for the Great Plains with climate change.

Two recently published studies based on the data indicate that drought can lower the survival odds, slow the growth and shift the ratio of female-to-male painted turtles in the pond. The changes occurred even though water levels in the spring-fed pond near Keystone, Nebraska, remained relatively steady during a study period that included two droughts.

Previously, drought impacts on pond turtles had been reported only in ponds that dried up completely, said Larkin Powell, a professor in UNL's School of Natural Resources, who oversaw the studies.

While painted turtles are relatively common in the eastern United States and the northern Midwest and Great Plains, they have characteristics similar to other turtles that are less populous, he said. That includes Blanding's turtle, also found in Nebraska. Some 75% of turtle species worldwide have a conservation status of threatened or worse.

"These things could really impact small populations if all these factors took place with them," Powell said.

Like many other reptile species, the sex of painted turtles depends on the average temperature of air or soil when eggs are incubated. Eggs incubated at lower temperatures tend to produce male painted turtles. Those incubated at higher temperatures tend to yield females. With drought generally associated with higher temperatures, increased drought conditions could shift the balance between male and female turtles.

In one study, Ellen Dolph and Charrissa Neil, now UNL alumnae, found that males made up 60% to 85% of painted turtle samples in the absence of drought. But females made up nearly 60% of the sample in years when temperature, groundwater conditions and other variables indicated the greatest influence of drought. The researchers collected data from 2005 to 2016.

To assess those impacts, the researchers looked back at the climate conditions that were occurring when the turtles they trapped were hatchlings. Previously, Powell said, many of studies examining the effect of temperature on sex determination have been done in laboratories.

In their study, Dolph and Neil also calculated changes in the lengths of turtles' shells. Their calculations indicated that the turtles, particularly the females, grew more slowly in years of drought.

Female painted turtles grow faster than males, Powell said. One reason is that females can't reproduce until they have enough space inside their shells to accommodate their eggs.

In the other study, Powell and alumna Allyson Beard demonstrated that drought can lower the likelihood of survival in a pond, by approximately 7% in female painted turtles and 10% in males.

Powell said the team didn't identify exactly what drought-related factors might be causing the reduced survival rates. But the fact that growth also slowed during drought times suggests a nutritional shortage, possibly pointing to increased competition for less abundant food sources, particularly aquatic insects, in drier years.

The "origin story" of the research itself dates to 2005, when Powell was first tasked with leading an undergraduate course on wildlife management techniques at the university's field site, the Cedar Point Biological Station near Ogallala.

One of those techniques involves catching and marking specimens of a selected population on successive days and using mathematical formulas to estimate its overall size.

An ecologist who has specialized in birds, Powell typically would catch birds in nets. But catching enough birds for a valid study would require a lot of nets and more time than was available during a weeklong class.

He had played with trapping turtles for some undergraduate research in Lincoln, so he found a pond near the field station with a large turtle population. Unlike deer, turtles are easy to catch. Unlike carnivores, they don't need to be anesthetized for handling.

"You hold 'em in your hand with a glove on, and everybody's happy," he said of turtles.

Even after he was no longer teaching the class, Powell returned summer after summer with students, many of whom hadn't previously participated in summer research programs. The researchers marked the turtles so they could identify them by drilling small holes in the perimeter scutes along the edges of their shells, which he likened to drilling through a long fingernail. Later, they injected tracking tags like those used to identify dogs and cats.

"We kept doing it," he said, "and finally all of a sudden we realized we had an important data set."

That point came about 10 years into the effort. Powell said he thought it might be fun to look at what might be causing variations in the population size. They realized the study period included two drought periods.

Dolph, Neil and Beard needed to write theses before graduating from the university honors program. They "took the analytical bull by the horns," he said, and applied the data they and other students had collected.

"I've just enjoyed the heck out of being able to be out in the field with all these students over the years," Powell said. "When I think of all the faces that have been a part of this research over the years, that's fun for me as a professor."

He said he also hopes the team's findings might guide conservation plans, possibly by indicating when it makes sense to adjust pond conditions to sustain painted turtles in drier years. The research also might inform models used to guide conservationists working with species of concern in their planning processes.

"All these things could potentially compound," he said, "is the prediction we're making."

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of June 2023
LINCOLN  The chair of the Nebraska Legislatures Education Committee is planning to study the use of critical race theory and other controversial subjects in the classroom.

The studies, initiated by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, stem from a request to investigate the Nebraska Department of Education made last year by a collection of state senators.

In May, Murman, chair of the Education Committee, introduced a trio of interim study resolutions to look at parental involvement in public schools, the usage of social-emotional learning in the classroom and how federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding was used by the department for a state website aimed at helping schools through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Murman said the three interim study resolutions will be the subject of a July 31 hearing where committee members will hear invited testimony from department officials, retired educators and parents. The hearing is open to the public, but the general public will not be allowed to testify, he said. Its not unusual for interim study resolutions to limit testimony to invited guests.

Unlike legislative bills, lawmakers can introduce interim study resolutions at any point in the session. Its up to lawmakers how far they want to go with the resolutions and in this case, Murman is choosing to start with a hearing.

Last year, Murman and others called for an investigation into the Department of Education, alleging it provided materials to teachers promoting critical race theory through the website Launch Nebraska. Now, Murman said investigation is too strong a word to describe his goals. He wants to consider how Nebraskas education system can improve in these areas moving forward.

Thats what parents have demanded over the past two years, Murman said.

The allegations centered on one document, titled Winning Racial Justice In Our Schools, by the Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative at New York University.

The document never was directly available on Launch Nebraska, but it was accessible by clicking a link to a different website, called the Culturally Responsible Education Hub, which at one point had a link to the document.

Education Department spokesman David Jespersen said this connection was in place for a few months at most. The department was not aware that the document was indirectly available through the website until last summer, when then-Gov. Pete Ricketts office reached out with concerns, and in response department officials removed the link. Former Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt said in October the lawmakers who backed the investigation did not reach out beforehand.

Jespersen said no federal funds were used to build Launch Nebraska, and theres no evidence the document was ever used in any Nebraska public schools. But Murman said hes continued to hear concerns from parents and teachers about inappropriate material being taught in the classroom.

Murman claimed there are still resources remaining on state websites promoting critical race theory and comprehensive sex education, although he couldnt provide any specific examples. Jespersen said several weeks after the October press conference, Murmans office reached out with more concerns about similar external links, but after review department officials deemed they didnt warrant any changes.

Although people have differing interpretations of critical race theory, a central tenet of it is the assertion that the laws and legal institutions in the U.S. are inherently racist and advantage White people over other races, particularly African Americans.

Adherents say the theory is a framework or lens for understanding race in history and society to help illuminate a pathway to improving the country. But critics say it promotes the idea that members of a specific race are inherently inferior or superior.

Murman said he would prefer Nebraskas public schools focus on the basics, such as reading, writing and arithmetic. Social issues, he said, are best left to be taught by parents or churches.

As these studies are considered, Murman and another state lawmaker have bills in the works aimed in a similar direction. Legislative Bill 374, introduced by Murman, would give parents access to review all learning materials their school uses, and give parents an opportunity to object and withdraw their students from lessons or activities in which materials are used that conflict with the parents firmly held beliefs, values, or principles.

LB 71, introduced by Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, would require that public schools disclose instructional materials to parents and allow parents to request that their child be excused from certain lessons or activities. Neither bill made it to the finish line this year, but either could be brought up again next session.

If one of the bills passes next year, Murman said the studies may still be needed depending on how comprehensive the final bill ends up. He said his goal is to ensure that Nebraskas public schools are as transparent as possible to parents without putting too much of a burden on the states education system.

On the issue of transparency, Jespersen said most of the suggestions proposed are already in place in Nebraskas school districts. However, he welcomed the studies, saying if any of them illuminate legitimate issues, then theyd be worth it.

If this leads to more understanding  then its a good thing, Jespersen said.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
Founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation and renowned banker, Tony Elumelu, in Abuja chided the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over warning that Nigeria should be careful of foreign loans from China. The forme UBA boss challenged the IMF and other international development partners, to provide alternative sources of public funding to the China loans.

Tony Elumelu after a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the state House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, demanded IMF to provide alternatives that will create jobs and open the economy for production and manufacturing in Nigeria. Elumelu counseled the international development partners to support the development of Entrepreneurs in

Nigeria.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had cautioned Nigeria and other emerging market countries taking loans from China to consider the terms of such facilities, especially, their compliance with the Paris Club arrangements.

Elumelu was invited for the private meeting by President Buhari.

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says there is an addition of 43,807 active subscribers on the telecommunication networks in March 2019.

The telecommunications regulator disclosed this in its Monthly Subscriber/Operator Data made available on its website on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the active subscribers on the telecommunications networks increased from 173,670,035 in February to 173,713,842 in March.

According to the data, 173,432,863 of the 173,713,863 active users subscribe to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network services.

The GSM operators active customers figure increased by 156,335 in March, after the 173,276,528 subscribers recorded in February 2019.

The report stated that out of the GSM operators, MTN had 65,034,615 users in March, showing a decrease of 531,283 from the 66,565,878 it recorded in February 2019.

Read also: NCC steps up fight against cybercrime, internet fraudsters

Globacoms figure increased in March by 199,186 with 46,203,703 customers, as against 46,004,517 in February.

Airtel had 45,238,335 subscribers in the month under review, which showed an increase of 262,803 users, from the 44,975,532 recorded in February.

9mobile recorded 16,838,403 customers in March, having an increase of 107,822 subscribers, against 16,730,581 in February.

Visafone, which just migrated from the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to the GSM network had 117,807 subscribers in the month of March.

The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators recorded 4,460 subscribers in the month under review, indicating a decrease of 119,087 from 123,547 users in February 2019.

The only surviving CDMA operators, Multi-Links had 4,460 in the month under review, same with the record of February 2019.

The monthly subscriber/operator data showed that the Fixed Wireless network (landline) consumers remained at 26,865 in March.

One of the two landline networks, Visafone had 26,437 subscribers, while Multi-Links maintained its record of 428 customers in the month under review.

It also revealed that the Fixed Wired operators (landline) subscriber base decreased by 641; reducing to 107,154 users in March, as against 107,795 recorded in February 2019.

In the Fixed Wired arena, MTN Fixed moved from 5,459 users in February 2019 to 5,449 users in March, thereby decreasing by 10 customers.

Glo Fixed had 2,789 users in March, decreasing by 95 customers from the February record of 2,884.

IpNX network moved from 2,233 subscriber base in February 2019 to 2,221 in March, hence, its customers decreased by 12.

It said that 21st Century Network had 96,695 customers in March, recording a decrease of 524 users from its February record of 97,219 subscribers.

The report also showed that the two Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) networks had 142,500 active users in March, as their customers increased by 7,200 from their February 2019 subscriber base of 135,300.

Of the VOIP networks, Smile Communication had 137,247 customers, giving an increase of 7,779 users to its February result of 129,468.

Ntel had 5,253 consumers subscribing to its products and services in March, showing a decrease of 579 users from the February 2019 record of 5,832.

The regulatory body said that Section 89, Subsection 3(c) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 mandated it to monitor and report the state of the telecommunications industry.

The commission is mandated to provide statistical analyses and identify industry trends with regard to: services, tariffs, operators, technology, subscribers, issues of competition and dominance.

This is with a view to identifying areas where regulatory intervention will be needed.

The commission regularly conducts studies, surveys and produces reports on the telecommunications industry.

Therefore, telecommunications operators are obligated, under the terms of their licenses, to provide NCC with such data on a regular basis for analytical review and publishing, NCC said. (NAN)
The Federal Government of Nigeria will be honouring the wife of M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who was assassinated in the struggle to reclaim the June 12, 1993, annulled mandate of her husband, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), presumed to have won the June 12 presidential election that was declared inconclusive by the government.

President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier recognized June 12 as Nigerias Democracy Day, while May 29 remains the inauguration date of new president and governors. The President also honoured M.K.O. Abiola with the GCFR national honounary award reserved for presidents or heads of state in Nigeria.

Taking further steps to heal the wounds of the past, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja, listed late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola among the 22 Nigerian women to be inducted into the Nigerian Women Hall of Fame. The list also includes late Dr. Stella Adadevoh.

The NCWD had explained that the women, who would be inducted on June 10, two days to the June 12 Democracy Day, were selected for their iconic contributions to national development.

The induction is themed, Celebrating Nigerian Women Icons of Hope.

Adadevoh, who died in August 2014, was a Nigerian doctor who helped to curb the spread of the Ebola virus by ensuring that a Liberian patient, Patrick Sawyer, remained quarantined despite pressures from his country.

Kudirat was assassinated on June 9, 1996, during the June 12 struggle.
The Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, has summoned some officers serving in Edo State to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the action followed a disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday, June 29, at the Ekpoma area of the state.

READ ALSO: PSC Appoints Eight Police Commissioners, Commends Acting IGP

Adejobi said the erring policemen who had been in detention in Edo State are to report to the Force Headquarters on Monday for further action.

He called for calm, assuring residents of Ekpoma that the police authorities will not condone such an act of unprofessionalism and illegality.

The Ag. Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, has condemned the disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at Ekpoma, Edo State, the statement read.

The IGP has, therefore, directed the erring policemen, who have been in detention in Edo State, to report to the Force Headquarters Abuja on Monday for further action.

Members of the public, particularly the people of Ekpoma, are implored to remain calm as the present leadership of the NPF will not condone such an act of unprofessionalism and illegality.
The acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbedokun, has summoned policemen detained for running over a man in handcuffs to the Force Headquarters in Abuja

The PUNCH reports that a team of policemen with their official vehicle ran over a handcuffed middle-aged man, dragging him through the road in Ekpoma, Edo State.

The incident was said to have caused apprehension in the area.

However, in a statement by Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi, the erring officers are expected to report to Force Headquarters on Monday.

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The statement read, The acting IGP has condemned the disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, at Ekpoma, Edo State.

The IGP has, therefore, directed the erring policemen, who have been in detention in Edo State, to report to the Force Headquarters Abuja on Monday for further action.

He urged residents to be calm, assuring them that the Force would not tolerate unprofessional conduct from its men.

Members of the public, particularly the people of Ekpoma, are implored to remain calm as the present leadership of the NPF will not condone such an act of unprofessionalism and illegality, he said.
There was pandemonium in the university town of Ekpoma in the Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State on Thursday evening as a team of police officers with their official vehicle ran over a handcuffed middle-aged man.

The handcuffed man, from a video calculating on social media on Friday, was seen lying down in front of the van.

While some people engaged the policemen in a discussion, the driver of the police van drove away in a panic running over the man and dragging him along the road for a few metres.

The incident generated uproar from the crowd, but the angry crowd was quickly dispersed by gunshots from the policemen.

According to a statement by the Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, the policemen have been arrested.

The statement read in part: Edo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that it is aware of the trending video in the social media that shows some police officers with a Sienna vehicle used for police patrol that ran over a young man who was handcuffed.

The facts of the incident as gathered preliminarily indicate that on 29/06/2023 at about 17:00hrs, ASP Magdalene Osayande reported at Ekpoma Divisional Police Headquarters, Ekpoma, Edo State that while on routine stop and search duty with her team of six policemen along Ihumudumu Road, Ekpoma, Edo State, intercepted a driver of unregistered Lexus car and demanded the vehicle particulars.

Along the line, he became aggressive and refused to oblige the request of the Police operatives, but rather attacked them, inflicted injuries on them, and destroyed the police vehicle.

However, he was arrested, handcuffed, and identified as one Success Ehimare before the incident that is currently trending in social media occurred. He was later taken to Irrua Specialist Hospital for treatment, and he is in good health condition.

In light of the above, CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara has condemned the action of the policemen that he saw in the trending video, and he described their action as barbaric, inhumane, and unprofessional.

He therefore gave a marching order to the Divisional Police Officer, Ekpoma to identify, arrest, and bring to the State Police Headquarters Benin for brief and debrief. The officers have been arrested, and they are with the State Criminal Investigation Department.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Oscar-winning actor, Alan Arkin has died at the age of 89 in his home in California.

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Armed Forces of Nigeria on Friday pulled out of service, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, following the change of leadership of the Armed Forces by President Bola Tinubu.





Tinubu had on June 19, approved the appointment of new service chiefs, which culminated to the retirement of the erstwhile chiefs from the service of the armed forces.

The president named Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, as his replacement.

Pulling Out Parade is a traditional military ceremony to mark officers retirement from service which involves review of parade by the retiring senior officer

The ceremony also involves a march past by troops, and pull out of the retired officer by top Generals.

Irabor said that he left the Nigeria Armed Forces bigger, stronger and more capable to deliver on its constitutional mandate.

The former CDS said that he felt honoured to be pulled out after 37 years of unblemished service to the nation and having served as the CDS in the past 29 months.





According to him, ensuring national security in a large and diverse country like Nigeria is not an easy task.

In 2021, the security situation of the nation was admittedly in a state of dynamic flux.





Efforts made by the Federal Government of Nigeria using the armed forces in collaboration with the police, other security agencies and critical stakeholders were in different stages of gestation.

We were encouraged to pursue these measures in addition to other initiatives to reinvigorate the national security architecture to deliver critical national security functions.

I make bold to say that Im leaving the armed forces of Nigeria today, bigger, stronger and more capable to deliver on its constitutional mandate and national security functions, he said.





The event was attended the by Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana.

Also in attendance were some former defence chiefs including, Adm. Ibrahim Ogohi, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, Gen. Alexander Ogomudia, Martin Luther Agwai, and Gabriel Olonisakin.

Others at the event were the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya as well as the current Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Musa and the three services chiefs as well as serving and retired officers of the armed forces. (NAN)
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The reasons for the quietness of the government were explored in an episode titled: Regulating The Participatory Mercenary Industries In Nigeria , where from a unique perspective of Chief Asaris utterances suggest him to be an asset rather than the real threat.

I believe there is a reason for the law enforcement agents playing calm; I do not believe that even in the government of President Asiwaju, that Asari is untouchable.

I chose to look at things, not the traditional way because there are well-informed Nigerians who are doing good in the direction of seeing that Chief Asari Dokubo is called to order.

Asari is an Igbo man, an EDI-ABANI descendant, therefore, he understands the predicament of the legendary tortoise when he promised to kill a pregnant woman during hostility, eventually, a pregnant woman died in a malevolence situation and the tortoise was held responsible, this is how fixed Asaris situation is.

However, there is a line of thought, which agrees with the theory that if Asari had been a threat, he is no more now; he has reduced the scope of suspicion in the very last press interview, at the presidential villa.

Yet, it is ambiguous when Asari took a different direction in the said interview, he made a comment which suggests that actually, the Igbos are being killed in great numbers and the most unacceptable ways in Nigeria, but neither himself nor his mercenary soldiers were responsible. However, it takes those who see things differently to understand that only in the future activities of Asari would we be able to make real conclusions.

Asari is an asset and not the existing threat in Nigeria.

As a Nigerian, I rather say that the INEC chairman of the 2023 presidential election is scarier than Asari, I mean, I rather eat at the same table with my eyes closed with Asari than fisting with the one who conducted the 2023 presidential election.

Manu Enemuo C.C., a lawyer, manufacturer and public affairs analyst hails from Anambra State.
Femi Falana, SAN, the famous Nigerian human rights lawyer, has sent a message to the Department of State Services (DSS).

He asked the DSS to speed up the investigation into the cases involving the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa and the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

The duo were suspended from their respective offices by President Bola Tinubus administration in the second week of June over corruption allegations and abuse of office.

SaharaReporters had reported how Emefiele named Bawa as an accomplice in the Naira redesign scam that rocked the country some months ago.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Falana urged the DSS to arraign the duo in court if it had an evidence of indictment.

He argued that the continued detention of Emefiele and Bawa did not reflect the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged the Nigerian government to handle the cases in line with the provisions of the law to avoid a situation whereby loopholes are exploited.

Investigations should be speedily conducted, more so where allegations are made. I do not expect any delay in the investigation of the very serious allegation that has been made, he stated.

In the case of Emefiele, the State Security Services last year alleged his involvement in terrorism financing. Please, quickly do something about that. With respect to money laundering and other offences, take them to the appropriate agencies of government.



In the case of Mr Bawa, we havent been told the offences he committed. I cannot speak very confidently with respect to the gentleman except to ask the government or the agencies involved to speed up an investigation and have them arraigned if they are indicted.



SaharaReporters had on June 21 reported that Emefiele identified some traditional rulers, Nigerian Army generals and judges as his accomplices.

Emefiele, who is said to be cooperating with investigators reportedly narrated how he gave money to monarchs, army generals and judges at some point or the other during his time in office.
The IGP condemned the disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday June 29, 2023 at Ekpoma, Edo State

Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, has reacted to a viral video of a police officer showing gross misconduct.

The IGP condemned the disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday June 29, 2023 at Ekpoma, Edo State.

The viral video shows the victims hand and leg tied as he was made to lie on the floor. Residents of the area were engaging the officers when the officer who was driving the bus, moved and climbed the victim. He stopped driving after the residents repeatedly yelled that the victim was under the car.

A statement released by the spokesperson of the police command, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, says the acting IGP has directed the erring policemen, who have been in detention in Edo State, to report to the Force Headquarters Abuja on Monday, July 3, for further action.

Adejobi added that members of the public, particularly the people of Ekpoma, are implored to remain calm as the present leadership of the NPF will not condone such an act of unprofessionalism and illegality.

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Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has directed the state police Commissioner to immediately arrest the 14 persons and others reportedly involved in the maiming and burning of Madam Martina Okey Itagbor of Old Netim in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state.

The hapless mother of four, gruesomely murdered a few days ago, was accused of witchcraft by the persons led by one Christopher Sunday and Festus Etim Umoh.

In a statement released early Saturday morning and signed by the governors chief press secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, Otu said, I have directed the Commissioner of Police in the state to mobilise all tactical and investigative assets and ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous act are brought to justice.

Otu described the killing as sheer savagery and cowardice for the youths or anybody to take the laws into their hands, more so, involving a helpless woman.

He said such abhorrent acts have no place in the constitutional democracy that Nigeria practices which the state is part of.

READ ALSO: Police drop charges against mother, son who allegedly shot man inside restaurant

Our people must do away with all relics of culture that promote violence, murder and criminality such as in this instance. Let me warn against such acts as we have laws and statutes to deal with issues of wrongdoings and disagreements.

As an administration committed to the Peoples First Agenda, my administration will be intolerant to acts capable of breaching the peace, endangering citizens and businesses and portraying the state in a bad light.

Otu called on all community leaders, religious institutions and civil society organizations to do more in the area of civic education while championing the crusade for tolerance and respecting constituted authority, especially amongst our youths.

Condoling the family of the deceased and community, Otu emphasized that anyone found taking laws into their hands will have their day in court.

Other gangsters allegedly involved in the lynching of Madam Itagbor have reportedly been identified as Emem Etim Umoh, Enearokot Omonga Peter, Stephen aka Pompori/Obaji, Destiny Ime Brown, Joseph Omonga Orok, Eyu Adogo, Louis Bassey Peter, Orok Okon Orok, Mesembe Anembe, Malachi Sylvanus and Thelfa Okon Nyong.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has denied the alleged plan by the association to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N700 per litre nationwide.

Chairman of IPMAN Southwest Zone, Dele Tajudeen, who made the clarification in an interview in Ibadan on Friday, urged Nigerians to disregard the speculation and not engage in panic buying.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for removing the subsidy on petrol, adding that it was long overdue.

READ ALSO: NNPC Ltd fuel price fixing: Regulatory capacity gab in the Nigerian petroleum industry

Even in the PIA bill, it has been clearly stated that the subsidy must be removed. So, I want to commend him for removing the subsidy and say that we are in support. It is because the subsidy was a scam.

He said the slight increase in pump price was because of the transportation cost and that Nigerians should be at rest as the commodity will not be out of reach for the masses.

I want to disabuse the peoples mind that they should not panic about it; there is no cause for alarm, we are in control and nothing like that. So, people should be assured that there is no way they can buy petrol more than the price it is being sold now.

If we look at the price from NNPC retail limited, which is an integral part of NNPC limited, they have more advantages than independent marketers and major marketers.

There is no way the price can go to N700 as we speak because even if the FX is N700 or N800, that has nothing to take the price of petroleum from N500 to N700, Tajudeen said.
The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has condemned the disturbing incident where a police team ran a vehicle over a citizen on Thursday June 29, 2023 at Ekpoma, Edo State.

He directed the erring policemen, who had been in detention in Edo State, to report to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Monday for further action.

A statement on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi added that Members of the public, particularly the people of Ekpoma, are implored to remain calm as the present leadership of the NPF will not condone such an act of unprofessionalism and illegality.

SaharaReporters earlier on Friday reported that Adejobi, who expressed his disbelief at the incident, said the force must immediately take action. He said he had spoken to the state police commissioner about it.

In the disturbing video, a man in handcuffs was seen being crushed by some police officers in a minibus in Ekpoma, Edo state.

The video shows the victim lying on the floor in front of the patrol car. Residents of the area were talking to police when suddenly, one of them who was driving the car, moved it forward and crushed the victim, with one of the tires rolling over the helpless man. He later stopped the vehicle as residents repeatedly yelled that the victim was under the car.

Nigerian police @police is extremely heartless. See how they knocked down this young man, and later crushed him. He is currently at Irrua Specialist hospital in Edo state, battling with his life, @PIDOMNIGERIA captioned the video.

Commenting on this, Adejobi said he could not believe that a normal person would crush a fellow human with a vehicle let alone a law enforcement officer.

He had said, This is unpolice. I dont think a normal human being can do this. To crush a man with a car? This is unbelievable. I have personally contacted the CP Edo on this. We need to take urgent action on the matter. Its strange to me as a person.
By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Anambra Vigilante Group has cleared the air over the allegation of murder levelled against its Commander in Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Mr. Ebubedike Okafor, who was recently accused of kidnapping and murdering a 25-year-old Enugu-born commercial tricyclist residing in Anambra, Mr. Christian Oluchukwu Onah.

It would be recalled that the media space was recently awashed with publications accusing Mr. Okafor of kidnapping the said Keke driver, killing him, dumping his corpse in a river, and reselling his tricycle to another person to whom the tricycle was tracked. The publications also stated that Mr. Okafor and some of his AVG personnel have been arrested and detained by the Ojoto Divisional Police Headquarters over the allegation.

However, addressing newsmen in Awka on Saturday, the Media and Publicity Secretary of the AVG, Mr. Nweke Nweke, dismissed the allegation as the figment of some criminal elements who want to dent the image of the AVG and that of the Commander in Ojoto, Mr. Okafor, whom, he said, had been very hardworking, productive, and resilient in fighting against crimes in the community since his assumption of office. He recalled how some parts of Ojoto used to be in the past, in terms of security, and noted that the security agencies has changed the narrative thereby ensuring a lasting peace and security in the community, as is seen today.

On what actually transpired, Mr Nweke narrated that a gang of kidnappers recently invaded Ojoto community, but was confronted by Mr. Okafor and his AVG personnel who went after them and battled them till they crossed the boundary of the community, before he retreated with his men.

According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the murdered Keke rider was one of the kidnappers who invaded the community. He also explained that the youths and members of the community where the hoodlums ran to also went after them, which, he said, might have eventually led to the apprehension and consequent murder of the tricyclist.

He was suspected to be a member of the kidnap gang. And he was either lynched by members of the public outside the Ojoto community and not within Ojoto.

And one of the criminals who participated in lynching the suspect took his tricycle away. But they never knew that the tricycle had a tracker. And the tricycle was tracked to somebody, who has been apprehended and is currently in the police custody assisting the police in their investigation, he said.

Nweke further explained that the tricycle was tracked by its owner who gave it out to the deceased on hire purchase, and not the members of the tricyclist, as many claim. He added that the family of the tricyclist was not living with him, and therefore, might not know what he was doing or commiting where he was residing. He equally warned the members of the public to disregard the allegation, as, according to him, AVG or its personnel are not murderers.

Count AVG out of that allegation. AVG is not a murderer, he said.

Going further, he said, If somebody was killed in Keke, AVG wasnt aware or involved. And, if the Keke was sold to someone else, the AVG wasnt also aware of or involved in it; and the Commander wasnt also aware.

He also stressed that the AVG was always working hand-in-hand with the police and other security agencies in the state, adding that they always hand over every suspect they apprehended and every exhibit they recover to the Police.

According to the rules guiding our job, what we do is that whenever we arrest any suspect, we hand over such person to the police, including any item recovered from the suspect.

If the AVG Ojoto Commander had caught or recovered any item from the suspect, he wouldnt have even kept them in his custody, let alone reselling them. So, for somebody to accuse or incriminate the Ojoto Commander that he killed a Keke rider and resold his Keke should be a very big tissue of lies. Theres no atom of truth in that allegation.

Continuing, Nweke opined that the criminal elements in Ojoto community had seen that the AVG Commander, Mr. Okafor, was not giving them any breathing space in the community, which, he said, made them to frame up the allegation against him.

While also dismissing the allegation that the Ojoto AVG threw the corpse of the Keke driver into a river known as Mmiri John; Nweke described that as another cheap lie from the criminal elements and wondered why the said corpse had not floated on the river since then as was the case in Ezu River.

He said, Before now, the road going from the Local Government Headquarters to the other side of the community, thats Mmiri John area, was a no-go area.

But the Commander of the Ojoto AVG and the vigilante in Ojoto, under the supervision of the Divisional Police Officer of Ojoto, made it a point of duty to clear the place and dislodge all the criminal elements in the area, thereby making Ojoto one of the most peaceful communities in Anambra State today.

And those people who have been dislodged are not happy with the Commander there, and that brought about this allegation levelled against him.

To give the Ojoto AVG or the Commander there the name of a kidnapper or murderer is a mere play and an attempt by the criminals to dislodge or destabilize the vigilante of Ojoto from performing their duties.

He also hinted that the Police is currently investigating the matter, the outcome of which will be made available to the public soonest.

While reiterating that the AVG will not relent in carrying out its lawful duties in Anambra State, Mr. Nweke also commended the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, for the maximum support he has been giving to the AVG.

He said, The Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has been doing much, particularly in supporting and equipping the AVG and all the security agencies in the state in the fight against crimes in Anambra State. The AVG is very grateful to the Governor. We never had it as good as now, looking at the level of support he is giving us and the logistics he has provided for us.

He further added that the AVG would continue to work tirelessly to help Governor Soludos administration in achieving its vision of making Anambra State a liveable and prosperous homeland.

Earlier in his reaction, the Traditional Ruler of Ojoto community, H.R.H. Igwe Gerald Mbamalu also debunked the allegation against the Ojoto AVG Commander, maintaining that he cannot be a kidnapper or murderer and still be allowed to be the Chief Security Officer of the Community.

He also opined that the allegation was an instance of crime fighting back at the AVG Commander because of his productivity in the fight against crime in the community.

When you fight crime, crime has a way of fighting back. I strongly believe that this crime that is fighting back is to blackmail the Ojoto AVG, so that they will be dismissed for the hoodlums to find their way back into the community. But that will not work. There is nothing hidden under the sun; the truth must come out, he said.

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Nigerian lawmaker, Senator Adams Oshiomole (APCEdo), has spoken about his election as a senator.

He said that if he lost his senatorial ambition, his blood pressure would have risen to 360 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)

Oshiomhole said this during the post inauguration/thank you party hosted in his honour by friends and well-wishers at his country home, Iyamho, Etsako, Edo, on Saturday.

If you have voted against me, I dont know my blood pressure will now be 240/0360 that is if Im still alive.



Because the jubilations by the opponent would have been such that they will come and lock my small door and break my small bones, but you said no, Oshiomhole told his audience.

Oshiomhole said that many governors lost their in their bids to become senator, adding that it would have been a shame to him if he also lost.

He thanked the people of Edo North for voting for him as a senator, after leaving office as governor.

He also thanked the people for voting for President Bola Tinubu at the presidential election, adding that Edo-North district was the only district where Tinubu won in Edo.

He pledged his commitment to represent Edo North very well, adding that he has an obligation to ensure that the state benefited more from Tinubu administration.

There were sitting governors who contested for Senate across the country and many of them lost. I left office seven years ago and my people still honoured me with victory, how can I thank you enough.

Afeanmi people when you go back to your wards and units tell your people that I am very very grateful.



During the campaign, I told you if you want to give me one vote give it to Bola Ahmed Tinubu.



I am very proud to say and to repeat today here and now that in each of these six Local Governments Areas every ward Bola Ahmed Tinubu won, every ward Adams Oshiomhole won, he said..

I will proudly carry the result and I will say Mr President this is my certificate of the people of Edo North that voted for you.



He assured the people that Tinubu will transform Nigeria the way he did to Lagos.



 Tinubu said those who say Edo no be Lagos will be alive when he becomes president, he will not only make Edo to be like Lagos, but better than Lagos.



So my people those who say Edo no be Lagos, Tinubu cannot control us please tell them Tinubu is now Commander In-Chief of the Armed Forces, he said.
The Nation reports that private depots at the weekend crashed the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N495  N496 per litre from N502 to N503/litre.

The development came amid rumour that the prices of petrol may soar in July owing to the recently devalued exchange rate.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) depot retained its N479.6/litre.

Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi broke the news to The Nation on phone.

He attributed the decline in price to low demand for the product.

Lamenting the crash in demand for the PMS, he said customers, especially civil servants cannot cope with the new rates.

According to him: They are even reducing the price compared to last week. They are selling at the rate of N495 to N496/ litre. You know it reached N502 to N503/litre.



In Lagos most of the depots in Lagos that is what they are selling. NNPC is maintaining its old rate N479.6/litre.



There is no much market because people, especially the civil servants, are complaining there is no money.

He urged importers of the product to hasten the supply, noting that there has been no fresh stocking since the removal of subsidy.

Maigandi, who said vessels of petrol may arrive in July, warned the suppliers not to allow their stock to dry up at any time.

The National Vice President said: Nobody has imported petrol since the removal of subsidy even NNPC did not import.

We are all using the old stock. But I know probably this month there will be new stock if not it may create scarcity.



The government should not allow the fuel to get scarce. They should ensure they bring new stock. That is what we are expecting.



The major oil marketers of Nigeria recently said consumption of PMS has reduced by 20% from 66 million litre/day to just over 40 ml/d.

Its Executive Secretary, Clement Isong, said adjustment of lifestyle due to increased rates was accountable for the decline in demand.
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Determined to end the soured relationship among Igbos and Yorubas in Lagos, Governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu have set up a committee to broker peace for them.

Setting up the reconciliation committee was the highpoint of the meeting they had on Friday to seek lasting solutions to the recent raging misunderstanding between the Igbos residing and doing business in Lagos and their Yoruba neighbours.

In a communique issued at the end of a meeting between Lagos State Government and South East Governments, it was agreed that a peace and reconciliation committee will be empanelled to settle and douse the increasing tension between the two vibrant groups.

While Sanwo-Olu endorsed for Lagos State Government, Uzodimma signed for the South East .

The communique further requested the suspension of further demolition at Alaba International market with a review committee to ensure that no building that is not in contravention is demolished.

It was further agreed that compensation will be paid for any wrong demolition in Alaba International market, while taxes, rates and demand notice levied on Igbo real estate developers will be reviewed to ensure they are not outrageously prohibitive, punitive and seemingly targeted at them.

To ensure that such a rift does not reoccur, the communique recommended the establishment of proper channels of communication and more robust engagement with organised Igbo leadership in Lagos as was the case during the tenures of Governors Tinubu, Fashola and Ambode, which engendered massive Igbo support for them.

The communique acknowledged that Igbos have nothing against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu and would continue to support them.

Earlier on Thursday, Uzodimma had addressed representatives of Igbos in Lagos where he assured them that he would meet with Sanwo-Olu for quick resolution of the crisis of confidence among them and their Yoruba brothers in Lagos.

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By Izunna Okafor, Awka

One person has been confirmed dead in a multiple accident that happened in Anambra State on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

The ghastly accident, which happened at the Odumodu Junction Umunya, by Nteje-Awka Expressway, occured at about 12:40pm.

The Acting Sector Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Anambra State, RC Margaret Onabe, who confirmed this in a press statement to the newsmen, on behalf of the State Sector Commander, CC Adeoye Irelewuyi, said that five vehicles and twenty-six persons were involved in the crash.

She said, Five unidentified drivers were involved in a fatal road traffic crash at Odumodu junction Umunya, by Nteje-Awka Expressway, today 1st July, 2023, at about 12:40hrs.

Continuing, she gave the names and details of the vehicles, to include Toyota Hiace (with the registration number ENU 32 XD); Mack Tanker laden with PMS (with the registration number LSD 339 XA); Toyota Yaris (with the registration number KSF 646 BZ); Mack Tanker (with the registration number BAU 305 ZE), and Toyota Camry (with the registration number ABN 64 JA).

The FRSC Spokesperson further noted that the probable cause of the accident was speeding.

She said, According to eyewitness, the driver of the truck, with registration number LSD 339 XA, lost control as a result of speed; thereby causing multiple collision of four other vehicles.

26 people (comprising 20 male adults, and 6 female adults) were involved in the crash.

Injured victims were 12 (comprising 9 male adults, and 3 female adults). One male adult was killed while, 13 people were rescued unhurt.

While noting that the Sector Commander, CC Irelewuyi was at the scene of the accident with the Head of Operations, DCC Okora Awassam; she further hinted that the officers of the Anambra State Fire Service were also on ground with their firefighting truck in case of fire outbreak.

RC Onabe added that the FRSC team were also on ground controlling traffic and ensuring obstruction caused by the crash is cleared, while efforts were being made to remove the trapped body. She said the rescued victims were rushed to the Borromeo and Divine Favour Hospital, Umunya for medical attention.

According to her, CC Irelewuyi sympathized with the family of the dead victim and wished the injured victims quick recovery.

He seriously warned motorists to desist from speeding and ensure they drive within minimum safe speed to save their lives and those of other road users, she said.

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By Mathew Adeolu

The APC South-East Strategic Engagement Forum (ASESEF) has welcomed the ongoing peace initiative between the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Government, and critical Igbo stakeholders.

In a press release jointly signed by the National Coordinator, Hon. Moses Okezie-Okafor and the National Secretary, Dr. Uche Nworah, the Forum praised both parties for doing everything possible to give peace a chance.

The Forum noted that recent tension in the relations between Ndigbo living in Lagos and their hosts could be traced to statements made by some parties, candidates, and their supporters during the 2023 general elections. The forum also expressed concern about the demolition of some sections of Alaba International Market in Lagos by officials of the Lagos State Government, which it said added to the misunderstanding.

The forum thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for assuring that interests of Ndigbo living in Lagos, as well as their investments, will be protected. It would be recalled that the Lagos helmsman had addressed the press after the meeting and acknowledged that there were issues but they were being resolved. There has been a lot of wrong information and communication. Our conversation this afternoon has cleared the air and we have seen the need for further collaboration and where wrongs have been expressed we corrected., he had said.

The Forum quoted the statement above with approval, calling it pure statesmanship. ASESEF similarly singled out Igbo stakeholders who have championed the peace initiative for commendation, especially Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Honourable Ben Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Ben Okoye, Paul Chukwuma, Sam Ohuabunwa, Joe Igbokwe, Jerry Chukwueke, and others.

The forum declared itself encouraged by the reassuring words of Governor Uzodinma, based on the assurances of Governor Sanwo-Olu, that Igbo interests in Lagos State are safe. The forum expressed trust that the committee that has been set up to further look into the issues will come up with strong recommendations that will help to deepen the relations between Ndigbo and their hosts in Lagos State even more.

The forum said that nearly every family in Igboland has at least one member living in Lagos and noted that peaceful coexistence of Ndigbo in Lagos, an APC State, would greatly enhance the governing partys electoral fortunes in the South East. It concluded by saying that the Forum welcomes the peace moves because it believes that only through such strategic engagements can alliances be formed, stereotypes destroyed, and mutually beneficial relationships strengthened.

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Why all these because of election? There was pandemonium in the Oshodi area of Lagos, on Monday, as shops belonging to Igbo traders were allegedly forced shut by hoodlums said to be sympathetic to the All Progressives Congress.

It was gathered that the hoodlums beat up some of the traders for allegedly voting for the PDP.

It was all about the presidential and National Assembly elections that held on Saturday. The Punch gathered that the hoodlums invaded the market around 5am and destroyed some shops before the traders arrived to set up their wares.

It was learnt that the hoodlums returned around 7am to beat up some of the traders, who were assessing the damage done to their shops.

One of the traders, who identified himself simply as Emeka, and whose shop was destroyed, said the hoodlums had no justification to attack the traders and their means of livelihood for exercising their civic right, adding that they were paying taxes to the Lagos State Government.

He stated, I arrived for the days business only to see my shed already destroyed. When I asked those who arrived before me, I was told that some people came armed with weapons to destroy our places of business. I also learnt that they beat up some traders when they came the second time.

This action on the Igbo is condemnable, because we are the ones developing this state. Some of the shops built by the government are sold to us because we are willing to pay any amount to get shops where business thrives.

We are calling on the state government to put security measures in place so that such a thing will not repeat itself. As a Nigerian, it is expected that everyone will be free to do business anywhere in the country without being intimidated or harassed by anybody, regardless of who they decide to vote for.

Another trader, identified simply as Obinna, said he escaped the beating by the hoodlums by chance.

Obinna said, I was able to escape the hoodlums beating by luck, because when I saw some guys coming in a group with planks in their hands, I knew there was a problem and I just took to my heels. When I returned, some of the traders, who didnt run far from the place, told me of what happened.

Someone had earlier suggested that I should take some time before resuming business after the elections, but I thought democracy in 2019 should not involve violence. It is really bad that people cannot be allowed to exercise their right to vote in the acclaimed centre of excellence.

A trader, who refused to give her name, said, There was a problem with the area boys this morning at Oshodi. They blocked our shops for almost an hour before the Operation Python Dance operatives came and the hoodlums fled.

The attack was accentuated by their belief that we the Igbo, who are doing business in Oshodi and environs, voted for the PDP instead of the APC. They even threatened to drive us out of Oshodi and place curses on us.

So, in the process, information got to the Operation Python Dance operatives, who ordered everybody to reopen their shops. That was when people resumed their normal business.

What we have seen is that the youth acted based on some peoples directives. We dont know those who sent them to attack us. Does it mean that we dont have the right to vote for whoever we want?

Must we vote for the same person they are voting for? It is wrong and this should not be a part of the democratic process. There are so many other things happening here, but we dont say them out in the interest of peace.

The member representing Oshodi Isolo 1 in the House of Representatives, Mutiu Shadimu, condemned the action of the hoodlums and called on the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

He stated, This morning, I was informed that non-indigenes were being attacked in Oshodi. The hoodlums were alleged to have asked the traders not to open their shops for voting for the PDP. This is rather unfortunate in a country that is supposed to be a federation. Every citizen has the right to live wherever they want to live and have the right to vote for whoever they want to vote for.

No individual has the right to stop them from carrying out their civic duty. We are gradually running towards anarchy and I implore the agencies and people in government to keep up with their constitutional duties and bring to justice those who perpetrated such an act.

Surprisingly, the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, however, debunked the news of the incident, stating that the alleged civil unrest was a rumour.

In a statement issued by its Head of Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Taofiq, the Chairman of the task force, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, was quoted as saying that the agency and other security outfits were in constant patrol of the area to prevent the breakdown of law and order.

Members of the public are hereby enjoined not to panic and go about their lawful business around Oshodi and other parts of the state, he added.

Similarly, the Lagos State Police Command dispelled rumours of attacks on Igbo traders by area boys in Oshodi.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Chike Oti, said in a statement on Monday that although the command received distress calls about the rumoured attacks, operatives were deployed in various parts of Oshodi and environs, adding that it did not receive information about any attack.

Oti stated, The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to the news making the rounds on the Internet to the effect that a group of boys, popularly called area boys, were attacking Igbo traders in Oshodi, preventing them from opening their shops.

The command wishes to debunk the rumour in its entirety as nothing could be further from the truth.

Although the command received distress calls from concerned Nigerians, whose apprehension was understandably heightened by disturbing rumours emanating from some social media platforms, the command swiftly and massively deployed its personnel drawn from various units in Oshodi and environs to assuage the feelings of residents and further assure Lagosians of its readiness to decisively deal with any person or group of persons who attempts to breach the public peace.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Muazu Zubairu, commended Lagosians for conducting themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner during Saturdays presidential and National Assembly elections.

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